Indian-American teacher hailed for saving students during Florida shooting
New York: An Indian-American maths teacher is being hailed for saving the lives of her students during the shooting rampage at a Florida, high school that left 17 dead.
When an alarm sounded for the second time on Wednesday afternoon, Shanthi Viswanathan shut the doors to her algebra classroom, made the students crouch on the floor and covered the windows, keeping them out of the reach and sight of the gunman, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
"She was quick on her feet. She used her knowledge. She saved a lot of kids," Dawn Jarboe, the mother of one of Viswanathan's students, told the newspaper.
When an elite police SWAT team came and knocked on the door asking her to open it, "Viswanathan took no chance that it wasn't a trick by the gunman to get in" the newspaper said.
"She said, 'knock it down or open it with a key. I'm not opening the door," Jarboe quoted her as telling the police.
"Some SWAT guy took out the window and cleared our room," Jarboe's son, Brian, texted his mother.
It may be recalled that a former student of the school, Nikolas Cruz, barged into Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Valentine's Day and killed 15 students and two staff members with an AR-15 automatic rifle.
However, he was reported to have had a troubled childhood and had threatened in a YouTube post to shoot up schools.
Although it was reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the agency closed the investigation without locating him, according to media reports.
The shooter abandoned his gun and during the ensuing chaos mixed in with the students to escape. He was captured about 40 minutes later in a neighboring town, authorities said.
In the entire Broward County, where Parkland is located, the Indian population is 22,600, according to statisticalatlas.com. But none of those killed are of Indian descent.
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Mumbai: The Maharashtra Assembly elections have witnessed a fierce battle for power, with the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance aiming to retain its position and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition striving for resurgence. As counting begins today, 23rd November 2024, 4,140 candidates are in contention for 288 seats. Among these, 234 are general-category seats, while 29 are reserved for Scheduled Castes and 25 for Scheduled Tribes. Here are five constituencies to watch closely:
1. Worli:
Milind Deora (Shiv Sena - Shinde faction), Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT), and Sandeep Deshpande (MNS) are contesting. Aaditya Thackeray, the incumbent, is known for his hands-on approach during the pandemic. Milind Deora, a former minister, appeals to urban voters, while Deshpande focuses on infrastructure and housing issues.
2. Baramati:
Ajit Pawar (NCP) and Yugendra Pawar (NCP - Sharad Pawar faction) are in the fray. Ajit Pawar has held this seat since 1991, while Yugendra Pawar, mentored by Sharad Pawar, is making his debut in this traditional stronghold.
3. Vandre East:
Zeeshan Siddique (NCP) and Varun Sardesai (Shiv Sena UBT) are the key contenders. Siddique is popular among young voters and the Muslim community, while Sardesai has strong ties to Shiv Sena's traditional base.
4. Nagpur South West:
Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Praful Gudadhe (Congress) are contesting. Fadnavis seeks his fourth consecutive term, leveraging his development initiatives, while Gudadhe may attract voters dissatisfied with urban infrastructure and public services.
5. Kopri-Pachpakhadi:
Eknath Shinde (Shiv Sena) and Kedar Dighe (Shiv Sena UBT) are in a tough contest. Shinde, the current chief minister, highlights his mentor Anand Dighe’s legacy, while Dighe’s nephew, Kedar, challenges him in this Thane constituency.
The election campaign saw prominent leaders, including PM Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, actively canvassing across the state.
