Indian national dies in fire incident in Manhattan residential building
New York, Feb 25: A 27-year-old Indian national, who worked as a journalist here, tragically lost his life in a fire incident in an apartment building in Manhattan.
Fazil Khan was killed in the fire that broke out in a six-story residential building at 2 St. Nicholas Place in Harlem, Manhattan that left about 17 other people injured.
The New York City Fire Department said that its marshals have determined that the "devastating" fire was caused by a lithium-ion battery.
Khan is a journalist with New York-based media company The Hechinger Report, which is focused on innovation and inequality in education.
The Consulate General of India in New York expressed condolences on Khan's death and said it is extending all possible assistance to repatriate his mortal remains to his family in India.
"Saddened to learn about the death of 27-year old Indian national Fazil Khan in an unfortunate fire incident in Harlem, NY," the Consulate said in a post on X Saturday.
The Consulate said it is in touch with Khan's family and friends.
"We continue to extend all possible assistance in repatriation of his mortal remains to India," the Consulate said.
Khan was a data reporter at The Hechinger Report and according to his profile on X, he was an alumnus of Columbia Journalism School.
The Hechinger Report said in a post on X that it learned Saturday that Khan died in a fire in the New York City building where he lived.
"We are devastated by the loss of such a great colleague and wonderful person, and our hearts go out to his family. He will be dearly missed," it said.
Firefighters said the fire originated in the building's 3rd floor. At 2:14 pm Friday, the FDNY responded to the 2-alarm fire at 2 St. Nicholas Place in Harlem. Firefighters arrived within minutes to find people on the fire escape. People were also seen hanging out the windows on the fifth floor, the fire department said. Victims were trapped on the 5th floor of the building.
The fire department had said that there were a total of 18 patients, out of which four were in critical condition.
Joseph Pfeifer, the Fire Department's first deputy commissioner, had said Friday that one person was in critical condition at the scene but died at the hospital. At the time, the victim's identity had not been released.
The fire department said that fires caused by lithium-ion batteries have increased dramatically in New York City with deadly consequences.
These rechargeable batteries are found in electric bikes and scooters, cars, laptops, tablets, phones and common household devices. Lithium-ion battery fires have caused deaths, serious injuries and devastating damage to property around the city, the department said on its website.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
