Nine people died after a blast occurred in a cracker unit located near a railway track in Shornur near Palakkad on Tuesday evening.
The blast, triggered by a fire, also injured around 25 people.
It occurred at around 4.30 pm when the Mangalore-Coimbatore passenger train was passing by. But none of the passengers were injured. Three sheds of the cracker unit exploded one by one and the body parts of some of the workers got flung onto the rail tracks because of the impact. According to local authorities, the cracker unit was run by one Thrangali Kunhikannan.
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Stir against DM transfer in Rajasthan
AGE CORRESPONDENT
JAIPUR
Feb. 1: The growing tussle between bureaucrats and politicians put Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot in a tight spot. In Jhunjhunu district, people are protesting against the transfer of district collector and magistrate Mugdha Sinha. A bandh was observed in Mandava and Nawalgarh towns on Tuesday against Ms Sinha’s transfer following the request of the ruling Congress MLA.
The state government has transferred Ms Sinha immediately when MLA Shrvan Kumar had a war of words with her. This was the third time in the last one year when people protested against the transfer of district collectors.
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Gujarat HC lawyers on strike
AGE CORRESPONDENT
AHMEDABAD
Feb. 1: The Gujarat high court’s advocates association and Gujarat Bar Council lawyers here on Tuesday went on strike on the issue of appointment of judges in the high court.
Defying the strike call, a few lawyers however attended the court’s proceedings.
There has not been any appointment of judges in the high court for last 21 months despite the fact the high court had sent a panel of names for elevation as HC judges.
However, sources in the Union ministry said that the Supreme Court collegium has recommended five-six names for the appointmentfrom the list the Gujarat HC had forwarded.