Two people died, and four others sustained burn injuries, including one who suffered 80 per cent burns, after a fire broke out at a scrap godown in Abdul Rashid Compound in Saki Naka, Andheri East, Mumbai, officials said on Wednesday.

The Mumbai Fire Brigade received a call about the blaze at 6.18 p.m. on Tuesday and classified it as a Level-II fire shortly after responding to the incident.

The injured were subsequently rushed to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for treatment, police said. The identities of the two deceased persons have not yet been established.

A senior officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade said the circumstances surrounding the blaze remained unclear, with the scale and nature of the incident making it difficult to determine its cause at this stage.

Preliminary investigations have so far been unable to establish the exact cause or point of origin of the fire.

Officials said the flames spread rapidly, with the large quantity of scrap material at the godown providing fuel and causing the blaze to intensify quickly.

The nature of the material stored at the premises also posed challenges for firefighting personnel, making the operation to extinguish the flames difficult. However, after sustained efforts, the fire brigade eventually managed to bring the blaze under control.

“Extinguishing the fire was also challenging, but it was eventually brought under control,” the officer said.

The four injured individuals were identified as Taufiq Shadil Qureshi, 20, who sustained 80 per cent burns; Jahid Abidulla Qureshi, 20, and Kamal Jalauddin Shah, 47, who both suffered 40 per cent burns; and Lalchand Ramlakhan Gautam, 40, who sustained 10 per cent burns.

All four were admitted to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for medical treatment.

According to doctors at the hospital, Taufiq Shadil Qureshi, who sustained 80 per cent burns, is in critical condition. The two other patients who suffered 40 per cent burns each are also in serious condition.

All three have been admitted to the hospital’s trauma ward for treatment and close monitoring.

The fourth injured person, Lalchand Ramlakhan Gautam, who sustained 10 per cent burns, is reported to be stable.

Doctors said he would remain under observation for some time before being discharged, depending on his condition.

Meanwhile, the police and fire brigade officials are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Further details are awaited.

In an unsparing broadside against the Centre, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Wednesday launched a scathing critique in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, questioning the Centre’s misplaced priorities amid ongoing ‘bloodshed’ in Manipur.

Highlighting a grim contrast, an editorial in Saamana condemned the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for deploying massive state machinery to turn the national capital into a “military cantonment” to crush peaceful political protests, while leaving the border state of Manipur to suffer under unrelenting ethnic violence.

The editorial painted a tragic picture of the ground reality in Manipur, pointing out that despite the presence of a “double-engine” government at both the Centre and state, peace remains distant. Over the past three years, the deep-seated clash between the Meitei, Kuki, and Naga communities — originally triggered after legal stances were taken regarding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status — has claimed more than 350 lives. The violence has seen a deadly resurgence. Over the last six months alone, 60 people have lost their lives, with at least 23 fatal attacks recorded over a recent 20-day span.

Highlighting the human cost, the editorial cited a recent incident in the Sunulok region where an armed group opened indiscriminate fire on 14 Meitei civilians collecting firewood in a forest, killing three instantly. Enraged citizens placed the body of a slain youth directly outside Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh’s residence in Imphal, protesting the administration’s inability to secure citizens’ lives.

“Thousands of displaced Manipuris continue to languish in overcrowded, substandard government relief camps, trapped in constant fear for their lives. Heavy security forces are deployed, yet armed groups clash at will with assault weapons. Sending security contingents is treated as the end of the government’s duty, while grassroots trust-building remains entirely missing,” noted the editorial.

The Thackeray camp claimed that to suppress anti-government demonstrations in New Delhi, the government mobilised sweeping security apparatuses, converting streets into militarised zones with barricades and heavy force to secure political stability in the national capital. Conversely, in Manipur’s hilly and forest regions, where armed outfits clash continuously, security measures have failed to halt daily acts of arson, killings, and terror.

The editorial further remarked that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur brought no lasting operational change, accusing the leadership of operating under a narrow directive: “Let Manipur burn, but Delhi must be saved, and the government must survive.”

Concluding with a poignant critique, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena asked, “Is Manipur not a part of India just like Delhi? While the government deploys massive strength in Delhi, why is the same force not applied to Manipur? Manipur is burning over and over again. Who will stop this inferno?”

Palghar Police have solved the murder of a 52-year-old woman, Sajani Vinod Waghari, who was allegedly bludgeoned to death with a hammer following a minor dispute in the Saphale police station area. Two accused have been arrested in connection with the crime, police said on Tuesday.

The accused have been identified as Nilesh Dharamaji Chibhade (35), a resident of Bambar Pada, Jamshar Post, Jawhar taluka, and Ujwala Navsu Khutade (33), a resident of Dabhosa in Jawhar taluka, both in Palghar district.

According to police, Waghari, a resident of Adwan Sawarpada in Palghar taluka, was found injured near an iron bridge at Tepacha Pada on October 15, 2026. She was immediately taken to the Saphale Primary Health Centre, where doctors examined her and declared her dead.

Initially, a case of accidental death (No. 32/2026) was registered at Saphale Police Station under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

However, during the inquest and subsequent medical examination, doctors found a serious injury behind the woman’s ear, apparently caused by a weapon. The injury had resulted in excessive blood loss, leading to her death.

Following the medical findings, police suspected murder and registered a case (No. 119/2026) under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on October 15.

Considering the seriousness of the crime, Palghar Superintendent of Police Yatish Deshmukh directed the formation of separate teams from the Local Crime Branch and Saphale Police Station to investigate the case.

The teams pursued leads through confidential information and technical analysis, which eventually helped identify the two suspects.

During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to attacking Waghari on the head with a hammer following a minor altercation, police said.

Both were subsequently arrested and produced before a court, which remanded them to five days of police custody until October 22.

The murder case was cracked under the guidance of SP Yatish Deshmukh, Additional Superintendent of Police Vinayak Narale and Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Palghar division Umesh Gawali. Further investigation is being conducted by Assistant Police Inspector Datta Shelke of Saphale Police Station.