Hyderabad, Nov 25: Six people were injured in a massive fire in an electronics shop in the old city of Hyderabad.

On Monday night, the fire started in the electronics shop on Shahalibanda due to a short circuit, completely gutting it. A CNG cylinder explosion in a car parked in front of the shop further spread the blaze.

Eight fire engines, a skylift fire truck, and a firefighting robot were pressed into service to bring the blaze under control. It took more than two hours for the firefighting personnel to douse the flames.

The fire, which started in an electronics shop, spread to the adjoining warehouse and other shops, resulting in huge property loss.

A cloth shop was also completely gutted in the fire.

Window panes in the surrounding houses were also shattered under the impact of the explosion.

The fire was also suspected to have intensified due to the explosion of several refrigerator cylinders, geysers and electronic items stored in the shop.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Zone) Khare Kiran Prabhakar said, prima facie, the fire started in an electronics shop due to a short circuit.

The flames engulfed the CNG car parked in front of the shop, and the cylinder blast caused the fire to spread rapidly.

Few people were working in the shops, and a few were also sitting in the car. Because of fire and an explosion, six people were injured and admitted to the hospital.

The DCP told the media that firefighters brought the situation under control, preventing further damage.

He appealed to citizens not to believe fake news circulating on social media. He urged them to rely only on official information from the police and avoid sharing unverified news that may lead to unnecessary panic.

According to eyewitnesses, the loud explosion was heard in a radius of one kilometre, triggering panic among residents.

Locals also claimed that the clock on the nearby Rajarai Clock Tower also stopped at the time of the explosion.

Mumbai: Mumbai Police have arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly kidnapping a biker in Bandra and demanding sexual favours, in a late-night incident that has raised serious concerns over public safety. The accused, identified as Chirag Hargunani, was reportedly driving an Audi car under the influence of alcohol when the incident took place.

According to Bandra police, the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday when Hargunani approached two men travelling on a motorcycle near Bandra on the pretext of seeking directions to a nearby park. The accused, who appeared heavily intoxicated, asked one of them, Mohammad Taabish Shoeb Kutty, to sit inside his Audi and guide him, claiming he was unable to navigate in his drunken state.

Kutty agreed initially, believing he was simply helping a lost motorist. However, once inside the car, the situation took a disturbing turn. Police officials said Hargunani suddenly locked the doors and began driving off, effectively abducting the 26-year-old. During the drive, he allegedly made repeated demands for sexual favours from Kutty.

When Kutty refused and insisted on being let out, Hargunani became aggressive. He allegedly assaulted Kutty inside the moving vehicle, refusing to stop or release him. The victim then acted swiftly to protect himself, managing to reach for and remove the car keys during the struggle, forcing the Audi to halt. Kutty immediately stepped out and sought help, after which locals alerted the police.

A team from Bandra police station reached the spot and took Hargunani into custody. Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to kidnapping, wrongful confinement, assault and other offences. Hargunani remains in police custody as the probe continues.

Kolkata, Nov 25: The Calcutta High Court has ruled that a daughter separated from her husband will not be entitled to share in the family pension of her maternal family in case the divorce happens after the death of her father.

The order, passed by a division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen on Monday, was uploaded on Tuesday morning.

The division bench was of the view that if the daughter was dependent on her father till the day of his death, she could be given a pension. But if, at the time of her father’s death, she was dependent on her husband, she was not entitled to get the pension if she returned to her father’s house after getting divorced.

At the same time, the high court dismissed the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) verdict, which granted a pension for divorced women, and upheld the Centre’s decision not to grant a pension to the petitioner.

In the present case, the petitioner’s father retired from the Central government service in 1996 and passed away in 2003. The daughter, who was married at that time, claimed a pension at the time of her father’s death. As she got divorced in 2016, she, due to financial hardship, applied for her father’s pension again.

Accepting the daughter’s application, the CAT ordered the Centre to grant her a pension.

The Centre moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the verdict, with its lawyer Fatik Chandra Das arguing that the daughter was married at the time of her father’s death and was not dependent on her father’s pension. Now she cannot suddenly ask for her father’s pension for her own needs, Das held, adding that only the dependents of the family are eligible for pension.

In the counter-argument, the daughter’s lawyer, Chandreyi Alam, said that her client is currently in a financially weak situation, and as a daughter, she is entitled to her father’s family pension.

The high court, however, observed that the daughter’s divorce or case was not filed during her father’s lifetime. As she was married at the time of her father’s death, she will not get the pension.

In 2013, the Centre had directed that if the divorce occurs after the death of both parents, then the daughter will not get the family pension. But in a 2017 CAT order, it was said that if the divorce case is started while the father or mother is alive, the pension will be available. However, the daughter’s income must be less than the monetary value of the pension.