Palghar, Aug 25: A seven-year-old student of a residential school in Maharashtra Palghar district has died after suffering from high fever and breathing difficulties, while 26 other students have been hospitalised with symptoms of cold, cough and fever, officials said on Tuesday.

The Class 1 student, enrolled at an ashram school in Maswan, developed a high fever on August 22 and was taken to the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) for treatment.

When his fever returned on Monday, the PHC medical officer observed that his oxygen levels were dropping and advised that he be shifted by ambulance to the Rural Hospital in Manor.

After the child was taken to the hospital, medical officers conducted an ECG and subsequently declared him dead, an official said.

The exact cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem report is received, the official added.

Following the incident, senior health and administrative officials visited the school, which has 395 resident students out of a total enrolment of 449. A medical team also conducted a comprehensive health screening of students on the campus.

As a precautionary measure, 26 students showing mild symptoms of cold, cough or fever were placed under medical observation at the Maswan PHC. Their condition was reported to be stable.

Integrated Tribal Development Project Officer Vishal Khatri visited the school and the health centre to meet the hospitalised students and their parents.

The incident comes weeks after three tribal girls died following venomous snakebites at a residential school hostel in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district, where they were reportedly sleeping on the floor.

The deaths have renewed scrutiny of safety and health conditions at Maharashtra’s ashram schools. Earlier this month, officials reportedly said that 584 students had died in state-run and government-aided residential facilities across the state over the past two years.

Reported causes of the deaths included snakebites, sickle cell disease, serious illnesses, accidents and suicides.

Bhiwandi, Maharashtra: A dispute between two groups of youths at Dindigad Hill near Bhiwandi escalated into a physical confrontation on Sunday afternoon, leaving six people injured, according to preliminary information.

The incident reportedly began after a disagreement at the hill area. The dispute is understood to have been linked to objections over non-vegetarian food being brought to the location. What started as a verbal argument soon turned violent, with members of the two groups allegedly assaulting each other.

The injured were taken to Bhiwandi Sub-District Hospital for medical treatment. However, tension reportedly flared again when members of the two groups came face-to-face at the hospital. Police personnel were deployed at the hospital to prevent the situation from escalating further.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and are examining the claims made by those involved. Further legal action is expected after statements are recorded and the facts of the incident are established.

The incident has raised concerns over the need for restraint and peaceful resolution of disputes, particularly in public places where clashes can quickly create tension in the surrounding area.

MIDC Police Station Anti-Narcotics Squad PI Kholam and his team were patrolling the night of August 22 to take action against people using, buying and selling drugs within their limits.

On the 23rd, at around 12:10 am, the police saw a person moving around suspiciously in front of the gate of Hemant Karkare Garden, near Sahakari Bhandar, Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai. PI Kholam found the person’s movements suspicious and the police team tried to stop him. On seeing the police, the said person tried to run away from there, however, with the help of the police team, he was arrested on the spot. During interrogation, the person initially gave evasive answers. Later, after taking him into confidence and conducting further detailed interrogation, a dark colored powder, which was said to be Heroin, was recovered from his possession.

The police searched the said person in compliance with all the legal requirements of the NDPS Act, 1985. Heroin weighing 302 grams, worth approximately ₹3,50,00,000 (Rupees 3 crore 50 lakhs), was recovered from his possession.

In this case, a case has been registered under Section 8(c) read with Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act under Case No. 943/2026 on the basis of a complaint received at MIDC Police Station, Mumbai. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the said drugs were being supplied in the area of ​​MIDC Police Station. Further investigation of the case is underway.

Thus, PI Kholam, Officer of the Anti-Narcotics Team of MIDC Police Station and his team carried out a remarkable operation of timely arresting the accused drug dealer Tauseef Liaquat Qazi (29) and seizing 302 grams of heroin, worth ₹3.50 crores, from his possession. The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of senior police officers, including Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Dr. Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Police Commissioner Datta Nalawade and Assistant Police Commissioner Yogesh Shinde. The operation was directly supervised by Senior Police Inspector Ghanshyam Nair and Police Inspector (Crime) Sunil Karande.