New Delhi, Sep 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday expanded its footprint in Meghalaya as eight sitting legislators of the regional outfit in the state — United Democratic Party (UDP) joined it, increasing the BJP’s strength in the 60-member state Assembly from two to 10.

The legislators were formally inducted at the BJP headquarters in the national capital in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, national spokesperson and Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, and other senior party leaders.

Those who joined the BJP are Lahkmen Rymbui, Kyrmen Shylla, Balajied Kupar Synrem, Synshar Kupar Roy Lyngdoh Thabah, Pius Marwein, Mayralborn Syiem, Ollan Sing Suin and Matthew Beyondstar Kurbah.

Welcoming the eight MLAs into the party, Rijiju said their decision was influenced by the development initiatives undertaken by the Narendra Modi-led government in the Northeast.

He said the Centre’s increased focus on the region had altered its political and developmental landscape, contrasting it with the approach of previous Congress-led governments.

Rijiju also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had maintained sustained engagement with the Northeast and had visited the region more than 80 times for development programmes and outreach, excluding election-related visits.

The Union Minister said the entry of the eight legislators would further strengthen the government led by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and improve coordination among the BJP and its NDA partners in the state.

The political shift reduces the UDP’s strength from 12 MLAs to four, while the BJP now has 10 legislators and becomes the second-largest party in the Assembly after the National People’s Party (NPP), which has 33 MLAs.

The eight legislators had reportedly held discussions with the BJP leadership on several issues, specific to Meghalaya, before making the switch. Among the matters raised were the demand for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, coal mining-related concerns, implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and the proposed relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

Kyrmen Shylla had earlier said that the group was seeking assurances from the BJP leadership on these issues before the decision to join the party.

The latest development is expected to have a bearing on the political equations in Meghalaya ahead of the next Assembly elections.

Sagar, Sep 23: A key accused in the Sagar spurious liquor tragedy, which claimed 20 lives, was arrested along with his associate after a brief exchange of fire with police in the district early Wednesday, officials said.

Police intercepted Manish Lodhi alias Yashwant, who was carrying a reward of Rs 30,000, and his associate Ashish Sahu around 3 a.m. near the Nonia-Sesai Road valley under Malthoun police station limits.

Police said the two accused opened fire when the team tried to apprehend them. The personnel retaliated, injuring Lodhi in the leg, while Sahu sustained injuries while allegedly attempting to flee. Two country-made pistols, five rounds of ammunition and a baseball bat were recovered from the spot, police said.

The injured accused were taken to hospital for treatment and subsequently arrested. “The accused opened fire at the police team during the operation. The police returned fire in self-defence, and both the accused were apprehended,” a police official said.

Lodhi was the licensed contractor of the Barethi liquor shop, and police have alleged that he was involved in the supply of illicit liquor to villages. The administration cancelled the liquor shop contract after the tragedy.

Police said Lodhi had 11 criminal cases registered against him and had allegedly obtained the liquor contract by using the alias Yashwant Singh Thakur. He claimed that Yashwant was his brother. Police said a separate fraud case was registered after his identity came to light.

The arrest comes against the backdrop of the spurious liquor tragedy in Banda and Shahgarh areas of Sagar district earlier this month. Police have alleged that a network involving the manufacture, supply and distribution of illicit liquor was operating in the affected villages. So far, 52 people have been named as accused in the case, of whom 39 have been arrested, while 11 remain absconding, according to police.

Two accused, Ramsingh and Dinesh Shivhare, also died after allegedly consuming the spurious liquor. The Madhya Pradesh government has constituted a judicial commission headed by retired Justice V.P.S. Chauhan to inquire into the tragedy and has submitted details of the action taken before the High Court.

On Tuesday, the state government told the High Court that 20 people died in the incident and compensation was provided to the affected families. It also reported arrests, sealing of liquor shops, collection of samples, and medical screening of people in the affected areas.

Investigation is continuing into the entire chain, from manufacture to supply and distribution of the spurious liquor.

Further action will be taken on the basis of the evidence collected. The arrested accused are being questioned to establish the source of the liquor and identify others involved in the supply network, according to police.

A massive fire broke out at a Mercedes workshop in Balaji Market in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, destroying around eight cars along with expensive spare parts and accessories.

Thick smoke from the blaze was visible from nearly five kilometres away. The incident happened late Tuesday night.

The workshop falls under the jurisdiction of the Sanganer Sadar police station. Soon after the fire was reported, police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and launched efforts to contain the flames. Power supply to the surrounding area was also cut off as a precautionary measure to prevent the fire from spreading.

More than 50 cars, including both new and old vehicles, were parked at the workshop when the fire broke out.

The intense flames engulfed around eight vehicles before firefighters could contain the blaze. Several other cars were moved out of the workshop in time by firefighters and police personnel, preventing potentially greater damage.

Fire Officer Usha Sharma said around 10 fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze. The fire tenders reportedly made more than two dozen trips while battling the flames for nearly two hours. Sanganer Sadar SHO Kamlesh Sharma said several vehicles were safely removed from the premises during the operation.

Also, no loss of life was reported in the incident.

Preliminary investigation suggests that a short circuit may have triggered the fire. However, the exact cause is yet to be formally established. Police and fire officials are assessing the extent of damage to the vehicles, spare parts and other material inside the workshop.

Further details are expected as the investigation progresses.

Earlier in the day, a fire had also broken out at a mall near Narayan Singh Circle in Jaipur at around 2 p.m., triggering panic among people inside the premises. The mall’s electricity supply was switched off immediately after the fire was detected. Two fire tenders reached the spot and brought the blaze under control after around 30 minutes.