'Fire spread in minutes, caused mini explosions:' Eyewitnesses recount Aero India 2019 fire

Aero India 2019

19-year-old college student Abhishek Gowda says he was one of the few people who first saw the plumes of smoke near the parking lot.

Theja Ram

It was around 12 pm on Saturday. The afternoon sun was scorching and Abhishek S Gowda, a 19-year-old college student, was volunteering for Aero India and saw plumes of smoke near the parking lot. Abhishek says he was a part of the Bookmyshow team, who had set up their tent in parking lot number 5 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. When Abhishek informed his superiors that there could be a fire, they initially thought it was probably just grass burning. "My friend Ashwin and I ran to the spot where the fire broke out. We saw that the car parked at the end of the parking lot on the first row was on fire. Then there was an explosion and the fire just spread within seconds," Abhishek told TNM. Overcoming panic and fear, Abhishek realised that there were several drivers, who were asleep in cars nearby. He says he and his friend began banging and knocking on their car windows and alerting them to get out immediately. "There were some 10 to 15 drivers who were asleep inside the cars. The fire was spreading quickly and they had to get out. I was in Boy Scouts, what was the use of my training if I didn't help? So my friend and I went and got them out and moved them away from the line of fire so that they would not be gutted," Abhishek added. The fire fighting squad then reached the spot and asked the men to move away as the smoke could be suffocating. "The car tyres are blowing up. What are you doing here? Go away. Do you have a car? Take it and go," a firefighter, identified as Rakesh, began yelling at people who began gathering around the area of the fire. “After the firefighters arrived, my friend and I got back to work. I am just happy that no one was injured," Abhishek said. The firefighters arrived at the parking lot within minutes of the smoke being detected and in 20 minutes the flames were doused. According to the Fire Department, around 300 cars have been gutted in the fire. “There were cars blasting one after the another, I could hear crackling sounds. The cars were closely parked so the fire spread within seconds... there were glass shards everywhere, tyres were blasting. I was scared so I ran out and I saw one fire engine come inside,” another eyewitness, Rahil told TNM. He added that the fire had broken out at the far end of the parking lot and the firefighters began their operations immediately and the fire could be controlled to just that area. Speaking to TNM, Rakesh, who was deployed for duty at Aero India, said that the fire engine which he was in was the first to arrive at the spot. Rakesh sustained deep wounds on his left arm after shards of glass scraped against his arm when the blasts occurred at the parking lot. Rakesh was being administered aid when he spoke to TNM.   "These are not major injuries. I am okay. I am with the Channapattana Fire Station and was deployed for Aero India duty. I am just getting my wound dressed so I can get back to work. We cannot say what the cause of the fire is yet. Although there is a suspicion that it could be a cigarette butt, we can only be sure once the investigation is complete. It could also have been some issue with the car itself," Rakesh added. Minutes after obtaining treatment, firefighter Rakesh was seen running towards the fire engine and was back to work.

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Fire at parking lot of Aero India 2019 venue in Bengaluru, no injuries reported

Aero India 2019

Police sources present at the spot have told TNM that a grass fire spread to parking area number 5 and some vehicles which were parked there have also caught fire.

TNM Staff

A huge plume of smoke was seen at the Yelahankha air base, which is the venue for the Aero India 2019 air show being held in Bengaluru, on Saturday morning. Police sources present at the spot have told TNM that a grass fire spread to parking area number 5 and some vehicles which were parked there have also caught fire. Currently, there are no reports of any injuries. Fire engines and an ambulance have been rushed to the spot to help douse the fire. The cause of the fire is not yet known but sources say it could have been a lit cigarette that was thrown into the grass which may have started the fire. It is not known yet how many vehicles are ablaze. The parking spot is located around a kilometre away from where the air show is being held. @drajaykumar_ias @SpokespersonMoD @SIDMIndia Pls attend Need more fire brigade G5 parking Aeroindia@AeroIndiashow pic.twitter.com/BCkXc4vl9U — Vishwajeet Dubey (@Vishu8527522679) February 23, 2019 When the smoke was first spotted, many thought it was garbage being burnt but the amount of smoke later indicated a bigger fire. The area has been cordoned off and police personnel have reached the spot to initiate the investigation. There has been no disruption to the Aero India show due to the smoke. (This is a developing story)

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IAF’s Surya Kiran team pays tribute to Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi at Aero India 2019

Aero India 2019

The Surya Kiran team, with 7 aircraft, took to the skies on the fourth day of the Aero India 2019 air show being held in Bengaluru.

TNM Staff

Twitter/AeroIndiaShow

Days after a tragic accident involving the two aircraft of the Indian Air Force’s Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team, which killed one pilot, the team took to the skies on Saturday - the fourth day of the Aero India 2019 being held in Bengaluru. The audience at the event stood in silence as the team of seven aircraft – two aircraft lesser than its usual strength – flew in an arrow formation and a missing man formation to mourn their fallen pilot. Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, who flew as Surya Kiran 7, was killed in the mishap that took place on February 19. When the team was moving out of the hangar, an announcement was made that the team’s performance on Saturday will be a tribute to Gandhi. “He was the first member of the resurrected Surya Kiran team. As a founding member, he will always be our wingman and he will be remembered eternally,” the announcer added. On Tuesday morning, around 11.50 am, the two aircraft crashed resulting in the death of one pilot during a final rehearsal put together by the Bidar Air Force Station, which was practising for its final event which was to be held on Wednesday. The wing of one aircraft reportedly hit the other during the rehearsal, which led to the mishap. While Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi was killed in the accident, other two pilots, team 2IC Wing Commander Vijay Shelke and Squadron Leader Tejeshwar Singh had managed to eject out of the aircraft. They were taken to Command Hospital in Bengaluru and administered treatment. The mishap had taken place a day before the Aero India event began and the team, which was supposed to participate on the first day, had then stated that all displays except for Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team will continue as listed in the program on the first day.

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Bengaluru man arrested for sexually harassing women cops on the phone

Harassment

In addition to making derogatory remarks on the call, the accused also allegedly stated that he had committed a murder and raped a woman.

TNM Staff

Police officials from Bagalagunte police station have arrested a 30-year-old man who had been harassing women cops from the station. The accused has been identified as Ramesh Naika, a native of Andhra Pradesh’s Anantpur district, who had been staying at Manjunatha Nagar in Bengaluru. Ramesh made multiple calls to the police station, using different phone numbers, and would speak to female officers in a very crass manner. The accused had been using multiple SIM cards to make calls to the police station for a period of three months. He would call the station, and if a woman police officer answered, he would speak to her using extremely abusive and derogatory language. He had also allegedly claimed on the phone that he had committed a murder and that he had raped a woman. On Wednesday, he made a call to the station at around 9:00 am. The woman police constable who attended his call took note of the number which appeared on the caller ID. Ramesh made a subsequent call to the station 30 minutes later using a different SIM card. The constable noted this number down too and reported the issue to senior officials. Police were able to track down his location using these numbers, and he was apprehended near Manjunatha Nagar in Bengaluru. He was arrested on Wednesday after one of the cops he harassed managed to track his number down to pinpoint his location. Ramesh has been booked under IPC sections 354 (sexual harassment) and 353 (obstructing police from discharging their duty) as per reports. Ramesh was reportedly upset over his pregnant wife’s absence since she had gone to stay with her parents for the time being and had begun making these calls. He would make the phone calls to the station’s landline after getting drunk, under the assumption that his number could not be traced if he called the landline number.

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Suburban rail project for Bengaluru costing Rs 23,000 cr finally approved by Centre and state

Transport

The Rail Minister announced that the project will be ready within six years since the date of commissioning.

Soumya Chatterjee

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy on Friday announced that an agreement has finally been reached between the state and centre on forming a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the suburban railway project in Bengaluru. The announcement comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha poll dates being declared. As part of the agreement, the Railway Board will give 650 acres of its land at Re 1 per acre, and in turn, the Karnataka government will bear partial costs of doubling two lines, estimated to cost Rs 1,700 crore. In a joint press conference alongside Kumaraswamy, Goyal said the long-awaited rail network connecting 82 stations spread over 160 km costing Rs 23,000 crore will be completed in six years. Goyal said, “The ‘19’ conditions subject to which ‘in principle’ approval was given by Karnataka state cabinet will be ratified, as mutually agreed during the meeting today.” The CM also assured, “In next cabinet meeting of Government of Karnataka scheduled to be held on February 25, cabinet resolution will be passed on the same. GO to that extent will be communicated to Ministry of Railways for further taking up the project.” A statement from the Indian Railways further stated, “Minister of Railways agreed for granting railway land for the project at very nominal lease basis of Re.1 per acre, which will reduce the cost of project by about Rs.6700 crores, nearly by 30 %. Government of Karnataka agreed for unequivocal right of FSI ‘5’ on railway land to Indian Railway for financing of project. Government of Karnataka will approve the entire corridor without any curtailment. It is also agreed by Government of Karnataka will do cost sharing of two doubling projects Baiyyappanahalli-Hosur, Yesvantpur-Banaswadi-Hosur which was initially agreed and later disagreed upon by State Government.” As part of this project, the Kempegowda International Airport will also be connected to the city via the suburban rail system. Out of the 83 stations, 12 including Majestic will have intermodal connectivity with the Bengaluru Metro. The announcement comes after days of disagreement between the state and Centre over the cost sharing of the project. The Ministry of Railways had also expressed surprise at Karnataka increasing the length of the rail project to 360 km without prior intimation. The announcement was awaited as the Karnataka Chief Minister gave an in-principal nod to the project based on a  pre-feasibility report readied by the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) in January. The 160 km of rail tracks will primarily cover four corridors: a) Kengeri – Bengaluru Cantonment – Whitefield route b) Bengaluru City – Yelahanka – Rajankunti c) Nelamangala – Mathikere – Baiyyappanahalli d)Heelalige – Yelahanka – Devanahalli  near the airport)

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Karachi Bakery in Bengaluru forced to cover name board after mob demands change of name

Pulwama Terror Attack

The mob that lingered in front of the bakery for around half an hour did not engage in any violence.

Prajwal Bhat

A mob gathered around a Karachi bakery outlet in Bengaluru on Friday demanding that the establishment change its name. This comes more than a week after 49 CRPF jawans were killed in a terror attack in Kashmir's Pulwama. The incident occurred between 8 pm and 8.30 pm on Friday evening on 100 Feet Road when a group of 20-25 men assembled in front of the bakery and raised slogans, insisting that the establishment change its name. The men refused to identify themselves but forced the staff to cover ‘Karachi’ on the name board. The staff, fearing repercussions, went on to cover that portion of the name and also put up the Indian national flag on their building. However, there was no incidence of violence or damage to property. Speaking to TNM, the manager of the establishment, said, "The mob stayed for about half an hour. They demanded us to change the name. The men claimed to know people in the army. They thought we are from Pakistan. But we have been using this name for the last 53 years. The owners are Hindus; only the name is Karachi bakery. To satisfy them, we put up the Indian flag." Soon after Pulwama attack, many students and traders from Kashmir were attacked and harassed by mobs in various parts of the country, including Dehradun, Jodhpur, Ambala, Panchkula, Delhi and Patna. Even former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, asking for a nodal officer from the union ministry to address such concerns on Saturday. This attack on Karachi Bakery took place on a day when the Supreme Court ordered the central and the state governments to act against the boycott of Kashmiri establishments and attacks on Kashmiris who are away in other states for studies and work. Karachi Bakery was founded by Khanchand Ramnani, who migrated to India during the partition in 1947. The bakery’s first outlet was opened in Hyderabad and has grown into a big franchise with branches across India. The bakery is popular for its fruit biscuits.

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Kannada actor Rajesh Dhruva accused of dowry harassment, video leaked to malign wife

Crime

A video of his wife drinking alcohol, which did not contain any proof against the dowry harassment allegations was leaked to the media.

Theja Ram

Facebook/RajeshDhruva

On Friday, local media in Karnataka was abuzz with news of a video released by actor of the Kannada serial Agnisakshi - Rajesh Dhruva. Rajesh Dhruva's wife, Shruti, is seen sitting with a bottle of beer in her hand and conversing with him in an inebriated state. The video was 'leaked' a day after reports emerged that Shruti Raikar had filed a dowry harassment complaint against Rajesh Dhruva and his mother Mangala Bhat. Rajesh in turn had alleged that his wife Shruti had filed the dowry harassment complaint only to malign his reputation. The actor also took the 'purity' route and stated that Shruti had been harassing his mother by eating non-vegetarian food at restaurants and also touching utensils in his house, which "maligned their purity". "She has filed the dowry harassment complaint only to malign my reputation as a good actor. She harassed my mother. She would eat non-vegetarian food and come home and touch the utensils, which my mother did not like. We are a traditional family and she would harass us," Rajesh told the media. Although, the video did not add any value to the existing situation or in any way proved any of Rajesh's claims, it seems like the video was released as a way malign his wife's reputation. Speaking to TNM, Shruti said, "On January 24, I had filed a complaint against him and my mother-in-law for dowry harassment. No one knew about it then and the media reported it yesterday. He released the video a day later. Why did he do it now and not before I filed the complaint? He is doing this to target me." On January 24, Shruti approached the Kumaraswamy Layout police station to file a complaint of dowry harassment against Rajesh and Manjula. The case was referred to the Basavanagudi Women's police station due to jurisdictional issues. However, an FIR was registered on the same day under section 498A (dowry harassment) of the IPC and section 4 (penalty for demanding dowry) of the Dowry Prohibition Act. In her complaint, Shruti has alleged that Manjula would constantly berate her for not bringing in dowry when she got married to Rajesh in 2017. "We had to pay for your mangal sutra. You return that and go away. We will find a suitable wife for my son, she would say. Rajesh would also beat me and he has done so on multiple occasions. He would also verbally abuse me. They also forced me to tell my parents to buy us a house," Shruti said in her complaint. Police say that Shruti has alleged that Rajesh may have had an affair with another woman. "We are still investigating the matter. We don't have any evidence of it yet but there is suspicion. We are also gathering evidence of dowry harassment," the police added.  

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