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A Village Burnt Overnight: Tears, Loss and Survival in Dhamangaon Blaze

  Sitting amid the blackened remains of his home, 32-year-old Nikesh Gawali carefully broke open a half-melted plastic box with a screwdriver. His hands shook slightly, not out of fear, but out of hope. “I’m trying to find my daughter Aarti’s gold earrings,” he said quietly, still focused on the box. “She’s just five. I got them made recently after months of labour work.” The plastic box, warped and blackened by heat, was one of the few things left from his two-room house on the outskirts of Dhamangaon village . All around him lay ash, broken tin sheets and charred wooden beams. The walls had cracked under the heat and the front room’s tin roof had caved in completely. What remained was a blackened debris all around - almost nothing to suggest a home once stood there. Nikesh earns his living as an agricultural labourer, like many in the village. Work is uncertain and depends on the season. Those earrings weren’t just jewellery - they were a small dream, a reward for his hard work,...

City and District police gear up for tight vigil ahead of LS Polls

  • Flying surveillance squads and Static surveillance squads are formed 
  • Paramilitary forces to stage flag march at sensitive areas 

By Dheeraj Fartode
Nagpur City and District police are leaving no stone unturned to ensure safe and secure atmosphere during Lok Sabha election campaigning for Nagpur and Ramtek constituencies. 36 Flying surveillance squads and static surveillance squads have been formed in city and 28 squads have been constituted in district. These squads have already swung into action and have launched operation to put check on illegal activities and keep a tab on notorious history sheeters. The district has a total 4,034 polling booths including 2,224 in Ramtek and 1,810 in Nagpur constituency. A special meeting of personnel of the special squads was conducted recently and senior election officers guided the members about action plan.

Commissioner of Police K K Pathak informed ‘The Hitavada’ that additional bandobast of 1,200 home guards including 500 men, 70 API/PSI, a company of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been granted for election bandobast for Nagpur Lok Sabha. The company of women company of CRPF has been received by the city police, he informed. 
As per the District election machinery, 28 booths are sensitive in city limits. According to the information, Lakadganj police station have maximum seven sensitive booths followed by six in Ajni, four in Lakadganj, four in Tehsil, three in Nandanvan, two in Ganeshpeth and one in Dhantoli. 
CP Pathak said that the number of sensitive booths has come down in city and flag march would be staged by Paramilitary force in the first week of April to boost morale of voters and to send a stern message to all anti-social elements about iron resolve of forces to foil any nefarious attempt to create disturbance during election and voting. 
Superintendent of Police (SP) Dr Aarti Singh informed that 1,920 polling booths of total 2,224 booths of Ramtek constituency are under Nagpur rural police. 
Election Commission has approved bandobast of 3 DySP rank officers, six Police Inspectors, 70 API/PSI, 668 policemen, 600 home guards including 100 women, a SRPF company and a Goa IRB. 20 booths in the district have been classified as sensitive including seven under Mouda police station, four under Khaperkheda, three under Saoner, two under Khapa police station, two under Veltur, two under Mouda, one each under Parsheoni and Ramtek police stations. 
Paramilitary force is likely to stage Flag march in the sensitive area on Wednesday. She further informed that 18 flying squads, 18 static surveillance squads and 10 check post at inter-state and inter-district borders are formed for surveillance. 
Additional SP Prakash Jadhav informed that the special squads are formed to keep a strict vigil and track movement of illegal arms, liquor and money. Police are also conducting preventive actions for safe polling in district police limits, he informed.  

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