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

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  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,...
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Masked youths open fire at Ind candidate’s jeep at Kondhali

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By Dheeraj Fartode
Sensation prevailed in Kondhali and nearby areas on Tuesday when four masked persons opened fire at an Independent candidate Pramod Chafle at Kondhali. Chafle escaped unhurt in the attack but the windshield of Bolero jeep, which he was travelling in, was damaged. 
The windshield of Bolero jeep, which Pramod Chafle
(inset) was travelling in, was damaged by the bullet
fired by the accused near Shekapur on Tuesday. 
Chafle had filed nomination papers as BJP candidate and also as an Independent candidate from Katol constituency of Legislative Assembly. His nomination as BJP candidate was rejected as the party had not authorised him. He is still an Independent candidate, and Wednesday is the last day for withdrawal of candidature. 

Pramod is son of former Chairman of Panchayat Samiti and local BJP leader Sheshrao Chafle. On Tuesday afternoon, Pramod was heading towards Shekapur village in the jeep alone. Another Bolero jeep chased him and overtook his car twice. As Pramod’s jeep was passing through jungle area, two masked youths came on a Pulsar motorcycle and opened fire at the jeep. The lone bullet fired at him pierced through the windscreen of Bolero jeep (MH-23/E-7212). 

Shocked by the attack, Chafle stopped the car on the spot. The accused approached Chafle and pointed the gun at him. As Chafle shook his hands violently, the gun slipped from the hands of the attackers and the accused fled from the spot. According to Chafle, he was heading towards Kalmunda from where he was to proceed to Katol with his supporters. 

After the attack, Chafle immediately informed the police and his parents. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Katol) Ishwar Katgade, Police Inspector (Nagpur Rural Crime Branch) J S Bhandarkar, and PI (Kondhali) Pradip Lambat rushed to the spot and launched investigations. 

Chafle alleged political conspiracy behind the attack on him. Kondhali Police registered the case and started investigations. PI Lambat said that the cops had conducted spot panchnama and further investigations were under way.
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