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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,...

Son-in-law of Shiv Sena candidate for municipal council elections brutally murdered at Kanhan

Sensation prevailed in Kanhan town when son-in-law of Shiv Sena’s candidate for ensuing Kanhan Municipal Council (KMC) polls was brutally murdered by four drunkards late Monday night. The accused were arrested by Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Nagpur Rural Police within five hours. The KMC elections will be held on January 9.  
The deceased was identified as Sanjiv Pramod Khadse (34), a resident of Satrapur area of Kanhan. He was son-in-law of Shiv Sena’s candidate from Prabhag No. 8 Daynal Shende in KMC elections. The accused persons have been identified as Sachin Prakash Wadibhasme (22), a resident of Kandri, Kanhan; Bhupesh Sahilkumar Shahu (19), Nitesh Mulchand Patle (30), both residents of Jam Nagar, Bharatwada, Kalamna, Nagpur and Swapnin alias Chuha Marathe (22), a resident of Nagpur.
According to police, Sanjiv and the accused were consuming liquor at Gaurav Beer Bar at Kanhan on different tables at 10 pm. As on the accused person broken a glass, Sanjiv tried to stop the youths of making nuisance. Sanjiv’s intervention irked the youths and one of them abused Sanjiv. Soon after, Sanjiv got angered and slapped accused Sachin Wadibhasme. The youths then left the bar and were waiting for Sanjiv outside the bar. 
When Sanjiv came out, the youths gheraoed him stabbed him in the stomach with a sharp-weapon. Sanjiv collapsed on the ground in the pool of blood. Later, the youths smashed his head with a boulder and fled the spot. 
Sanjiv breathed his last on the spot due to intensive blood loss. Noticing profusely bleeding Sanjiv, locals alerted the police. Staff of Kanhan police station rushed to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. 
The Crime Branch team led by Police Inspector Anil Jittewar immediately activated informers. Acting on a tip-off that accused Sachin Wadibhasme was hiding in the slums near Dragon temple palace at Kamptee, the police conducted searches in the slum. Wadibhasme tried to escape from the police raid and ran towards railway track. After chasing the accused for more than four kilometers the police managed to arrest him. 
During the interrogation, the accused confessed for committing the murder. Three other accused were also arrested by the police. 
The accused have been booked under Sections 302 an 34 of Indian Penal Code and handed-over to Kanhan police. Under the guidance of Superintendent of Police (SP) Rakesh Ola, Addl SP Monika Raut, the arrest was made by PI Jittawar, PSI Sachin Matte, Javed Sheikh, ASI Laxmiprasad Dubey, Rajendra Pali, Pranay Banafar, Vipin Gaidhane, Sonu Chatap, Sanjay Barodia, Mukesh Waghade, Amol Kuthe and others. 

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