Bengal Teacher Dies Of Electrocution While Hoisting National Flag On Independence Day
A tragic incident unfolded in West Bengal on Friday morning when a teacher was electrocuted to death while hoisting the national flag during Independence Day celebrations at a school.
Fatal Accident At Private School In Mallikpur
The incident took place at a private school in Mallikpur, under the jurisdiction of Haroa Police Station in North 24 Parganas. At around 7am on Friday, 62-year-old Monowar Hossain was hoisting the national flag when the iron pole accidentally came into contact with a high-voltage power line.
Hossain was immediately taken to Haroa Rural Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead upon arrival. The incident has plunged the local community into grief.
Negligence Suspected In Teacher's Death
Hossain, a resident of Jhinkia village (also under Haroa Police Station), is believed to have died due to electrocution caused by negligence. Authorities from Haroa Police Station have sent the body to the Basirhat Health District police morgue for post-mortem examination.
This is not the first time that such a tragic incident has occurred during Independence Day celebrations in the country. Last year, Father Kudilil Mathew (30), vicar of Mulleria Infant St Jesus Church in Kerala's Kasaragod, had died of electrocution while lowering the national flag. The iron flagpole he was handling reportedly came into contact with a high-tension wire, resulting in a fatal electric shock.
In 2016, a teacher was killed and four students were seriously injured after suffering a high-voltage electric shock in Medikonda village of Telangana.
Similarly, in 2013, four people, including a student, were electrocuted to death in unrelated incidents during Independence Day celebrations across Medak and Mahbubnagar districts in present-day Telangana.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Israel Strikes Hezbollah Targets In Southern Lebanon Using Drones, Missiles
Last Updated: The Israeli military has not yet disclosed the full scope of the operation, but further updates are expected in the coming hours. Israel launched a military assault in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that the operation targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure, including weapons storage facilities and a rocket launcher. The Israeli military has not yet disclosed the full scope of the operation, but further updates are expected in the coming hours. Lebanese media sources report that Israeli drone strikes hit the town of Al Hosh, while airstrikes were carried out on Ansar and Sinay. In addition to aerial attacks, Israel reportedly used ground-to-ground missiles in several strikes. The assault was launched from northern occupied Palestine, signalling a continued escalation in cross-border tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Unharmed main gate, no soot inside safe ‘opened' with gas cutter: How police cracked the Surat diamond heist case
The main gate of the premises gave the first clue. The iron gates had not suffered any damage, hinting that the entry was friendly. Then, there was the safe from which diamonds worth several crores were allegedly stolen. Though the door of the safe showed that a gas cutter was used to break it open, the insides were squeaky clean without any soot marks or damage to the goods stored. Police were convinced that the alleged diamond heist worth over Rs 25 crore from a Surat firm's building over the extended Independence Day weekend was an insider's job. This was when they decided to question the owner of DK Sons, Devendra Chaudhary, more thoroughly following which it came to light that the alleged theft was planned by him to gain the insurance amount of Rs 20 crore, said police. Talking to The Indian Express, Kapodara Police Inspector M B Asura said, 'On reaching the spot, we checked the main iron gate and found there was no forceful entry. If the main gate lock was broken, there would have been marks. It was clear the miscreants opened the gate with keys and entered the diamond factory. The fourth-floor main office door (where the metal safe was kept) was found open, and there were no marks of forceful entry here as well… The miscreants did not enter any of the lower floors of the building.' On the condition of the safe, he said, 'Had a gas flame been used to make a hole in the metal safe before it was open, black carbon should have reached deep inside its walls. But when we checked the safe, we found the inside layer quite clean. This showed that the safe door was opened first and then a hole was made.' There were a number of other factors that did not quite add up. 'The fire safety alarm on this floor was not functioning. The complainant also claimed that he found diamonds worth Rs 19 lakh inside the safe. Why would a thief leave them behind, as claimed by the owner?' said the inspector. Police sent the contents of the safe for testing and found that all that they contained were broken glass pieces, lab-grown diamonds, and waste particles. 'The owner's claim of diamonds worth Rs 19 lakh also turned out to be false. Besides, the accused could not present the stock of the diamonds worth Rs 32.53 crore as claimed. All these things had led us to suspect the complainant,' sais Asura. Police said the accused had let go of his security guard last month with the intention to make the police suspect him. 'He had hatched this entire conspiracy to get the claim insurance. He had bought insurance from a private company. His monthly premium was likely due on August 22. On August 12, he made an advance premium payment of around Rs 3.82 lakh to the insurance company, citing the upcoming holidays and an impending tour. He had made this advance payment to get full maturity,' said Asura. Police then checked Chaudhary's financial status after talking to other diamond merchants and his friends and found that he was under a debt of Rs 10 crore and had loans and mortgage to the tune of Rs 13 crore. With the insurance amount of Rs 20 crore in, he would have been able to pay off all these debts.' Surat police commissioner Anupam Sinh Gahlaut said, 'The accused had first taken his driver Vikash into confidence and involved him in the fabricated theft conspiracy. Through Vikash, he came in contact with one Hanuman Bishnoi of Barmer district, who had invited Bhagirath Bishnoi, Ramjivan and others to commit theft at the diamond factory. The statements of the auto driver (on which the miscreants had allegedly arrived) also helped us in the probe. The firm owner had assured Hanuman that he would give him Rs 20 lakh for this theft work and had even made a part payment of Rs 5 lakh.' Gahlaut further said, 'Chaudhary had planned to send his driver Vikash to Dubai and booked his ticket for August 19. The motive was to ensure the police do not question him.' Police sources said that five more accused, including Hanuman, are still absconding. Police have booked the nine accused on charges of misguiding the police officials, making forged documents, and hatching a criminal conspiracy.
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Poland Accuses Moscow Of 'Provocation' After Russian Drone Breaches Airspace, Explodes In Field
Last Updated: A Russian drone breached Polish airspace and exploded in a farmland in a village in the Lublin province overnight, although no injuries were reported. A Russian drone reportedly breached Poland's airspace on Wednesday, before exploding in a field in the eastern part of the country, with Warsaw labelling the incident as a 'provocation". The drone hit and exploded in a farmland in the village of Osiny in the eastern Lublin province overnight, just over 100 km from the Ukrainian border. No casualties were reported, but officials told AFP the windows of some houses were blown out. Notably, Poland had been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile struck a southern Polish village in 2022, killing two people. 'Once again, we are facing a provocation from the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone," Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters. He highlighted that the incident took place when 'peace talks were underway, where there is hope that this war… has a chance to end. Russia provokes once again." Poland To Issue Formal Protest Polish General Dariusz Malinowski said the drone appeared to be a decoy which was designed to self-destruct, while containing a Chinese engine. The drone was believed to be a Russian drone model called Gerbera, which is often used as a decoy in multiple Russian drone and missile barrages against Ukraine. Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said his ministry would issue a protest against the airspace violation, but did not name the perpetrator. 'Another violation of our airspace from the East confirms that Poland's most important mission towards NATO is the defence of our own territory." The Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. This comes less than a month after a Russian military drone flew into Lithuania from Belarus. It is worth mentioning that Poland has been a major supporter of Ukraine, and hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees and is a key transit point for Western humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. 'I was sitting in my room at night, around midnight, maybe, and I heard something just bang," a Polish resident told Reuters. 'It exploded so loudly that the whole house simply shook." (with inputs from agencies) view comments First Published: August 20, 2025, 23:48 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
