Portion of old building collapses at Kerala school amid heavy rain, tragedy averted as it was holiday
The building, which once served as a kitchen, was no longer in use as it has been in a dilapidated state for long. Local residents have been demanding its demolition since it stood on the school campus. Over 200 students from the neighbourhood attend the school.
The recent incident in which 13-year-old M. Midhun was electrocuted by a low-hanging electric wire over the cycle shed of the Thevalakkara Boys High School in Kollam district has drawn attention to how oversight left school students vulnerable.
'The building is no longer in use and has been marked out for demolition. A contractor has been assigned to do the work. He will demolish the building once he finishes the maintenance works of two other schools that under way. The building has been locked, with no access to either students or teachers. It has not been issued fitness certificate either,' said Rema Santhosh, Thripunithura municipal chairperson.
A local resident said he had made a Facebook post on the threat posed by the old building on August 23, 2024. 'However, the authorities showed scant regard. The protruding iron rods of the old structure still poses a threat,' he said.
It is also pointed out that the old building continues to pose a threat to an aganwadi and a lower primary school in the immediate vicinity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Three held in ₹44 lakh cyber fraud case
Three persons were arrested by the cyber crime wing of the Hyderabad police for defrauding a city-based person of over ₹44 lakh by posing as trading advisors from a fictitious firm named 'Aveshta Study Group-W'. The accused were identified as Milind Manohar Narkar, 34, a private employee from Santacruz, Mumbai; Ranak Jagadish Patel, 31, a businessman from Bhiwandi, Thane; and Salik Imtiyaz Ahmed Siddiqui, 25, a private employee from Mumbra, Thane. All three were working in tandem with a cyber fraudster operating out of Dubai. According to investigators, the trio contacted the victim in June 2025 on phone, claiming to be professional trading advisors offering high return investment opportunities. Lured by the promise of substantial profits, the victim was persuaded to transfer funds into several bank accounts controlled by the accused. When the victim later attempted to withdraw the 'profits', he was asked to first pay a 20% 'service charge' on the returns. Believing the promise that both the profits and the original investment would be returned following this payment, the victim complied. In total, he was cheated of ₹44,04,753. During the investigation, it emerged that Milind Narkar was actively assisting the Dubai-based kingpin by converting fraudulently acquired funds into cryptocurrency. He also played a key role in sourcing and operating mule accounts, and was found to be accommodating account holders at various hotels in Mumbai. His network extended across seven other States in India where he allegedly facilitated the conversion of illicit gains into digital currency. The Hyderabad police seized three mobile phones from the accused. All three are believed to be working on commission for the overseas fraudster, by providing access to and managing local bank accounts used in the scam. Following the case, the Hyderabad police issued a public advisory warning citizens to be wary of suspicious investment schemes promising unusually high returns. Authorities have noted that scammers often pose as representatives of well-known firms and use forged documents, including fake SEBI certifications, to build credibility. Such fraudsters commonly advertise via platforms like Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, and often share fake profit screenshots to gain victims' trust. Citizens have been urged to verify investment schemes thoroughly before parting with their money and to avoid making hasty financial decisions based on promises of quick returns. Victims of cyber fraud are advised to immediately dial 1930 or visit: for assistance.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Mob damages homes belonging to minorities in Bangladesh; Govt orders repair works
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Dhaka: At least a dozen homes belonging to the members of the Hindu community were damaged by a mob over the weekend in northwestern Bangladesh, according to officials and media office of the interim government's Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, on Tuesday said orders have been issued to repair the houses damaged in the violence in Gangachara upazila of violence erupted on Saturday after a 17-year-old Hindu youth allegedly made derogatory remarks against the Prophet on social media, Bangla language daily Prothom Alo have arrested the teenager, a third-semester student at a private polytechnic institute, the paper Gangachara police station officer-in-charge Al Emran, the paper said the police received a complaint that a boy had posted offensive content on Facebook."Once the allegations were found to be true, he was detained around 8:30 pm on Saturday and brought to the police station," he said, adding that he was sent to a juvenile rehabilitation centre following a court the incident, enraged locals carried out attacks and vandalised several homes belonging to members of the Hindu community on Saturday night and again on Sunday afternoon. The situation was brought under control by the army, according to the office said 12 Hindu households were damaged in the violence."Three families, including that of the detained boy and his uncle, are staying at their relatives' homes at a neighbouring village," the chief adviser's office said."The repair works of the Hindu households will start from Tuesday under the supervision of the district and concerned sub-district administrations," it said in a male members of 19 of the 22 affected Hindu families are now living at their homes, but the female members were staying elsewhere since their houses were damaged, it said, quoting Rangpur's deputy commissioner Mohammad Rabiul said local authorities were trying to identify the people involved in the violence, and legal actions would be taken against them."The local civil social leaders are working with the administration and police to restore harmony in the neighbourhood," it added.
India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Bangladesh Hindus resort to distress sale as village ransacked over Prophet post
Fear and panic have swept through a Hindu village in northern Bangladesh's Rangpur district after a 17-year-old boy's alleged Facebook post on Prophet Muhammad sparked waves of violent mob attacks on homes in the area. Over two days — Saturday night and Sunday afternoon — at least 15 Hindu homes were ransacked, forcing many families to take refuge elsewhere and sell off livestock and belongings in even more alarming is that the waves of violent attacks on Hindu homes, including those of the boy's relatives, took place despite his arrest over was only after the deployment of the army and police that the rampaging mobs retreated. But local Hindus remain anxious, many are hungry, their homes burnt or reduced to rubble, taking shelter with relatives, and uncertain about when, or even if, they can return home, according to reports by Bangladeshi media outlets. As of Monday, no arrests had been made and no FIR had been registered against the marauders despite the widespread violence in Rangpur is part of a disturbing pattern against Hindu minorities across Bangladesh since PM Sheikh Hasina's government was ousted following violent the interim government has struggled to contain attacks on minorities, its head, Muhammad Yunus, had earlier called these reports "exaggerated propaganda". Many fear that justice will remain elusive as perpetrators go unpunished. The lack of formal legal action has deepened mistrust among the affected the first few months following Hasina's ouster in August 2024, Bangladesh recorded a sharp escalation in violence against Hindus: at least 200 attacks across 52 districts occurred within the first week, and by October 22, the interim government had officially acknowledged 88 cases of communal violence targeting mainly Hindus, said India's Ministry of External FB POST SPARKS MOB VIOLENCE IN BANGLADESHThe recent wave of attacks in Aldadpur village were triggered after a teenager, a third-semester student at a polytechnic institute, allegedly posted derogatory content about Prophet Muhammad on Saturday evening, the police received complaints about the offensive images and messages. After verifying the allegations, they said they arrested the boy at around 8.30 PM and took him to the station, reported The Daily Star."A case was filed under the Cybersecurity Act, and the boy was later sent to a juvenile rehabilitation centre following a court order," a police officer, Al Emran, told Dhaka-based newspaper, Prothom hours of the teen's arrest, agitated locals began to gather near the Hindu around 10.00PM, a second group of people launched an attack on one of the villages, including on the teenager's relatives' homes, vandalising it. Police and the army were deployed to bring the situation under WAVE OF VIOLENCE HIT HINDUS; 15 HOMES DAMAGEDadvertisementThe next day, on Sunday, after Zuhr prayers, information reached police that thousands of people might once again head toward the village. By 3.30PM, another mob had begun fresh attacks on the homes of Hindu residents, reported Prothom officer Emran told the Bangladeshi daily police tried to resist the attack. However, the mob pressed on. "Several of our members were injured. One constable was seriously hurt and taken to hospital."Around 4.30PM, when the army arrived, the mob was continued in the area, including near Aldadpur Government Primary School and Khilalganj Bazar, where the massive mob had gathered chanting slogans against the accused."Fifteen houses were damaged or looted. We are preparing a list and working on financial and other forms of support," an official, Mahmud Hasan Mridha, said after visiting the VILLAGERS IN DISTRESS SALE OF PADDY, LIVESTOCKThe situation in the village remained on Monday, with villagers fearing further were ransacked, livestock were being loaded onto vans, and families were seen trying to sell whatever they could to save them from the didn't sleep all night," a villager, Kamalakanta Roy, told Prothom Alo. "We had 10–12 mon (400–480 kg) of paddy, and we're selling it now."His neighbours echoed the despair.A woman visiting her distressed relatives in the village said, "They haven't eaten. When offered rice to eat, they said, 'We won't be able to swallow any food'".Rabindranath Roy said gold jewellery, clothes, and legal documents were looted from his home. His wife, Rohela Rani, added, "If they set fire again, nothing will remain".Harishchandra, another local, had to shift his cows and goats inside his home due to the fear that they would be taken by the attacks occurred near the Aldadpur New Government Primary School and Bipath High School, where no students were seen on Monday."Ninety-five percent of our students are Hindu," said head teacher Kali Ranjan Roy. "No one came today. Many are staying outside with their families," he told Prothom the scale of the violence, the police confirmed to the newspaper that no case had been filed in connection with the vandalisation and no arrests made as of of now, the situation remains calm but tense, with many Bangladeshi Hindu families too afraid to return to their ransacked homes and those remaining struggling to pick up the pieces.- EndsMust Watch
