QWrap: Bengaluru Bar Fire; SC to Review IPC Sec 377
From fire tragedies across the country to laws of homosexuality, here are today’s top 5 headlines.
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1. No Lessons Learnt After Kamala Mills Fire Tragedy
Days after a blaze in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills compound claimed 14 lives, five employees of a bar and restaurant were charred to death in a fire mishap in Bengaluru. The fire broke out at around 2:30 am in Kailash bar and restaurant, located on the ground floor of Kumbaara Sanga Building in KR Market area.
MN Anuchet, deputy commissioner of Bengaluru police (west), said that the employees were sleeping inside the bar when the fire broke out and were trapped as the fire spread. VR Dayashankar, owner of the bar, is absconding after a call from the police.
But this was not the only major fire incident that was reported today. A fire broke out on the third floor of a sessions court building in Mumbai. No casualty or injury has been reported so far, however, this is the fifth fire mishap in Mumbai in 20 days.
Another incident, this time in Gorapkhpur, UP, was reported from the Baba Raghav Das Medical College. There have been no causalities in the blaze at the hospital so far. Six fire tenders took nearly an hour to control the flames, which destroyed important documents in the record room.
(Read more about incidents in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Gorakhpur.)
2. WB Man Held for Harassing, Stalking Tendulkar’s Daughter on Phone
Thirty two-year-old Debkumar Maity was arrested in West Bengal for allegedly stalking and harassing cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar's daughter, Sara, over phone, police said on Sunday, 7 January.
The man was arrested by a joint team of Mumbai and West Bengal police from Mahisadal area of East Midnapore district.
Maity called Tendulkar’s residence 20 times, India Today reported, adding that he made lewd remarks and even threatened to kidnap her.
"I saw her on TV sitting at the pavilion during a match and fell in love... I want to marry her. I fetched the landline number of Tendulkar and have called on it some 20 times... Have never seen her in person," India Today quoted Maity as saying.
According to Maity's mother, he was suffering from a "mental illness".
(Read more on The Quint.)
3. 2018 Golden Globes: Celebs Go All Black to Protest Sexual Abuse
At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, actors on the red carpet were dressed in all-black in a show of support for those who have spoken up against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. The awards night was no more about who wore what, but all about why they wore it.
From American TV personality and household name Oprah Winfrey, to actors Angelina Jolie, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman and Chris Hemsworth, everyone chose to be draped in all-black to stand in solidarity with victims of sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the entertainment Industry.
(Look at the pictures here.)
4. SC Gives Glimmer of Hope, Announces Plans to Review Section 377
The Supreme Court, on 8 January, referred a plea seeking the decriminalisation of gay sex between two consenting adults to a larger bench. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud said the issue arising out of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) required debate by a larger bench.
Section 377 of the IPC refers to 'unnatural offences' and says whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to pay a fine.
The bench was hearing a fresh plea filed by Navtej Singh Johar, seeking to declare Section 377 as unconstitutional to the extent that it provides prosecution of adults for indulging in consensual gay sex.
(Read more on The Quint.)
5. Don’t Know the Real Hina: Luv Tyagi After Eviction From Bigg Boss
Luv Tyagi has finally exited the Bigg Boss 11 house. There was a twist in the eviction pattern that unfortunately broke Luv’s lucky streak of surviving eliminations. In a neck-to-neck count, Luv lost to TV mogul and sworn rival Vikas Gupta with a margin of mere 30 votes!
Now that he’s out, this is what the Bigg Boss 11 semi-finalist said about his experience:-
(Watch the full interview on The Quint.)
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