QWrap: Karol Bagh Hotel Fire Kills 17; SC Slams Ex-CBI Chief Rao
Here’s a video wrap of the top stories of the day.
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1. 17 Dead in Karol Bagh Fire, CM Promises Rs 5 Lakh Ex Gratia to Kin
A massive fire swept through a four-storey hotel in central Delhi's Karol Bagh in the early hours of Tuesday, 12 February, killing at least 17 guests, including a child and two people who jumped off the building in a desperate bid to save themselves, officials said.
The blaze, in which 35 people were injured, started in the second floor of the Arpit Palace Hotel in the heart of the national capital around 3:30 am, trapping many guests who were deep in sleep.
There were 53 people in the 45-room hotel, which had a canopy on the terrace housing what appeared to be a restaurant, officials said.
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2. PM Acting as Middleman: Rahul Over Report on Ambani’s France Visit
In yet another revelation in the ongoing Rafale saga, a report in a national daily has revealed that industrialist Anil Ambani had visited the then French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s office in Paris in March 2015, just two weeks prior to Modi government’s announcement of the deal for procurement of 36 fighter jets.
The Indian Express reported that the meeting was attended by Le Drian’s special advisor Jean-Claude Mallet; his industry advisor, Christophe Salomon; and his technical advisor for industrial affairs, Geoffrey Bouquot.
Salomon described the meeting to a top official of a European defence company as “confidential and planned as you can imagine with very short notice,” the report added.
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3. SC Holds Ex-CBI Director Rao Guilty of Contempt, Imposes Rs 1L Fine
A Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, held the former CBI interim chief M Nageshwar Rao “guilty of contempt’’ for violating the SC’s order over transfer of the probing officer in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.
The court sentenced Rao till rising of the Court and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh for contempt.
Dictating the order, the apex court also held that it rejected the apology issued by Rao, adding that what he had done was in “blatant violation of the court’s order.”
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4. Citizenship Bill ‘Undermines’ Bhupen Hazarika’s Beliefs, Says Son
Assamese singer-composer Bhupen Hazarika’s son Tej took a swipe at BJP and said on Monday, 11 February, that the proposed Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was “painfully unpopular” in the Northeast.
Tej put the government on notice over the Bharat Ratna award on Monday, saying the Bill was “actually undermining” his father’s “documented position” and “would in reality be in direct opposition to what Bhupenda believed in his heart of hearts,” reported PTI.
Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the country’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna posthumously by the Narendra Modi-led government last month.
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5. Think There Are Certain Jobs Women Can’t Do? Watch This
What’s that one job a woman cannot do?
There is no job a woman can’t do. For ages, women have been pushing the societal boundaries and ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ by entering jobs that were traditionally only done by men. It’s true, we need to employ more and more of our Indian women but there are some who set an example for others to follow.
The moment you hear of a woman working as driver, a motor woman, a traffic police officer... you are are bound to be shocked/surprised and marvel at her for her courage.
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