Mumbai: Ahead of the Independence Day, CNN-IBN brings the story of the bravehearts during the fire at the Mumbai Mantralaya. Even as a major fire raged on and people were being evacuated, seven men waited on the roof just so they could protect the Indian flag.
When a fire raged across the Mantralaya, everyone was busy getting out of the building, but seven men waited fearlessly, guarding the Tricolour hoisted on top of the building. Undeterred by the inferno, the men only left after ceremoniously taking down the flag and folding it as per procedure.
Ganesh Punj, handler, flag department, said, "We thought whatever happens, we won't go without saving the flag."
Rajendra Kanade, supervisor, flag department, said, "We kept getting phone calls from our families, but we couldn't have left the flag there."...
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08:55 AM, Aug 14, 2012
Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP on Friday suggested that scam-tainted Adarsh housing society in south Mumbai should be temporarily used to house offices of Government departments damaged by last month's fire at state secretariat. "The Government can file an application in the court seeking permission to use Adarsh society to house Government offices for the time being," State BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari said. The top four floors of the seven-storeyed building housing...
04:10 AM, Jul 07, 2012
New Delhi: A forensic report on Sunday ruled out sabotage as the cause behing the recent Maharashtra Mantralaya fire incident. The report by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) stated that no extraneous incendiary material was found inside the Mantralaya building during their investigation. "Thereby prima facie we rule out sabotage as the cause of the fire," the report said. A huge fire broke out at the Maharashtra Mantralaya building...
12:18 PM, Jul 01, 2012
Mumbai: Work has resumed at the Maharashtra state secretariat on Monday, four days after a fire killed five people in the Mantralaya fire. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar arrived at the Mantralaya on Monday. Three floors have been cleared, say authorities. A small ceremony was held to remember the victims. The building will remain closed to the visitors though. Five people died, and 14...
12:24 PM, Jun 25, 2012
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Sunday met the grieving family members of two state government employees, who were killed in the devastating fire at Mantralaya on Thursday, to offer his condolences. Secretariat employee Mohan More and a retired state government employee Tukaram More were two of the five persons who were killed in the blaze. Chavan first visited Mohan More's residence in suburban Mira Road and expressed grief...
03:21 AM, Jun 25, 2012
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan on Friday dismissed the speculation that the massive fire in the state secretariat on Thursday would hamper the probe into Adarsha Housing Society scam. Referring to speculation that files related to Adarsh housing scam may have been damaged, Chavan, who also holds the Urban Development portfolio, said the papers are with CBI and the judicial commission. "We have photocopies with us. Hence, the speculation...
02:39 AM, Jun 23, 2012
Catch the day's top stories on India at 9 with Rajdeep Sardesai. ...
11:55 PM, Jun 22, 2012
A day after the fire at the Mantralaya, the CM admits that safety norms were flouted as the opposition alleges sabotage. ...
11:45 PM, Jun 22, 2012
It has been more than 40 hours since five-year-old Mahi fell into a borewell in a village in Manesar, Haryana. Rescue efforts are on and are said to be in their last leg. ...
11:16 PM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: The fire at the Maharashtra Secretariat claimed five lives and caused severe structural damage as well. However, more than the structural damage, the loss of important files in the fire has stumped the state government. Conspiracy theories abound as many allege the fire was intentionally started to destroy paper trails of corruption scams. Even before the embers of the inferno died down, politics played out and conspiracy theories were...
09:13 PM, Jun 22, 2012
As fire engulfed the Maharashtra Mantralaya building on Thursday, five brave men put their lives in danger to climb atop the towering inferno to lower the Tricolour. The men refused to come down till they had lowered the national flag. ...
06:49 PM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: The blaze at Mantralaya that has so far claimed five lives and destroyed several official documents could have been averted if the state government had heeded fire audit warnings two years ago, a leading RTI activist has claimed. In a letter to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and leader of Opposition Vihar Durve said that in April 2009, he had written to then Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, specifically intimating the...
04:50 PM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: A special meeting of Maharashtra Cabinet will be held on Friday to review the situation in the aftermath of the massive fire that engulfed the state secretariat 'Mantralaya'. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who has announced a crime branch probe into the incident, will chair the meeting to be held at Vidhan Bhawan, CM's PRO Aniruddh Ashtaputre, who was among those injured in the incident, said. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit...
10:49 AM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: The fire at the Mantralaya building which houses the state secretariat in Mumbai has finally been doused. Firefighters worked through the night on Thursday to bring the blaze under control. With the recovery of two more bodies on Friday morning the death toll has risen to five, one of whom is yet to be identified. Several people are still believed to be missing. Over 3,000 people were evacuated to...
09:05 AM, Jun 22, 2012
Mumbai: Firefighters in Mumbai worked through the night on Thursday to bring the blaze at the Mantralaya building which houses the state secretariat under control. Two people have died and one was missing. The Crime Branch began its probe even as the Opposition called for an independent probe suspecting a sabotage angle as key files related to Adarsh and other scams were kept in the secretariat. Bystanders spot smoke coming...
07:40 AM, Jun 22, 2012
The fire also gutted the offices of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Chief Secretary and several other ministers. ...
10:57 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Mumbai: The massive fire that broke out at the Mantralaya building in Mumbai killed at least three people and injured as many as 14 others. The fire also gutted the offices of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the Chief Secretary and several other ministers. Hours after the incident, the Chief Minister, along with fire officials entered the premises of the Mantralaya for inspection. The Maharashtra government...
10:34 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Mumbai: The Crime Branch of the Mumbai police will probe the fire incident at 'Mantralaya', the Maharashtra government Secretariat, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced on Thursday. Asked by reporters whether it could be an act of sabotage, he said, "We don't want to jump to conclusion. Crime Branch will probe the incident." The police wing usually probes cases which are underworld-related or those which are sensitive in nature. Responding to...
10:12 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Several crucial departments including the chief minister's office gutted in the fire which broke out around 3 pm. ...
09:51 PM, Jun 21, 2012
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has ordered an inquiry into the massive fire that broke out at the Mantralaya office in Mumbai, gutting the offices of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Chief Secretary and several other ministers. Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said that all Urban Development Ministry files have been scanned and so there was no loss. "There are around 3 crore 50 lakh pages scanned...
07:13 PM, Jun 21, 2012
