
Sigachi chemical factory explosion toll mounts to 36
The atmosphere is sombre, pierced only by the wails of loved ones desperate for answers. For many waiting near the factory gates, no compensation can fill the void left by those feared lost forever.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy visited the site on Tuesday, offering words of solace to the bereaved families. He announced an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore to the kin of each deceased worker. Visibly angered, the chief minister directed that the factory's managing director be made to meet either the Industries minister or the Health minister. He asserted that responsibility would be fixed and stern action taken against those found guilty.
Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu, who accompanied the CM, expressed outrage at the absence of company management even 24 hours after the tragedy. 'The entire state administration is here to support the grieving families, but not a single senior official from the company has shown up. This will not be taken lightly,' he warned.
Though rescue operations are nearly complete, officials have recovered only mangled body parts, making identification difficult. According to one official, removing the debris has become a Herculean task, and identification could take several more days.

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News18
an hour ago
- News18
‘Project, Kajal, Darshan': Chhangur Baba's Codewords For Religious Conversion Revealed
Last Updated: UP's STF uncovered a code system used by Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba for illegal religious conversions. Baba and his aide Neetu were arrested. The Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF) has revealed a web of code words used by self-styled godman Jalaluddin alias Chhangur Baba to orchestrate a massive illegal religious conversion racket, luring several people, mostly women, with incentives, financial aid, promises of marriage or forced through intimidation. According to the STF probing the case, Chhangur Baba used several codewords— Project, mitti palatna, kajal lagana and darshan— at various stages to convert one's faith and hide the true nature of his illegal activities, India Today reported. In this secret lingo, 'project" referred to women, ' mitti palatna" meant religious conversion, ' Kajal lagana" meant manipulation and ' darshan" referred to introducing the victims to Chhangur Baba. On July 5, Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of a religious conversion gang, was arrested along with his aide, Neetu alias Nasreen. The two are residents of Madhpur in Balrampur district, bordering Nepal. Chhangur's arrest is currently under UP ATS custody for a 7-day remand till July 16. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing financial irregularities, including suspicious transactions worth over Rs 106 crore spread across 40 bank accounts, along with at least two properties reportedly worth crores. Who Is Chhangur Baba? Chhangur Baba is the alleged mastermind of a large illegal religious conversion racket based in Balrampur district of Uttar Pradesh. As reported earlier, he had worked in gemstone sales and gained popularity after spending some time in Mumbai. Additional Director General (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said the accused ran a massive network that allegedly targeted girls from a particular religious background, with alleged caste-based 'conversion rates". Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has lauded the arrest, saying that early findings from the investigation indicated the accused was involved in activities that were not only against society but also against the country. Modus Operandi According to the STF, the accused told the investigators that he used several code words to communicate with his gang. Explaining the modus operandi, he told investigators that his aides would lure young people and ask them to convert their religion by luring them with financial incentives, foreign travel, jobs and scholarships. The operation is reported to have been supported by nearly Rs 100 crore in foreign funding, according to officials. Investigators found that the money was used to buy several luxury properties, bungalows, expensive vehicles, and showrooms. More than 40 bank accounts, some under false names, were used to transfer the funds, pointing towards money laundering. As per Amar Ujala, to influence people, Chhangur Baba would first offer small amounts of cash (Rs 100 to Rs 200 per day) along with basic jobs like cleaning or caring for animals at his residence. He then gradually pressured them to convert. Two accused, Mehboob and Naveen Rohra, were said to be in charge of this part of the operation, which generated income while expanding the reach of the network. The report mentioned that a man named Sanchit, who worked as a cleaner for Chhangur, claimed that he was offered Rs 5 lakh to convert. When he refused, he was falsely implicated in a rape case, according to Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) statement as cited in the report. view comments First Published: July 13, 2025, 15:58 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.


NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
" Mitti, Kajal, Darshan": Chhangur Baba's Code Words For Conversion "Project"
Project, mitti palatna, kajal lagana and darshan - these were the code words Jamaluddin alias Chhangur Baba used at various stages to convert one's faith as he lured several people, mostly women, with incentives, financial aid, promises of marriage or forced through intimidation. While "project" referred to women, " mitti palatna" meant religious conversion. " Kajal lagana" meant manipulation and " darshan" referred to introducing the victims to Chhangur Baba. These details were revealed by the Uttar Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF) on Saturday and emerged at a time the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is also probing the case, said 18 bank accounts linked to Chhangur Baba saw transactions worth Rs 68 crore. Around Rs 7 crore was deposited in these accounts in a span of three months. On July 5, Chhangur Baba, the alleged mastermind of a religious conversion gang, was arrested along with his aide, Neetu alias Nasreen. The two are residents of Madhpur in Balrampur district, bordering Nepal. A non-bailable warrant was issued by a court against Jalaluddin, while the police had declared a cash reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest, an official statement said. MODUS OPERANDI According to the STF, Chhangur Baba, during the course of investigation, said he used several code words to communicate with his gang, in a bid to hide his activities. Explaining the modus operandi, Chhangur Baba told investigators that his aides would lure young women and men and ask them to convert their religion by luring them with financial incentives, foreign travel, jobs and scholarships. On Saturday, the STF said, a 16-year-old girl from Faridabad alleged she was one of the victims of the fraudster. The minor alleged she was trapped by one Aamir Hussain, who lives near her house, on the pretext of love. She said she met Hussain through his sister Neha Khan in 2023. The girl said Hussain took her to Nizamuddin Dargah in Delhi, where he introduced her to Chhangur Baba. The fraudster allegedly made her offer namaz and asked her to marry Hussain after converting to Islam. He also showed her "big dreams"; he gave her an amulet and asked her to dip it in water and drink the water. Hussain has been arrested. THREAT OVER REFUSAL TO CONVERT A man who claimed to have worked as a sweeper at Chhangur Baba's premises also alleged he was forced to convert to Islam by the fraudster. Sanjeet Kumar said he was six to seven months into the job when Chhangur Baba offered him a lot of money, saying it would be sufficient to ensure the sweeper's child gets married and is taken care of. Chhangur Baba said the money will help him purchase a car and a house, and improve his standard of living. Kumar said when he refused the offer, Chhangur Baba threatened him. The accused threatened him, saying he had spent a lot of money on him, and that he would get shot. The victim was forced to flee the place that night, he said. GLOBAL TRANSACTIONS WORTH CRORES Meanwhile, ED said it has gathered details of 18 out of 40 bank accounts linked to Chhangur Baba. Sources in the probe agency said these 18 accounts recorded transactions worth Rs 68 crore. These accounts received around Rs 7 crore through global funding in a span of three months. Efforts are being made to gather details pertaining to the accused's Income Tax Returns, the sources said. Chhangur Baba once used to sell rings and amulets on his bicycle. He later became a village head. Based on the documents found so far, it was confirmed that funds worth Rs 106 crore were deposited into his 40 different accounts, NDTV earlier reported. All this money came from Islamic countries of the Middle East, as per the probe. Last week, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the "initial probe" revealed that the activities of the accused are "not only against society but also against the nation". (With inputs from Mukesh Sengar in Delhi)


India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Retired scientist duped of Rs 1.29 crore in 'digital arrest' scam; 2 arrested
A retired scientist from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly was kept under 'digital arrest' for three days and defrauded of Rs 1.29 crore by cybercriminals posing as CBI officers, police said on Sunday. Two members of the gang were arrested in connection with the victim, Dr Shukdev Nandi, a former scientist with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, was targeted through WhatsApp calls by imposters who threatened him and forced him to transfer large sums of money to multiple accounts over a span of three Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) arrested Pradeep Kumar Singh (50) and Mahfooz (21) from Lucknow. Authorities recovered two mobile phones, PAN and Aadhaar cards, and documents related to cryptocurrency wallets from their possession. According to police, Singh is the director of a private firm and had opened a corporate bank account in the company's name at ICICI Bank. This account was used to receive the Rs 1.29 crore extorted from Dr questioning, Singh admitted to distributing the money within the gang and receiving commissions in USDT (cryptocurrency) through the Binance app, police said. He claimed to have earned 871 USDT so confessed he had opened a bank account on the instructions of an associate in exchange for commission and handed over the ATM card and SIM card to the gang. Around Rs 9 lakh linked to the fraud was deposited into his account.A case of cheating and extortion has been lodged at the Cyber Crime Police Station in Bareilly under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 66D of the IT arrests follow an earlier crackdown on July 5, when four members of the same gang were caught. Authorities are now investigating other bank accounts, crypto wallets, and additional gang members.- EndsTrending Reel