Man taking selfie falls off train, 4 die saving him in WB

A man’s quest to take a dramatic selfie resulted in the tragic death of four others near Howrah, Bengal, on Thursday evening.

Police said Taraknath Makal was travelling by train with four friends — all aged between 25 and 30 years — when he reportedly leaned out of the door to take a selfie. However, he lost his footing and fell off the train. Makal’s companions jumped out to save him, but ended up getting mowed down by another train coming from the opposite direction. While the four friends — Sumit Kumar, Sanjiv Polley, Kajal Saha and Chandan Polley — lost their lives, Makal is fighting for his life in a hospital.

Speculations over Congress leader and former chief minister Narayan Rane joining the BJP may lead to another round of battle between the ruling partners in Maharashtra.

The Sena leadership considers Rane (a former Sena chief minister who defected to the Congress) as its number one enemy. Rane’s induction will also be seen by the Sena as an attempt by the BJP to strengthen its base in Konkan, where Uddhav Thackeray is strong, say his party leaders. If Rane is admitted to the BJP fold, it would also be an indication that the truce between the two parties would be temporary, they point out. Unrest was also seen in BJP leaders from Konkan over the development. They have also started opposing the idea openly.

Rane is unhappy in the Congress and keen on joining the BJP. He is said to be in touch with senior leaders of the party. The talks over him defecting to the BJP gained momentum following media reports he met BJP chief Amit Shah and CM Devendra Fadnavis in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Rane has denied any such meeting.