A major fire broke out at a building housing a coaching centre in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday, triggering panic among students and local residents.There were fears that some students were trapped inside the premises, while some were seen jumping from the first floor in an attempt to escape the flames.

Fire department teams and rescue personnel rushed to the spot soon after receiving information about the blaze. Multiple fire tenders were deployed to bring the fire under control, while rescue operations continued amid fears that more people could be trapped inside the building.

Rescue operation underway amid panic

Visuals from the scene showed thick smoke billowing out of the building as students and staff tried to flee. Eyewitnesses said several students jumped from the first floor to save themselves as the fire spread rapidly through the structure.

Firefighters later managed to bring the blaze under control after extensive efforts. Authorities are yet to determine the exact cause of the blaze, and an investigation is expected to be launched.

Senior administrative and police officials reached the site to supervise rescue efforts. More details are awaited as emergency teams continue search and evacuation operations.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday strongly reprimanded party workers after a section of the audience raised slogans in support of DK Shivakumar during a party programme in Bengaluru. Kharge also warned that disciplinary action could be taken against those responsible for disrupting the event.

The incident took place during the ‘Sankalpa Samavesha’ programme, where party leaders had gathered for an organisational event. According to reports, some workers repeatedly chanted “DK-DK” slogans, prompting Kharge to intervene and ask them to maintain discipline.

Visibly upset by the sloganeering, Kharge reminded workers that the gathering was meant for the party and not for promoting individual leaders.

“This is not an individual’s programme, it is a party programme,” Kharge said while stressing that Congress functions as an organisation rather than around personalities.

The veteran leader also expressed displeasure over the disruption, questioning why a few people should dominate proceedings when many others had attended the programme. Referring to his long political career, Kharge said the party had contributed significantly to the rise of many leaders and emphasised the need to uphold organisational discipline.

Warning the workers against similar behaviour in the future, Kharge said footage from the event would be examined and action would be taken if necessary.

“Discipline is always necessary for the party. Whoever is shouting here, there will be footage. I will take disciplinary action after reviewing the footage,” he said.

The episode once again highlighted the importance the Congress leadership places on party discipline during organisational events in Karnataka.

Residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) may continue to get relief from intense summer heat as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds in the coming days.

The weather department said changing weather conditions are expected to persist across Delhi-NCR, with intermittent rain and thunderstorm activity likely to keep temperatures under control. The maximum temperature in the national capital settled slightly above the seasonal average, while cloudy skies and moisture-laden winds are expected to bring further relief.

Rain forecast for Delhi-NCR

According to IMD, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad are likely to witness light rainfall and thunderstorms. The weather agency said the spell of rain could be accompanied by gusty winds, leading to a drop in temperatures across the region.

Officials said the prevailing weather pattern is being influenced by favourable monsoon conditions and local weather systems, which are helping maintain relatively pleasant conditions in the region. The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to remain below or around the 40 degrees Celsius mark over the next few days.

Monsoon advances over northern India

The southwest monsoon has advanced further into several parts of northern India, including areas of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Weather officials have indicated that conditions remain favourable for the monsoon’s further advance across more regions in northwestern India.

Meanwhile, different parts of Uttar Pradesh are expected to experience varied weather conditions, with eastern districts likely to receive rainfall while some areas in eastern UP may continue to experience heatwave conditions. Rajasthan is also expected to witness rain and thunderstorm activity in several districts.