Woolwich murder suspect, Michael Adebolajo loses two teeth 'in fight with prison staff following melee' in Belmarsh high-security wing

From left to right, Michael Adebolajo  and Fusilier Lee Rigby

One of the men accused of killing Fusilier Lee Rigby has been injured during a violent incident in prison.

Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo lost two teeth as he was restrained by officers at Belmarsh jail in south-east London.

It is understood several officers were called in to help after Adebolajo began acting violently on Wednesday, and he was injured during the subsequent melee in the prison’s high-security wing.

Last night the Metropolitan Police said it had started an investigation. No arrests have been made.

Adebolajo, from Romford, east London, is one of two men accused of murdering Fusilier Rigby outside Woolwich barracks on May 22.

When he appeared in court last month charged with the murder, he complained about his treatment at the hands of prison staff.

During the June 5 hearing via video-link from the prison, he was flanked by prison officers in full riot gear. Belmarsh staff asked for him to be handcuffed on the basis he was ‘unpredictable’ and had refused to comply with their orders.

The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, terminated the video-link after Adebolajo launched into a series of rants against prison staff.

The unit in which he is being detained has the highest security classification in the country, and holds notorious terror suspects and dangerous felons.

Inmates have included Al Qaeda preacher Abu Qatada until his deportation earlier this month, and fanatic Abu Hamza, who was extradited to the US last year. The cost of keeping each inmate in the unit is estimated at £65,000 a year.

A November 2009 inspection report on Belmarsh criticised the ‘extremely high’ amount of force used to control inmates at the prison, and said large numbers of inmates claimed they had been intimidated by prison staff.

A Prison Service spokesman said: ‘The police are investing an incident which took place at HMP Belmarsh on July 17. 

 

‘It would be inappropriate to comment while the investigation is ongoing.’

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that an allegation of assault was passed to the Metropolitan Police on July 17 by Belmarsh Prison. An investigation has been started.’ 

Jail: It is understood several officers were called in to help after Adebolajo began acting violently on Wednesday, and he was injured during the subsequent melee in the prison's high-security wing

Crowds of wellwishers line the street as the funeral cortege of Fusilier Lee Rigby drives away from Bury Parish church on July 12 following a funeral service attended by 800

Rigby, 25, a father of one from Middleton, Rochdale, died from multiple wounds after he was attacked in the street.

The Prime Minister and thousands of mourners attended his military funeral last week, at which his two-year-old son Jack wore a T-shirt bearing the words ‘My Daddy My Hero’.

Adebolajo is charged with murder and possessing a revolver. He is also accused of the attempted murder of two police officers. 

His alleged accomplice, Michael Adebowale, 22, is charged with murder and possession of a firearm.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

'Dear Malala, this is why we tried to kill you': Taliban chief's letter to Pakistani girl shot for demanding education for women

Speech: Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for wanting to attend school, addresses the UN youth assembly in New York last Friday 

A Taliban commander has written to teenage schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai explaining why she was shot in the head by the group – but also expressing regret that it ever happened.

In faltering English, wanted terrorist Adnan Rasheed said he was shocked to hear of the assassination attempt last October.

Malala, then 15, was gravely wounded by masked gunmen who singled her out as she returned home in a school bus in Pakistan’s north-west Swat Valley.

The shooting sparked worldwide condemnation and Malala was flown to Britain for treatment. 

She has recovered so well that she was able to give a speech at the UN in New York on her 16th birthday last week saying she has new courage to fight for the right of all children to have a free education.

The letter from Rasheed, who was freed in a mass jail break last year after he was arrested over a plot to murder Pakistan’s former president, falls short of offering a full apology.

But he wrote: ‘When you were attacked it was shocking for me. I wished it would never happened and I had advised you before.’ He explained she was shot not because she went to school, but because she had spoken out against the Taliban in Pakistan .

‘Taliban believe that you were intentionally writing against them and running a smearing campaign to malign their efforts to establish Islamic system in Swat and your writings were provocative,’ he wrote.

‘You have said in your [UN] speech yesterday that pen is mightier than sword, so they attacked you for your sword not for your books or school.’

He added that he was not against the principle of girls being educated, but was specifically against a western education – which he said followed a ‘satanic or secular curriculum’.

However, the tone soon changes, as Rasheed makes a bizarre attempt to defend the TTP’s assassination attempt.

Mixed message: Taliban commander Adnan Rasheed, appearing in a TTP video on YouTube, wrote in his letter to Malala how 'shocked' he was to hear of her near-fatal attack but maintained it had to happen

Apologetic: Rasheed writes how he wished the attempt on Malala's life had not happen, and speaks of his 'brotherly' feelings for her

New tune: The letter soon becomes threatening in tone and insinuated that Malala had herself to blame for the attack by the Taliban organisation

He writes that Malala had to be silenced because she was ‘running a smearing campaign to malign their efforts to establish Islamic system in Swat and your writings were provocative.’

Rasheed claims that the Taliban is in fact not against education for women, challenging her on why she was shot.

‘There were thousands of girls who were going to school before and after the Taliban insurgency in Swat, would you explain why were only you on their hit list???,’ he asks.

‘You and the UNO is pretending that as you were shot due to education, although this is not the reason, be honest, not the education but your propaganda was the issue and what you are doing now.’

Rasheed also defends the destruction of schools in Swat Valley by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, claiming they are being used by the Pakistani army, and ‘when something sacred is turned lethal it needs to be eliminated this is the policy of Taliban’.

Courage: Malala was given a standing ovation and there were cheers of delight as she stepped up to speak

The letter, in which he claims the Western nations are in ‘conspiracy with Jews and freemasons’ he also calls President Barack Obama a mass murderer and claims polio vaccinations are a sterilization programme.

He writes that although it is ‘amazing’ that she campaigns for education, Rasheed finishes his letter, dated on July 15th, that Malala should ‘come back home, adopt the Islamic and pushtoon culture, join any female Islamic madrassa near your home town’.

Whether this is the wish of Malala, it is an unlikely event as she is still under threat to her life should she return to her home in Swat.

Last week Malala spoke to the United Nation's youth assembly on her 16th birthday - declared Malala Day - saying that the assassin's bullet tried to silence her, but failed.

She said: 'Malala Day is not my day - today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.

'There are hundreds of human rights activists and social workers who are not speaking for their rights but who are struggling to achieve their goal of peace, education and equality.

Malala was shot after being targeted by the Taliban for demanding education in Pakistan

'Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions injured - I am just one of them. They thought that the bullet would silence us - but they failed.

'Out of that silence came thousands of voices. The terrorists thought they would change my aim and stop my ambitions.'

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assassination attempt on Malala, calling her efforts pro-Western. Two of her classmates were also wounded.

Yousafzai was treated in Britain, where doctors mended parts of her skull with a titanium plate. Unable to safely return to Pakistan, she started at a school in Birmingham in March.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), formed in 2007, is an umbrella group uniting various militant factions operating in Pakistan's volatile northwestern tribal areas along the porous border with Afghanistan.

Under Taliban rule in neighboring Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, women were forced to cover up and were banned from voting, most work and leaving their homes unless accompanied by a husband or male relative.

Culled from Daily Mail

Bearded lady who hid behind a niqab 'to avoid embarrassing her children' decides to finally reveal herself after 19 YEARS

 

 Brave: Agustina Dorman, 38, has decided to stop wearing a niqab to hide her facial hair after 19 years

A bearded mother-of-two who hid under a niqab to stop her children from being bullied over her goatee has revealed her face to the public for the first time in 19 years.
Indonesian Agustina Dorman, 38, began sprouting thick facial hair after the birth of her first child when she was just 25.
Ever since she has hidden her face under a traditional Muslim niqab whenever outside in Penaga village, Indonesia, to prevent her children from being bullied.
But Agustina has decided to ditch the clothing and accept her condition - regardless of the stares and unwanted attention she now attracts.

Standing up for herself: Agustina Dorman had worn the niqab so her children wouldn't be bullied about her condition but she has now decided to go without and face her tormenters

Agustina - who also sports a mild moustache and chest hair - says that whenever she attempted to cut or shave the beard she experienced unbearable pain.

After several attempts to rid herself of the goatee, she was forced to let it grow.

And scared that her children - aged 19 and three - would be bullied for their mother's appearance, Agustina hid away under the niqab.

Among Indonesia's large Muslim population, Agustina could move about without attracting unwanted attention.

But she says her eldest child began to receive taunts from others who found out about their mother's unusual condition.

It led the brave mother-of-two to confront her children's tormentors by unveiling herself and freely walking around their village for the first time this week.
She hopes that through education about her condition, people will become accepting of her appearance.
Earlier this year a German bearded lady called Mariam appeared on Daytime TV in the UK to reveal she even felt sexy with her stubble.

 

Unbearable: Agustina Dorman, who lives on Bintan Island in Indonesia, tried to remove the hair by cutting it and shaving but found it too painful 

 

 Agustina, who has had the beard since she was 25, said she decided to stop wearing the niqab and face any criticism after her eldest son was taunted by bullies about her condition

Culled from DAILY MAIL

British scientists invent the 'world's first' mobile phone powered by URINE

Mobile phone owners could soon be able to give their batteries a boost with their own urine.
British scientists at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory have developed a way of using urine as a power source to generate electricity and claim to have created the world's first microbial fuel cells (MFC) powered mobile phone.
While many people might turn their noses up at the energy source, the researchers said that it is the 'ultimate waste product' and does not rely on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun.
The scientists shared their breakthrough in the Royal Society of Chemistry Journal of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.
Dr Ioannis Ieropoulos, an expert at harnessing power from unusual sources using microbial fuel cells at the University of West England, Bristol, which was also involved in the research, said the urine-powered phone is a 'world first'.
'No-one has harnessed power from urine so it’s an exciting discovery.
'Using the ultimate waste product as a source of power to produce electricity is about as eco as it gets.
'One product that we can be sure of an unending supply is our own urine.
'By harnessing this power as urine passes through a cascade of MFCs, we have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone.
He believes that the reliability of the fuel source is a big selling point.

A number of fuel cells are pictured. They use urine as a source of power to produce electricity. By harnessing this power, researchers have managed to charge a Samsung mobile phone

'The beauty of this fuel source is that we are not relying on the erratic nature of the wind or the sun; we are actually re-using waste to create energy.
'So far the microbial fuel power stack that we have developed generates enough power to enable SMS messaging, web browsing and to make a brief phone call.'
However, he said that making a long call on a mobile phone is far more power hungry.
'Making a call on a mobile phone takes up the most energy but we will get to the place where we can charge a battery for longer periods.
'The concept has been tested and it works - it’s now for us to develop and refine the process so that we can develop MFCs to fully charge a battery.'
Microbial fuel cells are energy converters that turn organic matter directly into electricity by utilising the metabolism of live micro-organisms.
Dr Ieropoulos said: 'Essentially, the electricity is a by-product of the microbes’ natural life cycle, so the more they eat things like urine, the more energy they generate and for longer periods of time.'

 

 

A single microbial fuel cell is pictured. The MFCs are energy converters that turn organic matter directly into electricity by utilising the metabolism of live micro-organisms

The electricity output of MFCs is relatively small and the researchers are currently only been able to store and accumulate low levels of energy into capacitors for short charge and discharge cycles. 
However they claim that this is the first time that scientists have been able to directly charge the battery of a device such as a mobile phone and it should be seen as a significant breakthrough.
They believe that their research, which was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Gates Foundation and the Technology Strategy Board, has the potential to be installed in bathrooms.
The scientists think that the technology could be installed into domestic bathrooms int he future to harness the urine and produce sufficient electricity to power showers and lighting...or at least electric shavers.
Dr Ieropoulos said: 'We are currently bidding for funding to work alongside partners in the US and South Africa to develop a smart toilet. Watch this space.'

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Italian senator who compared woman minister to orangutan under pressure to resign

Orangutan

A senior Italian politician is facing calls to resign after likening the country’s first black Cabinet minister to an orangutan.

Roberto Calderoli, vice-president of the Senate – Italy’s upper house – and a leader of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, made the remarks about immigration minister Cecile Kyenge at a party rally.

‘When I see images of Kyenge I cannot help think, even if I don’t say that she is one, of a resemblance to an orangutan,’ he said.

Italy's first black Cabinet minister, Cecile Kyenge

Mr Calderoli's words ignited a storm of criticism on social media and from political leaders.

Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the comments went "beyond all limits" and he offered "full solidarity and support to Cecile", reported the BBC.

For most of the day, Calderoli said he had no intention of resigning and offered only a qualified apology.

‘I did not mean to offend and if minister Kyenge was offended I am sorry, but my comment was made within a much broader political speech that criticised the minister and her policies,’ he said.

Senator Roberto Calderoli 

But after hours of nearly universal condemnation and extensive coverage by the international media, Calderoli called Kyenge in the evening to apologise directly.

She had done well to become a minister, he said, but ‘perhaps she should do it in her own country’.

Miss Kyenge, 48, is a Congolese-born doctor who has lived in Italy since 1983 and became a minister in April. She declined to comment on Mr Calderoli’s remarks.

Prime Minister Enrico  Letta has denounced the comments as ‘unacceptable’ and ‘beyond every limit’. And several ministers said Mr Calderoli should step down from his Senate position.

Politicians, including some from his own party, lambasted Calderoli, with some calling for him to resign as Senate vice president. In an official statement and on Twitter, Prime Minister Enrico Letta said the comments were unacceptable.

‘They go beyond all limits. Full solidarity and support to Cecile. Forward with your and our work,’ Letta said.

‘I just spoke with minister Kyenge and I apologised,’ Calderoli told state news agency Ansa.

Kyenge is campaigning to make it easier for immigrants to gain citizenship, and she backs a law that would automatically make anyone born on Italian soil a citizen.

The Italian minister compared to an orangutan by another politician has said she accepts his apology.

Last month, a Northern League member in the European parliament was expelled from the eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group for making racist remarks about her.

Mario Borghezio had attacked Kyenge for wanting to impose ‘tribal traditions’ in Italy as a member of a ‘bonga bonga’ government, an apparent play on the so-called ‘bunga bunga’ parties of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Opposition politician Calderoli, twice a cabinet minister under Berlusconi, has often caused offence.

In 2006, he was forced to resign as reform minister after displaying a T-shirt mocking the Prophet Mohammad during a state news broadcast. The same year, after Italy won the soccer World Cup, he disparaged the opposing French team, which he said had lost because its players were ‘niggers, Muslims and communists’.

Before Calderoli's apology, Kyenge told AGI news agency he should think of his responsibility as a senior Senate member.

‘I don't want to address Calderoli the person, but as a representative of an institution: reflect on what you want to represent through your language,’ she said.

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Terri Calvesbert begins a new life 14 yrs after she got 'burnt beyond recognition' by accidental fire ignited by her mother

Terri Calvesbert nearly died from 90 per cent burns after the fire when she was just 23 months old whereby her mother accidentally left a cigarette in her bedroom

Terri Calvesbert nearly died from 90 per cent burns after the fire when she was just 23 months old when her mother accidentally left a lit cigarette in her bedroom.

Firefighters attending the scene thought they had found a 'charred doll' when they saw Terri's body. Horrifically, the only part of her body that escaped burns was the patch of skin protected by her wet nappy.

Doctors at specialist burns unit in Chelmsford thought Terri Calvesbert, then just 18 months old, would die from the burns, but incredibly, she pulled through.

Terri lost her hair, nose and eyelids in the devastating blaze. 

Her mother, Ms Minter, then 32, was so wracked with guilt after the episode that she cut off almost all contact with her husband and daughter. The two have since discussed the incident and Ms Minter says Terri has forgiven her.

Scarred for life: Terri Calvesbert nearly died from 90 per cent burns after the fire when she was just 23 months old whereby her mother accidentally left a cigarette in her bedroom

Terri now lives with her father Paul, a community fire volunteer and stepmother Nicky.

Ms Minter left the family just two months after the accident, and Terri has had more than 50 painful operations since then to stretch her scarred skin.

The teenager, who wears a blonde wig, will continue to need surgery and skin grafts for the rest of her life.

Her plight has touched thousands of hearts and donations have poured in from all over the world.

Inspiring courage: Young Terri meets Prince Charles at St James's Palace in 2001

when Terri arrived at the school prom at All Manor of Events at Henley she was the star of the show as she was cheered by her school friends. 

The teenager is now hoping to relax during the summer before learning how she has done in her GCSE exams when the results come out next month.

Terri is planning to go on to study animal care at Otley College, Ipswich, in September to open the next chapter in her life.

Paul said he had been very proud to see his daughter go off to the prom and enjoy life like any other teenager.

'She loved it.

'She's been a bit tired after a couple of busy days but she's really been able to enjoy herself,' he said.

A big send off: Terri's dad Paul and wife Nicky and her grandparents Mick and Margaret gathered to watch her head off for prom. Paul said he had been very proud to see his precious daughter go off to the prom and enjoy life like any other teenager

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Protests erupt across USA after George Zimmerman goes free for killing unarmed boy with bag of sweets

Protests are spreading across the country today following the sensational not-guilty verdict for George Zimmerman after he shot dead teenager Trayvon Martin.

Demonstrations, from Florida where the trial took place to Atlanta, DC and New York, remained largely peaceful last night- although pockets of violence had erupted in Oakland, California. 

Crowds carried signs calling for justice as police assembled close by to monitor activity - fearful that strong reactions to the verdict could spill over into rioting amid racial tensions.

Zimmerman, a 29-year-old Hispanic, looked visibly relieved at the Seminole court on Saturday evening after the jury of six women reached their conclusion that he had justifiably killed the unarmed black 17-year-old last February. 

Demonstrators also burned an American flag to show their displeasure with the jury verdict, which saw Zimmerman go free

Distress: A mother who was listening to the end of the Zimmerman trial with her children weeps at the jury's decision

Rally: Protesters in Los Angeles gather to show their response to the Zimmerman trial on Saturday night as demonstrations spread across the country

In Oakland, California, long a hotbed of racial tension, some protestors turned violent - vandalizing police cars, breaking windows and setting fire to garbage cans. 

One photo from the protests in the city shows men dousing a flag in lighter fluid and setting it alight. 

More demonstrations are planned today under the banner of 'Justice 4 Trayvon.' At least three separate protests are scheduled for New York City alone - one in lower Manhattan, one in Harlem an a third in Brooklyn. 

The Oakland demonstration followed a raucous but largely peaceful rally in San Francisco. 

Prayers: Tammy Haynes, left, Whitney Tillman, center, and Crystal Haynes wear Trayvon Martin hoodies and T-shirts during a sermon at the St Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford on Sunday

Emotional reactionsL A woman holding a child reacts to the verdict outside Seminole County Court where George Zimmerman was found not guilty

Making a statement: Worshippers at the Middle Collegiate Church hold prayer services wearing hoodies in support of slain teenager Trayvon Martin in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman in his trial in New York

Embrace: Members of the New York congregation hug each other on Sunday after the news that Zimmerman would walk free

Police said officers escorted demonstrators as they marched on the city's Mission District. The group was dispersed by 10pm.

The verdict also sparked protests in Los Angeles, where demonstrators gathered in Leimert Park, the city's historically black neighborhood. Police were put on tactical alert, but there were no reports of any arrests.

More than 40 people gathered at Sacramento City Hall, and the Sacramento Bee reported that protesters chanted: 'What do we want? Justice. When do you we want it? Now. For who? Trayvon.'

Violence: A BART police vehicle is vandalized during a protest after George Zimmerman was found not guilty

Damage done: A window is smashed at the Sears store on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, California following the verdict from the five-week trial

Challenging the system: Protesters hold an image of Trayvon Martin while marching in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, California

Trouble: A protester falls while others run as Los Angeles Police officers try to remove them from the intersection on Saturday

A banner behind speakers read: 'No justice, no peace!'

The verdict on the case that has bitterly divided the nation, after the jury took more than 16 hours and 20 minutes over two days to reach their conclusion.

They unanimously decided the neighborhood watch volunteer and would-be cop justifiably killed the unarmed teen because he believed his life was threatened on that February night in Florida last year.

As the judge announced that Zimmerman had no other business with the Seminole court just after 10pm on Saturday, his mother, who was sat in the court, beamed a smile for the first time during the trial and his emotional wife broke down in tears.

Victim: Zimmerman was accused of murdering the unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin after following him with a gun last year

Relief: George Zimmerman breaks into a smile of relief a few moments after being cleared of all charges

Zimmerman jubilantly embraced both - realizing that after a year and a half of living as a hermit 

and virtual recluse - he was now a free man.

Trayvon's parents, Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton, were not in court to hear the verdict. They later took to Twitter to acknowledge their deep disappointment at the verdict.

tweet from his father read: 'God blessed Me & Sybrina with Tray and even in his death I know my baby proud of the FIGHT we along with all of you put up for him GOD BLESS.'

As the long-awaited verdict drew near, police and city leaders in the Orlando suburb of Sanford and other parts of the U.S. nervously said they were taking precautions against the possibility of mass protests or unrest.

'There is no party in this case who wants to see any violence,' Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said immediately after jurors began deliberating.

'We have an expectation upon this announcement that our community will continue to act peacefully.'

Angry crowds outside the courthouse spoke about their outrage at the verdict, yelling: 'The system has failed us', and tens of thousands took to Twitter to voice their discontent with the justice system and jury.

Protesters were expected to take to the streets again on Sunday after largely peaceful demonstrations.

Outrage: A man screams during a demonstration in downtown Manhattan after the news that George Zimmerman was found not guilty in 

the 2012 shooting death of Martin

Workers board up windows at Flora restaurant in downtown Oakland, California early on Sunday following eruptions of violence

Public feeling: Crowds gather in Union Square, New York, to wait for the verdict in the trial

Shock: A Florida woman cries as she hears the not guilty verdict verdict outside the court house

On guard: Los Angeles police gather at the edge of a rally that began as Zimmerman was cleared of all charges

Rallies were planned in Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco, a day after Zimmerman was cleared of all charges in the February 2012 death of Martin.

The gatherings on Saturday night ranged from a few dozen to a couple hundred people. In Oakland, protesters broke windows at the Oakland Tribune and started small fires in the streets. 

Local media reports said some Oakland marchers vandalized a police squad car and police formed a line to block the protesters' path.

Footage from a television helicopter showed people spray painting anti-police graffiti. Protesters also burned an American and a California state flag and spray painted Alameda County's Davidson courthouse.

In New York, people came on to the streets around midnight to protest, waving candles and signs. One showed a picture of Emmett Till -  a black teenager who was tortured and beaten to death by white men in Mississippi in 1955. 

Churches also made note of the verdict on Sunday morning, with many leaders speaking about the case and urging peace in the aftermath. 

Some congregants wore hooded sweatshirts, as Martin had when he died, or shirts with the teen's picture.

Relief: George Zimmerman's wife, Shellie, celebrates with family and friends following her husband's not guilty verdict

Emotional scenes: Zimmerman's family and legal team celebrate after the verdict was read out

Culled from DAILY MAIL

Family of five set themselves ablaze outside Nepalese govt offices in protest against threat to their home

Victim: One of the badly burned family is carried away to hospital after setting himself alight inside the grounds of the government offices in Rajkot, in Gujarat, western India, in protest over a threat to the family home

A family of five set themselves on fire in an act of desperation against a threat to demolish their home.

Four of the Nepalese victims - a mother, her two sons and their wives - died after the shocking protest inside the grounds of government offices in Rajkot, in Gujarat, western India.

Hasumati Dalvani, 62, her sons Bharat Mansingh, 40, and Girish Mansingh, 38, and their wives Asha, 35, and Rekha, 33, had poured kerosene over their bodies before setting themselves ablaze.

Shock: Helpers carry away one of the victims after he had doused himself in kerosene outside a government building

The family has been battling the government's attempt to demolish their house - their shelter for 35 years - after residents complained its construction was unsafe.

 

Witnesses tried to extinguish the fires with pieces of curtain material, but were too late.  

Both sons and their wives died of their injuries at Rajkot Civil Hospital.

Dr Sanjay Shah said: ‘They had sustained 90 to 95 per cent burns to their bodies. They were in a critical condition. We tried to save them but in the end we couldn’t do enough.  The mother is still with us but in a very critical condition.’

Horror: One of the family is carried away to hospital on a stretcher. The family were protesting against a threat to demolish their home

Drama: Smoke billows into the sky outside the government buildings in India

However, the mayor of Rajkot city, Janak Kotak, said the municipality had no plans to demolish the house and their grievances were with the residents.

Police arrested four other people who assisted the family in their suicides.

The Rajkot Municipality has confirmed a compensation figure of £27,700 to the family.

Culled from DAILY MAIL