Fire At Mantralaya Kills 2, Injures 15

• Burnt Out. A fire swept through the top four floors of the state headquarters Mantralaya on Thursday, killing two, and injuring 15 people. Three people are still missing. The fire, which began around 2.40pm raged until 7pm, leading to the evacuation of more than 5,500 employees and visitors. Despite rumours that files pertaining to the Adarsh housing scandal had been destroyed, the Criminal Bureau of Investigation clarified that they had copies of the documents. [Hindustan Times]

• Pencil Pushers. Municipal corporation BMC has gone ahead with issuing tenders for the purchase of stationery items for civic school students despite an ongoing inquiry into the Rs179 crore purchase. It is alleged that the corporation was favouring a cartel of contractors, an accusation the BMC has denied. In retaliation for continuing with the tender, members of the MNS locked the additional municipal commissioner insider his corporation house for two hours. [Hindustan Times]

• Suicide Rates. According to a study published in medical journal The Lancet, suicide is the second leading cause of death among India’s youth, with it accounting for 40 per cent of deaths in men, and 56 per cent of deaths in women. The southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala accounted for the highest number of suicide deaths, followed by Maharashtra and West Bengal. The study found that educated people were at greater risk of taking their own lives, and that the average age of women killing themselves was 25, and men, 34. [The Times of India]