Indian man among four charged over Doha restaurant blast

April 16, 2014

doha
Doha, Apr 16: An Indian and three other foreign nationals were today charged with negligence of duty over a deadly blast at a Turkish restaurant here that killed 11 expatriates, including five Indians, in February.

The public prosecution charged an Indian, an Egyptian and two Turkish men for the blast that tore through the Hala Istanbul Restaurant on February 27, leaving 35 others injured.

The four persons were charged with negligence in undertaking their work duties, which caused loss of lives, severe injury to many, risked the safety of others and caused undue destruction of the material assets of others.

The accused are to be held temporarily in jail until the hearing of the case, the Gulf Times reported.

The Indian man, who was working as supervisor at Qatar Fuel (Woqod), has not been identified. The Egyptian national was employed as supervisor at Qatar Gas Group, while the two Turkish men were a baker and an accountant at the restaurant.

The Indian victims of the blast have been identified as Riyas Kizhakemanolil, Abdul Saleem Palangad, Zakaria Padinjare Anakandi, Venkatesh and Shaikh Babu.

Four Nepali nationals and two people from the Philippines were also killed in the explosions.

The prosecution has accused the Indian man of negligence in reporting to the distribution department at Woqod to stop gas supply to the restaurant until the maintenance work was completed and an inspection report submitted by the company concerned. This was to ensure compliance with the required standards and safety regulations.

The Egyptian has been charged with negligence for connecting the restaurant's apparatuses with the new gas line without any check-up of the maintenance works and without the issuance of an accomplishment certificate by the parties concerned.

A fire expert at the Ministry of Interior gave a report, stating that the main cause of the fire and explosion was a gas leak from the oven of the restaurant due to negligence in attending to it.

The gas explosion damaged other buildings in the vicinity too apart from wrecking a number of vehicles.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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