Caste discrimination drove him to suicide: IIT-B student’s family
The family of 18-year-old Darshan Solanki, the first-year student at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay who died allegedly by suicide on February 12, on Wednesday alleged that caste discrimination drove him to take the extreme step.
Rameshbhai Solanki (47), Darshan’s father, told The Indian Express that Darshan had spoken to his elder sister Jahnvi and aunt Divyaben about the caste discrimination he faced at the institute.
In other news, details regarding the murder of Megha Torvi (40) showed that she was allegedly murdered in a fit of rage last Saturday by Hardik Shah (27), her live-in partner of three years, who then hid the remains inside the bed storage box in his rented Nallasopra (East) residence. The local police took help of the Railway Protection Force that detained Shah from the Nagda railway junction in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday as he was fleeing Mumbai after selling all furniture and utensils he owned for Rs 4,500 on Sunday which he used to purchase a rail ticket to Rajasthan.
‘First, our investments; now, our temples’: Maharashtra Opposition hits out at BJP over sixth Jyotirlinga claim
A historical pilgrimage centre in Maharashtra has become embroiled in a controversy with an Assam government advertisement allegedly laying claim to it, sparking a war of words between the BJP and the Opposition in the state.
It all began with an ad by the Assam government’s tourism department exhorting devotees to visit the sixth Jyotirlinga site in the state on February 18 on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri. “Welcome to Dakini Parbet, Kamrup, the sixth Jyotirlinga site in Assam,” the ad reads.
A doctor associated with Mumbai’s KEM hospital allegedly died by suicide inside his house in Thane recently.
The police have registered a case of accidental death in the matter. They added that the incident came to light Friday morning when the driver of the deceased arrived to pick him up. Read more
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah today hailed the EC's decision to allow Shinde faction to retain Shiv Sena party name and symbol.
"The Election Commission has established the difference between truth and lie yesterday. The formula of 'Satyameva Jayate' became significant yesterday," Shah said during an address in Pune.
While hearing a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the bail granted to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut and his alleged associate Pravin Raut, the Bombay High Court Saturday asked the central agency why it had not sought custody of the two main accused, Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, in the Patra Chawl redevelopment case.
After the judge asked why the agency had not sought custody of the Wadhawans, promoters of Housing Development Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), in the money laundering case, additional solicitor general Anil Singh for the ED submitted that the duo was in judicial custody for some other offences and their custody was not required. Their statements had been subsequently recorded by the agency, Singh said. Read more
On the occasion of Mahashivratri today, thousands of devotees queued up to offer prayers to Lord Shiva at the Ambarnath temple in Thane.
A huge number of people also attended the fair near the temple.
Express Photos by Deepak Joshi
All the years that the Thackeray father and son duo were together active in politics, son Uddhav was seen as projecting an image diametrically opposite to his father Balasaheb in his mannerisms, oration and people-management skills. Soon after taking over as the party chief, Uddhav appeared keen to break away from his father’s shadow, not just in appearance but also in how he did politics, transforming and normalising a party that was once associated sometimes with outright bigotry through his father’s pronouncements.
But with the ongoing political crisis that has engulfed the Thackeray family, a deliberate attempt is being made by Uddhav’s team to refashion his image as the true inheritor of Bal Thackeray’s political legacy. Zeeshan Shaikh writes
The Election Commission has vindicated Eknath Shinde in the Shiv Sena split. As per the Commission, it is Shinde, and not Uddhav Thackeray, who has demonstrated a better claim to the Sena. Accordingly, his faction has been allotted the “bow-and-arrow” symbol.
Thackeray’s claim to representing the Sena was largely based on his leadership as its Paksha Pramukh. Since he was at the helm of the party organisation and was a determinant of party membership, he was deemed to be the Sena. However, this centralisation of power proved to be his undoing. Read the Opinion piece
After being on run for 32 years, a 73-year-old man wanted in a robbery case registered in suburban Borivali was finally arrested today.
The accused was arrested from Bhayander, an official of Borivali police station told news agency PTI.
The alleged robbery had taken place in 1990. He has been now arrested under Indian Penal Code sections including 392 (robbery), 397 (dacoity) and 120-B (conspiracy).
Mumbai on Saturday reported 10 COVID-19 cases, the first time the addition to the tally touched double digits since January 13 this year, a civic official told news agency PTI.
The infection count in the city stood at 11,55,318, while the death toll remained unchanged at 19,747, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation official said. On Friday, Mumbai had reported four new COVID-19 cases, he pointed out.
The addition to the tally on January 13 was 12, he added.
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has formed a panel to conduct a “parallel” probe into the death of a first-year B.Tech student amid allegations of caste bias and has urged its students to come forward if they have “relevant” information.
The panel is headed by Professor Nand Kishore and also has members from SC/ST Students Cell, faculty members, student mentor coordinators and the in-charge chief medical officer of IIT Bombay hospital, said institute Director Subhasis Chaudhuri on Saturday, according to news agency PTI.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant today disputed the Election Commission's claim that the amendments to the party constitution in 2018 were not on its record.
A day earlier, while recognising Eknath Shinde's faction as the real Shiv Sena, the EC said the Uddhav Thackeray faction relied heavily on the 2018 constitution to stake claim to the poll symbol and the organisation, but the poll panel had not been informed about these amendments.
"Minutes of the meeting and its proceedings along with a video were submitted to the commission on April 4, 2018 by party leader Anil Desai," news agency PTI quoted Sawant, MP from Mumbai South, as saying. "How can the poll body say it was not informed,” he asked.
With the Election Commission order dealing a comprehensive blow to the Thackerays, the BJP believes it has removed the one hurdle in its goal of achieving absolute majority on its own in the 2024 Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
The BJP, which deferred to the Shiv Sena in the state as long as Bal Thackeray was alive, has been plotting its way towards this. However, the project took sharper urgency after 2019, when Uddhav Thackeray dashed the BJP’s hopes of returning to power by deserting the party for the NCP and Congress.
The man who suffered the most from that “betrayal” — as the BJP saw it – was then incumbent chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. And as the wheel comes full circle, with Uddhav now having lost power and his party, Fadnavis can take the credit for steering its course. Shubhangi Khapre writes
Union Home Minister Amit Shah Saturday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the Centre has never engaged in vote bank politics. He added that all decisions taken by the Modi government are directed towards larger public welfare.
Shah was addressing an event organised by the Lokmat Media Group in Nagpur to celebrate the birth centenary of founder editor and freedom fighter Jawaharlal Darda, popularly known as Babuji, and the golden jubilee of its Marathi newspaper’s Nagpur edition. Read more
During his visit to Nagpur today, Union home minister Amit Shah also visited Deekshabhoomi.
Deekshabhoomi is a sacred Buddhist monument where Dr B R Ambedkar took up Buddhism with lakhs of followers.
Union home minister Amit Shah today visited the memorial of RSS founder Dr B K Hedgewar and RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar at Reshimbaug in Nagpur and paid respects. He was accompanied by Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi today rallied support for Shiv Sena (UBT).
VBA president Prakash Ambedkar said "The Election Commission of India's job is to conduct elections. It is not supposed to decide on intra-party disputes."
"Uddhav Thackeray should challenge the ECI's decision is Supreme Court," Ambedkar added.
After Uddhav Thackeray's address from the sunroof of his car today, his loyalists have been circulating the picture of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray delivering a speech from atop an ambassador car in 1969.
Calling the Election Commission of India (ECI) 'entirely compromised institution', Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said the agency is 'seemingly wanting to finish off democracy' in the country.
"Legitimising a bunch of thieves does not make the theft legitimate," he said, hinting at the EC awarding Shiv Sena party name and symbol to the Shinde faction.
He said the Shinde camp was stealing and using the mask and identities of others because they were embarrassed of themselves.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis are set to visit Shivaji Park Sunday (February 18) morning on the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti (birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj).
Shivaji Park is regarded as a Shiv Sena bastion and is known for the party’s annual ‘Dussehra-Melawa’. It is pertinent to note that following the vertical split in the party last year, the two Sena factions engaged in a tug of war to get permission to hold the annual rally in this ground. Read more
Mohammed Sheikh Shamshuddin recently got reunited with his son, Mohammed Sharik, 21, who had gone missing a little over a year ago. Sharik has an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and went missing from Mumbra in the Thane district on February 14, 2022. After meeting his son, the elated father told this publication, “Aaj humari Eid hai (For us, today is Eid).”
What started as a straightforward drive by Kapurbawri’s UIDAI centre to generate Aadhaar cards for patients at Thane’s Regional Mental Hospital (RMH) led to this sweet reunion Friday. Know more
The Maharashtra government said it has has fixed the rate for the regularisation of unauthorised construction in Ulhasnagar, a satellite town of Mumbai, at Rs 2,200 per square metre.
The notification issued on Friday says that the “designated” authority will issue a notice to the unauthorised development projects within six days. After compliance, the designated authority shall pass an order within 90 days, the notification said.
The notification will pave the way for the regularisation of a large number of unauthorised structures that were awaiting clear directions from the government.
Addressing a gathering in Bandra today, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray said the Shinde camp and the BJP will fall flat on their face like the mythological demon king 'Ravana'.
"As Ravana had fallen flat after he tried to pick Shiv Dhanushya (bow and arrow), these theives and the owners of the chor bazaar (BJP and Shinde faction) will fall flat on their face while holding the Shiv Dhanushya. I am not tired, will not get tired till I have your (Shiv Sainiks') strength," Thackeray said.
Bombay High Court Acting Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala today administered the oath to BJP leader Ramesh Bais as Maharashtra Governor during a ceremony at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was presented at the event.
Express Photos by Ganesh Shirsekar
Giving its order in a dispute that began last year, the Election Commission Friday decided that the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was the real Shiv Sena, and not the group led by former CM Uddhav Thackeray.
Over months of deliberations and hearings, the EC came to rely on the “test of majority” to determine that the Shinde faction gets to use the party’s name and symbol of “Bow and Arrow”, as reserved under the Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.
The Thackeray camp, represented by former Union Minister and lawyer Kapil Sibal, among others, argued that the test of majority should not be the sole determining factor. Sibal argued that the Shinde group’s claim to be the real Shiv Sena should be made as per the party constitution and that a group that did not follow the constitution should not be recognised by the EC. Damini Nath explains
Mumbai Police has arrested one more youth in the case of alleged manhandling of Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw after he refused to click selfies with social media influencer Sapna Gill and her friend.
The name of the arrested youth is Sobit, news agency ANI reported. A total of four arrests have been made in the case so far, according to Mumbai Police. Earlier, two accused -- Rudra and Sahil were also taken into custody by the police.
The incident took place in the early hours of Wednesday. Shaw was allegedly manhandled and his car was attacked with a baseball bat outside a hotel in the Santacruz area of Mumbai, following an argument with Gill and her friend Shobit Thakur.
Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using Balasaheb Thackeray's face only to win elections.
Uddhav added that the Election Commision of India acted as if it were a "slave of the Centre".
"The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi may think that by using the agencies like EC and others who are acting like their slaves, they can finish off opposition parties. You may finish off any other party, but you cannot finish off Shiv Sena," Uddhav said.
Calling Eknath Shinde and his supporters 'thieves', Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray dared them to face elections.
In a veiled attack at Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Thackeray claimed that the party's 'bow and arrow' symbol has been stolen.
"We will teach lessons to these theives and their owners. These traitors want Balasaheb Thackeray's face but not Thackeray family. We will not sit quietly till we teach them a lesson," Thackeray said while addressing his supporters and party workers while standing through the sunroof of his car at Kalanagar junction area of Bandra east today.
Will the Eknath Shinde faction now stake claim on Shiv Sena Bhavan, now that the Election Commission of India has allotted the party name and the bow and arrow symbol to it? While this question has been doing the rounds, records show that this won’t be possible for the Shinde faction.
The Sena Bhavan in Mumbai’s Dadar is owned by the Shivai trust which is controlled by the Thackeray family and is not on the name of the party. Earlier too Uddhav Thackeray had said the Shinde faction has no chance to stake claim on Shiv Sena Bhavan.
The Shiv Sena Bhavan was established in 1974, almost eight years after the Sena was founded by Bal Thackeray. Read more
Uddhav Thackeray has reached the Kalanagar junction area of Bandra east from where he will be addressing the party workers soon by standing on the car. In 1969, sena founder Bal Thackeray had addressed the party workers in similar way by standing on the car's roof.
Uddhav Thackeray has reached the Kalanagar junction area of Bandra east from where he will be addressing the party workers soon.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) will be approaching the Supreme Court on Monday against the decision of the Election Commision (EC) recognising the Eknath Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena.
Shinde faction leader and minister Deepak Kesarkar said that 15 MLAs and 6 MPs of Thackeray-led Sena will have to follow the orders of Shiv Sena (Shinde faction).
"They have been elected on Sena symbol and hence they will have to follow the party order, if not followed they will have to face disciplinary action as well as disqualification", added Kesarkar.
While addressing the party workers gathered at Matoshree, Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray slammed the Shinde faction stating that the party symbol "bow and arrow" has been stolen. He also challenged Shinde faction to face the elections 'if they have guts.'
"Dhanushyabaan (bow and arrow symbol of Sena) has been stolen. Let teach those thieves a lesson in elections. I challenge those who have stolen Dhanushyabaan to come and face the elections. You come with the stolen Dhanushyabaan, we will come with Mashaal," Thackeray said.
Hundreds of Sena workers have gathered outside Matoshree, the personal residence of Thackeray family in Bandra east to show their support to Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray spoke to Sena workers after holding a meeting of all the leaders and elected representatives.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while on his three-day visit to Maharashtra, paid a floral tribute at the memorial of RSS founder B K Hedgewar and ideologue M S Golwalkar. Shah had also visited Deekshabhoomi and offered his tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is in Nagpur to attend a programme organised to celebrate the birth centenary of founder-editor of the Lokmat Media group and veteran freedom fighter Jawaharlal Darda, popularly known as 'Babuji', and golden jubilee of its Marathi newspaper's Nagpur edition. (PTI)
Home Minister Amit Shah, while on his visit to Nagpur, said that the violence in Kashmir, Northeast and the Naxal Belt across India has reduced by 80 per cent. He also said that after the abrogation of Article 370, 1.8 crore tourists visited India. He added that India's role during the Covid-19 pandemic accumulated worldwide praise and that the Modi govt had provided free food to 80 crore people.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Nagpur now, said, "We have never done vote bank politics. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has not taken decisions which people like. He has taken tough decisions which are good for 130 crore people of India."
Newly appointed governor Ramesh Bais took oath as the 22nd Governor of Maharashtra today. He was sworn in at Raj Bhavan today by acting Chief Justice of Bombay High court Sanjay Gangapurwala. Bais took oath in Marathi. He replaces former governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
A three-day Mumbai International Storytelling Festival 2023, Gaatha, began at Somaiya Vidyavihar University (SVU) campus on Friday evening. Dan Yashinsky, a Canadian story-teller of world-repute, who has been an integral part of story-telling festivals held across countries, inaugurated the first of such festivals in Mumbai.
A collaboration between Mumbai Storytellers Society (MSS) and SVU, this one-of-its-kind festival aims at celebrating the ancient tradition of oral storytelling with workshops, talks and panel discussions, informing participants about nuances of the art of storytelling, apart from the obvious story-telling sessions. Know more here
Several students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay gathered at the main administrative building on Friday, urging the submission of a letter on their demands to the Director of the institute.
The demands included filing of an FIR by the institute administration, to initiate investigation in the Darshan Solanki death case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and Prohibition of Ragging Act. Read what the case is about here
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Deshpande said that the downfall of Shiv Sena ( UBT) down fall is the leadership failure of Uddhav Thackeray. He added that he wonders if Aaditya Thackeray and the other MLAs will obey the Eknath Shinde faction's whip and surrender.
Deshpande also said that Uddhav Thackeray retained the political legacy of Bal Thackeray because of Raj Thackeray's sacrifice. However, Deshpande added, they ( Uddhav Thackeray) failed and as a result MLAs left him.
"Now, even the party's name and symbol has gone", said the party leader.
The newly appointed Ramesh Bais will take oath of office as the governor of Maharashtra at Durbar Hall in Raj Bhawan today.
The tussle for the Shiv Sena party name and symbol continues as Uddhav Thackeray has convened a meeting of MLAs, MPs and other office bearers today.
As the trend of bad air quality continues to irk Mumbai, AQI recorded this February has been the worst in the past four years, with the maximum number of ‘poor’ days, according to The Indian Express analysis, as per AQI data from Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin. This is despite the passage of lower temperatures in the city, which are known to be conducive to worsening air quality, say experts.
So what led to this poor air quality?
Authorities have attributed the worsening air quality in Mumbai to two main factors– ongoing real estate and infrastructure construction, and the transport sector. Apart from vehicular combustion, heavy traffic is also responsible for stirring up settled road dust.
The Waliv police Thursday submitted an over 500-page chargesheet in the Tunisha Sharma case in which they have charged her co-actor and former boyfriend Sheezan Khan on the charge of abetment to suicide. Mainly relying on the fact that the couple had broken up and Khan had been ignoring Sharma, police have concluded that the 20-year-old was upset and died by suicide.
What is the case all about?
On December 24, 2022, Sharma was found hanging in the bathroom of the set, minutes after she gave her shot and spoke to Khan. When she did not turn up for her shot again, her colleagues broke open the door of the bathroom to find her hanging with a crepe bandage. The next day, Waliv police arrested Khan on abetment to suicide charge under the Indian Penal Code.
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court recently directed a petitioner seeking setting up of a Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Nanded to deposit an amount of Rs 3 lakh to “test his bona fides” and as a precondition of hearing the PIL. Know more here
Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to recognise Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction as the real Shiv Sena and to allot the name “Shiv Sena” and party symbol “Bow and Arrow” to it, has come as a shot in the arm to the Chief Minister and his party ahead of civic elections in the state, especially the high stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election in Mumbai.
How did the Shinde Sena celebrate?
As the EC order was announced, there was jubilation among the Shinde-led Shiv Sena supporters across the state as they burst firecrackers, raised slogans and distributed sweets. Read more here
A major, level-3 fire broke out in Raghuvanshi Mill compound at Senapati Bapat Marg in the commercial Lower Parel area of the city on Friday evening.
The incident was reported at 7.15 pm and officials from the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) said that the flames remained confined within the second and third floor of a four-storied commercial building. Twelve fire engines and six jumbo tankers were pressed into operation. Read more here
"Such happening have impact for merely one month and then everything calms down. It doesn't impact anyone. It has happened with Congress before when it had to change the symbol to hand. People accepted that. Same will happen now," NCP chief Sharad Pawar said.
"This situation has come because you abandoned the thoughts of Balasaheb Thackeray and Aanand Dighe. You had kept the Bow and Arrow as a mortgage with NCP and Congress in 2019. It is a lesson and slap on their face for not following the path of Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology for coming into power," Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said.
The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj taunted his estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray saying Bal Thackeray had warned long ago about preserving the name. He tweeted old video record of Bal Thackeray where he says, " Money comes and goes. But once you lose name it cannot be purchased even in black market." So, " Work for making the name big and preserve it." Raj Thackeray took to Twitter where he said, " Name lost...."
"If we are accused of abandoning Hindutva just becuase we joined hands with Congress and NCP after being backstabbed by the BJP, then why is the same accusation of abandoning Hindutva not levelled against Mohan Bhagwat when he visits mosques? A few days back Prime Minister Narendra Modi was here and rolled chappatis (in reference to the PMs visit to the inaugurate an Islamic centre set up by Bohra Muslims). Whatever they do is Hindutva; tomorrow even if they decide to offer namaz we are asked to accept them as Hindus. This can't be accepted," Uddhav Thackeray said.
While attacking the Election Commission, Uddhav Thackeray said: "The EC has played a farce. They asked us for so many documents and we complied and provided all of them. But the way the EC has behaved is equivalent to eating cowdung. If dung is what you had wanted to eat they should eaten it earlier. Why put up this farce?"
"A few days back a Central Minister had stated that the verdict will go in their favour and the other side will be awarded the symbol. How did he know? Was this a planned conspiracy? The citizens have realised that this is a conspiracy and how the top echelons of the country were part of this entire conspiracy," Uddhav Thackeray said.
"Post Emergency, the entire nation united against it and even a leader like Indira Gandhi had to face defeat. Time has come to fight. Without asking the question who is alternative. This is not just a battle against Shiv Sena. It is an attack on Indian democracy," Uddhav Thackeray said.
"The way the EC has awarded the party symbol and the party name to the other side I believe this could be the precursor to the Corporation elections which could be held in a month or two. They want to take control of Mumbai. They want to put a begging bowl in Mumbai's hand and make it geniculate stand in front of Delhi. They want to do this by awarding the bow and arrow symbol to our opponents," Uddhav Thackeray said.
"Our sainiks are not demoralized at all. We will fight them with renewed aggression across state," Uddhav Thackeray said.
"The late Indira Gandhi had the courage to declare she was imposing Emergency. But the BJP is doing it under covers," said Uddhav Thackeray.
"Shiv Sena will rise with greater enthusiasm. The Aam Junta will now be with Shiv Sena. These are my words. You mark these words," he said.
"Just like SC judges are appointed in consultation, I believe it is now time that even the Election Commissioners should now be appointed after consultation with opposition parties," says Uddhav Thackeray.
"The entire opposition, various organisations and citizens who believe in democracy should unite in this fight against power," says Uddhav Thackeray.
"Look at the raids against BBC. I urge media to also unite in fight against injustice," he says.