RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat: No more andolan…why look for Shivling in every mosque?
In first remarks on the row over the Gyanvapi mosque, now at the centre of court room battles in Varanasi, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat Thursday questioned the need to “look for a Shivling in every mosque (har masjid me Shivling kyun dekhna)” and said the RSS was not in favour of launching any other movement (andolan) on these issues.
Addressing the concluding session of the RSS officer training camp in Nagpur, Bhagwat said the Gyanvapi dispute involves some issues of faith and the court’s decision on it should be accepted by all.
Glitches disrupt teachers’ training process, system briefly stopped
THE MUCH-AWAITED teacher training process, which finally started after some delay is now marred with technical glitches. Starting from problems during log-in, several other technical issues were highlighted by the teachers following which the entire online system was stopped for a few hours on Thursday evening.
Around one lakh teachers registered for this training, which is being held online for the first time by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT). The teachers will get a chance to be promoted to senior pay grade upon approval following the assessment post the training session.
EVEN AFTER Maharashtra raised the crop loan outlay to Rs 64,000 crore, access to credit still remains a tough task for the state’s farmers. With the monsoon’s arrival, the process of sowing Kharif crops will start in mid-June but 76 per cent of the sanctioned crop loan amount is yet to be disbursed.
The state government enhanced the loan outlay from Rs 61,000 crore to Rs 64,000 crore this week. Out of this, Rs 45,000 crore is set aside for the Kharif season (summer crops) and Rs 19,000 crore for the rabi season (winter crops).
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Data available with the Department of Cooperation shows a dismal picture. Of the total Rs 45,000 crore sanctioned amount for Kharif crops, only Rs 11,000 crore (approximately 24 per cent) has been disbursed to farmers whereas 76 per cent of the loan amount is yet to be disbursed. (Read more)
The murder case of a 42-year-old woman was solved within 12 hours with the arrest of her two sons and one more person, a Mumbai police official said on Sunday.
The woman, identified as Nirmala Vijay Thakur, was found murdered on Saturday in Korba Meetha Ghar locality of Wadala, after which police teams zeroed in on her son Akshay Vijay Thakur (25), his 15-year-old brother and one Komal Boilkar (22), he said.
"At first, the trio said they were in Lonavala when the murder took place but their mobile phone locations revealed otherwise. On sustained questioning, they confessed to killing Nirmala for practising black magic and not allowing accused Akshay and Komal to get married," he said. (PTI)
A 31-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh who was wanted in a murder case was arrested in Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday, police said. The accused, Nasir Safate, who has been on run for allegedly killing the husband of the woman he was in a relationship with in Basti, was nabbed from Sativali near Vasai.
The accused and the woman had dumped the body in a well in their village near Basti, an official said. A case of murder was registered by the Basti police against Safate and the woman. Vasai Police are coordinating with their counterparts in UP to hand over the arrested accused, the official added. (PTI)
Railway Minister and BJP's observer for the June 10 Rajya Sabha elections in Maharashtra, Ashwini Vaishnaw, on Sunday held a meeting with state BJP leaders. After attending the meeting held at the BJP's office in south Mumbai, senior party leader Ashish Shelar said that strategy for the elections was finalised. Meanwhile, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, has called a meeting of its MLAs in Mumbai on June 7.
Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, who attended the meeting virtually as he is in home isolation after testing positive for coronavirus, said all the MLAs should vote as per their conscience. Shiv Sena leader and state minister Uday Samant told reporters that all the four candidates of MVA will sail through comfortably. (PTI)
The NCP on Sunday targeted Union Home Minister Amit Shah and claimed the Centre has failed to protect the lives of Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits, in the wake of the recent targeted killings of people from the community by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
NCP's chief spokesman Mahesh Tapase, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in Maharashtra, in a statement also said that BJP leaders were busy promoting 'The Kashmir Files' (movie) for their own political purpose.
Maharashtra was the only state which offered a safe passage to the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, while the BJP only played with their sentiments, Tapase claimed. 'The Modi government has miserably failed to protect the lives of Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits. As the country's home minister, it is the duty of Amit Shah to protect the lives of citizens of the country,' Tapase said.
The rise of insurgency once again in the Kashmir Valley and targeting of civilians there is a failure of the intelligence machinery, he said. Shah should personally ensure the safety of all Kashmiri citizens, the NCP leader said. (PTI)
Located in Mumbai’s luxurious Juhu estate but next to a sewer line, the Kaifi Azmi Park—once a dump yard—is now a neighbourhood park with an amphitheatre, thanks to a citizens’ group that waged an 11-year battle to rehabilitate it.
It is an example of how vigilant citizens prevented a public space from being taken over by a developer. The park is among the few public spaces fiercely protected by citizens.
It took 11 years for the Gulmohar Area Societies Welfare Group and Save Open Spaces to transform this wasteland into a green zone, which now boasts a joggers’ track; walking path; amphitheatre; educational and interactive garden with medicinal, aromatic and flowering plants; and also stretches of mangroves along its periphery. (Read more)
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday criticised the ruling BJP at the Centre, claiming the party was busy promoting some movies amid the "targeted killings of Kashmiri Pandits and Muslim security personnel" in Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to reporters here, Raut claimed the BJP was neglecting the Kashmir Valley's security.
"Did the atrocities against the Kashmiri Pandits stop with surgical strikes (conducted by the BJP-led central government across the Line of Control). They have increased," Raut claimed.
"There have been targeted killings of Hindus and Kashmiri Pandits as well as Muslim security personnel because they are serving the country. The BJP is busy promoting movies, like 'The Kashmir Files and 'Samrat Prithiviraj'," the Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson said.
From Srinagar to Pulwama (in Kashmir), at least 20 Muslim security personnel have been killed, the Rajya Sabha member claimed without specifying the details. "The BJP leaders are not speaking about this. They are busy trying to find 'Shivling' in the Taj Mahal (Agra) and the Gyanvapi mosque (in Varanasi)," he said. (PTI)
A fraudster allegedly posed as a senior woman Income Tax officer from Mumbai and by using her picture tried to cheat her colleagues by sending them requests on phone to buy gift cards of an online shopping platform, police said on Sunday.
The woman, currently posted as the I-T department's principal chief commissioner in Mumbai, recently lodged a police complaint, based on which an FIR was registered against the unidentified accused, an official from the Azad Maidan police station here said.
The woman, who is an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, in her complaint said she received calls from her colleagues in Chennai to tell her that they had received messages from some phone numbers, with the sender posing as her and requesting them to purchase gift cards of an online shopping company, the police said. (PTI)
Dutch movie "Turn Your Body to the Sun" on Saturday bagged the Golden Conch award at the 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) for documentary, short fiction and animation films.
The seven-day festival, organised in hybrid mode, saw a line-up featuring 400 films from across the world, out of which 102 titles were screened under the Competition Category -- 35 in international competition and 67 in national competition.
The Golden Conch award was presented by the Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari at the closing ceremony, held at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai, in presence of Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting L Murugan and other dignitaries.
The award carries a golden conch, a certificate and cash prize of Rs 10 lakh. (PTI)
Mumbai on Saturday reported 889 new coronavirus infections, an increase from 763 cases added a day before.
The caseload in the metropolis thus rose to 10,68,897, and death toll reached 19,568, a civic official said.
The city had recorded 846 cases on February 4, after which the cases declined. But the numbers began to increase in the last few days.
The recovery count increased by 329 to touch 10,45,035, leaving the city with active caseload of 4,294, up from 3,735 on Friday.
Of the 889 new cases, only 45 needed hospitalisation and three of them required oxygen support, the official said, adding that currently 154 COVID beds are occupied in the city and 14 patients are on oxygen support. (PTI)
South-east carrier Vietjet on Saturday announced the launch of its direct flight services to the financial capital from Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam, and Ho Chi Minh City.
It said services on the Hanoi-Mumbai-Hanoi route will be operated three times a week, while the Mumbai to Ho Chi Minh City flights will be run four times per week.
Vietjet started its operations in India in December 2019, connecting New Delhi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The services were discontinued following India suspending commercial international passenger flight operations in late March 2020 due to the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic.
After the government lifted the ban on March 27 this year, Vietjet announced resumption of operations along with expansion of its services between Vietnam and India.
"Following the launch of our New Delhi - Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi services, we are delighted to launch two more direct routes between Vietnam and Mumbai.
"We believe that the two services from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to Mumbai as well as the coming Phu Quoc - Mumbai route will strengthen the on-going relationship of Vietnam's two biggest cities with Mumbai," Vietjet's Vice President Do Xuan Quang said at the launch of the Mumbai flight. (PTI)
Two men were booked from the rural parts of Nagpur for allegedly uploading pornographic videos of children on social media, a police official said on Saturday.
The accused have been identified as Gajanan Suresh Rangari, a resident of Katol, and Om Sihwar Bagal from Kamleshwar, he said.
"After Rangari uploaded a porn video of two children on December 23, 2020, Maharashtra Cyber alerted the rural police. We have registered a case under Information Technology Act. Kamleshwar police have booked Bagal for uploading a porn video of children on January 14 last year," he said. (PTI)
Maharashtra on Saturday reported 1,357 new coronavirus infections and one pandemic-related death, the state health department said.
The state had recorded 1,134 new infections and three deaths the day before.
This is the third consecutive day when the state reported more than 1,000 cases.
The state has 5,888 active cases now. (PTI)
A 60-year-old man allegedly stabbed his estranged wife to death on Saturday, following a quarrel over attending their son's wedding in Maharashtra's Nagpur, police said.
The incident took place in Lakadganj area of the city in the early hours of the day, an official said.
The arrested accused Ramdas Borikar had separated from his wife Chhaya (52) in 2017 and was living alone, he said.
The victim had gone to Ramdas' house to convince him to attend the upcoming wedding of their son, following which a quarrel ensued between them, the official said.
In a fit of rage, Ramdas picked up a sharp weapon and stabbed the victim in the stomach and face, killing her on the spot, he said. (PTI)
Amid confusion over the Maharashtra government's latest communication on the use of masks, Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Saturday said it was only an appeal and masks have not been made mandatory in the state.
Coronavirus cases have been rising steadily in the state for the last few days.
The state health department on Friday issued a letter to district and civic authorities, asking them to ramp up testing and advising people to wear masks in enclosed spaces such as trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools.
But confusion prevailed as to whether it intended to make the use of masks mandatory once again. The mask compulsion had been removed in April.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Tope said, “Although the letter by the health ministry says the use of masks is a must, it is in fact an appeal to people to wear masks. No action will be taken against those who don't wear them.”
Wearing masks is advised in enclosed places such as trains, buses, schools and colleges. People are expected to wear masks in such places, he added.
The surge in COVID-19 cases is noticeable in Mumbai, Pune, Palghar, Thane and parts of Raigad district, the minister said. (PTI)
Alleging that the BJP is putting pressure on the MLAs of smaller parties and Independents ahead of the June 10 Rajya Sabha election, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said the ruling MVA coalition in Maharashtra `does not have the Enforcement Directorate on its side'.
Expressing confidence that the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance will still bag four out of six seats, he advised the saffron party not to "waste its money".
The Shiv Sena and BJP -- the friends turned foes -- will battle it out for the sixth seat of Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra as none of the seven candidates in the fray - four of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi and three of the BJP - withdrew their nominations on Friday.
"By fielding a third candidate, the BJP has decided to contest the Rajya Sabha election.....It is relying on Independents and smaller parties. They are being pressurized, and we are getting all information about this. The MVA too is contesting the election seriously. The only thing we don't have is the ED," Raut told reporters here. (PTI)
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday stressed on the need to switch to alternative fuel like ethanol and said efforts are on to introduce ethanol in construction and agriculture equipment.
The Union road transport and highways minister said the country imports petroleum products worth Rs 10 lakh crore to meet the requirements in the energy and power sector, and in the next five years, the demand may go up to Rs 25 lakh crore, which will affect the economy.
Gadkari was speaking at the state-level Sugar Conference 2022 organised by Vasantdada Sugar Institute in Pune.
"Alternative fuel is the future. After electric scooters, cars and buses, soon we will have electric tractors and trucks. I am going to launch these soon," Gadkari said.
Diesel-based agriculture equipment should be made petrol based and flex engines can be converted to run on ethanol, he said, adding that efforts are on to introduce ethanol in construction equipment as well. (PTI)
The Mumbai police arrested two women and detained four minors for allegedly killing a 51-year-old man at Tilak Nagar area in Chembur. The police said the six allegedly went to the victim’s house and assaulted him after he objected to his niece’s relationship with one of the minors.
According to the police, the incident took place around 1 am on Thursday. The deceased Prakash Waghmare, who was disabled, could not defend himself during the assault, which led to his death, officers said.
“His 16-year-old niece is in a relationship with one of the detainees, who is also 16. Her family, including her elder brother and uncle (Waghmare), had objected after she was often seen with him and his three friends,” said an investigator. An argument broke out in her house over the matter on Wednesday night after which the family refused to let her step out of the house, officers said. (Read More)
A 27-year-old man from Lonavala was arrested by the Khar police for allegedly stalking a woman since 2014, officers said. Earlier this week, the man followed the complainant, who was his classmate in college, to her workplace twice and forcibly hugged her following which she approached the police and got him arrested on June 1.
The complainant told the police that the accused studied with her at a college in Lonavala from where she graduated in 2014. Though he had tried to befriend her she ignored him. After her graduation, the man started stalking her.
He twice went to her bungalow in another district in Maharashtra, she said, but she gave him a strict warning after which he stopped trailing her. Seven years ago, the complainant moved out of her residence and started living on rent in Mumbai. (Read More)
Amid the noise of honking vehicles and the flying dust due to the ongoing Metro work at the Dharavi T junction in Bandra (East) stands a meaningful artwork, representing religious pluralism and gender equality, which will surely grab one’s attention. Read more
A 27-year-old man from Lonavala was arrested by the Khar police for allegedly stalking a woman since 2014, officers said. Earlier this week, the man followed the complainant, who was his classmate in college, to her workplace twice and forcibly hugged her following which she approached the police and got him arrested on June 1. Read more
In yet another case of loan app fraud, a 28-year-old man, who took an online loan of Rs 5,000 from a mobile app and repaid Rs 8,200 including the interest amount, was harassed by recovery agents who extorted Rs 4.28 lakh from him. Read more
A day after recording 1,048 new Covid-19 cases, Maharashtra on Friday reported 1,134 fresh infections and three deaths. Among the new cases, 763 infections were reported from Mumbai alone. Read more
The state health department on Friday asked district and civic authorities to ramp up coronavirus testing as the numbers of samples being examined had fallen while cases were rising. In a letter to collectors, municipal corporations and chief executive officers, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Pradeep Vyas said all districts should ensure the proportion of RT-PCR tests was at least 60 per cent. In view of the rising cases, it said people should be advised to wear masks in closed public spaces like trains, buses, cinemas, auditoriums, offices, hospitals, colleges and schools. (PTI)
Ahead of the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls, the Shiv Sena has decided to call its MLAs to Mumbai and lodge them in a hotel to avoid any chances of poaching, a party source said on Friday evening. Seven candidates are in the fray for six Upper House seats from Maharashtra that will go to polls.
Friday was the last day for withdrawing nomination, but no candidate has retreated, making the contest imminent.
“This (calling MLAs before the polls) is a normal practice,” Shiv Sena leader Anil Desai said, without elaborating.
The BJP has fielded three candidates —- Union minister Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mahadik. The NCP has renominated Praful Patel. The Sena has fielded Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar. Congress has given candidature to Imran Pratapgarhi. (PTI)
Granting anticipatory bail to a school principal booked for allegedly hurling casteist abuses on a teacher, the Bombay High Court recently expressed displeasure over the complainant’s act of putting up a banner seeking the principal’s arrest.
The court observed that owing to a performance-related issue, the teacher had been censured by the said school and the complainant cannot seek “extra-judicial remedies” to pressurise the prosecution and parties should desist from such acts to enable it to do its duty as per the law.
A vacation bench of Justice Milind N Jadhav on May 27 passed an order in a criminal appeal by Lekha Visaria, principal of Swami Vivekanand Vidyalaya, Kurla, apprehending arrest on an FIR registered at Nehru Nagar Police station for offences punishable under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. (Read More)
The Mumbai police arrested eight workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on Friday while they were trying to distribute copies of the letter by the party chief about loudspeakers, an official said.
Thackeray had on Thursday uploaded a letter on Twitter, in which he told his party workers that he was looking at ending the issue of loudspeakers (atop mosques) permanently for which “wider support of people” would be needed.
Action was taken against MNS workers, who had gathered near Khadi Machine area in suburban Chembur in the afternoon, he said.
Though prohibitory orders are already in place across the city, a group of MNS workers had gathered to distribute Thackeray's letter about the loudspeaker row, the official said. (PTI)
Maharashtra reported 1,134 new Covid-19 cases and three deaths on Friday. Out of these cases, 763 were from Mumbai.
The Shiv Sena on Friday supported RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's comment that there was no need to find a 'Shiv Ling' in every mosque and start a new dispute every day, and added that the focus should be instead on how to save the lives of Kashmiri Pandits.
In a searing attack on the BJP-led Union government, Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut also said that in view of Kashmiri Pandits once again fleeing from the Valley, "Kashmir Files 2" should be made to show who is responsible for their current plight.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had supported the film "The Kashmir Files" which helped its producer earn Rs 400-500 crore, but the situation of Kashmiri Pandits did not change, he said. (PTI)
The Maharashtra BJP on Friday refused to withdraw its third candidate from the Rajya Sabha elections, setting the stage for a contest for the sixth seat, a scenario the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) led by the Shiv Sena had been trying to avoid.
The BJP has fielded three candidates—Union minister Piyush Goyal, Anil Bonde and Dhananjay Mhadik—and the Sena two candidates—spokesperson Sanjay Raut and Sanjay Pawar. The NCP and the Congress of the ruling alliance have one candidate each—former Union minister Praful Patel and Imran Pratapgadi respectively.
The last date for withdrawing nominations for the June 10 polls—June 3—saw an MVA delegation of Chhangan Bhujbal, Anil Desai and Sunil Kedar meet Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis to request the BJP to withdraw Mhadik, its third candidate, to avoid a contest in the elections. (Read More)
A 28-year-old man was stabbed to death during a scuffle in Juhu area of Mumbai, a police official said on Friday.
The incident took place on Wednesday night in Ambe Mata chawl in Nehrunagar and the deceased has been identified as Suraj Kanojia, he said.
"Accused Shekhar Nayar (55) was arguing with Kanojia and the latter's mother-in-law, during which he took out a knife and attacked both. Kanojia died and Nayar has been arrested," the Juhu police station official said. (PTI)
A special POCSO court has sentenced to death a 33-year-old man booked for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in 2019. The accused committed an offence within a year of being released after completing a prison term for the sexual assault of another minor girl in 2013. Court says reformation is not possible, so no option but to give the death penalty.
Special judge H C Shende said that the court is taking into consideration the previous conviction of the accused and the manner in which the offence was committed. The victim's body was dumped in a septic tank at Vile Parle after the offence.
Location: Dr. Elijah Moses Road or E Moses Road between Worli Naka and Mahalaxmi Race Course in Worli, Mumbai.
Dug-up For: Construction of Mumbai Metro Line 3 stations and tunneling work between the stretch of the proposed Acharya Atre Marg and Mahalaxmi stations on E Moses Road. Read more
Maharashtra on Thursday recorded 1,045 new coronavirus infections and one death, according to the state health department data. The tally of active cases in the state also rose to 4,559. The caseload in the state now stands at 78,89,212, and death toll at 1,47,861.
On Wednesday, Maharashtra had recorded 1,081 new cases and zero fatalities. The increase in cases on Wednesday was the highest since February 24.
Of 1,045 new cases recorded on Thursday, Mumbai alone accounted for 704. The sole fatality in the state was also reported from Mumbai. (PTI)
Mumbai police, who are probing the incident of knife attack by a Kenyan national that left eight persons injured, on Friday said the accused apparently has some mental health issues. The incident had occurred near Tata Garden and Parsi Well in south Mumbai on Wednesday evening.
"The attacker, John (50), a Kenyan national, was arrested by Azad Maidan police the same day for the attack and the eight injured persons were admitted to a state-run hospital in south Mumbai," he said.
"During the investigation conducted so far, it came light that the accused seems to have some mental health issues. He changed his versions and also spoke about God," the official said. Police also tried to know if there was any terror angle involved in the attack, but the possibility was ruled out during the probe, he said, adding that people who know him were being questioned.
The accused has been sent to police custody till Monday, the official said. (PTI)
NCP, part of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi dispensation in Maharashtra, on Thursday demanded holding of caste-based Census to ascertain the social status of different communities. State unit president and water resources minister Jayant Patil told reporters that NCP will appeal to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue, adding that the decision was taken at a meeting of senior functionaries chaired by Sharad Pawar. (PTI)