Mumbai this week: PM Modi inaugurates two Vande Bharat trains; SIT to probe journalist’s death
In the week ahead, the accused in the Shashikant Warishe case will be produced before a court. Meanwhile, Bombay Hc will hear the Enforcement Directorate's plea against Sena MP Sanjay Raut's bail.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with school students during the flagging of ceremony of two Vande Bharat Express trains, in Mumbai. (PTI)
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Maharashtra this week (February 6-12) saw the exit of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who was replaced by Ramesh Bais, a day after the country keenly watched Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating two Vande Bharat trains from Mumbai’s CSMT railway station. Meanwhile, the alleged murder of journalist Shashikant Warishe in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri sent a wave of shock through the state, prompting reactions from leaders across political parties.
Here is the top news of the week:
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The new Vande Bharat trains are equipped with “additional parking brakes” and “traction motor system” that will enable these trains to stop in case of signalling or emergency, and prevent it from rolling down on both routes comprising Ghat sections.
Modi also inaugurated the Mumbai campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, an Arabic academy that exclusively caters to the education of young boys and girls from the Dawoodi Bohra community.
In Mumbai for the second time in under a month’s time, PM Modi also inaugurated multiple infrastructure projects including an Elevated Corridor that promises enhanced connectivity between Eastern and Western Mumbai Suburbs.
Ramesh Bais was appointed the new Governor of Maharashtra after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday morning. He started his political journey as a councillor in the Raipur Municipal Corporation in 1980 and went on to win the Raipur Lok Sabha constituency seven times for the BJP. Koshyari’s tenure tenure in the state since his appointment has been surrounded by controversies, leading to protests from the Opposition and demands for his ouster accusing him of disrespecting Maharashtra’s idols and distorting history.
Man accused of killing journalist had run-ins with other activists
Real estate developer Pandharinath Amberkar, arrested for allegedly mowing down journalist Shashikant Warishe on February 6, has a history of run-ins with persons opposed to the setting up of a refinery and petrochemicals factory in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a probe by a Special Investigation Team into the murder of journalist Shashikant Warishe in Ratnagiri earlier this week.
Warishe had been highlighting issues faced by local residents in connection with the setting up of the Ratnagiri refinery and petrochemicals factory in the district for the last two years.
In its recent chargesheet against five members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the Maharashtra ATS has claimed that the group was working towards the larger goal of bringing Islamic rule to India. A seven-page booklet ‘India 2047, Towards Rule of Islam in India’, purportedly recovered from the residence of the main accused aims to turn India into an “Islamic-ruled state”.
The rent-a-bicycle along Mumbai Metro Line 2A & 7 stations is seeing an uptake in service, said Shreyansh Shah, associate director from MYBYK, a private bicycle service provider which has collaborated with MMRDA. Shah said they are working to integrate the service with Mumbai 1 mobile app, which currently allows commuters to buy metro ticket.
The Mumbai Police collected the blood samples of the parents of Sadichcha Sane, the MBBS student who was allegedly murdered in November 2021. The samples will be matched with the DNA extracted from the float tube in which the police suspect Sane’s body was disposed after she was murdered at Bandra Bandstand.
Here are the other important stories from the week:
Congress legislative party leader Balasaheb Thorat resigned from his post on Tuesday, accusing state party president Nana Patole of conspiring against him.
Responding to Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray over his challenge to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to resign, contest and win the election from Worli Assembly constituency, the CM said he did not take up such small challenges.
More than 150 owners of classic and antique vehicles participate in the ‘40th Annual Vintage Car Fiesta’. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)
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News to watch out for next week
SIT to probe journalist Shashikant Warishe’s death to be formed; accused to be produced in court for further remand.
Bombay HC to hear on February 18 a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the bail granted to Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case.
