Cop stabbed, NCP corporator held

An altercation ensued between Chavan8217;s supporters and supporters of Shelar who is the corporator from the neighbouring municipal ward. Within minutes, both Shelar and Chavan arrived on the spot and a free-for-all ensued. A police constable, Jagdish Londe, who tried to disperse Shelar8217;s supporters wasstabbed in the stomach. Four others, including Chavan, were admitted to the Nashik Civil Hospital.

Shelar, his brother Dilip, Nitin Shinde, Dattatraya Shinde and Kiran Ramdas Karpe were arrested on charges of assault on a public servant and rioting. Chavan too has been charged with rioting.

Police believe that previous enmity between the two groups over control of the community hall and gymnasium of Rana Pratap Mitra Mandal led to the incident. The hall and the gymnasium had been constructed by the previous local corporator Vatsalabai Khaire Congress and Gajanan Shelar, who was also a Congress corporator from the neighbouring ward.

After Chavan became the local corporator by defeating Khaire about two years ago, he allegedly wanted to wrest control over the amenities, resulting in a cold war between him and Shelar. Incidentally, Chavan, a former Congressman, joined the BJP after the Sena-BJP came to power in the State. He is also a trusted aide of state Health Minister Dr Daulatrao Aher.

STUDENTS HELD FOR CAR THEFTS: The prestigious Bhonsala Military College run by the Central Hindu Military Education Society CHMES has hit the headlines yet again, this time for the arrest of two students, who were caught stealing cars.

The Std XII students, Kshitij Verma 19 and Girish Agniwal 18, were picked up by police while they were noticed moving in a suspicious manner near Hotel Plaza on Sunday night.

Interrogation revealed that they used to sneak out from the college hostel at night, steal Maruti cars and sell them in Mumbai before returning to their hostel in time for the morning parade. Ambad police say their arrest has helped solve five cases of stolen cars.

The duo had also looted Reebok shoes from a shop in Nashik. Police say a team has been dispatched to Mumbai to trace an accomplice. Both students have been remanded to police custody till September 17.

Principal of the Bhonsala Military College, Dr W N Bhende, told The Indian Express that the students8217; activitieswent unnoticed at the hostel as they used to sneak out through a window and return the same night. He said they apparently used to wait till the staff fell asleep and return in time for their fall-in in the morning. He added that both Verma and Agniwal will be rusticated from the institution.

The incident follows the alleged molestation of girls, which surfaced in January this year when the local Mahila Hakk Sanghatana claimed that six students of the college had filed complaints, accusing a director of the Bhonsala Adventure Foundation, Anand Munje, of molesting them on trekking expeditions.

The CHMES had ordered an inquiry but the committee was disbanded before it even submitted its report. A new inquiry panel, which was subsequently set up, gave Munje a clean chit. About two years ago, a junior college student fell victim to ragging at the college hostel and was forced to consume insecticide. He survived but left the college.

PHONE DIRECTORY: A telephone directory of the Maharashtra Telecomwhich includes Goa on a CD ROM has been released by the Dire Straits Consulting. The CD, priced at Rs 100 and available with telephone exchanges across Maharashtra and Goa, provide search by names, initials or both, by number, category and old numbers where available.

There are 18.64 lakh entries on the CD, which will be updated every three months. However, it does not include telephone numbers of Mumbai as these are covered by the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited.

NASHIK FESTIVAL: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation MTDC will host an annual Nashik Festival8217; on the lines of the Pune Festival, from this year. The forthcoming festival, between November 19 and 21, will he held on the Golf Club grounds.