Page 65 - Maharashtra

Sharad Pawar backs candidates demanding postponement of MPSC prelims exam

NCP (SP) Chief Sharad Pawar has sided with the candidates agitating in Pune demanding postponement of the MPSC prelims exam, scheduled for August 25, warning that he would join the protest if the government doesn't clarify its stand. Many job-seekers, preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) preliminary exam, have been protesting since Tuesday night demanding a different date as it clashes with a banking exam on the same day. NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar has joined the agitation and has been sitting with the protesting candidates. The protesters also want the selection for 258 posts from the agricultural department done through the MPSC exam. It is the responsibility of the state government to consider the interests of students taking the MPSC exam However, it seems, the rulers are not taking it seriously. By tomorrow (Thursday), if the government does not clarify its stand, I will go to the agitation venue and take part in the agitation to ensure justice

'Self-defence for girls': Maha schools put on alert after Badlapur incident

From September 1, schools and colleges in the Mumbai Suburban area and all Industrial Training Institutes across Maharashtra will provide self-defence training students and young women

1993 Mumbai blasts: Court orders police to provide security to approver

A sessions court on Wednesday directed Mumbai Police to provide adequate security to an approver in the 1993 serial bomb blast case and his family members. Sessions court judge V D Kedar stated the man was a star prosecution witness and prime approver and the trial in the case of the belated arrest of seven persons is slated to commence soon. "In the said trial, the evidence of the applicant may be required for cross-examination at the hands of accused persons. Thus, looking at the above facts and circumstances of the case, I am of the view that the applicant and his family members need to be provided sufficient security," the court said. The court directed the police to provide sufficient security to the applicant and his family members as contemplated under the Witness Protection and Security Act as early as possible. The court ordered a compliance report to be submitted within two weeks. The man had filed an application seeking to beef up police protection provided to him ...

Badlapur sexual abuse: MVA calls for Maharashtra bandh on August 24

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Wednesday called for a Maharashtra bandh on August 24 to protest against the alleged sexual assault on two young girls at a school in Badlapur of Thane district. MVA allies Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) headed by Sharad Pawar took the decision after a meeting here, said Vijay Wadettiwar, leader of opposition in the state assembly. He said all MVA allies will participate in the bandh on August 24. We discussed the issue of women's security in the state and the failure of the BJP-led Mahayuti government on all fronts, he said. Meanwhile, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad led a protest outside Mantralaya, the state secretariat, over the Badlapur incident. Wadettiwar and a few congress leaders were also present during the protest. Holding placards outside the gates of Mantralaya, Congress leaders and workers shouted slogans against the government for the delay in the registration of the FIR. The protester

Badlapur sexual abuse case: Case lodged against 500 protesters, 66 arrested

Badlapur sexual abuse case: On August 13, two kindergarten girls were sexually assaulted in a school restroom; accused Akshay Shinde was arrested on August 17

Clear Shakti bill to ensure punishment for crime against women: Deshmukh

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday demanded the clearance and implementation of the Shakti bill with provisions for the death penalty for atrocities against children and women, referring to the Badlapur school incident. Both the House of Maharashtra legislature had passed the Shakti Criminal Laws (Maharashtra Amendment) Bill, 2020, and the Special Court & Machinery for Implementation of Maharashtra Shakti Criminal Law, 2020, three years ago when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was in power. Addressing a press conference, Deshmukh said, When I was the home minister, I had formed a 21-member committee of legislators from all parties to draft the Shakti bill on the lines of an act in Andhra Pradesh. The bill was approved by the cabinet headed by Uddhav Thackeray and passed in the state legislature. It is pending before the Central government for approval. The NCP (SP) leader said the committee had drafted the Shakti bill after consultations with all ...

Badlapur school chose cover-up over helping parents: MSCPCR chief

The Badlapur school, where two young girls were allegedly sexually abused, preferred to cover up the crime instead of helping their parents file a police complaint, said Susieben Shah, chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, on Wednesday. The alleged crime by a male attendant created a volatile situation in the town of Thane district on Tuesday, with protesting parents and locals crippling rail services and clashing with police. Shah stressed the urgency of the matter, saying that the alleged sexual abuse of the two kindergarten students is a clear case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act. After learning about the incident, the state child rights panel chief said, she contacted the Thane District Child Protection Unit about the parents' concerns. They (child protection unit) took them to the police to file the complaint. When I asked the school management about the case, they tried to cover it up. I even asked them wh

Badlapur protest politically motivated; most protestors outsiders: Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday claimed that the protest at Badlapur in Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls was politically motivated and aimed at maligning the state government. He also said that the majority of protesters were outsiders. Talking to reporters, Shinde targeted the opposition and said those doing politics over the incident should be ashamed. A massive protest broke out in Badlapur town on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents and others blocked railway tracks and ransacked the school where two kindergarten girl students were sexually abused by a male attendant last week. "The protest was politically motivated because the protesters were not local residents. The local residents who were part of the protest could be counted on fingers," he said. He said state minister Girish Mahajan agreed to all demands of the protestors but they were still not ready to relent. "This means they just wanted to malign the .

Larsen & Toubro bags 'large' order for infra development in Maharashtra

Engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Wednesday said that it has bagged a 'large' order for integrated infrastructure development in Maharashtra. The order has been bagged by the Transportation Infrastructure vertical of L&T, the company said in a stock exchange filing. Orders in the range of Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 5,000 crore are classified as 'large' by the company. "L&T has secured an order for integrated infrastructure development project in town planning schemes 2 to 7 under the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) Project in Maharashtra," it said. The project has been awarded by City and Industrial Development Corporation Limited (CIDCO) for integrated infrastructure development of roads, construction of various major and minor structures and allied electrical works. The project also involves construction of utility works and allied electrical works. L&T is a USD 27-billion company engaged in engineering, procurement .

Court extends custody of Badlapur sexual abuse case accused till Aug 26

A local court on Wednesday extended till August 26 the police custody of the man arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra's Thane district. The accused, who was employed as an attendant at the school where the incident took place last week, was produced before a magistrate at Kalyan in the district this morning amid tight police security. The court ordered the extension of his police custody till August 26, following which he was taken away by the police in a van, a senior official said. The police had arrested the accused on August 17. As per the complaint, he abused two kindergarten girls in the toilet of the school, the police have said. A massive protest broke out on Tuesday after parents of the school children and local citizens blocked railway tracks at Badlapur station and ransacked a local school building to protest against the incident and to demand strict punishment for the accused. Following the protest, the ...

Internet suspended, schools shut in Badlapur after protest on sexual abuse

In the wake of a massive protest at Badlapur in Maharashtra's Thane district over the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls, internet services in the town were suspended while most schools remained shut on Wednesday, officials said. At least 17 city police personnel and around eight railway cops were injured in the incidents of stone-pelting at the railway station and other parts of Badlapur during the protest on Tuesday and the investigators have arrested 72 persons in connection with the violence, they said. According to officials, additional police force has been deployed in the town to maintain law and order, and the situation in the town is limping back to normalcy. Entire Badlapur town virtually came to a standstill on Tuesday after thousands of protesters blocked railway tracks at the station and stormed a local school building after the alleged sexual abuse of two girls by the school sweeper in the washroom last week. The protesters hurled stones at police ...

Sexual abuse at Badlapur school: What happened & why are people protesting

Two four-year-old girls were allegedly sexually assaulted by a cleaning staff member in Thane's Badlapur school last week

AIMIM offers to join hands with MVA to defeat BJP in Maharashtra polls

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) is keen to join hands with the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra with an aim to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that is currently ruling the state along with two other parties, former MP Imtiaz Jaleel has said. Jaleel, who is the AIMIM's state unit president, was talking to Marathi news channel ABP Majha after a meeting of the party in Mumbai. Replying to a query, he said, "We had said this during the Lok Sabha elections and we are giving an offer to the MVA again to join hands as we want to defeat the BJP. But it is up to them whether to include us in the alliance or not." "If they (MVA parties) take us along, it will be beneficial for them. If not, we are ready to move ahead alone...If they think we have some power and have a vote bank, then they will ask us, otherwise they will not," Jaleel added. When asked if the AIMIM does not have any issue with MVA constituent Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, "The

I pay attention only to what Shinde, Bawankule, and Fadnavis say: Ajit

Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday said he is not bothered about his criticism by others and is only concerned about what key leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance say. Pawar's remarks came a day after a group of BJP workers led by the party's Junnar chief Asha Buchake waved black flags at his convoy. I don't have anything to do with what other people say. I pay attention to the key people, CM Eknath Shinde of Shiv Sena and Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, Pawar told reporters during his Jan Sanman Yatra in Mumbai. The Nationalist Congress Party, led by Pawar, had demanded that Fadnavis, who also hold the Home portfolio, to clarify as to whether he approved of the behaviour of his BJP workers. Buchake had claimed that the NCP is trying to promote its candidate in the Junnar seat for the upcoming assembly polls. They are trying to strangle us Therefore we have adopted an aggressive stand, she told reporters after the protesters raised slogans ...

BMW hit-and-run: Mihir Shah files habeas corpus, seeks immediate release

Mihir Shah, the main accused in the BMW hit-and-run case, has moved Bombay High Court claiming he has been illegally detained and has sought immediate release. Shah was arrested on July 9, two days after he allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler in Mumbai's Worli area, killing Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and leaving her husband Pradeep injured. In his habeas corpus (produce the person) petition filed in HC last week, Shah claimed his detention was illegal and that he must be released immediately. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande is likely to take up the plea for hearing on Wednesday. Shah (24) is accused of speeding off towards Bandra Worli Sea Link after the accident even as the woman remained on the bonnet of the car and then got entangled in its wheels for a distance of more than 1.5 kilometres. Shah, who fled from the scene, was under the influence of alcohol at the time, as per police. Shah, his father and former Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena

Bank union urges more staff, security amid Ladki Bahin Scheme rollout

Additionally, some beneficiaries with defaulted accounts face restrictions that prevent them from accessing benefits, resulting in unrest and even violence at branches

Scrap registration cut off date for Ladki Bahin scheme, says Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has demanded that the cut off time to register for the Maharashtra government's Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana be waived off to enable all eligible women to avail financial assistance. The August 31 cut off date should be scrapped and the scheme should be implemented as a social security right, Chavan said in a letter to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Due to technical glitches, the server of the official portal is non functional most of the time, while in several instances women do not get the registration OTP for nearly six hours, he said. Women are worried they will not be able to register themselves for the scheme in time, Chavan said in the letter. He said the registration limit was July 15 earlier and this was extended to August 31 after he made such a demand during the monsoon session, adding the age limit was increased from 60 to 65 years following his initiative.

Winnability to be key factor for seat-sharing among MVA partners: Cong

A Congress leader on Sunday said winnability would be the main criteria for seat-sharing among the MVA constituents for the upcoming Maharashtra assembly polls and it will be worked out amicably at the earliest. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), comprising the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), is already in the poll and campaign mode, having held a joint meeting of their office-bearers on August 16, state Congress working president Naseem Khan told PTI. "Winnability would the basis for seat-sharing among the allies and it will be worked out amicably at the earliest," he said. "The Lok Sabha poll results will surely be replicated in the assembly elections," Khan said, expressing confidence of the MVA's victory. He claimed that false promises and fake narrative of the ruling 'Mahayuti' (comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP) have been exposed. "Development has reduced and corruption has increased during their tenure. The state government has worked to weaken Mumbai and Maharashtra,

Prithviraj Chavan seeks mpox testing, quarantine protocol at Mumbai airport

Amid concerns over Monkeypox, Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, demanding strict testing and quarantine protocol at the Mumbai airport for passengers from high-risk countries. The World Health Organisation has declared Monkeypox a public health emergency, and the virus has now reached Pakistan, former Maharashtra CM Chavan said on Saturday, urging the government to take proactive steps to prevent its spread in India. "It has reached our neighbourhood. We have to act. I have written to the CM to implement a strict testing and quarantine protocol at the Mumbai airport for all the incoming passengers from high-risk countries," the Congress leader said on X. Timely action was necessary as any delay could lead to severe consequences, he said. The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said there were no reported cases of Monkeypox in India even though cautionary measures will be put in place to prevent and control the spread of the ...

Many BJP MLAs to join Cong before Maharashtra Assembly polls, claims Patole

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Friday claimed many BJP MLAs will join his party before the state assembly elections. Patole was talking to reporters after the induction of former BJP MP Shishupal Patle into the party. The Congress leader alleged there is a lot of resentment among the allies of the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party headed by Ajit Pawar. "Many leaders of the BJP and its allies will join the Congress in the coming days," Patole said. Patle, a former MP from Bhandara, said the BJP has changed and become a party of contractors and traders. The party does not have a connect with farmers and the working classes, he said. "The BJP has used central probe agencies to break opposition parties. I joined the Congress to work for people," Patle said. In the Lok Sabha elections, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) won 30 out of 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had contested 21 seats, followed by .