The Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) leader and Member of Parliament Supriya Sule on Thursday targeted Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying those in power should reveal who tried to pressure police in the Pune accident case, reported the PTI. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Supriya Sule also expressed her surprise over Devendra Fadnavis 'rushing' to Pune and making veiled insinuations concerning the accident. "Fadnavis told reporters that police should not come under any political pressure. I want to tell him that those in power can pressure the police in such probes. My question to Fadnavis is who pressured the police and how despite such a heinous crime, the kid got bail," she asked, according to the PTI. A Porsche car, allegedly driven by a 17-year-old boy, who the police claim was drunk at the time, fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne software engineers at Kalyani Nagar in Pune city in the early hours of Sunday. The teenager, son of real estate developer Vishal Agarwal (50), was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) hours later, sparking public outrage. Police later approached the JJB, which remanded the boy to an observation home till June 5. His father was also arrested and remanded in police custody till May 24. The Baramati MP claimed that MLA Sunil Tingare of the Aji Pawar-led NCP had allegedly intervened in the matter after the accident, as per the PTI. "I also want to know how (MLA) Sunil Tingare intervened and helped (the boy) in getting bail. The state government is careless and insensitive. Be it drink and drive, drugs found in Pune or blasts in Dombivli MIDC, this government is not interested in solving issues," she said, the PTI reported on Thursday. Asked whether she spoke to Ajit Pawar regarding the Pune Porsche crash case, Supriya Sule said, "I have not spoken to him in last many days. He is the guardian minister of Pune but I have not spoken to him lately." In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Maharashtra's Baramati, Supriya Sule was pitted against Ajit Pawar's wife Sunetra Pawar. (with PTI inputs)
23 May,2024 08:43 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Maharashtra government is seeking finance from the World Bank for the Marathwada water grid project, said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday, reported the PTI. CM Shinde said that the government is also pursuing the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CM Eknath Shinde met the divisional administration, collectors and a few guardian ministers over the water situation in the region in central Maharashtra. The Marathwada water grid aims to connect all irrigation projects in the region to overcome the water crisis there. It was conceived during the tenure of the Devendra Fadnavis government in the state between 2014 and 2019 and was then estimated to cost about Rs 40,000 crore. Asked about the water grid, the CM Eknath Shinde said, "We are seeking finance from the World Bank and pursuing the matter with the prime minister." Marathwada receives an average annual rainfall of 751 mm. This year, the eight-district region has received 589.9 mm of rainfall with a deficit of 21.44 per cent. The number of tankers ferrying water has risen to 1,814, including 1,249 villages and 512 hamlets, here, an official said, as per the PTI. CM Eknath Shinde said the administration has been directed to clear tanker proposals in three days. "Earlier, a fund was given by District Planning Committees for fodder farming. This produced good results and there is no shortage of animal fodder,¿ he said.Asked about the funds announced for irrigation projects on September 17 last year on the Marathwada Liberation Day, CM Shinde said, "We have given a lot to farmers. A crop insurance scheme is being offered at Re 1. We are also giving Rs 6,000 a year to farmers." Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve claimed the meeting was a "timepass" and officials took selfies with fodder." No planning has been done about how available water in the region will be utilised till July if it doesn't rain in time. Danve also claimed that Maharashtra has lost a Rs 50,000-crore project. The project by public sector undertaking Gail India has gone to Madhya Pradesh when they were looking for land in Dabhol and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. "The government should clarify why this company went from Maharashtra to MP. Was there any pressure from the Centre to send this project to MP," he asked, according to the PTI. About Ambadas Danve's allegations, CM Shinde said, "We don't plant bombs near industrialists' homes. We have eased the process for investors in the state. Earlier, when they (opposition) levelled allegations over the Vedanta-Foxcon project, our government was two months old. Later, we brought a lot of investments and Maharashtra has become number one in terms of investment." (with PTI inputs)
23 May,2024 08:28 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentAt least three State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) engaged in a search operation reportedly drowned after their boat capsized in a river in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Thursday morning, reported the PTI. The three SDRF officials-- a sub-inspector and two constables were engaged in a search operation following a drowning incident, an official said, as the PTI. The incident took place near Sugav village in Akole tehsil at around 7.45 am during the search for a youth who along with another person drowned in the Pravara river on Wednesday, he said. The search team comprised four SDRF personnel and a civilian. "Yesterday, two youth drowned in the river. While the body of one of them was fished out yesterday, search for the other person was on. A team of SDRF was summoned to carry out the search operation," Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Ola said, according to the PTI. "During the search operation, the boat which was carrying five persons, including the four SDRF personnel, capsized at around 7.45 am," he said. While one SDRF jawan was rescued, the others could not be saved, he said. The bodies of a sub-inspector and two constables of the SDRF have been fished out, the official said. A civilian who was with them on the boat is still missing. Search was on for him and the other youth who drowned on Wednesday, he said, as per the PTI. Four teenagers among five drown in Nashik dam Meanwhile, in an another incident, four teenagers were among five persons who drowned in a dam in Igatpuri taluka of Maharashtra's Nashik district on Tuesday during their picnic, the police said, reported the PTI. The incident occurred at Bhavali dam in the afternoon, they said. "Five youths from the Gosavi Wadi area of Nashik Road suburb in the city had gone for a picnic to Bhavali dam around 4 pm. Two of them entered the water, but as they could not judge its depth, they started drowning. Three others also jumped in and tried to save them, but drowned in their attempt to do so," a police official said, as per the PTI. On being informed about the incident, a police team reached the spot and launched an operation to rescue them, he said. With the help of some local residents, the bodies of the five victims were later fished out and sent to Igatpuri rural hospital, he said. (with PTI inputs)
23 May,2024 07:42 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentThe blood samples collected from those who attended the rave party at a farmhouse recently have revealed that 86 people, including a Telugu film actress, tested positive for narcotics, police sources said on Thursday. According to sources, a total of 103 people had participated in the party, which was organised under the pretext of a birthday party. The participants included 73 men and 30 women. Police seized MDMA (Ecstacy) pills, MDMA crystals, hydro cannabis, cocaine, high end cars, DJ equipment, including sound and lighting worth Rs 1.5 crore during the raid at the farmhouse near Electronic City in the wee hours of May 19. After the raid, police collected the blood samples of the participants in a private hospital, which revealed that 59 men and 27 women tested positive for narcotics. "Most of the people who attended the party were consuming drugs. The Central Crime Branch will issue notices to those who tested positive," a police source said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 May,2024 06:49 PM IST | Bengaluru | PTIUnion minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday exhibited confidence that the BJP will win all seven seats in Delhi, which will go to polls in the sixth phase on May 25. Piyush Goyal, who held a roadshow in support of Praveen Khandelwal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency, said the INDIA bloc is a failure as they don't have a leader. "We will win all seven seats (in Delhi). INDI Alliance has completely failed, they neither have a leader nor are on the same page that who will be their leader. The trends we are seeing tell us that people's blessings are with PM Modi and, therefore, NDA will get 400 plus seats in the Lok Sabha elections for sure," Goyal said. The five phases of the elections are over and the BJP-led NDA has already crossed the majority mark, the minister said, adding that the INDIA bloc is just a 'chota-mota' (small) seat adjustment in the ongoing polls. The roadshow in Delhi, marked by a decent turnout, saw enthusiastic party supporters moving alongside Goyal's procession, waving BJP flags and dancing to 'dhols'. Both Goyal and Khandelwal greeted the crowd from a specially designed vehicle and showered flower petals on the supporters. Goyal added that the Dwarka rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday has already cleared the mandate and the saffron party will surely win more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections. The union minister also lashed out at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying, "Kejriwal has cheated the trust of the people of Delhi. He is out on bail for some days and will go back to jail in liquor policy scam." On the Swati Maliwal assault case, Goyal alleged that Kejriwal was trying to hide the accused. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 May,2024 04:35 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIUnion Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday slammed opposition's INDIA bloc and questioned the opposition alliance's choice for Prime Minister if they succeed in getting a majority in the ongoing India General Elections 2024 while addressing public meeting in Domariaganj Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh, reported the ANI. "This opposition has moved ahead by forming a 'Ghamandiya' alliance. Today I want to ask Rahul Gandhi, if you get the majority then who will be your Prime Minister? Can Sharad Pawar, Lalu Yadav, or Uddhav Thackeray become the PM? Can Rahul Gandhi become the PM?", he said, as per the ANI. Amit Shah also hit opposition when he was asked about alliance's choice for Prime Minister. He said that it is a great country of 140 crore people and not a grocery store. Reiterating that there could be no reservation based on religion, the Union Home Minister said that the INDIA bloc intends to rob the reservation of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Castes. "The Indi Alliance intends to rob the reservation of SC-ST-OBC. A decision from the Bengal High Court has come just yesterday. The Bengal government had included 180 Muslim castes in the OBC list and gave the reservation rights of our backward classes to the Muslims. Our Constitution does not provide reservations based on religion. Therefore, yesterday, the High Court rejected all the OBC reservations given to Muslim castes by the Bengal government between 2010 and 2024," he said, according to the ANI. The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday cancelled OBC certificates which were issued in West Bengal after 2010 and has directed the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission to prepare a new list of OBCs in accordance with the 1993 Act. All OBC nominations after 2010 will be cancelled. Replying to oppositions remark that India should “respect” Pakistan because it has an “atom bomb" Shah said that PoK is a part of India and nation will take it back. "The country's problems are not solved by atom bombs. The problems of the country are solved by the strong intentions of the leader like an atom bomb, which Modi ji has," the Union Home Minister said on Thursday, the ANI reported. He also targeted Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and said that he would not even win four seats in the Lok Sabha polls. He said that voting for five phase are completed and Modi ji has crossed 310 seats. The date of voting for the Domariyaganj Lok Sabha Constituency Election 2024 is May 25 in the sixth phase of the general elections. Jagdambika Pal has been fielded by the BJP in Domariyaganj. The BJP is contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh by forming an alliance with the local parties and opposition are united to fight as part of the INDIA bloc. In 2019, The Bharatiya Janata Party won the elections by securing the majority of seats available. BJP won 62 seats from 80 and other parties like Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won 10 seats, the Samajwadi Party (SP) with five seats, and the Apna Dal with two seats. The Lok Sabha poll result 2024 will be declared on 4 June 2024. (with inputs from ANI)
23 May,2024 04:29 PM IST | Uttar Pradesh | mid-day online correspondentIn the Alipur neighbourhood of outer-north Delhi, an 11-year-old child drowned in a swimming pool maintained by the wives of two police officers, according to officials on Wednesday. According to authorities, the boy's family staged a demonstration outside the Alipur police station on Wednesday, accusing the incident of foul play. Although investigations are ongoing, they have not yet revealed any evidence of foul play. According to Ravi Singh, the deputy commissioner of police for the outer north, a complaint has been filed under section 304A, which deals with death by negligence. The event happened on May 14 while the youngster, his father, and several teenagers were swimming in the pool, according to another officer. According to the police, the father noticed his son was lifeless in the deep end of the pool after he returned from answering an emergency call. He added that once the youngster was taken to a neighbouring hospital, the staff there pronounced him dead, per a PTI report. Relatives of the deceased youngster staged a demonstration outside the Alipur police station, claiming foul play was involved in the boy's murder, according to the officer. While the investigation has not yet turned up any evidence of foul play, he did note that the pool was being operated in an "unauthorised manner." He revealed that it was discovered that the wives of an assistant commissioner of police (ACP) and a sub-inspector (SI) of the Delhi Police were operating the pool as a joint enterprise. (With Inputs from PTI)
23 May,2024 03:43 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) in Maharashtra has started the process to cancel the temporary registration of the Porsche car that fatally knocked down two techies while allegedly being driven by a 17-year-old boy in Pune, an official said on Thursday, reported the PTI. According to the PTI, the electric luxury sports sedan 'Porsche Taycan' was imported in March by a dealer in Bengaluru before being sent to Maharashtra on temporary registration. When the car was taken to the Pune RTO, it was found that a certain registration fee had remained unpaid. The owner was asked to pay the amount to complete the paperwork. Since the fee was not paid, the permanent registration of the vehicle was pending, officials had said earlier, as per the PTI. The high-end car, allegedly driven by real estate developer Vishal Agarwal's teenage son, who the police claim was drunk at the time, hit two software engineers, killing both, in the city's Kalyani Nagar in the early hours of Sunday, the news agency reported. While the boy has been remanded to an observation home till June 5, his father is in police custody till May 24. "There is a provision in the Motor Vehicles Act that if such an accident happens in which a minor was driving the car, the registration certificate can be revoked for 12 months. We have now started the process to cancel the temporary registration of the car and a notice to that effect has been issued to the registered owner of the car," said Sanjeev Bhor, RTO officer, as per the PTI. The car had been allotted a temporary registration as it was brought from Bangalore to Pune. However, driving a car on the road without a proper registration number is an offence, he said. The luxury car was seized by the police after the accident. Juvenile court sends teen to observation home following outcry over bail The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pune has decided to transfer the 17-year-old teen, accused of the Pune car crash in Kalyani Nagar to an observation home until June 5 after public outrage at his quick bail. In reaction to the controversy, the sessions court ordered the remand of the teenager's father, a real estate developer, into police custody, reported PTI. According to the report, while the police said that the juvenile justice board revoked the minor's bond, in the Pune car crash, on Wednesday evening, the teenager's lawyer explained that the bail was not terminated but rather adjusted. The decision on the police's request to classify him as an adult accused is pending. (with PTI inputs)
23 May,2024 03:39 PM IST | Pune | mid-day online correspondentPriyanka Gandhi who is the general secretary of the Congress party Vadra held a roadshow in Sirsa on Thursday. She was seen seating in a specially designed Vehicle while addressing the public in the road show. Priyanka Gandhi said that the people are tired of the politics done by the BJP, reported news agency ANI. People were seen chanting the party’s name and waving flag of the party during the road show. Priyanka Gandhi held the road show in support of the party's candidate Kumari Selja. "There is a wave against the BJP in Haryana. People are tired of their (BJP) politics. There is too much unemployment; inflation is at its peak. Change will come," she said while interacting with the media, reported ANI. Similarly, on Wednesday she accused Prime Minister of silence on the issues of inflation and unemployment. She also said that Prime Minister never tells what he has done until now. The Sirsa Lok Sabha constituency in Haryana is poised for a high-stakes electoral contest on May 25 during the Sixth Phase. This constituency, encompassing nine legislative assembly segments: Narwana, Tohana, Fatehabad, Ratia, Kalanwali, Dabwali, Rania, Sirsa, and Ellenabad are witnessing a significant face-off between BJP's Ashok Tanwar and Congress' Kumari Selja. Sirsa has been a stronghold for Congress but the political situation changed after 2014 when the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) clinched the seat. On the other hand, The Bharatiya Janata Party which has never won here now has chosen Ashok Tanwar, a recent convert from the Congress. In the 2019 elections, BJP's Sunita Duggal won decisively with 714,351 votes after defeating Ashok Tanwar of Congress by a margin of 309,918 votes. This was a historic win for BJP as they in won in a traditionally non-BJP constituency. In Haryana, the Congress and the AAP will fight in alliance, with the Congress contesting nine Lok Sabha constituencies while one seat from Kurukshetra has been given to the AAP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the state, the BJP captured all the 10 seats. In the 2014 elections, the BJP won 7 seats, while the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won 2 seats and the Congress secured only one seat. (With inputs from ANI)
23 May,2024 02:16 PM IST | Haryana | mid-day online correspondentCongress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday charged that the BJP always wanted to "tear and throw away" the Constitution, and asserted that the Lok Sabha elections this time is a fight to safeguard it. At an election meeting in northeast Delhi's Dilshad Garden in support of party candidate Kanhaiya Kumar, he claimed that the BJP always wanted to change the Constitution. "These people (BJP) have always wanted to tear and throw it (Constitution) away. They never accepted neither the Indian Constitution nor the Indian flag. In this election finally they have accepted that they want to change it," he charged. "In this election, the fight is for safeguarding the Indian Constitution. It is not simply a book, our Constitution carries thousands of years of ideological heritage of Gandhi, Ambedkar and Nehru ji," the Congress leader said. The former Congress president said the BJP has finally "accepted" in this election that it wanted to change the Constitution. However, the BJP will have to face the opposition and crores of people of the country if it tried to change the Constitution, he said. "I want to tell them (BJP) you don't have the dare to do it (change Constitution). You will have to face us and the cores of people of India if you attempt it," Gandhi added. The Election Commission had on Wednesday asked the Congress to ensure that its star campaigners and candidates do not make statements which give a false impression that the Constitution may be abolished or sold. Thursday is the last day of campaigning in the city. Delhi will go to polls on May 25 and the results will be announced on June 4. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
23 May,2024 02:03 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAccording to police on Wednesday, a resident of Greater Noida who was defrauded of almost Rs 35 lakh by cybercriminals has recovered Rs 18 lakh. Per a PTI report, the 71-year-old resident of Alpha 2 was defrauded on the pretext of investment in the share market, the police said. An official in the police department stated that the elderly person filed a complaint regarding the Rs 35 lakh scam at the nearby Beta 2 police station on March 3. "An FIR was lodged in the case and the matter was taken up for investigation by the cyber cell. Subsequently, Rs 18,16,245 of the victim was returned to his account," the spokesperson said. The police said further probe was underway to recover the remaining amount and trace the accused behind the fake share market app. They also urged citizens to be cautious of such cyber crimes which lure people on the pretext of investment or quick money. (With Inputs from PTI)
23 May,2024 02:00 PM IST | Noida | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
