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Maharashtra

Kamra row: Criticism, soul of democracy trampled, says Shiv Sena(UBT)

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Mumbai, March 26: Shiv Sena(UBT) has slammed the Mahayuti government, Mumbai Police and the Shiv Sena over the ransacking of the studio over the controversial remarks by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, saying that the criticism, which is the soul of democracy as advocated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trampled.

Shiv Sena(UBT), in its mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ editorial, questioned what the Maharashtra Home Minister and police were doing while chaos was going on in Mumbai city.

“PM Modi says criticism is the soul of democracy. Here, both democracy and the soul have been trampled underfoot by PM Modi’s supporters and are exposed. Instead of taking action against the goons who attacked the podcast studio, the Home Minister asked Kunal Kamra to apologise to Shinde and settle the matter. There is no such thing as freedom of expression. Fadnavis’ ancestors fought against the strangulation of freedom of expression during the Emergency. It no longer seems true that these people went to jail against the Emergency and fought against Indira Gandhi,” reads the editorial.

“Using the pretext of criticism, the pro-Modi Shinde group attacked a ‘podcast studio’. They destroyed the studio and the platform of freedom of expression. They threatened to kill ‘podcast’ artist Kunal Kamra. What was the Maharashtra Home Minister doing and what were his police doing while this chaos was going on in Mumbai city?” says the editorial.

“Was the police a silent spectator while the vandalism was going on or were they in a role of cooperating with the vandals? As soon as the pro-Modi Shinde group vandalized Kamra’s studio, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation woke up and reached the studio with a dormant bulldozer. The civic body decided that many works in the studio were illegal and demolished it. BMC realised that there was illegal construction done inside the studio only after the stand-up comedian, without taking anyone’s name, read out his poem full of sarcasm. The BMC’s action should also be called a joke,” says the editorial.

The editorial further says, “Apologise and go away seems to be the policy of the current Chief Minister. If the podcaster has made a wrong and defamatory criticism, legal action can be taken against him, but threats, beatings and vandalism before the crime are proven hooliganism. Home Minister Fadnavis is openly supporting this hooliganism.”

Thackeray faction, while stepping up attacks against Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ remarks, asks, “Shinde’s supporters attacked Kunal Kamra, but they are not ready to say a single word against a journalist Prashant Koratkar who insulted Shivaji. So has the Maharashtra government granted Koratkar the freedom of expression to insult Shivaji?”

The Shiv Sena(UBT) asks whether the Shinde faction will march at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray’s residence and question him over his statement that ”There are many ‘Khokyabhai’ sitting in the Vidhan Sabha.”

“This statement reflects reality. Raj Thackeray called all those who defected with 50 boxes and got elected on the strength of those boxes ‘Khokyabhai’. The government belongs to these ‘Khokyabhai’s’. Are Shinde’s people going to march towards Raj Thackeray’s house today because he gave the analogy of ‘Khokyabhai’?” reads the Saamana.

Maharashtra

Mumbai arms supplier arrested from Ghatkopar depot

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Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested an arms supplier from Ghatkopar Bus Depot who had come here to supply arms to Mumbai. The Mumbai Police Ghatkopar Anti-Gang Squad received information about this. The police laid a trap and took the accused into custody and recovered two country-made pistols and four live cartridges from his possession. During the investigation, the police asked him his name and he revealed his name as Ajay Kailash, a resident of Ujjain. The police have registered a case in this matter and started the investigation. Pantnagar Police has started the investigation in this matter to find out from where the accused had brought the arms to supply arms. This action was taken by DCP Rakesh Ola on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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Crime

Thane: Man Stabbed To Death In Dombivali Hotel After Minor Altercation

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Thane: A man was stabbed to death in Dombivali in Thane district during an altercation after he accidentally brushed against another person, a police official said on Monday.

The incident took place in a hotel in the early hours of Sunday in MIDC Phase 1 area, the Manpada police station official said.

“Akash Bhanu Singh (38) and his friends were having dinner at the hotel when he accidentally brushed against the accused, who picked up a fight. He along with some others stabbed Singh to death. Two of Singh’s friends, who tried to save him, also sustained injuries and have been hospitalised,” the official said.

Four persons were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for murder and other offences, though no arrest has been made, he said.

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Crime

‘Don’t You Know Marathi?’: Vadapav Vendor & Two Others Assaulted By Four Men Over Language Dispute In Kalyan

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Mumbai: In a troubling incident on Sunday night in Kalyan East near Chakkinaaka and Santoshnagar, a vadapav vendor and two of his companions were brutally assaulted by four men. The attack occurred after the assailants asked the vendor, “Do you know how to speak Marathi?” and began the assault when he did not respond affirmatively.

The vendor, identified as Vishnu Thapa, and his co-workers told police at the Colsewadi station that they work at a small eatery named Riddhi Bhojanalay. Around 8 pm two unknown men arrived at the shop, ate food and left. They returned shortly after and confronted Thapa with the question “Marathi ye­t nahi ka?” (“Don’t you know Marathi?”). Without waiting for a response they started beating him. He suffered serious injury to his nose in the first attack.

After the two men left, Thapa and his colleagues resumed work. Minutes later the men returned, this time bringing two others. The group of four again raised the language question and launched a fresh attack. Co-worker Madan Thapa was hit with a stone slab. Another colleague, Ali Khan, had his mobile phone smashed to the floor amid the chaos. The assailants also vandalised the shop, throwing food, utensils and trays outside.

The three victims were taken to hospital for treatment. A First Information Report has been registered at the Colsewadi police station and investigations are underway, with Police Constable Jadhav assigned to the case. Locals say the area has long been troubled by harassment of street vendors and extortion attempts; some offenders had been removed by police about 18 months ago.

The incident has raised serious concerns among workers and local vendors who feel vulnerable in the wake of such attacks. For many migrants eating and operating in the city, language and region should not become triggers for violence. City police have been urged to increase patrols in the zone and ensure protection for small street-vendors, especially during late evening hours.

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