Connect with us
Saturday,05-September-2026
Breaking News

Maharashtra

A day after Pawar-Thackeray ‘summit’, MVA rubbishes rumours of ‘rift’

Published

on

A day after the late-night rendezvous between Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders sought to allay fears of any ‘rift’ in the three-party Opposition alliance, here on Wednesday.

Thackeray, along with party MP Sanjay Raut, had rushed to meet Pawar after his remarks to a private TV channel that sparked off huge speculation of fissures in the MVA and its possible repercussions.

Among other things, Pawar had claimed to the TV channel that Thackeray did not consult the MVA allies before quitting as the Chief Minister in June 2022, that set political tongues wagging.

The 75-minute meeting was held in bonhomie and a day later today (April 12), Pawar and Raut said that the MVA will continue to work with renewed vigour for future political challenges.

Raut said that they had detailed discussions on the political developments in the state and the nation, the future implications, among others, and reiterated that there are “no differences in the MVA”.

State Congress President Nana Patole also expressed similar views and said that if the MVA alliance leaders meet other “then what is wrong” and said there was no need for making any wild speculations in the matter.

Meanwhile, AICC General Secretary K. C. Venugopal Rao is likely to visit Maharashtra and meet Thackeray and Pawar in the wake of the recent developments that signalled major cracks in the MVA, which seem to have been sorted out by the Pawar-Thackeray late-night meeting.

The MVA was perturbed by Pawar’s comments last week questioning the need for a Joint Parliamentary Probe into the Adani Group scam, but on Tuesday, he apparently softened his stance and said he would not oppose the JPC if other Opposition parties wanted it.

Later, Pawar and his nephew Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s academic qualifications, the reliability of EVMs, among others, also became the topic of discussion among the three allies.

Crime

Nagpur man kills wife after argument over cooking and dance class; husband arrested

Published

on

Nagpur, Sep 5: A 38-year-old woman died in Maharashtra’s Nagpur after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband during a heated argument over her decision to attend a dance class instead of preparing food at home, police said.

The incident came to light after the woman’s condition deteriorated following the alleged domestic violence.

Police initially treated the death as accidental, but a post-mortem examination reportedly revealed severe injuries, prompting them to register a murder case and arrest the woman’s 41-year-old husband.

The victim has been identified as Yamini Krishna Lal Yadav, while her husband and alleged accused is Krishna Lal Yadav. The couple has two young children.

According to the police, Krishna Lal returned home from work and asked Yamini to prepare food for him and their children. However, Yamini was reportedly getting ready to attend a dance class organised within their housing society and declined to cook at that time.

What began as a domestic disagreement allegedly turned violent. Police said Krishna Lal was under the influence of alcohol when the argument escalated and he allegedly assaulted Yamini, attacking her around the neck and abdomen. The incident reportedly took place in front of their two terrified children.

According to NDTV, after the alleged assault, Yamini complained of intense pain in her neck and abdomen. She reportedly asked her husband to bring painkillers to ease her discomfort. Krishna Lal went to a nearby medical shop, but it was closed, following which he returned home without the medicine.

Yamini’s condition subsequently worsened. Her abdomen reportedly began swelling, indicating serious internal injuries. She was eventually taken to a hospital for treatment, but doctors could not save her and she died during treatment.

Following her death, police initially registered a case of accidental death and sent the body for post-mortem examination as part of the standard procedure.

The medical examination, however, raised serious questions about the circumstances surrounding her death. The post-mortem reportedly found a fractured neck bone along with severe injuries to the intestines and other internal organs.

Yamini’s brother said the family initially believed that she had died under tragic circumstances. However, the findings in the post-mortem report suggested that she had suffered severe violence and there were signs of strangulation.

Speaking to reporters, he said the family was in Mumbai when they received the news of Yamini’s death.

“We were in Mumbai when we received a phone call informing us that my sister had passed away. The post-mortem report revealed that she had been strangled and had suffered injuries to her abdomen. It showed that she had been attacked in the stomach. Based on the findings, the police immediately registered an FIR and arrested my brother-in-law, Krishna Lal Yadav. He was booked under Section 302 for murder,” he said.

Yamini’s brother further said that the couple had experienced arguments in the past as well. He said his sister had occasionally spoken to him about their domestic disputes, but had discouraged the family from intervening.

He recalled that whenever relatives suggested stepping in, Yamini would tell them that it was a family matter and that their intervention could create further problems for her at home.

The family, he said, had therefore considered the earlier disputes to be routine marital disagreements and did not anticipate that the situation could turn fatal.

After examining the post-mortem findings, police questioned Krishna Lal and subsequently arrested him. A murder case has been registered against him, and further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and circumstances leading to Yamini’s death.

Continue Reading

Crime

Mumbai Police seeks civic action over MNS Dahi Handi stage in Ghatkopar

Published

on

Mumbai, Sep 5: A controversy has erupted in Mumbai Ghatkopar West over the construction of a Dahi Handi stage in the middle of a road, with the Ghatkopar Police urging the Municipal Corporation to take immediate action against the structure.

The Senior Police Inspector of Ghatkopar Police Station has written to the Assistant Commissioner of N-Ward, raising objections to the stage being constructed for a Dahi Handi festival organised by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

According to the letter dated September 3, MNS leader Ganesh Chukkal is scheduled to organise the Dahi Handi festival on Saturday at Amrit Nagar Circle in Ghatkopar West. The Municipal Corporation had reportedly been informed about the police’s no-objection to the programme on the condition that pedestrian and vehicular movement would not be obstructed.

However, during an inspection on September 3 at around 7 p.m., police officials observed that a stage was being constructed in the middle of the road in front of the Sagar Park building.

The police have raised concerns that once completed, the stage could completely block the proposed 90-foot road leading towards the Sagar Park building. According to the letter, such an obstruction could prevent emergency vehicles, including ambulances and fire engines, from reaching the area in case of an emergency.

The police further pointed out that necessary permissions had allegedly not been obtained from the ward officer and the fire department in Vikhroli before the construction of the stage. They also stated that it appeared that no site inspection had been conducted before the structure was erected.

The police cited a previous incident to underline the seriousness of the issue. On September 2, 2025, a fire broke out at a shop in Indira Nagar. At the time, emergency vehicles reportedly faced difficulties in reaching the location due to hawkers and unauthorised parking on the road in front of the Sagar Park building.

The issue of hawkers and unauthorised parking in the area was also raised during the hearing of PIL No. 324/2025 before the Bombay High Court on September 3, 2025.

The Ghatkopar Police have, therefore, sought appropriate action from the Municipal Corporation to ensure that the proposed festival arrangements do not obstruct traffic or compromise emergency access.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Shiv Sena UBT slams ‘double-engine’ govt over looming drought threat in Maharashtra

Published

on

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the Centre and the Maharashtra government, alleging that the “double-engine” dispensation was indifferent to the state’s deepening agrarian crisis as prolonged dry spells push large parts of Maharashtra towards drought.

The Thackeray camp, in the party mouthpiece Saamana, warned that if forecasts prove accurate, nearly 90 per cent of the state will face an acute drought crisis within the next two months. Driven by global El Niño conditions, over 350 districts nationwide are experiencing similar dry spells, raising serious alarms over impending shortages of food grains and drinking water. The editorial questioned whether the “double-engine” government cares about the unfolding calamity.

The editorial detailed how nature has dealt a crushing blow to Maharashtra’s farming community. Rains have taken a back seat in 31 out of the state’s 36 districts, leaving standing crops in a precarious state as agricultural fields dry up and scorch under extended heat. Barring an occasional light shower, the region has suffered a dry spell lasting 30 to 45 days, devastating local farmers. While pre-monsoon warnings had flagged potential rainfall deficits due to the “El Niño Effect,” the editorial highlighted that even meteorologists under-budgeted the sheer severity of its impact. Up to 18 districts in the state have missed out on a normal monsoon altogether.

According to the editorial, monsoon rains arrived nearly 15 days late this year. A dry June was followed by heavy downpours in July, which forced delayed sowings across key belts by a full month. While regions like Mumbai, Pune, Western Maharashtra, and Nashik saw heavy isolated spells during July, rainfall halted across the state from the first week of August and has failed to resume. The initial July rain brought temporary relief, spurring crop growth. However, just as crops entered their critical flowering stage — with soybean forming pods, cotton developing bolls, and maize growing ears — the water supply dried up.

Farmers with wells attempted to irrigate fields using accumulated July reserves, but with those sources now fully depleted, saving standing crops has become nearly impossible, said the editorial.

The editorial emphasised that dryland farmers without irrigation infrastructure have suffered the most severe damage. Cash crops such as soybean, cotton, maize, pigeon pea (tur), and turmeric have withered across lakhs of hectares, while pulse crops like black gram (udid) and green gram (moong) are completely ruined. The traditional month of Shravan, which typically brings intermittent showers, passed without a single drop of rain in many parts — a phenomenon unseen in decades. Once-vibrant fields have turned yellow, stunting crop growth, wiping out financial investments, and rendering months of hard labor useless, it said.

Over 50 lakh hectares in Vidarbha and 48 lakh hectares in Marathwada were sown this season. Faced with withered crops, desperate farmers in several pockets have begun plowing over standing crops to prepare land for the upcoming Rabi season, said the editorial.

However, with early September passing without rainfall, anxiety is growing over whether winter crops like wheat and Bengal gram (harbhara) can even be planted. At the same time, fodder availability for cattle has reached a critical stage. With fields parched, farmers face an agonising dilemma on how to secure sorghum and maize fodder to keep livestock alive over the next seven to eight months, stated the editorial.

Against this backdrop, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has urged the government to immediately launch water management plans and pre-drought relief measures rather than operating in denial while the rural economy faces an unprecedented collapse.

Continue Reading

Trending