Connect with us
Saturday,25-October-2025
Breaking News

Crime

‘Action only if probes name anyone’, says Ajit Pawar on calls for Munde’s resignation

Published

on

Mumbai, Jan 7: Amid demand for NCP minister Dhananjay Munde’s resignation following the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and party chief Ajit Pawar on Monday clarified that no action will be taken until the three ongoing investigations name anyone.

Ajit Pawar on Monday revealed the party’s official stand saying: “There are SIT, judicial and CID probes going on. Let these agencies complete their investigations. If the probe names anyone, only then there will be action.”

Ajit Pawar was speaking to reporters after his meeting with the NCP’s National Working President Praful Patel and his party leader and the State Food and Civil Supply Minister Dhananjay Munde.

Thereafter, Ajit Pawar also met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and discussed at length the political scenario amid the all-party demand for Munde’s resignation.

He has reportedly registered his displeasure over the BJP legislator Suresh Dhas’ statements against Munde in connection with the killing of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh.

Earlier, Munde after his meeting with Ajit Pawar dropped hints that he would not step down.

Munde also indicated that the NCP leadership has also not sought his resignation.

He said that during his meeting with Ajit Pawar, he wished him a happy New Year and briefed him about the food and civil supply department which he holds.

“The issue of Santosh Deshmukh’s killing and the demand for resignation did not come up during my meeting with party president and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar,” he added.

He claimed that how can he stop those demanding his resignation? “I have been demanding that stern action should be taken against those involved in the killing of Santosh Deshmukh,” Munde said.

Veteran NCP leader and former Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, who was denied a ministerial berth in the recent cabinet expansion, came to Munde’s defence, saying that there was no need for him to step down at this juncture.

“Munde’s resignation is being sought. I want to tell you that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has clearly said that the government will conduct a thorough investigation and take action against everyone found guilty. Why are they demanding Munde’s resignation before that? Has anything come out of the investigation? If you have anything, give it to the police. Until nothing comes out of the investigation, it is wrong to demand his resignation. I don’t think this is right,” Bhujbal told reporters.

Meanwhile, an all-party delegation on Monday urged the Maharashtra Governor C.P. Radhakrishnan that the NCP Minister Dhananjay Munde should immediately resign from the Cabinet, considering the involvement and possible interference in the brutal killing of the Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district.

The delegation also demanded that the feeling of “rule of law” must be strengthened for which a case of murder under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 103 must be immediately registered against Walmik Karad, the mastermind of the kidnapping, extortion and murder case, and the case should be conducted in a fast-track court.

The delegation in its representation to the Governor also demanded that the accountability of law enforcement officials should be ensured and therefore action should be taken against police personnel who neglected their duties.

The delegation also urged the Governor to take initiatives to restore public confidence and safety of residents in the Beed district and ultimately curb extortion and hooliganism.

Crime

Satara Doctor Suicide: Resident Doctors Hold ‘Black Ribbon’ Protest At Mumbai’s KEM Hospital, Say ‘May Close Routine OPDs If…’

Published

on

Mumbai, October 25: The resident doctors at Mumbai’s KEM Hospital on October 25 are holding black ribbon protest over the allege rape and suicide of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara district. The doctor, hailing from Beed district and posted at a government hospital, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan of Satara district on Thursday night

In the suicide note written on the victims’ palm, she had alleged that sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her.

Calling the incident a heinous act, a resident doctor told media that currently any kind of OPD or emergency services have not been stopped, but if our demands are not met, then we may escalate our protest. “The accused have fled; they should be arrested as soon as possible. We are holding a black ribbon protest here to protest against it,” Dr Sameer said.

Resident doctors under the banner of the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), staged protests at KEM Hospital.

A first-year resident Dr. Samya said that although the POSH Act was implemented in 2013, its enforcement remains weak, and the lack of proper implementation has led to the current situation. Adding further, she told the agency, “We want action to be taken in this matter as quickly as possible so that justice is delivered quickly… Currently, we are protesting to spread awareness; all our OPD and emergency services are working. However, if our demands are not met, then we will escalate our protest”

Another resident doctor holding the black ribbon protest said, “We have made some demands in response to the incident, and we hope they will be met as soon as possible.”

More than 8,000 resident doctors across the state participated in the protest, demanding justice and a thorough investigation into the case by either the CID or a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The police have detained Prashant Bankar, one of the two men the doctor had named in the suicide note written on her palm. According to the police, sub-inspector Badane was suspended from service after his name came up during the probe.

In her letter, she wrote that Badne and other police officials had repeatedly pressured her to issue fake fitness certificates for accused persons in criminal cases, many of whom were never medically examined.

Not just this, in one particularly disturbing instance, she said that two personal assistants of a Member of Parliament barged into her hospital, forced her to speak to the MP over the phone, and was also threatened when she refused to comply.

“They used to make me sign certificates without seeing the accused. When I refused, they threatened my job and safety,” the letter alleged.

The doctor, who was nearing the end of her mandatory rural bond service and planned to pursue post-graduation, had also complained to senior police officials, including the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Police. However, her family claimed that no action was taken despite multiple complaints.

Continue Reading

Crime

Four criminals, including Kanishk Pahadia, injured in separate encounters with Delhi Police

Published

on

New Delhi, Oct 25: Three criminals and a head constable were injured during an exchange of fire between Delhi Police and a group of wanted offenders in the Nangloi area early on Saturday.

According to officials, the gang — known for attacking police teams — had been under surveillance by the Outer District Police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sachin Sharma told media, “Two days ago, the same group was involved in a hot chase during which they opened fire on the police party. The officers retaliated, but the accused managed to escape at that time.”

The criminals resurfaced in Nangloi on Saturday morning, where they were intercepted by the police. When challenged, the gang once again opened fire, prompting officers to return fire. In the ensuing exchange, three of the four criminals sustained bullet injuries and were later apprehended.

“All injured accused have been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment,” officials said, adding that a head constable also sustained injuries in the encounter.

In a separate incident, another exchange of fire took place between Delhi Police and a wanted criminal, Kanishk Pahadia, in the Mehrauli area on Saturday morning.

During the gun battle, Pahadia sustained a gunshot wound, while two police personnel were hit on their bulletproof jackets, and one constable suffered an injury on his arm.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan told IANS, “The arrested accused has been identified as 27-year-old Kanishk Pahadia, a resident of Madangir, Delhi. The accused has 13 previous criminal cases registered against him. He used to post photos and videos of himself brandishing weapons on social media. Police recovered two pistols, loaded magazines, and four empty cartridges from him.”

According to the police, Pahadia procured weapons from Uttar Pradesh and supplied them across Delhi-NCR.

He had reportedly come to the Chhatarpur area late on Friday night to strike a weapons deal when he was intercepted.

A case has been registered against him, and further investigation is underway.

Officials said the encounter occurred after the police team received a tip-off about Pahadia’s movements. When they tried to stop him, he opened fire in an attempt to flee.

Police retaliated and managed to overpower him after he was shot. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where his condition is stated to be stable.

Senior officers confirmed that Pahadia has a long criminal history and is wanted in several cases, including illegal arms supply.

“Further investigation is underway to trace his network and sources of weapons,” Chauhan added.

Continue Reading

Crime

Rs 4,300 crore loan fraud: ED seizes Rs 67 crore assets of power company, officials

Published

on

Nagpur, Oct 24: The ED attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 67.79 crore in the form of bank balances, lands, buildings and flats linked to a businessman and a coal-based power project company involved in a Rs 4,300 crore bank loan fraud, said an official on Friday.

The Nagpur zonal unit of the ED took action against properties situated across Maharashtra, Kolkata, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh in the name of Manoj Jayaswal, his family members and others.

The operation on October 16 was conducted under the provisions of PMLA, 2002, in the case against Corporate Power Limited and others. The total attachments/seizure/frozen bank assets in this case now stand at Rs 571 crore.

The money laundering case against the company and its officials is linked to a proposed coal-based power plant in Jharkhand of 1080 MW power for which a loan was taken from a consortium of 20 banks led by the Union Bank of India.

The ED initiated its PMLA investigation based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Corporate Power Limited, its promoters, directors, and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.

The federal agency probe revealed that the accused created a network of 800 shell companies and 5,000 bank accounts to misappropriate the loan funds that were declared non-performing assets (NPA) in 2013-14.

Earlier, the agency had conducted searches in Kolkata, Nagpur and Visakhapatnam in the case and recovered cash, documents, and seized movable assets like mutual funds, securities and term deposits.

The CBI, after registering an FIR, said in a statement in 2022 that the Union Bank of India, the lead lender of the consortium, declared the account as non-performing assets (NPA) on September 30, 2013, and subsequently, the other member consortium banks also classified the said account as NPA.

The accounts of the said borrower company were declared as fraudulent on October 25, 2019, the CBI said in a statement.

Shedding light on the modus operandi used in the Rs 4,307.87 crore loan fraud, the CBI said, “It was further alleged that between the years 2009 to 2013, the said borrower had submitted manipulated project cost statements and also diverted the bank funds.”

It was also alleged that the trade receivables, mainly including transactions to related parties and funds, were diverted to a web of various companies that were dummy accounts; accordingly, the borrower was able to siphon off the funds, the CBI statement said.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending