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Maharashtra

Assault case: Ex-Maharashtra minister gets anticipatory bail

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A Thane Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad in a case pertaining to the assault of a Thane civic body official, here on Friday.

The Naupada Police Station had booked Awhad and others on Wednesday in connection with the assault on Mahesh Aher, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

Aher was targeted by the former Minister’s supporters, who reacted after an audio clip surfaced in which the TMC official can be heard allegedly hatching a conspiracy to kill Awhad’s daughter Natasha and her husband Alan Patel, and how he had given a contract for this to the mafia.

The audio clip sparked off strong reactions among NCP workers and leaders and some, like ex-Minister Dhananjay Munde, demanded a probe and Aher’s dismissal for harbouring underworld links.

Incidentally, Thane is the hometown of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his son and MP Shishir Shinde, and the latest incident is billed as yet another political turf war as Awhad was elected from Mumbra-Kalwa assembly constituency against the backdrop of the upcoming civic bodies elections in the state including the TMC.

After the incident, Awhad hit back by tweeting a video wherein Aher was allegedly counting bundles of bribe money, and also submitted a written complaint to the Vartak Nagar Police Station against the TMC official, but there had been no movement on it, said an aide.

“The TMC’s AMC has admitted to giving a contract to a mafia don to kill my daughter and son-in-law. This is not politics. It’s way beyond that. My supporters who are charged with assaulting Aher merely wanted to scare him. We have also lodged a complaint against Aher based on the audio clip and now the police should act,” Awhad said grimly.

It may be recalled that in November 2022, Awhad was booked in two different cases by Thane Police, which sparked off a major political row as he cried foul and termed it as a plot to finish off his political career.

The first case pertains to forcibly stopping the screening of a film show of “Har Har Mahadev” which allegedly distorted the history of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and assaulting some patrons in the cinema hall.

A week after that, in another incident, Awhad was booked in an alleged molestation case following a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Party woman activist while he was trying to negotiate a large crowd in Thane.

Maharashtra

Thief who came from Mumbai and committed several thefts arrested

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Mumbai: Police have claimed to have arrested a thief who committed theft in the limits of Milind police station, against whom several cases of theft and burglary are registered in Mumbai. Mumbai Zone 7 DCP Vijay Kant Sagare, while addressing a press conference here, said that the accused came to Mumbai by flight with the intention of stealing and broke into several 5 houses.

Theft cases are registered against him in Nehru Nagar, Milind, Alwaye, Navi Mumbai. One and a half lakh silver ornaments weighing two kg, totaling Rs 15 lakh have been seized. Cases of stalking are also registered against the criminal Rajesh in Dombivali, Vishnu Nagar, Vishai, Vitthalwadi, Manpara, Pan police stations.

The accused told that he came to Mumbai from Varanasi by plane on March 13, 2025 and robbed five houses in 15 days.

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Maharashtra

Struggle Against Land Mafia in Waqf Properties: New Amended Bill Adds to the Challenges

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New Delhi : In the ongoing battle to protect Waqf properties and ensure their benefits reach the deserving, land mafias, encroachers, and illegal groups were already a major hurdle. Now, the government’s newly amended bill has emerged as another significant challenge. Advocate Dr. Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi has strongly criticized this move and demanded immediate reforms. He stated that the primary objective of Waqf was to benefit the needy, but unfortunately, this objective has completely failed. On the other hand, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the largest Sikh religious organization, has been actively involved in the welfare of its community for decades. As a result, the Sikh community has nearly eradicated beggars and human rickshaw pullers.

Illegal Encroachments and Misuse of Waqf Lands Exposed :
According to Dr. Naqvi, Waqf properties have suffered the most due to unlawful encroachments by vested interest groups. The most unfortunate fact is that many Waqf lands were originally donated for the shrines (Dargahs) of Syed families, but they have been grossly misused. He revealed that a well-known individual shamelessly sold an acre of prime Waqf land on Mumbai’s Altamount Road for just 1.6 million rupees, a blatant violation of Waqf principles and laws.

Demand for a Stricter Amendment in Section 52 :
Dr. Naqvi has called on the government to take strict action against those who illegally sell Waqf properties. He has urged for an immediate amendment to Section 52 of the Waqf Act to introduce

capital punishment or life imprisonment* for unauthorized Waqf land sellers. This issue is a major setback for those fighting to safeguard Waqf properties, who are already battling corrupt elements and illegal land grabbers. It remains to be seen whether the government takes these concerns seriously and enacts effective legislation to protect Waqf lands.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Cleanup Marshal and Swachh Mumbai campaign ended, fine collection from citizens also stopped, BMC helpline number released

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Mumbai: Mumbai BMC has abolished the clean-up marshal policy, after which now the clean-up marshal has disappeared from the streets of the city. The Municipal Corporation has completely banned the clean-up marshal and the Swachh Mumbai Mission has been stopped. This means that now no clean-up marshal will be able to force citizens to pay fines or take any other punitive action. After complaints against clean-up marshals, Mumbai BMC has decided to stop and suspend the service of clean-up marshals from today.

The Solid Waste Management Department of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, under the Department of Garbage and Sanitation, oversees public cleanliness in Mumbai and the ‘Swachh Mumbai Mission’ has been closed from April 4, 2025. However, the Municipal Corporation administration has appealed to the citizens that if any fine has been imposed on them despite this, then they can complain about it. Complaints regarding cleanup marshals can be made to the divisional control room of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation at 022-23855128 and 022-23877691 (extension number 549/500).

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