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Maharashtra

Balasaheb Thackeray saved Modi after 2002 riots: Uddhhav slams BJP over ‘divisive’ Hindutva

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Maharashtra: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday targeted the BJP, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi wouldn’t have come this far had Bal Thackeray not “saved” him when the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee had asked him to follow “rajdharma”.

He said Shiv Sena protected a political leadership for 25-30 years but they (BJP) didn’t want Sena and also the Akali Dal- the erstwhile members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“I fell out with BJP but I never abandoned Hindutva. The BJP is not Hindutva. Uttar Bharatiyas want answers on what Hindutva is. Hating each other is not Hindutva,” he told a gathering of north Indians in Mumbai.

“I fell out with BJP but I never abandoned Hindutva. The BJP is not Hindutva. Uttar Bharatiyas want answers on what Hindutva is. Hating each other is not Hindutva,” he told a gathering of north Indians in Mumbai.

Thackeray accused the BJP of creating a rift among Hindus

“For 25-30 years, Shiv Sena protected a political friendship. Hindutva meant warmth amongst us. They (BJP) didn’t want anyone. They didn’t want Akali Dal… Shiv Sena,” he said.

 “It was Balasaheb Thackeray who saved the current prime minister when Atalji (then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) wanted him to honour ‘Rajdharma’. But Balasaheb intervened saying it was the need of the hour. Had that not happened he (Modi) wouldn’t have reached here,” Thackeray said in an apparent reference to Vajpayee’s remarks asking then Gujarat chief minister Modi to follow “rajdharma” after the 2002 communal riots.

He said the Shiv Sena founder never nurtured hatred. “Being Hindu never meant being Marathi and hating north Indians. Balasaheb was against those who were anti-India irrespective of their religion,” he added.

Walked out of alliance to protect dignity: Uddhav Thackeray

Thackeray said he walked out of the alliance with BJP to protect his dignity and joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

“…..Otherwise I would have been a slave with a belt around my neck just like some of my people have now become,” he said in an apparent reference to the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who belong to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Thackeray said he becomes a victim of the smear campaign whenever he meets north Indians or Muslims and questioned are raised on his Hindutva.

Thackeray spoke on PM Modi’s visit to Mumbai

“My meeting with you has been criticised. If I meet Muslims, it is said I have given up Hindutva. When PM Narendra Modi came to Mumbai two days back, whose kitchen did he go to? If I had done that I would have been called anti-Hindu.

“But if the prime minister does that then it is said he has a big heart. I want to make it clear we have nothing against the Bohra community. They are with us,” he said.

During his latest visit to Mumbai, the prime minister inaugurated the new Marol campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy, a prominent educational institution of the Bohra community, and said he had come there as a family member of the community.

Maharashtra

59-Year-Old Laundryman Dies After Drinking Stain Remover Mistaken For Cough Syrup In Lower Parel

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Mumbai: A 59-year-old laundryman from Lower Parel died after accidentally consuming a chemical used for removing stains from clothes, mistaking it for cough syrup. The incident occurred near Deepak Cinema in Jia Masoom Chawl, where the deceased, Sambhajit Rajai Dhobi, ran a small ironing shop. The NM Joshi Marg Police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in the case.

Speaking to the media report, Senior Inspector Arvind Chandanshive of NM Joshi Marg Police Station said the incident occurred on the night of June 25 around 11:00 pm, when Sambhaji mistakenly consumed the stain remover chemical that had been stored in a cough syrup bottle. The next morning, between 7 and 8 am, he began vomiting blood and was rushed to KEM Hospital for treatment. However, despite efforts, he was declared dead by doctors at 3:20 pm on June 26.

Police said Sambhaji, who also worked as a clothes washer, had kept the chemical used for stain removal in a bottle typically used for cough syrup, which led to the fatal confusion.

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Maharashtra

17-Year-Old Molested By Coaching Class Professors

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Maharashtra: In a shocking incident, a 17-year-old girl was abused in a well-known coaching class in Beed, Maharashtra. The allegations have been leveraged against the two professors of the coaching classes.

The cops at the Shivajinagar police station registered a case under the POCSO Act late Thursday night. Professor Vijay Pawar, an office bearer of the coaching class association and a very well-known name in Beed’s coaching industry, along with Professor Prashant Khatavkar, allegedly molested a class 12 student.

As per the victim, in July 2024, Khatavkar asked the victim to visit her in his cabin, after which he behaved inappropriately. Later, she went to the institute’s director to report the incident. However, the victim alleged that the director also indulged in similar behaviour. According to her, the molestation continued till May 2025.

After the case was filed by the victim, Assistant Inspector Atul Kumar Landge took charge of the situation. “Both are absconding after committing the crime. Three teams of the local crime branch are trying to nab them,” Landge informed.

This incident has raised concerns over women’s safety in coaching centres in Beed.

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Maharashtra

6 Bangladeshi women and a man arrested from Pune and Mumbai

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has intensified its action against Bangladeshis living illegally in Mumbai. Based on information received from Mumbai Police ATC, Bayazid Ayub Sheikh was detained in the limits of Andheri MIDC Police Station in Mumbai. His documents and Aadhar card were checked. It was found that he is Bangladeshi and is living here illegally. He told that there are many Bangladeshi women in Andheri area. After this, two suspicious women were detained. During interrogation, it was found that the accused Bayazid has also settled women with him in Pune.

Two Bangladeshi women were detained from Pune. One of them, Ati Sheikh, has a case registered in Nagpada for living illegally in Mumbai. All four women have been taken into custody. In this case, Pune Mumbai Police has arrested seven people including Bayazid Ayub Sheikh, Nasreen Begum, Rozni Akhtar, Kokila Bakhthar, Roma Begum, Pakhi Mustafa Begum, Kohinoor Akhtar Begum. Police has arrested six women and a Bangladeshi man. This operation was carried out by Additional Commissioner Paramjit Singh Dahiya and DCP Datta Nalawade on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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