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Maharashtra

Bale Shah Peer Dargah Illegal Construction PIL: Bombay HC Directs Trust, MBMC To File Para-Wise-Affidavit-In-Replies

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Mira-Bhayandar: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the trustees and the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) to submit affidavits in response to a civil public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Khush Khandelwal against an allegedly illegally constructed Dargah in the coastal area of Uttan near Bhayandar.

Direction Given To Dargah Trustees & The MBMC By Bombay HC

The bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar directed the dargah trustees and the MBMC to file the affidavit-in-reply to the paragraph-wise averments made in the PIL within four and two weeks respectively. In legal terms, an averment is a statement of fact or allegation that is made in a charge, information, or in the pleadings of a civil claim.

Bombay HC Pulls Up MBMC

The HC also pulled up the MBMC for dragging its feet in acting against unauthorised constructions under the provisions of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act. The counsel representing the trust submitted that at present no construction on the subject premises is being raised. 

Due to their absence in the previous hearing, the HC had directed fresh notices to be served to the trustees of the dargah (respondent number 6) while indicating that in case they are not represented in the next hearing, the matter may proceed ex-parte against it.

The petitioner-Khush Khandelwal who is the founder of the Hindu Task Force had filed the PIL (PILST/6843/2024) on 2, March 2024 alleging massive illegal constructions on land measuring more than 70,000 square feet by the Bale Shah Peer Charitable Trust on protected mangrove belts located on government-owned land parcels near the sensitive Chowk jetty in Uttan near Bhayandar.

Apart from facing allegations of illegal encroachments, the shrine is also under the scanner owing to concerns raised by security agencies following reports about alleged visits of people having shady backgrounds. However, the trust rubbishes the claims of shady visitors while continuing to maintain that the dargah has been in existence for more than two centuries ever since the saint Sayyed Bale Shah Peer came and stayed here. 

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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