Mumbai: Hundreds of poor and needy students of Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar constituency are studying in the Kalina campus of Mumbai University. Only, or the lack of BEST buses for the transportation of students, the transportation tickets are high. Taking this issue seriously, Samajwadi Party state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has written a letter to the chairman of the ‘BEST’ committee and demanded the start of a new bus service. Azmi said in his letter that due to the non-availability of buses for timely travel, students have to travel urgently between 10 am and 12 pm and 5 pm to 6 pm, but despite this, the students have to wait. Due to which the students suffer academically and they have to endure physical and mental trauma. He has requested the administration to provide a new bus service from the new bus stand located on 90 feet road to Kalina Vidyapeeth and provide more buses at the right time.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Delhi Special Cell have claimed to have arrested two Muslim youths on charges of involvement in terrorist activities during raids in Thane and Mumbai. They have been identified as 18-year-old Hammad Siddiqui, a resident of Kurla, and 32-year-old Musaib Ahmed alias Iftahar Ahmed alias Kalam Sonu, a resident of Kalyan. An electric gazette has also been recovered from both of them and their mobile phones have also been seized. The ATS claimed that a raid was conducted in the early hours of April 3, during which this arrest was made. Along with this, Yasir Muslim Khan was taken into custody from the police station and the house of a 15-year-old minor from Kandivali was also searched. During this, items were also seized from their houses. The ATS said that the Delhi Special Cell has summoned both of them for questioning. In this case, the Delhi Special Cell and the ATS are further investigating to see who else was in their contact. Not only were they active on social media, they were also associated with a group called Caliphate Soldiers. There is a fear of more arrests in this case. Along with this, there has been a sensation after the ATS operation. Many such youths are now on the radar of the ATS who are suspected of belonging to terrorist groups and are in contact with these organizations. It is said that Jaish-e-Mohammed and ISIS have started misleading propaganda and misleading the youth on social media. In such a situation, the ATS has appealed to the youth to avoid such extremist groups.

Pune: The Maharashtra Congress on Monday said it ‘can consider’ withdrawing from the Baramati assembly bypoll if a first information report (FIR) is registered in connection with the plane crash that killed former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.

In a video message posted by State Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe on X (formerly Twitter), he addressed the criticism of fielding a candidate in Baramati, which has been an Ajit Pawar stronghold.

Londhe also slammed the BJP for playing politics and questioned, “After the death of Vasantrao Chavan from Nanded, wasn’t an election held? After the death of Bhalake in Mangalvedha, wasn’t an election held? There are many such examples that can be cited, where the BJP has conveniently played its politics.”

Speaking on Ajit Pawar’s death, he later added, “Even today, our candidates and the Congress party’s stance is that you file the FIR in Maharashtra, in Baramati. Then, one can consider it, and then it will become clear what your real position is.”

Meanwhile, his statements came as the Congress on Sunday fielded its state unit secretary, Akash More, against Sunetra Pawar for the Baramati bypoll. While the Opposition NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) extended their support to allow the bypoll to be held unopposed, the Congress has maintained that it will contest it.

Baramati, considered a stronghold of the Pawar family, was expected to witness an uncontested by-election. Ajit Pawar was an eight-time MLA from Baramati. In the 2019 Assembly election, he had won the seat by a huge margin of 1.65 lakh votes, while in 2024, he retained the seat by a difference of more than 1 lakh votes, defeating his brother’s son, Yugendra Pawar. Efforts were also made by the ruling Mahayuti alliance to ensure that the by-election was held unopposed.