Thane: Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dombre has claimed special security arrangements in the city. He said that during the month of Ramadan, there is a lot of crowd in Iftar Bazaar and to ensure that there is no disruption in traffic during Maghrib and Asr, traffic police will be deployed on the spot.

Speaking to Mumbai Press, Ashutosh Dombre said that special attention is also being paid to social media. Action will be taken against those who spread misleading messages on social media. Along with this, the police is also paying attention to the issue of noise pollution. He said that the police receives complaints of noise pollution most of the time. The police investigates all the complaints and verifies them and only then action is ensured.

He said that a meeting was also held with the religious scholars, elders and officials of the city regarding Ramadan, in which the scholars assured to cooperate in every possible way, so Ramadan is being celebrated in a peaceful environment in the police station premises. He said that the police is also keeping an eye on the misuse of social media and action is being taken against anti-social elements and people of a particular community. Ashutosh Dombre said that the festival of Ramzan is going on in Muslim-dominated areas like Mumbra, Thane, Bhiwandi, Kalyan and other areas and people stay awake till late night. In such a situation, special police arrangements have been made.

When Ashutosh Dombre was asked about the objection to Azaan in the name of noise pollution during Ramzan, he said that the mosque officials and scholars have assured that they will follow the guidelines of the Supreme Court and Azaan is being given as per the Supreme Court and noise pollution rules. Loudspeakers are not played at high volume in any mosque, but Azaan is given within the prescribed limit.

He said that when a complaint is received, the police first confirms it for taking action and takes action only if the complaint is proved to be correct. Therefore, if miscreants complain about loudspeakers being played at high volume in the mosque, the police investigate it and take action only if the complaint is proved to be correct.

Regarding Holi, Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dombre said that the police have been instructed to remain alert so that no untoward incident takes place during Holi. Holika Dahan will be celebrated on March 13 and Dholi Vandana (Holi) on March 14. During this time, there will be additional arrangements at religious places and mosques. Along with this, a special alert has been issued in sensitive areas, where incidents of communal violence have occurred earlier. A list of people involved in such acts has been prepared to prevent harassment of women.

Apart from this, special police teams have been deployed to keep an eye on public places, sensitive places and celebrations during Holi. Ashutosh Dombre said that any person, irrespective of religion or nationality, should celebrate his festival peacefully. The police is with them.

If any person creates a ruckus, the police will take action against the miscreants. No one needs to panic or panic.

Mumbai: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday reacted sharply to the suspension of party MLA Abu Azmi from the Maharashtra Assembly over his recent controversial remarks praising Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.

In a post on X, Akhilesh slammed the action against Abu Azmi, saying, “If the basis of suspension starts getting influenced by ideology, then what difference will remain between freedom of expression and slavery.”

Defending the SP MLA, he said, “Whether it is our MLAs or MPs, their fearless wisdom is unmatched. If some people think that by ‘suspension’ one can put a rein on the tongue of truth, then this is the childishness of their negative thinking.”

“Today’s free-thinking says, we don’t want BJP!” he added.

Akhilesh Yadav’s response came hours after Abu Azmi was suspended from the House till the end of the Session.

The suspension came a day after Abu Azmi apologized for his remarks on Tuesday, stating that his words had been misinterpreted. In a video statement, Abu Azmi clarified that he was merely citing historical accounts and had no intention of disrespecting any revered figures.

However, soon after his apology, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the SP MLA would not be forgiven and “his statement will cost him”.

Thane: People from some suburbs in Maharashtra’s Thane district have demanded MEMU local train services on Nashik-Titwala and Pune-Ambernath sections, citing the need for a better rail connectivity.

Ambernath and Titwala are towns located in Thane district.

A delegation representing the residents recently submitted a memorandum their demand to railway authorities.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, a member of the delegation said the growing population and increasing commuter needs necessitate a direct train service in these regions.

They have supported their request with a report prepared by a railway official some years back on the technical feasibility of operating a 16-coach MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train on these routes.

In view of the technical and logistical concerns, the delegation member pointed out that Vande Bharat trains, which are wider than MEMU trains, operate safely in these Western Ghats section.