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Devendra Fadnavis should clarify his position on Maharashtra Vishwas Nagre Patil’s participation in RSS event, Congress demands inquiry

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Congress has demanded an inquiry into Vishwas Nagre Patil, who was appointed as Nagpur Commissioner from Mumbai Anti-Corruption Bureau, after a video of him reciting the homily of its founder Dr. Krishna Hegdewar and describing the RSS as a patriotic organisation, went viral.

The Congress has written on Twitter and Facebook that an IPS officer enters the service by taking an oath on the Indian Constitution and accepting the responsibility of treating all citizens equally. He does not identify with any religion, caste, party or ideology. He identifies only with the Constitution. However, after watching the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stage and Nangre Patil’s speech praising the Sangh, Hindutva and Dr. Hedgewar, a fundamental question arises: was he appointing as a constitutional post? Or was he representing a particular ideology? Now the question is not limited to Nangre Patil alone but is directly related to Maharashtra Home Minister and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Therefore, as Chief Minister/Home Minister, Fadnavis should give clear answers to some questions before the people of Maharashtra. As per Rule 13(2)(f)(iii) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, an IPS officer requires prior permission from the government to attend a private media video or similar event. Did Vishwas Nangre Patil take prior permission from the Maharashtra Home Department or the state government to attend this event? If so, under which rule was it given, will a copy of it be made public? If permission is not taken, will the government take action for violation of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968? Violation of Rule 3(1)?. The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 clearly states that an officer should not indulge in any conduct that is unbecoming of his post. It would be appropriate for a common citizen to go to the forum of a particular ideological organization and publicly praise that ideology. But is it appropriate for an IPS officer in the service? A police officer is a guardian of the law, not a propagator of ideology.

Political neutrality or political loyalty?
Rule 3(1A)(ii) clearly states that every member of the service shall maintain political neutrality. “Political neutrality is the soul of the IPS service. So the question is whether to go to the forum of the Sangh and praise the ideology of neutrality or to express public loyalty to a particular political ideology? If tomorrow a senior police officer goes to the forum of any other religious or political organisation and starts praising them in the same way, how will the public have faith in the administration? Is the Constitution supreme or the ideology of the Sangh?

Rule 3(2B)(ii) binds every officer to the supremacy of the Constitution. The Constitution does not belong to any one religion, caste or ideology. It belongs to all Indians. So is it constitutional neutrality for a constitutional officer to go to the forum of a particular ideological organisation and publicly praise it? Rule 3(2B)(vi): “Suspected of being influenced” This rule prevents an officer from being influenced by any organisation or person that may affect his official duties.

Today, millions of citizens of Maharashtra are asking that if an officer openly praises a particular ideological organization on a platform, who will guarantee that his decisions tomorrow will not be influenced by that ideology? This is the most serious question. Rule 5(1): says,

“No member of the service shall be associated with any organization participating in politics.” “No officer in the service shall be associated with any organization participating in politics.” This rule is not limited to membership alone. The word “with affiliation” has been used deliberately. Then, will going to the platform of the Sangh and openly praising it not be considered “association”? Today, the question is not of one person.

The question is of the credibility of the Indian administrative system.

The question is of the supremacy of the Constitution.

The question is of maintaining the dignity of the khaki uniform. Therefore, this matter should be investigated, the permits should be made public and the government should be clear whether there has been a violation of the rules in this. Because there is no person, institution, or ideology greater than the Constitution. When IPS officer and Nagpur Commissioner Vishwas Nagre Patil was contacted to know his stand on this matter, he did not receive the call. After this viral video, there has been a stir among IPS officers as most IPS officers are part of any event from time to time, in such a situation, will action be taken against these IPS officers too?

Crime

Fake social media account, Chat GPT used in Ketan Agarwal murder

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Pune, Sep 20: A fake account on social media platform Instagram, along with ChatGPT and murder films, was used by Siya Goyal and her co-accused in the alleged murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal, reveals the charge sheet filed by the police in the sensational case.

The 5,053-page charge sheet, filed on Saturday, detailed the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in Pune in June, NDTV reported.

Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the fort on June 18 by his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was assisted by her purported lover Chetan Chaudhary, and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange. All three have been arrested by the police.

According to the charge sheet, the accused had initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and even explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the hired assailant could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators have mentioned that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness, the media report said.

As per the charge sheet, the accused subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.

Goyal and her co-accused also researched last year’s Meghalaya honeymoon murder case where Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple’s honeymoon in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.

Moreover, investigators stated that a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’ was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused in order to “lure” Agarwal to the fort.

Subsequently, messages from the account encouraged the victim to visit the spot on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan for Goyal.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

Further, the charge sheet also revealed that the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said that Lohagad was eventually selected because of a death at the fort in March last year. The accused thought they could make Agarwal’s death appear like an accidental fall at the spot.

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Crime

Stall operator booked after two die of electrocution in Mumbai Lalbaug Ganesh pandal

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Mumbai, Sep 20: An FIR has been filed following a tragic electrocution incident near a Ganesh festival pandal in Mumbai Lalbaug area early on Sunday, which resulted in the deaths of two people, including an 8-year-old girl.

Two people, including an eight-year-old girl, died and four others were seriously injured after receiving electric shocks from a loose wire at a Pepsi-Cola stall near Aastha Hospital on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki, Mumbai, early Sunday.

Police have registered an FIR against nearby stall operator Kamal Shetty under Sections 106(1) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging negligence, and have begun an investigation.

According to information from the fire brigade, the incident occurred at around 2 a.m. on Sunday when devotees were present near the pandal.

Two boys and three girls, aged between 8 and 20, reportedly came into contact with the electrical current and suffered burn injuries.

Following the incident, all five victims were rushed to Masina Hospital in Byculla for treatment. Doctors declared the 8-year-old girl Raghni Ghanshyam Yadav dead upon arrival.

Meanwhile, a second victim, a woman who was admitted to Global Hospital in Parel, later succumbed to her injuries. Her identity was yet to be ascertained.

Kiran Akbar Naik, 19, Tanvi Narsh Hande, 19, Sahil Sandip Tare, 19, and Ruhi Singh, 12, were undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the incident.

Among the injured, one girl was reportedly in critical condition and was shifted to Global Hospital in Parel for further treatment. The remaining three injured victims are undergoing treatment at Masina Hospital and have been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), where their condition remains serious.

According to the FIR filed at Kalachowki Police Station, the wire allegedly came into contact with the girl, Raghni, and others nearby.

The girl was declared dead at Masina Hospital, while another woman, identified as 33-year-old Sujata Thorati, died at Global Hospital. Four injured persons were admitted for treatment.

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Maharashtra

17-year-old among three killed in Mumbai high-end car accident (Lead)

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Mumbai, Sep 20: A 17-year-old was among the three people who were killed in a serious accident involving a high-end car on the Mumbai Coastal Road early on Sunday, officials said.

Another person is critically injured and is currently receiving treatment.

According to information received from the Coastal Road Control Room, the accident occurred at around 5.20 a.m. near Lotus Jetty, opposite Lala College.

The car was travelling from Marine Drive towards Haji Ali when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.

The speeding vehicle crashed onto the Coastal Road and hit a boundary wall. It fell off the bridge into an area where construction work was underway.

The severity of the accident was evident from the extent of the damage to the car.

The vehicle tore off through the signboard hanging from the bridge. The roof of the car was pushed inwards, the windshield was shattered, and the bonnet was completely destroyed.

Following the accident, all four occupants of the car were rushed to Nair Hospital, where emergency medical teams assessed their condition.

According to an update issued by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Nair Hospital at around 8.40 a.m., three of the occupants were declared brought dead by doctors.

Two of the deceased have been identified as 21-year-old Shanay Gajjal and 17-year-old Dhirya Seth. The identity of the third deceased is yet to be ascertained.

The injured has been identified as 23-year-old Aditya Oswal.

Speaking about the incident to media, Senior Police Inspector Meena Jagtap said: “At around 5:20 a.m., a black BMW was travelling from Marine Drive towards Haji Ali in the northbound direction when it fell from the Coastal Road. There were four people in the car. Three people died, while Aditya is currently at Nair Hospital.”

She said that it is yet to be ascertained whether the occupants of the car were in an intoxicated state when the accident occurred.

Police are investigating the case.

Further details are awaited.

On September 3, several people were booked after Mumbai Police took cognisance of a viral video showing luxury and high-performance cars speeding and racing dangerously inside the Marine Drive-Southbound Coastal Road tunnel.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, three people were critically injured after a speeding off-road SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) hit them near PKC Hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

The driver fled the spot after the crash instead of helping the injured.

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