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Maharashtra

Devotion row: Maha govt mandates Ramtek Ram devotee oath for temple trustees, Oppn questions

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Mumbai, July 10: The Maharashtra government on Friday passed a Bill to reconstitute the trust governing the historic Ram temple at Ramtek, drawing sharp rebukes from Opposition leaders who question the legality and logic of legislating religious devotion.

The legislative move comes on the heels of a separate controversy surrounding the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust in Ayodhya. Rocked by an alleged Rs 1,400-crore donation theft row, the Ayodhya trust recently began searching for its first CEO, stipulating that “Ram ke prati shraddha ka bhav” (devotion to Lord Ram) is the foremost prerequisite for the role.

However, while Ayodhya’s search committee treats this as an internal hiring preference, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government has taken it a step further by making a declaration of faith a statutory legal requirement.

Located roughly 50 km from Nagpur, Ramtek holds immense religious significance. Local tradition holds that Lord Ram stayed there during his 14-year exile, and the site attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually for festivals such as Ram Navami and Kartik Purnima.

The new Bill seeks to revamp the administration of the Bhosala Devasthan at Ramtek, an ancient temple complex currently overseen by a court-appointed Sub-Divisional Officer. Under the new law, any prospective member of the trust’s management committee must submit a formal declaration affirming they are a “devotee of Shri Ram of Ramtek.”

The newly constituted board will feature government-appointed office-bearers alongside ex officio members, including the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and the president of the Ramtek Municipal Council. Trustees will be entitled to an honorarium, travel allowances, and daily allowances funded directly by the temple’s management reserves.

The mandate sparked intense debate on the assembly floor, with Opposition MLAs cutting straight to the clause’s theological and practical absurdities. NCP SP MLA Jayant Patil asked how anyone could be a devotee of Lord Ram from a particular area and whether the government was dividing devotees of Lord Ram.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai questioned the enforceability of the mandate, asking what the affidavit meant and whether the government had a mechanism to cross-check its authenticity.

Beyond the spiritual metrics, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar took aim at the Bill’s financial provisions, invoking the recent financial shadow over Ayodhya. Wadettiwar noted that a total theft of Rs 1,400 crore was reported in Ayodhya.

He questioned why political leaders were being placed on the trust and why trustees should be paid allowances for serving Lord Ram.

The Bill was introduced by Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal, who represents the Ramtek Assembly constituency.

Jaiswal defended the legislation as a necessary step toward transparency, arguing that the temple’s expanding activities, growing financial footprint, and substantial properties require modernised, efficient administration.

However, Minister Jaiswal’s dual role sparked immediate pushback. NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad publicly questioned whether a clear conflict of interest existed, given that Jaiswal introduced a piece of legislation under which he would automatically secure a seat as an ex officio trustee.

Minister Jaiswal did not respond to the conflict-of-interest allegations or to the Opposition’s questions regarding the verification of the devotion affidavit.

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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