Mumbai: SIO has demanded strict action against the hooliganism of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad on offering prayers in Mumbai’s Kalyan College. Here, State Secretary SIO Aziz Ahmed said that
The incident that took place at Ideal College of Pharmacy and Research in Kalyan is highly condemnable and unacceptable, where hooligans belonging to Bajrang Dal entered the college campus, threatened and harassed Muslim students for offering prayers and even tried to make them sit in front of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This incident is a direct attack on religious freedom and the sanctity of the educational campus.

SIO strongly condemns this incident and expresses complete solidarity with the affected students. We demand that strict action be taken against the accused at the earliest, the college administration ensure the safety of the students and take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future.

We appeal to the entire student community to maintain religious harmony and remain united against such sectarian attitudes and demonstrate strong solidarity.

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested five accused, including uncle Momani, on charges of kidnapping a five-year-old girl. The gang had planned to kidnap and sell the girl. A case of kidnapping of a minor girl was registered on November 22 under the limits of Vakola police station. Several teams were formed in Zones 8 and 7. During the investigation, it was revealed that a suspicious rickshaw had gone to Panvel and returned. A man, a woman, a rickshaw driver and the girl were in the rickshaw between 2 and 3 am. The kidnappers were identified as the girl’s uncle Lawrence Niconelis Fernandes, 42, and his wife Momani, who is a Mangal degree, both of them had gone to Panvel by rickshaw and were going to sell the kidnapped girl. The kidnapped girl was recovered from the possession of their acquaintance Sans. The Sans gave details about the wanted accused during the investigation, after which Windra Dinesh Chavan, 60, and Anjali Ajit Korgaokar, 57, were arrested from New Panvel, Raigad. The kidnapped girl was sold for Rs 1,80,000 and Vrinda Chavan was taken into custody from her house and the girl was safely brought to Vakola. This operation was carried out by DCP Manish Kalwaniya on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and the girl was recovered safely. In this case, the police have arrested rickshaw driver Latif Abdul Majeed Sheikh, 52, a resident of Santa Cruz, Lawrence Nicholas Fernandes, 42, a laborer from Raigarh, Mangal Dagra Jadhav, 38, from Raigarh, Kiran Maruti Sons, 38, from Panvel, Vrinda Vanish Chavan, 60, from Raigarh and the investigation is underway.

Palghar: The Maharashtra government has initiated a major push toward strengthening economic prospects for women in rural and tribal regions, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that women’s economic empowerment remains the administration’s top priority.

On Monday, the Umed–Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission (MSRLM) under the Rural Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Raah Foundation to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for women across the state.

Fadnavis said the collaboration would play a crucial role in enhancing income-generation avenues for women in remote and tribal regions. “This MoU will significantly help in expanding livelihood opportunities for women by tapping into their inherent skills and local resources,” he said, highlighting ongoing efforts to create economic development pathways across rural Maharashtra.

The agreement aims to empower women in Palghar, Nashik, and Raigad districts—regions with a large tribal and rural population—by integrating climate-resilient practices, smart agriculture, water security initiatives, and nature-based livelihood programmes.

The partnership will combine the technical expertise of the Raah Foundation with Umed’s extensive network of Self-Help Groups (SHGs), enabling rural women to access training, resources, and market linkages.

Under the collaboration, two nursery development and bio-production centres will be set up in each of the three districts, expected to benefit more than 5,000 women and farmers. Additionally, a women-led Food Forest Project will be launched, with each participant expected to earn up to ₹1 lakh annually.

The initiative will also integrate multiple government schemes—including the Van Dhan Scheme, PMFME, NHM, and RSETI—to ensure women farmers receive support in the form of credit, insurance, training, and market access.

Officials said the collaboration aligns with Maharashtra’s Vision 2030, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and India’s National Climate Commitments (NDCs), positioning the project as a scalable model for women-led, sustainable economic growth.

The government expects the initiative to create measurable improvements in income, resilience, and financial autonomy for thousands of rural women—ushering in a transformative shift in livelihood opportunities across the state.