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Digvijaya to file nomination for Cong prez polls

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Congress leader Digvijaya Singh will file nomination for the post of the party president for which election is scheduled to be held on October 17.

He took his nomination form from the party’s Central Election Authority (CEA) earlier in the day.

Sources close to Singh on Wednesday said the decision to contest the polls is his personal one, adding that nobody from the Gandhi family asked him to do so.

The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister may file the nomination by September 30, which is the last date for nominations.

Congress’ initial plan was to field Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for the top party post, but the high-octane drama in Rajasthan has miffed the Gandhis. Gehlot is in Delhi and has met Mukul Wasnik, but the suspense over his candidature continues.

Sources in the know of things said, “Gehlot has not been ruled out from the race yet”.

Congress treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has taken a nomination form from the CEA. On his part, Bansal said he is only a proposer and not a candidate.

CEA chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Tuesday had said: “Till now, Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Bansal have taken nomination forms from the CEA.”

Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath whose name had also come up and had met Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi on Monday, said that he did not want to become the party chief, and wants to continue to work for the party in Madhya Pradesh.

The drama in Rajasthan has made the Congress leadership think about a ‘Plan B’ for the top party post for which Gehlot was being seen as a contender. However, the open defiance by his MLAs loyal to him brought him under a cloud.

National News

Mumbai Metro 3: Chaos At Churchgate As Aqua Line Faces Technical Snag On First Day Of Public Service.

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Mumbai: Mumbai’s newly inaugurated Metro Line 3, the city’s first fully underground metro corridor, ran into a technical snag on its very first day of public operations on Thursday, October 9. A brief malfunction in the entry-exit flap barriers at Churchgate station during the evening rush hour caused chaos among commuters, leading to temporary crowding and confusion.

A video of the incident, which quickly went viral, was shared on Instagram by journalist Faizaan Khan. The clip showed large crowds stuck at the station as the automated flap barriers jammed. Metro staff were seen assisting passengers manually, opening the barriers one by one to allow people to pass.

“Massive crowd at Churchgate metro station on day one. Commuters faced serious inconvenience as only a few entry–exit flap barriers were open. During evening peak hours, the crowd was so huge that metro officials had to manually open barriers to let people through,” Khan wrote in his post.

Despite the technical hiccup, the newly opened Phase 2B of the Aqua Line, stretching from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade, witnessed an overwhelming response from Mumbai residents. According to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the metro recorded an impressive ridership of 1,56,456 commuters on its first day on the entire stretch from Cuffe Parade to Aarey (JVLR).

Passenger numbers rose rapidly through the day, from 97,846 by 6 pm, to 1,18,286 by 7 pm and 1,46,087 by 9 pm, reflecting strong enthusiasm for the long-awaited underground service.

MMRC officials said Vidhan Bhavan station also experienced unusually high footfall during peak evening hours. To manage the crowd, one of the station’s seven entry gates was temporarily closed for about 10 minutes. “The situation was efficiently handled by our on-ground staff and security teams to ensure passenger safety,” an official said.

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 phase 2B from Worli to Cuffe Parade, inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, October 8, completes the Metro network connecting Aarey JVLR in the north to Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai, covering 33.5 km with 27 stations, 26 underground and one at grade. Trains operate daily between 5:55 am and 10:30 pm, with end-to-end travel taking under an hour.

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National News

Mumbai News: 2 Booked For Using Loudspeaker During Azaan In Mahim

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Mumbai: The Mumbai police have registered a first information report (FIR) against two persons after “azaan” was sounded using a loudspeaker at a mosque in the western suburbs, an official said on Friday.

Based on a complaint lodged by a police constable, a case has been registered against Shahnawaz Khan, a trustee of the mosque, and a muezzin who gave the call for “azaan” (early morning prayers) at a mosque in the Wanjewadi locality of Mahim, the official said.

He said the constable received a video showing the prayer call being given from a loudspeaker, and on enquiring, he didn’t receive a satisfactory response from the muezzin.

In January this year, the Bombay High Court directed the police to take prompt action against loudspeakers violating noise pollution norms and rules, noting that the use of loudspeakers is not considered an essential part of any religion.

The FIR has been registered under section 223 (disobeying the order of a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he added.

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Crime

Thane Residents Zakir Irani And Sonu Jadhav Get Five-Year Jail Term, ₹15.3 Lakh Fine For Chain Snatching

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Mumbai: The special MCOCA court on Thursday sentenced two Thane residents to five years’ imprisonment for chain snatching and operating a crime syndicate in a November 2020 incident. The MCOCA court imposed a fine of Rs15.3 lakh on each of the accused.

The court found Zakir Irani, 39, guilty of chain snatching and heading a crime syndicate involved in such crimes, along with Sonu Ananta Jadhav, alias Raj, 28.

According to the prosecution, the complainant was on a morning walk toward Goal Garden, Malad (East), on November 9, 2020, at around 6am. At around 6.10am, a blue-coloured motor scooter approached from behind, and the pillion rider attempted to snatch a gold chain from his neck. The complainant resisted, but the pillion rider inflicted a blow with a helmet on his head, causing him to lose his balance. The rider then snatched the chain.

The complainant claimed that two passersby helped him get up, but the assailants threatened to kill him by running him over. The complainant chased them and tried to note the bike’s license plate number, but two digits were missing. He later lodged a complaint with Dindoshi police station. The police acted quickly and, based on a confidential tip, arrested Irani on the same day. A month later, Jadhav was also arrested.

Public prosecutor Jaysingh Desai contended that Irani had four prior cases and was out on bail when he attacked the complainant in this case. It was also noted that Jadhav was a co-accused in some of these cases. Desai argued that Irani headed the syndicate.

The prosecution stated, “It clearly reflects that in each and every case, Zakir is the ma in accused and there are certain other associates like Gulam Hussain with Zakir in three cases…. In all cases, the modus operandi is the same: the accused target the victim’s neck to snatch a gold chain or mangalsutra.”

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