National News
Fadnavis applied ‘Gujarat snooping model’ in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Congress chief spokesperson Atul Londhe on Monday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis had introduced a ‘Gujarat brand’ of surveillance tactics in Maharashtra and demanded a through probe into the matter.
His demand came amid the backdrop of the FIR lodged on February 26 by the Pune police against former city Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla in the illegal phone-tapping case.
“IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is merely a pawn. The real culprits are those who guided her. Fadnavis was the state chief minister and he implemented the ‘Gujarat surveillance model’ in Maharashtra,” Londhe said here.
His comments also endorsed state party president Nana Patole’s demand on Sunday that the role of Fadnavis — who was handling the home portfolio during the relevant period — must be investigated in the illegal phone tapping case.
In a significant development on Saturday, the Bundgarden Police booked Shukla, currently Additional Director-General, CRPF, at Hyderabad, in the unauthorised phone-tapping case that rocked the state polity last year, leading to the resignation and subsequent arrest of former Nationalist Congress Party’s home minister Anil Deshmukh.
The FIR against Shukla followed a recommendation by a state government panel headed by ex-DGP Sanjay Pandey, invoking the Indian Telegraph Act, Section 26 and other laws for tapping phones of prominent opposition leaders between March 2016-July 2018.
Speaking to the media here, Londhe charged that the ‘Gujarat surveillance model’ — in which the government of the adjoining state allegedly snooped on people and overheard their private conversations — was introduced in Maharashtra by Fadnavis.
“After 2017, the phone numbers of Patole, Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress leaders, ministers, certain BJP leaders and their ministers, top bureaucrats and others were tapped illegally. The snooping was ostensibly to link them with drug dealers,” said Londhe.
Patole had raised the issue in the Assembly in the past and it finally culminated in the FIR against Shukla, who was the Additional DGP, Maharashtra State Intelligence Department (SID).
Although the case has been lodged against Shukla, what is pertinent is to unravel who ordered the phone-tapping, what was the purpose, whom did she hand over the records of the phone conversations, how did it reach Fadnavis after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government came to power in November 2019.
“There are many such questions, and the government should extend the probe to cover even Fadnavis which will reveal the real masterminds,” Londhe said.
Patole said that “Shukla would not have dared to indulge in illegal phone-tapping without the blessings of a senior government functionary” and it was imperative to investigate Fadnavis’ role and bring it in the public domain.
Referring to how his own phones were tapped and how he was given a fake identity, or having links with the drug mafia, Patole said these were intended to browbeat the opposition leaders and legislators at an opportune time.
“Phone-tapping can be done only with special permission to investigate serious matters like terror or narcotics, but our phone conversations were overheard despite us having not a remote connection to such crime,” Patole pointed out.
Referring to how the BJP at the Centre was allegedly using the Pegasus software for spying on ruling or opposition parties’ leaders, ministers, judiciary and the media, Patole said it is imperative to probe the role of Fadnavis completely in the Maharashtra phone-tapping case.
In March 2021, after Fadnavis raised a hue and cry over the phone-tapping issue, pointing to an alleged racket in the transfers-postings in the police department, the SID lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police.
Fadnavis’ contentions came after a Top Secret report submitted by Shukla to the then DGP Subodh Jaiswal on August 23, 2020, which he (Fadnavis) later followed up with the Centre demanding a CBI probe into the thriving transfers-promotions racket.
Crime
MMRDA declares airport-adjacent structure illegal; Kirit Somaiya demands immediate demolition

Mumbai, Sep 10: Tensions have escalated near Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (Terminal 2) after the Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) confirmed that a religious structure operating near the high-security zone lacks statutory planning permissions and is unauthorised.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirit Somaiya has alleged a deliberate attempt at unauthorised land occupation — characterising the structure as “Land Jihad” — and has pressed state authorities and site operators to initiate criminal action against the trustees and individuals responsible.
Following complaints regarding unauthorised construction near sensitive airport land, MMRDA verified that no official approvals, building sanctions, or permissions were ever granted for the religious structure.
MMRDA has issued formal notices to Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) directing the immediate removal and demolition of the unauthorised structure to ensure the perimeter remains clear.
Somaiya has formally requested both MMRDA and MIAL to go beyond physical clearance by registering a First Information Report (FIR) against the managing trustees and individuals associated with the illegal construction.
The controversy highlights ongoing scrutiny surrounding unauthorised encroachments adjacent to critical national infrastructure. Officials note that unregulated structures near VIP corridors, taxi parking lanes, and terminal facilities pose significant security hazards.
The matter aligns with previous judicial observations where courts have emphasised that public safety and secure zones near international hubs supersede unauthorised religious claims or structures erected without explicit administrative approvals.
Authorities from MIAL and local police departments are currently reviewing directives provided by MMRDA regarding execution steps and necessary security arrangements during the scheduled clearance drive.
Crime
Priyanka Gandhi office warns against her deepfake videos asking people to invest money

New Delhi, Sep 10: Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday urged people to stay cautious of misleading and fabricated videos allegedly featuring her and asked them not to fall prey to fraudulent and deceitful calls for investment in real estate projects or any other futuristic ventures.
Priyanka Gandhi’s office flagged the issue after her deepfake videos surfaced and were seen in circulation on multiple social media platforms.
It has urged the Congress leader’s followers and others to neither click on those posts nor give consent to any requests made in the AI-generated video.
Issuing a formal scam alert on Instagram, Priyanka Gandhi’s office warned the public against fake, AI-generated videos that have apparently used her face and voice to cheat the people and hoodwink them into fraudulent investments.
“Fake videos using AI-generated images and voice of Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra ji is circulating on WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms asking people to invest money,” Cong MP’s office informed on its Insta handle.
“These are scams. Please do not click or invest,” it further said.
The Congress MP also asked the people to block such posts at the first instance and also report them to the relevant authorities for suitable action.
Such scams using deepfake and AI-generated videos of famous personalities have mushroomed in the past few years, making many gullible investors prone to huge financial losses.
A deepfake video is made by using AI to simulate a person’s face and voice, making it a facsimile copy of the target.
The scammers distort and misuse the cutting-edge technology to generate misleading videos, featuring unauthorised images of prominent figures and then try to rob people of their money.
In the recent past, deepfake videos of industrialists like Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Reliance’s Mukesh Ambani also surfaced, where the online scammers and fraudsters used AI-doctored videos to lure citizens into fraudulent investment traps, leading to huge losses to investors.
National News
Jammu Municipal Corporation demolishes 20 shops in Satwati area

Jammu, Sep 10: Jammu Municipal Corporation officials on Thursday demolished 20 shops in Satwati area of the city even as the shopkeepers alleged that no prior notice was served to them.
Reports said the Jammu Municipal Corporation today demolished around 20 shops at Satwari Chowk, triggering anger among shopkeepers who alleged that the decades old commercial establishments were demolished without any prior information or notification.
The shops, according to the affected shopkeepers, had been operating at the location for around 50 years, with the occupants claiming that they had been regularly paying monthly rent to the municipal authorities.
Angry shopkeepers alleged that the demolition was carried out without giving them adequate notice or information, leaving them with little opportunity to remove their belongings or make alternative arrangements. The action comes against the backdrop of the long-pending issue of rehabilitation of shopkeepers affected by development works in the Satwari area.
The UT Cabinet had earlier approved a rehabilitation and resettlement scheme for shopkeepers and open-space kiosks affected by road widening at Nai Basti, Satwari Chowk.
A Jammu Municipal Corporation official, however, said that the affected shopkeepers would be relocated to another site within six months.
The assurance has failed to convince the affected traders, who said they had heard assurances of rehabilitation earlier as well, but continued to face uncertainty over their livelihood. The issue of rehabilitation of Satwari shopkeepers has been raised repeatedly by traders’ bodies.
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry has previously stated that affected shopkeepers had been paying rent to the municipal authorities and had sought alternate sites and rehabilitation.
Shopkeepers affected by the Jammu Municipal Corporation actions argue that relocation promises are uncertain and have demanded immediate financial compensation.
In June 2026, Jammu Development Authority (JDA) cleared over 30 illegal structures near the Jammu railway station, reclaiming state land valued at Rs 10 crore.
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