Mumbai: A disturbing incident of communal harassment and criminal intimidation has come to light at a D-Mart outlet in the Yashwant Nagar area of Virar, which is an hour’s drive away from Mumbai. A local Muslim woman, a resident of Nalasopara West, has alleged that she was barred from entry and threatened with rape because she was wearing a hijab.

According to the victim’s testimony in a viral video, the confrontation began when she was shopping at the retail chain. She alleges that individuals at the store made derogatory remarks about her attire, telling her to ‘stay back’ because she is a Muslim.

The situation escalated when a group of men reportedly threatened her with sexual assault, stating, “You are Muslims, get out, we will rape you”. The victim expressed deep distress over the encounter, noting that the verbal abuse was specifically tied to her religious identity and her choice to wear the hijab.

The victim reported major issues when she first attempted to seek justice. She stated that she remained at the police station until 12:30 am on the night of the incident, but no First Information Report (FIR) was registered at that time.

Following the delay, the victim released a video documenting her ordeal, which quickly went viral on social media platforms like. The video caught the attention of social activist Ahmed Memon, who accompanied the victim back to the police station to ensure legal action was taken.

Memon confirmed that after discussions with the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the Senior Police Inspector (PI), the authorities have now formally accepted the complaint and an application for further legal action has been filed.

In the wake of the public outcry and the intervention by local activists, the management of the Virar D-Mart has reportedly tendered an apology to the victim for the incident. Ahmed Memon has called for communal harmony and urged the community to stand together against such discrimination, while the police have assured a thorough inquiry into the conduct of the store’s staff and the individuals involved.

Mumbai, Jan 5: The Indian benchmark indices traded flat with a mild negative bias on Monday over losses in IT stocks and the latest US-Venezuela tensions.

Even as Indian companies showed signs of improving quarterly earnings, optimism was blunted by caution over the implications of US military action in Venezuela.

As of 9.30 am, Sensex eased 62 points, or 0.07 per cent to 85,699 and Nifty gained 9 points, or 0.03 per cent to 26,319.

Main broad-cap indices performed almost in line with benchmark indices, with the Nifty Midcap 100 unchanged, while the Nifty Smallcap 100 gained 0.36 per cent.

ONGC and SBI were among major gainers on the Nifty. Among sectoral gainers, Nifty IT was the major loser, down 1.41 per cent. In Nifty media, metal and PSU sectors were the major gainers up 0.84 per cent, up 0.70 per cent and 0.79 per cent, respectively.

Immediate support lies at 26,150–26,200 zone, and resistance placed at 26,450–26,500 zone, market watchers said.

Analysts said that major geopolitical events at the start of 2026 could have serious consequences and could affect the market.

The US action in Venezuela could destabilise global geopolitics. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to continue, Iranian protests may worsen and the Iranian regime may react in light of US President Donald Trump’s threat of intervention, and China may use the opportunity to annex Taiwan, they said.

A positive for India from the Venezuelan crisis would be medium to long-term bearish impact for crude, they said.

The market may remain resilient in the short term due to its all-time high and bullish momentum. The Bank Nifty is strong due to strong credit growth, they said, adding that Q3 banking and financial results would be impressive.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index added 1.07 per cent, and Shenzhen gained 1.87 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei added 2.557 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index eased 0.12 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi advanced 2.87 per cent.

The US markets were mostly in the green zone on the last trading day even as Nasdaq lost 0.03 per cent. The S&P 500 gained 0.19 per cent, and the Dow moved up 0.66 per cent.

On January 2, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought equities worth Rs 290 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 677 crore.

Mumbai: residents woke up to what appeared to be an ideal winter morning on Monday, with clear blue skies, cool temperatures and light winds offering a welcome break from the city’s usual humidity. The pleasant start, however, proved to be short-lived as a thin layer of smog soon engulfed several parts of the city, sharply reducing visibility and once again drawing attention to Mumbai’s worsening air quality.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast generally comfortable weather conditions for the day, with minimum temperatures hovering around 20°C and maximum temperatures expected to touch 32°C. While the temperature range remained favourable, deteriorating air quality quickly overshadowed the brief spell of winter-like comfort.

According to data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 264 during the early hours of the day. This placed the city in the ‘unhealthy’ category. The sharp rise in pollution levels has raised concerns, especially since Mumbai had experienced relatively improved air quality for a few days last week, offering residents some temporary relief.

Dust and fine particulate matter are seen as the primary contributors to the worsening air conditions. Extensive construction activity across the city continues to be a major source of pollution. Large-scale infrastructure projects, including multiple metro rail corridors, flyover construction, coastal road work, road widening initiatives and numerous private real estate developments, are majorly increasing dust levels and adding to Mumbai’s pollution burden.

Several areas emerged as major pollution hotspots, recording alarmingly high AQI levels. Chembur reported an AQI of 345, placing it in the ‘severe’ category and posing serious health risks even for healthy individuals. Other areas such as the Wadala Truck Terminal and Deonar followed closely, with AQI readings of 335 and 322 respectively. In the western suburbs, Versova recorded an AQI of 325, while Juhu reported 312, both indicating severe air pollution.

Some suburban areas fared slightly better, though air quality remained far from ideal. Bandra East recorded an AQI of 103, and Charkop stood at 113, categorised as ‘poor’. Jogeshwari East reported an AQI of 130, Kandivali East 137, and Govandi 170, suggesting that unhealthy air conditions persist across many residential areas.

As per standard air quality classifications, AQI values between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 200 ‘poor’, 201 to 300 ‘unhealthy’, and levels above 300 are classified as ‘severe’ or ‘hazardous’.