Mumbai, July 3: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts in Maharashtra, warning of moderate to intense spells of rainfall at isolated places over the next three hours. The weather office has advised residents to take necessary precautions as heavy rain continues to lash the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

According to the IMD’s nowcast warning, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Mumbai city and its suburbs during the day. Occasional gusty winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph are also expected.

Mumbai witnessed intense rainfall during the 24 hours between 8 a.m. on July 2 and 6 a.m. on July 3. According to data released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Mandvi Fire Station recorded the city’s highest rainfall at 150.2 mm. The continuous downpour has disrupted normal life across the financial capital, leading to widespread waterlogging and traffic congestion.

In the island city, Malabar Hill received 145.8 mm of rainfall, followed by the B Ward Office with 140.8 mm, Menonwada Fire Station with 140.2 mm, and the Municipal Head Office with 139.2 mm.

Among the western suburbs, Malpa Dongari Municipal School in Andheri recorded the highest rainfall at 136.6 mm. It was followed by the K East Ward Office with 134.6 mm, Versova Wastewater Treatment Facility and Lagoons with 129.4 mm, Versova Pumping Station with 128.8 mm, and Andheri Fire Station with 128.6 mm.

In the eastern suburbs, Paspoli Powai Municipal School recorded the highest rainfall at 124 mm, followed by Mankhurd Fire Station with 117.8 mm, the S Ward Office with 116.2 mm, and Gawanpada Fire Station with 115.6 mm.

The heavy rainfall has left several parts of Mumbai inundated, with major traffic corridors affected by severe waterlogging. Areas including Dadar East and Sion Gandhi Market witnessed significant flooding, causing hardship for commuters and disrupting normal daily activities.

A tree collapsed in Mumbai’s Santacruz area on Thursday afternoon, leaving eight people injured amid the heavy rains. Earlier in the day, the BMC received 91 complaints related to tree and branch falls, nine complaints of short circuits, and four complaints of partial house or wall collapses. No casualties were reported in the short-circuit or house collapse incidents.

The BMC said that average rainfall recorded between 8 a.m. on July 2 and 8 a.m. on July 3 stood at 126 mm in the island city, 110 mm in the eastern suburbs, and 114 mm in the western suburbs.

The IMD has also warned of high tide at 2:18 p.m. on Friday, with a tidal height of 4.28 metres, and has urged citizens to remain cautious in low-lying and flood-prone areas.

Pune, July 3: The prime accused in the Ketan Agarwal murder case, Siya Goyal, was caught on camera showing the middle finger at media personnel while being escorted by the police during the investigation into the sensational Pune fort murder case.

The video shared by media showed Siya being taken out of her residence in Pune’s Market Yard area by the police as part of the ongoing probe on Thursday. Dressed in a black T-shirt with a printed scarf covering her face, she briefly looked at the reporters gathered outside before raising her middle finger at the cameras.

The video quickly went viral, drawing sharp reactions from users online. Many criticised her conduct, with several describing the gesture as insensitive and inappropriate in view of the serious charges she faces.

According to the police, Siya Goyal and her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary, conspired to murder businessman Ketan Agarwal by pushing him into a gorge at Lohagad Fort near Pune on June 18. Initially, Siya reportedly told investigators that Ketan had accidentally slipped and fallen, leading the police to register an accidental death case.

However, investigators later became suspicious after allegedly noticing inconsistencies in her statements and behaviour during questioning. The probe subsequently uncovered evidence that led to the arrest of both Siya and Chetan on charges of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Police said Siya and Ketan’s families had fixed their marriage, with the wedding scheduled for November this year. Investigators allege that Chetan was unhappy with Siya’s engagement and considered Ketan an obstacle to their relationship, prompting the two to allegedly plan the murder.

According to the investigation, Siya had allegedly made an earlier attempt to kill Ketan on June 14 by pushing him from the fort. He survived after grabbing onto bushes along the cliffside. Police claimed that Siya then pretended to have spotted a snake to divert attention and reassure Ketan.

Investigators further alleged that she later persuaded Ketan to revisit the fort, where Chetan also arrived. The two are accused of pushing Ketan into the gorge from behind, resulting in his death.

Both accused are scheduled to be produced before the Vadgaon court, where the Pune Rural Police will seek an extension of their custody, while the defence is expected to seek judicial custody.

Mumbai, July 3: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) has launched a fierce attack on the current ruling dispensations at the Centre and in Maharashtra, saying that the peaceful and content nature of the state’s political culture has been completely eradicated, replaced by an “insatiable, ravenous greed for power”.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, sharply criticised legislators who are allegedly “selling themselves for Rs 50 crore” or defecting out of a lust for positions like the Deputy Chairperson’s post or Union Cabinet berths. “Breaking or buying such helpless and mentally weak individuals requires no bravery,” the editorial said.

It further stated, “The grotesque, victorious laughter of these leaders resembles that of Duryodhana. Just as Duryodhana and his gang laughed during the disrobing of Draupadi in the royal court, these leaders celebrate today. However, Lord Krishna appeared to protect Draupadi’s honour, and the subsequent Mahabharata wiped out the mocking laughter of Duryodhana’s clan. The current political mockery should be a matter of deep introspection for everyone.”

The editorial highlighted a distressing environment where genuine political workers, who enter public life to fight for the people’s causes, are being driven to despair. It claimed that under the current “Modi-style” governance, a narrative has been forced that social and development work can only happen under the shadow of the ruling party.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that if such a political atmosphere had existed 50 years ago, legendary social reformers and clean politicians would have been suffocated. “Great social workers like Baba Amte, Shivajirao Patwardhan, Dr Abhay Bang, Popatrao Pawar, and Dr Prakash Amte would have had their work halted unless they bowed to the BJP to get government funds. Highly principled legislators of the past — such as Madhu Dandavate, Barrister Nath Pai, Madhu Limaye, Pilu Modi, George Fernandes, Comrade Hiren Mukherjee, Ganpatrao Deshmukh, and Prof N.D. Patil — would have been coerced into joining the BJP’s fold,” it remarked.

According to the media, the current wave of engineered defections by the BJP and its “baseless” allies is distorted and disgusting, noting that even long-serving opposition leaders who were once content in their roles are being targeted.

The Thackeray camp targeted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, stating that both remain deeply unsatisfied — one anxious to protect his post and the other to please Delhi’s “Maharashtra-haters” by breaking opposition parties, respectively.

Addressing the recent defection of six Shiv Sena MPs and a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) to the Shinde faction, the Thackeray camp dismissed their justifications of “political compulsion”. It has accused them of sheer selfishness and betraying their parent party (“betraying the mother”) after enjoying all positions of power. It questioned what dignity these defectors hope to achieve, claiming they will ultimately live as mere “domestic helps” or “servants” to the rulers in Delhi.

The editorial concluded with a grim reminder that politics in Maharashtra has descended into absolute opportunism, where national ideology and regional pride have been bartered away for personal gain, leaving the state’s traditional peace and political morality completely shattered.