Maharashtra
IIT-Bombay student death: Raj Thackeray warns against diluting core issues with caste politics
Mumbai, Sep 23: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, on Wednesday, while expressing profound sorrow over the tragic death of 20-year-old Sahil Wakode, criticised the growing tendency to frame every tragedy through the lens of caste and religion. He warned that such polarisation distracts from the deep-seated flaws in India’s education system.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, committed suicide on September 18.
Thackeray, in his long post on X, emphasised that while invigilators must uphold rules during exams, branding a deceased student as a wrongdoer before an official inquiry is complete is unfair. Equally, he noted, declaring faculty members guilty solely on the basis of unverified allegations undermines due process.
Pointing to a trend since 2000, Thackeray observed that caste consciousness has seeped into classrooms and workplaces across Maharashtra. He lamented that even premier institutions — once hailed by Jawaharlal Nehru as the “temples of modern India” — have become the centres of divisive caste narratives.
The MNS chief highlighted the immense, cutthroat pressure students face — from hyper-competitive entrance exams to gruelling academic workloads and dwindling campus placement guarantees. He argued that this environment of pervasive despair spans across engineering, commerce, arts, and medical fields.
Addressing the student community, Thackeray urged youth leaders and student movements not to allow genuine systemic reform efforts to be derailed by identity politics. He noted that political entities often deploy caste and religion as convenient tools to deflect accountability from structural policy failures.
“The issue is not about which specific government is in power. Over the past 30 to 40 years, in the pursuit of commercializing education, we have caused immense damage to the entire Indian education system; radical changes are needed to address this. Just as it seemed that the recent ‘Gen Z’ movement was marking the beginning of such a shift, this new incident has emerged. I urge the students to remember that your movement garnered nationwide support because it focused on finding solutions to systemic flaws. Your movement must continue along this same path. If it does, the government will be compelled to answer difficult questions and take concrete action,” said Thackeray.
He further noted, “Does the government intend to do so? If yes, that is excellent; if not, they always have the potent weapons of caste and religion at their disposal.
Thackeray argued that once the issues of caste and religion are introduced, it becomes easy to derail the conversation. “Do not get drawn into such distractions,” he advised.
Thackeray called for an urgent, structural overhaul in higher education rather than short-term political posturing. He urged youth movements to stay focused on demanding systemic accountability, mental health infrastructure, and fair academic practices from the government, ensuring that the fundamental struggle for educational reform is not lost to identity-based divisions.
Maharashtra
Man steals gold chain from Mumbai jewellery shop posing as customer, arrested in Delhi; stolen item recovered.

On November 15, 2025, within the jurisdiction of the Kandivali Police Station, an unidentified individual entered ‘Padmavati Jewellers’—located on Mathuradas Road, Kandivali West, Mumbai—posing as a customer. Under the pretext of trying on a gold chain weighing 43.2 grams, the individual took the item, stepped out of the shop, and fled. The complainant, 50-year-old Priti Deepak Sakariya, filed a report. A case was registered at the Kandivali Police Station (Case No. 878/2025) under Section 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the investigation, the investigating officer, Sandeep Gorde, and his team examined CCTV footage from the scene and the surrounding area. They managed to obtain the Aadhaar card details and mobile number of the suspect who had entered the shop. Although the mobile number was found to be inactive and there was no initial information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts, the team utilized technical investigation methods to track him down. He was subsequently taken into custody in the Uttam Nagar area of New Delhi. During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had hidden the stolen gold chain at his home; the item was subsequently recovered. The accused is currently in police custody. Investigations are ongoing to determine if he has committed similar offenses in the past. The arrested accused is Satish Kumar Krishan Prasad Keshari, aged 42, with no specified occupation, residing at RZB-17, Mahendra Park, Uttam Nagar, Dwarka District, New Delhi. The police are conducting further investigation into the matter. The case was investigated under the instructions of DCP Sandeep Ghuge.
Maharashtra
Objection Even to the Birth of Muslim Children? Political Controversy Over Somaiya’s Remarks, Demand for a Population Control Committee.

Mumbai : BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has raised objections regarding the birth rate of Muslim children in Mumbai. Expressing concern over these figures, he claimed that by 2051, the Muslim population could surpass that of the majority community—the Hindus. On the platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Somaiya stated that for every three Hindu children born, two Muslim children are born. He noted that over the past five years, 336,525 Hindu children and 220,754 Muslim children were born in Mumbai. Somaiya further stated that he has requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to establish a ‘Demographic Balance Committee’ to prevent Mumbai from becoming a “Muslim Mumbai.” In his tweet, he also alleged a conspiracy to transform Mumbai into a “Muslim Mumbai” and, citing deep concern over the birth rate of Muslim children, urged the Chief Minister to form a committee to implement population control measures.
Maharashtra
Major Gadchiroli Police Operation Against Maoists, Hidden Explosives Recovered

The Maoist ideology has now been eradicated from the Gadchiroli district, and its residents are finally free from the terror that once loomed over them. In the past, Maoists would use various weapons and explosive materials to threaten security forces and carry out subversive activities. Taking advantage of remote, forest-covered areas situated along state borders, they would prepare these materials and bury them underground in secret locations. Their objective was to use these stockpiles to launch attacks on security forces during specific periods—such as ‘Naxal weeks’—or throughout the electoral process. Taking decisive action against this threat, the Gadchiroli Police successfully recovered these hidden materials on November 4, 2026.
According to details, the Gadchiroli Police received intelligence that Maoists had concealed explosives in the forest area of ’Tavve,’ which falls under the jurisdiction of the Garapatti Police Station. Acting on this information, and under the guidance of Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) M. Ramesh, a search operation was launched on November 4, 2026. The operation involved four units from the ‘Special Operation Squad’ (covering Gadchiroli and Pranhita) and two teams from the ‘Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad’ (BDDS). During a search operation conducted by the ‘Special Operation Squad’ (SOS) and the ‘Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad’ (BDDS) in a forested area, the following items were recovered from the site: 1) 11 pressure cookers (intended for use as improvised explosive devices), 2) 3 bundles (100 feet) of Cordtex wire, 3) 3 kilograms of gunpowder, 4) 4 detonators, 5) a 12-volt battery, 6) 250 grams of pyrotechnic powder (used in fireworks), 7) 4 steel containers, 8) 8 bundles of wire, 9) a solar panel, along with other materials linked to Maoist activities.
The operation was successfully executed under the guidance and instructions of Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) M. Ramesh. It was carried out under the supervision of Additional SP (Operations) Kartik Madhera, Additional SP Shri Gokul Raj G., Additional SP Aheri (Pranhita) Harshvardhan B.J., and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Operations) Sunil Oike. Personnel from the ‘Special Operation Squad’ (Gadchiroli and Pranhita), the Intelligence Cell, and the ‘Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad’ (BDDS) participated in the operation. Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police M. Ramesh has commended the personnel who took part in the operation.
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