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Maharashtra

Is Sanjay Raut causing more harm than good to Uddhav Thackeray?

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Mumbai: If there is near a consensus within Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, it is that party MP Sanjay Raut, 61, has caused huge damage to the organisation by his highly controversial statements.

Recently, Raut claimed, without providing any evidence, that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s son and MP Shrikant Shinde had hired a goon of Thane to eliminate him. In the past, he had made even more outlandish statements that caused incalculable damage to the party.

Raut’s controversial statements

After the COVID pandemic, Raut alleged that most of the doctors and nurses had abandoned their responsibility and fled from the hospitals. This evoked howls of protests from the medical fraternity, after which Uddhav was forced to undertake damage control.

In January 2020, Raut, who is the executive editor of the party mouthpiece Saamana, claimed that Indira Gandhi used to regularly call on the late drug lord Karim Lala at Pydhonie in central Mumbai. It is a different matter that Karim Lala operated out of Dongri and not Pydhonie. The Congress was understandably furious over this bizarre claim and slammed Raut. The MP, most recently, alleged that Rs2,000 crore had changed hands to get Shinde’s faction recognised as the Shiv Sena along with the bow and arrow symbol. Raut promised to produce evidence and as usual failed to proffer any.

Many supporters of Uddhav Thackeray say that their leader is paying a heavy political price by not taking action against Raut despite the huge damage he continues to inflict. The only thing Uddhav has done is not promote Raut as the editor of Saamana. Instead, he has appointed his wife Rashmi Thackeray as the editor, while Raut continues to be the executive editor.

Sources: Raut is useful to Uddhav as a conduit between him & NCP chief

According to sources close to Uddhav, Raut is useful to him as a conduit between him and NCP chief Sharad Pawar. Though there is a perception that Raut is being used by Pawar to influence Uddhav, Raut’s proximity to Pawar can be gauged from the fact that when the MP was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the infamous Patrawala chawl multi-crore scam, the Maratha honcho personally called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his intervention in taking Raut out of the hook. Incidentally, Pawar did no such thing for his own partyman Nawab Malik who, too, was arrested by the ED.

It is not that Uddhav has always obliged Raut. For example, when Raut insisted that his brother and MLA from Bhandup, Sunil Raut, should be made a minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which was helmed by Uddhav, the latter put his foot down and refused a ministerial berth for Sunil.

Raut’s career

Sanjay Raut started his career in Saamana as a journalist. When Bal Thackeray decided to publish a Hindi tabloid ‘Dopahar Ka Saamana’, Raut recommended Sanjay Nirupam as the editor. Thackeray Senior was so impressed with Nirupam’s aggressive propagation of the Hindutva line that he made him a member of the Rajya Sabha much to the chagrin of Raut.

Raut won over the confidence of Balasaheb by carrying a series called ‘Marathon Mulaquats’ or Marathon Interviews of the Sena founder. These interviews revealed Balasaheb’s thoughts on a host of issues and they were picked up by other newspapers and TV channels.

Balasaheb then decided to reward Raut by sending him to the Rajya Sabha. It is learnt that Raut does not share the same chemistry with Aaditya Thackeray as with Uddhav. “Given the widespread nature of resentment against Sanjay Raut within our party, I won’t be in the least surprised if he is politically downsized in the near future,” a top Sena source observed.

Crime

Palghar Crime: Group Brutally Assaults 24-Year-Old Man Near Moregaon Talao In Nalasopara; Attempt-To-Murder Case Registered

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Palghar, Maharashtra: Police have registered a case of attempt to murder after a 24-year-old man was brutally assaulted late Saturday night near Moregaon Talao in Nalasopara (East).

FIR Details and Identity of Victim

According to the FIR lodged at Tulinj Police Station, the victim, identified as Pratik Prasad Waghe (24), was attacked around 11:30–11:50 p.m. on August 23 by a group of men following a dispute related to a woman.

The complainant, Pritam Dike (34), a relative of the victim, told police that the accused, identified as Bhushan Patil, Sanket Patil, Swarup Meher, and 4–5 unidentified men, cornered Waghe near the Vasai-Virar Municipal Hospital, and assaulted him with fists and blows aimed at his head. The attackers also abused him and allegedly tried to kill him during the assault.

Two Arrested, Hunt for Others Continues

Police have arrested Bhushan Patil and Sanket Patil, while the search is on for the remaining accused. The case has been registered under sections 109, 189(1), 189(2), 191(2), 190 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

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Crime

Palghar News: Chemistry Teacher Arrested Under POCSO For Sexual Assaulting Teen Student In Nallasopara

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Palghar: Another shocking incident of a teacher sexually assaulting a teen student has come forward from Palghar. Authorities have taken a teacher into custody for supposedly assaulting a 16-year-old female student at a private tutoring centre in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, an official stated on Monday.

As per the victim’s report, the 42-year-old suspect, a Chemistry instructor at the coaching centre in the Nalla Sopara region, summoned her for an additional class on Saturday afternoon and took her to his office at the facility, where he purportedly assaulted her, the official stated, as reported by PTI.

The following day, the instructor tried to photograph the victim in class, but she evaded it, stated the official from Nalla Sopara police station. Her parents soon reached the class, seized the accused, and delivered him to the police. The victim claimed that the accused had previously made advances toward her as well, PTI reported.

According to the complaint, the suspect was apprehended on Sunday and charged under section 74 (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with the intention to insult her modesty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with clauses of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police reported.

Another Incident

A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped multiple times by five individuals over three months in central Mumbai. Police arrested a 25-year-old man and detained four juveniles related to the case. The situation came to light when the girlfriend of one accused confronted the victim.

After her parents checked her phone and discovered videos and messages about the relationship, they reported the matter to the police. A case was filed against the accused under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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Maharashtra

Vasai-Virar News: Three GRP Constables Suspended For Extorting ₹5,000 From Passenger

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Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) suspended three police personnel on August 1 on charges of extortion passenger at Vasai Road Railway Station on June 6.

About The Suspension

The suspended personnel, who were on duty at the station, allegedly extorted Rs.5,000 from a woman passenger. They had initially demanded Rs.15,000 as a penalty for merely standing and talking on the foot overbridge. The suspended constables have been identified as Milind Satav, Sachin Valve, and Kiran Aavle.

According to the suspension letter, on the evening of June 13, the victim, Ashwin Prabhu, and his female friend were standing and conversing on the Foot Overbridge (FOB) at Vasai Road station. Despite no misconduct or unlawful activity on their part, they were approached by constables Milind Satav and Sachin Valve. The constables allegedly seized Prabhu’s mobile phone and took both individuals to the railway police chawki (a room within the Vasai Road railway station premises used by the Railway Police).

There are no CCTV cameras installed inside this police chawki. While in illegal detention, the personnel allegedly demanded a penalty of Rs.15,000 for standing and talking on the Foot Overbridge. Eventually, constable Kiran Aavle facilitated an online payment of Rs.5,000 via a scanner belonging to a money transfer agent outside Vasai Road station. The amount was extorted without issuing any official receipt or citing any legal provision under which the penalty was being imposed.

Following a formal complaint filed by Ashwin Prabhu, a departmental inquiry was conducted by the GRP authorities. The investigation found the allegations credible. Consequently, the three GRP personnel posted at Vasai Road Railway Station were suspended, as per the suspension order dated August 1. There is a possibility that other passengers may also have been subjected to similar extortion, though such cases remain unreported.

Railway commuter organisations have demanded the immediate installation of CCTV cameras in every room used by GRP personnel at all railway stations and terminals under the Mumbai Division, whether officially sanctioned or informally arranged. They also urged Indian Railways to implement similar surveillance and accountability measures across stations nationwide to deter harassment and victimisation of passengers. Such preventive steps, they said, are essential to restoring public trust and ensuring accountability within law enforcement units operating in public transport systems.

Social Worker, Sameer Zaveri’s Statement

Sameer Zaveri, a train accident victim and social worker, stated, “Incidents indicate usual modus operandi involves taking passengers by railway police into rooms where no CCTV coverage exists, and extorting money under threats of criminal prosecution. Such incidents bring a grave disrepute to the police force and destroy public trust. To prevent this menace, urgent measures are needed. Mandatory use of body cameras by all police personnel on duty at railway stations. Immediate dismissal from service of police personnel found guilty of extortion as well as departmental action against those in supervisory roles for failure to do prevention of such incidents time and again occurred. The public deserves protection, not harassment. It is time for accountability and strict action.”

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