Mumbai, Oct 10: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Centre, accusing it of driving Indian democracy to its grave.

The Thackeray camp in the party mouthpiece Saamana editorial commented on the intensifying political showdown surrounding CEC Gyanesh Kumar and widespread opposition protests demanding his resignation.

The editorial highlighted that Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s aggressive campaign against CEC Gyanesh Kumar — triggered by allegations of electoral manipulation — has sent shockwaves through the ruling BJP.

It asserted that instead of addressing accusations of systemic electoral irregularities, the ruling establishment is shielding the election chief at all costs, calling protection of such actions a “betrayal of the nation”.

Condemning the handling of recent demonstrations, the editorial pointed out a glaring double standard by the administration. “While opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were dragged, manhandled, and bundled into police vehicles during peaceful protests at Jantar Mantar, BJP Mahila Morcha activists staging abrasive demonstrations outside the Congress headquarters were granted absolute immunity by the Home Ministry,” alleged the editorial.

The Thackeray camp claimed the government planned to deploy around two lakh armed members of Bajrang Dal at Jantar Mantar to crush the opposition’s youth-led “cockroach” movement.

It argued that relying on political gangs and “private armies” to violently suppress lawful public dissent invites absolute anarchy and civil unrest.

Detailing ongoing administrative blocks, the editorial noted that Delhi Police denied formal permissions for protests, long-distance trains heading toward Delhi were canceled en route, and young demonstrators traveling to participate were intercepted and arrested.

Citing remarks from senior BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi regarding Abraham Lincoln’s democratic principles — which emphasise free elections, transparent bureaucracy, and responsible governance — the editorial lamented that none of these tenets survive under the current dispensation, where constitutional bodies face institutional capture.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said the current political climate surpasses authoritarian levels, with the ruling administration allegedly willing to break opposition resolve through physical intimidation rather than political accountability.

As opposition parties rally and tensions and friction between state machinery and protestors peak, it warned that public discontent against the erosion of democratic frameworks has reached a critical threshold.

Mumbai, Oct 9: The ED arrested two accused in fresh action against a trans-national organised narcotics trafficking syndicate operated by fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Salim Ismail Dola and his associates, an official said on Friday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, arrested Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde and Brijesh Kanjibhai Moradiya under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED investigation was initiated based on multiple FIRs registered by various law enforcement agencies in Mumbai against Salim Dola and others for offences relating to illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The investigation conducted so far has revealed the existence of a highly organised trans-national criminal network engaged in procurement of precursor chemicals, clandestine manufacture of Mephedrone (MD), interstate transportation and distribution of narcotic drugs, international trafficking of narcotic substances, collection and layering of proceeds of crime through hawala channels, and acquisition of movable and immovable assets in the names of associates and other persons, the ED said in a statement.

Investigation revealed that Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde was involved in the illegal clandestine manufacturing of MD and in activities connected with generation, handling, possession, utilisation and movement of proceeds derived from illicit sale of the said narcotic substance, the ED said.

Investigation has further revealed that the illicit proceeds were used to acquire immovable properties and other assets in the names of persons closely associated with him, it said.

The investigation also revealed that Brijesh Moradiya was involved in arranging the procurement and supply of the precursor chemical used for the illicit manufacture of MD.

The cash received from Salim Dola through the Angadiya channel for procuring the precursor chemical was deposited and routed through multiple third-party/family accounts and entities controlled/arranged by him and his associates, then transferred through the banking channel to various chemical companies/entities, thereby facilitating procurement of the precursor chemical.

Simultaneously, amounts involved in these transactions were received by Brijesh Moradiya and his associates/family accounts in the guise of commission from the sale of the chemical and the same were thereafter further transferred, layered and utilised.

The ED had earlier conducted search operations at 21 locations across Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar and Rajkot on June 2, 2026 and June 3, 2026 in this case and had covered the entire spectrum of the organised narcotics network of Salim Dola targeting end-to-end nodes of the syndicate including precursor chemical suppliers, chemical traders, manufacturers/distributors of the synthetic narcotic drug Mephedrone (MD), Hawala Operators and persons holding benami properties worth crores of rupees acquired from proceeds generated through the organised drug syndicate.

The searches resulted in the seizure and freezing of cash, foreign currency, gold bars, and bank balances valued at Rs 1.33 crore (approx.), along with $2,200. Additionally, documents relating to immovable properties worth several crores of rupees located in India and Dubai were recovered, indicating substantial investments made from the proceeds of the organised drug syndicate, the statement said.

Mumbai, Oct 9: Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, on Friday delivered a scathing rebuttal to the Congress party as high-octane protests led by Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi against the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process brought central Delhi to a standstill.

Taking to social media, CM Fadnavis released archival parliamentary footage of former Union Law Minister Kapil Sibal speaking in official support of the SIR framework during the Congress-led UPA tenure.

The clip—which has rapidly gone viral—directly counters the Opposition’s current claims that the voter roll revision is a “conspiracy” or an unconstitutional procedure. The Opposition parties have alleged that over 13 crore names have allegedly been left out in the draft poll rolls and has been protesting against it.

In his direct hit at the Congress leadership, CM Fadnavis highlighted the stark contrast between the party’s historic stance and its current street demonstrations.

“Congress is busy shouting against SIR from every possible stage, only to have its own former Law Minister Kapil Sibal’s words come back to expose the drama. The Parliament record doesn’t change with political convenience. Perhaps Congress should first check their own history before manufacturing new conspiracy theories. Sometimes, the best rebuttal comes from your own party’s past!”

CM Fadnavis captioned the video as ‘Congress’ double standards’, urging citizens to listen to official parliamentary proceedings from the UPA era and judge who is telling the truth.

The video shared by the Chief Minister shows then-Law Minister Kapil Sibal explaining the three precise categories under which the SIR process removes or updates names on the voter list. “Deletion of duplicate entries take place when a voter shifts from one constituency to another, followed by seamless re-registration at the new address. Also during updating old electoral rolls during boundary reorganisations. There will be routine deletion of names of deceased individuals upon verification,” said the former law minister in the video.

In the footage, Sibal emphasised that no legitimate voter could be barred by registration officers, noting that millions of citizens routinely applied for inclusion under established statutory provisions.

The video comes at a sensitive moment as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra lead sustained street demonstrations demanding the halting of the SIR process and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over what they claim is the disenfranchisement of 13 crore people during the recent SIR process.

The protests near Jantar Mantar and Election Commission headquarters have seen tense scuffles with law enforcement, leading to police complaints and political trade-offs.

BJP leaders have rallied around CM Fadnavis’s statement, asserting that the Opposition is attempting to manufacture a non-existent controversy over a standard voter roll hygiene drive that their own government previously endorsed and defended on the floor of Parliament.

The CM’s comments come a day after the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, in a major push to ensure maximum voter participation and clean electoral rolls, has launched targeted registration drives and door-to-door verification campaigns across the state.

Operating under the guidelines of the ECI, election authorities have committed to ensuring that no eligible citizen is left off the electoral roll and no ineligible entries remain. The extensive outreach forms a crucial leg of the ongoing SIR process.

Special voter registration camps have been conducted across all colleges and universities in Maharashtra from October 5 to October 9. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are deployed at campus sites to assist eligible students with completing application forms and to resolve queries regarding the SIR workflow, said the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra release.

BLOs are conducting home visits to identify eligible citizens missing from the Draft Electoral Roll and collect Form 6 following verification. For residents unavailable during home visits, special voter registration camps will be held at all designated polling stations on October 10 and October 11, 2026.

Citizens whose names appear on the list of absent or migrated voters (compiled during house-to-house enumeration) can apply for re-enrolment or correction. The official list of absent/shifted voters has been published online at ceoelection.maharashtra.gov.in for public verification.