Mumbai, Feb 22: After Telangana and Andhra Pradesh permitted Muslim government employees to leave offices early during the fasting month of Ramzan, similar demands are now being raised in Maharashtra and other states.

Maharashtra Minority Commission Chairman Pyare Khan confirmed that the commission has received multiple applications requesting the state government to allow Muslim employees to leave work an hour early during Ramzan.

“We have received several requests from people asking for permission to leave offices an hour early during Ramzan. India is a great example of ‘Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb,’ where people from different communities live together in harmony,” Khan told media.

He added that he plans to present this demand to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis through an official letter.

The demand follows orders issued by the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments, allowing Muslim employees, including teachers and contract workers, to leave work at 4 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m. from March 2 to March 30 to perform religious rituals.

“The government hereby permits all the employees who profess Islam, including teachers and persons hired on contract, out-sourcing basis, and Village/Ward Secretaries, to leave their offices/schools early by an hour before closing time on all working days during the Holy month of ‘Ramzan’ to perform necessary rituals,” read the Andhra Pradesh government order.

Similarly, the Telangana government order stated: “Government hereby permits all Muslim government employees/teachers/contract/out-sourcing/boards/corporations and public sector employees working in the state to leave their offices/schools at 4 p.m. during the holy month of Ramzan, i.e., from March 2 to 31, to offer necessary prayers, except when their presence is required due to exigencies of services.”

The demand is also gaining traction in Karnataka, where Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) Vice Presidents M.R.M. Hussain and Syed Ahmad recently wrote to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, urging the state government to grant Muslim employees a one-hour exemption from duty to facilitate prayers and iftar.

However, the Karnataka government has yet to make a decision on the request.

Kolkata, Feb 22: Over six months have passed since the shocking rape and murder of a junior woman doctor at Kolkata’s R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital but her parents are still to get a copy of her death certificate.

The body of the victim was recovered from a seminar hall within the premises of the state-run institution early on August 9 last year.

The victim’s parents have alleged that they have been unable to get the death certificate till now as the R.G. Kar and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) authorities are shifting the responsibility onto each other.

According to them, the KMC authorities are claiming that since the “place of death” is R.G. Kar, it is the responsibility of the hospital authorities to provide the death certificate.

On the other, the R.G. Kar authorities claim that if a patient dies within the hospital premises or is even brought dead to the hospital, the death certificate will have to be provided by the KMC authorities, the parents added.

The victim’s parents have further claimed that although they have not got a copy of the death certificate, it has been mentioned in the court documents, as per the statement of a medical officer attached to R.G. Kar.

They now say if the death certificate is mentioned in the court documents, why was a copy of the certificate not handed over to them?

Last week, a special court in Kolkata, which had convicted and sentenced civic volunteer Sanjay Roy in the rape and murder case, directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a fresh progress report on its investigation in the matter on February 24.

Since the special court has already pronounced the sentence for the convict in the main crime of rape and murder, legal circles feel that the fresh progress report will be related to the angle of tampering with the evidence in the case.

It is learnt that the special court had directed the CBI to submit a fresh progress report following a complaint filed by the counsel of the victim’s family accusing the central agency of not updating the court on the progress of investigation in the matter periodically.

New Delhi, Feb 22: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Saturday even as her Cabinet ministers hit the road and started reviewing repairs of potholed roads and reviewed pending projects across the city.

During the meeting with PM Modi, CM Gupta thanked him for giving a “daughter of Delhi” a chance to serve the people as Chief Minister, said one of her aides.

Before leaving for the PM’s residence, CM Gupta greeted her well-wishers from the first floor balcony of her home in Shalimar Bagh in the morning.

Using a public address system, CM Gupta announced that on meeting PM Modi she would convey, on behalf of all women and daughters of the city, gratitude for selecting a “Daughter of Delhi” to serve the city.

“On the first day in office, we approved the Ayushman Bharat scheme of PM Modi in the first Cabinet meeting,” she said, promising not to waste even a single day and continue serving the people.

“Our mission is to achieve Viksit Delhi as mandated by PM Modi,” she said.

“Viksit Delhi’s journey has to be covered by all of us together,” she said, ending her public address with chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai”.

Later, the Chief Minister held a meeting with the officials of the PWD department for improving infrastructure and discussed issues related to the dug-up roads, damaged roads and traffic in Delhi and gave directions for improvement.

PWD Minister Parvesh Verma inspected the Barapullah Phase-3 project and assured speedy payment and environment clearance that have alleged delayed progress in work.

Speaking to mediapersons near Sarai Kale Khan in South East Delhi, Verma said he had also issued strict instructions for removal of encroachment across Delhi roads. “We want road contractors to guarantee 10-year life for roads so that they do not need frequent recarpeting,” he said.

During another field visit at Khajuri Khas crossing in North East Delhi, Law and Labour Minister Kapil Mishra said, “Arvind Kejriwal’s govt made the condition of roads in Delhi worse. Everywhere, the roads are either broken or dusty, there are potholes and waterlogging and under the new work culture all Cabinet ministers and officials will have to work 24 hours and repair the roads immediately.”