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Left stone on our head while we slept, Sanjay Raut blasts Sachin Ahir’s defection; calls for introspection

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Mumbai, July 1: Launching a scathing attack on party legislator and deputy leader Sachin Ahir for his switch, Shiv Sen (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday said that Ahir left them in the dark, dropping a stone on their heads while they were asleep.

“Even if you call this your political journey, history will remember it as a tainted one. If you choose to leave even after being given everything, it means political greed is destroying you. Try poaching workers who desire absolutely nothing. A kind of decay and degradation is underway in the state,” Raut said.

He further observed that loyal party workers who stand by the organisation through thick and thin have become a rarity.

The remarks by Raut came a day after Ahir jumped the ship to join the Shinde camp and filed his nomination for the post of Maharashtra Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson.

Recalling Ahir’s political trajectory, Raut told reporters that Ahir’s career had hit a roadblock after his defeat by Sunil Shinde. However, Aaditya Thackeray revived his political future by making him an MLC, appointing him as a deputy leader, making him the working president of the Bhartiya Kamgar Sena, and handing over the entire responsibility of Pune district to him.

“Sachin Ahir was an extremely close associate of Aaditya Thackeray. He cannot claim that no one was meeting him or listening to him, because Aaditya Thackeray and Uddhav Saheb met him daily,” Raut asserted.

When asked if Sachin Ahir’s defection would increase difficulties for Aaditya Thackeray in the Worli Assembly constituency, Raut remarked that contentment is crucial for any human being.

Raut made a candid statement raising questions about the party’s current predicament and admitted, “For our political future, all of us need to engage in introspection.”

Ahir had sent a message to his colleagues stating, “Leaving the party is my compulsion. I am doing this for my future journey and prospects.”

Reacting to this, Raut questioned, “If this is the case, then for whom should the common grassroots worker toil?”

Raut further noted that Ahir had previously abandoned NCP chief Sharad Pawar in a similar manner for his career.

“Pawar Saheb lifted him from the dust to the skies, made him the MHADA chief, a minister for several years, and the Mumbai NCP President. Yet, he suddenly left Sharad Pawar and his family blindsided to join the Shiv Sena. If he couldn’t remain loyal to Sharad Pawar, how could he be loyal to us? These are not original Shiv Sainiks. A party is always built by its core, original Shiv Sainiks. The rest are just fair-weather passengers who come and go. What Sunil Shinde said is correct — we all need to introspect now,” he stated.

Showing Ahir a mirror, Raut described his political journey as “blemished.”

“Sachin Ahir caught Sharad Pawar off guard when he joined the Shiv Sena back then. Making Ahir a minister in those days was a massive gamble. The Thackeray family and the Shiv Sena showered him with love. Yet, keeping them in the dark, he left like someone dropping a stone on your head while you sleep,” Raut lambasted the leader.

“Sachin Ahir values no loyalty. Where has he gone now, and what more will they give him? Perhaps a candidature from somewhere. But his political road map is riddled with potholes. It feels bad that he left, but he shouldn’t have done this after receiving respect, status, and positions,” commented Raut.

Taking a swipe at Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Raut added, “When someone defects despite being given everything, Eknath Shinde breaks into a wicked laugh, resembling Ravana.”

Referring to the wider rift, Raut concluded by pointing out that out of the six MPs who split from the party, five were originally from the Congress.

Entertainment

Nana Patekar death: Final post-mortem report out, rules out foul play

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Mumbai, Oct 11: The final post-mortem report in the death case of veteran actor Nana Patekar has clarified the cause of death to be natural. A team of doctors at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bambolim, in its report, has clarified that his death was a natural death, caused by a massive heart attack.

It was confirmed by the Goa Police to media. As per the police, the family has also been informed about the report and the family has also agreed to the medical report and has not raised any objection so far.

As per the final post-mortem report by GMC, the blood supply to the heart was stopped due to a blood clot in the main coronary artery, which led to a cardiac arrest. At around 2:30 am on October 8, the actor informed his family friend about his ill health on WhatsApp, after which he was brought to Manipal Hospital, Dona Paula, where doctors declared him dead even after about 45 minutes of CPR .

For the unversed, the Panaji police had registered a case of unnatural death under section 194 of the BNSS under UD No. 62/2026. Now that the post-mortem has confirmed natural death and ruled out any foul play by son Malhar Patekar and nephew Prasad Patekar, the case will be closed soon.

The late actor Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje in Pune district on Thursday. The actor was given a 3-gun salute.

The late actor’s friends and members of the film fraternity including Jackie Shroff, directors Anil Sharma, Aneez Bazmee, and producer Firoz nadiadwala arrived at Donje village to attend the last rites of Nana Patekar.

A huge crowd also turned up to bid adieu to the departed soul. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also paid his last respects to Nana Patekar at Pune airport before leaving for Mumbai. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde went to the actor’s Pune farmhouse to pay his respects.

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Maharashtra

Show proof for your claims before spreading anarchy: Ram Kadam on ongoing protests in Delhi

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Mumbai, Oct 11: Condemning the ongoing protests that engulf the national capital and other major cities, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Kadam said on Sunday that evidence or facts should be presented before spreading anarchy in the state for just the sake of it.

Speaking to media, the BJP leader added, “Congress leaders carry the Constitution in their hands and speak about it, but their actions are aimed at undermining it. Are they above the law and administrative procedures, including the requirement to obtain permission?”

“Ever since he (Rahul Gandhi) returned from the US, it is unclear what has come over him and what is driving his actions. Is foreign funding behind his attempts to create unrest here? The voter list purification process has been carried out during the tenures of several Prime Ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh,” Kadam said.

“The electoral roll has not been reviewed since 2004 till 2025. That job is being done now. Is a dead person above the 2.8 crore voters. More than one crore voters’ names are repeated in the electoral rolls. Is removing those names a crime?” the BJP leader added.

“More than 6.3 crore voters have left their original homes. It’s a transparent process. If you have concrete proof and evidence, present it, but spreading anarchy in the state in the form of protests owing to foreign funding can’t be supported,” he said.

Reacting to the comments made by NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar on former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death, Kadam said, “Rohit Pawar has engaged in political theatrics by claiming that he would reveal the mystery behind the muffler on October 10. Ajit Dada Pawar has passed away, and 15 days ago, Rohit Pawar said he would reveal the mystery, but October 10 has passed without any revelation. This shows that he is engaging in cheap political stunts.”

Previously, NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar had expressed his doubts about the plane crash that killed former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and sought intervention of the probe agencies for further investigation.

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Crime

Elderly Pune resident duped of Rs 8 lakh by man posing as ECI official; 2nd such case in city

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Pune, Oct 11: An unknown person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) defrauded a 78-year-old Pune resident of Rs 8 lakh, officials said on Sunday.

The victim, Jitendra Kumar Ahuja, is a resident of Pune’s Ghorpadi. He was cheated of Rs 8,00,015.34. A case was registered at the Mundhwa police station on October 10.

According to the police, the accused gained Ahuja’s trust by posing as an ECI official. He told Ahuja that his documents did not match. He then sent Ahuja a link and asked him to fill in his information.

It is alleged that the accused gained access to Ahuja’s mobile phone through the link and defrauded him of over Rs 8 lakh. This incident occurred between October 1 and 3.

The police have registered a case against the unidentified accused under sections 319(2), 318(4), 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

This is the second such case that came to light on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the police said that a person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) cheated an 80-year-old man of Rs five lakh online under the guise of updating his voter card in Pune.

A case regarding this incident has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station in Pune.

According to the police, the complainant, Kanjasheri Vaidyanathan Venkatesan (80), is a retired employee of an automotive manufacturing company, residing in the Yerwada area of ​​Pune. The accused called him, claiming to be from the ECI’s office, and stated that he needed to update his voter card.

Subsequently, the accused instructed him to download an APK file. After the file was downloaded, the accused gained access to the victim’s mobile screen, compromised his banking passwords, and fraudulently siphoned off Rs. 5 lakh.

A case has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station under Sections 308, 318(4), and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Sections 66(D) and 66(C) of the IT Act.

The full name and address of the accused have not yet been ascertained.

Investigations into both cases are currently underway, and further details are awaited, officials said.

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