Mumbai: In a tragic incident on Wednesday, a 40-year-old differently-abled woman allegedly died by suicide by jumping from the 16th floor of her apartment in the New Bandra Government Colony today at 3 PM. The deceased, Sheetal Pawar, lived with her husband Satish Pawar, a government employee with the Bombay High Court, in flat number 1605.

According to Kherwadi police, Satish was present inside the flat at the time of the incident. However, no suicide note was recovered from the scene. Preliminary investigation has revealed that Sheetal was physically challenged and unable to walk, which may have contributed to her mental distress.

The police are continuing their probe from all possible angles. Satish Pawar is also being questioned as part of the investigation.

Mumbai: A new Certificate Course in Legal Framework & Discipline Management has been launched under the Labour Department Me. Lokhande Maharashtra Labour Institute, the state’s only educational institution specializing in labor studies.

This course, designed for industry and establishment officials and employees, aims to equip them with skills in handling legal issues and discipline management within organizations.

According to Labour Minister Akash Fundkar, this course will significantly reduce the burden on courts by addressing many discipline-related issues at the establishment level.

“With trained human resources in legal and discipline management, most cases of misconduct will be resolved within companies, thus relieving the courts of their workload,” Fundkar said during the inauguration of the course.

The event, held at Nariman Bhavan, was attended by several key figures including Principal Secretary of the Labour Department I.A. Kundan, Director of the Institute Roshani Kadam-Patil, Under Secretary Deepak Pokle, Under Secretary Swapnil Kapadnis, and Deputy Director Dr. Atul Naubade.

The institute, operating in Mumbai and Nagpur, offers postgraduate degrees, diplomas, and Ph.D. programs in labor studies. As part of a new academic policy, the previously offered postgraduate degree has been revamped and renamed to Master of Human Capital Management and Employee Relations (MHCM&ER), starting from the academic year 2023-24, under the affiliation of Mumbai University and Nagpur University.

The new policy, introduced in 2020, recommends short-term skill-based courses to address the lack of trained personnel in handling workplace discipline cases.

Currently, many such issues escalate directly to courts due to the shortage of trained officers within organizations. The new course has been developed to ensure that establishments have trained officers who can handle these cases internally.

Course Details:

. Duration: 4 months

. Modules: 4

. Classes: Saturdays or Sundays

. Eligibility: Graduates from any field

The course includes practical training; online classes are not available at present. The course is credit-based, and successful candidates will receive a certificate from the department.

Minister Fundkar emphasized that the course would play a crucial role in improving industrial relations and reducing the workload on the judiciary, while enhancing the overall efficiency of organizations in the state.

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Lucknow Zonal Unit on Thursday conducted searches at 14 locations, 12 in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district and two in Mumbai, in connection with an alleged religious conversion racket linked to self-styled godman Jamaluddin Shah, also known as Chhangur Baba.

ED Raids Underway In Mahim & Bandra

According to officials, the raids began around 5 am and were carried out at multiple locations in Utraula, Madhupur village, Rehramafi village, and other areas of Balrampur district. The two locations in Mumbai, Bandra and Mahim, are linked to a man identified as Shehzad Sheikh. Sheikh, who was present at the Bandra residence, is also being questioned by ED.

₹2 Cr Transferred From Chhangur Baba’s Aide

During the investigation, officials detected financial transactions amounting to Rs 2 crore in Shehzad Sheikh’s bank account. The funds were allegedly transferred from an account held by Naveen Rohra alias Jamaluddin, a known associate of Chhangur Baba and an accused in the ongoing religious conversion case.

Preliminary findings indicate that the funds were intended for property purchases, with a portion later diverted to multiple other accounts. The ED is currently tracing the money trail to determine the origin of the funds, their purpose, and the network of individuals involved.

Officials suspect that the transactions may be part of a larger conspiracy involving coercive religious conversions and illegal financial operations. Digital devices, property-related documents, and banking records have been seized during the searches for further examination.

During the searches at 12 locations in Uttar Pradesh, the ED recovered a significant volume of land-related documents, unaccounted cash, and crucial digital evidence believed suspected to be linked to the alleged religious conversion network.

The agency is also focusing on Chhangur Baba’s close associates, followers, and ashram managers, examining their bank accounts, property holdings, and financial transactions. Investigators are probing suspected foreign funding routes, with preliminary findings indicating inflows from Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and Nepal  raising serious concerns about cross-border financing of the alleged conversion operations.