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Maharashtra

Maharashtra govt sets up panel to collate information on inter-faith couples; minister says aim is to avoid repeat of Walkar case

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Mumbai, Dec 14 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to gather information on the inter-faith and inter-caste marriage couples and the maternal families of the women involved if they are estranged, with its head and state minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha saying the move is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the Shraddha Walkar case.

The opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) called it a “retrograde” step and said the Eknath Shinde government had no right to spy on the personal life of people.

A Government Resolution (GR) issued on Tuesday by the state’s Women and Child Development Department said the “Intercaste/Interfaith marriage-family coordination committee (state level)” will be headed by Lodha.

The committee will monitor district-level initiatives for women involved in such marriages who may be estranged from their families, so that assistance can be provided if necessary, it said.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Lodha said setting up the committee was an attempt of the state government to ensure that the Shraddha Walkar case does not happen again.

“The fact that Walkar’s family was not aware that she had died six months ago is scary…We don’t want to have another Shraddha Walkar and this is the reason why the committee is being set up to ensure women in such marriages are not away from their families,” he said.

Walkar was murdered allegedly by her live-in partner Aaftab Poonawala in Delhi in May this year. Poonawala allegedly strangled Shraddha and cut her body into 35 pieces which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for almost three weeks at his residence in Mehrauli in south Delhi, before dumping them across the city over several days.

The GR said that the committee will be a platform for women and their families to avail counselling and resolve issues. It added that the panel will have 13 members from government and non-government fields to study policies of the state and central government regarding welfare schemes and laws related to the matter.

The committee will hold regular meetings with district officials and collect information of registered and unregistered inter-faith and Inter-caste marriages; on such marriage that took place in places of worship and marriages took place after elopement, it said.

Meanwhile, senior NCP leader and former state minister Jitendra Awhad said in a tweet, “What’s this rubbish of committee to check inter-caste/religion marriages? Who is govt to spy on who marries whom? In liberal Maharashtra this a retrograde, nauseating step. Which way is progressive Maharashtra heading towards. Stay away from people’s private life.”

However, Eknath Shinde-led ‘Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena’ spokesman Krishna Hegde welcomed the step..

Last month, minister Lodha had asked the State Women’s Commission to set up a special squad to identify women who married without family support and are estranged from them. This decision was taken in view of the Shraddha Walkar murder case.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently said that his government would study laws on freedom of religion, dubbed as legislations on “love jihad”, enacted by other states, but had not yet decided on introducing a similar law in the western state.

“Love jihad” is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.

Maharashtra

Sashil Kodiyeri apologizes after tension over Marathi-Hindi controversy

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Maharashtra: In the context of the Mumbai Marathi-Hindi controversy, Shishil Kodia has apologized for his controversial statement. He said that his tweet was misrepresented. I am not against Marathi. I have been living in Mumbai and Maharashtra for the last 30 years. I am a fan of Raj Thackeray. I constantly comment positively on Raj Thackeray’s tweets. I tweeted in my emotions and I made a mistake. This tense and tense atmosphere should end. We need a favorable environment to accept Marathi. So I request you to forgive me for this mistake for Marathi. Earlier, Shishil Kodia had made a controversial statement about Marathi and refused to speak Marathi, due to which MNS workers attacked and pelted stones at Shishil’s company WeWork. After which Shishil has now apologized to X

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Marathi Hindi Controversy: Strict action will be taken against those who take law into their hands: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made it clear on the Hindi-Marathi language dispute that linguistic discrimination and violence cannot be tolerated. If anyone instigates violence in the name of Marathi language or takes the law into his own hands, strict action will be taken against him because it is the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order. He said that in the Mira Road Hindi Marathi violence case, the police have registered a case and taken action.

A committee has been formed in the matter of Marathi and Hindi language. Whatever is better for the students on its recommendation, the government will implement it. No decision has been taken under anyone’s pressure. He said that the recommendation for Hindi language was made during the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule itself, but now these same people are opposing it. The public knows everything.

He said that in this election, BJP has got 51 percent Marathi votes. Violence and discrimination in the name of language cannot be tolerated. Marathi is a source of pride for us, but we do not oppose Hindi. What will happen if a Marathi businessman in another state is asked to speak his language? In Assam, he was asked to speak Assamese. He said that strict action will be taken against those who break the law.

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Maharashtra

Case registered for burning copy of Hindi Marathi dispute order

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has registered a case against 200 to 300 activists including Deepak Pawar, Santosh Shinde, Santosh Kharat, Shashi Pawar, Yoginder Salulkar, Santosh Veer for protesting without permission, violating prohibitory orders and Police Act in the case of burning copy of order making Hindi language compulsory. The accused have been booked under Section 189(2), 190,223, Maharashtra Police Act at Azad Maidan Police Station. The case has been registered on the complaint of complainant Santosh Suraj Dhundiram Khot, 32 years.

According to the details, on June 29, between 2 and 3:30 pm, a copy of the government order against making Hindi i.e. third language compulsory in primary education was burnt without permission on BMC Road adjacent to Marathi Patkar Singh and the government order was violated. The accused had not taken any permission for this demonstration and had violated the prohibitory orders, following which a case has been registered against them, confirmed Mumbai Police. The case has been registered after recording the statement of the complainant.

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