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Mamta government wants CM, not Governor, as Chancellor of state varsities

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 A fresh confrontation between West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and the Mamta Banerejee government loomed after the state cabinet on Thursday decided to have Chief Minister as the Chancellor of all state universities instead of the Governor.

This is for the first time that the state government has taken such an initiative to break the protocol, persisting since Independence, of having the Governor as Chancellor of the state universities.

Following the state cabinet meeting at the state Secretariat, Nabanna, Education Minister Bratya Basu said that the state government will bring a bill in the Assembly proposing that the Chief Minister, not the Governor, will be the Chancellor of the state universities.

“Once the bill is passed in the Assembly, it will be sent to the Governor for his assent. In case the Governor refuses to clear the bill, the state government will bring an ordinance to implement this change of practice,” he said.

The development comes at a time when the state government and the ruling Trinamool Congress is already in a fix over the ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe on the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment irregularities where two ministers of the state government have already been grilled by the central agency sleuths.

Till this report was filed there was no reaction from the Governor on this matter. However, the opposition parties have criticized the initiative.

BJP’s state spokesman, Shamik Bhattacharya said that this is a direct attempt to have a control over the autonomy of the state universities. “Since the beginning the Chief Minister had been trying to run the state as an independent entity and hence, she has taken such a decision which no state government has done before. This is against tradition and convention,” he said.

CPI-M Central Committee member and former leader of Left in the Assembly, Dr Sujan Chakraborty, contended that this initiative is aimed at having direct administrative and political control over the state universities.

“The decision has been taken at a time when roles of several state ministers and officers are in question because of rampant corruption in the education sector. This is complete politicisation of the functioning of the state agencies. On one hand, the Chief Minister is demanding complete autonomy for the central agencies, and on the other, she is trying to destroy the autonomous nature of the state universities,” he said.

Educationists seemed to be divided over this development.

Educationist, political analyst and former Principal of the then Presidency College, Dr Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay said that the Chief Minister is the administrative head of the state and a political personality.

“So, the event of the Chief Minister being the Chancellor of the university means political interference in the independent functioning of the institutions. Traditionally and conventionally the Governors, by virtue of their chairs, had been the Chancellors of the state university. I do not find any reason to break away from that convention,” he said.

Renowned historian and Sanskrit scholar, Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, however, welcomed the decision.

“Current West Bengal Governor, Jagdeep Dhankhar had been creating many obstacles for the state government to function properly. The Governor is holding back many files including those relating to appointment Vice Chancellors of universities. So, the state government had no other option but to take this decision. I welcome this move,” he said.

National News

Navi Mumbai: CM Devendra Fadnavis Inaugurates Sanpada Police Station And State-Of-The-Art Cy-Fi Unit

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Navi Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the newly constructed building of Sanpada police station and dedicated a state-of-the-art Cyber and Financial Crimes (Cy-Fi) investigation unit to the public, making Navi Mumbai Police Commissionerate the first in the state to have such an advanced facility at the police station level.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Minister said the initiative marks a milestone in modern policing. “With the Cy-Fi unit and e-communication system in place, Navi Mumbai Police will be able to respond faster, investigate smarter and deliver quality services to citizens,” he said.

Navi Mumbai commissionerate is the first in Maharashtra to house the Cy-Fi unit and the e-Samvad online communication service, aimed at strengthening cybercrime investigation, financial fraud detection and seamless citizen-police interaction.

“This was the vission of Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe to have a Cy-Fi unit in all police stations and also e-communication system for people who cannot come to police station individually to file a complaint. This is replicated at all police stations in Navi Mumbai and formal inauguration was done at Sanpada police station,” Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime branch) Ajay Landge said.

Cy-Fi unit will investigate only cyber and financial fraud related cases of the police station. E-Samvad (e- communication) is for those who cannot physically come to police station. An online application can be provided to police station along with the contact number. Once the police receives the application, police will contact the applicant through video call and record the statement. The applicant would be verified with an OTP.

Alongside the inauguration of the new police station premises, the Chief Minister also presented ISO certification certificates to CBD, Vashi and Panvel taluka police stations under the Navi Mumbai Commissionerate. He also launched daily operations of the Sanpada police station through the CCTNS computer system.

The event was attended by Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, Public Works Department Minister Shivendra Singh Raje Bhosale, MLAs Mandatai Mhatre and Prashant Thakur, MLCs Vikrant Patil and Niranjan Davkhare, senior dignitaries and eminent citizens. Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe and Director General of Police (Housing & Welfare) Archana Tyagi were also present.

The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of Navi Mumbai Police and expressed confidence that the new facilities would ensure citizens receive speedy and high-quality policing services, while reinforcing the city’s safety network.

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National News

IND vs SL, Asia Cup 2025, Super 4: When & Where To Watch As Final-Bound Team India Look To Finetune Their Shortcomings?

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Team India will meet Sri Lanka in their final match of Super 4 of Asia Cup 2025 as the Men in Blue will hope to finetune some of their areas ahead of the multi-nation tournament’s final. With Sri Lanka effectively out of the race for the final, it will be an inconsequential contest.

India stormed to the final after beating Pakistan and Bangladesh handsomely in Dubai. However, both the matches saw the Men in Blue drop plenty of catches, which could be concerning for the final. India’s batting experiments also almost cost them the game against Bangladesh; hence, Suryakumar Yadav and co. will want to stick with a stable batting line-up to ensure things don’t go awry.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, were well in the game during both their Super 4 matches against Bangladesh and Pakistan. But the failure of their batting line-up to step up at crucial stages cost them a place in the final. The Island nation threw away the momentum against Bangladesh and failed to have any against Pakistan. After having Pakistan in a spot of bother at 80/5 in defence of 133, Sri Lanka began bowling erratically to let their opposition win by five wickets.

Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel.

Charith Asalanka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana, Janith Liyanage.

The toss for the Super 4 match between Team India and Sri Lanka in Dubai will take place at 7:30 PM IST, while the play will kickstart at 8:00 PM IST on September 26, Friday. Fans in India can catch the action on Sony Sports Network in India.

The live streaming of the same will take place on the SonyLiv App and Website.

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Entertainment

Aryan Khan lands in legal trouble again as Sameer Wankhede files defamation suit

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Mumbai, Sep 25: Aryan Khan, the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan, has once again landed into troubled waters. In a new development, the IRS officer Sameer Wankhede has filed a defamation suit against Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, owned by actors Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan, the streaming giant Netflix and other parties.

The lawsuit has been filed in the Delhi High Court. In his petition, Sameer has sought a permanent injunction against the web series and damages. The issue has emerged after Aryan took a dig at Sameer, who detained him from a cruise in Mumbai in October 2021 over the alleged possession of narcotics.

Sameer Wankhede has alleged that the recently released OTT series ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’, directed by Aryan, has shown false, malicious and defamatory content. He also alleged that the image of anti-drug enforcement agencies has been tarnished and shown negatively, thereby undermining public trust in law enforcement agencies.

The series features a sequence where a drug enforcement agency officer, bearing striking resemblance to Sameer, raids a party, similar to how the latter raided a cruise party in the October of 2021.

Sameer Wankhede has claimed that the webseries has deliberately biased and defamatory content against him. He also alleged that the Sameer Wankhede and Aryan Khan case is currently pending in the Bombay High Court and a special NDPS court in Mumbai.

He alleged that a character in the web series is shown saying, “Satyamev Jayate” and immediately after that the character is seen making an obscene gesture. It is an insult to the slogan which is part of the national emblem and is an offence punishable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

It has also been alleged that the content of the series violates various sections of the Information Technology Act and the Indian Penal Code as it attempts to hurt national sentiments by using obscene and objectionable content.

In his suit, Sameer Wankhede has sought damages of Rs 2 crore, which he proposes to donate for the treatment of cancer patients at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital.

The series is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd, and is available to stream on Netflix.

On 2 October 2021, the NCB, headed by Sameer, had raided a cruise ship off Mumbai during a party and alleged possession of drugs among some attendees. Aryan Khan, along with others, was arrested on charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

However, Aryan received a clean chit from the NCB, as the agency stated that no material evidence was found to connect him to the case, leading to the dropping of charges against him. The NDPS court had also asked Aryan’s passport to be given back to him after he was given the clean chit.

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