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Mumbai: Fine arts students from JJ college withdraw art from exhibition

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The flair of fine art shall remain shrouded this academic year, or so has been decided by the protesting students at JJ School of Arts. Fine arts students, on Friday, shunned their classrooms and carried their classwork to campus grounds, protesting the lack of infrastructure and permanent professors within the college.

Unsatisfied with the response they got from higher ups, the students, on Tuesday, decided to withdraw their artwork from ‘Rajya Kala Pradarshan’ or the state art exhibition which is to be held in January 2023, in Pune.

The irony being, a Fine Arts student awaits this day like no other, explained Santosh Parkar, General Secretary for the student body at JJ. “Our entire academic year revolves around this day. Whatever we learn and practice is reflected in what we present here. The winning students catch the eye of the entire state,” said Santosh who was to present a commercial complex miniature at this exhibition.

Despite their strong position against participation, students continue to work on the exhibition projects till they’re completed. After arriving on campus by 8 am every morning, Fine Art pupils begin their day’s work. “I have been spending nearly 13 hours on my temple-form sculpture over the past month. I feel guilty for not submitting it,” said Shekhar Salunke, a fourth year BFA student.

With the absence of facilities, these projects have become quite the ordeal. Rushikesh Ingole, another sculpting student, has been carving a rock to portray his childhood memory. “I have not been able to work on the metallic aspect of my model as the college has no functional foundry,” said Rushikesh. To work with metal, students like him have been shelling money from their own pockets to visit commercial foundries.

Those who work with other materials face similar problems as JJ school still lacks necessities like looms, furnaces, and art softwares. And at certain places, even lights and fans.

A student, In most cases, spends six years of her life studying at the JJ arts college. She starts off with a 4 year Bachelor’s in Fine Arts(BFA) before moving on to a two year Master’s called MFA.

These students have been fearing shifts within the pedagogy during these long years, as most of the college staff teaches only on a contractual basis. Several teaching contracts are to expire on December 12, reported students.

“Art cannot be taught like any other technical subject. There is an exchange of ideas and philosophies between students and their professor. If art is taught from contract to contract, then you cannot prevent an enormous gap in the curriculum,” said Amol Hirawadekar, a protesting alum.

The winning students at Rajya Kala Pradarshan are honored by the state and receive a cash prize. “Students from the JJ School of Arts bring home the majority of the prizes each year,” said Prof. Vishwanath Sable, Dean at JJ School of Fine Arts.

“Even though the students are refusing to put up their projects now, we are certain that all protest issues will be resolved by January and JJ students will certainly participate,” he added.

Crime

27 Years After Gangster Sadiq Kalia’s Encounter By Daya Nayak, His Nephew Arrested For Alleged Revenge Killing In Mumbai

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Mumbai: In a dramatic twist, nearly three decades after the encounter killing of Mumbai gangster Sadiq Kalia, Mumbai police have arrested his nephew for allegedly plotting and executing a revenge murder.

Kalia was gunned down in a police encounter in Dadar in 1999 by a team led by noted encounter specialist Daya Nayak. At the time, his nephew Sadiq Javar was just two years old. Now, nearly 27 years later, Javar has been arrested for allegedly targeting the man he believed had tipped off police about Kalia’s whereabouts.

According to cops, the victim, Iqbal Ibrahim Seliya (78), was attacked at his residence in Nagpada on the evening of April 20. Police said two men entered the house while Seliya was alone and assaulted him with a chopper, stabbing him more than 20 times before fleeing. His family later discovered his body.

four days after the incident, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Javar and his associate, Naushad Mithani (22), from Nagpur following a technical surveillance operation.

Police said Javar allegedly believed Seliya had acted as an informant in 1999, leading to Kalia’s encounter. Growing up with this belief, Javar is suspected of having held a long-standing grudge against the victim.

Investigations revealed that after the murder, the accused travelled from Antop Hill to Vidyavihar, boarded a train to Kalyan, and then hired a vehicle to reach Nagpur, covering over 700 kilometres in an attempt to evade arrest. CCTV footage from the area captured their movements before and after the crime.

Crime Branch officials said the accused have confessed and provided details of the planning and escape route. Senior Inspector Pradeep Kale of Nagpada police station confirmed the murder and said further investigation is underway.

Police records indicate that Kalia, who began as a street-level shoe seller in Kalachowki, later joined the gang of Chhota Shakeel after reportedly refusing to pay extortion money to rivals. Along with sharpshooter Munna Jhingada, he was allegedly involved in multiple crimes across Mumbai in the late 1990s. The accused are being brought to Mumbai for further legal proceedings as cops continue to probe the case.

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Crime

Samta Nagar Police Arrest Man With Brown Heroin Worth ₹9.75 Lakh From Kandivali East Public Toilet

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Mumbai: The Samta Nagar Police have arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly possessing brown heroin worth ₹9.75 lakh with the intent to sell, officials said.

The accused, identified as Vicky Vidhakar Padmukh, a resident of Kandivali East, was apprehended on April 22.

The arrest followed a case registered earlier the same evening under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

According to the police, the offence took place between 2:39 pm and 4:50 pm on April 22 near a public toilet at Krantinagar rickshaw stand, close to Lokhandwala Complex in Kandivali East.

During the operation, police recovered 65 grams of brown heroin from the accused, estimated to be worth ₹9.75 lakh in the illegal market. The contraband was allegedly being possessed for the purpose of sale.

A case has been registered under Sections 8(c) and 21(b) of the NDPS Act. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the drugs and whether other individuals are involved in the network.

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Crime

Mumbai Man Arrested By Agripada Police For Sending Obscene Messages, Demanding Sexual Favors From 19-Year-Old

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Mumbai: The Agripada Police have arrested a man for allegedly sending obscene messages and demanding sexual favors from a 19-year-old girl. The accused is also suspected of having behaved similarly with other women who had previously worked with him, police sources said. Amid the ongoing investigation, a separate case of outraging modesty has also been registered against the same accused at Pydhonie Police Station.

According to police, the latest FIR was registered at Pydhonie Police Station under Sections 78(1)(i)(ii) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at 12:55 am on April 24.

The complainant, a 24-year-old woman, alleged that the accused, identified as Ashraf Ashfaq Siddiqui, contacted her on April 20 between 11:57 am and 12:37 pm after obtaining her mobile number. The accused allegedly sent repeated WhatsApp messages proposing friendship and a relationship. Despite the complainant clearly refusing and asking him to stop messaging, he continued to contact her persistently and pressured her to enter into a relationship, thereby causing harassment and outraging her modesty. Police said further investigation is underway.

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