Mumbai, Oct 6: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Tuesday launched an attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the implementation of the Special Information Revision (SIR) process.

The Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Samaana’, defended the protest rally held on Sunday in Mumbai by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and allied democratic groups. Its defence was triggered by sharp criticism from senior BJP leaders. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed the opposition rally as a desperate attempt to find political ground, while state Minister Ashish Shelar termed the protest “cheap politics” and its demands “howling”.

Strongly condemning these remarks, the Thackeray camp called the BJP’s stance an insult to the public, accusing the party of arrogance and relying on a “corrupt Election Commission” to stay in power. The mouthpiece alleged that across India, nearly 13 crore voters, including over two crore in Maharashtra alone, were arbitrarily stripped of their voting rights without prior notice or a fair hearing.

“This is the arrogance of power, and the BJP is enjoying this power by empowering thieves like Gyanesh Kumar. Lakhs of people took to the streets in Mumbai holding the Tricolour. Calling their protest “whining” is an insult to the Tricolour itself. A man like PM Modi pretends to cry every day; when one person cries like that, it is whining. But when 5 to 10 lakh people cry together out of anguish, it creates an upheaval powerful enough to overthrow tyrannical rule. Out of that ‘whining’, the wild fires of rebellion ignite,” warned the editorial.

Highlighting recent legal and administrative criticism of the SIR process, the editorial cited the observation by Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. Justice Bhuyan observed that any arbitrary procedure depriving citizens of their right to vote violates the constitutional framework, stating that stripping a citizen’s right to vote is akin to “separating the soul from the body”. He emphasised that names of living voters cannot be deleted without due process and advance notice.

The editorial also referenced former Union Home Secretary and ex-BJP Minister R.K. Singh, who publicly declared the nationwide SIR drive unlawful. Singh noted that removing voters without proper inquiry or hearings directly violates Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act. “If an experienced administrative officer and a Supreme Court Judge both call this process arbitrary and illegal, will the BJP call their observations ‘howling’ as well?” the editorial questioned.

“So Fadnavis and company should publicly announce whether what such a capable former official says about ‘SIR’ is also ‘howling,’ it said.

The editorial reiterated the core demands of the protesters who marched through the streets of Mumbai, the immediate revocation of the SIR process, the scrapping of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), and a return to the ballot paper.

Taking a sharp personal jab at BJP leaders, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena concluded with a satirical note, suggesting that “given the rhetoric from leaders like Fadnavis and Shelar, playwrights influenced by the RSS should write a new drama titled ‘Puppies of the Jackal’.”

Warning the ruling government against brushing aside public anger, the editorial said that “when millions of citizens unite against injustice with the national flag in hand, it sparks a rebellion capable of dethroning authoritarian regimes”.

Ahmedabad, Oct 5: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is strengthening its public transport and ground mobility infrastructure ahead of the Winter Schedule 2026-27, with a wider network of buses, taxis, autorickshaws, car rentals, and airport shuttles aimed at improving connectivity across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Pune and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region, it was announced on Monday.

The airport, operated by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL), is preparing for the Winter Schedule that will run from October 25, 2026, to March 27, 2027.

As part of the expansion, the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will launch e-Shivai electric bus services from NMIA on October 7.

The first phase of MSRTC services will connect the airport with Dadar, Borivali and Pune. Fares from NMIA have been set at Rs 450 for Pune, Rs 210 for Borivali, and Rs 170 for Dadar East. Children below 12 years and women travelling with a National Common Mobility Card will be eligible for a 50 per cent fare concession.

The Dadar-NMIA service will operate through Sion and Atal Setu, while the Borivali-NMIA route will connect CSMIA Terminal 1, Bandra, and Atal Setu. The Pune route will have two daily services, with one operating in the morning and another in the afternoon. MSRTC also plans to introduce services connecting NMIA with Thane and Nashik by mid-November.

Private bus operator Chalo Bus is already providing 21 daily services connecting NMIA with Marol in Andheri East, Bandra, Dadar, and the World Trade Centre in Colaba. The operator is also adding capacity during peak periods to cater to passenger and airport employee movement.

Within Navi Mumbai, Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) is operating seven dedicated airport routes, A1 to A7, linking Terminal 1 with Kharkopar, Targhar, Belapur, Nerul, Panvel, Khandeshwar and the Airport Project Office. Services between Belapur and Nerul are available every 15-20 minutes during peak hours, while further connectivity to Vashi and Panvel is planned.

The airport is also expanding taxi and last-mile connectivity. Uber Go and Uber Premier will provide app-based cab services, while Uber Auto will cater to passengers seeking on-demand autorickshaw services for shorter journeys. Prepaid taxi and autorickshaw facilities, along with car rental services, are also being introduced at the airport.

Bharat Taxi is scheduled to begin operations at NMIA from October 10 with a dedicated fleet of up to 40 vehicles, adding another option for passengers travelling to and from the airport.

A complimentary inter-airport shuttle service is also being introduced between NMIA and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Operated by Cityflo, Aarya and Chalo, the shuttle will run every hour and provide passengers with a direct transfer option between Mumbai’s two airports.

Overall ground transport capacity at NMIA is being scaled up to 4,594 vehicles and services, including 3,787 app-based taxis, 184 car rentals, 171 autorickshaws and 547 buses. The airport is also deploying mobility signage, improved wayfinding systems and on-ground passenger assistance, with designated areas for buses, shuttles, arrivals, departures and private vehicles.

In a case involving the defrauding of a 72-year-old senior citizen in Mumbai on August 13, an unidentified caller—posing as Dinesh Kumar, a Senior Manager at Bank of India—gained the victim’s trust by promising to facilitate the issuance of a Senior Citizen Card. The caller sent an APK file named “Senior Citizen Card http://Verification.apk” to the complainant’s WhatsApp and coerced them into entering personal and bank debit card details, resulting in the misappropriation of ₹5,62,000. Initially, the Byculla Police Station registered a case (No. 497/26) under Sections 318(4) and 319(2) of the BNS and Sections 66(C) and (D) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. While the Property Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch was conducting a parallel investigation, senior officials ordered the transfer of the case to the Crime Branch; it was subsequently re-registered as Case No. 927/2026 for further investigation.

A thorough technical analysis of the aforementioned APK file was conducted, leading to the identification and arrest of the accused—a 36-year-old male software developer and resident of Madhya Pradesh—who was responsible for developing the fraudulent APK file. During a raid on the accused’s office in Madhya Pradesh, authorities recovered a pen drive, a CPU, three hard disks, a Wi-Fi router, and three mobile phones. Preliminary technical analysis revealed that the accused was utilizing servers from various service provider companies. Investigation confirmed that the accused had created and sold a total of 2,805 malicious APK files to other cybercriminal gangs. These files were used to defraud 9,673 people across India. Complaints regarding these incidents have been registered on the cyber helpline number 1930—specifically 1,074 nationwide, 143 in Maharashtra, and 36 in Mumbai—revealing a total fraud amount of ₹15.75 crore. Cases have been cracked involving 88 incidents across India, 8 in Maharashtra, and 5 in Mumbai.

This successful operation was executed by a team comprising Police Commissioner Devin, Joint Police Commissioner Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner Krishna Kant Upadhyay, DCP (Crime) Raj Tilak Roshan, and the Crime Branch. DCP Raj Tilak Roshan stated that this action was taken in response to fraud targeting the elderly under the guise of issuing senior citizen cards; the police also regularly conduct awareness campaigns among the elderly regarding this issue.