Maharashtra
Mumbai Namaz Row: BJP Leader Kirit Somaiya Seeks Ban On Prayers On Public Roads, Sparks Political Row
Mumbai, June 2: The debate over offering namaz on public roads has resurfaced in Maharashtra after senior BJP leader and former Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya demanded a complete ban on the practice in Mumbai, triggering a fresh political confrontation with Samajwadi Party leaders.
In a letter dated June 2, addressed to Mumbai’s Municipal Commissioner and Police Commissioner, Somaiya described the offering of namaz on roads and public spaces as a “serious problem” that requires immediate intervention from civic and law enforcement authorities.
According to Somaiya, prayers are regularly conducted outside railway stations and on busy roads, particularly on Friday afternoons, resulting in traffic congestion and disruption to public movement. He alleged that the practice can cause traffic delays lasting up to an hour and adversely affects the daily routine of commuters and residents.
“No group has the right to disrupt public infrastructure on a working day in the name of religion,” Somaiya stated, urging the Mumbai Police, Traffic Police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to take responsibility and impose a strict ban on street prayers.
The BJP leader also referred to judicial rulings that restrict religious, cultural and political activities in public spaces such as playgrounds and gardens. He argued that permitting prayers on roads creates an undesirable precedent and undermines the principle of equal application of the law.
The demand, however, drew a sharp response from Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, who accused Somaiya of adopting a selective approach towards the use of public spaces for religious activities.
“Muslims have never demanded a ban on religious events held on roads by other communities,” Azmi said. “Mosques are often overcrowded and the timing of namaz is fixed. Offering prayers is compulsory for Muslims, and some people are therefore compelled to pray on roads. The prayers usually do not take more than ten minutes.”
Azmi maintained that singling out namaz while permitting other religious functions on public roads would amount to discrimination. He argued that if authorities choose to prohibit one form of religious activity on roads, the same standard should be applied to all communities.
Meanwhile, in a separate development linked to Somaiya’s complaints regarding alleged encroachments, an unauthorised dargah known as Hazrat Sayyad Pir Baba in Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon, was demolished on Tuesday.
The action followed a complaint filed by Somaiya, who had earlier alleged that illegal structures were being erected within Aarey Colony and the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park under the guise of a religious institution.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Police Salary Fraud: Case of fraud registered at Samtanagar Police Station, suspension and dismissal proceedings are also possible

A salary scam has been revealed in the Mumbai Police Department itself, after which disciplinary action has been taken against two police officers and they have been suspended from service, after which there has been a stir in the police department itself. A salary scam has been exposed in the Mumbai Police Force. Another major action has been taken in this matter. Two police officers involved in this crime have been suspended. A case has been registered at the Samta Nagar Police Station. The then Chief Clerk accused Vijay Chavan and the then Senior Clerk Amul Memram have been suspended from service.
Disciplinary action has been initiated against both of them. In the case registered at the Samta Nagar Police Station, it has been alleged that the salary scam was committed by cheating, preparing fake documents and conspiracy. The order states that both will remain ‘suspended from service’ until the investigation is completed. The suspension orders have been issued by the Joint Commissioner of Police, Administration. It is alleged that non-policemen were involved in the salary scam of crores of rupees by pretending to be police officers. There are serious allegations against the then administrative officers Ram Kishan Goswami, Nagesh Talwadekar, Vijay Chavan and others. It has been claimed that they misused and embezzled government funds by submitting false salary slips. In this case, it is alleged that the government was cheated to the tune of Rs 6 crore 41 lakh 14 thousand 36.
Head Clerk Ajay Rathod and Junior Clerk Amul Meshram are also involved in this case. A case has been registered against the concerned persons under various serious sections including cheating, forgery, preparation of forged documents and destruction of evidence. A legal complaint has been registered under sections 409, 420, 406, 467, 465, 471, 201, 120 (B) and 34 of the IPC.
When did the scam happen?
The scam took place in 2019 and 2020. It is suspected that the scam took place in December 2019 and then in 2020 in the salaries of January, February and then June to September 2020. The investigation has found discrepancies in the salary accounts between 2019 and 2020. A case has been registered against the advertised officers and employees. According to sources, it is suspected that the officers and employees of the administrative and salary departments committed this embezzlement in collusion.
Maharashtra
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi demands extension of voter verification deadline in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Samajwadi Party leader and MLA Abu Asim Azmi met Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chokkalingam and submitted a formal memorandum. In it, he urged for extension of the last date for the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll to August 31, 2026. In his memorandum, Azmi highlighted various practical and technical difficulties faced during the voter verification process in various constituencies. The key issues raised include inconvenience to citizens due to heavy rains and additional pressure on staff on election duty. Many Booth Level Officers (BLOs), a large number of whom are teachers, are juggling this dual responsibility along with their regular school duties, which is leading to severe exhaustion. Furthermore, Azmi drew attention to the logistical challenges. He noted that many BLOs live in remote areas such as Raigad, Thane and Borivali, which makes it difficult for them to reach their designated areas. Given the high population of migrants and people from other states in these regions, the process of document and online verification takes time, making it impossible for BLOs to complete the work within the stipulated time. Azami feared that thousands of eligible voters could remain out of the voter list as a result of administrative and technical delays. He has therefore appealed to the Election Commission to intervene immediately and extend the last date, ensuring that all eligible citizens can be enrolled in the voter list.
Maharashtra
RSS chief set for dialogue with Gen Z, Gen Alpha in Mumbai; to share nation-building thoughts

Mumbai, Aug 4: International Movement to Unite Nations (IIMUN) founder Rishabh Shah on Tuesday announced that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat will participate in one of the world’s largest youth-led conferences on August 6, where he is scheduled to interact with members of Gen Z and Gen Alpha on leadership, nation-building and India’s role in uniting the world.
The inaugural session of the conference will revolve around ‘The Role of Youth in Uniting the World, the Indian Way’. The annual gathering will bring together students aged 15 to 19 years with participants representing schools and colleges from different parts of the country.
The event comes at a time when young people across India are becoming increasingly active in discussions on democracy, leadership, governance and nation-building.
Bhagwat is expected to engage with more than 2,000 students from over 100 cities at the event in Mumbai on August 6, which is being described as one of the world’s largest youth-led conferences.
The interaction with the RSS chief will be held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) during the inaugural ceremony of the annual championship conference of IIMUN, which is marking its 15th anniversary this year.
Speaking to media about the initiative, IIMUN founder Rishabh Shah said the organisation has consistently focused on helping young people understand India’s values while preparing them for leadership roles.
“Our main endeavour is to help youth aged 11 to 19 understand what ‘Bharat’ is and what ‘uniting the world the Bharatiya way’ means. We try to mould the next generation into good leaders. We have been doing this for the past 15 years through various programs. In a year, we aim to organise thousands of programs, which are managed by youth aged 15 to 24. Beyond the age of 24, these individuals move on to different fields — some join politics, others enter films, business, or various other sectors,” Shah told media.
Highlighting the scale of the organisation’s outreach, Shah said nearly 30,000 students have been associated with IIMUN and have actively worked with the platform over the years.
“The number of people who have been impacted is around 7 to 7.5 crore. These are the estimates. As for how many people were actually impacted, you would have to ask them directly,” he added.
Shah also noted that this would be the third occasion on which Mohan Bhagwat would be attending an IIMUN event to interact with the younger generation.
“I believe that organisations like RSS and Indian National Congress, along with other prominent institutions, should be studied by the younger generations. These organisations have different ideologies, and hence, the new generation should learn about them,” he said.
Besides Bhagwat, several prominent personalities, including actor Shabana Azmi, actor Boman Irani and former Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud, are also expected to attend the conference.
Emphasising the need to expose young people to diverse streams of thought, Shah said, “No matter what the ideology is, at the end of the day, when we think about Bharat, everyone needs to come together, engage to build leaders of the young Indians as we need all — Savarkar, Sardar Patel, Swami Vivekanand and Mahatma Gandhi — especially this generation.”
Commenting on the recent Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protests over repeated paper leaks and alleged examination irregularities, Shah said the concerns raised by the students deserved attention irrespective of political affiliations.
“The issues that were raised during the protest were of utmost importance. Neither CJP nor BJP; we need to talk about education. I do believe if the country needs to strengthen, then the education system should also,” he said.
While supporting the need to raise concerns over education, Shah also stressed that public protests should maintain decorum in language and expression.
“The vocabulary used by a few people during the protest, no matter for whom — be it the Prime Minister or the LoP — we should avoid. The protest should be within limits. This generation is frustrated, and now it’s coming out,” he said, attributing part of that frustration to what he described as the influence of vulgar content in sections of the film industry and on social media.
He further argued that the prevailing social and political environment also contributes to the frustration being witnessed among young people.
“This is not entirely the fault of Gen Z but also of the generations before them for the environment that has been created… If a rapist is acquitted, a murderer becomes a parliamentarian, it would obviously affect children because they are aware of these developments. Don’t create the hate. It is being created across party lines and the film industry,” he added.
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