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Mumbai News: EOW Files FIR Against Sanjay Raut’s Close Aide Sujit Patkar, 6 Others In BMC’s Khichdi Scam

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has registered an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut’s close aide Sujit Patkar and six others in the Rs 6.37 crore ‘Khichdi Scam’.

The EOW found that the BMC committed financial irregularities in awarding the contract for distribution of ‘khichdi’ to migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic, the FIR said.

The EOW found that the contractors who were given the task of making khichdi subcontracted the work to others, according to an official. BMC officials received kickbacks to award contracts to favoured parties, the FIR claimed. Vaishnavi Kitchen / Sahyadri Refreshment and Sunil alias Bala Kadam were given the contract but they did not have a kitchen available to make khichdi for more than 5,000 people, the FIR said.

At a BMC meeting, it was decided that the contract should be given to a charitable organisation or an NGO with a community kitchen that could make more than 5,000 meals and had a certificate from the municipality’s Health Department, the FIR stated.

Details On The Khichdi Contract

According to it, the then assistant commissioner (Planning) gave the contract to Vaishnavi Kitchen / Sahyadri Refreshments on Kadam’s application. According to the contract, each packet should have contained 300 grams of khichdi, but the packets distributed among the migrants contained 100-200 grams.

Kadam also subcontracted the work to another party, the FIR claimed. The civic body paid Rs5.93 crore to Sahyadri Refreshments, which transferred Rs45 lakh to Patkar for providing consultancy services, it said.

While investigating a contract given to Force One Multi Services, the EOW found that it did not have its own kitchen, nor a licence from the Health Department or the Food and Drugs Administration, the FIR claimed.

Force One gave the work of making khichdi to Sneha Caterers, which made only 100 grams per packet, it claimed. The BMC gave Rs8.64 crore to Force One, which transferred Rs2.8 crore to the accounts of BMC officials, the FIR said. In his complaint, EOW Assistant Inspector Gopal Ravan, 36, said that the contract was given in contravention of rules.

FIR Filed At Agripada Police Station

The EOW has named Sujit Patkar, Sunil alias Bala Kadam, Rajeev Salunkhe of Sahyadri Refreshments, partners and employees of Force One Multi Service, partners of Sneha Caterer, then assistant municipal commissioner (Planning) and other unidentified BMC officials in the FIR. It has registered the FIR at Agripada Police Station.

Patkar was arrested by the ED in connection with the Jumbo Covid Centre scam and is in judicial custody. The EOW took custody of him last month.

Crime

Mumbai: Speeding Dumper Hits 2 Bikers Near Birla Centurion Mill, One Killed

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Mumbai: A tragic accident occurred in Worli, where a speeding dumper rammed into two bikers, killing one on the spot. The deceased has been identified as Rohan Gupta (21), while the other rider, Sanket Virendrakumar Sharma (21), sustained serious injuries. Based on Sharma’s complaint, the N.M. Joshi Marg Police have registered a case against the dumper driver, Darshan Subhash Kasdekar (27) and arrested him. Further investigation is underway.

According to the N.M. Joshi Marg Police, the accident took place around 9:30 PM on January 30 near Birla Centurion Mill Gate No. 01 to 07. Complainant Sanket Sharma and his friend Rohan Gupta were riding a bike on Pandurang Budhkar Marg when a speeding and negligent dumper driver hit them near Birla Centurion Mill. The impact threw both riders off their bike, causing severe injuries. Gupta succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while Sharma survived with serious wounds. The police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation.

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Crime

Bengal Governor hints at taking up RG Kar case with Amit Shah

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Kolkata, Jan 31: West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose might take up the complaints of the parents of the victim in the R.G. Kar rape and murder case regarding the entire line of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

A statement issued from the office of the Governor on Friday hinted at this.

The statement comes a day after the victim’s parents, on Thursday evening, went to Raj Bhavan in Kolkata and had a long meeting with the Governor.

“The parents expressed their plight and requested justice. They requested the Hon’ble Governor to present their petition to the Hon’ble President and Hon’ble Union Home Minister, to whom they have already submitted their petition. The Hon’ble Governor assured to take necessary action,” read the statement issued from the Governor’s office in the morning.

As per the statement, the Governor also assured the victim’s parents that they were not alone in this grief and that justice in the matter would be done.

The indication from the office of the Governor comes just a day after the state president of BJP in West Bengal and the Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar, on Thursday, gave a somewhat similar assurance on the matter.

Majumdar, on Thursday afternoon, went to the residence of the victim’s parents and had a long meeting with them.

During the meeting, the victim’s parents claimed to have explained to Majumdar why they were unhappy with the entire investigation by the CBI. They also explained why they are against the death penalty for the sole convict in the case, Sanjay Roy.

The victim’s parents reportedly highlighted the observations made by a special court in Kolkata on the lapses in investigation by the central agency.

Confirming this, Majumdar told media persons that the victim’s parents had pointed out certain observations by the special court.

Majumdar also said the victim’s parents had complaints against one particular investigating officer.

“They have updated me on the matter and I assured them of communicating their grievances to the appropriate authorities,” Majumdar said.

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Crime

RG Kar financial case: Calcutta HC nixes Sandip Ghosh’s plea for more time before framing of charges

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Kolkata, Jan 31: The Calcutta High Court on Friday rejected the plea of the former principal of R. G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, seeking additional time before the process of framing of charges against him starts in connection with the financial irregularities in the institute.

On January 28, Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to complete the process of charge-framing in the case by February 6 following which the trial could start.

However, on Friday, Ghosh’s counsel filed a petition at the same single-judge bench seeking additional time before the beginning of the trial process.

However, Justice Ghosh rejected the petition and observed that there had been a systematic delay in the beginning of the trial process in the matter.

Justice Ghosh also observed that despite CBI filing a chargesheet in November last year, there had been a delay in the beginning of the trial process.

Initially, the process of framing a charge against Ghosh could not be started because of the non-availability of a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the state government, which is mandatory for charge-framing and the beginning of the trial process against any state government employee.

However, on January 28, the CBI counsel informed Justice Ghosh’s bench that finally they secured the NOC from the state government, which cleared the decks for completing the process of charge framing and the beginning of the trial process.

Thereafter, Justice Ghosh directed CBI to complete the process of charge framing by February 6.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe in the case of financial irregularities at R. G. Kar.

While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).

Altogether five persons, including Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Alir, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI in its chargesheet. All of them are in judicial custody now.

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