In a major operation, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two drug peddlers found selling Nitrazepam tablets. Acting on a tip-off received by Unit 6 on September 9, a Crime Branch team laid a trap and apprehended the two accused near the Trombay Transport Office—located on the southbound service road of the Panvel-Sion Highway in Trombay, Mumbai. Authorities seized 21,000 Nitrazepam tablets—weighing a total of 12.81 kg and valued at ₹64,05,000—which the accused were intending to sell illegally for recreational use. The arrested individuals have prior cases registered against them under the NDPS Act; specifically, a case has been registered against both under Sections 8(c), 22(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. The arrested men are aged 44 (resident of Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, Mumbai) and 50 (resident of Kausa, Mumbra, Thane district).

This operation was carried out by a team from Unit 6 under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Krishnakant Upadhyay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Datta Nawathe, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (D-East) Dharmapal Bansode. The team comprised Police Inspector Bharat Ghonge (In-charge, Unit 6), Police Inspector Sushant Sawant, Woman Sub-Inspector Chaudhary, Woman Sub-Inspector Mashire, Police Sub-Inspector Desai, Police Havaldars Wankhede, Khedkar, Bhalerao, and Chamgar, Police Constables Panchal, Shaikh, Bodhare, and Sasane, and Woman Police Constable Khotod.

Mumbai, Sep 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the inaugural session of Hindi Diwas 2026 and the sixth All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai on Monday.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the event will highlight the vibrant relationship of Hindi with Maharashtra’s rich linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions, the official said in a statement.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, several Members of Parliament, distinguished guests from various fields, scholars, litterateurs, educationists, and senior officials from various departments and Ministries of the Central government will also be present on this occasion.

The Department of Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been organising All India Official Language Conferences every year since 2021.

During the inaugural session of the two-day programme, the ‘Rajbhasha Gaurav’ and ‘Rajbhasha Kirti’ Awards for the year 2025–26 will be presented by the Union Home Minister, the official statement said.

The institutions and individuals who have undertaken outstanding work and made noteworthy contributions in the field of Official Language will be honoured with these awards, it added.

Several important books and publications will also be launched during the inaugural session and other sessions. These include a special commemorative issue of the Department of Official Language’s journal ‘Rajbhasha Bharati’, centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’; ‘Bharatiya Gyan Tantra: Srot aur Swaroop’; ‘Shiv Anadi Hain, Anant Hain’; and ‘Andheron Se Ujalon Tak’, a compilation of writings by prison inmates.

A special attraction of this year’s conference will be a special discussion session centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’.

Joydeep Chattopadhyay will also have a special presence at the programme. He is a fifth-generation descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the author of ‘Vande Mataram’.

A special session will also be organised at the Conference on the role of Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs/NARAKAS).

NARAKAS is a strong and empowered unit that takes forward the implementation of Official Language Hindi at the grassroots level.

A special exhibition is also being organised at the conference venue, in which stalls will be put up by various institutions, organisations, banks and ministries, the statement said.

Mumbai, Sep 14: Launching a scathing attack on the state government on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Monday sharply criticised the ruling Mahayuti government for Maharashtra’s compounding socio-economic and political crisis.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, painted a grim picture of a state “beset by inflation, systemic corruption, agricultural distress, and rising communal polarisation” — arguing that the current rulers themselves have become the single biggest “vighna” (obstacle) confronting Maharashtra and the nation.

The editorial slammed the government for compounding public distress ahead of the festive season. Highlighting steep hikes in the prices of sugar, milk, CNG, domestic LPG, petrol, and diesel, the daily noted that while the common man’s festive budget has been badly hit, devotees will still leave no stone unturned to welcome Lord Ganesha with devotion.

The editorial highlighted the recent physical assault on Pune activist Vidyanand Bapat, who had voiced strong opposition to high-decibel DJ systems during public celebrations. Rather than addressing noise pollution, the ruling establishment branded the activist as an “urban Naxal” and an “outsider”, while the Chief Minister resorted to evasive stances instead of decisive action, it claimed.

Pointing to the severe impact of El Nino, the Thackeray camp warned of a worsening drought across Maharashtra. With Kharif crops wilting in scorched fields and deficient rainfall casting a shadow over the upcoming Rabi season, rural livelihoods are in severe jeopardy while farmer suicides continue unabated.

The editorial also criticised repeated examination paper leaks. Following scandals in NEET and TET, the leak of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) papers forced the cancellation of exams.

Dismissing the government’s announced SIT probe and administrative reform claims as empty rhetoric, the editorial questioned who would answer for the shattered dreams of thousands of aspiring youths.

Tracing the roots of Lokmanya Tilak’s public Ganesh festival, the editorial lamented that its founding socio-political vision is being eroded by corporate takeover and cheap political posturing.

The editorial further highlighted rising crimes against children, deteriorating roads claiming innocent lives daily, and the government’s failure to enforce local Marathi language norms for non-native auto and taxi drivers.

Concluding with a stark warning, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena asserted that Maharashtra — once a beacon of progressive ideas for the country — has been rendered directionless and pushed into the shadows of religious extremism by “power-drunk and fanatical” rulers.

Calling upon the public to recognise the true root of their hardship, the editorial closed with a direct plea to Lord Ganesha to bestow wisdom upon the populace and save the state.