Mumbai: The agonising tension between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maratha activist Manoj Jarange Patil dates back to September 1, 2023, when the police resorted to a lathi charge on protestors gathered at Antarwali Sarati (Jalna). The flashpoint came during the Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections last year.

Jarange was acerbic and bitter against the perceived casteist bias harboured by the CM. With Eknath Shinde at the helm between June 2022 and December 5, 2024, the Maratha quota leader was more pliable. This was witnessed when the Shinde-led government succeeded in convincing the protestors to return from Navi Mumbai in January last year.

The past four days were unprecedented. The Maratha agitation had reached the heart of Mumbai, and Fadnavis was at the receiving end for alleged mismanagement by allowing the protestors at Azad Maidan. Everything seemed out of control, until Sunday, that is, when Fadnavis took charge. When the protestors reached Mumbai, Maratha sub-committee head Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil was in Shirdi.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was mostly in Thane, speaking only on a couple of occasions, raising suspicions about his posturing. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar was in Pune, telling the media that he would go to Mumbai if required. It was Union Home Minister Amit Shah who, after visiting Lalbaugcha Raja, held a closed-door meeting with both Fadnavis and Shinde.

The next day, on Monday, a petition came before the Bombay High Court, and the government put up its views opposing the agitation. Fadnavis chaired a few meetings of the ministers’ committee where neither Shinde nor Pawar was present. No cabinet meeting was held to discuss the assurances to be given to Jarange Patil and the government resolutions (GRs) that were to be issued. The drafting of the GRs was also a careful process undertaken on Monday.

That their effectiveness only time will reveal is another matter, though. On Monday, when the CM was asked during his visit to Pune as to why no efforts were made to approach the activist, he said no one approached them for talks. On Tuesday, the state government swiftly deputed a group of ministers led by Vikhe Patil to meet Jarange Patil. Although the High Court was critical of the activist and the behaviour of the agitators, the state changed its stand. This could have been the result of a political fallout over ignoring Jarange Patil, who has a huge mass base, probably bigger than any political leader, a bureaucrat quipped.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking resumed bus operations from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Tuesday, four days after services were suspended due to the ongoing Maratha quota agitation.

The resumption of services brought much-needed relief to office-goers who had been forced to walk to workplaces in areas like Nariman Point, Backbay, and Colaba, as protesters had blocked major junctions around CSMT over the past few days.

Bus services from CSMT and several parts of South Mumbai were disrupted after the agitation, led by activist Manoj Jarange, drew thousands of Maratha protesters to the city.

“BEST has resumed bus services from the Bhatia Baug outside CSMT. Routes 138 and 115 are now operational,” said an official, adding that operations in the area are still partially impacted.

With DN Road, Mahapalika Marg, and Hazarimal Somani Marg closed by police, buses are being diverted via Mahatma Phule Market, LT Marg, and Metro Junction towards Hutatma Chowk.

However, several bus routes remain diverted, suspended, or curtailed due to the protest at Azad Maidan.

Sources said traffic police have opened both lanes of DN Road between JJ Flyover and Hutatma Chowk, although a section of the square outside CSMT remains blocked by protesters and their vehicles.

Thane: After three days of investigation, the Bhoiwada police solved the case of a severed woman’s head on Tuesday by arresting her husband, who allegedly beheaded her with a sharp knife in Bhiwandi following a domestic dispute stemming from suspicion about the husband’s extramarital affair.

The victim has been identified as Pravin alias Muskan (22), who lived with her husband just a few meters from the creek. The accused, Mohammad Taha Ansari alias Sonu (25), a driver by profession, had married her two years ago. The couple has a one-year-old son.

According to the police, frequent quarrels broke out between Muskan, her husband, and in-laws over domestic issues. Sources said she wanted to live separately with her husband. Eventually, she rented a house near the Eidgah creek area in Bhiwandi and began living apart with her son.

The police said teams scanned CCTV footage and alerted informants. While investigating the severed head, officers questioned residents near the creek and learned that a woman’s house had been locked for four days. Her family was then traced, and her husband Sonu confessed to the murder. He was arrested and later remanded in police custody for further investigation.

Pramod Kumbhar, the investigating officer from Bhoiwada Police Station, said, “Preliminary investigation suggests that Muskan suspected her husband of having an extramarital affair, which led to frequent quarrels between them. He allegedly beheaded her with sharp knives and disposed of the body parts by throwing them into the creek.”

The police team, fire brigade, and dog squads searched for Muskan’s remains in the creek. A drone camera was also deployed to locate her torso. Despite efforts lasting four hours, the torso could not be found, and the search was later called off.”