Mumbai: Tensions ran high at a prominent school in Bhandup on Tuesday February 4 after a 9-year-old girl was allegedly injected with an unknown substance by an unidentified individual in the NES High school premises. The incident, which reportedly occurred on January 31, sparked outrage among parents, who staged a protest demanding answers about their children’s safety.

According to the complaint, the girl was playing in the school ground when an unknown person allegedly approached her, took her to an isolated spot, and injected her with an unidentified substance. The girl later informed her teacher about the incident, after which her parents were notified. She was immediately rushed to Wadia Hospital, where she underwent medical tests.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, neither the school administration nor the police have been able to identify the suspect after four days of investigation. The Bhandup Police have formed five special teams to probe the matter and have scrutinized CCTV footage from the school premises. However, no suspicious activity or presence of an outsider was detected. The footage only shows the girl playing and interacting with her classmates.

Medical examinations, including blood tests and X-rays, were conducted, with preliminary reports indicating no signs of health complications.

School Responds to Allegations

When contacted by media, the school issued an official statement denying that such an incident occurred on its premises. “Following the complaint, the police are conducting a thorough investigation, including scrutiny of CCTV footage from the past three days. We have also reviewed the footage and can firmly confirm that no such incident took place within the school premises. This can be verified with the police authorities,” the school’s statement read.

The school further stated that medical reports from the hospital have not substantiated the allegations. “Since the matter involves a juvenile, we are handling it with utmost sensitivity. Based on investigations by both the police and medical professionals, there is no evidence to suggest that the alleged incident occurred at our Bhandup school premises,” the statement added.

Parents, however, remain unconvinced, demanding increased security measures and transparency from the school management. The Bhandup Police continue their investigation, and further updates are awaited.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) presented its budget for the financial year 2025–2026 on Tuesday. BMC assigned an unprecedented budget of Rs 74,366 crore for the financial year 2025-26. The civic body budget allocated approximately Rs 4,000 crore for the Mumbai Coastal Road Project (Phase 2). BMC mentioned Phase 2, which will connect Versova and Dahisar.

The budget is a crucial component of the BMC’s operations, as it outlines the key factors and the city’s development, as well as what should be invested in and how to invest for the state. Coastal roads are crucial for Mumbai because they provide commuters with quick access and good connectivity, cutting the travel time between Marine Drive and Bandra-Worli Sea Link from 45 to 50 minutes to less than 10 minutes.

Mumbai Coastal Road Project (Phase 1)

The first phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road would be maintained, according to the budget, with Rs 1,516 crore allocated for the south section’s completion. Project Coastal Road (Phase 1) The first phase began in March 2024 with the opening of 10.58 km of coastal road. Starting at BD Somani Chowk, 280 m before the Princess Street Flyover at Marine Drive, the path leads to Worli, where it joins the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL). Estimated cost of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project Phase 1 was ₹13,060 crore.

Mumbai Coastal Road Project (Phase 2)

Phase 2 is now underway in the Versova and Dahisar neighborhoods of Mumbai. BMC mentioned the total amount of 4000 crore rupees that was permitted for phase 2 in the budget for 2025–2026. BMC is keenly focusing on the Coastal Road Project to develop the city and to reduce the traffic issue of Mumbai

BMC Budget 2025-26 Other Highlights

The BMC budget also prioritizes waste management services and educational facilities. Among the greatest services in Mumbai, together with the roads such as the Goregoan Mulund Link Road and the concretization projects

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that Devendra Fadnavis has not shifted to `Varsha’, the official residence of the Maharashtra Chief Minister in south Mumbai, because of superstition.

The grapevine has it that buffaloes allegedly slaughtered in Guwahati during Eknath Shinde’s visit to the Kamakhya temple were buried on the premises of `Varsha’ so that the CM’s post should not stay with anybody else other than Shinde, he said.

Fadnavis succeeded Shinde as chief minister following the November 2024 assembly elections.

“Why isn’t Devendra Fadnavis not moving into `Varsha’? The CM has said even if he moves there, he will not sleep there. What is this? The `limbu samrat, limbu mirchi’ (a reference to those who practise black magic) of the Shiv Sena should respond to this,” said Raut, a member of the Rajya Sabha.

`Limbu’ (lemon) and `mirchi’ (chilli) are supposedly used by black magic practitioners.

“I have heard there were discussions within the BJP that the horns of the buffaloes sacrificed in Guwahati were buried in the lawns of Varsha….there is talk that the horns were brought here so that the CM’s post should not stay with anyone else, this is what the staff says,” Raut told reporters.

While there was no immediate reaction from the chief minister’s aides to Raut’s claims, Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, now deputy CM, told reporters on a sarcastic note: “Raut is an expert in that field. He should know.”

In the past, Raut had alleged that buffaloes were slaughtered at Guwahati after Shinde revolted against Uddhav Thackeray and camped at a hotel in the Assam city with other rebel Shiv Sena MLAs before returning to Maharashtra and becoming chief minister by toppling the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Raut, meanwhile, demanded an explanation from Fadnavis about why he was not living at `Varsha’, a “pride of the state.”

Maharashtra is a progressive state with a tradition of social reformers like Mahatma Phule, Prabodhankar Thackeray and Gadge Maharaj who assailed superstitions, he said, adding that yet superstition has now taken over the corridors of power.