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Maharashtra

Nawab Malik, who dares to snoop on NCB super-sleuth!

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As far as snoops go, Maharahstra Minister Nawab Malik presents an unlikely picture as he takes on the shaken might of the Narcotics Control Bureau Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede.

Compared with cocky original 007, the bespectacled, bearded Malik presents a rather homely, fatherly figure, mostly in comfy kurtas who has taken upon himself to right the alleged wrongs of the Super Sleuth Wankhede.

As the stunned NCB and the national polity gaped, the Malik-Wankhede war – which started after the agency’s swoop on a luxury cruise ship in which one of those caught was Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s son, Aryan Khan – became the top TRP catcher.

The besieged and worried Wankhede is fighting it out in different fora and pulling all possible strings to keep the muck raked by Malik from sticking to him, with the latter vowing in public that it will all end with the officer (Wankhede) getting the sack and going to jail.

Last month (October 2021), in an unprecedented step, Malik launched an expose campaign against Wankhede and his activities, raising a big question mark on the officer’s credentials and the NCB’s credibility.

His latest serial exposure has not only rattled Wankhede, but raised uncomfortable questions on how the NCB, other central agencies like ED, ITD, CBI, NIA, etc, are being deployed to harass Opposition-parties ruled states by the BJP at the Centre.

“I have first-hand knowledge of how injustice is being meted out by these agencies to innocents. I decided somehow, someone has to do the cleaning up… I have no personal motives… Only Truth I am putting out before people,” Malik smiled with confidence.

On his prime target, Malik contends that the charge of extortion already established, soon the fake caste certificate matter will also be officially proved, and the “crusade for truth will continue till Wankhede is dismissed and dumped in jail”.

His regular media briefings are reminiscent of the Vikram-Betaal tales when he hurls agonising questions at the dazed Wankhede, who scurries from pillar-to-post for dear help.

Born in 1959 in the small Dhuswa village of Utraula Tehsil, Balrampur district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, close to India-Nepal border, despite his name suggesting ‘nobility’, Malik was an ordinary village lad till the family migrated to Mumbai for better prospects in 1970.

Dhuswa folks say that his father Mohammed Islam Malik initially started a small business in ‘chindi’ (rags) in Dongri, south Mumbai, and later shifted to north-east suburban Kurla.

In Kurla, Malik helped his father launch a scrap buying-selling business – the reason why some people now snobbishly try to run him down as a ‘kabadiwala’.

“So… What’s wrong in being a ‘kabadiwala’? We are doing a service to the nation, converting waste into wealth, which is also good for the environment,” Malik told IANS.

After dabbling in local social activities, he forayed into politics first with the ‘Sanjay Vichar Manch’ party launched by Maneka Gandhi – after the death of her husband Sanjay Gandhi – along with his close aides like Akbar ‘Dumpy’ Ahmed, Sanjay Singh, J.N. Mishra, Kalpnath Sonkar, etc.

Malik first contested Lok Sabha elections in 1984 against the Congress stalwart, the late Gurudas Kamat but barely got around 2,500 votes.

Later, he flirted with the Congress briefly before switching over to the Samajwadi Party (SP), won a bypoll to become an MLA and was promptely rewarded with a Minister of State position in the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance government in 1999.

Following political wrangles with the SP State President Abu Asim Azmi, Malik left and joined the NCP led by Sharad Pawar, and became a MoS and later a Cabinet Minister.

In 2005, he was targeted for alleged corruption by a social crusader Kisan Baburao alias Anna Hazare and had to quit the cabinet along with 4 other ministers.

Though Malik vehemently rubbished all charges against him, he was plucky enough to launch a counter-campaign against Hazare and also continued to work for the NCP, slowly earning the confidence of the party top brass, including the Pawar clan.

In November 2019, when the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi took office, Malik catapulted to the cabinet but encountered a setback when his son-in-law Sameer Khan was nabbed by the NCB and finally released on bail after over 8 months.

His former colleagues including ex-ministers (on condition of anonymity) describe Nawab Malik as “a meticulous worker, who handles any issue studiously, a tad arrogant occasionally, a fierce ‘family-man’, a gutsy leader who dares to barge in where angels fear to tread, and has the gall to call a spade a spade”, etc.

Maharashtra

Rakhi Sawant Social Media Post Triggers Public Debate

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Mumbai: Actress and television personality Rakhi Sawant has sparked widespread discussion after sharing a social media post related to the ongoing student protests in the country.

The post featured a symbolic red sanitary pad, which many users interpreted as a gesture of support for the protesting students. The image quickly went viral, drawing mixed reactions across social media platforms.

While several users appreciated the symbolic message and described it as an expression of solidarity, others criticised the post, calling the imagery controversial and inappropriate. The incident has reignited debate over the role of celebrities in expressing views on social and political issues.

The controversy has generated significant public attention, with supporters defending freedom of expression and critics questioning the use of symbolic imagery in sensitive matters.

As of now, Rakhi Sawant has not issued an official statement responding to the controversy surrounding her post. There has also been no official confirmation of any legal action specifically related to her social media activity.

The issue continues to attract attention online, with discussions focusing on freedom of expression, public responsibility, and the influence of celebrities on national conversations.

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Maharashtra

Peaceful tricolor rally from Amjadiya Road to Shanti Nagar led by Bhiwandi Samajwadi Party MLA Raees Sheikh concludes

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Mumbai: Citizens of Bhiwandi on Friday spontaneously organised a ‘Tiranga Pail Yatra’ (Tricolor March) to demand the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the ‘NEET’ paper leak scandal and to express solidarity with the nationwide student protests. Led by Samajwadi Party MLA (Bhiwandi East) Rais Sheikh, the foot march was attended by a large number of local citizens as well as opposition party workers and leaders. The march covered the route from Amjadiya Road in Bhiwandi to Shanti Nagar and was concluded in the evening. No flags of any political party were hoisted during the rally, but citizens held the tricolor in their hands and expressed the spirit of unity. The peaceful procession demonstrated the spirit of unity ‘One Nation, One Passion’. Many participants raised slogans demanding Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, including “Inqilab Zindabad” (Long Live the Revolution) while others held placards protesting against the Modi government. The march ended with the presentation of a memorandum to the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer.

Speaking to the media during the event, MLA Raees Sheikh said that the ‘Tiranga March’ was not affiliated with any specific political party but was a spontaneous initiative by the citizens of Bhiwandi. He noted the growing nationwide anger against the central government over the ‘NEET’ paper leak and the brutal lathicharge on protesting students. The aim of the march was to support the student movement and demand an end to corruption in the examination system. The participants demanded that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, holding him responsible for the ‘NEET’ paper leak incident. The memorandum issued by the ‘Tiranga Rally’ has put forward four demands: a judicial inquiry into the brutal lathicharge on student protesters at Delhi’s ‘Jantar Mantar’; a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the families of students who committed suicide following the NEET paper leak; and withdrawal of police cases registered against student protesters in Delhi as well as all states and union territories.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Shivaji Park student protest: Public anger after video of misbehaving with woman goes viral on social media, demands for four-pronged action

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Mumbai: After the shameful act of a police officer during a protest in Shivaji Park Dadar in Mumbai came to light, the Mumbai Police has defended the constable Deepak and said that the video that has gone viral on social media is irresponsible. The officer did not intend to misbehave or flirt with the woman. When the officer went to arrest a man during the protest, the woman protester came in the middle and this is the video. After the investigation in this case, the senior officers of the police department have given a clean chit to the above-mentioned police officer after carefully examining the video footage. This is causing resentment among the citizens. The police have said in their denial statement that there is no mistake on the part of the constable who controlled the protesters. He did not touch the woman intentionally. It is certain that he was controlling the protesters.

In this case, advocate Nitin Satpute has expressed surprise at the clean chit given to the police constable and has appealed to the victim to register a case against the official himself. If a case is not registered in this case, he will approach the court to register a case. He said that the videos of violence against students in Mumbai and other places that are going viral are worrying. In this, many videos have also come to light that are based on extreme brutality. In one video, a constable is threatening to implicate two students in a false drug case, while in the other video, this shameful act of a police constable has come to light. After this video, many political leaders have also tweeted it and demanded action. While the police have given a clean chit to the constable in this case, this has also affected the image of the police department. This video has tarnished the Mumbai Police. The public is angry with the police’s behavior and is also surprised by the police’s latest stance that the constable is innocent and has done nothing wrong.

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