Crime
Parbhani custodial death: Prakash Ambedkar demands solatium, survey of victims of police brutality

Mumbai, Dec 28: Adopting a tough stance, the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) called upon Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to order a survey of victims of police brutality in the wake of the recent death of a Dalit man in judicial custody, here on Saturday.
VBA President Prakash Ambedkar met Fadnavis and submitted a memorandum of demands pertaining to the ‘foul death’ of the Dalit law student, Somnath Vyankat Suryawandi, 35, on December 15, and other issues.
Ambedkar claimed that the CM has agreed to survey and provide a list of the victims of police high-handedness in Parbhani and ensure that they are adequately compensated.
The VBA head has urged the CM to file an FIR against the police officers who allegedly brutalised Suryawanshi and other innocent victims while probing the Parbhani incidents, ordered a ‘lathi-charge’ without clearance from the seniors, plus compensation for those Dalits whose homes have been demolished, and probe by a retired district or high court judge.
The VBA chief further asked the government to hike the compensation amount of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore for Suryawanshi’s next of kin, plus ensure a government job to a member of his immediate family.
In view of the upcoming seventh anniversary of the infamous Koregaon-Bhima caste riots of January 1, 2018, the VBA chief urged the CM to direct the police to monitor all misinformation against the Dalits and thwart any kind of violence anywhere on New Year’s Day.
The CM has also agreed to VBA’s demand to carry out a survey and cancel the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for tribal students and revert back to the old system, said Ambedkar.
It may be recalled that Suryawanshi was arrested (December 12) after the defiling of a statue of Dr B. R. Ambedkar near the Parbhani Railway Station (December 10), followed by massive violence on December 11.
However, barely 72 hours later on December 15, Suryawanshi was found dead in judicial custody, setting loose a political storm that continues to rage.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and other top Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders went to meet the Suryawanshi family.
After consoling the family (December 23), Rahul Gandhi launched an unprecedented direct attack on the MahaYuti government contending that Suryawanshi was ‘murdered’ as he was a Dalit and attempting to safeguard the Constitution, plus accused that the CM had ‘lied’ before the legislature.
Opposition leaders who called on the Suryawanshi family include Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar, besides representatives of Shiv Sena (UBT), VBA, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and others.
Crime
After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, another YouTuber held in Punjab for espionage

Chandigarh, June 4: After YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, Punjab Police on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed a critical espionage network linked to another YouTuber, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Rupnagar.
Jasbir Singh, who operates a YouTube channel called ‘JaanMahal’, has been found associated with Pakistani intelligence operative Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network.
He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on X.
Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani army officials and bloggers.
He travelled to Pakistan on three occasions (2020, 2021, 2024), and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under detailed forensic scrutiny, said the DGP.
After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, Jasbir attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these Pakistani intelligence operatives to avoid detection.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered in Mohali, near here. The DGP added that investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators.
A day earlier, Counter-Intelligence Punjab, in a joint operation with Tarn Taran police, had arrested a man linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor.
The accused was identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Tarn Taran town.
DGP Yadav had said preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagandeep Singh was in direct contact with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla for past five years, through whom he was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives.
Investigations also revealed that the accused had been sharing classified information, including troop deployments, strategic locations, and army movements during Operation Sindoor, posing a serious threat to national security.
The DGP had said police teams have recovered two mobile devices from the possession of the accused, containing sensitive intelligence that he shared with the Pakistani intelligence operatives, as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts.
The accused also received payments from operatives via Indian channels.
Crime
WBSSC’s notification for fresh teachers’ recruitment challenged at Calcutta HC

Kolkata, June 3: The notification issued by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to fill vacant posts of teachers in state-run schools has been challenged at the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday.
The single-judge vacation bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury admitted the petition. The matter is likely to come up for a hearing at his bench on June 5.
The petitioner claimed that certain points in the notification, especially those as regards to changed weightage criteria in the distribution of total marks in the recruitment process, violated the Supreme Court’s directives on fresh recruitments.
The main ground on which the notification was challenged was that the weightage criteria in the distribution of total marks had changed from those in 2016.
As per the new notification issued last week, the written examination in the fresh recruitment process will carry 60 marks, as against 55 for the 2016 panel.
Secondly, the weightage criterion for educational qualification in the fresh recruitment process is just 10 as against 35 for the 2016 panel.
Most importantly, two new weightage criteria, each carrying 10 marks, “past teaching experience” and “lecture demonstration”, have been introduced.
Soon after the notification was issued, several legal minds apprehended that the notification may face legal hurdles because of the changes in weightage criteria in total marks distribution.
Legal minds felt that while two new weightage criteria were introduced to give an advantage to the teachers from the 2016 panel who lost their jobs. They opined that the changed criteria would be disadvantageous for fresher candidates.
Bringing about changes in the weightage criteria was grossly illegal since the same weightage criteria, which applied to the 2016 panel, should also be there in the fresh recruitment process, they said.
Now their apprehensions have come true after a petition challenging the notification was filed at the Calcutta High Court, exactly on the points highlighted.
On April 3 this year, the Supreme Court’s division bench of erstwhile Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a previous order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.
The Apex Court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “untainted” candidates from the “tainted” ones.
The state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had already filed review petitions at the Apex Court on this issue.
Crime
Mass transfers in TN prison department spark resentment among personnel

Chennai, June 3: A major reshuffle in the Tamil Nadu Prison Department has triggered widespread resentment among prison staff, who allege that the transfers were arbitrary and in violation of established government norms.
Several affected personnel are now considering legal action.
On May 27, DIG of Prisons Maheswar Dayal issued a sweeping order transferring 176 chief head warders across the state. The order includes long-distance reassignments, such as moving staff from Palayamkottai Central Prison to Vellore, nearly 600 kilometres apart, and vice versa.
Similar transfers were recorded from sub-jails in Nagapattinam and Ooty to Coimbatore and Palayamkottai, covering distances between 350 and 450 kilometres.
The move is part of a larger reshuffle underway over the past two months, involving assistant jailers, warders, and head warders.
While those posted over 400 kilometres away have been granted eight days to report for duty, others must report within six days.
Adding to the pressure, many have been verbally instructed to vacate their official quarters immediately.
A prison official based in Coimbatore expressed anguish: “My two children are in high school, and I’ve already paid their annual fees. How can I relocate my family overnight?”
Since April, nearly 250 personnel have been transferred, and insiders warn the move could damage morale and disrupt daily operations.
“This scale of reshuffling without consultation or consideration is unprecedented and could seriously impact the smooth functioning of prison administration,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity.
“Earlier, transfers were done through counselling and usually within a 60-100 km radius, keeping families in mind,” an officer said.
According to government rules, transfers are permitted once every three years.
A key government order issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (Personnel M) Department in 1977 mandates that, when both spouses are in government service, efforts must be made to post them in the same station to support family welfare and children’s education. Already, one assistant jailer has secured a stay order from the court, while many others are reportedly preparing to file petitions challenging the transfer orders.
“If someone is facing proven corruption charges, a transfer — even to distant locations — is understandable. But these general transfers should factor in personal circumstances,” said a staffer from the southern zone.
In response, a senior prison department official defended the move, stating that many of the transferred employees had served in the same facility for over five years.
“The decision was made to break long-standing networks and eliminate potential corruption rings within prisons and sub-jails,” the official said, without offering further details.
As dissatisfaction continues to rise among the affected staff, legal battles and administrative scrutiny appear inevitable.
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