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Phone snooping row: Maha Congress chief slaps Rs 500 cr libel suit on IPS officer Rashmi Shukla

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Congress’ Maharashtra unit President Nana F. Patole has filed a defamation case of Rs 500 crore against senior IPS officer and a former State Intelligence Department (SID) chief Rashmi Shukla for illegally tapping his phone.

Patole said it was necessary to get to the bottom of the matter and find out who is “the mastermind of the plot” enacted by Shukla – currently the Additonal DGP, CRPF, Hyderabad.

The suit has been filed before the Nagpur District and Sessions Court alleging harassment and blackmailing of people by snooping into their private lives and to dig out the person/s behind the conspiracy, he added.

Shukla, when she was the Pune Police Commissioner in 2016-2017, had ordered the illegal tapping of various politicians, including Patole, who was shown as a drug dealer with the name of ‘Amjad Khan’.

“When I raised the matter in the Maharashtra Legislature, an inquiry committee was appointed which found Shukla guilty. Later, the Pune police have registered a case against her,” said Patole.

However, though the police investigations are underway, Patole said that his “personal and public image has been severely damaged and can never be repaired”, compelling him to file the defamation suit through the appropriate legal channels.

He said that illegal phone-tapping is a serious crime and can be done only with special permission to investigate serious cases like terrorism or drug-trafficking.

“We had nothing to do with such activities and it was a violation of our individual freedom and other rights. The then Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state conspired against me to trap in fake cases and systematically finish off my political career by misusing the government machinery,” Patole said.

The illegal phone-tapping incidents, which erupted last year into a major political row between the Maha Vikas Aghadi government the opposition BJP, led to the filing of cases against Shukla in Mumbai and Pune.

Besides Patole, the phones of other prominent leaders like Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, NCP leader Eknath Khadse and others in the MVA government were spied upon unauthorisedly, when Shukla was the SID head.

Top MVA leaders have also said the illegal phone tapping activities were carried out when the three parties were involved in the government formation exercise after the October 2018 Assembly elections which left the BJP out of power.

Maharashtra

Census 2027 campaign launched in Maharashtra, appeal to citizens to participate spontaneously in the national census: Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Verma and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today (May 1, 2026) launched the Census-2027 campaign being conducted by the Government of India by conducting digital self-enumeration from Mumbai. The Governor and the Chief Minister also appealed to the citizens to participate in this national census themselves. The first phase of Census-2027, i.e. self-enumeration, is being implemented by the Government of India from May 1, 2026. In this context, Maharashtra State Governor Jishnu Dev Verma launched the Census-2027 campaign at an official office of the Census Bureau in Mumbai. The Governor’s wife Sudha Dev Verma was present on the occasion. Maharashtra State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted the self-enumeration at Varsha’s official residence in Mumbai and enrolled in Census-2027. The Chief Minister’s wife Amrita Fadnavis and daughter Smt. Devija Fadnavis were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Chandrashekhar, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker, Advocate Cultural Affairs and Information Technology Minister Rahul Narvekar and Mumbai Suburban District Caretaker Minister Advocate Ashish Shelar, Minister for Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Co-Caretaker Minister of Mumbai Suburban District Mangala Prabhat Lodha, Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Deputy Mayor Sanjay Gadi and other dignitaries also participated in the census drive by counting themselves. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. (Ms.) Ashwini Joshi, Maharashtra Principal Census Officer Dr. Nirupama J. Dange, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern) Joint Commissioner (Additional Municipal Commissioner). (Function) M. Devendra Singh, Secretary to the Governor Dr. Prashant Naranwar, Joint Director (Census) Santosh, Deputy Registrar General of Census A. N. Rajiv, Census Officer of Municipal Corporation Dr. Santosh Gaikwad and other concerned officers were present on the occasion. Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Principal Census Officer Ashwini Bhide were present on the occasion. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr. Avinash Dhakne, Census 2027 is being conducted in urban areas.
In this regard, Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) and Additional Principal Census Officer Dr. Vipin Sharma said that Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, citizens will have to do the self-enumeration digitally from May 1 to 15, 2026. For this, you will have to register on the website https://se.census.gov.in and do the self-enumeration. In addition, you will have to answer the 33 questions given in it. It is possible to do the self-enumeration in just ten minutes. Under this, the census takers will go door to door from May 16 to June 14, 2026 to verify and verify the information. The second phase of the census will begin in February 2027. In which the actual enumeration will be done door to door. In the Mumbai (Mumbai city and suburbs) area, about 25 thousand employees are working for the census on behalf of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Mumbaikars should participate spontaneously in this census. In addition, Dr. Vipin Sharma has appealed on behalf of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration to provide accurate information and cooperate with the enumerators visiting homes for the census.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Kandivali shopkeeper attacked by gangster, attacker arrested, trying to create terror

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Mumbai: A shopkeeper was attacked and killed in a shop in Kandivali Lokhandwala, Mumbai. The Samtanagar police have claimed to have arrested Bala Patil, a gangster who demanded money from a cross, on charges of attempted murder. According to the police, the accused tried to attack the shopkeeper last afternoon, along with which his employee was injured in the attack. Several criminal cases have been registered against the accused and he was also sent to the city for abduction. His aim was to create terror and chaos in the area with this incident. Therefore, the police have arrested him for creating terror and the murderous attack. The CCTV footage of the incident also went viral, after which the police have arrested the gangster and taken action.

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Maharashtra

Shock On Kasara Rail Line: Falling Rod From Hill Work Hits Moving Local, Passenger Dies; Officials Suspended

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Kalyan: In a deeply alarming incident that has raised serious concerns over commuter safety on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, a 3-metre-long iron rod fell into a moving local train on the Kasara route during ongoing hill protection work, leading to the death of a passenger and injuries to another.

The incident occurred on April 22 between Khardi and Umbermali stations where protective netting work was underway along the hillside adjacent to the tracks. Authorities confirmed that railway officials have since been suspended while a criminal case has been registered against the contractor’s workers for alleged negligence.

The deceased has been identified as Eknath Thomre a resident of Mokhada in Palghar district, who was employed at a private company in Vashind. According to reports, Thomre was returning home with a friend and had boarded the Kasara-bound local train from Platform No. 1 at Vashind station at approximately 3:58 PM.

At around 4:35 PM, as the train was passing through the affected stretch, workers engaged in installing safety nets reportedly lost control of an iron rod measuring nearly three metres. The rod fell directly into the coach, striking Thomre on the head and eye, leaving him critically injured. Another passenger sustained injuries to the leg.

Following the incident, the train was briefly halted for inspection by the guard before resuming its journey. Upon arrival at Kasara station, Thomre was rushed to Shahapur sub-district hospital with the help of his friend and railway police. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was later shifted to private hospitals in Dombivli and Thane, and subsequently admitted to KEM Hospital in Mumbai.

Despite medical efforts, Thomre succumbed to his injuries on April 27.

Based on a complaint filed by the victim’s brother, the Asangaon Railway Police have registered a case against the contractor’s workers under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which pertains to causing death by negligence.

The tragic incident has sparked outrage among daily commuters, with many questioning the lack of adequate safety protocols during maintenance work on active railway lines. The railway administration’s response suspending concerned officials has done little to quell public concern, as demands grow louder for stricter oversight and accountability in infrastructure projects carried out near operational tracks.

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