Serious questions have once again been raised over the security arrangements and administrative functioning of Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar, Ranchi, following allegations that a 20-year-old undertrial prisoner was drugged and subjected to gang-rape on three separate occasions inside the prison.

An FIR naming 19 people, including the jail superintendent, the medical officer of the jail hospital, a ward in-charge and police personnel, was registered at Khelgaon police station late on Wednesday evening in connection with the alleged incident. Following the emergence of the case, the police administration has handed over the investigation to the Ranchi City SP for a thorough probe.

According to information received from police sources and the FIR, the victim belongs to the MECON Colony area near Kathal More under the Ratu police station limits. He was lodged in Hotwar jail as an undertrial prisoner in a criminal case. He was released from prison on June 12 after being acquitted by a Ranchi court.

The victim is reportedly suffering from severe psychological trauma following the alleged inhuman treatment and sexual assault inside the prison. Considering his fragile mental condition, he is currently undergoing treatment at the Central Institute of Psychiatry in Kanke, Ranchi.

After remaining in deep shock for a considerable period, the victim recently narrated his ordeal inside the jail to his family members. His family subsequently approached the police and lodged a complaint.

According to the written complaint submitted at Khelgaon police station, a group of inmates allegedly carried out the assaults on three separate occasions, coinciding with the nights of three major festivals — Maha Shivratri, Ram Navami and Sarhul.

The accused allegedly forced the 20-year-old to consume an intoxicating substance, made him wear women’s clothing, including a sari, and then sexually assaulted him one after another. The complaint further alleges that the victim suffered serious bleeding from his private parts and sustained severe physical and psychological injuries due to the assaults and physical violence.

The 19 accused have been named in two categories in the FIR. The first includes several inmates from Wards 14 and 15, along with a canteen worker. Those named include Pintu, Arvind Gupta, Sahil Ansari, Sahil Shah, Rabisar Lohra, Pawan (canteen worker), Mantu, Dhaneshwar Badhai, Shiv Oraon, Ballu, Rehan Golu, Golu Sao and Pogo.

The second category includes the jail superintendent, ward in-charge, medical officer of the jail hospital and police personnel identified as Singh and Santosh Oraon. They have been accused of gross negligence in discharging their official duties, shielding the perpetrators and attempting to suppress the incident.

The complaint also alleges that when the victim submitted a written complaint to the ward in-charge, seeking help, he was abused instead, and his complaint letter was torn up and thrown away.

Furthermore, when the victim approached the jail hospital after suffering bleeding injuries, the medical officer allegedly misbehaved with him and refused to provide treatment.

The complaint also alleges that no mandatory medical examination was conducted before his release on June 12, in violation of prescribed rules and jail procedures, allegedly to conceal the incident.

The police are investigating the allegations.

Amid the ongoing talks about the merger or reunion of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Pune district on November 15 and 16.

On November 15, HM Shah will lay the foundation stone for an industrial unit to be run on a cooperative basis in Talegaon Dabhade and later visit the Bharat Forge facility at Mundve. He will stay in Pune on Sunday night, and is expected to meet the senior leaders and office-bearers of the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena. On November 15, he is also likely to flag off the Pune Marathon.

HM Shah will unveil the statue of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar on November 16 on the premises of Pune Zilla Parishad. The function will be attended by NCP legislators, ministers, MPs and other functionaries as they have been alerted about the programme over the phone. The two-day official programme has been confirmed by the state publicity department.

NCP sources also confirmed that HM Shah will unveil Ajit Pawar’s statue, adding that the formal request was made by Deputy CM and NCP chief Sunetra Pawar. In addition, sources said the party functionaries will also interact with HM Shah about the Mahayuti alliance and NDA issues.

The Home Minister’s visit comes days after Dy CM Sunetra Pawar and her son and party MP Parth Pawar met the former in New Delhi, reportedly over their request to return the finance department to NCP and also about the possible merger or reunion of NCP factions. Thereafter, a group of NCP leaders comprising Praful Patel, Maharashtra unit chief Sunil Tatkare, former Assembly Speaker Dilip Walse Patil, ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Hasan Mushrif and former minister Dhananjay Munde met HM Shah and reportedly discussed the functioning of the party and the growing rift between the veterans and youth leaders.

HM Shah’s visit is also important when putting an end to the days of intense political speculation in Maharashtra. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) working president and Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Thursday categorically ruled out any ongoing merger talks between the two NCP factions, declaring that the chapter closed for her the day her brother, late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, passed away.

Addressing the media, Sule dismissed swirling rumours of a reunion between the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and the ruling NCP faction headed by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar. “No proposal regarding a merger has been received by us,” Sule stated unequivocally.

In an emotional remark, she added, “My brother is gone, and on that very day, the subject of the merger ended for me. I have not received any proposal, so I have no information about what merger is being discussed. No one has spoken to me about this.”

Sule’s statement comes as the rumour mill in Maharashtra’s political circles has gone into overdrive over the past week following a series of high-profile developments and cryptic statements.

NCP Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare recently stated that merger talks were actively underway while Ajit Pawar was alive and would have materialised in February had it not been for his untimely demise in a plane crash.

During Sharad Pawar’s recent hospitalisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned to inquire about his health, followed two days later by a visit from senior NCP leader Praful Patel. Subsequently, MP Parth Pawar visited Sharad Pawar’s Mumbai residence, ‘Silver Oak’, on two consecutive days, fueling talk of backchannel negotiations.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said, “Only Sharad Pawar and Sunetra Pawar can clarify whether the two Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) factions will merge, noting that the BJP has not been informed of any such move.”

Addressing rumours about a potential merger between the two rival NCP factions, CM Fadnavis maintained that any such decision would heavily involve the ruling coalition. “If they decide to merge, they will come and tell us, because the merger cannot happen without us. Neither of them has told us anything yet,” he said.

When pressed by reporters on the likelihood of reunification, Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar on Wednesday in Pune avoided a direct denial, remarking, “As time comes, you will all come to know about everything”, a statement that further stoked political conjecture.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief, Raj Thackeray, on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of attempting to manufacture regional and linguistic conflict in Mumbai ahead of Chhath Puja to reap political dividends in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

In a strongly-worded statement, Thackeray urged the Marathi populace and his party cadre—the Maharashtra Sainiks—to exercise strategic restraint and refrain from falling into what he described as a “trap” laid by the BJP.

Thackeray’s remarks come amid heightened political tension in Mumbai following controversies over Bhojpuri songs being played over public announcement systems at several railway stations, including Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Wadala.

While MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers objected to the broadcasts, Thackeray alleged the episode was part of a broader, orchestrated campaign on social media to frame the festival as a “cultural invasion” and provoke a backlash.

“The BJP remains frustrated because the conflict they so desire has failed to materialise,” Thackeray stated, claiming the party’s traditional “divide and rule” playbook was losing traction.

He accused the BJP of routinely polarising communities along religious lines ahead of Lok Sabha polls, stoking caste tensions before state elections, and manufacturing regional friction—such as the kabutarkhana (pigeon-feeding) dispute—during civic polls.

Drawing parallels to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s guerrilla warfare tactics, the MNS chief advised his supporters not to react impulsively on “a battlefield of their choosing.”

“Do not take our restraint as a sign of cowardice,” Thackeray warned, adding that his party would choose the time and manner of its response.

He also addressed North Indian and Gujarati residents in Mumbai directly, cautioning them against being used as political pawns while reiterating that Maharashtra belongs to the Marathas.

Beyond the Chhath Puja row, Thackeray broadened his offensive against the Centre and state leadership, alleging crony capitalism and environmental degradation. He accused the government of “selling off Maharashtra piece by piece” to a favoured industrialist, alleging that forest lands and parts of the Sahyadri mountain range were being handed over while society remained “unvigilant.”

Thackeray also questioned the impartiality of the Election Commission and claimed that youth-led “Gen Z” unrest signaled the beginning of the BJP’s political decline at both the Centre and state levels. Concluding his message, he challenged the BJP to move past divisive politics and urged Marathi citizens to remain alert and united.