Mumbai: At Vivek Vidyalaya & Junior College in Goregaon West on Thursday, members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and a few female students demonstrated against a purported hijab ban. The protest, which attracted much attention on social media after a video clip went viral, forced the college to come out with a clarification.

Following the protest, police had registered an FIR. A senior official said six female students, including three unidentified, were booked for unlawful assembly as they staged a hunger strike outside the college without prior permission and also argued with police personnel who tried to disperse the gathering.

However, the college administration moved quickly to address the controversy. According to the Times of India report, Principal Sheeja Menon stated in a statement that the college “has no reservation for Muslim girl students wearing hijab and, in fact, there is no ban on the practice.” It’s a “misrepresentation which has led to unnecessary issues which were totally avoidable” was the cause of the situation, she continued.

The protest’s leader, AIMIM Mumbai president Farooq Maqbool Shabdi, stated that the action was prompted by complaints from students who were allegedly requested to take off their hijabs before entering classrooms. “The college administration clarified that there is no ban on students wearing the hijab after we protested,” he stated.

This incident shows the continued tensions around dress codes at places of learning and the role of student activism in raising concerns about religious freedom. After discussions with the management of the college, the institution reportedly rolled back any instructions that could be interpreted as a ban on hijab, thereby bringing temporary closure to the controversy.

Mumbai, Dec 5: Amid its pursuit of making Maharashtra a trillion-dollar economy by 2030, and in the backdrop of controversies over reservation and allegations of corruption, the Devendra Fadnavis-led MahaYuti government in Maharashtra completes one year in office on Friday.

The year has been defined by a strong push for accelerated development, economic growth, and administrative speed, set against persistent political volatility arising from the coalition structure and wider social pressures.

A central focus of the administration has been the fast-tracking of major urban and state infrastructure projects. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis repeatedly highlighted a “clear vision, fast decision-making process, and focus on implementation.”

The Infrastructure War Room was used actively to clear bottlenecks and impose tighter timelines on long-pending works. The government unveiled its Viksit Maharashtra 2047 vision document with the goal of reaching a five trillion-dollar economy, while also working to position the state as the country’s top investment destination.

Efforts were directed towards improving the ease of doing business and bringing in global investment. Several policy and administrative reforms were advanced across sectors.

The cabinet approved a government guarantee for a Rs 2,000 crore HUDCO loan to the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation for land acquisition required for the Virar-Alibaug Multi-Modal Corridor.

With the Navi Mumbai International Airport set to begin operations on December 25, the government firmed up plans for a proposed Third Mumbai. This includes specialised clusters such as an Edu City with foreign university campuses and an Innovation City.

The state is also banking on the Vadhavan port project involving an investment of Rs 76,000 crore, with the Chief Minister claiming it will rank among the world’s top ten ports once completed.

To strengthen regional connectivity, the government approved an additional Rs 491 crore for converting the Nagpur-Nagbhid narrow-gauge line to broad gauge to improve links in Vidarbha.

In the health sector, the coverage of state health schemes was expanded to 2,399 treatments across 38 specialities. Financial support was sanctioned for nine major diseases, including heart, lung, liver, and bone marrow transplants, with assistance ranging from Rs 9.5 lakh to Rs 22 lakh. A one-time regularisation was approved for contract staff under the National Health Mission who had completed ten years of service. The government also cleared the creation of an Urban Health Commissionerate to improve healthcare management in cities.

To strengthen administrative reforms, amendments were made to the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, including changes to non-agricultural tax and conversion charges. Full legal validity was granted to Digital 7/12 and other key land records to support e-governance. New District and Additional Sessions Courts were sanctioned in locations such as Ghodnadi-Shirur for enhancing the judicial framework.

The fisheries sector was granted the same priority status as agriculture, qualifying it for infrastructure support and concessions. The government also cleared the winding up of the state-owned asset reconstruction firm Maha ARC Ltd after the Reserve Bank of India declined to grant it an operational licence.

Despite a strong mandate in the 2024 assembly elections, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP coalition required a “delicate balancing act.” The government faced scrutiny over coordination among the coalition partners, even as the Opposition maintained a constant combative stance.

Controversies related to land deals (Pune land transactions) and law and order issues (the fallout from the Beed sarpanch murder case) kept the government on the defensive. The Chief Minister’s announcement of performance audits for ministers hinted at efforts to reinforce accountability.

The most serious challenge emerged from the Maratha quota agitation led by Manoj Jarange, coupled with resistance from sections of the OBC community. The government was forced to set up cabinet sub-committees to handle these demands, highlighting the delicate social balancing required.

The government also faced criticism for delays in fulfilling certain campaign promises, including a state-wide farm loan waiver and higher monthly assistance under schemes such as Ladki Bahin Yojana. While trying to meet pre-poll commitments, the government must navigate a tight fiscal environment, with public debt crossing Rs 9.30 lakh crore, a revenue deficit of Rs 45,891 crore, and a fiscal deficit of Rs 1,36,325 crore.

Hyderabad, Dec 5: Utter chaos continued at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) on Friday as IndiGo Airlines cancelled 92 flights for the day.

For the fourth consecutive day, the airline cancelled flights, causing severe inconvenience to thousands of passengers.

A total of 92 IndiGo flights have been cancelled for the day, an airport spokesman said. These include 43 arrivals and 49 departures.

This is the highest number of flights to be cancelled in four days. The airline had cancelled 74 flights on Thursday.

A total of 220 flights have been cancelled since December 2.

The cancellations for the fourth consecutive day triggered a protest by passengers at the terminal building. Angry passengers had heated arguments with the IndiGo staff.

A group of passengers was seen surrounding an official of the airline, seeking replies to their queries. Passengers complained that flights were cancelled after check-in.

The cancellations on key domestic routes severely disrupted the travel plans of the passengers for the fourth consecutive day.

A large number of passengers remained stranded at the airport. Long queues were seen outside and inside the terminal. Tempers were running high in the terminal building as angry passengers confronted the airline staff. Some were asking why the airline scheduled the flights when the staff was not available. Frustrated passengers had a heated argument with the staff and even raised slogans of ‘shame’.

Departures and arrivals on key domestic routes like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Goa, Madurai and Bhubaneswar severely inconvenienced passengers.

A large number of Ayappa devotees were also stranded due to the cancellation of flights to Kochi. As a mark of protest, the devotees were seen chanting slogans of “Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa”.

Andhra Pradesh Minister Kolusu Partha Sarathy, who was at the airport to board a flight to Vijayawada, intervened to help Ayyappa devotees. He spoke to Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu over the phone to arrange a special flight.

The minister, who missed his flight to Vijayawada, later left by road.

Meanwhile, eight IndiGo flights were cancelled at Visakhapatnam airport. With flights to key destinations like Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad getting cancelled, passengers lodged their protest with the airline staff.

IndiGo attributed the disruption to ‘a multitude of unforeseen operational challenges’ including minor technology glitches, winter-season driven schedule changes, adverse weather, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations for crew.

RGIA authorities have advised passengers to check the latest status of their flights with their respective airlines before heading to the airport.