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Pune trio goes on a ‘long drive’ – a record 21,000 km through borders of India

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Creating a new record, a Pune couple and their friend – all software engineers-cum-adventure lovers – went on a ‘long drive’ in an SUV, covering a whopping 21,000 km in 70 days across the entire boundary of India, from east to west, north to south.

They are — Jaykumar Anadkat, his wife Pooja Padiya-Anadkat, both from Gujarat, and their friend Sonesh Mehra from Rajasthan, who are the co-founders of the adventure club, ‘PlacesAroundPune’.

“We have done many activities like hiking, trekking, cycling, mountaineering, scuba-diving etc., but this time we wanted to do something unique and fulfilling. So we charted out this trip — “#MapMyCountry” — in our Tata Safari SUV, and we hope to make it to the record books,” said Jaykumar, after the trio returned home late on Monday.

The trio, all aged 35, embarked on their journey on February 27 from Magarpatta and returned to the same location on May 8, zooming through 26 states, several Union Territories, 52 major cities and over 250 important travel destinations along the boundary and borders of India.

“We went around the country’s periphery, all the border states and drew the India map through the car route, starting in a clockwise direction from Maharashtra,” said Mehra.

From Maharashtra, they went to Gujarat (Dwarka and Koteshwar temples in the extreme western parts of India), Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, the Northeastern states like Kaho in Arunachal Pradesh, the first village of India in the east, and Danushkodi Rameshwar and Kanyakumari as the southernmost tip.

“We touched six international borders — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. We learnt a lot about the different people of India, their cultures and lifestyles, the weather systems, the abundant beauty of different parts of the country. It was a very enriching drive indeed,” said Pooja.

The ultra-long drive took them from 45-degree Celsius in Rajasthan deserts to the -5-degree Celsius in snowy Kashmir, braving hailstorms in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, torrential rains in Assam, and the humid weather in the southern states. Though they carried suitable clothes, many a times they had to hunt for more locally in order to survive.

The trio recalls speeding through some of the wildest and densest forests akin to a jungle safari, off-roading, dusty dry desert sands, boat-rides in mangrove forests, traversing snowy mountains roads, or gingerly driving through bamboo bridges, over deep valleys and turbulent rivers in different parts of India, soaking in the first sunrise in the east and the colourful sunsets in the west and southern beaches.

They also joined some tribal and traditional cultural festivals, wearing local costumes, singing, dancing or prancing to their tunes, and gulping cuisines ranging from the weirdest to delicacies, cooking for themselves on roadside fires, or just gobbling some fruits when nothing was available or dhabas were shut.

There are literally miles of many memories, including some a bit spooky, that the trio returned with — like one excited gentleman from Punjab, Ripu Daman, who contacted them through Facebook and happily hosted them with his family for a night.

In Nagaland, they met a 95-year-old member of a tribe of erstwhile ‘headhunters’, who still proudly wears a garland with a few heads on it that he claimed to have acquired many decades ago!

Today, Jaykumar, Pooja and Sonesh are extremely thrilled on completing their ‘long drive’ without any untoward incident, something they will cherish for long.

Maharashtra

Ayan Shaikh sexual abuse case not love jihad, new conclusion in investigation, Ayan’s life in danger

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An FIR has been registered against Ayan Sheikh alias Ayaz Sheikh for sexual harassment in the limits of the Toward Police Station in Mumbai. A new revelation has come out in the case of Ayan Sheikh that his friend Uzair Khan leaked his videos on his Instagram, after which there was a stir. The police have started an investigation in this case and have arrested 8 accused. Along with this, several important conclusions have been made in the investigation. Ayan Sheikh had contacted the victims through his Instagram account and after making friends, he would have affairs with these girls and then take them to a hotel and establish relations with them. Uzair had made the video viral on Instagram because he was also Ayan’s social media handle and there was a dispute between the two over money and he made the videos viral in anger. In this case, the police have arrested everyone from those who made the video to those who collaborated with him.

Three policemen suspended
One ASI Salim and two constables have been suspended in the Ayan Sheikh case. Ayan’s video with the policemen went viral and they were in contact with Ayan, so it was tarnishing the image of the police department, after which the policemen were suspended and an inquiry was initiated. Ayan Sheikh’s life is also in danger because the relatives and parents of the victims are angry and special care is also taken for her security during her appearance in court. The police said that in the investigation that has been started regarding Ayan Sheikh, so far this case is not of love jihad nor does Mata Tsoraya belong to any other religion, but after this, attempts to give it a religious color are intensified, along with this, bulldozer action was also taken in this case.

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Maharashtra

Naxalites dance to ‘Hadma’ song at Pune Ambedkar Jayanti program, case registered against two BBA students

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Mumbai: Pune A dance performance based on a song based on the Naxalite Hidma Madvi at a cultural program organized on the occasion of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti has created a stir. Accordingly, the police have also registered a case, but after registering a case on the song and dance, the question is now common on social media whether it is legally correct to register a case on the basis of considering the song and dance as objectionable? The Vishrantwadi police have registered a case against both of them for the Hidma song.

Kiran Narayan Gomase (age 22, native of Dechli, Talahari, Gadchiroli district, currently residing in Bharat Ratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Government Hostel, Vishrantwadi) and Srinivas Hanumant Kumari (age 23, native of Jhanganur, Tal. Gachi, currently residing in the same Sarwand, Sarwand district) hostel) have been identified. The police said that both are pursuing BBA. According to the police, a cultural programme was organised on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti on April 11 at Bharat Ratna Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar Government Hostel Vishrantwadi. The programme featured a dance performance on a song based on Hidma Madhavi, who was associated with the Communist Party of India (Maoist) organisation and was also the commander of Battalion No. 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). The police have taken action on charges of spreading misleading information which threatens the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country. A case has been registered in this regard under sections 197(1)(d) 353(1) and 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A case has been registered at Vishrantwadi police station and Police Sub-Inspector Bhosale is investigating the matter further. This incident has created a stir in the city and sparked debate in academic and social circles as to whether a case was registered simply for dancing to a song, is this not against freedom of expression?

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Maharashtra

Department B conducts demolition operation on 9 unauthorized shops in Dongri

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Under the Mumbai B Department, recently, the ‘B’ Department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation took action against 9 unauthorized shops, iron pillars installed on the road for parking of unauthorized vehicles, unauthorized nameplates of shops and other encroachments in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Marg and Dongri area. This action was taken under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone 1) Chanda Jadhav and led by Assistant Commissioner Yogesh Desai. It was found that unauthorized shops and encroachments on the footpath in Vallabhbhai Patel Marg and Dongri area in ‘B’ Department were causing hindrance to pedestrians. In this backdrop, the Conservation, Encroachment Removal and Licensing Departments working under the ‘B’ Administrative Division (Ward) of the Municipal Corporation jointly conducted a drive. During this operation, 9 unauthorized shops, encroachments on the footpath, unauthorized additional constructions of shops, iron pillars installed on the road for parking of unauthorized vehicles and unauthorized name plates of shops were removed. During this, eviction action was also taken against unauthorized hawkers in the area.

Officers and employees of the Conservation, Encroachment Removal, Licensing and Solid Waste Management Department working under the ‘B’ Administrative Division participated in this operation. Adequate security was deployed by the Dongri Police Station at that time.

Meanwhile, the administration is making it clear that regular action will continue against unauthorized constructions and unauthorized hawkers.

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