Mumbai: Mumbai’s suburban rail network faced yet another rough start to the week as Central Railway services were delayed by nearly 30 minutes on Monday morning, leaving thousands of office-goers stranded during peak hours. The exact reason behind the widespread disruption was not immediately known, though railway authorities later issued a clarification.

The delays began early in the morning and quickly triggered a chain reaction across multiple services on the Central Line. This resulted in overcrowded platforms, slow-moving trains and mounting frustration among daily commuters who rely heavily on the network for work travel.

Irritated passengers took to social media platform X to highlight the situation, tagging senior officials and the Central Railway handle. Many criticised what they described as persistent issues and poor maintenance.

One user wrote, “@Central_Railway is not properly maintaining the track and rakes. It is evident from daily delays and incidents like Mumbra. Last night, a Thane-bound train from CSMT was delayed by 51 minutes. How can this be explained?” Another commuter shared a picture showing a train running 56 minutes late and questioned, “Isn’t the Central Railway administration ashamed?”

Screenshots shared from M-indicator, a widely used local train tracking app, showed several trains on the Central Line running behind schedule, some by more than 30 minutes. A user tagging multiple railway authorities posted, “Central Suburban Railway has become a joke that even kids are tired of. Every day there are 20-minute delays on almost every train from Badlapur–Ambernath. It’s truly frustrating.”

In response to the rising complaints and a viral commuter post, Central Railway issued an explanation via X through the Senior Divisional Operations Manager (Coaching), Mumbai Division. “We are committed to maintaining punctuality; however, local trains have been delayed due to issues such as chain pulling and trespassing. These disruptions often create a cascading effect on the overall schedule. We regret the inconvenience caused,” the statement read.

Despite the clarification, many commuters demanded stronger preventive measures and better communication from railway authorities, pointing out that Monday’s issues have become part of a recurring pattern rather than an isolated event. With Mumbai’s local trains serving as the city’s lifeline, passengers are hoping for improved punctuality and more reliable weekday operations in the coming days.

New Delhi, Dec 1: Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has lauded Virat Kohli’s disciplined and calculated approach after the talismanic batter struck a match-winning century against South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi.

Kohli was at his brilliant best as he blasted 135 from just 120 deliveries, his 52nd ODI century, on Sunday and in the process help India to a 17-run triumph and a 1-0 series lead in the three-game ODI series against the Proteas.

Reflecting on Kohli’s technique and temperament, Gavaskar said the India talisman succeeds because he understands his own game better than anyone else.

“He is the type of batter who can’t go bang-bang straight away. Some batters can, but Kohli knows his game inside out, and he knows that’s not his strength. His strength is striking the ball through the covers, playing the straight drive and the flick. Yes, he’ll occasionally play the bottom-hand flick for six Over square-leg or mid-wicket, but otherwise he plays in the V. That’s the safest way to bat, especially when the pitch may keep low or the ball may move around,” Gavaskar said on JioStar.

He also highlighted Kohli’s exceptional running between the wickets, which he believes remains a defining feature of the former captain’s batting.

“The running between the wickets is crucial, singles are the lifeblood of batting in any format. You keep taking singles and your innings keeps flowing. Even if the crowd wants quicker scoring, he bats as the team needs,” Gavaskar noted.

Kohli also shared a 136-run stand with former skipper Rohit Sharma (57). This was the 20th stand of 100 runs or more between the two.

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn lauded Rohit’s 57-run innings, during which he shattered the former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi’s world record for most sixes in ODIs by hitting three maximums.

“He batted beautifully. He gave one opportunity to Tony de Zorzi, could have been a different situation, but he capitalised well after that. He loves those cover drives and flicks, comes down the wicket when he wants to, and puts bowlers under pressure.

One particular shot summed up his innings for me: third man was up, point was up, and he just guided the ball delicately past short third man for four. It caught everyone off guard. He was reading the game superbly. He’s a fantastic batter. I love watching him, even though I never got him out,” Steyn said.

Notably, Kohli, playing his 306th ODI, and Rohit, playing in his 277th one-day international, combined for their 392nd international match together across formats, surpassing the legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who appeared in a whopping 391 games between 1996 and 2012.

Mumbai: A 51-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted and threatened at gunpoint at a private company’s office in Mahalaxmi on January 17, 2023. The accused, Joy John Pascal Postel, along with five other individuals, allegedly stripped, molested, and threatened her, warning that they would make her videos and photographs viral.

The woman initially filed a complaint with the Pydhonie police station, which was later transferred to the NM Joshi Marg police station. The NM Joshi Marg police registered an FIR on November 22.

According to the FIR, the victim is a businesswoman involved in the photo-frame and gifting business and resides in Mahalaxmi. On January 17, 2023, she received a phone call from Manish Honavar, who asked her to come to the office of M/s Franco Indian Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd., located in Mahalaxmi. When she reached the office, a man allegedly struck her on the shoulder and back with the butt of a revolver.

The accused, Joy John Pascal Postel, then took her into his cabin, forcibly removed her burkha at gunpoint, stripped and molested her, and verbally abused her. He also threatened to record her videos and take photographs, which he said would be made viral on social media by all the accused. 

The woman subsequently filed a complaint with the Pydhonie police station. Following this, the police initiated legal action against six individuals, including Joy John Pascal Postel.

The police have registered a case against the accused under Sections 354A (sexual harassment), 354B (assault or use of criminal force on a woman with intent to disrobe), and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant sections of the Arms Act and the Information Technology Act.