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Maharashtra

Roll back Agnipath scheme, Punjab assembly adopts resolution

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Led by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on Thursday passed a resolution urging the Union government to roll back the Agnipath scheme in the larger interest of the country.

Moving a resolution in the House, amidst protest by two BJP members, the Chief Minister read that the unilateral announcement of the government of India to introduce the Agnipath scheme in the armed forces has witnessed widespread reactions across the country, including Punjab.

“The Punjab Vidhan Sabha strongly feels that the scheme where youth will be employed in armed forces only for a period of four years and out of which only 25 per cent will be retained is neither in the interest of national security nor of the youth of this country,” he said.

Mann further said, “this policy is likely to create dissatisfaction among the youth who wish to serve the armed forces of the nation throughout their life”.

The Chief Minister reminded the House that more than one lakh soldiers from Punjab serve the armed forces and a large number of them sacrifice their lives at the altar of their motherland while safeguarding the borders of the country every year.

He apprised the House that the youth of Punjab, known across the globe for their traits of valour and courage, consider it a matter of pride and privilege for them to serve their motherland by joining the armed forces.

However, Mann bemoaned that this scheme has crushed the ambitions of several youths of Punjab who have been aspiring to join the armed forces as regular soldiers.

The Chief Minister envisioned that the scheme also has the propensity to weaken the long standing espirit de corps of the armed forces. “The Vidhan Sabha urges the Union government to roll back the Agnipath Scheme immediately,” read the resolution moved by the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, training his guns at the BJP-led NDA government for this whimsical move, the Chief Minister, while participating in the debate, dared the BJP leaders to enroll their own sons as Agniveers before supporting this anti-youth move.

He said that those who are advocating this move should set an example by sending their sons first in the Army under the scheme.

Mann said in this way they will get a fresh young lot of Agniveers who will be saluting their leaders in their office, after a service of four years.

The Chief Minister asked the BJP leaders to explain how will the country combat its infiltrators and enemies with an ‘army on rent’.

He cautioned them that this move will prove fatal for the unity, integrity and sovereignty of the country in the coming times.

Opposing the resolution, BJP member Ashwani Sharma said it is nothing but doing politics on the security of the country. The scheme was wrongly interpreted. “It is rather aimed at instilling discipline, skilling and patriotism in the youth,” he said.

Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, while supporting the resolution, said the Agnipath scheme is fraught with danger. He said a majority of the retired army officers were opposing the scheme.

Entertainment

Nana Patekar death: Final post-mortem report out, rules out foul play

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Mumbai, Oct 11: The final post-mortem report in the death case of veteran actor Nana Patekar has clarified the cause of death to be natural. A team of doctors at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Bambolim, in its report, has clarified that his death was a natural death, caused by a massive heart attack.

It was confirmed by the Goa Police to media. As per the police, the family has also been informed about the report and the family has also agreed to the medical report and has not raised any objection so far.

As per the final post-mortem report by GMC, the blood supply to the heart was stopped due to a blood clot in the main coronary artery, which led to a cardiac arrest. At around 2:30 am on October 8, the actor informed his family friend about his ill health on WhatsApp, after which he was brought to Manipal Hospital, Dona Paula, where doctors declared him dead even after about 45 minutes of CPR .

For the unversed, the Panaji police had registered a case of unnatural death under section 194 of the BNSS under UD No. 62/2026. Now that the post-mortem has confirmed natural death and ruled out any foul play by son Malhar Patekar and nephew Prasad Patekar, the case will be closed soon.

The late actor Nana Patekar was cremated with full state honours at his farmhouse in Donje in Pune district on Thursday. The actor was given a 3-gun salute.

The late actor’s friends and members of the film fraternity including Jackie Shroff, directors Anil Sharma, Aneez Bazmee, and producer Firoz nadiadwala arrived at Donje village to attend the last rites of Nana Patekar.

A huge crowd also turned up to bid adieu to the departed soul. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also paid his last respects to Nana Patekar at Pune airport before leaving for Mumbai. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde went to the actor’s Pune farmhouse to pay his respects.

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Maharashtra

Show proof for your claims before spreading anarchy: Ram Kadam on ongoing protests in Delhi

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Mumbai, Oct 11: Condemning the ongoing protests that engulf the national capital and other major cities, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Kadam said on Sunday that evidence or facts should be presented before spreading anarchy in the state for just the sake of it.

Speaking to media, the BJP leader added, “Congress leaders carry the Constitution in their hands and speak about it, but their actions are aimed at undermining it. Are they above the law and administrative procedures, including the requirement to obtain permission?”

“Ever since he (Rahul Gandhi) returned from the US, it is unclear what has come over him and what is driving his actions. Is foreign funding behind his attempts to create unrest here? The voter list purification process has been carried out during the tenures of several Prime Ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Manmohan Singh,” Kadam said.

“The electoral roll has not been reviewed since 2004 till 2025. That job is being done now. Is a dead person above the 2.8 crore voters. More than one crore voters’ names are repeated in the electoral rolls. Is removing those names a crime?” the BJP leader added.

“More than 6.3 crore voters have left their original homes. It’s a transparent process. If you have concrete proof and evidence, present it, but spreading anarchy in the state in the form of protests owing to foreign funding can’t be supported,” he said.

Reacting to the comments made by NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar on former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s death, Kadam said, “Rohit Pawar has engaged in political theatrics by claiming that he would reveal the mystery behind the muffler on October 10. Ajit Dada Pawar has passed away, and 15 days ago, Rohit Pawar said he would reveal the mystery, but October 10 has passed without any revelation. This shows that he is engaging in cheap political stunts.”

Previously, NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar had expressed his doubts about the plane crash that killed former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and sought intervention of the probe agencies for further investigation.

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Crime

Elderly Pune resident duped of Rs 8 lakh by man posing as ECI official; 2nd such case in city

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Pune, Oct 11: An unknown person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) defrauded a 78-year-old Pune resident of Rs 8 lakh, officials said on Sunday.

The victim, Jitendra Kumar Ahuja, is a resident of Pune’s Ghorpadi. He was cheated of Rs 8,00,015.34. A case was registered at the Mundhwa police station on October 10.

According to the police, the accused gained Ahuja’s trust by posing as an ECI official. He told Ahuja that his documents did not match. He then sent Ahuja a link and asked him to fill in his information.

It is alleged that the accused gained access to Ahuja’s mobile phone through the link and defrauded him of over Rs 8 lakh. This incident occurred between October 1 and 3.

The police have registered a case against the unidentified accused under sections 319(2), 318(4), 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

This is the second such case that came to light on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the police said that a person posing as an official of the Election Commission of India (ECI) cheated an 80-year-old man of Rs five lakh online under the guise of updating his voter card in Pune.

A case regarding this incident has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station in Pune.

According to the police, the complainant, Kanjasheri Vaidyanathan Venkatesan (80), is a retired employee of an automotive manufacturing company, residing in the Yerwada area of ​​Pune. The accused called him, claiming to be from the ECI’s office, and stated that he needed to update his voter card.

Subsequently, the accused instructed him to download an APK file. After the file was downloaded, the accused gained access to the victim’s mobile screen, compromised his banking passwords, and fraudulently siphoned off Rs. 5 lakh.

A case has been registered at the Lakshminagar Police Station under Sections 308, 318(4), and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), as well as Sections 66(D) and 66(C) of the IT Act.

The full name and address of the accused have not yet been ascertained.

Investigations into both cases are currently underway, and further details are awaited, officials said.

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