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Row over Aurangzeb’s tomb: Nagpur flare-up occurred after hours of mayhem in Mahal

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Nagpur/Mumbai, March 18: As various parts of Nagpur remain under curfew following communal tension over the Aurangzeb tomb controversy, it has been learnt that the unrest began in the early hours of Monday in Mahal, one of the oldest localities of the city.

The Police prevented the chaos from deepening into communal strife but as the evening set in, the ‘charged atmosphere’ in some localities resulted in wide-scale violence by the mob.

Senior-rank police officers including 3 DCPs and 1 SP were injured in stone-pelting and vandalism incidents, while more than 32 vehicles were set ablaze by the mob, which apparently got instigated over the reported desecration of ‘chadar’ with holy texts written on it.

According to the police report, the violence didn’t happen all of a sudden. The tensions simmered since morning and reached a boiling point with the onset of dusk.

Here is a detailed break-up of how the communal unrest happened.

Initial reports attributed the violence in parts of Nagpur to rumours of the desecration of a holy book, during a demonstration by Hindu outfit members demanding the removal of Mughal ruler Aurganzeb’s tomb in the Khuldabad area.

media is in possession of the police report, which narrates the chain of events and ‘triggers’ leading to communal unrest and violence.

As per the Nagpur police report, a group of locals had assembled in the Mahal area at around 11.30 a.m. to protest against the alleged sacrilege of the holy chadar, however, they were denied permission and also persuaded by the cops to return.

The gathering of the Muslim community was followed by a demonstration by VHP and Bajrang Dal members on Monday morning, who raised slogans against the Mughal ruler and called for razing of the Aurangzeb’s tomb.

The police also booked some of these protestors from the Hindu outfits under Section 227, Section 37 (1) (3) and Section 229.

The unrest that started in the morning, erupted into alarming proportions after the noon namaz, at around 1.30 p.m.

About 200-250 Muslims gathered near Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Nagpur’s Mahal area, where police personnel were already present.

They claimed that the VHP and Bajran Dal supporters had burnt a ‘chadar’ (green cloth) with sacred verses written on it. With tempers rising on both sides, the situation could have escalated into a serious communal flare-up but the police intervened and prevented the crowd from going on rampage.

Following this, leaders from the Muslim community lodged a complaint with the police station and were given assurance by the top cop of stringent action on the ‘rogue elements’, responsible for hurting their religious beliefs.

However, the situation again turned volatile as more than 200 people, from the specific community, with their faces covered and armed with rods, hit the streets in the Hansapuri area and went on a rampage, torching vehicles and vandalizing public properties.

The mob of protesters not only raised provocative slogans but also pelted stones at shops and houses in the area.

According to police reports, more than a dozen vehicles were torched and many shops vandalized by the mob.

A communal flare-up was reported from Tehsil Agrasen Chowk, where the members of two communities engaged in slogan-shouting and stone-pelting. A person was injured in stone-pelting while many vehicles were burnt and damaged.

In the Ganesh Peth area also, hooligans and vandals run amok on the streets and pelted stones at the police personnel. Attempts were also made to set the police vehicles on fire. Police tried to disperse the crowd but they came under attack by the stone-pelters.

According to police inputs, at least one crane, 2 JCBs, 3 cars, and more than 20 motorcycles were burnt while public properties were damaged by the unruly mob.

More than 47 protesters have been taken into custody so far. Many police officials including senior officers to the rank of DCP and SP were injured in violence by the mob. At least 33 policemen are reported to have suffered injuries, with 14-15 suffering serious injuries.

The Nagpur police have also launched a massive manhunt to apprehend the stone pelters and vandals, who attacked the police and fire brigade personnel. A huge contingent of SRPF and RAF personnel remains deployed in sensitive zones to keep the situation under control and prevent any further flare-ups.

Meanwhile, the areas of Nagpur where curfew has been imposed include Kotwali, Ganeshpeth, Lakadganj, Pachpaoali, Shantinagar, Sakkardara, Nandanvan, Imamwada, Yashodhara Nagar and Kapil Nagar.

People have been asked to stay indoors and not pay heed to rumours.

Crime

Pune fort murder: CCTV footage of Siya meeting lover Chetan, before fiance’s death, surfaces now

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Pune, June 25: The probe into Pune’s Lohagad Fort incident, where the death of Pune businessman’s son Ketan Agarwal, which was initially passed off as an accident, later turned out to be a cold-blooded murder, is unearthing murkier details each passing day, and more secrets related to his fiancée Siya Goyal are tumbling out of the closet.

In the latest revelations, Goyal and her lover Chetan Babulal Chaudhary are understood to have met to plan in detail how to kill Agarwal during a vacation trip and project it as an “accidental fall”.

CCTV footage has emerged showing Goyal meeting her Chaudhary at a cafe, before she pushed her fiancée to his death from the Lohagad fort.

According to media, which accessed the CCTV footage, the duo met at a café in Pune on June 18 when they hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Agarwal, 26.

Both have already been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy by the Pune police. According to police, Siya and Chetan met at a cafe in Pune on June 18 to hatch the murder plot.

They discussed a plan to murder Agarwal and also identified specific locations on the fort from where he could be pushed to his death. The same day, Goyal accompanied Agarwal to Lohagad Fort, while Chaudhary followed them clandestinely on the mountain trek.

It was between 10.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. that Goyal called up Agarwal’s family to inform them that he had fallen into a gorge. She told the family that he slipped during the trek, but the police maintained that he was pushed by the duo from behind.

Earlier, the police questioned both Goyal and Chaudhary after bringing them face-to-face.

The two accused, sent to seven-day police custody, were questioned until late last night.

Agarwal, the son of a prominent businessman in Pune, was engaged to Goyal in February this year. The two families were preparing for a lavish wedding scheduled for November, reportedly involving private jets and palace venues.

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Crime

Delhi Police busts interstate ganja trafficking network, seizes 183 Kg contraband worth Rs 1.5 Crore

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New Delhi, June 25: In a major crackdown on narcotics trafficking under the Government of India’s flagship Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the South-East District Police has busted an interstate ganja smuggling network and seized 183 kilograms of contraband valued at around Rs 1.5 crore in the illegal market.

The operation led to the arrest of three key members of the syndicate, including the alleged mastermind and owner of the truck used to transport the narcotics. According to Delhi Police, the contraband was ingeniously concealed inside a specially fabricated secret compartment built above the driver’s cabin of a truck container.

Police said the seizure has dealt a significant blow to an interstate trafficking network operating across Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR.

According to officials, the breakthrough came after the AATS received specific Intelligence on June 13, indicating that a truck container bearing registration number UP44AT2502 was carrying a large consignment of ganja from Uttar Pradesh towards Delhi via the Bombay Expressway during the intervening night of June 13 and 14.

The information was verified by SI Anil Kumar and shared with Inspector Ajay Dalal, In-Charge of AATS, who subsequently informed ACP Kalkaji V.K.P.S. Yadav. Acting on the tip-off, a special raiding team was constituted to intercept the vehicle and take action under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The team, comprising SI Anil Kumar, SI Jitender Raghuvanshi, HC Sher Singh, HC Krishan, HC Zuber Khan, Constable Lakpa Tenzing Sherpa, Constable Akshay, Constable Shivam and Constable Hemen Deka, was deployed near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station under the leadership of Inspector Dalal and the supervision of ACP Yadav.

At around 1:50 A.M. on June 14, the suspected truck was spotted moving towards Delhi and was intercepted near the Indian Oil LPG Plant on the Kalindi Kunj-Madanpur Khadar Road.

Police identified the occupants of the vehicle as Subodh Kumar Mishra, the driver, and Brij Kishore Tiwari, his associate and helper. During a detailed search conducted in the presence of senior officers and crime team officials, investigators discovered a specially designed hidden cabin above the driver’s compartment. The concealed section could only be accessed through a secret hatch.

Inside the compartment, police recovered 38 packets wrapped in brown adhesive tape. Upon examination, the packets were found to contain ganja. A total of 183 kilograms of the contraband was seized.

Following the recovery, a case was registered under FIR No. 387/2026 under relevant Sections of the NDPS Act, and further investigation was assigned to SI Jitender of AATS, South-East District.

During interrogation, the arrested accused allegedly revealed that they were involved in transporting commercial quantities of ganja from suppliers based in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to buyers in Delhi-NCR and nearby regions.

The investigation further revealed that the operation was allegedly being coordinated by Shriram, the owner of the truck and the alleged kingpin of the syndicate. Police said he was responsible for arranging the procurement, transportation and delivery of narcotics through a well-organised interstate network.

Based on disclosures made by the accused and technical surveillance, police traced and arrested Shriram from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Investigators are now working to identify the source suppliers, financiers and other members linked to the trafficking network.

The three arrested accused have been identified as Subodh Kumar Mishra (40), a resident of Bettiah in Bihar’s West Champaran district; Brij Kishore Tiwari (36), also a resident of Bettiah; and Shriram, a resident of Makdoompur village in the Sultanpur-Ayodhya region of Uttar Pradesh.

Police said Shriram has previously been involved in three NDPS cases related to commercial quantities of narcotics.

Apart from the 183 kg of ganja, the truck container used to transport the contraband has also been seized.

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Crime

NEET paper leak: Judicial custody of kingpin PV Kulkarni, coaching director extended till July 8

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New Delhi, June 24: A Delhi court on Wednesday extended till July 8 the judicial custody of two accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused P.V. Kulkarni and Shivaraj Motegaonkar were produced before the Rouse Avenue Court on the expiry of their earlier 14-day judicial custody.

The court directed that both accused remain in judicial custody till July 8.

According to the CBI, Kulkarni, a retired Chemistry professor from Maharashtra’s Latur, was the mastermind behind the alleged paper leak network.

The probe agency has claimed that he was associated with the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) question paper-setting process for several years and misused his access to leak examination content to selected candidates through special coaching sessions conducted in Pune.

Motegaonkar, the director of Latur-based RCC Coaching Institute, is alleged to have played a key role in the dissemination of the leaked paper.

Investigators claim that examination questions and their answers reached him nearly 10 days before the conduct of the NEET-UG 2026 examination.

According to the CBI, Motegaonkar allegedly procured the leaked paper through Kulkarni and co-accused Manisha Mandhare, who is suspected to have played a crucial role in the Biology paper leak.

The CBI had earlier arrested Motegaonkar, stating that he owned the RCC Coaching Institute, which operates nine branches with its main centre in Latur and prepares students for the NEET-UG examination.

The probe agency said searches conducted at the institute and Motegaonkar’s residence led to the recovery of a Chemistry question bank containing questions identical to those that appeared in the now-cancelled NEET-UG 2026 examination held on May 3.

The CBI registered the case on May 12 based on a written complaint received from the Department of Higher Education under the Union Ministry of Education. Following registration of the FIR, special teams were constituted, and searches were carried out at multiple locations across the country.

Earlier this month, the Rouse Avenue Court extended till June 29 the judicial custody of 10 other accused in the case, including Yash Yadav, Mangilal Biwal, Dinesh Biwal, Vikas Biwal, Dhananjay Lokhande, Tejas Harshad Shah, Shubham Khairnar, Manisha Waghmare, Manisha Sanjay Havaldar and Dr Manoj Shirure.

The court had also permitted the CBI to interrogate certain accused inside jail as part of its continuing investigation. The CBI has so far arrested 13 accused in connection with the alleged network involved in procuring and circulating NEET-UG question papers before the examination.

Meanwhile, the National Testing Agency successfully conducted the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21 after the original examination was cancelled amid concerns over irregularities.

More than 20 lakh medical aspirants appeared at 5,440 examination centres across India and 14 centres abroad. Authorities deployed nearly 7 lakh personnel, including examination staff, police officers, observers and administrative officials, to ensure the smooth conduct of the re-test.

Over 95,000 examination rooms were monitored through more than 1.38 lakh CCTV cameras, while over 51,000 signal jammers were installed to prevent electronic malpractice.

The re-examination was conducted under extensive security measures, including Aadhaar-based biometric verification, facial authentication, two-layer frisking, real-time surveillance and command-and-control centre monitoring, aimed at ensuring transparency and preserving the integrity of one of the country’s largest entrance examinations.

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