Maharashtra
Save Our Playgrounds: Azad Maidan Lost To Non-Sporting Activities One Pitch At A Time

Mumbai: Azad Maidan has hosted many of India’s legendary cricketers for their first tournaments as well as some of their record-breaking partnerships, giving Mumbai an identity as the city of cricket. As the need for open spaces to facilitate various developmental, social and political purposes has increased, its oldest playground has been shrinking one pitch at a time.
The triangular Azad Maidan was a hub for the Civil Disobedience Movement, when around two lakh people joined to greet Mahatma Gandhi. However, the ground has been more popular for launching cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Vinod Kambli and others.
The 25-acre maidan has been distributed among 22 sports clubs, which have one pitch each. Since 2015, 16 plots, belonging to John Bright Cricket Club, Muslim United, Young Mohammedan and St Xaviers’, among others, have been handed over to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited for the construction of the underground corridor for Metro 3. While MMRCL had promised to hand over the ground and pitches after restoration by June 2024, the process is still nowhere close to being completed.
One of the remaining six plots has been handed over to Mumbai Police for their parade practice, one ground is appropriate only for children. This leaves Mumbai’s cricket enthusiasts with only four grounds that are fit to host a professional tournaments. These comprise Sassanian Cricket Club, Elphinstone Cricket Club, New Era and Hindustan Construction. Several political parties have also been permitted by PWD officials to build permanent offices on the ground.
“In the early 1990s, I had fought to evict illegal hawkers and slums which had encroached upon the playground, restricting cricket activities,” said Nadeem Memon, cricket secretary of the Mumbai School Sports Association. “We could successfully push out the illegal encroachment but are unable to do anything about the legal encroachment. Players have to go as far as Navi Mumbai and Vasai-Virar to play interschool matches.”
Azad Maidan has always hosted sports and civil protests, which flourished in the city alongside each other. After the metro construction work occupied a large part of the ground, including the protest site in front of the BMC headquarters, protestors were diverted to Fort Vijay Cricket Club, a 115-year-old club represented by renowned cricketer Vijay Merchant.
Jayant Jhaveri, secretary of Fort Vijay Cricket Club, said, “We opposed the decision to allow protests on our playground but that resulted in our field being concretised. Since 2017, we have not played any match on our ground and have to depend on the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) for a substitute ground. This has also affected players’ performance. We are not able to form good teams due to this setback.”
While the maidan has also been hosting a few Ramlila performances and the annual Sunni Ijtema on a regular basis, the frequency of such non-sporting events has increased in recent times. Mega marathon events and political rallies have hindered sports activities. The recent swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti government was also organised at Azad Maidan.
Several religious functions are also held here, and have caused a lot of damage.
“When we ask for permission to upgrade something, the authorities deny the request citing the heritage status of the ground. At the same time, [organisers of] non-sporting activities are allowed to dig up the ground to set up huge pandals for multiple days. In some of these events, they have also broken the fencing of the ground. While setting up the pandals their trucks run over our pitches which hurts like they are running over our hearts,” said Memon.
These surprise events pause the game for a few days as the permission given to the organisers to set up their pandals starts two days before and ends two days after the actual event. This results in postponement of multiple tournaments as well as affecting the playing field, which is known for hosting various prestigious tournaments including the Harris Shield and the Giles Shield.
Manik Madkaikar, a cricket coach associated with MCA, said, “The number of non-sport events in Azad Maidan has increased in the last year. Such events cause irreparable loss to the field and a lot of things go for a toss. Groundsmen work tirelessly to level the field and everything is ruined with one event. These mega marathon events earn crores of rupees in profit, but this money is never spent on betterment of the ground.”
“Days when events are organised on the maidan, they become no-play days for us. Irregular matches and uneven ground affects our performance in tournaments, where we aspire to perform well. The effect of this is suffered mostly by schoolchildren who cannot participate in interschool tournaments as the postponement collides with their examinations,” said Vineet Kumar, a young cricketer.
Maharashtra
Visit to Deonar Bakra Mandi on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha, important meeting led by Mumbai Congress President Prof. Varshatai Gaikwad

Mumbai: On the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha, a delegation led by Lok Sabha MP and Mumbai Congress President Smt. Prof. Varshatai Gaikwad saheb visited Deonar Bakra Mandi (Slaughterhouse).
On this occasion, she had a special meeting with the General Manager of Deonar Slaughterhouse, Mr. Kaleem Pasha Pathan and discussed in detail the problems faced by the public and traders present in the mandi.
The main points of the discussion were as follows:
Problems faced by traders
Care and maintenance of animals
Cleanliness situation in the mandi
Traffic problems and their solutions
Difficulties faced by common citizens
Professor Gaikwad saheb gave necessary instructions to the concerned authorities for the early resolution of all these problems and assured that Mumbai Congress stands with the people.
Honorable MLA Mr. Aslam Sheikh Sahib, Honorable MLA Mr. Amin Patel Sahib, MLA Dr. Jyoti Tai Gaikwad Sahib, former Corporator and former Chairman of Mumbai Congress Minority Wing Haji Babbu Khan Sahib and other senior leaders and office bearers of Mumbai Congress were also present in this important visit.
The visit was a positive effort for mutual discussions, identification of problems and effective steps to resolve them, which makes an auspicious occasion like Eid more meaningful.
Maharashtra
ATS crackdown on 22 members including suspected member of Padgha Daesh Saqib Nachan, ATS conducted midnight operation on relatives

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has claimed to have seized several important documents and items during raids at the homes of Saqib Nachan, a former member of ISIS and Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and 22 of his close associates and relatives. The ATS had received information that important documents and other items were hidden at the homes of Saqib Nachan and his close associates, after which the ATS launched the raids at 2 am last night and the operation continued till 4 am, after which the ATS team left for Mumbai. During this operation, the ATS team also cordoned off the entire area. In Borivali Pargham, ATS has conducted raids on Abid Ashraf Mulla, Moaz Mulla, Aqib Saqib Nachan, Abdul Latif Shadab Kaskar, Urmesh Irfan Mulla, Hashim Nadvi, Farooq Mulla, Nabeel Malik Khot, Qais Arif Khot, Kaif Nachan, Sahil Munyar, Adnan Mulla, Shero Deokar, Sharjeel Nachan, Sajid Nachan, Zeeshan Mulla, Atif Mulla, Shams Khot, Asjad Mulla, Raif Khot, Abid Khot. During this time, some of them were on Hajj trips, so they were not present at home.
In this case, ATS conducted raids and did not arrest anyone during house searches. Zubair Mulla, a resident of a small mosque who deals in land, was on a Hajj trip. Zubair Mulla was convicted in the 2002 and 2003 bomb blasts and was also sentenced. Now he is lodged in Delhi jail along with Saqib Nachan in the case of ISIS connection in Delhi. Abdul Latif Kaskar is employed in Godam and is also a friend of Farhan Sousa in the Delhi ISIS case. Shams Khot, Rais Khot, Abid Ashraf Mulla, Moaz Ashraf Mulla, Qais Asif Khot were not present at the house during the search, while a raid was conducted at Kalyan’s house in Sahil Munyar and he was also not present here.
ATS had found Saqib Nachan active in terrorist activities again since 2017. During this time, ATS had kept an eye on him and a case was also registered against him, but in this case, NIA had arrested Saqib Nachan in the ISIS case. First, his son Aqib Nachan was arrested and then Saqib will also be arrested. ATS has also claimed to have seized several important documents during the operation, which will be investigated and then the action will progress accordingly. Maharashtra ATS has conducted raids at 15 places including Mumbai police station Bhiwandi Kalyan and during this, action has also been taken against suspected members of ISIS. In this operation, ATS is expected to find many important documents and evidence. The ATS has taken action in this case against those accused of being involved in anti-national and illegal activities. ATS is taking further action in this case, while no arrest has been made so far after searching anyone.
Crime
Thane Crime: Man Attacked With Sword In Kalyan For Dispute Over Construction Of Toilet Near House

Mumbai: In a separate incident, a 15-year-old boy has been detained for allegedly murdering his co-worker, 22-year-old Kaisar Azgar Ali, in Bhiwandi. The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 28, in the night at a worksite in Mankoli village, where both were employed as carpenters.
According to police, a minor argument escalated into a violent attack. The minor allegedly first struck Ali with a hammer, then used a plywood grinder to fatally injure him, slitting his neck and shoulder. Investigating Officer D.K. Kadam stated that the minor had been upset with Ali’s behaviour at the site and the situation turned violent after Ali allegedly struck him during the altercation.
The minor fled the scene, but police were alerted by the house owner and contractor who discovered the crime. A panchnama was conducted and the boy was located, detained and presented before the Juvenile Justice Board. He was remanded to an observation home. Ali was rushed to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Thane: A 24-year-old man, Vikrant Jadhav, was brutally attacked with a sword in Umbarde, Kalyan West on Sunday. The assault is believed to be the result of an ongoing land dispute. According to reports citing police sources, Jadhav was fetching water when he was ambushed and attacked. He is currently receiving treatment for serious injuries at Rukminibai Hospital in Kalyan.
The victim’s father, Vijay Jadhav, has accused members of the neighbouring Gaikwad family of orchestrating the attack. The two families have reportedly been at loggerheads for years over property issues. Vijay had previously filed a police complaint against the Gaikwads, alleging that they had threatened to kill his family if he did not halt construction of a toilet adjacent to their home, reported Hindustan Times.
The Khadakpada police have registered a case under Section 118 (causing hurt with dangerous weapons) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and are currently investigating the matter. Efforts are underway to identify all the assailants and verify the allegations of prior threats and extortion.
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