Mumbai: On the fourth day of the ongoing anti-encroachment and demolition drive near Bandra Terminus, railway authorities stated that all illegal structures marked for complete removal have now been demolished, while dismantling work on partially retained structures is progressing and is expected to conclude soon.

While speaking to media, Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Vineet Abhishek said 100 per cent of the illegal structures identified for removal had been cleared. However, authorities clarified that under court directions, around 100 structures are being partially retained, with only their ground floors being preserved.

The official stated that the upper portions of these structures, which are deemed unsafe, are currently being manually dismantled by dedicated teams to ensure adjoining structures do not suffer damage during the process.

Authorities said residents occupying these 100 structures had earlier been given an option to remove the upper floors themselves while retaining the ground floor portion, but then the Western Railways decided it would be better for them only to work on it. The railway official added that nearly 50 per cent of dismantling work involving these upper sections has already been completed, while the remaining work is expected to be finished by Saturday.

Alongside demolition activity, debris clearance operations are also being carried out continuously. The official said rubble removal work has been progressing throughout the night and during daytime hours, simultaneously with demolition activity.

Providing an update on debris clearance near the Bandra Terminus side, the official stated that nearly 50 per cent of the debris present in the northern section had already been removed compared to the previous day. Authorities further said that once demolition and debris removal operations conclude, barricading and fencing work across the area will begin.

Responding to concerns regarding law and order arrangements, railway the official stated that extensive planning had already accounted for multiple possible scenarios.

According to the official, around 1,000 to 1,200 personnel continue to remain deployed daily at the site, including teams from Mumbai Police, Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF).

Railway authorities further indicated that similar anti-encroachment action may continue in other locations where legal procedures and court directions permit action. The official cited the demolition of two illegal structures near the circulation area of Bandra Terminus on Thursday as an example of continuing enforcement measures.

Highlighting broader objectives behind the exercise, the official said the anti-encroachment drive forms part of larger efforts aimed at easing congestion, improving station accessibility and facilitating smoother traffic movement around Bandra station and Bandra Terminus.

Authorities said complaints regarding congestion and access-related issues in eastern Bandra had persisted for years and expressed confidence that clearing the area would improve movement for commuters travelling through both local and long-distance railway services.

The official also described the operation as a coordinated exercise involving railway authorities, civic agencies, district administration, state government departments, and city police authorities.

When asked about Wednesday’s violence during demolition operations, where railway personnel and police teams allegedly came under attack, the official said crowd management and riot-control measures had already been built into operational planning.

Authorities stated that deployment strategies involving different police squads enabled the situation to be brought under control within 10 to 15 minutes. The Official added that since then, demolition work has continued without any further major disruption.

Thane: A special court under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in Thane has convicted five accused and acquitted five others in a high-profile drug trafficking case investigated by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), involving the seizure of large quantities of mephedrone (MD), ephedrine, methamphetamine, cash worth more than Rs 2.18 crore, firearms and multiple vehicles.

The Narcotics Control Bureau in 2021 had arrested members of an alleged drug syndicate run by Chinku Pathan alias Parvez Khan, who is said to be a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang and grandson of late underworld don Karim Lala.

The court convicted accused Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan, Mohammad Salman Khan and Vikrant Jayantilal Jain alias Vicky Jain and sentenced each of them to five years’ rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each.

The court further convicted Mohammad Arif Bhujwala and sentenced him to 15 years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 2 lakh, with an additional one year’s imprisonment in default of payment of fine.

Meanwhile, accused Haris Faizanullah Khan was convicted and sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000, with a further three months’ imprisonment in default of payment of fine.

The court convicted Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan, Mohammad Salman Khan, Vikrant Jayantilal Jain alias Vicky Jain, Mohammad Arif Bhujwala and Haris Faizanullah Khan, while acquitting Rahul Kumar Verma, Zakir Hussain Fazal Huk Shaikh, Md. Aun Javed Haider Sayed, Mohammad Faaran Khan and Md. Zaman Hidaytullah Khan due to lack of sufficient evidence. One accused, Hussain Bilal Telwala, remains absconding.

“Thus, considering the facts and circumstances of the case and evidence on record and the judgments cited by both sides, I am of the opinion that the fact that Parvez Naserullah Khan alias Chinku Pathan was found in conscious possession of 3 grams of heroin is not proved. But possession of MD is proved from the evidence, though whether the weight was actually 52.8 grams or not is doubtful because though the sample sent to him was of 5 grams, he found it to be 3.4490 grams. Thus, I am of the view that the prosecution has proved that Chinku Pathan was found in possession of more than small, but less than commercial quantity of MD,” the court observed in its order.

According to the prosecution, the Narcotics Control Bureau received specific intelligence inputs on January 20, 2021, regarding alleged drug trafficking activities of accused Parvez Khan from his residence at Ghansoli in Navi Mumbai.

During the raid, officers allegedly recovered 2.9 grams of heroin, 52.8 grams of mephedrone, a pistol with five live cartridges, weighing machines, packaging materials, cash and jewellery allegedly purchased from drug proceeds.

The investigation later expanded to multiple locations in Mumbai and Bhiwandi. At premises linked to accused Mohammad Arif Bhujwala in Mumbai’s Noor Manzil building, the NCB allegedly seized more than 5.3 kg of mephedrone, more than 6.1 kg of ephedrine, 990 grams of methamphetamine and cash amounting to Rs 2.18 crore.

The prosecution further alleged that accused Mohammad Salman Khan was involved in selling MD to prospective customers, while Vikrant Jain was allegedly financing the illegal narcotics trade.

The court recorded that the prosecution examined 23 witnesses, including NCB officials, chemical analysts, panch witnesses, bank officials and forensic experts.

The judgment also notes that forensic examination reports confirmed the presence of mephedrone, clonazepam and other narcotic substances in several seized samples.

Mumbai: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday announced bypolls for two Rajya Sabha seats, including one from Maharashtra that fell vacant following the resignation of NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar earlier this month. The polling for the Upper House seat will be held on June 18, with counting scheduled the same evening.

According to the ECI, the Maharashtra vacancy arose after Sunetra Pawar resigned from the Rajya Sabha on May 6, even though her term was set to continue till July 4, 2028. A second Rajya Sabha bypoll has also been announced for Tamil Nadu following the resignation of C. Ve. Shanmugam.

As per the schedule released by the Commission, the election notification will be issued on June 1, while June 8 has been fixed as the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on June 9 and candidates can withdraw their nominations till June 11.

Voting for the Rajya Sabha bypoll will be conducted on June 18 between 9 am and 4 pm, with counting of votes scheduled at 5 pm the same day. The entire election process will be completed by June 20.

The Election Commission has also issued detailed voting guidelines for MLAs participating in the election. It clarified that only the integrated violet-coloured sketch pen provided by the Returning Officer can be used for marking preferences on ballot papers. Use of any other pen will render the ballot invalid. The Commission further stated that adequate arrangements, including deployment of election observers, will be made to ensure free, fair and transparent polling.