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Maharashtra

Shiv Sena UBT criticises silence on Ram Mandir irregularities and NEET paper leak ‘scam’

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Mumbai, June 27: The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Saturday accused the ruling political leadership and Hindutva outfit ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’ of maintaining a hypocritical silence over the alleged theft and financial irregularities at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and the NEET paper leak scandal.

It has questioned why organisations that frequently take to the streets over issues like ‘Love Jihad,’ religious conversions, and cow slaughter have remained completely passive when major irregularities involve individuals within their own ideological fold.

The Thackeray camp in the scathing editorial of party mouthpiece Saamana claimed that The Sakal Hindu Samaj is sleeping like Kumbhakarna.” It taunted, “while a restless Lord Ram and his family have, once again, departed for exile.”

The editorial highlighted recent revelations concerning the “loot” of donations, collection boxes, and silver items at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. It pointed out that while a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed and cases were registered against eight individuals, the main suspects, including Champat Rai and other trustees, were allegedly shielded by the government.

“In Ayodhya, individuals linked to the temple and the BJP bought lands at throwaway prices and later sold them back to the Ram Mandir Trust at inflated rates. AAP MP Sanjay Singh provided evidence to the SIT, but it wasn’t investigated. Now, minor figures like Tinnu Yadav and Anukalp Mishra have been arrested by the UP government,” said the editorial.

Taking a sarcastic swipe at the political ecosystem, the editorial suggested that the ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’ and top BJP leaders only raise a “loud voice for Hindutva” if a Muslim name is involved.

“Should someone spread a rumour that Tinnu and Mishra are actually Muslims operating under fake Hindu names just to wake up the Sakal Hindu Samaj?” the editorial asked sharply, adding that because the accused are Hindu, these organisations have “closed their eyes and mouths.”

The Thackeray camp expanded its criticism beyond Ayodhya, linking the silence of these pro-Hindutva groups to the massive NEET-UG examination paper leak scandal.

The editorial said that Maharashtra emerged as a major hub for the paper leak, with eight to ten individuals and a coaching class owner arrested. It underscored that these accused individuals possess strong Hindutva and BJP connections, saying that the scam has devastated the lives of thousands of Hindu children, driving some to suicide, yet the ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj’ has failed to hit the streets to protect the interests of these youths.

The editorial further highlighted instances of political compromise and corruption that went unprotested. It claimed that BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari stated that cows older than 14 years could be slaughtered, yet no Hindutva outfits organised protest marches in West Bengal against this stance. It alleged financial mismanagement and “loot” at the holy Mahakal Temple in Ujjain under the BJP-led state government, noting that leaders have remained quiet.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena argued that the Ram Mandir awakened Hindutva and served as the political launchpad for the current leadership, yet the deity’s own temple is now being plundered.

Crime

Fake social media account, Chat GPT used in Ketan Agarwal murder

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Pune, Sep 20: A fake account on social media platform Instagram, along with ChatGPT and murder films, was used by Siya Goyal and her co-accused in the alleged murder of her fiance Ketan Agarwal, reveals the charge sheet filed by the police in the sensational case.

The 5,053-page charge sheet, filed on Saturday, detailed the alleged conspiracy behind the death of the 26-year-old businessman at Lohagad Fort in Pune in June, NDTV reported.

Agarwal was allegedly pushed off the fort on June 18 by his fiancee Siya Goyal, who was assisted by her purported lover Chetan Chaudhary, and another accused, identified as Ritesh Hange. All three have been arrested by the police.

According to the charge sheet, the accused had initially discussed seriously injuring Agarwal and even explored the possibility of hiring someone from outside Maharashtra to carry out the attack.

Police claimed the plan was later dropped because they feared the hired assailant could expose the conspiracy or create problems for them. Investigators have mentioned that a person contacted during this stage has since become a witness, the media report said.

As per the charge sheet, the accused subsequently decided to kill Agarwal themselves and watched murder films and used ChatGPT for the purpose. They also listened to podcasts on how to avoid detection by police as part of their preparations.

Goyal and her co-accused also researched last year’s Meghalaya honeymoon murder case where Indore resident Raja Raghuvanshi was allegedly killed by his wife, Sonam, during the couple’s honeymoon in the state’s East Khasi Hills district.

Moreover, investigators stated that a fake Instagram account named ‘Mahi’ was created using the photograph of a woman known to the accused in order to “lure” Agarwal to the fort.

Subsequently, messages from the account encouraged the victim to visit the spot on June 18 for a surprise birthday plan for Goyal.

According to the chargesheet, the fake account was part of a plan devised by Ritesh Hange to bring Agarwal to the fort. The account was deleted after the incident.

Further, the charge sheet also revealed that the accused conducted a recce of locations around Lonavala before selecting Lohagad Fort.

According to investigators, Goyal and Chaudhary visited Tiger Point and other locations in search of an isolated spot.

Police said that Lohagad was eventually selected because of a death at the fort in March last year. The accused thought they could make Agarwal’s death appear like an accidental fall at the spot.

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Crime

Stall operator booked after two die of electrocution in Mumbai Lalbaug Ganesh pandal

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Mumbai, Sep 20: An FIR has been filed following a tragic electrocution incident near a Ganesh festival pandal in Mumbai Lalbaug area early on Sunday, which resulted in the deaths of two people, including an 8-year-old girl.

Two people, including an eight-year-old girl, died and four others were seriously injured after receiving electric shocks from a loose wire at a Pepsi-Cola stall near Aastha Hospital on Dattaram Lad Marg in Kalachowki, Mumbai, early Sunday.

Police have registered an FIR against nearby stall operator Kamal Shetty under Sections 106(1) and 125(b) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, alleging negligence, and have begun an investigation.

According to information from the fire brigade, the incident occurred at around 2 a.m. on Sunday when devotees were present near the pandal.

Two boys and three girls, aged between 8 and 20, reportedly came into contact with the electrical current and suffered burn injuries.

Following the incident, all five victims were rushed to Masina Hospital in Byculla for treatment. Doctors declared the 8-year-old girl Raghni Ghanshyam Yadav dead upon arrival.

Meanwhile, a second victim, a woman who was admitted to Global Hospital in Parel, later succumbed to her injuries. Her identity was yet to be ascertained.

Kiran Akbar Naik, 19, Tanvi Narsh Hande, 19, Sahil Sandip Tare, 19, and Ruhi Singh, 12, were undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the incident.

Among the injured, one girl was reportedly in critical condition and was shifted to Global Hospital in Parel for further treatment. The remaining three injured victims are undergoing treatment at Masina Hospital and have been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), where their condition remains serious.

According to the FIR filed at Kalachowki Police Station, the wire allegedly came into contact with the girl, Raghni, and others nearby.

The girl was declared dead at Masina Hospital, while another woman, identified as 33-year-old Sujata Thorati, died at Global Hospital. Four injured persons were admitted for treatment.

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Maharashtra

17-year-old among three killed in Mumbai high-end car accident (Lead)

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Mumbai, Sep 20: A 17-year-old was among the three people who were killed in a serious accident involving a high-end car on the Mumbai Coastal Road early on Sunday, officials said.

Another person is critically injured and is currently receiving treatment.

According to information received from the Coastal Road Control Room, the accident occurred at around 5.20 a.m. near Lotus Jetty, opposite Lala College.

The car was travelling from Marine Drive towards Haji Ali when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle due to overspeeding.

The speeding vehicle crashed onto the Coastal Road and hit a boundary wall. It fell off the bridge into an area where construction work was underway.

The severity of the accident was evident from the extent of the damage to the car.

The vehicle tore off through the signboard hanging from the bridge. The roof of the car was pushed inwards, the windshield was shattered, and the bonnet was completely destroyed.

Following the accident, all four occupants of the car were rushed to Nair Hospital, where emergency medical teams assessed their condition.

According to an update issued by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Nair Hospital at around 8.40 a.m., three of the occupants were declared brought dead by doctors.

Two of the deceased have been identified as 21-year-old Shanay Gajjal and 17-year-old Dhirya Seth. The identity of the third deceased is yet to be ascertained.

The injured has been identified as 23-year-old Aditya Oswal.

Speaking about the incident to media, Senior Police Inspector Meena Jagtap said: “At around 5:20 a.m., a black BMW was travelling from Marine Drive towards Haji Ali in the northbound direction when it fell from the Coastal Road. There were four people in the car. Three people died, while Aditya is currently at Nair Hospital.”

She said that it is yet to be ascertained whether the occupants of the car were in an intoxicated state when the accident occurred.

Police are investigating the case.

Further details are awaited.

On September 3, several people were booked after Mumbai Police took cognisance of a viral video showing luxury and high-performance cars speeding and racing dangerously inside the Marine Drive-Southbound Coastal Road tunnel.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, three people were critically injured after a speeding off-road SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) hit them near PKC Hospital in Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

The driver fled the spot after the crash instead of helping the injured.

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