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Maharashtra

Stop vicious politics or you won’t be spared, Uddhav Thackeray warns BJP, MNS

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Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday warned the Bharatiya Janata Party and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena to stop their “dirty politics” or they would not be forgiven or spared.

Addressing a huge rally here, Thackeray targeted the BJP and his estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray on a wide-range of issues including their brand of Hindutva, love for Marathi, the Centre’s pending GST dues to Maharashtra, BJP’s hurdles in various important development projects of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, and attempts to separate Mumbai as a Union Territory.

Ridiculing BJP Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis’ recent claims that he was present during the razing of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya (1992), Thackeray asked if he had gone on a school picnic there or some sight-seeing tour. “Look at his age and how much he blabbers,” he said.

Without naming his cousin, Thackeray compared him with the character of Sanjay Dutt who gets visions of Mahatma Gandhi in the blockbuster “Lage Raoho Munnabhai” (2006).

“There’s one case roaming around wearing a shawl like Balasaheb Thackeray and claiming to see his spirit… As in the film, he is suffering from some ‘chemical locha’ and needs treatment,” Thackeray said amidst applause.

Dwelling on issues of the high inflation or unemployment, the CM and Shiv Sena President said “first they should talk about the price hike” before questioning others’ Hindutva and diverting to loudspeakers (in mosques’ or Hanuman Chalisa, both recently raised by Raj Thackeray and the MP-MLA couple of Navneet Kaur-Rana and her husband Ravi Rana.

“You couldn’t protect one Kashmiri Pandit who begged for transfer from Budgam (Kashmir) to Jammu, and terrorists barged into his government office and shot him. Do you have the guts to go and chant Hanuman Chalisa there?” Thackeray challenged the Rana couple.

He thundered at the manner in which the Centre is providing security at public expense to “nincompoops” who target the MVA government but not the Kashmiri Pandits who really need it.

Referring to the break-up between BJP-Sena in October 2019, Thackeray sharply said that “we kicked the donkey before it could kick us” but they couldn’t digest it and continued to behave like “a jilted lover”.

“Now they are accusing us of leaving Hindutva by allying with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party… Whatever we did, we did openly, not like you swearing-in the government in the early morning hours. You made all attempts to bring us down, but when you failed, you deployed central agencies after us, yet nothing happened,” he said.

It seems now they will even go after Dawood (Ibrahim Kaskar) but if he joins them, they will even take him in the cabinet, he said in another swipe at the BJP.

The CM warned the opposition parties to stop the “dirty politics by framing MVa leaders under false cases, or the people of Maharashtra will neither forgive them nor spare” them.

Pooh-poohing Fadnavis, Thackeray said that if he had really gone to Ayodhya then (1992), he could have merely tried to climb atop (the Babri mosque) would have crashed down under his weight.

He blamed Fadnavis for “blocking the Kanjurmarg land” needed for the Mumbai Metro carshed, and attacked the Centre for not handing over the railway plan to facilitate the Dharavi slum redevelopment, and asked him to go and shout in Delhi for clearing Maharashtra’s projects.

“We never asked for the Bullet Train project, but it is being forced on us… Did anybody demand it? Yet our development projects are being stalled, our GST dues are not being cleared,” said Thackeray.

He reiterated that the Sena’s Hindutva was in the heart and not by merely wearing saffron caps or threatening others, for us, Hindutva “is Ram in our mouths and ‘kaam’ (employment) in the hands”.

Failing this, he cited the example of Sri Lanka “which is now in flames for the second timea by the people who are suffering there without food and livelihood”.

Maharashtra

‘Our Dreams Are Not A Joke’: Students Flood Social Media As SSC Exam Glitches Trigger Nationwide Outrage

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A storm of protests has erupted online as thousands of SSC aspirants take to social media platforms to voice their frustration under hashtags like #SSCVendorFailure, #SSCMisManagement, and #SSCReform. The uproar follows a series of technical glitches, infrastructure issues, and exam cancellations linked to the new vendor responsible for conducting SSC recruitment exams.

What began as scattered complaints has snowballed into a coordinated digital movement, with aspirants flooding X (formerly Twitter) with testimonies of botched exam experiences, inaccessible centers, and last-minute cancellations. Several students are demanding accountability from the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and the removal of the current vendor.

Students are alleging that the system crashes during exams, experiences technical glitches, centres 500-1000 km away and has last-minute cancellations. Students are now demanding a thorough investigation, transparent communication, and urgent reforms to restore faith in the SSC recruitment system. The controversy follows widespread technical issues during the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exams, leaving thousands in distress.

SSC Selection Post Phase 13 Exams Cancelled at Select Centres Due to Technical Issues

The SSC has cancelled the Selection Post Phase 13 exams at specific centres due to technical and administrative problems. The exams, which began on July 24 and are scheduled to continue until August 1, faced disruptions on the first day.

As per the official notice, exams held at Pawan Ganga Educational Centre 2 between July 24 and July 26 have been cancelled for administrative reasons. Affected candidates will now appear for the rescheduled exams starting July 28, with revised details to be shared shortly. Additionally, the first shift at Educasa International, Hubbali, scheduled on July 24 (9:30 AM to 10:30 AM), was cancelled due to a technical glitch.

Netizens’ Reactions

Amid widespread disruptions in the SSC Selection Post Phase 13 exams, students across India have taken to social media to express their frustration, calling out technical failures, poor management, and lack of transparency.

“Dear SSC, our dreams are not a joke!” wrote one aspirant. “Technical failures, paper leaks, and vendor mismanagement are destroying years of our hard work. We deserve justice and transparency.”

Another user questioned the outsourcing of such a critical process to private firms: “We’ve repeatedly said that instead of outsourcing the exams to private vendors, SSC should develop its own software and take full responsibility. The future of millions of youth should not be handed over to profit-driven companies.”

Many candidates shared emotional accounts of traveling long distances, only to face last-minute cancellations: “Is there no value for students’ efforts in this country? First, they gave us centers 500 km away, and then cancelled the exam. Is this some kind of joke?”

Another user said, “An exam isn’t just for one day — it’s years of preparation. Students traveled 500 km, and then were told the exam was cancelled. Why? Does anyone have an answer?”

Poor exam centre conditions were another major concern raised by aspirants: “We faced extreme discomfort — no fans, broken chairs, suffocating rooms, and image-based questions not loading. Is this what India’s competitive exams have come to? We demand accountability.”

A comprehensive list of recurring issues was also highlighted by students:

“SSC cannot ignore these issues any longer:

– Mouse not working

– Invigilators chatting

– Server crash & last-minute cancellations

– Centres 500-1000 km away

– No security checks

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Entertainment

Actress Ruchi Gujjar Hits Actor-Director With Chappal, Protests Against Him At Mumbai Theatre After Filing FIR Over ₹25 Lakh Fraud

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A dramatic scene unfolded at a Mumbai theatre during the screening of So Long Valley when actress Ruchi Gujjar hit the film’s producer and actor Man Singh with a chappal, leading to chaos at Cinepolis. The incident, captured in a now-viral video, came amid an ongoing financial dispute between Ruchi and another producer, Karan Singh Chauhan.

In the video, she is heard screaming while arguing with the producers. She then lost her cool and hit one of the producers with her chappal.

It appears that she arrived at the theatre with the intention of staging a protest. During the special screening, where the producers were present, Ruchi showed up along with a group of protestors. People around her were seen raising slogans against the producers.

They held placards with the producers’ photos, marked with red cross signs across their faces. In some of the posters, which can be seen in the video, the producers were depicted sitting on donkeys.

What is the case?

According to Ruchi, Chauhan had approached her last year claiming he was producing a Hindi television serial that would soon air on Sony TV. “He offered to add me as a co-producer and also sent documents related to the project,” she said, according to media reports.

Believing the offer, Ruchi stated that between July 2023 and January 2024, she transferred several payments from her company, SR Event and Entertainment, into accounts linked to Chauhan’s K Studios. However, the promised project never took off.

“Despite repeated contacts, he kept postponing them and lied,” she added in her complaint.

She claims to have discovered that the funds were allegedly used not for the serial, but for the production of So Long Valley. “When I got the information that the film is releasing on July 27, I told him to return my money now, on which he started threatening me,” she alleged.

Mumbai Police has registered an FIR under sections 318(4), 352, and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Chauhan, 36, for allegedly cheating actress Ruchiof Rs 25 lakh.

Ruchi has submitted banking records and documents to support her claims. An investigation into the financial transactions and communications is currently underway.

Notably, Ruchi had earlier drawn attention for her Cannes appearance, where she wore a necklace featuring an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai 26 July 2005 Floods: When City Was Submerged With 944 mm Of Rain In 24 Hours Leaving 914 Dead, Thousands Displaced

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Every year, the monsoon season disrupts life across Indian cities with heavy rainfall, waterlogging and traffic chaos. But July 26, 2005, stands out as a day that etched itself into Mumbai’s history as one of its darkest and most devastating.

On that day, Mumbai received an unprecedented 944 mm of rain in just 24 hours, nearly half of its annual average. Between 8 am and 8 pm alone, 644 mm poured down. It remains the eighth-highest 24-hour rainfall ever recorded anywhere in the world. The city, unprepared for such intensity, was brought to a grinding halt.

Internet Flooded With Old Visuals, Still Haunting Mumbaikars

Several netizens took to social media to share haunting visuals from the 2005 Mumbai floods, recalling the day when the city came to a complete standstill. Many described it as an unforgettable chapter in Mumbai’s history, marked by chaos, resilience and unity.

While some reflected on the overwhelming scale of the disaster, others remembered how the crisis revealed the undying spirit of Mumbai, with strangers helping each other and communities coming together in the face of adversity.

Mumbai’s Lifeline Took Serious Hit, 52 Local Trains Damaged

As floodwaters rose, roads vanished beneath torrents of water. Local trains, the city’s lifeline, stopped completely, with tracks submerged and 52 trains damaged. Thousands were stranded in stations, schools and offices overnight. Low-lying areas like Dharavi and the Bandra-Kurla Complex were heavily inundated, while vehicles were swept away or immobilised.

The scale of disruption was staggering. Over 37,000 auto-rickshaws, 4,000 taxis, 900 BEST buses and 10,000 trucks and tempos were either damaged or rendered unusable. Even the skies were no refuge. For the first time ever, Mumbai’s airports shut down, with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and the Juhu airstrip closed for more than 30 hours. More than 700 flights were cancelled or delayed, creating nationwide ripples in air traffic.

Over 900 Killed, Property Worth ₹5.5 Billion Destroyed

The economic loss was estimated at Rs 5.5 billion (around 100 million USD). But the cost in human lives and suffering was far greater. According to official reports, 914 people lost their lives, many due to drowning, electrocution and landslides. More than 14,000 homes were destroyed, leaving thousands without shelter, food or drinking water.

Communication networks also failed. Around 5 million mobile users and 2.3 million landline connections went dead for several hours, hampering emergency rescue operations. Emergency services were overwhelmed, as the city grappled with a disaster it had never imagined.

The 2005 floods served as a harsh wake-up call, exposing Mumbai’s vulnerability to extreme weather. In the years since, the government has worked on improving disaster preparedness, such as creating specialised disaster management units, upgrading early warning systems and installing floodgates and dewatering pumps at critical points.

Yet, even two decades later, as visuals from 2005 resurface each year, a haunting question persists: Is Mumbai truly prepared to face another flood of that magnitude?

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