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The five women whose petition has shaken up the nation

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 The five women who caused an upheaval in the country by filing a petition seeking permission to offer prayers at the Shringar Gauri shrine in the Gyanvapi mosque complex here are neither friends, nor part of one group.

Of the five petitioners, one is based in Delhi while four belong to Varanasi. The closest they came to know of each other is a chance meeting at a ‘satsang’.

While Laxmi Devi, Sita Sahu, Manju Vyas and Rekha Pathak live in Varanasi and have been present at every hearing of the case which began in August 2021, the fifth and the main petitioner, Rakhi Singh, lives in Delhi and has not been to court.

Rakhi Singh’s interest in religion seems to originate from her links to the ‘Vishwa Vedic Sanathan Sangh’.

Rakhi, 35, is a founder member of the outfit, which claims to have done ‘coordination’ for the petition. Her uncle, Jitendra Singh Bishen, is the President of the Sangh.

According to Santosh Singh, the UP convenor of the Vishwa Vedic Sanathan Sangh, the outfit coordinated with four of the women and brought them together to file the Gyanvapi petition in August 2021.

“We are managing the whole case,” he claimed.

The second petitioner is Laxmi Devi, 65, whose husband, Sohan Lal Arya, is a senior VHP office-bearer in Varanasi. Laxmi Devi is essentially a homemaker and lives in Varanasi’s Mahmoorganj area.

An active player in this case, her husband claims it was he who “inspired and brought together the five women (petitioners)”.

Arya, 71, is also the litigants’ agent in the petition.

The VHP Varanasi Mahanagar vice-president and spokesperson since 1984, he said that the petitioners, including his wife, were chosen by him.

Arya, who claims to have been associated with the RSS since childhood, said that he filed his first petition in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi matter in a Varanasi court in 1985.

“This time, I decided to put women in front as it is they who pray to Maa Shringar Gauri. I chose the four women as I needed some women to file the petition. I didn’t have any other names, so I picked them,” he said.

The Vishwa Vedic Sanathan Sangh was founded in 2018 “for the cause of Hindutva”. The outfit has also filed cases over the status of Qutub Minar in a Delhi court as well as one regarding the Krishna Janmabhoomi in a Mathura court, which also involves dispute with a mosque.

Sita Sahu, another petitioner, however, has another story as to how they came together for the case.

“Four of us met at a satsang and decided to file the petition. We were contacted by Rakhi Singh saying she wanted to be a part of the petition, so we included her as well,” she said.

Sita Sahu runs a small general store from her house in Chetganj area of Varanasi, just 2 km from the Gyanvapi complex.

While she has never been associated with any outfit or organisation, she said, “We are doing work for Hindu religion and filed the petition because we are not allowed to properly worship our Goddess at the temple.”

Manju Vyas, 49, runs a beauty parlour from her house located 1.5 km from the Gyanvapi complex and is not a member or office-bearer of any outfit or organisation. Apart from her small business, she looks after her family. Her interest is to pray at the Shringar Gauri Sthal.

Rekha Pathak, 35, the fifth petitioner in the case, said she became a part of the petition for the cause of her Goddess.

“I felt bad that women who go to the temple for worship are not allowed past the barricading, so I became a part of the petition. The decision to file the petition was taken by us during a satsang of the temple because all of us worship the Goddess,” she said.

It is on their petition that the Civil Judge (Senior Division), Varanasi, ordered a videographic inspection of the Gyanvapi mosque, inviting objections from the Muslim community.

“For us, nothing else matters except for offering prayers at Shringar Gauri Maa and we will not rest till we are given the permission,” the petitioners said.

Interestingly, none of the five petitioners are aware of the legal or political implications that their petition is having on the nation.

“We are only concerned with worshipping at Shringar Gauri and nothing else matters to us,” said Rekha Pathak.

Maharashtra

Unmanned electric boats deployed at Gateway of India and Budhwar Park to remove floating waste in the sea

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Mumbai: Municipal Corporation is using modern technology to keep the beach and the surrounding area clean. In this regard, unmanned electric boats (electric boats) have been started in the Gateway of India and Budhwar Park areas to collect floating waste in the sea. These boats collect about 80 to 90 kg of floating waste from these areas daily.

As per the instructions of Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide, various steps are being taken under the supervision of Ashwini Bhide, Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi and Deputy Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) Kiran Dighavkar.

In this context, under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone-1) Chanda Jadhav and under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner (A Division) Gajanan Belle, two unmanned electric boats have been operated in the Bharati Kendra and Budhwar Park areas of the ‘A’ Division of the Municipal Corporation. These boats are fully electric and are environment-friendly. They have a Vehicle Traffic Management System (VTMS) and a Global Positioning System (GPS), through which the navigation, working area and safety of the boat can be controlled. These boats are capable of carrying out the work of collecting floating waste at sea more efficiently and in a planned manner.

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Maharashtra

The Municipal Corporation and the Railway Administration should work together to make Mumbai flood-free, directs Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde

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Mumbai: Emphasis should be given to repair the walls and fences of the railway bridge and widening the bridge outlet. Strong (durable) nets should be installed at the outlet of the culvert. So that along with the drainage of rainwater, garbage coming from residential areas also does not get stuck in the drains. Apart from this, garbage stuck at the outlet should be removed and all the bridges should be cleaned before the monsoon. Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said that the Municipal Corporation Administration and the Railway Administration should work in coordination to ensure that water does not accumulate on the railway tracks and in the areas adjacent to the railway station and to keep Mumbai safe from floods during heavy rains. As part of the pre-monsoon works, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation is rapidly taking up the work of removing garbage from drains in Mumbai. Under this, Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde visited the drain cleaning and railway plot cleaning works in the eastern suburbs today (18 May 2026). During this inspection tour, Shinde reviewed the works of railway culverts, drain cleaning, water lifting pumps etc. Prabhakar Shinde inspected the bridge over Neelam Nagar Nallah in Devikarpa Housing Society in Mulund (East), railway flyover over Nanipara Nallah in Railway Yard in Mulund (East), railway flyover over Nallah in Ocean Nagar, bridge over Nallah in Washer. Nallah bridge over Devkibai Chawal in Ghatkopar (East) and railway flyover over Jolly Gymkhana Nallah near Railway Station in Vidya Vihar (East). Local Corporator Rakhi Jadhav, Corporator Dharmesh Giri, Corporator Dr. Archana Bhalrao, Deputy Chief Engineer (Rainwater Channels) Sunil Dutt Russell, Deputy Chief Engineer (Rainwater Channels) (Eastern Suburbs) Sanjay Angale, Senior Divisional Engineer of Central Railway Shri Sachin Panchal and other concerned officers were present on the occasion. During the inspection of the culvert at Nanipara drain in the railway yard in Milind (East), it was found that there is a large population on the western side of the drain and the waste of this population is coming directly into the drain. Since this waste is going directly into the large drain, there is a possibility of blockage in the drain. Keeping this in mind, strong iron nets should be installed on the western side of the drain where there is a population. So that the waste does not come directly into the drain, Shinde directed the railway authorities. The ongoing work of cleaning the drain is satisfactory. However, the work should be expedited to prevent accumulation of rainwater and the remaining work should be completed within the stipulated time. If all the work of cleaning the drain is done, then there will be no water accumulation in Mumbai this year, for this coordination between the Municipal Corporation and the Railway Administration is necessary. Shinde said that both the administrations should work with proper coordination. The walls of all other bridges, including the bridge on Crompton Nallah near Toyo Engineering Company in Kanjurmarg (West), should be repaired before the monsoon season. The Railway Administration should also give high priority to widening the bridge. It should be ensured that the railway cables adjacent to the bridge opening are kept as far away from the ground as possible. So that the garbage flowing in these cables does not get stuck. Shinde said that overall the administration should make efforts to make Mumbai flood-free this year.

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West Bengal ashram bombing: Two accused arrested from Borivali

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Mumbai: The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two absconding accused in the bombing outside an ashram in West Bengal Murshidabad district near Borivali railway station. Both the accused had fled from West Bengal to Mumbai after the incident to avoid arrest and were hiding here. According to the Mumbai Crime Branch, the incident took place on May 14 in the Berhampur police station area of ​​West Bengal’s Murshidabad district. The police said that the incident came to light after tension increased in the area after the declaration of the results of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The arrested accused have been identified as Roki Khan (24) and Shahadat Sarkar (35). Roki Khan is a driver by profession, a resident of Kundi Hotel Para, while Shahadat Sarkar is a labourer from village Natunpura. After taking both the accused into custody, Mumbai Police has completed the legal proceedings and obtained a two-day transit remand and started the process of handing them over to the West Bengal Police. The case was registered on the complaint of Pashupati Nath Saha, a grocery shopkeeper in Majirpara Post Office area. Ali Hussain alias Laden, Hassan SK and three unidentified persons have been named as the main accused in the complaint. According to the police, several other accused are still absconding. According to the investigating officers, the dispute began on May 12 when some unidentified persons tore images from an electric pole near the Maa Durga temple located near the ashram. The situation escalated on the night of May 13. According to the police, “At around 10:45 pm, the accused and their accomplices hurled socket bombs in the open field in front of the ashram. The explosions spread panic in the area and created an atmosphere of fear among the locals. The complainant alleged that at around 10:30 am on May 14, some accused arrived outside his shop on motorcycles and threatened that if he reported the matter to the police, he would be bombed again. After the FIR was registered on May 15, the police launched a search operation. Investigation revealed that the accused had left home and fled to West Bengal. Further investigation revealed that both the accused had reached Mumbai by Gitanjali Express. This information was then given to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Based on technical surveillance and intelligence, the CIU team arrested both the accused near Borivali railway station. This operation was carried out by DCP Raj Roshan Tilak and CIU Crime Branch on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti. .

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