Mumbai: The proposal that has been approved regarding religious places in Mumbai’s Ahlia Nagar should be immediately stopped. Because a proposal has been made that immediate action should be taken after the 7-day notice issued by the Ahlia Nagar Municipal Corporation regarding religious places, it should be stopped and the concerned organizations and citizens should be given at least 2 to 3 months to submit their documents. This demand was made by Abu Asim Azmi, Mumbai/Maharashtra state president of Samajwadi Party and an MLA in a letter written to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Speaking on the issue, Abu Asim Azmi said that giving permission for only 7 days is neither practical nor fair. Many religious places are decades old, and it takes time to collect their documents and clarify their legal status. It would not be appropriate to take any action without providing a proper opportunity. In this regard, I have written a letter to Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, appealing to him to intervene in this sensitive matter and directing the administration not to take hasty action against any religious place without completing a thorough investigation and legal action. It is the responsibility of the government and the administration to ensure the protection of religious places that are legal and authorized and to take impartial decisions in accordance with the law while respecting the sentiments of all communities and sections. Azmi said that I am confident that the government, understanding the seriousness of the matter, will take a fair, balanced and sensitive decision that will establish social harmony and peace.

Mumbai, July 27: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray on Monday claimed that the Centre became a “laughing stock” during the 35-day agitation by youth and student leaders at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

In a sharply worded editorial in its mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, the Thackeray faction stated that the sustained protests against the NEET exam paper leaks gave the Central government a “full-time reality check”, severely fracturing the narrative of PM Modi’s ‘invincibility’.

According to the editorial, the widespread anger among Indian youth made Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan its “first political casualty”. The party argued that despite initial government resistance — noting reports that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had declared resignations were not part of the NDA’s working style — escalating public outrage ultimately forced the government to seek Pradhan’s exit.

The editorial firmly rejected Pradhan’s official reason for stepping down, where he cited a desire to preserve national unity and prevent “anti-national forces” from exploiting the protest. “Which anti-national forces did he see at Jantar Mantar or in protests across the country?” it asked.

“Labelling student leaders and climate activists as ‘anti-national’ is an insult to the genuine outrage felt across the nation. Pradhan’s resignation has no connection to national unity –the country was united by the sacrifice of 20 young lives lost due to the NEET paper leak,” noted the editorial.

The editorial highlighted key figures who lent momentum to the 35-day movement, including US-returnee Abhijeet Dipke, who founded the “Cockroach Janata Party” to mobilise against paper leaks, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who went on a hunger strike, and student leader Neha Bora. The party noted the contradiction in the government’s stance, pointing out that while the BJP tried to brand Wangchuk as a foreign agent, its own ministers were seen visiting him to plead for the end of his fast.

The editorial asserted that the political fallout cannot end with Dharmendra Pradhan alone. Holding Home Minister Amit Shah directly accountable for ordering harsh police lathi charges on student demonstrators, the mouthpiece demanded an official apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Thackeray camp dismissed the government’s newly introduced anti-paper leak bill — which mandates up to 10 years in prison and a Rs 10 crore fine — as a mere “gimmick”. It alleged that the bill is simply rehashed old legislation with altered penalty figures designed to mislead students and parents.

The editorial claimed that the digital creativity, technology, and spontaneous organising of the protesting youth effectively rendered the BJP’s digital outreach and IT Cell inactive during the month-long demonstration.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) warned that unless the administration addresses the root causes of student discontent and administrative failures, the “blaze of discontent” will continue to grow across the country.

Mumbai, July 27: Mumbai Police arrested a 36-year-old Bangladeshi national at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for allegedly travelling on a fraudulently obtained Indian passport.

The accused has been identified as Babu Biswas, alias Tapas Biswas. Immigration officials grew suspicious of his Indian passport after noticing that his accent closely resembled the dialect commonly spoken in Bangladesh.

According to the police, Biswas had illegally entered India through the West Bengal border along with his wife and family in 2016. He lived in the Nadia district of West Bengal and worked as a daily-wage labourer in Kolkata for nearly seven years.

Police said that after settling in India, the accused managed to obtain Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card and a PAN card. Using these documents, he allegedly secured an Indian passport from the Kolkata Passport Office in 2019. Investigators said he later used the passport to travel abroad, visiting the Maldives twice in 2023 and Colombo at least once without raising suspicion.

A police officer said the investigation is now focussed on identifying the agents who allegedly helped him procure forged Indian identity documents and the passport.

The accused was intercepted after arriving at Mumbai airport from Colombo. He approached the immigration counter to complete the mandatory immigration formalities and presented his Indian passport along with his boarding pass.

An Assistant Immigration Officer, who was on duty at Counter No. 23, said the passenger arrived in Mumbai on Sri Lankan Airlines flight UL141 at around 3.30 a.m.

“While examining the Indian passport, I suspected that the passenger was from Bangladesh. I asked him a few questions, but he failed to provide satisfactory answers,” the officer said.

Following the initial interrogation, the passenger was produced before the officer incharge of the Immigration Wing and other duty officers for detailed questioning. During the enquiry, officials reportedly established that he hailed from Faridpur in Bangladesh.

Police said the suspicion was confirmed after Biswas contacted his wife in Bangladesh through WhatsApp and asked her to send documents establishing his identity. She subsequently sent photocopies of land ownership documents registered in Bangladesh in the name of Biswas’ father, confirming his Bangladeshi origin.

An official from Sahar Police Station said the accused admitted during questioning that he had entered India illegally with his family in 2016. He further confessed that while living in West Bengal, he had obtained an Aadhaar card and a PAN card with the help of a local resident before securing an Indian passport using those documents.

Police are now investigating the network that allegedly facilitated the preparation of forged identity documents and enabled his illegal stay and international travel.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch recently announced that it has initiated the process of deporting 53 illegal Bangladeshi nationals who were apprehended during separate operations across the city. Further investigation into the case is underway.