In a shocking incident, a female student of a college located in South Mumbai was sexually harassed while commuting in a shared taxi on November 30. A purported video of the incident recently surfaced online, showing a man sitting beside the student masturbating in the moving taxi.

The video appears to have been captured by the female student herself. A user named Manish Kamat shared the shocking video on X and requested the Mumbai Police to take action against the “creepy man” while tagging its handle.

The police, on Wednesday, took cognisance of the video and asked Kamat to provide contact details to further investigate the matter.

Along with the video, the user also shared a screenshot of an email that was apparently sent by the victim’s friend to a social media influencer.

According to the victim’s friend, the incident occurred on November 30 when the victim was returning home from college in a shared taxi to Grant Road station.

The victim’s friend claimed that the man masturbated in the taxi in her presence.

The person who sent the email requested the recipient to post the video and spread awareness about the incident as soon as possible.

“My friend is still traumatised by this incident. She is going through mental distress. Please do something,” the email read.

The video was first shared by an Instagram handle called ‘mumbaiinlst24hrs’.

Mumbai: More than two weeks after the Maharashtra Assembly election results, the Mahayuti coalition, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is yet to announce its cabinet expansion.

While Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar met senior leaders in Delhi on Wednesday, the absence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has fueled speculation about internal dissent. Reports suggest that cabinet expansion discussions were central to Fadnavis and Pawar’s Delhi visit, where they engaged with Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah. Meanwhile, Shinde remained in Thane, reportedly dissatisfied with certain developments.

Maharashtra BJP Chief CHandrashekhar Bawankule Visits Deputy CM Eknath Shinde In Tahne

BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule visited Shinde in Thane and facilitated a conversation with Fadnavis, attempting to address grievances related to portfolio allocations. Shinde’s faction of the Shiv Sena is embroiled in intense lobbying for ministerial positions. Speculation abounds that Shinde is advocating a rotational system for distributing portfolios among his MLAs, with two-and-a-half-year terms to placate multiple factions. However, some MLAs argue for new faces, criticizing the lackluster performance of previous ministers.

Shinde is reportedly vying for key portfolios, including Home, Revenue, and Urban Development. Among these, the Urban Development portfolio is said to have been promised during negotiations. Shinde’s demands and the BJP’s willingness to meet them remain contentious. Observers note that Ajit Pawar’s proximity to the BJP could be leveraged to counterbalance Shinde’s influence. Adding to the tension, Shinde is reportedly unhappy with the BJP’s exclusion of his close associates, including Sanjay Rathod, Tanaji Sawant, and Abdul Sattar, from ministerial considerations.

Root Of The Dissatisfaction

The dissatisfaction stems from a performance evaluation of ministers who served under Shinde from June 2022 until the elections. The cabinet expansion is critical, with the winter session of the state legislature scheduled to begin on December 16 in Nagpur. The Mahayuti leadership is under pressure to finalize portfolios and ensure smooth governance. While Fadnavis and Pawar navigated the power corridors of Delhi, Shinde’s conspicuous absence has raised eyebrows. Political observers speculate whether his actions signal discontent or a calculated move to assert his demands. A crucial Mahayuti meeting on Thursday may provide clarity on the impasse.

During his Delhi visit, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari. These engagements, while routine, underscore the BJP’s focus on aligning state and central government priorities. As the lobbying intensifies, the power struggle within the Mahayuti could redefine Maharashtra’s political landscape. Whether the BJP accommodates Shinde’s demands or sidelines him using Pawar’s support will determine the coalition’s stability in the coming weeks.

Sanjay More (54), the killer driver of a wet-leased BEST bus who fatally mowed down seven persons and injured 42 others outside Kurla railway station (W) on Monday, was operating an electric vehicle for the first time in his life that day.

The same morning, the company Evey Trans, which had wet-leased the bus to the BEST Undertaking, had asked More to take three rounds in the electric vehicle before he was assigned to operate the bus on Route no. 332 from Kurla station (W) to Agarkar Chowk, Andheri station on the east side. Strangely enough, the police have not even filed an FIR against the company for jeopardizing the lives of passengers by putting a person totally inexperienced in handling a heavy electric vehicle behind the wheel.

The police said they are waiting for the report of the Road Transport Organisation (RTO), which has been tasked with ascertaining if the vehicle had any defect, after which they will take action. It was also the job of the BEST administration to ensure that the drivers of wet-leased buses are properly trained. The Undertaking also failed to do that in this case.

According to the police, More had 30 years of experience in driving diesel buses. However, this was the first time he was handling an electric vehicle. More told the police that he lost control of the bus as it sped out of control during the accident. The bus was cruising at a speed of 60 kmph at the time of the crash on a highly congested road packed with illegal hawkers and autorickshaws. The fact that he was driving at 60 kmph underscores the rashness of his act. A professional driver, L. Ravi, said, “Given the congested nature of the road outside Kurla station, the speed ought to have been less than 30 kmph.”

The police are also trying to find out if More, who was not found drunk, was under any emotional stress. The police have summoned his family members to ascertain this angle. So far, the police have recorded the statements of 25 persons, including eyewitnesses.

Meanwhile, Shashank Rao, general secretary of the BEST Employees’ Union, has demanded the immediate scrapping of the wet-leasing system. He said the Undertaking should buy its own buses and operate them with trained staff. Rao met the BEST general manager, Anil Diggikar, and handed over a memorandum containing the Union’s demands.