A shocking case has come to light from Mumbai where a so-called ‘Baba’ has been exposed for influencing people in the name of superstition and Tantric rituals. Mumbai’s Dandoshi police station has arrested a man named Ridham Panchal (37), who claimed to be a charismatic worker and could solve people’s problems.

It is alleged that the Baba performed strange and terrifying Tantric rituals using cremation ashes, goat liver, lemon, incense sticks and kumkum (sindoor). He used to create a mysterious atmosphere for people. After the puja, he would ask them to tie all the items in a red cloth and keep them at a deserted intersection, which would create both fear and belief among people.

The most shocking thing is that during the puja, the Baba used to claim that a “goddess” would appear. In this alleged state, he would offer solutions to people’s problems, gradually developing a “charismatic image”, and a large number of people started contacting him with their problems. This continued for about six months, but the baba’s activities started disturbing the locals. Suspicious activities at night, strange things, and increasing crowds worried the locals. Finally, the neighbors got the courage and filed a complaint with the police. On receiving the complaint, the Mumbai Police swung into action and started an investigation. Investigation revealed that the baba was exploiting people’s emotions and problems to spread superstition. After his arrest, the accused was produced in the court from where he was remanded in police custody till April 19. The police are now investigating who else is involved in this whole matter and how many people this so-called baba has trapped. This case once again brings to light the spread of superstition in the society and its dangerous effects. Where people rely on false miracles instead of science and law to solve their problems.

New Delhi, April 17: A high-level government committee, supported by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), has recommended removing excise duty on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to lower prices and promote consumption of the green fuel to meet India’s target of achieving a 15 per cent share of natural gas in the fuel mix by 2030.

The key recommendations include removing the 14 per cent excise duty to make CNG a more attractive fuel option and also lowering GST on CNG vehicles to 5 per cent to bring them on par with electric vehicles to accelerate adoption.

The recommendations favour maintaining a competitive price difference between CNG and petrol so that consumers are encouraged to switch to the green fuel.

The tax relief on natural gas is anticipated to impact roughly 1.9 crore households and 38.41 lakh potential users.

These proposals aim to address the currently high taxes, such as the 14 per cent excise duty and state VAT, which have made CNG less competitive in certain regions, particularly in the southern states.

Meanwhile, the government has also been encouraging households to switch to piped natural gas (PNG) from LPG as the West Asia crisis has disrupted supply chains. The expansion of piped natural gas (PNG) has gained momentum, with about 4.58 lakh new PNG connections being gasified and about 5.1 lakh additional customers registering for new connections since March this year.

Till April 15, about 35,000 PNG consumers have surrendered their LPG connections via MYPNGD.in website. States have been advised to facilitate new PNG connections for domestic and commercial consumers.

The government is encouraging natural gas adoption through synergy between the PNGRB and states as part of India’s transition toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future. As part of the strategy to increase the share of natural gas in the country’s energy mix, the expansion of the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network through Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections has emerged as one of the key performing areas.

Spearheaded by entities authorised by the PNGRB, the CGD network now spans 307 geographical areas (GAs), covering nearly 100 per cent of the country’s geographical area except islands, touching around 784 districts across 34 states and Union Territories. The government has undertaken a series of policy and regulatory measures to catalyse growth in this sector.

These measures range from allocating administered price domestic gas and easing supply mechanisms to mandating PNG provisions in government and defence residential complexes, granting Public Utility status to CGD projects, and directing the CPWD and the NBCC to include PNG provisions in all government residential complexes.

In a major development in the shooting incident outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence in Mumbai’s Juhu, Mumbai Police has arrested the 15th accused in the case. The accused has been identified as Pradeep Kumar, a shooter associated with the Shubham Lonkar gang, the mastermind and wanted in connection with the shooting outside filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s residence. He was arrested from Agra in a joint operation by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UPSTF) and the Mumbai Crime Branch. According to investigators, the recently arrested accused Golu Pandit, who allegedly recruited the shooters, had received funds through an illegal hawala network. The money was allegedly sent via Nepal, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh before being used to commit the crime. The arrest of Pradeep Kumar has been confirmed by the Mumbai Crime Branch. He was the one who helped the other shooters in the Rohit Shetty shooting and identified the crime scene. The operation was carried out by Joint Police Commissioner Crime Lakshmi Gautam and DCP Raj Tilak Roshan on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti. The case is being investigated by the Anti-Money Laundering Squad. So far, 15 accused of the Bishnoi gang have been arrested. All of them were in contact with Shubham Lonkar and used to take instructions from him.