1. Book City School That Held Pro-CAA Event Under Sedition Law: Congress
The Maharashtra Congress on Friday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Karnataka police’s action against the parent and teacher of a school for staging a play criticising the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). The party has also demanded a similar action against the management of a Mumbai-based school, which had organised an event to support the CAA and NRC two weeks ago.
The Bidar police on Thursday arrested a parent and a teacher on charges of sedition for allegedly insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a play in their school. The school management, too, has been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sachin Sawant, Maharashtra Congress general secretary and spokesperson, said, “It is strange that BJP leaders organised a programme in a Mumbai school in support of the CAA and the NRC, while at the same time voices against the Act are being suppressed.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. CM on Trip to Mahabaleshwar, His 1st Break After Taking Charge
After a hectic election campaign and the subsequent power struggle to form the state government, chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Friday left for a short trip to Mahabaleshwar with his family.
While a senior Shiv Sena functionary said it was not a ‘break’ and that the CM was going to attend a wedding, another leader said the Thackeray family would be out of Mumbai till Sunday. During his stay, the CM could chair a meeting on the Mahabaleshwar development plan on Saturday, officials from the CM’s office said.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Honking at Mumbai’s Traffic Signals May Soon Prolong Wait
With complaints of rigorous honking at traffic signals piling, the Mumbai Police has come up with the initiative ‘Honk More Wait More’, to curtail decibel levels at traffic signals. Under the initiative, police are planning to configure traffic signals to stay red for a longer period if incessant honking cause the decibels levels to shoot up beyond 85 decibels (db).
Making the announcement on Friday on its official Twitter handle, the Mumbai Police also uploaded a 1.54-minute video of an experiment it had conducted at Marine Drive and CSTM junctions in November last year. The video also claims that the initiative will be rolled out in parts of the city soon.
Source: The Indian Express
4. Nallasopara Arms Haul Case: ATS Custody of Accused Extended Till February 3
The Maharashtra ATS Thursday was granted an extension of custody of Pratap Hazra, who allegedly gave training in bomb-making to the accused in the Nallasopara arms haul case, till February 3. Hazra (34), a resident of West Bengal, had been arrested by the ATS last week. His accomplice, who co-conducted the training, is yet to be arrested.
Hazra, who was produced before the court Thursday, claimed he had been assaulted by ATS officials. He said that he was hit on the knees and knuckles with a belt Wednesday and the day he was arrested.
Source: The Indian Express
5. Transport Department to Modernise 150 Bus Depots
The State Transport Department wants to modernise 150 ST bus depots, starting with the ones at Trimbakeshwar, Karjat and Dapoli. The plan includes installing digital signboards, vehicle tracking systems, clean surroundings, good toilets and better seating, among other things. The bhoomipujan of the three depots could take place in February, Transport Minister Anil Parab has said.
The ST depots across the State are riddled with poor infrastructure including poor seating area, lack of good toilets, announcement systems, food stalls and illegal hawkers. Mr. Parab held a meeting with bureaucrats of the department to look at various measures to be taken to modernise the depots. The department has drawn up a list of 150 depots that will be modernised in a phased manner, starting with the three depots. The department chose these first since Trimbakeshwar and Dapoli see a large number of tourists. Mr. Parab is also the guardian minister of Dapoli.
Source: The Hindu
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)