1. Indrani Under CCTV Watch in Isolated Cell
Days after Indrani Mukerjea was hospitalised for overdosing on anti-anxiety pills, Byculla jail officials have told Mirror that she has been shifted to an isolated cell and is being kept under CCTV watch. Aruna Mugutrao, superintendent of Byculla jail, said that they don’t want to take any risks, considering her record of drug overdose. On April 6, Indrani was admitted to JJ Hospital due to an overdose of drugs. Mugatrao told Mirror, “Indrani has been kept under CCTV monitoring and shifted to an isolated cell. This decision has been taken considering her past record of drug overdose.”
In October 2015, she was admitted to JJ Hospital for drug overdose, and even at that time Hinduja Hospital report confirmed presence of benzodiazepine more than 10 times the normal levels. Mugatrao also confirmed that new cameras were installed in Indrani’s cell and that she will be kept away from other inmates for the timebeing.
Maharashtra Additional Director General (Prisons) BK Upadhyay had ordered an internal inquiry and Inspector General of Prisons Rajvardhan Sinha is conducting the probe to figure out how Indrani consumed unprescribed drugs in such a large quantity as this points at lapses in the jail administration.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Mumbai Crime: Elderly Man on Mulund Platform Pushed to Death Before Train
Two people allegedly pushed a 56-year-old man to death under a local train at suburban Mulund station in Mumbai on Saturday. Police said that one of the two accused is a woman.
The incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the platform, a Government Railway Police (GRP) official said. The official said the man, later identified as Deepak Patwa, was standing near the foot-over-bridge (FOB) on a platform of the station when he had an argument with two persons.
The duo allegedly pushed Patwa onto the railway tracks where he came under the wheels of an incoming local train, he said. Patwa was rushed to a hospital by a GRP official, where he succumbed to his injuries, he said.
Source: Mid Day
3. Dadar Joins the Trash Talk
For the last 35 weeks, Chinu Kwatra and his ‘warriors’ have been getting their hands dirty at Dadar Chowpatty, and they have absolutely no regret.
Inspired by the citizen-driven Versova beach cleanliness programme — championed by activist Afroz Shah and dubbed by the UN as the world’s largest beach cleanup project — Thane local Kwatra has been spearheading a similar campaign at the Dadar beach every Sunday. The drive completed its 35th week on April 22, with many celebrities throwing their weight behind it.
Kwatra, 27, co-founder of NGO Aarna Foundation, says he and his volunteers — who go by the name Beach Warriors — have removed 210 tonne of garbage since the drive’s launch in August last year. The Versova cleanup collected 5 million kg of debris in two years.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. Shiv Sena Leader Murdered: ‘Despite Attempt on Life, Sawant Refused to Extend Police Protection’
Sachin Sawant, the Shiv Sena deputy shakha pramukh shot dead in Kandivali on Sunday night, had refused the extension of police protection that was granted to him after an attempt was made on his life in 2010, his daughter said on Monday. Sawant (50) was allegedly killed by two men at 8.06 pm near his home in Ganesh Kripa Chawl, Durga Nagar, Kandivali East.
“My brother went to the shakha at 6 pm and was there for a few hours. He was returning home with his friend Pragnath Varma when he was shot,” said Sawant’s younger brother Sanjay Sawant. The police said two men on foot called out to Sawant while he was riding pillion on a motorcycle, along with Varma, in a narrow lane. When the duo stopped, one of the men shot Sawant in the chest, the police said. The two attackers then fled on a motorcycle.
Sawant was taken to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali West, where he was declared dead on arrival, the police said. On Monday, Sawant’s body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem was conducted at JJ Hospital. A case of murder under the Indian Penal Code and invoking sections of the Arms Act has been registered against two unidentified persons at Kurar police station.
Source: The Indian Express
5. From NCPA to Chowpatty, a March for Kathua Girl
Mumbai saw the third of its marches to protest the Kathua and Unnao rape cases on Monday. Residents of South Mumbai came out in large numbers to protest the two incidents that have shaken the country. Some 400 of them walked from NCPA to Chowpatty, in their summer dresses and designer kicks, braving the heat and gawkers along Marine Drive.
Since the police had not given permission for the march, disappointed participants were asked by the organisers to put away their placards and banners and walk in groups of four or five, so that the protest looked less like an organised gathering and more like an impromptu evening walk. Indeed, for many of the marchers — residents of Peddar Road, Malabar Hill, Altamount Road and other chi-chi neighbourhoods — it could have been just a regular day, with them out on their evening walk along Marine Drive. And every now and then, placards and signs would be whipped out for a quick selfie or Insta-worthy group photo, and put away just as quickly.
SoBo celebs like Dolly Thakore, Milind Deora, Ashima Narain, Divya Mohta, Vandana Kasbekar, Trisha Shetty, Anahita Oberoi, Malavika Sanghhvi, Farhad Taraporewala, Aarti and Kailash Surendranath, were joined by students, principals of schools and colleges, artists, designers, musicians, writers and creative and business folk from other parts of town as well, in their solidarity walk. Singer Anushka Manchanda, sporting a ‘rape-roko’ T-shirt to draw attention to the campaign started by the Delhi Commission for Women head Swati Maliwal, said, “We’re here today because something drastic needs to happen. Our outrage needed an outlet.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Notification to Acquire Land for Nanar Oil Refinery Cancelled, Says Shiv Sena; CM Denies Ally’s Claim
In a move that could widen the rift between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), state industries minister and Sena leader Subhash Desai announced on Monday that the notification for land acquisition for the proposed oil refinery at Nanar, Ratnagiri, has been cancelled.
The announcement, made in the presence of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at a rally at Nanar, raised questions over the future of the project. However, responding to queries, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis denied that the state government had taken any decision to cancel the notification. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Fadnavis dismissed Desai’s announcement. “Desai has expressed his personal opinion; it is not the government’s decision. The government will decide what is in the best interests of the people of Konkan region,” Fadnavis said.
The decision to cancel the notification rests with the high-power committee under the state’s chief secretary and not with the minister, the CM pointed out. “No such proposal [to cancel the notification] has come before the committee,” Fadnavis said, making it clear that Desai had not consulted him before making such a significant announcement.
Source: Hindustan Times
7. South Mumbai’s Bandstand All Set to Get Its Groove Back
The acoustic hotspot of yesteryear Mumbai is ready to get a fresh lease of life. After restoring the Cooperage Bandstand in south Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is also looking to revive the band culture at the landmark heritage structure.
The Cooperage Bandstand was said to be a family excursion destination a hub for musical bands in the late 1960s; the most popular band being that of the Navy, it is said. Similar bandstands came up at Horniman Circle, Girgaum Chowpatty, Victoria Garden, Hanging Garden, King’s Circle, Dadar Parsi Colony and Borivli National Park, all of which were maintained by the BMC. But the music is said to have died by the beginning of the 1970s.
A senior civic official from the heritage department of the BMC said they are initially looking at approaching schools to play music and make Cooperage Bandstand a cultural hotspot like the old times. The official said, “We will soon inaugurate the renovated area and simultaneously, look for bands to perform, especially during the weekends.” As part of the restoration, the wooden structure, which had decayed over the years, has been restored completely.
Source: Hindustan Times
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