Mumbai Protests Against Kathua, Unnao Cases at Azad Maidan
In a moment reminiscent of the aftermath of the Nirbhaya case of 2012, several protests broke out across the country to protest against the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, including one at Azad Maidan, Mumbai, on Friday, 13 April.
Several civil society members, women and child rights organisations and political parties such as the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress came together to raise their voice against crimes against women and the silence of the government that followed.
With loud slogans of ‘Nahin chalegi, taanashahi nahin chalegi’ and ‘Beti bachao, balatkari nahin,’ the message was loud and clear – the government in power must do everything to punish the accused and ensure such horrid incidents cease to happen in India.
Indrani Mukerjea Drug Overdose Saga: Her Urine Test Shows Cannabinoids, Opiates And Cocaine
Indrani Mukerjea didn't just consume an alarming amount of benzodiazepine - 32 times more than the toxic cut-off level - but several other narcotic and psychotropic substances were also found in her urine. A report by the Hinduja hospital laboratory, dated April 7, indicates that apart from the anti-anxiety drug benzodiazepine, Indrani's urine also had traces of amphetamines, cocaine, methadone, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP) and tetrahydrocannabinoids (THC).
On the other hand, the state laboratory's report has stated that there were no drugs in Indrani's system whatsoever. "We are aware of the other narcotic levels in the urine, but they were much less than the cut-off levels, so we were not bothered about it. Our concern was her benzodiazepine level, which was very high," said a doctor from JJ hospital.
"Her pupils had become very small, which is a classic sign of benzodiazepine poisoning. Our diagnosis and line of treatment was accurate. We removed all the toxins from her body through forced intravenous fluid alkaline diuresis," the doctor added.
(Source: Mid-Day)
Farmers Dump Vegetables At The Gate Of Mantralaya
Several farmers from Osmanabad district were detained on Friday after they dumped vegetables at the gates of Mantralaya, the state secretariat, protesting against obstacles they were facing while selling them, police said.
Officials said the farmers threw onions, brinjals, potatoes, green chillies and lemons at the gates of Mantralaya and indulged in sloganeering against the state government.
A farmer, who was part of the protest, alleged that civic officials were demanding bribes from them after they brought their produce for sale at the weekly farmers’ market in Borivali. “Vegetable vendors from other states sell their produce here, but we, who are from Maharashtra itself, have to face hurdles. When we protest, we are threatened with jail by the authorities,” he said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Woman ‘Steals’ Rs 2 Lakh From Bandra Restaurant
A popular restaurant in Bandra allegedly lost the contents of its cash register after an unidentified woman walked in and stole cash over Rs 2 lakh. The restaurant’s owner has filed a complaint with the Khar police, who have been on the lookout for the woman following the complaint.
The alleged theft took place at Nom Nom restaurant in Bandra (West) on the afternoon of April 2, when a middle-aged woman walked into the restaurant. Speaking on the phone as she entered, she was carrying a purse, and had jeans, a t-shirt and sunglasses on, sources said. They said that after entering the restaurant, she spoke to an employee of the restaurant, and while ostensibly still on a call on her mobile, told him she urgently needed to use the computer at the counter.
The restaurant staffer at first refused to allow her to use the computer, as it had important data. But the woman, while still talking to someone on her phone, told him: “Talk to your boss”, flashed the phone’s screen at him, and then put it back to her ear and continued with the call.
Daunted, the manager allowed her to enter the cash counter area, where the computer was. While she was ‘working’ on the computer, the staff were busy attending to patrons, and while the restaurant manager was away, the woman managed to take the cash from the register, sources said.
“According to the complaint filed with the police, the complainants have alleged that a total amount of Rs 2,01,500 was stolen in a fraction of seconds,” a police official said.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
Man Sucked Into MRI Machine: BMC Probe Finds Ward Boy, Helper Negligent
THREE MONTHS after a 32-year-old garment salesman died while he got sucked into a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine in Mumbai, an internal probe by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has indicted B Y L Nair Hospital’s ward boy and a class IV employee for alleged negligence.
The report, however, does not directly hold radiologist Siddhant Shah and medicine department doctor Saurabh Lanjekar responsible for the death. The report was recently submitted to Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta.
“The report has indicted ward boy Vitthal Chavan and class IV employee Sunita Surve. A detailed inquiry will be undertaken now,” said Additional Municipal Commissioner Idzes Kundan.
On January 27, Rajesh Maruti Maru had arrived at the hospital’s MRI section for a brain scan. Around 8.30 pm, the magnetic force of the machine sucked him in while he was holding a metallic oxygen cylinder. Hospital employees had then claimed that the cylinder’s knob broke open when Maru was pulled in, causing it to leak. Maru died after inhaling an excessive amount of oxygen.
Officials said that according to the report, Chavan and Surve did not follow standard operating procedure while taking the patient for an MRI scan. Chavan had asked Maru to hold the cylinder in case he required oxygen support, the report added.
(Source: Indian Express)
‘Links’ With Dawood Ibrahim: Gutkha Baron’s Discharge Plea Rejected
A special court has rejected the discharge application of gutkha baron J M Joshi booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged links with underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim. The court, however, discharged another accused, Rajesh Panchariya, of all charges. Panchariya was discharged from charges including extortion, criminal conspiracy and other sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Joshi’s co-accused, Rasiklal Dhariwal, founder of Manikchand Group, died last year in October.
The case against him was abated. The case dates back to 2004 and was transferred to the CBI in 2005. A supplementary charge-sheet against Joshi and Dhariwal was filed in 2016. Also named as accused in the case are Dawood and his brother Anees Ibrahim.
The CBI, in its chargesheet, claimed that Dhariwal was associated with Dawood since 1996. The agency claimed that a dispute over money arose between Dhariwal and Joshi, his former business partner, who had branched out to start Goa gutkha brand. They allegedly took the dispute to Dawood for a settlement. The agency also claimed that the two had gained monetary benefits from Dawood. One of the main allegations that the CBI has made against the accused is that the two helped Anees Ibrahim set up a gutkha manufacturing unit in Pakistan.
(Source: Indian Express)
Maharashtra Government Plans FSI Bonanza For Mumbai Builders
DESPITE fears that the island city of Mumbai remains ill-equipped to cope with the unprecedented real estate boom that the region has witnessed in the past decade, the Maharashtra government has plans to open the door for further construction in the city.
A controversial proposal of allowing builders an additional construction right, equal to 100 per cent of the plot’s area on payment of premium, is now being considered, said senior officials on condition of anonymity. The revised norms, if sanctioned, will come as a major bonanza for builders holding prime plots in the island city, where property prices in certain pockets are the highest in the country. It would universally raise the permissible floor space index (FSI) in the island city to 3.
FSI is a development tool that defines the extent of construction permissible on a plot. It is the ratio of the built-up area to the total plot area. It will also mean a major shift in the city’s town planning policy. The FSI levels in Mumbai were capped in 1991 due to congestion. While the previous Congress-NCP government had allowed additional FSI on payment of premiums in the suburbs and extended suburbs of Mumbai, it did not extend this benefit to parts of the island city.
(Source: Indian Express)
Powai Lake To Get Crocodile Park, Fishing Banned, Sewer Lines Closed
SOON, Powai lake will not only see the construction of a crocodile park, fishing will also be banned and sewer water stopped from entering the lake. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee, earlier this week, had passed a proposal put forth by former Congress corporator Pravin Chheda in this regard.
“We had received several complaints against people carrying out fishing activities in the lake. Besides, crocodiles need protection and the lake is a natural habitat. So, we have decided to ban fishing activities totally to protect the existing crocodiles,” said BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta.
“In fact, we are planning to ban all other activities like angling and net fishing. We have already closed the sewer lines leading to the lake. Work is on to construct a pipeline outside the lake, which will carry sewer water from residential societies directly to the sewerage pumping station. Once sewer water is stopped from entering the lake, it will help control growth of water hyacinth.”
(Source: Indian Express)
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