Mumbai:

A gas leakage from the factory of a chemical company has spread panic in in Maharashtra’s Ambarnath. The chemical fumes have spread across the entire city, lowering visibility and causing irritation to eyes and throat, bringing back memories of the Bhopal gas disaster of 1984. 

Videos from the city showed roads covered in a smoky haze. Those exposed to it have their nose and mouth covered. The haze appears to cover the city as far as eyes go. 

Reports from the spot said the gas has even reached the railway tracks, ruling out the possibility of residents skipping town in case of an emergency. 

#BREAKING | Maharashtra: Gas leak at a chemical company in Ambarnath, spreads across the city. Residents experience reduced visibility, itchy eyes and throat irritation. pic.twitter.com/tcxrTDyRB8

— NDTV (@ndtv) September 12, 2024

No severe effect or fatality has been reported. 

Efforts are on to pin down the gas and find the cause of the leak. Teams have also been dispatched to control the situation, sources have said.  

The authorities have asked people to stay indoors. 

More details are awaited. 

Nagpur:

A luxury car owned by Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s son Sanket Bawankule hit several vehicles on Monday morning in Nagpur’s Ramdaspeth area, after which two of its occupants, including the driver, were arrested. 

There were five persons in the car at the time of the accident, but three of them, including Sanket Bawankule, had fled. All were coming from a beer bar, sources have said. The blood samples of the driver and the arrested occupant have been sent for test, sources said.

Around 1 am, the Audi car first collided with complainant Jitendra Sonkamble’s car and then with a moped, leaving two young people riding it injured.

“The Audi car struck some more vehicles moving towards Mankapur area. At T-Point there, the vehicle hit a Polo car. Its occupants chased the Audi and stopped it near Mankapur bridge. Three occupants, including Sanket Bawankule, fled,” news agency Press Trust of India quoted an un-named officer from the Sitabuldi police station as saying. 

“The car’s driver, Arjun Hawre, and one more occupant, Ronit Chittamwar, were stopped by the occupants of the Polo car. They were taken to Tehsil police station, from where they were handed over for further probe to Sitabuldi police,” he said.

“A case of rash driving and other offences was registered on the complaint of Mr Sonkamble. Arjun Hawre and Ronit Chittamwar were later released on bail. Further probe is in progress,” the officer from Sitabuldi police station added, reported PTI.

Speaking to reporters about the incident, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhr Bawankule admitted the Audi car was registered in the name of his son Sanket.

“Police should conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the accident without any bias. Those found guilty should be charged and appropriate action should be taken against them. I have not spoken to any police officer. The law must be equal for all,” the senior BJP leader was quoted as saying.

(With PTI) 

Mumbai:

A 30-year-old Arabic teacher has been arrested in Maharashtra’s Beed city for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl who attended his tuition, police said.

The accused (name not disclosed to protect the victim’s identity) taught Urdu and Arabic to children at his home, said inspector A K Mudliyar of Pethbeed police station.

He allegedly raped the girl many times after other students left and also subjected her to unnatural sex, the official told PTI.

The crime came to light when the girl complained of stomach pain and the doctor realized that she had faced sexual assault.

The girl told her parents that the teacher was sexually abusing her for the last three months and had warned her not to tell anyone about it, the police officer said.

“We have registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rape, unnatural sex, and also under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). Further investigation is underway,” inspector A K Mudliyar said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

Fissures have emerged in Maharashtra’s ruling Mahayuti over the ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana’ with a Shiv Sena minister raising objection against ally NCP and its president Ajit Pawar for “omitting” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s name from advertisements and promotional material of the scheme.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, state Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai, who belongs to the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Shinde, expressed disappointment over Deputy Chief Minister Pawar virtually “hijacking” the ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme, which offers a financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women in the state.

He said not using the full name of the scheme during his (Mr Pawar’s) public outreach programmes was not as per protocol.

“The scheme has ‘Chief Minister’ in its name, and removing it from the scheme is inappropriate. It should not have been done,” Mr Desai alleged.

“It is a state government scheme and he (Mr Pawar) should have taken everyone along,” the Excise Minister said.

Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections likely to be held in November, Ajit Pawar, who is also the state Finance Minister, last month launched his party’s ‘Jan Sanman Yatra’, a public outreach programme. Its narrative is focused on the benefits of the financial assistance provided under the Ladki Bahin and other schemes.

The advertisements and other promotional material used during the campaign, the NCP is seen mentioning the name of the scheme as just ‘Majhi Ladki Bahin’ instead of the full name ‘Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin’ scheme.

The Ajit Pawar camp has also released two videos in which the beneficiaries were shown thanking Ajit Pawar for the scheme.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was inspired by the Ladli Behana scheme launched in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh ahead of the assembly polls in that state.

The Ladki Bahin scheme was formally launched last month. Speaking during rallies, CM Shinde has promised that if the Mahayuti is elected to power again, it would double the amount of the scheme to Rs 3,000. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thane:

A three-year-old boy died after getting stuck in a machine belt at a biscuit factory in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place at Ambarnath on Monday, an official said.

“The boy, Ayush Chauhan, accompanied his mother to the biscuit factory where she supplies tiffin. The child tried to pick up a biscuit from the machine belt, but got stuck in it. The factory staff pulled him out and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead,” the official of Ambarnath police station said.

The body of the victim was later sent to a government hospital for postmortem and a case of accidental death was registered, he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

An elderly man was allegedly assaulted by his co-passengers in an express train near Igatpuri in Maharashtra’s Nashik district on suspicion that he was carrying beef, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said on Saturday.

The GRP has initiated a probe after a video of the alleged incident, which took place earlier this week, surfaced on social media, an official said.

The video shows a dozen people assaulting a man and verbally abusing him inside a train.

According to the GRP, the victim, Haji Ashraf Munyar, a resident of Jalgaon district, was travelling to his daughter’s house in Kalyan when he was allegedly beaten up by his co-passengers near Igatpuri on suspicion that he was carrying beef.

“We have taken cognisance of the video and identified the victim. Some of the people involved in the attack have also been identified, and a probe is on,” the official said, adding that no case has been registered so far.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thane:

Police have registered a case against a female tuition teacher in the Thane district of Maharashtra for allegedly hitting a six-year-old female student with a ruler scale for not being able to write properly, an official said.

The incident occurred around 11.30 am on Thursday in Sagaon village, he said.

“The teacher, Sarika Ghag, hit the girl with a ruler scale and also hit her on her ears for not studying well and for being unable to write properly. After returning home, the child complained to her mother about the teacher. Her parents then approached the police and lodged a complaint,” the official of Manpada police station said.

A case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, was registered against the tuition teacher. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Thane:

A woman from Dombivali in Thane district has alleged that her husband secretly filmed her with her paramour and circulated the intimate clips on social media, a police official said on Friday.

Based on the complaint of the 35-year-old woman, her estranged husband was booked on Wednesday under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act for voyeurism, defamation and other offences, the official said.

“As per the complainant, her husband filmed her sexual act with her paramour by installing a spy camera in the house. Further probe is underway,” the Manpada police station official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mumbai:

A consultant involved in the structural designing of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg, which collapsed recently, has been arrested. The arrest comes days after protests from Opposition leaders seeking a thorough investigation into the collapse.

The Statue was unveiled on December 4 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the Navy Day celebrations conducted, for the first time in Sindhudurg. The statue was aimed at honouring the legacy of the Maratha Navy and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj towards maritime defence and security, and its historical linkage with the modern Indian Navy.

A 35-foot-tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the state’s Sindhudurg district collapsed on Monday afternoon. The Shivaji statue was inaugurated in December 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day.

A joint technical committee headed by the Indian Navy with representatives from the Maharashtra Government and technical experts is being formed to investigate the unfortunate damage.

Thane:

A married couple from Naigaon in Thane district on Thursday jumped into the Varsova Creek in a bid to commit suicide, but the woman was rescued, police said.

The duo jumped into the creek at around 10 am. Firemen and a rescue team saved the woman, Sashikala Dinesh Yadav (28), while her husband, Dinesh Yadav (32), was still missing, they said.

According to preliminary information, the couple often fought over domestic issues and decided to end their lives.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)