Raigad landslide: Search operation resumes; 119 villagers yet to be traced 2
The rescue and search operation at Irshalwadi hamlet in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, where a massive landslide buried several houses and claimed the lives of at least 16 people so far, resumed on Friday morning, an official said.
The landslide occurred around 11 pm on Wednesday at the tribal village, situated on a hill slope, under Khalapur tehsil of the coastal district, around 80 km from Mumbai. Of the total 228 residents of the village, the bodies of 16 have been recovered, while 93 residents have been traced, he said.
However, a total of 119 villagers are yet to be traced. They include those who had gone out of the village to attend a marriage or for rice plantation work, he said.
Of the nearly 50 houses in the village, 17 were flattened by the landslide, officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) along with teams of Raigad police and local authorities began the operation for the second day at the remote village, the official said.
”At least four NDRF teams reached the landslide site this morning and started the operation. Teams of the Thane Disaster Response Force (TDRF), local disaster management authorities, Raigad police are also engaged in the operation,” he said.
The search operation began at 6.30 am, Raigad Superintendent of Police Somanth Gharge said. ”We have roped in a dog squad to assist the personnel in the search operation,” an NDRF official said. On Thursday, the rescue and search teams recovered 16 bodies from the landslide, while 21 people were rescued.
”The deceased included four children between the age group of one to four years and a 70-year-old person,” he said, adding seven persons are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
The search and rescue personnel at the site were facing hurdles due to the difficult hill terrain of the area where heavy equipment cannot be easily moved.
”Incessant rain, fog and gusty winds at the hilltop, those involved in the search and rescue operation are facing difficulties,” the official said.
From the hill base, it takes around one-and-a-half hours to reach Irshalwadi, which does not have a pucca road.
As the village does not have a pucca road, earth movers and excavators could not be easily moved and hence the operation is being carried out manually, the official said.
The NDRF personnel had to stop their search and rescue operation at the landslide site on Thursday evening due to bad weather.
13 people dead, more than 50 trapped in Raigad landslide incident 4
As many as 13 people died, including one rescuer, after the landslide occurred at Irshalwadi village in Khalapur tehsil in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, police said. “12 bodies have been retrieved from the debris in Irshalwadi, Raigad; also, one rescuer died of cardiac arrest. Total of 13 deaths till now,” police said on Thursday.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde arrived at the scene of the tragedy in the morning to review and take stock of the relief and rescue efforts in the Raigad district. He expressed grief over the landslide incident in Raigad that killed. He also announced an aid of five lakh rupees to the families of the deceased, said officials.
According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Maharashtra, CM Eknath Shinde announced an ex- gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased. Meanwhile, the Raigad Police has set up a control room after the incident. The police said that so far they have rescued 22 people from the spot but many are feared trapped in the debris.
“We will get a better idea of the situation when the daylight comes. Presently over 100 people from Police and district administration are involved in the rescue operation and we are getting help from NDRF, locals and some NGOs too,” the Raigad Police said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde after a landslide in Raigad district amid heavy rainfall while several are still trapped.
Shah said four National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed to carry out the rescue operation.
Businessman Sujit Patker arrested by ED in BMC jumbo-covid hospital scam 6
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested businessman Sujit Patker and another person in connection with a money laundering case related to alleged anomalies in setting up of jumbo COVID-19 treatment facilities In Mumbai, an official told media.
Patker and his three partners allegedly bagged Mumbai civic body contracts fraudulently for managing COVID-19 field hospitals in the city during the pandemic. The ED arrested Patker and doctor Kishore Bisure on Wednesday night after their supposed involvement in the case came to light, an official said.
Bisure was the dean of the Dahisar jumbo COVID-19 centre, the official said. Both of them will be produced before a court later in the day, he said. The ED last month conducted raids at 15 locations in Mumbai in connection with the money laundering case against Patkar and others.
The raids were conducted at locations of some officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other people, including IAS officer Sanjeev Jaiswal and Suraj Chavan, a core committee member of the Yuva Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) in connection with the COVID-19 hospital management contracts, officials earlier said.
Manipur horror: First arrest made; CM Biren Singh says capital punishment will be considered for culprits 8
Manipur Police has made its first arrest in the case registered in connection with the video of the incident in May this year in which two women being paraded naked in Manipur, chief minister N Biren Singh said on Thursday. “Last night at around 1.30 am, we arrested the main culprit,” the Manipur chief minister told ANI.
A video of the two-month-old incident had gone viral evoking sharp reactions from various political parties and triggering outrage. Speaking to ANI, the Manipur chief minister said, “This is an inhumane act…so we have condemned this immediately…we instructed police to immediately act and arrest the culprits.”
“Every man every human being will condemn this act,” Singh said adding that they will seek for the perpetrators to get punishment “to the maximum possible extent.” “Really shocked when I saw the video and after seeing it I inquired about the incident it happened on 4 May… but this video leaked after 40 days. I asked for mass combing ops… and last night itself we have arrested one man involved,” the Manipur chief minister said.
According to a senior police official the incident took place on May 4 in Manipur’s Thoubal district and a case of abduction, gangrape and murder has been registered in the matter. Superintendent of Police (SP), K Meghachandra Singh in a statement on July 19 said “As regards the video of 2 (two) women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May 2023, a case of abduction, gangrape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai Police Station (Thoubal district) against unknown armed miscreants.”
Earlier in a tweet Manipur chief minister N Biren Das said that strict action will be taken against all the curprits, including considering the possibility of capital punishment. “After taking a Suo-motu cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning. A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment,” the Manipur chief minister tweeted.
“Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society,” he tweeted. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning spoke said he is pained over the incident and said the incident is “shameful for any civil society.”
“No accused will spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” the Prime Minister said. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Monsoon session of the Parliament today, PM Modi said, “This a shameful incident for any society..who did this and who is responsible is another issue but this has put our nation to shame. I appeal to all chief ministers to tighten law and order. Whether it is Rajasthan, Chattisgarh or Manipur…the issue of a woman’s honour is above all politics.
Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Naga communities against the High Court’s order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas. The majority Meitei community, which occupy the Imphal valley and nearby areas, sought the ST status keeping in view their increasing population and increased requirement of land, so that they could purchase lands in the hilly areas.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said it is “deeply disturbed” by the video of two women in Manipur being paraded naked.
Terming it ”simply unacceptable”, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud directed the Centre and the state government to take immediate steps and apprise the apex court on what action has been taken.
”We will give a little time to the government to act otherwise we will take action if nothing is happening on the ground,” the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, said.
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side.
What happened to daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven; guilty won't be spared: PM Modi ahead of Monsoon session 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the alleged incident of women being paraded naked in Manipur has shamed 140 crore Indians, asserting that law will act with its full might and no guilty will be spared.
”My heart is full of pain and anger,” he told reporters in his remarks ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, amid his criticism by opposition parties for not speaking on the ethnic violence in the north east state.
The prime minister requested all chief ministers to further strengthen law and order mechanism in their respective states, especially to protect women and to take most stringent action.
He also mentioned states like Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh while calling for boosting law and order, and protecting women.
”I want to assure the countrymen that no guilty will be spared. What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” he said.
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced on Wednesday showing two women from one of the warring communities being paraded naked by a few men from the other side.
Modi also asked parliamentarians to make full use of the session for extensive discussion on a host of bills which, he added, are in people’s interest.
PM Modi breaks silence on Manipur incident says women harassment incident 'shameful' 13
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the incident of alleged harassment of women in the eastern state of Manipur was “shameful” and urged all state chiefs to ensure safety of women.
Several videos have surfaced on social media which show two women paraded naked on a street in violence-hit Manipur, after allegedly being gang raped.
The Bombay High Court has ordered the release of a 30-year-old man sentenced to around 83 years in jail in 41 cases, observing that any sentences imposed by courts must maintain a proper balance between deterrent and reformative objectives, and that it cannot permit ”miscarriage of justice”. The convict – Aslam Shaikh – has been in jail since December 2014 and convicted for offences pertaining to theft. He is presently lodged at the Yerawada prison in Pune.
All his sentences were to run consecutively as the trial courts had not specified that the sentences would run concurrently with the previous convictions and sentences.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Gauri Godse in its judgment passed on July 17 on a plea filed by Shaikh said courts exist to do justice and that none of the trial courts considered the sentencing policy of deterrence and reformation.
”The sentencing policy of criminal jurisprudence mandates courts to pass such sentences as would meet its primary twin objects of deterrence and re-formation,” the high court said.
The deterrent effect of a sentence is to prevent commission of a similar offence by the convict, it added.
”The sentence of imprisonment should also have a reformative aim, in as much as, it should not demoralise the offender and in fact, the offender should be given an opportunity depending on the nature of the offence to improve himself,” the HC said.
”Thus, any sentence imposed by any courts must maintain a proper balance between the deterrent and reformative objects of a sentencing policy and must ensure that the said object is sufficiently met,” it said.
Shaikh in his plea filed through jail had sought for the imprisonment sentences imposed on him by different courts in 41 cases run concurrently. Shaikh has been convicted to imprisonment ranging from six months to three years in the cases.
The high court noted that if Shaikh has to undergo imprisonment in all the cases consecutively then he would be compelled to undergo imprisonment of around 83 years and since he is not in a position to pay the fine imposed on, he would be required to undergo imprisonment of further ten years.
The bench noted that this would mean a total of 93 years – ”Shaikh’s entire life, with no hope whatsoever to even come out of jail”.
”This is a sentence, more than what a life convict would have to undergo for murder. If permitted, this would certainly lead to travesty of justice. Being alive to this reality, we cannot permit this miscarriage of justice,” the HC said.
The high court quoted Earl Warren, former Chief Justice of the United States of America, ”It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive” and author William Scott Downey, ”Law without justice is a wound without a cure”.
It added that there would be serious miscarriage of justice if it fails to interfere and exercise its discretion.
”Courts exist to do justice, and this is one such case that begs our interference,” the high court said.
The bench said it deems it appropriate to ”put right the clock, to prevent miscarriage of justice, failing which the petitioner (Shaikh) would remain incarcerated for more than 90 years, in 41 cases for committing theft, with no prospect of coming out of jail anytime in the future”.
The court noted that the actual period of imprisonment undergone by the petitioner is more than nine years and ordered for Shaikh to be released in all the 41 cases considering the time he has spent in jail as an undergone sentence.
Shaikh in his plea claimed that he is an illiterate who pleaded guilty in all the 41 cases under a belief that he would be released from prison for the period already undergone in jail.
The bench in its order noted that the facts of the case warrants the court to do justice.
”This is a glaring case warranting interference of this Court, as a protector of the fundamental right to life and personal liberty, lest there would be serious miscarriage of justice,” the HC said.
The high court in its order noted that under provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code when a person undergoing imprisonment in a case is sentenced to imprisonment in another case then the second sentencing shall commence after expiration of the first conviction unless the concerned court directs that both the sentences shall run concurrently.
”Thus, it is evident that the court has the power and discretion to issue a direction that all subsequent sentences run concurrently with the previous sentence,” the court said adding in the present case, in none of the convictions there is a specific direction by the court that the sentences shall run concurrently.
The bench noted that Shaikh at the time of his arrest was only 21 years old and was not defended by any advocate in any of the cases and was not offered legal aid too by the trial courts.
The HC said Shaikh had sought all the trial courts to show him leniency as he belonged to a poor family and his family was dependent on him.
My Guru Maharaj, Bapu, always says fasting has nothing to do with food. There are numerous kinds of hunger, and each one has its own craving. अशनाया मृत्य: mentioned in बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद says, “Your desired appetite can be cause of your death”, The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad is an Upanishad associated with the Shuklaj Yajurveda. Fasting in Sanskrit is called upavasa. Upa means “near” and vaasa means “to stay”. Upavasa therefore means staying near (the Lord), meaning the attainment of close mental proximity with the Lord. Then what has upavasa to do with food?
Fasting and starvation are two different terms that are commonly confused with each other. Starvation means not eating or drinking altogether, while fasting means control and restraint of five sensory and five motor senses. During fasting, one may continue eating or drinking, but under discipline. According to the Vedas, fasting is mentioned in Karma Kanda in the Yajurveda. Fasting in our mythology has a scientific basis and rituals. Eating minimum or no food requires a lot of “tapasya” atonement or self-control.
Whereas the Taittariya Upanishad loudly proclaims: Do not look down upon food; do not neglect food; produce lots of food; Never stop feeding your guests. It clearly says to eat when one has to eat. Neglecting food for material gains, like ‘satyagraha’, want of a partner, want of richness, etc., will only push one down to lesser worlds. If one really has grown so that he feels near (‘Upavasa’) to Brahman and forgets food, there is no harm. However, saying a thousand times a day that it is my ‘Upavasa’ day and thinking every second of food and yet not eating only counts as neglecting food.
We invest a lot of time and energy in procuring food items, preparing them, cooking them, eating them, and digesting them. Certain food types make our minds dull and agitated. Hence, on certain days, if we decide to save time and conserve our energy by totally abstaining from eating food, that can help our mind remain calm and our body at peace. The mind, otherwise preoccupied by the thought of food, now entertains noble thoughts and stays with the Lord.
Bhagavad-Gita urges us to eat appropriately—neither too little nor too much—yuktaaahaara and to eat simple, pure, and healthy food (a sattvic diet) even when not fasting. Fasting is a common tradition in all religions. The New Testament says that Jesus fasted for 40 days. Many Christians fast at the time of Easter as a remembrance of Jesus. Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. They fast in the daytime; some of them do not even drink water or swallow saliva. In the nighttime, they eat. The Hindus also fast. Jainas fast for months and months. Fasting is a common practice among people of all religions. Staying away from food for a few hours, a day, or a few days is not difficult to do and is not going to create any trouble for most people.
Fasting also saves food for others. When you fast, you can set aside that quantity of food for other people or animals, which means sacrificing a part of your food for others. Fasting also rests the digestive system. When you eat, you eat for only a few minutes. However, it takes hours for the body to digest the food and eliminate what’s not needed. In the same way that you need rest, sleep, and relaxation every day after hard work, it is good to give a little rest to your digestive system. So fasting means resting within.
My Guru Maharaj says fasting is also a part of healing. In many natural healing systems, people are told to fast for some time and then eat some specific food. Eating mindfully is about expanding our awareness around food habits so that we can make more conscious decisions about what we eat and when. Fasting is considered an aspect of healing because food is regarded as medicine. If the medicine is not taken at the proper time, it cannot heal the diseases of the body. Food heals the body and provides strength, nourishes the body so it can grow, and decreases diseases and other negative aspects of life. So fasting is a part of healing. There is also a spiritual aspect to fasting. As said earlier, fasting saves time. So the spare time that was used for preparing or eating food can be used for sadhana, or spiritual practice.
Modern society has made us anxious eaters. We are constantly influenced by the most recent fad diet, dietary recommendations, or academic papers. Our inner voice that tells us one type of food is good and another type is bad deafens us. This can make it very challenging to pick up on our body’s natural cues. The mind is very difficult to satisfy, as it is fickle and will find something new to focus on if one craving is satisfied. Often, emotional eating boils down to a desire to be loved or looked after. We eat to fill a hole, but that hole often can’t be satisfied through eating. To satisfy our heart’s hunger, we need to find the intimacy or comfort our hearts are craving.
Food is needed for the body; that is why “Eat to Live, but don’t live to eat”. Hunger has killed specific numbers, but overeating has killed many. In India, on average, 4 out of 10 people suffer from life-threatening illnesses due to their lifestyle and eating habits. One needs to really control their cravings when it comes to stuffing something in their stomach.
Train services on Kalyan-Kasara section near Mumbai stopped after heavy rains 17
Train services between Kalyan and Kasara section in Maharashtra’s Thane district adjoining Mumbai were stopped on Wednesday afternoon due to a track changing point failure at Kalyan station after rains in the area, a senior railway official said.
The Central Railway also said it has diverted some mail and express trains via Diva-Panvel-Karjat route and Daund-Manmad route, besides short-termination and cancellation of a few trains between Mumbai and Pune.
Mumbai and its neighbouring Thane district received heavy downpour on Wednesday.
Train services on Kalyan-Kasara section were stopped due to the point failure at around 2.40 pm, Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Dr Shivraj Manspure said.
The suburban services between Kalyan and Khopoli (in Raigad) were already affected due to the submerged tracks between Ambarnath and Badlapur stations in Thane since 11 am.
”Trains are not running on Kalyan-Kasara section,” Manaspure said.
Earlier in the day, the official said, ”Badlapur-Ambarnath section (UP + DOWN) closed from 11.05 hrs for traffic due to water-logging.” Train services on the Panvel-Belapur Harbour Line route which were affected to a ”point failure” at Panvel at 9.40 am were restored by 10 am, he said.
The Central Railway operates local train services on its Main Line from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane and Khopoli in Raigad district.
It also operates suburban services on the Harbour Line from CSMT to Panvel (Raigad) and Goregaon (Mumbai).
