I am not afraid of Dawood, have fought terrorism all my life: Chhota Rajan

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November 1, 2015

In a move which can prove to be fruitful for India to nab the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the fugitive gangster Chhota Rajan alias Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje said on Sunday that ‘he had fought terrorism all his life’.

Rajan who was recently arrested in Indonesian city of Bali, said, “I have fought terrorism all my life. And I will continue to do that.”

Rajan made the above statement while referring to his enmity with Dawood, who is accused of waging war against the country due to his involvement in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Chhota Rajan and Dawood Ibrahim have been involved in a bloody battle for the past two decades.

Mumbai-born Rajan, once a close confidante-turned-rival of Dawood further said that he is not afraid of the underworld don, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Rajan was an associate of Ibrahim, however, fell apart with Dawood after Mumbai blasts. Rajan claims to have parted ways after the blasts. Chhota Rajan had called himself a patriotic don.

Earlier in the day, Chhota Rajan, who was arrested on arrival from Australia, received consular access with an Indian diplomat meeting him at Indonesian police’s detention centre in Bali.

First Secretary (consular) Sanjeev Kumar Agrawal met Rajan for nearly half an hour at the detention centre here where he has been lodged since his arrest last Sunday, sources said.

Agrawal, who is based in Indian Embassy in Jakarta, flew in this morning to Bali and drove straight to the police centre for his meeting with 55-year-old Rajan, one of India’s most wanted criminals.

The consular access to Rajan comes two days after Indonesian police submitted a report to the Indian Embassy about Rajan’s detention.

When Rajan was arrested at the Bali airport, he was carrying an Indian passport with the assumed name Mohan Kumar.

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia Gurjit Singh had said on Friday that the process relating to Rajan’s deportation to India has already begun but there is no deadline for it.

Rajan has also hired a lawyer, Fransico Prassar, who met him at the detention centre two days ago.

Rajan, whose original name is Rajendra Sadashiv Nikhalje, has been questioned by the Indonesian police several times in the last few days to confirm his identity and criminal acts in India.

Indian government wanted Rajan in over 75 heinous crimes ranging from murder, extortion to smuggling and drug trafficking.

The 55-year-old underworld don was arrested in Bali on the basis of a Red Corner Notice from Interpol and following a tip off by Australian authorities to the police in Indonesia.

In the absence of an extradition treaty, the Indian authorities have already provided documents to their Indonesian counterparts about Rajan’s Indian identity to facilitate his deportation.

The sources said Rajan was in touch with various police officials for last six months seeking a passage to return to India as he feared for his life in Australia from Chhota Shakeel, a henchman of Dawood.

In 2000, there was an attempt on Rajan’s life when Dawood’s men tracked him down to a hotel in Bangkok but he managed a dramatic escape.

Special commandos for Indian team escorting Chhota Rajan

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Special police commandos have been provided for the security of the Indian officials who arrived on Sunday to expedite underworld don Chhota Rajan’s deportation to India.

Special commandos of Indonesian police were already providing round-the-clock security for Rajan, who was arrested on his arrival from Australia last Sunday, sources said.

Security of the Indian officals as well as Rajan, one of India’s most wanted criminals, was enhanced due to the high threat perception to Rajan from rival gangs most notably of Dawood Ibrahim.

The Indian team, comprising CBI, Mumbai Police and Delhi Police officials, is also accompanied by elite commandos of Special Cell of the Delhi Police. Mumbai-born Rajan, once a close confidant-turned-rival of underworld ganglord Dawood, has said that he is not afraid of Dawood, the prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

Rajan was arrested on a Red Corner notice by Interpol after eluding law enforcement agencies for over two decades. Out of these 75 cases, Rajan is facing four cases under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), one under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and over 20 cases under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

Rajan was travelling with the identity of Mohan Kumar with an Indian passport number G9273860 when he was apprehended at the airport here after arriving on a Garuda Indonesia flight GA715 by Indonesian police on a tip off from Australian authorities, they said.

Mumbai ranks 6th in Lonely Planet’s best cities to travel list

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Mumbai, Oct 31 (PTI) Mumbai has been ranked sixth by Lonely Planet in a list featuring world’s top 10 cities to visit next year.

“The city is set to be the powerhouse of fashion, finance and film,” the world’s leading travel media company said in a report.

The list is topped by Kotor in Montenegro (Europe), a small Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline.

It is followed by Quito in Ecuador, Dublin in Ireland, George Town in Malaysia and Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

The list of best moustache destinations is topped by Rajasthan, where it is common to see a full-bodied nose neighbour which is also an age-old symbol of virility.

It is followed by Portland in the US, Budapest in Hungary, Trondheim in Norway and Istanbul in Turkey.

Lonely Planet has also come up with a list of 10 best places to seek silence.

Fatwa against model Arshi Khan for saying she had sex with Afridi, files police complaint

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

A fatwa has been issued against model Arshi Khan for tweeting about her physical relationship with Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi.

She had earlier tweeted, “Yes, I had sex with Afridi! Do I need the Indian media’s permission to sleep with someone? It’s my personal life. For me it was love.”

The fatwa has been issued against her by some section of Pakistan clergy.

Sources revealed that fatwa has been issued because Arshi Khan’s tweet put both Pakistan and Islam in bad light. Reacting on the same, Khan filed a police complaint against the fatwa and the threat calls.

She said that she was disappointed with Pakistan as they did not offer her any support whatsoever. The model also said that she loves Afridi.

Asked if she wants to marry the cricketer, she said that it was a distant plan but Islam definitely gives permission to marry four times.

Shabana calls returning awards ‘a symbolic gesture’

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Supporting the stand of filmmakers and writers returning their National and Akademi awards respectively, veteran actress Shabana Azmi termed it a ‘symbolic gesture’ to raise awareness about “growing intolerance”.

The 65-year-old “Arth” actress’ response comes after some eminent film personalities returned their National Awards in solidarity with FTII students.

“It is not an either or. Artists returning awards will also reflect their concern in their work but making a film writing a book takes time…Returning awards is a symbolic gesture that brings attention.Instead of damning them read the writing on the wall,” Azmi wrote on Twitter.

Ten filmmakers including Anand Patwardhan, Dipankar Banerjee, Paresh Kamdar, Nishtha Jain, Kirti Nakhwa, Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Hari Nair, Rakesh Sharma returned their National awards last week.

Maha Raj Bhavan conducts day-long cleanliness drive

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

A day-long cleanliness campaign was conducted at Raj Bhavan here under the guidance of Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao.

An official from the Governor’s office said that nearly 150 staff and officers of Raj Bhavan and members of the State Reserve Police Force joined hands to clean up the entire 47-acre Raj Bhavan premises at Malabar Hill that houses heritage buildings like the Darbar Hall, Banquet Hall and others.

Places like the newly created Sunrise Gallery and Devi Mandir that have been opened for the people, were also cleaned.

Ten teams of staff and officers led by Secretary to Governor Venugopal Reddy, Deputy Secretary Parimal Singh and Comptroller of the Governor’s Households Vasant Salunke worked for the success of the cleanliness campaign.

Clean India drive: 19 Maharashtra cities become free of open defecation

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Nineteen cities in the state have achieved the status of being free of open defecation under the government’s ‘Swachh Maharashtra Mission’ taken up in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Clean India’ drive.

The state government has set a target to achieve a complete open defecation-free status by 2018.

“Maharashtra has always been a pioneering state for practising cleanliness. Sant Gadgebaba Swachhta Abhiyan gained a huge success in the state. Maharashtra has received many national awards under the Nirmal Gram Yojana,” a senior official from Urban Development Department (UDD) said.

“The ‘Swachhtechi Saptapdi’ initiative for urban cleanliness in the state has given further impetus to the mission led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis,” he said.

In the first phase, 19 cities from the state reciprocated to the pledge by taking several initiatives for cleanliness and they achieved the open defecation-free status.

The cities that have achieved the open-defecation free status are – Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Wai, Satara, Malkapur (Satara), Panhala, Malkapur (Kolhapur), Vengurla, Khed, Chiplun, Guhagar, Dapoli, Mahad, Roha, Matheran, Bhagur, Mowad, Kurduwadi, Karmala and B and C wards of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

“The initiative taken by these cities is a first step towards transforming Maharashtra into a clean and open defecation-free state by 2018,” the official said.

In the second phase, 31 other cities will become free of open defecation and a target of 49 open defecation free cities will be achieved by March 31 next year, he said.

Fadnavis, while addressing a meeting of the heads of municipal councils a few months back, had initiated the ‘Swachhtechi Saptapadi’.

He had explained the term as seven steps to cleanliness that include extensive public participation, 100 per cent use of toilets, waste collection, classification, transport, scientific processing of wastes, processing of drainage water and creation of a ‘Green Maharashtra’.

The UDD official said awareness about sanitation is a must and before becoming smart, cities need to become clean.

Malkapur Municipal Council’s deputy president Manohar Shinde said, “Malkapur in Karad tehsil of Satara has become open defecation free in the first phase. It has a population of around 44,000 and they are providing 24X7 water supply through metered system,” he said.

“Water tax collection is around Rs 1.5 crore and we received two awards from then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Open defecation was not a challenge for us as we had already done a lot for the city,” he said, adding, that the Council is also providing free bus services to girl students.

Arun Jaitley slams Congress, left thinkers, says PM Modi has been worst victim of ideological intolerance

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Sunday that while the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to accelerate India’s growth, there were many who never intellectually accepted idea of BJP being in power.

“While the Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to accelerate India’s growth, there are many who have never intellectually accepted the idea of the BJP being in power. This obviously includes the Congress, many left thinkers and activists. Over decades they have practiced ideological intolerance towards BJP,” Jaitley wrote in a blog on Facebook.

“Since 2002, the Prime Minister himself has been the worst victim of ideological intolerance. Their strategy is twofold. Firstly, obstruct Parliament and do not permit reforms which will bring credit to Modi government. Secondly, create, by structured and organized propaganda, an environment that there is a social strife in India. They wish to project India as an intolerant society. The truth is otherwise,” the BJP leader said.

“Their strategy is two-fold. Firstly, obstruct Parliament and do not permit reforms which will bring credit to Modi government. Secondly, create, by structured and organised propaganda, an environment that there is a social strife in India. They wish to project India as an intolerant society.”

The truth is otherwise, Jaitley said, adding the perpetrators of this propaganda had never allowed alternative viewpoints to grow in either universities, academic institutions or cultural bodies which they controlled. “Their intolerance extends to not accepting an alternative ideological pole.”

As regards alleged lynching of a man in Dadri, Jaitley said that it was a “stray incident”. “It was both unfortunate and condemnable. The guilty will be taken to task.”

Notwithstanding such aberrations, the minister stressed “India remains a highly tolerant and liberal society. Our cultural values have imbibed co-existence. India has repeatedly rejected intolerance. It does not respond to provocations.

“It is, therefore, incumbent upon every well-wisher of India and the present government to make sure that no action or statement of his provides a tool in the hands of those who want to obstruct India’s growth story. The obstructers have a simple plan – if they can’t fight politically, they fight with hostile propaganda,” the minister said.

BJP will burst crackers after PM, Amit Shah’s defeat in Bihar: JD (U)

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Launching a frontal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, the Janata Dal (United) on Sunday alleged that the leaders of the ruling party at the Centre will burst crackers after the ‘two brothers’ face a humiliating defeat in the Bihar Assembly polls.

“Amit Shah’s statement on firecrackers is half truth. Except Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, all the other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party will burst firecrackers and celebrate Diwali this year when these two brothers will be bankrupt,” JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi said.

The BJP president had earlier said at an election rally in Bihar that firecrackers will burst in Pakistan if his party loses the state assembly polls.

“If the BJP loses in Bihar even by mistake then crackers will be burnt in Pakistan),” he said.

Meanwhile, polling is taking place for the fourth phase of the assembly elections amid tight security. Voting, which began at 7 a.m., will end at 5 p.m. In four Naxal-affected constituencies, it will conclude at 3 p.m., while in 8 constituencies, voting will end at 4 p.m.

Voting is taking for 55 constituencies, spread over seven districts of West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj and Siwan. 776 candidates, including 57 women, are in the fray for this phase.

Government transfers Tihar’s 26 women nurses after molestation complaint

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Afternoon Voice

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November 1, 2015

Delhi government has transferred 26 women nurses posted at Tihar prisons hospital following a complaint by a doctor that she was molested by an inmate, a move that has not gone down well with the nurses.

The nurses have called for revoking the transfer, saying if they are not safe inside one of the largest prison complexes in South Asia where else they would be.

Delhi government’s Health department transferred 26 women nurses posted at Tihar’s health care facility to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.

These nurses will replaced by 26 male nurses of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, according to an order issued by Superintendent (HR-Nursing).

The move comes in the wake of a woman doctor’s allegation that she was molested by a convict at the prison hospital.

However, the government move has drawn the ire of women nurses posted at Tihar, who said that if they are not safe inside the largest complex of prisons in South Asia, where else they will be.

In a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the nurses had demanded that the transfer orders should be revoked.

“If women are not secure inside Tihar prison health care centre, which is the largest complex of prisons in South Asia, where in national capital they will be.

“At a time when everybody is talking about women empowerment, such steps would shatter their confidence so that they never stand up against the atrocities they are subjected to,” the letter said adding that the transfer orders should be revoked.

“Transferring the woman nurses is not the solution. It is the responsibility of the government to provide us security and safety and with such moves, it is running away from its responsibility,” said a senior nurse.

The security of women staff, including doctors and nurses, at Tihar prisons recently came under scanner, after a doctor working there approached the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) levelling allegations of sexual harassment against an inmate.

The commission, after receiving the complaint, issued a notice to the Tihar Jail authorities asking them to provide information regarding the number of woman doctors, nurses and other women deployed in male prisons and also sought the reasons for appointing them.