A city-based builder allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself, apparently because he was fed up with government’s regulations and problems being faced by realty developers, police said.
The incident occurred this afternoon when builder Suraj Parmar, who was also the Thane unit President of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, was at a construction site office of his company, located within the limits of the Kasarwadavali Police Station.
Parmar fired a bullet from his revolver on his head following which he collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, Police PRO Gajanan Kabdule said.
According to police, a tablet PC has been recovered from Parmar’s office in which he has listed reasons for taking the extreme step.
In a note on the PC, the 48-year-old builder has cited reasons like government’s numerous regulations for housing sector and problems being faced by realty developers, among others, for ending his life, police said.
Maharashtra Development Forum (MDF), will be formed in New York by a group of NRIs, originally from the state, to assist government to initiate welfare measures for drought-hit farmers and kin of those who have committed suicide.
Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil, who was in New York recently, said he interacted with about 30 prominent professionals from different sectors hailing from Maharashtra. The interaction took place at the residence of Consul General of India Dnyaneshwar Mulay.
“They wanted to be part of the development process back home and help drought-hit farmers. But were not sure how to utilise their money. I suggested that they set up a Maharashtra Development Forum and dedicate one day every week to discuss means to raise a corpus fund for welfare measures of farmers,” he said.
“I suggested they can adopt families or children of farmers who have committed suicide and fund their education,” Patil said.
The minister said the General Administration Department (GAD) has a separate social development desk with a dedicated IAS officer.
“The corpus from NRIs can be routed for farmers welfare through the official machinery. This desk can be trustee of the corpus fund and co-ordinate with MDF,” he added.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday sought to know from a Special Investigating Team (SIT) of state CID what steps it has taken to arrest 2009 Goa blast accused Rudra Patil, an alleged member of right wing group Sanatan Sanstha and prime suspect in the murder of social activist Govind Pansare.
A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Rajesh Ketkar directed the SIT to file a report stating steps taken by it to apprehend Patil by October 20. The direction was passed after the bench was informed that Sameer Gaikwad of Sanatan Sanstha, who was arrested recently in the Pansare murder case, was a friend of Patil. The court also directed CBI, which is probing the murder of another rationalist Narendra Dabholkar, to submit its investigation report by October 20.
The bench was hearing petitions filed by the kin of Dabholkar and Pansare seeking the High Court to monitor the probe. Both the agencies today submitted confidential reports to the court. After perusing the SIT’s report, Justice More said “the report is silent on what steps have been taken to arrest Rudra Patil.”
The court also expressed displeasure over the state’s failure to appoint a special public prosecutor in the case and said “it is really sorry state of affairs that in such sensitive cases special public prosecutors are not appointed.” Calling for fresh probe reports by October 20, the bench said “we want to satisfy ourselves that investigation is moving in the proper direction.”
The Bombay High Court today said it would take a decision on October 9 on a plea by German Bakery blast convict Himayat Baig, seeking transfer from Nagpur jail to a prison here or a nearby town.
The Maharashtra government, in a reply to the plea, said it would inform the court on October 9 whether it was feasible to shift Baig to Mumbai Central Prison at Arthur Road here.
A division bench of justices Naresh Patil and S B Shukre, currently hearing the case to confirm the death sentence awarded to Baig by the trial court, fixed Friday to hear the plea. The lone convict in the 2010 blast in Pune has also filed an appeal against the lower court’s verdict.
Currently lodged in Nagpur Central Prison, Baig is hearing proceedings through video conference.
In his plea, sent through the jail, Baig contended that he would like to personally attend the Bombay High Court proceedings so that he can interact with his lawyers. Hence, he said may be shifted to some prison in or around Mumbai.
A sessions court in 2013 sentenced Baig to death for his role in the bomb blast inside the iconic bakery in Pune on February 13, 2010 that killed 17 people, including five foreign nationals, and injured 58 others.
The government has turned down the military’s request to expand the acquisition of 36 fighter planes from Dassault Aviation SA to plug vital gaps, officials said, nudging it to accept an indigenous combat plane 32 years in the making.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision, in line with his Make-in-India policy to encourage domestic industry, is a blow for not only the French manufacturer but also others circling over the Indian military aviation market worth billions of dollars.
The push for India’s struggling Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) also comes at a time when the air force is at its weakest operational strength since the 1962 war against China, which is causing anxiety within military circles.
Since it took over in 2014, the Modi administration has repeatedly said its overriding goal is to cut off the military’s addiction to foreign arms which has made it the world’s top importer.
The air force wanted the government to clear an additional 44 Rafale medium multirole aircraft on top of the 36 that Modi announced during a visit to Paris in 2015 that are to be bought off-the-shelf to meet its urgent requirements.
But a defence ministry official said that Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had told the air force that there weren’t enough funds to expand the Rafale acquisition and that it must induct an improved version of the indigenous Tejas-Mark 1A.
“The IAF (air force) needs to have a minimum number of aircraft at all times. The LCA is our best option at this stage, given our resource constraints,” the defence official said.
“The Rafale is our most expensive acquisition. The LCA is our cheapest in the combat category.”
India’s air force says it requires 45 fighter squadrons to counter a “two-front collusive threat” from Pakistan and China. But it only has 35 active fighter squadrons, parliament’s defence committee said in a report in April citing a presentation by a top air force officer.
With the drawdown of Soviet-era MiG 21 planes under way, the air force would be down to 25 squadrons by 2022 at the current pace of acquisitions, it told the committee.
Cleared by the government in 1983, the LCA designed by the government’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was meant to be the backbone of the air force due for induction in 1994.
Instead, it suffered years of delay and chaos with scientists trying to build the world’s most modern light combat aircraft from scratch, including the engine.
Eventually they scrapped the engine, turning to GE Aviation and lowering their ambitions for a state-of-the-art fighter. So far, only one aircraft has been produced and even that is awaiting final operational clearance, now delayed to early 2016.
“In January this year, they had given one LCA … which had not completed its flight testing. They handed over the papers to us. We do not make a squadron with one aeroplane. That is where we are,” said an air force officer speaking on condition of anonymity.
Hardly 10 days after his wedding, an NRI man from Kerala has sent his 21-year-old wife a tripple Talaq message from Dubai on WhatsApp. The shocked woman, a BDS student and hailing from Chertala in Alappuzha district, has now approached the Kerala Women’s Commission for help.
The young woman in her complaint said her husband had not even informed her if he had reached Ber Dubai, where he is working, safely. After her repeated messages to him went unanswered, she finally got a reply shocking her to the core.
“Why are you calling me? I do not like you. Do not wait for me. If we like apple, will we keep eating it every day?. We will like to eat other fruits also. Talak Talak Talak”, the woman, who was at her wit’s end seeing the message, told the Commission, its member J Prameela Devi said.
She wants her husband to be tracked and Non-Residents Affairs department has been asked to trace him, Prameela Devi said. Prameela Devi said she spoke to Panakkad Sadik Ali Thangal, an Islamic scholar, who was of the opinion that this type of talaq was against rules.
Kishanganj Superintendent of Police Rajiv Ranjan has ordered arrest of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s brother Akbaruddin for allegedly making inflammatory speech at an election rally on Monday.
A case was registered against Akbaruddin Owaisi on Monday.
Akbaruddin’s speech, Ranjan said, violated provisions of section 144 of Crpc and an FIR has been lodged under sections 153A and 188 of IPC at Kochadhaman police station.
Section 153A deals with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, while section 188 deals with disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.
Section 153A deals with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, while section 188 deals with disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.
The AIMIM is contesting six seats in the Bihar Assembly elections.
The other constituencies and candidates are: Kishangunj/Taseeruddin, Rani Gunj/Amit Paswan, Baisi/Gulam Sarwar, Amour/Nawazish Alam and Balrampur/Md Adil.
Earlier, Owaisi had defended his brother Akbaruddin’s speech at an election meeting in Kishangunj on Sunday in which he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ‘zalim’ (tyrant) and ‘shaitan’ (devil).
As politicians continue to blow up the Dadri lynching incident, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for trying to import the beef controversy into the state ahead of Assembly elections, scheduled to commence from October 12.
The Janata Dal (United) leader hit out at the BJP for trying to import the beef lynching issue into Bihar, saying the party ruling at the Centre has no agenda.
Kumar, who is heading the grand alliance of the JD(U), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, accused the BJP of trying to polarise voters on communal lines, further adding that the alleged beef controversy in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri is a non-issue in Bihar.
The JD(U) leader also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his arch rival, for a debate on the issues related to Bihar.
While challenging the BJP’s star campaigner for an open debate, the Bihar CM accused PM Modi of relying only on one agenda – to divide the society.
Kumar, who is running for a third term as Bihar CM, dismissed the reports that there are some problems between RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Former India cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu was admitted to hospital on Tuesday evening as he is diagnosed with life-threateningneurological problem.
According to sources, cricketer turned commentator Sidhu is being treated in Delhi’s Apollo hospital as there is a clot in his vein.
Sidhu, who is known for his lively nature, himself took to micro blogging site Twitter and wrote “Down but Not Out”, along with his picture.
The 51-year-old also informed that it’s a life-threatening disease: “Life threatening disease (DVT) With God ‘s Grace will recover. Life is Fragile, handle with Prayer.”
However, Sidhu’s condition is stable now. “Sidhu has been put on blood thinners and has been recovering well. His condition is said to be stable as of now,” said a statement issued by Indraprastha Apollo Hospital authorities.
Apparently referring to the Dadri lynching episode, President Pranab Mukherjee, Wednesday, asserted that the core values of India’s civilisation cannot be given the slip.
“We cannot allow core values of India’s civilisation to be given a slip,” President Mukherjee said.
“Core values of diversity, tolerance and plurality must be kept in mind,” he added.
The President’s comments came at a time when leaders from across the spectrum are deriving political mileage from the Dadri incident.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has appraised the Prime Minister’s Office of the situation in the western Uttar Pradesh village.
Earlier, the Uttar Pardesh government had submitted a report to MHA on the probe into the Dadri incident.
The government has turned down the military’s request to expand the acquisition of 36 fighter planes from Dassault Aviation SA to plug vital gaps, officials said, nudging it to accept an indigenous combat plane 32 years in the making.