Netravathi may no doubt have fantasized about a dream wedding with her dream man - sitting in bridal finery at the fire as the pundit chanted the marriage mantras.
Reported by IndiaTimes 7 hours ago.
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She marries her dream man in an ambulance
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Karnataka MLAs enjoy Mumbai hotel's hospitality
While the Election Commission has sought a report from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer on alleged horse-trading for the Rajya Sabha polls in Karnataka, some 14 independent legislators from the Karnataka Assembly are enjoying luxurious hospitality in a Juhu hotel.Sources in the Mumbai Police confirmed to mid-day on Monday that the MLAs were holed up in a five-star hotel at Juhu. The police said Room Number 103 was one of the accommodations provided.
It was reported that the Congress has relocated the legislators to Mumbai. But the state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant denied any such move. “If the legislators are here then the BJP must have flown them here because the party is in power in Maharashtra,” he said.
A senior BJP leader said, “It is the Congress that has brought the independents here. Our party does not get involved in such malpractices.”
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Bike-stunt-s.jpg*Pranesh Patil was fond of bikes and photography and would post several pictures of his stunts, like this one on his Yamaha Rs 15 bike*
Pranesh Patil, son of Reshma Patil, a Congress corporator from Mumbra, had just finished refuelling his Yamaha Rs 15 bike at the Majiwada petrol pump and was en route to Thane at 9.30 pm, when the accident took place. One of his friends, Zuber Ijaz Shareef (20) was riding pillion and suffered injuries, but is currently out of danger.*The mangled remains of the bike*
The driver of the container was arrested and produced in the court yesterday, after which he was released on bail. Senior Inspector J Babar of Kalwa police station said, “We had registered a case under IPC for negligence and rash driving on Sunday and arrested the container driver, 29-year-old Baban Jagdale, a resident of Kalamboli. We are investigating the matter.” However, another officer from Kalwa police said, “Pranesh was riding rashly and lost control of the bike.”
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/SSC-students-s.jpg*SSC students of Bal Mohan Vidya Mandir, Dadar, celebrate their performance. Pic/Suresh Karkera*
Following rampant misuse, the practice of awarding 25 marks to those performing well in sports was discontinued in 2011. It was resumed this year after much brainstorming by experts, who felt that the lure of additional marks would encourage more students to take up sports.
While some school principals say the sports quota marks came as “a blessing” for their student, another cautions that the practice of ‘mollycoddling’ them will backfire.
Even the sports quota marks, though, couldn’t stop the overall result percentage from dropping to 89.56% from 91.46% in 2015.
Marksheets will be distributed at the respective schools on July 15.
*4th*
Mumbai’s rank among different divisions after Pune, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Mumbai also ranks fourth in malpractices.
*Keeping one’s chin up*
*Cancer, meet your match*
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*Vidhi Shah, student of ASP Convent School, Ghansoli 69%*
Vidhi won’t let anything come in the way of achieving her dream of becoming a chartered accountant — not even cancer. “I expected more marks. I had studied so much. I want to apply for re-evaluation, but everybody is telling me to focus on my higher studies, instead,” she says. Her father, Mukesh, who does odd jobs in the Vashi market, says despite being asked by the family to take a break from her studies for a year owning to cancer, she was determined not to “waste” an academic year. “A cancerous tumour, in its early stages, was detected in her chest last year. She used to juggle between treatment and studies. Every 15 days, she had to go for blood tests and other procedures, but she never lost her patience.”
*Paperboy delivers*
*
Hiren Mistri, student of MMN Duggad High School, Virar, 90.60%*
A paperboy from Virar, Hiren has two passions — studying to make it big in life and cricket. “Although I am not a very good player, I love cricket,” he says. Hiren goes to work at 5 am every day and has been saving up for higher studies in engineering. “I want to make something of my life and ensure a better future for my family,” he says.
*Trailblazers*
*No surprises here*
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Swarali Chodnekar, Student of VN Sule Guruji School, Dadar, 99%*
The top score is just another feather in Swarali’s hat. She has won 1,187 awards in academics, singing, linguistics, talent hunts and sports like rifle shooting and fencing. An entire wall of her room displays medals, trophies and certificates. Eyeing a score of 100% and a career in cardiology, Swarali had begun preparations right after Std IX. “Halfway through the year, I had finished the entire syllabus,” she says.
*Keeping his options open*
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Sharan Shetty, St Joseph’s School, Vikhroli, 98.20%*
He has figured out that biggest bugbear of students: time management. Sharan says he hadn’t expected to score above 90% believes that his ability to finish the papers on time paid off. The Wushu (a martial art) champion wants to pursue mechanical engineering. “If I am not able to get admission to a good engineering college, I will pursue biotechnology,” says Sharan, who also played cricket at the school level.*The ball’s in their court*
***
*Pic/Nimesh Dave**
*Chirag Banrega, student of Oxford School, Kandivli 98.20%*
Chirag knows as thing or two about finding the right balance between academics and passions. The state-level dodgeball player, who has gained 15 marks extra under the sports quota, says he deals everything with an unmatched passion — whether it’s a game or his studies. His mantra for success: Follow a proper schedule and learn to manage time. Chirag, who wants to pursue computer engineering, is grateful to his school for indulging his “extra-curricular activities”.
*1,000+ on scoresheet, 61% on marksheet*
*Pranav Dhanawade, student of KC Gandhi High School, Kalyan, 61%
*Pranav is no stranger to top-notch performances. The schoolboy from Kalyan became the first batsman to score 1,000-plus runs in an innings in any form of cricket — breaking a century-old record — in January this year. But, Pranav says he lost out on a higher score in the SSC exams because he didn’t apply for the sports quota marks. “I thought it is a facility offered only during admissions. I will find ways to correct this.”
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Amit-Mehta-s.jpg*Amit Mehta at his residence in Bandra (right) Christine surrounded by her dear ones at the hospital. Pic/Prabhanjan Dhanu*
*The accident*
On Friday, the duo booked an Uber cab from Sakinaka to Jacob’s Circle for a meeting. Mehta told mid-day, “The driver (Gangaram Ugale) was driving rashly. On the last flyover, before Phoenix Mall, the driver swerved right in order to overtake the vehicle in front of us, and by doing so, crashed head-on into a Maruti Zen.”
“My body was pushed forward with the force of the impact and I ducked instinctively. I looked at Christine next to me on the back seat, there was blood everywhere, and a part of her scalp on the right had detached itself from the skull.”
Mehta and Gangaram rushed D’souza to Wockhardt Hospital in Mahalaxmi.
*Appalling response*
What’s shocking, though, is Uber’s response when he sent them an email, saying he had just been in an accident in one of their vehicles and that his friend was in an emergency at the hospital. “I sent Uber my emergency mail at 4.15 pm, saying they should call me,” said Mehta. “But at 6 pm, I got a response via mail saying as per their company policy, they are not allowed to call clients, and that I must convey whatever it is over email.”
The following day, Mehta sent Uber a detailed email at 6.20 am. When he didn’t receive a response till 6 pm, Mehta decided to turn to social media. “After about an hour of me putting up details of the accident on Facebook, I finally got a call from Uber. However, this person belonged to the company’s social media team, and not their emergency response team,” he said.
On Sunday, Uber’s corporate communication team responded to Mehta’s Facebook post. “I am so sorry for what has happened; I cannot even imagine what you must be going through. But, I’m glad we spoke and we are here to help you out in any and every way possible. I wish Christine nothing but the best of health,” said Neeti Nayak, corporate communications, Uber.
“Since we’re unable to respond to your status update, from the Uber India page, due to Facebook’s policy restrictions, the team has emailed you with all the information you’ve asked for. We’re here to support you through the entire process.”
*An ‘opportunity’*
The same day, Mehta received a second call from Uber, again from the social media desk. Upon enquiring why the emergency response team was not calling him, instead, he was told that the “emergency services team had escalated the matter to the social media team as they felt it was a good opportunity for Uber to make up for the blunder as the story had now gone viral.”
A livid Mehta said, “You cannot write on your website that you have a 24x7 emergency response team, and that you care about your clients’ safety, but at the same time, read an email from your client that says he is in a critical situation and respond by saying we cannot call you.”
*Back home*
D’souza is currently recovering at home. She said, “Both Uber and the driver should be held accountable and responsible for this incident. Did Uber check his driving record before contacting him? What are the company’s screening policies for its drivers?”
As of yesterday, Mehta and D’souza still haven’t received a call from the company’s emergency response team.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07buried-alive-s.jpg
The Swachh Bharat programme provided the perfect cover-up plan for the accused — identified as Chandmal Jain, the owner of a grocery store in Majeragaon in Rajasmandh district. With so many people building toilets in his town and across the country, he thought no one would suspect him for doing so. Jain managed to escape suspicion long after he killed his wife in April. Not only did he bury her alive, but every night, he would spread a mat at the same spot and sleep there.*Sarita Jain and Chandmal Jain*
According to the Kelwada police, Jain had married the deceased, Sarita, in October 2013 in a court marriage. Sarita had been ailing for a long time, and had become bedridden. About a year ago, Sarita had given birth, but the infant died within the fortnight. Tired of her poor health, Jain decided to kill his wife.
“In April, Jain hired some local labourers to construct a toilet in his home. The labourers left after finishing their day’s work, and Jain threw his wife into the pit and buried her alive,” said head constable Narendra Singh of Kelwada police station, adding, “On the next day, he told the labourers to stop coming as he had run out of cash.”
It was only when neighbours and relatives began to ask where his wife was that Jain began to feel the heat. Jain told people that she had gone to her parents’ house and even his own brother was under the impression that the couple had had a fight.
Jain finally registered a missing person’s complaint with the Kelwada police in Rajasthan on June 1. “He told us that Sarita had taken Rs 5,000 and left 15 days ago without informing him,” said Constable Singh.
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The skywalk connects the Bandra station to Bandra-Kurla Complex as well as the railway terminus in the east.
On December 13, 2009, mid-day had reported how five-storeyed slums, over 60 ft high, had mushroomed in the area without architectural blueprints or foundations. We had warned that disaster would come knocking again — a fire that broke out in the slums in June that year raged on for over 40 hours, claimed five lives and displaced 4,000 people. The biggest challenge that the fire brigade faced while dousing the blaze was getting through the tightly squeezed bylanes of the settlements.*A 10x10 ft room draws a rent of Rs 15,000. Adding floors is a common method to earn a quick buck. Pics/Suresh Karkera*
Although a single window system for all clearance from various government agencies has been put in place to undertake a legal construction in Mumbai, the process could take over a year. It is evident that this hasn’t deterred the illegal slums of Behrampada.*At several points, the shanties are as high as the skywalk*
*No sight of action*
After the mid-day report, the authorities had promised to crack down on these settlements, but a reality check over six years later throws up a far more daunting picture: the shanties have continued to grow vertically, each sandwiched between the others. Some of the huts have been raised to six storeys, which could easily be 80 ft high, and almost kiss the skywalk. Their total population exceeds 1 lakh.*The slums, packed close to each other, bear down on the Bandra skywalk and the railway tracks. A number of them have been rented out for commercial use*
Last December, the BMC had cleared a proposal — dubbed by its critics as an appeasement policy — made by corporators across party lines to allow the height of post-1995 shanties to be increased from 14 ft to 18 ft, allowing them to ground-plus-one structures. The Behrampada slums have beaten even this relaxed restriction by a mile.
*Ticking time bomb*
The shanties are built so close to each other that if one were to cave in, say, during a spell of heavy rain, it would set off a domino effect. An outbreak of a fire could gut acres of the settlement.
Residents say hundreds of slumdwellers added floors to their existing ground-plus-two structures only a few months ago.
“Initially, adding one or two storeys and then giving them out on rent was a quick way for many to make an extra buck. As the greed grew, so did the height of the structures,” alleges a resident.
A small 10x10-sq ft structure, which is usually taken for commercial use, can fetch anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs20,000 a month.
The resident says most of the floors have been added under the guise of carrying out repairs. She claims that such work was once carried out covertly, covered by tarpaulin and canvas sheets. Today, it’s all allegedly done in the open, without the slightest fear of the law.*Official speak*
Prashant Gaikwad, assistant commissioner, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), says keeping in mind the gravity of the situation, his office had served demolition notices under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act to owners of illegal structures. “We are aware of the implications of any calamity that could strike these multi-storied huts and are ready to take action at the earliest.”
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Bottle-s.jpg*The Contender
*
“We’ve observed that people who are 25 and above prefer the comfort of their home over the hustle of a pub or club. I belong to the age bracket and have friends, who also prefer a house party (other than the weekends, of course) over stepping out. At The Daily, we strive to do new things that are both, fun and functional. We take pride in our cocktails and the idea was to provide the guests an option to sip the concoctions in the comfort of their homes,” says owner Dishant Pritamani.*Elysium*
*What’s in the bottle?*
From classics like Long Island Iced Tea, Margarita, Caipiroska and Mint Julep to signatures like Elysium (whiskey, dates, apple juice), Bombay Nasty (dark rum, cucumber, watermelon, pineapple juice), Cactus Cobbles (tequila, midori, grapefruit juice) and pre-prohibition varieties like South Side (gin, mint, sour mix) and Scofflaw (whiskey, campari, grenadine) — guests can opt for more than 50 cocktails from the Bandra pub’s existing menu, as part of the service. “You can pick from any cocktail except for the molecular ones because they require smoke, dry ice etc, which cannot be packaged. Each cocktail, if refrigerated, lasts for 48 hours,” adds Pritamani. The cocktails come in a standard 1,000 ml bottle, which could serve up to five glasses (200 ml each with ice).*Dishant Pritamani*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Ravindra-Phatak-s.jpg*Ravindra Phatak defeated Vasant Davkhare*
Congress leader Rane is one among 10 candidates in the Assembly electoral college who were elected unopposed last week. Rane will now be sitting in the opposition, while his former disciple, now a Sena leader, will be seated in the treasury benches after emerging as a giant-killer, by ending legislative council deputy chairman and NCP leader Vasant Davkhare’s 24-year-old reign in the Thane-Palghar electoral college of local self-government.
On Monday, Phatak defeated Davkhare by 151 votes in a stunning performance that he accomplished in alliance with the BJP. The election was a prestige issue for the Sena-BJP alliance as they worked together for destroying the NCP’s clout in the Thane district.
Phatak attributed his victory to the effort of Sena and BJP. “I won because of wholehearted support from the Sena and BJP. The voters trusted me and my party leaders too stood strong behind me,” he said.
A dream of becoming legislator had been eluding Phatak, who is a Thane municipal corporator since 2002. He contested the 2009 Assembly polls from Kankavli in Konkan, Rane’s fiefdom, but lost to the BJP’s Pramod Jathar by a mere 34 votes. He expected Rane to allow him to nurture the constituency further, but Rane’s younger son Nitesh had been eyeing the seat after Phatak’s defeat. Phatak severed ties with Rane and the Congress immediately after the Lok Sabha results in June 2014 and joined the Sena. He failed again in the Assembly polls in Thane segment.
However, on Monday, Phatak did the Sena extremely proud. He succeeded in getting 601 votes against Davkhare’s 450 votes from local self-governments in Thane and Palghar districts. Even the 72 votes that Vasai strongman Hitendra Thakur had promised Davkhare couldn’t help him . The poll to elect an MLC was held on June 3. 99.72% voters (1,057 of 1,060 voters) cast their votes.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07food-s.jpg
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*8 pm onwards:* Tuck into a 10-course European meal paired with wines in every round at a Wine and Dine event hosted by Nikhil Agarwal. Some of the pairings include soups with Soma Sauvignon Blanc Gold 2014, pizzas with the light Fratelli Sangiovese 2014 and pastas with Charosa Selections Shiraz 2015.
*On:* June 8
*At:* Café Mangii, Junction of Khar Pali and 14th Road, off Linking Road, Khar (W).
*Entry:* Rs 1,499
*Call:* 26498100
*Lick ice cream rolls*
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*3 pm to 12 am:* As the summer still rages on, cool off with handmade ice cream rolls infused with flavours from the streets of South-East Asia and New York at a month-long pop-up. Try flavours like Mango, Kiwi, Nutella, Oreo, Bon-Bon, Ginger-Chilli, along with add-ons of your choice. The rolls are made from fresh milk, fruits and chocolates.
*Till:* June 30
*At:* Pop-Up Hut, Kwality House, next to Crosswords, below Kemps Corner Flyover.
*Cost:* Rs 130
*Call:* 9819334698
*Find Hawaii on pizza*
**Satiate your taste buds by digging into Hawaiian flavoured pizzas. Opt for the Hawaiian PizzaExpress featuring pineapple chutney, red onion, Prosciutto Crudo (Italian dry-cured ham), white béchamel base and chilli or try other pizza varieties like Pollo Cajun, Gambero and Lamb Polpette, or even a creamy Linguine Cajun Gambe pasta.
*On:* June 30
*At:* All Pizza Express outlets
*Agent Vinod, coming up*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/SingleHandstand-s.jpg
Sign up for Level 1 and Level 2 Handstand and Core strengthening workshops. Trainer Nupur Shikhare will conduct a two-day training.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/7Maharashtra-State-s.jpg*Maharashtra State aquatic meet winners pose with their trophies*
The other two were claimed by Pune girls Yuga Birnale in group I, and Nitya Khinvasara in group IV.
The other two were claimed by Pune girls Yuga Birnale in group I and Nitya Khinvasara in group IV.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/7Mumbai-Customs-s.jpg*FCI and Mumbai Customs players vie for the ball during All India Gold Cup hockey championship in Churchgate, Mumbai yesterday*
Sanjay S scored twice in the 10th and 66th minutes and Gagandeep Singh got one in 60th minute for Punjab National Bank, while Union Bank reduced the margin through goals from Harjeet Singh in the 23rd minute and Vinit Shetty in the 46th minute.
In another encounter, Western Railway crushed CAG (Comptroller Auditor General) (Delhi) 3-0 to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the semi-finals.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Ruskin-Bond-s.jpg*Ruskin Bond at his home in Landour, Mussoorie*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Manohar-Parrikar-s.jpg*Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 4. Parrikar could have been much more forceful in articulating a new and nuanced point of view as Carter did. Pic/AFP*
By that measure, to go by the remarks of our defence minister Manohar Parrikar at the forum, the opportunity was sadly wasted. For years, India has avoided sending a senior figure to the dialogue. This was based on prudence and a desire to steer clear from the US-China stand-off. But after deciding to send a senior minister, a member of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the government did not give him much to say from a platform from where he could have credibly spelt out India’s military posture in the Indo-Pacific.
The Modi government bills itself as being a departure from the past, one which revels in wading into the thick of foreign affairs, often even jettisoning protocol to make a point. It did not shy away from telling Beijing (as Modi did last year) that Sino-Indian relations were being hampered by poor choices being made by China (read Pakistan).
The Parrikar speech was all over the place. Having placed territorial disputes as number one in his list of security challenges in the region, Parrikar promptly declared that number two — terrorism — remained “the foremost challenge to our region.” If he was indeed seeking to limit himself geographically to the South-east Asian region, he should have done his homework — terrorism is not a major issue there, though there have been incidents in the past and there is a historical Islamist insurgency in southern Philippines. However, there is concern that in the Islamic State could emerge as a challenge in the coming years. But it is not as though Parrikar offered any solutions here.
Number three — the maritime domain — the minister noted was the one that he saw “most clearly.” Having spoken of the Malacca and vulnerable waterways, he jumped to the Mumbai attack and Somalian piracy, which by any measure have taken place through or on the high seas, not waterways.
The Minister did spell out the traditional Indian stand of not taking sides in the South China Seas disputes and upholding the freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS).
The minister’s suggestion was on the need for “collective action and cooperation” to deal with the situation. Interestingly, in recognising, as he did “that security in Asia is primarily the responsibility of the Asians”, he sounded more like a Chinese official than one whose government had last year made certain commitments to the US through a Joint Strategic Vision for Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean to “develop a roadmap… to better respond to diplomatic, economic and security challenges in the region.”
Parrikar’s ambivalence, or to be more accurate confusion, stems from a well-considered Indian policy of using the South China Sea to occasionally needle Beijing, but steering clear of any deeper commitments which could needlessly involve us in a quagmire in a region far from where our primary security interests lie.
Nevertheless, a government that says it Acts East could have been much more forceful in articulating a new and nuanced point of view just as US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter did. Carter toned down his China bashing of last year’s Shangri-La, where he attacked China’s militarisation of the South China Sea. This year, speaking on the eve of the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing which began on Monday, he called on all parties to join a “principled security network,” even though he did not quite spell out what that meant. His talk of China isolating itself because of its behaviour lacked credibility, given the deep economic ties Beijing has with the region and with the US and Japan.
Actually, many US allies are now wondering how to get US to ratify UNCLOS. The US has used international law as a weapon to belabour China, but it has itself not ratified that key instrument of maritime international law. The US claims to observe it, but that is not quite the same thing. President Obama has recently once again appealed to the US Senate to ratify the UNCLOS, but that is not likely to happen.
The second issue the US has with its allies is that it is going soft on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Here again, Obama lacks the time to push for it, and it is far from clear whether his successors will.
Meanwhile, the overwhelming feeling is that all sides are talking past each other in the South China Sea isssue. The arbitration council decision on the Philippines case is likely to trigger consequences we cannot easily predict.
*The writer is a Distinguished Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi* Reported by Mid-Day 20 hours ago.
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Students of Saraswati Vidyalaya in Airoli clueless about FY admission books
As SSC result is now out, all focus will be on admission to first year of Junior College (FYJC). The process is going to be entirely online and the registration step that begins on June 7 will continue till June 17. While all students and parents have begun making list of college preferences, students of Saraswati Vidyalaya in Airoli still wait for online admission information book.
One of the worried students from the school, said, "All my friends from different schools already have the information book. We also need time to read it appropriately to be prepared for process. Now even the result is out, only few days remain for application process. There is already much stress about preparing correct list of preferences of college choices. How do we do this all at the last moment?" The online admission information book is so important because it not only helps them understand the process but also issues the unique ID and password to each student without which they cannot participate in the online admissions process.
An equally stressed parent from the school said, "Whatever is the reason for delay, the school did not even bother to inform us. It was after we read about the information book in media and our children started talking about how their friends have got it, we sent them to ask for it in school. It has been over a week since I am asking my son to go and check in the school almost on every other day. But all that school keeps saying is they will give in two days. It has been six days until now. We have approached all possible authorities. What more do we do now?"
While school is blaming at office of Deputy Director of Education (DyDE) stating that they have not received the books yet due to shortage, the Deputy Director has denied any shortage and put the blame on school for not collecting their lot of books. When contacted school, the principal madam Bilge, who refused to share her full name, started shouting that the school is more worried and concerned for students than anybody else. She said, “We have sent our person to DyDE office almost five times. However every time we are told that there is shortage of books. Now they have told us that in two days we will get books. We care for our students." When contacted Deputy Director B B Chavan, he however denied any shortage and said, "The school must have not collected the books. It is impossible to have shortage of books."
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*Also read - Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident: Deceased bus driver booked for rash driving**A host of safety issues were highlighted after Sunday’s accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. File pic*
*Bright blindness*
There are nine tunnels on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that are 6-km long and will soon have light controlling sensors to prevent drivers from experiencing temporary blindness on exiting the tunnels. An MSRDC official said, “We are trying our best to overcome most of the errors. To resolve a problem of bright blindness, the IRB is placing light controlling sensors that can adjust the light as per day and night so that drivers do not face any issue of blindness when they drive out of the tunnel and this will help avoid accidents.”
*Also read: Poor road sense, rash driving caused accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Accident-prone spots*
Between April 2015 to May 2016, around 153 accidents have taken place on the expressway at locations including Wadgoan, Khandala, Bhorghat, Palase and around 96 people have died in these accidents. “Most of the accidents occur at Amrutanjan Bridge as it is very steep and has an S-shaped turn. With similar qualities, Khandala exit point and Kune Bridge have also become accident-prone spots. Kusgaon and Devale Bridge are part of the list too,” said a traffic cop deployed at the expressway.
*Also read: First-person account of accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Halts*
The 93-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway has four halting spots and Sunday’s accident too was caused after a car with a flat tyre stopped midway in the first lane. Also, continuous driving can heat up the tyres, which can result in them bursting. “The four spots are sufficient and if we make arrangements for more there are chances that the traffic will be uncontrollable. So a break after 30 km is sufficient,” the MSRDC official added.*In the last three years on the expressway...*
*1,580*
No of accidents
*370*
Death toll
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/PMSwiss-s.jpg*Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Switzerland’s President Johann Schneider-Ammann. PIC/PTI*
Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country’s support to India’s membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral and global issues.
Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support to India’s bid for membership of the elite grouping was seen as crucial in the backdrop of China harping on the need for a consensus as India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Prime Minister thanked the Swiss President and also said combating black money and tax evasion was a “shared priority” for both the countries.
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*Also read - Sheena Bora murder case: 10 shocking developments so far**Peter and Indrani Mukerjea*
mid-day had reported on March 30 that Peter was planning to sell the prime property to pay his legal bills. When Indrani learnt of this, she had her lawyer Gunjan Mangla send a three-page letter to the housing society to explain that he had no right to do so. The flat is worth Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore.
On January 7, 2011, Indrani and Peter had drawn up a gift deed naming Vidhie as the owner of the 3,000-sq-ft duplex. Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from an earlier marriage to Sanjeev Khanna (co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case). However, the deed also stipulates that as long as Indrani is alive, she has first right on the flat.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07gulbarg-society-s.jpg*Awaiting justice: Gulbarg housing society in Ahmedabad. FILE PIC*
Pleading for maximum punishment, the prosecution said capital punishment could be considered by the court or the convicts be sent to jail and ordered to remain there till their last breath.
As arguments over the quantum of sentence that lasted for over two-and-a-half hours remained inconclusive, the special SIT court judge PB Desai adjourned further hearing in the case to Thursday.
The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri in Gulbarg housing society on February 29, 2002 in post-Godhra riots when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Eastern-Freeway-s.jpg*Boys beside the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai find their pitch plays rather like a road. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi*
The heat and dust of the Eastern Express Highway rose in great swirls, and there on that eventful day in March 2015, Abedi knew he had his photograph. A group of boys were playing cricket in the shadow of the flyover on the Highway. His camera whirred, and, when the time came, he sent this picture to cricket’s bible, The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, for the competition The Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of 2015.*Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016*
Now, Abedi’s picture has made it to the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016, and what greater tribute than to find a place amidst the yellow covered book sacred to cricket aficionados? Abedi is laconic about the honour, simply saying, “unbelievable” when asked about how he feels to be featured.
His sign-off message to photographers? “Always keep your eyes peeled for the offbeat.” Heed those words of Wisdom, or should that be Wisden?
*Commonwealth prize for Indian*
The prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 has been won by Indian academic, Parashar Kulkarni for his story, Cow and Company.
With this, the assistant professor in social sciences at Yale NUS College, Singapore, becomes the first Indian to win the prize, beating 4,000 entries from 47 countries. His story is about the hunt for a cow to feature in a chewing gum advertisement in 1905.
After all, what could be better for the marketing prospects of the company than get the approval from the cud-chewing holy cow? Those keen to read this story along with the rest can check out the Granta website.
*Burning cinders in Colaba*
Last week’s Metro House fire threw up several interesting stories, like all accidents do. One of them surrounded an iconic café and an equally popular bookstall. A mid-day reporter returned with a tip off, heavy on insaniyat.
*Cafe Mondegar and Shankar Book Stall after last week’s fire. Pic/Shadab Khan*
He said that the men behind Colaba’s Shankar Book Stall had recollected the frantic afternoon of the fire, and how they had dived into the kitchen of Café Mondegar, which the stall skirts, to unplug the gas supply to cylinders in an attempt to avoid a disaster.
We found this particularly interesting because the two establishments are involved in a long-drawn legal tussle over space. When Mondegar's managing partner, Hoshang Yezdegardi received a call from us, he rubbished the news, saying it was his own staff that had followed standard emergency protocol.
Pity, it isn’t true. If it were, it would make the perfect enmity-melts-in-the-face-of-a-smoky-tragedy story, emotional enough to rival a scene from a Manmohan Desai film.
*V for Victoria*
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India marked the one-year anniversary of the June 8, 2015 Bombay High Court ruling that horse carriages must be phased out of Mumbai within a year, yesterday.
Standing in front of a large clock with a banner that read, ‘Time Is Running Out: Relegate Victorias to History’, the protesters were led by actor Adah Sharma at Bandra’s Carter Road Amphitheatre.
*Cut above the rest**Pic/Nimesh Dave*
Ronnie Screwvala, owner of U Mumba, Season 3 finalists of the Pro-Kabaddi League, checks out the new look of sported by big-ticket player Rakesh Kumar at a salon last evening.
*A web series on Sacred Games*
While we’re still wondering why no one thought of adapting Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games for the big screen in the first place, it’s a case of better late than never.*Vikram Chandra*
The critically-acclaimed bestseller, published almost a decade ago, will now be the subject of an original series on Netflix. To be produced in partnership with Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films, the project marks the first original series from India.*Sacred Games*
It will be shot on location in the country. The Hindi-English series will be available to Netflix members globally. Delving into the city’s intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage, the book has all the trappings of a pacy thriller.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Tanaya-Wadkar-s.jpg*Tanaya Wadkar*
Tanaya Wadkar (15), a student of Kalsukar English School in Sawantwadi, scored 485 out of 500 and got an additional 15 marks for her sports activities. She had participated in 10-meters open sight shooting at the interschool and state-level competitions and had got a gold medal in one of the appearances.
While her father Ramchandra Wadkar is a head clerk with state transport department, her elder brother is pursuing a course in fine arts from B S Bandekar College Of Fine Art (Applied Art), which is affiliated to Mumbai-based Sir J. J. College of Architecture and her mother is a housewife. Her father reminisced that since childhood, she was a bright student but this score is unexpected.
“When my brother called me to give the news, I screamed so loud that my neighbours thought something went wrong at my house,” said Ramchandra, adding that he is planning to gift his daughter a rifle to help her continue the sport.
He also has planned to send Tanaya to Gun for Glory, an academy run by Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang in Pune to help hone her skills in shooting.
Tanaya thanked her friend for suggesting to take up shooting. “I took up the sport and reached the national level in six months.”
Asked how she handled academics and sports, she said, “I use to wake up early and study. Later, I would practise shooting for 2 hours and then go to my coaching class for tuitions in mathematics and science,” adding that shooting not only helped her get 100 per cent but also helped increase her concentration.
“I want to become an IAS officer. For now, I will opt for BSc and later pursue law,” wrapped up Tanaya.*Tanaya’s marks*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Iqbal-Shaikh-license-s.jpg*Iqbal Shaikh’s license which was renewed in February*
The driver, identified as Iqbal Shaikh, was a resident of Satara and had been working with Nikhil Travels for the last 10 years. Sanjay Bajare, Senior Police Inspector, New Panvel police station, said, “We have booked Iqbal Shaikh for rash driving and during the investigation we found that he first got his heavy vehicle license in 1973. Since the rule says every driver, after turning 60, has to get his license renewed every three years, he just got that done in February. This means he was fit to drive. We also checked if this was a case of drunken driving but have found no evidence yet and are awaiting his medical reports.”
Iqbal is survived by his three daughters and a son, who are married and live in Satara. Sikander Shaikh (55), Iqbal’s younger brother, who collected his body from the police, told mid-day, “Iqbal, who has been a driver all his life, was a respected person in Satara. I rushed to the hospital as soon as my family told me about the accident after watching it on the news. This is a major tragedy and if the police have to book him for rash driving, they must also book the Swift driver for parking in the middle of the road.”
Iqbal has been booked under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 297 (rash driving) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of IPC and Section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Bajare also said they have written to Khalapur Toll Booth requesting them for the CCTV footage of the accident. “We have asked the toll booth authorities for the CCTV footage of Sunday morning as the bus being a heavy vehicle should not have entered the first lane. Also, we will check if the cars had cut lanes. We have also recorded statements of most of the surviving bus passengers,” added Bajare. Reported by Mid-Day 19 hours ago.
One of the worried students from the school, said, "All my friends from different schools already have the information book. We also need time to read it appropriately to be prepared for process. Now even the result is out, only few days remain for application process. There is already much stress about preparing correct list of preferences of college choices. How do we do this all at the last moment?" The online admission information book is so important because it not only helps them understand the process but also issues the unique ID and password to each student without which they cannot participate in the online admissions process.
An equally stressed parent from the school said, "Whatever is the reason for delay, the school did not even bother to inform us. It was after we read about the information book in media and our children started talking about how their friends have got it, we sent them to ask for it in school. It has been over a week since I am asking my son to go and check in the school almost on every other day. But all that school keeps saying is they will give in two days. It has been six days until now. We have approached all possible authorities. What more do we do now?"
While school is blaming at office of Deputy Director of Education (DyDE) stating that they have not received the books yet due to shortage, the Deputy Director has denied any shortage and put the blame on school for not collecting their lot of books. When contacted school, the principal madam Bilge, who refused to share her full name, started shouting that the school is more worried and concerned for students than anybody else. She said, “We have sent our person to DyDE office almost five times. However every time we are told that there is shortage of books. Now they have told us that in two days we will get books. We care for our students." When contacted Deputy Director B B Chavan, he however denied any shortage and said, "The school must have not collected the books. It is impossible to have shortage of books."
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Mumbai-Pune-Expressway-s.jpg
*Also read - Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident: Deceased bus driver booked for rash driving**A host of safety issues were highlighted after Sunday’s accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. File pic*
*Bright blindness*
There are nine tunnels on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that are 6-km long and will soon have light controlling sensors to prevent drivers from experiencing temporary blindness on exiting the tunnels. An MSRDC official said, “We are trying our best to overcome most of the errors. To resolve a problem of bright blindness, the IRB is placing light controlling sensors that can adjust the light as per day and night so that drivers do not face any issue of blindness when they drive out of the tunnel and this will help avoid accidents.”
*Also read: Poor road sense, rash driving caused accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Accident-prone spots*
Between April 2015 to May 2016, around 153 accidents have taken place on the expressway at locations including Wadgoan, Khandala, Bhorghat, Palase and around 96 people have died in these accidents. “Most of the accidents occur at Amrutanjan Bridge as it is very steep and has an S-shaped turn. With similar qualities, Khandala exit point and Kune Bridge have also become accident-prone spots. Kusgaon and Devale Bridge are part of the list too,” said a traffic cop deployed at the expressway.
*Also read: First-person account of accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Halts*
The 93-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway has four halting spots and Sunday’s accident too was caused after a car with a flat tyre stopped midway in the first lane. Also, continuous driving can heat up the tyres, which can result in them bursting. “The four spots are sufficient and if we make arrangements for more there are chances that the traffic will be uncontrollable. So a break after 30 km is sufficient,” the MSRDC official added.*In the last three years on the expressway...*
*1,580*
No of accidents
*370*
Death toll
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/PMSwiss-s.jpg*Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Switzerland’s President Johann Schneider-Ammann. PIC/PTI*
Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country’s support to India’s membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral and global issues.
Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support to India’s bid for membership of the elite grouping was seen as crucial in the backdrop of China harping on the need for a consensus as India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Prime Minister thanked the Swiss President and also said combating black money and tax evasion was a “shared priority” for both the countries.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Indrani-Peter-s.jpg
*Also read - Sheena Bora murder case: 10 shocking developments so far**Peter and Indrani Mukerjea*
mid-day had reported on March 30 that Peter was planning to sell the prime property to pay his legal bills. When Indrani learnt of this, she had her lawyer Gunjan Mangla send a three-page letter to the housing society to explain that he had no right to do so. The flat is worth Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore.
On January 7, 2011, Indrani and Peter had drawn up a gift deed naming Vidhie as the owner of the 3,000-sq-ft duplex. Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from an earlier marriage to Sanjeev Khanna (co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case). However, the deed also stipulates that as long as Indrani is alive, she has first right on the flat.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07gulbarg-society-s.jpg*Awaiting justice: Gulbarg housing society in Ahmedabad. FILE PIC*
Pleading for maximum punishment, the prosecution said capital punishment could be considered by the court or the convicts be sent to jail and ordered to remain there till their last breath.
As arguments over the quantum of sentence that lasted for over two-and-a-half hours remained inconclusive, the special SIT court judge PB Desai adjourned further hearing in the case to Thursday.
The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri in Gulbarg housing society on February 29, 2002 in post-Godhra riots when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Eastern-Freeway-s.jpg*Boys beside the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai find their pitch plays rather like a road. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi*
The heat and dust of the Eastern Express Highway rose in great swirls, and there on that eventful day in March 2015, Abedi knew he had his photograph. A group of boys were playing cricket in the shadow of the flyover on the Highway. His camera whirred, and, when the time came, he sent this picture to cricket’s bible, The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, for the competition The Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of 2015.*Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016*
Now, Abedi’s picture has made it to the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016, and what greater tribute than to find a place amidst the yellow covered book sacred to cricket aficionados? Abedi is laconic about the honour, simply saying, “unbelievable” when asked about how he feels to be featured.
His sign-off message to photographers? “Always keep your eyes peeled for the offbeat.” Heed those words of Wisdom, or should that be Wisden?
*Commonwealth prize for Indian*
The prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 has been won by Indian academic, Parashar Kulkarni for his story, Cow and Company.
With this, the assistant professor in social sciences at Yale NUS College, Singapore, becomes the first Indian to win the prize, beating 4,000 entries from 47 countries. His story is about the hunt for a cow to feature in a chewing gum advertisement in 1905.
After all, what could be better for the marketing prospects of the company than get the approval from the cud-chewing holy cow? Those keen to read this story along with the rest can check out the Granta website.
*Burning cinders in Colaba*
Last week’s Metro House fire threw up several interesting stories, like all accidents do. One of them surrounded an iconic café and an equally popular bookstall. A mid-day reporter returned with a tip off, heavy on insaniyat.
*Cafe Mondegar and Shankar Book Stall after last week’s fire. Pic/Shadab Khan*
He said that the men behind Colaba’s Shankar Book Stall had recollected the frantic afternoon of the fire, and how they had dived into the kitchen of Café Mondegar, which the stall skirts, to unplug the gas supply to cylinders in an attempt to avoid a disaster.
We found this particularly interesting because the two establishments are involved in a long-drawn legal tussle over space. When Mondegar's managing partner, Hoshang Yezdegardi received a call from us, he rubbished the news, saying it was his own staff that had followed standard emergency protocol.
Pity, it isn’t true. If it were, it would make the perfect enmity-melts-in-the-face-of-a-smoky-tragedy story, emotional enough to rival a scene from a Manmohan Desai film.
*V for Victoria*
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India marked the one-year anniversary of the June 8, 2015 Bombay High Court ruling that horse carriages must be phased out of Mumbai within a year, yesterday.
Standing in front of a large clock with a banner that read, ‘Time Is Running Out: Relegate Victorias to History’, the protesters were led by actor Adah Sharma at Bandra’s Carter Road Amphitheatre.
*Cut above the rest**Pic/Nimesh Dave*
Ronnie Screwvala, owner of U Mumba, Season 3 finalists of the Pro-Kabaddi League, checks out the new look of sported by big-ticket player Rakesh Kumar at a salon last evening.
*A web series on Sacred Games*
While we’re still wondering why no one thought of adapting Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games for the big screen in the first place, it’s a case of better late than never.*Vikram Chandra*
The critically-acclaimed bestseller, published almost a decade ago, will now be the subject of an original series on Netflix. To be produced in partnership with Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films, the project marks the first original series from India.*Sacred Games*
It will be shot on location in the country. The Hindi-English series will be available to Netflix members globally. Delving into the city’s intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage, the book has all the trappings of a pacy thriller.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Tanaya-Wadkar-s.jpg*Tanaya Wadkar*
Tanaya Wadkar (15), a student of Kalsukar English School in Sawantwadi, scored 485 out of 500 and got an additional 15 marks for her sports activities. She had participated in 10-meters open sight shooting at the interschool and state-level competitions and had got a gold medal in one of the appearances.
While her father Ramchandra Wadkar is a head clerk with state transport department, her elder brother is pursuing a course in fine arts from B S Bandekar College Of Fine Art (Applied Art), which is affiliated to Mumbai-based Sir J. J. College of Architecture and her mother is a housewife. Her father reminisced that since childhood, she was a bright student but this score is unexpected.
“When my brother called me to give the news, I screamed so loud that my neighbours thought something went wrong at my house,” said Ramchandra, adding that he is planning to gift his daughter a rifle to help her continue the sport.
He also has planned to send Tanaya to Gun for Glory, an academy run by Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang in Pune to help hone her skills in shooting.
Tanaya thanked her friend for suggesting to take up shooting. “I took up the sport and reached the national level in six months.”
Asked how she handled academics and sports, she said, “I use to wake up early and study. Later, I would practise shooting for 2 hours and then go to my coaching class for tuitions in mathematics and science,” adding that shooting not only helped her get 100 per cent but also helped increase her concentration.
“I want to become an IAS officer. For now, I will opt for BSc and later pursue law,” wrapped up Tanaya.*Tanaya’s marks*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Iqbal-Shaikh-license-s.jpg*Iqbal Shaikh’s license which was renewed in February*
The driver, identified as Iqbal Shaikh, was a resident of Satara and had been working with Nikhil Travels for the last 10 years. Sanjay Bajare, Senior Police Inspector, New Panvel police station, said, “We have booked Iqbal Shaikh for rash driving and during the investigation we found that he first got his heavy vehicle license in 1973. Since the rule says every driver, after turning 60, has to get his license renewed every three years, he just got that done in February. This means he was fit to drive. We also checked if this was a case of drunken driving but have found no evidence yet and are awaiting his medical reports.”
Iqbal is survived by his three daughters and a son, who are married and live in Satara. Sikander Shaikh (55), Iqbal’s younger brother, who collected his body from the police, told mid-day, “Iqbal, who has been a driver all his life, was a respected person in Satara. I rushed to the hospital as soon as my family told me about the accident after watching it on the news. This is a major tragedy and if the police have to book him for rash driving, they must also book the Swift driver for parking in the middle of the road.”
Iqbal has been booked under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 297 (rash driving) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of IPC and Section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Bajare also said they have written to Khalapur Toll Booth requesting them for the CCTV footage of the accident. “We have asked the toll booth authorities for the CCTV footage of Sunday morning as the bus being a heavy vehicle should not have entered the first lane. Also, we will check if the cars had cut lanes. We have also recorded statements of most of the surviving bus passengers,” added Bajare. Reported by Mid-Day 19 hours ago.
↧
Apollo kidney racket: Doctors to be quizzed; 3 more arrested
*Ten doctors are likely to be questioned by the police in connection with the kidney racket busted in Apollo Hospital here last week, even as three more persons, including two women, were today nabbed while the kingpin remains at large.*
With this, the total numbers of arrests in the case has gone up to eight.
All ten doctors in Apollo Hospitals internal assessment committee for transplant surgeries will be quizzed, a senior police official said.
The committee comprises senior doctors working at the hospital, independent doctors and a government doctor.
The three arrested have been identified as Umesh and Nilu, who are husband and wife residing in Kanpur, and Mamta alias Maumita, wife of one of the five accused arrested last week. All three of them are kidney donors associated with the racket, the official said.
However, efforts to track down the kingpin, Rajukumar Rao, who is suspected to have links with similar rackets in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, have not yet yielded any results.
During interrogation, Umesh and Nilu told police that they had sold their kidneys for Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively as they were in urgent need of money for their minor sons leg surgery.
They also told police that when they came to know about the actual price in which their kidneys were sold, they felt deceived, an official privy to the investigation said.
The third accused, Mamta, is the one who actually led police to the kidney racket.
On the day it was busted, Mamta was spotted indulging in a heated exchange with her husband, Devashish Moulik, and when the police intervened, on receiving a call regarding the matter, they were stunned by what they heard. Mamta accused Devashish of cheating her with the amount he received after her kidney was sold.
During investigation, it came to light that Devashish had offered his own kidney first but on being declared unfit he convinced his wife to do so, the official said.
Five cases of organ sale have been detected with the recovery of large number of original files, CDs and documents seized by the police and further investigation is in progress, Randhawa said.
A case under different sections of IPC and Transplant of Human Organ Act (THOA) has been registered at Sarita Vihar police station in connection with the kidney racket.
The arrest of the five accused has also led to recovery of fake id proofs such as voter photo identity cards and Aadhaar cards, laptops.
The entire documentation and verification process for organ transplant was bypassed by using forged papers related with agreement of donor, relationship with donor, id and address proofs, proof of marriage and clearance of case by Hospital Internal Authorisation Committee, Randhawa said.
All the necessary documents were made fraudulently by affixing donors photo showing the person as recipients relative using documents of a genuine relative, he added.
Apollo hospital denied involvement in the kidney racket emphasising that it was a "victim" of a well-orchestrated operation by the accused.
"The police in their investigation has identified secretarial staff of some doctors, who have been accused of being involved in the alleged racket. We reiterate that these are not employees of the hospital. While all due precautions were conducted, the use of fake and forged documents was used for this racket with a criminal intent. The hospital has been a victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients and the hospital," the statement by hospital stated.
The hospital also claimed that in order to ensure compliance with the law and diligence in process, it has an independent body with external members also for according consent for any transplant surgery.
This Committee goes through all documents necessary to ensure that requirements under the concerned Act are complied with. Further, the hospital has ensured that all due process as per the law has been followed, added the hospital statement Reported by Deccan Herald 13 hours ago.
With this, the total numbers of arrests in the case has gone up to eight.
All ten doctors in Apollo Hospitals internal assessment committee for transplant surgeries will be quizzed, a senior police official said.
The committee comprises senior doctors working at the hospital, independent doctors and a government doctor.
The three arrested have been identified as Umesh and Nilu, who are husband and wife residing in Kanpur, and Mamta alias Maumita, wife of one of the five accused arrested last week. All three of them are kidney donors associated with the racket, the official said.
However, efforts to track down the kingpin, Rajukumar Rao, who is suspected to have links with similar rackets in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Indonesia, have not yet yielded any results.
During interrogation, Umesh and Nilu told police that they had sold their kidneys for Rs 4 lakh and Rs 3 lakh respectively as they were in urgent need of money for their minor sons leg surgery.
They also told police that when they came to know about the actual price in which their kidneys were sold, they felt deceived, an official privy to the investigation said.
The third accused, Mamta, is the one who actually led police to the kidney racket.
On the day it was busted, Mamta was spotted indulging in a heated exchange with her husband, Devashish Moulik, and when the police intervened, on receiving a call regarding the matter, they were stunned by what they heard. Mamta accused Devashish of cheating her with the amount he received after her kidney was sold.
During investigation, it came to light that Devashish had offered his own kidney first but on being declared unfit he convinced his wife to do so, the official said.
Five cases of organ sale have been detected with the recovery of large number of original files, CDs and documents seized by the police and further investigation is in progress, Randhawa said.
A case under different sections of IPC and Transplant of Human Organ Act (THOA) has been registered at Sarita Vihar police station in connection with the kidney racket.
The arrest of the five accused has also led to recovery of fake id proofs such as voter photo identity cards and Aadhaar cards, laptops.
The entire documentation and verification process for organ transplant was bypassed by using forged papers related with agreement of donor, relationship with donor, id and address proofs, proof of marriage and clearance of case by Hospital Internal Authorisation Committee, Randhawa said.
All the necessary documents were made fraudulently by affixing donors photo showing the person as recipients relative using documents of a genuine relative, he added.
Apollo hospital denied involvement in the kidney racket emphasising that it was a "victim" of a well-orchestrated operation by the accused.
"The police in their investigation has identified secretarial staff of some doctors, who have been accused of being involved in the alleged racket. We reiterate that these are not employees of the hospital. While all due precautions were conducted, the use of fake and forged documents was used for this racket with a criminal intent. The hospital has been a victim of a well-orchestrated operation to cheat patients and the hospital," the statement by hospital stated.
The hospital also claimed that in order to ensure compliance with the law and diligence in process, it has an independent body with external members also for according consent for any transplant surgery.
This Committee goes through all documents necessary to ensure that requirements under the concerned Act are complied with. Further, the hospital has ensured that all due process as per the law has been followed, added the hospital statement Reported by Deccan Herald 13 hours ago.
↧
Elephant electrocuted in Odisha
*Dhenkanal (Odisha):* A tusker was electrocuted in a mango orchard in Hindol range in Dhenkanal forest division of Odisha, forest officials said on Tuesday.The elephant, aged around 25 years, had apparently broken a branch of a mango tree which fell on the electric wire
leading to the animal's death on Tuesday.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/7leopard-s.jpghttp://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jan/26suicide-s.jpg
According to preliminary observations, the teenager may have committed suicide due to low marks a his SSC results. However Nehru Nagar police are still investigating the matter to ascertain the cause.
The boy Abhijeet Bansode, resident of Patra Chawl in Sable Nagar committed suicide by hanging himself at his home. His SSC result was declared on Monday and he had scored 45%.
"There is no suicide note found yet and no indication seen on his social media either. We are now in the process if taking statements from his family members and friends. The body has been taken to Rajawadi Hospital," said Pramod Khoparde, senior inspector at the Nehru Nagar police station.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07Eknath-Khadse-s.jpg*Eknath Khadse*
According to Bhangale’s petition, the information he has also includes alleged phone calls between Dawood and Khadse.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Sairat-movie-s.jpg*The girl watched Sairat (above) on May 27, and pressured her boyfriend into fleeing from Mumbai on the same day. File pic*
The girl’s inspiration to elope came after she watched Sairat on May 27 at Thakur Mall, Borivli. The movie is about a teenage couple; the boy belongs to a lower caste and the girl is the daughter of a rich, upper-caste landlord. Their love is discovered and since society has a dislike for such couplings, the duo elopes and is eventually killed.
*Emotional plea*
After watching the movie, the 16-year-old felt like this was going to be her fate with her 20-year-old boyfriend — who works at a local butcher’s shop. So, she called him up and asked him to elope with her saying she’d kill herself otherwise. When the boy refused, the girl pressured him to leave the city.
Her 14-year-old best friend, inspired by the couple’s friends in the movie also wanted to help and agreed to flee as well.
The trio left for UP on the same day. Unaware of their plans, the family members of the girls were deeply worried after they didn’t return home from the movie. They approached the Kasturba Marg police to lodge a complaint. Soon, the cops swung into action and got to know that a 20-year-old boy from the locality had gone missing the same day.
*Caught!*
They then started tracing the couple’s mobile phones and found out that they were on a train to UP. The cops inquired if the boy belonged to a town or village in there and found that he was from Basti. Policemen hopped onto a train to UP and found the girls from the boy’s home on Sunday.
During questioning, the girl told the police that she eloped because she feared her father would kill her and her boyfriend if he got to know about their relationship, just like the lead actress’ father does in the movie.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Mumbai-Pune-Expressway-s.jpg
*Also read - Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident: Deceased bus driver booked for rash driving**A host of safety issues were highlighted after Sunday’s accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. File pic*
*Bright blindness*
There are nine tunnels on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that are 6-km long and will soon have light controlling sensors to prevent drivers from experiencing temporary blindness on exiting the tunnels. An MSRDC official said, “We are trying our best to overcome most of the errors. To resolve a problem of bright blindness, the IRB is placing light controlling sensors that can adjust the light as per day and night so that drivers do not face any issue of blindness when they drive out of the tunnel and this will help avoid accidents.”
*Also read: Poor road sense, rash driving caused accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Accident-prone spots*
Between April 2015 to May 2016, around 153 accidents have taken place on the expressway at locations including Wadgoan, Khandala, Bhorghat, Palase and around 96 people have died in these accidents. “Most of the accidents occur at Amrutanjan Bridge as it is very steep and has an S-shaped turn. With similar qualities, Khandala exit point and Kune Bridge have also become accident-prone spots. Kusgaon and Devale Bridge are part of the list too,” said a traffic cop deployed at the expressway.
*Also read: First-person account of accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Halts*
The 93-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway has four halting spots and Sunday’s accident too was caused after a car with a flat tyre stopped midway in the first lane. Also, continuous driving can heat up the tyres, which can result in them bursting. “The four spots are sufficient and if we make arrangements for more there are chances that the traffic will be uncontrollable. So a break after 30 km is sufficient,” the MSRDC official added.*In the last three years on the expressway...*
*1,580*
No of accidents
*370*
Death toll
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/PMSwiss-s.jpg*Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Switzerland’s President Johann Schneider-Ammann. PIC/PTI*
Swiss President Johann Schneider-Ammann announced his country’s support to India’s membership in the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding comprehensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a range of bilateral and global issues.
Switzerland is a key member of the NSG and its support to India’s bid for membership of the elite grouping was seen as crucial in the backdrop of China harping on the need for a consensus as India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The Prime Minister thanked the Swiss President and also said combating black money and tax evasion was a “shared priority” for both the countries.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Indrani-Peter-s.jpg
*Also read - Sheena Bora murder case: 10 shocking developments so far**Peter and Indrani Mukerjea*
mid-day had reported on March 30 that Peter was planning to sell the prime property to pay his legal bills. When Indrani learnt of this, she had her lawyer Gunjan Mangla send a three-page letter to the housing society to explain that he had no right to do so. The flat is worth Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore.
On January 7, 2011, Indrani and Peter had drawn up a gift deed naming Vidhie as the owner of the 3,000-sq-ft duplex. Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from an earlier marriage to Sanjeev Khanna (co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case). However, the deed also stipulates that as long as Indrani is alive, she has first right on the flat.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07gulbarg-society-s.jpg*Awaiting justice: Gulbarg housing society in Ahmedabad. FILE PIC*
Pleading for maximum punishment, the prosecution said capital punishment could be considered by the court or the convicts be sent to jail and ordered to remain there till their last breath.
As arguments over the quantum of sentence that lasted for over two-and-a-half hours remained inconclusive, the special SIT court judge PB Desai adjourned further hearing in the case to Thursday.
The court had on Friday convicted 24 and acquitted 36 others, while dropping conspiracy charges in the killings of 69 persons including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri in Gulbarg housing society on February 29, 2002 in post-Godhra riots when Narendra Modi was Gujarat Chief Minister.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Eastern-Freeway-s.jpg*Boys beside the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai find their pitch plays rather like a road. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi*
The heat and dust of the Eastern Express Highway rose in great swirls, and there on that eventful day in March 2015, Abedi knew he had his photograph. A group of boys were playing cricket in the shadow of the flyover on the Highway. His camera whirred, and, when the time came, he sent this picture to cricket’s bible, The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, for the competition The Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of 2015.*Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016*
Now, Abedi’s picture has made it to the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016, and what greater tribute than to find a place amidst the yellow covered book sacred to cricket aficionados? Abedi is laconic about the honour, simply saying, “unbelievable” when asked about how he feels to be featured.
His sign-off message to photographers? “Always keep your eyes peeled for the offbeat.” Heed those words of Wisdom, or should that be Wisden?
*Commonwealth prize for Indian*
The prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 has been won by Indian academic, Parashar Kulkarni for his story, Cow and Company.
With this, the assistant professor in social sciences at Yale NUS College, Singapore, becomes the first Indian to win the prize, beating 4,000 entries from 47 countries. His story is about the hunt for a cow to feature in a chewing gum advertisement in 1905.
After all, what could be better for the marketing prospects of the company than get the approval from the cud-chewing holy cow? Those keen to read this story along with the rest can check out the Granta website.
*Burning cinders in Colaba*
Last week’s Metro House fire threw up several interesting stories, like all accidents do. One of them surrounded an iconic café and an equally popular bookstall. A mid-day reporter returned with a tip off, heavy on insaniyat.
*Cafe Mondegar and Shankar Book Stall after last week’s fire. Pic/Shadab Khan*
He said that the men behind Colaba’s Shankar Book Stall had recollected the frantic afternoon of the fire, and how they had dived into the kitchen of Café Mondegar, which the stall skirts, to unplug the gas supply to cylinders in an attempt to avoid a disaster.
We found this particularly interesting because the two establishments are involved in a long-drawn legal tussle over space. When Mondegar's managing partner, Hoshang Yezdegardi received a call from us, he rubbished the news, saying it was his own staff that had followed standard emergency protocol.
Pity, it isn’t true. If it were, it would make the perfect enmity-melts-in-the-face-of-a-smoky-tragedy story, emotional enough to rival a scene from a Manmohan Desai film.
*V for Victoria*
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India marked the one-year anniversary of the June 8, 2015 Bombay High Court ruling that horse carriages must be phased out of Mumbai within a year, yesterday.
Standing in front of a large clock with a banner that read, ‘Time Is Running Out: Relegate Victorias to History’, the protesters were led by actor Adah Sharma at Bandra’s Carter Road Amphitheatre.
*Cut above the rest**Pic/Nimesh Dave*
Ronnie Screwvala, owner of U Mumba, Season 3 finalists of the Pro-Kabaddi League, checks out the new look of sported by big-ticket player Rakesh Kumar at a salon last evening.
*A web series on Sacred Games*
While we’re still wondering why no one thought of adapting Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games for the big screen in the first place, it’s a case of better late than never.*Vikram Chandra*
The critically-acclaimed bestseller, published almost a decade ago, will now be the subject of an original series on Netflix. To be produced in partnership with Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films, the project marks the first original series from India.*Sacred Games*
It will be shot on location in the country. The Hindi-English series will be available to Netflix members globally. Delving into the city’s intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage, the book has all the trappings of a pacy thriller.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Tanaya-Wadkar-s.jpg*Tanaya Wadkar*
Tanaya Wadkar (15), a student of Kalsukar English School in Sawantwadi, scored 485 out of 500 and got an additional 15 marks for her sports activities. She had participated in 10-meters open sight shooting at the interschool and state-level competitions and had got a gold medal in one of the appearances.
While her father Ramchandra Wadkar is a head clerk with state transport department, her elder brother is pursuing a course in fine arts from B S Bandekar College Of Fine Art (Applied Art), which is affiliated to Mumbai-based Sir J. J. College of Architecture and her mother is a housewife. Her father reminisced that since childhood, she was a bright student but this score is unexpected.
“When my brother called me to give the news, I screamed so loud that my neighbours thought something went wrong at my house,” said Ramchandra, adding that he is planning to gift his daughter a rifle to help her continue the sport.
He also has planned to send Tanaya to Gun for Glory, an academy run by Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang in Pune to help hone her skills in shooting.
Tanaya thanked her friend for suggesting to take up shooting. “I took up the sport and reached the national level in six months.”
Asked how she handled academics and sports, she said, “I use to wake up early and study. Later, I would practise shooting for 2 hours and then go to my coaching class for tuitions in mathematics and science,” adding that shooting not only helped her get 100 per cent but also helped increase her concentration.
“I want to become an IAS officer. For now, I will opt for BSc and later pursue law,” wrapped up Tanaya.*Tanaya’s marks*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Iqbal-Shaikh-license-s.jpg*Iqbal Shaikh’s license which was renewed in February*
The driver, identified as Iqbal Shaikh, was a resident of Satara and had been working with Nikhil Travels for the last 10 years. Sanjay Bajare, Senior Police Inspector, New Panvel police station, said, “We have booked Iqbal Shaikh for rash driving and during the investigation we found that he first got his heavy vehicle license in 1973. Since the rule says every driver, after turning 60, has to get his license renewed every three years, he just got that done in February. This means he was fit to drive. We also checked if this was a case of drunken driving but have found no evidence yet and are awaiting his medical reports.”
Iqbal is survived by his three daughters and a son, who are married and live in Satara. Sikander Shaikh (55), Iqbal’s younger brother, who collected his body from the police, told mid-day, “Iqbal, who has been a driver all his life, was a respected person in Satara. I rushed to the hospital as soon as my family told me about the accident after watching it on the news. This is a major tragedy and if the police have to book him for rash driving, they must also book the Swift driver for parking in the middle of the road.”
Iqbal has been booked under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 297 (rash driving) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of IPC and Section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Bajare also said they have written to Khalapur Toll Booth requesting them for the CCTV footage of the accident. “We have asked the toll booth authorities for the CCTV footage of Sunday morning as the bus being a heavy vehicle should not have entered the first lane. Also, we will check if the cars had cut lanes. We have also recorded statements of most of the surviving bus passengers,” added Bajare. Reported by Mid-Day 21 hours ago.
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Guests reveal their most toe-curling wedding moments
A Reddit user asked: 'What happened at a wedding that let you know the marriage was going to end in a divorce?' The enlightening thread has received more than 10,000 comments.
Reported by MailOnline India 10 hours ago.
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Man arrested for alleged attempt to murder young woman in Thane
*Thane:* A married man was on Tuesday arrested by Naupada police in Thane on alleged charges of attempt to murder on a 22-year-old woman with whom he had develop a friendly relation.According to PI MJ Bagga of Naupada police station the accused Mahesh Tarkar, a resident of Kalwa, tried to force a marriage on the woman, who denied his proposal.
Yesterday noon, the accused once again met the woman at her residence and informed him that he was in love with her and hence had divorced his wife. However, the woman refused to live with him resulting in a quarrel between the two.
Quoting the complaint filed by the woman, police said that the accused tried to kill her after he pulled out a revolver and dragged her to the bedroom. He then tried to strangulate her to death. A melee ensued and Tarkar again hit her on the head with a revolverbefore trying to molest her. However, the woman escaped, police said.
The accused was arrested in the wee hours on Tuesday. He was booked under sections 307, 354 of the IPC and also sections 3 and 12 of the Arms Act.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07free-verse-s.jpg
The event will be hosted by famous singer and performer Luke Kenny. Come join us, grab a drink and enjoy an afternoon filled with Spoken Word and Poetry with appetizing bar nibbles.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jan/26suicide-s.jpg
According to preliminary observations, the teenager may have committed suicide due to low marks a his SSC results. However Nehru Nagar police are still investigating the matter to ascertain the cause.
The boy Abhijeet Bansode, resident of Patra Chawl in Sable Nagar committed suicide by hanging himself at his home. His SSC result was declared on Monday and he had scored 45%.
"There is no suicide note found yet and no indication seen on his social media either. We are now in the process if taking statements from his family members and friends. The body has been taken to Rajawadi Hospital," said Pramod Khoparde, senior inspector at the Nehru Nagar police station.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Sairat-movie-s.jpg*The girl watched Sairat (above) on May 27, and pressured her boyfriend into fleeing from Mumbai on the same day. File pic*
The girl’s inspiration to elope came after she watched Sairat on May 27 at Thakur Mall, Borivli. The movie is about a teenage couple; the boy belongs to a lower caste and the girl is the daughter of a rich, upper-caste landlord. Their love is discovered and since society has a dislike for such couplings, the duo elopes and is eventually killed.
*Emotional plea*
After watching the movie, the 16-year-old felt like this was going to be her fate with her 20-year-old boyfriend — who works at a local butcher’s shop. So, she called him up and asked him to elope with her saying she’d kill herself otherwise. When the boy refused, the girl pressured him to leave the city.
Her 14-year-old best friend, inspired by the couple’s friends in the movie also wanted to help and agreed to flee as well.
The trio left for UP on the same day. Unaware of their plans, the family members of the girls were deeply worried after they didn’t return home from the movie. They approached the Kasturba Marg police to lodge a complaint. Soon, the cops swung into action and got to know that a 20-year-old boy from the locality had gone missing the same day.
*Caught!*
They then started tracing the couple’s mobile phones and found out that they were on a train to UP. The cops inquired if the boy belonged to a town or village in there and found that he was from Basti. Policemen hopped onto a train to UP and found the girls from the boy’s home on Sunday.
During questioning, the girl told the police that she eloped because she feared her father would kill her and her boyfriend if he got to know about their relationship, just like the lead actress’ father does in the movie.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Manjula-Vora-s.jpg*Manjula Vora was found in a pool of blood on her kitchen floor in her fifth-floor flat at Pranav Residency. Pic/Suresh Karkera*
The elderly woman has been identified as Manjula Vora, a resident of a flat on the fifth floor at Pranav Residency, opposite Nappu Garden in Matunga (E). Manjula was living there with her 70-year-old brother Ravi Lal, who is mentally challenged. She also owned the building.
It was their family doctor who discovered the crime when he went to the flat for his nightly visit around 7.30 pm. He knocked on the door but got no response, so assumed the brother-sister duo were out. But when he went downstairs, the watchman told him Manjula and her brother were still at home. The doctor went back up but still found no response. This time, however, he found the door open and walked in to see a stranger inside, holding a bag.
This person is currently a suspect but his identity remains unknown as his face was obscured by a cap. The stranger told the doctor to go look at Manjula and used the opportunity to flee the scene. Meanwhile, the doctor was shocked to see Manjula’s throat slit, her body lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Mumbai-Pune-Expressway-s.jpg
*Also read - Mumbai-Pune Expressway accident: Deceased bus driver booked for rash driving**A host of safety issues were highlighted after Sunday’s accident on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. File pic*
*Bright blindness*
There are nine tunnels on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway that are 6-km long and will soon have light controlling sensors to prevent drivers from experiencing temporary blindness on exiting the tunnels. An MSRDC official said, “We are trying our best to overcome most of the errors. To resolve a problem of bright blindness, the IRB is placing light controlling sensors that can adjust the light as per day and night so that drivers do not face any issue of blindness when they drive out of the tunnel and this will help avoid accidents.”
*Also read: Poor road sense, rash driving caused accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Accident-prone spots*
Between April 2015 to May 2016, around 153 accidents have taken place on the expressway at locations including Wadgoan, Khandala, Bhorghat, Palase and around 96 people have died in these accidents. “Most of the accidents occur at Amrutanjan Bridge as it is very steep and has an S-shaped turn. With similar qualities, Khandala exit point and Kune Bridge have also become accident-prone spots. Kusgaon and Devale Bridge are part of the list too,” said a traffic cop deployed at the expressway.
*Also read: First-person account of accident on Mumbai-Pune Expressway*
*Halts*
The 93-km-long Mumbai-Pune Expressway has four halting spots and Sunday’s accident too was caused after a car with a flat tyre stopped midway in the first lane. Also, continuous driving can heat up the tyres, which can result in them bursting. “The four spots are sufficient and if we make arrangements for more there are chances that the traffic will be uncontrollable. So a break after 30 km is sufficient,” the MSRDC official added.*In the last three years on the expressway...*
*1,580*
No of accidents
*370*
Death toll
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Indrani-Peter-s.jpg
*Also read - Sheena Bora murder case: 10 shocking developments so far**Peter and Indrani Mukerjea*
mid-day had reported on March 30 that Peter was planning to sell the prime property to pay his legal bills. When Indrani learnt of this, she had her lawyer Gunjan Mangla send a three-page letter to the housing society to explain that he had no right to do so. The flat is worth Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore.
On January 7, 2011, Indrani and Peter had drawn up a gift deed naming Vidhie as the owner of the 3,000-sq-ft duplex. Vidhie is Indrani’s daughter from an earlier marriage to Sanjeev Khanna (co-accused in the Sheena Bora murder case). However, the deed also stipulates that as long as Indrani is alive, she has first right on the flat.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07Rinku-Rajguru-s.jpg
Post the success of her debut film Sairat, the 15-year-old actress has been facing security issues.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07sonam-s.jpg
*(L-R) Sonam Kapoor, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari and Swara Bhaskar*
Sonam Kapoor came out to support her gal pal.*Helen*
The two actresses have previously worked together in Raanjhanaa (2013) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015).
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Guneet-Monga-s.jpg*Guneet Monga*
Now, to commemorate the 11th anniversary of Laadli, the Girl Child campaign by Population First, Avid Learning will hold a talk with CEO at Anurag Kashyap Films, Guneet Monga, screenwriter, Juhi Chaturvedi, screenwriter, Pubali Chaudhuri, film editor, Jabeen Merchant and film director of Nil Battey Sannaata, Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari with veteran theatre Actress and casting director, Dolly Thakore. Asad Lalljee, CEO, Avid Learning, says that it is a part of talks on social change. “This talk is particularly interesting because it involves women who are changing cinema by taking up predominantly male spaces,” he explains.*Guneet Monga*
And adds that, it was a conscious decision to not opt for an actor in this talk, “We have not included an actor because there have always been women on screen, but it is behind the screen where the change is finally coming along. These filmmakers have made films like Gangs of Wasseypur and The Lunchbox which have made waves in recent years. It is this difference in perspective that we aim to explore,” says Lalljee Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari A gold medalist from Sophia Polytechnic, Mumbai, Ashwiny spent 16 years in advertising. She won several awards from Cannes Lions, New York festival, One show, Clio, D&AD and one national award for her short Film. Her current film Nil Battey Sannata got rave reviews.*Jabeen Merchant*
*Guneet Monga*
Voted as one of the top 12 women achievers in the Global Entertainment industry by The Hollywood Reporter, Monga is a game-changer in Indian cinema. In 2013, she produced the The Lunchbox that became a global sensation, garnering 23m USD and earning the film a BAFTA nomination for Best Foreign Film. Monga’s latest film Masaan, won the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes.*Pubali Chaudhuri*
*Juhi Chaturvedi*
Chaturvedi is the story, screenplay and dialogue writer of movies Vicky Donor and recently released PIKU. In addition, she has written dialogues for Khubsoorat and critically acclaimed film Madras Café.
*Pubali Chaudhuri*
The writer of award-winning films like Rock On and Kai Po Che. Pubali has lately been working in close tandem with producers Farhan Akhtar and Riteish Sidhwani for Rock On 2.
*Jabeen Merchant
*Jabeen is a trained as a film editor at the FTII, Pune. Many of the films that Jabeen has edited have feminist themes, including Un-Limited Girls, a film that mixes documentary and fiction to present a history of the Indian women’s movement. Her recently-released fiction feature film was the dark thriller NH10, which co-incidentally also centres around a strong woman lead character.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07sanjay-zareen-s.jpg
*Sanjay Dutt*
*
Zareen Khan*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Eastern-Freeway-s.jpg*Boys beside the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai find their pitch plays rather like a road. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi*
The heat and dust of the Eastern Express Highway rose in great swirls, and there on that eventful day in March 2015, Abedi knew he had his photograph. A group of boys were playing cricket in the shadow of the flyover on the Highway. His camera whirred, and, when the time came, he sent this picture to cricket’s bible, The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, for the competition The Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of 2015.*Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016*
Now, Abedi’s picture has made it to the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2016, and what greater tribute than to find a place amidst the yellow covered book sacred to cricket aficionados? Abedi is laconic about the honour, simply saying, “unbelievable” when asked about how he feels to be featured.
His sign-off message to photographers? “Always keep your eyes peeled for the offbeat.” Heed those words of Wisdom, or should that be Wisden?
*Commonwealth prize for Indian*
The prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2016 has been won by Indian academic, Parashar Kulkarni for his story, Cow and Company.
With this, the assistant professor in social sciences at Yale NUS College, Singapore, becomes the first Indian to win the prize, beating 4,000 entries from 47 countries. His story is about the hunt for a cow to feature in a chewing gum advertisement in 1905.
After all, what could be better for the marketing prospects of the company than get the approval from the cud-chewing holy cow? Those keen to read this story along with the rest can check out the Granta website.
*Burning cinders in Colaba*
Last week’s Metro House fire threw up several interesting stories, like all accidents do. One of them surrounded an iconic café and an equally popular bookstall. A mid-day reporter returned with a tip off, heavy on insaniyat.
*Cafe Mondegar and Shankar Book Stall after last week’s fire. Pic/Shadab Khan*
He said that the men behind Colaba’s Shankar Book Stall had recollected the frantic afternoon of the fire, and how they had dived into the kitchen of Café Mondegar, which the stall skirts, to unplug the gas supply to cylinders in an attempt to avoid a disaster.
We found this particularly interesting because the two establishments are involved in a long-drawn legal tussle over space. When Mondegar's managing partner, Hoshang Yezdegardi received a call from us, he rubbished the news, saying it was his own staff that had followed standard emergency protocol.
Pity, it isn’t true. If it were, it would make the perfect enmity-melts-in-the-face-of-a-smoky-tragedy story, emotional enough to rival a scene from a Manmohan Desai film.
*V for Victoria*
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India marked the one-year anniversary of the June 8, 2015 Bombay High Court ruling that horse carriages must be phased out of Mumbai within a year, yesterday.
Standing in front of a large clock with a banner that read, ‘Time Is Running Out: Relegate Victorias to History’, the protesters were led by actor Adah Sharma at Bandra’s Carter Road Amphitheatre.
*Cut above the rest**Pic/Nimesh Dave*
Ronnie Screwvala, owner of U Mumba, Season 3 finalists of the Pro-Kabaddi League, checks out the new look of sported by big-ticket player Rakesh Kumar at a salon last evening.
*A web series on Sacred Games*
While we’re still wondering why no one thought of adapting Vikram Chandra’s Sacred Games for the big screen in the first place, it’s a case of better late than never.*Vikram Chandra*
The critically-acclaimed bestseller, published almost a decade ago, will now be the subject of an original series on Netflix. To be produced in partnership with Anurag Kashyap’s Phantom Films, the project marks the first original series from India.*Sacred Games*
It will be shot on location in the country. The Hindi-English series will be available to Netflix members globally. Delving into the city’s intricate web of organised crime, corruption, politics and espionage, the book has all the trappings of a pacy thriller.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07kareena-s.jpg
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/07-Diljit-Dosanjh_s.jpg*Diljit Dosanjh*
Well, literally.
Keen to settle in India’s film capital and bag more Bollywood projects, Diljit has apparently loosened his purse strings to buy a 3BHK in the plush Western suburb of Khar. It was on the advice of industry gurus that Diljit invested in the R10-crore property, thereby ensuring his availability all the time to find more work in B-Town.
A source says, “It is a three-bedroom house on the 12th floor of a Khar highrise. He has been hunting for a house for the last one month and has finalised this one a few days ago. He has bought the flat since he needed a place to stay in Mumbai because of his work commitments,” informs a source.
Over the next few days, the actor has promotional activities and dubbing work for his upcoming projects. “He is required to be in the city for promotions of Udta Punjab and also for the dubbing for Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 2 at a studio in Oshiwara. He will also visit the sets of a TV show soon to promote the latter. Then he has narration sessions for Hindi films for which he is supposed to be in Mumbai and that’s why having his own house was an important move,” adds the source.
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Lara-Saluj-yoga-s.jpg
*
Lara Saluja at one of her sessions. Pic/ Satej Shinde
*
Tangerine is a multi-disciplinary arts studio in Bandra that provides a variety of alternative workouts. Their roster includes zumba, jazz, ballet and meditation flow exercises, which are a fun and refreshing break to a treadmill and weights. One of the classes we found especially interesting is the Aerial Silk and Antigravity Yoga class led by Lara Saluja. Here you will stretch and strengthen your core without putting pressure on your joints and back. Swaths of silk fabric will help you suspend mid-air and perform yoga like you’ve never seen it before.
*At:* 9, 2nd Floor, Rukhsana, next to Puja Casa, Ambedkar Road, Bandra.
*Call:* 9867369960
*Session:* Mondays and Wednesdays, 7.15 pm onwards
*Perfect for:* The yoga buff looking for ways to enhance practice and posture
*Bounce off a trampoline**Various workout options make trampolining a fun session . Pic/Shadab Khan*
Led by Hetall Mandiwala, Frequencee hosts a range of innovative and invigorating fitness experiences. Result oriented classes mean that you'll be firing up your metabolism and working your core in every class. Mandiwalla, a veteran, who’s been in the fitness field for over 12 years, has programmes and workout routines that include dance, core exercises, toning, strengthening and ab workouts all under one roof. One of the classes that you must try is the trampolining class where you’ll combine the fun of bouncing around with a serious workout. Some studies have revealed that you can burn off the same number of calories in a trampolining session in 10 minutes as with 30 minutes of jogging. This activity impacts core areas like the muscles and torso.
*At:* The Plaza, 145, 1st Floor, Hughes Road, opposite Ghanasingh & Sons, behind Dharam Palace
*Call:* 9920131637/9820142519
*Time:* Thursdays, 6pm onwards
*Perfect for:* When you want to add fun to a regular workout routine
*Pick up the Kettle bell**Kettle bell training. Pic/ Prabhanjan Dhanu*
Cindy Jourdain, a former professional ballerina, teaches a fat-scorching boot camp where she combines aspects of CrossFit and dance to increase strength, stamina and mobility. A qualified personal trainer, you’ll find music egging on participants as it keeps the heart rate up. She also hosts specialised workshops like kettle bell training where the aim is to make weight lifting available to all. With an emphasis on form and technique, it’s ideal to try a variety of workouts in one class.
*At:* The Space, Jeeva Bungalow, 14 Silver Beach Estate, AB Nair Road, Juhu.
*Call:* 9167357811
*Instagram:* @cindy_jourdain
*Sessions:* Multiple timing options
*Perfect for:* If you wish for a model figure by sweating it out with a range of movements
*Sign up for bootcamp*
http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jun/Iqbal-Shaikh-license-s.jpg*Iqbal Shaikh’s license which was renewed in February*
The driver, identified as Iqbal Shaikh, was a resident of Satara and had been working with Nikhil Travels for the last 10 years. Sanjay Bajare, Senior Police Inspector, New Panvel police station, said, “We have booked Iqbal Shaikh for rash driving and during the investigation we found that he first got his heavy vehicle license in 1973. Since the rule says every driver, after turning 60, has to get his license renewed every three years, he just got that done in February. This means he was fit to drive. We also checked if this was a case of drunken driving but have found no evidence yet and are awaiting his medical reports.”
Iqbal is survived by his three daughters and a son, who are married and live in Satara. Sikander Shaikh (55), Iqbal’s younger brother, who collected his body from the police, told mid-day, “Iqbal, who has been a driver all his life, was a respected person in Satara. I rushed to the hospital as soon as my family told me about the accident after watching it on the news. This is a major tragedy and if the police have to book him for rash driving, they must also book the Swift driver for parking in the middle of the road.”
Iqbal has been booked under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 297 (rash driving) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of IPC and Section 184 (driving dangerously) of the Motor Vehicle Act.
Bajare also said they have written to Khalapur Toll Booth requesting them for the CCTV footage of the accident. “We have asked the toll booth authorities for the CCTV footage of Sunday morning as the bus being a heavy vehicle should not have entered the first lane. Also, we will check if the cars had cut lanes. We have also recorded statements of most of the surviving bus passengers,” added Bajare. Reported by Mid-Day 20 hours ago.
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John Abraham and wife Priya Runchal about to part ways?
Another marriage on the rocks in Bollywood.
Reported by DNA 15 hours ago.
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As Modi meets Obama, activists call for talks on human trafficking in India
US President Barack Obama should press the visiting prime minister of India to strengthen his country's anti-trafficking laws and deliver justice to victims, human rights campaigners said on Tuesday.
Obama was due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Tuesday to discuss economic growth, climate change, clean energy and defence cooperation.
However, activists called on Obama to use Modi's fourth visit to the United States since becoming prime minister in 2014 to focus on India's anti-slavery record.
India has the most slaves in the world with more than 18 million people trapped in debt bondage, forced into marriage, sold to brothels or born into servitude, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.
"More people are enslaved in India than in any other country in the world, with millions of Indian men, women, and children trapped in debt bondage and forced to perform strenuous work," said Amy Sobel of the Washington-based Human Rights First pressure group.
"Prime Minister Modi's trip to the United States is an opportunity for President Obama to raise concerns over India's progress in combating modern slavery while ensuring that the US-India relationship is grounded in respect for human dignity and fundamental rights."
Forty percent of the world's estimated 45.8 million slaves are in India, although the scourge exists in all 167 nations surveyed in last month's Global Slavery Index, according to researchers behind the list.
The US State Department's 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report shows that India's primary trafficking problem is forced labour.
Often trapped in debt, victims including women and children are forced to work in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, embroidery factories, and other industries to pay off what they owe to their traffickers.
The TIP report ranks India as a Tier 2 country which means the government has not fully complied with US standards but is making significant efforts to meet those standards.
Last week a senior US lawmaker raised concerns over India's human rights record, noting that the 2015 TIP report indicated that Indian officials at various levels of government were complicit in human trafficking.
"The government did not report investigations, prosecutions or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offences," said Senator Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during a speech in New Delhi.
Indian officials, however, have pointed to a slew of initiatives taken by Modi's government over the last two years which they said was proof that New Delhi was taking the issue seriously.
These include the introduction of a new anti-trafficking law, an online platform to find missing children and increased focus on the rehabilitation of victims of slavery.
Last week India unveiled a draft of its first comprehensive anti-human trafficking law, which provides for more shelters, a rehabilitation fund, fast-track courts to ensure speedy trials, a federal investigative agency to boost convictions.
ReportIndiaReutersNew Delhi
· Modi In US
· Narendra Modi
· Barack Obama
· human trafficking
· United States
Tue, 7 Jun 2016-10:33pm
Date updated:
Tuesday, 7 June 2016 - 10:33pm
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From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 10 hours ago.
Obama was due to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Tuesday to discuss economic growth, climate change, clean energy and defence cooperation.
However, activists called on Obama to use Modi's fourth visit to the United States since becoming prime minister in 2014 to focus on India's anti-slavery record.
India has the most slaves in the world with more than 18 million people trapped in debt bondage, forced into marriage, sold to brothels or born into servitude, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.
"More people are enslaved in India than in any other country in the world, with millions of Indian men, women, and children trapped in debt bondage and forced to perform strenuous work," said Amy Sobel of the Washington-based Human Rights First pressure group.
"Prime Minister Modi's trip to the United States is an opportunity for President Obama to raise concerns over India's progress in combating modern slavery while ensuring that the US-India relationship is grounded in respect for human dignity and fundamental rights."
Forty percent of the world's estimated 45.8 million slaves are in India, although the scourge exists in all 167 nations surveyed in last month's Global Slavery Index, according to researchers behind the list.
The US State Department's 2015 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report shows that India's primary trafficking problem is forced labour.
Often trapped in debt, victims including women and children are forced to work in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, embroidery factories, and other industries to pay off what they owe to their traffickers.
The TIP report ranks India as a Tier 2 country which means the government has not fully complied with US standards but is making significant efforts to meet those standards.
Last week a senior US lawmaker raised concerns over India's human rights record, noting that the 2015 TIP report indicated that Indian officials at various levels of government were complicit in human trafficking.
"The government did not report investigations, prosecutions or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offences," said Senator Ben Cardin, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, during a speech in New Delhi.
Indian officials, however, have pointed to a slew of initiatives taken by Modi's government over the last two years which they said was proof that New Delhi was taking the issue seriously.
These include the introduction of a new anti-trafficking law, an online platform to find missing children and increased focus on the rehabilitation of victims of slavery.
Last week India unveiled a draft of its first comprehensive anti-human trafficking law, which provides for more shelters, a rehabilitation fund, fast-track courts to ensure speedy trials, a federal investigative agency to boost convictions.
ReportIndiaReutersNew Delhi
· Modi In US
· Narendra Modi
· Barack Obama
· human trafficking
· United States
Tue, 7 Jun 2016-10:33pm
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Tuesday, 7 June 2016 - 10:33pm
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Modi in US: Obama, Modi welcome work on 6 nuclear reactors in India
From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 10 hours ago.
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'Sairat' director Nagraj Manjule's ex-wife claims he physically abused her
Nagraj's wife Sunita claims that the two divorced each other in 2014 after 15 long years of marriage.
Reported by DNA 9 hours ago.
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Amber Heard's spilt from Depp not surprising: Her ex-agent
Amber Heard's former agent says he does not find it surprising that the model-actress' marriage to Hollywood star Johnny Depp did not last as according to him the couples personalities were bound to clash.
Reported by Zee News 20 hours ago.
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Amber Rose, Wiz Khlifa officially end their "I do's"
Washington DC, June 8 : Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose have officially ended their 15-month marriage as they have finally reached a divorce settlement.
Reported by newKerala.com 20 hours ago.
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Amber Heard's spilt from Johnny Depp is not surprising, says her ex-agent
Amber Heard's former agent says he does not find it surprising that the model-actress' marriage to Hollywood star Johnny Depp did not last as according to him the couples personalities were bound to clash.
Reported by DNA 20 hours ago.
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Allu Sirish and Lavanya Tripathi head to Kashmir for 'Shrirasthu Shubhamasthu'
As we all know, Allu Sirish has teamed up with Lavanya Tripathi for a family entertainer film titled Shrirasthu Shubhamasthu. Director Parasuram (Bujji) is known for showcasing family emotions and is the captain of this project. Shrirasthu Shubhamasthu’s last shooting will be canned in exotic locations of Kashmir and with this the entire production work will be wrapped up. The film’s audio composed by SS Thaman will be launched at a grand event soon.
Director Parasuram says, “I have become very close to Sirish with the journey for Shrirasthu Shubhamasthu. Like me, Sirish also has great respect and liking for joint families. Marriage is a key part in everyone’s life. The bride and groom will know how to behave responsibly after marriage only when they have family with them. But, the current generation of youngsters have forgotten about family emotions and responsibilities. Our film will have the right ingredients for all age groups. Each character - whether big or small - will have its own significance.”
Sirish adds, "I am interested in doing good films. In fact, I feel proud when someone appreciates me for picking meaningful movies. Bujji is making a family subject, comprising of all the commercial elements. Every character in the film is inter-linked to other characters. My sequences with Rao Ramesh will be the highlight in the film. In fact, our confidence levels will increase, if we work with senior actors."
Ace producer and Sirish’s father Allu Aravind is producing the movie under the Geetha Arts Banner. He hopes that Srirasthu Shubhamasthu will become another good hit for his banner.
ReportEntertainmentdna Web Teamdna webdesk
· Parasuram
· shrirasthu shubhamasthu
· Allu Sirish
· Allu Aravind
· Kashmir
· Geetha Arts
· lavanya tripathi
· rao ramesh
· Telugu Films
· Tollywood
Wed, 8 Jun 2016-05:45pm
Date updated:
Wednesday, 8 June 2016 - 5:45pm
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From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 16 hours ago.
Director Parasuram says, “I have become very close to Sirish with the journey for Shrirasthu Shubhamasthu. Like me, Sirish also has great respect and liking for joint families. Marriage is a key part in everyone’s life. The bride and groom will know how to behave responsibly after marriage only when they have family with them. But, the current generation of youngsters have forgotten about family emotions and responsibilities. Our film will have the right ingredients for all age groups. Each character - whether big or small - will have its own significance.”
Sirish adds, "I am interested in doing good films. In fact, I feel proud when someone appreciates me for picking meaningful movies. Bujji is making a family subject, comprising of all the commercial elements. Every character in the film is inter-linked to other characters. My sequences with Rao Ramesh will be the highlight in the film. In fact, our confidence levels will increase, if we work with senior actors."
Ace producer and Sirish’s father Allu Aravind is producing the movie under the Geetha Arts Banner. He hopes that Srirasthu Shubhamasthu will become another good hit for his banner.
ReportEntertainmentdna Web Teamdna webdesk
· Parasuram
· shrirasthu shubhamasthu
· Allu Sirish
· Allu Aravind
· Kashmir
· Geetha Arts
· lavanya tripathi
· rao ramesh
· Telugu Films
· Tollywood
Wed, 8 Jun 2016-05:45pm
Date updated:
Wednesday, 8 June 2016 - 5:45pm
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From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 16 hours ago.
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Woman set ablaze in Pakistan over 'love marriage'
Islamabad, June 8 : In an apparent honour killing, a Pakistani woman who married a man of her choice was allegedly set on fire on Wednesday in Lahore, a media report said.
Reported by newKerala.com 16 hours ago.
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Costumes and a proposal as 'Warcraft' comes to China
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Hundreds of "Warcraft" fans celebrated the release of a new film based on the popular video game in Shanghai on Tuesday night, with costumes as well as a marriage proposal.
Reported by Reuters India 15 hours ago.
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Pak girl burned alive by mother over love marriage
Zeenat, a teenage Pakistani girl, was burned alive in Lahore allegedly by her mother and brother for marrying a man of her choice, in the latest case of so-called "honour killings" in the country. Zeenat's mother told the police that her daughter had committed an "unforgivable" crime by eloping.
Reported by IndiaTimes 15 hours ago.
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Kerala, TN, Karnataka men marry late, finds survey
*Men in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and women in Jammu and Kashmir marry late compared with their counterparts in other states, a survey by Census office has said.*
Indian men get married at an average age of around 23 years while women tie the knot at 20 years, according to the Sample Registration System Baseline Survey conducted in 2014, by the Registrar General of India released on Tuesday.
The survey showed that Kerala men take the plunge very late at a mean age of 27.3 compared with grooms in other states. Both in rural urban areas, there is not much difference in the average age at which they tie the knot.
Tamil Nadu men follow Kerala at 25.6 while Karnataka, Assam and Odisha men marry at 25.2. However, men from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana marry a bit early at 23.4 years and 23.3 years, respectively.
When it comes to women, Jammu and Kashmir have the best figures where the mean marriage age for women is 22 years.
Kerala (21.4, Tamil Nadu (21.2) and Punjab (21) also have impressive figures. Karnataka women marry at 20.6 years.
There are at least 9 states whose mean marriage of girls are less than 20 years, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan (19.4 each) and Bihar (19.5).
Girls in rural areas in Bengal are married off at 18.8 years, the only state that has recorded a mean marriage age less than 19 years in rural areas.
*0.7% women smoke, drink*
When it comes to women, only 0.7% women drink or smoke while 1.8% chew tobacco. The Sample Registration System Baseline Survey conducted in 2014 by Registrar General of India and released on Tuesday showed 11.4% of men above the age of 15 years smoke while 10% consume alcohol.
Those who chew "paan" without tobacco is 10% while those who use tobacco is 10.7%.
DH News Service Reported by Deccan Herald 9 hours ago.
Indian men get married at an average age of around 23 years while women tie the knot at 20 years, according to the Sample Registration System Baseline Survey conducted in 2014, by the Registrar General of India released on Tuesday.
The survey showed that Kerala men take the plunge very late at a mean age of 27.3 compared with grooms in other states. Both in rural urban areas, there is not much difference in the average age at which they tie the knot.
Tamil Nadu men follow Kerala at 25.6 while Karnataka, Assam and Odisha men marry at 25.2. However, men from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana marry a bit early at 23.4 years and 23.3 years, respectively.
When it comes to women, Jammu and Kashmir have the best figures where the mean marriage age for women is 22 years.
Kerala (21.4, Tamil Nadu (21.2) and Punjab (21) also have impressive figures. Karnataka women marry at 20.6 years.
There are at least 9 states whose mean marriage of girls are less than 20 years, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan (19.4 each) and Bihar (19.5).
Girls in rural areas in Bengal are married off at 18.8 years, the only state that has recorded a mean marriage age less than 19 years in rural areas.
*0.7% women smoke, drink*
When it comes to women, only 0.7% women drink or smoke while 1.8% chew tobacco. The Sample Registration System Baseline Survey conducted in 2014 by Registrar General of India and released on Tuesday showed 11.4% of men above the age of 15 years smoke while 10% consume alcohol.
Those who chew "paan" without tobacco is 10% while those who use tobacco is 10.7%.
DH News Service Reported by Deccan Herald 9 hours ago.
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Former top cop's son rapes woman on marriage pretext
The son of former top cop in Agra, allegedly duped a female lawyer by promising her happy life post marriage if she changes her religion to Islam. However even before the marriage could be solemnized the youth not only distanced himself from the girl but also sexually exploited her on the pretext of getting married.
Reported by IndiaTimes 11 hours ago.
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Over 200 Muslim men support ban on triple talaq
Over 200 men have signed on the demand for abolishing triple talaq and nikah halala (a practice where a woman is expected to consummate a marriage if she wants to get back to her divorced husband).
In a press statement titled 'Muslim Men for Gender Justice', the initiators of the signature campaign called it an intent of declaration and not an organisation's name under which signatures have been taken. The 225 Muslim men from across India, like Resul Pookutty (Oscar award winner), Saeed Mirza (film maker), Javed Siddiqi, Hasan Kamaal, Anjum Rajabali, Shafaat Khan, Talat Jaani, and Feroz Abbas Khan have signed for the campaign.
Javed Anand, one of the initiators and general secretary of Muslims for Secular Democracy, said, "The reason for the signature campaign was that a woman's group took 50,000 signatures. People were asking what about Muslim men? What is their say? This was in response to that. We feel it is necessary to speak out. We intend to send these to national women's commission and may be also to national commission for minorities."
The statement signed by them reads: "We, the undersigned, believe that gender equality and justice are human rights issues which must be as much a matter of concern for men as for women. If anything, it is more so men's obligation to cry a halt to patriarchy, particularly when it is sought to be perpetuated in the name of God. We therefore fully support the campaign launched by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and other Muslim organisations and individuals for the abolition, and declaration as illegal, of triple talaq (instant divorce) and nikaah-halala as being practised in India."
Complementing BMMA for its initiative in collecting 50,000 signatures from across the country in support of their demand, the statement added, "Triple talaq violates the constitutional principles of gender parity and non-discrimination. Thus this obnoxious instant divorce practice is both un-Quranic and un-constitutional .....BMMA has even documented some cases where qazis not only justify and legitimise nikaah-halala, but even offer their own "services" as temporary husbands. What could be more disgraceful than this?"
Noorjehan Safia Niaz, founder of BMMA said, "Triple talaq is nowhere mentioned in Quran. If it was a practice in Hadees and Shariah, it must be required at that time. You cannot have laws in IPC that do not work. There is no point of such laws. Similarly when the need is there, they can think of it. May then it was useful for women."
ReportMumbaidna Correspondentdna
· Saeed Mirza
· Anjum Rajabali
· Feroz Abbas Khan
· Javed Anand
· Javed Siddiqi
· Resul Pookutty
· Shafaat Khan
· triple talaq
· Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)
Thu, 9 Jun 2016-07:40am
Date updated:
Thursday, 9 June 2016 - 7:40am
Article Images:
File photo of a protest by members of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
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From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 1 hour ago.
In a press statement titled 'Muslim Men for Gender Justice', the initiators of the signature campaign called it an intent of declaration and not an organisation's name under which signatures have been taken. The 225 Muslim men from across India, like Resul Pookutty (Oscar award winner), Saeed Mirza (film maker), Javed Siddiqi, Hasan Kamaal, Anjum Rajabali, Shafaat Khan, Talat Jaani, and Feroz Abbas Khan have signed for the campaign.
Javed Anand, one of the initiators and general secretary of Muslims for Secular Democracy, said, "The reason for the signature campaign was that a woman's group took 50,000 signatures. People were asking what about Muslim men? What is their say? This was in response to that. We feel it is necessary to speak out. We intend to send these to national women's commission and may be also to national commission for minorities."
The statement signed by them reads: "We, the undersigned, believe that gender equality and justice are human rights issues which must be as much a matter of concern for men as for women. If anything, it is more so men's obligation to cry a halt to patriarchy, particularly when it is sought to be perpetuated in the name of God. We therefore fully support the campaign launched by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and other Muslim organisations and individuals for the abolition, and declaration as illegal, of triple talaq (instant divorce) and nikaah-halala as being practised in India."
Complementing BMMA for its initiative in collecting 50,000 signatures from across the country in support of their demand, the statement added, "Triple talaq violates the constitutional principles of gender parity and non-discrimination. Thus this obnoxious instant divorce practice is both un-Quranic and un-constitutional .....BMMA has even documented some cases where qazis not only justify and legitimise nikaah-halala, but even offer their own "services" as temporary husbands. What could be more disgraceful than this?"
Noorjehan Safia Niaz, founder of BMMA said, "Triple talaq is nowhere mentioned in Quran. If it was a practice in Hadees and Shariah, it must be required at that time. You cannot have laws in IPC that do not work. There is no point of such laws. Similarly when the need is there, they can think of it. May then it was useful for women."
ReportMumbaidna Correspondentdna
· Saeed Mirza
· Anjum Rajabali
· Feroz Abbas Khan
· Javed Anand
· Javed Siddiqi
· Resul Pookutty
· Shafaat Khan
· triple talaq
· Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)
Thu, 9 Jun 2016-07:40am
Date updated:
Thursday, 9 June 2016 - 7:40am
Article Images:
File photo of a protest by members of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
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From Print Edition: Reported by DNA 1 hour ago.
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