Tag: Girish Mahajan

Maharashtra Govt Transfers 2 Cases Involving BJP Leaders, Including Fadnavis, to CBI

The cases pertain to extortion and criminal conspiracy, as well as leaking of sensitive call recordings from the state’s intelligence department.

New Delhi: The Maharashtra government ordered the state police to transfer the investigation of two cases involving top BJP leaders – current deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and former minister Girish Mahajan – to the CBI, the Indian Express reported on July 23.

Earlier this year, the state police had recorded the statement of Fadnavis while investigating the case regarding sensitive information being leaked from the State Intelligence Department (SID). The case involving Mahajan that was transferred to the CBI is the one in which he and 28 others are being investigated for extortion and criminal conspiracy between 2018 and 2020.

Leak of sensitive information

The case involving Fadnavis revolves around the leak of sensitive call recordings from the SID. In March last year, the Mumbai police had registered an FIR against unknown persons under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) after Fadnavis had alleged that IPS officers were lobbying for plum postings in exchange for money with politicians in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the Indian Express had reported. The MVA, an alliance of non-NDA parties including the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party, was led by the then chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray.

Fadnavis claimed that he had 6.3 GB worth of data of call records obtained from phone tapping allegedly conducted by the then SID commissioner Rashmi Shukla, in which names of several prominent police officers were discussed. The police recorded Fadnavis’s statement regarding this in March this year.

A report pertaining to this leak of information by then additional chief secretary (home) Sitaram Kunte alleged that Shukla had deliberately misled the government into tapping phones, said a news report.

The Colaba police, which was investigating the case, filed a 700-page chargesheet against Shukla in April. In the chargesheet, the police stated that Shukla had illegally tapped the phones of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and NCP leader Eknath Khadse under the pretext that they were “anti-social elements”. This was possibly done on the “instructions of a political leader or to benefit a political party” according to the charge sheet, as per a news report.

Extortion and criminal conspiracy case

The second case that has been transferred to the CBI involves BJP leader and former minister Girish Mahajan. The Jalgaon police registered an FIR against Mahajan and 28 others in January 2021 following an allegation of extortion and criminal conspiracy, among others, by Vijay Patil. Patil, a lawyer and director of the Jilha Maratha Vidyaprasarak Sahakari Samaj – an education society worth over Rs 1,000 crore in Jalgaon – alleged that Mahajan had asked him to force every member of the society to resign and sell the society to him, according to a news report.

Patil also mentioned in the FIR that he was threatened and asked to resign. During his visit to Pune in 2018, he alleged that he was forcibly taken to a flat, confined there and threatened for money. He claimed to have been threatened to be booked in false offences, as per another news report. Among the other allegations, Patil also claimed that he was extorted for Rs 5,00,000 from time to time. All these offences occurred between 2018 and 2020.

In December 2020, Mahajan refuted the allegations, calling them “vendetta politics” and claimed that the case was fabricated against him.

Maharashtra: 12 BJP MLAs Suspended From Assembly for a Year for ‘Misbehaving’

The Maharashtra government accused the MLAs of “misbehaving” with presiding officer Bhaskar Jadhav in the Speaker’s chamber

Mumbai: Twelve BJP MLAs were suspended from the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for one year after the state government accused them of “misbehaving” with presiding officer Bhaskar Jadhav in the Speaker’s chamber on Monday, July 5.

The motion to suspend the MLAs was moved by state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab and passed by a voice vote.

The 12 suspended members are Sanjay Kute, Ashish Shelar, Abhimanyu Pawar, Girish Mahajan, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Parag Alavani, Harish Pimpale, Yogesh Sagar, Jay Kumar Rawat, Narayan Kuche, Ram Satpute and Bunty Bhangdia.

Parab said during the period of suspension, the 12 legislators will not be allowed to enter the Legislature premises in Mumbai and Nagpur.

Objecting to the decision, BJP members, led by Devendra Fadnavis, said the opposition would boycott the House proceedings.

“This is a false allegation and an attempt to reduce the numbers of opposition benches, because we exposed the government’s falsehood on the OBC quota in local bodies,” Fadnavis said.

He said the BJP members had not abused the presiding officer. “It was Shiv Sena MLAs who used abusive words. I brought our MLAs out of the Speaker’s chamber,” the leader of opposition said.

Ashish Shelar apologised and the matter ended, the former CM said, claiming that what Jadhav said was a “one-sided” account.

Earlier, NCP leader and minister Nawab Malik accused the BJP members of misbehaving with Bhaskar Jadhav and the state Assembly was adjourned four times over the issue.

Red Alert in Three Districts in Kerala; Flood Toll Climbs to 88

Over 2.52 lakh people have taken shelter in 1,332 relief camps across the state.

Thiruvananthapuram: A red alert has been issued for three districts on Tuesday as extremely heavy rains are expected in central Kerala as the flood-hit northern parts were slowly limping back to normalcy and the toll climbed to 88.

The red alert has been sounded in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Idukki on Tuesday and in northern districts of Malappuram and Kozhikode on Wednesday, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) sources said adding over 20 centimetres of rains are expected in these districts.

Due to the strengthening of low pressure in Bay of Bengal, extremely heavy rains are expected to lash the several parts of the state, director of IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, K. Santosh said.

According to the government update at 9 am Tuesday, 88 people have lost their lives in the state since August 8 and the toll is likely to go up further as 40 were still missing.

Over 2.52 lakh people have taken shelter in 1,332 relief camps across the state.

‘Orange alert’ has been issued in six districts – Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram – on Tuesday.

Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan toured the affected districts of Malappuram and Wayanad from where 41 deaths have been reported in a series of landslides on August 8.

Addressing the flood-affected at a relief camp in Meppadi in Wayanad, Vijayan said, “the government is with you.. we need to overcome all difficulties and hardships together.”

The government is now giving priority to the rescue measures, he said adding after which it would focus on the rehabilitation initiatives.

“There are several people who have completely lost their houses and properties and suffered crop loss. Some more people, who have gone missing, are yet to be traced and efforts are on to find them,” he said.

Accompanied by revenue minister E. Chandrasekharan and chief secretary Tom Jose, the chief minister would also be visiting relief centres in Malappuram and hold discussions with people’s representatives and officials.

In Malappuram, which was rocked by a series of landslips triggered by downpour at Kavalappara and Kottakunnu, the toll has climbed to 29, with 32 people still missing.

Also read: Kerala Takes a Breath Between Landslides and the Possibility of More Rain

Search operations are continuing in the area to retrieve the remains of the dead.

In 185 camps in Malappuram, 45,377 people have been sheltered, the update stated.

Twelve people have so far lost their lives and sever are missing in neighbouring Wayanad district, which also witnessed a landslide at Puthumala in Meppadi.

Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi had toured the affected areas and relief camps promising all help to the people.

“It is a tragedy not only for Wayanad, but for Kerala and also some southern states. This is not only a Wayanad issue, this is a Kerala issue, this is a Karnataka issue. The Central government needs to pay attention and aggressively support the people of these states,” he had told reporters at Kalpetta after attending a review meeting with government officials on the flood situation on Monday.

Over 35,000 people are in 196 relief camps in Wayanad district.

Seventeen deaths have been reported from Kozhikode where over 43,000 people have shifted to 177 relief camps.

At least 808 houses have been fully damaged and 8,459 partially in rain-related incidents.

Holiday has been declared for educational institutions in five districts – Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Malappuram – on Tuesday and various university examinations have been postponed, authorities said.

Meanwhile, the railways on Tuesday said Hazrat Nizamuddin-Ernakulam Express, scheduled to leave Hazrat Nizamuddin, was cancelled and Nagercoil-Mangaluru Parasuram Express was rescheduled.

Kerala Floods: Death Toll Climbs to 76; 2.87 Lakh in Relief Camps

Rahul Gandhi, who is in Kerala to take stock of the flood situation, visited a relief camp at the hill town of Thiruvambady, which is a part of his Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad.

New Delhi: With rains subsiding in many parts of Kerala, search operations are underway in landslide-hit areas of Kavalappara and Puthumala in Malappuram and Wayanad, even as the toll in the monsoon fury climbed to 76 and 2.87 lakh persons have sought refuge in relief camps.

Fifty-eight persons are still missing, of whom 50 are in Malappuram, where the toll is 24, the highest in the state.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is in Kerala to take stock of the flood situation, this morning visited a relief camp at the hill town of Thiruvambady, part of Wayanad constituency, which he represents in the Lok Sabha.

Rahul Gandhi visits Kavalappara in his constituency of Wayanad on Sunday, August 11, 2019. Photo: PTI

“In this tragedy, we all are standing with you,” he said, addressing the people in the camp and wanted Congress and UDF workers to provide all help to those affected by the deluge.

“I have come here with sadness. There is tremendous tragedy in Wayanad. I also know today is a festival. Though it is not a happy occasion, I still wish you for Eid,” he said.

In many camps, people observed a low key Eid festival with well-wishers bringing in food and new clothes for the inmates. There was no red alert in any of the 14 districts on Monday.

An official update at 11 am said 2,87,585 people have taken shelter in 1,654 relief centres in the state.

With the recovery of more bodies, including 24 from Malappuram, 17 from Kozhikode and 12 from Wayanad since August 8, the toll has gone up to 76.

A massive landslide had wreaked havoc in Kavalappara, a 10-acre settlement near Nilambur in Malappuram on August 8 and according to local people at least 50 people are still missing.

Another landslide had wreaked havoc in Puthumala in Wayanad. Ten bodies have been recovered and seven people are said to be missing.

Also read: Kerala Floods: Search for Missing Persons Continues After Landslides

Efforts are on to deliver relief materials – clothes, medicines and cleaning materials – to people who have been displaced and collection centres have come up across Kerala. Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the IAF, state disaster response forces and local administration are providing relief and conducting rescue operations in states hit by monsoon fury.

Four trains were fully cancelled on Monday – Okha Ernakulam express, BarauniErnakulam Raptisagar, the Thiruvananthapuram-Ahilyanagari express and the KochuveliHyderabad special trains – a Southern Railways press release said this morning.

Meanwhile, the Kerala University has postponed all its examinations to be held for August 13, a release said.

A view of a flooded region in Wayanad on Sunday, August 11, 2019. Photo: PTI

At the same time, heavy showers lashed Uttarakhand and Jammu leaving nine people dead in landslides, while rescue and relief operations continued in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat on Monday.

A total of 12 lakh people have been affected in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat as the water level has started to recede in the deluge-ravaged areas.

Nearly 125 people stranded on a road washed away by floods in Gujarat’s Kutch district were rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF), while in Karnataka and Maharashtra works were started to repair roads damaged by landslides and heavy rains.

Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday asked the Deputy Commissioner of Dakshina to release Rs. 10,000 immediately to each of the families who had lost their houses and whose houses had been partially damaged in the floods in the district.

After visiting the damaged Kukkavu bridge, the Chief Minister said that in addition to Rs. 10,000 those families whose houses have been partially damaged will get Rs. one lakh for repair works.

According to a report in NDTV, the Indian Navy on Sunday undertook aerial rescue and relief operations in North Karnataka’s Belgaum district. The naval helicopters rescued 26 stranded citizens and delivered around 800 kg of food and drinking materials to areas facing acute shortage of the supplies.

Yediyurappa also briefed Union home minister Amit Shah about the rescue operations, after Shah undertook an aerial survey of flood-affected areas of Karnataka, and requested an immediate aid of Rs. 3,000 crore.

In Uttarakhand, which has been hit by heavy rains, six persons, including a woman and her nine-month-old daughter, were buried alive in landslides in three different villages in Chamoli district. Erosion caused by swirling waters of the flooded Chuflagad River also washed away two buildings on its banks.

Also read: Maharashtra Floods: Water Receding in Kolhapur and Sangli, Relief Works Continue

The state emergency operation centre in Dehradun said the debris of landslides fell on three houses in Banjabgad, Aligaon and Lankhi villages in the district’s Ghat area trapping occupants who were suffocated to death.

In Jammu and Kashmir, three members of a family died after they came under a boulder during a landslide in Resai district while two others were also injured in the incident that took place on Sunday evening in Laar village in the district’s Mahore belt.

Indian Navy personnel rescue residents from flood-hit areas of Sangli and Kolhapur districts in Maharashtra on Saturday, August 10, 2019. Photo: PTI

In Maharashtra, the Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway-4, that was closed near Kolhapur in Maharashtra for last six days, was partially opened for traffic on Monday after the floodwaters receded and thousands of stranded trucks carrying essential commodities were allowed to move. Traffic movement was also allowed between Kolhapur and Belgaum in Karnataka.

Precaution is being maintained in the deluge-hit states as most rivers are in a spate and water is being released from reservoirs.

The national capital, on the other hand, recorded a humid Monday morning with the minimum temperature settling at 28 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average. Humidity was recorded at 84% at 8.30 am. The Safdarjung observatory recorded 0.2 mm rainfall till 8.30 am while Lodhi Road received 0.8 mm rainfall.

(With inputs from PTI)

Maharashtra Floods: Water Receding in Kolhapur and Sangli, Relief Works Continue

The operation to evacuate the flood-hit areas is going on, but there is no life-threatening situation, an official said.

Pune: The flood situation in Kolhapur and Sangli districts in western Maharashtra showed signs of improvement on Saturday as water started to recede from inundated areas, officials said.

However, it would take at least two to three days for the water to completely recede from the districts, they said.

Although the overall situation has improved slightly, the operation to evacuate the flooded areas and moving stranded people to safer locations and providing relief to them is still on.

“There is an improvement in the overall situation. Water is receding, albeit slowly… Currently, the water level in Kolhapur is at 52 feet although the danger level is 47 feet. The highest water level during the current flood was 57 feet,” Abhinav Deshmukh, Kolhapur superintendent of police, told PTI.

As rains have stopped in the district, the situation is likely to improve further, officials said.

Also read | Kerala: Heavy Rains Claim 42 Lives, Over One Lakh in Relief Camps

In neighbouring Sangli district as well, the water level is receding gradually. Till 6 am, it stood at 56.7 feet, the officials said.

Deshmukh said considering the current situation, it might take another two to three days for the water to recede from Kolhapur district completely.

The operation to evacuate the flood-hit areas is going on, but there is no life-threatening situation there in the district, he said.

“Currently the evacuation is mainly concentrated in Shirol and Kurundwad tehsils of Kolhapur,” the officer said, adding that copters are being used to drop food packets.

Meanwhile, three more bodies were recovered in the boat capsize incident that took place on Thursday near Brahmanal village in Palus tehsil of Sangli district during the flood rescue operations.

Nine persons had drowned and as many others had gone missing in the incident.

“We have recovered three more bodies, including that of a girl,” the officer said.

With the recovery of three more bodies, the death toll in the incident has gone up to 12.

A total of 26 Navy teams with 110 personnel and 26 boats have been deployed in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. They will continue to remain stationed in the area till the flood situation improves, a defence statement said.

Additional 15 teams of the Navy from Visakhapatnam will reach Kolhapur by Saturday afternoon to assist in the rescue operation, a defence spokesperson said.

At present there are 14 Navy teams in Kolhapur district and 12 in Sangli helping the state administration in evacuating the flood-hit areas, the official said.

According to officials, over 2.85 lakh people were rescued due to the devastating floods, from Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune and Solapur districts and the death toll due to floods in the five districts was 29 till Friday.

According to an official, the discharge from Almatti dam in Karnataka on the Krishna is 5,00,000 cusec (cubic foot per second), which is expected to ease the floods upstream.

Maharashtra BJP Minister Says At Least 50 Congress, NCP MLAs Want to Join BJP

The BJP leader said senior NCP leader Chitra Wagh had expressed her desire to join BJP a month ago, claiming she had no future left in her parent party,

Mumbai: Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra water resources minister, Girish Mahajan, on Sunday claimed that at least 50 MLAs of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are in touch with the ruling party to switch over ahead of the assembly elections, due later this year.

Mahajan’s comments came against the backdrop of a string of leaders from Sharad Pawar-led NCP deserting their parent party in recent past.

“Some 50 MLAs of Congress and NCP are in touch with the BJP. Senior NCP leader Chitra Wagh had expressed her desire to join BJP a month back, claiming she had no future left in her parent party. The MLAs are requesting that they wanted to join the BJP ahead of the assembly elections…The Congress is in the shambles and in the next couple of weeks, the NCP will look weaker,” Mahajan said.

NCP leaders Sachin Ahir, the Mumbai unit chief of the party and former minister, Chitra Wagh, the women wing president of the party, have quit the NCP. Ahir has already joined the Shiv Sena. NCP MLA Vaibhav Pichad has also expressed his desire to join the BJP.

Also read: Mumbai NCP Chief and Former Minister Sachin Ahir Joins Shiv Sena

Mahajan also dismissed Sharad Pawar’s allegations that the BJP was misusing government agencies against the leaders of the Congress and the NCP to make them defect.

“He (Pawar) is levelling these allegations to cover up his own political failure. We have not threatened any one or pressurised any leader,” he said.

The minister, believed to be a confidante of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, also defended the raids conducted by Income Tax sleuths on NCP leader and former minister Hasan Mushrif, saying the action was legal and not out of any political vengeance.

Meanwhile, sources said that a sizeable number of corporators, including mayor of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation Sandeep Naik, may switch over to the BJP from the NCP.

The politics of Navi Mumbai has traditionally been dominated by a faction led by former excise minister and NCP leader Ganesh Naik.

“A sizeable number of corporators on Sunday held a meeting in Navi Mumbai and appealed to Sandeep Naik to join the BJP ahead of assembly elections. If that happens, the BJP will not only gain a strong candidate, but it will also come into power in the civic body as well,” said sources close to the development.

Speculation is also rife that the Naik senior may also cross over to the BJP.

In the 2014 elections, the BJP had won 122 seats out of total 288 while the Shiv Sena 63. The Congress and the NCP bagged 42 and 41 seats, respectively.

(PTI)

Six Killed, 19 Missing After Dam Breach in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri

The Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district developed a breach late Tuesday night after heavy rains.

Mumbai: At least six people were killed and 19 went missing after a dam in Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region breached following incessant rains leading to flood-like situation in downstream villages, officials said on Wednesday.

The Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district developed a breach late Tuesday night after heavy rains, a district official said.

A local police officer said six bodies have been recovered so far while 19 people are still missing.

The dam breach caused a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages, with as many as 12 houses being swept away.

When contacted, Additional Superintendent of Police, Ratnagiri, Vishal Gaikwad said a search operation has been launched by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and state police personnel.

“Police have moved the villagers to safety. The situation is under control now,” he said.

Another police officer said rescue operations were hampered initially due to darkness and sudden influx of water.

Local public representatives alleged that the government neglected their pleas for maintenance of the dam.

They claimed to have written to the administration about the cracks in the walls of the dam, but no action was taken.

Maharashtra water resources minister Girish Mahajan said villagers in the vicinity of the Tiware dam had complained of cracks in the dam.

Farmers’ March to Mumbai Suspended After Talks With Maharashtra Government

“The meeting (held Thursday) yielded positive results. We will suspend the march today,” AIKS president Ashok Dhawale said.

Mumbai: A leading farmers’ organisation on Thursday announced suspension of its ongoing protest march from Nashik to Mumbai over agrarian concerns after talks with the Maharashtra government.

The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), backed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), announced suspension of the 180-km march from Nashik to Mumbai after a three-and-a-half-hour meeting of its representatives with state ministers Girish Mahajan and Jaykumar Rawal.

The farmers had embarked on the march on Thursday morning, but it was called off later.

“The meeting (held Thursday) yielded positive results. We will suspend the march today,” AIKS president Ashok Dhawale told PTI after the meeting between the two sides at Ambebahula village in Nashik.

This is the second time in the last one year that farmers were on the roads to protest against the “betrayal” of peasants by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state.

Earlier, they had planned to launch the march on Wednesday but it was deferred by a day allegedly after the state police stopped scores of farmers approaching Nashik from districts like Thane, Palghar and Ahmednagar.

In a late night meeting on Wednesday, the AIKS had asked the government to give its assurances in writing, a demand Mahajan agreed to. Mahajan had held parleys on behalf of the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation.

The AIKS, however, had decided to proceed with its march from Nashik till the government kept its word.

Accordingly, the third round of meeting was held Thursday.

AIKS representatives had held the first meeting with the government on February 17 ahead of the launch of the long march.

According to AIKS president Dhawale, around 50,000 farmers from Nashik, Thane, Palghar, Ahmednagar and other districts of Maharashtra had taken part in the march.

Dhawale said the farmers will again launch the protest in case the government failed to keep promises made in writing.

The meeting was also attended by CPI(M) MLA J.P. Gavit.

Dhawale said the government has given in writing that the ministers and AIKS representatives will take stock of the implementation of assurances every two months.

“Such meetings did not happen over the past year. Now, they have given it in writing that these meetings will be held to review progress of implementation,” Dhawale added.

Besides accepting the demands raised by the farmers, the AIKS said the government has assured that water flowing in Maharashtra’s rivers like Nar, Par, Damanganga and Pinjal will be transferred to the Godavari basin through lift irrigation and used in drought-hit areas of the state.

“The meeting went for three-and-a-half hour. The concerns raised by the AIKS representatives were conveyed to the chief minister.

“The meeting was positive. I am sure the AIKS representatives are satisfied,” Mahajan said.

Following the suspension of the agitation, farmers left for their respective native villages, the AIKS said.

Six Days After Alleged Rape of Minor Girl by Dalit Teen, Nashik Continues to Fume

Activists are quick to point towards upcoming municipal corporation elections as a cause for the protests turning violent, with local politicians wanting to use this opportunity to ensure votes.

Activists are quick to point towards upcoming municipal polls as a cause for the protests turning violent, with local politicians wanting to use this opportunity to ensure votes.

Credit: ANI

Credit: ANI

Nashik: Nashik is on the boil for the sixth consecutive day following the alleged rape of a minor girl by a Dalit teen on Saturday, October 8. The police has prohibited the assembly of people across eight villages until peace is restored, while the sale of alcohol has been banned. Mobile data services have also been suspended for a few days.

On the evening of October 8, a 16-year-old Dalit boy allegedly raped a five-year-old Maratha girl in Talegaon Anjaneri village in Trimbakeshwar taluka in Nashik district. According to the FIR, the girl and her sister were playing in the courtyard of their house when the accused lured the girls away with chocolates. He then sent the older girl away to buy cold drinks and took the five-year-old to a dilapidated temple nearby. When the older girl returned she saw her sister being assaulted by the teen. The girl then ran away to inform their mother. Within minutes, the mother of girls came to the spot but the accused managed to run away.

Soon, hundreds of villagers assembled at the Trimbak police station where the girls’ mother lodged the FIR. Villagers also staged a dharna at the Nashik Civil Hospital where the girl was taken for medical tests. “Within five hours of the crime, the police arrested the accused and invoked IPC 376 for rape and relevant sections of [the] Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO),” said Nashik collector Radhakrishnan B.

However, angry villagers were not appeased despite the arrest of the accused and proceeded to torch his house, tractor and a few other vehicles that night. Residents from nearby villages like Anjaneri Phata, Ghoti and Wadovhare also staged a rasta roko that night.

The next morning (Sunday, October 9), villagers staged another rasta roko at the Talegaon Phata on the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar road.

Meanwhile, Girish Mahajan, Maharashtra water resources minister and guardian minister of Nashik, visited the victim’s family on Sunday morning. Condemning the incident, he promised that a charge sheet would be filed within 15 days, the accused would be tried in a fast-track court and Ujjwal Nikam would be the prosecutor in the case. However, meeting the family, Mahajan gave a statement to the media saying that the boy had attempted to rape the girl but had not actually raped her.

Police officials have pointed out that under the POCSO Act, inappropriate touch is also considered rape and hence the accused will be tried for rape even if it is roved that he only attempted to rape the girl.

Mahajan’s statement has worsened an already violent situation, with many incidents of rasta rokos being staged across the district, forced closures of highways, protest rallies and arson following his comments. Crowds even pelted stones at his convoy when he left the place.

At Talegaon, a mob set eight state transport buses and 15-20 private vehicles on fire. Police vehicles, including that of inspector general Vinaykumar Choube, were also set on fire. To disperse the mob, the police had to use teargas shells and fire some rounds in the air. In order to control the riot-like situation, the police  invoked IPC 144, prohibiting the assembly of people. A quick response team and extra police forces were also deployed across the district to control the situation.

The worst hit was the Mumbai-Agra highway, which was blocked by angry youngsters from 12 pm until late night on Sunday. The Nashik-Igatpuri and Nashik-Aurangabad highways were also choked for nearly eight hours.

On the same day, chief minister Devendra Phadnavis promised a charge sheet would be framed within 15 days. He also urged the people to maintain peace and reiterated Mahajan’s promise of trying the case in a fast-track court.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has also urged protesters not disturb the peace since the accused had already been arrested. Additionally, union social justice minister Ramdas Athavale and Maharashtra opposition MLA Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, among others, urged the people to maintain peace and not believe in rumours.

Although Monday passed by comparatively peaceful, angry mobs took to the streets again on Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite the ban on the assembly of people, a group of local politicians also gathered on the streets, but were soon taken into custody.

The damage to buses cost the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) Rs 2 crore and bus services were stopped completely from Sunday to Tuesday (October 11). Intra-city services were also stopped until Tuesday. MSRTC Nashik resumed bus services from Wednesday on all routes except the Mumbai-Trimbakeshwar route where buses were torched.

Anticipating that people would use social media to arrange rasta rokos, strikes and protests, the police suspended mobile data services. Ravindrakumar Singhal, commissioner of police, Nashik, confirmed that “internet services were closed down for an indefinite time as rumours were being spread through social media causing unrest among the public.”

Rural Nashik superintendent of police Ankush Shinde said, “we have arrested more than 50 protestors for riots, damaging public properties and heavy action will be taken against them. We are still in process to arrest people for breaking rules. Meanwhile, the court has given 21 people police custody.”

A senior police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, said the police warned local political leaders on Thursday (October 13) to control party members who were involved in creating a riot-like condition or they would face police action.

Social activists, however, are seeing the current situation as a Maratha vs Dalit battle that feeds into the wider politics taking shape in the state around caste. Three months ago, four Dalit youths raped and murdered a 15-year-old girl in Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district. Protesting the rape of the minor, thousands of people across the state have been holding silent rallies. This time, however, the Maratha community turned violent. Activists are also quick to point towards upcoming municipal elections and say local politicians want to use this opportunity to ensure votes.