El Paso County Sheriff's deputies are looking for the girl's dad, identified as Thomas Lee Fine, who may be driving a rental gray 4-door Toyota. Reported by Denver Post 2 days ago.

In the 14-year-old gang rape case of Bilkis Bano, the defence came prepared with a volley of attacks yesterday when the Bombay High Court held the first hearing of the appeal, filed by 11 accused, against a lower court's order sentencing them to life imprisonment.

Senior counsel Harshad Ponda, representing five of the 11 accused, told the court that the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) theory of the murder case was full of loopholes. "While the CBI said eight people were killed, bodies of only seven were found. The evidence it submitted mentions eight bodies, five females and two males, but the photographs are of four females and three males. Also, the locals, who they claimed clicked the pictures, say they never clicked any," said Ponda.

He further said that Bilkis too was lying and CBI had fabricated evidence to suit her theory. "Bilkis said that her sister's two-day-old baby was killed, but no such body was found. Also, if her daughter Saleha was murdered, where is the body?" Ponda said while adding, "If Bilkis claims she was gang raped by three while she was five months pregnant, how is it possible that her daughter is so healthy."

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16Zakir-Naik-s.jpg*Dr. Zakir Naik. Report: Asif Rizvi/ Pic/Datta Kumbhar*

*On Osama bin Laden*
I have never supported any terrorist or a terror outfit. As far as Osama Bin Laden is concerned, since I don't know him I neither call him a saint nor I call him a terrorist. I condemn 9/11 attacks [but] don't know if George Bush did it or Osama. The clip showing me supporting Osama is doctored.

*On probing agencies*
Not a single authority has approached me in past 8-9 days and no one has visited my Mumbai office till now as well. I have not faced any enquiry ever in my life. I am open for enquiry.

*On being a messenger of peace*
People have misconceptions about me. I am not against any Muslim group, I am a messenger of peace.

*On ISIS*
I condemn killing of any innocent person. In the past, I have made my statement against ISIS and we have also started a social media campaign to keep our youths away from the terror groups.

*On his 'hate speeches'*
It's completely wrong to state that my lectures inspire terrorism. The clips circulating on the social media are doctored and are the mischief of some people. I don't support terror, or inspire it. Allegations against me are all false and I am available for any probe by any agency in the world.

*On being an award-winning Indian*
I am an Indian and have won several prestigious awards, India should be proud of me. I have got the Tokoh Ma'al Hijra award from Malaysia and awards from Saudi Arabia. Indians and the Indian government should be proud of me for achieving such honours.

*On Shatrughan Sinha*
There are many politicians from different parties that know me, including the BJP. I remember, a couple of years ago, I received a call from Shatrughan Sinha. When he was elected as an MP from BJP, he phoned me and said, "Zakir Bhai why don't you come for one of my campaigns?

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Poha-banana-s.jpg*Poha and banana given to workers on Wednesday*

As per data obtained from the hospital — which draws around 25,000 TB patients a year — 50 workers have succumbed to the disease since 2005 and hundreds have been infected. In a bid to boost their immune systems, BMC decided to offer nutritious food to Class IV employees, under the Sakas Ahar programme. But despite an increase in the per plate cost (from Rs 10 to Rs 25), the quality of food being provided is miserable.

On Wednesday, officials from Municipal Mazdoor Union (MMU), Mumbai, met the hospital’s medical superintendent, Dr Jagdish Keni, to demand better food for workers. “As per BMC’s diet chart, workers are entitled to two omelettes with bread, poha, milk and banana. But workers have received one boiled egg, poha and a banana. Also, instead of 100 ml milk, only 50 ml is given,” said MMU secretary Pradeep Narkar.

The responsibility of catering is given on a contractual basis. These caterers prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, inside hospital premises. “BMC is paying Rs 25 per plate. So, considering there are 1,000 staffers in three shifts, BMC is spending Rs 25,000 every day on food. The quantity and quality of food, however, doesn’t improve,” said an employee from the hospital.

*TB scare*
According to a senior doctor, any person with weak immunity is susceptible to TB. In the current year, 18 staffers — including a ward assistant, two nurses, one clerk and 14 Class IV employees — are undergoing treatment for TB. “Out of the 18, seven are taking treatment for drug-resistant TB, after their infection relapsed,” Narkar informed.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/N-S-Phadke-Road-s.jpg*BMC’s N S Phadke Road expansion plans may lead to demolition of several housing structures. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar*

“The total length of the road will be increased by 30 feet to make it a uniform 120 feet road, as per directions from the High Court. The expansion process should be over in the next six months,” said Vicky Sharma, junior engineer, Maintenance Dept, K/West ward.

The expansion, however, comes at a price — 248 huts/housing structures may be demolished, a move that could leave many homeless. The residents, including many who have been living there since 1960, were issued a notice on Tuesday by the BMC. They have been asked to vacate the premises within seven working days, “failing which the said structure and all things deposited thereon will be removed…without further notice”.

*Blame game*
Significantly, the Deputy Collector’s Office has deemed not a single household out of the 248 eligible for alternate accommodation. Why? The reason is a blame game between MMRDA and BMC. Apparently, MMRDA, which had conceptualized the road in 2006, had deemed households eligible for relocation. But the BMC, which was handed over the project in 2011, cannot grant the same benefit to the same people again.

”When MMRDA developed a 120 feet road in 2006, they didn’t do it as per demarcations of the Development Planning (DP) department. The road is 120 feet only from the SV Road junction to the BMW showroom, located below the west end of the East-West flyover. The rest of it ranges from 90-100 feet,” said Sharma.

He added, “BMC offers accommodation only when we take on a project from its onset. If you have been deemed eligible for accommodation by one authority, the other cannot grant you the privilege again.” Residents, who have been served the notice, however, have a different story to share.

According to them, in 2005, almost 1,050 settlements were cleared out, their households relocated to Jogeshwari, under MMRDA’s authority. But the remaining 248 structures were told the expansion plans would only 'partially affect' them, so they chose to stay back.

Sallamudin Patel, one of the residents who stayed back, said, “My shop remained intact during the 2006 expansion as it wasn’t coming in the way of the 120 feet road, as was told to me to by MMRDA authorities back then. Today, BMC is asking us to vacate the premises.”

Another resident, Firoz Patel said, “People who were unaffected in 2006 were deemed eligible for accommodation. If we were eligible back then, why is accommodation being denied to us now?” He rued that despite applying to the Deputy Collector’s Office last year, none of the 248 households had been cleared for relocation.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Operation-s.jpg*The accused were caught while Brijkishor Sharma was being operated upon for the transplant. Pic for representation/Thinkstock*

Mahesh Tanna, a social worker who is also the complainant in the case, alerted the Powai police about the racket. With this tip-off, police approached Hiranandani Hopsital and asked doctors to stop the kidney transplant operation on Brijkishor Jaiswal, as the donor was not his wife, as was claimed in the documents.*Main accused agent Vijendra Bisen*

Vinayak Deshmukh, deputy commissioner of police, said, “We were informed about the illegal transplant by a social worker, following which we made preliminary inquiries. After the allegations were confirmed, we raided the premises and arrested the four accused in the case.”

Agent Vijendra Bisen, and accomplices Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Iqbal Sheikh and Brjikishor’s son Kisan Jaiswal were arrested and booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994. They will be produced before the court today.

Suresh Gupta, youth INTUC state president, said, “A patient, hailing from South India, who was cheated by Bisen, approached us and said Rekha has made several documents to prove she is Jaiswal’s wife. We had been working on this case for the last month. After we verified all the documents she submitted to the hospital, they turned out to be fake.”

Police sources said Bisen was allegedly in touch with a hospital staffer who asked him and Rekha to come to Mumbai for a kidney transplant. They offered Rs 4 lakh to Rekha and were going to take Rs 30 lakh from Jaiswal.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/15Zakir-Naik-s.jpg

"I have never supported any terrorist or a terror outfit. As far as Osama Bin Laden is concern, since I don't know him I neither call him a saint nor I call him a terrorist. I condemn 9/11 attacks dont know if George Bush did it or Osama did it. The clip said to be me supporting Osama is doctored." he said through a video link in Mumbai's Mazgaon.

*Zakir Naik*

Similarly, a question was once asked to me on Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, my reply was the same, I don't know her, hence I don't call her a terrorist nor do I call her a saint," he said.

Naik stated that he has never been interrogated in past by the agencies. But agreed to having met several police officials in person, claiming he is a public figure and meet a thousand number of people a month who even shake hands with him and also click pictures with him.

"I meet thousands of people, how am I supposed to know each one of them," Naik added.

Speaking on the Indian security agencies' probe against him. Naik said, "Not a single authority has approached me in past 8-9 days and no one has also till now visited my Mumbai office. I have not faced any enquiry ever in my life. I am open for it."

On his controversial channel Peace TV, Naik (50) stated, "In 2008 I had applied for license to the Information & Broadcast Ministry but was not given the license. They should tell me the reason why I was not granted the license."

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/GAMCA-office-s.jpg

*Modus operandi
*The gang targeted were people who came out of the Gulf Approved Medical Centers Association (GAMCA) office on Grant Road with a receipt. GAMCA is an association formed to provide medical examination to people who wish to go to the Gulf countries. So when these people visit the office with their passports, they are given a receipt and asked to visit a certain doctor for medical test.

*Also Read: Dabba gul: Gang of illegal traders who made Rs 5 crore a day busted**The GAMCA office at Grant Road*

When they stepped out with the receipt, the gangmen would approach them with a similar receipt and ask them if they would accompany them to the doctor’s office. “On the way, at a coconut seller’s stall, the accused would offer the person coconut water and as soon as the man looked away, they would spike it. When the victim fell unconscious after drinking it, the accused gang would steal their cash, mobile phone and valuables,” a police officer said.*The notice put up by GAMCA outside its office to warn people*

There have been around 10 such cases in the last month. Recently, Jagdish Yadav (25) from Chembur fell prey to their plan. People came asking when he fell unconscious but the accused told them that he was weak. He then made him sit at a bus stop and took all his things.

*Read Story: IPL betting gang busted,nine bookies arrested*

The GAMCA office has also put up posters to warn people.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/apr/19handcuffs-s.jpg

Cops are on the hunt for another accused in the case, who managed to escape.

According to sources, the cops raided Vinayak Lodge at Waliv Naka, Nalasopara East, on Wednesday and rescued the minor who was forced into prostitution by her mother and a waiter at the lodge.

“We had received tip-offs that minors are forced into prostitution at the lodge. Under the guidance of SP Sharda Raut, and with some help from the NGO Transforming Lives Foundation, we rescued the 14-year-old,” said PRO Ranjeet Shirsath.

*Modus operandi*
Explaining their modus operandi, he added, “In order to bust this trafficking racket, we sent a fake customer to Vinayak Lodge. He struck a deal with the waiter for a minor girl for Rs 10,000.”

The PRO further said, “On receiving a tip-off from this customer, our officer raided a room on the first floor of the hotel. While the waiter fled by jumping out of the window, we managed to arrest a woman.”

The woman was the girl’s mother, as police discovered during interrogation.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Udaan-s.jpg*Students at the rehearsal of Udaan. Pic/Datta Kumbhar*

Joshi shares, “I’ve learnt to be freer while I am on stage and to perform wholeheartedly no matter who is watching. Two weeks ago, I approached Salaam Bombay to collaborate with them, and make Udaan a reality. I had this vague idea — to raise funds and help kids my age who do not have the same opportunities I do.”

The 35-minute play looks into common children-related concerns like bullying, crimes and studies. Rajkumar Salve and Adish Janjal, students of Malad’s Mittal College, are also part of the play. Salve said, “I relate to this play, as it seems like the story of my life.” Janjal added, “I’ve learnt to improvise a lot on stage.

I dream of being an actor when I grow up. I am an average student, but as an actor I have managed to find great happiness as well as an inner talent bloom.” Aditi Parikh of Salaam Bombay felt that the play was an ideal way for both groups of children to grow and develop an interest in theatre. “The scope that theatre offers a person to grow is immense and this collaboration is testimony to it,” she told this diarist. More power to theatre.

*Touch up and go**Pic/Bipin Kokate*

A make-up man applies last-minute touches to the evergreen screen hero Anil Kapoor inside the station master’s office at Churchgate station. This was prior to Kapoor’s appearance on a suburban local train as part of an event for his upcoming TV show.

*Food coma for Lisa*
We’re not quite sure what caught Lisa Ray’s attention when she was caught in a candid moment.*Pic/Lisa Ray’s Twitter account*

A self-confessed foodie, she was committed to ploughing through Amritsari’s fare at the popular Crystal restaurant. Her expression is priceless, and certainly keeps the guessing game on.

*Missed out*
Critics were all praise for the subtle nuances that seasoned actors Vikram Gokhale and Reema Lagoo brought to their performances in the Marathi play, Ke Dil Abhi Bhara Nahin in September 2015.*Vikram Gokhale and Reema Lagoo*

The story revolves around an elderly couple, Arun Nagarkar and his wife Vandu who have completed 35 years of married life. Arun wants to surprise his wife by announcing retirement from his business in order to spend time with her.

The wife, on the contrary, informs him that she has completed a course of a professional priest to keep herself busy by offering a service to others, where she can performs religious ceremonies. However, the audience will now miss the lead cast of this humour-filled emotional drama who we are told are unavailable due to ill health.

Actors Mangesh Kadam and Leena Bhagwat will now be seen playing the roles of Arun and Vandu, in the play. We’ll be waiting for their return.

*Tea lessons, really?*
A Kolkata-based tea company had a bizarre way to catch US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s attention. Two sari-clad women were spotted doing a special tea delivery to NYC’s Trump Tower much to the shock of onlookers.

Their message: Mr Trump, it’s never too late to cleanse yourself. Using their modern take on Gandhian principles, the brand felt that green tea’s goodness could help Mr Trump, and in turn aid the country, suggesting he drinks three cups a day, at least. We wonder why this stunt hasn’t been pulled off to ‘cleanse’ our mantris, closer home in New Delhi.

*Wine, chow and chatter*
Recently, over 50 diners, including guests from overseas, were treated to a smorgasbord of flavours as part of a seven-course wine dinner by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar and sommelier Nikhil Agarwal at the former’s BKC offering, NRI.*Chef Atul Kochhar adds finishing touches to Mamak Rojak. Pic/Prabhanjan Dhanu*

From Mamak Rojak (Malaysian street-style fruit and bean salad) to Pind Da Hummus, Sri Lankan Potli Chicken served with idiyappam and Lamb Bunny Chow (traditional Durban preparation of curried lamb in a scooped out bread that this diarist loved), each dish was paired with wines from Argentina, Chile and even, local varieties.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/SUV-car-aacident-s.jpg*Their SUV dropped down 25 ft and landed in a densely forested area. Pics/Datta Kumbhar
*

Sumit Pandya (17) and Ashna Shah (16) from Bhandup, and Mulund residents Rutika Shetty (17) and Puja Deria (16) sated late night hunger pangs at a pizza outlet in Powai and were returning home in a Toyota Fortuner around 3.30 am.*The spot in Powai where the teens hit the traffic barrier*

Pandya was driving the SUV. On the stretch between IIT-Bombay and the Gandhinagar junction, he picked up so much speed that he lost control over the vehicle.

The SUV veered to the edge of the road, knocked down a streetlight, grazed a 3-ft-high road safety barrier, jumped right off it and dropped 25 feet below in a thicket.

The police rescued the four and took them to Hiranandani Hospital in Powai around 6 am. No one sustained any grievous injury in the accident. Only Shah suffered a fracture in the left arm.

The others were treated for minor cuts and bruises on the arms and legs, said a doctor at the hospital.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Bhandup-couple-s.jpg*Truptee Satam and her husband Parijat Bhalekar*

Truptee Satam and her husband Parijat Bhalekar, had rescued the pups approximately a month ago. The mother of the puppies, who were born in a litter of nine, was attacked one night by a male dog that killed five of the pups. Satam and her husband gave sheltered the dogs for around a week and then contacted NGOs for help.*Adoption poster for the rescued pups*

“Societies and various NGOs claiming to work for animal welfare are not really true. My husband and I struggled to find an NGO that could help us look for a foster home, but none of them helped us. Moreover, one of the well-known NGOs asked us to pay Rs 250 per puppy per day,” said Satam.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Volkswagen-s.jpg

*Also Read: Teens assault cop, smash window of police van in Dadar**At the birthday party of an NCP leader in Khar, the four youths approach Furkan Sheikh. Illustration/Uday Mohite*

Shaikh managed to jump out at a police nakabandi. The police arrested three of the alleged kidnappers and seized the luxury car they used as a getaway vehicle.*They ask him out for a smoke. Sheikh agrees and steps out with them*

The abductors allegedly wanted him to reimburse an emittered mutual friend’s charges towards payment of an advocate’s fees of Rs 40,000.*Once outside, the four men ask him to join them for a drive in a luxury car. Again, he agrees*

The NCP leader had introduced the friend, Forum, to the advocate to settle a home loan case, but the legal proceedings didn’t go as per her expectations. The four youths held Shaikh responsible for their friend’s financial loss and demanded that he repay her legal fees.

*Read Story: Shopkeeper doused in hot oil during fight over headlights**Inside the car, he is slapped, threatened and bullied to repay the fee of Rs 40,000 their friend had to shell out to pay an advocate referred by Shaikh. After one of the men gets off near Poddar College in Santacruz, the others drive Shaikh around for quite a while, repeating their threats and demanding immediate payment*

*Threatened, assaulted*
It all began at the birthday celebrations of an NCP leader in Khar around 10 pm on Wednesday. The four youths — Saif Khatri (22), Kais Bhati (24), Shahnawaz Khan (19) and Afrid Kalwatkar (22) — called Shaikh out for a smoke. Once outside, they asked him to join them for a drive in a Volkswagen car.*Two hours later, the car nears a police nakabandi near the Vakola flyover. Shaikh escapes as the car slows down near the barricades. The police block the vehicle and catch the abductors. They are detained and taken to the police station*

After driving around for a bit, they stopped near Poddar College in Santacruz West and bullied him. When a clueless Shaikh demanded an explanation, the men told him categorically that they held him responsible for their friend’s financial mess. They demanded that he call up his friends and family and arrange for the cash immediately. Around this time, Kalwatkar left the spot. But the others drove Shaikh back to Khar and even allegedly slapped him two to three times to browbeat him into paying up.*(From top) Afrid Kalwatkar, Saif Khatri, Kais Bhati and Furkan Sheikh escaped from their clutches at a police nakabandi*

*Rescued at nakabandi*
“When the car, heading for Kalina, neared the Vakola flyover, I spotted a police nakabandi. The men had to slow down, and I grabbed this chance to jump out. The police then blocked the car and caught the men,” revealed Shaikh, Bandra resident.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Parking-agents-s.jpg*A Ballard Estate parking lot in South Mumbai that is also part of BMC’s re-tendering process. Pic/Bipin Kokate*

The civic body has decided to invite tenders for the 47 such parking lots they found. As the BMC was earlier not getting the amount it should be earning from these areas, it has formed stricter rules to now earn its rightful Rs 1.14 crore.

“We have re-tendered these parking spaces and expect to earn Rs 1.14 crore annually from them,” said Kiran Dhighavkar, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, A-ward.

These contractors had categorised these parking lots into 11 packages, depending on their size, but now the BMC has brought it down to four on the basis of their productivity. They are productive if vehicles are constantly being parked and non-productive if those parked once don’t leave for the entire day.

“The contractors, who were asked to collect parking fee, were overcharging motorists despite us keeping fare charts. Also, the monthly cheques that they were supposed to pay us, bounced. So now we have changed the terms and conditions of the contract which wouldn’t benefit them,” said a BMC official. Sources said the contractors also used to misdirect motorists into parking in their spaces, despite there being free parking lots in the area.

*For bicycles*
Besides, it has also decided to allot 470 parking spaces to bicycles, which will be the first-of-its-kind in the city. This will be a vital step after the MMRDA’s plan for a bicycle path at BKC failed as it is now being used for buses.*8,197*
No of parking spaces in the 47 parking lots

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/mar/slit-s.jpg*Chayaan, who survived the attack, sustained injuries to his hands and neck*

“She decided to kill her sons as she thought that they would not be taken care of after she dies,” said S Nikam, inspector of Mumbra police station, adding that she suffered from pneumonia, typhoid and jaundice in bouts since June 23. Preliminary investigation also revealed that she was unhappy in her marital life, as her husband did not have any time for them.

*Also Read: Malad stabbing: Mother killed son over her affair with ex-driver*

Chinmay Karamkar, 37, worked in a jewellery shop in Zaveri Bazar and was out of the house for more than 12 hours and so his wife Sampa had to handle all the responsibilities with nobody to help. She also felt helpless as her younger son was diagnosed with dengue and the family lacked money for his treatment.

The TV cable connection was also cut on Tuesday due to non-payment and this became the tipping point for Sampa, who on Wednesday plunged a sharp knife in the neck of her 18-month-old son, killing him on the spot and then attacked her 11-year-old son Chayaan.

“Chayaan resisted the attack and got injured on his hands and throat. Later, the woman attempted suicide by trying to slit her throat,” added Nikam. A bleeding Chayaan shouted for help and that was when one of the neighbours informed Chinmay.

*Read Story: US mother killed 3 sons in 13 months as husband paid less attention to daughter*

Sampa and her son were taken to Mumbradevi hospital, where he narrated the whole incident to the police. The woman also confessed to her crime after which she was shifted to Kalwa hospital.

A case has been registered under IPC section 302 (punishment for murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 309 (attempted suicide). Sampa was produced in Thane Sessions court yesterday and was remanded in judicial custody of 14 days.

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*Also Read: Gadoli encounter: Mumbai crime branch arrests girlfriend Divya Pahuja**Mumbai Police arrested Divya Pahuja from her home in Gurgaon yesterday. Pic/PTI*

During an exclusive interview with mid-day last month, the 20-year-old had said she would not turn herself in because she had done nothing wrong. So what changed her mind? In the same interview, she also said there was a threat to her life. It’s possible that she finally got tired of being on the run and constantly having to look over her shoulder.

*Key in hand*
Divya and her mother Sonia were brought to Mumbai by a late flight on Thursday evening. With her arrest, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) finally has the key to cracking the case. As Gadoli’s girlfriend, Divya was travelling with him and was in the same hotel room when he was shot dead by a team of Gurgaon cops on February 7. She is the sole eyewitness who can confirm whether it was cold-blooded murder or, as the Gurgaon cops claim, he was killed in a genuine encounter. But the path ahead is unlikely to be straightforward — even before she was named in the FIR, Divya had changed her statement several times.

*Read Story: Andheri shootout: Sandeep Gadoli's girlfriend convinced him to get rid of his weapon*

Equally important is the allegation that Divya was in cahoots with the Gurgaon police, who used her as a honeytrap to keep track of his whereabouts and ensure he was unarmed. Investigations suggest that the Gurgaon cops kept track of Gadoli’s location through Divya’s Facebook updates. She allegedly also passed on information through her mother, Sonia, who has also been arrested.

*Also Read: Gurgaon gangster's shootout: 'My only mistake was being in the same room when Gadoli was shot'*

A police officer said, “Divya gave each and every update of their movement to the accused policemen and her mother Sonia. She regularly made Facebook updates about her location and even had WhatsApp and phone conversations with her mother. Her mother then passed on the information to the rival Gujjar gang and the accused policemen.”

He added, “The accused policemen used this precise information to carry out the fake encounter. Unfortunately for them, everything was captured in the hotel’s CCTV cameras.”*Cooking a plan*
Divya disappeared after she was named as a suspect, and her father – Ashok, a vegetable seller – even filed a missing complaint at the local police station. According to sources, the mother-daughter duo returned to their house last morning and Divya prepared pulao. While they were eating, the Mumbai SIT arrived to arrest them. “Divya never came to her house at Baldev Nagar after the FIR. Today, she came home and the Mumbai cops arrived an hour later. The whole incident seems to be well planned. Divya knew that the cops were after her, how could she make the mistake of going home?” said a source close to the investigations.

*Gadoli’s kin happy*
Sandeep Gadoli’s sister, Sudesh Kataria, said, “The way in which Divya and her mother were found at their house is very strange. But we are happy that she has finally been arrested. We hope that she will finally speak the truth and we will get justice for our brother, who was killed in cold blood.” Reported by Mid-Day 2 hours ago.

*The cut-off lists announced by Delhi University make tens of thousands of youths nervous every year. Nearly three lakh school-leavers registered for admission at DU this year. The cut-offs - or the minimum percentage of marks in class 12 that colleges demand - are too high for most.*

"When the first cut-offs were announced we were disheartened. I thought my daughter would not be able to get admission in any good college this year," said Vibha Gangneja, who came to Miranda House for the girl's admission in English (Hons) after the second cut-off list.

The first cut-off in Miranda House for English (Hons) was 97.50 per cent, which came down to 97 per cent in the second list.

Even the 0.5 per cent drop offered hope because admissions to many courses like English (Hons) and Sociology (Hons) had already closed in 'good colleges' like Lady Shri Ram (LSR) and St Stephen's after the first list.

This year DU offered only the online route for admissions. The new system created problems for admission seekers - at times the DU website wouldn't let them register, or not allow them to pay the fees online. But most youngsters didn't let this bother them too much. Their focus was on a possible seat in DU.

"If cut-offs are met then the battle is won," said Himani Narula, an admission seeker.
Vidushi Chhabra, 17, said, "I have got 85 per cent, which is very bad according to DU standards. But I will get any college because of my ECA trial."

Chhabra got English (Hons) at Jesus and Mary College in the first cut-off, which was kept at 97.75 per cent, because she got full marks in her Extra-Curricular Activities trial.
Under the ECA category, students can get up to 15 per cent relaxation in their best of four class 12 exam aggregate, after competitive trials in activities like dance, music, drama and films.
With `95 percenters' wandering around, lost on the campus during admissions, many like Chhabra who went for ECA and sports trials can consider themselves lucky.

Abhishek Gupta scored 93 per cent in class 12. He was sitting outside the Delhi University Students Union's office with his brother and sister after the fourth cut-off list, trying to get admission at Kirori Mal College for BA (Programme).

Some student union members told them to take any course they could get right now, and switch later if the cut-offs for what he wanted drop in the fifth list. But he was stuck on getting into a "good" college as his brother and sister did in their time.

Gupta's brother, who did BA (Programme) at Hansraj College in 2007 with 60 per cent in class 12, finds it hard to believe that his brother may not get into any college in north campus this year. In 2010, his sister made it to DU with even less than that.

Unlike many who want to just block any seat, be it Buddhist Studies or Sanskrit (Hons) which are not that popular at DU, Gupta is adamant on getting into KMC only. Otherwise he will go to a private university.

Last year, College of Vocational Studies and Indraprastha College for Women posted a 100 per cent cut-off for the Computer Science programme in the first list for the general category.

This year the highest cut-off in the first list among all DU colleges was at Ramjas College, which asked for 99.25 per cent for BCom (Hons). Also, Ramjas cut-off of 98.5 per cent for Economics (Hons) was the highest for that course in the first list.

This year, a comparatively less popular college like PGDAV, kept its cut-off for BCom (Hons) and Economics (Hons) at 96.5 per cent. Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), College of Vocational Studies and Kirori Mal were asking for a score as high as 98 per cent for the BCom (Hons) course. Often, there was no difference seen in cut-offs at college with varying reputations.

Shri Ram College of Commerce, recognised as the best college for Commerce by many, kept its cut-off at 97.5 per cent in the third list and closed admissions for general category in the fourth list, after dropping 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent in every list.
Hindu College didn't bring down its Economics (Hons) cut-off in the second list at all, keeping it at 97.75 per cent.

Ramjas principal Rajendra Prasad said his college kept the cut-offs at this level after analysing the data about the maximum marks scored by class 12 students this year.
As it happened, there were no takers for BCom (Hons) under the the first cut-off list - the college was asking too much. In the next list it brought the cut-off down by up to two per cent. But a Ramjas college official said half of the seats are vacant even after the fourth cut-off.

Students often 'block' their seats in many colleges without caring about their preference, so that they can switch later. But this year DU will come out with only five cut-off lists, as compared to previous years when colleges would release up to 12 lists.

Some `98 percenters' switched colleges up to the fourth cut-off list, but these new regulations in DU have made many parents and students nervous.

Sri Venkateswara College principal Hemalatha Reddy said the college does not suffer in any way if five cut-off lists come out, or 12. "We just organise the candidates in their order of merit," she said.

"Taking out more cut-off list brings in more applications from reserved categories, otherwise there is no difference as such. Seats get filled anyway," said Reddy.
A professor of Botany (Hons) said that till 2011 students with a difference of even 20 percentage points in school exams would make it to the same class. So an `85 percenter' and a `65 percenter' would study together. But then there were many drop-outs and failures.

"Cut-offs are getting higher because the boards are giving too much marks," said Abha Dev Habib, Physics professor at Miranda House.

She said that the trend in DU has also changed recently after the implementation of the CBCS (Choice Based Credit System).

"Whereas getting a 75 per cent in Physics in DU was considered tough some years ago, now students are getting 90 per cent," she added. Students are never failed in any exam under the system, she said.

A high cut-off may show that the college is a good. But many colleges are recognised only because of the traditions they have kept alive, according to Habib.

"In a classroom, there is always heterogeneity. Two people cannot be of the same calibre just as they cannot be of the same creed. A college can enhance its reputation only with its teachers and the system," said Habib. Reported by Deccan Herald 6 hours ago.

The avalanche of English remakes of Scandinavian thrillers — The Killing, The Bridge, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Those who Kill, Feed the Beast, and Borgen — tells us that 'Nordic Noir' is in!

The post David Schwimmer’s ‘Feed The Beast’ proves what we’ve known: ‘Nordic noir’ is in appeared first on Firstpost. Reported by Firstpost 8 hours ago.

By Urmimala Banerjee Celebration, drama, controversy all found its way here! Divyanka Tripathi’s wedding defeated Sultan, IIFA and Rajnikanth’s Kabali. Such is the power of the TV bahu. We also had the ugly spat between Kushal Tandon and Gauahar Khan and Mishal Raheja’s exit from Ishq Ka Rang Safed. Here is a look at the events… NewsmakersDivyanka Tripathi and Vivek Dahiya’s wedding continued to make headlines. After a gala reception in Chandigarh, they held another cocktail party in Mumbai, which was a heady affair. Upset at the invasion of privacy, Divyanka lashed out at the media and asked them to exercise restraint. Karan Patel’s alleged misdemeanor with the media at DiVek’s Mumbai bash also made news. Fans of Pearl V Puri got a rude shock when reports of him being replaced in Meri Saasu Maa did the rounds. The actor and producer confirmed the exit was a temporary one. It was reported that Ekta Kapoor’s upcoming show based on the 1979 film, Jaani Dushman will be titled Brahmarakshas. It will star Krystle D’souza and Aham Sharma in lead roles. Mishal Raheja quit the show, Ishq Ka Rang Safed due to lack of increment from the production house. Kushal Tandon and Gauahar Khan got into a slugfest of sorts when the former referred to her at his ex in an interview. Upset, Gauahar retorted on snapchat. Entries and exits Nausheen Ali Sardar who made news earlier for her breakup with Rahil Azam is back on TV with Gangaa, as the girl’s… Reported by Filmy Friday 6 hours ago.

The girl was reportedly run over in a Gold Coast driveway. Reported by Brisbane Times 2 hours ago.

The Goregaon police have arrested a habitual housebreaker, who burgled in order to buy gifts for his transgender lover. The alleged accused has been identified as Uday Nilesh Patil, 28, a resident of Malad West.

According to the police, Naka broke into the office of Camuna Co- operative Credit Society in Goregaon West on July 1 and stole five laptops, a cellphone and valuables amounting to Rs 62,000.

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The police arrested Jioan D'Souza, 28, a resident of Shastri nagar, Kanjurmarg East for killing his younger brother Jito Albert D'Souza, 24. According to the police the three brothers Jioan, Jito and Nizel, 31, stayed together in their Kanjurmarg home. "They had some properties that they had rented and used to get good rent out of it," said a police officer from the Mumbai Crime branch's Unit VII.

On 9th of July, Jito was brought to the Sion hospital by the other to elder brother's when doctor's questioned what happened to him. Jioan had said that he had meet with an accident while in drunken state and a glass piece had entered his body near the kidney.

Jito succumbed to his injuries on July 14 in the hospital. The hospital post mortem report said that the injuries in the kidney were due to a sharp object and most probably something like a knife. The police immediately started questioning the brothers and found discrepancies in the statements of the two elder brothers Nizel and Jioan.

On further questioning it was revealed that Jito, Jioan and Nizel drank together on 3rd of July. A drunk Jito then entered the house around mid-night and started abusing everybody he even kicked Nizel's wife Nikita, who is seven month's pregnant. This did not go well with Jioan as he was also beaten along with Nizel by Jito.

Later Jioan brought a knife from the kitchen and stabbed Jito three to four times on the right side of near the kidney. After they saw Jito bleeding they immediately hatched a plan to tell everyone that Jito meet with an accident but their lie was caught by the police.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Lahoria-office-s.jpg*In November 2014, the Thane Crime Branch filed a chargesheet, claiming that gangster Abu Salem's right-hand man Mehendi Hassan had reportedly taken a contract to kill Sandeep Kumar Lahoria. Sandeep's father, Sunil, had been gunned down outside his Vashi office in February 2013. Pics/Sneha Kharabe*

Over an hour's drive away from here, in Ulhasnagar, Thane district, contractor Sumit Sunil Chakraborthy's 23-year-old son Aakash is still reeling from the aftershocks of the June 11 firing at his father's office. He narrowly missed being the target of notorious goon Suresh Pujari's shooters by five minutes. While nobody was injured, Sumit is yet to come to terms with Pujari's sudden decision to act on the threat calls, which he has been receiving for the last three years. "He is a local goonda," Sumit says, "There was never any reason to take him seriously." That the empty threats translated into something more sinister, called for a reality check. A couple of days after the incident, he got his son to register for an arms licence and got police security for his office.*On July 11, two motorcycle-borne shooters, allegedly associated with underworld gangster Suresh Pujari, opened fire at (right) builder Sumit Chakraborthy's office in Ulhasnagar. Chakraborthy's son Aakash (left), who had been receiving extortion calls seeking R2 crore, had left the premises just five minutes before*

In the realty business, a booming industry outside of Mumbai, somebody is a new target every day. We sat down for a chat with the ones who have reasons to be afraid of their own shadows.*Lahoria's office at Sector 28 in Vashi*

*Q. What kind of struggles do you face in your business?*
*Sandeep:* As a developer, my father (the late Sunil Lahoria) and I have been constantly harassed and bullied by government and police officials. Because we deal with buying and selling of land, we are often targeted by a section of builders who involve villagers or locals, who occupy land purchased by us, and demand that we give an NOC at a certain price. If we don't, they threaten us with an FIR. The cops go ahead and file the FIR because the builders offer them a cut too. It's a tight nexus here and there's no room for honesty.

*Sumit:* Ulhasnagar's biggest and only problem is Suresh Pujari. As a contractor, I have never faced any harassment from either government officials or the cops. To be honest, even if I have rivals, we would never stoop to the lengths of involving the underworld or goons. For the last three to four years, Pujari has been making extortion calls to many businessmen in the area, without even bothering to check if they have the capacity to pay up. But, we never believed him, until he shot dead a local cablewala in October last year.*Chakraborthy's office in Ulhasnagar. Last year, one of Pujari's shooters killed cable operator Sachanand Karia when he refused to pay extortion money of Rs 5 crore*

*Q. When did the extortion calls first begin?*
*Sandeep:* My father got the first call five years ago. This has to do with his need to do business honestly. He never indulged in any malpractice, and did not believe in taking or giving bribes. In 2011, he filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court after the police refused to file an FIR against builder Anurag Garg, who had violated FSI rules, while constructing towers on Palm Beach Road. When the HC directed the police to file an FIR against Garg, top police officials advised him against it. My father refused, and before he knew it, he had started receiving calls from Garg's accomplice Suresh Bijlani, who has strong connections with the underworld. Again, my father did not give in to threats. It cost him his life.

*Sumit:* The call came some three years ago. At the time, I did not even know Pujari. He simply asked me to pay up R2 crore. I did not have that kind of money, so I laughed it off. But, after that day, for the next eight days, he kept harassing me with 20 to 30 calls every day. I then went and filed a complaint with the Thane police. While I was assured that action would be taken, nothing changed. The calls kept coming and with time they had become sporadic. However, after the murder of Sachu cablewala, he also started harassing my son Aakash with phone calls.

*Q. How cooperative were the authorities?*
*Sandeep:* My father wouldn't have died had the police officials been half as cooperative. In fact, they were hand-in-glove with the builders and one of the senior-most officers was also aware of the plans to kill him. On the day of the murder, former Navi Mumbai CP Ashok Kumar was in constant touch with Bijlani and Garg. Still, nothing was done about it. I cannot stand the Navi Mumbai police. They are all dogs. This is why I sought for the inquiry to be handed over to the Mumbai crime branch.

*Sumit:* I have visited the CP, joint CP and DCP of Thane on several occasions. What I have been given is only assurance, and nothing else. When Pujari started harassing my son, I applied for police protection for him. In return they slap a Rs 80,000 bill every month for their services, when they shouldn't be charging anything and instead, should try and focus their energies on tracking the goon. Are they waiting for him to become a big ganglord before they cut him to size?

*Q. How is it that people in the real estate are mostly targets of the underworld? Isn't it because of the kind of money, especially black money, that's pumped into the industry?*
*Sandeep:* Let me lay it to you straight…it is only honest people, who are usually targeted by the underworld. If my father had agreed to pay the money that had been demanded, he would have been sitting in this office today. My father had sensed something fishy in the trade here, and hence, started new businesses in Dubai and Australia by 2002. In fact, I was handling all our business abroad, but after my father's death I decided that I would not move from here, until I get the guilty behind bars. The good thing is that Garg and Bijlani are now in jail, but I have had to spend crores of rupees to ensure that they remain there.

*Sumit:* No, it is not true. Pujari has threatened more than 50 people in Ulhasnagar, and they include politicians, small-time shopkeepers, and businessmen like me. Nobody has been spared of his idiocy.

*Q. What's it like to live under constant fear?*
*Sandeep:* I carry a licensed gun with me everywhere I go. I have been given police security, but ask the official how to handle the gun, and he will have no clue. Because of this, I have become my own watchdog. Every now and then, I get a threat call, saying that if I don't stop pursuing the case, I will meet my father's fate. I am not married, and have no family. If I had one, I would never keep them here. My mother doesn't know what kind of problems I face, and I don't discuss it with her because she would ask me to put an end to this. But, I am not a quitter. The one thing I learned from my father is to be brave.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Motor-coach-s.jpg*The taped entrance to the Bombardier rakes*

These trains, that have machines of Bombardier make (a Canadian transportation company) have a defect that might look negligible to the naked eye. There are small openings in the motor coach on the sides of the train through which water can easily seep in. A motor coach has electric transformers, circuits, electrics and other software controls. A 12-car train has four motor coaches.

Senior officials from Western Railway (WR) said they identified the leakage only after the first rains. “There are small gaps through which moisture gets in, and can put these electric equipment and circuits at risk,” said a WR official on condition of anonymity.

Earlier in June, six of these Bombardier trains suffered technical failures with the onset of rain. This is when the WR authorities jumped into action and began looking for flaws. They new trains were then taken to their carsheds for repair. They fixed it by soldering the gaps and pasting thick cello-tape at the doors of the motor coaches.

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Yasmin Abdul Karim Sayed (30) allegedly committed suicide early on Friday at her home near a famous bakery near Shahad Phata in Ulhasnagar-1.

But Yasmin’s mother, a resident of Gulbarga, in Karnataka, approached the police the next day, alleging that Kalani’s aide, Abdul Karim alias Babdi, drove her over the edge with repeated abuse and assault. She also named Karim’s first wife as an abettor to the suicide in her complaint.

“Karim married Yasmin two years ago. They have an 11-month-old daughter. Yasmin’s mother claimed that Karim already had a 10-year-old son from his first wife and that he used to suspect Yasmin’s fidelity. He abused and assaulted her over this repeatedly,” said an officer from the Ulhasnagar police station. Karim also allegedly tormented his wife by taking their child away from her and often turning her out of their home.

“We have registered a case against the husband and the first wife,” said the official.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/apr/MI-Wankhede-water-s.jpg*Anil Galgali*

Incidentally, only after RTI applicant Anil Galgali filed an application on June 20, the Mumbai police realised that the MCA owed them money.

DCP (operations) Ashok Dudhe of the Mumbai police immediately addr-essed a letter to the DCP (local arms), asking him to recover R3.6 crore from the MCA and deposit it with the Maharashtra Police Housing and Welfare Corporation.

In March, six matches — New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, New Zealand vs England, India vs South Africa, West Indies vs England, South Africa vs England, South Africa vs West Indies and India vs West Indies — had taken place in the city. The Mumbai police provided security for all these matches, and accordingly, the MCA was billed Rs 3.6 crore.

"But despite such a huge bill, neither did the MCA bother paying the bill, nor did the Mumbai police try following it up," said RTI activist Galgali. "The money has been due since the last four months. The Mumbai police only woke up after the RTI query and wrote a letter to the MCA, to recover the amount. But, nobody knows when they will receive the amount," said Galgali.

When mid-day contacted Umesh Khanvilkar, joint secretary, MCA, he confirmed that the association had received a letter from the Mumbai police. "We will be carrying out a managing committee meeting on July 30, where the issue will be discussed. It’s already included in the agenda," he said.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17-BEST-bus-s.jpg*The credit society acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. Representational pic*

What should make the Sena happier is that its close rival, the BJP, finished poorly in the polls and did not win a single seat. The difference of votes between the ruling partners in the BMC, and the state was large. The Sena polled 9,500 votes, while the BJP got just around 1,000 votes.*Sharad Rao*

The 35,000-member credit society is worth over Rs 1,000 crore and acts as a financial backbone to families of BEST workers, as it provides loans at affordable interest rates and offers attractive rate of interest on deposits. It also gives dividends to members who work in BEST's transport and electricity divisions.

Until now, trade union leader and NCP man Sharad Rao led the workers' union panel. This year, for the first time, the Sena fielded its exclusive Utkarsh Panel and wrested power from Rao's team, which won just five seats. The Sena also caused a huge defeat for the BJP camp, which contested as Parivartan Panel, but returned empty handed in a polling that was held across BEST depots in the city on July 13.

Commenting on the results, Shiv Sena leader and BEST Kamgar Sena (workers' union) chief Suhas Samant said that it was a good omen for his party ahead of the BMC polls. “The Sena polled 9,500 votes of the total 25,000 cast that day. You must remember that the families of our society voters stay in Mumbai and support the Sena. This shows that the Sena will be the number one party in the BMC elections as well.”

Sources said that the Sena's strength increased manifold when Vitthal Gaikwad, who heads a recognised workers' union in the electricity division joined the party two months ago, along with his supporters. Samant's BEST Kamgar Sena and Gaikwad's Mumbai Electric Workers' Union came together to pose a challenge to Rao's panel.

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The magistrate hearing the case had directed Mallya to appear before the court on Saturday. He had also said that he will issue an NBW if Mallya fails to appear. Hence, the NBW was issued following Mallya’s absence in the court.
The court was hearing a case filed by the AAI against Kingfisher Airlines in connection with two cheques, of around Rs 100 crore, which were dishonoured.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Kichak-s.jpg*The idol of Kichak was found by the team on the Marol end of Aarey Milk Colony*

“We have found antiquities dating back to 10th and 13th century AD, the period when the Shilahara Yadav and Bimba dynasties ruled Salsette, the main island of Mumbai,” said archaeological expert Vinayak Parab from the team. Turns out, Marol was the then capital of the Shilahara dynasty.

“We visited seven tribal hamlets in Mumbai and in these padas we found archaeological remains, such as Gavdevi temples. We have found remains of an ancient temple on the Marol end of Aarey Milk Colony. Marol and Aarey Milk Colony area are an archaeologically and heritage-rich area and without carrying out exhaustive exploration work in Aarey, no development can be carried out,” said Parab, adding, “We are not against development. But like the USA and European countries, there are experts from the field of geoology and archaeology who visit the location where development is taking place and it is only after their approval that any work can be done. The same pattern should be adopted in our country.”

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*Also read: Kidney transplant racket gang facilitated 35 transplants in 5 years**A file photo of agent Brijendra Bisen, who masterminded kidney transplant rackets*

The Powai police worked on a tip-off from regarding the transplant of Brijkishor Jaiswal, 48, a resident of Surat. The police found out that Jaiswal had said that his wife Rekha Devi was the donor, but the donor was another woman.

The police then arrested Brijendra Bisen, the mastermind behind the whole racket who had also been arrested for a similar offence in 2007. Bisen was the one who planned the whole process and forged documents to prove that Shobha Thakkar, another accused in the racket, was the wife of Jaiswal.

Jaiswal’s son, Kisan was also arrested by the cops for helping them. As per law, only blood relation can take part in kidney transplants.

The police have arrested six accused till now under various sections of the IPC and the Transplant of Human Organs Act, 1994. The police said Jaiswal was going to R23 lakh to Bisen, for the whole process. Bisen though has claimed that he claims has only received Rs 2 lakh, but police are investigating that claim.*Hospital speak*
We have been made aware that one of the medical social workers at the hospital is a suspect and has been arrested in the case involving falsification of information for kidney transplant. We take issues of ethics and compliance seriously and have terminated the services of the person concerned. We are fully cooperating with the investigation agencies in this matter.

The hospital has constituted an internal committee of five doctors and we are also looking at engaging external consultants to further strengthen the screening and authorisation process for transplants. We adhere to all procedures mandated by law and will further strengthen its basis on the advice of the committee. As a healthcare institution of repute, we take matters of ethics and compliance seriously and are working towards building more safeguards to detect and avoid fraudulent cases.

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*Also read: 'My name is Zakir Naik and I do not inspire terrorists'**A picture released by the King Faisal Foundation in March 2015 shows Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz presenting Zakir Naik, with the 2015 King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam in Riyadh. Pic/AFP*

Earlier this month, counter-terrorism units in India said that Nabris Islam and Rohan Imitaz — two of the six terrorists who attacked the Holey Artisan Café in Dhaka — were inspired by speeches made by Naik. Later, it emerged that Ayaz Sultan, leader of the Islamic State (IS) module in Malwani, who reportedly sneaked out of India to reach Syria, too, was influenced by Naik's speeches. It's after these revelations that Naik's speeches began to be probed by the government. After the Dhaka attacks, Naik's Peace TV was banned in Bangladesh.

*Also read: Govt must act against Zakir Naik, probe his funding sources: Cleric**Manzoor Shaikh, a family friend who has been working with Naik's Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) for the past 21 years, says Zakir Naik started off wanting to be a surgeon. But, that changed after he attended a lecture by Ahmed Deedat, a South African Islamic preacher, which deeply impressed him. Pic/Bipin Kokate*

*His first debate*
Shaikh says Naik continued to work at his father's clinic, practising medicine. His father, Abdul Karim Naik, was a psychiatrist. His heart, however, was never in his work. In 1989, Naik was invited to a debate organised at the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh. The subject was the views of eminent writer Taslima Nasreen on Islam. There were four journalists and the debate went on for hours. Naik's impassioned arguments caught everyone's eye.

The very next year, Naik addressed his first ever public lecture at the Saboo Siddik College in south Mumbai, where around 7,000 people - men, women and children - came to hear him. There were murmurs that Naik was the next Ahmed Deedat. "His popularity began to spread and he started being invited abroad for lectures by prominent Muslim groups in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, UK, Malaysia and several Arab countries," says Shaikh.

Till date, Naik, now 50, has delivered more than 2,000 public talks, with a majority of his followers being the youth.

In 1991, he established the IRF. Shaikh says, "I have been working with Dr Naik since 1995. When I had joined, IRF had been operating from a small office in Dongri. It was on the second floor of the building and had a library of literary works of Islamic scholars, and video cassettes of Islamic preachers, which were given to people free of cost. People returned them after reading or watching."

*Family ties*
He said Naik's father was a native of Ratnagiri in Konkan Maharashtra but Naik was born and raised in Mumbai. Naik is the youngest of five siblings, (three sisters and two brothers), Mohammed Naik being the eldest. Though Naik's followers number in crores, one of his sisters, Salva Naik, is vehemently opposed to his views. A source close to the family said, "She does not follow him and has had differences of opinion with him regarding his views on religion." Naik is married to Farhat Naik, who heads the women's wing of the IRF. They have two daughters and a son, Fareek Naik, who is in his twenties. Fareek studies in an Islamic school in Riyadh and wants to become an 'Alim' (Islamic scholar). He speaks fluent Arabic, English and Hindi, "Zakir bhai does not know Arabic but wants his son to learn what he could not," said Athar Khan, Naik's colleague at Peace TV, the channel that is currently under the scanner of security agencies.

*Peace TV*
Khan says, "I came in contact with Dr Zakir Naik during his preaching and lectures. I started working with him more than a decade ago and have also delivered lectures on Peace TV on several occasions. Dr Naik works really hard on his lectures, and preparations begin almost two months before the actual lecture. His content is verified by a dedicated team that comprises experts on Islam."

Naik has more than 1.4 crore followers on Facebook and some 20 crore viewers around the world watch his Peace TV sermons. The channel is not registered with the Indian Information and Broadcast Ministry, though some cable operators broadcast the channel. Naik said he had applied for a licence and had sought the government's permission to downlink Peace TV, but that was not granted.

*Voracious reader*
Mubarak Kapdi, Naik's brother-in-law and childhood friend, recalled Naik's youth before he became a preacher. "In his school days, he believed everything happened for a reason. It was this big 'why' that he asked about everything that pushed him towards books, which he devoured voraciously. He read all religious texts, including on Christianity and Hinduism and then started researching Islam," Kapdi said. "In those days, there was neither social media nor smartphones to advertise Dr Zakir Naik's lectures, so we used to put up banners and place advertisements in newspapers. After his research, he wrote a book, 'Muslims', which drew non-Muslims, too, to his public lectures. The youth were drawn by his power of persuasion, his research and satisfactory answers. He spoke extensively on the 'Quran and Sunnah' and 'Quran and Modern Science," he added.

Today, Dr Naik mostly spends his time outside the country, preaching and giving lectures on Islam. While social media has played an important role in boosting Naik's popularity, Naik is quick to admit that it has also given him bad publicity, with doctored clips of his lectures being put up, landing him in controversies.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17-Save-Aarey-s.jpg*In November 2015, MMRC wrote to the state government asking them to hand over a 41-hectare plot in Kanjurmarg, near the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, where they will construct a car depot instead of the one planned at Aarey Milk Colony*

Last year, citing pleas by citizens against the Aarey plan, MMRC had written a letter to the state government about changing the site of the depot. The copy of the letter is with mid-day.

*Also read: 4 lakh trees in Aarey, but Mumbai Metro bosses insist it's not a forest**Devendra Fadnavis*

The car depot is needed for the city’s first underground Metro corridor, a 33.5-kilometre stretch from Colaba to Seepz via Bandra. A depot is used for stabling trains, their maintenance and coordination.*The Kanjurmarg plot where MMRC said it could build the car depot. Pic/Sneha Kharabe*

MMRC is of the opinion that if the depot is constructed at Kanjurmarg, there would be no need to construct another car shed for the proposed JVLR-Kanjurmarg line.

*Also read: Save Aarey: Activists identify litigation-free plot in Kanjurmarg for Metro car depot*

Interestingly, while the state had, last year itself, accepted MMRC’s recommendation, it is worried about the extra cost of Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,500 crore for levelling and preparing the Kanjurmarg land, sources said. MMRC’s decision to opt for Kanjurmarg was revealed after a member of the Save Aarey group filed an RTI with MMRC and received in reply the letter written to the Secretary, Forest and Revenue Department, asking that the car shed site be moved to Kanjurmarg.

On November 5, last year, MMRC had written to the state requesting 41 hectares of land at Kanjurmarg for the depot and allied facilities. MMRC’s letter states, “Earlier, a 30-hectare plot in Aarey was identified as a car depot and the same was approved. However, considering protests by citizens against the construction of the car depot in Aarey, the state government constituted a committee to identify suitable alternative sites for the car shed.”

MMRC’s letter states, “The government of Maharashtra vide letter dated 16/10/2015 has accepted the recommendations of the committee. Vide this letter, it is approved to construct the main depot of line-3 at Kanjurmarg by integrating Colab-Seepz (MML-3) corridor with Jogeshwari Kanjurmarg Corridor...”

The state government’s dillydallying on the decision is seeing a rapid escalation in the cost of building the Metro 3 corridor. The original cost of the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro line was Rs 23,136 crore and this has escalated by more than Rs 1,500 crore already, a source from MMRC said.

Ashwini Bhide, managing director, MMRC, said, “We had written this letter in November and had also sent a modified plan for the Aarey metro car depot. But, it’s the state government who has to finally decide. Now that the work for the Metro has been awarded, we cannot wait any longer. Also, Kanjurmarg is far from our Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro line, so that too has to be considered.”*Timeline*

*2011:* MMRDA unveiled its plan to construct the first underground Mumbai Metro rail from Colaba to Seepz via Bandra.

*2014:* In February, the state cabinet approved line three.

*2014:* On August 26, the bhoomipujan was done at Andheri.

*2014:* At the end of the year, citizens and NGOs started protesting against MMRC’s plan to set up a car depot at Aarey, as it meant losing 2,298 trees. Citizens also said the biodiversity of the area would be affected because of construction.

*2015:* Following opposition to the car depot from Aarey citizens, the CM, in March, appointed an expert committee to study other options for the car depot and suggest alternatives.

*2015:* In October, the report prepared by the committee was submitted to the CM in which Kanjurmarg land was shown as the ideal location.

*About Metro 3*
>> The Metro 3 Colaba-Bandra-Seepz will be completely underground

>> Only the car depot will be on the ground

>> The cost of the project is Rs 23,136 crore

>> 57.2 per cent of the amount will come as a soft loan from the Japan Cooperation International Agency

>> 1,473 trees will be felled across all station sites

>> 2,298 trees could be axed at Aarey Milk Colony for the car depot

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Abhay-Maskara-s.jpg*Abhay Maskara and Justin Ponmany*

Curating from collections is different from curating through something more intimate to oneself, so I had to find my way around it; when I thought I did, it felt a lot better... I find it amusing that in cricket you have a pitch curator, because here you can curate a pitch.” Incidentally, the show, titled Travelling in Two Boats at the Same Time, spoke volumes about things that were happening just down the road from Akara Art.

Gallery Maskara’s final show opened to the public on Thursday too. While it was heartening to see thick crowds at Abhay Maskara’s decade old establishment, it’s impeding closure sent across ripples in the art fraternity. Perhaps the younger entrants into the gallerists’ circle have something to think about?

*When the sufis inspired the yogis*
A new book in town recently caught the attention of this diarist. At the outset, it seemed academic, but US-based Carl W Ernst (in pic), a professor of Islamic studies, has a surprise for yoga aficionados in his newly released title, Refractions of Islam in India (Yoda Press).

What he talks about is the links between Sufism and Yoga. We caught Prof Ernst during a visit to Mumbai, and asked him to throw some light on the subject. He was more than willing. “By the 12th century, there were sufis entering India, and their shrines had open kitchens, where yogis would come to get a meal,” he says, of their earliest interactions.

“What they realised was that they had many things in common. The yogis were developing an elaborate notion of the body and breath control, and the sufis became interested in that. Similarly, the yogis were very interested in the symbols of power in the sufi experience.” Prof Ernst’s work is part of a 30-year-long research. For keen followers of this subject, here is more food for thought.

*Jai remembered at Brisbane’s Gabba ground*
The true spirit of cricket was displayed recently at the Gabba in Brisbane. No, it did not concern two teams in a match at the Queensland capital, but four upcoming fast bowlers and a cricket consultant with a heart.*ML Jaisimha*

IDBI Federal Bowling Foundation bowlers, David Mathias Tushar Deshpande, Minad Manjrekar and Prasidh Krishna, who are in Brisbane to sharpen their pace bowling skills, were taken by the Foundation’s guide Makarand Waingankar to the Gabba to pay respects to former India batsman ML Jaisimha, who passed away 17 Julys ago in Secunderabad.

A bouquet of flowers was placed on the turf. If you are wondering about the Brisbane connection, it was at the Gabba where Jaisimha scored 74 and 101 during India’s 1967-68 Test tour of Australia. Jai, as he was known to his mates, played those two glorious knocks, shrugging off jet lag after landing in Australia as replacement for the injured BS Chandrasekhar.

The performance did not prevent Australia from winning, but MAK Pataudi’s men didn’t give in as easily as they did in the first two Tests at Adelaide and Melbourne.

*Man-to-man**Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi*

(Centre) Actor Jackie Shroff and (right) Fazal Qureshi seem to be in deep discussion as (left) jazz musician Loiuz Banks and (extreme right) theatre actor Denzil Smith look on. They were at an event to pay tribute to late Ustad Alla Rakha at Bandra’s St Andrew’s auditorium.

*From Italy, with love*
If you visit Prego, the Italian restaurant at The Westin Mumbai Garden City, it’s likely that Chef Antonello Cancedda will sing a song for you. Cancedda, who hails from the historical city of Genoa, northern Italy, has a passion for strumming the guitar and belting out famous Bollywood melodies for his diners. “I was inspired to take up singing because my father was a tenor. *Chef Antonello Cancedda*

And I always enjoyed cooking, so I honed both skills simultaneously,” says the 54-year-old. The diners, he says, are usually thrilled to see the chef croon in his endearing Hindi. “I normally sing Paani Da (Vicky Donor), Chura Liya (Yaadon Ki Baraat), Neele Neele Amber (Kalakar) and Give Me Some Sunshine (3 Idiots),” he says. Talk about being multi-talented.

*Romania gets Punjani tadka*
You might have watched the svelte Romanian singer, Otilia, croon Bilionera in the pool — a song that received almost 40 million views on YouTube. Now, Mumbai-based DJ Tarun has remixed the international track in Punjabi.

“Europeans are very fond of Punjabi music. Tracks by artistes like Punjabi MC, Sukhbir still play at clubs back in Romania. So, I decided to add a Punjabi tadka to the track with dhol beats,” he says. Produced by the international music label, Roton Music, the video has crossed 40,000 views in two days.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Whatsup-couple-s.jpg*Illustration/Uday Mohite*

A Bengaluru-based husband’s failure to provide Wi-Fi facility to his 25-year-old computer engineer-wife, resulted in a divorce petition in the family court in Pune - the city where the duo had romanced and married a year ago. The husband said he could not afford an unlimited wireless network at a time when he had just changed jobs and cities; the wife claimed deprivation of a key survival tool for job searches in a new city. Both have been counselled into staying together for a period in order to assess if their marriage can be steered away from the hot spot. They have also been asked to zero in on some low-cost Internet access which may ensure marital bliss.

Smita Joshi, the Pune counsellor who awaits the couple’s decision, says the dispute is among the most remembered matrimonial conflicts in her 20 years of service. While spousal discord resting on smartphones, social media apps and other virtual media platforms has been her everyday fare for the last five years, and has been on the rise, the surprise element was a litigating wife, unapologetically terming Wi-Fi as a “necessity” in the line of food, clothing and shelter. “While we were trying to persuade the couple about the worthlessness of technology over something as solid as marriage, she told us how suicidal it was for her to remain “unconnected” in a job market. From a purely women’s empowerment perspective, her petition had made a valid point that talks of the changing dynamic. Joshi said the petition could not be treated moralistically but holistically. “We want to save the marriage but not without acknowledging all sides of the story.”

Senior Counsel practising in the seven family courts in Mumbai, Sajan Oommen (past president of Family Court Bar Association) has studied such cases in greater detail because the Maximum City offers four-fold scope for surreptitious use of smartphones, near-24x7 chatting on social media trappings like Facebook or applications like Whatsapp. He states that nearly 90 per cent of the matrimonial cases pending settlement in the seven courts in Mumbai revolve around FB and WhatsApp exposés. The physical copies of the screen shots of online chats constitute a huge base of the annexed documents in several divorce or child custody petitions.

Oommen cited an ongoing dispute between a middle aged couple, in which the wife has filed a petition for protection of her rights over the matrimonial home. “When we placed the 250 printed pages of chat messages, which pertained to exchanges over only two nights, the judge was bewildered by the volume. More so, because adolescent children of the couple had taken the screen shots of the chat to prove the extensive time their father was giving to sexually explicit chats with another woman,” he says.

Oommen says smartphone-related cases have prompted him to take orientation lectures on mobile etiquette and family togetherness. “Being an advocate for 26 years, and having gone through a bagful of disputes centering on mobile phone usage, I have started engaging the newly-marrieds and general public on the need for ‘digital detox’.” His sessions — 20 have been conducted in the last four years — address issues like ‘Virtual Time versus Family Time’, ‘Do you need to be online and available?’ ‘Is your cell phone part of your family dinner?’ ‘Do you carry your phones to the washroom?’ ‘Is your pregnancy an FB status?’

Un-savviness in handling technology has often landed couples in the soup, with vital evidence of their misdeeds going into the wrong hands. For instance, a wrong text message sent by a Dadar-based navy captain to his wife (meant for his girl friend) wrecked the relationship and ended in a child custody petition; a picture ‘Whatsapped’ mistakenly to the wife became key evidence of “revived extramarital ties” in a domestic violence case; a wife’s Facebook party pictures (publicly shared without privacy restrictions) became the basis of an adultery case filed by her Dubai-based husband who had a minute-to-minute tracking of her goings-on in Mumbai; in another case the wife produced the husband’s dance bar photo stream to prove his unsuitability as a guardian of minor children.

Sujata Kulkarni, retired counsellor (Thane Family Court), echoes similar objections to misleading Facebook statuses. She recalls a 30-year-old husband who appeared twice (2014) in the court on the same day - once for a divorce petition filed by his wife and then in a plea seeking annulment of marriage by his school mate whom he had tricked into wedlock by claiming to be single on FB. “At a time when he was in a deep conflict with his wife, he had the gumption to create a false FB account and reunite with his SSC batchmate. Also, isn’t it surprising that no one in the group (virtual class reunion) knew about his marital history? The girl took him at ‘face value’ without once meeting his parents.”

Lawyer-turned-mediator (adju-dged the Best Mediator by the Bombay High Court’s Mediation Committee) in the Nagpur Family Court, mediator Sharmila Charalwar, (resolved 192 disputes out of 223 in 2015, using role play as one of the arbitration techniques), feels the mobile phone-centric discord has specific shades in the orange city. “Men resent the new-found ‘smartphone freedom’ enjoyed by women. Women talking or chatting extensively raise suspicion, especially amongst the newly married. Most disputes that I am currently mediating involve young couples in which the wife seeks equal access to friends’ groups and chat hubs. She makes it into a rights issue whereas the husband makes it into a conjugal negligence case.” Charalwar is currently a part of the felicitation of 101 couples, reunited by Family Court in Nagpur, which aims at encouraging a sharing of coping strategies and best practices. CM Devendra Fadnavis and Guardian Judge of Family Courts, Justice Revati Mohite-Dere will be present for this Nanda Saukhya Bhare (Live Happily) event on August 7.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Crinum-Lily-s.jpg*The Crinum latifolium, also known as the Milk and Wine Lily*

It goes without saying that on both occasions our visitors were awestruck by the variety of taxon groups (creatures) we sighted and documented in this city forest. The list included rare and common members of plants, insects, reptiles and birds. There were lush leaves on almost every tree, which less than a month ago, were dry and barren. The dry leaves, strewn all over the place, were now mulch. While the ants, crabs, grasshoppers, dragonflies and butterflies were ensuring that the visitors were amazed with their antics, the real star of both the walks was the fresh monsoon flora. There was grasses, herbs, climbers and seasonal plants en masse. For the writer in me, basically, they were stories waiting to be written.

Even among all the diverse plants that popped their heads out, the highlight was the mildly fragrant Milk and Wine Lily (Crinum latifolium). The sighting took me back to my early student days in the mid 1980s, when a young college lecturer, (Late) Dr Bina Vithalani, had introduced me to this early monsoon emergent. But this time, I was literally jumping with joy when I saw their lush, strappy, ribbon-like leaves and the dainty buds and flowers in various states of blossom. A little up the path there were around 30-40 lily plants turning the rocky, leaf-strewn slope into an aesthetic canvas. Although I am generally averse to poetry, the first reference that crossed my mind was that of Daffodils by William Wordsworth.

The participants were infected by my excitement and their curiosity about the Crinum Lily was reflected by the large number of digital photos everyone clicked. I elucidated that for a true forest lover, the Crinum Lily cannot escape anyone’s bucket list. Belonging to the Family Amaryllidaceae (lilies), Crinum is a genus with over 180 species distributed in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide in seasonally moist areas, including marshes, swamps and along streams and lakes. Due to their perennial nature, development from bulbs, large showy flowers emerging on leafless stems and tolerance to water, they grow extensively in gardens and aquariums.

The alternate wine pink and white stripes on the Crinum Lily flowers give it the apt common name, Milk and Wine lily. The Crinum Latifolium is one of the earliest plants that pops its head out with the first few showers and grow in a rosette pattern. The five or more flowers are borne above the strappy foliage on a metre-long stalk. The mildly fragrant flowers are visited by honey and carpenter bees and the petals are relished by Blister beetles. Besides its ecological and aesthetic beauty, the milk and wine lily is sought for its wide-ranging medical applications, viz. strengthening our immune system, and used to protect against urinary tract infections. Traditionally, Crinum latifolium bulbs were used to treat rheumatism, fistulas, tumours, tubercles and whitlow, and the juice extracted from leaves used for treating earache.

The blossoms of the Crinum latifolium subside sooner than they arrive, but their beauty lingers in your inner-eye to relish in solitude. But, rest assured, from July to September, half a dozen lily species will compete to replace the wild lunacy the Milk and Wine Lily may have caused.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Dr-Mohan-Agashe-s.jpg*Dr Mohan Agashe in Astu (So Be It)*

As a member of the National Film Award Jury in 2014, I had, in fact, recommended Astu for Best Film. It is deeply satisfying, despite its modest technical accomplishments. The film explores several issues that many of us may have grappled with, including what it means to love someone who doesn’t remember who he is; dilemmas when caring for an ageing parent —whether he should be cared for at home or put in an institution; and sibling rivalry. Amruta Subhash’s unhesitating compassion in taking responsibility for a complete stranger, effortlessly resolves Appa’s family’s dilemma, by responding to the challenge with love, not reason. The film makes an extraordinary connection: of the loss of memory in an Alzheimer’s patient, leading to a loss of identity, and thus becoming one with the absolute, which is the aim of Hindu philosophy. Appa involuntarily achieves what many consciously struggle to achieve. Dr Mohan Agashe is powerful as Appa; Irawati Harshe is good, but Amruta Subhash is masterly in a brief role. The superb dialogues are resonant. Also elegant is the use of the elephant, known for its memory, but also a spiritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is perhaps the finest film of Sumitra Bhave and Sunil Sukthankar, whose solid body of issue-based films includes Doghi, Devrai and the superb Vastupurush; this film totally transcends the issue. The film is co-produced by Dr Mohan Agashe and Sheelaa Rao.

We are lucky to see this film, which was made in 2013 and was released in Pune in 2014. According to Gannesh Rao, the film’s spokesperson, it is being re-released now because the producers would like to qualify for the Maharashtra state film subsidy of Rs 30-40 lakh, which requires release in 10 state districts. But, it is also a cautionary tale on intellectual property rights, as the Kannada film Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu (Wheatish Complexion Average Build), about a son looking for his missing father, inspired by Astu, has, according to media reports, made Rs 10 crore. It is directed by Hemanth Rao and stars Rakshit Shetty and Anant Nag. Now, actor-filmmaker Prakash Raj has bought the remake rights of Godhi Banna Sadharna Mykattu in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Gannesh Rao says they are unable to sue the Kannada film for infringement, as neither Bhave nor Dr Agashe wish to pursue it. So, the filmmakers are practising the film’s philosophy: Astu, so be it.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17-Rahul-Da-Cunha-s.jpg

So, it’s all over the news, that we have been scammed of Rs 11,000 crore — our roads have been destroyed by greedy contractors and ‘gullible’ corporations. There is much hullabaloo in the press. Surprisingly, not much among the people.*Illustration/Uday Mohite*

I guess we feel the developers will go to jail, they’ll be bailed out of jail, they’ll be given the next contract, the corporations will never be held accountable. While our fair city will be scammed for the equivalent amount of the GDP of Ecuador.

Anyway, you know all this, why make you implode further with anger?

What you don’t know is the honorable Prime Minister’s office called me in a panic. Yes. Me…

“Uh sir, our PM needs your help. As you know, he has visited 32 countries in 113 days, which is a new world record. The previous holder was George Bush, but he visited the same country, Iraq, 31 times looking for WMDs and Osama.

“Now, the newly appointed Madam Prime Minister of UK, wishes to break Modiji’s record. And, she has chosen Mumbai as her first destination… in three weeks. Make it happen,” the voice barked.

Dear reader, you may ask why I was called and not one of many esteemed architects. You see, I was on the team that planned Mohenjo Daro (the city not the Hrithik movie). So, I know a thing or two about cities in ruin.

Now, we all know that Mumbai resembles the Israel-Palestine West Bank conflict zone two weeks after the rains start.

So, here’s my plan, dear city lover/ reader. We need to impress UK’s second women PM after Maggie Thatcher.

1. First things first, we promote the city as a holiday destination, but only during the monsoon — a kind of Incredible India equivalent — called Magical Monsoon Mumbai

2. For the duration of Theresa May’s visit, we temporarily evacuate all 19 million Mumbaikars to Pune. And declare Bombay a heritage site.

3. Pick an area that is completely flooded and has no hope of abatement. Say, like Chembur, that is under water even in February. Rename it Venice, hire a few gondolas, dress up two or three film extras in gondolier outfits, and voila, we say, “Mrs May, like you have Disneyland in Hong Kong, welcome to Venice in Chembur.”

4. Identify three or four areas with the biggest potholes. Andheri Link Road and Goregaon have the deepest craters. This has to be presented as the most challenging urban trek. Like walking on the moon, here on earth.

5. A few of you have experienced that the condition of some roads is so bad, they resemble a dirt track. In some cases, it is a rock formation more than a road.

We tell Madame Prime Minister and sell to Lonely Planet the idea, that in the UK you have to drive miles to Stonehenge. Here, you can experience wonderful rock formations at Sakinaka.

I won’t share all my plans. But, you can read my book — Crater Mumbai in the Monsoon — it’s for R599. Out next month. Buy two copies and get a Pokeman Go! app free.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17-Sania-Mirza-s.jpg

I’ve always felt Indians have a hard time saying sorry. Several years ago, in this column, I had written about the late RR Patil who, while in office, was photographed in his car sans seat belt. Instead of a good natured apology, he said the law was stupid (always reassuring coming from the government), because in city traffic we can barely drive at 20 kilometres an hour.*Dr Mohan Agashe in Astu (So Be It)*

This whataboutery — basically saying “teacher it’s not my fault, he was distracting me in class’ — is a fear of admitting error for fear of being obliterated. It’s indicative of our maturity as a society and also what gives us a talent for trolling.

Of course, it is too simple to understand it like that. As a feudal and once-colonised society, wrongdoing is often used to fix your identity as worthless and so, fit for control, a justification for your oppression, the basis of administering physical violence (beating, locking you up in your room, occupying your state) or social humiliation.

We can understand then, why the powerless might avoid “sorry”, but why those in powerful positions, such as Salman Khan, who has persistently refused to apologise for his rape analogy. Perhaps this refusal is not only wedded to the feudal — sa’ab ki shaan kam ho jayegi — but also the masculine — real men don’t apologise, at least not to those lower in status, such as women, the poor or one’s fan-subjects. An extension of this is the refusal by the State to apologise to victims they have not protected from violence, despite being voted in to do so, sometimes doubling their punishment to disguise this reality and blaming the victim, as in the recent FIR issued against the family of Ikhlaque Khan in Dadri.

On the other hand, perhaps one must be wary of those who say sorry too often, not in order to rectify a mistake, but as a token sop to maintain the imbalance of power — abusers in domestic violence often do this.

Being able to say sorry comes from a place of security in self and others — an ability to make oneself vulnerable and trust opponents, an imagination of equality, the confidence to change.

So, there is something to be said for the recent exchange between Rajdeep Sardesai and Sania Mirza beyond the memes. Rajdeep, while interviewing Sania about her memoir, asked when she would ‘settle down’ — yaniki medals-vedals theek hai, but woman ki ultimate destiny, you know na. Cringes rippled from Bhatinda to Bengaluru. Sania sighed, and called him out with forthright style after which Rajdeep tried to joke his way out, but said sorry on TV, admitting he would never ask a man such a thing. Sania, fairly enough, did some more eye-rolling. Rajdeep took it, apologised again, promising there’ll be no repeat.

Both moved the social narrative on Sorry a step forward here: Sania in saying with self-confidence what she thought, rather than suffering it and Rajdeep in apologising instead of being defensive. I’m not sorry to have seen this rare occurence.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17-Devdutt-Pattanaik-s.jpg*Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik*

This template is only now being called out. But, the damage is done. Writers on the Ramayana are obliged to play a courtroom game, where Ram is being constantly prosecuted for being problematic. The defenders are deemed ‘Right radicals’ and the prosecutors are imagined as ‘Left liberals’.

But, as we have heard so many times on the streets of Mumbai: nazar badlee to nazara badla, when the gaze changes, the world changes. Time to break free from this Right-Left game of those who love to dominate. Then a new Ramayana emerges, or rather the older one, one of Valmiki Ramayana. It explains why Ram was admired —albeit for different reasons — by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists as well as the people of South East Asia, in Camodia and Thailand and Bali and Burma.

Suddenly, you realise the many conflicts of the narrative: how to be decent in an unfair world? How to love a man who will follow the family rules, even if the rules are unfair? How to love a woman who has her own mind? How to never deny dignity to the man who does not respect any rules or choices? How to accept suffering that follows when you punish someone? How to accept misfortune that is not of your own making? How to raise children with love, not hatred for the father who abandoned them? How to let go without taking away the dignity of those who are rejected?

Hinduism has no concept of Judgement Day. God is no judge in Hinduism. Yet, we find Hindu ‘leaders’ passing judgement all the time. Why? Wherefrom came this template, or this desire to turn humans into hero, villain, or victims. From Christian mythology? From Greek mythology?

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16Passengers-s.jpg*Passengers demand an explanation from CISF officials*

Apparently, the Airbus A320 was told to return to Lucknow due to a technical glitch, but passengers alleged they were not told of it.

"We took off at 12.30 pm, at the scheduled time, but landed back at the same airport at 1.30 pm. It was supposed to be a two-hour flight to Mumbai. So, we were all stunned as to how we reached so soon. The pilot never informed us that we had landed back in Lucknow," said Akhilesh Chaubey, a frequent flier with GoAir.

While the ground staff informed passengers about the glitch, the travellers were made to wait for over six hours at the airport for another flight.

One of the passengers, Mukesh Pandey, said, "The airline officials have taken us for granted. They are uncooperative and won't even tell us when the alternative flight will take off."

Passengers were served a plain vegetable sandwich with tea. But around 5 pm, the travellers got agitated and demanded an explanation from the airline authorities.

"It was only after senior CISF officials intervened that the passengers were brought under control," said an airport official.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16BKC-s.jpg

Besides all the roads in BKC, MMRDA maintains the 1.2-km stretch of MA Road to Anik-Wadala road, a 1.06-km stretch of the Wadala monorail depot road that leads to the Anik-Wadala road and 3.5 km of road in Oshiwara in the western suburbs.*Death trap: A massive pit in the dedicated bus lane in BKC. It has been closed to traffic. Pic/Suresh Karkera*

*Braking bad in BKC*
A majority of the roads in BKC are made of cement and concrete, but the surface of the main BKC road was uneven at many spots. One portion of the road, covered with paver blocks, has even caved in. This is the same north-bound stretch of the road that was dedicated to BEST buses. But due to the uneven stretch and an open duct, this has been closed to traffic.*Back-breaking: Paver blocks have come undone on the Anik depot road in Wadala. Pic/Atul Kamble*

Most of BKC's internal roads are also concretised. But the stretch near the MMRDA grounds is laid with tar. Its surface has developed cracks at many spots and 10-15 potholes have cropped up. An internal concretised road from the ONGC office in BKC, that leads to the main BKC road, also has three to four potholes. Other roads were pothole-free.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16Anna-Hazare-s.jpg*Eyeing poll reforms: Anna Hazare*

Taking lessons from the same, Hazare has started asking for affidavits from people - where he wants them to state they will not indulge in any kind of politics - if they want to participate in another movement with him.

Hazare's new pet project seeks removal of poll symbols from ballot papers and EVMs as part an electoral reform, in the same Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, which was the focal point of his anti-corruption movement, India Against Corruption (IAC).

Hazare believes that had he taken the affidavits from the previous members of IAC, which included Kejriwal, they would not have formed a political party and contested elections. "Now, I have asked all the state coordinators to collect an affidavit on Rs 100 stamp from whosoever wants to participate in our movement, declaring that they won't join any political party and won't contest any elections. The day they will collect 1 lakh such affidavits, I will start my protest at Ramlila Maidan," said Hazare.

He added that the country is run on the basis of the Constitution and in the Constitution there is no mention of any party system or symbol. Hazare claims he met the Election Commissioner thrice seeking removal of poll symbols from ballot papers and EVMs as part of an electoral reform.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16Milind-Soman-s.jpg*Milind Soman with the runners from India at Bangkok prior to the Pattaya marathon that begins tomorrow. Three of them are running the 21 km while one will be running the 10 km*

"Milind! Milind!" they were heard whispering as they nudged each other on spotting the hunky athlete. Sporting a grey tee, the Pinkathon ambassador smiled at all the adulation. Milind has a British passport so he didn't need a visa to enter Thailand. When this diarist asked why he didn't need a visa, he replied cheekily, "Maybe because I am cute? Ha, ha." Can't argue with that one, Milind.

*Smiley face, please!*
The time when there were no emoticons or emojis to express our feelings in the digital world, seems like a long time ago. For the uninitiated, this Sunday happens to be #WorldEmojiDay, and to kick off the celebrations, a fun survey looked at how emojis are used on Twitter, everyday.

The study revealed that the top three emojis used in India are the namaste emoji, the Perfect emoji and the thumbs up. This is followed by emojis for joy, heart eyes, clap, kissing heart, blush, dancer and fire. The data also reveals fun facts about how emojis are tweeted. For example, people tweet more beer than coffee emojis emojis.

Twitter has a favourite too — more full heart emojis are tweeted (3.5 times more than broken heart emojis) than the rest. The social media platform also has a special emoji, a celebratory party cap that has been created for the occasion.

*Mum and I*
Mother-daughter frames evoke a charm unlike none other. And this frame, with the ageless Dimple Kapadia and daughter Twinkle Khanna brought a smile to our face.*Dimple Kapadia and daughter Twinkle Khanna*

The beauties had shutterbugs in a tizzy when they dropped by for the launch of a new fashion jewellery label at the friends' Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla's chic outpost in Apollo Bunder.

*Run for cover, shall we?*
Is it a plane, is it a bird? Nope, it is our yoga poster boy Baba Ramdev. If not a poster, then certainly a cover — that of a national news magazine. Adorning it, he stares back in anger, or in humour, it's unclear but he certainly looks back in a way not every mortal can — from between his legs. And social media can't have enough of it.*Baba Ramdev*

In one depiction he is seen flying like a plane and in a few others, he is seen floating in space. After being posted on Facebook, there were multiple cries of "How can we un-see this?" and "Scarred for life." While a few witty folk launched this pictorial missile with the sly disclaimer, "Why should I suffer alone?" We were tempted to as well but spared you the ordeal.

*Shipra's sinful secrets*
Desserts will never go out of fashion, nor will books on them. The latest book that sweet toothed can add to their shelves is chef and TV host Shipra Khanna's Sinfully Yours (Westland).*Shipra Khanna*

The winner of the desi version of MasterChef has penned a collection of her favourite desserts, including cupcakes, chocolates, cakes, cookies and ice cream.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/16BEST-s.jpg*In the red: Even halving the fares of its AC buses hasn't helped BEST get more passengers. It even tried selling the buses, but got low bids. File pic*

The BEST committee — that consists of various political leaders from different parties — on July 14 decided to approach Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on this issue. "We will be writing a letter to the chief minister's office and also try to meet the CM on this issue. It (allowing private buses to run without permits) will surely have repercussions," said Mohan Mithbavkar of the BJP and chairman of the BEST committee.

Members of the BEST committee claimed that the entry of private buses will further harm the financial health of the undertaking. "We will have to take steps to ensure that the entry of private buses doesn't affect our transport aspect. We are already running huge losses and this will affect us further," said NCP's Sanjay Kondvilkar, member, BEST committee.

With the purple-coloured AC buses not being able to garner much interest from Mumbaikars, BEST also slashed the fares of these services by half on July 1. The BEST undertaking claims that although its earnings from AC buses dropped, the average passenger numbers went up by 75%. But this is not good enough, as out of the 260 AC buses that they had in the fleet, barely 125 or so ply every day. The rest are under maintenance and unavailable. BEST spends R40 crore annually on such maintenance. The undertaking wanted to sell the AC buses, but the bids did not cross even Rs 1 lakh. The buses cost R65-70 lakh each.

*Point-to-point services*
On July 7, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Transport Authority (MMRTA) decided to allow private buses from Thane, Vasai-Virar, Navi Mumbai and other parts of the MMR permit-free entry into Mumbai. This was done as they felt that the AC buses being provided by public transporters like BEST are unable to cater to the large numbers of commuters.

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The scumbags may go scot-free, after all. The BMC's engineers may have diluted its case against the six errant contractors named in the R352-crore road scam for substandard repairs by accepting a 'penalty' of up to R8 crore from two of them.

An executive engineer and four sub-engineers from the roads department have been served a show-cause notice over this. They levied the fine after the BMC filed an FIR against the contractors in April.*Rough ride: The six contractors are accused of cutting corners and making Mumbaikars' commute hell. Pic for Representation*

The police said by accepting the penalty, the BMC weakened its case. It was on the grounds of payment of this penalty that two of the accused have secured anticipatory bail. The civic commissioner has now given the engineers time till Saturday evening to explain their stand.

The police said the demand drafts of the penalty were not deposited, allegedly to make sure that senior officials did not get wind of it.

The leniency shown to the errant contractors has caused an uproar in the BMC. Officials fear that it would set a wrong precedent.

Manish Kasliwal, director of KR Construction and one of the tainted contractors, got anticipatory bail on the grounds that he had already been penalised by the BMC.

Another contractor, Jitendra Kikavat of Mahavir Infrastructure, too, won a reprieve, but he pleaded on different grounds. Reported by Mid-Day 2 hours ago.

A 3-year-old girl from Arkansas has been found by police, according to the Van Buren Police Department.

Layla Munholland, the girl, was found during a traffic stop on I-64 East near Grayville, Illinois in a 2006 Toyota Corolla, the … Reported by Epoch Times 17 hours ago.

She must have resisted with all her frail strength, but the brutal force her killers used against her proved deadly for this Std IX student of Kopardi village in Ahmednagar district’s Karjat taluka on July 13 evening. The minor girl, who cycled out to get a pack of spice from her grandparents’ home, didn’t return home alive. She was found near a canal, her body mutilated. She was mercilessly raped before being strangled. It reminded her family and friends of Nirbhaya, who fell victim to perverts some years ago in New Delhi.

The Kopardi minor, a budding athlete and bright student, is one of many victims of crimes against minors. Locals allege that there is a fourth accused, whom the police have not arrested so far.

In a more recent case, the father of a five-year-old, who was raped and killed at a resort in Lonavla, is fighting for justice. A 13-year-old girl from Mumbra was raped by local goons, who were arrested, but returned from jail to attack the victim and her family. The scared family has adopted, albeit reluctantly, an unfair method to protect their daughter from the prying eyes of her violators and other potential rapists. The family has tonsured the girl’s head to give her a different look altogether.

Some BJP leaders feel that the latest incident will not land them in big trouble as anticipated by the opposition, because the three main accused have already been arrested and will be made to face a fast-track trial. They say when they were in power, the Congress and the NCP, too, had their share of such heinous crimes against women, some of which remain unsolved.

Considering this opinion, the treasury benches and the opposition may routinely exchange angry barbs while debating the issue. It remains to be seen if they together find a way to protect our women and children, instead of settling for a temporary solution.

Will the legislature ensure that lawmakers and law enforcers act sensitively and responsibly in crimes against women and children? Politicians acted very late in the Kopardi case, but started politicising the crime promptly.

The heinous act is expected to rock the monsoon session of the legislature, beginning today, because of delayed arrest of the accused. One of the suspects is alleged to be a worker of minister Ram Shinde. Leader of the opposition Dhananjay Munde produced a picture in which one of the accused, Santosh Bhavar, is seen with Shinde. Munde alleged that the police did not arrest Bhavar promptly, although he was seen making his escape from the crime scene.
Shinde’s supporters have denied the minister’s link, saying the accused was not the person seen with Shinde.

Two other accused — Jitendra Shinde and N Bhailume — who, along with Bhavar, were chased by the citizens, were arrested much later.

While the Congress-NCP combine prepared to take the BJP to task, particularly Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who controls the state police, the Shiv Sena justified its authority in the home department, which came to it early this month in the cabinet reshuffle. Before the BJP could reach out to the victim’s family and pacify local protesters, Sena’s deputy leader Neelam Gorhe assured the distressed family that she would ensure a death penalty for the accused. She recalled how she had played a crucial role in the two similar cases — in Navi Mumbai and Vihitgaon (Nashik) — in getting the accused death sentences.

Gorhe scored over a senior BJP leader, Vijaya Rahatkar, who, as the head of Maharashtra Women’s Commission, shot into prominence for serving a notice to Bollywood star Salman Khan for saying he felt like a raped woman while shooting wrestling scenes of his latest blockbuster. We hadn’t heard anything from Rahatkar or her colleagues in the commission about the Kopardi case till Sunday afternoon.

Is it that the BJP leaders, senior ministers and local Ahmednagar leaders like Shinde expect no one else but only Fadnavis to face the heat in any matter that the opposition and the media take up?

*Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com* Reported by Mid-Day 9 hours ago.

*Dehradun:* Heavy rains continued to pound Uttarakhand on Monday causing most rivers to breach its danger mark, an official said. Officials informed that Saryu, Sharda, Gori and Bhagirathi rivers are flowing above the danger mark while Alaknanda and Mandakini are in spate and could breach the danger mark any time.

Seven persons were killed in rain-related mishaps and three persons were washed away in Haridwar late Sunday. According to the Disaster Management Cell, over 900 pilgrims on the 'Chaar Dham Yatra' route were stranded at different points due to the incessant rains.

At many places the roads have caved in, with land slides blocking vehicular movement, the official told IANS. The connection of Yamuna valley in Uttarkashi has been completely snapped with the state capital as a result of which more than four lakh people were left to fend for themselves.

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With several prominent areas like Matunga, Sion, Wadala, Prateeksha Nagar and Antop Hill, this is where the island city connects with both, the eastern and western suburbs, forming the borderline between Mumbai and Greater Mumbai.

Renowned for its colourful Ganpati festivities and plethora of udupi hotels, this quarter of the city is also considered one of Mumbai’s green lungs because of the large number of trees and parks – the latest addition being the 800-metre-long joggers park under the flyover on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road in Matunga. But here too, the green canopy is quickly transforming into a grey concrete jungle, stacked with buildings like Lego blocks. As the older houses are demolished to make way for swankier skyscrapers, so too are Matunga’s south Indian residents being replaced by a more diverse and affluent population, along with a whole new set of problems resulting from the uncontrolled development.*The already busy area outside Matunga station gets further congested because of illegal parking. Pic/Atul Kamble*

*Terrible traffic:* As the local population continues to grow, the number of vehicles on the road too have increased correspondingly. But with roads staying much the same over the years, it has led to heavy traffic on the roads. Once a calm and quiet place, now the air here constantly rings with the impatient honks of motorists trapped in a traffic nightmare. Roads have just 2-3 lanes, most of which are blocked with double parking, leaving just one lane for vehicular movement. With hawkers occupying most footpaths, there’s barely any space for pedestrians either. At Wadala and Prateeksha Nagar, things are even more difficult because of the Monorail pillars and illegal slums eating up space.

*Slum segments:* Slums occupy vast swathes of Wadala, Antop Hill, Chunabhatti and Prateeksha Nagar. At locations near Sion Koliwada and Chaar Rasta at King’s Circle (leading to Wadala), one the slums go as far as the eye can see. The authorities are doing little to stop these illegal structures from gobbling up roads and open spaces. With many of these shantytowns sitting on the roadside, tonnes of garbage is dumped right on the roads, leading to a major sanitation problem.

*Garden gangsters:* This side of the city is known for gardens and playgrounds. Famous areas like Five Gardens, Parsi Colony, Hindu Colony, King’s Circle, Sion Circle, Matunga and Indian Gymkhana are some of large centres that provide open spaces. However, this ward’s open spaces turn into a haven for anti-social elements late at night. In fact, the local police have put up posters asking people to stay safe from thieves and chain-snatchers. Locals claim that most of these criminals loiter inside these gardens and gymkhanas.*Expert speak*

*Nikhil Desai, Member of F-North Ward Citizens Federation*
This ward has the maximum number of trees, and local residents maintain them well. On the other hand, heavy traffic, has created absolute chaos, particularly near railway stations and markets. This has created a lot of parking problems as well. The taxis also resort to double parking on the road, which worsens the situation.

*GR Vora, Member of Flank Road Citizens’ Forum*
The corporators in our ward are not responsive and don’t update us on how public money is being spent. The roads are in poor condition with potholes and the civic body has put a metal lid loosely on top of it. Earlier there used to meetings with the BMC officers but now it has stopped. Garbage is dumped on road and authorities keep passing the blame.

*Residents say*

*Achal Sarawal, Matunga resident*
Rash driving by bikers, especially college students from nearby localities, has become an issue. These college kids ride dangerously, which makes crossing roads risky.

*Mehul Shah, Gandhi Market resident*
The biggest problem is water logging. It is the same issue every year and the government is doing little about it. The illegal structures and shops make matters worse and difficult to walk on the footpath.

*Shankar B, Chunabhatti resident*
Work on the road has been going on for months together and this is affecting vehicular traffic at large. Commuting in and around Sion is a headache due to this.

*F/North Ward*

*Areas:* Matunga (CR), King’s Circle, Five Gardens, Parsi Colony, Hindu Colony, Sion, Gandhi Market, Koliwada, Wadala, Antop Hill and Prateeksha Nagar

*Ward numbers and corporators:* 174 Nayna Sheth, 173 Alka Doke, 172 Manoj Sansare, 171 Mahant Chaube, 170 Trushna Vishwasrao, 169 Shraddha Jadhav, 168 Selvan R Tamil, 167 Rajeshree Shirwadkar, 166 Lalita Yadav, 165 Pranita Waghdhare

*Population:* 5.29 lakh (As per 2001 census)

*Area:* 14 sq km

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*In pictures: Mumbai bids adieu to Cafe Samovar**Usha Khanna was cremated by her children Malavika Sangghvi, Deveika Bhojwani and Siddharth Khanna. Pic/Datta Kumbhar*

For many of the patrons, Café Samovar was synonymous with Khanna. She was always at the café, with a smile, ever ready to chat up visitors. Her children, Malavika Sangghvi, Deveika Bhojwani and Siddharth Khanna cremated her at the Chandanwadi crematorium.

“She was absolutely fine till two hours before her death,” said her daughter and mid-day columnist Sangghvi. “We were on our way to the Breach Candy Hospital, when she breathed her last. The doctors said the cause of death was natural.”

All that Khanna wished for, revealed Sangghvi, was for everyone to enjoy their lives. “She was such a beautiful soul, so full of life and she achieved so much. We are absolutely broken, but at the same time we want to honour her by celebrating life.”

*Also Read: Art, not tea, to be served at Cafe Samovar*

Actress Tara Sharma said Khanna was “an adorable person”. “Our families were close.” Indru Advani, who has known Khanna’s family for decades, was saddened by the news of her sudden death. Khanna’s driver, Vijay Shedge, who had been working for her since 2007, said she treated everyone like a family member. “Never once did we feel like outsiders.”

TV Mohannan, manager of Café Samovar, called her “the kindest soul”. “She handed me all the responsibilities of the cafe without doubting me.” Friends and employees — from electricians, driver and managers to her colleagues from the film fraternity — she was also a music director — were present at Khanna’s last rites.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Powai-interiors-s.jpg*Pic/Rane Ashish*

Salman Khan and Sania Mirza engage in some quick fix setting up on stage during the launch of the tennis ace’s book at a five-star near the airport last evening.

*Ink chic, with no regrets*
Mandy baby never ceases to amaze us with her hatke chic quotient.

Here’s a recent frame that Mandira Bedi posted, with a dash of urban philosophy attached to it: ‘Look back. But never in regret.’ We like. Pic courtesy/Mandira Bedi’s Twitter account

*Heard this?*
If you loved Mirchi and Mime, Powai’s fine dine that won as many accolades for employing speech and hearing impaired attendants as much as for its innovative contemporary Indian cuisine, there’s more reason to cheer.*The natty interiors at the Powai outpost; we are keen to see if the interiors at the new offerings will be in sync with it. Pic/Sameer Markande*

This diarist has learnt that in the next three months the proprietors will be opening a watering hole called Madira and Mime, close to their current location. Plans to open a similar outpost in Bandra (W) or BKC are also on the cards. Spicy good times for Mumbai foodies, no?

*Tham brothers’ next in Juhu*
Their father created waves when he opened the eponymous fine-dine Henry Thams in Colaba and the brothers, Ryan and Keenan, have taken the legacy forward with two of Mumbai’s prized possessions — Juhu’s Trilogy, a favourite nightspot among the high-heeled and The Good Wife at BKC.*Ryan (left) and Keenan Tham at KOKO. Pic/Shadab Khan*

Now, while their latest offering, KOKO, an Asian gastropub offering Cantonese fare and inventive cocktails (read: Tom Yum Cup and Muztagh Pass) has just opened doors at Kamala Mills in Lower Parel, the brothers have already immersed themselves in setting up their next venture. We hear they’re launching a restaurant in Juhu, a level below Trilogy itself. “It will be an Asian space but again, very different from KOKO. It will open by year-end,” is all the reticent Ryan was willing to share with this diarist.

*Ready for some new Jnana*
It’s one of our favourite spaces for cultural nirvana in SoBo, and so the news that Jnanapravaha has undergone a revamp, came as good news.

The space inside the charming Queen’s Mansion off Dr DN Road, announced the news on social media, including that new programmes and plans are in the pipeline. We’re hooked already.

*The other Hotel California*
We’re pretty sure this one will make you chuckle on a blah Monday morning.*Atul Kasbekar*

At least, we did, when we spotted this frame posted by Atul Kasbekar , along with an attempt to pen lyrics too. We’ll just let you be the judge on this desi version.*Courtesy/Atul Kasbekar's Twitter account*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Devendra-Fadnavis-s.jpg*Devendra Fadnavis*

All three accused, Jitendra Shinde, Santosh Bhaval and Nitin Dhailume, were arrested by the local crime branch after the incident occurred on July 13, police said today.

The crime has sparked protests in Karjat taluka in Ahmednagar district, where villagers took to streets demanding strict action against the accused. According to police, the deceased was a student of class IX.

"The incident took place on July 13 between 6.45 PM and 7.30 PM when the 15-year-old victim was returning after meeting her grandfather. She was accosted by three persons, namely Jitendra Shinde, Santosh Bhaval and Nitin Dhailume, who gangraped her violently before throttling her to death. Her both shoulders were found to be dislocated," Ahmednagar SP Saurabh Tripathi told PTI.

He said Shinde alias 'Pappu' was arrested on July 14 while the other two accused were held later. Giving details about the incident, another police officer said in Ahmednagar that the trio (Shinde and two others) were
consuming liquor under a tree to celebrate purchase of new motorcycle by Shinde when they saw the girl passing by.

"The complainant, Shivram Sudrik, stated that he saw Shinde with the girl who was lying behind a tree. The girl had wounds all over her naked body and blood was oozing from her nose.

"When he (Sudrik) tried to catch Shinde, the latter pushed him and fled. The villagers then rushed the girl to public health centre in Kuldharan in the district, where the doctors declared her brought dead. Her autopsy was conducted on Thursday. As per the postmortem report, her limbs were found to be broken," the officer said. He said Shinde is a brick kiln worker and used to stalk the girl.

The accused were booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 302 (murder) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The district collector has announced ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the family of the deceased and handed over a cheque.

The incident, which came to light ahead of the monsoon session of the state legislature beginning tomorrow, has taken a political turn with Opposition Leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil today demanding resignation of Fadnavis, who handles Home portfolio, on "moral grounds". "We have a chief minister who also holds Home portfolio.

He refuses to acknowledge that the law and order situation in the state is deteriorating under his tenure. He did not even have time to go and visit the bereaved family. He should immediately take moral responsibility and resign," the Congress leader said.

Leader Of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde demanded capital punishment for the accused besides a high-level inquiry into the matter. He alleged that photos of Ahmednagar district Guardian Minister Ram Shinde with the "prime accused" in the case are doing rounds in media.

"There was laxity on the part of police officials in arresting the accused. Photos of Guardian minister (of Ahmednagar district) Ram Shinde with the prime accused are going around in media. Thus, there needs to be a high-level inquiry into the incident. Also, we demand fast track hearing of this case and capital punishment for the accused," the NCP leader said.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Pema-Khandu-s.jpg*Pema Khandu taking oath as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh by Governor Tathagata Roy yesterday. Pic/PTI*

Addressing a press conference, Khandu, who was elected the state Congress leader in dramatic circumstances on Saturday, said “all projects undertaken by the previous regimes in the last four years will be fast tracked and thrust will be given to tourism, hydropower, agriculture and horticulture, health education and communication.”

He said he would inculcate a ‘Team Arunachal’ spirit among elected leaders irrespective of party affiliations for overall development of the state. All elected leaders of the state would be made a part of the development process cutting across political parties.

*On migration*
Khandu at 37 is the youngest chief minister of the country, who said that he would make special effort to stop migration of people from border areas by providing all facilities with the help from the Centre under the Border Area Development Programme (BADP).Tuki's exit proves our stand: BJPBJP yesterday claimed that the resignation of Nabam Tuki as Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister has “vindicated” its stand and proved “right” Governor JP Rajkhowa’s decisions following the political crisis in the state. “We always said Tuki did not have a majority. The Governor took decisions following the rebellion against him by Congress MLAs and the President’s Rule was imposed,” said BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/17Arvind-Kejriwal-s.jpg*Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal*

“We have done lots of work in Delhi in the last one and a half years. We would have done four times more if the central government had not created obstacles for us,” Kejriwal said in response to a question during his maiden interactive session “Talk to AK”.

He also alleged the central government wanted to paralyse the Delhi government.'A gimmick'The BJP and the Congress termed Kejriwal’s session as a marketing gimmick where the Delhi CM “spoke one-sidedly for 50 minutes and set his agenda for Punjab, Goa,” said BJP Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay. Cong leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi
took to Twitter.

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*Also Read: Parents raise a stink about drainage water overflowing outside school*

*The stink often forces students to cover their faces as they pass by the ground. Pics/Sameer Markande*

That’s a regular school day in the lives of Chhaya and 814 other students of Chavindra village in Bhiwandi, 20-25 km from Thane city. The municipal school, the only such in the village, is barely 100 m from a dumping ground, where the garbage of all of Bhiwandi’s 10 lakh population ends up.*Parents allege that the constantly moving garbage trucks leaving and entering the dumping ground are a risk to students*

*Health takes a beating*
The one-storey school, set up around 20 years ago, is falling apart amidst the squalor, as are its students. Sewage from a drain outside spills into the premises. Mosquitoes and flies are everywhere. The floors are rarely cleaned, and only a few of the lights in the classrooms work.

*Read Story: Malad school asks parents to pay for whitewash, water coolers**Students walk through filth to get to their school in Chavindra village in Bhiwandi*

The unhygienic conditions have taken a toll on the students’ health. Most complain of persistent cough, breathing problems and viral infections. Sarika Sawant, mother of a Std II student, says her seven-year-old takes ill at least once a week. “Two of my other children study in my native village in Satara. My daughter was admitted here in Std I. After this academic year, we’ll shift her to a school back in our village.”

*A wash basin lies unused due to shortage of water*

Nagesh Balaram Bhoir (35) doesn’t have the means to send his two sons — Rakesh, a Std III student, and Rahul, a Std I student — elsewhere. “We are aware of the squalid conditions, but there is no other affordable school nearby. Either the school should be shifted or the dumping ground,” he suggests.*Since there is little water, the authorities scrimp on cleanliness*

Sawant says the dumping ground is bursting at the seams; dumper trucks track garbage onto the road outside the school. “Dumpers are constantly on the move. It’s risky to let the children walk on the road by themselves.”*The toilets are reserved for teachers*

To prevent her child from eating unhygienic food, Sawant has stopped giving her pocket money to buy herself snacks from local shops.*Students have to go outside*

During our visit, we saw a Std II student faint during school hours. He was sent home. “Every day, someone faints or takes ill and has to be sent back home. We had made a culvert to drain out the sewage that collects in the school, but during the monsoon, that work has been rendered futile,” says a staffer.

He alleges that municipal authorities didn’t do even the bare minimum this monsoon: spray and dust an insecticide on the garbage mounds.

*Little water*
The school gets water from a 10,000-litre tanker only once a week, forcing school authorities to cut corners on cleanliness and be tight-fisted on provision for students. There is a small wash basin on the premises, but it has not been used in years, and is lined with paan stains. The taps are dry and water has to be carried around in buckets.

The school principal was unavailable for comments.

A Std VII student echoes her peers’ dilemma. She says she has repeatedly implored her parents to admit her to another school. But the parents told her categorically that they simply can’t afford another school. “They told me to continue here or drop out. I have no other choice but to stay in this school,” she says before scurrying away.Since there is little water, the authorities scrimp on cleanliness*Official speak*
B Mohite, education officer of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation, said he took charge a year ago and has been doing his best to change the situation. Balaji Katgaonkar, commissioner, Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation, said the establishment of the school precedes the dumping ground. “The landfill was reserved for garbage disposal only a few years ago. We had got the government approval for a new dumping ground in Bhiwandi recently, but the locals there approached the Bombay High Court against the plan over a year ago. The issue is pending in court now.”

*Want to pee? Go outside*
A staff member says there are separate toilets for boys and girls, but these are reserved for teachers. The taps in the toilets are dry; the teachers have to carry in a bucket of water as and when they make use of them. Students are forced to go outside to urinate. We noticed many boys going behind a wall. The girls went to the other side of the wall.

*Classes split in two sessions*
Primary sections at the school run in two sessions. A total of 300 students of Std I-VI arrive in the morning, and another 315 in the afternoon. High school (Std VIII-X), which runs in the mornings, has 200 students.

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Sure, that’s an odd question. Perhaps, even a little distasteful. But a Lower Parel-based funeral planning agency wants you be prepared for your last journey.*The standee advertisement by Sukhant Funeral Management on bookings for funeral service was set up outside the Aaji Ajoba Udyan in Shivaji Park*

The company, Sukhant Funeral Management, put up a standee advertisement outside the Aaji Ajoba Udyan in Shivaji Park recently, offering pre-bookings on last rites.

The service is aimed at those without families and friends, and those who are uncertain of whether their children would be able to arrange their funerals.

The funeral services, starting at R15,000, can be customised. If one wants his/her body to be carried out in a procession on truck, or wants the pyre to be made of sandalwood, the rates go up. The agency even offers the option to manage the minute details, like whether the wake should be held in an air-conditioned hall and who should be invited for it.

It, however, offers funerals only as per Hindu customs. All payments have to be made at one go.

Just like a will
Mahesh Chavan from the agency claimed that pre-booking one’s funeral is no different from preparing a will.

“We have put up banners across Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai. We recently put one up in Shivaji Park. When people plan for everything, why not this as well? It’s like a will. Whatever they write in the form, we fulfil them.”

The agency takes care of all the last rites — right from claiming the body to lighting the pyre. Relatives can be part of the funeral if they are keen on it.

Chavan claimed that the agency has been offering these special services for years and has conducted 130 such funerals. He, however, refused to divulge the number of bookings made.

*‘Good idea’*
Many residents of Shivaji Park see the merit in planning one’s funeral. Suraj Dalvi, who was taking a walk near the Aaji Ajoba Udyan, said such services can be a boon to many. “I don’t think I will need such a service. But there are many people who do not have many relatives. Such a service can put their mind at ease.”

Another walker, Prakash Bastikar, is sure that his son would take care of his last rites.

“The service may sound insensitive, but those who live alone or don’t have anyone can make use of it,” he suggested.*Keeping track of the dead*
The agency notes down the numbers of relatives, neighbours and close friends, besides that of the client. It stays in regular touch with these people, even wishing them on their birthdays and anniversaries. When a client dies, they hope that these people would alert them of it.

*Cost of services*
There is no rate card per se, but services start at Rs 15,000. Depending on the number of customisations and requests for additional services, the charges go up. The agency says the last funeral booking, which incorporated a tent and some 150 garlands, cost Rs 35,000. Reported by Mid-Day 7 hours ago.

By BusinessofCinema News Network Ranbir Kapoor has two films in his kitty. The actor will be in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil which has Anushka Sharma,Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Fawad Khan.The film is different on many grounds. The film has gained the much needed attention for the unique star cast. Apparently, Ranbir and Ash will be seen romancing each other in the film. The film’s trailer will be launched in the end of july. CLICK HERE FOR ALL BOX OFFICE UPDATES Recently, what gained our attention was the picture which came out of the sets of Ae dil Hai Mushkil. The film is now been shot in Mumbai. And we can see a girl with Ranbir Kapoor on the sets. But the problem is that we can just see the back side of the girl. It can be Ash or Anushka? CLICK HERE FOR ALL LATEST BOLLYWOOD UPDATES Resting all speculation that girl is none another than Anushka Sharma. Anushka Sharma was seen in long luscious hair on the sets of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Speaking about the film, the film also has some comfortable and romantic scenes between Anushka and Ranbir. Well, the plot sounds interesting resting and we are really excited to watch this film. Meanwhile, do check out the picture and tell us about it in the comments below. …read more Source:: Businessofcinema.com… Reported by Filmy Friday 6 hours ago.

The girl was found by a roadside with torn clothes near New Delhi and told police she was attacked by men who'd raped her in 2013. Pictured are Indians protesting violence against women. Reported by MailOnline 1 hour ago.

*New Delhi*: The NIA on Monday filed a charge sheet against six suspected ISIS operatives arrested for allegedly conspiring to carry out terrorist activities in Delhi and during the Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed the charge sheet against Akhlakur Rehman, Md. Azeemushan, Md. Meraj, Md. Osama, Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed and Yosuf Al-Hindi under Section 120 (conspiracy) of IPC and Sections 18 and 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention Act (UAPA) in the case filed by the special cell of Delhi Police on January 18, 2016.

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*Manoj-Babli case:* Manoj and Babli, from Karora village in Kaithal district, were brutally murdered by Babli's relatives in June 2007. The cruel act was carried out on the orders of a khap panchayat, for marrying in the same gotra. On June 23, two decomposed bodies were found from Barwala branch canal in Hissar. Further investigations led to shocking details. According to reports, the couple was asked to accept each other as brother and sister. They refused, and then were forcefully fed pesticides. They were then strangled to death, and the bodies were thrown in the canal.

*Nitish Katara killing:* In February 2002, Nitish Katara was abducted and murdered by politician DP Yadav's son Vikas Yadav and his cousin Vishal Yadav for having intimate relations with Vikas Yadav's sister Bharti. The Yadavs never approved of the relationship between the two, and Katara received threats several times. On February 17, Nitish and Bharti attended a common friend's wedding, where Yadav’s brother, Vikas, and a cousin were present. From there, Katara was taken for a drive by Yadav's brothers, and did not return. Three days later, Katara's body was found near a highway. He had been battered to death with a hammer, and then set aflame.

*Bhavna Yadav death:* In November 2014, a 21-year-old Delhi University student Bhavna Yadav was strangled to death by her parents, just three days after her marriage, because she tied the knot against her parents’ wishes. Bhavna was allegedly killed by her father Jagmohan Yadav and mother Savitri Yadav at her house in south-west Delhi's Dwarka North. According to reports, after killing their daughter, the parents took the body to Alwar in Rajasthan, and set it on fire. Bhavna had married 24-year-old Abhishekh Seth on November 12 against the wishes of her family members.

*Dalit hacked to death:* In March 2016, a young Dalit man was hacked to death for marrying an upper caste girl, who herself narrowly survived the brutal assault in a Tamil Nadu town. Sankar had married Kausalya, 19, who is from the politically influential Thevar community. CCTV visuals showed about six men attack Sankar, a third year engineering student, with sickles and machetes when he and Kausalya were walking on a crowded street. The killers apparently came on two motorcycles and appeared to have been shadowing the couple. Before escaping, the killers also thrashed the young woman, leaving her badly wounded. But she miraculously survived.

*Father rapes, kills pregnant teenager:* In November 2013, a father and another man were arrested for raping and murdering a 17-year-old girl. The girl had eloped to Uttan with a boy of her village in Gazipur district of Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Ramesh Rajbhar, tracked her down and brought her to his friend’s house in Dachkulpada, where both tried to convince her to leave the boy. When she flatly refused, the duo forcibly took her to an isolated forest area, where they raped the girl before strangulating her to death with her own dupatta. Reported by Mid-Day 2 hours ago.

The gangrape and killing of a minor girl in Ahmednagar district, on Monday rocked the Maharashtra Assembly, as the monsoon session of state legislature got underway.

Making a statement after ruckus by the Opposition in the Lower House, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the accused in the gangrape and killing of the girl in Kopardi village of Ahmednagar district, have been arrested and the matter will be heard in a fast-track court.

Ujjawal Nikam will be the public prosecutor, he said. The state government has given Rs 5 lakh financial help to the victim's family, Fadnavis said. DNA samples of the victim and the accused have been sent for forensic tests, he said. Raising the issue in the Lower House, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Ajit Pawar said the Kopardi case was heinous than the Nirbhaya gangrape in Delhi.

"I request CM Fadnavis to take action against the guilty, considering the victim as your and our daughter," Pawar, a former deputy chief minister, said. Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan insisted that the House discuss the issue today itself.

Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who raised the issue through an adjournment notice, said the matter was serious and the House should discuss it.

Fadnavis said the matter could be discussed in a meeting of party group leaders in the House, before it is discussed in the assembly. The House was later adjourned after transacting other items on the agenda, which included paying condolences to former members of the House and introduction of new ministers.

A 15-year-old girl was brutally raped last week, allegedly by three men who inflicted injuries all over her body and broke her limbs before throttling her in the village in Ahmednagar district, sparking outrage as well as political slugfest, with the Congress demanding Fadnavis' resignation on "moral grounds". Reported by Mid-Day 37 minutes ago.

London three-piece pick apart the latest releases...

It's been a big year for *Disciples*.

The London three-piece have smashed the charts, bringing the sound of the underground to the mainstream without softening their approach.

Nominated for a BRIT Award, Disciples are currently in Ibiza and will play Together tomorrow night (July 19th).

On the flight out, though, the trio agreed to take a look at the latest releases...

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*Anne-Marie - 'Alarm'*This tune is beautifully sad, but Anne-Marie is sexy, so she shouldn’t feel sad.

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*Gregory Porter - 'Consequence Of Love'*Gregory’s voice reminds me of our guy Curtis Richardson who sings 'No Worries'. The baritone vocal always delivers lyrics - the deeper the vocal, the harder it is to ignore. Good tune.

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*Honne & Izzy Bizu - 'Someone That Loves You'*Mellow and vibey! I made the mistake of looking at the video. The girl is hot! It’s a cool vibe, when the guy starts singing it adds a dynamic that is very much needed. Feels like I’m in a psychedelic house party in the 70’s.

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*Lethal Bizzle – 'Wobble'*I dare anyone not to feel smile or feel hyper when you hear Bizzle. What a great record, but I might be slightly biased as I watched the video while listening to the song. BOOTY EVERYWHERE.

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*Paul McCartney & Wings Vs Timo Maas & James Teej - 'Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five'*I actually think the production is sick, not a fan of the song or vocal, maybe if Caleb Followill from Kings Of Leon were to sing it, I’d think differently.

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Disciples will play Together in Ibiza tomorrow (July 19th) - *tickets*.

**B*uy Clash Magazine* Reported by Clash 2 hours ago.

Mining prospective jurors’ Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts is common practice for many attorneys looking to spot biases that might cost their clients a fair trial. The American Bar Association has said the searches are ethical, and a ruling by the Missouri Supreme Court bolstered arguments that attorneys have a duty to do online research of prospective jurors. U.S. District Judge William Alsup, raising concerns about prospective jurors’ privacy, said attorneys could research the jury panel, but would have to inform it in advance of the scope of the online sleuthing and give the potential jurors a chance to change online privacy settings. Alsup said prospective jurors are not “celebrities or public figures ... but good citizens commuting from all over our district, willing to serve our country.” The ruling prompted a fresh wave of discussion in legal circles about how aggressively attorneys should be allowed to investigate jurors’ online personas and how beneficial the searches are. Prosecutors in a recent criminal case accusing FedEx of drug trafficking requested that a judge issue the same ultimatum as Alsup. Paula Frederick, who chaired the American Bar Association committee that in 2014 gave the green light to researching jurors’ social media sites, said people understand their postings aren’t private. Prospective jurors aren’t always forthright when questioned by attorneys during the traditional juror vetting process known as voir dire, so checking their social media sites can also help spot inconsistencies, said Jeffrey Frederick, a jury consultant at the National Legal Research Group Inc., a Virginia legal services firm. The Kentucky Supreme Court in 2012 ordered a hearing after a man convicted of murder and driving while intoxicated in a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl later discovered evidence that two jurors were Facebook “friends” with the girl’s mother. The court tossed out a verdict in favor of a doctor in a medical malpractice lawsuit after the plaintiff’s attorney discovered one of the jurors had been a defendant in multiple debt collection cases and a personal injury case. Reported by SFGate 2 days ago.

*You have done South films, so what prompted you to take up a TV offer?*
I have always wanted to do TV at some point in my career and this happened suddenly.

*Tell us about your character in the show?*
Sonakshi is a mature, strong-headed woman who knows the value of everything in her life that is her family, friends or work. She has fallen in love for the very first time in her life and this phase is bringing out a new shade of her personality.

*What difference do you find between working in South films and doing a TV show?*
Doing films and doing a TV show are poles apart. They are two different things and cannot be compared. But I enjoy doing both as I love what I do. The pace is 10 times than that of films.

*How is it shooting with your co star Shaheer Sheikh?*
I am glad I have a really good co-star. It’s really important to have cooperative co actors when you are working and especially when you are doing a daily soap. He is a lovely co-star, very supportive and encouraging. He pushes me to do better.

*How is it working with the senior actress Supriya Pilgaonkar?*
Same goes with Supriyaji. She is a mother figure to us and the bond we have off screen is also similar to what is onscreen as of now. She is just adorable.

*What tips would you give to budding actors?*
Tips? I am not an Oscar winner to give tips on acting but all I can say is that we live the moment. When we perform scenes, we make it our own.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/antarman-s.jpghttp://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20Parineeti-Chopra-s.jpg*Parineeti Chopra*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20Alia-Ranveer-s.jpg*Alia Bhatt*

They have shot for two commercials previously, leaked pictures of which had excited social media.*Ranveer Singh*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20salman-Kangana-s.jpg*Kangana Ranaut**Neha Dhupia*

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*On* Today
*At* Please Don’t Tell, Kamala Mills, Lower Parel.
*Entry* Free
*Call* 8082738738

*Eating out -- A guilt-free binge*
11.30 am to 10.30 pm Want to tuck into a pizza minus the guilt of indulging in junk food? Here’s a healthy option. Bite into the Workout Pizza, created with a whole wheat base and topped with pizza sauce and shredded cabbage that mimics cheese in visual and texture.

*At* All Juno’s Pizza outlets.
*Cost* Rs 440
*Call* 7303005555

*Event -- The butterfly effect*
10.00 am to 7 pm Visit an exhibition displaying butterfly postage stamps and other philatelic stationery like post cards, greeting cards collected by a 12-year-old student member of BNHS, Ramprasad Mahurkar. Also, indulge in a chat with Mahurkar and butterfly expert Isaac Kehimkar.

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*DJ Julia in the house*
10.30 pm Dance along with the music of two talented, international DJ’s Julia Bliss and Candice Redding.
AT MasalaBar, Level 1, Gagangiri Apartments, Carter Road, Bandra (W).
CALL 8451900257

*Musical twosome*
9 pm Watch the talented Two of a Kind duo, Ruhika & Utkarsh as they move you with their English Acoustic and Electronic music.
AT The United Sports Bar & Grill, R-City Mall, Ghatkopar (W).
CALL 66429850

*Tribute to Coldplay
*8.30pm onwards For all the Coldplay fans out there, watch Reuel Benedict (in pic) & friends and sing along to the most famous tracks like Paradise, Hymm to the Weekend, Every teardrop is a Waterfall.
AT The Irish House, Phoenix Mills, 462, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel
CALL 43471111 
ENTRY FREE

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20Kids-s.jpg*Kids and adults look through binoculars to spot birds*

Tungareshwar is a mountain peak in Vasai, two hours from Bandra (and hour and a half from Dadar), and one of the nicer treks to do with kids because the incline is gentle and it falls under easy to medium-easy trekking trails. If you love the monsoon, and want to do something outdoorsy with your kids, Tungareshwar it is. Just hop into a car, get set for a long drive and step out for a long nature walk. It’s popular with trekkers all through the year. But in the monsoons, it comes alive with waterfalls and gushing streams.

*Also read: Kids will love the Tungareshwar trail in Vasai**Tungareshwar is home to annual and biennial trees*

The main winding track runs parallel to a river for a few miles and before reaching a Shiv temple set on the side of the mountain. The path is surrounded by dense forest and the river cuts through in some places.

The path has its own charm; and if you stand still for a bit, you will spot unusual birds and insects. In summer, we spotted Damselflies and Dragonflies, bees, wasps, caterpillars, dozens of Pagoda Ant nests, Greater Coucals, Orb Weavers and a Tailor bird.

In the rains, wildlife-spotting is vaied. As we walk, we spot other trekkers, in twos or in small groups, binoculars in place and cameras hanging from the neck. Everyone is clad in raingear and caps. But it’s pointless. Water seeps into everything and somehow, staying dry no longer matters.*Tungareshwar is a fertile site for bird spotting *

Tungareshwar’s has a large number of deciduous trees as well as evergreens.

We love the trek because you can visit the spot over and over again, and it is never the same.Fact file*Where:* Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Vasai
*Best for:* Girls and boys 7 years and above
*How to reach:* Drive down the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Take a right from the Vasai Highway towards Tungareshwar village. If you take a train, board a Vasai local (Western line) and alight at Vasai Road station. Autos will take you to the spot, 8 kms away.
*Timings:* Sunrise to sunset.
*Budget:* Entry is free
*Food:* Best to carry food. Tea stalls near entry serve tea and snacks.
*Water:* Available but safe to carry your own.
*Rest Room facilities:* At the start of the trail.
*Parent poll:* Loved the rains and seasonal streams.
*Rating:*

*Kids' poll:* Ditto
*Rating: 
*

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*Also read: All about Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar's short film**(From left) Suhail Sidhwani, Prateik Babbar and Jeff Goldberg*

The hour-long play, stars Suhail Sidhwani and Prateik Babbar has been assistant directed by Vishal Handa. “According to the plot, Prateik is hired by the IPL team not for his talent as a cricketer but because the owner of the team believes that his good looks can help sell more products. The two eventually fall in love and part because they can’t withstand the pressure of the relationship. The cricketer hasn’t felt such attraction to another man before and his sexual orientation comes as a revelation to him,” says Goldberg. “All the actors I work with for my productions are people who have trained with me earlier. Suhail is controlled as a performer and holds the audience attention brilliantly. Prateik is more fluid and has a very funny side. Their personalities balance the two characters out brilliantly and makes the chemistry strong,” he adds.*Suhail Sidhwani*

Goldberg had previously performed a rendition of the play a year ago. “The performance then, pretty much stuck to the original script and was different from this one. I was deeply moved by what happened in Orlando and wanted to re-work the story line and present the play. I believe that love is just love and people should be allowed to just be. We have stayed away from sermons. It’s the story of a relationship. It could have been the story of a boy and girl and it would still be the same,” shares Goldberg. “It’s funny that the play was written in the 1940s, and 76 years later, not much has changed. Hence the original theme we have retained is universal,” he adds.*Prateik Babbar*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Breaking-Free-s.jpg*A still from Breaking Free; (left) Sridhar Rangayan*

With real-life testimonies of LGBT people who were victimised, along with voices of lawyers and activists who’ve challenged the law, the film also traces the community’s journey from invisibility to empowerment. “I might share the film with the lawyers who are fighting the case against Sec 377 to present case studies and strengthen the fight.

Films don’t change society, but they help bring issues to light,” said Sridhar Rangayan, who will be one of the Grand Marshals at Montreal Pride next month. This is the second award after the National Award for Best Editing (non-fiction). Since its premiere at KASHISH in May 2015, the film has toured over 30 film festivals and community screenings globally. It will now head to the Reel Desires Chennai International Queer Film Festival on July 29.

“It is gratifying to see that our labour of love is being recognised,” said Saagar Gupta, the film’s producer. Breaking Free was shot over seven years and edited from 400 hours of footage. Bravo.

*Selfie in the time of protest**Pic/Prabhanjan Dhanu*

It was just another day of work for these NCP members who took a breather, and managed a few smiles for this selfie, mid-way during their protest on a wet Tuesday.

*MTDC wants you to get creative*
It seems as if babus of our tourism department are getting serious about plans to woo the tourist. They have announced a competition encouraging state residents to design logos and create taglines for the Visit Maharashtra 2017 campaign. The winning logo will be used by the state for a year while the winners will be rewarded handsomely, they claim.

Satish Soni, joint managing director, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation said, “Through this competition, MTDC is putting bright design talent at the heart of its plan and is inviting the unexplored creative minds in India. This competition will also give us an opportunity to discover a plethora of ideas coming from these minds.” All this while, neighbouring MP hires firebrand agencies to come up with social media capturing campaigns.

*Falguni Pathak’s back!*
Dandiya Queen Falguni Pathak might have something important to tell us. Known for her high-voltage shows during Navratri, she is to helm a press conference at a SoBo hotel tomorrow, where the popular singer to make an important’ announcement.

When this diarist connected with her publicity manager to learn a few more details, it didn’t meet with much success, “…since she is the ‘Dandiya Queen’, the announcement will be Dandiya-related, and so you will have to wait to find out what the big news is.” We are hoping this one isn’t an anti-climax.

*Guess appearance**Pic/Satej Shinde*

Our lensman captured a radiant-looking Kareena Kapoor Khan as she emerged from her vanity van for a shoot at a Bandra studio last evening.

*Vidya Balan loves Bengali khana*
In between a hectic shoot schedule for her next, Begum Jaan, we hear Vidya Balan de-stressed over some authentic Bengali fare in Jharkhand. The film’s director Srijit Mukherjee treated the cast to lunch at a Bengali restaurant in the eastern state.*Vidya Balan with Ila Arun and Mishti*

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*Read Story: Tulsi overflows, other lakes filling fast; BMC to roll back water cut today*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20-Aamir-Khan_s.jpg*Aamir Khan*

Says a source working on the project, "Aamir is excited about doing a rap number. It is a peppy track that will be used in promotions. After recording it, he will shoot for the video."

Aamir made his singing debut with the cult tapori song, 'Aati Kya Khandala', in 'Ghulam' (1998), with co-star Rani Mukerji humming a few lines. He recited shayari in 'Sarfarosh' (1999) and 'Fanaa' (2006). The last time he lent his voice to a song was nine years ago, for 'Bum Bum Bole' in 'Taare Zameen Par', along with Shaan.

"But in this one, Aamir's is the only voice. Pritam has composed the song while Amitabh Bhattacharya is behind the lyrics," informs the source, adding, "When the makers broached the idea, Aamir was excited and gave it a thumbs-up. However, he wanted to rehearse before stepping into the recording studio."

Aamir has been prepping for the song at his residence over the last couple of weeks. "Pritam and Amitabh are part of his practice sessions. Mr Perfectionist wants the track to be nothing short of perfect and is enjoying trying his hand at rapping," the source says.

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*Photos: Shah Rukh Khan spotted in Bandra**Shah Rukh Khan and Ritesh Sidhwani on Monday night.*

Late on Monday night, the star drove to Hrithik's Juhu residence with 'Raees' producer Ritesh Sidhwani in tow, and left five hours later, satisfied like a Cheshire cat. Sources in the know claim that 'Kaabil' producer Rakesh Roshan has agreed to vacate the January 26 slot to allow a solo release window to Shah Rukh Khan.*Rakesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan*

Says a source, "After initial discussions about avoiding a box office collision, Monday night's marathon meeting ended on a positive note. Neither party wanted their film to suffer. Kaabil's release is likely to be postponed and Raees will get a clear window."

*Also read: Here's what Hrithik Roshan has to say on 'Kaabil' clashing with SRK's 'Raees'*

Shah Rukh tweeted about the meeting, hinting at a favourable outcome. The tweet, posted at 4.05 on Tuesday morning, read: "Met friend/ mentor/ family after many days. Mr. R.Roshan reminded me…it's not important to do 2 much, it's important to get 1 right. Thx sir (sic)."

On July 12, hitlist had reported that the Kaabil makers were reluctant to shift release date of their film. While addressing the media on Eid, he said, "We have spoken to Hrithik and also Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar [producers of 'Raees']. That was a month ago, but I guess now we can do some adjustments. Rakeshji, Ritesh and Farhan will be meeting again. We are trying to figure things out to avoid a clash." When Hrithik was asked about the impending box office contest at an event last week, he said, "SRK and I are actors. This should be left to the producers to discuss." Sanjay Gupta, who is helming Hrithik's film, had confirmed to hitlist about Kaabil going to theatres on January 26.

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Members of the Ambedkar Bhavan Sangharsh Samiti and mileage-seeking politicians had blocked bridges and roads right from Lalbaug up to Cuffe Parade over the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan at Dadar several weeks ago.

*Also Read: This is how SoBo looked like during Ambedkar Bhavan demolition protests**Protestors jam the Byculla flyover to express their angst over the demolition of Ambedkar Bhavan. Pic/Datta Kumbhar*

Motorists were caught on Byculla bridge between 1pm and 1.45pm, even as the police struggled to control the protesting crowds, many of whom were hurling stones at shops. At CST, from 2pm until 5pm, protesters stood on the chowk outside the terminus, preventing vehicles from passing through.

The protests, that had been threatened last week, were to start from the site of the demolished building right up to Mantralaya. The objective was to storm the Mantralaya and demand the suspension of Ratnakar Gaikwad, advisor to Ambedkar’s People’s Improvement Trust, for ordering the demolition. When they were denied permission to go to the Mantralaya and were instead directed to the Azad Maidan, furious protesters sat outside CST for a good three hours. They screamed slogans against the BJP, RSS and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and demanded the bhavan be rebuilt. Choice abuse was flung at Gaikwad.

*Photos: Protesters block roads during protests against Ambedkar Bhavan demolition*

Congress MLA Varsha Gaikwad and the Sena spokesperson Neelam Gorhe were seen at the protests. Politicians were perched on a makeshift stage atop an open truck. Gorhe loudly demanded an inquiry into the demolition, while stating that Uddhav Thackeray had condemned it right from the beginning.

Not to be left behind, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar took to twitter addressing Fadnavis and stated that a heritage structure had been demolished instead of being preserved. He demanded an inquiry into why the building had been declared dilapidated. He even posted a picture, to which the CM responded saying he had asked Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta to probe the matter and take action. JNU student union president Kanhiaya Kumar, too, was spotted at the protests.

*Commuters speak*
At Byculla, pedestrians had to dodge stones that protesters were throwing stones at shops demanding that they be shut. Imran Khan, who has been running a shoe shop right next to Byculla bridge, said, "Stones were hurled at us and people were yelling, ‘shut the shop’. Because the roofs were made of plastic, nobody was injured. What if the stones had hit someone? I have lost half a day’s business.”

Mohan Chaurasiya, a paan seller, said, “Some of the protesters threw stones at us. They should have at least asked us politely to shut shop.”

When the morcha reached CST, all hell broke loose. The truck carrying protesting politicians stood right in the middle of the road. Motorists going from Byculla towards CST, Colaba, Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Girgaum areas were badly hit.

Ashok Kumar Pandey, who was going from CST towards Mumbadevi, was told to take a different route. “I turned around and went via Metro cinema. It cost me an extra 20 minutes.”

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Uday-Patil-s.jpg*Uday Patil*

mid-day had reported how the thief — identified as Malwani resident Uday Patil — was thwarted in the ATM robbery by a citizen who was up for morning prayers for Ramzan (*‘Man wakes up for sehri, stops ATM robbery’*, June 15). The alert citizen, Fazal Sayyed, will soon be felicitated with a bravery award.

It turns out, the accused had several cases of house-breaking lodged against him. The 28-year-old managed to evade the police’s ire by playing on their sympathy. Due to a medical condition, Patil wears a urine bag on his body and cops assumed he was very ill.

On July 9, he was arrested for breaking into the Camuna co-operative bank situated at Ashok Raj society in Goregaon west. With the help of CCTV footage and his mobile location, the Goregaon police arrested him at his house in Malwani and also recovered 5 laptops and a mobile phone he had stolen from the bank.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Robyn-Lambird-s.jpg*Robyn Lambird*

"People often wonder when should they disclose their disability in a relationship. For me, that's never been a problem because a) when I walk, I have a limp and b) when I am not walking, I am on a wheelchair," says the teen matter-of-factly. This Sunday, a short, humorous film recorded by Lambird will be screened to an audience of 200 as part of a stand-up comedy showcase, Sex And Sexability, in Bandra.*Nidhi Goyal*

*Why sex and disability?*
Organised by Rachana Iyer and Rohan Sabharwal of the city-based social enterprise, Crayon Impact, the event, backed by We Care Film Festival, aims to dispel stigma related to sexuality and disability through humour. "We've come across some phenomenal events and videos online of persons with disability using humour as a tool to help people understand the challenges they face on a daily basis. For instance, if you look at the work of Maysoon Zayid (Palestinian-American actress-comedian) or Josh Blue (American comedian), you will realise that it's not just the disability they talk about but also what surrounds it, whether it is attitudes, cultural perceptions or race." says Iyer, who faced several challenges to organise the event. "From venues not taking us seriously to people saying, 'This event gives us the impression that disabled people want to have sex', it was a two-month struggle but it's nothing in comparison to the ones that persons with disability go through in their daily lives," she adds.*Neenu Kewlani *

*Who's performing?*
The gig will feature five stand-up comics — 30-year-old visually impaired activist Nidhi Goyal, who is the co-author of a pioneering online initiative, www.sexualityanddisability.org, Polio-afflicted disability rights activist Neenu Kewlani and film actor and comedian Gavin 'Chubby' Methalaka — along with Sabharwal and Lambird. "Gavin and Neenu are professional improvisers. Gavin even travelled with us to Baroda to research his set with the help of Birju Patel, one of the subjects of our documentary on disability and sexuality. Meanwhile, Rohan has been battling depression, mood and personality disorders for almost two decades now. Most recently, he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder after having spent two months at a mental facility. He's performing comedy on stage for the first time," informs Iyer. Goyal, whose set will include material from her solo showcase, Can You See Me Now?, which she has previously performed in Kolkata, Nepal and Geneva, says, "This isn't a typical stand-up comedy set with punchlines every 10 seconds but includes more issue-based, humorous stories and anecdotes."*Aditi Mittal will host the event*

To be held at a wheel-chair accessible venue, the proceeds from the event will be used for Crayon Impact's campaign featuring a series of short films and comic strips that explore disability and sexuality in a non-patronising way.*Rohan Sabharwal*

Ace stand-up comic and the event host Aditi Mittal shares, "The fact that the event is being hosted in a 100 per cent wheelchair accessible venue and is inclusive to persons with disabilities excites me.*Gavin 'Chubby' Methalaka*

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*View Photos: Deadly accident on Eastern Freeway in Mumbai*

*The fire brigade extricates a victim from the mangled remains. Pics/Atul Kamble*

It is suspected that at least one of the vehicles was speeding.

RCF police said a Toyota Innova driven by Dockyard Road resident Abdul Hamid Mohammad Hasan Sirwa (48) was headed for Thane on the freeway. He was allegedly speeding and lost control over his vehicle near Chembur. “The SUV vaulted over the road divider and crashed into an oncoming Hyundai Santro taxi, heading for CST. A Swift Dzire that was right behind the taxi, too, crashed into it,” said a police official.

*Read Story: Accident on Eastern Freeway causes traffic snarl for half hour**The cars were so mangled that gas cutters had to be used to take out the victims*

The taxi driver, Nandlal Jaiswal (46), a resident of Vartak Nagar in Thane, and his passenger, Vijay Kelkar (48), died on the spot. Sirwa was rescued, but declared dead on arrival at the Sion Hospital. The occupants of the Swift Dzire car — Mahesh Kukulekar (38) and Ajay Jadhav (33), civil engineers and residents of Kharghar and Vashi, escaped with minor injuries. They were admitted to Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi, but discharged soon.

*Also Read: Mumbai drunk-driving accident: I had whisky for fun, says advocate*

Police officials said Sirwa, Jaiswal and Kelkar were trapped in their vehicles. The fire brigade was alerted around 9.27 am. It got stuck in a subsequent traffic jam on the freeway and could reach the spot only by 9.48 am.

*Mangled remains*
Arif Siddique, who saw the cars piled up on the freeway while on his way to Mumbai Central from Chembur, was horrified by the extent of damage to the cars. “I use the freeway to save time. Often, I see motorists speeding,” he said.

A taxi driver, who was standing near the ramp of the Eastern Freeway near Mahul, learnt of the accident when he saw traffic police rushing to the spot. “They told us that people were trapped inside the cars and that the frames of the vehicles had to be cut. Parts of the cars were still stuck in the bodies when they were taken out.”

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VI) Shahaji Umap said a case under section 304 (A)(causing death by negligence) has been filed against Sirwa based on a complaint from Kukulekar.

*(Reported by Ranjeet Jadhav, Faisal Tandel, Rupsa Chakraborty and Aparna Shukla)**Bring back rumble strips: Experts*
Transport experts recommend bringing back the rubber rumble strips on the freeway. These speed breakers were removed by the traffic police after it was found that they were slowing down traffic immensely.

AV Shenoy, a transport expert, says the rumblers were erected after a series of accidents on the freeway. “Besides bringing back these rumblers, signage on speed limit and warnings on the stretch being accident-prone should be installed.”

The BMC had in July last year installed eight CCTV cameras on an 16.8-km, accident-prone stretch of the Eastern Freeway.

Experts want traffic police to catch speeding motorists with the help of CCTV camera footage and take stringent action against them.

*Death trap*
*Sept 2013:* A biker enters the Eastern Freeway from the wrong side, dies in an accident. Pillion rider sustains grievous injuries.

*July 2015:* A motorist dies and another person is injured when their vehicle rams into the divider.

*June 2015:* Two people killed and three others injured when the speeding car of lawyer Janhavi Gadkar (35) crashes into another.

*Everybody’s favourite*
Abdul Hamid Mohammad Hasan Sirwa was much beloved, said sister Fatima Abdul Latif. His joviality, she added, rubbed off on those around him.*Abdul Hamid Mohammad Hasan Sirwa*

His popularity became evident when more than 100 well-wishers turned up at the Sion Hospital to condole the family.

Sirwa, an automobile dealer, was on his way to his workshop in Thane when he swerved off the road.

“He used to travel with his children to work.” On the fateful day, the children were not in the car. The family has taken the body to Mangalore, their hometown, for the last rites.

*Dedicated life to kids*
Nandlal Jaiswal took up driving a taxi to ensure that his two children — Anuraag Jaiswal (15) and Shakshi (18) — would never lose opportunities to make it big.*Nandlal Jaiswal*

“Like every day, my father left home to drive his taxi. He was a very loving father and always inspired us to study and make something of ourselves,” said Shakshi.

Jaiswal’s body was taken to his house in Vartak Nagar, Thane, around 8.30pm after a post-mortem examination at

Rajawadi Hospital. His wife, Madhu, fainted when the body was brought in.

*Mother yet to be told*
Vijay Kelkar’s ailing mother was not told of his death, said brother-in-law Sandeep Gora.*Vijay Kelkar*

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/CEAT-office-s.jpg*The CEAT office in Worli*

This initiative was introduced a fortnight ago, when employees were taking 4-5 hours on an average to reach back home after work, owing to the heavy rainfall. They took their grievance to the Human Resources department, who immediately facilitated a plan to help them avoid situations where they would get stuck in traffic for a long time.

“Employees told us that they were taking an average of 4-5 hours to reach back home, especially those staying in far away areas,” said Ranjan Sarkar (42), vice president, HR, CEAT. “That is when we implemented this 7.30 am – 4.30 pm slot, so that they can skip the heavy rush of traffic in the mornings and late afternoons.”

Sarkar also pointed out that in this day and age, it is important for companies to move away from conventional HR practices, owing to the way lifestyle and demographics have changed the way people live their lives in cities.*Employees say*

*Sulochana Kapil*
After the introduction of flexi timings, it barely takes me 45-60 minutes to get back home from my office in Worli. Yesterday, I even went for a walk after ages since I got back home in time. It (flexi timings) also gives employees more time to spend at home with their families.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Duty-Free-Jokes-s.jpg*The team of Duty Free Jokes. (From left) Sonali Thakker, Punit Pania and Kautuk Srivastava *

Travel has come to mean things that it did not mean before to the travellers. For instance, second-class train travel could very soon be more expensive than the air-conditioned berths and sold as an experience. And it is almost politically incorrect to dislike travel.

Your best travel is the new social media torment on our Monday mornings, as the list of standards to meet up to keeps getting longer. Did your trip feature a bike? Did you write profound things about roads (playing around with Jack Kerouac’s legendary title unknowingly)? Was there a beach with bikini? A song-and-dance sequence?

No? Then you may find thoughts to connect with and possibly shed a tear of relief at the stand-up show Duty Free Travel by Chalta Hai Comedy, this weekend.

The organisers claim that they are putting together a show “to tell you it’s okay not to document your entire journey from your slippers to train toilets. It is also okay not to particularly enjoy the hardships of travel or the pressure to make it ‘the best trip evahh!” Duty Free Jokes aims to inject some sarcasm and wit to the all-too-serious business of travel.

In the show, Sonali Thakker will narrate her solo backpacking adventures, Punit Pania will talk about covering every state of the country on a salesman’s motorcycle and Kautuk Srivastava will share stories about travelling with friends who are also barely adult like him. There will also be a song in there somewhere.*
*

*Kautuk Srivastava*
This writer and comedian has written and performed for MTV on shows such as MyCam, Drive with MTV, Reality Stars, MTV Rock the Vote and The List with Varun Thakur. As a comedian he has worked with Vir Das at Weirdass Comedy and has performed at major venues across Mumbai. His favourite sports team is Real Madrid and he makes it a point to motivate their players by yelling at the TV every time they play. He doesn’t have tattoos but if he got one, it would say, “I’m also cool, Okay?”
*Duty Free Tips:* Traveller is not a noun or a verb, it is just a hashtag you add to you Twitter bio.

*Sonali Thakker*
Part-time stockbroker, full-time Gujju and weekend comedienne, Sonali Thakker covers ‘socially relevant’ topics like travelling, shopping and chaprigiri. Sonali’s stand-up is powerful, always funny and sometimes scary, say detractors. She has performed in at the Canvas Laugh Club and NCPA.
*Duty Free Tips:* Sometimes, you have to travel just to get away from people talking about travelling.

*Punit Pania*
Pania is the single man behind Chalta Hai Comedy. He claims that comedy is the answer to a midlife crisis that is waiting to happen and describes himself as a marketing professional by day, a struggling writer by night and somewhat of a comedian on weekends.
*Duty Free Tips:* Ladakh is the new Goa/It seems every girl on Tinder was born to travel/Instagram has done more for world tourism than the Wright Brothers ever did. 

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20-Jaidev-Thackeray-s.jpg

*Also Read: Balasaheb had told me not to discuss the will with Uddhav: Jaidev Thackeray**Jaidev Thackeray said he did not want to follow in Balasaheb’s footsteps as a politician*

Appearing in court for the second day of his testimony in the inheritance battle, Jaidev told the Bombay High Court that it was the two-faced nature of politics that convinced him not to take over the reins of the party from Balasaheb — a decision that created a rift between father and son, and ultimately marked the rise of the younger brother, Uddhav Thackeray.

*Read Story: Bal Thackeray will: Jaidev's cross-examination in July*

Questioned about this by Uddhav’s counsel Rohit Kapadia, Jaidev admitted that his father had always wanted him to take over, but he was not interested in politics. “Balasaheb had good relations with all his opponents; they even hugged each other and ate together. But I saw that he had to criticise these friends in public because they were his rivals. This was not acceptable to me, so I decided to stay away from politics,” Jaidev told the court.

*Uddhav’s influence*
It was following Jaidev’s refusal to follow in his father’s footsteps that his younger brother Uddhav’s star started to rise. Jaidev alleged that Uddhav used his growing power to cut him out of not only their father’s will but also the family ration card. “From 2003, Uddhav's influence in the family started increasing. In 2005, a person came to my home in Kalanagar, asking me to sign a document that was a request to delete my name from the family ration card. He told me ‘Saheb’ had sent him. For me, ‘Saheb’ meant Balasaheb,” said Jaidev.

*Also Read: Jaidev Thackeray willing to settle dispute; Uddhav says need time*

He added that after he signed the document, he called Balasaheb, who told him he hadn’t sent anyone. “Balasaheb assured me that he would look into the matter, but by then Uddhav had quickly deleted my name from the ration card. When I told Balasaheb about it, he asked me to wait for some time,” added Jaidev.

Uddhav’s counsel questioned why Jaidev had initially claimed that he found out about the ration card through newspapers, after which Jaidev clarified that he found out when he was asked to sign the document.

*‘I paid for Matoshree’*
Jaidev claims that he was similarly cut out of Balasaheb’s will because of Uddhav’s influence, even though he had paid for the construction of Matoshree, the family bungalow in Kalanagar. “I paid several contractors who came to supply material during the construction of Matoshree, but I don’t have a receipt to prove my claim,” he told Justice Gautam Patel.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Tulsi-Lake-s.jpg

*Also Read: Water levels in Mumbai lakes on July 19, 2016**On Tuesday, Tulsi one of the lakes supplying water to the city started overflowing. File pic*

Today, the BMC will announce its plans to withdraw the 20 % water cut that it had imposed nearly a year ago, last August.

However, the date on which the water cut will be rolled back is yet to be decided and will depend on the rainfall in catchment areas over the next few days.

*Also Read: 25 per cent water cut in Mumbai for 36 hrs starting May 10*

Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee confirmed the plan to roll back the water cut, but declined to reveal the date on which the decision will be implemented.

“The statement on the administration’s decision to roll back the water cut will be made before the standing committee meeting to be held on Wednesday,” he said.

Last year, the corporation had announced cuts because of low water levels in the seven lakes that supply water to the city. This year, however, the initial spell of monsoon has already been enough to bring the water level to over 50% of the annual requirement (see figures).

To put it in simple terms, there is now enough water to tide us over the next six months. In fact, Lake Tulsi started overflowing yesterday. Last year, the lake started overflowing only at the fag end of September. However, Tulsi is merely the smallest of lakes supplying water to the city. The authorities are waiting for the larger ones, including the largest – Bhatsa – to collect more water.

A senior official attached to the hydraulic department stated that they would withdraw the water cut after 10 to 15 days, as the administration would first like the water level in the lakes to pass beyond 60% of the city’s total requirement.

*Read Story: Navi Mumbai residents clueless as city reels under 25% water cut*

Standing committee chairman and Shiv Sena corporator, Yashodhar Phanse, said, “We have urged administration to roll back the water cut and immediately provide relief to Mumbai citizens.”

Not to be left behind on the opportunity to encash good news for citizens, especially with civic elections scheduled early next year, BJP’s Manoj Kotak, Sandeep Deshpande of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Rais Saikh of the Samajwadi Party too have asked the administration to enhance water supply to city as water levels in lakes have improved in past one month.*7.5 lakh million litres*
Current stock of water in the lakes

*50%*
The current stock of water compared to annual requirement

*60%*
The desired stock of water before BMC will roll back the water cut

*15*
The number of days it will take for the water cut to be withdrawn

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20-Road-contractors-s.jpg*Representational pic*

A narco-analysis test involves using sedatives, such as sodium pentothal or sodium amytal, which lower a person’s inhibitions and induce him/her to talk freely. The credibility of the test has often been questioned, yielding dissatisfactory results or giving misguided leads.

*A la Telgi case*
Ahir’s demand takes a leaf from the investigation procedure Abdul Karim Telgi, the main accused in the high-profile fake stamp paper case, was subjected to in 2004. The narco-analysis test had left the government red-faced after Telgi named leading Maharashtra politicians in the scam and claimed to have made payments to them. Chhagan Bhujbal, then deputy chief minister, had to quit following the revelations.

“Contractors, too, should be subjected to a narco-analysis test so that the names of all officials and politicians involved in the scam are revealed,” demanded Ahir. “Let all officials, engineers, BMC standing committee members and even names within Matoshree (the official residence of Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray) come out. The contractors will blurt the names of all those to whom they paid a cut [during a narco-analysis test].”

He said the NCP has requested the police to push for the narco-analysis test.

The BMC’s standing committee includes NCP members.

*Swipe at Sena*
Taking umbrage over the NCP’s indication that the rank and file within the Shiv Sena, too, was involved in the scam, Sena spokesperson Arvind Bhosale said. “Sachin Ahir should worry about himself. There should be an inquiry against him on how he amassed so much wealth in such a short period. He belongs to a party that is known for corruption and its leaders are already behind bars.”*Test not reliable*
Sachin Ahir’s memory seems to be fogged up. Despite Abdul Karim Telgi’s ‘revelations’ sending down chills in the corridors of power, investigations could not corroborate his statements.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Father-Michael-Pinto-s.jpg*Father Michael Pinto*

Sanad Shaikh was asked by Father Pinto “to keep her religion at home” and “not teach students wearing a burqa”. Shaikh, a resident of Rabodi is in the second year of her B.Ed (Bachelor of Education) from MCT’s College of Education and Research in Airoli. Her college had sent her and a few others for a month-long internship at the school.

*Also Read: Burqa-clad woman refused entry in KEM Hospital *

Speaking to mid-day, Sanad recounted the discrimination she faced on Monday, “At around 8 am, I was standing outside the admin- istration office, adjoining the principal’s office to complete the reporting process. Father Michael Pinto was standing outside the office as well.”

Soon, Pinto shot a strange look at Sanad. “He asked me, ‘Do you teach in this burqa? and I replied saying yes, I do. He said, ‘This is not allowed here. It’s a Catholic School. We want the students of our school to go forward and not backward,’” said Sanad.

*Humiliated*
“Moving his hands towards the gate he screamed, ‘Keep your religion at home’ and insulted me in front of a huge crowd that had gathered outside his cabin. He also told my classmates who were standing with me to inform the head of the institute [her college] not to send these kinds of people at his school. The language and remark he used were embarrassing,” added Shaikh, who ran back to her family in Rabodi after the humiliating episode. The cops then called up the principal who was questioned for more than 6 hours before being allowed to leave.

“Had the principal asked me personally to avoid wearing the burqa in school, I would have followed it. But insulting the religion and burqa in front of a huge crowd is not proper. Students come here to learn,” she added. Later, she and her family approached the Naupada police station to register a case.

Ironically, the family Pinto chastised for their religion have studied at his school. Sanad’s father Shakeel Shaikh was a student of St John Baptist’s. He is a retired engineer. Sanad too was a student of a Catholic school and studied at the Holy Cross Convent School in Thane.

*Brother says*
Nadir Shaikh, Sanad’s elder brother said, “The police have co-operated with us. We were about to register a case against the principal. The principal should teach students how to be united and help each other rather than making biased statements based on religion. The attitude and remark of the principal will create a bad image in the society. The senior members and staff of the school approached us and apologised for the mistake and asked us to avoid registering a case.” At the police station, Pinto said he didn’t intend for his remarks to sound that way, and apologised to the girl.

“We too are from well-educated family and our intention is not to harm any one. So we settled it amongst ourselves and avoided a case,” Nadir added, and said the school authorities have initiated an inquiry against Pinto.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20Don-Bosco-players-s.jpg*Don Bosco players sweat it out during a practice session at their school ground in Matunga over the weekend. Pic/Sameer Markande*

*Good bench strength*
"Our team has a mix of last year's players and some who have come from the U-14 team. Last season we came close to winning and lost to 3-4 via tie-breaker to Campion in the final. This year, our defence, forward and even the bench strength is good and we are confident that we will win all the titles," said Atharva. Meanwhile, Don Bosco coach Leslie Machado said that though they have a good side, they will have to treat each game as a final if they aim to win the league and knockout title again.

"We will miss key players like Clivert Miller, Ethan D'Cruz, Flinn D'Cruz, Shreyas Sail, Fabian Anthony and Elric Daurate from last year's team," Machado, who has been associated with the school's football team for over two decades, told mid-day. Machado added that in addition to last year's players like striker Atharva Ghatkar, defender Atharva Jagtap, defender Shelton Fernandes, striker Aryan Hukumchand and Rajan Mehta, some talented U-14 players have given the team the much-needed bench strength.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/20-Kashmir-curfew-s.jpg

*Kashmir remains in the grip of tight curfew and communication blockade following civilian deaths in the days after Burhan Wani’s killing. Pic/AFP*

And yet most people in India knew that something had happened. Rumours flew fast and furious across the country. Some found information from the BBC’s radio service. We knew that Sikhs were being attacked. We heard how Sikhs had celebrated her death. Without any news, it was hard to know what was fact and what was malicious fiction. As we know, thousands of innocent Sikhs were butchered, property was destroyed and wounds created which have not yet healed.

I am not certain that gagging the news actually helped anyone. Did this information blackout allow the goons to run amuck in Delhi? Did rumours of firecrackers going off and sweets distributed in celebration of Indira Gandhi’s death add to the murderous intent of Congress workers? If people had been informed that the actual perpetrators had been killed and that others were in custody would it perhaps have made a difference? Could the government and Rajiv Gandhi not have appealed for peace on TV and radio, asking people to stop this carnage?

A few years later, when the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots broke out in Mumbai, rumours ruled the day. The media was not gagged quite the way it has been in Kashmir now or had been in 1984, but access was similarly limited. And yet, we heard about how the water and milk supplies had been poisoned. People who went through Partition will remember similar rumours. When legitimate forms of information disbursal are limited or stopped, it is all too often misinformation which spreads with malicious glee.

In less dangerous but somewhat bizarre circumstances, can anyone remember how the ‘Ganesha drinks milk’ rumours spread across Mumbai and India in 1995? Then again, we did not have the sort of freedom of information we have now, and yet in a few hours people were running round to idols of the Lord Ganesha trying to get them to drink milk.

There was chaos on the streets of Mumbai for a few hours and milk was flowing through the gutters. Newspaper offices were inundated with calls. Few cared to believe that the milk-drinking had not really happened. And scientific explanations of ‘capillary action’ were pooh-poohed by the devout. By the afternoon, everyone from idols of Sai Baba to the Goddess Lakshmi was apparently drinking milk. The Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi, Mumbai’s holiest shrine to the elephant-headed god, was one of the few which refused to give in to this mass hysteria. Milk sellers, of course, had a field day.

The next day it turned out that someone had got a phone call from a relative in England who had noticed this ‘phenomenon’. That it spread so fast across the country and to Indian communities across the world is a testament to the human ability to share what it knows and to believe it.

To gag the media, as has been done in Kashmir, is therefore counterproductive. The fear that facts will cause discontent ought not to be greater than the disturbing reality that lies create more problems.

In Gujarat in 2002, a few days into the riots, I came home at 1 in the morning, after a harrowing day at the newspaper office where

I worked. I found my building ablaze with lights and hundreds of people milling around the car park. I asked them what they were doing. They said they were up to protect themselves from a 15,000-strong marauding mob that was on its way to attack them.

By this time, the army was out on the streets and there was curfew. There were no marauding mobs anywhere. But so strong is the power of the rumour that it was difficult getting anyone to believe me.

We often belittle our democracy and the rights it gives us. But the need for a free, fair and fearless media is imperative and there is a reason for it.

To paraphrase Bob Dylan, the answers are blowing in the wind.

http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/Huracan-Superleggera-s.jpg

The first half of the Superleggera recipe is to strip-off extra weight by using lightweight materials, usually carbon fibre, in its construction. Lamborghini has stripped out the interior as well, ditching door panels altogether and using lightweight Alcantara instead of leather. The Italians are known to be fanatic in their pursuit of weight-shedding. Case in point, the Gallardo Superleggera used titanium wheel nuts and seats moulded out of carbon fibre to save weight. Expect the Huracan Superleggera to follow the footsteps of its predecessor, and be equally focussed on dropping the extra weight. Of course, it gets a few visual differentiators as well such as different bumpers, carbon fibre mirror caps and a massive wing planted behind the 5.2-litre V10 motor.

That brings us to the second half of the recipe that includes slapping on more go-power. Unlike the rear-wheel drive version that loses weight and gets a down tuned motor, the Superleggera will get a bump up in the power department. The current naturally aspirated V10 motor already belts out a healthy 610PS of power, which is expected to go up to nearly 650PS for the stripped out version. The 0-100kmph dash is likely to get quicker from the current 3.2 seconds as well. Top speed, that is currently rated at 325kmph might go further north.

Most importantly, the spy shots reveal that Lamborghini has rejigged the rear a bit to improve airflow. Other than the obvious (and massive) fixed spoiler, the exhausts have been moved to the centre, right below the tail lamps. This enables Lamborghini to use all of the real-estate in the lower half of the rear bumper to install a big diffuser. The front bears a set of wider air-intakes as well.

Just like a standard car, the Superleggera is likely to be offered as a coupe and a convertible, with the latter wearing the 'Performante' moniker. As far as launch is concerned, keep your eyes peeled for a bright Lamborghini at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Oh, and before we wrap up; will it come to India? Most likely. Lamborghini is fast becoming the preferred brand for supercar-aficionados in the country and the Superleggera will only make the manufacturer's case stronger.

*Recommended read:* Lamborghini acquires 40 per cent market share in India

*Also read:* Lamborghini hosts first 'Super Sports Car Drive' for women in India

*Source:* CarAndDriver.com

*Read More on :* Lamborghini Huracan price

*Read full story on cardekho.com* Reported by Mid-Day 9 hours ago.

Well, well, well -- what have we here? We'll tell you what we have: Camilla Belle, ex of Joe Jonas, and the girl rumored to be in question over Taylor Swift's quite slut-shamey song, "Better Than Revenge." You remember the little ditty -- it… Reported by Fishwrapper 23 hours ago.

 

Sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific fell another 0.2 degrees in the last week. This drop was sufficient to achieve La Nina conditions:

 

It was just seven months ago that the strongest El Nino in recorded history was set. The weatherfolks and their computers were anticipating that the Pacific Ocean would revert to a neutral status (+/- 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Now it looks like a full bore La Nina is in the immediate future.

There are a dozen or so computers that track the hourly buoy data from the Pacific. These computers are run by government weather gurus as well as some Universities. The goal is to accurately forecast the El Nino/La Nina cycles. It would be worth billions if they could do it. The rapid fall in ocean temps has had the computers working overtime. The most recent update has all of the models in either neutral or La Nina in the coming months:

 

Does it mean anything if we are to get a strong La Nina later this summer and into the fall?* Based on recent history it does.* In January of 1998 there was a record La Nina. By the summer of 98' the water temperatures had fallen rapidly and a strong La Nina developed. 2016 is shaping up to be a perfect repeat. This is how NOAA described the 1998 hurricane season:

 

 

Time will tell if a few hurricanes are to make USA landfall. If they do, Florida is a prime target, as this year's crop of hurricanes will likely be Atlantic born, and head for the SE coast.

 

If it should come to pass that Florida gets hit/brushed by a few big storms there might be some collateral damages. Florida is already flooded with rain water. The largest lake, Okeechobee, is pumping water into canals that bring the excess water to the east and west coasts. The problem is that Okeechobee is filled with phosphates from farming. The result has been a huge toxic alga blooms. Floridians accuse the Feds for the problem. The argument is that the Army Corps of Engineers has not maintained the levees/dykes around Okeechobee so that the lake can no longer be safely filled to the brim.

 

There could easily be a few feet of water in central Florida if this year's La Nina proves to be as big as now predicted. Does an October *Eco Disaster* change the November voting in the key state of Florida?

 

  Reported by Zero Hedge 21 hours ago.

Patch West Chester, PA -- The man reportedly intentionally took the girl's virginity after overhearing that she wanted​ to wait to have sex until she was married. Reported by Patch 19 hours ago.