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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Deadly Commute

Mumbai has always taken pride in its local trains, which have been celebrated as the city’s lifeline. It has long been a democratic institution that carries millionaires and labourers alike, and a symbol of the resilience that Mumbaikars so often boast about. The brutal murder of a 22-year-old passenger inside a moving local has exposed a darker reality. The city’s most cherished public service is no longer merely overcrowded and uncomfortable but is becoming steadily unsafe. The victim,...

Deadly Commute

Mumbai has always taken pride in its local trains, which have been celebrated as the city’s lifeline. It has long been a democratic institution that carries millionaires and labourers alike, and a symbol of the resilience that Mumbaikars so often boast about. The brutal murder of a 22-year-old passenger inside a moving local has exposed a darker reality. The city’s most cherished public service is no longer merely overcrowded and uncomfortable but is becoming steadily unsafe. The victim, travelling in a first-class compartment of a Churchgate-Nallasopara fast local, became embroiled in an argument over whether the train door should be kept open during heavy rain. The disagreement escalated into fatal violence after the accused pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the abdomen. As blood pooled on the floor of the compartment, passengers merely stood there watched in horror. A video of the aftermath showed the alleged killer walking away with the weapon in hand without anybody stopping him. For years, a rough but effective social order prevailed in the Mumbai local train. While commuters may have jostled for space and exchanged harsh words, there remained an unwritten code of conduct for keeping outright criminality at bay. Mumbai’s trains have long been dangerous in one sense. Every year, hundreds die while crossing tracks, hanging from footboards or falling from overcrowded coaches. But passengers rarely feared being murdered inside the compartment itself. S Even more troubling was the reaction of those present. The footage suggests that dozens of passengers chose self-preservation over intervention. While few citizens would willingly confront an armed attacker, the images nonetheless reveal a growing atomisation of urban life. Millions travel together every day, but increasingly as strangers who feel no responsibility towards one another. Mumbai’s famed collective spirit has now become a slogan repeated only after disasters rather than a reality visible in everyday life. The authorities, too, have questions to answer. How did an individual carrying a knife manage to board and travel through one of the busiest suburban rail networks in the world? Why does visible security remain so sparse despite years of promises about surveillance, modernisation and passenger safety? The Railways have invested heavily in technology, announcements and infrastructure upgrades. Yet commuters continue to encounter inadequate policing and an absence of deterrence. The larger concern is cultural. Across India’s cities, there is evidence of rising public aggression. Minor disagreements increasingly escalate into violence. Road-rage incidents, neighbourhood disputes and social-media-fuelled confrontations frequently end in bloodshed. Patience, compromise and restraint appear to be in retreat. Mumbai likes to imagine itself as different from the rest of India. The local train murder suggests otherwise. A city is judged not by its skyline but by the safety of its ordinary spaces. When passengers can no longer assume that they will return home alive from a routine train journey, something fundamental has gone wrong.

A Test of Prestige for the BJP in Eastern Vidarbha

Eastern Vidarbha

As the election draws nearer, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) finds itself locked in a high-stakes contest in Eastern Vidarbha, particularly Nagpur—a region long considered the heart of its ideological and political machinery given that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has its headquarters here.


This particular electoral battle transcends mere numbers as the very prestige of the party’s state unit is at stake this time, especially with key figures like Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule and senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar in the fray and the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari looming large.


Among the 23 candidates nominated by the BJP in Vidarbha, an impressive 19 are incumbent MLAs. Bawankule, in particular, is eager to reclaim his place in the political landscape after a hiatus from electoral contests since 2014. His previous exclusion from the ticket in the 2019 Assembly elections is believed to have cost the BJP several seats, especially given his affiliation with the Teli community, which boasts a significant voter base.


Under Fadnavis’ leadership, the party has spearheaded substantial infrastructural projects, including the Nagpur metro.


The transformation of districts like Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia, and Chandrapur from hotbeds of Naxalism to areas now declared ‘Naxal-free’ is a testament to the decisive action taken by the erstwhile Fadnavis government and present Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti coalition, supported by central forces. This substantial victory over Maoist elements will be touted as a key achievement by the BJP in Vidarbha. The decimation of Naxal influence and the establishment of a climate conducive to industrial development, creating new employment opportunities will be the BJP’s plank as it reaches out to voters here.


Fadnavis, once the undisputed face of the BJP in Maharashtra, hails from Nagpur and has deep roots in the region. However, the party’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, has raised doubts about whether Fadnavis can rally the base for a more convincing mandate this time around. For Mungantiwar, the challenge this time is even more daunting given his abysmal performance in the Lok Sabha, where he lost heavily in the Chandrapur Lok Sabha contest to the Congress’ Pratibha Dhanorkar, trailing by more than 48,000 votes from his own Assembly segment stronghold of Ballarpur.


Traditionally, the contest in Vidarbha has been between the two national parties – the Congress and the BJP, which has eaten into the Congress’ pie since 2014. However, an attenuated Congress maintains a formidable presence in this region, posing a significant threat to the BJP’s dominance. Even today, the party has the maximum number of MLAs concentrated in the entire Vidarbha region, 15 of its total strength of 45.


Vidarbha has produced three Chief Ministers for the Congress—Maratrao Kannamwar, Vasantrao Naik, who remains the state’s longest-serving CM, and Suddhakar Rao Naik (Fadnavis being the fourth CM from this region). The Congress has also maintained a strong cadre of second-line leaders, with influential figures such as Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Nana Patole, Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, and former ministers Nitin Raut and Sunil Kedar, all important players from this belt.


As it faces a charged-up Congress on November 20, the eyes of Maharashtra will be on Eastern Vidarbha, where the BJP’s prestige hangs in the balance. As the BJP locks horns with a formidable Congress in Eastern Vidarbha, the Assembly election here is a fight for the saffron party’s identity, transcending mere numbers.

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