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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Accused trio get 10-day remand

Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai,...

Accused trio get 10-day remand

Mumbai: A Mumbai Court has given 10 days police custody to three arrested accused in the firing on Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff in a crowded public place as the investigators attempt to unravel the conspiracy, motives, involvement of other players and related aspects of the sensational case, on Wednesday. The accused trio Rehan alias Sukka, and Phool Singh both from Sonipat in Haryana and Rhitik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar but currently residing in Mumbai, were brought here from Kota in separate vehicles early today. They were produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at Esplanade Court where the police sought 14 days’ custody for the accused who are allegedly acting at the behest of the jailed mafia chief Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. Pleading for the remand, the police lawyers argued that sustained custodial interrogation was necessary to recover the weapons used in the shooting – which the accused had thrown away while fleeing, retrieve two mobile phones which were reportedly destroyed by the accused, besides digging out the entire conspiracy, pinpoint the exact motives and identify other persons involved in the brazen attack. Opposing the plea, the accused’s lawyers Ajinkya Mirgal and Satyabrat Joshi argued that police custody was unnecessary, particularly for recovering the weapons. Mirgal and Joshi later told mediapersons that the accused had already been interrogated at a railway colony during their transit-remand period and were produced before the CMM Court just minutes before the transit remand expired this afternoon. After hearing both sides, the CMM remanded them to police custody for 10 days till October 31. It may be recalled that Shroff, 36, was targeted on the evening of October 18 near Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu. Despite being a heavily crowded area, the assailants were seen firing at least 5-6 rounds at the actor’s car before fleeing on a motorcycle. A shaken Shroff escaped relatively unhurt, sustaining minor bruises, but his driver and a bystander suffered injuries. Following the incident, the Mumbai Police registered a case of attempted murder and offences under the Arms Act, and launched an interstate investigation involving Maharashtra, Haryana, Rajasthan, and later Gujarat and Delhi. The Mumbai Police formed 20 teams to hunt down the attackers, recovered the second-hand motorcycle outside Andheri station where it was abandoned and tracked their journey through different modes of transport from Mumbai to Surat and Kota. Acting on a tech-intel alert from Mumbai Police, the Kota Police lay in wait for them and apprehended them from the general coach of the Pune-Jaipur Superfast Express on Monday morning. Initial probe revealed that the assailants were planning to flee the country after travelling to the borders via Jaipur and Delhi. They were lured by the promise of sneaking them out of India to a foreign country, possibly Canada and rehabilitating them. Three key accused brought to Mumbai from Kota Three key accused apprehended in connection with the firing at actor Tiger Shroff’s car were brought to Mumbai from Kota in Rajasthan early on Wednesday, police said. Police brought them by road from Kota to Mumbai and, upon arrival, immediately took them to GT Hospital for a mandatory medical examination, an official said. Following the medical check-up, the accused were escorted to the Mumbai Crime Branch’s Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) office for interrogation. The accused have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka, from Sonipat in Haryana; Ritik Kurmi alias Roshan, originally from Begusarai in Bihar and living in Mumbai; and Phool Singh from Haryana, the official said. The Kota city police had handed them over to Mumbai Police, which formally arrested them and produced them before a magistrate there. The court granted transit remand to take them to Mumbai. Meanwhile, advocate Ajinkya Mirgal arrived at the AEC office in Mumbai on Wednesday morning, informing officials that he would represent the accused as their defence counsel in the case. At least two men fired gunshots at Shroff’s car in Mumbai’s Juhu area on Sunday evening before speeding away on a motorcycle. The actor escaped relatively unhurt, while his driver and a bystander were injured. According to Mumbai Police, five to six rounds were fired at the car. A motorcycle, allegedly used by the shooters, was found abandoned in Andheri. The accused fled to Surat and once there, boarded a Jaipur-bound train. The three were supposed to go to Delhi on a bus and then flee to Nepal. The Mumbai Police have registered a case under the provisions of attempt to murder and the Arms Act. According to the police, Rehan was in touch with Anil Pandit, an alleged associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which claimed responsibility for the attack in an unverified social media post. On Tuesday, the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested four more persons, including two women, in connection with the firing case. Police suspect they were acting on the directions of Anil Pandit, a gangster operating from abroad, an official earlier said. The four accused, identified as Kunal (21), Sumit (19), Radha (23), and Babita (23), were apprehended from Delhi and Haryana. According to police, Kunal allegedly collected a pistol and 20 rounds from Amritsar on the instructions of Anil Pandit, with Sumit accompanying him. Radha and Babita allegedly travelled to Mumbai with the weapon. Following the arrest, the police said the motive of the shooting was being ascertained, while the way Shroff was attacked, the assailants planned to kill him.

‘I am abuse-proof, but don’t defame Maharashtra’

Writer: Abhijit Mulye
Abhijit Mulye
Jul 8
5 min read

CM Fadnavis tears apart Opposition over Connecting Link tragedy

Mumbai: Mounting a fierce counteroffensive in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis aggressively retaliated against the opposition for their relentless criticism of the Mahayuti government following a landslide near the Mumbai-Pune Expressway’s ambitious ‘Missing Link’ project.


The incident, which occurred two days ago, had briefly disrupted traffic and provided the opposition with ammunition to target the administration. However, while issuing a detailed statement on the state’s rain situation and the expressway project on July 8, Fadnavis turned the tables, accusing his political rivals of spreading malicious disinformation and attempting to tarnish the state’s image.


Taking aim at the previous administration’s lack of political will, Fadnavis declared that the aftermath of the incident had actually exposed the opposition’s falsehood. He reminded the House that the original proposal for the Missing Link was prepared during the tenure of the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, but was swiftly abandoned.


According to the Chief Minister, the head of the government at the time had penned a mere two-page noting that cited 14 reasons why the project was impossible before permanently closing the file. “We discussed it with officials and experts. They told us the project was feasible, and we made it happen,” Fadnavis stated, adding, “The Mahayuti government had the courage, which is why we successfully completed this project.”


Historical Parallel

To contextualise the challenges of executing monumental infrastructure projects, the Chief Minister drew a historical parallel to the Konkan Railway. He reminded the assembly that the railway project also faced intense opposition over the risk of landslides during its construction phase. He praised former Railway Minister Madhu Dandavate for showing the courage to see it through, noting that while landslides did occur in the initial years, lessons were continuously learned, leading to improvements that ultimately brought the problem under control.


“Just think today, what would the situation be if the Konkan Railway hadn’t been built out of that fear?” he questioned the opposition benches. Driving his point home, Fadnavis recited a famous Urdu couplet in the Assembly: “Girte hain sheh-sawar hi maidan-e-jang mein... Wo tifl kya gire jo ghutno ke bal chale..” (Only the brave horsemen fall on the battlefield... How can a child fall who crawls on their knees).


Structural Damage

Addressing the specific nature of the recent mishap, Fadnavis dismissed the apocalyptic narratives being peddled by his detractors. He clarified that the landslide from above had merely fallen onto a water arch, breaking a portion of it and creating debris, but firmly asserted that neither the state-of-the-art cable-stayed bridge nor the tunnel had suffered any structural damage.


‘This is not merely a road; it is a wondrous marvel of engineering,’ Fadnavis proudly remarked, highlighting that the project features one of the widest tunnels in the world and the highest cable-stayed viaduct in India, all built under extremely difficult geographical conditions. He added that the incident actually proved the efficacy of the tunnel’s emergency systems, noting that citizens praised the fact that a crane reached the spot within just three minutes of the emergency button being pressed, ultimately saving lives.


Misleading Videos

The Chief Minister reserved his harshest words for those spreading fake news on social media. He alleged that certain individuals had deliberately circulated misleading videos and visuals to create a false illusion that the entire connecting link had collapsed. Calling them “Tondphudi”—a Vidarbha colloquialism for shameless loudmouths—he systematically dismantled their claims. “False propaganda was spread as if Rs 7000 crore had gone down the drain. But traffic was resumed in just 18 hours. And that too, right in their faces... That is the answer to the critics’ allegations,” he declared.


Concluding his fiery address, Fadnavis made it clear that while he was impervious to personal political attacks, he would not tolerate deliberate attempts to malign the state. “Go ahead, abuse Devendra Fadnavis... he is used to it. I am abuse-proof... because I have learned only one thing in life.. 10 years from today, these abusers won’t be seen anywhere. But that connecting link will be there, and Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde’s names will be on it,” he stated. Issuing a stern final warning to those orchestrating the online smear campaigns, he added, “Some hired mercenaries (bhadyache tattu) were taking money and writing lies about the Missing Link. Defame me, but if you insult Maharashtra, I will not spare you.”


High-level inquiry into suspicious transfers of British-era Church missionary lands

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced in the state assembly on Wednesday that a comprehensive inquiry will be conducted within three months into all lands held by Church Missionary organizations during the British era that were suspiciously transferred following independence. Bringing substantial relief to approximately 5,000 families in Nashik, the minister declared the formation of a high-level committee, chaired by the Divisional Commissioner, to resolve the escalating disputes surrounding the Nashik Diocesan Trust and Company.


The matter was brought to the floor of the house by MLA Devayani Farande through a calling attention motion. Highlighting a historical agreement dated August 12, 1949, between ‘The Church Missionary Trust Association Limited, London’ and ‘The Nashik Diocesan Trust Association Limited, Nashik’, she explained that the British government originally allocated these land parcels for the establishment of schools, colleges, and hospitals for the Christian community.


According to Farande, following the demise of the original trustees, land documents were systematically forged and manipulated to transfer absolute rights to a private individual. This has led to large-scale, questionable real estate transactions. Local citizens are now facing severe hardships, as they are being coerced into paying hundreds of thousands of rupees to this private company to obtain mandatory ‘No Objection Certificates’ for basic construction work or the buying and selling of property. Furthermore, the MLA leveled a serious allegation that the original property records, including the 7/12 extracts predating 1932, along with crucial files, have mysteriously vanished from the District Collector’s office.


Acknowledging the gravity of the accusations, Minister Bawankule assured the assembly that the government is fully committed to protecting the rights of the citizens. He clarified that while the matter is currently sub-judice in the Bombay High Court, there are no legal hurdles preventing an administrative probe. The specialized high-level committee will feature a multi-departmental team, including representatives from the Settlement Commissioner’s office, the Divisional Commissioner, officials from the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) department, and senior police officers.


Expanding the scope of the investigation, the minister promised a statewide crackdown rather than limiting the probe to Nashik. Relying on the official records of the Settlement Commissioner, the government will scrutinize church missionary lands across Maharashtra, specifically citing areas like Nandgaon and Aurangabad, to produce a detailed, actionable report within the stipulated three-month timeframe.


The state government is also exploring the possibility of confiscation. The legal framework will be examined to see if these lands can be freed from the private company’s grip and officially vested back into the government, particularly if it is proven that the original purpose of the land grants was completely bypassed during these transactions.

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