SIT flooded with calls, complaints being verified

Mumbai: Sharpening knives, several women political and social leaders called on the Nashik Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik and Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Tejaswi Satpute, seeking action against several bigwigs allegedly linked with the Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat scandal that has scalded Maharashtra politics. A delegation led by Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Sushama Andhare, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rupali Patil-Thombare, Sangeeta Tiwari of Bitiya Foundation,...

min read

SIT flooded with calls, complaints being verified

Mumbai: Sharpening knives, several women political and social leaders called on the Nashik Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik and Special Investigation Team (SIT) chief Tejaswi Satpute, seeking action against several bigwigs allegedly linked with the Ashokkumar Eknath Kharat scandal that has scalded Maharashtra politics. A delegation led by Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Sushama Andhare, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rupali Patil-Thombare, Sangeeta Tiwari of Bitiya Foundation, Swati Patil, Saroj Ahire and Prerana Balkawade met the two top cops in Nashik. “We have urged them to include the names of ruling ally Shiv Sena’s ex-minister Deepak V. Kesarkar and NCP State Women’s Wing President Rupali Nilesh Chakankar as co-accused in the case and initiate investigations against them. Check their CDR’s financial dealings and their role in promoting the fake Godman,” Andhare told ‘The Perfect Voice’. Karnik said that since the FIR’s have already been registered and the entire case has been transferred to the SIT, he would forward their plea to the SIT, which would be in a position to address the women leaders’ concerns. Thereafter, the ladies went to met Satpute and held detailed talks with her. “We discussed the case status, shared some additional inputs we have collected, names of certain officers or prominent persons plus certain potential victims. We strongly requested her to bring both Kesarkar and Chakankar - who quit last week as Chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Women - under the probe radar to ascertain their exact role in this sordid affair,” added Andhare. SIT Works The Special Investigation Team (SIT) conducting a probe against rape accused and self-styled godman Ashok Kharat has received more than 50 calls in the last five days providing information or reporting crimes allegedly committed by him, officials said on Friday. The Maharashtra government-appointed SIT earlier published two mobile phone numbers for citizens to share information regarding Kharat or report any offence committed by him, they said. The police have so far registered eight FIRs against Nashik-based Kharat after receiving multiple complaints involving allegations of sexual assault, extortion, and circulation of objectionable material. Kharat, who heads a temple trust at Sinnar in Nashik district and had several political leaders visit him over the years, was arrested on March 18 after a 35-year-old woman accused him of repeated rape over a period of three years. Following his arrest, multiple rape complaints were filed against him. A senior official said that since the launch of the two dedicated mobile numbers, the probe team received an average of 15 to 20 phone calls daily. Of the calls received in the last five days, more than 50 were about complaints against Kharat, he said, adding that the team is verifying the complaints. The SIT has assured that to keep the identities of those providing information or reporting a crime strictly confidential, he said. The SIT visited Kharat’s office in Nashik on Friday, accompanied by the forensic science team. A team of police officials recovered several documents and files, a diary and papers from the office, the official said. The Nashik district administration has, meanwhile, suspended the former Merchant Navy officer’s arms licence, citing that with multiple cases against him, he might use weapons to threaten and intimidate victims. Nashik collector Ayush Prasad on Tuesday issued an order suspending Kharat’s arms licence, another official said. Kharat, a resident of Mirgaon in Sinnar, obtained a revolver licence on October 15, 2012, renewed it on January 1, 2024, with validity till December 2028, he said. After a case was registered against Kharat at the Sarkarwada police station, the police recovered a weapon and bullets from him. The licence was suspended under section 17(3) of the Arms Act. Moral turpitude is a valid ground for suspension of the licence, the order stated. - With PTI

India bears the brunt: Nifty crashes 1,100, Sensex nosedives 3,900 points after US trade shock

Correspondent
Apr 7, 2025
2 min read

India woke up to a financial jolt this morning as its equity markets suffered their steepest fall in nearly a year, shaken by the ripple effects of US President Donald Trump’s aggressive new tariff regime. The Sensex plunged over 3,900 points at opening bell, while the Nifty tumbled more than 1,100 points, dragging Indian stocks to a 10-month low.

This sharp decline follows a global equity rout triggered by Trump's protectionist measures, which have sent panic waves across Asia and raised the spectre of a global recession. Investors dumped shares in a massive sell-off, with Indian benchmarks reacting sharply in early trade. The Sensex dropped to 71,425.01 — down 3,939.68 points — while Nifty slipped to 21,743.65, marking a 3.5% slide from the last session.

Adding to the pressure, the Indian rupee depreciated 30 paise to open at 85.74 against the US dollar.

India Among the Hardest Hit

Trump’s latest tariff hike — framed as a push to restore fairness to global trade — has imposed country-specific duties that go as high as 50%. India has been slapped with a 26% tariff, while a 10% baseline duty applies to all nations. This has set alarm bells ringing among Indian exporters and traders already struggling with global demand volatility.

President Trump, unfazed by the financial carnage, likened the move to a bitter but necessary cure. “Sometimes you need the medicine to fix something,” he told reporters earlier today.

Analysts Urge Economic Safeguards

Market experts believe that India's current market turmoil isn't rooted in domestic issues but is rather a consequence of being tightly woven into global investment flows.

“India will face the heat, not due to domestic reasons, but as an interlinked chain in the global portfolio flows,” said Ajay Bagga, a noted market expert. “India will need a fiscal, monetary, and reform package to protect the domestic economy from this global economic winter that is threatening to settle in.”

Sunil Gurjar, SEBI-registered research analyst, warned that the Nifty50 index has breached its first support level and is approaching the next. "A further breakdown could worsen the trend and accelerate the fall," he cautioned.

Asian Markets Bleed

The tremors from Trump's announcement were first felt in Asia, with key markets suffering steep losses. China's stock markets fell over 4% amid retaliatory tariffs of 34% against the US. Hong Kong's Hang Seng nosedived more than 10%, while Japan’s Nikkei index fell 6.5% after plunging 8% earlier in the day. Taiwan saw a near-10% collapse, and Singapore dropped over 8%.

Wall Street Braces for Impact

US markets, though yet to open, appear set for a rough start. Futures contracts on the New York Stock Exchange are sharply down, suggesting heavy losses once trading resumes.

Market sentiment globally has turned bearish, with fears of a looming recession taking hold. Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management described the scene as “free-fall mode,” noting, “Trump’s team isn’t blinking. The tariffs are being treated as a victory lap, not a bargaining chip.”