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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

‘Gangster Reel’ accused nabbed

Police recover seven guns, 371 cartridges from hidden cache Dombivli: A 55-year-old builder known for his ‘gangster-style’ reels has once again been arrested after police recovered a massive cache of illegal weapons from his residence. The accused, Surendra Pandurang Chaudhary alias Patil, was taken into custody following a joint operation by the Thane Crime Branch and Manpada Police, who raided his bungalow in Dawdi and uncovered arms hidden in a secret compartment near a shoe rack.   In one...

‘Gangster Reel’ accused nabbed

Police recover seven guns, 371 cartridges from hidden cache Dombivli: A 55-year-old builder known for his ‘gangster-style’ reels has once again been arrested after police recovered a massive cache of illegal weapons from his residence. The accused, Surendra Pandurang Chaudhary alias Patil, was taken into custody following a joint operation by the Thane Crime Branch and Manpada Police, who raided his bungalow in Dawdi and uncovered arms hidden in a secret compartment near a shoe rack.   In one of the most startling revelations, police discovered that the accused had specially designed a hidden compartment inside a shoe rack to conceal the weapons. The compartment was cleverly built that it could not be easily detected during a routine check. It was only after a detailed and thorough search that the concealed cache was uncovered, leaving even the police surprised.   During the raid, officials seized seven revolvers, 371 live cartridges, 167 air gun pellets, along with sharp weapons such as swords, choppers, knives, and sickles. The total value of the seized arms is estimated to be around ₹10 lakh. Among the recovered firearms, five were country-made, while some others had markings like ‘Made in USA’ and ‘Special Auto,’ raising questions about their source.   Patil is highly active on social media, with over 303,000 followers on Instagram. He frequently posted reels showcasing a ‘gangster lifestyle,’ often seen holding firearms and displaying bundles of cash. In some videos, he was even seen sitting on a police officer’s chair while creating content. These controversial acts had previously led to his arrest.   The accused has a criminal background with serious charges, including rape. He was earlier arrested in October 2023 in connection with a case registered at Manpada Police Station.   In 2023, authorities had taken preventive action by externing him from Thane district for a period of one year. Despite this, he recently secured bail in another case but was re-arrested within just two weeks.   Police are now investigating the origin of the weapons, possible links to a larger network, and whether the arms were intended merely for social media display or for more serious criminal activities. A case has been registered under the Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act, and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.

Lingua Pragmatica

Updated: Mar 20, 2025

As Southern leaders like M.K. Stalin rage against Hindi, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu offers a model of pragmatism over parochialism.

Chandrababu Naidu
Andhra Pradesh

Amid the cacophony of opposition in southern states to Hindi, Andhra Pradesh CM N. Chandrababu Naidu has taken a markedly pragmatic stance by remarking recently in the state Assembly that there was no harm in learning other languages. Hindi, Naidu noted, was useful for communication across India, particularly in political and commercial hubs like Delhi. His remarks, though avoiding explicit mention of the NEP, were widely seen as an endorsement of multilingualism and a rebuke to the linguistic chauvinism that has gripped parts of the South.


Few issues in India stir political passions quite like language. It is not merely a means of communication but a marker of identity, a relic of colonial resistance, and a source of political mobilization. In the southern states, where anti-Hindi sentiment has long been entrenched, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and its three-language formula have reignited old tensions. No state embodies this defiance more than Tamil Nadu, where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) led by M.K. Stalin has framed the policy as an assault on its linguistic autonomy.


Naidu’s words, welcomed by his ally and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, mark a sharp contrast with the DMK’s position. Tamil Nadu’s hostility towards Hindi dates back to the 1930s, when C. Rajagopalachari’s attempt to introduce it in schools met with fierce resistance. The anti-Hindi agitations of the 1960s cemented the DMK’s ideological stance, with its first Chief Minister, C.N. Annadurai, famously warning that Hindi imposition could push Tamil Nadu towards secession.


The question, however, is whether this rigid opposition serves Tamil Nadu’s interests. While Stalin, with an eye to the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, has been relentlessly portraying Hindi as a threat to his state’s regional identity, Naidu, a partner of the BJP-led Centre, is framing it as a tool for economic mobility. His argument is not that Hindi should replace Telugu or English but that it offers a competitive advantage.


The economic case for multilingualism is compelling. Indians who speak multiple languages tend to have better job prospects, higher earnings and greater geographic mobility. Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu-speaking diaspora is a case in point. Telugus make up a significant proportion of Indian-origin professionals in the United States, the Gulf, and Southeast Asia as Naidu pointed out, hinting that this success story was built not on linguistic rigidity but on adaptability.


In a country where inter-state migration is rising and where Hindi remains the most widely spoken language, refusing to learn it amounts to self-imposed isolation. Tamil Nadu’s approach, by contrast, risks limiting its youth. The DMK government has refused to implement the three-language policy, keeping schools strictly bilingual with Tamil and English. Its justification that Hindi is not necessary for global success could be true in a narrow sense but ignores the domestic context. If Tamil filmmakers can dub their movies into Hindi to expand their audience, why should Tamil students be denied access to the language that could open more doors for them within India?


The DMK has accused successive central governments, particularly under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of pushing Hindi at the expense of regional languages. Yet, rejecting Hindi outright is an overcorrection. The reality is that Hindi is an important language in India’s economic and political landscape. Naidu’s position, one of accommodation rather than confrontation, offers a middle ground that other Southern leaders would do well to consider.


Some states already recognize this. Karnataka, despite its own history of linguistic pride, has allowed Hindi to be taught as an optional language. Kerala, whose migrants work in Hindi-speaking regions and the Gulf, has been less hostile to Hindi education. Naidu’s model, balancing regional identity with practical necessity, offers a way forward. Languages should be embraced, not politicized. Southern leaders would do well to listen to him.

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