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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

Woman held for allegedly killing daughter

She was reportedly upset over her love relationship with a man from other caste Ulhasnagar: In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across Ulhasnagar, a mother allegedly strangled her 19-year-old daughter to death after opposing her relationship with a young man from another caste. According to the police, the accused, identified as Asha Garad, allegedly killed her daughter Amruta Garad in a fit of rage when the latter was preparing to leave home with the man she was in a relationship...

Woman held for allegedly killing daughter

She was reportedly upset over her love relationship with a man from other caste Ulhasnagar: In a shocking incident that has sent shockwaves across Ulhasnagar, a mother allegedly strangled her 19-year-old daughter to death after opposing her relationship with a young man from another caste. According to the police, the accused, identified as Asha Garad, allegedly killed her daughter Amruta Garad in a fit of rage when the latter was preparing to leave home with the man she was in a relationship with. The accused has been arrested by Ulhasnagar Police Station No. 1, and further investigation is underway. According to the police, the incident took place at Bhaiyyasaheb Ambedkar Nagar in Ulhasnagar Camp No. 1, where Amruta Garad lived with her family. She was reportedly in a relationship with a young man from another caste who resided in the same neighbourhood. Her mother strongly opposed the relationship and had repeatedly tried to convince her to end it. However, Amruta remained firm in her decision. Police said that at around 1:30 am on Sunday night, a heated argument broke out between the mother and daughter while Amruta's father and two brothers were asleep in the house. Following the argument, Amruta was allegedly preparing to leave home with the young man. At that moment, Asha Garad allegedly used a scarf to strangle her daughter, resulting in her death on the spot. After the incident, Amruta's father approached Ulhasnagar Police Station No. 1 and informed the police about the incident. Police immediately reached the spot, conducted a panchnama, and sent the body to the Central Hospital, Ulhasnagar, for post-mortem examination. Based on the preliminary investigation, police registered a case against Asha Garad and arrested her. The incident, in which a mother allegedly killed her own daughter, has created widespread shock in the Ulhasnagar area. Further investigation is being carried out by officers of Ulhasnagar Police Station No. 1. While speaking to ‘The Perfect Voice’, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore said that the 19-year-old woman's mother was opposed to her love marriage. Following an argument, the mother allegedly killed her daughter in a fit of rage. A case has been registered at Ulhasnagar Police Station No. 1, the accused woman has been arrested, and further investigation is in progress.

Matriarchs of Mantralaya

Maharashtra is rebuilding its ‘Iron Frame’ of women leadership

Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar Ashwini Bhide
Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar Ashwini Bhide

Mumbai: In the wake of a tragic week that saw the sudden demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the contours of power in Maharashtra are being redrawn with a distinct and decisive feature: the ascendancy of women to the state's highest political and administrative offices. With the reshuffle on Friday, it is now becoming clear that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is trying to come up with a governance model where the three pillars of the state—Political Stability, Internal Security, and Infrastructure Delivery— are entrusted to women.


The corridors of Mantralaya, power has a distinct new profile. Just weeks after the retirement of Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla and months after the exit of Chief Secretary Sujata Sounik, a vacuum seemed to loom over Maharashtra’s administrative gender diversity. The brief dip in what was termed the "golden era" of women bureaucrats—where the state’s top police officer and top civil servant were both women—appears to have been a temporary pause rather than a full stop.


With Friday’s transfer of senior bureaucrat Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar to the critical Home Department as Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) and the growing political clamor to elevate Sunetra Pawar to the Deputy Chief Ministership following the tragic demise of her husband Ajit Pawar, the Fadnavis administration is swiftly reassembling a formidable "all-women" power axis. This new triad, anchored by Ashwini Bhide in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), suggests that Maharashtra’s pragmatic reliance on female leadership is shifting from "historic firsts" to operational inevitability.


Political Anchor

The most seismic shift is likely to be political. Following the untimely death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash earlier this week, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is reportedly rallying behind his wife, Sunetra Pawar. While her potential elevation to Deputy Chief Minister is politically expedient to keep the party united, it also places a woman in one of the highest executive offices in the state.


Unlike the bureaucratic roles, Sunetra Pawar’s challenge will be managing the volatile coalition dynamics of the Mahayuti alliance. If appointed, she would not only inherit her late husband’s political legacy but also likely his portfolios, which often included Finance. Her presence would act as the political counterweight to the bureaucratic influence of Mhaiskar and Bhide, completing a triad of governance that spans policy, execution, and politics.


Guardian of Home

Friday’s appointment of Manisha Patankar-Mhaiskar as ACS (Home) is a masterstroke in administrative continuity. The Home Department, traditionally the domain of the state’s most trusted hands, oversees law and order—a portfolio Fadnavis himself holds. By placing Mhaiskar here, Fadnavis has signaled immense trust.


A 1992-batch IAS officer, Mhaiskar is no stranger to high-pressure zones. She has previously handled the Environment and Protocol departments and was instrumental during the COVID-19 crisis. Her shift from Public Works Department (PWD) to Home suggests that the administration values her "crisis manager" reputation. In the Home department, she will be the administrative spine ensuring that the police force—recently vacated by Rashmi Shukla—remains aligned with the executive’s vision.


The Executor

While Mhaiskar manages the state’s internal security apparatus, Ashwini Bhide continues to drive its developmental engine from the Chief Minister’s Office. Known widely as the "Metro Woman" for her unwavering leadership of the Mumbai Metro Line 3 project despite intense environmental and political opposition, Bhide’s role as Principal Secretary to the CM is pivotal.


Her presence in the CMO ensures that the state's massive infrastructure mandate remains on track. Unlike Sounik and Shukla, who held constitutional/statutory summits, Bhide’s power is derived from her proximity to the decision-making core. Her retention in the CMO alongside her charge of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) underscores a governance model that prioritizes delivery over optics.


Legacy of Firsts

The current reshuffle stands on the foundation laid by Sujata Sounik and Rashmi Shukla. Sounik, who retired in June 2025, was Maharashtra’s first female Chief Secretary, bringing a technocratic edge to the state's top office. Rashmi Shukla, who retired earlier this month, broke the brass ceiling as the first female DGP.


Their simultaneous tenure was a historic anomaly that normalized the idea of women running the state. The current administration seems keen to ensure that this was not a fleeting moment. By positioning Mhaiskar in Home and Bhide in the CMO—and potentially Sunetra Pawar in the Deputy CM’s chair—Chief Minister Fadnavis is curating a leadership team where "women’s power" is not just a slogan, but the operational reality of Maharashtra’s governance.

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