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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved...

AI’s Maharaja smiles joyfully

All 30 grounded aircrafts now fly Mumbai : Air India’s Maharaja is all pleased as punch at 80. After years of huge costs and efforts, the last of the grounded 30 aircraft – inherited by the Tata Group during the privatization in Jan. 2022 – is now resurrected fully and took to the skies gracefully on Monday.   The aircraft is the gleaming VT-ALL, a Boeing 777-300ER, that was gathering grime since February 2020, and becomes the final among the two-and-half dozen aircraft that have been revved up and revived in the past few years, AI official sources said.   It marked a symbolic milestone for Air India itself - founded in 1932 by the legendary Bharat Ratna J. R. R. Tata - which once ruled the roost and was India’s pride in the global skies.   Once renowned for its royal service with the iconic Maharaja welcoming fliers on board, in 1953 it was taken over by the government of India. After years of piling losses, ageing aircraft, decline in operations and standards – almost like a Maharaja turning a pauper - it returned to the Tata Group four years ago.   This time it was not just the aircraft, the brand and the deflated Maharaja coming into the large-hearted Tata Group stables, but a formidable challenge to ensure that the airline could regain its old glory and glitter. Of the total around 190 aircraft in its fleet were 30 – or 15 pc – that had been grounded and neglected for years.   At that time, the late Ratan N. Tata had directed that all these valuable aircraft must be revived as far as possible and join the fleet. Accordingly, the VT-ALL, languishing at Nagpur for nearly five years, was ‘hospitalized’ at the Air India Engineering Service Ltd., its MRO facility in May 2025.   New Avatar Then started a thorough, painstaking nose-to-tail restoration of an unprecedented scale, in which over 3000 critical components were replaced, over 4,000 maintenance tasks executed, besides key structural upgrades like the longeron modification, engines, auxiliary power units, avionics, hydraulics, landing gears and almost every vital system was rebuilt or replaced.   After the repairs, the old aircraft was reborn, under the gaze of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and technical assistance from Boeing, and the new ‘avatar’ jetliner emerged with the highest global safety standards.   The aircraft cleared all the rigorous checks, a successful test flight, earned the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate and then made its maiden commercial flight from Monday, March 16 – after a wait of six years.   Sturdy Fliers Created in 1946 to become an instant global icon, the Air India’s mascot Maharaja now sports a youthful and chic look, a welcome with folded hands, closed eyes, featuring a bejewelled turban, stylish jootis, and a textured kurta in Air India’s new colours. He is prominently visible at various touch-points in a flyer’s journey, such as First Class, exclusive lounges, and luxury products.   Today, he commands a mix fleet of around 190 narrow and wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft like : A319, A320, A320neo, A321, A321neo, A350-900 and B787-8, B787-9, B7770200LR, B-777-300ER. With the merger of Vistara and agreements signed for 10 A350 and 90 A320 aircraft, the Maharaja’s fleet is slated to soar to some 570 in the near future.

Photographs of the brutal murder proved last straw

Updated: Mar 6, 2025

Santosh Deshmukh

Mumbai: Beaten with rods, urinated on him, the shocking torture and unspeakable brutality on Santosh Deshmukh which came to light through photographs shook the Maharashtra politics which led to minister Dhananjay Munde’s ouster.


Santosh Deshmukh, sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district was abducted by six men in an SUV on December 9 afternoon at Dongaon toll plaza and taken towards Kej taluka. He was found unconscious at Daithna Shivar that evening. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. According to police officials, he was beaten for over two hours with a gas pipe, an iron rod, wooden sticks and sharp weapons.


The police investigation following the murder of Deshmukh revealed the cruelty and violent behaviour of the assailants. Nearly three months on, state minister Dhananjay Munde has resigned amid outrage over the killing that allegedly involved his top aide. The probe found that Santosh Deshmukh had tried to stop an extortion attempt targeting a windmill energy firm operating in the region and the mastermind of his killing was Munde's aide Walmik Karad.


The Police have recently filed the chargesheet. It categorically said that Santosh Deshmukh was tortured before being killed and the assailants recorded 15 videos, clicked eight photos and even made two video calls to document the brutality. In one of the videos mentioned in the chargesheet, five accused are seen thrashing slain sarpanch with a white pipe and a wooden stick, and kicking and punching him. The video shows Deshmukh in a half-naked condition. Another video shows one of the accused urinating on him as he bleeds heavily.


Walmik Karad, the prime accused in the chilling murder case, is a close aide of NCP leader and minister Dhananjay Munde. As Karad’s alleged role in the shocking murder emerged during the probe, the opposition started demanding action. The Crime Investigation Department's (CID) 1,200-page charge sheet provided more ammo to the opposition. As chilling visuals documenting the brutality suffered by Deshmukh flashed on social media and TV screens the pressure started mounting on CM Devendra Fadnavis.


As public outcry took the momentum Fadnavis had a meeting with deputy chief minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar to discuss the political fallout of the chargesheet and what the investigation revealed about Karad's alleged role. Eventually, he pulled the plug and Munde was asked to resign. The demand for Munde’s resignation was persistent. However, videos and photos of the incident turned to be a last straw forcing Munde’s exit.


36 murder cases in Beed

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday informed the state assembly that 36 murder cases were registered in Beed district from January to October 2024.

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