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By:

Dr. Abhilash Dawre

19 March 2025 at 5:18:41 pm

Suspicious death of undertrial prisoner

Dies after four-hour delay in treatment at Kalyan Aadharwadi jail Kalyan: In a shocking and disturbing incident, an undertrial prisoner lodged at Adharwadi Jail in Kalyan died under suspicious circumstances, triggering serious allegations of negligence against the prison administration. The deceased, identified as Rishikesh Pawar, reportedly complained of severe chest pain on Tuesday evening but was allegedly denied timely medical treatment for nearly four hours. His family claims that this...

Suspicious death of undertrial prisoner

Dies after four-hour delay in treatment at Kalyan Aadharwadi jail Kalyan: In a shocking and disturbing incident, an undertrial prisoner lodged at Adharwadi Jail in Kalyan died under suspicious circumstances, triggering serious allegations of negligence against the prison administration. The deceased, identified as Rishikesh Pawar, reportedly complained of severe chest pain on Tuesday evening but was allegedly denied timely medical treatment for nearly four hours. His family claims that this delay proved fatal, raising grave concerns about the functioning and accountability of jail authorities. Rishikesh Pawar, a resident of Dombivli, had been arrested in connection with a case registered at the Hill Line Police Station in Ulhasnagar. Following his arrest, the court had remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody, after which he was lodged in Adharwadi Jail, Kalyan a facility that has been in the news previously for various controversies. According to sources, Pawar began experiencing intense chest pain around 5:00 PM on Tuesday. Despite the seriousness of his condition, he was not immediately shifted for medical treatment. It was only around 9:30 PM that he was taken to Ulhasnagar Central Hospital. In a further alarming detail, he was reportedly transported not in an ambulance, but in a private Bolero vehicle belonging to the jail administration. Family members allege that had Pawar received timely medical attention, his life could have been saved. Questioning the delay, they have demanded to know why no action was taken for hours despite repeated complaints of chest pain. The situation escalated when enraged relatives rushed to the hospital upon learning of Pawar’s death, leading to chaos and protests. The family has demanded strict action against the officials responsible and warned of launching an agitation if justice is not delivered. While Speaking to ‘The Perfect Voice’, Pawar’s friend Yogesh Jaiswal made serious allegations against jail staff. He claimed that despite repeated pleas to shift Pawar to a hospital, a jail staff member identified as “Baba” Raju Por allegedly ignored their requests and responded insensitively. Jaiswal further alleged that there is a lack of proper medical arrangements inside the jail, and accused certain staff, including a doctor, of negligence and misconduct. He also made shocking claims about the availability of contraband substances such as alcohol and drugs inside the jail. Demands have been raised for an inquiry against senior officials, including Jail Superintendent Pradeep Jagtap, medical officer Mangesh Jadhav, and staff member Raju Por, along with calls for their immediate suspension pending investigation. In another concerning development, Superintendent Pradeep Jagtap reportedly avoided responding to media queries, refusing to take calls despite repeated attempts. This silence has further fueled suspicions and raised questions about transparency. Pawar’s body has been sent to J.J. Hospital for post-mortem examination. The exact cause of death will be determined only after the autopsy report is released.

Warriors of Night

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

We name our daughters Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati; we worship the divine feminine power in the temples but oppress, repress and even attack the feminine power amidst us. That is the irony in the way India sees its women.

After the safety of the daylight fades, women are seen as easy prey by the predators of the night.

We mark the nine nights of Navratri, the festival of the goddess, by celebrating the dedication and valour of nine real-life women who brave the challenges of the night to pursue their dreams.


Part - 4


Never felt unsafe

The singer says there has been a generational change over the last two decades

Never felt unsafe

Work has no timings for Aisha Sayed. Sometimes, she begins her studio recording at 12 AM and finishes by 5 AM; at other times, concerts and live shows start at 9 AM and she’s done by midnight. In her field of work as a performer and singer, Sayed is used to not getting a night’s sleep and often returning home when most of the city is set to wake up. “I have been travelling at night but I have never, ever, felt unsafe in Mumbai,” says the singer-performer who began her career at the age of 13 years. Her father spotted her talent for music and took her to meet a sound engineer who was their neighbour in Bandra. The family helped her get opportunities and from there, her career began.

Being among the top contenders in Indian Idol, season 3, in 2007 catapulted her to fame and it opened up a world of new performance opportunities across the country. “I was just 20 years then and I was travelling the world, performing at the most lavish weddings, staying at the most luxurious hotels and performing at big corporate gigs,” she says. Safety, while on work, is has never been an issue for her for the organizers arrange a security detail for the performers. “They escort us until we reach the room. And since we travel with our team in a big group, there is always safety in numbers,” says Sayed, who sings in 10 languages. Her peers have faced instances of audience members being rowdy. “Once in Delhi, a group of drunk men followed my colleague to her room and kept banging on her door late into the night. But I have been fortunate,” she says.

Work assignments have taken to varied places, from the most luxurious international destinations to far-off venues in the hinterland of India where she’s travelled through dark, dense forested areas. “I have driven through areas where the only light is that of your car’s headlights. Turn around and you see pitch darkness,” says Sayed. She’s always got a little prayer on her lips when travelling through these remote areas for miles together. She recalls a show in Chattisgarh where she had to travel for nine hours at a stretch through remote and forested areas. “No place in our country is as safe as Mumbai,” she stresses. She would know, considering her extensive travels. She advises women to travel in groups while in places that are unfamiliar or unknown and never to venture out at night alone. “Keep your family informed of your whereabouts,” she says.

While her agreements state that proper security at all times, Sayed says that she drives her own car if she’s out at night for parties or personal work but insists that the people of Mumbai are largely helpful and cooperative. A rickshaw driver who once drove to home in the wee hours of the night, after a recording, waited at her gate until the watchman let her in. Friends and colleagues have dropped her home several times.

Mumbai, she feels, has changed—and it’s for the better, in the past two decades. “Earlier, on buses and trains, men would use the crowd as an excuse to touch women inappropriately. That has gone down. There is a generational change that I see,” says Sayed. She used to take the BEST buses and trains to her training classes and for recordings in the early days of her career.

Her timings are inconsistent and her shows take her to various cities and towns. But the Mumbai-bred girl emphasizes that her city is very safe for women, despite the various incidents of violence. “Mumbai is the only place where a woman can wear what she wants, wear bright red lipstick, leave her hair open and look glamorous and still be safe.”

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