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Pune Teen's Porsche Dash Puts Spotlight On Supari Case Against Grandfather

Pune Teen's Porsche Dash Puts Spotlight On Supari Case Against Grandfather

by | May 23, 2024 | top-stories


Two 24-year-old IT engineers were killed after the speeding Porsche hit their bike

Pune:

The teen driver, whose drunken drive in a Porsche Taycan left two 24-year-old software engineers dead in Pune, was out on bail within 15 hours of the crash. The bail order says he was being released on the assurance of his grandfather that he will keep the teen away from “bad company”. It has now emerged that the grandfather, who is learnt to have started the family’s real estate business, has links with gangster Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, widely known as Chhota Rajan.

The matter dates back to a 2009 attack on a Shiv Sena corporarator Ajay Bhosale. According to the CBI chargesheet filed in the case, the boy’s grandfather was locked in a property dispute with his brother and had allegedly contacted Chhota Rajan to mediate. The gangster got in touch with Shiv Sena corporator Ajay Bhosale, who knew the brother. But Mr Bhosale was busy with the Assembly polls that year and refused to intervene. The boy’s grandfather suspected that the Shiv Sena leader was backing his brother and allegedly asked Chhota Rajan to bump him off, the CBI chargesheet said. The Shiv Sena leader’s car was fired at near Pune’s Koregaon Park, but bullet missed him and hit his driver instead, injuring him.

Mr Bhosale, who is now with the Eknath Shinde-led Sena, told NDTV that his ‘supari’ was given by the builder, who is not being named because the accused in the Porsche case is a minor. The grandfather was also listed as an accused in the chargesheet, but not arrested. The attempt to murder case is now part of a bunch of cases against Chhota Rajan pending before a Mumbai CBI court.

In fact, back then too, Pune Police had faced questions regarding its probe into the attempt to murder case. Significantly, despite an underworld connection, the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act was not invoked in the case and only IPC sections were invoked. In the FIR registered at Bund Garden police station, the builder grandfather was not named. It was only after the CBI took over the investigation that he came under the radar and was named an accused. But while most other accused were arrested, he secured an anticipatory bail.

Amid growing outrage over the software engineers’ deaths and allegations of preferential treatment, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was questioned about the family’s mafia links. The BJP leader, who is also in charge of the Home portfolio, assured a thorough probe. “Whatever be the links, these will be thoroughly investigated and action will be taken in the matter.”

Amid growing outrage, the juvenile justice board has modified its order and the teen has been remanded in an observation home. The board is also examining a police request for permission to try the accused as an adult. His father has also been arrested under sections of Juvenile Justice Act. The boy’s grandfather was questioned today by officers of Pune Police crime branch, which is probing the Porsche case.   



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“He Killed My Son”: Mother Of Man Hit By Porsche Driven By Pune Teen

“He Killed My Son”: Mother Of Man Hit By Porsche Driven By Pune Teen

by | May 22, 2024 | top-stories



Savitha Awadhiya, mother of Aneesh Awadhiya who died in the Pune Porsche accident.

She kept her composure for the first few questions. Then gave in at the fourth minute and burst into tears. The woman was answering questions about her son, who was killed in the horrific Porsche crash in Pune in the early hours of Sunday.

“Usne mere bachhe ki jaan le li. Mera bachha mujhse door ho gaya. Ab kabhi nahi mil paaungi main usse (He killed my son. Now, I will never be able to meet my son),” said a crying Savitha Awadhiya, mother of Aneesh Awadhiya who died in the accident. 

Three days after bail was granted to the Pune teenager upon the condition that he write an essay on accidents, the Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday modified its order and sent him to a remand home till June 5.

“Ladke ki galti hai, hatya bhi keh sakte hai usko. Kyunki agar usne itni badi galti nahi ki hoti toh aaj kisi ki jaan na jaati. Agar thoda bhi uske ghar waalo ne mana kiya hota ki aisa nahi karte hain toh aaj mere bete ki jaan bachi hoti. Ye seedhe seedhe hatya kehlati hai  (“It is the boy’s mistake, you can even call it murder, because if he had not made such a big mistake, no one would have died. If only his family members had paid attention, then today my son would have been alive. This is straight up murder,” said Ms Awadhiya.

The 17-year-old Pune boy, celebrating his Class 12 results, was drinking with his friends hours before the accident, showed a video. CCTV footage from Cosie bar showed happy scenes all around with the table crowded with alcohol bottles.

“Kadi se kadi saja milni chahiye. Bahut bachane ki koshish kar rahe hai woh apne bachhe ko. Paise waale hain isiliye sochte hain ki hum apne bachhe ko kahin se bhi bacha ke nikal sakte hain. Lekin mera bachha toh gaya hai na (He should face strictest punishment. They are trying very hard to save him. They are people with money and think can save their son. But my son died),” she said, appealing the Maharashtra government to help her get justice.

The Pune police commissioner said it is clear that the boy, son of a prominent realtor, was driving under the influence of alcohol. Several witnesses have said the teenager and his friends were heavily drunk.

The police are trying to build a watertight case, the top cop said on Tuesday. 



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On Camera, Andhra MLA Flings VVPAT To Ground In Polling Booth

On Camera, Andhra MLA Flings VVPAT To Ground In Polling Booth

by | May 21, 2024 | top-stories



The incident took place on May 13, the date of polling in Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad:

In an unprecedented development, CCTV footage has emerged showing an MLA from the ruling YSR Congress Party in Andhra Pradesh picking up a voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine and hurling it to the ground at a polling station. The Election Commission said the MLA vandalised electronic voting machines (EVMs) in seven polling centres and the state police chief has been asked to take strict action. 

The police said the MLA has been named as an accused while the opposition Telugu Desam Party has claimed that the legislator and the YSRCP are indulging in such vandalism because they are fearing defeat.

The incident took place on May 13, when all 25 of Andhra Pradesh’s Lok Sabha constituencies and all 175 Assembly seats went to the polls. Violence was reported on the day of the election in many areas and sporadic incidents have taken place after that as well. 

In the footage, YSRCP leader Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy, who is the sitting MLA from the Macherla constituency and has won from there at least three times, can be seen walking into the Palwai Gate polling centre, where an election official gets up to greet him. Without saying a word, the MLA walks into the enclosed area where the EVM is kept, picks up the VVPAT and throws it with a lot of force on the ground. 

A component comes off the machine and even as someone in the polling booth charges one of his aides and slaps him hard before heading to Mr Reddy and being held back, the MLA nonchalantly kicks what appears to be the control unit. He then seems to be warning the attacker before walking out. 

An election official is then seen recording the VVPAT lying on the ground.

Macherla comes under the Palnadu district, which has been the worst hit by violence on the day of the polling and after that. 

Taking to X, TDP leader and party chief Chandrababu Naidu’s son, Nara Lokesh, wrote in Telugu, “YSRCP MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddy vandalised the EVM at the Palwai Gate polling centre of Macharla Constituency. I demand that the Election Commission take strict action against Mr Reddy, who has vandalised EVMs and attacked them because of a fear of defeat. People are going to give the real verdict on YSRCP’s factional politics on June 4.”

The TDP is fighting the election in an alliance with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party and the BJP.

In a statement, the Election Commission (EC) said Mr Reddy was recorded on camera vandalising EVMs in seven polling centres, “along with PS number 202”,  in the Macherla Assembly constituency. 

“Palnadu district election officials have handed over video footage of all such polling stations to the police to assist in the investigation of the case related to the vandalism incident. The EC is taking this matter very seriously and has directed Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena to inform the director general of police to take strict action against all those involved in these incidents,” the statement said. 

Stating that the police have named the MLA as an accused, it said, “The EC hopes that no one will dare to commit such misdeeds in the future.”

Misbehaviour Too?

On the same day, a YSRCP MLA had slapped a voter, reportedly for objecting to the legislator jumping the queue at a polling booth. 

On Tuesday, the Election Commission also directed the Union Home Ministry to retain 25 companies of central forces in Andhra Pradesh even after counting of votes on June 4 because of the election and post-poll violence in the state. 



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Exclusive: Who Will Win 2024 Polls? Prashant Kishor's “Boring” Prediction

Exclusive: Who Will Win 2024 Polls? Prashant Kishor's “Boring” Prediction

by | May 21, 2024 | top-stories



Mumbai:

There is neither widespread anger against the incumbent BJP nor a clamour for a challenger, political strategist Prashant Kishor told NDTV today, predicting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lead the BJP to another victory in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Mr Kishor, who now leads Jan Suraaj, said the BJP’s tally in this election may hover around its 2019 score of 303 or better than it.

When NDTV’s editor-in-chief Sanjay Pugalia asked what he thinks will be the June 4 result, Mr Kishor said, “The future will show what the June 4 result will be. Journalists, psephologists and experts have their own opinions. As far as I am concerned, I would say consistency can sometimes be boring. For the past five months, I have been saying that no matter how you assess the elections, it seems Modi-led BJP is returning. They may get the same numbers as last election or do slightly better.” 

“We should look at the fundamentals. If there is anger against the incumbent government and its leader, there is a possibility that regardless of whether there is an alternative, people may decide to vote them out. So far, we have not heard that there is widespread public anger against Modiji. There may be disappointment, unfulfilled aspirations, but we have not heard of widespread anger,” he said.

The other fundamental issue, Mr Kishor said, is “a clamour for a challenger”. “This is when people feel that if this person comes, our situation would improve. We have not heard anything like things will be better if Rahul Gandhi comes. His supporters may say that, but I am talking about a more widespread level. There is an absence of widespread anger against the incumbent or a clamour for somebody who is a challenger. So I don’t think there would be a huge change in numbers,” he said.

The political strategist said North and West India account for about 325 Lok Sabha seats, and this belt has been the BJP’s stronghold since 2014. “In the East and South, which account for 225-odd seats, the BJP has not performed very well over the past decade. Out of these 225 seats, the BJP currently holds less than 50. Now, if BJP has to lose, you need to see if they have suffered any material damage in the North and West. My assessment is that it has not. But in the East and South, its vote share and seats are likely to increase,” he said.

“So, status quo or a status quo with a positive bias in favour of incumbent is expected. I see little chance of BJP’s score going down.”

On the BJP’s 370 seats target, Mr Kishor said, “If the BJP wins 275 seats, its leaders are not going to say that we will not form the government because we had claimed we will win 370. So we need to see whether they are getting 272, the majority mark. Politics and chatter will continue. Those doing commentary will continue to do so. But I don’t see any risk, and NDA seems to be returning to power.”

Mr Kishor said the BJP had managed to “shift the goalpost” through its propaganda, including the ‘400 paar’ slogan. “Modiji and BJP shifted the goalpost from 272 to 370. So the entire discussion now is on whether BJP is getting 370. No one is talking about 272. We must give credit to BJP and Modiji for changing the nucleus of the discussion and they have gained from it. Nobody is saying that Modiji is losing. Everyone is saying they are not getting 370. But even if they 320, they will still form the government,” he said.



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Sambit Patra's “Slip Of Tongue” That Found A New 'Bhakt' For PM Modi

Sambit Patra's “Slip Of Tongue” That Found A New 'Bhakt' For PM Modi

by | May 20, 2024 | top-stories


New Delhi:

The BJP’s Sambit Patra landed in a row today over a comment that hugely offended Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. As Odisha voted for the Lok Sabha and a new assembly in the Fifth Phase of election, Mr Patra told reporters that the Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri, “is Modi’s bhakt”. When the Chief Minister shot off an angry protest, Mr Patra issued a clarification, saying it was a “slip of tongue”.

“Lakhs of people have gathered here to see PM Modi. Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt and we are all PM Modi’s family. I cannot control my emotions and I think today is a momentous day for all Odias,” said Mr Patra, who is the candidate from Puri.

It drew an immediate condemnation from Naveen Patnaik, who is hoping for a sixth consecutive term in the state.

“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Mr Patnaik posted on social media.

“The Lord is the greatest Symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time,’ his post read.

Congress’s Supriya Shrinate also joined issue, posting, “Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi… What has happened to the BJP people? Such an insult to our beloved God? this arrogance will come to an end”.

Mr Patra issued a clarification.

“I gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of Shri Narendra Modiji’s Road Show in Puri today, everywhere I mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite ..I know you too know and understand this ..Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue ..we all have “slip of tongue sometimes,” his post read.

But the wave of outrage continued.

A post by Kerala Congress read, “Sambit Patra says that Prabhu Jagannath is a Bhakth of Modi. @sambitswaraj, God sends no one away empty, except those who are full of themselves”.

“According to Sambit Patra – “Modi’s bhakt is Jagannath”.. It’s a direct attack on Odia Asmita…… We want Sambit to apologies with folded hands in front of National Media and Each and every citizen of Odisha.  It’s very derogatory… You should mind your language,” Odisha Congress posted on X.

On social media, many demanded a public apology from the BJP leader. 





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Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Raisi Crashes In Mountains: Report

Helicopter Carrying Iran's President Raisi Crashes In Mountains: Report

by | May 19, 2024 | top-stories


Ebrahim Raisi was elected Iranian president at the second attempt in 2021. (File)

Dubai:

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister crashed on Sunday as it was crossing mountain terrain in heavy fog, an Iranian official told Reuters, and rescuers were struggling to reach the site of the incident.

The official said the lives of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were “at risk following the helicopter crash”, which happened on the way back from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan in Iran’s northwest.

“We are still hopeful but information coming from the crash site is very concerning,” the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

State TV quoted an official as saying that at least one passenger and one crew member had been in contact with rescuers. It also said the helicopter had been found, though Iran’s Red Crescent denied this report.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power with a final say on foreign policy and Iran’s nuclear programme, sought to reassure Iranians, saying there would be no disruption to state affairs.

Iranian state media said bad weather caused the crash and was complicating rescue efforts. State news agency IRNA said Raisi was flying in a US-made Bell 212 helicopter.

The chief of staff of Iran’s army ordered all the resources of the army and the elite Revolutionary Guard to be put to use in search and rescue operations.

Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

Earlier, the national broadcaster had stopped all regular programming to show prayers being held for Raisi across the country.

In the early hours of Monday, it showed a rescue team, wearing bright jackets and head torches, huddled around a GPS device as they searched a pitch-black mountainside on foot amid a snowy blizzard.

“We are thoroughly searching every inch of the general area of the crash,” state media quoted a regional army commander as saying. “The area has very cold, rainy, and foggy weather conditions. The rain is gradually turning into snow.”

Neighbouring countries expressed concern and offered assistance in any rescue. The White House said US President Joe Biden had been briefed on reports about the crash. Turkey said it had assigned a drone, a helicopter, vehicles and a rescue team after a request by Iranian authorities. The European Union offered emergency satellite mapping technology to help Iran with the search.

HARDLINER, POSSIBLE SUCCESSOR TO KHAMENEI

The crash comes at a time of growing dissent within Iran over an array of political, social and economic crises. Iran’s clerical rulers face international pressure over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme and its deepening military ties with Russia during the war in Ukraine.

Since Iran’s ally Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, provoking Israel’s assault on Gaza, conflagrations involving Iran-aligned groups have erupted throughout the Middle East.

Raisi, 63, was elected president in 2021, and since taking office has ordered a tightening of morality laws, overseen a bloody crackdown on anti-government protests and pushed hard in nuclear talks with world powers.

In Iran’s dual political system, split between the clerical establishment and the government, it is Raisi’s 85-year-old mentor Khamenei, supreme leader since 1989, who holds decision-making power on all major policies.

For years many have seen Raisi as a strong contender to succeed Khamenei, who has endorsed Raisi’s main policies.

Raisi’s victory in a closely managed election in 2021 brought all branches of power under the control of hardliners, after eight years when the presidency had been held by pragmatist Hassan Rouhani and a nuclear deal negotiated with Washington.

However, Raisi’s standing may have been dented by widespread protests against clerical rule and a failure to turn around Iran’s economy, hamstrung by Western sanctions.

Raisi had been at the Azerbaijani border on Sunday to inaugurate the Qiz-Qalasi Dam, a joint project. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who said he had bid a “friendly farewell” to Raisi earlier in the day, offered assistance in the rescue.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)



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