QMumbai: Review of Elgar Parishad Cases; Fadnavis Writes to CM

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The five activists who were arrested by the Pune police in the Elgar Parishad case in August 2018.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

1. State Begins Review of Elgar Parishad Cases; Cops Told to Investigate Snooping Allegations

A month after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar demanded a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the arrests of writers and activists involved in Elgar Parishad, connecting them to the Bhima-Koregaon violence in Pune on 1 January 2018, the state government on Thursday started reviewing the cases filed by the Pune Police.

Besides two charge sheets filed by the police, the government has reportedly asked the Pune Police to reveal the source of the letter allegedly found with arrested activist Rona Wilson, which the police used as key evidence against the activists.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

2. 2018 Drug Trafficking Case: Special Court Issues Show-Cause Notice Against Mumbai Cop

A special court has issued a show-cause notice against the investigating officer in an alleged drug trafficking case of 2018, seeking reasons as to why action should not be taken against him for attempting to destroy prosecution evidence.

The case pertains to action by the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) against five men allegedly attempting to export 100kg of 1-Phenethyl-4-Piperidone — the precursor to opioid Fentanyl, a controlled substance — to Mexico without valid clearance. In its chargesheet filed last month, the ANC had claimed the accused had used a Tata Nexon car to transport four plastic drums of 25 kg each of the controlled substance from a godown in Bhiwandi to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on 26 December 2018.

(Source: The Indian Express)

3. Maharashtra Govt Ads Skipping PM’s Photo, Fadnavis Writes to CM Thackeray

Leader of Opposition in state Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photo on all government advertisements.

“It has come to our notice that government advertisements released by the Maharashtra government are skipping the pictures of PM,” Fadnavis said in the letter

.(Source: The Indian Express)

4. Minorities Are Fine With NCP-Sena Tie-Up in Maharashtra, Want BJP out of Power: Sharad Pawar

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Thursday that representatives of minority communities had conveyed that they would not mind if his party joined hands with Shiv Sena, but the BJP must be kept away from power in Maharashtra.

“We were told on behalf of the minorities that if you want to take Shiv Sena along, you can do so, but keep the BJP away. The minorities welcomed that step,” Pawar said while addressing a gathering of the party’s minority cell. He also said that a majority of Muslims and minorities in the state did not vote for the BJP.

(Source: The Indian Express)

5. CRPF Man Accidentally Shoots Self Outside Mukesh Ambani’s House, Dies

A 31-year-old CRPF personnel, posted outside the bungalow of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani in South Mumbai, died after shooting himself accidentally, officials said on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Devdan Bakotra who hailed from Junagadh in Gujarat.

The incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday at the Central Reserve Police Force’s (CRPF) security post outside Ambani’s 27-storey bungalow `Antilia’ off Pedar Road.

(Source: Hindustan Times)