MUMBAI: Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Sada Sarvankar allegedly fired a round during a clash between workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp early on Sunday, following which police registered a case against him, his son and some others, officials said.

Sarvankar, who represents the Mahim Assembly constituency, however, denied opening fire and claimed his rivals were trying to malign him.

He also said if police call him for questioning, he will cooperate with them.

Police also arrested five Sena workers from the Thackeray camp, who were later released on bail, they said.

The workers from both the sides first clashed in Prabhadevi area of central Mumbai shortly after Saturday midnight before indulging in a scuffle outside the Dadar police station some time later, where Sarvankar fired the round from a weapon, police said.

Both the groups lodged complaints against each other, following which the police registered First Information Reports (FIRs) against 10 to 20 members of both sides, they said.

The incident took place around 12.30 am in New Prabhadevi area, in which Sena functionary Santosh Talavane was allegedly attacked by Mahesh Sawant and 30 others, police said.

Talavane is part of the Shinde camp, while Sawant belongs to the Thackeray-led Sena.

The workers from both the camps again came face to face outside Dadar police station.

MLA Sarvankar, who was present there, fired one round, a police official confirmed.

After that, the legislator, his son Samadhan Sarvankar, Telavane and others were booked under sections of the Arms Act.

They were also charged for rioting and under other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), he said.

As the rival groups lodged complaints against each other, the Dadar police registered two FIRs, including one against Sarvankar, an official said.

“There was a scuffle between two groups in Dadar in the early hours. Initially, one FIR was registered. Now, another FIR has also been registered under sections of rioting and the Arms Act,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Pranay Ashok said.

Based on a complaint by Talavane, the Dadar police arrested five Sena workers, including Mahesh Sawant, another official said, adding that they were later released on bail.

The case against them was registered under various Indian Penal Code Sections including 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation), he said.

Following their release, Sawant and other party workers went to ‘Matoshree’ to meet Uddhav Thackeray.

Party leader Aaditya Thackeray, who was present there, said Shiv Sainiks were the party’s “Brahmastra”, a reference to the newly-released movie.

“In the Prabhadevi incident, Shiv Sainiks showed they were the party’s ‘Brahmastra’ and no one is bigger than them,” he said.

The Shiv Sainiks sat next to Uddhav Thackeray, while Aaditya sat on the ground with some others.

“Shiv Sainiks are the real strength of the party and Shiv Sena is a family,” he said.

Shinde camp’s spokesman Naresh Mhaske later took a dig at Uddhav Thackeray saying that he found time from his afternoon nap to meet the persons released on bail following their arrest for attacking the member of the rival faction, and take a picture with them.

Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, who supports former chief minister Thackeray, demanded action against Sarvankar under the Arms act for allegedly firing in public at the clash spot.

After meeting officials at Dadar police station following the arrest of workers of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, the parliamentarian said if those arrested are not released and action is not against Sarvankar, his party will take to streets and people will know which is the “real Shiv Sena”.

He said after the Ganesh immersion, there was an argument and workers of the two Sena factions clashed around midnight.

Arvind Sawant alleged that Sarvankar verbally abused the rival group and fired twice in public.

The Sena spokesperson also claimed that police were a witness to it.

“When our workers went to Dadar police station to lodge a complaint, it was not accepted,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Ambadas Danve, who was present with Arvind Sawant at Dadar police station, told reporters that one-sided action by police cannot be tolerated.

“If both sides are at fault, action should be against both. We lodge a complaint, it is ignored. But when the other side complaints, our people are arrested at night,” Danve said.

Kiran Pawaskar, the spokesman of the Shinde group, rejected the allegations against Sarvankar.

“Sarvankar has Y category security and it is impossible that he will fire in public,” Pawaskar said, adding that such allegations were “childish”.

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray has dared the rebel MLAs who have joined the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to resign and face elections.

Speaking at an event, the Worli MLA hinted that housing, quality education, healthcare, roads, and public transport will be the “focus areas” of Shiv Sena in the upcoming elections to the Mumbai civic body.

“Why did you backstab us when we gave you everything and why have you not resigned yet to face elections as it happens in a democracy,” the former state minister asked while speaking at the CNN-News18 Town Hall on Saturday night.

Aaditya dismissed claims by the dissidents that he and his father Uddhav Thackeray, who was the chief minister in the erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi government, remained inaccessible.

He also denied that Shiv Sena’s succession plan was meant to favour him.

“I have always been around. I was allotted the portfolios (Environment and Tourism) that no one opts for otherwise. But when you have ambitions and pressure that can’t be spoken of, you jump the ship,” he said.

The rebellion by Shinde and 39 of the 55 MLAs of Shiv Sena led to the collapse of the tripartite MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this year.

“They (rebels) shifted the goalpost left, right and centre. They blamed our allies (NCP and Congress) for ruining their political fortunes. They spoke about Hindutva. Tomorrow they may blame me for wearing a blue shirt every single day,” Aaditya said.

He challenged the Shinde camp and the Bharatiya Janat Party (BJP), which is part of the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, to face elections immediately.

“Let’s face the BMC election now, no problem. Resign and face elections. We will accept the public mandate. Mumbaikars know what we have done for the city during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

The BJP has launched an aggressive campaign for the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Council (BMC) elections against the Shiv Sena, which has been ruling the civic body for over two decades.

Listing the works done by the then Uddhav Thackeray government, Aaditya said: “The Hindmata region and Gandhi market area in Mumbai did not flood this year (in monsoon) due to the rainwater harvesting and percolation pits created by us. This is a proud moment for the BMC as well”.

He said Mumbai’s progress rate must not be compared with Shanghai or Singapore.

Speaking about the main issues in Mumbai, he said, “Cities are growth centres and it is up to us to promote the ease of living and define what urbanism is. I think our main focus areas would be housing, quality education, healthcare, roads and public transport”.

Aaditya also spoke about how Shiv Sena tackled civic issues when in power.

“I used to hold meetings every week with 16 different agencies for the betterment of schools, parks, and the coastal road. In my opinion, either make a single authority for Mumbai or simply just get together and take swift action,” he added.

Speaking about Shiv Sena’s opposition to the construction of the metro car shed in Mumbai’s green lung Aarey Colony, Aaditya said the issue is not just about a particular land or trees.

“It is a living, breathing forest. We only stopped the work at Aarey. There are some faults with that line. Rs 10,000 crore escalation in cost was assessed before December 2019 (the MVA government came to power in November 2019),” he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had alleged the previous MVA government’s move to stop work at the Aarey Colony had led to the escalation of cost.

Reversing the previous government’s decision to shift the metro car shed to suburban Kanjurmarg and restoring it to the Aarey Colony was one of the first decisions taken by the new government.

VARANASI: The district court here is expected to pronounce its orders on Monday on the maintainability of the plea in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case, sources said.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are claimed to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has said the Gyanvapi mosque is a Waqf property and has questioned the maintainability of the plea.

District Judge A K Vishvesh had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the communally sensitive matter.

Madan Mohan Yadav, a lawyer of the Hindu side, had claimed that the mosque was constructed after demolishing the temple.

The case is being heard by the district court following an apex court order.

Earlier, a lower court had ordered a videographic survey of the complex.

The survey work was completed on May 16 and the report was presented in the court on May 19.

The Hindu side had claimed in the lower court that a Shivling was found during the videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex but it was contested by the Muslim side.

Police Commissioner A Satish Ganesh had on Sunday said prohibitory orders have been clamped in the Varanasi commissionerate area and officers have been asked to interact with religious leaders in their respective areas to ensure that peace is maintained.

To maintain law and order, the entire city has been divided into sectors which have been allocated police force as required, he said, adding directives for flag march and foot march in sensitive areas have also been issued.

Checking has been intensified in the district’s border areas, hotels and guest houses, while an eye is being also kept on social media, the police officer said.

VARANASI: The district court here is expected to pronounce its orders on Monday on the maintainability of the plea in the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri case, sources said.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

Five women had filed the petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu deities whose idols are claimed to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi mosque.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has said the Gyanvapi mosque is a Waqf property and has questioned the maintainability of the plea.

District Judge A K Vishvesh had last month reserved the order till September 12 in the communally sensitive matter.

Madan Mohan Yadav, a lawyer of the Hindu side, had claimed that the mosque was constructed after demolishing the temple.

The case is being heard by the district court following an apex court order.

Earlier, a lower court had ordered a videographic survey of the complex.

The survey work was completed on May 16 and the report was presented in the court on May 19.

The Hindu side had claimed in the lower court that a Shivling was found during the videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex but it was contested by the Muslim side.

Police Commissioner A Satish Ganesh had on Sunday said prohibitory orders have been clamped in the Varanasi commissionerate area and officers have been asked to interact with religious leaders in their respective areas to ensure that peace is maintained.

To maintain law and order, the entire city has been divided into sectors which have been allocated police force as required, he said, adding directives for flag march and foot march in sensitive areas have also been issued.

Checking has been intensified in the district’s border areas, hotels and guest houses, while an eye is being also kept on social media, the police officer said.

Bangladesh PM Sheikh HasinaBangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina (Photo | PTI)By Yeshi SeliExpress News Service
NEW DELHI: On a four-day visit to India beginning Monday, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hopes to enhance trade and strategic ties with New Delhi. Given strong political and diplomatic ties, she and her delegation are hoping to achieve a lot from the visit.

After landing in Delhi, Sheikh Hasina first visited the Nizamuddin Dargah. She later met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Draupadi Murmu tomorrow. On the last day of her visit, she will visit the dargah at Ajmer. Her delegation includes Minister of Commerce Tipu Munshi, Railway Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan and Liberation War Minister AKM Mozammel Haq.

Sources said river water-sharing, long-term supply of fossil fuel from India, removal of anti-dumping duty on jute exports from Bangladesh, enhancing rail, road and waterway connectivity and border security management are some of the issues that are likely to come up for discussion. The last time Sheikh Hasina came to India was in 2019. Bangladesh today is reeling under the impact of Covid, inflation, food crisis and lower job rates. “This visit is critical for Bangladesh and the visiting delegation hopes to resolve some of the economic and political issues,” said a source.

Bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India has been increasing over time. In 2021, the volume was over $ 14 billion. India has provided duty-free market access to Bangladesh under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) arrangement, which helped Bangladesh to increase its exports. In 2021, Bangladesh’s export to India was about $2 billion. Sources say Bangladesh’s trade deficit with India is rising, and the country is yet to benefit from India’s large import demand, which it fulfils from the global market.
A joint study by India and Bangladesh has highlighted new means for cooperation through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This is expected to help realize opportunities in areas of trade, transport and investment connectivity.

Bangladesh is also hoping to get financial support from India under Lines of Credit arrangement in order to go ahead with developmental projects. India has extended $2 billion worth of assistance under LoC, out of which $1 billion has been disbursed. Development projects cover sectors like railways, roads and transport, power generation, petrochemicals, economic zones and ports and shipping among others. However, Dhaka says that in 2010, India had committed to lending about $ 7.86 billion under three LoCs. The funds disbursal is slow as a result of which the desired result hasn’t been achieved.

ON bangla PM’S Agenda

Several pacts, including a water-sharing deal for Kushiyara river
Talks on agreement on the Teesta river water-sharing dispute
Long-term supply of fossil fuel from India, removal of anti-dumping duty on jute
Offering prayers at the famous Khwaja Gharib Nawaz Dargah in Ajmer

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has assured IT companies about a discussion on the estimated loss of Rs 225 crore due to rain and waterlogging in Bengaluru.-ADVERTISEMENT-Ads by 

He said that he will call and discuss the damages and compensation borne by them due to rain and waterlogging in the state capital.

“We will call the IT companies and speak with them related to the issues that they are facing due to waterlogging. We’ll also discuss the compensation and other related damages that have been caused due to rain,” Bommai told ANI. It comes after the IT companies asked the Chief Minister to solve the outer ring road issue.

Earlier on Monday, Bengaluru reeled under severe waterlogging, as incessant heavy rainfall lashed the city.

Waterlogging led to traffic jams and disruptions in the lives of normal people in several parts of Bengaluru including Koramangala. One of the locals said that waterlogging had taken place due to heavy rainfall, making driving very difficult.

“Too much rain has taken place. We woke up in the morning and saw that waterlogging had started. Water on the road had come up to the level of the divider. After that, we started pumping water out of the road and basement. My whole basement has got submerged under water,” a local resident told ANI.

Another local said that this situation happens yearly and they have to pump out water due to a poor drainage system.

“This happens every year, waterlogging takes place after the rain and we have to pump out water. There is no permanent solution. When the road was being made, the drainage system wasn’t prepared well. It leads to many difficulties for the public, many women have actually slipped and fallen into the water,” another local said.

Earlier in July, Karnataka suffered heavy floods due to rains, after which rescue missions and relief work had to be carried out. Chief Minister Bommai also had to seek financial assistance from the Centre. 

CHANDIGARH:  Last April-May, Arshdeep Singh was trending every time he had the white kookaburra in his hands. At the Indian Premier League (IPL), a grand stage where even the best in the world can wilt under pressure, the 23-year-old left-arm seamer was delivering yorkers for fun. Such was his precision considered the most difficult art to practice in the game that his economy rate in the end overs was better than that of even Jasprit Bumrah.

It was this outstanding ability that made Punjab Kings to retain him ahead of the last player auctions. And the possibility of pairing up with Bumrah at the end overs, where they could be terrorising batters at the T20 World Cup, was the reason why India picked him for the Asia Cup. Yet all it took was one dropped catch–that of Asif Ali in the 17th over of Pakistan’s chase against India at Dubai–for Arshdeep to face abuses on social media.

From being called accused of single-handedly costing India the win, Arshdeep was subjected to abuse by trolls.  During last year’s T20 World Cup, pacer Mohammed Shami faced a similar attack on social media, which led to Virat Kohli coming down heavily on the trolls. This time too there is an outpouring of support for Arshdeep with many former cricketers including Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Abhinav Mukund and Aakash Chopra tweeting in his support.

Punjab’s minister for sports and youth affairs Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer threw his weight behind Arshdeep and spoke to his mother in Dubai. Former Punjab CM Capt. Amarinder Singh on his Facebook page, “It’s unfortunate that Arshdeep Singh is being mocked this much for only dropping one catch…”

KABUL: A suicide bomber struck near the Russian embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Monday, killing two staff from the diplomatic mission and wounding several other people, the foreign ministry in Moscow said.-

In the first attack targeting a foreign mission since the Taliban seized power in August last year, the bomber blew himself up near the entrance of the embassy’s consular section.

“As a result of the attack, two employees of the diplomatic mission were killed, and there are also Afghan citizens among the wounded,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Abdul Nafy Takor gave AFP a different account, saying a suicide attacker was shot dead by Taliban guards at the Russian embassy.

An Afghan civilian was killed and several others wounded, he said.

As with other recent attacks, heavy Taliban security quickly sealed off the area and prevented media from filming nearby.

No group has so far claimed the attack on the embassy.

“Without any doubt, we are talking about a terrorist act, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow.

Violence in Afghanistan has largely declined since the Taliban returned to power, but several bomb blasts — some targeting minority communities — have rocked the country in recent months, many claimed by the jihadist Islamic State (IS) group.

Last week, a suicide bomber struck one of western Afghanistan’s biggest mosques, killing at least 18 people, including an influential imam.

Cleric Mujib ur Rahman Ansari, who had called for those who committed even the “smallest act” against the government to be beheaded, was killed in that attack in the city of Herat.

Ansari was the second pro-Taliban cleric to be killed in a blast in less than a month, after an August 11 suicide attack targeted Rahimullah Haqqani at his madrassa in Kabul.

Several mosques across the country have been targeted this year, some in attacks claimed by IS.

At least 21 people were killed and dozens more wounded on August 17 when a blast ripped through a mosque packed with worshippers in Kabul.

IS has primarily targeted minority communities such as Shiites, Sufis and Sikhs.

While IS is a Sunni Islamist group like the Taliban, the two are bitter rivals and greatly diverge on ideological grounds.

Taliban officials claim that IS has been defeated but experts say the group is the main security challenge for the country’s current Islamist rulers.

By ANINEW DELHI: Delhi police have arrested a person, accused of stealing over 5,000 vehicles and being a supplier of illegal arms. The accused identified as Anil Chauhan was a class-1 contractor in the Assam Government, police said

According to, Shweta Chauhan, DCP Central District, the recent spurt in the supply of illegal arms in areas of Central Delhi had instigated Delhi police to curb these activities. A team of Special staff was given the responsibility to curb these activities. In compliance of the directions, the team of special staff contacted secret informers, and information was obtained from them.

Accused, Anil Chauhan was arrested in Delhi after receiving information about his arrival in Delhi by Special Staff under the jurisdiction of Deshbandhu road police station. One illegal country-made pistol, two live cartridges, and one stolen motorcycle were recovered from him.

During the course of the investigation, five more country-made pistols and a stolen car were recovered from him.

According to police, Accused Anil Chauhan had been previously accused in 180 criminal cases and had been convicted for 5 years in a criminal case registered in Nizammudin police station.

From 1997, accused Anil Chauhan is alleged to have stolen 5,000 vehicles and was arrested multiple times and sent to jail. The accused was a Class-I contractor in the Assam government.