Six killed in fireworks factory blast in Alibaug

Six people, most of them workers, were killed and 20 others injured, one seriously, when crackers exploded in a fireworks factory in Maharashtra's Raigad district, police said. 

The explosion took place around 4.30 pm at the Bhaimala village factory, 10 km from Alibaug, they said. The bodies of six people were pulled out from the rubble of the crackers unit, which caught fire after the explosion. 

Six fire tenders were rushed to the factory after the blast, following which the blaze was brought under control. The deceased have not been identified yet. The injured have been admitted to a civic hospital.

A woman among those injured is said to be critical and has been shifted to Mumbai, the police said. 

The factory manager is being quizzed and further details were awaited at the time of going to press.

I could hear his screams in my sleep: Man admits to killing friend's lover

Saeed Majid walked into Shanti Nagar PS, confessed to helping friend kill gay partner in May '13.

It's not often that murderers walk in to a police station and confess their crime, but that's exactly what happened on Wednesday at the Shanti Nagar police station. Initially, when Bhiwandi resident Saeed Ahmad Abdul Majid (30) approached them saying he had helped murder a man a year ago, police were inclined to treat it as a joke, albeit in poor taste. 

However, when Majid insisted and offered to take them to where the body had been dumped, police started hearing him out with a little more seriousness. There were no doubts remaining after he led them to the skeletal remains of Faiyaz Ismail Qureshi, in a deserted part of Bhiwandi that local police, off the record, admit to skipping while on patrol. He was arrested on the spot, and Afsar Ali Shahzad Shah - whom he helped in killing Qureshi - was picked up from his residence, also in Bhiwandi. 

Majid told police that though he had not been worried while committing the crime, the weeks and months after the murder were unbearable. "I could never get it out of my mind. I could see the dead man wherever I went. I could hear his screams in my sleep. His murder scene would come to mind every time. It became too much for me to bear," he said in his statement. 

The memories that drove Majid to the police station had their roots in a hidden relationship between the deceased, Qureshi, and Shah. Both were Bhiwandi boys, aged 22 and 23 respectively, and had been in a gay relationship for two years. Majid said while Qureshi was serious about the relationship and wanted Shah to come out in the open about it, Shah wasn't. 

Trouble surfaced early last year when Shah told Qureshi that his parents wanted to get him married, and wanted to end their relationship. This led to frequent quarrels as Qureshi's insecurity deepened. Shah, who did not want his parents to know of his sexual orientation, finally decided to get rid of his lover, which is where Majid said he came into the picture. 

On May 13, 2013, Majid said in his statement, Shah took Qureshi to a secluded spot in Sai Nagar, Bhiwandi, where he was waiting as agreed. Shah and Majid overpowered Qureshi and strangled him with a nylon rope, later stabbing him with a screwdriver as well. After the murder, they left the body there and returned home. 

A day later, Qureshi's family registered a missing person complaint. The subsequent police search did not throw up any leads as to his whereabouts. 

PI (Crime) Manohar Pawar of Shanti Nagar PS said, "Both Shah and Qureshi were in a relationship and the former wanted to get rid of him out of fear of his family coming to know of it, and planned the murder with Majid. Both have been arrested."

Hit and run suspected in leopard’s death at SGNP

An adult female leopard's carcass was found inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Wednesday morning. Preliminary investigations suggest it died after being hit by a vehicle. 

According to officials from SGNP, a strong stench led staffers to the carcass - close to rest house 6 - on Wednesday morning. They got in touch with their seniors, who went to the spot and quickly realised the carcass was no more than two days old. 

"It was a female, around seven to eight years old, and was found in the forest area close to a rest house. While the post mortem report is awaited, initial observations by vets suggest that she was hit by a vehicle, causing injuries to her head and neck, but no other part of her body. Also, she had no microchip, which means that this cat had never been caught and released," said Vikas Gupta, chief conservator of forests and field director, SGNP. He added that the body had begun to decay and was infested with maggots. 

Another official from SGNP said the area where the body was found was an isolated patch where few vehicles ventures. This suggested that the leopard may have been hit elsewhere and succumbed to its injuries while trying to return to the forest. 

Wildlife enthusiasts have long been complaining about speeding vehicles of tourists, policemen and forest officials themselves inside the park. 

"We have been telling the department that speeding vehicles inside SGNP and around Film City and Aarey Colony are the biggest threat to animals. The 20kmph speed limit has never been adhered to or enforced," said a naturalist who visits SGNP regularly.

Cop held for molesting woman in volvo bus

The Vile Parle police on Thursday arrested Constable Sachin Waghchawre (26), attached to the local arms division, for molesting a woman in a Volvo bus. The bus was returning from Shirdi and going towards Andheri. 

The accused, is attached to the Worli division, was sitting behind the complainant and allegedly misbehaved with her. The woman then screamed and the driver stopped the bus. She told her husband sitting next to her and soon many passengers joined him in beating the constable. 

They then took him to the nearby Vakola police station. The woman told cops that he had tried touching her inappropriately earlier as well, while they were boarding the bus in Shirdi. 

The Vakola police lodged the complaint and transferred the case to Vile Parle police station, as the incident took place in that area. Waghchawre was arrested and booked for outraging the modesty of a woman, under section 354 of Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Namdev Chavan, said, "We have arrested him for molesting the woman in the bus. He was produced in the Holiday Court at Bandra in the afternoon and was remanded into judicial custody."

2 die as bike hits divider on JJ flyover

The young men were pitched under the wheels of a Honda CRV.

Two men, both in their twenties, died after their motorcycle lost control at a sharp turn on J J Flyover and crashed into a Honda CRV travelling in the opposite direction. 

Nitin Subash Paatre, 25, and Siddesh Ashok Kadam, 23, were on their way to visit Babulnath temple in Walkeshwar on the eve of Mahashivratri on Wednesday when the accident happened. Paatre, a resident of Kalwa, had picked up Kadam from his home in Dadar. 

At around 11 pm that day, the two men were speeding towards CST when Paatre, who was sitting in front riding the bike, lost control. The two-wheeler bumped into the road divider and the two men were pitched under the wheels of a Honda CRV which was coming down the other side of the road. The accident happened at a sharp turn at Mandvi Post Office. 

The two were taken to J J Hospital but were declared dead on arrival. The driver of the CRV Vijay Shinde, 29, told cops that the victims were driving rashly on the flyover. Paatre, who was driving the two-wheeler, has been booked by the Pydhonie police for negligence. 

Over just Wednesday and Thursday, the Pydhonie traffic division booked 154 and 171 motorcyclists, respectively, as two-wheelers are not allowed on the flyover. 

"Bikers are not allowed on the flyover because of the sharp turns on the road. We keep a regular surveillance to keep them away from the bridge to prevent such incidents. The post mortem of the bodies was conducted at J J hospital after which they were handed over to their respective families," said a policeman. 

Dr Nitin Bavrekar, Medical Supretendent of J J Hospital said: "The deceased were brought dead to the hospital with deep injuries in the head and other parts of their body." 

JJ biker deaths 

On February 15, Naresh Naik (21) and Ashok Valmiki (22) got on to the flyover from the CST end at 5.30 pm on a motorcycle. A flat tyre flung both off the vehicle, but they escaped without serious injuries. Police charged them with rash driving. 

On January 15, 2013, a 25-year-old freelance photographer Dhaval Ashar, a resident of Lamington road, died on the flyover, while riding a bike from Fort towards Byculla. 

On September 22, 2012, two college students were killed when their motorcycle crashed into a taxi on the flyover at 8.30pm. Dilpesh Rawal (20) and Bhavin Jain (19) were both students of KPB Hinduja College at Charni Road. 

Between 2005 and 2010, 31 people were killed and 66 injured on the JJ flyover, most of them motorcyclists.

A hero’s death

INS Sindhuratna after it was brought to the naval dockyard late on Thursday evening for inspection and repairs (inset) Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar

Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal first noticed the fire. He called Lieutenant Kumar to help him contain it and asked everybody else on the sub to evacuate.

Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar, the two officers who died in Wednesday's mishap on board Sindhuratna submarine, laid down their lives while trying to make sure everybody else on the sub made it to safety. 

According to initial investigations and survivor accounts, Lt Commander Muwal was the first to notice smoke in the sailors' chamber and his immediate reaction was to alert others on board and direct everybody else in the chamber to leave. 

He then radioed Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar to help him contain the fire. Lieutenant Kumar rushed to Lieutenant Commander Muwal's help, even as he initiated evacuation process and instructed that the sub be raised to the surface. 

As the two officers tried to contain the fire using fire extinguishers and waited for an all-clear signal from their colleagues, sources said they choked on an unsanctioned quantity of Freon gas released from the fire extinguishers. 

The sub took around 20 minutes to rise to the surface and rest of the crew was air lifted to Naval Dockyard. Lt Commander Muwal and Lt Commander Kumar, however, did not emerge from the sailors' chamber and were declared missing. Their bodies were found on Thursday when the sub was toed to the dockyard for inspection and repairs. 

Sindhuratna is a Kilo-class Russian-made submarine and Freon is commonly used as fire suppressant in these subs. 

Naval sources revealed that Freon has different chambers through which it travels to different compartments. However, in INS Sindhuratna case the two officers restricted the gas circulation to the chamber from which they were operating. 

Naval spokesperson Commander Rahul Sinha said: "Whatever happened on board INS Sindhuratna is difficult to reconstruct at the moment, but it will come up before the inquiry team." 

The post-mortem of the two naval officers was conducted at JJ Hospital by medical officers of the Coroner's Court under commander Navneet Nath of INHS Asvini. The team that conducted the post-mortem said that the bodies are charred and have started decomposing already. 

A case in this regard has been registered with the Yellow Gate police. On Friday, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at INHS Asvini, said sources.

Lathi charge outside Mantralaya as protestors turn violent

Platoons of the State Reserve Police resorted to a mild lathi charge when protestors from the Lahuji Shakti Sena staged a rasta roka opposite Mantralaya on Wednesday. Around 2.30 pm, 300 to 400 protestors blocked traffic from both directions. The cops asked the protesters to relent, following which a few of them became violent, forcing the SRPF lathi-charge them. 

"SRPF platoons had to resort to a mild lathi charge as some of the protestors got aggressive and even manhandled cops when they asked to call off the protest. We picked up around 30 people for questioning," said Additonal Commissioner of Police Krishna Prakash. 

Two protestors suffered severe injuries and were rushed to the G T Hospital and St George Hospital. Four women protestors who suffered minor injuries were given first aid. 

The protestors, who are from the Mathang community, said they had organised a protest at Azad Maidan on Wednesday afternoon, for which around 1,200 people from all over the state had arrived in the city. Their demands include job reservations for the Mathang community and the erection of a statue of freedom fighter Lahuji Salve in the Vidhan Bhavan. 

Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria called a delegation of the party to his office to discuss the the issue, after which the situation was defused.

Post-graduate among 32,000 to get auto licenses

♦ The permits were granted after an online lottery which was webcast live by RTO officials ♦ CCTV cameras monitored the entire process for transparency

A post-graduate in history was among the 32,000 Mumbai metropolitan residents who received permits to ply new autorickshaws in Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan and Navi Mumbai. The permits were granted after an online lottery which was webcast live by the RTO. CCTV cameras monitored the lottery process for transparency. 

Khar resident Shivshankar Mishra, who holds a PG degree from Gorakhpur university, came to Mumbai in 1985. "I used to work as a clerk with a stock broking firm in Andheri before becoming an auto driver in 1994," he said, adding that despite his qualifications, he had to settle for the profession he did as there were not too many jobs available back then. 

Claiming he enjoyed being an auto driver, Mishra said his profession in no way affected the quality of education his two daughters and his son received. Brijesh, Mishra's only son, is a chartered accountant in a South Mumbai firm. "I will soon give up the khaki uniform worn by drivers and don the white shirt and pant worn by owners," Mishra said, proudly. 

Ashok Yadav, 43, Prem Sagar, 44, Devendra Nadar, 32, also received autorickshaw licenses in the lottery. All of them have passed Class X. Yadav, a Kandivali resident said, "I will save about 10000 a month on the money that I pay my auto owner today. This will help me provide for my family." Sagar, who has been driving autos in Mumbai for the past 20 years, said: "I never thought of owning an auto some day. The online lottery made it possible for me." 

The new, grateful license holders claim they will not refuse passengers. "We will not have to spend on paying the owner. So that will give us a bigger margin and we can take risks," Devendra Nadar, a Goregaon resident who hails from Tamil Nadu, said. More than 1.70 lakh applications were received for the 81,456 autorickshaw permits (for the entire state) that were granted online, the winners declared through a computerised random lottery. Mumbai had received about 75,000 applications at its Andheri and Wadala RTOs. 

The chief minister, who heads the transport department, launched the lottery process in a symbolic function. The actual lottery took place at the Andheri RTO. 

"We got a tremendous response from some RTOs. However, in some RTOs like Pen, the number of permits to be issued was less than number of applicants," said VN More, state transport commissioner.

"If any winner submits incorrect or faulty documents, they will be disqualified and the waitlisted people will be considered," More said.

BMC announces extra Rs 1 crore development fund for each corporator

The civic administration has announced an additional Rs 1 crore for each BMC corporator as part of their development fund in a pre-election bonanza, surprising all. This is besides their local fund, which is Rs 60 lakh per year. 

Some corporators are calling the increased amount a bribe of sorts by municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte to ensure that the civic standing committee and the general body approve the civic budget without any hiccups. The administration wants to ensure that the budget is approved before the election code of conduct comes into place. The standing committee approved the budget on Wednesday, while the general body is likely to pass it later this week. 

"We had asked the municipal commissioner to give us more funds and are glad that our demand has been approved. Many development works can now be taken up. We will also request the administration to allow corporators to undertake works in private layouts, at least in slum-free wards. I'm sure the entire fund will be used," said Rahul Shewale, Chairman of the civic Standing Committee. 

While corporators are happy with the bonus, some of them said that with two elections due in the coming months, they will not be able to use the sanctioned amount with the code of conduct in place. 

"Its good that more development fund has been sanctioned this year. Most corporators will be able to take up more development works for the benefit of citizens. However, the BMC must plan more at the micro-level rather than announcing blanket policies or just sanctioning funds," said Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party group leader in the BMC.

BMC clears projects worth more than Rs 1,800 crore

less than a week after passing proposals worth Rs 1,000 crore, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Standing Committee on Wednesday passed 68 proposals totalling Rs 1,800 crore in just 90 minutes. 

The Committee meeting that was scheduled for 3 pm, started well in advance around 1.30 pm and ended at 3.15 pm. Committee members spent just 15 minutes to discuss other issues before passing all 68 proposals before them. 

The agenda was circulated on Tuesday night to all members, but no one asked why the Committee had sent these proposals in bulk. Even during the meeting, not a single corporator from the Opposition raised question about the hurry. 

Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party group leader, said the Standing Committee is approving these proposals hurriedly, but there is nothing wrong in doing so. "All proposals are for important civic works. All projects have to commence before the monsoons, like cleaning of storm water drains and roads," he said. 

Among the proposals cleared on Friday were the Rs 450-crore roads tenders for western and eastern suburbs, which includes repair and maintenance. Five days later, the committee again approved proposals worth Rs 1,200 crore. 

Standing Committee chairman Rahul Shewale defended the move saying the proposals were for the city's infrastructure. "There were several proposals for projects at the ward level. If we would not have passed them as soon as possible, they would have got stuck once the Election Commission's model code of conduct kicks into force," said Shewale.

Gap trap: Late-night tests help Railways find optimal height for platforms

From top: An RDSO expert records readings from sensors fitted to the compartment (below) to measure the distance between the platform and the footboard; An RDSO expert attaches a sensor to a compartment

Experts from Lucknow-based RDSO join railway officials and the HC-appointed committee to plug gap trap.

Two weeks after the Bombay High Court slammed the Western Railway (WR) and the Central Railway (CR) on the issue of the killer gaps between suburban railway platforms and train footboards, the railways on Monday launched a study to find out whether the height of the platforms could be raised beyond the maximum prescribed 920 mm. 

The test rides are conducted from 11 pm to 3 am between Churchgate and Borivali, and involve a team from Lucknow-based Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) along with a 14-member team formed by the High Court. 

In its observation on February 13, the High Court referred to a committee formed in 2011 in the wake of a public interest litigation filed in 2007. 

Sudhir Badami, a civil engineer from IIT-Bombay with 40 years of professional experience, who was a member of that committee, had recommended in May 2012 that railways increase the height of platforms to 1,200 mm from the current range of 760-840 mm. Badami told the court that the railways hadn't even considered his recommendations. 

Following Mumbai Mirror's Gap Trap campaign, Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha told the railways that, at times, they should listen to other people as well (High Court slams CR, WR for 'know-it-all' replies on killer gap, MM, February 14). "Why are you sticking to the 920 mm limit? You must try and find out the optimum upper limit to which the height of the platforms can be increased," the court asked. 

The test rides 

A 12-coach train is used for the test rides, and three of its bogies are fitted with sensors to calculate the distance between the footboard and the platform. The readings are taken when the train zips past the stations at top speed, as well as when it is stationary. 

One of the bogies is stuffed with sand bags and rubble to ensure it weighs 36 tonnes (representing a jampacked compartment), the second bogie is partially loaded while the third is kept empty. The train leaves Churchgate station at 11 pm and the readings are taken at Charni Road, Grant Road, Parel, Elphinstone Road, Vile Parle, Dadar and Andheri, where height of the platforms has been raised to 920 mm. 

On Monday, a Siemens-manufactured train equipped with air spring suspension was used for the test ride, and it clocked the top speed of 100 kmph. Over the next two days, an older rake and bogies of a long-distance train were used. 

A WR official said that the RDSO experts from the Testing, Track and Carriage Directorate were involved in the drive, and the timing will not affect the schedule. "We have selected nine platforms whose height has been raised to 920 mm," the official said. 

The 1,200mm problem 

On Monday, the railway officials found that the sensors were damaged at Charni Road, while sensors were found damaged at Elphinstone Road station the next day. At Charni Road, an investigation revealed the platform's height was, in fact, 970 mm because of a cement layer. Even at Andheri, where the platforms' height has been raised to 920 mm, there was very little gap left between the footboard and the platform, the investigation revealed. 

"There was a loud noise as the train passed Charni Road and emergency brakes had to be applied. The height of the platform was 970 mm. It seems unlikely that we will be able to raise the platforms' height to 1,200 mm, but further tests, using wooden planks to raise the platforms' height, will be done," a senior railway official said, adding that there have been discussions with Sudhir Badami. 

The risks 

The aim of these test rides is to find out whether trains will brush the platforms if their height is increased among other things. A senior railway official said, "Several factors have to be considered, such as the tracks could sink during rains, and also the wear and tear of the wheels. The RDSO will submit its recommendations, based on which a detailed report will be prepared and we will have a meeting with the HC-appointed committee around March 2."

Tenants stall ‘repairs’ of south Mumbai bldg ‘damaged 70 yrs ago’

Karimjee building on Kazi Sayed Street is 112 years old

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The Karimjee bldg owner claimed it was damaged in the 1944 Bombay Docks explosion, and was adding floors in the name of repairs.

Sixty-seven tenants residing in a 112-yearold building at Masjid Bunder have managed to prevent their landlord from adding floors to the structure under the guise of repairs. 

In complaints to MHADA and BMC, the residents of Karimjee building on Kazi Sayed Street said there was no way the structure will be able to withstand the burden of additional floors, even as the owner, Imran Lokhandwalla, claimed the building was damaged in a ship explosion at the Victoria Docks in 1944, which killed 800 people. The two side wings of the building are groundplus-three storeys, while the centre wing is ground-plus-two floors, and the landlord wanted additional floors in the centre wing, the tenants said. 

The tenants said that they were told by the landlord that a few floors will be added to the structure in November last year. Soon, construction began on the terrace, and those residing on the second floor said their ceiling sported holes as the workers dug through the terrace. 

The tenants approached MHADA, which is responsible for the repairs of cess structures, and sought information under the RTI Act. "The documents clearly stated that Lokhandwalla had requested MHADA to get the water-proofing done on the terrace, following which a contractor was roped in at the cost of Rs 27 lakh. In the guise of water-proofing, Lokhandwalla ordered digging up of the terrace so that beams could be raised to construct more floors," a tenant said. 

On December 6, a MHADA investigation following a complaint from the tenants revealed the construction was not related to water-proofing at all. The construction was stopped, and Lokhandwalla was asked to repair the damage caused to the roof. 

The tenants further alleged that Lokhandwalla told MHADA that he had applied for permissions from BMC to add floors, and refused to repair the terrace. "We sought information from BMC under the RTI Act and found out that BMC had rejected the permission to add floors in June 2013 itself," the tenants said. 

"Your request for reconstruction of six rooms on the third floor, 155-157 Kazi Sayed Street, contended as destroyed in the year 1944 in the blast, cannot be considered by this office on merits," stated a letter issued by executive engineer of the Building Proposal department. 

The RTI queries totally exposed Lokhandwalla's plans, the tenants said, adding that he had sought permission to add another floor claiming that it had been damaged during the 1944 ship explosion. 

The tragedy, known as the Bombay Docks Explosion, occurred on April 14, 1944 at the Victoria Dock and involved SS Fort Stikine, a freighter, which was loaded with cotton bales, gold and ammunition, including around 1,400 tons of explosives. 

Debris from the ship damaged several buildings, sank the ships nearby, and killed 800 people. 

A senior official from the Building Proposal department said, "Other than not believing that the building lost a floor in the explosion, we also rejected the request on the grounds that the structure was over a century old." 

Armed with fresh set of documents, the residents approached MHADA again, which ensured Lokhandwalla and the contractor appointed by MHADA start water proofing to repair the terrace. 

"We are pleased that we were able to expose the landlord's lies and stop him from adding floors," a tenant said, adding that there have been several instances in the area of the landlords adding floors to buildings after obtaining permission for repairs. Lokhandwalla remained unavailable for comment.

What explanation you need… I’m operating subs 24-25 yrs old. We need replacements

File photo of Admiral DK Joshi with AK Antony after the Sindhurakshak sank last August

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Naval Chief D K Joshi quit on Wednesday evening after an acrimonious exchange with Defence Minister A K Antony over Wednesday's fire on board submarine Sindhuratna that left six sailors injured and two missing. 

While the defence minister -- who had accused the Navy in August last year of frittering away national resources after a series of blasts sunk submarine Sindhurakshak --sought an explanation from Joshi, the naval chief blamed the ageing fleet for the mishaps and said the only solution was quick replacements. 

The defence minister, however, was not satisfied with the reply and wanted to know the reasons behind the mishaps taking place under Joshi's charge. At this point, Joshi said that if the minister thought it was his leadership responsible for the mishaps then he would like to step down. 

Highly placed sources said Defence Secretary R K Mathur was also present at this meeting and he too posed pointed questions to Joshi, stopping short of blaming him for the accidents. 

Joshi sent his resignation soon after returning to his office and it was promptly accepted. 

Former naval officers while appreciating Joshi's decision to own moral responsibility for the mishaps and quitting said the civil leadership too cannot escape the blame. "The naval chief is not directly responsible for the mishaps. It's a fact that subs with the Indian Navy are old and ageing. Both Sidhurakshak and Sindhuratna were extensively retrofitted. Whose responsibility is it to find replacements," said a former navy chief who did not wish to be identified. 

Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi took over as the 21st Chief of Naval Staff from Adm Nirmal Verma on August 21, 2012. 

A specialist in anti-submarine warfare, it's ironical the way his career ended. In his service spanning nearly 38 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments, including commanding guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir and aircraft carrier INS Viraat. 

Meanwhile, the defence minister is likely to cancel a programme on Saturday wherein Shore Based Test Facility designed and built by Aeronautical Development Agency at the INS Hansa, Goa was to be inaugurated.

‘Let student with learning disability appear for exam’

The Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the state board to allow a 15-year-old class X student with a learning disability to appear for her board examinations next month. The Commission, in its order on Tuesday, also asked the state board to modify its rules to accommodate students with special needs. 

Renu Gupta, the student's single parent, had approached the Commission last year, accusing G.D. Somani Memorial School (ICSE) in Cuffe Parade of misleading her into pulling her child out of the school and transferring her to a state board school with an 'easier' curriculum because the girl was a "slow learner". 

However, the state board had rejected her daughter's application as a private candidate saying that students appearing as private candidates must not be on the attendance roll of any institute after July 1 of the academic year, whereas her daughter had acquired her school leaving certificate on August 23. Worried that her daughter would lose the year, Gupta moved the Commission in last December. 

"My daughter is well prepared for the exams and thankfully she will not lose a year now," said a relieved Gupta. She will, however, have to submit additional forms as part of the application along with a fat penalty of Rs. 8650 for the delayed submission. "The order does not exempt the late fee that applies to all students who submit late applications," said Laxmikant Pande, chairman of the board. 

G.D.Somani Memorial school's principal, Brian Seymour, said: "We had always wanted to do good for the child and we had merely made a suggestion to the mother. It was her decision to move her child. We have six other students appearing for the exams this year in the same category." The commission has also ordered the school education department to initiate appropriate action against the G.D.Somani Memorial School for allegedly misleading the parent in the case.

Family’s horror as 6-ft cobra pops out of toilet

From top: Shilpa Desai had just used the toilet and got up when the snake emerged from the commode. Volunteers from Resquink Association for Wildlife Welfare caught the reptile (above) The cobra would stick its head out of the toilet bowl to breathe, but would soon crawl back inside. Rescuers then blocked the outlet and flooded the toilet

The snake stuck its head out moments after one member of Mulund family used the toilet; 2-hr rescue ensued.

A Mulund family were left terrified after they discovered a 6-foot cobra in their toilet just minutes after one member had used it on Monday night. 

Snake rescuers rushed to the ground-floor residence of Vipul Desai in Nimbkar Society, Mulund Colony, around 10 pm and spent nearly two hours trying to catch the venomous reptile, which had crept up through sewer pipes. 

They eventually caught the cobra, but the sight of a snake repeatedly popping its head out of the commode was enough to traumatise 48-year-old Desai's wife and their 17-year-old daughter. 

"It's so scary - just the thought of asnake appearing out of nowhere when you are on the commode," said Desai, an accounts manager at Juhu Gymkhana. "Now every time we want to use the toilet, we will inadvertently think about this incident." 

Desai's 45-year-old wife, Shilpa, had just used the toilet on Monday night when she noticed that everything - the toiletries, buckets, water mugs — were out of place. Some of the items had fallen to the floor. 

She immediately called Desai and their daughter, Shrushti to the bathroom. "It was very strange. No one was in the house in the evening as we had gone to see a doctor. We had bolted all the rooms, including the bathroom," Desai said. 

He suddenly heard the sound of water being displaced in the toilet bowl and before he could inspect it, the 6-foot cobra stuck its head out, much to the family's horror. Desai quickly shut the bathroom door and called his neighbour, Mohan Nadkarni, a wildlife enthusiast who has in the past rescued snakes. 

"I saw the snake and immediately realised that it was a cobra. It appeared agitated so I decided to call the experts. I am 65 and not that agile, so I didn't want to take a chance," said former BMC engineer Nandkarni (pictured above). 

Soon, a team from the Resquink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) arrived. "It was tricky as the cobra would pop its head out of the toilet bowl to breathe and then again hide inside the pipe," Nandkarni said. "Desai's wife and daughter were so terrified that they started crying." 

The rescuers went outside in the dark, opened the toilet's outlet and stuck pieces of cloth inside the pipe to prevent water from running into the sewer. The idea was to flood the toilet by keeping the flush on. 

"Soon, the toilet bowl was filled to the brim and the snake had to come out. We caught it with a pair of tongs, but ensured that it was not injured during the process," said Pawan Sharma, a coordinator for RAWW. "We were worried it would escape from the outlet and hide inside another pipe, which would have caused a scare in the entire building." 

The reptile was freed in the forest. "Volunteers tried to calm us down by lying that it was a non- venomous snake," Shilpa said. "Though it was taken away, we couldn't sleep." 

While snakes are sometimes spotted in the area because of its proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, they are rarely found inside residential buildings.

Trader dies in Marine Drive hit-and-run

Victim's scooter was mowed down by a teen, who lost control of his car; wife riding pillion suffers minor injuries.

A 19-year-old who allegedly lost control over his speeding car and knocked down a scooter-borne couple on Marine Drive on Monday night, fatally injuring the rider, has been arrested. Marine Drive police said while Ali Asgar Kachwala (52) died on the spot, his wife Farida (48) suffered minor injuries and was discharged from hospital on Tuesday. 

Police said the car driven by Mohammad Zifar Chudiwala, a college dropout who had joined his father's wholesale watch trade, was travelling at a very high speed. "The car was being driven so fast that the accused lost control over it and hit the divider near Police Gymkhana, ricocheted off it and mowed into the scooter carrying the Kachwalas. Chudiwala could not regain control the car hit the footpath before coming to a halt. He waited at the spot for a while but then sped away even though the front left tyre had been punctured in the impact," a senior police officer from Marine Drive police station said. 

However, passers-by alerted the police control room and Chudiwala's Maruti Swift bearing registration number MH01 AR 8898 was intercepted on Princess Street by a patrol car under Assistant Commissioner of Police B E Tambe (Pydhonie division). 

"The accused's car had suffered heavy damages after hitting the divider and the front bumper bearing the number plate fell off a short distance from the spot. This helped cops identify the car, and its colour and make was provided by passers-by," said Tambe. 

He added "A patrolling vehicle from my division received the control room alert, spotted the car on Princess Street and followed it, before intercepting it near the Parsi Dairy. Chudiwala, who was with a relative, surrendered. He said he had fled the spot fearing public anger." 

Chudiwala, an Agripada resident, was handed over to Marive Drive police. The primary report after a medical check-up suggested that he had not consumed alcohol or any psychotropic substances, but his blood sample has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. 

He was booked under IPC sections 279, 337, 338, 304(A) and section 134 of the Motor Vehicle Act and produced in a local court on Tuesday which released him on bail. Kachwala ran a glass business and was a resident of Mazgaon who regularly came to Marine Drive for a post-dinner stroll with his wife.

Disgruntled ex-watchman dumped body in pool: cops

A former watchman at yesteryears actress Nutan's bungalow in Mumbra, where the body of an infant was found dumped in the swimming pool on Sunday, has been arrested in connection with the case on Tuesday. The bungalow, now owned by Nutan's son Mohnish Behl, has remained locked since the actress' death in 1991 and her husband's death in 1998. 

Three years ago, antiques and other valuables were stolen from the bungalow, after which security was increased and three guards were deployed during day and two at night. 

"During investigation, we found that nothing had been stolen. Also, the point of entry showed that he or she knew the place very well," said PSI Pratap Pawar, Mumbra police station. He added, "The gap between the bungalow and its boundary wall is considerable. The accused had used the same point to exit the property after dumping the body. We questioned people in the vicinity, but didn't find any woman who had recently delivered a child. After questioning people living near Mumbra Creek, we got a fix on the accused's residence located in that area. He confessed to the crime after we picked him up for questioning, and said the private contractor who had engaged him as watchman for the bungalow for two years hadn't paid him." 

The accused, identified as Rahul Premchand Gaund, 22, stayed with his wife Princey at Reti Bunder slums. His wife gave birth to a challenged baby in February and was admitted to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital till February 13. She was very unwell at the time of discharge, and Gaund couldn't get her medical help due to lack of money, police said. 

On February 15, the baby died due to illness and Gaund told Princey that he was taking the body to perform last rites. He left home in the evening, but waited till night before entering the bungalow and dumping the baby in the swimming pool. Gaund was produced in court on Tuesday and released on bail.

Headless body of a man found by his two sons

The torso of a 50-year-old man, with his head and private parts chopped off, was found on the terrace of an abandoned building in Bharat Nagar, Chembur, on Tuesday. The deceased, Basu Laxman Rathod, worked as a contractual labourer and had been missing since Sunday evening. His family had registered a complaint in this regard in RCF police station.

Rathod's two sons located his body on the terrace of the building. The severed head was found besides the body, along with a sickle, the suspected weapon of murder. The body was found at 9 am, after which it was sent to Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem. "We believe the killers knew the victim," said senior inspector Dilip Yadav. 

Woman who jumped into the sea with son was being blackmailed

Deceased Yashoda Rana, a resident of Nalla Sopara, with her family, during happier times

A telecom agent from Jogeshwari has been charged for abetment to suicide a day after a housewife killed her son, 5, and herself.

A telecom agent from Jogeshwari has been charged for abetment to suicide after a 28-yearold Nalla Sopara woman jumped from the Bhayandar creek bridge clasping her five-yearold son on Monday. 

In what has turned out to be a horrid story of deceit and blackmail, the accused, Yusuf Valsania, 35, lured the victim, Yashoda Rana, into joining his business, conned her into giving him jewellery, and started blackmailing her when she demanded it back. 

Around 2.30 pm Monday, police found the bodies of Yashoda and her son Vikas tied together using a dupatta. A suicide note, with the phone number of Yashoda's husband Hoshiyar Singh Rana scribbled, was also recovered. 

"The note said that the victim's husband was not to be blamed. She mentioned a telecom agent from Jogeshwari named Yusuf Valsania, saying he was threatening to ruin her life by claiming she had an extra-marital affair with him. On the other hand, her husband had come to know of the missing jewellery and was demanding it back," an officer from Navghar Police Station said. 

Valsania has been booked under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and remanded in police custody till Thursday. 

The investigation 

Inspector Khanderao Khere from Navghar Police Station said that the investigation has revealed Yashoda was introduced to Yusuf Valsania by an acquaintance she approached for a job. "Yashoda and her husband were struggling to survive on the salary he earned as a school teacher, and she was desperate to contribute to the family income. Valsania promised her commission on every subscription she got him, and she started working for him in September 2013," Khere said. 

Two months into the job, Yashoda asked Valsania for a loan and he suggested she give him her mangalsutra to pawn, police said. "He gave her very little money, and when she demanded that he return the mangalsutra, Valsania threatened to call up her husband and claim they had an affair. She stopped working for Valsania in December," Khere said. 

Yashoda's mother-in-law Dharma Rana said in her statement that Yashoda had told her about harassment by Valsania, and she had advised him to let Hoshiyar Singh handle the matter. However, things worsened between the couple after Hoshiyar Singh insisted she get back the mangalsutra first. "She mentioned in her note that it was better to die rather than suffer a loss of reputation," an officer from Navghar Police Station said, adding that Yashoda's husband will not be made an accused.

MM Joshi refuses to give up Varanasi for Modi to contest

RSS is keen that its PM candidate fight from the holy Hindu town. But Joshi has decided to dig his heels in after a meeting with LK Advani.

The BJP's plan to portray its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi as a pan-India leader by getting him to contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has run into trouble with veteran party leader Murli Manohar Joshi refusing to give up the seat. 

If the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which favours Modi's candidature from Varanasi, pushes through the plan, Joshi will become the second casualty after Lal Krishna Advani of Modi's ever-growing stature in the party and his expanding ambition. 

Modi's likely candidature from Varanasi is being seen as booster dose for the party's Uttar Pradesh cadre by the state's in-charge and the PM-candidate's close aide Amit Shah, who would have much to gain if the party performs well in UP and his boss occupies the South Block on Raisina Hill. 

But there are strong dissenting voices within the party. Joshi's old associate Sushma Swaraj has warned that Modi would risk compromising his development plank if he contests from Varanasi, which would be perceived as a move to rally Hindu votes. 

While a samanvay baithak of the RSS, convened in Lucknow early this week, saw Kashi RSS pracharak Abhay Kumar formally asking sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat to endorse Modi's candidature from Varanasi, sources said Joshi, 80, decided to dig in his heels after a closed-door meeting with Advani. 

Party insiders said Modi himself is keen on Varanasi, though it is clear that he will also contest from another seat in Gujarat - either Gandhinagar, currently represented by Advani; or Ahmedabad (east), currently held by Harin Pathak, a former Union minister. 

Uttar Pradesh accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats, the highest in the country. There is unanimity in RSS and BJP that there cannot be a better seat than Varanasi for Modi, a poster boy for muscular Hindutva. In the last Lok Sabha election, Joshi got 2.58% votes more than his closest contender, a BSP candidate. Congress was fourth in the race. The constituency also comprises five assembly segments. Three of these are represented by the BJP. 

This was Joshi's first term in Varanasi. Before this, he contested from Allahabad. 

Amit Shah on Tuesday refused to confirm or deny the possibility of Modi contesting from Varanasi and instead chose to focus on the importance of UP in BJP game plan. "We will spring major surprises here," he said. 

Joshi too refused to answer questions about his future, saying he isn't accountable to the media. However, a close associate said that "he is a leader who represents masses and would continue to do so." 

Party sources said in case Modi makes up his mind on Varanasi, Joshi would be offered two alternatives - contest from Nainital, his birthplace, or get nominated to the Rajya Sabha. 

The BJP's Kashi Kshetra comprises 14 Lok Sabha seats -- Allahabad, Kaushambi, Amethi, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Phulpur, Jaunpur, Machhlishahar, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, and Robertsganj. Of these, the party won only Varanasi in 2009. The Samajwadi Party won seven, while the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party won three seats each. 

Amit Shah obviously is hoping this division of seats would change in the next Lok Sabha election. And his best bet to achieve this is Modi. The only question now is - will Modi oblige and risk alienating another senior leader in the party? 

My conscience is clear about my work in the control room on 26/11

Rakesh Maria responds for the first time to allegations by Vinita Kamte that, as the head of the control room that night, he did not send proper reinforcements to her late husband Ashok Kamte.

Sensitivity to women, children and senior citizens, zero tolerance for custodial deaths, better terror-preparedness and an increase in conviction rates are some of the things citizens can expect from the Mumbai police under his leadership, newly-appointed Rakesh Maria said on Tuesday in an interview to this newspaper. 

In his first exhaustive interview after taking charge, Bandra boy Maria also spoke for the first time about the controversy surrounding his role at the helm of the control room during the 26/11 terror attacks. 

"In hindsight it is very easy to say something could have been done better," said Maria. "The control room received 1,365 terror-related calls in four hours. We were dependant on wireless communication by seniors. Suffice to say all this has come up before the Ram Pradhan Committee and it appreciated the work done by the control room. And my conscience is very, very clear. I did the job to the best of my ability and there was nothing mala fide in that. One did try to do the best one could do."

As a citizen born and brought up in Bandra, how have you seen the city change? 

This is the country's economic capital and the population has exploded, but the police strength is more or less the same. Over the years, the police's job has become increasingly complex. Today, you are supposed to look into things from protecting mangroves to monitoring shops and establishments. 

At one point, crime detection, which was once our forte, took a backseat and that's where we were hit. We need to go back to the basics and that is what I have told my officers. We need to focus on crime prevention and detection and once we do that, automatically the police's image will improve. The public's faith in police will increase, and they will come closer to the police. 

Also, in those days, the city was known for its chivalry. Any time of the day or night a lady could go anywhere. Today the police numbers do not match the influx of population. The police cannot be omnipresent. Today, the main issue is not only security of the city vis-a-vis terrorism and organised crime but also the security of its women, children and senior citizens. 

Despite having better resources than most other forces, why does Mumbai police still not match the expectation level of citizens? 

I have travelled all over the world and interacted with police forces practically everywhere. Given the resources and the constraints under which we work, I think Mumbai police is as good, if not better, than most forces in the world. Most police forces work eight hours. Here they work 12 hours and then travel over two hours back to their homes in distant suburbs. That is 16 hours every day. 

Coming back to the mismatch you mentioned, I have been telling my officers and men that one wrong move or one bad incident washes out all the good work. That is what lingers in the memory of the public forever. We must try to bring down those bad incidents or bad behaviour, to bare minimum or zero so that the good work stands out. 

Nonetheless, Maharashtra and Mumbai have among the poorest conviction rates in the country... 

We register close to 32,000 complaints every year. No police force registers that much crime. There is tremendous burden on officers. One officer deals with 20 to 30 cases a year. He or she thus cannot do justice to all the cases. Previous commissioners have also tried, and we are also trying to ingrain upon officers that mere detection is not the end of the job. You have to ensure the prosecution succeeds and your job is not over till you get a conviction. 

The recent months have seen a bunch of custodial deaths. How do you plan to tackle it? 

There will be zero tolerance for custodial deaths, officers and men have clearly been told. Stringent punishment will be given if it is found that someone died in custody because of a policeman's actions. 

Do you think the underworld still poses a challenge to this city? 

Nobody can say the underworld or organised crime is defeated or is over. The police can only keep these activities under control. The day you take you take your foot off the pedal, these guys can regroup, rejuvenate and strike again. We have asked the crime branch to prepare a list of top ten criminals and the police stations have been asked to deal with the top ten local criminals. One sure way of destroying the organised crime syndicate is to choke their economic pipeline. That is where we need to strike and that is what we will do. 

There have been reports, mostly from the Union home ministry, that Dawood Ibrahim, et al may return. Your take? 

If they come back, they will face the law. I don't think they will come. I am a bit sceptical. They have become puppets in the hands of the ISI. 

Have you ever seen or met any of them? 

In 1986, when I was the zonal DCP, I used to visit the police stations. There have been occasions when I have seen Dawood Ibrahim, Arun Gawli, Amar Naik being brought to the stations. These people held sway in small areas back then. 

You were in the thick of things during the 26/11 attacks and subsequently headed the ATS. What lessons have we learnt from these incidents? 

During 26/11, our major problem was mental preparedness, weaponry, and training. These were issues which affected our response that night. Post-26/11, we raised Force One and I can proudly say it is better than any counter-terrorism squad in the world. I have also told my successor in the ATS that he is free to take whoever he needs from Mumbai police. The ATS needs the best men and officers. Ultimately, if the ATS is strengthened, Mumbai police will naturally be strengthened. There is no difference between Mumbai Police, ATS and crime branch. In fact, there is better coordination now. 

There were allegations from Vinita Kamte that you did not guide her husband, Ashok Kamte properly from the control room during 26/11, resulting in him and other officers getting killed... 

In hindsight it is very easy to say something could have been done better. One should remember what the situation was at that time. The control room received in a span of four hours 1365 terror-related calls. The control room's job is to depute manpower. Utilisation of manpower is the job of the senior officers at the spot. We do not have CCTVs in city for the control room to know what is happening at a particular spot. We were dependant on wireless communication by seniors. 

Suffice to say all this has come up before the Ram Pradhan Committee and it appreciated the work done by the control room. 

See, I don't blame anybody. The loss of a head of a family is bound to be traumatic, is bound to lead to feelings like 'why us'. I believe it is an occupational hazard. 

My conscience is very, very clear. I did the job to the best of my ability and there was nothing mala fide in that. One did try to do the best one could do. 

Though the atmosphere is much calmer now, there was a time late last year when there was a perception that a terror attack was imminent in the festival season... 

During the festival season, there is always an attempt by terrorists to create some problem to provoke a communal outbreak. Fortunately, the Mumbaikar has never been swayed. Since I worked in ATS in this period, I know there were so many instances when terrorists came close to doing something. But the police and central agencies thwarted them. Maharashtra and Mumbai will always be a target. 

There was a lot of drama leading up to your appointment, with a section saying the state bypassed seniors. Would you like to comment on this? 

I would not like to go into that. I have been given a mandate. Whether I am CP for one day, one month or one year is immaterial. As long as I am on this chair, I have promised I will do my best to ensure the city is safe, crime is under control and the image of Mumbai and Maharashtra police is raised.