News

TOI : PUNE: In a heart-rending incident, 10-year-old Atharva Dongre of Kasba Peth was crushed to death under the rear wheels of a Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) bus near Shaniwarwada at 6.45 am on Tuesday. Angered over the death, a mob went on a rampage, damaging as many as 62 PMPML buses in the area.

Though Atharva died barely 100 feet away from the Kasba Peth police chowky, the police took more than half an hour to reach the spot. Angered by the delay, a mob of about 60 people pelted stones at 62 PMPML buses coming from Bajirao road, Dengale Bridge, Shivaji road and also those that had stopped at the bus stop near Surya hospital and behind the PMC building.

The police had to call the Rapid Action Force to control the mob. However, the area near Shaniwarwada remained tense till 10 am.

A sixth-standard student of New English School, Ramanbaug, Atharva was going to school on his bicycle to play football when the accident happened.

Atharva’s father Deepak works in a company at MIDC, Jejuri, while his mother is a lab technician. Atharva has an older brother, Amit, who was appearing for his last paper of the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC, std XII) board exam on Tuesday.

Atharva had reached the chowk near Surya hospital and was taking a turn when the bus, which was coming from Kalyaninagar and going towards Rajiv Gandhi zoo at Katraj, hit his bicycle. Atharva fell and got trapped under the rear wheels of the bus, which ran over his head. The boy died on the spot, the police said.

A mob gathered at the spot even as some people went to report the matter at the police station. However, agitated by the delay in the arrival of the police at the scene of…More

TOI : PUNE: In an outrageous incident, a nine-year-old girl, Kuntal Pandhare of Akurdi Pradhikaran, was allegedly branded with a red-hot steel kitchen fork by her private tutors for failing to do her geography homework.

The two tutors, who are college-going girls, are absconding after the incident came to light on Monday.

Kuntal bore at least four burn marks on her arms due to the branding. The incident occurred on Sunday between 6 pm and 7 pm when Kuntal had gone to the home of her tutors for her tuition class.

The Nigdi police have registered an offence of assault under Section 324 of the IPC and were searching for the two tutors, who were identified as Sonali Ghadge, a mass communication student, and her paying-guest friend Linsey.

Kuntal, a standard III student from the CMS English medium high school at Akurdi Pradhikaran, told TOI that both Sonali and Linsey were angry with her for not doing her homework. “They heated the kitchen fork (ulatna) and branded my hands,” she said.

Kuntal stays at sector 27 in Akurdi with her parents and grandparents while Sonali lives in a bungalow across the road from Kuntal’s home. Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: The Pune police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a gang of Mumbai-based thieves who are allegedly involved in over 120 house break-ins in Pune during last year and seized goods worth Rs 47.10 lakh from them.

Besides cash, the other items that were recovered from the suspects include a Honda City car, Indigo Marina, rickshaw, five motorcycles, gold jewellery and equipment, including an electronic diamond detector used while committing the crimes.

According to the police, the gang used to commit the house break-ins during daytime, especially in some posh areas of the city. Interestingly, the five-member gang used pepper spray — usually used as a self-defence tool — to ensure that there was no resistance from their victims.

The main suspect has been identified as Mansingh Sankpal (Nalasopara, Thane but originally from Karveer in Kolhapur). He was arrested from near the bridge on Monday.

The other accused were identified as Sankpal’s wife, Santoshi (27), Hajidali Safdarali Mirza Baig alias Langdya (34) of Andheri, Mumbai; Anjan Mahanti (32) of Vikroli, Mumbai; Yusuf Mumtaz Shaikh (28) of Ghatkopar, Mumbai; and Sameer Mohammed Yunus Khan (26) of Gowandi, Mumbai.

Vinod Hiralal Singhvi (31), owner of a jewellery shop at Nalasopara who used to buy the stolen jewellery and other material from this gang, was arrested on Tuesday. Jewellery worth Rs 3.66 lakh were recovered from him.

Joint commissioner of police Rajendra Sonawane told reporters on Tuesday that it was very difficult to identify these criminals because they wore branded clothes, shoes, tie and some ID card and drove costly cars.”They were living in a posh flat at Aundh, where they used to keep the booty they collected from different houses between Saturday and Thursday.”

“These people used to Pune from Mumbai, identify the flats in posh areas of the city like Bhandarkar…More

TOI : PUNE: A mob of around 10 people beat up a team of Pune Municipal Corporation officials conducting an anti-encroachment drive against illegal constructions on nullahs in the Balewadi area on Tuesday. Those attacked include a building inspector and a JCB operator.

According to a press note issued by the PMC, the civic body staff had taken action against some constructions at Someshwarwadi area around 1.30 pm.

“Notices had been sent to the concerned people, but they had not demolished the constructions on their own. So, the drive was undertaken on the unauthorised construction of 1,500 sq ft area in Someshwarwadi. The staff later went to Balewadi to continue the drive, but the mob followed them there,” the statement said.

The group then gheraoed building inspector Suresh Sakhle and questioning him as to why the structures at Someshwarwadi were demolished. The argument heated up and the group started beating up Sakhle. They also pelted stones and bricks at him. One of the members of the group was about to hit Sakhle with a big stone when JCB operator Deepak Khandagale came to his rescue. “Khandagale fell upon Sakhle to save him, but was himself hit on the back. Both Sakhle and Khandale received severe injuries and have been admitted to a hospital in Aundh,”the statement said.

Meanwhile, drives were undertaken in Kothrud, Sahakarnagar and Hadapsar against illegal constructions and 71 posters, 507 banners and four hoardings were pulled down in the Warje-Karvenagar area.

Later, during a meeting, municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi told the HoDs that encroachment drives were important for proper planning of development projects and to remove obstructions. He said the different departments should have proper co-ordination. He added that retired armymen or other eligible personnel should be hired for such drives.

Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More

TOI : PUNE: Demanding the appointment of a woman mukadam (supervisor), the Dalit Swayamsevak Sangh, Samata Academy and women daily wage workers protested outside the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Tuesday.

The protests were led by Nitin Pawar, the convenor of Stri Shikshan Shatkottar Mahotsav Samiti and Dada Sonawane, the chairman of Dalit Swayamsevak Sangh. The workers said a woman mukadam is necessary as more than 80 per cent of the workers who clean the city streets daily are women.

Pawar said, “In the 60 years of its functioning, the PMC has not granted the post to a single woman, we have to break this tradition. At every home, men are self-appointed heads, but we do not want this to happen here and we will fight for the rights of these women.”

Several promises were made in the past by the PMC officials on the appointment of a woman mukadam, but none have been fulfilled, Pawar said, adding, “ex-mayor Rajani Tribhuvan had also promised a woman mukadam in every ward which has not been fulfilled till now.” He said, “While Sangita Deokar was chairing the standing committee, she addressed a meeting and the then additional commissioner, D.S. Zagade, promised to appoint a woman mukadam in the standing committee, but we haven’t seen one till date.”

Print Save EMail Write to Editor Get personalised news s…More