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TOI : PUNE: Four incidents of burglary have been reported from various parts of city, including two in daylight on Wednesday.

According to complaint lodged by Deepika Vadke of Kasba Peth, Some unidentified people broken into her flat on Wednesday morning and fled with gold and silver ornaments worth Rs 87,000.

Meena Jhanvar of Navi Sangvi also had a similar experience. According to her complaint, unidentified people broken into her flat on Wednesday morning and took away cash and ornaments worth Rs 74,000.

In another incident, ornaments worth Rs 1.35 lakh were looted from the flat of K. Shivakumar of Kondhwa road between Sunday afternoon and Wednesday morning when he was away.

Yerawada resident Rajendra Jagtap complained that his flat was burgled between May and July when he was out of
station. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: A magistrate court here has rejected the bail applications of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) corporator Ravindra Dhangekar and 11 others for allegedly ransacking the Income Tax office at Sadhu Vaswani chowk on July 14.

The MNS activists had prevented candidates from appearing for an examination for the post of a peon at the I-T office and had obstructed the government officials from performing their duties, besides damaging public property. The activists filed bail applications after they were remanded to magisterial custody.

Opposing the bail pleas, the assistant public prosecutor Shilpa Mahatekar told the court that the MNS activists had allegedly conspired the attack on the I-T office as they were armed with sticks.

Mahatekar submitted that the activists had created law and order problems in the city by attacking educational institutes as they were giving admission to candidates from north Indian.

She argued that the activists had prevented the candidates from exercising their constitutional right, that is, appearing for an exam.
Mahatekar also contended that the activists had not extended any co-operation during investigations and said that they may again create problems after bail.

The prosecutor informed the court that the police have invoked section 120 (b) of the Indian Penal Code against the activists for criminal conspiracy by planning an attack on the I-T office and prayed to reject the bail applications.
However, defence lawyers appealed to the court to release the accused on bail.JMFC first class S.J. Ansari rejected the bail applications. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: In the backdrop of recent attacks on city colleges, prominent education barons came together on Thursday asking the government to enact a law banning attacks on educational institutes, on the lines of a similar move in Andhra Pradesh that banned attacks on hospitals.

Recently, several colleges were allegedly attacked by supporters of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) demanding priority to Marathi students in admissions.

“We will urge the government to introduce such an enactment,” said Vishwanath Karad, founder head of the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT), which was the first to bear the brunt of the onslaught on July 12.
He pointed out that Andhra Pradesh has enacted a law that bans attacks on public institutions like hospitals.

“A similar provision ought to be examined for academic institutions in the state in view of what has happened over the last few days,” Karad emphasised.

At a joint press conference addressed by the heads of various institutions, principal director of Symbiosis International University (SIU) Vidya Yerawadekar said that the institute’s representatives would meet state minister for higher and technical education Dilip Walse-Patil on July 19 to discuss the issue. “We will also move the human resources development minister Arjun Singh, next week,” she said.

Apart from MIT, the Indira Institute of Management at Tathawade; G.H. Raisoni Institute at Wagholi and the Bharati Vidyapeeth’s Dental College were attacked between July 12 and 15.

After maintaining a guided silence and mulling over a common strategy to counter the MNS campaign, the heads of these and other institutions, like the SIU and the D.Y. Patil Deemed University re-grouped and gave a collective response.

A peace march by teaching, non-teaching staff and students from all these institutions has been planned on July 18 from Rani Laxmibai square on J.M. road to the Shaniwarwada at 8.30 am to protest…More

TOI : PUNE: Former deputy commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Ramesh Botalji (60), was almost lynched by a mob after he allegedly shot at a teenager over a land dispute in Kondhwa on Thursday morning.

The former civic official was admitted to the ICU of Bharti hospital and was reported to be serious.

Botalji allegedly fired at one Ramdas Salve, but the bullet pierced through the palm of Salve’s son, Rohit (18). Rohit is being treated at the Ruby Hall Clinic and was reportedly out of danger.

According to Satish Patil, senior inspector of the Haveli police station, Botalji had purchased half an acre of land from Salve at Salve garden a few years ago to start an educational institute. Ramdas Salve claimed that he had sold the land to Botalji at a throwaway price because he was building an educational institute, Patil said.

According to Salve, Botalji later changed his mind and decided to build a residential complex instead. Salve’s opposition to his move lead to several rounds of heated arguments between the two.

On Thursday morning, Botalji had another heated argument with Ramdas, which soon turned into a brawl. When Salve started beating him up, Botalji opened fire from his licensed revolver in self-defence, the police said. However, Rohit came in between and the bullet hit his palm, the police said.

An irate mob soon gathered at the spot and assaulted Botalji with iron rods and stones. He received severe head injuries and was admitted to the hospital.

The Haveli police have booked Botalji and are yet to record his statement, following which the second case will be registered, senior inspector Patil said.

Botalji’s son filed a cross-complaint with the police against Ramdas Salve and his son Rohit late on Thursday evening. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More

TOI : PUNE: Having a toilet at home is still considered unhygienic in rural areas, leading to defecation in fields and open spaces.

The political class too is not above such practice in villages. And what better way to spread the message of hygiene than making it compulsory for a candidate to have a toilet at his residence?

The state government is planning a legislation to disqualify candidates from contesting any elections if they don’t have toilet facilities in their residences.

Celebrating the International Year of Sanitation 2008, a theme promoted by the United Nations (UN) general assembly, the state government will put in all efforts to abolish open defecation in the state.

In an effort to strengthen the sanitation campaign, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh has taken keen interest to bring in a law banning candidates from contesting elections if they don’t have toilet facilities in their homes, Mallinath Kalshetti, state co-ordinator of the total sanitation campaign, said on Thursday.

“Deshmukh, while speaking to sanitation campaign activists in Pandharpur recently, assured that he would put in all efforts to bring in such a law,” he said.

The chief minister, who was in Pandharpur for Ashadhi Ekadashi, said the government was keen to enact a law which would make it compulsory for politicians to construct a toilet for their family.

Candidates will have to submit a certificate from the local authority, confirming the same, before filing nomination papers for contesting any polls, Kalshetti quoted Deshmukh as saying.

Kalshetti added that this initiative will help give momentum to rural sanitation efforts. “People imitate leaders and, especially in rural areas, this law would be more effective as even the rich there feel that constructing toilets is a waste of money,” he said. Print EMail DiscussNew B…More