Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar died after his aircraft crashed during an emergency landing attempt at Baramati airport on Wednesday morning. 

The two pilots and Ajit’s two security personnel also died in the crash, which happened as the chartered aircraft was attempting an emergency landing at Baramati airport.

Ajit Pawar was heading to Baramati to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections when the aircraft, a Bombardier Learjet 45, which was chartered from Mumbai, crashed.

The entire aircraft was reduced to ashes, with visuals showing it completely shattered and debris scattered all around. Initial visuals showed a massive blaze and smoke billowing from the area in Baramati.

Ajit Pawar, son of Sharad Pawar’s elder brother Anantrao, charted a career graph similar to that of his uncle, rising through a firm grip on Maharashtra’s cooperative sector. (India Today)

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A school teacher was arrested in Maharashtra’s Akola district on charges of molestation of six girls and showing them obscene videos, police said on Wednesday.

A case was registered on Tuesday against Pramod Manohar Sardar, a 47-year-old government school teacher, in Maharashtra‘s Akola district after a few girl students alleged that he had been harassing them by showing them obscene videos.

The development came amid protests over the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls at a kindergarten school in Badlapur town in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

The teacher, working at the Zilla Parishad school at Kazikhed, has been arrested after being detained for questioning.

What FIR said

As per the FIR registered at Ural police station, six girl students complained that the teacher had been showing them obscene videos for the past four months, news agency PTI reported an official as saying. Further investigation was underway, the police official added.

The crime came to light when the girl students called the toll-free number of the Child Welfare Committee. Members of the Child Welfare Committee visited the school on Tuesday morning and spoke to some of the girls, following which the case was registered. Asha Mirge, a former member of the State Women’s Commission, demanded strict action against the teacher.

Superintendent of police Akolka Bachchan Singh told news agency ANI that the Akola Police received a complaint of molestation of six school girls by Pramod Manohar Sardar. Police immediately arrested the accused teacher and recorded the statements of the victim girls.

“Cases under sections 74 and 75 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and POCSO Act were registered,” SP Singh added.

Further investigation into the case is underway, he said.

Principal of the school Ravindra Samdur said, “There was a programme at the school yesterday… After the programme was over the teacher went to meet the students of Class 7-8. Some 4-5 girls said they were harassed, then we came to know about this, until then we were not aware of any such thing .”

Nationwide protest over Kolkata doctor’s rape, murder

The incident comes amid nationwide protests over the alleged rape and murder of a woman trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9.

The assault of a doctor has sent shockwaves across the country.

Doctors have protested in many states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, demanding justice and better security laws for healthcare professionals.

The case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation from the state police following an order from the Calcutta High Court. (Hindustan Times)

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Twelve people have died from heatstroke while many others have been admitted to hospital after attending an awards ceremony in India’s Maharashtra state, NDTV reported.

One more patient undergoing treatment after suffering from sunstroke at an award function in Navi Mumbai has died, officials said on Monday. With this, the death count in the incident has gone up to 12.

A 55-year-old man from Kalyan, who was critical, died late at night. Two more persons are battling for life, a senior doctor at a civic-run hospital in Vashi said.

Earlier on Sunday, at least 11 people died due to sunstroke as the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award function, attended by lakhs, was held in an open ground in Kharghar area of Maharashtra’s Raigad district.

One more person died late at night, taking the death count to 12. The victims included eight women and four men.

Eleven of the victims have been identified as Vinayak Haldankar (55), Tulsiram Wangad (58) from Thane, Mahesh Gaikar (42) from Mumbai, Swapnil Kini (30) from Palghar, Jayshree Patil (54), Vandana Patil (62) from Raigad, Manjusha Bombde (51), Savita Pawar (42) from Mumbai, Kalawati Vaychal (46) from Solapur, Bhima Salvi (58) and Pushpa Gaikar (64) from Thane.

Another woman, in the age group of 50-55, was yet to be identified.

An official release from Navi Mumbai police said during the function when children and women lay on roads seeking drinking water, a senior police inspector from Kharghar along with his team carried water for them.

Since three days, police personnel, including women, from across the state were deployed in and around the venue and they remained there even after the event despite the scorching sun, it said.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambhe was on the ground throughout along with a number of senior officials. “There was no stampede,” the release said.

Many women collapsed due to excessive heat and the policemen on duty drove them on motorbikes through the crowd to medical assistance centres for first aid and saved their lives, the release said.

Earlier in the day, Raigad district information officer said 44 people were admitted to five hospitals in and around Kharghar. Out of them, 20 are still undergoing treatment while the others have been discharged.

Lakhs of people had come for the event held on a 306-acre ground in Kharghar. The nearest weather station to the spot had recorded a maximum temperature of 38 degrees Celsius.

Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar has sought an inquiry into how the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award event was organised in Navi Mumbai during noon time when the temperature is very high.

Union Minister Amit Shah on Sunday conferred the Maharashtra Bhushan Award on spiritual leader and social reformer Appasaheb Dharmadhikari at the event.

Appasaheb Dharmadhikari has a massive following in the state due to his tree plantation drives, blood donation and medical camps as well as de-addiction work in tribal areas.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had termed the deaths “very unfortunate” and said the victims’ families will be given a compensation of ₹ 5 lakh. (NDTV)

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