Maharashtra

Pune, Jan 28 (PTI) Thousands of sugarcane cultivators Monday carried out a protest march to the Maharashtra Sugar Commissionerate in Pune demanding fair and remunerative price and clearance of dues by sugar mills.

The protest, led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti, started from Alka Chowk.

Thane, Jan 28 (PTI) All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi asked Dalits, Muslims and Adivasis to come together and reject national parties in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Speaking at a rally of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi Sunday in Kalyan in the district, he said it was time for the "deprived" to hit back rather than continue "suffering" as was the case in the past 70 years.

The Vanchit Bhaujan Aghadi is an outfit floated by the AIMIM and the Prakash Ambedkar-led Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM).

Gadchiroli, Jan 27 (PTI) A 32-year-old villager, who was abducted by a group of Maoists over suspicion of being a police informer, was found dead Sunday here in Maharashtra, police said.

The victim, Sansay Tanu Beig, a resident of Jaravandi village under Erapalli tehsil of Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district, was abducted late Saturday night, a police official said.

Around 40 Maoists entered the village and barged into Beig's house from where they pulled him out after brandishing weapons, he said.

Jaipur, Jan 25 (PTI) The popular "Jai Ho" song would not have won the prestigious Oscar without the contribution of music maestro A R Rahman who changed the face and form of Indian film songs, veteran poet-lyricist Gulzar said Friday.

Composed by Rahman for the 2009 film "Slumdog Millionaire", "Jai Ho" is the first Hindi song to win an Academy Award in the Best Original Score and Best Original Song categories.

Gulzar penned the lyrics and singer Sukhwinder Singh lent his voice to the track.

Mumbai, Jan 24 (PTI) A POCSO court sentenced a 25-year-old man to seven years of imprisonment on Thursday for raping a minor girl here in 2016.

The convict, Amit Kamble, was found guilty of offences under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act as well as sections 376(2)(I) (rape), 363 (kidnapping) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code by special judge S P Kale.

The judge sentenced Kamble to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs 60,000 on him.

Nashik, Jan 23 (PTI) A 60-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide here in Maharashtra apparently due to crop failure and debt burden, police said Wednesday.

Deepak Eknath Vazre, a resident of village Mukhed in Yeola tehsil, hanged himself using his turban at his residence Tuesday, they said.

Vazre, who owned agriculture landat Mukhed, had suffered losses due to drop in crop production, the police said, adding he had also taken loan from a cooperative society.

Mumbai, Jan 23 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has decided to distribute 'desi' (native) cows to farmers as part of a scheme, officials said on Wednesday.

An official from the Animal Husbandary department said the state distributes milch animals under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) to farmers from the general category, Scheduled Caste (SC) and tribal community.

As part of this scheme, it was decided to allocate six, four or two milch cows and buffaloes from 2015.

Mumbai, Jan 22; PTI: Suspected Maoists shot dead three villagers Tuesday in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district on suspicion that their tip-off to police led to killing of 40 ultras in a massive operation in the region last year, a police official said.

A group of around 150 armed naxals from Chhattisgarh entered Kasnasur village near Kosfundi phata in Bhamragad taluka, around 950 kms from here in the wee hours, and went to the houses of Malu Madavi, Kanna Madavi and Lalsu Kudyeti, a police official said.

Mumbai, Jan 21 (PTI) The launch of a political party exclusively for women was announced in Mumbai Monday with the motto of empowerment of the fair sex.

Announcing the formation of the National Women's Party (NWP), its founder-president Dr Swetha Shetty said apart from ensuring empowerment of women, the issues like getting 50 per cent reservation for them in Parliament and state assemblies, and betterment of soldiers and farmers, are their top priorities.

Malegaon (Maha), Jan 18 (PTI) Three farmers allegedly committed suicide in separate incidents here apparently due to crop failure and mounting loan burden, police said Friday.

The cultivators hailed from Malegaon taluka of Nashik district in North Maharashtra.

One of them, Dnyaneshwar Shivnakar, consumed poison while sitting on a heap of his perished onions at around 9.30 am Friday, they said.