Maharashtra

Akola, May 31 (PTI) Bodies of a farmer couple were found in a well at a village in Akola district of Maharashtra early on Friday, police said.

Police suspect that the couple committed suicide by jumping into the well.

The couple - Samadhan Varule (42) and his wife Bebitai (38) - had gone to their farm in Mahagaon village in Akot taluka on Thursday morning. When they did not return home till late night, a search was launched, police said.

Mumbai; GANASHAKTI: The post-mortem report of doctor Payal Tadavi, who was found dead in her hostel room recently, has revealed evidence of a ligature mark around her neck.

Under ''provisional cause of death'', the post-mortem report stated ''evidence of ligature mark over neck,'' the ANI reported. 

Three senior doctors, accused of tormenting 26-year-old Payal with casteist slurs and abetting her suicide, were arrested on Tuesday.

Mumbai, May 30 (PTI) NCP president Sharad Pawar didn't attend the oath-taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new team of ministers as the veteran politician was not allotted seat at the event "as per protocol", the party said Thursday.

NCP chief spokesperson Nawab Malik expressed disappointment over the alleged episode, saying, "It was not right" given that Pawar is a senior national leader who had served as a Union minister and also Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Mumbai, May 27 (PTI) Naxals exchanged fire with a team of elite C-60 commandos Monday in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district in which ultras used an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), police said, adding that no security personnel was injured in the incident.

Police recovered an SLR, some .303 rifles, a 12-bore gun and seven shells of UBGL from the spot, an official said.

The UBGL had marks indicating that the ammunition was made for Central security forces and Maoists may have stolen it, he said.

Thane, May 28 (PTI) Reports of a "terrorist" roaming free in Palghar district neighbouring Mumbai kept the police on tenterhooks for hours on Monday before the tension finally eased when they found out the true identity of the man.

The entire episode has now become the talk of the town with people discussing the incident in a lighter vein, as the "terrorist" turned out to be a member of the crew shooting for a film in the area.

Pune, May 28 (PTI) Girls have outperformed boys in the class 12 examination in Maharashtra, results for which were announced Tuesday.

Girls have secured a pass percentage of 90.25 per cent against 82.40 per cent of boys in the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination conducted by the Maharashtra State Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) in February-March 2019.

The total pass percentage stood at 85.88% this year, announced board chairperson Shakuntala Kale.

Mumbai, May 28 (PTI) Television actor Karan Oberoi, arrested on charges of raping and blackmailing a woman, has approached the Bombay High Court for bail after a sessions court rejected his plea for the relief earlier this month.

The lower court had rejected Oberoi's plea noting that investigation into the case was incomplete, and hence it would be incorrect to release the accused on bail.

Thane, May 27 (PTI) A Maharashtra court has sentenced a 27-year-old man to two-year rigorous imprisonment for molesting a teenaged girl.

Special judge (POCSO court) S A Sinha in her order on Friday also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the accused Vilas Kakade.

According to the prosecution, Kakade used to stalk the 15-year-old girl on way to her school in Manpada area of Thane city following which she informed her parents, who warned the accused.

Mumbai, May 26 (PTI) BJP workers on Sunday complained to police here against a Congress activist for allegedly posting a derogatory meme on a social media platform, an official said.

According to the complaint, a Congress functionary uploaded a meme on local WhatsApp groups, depicting a dog 'Motiji' pooping and a man next to time dubbed as 'bhakt'.

Some BJP activists from Sion-Koliwada area here objected to the post and asked the Congress worker to delete it and tender an apology, the saffron party's local leader Alvin Das said.

Mumbai, May 25 (PTI) NCP president Sharad Pawar said Saturday that the drought situation in Maharashtra was very serious.

Addressing a gathering in Satara district, Pawar said he would try his best to ensure that the government provided maximum assistance to drought-hit areas.

Last October, the Maharashtra government announced drought in over 150 of 358 tehsils in the state following a bad monsoon.