Maharashtra

Mumbai, Mar 1 (PTI) The Central government is "100%'' responsible for the Delhi violence, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said here on Sunday and accused the ruling BJP of playing divisive politics in the national capital after losing the Assembly elections.

Addressing the convention of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) here, Pawar also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speeches in the run-up to the Delhi polls.

Jalna (Maha), Mar 1 (PTI) Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Nana Patole on Sunday said he would support the demand of OBC leaders to boycott the exercise to conduct the General Census 2021 if a caste-based enumeration is not allowed.

Speaking at an event here, the Speaker said leaders cutting across the party lines had demanded that a delegation be sent to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for allowing the caste-based Census to find the population of people from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

Shirdi, Mar 1 (PTI) Amidst protests against the new citizenship law, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Sunday accused the "Leftists, urban and rural Naxals" of trying to destabilise the country and mislead people over different issues.

The former Maharashtra minister also said that as the government has crushed the Naxals in the last five years, "silent Naxalism" has started and misleading people was part of it.

Mumbai, Feb 27 (PTI) Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Wednesday said it's with constant education that a country, a family can move forward as there is never an end to learning.

In December last year, when the actor visited the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, the La Trobe University announced the 'Shah Rukh Khan La Trobe University PhD Scholarship'.

Mumbai, Feb 28 (PTI) India's foreign exchange reserves inched up by USD 29 million to a fresh lifetime high of USD 476.122 billion in the week to February 21, aided by an increase in the value of gold holdings, Reserve Bank data showed on Friday.

The forex kitty had zoomed by USD 3 billion to USD 476.092 billion in the previous reporting week.

Thane, Feb 27 (PTI) A teacher has been arrested by Navi Mumbai police for allegedly molesting over a dozen girl students on various occasions.

Lochan Parulekar, a computer teacher, was arrested on Wednesday under IPC section 354 (molestation), said an official of Turbhe police station.

As many as 14 girls had complained to the school authorities that Parulekar called them for extra classes on holidays and molested them.

Mumbai, Feb 27 (PTI) A 25-year-old sweeper was arrested for allegedly molesting a 10-year-old girl at a wedding in Maharashtra's Yavatmal city, police said on Thursday.

The Lohara police arrested Akshay Chandekar after he was allegedly caught molesting the minor in a lawn of a hotel on Darwa road where the wedding was taking place on Wednesday night, an official said.

Thane, Feb 28 (PTI) Former BJP MLA Narendra Mehta was on Friday booked for alleged rape and harassment of a woman corporator in Bhayandar town of Maharashtra's Thane district on Friday, police said.

His associate Sanjay Tharthare has also been booked in the case, they said.

Mumbai, Feb 28 (PTI) Shortly after NCP leader and his cabinet colleague Nawab Malik stated that the Maharashtra government will provide five per cent quota to Muslims, senior minister Eknath Shinde said no such decision had been taken.

Leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- which comprises Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress -- will take a call on the issue after discussions, Shinde, Urban Development Minister and a senior Sena leader, said.

Thane, Feb 27 (PTI) A district court here sentenced a 31-year-old man to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in Bhiwandi town of Maharashtra's Thane district.

In an order issued on Wednesday, district judge R R Vaishnav sentenced Kasim Ansari to seven years of rigorous imprisonment under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and fined him Rs 3,000.