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Neither OPS nor Sasikala gets AIADMK's

symbol as ECI freezes the two leaves
New Delhi: The Election Commission on Wednesday froze the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’ symbol that
both the O Panneerselvam camp and the Sasikala camp of the party were staking claim to.

“Neither of the two groups shall be permitted to use the name of the party ‘All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam’ and neither of the two groups shall also be permitted to use the symbol ‘Two
Leaves’, reserved for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam,” the Election Commission
said in a statement.

The two factions will now have to choose a new name for their faction and will also be allotted two
new symbols to contest the RK Nagar by-polls.  

“Both the groups shall be known by such names as they may choose for their respective groups,
showing, if they so desire, linkage with their parent party AIADMK and Both the groups shall be
allotted such different symbols as they may choose from the list of free symbols notified by the
Election Commission for the purposes of the current by-election,” the ECI statement added.

Both the groups have been directed to furnish the names of their factions and the symbols that they
wish to contest the by-polls under.

The two AIADMK factions had appealed the EC for a meeting to decide the fate of the symbol.

The Sasikala camp had filed a petition before the EC, informing that the party’s symbol should
belong to them.

Also read: Jaya legacy war: The fight over party symbol

Sasikala faction had stated that since she has the support of maximum MLAs and MPs, and that all
the members in OPS faction have been removed from party membership, the request of the OPS
faction for the ‘two leaves’ should not be entertained.

However, OPS camp countered the aforementioned arguments, saying that the appointment of
Sasikala as the party’s General Secretary is not valid because it violates party's bylaws.

As per AIADMK bylaws, a General Secretary should be elected by means of elections that involves
the participation of 1.5 crore cadre, the rebel camp added.

The OPS camp had pointed out Rule 43 of the party dealing with "Amendments". This rule, brought
in by Jayalalithaa, prohibits indirect election/appointment of the party general secretary.
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Sasikala receives letters in jail blaming her

for death of Jayalalithaa
Chennai: Incarcerated AIADMK leader VK Sasikala has received a barrage of letters from Tamil
Nadu, accusing her of killing J Jayalalithaa. Angry letter-writers have said their curses will haunt
Sasikala for ever, sources in Parappana Agrahara central prison said.

More than 100 letters, written in Tamil and addressed to 'Sasikala, Central Prison, Parappana
Agrahara, Bangalore 560100', have reached the jail since February 15, the day Sasikala stepped
into the prison after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction in an illegal wealth case.

"The letters accuse Sasikala of hatching a plot to murder then Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa. The
writers believe Jayalalithaa had no reason to die and it was a planned murder," the sources said.

A prison source quoted from a letter: "You have killed our Thalaivi, our beloved amma. You are an
ungrateful and unfaithful woman and back-stabber. You betrayed a person who gave you life and
everything. Remember, you will have to suffer for your bad deeds. You will suffer inch by inch and
repay for everything you have done."

Prison sources said many letters are political in nature, but don't spell any threat. Sasikala's
companion J Ilavarasi filters the letters and destroys the most abusive ones. "In the beginning,
Sasikala would read all the letters. Gradually, she stopped reading them as most were abusive," a
source said.

"We found the letters have come from different parts of Tamil Nadu - Salem, Dharmapuri, Madurai,
Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirapalli and Villupuram," the source said, adding: "There are fewer letters from
Chennai."
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OPS or Sasikala: Who will get AIADMK

party symbol? EC to decide today
The Election Commission is all set to decide the lawful claimant of the AIADMK party’s ‘Two Leaves’
symbol, as both the factions of the party – one led by O Paneerselvam and the other by Sasikala
Natarajan – have been staking claim to it.

The fight over the party symbol escalated ahead of the byelection to be held in the RK Nagar
assembly constituency in Chennai in April.

It was formerly held by late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, and now re-elections will be
held to choose someone that can fill the empty constituency.  

Earlier on Tuesday, the Sasikala camp had filed a petition before the EC, informing that the party’s
symbol would belongs to them; however, it has not been swallowed by the rebel faction.

 AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala's nephew and party deputy general secretary TTV
Dinakaran will be contesting the by-poll to be held in the constituency of late AIADMK chief
Jayalalithaa, RK Nagar, in Chennai

Read: Sasikala's nephew Dinakaran to contest RK Nagar bypoll

Sasikala’s says that she has the support of maximum MLAs and MPs, and that all the members in
OPS faction have been removed from party membership hence their request for two leaves should
not be entertained.

However, OPS camp is countering the aforementioned arguments, saying that the appointment of
Sasikala as the party’s General Secretary is not valid because it violates party's bylaws. As per
AIADMK bylaws, a GS should be elected by means of elections that involves participation of 1.5
crore cadre, the rebel camp added.

OPS camp pointed out Rule 43 of the party dealing with "Amendments". This rule, brought in by
Jayalalithaa, prohibits indirect election/appointment of the party general secretary.

Read: The fight over party symbol

Both the AIADMK factions have reached EC’s office for a meeting to decide the fate of the symbol.
There are high chances that the symbol may be considered invalid, which the OPS camp would also
be looking forward to, as they do not have a majority.
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HERE'S HOW THE BENGALURU UNDERWEAR

THIEF WHO STRUCK MAHARANI COLLEGE
WOMEN'S HOSTEL WAS NABBED
Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Mar 23, 2017, 10.35 AM IST

The lingerie thief of Maharani College has finally been caught; an employee of Bangalore Turf
Club, he lived adjacent to the college. Police found a trunk full of underwear in his shed

A 35-year-old man who was stealing lingerie from the women’s hostel at Maharani’s College was
arrested by the High Grounds police on Wednesday after a CCTV footage that caught him in the act
was widely circulated in the media. He will be in police custody for three days, and will have to make
one more visit to the hostel premises – this time, not to steal innerwear but for the police to
reconstruct the scene from his last visit so as to chargesheet him.

It took six months for the police to take this man seriously, and only after the media highlighted the
issue on Monday. This happened after the Expert Committee of Preventing Sexual Violence against
Women and Children visited the college and students told the committee about the pervert who
breaks into the hostel campus and steals innerwear while walking around naked.

HOW HE WAS CAUGHT

The High Grounds police, who took up the case, nabbed him within 48 hours of the report coming
out. They found out that he was entering the premises by scaling the wall between Bangalore Turf
Club (BTC) and the college hostel. They immediately sensed that the man must be someone who had
access into BTC as the club had tight security.

A team formed to nab the guy learnt that there were more than 700 employees staying inside the
premises in sheds built for them. The police verified the photos of the employees with the
management and shortlisted around 50-60 individuals who looked like the man from the CCTV
footage.

While questioning these persons, they found the behaviour of one of them odd. Others told the police
that this man would disappear sometimes at midnight.

But what really pinned him down from the footage were his two hair whorls – a clear identifying
feature. Eventually, he was identified as Abu Taleem.

Abu Taleem is a native of Kishanganj district of Bihar. He came to the city 10 years ago and worked
at BTC’s stable. He has a wife and two children who live in Bihar.

Taleem had been staying with other labourers in a shed.

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WHAT HE TOLD COPS

Once in custody, Taleem confessed to the police that he was indeed routinely scaling the wall,
walking around naked and stealing undergarments. He would wear these stolen clothes for a few
days and then discard them before stealing again.

The police also found out that he was a peeping tom and sometimes went into residential areas
looking for women.

When police questioned him on carrying a knife or bottle, he said he had never carried a weapon.
According to the police, Taleem had not physically harmed anyone, nor had he carried any weapons.

HOW HE MOVED
Taleem would wait for other labourers to go to sleep before heading out. He would powder his face
heavily to avoid being recognised and also oil his arms to make escape easier in case he was caught.
He had left a rope dangling on the wall to make scaling the wall easier. Once inside the premises, he
would take off his regular clothes and wear the stolen undergarments and go looking for women.

When the cops got in touch with his family, they found out that he was known to cross-dress and was
fond of wearing his wife’s inner garments too. They found a trunk full of stolen lingerie at his
residence here.

WORK TO BE DONE
The challenge before the police in the next three days would be reconstruct his actions and recover a
few of the stolen undergarments he had thrown on the roadside. An investigating officer said, “We
have sufficient innerwear to prove he had stolen them. So this won’t be a problem. The women
staying at the hostel have to come forward and identify their garments and give a statement before
the police and also appear in court as witness and give their statement.”

GIRLS TO IDENTIFY
According to the police, four women have agreed to give their statements. Deputy Commissioner of
Police (central) Chandragupta said: “We will try talking to the women staying at the hostel and
convince them to come forward and identify their innerwear.”

Taleem has been booked under five sections of the Indian Penal Code including for sexual
harassment, obscene acts, trespassing and theft.

STUDENTS HAPPY
Meanwhile, students from the college were happy that the pervert was finally behind bars. A case had
been registered in September 2016 against the man, but it was only now that the arrest was made.

Suharika S, who stays at the hostel, said: “Such people shouldn’t be let out because there is a
possibility they might get involved in bigger crimes. Today, he is stealing our clothes, but tomorrow,
he might do a bigger crime.”
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COMMITTEES OF 2,751 HOUSING SOCIETIES

SET TO BE DISQUALIFIED
By Vijay Chavan, Pune Mirror | Mar 23, 2017, 02.30 AM IST
Clover Highland on NIBM Road; (PIC: MANOJ BIDKAR)

The axe falls on Clover Highland, on NIBM Road, as Registrar of Co-operative

Societies tightens the noose on defaulting committees

With the bourgeoning number of complaints of financial mismanagement in cooperative housing

societies, the Office of the Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Pune, has decided to take strong action
than the prevailing practice of just issuing a fine. Now, even a minor mistake of not submitting
details of the minutes of the annual general meeting (AGM) and failing to convey the appointment of
an auditor may lead to disqualification of the entire managing committee.

The department has so far issued notices to 2,751 housing societies, after irregularities came to light
under various sections of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960. They have been asked to
submit the replies before March 31, after which the fate of their managing committees would be
decided.

Clover Highland Co-operative Housing Society, on NIBM Road, faced the first such action earlier this
month, with the deputy registrar of Pune dismissing 10 members in the managing committee. The
member secretary has been banned from contesting the election for next three years, whereas the
others face a similar embargo for two years. The authority has also appointed an administrator to
look after the daily affairs of the housing society till the re-election and appointment of a new
managing committee.

In this case, two members of the housing society — Akram Abdul Salam Takmale and Darshan
Chawla — had complained to the deputy registrar against the 10-member body, which included its
chairman Mahendra Taneja, secretary Mayank Pandya and treasurer Gautam Tandon. It was alleged
that after taking the charge, the managing committee violated section 75 of Maharashtra Co-
operative Societies Act, 1960. Some of the provisions under this section are: failing to inform or not
issuing notices to all the members, not conducting elections within the time frame, excessive
expenditure without the consent of general body meeting, among others.

They had also professed that the managing committee members had failed to protect the interest of
the society members and were working for personal gain. It was also submitted that the members
failed to produce a rectified report to the co-operative department within the time limit. Also, during
the AGM, they did not appoint the auditor and failed to submit the resolution and details of minutes
to the registrar’s office, thereby violating Section 75. As the complainant Akram Takmale said, “We
found several loopholes in the functioning of this managing committee. I underlined those during
the hearing to convince the deputy registrar that the action must be initiated against the defaulters.”
 News Paper Reading Reference Content

In response to the allegations, a hearing was conducted at the deputy registrar’s office. The
defendant committee members however claimed that the allegations were only out of personal
grudges over their defeat in election. They insisted that the AGM was held on August 21, 2016, and
the minutes of the meeting along with audit report were submitted on October 15, 2016. During the
hearing, deputy registrar Shahuraj Hire observed that the details of AGM, its notices, the minutes
and the audit report were to be submitted by September 21, 2016, and that after the AGM, the
committee was supposed to appoint an auditor for the financial year 2016-2017 within 30 days of the
meeting.

The deputy registrar further held the managing committee guilty for the lacunae which ultimately
affected the interest of the other society members. “It is true that the managing committee was
dissolved, but that’s all I can reveal right now,” said Hire.

Dr Mayank Pandya, secretary of the society, explained that the society has appealed against the
deputy registrar’s order, which has now been stayed by the joint registrar. He said that the
punishment given by the deputy registrar for delayed submission of AGM minutes was not only
harsh but also illegal. “The by-laws clearly state that delay invokes a penalty of Rs 100. The dismissal
of the managing committee is out of line,” said Pandya. He claimed that the documents were sent in
time to the registrar Sakhar Sankul’s office. “They moved to Market Yard and did not care to inform
us. How is that our fault? In any case, the maximum punishment that can be meted out in case of
delay, is just a fine. We have challenged the order and obtained a stay on it,” he said.

Not stopping at Clover, the registrar has now taken several housing societies to task for not
submitting their minutes or other documents on time. Deepak Taware, joint registrar of Pune city,
said, “We have started taking action against the housing societies like Clover Highland because of
increasing number of complaints in recent time. Earlier, the action was not so harsh, but now we
have decided to stick to the law. Any lacunae or mismanagement in audit will invite strict action like
dismissing the managing committee. He elaborated that the reason behind such a stringent action is
to maintain the financial accountability of members of a housing society and their welfare.

Advocate-speak
Speaking to Pune Mirror about the change in laws, advocate Sachin Hinganekar, joint executive
president of divisional federation of Co-operative Housing Society, Pune city, said, “As per the
Maharashtra Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Act 2013, the deputy registrar has been
empowered to disqualify the management committee if it is found working against the interest of the
members. Since the turnover of housing societies goes into crores, and the money belongs to
common members, complete transparency of the spend is crucial. The amendment to the act was
made in 2013.”

█ Earlier, the action was not so harsh. Any lacuna in audit will invite strict action, like dismissal of
the managing committee

— Deepak Taware, joint registrar

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Vijay Mallya arrested in London by the

Scotland Yard
London: Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya has been arrested in London on Tuesday by the Scotland
Yard Police and this marks the first step in the process of extraditing him from the United Kingdom.

The arrest comes after a period of 13 months after he had fleed the country on March 2, 2016. He
was arrested by the Scotand Yard  after the British Government accepted the Indian government's
request to bring him back to the country and start his prosecution. 

Mallya was arrested on the basis of India's letter rogatory under Mutual Legal Assitance treaty
(MLAT). Enforcement Directorate will file a fresh case against Mallya after High Commission Official
sends his arrest document.

The beleaguered businessman will be produced in Westminster court later in the day. 

"The industrialist has been declared a proclaimed offender and has been arrested on extradition
warrant," said the Scotland Yard after the arrest.

A month ago the British government had sent five officials to deal with the investigation. India’s
request to the United Kingdom for the extradition of embattled liquor tycoon was certified by the
British government last month.

Read: British government certifies India's request for Vijay Mallya's extradition

The business mogul had fled to Britain in March 2016 after being pursued in courts by banks
seeking to recover about Rs 9,000 crore owed by his venture - Kingfisher Airlines.  

A magisterial court in Mumbai had earlier issued a non-bailable warrant against the 61-year-old and
a subsequent extradition request against the beleaguered businessman was prepared in March.
This, however, did not have an consequences as he continued to take refuge in the UK.

In April 2016, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court too had issued a non-
bailable warrant (NBW) against Mallya, while in January this year a CBI court issued another NBW
against the beleaguered liquor baron in an IDBI loan default case.

Read: Non-bailable warrant issued against Vijay Mallya in tax default case

In March this year, Mallya took to Twitter saying he was ready to negotiate with banks to pay a one-
time settlement charge on the Rs 9,000-crore loan default and requested the Supreme Court to
intervene and “put an end to all this by directing banks and us to negotiate and settle. We are ready."

Throughout the downfall of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines Mallya maintained that the airline
failed not due to mismanagement or rerouting of funds, but due to the then government policies and
economic situations.

Read: Ready to negotiate with banks if SC intervenes, says Vijay Mallya

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Claiming that KFA was "India's largest and finest airline", he said, "It sadly failed purely due to
economic and policy situations. I am humble enough to say sorry to employees and all stakeholders
everyday. I really wish government helped."

Hours after arrest by Scotland Yard, Vijay

Mallya granted conditional bail
Sources tell Times Now that Vijay Mallya, who was arrested by Scotland Yard In London earlier
today has been granted conditional bail.

Vijay Mallya sent out a tweet after being granted bail saying “Usual Indian media hype. Extradition
hearing in court started today as expected.”

Vijay Mallya was arrested by Scotland Yard in London on Tuesday on the basis of India's letter
rogatory under Mutual Legal Assitance treaty (MLAT).

While handing over the request, India had asserted that it has a "legitimate" case against Mallya and
maintained that if an extradition request is honoured, it would show British "sensitivity towards our
concerns"

Last month, setting in motion the process of extradition of Mallya, the British government had
certified India's request and sent it to a district judge for further action.

The business mogul had fled to Britain in March 2016 after being pursued in courts by banks
seeking to recover about Rs 9,000 crore owed by his Kingfisher Airline.  A magisterial court in
Mumbai had issued a non-bailable warrant and an extradition order against beleaguered
businessman him in March, but Mallaya continued to take refuge in the UK.
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EPS-OPS merger hits roadblock as

Panneerselvam sets pre-conditions
Chennai: In a recent development in the AIADMK political fiasco, O Panneerselvam has reaffirmed
that the rebel camp will only merge with AIADMK if Sasikala Natarajan and her nephew is ousted
from the party.

The development comes after a late night party meet yesterday where senior leaders from both the
parties decided on a possible merger and several formulas are now being mulled to seal the fate of
the party.

Panneerselvam said the party should not be in the hands of a family (Mannargudi family). He said,
“Sasikala has betrayed Amma’s (Jayalalithaa’s cause).”

“Amma sent the family out and Sasikala gave an apology stating that she shall not come into any
post and she admitted the involvement of her family in shadow conspiracy,” he said, pointing out the
fact that Sasikala broke the promise she made to the late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

“Our founder MGR and Amma created this party as a party for the people and cadres; this is a
Democratic Party for people and cadres. If we don't follow this path then it shall be an injustice to the
people,” he added.

He also stressed on past allegations, saying that Sasikala’s elevation as general secretary did not
happen as per the bylaws of the party. “Sasikala's elevation and in turn her subsequent actions is
null and void. We have submitted a petition to EC to follow the bylaws and give justice,” he said.

RK Nagar by-poll fraud

Panneerselvam also spoke about how TTV Dinakaran was involved in a bribery case and also the
way he tried to bribe voters in the RK Nagar constituency, where the by-polls were cancelled by the
Election Commission of India (ECI) for the same reason.

Panneerselvam said, “TTV faction gave 4000 per voter in the recent by-election at RK Nagar and IT
raids were conducted unearthing evidence.”

“EC conducted its hearing yesterday on the petition pending and the broker was caught through
central intelligence trying to bribe EC.  So we have been insisting that the family against whom we
have waged a war had indulged in activities bringing disrepute to the entire TN,” he added.

Apart from clearing the air on merger conditions, rebel camp leader Panneerselvam also demanded
the treatment details of Amma be made transparent with a possible inquiry on the same.

“We have not deviated from our stand and we stick to our basics. Any change in our stand shall be
an injustice to the people of Tamil Nadu and AIADMK cadres,” he said.
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CAR MOWS DOWN 5 IN BANER

Two families were waiting on divider to cross the road; two-and-a-half-year-old girl
lost her life whereas four others were injured

After spending some time shopping at a mall in Baner, two families met with grave accident. When
they were standing on a divider to cross the road, a speeding car crashed into all the five people,
including two children, on Monday afternoon. A twoand- half-year-old girl died in the mishap, while
the other four people, including a four-year-old boy have been critically injured.

The incident took place at around 3pm in front Baner Gaothan area. The girl who lost her life has
been identified as Isha Ajaykumar Vishwakarma.

Apart from her, Isha's mother Pooja Ajaykumar Vishwakarma, fouryear- old Sajid Shaikh, his
mother Nisha Shaikh and another person Sayyad Ali, all residents of Dhankude Heights in Baner
have sustained injuries. According to police, Sajid's health is critical and he is under observation.

The car was being driven by a woman identified as Sujata Jayprakash Shroff. According to police, her
husband is a builder. After the incident, Shroff was also hospitalised and currently is undergoing
treatment.

Vishwakarma and Shaikh families are neighbours. According to their relatives, they had come to the
area for shopping. Isha's father, Ajaykumar, has a fabrication business while Sajid's father works in a
garage.

Senior inspector Dayanand Dhome, in charge of Chatuhshrungi police station, said, "The families
had stepped out of the house for shopping. They went to the mall and after shopping for some time,
they stepped out of the mall together. They crossed the road half way and stood on the road divider."

He added that while they were waiting for the vehicles to pass from the other side of the road, a
speeding car travelling towards the highway suddenly lost control and jumped over the divider and
hit all the five people who were stationed there.

After hitting all five persons, the vehicles hit a pole and halted. Nearby residents rushed to the spot
and immediately helped the victims, who were trapped under the vehicle. They were rushed to a
hospital. According to police, Isha had sustained serious injuries and she could not be survived.

Cops also informed that the car driver, Shroff, also fainted upon meeting with the accident. She had
to be rushed to the hospital. No case was filed till late evening on Monday.
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ACB CHARGES KHADSE WITH CORRUPTION

A city-based builder had accused the former revenue minister of misusing power to
grab land in Bhosari
Trouble for the former revenue minister, Eknath Khadse, have surmounted after the anti-corruption
bureau registered an FIR against him in Bhosari MIDC land scam case on Monday night. The case
was registered following the Bombay High Court’s (HC) order after city-based builder, Hemant
Gawande, had approached the HC seeking direction in the case.

Along with Khadse, the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) has also named his wife Mandakini Khadse,
son-inlaw Girish Chaudhary and original owner of the land Abbas Ukani in the FIR. According to the
ACB officials, the case under sections 13 (1) (d), 13 (2), 15 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and
Section of 109 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered.

On May 30, 2016, Gawande had approached the Bund Garden police station with a complaint
application against Khadse alleging that when he was the revenue minister, he misused his power
and exercised the authority to grab a piece of land from Bhosari.

“The market value of the land was around Rs 40 lakh. However, by misusing his powers, he
purchased the land for merely Rs 3.75 lakh,” Gawande had alleged in his complaint application.

When the complaint application was given to the police, they did not file an FIR. Looking at the
lackadaisical pace, Gawande moved the Bombay High Court, which then gave out the order. Based
on the direction to the ACB, the case was finally registered against Khadse and his relatives late in
the night on Wednesday in Pune.

Superintendent of police (ACB) Shirish Sardeshpande confirmed the development. He said, “The
case has been registered against Khadse, his wife, son-in-law and Ukkani, the original owner of the
land.”

He added, “The complaint application given by Gawande last year at Bundgarden police station will
be treated as the main complaint. The ACB will be carrying out the investigation in this case. An
officer of additional superintendent of police from ACB Pune will be heading the investigation of the
case.”

The decision of transferring the case to ACB came after the HC had expressed displeasure over the
handling of the case by the local police. The state government on March 8 had told to the court that it
would transfer the case to ACB.

█ The market value of the land was around Rs 40 lakh. However, by misusing his powers, he
purchased the land for merely Rs 3.75 lakh

— Complainant Hemant Gawande

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PUNE: MOTHER THROWN OUT OF DECCAN

QUEEN COMPARTMENT FOR BREAST-
FEEDING INFANT
By: Anupriya Chatterjee

Passholders bully a mother along with her infant off their coach, as the ticket
checker throws in his weight in favour of the former

Apart from college and varsity campuses, a vociferous fight for rights is often known to surface
among commuters, both local and long-distance. A misplaced sense of ownership was displayed by
Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad last month when he hit a senior Air India staffer 25 times with his
slippers, on being asked to alight from the aircraft in Delhi, as it had to be readied for the next flight.
Although not as violent, but an equally momentous train ride awaited 32-year-old Swapna Kulkarni
Ajgaonkar and her husband, Amir, on Sunday, when the couple along with their infant were asked by
co-passengers on Deccan Queen to get off the bogie as the sight of a mother breast-feeding an infant
"was disturbing" to them.

The Ajgaonkars had an AC chair car ticket from Pune to Mumbai, but since the compartment they
were allocated was full to the brim, the couple stepped into an adjacent sparsely populated reserved
passholders' compartment so that their daughter could be nursed in some comfort. No sooner had
they settled in, than a massive altercation ensued between an elderly passholder and them, with the
TTE throwing in his weight behind the regular commuters.

The couple was bullied as they were using an unreserved passholders' seat for nursing their child.

The reserved coach for passholders in Deccan Queen is sparse on Sunday compared to other week
days. When Swapna felt uncomfortable feeding her child in the chair car she decided to walk to the
next compartment. While the ticket checker ordered her to return to her designated seat, the elderly
gent, according to her, found the sight of a mother nursing her child objectionable.

"I could not believe the insensitivity of my copassengers. I was not planning to occupy the seat
throughout the journey but just for a little while to feed my child comfortably. When I refuted the
elderly man's comments he immediately called the TTE, who was not supportive either. They bullied
us for stepping into 'their zone' which I feel is unfair. It did not end there either, as the man started
to give us a lecture on the laws that Indian citizens fail to follow," recalled Swapna, considering that
if there were a woman ticket checker, she may have been more empathetic. She has since put her
ordeal on Facebook, which managed to get many eyeballs. Her husband's intervention did not help
either, and he was left taking turns with his wife pacifying their child.
 News Paper Reading Reference Content

Battle between passholders and non-passholders on this route, especially in Deccan Queen are not
unheard of. Harsha Shah, president of Railway Pravasi Manch, reiterated that the former are often
known to be bullies. She said, "These passholders feel that they own the train and have never allowed
other passengers to sit regardless of any emergency." Reacting to the present incident, she said,
"Swapna should have been allowed to sit for at least some time. This was blatant show of arrogance
on the part of the passholder. She was around an empty area and was not occupying anyone else's
seat." She recalled how once a woman was forced by passholders to jump off the running train as she
had mistakenly stepped into this coach. The passengers eventually beat her up as well.

When Pune Mirror spoke to Krishnanath Patil, the senior divisional commercial manager of Pune
division, about the incident, he said, "Despite the reservation, fellow passengers should have
exercised some sensitivity towards the couple. We are ready to investigate the matter once a
complaint is registered." In a similar vein, Pune divisional railway manager B K Dadabhoy said, "We
need to get to the bottom of the story and why the lady was told to go out of the coach by the
passholders. I will get the details of the incident from my officials and comment thereafter."

Swapna Kulkarni's story is not the first. Passholders in the past have also been reprimanded by the
railways for misbehaving with fellow passengers.

█ This was blatant show of arrogance on part of the passholders. The mother was in an empty area
and not occupying anyone else's seat

— Harsha Shah, president of Railway Pravasi Manch

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ALLEGED NEGLECTED TEEN SHOOTS

HERSELF
In the 17-year-old's diary, she had said that her parents favour her younger brother;
Police now investigate how she acquired the country-made pistol used in suicide

Insecure by the fact that her parents were allegedly more attentive towards the younger sibling, a 17-
year-old girl from Baramati shot herself in the head with a country-made pistol at her residence on
Saturday night. The girl's father is an Army personnel and he is currently posted in Sikkim.

The deceased has been identified as Sayali alias Sandhya Mansingh Bali. The deceased was a resident
of Suryanagari in Baramati, where the incident took place around 8 pm.

Assistant police inspector Prashant Kale of Baramati Taluka police station, who is investigating the
case, told Pune Mirror, "When the incident took place, the girl's younger brother was present at
home while her mother had ventured out for a walk. The younger brother was watching a cricket
match in the drawing room when the girl went into the bedroom and locked it from inside. After few
minutes, the brother heard loud sound of bullet being fired. He got scared and ran towards the
bedroom only to find that the door was locked."

He called up his neighbours for help. While they were breaking the door, her mother returned. When
they managed to open the door, they found Sayali lying in a pool of blood. She was rushed to the
hospital where she was declared dead on arrival.

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"The girl shot herself in the forehead with a country-made pistol. We are now investigating from
where she managed to obtain the gun. As of now, we suspect that it belonged to her father as he is in
the army," Kale said.

After the incident, police carried out search in the house and they found her personal notebook.

"Sayali has written that she was being ignored by her parents as they were more attentive towards
her younger brother who is in Class X. Through her personal note it looks like she was feeling
neglected by her parents," Kale said.

The cops questioned her mother and brother in this regard. They have said that neither was she
badly treated by them nor was she being neglected by them. The police are also investigating if there
is any other reason for her to take a drastic step.

"We have found that the girl was not using her mobile phone from last one month. We are therefore
checking her call records to find if there was any other reason for her to end her life. Once her father
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comes back, we will be inquiring with him also," Kale added.

█ We are now investigating from where she managed to obtain the gun. As of now, we suspect that it
belonged to her father as he is in the army

— Prashant Kale, assistant PI

SHETTY FAMILY FEUD OVER OWNERSHIP OF

VAISHALI, ROOPALI
Police complaint against Jagannath Shetty by other members, claiming he has
forged documents to present himself as owner of iconic Udipi eateries

A family dispute over the ownership of Pune’s iconic Udipi restaurants Vaishali and Roopali has
come out in the open after members of the Shetty family registered a complaint against Jagannath
Shetty at the Deccan police station. The complaint states that that Jagannath forged documents to
claim ownership of both these popular eateries on Fergusson College Road.

The case was registered against Jagannath and Shashendra Shetty by Shashikala Shetty, Jagannath’s
sister-in-law, at Deccan police station on Thursday. Shashikala also claimed that her two younger
sisters — Jaya and Vijaya — have also given statements to the police against Jagannath.

Roopali, earlier known as Cafe Madras and Vaishali, earlier known as Madras Health Home, came up
on Fergusson College Road between 1945 and 1950. Today, both stand as icons in the city and the
name of Jagannath Shetty has long been associated with their brands.

However, this name now stands at the centre of controversy. Speaking to Mirror, Salil Shetty, son of
complainant Shashikala Shetty, said, “We have tremendous respect for Jagannath Shetty as he has
taken these hotels to the next level in terms of popularity and business. Our objection is regarding
the ownership of these hotels as they were not started by Jagannath Shetty but by my grandfather,
Shridhar Shetty.”

Shashikala, in her complaint, has also claimed that it was her father Shridhar Shetty who started
these eateries and that Jagannath was working at one of them at the time. “My grandmother was not
educated and after my grandfather's death in 1961, Jagannath started helping the family to run the
restaurants as he had the experience. Later, he married my mother's elder sister, Shakuntala. Since
he was already looking after the hotel business, the family members trusted him completely with all
the proceedings,” Salil added.

But, things turned murky afterwards. In her complaint, Shashikala has alleged that Jagannath took
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undue advantage of the trust shown by the family and claimed ownership of both restaurants. Said
Salil, “All the while, the family thought that after my grandfather’s death, my grandmother and her
children had the same share of ownership in restaurants. However, in late 2014, when my
grandmother wanted to make a will, she asked Jagannath to give her certain documents pertaining
to the restaurants. When he started showing reluctance, the other family members grew suspicious.”

According to Salil, it was his grandmother, Appi Shetty, who took the initiative and approached the
police against Jagannath in December 2014.

“That was the first complaint application against Jagannath. Later, in 2016, she gave another.
Unfortunately, she passed away in August the same year. After her death, my mother and her two
sisters decided to continue the legal battle and finally, we have managed to register a case against
him,” Salil said.

According to the Deccan police, they have registered a case under sections 420 (cheating), 465
(forgery) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Mirror tried contacting Jagannath Shetty but he remained unavailable for comment, despite
repeated attempts.

However, A public notice given out by Jagannath Shetty last year mentioned clearly that he is the
owner of Vaishali. The same notice states that initially, he was a tenant of the restaurant, but later
purchased the premises with his own savings. In the same notice, it is mentioned that the legal heirs
of Appi Shetty, his mother-in-law, are posing as owners of the eatery with malafide intentions.
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