3 days ago
Mumbai train accident: Four dead after falling off local train due to overcrowding
Four commuters were killed after falling off a train heading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM) near Mumbra on Monday.
According to initial information received, due to overcrowding the passengers were hanging into the train gates and a push or jostle caused around 13 passengers to fall onto the tracks resulting in four fatalities. The railway administration and police have reached the spot and the injured were taken to the nearest hospital. Meanwhile, police are investigating into the accident.
'Around 9:50 a.m., eight passengers fell off a fast local train travelling from Kasara to CSMT near Mumbra railway station. The incident occurred between Mumbra and Diwa on the down fast line when around eight passengers, who were travelling on the footboard of two locals, their bags collided with each other and fell off the train, as per the preliminary information,' said Dr. Swapnil Nila, Central Railway PRO.
New coaches will have automatic door closing system, Mr. Nila said. The injured are being treated at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, with two in serious condition and shifted to Jupiter Hospital.
Shiv Sena Lok Sabha member from Thane, Naresh Mhaske demanded a probe into the death of passengers. 'The cause of the incident needs to be addressed. How did they there a crowd, were they pushed, was there a fight,' he told a regional news channel.
Mr. Mhaske said, 'One can understand if it was a crowded local train. But in this case, the tragedy happened in a moving express train. The administration also needs to be alert.'
Leader of Opposition in the State legislative council Ambadas Danve in a post on X said the incident of so many people suddenly getting out of the Pushpak Express and resulting in the accident is heartbreaking and serious. This incident raises questions about railway safety in Mumbai, he said.
Mumbai Railway Passengers Association demanded action against Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) as they had already complained to the Railway Board regarding the safety of the route from Diva to Kalwa. 'Many passengers have lost their lives on this route in the past. After the addition of two new routes between Kalyan and Thane, it was expected that passengers would get more local services. However, DRM reversed this decision and gave priority to mail and express trains on these routes,' the association said.
Sonam Raghuvanshi, the 'missing' wife among 4 arrested for Indore man's murder during honeymoon in Meghalaya
The 'missing' wife of Raja Raghuvanshi, the tourist from Madhya Pradesh's Indore who was murdered near Meghalaya's Sohra (Cherrapunjee), has surrendered before the police in Uttar Pradesh.
Officials in Meghalaya stated that Sonam Raghuvanshi surrendered at the Nandganj police station in the northern State's Gazipur district.
Two others, suspected to be involved in Raja's murder, were arrested in Madhya Pradesh. Raja's body was recovered on June 2 from a 200-foot gorge used as a garbage dumping, and the murder weapon – a new locally used machete – was found nearby.
Several teams of local police, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, local volunteers, drones, and sniffer dogs failed to locate Sonam, who was declared missing. A woman's shirt and a raincoat, presumably used by her, were found near the murder spot.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma praised the police for cracking the 'Raja murder case' that threatened to smear the State's tourism industry.
'The police achieved a major breakthrough within seven days. The female [Sonam] has surrendered, and the operation is on to catch one more assailant,' he said. 'We hope to find out the motive behind the murder after interrogating the arrested suspects,' a police officer in Sohra said.
Pressure was mounting on the Meghalaya government from its Madhya Pradesh counterpart and the Centre to get to the bottom of the case after Raja and Sonam, a newlywed couple, went missing after leaving a homestay at Mawlakhiat village in the East Khasi Hills district on May 23.
A two-wheeler they had rented from the State's capital, Shillong, about 60 km away, was found abandoned at a roadside cafe on May 24. Incessant rainfall and slippery conditions hampered the search operations until a police drone spotted Raja's body nine days later.
Raja and Sonam's relatives, who reached Meghalaya after the news of their disappearance, expressed unhappiness with the pace of the operation to locate them. They demanded the police search for Sonam as if she were alive and not make it seem they were trying to find her body.
The police received a clue last week when a local guide reported seeing the couple walking uphill with three others who were conversing in Hindi. 'The woman trailed behind the man who was speaking with the other three. I did not understand what they were discussing, as I am not conversant in Hindi,' Albert Pde, the guide, said.
Meghalaya's Tourism Minister, Paul Lyngdoh, said the arrests related to the case should reset some caustic views about the State being unsafe for tourists. He had earlier rejected calls to hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
'We are a hospitable people. Why should we kill the goose that lays golden eggs?' he said.
Can ECI announce the date by which electoral-roll data of Haryana, Maharashtra will be handed over: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday (June 9, 2025) lauded the Election Commission's (EC) reported decision to share the electoral-roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra as 'a good first step' and urged the poll body to announce the exact date by which the data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha shared the screenshot of a media report that claimed that the EC has cleared the way for sharing the electoral-roll data for Haryana and Maharashtra from 2009 to 2024, following an assurance it gave to the Delhi High Court earlier in the year.
There was, however, no official word from the EC on the reported move as yet.
In a post on X, Mr. Gandhi said, 'Good first step taken by EC to hand over voter rolls. Can the EC please announce the exact date by which this data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format?' the former Congress chief asked.
After Mr. Gandhi sought the EC's response on his article alleging rigging in last year's Maharashtra Assembly election, sources in the poll authority said on Sunday (June 8, 2025) that the constitutional body would respond only if the Leader of Opposition writes to it directly.
They also pointed out that as part of its outreach, the EC had invited all six national parties for separate interactions. While the other five met the EC brass, Congress cancelled the May 15 meeting.
Mr. Gandhi hit back at the EC on Saturday after sources in the poll panel rejected his allegation of rigging in the Maharashtra election, saying evasion would not protect its credibility but telling the truth would.
In an article published in a newspaper, Mr. Gandhi had alleged 'match-fixing' in the Maharashtra polls and claimed that it would next happen in the Bihar election and 'anywhere the BJP is losing'.
Congress releases BJP's '11 year' report card, flags rising hunger, inequality
The Congress on Monday released a booklet to mark Narendra Modi's 11 years at the Centre, highlighting stagnated growth rate, rising hunger, and his 'unfulfilled promises'.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, said that the booklet, '11 Saal, Jhoothe Vikaas ke vade', commemorates 'some of the biggest lies of this Government.'
Addressing a press conference, AICC research department head Rajeev Gowda, who prepared the booklet, alleged, 'This government is very good at fake news and propaganda. It is our job as the Opposition to get people to know this grim reality.'
He said that to expose the BJP on its promises the party was releasing two sets of documents.
The booklet, 'Ek Aur Baar Jumla Sarkar', he said, looks at the promises made by the BJP in its 2024 manifesto, and has since made.
The other one, he said, is '11 Saal Jhoote Vikaas Ke Vaade', which is a 'detailed exposé' of the 'hollow promises' of the BJP.
'In the 11-Saal document, one of the first themes that they (BJP) highlight is taking care of the poor and the marginalised. They are very happy that 81 crore people are getting free food grains under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY). But the basic problem of hunger is a much larger crisis in India, and it puts us at 105th out of 127 countries in the World Hunger Index.
'Its implications: malnutrition is affecting our children in a horrible way, crippling their growth. Stunting is at 35.5%; Wasting is at 19.3%; Underweight is at 32.1%,' Mr. Gowda said. He said that nearly a third of Indian children are suffering from malnutrition, even as the BJP insists on Viksit Bharat.
'Let's remind our PM that he has a duty to our children and their future. They (BJP) claim that they have created 4 times the Eklavya residential schools since 2014. They have announced 700+ schools, out of which 300 are still non-functional. Is it rocket science to set up and run a school?' he wondered.
The Congress leader also alleged that the Centre's claim that India added over 5,000 defence items to the indigenisation list was also not true. 'Sadly, 40% of the items listed for indigenisation have not been indigenised as of now. India remains one of the top importers of defence rather than a producer and exporter.
'If you look at 'mission mode DRDO projects', 23 out of 55 have been delayed, and the share of R&D in our defence budget is only 5.45%,' he said.
Neither is the claim that India was the fastest-growing large economy was true, he said. 'This is true, but what rate are we growing? Are we able to encash our demographic dividend? Any economist will tell you that if we grow below 8.5% a year, we are sacrificing the future of crores and crores of our youngsters because we will not have enough growth, jobs and opportunities that are required to just fulfil the target—the great jumla — 2 crores jobs per year,' he claimed.
He said India's growth is 6.5% over the last year, which is the lowest rate after the COVID period. 'So, what is happening in this 11th year of your Sarkaar, PM Modi? What is happening is reflected in the response of the private sector. Is the Indian private sector investing in India? If you look at the investment figures, after you have given the bonanza tax cut, nothing has changed. They still don't have confidence in the management of your economy to invest,' the Congress leader said. He said the fixed capital formation has come down to 32.4%, which was an 11-year low.
'There is another legacy: the glaring inequality. The share of wealth in India's top 1% of people is 40%. And the bottom 50% have to make do with just over 3%,' the former Congress MP said, adding that this is not the economy the country wants.
Mr. Gowda said that at top universities, 5,000 teaching posts were vacant as of November 2024 and 35% of faculty posts at AIIMS-Delhi and the new AIIMS had over 40% faculty vacancy.
Sanjay Raut slams Election Commission, asks if BJP has 'contract' to defend poll body
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission (EC), questioning whether the poll body had handed a 'contract' to the ruling BJP to counter Opposition allegations about its functioning.
Mr. Raut's remarks came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis penned a newspaper article refuting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claims of 'match-fixing' and 'rigging' in the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly polls. The EC had earlier dismissed Mr. Gandhi's allegations as 'absurd,' stating that blaming the poll panel over unfavourable results was unacceptable.
Mr. Fadnavis, in his article, accused Mr. Gandhi of repeatedly 'insulting' the democratic process and undermining the people's mandate. However, Mr. Raut hit back, demanding to know why Mr. Fadnavis was responding on behalf of the EC
'Rahul Gandhi raised questions for the EC, not the BJP. Why is Devendra Fadnavis answering? Has the EC outsourced its defence to the BJP to clear doubts about its credibility?' Mr. Raut asked.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader alleged that the issue was not limited to recent elections but extended to the EC's conduct over the past decade. He accused the poll body of facilitating the split in the Shiv Sena and 'handing over' the NCP to Ajit Pawar despite Sharad Pawar's presence.
'All this was done under pressure from Union Minister Amit Shah to manipulate election outcomes. The EC will have to answer for these actions,' Mr. Raut claimed.
He further alleged that the EC had become a 'caged parrot,' working as an extension of the BJP rather than an independent constitutional body. The strong remarks have intensified the political debate over the EC's neutrality, with the Opposition parties stepping up pressure for greater accountability.
Bengaluru stampede: Crime Branch arrested because CM ordered, says lawyer of RCB's marketing head to HC
Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru (CCB) sleuths arrested Nikhil Sosale, the marketing and revenue head of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the arrest, submitted his lawyer to the Karnataka High Court on Monday.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Sosale challenging his arrest on June 6.
Sosale was arrested at Bengaluru Airport, as he was heading to Dubai, on an FIR filed in the aftermath of the stampede incident near M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which claimed 11 lives.
Sosale's lawyer had also argued that he was not arrested by either Ashok Nagar police (where Sosale stays) or Cubbon Park police (under whose jurisdiction the stadium falls) but by the Central Crime Branch of Bengaluru.
'It was not part of the investigation, just because the CM said CCB arrested him, though they are not investigating the case,' he contended. When the petition came up for hearing on June 6 afternoon session, Justice S R Krishna Kumar, who heard the petition, had declined an interim relief from arrest and had adjourned the case to June 9.
Later, Sosale, along with three others from DNA Entertainment Pvt Ltd, were remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court.
Protests intensify in Los Angeles after Trump deploys hundreds of National Guard troops
Tensions in Los Angeles escalated on Sunday as thousands of protesters took to the streets in response to President Donald Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard, blocking off a major freeway and setting self-driving cars on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd.
Many protesters dispersed as evening fell and the police declared an unlawful assembly, a precursor to officers moving in and making arrests of people who don't leave. Some of those remaining threw objects at police from behind a makeshift barrier that spanned the width of a street, and others hurled chunks of concrete, rocks, electric scooters and fireworks at California Highway Patrol officers and their vehicles parked on the closed southbound 101 Freeway. Officers ran under an overpass to take cover.
Sunday's protests in Los Angeles, a sprawling city of 4 million people, were centered in several blocks of downtown. It was the third and most intense day of demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown in the region, as the arrival of around 300 Guard troops spurred anger and fear among many residents.
The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention centre where protesters concentrated. Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were 'overwhelmed' by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.
Several dozen people were arrested throughout the weekend of protest. One was detained Sunday for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police, and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers. Mr. Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks. 'Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!' he wrote.
In San Francisco, officers monitoring protests arrested dozens of people on Sunday night after a group of people refused to comply with an order to disperse, police said in a statement on social media.
In Brief:
The Supreme Court on Monday refused Tamil Nadu's oral plea for an urgent listing of its original suit criticising the Centre of stopping its annual share of crucial education funds to the tune of over ₹2000 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme. A Vacation Bench headed by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra found no urgency in the case. Senior Advocate P Wilson, who mentioned the suit, said the lack of funds would impact the future of nearly 48 lakh students in the State, and the academic year had commenced on June 3 'Since when were the funds deprived?' Justice Mishra asked. 'Last year the funds were not given. We have filed the suit on May 20, 2025,' Wilson said. 'No urgency,' Justice Mishra said.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
