High-Security Jail To Come Up In Mumbai As State Passes Prison Reform Bill

The Maharashtra legislative assembly here on Friday passed a bill seeking to reform the prison system in the state.

The Maharashtra Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2024, is based on the Model Prisons Bill, 2023, sent by the Centre to the states, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the House.

A high-security prison and detention centre will be set up in Mumbai, while a new prison being built in Pune will be a two-storey facility, he added.

A plot of land has been finalised for the new prison in Mumbai, the CM said.

As many as 1,600 accused who have got bail continue to stay in prison in the state for the lack of money to pay for bail bond, he informed.

The bill provides for categories of prisons such as special prison, open prison for women, temporary prison and open colony. Open prisons and open colonies will help with rehabilitation and reintegration of former jail inmates after their release, Fadnavis said.

The bill also provides for the constitution of a 'prison and correctional prison force'.

A welfare fund for prison staff and another fund for the welfare of prisoners is also an important feature of the legislation, the CM said.

It also provides for better segregation of various categories of prisoners and their special needs as women, transgenders, under-trial prisoners, convicts, high-risk prisoners and habitual offenders.

The bill also makes provisions for a grievance-redressal mechanism for prisoners, after-care rehabilitation service, and a separate women's ward in prison hospitals.

An undertrial review committee will be set up in every district for periodical review of all undertrial prisoners and to take measures for speedy disposal of cases and make appropriate recommendations to trial courts.

Technology including biometrics, closed-circuit television (CCTV), scanning and detection services, Radio Frequency Identification and video conference facilities will be used for effective management and supritendence of prisons and to ensure the safety of inmates, the CM said.

The entire prison administration will be computerized, the chief minister said.

Congress MLA Nana Patole and Sanjay Kute (BJP) said prison reforms should not lead to a situation where criminals would like to remain in jail. There should be no lavishness, they said.

D Fadnavis assured that there would be no "five-star facility", adding that the reforms aim to protect human rights of jail inmates.

Kute said social health will be affected if criminals get lavish treatment in jail.

Aaditya Thackeray (Shiv Sena UBT) said artificial intelligence should be used to create digital footprint of prisoners so that care can be taken after a prisoner walks out of the jail. D Fadnavis said the use of AI for this purpose will take time.

Sana Malik (NCP) said the right to health is part of the right to life. Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail has the capacity to accomodate 804 inmates but some 3,000 prisoners are lodged there, she claimed.

D Fadnavis conceded that the number of doctors available is small in view of the number of prison inmates. "We will focus on reducing the number of undertrials," the chief minister said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Sanatan Dharma Is National Religion Of India": Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday asserted the "Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India", and said that it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect it.

Yogi Adityanath participated in the Ashtottarshat 108 Shrimad Bhagwat Paath and Panch Narayan Mahayagya held at Asharfi Bhawan Ashram in Ayodhya. As part of the Mahayagya, the UP Chief Minister offered oblations amidst Vedic chants, praying for the happiness, peace, and prosperity of the people of Uttar Pradesh, the UP government said in a statement.

Addressing the gathering, the UP Chief Minister said, "The Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India, and it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect it." He highlighted how religion and culture foster positivity and peace in the society.

Reflecting on the historical attacks on sacred temples, he said that the clans of those who desecrated these holy sites have met their downfall.

Citing an example, he said, "Today, the descendants of (Mughal ruler) Aurangzeb are driving rickshaws. Their plight is the result of their destructive actions. Had they upheld righteousness and refrained from demolishing temples, would they be in such a state?" The UP chief minister emphasised the need to learn from the mistakes of the past that led India into the shackles of slavery and resulted in the desecration of its sacred sites.

He urged all Indians to unite in protecting and preserving Sanatan Dharma, asserting that respecting this eternal religion is essential for safeguarding humanity.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Parents On Mumbai Ferry Planned To Throw Their Kids In Water: CISF Rescuers

The panic-stricken parents onboard an ill-fated tourist ferry were thinking of tossing their children into the sea water as a desperate measure after their boat started sinking off Mumbai, but a team of CISF marine commandos stopped them with an assurance that everyone will be saved.

CISF constable Amol Savant (36) and his two colleagues became the "first responders" after the December 18 accident. Their patrol boat reached the accident site off the Mumbai coast around 4 pm, and they decided to utilise the "golden hour" for first saving the most vulnerable, including the children.

Fourteen people were killed after a Navy boat rammed into the tourist ferry -- 'Neel Kamal' -- on way to the Elephanta Island from the Gateway of India in Mumbai late Wednesday afternoon.

"We were on routine patrol at some distance off the shore when our walkie talkie crackled to inform us that a passenger ferry was sinking. I asked the pilot (speed boat driver) to go full throttle and we reached the accident site about 3-4 kms away in no time," Savant told PTI here.

He said he was "astonished to see the accident site. But being a trained soldier, I understood what was to be done and how." "We saw people were ready to throw their children in the ocean water thinking that they would be saved from the sinking ship. I asked them not to panic and not attempt this. We took charge of the situation soon," said the jawan, who is posted with the CISF unit that guards the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Navi Mumbai.

Savant said he too was "shaken initially when he reached the site but then when I saw the children hanging dangerously from whatever was left of the sinking ferry and their helpless parents, I and my colleagues just caught hold of the children and brought them in our boat." The jawan says they rescued about 6-7 children in the first go followed by women and men.

"There were many hands raised towards us, some screaming, some just requesting to save them. We don't know how many exactly but we were able to help and rescue as many as 50-60 people who were onboard that ill-fated ferry," Savant, who joined the CISF in 2010, said.

Sub Inspector (SI) Kheioka Sema (38), posted with the CISF unit that provides counterterrorist security cover to the JNPA, was in the second patrol boat that reached the spot.

"I saw a lady who was in the water wearing a life jacket but she had raised her hands in anticipation that she would be rescued. We rushed to her and gently asked her to put her hands down else the jacket would slip and she would start drowning," Sema said.

She was saved, he said.

SI Sema, who joined the paramilitary force in 2018, said they administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to maybe 10-12 persons to bring them back to senses and drain out the water they had swallowed.

The two CISF personnel, who had come to Delhi for official work, said a foreigner couple onboard the ferry acted as 'Good Samaritans' as they came forward for help and administered CPR to a number of victims.

"We fanned out to scan about a 300-metre radius looking for life. Our teams also picked up bags, life jackets and other stuff from the ocean water the passengers of 'Neel Kamal' were carrying," Sema said.

The two personnel and their other colleagues have been trained in marine operations, commando tactics and amphibious survival and combat techniques.

"Our personnel who are posted to guard sea ports are essentially trained in marine commando operations, combat and survival techniques. They provide an armed security cover to such facilities against any sabotage or terrorist threat," CISF chief spokesperson and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Deepak Verma said.

"These men and women are also taken to the Chilika lake in Odisha as part of a special marine training capsule. We are proud of these personnel who were part of the rescue operation in Mumbai," he said.

The force, as per officials, will recommend the names of the personnel who were involved in this rescue operation for the 'Jeevan Raksha Padak' (or the life saving medal) apart from granting them the highest recognition in their service records.

"The accident site was way beyond the area of responsibility of our two security units deployed at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA) and the Mumbai Port Trust but the personnel displayed fine professionalism and devotion to duty by being the first responders to the tragedy and saving numerous lives," a senior CISF officer said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"It Felt Like Hell": Truck Driver Who Dodged Death In Jaipur Fire

With a desperate lurch to the left, trucker Sumer Singh dodged death on the Jaipur-Ajmer Highway, where a massive ball of fire waited for him. He got away with some burns, but many were not so lucky.

Sumer Singh, 40, was on his way towards Vishwakarma Industrial Area like any other day when suddenly a scene straight from hell appeared before his eyes.

To prevent driving straight into the fire, Sumer Singh, without wasting a moment sent his truck off the road with a lurch to the left, jumped off it as soon as it stopped, and ran for his life.

Sumer Singh survived but his truck was completely burnt.

Eleven people died, while more than 35 suffered burns on Friday when an LPG tanker collided with a truck, sparking a huge fire that turned a stretch of the Jaipur-Ajmer highway into an inferno.

The accident that happened around 5 am caused the truck to leak gas, setting an around 300 metres stretch of road ablaze, and trapping at least 37 vehicles in its flames.

The vehicles included two buses and as many cars but most of them were trucks, trailers and containers.

The fire was so severe that the water tenders struggled to reach the burning vehicles for a long time.

Some of the trucks were parked along the highway with their drivers and cleaners sleeping inside.

One of the vehicles that caught fire was a private sleeper bus, on its way to Jaipur coming from Udaipur. As fire engulfed the bus, passengers struggled to get out.

"I was going to Vishwakarma Industrial Area with my truck from Bagru at around 5 am to load some goods. It was very cold and I was going at a normal speed. At one point, about 200 metres ahead, I saw a cloud of smoke, high up in the sky," Singh, who still couldn't believe what struck him, told PTI.

"It felt as if hell was in front of me. I veered the truck completely to the left, jumped out and ran. When I looked back from afar, I could see nothing but fire," he said.

"I do not even know how I managed to run so fast at this age. When I returned to the truck, I saw many vehicles had caught fire by then. People shouted for help. Nobody knew what had happened. Suddenly, a man came out from the flames. He had no clothes on his body and it was burnt. We had no means to help him," he said.

According to Sumer Singh, most of the people struck by the tragedy were truck drivers and helpers and bus passengers.

"After some time, the fire brigade and ambulance arrived with sirens blaring. They first found it difficult to navigate through the fire. After some time, when the sunlight came, we found not a single vehicle was left intact. There were only burnt vehicles all along the highway," he said.

Bablu Gujar, 21, a student, suffered 15 per cent burns.

His brother on his way from Gujarat, said, "I was informed that my brother had been injured in the fire. I do not know where he was going and how he got trapped there. I am travelling to Jaipur now." Faizan, 20, from Udaipur, had left for Jaipur for some work on a bus last night. He received 50 per cent burns.

"The bus was about to reach Jaipur. I was expecting a call from him that he had reached but a call from the hospital shook us," Saleem, his father, said.

Faizan's family members, who reached the accident spot, struggled to locate him in the violent chaos the fire had left in its wake.

According to authorities, most of the victims were male, many of whom in a critical state.

A school van driver told PTI that the flames were visible from a kilometre away and the highway was a scene of chaos.

"As I got closer to the spot, I saw people scrambling to save them and shouting for help. I saw a man engulfed in flames. It was frightening," he said.

All doctors and nursing staff were called from their homes at Sawai Man Singh Hospital to cater to the wounded.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar reached Sawai Man Singh Hospital to oversee the operations.

"The hospital authorities have prepared another ward to accommodate the victims. Other surgeons were also called to help the team of plastic surgery doctors," Dr Deepak Maheshwari, principal, SMS Medical College, said.

Another official said many people were brought to the hospital in a terrible state.

"Some bones were also brought. This was unprecedented. Many people flinched at the sight," he said.

As soon as the news spread, politicians from both ruling and opposition parties started visiting the hospital.

Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani, ministers Rajyavardhan Rathore, Kirodi Lal Meena, state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra and several MLAs were some of them.

The fear of an infection made the hospital administration bar people from going inside the ICU and other wards.

A team from the district administration was deployed to the hospital to help people contact the relatives of the victims and locate the missing.

Helpline numbers have also been issued. Those who were in a position to talk were asked for the numbers of their family members.

The owner of a private travel bus on the way to Jaipur was contacted and the list of passengers was sought from him.

The incident made fresh memories of another fire that broke out in the IOC oil depot in Sitapura, nearly 16 km from the city, in 2009. The blaze killed about a dozen people and burned around 300 more.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"We Destroyed Your Fake Narrative In Elections": D Fadnavis To Opposition

Striking a combative note, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said that during the recent state elections, the BJP-led alliance demolished the fake narrative spread by the Opposition in the Lok Sabha poll campaign.

Replying to a debate in the legislative assembly on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his joint address to both Houses of the state legislature, he asked the Opposition to introspect and accept the people's mandate it got in the assembly elections instead of blaming the EVMs.

He was a modern-day "Abhimanyu" who knew how to break the "chakravyuh", Fadnavis said, invoking the Mahabharata imagery.

He also assured that all the ongoing schemes of the government, including the flagship Ladki Bahin scheme for financial aid to women, will continue.

The winter session of the state legislature is underway in Nagpur following the BJP-led Mahayuti's massive victory in the November 20 assembly elections.

Lashing out at the Opposition for blaming the electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the Mahayuti alliance's win in the state elections, he said, "EVM means 'every vote for Maharashtra' which we got." "If you win, it is people's mandate and victory of democracy. But if you lose, blame it on EVMs and the Election Commission of India (ECI). You are creating mistrust about the institutions which have constitutional authority. It is an insult of the people and the Constitution which gave them the right to vote," Fadnavis said.

"When you reject people's mandate, you insult people who have been given the right to vote by the Constitution. We are the fifth largest economy and now aiming to reach the third position. But many countries are not happy with this. So we have to be careful,'' he said.

Trials for EVMs began on August 6, 1980 and the devices were first used in 1992. These machines were used in all Lok Sabha constituencies in 2004, he said.

In the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress won, the CM said.

Later, the ECI asked political parties to show how EVMs can be tampered with. But nobody went ahead, he said, adding that opposition parties must accept the mandate with open mind and introspect.

"In the assembly elections, we destroyed your fake narrative spread during the Lok Sabha polls. We introspected after the Lok Sabha poll losses and worked hard to counter your fake narrative. We did not blame EVMs, but worked hard for the assembly polls," he said.

Fadnavis said people responded well to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's slogan "Ek hain toh safe hain" slogan as they believed that Maharashtra will progress only if society stays united.

Maharashtra responded to the appeal and Mahayuti got a resounding success, he added.

"Between 2019 and 2024, the way I was targeted by my opponents, people sympathised with me. I thank my critics for spoiling the atmosphere as it created sympathy for me. The state has seen my work without bias of caste and region," he said.

Attempts to polarise the society were foiled as people became united, the CM said.

Fifty per cent votes were polled by the Mahayuti, he said.

''I am a modern-day Abhimanyu. I can break the chakravyuh. The credit goes to my party and my colleagues," he said.

He asked the Opposition to beware of those using them to spread anarchy in the country.

Some organisations, which were declared as the frontal organisations of urban Naxals by the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and the Manmohan Sngh government at the Centre, participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he alleged.

"Their aim is to create confusion among people about the constitutional bodies in the country. This is not about questioning your patriotism, but you should realise who is using you,'' Fadnavis said.

He said the Mahayuti government has to fulfil people's expectations as the massive mandate it has got has brought a lot of responsibilities.

"We will be working 24 /7 and ensure citizens of all castes and religions get benefits of development,'' he said.

All assurances and ongoing schemes will be implemented by the government, he said.

The December instalment of the Ladki Bahin scheme will be deposited in the bank accounts of eligible women by the end of this month, the chief minister stated.

"There will be no blanket checking of the beneficiaries, but only the cases where a single beneficiary has opened four to five accounts and where men have opened bank accounts instead of women to avail of the benefits of the Ladki Bahin scheme will be checked," he said.

He said his government will respond to the Opposition's criticism by its work and fight its fake narrative with a direct narrative.

"There are 10 states in the country that are competing with each other (to attract investment)...It is a competitive federalism...Investment projects are coming in all regions of the state. We are the number one state in foreign direct investment (FDI)," he said.

We have to stop extortionsts from being given political patronage, he said.

On the development projects, he said the fourth Mumbai will come up around the Vasai-Virar belt in Palghar, while the third Mumbai will be set up around the Atal Setu bridge.

The third airport (in the Mumbai metropolitan region) will come up around the proposed Vadhvan Port in Palghar, he said.

For the next five years, no electricity bills will be given to farmers, he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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India, China Arrive At 6 Consensus Points As Ajit Doval, Wang Yi Meet

India and China agreed on six points to resolve the border issue as National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Both sides agreed on the need to maintain peace and a commitment to continue seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution to the boundary issue. The consensus points also include cross-border tourism including in areas like Tibet and cross-border river cooperation and Nathu La border trade and resumption of Mansarovar Yatra.

This was the first Special-Representative level meet since the flare-up of incidents at the border. 

The meeting follows the bilateral between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit held in Kazan last month. It was the first significant breakthough amid the chill that had set in following the clashes in Ladakh's Galwan -- the worst in decades.

Today's meet was meant to oversee the management of peace at the border and explore a "fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question".

At the meet, the two sides agreed to continue to take measures to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations. 

During discussions both SRs also underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship.

They reaffirmed their "commitment to continue seeking a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable package solution to the boundary issue in accordance with the political guidelines agreed upon by the special representatives of the two countries".

Among other things the two sides also agreed to further refine the management and control rules in the border area, strengthen the building of confidence-building measures, and achieve sustainable peace and tranquility. 

The cross-border exchanges and cooperation will be strengthened and Indian pilgrims' pilgrimage to Tibet, China, cross-border river cooperation and Nathu La border trade will be resumed, the two sides agreed. 

India and China have also agreed to hold a new round of special representatives' meetings in India next year.

The disengagement, finalised in October, saw both India and China pull back troops from the two remaining friction points in Demchok and Depsang, after nearly four years of military standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Following the disengagement, both India and China are keen to build on this momentum and re-establish trust. The special representatives' talks, which are part of a long-established mechanism to address the border dispute, have been convened after a hiatus, with the last meeting held in 2019.

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Turkey-Made Drones Spotted Near Bangladesh Border, Meghalaya Alerts Centre

The Meghalaya government has alerted the Centre over the recent sighting of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) near the border with Bangladesh. This comes after the Turkey-made Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted near the border.

Prestone Tynsong, Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya, has said the Centre and state government are closely monitoring the situation, adding that the Border Security Force and the Indian Air Force have been alerted and New Delhi is keeping a close watch.

"We are keeping the Centre informed on this and they are also taking serious note of this...Centre also must take it up with the government of Bangladesh," Mr Tynsong said.

Meghalaya shares a 443 km border with neighbouring Bangladesh. However, the UAVs were recently spotted close to Sohra and Shella in the East Khasi Hills district, about 200 meters south of the zero line on the international border.

The Indian security agencies, including the Air Force, have intensified surveillance along the India-Bangladesh border.

Bayraktar is a medium altitude long endurance drone, used for conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The drone is also capable of carrying armed attack missions.

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