News Reporter

The State Home Department in Maharashtra is gearing up for a significant overhaul of its top police leadership, including the position of Director General of Police (DGP) and Police Commissioners of Nagpur and Thane. The impending retirement of the current DGP, Rajnish Seth, on December 31 has prompted the department to commence the process of selecting his successor.A top rank official said that several prominent names have emerged as contenders for the esteemed position of State DGP. The frontrunner is Senior IPS Officer Rashmi Shukla, who currently serves as the Director General (DG) of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar is also a strong candidate for the role. Other notable contenders include Thane CP Jaijeet Singh, DG ATS Sadanand Date, DG Police Housing Sandeep Bishnoi, DG Railway Pradnya Sarvade, Additional Director of NIA Atulchandra Kulkarni, and DG State Security Corporation Bipin Kumar Singh, he said. He further stated that the State Home ...

CP Amitesh Kumar Commissioner of Police (CP) Amitesh Kumar had always been a man of action, and his tenure in Nagpur was no exception. Over the course of three years, he had brought a remarkable transformation to the city’s law enforcement. The Monday morning after his third anniversary in office found him sitting behind his desk, a rare moment of relaxation for the hardworking officer.His three-year tenure, marked by a remarkable crackdown on criminals and a significant reduction in murders. Kumar took a bold stand against criminals, detaining a staggering 150 criminals under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA) and initiating action under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against 204 notorious history-sheeters. These decisive actions sent a clear message to criminals operating in Nagpur. One of Commissioner Kumar’s most significant achievements was the 35 per cent reduction in murder cases in 2022. When asked about the reason behind this ...

DCP Mummaka Sudarshan THE growing menace of drug addiction is leaving a trail of devastation on many lives in the city. As the youth find themselves in the clutches of narcotics, their promising futures are being overshadowed by a dark and insecure path. In response to this alarming situation, the Nagpur police have launched an aggressive campaign known as “Operation Narcos,” taking aim at drug addicts and smugglers in a bid to restore hope and safety. In this background, on the eve of the International Day Against Drug Abuse, I caught up with Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Detection, Mummaka Sudarshan, who threw light on the severity of the drug consumption scenario in Nagpur and the comprehensive offensive launched by the Nagpur Police. “The consumption of drugs has reached alarming levels in Nagpur,” remarked DCP Sudarshan, citing the concerns voiced by various segments of society. He further revealed that the most prevalent contraband substances among the city’s youth are Ganj...

In the first three months of this year, there have been 8,123 cases of overspeeding on the roads of Nagpur, with a staggering 7,968 cases registered against car drivers and just 61 cases against motorcycles, according to statistics from the City traffic police. The population of two-wheelers is around 15 lakh while the population of four-wheelers is around two lakhs. The disproportionate number of overspeeding cases against cars has led to concerns of bias in the enforcement of traffic laws. Experts have suggested that the traffic police may be focusing disproportionately on cars while neglecting to enforce laws against motorcyclists who are also speeding. Ravindra Kaskhedikar, Secretary of Janakrosh and member of National Road Safety Council, said that it is visible on the city streets that two-wheeler riders are indulged in overspeeding. “If they are not penalized by the police, the overspeeding on the streets would not stop,” he said. It is important for law enforcement agencies to ...

With an aim to carry out logistic operations in the Himalayan frontier, an Untethered Multi-copter payload, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The UAV is capable of flying in the Himalayan environment with 5 kg of payload and even dropping bombs in the enemy areas. The multi-copter was displayed by DRDO at the 108th Indian Science Congress. Mahesh Shahu, an official of DRDO, informed ‘The Hitavada’ that successful trials of the multi-copter were conducted at Sikkim at 14,000 altitude. The product would be ready for induction in the forces after two remaining successful trials, he said. The DRDO has developed the multi-copter with payload capacity from 5 kg to 25 kg and working on to increase the capacity upto 30 kg, he stated. The multi-copter has an onboard Li-ion battery bank. Advantage of the multi-copter is that it has high payload capacity and endurance of 30 minutes. It can carry out autonomous missions with wa...

A rat with a mounted camera on his head would help Indian armed forces in Intelligence Surveillance and Recovery (ISR) operation by entering the enemy territory soon. Scientists of DRDO’s Young Scientist Laboratory (DYSL-AT) created intelligence-augmented rat cyborgs controlled via a wireless micro-stimulator. The Rat cyborgs are undergoing Phase-I trials at DRDOs’ laboratory, informed P Shiva Prasad, Director of DYSL-AT on Thursday. P Shiva Prasad told mediapersons after the plenary session that the rat would be maneuried with electronic commands through semi-invasive brain electrodes. “This is the first time India has engaged in developing such technology,” he said, adding that some foreign countries already have the technology. In Phase-I, the operator always gives commands for all the turns and the rite will go accordingly. In Phase-II, the scientist can actually feed an image to the camera. When the rat finds the image in the camera it will stay there. He gave an example of the 26...

The proceedings at Legislative Council were stalled by Opposition benches demanding Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar’s resignation over an illegal land regularisation order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe adjourned the house for the day due to the uproar. The High Court stayed Sattar’s order of regularising 37 acres of gairan land (grazing land) in Washim district for private use. Taking cue from the High Court’s order, Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Ambadas Danve raised the issue under Rule 289 of Council. He said, “Sattar illegally alloted the land when he was the Minister of State for Revenue in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.” The allotment took place on June 17, 2022 overruling orders of District Court and District Collector, stated Danve. Sattar illegally allotted plots, sand contracts, Agricultural Produce Market Committee at Ratnagiri, Aurangaba...