High drama unfolded at Mantralaya, the state Secretariat in south Mumbai on Friday after some tribal leaders, including Maharashtra Assembly Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, jumped from the third floor of the state’s Mantralaya and got stuck on the safety net over the tribal quota issue.

Zirwal’s extreme move came amidst the ongoing protest against the ST (Scheduled Tribe) reservation demanded by the Dhangar community. 

Police present at the moment said nobody was injured in the incident. The protesters included two MLAs and an MP from the ruling Mahayuti alliance in the state.

Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar faction MLA Narhari Zirwal and Kiran Lahamate and BJP’s tribal MP Hemant Savara were among those who jumped from the third floor onto the safety net, that was installed in 2018 after a spate of suicide attempts at the secretariat.

After police personnel removed these leaders from the net, the tribal representatives then gathered in the ground floor passage and began a sit-in claiming that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde was not meeting them to discuss the quota issue.

“I am an adivasi first and then an MLA and a deputy speaker,” Zirwal told reporters when asked what led him to resort to such a protest. “CM Shinde should meet the protesters,” he added.

BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar said Zirwal holds a constitutional post and there is no need to take such an extreme step.

Zirwal said the state government should offer protection to students who have been protesting since a fortnight against the halt to recruitment under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) in Maharashtra.

Dhangars, a different community from Dhangads, which already enjoy ST status. Dhangars are part of the shepherd community, which falls within the Other Backward Classes category. They hail from western Maharashtra and Marathwada region and have been demanding inclusion in the ST category.

The agitating Dhangars claim that they are the same as Dhangads and are subsequently demanding a similar status.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of victims who died in a road accident in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur on Friday.

“The road accident in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh is extremely painful. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in it. May God give them strength to bear this pain. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

The Prime Minister said that under the supervision of the state government, the local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way.

According to police, as many as ten people were killed and three injured when a truck collided with a tractor-trolley carrying labourers in the district early Friday.

Mirzapur Superintendent of Police Abhinandan said the incident occurred around 1 am on G T Road between Kachhawan and Mirzamurad areas on the Mirzapur-Varanasi border.

“The tractor trolley, carrying 13 labourers who were returning from construction work in Bhadohi district, was hit from behind by the truck that had gone out of the driver’s control,” the police officer said.

“Of the 13 injured, 10 died while the three others were taken to the hospital at the IIT-BHU, where their condition is stated to be normal,” the officer said.

The prime minister has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (PM’s National Relief Fund) for the next of kin of each deceased in the road accident in Mirzapur, UP. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also announced a similar compensation for the kin of the deceased.

Adityanath expressed condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased and directed the district administration officials to ensure proper treatment for those injured, wishing them a speedy recovery.

A case has been registered at the Kachhawan police station and further legal proceedings are underway, SP Abhinandan added.

The officer said that authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances leading to the accident.

According to the police, those killed were Bhanu Pratap (25), Vikas Kumar (20), Anil Kumar (35), Suraj Kumar (22), Sanohar (25), Rakesh Kumar (25), Prem Kumar (40), Rahul Kumar (26), Nitin Kumar (22), Roshan Kumar (17), PTI reported.

Three injured hospitalised in Varanasi were Akash Kumar (18), Jamuni (26) and Ajay Saroj (50). All of them were residents of Varanasi district, the police added.

Telugu actor Nagarjuna Akkineni, father of actor Naga Chaitanya, has lodged a complaint against Telangana minister Konda Surekha after she made defamatory and derogatory comments regarding his son’s divorce from actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

The Telangana minister sparked controversy on Wednesday after she accused Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader KT Rama Rao of engineering Naga Chaitanya and Samantha’s separation. Surekha claimed that Rao lured Samantha into drug addiction and later blackmailed her.

“It was KT Rama Rao who caused Samantha’s divorce. He was a minister at the time and tapped the phones of actresses to exploit their weaknesses. He turned them into drug addicts. Everyone knows this… it’s no secret,” she alleged.

Nagarjuna, in his complaint filed in Hyderabad’s Nampally district, accused Congress leader Konda Surekha of deliberately spreading false allegations, fully aware of their untruth, with the sole aim of tarnishing his personal, professional, and family reputation.

“The statement was made with malicious intent, designed to convey falsehoods to the public at large, with the purpose of harming the complainant and his family’s reputation for political gain and sensationalism,” the complaint stated. It further emphasised that “these actions constitute a criminal offence.”

“I strongly condemn the comments of the Honorable Minister Mrs. Konda Surekha. Don’t use the lives of movie stars who stay away from politics to criticize your opponents. Please respect other people’s privacy. As a woman in a responsible position, your comments and accusations against our family are completely irrelevant and false. I request you to withdraw your comments immediately,” Nagarjuna said Wednesday in a post on X.

This is the second legal notice that the Congress leader has received regarding her remarks. KT Rama Rao has also issued a defamation notice, accusing her of engaging in “disgusting and nauseating politics,” and calling for action from her party leader, Rahul Gandhi.

Surekha’s comments have sparked significant controversy, as both Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya are prominent actors. Naga Chaitanya, a member of the influential Akkineni family in the Telugu film industry, and Samantha have both responded sharply to the politician’s remarks.

Reacting to the Minister’s remarks, Samantha said that her divorce was amicable, with no political conspiracy involved.

“My divorce is a personal matter, and I request that you refrain from speculating about it. Our choice to keep things private doesn’t invite misrepresentation. Could you [Surekha] please keep my name out of political battles? I have always remained non-political and wish to do so,” she said.

“I hope you realise that your words carry significant weight as a minister,” the Family Man 2 actor said.

Her ex-husband, Chaitanya, took to X to share that their divorce was a mutual decision considering the difference in their life goals.

“However, there have been various baseless and completely ridiculous gossip on the matter so far. I have remained silent all this while out of deep respect for my earlier spouse as well as my family. Today, the claim made by Konda Surekha garu is not only false but also absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable. Women deserve to be supported and respected. Taking advantage and exploiting the personal life decisions of celebrities for the sake of media headlines is shameful,” he said in a post on X.