Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday warned the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government of protest from the Opposition if the cases against those who had protested in Badlapur against the alleged sexual abuse of two kindergarten girls are not withdrawn.

Addressing a press conference, Thackeray stated that the August 24 ‘Maharashtra Bandh’ called by the opposition bloc Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) was not a political move but a stand against perversion and encouraged people from all castes and religions to participate.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief emphasised that the bandh represents the voice of the people of the state.

Hitting out at the Shinde government’s handling of the Badlapur protest, Thackeray demanded the withdrawal of cases against the protesters or warned of taking to the streets.

Badlapur town in Thane district witnessed a massive protest after people took to the streets and even blocked railway tracks to denounce the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a male attendant at a local school.

The protest resulted in incidents of stone-pelting, causing injuries to at least 25 police personnel, and leading to the arrest of 72 individuals connected with the violence.

Thackeray urged strict adherence to the bandh until 2 pm, ensuring that emergency services remain functional. He stressed that people have the right to voice their grievances beyond elections, observing that when all legal avenues seem closed, the court of public opinion becomes the last resort for justice. The purpose of the bandh is to prompt the government to fulfill its duties diligently.

Highlighting the Bombay High Court’s active intervention in the alleged Badlapur incident, Thackeray mentioned that the court criticised the government and expressed that without strong public outrage, the machinery of the state may remain inactive.

Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred industrialist Anil Ambani, and 24 other entities, including former key officials of Reliance Home Finance from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company.

SEBI has fined Anil Ambani Rs 25 crore and barred him from associating with the securities market, including as a director or Key Managerial Personnel (KMP) in any listed company or intermediary registered with the market regulator for 5 years.

Additionally, Reliance Home Finance has been barred from the securities market for six months and fined ₹6 lakh. SEBI’s 222-page order revealed that Anil Ambani, along with RHFL’s key managerial personnel, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to divert funds from RHFL by disguising them as loans to entities linked to him.

Despite strong directives from RHFL’s Board of Directors to stop such lending practices, the company’s management ignored these orders, showcasing a significant failure of governance.

SEBI concluded that the company RHFL cannot be equally held responsible as the individuals involved in the fraud, noting that other entities played a role as recipients of illegally obtained loans or conduits enabling illegal diversion of funds.

SEBI’s findings also established the “existence of a fraudulent scheme, orchestrated by Anil Ambani and administered by RHFL’s KMPs, to siphon off funds from the public listed company (RHFL) by structuring them as loans to credit unworthy conduit borrowers, all found to be ‘promoter linked entities’ associated with Anil Ambani.

Anil Ambani leveraged his position as ‘chairperson of the ADA group’ and his significant indirect shareholding in the holding company of RHFL to commit fraud.

SEBI observed the cavalier approach of the company’s management and promoter in approving loans to companies with little to no assets, cash flow, net worth, or revenue.

This suggests a sinister objective behind the loans. The situation becomes even more suspicious when considering that many of these borrowers were closely linked to the promoters of RHFL.

At least 14 Indians lost their lives and 17 individuals sustained injuries after a passenger bus plunged into a river in Nepal on Friday.

The bus, registered in India and carrying around 40 passengers, plunged into the Marsyangdi River in the Tanahun district, 110 kilometers away from its intended destination in Kathmandu.

According to a senior police official, the bus, with the number plate UP (Uttar Pradesh) FT 7623, veered into the river and now rests on its bank.

The bus was on its way to Kathmandu from Pokhara at the time of the tragic incident. Rescue and relief efforts are currently in progress.

In a separate incident last month in Nepal’s Chitwan district, a catastrophic landslide swept two buses into the Trishuli River, resulting in the deaths of at least five Indian nationals.

On July 12, a landslide occurred in the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugling road in Chitwan district, causing two buses with 65 passengers, including seven Indians, to be swept away after heavy rainfall. Following the incident, three individuals managed to swim to safety.

As of now, the remains of five Indian citizens have been retrieved, while two individuals are still unaccounted for. Search teams have discovered a total of 25 bodies along the Narayani riverbanks and the Triveni Dam area, situated roughly 103 kilometers downstream from the site of the incident.

However, only 19 of the bodies found downstream have been positively identified as those missing from the tragedy.