Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): After the National Investigation Agency (NIA), now the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) will be seeking custody of Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze, in connection with the investigation into the Mansukh Hiren death case, top sources of ATS confirmed.
As per sources, the ATS will oppose the anticipatory bail application of Sachin Waze in Thane Sessions Court today.
Waze had moved Thane Sessions court seeking anticipatory bail.
Meanwhile, the NIA on Wednesday confirmed that the person, seen in a CCTV grab walking near Mukesh Ambani’s residence on the night of February 25 when an explosive-laden vehicle was found, was Sachin Waze.
NIA was investigating a CCTV visual that surfaced on Monday showing a person walking near Ambani’s residence, on the night an explosive-laden vehicle was found, wearing what initially seemed like a PPE (Personal protective equipment).
Waze was transferred to the Citizen Facilitation Centre at the Mumbai Police Headquarters after his name came up in the death case of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the vehicle that was found on Carmichael Raod outside Antilia on February 25.
Hiren was found dead in a creek on March 5 in Thane.
Waze was sent to NIA custody till March 25 on Sunday. He had on Saturday moved an anticipatory bail application at Thane District and Sessions Court.
The matter briefly came up for hearing on March 12 but the court refused to give Waze interim relief and issued notice to the state government and posted the matter for hearing on March 19. (ANI)

Parbhani (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): Eighteen years after the alleged custodial death of Khwaja Yunus in the 2002 Ghatkopar blast case, his mother Asiya Begum who continues to fight for justice alleges that the Maharashtra government did not help her in getting her son’s murderers punished and lashed out at it for reinstating into the police force, Sachin Waze who was suspended for his involvement in Yunus death case.
Speaking to ANI, Asiya Begum said, “I want to question the government on why was Sachin Waze reinstated into the police force even when our case is still in court? The government promoted him even though he is the murderer of Khwaja Yunus. We wrote to the government opposing his reinstatement but no action was taken. Sachin Waze was involved in many encounters. He also encountered Khwaja Yunus.”
Waze, was suspended in March 2004 after allegations of custodial death of Yunus. He resigned from the police force in November 2007 and in June 2020 was reinstated in the Mumbai police’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU).
“The government did nothing. We have been doing the rounds of the court for 17 years now but never got justice. We continue to fight for justice,” said Asiya Begum.
She further said, “All those who were taken into custody by the CID including Sachin Waze were freed. The government shouldn’t have done that. This will encourage them and send out a message that even if they kill anybody in fake encounters and get suspended they will be inducted into the police force by the government again.
“On one hand there are people like them, and on the other poor people like us who have been putting in all our resources on the lawyers, doing rounds of the court since 18 years to fight this case in a city like Mumbai. I feel like crying, even the government did not help us get justice and instead reinstated such cops on promotion,” stated his mother
Speaking about the Khawaja Yunus case she said, “Khwaja Yunus had come home from Dubai to celebrate Eid. After a few days, a bomb blast took place at the Ghatkopar railway station. The police arrested many children who were doctors and engineers and Khawaja Yunus was one of them. They conspired to frame him in the case and took him to Mumbai. A few days later they started beating him. He was not a criminal, he was an engineer and a well-educated child. Yet they beat him up so much that he died in police custody.”
Asiya Begum claimed that after Yunus’ death, the police declared that he had escaped. “Sachin Waze with the help of other police officers then burnt his body and never returned his body to us. What kind of justice is this? The government did nothing to get us justice,” she said.
She further asserted, “Today they killed my Khawaj Yunus, tomorrow they will kill someone else in a fake encounter and burn their body too. This government gives Rs 1 lakh for carrying out such encounters. If we do not get justice in the Bombay High Court, we will move the Supreme Court.”
“People say that I have turned 70 and I should now leave the case. Why should I leave the case? They killed Khwaja Yunus, burnt him inflicted so much pain on him in the jail and even tried to erase this case. Whenever our lawyer goes to court, those policemen never present themselves there. I will continue to fight for justice till the murderers of my son are nabbed and punished,” she added.
Yunus, a software engineer working in Dubai, was picked up from Marathwada’s Parbhani in December 2002 in connection with the blasts that took place in suburban Ghatkopar at that time.
While police had claimed that Yunus escaped in January 2003 after the vehicle in which he was being taken to Aurangabad met with an accident in Jategaon, a co-accused in the blast case Dr Abdul Mateen alleged that Yunus died in police custody.
While police filed a case in Parner police station over the “escape” of Yunus, the high court ordered the state CID to close the FIR as an inquiry had found it to be fake. The CID then filed a fresh FIR on the basis of the statement given by Mateen, who said that Yunus was tortured to death.
A Criminal Investigation Department inquiry indicted 14 policemen, but the government sanctioned the prosecution of only four for murder who were Sachin Waze, Rajendra Tiwari, Rajaram Nikam and Sunil Desai — for murder.
In February, the CID had approached the court seeking to put on trial former police officer Praful Bhosale and three others in the Khwaja Yunus custodial death case.
The CID filed the application a month after key prosecution witness, Dr Abdul Mateen, deposed before the trial court here that he had seen Bhosale, then assistant police inspector Hemant Desai, and two other policemen (identified only as “Vhanmane and Khot” in the plea) assaulting Yunus in the police lock-up.
Sachin Waze, was suspended in March 2004 after allegations of custodial death of Yunus. He was suspended along with 14 other cops at that time. Later, when his application for being reinstated was rejected, he resigned from the police force in November 2007 and joined the Shiv Sena in 2008.
In June 2020, he was reinstated in the Mumbai police’s Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU).
The reinstatement of Waze was challenged by Asiya Begum. She said that the reinstatement was contempt of the High Court’s 2004 order which had directed a disciplinary inquiry against him and three others.
In a hearing in the petition this January, the Bombay High Court sought to know from Asiya Begum, how she was personally affected by the reinstatement. The petition has now been kept for hearing on March 31. (ANI)

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], March 19 (ANI): The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Thursday organised a free medical health check-up camp and distributed free medicines during the ‘Civil Action Programme’ in Srinagar’s Nishat area.
The health camp was organised by the 54 Battalion of CRPF.
“Our medical camp is a means of reaching out to the general public. Our battalion will conduct this program at six locations across the valley,” said VP Tripathi, Commanding Officer, CRPF.
“We are providing treatment for common diseases, seasonal illnesses, and also if there is a need to involve expert, we are providing that,” he added.
Residents of the area appreciated the CRPF initiative.
A local, Sameer Ahmad Khan, after getting a check-up, said, “We are very thankful for this camp. The medicines are quite expensive outside. We have to spend Rs 1000-2000 on them. The doctors are also very good. People are getting check-ups done quite smoothly.”
Earlier, on Sunday, the 72 Battalion of CRPF had organised a free medical health check-up camp and distributed free medicines in Dangri Ashram village of Rajouri district. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): As many as 39,726 new COVID-19 cases and 20,654 recoveries were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Friday.
With the addition of fresh infections, the total cases in the country reached 1,15,14,331, including 2,71,282 active cases and 1,10,83,679 recoveries.
The death toll stands at 1,59,370 including 154 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours.
Maharashtra reported 13,601 new COVID-19 cases and 12,174 recoveries in the last 24 hours on Friday as per the Union Health Ministry. The state also reported 58 deaths in this period
While Delhi recorded 225 of 2,927 fresh cases of the deadly virus with 381 people have been discharged in the last 24 hours, out of 6,31,756 recoveries.
Punjab witnessed a total of 14,366 cases of coronavirus with 1,046 new cases in the last 24 hours today. As many as 1,84,848 people have been recovered from the virus and 1,291 discharged in the last 24 hours.
As many as 3,93,39,817 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the country so far.
As per the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 23,13,70,546 samples up to Thursday had been tested for the coronavirus. 10,57,383 samples were tested yesterday. (ANI).

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], March 19 (ANI): Maharashtra reported as many as 25,833 new COVID-19 cases and 12,764 recoveries in the last 24 hours on Thursday as per the state health department.
The state also reported 58 deaths in this period, taking the death toll to 53,138. The total number of cases in the state now stands at 23,96,340, including 21,75,565 recoveries, and 1,66,353 active cases.
Many districts in the state observed lockdown due to rising cases of coronavirus.
Pune reported 4,965 of the 25,833 cases in the last 24 hours yesterday. The district also reported 31 deaths in the said period, taking the death toll in the district to 9,486. The total number of cases in the district now stands at 4,53,532 including 4,14,086 recoveries, and 30,129 active cases.
In Aurangabad, a total of 1,557 fresh cases of the deadly virus were reported in the last 24 hours yesterday. It also reported 15 deaths taking the death toll in the district to 1,383. The total number of cases in the district now stands at 62,992 including 53,039 recoveries, and 8,570 active cases. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 19 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) parliamentary delegation is scheduled to meet the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday in Delhi at 12 noon.
The meeting will see discussions on important issues related to free and fair conduct of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly polls.
Saugata Roy, Yashwant Sinha, Md Nadimul Haque, Pratima Mondal, and Mahua Moitra will be representing the Trinamool Congress.
Yashwant Sinha, who had recently joined the Trinamool Congress, was appointed the Vice President of the Mamata Banerjee-led party ahead of the Assembly polls.
Elections to the 294-member state Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)