Police and public vehicles were reportedly set ablaze by the mob as violent clashes erupted between two groups outside a temple in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Wednesday night, reports said.

As per reports, an altercation between two groups escalated outside a Ram Temple in Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and resulted in the two sides hurling stones at each other as more people joined the clashes.

According to the police the mob also set ablaze several police and public vehicles outside the temple and the police had to fire tear smoke shells to pacify the situation and disperse the mob.

A senior official said that four people who sustained injuries in the incident and were hospitalized, have been discharged after receiving medical attention.

He said that fire services were called to the scene to douse the burning vehicle and a heavy deployment of police personnel has been made and security beefed up to prevent any riots or untoward incidents from taking place.

CP Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Nikhil Gupta told news agency ANI that a clash broke out between two groups in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s Kiradpura area during which stones were pelted by both sides and the mob torched some private and police vehicles.

The officer said the police was compelled to use force and fire tear gas shells to disperse the rioters and the situation is peaceful, adding that strict action will be taken against the miscreants.

The senior officer said all the “miscreants” have been removed and situation is under control while also appealing the people to maintain calm and peace.

In a video shared on Twitter, AIMIM’s National Corporator Mohammed Naseeruddin Twitter said that Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel went to the Ram temple following which false news was spread that the temple was attacked by some miscreants.

Police and local administration have appealed the people to maintain calm and not to believe rumors.

A Gujarat sessions court, Wednesday, overturned a lower court sentence and conviction of Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani and nine others in a case of unlawful assembly for taking out a public rally without the permission of the police in 2017.

Setting aside the lower court judgement, a sessions court in Mehsana district observed that debates and bona fide criticism of government actions are essential for the existence of democracy while also quoting former US President Abraham Lincoln: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God, cannot long retain it.”

The sessions court in its judgement noted that the prosecution’s entire case was baseless and lacked any substance or evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge CM Pawar allowed the appeal of Jignesh Mevani, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Reshma Patel, and others against the May 2022 order of a judicial magistrate court which had convicted and sentenced them for three-months in jail under sections 143 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In July 2017, an FIR was lodged against Dalit rights activist Jignesh Mevani and others at the Mehsana ‘A’ division police station for taking out an “Azadi march” in support of landless farmers of the area, without police permission, from Mehsana town to Dhanera in Banaskantha district.

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Mevani and other accused had sought permission from authorities to organise a rally under the banner of Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch to air grievances of members of the Dalit community.

Jignesh Mevani—a prominent Dalit leader—is also a working president of the Gujarat Congress.

An executive magistrate via an order June 27, 2017 granted the permission for the rally, however, it was rescinded on July 7 of that year on grounds of public disorder but Mevani and others persisted and went ahead with their planned rally leading to an FIR against them for unlawful assembly under section 143 of the IPC.

Mevani, at the time, was an independent legislator from Banaskantha district’s Vadgam and was reelected from the same constituency on Congress ticket in the December 2022 elections.

Justice Pawar in his ruling observed that “deliberations, discussions, debates and bona fide dissent against policies of government and even bona fide criticism of action of government are essential for the existence of democracy in the nation.”

The sessions judge also highlighted the misuse of power and process of law by authorities for suppressing the voice of people, and noted showing “dominance of power” is not unknown even in a democratic set up.

The judge noted that in a democracy elected leaders meant to serve the people not to rule them, adding that a democratic nation is duty-bound to “protect the rights of citizens without any fear of criticism for survival of the ethos of democracy in the nation.”

He observed that right of freedom will be nullified in a democracy if dissent or peaceful protest is branded as an offence.

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A first-year medical student, apparently stressed out due to examinations and studies, allegedly jumped to her death from the terrace of a government-run college in Pune on Wednesday morning, officials said.

According to the police, the deceased—a 21-year-old student at Pune’s government-run B J Medical College purportedly died of suicide after she jumped from the terrace of the Sassoon General Hospital, which is attached to the college on Wednesday morning.

A senior police official said the young student was distressed from the past few days to due pressure of examinations and studies and unfortunately resorted to taking such an extreme step, instead of seeking counselling and help.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil said the deceased, a first-year medical student, was apparently stressed due to the pressure of studies and was often found crying during the past three-four days.

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DCP Patil said the deceased girl’s parents had asked her to appear in exams even if she was unprepared which and even provided her psychiatric help and were by her side for the past three days.

The officer said her parents also took her to a psychiatrist for consultation and did not leave her side for the past week and also accompanied her to college on the fateful day, however, she somehow managed to give them the slip and went to the terrace of Sassoon General Hospital where she jumped to her death.

The victim sustained grievous injuries in the fall and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she succumbed to her injuries, the officer said, adding that prima facie, the case is being treated as a suicide, however, no suicide note was recovered from the scene.

Officer Patil said a case of suicide and accidental death has been registered in this regard and further investigation is ongoing.

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