Singer Sonu Nigam pushed, his 2 colleagues manhandled at Mumbai event; FIR against MLA's son
Mumbai (PTI): Noted singer Sonu Nigam was pushed and his two colleagues manhandled allegedly by the son of an MLA during a scuffle over taking a selfie with the singer at a musical event in Mumbai, police said on Tuesday.
A colleague of Nigam was injured in the incident which took place at Chembur Gymkhana on Monday night after the singer's live performance, an official said.
A video of the incident later surfaced on social media platforms.
Based on a complaint filed by Nigam, the Chembur police registered an FIR against Swapnil Phaterpekar, the son of local Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Phaterpekar, under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), the official said.
According to Nigam's complaint, he and his colleagues were leaving the stage after the performance when a man, later identified as Swapnil Phaterpekar, came from the back and caught hold of the singer.
The accused apparently wanted to take a selfie with the singer.
As per the complaint, Nigam's colleague Hari Prakash tried to stop the accused and took him aside. However, the accused allegedly manhandled Prakash due to which he fell down from the stage, the official said quoting the complaint.
The accused then pushed Nigam due to which he also fell on the stairs, as per the complaint.
When Nigam's another colleague Rabbani Khan came forward to help him, the accused allegedly manhandled him also. Khan, too, fell down, said the complaint.
The support staff present near the stage then came forward and stopped the accused, an official from Chembur police station said.
Khan, who received injuries, was taken to a private hospital in Chembur, he said.
Nigam went to the Chembur police station in the early hours of Tuesday, recorded his statement and filed a complaint against the accused, the official said, adding a probe was underway into the case.
Later, the accused's sister in a tweet said on behalf of the organisers, they have officially apologised to Nigam and his team for the unpleasant incident.
She said while Nigam was being hurriedly ushered off the stage after delivering his performance, her brother was trying to take a selfie with the singer.
"Due to the rush & furore, there was a commotion that ensued," she tweeted.
Singer #SonuNigam & his team were pushed in a music event in #Chembur #Mumbai during his exit for taking a selfie. After the x-ray Sonu Nigam was discharged as there were no injuries. No connection with local MLA Prakash Phaterpekar as per the sources as he only invited him pic.twitter.com/FlR6s44JPH
— Ashish Tiwari (@ashishtiwaritv) February 20, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
