Cop who fired at Mumbai hostage-taker sensed 'real threat' due to accused's gun, presence of kids
Mumbai (PTI): The assistant inspector who fired at Mumbai hostage-taker Rohit Arya took the call since children were involved and the situation presented a "real threat", an official said on Friday.
Arya was killed on Thursday in a police operation mounted to free 17 children and two women, including a senior citizen, he had taken hostage inside R A Studio in Powai.
Arya was shot by Powai police station API Amol Waghmare, the official said.
"Waghmare had tried to speak to Arya urging him not to take any extreme step. But Arya pointed his gun at the officer and it was a real threat. In self defence, Waghmare fired at Arya, who, unfortunately, succumbed later. Waghmare and a constable were inside the first floor of the studio where the incident occurred. The constable was standing behind," the official said.
"In his complaint, he (Waghmare) has told police Arya pointed his gun at him and there were children around. Considering the situation presented a real threat, he opened fire. It has also come to light in the preliminary probe that there was some plan in his (Arya's) mind for a few months," the official added.
The official said the Crime Branch, which is probing the case, has collected the gun that was in Arya's hand.
"It is being sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis. It will also determine if firing took place from Arya's gun. All other evidence from the spot has been collected. It includes a foul smelling cloth. It needs to be verified if Arya poured some chemical on it to set it on fire," the official said.
The probe team is verifying information by speaking with persons involved in the project, he added.
Arya, originally from Anand in Gujarat, was staying in Pune and had shifted to Mumbai two months ago, he said.
"He is survived by his wife and 10-year-old son. His wife was in Ahmedabad at the time of the incident. Due to kin not being available in Mumbai, Arya's body was kept at state-run J J Hospital. Post mortem was carried out in the evening after his brother-in-law and other family members reached the hospital," the official said.
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Women's reservation must be implemented without being made contingent on delimitation: CM
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the Women's Reservation Bill is a long-overdue reform that must be implemented immediately within the existing framework, without being made contingent on delimitation.
Terming the delimitation as the political re-engineering at the cost of southern states, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said that these states will stand united, speak in one voice, and defend the true spirit of federalism.
The leaders' statements came a day before the Constitutional Amendment Bill with provisions on women's reservation implementation and delimitation was tabled in the Lok Sabha.
"You are right in highlighting the larger implications of the proposed delimitation approach and the concerns it raises for southern states. We wholeheartedly support the Women's Reservation Bill - it is a long-overdue reform that must be implemented immediately within the existing framework, without being made contingent on delimitation," Siddaramaiah said in a post on 'X'.
He was replying to his Telangana counterpart A Revanth Reddy's post on 'X' with a letter, urging the former to unitedly resist moves to push a pro rata model to increase Lok Sabha seats, which would be highly detrimental and inimical to the interests of southern states.
"Any exercise that reshapes political representation must be undertaken with utmost care. The Union Government must engage all states in a transparent and consultative process, and ensure that fairness, federal balance, and consensus guide this critical decision," Siddaramaiah added.
Shivakumar said that this is not a delimitation, but political re-engineering "at the cost of southern states".
"The proposal to increase Lok Sabha seats from 543 to 850 will systematically reduce the voice of the South, while rewarding unchecked population growth elsewhere. This is nothing but punishing progress and good governance," he posted on 'X'.
Clarifying that Congress fully supports women's reservation and in fact, it was party's top leader Sonia Gandhi's vision and commitment that brought this dream to the national agenda, the Deputy CM said, "We demand that it be implemented without linking it to delimitation or seat expansion."
"I urge the Union Govt to not hide behind women's empowerment to push a deely unfair political agenda. Rushing such a massive restructuring of India's democracy during elections, without transparency or consultation, is deeply suspicious and unacceptable," he said.
Asserting that India's strength lies in balance not domination, and in fairness, not manipulation, Shivakumar said, "The Southern states will stand united, speak in one voice, and defend the true spirit of federalism."
"We will not allow the South to be politically marginalised."
