Neighbours remember affable nature of security officer Jadhav, victim of Baramati air crash
Thane (PTI): Shock and grief swept through Vitawa locality in Thane's Kalwa area as news broke that Vidip Jadhav, a Personal Security Officer (PSO) to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, was among the five people killed in a plane crash in Baramati on Wednesday morning.
The aircraft carrying Pawar crashed at 8.50 am. There were no survivors.
Jadhav, a long-time resident of Vitawa, is survived by his parents, a 14-year-old daughter, and a nine-year-old son. His parents were away at their native place when the tragedy struck, and the family has since rushed to Baramati.
In the lane leading to Krishna Vihar, Jadhav's residence, shocked neighbours struggled to come to terms with the sudden death of a man they described as "warm and deeply respectful."
"I saw him leave for work around 6.30 am. Barely two hours later, we heard he was no more. I never thought this would happen," said , a neighbor.
Another resident, who had known Jadhav for nearly three decades, recalled their final encounter from Wednesday morning. "He waved in his usual friendly manner as he left for duty. It never crossed our minds that it would be the last time we saw him," the neighbour said.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
