Retired Merchant Navy officer held for raping woman in Nashik
Nashik, Mar 18 (PTI): A retired Merchant Navy officer was arrested in Nashik on Wednesday for allegedly raping a woman for over three years, police said.
Accused Ashokkumar Kharat, a self-proclaimed astrologer, had several leaders from Maharashtra politics visit him over the years.
Altogether 58 videos, including some objectionable clips, stored in a pendrive have been recovered from Kharat, who used to call himself “Captain”, police said.
Kharat, who is also the chairman of Shree Ishaneshwar Mahadev Temple Trust at Mirgaon in Sinnar taluka of Nashik district, allegedly sexually assaulted the 35-year-old complainant between November 2022 and December 2025.
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Citing the FIR, police said Kharat used to call the woman to his office located in the upscale Canada Corner area in Nashik, claiming his predictions pointed to “threats” to her husband’s life. He would allegedly offer her sedative-laced drinks and rape her.
Kharat has been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections concerning rape and criminal intimidation, and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, said officials.
Many politicians and well-known individuals had visited the astrologer in the past.
The then Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, accompanied by his cabinet colleagues Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Deepak Kesarkar, had met Kharat at the Mirgaon temple in November 2022.
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Rupali Chakankar, current chairperson of the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, had also visited him.
Though 58 video clips stored in a pendrive have been recovered from Kharat, a few are objectionable, said police. Many of the other videos in the pendrive feature Kharat’s interactions with politicians and prominent personalities, they said.
Police said an investigation is underway.
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High-rise curbs choking Bengaluru growth, says Shivakumar; seeks parity with other metros
New Delhi/Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said high-rise development in Bengaluru is being severely constrained due to restrictions imposed by civil aviation authorities and defence establishments, impacting the city’s growth and urban planning.
He said multiple zones around key aviation and defence facilities have stringent limits on building heights, making it difficult to accommodate the city’s expanding population and infrastructure needs.
“High-rise development in Bengaluru city is becoming increasingly restricted. We are unable to widen roads much either. On one side, there is HAL Airport, on another Kempegowda Airport, then Jakkur Airfield, and the Air Force base at Yelahanka. Because of this, high-rise construction is not permitted for several kilometres around these areas,” Shivakumar told reporters in Delhi.
He said the issue was raised during a meeting with Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, seeking relaxation of norms to bring Bengaluru on par with other metro cities.
Highlighting the impact of these restrictions, Shivakumar said even key projects have been affected.
“I had proposed a Skydeck project and worked on it for nearly two-and-a-half years, but eventually we had to shift it… HAL imposed restrictions, saying nothing can be done within a 20-kilometre radius,” he said.
He noted that despite the introduction of premium Floor Area Ratio (FAR), developers are unable to utilise it due to these curbs.
“We have introduced premium FAR, and developers are willing to pay, but they are unable to utilise it due to these restrictions. This is affecting both development and government revenue,” he said.
Pointing out disparities with other cities, he said, “In cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai, such restrictions are comparatively less. We have requested that Karnataka be given similar norms as other states, allowing greater building heights.”
The Deputy CM said the Centre has assured a review of the issue in coordination with defence authorities.
“They are addressing it step by step… They said this problem exists in many other states as well and assured a comprehensive approach. We are continuing to exert pressure,” he said.
He reiterated that large parts of Bengaluru, especially areas around HAL and Yelahanka, remain under tight control.
“HAL and Yelahanka also fall under such restrictions,” he added.
