Thane court acquits man accused of throwing children from building
zThane (PTI): A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted a 33-year-old man accused of throwing two children from a building, killing one of them.
In his order on Tuesday, Principal District and Sessions Judge S B Agrawal said the case against Aasif Shabbir Khan lacked direct eyewitnesses and that it depended on a child’s testimony, which was inconsistent.
According to case papers, Khan allegedly threw five-year-old Sayyad Zohan Hussain and four-year-old Zenab Ansari from the second floor of a building in the Kausa area in February 2023. While Sayyad died, Zenab survived.
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The prosecution’s case primarily rested on Zenab's testimony and her disclosure to her mother. The children reportedly called the accused “phatakewala uncle” because he had distributed crackers to them during Diwali.
However, Judge Agrawal noted that the case had no direct eyewitnesses and relied heavily on the word of a child witness whose testimony became inconsistent under cross-examination.
The court pointed out a suspicious delay in reporting the incident and “the FIR itself appears to be an outcome of a concocted story”.
Judge Agrawal also took into account the defence’s submission that the building’s construction was incomplete and that the children may have fallen accidentally.
The court concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt and ordered that Khan be released forthwith.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
