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Mumbai: In a shocking development, Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the murder of journalist-activist Gauri Lankesh and the Nalasopara arms and ammunition haul case, has won the Jalna Municipal Corporation (JMC) elections as an independent candidate.

Pangarkar emerged victorious from Ward 13 of the JMC, where he was pitted against the BJP. Notably, the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, which contested the Jalna civic polls independently, did not field a candidate in the ward.

Gauri Lankesh was shot dead outside her residence in Bengaluru on September 5, 2017. A prominent journalist and activist, she edited Lankesh Patrike, a Kannada weekly founded by her father P Lankesh, and later ran her own publication, Gauri Lankesh Patrike.

Pangarkar was granted bail by the Karnataka High Court on September 4, 2024, in the Lankesh murder case. Ahead of the October 2024 Assembly elections, he was inducted into the Shiv Sena and appointed chief of the party’s Jalna campaign. However, following intense criticism, then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde revoked the appointment.

A former municipal councillor in Jalna between 2001 and 2006 from the undivided Shiv Sena under late Balasaheb Thackeray, Pangarkar later became associated with right-wing organisations.

In August 2018, he was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in connection with the seizure of crude bombs and weapons in Nalasopara and booked under the Explosives Act, Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He is currently out on bail in both cases.

Soon after the election results were declared, Pangarkar’s supporters celebrated his victory.

After filing his nomination, Pangarkar had said he was returning to politics after a gap and had received an encouraging response from voters. “I have worked for the people earlier and have returned again,” he said, asserting that the cases against him had no bearing on the elections. “The matter is before the court. I stand before the nyay devta. There may be misunderstandings by agencies, but the court will decide. I am 100 per cent innocent,” he maintained, adding that the Lankesh murder case was unrelated to the civic polls and pertained to Karnataka.

Iranian security and intelligence forces have captured more than 470 individuals in three provinces, identified as key figures behind the recent wave of violent unrest and terrorist activities linked to foreign-backed networks.

The Intelligence Ministry's provincial office in Khorasan Razavi announced on Monday the arrest of 192 armed terrorists, identified as the main agents behind recent riots in the region. 

According to an official statement, the detainees were involved in the killing of several security personnel and civilians, setting fire to mosques, public service facilities, and buses, as well as attacks on military and law enforcement centers.

The seized items from the group include several bulletproof vests, Kalashnikov rifles, hunting weapons, Winchester rifles, and various cold weapons such as daggers, swords, brass knuckles, tactical knives, crossbows, and chains.

Evidence indicates that some of the individuals were tied to hostile movements and terrorist organizations, with links overseas. Others were identified as members of violent criminal gangs, actively taking part in the unrest alongside their associates.

Simultaneously, in the western province of Lorestan, the IRGC announced the arrest of 134 individuals as the main leaders and influential field agents of a US-Israeli terrorist network.

The IRGC statement stated that these individuals formed terrorist cells during the recent unrest, committing "Daesh-like" acts.

They wounded security forces with firearms and cold weapons, and burned and destroyed public and private properties, including mosques, shops, banks, and private and public vehicles.

In the northwestern province of Zanjan, the police reported detaining 150 people identified as principal leaders and agents behind recent riots.

Authorities noted that these individuals were responsible for destroying public and private property and intentionally setting fire to vehicles in the province's squares.

Their crimes include shedding the blood of innocent people, destroying public and private property, attempting to enter military sites, disrupting public order, and spreading terror among citizens.

A variety of cold weapons were reportedly seized from the detainees.

What began late last month as peaceful protests over economic hardship across Iran turned violent after public statements by US and Israeli regime figures encouraged vandalism and disorder.

During the unrest, foreign-backed mercenaries rampaged through cities, killing security forces and civilians and damaging public property.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot read only three lines from the 122-paragraph address prepared by the Congress-led state government while addressing the joint session of the Legislature on Thursday, effectively bypassing large sections critical of the BJP-led Union government.

The omitted portions of the customary Governor’s address outlined what the state government described as a “suppressive situation in economic and policy matters” under India’s federal framework. The speech also sharply criticised the Centre’s move to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, commonly referred to as the VB-GRAM (G) Act.

Governor Gehlot had earlier conveyed his objection to several paragraphs that were explicitly critical of the Union government. On Thursday, he confined himself to the opening lines — “I extend a warm welcome to all of you to the joint session of the State legislature. I am extremely pleased to address this august House” — before jumping directly to the concluding sentence of the final paragraph.

He ended the address by reading the last line of paragraph 122: “Overall, my government is firmly committed to doubling the pace of the State’s economic, social and physical development. Jai Hind — Jai Karnataka.”

According to the prepared speech, the Karnataka government demanded the scrapping of the VB-GRAM (G) Act, describing it as “contractor-centric” and detrimental to rural livelihoods, and called for the full restoration of MGNREGA. The state government argued that the new law undermines decentralisation, weakens labour protections, and centralises decision-making in violation of constitutional norms.

Key points from the unread sections of the speech:

•    Karnataka facing a “suppressive” economic and policy environment within the federal system

•    Repeal of MGNREGA described as a blow to rural livelihoods

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of protecting corporate and contractor interests

•    New law alleged to weaken decentralised governance

•    Decision-making said to be imposed by the Centre without consulting states

•    Rights of Adivasis, women, backward classes and agrarian communities curtailed

•    Labourers allegedly placed under contractor control

•    States facing mounting fiscal stress due to central policies

•    VB-GRAM (G) Act accused of enabling large-scale corruption