Auto driver rapes Pune woman, held

25/11/2015

PUNE : An NGO worker was allegedly raped by the driver of an auto-rickshaw she had hired to go to New Sangvi police station to lodge a complaint against her live-in partner.

The incident took place on Sunday night after the staff at the Sangvi police station asked the woman to return home and approach the New Sangvi police chowki the next day as she was reportedly under the influence of alcohol. But the 40-year-old asked the auto-rickshaw driver to take her to the New Sangvi police chowki instead. However, he allegedly drove her to a secluded place and raped her.

Later, a rape case was registered with the Sangvi police station and the accused nabbed. Police identified the auto driver as Umesh Ravindra Sarkariya (28), a resident of New Sangvi. A local court remanded Sarkariya to police custody.

“The victim remembered that the driver was a tall person with wheatish complexion. Our teams zeroed down on auto-rickshaw drivers operating in Sangvi area during night and nabbed Sarkaraiya,” said senior police inspector Dilip Naukudkar of the Sangvi police station.

An inquiry has also been ordered against the staff at the Sangvi police station. “…They should have ensured she reached home safely,” said an officer.

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Pune to host mega superbike congregation

25/11/2015

PUNE : The fifth edition of India Superbike Festival (ISF), one of the largest superbike gatherings, is set to take place at Amanora Park Town on December 5 and 6. A brainchild of city-based biker Amol Talpade, ISF began in 2012 with 200 bikes, progressing to nearly 3,000 bikes this year.

As it only allows bikes of 600 cc and above, the festival attracts bike lovers from different parts of the world. In its first edition, it had pulled a crowd of one lakh people; in 2013, the number of bikes increased by 300 and the number of visitors by one lakh. Last year, five lakh people gathered to see 900 bikes, Talpade said.

As many as 20 biking groups from India are going to participate in the festival and 15 of them are from Maharashtra alone. “India’s first superbike club was started in Delhi, followed by one in Pune. Today, the city has nearly 12 different biker groups and has become the capital of premium bikes in India,” Talpade further said.

 “This year, ISF will display the bikes of renowned manufacturers like Suzuki, Triumph, Indian Motorcycles, Harley Davidson, Benelli, Hyosung, Aprillia, Motoguzzi, Vespa, TVS and Mahindra. In addition, there will also be brands like Cafe Racer, Adventure Moto, Biking Superstore and Atmosphere India. There are many bikers who spend 20 lakh on a bike and another 20 lakh on accessories. So we’re emphasizing on that aspect as well,” Talpade added.

Competitions like the best accessorised motorcycle, king of burnouts, loudest motorcycle in different categories such as 600 cc to 800 cc, 800 cc to 1000 cc and more than 1000cc will also be held at the venue. “The response to the festival is immense from Tamil Nadu to Punjab and from Gujarat to West Bengal. We even have participants from UK and Dubai,” Talpade said. There will also be a vintage bikes arena where over 100 classic bikes will be exhibited. Until 2014, ISF was being held inside the town centre. However, due to the expansions, it has been shifted to Amanora Park Town.

Asked about RTO’s recent directives to fine bikers who contribute to noise pollution, Talpade said that neither ISF nor the participating members promote noise pollution and they’re limited to only competitions at the arena. “Also, evidence shows that due to the sound of super bikes, there are less accidents as people get aware about the bike’s presence when it is far. This is also a good opportunity to make bike lovers aware about safety precautions taken by professional stunt groups,” Talpade added.

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Pune court admits petition seeking ban on Bajirao Mastani

25/11/2015

PUNE : A city-based resident has filed a case against Bajirao Mastani’s creators on grounds of gross distortion of history.

Firoze Mohammad Shaikh has filed a case against Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the film’s director-producer as well cast members including, actresses Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone who essay the roles of Kashibai, the Peshwa’s first wife and that of Mastani, respectively.

The petition takes particularly strong objection to the recently released song ‘Pingaa’, which it alleges incorrectly portrays the characters of Kashibai and Mastani. It further demands a complete ban on the release of the film, scheduled for December 18, in Pune and across Maharashtra.

It claims that the song was offensive to Marathi culture and degrading to a Marathi lady.

The case was admitted in a local court which claimed that the filmmakers had tweaked ‘facts’ under the pretext of artistic licence.

“The film is an insult to the glorious history of Bajirao Peshwa and a total misrepresentation of his person,” claimed the petition. According to criminal lawyer Wajed Khan-Bidkar, who filed the complaint on behalf of Mr. Shaikh, the complaint was not to garner publicity, but to prevent such filmmakers from making imaginary, fictitious films, by which the emotions of lakhs of people may be hurt.

“We will be submitting historical evidence as well as several letters from the successors of the Peshwas to prove misrepresentation in the name of creativity,” said Mr. Bidkar.

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IIT boy Abishek Pant from Pune lands Rs 2-crore dream job in Google

PUNE: City youth Abhishek Pant, a final-year computer science student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur, has bagged a job with a whopping Rs 2-crore annual package, including stock option, at Google Inc.

The 22-year-old, who finished a three-month internship at Google California earlier this year, went through another rigorous round of interviews before being absorbed into the design solutions cell. A city topper in the CBSE Std X exams, Pant was born and brought up in the US before his family shifted to Pune in 2006. He will now return to the US to pursue his career. 

When the family moved to Pune, his parents were quite worried about how he would adapt to the Indian education system. Their main challenge was to convince Pant about the need to sit through three-hour exams. Pant, however, responded well to his parents' efforts and focused on his studies. The result was evident when he secured 97.6% marks in Std X to make his parents and his teachers at Delhi Public School proud. Pant said, "The journey from Pune to Kharagpur and Kharagpur to Google Mount View in California has been quite exciting. I had a great experience working there as an intern. A job offer is the icing on the cake." 

He had to initially clear two rounds of technical interviews over the phone for the internship. "As part of the process, I had to do coding in a Google document. I was further interviewed by the project manager. I cleared the third interview as well, and my internship began in May." At the end of the internship, Pant was offered the job, for which he had to go through another set of interviews. He will join the company in September next year. 

He has not been assigned any project as yet, but will work with the design solutions team on the best way to solve problems raised by users. "I am looking forward to working on new and interesting engineering challenges, and to working with a smart and talented team," he said.

Besides work, Pant is also looking forward to the great variety of food on offer on the company's premises. He said, "Google offers employees tasty, healthy and free breakfast, lunch and dinner from a wide variety of cuisines such as American, Mexican, South American, Japanese and Italian. They even have a dedicated Indian cafeteria. One of my activities during the internship was to try out all of these cuisines."

Shantanu Das, assistant registrar at the career development centre, IIT-Kharagpur, said this pre-placement offer was a great opportunity for Pant. "We have had placements from Google and Microsoft this year, besides other placements in Amazon, Deutsche Bank and AdHoc, among others. There have been offers in the range of Rs 19 lakh to Rs 30 lakh per annum," Das added. 

Sources in IIT-Kharagpur said that it would not be possible to say whether the package offered to Pant was among the highest offered to their students. They said the institute has stopped looking at the annual package amounts students receive, as it tends to shift students' focus from education to the remuneration instead.

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Bus mows down four motorcyclists

PUNE, November 15: By his rash driving a bus driver mowed down four motorcyclists today early morning on Pune-Bengaluru highway near Dukkar Khind.

Giving details of the incident, Warje police said, a bus driver Sahdev Dnyanoba Shinde (30, Kargil Society, near SBI Bank, Warje Malwadi) killed at least four persons by his careless driving. The deceased were identified as Sarang Tanaji Kale (22, Waghjainagar, Jain Temple, Katraj), Shankar Tanaji Didkar (25, Ichalkaranji, Dist.  Kolhapur), Vinod Kuber Bharathi (25, Pashan), Chandrakant Balasaheb Jadhav (22, Ichalkaranji, Dist. Kolhapur). We have arrested the accused Sahdev Shinde and filed a case against him under IPC 279, 304 (A), 427 and section 184, 119/177 under Motor Vehicle Act  We are investigating the case further, added Warje Police.

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Piaggio Motoplex in Pune

Piaggio Motoplex multibrand concept store opens in Pune

PUNE: The first of its kind in South East Asia, the Piaggio Motoplex store brings Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and Vespa two-wheelers under one roof.

Piaggio, the Italian automotive conglomerate, has formally opened its Motoplex concept store in Pune, Maharashtra. Pegged to offer customers more than just a dealership experience, the flagship store will offer three of Piaggio’s flagship brands, viz. Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, and Vespa. Piaggio has also opened Motoplex stores in major metropolises around the world like Milan, New York City, Shanghai and Beijing.

Unveiled by Stefano Pelle, Managing Director, Piaggio India, the two floor showroom in the posh Pune locality of Yerawda had an array of delectable Italian machines on display for the press and public. The cynosure of all eyes was the Aprilia RSV4 RF superbike, a track-honed machine with 200 PS on tap and the latest electronic gadgetry to keep things rubber side down. Its semi-faired sibling, the Tuono, was also on display, as was the SRV 850 maxi-scooter. Missing in action but also offered in India is the Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally, a 125 adventure touring machine.

Moto Guzzi may not be as popular a name in the country as its other siblings, but it nevertheless is a marquee with a chequered history as revered as any other European manufacturer. It was represented at the Motoplex store by the California and Eldorado, two stylish cruisers, and the Audace, a power cruiser, all powered by the unique longitudinally-mounted V-Twin engines that have become a signature feature of Moto Guzzis.

The last of the trio, Vespa, is a brand that already has a presence in the country, firstly having tied-up with LML, and later having gone it alone. It was represented at the launch by the Vespa VXL and SXL duo. 

Speaking at the launch, Stefano Pelle, Managing Director of Piaggio India said, “We are very happy to launch South Asia’s first Motoplex store in India. The Motoplex store is a futuristic concept that enables a dealer to leverage more brands and products within the same retail space. The Motoplex formula is the realization of the broader vision of the Piaggio Group in the field of offering its vehicles and developing a closer relationship with its customers and potential customers. Not only is this a showroom for Vespa, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia and Piaggio motorcycles and scooters, but it is also a fascinating experience of the renowned style, technology and heritage of two-wheeled vehicles which are proudly 'Made in Italy'. We'll launch more of these stores in the future, all over the subcontinent".

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