Maharashtra Protests, Loan Panel and Statewide Updates

Farmers led by Bachchu Kadu staged a massive Nagpur tractor protest demanding loan waivers, prompting the Maharashtra government to meet protest leaders and announce a nine-member high-powered committee chaired by Praveen Pardeshi to examine farmer loan relief and submit recommendations by June 30, 2026. In Pune, a contractor lost Rs. 11 lakh to a viral “pregnant job” online scam that investigators say is part of a wider cyber-fraud network using fake videos and social-media lures; police have registered a case. The state government ordered schools to sing the full “Vande Mataram” from Oct. 31–Nov. 7 and hold historical displays to mark 150 years, a move that drew political controversy and objections from MLA Abu Azmi. Cricketer Shreyas Iyer is likely to be sidelined for about eight weeks after an on-field injury and could miss the upcoming South Africa ODI series and affect selection for the January 2026 New Zealand tour. A statewide ST bus breathalyzer drive found intoxicated employees in districts including Dhule, Nashik, Parbhani, Bhandara and Nanded; a report has been sent to Mumbai headquarters and officials said the action aims to improve passenger safety. In entertainment notes, Marathi TV actor Meghan Jadhav and actress Anushka Pimputkar have signaled their relationship and impending marriage, actress Kritika Sengar posted a tribute to the late actor Pankaj Dhir, and retrospectives recalled multiple fatal aviation accidents that occurred on Oct. 30 in history.