Archives for May 2019

Mysuru, May 10: In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old woman was allegedly gangraped by six men in front of her male friend near Lingambudhi Palya in Mysuru, Karnataka on Wednesday night.

The incident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday night when they were attacked by six perpetrators in Lingapura village. The duo has been admitted with grievous injuries at a local hospital.

Initial reports suggest that the unidentified attackers cornered the duo and brutally thrashed the boy with stone. They bludgeoned his foot with a heavy stone and then attacked the girl. The men then took turn to gangrape the girl.

When the woman raised an alarm, passersby came to their rescue and informed the Jayapura police. The accused immediately fled the scene.

According to the SP Mysuru, Amit Kumar Singh, the Jayapura police station came to know about the incident at 11 pm. After visiting the spot it was found that the girl was raped and her friend was assaulted.

Medical tests were conducted on the woman at ‘Gelathi’, an exclusive centre set up by the Department of Woman and Child Welfare on the premises of Cheluvamba Hospital to deal with such cases. She was treated as an out-patient and her condition is said to be stable. While her male friend, who suffered a fracture on his right leg, is undergoing treatment at K R Hospital in Mysuru.

According to the statement of the girl, she had gone to repay loan and en route they had stopped for a while when the incident took place. The spot was uninhabited.

Meanwhile, a case has already been registered and three special teams formed to nab the accused.

The Mysuru news comes at a time when the Alwar gangrape in distant Rajasthan has caused massive outrage. On April 26, the accused stopped the couple’s motorcycle on Thanagaji-Alwar road and beat the husband. They stripped the couple and raped the woman in front of her husband. One of accused also shot a video. The incident occurred on April 26. This all happened for nearly three hours.

According to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data in 2001 143795 incidents – rape, kidnapping and abduction, dowry deaths, assault on women with intent to outrage her modesty, insult to modesty of women, cruelty by husband or relative, importation of girls from foreign countries, immoral traffic act, dowry prohibition act, indecent representation of woman and Sati – were registered. While, 327394 cases of crime against women have been registered in 2015.

Agencies

New Delhi, May 10 : Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former batsman VVS Laxman on Friday came out in support of former cricketer and East Delhi BJP candidate Gautam Gambhir after AAP accused him of distributing offensive pamphlets against his rival Atishi Marlena.

Taking to Twitter, Harbhajan Singh and Laxhman vouched that Gambhir could never talk ill of any woman.
”Shocked to hear about yesterday’s developments. Having known Gautam Gambhir for nearly two decades, I can vouch for his integrity, character and the respect he has for women”, Laxman tweeted.

Earlier on Thursday, Harbhajan Singh also tweeted saying that ‘Gambhir could never talk ill of any woman’ and that he was above such acts of bringing humiliation to women.
”I am shocked to note yesterday’s events involving @GautamGambhir. I know him well and he can never talk ill for any woman. Whether he wins or loses is another matter but the man is above all this”, Harbhajan had tweeted .

Meanwhile, Cricketer-turned-politician Gambhir sent defamation notices to three senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders for allegedly accusing him of distributing derogatory pamphlets against Ms Atishi.

In the notice, Gambhir demanded an unconditional apology from the AAP leaders and asked them to withdraw their allegations against him.
On Thursday, AAP’s east Delhi candidate, Atishi had held a press conference alleging that Gambhir distributed a pamphlet containing “obscene and derogatory” remarks against her in the constituency.
Atishi broke down while reading a pamphlet containing demeaning remarks against her, which she alleged was distributed in the constituency by her rival Gambhir.
However, the Bhartiya Janata Party candidate denied the allegation in strong terms and termed it as a conspiracy by AAP against him. He also challenged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to prove the allegations leveled against him and said would quit politics if the charge is proven.

Later, Gambhir in a series of tweets slammed Kejriwal and accused him of outraging a woman’s modesty.

A day after AAP candidate from Delhi East Atishi accused her BJP opponent Gautam Gambhir of circulating pamphlets with derogatory and casteist remarks against her, the latter asserted that if proven guilty, he would request AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to draft his resignation letter, which he will tender publicly.

Speaking to ANI, Gambhir said he would retire from politics the day allegations against him are proven.

“If he has proof, then he must bring it today. My resignation would be written by Arvind Kejriwal and I will sign it publicly,” said Gambhir.

“If they have proof I am ready to take retirement from politics today itself. I will take retirement on May 23 if they come with proof but what if he doesn’t turn up with proof? Will he resign as Delhi Chief Minister and retire from politics?” he asked.

Gambhir went on to say that it is because of people like Kejriwal that “good” people don’t enter politics.

“You know why good people avoid entering politics? It is because of people like Arvind Kejriwal. They know they have to fight people like Arvind Kejriwal who can stoop to any low just for the sake of winning elections,” he said.

On Friday, Gambhir sent a defamation notice to Atishi, Kejriwal, and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, demanding an unconditional apology for making “defamatory” comments against him.

This came hours after Atishi, while addressing media in the national capital, claimed that pamphlets were being circulated with derogatory and casteist remarks against her.

“They have shown how low they can stoop. Pamphlet states that `she is a very good example of a mixed breed`,” Atishi had said.

Delhi, which has seven Lok Sabha seats at stake, will go to polls on May 12. Counting of votes will take place on May 23. East Delhi constituency will witness a triangular contest between Gambhir, Atishi and Congress’ Arvinder Singh Lovely. 

Agencies

Speaking exclusively to media, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that he does not harbour prime ministerial ambition and that he is confident that the BJP will form the next government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Gadkari also said that the NDA is not a one-man government and every minister has a voice in the decision-making process.

As the Union minister spoke on a host of other issues, he said that 2019 is not an election of regional parties as the polity is divided between the NDA and the UPA. 

“2019 is not 1996. Most of the regional parties will take a decision after the results come out and will align with either the NDA or the UPA. The federal front has no future,” he said.

Gadkari also took on the critics on the issue of the government interfering in the work of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He told WION that the RBI is not an autonomous institution as it works within the larger umbrella of the government. 

He added that the government has full right to advice and direct the RBI for the benefit of people. 

“We are the elected representatives. People will come to us in case of an economic downturn, so it becomes our responsibility to set things right when required,” said Gadkari.

Gadkari also openly defended the candidature of Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur who is contesting against Congress’ Digvijaya Singh from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. 

He said that Sadhvi has been a victim of a conspiracy hatched by the Congress which had spawned the myth of Hindu terrorism. “She is innocent and will win the elections from Bhopal,” he said.

He also spoke on the farm crisis and said that it is a result of the economic policies of the Congress. He said that the agricultural sector needs a lot of innovation and needs to respond to the new global economy. On the issue subsidy, Gadkari said that subsidy is required as the farm sector is under a tremendous strain.

Downplaying the role of the RSS in the government, Gadkari said that the RSS does not interfere in the work of the government. “It is a wrong perception,” he said.

Agencies