Archives for February 2025

Mumbai Police in a special drive has arrested 27 Bangladeshi nationals who were staying illegally in India, an official said on Friday.

The drive was conducted across the city on Thursday, he said.

The arrested persons had entered India illegally and could not produce any valid documents, the official said.

All of them were booked under the Foreigners Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, he said.

As many as 353 illegal Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested by the city police in the last few weeks, and the drive will continue, the official said.

Deoria: A 52-year-old man allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl from his neighbourhood here in Uttar Pradesh’s Deoria when she came over to his house for an errand, police said on Saturday.

Hearing the girl’s screams, her mother rushed in where the man threatened her and fled, Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikrant Vir said about the incident that happened occurred on Friday. He was later arrested.

The girl’s mother gave a complaint to the police, and a case was registered against the accused under the relevant sections and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police sent the victim to Maharishi Devraha Baba Medical College Deoria for medical examination.

Police said the crime scene was inspected and the forensic team was called to collect all necessary evidence. Further legal action is being taken, they said.

Jaipur: Congress legislators continued their sit-in protest inside the Assembly and spent the night there against the suspension of six party MLAs, including Govind Singh Dotasra, following a protest in the House on Friday against a minister’s remarks on former prime minister India Gandhi.

Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully said that three ministers held talks with the senior MLAs last night but it remained inconclusive and the ‘dharna’ continued.

“We demand that the minister withdraw his remark. There have been precedents that words have been expunged but the government itself does not want to run the House, and therefore, the issue has been created,” Jully told reporters on Saturday.

He said that the party MLAs have been holding the ‘dharna’ in the House after the Speaker adjourned it on Friday after suspending six MLAs.

During the Question Hour on Friday, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot pointed to the opposition and said, “In the 2023-24 budget also, like always, you named the scheme (on working women’s hostels) after your ‘Dadi’ (grandmother) Indira Gandhi.”

The remark led to a heavy uproar in the House, which led to three adjournments.

Government chief whip Jogeshwar Garg moved a proposal to suspend Congress MLAs Govind Singh Dotasara, Ramkesh Meena, Amin Kagzi, Jakir Hussain, Hakam Ali and Sanjay Kumar, which was passed by voice vote.

After the proposal to suspend the six MLAs was passed, the Speaker adjourned the House till 11 am on Monday. Following the adjournment, the Congress MLAs started their sit-in in the House and spent the night there.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma

Jaipur: A prisoner from Dausa’s Salawas jail on Friday night allegedly threatened to kill Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, police said.

Police said that 29-year-old Rinku, serving life sentence in a rape case, called the Jaipur police control room and threatened to kill the chief minister.

Police traced the location of the mobile phone used to make the call to the Salawas jail. An intense search operation was conducted in the jail from 3 am to 7 am and the phone was recovered from the jail, police said, adding that the matter is being further investigated.

Mumbai: A case has been registered against renowned Bollywood producer and choreographer Farah Khan for allegedly making offensive remarks about the Holi festival.

The complaint was filed by Vikas Pathak, popularly known as Hindustani Bhau, through his lawyer Ali Kashif Khan Deshmukh at Khar Police Station on Friday. The legal action stems from comments made by Khan during an episode of Celebrity Master Chef aired on 20 February 2025.

The complaint alleges that Khan referred to Holi as a “festival of chapris,” with the term “chapri” being considered derogatory. The petitioner claims that Khan’s remarks hurt his religious sentiments and disrespected the Hindu community.

The case has been registered under Sections 196, 299, 302, and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Bhubaneswar: A third-year B-Tech Nepali student at a private engineering institute here allegedly died by suicide in her hostel, leading to campus tension following which a group of students from the Himalayan kingdom were evicted on Monday.

The deceased, identified as Prakriti Lamsal, was studying at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), the varsity’s registrar said.

As the situation escalated on campus, KIIT authorities allegedly evicted several Nepali students from the hostel and dropped them at Cuttack railway station without making any arrangements for their travel, sources said.

Some students claimed, “We had no food, water, or money to purchase train tickets.” Many students boarded the Puri-Patna Express train in a general compartment, unable to secure reservations.

However, the intervention of Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli offered some relief to the distressed students.

Oli posted on Facebook in Nepali, “It has come to our attention through media and social media that a Nepali student has died in a hostel of KIIT University in Odisha and that Nepali students have been forcibly evicted. The government is working on this matter through diplomatic channels and is in contact with the relevant authorities.”

Following his intervention, KIIT authorities appealed to Nepali students to return to campus.

“An appeal is made to all our Nepali students who plan to leave the campus to return and resume classes,” the university stated.

In a post on X, Oli said, “Our Embassy in New Delhi has dispatched two officers to counsel Nepali students affected in Odisha. Additionally, arrangements have been made to ensure they have the option to either remain in their hostel or return home, based on their preference.”

The incident gained further attention when the deceased’s cousin filed a complaint at Infocity police station in Bhubaneswar, alleging that his sister hanged herself in her hostel room on Sunday.

He claimed that a boy student at the university had been blackmailing his sister, which he believed led to her suicide.

KIIT authorities confirmed that the third-year B-Tech student had died by suicide in her hostel room on Sunday.

“It is suspected that the girl was having an affair with another student at KIIT, and she may have committed suicide for some reason,” the university said, adding that the matter was immediately reported to police.

Bhubaneswar DCP Pinak Mishra said, “We have registered a case at Infocity police station based on the allegation that a male student abetted her suicide. The accused student is in police custody and is being interrogated. Police have seized the mobile phone, laptop, and other gadgets of the deceased woman. We are undertaking a scientific investigation into the matter.”

Police sources mentioned that the accused, a KIIT student, was apprehended at Biju Patnaik International Airport on Sunday while attempting to flee the city.

The news of the Nepali student’s death spread quickly, causing hundreds of students, including those from the neighbouring country, to gather on the campus on Sunday night. They staged a demonstration demanding justice.

As tension mounted at KIIT, the university authorities held discussions with the agitating students. “In view of the situation, Nepali students have been sent to their respective homes. The situation remains calm at present,” the KIIT said in a statement.

Regarding the eviction of Nepali students from the hostel, KIIT clarified, “The administration made extensive efforts, engaging in counseling and discussions for over 10 hours to manage the situation peacefully. However, despite their best attempts, some protestors were unwilling to listen to the university authorities and continued to create disruptions, posing a challenge to law and order. They also blocked the main public road for hours, causing inconvenience and escalating tensions.”

The university further added, “To ensure a smooth and unbiased investigation, Nepali students have been advised to return to their respective places voluntarily with the help of local guardians until the local inquiry is completed. The students are encouraged to return to the campus and will participate in normal academics, which will be restored very soon. Their academic aspects will not be disturbed during this period and will be taken care of by the university.”

As a result, the temporary suspension of academic classes and hostel accommodations was immediately lifted. “This step has been taken purely to maintain peace and ensure that justice is served appropriately,” KIIT authorities said.

To maintain order on the campus, two platoons (each platoon consisting of 30 personnel) of police were deployed. The police also sealed the deceased student’s room and kept her body in the mortuary until her parents arrived.

Students from different states also alleged that they were not allowed to leave the hostel by private security guards.

A video showing a scuffle between male students and security guards went viral on social media, but PTI could not independently verify the video’s authenticity.

In another viral video, some female officials of the university were heard telling the girls, “Pack up and leave the hostel immediately.”

KIIT authorities are yet to comment on the students’ allegations that they were not allowed to leave the hostel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi receives The Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani upon his arrival in India

New Delhi: Extending a rare gesture of hospitality, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday went to the airport to receive Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who arrived here on a two-day a visit to India this evening.

The Amir is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold talks with Modi on Tuesday.

His visit comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. This would be the second state visit of the Amir of Qatar to India. He earlier visited India in March 2015, the MEA earlier said.

India and Qatar have deep-rooted historical ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect. In recent years, the ties between the two countries, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, technology, culture and people-to-people ties, have continued to strengthen.