Archives for July 2025

Pilibhit: Two brothers-in-law allegedly raped the wife of a BSF jawan on multiple occasions and blackmailed her using obscene videos, police here said.

An FIR has been lodged against seven persons, including the rape survivor’s in-laws, in connection with the matter. One of the brothers-in-law has been arrested, police said on Monday.

The complainant told the police that after she got married, she lived in a separate house with her mother-in-law, outside her village. Her husband was in BSF, so he would often be on duty.

The survivor told the police that whenever her mother-in-law went to her residence, both her brothers-in-law would enter her house (outside the village) and rape her. They made videos of the act and used them to blackmail her into submission, police said.

She said that when her husband returned home on leave, her brothers-in-law showed him the videos. She claimed that her in-laws beat her and her husband. They also tried to kill her by strangulation, police said.

The accused also threatened to post the videos online, police added.

The Jahanabad police station in-charge Manoj Kumar Mishra said that on the complaint of the victim, an FIR was registered against seven persons, including the mother-in-law and father-in-law, for rape and assault under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

“One of the accused brother-in-law Hariom has been arrested. The police are searching for the remaining accused. Every possible effort is being made to get justice for the victim,” Mishra added.

New Delhi: The ban on supply of fuel to old vehicles kicked off in Delhi on Tuesday amid high security.

The Delhi government has installed Automatic Number Plate reader cameras (ANPR) at nearly 350 petrol pumps across the national capital for detection of such vehicles.

The transport department has chalked out a detailed deployment plan involving personnel from its organisation, Delhi Police, Traffic Police and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Multiple teams of transport department, traffic police and local police have been deployed at different petrol pumps in South Delhi.

The drive began from 6 am on Tuesday, enforcing the prohibition of fuel sale to petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years.

At Chirag Delhi’s Dhingra petrol pump, the Transport Enforcement and Delhi Traffic Police teams were seen stationed since early morning.

“We are here from 6 am to ensure that no old vehicle is allowed to refuel. Petrol pumps have been directed to deny fuel to such vehicles,” said Sub-Inspector Dharamveer of the Transport Enforcement team.

He said that Artificial Intelligence-powered cameras and automated hooter systems have also been installed at the pump to identify old vehicles.

“If any such vehicle arrives, the cameras detect it instantly and trigger a hooter to alert the staff,” said Dharamveer, adding that in such cases, the vehicles are being impounded on the spot.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Jagan Lal of Delhi Traffic Police said that they are verifying vehicle details using their central database.

“The cameras will inform automatically, but our teams are also checking vehicles using our central database. The drive is being carried out jointly with local police and transport officials to ensure full compliance and to maintain law and order,” said ASI Jagan Lal.

Hriday Ram, a staff member at the Dhingra petrol pump, said, “We have been instructed not to fill fuel in any old vehicle. The moment such a vehicle is detected by the camera or by us, we alert the police or enforcement team immediately.”

The move is part of the Delhi government’s effort to tackle air pollution.

A 2018 Supreme Court judgment had banned diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi. A 2014 National Green Tribunal order also prohibits the parking of vehicles aged over 15 years in public places.

security guard Ajithkumar

Chennai: Five policemen have been arrested in connection with a custodial death in Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga district, police said.

An official release late on Monday said that six personnel had been placed under suspension on June 28.

A due probe was launched into the matter and following the post-mortem report received last night, the next course of action was initiated “without any delay”, it said.

Subsequently, murder charges were invoked and “five policemen involved in the matter have been arrested,” it said. A judicial enquiry has been ordered into the matter.

The state police has worked in a “just, transparent and unbiased” manner as regards this “unfortunate incident,” it said.

In the past five years, there has been a significant dip in custodial deaths in the state and whenever such incidents happen, appropriate action has been taken by the police department, the release added.

The victim, security guard Ajithkumar of Tiruppuvanam in Sivaganga, was picked up by the local police in connection with a case earlier. The custodial death had sparked an outrage, with political parties slamming the government over the issue.

The toll in the explosion at the Sigachi Industries’ pharma plant in Pashamylaram has rose to 34, a senior police official said on Tuesday.

“Several bodies have been found under the debris while removing it. As many as 31 bodies have been extricated from the debris while three died in hospital while undergoing treatment. The last leg of the rescue operation is still going on,” district Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj told PTI.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy would visit the accident site Tuesday morning, Health Minister C Damodar Rajanarasimha said.

The fatal accident on Monday is suspected to have been caused by a chemical reaction.

Sigachi Industries Limited is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to pioneering advancements in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Intermediates, Excipients, vitamin-mineral blends, and Operations and Management (O&M) services, according to the company’s website.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the BJP’s development model is one that is aimed at snatching the right to education from the poor, especially SC, ST and OBC children.

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha shared on Facebook screenshots of some media reports.

One media report claimed that the number of government schools declined by 8 per cent but private schools increased by 14.9 per cent in the decade from 2014-15 to 2023-24, while another claimed that the enrolment of SC students in 2023-24 compared to previous fiscal year fell by 16.2 lakh students, while enrolment of ST students and OBC students declined by 5.1 lakh and 38.5 lakh respectively during this period.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi alleged that the “BJP’s development model is a model to snatch the right to education from the poor, especially SC, ST and OBC children”.

“More than 5,000 government schools are being closed in Uttar Pradesh. Since 2014, 84,441 government schools have been closed across the country, most of which have been closed in three BJP-ruled states – Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Assam,” he said.

“This is not just closing schools, but a direct attack on the right to education given in the Constitution and the historic law of the UPA government, which brought every child from every village to school and led to a historic increase in enrolment,” Gandhi said.

Babasaheb Ambedkar had stated that education is the milk of a lioness and whoever drinks it will roar, but today education itself is being snatched away, he alleged.

“Students and teachers are on the streets against the decision to close schools, but instead of listening to their voice, the government is busy harassing them and weakening the education system further. Whereas the need is to strengthen it and provide equal, accessible and quality education to every child,” Gandhi said.

Belagavi (Karnataka): Four people have been arrested for allegedly “assaulting” five members of the Sri Ram Sene by tying them to a tree in Ingali village, police said on Monday.

A video of the incident, which took place in Hukkeri taluk on June 28, has gone viral on social media, prompting police to register a case on their own.

The video shows five men tied to a coconut tree and being “thrashed” by a group of villagers. Sri Ram Sene members claimed they were attacked for stopping the illegal transportation of cattle.

However, villagers alleged the assault was unrelated to cattle transportation and accused the activists of “misbehaving with women”.

According to police, on June 26, Sri Ram Sene members intercepted a vehicle carrying cattle and took the driver and vehicle to the Hukkeri police station, alleging the cattle were being transported for slaughter.

The cattle were moved to a cow shelter but were returned to the locals on June 28 after authorities confirmed they had been purchased for dairy farming.

Later that day, Sri Ram Sene members allegedly trespassed into a villager’s house in an attempt to reclaim the cattle and created a “ruckus”. At the time, only women were present, police said, without providing more details about them.

Superintendent of Police Bheemashankar S Guled said the villagers “assaulted” the activists as they were angered by the trespassing incident.

“This act by the villagers is a violation of law and order. However, the victims are not entirely innocent—one of them is a rowdy-sheeter who had been externed from the district,” he alleged.

Guled also dismissed claims that “the assault was communal”.

“One of the accused is a Hindu. This doesn’t appear to be a case of communal violence,” Guled added.

Denying allegations of police ‘inaction’, Guled said, “We registered a case on our own and arrested four people for the assault. Another case was filed based on a complaint from the cattle transporter. Further investigation is underway.”