Parbhani: Anguished by her debt-ridden farmer-father’s precarious financial condition, a minor college girl in Maharashtra hanged herself at her home here, sending shock waves across the region, police and relatives said.

The incident occurred a day after the Raksha Bandhan festival.

On Tuesday morning, family members discovered the body of Sarika Suresh Zute, 17, hanging from a rod in the ceiling of their home in Javlajhuta village, said her distraught brother Sachin Zute, 21.

The police have recovered a page-long handwritten suicide note penned by Sarika Zute explaining the reasons behind her extreme step, said Pathri police station official Mushtaque A. Ansari.

The heart-wrenching note starts by referring to her heavily debt-struck uncle Chandikadas Zute, who committed suicide on August 3 (five days earlier) by consuming poison in the fields.

“There is a lot of tension at home after (Sharda) sister’s marriage… You have still not been able to repay the wedding loan and the agriculture loans. Now, you have the responsibility of my marriage… I don’t want you to end your life like your brother (Chandikadas). So I am killing myself,” she wrote.

“Since the past one year, after our sister Sharda’s marriage, Sarika had been tormented about her own marriage, which was being planned for next year, and has taken this step,” her oldest brother Sachin Zute told IANS with tears brimming in his eyes.

She was a quiet girl, engrossed in her studies and studied in Class 12 Arts stream in Shivani College, in adjoining Beed district.

According to Sachin Zute, the Maratha family’s collective debt through Maharashtra Gramin Bank, a District Cooperative Bank and a Credit Society amounts to around Rs 350,000, along with interest and other charges.

“My father has been regularly repaying his loans. But this year, the situation is terrible as monsoon has failed in this region, and farmers have to resort to a second or even third round of sowing. This will pile up the debt burden further,” he explained.

Besides the deceased Sarika Zute, the surviving family comprises Suresh Zute, 45, his wife Dwarka, 39, eldest son Sachin, who is studying in SYBSc in Jivandeep College, Beed, a married daughter Sharda, 20, and a school-going son Sunil, 12.

On their 11-acre farmlands near the village outskirts, the family had been cultivating cash crops like cotton and soyabean, and repaying the loan installments from the agricultural incomes, he added.

A cousin, Santosh Namdev Zute, who lodged the police complaint on Tuesday evening, said the close-knit family is devastated by two suicides in five days in their homes.

“Even our uncle Chandikadas Zute owed Rs 300,000 to a nationalized bank and a DCC besides another house-repair loan of Rs 150,000 from Mahindra Finance Co. Ltd. However, owing to failed monsoon this year, the repayments were badly hit, forcing him to end his life,” Santosh Zute told IANS.

Another uncle of Sarika Zute, Laxman B. Zute is a village head in the Parthi region which has been rocked by four suicides in barely one week.

“Sadly, despite so many deaths in such a short period, not a single official from the Collectorate, Agriculture Department or the banks have bothered to visit this region and enquire about the people’s plight as a drought looms large,” Sachin Zute pointed out.

When contacted, the state-government panel, Vasantrao Naik Shetkari Swavalambi Mission (VNSS) Chairman Kishore Tiwari said the incidents are an indicator of the continuing distress in farmlands across Maharashtra.

“This is a very serious matter. The state government has given standing instructions that in case of such suicides, the concerned officials must visit the families and make full enquiries. If this has not been done, those officials should be suspended… It’s a shame,” Tiwari told IANS.

Tiwari, who plans to visit the Zute family, confirmed that monsoon has completely bypassed Parbhani this year and the situation could worsen in farmlands if priority measures are not initiated by the concerned departments.

(IANS)

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha today heaped lavish praises on Chairman Hamid Ansari, who relinquishes office after a decade, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior members lauding him for upholding constitutional norms.

Praising Vice President Ansari, Modi said the Chairman did his best to uphold the Constitution. The Vice President is the Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The Prime Minister said the Chairman’s experience as a career diplomat would have helped him in conducting the business of the Upper House. Modi said he too had benefited immensely from Ansari’s insights on diplomatic issues on several occasions.

The Prime Minister noted that Ansari’s family has had an illustrious history of over 100 years in public life. Conveying his best wishes to Ansari and wishing him a long life, Modi said the outgoing chairman has also kept himself physically fit.

Leader of the House and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said “in the life of this House, today is very important occasion. We are bidding farewell to you after you complete 10 years as the distinguished Chairman of this House.”

Jaitley said the House witnessed both disruptions as well as high quality debates during the tenure of Ansari. Noting that the job of the chairperson of the House was “a very challenging and thankless job”, he said while the political character of the House has changed, “nothing remains indefinitely held up” and a consensous is eventually reached.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad praised Ansari for the way he conducted the proceedings of the House. Recalling his long association with Ansari, Azad said the Chairman was given several honorary degrees by different countries, but he never used them.

SP member Ram Gopal Yadav said Ansari conducted the House without any discrimination and never allowed any legislation to be passed in din. He hoped the next Chairman too would continue the tradition.

Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien told the House that Ansari does Yoga and routinely goes for evening walks to maintain good health. He said Ansari has been eating sandwiches at lunch for the past 40 years and it “must be a world record”.

He appreciated Ansari for extending the working hours of Rajya Sabha from 5 pm to 6 pm.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury also hoped that in future too legislations would not be allowed to be passed amidst din.

He said Ansari’s decision to shift the Question Hour timing from 11 am to noon has yielded good results as more questions are now taken up. Yechury also appreciated of Ansari’s initiative of starting the Rajya Sabha TV channel.

(PTI)

Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar was on Wednesday evening discharged from Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.

Dilip Kumar, who was admitted to the hospital last week, showed considerable improvement after struggling with dehydration, kidney dysfunction and urinary tract infection.

Talking about Dilip Kumar, Ajay Kumar Pande, the VP of Lilavati Hospital, said, “Yes, Dilip Kumar sahab is ready to go home. He will be discharged today. He is eating well and feeling better. There is nothing to worry about as his creatinine levels have come down to normal. He has been suggested some rest at home, and soon he will start following his normal routine.”

Dilip ji is totally fine and I am waiting for doctor to discharge him today: Saira Banu, #DilipKumar wife pic.twitter.com/DwwKXufhIM

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2017

Dilip Kumar’s wife Saira Banu was by the actor’s side throughout his stay at the hospital. Earlier in the day, Saira had said, “By the grace of Allah, Dilip Sahab is under the care of Dr. Nitin Gokhale, Dr. Arun Shah of Lilavati Hospital and Sahab’s personal family physicians Dr. R C Sharma and Dr S Gokhale, along with the able input of Dr. S. D. Bapat. This excellent team has given the green signal to take Sahab home today. My gratitude to fans, friends, doctors, hospital staff and Sahab’s personal attendants for all the care. It is the Almighty God’s will and benevolence that I wish to acknowledge in all humility and gratitude.”

On Wednesday morning, the medical bulletin from the hospital suggested that the 94-year-old actor is showing great progress and will be discharged soon. The Vice President of Lilavati Hospital had said, “We are very happy on the progress of Dilip Kumar’s health. He has responded so well. One thing he has been suggested by the doctors is to stay away from getting any sort of infection. Dilip Sahab’s creatinine level has come down further. He is normal and responding. Enjoying his food. It is a good sign. Will take a decision on his discharge soon.”

(Agencies)

Medinipur: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP government at the Centre of subverting democracy and said the TMC will work with all opposition parties to oust the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Giving the slogan of ‘BJP quit India in 2019’, Banerjee charged that the BJP-led government at the Centre has “taken away the rights of the people in the country”.

She also alleged that “secularism is under threat”.

“The BJP-led government is trying to divide the country.

We will not allow it. In 2019 our slogan will be ‘BJP quit India’. We will work with all other opposition parties, so that we can unitedly fight against the BJP. We want this politics of communalism and hatred to come to an end,” she said while kicking off the campaign here.

The West Bengal chief minister launched the campaign on a day when the country is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement.

“We will fight and not stop till the BJP is ousted from power. Democracy will triumph against all odds”, she said.

“They can threaten us by using the ED, Income Tax and the CBI but we are not afraid of it. The central government has turned into a government of the agencies, by the agencies, of the agencies and for the agencies,” she alleged.

Banerjee said she will attend the rally convened by RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna later this month.

The TMC leader also accused the BJP of shedding “crocodile tears” for adivasis and backward sections of the society,

“On the one hand they (BJP) are lynching adivasis and people from backward sections of society, while on the other hand, they are are clicking photographs with adivasis and having lunch at their houses,” she charged.

(Agencies)

Chandigarh: In a fresh development in the Chandigarh stalking case, Haryana BJP chief’s son Vikas Barala, who is the main accused, has been arrested by the Chandigarh Police. Vikas surrendered before the police on Wednesday afternoon after being summoned amid heavy security. He was arrested along with his friend after questioning. The police have slapped kidnapping charges against both the accused.

“We called both the accused for interrogation. It was a lengthy interrogation. A number of things have come to fore in today’s interrogation. Thus we have decided to press two charges – attempt to abduction (365/511). We have also decided to arrest both the accused. Both shall be produced in the court tomorrow. We shall request the court for their police custody. There are a number of things for which we need the accused to reconstruct the scene of crime to verify many facts. I can’t share many things that are part of investigations. I have shared the conclusion of our investigations done so far,” said DGP TS Luthra.

Luthra also added that there has been no political pressure on the police. “We have no political pressure. We are doing our bit professionally, objectively and legally. The new charges are based on many facts. We have new pieces of evidence in form of CCTVs footage, statements of witnesses and of course legal opinion also. In last four days, we have constructed many things and the investigation has come to a stage from where v r taking it forward,” added Luthra.

Police had summoned Vikas Barala, 23, early Wednesday, asking him to appear by 11 am but he reached the Sector 26 police station in a white SUV at around 2:30 pm along with the other accused- Ashish Kumar. The two accused were earlier arrested after a 29-year-old woman accused them of chasing her car on Friday but were granted bail. “Both accused are with us and we are interrogating them,” UT Chandigarh DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra told news agency PTI.

Vikas Barala reached the police station shortly after his father, Haryana BJP president Subhash Barala told reporters that, “He (Vikas) will cooperate with the police investigation”.

Earlier Wednesday, DGP Luthra said Vikas refused to receive the notice so the police opted to paste the notice outside his house.  Addressing a press conference, DGP Luthra said the CCTV footage from different places indicated that the accused were chasing the girl. “Our investigations are at critical stage and we are taking it to the next level,” DGP was quoted as saying. The DGP added that Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar (27) had refused to give blood and urine samples for medical examination which could go against them during prosecution.

DGP  Luthra further stressed that the Police will do “everything under the sun” to ensure the 29-year-old complainant gets justice.

(Agencies)