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Body of 21-year-old woman found in Delhi, rape suspected

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rape

New Delhi: The body of a 21-year-old woman, who went missing on Thursday, was found without any clothes on from a secluded and vacant plot in Mundka on early Friday, Delhi Police said.

A police official said that the circumstantial evidence clearly indicate sexual assault followed by murder. The body was recovered from a vacant plot in west Delhi’s Mundka area.

The deceased, an employee with a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), had been missing since Thursday evening.

“We had filed the missing complaint when the family members of the deceased approached us,” the official said.

“The body was spotted by a morning walker who informed police. It was lying in naked condition in the plot situated in Bhagya Vihar colony,” the official said, adding that the woman might have been killed to cover up the rape.

“Prima facie evidence suggests that she might have been killed by strangulating her throat, but we are still waiting for the post-mortem report to confirm the exact cause of her death,” the official said.

The woman, who originally belonged to West Bengal, was residing with her family in Mundka for the last few years.

(IANS)

HC stays compulsory voting rule in Gujarat civic polls

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compulsory voting Gujarat

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court today stayed the implementation of a law that makes voting compulsory in the civic body elections in the state.

The ‘right to vote’ itself provides right to refrain from voting and it cannot be turned into ‘duty of voting’, the High Court said while acting on a petition challenging the Gujarat Local Authorities (Amendment) Act 2009, which makes voting mandatory in local body polls in the state.

The High Court division bench of acting Chief Justice Jayant Patel and Justice N V Anjariya stayed implementation of compulsory voting, admitting the plea filed by lawyer K R Koshti against the Act.

A Bill making voting compulsory for all the citizens in civic bodies, mooted by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, was passed by the state Assembly in 2009 and became a law when present Governor O P Kohli signed it.

Earlier this month, the government had notified the law saying those who fail to vote will have to pay a fine of Rs 100.

Petitioner’s lawyer P S Champaneri submitted before the HC earlier today that right to vote is an expression of a citizen and whether to vote includes the right to not vote.

The right to vote cannot be termed as the duty by the state and therefore, the provision of compulsory voting Act is violative of fundamental rights given to any citizen under the Indian Constitution, Champanderi submitted.

He also argued that the state Legislatures does not have any legislative competence to enact a law regarding voting, as it comes under the purview of the Constitution and any such law can only be amended or enacted by Parliament.

The petitioner demanded in the plea to restrain the Gujarat government and the State Election Commission to implement the provisions of the Gujarat Local Authorities (Amendment) Act, 2009.

The Gujarat Local Authorities (Amendment) Bill was first introduced in the state Assembly in December 2009 and passed by a majority vote when Modi was Chief Minister.

It was, however, returned by the then Governor Dr Kamla Beniwal in April 2010 with remarks that “forcing voter to vote is against the principles of an individual liberty.”

Beniwal had returned the Bill to the government, with her comments, for reconsideration.
“The present Bill violates the freedom which a citizen is entitled to enjoy under Article 21 of the Constitution,” she had said in her letter asking the then state government to make amendments to the Bill.

However, ignoring her suggestions, the then state government had once again passed the Bill on December 28, 2011 by majority vote in the Gujarat Assembly which was sent to Beniwal to get the sanction.

In November 2014, after the change of government in Delhi, Gujarat Governor O P Kohli gave his approval to the Gujarat Local Authorities Laws (Amendment) Bill-2009, which has a controversial provision of penal action against citizens who fail to cast their franchise in local body polls.

Earlier this month, while forming the rules, the state government had declared that a registered voter who fails to vote in the local body polls in Gujarat without providing any valid reason will be fined Rs 100.

The local body polls in 253 municipalities, 208 taluka panchayats, 26 district panchayats and six municipal corporations are expected to be held in October this year.

(Agencies)

Spelling mistakes spotted in Smriti Irani’s letter, inquiry ordered

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smriti-irani

New Delhi: After a teacher highlighted the spelling mistakes in the Education Minister’s letter, Smriti Irani has become a butt of jokes on social media platforms.

In the letter, which was sent to schoolteachers applauding them for the performance of their students, the words ‘Minister’ and ‘Sansadhan’ were spelt incorrectly.

Richa Kumar of Delhi Public School spotted the error and posted it on her Facebook page along with a note.

The post read as follows:

“Thank you for congratulating me on the excellence I exemplify. However, having been a teacher for the last twenty years, your official letter head is an affront to my sensibilities as a Language teacher. The attached photographs are self explanatory. Please ensure that at least the people who work for you, in your ministry, are well educated.”

On learning about it, Education Minister Smriti Irani has ordered an inquiry into the matter.

Clarifying that the mistake was not made by her, Irani posted on Twitter, “I would not misspell my own name in Hindi.”

(Agencies)

Hindus must become human bombs, invade Pakistan: Shiv Sena

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Defending the thoughts and ideology of Thackeray, the Sena said, “If his stand that Pakistani extremists should be responded in their own terms can be called as terrorism, then this kind of terrorism was in the national interest.”

Shiv-Sena

Mumbai: Shiv Sena on Tuesday defended its founder Bal Thackeray’s ideology saying he created “a fear of Hindus” solely in “national interest” and hit out at a weekly magazine for its article against the late party supremo.

The outfit said in a Saamana editorial, “Hindus should be able to live in this country with pride and his (a Hindu’s) voice should roar like that of a lion. If an answer has to be given to Pakistan extremists, Hindus will also have to become highly religious.”

“To answer Pakistan, Hindus need to become human bombs and invade their country,” it said in controversial remarks.

“People have lot of love and respect for Balasaheb Thackeray and feel proud of his nationalist ideals. He surely instilled the fear of Hindus among people,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said, rubbishing the contents of an article published in the magazine.

Sena workers had on Monday staged protest at Nariman Point area in South Mumbai against the magazine, tearing and torching its copies. A case was also filed in adjoining Thane district in connection with the article.

Defending the thoughts and ideology of Thackeray, the Sena said, “If his stand that Pakistani extremists should be responded in their own terms can be called as terrorism, then this kind of terrorism was in the national interest.”

Thackeray considered all religions equal and so, after the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, he appealed for calm in the state, the party said.

“It was because of him that the Sikh community could live in peace in Mumbai and other parts of the state,” it said.

“Today, even if we don’t want a magazine to gain unnecessary publicity by publishing false information on Balasaheb, but if people’s anger rises then the already dead magazine will be further crushed by them in the market,” the Sena said.

(PTI)

SC verdict on Uphaar disappointing: Victims’ group convener

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Uphaar

New Delhi: Terming as “very disappointing” the Supreme Court’s Wednesday verdict of no jail for the Ansal brothers in the 1997 Uphaar fire case, the association of victims in the tragedy said the ruling “will send a wrong message to the world”.

“The verdict has been very disappointing. I did not expect this. The victims of Uphaar have been further victimised today and have not been given justice by the Supreme Court,” Neelam Krishnamurthy, convener of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT) who lost both her children in the fire that engulfed the theatre, told IANS.

Representing the victims and the families of those killed in the fire of June 13, 1997, Krishnamurthy said the apex court did not give them enough time to argue.

“The law of the land is different for people with money and for ordinary citizens. I spent 17 years with my daughter and 13 years with my son but I have spent 18 years trying to get justice which has been denied today.

“This will send a wrong message to the entire world. This judgment will be talked about in the world and I will make sure about it,” she said.

In a breather to real estate giants Ansal brothers Sushil and Gopal, accused in the case, the Supreme Court fined them Rs.30 crore each, refusing to send them to jail.

The court said the Ansals would deposit the fine in three months and this amount would be utilised by the Delhi government.

However, Krishnamurthy said the fine being deposited with the government will encourage bribery.

“This fine will go to the government and these are the governments which joined hands with the Ansals and gave them NOCs (no-objection certificates). You are encouraging bribery,” she said.

The Ansal brothers owned the Uphaar cinema in south Delhi’s Green Park area where 59 people died due to asphyxiation after a fire broke out in the transformer room, emitting toxic gases.

The deaths occurred as people could not escape as the exit doors were closed. There was only one operational exit door.

(IANS)

Detention drama in Kashmir ahead of NSA talks

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Kashmir-Hurriyat

Srinagar: Top Kashmiri separatist leaders, including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, were today put under house arrest only to be released within hours in actions that were linked to their proposed meeting with Pakistani National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz in Delhi on Sunday.

Early this morning, police put restrictions on the movement of the several separatist leaders including moderate Hurriyat Chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Maulana Mohammad Abbas Ansari, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Shabir Ahmad Shah and Ayaz Akbar.

Security personnel were deployed outside the Hydrepora residence of Geelani, the hardline Hurriyat chief who is already under house arrest. JKLF Chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was taken into preventive custody from his Maisuma residence and lodged at police station Kothibagh.

Officials were tightlipped on the reason for the detention but there was speculation that it could have been done to give a message to Pakistan that its engagement with separatists leaders was not welcome, especially at a time when their National Security Advisors are to meet.

But, in a U-turn the authorities lifted the curbs on the leaders, again without giving any reason. “All the separatist leaders, who were detained or put under house arrest this morning, have been released,” a top police official said on the condition of anonymity.

However, Akbar, who is spokesman of the hardline faction of Hurriyat, said while other leaders were released, Geelani was still under house arrest.

“We are unable to make out the purpose behind putting the leadership under house arrest and then releasing them within two hours. All we can say that it is unfortunate,” Akbar told PTI soon after his release.

Police conducted early morning raids to detain the second rung separatist leaders also but they too were halted.

Pakistan High Commission in Delhi has invited Geelani for a meeting on August 24 with Aziz, who will be in the national capital for talks with Indian NSA Ajit Doval.
Moderate separatist leaders have also been invited for a reception being hosted by the High Commission in New Delhi for the visiting Pakistani official on August 23.

India had cancelled Foreign Secretary-level talks with Pakistan in August last year after its envoy invited separatist leaders for consultations ahead of the meeting in Islamabad.

Criticising Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, opposition National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said the state governments had never detained Hurriyat leaders in the past to prevent them from visiting the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi.

He claimed the India-Pakistan talks were being held “under international pressure” with both countries hoping the other will pull out.

“Shelling, Infiltration, terror attacks & now Hurriyat arrests, clearly no side wants to talk & yet neither side has the guts to call it off,” the former chief minister said in a series of tweets.

“I’ve never seen an Indo-Pak dialogue where both sides are so keen to sabotage it. India & Pak competing to give reasons to call off talks. It’s so obvious that Ufa & now these planned NSA talks are under international pressure with both Ind & Pak hoping the other will pull out,” he said.

The Congress too took a jibe at the Centre, saying the Prime Minister must answer if India is under pressure of some “foreign power” to hold talks to Pakistan notwithstanding “all these provocations by Pakistan”.

“The Prime Minister of India needs to answer this question as last time when Pakistan High Commission invited the Hurriyat, Government called off the talks,” party leader Manish Tewari said.

BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir said the Hurriyat Conference should not be allowed to hold talks with Pakistani officials.

“People of Jammu and Kashmir have elected a government. Hurriyat people are murderers of democracy. We will not allow them to talk to Pakistan,” BJP MLA Ravinder Raina said.

(PTI)

Bengaluru: Girl sexually abused by orphanage chairman; accused arrested

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rape

Bengaluru: A 12-year-old girl was reportedly rescued on Tuesday August 18 night after she managed to escape from the orphanage near Peenya where she lived. She alleged that she was sexually abused by the Chairman for the past two months.

A woman, who found her wandering in the neighbourhood, questioned her and on coming to know her predicament, immediately took her to Soladevanahalli police station. She narrated her plight and said that it was impossible for her to stay at the orphanage.

Acting on the girl’s statement, SM Vijayraj (35), the founder-chairman of the orphanage was arrested on Wednesday.

Vijayraj had been running the orphanage since 2004 for orphans or whose parents cannot look after them. There are about 30 children of which 8 are girls.

The victim’s mother is a daily wage labourer and had brought her to the orphanage about 3 years ago after her father passed away. She left her daughter in the orphanage believing that she would be given good food, accommodation and education.

The girl’s ordeal began about two months ago when Vijayraj started sexually abusing her and sometimes violently. The girl, unable to bear the torture had earlier attempted to run away from the orphanage.

The police are now questioning the staff of the orphanage. They are also speaking to the children to check for any other such cases. Efforts are on to trace the girl’s mother who lived in Ramamurthynagar. The district child protection officer has met the girl and she has been admitted to a private hospital.

‘We are born once, we die once; let us do something good in between’ – this is the mission statement of the orphanage where the girl was sexually abused. Vijayraj claims that he too was an orphan. A priest took care of him and gave him education.

The orphanage was started in 2004 for providing shelter, food and education to children and thus runs largely on donations. The trust founded by Vijayraj also has an old-age home.

(Agencies)

Mulayam Singh Yadav sparks outrage with sexist comment yet again

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Mulayam Singh Yadav

Lucknow: Veteran Uttar Pradesh politician Mulayam Singh Yadav seems to be on roll in delivering sexist comments as he, once again, defended rapists in a statement made at a function on Tuesday. He sparked outrage when he said that rape cases are made out to be gang-rapes, but it is “not practical”.

“Often if one person commits rape, four people are named in the complaint. Four people are named for rape, can it be possible? It is not practical. They probably say one was watching…another was there… If there are four brothers, then all four are named,” said Yadav, the chief of Uttar Pradesh’s ruling Samajwadi Party.

Mulayam Singh also said the Uttar Pradesh government, headed by his son and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, was criticized most even though it has the least number of rape cases compared to states like Madhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The comments have been widely condemned.

The BJP’s Shazia Ilmi tweeted: “Subtle abetment to rape by Mulayam Singh Yadav. Has he never heard of gang rape?? Deplorable.”

Shobha Oza of the Congress said: “Earlier also he has given such statements. Today also he said that gang rape is not possible. These kinds of statements encourage the goons who do this.”

Last year in April, Yadav, 75, provoked outrage when he questioned the death sentence handed to three men convicted in gang-rape cases in Mumbai. “Should rape cases be punished with hanging? They are boys, they make mistakes,” he said while campaigning for the national election in Moradabad.

A month later, his party’s government faced condemnation after two cousins were found hanging from a tree in the Badaun district. The initial assessment of the police was that they were gang-raped and murdered, but it later turned out to be false.

Referring to that case, Mr Yadav said it was “blown out of proportion” but it turned out to be “cold-blooded murders for property.”

(Agencies)

Suspended Gujarat IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt sacked

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Sanjiv Bhatt

Ahmedabad: Suspended IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt, who had taken on the Gujarat government headed by Narendra Modi over the 2002 post-Godhra riots, was on Wednesday sacked on the ground of “unauthorized absence” from service, an action which he said came after a “sham inquiry”.

“Yes, it is true that my services have been terminated. This was expected. They have been conducting a completely ex-parte inquiry. I got the letter (sack order) from them (the home ministry),” Bhatt told PTI this evening.

Gujarat chief secretary G R Aloria confirmed the development. “Services of Sanjiv Bhatt have been terminated,” he said.

Bhatt said he was sacked on the basis of “a sham inquiry” with regard to his “unauthorized absence” from service when he had come to Ahmedabad to depose before the SIT probing the 2002 riots.

“They (government) have been conducting a sham inquiry … an ex-parte inquiry about unauthorized absence from duty,” Bhatt said.

When asked if he will challenge his sacking, Bhatt said he did not want to impose himself on the government.

“A lot can be done (against the move) but whether it is worth challenging … government does not want me, why should I be so keen that I want to remain in this,” Bhatt said.

“I had joined the police with a passion, now it seems the country and this government does not need me. So whatever has happened is good. I cannot impose myself on the government.”

Bhatt, a 1988 batch IPS officer, was under suspension since 2011 for unauthorized absence from service.

He had alleged in an affidavit in the Supreme Court that Narendra Modi, then the chief minister, instructed the top police officers to allow the Hindus “to vent out their anger” after the train-burning incident at Godhra in February 2002.

Bhatt had claimed that he had attended a meeting in this regard on February 27, 2002 at Modi’s residence in Gandhinagar.

Recently, the Gujarat government issued a show-cause notice to Bhatt over a video purportedly showing him with a woman. It sought his explanation for allegedly having extra-marital relationship; Bhatt denied that the man in the video was him.

(Agencies)

BBMP Polls: HC dismisses PIL Seeking ‘NOTA’ in EVMs

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NOTA-EVMs

Bengaluru: The High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation seeking direction to the State Election Commission for insertion of the ‘None of the Above’ (NOTA) option in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) for the BBMP polls.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice B V Nagarathna dismissed the PIL on the ground of delay and latches as there were only a few days left for the poll.

However, the division bench observed that it was best known to the State Election Commission why no provision had been made for exercising NOTA in the EVMs, despite a direction from the apex court.

(Agencies)

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