Archives for 2022

Mumbai: A special court in Mumbai has sentenced a man to one-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for harassing a minor girl, observing that calling a girl an “item” is derogatory and objectifies her in a sexual manner.

In the order passed on October 20, the court refused to show leniency to the accused and said such “roadside Romeos” need to be taught a lesson in order to protect women from such uncalled-for behaviour.

Special Judge A J Ansari, designated to hear cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, held the man, aged 25 years at the time of the incident, guilty of outraging the modesty of the 16-year-old victim by addressing her as an “item” and pulling her hair near her residence in suburban Mumbai in July 2015.

“The fact that the accused intentionally caught hold of the victim’s hair and pulled it and called her an ‘item’, in my opinion, will certainly go to prove the fact of him having outraged her modesty,” the judge said.

The behaviour of the accused was “wholly inappropriate”, the court observed.

“The accused addressed the girl with the term ‘item’, which is a term used generally by boys to address girls in a derogatory fashion as it objectifies them in a sexual manner. The same will clearly indicate his intention of outraging her modesty,” the order said, adding, “Using the term ‘item’ to address any girl is obviously insulting in nature.”

The acts of the accused were obviously done with a sexual intent as the word item when used to address a girl is only used to objectify her sexually and nothing else, the judge said.

The court further said leniency could not be shown to the accused as the case related to the harassment of a minor girl on the street. “Such offences need to be dealt with a heavy hand as a lesson needs to be meted out to such roadside Romeos, in order to protect women from their uncalled-for behaviour, it said.

On July 14, 2015, when the victim was returning from school, the accused accosted her and called her an “item”.

When the girl asked the man not to harass her, he started abusing her and pulled her hair. She then called the police helpline number 100 and sought help.

The police reached the spot but the accused fled.

The girl went home and informed her father, following which, a complaint was lodged at Sakinaka police station in Mumbai.

The accused was subsequently arrested and released on bail.

Mangaluru, Oct 26: A man from Karnataka, who was seriously injured in a road accident in neighbouring Kerala four months ago and remained in coma since then, has died at a hospital here on Wednesday, an official said.

Ashraf, a resident of Ujire in Belthangady taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, was critically injured after he was hit by a motorcycle while crossing the road at Pazhayangadi in Kannur district on June 4.

The cloth store owner was admitted to the hospital here and was in coma since then. However, Ashraf did not show any improvement despite prolonged treatment and breathed his last today, the hospital official said.

Mumbai: A male leopard was captured in Aarey Milk Colony here on Wednesday but it was not clear if it had killed a toddler two days ago as another leopard is roaming in the area, a forest official said. A three-year-old leopard walked into a cage trap set in Unit 16 of Aarey Colony in the small hours of Wednesday and later taken to the rescue centre at the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park, he said.

A one-and-half-year-old girl was attacked and killed by a leopard in Unit 15 of Aarey Colony on Monday morning.

“There is another male leopard, identified as `C-56′, in the field. We will continue to monitor his movements through 30 camera traps and have also set up three trap cages at strategic locations,” the forest official said.

It was yet to be ascertained if the captured leopard was the one which killed the girl on Monday as there were two animals in the area, he said.

The captured leopard has been kept under observation of forest department veterinarian Dr Shailesh Pethe, he said. Around 30 wildlife volunteers, members of NGOs, forest department officials and staff of SNGP are working together to deal with the incidents of human-animal conflict in the area, said Pawan Sharma, president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare and an honorary wildlife warden.

The measures taken for avoiding such incidents include increased patrolling, installation of trap cages and spreading awareness about precautionary steps among local residents, he said.

Uttar Pradesh minister Gulab Devi

Sambhal (UP): Uttar Pradesh minister Gulab Devi on Wednesday said PM Narendra Modi is like an incarnation of god and he can remain on his post as long as he wishes.

“Modiji is like an avatar. He is a person of extraordinary talent. No one can compete with them. If he wishes, he can remain the prime minister till he is alive,” the Chandausi MLA told reporters after a programme here.

When asked that some opposition leaders are saying that a person from a minority community should be made the prime minister, Devi said, “Nothing happens by speculation. He is such an extraordinary personality. God has sent him as his representative.”

The minister said Modi makes people do whatever he wishes. “See, the entire country follows his words. What can be a greater acceptance than this,” said the minister.

New Delhi: News Broadcasting and Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs. 50,000 on News18 over its coverage and communalizing of the Hijab row in Karnataka. The channel is owned by Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries.

NBDSA has also said that the news anchor of the channel, Aman Chopra violated the Code of Conduct by linking panelists supporting the Hijab to Al-Qaeda.

Justice AK Sikri in his decision passed on Friday said that while the broadcaster was entitled to conduct debate on the issue after the Karnataka High Court’s decision, the problem lay with the narrative and tilt given to the program.

“NBDSA observed that while having a debate as to whether the wearing of a Hijab be allowed in the schools or not, there was no occasion to blow up the debate by making it a communal issue”, the order said.

The order was passed on a complaint by Tech Ethics and Safety professional Indrajeet Ghorpade filed in response to a program aired on News18 on April 6 in which the anchor, Aman Chopra, referred to the Muslim girl students as “Hijabi Gang”, “Hijabwali Gazwa Gang” and made allegations that they had resorted to rioting.

The Authority also recorded that Chopra had not only violated the guidelines and ethical standards but also failed to follow the decision of the Bombay High Court in the case of Nilesh Navalakha v Union Of India which calls for an anchor to apply his/ her mind and prevent the program from drifting beyond permissible limits.

“However, in the instant case, not only had the anchor failed to stop the other panelists from crossing the boundary but had given a platform to express extreme views which could adversely affect the communal harmony in the country,” said the order.

The NBDSA also directed News18 to take down the video of the offending program from its website and all platforms within 7 days. It told News18, if such violations are repeated in the future, the NBDSA might have to ensure the personal presence of anchor Aman Chopra before it.

Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor

Patna: Political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor on Thursday hinted that he was receiving financial assistance for his ‘Jan Suraaj campaign’ in Bihar from his former clients, many of whom were now chief ministers of their respective states.

He made the candid disclosure at a press conference in Valmiki Nagar, a picturesque but remote forest reserve situated along the Indo-Nepal border, about 300 kms from the Bihar capital.

Kishor has been on a ‘padayatra’ since October 2 and intends to cover 3,500 km on foot, touching every nook and corner of his home state before his campaign evolves into a full fledged political party.

He was asked about the source of funding for his drive which is a matter of much speculation. JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan, whose party had hired Kishor’s services long back, recently expressed apprehensions that the IPAC founder might be getting funds from the BJP, which lost power in Bihar two months ago following Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s abrupt exit from the NDA.

“In the last one decade, I offered my services for at least 10 polls and was successful in all but one,” recalled Kishor, who counts the UP assembly polls of 2017, in which his advices were allegedly ignored, as his only failure.

“At least six people I helped win are chief ministers now. I did not take money from them, though the media may not believe me. But now I am seeking their help for the experiment we are carrying out in Bihar,” said Kishor, who first shot to fame in 2014 when he managed the Lok Sabha election campaign of Narendra Modi.

The IPAC founder announced his retirement from professional political consultancy last year after he helped Mamata Banerjee pull off a sensational victory in West Bengal.

His other former clients include Arvind Kejriwal, M K Stalin and Jagan Mohan Reddy, chief ministers of Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh respectively, besides Amarinder Singh, whom he had helped win Punjab for the Congress.

He asserted, “I have not taken a single rupee from anyone in Bihar” and underscored that his campaign was bereft of expenses like helicopter rides, erecting huge daises, putting out advertisements and ferrying crowds.

“We are not yet a political party. But once we get there, a mere Rs 100 donation from two crore families across Bihar will help us raise an amount sufficient to put up a good fight at the hustings”, said the 45 years old who has ruled out the possibility of joining hands with any of the established parties.

Kishor, who evidently enjoys taking digs at Nitish Kumar and the latter’s current ally Lalu Prasad, both of whom had benefitted from his services when they had first joined hands in 2015, also remarked “the JD(U) and the RJD (Prasad’s party) have never been able to win Bihar on their own”.