RAIPUR: One of the key poll promises by the ruling Congress ahead of the Assembly polls 2018 was on liquor ban, which is now rumbling politically in Chhattisgarh with the opposition BJP gearing-up to sharpen its attack on the Bhupesh Baghel government. The elections in the state are due next year

While the opposition has been consistently demanding total prohibition in the state, the Congress is not expressing any disinclination, but countered that the process on liquor ban will not be done like the demonetisation. It will be done on the basis of the observations compiled by the three committees constituted by the government. The Congress maintained that it will review the possibilities of closing down liquor sales.

The state health minister T S Singhdeo recently expressed reservations over Chhattisgarh likely becoming a complete ‘dry state’. “Liquor can be banned in around 61 development blocks but imposing prohibition in the tribal areas may not be possible,” he said.Political observers believed that liquor ban promise by Congress party apparently won the appreciation from the women who constitute nearly 50 per cent of the voters in the state.

Three committees comprised experts, social workers and legislators were formed to study the prospect of prohibition in the state. “Based on observations of the committees the government will initiate action. We have corresponded with four states that imposed liquor ban regarding study tours, but have not received any response so far. The process will begin after we receive the reply,” said Satyanarayan Sharma, who heads a political committee on liquor prohibition. 

During the last three years and a half, only three meetings of the committee were held.The BJP Mahila Morcha has launched a major campaign against the state government on liquor ban and crime against women.

“There will be a month-long programme right from the village level to district across the state. On November 3, the Morcha will organise a mega rally that will see the participation of one lakh women,” said Saroj Pandey, BJP MP.

KANUJ: A 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped and then found dumped, drenched in blood behind the Dak Bangla guest house in Kannauj.

A video of the incident that has gone viral on social media shows bystanders busy filming the grievously injured girl, instead of helping her. The girl had multiple injuries, including on her head.

In the video, the girl can be seen trying to reach out for help by raising her hand, but her appeals go unanswered. The video shows a group of men with their mobile phones in their hands, filming her from different angles.

The onlookers can be heard asking whether the police were informed. Another asked for the police chief’s number. But the filming continued with no attempts to help the girl. The girl had to wait for help until the police arrived.

A second video, which also went viral, showed the local police outpost in-charge rushing towards an autorickshaw with the injured girl in his arms.

Superintendent of Police Kunwar Anupam Singh said, “The minor girl was found injured and the local police rushed her to the hospital for treatment.”

A case has been registered under the relevant sections based on a complaint by the girl’s family, he said. It is not clear if the girl was sexually assaulted. No arrests have been made in the case yet.

According to the girl’s family, she had gone out to buy a piggy bank in the afternoon. When she did not return home till the evening, her parents mounted a search for her. The girl was found behind the guest house, drenched in blood and traumatised.

The victim was later taken to the district hospital where a doctor examined her and referred her to Kanpur keeping in view her critical condition. The local residents alleged that the girl was gang-raped and dumped there.

However, the police are denying the claim of residents.

Gursahaiganj police station in-charge Manoj Pandey said it was too early to arrive at any conclusion and the police were waiting for the girl to give a statement.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday took a strong note of the hate speeches in the country and in what comes as strong remarks by the Apex Court, it asked “This is the 21st century. Where have we reached in the name of religion?”

The SC was hearing a petition on hate speeches when it made the remarks. The Court further added that the state of affairs was “shocking for a country that is supposed to be religion-neutral.”

The plea has requested urgent intervention by the court to stop the “growing menace of targeting and terrorizing (of) the Muslim Community in India”.

Puttur: A man accused of misbehaving with a young lady in a village of Puttur taluk, was tied to an electricity pole and thrashed by the locals on Friday here.

The incident occurred in Saaja Panettadka under Balnadu Gram Panchayat limits, on Friday morning. The accused, a resident of Saaja, was then taken into custody by the police after he was tied to a pole and thrashed.

On Thursday evening, the girl alleged that the accused misbehaved with her when she was returning home in Saaja. She alleged she was walking from the bus stand to her house, when the accused who was riding on the same route on his scooter, saw her and offered to drop her at her house.

The girl is said to have informed her family about the incident when she reached home.

The accused’s two-wheeler had reportedly broke down in Panettadka and he had returned home on foot.

When he returned with a mechanic on Friday morning, people were waiting for him near the scooter. The men tied the accused to an electricity pole and thrashed him, reports added.

Puttur Rural Police, who arrived at the spot upon learning about the incident freed the accused and took him into custody.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal are being compared to Mughal ruler Aurangzeb by the BJP for banning firecrackers in the national capital ahead of the Diwali celebrations.

BJP Yuva Morcha National Secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, on Thursday, posted a picture on his Twitter handle depicting Arvind Kejriwal as Aurangzeb.

The photo was captioned “New age Aurangzeb govt banned firecrackers in Delhi.”

Bagga on Friday also staged a protest outside the house of the Delhi CM and said “Just like Aurangzeb, Kejriwal also banned crackers”.

The Delhi government on October 19 rolled out its decision to impose a fine of Rs 200 and six months of jail for bursting firecrackers on Diwali in Delhi.

The government has declared manufacturing, storing, and selling firecrackers a punishable offence with a fine of up to Rs 5,000 and three years’ imprisonment under Section 9B of the Explosives Act.

Kadaba: Two men who pretended to be door-to-door bed sheet vendors are reported to have tried to molest a woman near her house.

Kadaba police have registered a case against Rafique and Ramizuddin, following a complaint by a woman living in Kayar, Dolpady village, in the taluk, said sources.

The duo apparently went about on Thursday evening, pretending to be salesmen. When the complainant opened the door of her house, the accused are said to have attempted at molesting her, said the sources.

The accused, however, ran away after the woman raised a holler in protest, the complainant has told the police.

Mangaluru: The additional district and sessions (POCSO) court here has sentenced a constable attached to the district armed reserve (DAR) police to life imprisonment for instigating a minor girl to suicide after sexually abusing her.

The POCSO court judge Manjula Itty also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convicted person, Praveen Salian (35) of Bajpe in the city.

The prosecution case was that Salian befriended the minor girl on Facebook in 2015 and was in touch with her through social media and phone and used to have obscene sex chats with her.

Later, he demanded Rs one lakh cash or gold from her threatening to reveal the chats, after which the panicked girl committed suicide at her home. She left a death note holding Salian responsible for her death, which turned out to be the crucial evidence in the case.

The case was investigated by Ullal police and a charge sheet was filed in the court. Special public prosecutor Sahana Devi appeared for the prosecution.