Youth held for raping teenage girl in Kashimira

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October 5, 2015

A 20-year-old youth from the district here was arrested on charges of raping a teenage girl repeatedly, police said today.

The accused, identified as Tushar Patil, and the 16-year-old girl were residents of same locality in Kashimira area of Thane and became friends sometime back, assistant police inspector Govind Patil said. Later, the youth wooed her to accompany him for a movie at a theatre in Dahisar. He then raped her at an isolated location in the theatre premises in July, the police officer said quoting the girl’s complaint. The youth again lured the girl recently and took her to the National Park at Borivili where he again raped her, he said quoting the complaint.

The girl then informed her parents about the offence following which they filed a complaint with police on Saturday, based on which the accused was arrested last night and booked under section 376 (rape) of IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police official said. Further investigation was on into the case, he added.

Salman’s lawyer questions his alcohol test after 2002 accident

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

The prosecution in the 2002 hit-and-run case, in which Bollywood star Salman Khan was convicted, could not establish conclusively that he had tested positive for alcohol and the records in this regard were suspect, his lawyer today told the Bombay High Court.

According to the police, Salman, driving in a drunken condition, rammed his car into a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four.

“The seal and vials (of Salman’s blood samples) were not preserved and this creates a doubt whether the blood samples were that of Salman or someone else’s,” said his lawyer Amit Desai, arguing the actor’s appeal before Justice A R Joshi.

It wasn’t clear whether the police constable in fact delivered the samples from JJ Hospital to Bandra police station (to be passed on to the forensice lab); the prosecution also did not examine the constable who brought Salman to the hospital. “All this puts a heavy burden on prosecution to prove that Salman had taken drinks,” said the lawyer.

The prescribed procedure for collecting blood sample after a mishap was not followed nor did the police obtain Salman’s written consent before taking blood sample, he said.

In the Emergency Patients Record or the casualty register at the hospital, Desai said the word ‘alcohol’ was included by drawing a mark but the carbon copy of the register page shows the word written at the bottom of the page.

“This indicates that the word ‘alcohol’ had not been omitted inadvertently,” the lawyer submitted.

Congress wants Ambedkar’s Mumbai home in ‘hawker-free zone’

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Opposition Congress has alleged that the BJP-led Maharashtra government was not keen on making ‘hawker-free zone’ the lane in Mumbai where Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s iconic house ‘Rajgriha’ is located and was not keeping with its earlier assurance on the matter.

Congress MLC Anant Gadgil has recently written to Minister of State for Urban Development Dr Ranjeet Patil pointing that the area where Amedkar lived for almost 14-15 years is yet to become free of hawkers.

The architect of the Indian Constitution had stayed in Rajgriha in Hindu Colony in Dadar area of Central Mumbai. It now has a library with over 1.5 lakh books, a study room maintained with books that were used by Ambedkar, a pen, table, and some of his clothes kept in a room.

During the budget session of the Assembly in April, Patil had assured that the lane where Rajgriha is located, would be declared as a no-hawking zone in his response to a question raised through a calling attention motion raised by Gadgil in the Legislative Council.

“Dr Ambedkar resided in Rajgriha. Many people visit the house to pay their respects to the great leader. It won’t be appropriate to let the area be crowded by hawkers,” Gadgil said in a letter written to Patil.

He demanded that the minister should take action against civic officials who have neglected the issue and have not taken action against hawkers.

Patil has, however, said that he has called a meeting in this regard.

“I received a letter from Gadgil and called BMC officials for a meeting this week. We have already instructed them to make the half-kilometre lane a ‘no hawking zone’. But it is BMC’s responsibility. We will issue an order again,” Patil said.

In a development, the state government had in August signed for the deal to purchase the three-storey house in London at 10, King Henry Road, where Ambedkar lived from 1921 to 1923 while pursuing his DSC (doctoral) studies at the London School of Economics.

Three youths arrested for gang-rape

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Three youths have been arrested in the city for gang-rape of a teenage girl.

The arrested accused were identified as Salman, Shabaz and Irfan, said Dilip Raut, senior inspector, Chembur police station.

The accused were arrested from RCF area of Chembur.

Salman, the main accused, who knew the victim girl, took her to Shabaz’s house in RCF area some days ago where the two allegedly raped her, and threatened to defame her if she revealed the incident to anyone.

Later, the duo alongwith the third accused Irfan began to blackmail the girl. Finally she disclosed everything to her mother, who then lodged a complaint.

The three accused were remanded in police custody by a holiday court.

State AAP head Subhash Ware quits party’s National Executive

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Aam Aadmi Party’s Maharashtra unit president Subhash Ware has resigned from the membership of AAP’s National Executive, saying he is shocked at the “undemocratic way” in which the state unit has been dissolved.

Ware sent his resignation via email to party’s general secretary Pankaj Gupta on October 2.

The AAP had on October 1 dissolved its Maharashtra unit. The decision, posted on AAP website, said the party’s Political Committee Affairs (PAC) had dissolved “all bodies in Maharashtra.”

“Yes I have resigned. I don’t oppose the decision (of dissolution of Maharashtra unit). But the undemocratic way it was dissolved, me and entire fleet of volunteers were shocked,” a dejected Ware said.

“Moreover, senior leaders levelled serious allegations and said that party had become dysfunctional, but the truth is that now AAP was getting noticed among farmers and other people in the state,” he said.

The leader, however, said he was not quitting AAP and added that he would work as per directives of the party.

After Ware’s resignation, Mayank Gandhi is the only national executive member left from Maharashtra.

Party sources had earlier said the (dissolution) move followed the state unit’s reluctance to act against Gandhi, the organisation’s best known face in Maharashtra, who had taken on Kejriwal through his blogs when the Delhi Chief Minister was locked in a bitter feud with now expelled AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan. They said the leadership had still “not forgotten” it.

Dadri is second Babri, will raise issue in UN: Azam Khan

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Taking the political slugfest over Dadri lynching incident to another level, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, Monday, declared that he will approach the United Nations to seek justice.

Asserting that the Dadri incident is no less than the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992, Khan said that the RSS and the BJP have declared that they will create ‘Hindu Rashtra’.

“If Hindustan becomes Hindu Rashtra then what will be the role of Muslims? If Muslims wanted to live in a country based on religion then the road to Pakistan was open for them in 1947 but they stayed back on assurance by Mahatma Gandhi and others.”

Muslims stayed back to be in a country governed by rules; if Muslims live here then what will be the status of them?, he added.

Khan said that he will raise the rising cases of communal violence in the UN. “Our approaching the UN is not going against India but we are appealing to the UN. I have sought audience with secretary general of the UN,” he said.

“There should be a round table conference on what will be the new map of India and how people will live in the country,” he said.

Khan also found a link between the Dadri incident and the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar. “Now the agenda of Bihar polls is not development, now it is being said that anyone who has beef meat in his stomach is to be killed.”

SC stays order on sale of beef in J&K for two months

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

The Supreme Court on Monday suspended the state High Court’s order enforcing ban on sale of beef in Jammu and Kashmir for two months.

Supreme Court also directed the Chief Justice of the J&K High Court to constitute a three judge bench to resolve the beef ban issue at the earliest.

The apex court had on Wednesday agreed to hear a plea by Jammu and Kashmir government against two “conflicting” orders of the High Court pertaining to the slaughter of bovine animals and enforcement of a ban on beef sale in the state, claiming these were being “misused” to disturb peace.

While the Jammu bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had ordered enforcement of the bar on the sale of beef in the state, the Srinagar bench issued a notice to the state on a plea seeking scrapping of the law to bar slaughter of bovine animals.

Highlighting the inconsistency in the orders, senior advocate Amarendra Sharan, appearing for the state government, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu and sought an urgent hearing.

The apex court then listed the matter for hearing on Monday.

The High Court’s Jammu bench had on September 8 directed the police to enforce the provision under the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) barring sale of beef in the state.

‘Saare jahan se accha hindustan hamara’ says Dadri victim’s son as he appeals for peace

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Even as politicians continue to make a beeline in Dadri after Mohammad Akhlaq was lynched, his son Sartaj has made an appeal for peace and maintaining communal harmony.

“Saare jahan se accha hindustan hamara, if we all understand the meaning of this song there will be peace everywhere,” Sartaj said.

Reports on Monday said that Sartaj made this appeal while interacting with a news channel.

Sartaj also urged everyone to pray for the life of his brother Danish who was critically injured in the brutal incident.

Sartaj’s appeal came at a time when the political leaders continues to make a beeline to the Dadari village in order to meet Akhlaq’s family members.

Meanwhile, the father of one of the accused arrested in the case has claimed that political leaders should stop visiting the village.

“The statements and the blame game being played by politicians is increasing the violence in the village. The ministers should stop visiting the village. We should be left to ourselves and there will be no violence,” Rajesh Rana, father of one of the accused in the case said.

Rana also claimed that the police is not handling the case well. “Ikhlaq was like a brother to me. The allegations about my son are completely untrue,” Rana said.

The victim’s wife, daughter and other relatives were taken to state’s capital Lucknow to meet Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday.

“We met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister to seek justice. We want justice to be served,” said the victim’s brother.

Akhilesh Yadav also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 30 lakh to Iqlakh’s family and 5 lakh each to his three brothers.

Akhlaq was beaten to death by a mob on Monday night after a public announcement from the local temple that a calf had been slaughtered and his family had eaten beef.

His 22-year-old son Danish who was also attacked is battling for life at a hospital following two brain surgeries. The incident has sparked outrage in the country, with parties attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party alleging that the killing was a result of its “politics of hatred”.

Trying to score brownie points, BJP MLA Sangeet Som, who is the main accused in the Muzaffarnagar riots hit out at the state government for protecting people who indulged in cow slaughter and for playing politics of appeasement.

Lalu calls Modi ‘Dhritarashtra’, says PM is not just blind but deaf and dumb too

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and compared him to ‘Dhritrashtra’ – an important character in the epic Mahabharat.

Continuing his tirade against BJP, the RJD chief said the people of Bihar will not let any outsider rule the state. “Does anyone know Bihar better than Nitish and Lalu? We will not let the people from Gujarat destroy the state,” he tweeted.

Taking a jibe at the PM, Lalu said Modi is like Dhritarashtra.

“The Dhritarashtra sitting in Hastinapur is not just blind but deaf and dumb too. BJP leaders are free to create anarchy in the society. This Dhritrashtra is afraid. He only shouts but when it is needed, he takes a vow of silence,” he said in of his tweets.

The RJD chief also made a mockery of PM Modi’s slogan “sabka saath- sabka vikas”, saying it actually means “kuch ka saath- sabka vinash”.

This is not the first time that the former Bihar chief minister has attacked PM Modi.

In a tweet posted on October 2, Lalu had held Modi responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination.

Not just Twitter, Lalu had on Sunday debuted on Dubsmash to mock Modi in a video over his promise to bring back black money.

In the 17 second video, Lalu mimicked Modi who in his Lok Sabha election campaign said ‘acche din aaenge’ and promised to bring back black money and every citizen getting Rs 15 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

He ended the video by calling Modi’s poll promises ‘jumla’.

Modi, Merkel hold talks, special emphasis on ramping up trade between India, Germany

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Afternoon Voice

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October 5, 2015

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks on stepping up bilateral cooperation in a range of key areas with a special emphasis on ramping up trade and investment when global slowdown is emerging as a major concern.

Merkel, accompanied by a large delegation of Cabinet Ministers and top officials, arrived here last night and was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Ways to deepen bilateral engagement in diverse sectors like defence, security, education and renewable energy figured in the summit-level Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between Modi and Merkel which also deliberated on issues relating to trade and investment.

“The real business of diplomacy. The 3rd India-Germany InterGovernmental Consultations begin, led by PM & Chancellor,” tweeted External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup

India and Germany are strategic partners since 2001.

The German Chancellor’s visit here comes around six months after Modi’s tour to Germany in April

Germany is India’s largest trading partner in European Union and the seventh largest foreign investor in India.

The overall exchange of goods and services between the two countries was valued at around around 15.96 billion euros last year, a drop of 1.14 billion euros from the level of 16.10 billion euros registered in 2013.

While India’s exports to Germany rose marginally to 7.03 billion euros in 2014, its German imports dropped to 8.92 billion euros from 9.19 euros in the previous year.

More than 1,600 Indo-German collaborations and around 600 Indo-German joint ventures are currently in operation.

Ahead of Merkel’s visit, German Ambassador Martin Ney said the third Inter-Governmental Consultations are expected to come out with “path-breaking results” and inking of “substantial” number of agreements between the two countries.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Merkel ahead of her talks with Modi.