Four men have been arrested for allegedly gang-raping their teenaged friend twice on different occasions after spiking her drink with alcohol in Jogeshwari, police said.
The 16-year-old girl, who stays in a shelter home run by an NGO in suburban Andheri, had gone to her home for Holi when the offence took place. The shelter home provides staying facilities to the economically backward families’ children in the city.
The four accused, Huzer Khan (24), Ajay Jaiswal (21), Kanti Anawadia (19), and Aamir Chaudhary (19), all known to the victim, were arrested on March 20, an official at Meghwadi police station said.
One of the accused had on March 15 asked the girl to join him and his friends for Holi celebrations. She agreed and joined them the next day when the four took her to a ground in Andheri where they consumed liquor and also allegedly mixed it in the soft drink, the girl consumed without her knowledge, police said.
The accused then took her to an isolated area in Aarey colony and allegedly raped her. Since the girl was under the influence of alcohol, she did not remember as to what had happened to her.
The accused again convinced her to accompany them the next day and they allegedly assaulted her a second time in the same fashion in Jogeshwari area, police said.
With no memory of the two incidents, the girl questioned the men since she was experiencing pain. One of the accused narrated the incident to her but the girl did not tell anyone of the incident.
On March 20, a staffer at the shelter home noticed a change in her behaviour. Upon enquiry, the girl broke down and narrated the incident.
The police were informed and an FIR was registered on March 20, said an official, adding that the accused were picked on the same day from the city.
The four accused have been remanded in police custody till March 28.
Distraught over not getting compensation for losses suffered in the recent hailstorm in Maharashtra, a farmer consumed poison in the Yavatmal collectorate office, officials said Tuesday.
The incident occurred late Monday. Farmer Janardhan Raut, 70, hails from Akpuri village and is now battling for life in a hospital.
“There was this unfortunate incident just outside my office and we rushed him to hospital. We are taking details about the farmer, his debts, losses, etc,” Yavatmal collector Ashwin Muddal said.
“We have found a suicide note from his person and we are investigating,” an official from Yavatmal police station said.
According to Kishore Tiwari, chief of NGO Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti, Raut had gone to the collectorate to enquire when he would get the compensation for losses suffered in the hailstorm.
“He is also facing harassment from some private money lenders for old farm loans, details of which we are inquiring into,” said Tiwari.
The hailstorm and unseasonal rains lashed 28 of the 35 districts in the state in February-March, damaging or destroying standing crops in about 1.90 million hectares of farmland barring the coastal Konkan region.
As many as 18 farmers have committed suicide in the Vidarbha region alone while the state-wide figure has crossed 100, Tiwari said.
Despite announcements by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and a visit by a central assessment team, the farmers have not received any assistance, he added.
“The largest number of suicides have taken place in Vidarbha, Marathwada and north Maharashtra. We wonder if all the aid has been diverted to western Maharashtra which has barely reported any case of a farmer ending life in the past couple of weeks,” Tiwari said.
He said the state government has already declared a relief package of about Rs.4,000 crore, but officials at the ground level say the amount would not be disbursed till the Lok Sabha elections are over.
A textile dying unit in powerloom town of Bhiwandi here was completely gutted in a major fire, police said on Tuesday.
The blaze occurred just before midnight in the Tapasya Dying Unit situated in Balaji compound, they said.
Firemen took more than eight hours to douse the flames after a dozen fire engines drawn from areas like Kalyan, Ambernath, Ulhasnagar and Thane rushed to the spot.
However, there were no casualties in the fire, Bhoiwada police said.
The cause of the fire is still not known and further investigation is underway.
MNS’ South Mumbai constituency nominee Bala Nandgaonkar on Tuesday met veteran Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister AR Antulay to seek his support for the Lok Sabha elections.
Nandgaonkar’s meeting comes in the backdrop of Antulay backing a Peasants and Workers Party (PWP) candidate from Raigad parliamentary constituency after being upset over Congress swapping the seat with the NCP.
“I met Antulayji. I sought his blessings for the election. He said his blessings are always there with me,” Nandgonkar said.
The MNS leader was accompanied by party colleague and MLA Nitin Sardesai and PWP leader Jayant Patil.
Nandgaonkar is pitted against Congress’ Milind Deora, Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant and Aam Admi Party’s Meera Sanyal.
Ending speculations about his possible candidature as an independent after being denied Congress ticket for Pune Lok Sabha seat, sitting MP Suresh Kalmadi, under cloud for his alleged involvement in the CWG scam, on Tuesday announced his “unconditional support” to official party candidate Vishwajeet Kadam.
“It gives me immense pleasure to announce my support to Congress candidate Kadam in the best interest of Pune’s future development,” Kalmadi said in a statement issued here.
Kalmadi, who had publicly expressed his displeasure for being denied ticket for himself or his wife Meera, fuelling speculations of his entering the fray as an independent to checkmate official Congress candidate, said, “It was imperative for me to take a stand as MP elected many times from Pune.”
The Congress leader, suspended from the party in April 2011 following his arrest in the CWG case, said he arrived at the decision to support Kadam after discussions he had with his supporters and various social groups in the best interest of development of Pune.
Listing his achievements and work done as MP for Pune, Kalmadi, who doubled as a controversial sports administrator, said, “I have an emotional attachment with Pune and I always strove to keep the city’s name high. I am indebted to Pune and will always remain available to people in future.”
In a significant judgment, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday confirmed the death penalty awarded to a man who raped and killed a 5-year-old girl in January 2013 stating that he would be a “menace” to the society.
A division bench of Justice V K Tahilramani and Justice V L Achliya observed that the case fell in the “rarest of rare” category.
The judges said that 53-year-old Dattatray Rokde had attacked the minor girl with brutality and the intention to inflict body injury. The victim was a “young, defenseless, harmless” minor girl, who had hardly seen five summers, the judges observed.
The court also observed that with the rising crimes against children, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSOA) came into existence and same was relied upon the prosecution in the present case. The judges also ruled out the possibility of Rokde’s reformation observing his age and said the man had a habit of committing offences of such nature. The court also observed that the 53-year-old was forcefully subjecting his wife to sexual intercourse. “Thus, it is clear that the accused was committing marital rape on a regular basis,” the judges said.
The minor girl had gone missing on January 1, 2013. The girl’s family, which lived in same locality as the accused, lodged a missing complaint with the police the following day. The girl’s naked body was found lying in front of their house on January 23.
Additional Public Prosecutor Usha Kejariwal relying on statements of witnesses including accused’s family members and other incriminating evidences proved the charges of rape and murder committed on the minor girl.
The sessions court on June 6, 2013 awarded death sentence to Rokde after convicting him under Section 302 (murder), 376 (rape) 376 (2) (f) and other relevant sections of Indian Penal Code. He was also convicted under relevant sections of the POCSOA.
The Bombay High Court asked Maharashtra Government to explain under which authority of law they have decided to post constables in and outside the restaurant-cum-bars in nearby Thane district, where women waitress serve liquor to guests.
The court also asked Thane police to explain the need to deploy constables in and outside the premises of the bars.
“Although surveillance is necessary, sometimes police have to strike a balance between performing their duties and allowing bar owners to conduct their business,” the judges observed.
A division bench of Justices N H Patil and Abhay Thipsay was hearing a petition filed by owners of bars and restaurants from Thane challenging deployment of policemen in and outside their premises to keep a watch whether lady waitresses are not working beyond the stipulated deadline.
The Bombay High Court also questioned the rationale behind deploying policemen in and outside restaurants and bars for the purpose of ensuring that waitresses did not work beyond the deadline, even though there is a severe shortage of policemen to deal with crime.
A total of 36 petitions have been filed in the high court by restaurant and bar owners, claiming that since November 2013, policemen have been deployed outside their business premises.
Thane police today filed an affidavit justifying the presence of policemen at the bars and restaurants while Counsel for the petitioners, Veena Thadani, sought one week time to file a reply. The Court allowed her plea and deferred the hearing to April 1.
Advocate Veena Thadani appearing for the petitioner argued that “their (policemen’s) presence creates fear in our patrons and affects our business”.
She also argued that policemen are sitting there from 1 pm to 1 am occupying a table.
Public Prosecutor S K Shinde opposed the plea saying “We have come across untoward incidents and the practice is adopted in public interest. There has to be some regulation
Reacting to Supreme Court’s observation today against the continuation of N Srinivasan as BCCI president, vice-president Ravi Savant said the Board has no other alternative but to follow the apex court’s order.
“We have to abide by what the Supreme Court said,” Savant told from Ratnagiri, echoing the views expressed by another BCCI VP and former India off-spinner Shivlal Yadav.
After going through the contents of a report filed in a sealed cover by apex court-appointed probe panel into the IPL spot fixing scandal, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik said there are “very very serious” allegations made in the report and unless the BCCI president steps down, no fair probe can be conducted.
“If the court feels that he should step down for a fair probe into the scandal, I think it’s reasonable. But if the other version is true (court’s observation that why is he (Srinivasan) sticking to the chair? It is nauseating), it is serious,” said Savant.
Asked what course the BCCI would take if Srinivasan steps down as per the apex court’s observation, Savant said it will have to be decided by the Board’s general body.
“The general body has to fill up the vacancy as per the constitution of the Board,” he said.
A Mumbai court adjourned the hearing on the Shakti Mills photojournalist gangrape case till Wednesday. The court will decide quantum of sentencing in the gangrape case. Four men were convicted by the court last week and three of them have also been found guilty of gangraping an 18-year-old telephone operator at the same Shakti Mills compound. These three common convicts in both the cases have been sentenced to life imprisonment in the telephone operator case.
The prosecution in the photojournalist case had filed an application to add Section 376 (E) against the three repeat offenders. The court had following this adjourned the sentencing till Monday.
The court convicted the five men for gangrape, criminal conspiracy, common intention, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation, wrongful restraint, assault, destruction of evidence under IPC and other relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
A total of seven persons including two minors, were arrested in connection with the two gangrapes involving a telephone operator and a photojournalist in July-August 2013. Three of the convicts are common to both the cases. Principal sessions court judge Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi convicted Vijay Jadhav, 19, Mohammad Qasim Hafiz Shaikh alias Kasim Bengali, 21 and Mohammad Ansari, 28, in both the cases. while Siraj Khan was found guilty in the photojournalist gangrape case (on August 22) and Mohammad Ashfaque Shaikh, in the telephone operator gangrape case at the same compound on July 31 last year.
Two minors, one in each case, are being tried by the Juvenile Justice Board separately.
Finally Arvind Kejriwal arrived at Varanasi, with all his support system. His party workers escorted him like grand Maharaja, yet he walked the streets of Varanasi like a common man. My newspaper’s correspondent from there said that there was an unexpected crowd there and they were crazy for Kejriwal in Varanasi. Like any other Hindu, he took a dip in Ganga and started his campaign for AAP. There was a huge media gathering with him. People were looking over enthusiastic to shake their hands with AAP chief. More than mediapersons’ cameras, common man were seen taking photographs and videos of this naïve politician through their mobile phones. Everyone was expecting some or the other kind of act by other parties for him in Varanasi. In spite of all odds, he walked his way straight, fearlessly and greeted people with his popular and unique smile. Smeared with sandalwood paste as he exited from the Vishwanath temple, Kejriwal did not speak to journalists and merely smiled even as the vocal protests continued. His smile is his strength which is upsetting opponents.
He was quite reluctant over his stand of contesting the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi, to save the people and the country from Modi. Eggs were thrown at his car outside the Kashi Vishwanath temple, with the protestors steadily raising anti-Kejriwal slogans and asking him to leave the city. Can you imagine, all these protesters were locals and Hindus, but in the rage of attacking Kejriwal, they even ‘ignored’ the holy premises of Lord Shiva and threw eggs there. Anyways, there is a saying that “anger needs no wisdom. It knows only attack and aggression”. People were calling him a “traitor”. Hundreds of slogan-shouting people blocked his cavalcade while raising slogans of “Modi, Modi”. Security personnel had a tough time controlling the mob. The demonstrators said that they wanted only Modi to contest the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi. Somewhere I was disappointed by this type of behaviour by Modi’s supporters. They should defeat him with the EVM machine and not by openly protesting and holding him on the streets.
After visiting individually in states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Kejriwal felt that people were angry with mainstream parties and were looking for a change in the political system. AAP can be that change. It is basically an expression of people’s anger against the current corrupt system of politics. Having fielded 339 candidates so far, the AAP leader is hopeful of winning 100 seats all over India. However, the party has not opened its card regarding who it will back for formation of government. Locals of Varanasi were backing the party in a big way. Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians from all over India are coming in large numbers to support this party, because it promotes honesty and integrity.
Let’s not predict that the fate of AAP in 2014 general elections would be a farce; let the time decide its destiny. It would have been better if AAP had done something worthy in Delhi and shown its capability. It is really funny that most of the print and electronic media are projecting Kejriwal as one of the leading contenders for the Prime Ministers along with Modi and Rahul. There are few regional parties which will do much better than AAP then why Mamata, Jayalalithaa, Mayawati, Nitesh Kumar, Mulayam are not included in that list? Many are questioning the integrity of AAP. They want to know the policies of Aam Aadmi Party. If they are looking to cleanse the system then they have to work towards this. Merely selecting candidates from all walks of life is not enough. The electorate has to be convinced that this party will give stable government in the centre and will complete its term.
Moreover, the question is, will Arvind Kejriwal graciously abandon his self-important dialogues and distorted detestation towards BJP which pose a real challenge to the deceptive UPA regime on behalf of the righteous people of this country? Is it not impulsive for him not to be part of the victory over the outrageous Congress and instead indirectly support the Congress?
Let’s imagine a scenario which is projected by Kejriwal happens, that is – Modi, Rahul, Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas are defeated. AAP gets 100 seats. What happens then? AAP will support Rajnath Singh or Sushma Swaraj to become PM or will AAP join a third front with Lalu, Mulayam, Jaya, Mayawati etc., to form the government? How long this coalition will continue as each and everybody is dreaming to become PM or like Delhi, AAP will help to have no government? Speaking about honesty and integrity is good. There is saying, Even if I lose both my eyes, it does not matter; I want my next door neighbour to lose one eye so that he knows the meaning of BLINDIE. I would have liked to hear Kejriwal saying I would stand against Modi even if I do not win. The verbal attack on Modi sounds like a grudge against him or a personal vendetta which does not sound right for a candidate who is thought to be a gentleman. I am not a supporter of any particular leader or party, but fact can’t be over looked. Modi has done his homework and is ready for the battle. Both of them have experience of state level politics but the major difference is, Modi is in politics from many years and voted as CM of Gujarat thrice, whereas Kejriwal is a newbie and ruled only for 49 days in Delhi. Modi has proven himself with his governance, while Kejriwal quit CM post and is not a suitable candidate for Prime Minister’s job.
Whosoever makes it, let’s leave it to the time……….. Jo jeeta wohi sikandar.
