Uddhav Thackeray who sworn in as the Chief Minister on November 28, soon after that Thackeray government gave land worth Rs 900 crore to a builder in Dahisar. In the last 10 years, a proposal was made to purchase 7 acres of land in Dahisar, but it was not accepted. Nishlap Realty had offered to buy the plot. This place has 100 percent encroachments. The BMC had rejected the offer to buy the land. It was clearly stated that the proposal to buy this land was a wastage of revenue for the BMC. Praveen Pardeshi, the then commissioner of BMC, had sent a letter to the NMC reform committee expressing his clear opposition to taking possession of the land. On November 2, 2019, the Improvement Committee of the Municipal Corporation had proposed to take possession of this said land. Nishalpa Realty had given a detailed commentary on how this proposal is unworkable and therefore it should be rejected. In the meeting of the reform committee held on November 2, it was proposed to inspect the site.
The reform committee was set to meet on November 29 to discuss various issues. The meeting did not discuss the land acquisition at Dahisar Eksar. However, this issue was included in the agenda of the meeting as a matter of urgency. When Praveen Pardeshi was Municipal Commissioner, he had undoubtedly stated that the value of this land is around Rs. 54 crores. In a notification issued by Pardeshi on October 15, 2019, it stated that possession of any such land should be obtained without any difficulty. Even when the land was valued at Rs 354 crore, outside investors had strongly objected to it. Meanwhile, the Thackeray government has given Rs 349 crore, Rs 14 lakh 19 thousand 13 to the NMC finance department for the purchase of this land. It was suggested that such an amount should be paid immediately. 54 crore was paid in advance as a deposit, therefore, on February 15, 2020, the remaining Rs 294 crore was paid to Nishalpa Reality. Now the concerned builder has given Rs 349 crore for this land. This valuation is wrong, he claims. The builder appealed to the Revenue Tribunal in Nagpur for a plot of land worth Rs 900 crore.
“I have inspected the plot and it has become clear to me that the encroachments on the plot cannot be removed. The state government and the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation were opposed to taking the encroached land at such a high price till November 28, 2019. However, after Uddhav Thackeray became the Chief Minister, the role of the state government and the Municipal Corporation changed overnight and a plot of land worth Rs 900 crore was given to a builder., there should be an urgent investigation into these financial transactions, said opposition leader Kirit Somayya.
The election is being held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and the Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety protocols.
Bihar Voted in a three-phase election – the first amid the coronavirus pandemic – which will decide if Nitish Kumar will win a fourth term as Chief Minister. Voting is taking place in 71 of the state’s 243 seats. Nitish Kumar’s challenger is RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav, whose promise of 10 lakh jobs has proved to be a huge draw in the backdrop of the lockdown and widespread unemployment. The third factor in this election is Chirag Paswan, the son of the late Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, whose rebellion against Nitish Kumar is believed by many to be backed by the BJP. The Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety rules for voting in the shadow of Covid.
As many 71 constituencies in Bihar went to polls on Wednesday with nearly 2.14 crore voters deciding the fate of 1,066 candidates. Of these 71 seats, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal-United (JD-U) is contesting in 35 constituencies, followed by its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has fielded candidates in 29 seats. From the Opposition, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is contesting in 42 seats, while its coalition partner Congress has candidates contesting in 20 seats. Many of the constituencies will be keeping an eye on the trends emerging from a few key states in the state. News18 lists five important seats to look out for. For the last 30 years, nobody has been able to breach this BJP fortress. Bihar’s Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar has won this seat six times in a row. So important is his stature in state politics, that he has been accommodated into the cabinet each time an NDA government was sworn into power. This seat will be a litmus test of BJP’s popularity in the region. For the last 30 years, nobody has been able to breach this BJP fortress. Bihar’s Agriculture Minister Prem Kumar has won this seat six times in a row. So important is his stature in state politics, that he has been accommodated into the cabinet each time an NDA government was sworn into power.
This seat will be a litmus test of BJP’s popularity in the region. Of the 12 times that the Congress has won this seat, the party’s Bihar unit chief Sadanand Singh has been declared winner nine times — between 1967 and 2015. In 2015, he defeated his nearest rival, LJP’s Niraj Kumar, by over 20,000 votes. Singh is so popular here that he managed to hold on to the seat even in the 1977 elections when the Congress was routed from large parts of Bihar and the country. This is the constituency from where local strongman and MLA Anant Singh is contesting on an RJD ticket. From 2005 to 2010, Singh won the seat as a JD(U) candidate. In 2015, after JD(U) denied him a ticket, he won as an Independent. The Mokama Assembly seat, dominated by Bhumihaar and Yadavs, has seen only local strongmen as its MLAs. In 90’s Singh’s brother Dilip became a legislator from here on a Janata Dal ticket. Since then, Singh has won this seat four times. This seat will see a straight battle between the Congress and BJP. Having won the seat twice in a row, Labour Resources Department Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha is BJP’s candidate here. In the last election, it was a close battle between BJP’s Vijay Kumar Sinha and JD(U)’s Ramanand Mandal.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election campaign. Image Courtesy: ANI Photo
Bihar is the most tinted State where the political battle is always interesting and it attracts national attention. Here the most interesting part is five parties are dominating the last 2 assemblies and 2 Lok Sabha. It is the rarest example that 5 parties exist and play their role in the elections equally well. The political climate is always uncertain Bihar and it is the reason where the forecasting isn’t accurate and certain about Bihar. At present Nitish Kumar is holding the CM post with the support from BJP and others. In the election, it will be an acid test for Nitish Kumar because of certain factors like the anti-incumbency, stand on triple Talaq, stance on NRC/CAA/NRP, Corona-virus handling, Migrants issue, Floods and disaster management issue, LJP stand on NDA CM face. NDA alliance had a larger vote share of 46% compared to 30% by Mahagadbandhan in the last election. So the same thing may repeat this year but JDU will sink further and BJP is likely to take the lead in the NDA. Unlike in the past three elections, when there was an overwhelming central narrative in Bihar polls to defeat Lalu Yadav and establish ‘Sushashan’ in 2005 and 2010 and to defeat BJP in 2015, no single issue seems to be dominating the current elections. Anti-incumbency, the return of ‘Jungle Raj’, economic hardships in corona times and widespread unemployment, there are many issues and the priorities vary from constituency to constituency and also depending on the voter’s historical inclination, often based on caste lines.
Meanwhile, the LJP going solo will hurt both NDA and UPA alliance. The recent demise of Ram Vilas Paswan will serve as a sympathy to the LJP. Lot of emotions will pour in. We may see LJP winning more seats than anyone could have predicted. The Dalit vote bank will mostly go to LJP which may hurt RJD. Similarly, LJP will contest against JDU in all the seats, with Paswans launching a series of attacks on Nitish Kumar in the campaigning may also hurt NDA in the end. I think the RJD from UPA and BJP from NDA will be the dominating parties. No Alliance will secure over 150 seats; it will be a tightly contested election. The performance of JDU, INC, LJP, CPI-M will determine the fate of their respective alliance. JDU has the edge among all the secondary parties. NDA is the favorite based on opinion polls but the poor image of Nitish among the unemployed youth and migrant workers may cost them the victory.
Arwal and Kurtha are the two main areas in Bihar. Arwal district is known not only for its geographical landscape but also for its political history. Despite being very close to both the regions, the electoral history is reversing completely. The election season in the country has been changing every year; people always want to elect a better party or better leader for goodness. The story of Arwal and Kurtha is also somewhat similar. The public will again play a wager in the coming elections; the future of both places will be decided once again at the end of the year 2020. Arwal kept changing the leadership in every election while JD(U) has taken fixed possession in Kurtha. Arwal, situated on the banks of the Sone River, and this constituency never had dominance of one particular party or leader. DularChand (LJP) won two times. But every 5 years since 2005, Arwal has been constantly changing its leadership. In 2010, BJP candidate Chittaranjan Kumar won the battle and RJD’s Ravindra Singh in 2015. It is currently difficult to decide whose government will be formed in the coming elections because we have seen the history of Arwal constantly changing.
Kurtha, a separate assembly constituency in Arwal district, is also a constituency under the Jehanabad Lok Sabha. JDU and BJP’s alliance in Bihar was directly affected in the 2019 general elections where the BJP did not divide the vote percentage and the victory went to JDU’s account. In Arwal, in every election, the public gave the chance to work to a different candidate and a different party, while Kurtha selected only the JDU party. So far as we all know the Nitish Kumar brand factor which gave the JDU the victory. His governance and so-called clean image were responsible to defeat BJP in the last election and revive the RJD and INC in Bihar. Whereas, RJD is the party that ruled the state for a long time and dominated the political ground like an undisputed leader. The Chief architect was Lalu Prasad. Then the party was managed by his wife Rabri Devi when he was in jail. Now the party is managed by his sons and daughter. With the cold war within his family is no more a secret. It is one of the reasons that with Lalu’s absence which makes a hurdle and obstacle for RJD to get the majority and position in Bihar Election. BJP, as a national party in power in center and Modi campaigns give them the boost to dominate the assembly election. The one factor which makes BJP out of chance or power is the CM face. Since 2015, the BJP is suffering for the same cause in Delhi, West Bengal, and Bihar. Until unless they have an influential and powerful leader who can compete with the Nitish Kumar and Yadav Family, they have to depend on JDU. Bihar has mainly five dominating parties and three of them always play an important role.
There was an era when without INC, Bihar elections were not imagined. But now the party is almost perished in Bihar. If INC contests alone in the Bihar election, the chance would be of 2 to 3 seats and 3 to 3.5% votes for Congress. LJP is a very lucky party. Most of the time, whoever comes to the Center, before that they join hands with them. This party understands the political weather and forecast. As a single party, it has its 8 to 9% caste votes with them. But they always docket with some or the other parties and get the best for their own. With only BJP in 2014 and with the support from BJP and JDU in 2019, they got 7 & 6 Lok Sabha MP seats respectively.
For the meantime, the spin masters and media strategists were never as important as they are today in any poll campaign. Though the best-known political spin master, Prashant Kishor, is exposed by his absence from campaigning in his home state, the spin of words is complementing the pace and gruel of campaign at grassroots. To explain the point further, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi has been complaining that Yadav is quiet on Muslim issues. However, the master strategist of the Mahagathbandhan’s campaign Lalu Prasad Yadav, knows for sure that talking on these tricky topics would be walking on a minefield laid by the BJP. Like Jharkhand, where the Congress, RJD and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) fought together, the focus was kept on local issues and they successfully ousted the BJP government. So, the Gupkar declaration cuts no ice, and Rahul Gandhi mentioning China doesn’t get much appreciation in the strategy room of the grand alliance. In the back alleys of Bihar, not to forget that it’s India’s most politically cognizant state, there is also talk about the volume of vitriol which Chirag Paswan is pouring on chief minister Nitish Kumar. The narrative style which Chirag is pushing is definitely not from the repertoire of his late father Ram Vilas Paswan. The late central minister was never known to be abusive towards his political rivals and was rather known to enjoy a congenial relationship across the political spectrum, which helped him smoothly hop alliances. On the other hand, his son Chirag has even threatened to jail Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar for alleged corruption in the ‘7 Nishchay’ scheme. There is a feeling that given the history of conflict between known supporter castes of Nitish and Dusadhs (Paswan’s community), such venomous attacks on Nitish could consolidate the chief minister’s vote bank. Chirag is taking this conflict further ahead by putting up candidates against another National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner, Mahadalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).
The empowered Mahadalits, given Chirag’s spiteful attack on Nitish, could consolidate behind the chief minister the way they did in 2010 and 2015. This is the 15% vote share which Nitish showcases in addition to his traditional Kurmi supporters, the community he belongs to. Thus, the alleged BJP gamble to cut Nitish Kumar to size through Chirag Paswan could end up benefiting the incumbent chief minister. Let us see how the voters play with their power of voting and how successfully political parties mold it to their favor.
The rates for corona tests conducted in private laboratories in the state have been revised once again and the cost per test has been reduced by about Rs 200. Therefore, private laboratories are now required to charge a maximum of Rs 980, Rs 1400 and Rs 1800 for tests as per the newly fixed rates.
Private laboratories cannot charge more than this. Health Minister Rajesh Tope said efforts were being made to provide relief to the common man by fixing such a low rate from Rs 4,500 to Rs 980.
The rates for corona tests have been fixed in three stages and will be charged at Rs 980 after laboratory tests. The maximum rate has been fixed at Rs 1,400 for collecting samples from laboratories at Covid Center, Hospitals and Quarantine Centers and Rs 1,800 for collecting samples from the patient’s home. The health minister said that the state government has consistently tried to provide relief to the patients by reducing the rates by keeping the common man at the center.
The state is focusing on tests for corona control, with 70,000 tests being performed for every one million population, and efforts are being made to increase them. So as to gain more control over the corona. The Health Minister appealed to the District Collector and Municipal Commissioner to be vigilant so that patients are charged according to the revised rates across the state.
Dr Anshuman Manasvi said, “Maharashtra forms 9% of the National population but is responsible for 41% of the total national cases of Covid 19, national mortality average is 80 per million whereas Maharashtra is 330 per million 4 times the national average. The national testing positivity was in March 8.8 % and currently is 6.5 % as per WHO if it is more 8.5 % then the authorities are testing less. The test positivity for Maharashtra is 19.9 % Cleary they are under testing. So our state leads in the Covid statistics for all the bad reasons.
A female dog was brutally raped inside the posh Galleria shopping mall of Mumbai, the news is very much shocking but more than that news I was worried about the mentality of a man, what are these men up to? Leave alone women and children, it seems even the animals are not safe from sexual predators. There are many such humanity shaming incidences in India these days, last year a man was caught ‘raping’ a 9-month-old calf in the Avanti Nagar area of Hyderguda in Hyderabad. The accused was caught red-handed while he was indulging in the criminal act. The eye witness immediately contacted the police. The abuse of animals has been going on for years.
Similarly, in May last year, a man was caught on CCTV camera raping cows at a shelter in Ayodhya. Later, the incident prompted the shelter volunteers to keep a close watch on the man. The accused then returned to the shelter and attempted to sexually assault the animals again. But he was caught by the volunteers who were already waiting for him. There was news that hit the headlines, a 40-year-old man who sodomised a female stray dog, Maharashtra’s Thane district. From being handled viciously by circus crews to being subjugated for resources, animals in India have been subjected to suffering for years. It must be noted that laws laid down in the Constitution of India have not been able to deter sadists from torturing animals. Since six months of lockdown, many animals have been subjected to rape and molestation. Several instances of animal cruelty have been reported to the police. These instances hold testimony to the lack of apathy and humanity that is slowly intense humans.
In September, a man threw a stray dog into the Upper Lake of Madhya Pradesh while another person filmed the incident. The man could be seen giggling while looking at the camera after he threw the canine into the water body. On August 19, another incident of animal brutality came to light from Kerala. In Malappuram, 5 men allegedly hunted a pregnant buffalo and killed it. Buffalo meat was also recovered from the house of one of the accused. On July 22, a man was seen burning alive a kitten. This incident was from Hyderabad. In the video of the incident, the man could be seen setting the kitten on fire with a lighter as it continued to cry in pain. On July 8, a man was arrested for allegedly raping a cow at a dairy in Sundar Nagar, Madhya Pradesh. The obscene act performed by the man was recorded on the CCTV camera installed at the facility and the accused was arrested.
These instances and several others prove that there is a failing sense of humanity in the country and the same is leading to a swift rise in crimes against animals. Next time you are horrified about somebody’s appalling behaviour, think twice before saying: “He/she behaved worse than an animal.” Because “worse than an animal” has become the behavioural norm for humans — at least, some humans.
Lately, the number of cases of animals being raped is horrifying, even to those souls that are fairly desensitized now to animals being beaten up and physically harmed for brutal sport. One of the two cases of animals being raped in Delhi-NCR registered last year reportedly has shown a suspect from Ghaziabad — where a bitch was recovered dead from a road after being allegedly tied to a moving bike and dragged along the road.
People for Animals (PFA) India — has noted that it was an attempt to rape the dog, and has alleged that there were bruises near the vaginal area of the bitch. For those who have been living under a rock and think this was an isolated incident, here are some episodes that have left us sick, disgusted — and ashamed to be called humans. These are reported cases, think about all those unreported cases. Who would speak for those animals?
On July 29, 2018, a pregnant goat was reportedly gang-raped by eight men in Haryana. The goat that went missing was later found dead by the owner. It was allegedly stolen, thrashed, and raped by the accused. It succumbed to the trauma and died. Reportedly, one of the accused met the owner of the goat and admitted that he had raped her and even said that he had a nice time. In August 2017, a 34-year-old man was accused of raping a female puppy to death in Delhi. The puppy later bled to death. Not only did the accused — Naresh Kumar — boast about the incident to an animal lover, he also led him to the carcass. A post-mortem report confirmed rape and death due to excessive bleeding from private parts as well as shock.
The police reportedly refused to register a case initially. When the locals mounted pressure, a case was registered against maiming and killing the puppy — not against bestiality which comes under section 377 of the IPC.
In January 2018, a man who worked as a labourer at a cowshed in Vadodara raped three cows. Later in the morning, the owner found that the legs of three cows were tied with rope and one was lying dead. Of course, the cows garnered more sympathy from the locals than cases of the dogs, or perhaps even the goat did. Locals claimed that their religious sentiments were hurt, and predictably, a case was registered against the accused under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code that addresses acts intended to outrage religious feelings — a far more arduous section under the penal code than the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. While these cases of utmost brutality are on the rise, there is an acute dearth of laws to protect animals from cases of sexual abuse — giving the depraved and psychopaths the conviction to get away from the law. Right from stage one; there is apathy in filing FIRs. The animals, after all, cannot understand the court’s orders and speak up for their rights. Even if the case is registered, the question arises of what section of the Indian Penal Code should it be registered under?
While the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act, 1960 (PCA) deals with the cognizance of a host of possibilities of treating animals cruelly, including maiming, injuring, killing, practising phooka (the forceful blowing of air into a cow’s vagina or anus to induce it to produce more milk), experiments on animals, restricting exhibition and training of performing animals, human perversion seems to be rising beyond its present purview. The maximum punishment under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 is a fine of Rs 50 rupees or imprisonment of up to three months or both. But what about Rape, do you think, it’s ok because the victim is still an animal and the accused is Man?
Bestiality (sexual intercourse between a person and an animal) is a crime under section 377 of the IPC. The apex court had upheld that the law will stand on the statute book to deal with unnatural sexual offences against animals such as bestiality. But most people — including the police — are not aware of this. Furthermore, the section does not address the extreme cruelty meted out against the animals, but only criminalises the penetrative sexual intercourse with an animal. Activists have been urging the government to amend the PCA and include bestiality as a cognisable offence in the light of the latest depravity. If the human urge to rape cannot be controlled, it is time we consider tying humans up, rather than animals.
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The United States and India must work together to confront the threat posed by China to security and freedom, US Secretary Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday as he prepared for talks with Indian leaders in US-India 2+2 Dialogue.
Pompeo arrived in New Delhi on Monday along with Defense Secretary Mark Esper for an annual strategic dialogue at a time of heightened tension in the region, with Indian troops confronting Chinese forces on their disputed Himalayan border.
“Today is a new opportunity for two great democracies like ours to grow closer,” Pompeo said before the talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh,
“There is much more work to do for sure. We have a lot to discuss today: Our cooperation on the pandemic that originated in Wuhan, to confronting the Chinese Communist Party’s threats to security and freedom to promoting peace and stability throughout the region.” US President Donald Trump has made being tough on China a key part of his campaign to secure a second term in next week’s presidential election and Pompeo has been trying to bolster allies to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
India has its own problems with a more assertive China. On June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with Chinese troops on their high-altitude border, hardening the mood in India against China and driving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to seek closer military ties with the United States.
This month, India invited Australia to join naval drills it holds each year with the United States and Japan, brushing off Chinese concerns that the exercises destabilise the region. “Our focus now must be on institutionalising and regularising our cooperation to meet the challenges of the day and uphold the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific well into the future,” Esper said.
Maharashtra’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said that since the lockdown started, the state has so far imposed 2 lakh 88 thousand offenses under section 188 and 1347 illegal traffic offenses during COVID-19 lockdown.
From March 22 to October 25, around 2,88,029 offenses under Section 188 were registered in the state and 41,826 persons were arrested. 96,705 vehicles were seized. 34 crore 61 lakh 84 thousand 858 for various crimes. A fine was imposed. Police forces, the health department, doctors, and nurses are working day and night to combat Corona. But some evil tendencies are attacking them. The police department has been directed to take strict action against such attackers.
During this time there were 379 incidents of assault on police. 903 persons have been arrested and further action is being taken. The 100 number of the police department is working 24 hours in all the districts. During the lockdown, there were 1,14,159 calls to the phone, all of which were well received. During this period, cases were registered against 1347 vehicles carrying illegal vehicles. 96,605 vehicles were seized. Of the 26,247 corona victims in the state, 24,329 have been released in an ongoing effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Unfortunately, a total of 280 police personnel/officers including 253 police and 27 officers were killed. Control rooms have been set up all over the state for the police to take immediate action if they notice any symptoms related to corona.
Every citizen of the state is expected to participate in the fight against Corona. We also all have a big responsibility to maintain social distance. The Home Minister has appealed to all to cooperate by following the rules.
While providing quality sports facilities to the students, various sports related issues of Mumbai University will be solved immediately, said Uday Samant, Minister for Higher and Technical Education.
Samant visited the Sports Pavilion of the University of Mumbai and inspected the development work. This pavilion located in the heart of Mumbai city needs to be developed and through this, the sports skills of the students will get a boost.
विद्यार्थ्यांना दर्जेदार क्रीडा सुविधा उपलब्ध करून देण्यासाठी शासन कटिबद्ध असून लवकरच याबाबत बैठक घेऊन मुंबई विद्यापीठाचे क्रीडा संदर्भातील सर्व प्रश्न तत्काळ सोडविले जातील. आज मुंबई विद्यापीठाच्या स्पोर्ट पॅव्हेलियनला भेट देऊन तेथील विकासात्मक कामांची पाहणी केली. pic.twitter.com/rMVCkgYGRX
The development of this place is necessary for the promotion of sports culture and the necessary cooperation will be provided to the university administration, said Samantha said this time.
The Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University, Dr. Suhas Pednekar, and all concerned officers and employees were present in the meeting.
India has the largest number of child sexual abuse cases in the world. For every 155th minute a child, less than 16 years, is raped, for every 13th hour a child under 10. It can be three months to ten years; there is no barrier for perverts whom to choose. Above all, the Covid-19 lockdown, children and their families were forced to be in the house, schools were shut, no going to play out or meet friends, some unease and irritation levels at peak. The only resort was mobile phones and social networks. Here is the trap; many children got lured in tempting offers and thrills without knowing the repercussions. According to Interpol, an estimated 2.4 million instances of online child sexual abuse were reported from India from 2017 to 2020. Eighty percent of these children were girls under the age of 14. The US-based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported that more than 2.44 million children were abused in 2017 and by 2020 the cases will increase. When it comes to child sexual abuse material, they are getting much more proactive in India. There are many entities that upload these videos have started moving their hosting to other countries, these syndicates are using children as tools for their business of pedophilia, porn, and pornography.
The problem of child sexual abuse is deep-rooted. Rape is the fourth most common crime against females in India. Childhood sexual abuse proves our country is full of pedophiles that want nothing but to exploit every child they see. People who take advantage of someone’s innocence are nothing but pure monsters some of which lies in their own house/school/neighbor or in the surrounding, most of them are very well known to the victim. Several rape cases in India received widespread media attention and triggered protests. This led the Government of India to reform its penal code for crimes of rape and sexual assault. The number of juveniles or minors, legally those under 18 years of age, taking up crime has seen an alarming high over the past decade. This should be a particular reason to worry about for a country where 47.21 crore i.e. almost 39% of the population is under 18.
Most children who are abused sexually, they never recover. Child abuse occurs in every single society, irrespective of linguistic and religious differences. Child abuse is often perpetrated by someone the child knows/ trusts and these days so-called online virtual friends. The internet has increased the predation of children through facilitating contact between pedophiles and children. But the internet also provides relief to hundreds of kids in danger since they can now expose those who abuse them and seek help. Children are the most vulnerable when they’re young and adults can be the most vicious creatures walking the earth. There are predators lurking around hooking their victims. The victim is typically a young adult. One that’s ready to be “groomed.” But it can also be an older adult who has something a predator can snatch. The parents and authorities are in the dark about the dynamics of these extremely abusive occurrences, children are left in limbo having to endure and develop resilience to the traumatic impact these aggressive adults cause in their lives. Children are abused, they are not believed, they have no voice, we have to be their voice, expect to be humiliated by those who could care less, little to nothing will be done, and the law does not protect them. In most of the houses both the parents running for earning, children are left unattended, the vacuum that directs children towards the virtual world. When they express themselves to some so-called unknown people, taking advantage of their loneliness their hormones are taken on the drive. All it begins with conversations and gets in irreparable damage to young minds. Child sex abuse is a crime and many abusers have a sexual preference for children. They are simply using children as opportunistic targets. These days due to an increased media focus on sexual exploitation of children and mandatory reporting laws post the introduction of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act; one may notice how child sexual abuse is on the rise. What we read is all about the reported cases, these are millions of unreported cases. However still there is no deterrence, the crime is on rising and there is no much control over such occurrences.
We might speak about it, there can be reports and news about abuses but all are in a flash time. The child suffers for a long time; many children who have been abused in any form develop some sort of psychological problem. These problems include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, OCD, codependency, or even a lack of human connections. It can result in immediate adverse physical effects but it is also strongly associated with developmental problems and with many chronic physical and psychological effects, including subsequent ill-health, including higher rates of chronic conditions, high-risk health behaviors, and shortened lifespan. Maltreated children may grow up to be maltreating adults. Child abuse can cause a range of emotional effects. Children who are constantly ignored, shamed, terrorized or humiliated suffer at least as much, if not more than if they are physically assaulted. Abused children can grow up experiencing insecurities, low self-esteem, and lack of development. Many abused children experience ongoing difficulties with trust, social withdrawal, trouble in school, and forming relationships. Imagine, this general as a growing adult, maybe this is the reason the young lives are very much at risk with depression, suicidal tendencies, and mental illness. Children are abused in many ways in India, beyond rapes. We always see kids begging on the roadside, working in shops, and being abused. Sensitize the society that a girl or a woman has free will. Be it through social media, discussion forums, candlelight marches whatever it takes, we need to sensitize our society against these crimes.
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A coned man who was once a child actor in some not known TV serials was running an international child sex racket from Mumbai. He has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation under the charges of the POCSO and IT Act.
According to the police, this 30-year-old accused who has introduced himself as an actor and casting director been contacted thousands of minors between 10-16 years of age across the United States, Europe, and South Asian countries through Instagram and enticed them towards child pornography. He used to get hold of victims’ cell phone numbers (WhatsApp numbers) and recorded or asked them to share objectionable material.
The accused then sold the content to his customers abroad through encrypted social media applications. CBI special unit conducted raids and searches in Mumbai and seized his mobile phones and laptop. A list of his customers both in India and abroad has been prepared. The accused, a native of Haridwar, had acted as junior artists in some television serials. Some model coordinators too helped him with child artist’s numbers.
Himanshu Jhunjhunwala, a model coordinator, and PR agency owner told Afternoon Voice, “There are many such conmen in this industry who take advantage of struggling actors and child artists. There are thousands of model coordinators across Mumbai and they are flooded with photos/ profiles for some break”. Many child artists grow teens while in search of work, sometimes they are so desperate that they land up working in C grade films or doing photo shoots for undergarments”. While shooting parents don’t realize about the stock footage, they just look at final prints they receive, child exploitation can stop only if these children are under the strict vigil of parents.”
Police have found, sex chats, nude videos, and objectionable content from his mobile phone sent by the victims and their known people. In return they used to receive some perks; he also had a Facebook account that was recently deactivated by cops. The accused has his personal photo studio in Andheri MHADA Colony slum.
Cyber Expert Shubham Singh said, “During the lockdown, the cybercrime cases were on rising, mainly the cyberbullying. When someone notices such circulation of pornographic material involving young children circulated on the internet in any sort shall be reported to Cyber Cell / the Special Juvenile Police Unit and Child Welfare Officer.” One should teach their children to save evidence of an abuse (harassing messages, sexually explicit pictures, or threatening texts) and not respond to them”, Singh added.
Ministry of Home Affairs has approved a scheme namely ‘Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC)’ under which an online Cyber Crime reporting portal, (www.cybercrime.gov.in) has been launched to enable the public to report complaints pertaining to Child Pornography/ Child Sexual Abuse Material, rape/gang rape imageries or sexually explicit content. This portal facilitates the public to lodge complaints anonymously or through Report and track options, said the Cyber Expert.
Uddhav Thackeray who sworn in as the Chief Minister on November 28, soon after that Thackeray government gave land worth Rs 900 crore to a builder in Dahisar. In the last 10 years, a proposal was made to purchase 7 acres of land in Dahisar, but it was not accepted. Nishlap Realty had offered to buy the plot. This place has 100 percent encroachments. The BMC had rejected the offer to buy the land. It was clearly stated that the proposal to buy this land was a wastage of revenue for the BMC. Praveen Pardeshi, the then commissioner of BMC, had sent a letter to the NMC reform committee expressing his clear opposition to taking possession of the land. On November 2, 2019, the Improvement Committee of the Municipal Corporation had proposed to take possession of this said land. Nishalpa Realty had given a detailed commentary on how this proposal is unworkable and therefore it should be rejected. In the meeting of the reform committee held on November 2, it was proposed to inspect the site.
The election is being held in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic and the Election Commission has drawn up elaborate safety protocols.
A coned man who was once a child actor in some not known TV serials was running an international child sex racket from Mumbai. He has been booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation under the charges of the POCSO and IT Act.