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Moral policing spoils fun night at IIT-Madras

[email protected] (TNN)
April 6, 2012

madras


Chennai, April 6: Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has introduced a new moral code of conduct on campus, prompting protests by students who believe that the authorities are playing spoilsport. The code seeks to put curbs on the annual 'hostel night', when students are allowed to bring in friends and make merry without the prying warden around.

Among the rules that the students were notified about is: "You should keep your door open when guests are inside on hostel night." It is a once-a-year custom in all IITs when students are allowed to bring guests to their rooms.

When the students protested, IIT-M called a general body meeting on March 26, which turned out to be a stage for hot arguments and moralizing by many faculty members.

At the meeting, a senior faculty member referred to the disagreement over the new open-door rule. "What do you want to do in that private space?" he asked a student who said hostel day should provide some private space. The student answered, "I want to talk to my friends," sending the audience into splits. The faculty member replied, "Students should behave as if their parents are with them."

Probably unaware of the Supreme Court observation that it is not a crime for a man and a woman to live together without being married, a senior professor, who represents the hostel wardens, said premarital relationships were not allowed under Indian laws. So, he said, the doors should remain open, and celebrations should end at 10.30pm.

Students are upset over IIT-M move to put curbs on hostel night celebrations. A student commented: "I forgot we are adults and mature enough to decide on sex and relationships." A final-year student said it is unfortunate that an institution which stood for progressive thoughts was getting involved in moral policing.

Dean L S Ganesh said the new rules were not to curb the students' freedom, but to maintain order.

"Relationships are individual choice and I don't believe that premarital relationships are an offence. The statement by the professor was made in a different context," he said.


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News Network
January 18,2020

New Delhi, Jan 18: Two men accused of kidnapping and brutally raping a five-year-old girl in Delhi in 2013 have been held guilty by a court in the national capital today. The POCSO court, which will announce the quantum of punishment on January 30, said, "In our society the minor girls are worshipped as goddess on certain occasions but in the present case the victim child had experienced exceptional depravity and extreme brutality."

"The crime against the victim was committed in a most grotesque and revolting manner and the collective conscience of the community was shaken," the court added while holding the accused - Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar - guilty.

The assault which took place just four months after Nirbhaya's brutal rape had grabbed headlines with its shocking details. The girl, who was named Gudiya by sections of the media, went missing and the police told her parents to look for her themselves. She was found two days later, tied in the basement of the east Delhi house she lived in with traces of candles and bottles inside her private parts.

The convicts had fled after raping Gudiya and shoving a candle and bottle inside her private parts, leaving her at Manoj Shah's room, after believing the five-year-old to be dead. The child was rescued 40 hours later on April 17, 2013.

Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar were arrested by Delhi police separately from Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga in Bihar respectively in 2013. The charge sheet was filed on May 24 that year and charges were framed by the court on July 11. But, it took more than five years to complete the recording of the statement of 57 prosecution witnesses in the POCSO court.

"Though the trial should have been completed in two years, we are happy we got justice," said the father of the girl.

One of the convicts, Manoj Shah, allegedly assaulted some reporters while being taken out of the courtroom.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Jun 25: A 16-year-old girl allegedly committed suicide at her house in east Delhi and her family members secretly buried her body, which was later exhumed for post-mortem, police said on Wednesday.

The girl, whose family hails from Jharkhand, allegedly hanged herself in a room in her house on Monday, they said.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot, police said.

Her body was exhumed on Tuesday as per the directions of the Sub Divisional Magistrate of the area. The process was carried out as her family members secretly buried her without informing the police.

The post-mortem will be conducted after Covid-19 tests, police said.

The incident took place on Monday. The reason behind her taking the extreme step is yet to be ascertained, they said.

Police said the girl lived with her mother and two siblings. The family hails from Jharkhand and are financially extremely weak. Her father died two years ago, they said.

After the father’s death, the girl's mother along with her siblings took her body to a burial ground and buried her, police said.

The police said the matter came to their notice after a neighbour alerted them about it. Following the information the body was exhumed, they said.

On questioning the girl's mother, she told police that she didn't know that one has to inform police in a suicide case, a senior police officer said.

Inquest proceedings have been initiated, police said.

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Agencies
February 16,2020

Five Bajrang Dal activists have been arrested for allegedly indulging in vandalism in the city on Valentines Day, police said.

They said about 10 to 15 activists on two wheelers vandalised a shop in Kattupalli area in Hyderabad on February 14.

They held aloft flags and raised slogans against celebration of Valentines Day and "created havoc" at different malls, a police press release said.

On receiving information, police rushed to a mall, but the Bajrang Dal activists escaped from the spot.

Five of them were later identified with the help of CCTV footage and arrested, police said.

The others too have been identified and efforts were on to nab them, police said.

Two cases have been registered against them under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint from shop owners, the release said.

 

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