'Dewani Tours - treat your wife to a killer holiday' t-shirts spark outrage in South Africa

June 25, 2012
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Johannesburg, June 25: Selling of T-shirts carrying objectionable slogan referring to the gruesome murder of Indian-origin Anni Dewani have sparked a fresh controversy in Johannesburg, attracting criticism from different sections of the society, including that from the victim's family.

The apparel with the message "Dewani Tours - treat your wife to a killer holiday" apparently refers to the killing of Indian-origin honeymoon bride Anni Dewani in Gugulethu township of Cape Town in 2010, for which her British husband Shrien Dewani is facing extradition plans to stand trial after being implicated in the murder.

The message uses a popular English font type resembling Hindi script, reminding readers of Anni Dewani's Indian origins.

"This is a blatant disregard and disrespectful way of showing no remorse over a killing that shocked not just South Africa but the world," said Mr Gugulethu resident Vusi Ndoda, noting the incident has severely impacted on tourism in the area.

He said he will talk to the Indian-origin businessman Dinesh Dowlath, who is the man behind the idea, to withdraw the clothing, failing which he would campaign for boycotting his stores and organise protests at his businesses.

Mr Dowlath, on the other hand, has rejected suggestions that he was making light of the horrific murder, pointing out that T-shirts with often controversial and ambiguous statements had been the speciality of his stores.

Although agreeing to the sensitivity of the matter, Mr Dowlath told the weekly Sunday Times Extra that there was a market for such clothing as people see the humour in them.

"These T-shirts are for a discerning intelligent market," Mr Dowlath said, adding that although he created most of the slogans on his T-shirts, this one was suggested by a customer.

Meanwhile the victim's family has decried the situation, calling on Mr Dowlath to "let decency prevail."

"As a family, we haven't even started our grieving because the case is on hold and yet, there are those horrible people out there who see profit in this," Anni's uncle Ashok Dewani told the weekly from his Sweden home.



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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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News Network
January 28,2020

Nagpur, Jan 28: A 19-year-old woman was allegedly raped and an iron rod was inserted in her private parts by a man in the Pardi area here, police said on Monday.

The gruesome incident took place on January 21 and the accused, Yogilal Rahangdale (52), was arrested from Gondia district, they said.

The accused was working as a supervisor in a spinning mill where the woman was employed as a labourer, the police said.

The woman, her brother, the accused and another girl lived in rented accommodations in Pardi.

Inspector Sunil Chavan of the Pardi police station said that the woman's brother and her female friend had gone to their village on January 21 for some work.

As the woman was alone at home, Rahangdale attempted to rape her in the night. When she resisted, he stuffed a piece of cloth in her mouth, he said.

When she fell unconscious, the accused raped her and inserted an iron rod in her private parts, Chavan said, quoting from the complaint filed by the victim.

She narrated the incident to her brother on January 24 and they subsequently lodged a complaint with the police.

An offence was registered against the accused at the Pardi police station.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Unnao, Jan 3: The Uttar Pradesh Police has submitted a charge sheet in a court here in connection with the death of a 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was allegedly set ablaze by five men.

Additional Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Pandey, who is heading a Special Investigation Team in the case, said the charge sheet was submitted on Wednesday.

"There is ample proof against the five accused persons, and the charge sheet was prepared based on those evidences," he said on Thursday.

The 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with 90 per cent burns after being set on fire, died following a cardiac arrest on December 6, 2019.

The woman was set afire by five men, including two of her alleged rapists, on December 5 morning when she was going to Rae Bareli to attend a court hearing in the rape case filed by her.

In her statement to Sub Divisional Magistrate Dayashankar Pathak, the woman had said she was attacked when she reached Gaura turn near her home on her way to the court.

She had specifically named Harishankar Trivedi, Ram Kishore Trivedi, Umesh Bajpai, Shivam Trivedi and Shubham Trivedi as the persons who set her on fire.

The woman had also alleged that Shivam and Shubham Trivedi had abducted and raped her in December 2018.

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