Sonia Gandhi takes on Haryana khaps over rapes, sends out a warning

October 9, 2012
sonia_takes

Sacha Khera, October 9: Taking a tough stance on the rising number of rapes in the country, especially after a spate of incidents were reported in Haryana, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday sent out a sharp message to Khap panchayats saying they cannot supersede the judiciary. Sonia also said that strictest action will be taken against the culprits in the rape cases. She said those guilty of such heinous crimes, which take place not only in Haryana but elsewhere too, must be "severely punished".

Visiting the rape victims in Jind, Haryana, Sonia slammed khap panchayats saying India was a democracy and the law of the land was in the hands of the judiciary and "no one else". The Congress President admitted that rapes were on the rise in the country.

"It is not just restricted to Haryana alone. It is happening everywhere across the country. Strict action will be taken against the culprits," she said. Sonia is the first national level leader to meet the rape victims of Haryana.

After meeting Sonia Gandhi, the rape victim's mother said, "I told Soniaji that the criminals should be hanged. Sonia hugged me and said that she was my daughter too and that she will get us justice. I didn't ask her for anything else."

Sonia was accompanied by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Union Minister Kumari Selja, Haryana Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala and Congress MP from Sirsa, Ashok Tanwar. After Sonia's return, Hooda and Surjewala stayed back to meet the victim's family. Senior police officials of the State were also present.

The Haryana Government has drawn flak from all quarters, particularly the opposition, for its alleged failure to prevent incidents of crime against women. Asked about the Haryana government's "failure" in controlling such crimes that also involved many Dalit victims, Sonia said, "I have said what I had to say that such barbaric acts are condemnable". Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda hadn't met a single victim before Sonia's visit.

Two more rapes reported ahead of Sonia's visit

Two more rapes have been reported in Haryana. While a minor was raped in Panipat, in Ambala, a widow was allegedly raped. The police have registered a case, however, no arrests have been made so far. This takes the tally of reported rapes in Haryana over the past one month to 13.

The reports also come on a day when Congress President Sonia Gandhi is scheduled to visit the rape victims in Jind and their families. Her visit comes three days after a Dalit teen girl set herself on fire after being gangraped by four men. The Congress government in Haryana had been criticised for doing too little too late. Although the Hooda government has set up a three-member panel to look into the rising number of rapes in the state, much still needs to be done.

Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Police, Hisar, has said that rapes will be dealt by fast track courts and strictest punishment awarded to the accused. Speaking to IBN18 Editor-in-Chief on India @ 9, the police officer said, "Rape is a very serious crime. One gangrape took place in Hisar and we arrested all the accused and we have planned to put this case in the fast track court and we will ensure that the culprits are punished."

Haryana's state of shame

The Jind gangrape

A teenaged Dalit girl in Jind died after she set herself on fire on the night of October 7 after she was allegedly gangraped. The four accused have been arrested.

She was rushed to the civil hospital in Jind district, and was later referred to PGIMS at Rohtak in serious condition. The girl breathed her last on Saturday evening in the Rohtak hospital. Reports said that the 16-year-old girl was forcibly taken to the house of one of the suspects where the crime occurred.

Earlier on Saturday, the victim in her statement to the police said that one of her neighbours Pradeep allegedly dragged her into his house while the sister-in-law of the accused kept guard standing on the terrace of the house so that nobody could come inside. Pradeep and another youth Naveen raped the teenager.

The Bhiwani rape

A minor girl was reportedly raped in Bhiwani, Haryana around the beginning of this month. The Director General of Police cancelled the leaves of all police personnel for the month of October after the incident was reported.

Sources said that a special drive was also initiated to identify lumpen elements, unemployed youth, vagabonds and criminals in each village of the state and prepare reports and lists and take action against them.

The Sonepat gangrape

A class 11 student was gangraped in Gohana near Sonepat in Haryana by four men on September 27. Three accused were arrested and a case was registered. According to police, the girl was raped in a busy market area on Thursday afternoon but her family filed the complaint only on Friday.

The Jind gangrape

In the same week, a woman in Jind was raped by three men. The accused barged into the woman's house looking for her husband and when they did not find him, they brutally raped her. The victim was from a backward caste. Her daughter stood outside the house screaming in fright. The victim said that the men made a video of the whole gruesome act and threatened to make it public if she reported the matter to the police.

The Hisar gangrape

A 16-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gangraped by eight upper caste men on September 9 in the Dabra area of Hisar. The case came to light only 10 days later, on September 19, after the distraught minor broke down in front of her parents and narrated the incident.

To make matters worse, when the girl's father approached the police for help, they reportedly refused to file an FIR. The helpless father committed suicide the next day. The police arrested one of the accused after the residents of the area refused to cremate the body of the victim's father until arrests were made.

The accused reportedly made an MMS clip of the incident and circulated it. The girl's uncle told reporters, "The girl was scared and did not report the incident to her family. The accused had threatened to kill her if she approached the police. But when the MMS clip was circulated in the entire village and the people came to know, her father decided to report the matter to the police. However, I don't know what happened. He took the extreme step the next day."


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News Network
April 9,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 9: The Kerala government has set up five COVID-19 helpdesks for non-resident Keralites in countries which have a substantial number of Pravasi Malayalis.

Addressing a press conference here Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday said: "In order to address the concerns and issues faced by the non-resident Keralites, we have set up five dedicated COVID helpdesks in countries where we have a substantial number of Pravasi Malayalis."

The helpdesks started by Norka Roots will be managed locally by persons and voluntary organisations active among non-resident Keralites. The Kerala government has requested the Indian Ambassadors in various places to cooperate with these helpdesks.

The Chief Minister also informed that online medical services would be made available to the non-resident Keralites through the Norka Roots website.

"Pravasi Malayalis can consult prominent doctors in Kerala by audio or video calls through the website, with prior registration. The services of various speciality doctors will be available from 2 pm to 6 pm IST," he said.

Currently, registration for the Norka Pravasi ID card is only available for the Malayali expatriates residing or working abroad for a period of not less than six months. "Now students from Kerala studying abroad can also avail this facility. The overseas student registration service would enable them to get Insurance benefits and discounts on flight tickets. This registration will be mandatory for all students presently studying abroad as well as for those going abroad, from now on," Vijayan said.

The Pravasi ID card is a multi-purpose photo identity card that entitles every non-resident Keralite to avail all services and facilities offered by Norka Root. The card comes with an add-on Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) coverage. Two prominent airlines are offering a discount on the base fare for air tickets booked by Norka Id card holders. 

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Agencies
March 14,2020

New Delhi, Mar 14: A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to three alleged members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) -- Parvez (Delhi President), Iliyas (Delhi Secretary) and Danish -- in connection with the organization's role in the northeast Delhi violence last month.

Metropolitan Magistrate Prabhdeep Kaur granted bail to all three accused on furnishing personal bail bonds of Rs 30,000 each.

The court said that "Investigating Officer (IO) has nowhere mentioned that any of the non-bailable offences has been disclosed or has come out during investigation till now, therefore, accused be enlarged on bail."

According to police, the three men were arrested for allegedly spreading fake propaganda during the anti-CAA protests.

Delhi police, while opposing bail and seeking remand, stated that police custody is required because accused were involved in a conspiracy of communal riots which resulted in the death of 50 innocent people and injuries to approximately 300 persons and huge loss of government and public properties.

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Agencies
July 23,2020

Gwalior, Jul 23: As India's daily infections of coronavirus keep rising, the country is fighting a pandemic which is getting bigger by the day.

A vaccine, according to the World Health Organization, may not be coming until early 2021 despite good progress on the font. There is also, so far, no definitive cure for the virus, yet.

Madhya Pradesh Assembly Protem Speaker and Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leader Rameshwar Sharma, however, feels that the end of the coronavirus pandemic will begin with the start of the construction work for Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

"He (Lord Ram) had reincarnated for the welfare of mankind and to kill demons at that time. As soon as the construction of Ram Temple begins the destruction of the COVID pandemic will begin too," said Sharma, reports ANI.

"Not only India, but the entire world is suffering due to coronavirus. We are not only maintaining social distancing but also remembering our holy figures. The Supreme Court has ordered that Ram Temple will be built," he further added.

The treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, Swami Govind Dev Giri had said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Ram Temple on August 5.

He said that social-distancing norms would be ensured at the program, and not more than 200 people will be attending the ceremony.

"The Prime Minister will visit Hanuman Garhi, Ram Lalla Temple, plant a tree and later do the 'bhoomi pujan'," he told ANI.

Ram Mandir trust spokesperson Nritya Gopal Das said five silver bricks will be placed inside the sanctum sanctorum during the ceremony.

The bricks are believed to symbolise five planets as per the Hindu mythology, he said, adding that the design and the architecture of the temple is the same as the one proposed.

According to the trust sources, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat , Maharashtra Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar are also on the list of invitees.

India so far has recorded 1.19 million coronavirus positive cases, and 28,732 deaths.

Comments

Ahmed Ali Kulai
 - 
Thursday, 23 Jul 2020

Dear Sir,

 

Who stopped the construction... Start quickly and stop the virus

 

SC has already given the judgment in favor of you - then why delay???

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