'India gang rape' fashion shoot showing model being harassed on board bus sparks outrage

[email protected] (Mangaluru)
August 6, 2014

India gang rapeMumbai, Aug 6: A photo shoot apparently inspired by the gang rape and murder of a Delhi student has sparked outrage in India.

Images from the shoot, taken by Mumbai photographer Raj Shetye, show models in glamorous clothes aboard a bus. Several shots show a woman being harassed while another appears to show one woman in the process of being sexually assaulted.

The photographer, however, has defended the project saying it is an attempt to force people to think about women’s safety.

The series of images, entitled "The Wrong Turn", was initially posted on the Behance.net platform and the photographer’s own website. But they have been taken down, apparently amid an outcry in the Indian media and on social networking sites.

Among those to criticise the project was Sapna Moti Bhavnani, a Bollywood hairstylist and actress who took part in a recent stage production based on the gang-rape, Nirbhaya. “There is art and more frequently there is crap in the name of art. This rendition of the Nirbhaya story is...,” she said on social media.

In December 2012, a young woman was attacked and raped after she and a friend boarded a bus after leaving the cinema in Delhi. She died ten days later from her injuries in a hospital in Singapore where she had been sent in a desperate effort to save her life.

The case sparked a huge, unprecedented debate within India about the position of women in India and their vulnerability to sexual assaults. The Indian media, prevented by Indian law from identifying the young physiotherapy student, instead named her Nirbhaya, the Hindi word for “fearless”.

On Wednesday, Mr Shetye defended the project. In a statement emailed to The Independent he said he had been planning a project on the position of women in India for some time. He said he was inspired by the discomfort of seeing his mother, friends and sister “constraining themselves professionally and personally just to be safe”.

“It’s unfortunate that I am compelled to justify my artistic expression around a social issue,” he said, saying he was glad he had sparked debate on the issue. “If the cost to set the ball-rolling here is that I have [to] be the bad guy, then be it that way."

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News Network
July 3,2020

Mumbai, Jun 3: Investigators will subject the cloth allegedly used by actor Sushant Singh Rajput to hang himself to "tensile strength" analysis to determine whether it can bear the weight similar to that of the filmstar, as part of probe into his death, an official said on Friday.

Rajput (34) was found hanging at his suburban Bandra residence on June 14.

According to the investigators, the actor ended his life by hanging himself from the ceiling using a green coloured night gown made of cotton.

No suicide note was found from the spot, the police had said then.

Besides viscera from the actors body, the police also sent the gown for chemical and forensic analysis at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in suburban Kalina, he said.

It will take at least three more days to get final forensic report, the official said.

To ascertain the exact cause of death, forensic experts will check pattern of ligature marks around the actors neck and also determine the strength of the gown with the help of "tensile strength" analysis, he said.

The tensile strength test will technically establish whether the cloth can bear around 80kg, the weight of the actor, he said.

The test will help determine if there was any foul play, the official said.

Tensile strength is maximum load that a material can support without fracture when being stretched.

Viscera analysis will help in checking whether there were any traces of chemical, poisonous or narcotics substance in his body, the official said.

"Usually, it takes eight to ten working days to get s report from the FSL in regular cases. But since this case is sensitive, experts are taking more precautions to avoid any kind of error in their analysis," the official said.

The forensic report of the actors mobile phone is also awaited, he said.

Recently, the police received the final post-mortem report of the actor from Cooper Hospital, which mentioned the cause of the death as asphyxia due to hanging"

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam on Wednesday confirmed testing positive for COVID-19 with 'mild' symptoms.

The 74-year-old musician shared the information through a video message posted on his official Facebook page.

In the video, the singer detailed about having a little "discomfort" for two days, stating he had chest congestion along with cold and on-off fever, which led him to get tested for the virus.

However, he also mentioned that he could have stayed at home in self-quarantine, as advised, but did not want to put his family in danger, and hence got admitted by his own choice, to recover quickly.

"I am in good hand, I am in good health. Nobody has to worry about this. The fever has subsided, and in two days I'll be discharged and I'll be home. Thanks for the concern," he said in the video message.

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News Network
June 2,2020

New Delhi, Jun 2: After Amitabh Bachchan, it is actor Akshay Kumar, who has come forward to support Bhumi Pednekar's initiative -- Climate Warrior -- urging the people to plant trees.

Bhumi Pednekar has sought to bring Bollywood together to spread awareness about mother nature through her campaign in view of the coming World Environment Day (June 5).

The campaign endeavours to get leaders from the entertainment industry to tell what is the 'one wish they have for the earth.'

Following the thread, the 'Kesari' actor was seen raising his voice on issues, and have taken steps to bring awareness to important causes like climate change.

"Our Beautiful Planet that has sustained us now needs us to protect it more than ever. During this time we as a community must tread carefully and act immediately" Akshay Kumar was seen saying in a video posted by Pednekar on Instagram.

"A lot of damage has been done and climate change is a grave reality that all of us are facing," he added.

Explaining his one wish to rebuild mother nature, is, as he says: "The simplest act of planting trees."

"I consider this as one of the most basic and efficient deeds that we can exercise individually and also urge others to do so. Let us do our bit to heal and rebuild the only planet we have. So join me and become a Climate Warrior," the 'Padman' actor concluded.

Ahead of the World Environment Day, and in support of Bhumi's initiative, legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan earlier in the day also pledged to be 'climate-conscious' in a bid to protect nature.

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