Wife of rape accused BJP MLA seeks narco test, CBI probe

Agencies
April 11, 2018

Lucknow, Apr 11: Two days after the father of a woman, who alleged rape by a BJP MLA, died in custody in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, the politician's wife on Wednesday demanded a narco test on her husband and the survivor.

The 18-year-old woman, who had tried to kill herself outside the chief minister's house here, on the other hand alleged that she had been confined to a hotel room by the district administration and her uncle was killed by the MLA's brother and henchmen, who later also killed her father.

She said, "I want justice, why are they pressuring me for an apology? Do they want my (another) uncle to be killed too?"
A purported video also surfaced today and was being run on TV channels showing the alleged rape survivor's father before his death saying that he was mercilessly beaten up by the MLA's brother and others, including with rifle butts.

The video, purportedly shot at a hospital, showed the deceased person's back with serious wounds.

Meanwhile in the state capital, Sangeeta Sengar, wife of the MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, told reporters after meeting DGP OP Singh that there was a political conspiracy against her family and accused the complainant of not being consistent in her statements.

"We demand that a narco test be conducted on my husband and the girl as well as her uncle. This will help in ascertaining the truth and presenting the correct picture.

"We have full sympathy with the girl, as her modesty was outraged ... There are political reasons behind this and my husband has been made a pawn," Sangeeta Sengar said.

"My husband is innocent and it is my request that he should not be called a rapist. He has been in politics for the past 15 years and has been serving the society and people," she said, adding, her daughters were unable to concentrate on their studies in the wake of this incident.

She said the allegations against her brother-in-law Atul were false too.

On whether her husband should resign from the UP Assembly, she retorted, "Why should he quit even before he is declared guilty? Merely on the basis of charges, why should he resign?"
She said she wanted to meet chief minister Yogi Adityanath and apprise him of the facts.

Besides the MLA's wife, the alleged rape victim has also demanded a CBI probe in the entire matter.

The victim claimed that the district administration in Unnao had virtually confined her to a hotel room "without a phone or water and guards at every corner".

"I can't charge my mobile, there is no TV, no water. We are told we can't go outside," the girl told a TV news channel.
"We are told we can't go outside, there are guards at every corner. When we ask them for help, they say it isn't their job. Is this justice?" the girl said.

The MLA's brother Atul was arrested yesterday from Unnao by a crime branch team.

A special investigation team headed by additional director general of police (Lucknow zone) visited Makhi village of the rape victim and collected information to submit a report to the chief minister.

"The SIT team will probe on all the aspects of the case and act accordingly. Security has been provided to the victim's family," ADGP (Lucknow zone) Rajiv Krishna said.

TV news channels ran the comments made purportedly by the alleged victim's father before his death in which he claimed that he was mercilessly beaten up by the MLA's brother.

The Supreme Court said today it will hear next week the plea for a CBI probe into the case. The Allahabad high court has ordered that the deceased's body should not be cremated, if already not done so.

However, the mortal remains of the deceased were consigned to the flames yesterday, hours after his custodial death.

The Congress demanded the dismissal of Uttar Pradesh chief minister, dubbing his government a "Ravan" regime which has failed to protect women.

"Yogi Adityanath government is a government of Ravan, which has failed to protect women," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said in New Delhi.

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Agencies
February 29,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 29: With Saudi Arabia indefinitely suspending visas for visit to Islam's holiest site for the Umrah pilgrimage in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, more than 10,000 people in the state who are awaiting their turn this year for the annual Hajj pilgrimage are a worried lot.

"This year more than 10,000 people in Kerala have been cleared by the Hajj committee," said C Muhammed Faizy, chairman, Kerala State Hajj Committee.

"There is no cause of worry. We hope that during the time of the pilgrimage, the travel restriction by Saudi Arabia will be lifted," he said.

Umrah is a pilgrimage to the holy site that can be undertaken at any time of the year, while the annual Hajj pilgrimage has specific months according to the lunar calendar.

"The move by the Saudi Arabian Government to impose travel restriction was due to the outbreak of coronavirus. It is a preventive step to contain it. In such large gatherings, if one person is affected, it will spread to others. So we fully understand the concerns of the Saudi Government," Muhammed Faizy added.

He said that the Hajj Committee only processes the requests of annual Hajj visit pilgrims and not Umrah.

"This year we expect the Hajj pilgrimage season to be from June to August after Ramzan. But it may vary according to the Ramzan date. We are yet to get any official correspondence from the Saudi Government regarding travel restrictions," he added.

The Saudi Arabian Government suspended visas for tourists from countries affected by the coronavirus, with many having to cancel their Umrah pilgrimage at the last minute.

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News Network
February 11,2020

New Delhi, Feb 11: As the counting of votes for the Delhi Assembly polls began, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Tuesday raised doubts on EVMs, alleging that no machine having a chip is tamper-proof.

He called upon the Election Commission and the Supreme Court to take a fresh look at the use of EVMs in the country.

"No machine (which) has a chip is tamper-proof. Also please do for a moment think, why no developed country uses EVM," Singh said in a tweet.

"Would CEC and Hon Supreme Court please have a fresh look on EVM voting in India? We are the largest democracy in the world, we can't allow some unscrupulous people to hack results and steal the mandate of 1.3 billion people.

"If they match the votes in the counting unit. Declare the result. If they don't match then count the ballots of all polling booths in the assembly. It would convince everyone and save time also as this has been the consistent argument of CEC in favour of EVM," the Congress leader said.

Polling for the 70-member Delhi Assembly polls was held on Saturday.

The Election Commission on Sunday announced that the final voter turnout was 62.59 per cent, five per cent less than 2015.

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News Network
January 3,2020

Mumbai, Jan 3: The Shiv Sena on Friday targeted the Centre by questioning the "efficacy" of the 2016 surgical strike and said the perception that it would demoralise Pakistani terrorists remained an "illusion" as Indian soldiers continue to get killed in terror attacks in Kashmir.

Accusing the Modi government of boasting about how Pakistan was straightened out after the surgical strike, the Sena sought to know whether it has really happened.

It also observed that troubled borders were not good for the country's well-being.

The Sena's remarks come in the wake of the death of an Army soldier from Maharashtra, Naik Sandip Raghunath Sawant, who was killed during a counter-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

"The New Year did not begin on a positive note in Kashmir. Our jawan from Satara, Sandip Sawant, attained martyrdom in Kashmir along with two other soldiers. In the last one month, seven to eight jawans from Maharashtra were killed in the line of duty. The Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra is not responsible for this," the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

The party also questioned whether the situation in Kashmir has improved after the surgical strike and abrogation of Article 370 provisions.

The party, however, maintained that scrapping Article 370 was a good move.

India had conducted the surgical strike on September 29, 2016, across the Line of Control (LoC) as a response to a terrorist attack on an Indian Army base in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir earlier that month.

Without naming the Centre, the Sena alleged, "Circulating news that only the Pakistanis were getting killed in Kashmir will not change the reality as tricolour-draped bodies of Indian soldiers, like Sawant, are reaching their respective villages."

"There is a bloodshed along the Kashmir border and mounting anger among the families of martyred jawans. The perception that surgical strike will demoralise Pakistani terrorists has turned out to be an illusion. In fact, the (terror) attacks have increased," it added.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party accused the ruling BJP of boasting about straightening out Pakistan after the surgical strike.

"But has Pakistan been really straightened out? Rather Pakistan has been indulging in ceasefire violations along the LoC every day," it added.

The Shiv Sena also questioned the government's claim that the situation in Kashmir was under control after the nullification of Article 370.

"It is good that Article 370 was scrapped. Before that, surgical strike was carried out in Pakistan. But has the situation in Kashmir improved? The terror attacks continue. It's only that there is a control in reporting (these incidents)," it said.

The Sena also alleged that there was no clarity as to what was transpiring in Kashmir after the scrapping of Article 370 and only the media reports of soldiers sacrificing their lives have been coming out from that state

In a veiled attack on the BJP, its erstwhile ally, the Sena, also accused it of exploiting the surgical strike for political gains.

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