National
MVA slams Maha govt over Badlapur nursery girls rape case, seeks SIT probe
Thane (Maharashtra), Aug 20 (IANS) As angry citizens’ protests spilled over to the roads and railway tracks of Badlapur town in Maharashtra’s Thane district after the alleged sexual assault on two minor girls in a prominent nursery school, the opposition parties on Tuesday targeted the MahaYuti government, and demanded the sacking of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a probe by SIT.
The alleged incidents of August 12-13 in the toilet of a nursery school run by the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha (AVPS), by a contractual sweeper Akshay Shinde, 23, have evoked widespread condemnation and public demonstrations.
Leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) parties like Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), besides Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, attacked the government on the incident in the home district of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President Supriya Sule said the incident is “very shocking and serious” and the state home department must take note of the citizens’ anger.
“Citizens are demanding strict action against the murderer who committed this heinous act. The anger of the citizens is very right and the home department needs to take note of their anger,” urged Sule.
She called upon the Thane Police to thoroughly investigate the (accused) person and take strict action against him.
“Apart from this, a case should also be registered against the management of the institution who tried to suppress this matter,” demanded Sule.
Congress Leader of Opposition (Assembly) Vijay Wadettiwar called up Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare and demanded the suspension of the woman police official who reportedly made the victim’s parents sit in the police station for nearly 12 hours before taking their complaint last week.
“This case must be taken up by a fast track court to hear it in three months and the accused must be given the death sentence,” said Wadettiwar.
Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve urged the government to ensure the strongest possible punishment for the accused to serve as a deterrent and book all others found guilty.
“The fear of the law has gone out of the minds of criminals. They feel that if others can get away, they also will not be caught and punished,” said a grim Danve.
Congress MP and Mumbai President Varsha Gaikwad said, “The incident of inhumane and cruel treatment of the girls is mind-numbing”, and the issue of women’s safety has become very serious during the Shinde government, while its silence was unbearable.
“The number of crimes against women is also increasing, but the state Home Minister and the government are not at all concerned. It is not enough to simply say ‘Ladaki Baheen’ and sit with rakhi in hand. If the government wants to preserve the true relationship with the sisters, it also has to fulfil the responsibility of keeping them safe as a true brother,” pointed out Gaikwad.
SS (UBT)’s Deputy Leader Sushma Andhare questioned why schools without CCTVs and ‘sevikas’ (women assistants) were given permission and said “Ladki Bahin can wait, we need ‘Surakshit Bahin’ (secure sister) first”.
Claiming that there is a complete collapse of law and order in the state, SS (UBT)’s spokesperson Kishore Tiwari demanded the immediate sacking of Dy CM Fadnavis and forming an SIT to probe the shocking case.
“The law and order does not exist due to corruption and cash deals to get desired police postings… The CM is like a rubber stamp as there’s a complete collapse of law and order due to hostile corruption and cash and getting the desired posting. The BJP is responsible for the present messy situation,” said Tiwari.
Demanding the resignation of both the CM and Deputy CM, VBA Chief Spokesperson Siddharth Mokle said the incident is a blot on humanity but the government is only obsessed about winning the next elections at all costs.
The shocking incidents took place on August 12-13 but came to light only after one of the terrified minor victims complained of irritation in her private parts, and a doctor later confirmed the parents’ worst fears — that the girl had been sexually assaulted, and later the other incident also was revealed.
After a woman police officer allegedly dilly-dallied for hours, the complaint was lodged and over the weekend the prime suspect, Akshay Shinde, who had been appointed on contract from August 1 to clean the girls’ toilet, was arrested.
The police teams have started investigations, including questioning the management and teachers, besides the non-teaching staffers of the nursery school, a check on the CCTVs and other infrastructure at the school premises.
–IANS
qn/dpb
National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.
These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.
The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.
“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).
The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.
The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.
Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.
Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.
Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.
Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.
Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.
The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.
Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.
Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.
National
UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured
Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.
Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.
“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.
The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.
Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.
National
Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder
The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.
Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.
“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.
Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.
On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.
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