News Analysis India

Tag: Violence against women

  • Will not tolerate those involved in crimes against women: CM Gehlot over Bhilwara case

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said his government has taken incidents like those in Bhilwara and Jodhpur very seriously and has directed the state police to deal strictly with people involved in crimes against women.

    He also accused the BJP of trying to defame Rajasthan and turning a blind eye when such incidents happen in states ruled by the party.

    His remarks came as the BJP targeted the Gehlot government over the murder of a minor girl who was later burned in a coal furnace in Bhilwara. Locals claimed she was gang-raped too.

    The BJP’s youth wing BJYM held a protest here on Saturday over the issue.

    Gehlot later tweeted, “Police have so far arrested seven accused in the heinous incident of Bhilwara. These accused will be given severe punishment as soon as possible by presenting charge sheet in minimum time in a fast track court”.

    भीलवाड़ा के कोटडी में बालिका के रेप एवं हत्या की जघन्य घटना में पुलिस ने अभी तक 7 आरोपियों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है। कल इस मामले को लेकर CS, DGP एवं अन्य वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों से विस्तृत चर्चा की। इस मामले को केस ऑफिसर स्कीम के तहत लेकर न्यूनतम समय में चालान पेश कर एवं फास्ट ट्रैक…
    — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 5, 2023
    “Some mischievous (manchale) boys spoil the whole atmosphere. Yesterday, we told the Director General of Police, the Chief Secretary and other officers to bring them to justice,” the chief minister earlier told reporters.

    “The government is taking incidents like those in Bhilwara and Jodhpur very seriously and efforts are being made to punish the culprits at the earliest,” he said.

    He said people with a criminal mindset who misbehave with women will not be tolerated in the state.

    Asked about the opposition BJP’s criticism of the law and order issue, Gehlot said the party was deliberately trying to create a perception “that is far from reality”.

    “Rajasthan is a very peace-loving state. An attempt is being made to defame it by comparing it with Manipur. Some incidents have happened. Such incidents happen in every state, for example, Madhya Pradesh. But they turn a blind eye when it comes to these states,” he said.

    Gehlot stressed educating society on issues like atrocities on women. “Such a situation should not arise that boys and girls leave the house without asking.”

    He said that family members should also take care of their children and try to understand what is going on in their hearts and mind.

    ALSO READ | Minor Dalit girl gang-raped on Jodhpur campus in front of boyfriend, accused arrested

    “Many children commit suicide. Many children kill each other. This can stop only when the parents have a big heart. Suppose someone has a love affair, then parents should explain and give them permission to get married. The children leave the house in anger when they make it a question of their prestige,” he said.

    Gehlot, in his interaction with the media, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Manipur issue, saying they had made a “huge blunder”.

    “Manipur is burning. And you compare Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh with that state. This is pure politics. We reject it,” he said.

    On the Supreme Court’s stay on the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case, Gehlot said the court’s remarks are enough to send a message to the people of the country and alleged that the case was a conspiracy to remove Rahul Gandhi from Parliament.

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday said his government has taken incidents like those in Bhilwara and Jodhpur very seriously and has directed the state police to deal strictly with people involved in crimes against women.

    He also accused the BJP of trying to defame Rajasthan and turning a blind eye when such incidents happen in states ruled by the party.

    His remarks came as the BJP targeted the Gehlot government over the murder of a minor girl who was later burned in a coal furnace in Bhilwara. Locals claimed she was gang-raped too.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The BJP’s youth wing BJYM held a protest here on Saturday over the issue.

    Gehlot later tweeted, “Police have so far arrested seven accused in the heinous incident of Bhilwara. These accused will be given severe punishment as soon as possible by presenting charge sheet in minimum time in a fast track court”.

    भीलवाड़ा के कोटडी में बालिका के रेप एवं हत्या की जघन्य घटना में पुलिस ने अभी तक 7 आरोपियों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया है। कल इस मामले को लेकर CS, DGP एवं अन्य वरिष्ठ अधिकारियों से विस्तृत चर्चा की। इस मामले को केस ऑफिसर स्कीम के तहत लेकर न्यूनतम समय में चालान पेश कर एवं फास्ट ट्रैक…
    — Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) August 5, 2023
    “Some mischievous (manchale) boys spoil the whole atmosphere. Yesterday, we told the Director General of Police, the Chief Secretary and other officers to bring them to justice,” the chief minister earlier told reporters.

    “The government is taking incidents like those in Bhilwara and Jodhpur very seriously and efforts are being made to punish the culprits at the earliest,” he said.

    He said people with a criminal mindset who misbehave with women will not be tolerated in the state.

    Asked about the opposition BJP’s criticism of the law and order issue, Gehlot said the party was deliberately trying to create a perception “that is far from reality”.

    “Rajasthan is a very peace-loving state. An attempt is being made to defame it by comparing it with Manipur. Some incidents have happened. Such incidents happen in every state, for example, Madhya Pradesh. But they turn a blind eye when it comes to these states,” he said.

    Gehlot stressed educating society on issues like atrocities on women. “Such a situation should not arise that boys and girls leave the house without asking.”

    He said that family members should also take care of their children and try to understand what is going on in their hearts and mind.

    ALSO READ | Minor Dalit girl gang-raped on Jodhpur campus in front of boyfriend, accused arrested

    “Many children commit suicide. Many children kill each other. This can stop only when the parents have a big heart. Suppose someone has a love affair, then parents should explain and give them permission to get married. The children leave the house in anger when they make it a question of their prestige,” he said.

    Gehlot, in his interaction with the media, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the Manipur issue, saying they had made a “huge blunder”.

    “Manipur is burning. And you compare Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh with that state. This is pure politics. We reject it,” he said.

    On the Supreme Court’s stay on the conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a 2019 defamation case, Gehlot said the court’s remarks are enough to send a message to the people of the country and alleged that the case was a conspiracy to remove Rahul Gandhi from Parliament.

  • Manipur violence: Centre faces the heat over two women paraded naked; four arrested

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI/IMPHAL: The grinding violence that has roiled Manipur for more than two months burst onto the national centre stage on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CJI D Y Chandrachud expressed deep anguish over a graphic video of two disrobed women being brutalised by a mob, calling the incident “shameful” and “unacceptable.”

    The incident in a village in Kangpokpi district that was captured in the 26-second video and stoked a nationwide outrage took place a day after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 but the horrific footage surfaced only on Wednesday and became viral after the internet ban was lifted.

    Hours after Prime Minister Modi in his first public comments on the Manipur violence vowed that no guilty will be spared and law will act with its “full might and firmness”, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police have arrested two men.

    CJI Chandrachud also warned that the apex court will take action if nothing is happening on the ground.

    Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, police last night said a case of abduction, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station against unknown armed men.

    ALSO READ | CM Biren says accused in Manipur horror video ‘arrested immediately’, but old FIRs show dereliction of duty

    The video capturing the ordeal of the two tribal women has become emblematic of the divide between the majority Meitei community and the Kuki tribal group, as political leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident which also rocked Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon session.

    “Today, when I am standing by this temple of democracy my heart is full of pain and anger,” Modi told reporters at Parliament complex amid criticism by opposition parties for not speaking on the ethnic violence in the BJP-ruled state.

    “I want to assure the countrymen that no guilty will be spared. The law will act with its full might and firmness…What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.”

    The incident in the state is “shameful” for any decent society and it has insulted the entire country and the 140 crore countrymen are feeling ashamed, he added.

    Chief Minister Biren Singh said a thorough investigation is underway and strict action, including possible capital punishment, will follow. “It’s a crime against humanity. We will not spare anyone,” he told reporters in Imphal.

    Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after the May 4 video showed two women from one of the warring communities in the state being paraded naked by a mob from the other side.

    ‘Grossest constitutional and human rights violation’

    The anguish over the incident found echo in the Supreme Court where a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Chandrachud took cognisance of the video and asked the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate action. It also said using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is “simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.”

    “We are very deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged yesterday about the way those two women were paraded in Manipur,” said the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra.

    “I think it is time that the government really steps in and takes action because this is simply unacceptable,” the CJI said, adding, “We will give a little time to the government to act, otherwise we will take action if nothing is happening on the ground.”

    He also termed it the “grossest” Constitutional and human rights violation, adding that the court is conscious of the fact that the video is from May 4 but that makes no difference.

    The Centre also asked Twitter and other social media platforms to take down a video of the incident since the matter is being probed. Sources said the videos were inflammatory, and as the matter is under investigation, Twitter and other social media companies have been asked to remove the video.

    Senior BJP leader and former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the party “condemns” the incident but said the surfacing of its footage on social media just a day ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session is “surrounded by a lot of mystery.”

    ‘Humanity has died’

    Proceedings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were disrupted and adjourned for the day with opposition MPs creating an uproar over the incident and demanding a discussion in Parliament.

    Outside Parliament, opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiv Sena and DMK, took up the issue in a big way. Hitting out at the government, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister had broken his silence on Manipur but it was “too little too late.”

    Accusing the Centre of turning democracy into a “mobocracy”, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said “humanity has died in Manipur” and asked Modi to speak about the ethnic violence-hit state in Parliament and tell the nation what happened.

    Echoing him, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “This incident is shameful for the whole country. It is very disturbing.”

    Hitting out at the Centre over the violence in Manipur, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said “mothers and daughters” of the country are crying after seeing the video.

    The National Commission for Women(NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and asked the Manipur state police chief to take prompt action in the matter.

    Members of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) also staged a protest in the state.

    One of the eyewitnesses to the May 4 incident, Hahat Vaiphei, claimed the villagers of B Phainom thwarted a similar attempt by a mob the previous day.

    More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

    Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

    NEW DELHI/IMPHAL: The grinding violence that has roiled Manipur for more than two months burst onto the national centre stage on Thursday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CJI D Y Chandrachud expressed deep anguish over a graphic video of two disrobed women being brutalised by a mob, calling the incident “shameful” and “unacceptable.”

    The incident in a village in Kangpokpi district that was captured in the 26-second video and stoked a nationwide outrage took place a day after ethnic violence erupted in the northeastern state on May 3 but the horrific footage surfaced only on Wednesday and became viral after the internet ban was lifted.

    Hours after Prime Minister Modi in his first public comments on the Manipur violence vowed that no guilty will be spared and law will act with its “full might and firmness”, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police have arrested two men.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    CJI Chandrachud also warned that the apex court will take action if nothing is happening on the ground.

    Taking suo motu cognisance of the video, police last night said a case of abduction, gang rape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station against unknown armed men.

    ALSO READ | CM Biren says accused in Manipur horror video ‘arrested immediately’, but old FIRs show dereliction of duty

    The video capturing the ordeal of the two tribal women has become emblematic of the divide between the majority Meitei community and the Kuki tribal group, as political leaders cutting across party lines condemned the incident which also rocked Parliament on the opening day of the Monsoon session.

    “Today, when I am standing by this temple of democracy my heart is full of pain and anger,” Modi told reporters at Parliament complex amid criticism by opposition parties for not speaking on the ethnic violence in the BJP-ruled state.

    “I want to assure the countrymen that no guilty will be spared. The law will act with its full might and firmness…What has happened to these daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven.”

    The incident in the state is “shameful” for any decent society and it has insulted the entire country and the 140 crore countrymen are feeling ashamed, he added.

    Chief Minister Biren Singh said a thorough investigation is underway and strict action, including possible capital punishment, will follow. “It’s a crime against humanity. We will not spare anyone,” he told reporters in Imphal.

    Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after the May 4 video showed two women from one of the warring communities in the state being paraded naked by a mob from the other side.

    ‘Grossest constitutional and human rights violation’

    The anguish over the incident found echo in the Supreme Court where a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Chandrachud took cognisance of the video and asked the Centre and the Manipur government to take immediate action. It also said using women as instruments for perpetrating violence is “simply unacceptable in a constitutional democracy.”

    “We are very deeply disturbed by the videos which have emerged yesterday about the way those two women were paraded in Manipur,” said the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra.

    “I think it is time that the government really steps in and takes action because this is simply unacceptable,” the CJI said, adding, “We will give a little time to the government to act, otherwise we will take action if nothing is happening on the ground.”

    He also termed it the “grossest” Constitutional and human rights violation, adding that the court is conscious of the fact that the video is from May 4 but that makes no difference.

    The Centre also asked Twitter and other social media platforms to take down a video of the incident since the matter is being probed. Sources said the videos were inflammatory, and as the matter is under investigation, Twitter and other social media companies have been asked to remove the video.

    Senior BJP leader and former law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the party “condemns” the incident but said the surfacing of its footage on social media just a day ahead of Parliament’s Monsoon Session is “surrounded by a lot of mystery.”

    ‘Humanity has died’

    Proceedings in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha were disrupted and adjourned for the day with opposition MPs creating an uproar over the incident and demanding a discussion in Parliament.

    Outside Parliament, opposition parties, including the Congress, Shiv Sena and DMK, took up the issue in a big way. Hitting out at the government, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the prime minister had broken his silence on Manipur but it was “too little too late.”

    Accusing the Centre of turning democracy into a “mobocracy”, party president Mallikarjun Kharge said “humanity has died in Manipur” and asked Modi to speak about the ethnic violence-hit state in Parliament and tell the nation what happened.

    Echoing him, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “This incident is shameful for the whole country. It is very disturbing.”

    Hitting out at the Centre over the violence in Manipur, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee said “mothers and daughters” of the country are crying after seeing the video.

    The National Commission for Women(NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident and asked the Manipur state police chief to take prompt action in the matter.

    Members of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) also staged a protest in the state.

    One of the eyewitnesses to the May 4 incident, Hahat Vaiphei, claimed the villagers of B Phainom thwarted a similar attempt by a mob the previous day.

    More than 160 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

    Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

  • Manipur video: Main accused held, separate FIRs were filed in May and June 

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Day after a video showing two tribal women being paraded naked and groped in public by a mob went viral on social media, the Manipur police arrested the main culprit on Thursday.

    Later in the day, an enraged mob torched his house. Local media reported the arrest of another accused. However, it could not be officially confirmed. The incident involving the women occurred on May 4 at B Phainom village in the Kangpokpi district. 

    The Manipur police on Wednesday said a case of abduction, gangrape and murder etc was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants and the investigation started. 

    Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police arrested the prime accused taking suo moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced. However, one Thangboi Vaiphei had lodged two FIRs – one with Kangpokpi district police on May 18 and another with Thoubal district police on June 21 – in connection with the incident. 

    ALSO READ | Manipur viral video: CM Biren Singh says capital punishment considered against culprits

    In the FIR lodged with Saikul police station in the Kangpokpi district on May 18, Vaiphei wrote that a mob of 900-1,000 people, armed with sophisticated weapons, had on May 4 around 3 pm forcibly entered the B Phainom village, vandalised and burnt down all houses and looted all moveable properties.

    “…Five villagers (including three women), who feared for their lives, fled towards the forest. Later, they were rescued by the Nongpok Sekmai police team and (they were) on their way to the Nongpok Sekmai police station. However, they were blocked on the way by a mob,” Vaiphei wrote in the FIR.

    He said the mob took away the five persons from the custody of the police and killed one of the two men soon after.

    “All the three women were physically forced to remove their clothes…in front of the mob,” the FIR reads.

    Vaiphei had alleged when one of the women was being gang-raped in broad daylight in front of the others, her younger brother tried to defend her modesty and life but he was murdered by the mob on the spot.

    ALSO READ | Too little, too late; mere words won’t do: Congress on PM’s Manipur video remarks

    “It is, therefore, requested to kindly register a regular case without delay, book the culprits and take necessary actions against them according to law,” the FIR further reads.

    The CM said the state government would not remain silent on the “heinous” crime but make efforts to ensure the culprits get maximum punishment, like capital punishment.  

    He said immediately after seeing the video, he had directed the Cyber Crime Department to check its authenticity and conduct a mass combing operation to nab the culprits.

    Official sources said search operations by the police were on and more arrests would be made.

    Meanwhile, the Kukis organised a massive rally in Churachandpur on Thursday demanding “separate administration”.

    GUWAHATI: Day after a video showing two tribal women being paraded naked and groped in public by a mob went viral on social media, the Manipur police arrested the main culprit on Thursday.

    Later in the day, an enraged mob torched his house. Local media reported the arrest of another accused. However, it could not be officially confirmed. The incident involving the women occurred on May 4 at B Phainom village in the Kangpokpi district. 

    The Manipur police on Wednesday said a case of abduction, gangrape and murder etc was registered at Nongpok Sekmai police station in Thoubal district against unknown armed miscreants and the investigation started. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the police arrested the prime accused taking suo moto cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced. However, one Thangboi Vaiphei had lodged two FIRs – one with Kangpokpi district police on May 18 and another with Thoubal district police on June 21 – in connection with the incident. 

    ALSO READ | Manipur viral video: CM Biren Singh says capital punishment considered against culprits

    In the FIR lodged with Saikul police station in the Kangpokpi district on May 18, Vaiphei wrote that a mob of 900-1,000 people, armed with sophisticated weapons, had on May 4 around 3 pm forcibly entered the B Phainom village, vandalised and burnt down all houses and looted all moveable properties.

    “…Five villagers (including three women), who feared for their lives, fled towards the forest. Later, they were rescued by the Nongpok Sekmai police team and (they were) on their way to the Nongpok Sekmai police station. However, they were blocked on the way by a mob,” Vaiphei wrote in the FIR.

    He said the mob took away the five persons from the custody of the police and killed one of the two men soon after.

    “All the three women were physically forced to remove their clothes…in front of the mob,” the FIR reads.

    Vaiphei had alleged when one of the women was being gang-raped in broad daylight in front of the others, her younger brother tried to defend her modesty and life but he was murdered by the mob on the spot.

    ALSO READ | Too little, too late; mere words won’t do: Congress on PM’s Manipur video remarks

    “It is, therefore, requested to kindly register a regular case without delay, book the culprits and take necessary actions against them according to law,” the FIR further reads.

    The CM said the state government would not remain silent on the “heinous” crime but make efforts to ensure the culprits get maximum punishment, like capital punishment.  

    He said immediately after seeing the video, he had directed the Cyber Crime Department to check its authenticity and conduct a mass combing operation to nab the culprits.

    Official sources said search operations by the police were on and more arrests would be made.

    Meanwhile, the Kukis organised a massive rally in Churachandpur on Thursday demanding “separate administration”.

  • Former Madhya Pradesh minister Umang Singhar booked for rape, assault of ‘wife’

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Congress’ three-time sitting MLA from Gandhwani (Dhar), Umang Singhar, was booked on Sunday evening, for domestic violence, rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and abusive conduct-criminal assault u/s 294, 323,376(2)(n), 377, 498-A and 506 IPC at Naugaon police station of Dhar district based on the complaint of a 38-year-old woman, who claims to be his wife.

    In her complaint, the woman (who had initially complained about the matter at a police station in Jabalpur district) alleged that Singhar, a former minister, established sexual relations with her at his official residence, and at another house in Bhopal, as well as a flat in Delhi-NCR on the pretext of marriage, but later refused to marry her.

    She claimed in the complaint that Singhar finally married her in April 2022 at his house in Bhopal. “But just two months after marriage, he started displaying abusive behaviour with me, and often raped me and even forced me to perform unnatural sex,” she alleged.

    She also alleged that the Congress MLA also forced her to use sex toys, shoot videos, and share them with his friends.

    He often threatened to kill her and once hung her from the balcony of one of his houses, she alleged.

    The FIR mentioned that he also allegedly physically assaulted and raped her at the house in Dhar district in October, after which she rang ‘Dial 100’, the emergency response service of the state police, but the cops were sent back by Singhar’s sister.

    The FIR stated that the woman was again put through extremities by Singhar on November 2, after which she rang the ‘Dial-100 service’ again. The cops rushed to the house in Dhar and rescued her. She was then taken to Naugaon police station, but, to her surprise, instead of lodging a complaint against Singh, a case of assault and abusive behaviour, was lodged against her, based on the complaint of the domestic help working in Singhar’s house.

    She alleged that it was in the name of the husband of the same domestic help that Singhar owns Benami assets.  

    Singhar, however, denied the allegations levelled in the FIR and alleged that the complainant of mentally and physically harassing him. “I’ve been framed in a false case, as I had complained at the same police station against her on November 2, about being blackmailed by her for Rs 10 crores, failing which she had threatened to get me implicated in a false case.”

    The politician also claimed that he was being framed as he was a tribal.

    Previously, too, when he was booked by the Bhopal Police for abetting the suicide of his woman friend Soniya Bhardwaj, he had claimed that he was being falsely implicated in the case as he was a tribal.

    In the FIR by the woman, she has alleged that Singhar often “threatened to kill me just like Bhardwaj.”

    Who is Umang Singhar?

    The 48-year-old is one of the most powerful tribal politicians in MP. He is the nephew of  former deputy Chief Minister late Jamuna Devi.
    He was the forest minister in the erstwhile Congress government headed by Kamal Nath for 15 months. Then, he had created a flutter, by publicly accusing ex-Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh of running the government from behind the curtain as a “shadow CM” and of being hand in gloves with the liquor mafia.
    Ahead of the July 2022 presidential polls, Singhar had alleged that tribal MLAs, including him, were being given offers of big money by the ruling BJP for voting in favour of NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    BHOPAL: Congress’ three-time sitting MLA from Gandhwani (Dhar), Umang Singhar, was booked on Sunday evening, for domestic violence, rape, unnatural sex, criminal intimidation and abusive conduct-criminal assault u/s 294, 323,376(2)(n), 377, 498-A and 506 IPC at Naugaon police station of Dhar district based on the complaint of a 38-year-old woman, who claims to be his wife.

    In her complaint, the woman (who had initially complained about the matter at a police station in Jabalpur district) alleged that Singhar, a former minister, established sexual relations with her at his official residence, and at another house in Bhopal, as well as a flat in Delhi-NCR on the pretext of marriage, but later refused to marry her.

    She claimed in the complaint that Singhar finally married her in April 2022 at his house in Bhopal. “But just two months after marriage, he started displaying abusive behaviour with me, and often raped me and even forced me to perform unnatural sex,” she alleged.

    She also alleged that the Congress MLA also forced her to use sex toys, shoot videos, and share them with his friends.

    He often threatened to kill her and once hung her from the balcony of one of his houses, she alleged.

    The FIR mentioned that he also allegedly physically assaulted and raped her at the house in Dhar district in October, after which she rang ‘Dial 100’, the emergency response service of the state police, but the cops were sent back by Singhar’s sister.

    The FIR stated that the woman was again put through extremities by Singhar on November 2, after which she rang the ‘Dial-100 service’ again. The cops rushed to the house in Dhar and rescued her. She was then taken to Naugaon police station, but, to her surprise, instead of lodging a complaint against Singh, a case of assault and abusive behaviour, was lodged against her, based on the complaint of the domestic help working in Singhar’s house.

    She alleged that it was in the name of the husband of the same domestic help that Singhar owns Benami assets.  

    Singhar, however, denied the allegations levelled in the FIR and alleged that the complainant of mentally and physically harassing him. “I’ve been framed in a false case, as I had complained at the same police station against her on November 2, about being blackmailed by her for Rs 10 crores, failing which she had threatened to get me implicated in a false case.”

    The politician also claimed that he was being framed as he was a tribal.

    Previously, too, when he was booked by the Bhopal Police for abetting the suicide of his woman friend Soniya Bhardwaj, he had claimed that he was being falsely implicated in the case as he was a tribal.

    In the FIR by the woman, she has alleged that Singhar often “threatened to kill me just like Bhardwaj.”

    Who is Umang Singhar?

    The 48-year-old is one of the most powerful tribal politicians in MP. He is the nephew of  former deputy Chief Minister late Jamuna Devi.
    He was the forest minister in the erstwhile Congress government headed by Kamal Nath for 15 months. Then, he had created a flutter, by publicly accusing ex-Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh of running the government from behind the curtain as a “shadow CM” and of being hand in gloves with the liquor mafia.
    Ahead of the July 2022 presidential polls, Singhar had alleged that tribal MLAs, including him, were being given offers of big money by the ruling BJP for voting in favour of NDA’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

  • Woman raped by nephew in UP’s Gonda

    By PTI

    GONDA: A woman was allegedly raped after being given some intoxicating substance by her 25-year-old nephew, police said here on Friday.

    The incident happened on Wednesday, they said adding the 42-year-old woman was going to market when her nephew offered to drop her off.

    According to the police, the duo stopped to have tea which was spiked by the accused.

    After the woman became unconscious, the youth allegedly raped her and filmed the act, they said.

    The accused threatened the victim of uploading the video on the internet which he did subsequently and took it down after some time, the police said.

    On the complaint of the victim, a case has been registered at Chhapia police station on Thursday under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Circle officer (Mankapur) Sanjay Talwar said The woman was sent for a medical examination, he said, adding efforts are on to arrest the accused.

    GONDA: A woman was allegedly raped after being given some intoxicating substance by her 25-year-old nephew, police said here on Friday.

    The incident happened on Wednesday, they said adding the 42-year-old woman was going to market when her nephew offered to drop her off.

    According to the police, the duo stopped to have tea which was spiked by the accused.

    After the woman became unconscious, the youth allegedly raped her and filmed the act, they said.

    The accused threatened the victim of uploading the video on the internet which he did subsequently and took it down after some time, the police said.

    On the complaint of the victim, a case has been registered at Chhapia police station on Thursday under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Circle officer (Mankapur) Sanjay Talwar said The woman was sent for a medical examination, he said, adding efforts are on to arrest the accused.

  • 17-year-old acid attack victim from Jharkhand’s Chatra airlifted to AIIMS Delhi for treatment

    By PTI

    RANCHI: A 17-year-old girl from Jharkhand’s Chatra district, who sustained serious burn injuries in an acid attack, was on Wednesday airlifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for better treatment, officials said.

    The minor was attacked on August 5 and undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi.

    A medical board of the state government-run hospital referred her to AIIMS, New Delhi on Tuesday after examining various test reports, an official of the health facility said.

    “The victim was shifted to Delhi via air ambulance. She requires specialised treatment,” he said.

    Chief Minister Hemant Soren had directed officials concerned to extend all support to the victim and her family.

    The government has already provided Rs one lakh to the victim’s family as assistance, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

    “Sister Kajal has been sent to Burn Ward of AIIMS Trauma Centre, New Delhi. Praying to God that she returns soon after recovery,” Soren retweeted a post by state Health Minister Banna Gupta.

    ALSO READ | Ensure fair probe into death of woman set ablaze by man in Dumka: NCW writes to Jharkhand DGP

    The victim’s mother, who was also injured in the attack, said, “Stringent punishment should be given to the accused who resides around 2.5 km from our village Dhebo. He was harassing my daughter for the last two-three months.”

    The accused has been arrested and legal procedures are on, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Abu Imran said.

    RANCHI: A 17-year-old girl from Jharkhand’s Chatra district, who sustained serious burn injuries in an acid attack, was on Wednesday airlifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for better treatment, officials said.

    The minor was attacked on August 5 and undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi.

    A medical board of the state government-run hospital referred her to AIIMS, New Delhi on Tuesday after examining various test reports, an official of the health facility said.

    “The victim was shifted to Delhi via air ambulance. She requires specialised treatment,” he said.

    Chief Minister Hemant Soren had directed officials concerned to extend all support to the victim and her family.

    The government has already provided Rs one lakh to the victim’s family as assistance, a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

    “Sister Kajal has been sent to Burn Ward of AIIMS Trauma Centre, New Delhi. Praying to God that she returns soon after recovery,” Soren retweeted a post by state Health Minister Banna Gupta.

    ALSO READ | Ensure fair probe into death of woman set ablaze by man in Dumka: NCW writes to Jharkhand DGP

    The victim’s mother, who was also injured in the attack, said, “Stringent punishment should be given to the accused who resides around 2.5 km from our village Dhebo. He was harassing my daughter for the last two-three months.”

    The accused has been arrested and legal procedures are on, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Abu Imran said.

  • West Bengal: Sold thrice, raped many times, survivor eyes new life as college student

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Overcoming the severe trauma of being sold thrice and raped many times, a woman is now eyeing new life as a college student.

    As a teenager, she was sold by human traffickers in various states within four months during which she was raped by several men and even forcibly married off to a man 30 years older than her, a CID officer of West Bengal told PTI.

    A POCSO court in North 24 Parganas district recently sentenced four persons to 20 years in jail and two others to 10 years in connection with the case of the woman who is now 22 years old.

    The CID officers arrested the six accused, including a woman and the victim’s ‘boyfriend’ Rahul, from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand from where she was finally rescued.

    “By God’s grace, we got back our daughter. Whatever happened has happened. We are happy that those responsible for her plight were punished,” said her father who works in a sari shop.

    The family is now looking for a match for her, he said.

    Her ordeal started seven years ago when she met a man on a social media platform, fell in love with him, and fled home on the pretext of going to school in search of a new life.

    On January 7, 2015, she met the man near Science City in Kolkata and he took her to Babughat, over 10 kilometres away, to catch a bus to Bihar, the officer of the state CID’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit said.

    Investigation revealed that Rahul left the 15-year-old girl inside the bus promising her to return soon but he never did.

    It was later found that he had sold her to another trafficker for Rs 1.5 lakh.

    A man, claiming to be Rahul’s friend, took her from the bus to the Howrah station and travelled by train to Bihar.

    She was again sold to another man named Kamal who took the minor to a woman, Chitra, at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, the officer who led the team that rescued her said.

    Chitra, who is the third person to have purchased her, forcibly “married” her off to her 45-year-old brother who left her with the Bijnor woman after a month.

    Then Chitra’s son started raping the girl.

    “It was at this time that the victim got a chance to telephone her mother using Chitra’s mobile and inform her about her location,” the officer said.

    By that time, the police in West Bengal had found that the victim’s own mobile was last traced in Bihar and from then on, it was kept switched off.

    The “boyfriend” was also arrested in Bihar.

    Chitra got scared and asked Kamal to take the minor away.

    Kamal and his aide Bhisham then brought her to Kashipur in Uttarakhand, the CID officer said.

    When the duo came to know that Chitra and her son Luv were arrested, they got enraged, raped the victim many times and fled leaving her at Kashipur Junction railway station.

    The CID officer remembered how he and his team found the traumatised girl at one corner of the railway station.

    They rescued her and brought her back to West Bengal.

    “She was unable to speak because of trauma and remained silent for more than a month. We had to take her to a psychologist and after several sessions of counselling, she broke down and divulged details of her suffering,” he said.

    It is heartening to see that the girl, who was staying at a government home since her rescue in May 2015, started studying and is now eligible for college education, the officer said.

    He, however, lamented that the force could not trace the man who brought the girl from the bus and sold her to Kamal.

    A POCSO court at Barasat in North 24 Parganas district convicted the six.

    It sent Chitra and “boyfriend” Rahul to 10 years in jail and the remaining four – Kamal, Chitra’s brother, Luv and Bhisham – to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on July 28.

    Additional Public Prosecutor of Barasat court, Shyamal Dutta, said he is very happy that the girl got justice.

    “It was a long and hard battle. But I believe that justice is delayed by two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dutta said.

    KOLKATA: Overcoming the severe trauma of being sold thrice and raped many times, a woman is now eyeing new life as a college student.

    As a teenager, she was sold by human traffickers in various states within four months during which she was raped by several men and even forcibly married off to a man 30 years older than her, a CID officer of West Bengal told PTI.

    A POCSO court in North 24 Parganas district recently sentenced four persons to 20 years in jail and two others to 10 years in connection with the case of the woman who is now 22 years old.

    The CID officers arrested the six accused, including a woman and the victim’s ‘boyfriend’ Rahul, from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand from where she was finally rescued.

    “By God’s grace, we got back our daughter. Whatever happened has happened. We are happy that those responsible for her plight were punished,” said her father who works in a sari shop.

    The family is now looking for a match for her, he said.

    Her ordeal started seven years ago when she met a man on a social media platform, fell in love with him, and fled home on the pretext of going to school in search of a new life.

    On January 7, 2015, she met the man near Science City in Kolkata and he took her to Babughat, over 10 kilometres away, to catch a bus to Bihar, the officer of the state CID’s Anti-Human Trafficking Unit said.

    Investigation revealed that Rahul left the 15-year-old girl inside the bus promising her to return soon but he never did.

    It was later found that he had sold her to another trafficker for Rs 1.5 lakh.

    A man, claiming to be Rahul’s friend, took her from the bus to the Howrah station and travelled by train to Bihar.

    She was again sold to another man named Kamal who took the minor to a woman, Chitra, at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, the officer who led the team that rescued her said.

    Chitra, who is the third person to have purchased her, forcibly “married” her off to her 45-year-old brother who left her with the Bijnor woman after a month.

    Then Chitra’s son started raping the girl.

    “It was at this time that the victim got a chance to telephone her mother using Chitra’s mobile and inform her about her location,” the officer said.

    By that time, the police in West Bengal had found that the victim’s own mobile was last traced in Bihar and from then on, it was kept switched off.

    The “boyfriend” was also arrested in Bihar.

    Chitra got scared and asked Kamal to take the minor away.

    Kamal and his aide Bhisham then brought her to Kashipur in Uttarakhand, the CID officer said.

    When the duo came to know that Chitra and her son Luv were arrested, they got enraged, raped the victim many times and fled leaving her at Kashipur Junction railway station.

    The CID officer remembered how he and his team found the traumatised girl at one corner of the railway station.

    They rescued her and brought her back to West Bengal.

    “She was unable to speak because of trauma and remained silent for more than a month. We had to take her to a psychologist and after several sessions of counselling, she broke down and divulged details of her suffering,” he said.

    It is heartening to see that the girl, who was staying at a government home since her rescue in May 2015, started studying and is now eligible for college education, the officer said.

    He, however, lamented that the force could not trace the man who brought the girl from the bus and sold her to Kamal.

    A POCSO court at Barasat in North 24 Parganas district convicted the six.

    It sent Chitra and “boyfriend” Rahul to 10 years in jail and the remaining four – Kamal, Chitra’s brother, Luv and Bhisham – to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on July 28.

    Additional Public Prosecutor of Barasat court, Shyamal Dutta, said he is very happy that the girl got justice.

    “It was a long and hard battle. But I believe that justice is delayed by two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dutta said.

  • Bhopal woman who resisted eve-teasing gets attacked with blade; gets 118 stiches on face

    By ANI

    BHOPAL: A woman was attacked with a blade by few youth for resisting their eve teasing attempts. The injuries she sustained on her face needed 118 stitches. The incident took place in the TT Nagar area of Bhopal city.

    The woman is not able to open one of her eyes nor is she able to speak, the police said, on June 12.

    Speaking about the incident, Sai Krishna S Thota, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bhopal said, “The young woman told us she was on a bike with her husband. The couple went to Shree Palace hotel and her husband stepped inside to buy a water bottle. While she waited for her husband, some youths came up to her and made obscene comments and they were also whistling at her. She opposed it and slapped a youth three or four times.”

    Locals intervened and the youth left. When the couple were leaving the hotel with a water bottle in hand, the youth sprung up from behind and slashed the woman’s face with a blade, police said.

    An FIR was registered against the group of youth and they were then taken into police custody.

    Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met the injured woman at her residence.

    Further investigation into the matter is underway.

  • Teenage girl gang-raped, killed in Uttar Pradesh village

    By PTI

    CHITRAKOOT: A 13-year-old Dalit girl, who was allegedly gang-raped earlier, has died during treatment, police said on Saturday. Three men have been arrested so far in connection with the rape, they said.

    Superintendent of Police Atul Sharma said that the girl, a resident of Pahadi Police Station area, was allegedly gang-raped on Wednesday night when she was sleeping with her family outside her house.

    The family members did not inform the police about the incident immediately and took her to Kaushambi district for treatment.

    The girl succumbed to wounds Thursday night, police said. The SP said that the family did not tell anyone about the incident, and brought her body on Friday. Three people, Nadeem, Adarsh Pandey, and Vipul Mishra have been arrested in this connection, Sharma said.

    He added that the police are waiting for the post mortem report. SHO Ajit Pandey said that the victim was found on Thursday with both her hands tied. He said that the family too will be questioned about why they concealed the matter.

  • Barbarism in MP again: Middle-aged widow stripped, tortured by relatives, neighbours

    Express News Service

    BHOPAL: A spine-chilling incident of a middle-aged widow being stripped, held by her hair and beaten mercilessly by relatives and neighbours over suspicion that she had been practising witchcraft and black magic has been reported from Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. 

    The incident happened in Mandavi village under Manawar police station area of Dhar district on October 5. But it became known only after the shocking video of the stripped widow being held by the hair and beaten by men in full public view went viral on Thursday.

    According to the Dhar district police superintendent Aditya Pratap Singh, four men (all relatives and neighbours of the widow) have been booked under IPC sections, including 307 and 354. Three of them have been arrested. Those booked and arrested are accused of torturing the woman, outraging her modesty, attempting to kill her and filming the entire savagery.

    The primary probe has revealed that a woman in the house of the accused was ill for long.

    Shocker in MP: A widow was stripped, held through hair and beaten mercilessly by relatives-neighbours over suspicion of her being indulgent in witchcraft and black magic in Dhar district. The victim and accused hail from an OBC caste. @NewIndianXpress @khogensingh1 @gsvasu_TNIE pic.twitter.com/VWJRcL3UEw
    — Anuraag Singh (@anuraag_niebpl) October 8, 2021
    Suspecting the widow (who is their relative as well as neighbour) was practising witchcraft and black magic, the men brought her out in public view, before stripping her and torturing her beyond imagination. The men blamed the woman’s “evil eye” for the ill health of their female family member.

    In the video, the accused can be heard abusing the stripped widow, holding her by the hair and beating her.

    While such incidents are regularly being reported from parts of tribal MP, in this case, the victim and the accused hail from the OBC Mankar caste.

    “Attempts are being made to educate and enlighten the villagers against superstitions, but still such incidents are happening. We’re ensuring prompt and punitive action in all such cases,” the Dhar SP said.