Wife Of Rape Accussed Arrested For Blackmailing Uzbek National

A woman, whose husband allegedly raped a 23-year-old lady from Uzbekistan, has been arrested for blackmailing and trying to force her into flesh trade in New Delhi.

The accused Anjali has been arrested but her husband Altaf is absconding, the police said.

According to the police, the woman alleged she was raped by Altaf, who introduced her to his wife Anjali and the couple blackmailed her and tried to force her into flesh trade.

It said Altaf had befriended the Uzbek woman on Facebook and she flew down to Delhi on May 6 after being lured by him on marriage promise.

Altaf then took her to a hotel where he allegedly raped her and filmed the act, the police said, adding that he then began to blackmail her with his wife.

The couple, she alleged, had snatched her passport, visa and money. They also confined her into a room and allegedly beat her up regularly. She was forced to attend to the guests, the woman claimed, it said.

The complainant confided into a friend living in Delhi and they approached at the Vasant Kunj (north) police station.

A case has been registered under IPC Sections 370 (buying or disposing of any person as a slave) and 376 (rape). A case under the immoral trafficking act has also been registered and the police are probing the possibility of a bigger racket involving Uzbek women flourishing in the area.



Head Constable Posted At Uma Bharti's Residence Attempts Suicide

A Delhi Police Head constable deployed at Union Minister Uma Bharti’s residence in New Delhi allegedly attempted suicide by shooting himself with his service gun last night.

The incident took place around 10.30 PM, following which police teams were rushed to the residence of Uma Bharti, the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in New Delhi’s Ashoka Road.

The official, identified as Head Constable Brijpal of Delhi Police’s security unit, was still breathing while being rushed to the nearest hospital, a senior police official said adding that the reason why he took the extreme step could not be ascertained yet.

The head constable allegedly shot himself with his official gun which has been recovered from the spot.

“His condition is critical,” DCP (New Delhi) Jatin Narwal said.

Prima facie the official shot himself sitting inside his personal car parked inside the premises of Ms Bharti’s bungalow.



JP Nadda To Hold Meeting With State Health Ministers On NEET

With several parliamentarians opposed to the common medical entrance test, the Centre has decided to hold consultations with state Health ministers today to formulate a strategy regarding the issue.

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said that he “looks forward” to the meeting tomorrow and hoped to find a solution to address the concerns of lakhs of medical aspirants.

“Looking forward to meeting with the State Health Ministers today morning on the issue of NEET.

“I am hopeful that together we shall be able to find some solution to address concerns of lakhs of aspiring medical students & their parents,” Mr Nadda tweeted.

According to reports, the Supreme Court had ruled that starting this academic session, students would have to appear for National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to seek admission to any medical or dental colleges in the country.

Earlier this week, the apex court also turned down a batch of appeals by states seeking to conduct their own medical admission tests and ruled that “only NEET would enable students to get admission to MBBS or BDS studies”.

Following the apex court’s ruling, opposition parties have raised concerns that students passing out from state boards in vernacular languages and living in remote areas may not be able to perform well in common entrance exam despite being competitive.

Several MPs have demanded the government to bring forth an ordinance to stall the NEET for the current academic session.



US warns of China troops build-up on India border

China has increased defence capabilities and deployed more troops along the Indian border, the Pentagon has said, as it warned of increasing Chinese military presence including bases in various parts of the world, particularly Pakistan.

“We have noticed an increase in capability and force posture by the Chinese military in areas close to the border with India,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for East Asia Abraham M Denmark told reporters during a news conference here after Pentagon submitted its annual 2016 report to the US Congress on ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China’.

However, Denmark said it is difficult to conclude on the real intention behind this. “It is difficult to say how much of this is driven by internal considerations to maintain internal stability, and how much of it is an external consideration,” he said in response to a question on China upgrading its military command in Tibet.

Referring to US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter’s recent trip to India, Denmark said he had a very positive and productive visit.

“We’re going to continue to enhance our bilateral engagement with India, not in the China context, but because India is an increasingly important player by themselves. And we are going to engage India because of its value,” he said.

The Defence Department also warned of China’s increasing military presence including bases in various parts of the world, in particular Pakistan – with which it has a “longstanding friendly relationship and similar strategic interests”.

China and Pakistan may not agree, but the United States believes that India is ready to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Hours after China defended its blocking India from becoming part of the NSG, the US on Friday said that India does in fact meet the missile technology control regime requirements for entry into the NSG.

The remarks about India’s eligibility for the NSG came in response to a question about reports that China and Pakistan have joined hands to oppose India becoming a member of the NSG.

US sources recently told news agency ANI that they are disappointed with Chinese tactics of “using Pakistan’s non credentials with the NSG to settle scores with India”.



Maharashtra Governor's nod to CBI to prosecute ex-CM Ashok Chavan

In a major embarrassment to the opposition Congress, Maharashtra Governor CV Rao here on Thursday accorded sanction to the CBI to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh Society scam.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), through its letter dated October 8, 2015, sought the governor`s sanction to prosecute Chavan under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code after “fresh incriminating material” was allegedly found against Chavan.

Chavan is currently a Lok Sabha member from Maharashtra and chief of the state unit of the Congress party.

CBI included a report by a two-member Commission of Inquiry, comprising Justice J.A. Patil (retd) and former chief secretary P. Subramanian, besides Bombay High Court observations in a criminal revision application filed in 2014.

Accordingly, Rao granted the sanction to prosecute Chavan under Section 197 of CrPC and Sections 120-B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code in the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society case.

The Maharashtra cabinet, at a meeting last week presided over by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, recommended to the governor to accord the sanction.

In its report, the commission of inquiry had indicted four former chief ministers — Chavan, late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Sushilkumar Shinde and Shivajirao Nilangekar-Patil, also revenue minister at the relevant time — besides several top bureaucrats and other officials for their role in the high-profile scam.

The commission was set up in January 2011. However, its report and recommendations were rejected by the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government in December 2013.



Modi should not join war against ISIS; SP govt ignoring Muslims in UP: Asaduddin Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi attacked the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP for ignoring ‘Muslims and the downtrodden’ in Uttar Pradesh during his first rally in the state.

Coming down heavily on the ruling party, the AIMIM chief said, ”The poor are dying, farmers are in penury here, but neither the SP nor BJP cares about them.”

Owaisi also criticised SP for not fulfilling its promise of providing reservation to poor Muslims in UP.

Shifting his focus to dreaded terrorist outfit Islamic State, the AIMIM leader said that he and his party has nothing to do with ISIS.

”We condemn ISIS. We have no connection whatsoever with ISIS,” Owaisi said.

However, he also warned Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to join international community’s war against the ISIS.

”Modiji should not think of sending forces to fight ISIS. That is not our war,” Owaisi said while addressing his supporters in the Faizabad district of UP.

Condemning PM Modi’s recent Lahore visit, he said, ”The way PM met his counterpart in Lahore it was as if two separated brothers are meeting.”

This was his first rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad ahead of the February 13 Bikapur bypoll.

The AIMIM, which is planning to stake a huge claim in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls of 2017, is willing to create a “Dalit-Muslim vote bank”.

“My focus will be on Samajwadi Party which has betrayed both Dalits and Muslims,” the AIMIM chief had said earlier.

Owaisi’s party had made its agenda clear when it declared Pradeep Kumar Kori, a Dalit, as its Bikapur candidate for the upcoming bypolls here.



Tanzanian student was not stripped, Bengaluru incident not a 'racial attack': Karnataka home minister

The Karnataka government on Thursday said that it was seriously probing the brutal assault on a Tanzanian student while assuring full safety of foreign students staying in the stte capital.

Addressing a press conference, G Parmeshwara, Karnataka Home Minister said, ”We are taking this case very seriously,” adding, ”There are 12,000 foreign students in Bengaluru, their protection is our foremost duty. These kind of incidents should not happen.”

Explaining the sequence of events that ked to the brutal assault on the African student, Parmeshwara said, ”Had the Sudanese man not killed someone in the accident maybe this incident would not have happened.”

A man called Sanaullah and his wife were hit by a car driven by a Sudanese national identified as  Mohd Ismail, who was under influence of liquor. The woman died on the spot after which an infuriated mob set the car on fire and went on rampage, he informed.

Rejecting allegations of laxity on part of local police, Parmeshwara said, ”The cops registered the case at that time itself.”

“We have formed special teams to trap the culprits and render justice to the victim who declined to file complaint against the accused fearing attack again,” he stated.

Some more arrests are going to be made depending on enquiry. The case has been transferred to Central Crime Branch for investigation, he added.

However, he maintained that it was not a racist attack, saying ”this is just a response to an accident. Bengaluru doesn’t have such kind of attitude.”

“The allegations that her clothes were torn off and they were paraded naked have not been verified as per the investigation so far,” he added.

The DGP and Commissioner also went to spot today and spoke to affected students and assured all help to them, he informed. Parmeshwara further stressed that there are times when foreign students stay even after their passports get expired and, therefore, they are going to pursue such cases.

Five suspects have been arrested by police in this connection and they are being interrogated. We have duly apprised the MEA about the progress in the case, Parmeshwara said.

Meanwhile, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today asked the Karnataka government to explain the incident and send the report immediately.

The BJP today dubbed the reaction of Rahul Gandhi on Tanzanian student assault as a ‘political stunt’, saying that the former is seeking report from Karnataka Chief Minister only after seeing media reports on the issue.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had yesterday condemned the attack on the Tanzanian student and asked for stringent punishment for the guilty.

The Tanzanian student was beaten and then stripped by a group of locals in Bengaluru after they assumed she was part of an incident in which a Sudanese man had run over a local woman.

The incident took place on Hesaraghatta Road in Bengaluru on Saturday night after a Sudanese national ran his car over a 35-year-old woman resulting in on the spot death of the woman.

The Tanzanian student was travelling in another car, a Wagon-R, along with four others. The young woman, who arrived on the spot around 30 minutes later, was dragged out of the car and paraded naked after being stripped by the mob.

The victim told the police in her complaint that when she tried to get on a bus in order to escape the assault, people on the bus pushed her back towards the mob.

Earlier, the local residents set fire to two cars belonging to the African students, who studied in local colleges in Ganapathinagar on Hesaraghatta Road.



Kerala beedi baron Nisham sentenced to life, fined Rs 80 lakh

Muhammad Nisham, a beedi tycoon had rammed his Hummer SUV into a security guard leading to the latter’s death two weeks later

A court in Thrissur on Thursday sentenced beedi tycoon Muhammad Nisham to rigorous life imprisonment and another 24 years in jail for causing the death of a security guard with his Hummer at the Sobha City apartments last year. The 39-year-old businessman, reportedly with assets worth Rs 5,000 crore, will also have to pay a fine of Rs 80.30 lakh of which Rs 50 lakh is to be paid to the widow of the victim, K Chandrabose.

Quoting the verdict of judge K P Sudheer, special public prosecutor C P Udayabhanu said the life term served for murder and 24 years of jail term for other six offences would run consecutively. The appellate courts have to uphold the quantum of punishment.

Nisham was convicted under sections of 302, 326, 323, 324,427,449 and 506(1) of IPC.

The court also asked the prosecution to initiate criminal procedures against Nisham’s wife Amal on charges of perjury. Amal, who had been a prosecution witness, had earlier given a statement to the magistrate that she had seen injured Chandrabose in the Hummer SUV of her husband. Later, during the trial, Amal turned hostile.

Reacting to the verdict, Chadrabose’s wife Jamanthi said the culprit should have been hanged. “We did not get justice. We are not enthused to hear about the compensation ordered to be paid to us. It was not an accident. He ran the vehicle into my husband. When he tried to escape, Nisham crushed him against a concrete wall using his vehicle. We are not satisfied by the verdict,’’ said Jamanthi, who was given the job of a lower division typist with a public sector firm in Thrissur after Chandrabose’s death.

Nisham’s family members also said they would move an appeal in the High Court as the trial court did not look into the attack against Nisham.

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the prosecution was asked to move an appeal seeking maximum punishment for the culprit.

This has been one of the most sensational cases in Kerala in recent years. Nisham is the managing director of Tamil Nadu-based King Beedi Co. Apart from being a prominent tobacco supplier, he had business interests ranging from a hotel in Dubai to jewellery businesses in the Middle East and Kerala (King’s Jewellers in Triprayar, Thrissur) to real-estate. He owned a fleet of 18 imported cars, including Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Road Ranger, Ferrari and Jaguar. Nisham had faced several traffic offences connected with these massive vehicles.

However, Nisham’s return from a late night party in Thrissur to his apartment at Sobha City on the night of January 29, 2014 in his Hummer SUV was the beginning of the fall of the powerful businessman. Nisham rammed his SUV into Chandrabose and pinned him against a concrete wall, reportedly over a delay in opening the gates of Sobha City.

After ramming him against a wall, he dumped Chandrabose at the back of the Hummer and drove to the parking area of the apartment complex, where he further assaulted him. Nisham prevented others from taking the victim to the hospital. Later, the police, who reached on being alerted by the Sobha City staff, rushed Chandrabose to Amala Hospital in Thrissur where he died two weeks later. Nisham was then charged with murder.

The attack leading to the security guard’s death exposed the criminal history of Nisham, who had allegedly been involved in 11 cases, but managed to escape prosecution. He had enjoyed clout among leaders of all political parties and police officials.

While an undertrial in the murder case, Nisham was listed as a goon after the state police slapped relevant sections of the Kerala Anti-Social Activities Prevention Act. Accordingly, he was consigned to jail without any trial for six months.

Nisham moved a bail plea in the Supreme Court which was rejected with the court observing that the case showed the rich were becoming egocentric.

When the trial began, prime prosecution witness K C Anoop, a colleague of Chandrabose, turned hostile. He said he had not seen Chandrabose being hit by the vehicle driven by Nisham. The statement triggered a ruckus, forcing Anoop to correct it. When the trial resumed, Anoop told the court that he had diluted his statement under duress from Nisham’s family, and went back to the original version in which he said he had seen Chandrabose being attacked by Nisham.

The case also triggered ripples in the police department. Former Kerala DGP K S Balasubramaniam faced allegations that he tried to protect Nisham. Then Thrissur city police commissioner Jacob Job was suspended for a secret meeting with Nisham.



PM Narendra Modi launches Essel Group Chairman Dr Subhash Chandra's autobiography

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the autobiography of Essel Group Chairman Dr Subhash Chandra.

Modi unveiled the book at his official residence 7 RCR in Delhi.

Dr Chandra, during the launch event, said that focus and determination is the key to achieving success in life.

PM Modi, praising Dr Chandra, said, “It takes a lot of effort to write an autobiography. Taking risk is Subhash Chandra’s habit”.

Modi also praised Dr Chandra for his contribution to society and education.

Applauding Dr Chandra’s continuous efforts to achieve excellence, Modi said that it is very important to read biography. “It helps you know the history better,” the PM said.

The autobiography titled ‘The Z Factor: My Journey as the Wrong Man at the Right Time’ has been written along with Pranjal Sharma.

A book launch event is also scheduled at Zee Jaipur Lit Fest at 12.25 pm tomorrow.

The panelists for the event are M J Akbar and Vallabh Bhansali who will interact with Dr Chandra in the launch session.

The book is published by Harper Collins and will be available in stores from tomorrow onwards. It is already available on Flipkart and Amazon India for pre-orders.

Dr Chandra, who is referred to as the Media Moghul of India, revolutionised the television industry by launching the country’s first satellite Hindi channel Zee TV in 1992 and later the first private news channel, Zee News.

His bouquet of businesses includes television networks (ZEE), a newspaper chain (DNA), cable systems (Wire and Wireless Ltd), direct-to-home (Dish TV), satellite communications (Agrani and Procall), theme parks (EsselWorld and Water Kingdom), online gaming (Playwin), education (Zee Learn), flexible packaging (Essel Propack), infrastructure development (Essel Infraprojects Ltd) and family entertainment centres (Fun Cinemas).

He has made his mark as an influential philanthropist in the country by setting up TALEEM (Transnational Alternate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment through Multimedia), aimed at providing access to quality education through distance and open learning. Dr Chandra is also the Chairman of the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India – a movement to eradicate illiteracy from rural and tribal India. The Foundation provides free education to nearly eight lakh tribal children across 27,000 villages through one-teacher schools.



Rohith Vemula's death: Rahul Gandhi demands Hyderabad university VC's removal

  • My doors are always open for you, Rahul Gandhi tells students at Hyderabad university campus.

  • There should be no discrimination on the basis of caste. Rohith came to university with a certain hope: Rahul Gandhi
  • Rahul Gandhi addresses students, says Rohit Vemula’s family should be paid compensation. He further seeks Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao’s removal.
  • Research scholar Rohit Vemula, who allegedly committed suicide in a room on the campus of the University of Hyderabad, had in a letter purportedly written
    by him said he was not getting his fellowship for past seven months. “If you, who is reading this letter can do anything for me, I have to get 7 months of my fellowship, one lakh and seventy five thousand rupees. Please see to it that my family is paid that. I have to give some 40 thousand to Ramji. He never asked them back. But please pay that to him from that (sic),” Rohit purportedly wrote in the letter.
  • RPI leader Ramdas Athawale will visit Rohith Vemula’s family in Hyderabad tomorrow.
  • On the university campus, scores of students intensify their protests, demanding that Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, BJP MLC Ramchander Rao, university’s Vice Chancellor P Appa Rao and two ABVP leaders, against whom cases were registered for abetting suicide of Rohit, be jailed.
  • Several students in campuses outside the state come out of classes in solidarity with their Hyderabad Central University counterparts.
  • Rahul Gandhi interacts with students over the issue.
  • Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi arrives at Hyderabad university’s campus.
  • A video of altercation between Rohith Vemula and ABVP activists tearing down, ABVP flag has surfaced.
  • Have appointed Secretary Anita Agnihotri to investigate Dalit scholar’s suicide case: Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot
  • Attacking the government over the alleged suicide of a Dalit scholar in Hyderabad, Congress leader Digvijay Singh today charged that vice chancellors have
    been handpicked by the BJP and RSS, and asked student wings to come together to fight the “communal forces”.
    Also Read: Hyderabad student suicide: Digvijay asks student wings to unite
  • A two-member Trinamool Congress delegation led by party MP and national spokesperson Derek O’Brien is going to Hyderabad this evening to express solidarity with the students protesting against the alleged suicide.
  • Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slams Rahul Gandhi, says the Congress leader is visiting Hyderabad to just rub salt in the wound.
  • Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati sends two-member team to Hyderabad to probe into the matter.
  • The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) student leader, who emerged as a key character in the entire episode, has expressed shock over the death of Rohith.
    Also Read: Shocked at Rohith Vemula’s suicide; it was just student politics: ABVP leader Susheel Kumar
  • Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar tweeted:

  • In Pune, the students of FTII sat on a day-long hunger strike outside the institute’s gate, expressing “solidarity” with students protesting over the alleged suicide.
  • Commenting on Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Hyderabad, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot tells ANI that politics should not be played in such cases. The ministry is gathering information regarding this case, justice will be don, assures Gehlot.
  • Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot seeks report from Telangana on Dalit student`s suicide​.
  • Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal attacks PM Narendra Modi over Dalit student Rohith Vemula’s death
  • Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal trained his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi:



  • Telangana Jagruti Yuva Morcha protests outside Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya’s residence in Hyderabad. Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and Hyderabad University Vice Chancellor were yesterday named in an FIR regarding the case.
  • Rohith Vemula, 28, was found hanging in his friend’s room in the hostel on Sunday. The second year research scholar of science, technology and society studies department was one of the five students expelled from the hostel and barred from all facilities except their classrooms following a clash with leaders of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
  • Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi heads to Hyderabad to meet the to meet the students after Rohith Vemula allegedly committed suicide sparking massive protests. Rahul is leaving for Hyderabad along with party general secretary Digvijay Singh and will meet the students of the university, party sources said.
    Also Read: Dalit student’s suicide case: Rahul Gandhi to visit University of Hyderabad today
  • All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the “cold-hearted attitude” of the concerned minister and the government over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar of Hyderabad Central University (HCU). “I condemn this attitude and hope strong action will taken against Vice Chancellor,” added Owaisi.