Over 300 booked for obstructing proceedings in riot cases
Muzaffarnagar: More than 300 people have been booked for obstructing police proceedings against the absconding accused in five cases of gangrape in Phugana village during the riots last September, police said on Tuesday. Two cases have been registered against more than three hundred people under various sections of IPC for pelting stones and opposing the police in discharge of their duty, police said. Five women including Sunita, Minu, Shimla, Babli and another Sunita have been named in this connection, said police. Police faced resistance from the irate locals on January 30 and 31 when they had gone to the village for putting up notices of attachment proceedings at the homes of the accused, they said. Six cases of gang rape were registered against 27 people during riots in which 22 people were found involved. While one Vedpal was arrested, 21 others are absconding. Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar had last month ordered attachment proceedings against the 21 absconding accused under Section 83 of the CrPc. More than 60 people were killed and over 50,000 were displaced during the riots in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in September last. (PTI)
AAP makes anti-graft activist as campaign committee head in AP
Hyderabad: Aam Aadmi Party today announced the formation of its Andhra Pradesh state campaign committee with noted anti-corruption and RTI activist B Ramakrishna Raju as the convener. The committee will coordinate and oversee all AAP activities in the state until the upcoming elections. Raju is a former convener of National Alliance of People’s Movements and convener of United Forum for RTI, Andhra Pradesh, according to the party. Other members of the committee are: educationist and social activist R Venkat Reddy, convener of SOUL (Save Our Urban Lakes) Jasveen Jairath, social activist and expert on farmers’ issues Kirankumar Vissa, activist with Street Hawkers Federation and Human Rights Forum in Hyderabad Syed Bilal, grassroots dalit activist Vijay Kumar and High Court advocate Ravi Chandra, the party said. “Aam Aadmi Party has generated enormous interest and support across all districts of Andhra Pradesh. The party is confident of making a huge impact in the upcoming elections,” it said. (PTI)
NCW criticises WB govt on issue of women’s security
Kolkata: National Commission for Women chairperson Mamata Sharma on Tuesday criticised the West Bengal government for not doing enough for the security of women. Sharma told reporters at the airport here that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, being a woman, was expected to be more vigilant about the issue of safety of women. She said that in the context of crimes committed against women, the state government often “ignored” the recommendations of the NCW. The NCW chairperson was leading a team to the state to visit the tribal girl who was allegedly gang-raped on the orders of a kangaroo court at Subolpur village in Birbhum district on January 21. The victim was at a government-affiliated NGO run home. Official sources said at Suri, the district headquarters of Birbhum, that the NCW chairperson would hold a meeting with the authorities of the home where the victim was staying. (PTI)
Curfew-like restrictions eased in most parts of Valley
Srinagar: Curfew-like restrictions were eased after two-days today in most parts of Kashmir today but normal life in the valley remained disrupted due to the strike call given by separatists to mark the 20th death anniversary of JKLF founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat. Police and paramilitary personnel remained deployed in strength in vulnerable areas of the valley including several parts of Srinagar city but people were allowed to move around freely. However, restrictions under Section 144 CrPC, which bans assembly of four or more persons, continued in Maisuma and downtown areas of the summer capital of the state. Concertina wires were placed at all exit points of Maisuma locality to prevent JKLF activists from taking out any protest march. A handful of JKLF activists assembled at Maisuma this morning but were taken into preventive custody by police immediately. Separatists groups had called for a three-day strike from Sunday to mark the death anniversaries of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru and Bhat, following which curfew-like restrictions were imposed in most parts of the Valley on February 9 which continued yesterday as well. Guru was hanged to death and buried inside Tihar jail last year while Bhat was executed and buried inside the jail premises on this day 20 years ago. (PTI)