Japanese youth’s body found hanging from tree on Ganga bank
Varanasi: The body of a 23-year-old Japanese national was on Friday found hanging from a tree on the Ganga river bank at Samne Ghat in Lanka area here, police said. The youth was identified as Amajato Atomu, a native of Nagasaki in Japan. Some locals spotted the body this morning and called the police. The body has been recovered and sent for a post-mortem, a police officer said, adding that they were trying to find out details about the deceased and how he came to Varanasi. Police suspect that the youth might have been murdered on Thursday and then his body hanged from the tree trunk. (PTI)
Court issues order to attach minister’s property in U’khand
Dehradun: A local court has issued an order to attach the property of an Uttarakhand Minister for attempting to immolate himself while leading an agitation of unemployed youth here some years ago. The order, directing Senior Superintendent of Police of Dehradun, to attach the property of Education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani, was issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajiv Kumar on Thursday. The court has set March 26 as the next date of hearing in the case. As per the police case lodged in this connection, Naithani allegedly tried to immolate himself while leading an agitation here demanding jobs for unemployed youths. “It is a very old case in which the minister is charged under Section 309 of the IPC,” Dehradun SSP Ajay Rautela said. Asked whether the order will be implemented, the SSP said everything depends on what the court order says. As per Section 309 of the IPC whoever attempts to commit suicide and does any act towards the commission of such offence, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year. The Minister, who is in Delhi, said he cannot understand the rationale behind the court order as he always responded to its summons in connection with the case. (PTI)
DTC buses not to ply till 2 PM on Holi
New Delhi: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has decided to suspend its bus service till 2 PM on the day of Holi festival on Monday. “In view of Dulhendi festival on Monday, all the city/NCR and inter-state bus services of DTC will remain suspended till 2 PM on that day. However, the service will be restored after 2 PM as per traffic requirement,” said a senior DTC officer. He said since traffic load will very less on Monday, only 1,669 buses will be operated in the afternoon service. AC buses will be operated only on Airport Express Bus Service. To avoid incidents of eve-teasing in the buses during Holi festival, DTC has issued necessary instructions to its drivers, conductors and traffic supervisory staff. “In case of any such untoward incident, drivers and conductors have been instructed to take the bus immediately to the nearest police station or PCR van,” he added. (PTI)
Three convicted in Odisha nun’s gang rape
Bhubaneswar: A court in Odisha Friday found three men guilty of gang-raping a Catholic nun in Kandhamal district during the 2008 communal clashes. District and Sessions Judge Gyanaranjan Purohit at Cuttack, about 26 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, held Mitu Patnaik, Gajendra Digal and Saroj Badhai guilty, the nun’s counsel Manas Ranjan Singh told IANS. The court would pronounce the quantum of sentence later in the day. The 29-year-old nun was attacked by a mob and raped at Nuagaon village Aug 24, 2008, when communal violence in the region was at its peak. The district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram. Police had blamed Maoists for the killings. At least 38 people were killed in the state and thousands of Christians were forced to flee their homes. The gang-rape had sparked an international outcry and drew strong condemnation. The Crime Branch of the state police, which probed the case, arrested about two dozen people and filed four chargesheets. In the first phase, the court tried nine accused and completed its hearing March 4 and had kept its verdict reserved. While the court Friday convicted three people, it acquitted the remaining six due to lack of evidence. (IANS)
Court denies bail to Tejpal
Panaji: Former Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal’s bail plea in a case of sexual assault was Friday rejected by the Bombay High Court bench here which said it apprehended that the senior scribe would flee from justice and tamper evidence. Justice Utkarsh Bakre also said that calling business associates and friends over mobile phone from his prison cell, as well his daughter’s visit to the rape victim’s house were two key reasons why bail could not be granted to the 50-year-old journalist. Tejpal has already spent over three months in police and judicial custody since his arrest Nov 30, after a nationwide police hunt. A junior woman colleague accused Tejpal of rape during ThinkFest, a high profile conference organised by the Tehelka founder in Goa which was attended by Hollywood star Robert de Niro. The victim claimed that she was sexually assaulted twice Nov 7 and 8. Tejpal is presently lodged in the Sada sub jail located in Vasco, 35 km from here. (IANS)
Train passengers can now file FIRs from any place
New Delhi: If you are a victim of theft or any other offence during train journey, need not worry about the jurisdictions as you can file an FIR from anywhere during or after travel. As per a recent decision, passengers can lodge a ‘zero FIR’ in any railway station and seek swift action. The concerned police station where the FIR is lodged will fax a copy immediately to the police station under whose jurisdiction the incident has taken place, Joint CP, New Delhi Range, Mukesh Meena said. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by him and attended by IGs of neighbouring states. “The move will help in better coordination between the police, ensure quick action and less harassment to the complainant,” Meena said. The issue of jurisdiction has been a contentious point among the complainants travelling in trains, as police are usually reluctant to file an FIR if the incident has happened in a different place. (PTI)