‘Ban mobile phones in schools, colleges’
Bangalore: In a recommendation stoking controversy, a committee of the Karnataka Legislature has proposed a ban on mobile phones in schools and colleges as a step to curb incidents like rape. “Karnataka government should direct the Education Department to impose a compulsory ban on students in schools and colleges bringing mobile phones,” the Legislature Committee on Women and Child Welfare said. The single point recommendation in the report of the 23-member committee headed by Shakuntala Shetty, tabled in both the Houses of Karnataka legislature yesterday, is contained under a chapter under the title, “rape/missing cases of women”. The report refers to the rising incidents of rape across the country and cites, the 2012 Delhi gang rape and fatal assault of a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern as also the recent gang rape and murder of a Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh, which have made “Indians hang their heads in shame before the entire world.” “We have found during our interactions that mobile is the reason behind kidnap and rape among school and college going girls,” Shetty said, defending the panel’s controversial findings and recommendations. She said “When I did go through two or three rape cases of minor girls, what they told me was that they had got a missed call and out of curiosity they wanted to find out about it and it started from there….” “As we found several such incidents, we in the committee decided to recommend a ban on mobiles; …it is not necessary for students, so we have mentioned that it should be banned.” In another recommendation, the committee has suggested that seminars and awareness programmes should be conducted in schools and colleges periodically as a measure to stop atrocities against women. (PTI)
Guj CM Patel appeals to people, NGOs to adopt anganwadis
Vadodara: In a bid to augment infrastructure at anganwadis in Gujarat and to provide better amenities to children studying there, the state Chief Minister Anandi Patel on Saturday appealed to people as well as NGOs to “adopt” such centres. “About 45 lakh children belonging to poor families are studying at about 50,000 anganwadis where facilities like clean toilets, power supply, pure drinking water etc. are being provided. Though these children come from poor families, they deserve better amenities,” Patel said at a function organised by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. She inaugurated a host of development works totalling Rs 766 crore, which include a dedicated stadium for indoor sports, two over-bridges and 45 anganwadis–all located in the city, besides launching other development works. “The task of providing these amenities can be achieved across the State if a citizen or a non-government organisation donates a sum of Rs 5.50 lakh for those anganwadis that lack such amenities,” she said, adding that the state government has considerably hiked the honorarium being paid to anganwadi workers. (PTI)
HC acquits man who killed wife, says evidence is ‘fragile’
Mumbai: Observing that the evidence was “fragile”, the Bombay High Court has acquitted a 50-year-old man who was sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court on the charge of killing his wife by setting her on fire. A bench of Justices Anuja Prabhudessai and P V Hardas, on July 4, acquitted Raju Adangale, a resident of Nasik, of the murder charge under IPC and set aside life imprisonment punishment awarded to him by a sessions court six years ago. Raju was awarded life term in jail on July 28, 2008 for setting his wife Sharda afire at their house following a domestic quarrel on February 14, 2007. Sharda was admitted to hospital with burn injuries. She died four days later. The court held that the prosecution could not prove that the two dying declarations given by the victim to a police head constable and Special Executive Magistrate were read out to her and confirmed. Moreover, the oral dying declaration by victim to her son-in-law was fragile in the absence of any corroborative evidence to support her version that her husband set here on fire. (PTI)
29 Keralite nurses return from Iraq
Kochi: Another batch of 29 nurses from Kerala returned to the state from war-torn Iraq today. The nurses, working at Baquba General hospital in Diyala in Iraq, travelled to Sharjah from where they emplaned to Kochi this morning, airport officials said. One of the nurses told media personnel at nearby Nedumbasery airport that they could hear bombs exploding, but did not have any problems at their hospital. Another nurse said she had gone to Iraq three months ago with lot of expectations after taking loans. However, she had to return due to the worsening situation there. On July 5, 46 nurses, 45 of them from Kerala and one from Tamil Nadu, who were held captive by ISIS militants in Iraq, had arrived in the state. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had yesterday convened a high level meeting at Thiruvanathapuram to discuss rehabilitation issues of nurses who have returned. NRI businessman C K Menon had offered Rs three lakh each to the 46 nurses. (PTI)