Jaitley extends wishes on World Press Freedom Day
New Delhi: Extending his wishes on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday called on all to rededicate themselves to upholding the constitutional principles of independent, free and pluralistic media. In a post on Facebook, Jaitley said that in 1993 the UN General Assembly proclaimed May 3 as World Press Freedom Day. “This day is celebrated globally to ensure press freedom and encourage development of initiatives towards the same. On this day, I wish fellow citizens and journalist friends the very best. Let us rededicate ourselves today to the constitutional principles of independent, free and pluralistic media,” Jaitley said in his message. Minister of State for I&B Rajyavarhdan Rathore also posted a message on Twitter extending his greetings. Calling freedom of speech and expression quintessential in a democracy, Rathore said that the government is fully committed to freedom of Press. (PTI)
Court orders arrest of MLA
Amethi: A court has directed the police to arrest an MLA and attach all his assets after he failed to appear before it in spite of repeated summons in a 15-year-old case. Judicial Magistrate of Rae Bareli Justice Virendra Kumar Singh ordered arrest of MLA from Tiloi, Mohammad Muslim. A case against the MLA and some others was lodged with Shivratanganj police for alleged interruption in government work and provoking of a particular class against the other in Chilauli village 15 years ago. Two groups had clashed in the village and public property was damaged. The MLA was summoned by the court several times. Superintendent of Police Amethi, Hira Lal, said that the law will take its course. (PTI)
Bihar mob attacks gang rape accused
Patna: Angry over the release on bail of a key accused in a gang rape case, a mob on Sunday attacked his house and beat him up in a village in Bihar’s Vaishali district, police said.Lalbabu Rai, a prime accused in a gang rape, was freed on bail on Saturday, and was seriously injured when the mob roughed him up.Rai was admitted to a local hospital for treatment, a district police official said.”A day after the gang rape accused Rai was out on bail, some villagers expressed unhappiness and apparently mobilised others to teach him a lesson but police saved him,” the police official said.Rai was accused in a 2013 gang rape case and was jailed. (IANS)
IIT student commits suicide
Mumbai: A chemical engineering student at IIT, Powai, allegedly committed suicide, police said on Sunday, Jitesh Sharma (21), who hails from Haryana, was found dead on the terrace of the institute’s hostel last evening by his friends. The suburban Powai police was subsequently informed. Police reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem this morning. A suicide note purportedly written by the student was found near the student’s body which indicates that he was depressed, they said. “Prima facie, the student is suspected to have consumed some poisonous substance, but it can only be ascertained after we get the medical reports,” an officer at Powai police station, who is investigating the matter, said. An accidental death report has been registered and further investigation is on into the matter, he said. “Today being a holiday, we are unable to contact his friends and faculty heads. But as soon as the classes resume, we would try to get details about his academic and social performance,” he said. “He has written a suicide note in Hindi and English that shows he was under depression,” the investigating officer said, adding that the student was apparently unhappy with the choice of his academic course. The suicide note purportedly reads: “I should not have been into this field. I did a mistake by passing JE exam. I have learnt to be away from my parents.” The student’s father has been informed about the incident, the officer said. (PTI)
Woman raped on pretext of marriage by Facebook friend
Jaipur: A 28-year-old woman was allegedly raped on the pretext of marriage by a man whom she befriended on Facebook, police said on Sunday. An FIR was registered yesterday at Shyam Nagar police station on a complaint filed by the victim in the local court, they said. The accused Ranjan Pandey, aged between 25-30 years, hails from Jharkhand and was working in Mukhtsar district of Punjab. He came in touch with the woman, who is a divorcee, through social networking site Facebook about 2-3 years ago, police said. In her complaint, the woman said that they have been meeting in Jaipur and other places for the past 2-3 years during which period Ranjit had promised to marry her. The victim alleged that the accused refused to marry her recently following which she filed a complaint, police said. “The case would be taken up soon, as the complaint was registered just last night,” SHO, Shyam Nagar police station, K R Choudhary said. The woman would be contacted to record her statement while the search to trace the accused in Mukhtsar would begin soon, he added. (PTI)