Transgenders on way to Sabarimala sent back by police
Erumeli : A group of transgenders, who were on their way to offer prayers at Sabarimala temple, were stopped here, around 60 km from the shrine, and sent back by police Sunday. The transgenders alleged that the police harassed them and said they were not banned from darshan at the shrine, but the police said there was a need to get some legal clarity in this issue. Ananya, Trupti, Renjumol and Avanthika were dressed in black sarees, the traditional pilgrim attire, and were carrying the customary ‘irumudikettu’ (sacred offerings to God). They said they reached here in the early hours but the police was reluctant to provide them security and permission to proceed further. They alleged that the Erumeli Police even asked them to change into male attire for proceeding to the Lord Ayyappa temple. Ananya said they did not want to change the saree. “The ban on menstruating women is not applicable to us. Though we have told this to police, they were not ready to allow us to proceed further. They harassed us mentally and forced us to wear male dress,” Ananya said. The devotee also said they would approach the high court against the police’s move. (PTI)
IT officer booked for bribery; aide caught with Rs 8 lakh
Ahmedabad: A senior income tax (IT) officer has been booked for allegedly demanding Rs 8 lakh bribe from a man for not conducting his income tax assessment, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said on Sunday. Suresh Chand Meena, who served as the assistant commissioner in the Income Tax Department here, had allegedly made the demand from the man through two chartered accountants (CAs) and a junior IT officer, the ACB said in a release. The man lodged a complaint with the ACB, which laid a trap on Saturday and caught CA Namitaben Singhania while accepting Rs 8 lakh as bribe, it said. An employee of the IT department, identified as Sunil Patni, had also allegedly demanding Rs 50,000 from the complainant for asking Meena to resolve his matter, it said. Meena, Patni, Namitaben Singhania and her CA husband Sumit Singhania were booked under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the ACB added. (PTI)
Trafficking survivors turn showstoppers for Kolkata designer
Kolkata: Seven trafficked girls walked the ramp hand-in-hand with members of the film fraternity at a unique show conceptualised by celebrated fashion designer Agnimitra Paul, in partnership with West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The show – ‘A walk with stars’ (Tarader Sange Tara) – was aimed at generating awareness on human trafficking, Paul told PTI at at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre here. As part of the show, the girls, all dressed in vibrant hues, walked side by side filmmaker Srijit Mukherjee, director-singer Anindya Chatterjee, singer Rupam Islam, actor Riddhi Sen and actresses Payel Dutta, June Maliah and Tanushree Chakraborty – drawing cheers from the audience. “Each of the seven girls who walked down the ramp had their mouths covered by scarves, symbolising the society’s attempt to muzzle their voices,” Paul, who had groomed the seven showstoppers for days, explained. The couturier also thanked the state government for supporting her in her endeavour. (PTI)
Make country better place for women: Mamata
Kolkata: On the sixth anniversary of the Nirbhaya gang rape case, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday urged people to make the country a better place for women. Banerjee took to Twitter to ask people to stop violence against women. “Today is the sixth anniversary of the horrific Delhi Nirbhaya case. The incident shook the country. As a society, we must make this country a better place for women. Say no to violence against women,” she tweeted. A 23-year-old paramedic student was gang raped on December 16, 2012 in a moving bus in Delhi and thrown out of the vehicle along with her male friend. She later died in a hospital in Singapore. The incident had triggered outrage and protests across the country. She subsequently came to be known as ‘Nirbhaya’, the fearless. All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. While one of the accused hanged himself in prison, another accused, a juvenile then, was given the maximum sentence of three years’ imprisonment in a reform facility. The other four were found guilty of rape and murder and later sentenced to death. The incident of gang rape was widely condemned. (PTI)
Man detained for making threat call in Jaipur
Jaipur: A man was detained on Sunday for making a hoax call to trigger bomb blasts at three locations here, leading to panic ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Ashok Gehlot as Rajasthan chief minister, police said. Security was beefed-up and traffic was diverted, they said, adding police teams and bomb disposal squads swarmed the area and condoned off Hanuman Temple in Chandpole, Sanganeri Gate and the Jaipur Airport. Yogendra Kumar was detained on the basis of his call details, SHO at the Pratap Nagar police station Hemraj Singh said. He said Kumar was being interrogated. Kumar had made the call at the police control room this morning, informing that bombs were planted at Hanuman Temple in Chandpole, Sanganeri Gate and the Jaipur Airport. (PTI)