BJP minority morcha leader booked for 'rape' of Dalit girl, murder of her father in UP's Maharajganj
Maharajganj (UP) (PTI): A case has been lodged against a BJP minority morcha leader for the alleged rape of a 17-year-old Dalit girl and killing of her father in this Uttar Pradesh district, police said.
The case has been lodged at the Sadar Kotwali police station against Masoom Raza Rahi, the district president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) minority morcha, they added.
In her complaint to police, the girl alleged that on August 28, the BJP leader raped her and when her father, Raju, protested on seeing the incident, the accused thrashed him, leading to grievous injuries. The father of the girl subsequently died during treatment.
The complainant said after her mother's death, she lived in Rahi's house as a tenant along with her father, three sisters and a younger brother.
Circle Officer (Sadar) Ajay Singh Chauhan said a case has been lodged against the accused under sections 376 (rape), 302 (murder), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code as well as under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
District convenor of the BJP Sanjay Pandey said the senior leadership of the party has been apprised of the incident and action will be taken accordingly.
A senior leader of the BJP's minority morcha, while confirming that Rahi is the district president of the morcha, said law is equal for everyone. The guilty will be punished and the victim will get justice, he asserted.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
