Pahalgam attack: PM Modi says every Indian seething with anger, assures justice to victims
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New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated on Sunday that the terrorists behind the Pahalgam terror attack and those involved in the conspiracy will be served the most stringent punishment, asserting that the victims will receive justice.
In his Mann Ki Baat address, Modi said the solidarity of Indians in the war against terrorism is the country's biggest strength.
He said his heart is in deep pain and every Indian is seething with anger over the terror strike that killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
Modi said the incident reflected the desperation and cowardice of terrorists and their mentors at a time when peace was returning to Kashmir, tourism was seeing a record surge, democracy was turning stronger and new opportunities were being created for the youth.
Enemies of the country and Kashmir did not like it, he said, adding that they wanted the Valley to be destroyed again.
He said, "In the war against terrorism, the unity of the country, the solidarity of 140 crore Indians, is our biggest strength."
The world is watching that India is speaking in one voice against the attack, he said, stressing that this unity is the biggest basis of the decisive battle against terrorism.
Irrespective of the state one lives in and the language one speaks, everyone has deep sympathy for the families of victims, he said.
Terrorists on Tuesday opened fire in Baisaran, a popular tourist spot in the upper reaches of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, killing 26 people.
In the monthly broadcast, the prime minister also paid tributes to scientist and former ISRO head K Kasturirangan who passed away on Friday, saying his selfless service to the country and contribution to nation-building will always be remembered.
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Deaf and mute woman breaks 16-year silence, exposes serial sexual abuse, blackmail in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): A deaf and mute woman's complaint about a sexual assault that took place 16 years ago in Mumbai has unmasked a serial predator, revealing a disturbing pattern of abuse and blackmail he perpetrated on several women from the community.
The accused was arrested on December 13 after the survivor broke her silence recently following the suicide attempt by one of the women he allegedly sexually harassed.
Disturbed by the suicide attempt, she confided in her friends during a video call about the assault that occurred in 2009.
According to the police, the survivor, a resident of the western suburbs, communicated in sign language during a video call with her friends and colleagues, who were part of a WhatsApp group, that the accused had drugged and raped her when she was a minor.
She also took her husband into confidence, and with support from Thane Deaf Association president Vaibhav Ghaisis, activist Mohammed Farhan Khan, sign language interpreter Madhu Keni, and a retired officer from the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities Divyangjan, the survivor approached the police.
The survivor, her husband and a few of her friends went to the Kurar police station, where her statement was recorded in camera, with Keni as interpreter, and the accused, Mahesh Pawar, was arrested a few hours later from Virar, a suburb in Palghar district.
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Recalling the trauma she endured 16 years ago, the survivor said that a female friend had invited her to explore the city in July 2009 and took her to Pawar's home in Vakola, Santacruz, an official said.
The accused allegedly offered her samosas and some beverage to celebrate the female friend's birthday. The survivor said she was forced to have the drink, which Pawar had allegedly spiked, and after a while, her friend left her alone with him.
The accused allegedly overpowered and raped her, and later blackmailed her with the recorded video of the assault.
The trauma of assault stayed with her over the years, and the attempted suicide of another woman from the community, allegedly assaulted by Pawar, propelled her to come forward.
A probe has revealed that the accused had similarly drugged and assaulted speech and hearing impaired women and threatened them into silence by blackmailing them with obscene videos, a senior police officer said.
The accused allegedly shot obscene videos of several women, using which he blackmailed them and extorted money, gold and mobile phones, he said.
He allegedly forced women into participating in nude video calls with him and recorded these to threaten them, the official said.
"As per initial investigation so far, we have evidence of his abuse of seven women, but the number can increase to more than 24," the official told PTI.
While Pawar has been remanded in judicial custody, no other woman has come forward with a complaint against him as yet, he said.
Talking to PTI, Keni said all women who have survived abuse and harassment by Pawar want to lodge a complaint against him.
She claimed that the accused had extorted money from one of the women he abused, but did not return the sum even when she needed it for a medical emergency.
