New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of former Union minister Mukul Roy, and said he will be remembered for his political experience and efforts to serve the society.

Roy died following a cardiac arrest at a hospital in Kolkata this morning. He was 71.

"Pained by the passing of former Union Minister Shri Mukul Roy Ji. He will be remembered for his political experience and efforts to serve society. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," Modi wrote on X.

Roy was once regarded as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's most trusted lieutenant and the TMC's principal strategist.

A former union minister and two-time Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, Roy's four-decade-long political journey saw his stints in the Congress, TMC and the BJP.

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Kollam (Kerala) (PTI): A Kerala court has sentenced a 20-year-old man to 21 years of imprisonment for raping a minor girl after befriending her on a social media app.

Karunagappally Fast Track Special Court judge Rajeevan Vachal sentenced the convict to 21 years under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, special public prosecutor (SPP) N C Premchandran said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh on the convict, the prosecutor said.

The incident occurred in 2024 when the accused befriended her on a social media app and then offered to take her to the Azheekal beach here.

However, instead of taking her to the beach, he took her to an isolated place behind the CHC hospital at Mynagappally here and raped her, the SPP said.

Following the incident, the girl attempted suicide, but was saved and then told the doctors what had happened, the prosecutor said.

The hospital authorities informed the police, who registered a case and launched an investigation.

The prosecutor said that seven witnesses were examined and 20 documents were submitted before the court to substantiate the guilt of the accused.