Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant apologises for remark against Shaina NC
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Saturday apologised for his alleged insulting remark targeted at rival Shiv Sena's assembly election candidate Shaina N C, a day after a case was registered against him in this connection.
Talking to reporters here, Sawant maintained that he has never insulted any woman in his life, and added that a controversy was created for political reasons ahead of the assembly polls.
"I have always been in the forefront of giving women their due respect. My remarks were distorted and I was deliberately targeted. This hurt me. Still if my comments hurt anybody's sentiments, I regret it and apologise for the same. In my 55 years of public life, I have never insulted women," the Member of Parliament (MP) from the Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency said.
He asked what action was taken when other political leaders earlier called women leaders as "Jersey cow" and "Surpankha".
"Were women honoured through such comments?...A state minister made derogatory remarks against Supriya Sule. Was any action taken?" he asked.
The controversy regarding my remarks was raised for political reasons, he said.
"I had not named anyone. I feel sad that an attempt was made to tarnish my image. The comment was made on October 29 and it was remembered on November 1," Sawant said.
Shaina, who is contesting the November 20 assembly election from the Mumbadevi constituency, on Friday alleged that Sawant referred to her as "imported maal".
"Calling someone who is a professional and political worker for 20 years 'maal' shows the mentality of Shiv Sena (UBT)," she said.
The Sena leader then lodged a complaint against Sawant, based on which a first information report (FIR) was registered against him under sections 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman through words, gestures, sounds) and 356 (2) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
National Commission for Women chief Vijaya Rahatkar also sought police and the Election Commission's action in the matter.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
