Sunita Williams should be conferred with Bharat Ratna: Bengal CM Mamata
Kolkata, Mar 19 (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said astronaut Sunita Williams should be conferred with Bharat Ratna for the challenges she faced while spending nearly nine months in space.
Speaking at the Assembly, Banerjee congratulated the rescue team, praising their commendable efforts in bringing the astronauts back to Earth.
"The West Bengal Assembly would like to thank the team for rescuing Williams and another astronaut who were stranded in space for several months. I congratulate them, as well as Sunita Williams. I think she should be honoured with Bharat Ratna," Banerjee told the House.
The CM said she had been closely monitoring the situation and was deeply concerned.
"I’m interested in space science and have been following the developments through various sources of information. I kept track of the situation daily and took regular updates," she said.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday after a nine-month stay at the space station.
Originally planned as an eight-day mission, their time in space was extended due to a technical glitch in their spacecraft.
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SC should intervene in Allahabad HC ruling on sexual assault case: Annapurna Devi
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New Delhi (PTI): Union Minister for Women and Child Development Annapurna Devi on Friday said the Supreme Court should intervene in the Allahabad High Court's ruling, which held that actions like grabbing breasts or snapping a pyjama string do not constitute rape or an attempt to rape but rather fall under the lesser charge of aggravated sexual assault.
Speaking to reporters outside the Lok Sabha, Devi said she "completely disagreed" with the verdict and called for the Supreme Court to take cognizance of the matter.
"I am completely against this decision and the Supreme Court should take serious note of it. Such a ruling has no place in a civilized society," she told PTI Videos.
The minister also expressed concern over the broader implications of the judgement, warning that it could send a wrong message to the society.
"Somewhere, this will have a negative impact on society and we will discuss this matter further," she added.
The case involved an 11-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh's Kasganj who was attacked in 2021 by two men -- Pawan and Akash.
The accused grabbed her breasts, tore her pyjama string and attempted to drag her under a culvert while she was walking with her mother. The assailants fled when the passers-by intervened upon hearing her screams.
