UP: 42-year-old man promises marriage to minor girl; abducts, rapes her for almost 6 months
Ballia (UP) (PTI): Police in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh arrested a 42-year-old man for allegedly abducting and raping a minor girl for approximately six months, officials said on Tuesday.
According to the police, the Class 9 student from Ballia came into contact with the man from Patna district in Bihar through a mobile phone. Later, the man allegedly abducted the girl and took her to Valsad in Gujarat, where he raped her repeatedly.
The accused, identified as Rakesh Verma, was arrested on Monday and sent to judicial custody, a police official said.
On the morning of July 30, 2025, the student had an argument with her mother, who scolded and slapped her after discovering that she had been communicating with the man on her mobile phone. Following the incident, the girl left home without informing her family, who later conducted an extensive search but could not locate her, the police said.
Subsequently, based on a complaint filed by the girl's mother, a case was registered against an unknown person under Section 137(2) of the BNS (kidnapping).
Bairia police station SHO Vipin Singh said that the police, during their investigation, rescued the minor girl from Valsad on Sunday.
Referring to the information gathered during the girl's preliminary questioning, the SHO said that she had stated she met Rakesh through her mobile phone. After being scolded by her mother, Rakesh allegedly lured her into a relationship and then abducted her with a promise of marriage. He subsequently took her to Valsad, where he repeatedly raped her.
Based on the girl's statement, Section 65(1) (punishment for rape) of the BNS and the provision of the POCSO Act have been added to the case, the SHO informed.
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'Is House inferior to Elon Musk's X?': CPI-M's Brittas slams govt on Indo-US trade deal announcement
New Delhi (PTI): CPI-M Rajya Sabha member John Brittas on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Modi government for announcing the Indo-US trade deal on social media platform X instead of Parliament, questioning whether the House had become "inferior to Elon Musk's X platform."
Participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Upper House, Brittas raised concerns about the deal's potential impact on India's farm sector and accused the government of compromising the country's sovereignty.
PARLIAMENT OR X PLATFORM
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"Is this House more important than Elon Musk's X platform? That's the question," Brittas said, criticizing the government for announcing the deal at 9 pm on social media rather than on the floor of Parliament during an ongoing session.
He questioned the timing of the announcement, suggesting that the Prime Minister had to be "alert and awake at 11 pm at night to respond to his (US President) teasers," while Cabinet ministers relied on X to "shower compliments to Donald Trump."
"The healthy convention of this country is that any policy decision during Parliament session, any important decision, should be announced on the floor of the House, rather than on X platform. So, where is this country going?" he asked.
CONCERNS OVER AGRICULTURE SECTOR
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Brittas highlighted three key principles outlined by the US President in what he termed the "teaser" — that India will not buy oil from Russia, all trade barriers will be removed with zero tariff for imported items, and India will import goods worth USD 500 billion from the US.
"It translates to something like Rs 45 lakh crore. We can't even comprehend the amount. And tomorrow it will be Rs 47 lakh crore because the rupee is plummeting," he said.
The Kerala MP noted that the US Secretary of Agriculture had complimented Trump for "opening up the agriculture of India," raising fears that products like soya, maize, cotton, and dairy would flood Indian markets.
The US has mechanised and low-cost production of agriculture products unlike Europe, he warned adding that even after 15-20 hours, there had been no clarification from the government.
'SOVEREIGNTY AT STAKE'
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Brittas questioned India's sovereignty in decision-making, particularly on oil imports. "Who is the Petroleum Minister of this country? Donald Trump will tell you where to buy the oil from. Stop the oil from Iran. Stop the oil from Venezuela. Stop the oil from Russia," he said.
"I am talking about the sovereignty of this great nation, the mother of democracy. We were the leader of the non-aligned nation. We never bowed to anybody," he added, contrasting the current approach with India's historical foreign policy stance.
RUPEE DEPRECIATION
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On currency depreciation, Brittas recalled that when the rupee was at 60 to a dollar, the current government had said it was "in ICU, terminally ill, mute like the Prime Minister."
"If the rupee was in ICU when it was 60, at 92, it should be in mortuary or graveyard," he said.
GAP IN BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION
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The CPI-M leader pointed to the gap between budget announcements and actual spending. He cited the Prime Minister's internship programme, for which Rs 10,831 crore was earmarked but only Rs 526 crore — barely 4 per cent — was spent.
"This shows the real picture of your performance. How you are taking this country down the garden path. Such a vast gap between words and deeds. It's more than the Pacific Ocean," he said.
KERALA'S GRIEVANCES
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Brittas also raised issues specific to Kerala, claiming the state had been "consistently insulted" despite Union Minister Suresh Gopi's presence in the government. He mentioned unfulfilled promises including an AIIMS and tourism circuits.
"The Constitution says India is a union of states. Is Kerala not a state?" he asked, noting that 22 AIIMS had been granted to different states but Kerala's remained pending.
He praised Kerala as having a "gold standard" and being the first state to provide free education up to the graduate level.
ARTIFICIAL LIMB CONTROVERSY
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Brittas also attacked BJP MP Sadanandan Master for displaying artificial limbs in the House during his maiden speech on Monday.
"When he is giving speeches in Kerala, he is standing on his artificial limbs. It's an unfortunate incident. He enacts a drama by exhibiting, demonstrating his artificial limb," Brittas said.
The Kerala MP concluded by saying the people of Kerala "will never ever forgive them" and would not give the BJP a "foothold in Kerala."
It is alarming that the Prime Minister and Ministers are relying on Elon Musk’s X platform to provide teasers and responses to such a significant agreement. With Parliament currently in session, any responsible government should have made the formal announcement on the floor of…
— John Brittas (@JohnBrittas) February 3, 2026
