Woman alleges sexual harassment en route to hospital after accident in Kerala
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Alappuzha (PTI): A case has been registered after a woman who was injured in an accident was allegedly sexually harassed by a man while being taken to a hospital at Kayamkulam here, police said on Sunday.
The case was registered against Sinil Sabad, a trader in Kayamkulam, following a complaint lodged by the 25-year-old woman who, along with her family, met with an accident at KPAC Junction in the early hours of April 4.
According to police, the accident occurred around 12.45 am when the vehicle in which the victim and her family were travelling hit a median while returning from a pilgrimage.
Police said that Sabad, along with others who gathered at the spot, helped shift the injured family members to a hospital.
The complainant has alleged that the accused made sexual advances and inappropriately touched her while she was being taken to the hospital, police said.
After reaching a private hospital, the woman informed doctors about the incident, who in turn alerted the police.
A case was subsequently registered, officials said.
The victim has now alleged lapses in the investigation, claiming that police did not record her detailed statement and that no medical examination has been conducted so far.
She also told the media on Sunday that the accused was questioned and later released.
An officer at the Kayamkulam police station said the investigation is ongoing and that statements of witnesses are being recorded before proceeding with the arrest of the accused.
Meanwhile, State Police Chief Ravada A Chandrasekhar has sought a detailed report from the Alappuzha District Police chief after learning about the incident.
Police sources said an internal probe has also been initiated to examine whether there were any lapses in the investigation, and a detailed report will be submitted to the State Police Chief within two days.
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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