Mangaluru, Jun 30: As heavy rains continued to lash the coastal region disrupting normal life, the deputy commissioners of Dakshina Kannada (DK) and Udupi districts have declared holidays for all educational institutions on Friday.

DK deputy commissioner K V Rajendra and Udupi DC M Kurma Rao said the holiday has been declared in view of the prediction of meteorological department that the region will witness heavy rains on Friday also.

The Met department has issued an orange alert in the districts on Friday and yellow alert till July 4. Incessant rains have resulted in artificial flooding in many areas in Dakshina Kannada district.

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.



Ambikapur (PTI): Two tribal girls were raped allegedly by six persons, including three juveniles, in a village in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district, a police official said on Thursday.

Three accused have been arrested and three minors were detained in connection with the incident that took place on the night of April 24 under Sitapur police station limits, he informed.

"The motorcycle-borne accused intercepted the victims when they, along with two other friends, were returning home on foot after attending a wedding. Two of the girls managed to escape. The two victims, one aged 15 years and another 13 years, were forced onto a motorcycle, taken to a secluded place and sexually assaulted," he said.

One of the victims returned home the same night and informed her family the next day, following which a case was registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Sitapur police station on April 26 for gangrape and other offences, he said.

Medical examinations of the victims were conducted at the Sitapur Community Health Centre on April 26 and 27, the official said.

"Initial medical reports did not confirm sexual assault. However, after the victims' families expressed dissatisfaction with the findings, the girls were sent for fresh medical examination at the district hospital in Ambikapur. Based on this medical report, all six accused were taken into custody by April 30," he said.

The arrested accused have been identified as Anand Bek (27), Vikas Tigga (24) and Manish Khalkho (18), all residents of the Sitapur area. The three juveniles, two of them aged 17 years, have been detained, he said.