"Rape is rape" and should not be politicised: PM
LONDON, April 19: Amid massive outrage across the country and beyond over the numerous rape cases that have surfaced recently, including the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said "rape is rape" and should not be politicised.
"When a child is raped... we cannot compare these incidents in numbers for different governments. Rape is rape... How can we accept this?" PM Modi asked on Wednesday.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has been persistently attacking the Prime Minister and his BJP over the Kathua and Unnao rape cases. On Monday, Mr Gandhi had pointed out on Twitter that there were as many as 19,675 cases of rapes of children in 2016.
The prime minister today said that the recent sexual assaults were a matter of shame for India.
"Every time in our country... it is always the woman who is questioned. The person who is committing these crimes is also someone's son... The rape of a (daughter) is a matter of worry, a shame for the country," PM Modi said during an interaction with the Indian community at London's iconic Central Hall Westminster.
The PM was met by hundreds of protesters as he arrived in London as part of a four day visit today. The protesters displayed photos of the eight-year-old girl from a nomadic Muslim community in Kathua, who was raped and murdered in January, allegedly by a group that included policemen and a former government official.
PM Modi had last week said that justice will be done and no criminal will be spared, referring to the rape cases that has sparked outrage across India.
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GBA chief commissioner orders removal of dilapidated structures at risk of collapse
Bengaluru (PTI): The GBA on Saturday said Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao has instructed officials to immediately identify and remove compound walls and buildings in a dilapidated condition that pose a risk of collapse within its jurisdiction.
The instructions were issued following directions from Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru City Development Minister D K Shivakumar, in the wake of destruction caused by heavy rains, strong winds, and a hailstorm that lashed the city on Wednesday evening.
The thunderous downpour and stormy winds brought down temperatures in the city but also left a trail of destruction.
A compound wall collapsed at Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, killing seven people, including a child.
“The collapse of the wall at Bowring Hospital due to the intensity of the rains, which tragically claimed seven lives, is an extremely unfortunate incident. The rains have caused damage to both public and private property and have disrupted public movement,” the Greater Bengaluru Authority said in a release.
In addition, there remains a continued risk of trees and branches falling in several areas, it added.
Therefore, the deputy CM has directed authorities to immediately identify hazardous trees, weak branches, dangerous walls, and unsafe buildings, and to take preventive measures to avoid any untoward incidents and inconvenience to the public, it said.
Accordingly, commissioners and additional commissioners of all five city corporations have been instructed to personally monitor the situation and form special teams comprising Fire and Emergency Services personnel, police staff, and city corporation officials and employees.
These teams have been directed to implement all necessary precautionary measures in view of the likelihood of further heavy rains, ensuring that the public faces no inconvenience.
Regarding the action being taken to remove unsafe walls, the GBA said that on Binnymill Road under the central city corporation, an old wall was found to be in a severely weakened condition and at imminent risk of collapse.
Following the recent rains, around 60 meters of the 10-foot-high wall had already collapsed.
Consequently, a 25-foot-high, 300-meter-long section of the wall has now been demolished, while the removal of an additional 100-meter stretch of the 10-foot-high wall is currently underway.
In the West City Corporation limits, at 8th Main Road, Mysore Lamps premises in Malleswaram, a 240-meter-long compound wall was identified as structurally unsafe. With appropriate safety measures, manpower, and machinery, the demolition of the wall has been completed.
