5 Activists Gang-Raped In Jharkhand, Allegedly At Gunpoint
PATNA: Five women from a non-profit conducting an awareness campaign at a tribal area of Jharkhand were abducted and gang-raped at gunpoint. The men accompanying them have been thrashed. The police said the rapists made a video and used it to threaten the women with exposure if they complained.
The 11-member team, belonging to a non-profit supported by local Christian missionaries, had gone to hold a street play against human trafficking at Kochang in Khunti district, around 50 km from state capital Ranchi.
As the performance was in progress, a group of armed men came on bikes, beat up the men and took away the women at gunpoint. They were released in the jungle three hours later. The two nuns who had accompanied the women, however, were released unharmed.
After being threatened by the men, the women did not inform the administration about the incident. The officials were tipped off by sources, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting local police officer Ashwini Kumar Sinha.
The police have detained nine persons for questioning and a medical board has also been formed, the police said. Medical examination has confirmed rape and a case has been filed. Mr Sinha said three teams have been formed to investigate the matter and arrest the culprits.
Reports from the area say the men involved are supporters of Pathalgadi -- a tribal system under which the people govern themselves according to the tribe's rules and do not recognize the state's authority. They argue that the Constitution has given them the right to practice their own systems.
The name Pathalgadi is related to the huge stone slabs inscribed with ancestral names that are preserved by the villagers.
Outsiders, including the police and government officials, are not allowed in these villages without permission.
courtesy : ndtv.com
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.
Shivakumar assures contractors to solve their issues
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday assured the KSCA that he and Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi would facilitate a meeting with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to resolve their issues.
Addressing members of the Karnataka State Contractors' Association (KSCA) who are protesting at Freedom Park in Bengaluru demanding the release of pending bills, Shivakumar said, "I and Jarkiholi will together arrange a meeting of contractors with the Chief Minister during this legislative session. We must all come together to find a solution to your problems."
He concurred with the contractors that they are also helping the state.
"We are aware that you brought our government to power. It is not our intention to withhold the payment. I have been watching your president Manjunath, who gives different sets of statements to the media once every three months.
"You should all get him a seat in the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. Just as representation is given in the Council to teachers, graduates, and those from the cinema and arts sectors, a seat must be given to contractors as well. That could help resolve your problems. A way must be found for this," he said.
Shivakumar said there are pending bills of around Rs 13,000 crore in the water resource department and Bengaluru Municipal Corporation, while there are Rs 3,000 crore in the minor Irrigation department, totalling to Rs 16,000 crore.
"We know your pain. Six months before the elections, I had warned you not to take up any contract work in departments where there is no money. The then BJP Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai kept awarding contracts whether or not there were funds. You took up that work and now you are suffering. This needs to be resolved," the Deputy CM said.
He said there was a need to find bonds worth around Rs 50,000 crore. Only then will this problem be solved.
