DCW chief Swati Maliwal says she is in Manipur to assist people, wants PM Modi's visit
Imphal, Jul 23: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Sunday said that she had come to Manipur to assist people and would appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani to visit to the state to look into people's suffering.
Maliwal, who came Sunday afternoon to the ethnic strife-torn state, also said she reached here not to indulge in politics and would go back if those who should be here visited the state.
"I have not come here to do politics, but to assist people I would appeal to the PM and Union Minister for WCD to come and visit the state," the feisty DCW chief told reporters at Imphal airport.
"Women here have already approached me violence is affecting them for the last three months," she said.
She had earlier announced she would be going ahead with her visit to the state despite the state government allegedly denying her permission for the visit.
In a tweet on Sunday, Maliwal said she has written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh seeking an urgent meeting with him during her visit.
"Manipur Govt recommended I consider postponing my visit due to law and order situation. After deliberation on their suggestion, have decided to fly to Imphal as planned. Sought time from Manipur CM. Will meet him & request him to come along to visit the sexual assault survivors," Maliwal tweeted.
Maliwal also shared a copy of a letter written to the Manipur chief minister on Sunday in which she urged him to facilitate her visit while ensuring that she will not do anything to create problems for the state government.
"I seek an urgent meeting with your hon'ble self to discuss the extremely pertinent issue of the human rights violations and sexual assault cases occurring in Manipur... Several Manipuri women have come to Delhi in order to escape the ongoing violence in the state. I wish to discuss issues regarding their welfare as well with your hon'ble self," she said in the letter.
She also sought the CM's support in visiting the violence-affected relief camps where the victims of sexual assault are presently staying.
#DCW chief Swati Maliwal reaches #Imphal, says, 'I appeal PM to come to Manipur immediately.' #ManipurViolence #Manipur #Imphal pic.twitter.com/xY7tQJttrU
— News18 (@CNNnews18) July 23, 2023
#WATCH | After reaching Imphal airport, DCW chief Swati Maliwal says "I will directly go to the CM's Office, I want to meet Chief Minister N Biren Singh. I want to meet the sexual abuse survivors and see if they have got legal aid, counselling or any compensation. I appeal to the… pic.twitter.com/dIFCASftl4
— ANI (@ANI) July 23, 2023
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2019 mud attack on engineer: Maharashtra court sentences BJP minister Nitesh Rane to one-month jail
Mumbai (PTI): A court in Sindhudurg on Monday convicted Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane in a 2019 case of pouring mud on an NHAI engineer when he was in opposition, and sentenced him to one-month imprisonment, noting that lawmakers are not supposed to take the law into their hands.
Later, the court suspended Rane's sentence, allowing him time to appeal before a higher court, while acquitting 29 other accused in the case.
"Even though Rane's intention was to raise a voice against the poor quality of work and inconvenience faced by the people, he was not supposed to humiliate or insult a public servant in public," additional sessions court judge V S Deshmukh stated.
"If such incidents continue to occur, public servants would not be able to discharge their duties with dignity," the judge noted.
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Calling the act "abuse of power", the court held that "it is the demand of time to curb such tendency".
Rane, a son of former Union minister Narayan Rane, was among 30 people charged under various offences, including rioting, assault to deter a public servant, and criminal conspiracy. He was in Congress when the incident occurred.
All the accused, including Nitesh Rane, were acquitted of these offences, as the court found insufficient evidence to support most of these claims.
However, the court found Nitesh Rane guilty of an offence under section 504 (intentional insult meant to provoke a breach of public peace) and sentenced him to one month's jail.
Rane, then a Congress MLA, had called the Sub-Divisional Engineer of the National Highway Authority, Prakash Shedekar, to a bridge over the Gad river in Kankavli on July 4, 2019, for inspecting the work to widen the Mumbai-Goa Highway.
According to the prosecution, Nitesh Rane and his followers, frustrated by the poor quality of the roadwork and waterlogging, confronted the engineer. They poured muddy water on Shedekar and forced him to walk through slush in public.
The court, after perusing the evidence on record, noted that the informant (victim) was holding a high post in the National Highway Authority.
"Despite that, he was made to walk through the muddy water in public. It would have certainly humiliated and insulted him," the court remarked.
The judge held that Rane compelling Shedekar to walk through the muddy water "was nothing but an intentional insult to the informant," and provocation which will cause him to break the public peace.
