Delhi riots: Congress comes out in support of Sitaram Yechury, slams police
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday came out in support of Sitaram Yechury and others named in the supplementary charge sheet in the Delhi riots case and accused Delhi police of bringing the criminal justice system to ridicule.
The opposition party said the BJP has "stooped to a new low" in its attempt to suppress peaceful dissent against its policies.
"Delhi police have brought the criminal justice system to ridicule by naming Mr Sitaram Yechury and many other scholars and activists in a supplementary charge sheet in the Delhi riots case," Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted.
He questioned how "if an accused (Gulfisha Fathima) mentions a name in her statement, that person will be named as an accused in the charge sheet".
"Has the Delhi police forgotten that between the Information and Charge Sheet there are important steps called Investigation and Corroboration," he asked.
Other than Yechury, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, economist Jayati Ghosh and Delhi University professor Apoorvanand figure in the supplementary charge sheet.
However, Delhi police have clarified that they have not filed a charge sheet against them and underscored the difference between naming someone as an accused and mentioning a name due to allegations.
Chidambaram said he was glad that former police officer Julio Ribeiro has "upbraided" the Delhi police for its "biased handling" of the Delhi riots case.
"Will the Delhi police listen to this iconic police officer," he asked.
Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, "The BJP has reached new lows in its attempt to suppress peaceful dissent against its policies which have torn the socio-economic-politico fabric of this nation."
"The misuse of Delhi police to choke voices like Sitaram Yechury and others is shameful and highly condemnable," he said.
Another Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said, "This is worse than atrocious. I am in full solidarity with those charge-sheeted. They are greater desh bhakts than the fraudulent ones in power now."
Party's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "If speaking truth to power is a crime, If exposing circle of hate is a crime, If standing up to rioters is a crime, If being righteous & just is a crime, Then, each one of us must be booked, charge-sheeted & jailed. Only then will my Country survive. Jai Hind."
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
