Four-year-old girl abducted from railway shed, 'sexually assaulted' in Bengal's Tarakeshwar
Kolkata (PTI): A four-year-old girl was allegedly abducted from a railway shed and “sexually assaulted” at Tarakeshwar in West Bengal’s Hooghly district, officials said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Saturday when the child was asleep beside her grandmother at the railway shed, they said.
The minor was found lying unconscious with injury marks near a drain in the area on Saturday afternoon, an official said.
The girl, who reportedly belongs to the Banjara community, was initially taken to a local hospital and later referred to the Chandannagar sub-divisional hospital, he said.
A police officer said an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that the Tarakeshwar Police were initially reluctant to register an FIR over the incident.
In a post on X, Adhikari accused the police of "burying the crime" to shield the state's "fake law and order image by suppressing the truth”.
"Mamata Banerjee, you are a Failed Chief Minister. Under your rule, West Bengal’s law & order has hit ROCK BOTTOM," he alleged in the post.
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Lebanon appoints new representative for talks with Israel, rejects linkage to Iran
Beirut: Lebanon’s has moved to underline its independent position in ongoing regional developments, amid attempts to link the country to the broader conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
President Joseph Aoun, while announcing the appointment of former US ambassador Simon Karam as Lebanon’s representative in talks with Israel, made it clear that Karam would be the sole representative for Lebanon and that there would be no substitute.
The move comes in response to what the Lebanese officials see as efforts by Iran to tie Lebanon’s situation to the wider regional conflict. Iran had indicated that there would be no ceasefire involving the US, Israel and Iran unless it also included a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Some groups, including Hezbollah and its supporters, had expressed support for linking the situations, citing concerns that the Lebanese government has limited leverage in negotiations with Israel. Lebanon is not formally a party to the conflict, and its army is considered weak.
However, others, including Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, have opposed this approach. They view Iran’s stance as an attempt to influence Lebanon’s internal affairs and see it as undermining the country’s sovereignty.
Officials backing the government’s position say the move is aimed at reaffirming Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring that decisions about peace and ceasefire within the country are not dictated externally.
They also see it as a safeguard, so that any breakdown in talks between the US, Israel and Iran does not automatically lead to renewed conflict in Lebanon.
