Hathras rape case: UP police 'detained' Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad
Noida: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and its Delhi unit head Himanshu Balmiki have been detained by the Uttar Pradesh police while on their way to Hathras accompanying the family of the 19-year-old Dalit gang-rape victim, his associates alleged on Wednesday.
There was no immediate confirmation from the police on this matter.
According to functionaries of the Azad Samaj Party, which was launched by the Bhim Army chief in March this year, Azad and Balmiki went missing after 10 pm on Tuesday while they were on their way to Hathras accompanying the family of the gang-rape victim who died in a Delhi hospital on Tuesday.
The Azad Samaj Party and the pro-Dalit outfit Bhim Army affiliates, among others, had joined protests outside the Safdarjung hospital in Delhi on Tuesday to demand justice for the gang-rape victim and her family.
"There is no clue about the location of Azad and Balmiki after they reached Jewar toll plaza to get on the lane to Tappal, Aligarh," Azad Samaj Party core committee member Ravindra Bhati said.
He alleged that Azad and Balmiki were detained during the intervening night on Tuesday and Wednesday but the police were not making it public.
The body of the gang-rape victim was cremated in Hathras in the early hours of Wednesday, with her family alleging the local police forced them to conduct the last rites in the dead of the night.
Local police officers, however, told PTI that the cremation was carried out "as per the wishes of the family".
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Udupi: Two men from Belthangady awarded life imprisonment for attempt to murder a woman in 2022
Udupi: Two men from Belthangady have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Udupi for attempting to murder a woman in Manchikumeri in 2022.
The sentenced men, Mithun and Nagesh Poojary, are learned to have attempted to murder Sumathi, wife of Ramanath Rai, a resident of Manchikumeri, who had a Nandini Milk Parlour at Tiger Circle, Manipal.
On February 18, 2022, Sumathi was reportedly alone at home when, at around 7 pm, Mithun, learned to be her nephew, and his friend Poojary came to the house. As Sumathi opened the door, the duo barged in and tried to strangulate her with an intention of murdering her. Sumathi reportedly lost consciousness under the attack.
The men packed her body in a sack and were then putting the sack into a suitcase to carry the body out, when they noticed that Rai and neighbours had arrived. They are learned to have opened the door when Rai knocked the door and then tried to escape. They were, however, caught by the neighbours and handed over to the police.
Further, Sumathi was found by the group in an unconscious state inside the suitcase in the house. She was rushed to the Manipal Hospital and learned to have recovered after a week of medical treatment.
A case had been registered at the Manipal Police Station.
The Udupi Principal District and Sessions Court judge Kiran S Gangannavar, who heard the case, has declared both Mithun and Poojary guilty in the case. He has awarded them life imprisonment, fined them Rs 20,000 each and, under Column 325, sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment of 5 years and fined them Rs 5,000 each.
Judge Gangannavar has directed that, of the fine, Rs 45,000 be handed to the attack victim Sumathi as relief.
Jayarama Shetty represented the government as Public Prosecutor.
