Himachal: 6 held in infant trafficking case, total 9 arrested
Dharamshala (PTI): The Himahcal Pradesh Police has nabbed six members of an inter-state gang involved in trafficking newborn, taking the total number of arrests in the case to nine, officials said on Tuesday.
Of the total arrested, seven are women, they said, adding that gang used to get infants through illegal means and give them to childless couples in exchange for money.
On February 21, the Dehra Police had busted a gang and rescued a minor following a complaint lodged by Kangra resident Rohit Rana on February 17 in which he alleged that a person named Deepak Anand had cheated him of Rs 23,500 on the pretext of arranging the adoption of a newborn. An FIR was immediately registered.
Deepak Anand (40), a native of Punjab's Jalandhar who lived in Kangra, was arrested and produced before the court. He was remanded to five days' police custody, according to superintendent of Police (SP) Dehra Mayank Choudhary.
Investigation revealed that Deepak was working as an agent for a Punjab-based gang involved in trafficking of babies. He used to identify and contact childless couples and connect them with gang members operating from Punjab.
Subsequently, two women -- Maninderjit Kaur alias Ritu (47), and Anita alias Asha (59) -- were nabbed from Batala and Jalandhar and remanded to three days' police custody.
Financial scrutiny revealed transactions amounting to Rs 4.85 lakh in connection with the illegal deal. A minor was also recovered and as per orders of the Juvenile Justice Board, the child has been handed over to the Special Adoption Agency for care, protection and further legal proceedings, the police said.
The police constituted special investigation teams and carried out an intensive probe, examining technical evidence and financial trails and six more persons were arrested from various locations in Punjab on Monday, Choudhary added.
The six arrested are Neelam Singh (54), Rimpi (38), Jasmel Kaur (60), Karamjit Kaur alias (34), all from Bathinda in Punjab, Kiran (30) from Sirsa in Haryana and Kulwinder (45) from Jalandhar in Punjab.
All accused are being produced before the competent court, investigations are underway and further disclosures are expected as interrogation continues, the police added.
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Karnataka power tussle: BJP leader calls Siddaramaiah 'Sultan for 15 days'
Bengaluru/Bagalkot (PTI): In the midst of the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, senior BJP leader and MP Govind Karjol called CM Siddaramaiah "Pandrah din-ka-Sultan" (Sultan for 15 days), and said after that, he will not be the chief minister of the state.
Speculation has once again surfaced within the Congress party and political circles about a possible decision on leadership change and cabinet reshuffle after May 4, once the results for Assembly elections in four states and one union territory, along with bypolls to two Assembly constituencies in Karnataka, are announced.
"With the fight for the CM chair in the Congress, there seems to be no administration at Vidhana Soudha. The result for Siddaramaiah's CM chair fight will also be declared, along with election results for five states (four states and one union territory) and bypoll results for Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly seats in Karnataka," Karjol, a former Deputy CM, said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "As per today's information, Siddaramaiah is a Sardar for fifteen days, he is Pandrah din-ka-Sultan, after that Siddaramaiah will not be the chief minister of the state."
Stating that Shivakumar is ready to take up the top job, the MP said that this is the reason Siddaramaiah's supporters have gone to New Delhi to meet the Congress President.
"Already 40-odd legislators have lobbied in support of Siddaramaiah; about 50 are lobbying in support of Shivakumar. Amid this fight for the CM chair, the administration has completely collapsed," he said, urging the government to focus on addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer by releasing at least Rs 50 crore per district.
PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Monday met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and General Secretary (in charge of Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala in New Delhi and requested them to address the speculation regarding the change of leadership in Karnataka.
Subsequently, Social Welfare Minister H C Mahadevappa too met the party leadership in Delhi.
Both Jarkiholi and Mahadevappa are considered close to Siddaramaiah.
While MLAs and leaders who want Shivakumar to be elevated as CM have recently claimed they expect some "sweet news" by May 15, which is their leader's birthday.
Meanwhile, a team of 40 MLAs is preparing to visit New Delhi to press the Congress high command for a Cabinet reshuffle.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka hit out at the Congress leadership for indulging in "power tussle" instead of addressing the people's concerns. He called the government "anti-people" and "dead" to the people of the state.
With the fight for the CM chair, the ruling Congress in Karnataka seems to be shifting to Delhi. Congress MLAs are repeatedly touring Delhi, upset over the state leadership amid a power struggle between the CM and Deputy CM. This proves that there is no value for the state leadership," he said.
Pointing out that the Deputy CM Shivakumar was not present at the recent special cabinet meeting, which decided on internal reservation among SCs, the opposition leader said, "If the cabinet meeting was held purposely, despite knowing that Shivakumar was in Delhi, it proves that there are factions within the party"
"This government is dead in a way," he said, as he hit out at the Congress MLAs and Ministers, including Shivakumar, for doing "Delhi Yatras" instead of addressing drinking water issues in various parts of the state amid summer, picking up in the state.
