IAS aspirant with bone disorder appears for prelims with oxygen cylinder
Thiruvananthapuram, June 2: A rare bone disorder coupled with a respiratory condition requiring external oxygen support has not deterred 24-year-old Latheesha Ansari of Kottayam from setting her eyes on the highly coveted civil services.
On Sunday, she appeared for the Preliminary Civil Servicesexamination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission here, on a wheelchair and an oxygen cylinder beside her.
Latheesha, who was diagnosed with 'type II Osteogenesis Imperfecta' ,(brittle bone disease) after birth also suffers from pulmonary hypertension since over a year due to which she needs an oxygen cylinder always besides her for respiratory needs.
The short statured IAS aspirant had to be carried to school by her father due to her condition, father Ansari, who hails from Erumeli in Kottayam, said.
Thanks to the intervention of Kottayam District Collector P R Sudheer Babu, a portable oxygen concentrator was provided to her inside the examination hall.
A portable equipment would be provided to her free of cost for which tender process had been completed, the collector told PTI when contacted.
Her parents had travelled to the examination hall with an oxygen cylinder.
Latheesha, who appeared for the examination at a centre here, told PTI that she had been preparing for the examination since the past one and half years and hoped that her efforts would prove fruitful.
Latheesha, who has completed her M Com degree, has chosen Malayalam as an optional subject for the examination.
Latha Nair of Amritavarshini, a charitable Society working for children with the rare genetic disorder, said the UPSC needs to provide better facilities for IAS aspirants like Latheesha.
She needs about Rs 25,000 a month for a medical needs, Nair said.
The examination, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), was held in 72 cities across India on Sunday.
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Nashik TCS case: Accused Nida Khan held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Nashik (PTI): Weeks after she went into hiding, a female employee of the TCS unit in Nashik, accused in a case related to alleged religious conversion and sexual harassment of some women colleagues, has been arrested, police said.
Nida Khan was held on Thursday in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik said.
Khan is an accused in the Deolali Camp police station crime register number 156/26 here, he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police is probing nine cases of molestation and harassment at the IT major’s Nashik unit.
It had arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, by registering nine FIRs after allegations of exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit came to light.
The SIT had launched a search for Khan in different parts of Maharashtra. She is accused of targeting employees in a WhatsApp group, pressuring them to pray and eat non-vegetarian food.
According to the FIR, Khan allegedly advised women employees to dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions.
Some complainants have also alleged that they were coerced or pressured into adopting religious practices, including praying, changing dietary habits, and adopting religious symbols.
Besides Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for sexual harassment and defamation, Khan has also been booked under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
On April 18, she had moved the Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail and interim protection from arrest pending the plea hearing, citing her pregnancy. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court here on May 2.
TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.
