India trashes Pakistan's claim of denial of overflight to send aid to Sri Lanka
New Delhi (PTI): India on Tuesday trashed as "ridiculous" Pakistan's claim that its request for using Indian airspace to send humanitarian aid to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka was denied by New Delhi.
"We reject the ridiculous statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, which is yet another attempt of spreading anti-India misinformation," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
The request for overflight clearance for a Pakistani aircraft carrying humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka was received by the Indian high commission in Islamabad at around 1 pm on Monday, he said.
"Given the urgency of humanitarian assistance, the government of India processed the request expeditiously the same day and granted the overflight permission as per the itinerary proposed at 5:30 pm on December 1," Jaiswal added.
"India remains committed to assisting the people of Sri Lanka in these challenging times through all available means," he said in response to media queries on the issue.
Jaiswal's remarks came hours after Pakistan alleged that its relief operations for cyclone-hit Sri Lanka were being "hampered by lack of cooperation" by India as it delayed permission to use its airspace.
"India continues to block humanitarian assistance from Pakistan to Sri Lanka. The special aircraft carrying Pakistan's humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka continues to face delays for over 60 hours now awaiting flight clearance from India," the Pakistan Foreign Office alleged.
Sri Lanka has been reeling under flooding, landslides and infrastructure collapse triggered by a cyclone.
India has launched Operation Sagar Bandhu to help the island nation recover from the devastation.
At least 410 people were killed and 336 missing till Tuesday morning in the catastrophic floods and landslides, according to Sri Lankan authorities.
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SIT formed to probe second sexual assault case against expelled Cong MLA Mamkootathil
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe a second case of sexual assault against expelled Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil, police officials said on Friday.
The SIT will be led by G Poonguzhali, Assistant Inspector General at the Police Headquarters.
The team also includes a DSP rank officer and sub-inspectors, officials added.
The second sexual assault complaint was received by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, which it forwarded to the state police chief.
ALSO READ: Cong expels rape-accused MLA Mamkootathil from party's primary membership
Following this, the Crime Branch registered a case and launched an investigation.
Crime Branch officials said the email complaint contained only the sender's email ID and no other contact details.
As part of the probe, they have sent a reply email requesting that the complainant contact them and provide her statement.
The complainant has alleged that she was sexually assaulted under the false promise of marriage, a Crime Branch official said.
However, details such as the location and date of the alleged incident are not currently available to the police.
The SIT will attempt to trace the sender of the email and record her statement, which is crucial for further investigation, the officer said.
Mamkootathil was expelled from the Congress party on Thursday after a court here rejected his anticipatory bail petition in another rape case.
Police said he is currently absconding, and a manhunt is underway in Kerala and neighbouring states.
