NDA leaders to meet ahead of government formation
New Delhi (PTI): Senior leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will meet here to deliberate on the details of the new government on Wednesday, a day after the ruling coalition won a majority in the Lok Sabha elections paving the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to begin a third term in office.
TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan are among those who are expected to attend the meeting, where Modi and other senior BJP leaders will also be present.
TDP, JD(U), Shinde-led Shiv Sena and LJP (Ram Vilas) have won 16, 12, seven and five seats respectively and will play a crucial role in government formation.
Sources said NDA leaders are expected to formally repose their faith in Modi's leadership, and MPs of the coalition's constituents may meet in a couple of days to elect him as their leader.
Though there is no official word on the date for the oath-taking ceremony, there is a view among some members of the alliance that it may take place over the weekend if the contours of the new government are quickly worked out.
Parties like TDP and JD(U) are expected to demand some key portfolios as their support will be crucial for government formation and survival.
Modi is set for a record-equalling third term at the helm, though the new government is likely to be different in composition and character with a bigger share for the BJP's allies.
While the NDA is comfortably above the majority mark of 272 in the 543-member Lok Sabha, the BJP, which won 240 seats, has fallen short of the magic number for the first time since 2014 and is critically dependent on its allies.
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
