'Pranab's visit helped increase RSS membership'
Kolkata, June 25: Former President Pranab Mukherjee's presence at a recent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) event has worked as a catalyst in boosting the organisation's membership that is already on the rise across the country, a senior RSS leader said here on Monday.
"Pranab Mukherjee is the former Indian President and a veteran politician. So his presence at the RSS event on June 7 certainly evoked a lot of interest among people.
"The membership in RSS is already on the rise in the country for the good work it has been doing. Mukherjee's visit has also worked as one of the reasons for the increase in membership applications," RSS General Secretary (South Bengal), Jishnu Basu told reporters here.
He said the organisation had been receiving 378 membership applications on an average per day from all over India till early June, but got 1,779 applications on June 7, the day Mukherjee attended the event at the RSS' Nagpur headquarters. There has been a significant spike in membership since then.
However, he refused to accept that Mukherjee's speech from a RSS platform was the only reason for more people joining the organisation.
Basu said the growth of the RSS in West Bengal is significantly higher compared to other states in recent months as it has been the only platform that is consistently fighting against the rising fundamentalism and atrocities against political opponents in the state.
"The RSS membership in Bengal is among one of the highest in the country. Bengal has consistently been in the first or second position in the Join RSS portal in recent months," he said.
RSS south Bengal Prachar Pramukh Biplob Roy said: "People across India want to join RSS as it has been working for the last 92 years to strengthen the country and keep its people together.
"It is the same in Bengal. That's why nearly 40 per cent of the membership applications we receive from across the country are from Bengal."
He also said the number of RSS 'shakhas' has increased from 300 to over 400 in north Bengal over the last one year. In south Bengal the number has gone up from 850 to more than 1,200.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
