Telangana to act tough against human trafficking
Hyderabad, Aug 1: Telangana Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy on Wednesday said the government would deal firmly with human trafficking.
Flagging off a rally against human trafficking organized by Hyderabad Police and an NGO, Prajwala, he said if the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018 was passed in Parliament, the traffickers will get stringent punishment.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar also said that human trafficking will not be tolerated and everybody should fight against this menace.
The Home Minister's statement came a day after Telangana Police busted a sex racket with the shocking revelation that traffickers were pushing children into prostitution after using hormonal injections to make them attain puberty early.
Police in the temple town of Yadagirigutta rescued 11 girls aged between 3 and 12 years from brothels and arrested eight persons, who had sold these children belonging to poor families.
According to police, the traffickers picked up some children from railway stations, kidnapped some from roads and purchased some from their parents by paying Rs 1-2 lakh.
Reddy noted that the victims were being used for sex work, child labour, begging and other crimes. They were being employed in bangle industry and brick kilns.
He said in cases of human trafficking, action will be taken under the Preventive Detention Act to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Under operation 'Muskan' the child labourers were being rescued and rehabilitated.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
