No question of sparing anyone in gangrape case: CM Siddaramaiah
Haveri (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said there was no question of sparing anyone involved in the gangrape of a woman allegedly by six youth. Six people allegedly barged into a hotel room and assaulted an inter-faith couple during their stay in Hanagal Taluk of Haveri district on January 8, following which two of them have been arrested.
The BJP has accused that attempts are being made to hush up the case.
"We have arrested all the accused persons. Investigation is going on. We will not allow anyone to take law into their hands irrespective of the faith and caste they belong to," the Chief Minister told reporters here.
Stating that no will be allowed to law into their hands, Siddaramaiah said the government will take action as per law. There is no question of sparing anyone, he added. On the question of no one from the government having consoled her or offered any relief, the Chief Minister said he received the application just now and government will consider her plea.
Regarding the BJP's demand for setting up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), Siddaramaiah explained that those investigating the case now are police and those who will be part of the SIT will be police only.
"Investigations are going on. Let the preliminary investigation report come out. Just because former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has demanded an SIT probe we will not form it," the Chief Minister said.
He also said there is no question of covering up the case.
"Those who perpetrated the crime will face stringent action," Siddaramaiah said.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old survivor alleged that no protection was given to her when she was taken home.
She also said that at least two accused whose photographs police showed her were not involved in the crime. The survivor also charged that the police were not investigating the case seriously.
According to the survivor, the incident happened on January 8. At 1 pm, she checked into the hotel room with a KSRTC driver aged 40, with whom she has been in a relationship for the past three years, they said.
The entire assault which happened inside the hotel room was filmed by the gang.
The videos later became viral after they got circulated on social media platforms, police said.
In one of the purported videos, six men could be seen knocking on the door of a room. When a man opens the door, the assailants could be seen barging in and heading towards the woman. The gang verbally abused the couple, assaulted them and filmed the woman while she tried to cover her face with a burqa.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday charged that attempts have been made to hush up the moral policing incident in Haveri by offering money to the victim.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore set to return back to earth; details here
Washington DC: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were originally supposed to spend just 10 days at the International Space Station (ISS), are finally set to return to Earth after nearly 10 months in space, reported NDTV.
The two astronauts, who have been stranded at the ISS since June 2024, will be coming back aboard SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission, expected to land as early as March 16, according to NASA officials.
Williams and Wilmore launched on June 5, 2024, aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. However, technical problems with the spacecraft’s thrusters caused difficulties during docking.
After months of investigation, NASA and Boeing decided that Starliner was not safe enough to bring them back. The spacecraft returned to Earth without the crew in September, leaving the astronauts waiting for an alternative ride home.
NASA later arranged for SpaceX to bring them back on the return trip of Crew-9. This mission was originally launched in September with only two members, NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, leaving room for Williams and Wilmore.
Crew-9 was initially scheduled to return in February after completing its six-month mission, but the plan was delayed due to scheduling changes. Now, NASA has confirmed the launch of Crew-10, which will replace Crew-9 at the ISS.
Crew-10 is set to launch on March 12 from Kennedy Space Center, carrying astronauts Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers, Takuya Onishi, and Kirill Peskov. Because of delays in building a new Crew Dragon spacecraft, they will be flying on the Endurance capsule instead.
If everything goes as planned, Crew-9 will leave the ISS on March 16, after a two-day transition period on March 14 and 15. However, if Crew-10’s launch is delayed, Crew-9’s return will also be pushed back. Backup launch dates for Crew-10 are available on March 13 and 14, which could shift Crew-9’s return to March 17 or 18.
NASA officials will continue to monitor the schedule and make adjustments as needed to ensure a safe return for Williams and Wilmore.
