PM Modi meets King of Bahrain, conferred "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance"
Manama: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday was honoured with "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance" as he held talks with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on various bilateral and regional issues.
Prime Minister Modi's visit to Bahrain is significant as it is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the country.
"Ties built on deep civilizational linkages. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly received by HM King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Al Gudaibiya Palace. Both leaders exchanged views on all matters of mutual interest," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a tweet.
"I humbly accept The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. This is a recognition of India's strong friendship with Bahrain, which goes back hundreds of years and is expanding rapidly in the 21st century," Modi said in a tweet.
While receiving the award Modi said: "I feel very honoured and fortunate to be awarded The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance. I am equally honoured by your majesty's friendship for me and for my country. I humbly accept this prestigious honour on behalf of 1.3 billion Indians".
"It is an honour for entire India. This is a symbol of the close and friendly relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and India," he added, as he expressed his gratitude for this "unique gesture". Modi is on the third leg of his three-nation tour to France, the UAE and Bahrain.
Modi arrived here after wrapping up his visit to the UAE where he held talks with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and discussed measures to improve trade and cultural ties between the two countries.
Modi was also honoured with the 'Order of Zayed', the UAE's highest civilian award, as a mark of appreciation for his efforts to boost bilateral ties between the two nations.
From Bahrain, Modi is scheduled to return to France on Sunday to attend the G7 Summit meeting.
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Ashram Teacher, hailed as hero last year, booked for sexual abuse of minor boys
Ujjain: In September last year, a teacher at an Ujjain ashram “came to the aid” of a minor rape victim who was going door to door seeking help. The same teacher has now been arrested along with a caretaker for allegedly sexually abusing at least three minor boys at their ashram.
Three FIRs under relevant provisions of the IPC as well as under multiple sections of the POCSO Act have been registered by the police against the 21-year-old teacher, Rahul Sharma, and ashram caretaker Ajay Thakur. The police further informed that both have been sent to judicial custody, adding that there are many more victims who haven’t filed a complaint yet.
Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma told The Indian Express: “So far three children have come forward and made the allegations. We have arrested two persons in this case.”
In September 2023, CCTV footage emerged of the minor girl, bleeding and partially clothed, after she was raped by an autorickshaw driver. The footage showed no one coming to her aid even as she walked around the area for an hour, with one resident even shooing her away.
Sharma had said he helped the girl after he spotted her outside the ashram. At the time, he had told The Indian Express: “This is a holy town, people here are supposed to be helpful, but no one helped her… there was no humanity.”
The police have ruled out any connection with the Ujjain rape case for now. “We sent through 200 CCTV videos and his role has so far been ruled out,” said a senior police officer. According to police, children from poor families were sent to be trained as pandits in this ashram, affiliated to the state Sanskrit board.
Around 10 days ago, a minor boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted by Thakur complained to his mother when he returned home. “The parents of the child came to the ashram. Then the ashram worker Thakur was sacked. Later, many more parents visited the ashram and levelled allegations,” said a senior officer.
The ashram authorities contacted police after several parents made allegations against Sharma and had a confrontation with the ashram official. An ashram official, Gajanand, said: “We called the police to help us but they arrested our staff. The allegations are false.”
However, the officer said: “When we arrived, we found that the ashram officials were the suspects. There are many more victims in this case and we tried to convince them to file a case. Policemen dressed in civil clothes also tried speaking to the children, but they refused as they were scared,” the officer said.
