US monitoring some recent 'concerning' human rights violations in India: Antony Blinken
Washington(PTI): The US is monitoring some recent "concerning developments" on human rights violations in India by some government, police, and prison officials, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.
Blinken made these remarks at a joint news conference with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and their Indian counterparts -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh -- after the conclusion of the 2+2 Ministerial on Monday.
We are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India, including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police, and prison officials, Blinken said in his opening remarks.
However, he did not provide any other details.
We share a commitment to our democratic values, such as protecting human rights. We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values, Blinken said.
India has previously rejected criticism by foreign governments and human rights groups on allegations that civil liberties have eroded in the country.
The Indian government has asserted that India has well-established democratic practices and robust institutions to safeguard the rights of all.
The government has emphasised that the Indian Constitution provides for adequate safeguards under various statutes for ensuring the protection of human rights.
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IAF personnel acquitted in POCSO case after minor says 'assault' was in a dream
Kanpur (UP), Mar 11 (PTI): A special court here has acquitted an Indian Air Force personnel accused of molesting his minor sister-in-law after the complainant revealed that the alleged incident was only a dream and her raising an alarm was a misunderstanding, officials said.
The case was registered at the Naubasta Police Station on August 3, 2019, based on a complaint by a 15-year-old girl who alleged that her brother-in-law, Anurag Shukla, had molested her earlier that year while she was asleep.
According to the FIR, the alleged incident took place on the night of March 8, 2019, when the girl was staying at her sister-in-law's house in Khadepur under Naubasta police station limits.
During the trial, however, the girl told the court that she had been on antibiotics and was in a semi-conscious state that night and had "felt in a dream" that Shukla had grabbed and molested her, following which she woke up frightened and raised an alarm, defence counsel Karim Ahmad Siddiqui told PTI on Tuesday.
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Her father, Vijay Tiwari, and elder sister, Shivani Tiwari, who is married to Shukla, also told the court that the complaint had been filed under a misunderstanding.
Shukla had married Shivani Tiwari on February 10, 2019. At the time of the alleged incident, he was living in Khadepur and has since shifted to Bithoor.
Speaking to PTI, Shukla said he was arrested on September 29, 2019, and spent 19 days in jail before being granted bail on October 17 that year.
A chargesheet was subsequently filed, and the special court framed charges in November 2019 under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, including molestation and sexual assault of a minor.
During the trial, the complainant retracted her earlier allegations.
Taking note of her testimony and statements of family members acknowledging the misunderstanding, the special court presided over by Judge Rashmi Singh acquitted Shukla of all charges on March 7, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Shukla told PTI that the case caused him severe mental stress and harmed his social reputation and career prospects. He claimed he could not secure a promotion to the rank of corporal in the IAF in 2020 and continues to serve as a leading aircraftman.
