Latest news with #Armyman
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
NEET aspirant shoots himself after checking answer key in Bhopal
Representative image BHOPAL: An 18-year-old NEET aspirant, who had scored 95% in his class 12 board exams, died by suicide on Tuesday night after checking the answer key to this year's examination. SP Dharmaveer Yadav said the victim, Nikhil Pratap Rathore, had a brilliant academic record and had attempted NEET this year. When the answer keys were released on Tuesday, his family asked him about his marks. He checked and was disappointed to see a lower score than he expected, say police. Around 8 pm, the family was shocked when a shot rang out in the house. They ran downstairs to find that Nikhil had shot himself with the licenced pistol of his father, a retired Armyman. They rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was declared dead on arrival, said police. "He was apparently under stress after checking the answer key. Still, our investigation is covering every angle," the SP told TOI on Wednesday, adding that Maharajpura police have seized the pistol. Family and friends are in utter shock as they all knew Nikhil as a studious, cheerful boy. His father Brijbhan Singh Rathore would drop him off at coaching classes every day. The schoolboy was close to his elder brother, who is pursuing a BTech degree.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Hostile Witnesses, False Complaints:Delhi's Rape Conviction Rate At 4.3%
New Delhi: An analysis of four years of data on rape cases in the capital, obtained from the city's district courts through Right to Information applications, reveals that in general, there is very low conviction rate — just around 4.3%. One reason is increasing false rape cases being filed. It is not only a social harassment, but also costs govt the money already paid to the presumed rape survivor as interim compensation. Delhi has seven district courts — Rouse Avenue, Patiala House , Saket, Tis Hazari, Rohini, Dwarka and Karkardooma — data for 2021-2024 from five of them barring the Rouse Avenue and Dwarka courts, shows that of 3,097 rape cases tried, only 133 ended in conviction. This data does not include cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. While one of the reasons for the low conviction rate is the complainants resiling from their statements, only Saket and Rohini courts provided data of complainants who had turned hostile with the rest responding to the RTI query that they did not maintain such data. In Saket and Rohini, of the 792 rape cases tried in 2021-2024, only 38 ended in conviction, with the complainant turning hostile in 194 cases, resulting in the acquittal of the accused. Shonee Kapoor, a resident of Rohini who filed the RTI, alleged to TOI that secrecy surrounded rape cases and the narrative of Delhi being the rape capital "is being peddled by NGOs to secure increasing funds". But, Kapoor said, a lot of precious judicial time and taxpayers' money is wasted in bogus cases. "There should be the strongest punishment for filing false rape cases," she said. The analysis of the data underlines the rising trend of the serial rape complainant — one woman filing a number of cases against different individuals for unfair monetary gain, among other reasons. The RTI also revealed that the courts initiated action only against five complainants for filing false cases. A woman judge in a fast-track court dealing with rape cases said, "Trial in rape cases is a complex process. There are also fake cases which then demand rigorous investigation and trial. It starts at the level of police, the investigating officer in the case and goes up to the public prosecutor and the judge. In this chain, if anyone lags, there are high chances of miscarriage of justice. I have to admit, our system is not 100% foolproof yet. " A woman filed seven rape complaints, another woman eight, both between 2014 and 2022. In Feb this year, coming to the rescue of a 64-year-old former Indian Army officer, the Supreme Court quashed a rape case lodged against him by a 39-year-old married woman after finding she had filed eight other fake cases in different police stations in the capital since 2014. Expressing surprise that Delhi High Court hadn't intervened when the harried accused approached it, Supreme Court justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran quashed the FIR against the Armyman and observed, "What is most concerning before this court is that the same respondent filed nearly identical cases at least against eight other individuals (nine cases in total). " Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, a men's rights activist, said, "National outrage in 2013 led to a complete overhaul in rape laws, but a decade later, it seems the laws have become a tool to settle scores, claim compensation, extort money." She said her documentary film India's Sons depicted the 3-year woe of an IPS officer falsely accused of rape by a woman he had never seen. "Misuse of rape laws is now more prevalent than misuse of dowry laws," claimed Bhardwaj. "And it's causing a huge financial loss to govt. While it is true that every case in which the victim turned hostile might not be false, the numbers are staggering. Delhi High Court in Raj Kumar Vs State in 2019 had expressed concern over misuse of the victim compensation scheme." The response to Kapoor's RTI revealed that only Rs 6 lakh had been recovered in the last four years despite the high acquittal rate. According to the victim compensation scheme offered by the Delhi State Legal Services Authority DL, an adult rape survivor gets between Rs 4-7 lakh as final compensation if the case results in conviction. The interim compensation amount is 25% of the maximum final compensation amount and it is disbursed when the trial is under way. According to DSLSA data, 3,832 victims received total compensation of Rs 88,26,90,549 from 2021 to April 30 this year. Abhinav Pandey, secretary (Litigation), DSLSA, explained that compensation depended on rehabilitative requirements of the survivor and not strictly on the guilt of the accused. "The accused may be acquitted for a multitude of reasons such as improper investigation, not collecting relevant evidence, defects in the prosecution. Also, when the benefit of doubt goes in favour of the accused because of the general principle applicable to criminal cases of proving guilt beyond reasonable doubt, acquittal may result. These aren't proper cases for DSLSA to recover the interim compensation," said Pandey. He added, "Sometimes, the survivor may receive inducements or is simply overawed, but that doesn't mean the case was false at the inception. So, it is only when, during trial, a case is found to lack the essential ingredients of the offence or comes across as patently false that recovery proceedings may be instituted under court directions." Advocate Manish Bhandari, who practices in the Supreme Court, high courts, and trial courts, told TOI, "One needs to understand that a majority of the cases registered these days are that of love affairs that eventually lead to false FIRs. It's not surprising when the victim later turns hostile. The severity of genuine cases of rape or serial harassment is truly understood only by women who have endured the pain and suffering. Unfortunately, such serious matters are often trivialised when false cases are filed. A clear distinction must be made right at the outset, during the registration of the FIR."
Indian Express
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Never lost courage, not even in final moments': Bihar mourns BSF sub-inspector killed in Pakistan shelling
A Tricolour-draped coffin carrying the body of Mohammed Imteyaz arrived at Patna airport on Monday morning, just a fortnight after the BSF sub-inspector left home for his duty in Jammu & Kashmir. Imran Raza, his son, stood among the mourners. 'He had come home for Eid… And now, a war has taken him from us,' he said. Imteyaz was killed on May 10 during cross-border shelling by Pakistan along the International Border in the R S Pura sector of Jammu. 'My father was a strong person… I am very proud of him… he never lost courage, not even in his final moments,' Imran said, his voice trembling. 'The last time I spoke to him was at 5:30 pm on the 10th,' he said. 'He told me, 'Pakistanis have attacked, my right leg is badly injured'.' Imran told his father not to worry, and in desperation, booked a flight to Delhi, only to find that no flights are available to Jammu. 'I took a train instead… Till 3 pm, I was told his condition was stable, out of danger. But at 6 pm, the assistant commandant called to say that he is no more,' Imran said. 'I never got to speak to him one last time. That pain will always remain.' 'Today, a son has lost his father, a wife her husband… only those who go through this can truly understand the pain. Still, I am proud of all those who have sacrificed their lives for the country. I salute them,' he said. Imteyaz's younger brother, Mohammad Mustafa, also an Armyman, said, 'He joined the Army in 1987 and was due to retire in 2029. There should be a hospital and a memorial in his name in our village.' The BSF said that Imteyaz was injured 'while leading a BSF border out post, gallantly leading from the front'. A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the BSF Frontier Headquarters in Jammu before the body was flown to Bihar. State ministers and opposition leaders gathered at the Patna airport to receive his body, which was laid to rest with state and military honours at Narayanpur village in Bihar's Saran district. As the body arrived at the village, several villagers, some carrying the national flag, joined the procession and chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' rang out.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Time of India
How this B.Tech dropout became marijuana baker
Gurgaon: Maheshwar Singh traded his engineering texts for recipe books — one that taught him to bake cakes and pastries. But the 25-year-old found a more lucrative road to earn money faster — mastering the art of infusing drugs into everyday treats, lacing his confectioneries with premium marijuana for a corporate clientele across by his family three years ago due to his drug addiction in college, Singh, the son of a retired Armyman, set up an elaborate operation at his rented accommodation in Delhi's Safdarjung Enclave. However, his arrest by Gurgaon cops on May 4 lifted the veil off a drug distribution network he headed. The " marijuana baker " would not surreptitiously deal in pouches, but send them to his customers through legitimate delivery channels — packed in neat boxes that contained cakes, cookies or delightful police said, bought OG marijuana from northeastern states and earned more than Rs 2 lakh a month by selling the drug-laced baked items."Yes, Operation Sindoor Operation Sindoor: Several airports in India closed - check full list Did Pak shoot down Indian jets? What MEA said India foils Pakistan's attack on Jammu airport: What we know so far he dealt in premium quality marijuana or weed that needs proper rain. Now that we have arrested him, we will soon crack down on the drug supply network of the accused, who purchased contraband from northeastern states. He then mixed the drugs with chocolates and other products, and supplied them to youngsters and corporate party organisers," a senior police officer said. Singh's makeshift bakery, complete with ovens and microwaves, was nothing short of a cloud kitchen. It churned out marijuana-laced homemade cookies, cakes, chocolates, pastries, and even papads. Singh, who was arrested with 87 marijuana-laced cookies, wasn't alone in this . He hired a cook to assist him in his illicit operation.
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mamata Banerjee gives job, financial aid to wife of soldier killed in J&K
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday gave an appointment letter for the job of a home guard and Rs 10 lakh as financial compensation to the wife of Havildar Jhantu Ali Sheikh who was killed in an Army operation against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur area soon after the Pahalgam massacre last month. Sheikh, who hailed from Krishnanagar in Nadia district, is survived by his wife Shehnaj Parveen, a six-year-old son and a younger daughter. Banerjee, who shared the dais with the slain Armyman's family during a meeting in the Suti area in the wake of communal violence in Murshidabad, expressed her solidarity with them, saying the state government would keep supporting them in the future as well. Banerjee said the state government has also taken the responsibility of educating Sheikh's children. The CM, who handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to Sheikh's wife Shehnaj, said, 'I salute him (Sheikh) as he is our pride. We will always support and stand by the family. She (Shehnaj Parveen) will be working as a home guard in Krishnanagar police district. We have taken the responsibility for the education of the couple's children. As a member of the family, I will always stand with them.' Expressing her gratitude, Parveen said, 'I thank the CM for standing by our side.' Jhantu's brother Rafikul Sheikh, posted as a subedar in the Army who had performed the funeral rites, had appealed for making arrangements for his wife and children. Earlier, the Chief Minister visited the block development officer's (BDO) office to distribute financial assistance to the families affected by communal violence and held a closed-door meeting with Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar and Murshidabad District Magistrate Rajarshi Mitra. She claimed to have met 400 victims at the BDO office. ____________________________________
