Teen Dragged Out Of Police Station, Lynched For Sexually Assaulting Girls

A teenager was dragged out of a police station and lynched by a mob for allegedly sexually assaulting several minor girls in Arunachal Pradesh, sources said.

The teenager - a migrant from Assam whose exact age is unclear - used to work in the Roing town of Lower Dibang Valley. Sources said he used to take advantage of lax security to enter a school hostel in his area and sexually assault girls between six and eight years old. 

Parents of some of the students came to know about the assault when they took their daughters to the hospital after they complained of abdominal pain and other issues, the sources said. A complaint was filed by the parents of one of the girls and the teenager was arrested on Thursday. 

On Friday, people in town became aware that the teen had sexually assaulted several other girls and a mob gathered at the Roing police station, where he was jailed, in the afternoon.

Witnesses said the angry mob stormed the police station, dragged the accused out and beat him severely. 

The mob outnumbered the personnel at the police station. By the time additional police and paramilitary forces personnel arrived to control the situation, the teenager had died, the sources said.

 

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Pregnant Women Demand Road, BJP MP Says "Will Be Done Before Delivery"

In a striking example of grassroots protest and political indifference, eight pregnant women from a village in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, led by an online influencer, have taken to social media to demand a basic necessity: a paved road to access hospitals.

Khaddi Khurd village has no paved roads, and women in late stages of pregnancy often have to be carried through muddy, uneven terrain to reach health centres.

But what followed their protest was not swift action - it was dismissal, deflection, and derision from elected officials.

Leela Sahu, who has over a lakh followers across platforms, had uploaded a video in 2023 tagging Prime Minister Modi and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, saying: "You made all 29 MPs win from Madhya Pradesh. Can we now get a road?"

After the video went viral, the Sidhi collector and MP had promised swift action. But a year later, the only thing that has moved is Leela Sahu's due date - the road remains where it was: unconstructed, unsafe, and unseen by development.

"Every delivery has a date. We will get it done a week before that ( Har delivery ki expected date hoti hai. Uske ek hafte pehle hi uthwa lenge)," said BJP MP Rajesh Mishra. Mr Mishra added, "If she wishes, she should come to us. We'll provide all facilities - food, water, care. Talking about these things publicly isn't ideal."

Instead of acknowledging the year-long demand for a drivable road, the MP deflected: "Has such an incident (of delivery issue due to road) ever happened till date? If needed, we have helicopters and aeroplanes. We have ASHA workers. We have ambulances. What's the worry?"

The MP said construction work has been delayed due to Forest Department objections, but failed to give a timeline for the start or completion of the project.

Two days ago, Public Works Department Minister Rakesh Singh said "If someone puts a post on social media, will we reach with a dumper or a cement concrete plant? This is not possible."

Mr Singh further argued that budgets are limited and not every demand posted online can be addressed, adding: "There are constitutional processes... if it's a rural road, it depends on which agency is responsible. We can't act on every post."

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After Bhopal's 90-Degree Flyover, Z-Shaped Railway Overbridge In Indore

After the controversial 90-degree bridge in Bhopal's Aishbagh, a new Railway Over Bridge (ROB) under construction in Indore has triggered a debate and become a matter of concern. The Public Works Department (PWD) is building a Z-shaped bridge near Polo Ground, surprising residents and experts alike with its sharp, 90-degree turns at two points.

The ROB, designed to connect Laxmibai Nagar to Polo Ground via Bhagirathpura and MR-4, features a 90-degree angle on the arm from Laxmibai Nagar and another sharp turn towards MR-4. Local truck drivers and industrial representatives fear these turns could become accident hotspots once operational.

A truck driver near the railway goods warehouse told NDTV that maneuvering fully loaded vehicles through these sharp turns would prove to be extremely difficult and dangerous. "If an accident happens, we will not be responsible. The government will have to answer," the driver warned, not seeking to be named.

Indore MP Shankar Lalwani, who reviewed the bridge map during a government meeting in June, said he has written to the state's Public Works Minister and asked him to change the design. "I have asked the officials to rectify this dangerous turn to prevent potential accidents and traffic chaos," Lalwani said.

Photo Credit: The bridge has been designed to connect Laxmibai Nagar to Polo Ground via Bhagirathpura and MR-4.

Amid growing criticism, PWD officials have promised to reassess the design. Executive Engineer Gurmeet Kaur Bhatia said, "We are re-examining the design following concerns raised in the media. Necessary improvements will be made if required."

Leaders from the Polo Ground Industrialists Welfare Association have also objected to the construction. President Dhananjay Chinchalkar pointed out the steep slope and sharp turns, emphasising that "accidents are certain" if the current design is implemented.

The matter has also taken a politician turn. Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma took a jibe at the state government, saying, "The city's minister must be asleep, or the PWD minister is out of his senses. It looks like Indore engineers are trying to outdo Bhopal's blunder by adding not one but two 90-degree turns."

PWD Minister Rakesh Singh, however, clarified that the bridge's design incorporates a turning radius of 20 meters, which, according to him, meets engineering standards. He said: "There is superelevation, and the design speed is set at 20 kmph. Sometimes, we have to adjust to available space."

The controversy echoes the fiasco in Bhopal, where the 90-degree Aishbagh ROB attracted public ridicule and led to the suspension of seven engineers, including two chief engineers.

As construction continues, Indore's Z-shaped ROB stands as a sharp reminder - both literally and figuratively - of the balance that must be struck between urban planning and public safety.
 

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CBI Probes Pharmacy Council Corruption, Chief Raided For Multi-Crore Scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has tightened its grip after complaints of widespread corruption and rigging in the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), the sole authority responsible for giving recognition to pharma colleges across the country.

Last week, the CBI raided the bungalow of PCI president Montu Patel in Gandhinagar, amid accusations that he and his associates embezzled over Rs 5,400 crore by granting approvals for colleges in exchange for bribes. He is now on the run.

Patel allegedly renewed the validity of diploma colleges for Rs 8 lakh for a year, and Rs 15 lakh for B Pharma institutions. Using proceeds of the crime, his driver, and Jashu Chaudhary, a Congress leader and his business partner, had allegedly acquired several acres of land in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, sources say.

There are over 12,000 pharmacy colleges across the country run by the PCI. The CBI is now probing how 870 of them were given approval in just 13 days during 2023-24, with Patel at the centre of this investigation. He is also accused of using money power to win the PCI's internal elections.

Who is Montu Patel?

Montu Kumar Patel, 35, comes from a humble background. After completing graduation and post-graduation from a local college in his village, he entered the Pharmacy Council politics. His first stint was in the Gujarat Pharmacy Council, after which he moved to the Pharmacy Council of India, winning elections unopposed from the ABVP panel.

Contacts across party lines had helped him rise through the ranks. He has been the PCI chief for the last three years. Reports suggest that he used all sorts of tricks to ensure he bagged the top post, sidelining his close acquaintances and rigging the elections.

Charges Against Patel

Patel is being probed for hasty recognitions given to colleges, allegedly due to huge sums being paid as bribes. The probe has found that Patel and his aides granted affiliation to such colleges that lacked adequate infrastructure, qualified staff, and students.

He is also being investigated for not leaving his post after losing the Gujarat Pharmacy Council elections and nominating himself from a Union territory. He allegedly silenced those who had helped him retain his position.

The CBI is conducting a separate probe into allegations that he had booked rooms worth Rs 2.75 lakh at a Delhi hotel to host his voters ahead of the PCI elections. After winning, he had strengthened his hold by appointing his associates to key roles in the Council and by giving extensive approval rights to selected individuals.

Patel was also involved in the IELTS scam. His wife, Khushboo Vora, was accused of appearing in the IELTS exams for other candidates. She had taken Rs 30 lakh from one such candidate. They had allegedly gathered a fortune worth Rs 300 crore this way.

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