Woman On Scooter With 2 Kids Punched, Left Bleeding In Pune Road Rage Case

A woman travelling on a scooter with two children in Pune was punched in the face by an elderly man in a car who was allegedly angry because he wasn't given space to overtake. The woman's hair was pulled and she was punched twice with such force that her nose began bleeding extensively.

Posting a video narrating her ordeal, Jerlyn D'Silva, a digital content creator, claimed she was on the Pashan-Baner Link Road on a scooter with her children and a man in a car had been speeding behind them for nearly 2 km. She said she stuck to the left of the road, not wanting to come in the car's way, but the man overtook her and stopped in front of her scooter.

A case has been registered against the man, who has been identified as Swapnil Kekre.

"He got out of the car very furiously. He punched me twice and pulled my hair. I had two kids, he didn't care about them. How safe is this city? Why are people behaving like maniacs? I had two kids with me, kuch bhi ho sakta tha (anything could have happened)... A woman helped me," Ms D'Silva says in the video, with blood around her nose and mouth. 

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A post shared by Jerllyyn || Pune Content Creator (@jerlyndsilva)

Speaking to NDTV, Ms D'Silva's uncle, Vishal, said she called him after the incident and he went to meet her at the hospital.

"She told me the man in the car assaulted her for no reason. The scooter didn't touch his car. He probably did it just to show how powerful he was. He got off the car, asked her why she was riding the way she was and started assaulting her. The man's wife was with him but she didn't try to stop him. The children weren't hurt physically but they were scared and screaming," he said.

Vishal said a woman took Ms D'Silva to the hospital and the police also helped her. The man and the woman, he said, were taken to the police station.

An official of the Chaturshringi Police Station said a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the man.

The incident occurred exactly two months after a 17-year-old allegedly drunk boy rammed his Porsche into two 24-year-old techies in Pune, killing them on the spot. He is out on bail.

Earlier this week, the 25-year-old allegedly drunk son of a politician hit a poultry truck while speeding in his SUV in the city, leaving its two occupants seriously injured. He fled but was caught and a case has been registered against him. 

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PM Modi Congratulates Ursula Von Der Leyen On Being Re-Elected As EU Chief

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Ursula von der Leyen on being re-elected as the President of the European Commission and said he looked forward to working together to strengthen the India-EU strategic partnership for global good.

The Ministry of External Affairs said this in a statement.

Prime Minister Modi earlier in the day posted on X: "Congratulations, @vonderleyen, on your re-election as the President of the European Commission. Look forward to working together to strengthen the India-EU Strategic Partnership for global good."

Congratulations, @vonderleyen, on your re-election as the President of the European Commission. Look forward to working together to strengthen the ??-?? Strategic Partnership for global good.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 19, 2024

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Leopard Caught On CCTV Roaming Around Shopping Mall In Maharashtra City

A leopard was caught on CCTV cameras roaming around a shopping mall in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, sending the forest authorities into a tizzy, officials said.

The CCTV footage, which went viral today, shows the feline wandering outside the main gate of Prozone Mall in the CIDCO N1 area of the city in the early hours of Wednesday, prompting forest officials to launch a search operation. However, the animal has not been traced so far, they said.

The forest officials believe this is the same leopard that was spotted in the residential areas of Ulka Nagari and Shambhunagar on July 15. The forest department has installed cages to capture the big cat.

"But the leopard has now been spotted around 5 km from where it was seen earlier. It shows that it crossed the Jalna Road area that passes through the heart of the city. On Wednesday, the animal was captured on the CCTV camera roaming around at the entry gate of the Prozone Mall," Deputy Conservator of Forest Dadasaheb Taur said.

"We are trying to catch the leopard, for which we have installed cages around the mall. But so far, the animal has not been found," he said.

Honorary wildlife warden Dr Kishor Pathak said, "There is a possibility that this is a female leopard. She might be in search of her young ones."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Prime Accused In INDIA's Bihar Ally's Brutal Murder Arrested

Police on Wednesday claimed to have cracked the killing of former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahni's father, with the arrest of the prime accused after he "confessed" his involvement in the crime.

Earlier in the day, police had detained four persons, including the prime accused, for questioning in connection with its probe into the murder of Jitan Sahni, father of Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahni.

The accused, identified as Qazim Ansari (40), a resident of Supaul Bazar locality where the former minister's ancestral home is also located, has confessed his involvement in the crime. During interrogation, Qazim Ansari told police that he had borrowed a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh from Mukesh Sahni's father against a piece of land he owned.

The accused was unable to take back the piece of land back because of his "inability to pay", it said.

"Ansari further revealed that on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, he along with his associates entered Jitan Sahni's house and asked for the documents of his land. When Sahni refused to hand over the land documents to Ansari, he started stabbing him. His associates assisted him in the act," the statement said.

A case has been registered against Qazim Ansari and his associates, and search is underway to trace them, police said.

Jitan Sahni, 70, was found stabbed to death at his home in Darbhanga district on Tuesday.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the district police was formed to investigate the case.

The ghastly incident sent shock waves across Bihar, with many in the opposition flaying the Nitish Kumar government over the law and order situation in the state.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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S Jaishankar Meets Mauritius' Leader Of Opposition, Former PMs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Mauritius' top political leaders, including Opposition leader Arvin Boolell, and discussed with them ways to deepen India's special and enduring partnership with the island nation.

S Jaishankar arrived in Mauritius on Tuesday on a two-day visit, one of the first countries he was visiting in his current term as External Affairs Minister.

"It underscores the strength and depth of our bilateral ties. It is also an opportunity to underline India's unwavering commitment to its special and enduring partnership with Mauritius," S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

S Jaishankar discussed with Arvin Boolell the Mauritius-India relationship and its significance for the prosperity and well-being of the Indian Ocean region.

"Welcome his support for the continuous strengthening of our ties," S Jaishankar posted on X.

Pleased to meet the Leader of Opposition Dr. Arvin Boolell.

Discussed the ?? ?? relationship and its significance for the prosperity and well-being of the Indian Ocean region.

Welcome his support for the continuous strengthening of our ties. pic.twitter.com/iGufihjqgz

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 17, 2024

Arvin Boolell, who was born in an Arya Samajist Indo-Mauritian family in Port Louis, is the son of former leader of the Labour Party and former Deputy Prime Minister Satcam Boolell.

He also met Xavier Luc Duval, the leader of the Parti Mauricien Social Democrat.

Glad to meet Xavier Luc Duval, Leader of the Parti Mauricien Social Démocrat.

Good exchange of views on deepening ?? ?? partnership. pic.twitter.com/ejfFvx4q2B

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 17, 2024

"Good exchange of views on deepening India-Mauritius partnership," S Jaishankar said on X.

He also met former prime ministers Paul Berenger and Navin Ramgoolam.

"Good to meet former Prime Minister Paul Berenger. A lively conversation on contemporary global issues. Value his support for India-Mauritius relations," S Jaishankar said.

Good to meet former Prime Minister Paul Bérenger. A lively conversation on contemporary global issues.

Value his support for ?? ?? relations. pic.twitter.com/aIFRJWnng1

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 17, 2024

Paul Berenger served as Prime Minister of Mauritius from 2003 to 2005.

"A pleasure to meet with former Prime Minister @Ramgoolam_Dr this morning.

Discussed our longstanding bilateral partnership and the broad-based desire for its further growth. Appreciate his expression of support for India-Mauritius ties," he wrote on X.

Navin Ramgoolam, whose ancestors migrated to Mauritius from Bihar, served as Prime Minister for the first time from December 1995 until September 2000. On 5 July 2005, he became prime minister for a second term. He was re-elected Prime Minister in 2005, serving till 2014.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Ensure Equal Rights For LGBTQ+ Community In Jail: Centre Writes To States

The Union Government has written a letter to States and Union Territories and asked them to ensure that members of the queer community (LGBTQ+) get equal rights in prison and there is no discrimination in access to goods and services, especially with reference to prison visitation rights.

The letter written by Director (Prison Reforms) reads that it has been the constant endeavour of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to reach out to all States and Union Territories and share contemporary guidelines and best practices on varied aspects of efficient prison administration and management.

It has come to the notice of this ministry that members of the queer community (LGBTQ+) are often discriminated against because of their gender identity or sexual orientation and often face violence and disrespect. With the objective of ensuring that there is no discrimination in access to goods and services to the queer community, which are available to the public at large, especially with reference to prison visitation rights, the following guidelines are reiterated.

The Model Prison Manual (2016 reads that every prisoner shall be allowed reasonable facilities for seeing or communicating with his/her family members, relatives, friends and legal advisers for the preparation of an appeal, procuring bail or for arranging the management of his/her property and family affairs. He/she shall be allowed to have interviews with his/her family members, relatives, friends and legal advisers once in a fortnight. On admission, every prisoner should submit a list of persons who are likely to interview him or her and the interview shall be restricted to such family members, relatives and friends.

The conversation at the interviews shall be limited to private and domestic matters and there shall be no reference to prison administration and discipline or to other prisoners or politics. The number of persons who may interview a prisoner at one time shall ordinarily be limited to three. Interviews with female prisoners shall, if practicable, take place in the female enclosure/ward.

It is reiterated that these provisions equally apply to the members of queer community and they can meet a person of their choice without any discrimination or judgement.

It further reads that the Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act, 2023, states that prisoners may communicate with their Visitors, namely family members, relatives and friends through physical or virtual mode, under proper supervision of prison authorities. Visitors to inmates shall be verified/authenticated through biometric verification/identification.

Foreign prisoners may communicate with their family members and consular representatives, as prescribed under the rules. Every prisoner shall be allowed reasonable facilities of meeting or communicating with their family members (natal or chosen) relatives, friends and legal advisers for preparation of appeal or for procuring bail or for arranging the management of their property and family affairs. They shall be allowed to have interviews with their family members, relatives, friends and legal advisers.

It is reiterated that these provisions equally apply to the members of queer community and they can meet a person of their choice without any discrimination or judgement.

All state and UT Prison authorities are requested to take note of the above and sensitise the concerned officials at all levels to ensure that all persons are treated equally in a fair and just manner and no person, especially those belonging to queer community, are discriminated against in any manner whatsoever.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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No President Nod To Replacing Governor As Punjab Universities' Chancellor

A Punjab bill that seeks to replace the state Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of state-run universities has been returned by the President without assent, official sources said.

Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and three other bills were passed by the Punjab Assembly in the two-day session in June last year but the governor had called the session "patently illegal." Later in November last year, the Supreme Court held that the June 19-20 session was constitutionally valid and directed the Punjab governor to decide on the Bills passed by the legislative assembly session.

The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was for replacing the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of state-run universities.

However, Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit reserved this bill along with two others -- the Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 -- for the consideration of the President in accordance with Article 200 of the Constitution of India.

These three bills were later sent to the President.

The Punjab Universities Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was returned by the President without assent a few days back, the sources said.

The governor and Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had been at loggerheads over various issues including the appointment of vice chancellor of Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University.

Meanwhile, Punjab BJP leader Subhash Sharma on Wednesday hailed the President's decision.

"We have been saying that the CM has been doing unconstitutional work and this development has put a stamp on it. We expect that the CM will now learn a lesson from it and will not indulge in any unconstitutional acts," said Mr Sharma.

The Sikh Gurdwaras (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was aimed at ensuring a free-to-air telecast of 'Gurbani' from the Golden Temple in Amritsar while the Punjab Police (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was to pave the way to bring about an independent mechanism for selection and appointment of suitable persons to the director general of police post.

The Governor had granted assent to the Punjab Affiliated Colleges (Security of Service) Amendment Bill, 2023, which was aimed to streamline the functioning of the Punjab Educational Tribunal for government-aided private colleges.

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All You Need To Know About Chandipura Virus

Increasing surveillance can be crucial and help in the early detection and treatment of the Chandipura virus that has so far claimed the lives of six children and affected about 12 in Gujarat, said doctors on Tuesday.

According to Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel, the virus is suspected to have caused the death of six children in the past five days, while the number of cases has risen to 12 -- from Gujarat (9), Rajasthan (2) and Madhya Pradesh (1).

All patients received treatment in Gujarat, said Patel, adding that all 12 samples have been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune for verification.

What is the Chandipura virus?

Chandipura virus is a type of arbovirus that is a member of the vesicular virus genus of the Rhabdoviridae family. It is transmitted primarily through phlebotomine sandflies and sometimes through ticks and mosquitoes.

Children are more prone to getting infected with this virus, health experts said.

"Chandipura virus is an emerging pathogen that has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its potential to cause severe and often fatal illnesses in humans, particularly in children," Dr Neha Rastogi Panda, Consultant, Infectious Disease, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, told IANS.

First identified in India in 1965, the virus is named after the Chandipura village in Maharashtra where it was initially isolated.

"Its symptoms include sudden onset of high-grade fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, seizures, altered sensorium which can ultimately lead to death within 24 to 72 hours of the onset of the symptoms," Dr. Shreya Dubey, Consultant - Neonatology and Paediatric, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, told IANS.

The virus's epidemiology is not fully understood, but outbreaks have been reported mainly in India, with sporadic cases in other regions.

"It poses a significant public health challenge due to its rapid transmission and the high mortality rate associated with infections," said Dr Panda.

Early detection key

Currently, there are no specific antiviral treatments or vaccines against the Chandipura virus.

The disease course is rapidly progressive and has a high case fatality rate, said the experts, calling for early detection and treatment.

"The clinical presentation of Chandipura virus infection can be severe and sudden. Symptoms typically begin with high fever, headaches, vomiting, and altered mental status, quickly progressing to seizures and encephalitis," Dr Panda said.

"As soon as someone notices any symptoms, they should visit the emergency or seek medical attention as early as possible," added Dr Dubey.

Public health strategies

Insecticide sprays can help eliminate the vector, said the experts, while also calling for efforts to prevent the spread of the virus by controlling sandfly populations.

"Public health strategies include the use of insect repellents, bed nets, and insecticides, as well as raising awareness about the risks and symptoms of the disease," said Dr Panda.

She also stressed the need for increasing research to better understand the virus's transmission dynamics.

"It will also help develop effective treatments and create vaccines. Increased surveillance and reporting can help in early detection and containment of outbreaks, ultimately reducing the impact of this deadly virus on affected populations," the doctor said.

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8 Killed In Rain-Related Incidents In Uttar Pradesh In Last 2 Days

Eight people died in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh in the last two days, the state relief commissioner's office said on Monday.

Among the victims, five drowned in Agra, Kanpur, Bahraich, Chitrakoot and Ghazipur. One in each area -- Hathras, Ghazipur and Shravasti -- died due to boat capsizing, snake bite and other rain-related incidents, it said.

These deaths were reported in the past 24 hours till 6 pm Monday.

The report said that 17 districts of the state are affected by the rains. These districts include - Lakhimpur Kheri, Balrampur, Kushinagar, Shahjahanpur, Ballia, Siddharth Nagar, Barabanki, Sitapur, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Hardoi, Ayodhya, Bahraich, Budaun, Farrukhabad, Deoria and Unnao, it said.

The rivers flowing above the danger mark are Rapti River in Gorakhpur and Bansi, Kuono River in Gonda, Ghaghra River in Ballia and Ramganga in Shahjahanpur, it added.

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CUET-UG Retest For Over 1000 Candidates On July 19: National Testing Agency

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided to conduct a retest for over 1000 candidates of CUET UG on July 19.

The NTA had on July 7 released the provisional answer key of Common University Entrance Test (CUET)-UG 2024 and announced that it will conduct a retest for CUET UG candidates between July 15 and 19 if any grievance raised by students about the conduct of the exam is found to be correct.

While the agency notified the retest schedule on Sunday, it remained silent on the declaration of the result which has already been delayed by over two weeks with the final answer key not yet notified.

The delay in CUET-UG results comes amid a raging row over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including NEET and NET.

According to NTA sources, the distribution of question papers in language not opted by the candidates is one of the reasons for the retest and the 1000-odd candidates are spread across six states.

"Some of the grievances include time loss due to distribution of wrong question paper," a source said.

A total of 250 candidates of the 1,000 CUET-UG aspirants for whom the NTA is conducting the retest are from Oasis Public School in Hazaribagh, which is also under scanner for the alleged leak of NEET-UG question paper.

According to the official notification issued on Sunday, the grievances received from candidates up to June 30, 2024, regarding the CUET (UG) 2024 exam as well as the complaints sent to rescuetug@nta.ac.in between July 7-9 (before 05:00 P.M.) have been reviewed.

"Based on these grievances, a re-examination will be conducted for those affected candidates on July 19, 2024, in the Computer-Based Test (CBT) mode," the notification said.

Distribution of the wrong question paper also happened during the NEET-UG exam conducted on May 5, due to which NTA granted grace marks due to loss of time.

However, the agency, following protests and litigation in the Supreme Court, cancelled the grace marks and announced an optional retest for the 1,563 candidates of which 813 attended the exam on June 23.

Originally, results for the undergraduate admission test were scheduled to be released on June 30 but the NTA delayed the results as it grappled with paper leak allegations involving NEET-UG, UGC-NET, and CSIR-UGC-NET.

"Initially it was decided that the results would be announced for the rest of the candidates before the retest and subsequently for the rest. However, we are now yet to take a final call on the same," a source said.

The CUET-UG exam conducted in a hybrid mode for the first time across the country was cancelled in Delhi a night before the scheduled exam day, citing logistical reasons. The exam was conducted in the national capital later.

The NTA had earlier announced that the third edition of CUET-UG will be completed in seven days and there will be no normalisation of scores as all exams will be conducted in a single shift.

For 15 subjects, the tests were in pen-paper mode and for the other 48 subjects, the exam was held in computer-based mode.

Over 13.4 lakh candidates registered for the common entrance test for admission to undergraduate courses in 261 central, state, deemed and private universities this year.

In the first edition of the exam in 2022, the test was plagued by technical glitches. Also, as a result of tests for a subject being conducted over multiple shifts, the scores had to be normalised during the announcement of results.

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Union Minister's Big Illegal Phone Tapping Charge Against Ashok Gehlot

The BJP on Sunday attacked former chief minister Ashok Gehlot after an audio clip of a conversation purportedly between him and his ex-OSD surfaced online, with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat accusing Mr Gehlot of resorting to illegal phone tapping to save his government.

Mr Gehlot's then officer on special duty (OSD) Lokesh Sharma had played the call recording between him and Mr Gehlot at a presser in April, claiming that the clips of alleged telephone conversation between Mr Shekhawat and some Congress leaders on "toppling" the state's Congress government in 2020 was given to him in a pen drive by the former CM.

Sharma is an accused in a case related to the illegal phone tapping registered by Mr Shekhawat in Delhi.

The call recording purportedly between Mr Gehlot and Sharma recently surfaced on social media.

Reacting to this, Mr Shekhawat said, "The former chief minister had resorted to phone tapping in order to save his government. He recorded the phone conversation and saved it in a pen drive to make it public." He said that this entire conversation is now in public domain and people know everything.

State Education Minister Madan Dilawar also launched a scathing attack on Mr Gehlot over the issue.

"Now it has become clear to everyone how Ashok Gehlot used to conspire. The revelations about phone tapping are gradually coming to light. As a result, Gehlot is scared of the ruling party. This is why he is not attending the assembly," said Mr Dilawar.

Mr Dilawar was on a day's visit to Jodhpur as the minister in-charge of the district and held a meeting with the officials with regard to implementation of budget announcements.

He said that phone tapping is a crime. But when Ashok Gehlot was the chief minister, he tapped the phone of former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, the state minister added.

"Now his (Gehlot's) own people are exposing it. The people of Rajasthan now understand to what extent Gehlot has betrayed them," he said.

After the Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan were over in two phases in April this year, Lokesh Sharma had held a press conference in Jaipur to claim that Gehlot had given him some call recordings in a pen drive to circulate to the media.

The audio clips were allegedly related to the political crisis that erupted after Mr Pilot along with 18 other MLAs had revolted against Mr Gehlot's leadership.

In 2020, three call recordings were circulated by Sharma to the media. It was alleged that clips contained telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders to topple the Gehlot government. Sharma at that time had claimed that he got the clips through social media.

Mr Shekhawat had registered a case in Delhi against Sharma in March 2021 on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telephonic conversations.

Sharma approached the Delhi High Court to quash the FIR. In June 2021, the high court granted an interim stay on coercive action against Sharma. Sharma said in April that he would give the evidence (to prove that call recordings were given to him by Gehlot) to the investigating agency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Man Kills Wife, 2 Daughters, Tries To Pass Off Murders As Road Accident

A 32-year-old man in Telangana's Khammam district was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and two daughters and passing off their deaths as a road accident, the police said on Sunday.

The accused, a physiotherapist at a Hyderabad hospital, was having an affair with a nurse, the police said, adding that he resorted to the murders to continue his relationship with his colleague.

He had earlier had a quarrel with his wife over the matter, the police added.

On May 28, the accused took his wife and two children in a car in Raghunadhapalem mandal in the district and initially killed his 26-year-old wife with a high-dose anesthesia drug, according to the police.

Later, he allegedly smothered his four- and two-and-a-half-year-old daughters to death, a senior police official said.

As part of the man's plan to make the murders look like a road accident, he lay his wife's body on the rear seat of the car, put his children in the front, and rammed the vehicle into a tree, the police said.

However, based on the autopsy and technical evidence, the police arrested him and he confessed to the crime during the investigation, the senior police official said.

The accused has been charged with murder and causing the disappearance of evidence.

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Jailed Maoist Leader Likely To Enroll For PhD As Bengal Government Steps In

Maoist leader Arnab Dam, who topped the PhD admission test at West Bengal's Burdwan University, will likely be enrolled soon after the state government intervened to address certain administrative issues that thwarted his admission.

Mr Dam, an accused in cases of multiple attacks and killings, was being shifted from the correctional home in Hooghly district to Bardhaman and security will be provided for his visit to the university campus in the town, said Akhil Giri, Correctional Administration Minister.

“We have decided to shift him from the Hooghly to the Burdwan Correctional Home,” the minister said.

Mr Dam is serving a life sentence for his role in the 2010 attack on an Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in Jhargram district's Sildah.

Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh supported Mr Dam's demand to be allowed to be enrolled for PhD in the university while clarifying his trial as per law in criminal cases should continue.

“We are against the politics of killing. We are not calling for the release of Arnab. But if someone wants to pursue a journey in higher education despite being lodged in jail, isn't that a silver lining in society?” Mr Ghosh said in a post in Bengali on X.

The former Rajya Sabha MP was responding to the anguish expressed by the mother of a Maoist violence victim for the initiative to facilitate Mr Dam's enrollment as a researcher at the University.

Mr Dam, who was earlier lodged in a correctional home in Hooghly district, had secured over 75% in the PhD admission test in History which was held at the campus on June 26 under strict security.

While the University started the process of admission of PhD researchers in other streams, the same for History was delayed in the last few days.

Interim Vice Chancellor Goutam Chandra said on Saturday: "We wish to get Arnab admitted to our University as a PhD scholar as he stood first in the admission test. But we have to follow certain UGC guidelines. We had sent a mail to the Correctional Home authorities. Once we get their positive nod, we will enroll him as a PhD scholar," he explained.

Mr Dam, allegedly a close associate of Maoist leader Kishanji who was killed in an encounter in 2011, is accused in several attack and murder cases in the Jangal Mahal belt of south Bengal till 2010. He was arrested in 2012.

He had qualified in undergraduate and post-graduate exams while sitting at the correctional home.

The Hooghly correctional home authorities had in the last week of June sent a letter to the university informing that an inmate wanted to appear for PhD admission test and after confirmation from the university, security measures were taken to escort him to the campus, enable write the papers and return to his cell on June 26.

He cleared undergraduate and post-graduate exams from the correctional home.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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