The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of reports about the alleged sexual exploitation and rape of a woman and her minor daughter by their landlord in Gujarat's Morbi district.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has proposed opening offices in India's Union territories and is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar.
The BJP has taken an early lead in the Gujarat local body elections, winning a significant number of seats as counting progresses. The Congress trails behind, while Independents and other parties, including AAP and AIMIM, have also secured seats.
The BJP has secured a majority vote share across all categories in the recent local body elections in Gujarat, according to data released by the State Election Commission (SEC). The ruling party swept the elections, winning a significant number of seats across municipal corporations, municipalities, district panchayats, and taluka panchayats.
'Narendra Modi -- a man with deep and vital experience of Indian politics -- has seen the BJP lose many elections between 1975 and 2015, and with every defeat, he learned lessons that made sure he would never allow his party to be defeated so easily again.'
The Gujarat government has suspended Morbi Municipality's Chief Officer Sandipsinh Zala in the wake of the bridge collapse incident that claimed 135 lives, a senior official said on Friday.
When everyone has footage and no one can verify it, the loudest voice wins, notes Prem Panicker who begins a daily blog on the War in the Middle East.
The accused had links with six persons, arrested on November 3 from Morbi, Surendranagar, Surat and Amreli districts, for allegedly routing Rs 200 crore to Dubai-based cybercriminals using nearly 100 mule accounts, the release said.
Authorities in Gujarat have closed five bridges on the Narmada canals after inspections revealed they were unsafe for vehicular traffic. Heavy vehicles are banned from other bridges, and repairs are ordered for dozens more.
Habibul had gone to visit the suspension bridge on Machchhu river on Sunday evening when the incident took place.
Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the British-era suspension bridge on the Machchu river that collapsed, with a special investigation team formed by the state government citing several lapses on the part of the firm.
The police had on Monday booked nine persons under Indian Penal Code section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).
"Among the dead, there are five children," he said.
Jaysukh Patel, moved the anticipatory bail plea in the sessions court in Morbi fearing arrest in the bridge collapse case, sources said.
As many as 135 people have been killed in the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy and 170 others rescued, Gujarat minister Rajendra Trivedi said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred when the Surat police was conducting a mock drill for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the city.
Four persons were arrested on Monday in connection with the collapse of the cable suspension bridge on the Machchu river in Morbi in Gujarat in which 134 people were killed, the police said.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday held a review meeting as well as took stock of the ongoing rescue operation after the suspension bridge over Machchu river collapsed on Sunday.
The comments came after the hospital in Gujarat's Morbi city was spruced up ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit there on Tuesday to meet those injured in the suspension bridge collapse which claimed 135 lives.
Patel, whose company was responsible for the operation and maintenance of the bridge, surrendered before the court on January 31 after it issued an arrest warrant against him. He was later arrested by the police.
The deceased included five women, they said, adding that two labourers were pulled out alive from the rubble and hospitalised.
Naim Sheikh, who knew how to swim managed to save, with the help of his friends, about 50-60 people, even though, he himself was also injured in the incident.
The Gujarat high court on Tuesday heard a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on Morbi bridge tragedy and asked the state government as to how no expression of interest was tendered, and how the 'largesse of the state' was given to an individual without floating a tender.
While the flooring of the bridge was replaced, its cable was not replaced and it could not take the weight of the changed flooring, said the prosecution, citing a forensic report.
Though the Patidar-dominated Morbi Assembly seat in Gujarat is considered a stronghold of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the poll equations this time may change due to many factors, including the recent bridge tragedy which claimed 135 lives, political observers say.
The SIT had found several lapses in repairs, maintenance and operation of the bridge.
Morbi-based clock and e-bike maker Oreva group was given a contract by the Morbi municipality to repair and operate the ill-fated hanging bridge for 15 years and charge tickets in the range of Rs 10 to Rs 15 for its use, as per documents of the municipality accessed on Monday.
'Today, our hearts are with India. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones during the bridge collapse and join the people of Gujarat in mourning the loss of too many lives cut short,' Biden said.
The over a century-old bridge, which had reopened five days ago after extensive repairs and renovation, was crammed with people when it collapsed around 6.30 pm on Sunday.
While rain intensity reduced on Tuesday compared to a day ago, affecting mainly districts in the Saurashtra region, administration carried out rescue and relief operations on a large scale, shifting thousands of people to shelters.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would list for hearing on November 14 a PIL seeking constitution of a judicial commission to probe the Morbi bridge collapse incident in Gujarat.
The lackadaisical approach on part of the management of Oreva company resulting in "one of the most severe and tragic human calamities" cannot be countenanced, the SIT said.
Rain-related incidents claimed nine more lives in Gujarat, taking the death toll to 16 in two days, while another 8,500 people were relocated and rescued from flood-affected areas with rains continuing to lash some parts of the state for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, officials said.
The Gujarat high court agreed to the Oreva group's offer on Wednesday to pay compensation to the victims of the Morbi bridge collapse that left 135 dead and several injured but said it will "not absolve it of any liability".
A 42-year-old tantrik arrested for allegedly conspiring to murder a businessman died in police custody in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, after confessing to killing 12 people by giving them drinks laced with sodium nitrite. Navalsinh Chavda was arrested on December 3 and died on Sunday after falling ill. Police are investigating his occult practices and possible involvement in human sacrifices.
Bhavnagar was also one of the worst affected districts, they said, adding that more downpour is likely over the next four day in parts of the state.
Congress, AAP, and Patidar leaders in Gujarat have criticized MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his comments about Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and former Prime Minister Morarji Desai, demanding a ban on his entry to Gujarat and an FIR against him.
The HC sought the information from the Morbi municipality while hearing a suo motu (on its own) public interest litigation on the collapse of the bridge.
The death toll in the collapse of a bridge over the Mahisagar river in Gujarat's Vadodara district has risen to 15. Rescue operations are ongoing to find the missing.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli said that as a division bench headed by the Gujarat high court Chief Justice has already taken a suo motu note of the incident and has passed several orders, it will not hear the petitions as of now.
