Man gets death penalty; mother, sister awarded life term in murder case

Guwahati, Aug 4: A local court on Saturday gave death sentence to a man for burning alive fellow college student Shweta Agarwal in 2017.

The fast-track court of Kamrup also awarded life term to his mother and sister for murder, tampering of evidence and criminal conspiracy.

Sessions Judge Aparesh Chackraborty had convicted Govind Singhal, his mother Kamala Devi and sister Bhawani on July 30 for the murder of Shweta, the state topper in commerce stream of class 12 examination in 2015.

Pronouncing the quantum of punishment on Saturday, the judge said Singhal killed the woman in a premeditated cold-blooded manner.

Her charred body was found in the washroom of Singhal's house at Bharalumukh area in Guwahati on December 4, 2017. Singhal and Agarwal were students of the same college and he had brought her to their residence after her exam.

Agarwal's family lawyer Abhijit Bhattacharjee told reporters that there were 13 injury marks on her body, and the post-mortem report stated that she was burnt alive after the injuries were inflicted on her.

"We provided proof before the court that Singhal's mother and sister had helped him in assaulting her and burning her alive as a single person cannot inflict 13 wounds," Bhattacharjee said.

A relative of her said Agarwal was never Singhal's girlfriend as reported in a section of the media but it was a one-sided affair.

A document of 16th November, 2017 in which she said "my answer is no and always is no" proved Singhal's motive for killing her, Bhattacharjee said without explaining what sort of document it was.

After the verdict, Agarwal's father told reporters that his daughter got justice and thanked the court for the judgment.

The defence counsel said they would move the high court against the verdict.

The three were sent to the Guwahati Central Jail.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

IndiGo meltdown: 200 flights cancelled; Bengaluru hit hard with 42 cancellations

News Network

December 3,2025

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is battling one of its worst operational disruptions in recent years, with hundreds of delays and cancellations throwing domestic travel into chaos.

Government data on Tuesday showed its on-time performance plunging to 35%, an unusual dip for a carrier long associated with punctuality.

By Wednesday afternoon, airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad had collectively reported close to 200 cancellations, stranding travellers across the country.

Crew Shortage After New Duty Norms

A major trigger behind the meltdown is a severe crew shortage, especially among pilots, following the rollout of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms last month.

The rules mandate longer rest hours and more humane rosters — a shift IndiGo has struggled to incorporate across its vast network.

Sources said several flights were grounded due to lack of cabin crew, while some delays stretched upwards of eight hours.

With IndiGo controlling over 60% of India’s domestic aviation market, the ripple effect has impacted airports nationwide.

IndiGo Issues Apology, Lists “Compounding Factors”

In a statement, IndiGo acknowledged the large-scale disruption:

“We sincerely apologise to customers. A series of unforeseen operational challenges — technology glitches, winter schedule changes, adverse weather, system congestion and updated FDTL norms — created a compounding impact that could not have been anticipated.”

To stabilise operations, the airline has begun calibrated schedule adjustments for the next 48 hours, aiming to restore punctuality. Affected passengers are being offered refunds or alternate travel arrangements, IndiGo said.

What the FDTL Rules Require

The FDTL norms, designed to reduce pilot fatigue, cap duty and flying hours as follows:
•   Maximum 8 hours of flying per day
•   35 hours per week
•   125 hours per month
•   1,000 hours per year

Crew must also receive rest equalling twice the flight duration, with a minimum 10-hour rest period in any 24-hour window.

The DGCA introduced these limits to enhance flight safety.

Hyderabad: 33 Flights Cancelled, Long Queues Reported

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport saw heavy early-morning crowds as 33 IndiGo flights (arrivals and departures) were cancelled.

The airport clarified on X that operations were normal, advising passengers to contact IndiGo directly for latest flight status.

Cancellations included flights to and from Visakhapatnam, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Madurai, Hubli, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar.

Bengaluru: 42 Flights Disrupted

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport recorded 42 cancellations — 22 arrivals and 20 departures — affecting routes to Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Kolkata and Lucknow.

Passengers Vent on Social Media

Irate travellers took to X to share their experiences. One passenger stranded in Hyderabad wrote: “I have been here since 3 a.m. and missed an important meeting.”

Another said: “My flight was pushed from 1:55 PM to 2:55 PM and now 4:35 PM. I was informed only three minutes before entering the airport.”

Delhi Airport Hit by Tech Glitch

At Delhi Airport, the disruption deepened due to a slowdown in the Amadeus system — used for reservations, check-ins and departure control.

The technical issue led to longer queues and sluggish processing, adding to delays already worsened by staff shortages.

Comments