Family members recount her last days of pain

December 30, 2012

victim

New Delhi, December 30: “You don’t give me one chappati when I am hungry, but try to shove food down my throat when I am dead. What’s the use of such help,” says Rajesh (name changed) cousin of the gang-rape victim, who breathed her last in Singapore.

Son of victim’s paternal uncle, Rajesh believes that though the accused threw her out of the moving bus believing that she was dead, there were more chances of her survival if she was sent to Singapore on the second or third day of the incident. It was too late, at least by a week, by the time she was flown out, said Rajesh.

“We kept telling the authorities and doctors that she should be shifted to some better hospital abroad. But we were told that first she needs to be stabilised. However, instead of stabilising, she suffered a fatal cardiac arrest due to whatever they were up to,” alleged Rajesh. He said she was as good as dead before being shifted to Singapore.

And he has reasons to think so.

During a meeting at the victim's house in Dwarka area of West Delhi, Rajesh said: “Just before doctors said she suffered a cardiac arrest, she had made hand gesture trying to reach out to chachi. When chachi came she looked at her fondly for a few seconds following which the pupils of her eyes tilted, head rolled and hands fell apart.

“Doctor rushed and pressed her chest several times. After that she was surrounded by a team of doctors and we were all taken out of the room. For the family she had died then only. " Some relatives were told that she had passed away.

His claim has been corroborated by a senior Delhi Police officer. “We were expecting a declaration of her being dead on Wednesday evening,” the senior officer said.

"When we heard the decision to air lift her to Singapore, we started making preparations to tackle protest-like situation," he added.

According to him, it was only after an hour that the family was taken to the office of medical superintendent of Safdarjung Hospital and given forms to fill so that their passports could be made and they could accompany her to Singapore.

“The forms were filled, pictures clicked for passport in the superintendent office. Within an hour passports were ready,” Rajesh said. The victim was taken directly to Indira Gandhi International Airport while another ambulance was sent to Medanta Hospital to doze media.

Rajesh added that her hands were lying on her sides with palms open when she was being put in the ambulance. “Only the dead have hands like this,” he said.

How did he learn about the death?

“Chacha called around 1 am from Singapore and said teri behan ab nahi rahi (your sister is no more),” said Rajesh.

Friend’s father calls for death penalty

Father of the male friend of the rape victim has demanded that the six accused should be hanged as soon as possible.

The lawyer, a resident of Turkmanpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district, is in the capital to be with his son who was also assaulted in the attack on December 16.

“It is very unfortunate that she passed away during the treatment. Our close family and relatives feel that the accused must be hanged for the heinous crime to set an example in the country,” he said.

He added that they will attend the cremation of the woman. But are yet to be contacted by the woman’s family. It was revealed that the male friend has been struggling to cope with the incident and has been sick for the past few days.

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News Network
May 8,2024

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Congress leader Sam Pitroda has stepped down from the post of Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress and his resignation was accepted by the party. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to X and announced that Sam Pitroda had decided to resign from the key post "of his own accord".

Pitroda had been under fire over his controversial remark that Indians in the East resemble the Chinese while those in the South look like Africans.

"We could hold together a country as diverse as India -- where people on East look like Chinese, people on West look like Arab, people on North look like maybe White and people in South look like Africans. It doesn't matter. We are all brothers and sisters," Pitroda said during an interview with The Statesman.

The Congress immediately distanced itself from Pitroda's remarks, terming them "unacceptable".

"The analogies drawn by Mr Sam Pitroda in a podcast to illustrate India's diversity are most unfortunate and unacceptable. The Indian National Congress completely dissociates itself from these analogies," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

The BJP also hit out at the Congress over Pitroda's remarks and termed them "racist and divisive".

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News Network
May 14,2024

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Comedian Shyam Rangeela on Tuesday that he was barred from filing his nomination papers for the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. He intended to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Varanasi seat by contesting as an Independent candidate.

Despite attempts to file his papers since May 10, Rangeela alleged he was denied entry to the district magistrate's office on the day Prime Minister Modi filed his nomination. He also said that he is not taking any team from Sriganganagar to contest the Lok Sabha elections in Varanasi. 

Shyam Rangeela further claimed that he has received several phone calls from Varanasi and people are willing to join him. "Winning or losing is a different matter, but I will contest the elections against the Prime Minister at any cost. I am not contesting elections to become famous, I am already very famous among the public."

The Congress party also waded into the controversy. Congress leader Surendra Rajput told news agency PTI that everyone is free to file a nomination including Prime Minister Modi. Rajput claimed that Rangeela was not getting nomination papers from the administration. 

"Everyone is free to file a nomination including PM Modi. However, other people are not allowed to file their nominations from the constituency. A YouTuber named (Shyam) Rangeela, who wished to file a nomination from Varanasi, isn’t getting nomination papers from the administration. Why PM Modi is afraid of people? Let them contest against you," he said. 

PM Modi, contesting for a third term, previously won the Varanasi seat by 4.8 lakh votes in 2019 and by 3.72 lakh votes in 2014. So far, 14 individuals, including mainstream political party candidates and independents, have filed their nominations for the Varanasi constituency.

Congress candidate Ajai Rai and Bahujan Samajwadi Party's Athar Ali Lari are among them. Rangeela, a YouTuber and mimic from Rajasthan’s Hanumangarh, rose to fame in 2017 with his act impersonating PM Modi. He has been critical of the Prime Minister and his policies, as evident in his videos.
 

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News Network
May 5,2024

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Maharashtra Leader of Opposition Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar waded into controversy after he alleged that an RSS-affiliated cop, and not terrorist Ajmal Kasab, killed former state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

In a video statement released on Saturday, the Congress leader alleged that the bullet that killed IPS officer Hemant Karkare did not come from the gun of Ajmal Kasab or any of the other nine Pakistani terrorists involved in the attacks.

Instead, he claimed it came from the weapon of a police officer allegedly "dedicated to" the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Wadettiwar also accused Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor in the case and a BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Mumbai North Central, of suppressing this information, labeling him a "traitor."

He questioned the BJP's decision to nominate Nikam for the Lok Sabha polls, accusing the party of protecting traitors.

“During the probe, key information was out. However, it was suppressed by Ujjwal Nikam, who is a traitor. My question is, why is BJP protecting a traitor and nominating such a person for Lok Sabha polls? By doing this, BJP is protecting traitors," Wadettiwar alleged, Times of India reported.

These allegations drew strong responses from Nikam and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Nikam condemned Wadettiwar's statement as "baseless and irresponsible," expressing pain at the doubts raised over his integrity.

He emphasized the legal steps taken to convict Kasab, calling Wadettiwar's remarks an insult to the victims of the 26/11 attacks.

“What a reckless statement is being made. I am pained by such baseless allegations, raising doubts over my integrity. It clearly reflects the level of electoral politics. I never thought politicians will stoop to such low levels. For political gain? He (Wadettiwar) is insulting not me, but the 166 departed souls and all persons injured in the 26/11 attacks," Nikam said.

He added, “They (Congress) hold Kasab as innocent. Even Pakistan had accepted that Kasab was involved in the conspiracy and in the terror attack on India and was guilty".

He said Indians very well know the legal steps he had taken to ensure Kasab’s conviction.

Nikam said citizens of the nation would on 4 June, the day of results for Lok Sabha polls, give their reply to such allegations, adding he wished not to dignify the “desperate disinformation” with a further response.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Deputy CM Fadnavis said, “Our alliance is with Nikam, while Congress has joined hands with Kasab".

Shiv Sena spokesperson Kiran Pawaskar said NIA should arrest Wadettiwar and ask him why he was defending Kasab.

Pawaskar criticized the Congress for allegedly supporting terrorists and expressed surprise at the silence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on the matter.

“From Wadettiwar’s statement, it appears Congress is supporting terrorists who attacked Mumbai. More shocking is the fact that Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has maintained silence over the episode,” he said.

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