Some women level allegations for money: Udit Raj on #MeToo

New Delhi, Oct 9: Strongly criticising the #MeToo campaign, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Udit Raj on Tuesday said every case should be examined individually, as there are some women who level allegations for the sake of money.

Speaking to ANI, Raj said: "This (#MeToo) should be looked after case by case. I have seen cases where it has become a habit of women to put allegations over a man, take Rs 2-4 lakhs and then look for another. There are honey-trap cases too."

He further reiterated that all cases should not be seen as one, " I accept that men do have such nature, but are all women perfect? I am saying it again that if somebody has exploited a woman then shot him - shoot at sight. I have said this on SC/ST Act too. But all such cases shouldn't be seen as one."

The BJP lawmaker further claimed that the movement has created a feeling of terror in India as men now avoid meeting women alone.

"I am not saying that casting couch and exploitation does not happen. We should see that the #MeToocampaign is helping people, but it has disadvantages too. Men have economic power, they have political power. Whether they are politicians or authorities, men now avoid meeting women alone. Why do they do so? This has created a feeling of terror," he said.

The BJP leader also expressed similar sentiments on Twitter where he wrote in Hindi, "How is it possible that a woman in a live-in relationship puts rape allegations over her partner and he goes to jail? These types of cases are happening one after the other these days. Isn't this blackmailing? #MeToo."

In another tweet he added, "#MeToo campaign is important, but what's the meaning of putting sexual harassment allegations on somebody after 10 years? How truth can be told after so many years in these cases? If wrong allegations would be put on somebody, then it should be thought how much harm it will do to his image. It's a wrong campaign to start."

Raj's statement comes at a time when multiple women from different fields have accused various men of sexual misconduct and sexual harassment - most talked about in recent past being actor Tanushree Dutta 's sexual misconduct allegations against actor Nana Patekar during the shooting of 'Horn Ok Pleassss' in 2008.

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Rajdhani Express Derails, 7 elephants killed after collision in Assam

News Network

December 20,2025

At least seven elephants were killed and one calf injured after a herd collided with the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express in Assam's Hojai on Saturday morning, leading to disruption of rail services.

The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express struck a herd of elephants, resulting in the derailment of the locomotive and five coaches. No passenger casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.

The New Delhi-bound train met with the accident around 2.17 am, PTI reported. The Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express connects Mizoram's Sairang (near Aizawl) to Anand Vihar Terminal (Delhi).

Railway has issued helpline numbers at the Guwahati Railway Station:-

•   0361-2731621
•   0361-2731622
•   0361-2731623

The accident site is located about 126 km from Guwahati. Following the incident, accident relief trains and railway officials rushed to the spot to initiate rescue operations.

Train Services Disrupted

Sources said that due to the derailment and elephant body parts scattered on the tracks, train services to Upper Assam and other parts of the Northeast were affected.

Passengers from the affected coaches were temporarily accommodated in vacant berths available in other coaches of the train. Once the train reaches Guwahati, additional coaches will be attached to accommodate all passengers, after which the train will resume its onward journey.

The incident occurred at a location that is not a designated elephant corridor. The loco pilot, upon spotting the herd on the tracks, applied emergency brakes. Despite this, the elephants dashed into the train, leading to the collision and derailment.

Last month, an elephant was killed after being hit by a train in Dhupguri in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. The incident took place on November 30.

The adult elephant was killed on the spot, and a calf was discovered lying injured beside the tracks.

Over 70 Elephants Killed In Train Collisions Over Last 5 Years

At least 79 elephants have died in train collisions across the country in the last five years, the Environment Ministry had informed Parliament in August.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh had said the figure is based on reports from state governments and Union Territory administrations for the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

He said that the ministry does not maintain consolidated data on the deaths of other wild animals on railway tracks, including in designated elephant corridors.

Singh confirmed that three elephants, including a mother and her calf, were killed on July 18 this year after being hit by a speeding express train on the Kharagpur-Tatanagar section in West Bengal's Paschim Midnapore district. The incident took place near Banstala between Jhargram and Banstala stations.

The minister said several measures have been taken jointly by the Environment Ministry and the Railways to prevent such accidents.

These include imposing speed restrictions in elephant habitats, pilot projects such as seismic sensor-based detection of elephants near tracks and construction of underpasses, ramps and fencing at vulnerable points.

The Wildlife Institute of India, in consultation with the ministry and other stakeholders, has also issued guidelines titled 'Eco-friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure' to help agencies design railways and other projects in ways that reduce human-animal conflicts.

Singh added that capacity-building workshops were conducted for railway officials at the Wildlife Institute of India in 2023 and 2024 to raise awareness on elephant conservation and protection.

A detailed report titled 'Suggested Measures to Mitigate Elephant & Other Wildlife Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in India' had also been prepared after surveys across 127 railway stretches covering 3,452 km.

Of these, 77 stretches spanning 1,965 km in 14 states were prioritised for mitigation, with site-specific interventions suggested.

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