NEIGHBOURHOOD RAPIST STRIKES AGAIN.........

Not being satisfied with having achieved the dubious and notorious distinction of being the "rape capital" of the world; our national capital certainly seems to be taking giant strides towards becoming the most unsafe and unfriendly city in the world for the much abused and vilified girl child......


Yet another case of child rape and sexual assault has been reported from the national capital's eternally middle class area of Model Town where a security guard allegedly sexually assaulted a naive, innocent, dainty and demure five year old damsel on Sunday afternoon......

According to police sources this dastardly and despicable act occurred when the said assailant (security guard) lured the trusting five year old away from the safe and secure precincts of her humble family abode.....

Putting his diabolical and sinister plans in action, he then proceeded to lure her away from the house outside which she was blissfully playing by enticing her with the promise of getting her chocolates, subsequently lured her to a deserted and desolate spot some distance away from her house and then proceeded to force himself upon her........

Threatening her with dire consequences and the underlying threat of permanently silencing her if she revealed her pitiable and harrowing ordeal to any third person, the son of satan made good his escape from the very spot where he had ravaged this nymph of a girl........

The now bruised, battered, terrified and traumatised young girl somehow managed to find her way back to her humble abode, broke down in the presence of her parents and revealed the sorry fate that had befallen her sometime ago in a heart rending and gut wrenching manner........

Without any further ado, the parents of the victim made a beeline towards the neighbourhood's omnipresent police chowki and duly registered against a complaint against the marauding security guard........

Swinging into action with the alacrity normally not associated with it the authorities within the said police station took due cognisance of the entire episode and proceeded to arrest the security guard who has since been identified as one Rakesh Kumar (24) from a neighbouring locality late on Sunday evening.........

Cases under section 376 of the IPC (rape) and the POCSO act have since been registered against the wannabe rapist and he is currently cooling both his heels as well as his enhanced libido in the local police lock up.......

Medical tests and procedures carried out on the grievously injured little girl have firmly established the occurrence of rape and her condition is stated to be out of danger; she is also being counselled by child psychologists so that she can gradually put this sordid and horrendous episode behind her in due course of time..........

I for one am of the humble opinion that the safety and security of all children especially female children is the primary responsibility of the children's parents, wards and immediate family members; doling out laconic and lame duck excuses such as the perpetual one of being under the impression that their children were playing with their fellows and companions in the immediate vicinity of their houses only underlines their apathy and sheer negligence towards their children............

Such parents and family members have none else to blame apart from themselves if an untoward and unsavoury episode visits or befalls their children, so do start showing due diligence and acting with alacrity without any further ado if you do not want the above mentioned fate to befall your children..........

DISPENSING JUSTICE BIHARI ISHTYLE..........

Our motherland India is theoretically on the express way leading towards freedom from poverty, emancipation and liberation of it's long suppressed women, much improved and coveted sanitary facilities and so on and so forth, then what explains our penchant for taking the law into our hands at the slightest pretext and dispensing instant justice as and how we please.......


In the latest instance of an unruly and uncouth mob dispensing the triple roles of judge, jury and executioner a 14 year old teenager lost his life, while his friend is battling for his life in a government hospital after they were mercilessly thrashed by a mob led by a Deputy Sarpanch in Thari village of Bihar's Purnia District on Sunday afternoon........

One may well ask why they were lynched by the mob in this crude, deplorable and barbaric manner and what was their purported or supposed crime: well their crime if one call it that was that they were accused of stealing a fistful or few packets of khaini (gutkha) and a Rs.50 mobile recharge card from the village's kirana store........

Without waiting for an explanation from the supposed thieves the Deputy Sarpanch of the village one Manoj Kumar and his band of incensed followers decided to take matters into their own hands and dispense a brand of justice they thought would dissuade others of the thieves ilk from repeating such unwelcome behaviour.......

They first caught hold of the above mentioned youths and proceeded to slap and punch them repeatedly before hanging them upside down from a sturdy banyan tree and beating them up mercilessly with lathis and iron rods in the presence of 100 odd bystanders who did not think that intervening on part of the battered teenagers was worth their while........

The end result of the untold atrocities inflicted on the hapless victims was that 14 year old Chhotu Kumar succumbed to his injuries on the spot while his friend and confidante Pintu Kumar is manfully striving to overcome the grievous and near critical wounds inflicted on him by this gaggle of monsters in human form........

As is their wont, the local police forces deigned to make an appearance on the scene much after the cacophony had ended and the band of bandits led by the Deputy Sarpanch had made good their escape from the spot after dispensing their brand of street justice; in an effort to assuage their guilty consciences(?) and save the state government's face, the police proceeded to register cases under the relevant and applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code against the Deputy Sarpanch and eight other absconders..........

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his government cannot escape their due share of the blame for this shoddy and rather sorry state of affairs as this very same minister had gone to town promising to usher in a "Ram Rajya" within the boundaries of a supposedly lawless state and usher in a golden period where the rule of law and such other niceties prevailed.........

Will the beleaguered and cornered chief minister put his money where his mouth his and ensure that speedy and requisite justice is dispensed to the grieving families of the two innocent victims, or will this instance yet again simply go down as yet another footnote in a lawless and barbaric state where the ruling dictum is "JISKI LAATHI USKI BHAINS"........... ;

INDOMITABLE AND DOUGHTY WOMAN.......

Kudos to those brave women who are braving seemingly insurmountable odds, social and communal ostracisation, ridicule and contempt of their own families, kith and kin and still coming out in the open against the atrocities committed by them against their lawfully wedded husbands and in-laws........


Rape within the confines of holy matrimony or marital rape is an ugly reality that rears it's head and confronts bruised, battered and harassed women on a daily basis; global human rights watchdog Amnesty International had put out the rather startling and revealing fact about 81% of all Indian married men raping their wives every night........

Yet, out lawmakers in their infinite wisdom(?) preferred to look the other way and give the timely and requisite recommendations of the Justice J.S. Verma committee in this regard a go by as they were of the informed opinion that any legislation against marital rape would end up causing irrepairable damage to the social and moral fabric of this nation.......

However, there are a few hardy souls like the doughty woman in Gurgaon who dare to resolutely stand up against all these nay sayers and file police complaints against their husband and mother-in-law for making them indulge and participate in unnatural sexual acts against their will as they did not bring enough dowry and material wealth from their parental homes to satisfy their burgeoning material desires.........

The insatiable quest for material wealth has assumed this heinous form of late and more and more women are being forced into unnatural and perverted carnal practices and acts as their "esteemed" (?) husbands and in-laws want to punish and torment them by making them do something that goes against their nature and conscience.........

And that is precisely why I for one have nothing else but sheer admiration and inestimable respect for the doughty woman from the Kherki Daula Police Station limits in Haryana's Gurgaon town who bravely walked into the area's police station with her head held high and registered a complaint against both her erring husband as well as mother-in-law on Saturday afternoon.......

According to the indomitable woman, her tale of woe started the very day she entered the precincts of her husband's home a little over six months ago as she was subjected to both physical and mental cruelty as both the above mentioned notables were of the informed opinion that the dowry brought by her was an affront to their social and material status........

Her complaint also goes on to mention the fact that she was made an unwilling party to the unnatural, demented and perverse carnal desires of her lawfully wedded husband and repeated complaints against the same to her mother-in-law and village elders only brought her ridicule and untold contempt.........

Utterly fed up and disgusted with this rather shoddy and contemptible state of affairs she finally summoned up the courage to walk into the above mentioned police station and lodge a complaint against her husband and mother-in-law on Saturday afternoon......

On their part, the police officials have registered cases under sections 498A (dowry harassment), 377 (unnatural sex) as well as section 31 (common intent) of the Indian Penal Code and lodged a manhunt for the absconding duo who took to their heels as they realised that their Waterloo is nigh.........

I only hope that more and more womenfolk take a leaf out of this exemplary and noteworthy ladies book and take up cudgels against their tormentors and torturers no matter whosoever they may be as a relentless war against the scourge of marital rape is the crying need of the hour.......

MURDER MOST FOUL........

Teenagers certainly seem to be running amok all over the vast hinterland of this glorious country called India, what with them raping, plundering, looting and pilfering with utter disdain; and to compound matters they have taken to axing local leaders of national political parties to death........


45 year old Jeevanram Gabhel, former chief of the Kharsiya Unit of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh District was axed to death by his 18 year old neighbour late on Friday night........

Eyewitnesses were shocked out of their wits when they saw the accused Mukesh Gabhel (18) picking up a quarrel with the deceased, the innocuous quarrel soon escalated into a heated argument and ungainly fisticuffs between the two parties involved and culminated in the hacking down of the local politician in a inhuman and barbaric manner.........

The assailant/ murderer was sozzled to the gills and in less than complete control of his faculties and senses according to the Raigarh Superintendent of Police Rahul Bhagat........

This gruesome and horrifying incident occurred in full public view in the most prominent village square after 9 p.m. on Friday night; onlookers did rush to the aid of the grievously wounded and copiously bleeding Ramlal Baghel, but alas to their utter consternation and dismay, he had breathed his last breath before any kind of meaningful medical aid could be provided to him.........

The gathered crowd however managed to snatch away the murder weapon from the clutches of the murderer and beat him black and blue before duly handing him over to the local police authorities.........

Mukesh (the murderer) is currently cooling his heels in judicial custody and pondering over his eventual fate.......

One wonders whether this offender will get his just desserts and either get a life or then death sentence as he so richly deserves or then will he escape the long arm of the law by fudging figures on either his birth or school leaving certificate, spend a negligible period of time in a juvenile remand home and find himself back in the mainstream even before he has realised the enormity and consequences of his gruesome and reprehensible act........

MINORS OR MONSTERS??????

The younger they are the more randier, voyeuristic and carnal; they get, in yet another case of rape involving a "minor", the said minor has been taken into custody by the local police on charges of raping an brutalising a 19 year old young woman......


This horrendous and gruesome incident was reported from Karnataka's Davangere town and also involved another teenager who was a close friend and confidante of the victim.......

The victim's classmate, close friend and confidante who played an instrumental role in the eventual fate of the victim as he introduced her to her assailant was also arrested late on Wednesday evening: three days after the assault on the victim.......

According to highly placed police sources: the victim a Bachelor of Computer Sciences student was returning from her customary dance classes late on Saturday evening when she was approached by her assailant who gallantly offered to drop her home on his chariot (motor bike)........

To her dismay and consternation, instead of making a beeline towards her home and hearth, he made his way towards a dark, desolate and deserted spot and then proceeded to subdue and subjugate her........

He was more than taken aback when the victim who had undergone basic karate and self defence classes fought back valiantly with all her might and it took the combined strength of two youths (the assailant as well as her supposed friend and well wisher) and repeated assaults with a boulder to suppress and overpower her.......

Taking her for dead; the two lotharios made good their escape from the scene of the crime, but alas, to their considerable misfortune, the Kittur Chenamma like girl rose like the proverbial phoenix from the dead and wend her way home despite the grievous and life threatening injuries inflicted upon her body and soul by the two brutes........

Her shocked and horrified parents and neighbours rushed her to a nearby medical facility and then went on to file a complaint against the two louts who had brought her to this sorry state........

Acting with considerable alacrity and surprising agility, the local police firstly recorded the victim's statement and then duly proceeded to apprehend/arrest the main offender from his place of concealment late on Sunday evening.......

Cases of kidnapping, forced abduction, assault, rape and attempt to murder have been registered against the 17+ year old juvenile(?) if one can call him that. He was produced before a juvenile court on Monday morning and the very same court has sent him to a juvenile justice home as per the procedure laid down by the law..........

His accomplice and comrade in arms has been booked for the seemingly lesser offences of being a willing accomplice in the crime and causing grievous injury to the 19 year old victim..........

I for one strongly believe that the mental age of the assailant and his ability to fathom (understand) the implications, gravity, depravity and consequences of the crime/offence committed by him should be the mitigating/governing circumstances in deciding the quantum of punishment and not a mere figure of age put down on either his birth certificate or his school leaving certificate as the case may be........

Every sentence should be commensurate with the gravity or seriousness of the offence committed and the age old practice of so called minors getting away with a mere rap on the knuckles defeats the very purpose of our judicial process.......

TARUN TEJPAL VERSION II............

The state of Tamil Nadu can now boast of the unique(?) (dubious) distinction of having it's very own home grown Tarun Tejpal with the editor of a prominent Tamil channel being arrested for making improper and uncalled for sexual advances towards a former female colleague........


Stop doubting your ears, yes you did certainly hear it right, the last bastion of conservatism namely Chennai can now boast of it's fair share of sexual predators who think that women are nothing more than mere objects of titillation and sexual gratification.........

The Chennai Police Commissioner has indeed confirmed the fact that Dinesh Kumar the editor of immensely popular Tamil television channel Captain TV was taken into custody at around 1 am on Monday morning from his sprawling residence on the basis of a complaint of sexual misconduct registered against him by a former female colleague........

According to this former female employee of Captain TV who was posted on the "ticker" desk, the said Dinesh Kumar always used to touch her inappropriately and converse with her in a language or terms loaded with sexual innuendo; she also went on to add that he always used to harass her for sexual favours and promise her with rapid advancement through the ranks if she fulfilled his carnal desires.........

As has become the commonplace practice or then should I say prevalent norm, the owners of the now infamous channel have resolutely refuted the allegations of improper sexual behaviour levelled against their editor and in turn levelled counter allegations of vendetta and personal animosity against their former employee who was sacked on account of her "incorrigible" performance according to them.........

It must be mentioned here that Captain TV is the official mouthpiece of the DMDK political party and co-owned by the family of the founder of this fledgling regional political party which now finds itself in the dock thanks to it's editor's perverted sexual proclivities.........

Dinesh Kumar however has certainly met his "Waterloo" and is currently cooling his ardour and heels at the Porur central prison as he was remanded to judicial custody by a metropolitan magistrate within hours of his arrest by the Chennai police........

Tarun Tejpal version II ladies and gentlemen..........

RAPE MOST FOUL.......

Crimes or then should I say sexual atrocities against the fairer sex certainly seem to be getting more diabolic, grotesque, gruesome and blood curdling by the day; don't believe me, just sample the below mentioned incident and draw your own conclusions.........


An innocent and naive teenaged girl was not only sexually assaulted by a demon in a male's guise, but the perpetrator subsequently proceeded to slit her throat with a sharp knife so that she would not identify him and thereby spare him the twin maladies of social ostracisation and incarceration by the local police.......

This heinous and barbaric incident was reported from the English Bazaar locality in Malda district's Dhantala area when the main accused Abhay Mondal (27) lured the gullible girl out of the safe confines of her abode on the pretext of buying her a bicycle, led her to a secluded and rather deserted area of the locality, forced himself upon her more than once and to top his crime of depravity and perversion slit the victim's throat with a sharp knife........

Leaving her profusely bleeding from the grievous injury inflicted on her and ordaining her imminent death to be a near certainty, the accused made good his escape from the spot.......

But to his utter disbelief and utter consternation, the mortally wounded girl somehow managed to make it to the main road where she was spotted by good samaritans who rushed her to the government run Malda Medical College for treatment and rehabilitation.........

A visit to the hospital by the District Superintendent of Police Kalyan Mukherjee and state tourism minister Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhary only compounded the misery of the perpetrator as these two notables only ensured that requisite, timely and specialised care was provided to the victim, but also made sure that the local police duly registered a case against the perpetrator and proceeded to investigate the case in a scientific and expeditious manner.......

Insider information and a massive manhunt soon led to the arrest of the rapist (Mondal) from the Birampur area of the city where he had taken refuge in the humble abode of a childhood friend, the rapist was duly produced before the judicial magistrate of the area late last night and remanded to three days police custody by the authority..........

The arrest of the culprit and the recovery of the victim from a near deathly experience only serves to reinforce and concretise my long held belief in the divine and his exemplary sense of justice, otherwise would the grievously injured and semi-conscious victim survived her ordeal, given a statement to the police identifying her attacker thereby leading to his subsequent arrest and confinement/incarceration??????

ATONING FOR ONE'S SINS..........

Our "temples of justice" namely our courts of justice are certainly getting far more innovative, quirky and sagacious with their sentencing if the below mentioned example is any yardstick to go by.......


The Delhi High Court recently asked a women teacher to offer prayers at the Samadhi of the "apostle of truth and non violence" Mahatma Gandhi (Rajghat) so that she could atone for the unpardonable sin of repeatedly lying about her marital status before the said court.........

An absolutely miffed and exasperated bench of justices Kailash Gambhir and Indermeet Kaur Brusquely set aside the unconditional apology offered by the quivering offender Farah Khatoon and contemptuously dismissed her feeble and rather unconvincing plea for leniency citing her discomfiture and lack of familiarity with legal procedures and practices as she was appearing in a court of law for the first time.........

In a far reaching and epochal order the two judge bench ordained that the culprit spend at least four hours a day on four days of every week beginning December 21 looking inwards, improving her lot as a human being and coming to terms with the undeniable fact that lying under oath (committing perjury) before a court of law is anything but a paying proposition........

It also levied a fine of Rs. 2,000/- and asked the offender to deposit the same with the Mahatma Gandhi Trust within a week from December 21; acerbically commenting that it was indeed hard to digest the fact that a woman who is gainfully employed as a teacher in a school run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is blissfully unaware of the irrefutable fact that she cannot lie before a court of law even though she was unrepresented by a counsel or lawyer or under considerable emotional pressure and trauma as claimed by her.........

Terming her conduct simply unacceptable and unpardonable, the learned judges acidly remarked that "the entire conduct of the lady in question was contumacious and highly condemnable, she kept repeatedly lying and also had the audacity to take a false and highly contentious stand on a trivial issue like her marital status and is therefore unworthy of any leniency or mercy ".........

The court also ordered the area police station to monitor the victim's movements in the Rajghat area and directed that they ensure that she adheres to the court's verdict and offers prayers in complete and abject silence so that she feels both utter shame and remorse for her deplorable and highly objectionable conduct........

This rather quirky and seemingly eccentric judgement came in the backdrop of her lawafully wedded husband Rakesh filing a petition before the court alleging that her father had unlawfully restrained and detained his daughter within the confines of his residential premises even though she had legally married the respondent in the presence of a sub registrar of marriages on April 9,2012 as her father subscribed to the age old and commonplace belief about his daughter having committed blasphemy by marrying outside her community.........

Judicial over reach or a highly moralistic and soul stirring judgement?????? well, I think each one of us would have our own opinion about the same...........

SEX, SLEAZE, ALLEGATION AND COUNTER ALLEGATION.......

Here is the latest update on the rather unsavoury, sordid and sleazy case of alleged rape, alleged blackmail, sleaze, sex and bad blood involving a senior bureaucrat from Uttarakhand, his alleged victim and her three male accomplices.......


The 29 year old woman who had accused senior bureaucrat J.P. Joshi of repeatedly raping her on the pretext of helping her land a plum a much coveted and ardently desired government job/post has on Friday surrendered herself before a local court in connection with a blackmail case filed against her and her three male accomplices by the "tainted" bureaucrat who is currently under suspension and cooling his heels and ardour in judicial custody......

This comes after the Uttarakhand high court had asked the elusive woman to surrender before the court within a week while hearing a petition seeking a stay on her arrest in the blackmail case last week......

Duly complying with the courts laid down orders, the woman in the centre of this convoluted imbroglio surrendered before the Uttarakhand High Court located in Dehradun and has since been remanded to 14 days judicial custody by the said high court as a result of the case of blackmail, extortion and implied threats filed against the woman and her three male accomplices by the accused bureaucrat......

Just to jog your memories, the 29 year old woman had filed a case of rape, sexual assault, outraging her modesty and forced confinement against the high ranking bureaucrat who allegedly raped the woman after summoning her to his room in a government guest house on the pretext of landing her a plum job within the Uttarakhand Tourism Department.......

To compound matters and further obfuscate and further complicate an already complicated case, Uttarakhand police sources claimed that they had recovered a seemingly obscene CD that graphically illustrated or showed the woman and the bureaucrat in several compromising and contorted sexual postures and positions........

The woman at the centre of the unseemly episode was earlier arrested by the Uttarakhand police on December 6 but subsequently let off as she was on a transit remand and also because she managed to furnish a personal security bond of Rs. 25,000/-...........

And so the saga of sex, sleaze, claim, counter claim, allegation, counter allegation, alleged rape and implied blackmail continues........

LATHA BHAGWAN KARE........

Inspiration does certainly come in all shapes, sizes, forms and so on and so forth; inspiration also does not conform to pre conceived notions about religion, caste creed, sect, gender, economic back ground and circumstances........


Meet, Latha Bhagwan Kare a 61 year old grandmother who achieved the unique distinction of winning the 3 kilometre race which was part of the first ever Baramati marathon; what makes her triumph even more heady and epochal is the fact that Ms. Kare achieved this feat while running in a traditional nine yard Maharashtrian saree and without any footwear whatsoever adorning her feet........

Latha Kare originally hails from Buldhana and migrated to Maharashtra strongman and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar's pocket borough seeking greener pastures and fruitful employment opportunities........

"I am accustomed to lengthy and arduous morning walks, but never ever summoned up the courage to break out into a trot in full public view as the budding fear of becoming an object of unwitting mirth and lasting ridicule always inhibited me from taking up running or jogging as a full time pursuit", this unassuming and self effacing grandmother goes on to say........

She candidly admits that the relentless and constant stares of the fellow contestants at her rather "quaint and eccentric attire" and "unadorned" feet did make her rather uncomfortable but the sense of quiet confidence and age old desire to triumph against seemingly insurmountable odds gave her renewed confidence in her own abilities.........

"The sniggers and snide remarks of my fellow contestants about me motivated me to find undiscovered and inextinguishable sources of energy within me and enabled me to leave all of them behind in my wake", she goes on to add.......

"This maiden triumph has given me a quiet sense of achievement and urged me to continue participating in even more such events as long as my body and mind allows me to do so", the indomitable lady signs off........

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Latha Bhagwan Kare; a source of undying inspiration for generations to come and a living embodiment of perseverance, dedication to a cause and above all immense self belief that I am simply the best and the rest are mere pretenders..........

MEANINGFUL LIFE SNUFFED OUT?????

Seemingly false and vindictive allegations of alleged rape levelled against the Director of a prominent New Delhi based NGO by a female activist belonging to a similar organisation have led to his jumping off the balcony of his third floor flat as a result of the trauma and turbulence caused by the unseemly complaint........


Khurshid Anwar, the Director of Institute for Social Democracy (a prominent New Delhi based NGO) jumped off the balcony of his third floor apartment located in South Delhi's ultra posh Vasant Kunj locality at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday morning...........

He was rushed to the nearby Fortis hospital by alert neighbours and passers by and subsequently rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) trauma centre where he was pronounced dead upon arrival by the doctors who attended on him........

According to sources close to Anwar, he was deeply perturbed, traumatised and devastated by the allegations of rape and wrongful confinement filed against him by a 24 year old female activist belonging to yet another New Delhi based NGO at the Vasant Kunj (North) police station on Tuesday evening........

Anwar was dreading the prospect of being arrested, incarcerated in a jail with other habitual offenders and above all his wife and young child being dragged through the muck and shame associated with an allegation of this nature, and his deep rooted sense of morals and ethics might have led him towards this extreme step, surmised a female colleague of Anwar's.........

Anwar who was a native of Allahabad and alumnus of the prestigious Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) is survived by his wife and young son; his better half is gainfully employed as a professor in his alumnus and resides in the accommodation provided to her on the university premises along with her young son..........

His mortal remains were duly handed over to his surviving family members after the due completion of all legal procedures associated with a case or mishap of this kind.........

One wonders whether the utterance of the right words in his ears or then outpourings of encouragement and support might have prevented Anwar from resorting to this unseemly and tragic step as he lived all on his own and some welcome bonding and companionship might have prevented him from brooding over this ignonimous matter and taking recourse to this extreme measure.......

All one can say in conclusion is that a bright and meaningful life dedicated to the betterment of others has been snuffed out in it's prime; one is not doubting the veracity and authenticity of the allegations levelled against Anwar by the victim, but one wonders whether a delicate, mature and impartial handling off this unsavoury episode might have led to a better and less tragic outcome??????

YET ANOTHER UNSUSPECTING VICTIM..........

When will we ever learn, when will we eeeeeeever learn goes the refrain from a popular golden oldie from the 60's, unfortunately our civic authorities never seem to learn timely and much required lessons in accountability and duly discharging responsibility despite hundreds of citizens falling prey to their apathy, negligence and sheer indifference time after time.........


A 54 year old TV artiste Ashok Kumar lost his life after falling into a 20 foot long and 8 foot wide dug up by the silicon city (Bengaluru's) civic authorities some ten days or so ago on a bustling South Bengaluru road.........

The said TV artiste was returning home late on Monday night after an extended shooting schedule of a tele serial in which he was essaying a prominent role......

According to eye witness accounts the popular TV artiste fell into the open ditch as there were no indicators, barriers or lights to warn the unwary and unsuspecting motorist about the gigantic and unassuming death trap lying in wait for them........

Residents of the area also went on to say that repeated entreaties and pleas made by the residents had pertaining to the deployment of security personnel after sunset and adequately lighting up the area/spot failed to yield a satisfactory response from the concerned civic authorities (BWSSB and city corporation)......

As has become their age old practice senior officials of both the concerned civic authorities brusquely and perfunctorily brushed off the allegations and remarks made by concerned citizens and residents of the said area and went on to arrogantly declare that it was neither possible or economically feasible to provide security personnel and storm lights at any and every spot where improvement/ development/repair works were being initiated..........

One senior civic official even went to the extent of squarely blaming the deceased for the tragedy that befell him saying that "over speeding and negligent driving on the part of the victim seems to be the overwhelming and only cause for the unfortunate occurrence"...........

An official enquiry (read cover up) has been initiated and the investigating officer will submit an enquiry to the state government within four weeks squarely fixing the blame and pinpointing the apathy and alleged negligence of the concerned officials/authorities, according to a government spokesperson..........

Meanwhile chief minister Siddaramiah has expressed his shock and grief over the heart rending incident, announced a paltry amount as ex gratia relief to the grieving and shell shocked family and mouthed the familiar and hollow ringing homilies and platitudes about duly punishing the guilty and so on and so forth........

What we are interested in knowing Mr. Siddaramiah is the fact that how many unwary, unsuspecting and innocent motorists have fallen prey to the avarices of your civic authorities ever since you assumed the reins of power in the state; how many officials have been duly punished for their sins of omission and commission and most importantly whether these hollow and patently false promises about bringing the culprits to book will bring Mr. Ashok Kumar back to life and bring the smile back on the visages of a devastated family???????

UNSUPPRESSED ROAD RAGE.........

Uncontrolled or then should I say unsuppressed road rage claimed it's latest victim late yesterday in the Mumbai suburb of Kalyan........


Yes you did indeed hear it right, 54 year old pathologist Doctor Mayur Mehta became than nation's latest road rage victim/ casualty or then should I say statistic as a 18 year old assailant who seemed to know no better firstly pummelled the noted doctor into submission in full public view and then whipped out a knife and repeatedly stabbed him thereby reducing him to nothing more than a profusely bleeding and quivering mass of humanity.......

His alleged or only crime if one call it that in the first place was that his scooter inadvertently brushed against the rear portion of the 18 year old assailant's motorcycle, initially leading to a heated argument and scuffle between the two.......

Eyewitnesses who tried to mediate between the two and make them see better sense either stood their ground or then made themselves scarce as soon as they saw the young assailant whip out a knife, they did show the alacrity and presence of mind to summon an ambulance and rush the good doctor to a nearby hospital, but it all proved to be too little and too late as the eminent pathologist succumbed to his grievous stab wounds within two hours of being admitted to the hospital........

The Kalyan police have registered a case of assault and murder against the 18 year old assailant on the basis of numerous eye witness accounts, the assailant however still remains at large despite the police's earnest efforts to nab him at the earliest...........

One wonders whether a thorough psychological profiling/test should be made mandatory in all new cases of driving licences (either learners' or permanent) being issued to teen aged applicants as the same would not only highlight or give clear indications towards the applicants propensity towards going into a raving rage at the slightest of provocations and also act as a speed breaker or deterrent against the growing tendency of grievously wounding one of the parties involved in almost all fracases on roads/highways...........

FATHER TURNS DAUGHTER'S TORMENTOR..........

Hypocrisy and double standards, thy name is certainly India; on a day when the primary opposition party namely the Bharatiya Janata Party vehemently opposed the government's proposal to go in appeal against the Supreme Court's ruling on the contentious and controversial article 377 and came out in strong support of the Supreme Court's stand on the same, a dastardly case of a father repeatedly raping two of his daughters has been reported from the BJP bastion of Gujarat......


Yes, you certainly heard it right, an errant father has been arrested by the local police for the gruesome, sinful and sordid act of repeatedly raping and assaulting two of his teen aged daughters over a period ranging a little over three years........

And all this while, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and three term Gujarat chief minister Shri Narendra Modi goes around patting his own back and proclaiming Gujarat as the safest and most secure place within the country for teen aged girls and women........

This case came to the limelight late yesterday evening when the local police (village police from a village adjoining Ahmedabad) apprehended and arrested a father on charges of repeatedly raping two of his four daughters, the eldest and second born for a period ranging a little over three years.........

According to the eldest daughter and complainant in the case, the "deranged" father turned his unwelcome attention on her when she turned eleven and started showing the earliest signs and manifestations of puberty, the daughter in turn brought this gruesome matter to her mother's notice, but her father simply dismissed the daughter's charges and even beat up his wife for showing the temerity to question him on the matter.......

So, this sordid saga of incest and depraved carnal desires continued on it's merry way for a little over three years and the eldest daughter bore her trauma with stoicism and resigned resignation, but could not bear the shame and ignominy any longer as she saw her tormentor and torturer turn his unwelcome attentions on his second born daughter a few months ago and also make her the target of his insatiable sexual appetite..........

Summoning up long repressed reserves of bravery and resilience, the now fourteen plus eldest born approached the principal of her village school this time around and narrated her tale of misfortune and woe to her; the principal in turn displayed remarkable alertness and alacrity in the matter and duly knocked on the doors of the local police station.......

Taking due cognisance of the matter and the complaints filed by the victims, their mother and principal in this regard, the police swung into action without any further ado and promptly arrested the accused, they also registered cases against him under the relevant and applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code and made due arrangements to produce him in a local court.......

Considerable pressure id being borne down on the mother and daughters as regards the withdrawal of the complaint registered against the father and hammering out of a compromise suitable to all parties concerned as the supposedly "fair' name of the village is being blasphemed and the long established social mores and order is being challenged.........

The mother and daughters however have remained steadfast and said that there is no question of going back on their principled stand as the daughters can only look forward to a bright and rosy future in the absence of their marauding father; a few NGO's have come forward to fund the girl's education and also ensure their bright future.........

the fact of the matter is that more than 50% of all rapes committed in the country are committed under the roof of home and hearth, involving either the father, brother, uncles or then a close blood relative.........

But, such rapes largely go unreported as the so called family prestige and hypocritical social mores and practices hold sway; I for one salute the courage of these brave hearts and ardently hope and pray that their ranks swell by the day so that this menace can be confined to the dustbins of history at the earliest given opportunity......... .

MARITAL RAPE AND IT'S GROTESQUE AFTERMATH........

The ugly, heinous and barbaric sceptre of "marital rape" has raised it's heinous head once again what with a 23 year old female resident of the national capital's Palam area accusing her lawfully wedded husband of repeatedly raping, brutalising and sodomising her against her will during their recently concluded "honeymoon" in Bangkok.........


According to the bruised, battered, scarred and traumatised victim, not only did her husband subject her to all the above mentioned brutality and ignominy but also forced her to perform "unnatural" sexual acts on him as the same turned him on and "pleasing" him and satisfying his carnal desires was her paramount and primary duty according to her "learned" husband.........

Readers may recall that the committee headed by the former chief justice of India Justice Verma had made a rather forceful and immensely convincing plea for the inclusion of "marital rape" within the purview of the new and improved "prevention of sexual crimes" act (now referred to as the Nirbhaya Act) that came into being in the aftermath of the infamous rape that was perpetrated in the national capital on a cold and desultory December evening little over a year ago.........

As is their wont, a group or then should one say "babble" of our esteemed oh so hypocritical and holier than thou Netas got together on this controversial and divisive issue and forced the hand of the powers that be into sidestepping or conveniently skirting this age old issue as they were of the "informed" opinion that the inclusion of marital rape within the purview of the law would cause irrepairable damage to both the sacrosanct institution of marriage as well as the social fabric of the country.........

Coming back to the present case and scenario, the Delhi police officials have displayed remarkable alacrity on their part and registered a FIR under relevant and applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code including section 376 (rape) and 377 (unnatural offences) against the victim's "absconding" and "elusive" husband.........

One may also do well to recall the incontrovertible fact that human rights watchdog had put out a report in the public domain well over a decade and a half ago that had forthrightly concluded that 81% of all married men in this country that supposedly venerates and worships it's womenfolk "rape" their wives every night with growing impunity as they are covered and protected by the convenient cloak of holy matrimony.......

According to the Delhi Council for Women chairperson Barkha Singh, the tortured victim met her a day after she had approached the Delhi police (Thursday) and narrated her tale of woe and horror to her, she also went on to add that she had witnessed the victim's physical condition and that the victim's body bore innumerable scars, bruises and marks as a telling testimony to her husband's brutality and unnatural carnal inclinations..........

One really wonders why we are so wary off confronting an ugly reality that stares us in our face every single day and initiating telling and lasting measures to eradicate this menace from our midst once and for all........

Is it because battering the supposedly weaker sex only serves to reinforce the long held belief that a woman is nothing better than a man's "jagir" and therefore has little or no choice apart from accepting her lot with stoicism and resignation........

The fact that the so called guardians and creators of the law are also part of the bandwagon that takes immense pride in raping women every night under the guise of holy matrimony only compounds the married Indian women's misery and leaves her charting a seemingly insurmountable course through stormy and uncharitable waters.........

Will all right thinking men come forward and take up cudgels on behalf of their eaquals and female counterparts or then will we continue to persist with our nocturnal tendency of continuing to live in the 21st century with 15th century mindsets, well that is the million dollar or then should I say rupee question........

BRUTES IN UNIFORM..........

Our men in uniform are back at it again, notwithstanding the slew of complaints against them about sexual and human right violations in both the North East as well as Jammu and Kashmir, they have now resorted to forcing themselves on young women on the pretext of helping them land plum jobs in Army schools and the like........


A 24 year old young woman was brutally raped by an Army Officer in a sleazy and nondescript Meerut hotel on the pretext of landing her a teacher's job in the Army School within the cantonment........

This horrendous incident occurred very recently when the accused Rohita Sharma, 29, a Lieutenant in the Indian Army summoned the victim to the said hotel room on the pretext of introducing her to the powers that be within the school and then proceeded to sexually exploit her much to her horror and consternation..........

The victim's statement has been duly recorded in the presence of a judicial magistrate and she is currently undergoing treatment and counselling at a designated medical facility.........

The local police though has thus far failed to apprehend the accused as their efforts to trace his whereabouts are being repeatedly stonewalled by the Army authorities by giving convoluted and unconvincing replies about his present posting and whereabouts.........

"Devils in uniform" and a "law unto themselves", did I hear someone say??????

SAVED BY THE RAIN.........

Our men in blue were spared the blushes and the ignominy attached to a 3-0 "brown wash" by squalls of rain and a virtual thunder storm that put paid to any misplaced and foolhardy intentions that they may have had about overhauling the South African total of 301/8 after their duly allotted fifty overs.......


For reasons best known to them, the Proteas team management took their foot of the gas and let the beleaguered Indian team of the hook by making three changes to the team and going into the game with a virtual second string bowling attack........

For a change, the South African skipper AB De Villiers won the toss and decided to make first use of a seemingly benign and amiable pitch that promised a run feast; but the South Africans soon found themselves staring at the wrong end of the barrel as an incisive spell of seam and swing bowling by team India's speedsters (especially Ishant Sharma) soon reduced them to a worrisome 28/3..........

But, that is precisely where the Indian success story ended and the South African resurrection began as the marauding duo of Quentin De Kock and AB De Villiers got together at the crease and not only succeeded in blunting the Indian attack to begin with, but also put it to the sword in the final 15 overs of their innings..........

The baby faced Quentin De Kock soon registered his fourth ODI hundred and third on the trot against the hapless Indians, thereby becoming the fifth batsman in the world to notch up this noteworthy and creditable achievement and was duly joined on the centurion's roster by skipper AB De VIlliers..........

"New kid on the block", David Miller also contributed his mite to the ultimate South African tally of 301/8 by merrily swinging his blade around in the last few overs and thereby registered a half century of not too many balls..........

As for the bruised and battered Indian bowling attack, the less said the better, as they achieved the dubious distinction of conceding 300 runs or more against their opponents for the "tenth" time in calendar year 2013 once again underlining and exposing their Achilees' heel for all to see..........

Ishant Sharma was the only bowler to escape a caning and he ended up with the creditable bowling analysis of 10-140-4 (10 overs, 1 maiden, 40 runs and four wickets), but the rest of his compatriots were not even half as successful and conceded a near minimum of 6 runs per over if not more.........

A few if not all of the Indian top order batsmen must have nurtured fond and rather optimistic hopes of overhauling the South African total as they were confronted with a virtual second string bowling attack (Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were rested), but incessant rain and thunder storms soon put paid to all these hopes and rung or then brought down the curtains on the three match ODI series won by the Proteas in a rather convincing and consummate 2-0 margin.......

THE FOLLIES OF LOVE!!!!!!

One has always heard about people rising and falling in love constantly; but what can say about a damsel (young woman) who took the term "falling in love" a little too literally and almost plummeted to her doom in a misguided and foolhardy effort to "impress" his lady love.........


Yes, they do continue to make them in this mould in a largely "dog eat dog" world, and these rare gems; or then should one say "gluttons for punishment" plummet down from flyovers in the national capital's Madhu Vihar locality in a misguided and foolhardy attempt to underline their undying love and devotion to their "Romeo's and Raanjha's"............

This gruesome or "lovey dovey" incident (depending on your point of view) occurred at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, thereby adding a rather exotic hue and shade to an otherwise balmy December evening in the national capital and sent every voyeur in the vicinity scurrying for their smartphones and handy cams so that they could capture this "immortal" moment for posterity.....

Flippancy apart, the young lady Anita had arrived in the national capital a little earlier on the fateful evening as she had been reliably informed by mutual friends and well wishers that the "man of her dreams" Wasim was conveniently dumping her by the wayside and getting hitched to another dainty young damsel without as mush as a by your leave.........

A much anguished and pained Anita accosted her lover, apprised him of the fact that she was privy to some rather cosy pictures of her beau and her alleged "SOUTEN or then is it SOUTAN", thanks to a mobile application.......

She implored him, cajoled him, entreated him and last but not the least repeatedly reminded him of the precious moments that the two of them had shared; and then jumped off the nauseatingly high flyover when her entreaties failed to have the much desired effect on her dashing lothario..........

The Agra based damsel suffered gruesome and debilitating injuries in the bargain and is currently admitted in a government medical facility where her condition is listed as serious........

As for her better (?) half one supposes that he must be grieving from within and undergoing a phase of self recrimination and remorse if he has an iota of self respect and humanity left in him........

Oh! the follies of love, this most sublime of all human affections makes such fools of us sometimes that we leap first and think of the consequences much later when we are confined to a hospital bed with tubes and bandages running all over our bodies.........

AND THEREBY HANGS A TALE........

Good intentions and the sublime intention of doing good do not always have a happy ending, they can also lead to your suspension from the nation's oldest political party and your falling foul with the proverbial "long" arm of the law.......


Uttarakhand Youth Congress General Secretary Ritu Khandiyal was summarily suspended from her party post by the state's unit president on Monday for her alleged involvement in a sexual scandal or then should I say picadilloe involving a high ranking government official, the alleged victim and her accomplices, and all this while the state police officials were trying to establish contact with her in order to clearly understand her role in the sordid proceedings..........

To refresh the readers memory, a 29 year old woman had on November 25 alleged that the additional Secretary (Home) J.P.Joshi had summoned her to a room in the Police Lines Officers' Club on the pretext of offering her a government job and then proceeded to brutally sexually assault (rape) her in the said room.......

In a counter complaint and belated effort to save his skin, the tainted government official Joshi had filed a counter complaint with the state police alleging the fact that the woman and her two male accomplices were threatening, harassing, intimidating him and also making incessant demands for an obscene amount of cash in order to hush up this unsavoury episode........

According to the latest version of events put out by the two interested parties, Ritu who was known to both parties had selflessly come forward to mediate between the two parties and help them in arriving at an amicable solution acceptable to both the concerned parties.......

In her one and only conversation with the accused government official, Ritu had apprised him of the fact that the victim and her two male accomplices were demanding an amount of Rs. 3 crore to hush up the entire matter; Ritu then left for Dubai thereafter (three days before the grived woman filed a police complaint alleging rape) and has been ensconed in Dubai ever since this matter hit the headlines..........

The beleaguered and bewildered police department has ever since been trying to establish telephonic contact with her, but to their utter disbelief and dismay, Ritu Khandiyal's telephones have remained switched off for well over a fortnight now............

And thereby hangs a tale of sleaze, counter sleaze, efforts to besmirch each other's reputation and a misplaced though well intentioned attempt to mediate between two warring parties...........

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR.........

The Aam Aadmi party's emergence as the new kid on the block in New Delhi certainly gives the urban and semi urban voter due cause for both celebration as well as elation.......


Absolutely no one including the most die hard Aam Aadmi party supporters expected to see their party doing so well in the national capital and give an established and long standing national party like the Bharatiya Janata Party such a close and hari raising run for it's money.......

As things stand at the present moment, the Aam Aadmi Party is all set to emerge as the second largest party in the assembly and their leader and chief ministerial candidate Arvind Kejriwal is also threatening to dethrone the three time chief minister Sheila Dikshit in her bastion (Mr. Kejriwal is presently leading the sitting CM by a margin of more than 1,800 votes)........

Well, it is all but certain that the Bharatiya Janata Party will form the next government in Delhi with the support of their long standing allies, the Akalis and such notable others, but the story of the day is certainly the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party as a credible alternative that has all but swept the Indian National Congress aside and emerged as the beacon of "clean, common man centric and refreshingly naive and old worldly" brand of politics........

Political pundits and psephologists are currently at a loss of words and barely able to explain the emergence of a party that is almost completely urban centric as all the established political parties in existence have always practised and propagated caste, creed, religion, region and sop based brand of politics that all but sidelined the urban electorate as a constituency........

But, the emergence of the Aam Aadmi Party has certainly come as a breath of fresh air and sent the established age old political parties to conjure up policies and programmes exclusively meant for the urban and semi-urban electorate; in fact, the Aam Aadmi Party has also stormed the citadels of both the Indian National Congress as well as the BJP in the national capital and caused a storm of gigantic proportions in the national political circles........

Due credit must certainly be given to Messrs. Kejriwal, Shazia Ilmi, Yogendra Yadav, Kumar Vishwas, Gopal Rai, Manish Sisodia and others of their ilk within the Aam Aadmi Party, remaining steadfast to their brand of "clean, accountable and people centric politics", fighting the elections with funds solely raised from donations given by the common man and underlining the disillusionment and disenchantment of the urban electorate with the "corrupt and sycophancy ridden brand of politics" practised by the established political parties.......

Way to go Aam Aadmi Party; you certainly seem to be the much desired "manna" from heaven, but for god's sake, don't get carried away by the euphoria of your more than creditable showing at the hustings, never compromise with your ideals and avowed goal of ushering in an era of "clean, corruption free, collective, bureaucracy free and accountable brand of Politics"..........

As for the Aam Aadmi he certainly can give himself a pat on the back for sending jitters down the spines of the established political parties and making his voice heard in an unequivocal and resounding manner.........

YET ANOTHER STATISTIC?????

An already bethroted (married) minor Dalit girl was brutally sexually assaulted (raped) by a minor boy hailing from the very same locality in Rajasthan's Ajmer district late on Friday evening........


The already married victim who had deserted her husband was residing with her parents in Adarsh Nagar (Harijan Basti) in Jaipur where the main accused who is all of 17 years old also resided........

Hatching an elaborate plan to exploit the hapless girl's present predilection to his advantage, the accused wasted little or no time in befriending her, won over her confidence and clandestinely led her to Pushkar town in Rajasthan's Ajmer district earlier this week and put his nefarious plans into existence, forcing himself on the bewildered and flummoxed girl at any and every given opportunity........

Managing to keep her collective wits about her, the minor girl managed to find her way our of her temporary prison and make her way back to her parents humble dwelling with the aid and help of a few good samaritans in the wee hours of this morning......

Her parents wasted little time and led her to the neighbouring police station on hearing her litany of woes; a complaint (FIR) was duly registered against the alleged rapist by the Adarsh Nagar police personnel and a massive manhunt has been launched in order to nab the accused at the earliest.......

The victim is currently resting and recuperating in a government hospital; hoping and praying that the long arm of the law catches up with her aggressor and tormentor, thereby forcing him to face the due process of the law..........

One more statistic in the already long and burgeoning tally of rapes perpetrated by sexually deviant and rampant minors off late???????

"TIGERS AT HOME, LAMBS ABROAD"..........

"Tigers at home, lambs abroad", well team India did certainly live up to this age old adage and more caving in tamely before the might and barrage of short pitched bowling that the marauding Proteas speedsters unleashed without as much as a by your leave........


The much vaunted and adulated Indian batting simply succumbed to the wiles of the South African fast bowlers and batsman after batsman uncannily resembled a cat on a hot tin roof as the rampaging pace bowling quartet (Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Ryan Mclaren) along with the up and coming Wayne Parnell soon combined to put the Indian batsmen in their place and comprehensively proved their superiority over the Indian batsmen........

Skipper Mahender Singh Dhoni, the dimunitive and dapper Virat Kohli and left arm trundler Ravindra Jadeja were the only three Indian batsmen to put up some semblance of a fight before eventually capitulating to the red hot skills of the bowlers from the rainbow nation........

Dhoni's inexplicable and deeply mystifying decision to field first after winning the toss only served to compound the Indian teams collective miseries as the swashbuckling South African batsmen rode roughshod over them, yes one may grant Dhoni the fact that the conditions were overcast and the grass on the pitch certainly seemed to suggest that it had something to offer the Indian fast bowlers.........

One wonders how Dhoni conveniently overlooked the fact that the very same bowlers had conceded over 300 runs in 6 of team India's last 9 ODI outings and also the fact that two out of the three Indian fast bowlers were still wet behind the ears, yes this fact and the Indian bowlers propensity to bowl length balls in the final overs of the innings when the opposition batsmen are more often than not running riot did certainly cost team India dear.........

Thanks to the pyrotechnics of Messrs, Quentin De Kock who notched up his second ODI hundred in his 20 th game or so, his partner in arms Hashim Amla who was an equal partner in the century plus opening partnership and the gung ho duo of skipper AB De Villers and J.P.Duminy who really took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners and more, team South Africa ended up amassing the gargantuan total of 358/4 and left them at least 85-90 runs to the good.......

84 runs came from the last five overs of the innings bowled by the immature Indian bowlers and more than 125 runs were conceded in the last ten overs of the innings, Mohammed Shami was the only bowler who looked the part and ended up with the fairly creditable figures of 3/68 from his bowling stint, as for the ;rest the littler said the better..........

Team India certainly needs to curb this profligacy and also take a good hard long look at the continuance of Messrs Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in their playing eleven; these two notables failed to cover themselves in glory in the recently concluded series against the West Indian minnows and their struggles continued yesterday, Ambati Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane might just prove to be adequate if not better replacements for the struggling duo.........

All said and done, team India needs to get it's act together within the next couple of days if they want to avoid yet another "whitewash" or then should I say "brownwash" in alien conditions and foreign soil; come on team India show the rest of the world and the doubting Thomases out there that you will and you can, best the Proteas at their own game and take the world by storm once again......

MORE GRIST FOR THE MILLS.........

Teenagers or then should I say Indian teenagers certainly seem to be taking undue pride in pushing the envelope and giving the proponents of the seemingly draconian measure to decrease the age of majority from the present 18 to 16 as seems to be the practice in many an advanced country especially when it concerns the abnormal sexual proclivities of teenagers between the ages of 16 and their seemingly insatiable sexual appetites...........


In the latest such incident of a teenager committing a sexual crime or misdemeanour, a teenager (minor boy) allegedly raped a 5 year old girl in the Kutkundugri area of Jharkhand's Jamshedpur district.........

This gruesome incident took place on Wednesday evening when the parents of the 5 year old had gone to their native village leaving the girl in the custody of her paternal uncle and aunt......

Due to an emergent situation, the uncle and aunt of the victim also had to step out of their humble abode, leaving the little girl behind in the care of their neighbours and this is when the 16 year old accused took undue advantage of the situation and executed the gruesome act.......

Alert locals who saw the girl weeping copiously asked her why she was weeping and on being informed about the reason for the same, rounded up the accused and beat him black and blue before duly handing him over to the local police authorities.......

The victim has since been admitted to the state run MGM hospital where her condition is slated to be out of danger, the accused has since been confined to a juvenile home and cases have been registered against him under the applicable sections of the Nirbhaya act according to police sources........

More grist for the mills of both the proponents as well as the status quoists steadfastly opposed to any change whatsoever in the provisions of the existing Juvenile Justice Act methinks; what do you think???????

ALLEGATION AND COUNTER ALLEGATION......

Indian men certainly seem to be getting randier and naughtier with advancing age and as they make their way up the bureaucratic bandwagon as the recent case of the Uttarakhand Additional Secretary (Home) being accused of rape and molestation proves........


In her statement before the state police forces, the 29 year old woman has alleged that the senior bureaucrat sexually abused, physically intimidated her and also threatened to cause grievous harm to her bodily if she even though about revealing her shoddy predicament to either any third person or the law enforcing authorities........

The Uttarakhand police has duly registered a case of rape against the bureaucrat Janardhan Prasad Joshi on the basis of the documents furnished by the Delhi police pertaining to the registration of a zero case against the accused bureaucrat on November 22 and a statement recorded by the victim under section 161 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)...........

A team headed by additional Superintendent of police Mamata Bora has duly been constituted to carry out a thorough, complete and impartial investigation into the gruesome incident and already visited the said room in the Police Lines Officers Club where the woman was allegedly raped and threatened by the senior bureaucrat on the pretext of securing her a much coveted government job and gathered vital clues regarding the incident.........

In addition to the bureaucrat, the woman has also included the names of local Congress leader Ritu Kandiyaal and the Police Superintendent of Dehradun (rural) Jagdish Bhandari and gone on to mention that Kandiyaal formally introduced her to accused, while Bhandari extracted a vow of complete and unequivocal silence from her after the incident by threatening her with dire consequences and concerted threats to both life and limb..........

In the meanwhile, the senior bureaucrat has also filed a FIR on November 22 against the alleged victim and two other persons saying that they threatened to blackmail and malign him if he did not hand over the confidential government papers and files sought by them........

He further went on to allege that the supposed victim and two other men MP Singh and Sanjay unceremoniously barged into his room on the night of November 16 freely used unparliamentary and uncomplimentary language and also promised to finish him professionally if he did nor hand over the confidential papers and files being demanded by them forthwith..........

And so the sordid saga of claim and counter claim, allegation and counter allegation continues.........

DELHI'S SHAME......INDIA'S PRIDE??????

Can things get any worse for the bruised, battered and traumatised Indian woman???? things have surely touched rock bottom and now threaten to plummet even further if blood relatives continue to sexually exploit their female kith and kin for decades together with utter disdain and scant regard for the law..........


Brothers Shashi and Mukul Thakur were apprehended on charges of allegedly raping their niece a budding fashion designer for a period abutting the two decade mark (19 years) by the Connaught Circus police officials late on Saturday evening..........

The victim had first filed a complaint against the duo in the very same police station in the month of April 2013 and the police authorities were on the lookout for them ever since...........

In her complaint, the victim who happens to be the daughter of Shashi Thakur's sister-in-law had alleged that she had fallen foul of the duo's perverted sexual proclivities ever since she was barely 9 years old and was sexually assaulted by the accused duo at the very same tender young age (9)..........

According to police sources, the victim had been ensconed in Shashi Thakur's residence since early 1994 as her parents had dissolved their alliance (marriage) in acrimonious circumstances.........

Shashi Thakur took undue advantage of her rather sorry plight, gullibility and vulnerability and started forcing himself upon her ever since she was nine years of age, he was soon joined by his younger sibling Mukul in this ignoble venture......

The rampaging duo ensured the victim's silence and complicity with constant threats to evict her from the house and implied threats to cause her physical harm and trauma if she even dared to disclose her ordeal to any third person.......

This sordid and ignonimous saga did not end even after the victim graduated in fashion designing from a Hyderabad based institute and the duo continued with their nocturnal tendency of dropping in on her and constantly sexually exploiting her at any and every given opportunity.........

The victim at long last managed to garner the courage and gumption to approach the authorities in April this year, she approached the police personnel at the Connaught Circle police station and duly registered a FIR against the rampaging duo, the duo was at long last apprehended by the Delhi police from Muzaffarnagar late on Saturday evening and have been confined to 14 days of judicial custody by a sessions court judge since.........

We as a society and nation as a whole need to deeply introspect and hang our heads in shame, if an innocent and pubescent girl cannot feel safe and secure under the roof and hearth of her very own blood relatives then where else on earth can she ever feel safe and secure..........SHAME INDIA SHAME........you have once again underlined the fact that you are nothing more than a nation of sexual predators who take undue pride in feasting upon the female flesh and from all the time...........

THREE RING CIRCUS...........

Erudite lawyer and nocturnal Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson; Meenakshi Lekhi is back to doing what she knows best namely putting her foot in her mouth time and again, only this time around she seems to have bitten off more than she can chew and finds herself embroiled in a massive controversy pertaining to a tweet that emanated from her phone and inadvertently mentioned the surname of the victim embroiled in the now infamous Tarun Tejpal rape case........


Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi has always been at the forefront in espousing women oriented causes and has been steadfastly raising her voice against every crime both real as well as imagined perpetrated against the fairer sex and that is why her gaffe has caused that much more consternation and indignation amongst the hallowed and rarefied ranks of woman rights activists and others of their ilk.....

On her part, Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi has been out rightly and stoutly denying any and every such allegation and come up with the none too convincing explanation about some anonymous smart alec hacking into her smartphone and misusing the same in an effort to besmirch her pristine and sterling reputation.........

Not willing to miss out on a golden opportunity that has been served to them on a platter, the Congress spokesperson and president of the Congress Mahila Morcha demanded that a case be filed against Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi under the applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code and that she be sentenced to two years imprisonment as mandated under the applicable tenets of the relevant law..........

The National Commission of Women has also jumped into the fray demanding an unconditional apology from Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi and also asked her to render a written explanation presenting her version of events within 25 hours of the receipt of the notice issued to her by the Commission........

Ladies and gentlemen, the "three ring" circus is back in town, so do book your box office seats at the earliest so that you do not miss out on even a moment of the heady excitement, inanities and absurdities of this sheer balderash..........

THE SORRY SAGA CONTINUES.......

Here is the latest update on the Lakhimpur outrage, that has forced thousands of Assamese, mostly women and children to take to the streets in an effort to ensure that the government hears their collective plea this time around at least and belatedly puts in place an efficacious security apparatus that guarantees the safety and security of both women and children.......


Just to jog your memories, a 31 year old woman who also happened to be the mother of a six year old daughter was gang raped and brutalised by four demons in a rapidly moving vehicle, who subsequently threw her out of the speeding vehicle on the roadside unconscious and copiously bleeding from her numerous injuries........

In an ironical twist to the proceedings, the victim was thrown out of the vehicle barely hundred metres or so away from Lakhimpur's most prominent police station and passersby solicited the ambulance that rushed her to the government hospital where she succumbed to her grievous and life threatening head injuries after braving the odds for almost two fateful days.......

Seven days on, both the Assam government and it's faithful police force have precious little to show for their efforts apart from the dubious facts that they have thus far apprehended one person who is slated to be a distant cousin of the victim and that the post mortem report submitted by a team of captive doctors has failed to find any external evidence of rape.......

What they have failed to mention are the facts that three culprits still remain at large, their woeful failure to either identify and apprehend the driver of the "wanted" vehicle as well as it's make and registration number; while the three term chief minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi has done precious little apart from constituting a five member Special Investigation/ive Team that will examine all aspects and angles of this horrendous crime and submit it's report to the government within thirty days.........

Yes, the chief minister has also mouthed the now cliched and familiar platitudes, homilies and ditties about his government being committed to the noble cause of ensuring the safety and security of all Assamese women and children, but conveniently omitted the fact that the team of captive doctors has also badly botched up the post mortem and failed to conclusively establish the precise reason for the victim's untimely demise even though seven days have elapsed since the hapless victim met her maker.......

As far as the victim's family is concerned, they continue to clutch on to stray crumbs of comfort and fervently hope and pray that the culprits will be brought to book and that the full and requisite force of the law will be brought down upon them in all it's collective might...........

EPOCHAL JUDGEMENT???????

The Supreme Court in it's infinite wisdom also duly recognised the irrefutable fact that there is no express statutory regulations or laws to regulate live-in relationships that end on an acrimonious note as these relationships do not conform to the laid down tenets pertaining to marriage and are also not given their due recognition by the existing laws of the day......


In the landmark and epochal judgement a bench headed by justice K.S. Radhakrishnan framed the required and necessary guidelines to bring all such relationships under the expression "relationship in the nature of marriage" so that the womenfolk involved in these relationships are accorded due protection under the Domestic Violence Act and hence do not fall prey to the avaricious and brutal instincts of their male partners........

It also appealed to the saner instinct of parliamentarians and beseeched them to frame the required laws and guidelines pertaining to the protection of women and children born out of such relationships, even though these live-in relationships might be an anathema to society as a whole and also not conform to the existing tenets and laws pertaining to the age old institution of marriage.......

"Live-in or marriage like relationship is neither a sin in the eyes of god or the law even though society as we know it may frown and fret over all such relationships and even go to the extent of condoning or outrightly condemning them. The decision to marry or not to marry or carry on with such a heterosexual relationship is an intensely personal decision and hence may not conform to the sanctimonious views of the purists in this regard", the bench went on to add while duly recognising the fact that a plethora of countries worldwide had already accorded legal sanction to all such relationships.........

The apex court also went on to remark that such legislation is the crying need of the hour as the numbers of people involved in these relationships is exponentially increasing and also because the hapless woman is at the receiving end in most if not all cases of such relationships coming to an abrupt and untimely end without as much as a by your please........

The bench also raised a red herring and said that the legislature cannot legalise and accord due sanction to pre-marital sex and that people may freely express their opinions both for and against pre-marital sex.........

"Most if not all such relationships endure for an inordinately long interim or considerable period of time and protecting the interest of the weaker sex becomes the sworn duty of the government of the day, even though society and the existing laws of the day might not accord due sanction to live-in relationships", the bench concluded........

Will the government of the day pay heed to the Supreme Court's sage advice, buckle down and get down to the business of framing laws that safeguard the interests of women involved in live-in relationships and children born out of such liasions or then will this much needed legislation fall prey to the exigencies of chauvinistic mindsets and holier than thou attitudes largely prevalent amongst the politicians of the day; well your guess in this regard is as good as mine..........

"OPERATION ELABORATE COVER UP".........

In what must come as an affront, insult and cruel blow to the family of Lakhimpur's 31 year old brave heart's family, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has come out with the baffling and logic defying statement that the post mortem carried out by a battery of doctors on the victim at Assam's foremost government hospital has ruled out the incidence/occurrence of penetrative sex and stated the grievous head injuries suffered by the victim as the immediate cause of her untimely demise........


Refuting all media reports that have emanated over the last seven days pertaining to the victim being gang raped by three/four men in a rapidly speeding tempo, the chief minister said that the post mortem report has put paid to all idle speculation about the horrendous gang rape and has proved to be nothing more than the media sensationalising another crime against a woman in order to garner eyeballs and TRP's..........

On being asked whether his government was amenable to the possibility of a second post mortem being carried out on the victim by a team of eminent doctors without any links whatsoever to the Assam government, the chief minister vehemently ruled out the possibility of the same and stoutly defended the capabilities and competence of the government doctors who carried out the autopsy, thereby giving rise to numerous fears about the credence of the autopsy as well as the initiation of a well orchestrated cover up exercise to save his government's skin and blushes..........

Adding insult to injury, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police of the very same state also denied reports about the assailants gouging out the victim's eyes crudely and painfully in an effort to save their own skin and went on to say that the post mortem report hints at the possibility of only one eye being gouged out and slated the grievous head injuries inflicted on the victim by the assailants with a blunt object/s as the immediate cause of death..........

Resolutely defending his police force's lethargy/slumber and woeful failure to arrest/apprehend even one of the three/four alleged assailants despite six days having elapsed since the occurrence of the most gruesome and macabre sexual assault of 2013, the DIG said that two persons including a distant cousin of the victim and another person well known to the victim have been taken into custody and are being questioned about their whereabouts and actions on the fateful day...........

On being asked why the police had failed to identify and apprehend the vehicle in which this horrendous crime was committed thus far, the DIG found it fit to completely sidestep and evade the rather inconvenient and cumbersome question..............

And so "OPERATION ELABORATE COVER UP" continues without a glitch........

HORROR IN ASSAM......

And pitiably, the carnage continues unabated, the latest victim of the heightened libido, misplaced sense of masculinity and dubious sense of superiority of the stereotyped Indian male is none other than a hapless 31 year old woman who lost her life after bravely grappling with her assailants for a considerable length of time........


According to eyewitnesses and passers by who happened upon the fateful spot in Assam's Lakhimpur district six days ago, the victim who incidentally happens to be the victim of a six year old was last seen getting into a tempo already occupied by the three alleged assailants in a now furtive and murderous effort at reaching her ward and escorting him to the supposedly safer climes of home and hearth after the rigours of the school he attended.........

Alas, the victim did not foresee the calamitous fate that was soon to befall her and the rest of her family; the three alleged rapists soon turned upon her like a pack of depraved wolves and accosted her in an attempt to outrage her modesty and satisfy their enraged libidos, but, to their dismay the lady was made of sterner stuff and fought back like a tigress before succumbing to the superiority of overwhelming numbers and supposedly superior physical strength of the male species.........

Taken aback by the ferociousness and ferocity of the victim's defence, the three brutes soon took to assaulting her repeatedly with iron rods, knocked her senseless, gouged out her eyes so that the victim could not identify them physically and forced themselves repeatedly on the now inert form of the doughty lady before throwing her out of a speeding vehicle and making good their escape from the endangered spot...........

The lady was rushed to the nearest government hospital and valiantly fought for her life for two full days before succumbing to the grievous head injuries inflicted on her by the devils masquerading as men; leaving in her wake a six year old orphan and grieving spouse...........

This horrific, heart rending and spine chilling incident which is now being touted as the most horrendous one of 2013 has yet again thrown open the pandora's box pertaining to the safety and security of women within this glorious nation that supposedly venerates and pays obeisance to the female form..........

It also raises long held questions about the apathy about the rest of the nation towards their brethren and sisters from the North East and also begs a reply from those bleeding hearts who took to the streets in the wake of the Nirbhaya rape in the national capital, but are conspicuous by their deafening silence and woeful failure to take up cudgels on behalf on behalf of Lakhimpur's "braveheart"........

As for the three assailants, they were still at large six days after the incident despite throwing the now deceased victim out of a speeding vehicle a mere hundred meteres or so away from the boundaries of Lakhimpur's most prominent police station.........

SINGH SAAB: NOT SO GREAT AFTER ALL...........

As many a wise man who preceded us said one disappointment always follows another and the same does certain hold true at the cinema as Singh Saab the great proves to be almost as big a let down as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Ram Leela......


Die hard fans of Sunny Paaji ventured into our friendly neighbourhood multiplexes with exalted expectations as the very same combination of Sunny Paaji and Anil Sharma had delivered a tour de force like Gadar in the past; alas this one is a far cry from the afore mentioned blockbuster and leaves one with a sour after taste in the mouth and pondering over what might have been.....

The most significant problem with Singh Saab is that it tries a little too hard to surreptitiously occupy the space temporarily vacated by Salman Khan and his Dabbang avatar; yes there is no denying the fact that Sunny Paaji was the original "Dabbang" and began the trend os the chest thumping, testosterone churning sagas with "Ghayal", but much water has flown under the bridge since and Sunny Paaji is in his late fifties and expecting him to do an encore of Ghayal and Gadar is akin to asking for the sun, moon and stars at the same time........

Poor writing, a practically non existent screenplay and the penchant of settling all pending issues between the two protagonists (Sunny Paaji and Prakash Raaj) only serve to pull down the narrative even further; yes, Sunny Paaji, Prakash Raaj and Amrita Rao do strive to salvage this not so great venture more than manfully, but moon sized craters in the screenplay and amateurish etching of characters soon puts paid to their sterling efforts.........

Alas, this supposed tour de force does loose steam even before it reaches the half way mark and Sunny Paaji's earnest efforts to combine "Gandhigiri" with "Goondagiri" fail to strike a chord and leave one indifferent to this beleaguered and belaboured effort to regain lost ground with "seeti maar" dialogues and "Dhai Kilo" ke haath.........

Sadly Sunny Paaji is reduced to the the rather forlorn status of a rampaging bull in the proverbial China shop by the time the third act comes around and repeated attempts to chrun the same emotions from the audience in the name of Sunny Paaji's better half and dearer than life sister leave the audiences squirming in their seats and praying fervently for the final curtains to come down on this anything but great venture...........

Catch this one only if you are a die hard Sunny Paaji fan like moi as this one has nothing new to offer and at best is a misplaced effort to spawn old wine in a vinatage bottle and leaves one with the feeling of "been there done that" and so on and so forth...........

LOVE"S LABOUR LOST????????

Am still reeling from a mind numbing assault on my senses entitled "RAM LEELA", which I and my better half had the misfortune of catching or then should I say viewing at a neighbouring multiplex on Monday afternoon...... Mr. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's homage to William Shakespeare's ditty of tragic and unrequited love "Romeo and Juliet" does certainly begin on a bright and boisterous note with the foot tapping Ramji ki chaal dekho but soon meanders into a predictable and sonorous tale of clannish enimity, plots, sub-plots and self indulgent film making that leaves your head pounding and your feet urging you to make a beeline towards the nearest exit........ What can one say about a tale of tragic love that meanders along without ever causing a ripple or two within your heart or even evoking a tear or plaintive cry for the ultimate fate of the star crossed lovers whose love and lives are bound to be sacrificed at the altar of misplaced honour and pride of the clan and "biradari"........ The melodious songs and more than decent performances of Supriya Pathak, Richa Chadda, Barkha Bisht, Ranveer Singh and last but not the least the charming and effusive Deepika Padukone, but sadly these performances are overshadowed by a barrage of bullets, guns, blood ,gore and machinations that would put both a Chanakya and Machiavelli to shame........ Yes, the opulence, attention to detail and mesmerising camera work that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has come to symbolise over the years is very much in place and does tantalise and tease your senses for a brief interlude; but self indulgent editing and nocturnal film making soon puts paid to the opulence and spectacle and leaves you wringing your head in consternation wondering at what might have been with tighter and brutal editing and attention to story and screenplay rather than spectacle and opulence........ "RAM LEELA" is nothing more than a golden opportunity missed, it promises so much and delivers oh so little like that Hindi proverb "OONCHI DUKAAN PHEEKHA PAKWAAN", one expected so much more from an accomplished and seasoned film maker par excellence a la Sanjay Leela Bhansali but unfortunately your heady expectations are soon drowned in the cacophony and resounding boom of deis tamanchas and AK 56 spin offs......... Catch or rather watch this one at your own peril, or then if you are a glutton for punishment or then afflicted with incurable insomia as the same will induce a sense of such blissful stupor that you might not wish to step out of the air conditioned climes of the auditorium for the next week or so........

PERMAFROST SETS IN??????????

Well, if the ominous signs visible at the "father of the nation's" mausoleum (samadhi) are any yardstick or indicator to go by, the "thaw" in the mostly warm (?) and congenial (?) relations between the Gandhi's and their "pet" prime minister are certainly there for all to see....... Yes, that is indeed right, the two luminaries came eye to eye and face earlier this morning at Rajghat, wished each other courteously and then ended giving each other a wide berth, with Madame Sonia Gandhi placing herself on a pedestal at least fifty odd feet away from her loyal vassal and serf........ You, still don't believe me, or continue to doubt me, well then check out the picture put out on the headlines today webpage as the same is more than self explanatory and worth much more than the cliched thousand words........ A certain "Yuvraj" or heir apparent (Rahul Gandhi) certainly seems to have succeeded in driving a wedge between Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, though many a challenge, controversy and earnest efforts of friends and foes couldn't do so........ For the record and public consumption, Sonia Gandhi has been nothing than more than fulsome in her praise of the prime minister in her last two public rallies and also gone on record saying that the beleaguered prime minister continued to enjoy the unstinted support of the party and such..... But, what she didn't go on to say was that the very same cabinet ministers who were privy to the contents of the now controversial ordinance pertaining to tainted legislators and members of parliament are now conspicuously toeing the line advocated by the heir apparent and also singing hosannas in his praise and benediction heralding him as the new "messiah" and "man of the masses".......... Welcome, to the age of the new and improved (?) Rahul Gandhi, a Rahul who is more than willing to stick out for the much vilified and kicked around Aam Aadmi and is also showing a yearning to be the voice of the same and espouse causes dear to the hearts and minds of the same.......... A flash in the pan or then a belated attempt at countering Modi's "trail blazing" image amongst the middle class and the youth of this gargantuan nation????? Watch this space for further details as a one on one meeting between the two warring satraps is just about coming to an end even as we speak, and the prime minister is slated to meet the president at 12:30 pm and explain his government's reasons for coming up with this nonsensical ordinance as the Yuvraj chose to describe it........ The cabinet meeting slated for 6 pm this evening should be the proverbial last nail in the coffin and give us a more than fair indication of which direction the wind finally blows in........... So let's all hold our horses until then and see where the party president let's her cards fall, though all of us are privy to the fact that she is more than sympathetic to her son's cause........ HAIL INDIAN DEMOCRACY IN THE ERA OF THE GANDHI FAMILY..........

EGG ON HIS FACE??????

Talk about starting with a bang and ending with a whimper and Amritsar Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu's antics surely come to mind...... The MP had made a grandiose announcement about going on a fast unto death as the powers that be in the Punjab government (read the badal father and son) were cold shouldering his parliamentary constituency and playing truant when it came to announcing development projects in the same....... What must be duly noted is the fact that none of the state or central BJP leadership was around to lend Sidhu a helping hand or supporting shoulder when he made this unilateral announcement; one is given to understand that the BJP party president Rajnath Singh did indeed have a telephonic conversation with Mr.Sidhu about the futility of his gesture and tried to dissuade him from doing the same, but then washed his hands off the entire unsavoury episode when the former test cricketer put his foot down........ And so began the tale of Navjot Singh Sidhu's much touted "fast unto death" that wound up within a mere six hours or so on Saturday evening with a letter expressly written by the Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal reassuring the Amritsar MP about the incumbent government's avowed commitment to making Amritsar only second to Chandigarh in terms of development and infrastructure related projects within the next eighteen to twenty four months or so......... One may do well to recall the fact that the deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had very recently reaffirmed his party's intention about making Amritsar "a model of modern development and historical antiquity" (whatever that meant) and also went on to say that tens of major and minor development projects amounting to thousands of crores were on the anvil in the next eighteen months or so......... Will the erudite and effervescent Navjot Singh Sidhu enlighten us as to why he did not take the son's announcement at face value when he was more than willing to wind up his his "fast unto death" within a mere six to seven hours after it's commencement as soon as he received a letter purportedly written by the chief minister of the riparian state......... Wasn't the very same Mr. Sidhu aware of the fact that the son was the real power centre in the coalition government and the father had all but entrusted the administrative responsibilities unto the shoulders of his much younger and far more capable son in view of his advancing years and old age related infirmities......... Whatever it was, the only thing that one can say with a degree of certainty is that Mr. Sidhu ended up with egg all over his face while the Badal duo walked away with all the credit and plaudits for bringing the much neglected Amritsar into the national glare and media limelight once again......... Or then was this amateurish attempt at a face unto death a desperate ploy by the Amritsar MP whose "wanted" posters were put up at many a vantage point by concerned constituents as the MP had been missing in action from his constituency for an inordinately long time on account of his numerous media and television related professional commitments........... One down, many more to come Mr. Sidhu, as this attempt to curry favour with your constituents ended with you falling flat on your face, reinvent yourself and ingratiate yourself with your voters real soon or you might just find yourself relegated to the already formidable number of former or ex Members of Parliament within the next six to seven months or so..........