Over 2,500 Arrested In Assam Crackdown On Child Marriage

As the total number of arrests in the continued drive against child marriage in Assam reached 2,528 on Tuesday amid protests by affected women outside transit camps, the DGP said the biggest challenge for the force now is filing charge sheets within the stipulated timeframe.

The police during the day arrested 87 more people in the crackdown, which started on Friday.

"Crackdown continues. Total arrest so far - 2528," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a tweet.

Protests against the arrests by women activists were reported during the day from Matia in Goalpara district and Silchar in Cachar district.

They protested before a transit camp in Matia and a stadium in Silchar, which were converted to temporary jails to accommodate those arrested in child marriage cases. Four of the protestors were arrested in Silchar and released on personal bond, police said.

The Director General of Police (DGP) G P Singh said that the biggest challenge for the police is now to file charge sheets within a 60 to 90 days period.

Singh said that the police did not aim to harass anybody but its role was to stop child marriage completely in the state by the next two to three years.

"We have registered 4,074 cases and over 2,500 people have been arrested till this morning. All the accused in these cases have been identified and they will be arrested and charge sheets filed against them," Singh told PTI.

On the 65 accused people already securing bail, the DGP said the focus is on ensuring that charge sheets are filed within the stipulated time frame.

"Bail is okay. To me, it is not important who stays in jail for how long. It is important that they have to be charge-sheeted and they face the music of law," he asserted.

Chairperson of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) Sunita Changkakoti told PTI that the crackdown was a much-awaited move and it will send a strong message to the society against this menace.

"We have been campaigning against child marriage for long and hold regular district review meetings in which we involve all stakeholders, including government departments like the health and education and NGOs. A concerted effort by all sections of society can help in ending the problem," she said.

The Assam police had launched the crackdown on child marriage on Friday with over 2,000 people, including Hindu and Muslim priests who officiated these weddings, arrested within the first two days.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier asserted that the drive will continue till the 2026 Assembly election.

Justifying the crackdown, Sarma had pointed out that teenage pregnancy accounted for nearly 17 per cent of over 6.2 lakh pregnant women last year in the state.

The opposition parties have criticised the manner in which it is being carried out, terming the arrests of teenage husbands and family members as "abuse of law" for political gain and equating the police action with "terrorising people".

State Congress president Bhupen Bora had said a humane approach was needed in dealing with the issue.

The AIUDF had claimed that the state government was cracking down on child marriage under provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) "without framing the requisite rules".

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had said that the Assam government should have concentrated on increasing literacy levels if it was actually seized of the problem of child marriage.

The state cabinet had recently approved a proposal to book men who have married girls below 14 years of age under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).

Cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the age group of 14-18 years, the cabinet had decided.

The offenders will be arrested and the marriages declared illegal.

Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary cause as an average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age, according to reports of the National Family Health Survey.

Of the 4,004 cases of child marriage registered recently, the highest was reported in Dhubri (370), followed by Hojai (255), Udalguri (235), Morigaon (224) and Kokrajhar (204).

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/ML9nVRP

Comedian Shares How She Was Mistaken For PV Sindhu, Internet Reacts

Crossing path with people who bear an uncanny resemblance to popular personalities is not rare. In such scenarios, people usually get excited and sometimes forget that the person is not actually a celebrity. This is what happened with a stand-up comedian recently. 

Abby Govindan, a 25-year-old stand-up comedian and writer based in the United States, was approached by a man at an airport in India. Taking to Twitter, Ms Govindan shared how the man asked for a picture with her and how she got all excited to be recognised. However, her excitement came crashing down when she realised the man had mistaken her for badminton star PV Sindhu. 

"Guy at the airport in India asked for a picture with me and I was so excited to be recognized until he said "I'm a huge badminton fan" and I realized he thinks I'm PV Sindhu," the 25-year-old wrote on Twitter. 

Take a look below: 

guy at the airport in India asked for a picture with me and I was so excited to be recognized until he said “I'm a huge badminton fan” and I realized he thinks I'm PV Sindhu

— abby govindan (@abbygov) February 6, 2023

Ms Govindan posted the tweet on Monday, and since then it has accumulated more than 1,600 likes and over 170,000 views. 

In the comment section, one user jokingly wrote, "She's like a foot taller than you, how did he mess that up so bad?" To this, the comedian replied, "She is 2 inches taller". 

Also Read | AI-Generated Baby Portraits Of 'Shark Tank' Judges Go Viral, Anupam Mittal Responds

Another user said, "Ngl (Not going to lie) you do look a tiny bit like her". A third hilariously commented, "At least he didn't say."I'm a huge tennis fan," and call you Sindhu." 

"This is hilarious bye," added fourth. "I'm cracking up," wrote fifth.

Meanwhile, in a similar incident last year, a hilarious video of a doppelganger of Ashneer Grover caught the attention of social media users. In the video, a man was seen energetically chanting and clapping. He was also seen wearing similar glasses to that of the former Shark Tank India judge. The clip drew many reactions on social media including one from Mr Grover himself. 
 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/tnFZqNb

'वेलेंटाइन डे मनाने के लिए मेरी मदद करो', फैन के सवाल पर दिनेश कार्तिक ने दिया Weird जवाब

दिनेश कार्तिक सोशल मीडिया पर काफी एक्टिव रहते हैं. वह अक्सर सोशल मीडिया पर फैन के सवाल का जवाब देते है. एक शख्स ने दिनेश से ऐसा अजीबोगरीब सवाल पूछा कि कार्तिक भी जवाब देने में नहीं हिचकिचाए. उन्होंने फैन के सवाल पर अजीबोग़रीब जवाब दिया.

from Latest News क्रिकेट News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/GbTIknK

ZIM vs WI : अंग्रेजों ने बेइज्‍जत कर भगाया! जिम्‍बाब्‍वे लौटकर जड़ा सैकड़ा...2 देशों के लिए शतक ठोककर रच दिया इतिहास

वेस्‍टइंडीज की टीम ने जिम्‍बाब्‍वे दौरे (Zimbabwe vs West Indies) के दौरान पहले बैटिंग करते हुए छह विकेट के नुकसान पर 447 रनों पर अपनी पारी घोषित की. जिम्‍बाब्‍वे की टीम पहली पारी के दौरान 379 रनों पर ही ऑलआउट हो गई.

from Latest News क्रिकेट News18 हिंदी https://ift.tt/STsDpnf

Netflix To Make A Film On Prince Andrew's Explosive 2019 Interview, Reveals Cast

In 2019, BBC's explosive interview with Queen Elizabeth II's son Prince Andrew wherein he talked about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, made headlines around the world. The interview is widely credited as being the final nail in the coffin of Prince Andrew's public role. 

Cut to 2023, Netflix has started production on 'Scoop'-a new movie based on the infamous interview, which provides a behind-the-scenes account behind the drama. The film is adapted from McAlister's book 'Scoops: Behind The Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews', which shares details of what actually happened behind the scenes of the interview. 

Now, Netflix has revealed that it has cast Gillian Anderson to play former BBC news anchor Emily Maitlis, who conducted the infamous exchange. The actress is best known for her roles in the TV series The X-Files, The Fall and Sex Education. 

Meanwhile, Rufus Sewell has been cast as the disgraced royal, Billie Piper as TV producer Sam McAlister, who negotiated and secured the interview, and Keeley Hawes as Andrew's former private secretary Amanda Thirsk, Variety reported. Emmy and BAFTA winner Philip Martin is set to direct the project. 

In a tweet, Netflix UK and Ireland shared the update and wrote, ''Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell will star in SCOOP - a film based on Sam McAlister's memoir giving the inside account of Newsnight's bombshell interview with Prince Andrew.''  

See the tweet here:

Gillian Anderson, Keeley Hawes, Billie Piper and Rufus Sewell will star in SCOOP – a film based on Sam McAlister's memoir giving the inside account of Newsnight's bombshell interview with Prince Andrew. pic.twitter.com/OibWwtrTio

— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) February 7, 2023

Netflix said the film will give viewers the "inside track" on how Price Andrew came to be grilled by presenter Emily Maitlis over his relationship with late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in November 2019. In the same interview, he was also asked questions about Virginia Giufffre's claims that she was forced to have sex with him under the orders of Jeffrey Epstein. He strongly denied the claims throughout the interview. However, Prince Andrew infamously claimed that he had remained friends with Epstein, even after he had been released from prison. 

Following the interview, the Duke stepped down from public life and was stripped of many of his patronages and roles. 

"The inside track of the women that broke through the Buckingham Palace establishment to secure the scoop of the decade that led to the catastrophic fall from grace of The Queen's 'Favourite son. From navigating Palace vetoes to breaking through to Prince Andrew's inner circle, the high stakes negotiations and intensity of rehearsal - to the jaw-dropping interview itself.,' reads the film's logline, according to Hollywood Reporter.  

No set release date has been given for 'Scoop' yet, and the film is currently in production. 

Philip Martin, who directs Scoop, said in a statement, "Uptempo, immersive and cinematic, I want to put the audience inside the breathtaking sequence of events that led to the interview with Prince Andrew - to tell a story about a search for answers, in a world of speculation and varying recollections. It's a film about power, privilege and differing perspectives and how - whether in glittering palaces or hi-tech newsrooms - we judge what's true.'' 

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/3FmeDQo

Jharkhand Woman, Differently Abled Daughter Killed In Fire At Home

A septuagenarian woman and her 35-year-old daughter were charred to death in a fire that broke out in their house in Khunti district on Tuesday, a police officer said.

The victims were identified as Susana Kashyap,75, and her physically challenged daughter Pushpa Kashyap of Amritpur Mohalla, about 40 km from Ranchi, after the fire-fighters doused the fire.

Short-circuit was stated to be the cause of the fire. The old woman and her daughter were trapped inside their house in the fire.

"We came to know about their death only when the fire-brigade personnel retrieved the bodies after they doused the flames," local residents said.

They said the daughter was handicapped and speech impaired, so she could not even scream for help.

Officer-In-Charge of Khunti police station Inspector Pintu Kumar told PTI that police is investigating the incident from all angles including the possibility of a conspiracy behind it.

However, he said, police did not find any clue of conspiracy after interrogating the victims relatives and local residents.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered based on the statements of the relatives.

from NDTV News Search Records Found 1000 https://ift.tt/fkdu5NM