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2008 Malegaon Blast Trial: ATS Officer Denies That He Planted RDX At Accused’s Residence

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Mumbai: An Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer who the National Investigation Agency had claimed had planted RDX at the residence of Sudhakar Chaturvedi, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast trial, on Thursday denied the allegations before a special court. The ATS officer, Shekhar Bagade, who appeared before the court as a witness, said the allegations had been made to defame him.

The ATS has probed the blast case before it was taken over by the NIA, which had given a clean chit to Pragya Thakur and five others in its supplementary chargesheet of 2016, stating that there was not enough evidence to prosecute them. However, it said that Prasad Shrikant Purohit, then a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army, and others were behind the conspiracy.

Pragya Thakur Continues To Face Trial

However, Thakur continues to be on trial as the special court had refused to accept her plea for discharge. The central agency had alleged, on the basis of statements made by a subedar and his superior before a Court of Inquiry, that Bagade had broken into Chaturvedi’s residence and left traces of RDX in 2008, which were later found in a raid by the ATS.

ATS Officer Denies Charges

On Thursday, Bagade refuted before the special court that he was found by two army officials at Chaturvedi’s home planting RDX as evidence in the 2008 blast case. Bagade termed these as allegations and said he has been defamed. Bagade said the NIA has no evidence apart from these statements to make these allegations and claimed that it is a conspiracy against him. He said he had learnt about the allegations for the first time in 2015 and called them an “afterthought”.

Bagade said he is an honest officer and pointed out that his father was in the army. He also denied that he had first asked the subedar to help him with the keys to Chaturvedi’s home and later told him he did not need it. He denied that the subedar and his superior had seen him with a gunny bag rubbing something to the floor of Chaturvedi’s residence.

Crime

Andhra Pradesh Govt Suspends Three IPS Officers Over Actress Harassment Case

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The Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday suspended three senior IPS officers following an inquiry into the allegations made by a Mumbai-based actress, Kadambari Jethwani. The state government issued orders suspending P. Sitharama Anjaneyulu, then Director General of Police, Intelligence; Kanthi Rana Tata, the then Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada, and Vishal Gunni, then Deputy Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada.

She and her parents allegedly faced harassment at the hands of police officers at the instance of a leader of YSR Congress, which was then the ruling party in Andhra Pradesh. The suspensions were issued under Rule 3 (1) of the All India Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1969. Sitharama Anjaneyulu has been suspended on allegations of misuse of power and grave misconduct.

He had allegedly instructed the other two officials to arrest the actress, even before a formal crime had been registered. There are allegations that Kanthi Rana Tata arrested the actress based on oral instructions from his superior on January 31, 2024, before the registration of the FIR on February 2.

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Crime

UP: Man Beats Wife To Death In Amroha For Not Meeting Dowry Demands Of TVS Apache Bike & ₹3 Lakh Cash

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Amroha: In a tragic incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha, a young woman named Meena was brutally beaten to death by her husband, Sundar, for not fulfilling his dowry demands. Sundar, a resident of Baikheda village, had been married to Meena for two years and had persistently demanded a TVS Apache bike and Rs 3 lakh as dowry. Despite repeated harassment over the dowry, Meena was unable to meet his demands, a situation she had confided to her father.

Meena had been staying at her father’s home in Soharka since the festival of Rakshabandhan, possibly seeking refuge from the abuse. Sundar continued visiting her daily, often having meals with her family, creating an appearance of normalcy.

Sundar Brought Meena Back Home, Later Killed Her

On Sunday night, he came to bring her back to his house. Once there, Sundar confronted her again about the dowry and, in a violent fit of rage, attacked her with sticks. Unable to force her compliance, he strangled her to death before fleeing the scene.

It was the local residents who first alerted the authorities to the murder. Upon hearing the devastating news, Meena’s family rushed to the police station, demanding immediate action against Sundar. Her father, Vijay Khadak Banshi, later lodged a formal complaint accusing Sundar, along with his mother, sister and four others, of involvement in the crime.

Case Filed, Manhunt Launched To Nab Accused

The police have registered a case based on the family’s complaint and are actively searching for Sundar, who remains at large. Meanwhile, Meena’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to aid in the ongoing investigation.

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National News

Karnataka BJP MLA Munirathna Booked For Alleged Harassment, Bribery & Casteist Abuse

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Bengaluru, September 14: Two FIRs have been registered against BJP MLA Munirathna for alleged harassment, threats and casteist abuse, police said on Saturday. The cases against the Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA were filed at Vyalikaval police station here on Friday, they said.

In the first FIR filed by BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) contractor, Cheluvaraju, he accused the MLA of demanding Rs 30 lakh as a bribe and threatening to terminate his contract if he did not pay the amount.

In his complaint, he alleged that initially, Munirathna had demanded Rs 20 lakh in 2021 from him over a solid waste disposal contract. However, despite making that payment for getting 10 auto trippers for a waste management contract, he was not sanctioned those vehicles by the civic body.

According to the FIR, Cheluvaraju was being repatedly harassed by the MLA who allegedly verbally abused him and also physically assaulted him. In the complaint, he further alleged that the MLA did not allow him to execute his work and had even slapped him in September 2023.

Along with the MLA, three others, including government officials, were also named in the FIR for allegedly threatening, abusing and harassing the contractor. He also alleged that because of the repeated harassment, he even thought of ending his life, it said. Cheluvaraju has also released an audio recording of a phone conversation between him and the accused MLA.

According to police, the second FIR has been filed against the MLA on the complaint of a BBMP corporator who alleged that the MLA hurled casteist abuse, insulted his caste and family. The MLA allegedly asked Chaluvaraju not to associate himself with the corporator because of his caste.

The FIR was registered under SC and the ST (prevention of atrocities) Act and other sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, police added.

A senior police officer said, “Based on the complaints received, we registered two separate cases against the MLA who has been accused of threats, harassment, bribery and casteist abuse. The matter is being investigated.”

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