New Delhi, Oct 16: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the alleged assault and inhuman treatment of a married woman by her husband and family members in Gujarat Surendranagar district. In a separate matter, the NHRC has also taken suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the alleged contamination of borewell water in Maharashtra Nashik district.

Observing that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights, the apex human rights body has issued notices to the Surendranagar District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

The NHRC said the report is expected to include the current health status of the victim and details of any compensation paid to her.

According to the media report, the woman and the man she was living with, were allegedly tracked down by the husband and family members of the woman. They were enraged over her living with the man.

They brought them both back to Surendranagar under the pretext of conducting a “purification ritual”.

The woman was allegedly beaten with sticks, kicked and tied to a tree. The accused also allegedly forced the man accompanying her to rape her.

The incident reportedly came to light after a video of the alleged assault was circulated on social media.

In another matter, the NHRC has also taken suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the alleged contamination of borewell water in Dattanagar locality near the Ambad Industrial Area in Maharashtra’s Nashik district due to the seepage of chemical-laden factory effluents.

The apex human rights body has issued a notice to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

It has also sought comments from the Maharashtra State Pollution Control Board.

The NHRC observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights.

According to the media report, carried on October 7, residents of Dattanagar have allegedly been receiving contaminated borewell water for the past two months due to the seepage of chemical-laden effluents allegedly discharged from factories in the adjoining industrial area.

The report stated that children had been advised not to attend schools, while doctors had advised women in the locality to avoid pregnancy.

The residents are reportedly spending around Rs 5,000 per month on purchasing clean drinking water, besides incurring substantial expenses on medical treatment.

Kanpur, Oct 16: Two wanted accused who were absconding in connection with a cow slaughter incident in the Nawabganj police station area were injured in a police encounter in the Fazalganj police station area in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur on Friday.

Police arrested both accused and admitted them to a hospital for treatment. They are being interrogated in connection with the case.

According to police, the cow slaughter incident occurred during the intervening night of October 7 and 8, in the Nawabganj police station area. After cow remains were recovered from the spot, police registered a case under relevant sections of the law.

Teams comprising the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit, surveillance, cyber and Nawabganj police were formed to investigate the case. Police arrested one accused on Thursday, while the search for the remaining suspects continued.

On October 16, police received information about the presence of two wanted accused in the Fazalganj police station area. Acting on the tip-off, teams from Fazalganj police station, SWAT, surveillance and the cyber unit jointly launched a search operation and cordoned off the area.

Police claimed that the accused opened fire at the police team with the intention of killing the personnel. In retaliatory firing, both accused sustained gunshot injuries.

The injured accused were subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Atul Srivastava said the accused were being interrogated and that further legal action would be taken based on the facts and evidence gathered during the investigation.

Separately, on October 15, two veterinary officers were suspended over alleged serious negligence in connection with the recent deaths of cattle during heavy rainfall in Badaun.

Departmental action was ordered against the Chief Veterinary Officer, while the Divisional Additional Director was directed to submit a response within 15 days. Suspension and disciplinary action were also recommended against the Block Development Officers of the two blocks concerned.

Bhiwadi, Oct 16: The police have arrested two accused, Shahid and Salman, in connection with the theft of copper coils worth approximately Rs 1.50 crore from a private company in Bhiwadi in Rajasthan Khairthal-Tijara district.

The accused conspired with a security guard, drugged a worker and a gunman, and stole the goods from the warehouse. A police team led by Station House Officer (SHO) Sachin Sharma made the arrests.

SHO Sharma said a case was registered at Bhiwadi Police Station following a complaint by warehouse in-charge Mahesh Chandra Sharma.

According to the complaint, on the night of June 9, security guard Ramnarayan, gunman Mukesh Kumar and worker Balmukund were on duty at the warehouse. As part of a planned conspiracy, Ramnarayan mixed a drug into a cold drink and gave it to the worker and the gunman, causing them to lose consciousness.

Subsequently, unidentified outsiders, allegedly acting in collusion with the guard, damaged the warehouse’s CCTV cameras and loaded two copper coils into a vehicle before fleeing.

During the investigation, police examined CCTV footage from the surrounding area, gathered information from informants, sought assistance from the cyber team and questioned suspects arrested in other theft cases.

Following a detailed investigation, police arrested Shahid, son of Salim, and Salman, son of Ishayak. Both accused are residents of Risaldaran under the Sikandrabad police station area of Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district.

Police said the accused sold the stolen copper coils to an unidentified scrap dealer in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and spent the proceeds on luxuries and drugs.

According to police, the duo are habitual offenders who targeted drug-addicted security guards and workers at companies to facilitate copper thefts.

Police further stated that several criminal cases have previously been registered against both accused.

Further investigation is underway to recover the stolen property and establish the full extent of the alleged conspiracy.