Kolkata, Sep 19: The body of a 16-year-old girl was recovered from an empty house in West Bengal Purulia district on Saturday morning, with her family alleging that she was murdered by a minor boy with whom she was reportedly in a relationship and his family members.

The police have launched an investigation following a complaint lodged by the girl’s family. The body was recovered from an empty house in the jurisdiction of Purulia Mufassil Police Station in Purulia town.

The girl’s brother-in-law told local media persons that she had gone missing on Friday night.

“The girl had been missing since last night. We searched throughout the night but could not find her. This morning, she was found dead,” he said.

“We came to know that the girl was in a relationship with a local teenager. She used to go to their house for tuition. But later, she refused to go there for tuition. We suspect that the girl was murdered. We have appealed to the government to ensure that she gets proper justice,” he alleged.

According to the family, the girl had been missing since around midnight. Her body was found on Saturday morning inside an empty house belonging to the family. Her headscarf was allegedly tied around her neck.

The incident triggered mourning in the area, with local residents gathering near the spot. Officers from Purulia Mufassil Police Station reached the location, recovered the body, and sent it to Purulia Medical College and Hospital for an autopsy.

The police said the exact cause of death would be established only after the autopsy report is received. A case of unnatural death has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

The police are also examining the allegations made by the girl’s family.

“The body has been recovered and has been sent for autopsy. A complaint has been lodged by the girl’s family. The allegations made by the family are being looked into. No one has been arrested as of yet. Investigation is on,” a senior officer of Purulia district police said.

The incident comes days after a young man was arrested in Purulia for allegedly killing his girlfriend and carrying her body in a bag on a motorcycle. According to police, the accused rode around with the woman’s body for nearly three to four hours before he was caught by personnel from Balarampur Police Station on September 12.

Indore, Sep 19: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi left Delhi for Indore on Saturday morning to address a large gathering of students, mostly college-goers, under the ongoing ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ series. However, ahead of the event, he showed interest in Poha-Jalebi through a social media post.

Party workers had worked extensively to complete the necessary organisational and security arrangements for the event. His programme is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. while he is expected to reach Indore by 1.30 pm.

According to official information, approximately two lakh participants have registered for the programme.

A day before the event, LoP Gandhi shared a post on his Instagram account asking, “What is Indore serving up—‘poha-jalebi’ or something else?”

The light-hearted query quickly sparked conversations on social media. Since Instagram remains particularly popular among the youth, the post was shared exclusively on that platform.

Indore, widely regarded as the culinary capital of Madhya Pradesh, is famous across the country for its poha, a staple breakfast made from locally procured rice flakes.

By referring to the city’s food culture, LoP Gandhi sought to connect with young audiences ahead of the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ (Students’ Resonance) event.

There is also speculation that he may visit the popular ‘56 Dukan’ area. Five years ago, during an election rally in Indore, LoP Gandhi had visited the food street.

While no additional official engagements have been announced alongside the main student event, Congress leaders have not ruled out the possibility of a brief visit to other locations after his arrival in the city.

Indore’s Sarafa Chaupati and ‘56 Dukan’ remain well-known landmarks for food lovers.

Four years ago, the Pravasi Bharatiya Sammelan was held in Indore and attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the city as one of the new era and specifically mentioned Sarafa Chaupati.

Indore’s poha has long enjoyed special recognition. Even late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, during a visit to the city, had praised the local preparation extensively.

The uniqueness of Indore’s poha lies in its distinctive steam-cooking method, which produces a light, fluffy texture with grains that remain separate.

LoP Gandhi’s visit focusses primarily on engaging with students through the ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ platform, while the culinary reference has added a local flavour to the build-up for the event.

Mumbai, Sep 19: Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday mounted a strong defence of the Thackeray family, alleging that renewed efforts to link them to the Disha Salian case were politically motivated and timed to coincide with the party’s resurgence in Maharashtra politics.

Addressing the media, Raut strongly rejected the renewed allegations surrounding the death of Disha Salian following a Rs 500-crore defamation lawsuit filed by her father, Satish Salian, against former ministers Aaditya Thackeray and Anil Deshmukh.

Satish Salian is expected to personally hand over the defamation notice by visiting Matoshree, the official residence of the Thackeray family at Bandra.

Raut questioned the selective claims of self-respect by complainants, labelling the fresh legal actions as a politically motivated smear campaign controlled by “outside forces.”

Calling Disha Salian’s 2020 death a tragedy that had already been acknowledged as an accident by her father in previous statements, Raut accused political opponents of unearthing resolved matters whenever the Thackeray family gains political momentum.

Moving beyond state politics, Raut levelled high-profile allegations directly targeting the Prime Minister and federal institutions. He alleged taxpayer money collected via UPI is being routed to the U.S. as extortion money to delay the public release of the international Epstein files, warning its fallout would trigger an earthquake in Indian politics.

Referencing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement about the inevitable setting of the sun, Raut claimed it signals the political decline of Prime Minister Narendra Modi before 2029. He dismissed divine comparisons made by supporters, emphasising that the Prime Minister is a human being prone to errors, exhaustion, and false statements.

Raut accused the ECI of operating as a biased tool under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, citing recent arrests of opposition leaders and party symbol decisions as direct blows to democracy. He criticised recent actions, such as the arrest of a Congress candidate in West Bengal over an old protest and decisions regarding party symbols, characterising them as blows to Indian democracy.