New Delhi, Sep 23: Congress leader Abhishek Dutt on Wednesday reacted to Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) shifting classes online following the alleged gang rape of a minor in Delhi’s Aastha Kunj Park, saying the move sends a ‘big message’ about women’s safety in the national capital.

“When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi,” Dutt said.

The remarks came as Lady Shri Ram College for Women cancelled regular classes on Tuesday and shifted them to online mode for Wednesday following the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at a park nearby, with the college administration stating that the safety of its students remained its top priority.

Speaking to media, Dutt said, “There is a big message for the country. LSR College is one of the top colleges in the world and its alumni are spread across the country. When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi.”

“Sadly, the people who raped the minor girl posed as police officers. The way several private individuals were seen carrying police batons at Jantar Mantar shows that the fear of the law has disappeared from the minds of criminals. Most Delhi Police officers are deployed for the security of VIPs, while the safety of ordinary people is being neglected,” he added.

Dutt also reacted to Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s direction to create a dedicated ‘Pink Force’ for women’s safety, questioning the existing deployment of women personnel and policing infrastructure in Delhi.

“The LG makes political statements. First, the LG should tell us how many women personnel are there in the Delhi Police. How many metro stations are there in Delhi, and do they have adequate policing? There is a shortage of around 12,000 security personnel in the Delhi Police. At least 50 police personnel remain deployed at the LG’s residence. Merely making statements will not achieve anything,” he said.

“The LG should immediately review the security provided to all MPs, MLAs, former MLAs and BJP leaders in Delhi, where anywhere between two and 50 police personnel have been deployed with them. If the Delhi Home Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Delhi Chief Minister, MLAs and MPs are not safe, then expecting the safety of ordinary people is a distant prospect,” Dutt added.

On Tuesday, Sandhu directed the police to draw up a dedicated force on the lines of the Goa Police’s Pink Force, with women personnel deployed at identified hotspots, particularly during vulnerable hours.

The move came amid four separate cases of alleged rape or sexual assault involving minors reported across Delhi in about 10 days.

New Delhi, Sep 23: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) row, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and election officials of wrongdoing and issued a warning, saying that the “time will come, we will not spare you”.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi said, “‘Vote chori’ is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our Constitution.”

“The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” he said.

Gandhi also shared a video in which he said, “Main Election Commission aur election officers ko saaf keh raha hoon. Aap jo kar rahe ho, galat kar rahe ho (I am clearly telling the Election Commission and election officers: What you are doing is wrong).”

“Ye treason hai. Yeh rajdroh hai. Time aayega! Hum aapko pakdenge, bachne wale nahi ho (This is treason. This is an act of sedition. The time will come! We will catch you; you will not be able to escape),” he added.

The latest controversy comes after a leading daily published an investigative report claiming that on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, two Election Commissioners had objected on record to steps taken by the Commission.

According to the report, the objections related to a range of decisions and processes, including allegations that the commissioners were kept in the dark about certain matters and issues concerning the addition of new voters and deletion of names from electoral rolls.

Earlier in the day, the ECI rejected a report by a leading newspaper claiming that two Election Commissioners had “objected on record” to several decisions taken by the poll panel, allegedly without their knowledge.

People familiar with the developments and having direct knowledge of the matter said that no Election Commissioner had recorded any dissent on the decisions taken by the poll body. They said the two commissioners had only made certain observations, which were subsequently examined by the Commission.

Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said that all decisions taken by the poll body in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee.

He also demanded that the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process, which is currently underway across several parts of the nation, should be immediately suspended.

New Delhi, Sep 23: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday expanded its footprint in Meghalaya as eight sitting legislators of the regional outfit in the state — United Democratic Party (UDP) joined it, increasing the BJP’s strength in the 60-member state Assembly from two to 10.

The legislators were formally inducted at the BJP headquarters in the national capital in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, national spokesperson and Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, and other senior party leaders.

Those who joined the BJP are Lahkmen Rymbui, Kyrmen Shylla, Balajied Kupar Synrem, Synshar Kupar Roy Lyngdoh Thabah, Pius Marwein, Mayralborn Syiem, Ollan Sing Suin and Matthew Beyondstar Kurbah.

Welcoming the eight MLAs into the party, Rijiju said their decision was influenced by the development initiatives undertaken by the Narendra Modi-led government in the Northeast.

He said the Centre’s increased focus on the region had altered its political and developmental landscape, contrasting it with the approach of previous Congress-led governments.

Rijiju also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had maintained sustained engagement with the Northeast and had visited the region more than 80 times for development programmes and outreach, excluding election-related visits.

The Union Minister said the entry of the eight legislators would further strengthen the government led by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and improve coordination among the BJP and its NDA partners in the state.

The political shift reduces the UDP’s strength from 12 MLAs to four, while the BJP now has 10 legislators and becomes the second-largest party in the Assembly after the National People’s Party (NPP), which has 33 MLAs.

The eight legislators had reportedly held discussions with the BJP leadership on several issues, specific to Meghalaya, before making the switch. Among the matters raised were the demand for the inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, coal mining-related concerns, implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and the proposed relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong.

Kyrmen Shylla had earlier said that the group was seeking assurances from the BJP leadership on these issues before the decision to join the party.

The latest development is expected to have a bearing on the political equations in Meghalaya ahead of the next Assembly elections.