New Delhi, Aug 6: The withdrawal of permission for Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ event, slated to be held in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, has snowballed into a major controversy with many Congress leaders calling out “shameful” conduct, allegedly at the behest of the BJP government in the state.

Rahul Gandhi was set to address a gathering of students at KP Ground on August 8, but the venue permission has been revoked just two days before the scheduled address. The Kayastha Pathshala Trust, which owns the KP Ground, cancelled the permission citing ‘unsafe conditions’ in light of incessant rains and also a court order.

However, a string of Congress leaders cried foul over the abrupt cancellation of the venue, accusing the BJP of crushing dissent and throttling democracy.

UP Congress chief Ajay Rai saw a “BJP design” in disrupting Rahul’s ‘Chhatron ki Goonj’ events across the country and claimed that the ruling dispensation was making futile attempts to block the LoP’s dialogue with students.

“First Kota (Rajasthan), then Dehradun (Uttarakhand), and now Prayagraj – the BJP government is making futile attempts everywhere to stop this historic dialogue between the youth and Rahul Gandhi,” he said on X.

He asserted that the programme will go on in Prayagraj and also made a fervent appeal to students and examination aspirants to reach the city on the day.

Many Congress MPs and leaders reacted to the cancellation of permission for Rahul’s much-publicised students’ event venue, with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra telling scribes in a one-liner, “Don’t know what they are afraid of”.

Congress MP Vivek Tankha, speaking to scribes on Parliament premises, said, “This amounts to throttling democracy” and questioned the government’s approach in upholding democratic values.

Another Congress MP, Imran Pratapgarhi, called out the “shameful” conduct and slammed the administration over attempts to stop students’ engagement.

“What could be more shameful than this? You are afraid of a students’ programme. You are unwilling to engage with students yourselves, and when the Leader of Opposition goes to interact with them, you cancel the permission for the programme,” he said.

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hassan called the move “unconstitutional”, saying, “In a democracy, everyone has the right to go anywhere, and preventing someone from doing so only reflects the weakness of the government.”

Lucknow, Aug 6: Former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Atiq Ahmed’s youngest son Abaan Ahmed died in a fatal car accident on Thursday, said multiple reports.

The deadly mishap happened on the Jhanshi-Kanpur national highway in Uttar Pradesh while Abaan was on his way to meet his brother, imprisoned in extortion and other cases. Their vehicle apparently crashed into a highway divider, leaving the vehicle in ruins.

Preliminary findings suggest rash driving as the reason behind the deadly crash. The images and visuals that surfaced from the accident site show the scale and intensity of the crash. The car’s front portion was completely wrecked in the collision, as the car purportedly hit a road divider.

Abaan Ahmed, the youngest son of the slain gangster-turned-politician, was said to have been behind the wheel during the mishap, and he was accompanied by four other associates. Abaan and one of his aides died in the severe accident, while three others are said to be seriously injured.

The accident occurred when Abaan and his associates were going to meet his jailed brother Ali Ahmed, who is currently incarcerated in a Jhansi prison.

The car met with an accident near the Poonch area on the highway. The police and local administration swung into action after getting information about the fatal crash, and they shifted the critically injured to a nearby hospital. The doctors declared Abaan Ahmed, along with one other, dead on arrival, while three others were administered initial medical aid and subsequently referred to Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.

The police team reached the accident spot and was investigating the reasons behind the fatal accident. The two dead bodies have also been taken into custody and sent for post-mortem.

According to police, over-speeding and rash driving led to loss of control and are believed to be the key reasons behind the fatal accident.

Abaan Ahmed was the youngest son of Atiq Ahmed, while his elder brother Ali Ahmed is currently lodged in Jhansi jail over involvement in multiple cases.

Ali has been in prison in an extortion case. He is an accused in the February 2023 killing of Umesh Pal, the key witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case.

In 2023, Atiq Ahmed and his brother, Ashraf, were shot dead by three men posing as journalists, as police were taking them for a mandatory medical checkup. The entire episode was beamed live on television, leaving many shocked and appalled over the gruesome murder in full media glare.

New Delhi, Aug 6: The Bombay High Court on Thursday set aside the acquittal of former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in the 2013 sexual assault case involving a junior colleague and convicted him of rape and other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

A Division Bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar allowed the appeal filed by the Goa government against the May 2021 judgment of a sessions court in Mapusa, which had acquitted Tejpal of all charges.

Pronouncing the verdict, the Justice Gokhale-led Bench said that it had convicted Tejpal under Sections 376(2)(f) and 376(2)(k) (rape), 354A (sexual harassment) and 354B (assault or use of criminal force against a woman with intent to disrobe) of the IPC.

The High Court is scheduled to hear the matter on the question of sentence later in the day.

The case stems from allegations made by a junior colleague that Tejpal sexually assaulted her inside an elevator of a luxury hotel in Goa during an event in November 2013.

The Goa Police registered an FIR against Tejpal for offences including rape, following which he was arrested in November 2013 after a local court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

He was granted regular bail by the Supreme Court in July 2014. In May 2021, Additional Sessions Judge Kshama Joshi acquitted Tejpal, holding that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and citing alleged lapses in the investigation, including failure to produce certain evidence such as CCTV footage.

The prosecution challenged the acquittal before the Bombay High Court, contending that the trial court had erred in appreciating the evidence on record.

During the hearing before the High Court, the Goa Police argued that the Sessions Court had focussed on the survivor’s post-incident conduct and background instead of assessing the evidence against the accused.

It also submitted that the trial court ignored material evidence, including an apology email allegedly sent by Tejpal after the complainant raised the allegations with the then managing editor of the publication.

During the hearing on Thursday after the conviction was pronounced, Tejpal’s counsel sought suspension of the conviction for eight weeks to enable him to approach the Supreme Court, submitting that the verdict had reversed an acquittal and highlighting that there was no other criminal case against him.

Addressing the Justice Neela Gokhale-led Bench, Tejpal pleaded for leniency, stating that he believed himself to be a victim and requested the Bombay High Court to take a compassionate view while deciding the sentence.

On the other hand, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta opposed the plea for leniency, contending that the case required a strong message against sexual violence and arguing that “when a girl says no, it means no.”

The High Court adjourned the matter till 2.30 p.m. for hearing on the sentence. The detailed judgment is awaited.