Mumbai, November 14: A 19-year-old BCom student from Malad has accused a local transgender gang of forcing him into gender reassignment surgery, blackmailing him and subjecting him to physical and mental abuse over several months. The teen, a resident of Appapada in Kurar village, told police he became friends with Kaveri, also known as Kartik Vedamani Nikam, around a year and a half ago. Through this acquaintance, he met Neha Khan, also known as Neha Ipte, who allegedly headed a transgender group in Malwani.

According to the complaint, the student was called to Neha’s home on August 5, where Neha, Kaveri, Bhaskar Shetty and Mahi allegedly tried to convince him to undergo gender transition. When he refused, they reportedly locked him in a room, assaulted him and forced him to perform obscene acts which were filmed. The video was then allegedly used to demand money. His mother transferred ten thousand rupees out of fear.

Over the next two months, the gang allegedly demanded more money and publicly humiliated him. He says he was beaten, made to wear a saree and forced to beg.

The complaint states that on October 28, Neha, her husband Sohail Khan, their adopted son Bhaskar and others took him to a hospital near Ripple Mall in Surat. There, he was allegedly compelled to sign papers and was subjected to gender reassignment surgery. After returning to Mumbai, he claims Neha poured hot water on his operated area and forced him to do chores. She allegedly demanded four and a half lakh rupees to release him.

The teen escaped on November 4 but was allegedly abducted again hours later. A local resident intervened and he was freed. A zero FIR was filed at Kurar police station before the case was transferred to Malwani police.

“Based on the victim’s statement, we have booked the accused under sections related to conspiracy, kidnapping, sexual assault, extortion and forced medical mutilation,” an officer said. Police have arrested four people and the probe is ongoing.

Patna, Nov 14: AIMIM is showing a strong performance in Bihar’s Seemanchal region, with early trends at 2 p.m. indicating leads in five Assembly constituencies.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), the party is ahead in Jokihat (Araria), Kochadhaman (Kishanganj), Amour (Purnea), Baisi (Purnea), and Thakurganj (Kishanganj).

Notably, four of these seats — Jokihat, Kochadhaman, Amour, and Baisi — were also secured by the party in the 2020 Assembly elections. The trend is significant for AIMIM, which has been attempting to expand its presence in Bihar.

After being left out of the INDIA bloc, party chief Asaduddin Owaisi had declared his intention to contest 100 seats in the state.

However, on October 19, AIMIM formally announced a list of 25 candidates, including two non-Muslims, marking an effort to widen its appeal beyond its traditional support base.

In the previous election, AIMIM delivered a surprise victory by winning five seats, all located in Seemanchal — Amour, Baisi, Jokihat, Kochadhaman and Bahadurgarh in Kishanganj.

The region, comprising Araria, Katihar, Kishanganj and Purnea districts, has 24 Assembly constituencies and is home to a substantial share of Bihar’s Muslim population.

AIMIM had been counting on this demographic to maintain its relevance in the state’s political landscape.

Following the 2020 results, four of Owaisi’s MLAs defected to the RJD, leaving only Akhtarul Iman of Amour with the party. Iman is currently leading once again from his constituency, reinforcing AIMIM’s foothold in its stronghold.

The ruling NDA is heading for a landslide victory in the Bihar Assembly elections, with the latest trends showing the alliance crossing the 200-seat mark as of 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, according to the early trends of the Election Commission of India (ECI) at 2 p.m., the BJP is emerging as the single largest party with a lead in 91 seats, while the JD(U) stood second with 79 seats.

The alliance partners — the LJP(RV) is leading in 22 seats, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) at four, and the HAMS also at four.

The Mahagathbandhan is currently at 36, its worst-ever performance.

New Delhi, Nov 14: BJP’s IT cell Chief Amit Malviya on Friday took a sharp dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as early trends from the Bihar Assembly elections indicated a disastrous performance for the grand old party and its allies.

Reacting to the numbers, Malviya posted on X, “Rahul Gandhi! Another election, another defeat! If there were awards for electoral consistency, he’d sweep them all. At this rate, even setbacks must be wondering how he finds them so reliably.”

He further said that Rahul Gandhi has accumulated 95 defeats for his party.

“While many will call him a 9-to-5 blame-game politician, Rahul Gandhi has now accumulated 95 electoral defeats in two decades, five short of a century. Is the attack on India’s institutions a diversionary tactic by the silver-spoon scion? Malviya questioned.

He also posted graphics of state elections showing when and where the Congress party lost elections after Rahul Gandhi entered electoral politics.

According to the Election Commission, the Congress — which contested 60 seats — was leading in only four constituencies. The broader Mahagathbandhan, comprising the RJD, VIP, and Left parties, was also staring at what appears to be one of its worst electoral outcomes in the state.

Out of Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats, the NDA is headed for a landslide victory, with the BJP leading on 89 seats and its ally JD(U) ahead on 79 at around 1 p.m..

The Congress party’s poor showing has led to criticism from within the party. Senior party leader and former Governor Nikhil Kumar openly questioned the party’s poll preparedness, organisational structure, and candidate selection.

“This reflects the weakness of our organisation,” he said, adding that a political party’s success relies heavily on its organisational machinery. “If the organisation is weak and cannot function effectively, the overall outcome suffers.”

Kumar argued that inadequate groundwork and flawed strategy further damaged the party’s prospects. He said that while the candidates fielded were capable, “even better candidates could have been chosen,” stressing the need for the organisation to work “strategically and intelligently” with a strong presence in every constituency.

He also highlighted internal coordination lapses and a lack of inclusivity in decision-making. According to him, several deserving candidates were ignored in favour of “incompetent” ones — a move that, he suggested, severely undermined the party’s competitiveness in crucial seats.