Latest news with #Divisional
New Indian Express
7 days ago
- New Indian Express
RDC probe into plough pulling punishment to tribal couples in Odisha's Koraput, Rayagada
JEYPORE: The Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), Southern Division has ordered a probe into two incidents of young couples forced to plough fields as a measure of purification and punishment for marrying within the same clan. A senior officer of the RDC office visited Narayanapatana block in Koraput and Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district to inquire about the brutal punishment imposed by villagers on the couples. During two-day visit from Monday to Tuesday, deputy director Ashok Satapathy accompanied by local officials from both districts visited Konjamjodi and Pedaitiki villages where the alleged inhumane acts were committed by tribal community members. The officials conducted awareness meetings in the villages with Kondh community heads, advising them against such inhumane traditions that violate basic human rights. Government officials, PRI members, and members of tribal community participated in the meetings. They also took oath from villagers to not repeat such inhumane traditions and advised them to maintain traditions through normal means without punishing anyone. 'The tribals carried out 'Ambopani' rituals by tying the couple to a yoke and forced them to pull plough on the village road. It was an inhumane and illegal act in the name of tradition. We advised people not to repeat such acts in the future by taking law into their hands.' The ground report will be provided to the RDC after completion of the visit for further action, he added.
Sunday World
11-07-2025
- Sunday World
Dad who blamed 'the Devil' admits to sexual abuse of daughter
The accused, who is in his 50s, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his daughter from October 2007 to March 2008, September 2010 to March 2011 and March to September 2016. A father told his young daughter, "It is the work of the Devil," after he began sexually abusing her at the age of nine, which continued until she was 17 and kicked out of her family. At Mullingar Circuit Criminal Court, and now in her 20s, the woman came forward and delivered a moving victim impact statement. Opening up about being wracked with feelings of guilt and shame from a young age, she firmly told her father "that was over now" and "that little girl finally knows that it was not her fault". The accused, who is in his 50s, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting his daughter from October 2007 to March 2008, September 2010 to March 2011 and March to September 2016. Sentencing was adjourned until November. He is not being named to protect the victim's right to anonymity. Divisional Protective Service Unit Detective Garda Olivia Kelly told the court that it occurred in their family home and began while the child's mother was away. A woman in emotional distress News in 90 Seconds - July 11th The court heard he touched and put his finger in her vagina as he "whispered in her ear", while he had an erection, but he never got her to touch him, and he did not penetrate her with his penis. After the first incident, and before her mother returned, he brought her for a walk and told her, "We need to stop what we were doing; they were wrong, it was the work of the Devil, and the Devil was trying to get into the family, and it needs to stop". It continued, and in the rest of the incidents, he got the girl to lie on top of him and gave her a head-to-toe "body rub" with lotion. He told her not to talk about it, and she kept quiet for years until she confided in her boyfriend after the abuse had stopped. When the child's mother returned, there were more incidents where he was groping her. Her mother also got the accused to give the girl the "sex talk", and he took out his genitals to show her, but she ran out of the room. The court heard her mother was devastated when she found out, crying, angry, and she wanted to confront her husband. A sibling recorded their conversation when they spoke to him about the girl's allegations, and he initially denied it had happened, but then admitted it was true. He left, but she took him back and said he would have to get help for the family, and she blamed the Devil. Still a teenager, she was kicked out of the family home, and one of her siblings told gardaí that the complainant was treated awfully. When gardaí questioned him, he apologised and said, "But I never robbed her of her virginity or anything. I had a bad thing in my life, it was a bad time in my life. I asked God to take it away, it was only showering and rubbing cream on the body, just holding close." In a later interview session, he made some admissions to touching her breast and vagina areas when she was aged 9 – 11 and during a later period of abuse, it was happening once or twice a month, but he did not regard it as molesting, "just touching". In her victim impact statement, the woman also spoke about feeling like the black sheep of the family and a troublemaker, but she was a little girl trying to make sense of it, while her mother believed she made it up. The last words from her mother on the matter were that she forgave the victim. She felt she had lost her parents, whom she had loved, but she told her father in court, "Love is not a free pass and protecting others is more important than staying silent." Judge Keenan Johnson praised her for her bravery and truthfulness. After she made a complaint, triggering the Garda investigation, Tusla became involved with the family. Her father, a foreign national who was described as now living a lonely life, did not address the court and remains on bail. A psychiatric report on the accused, who apologised via his barrister, was requested for the sentence hearing.
New Indian Express
20-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Abandoned by daughters, Andhra couple cancel gift deed
KADAPA: In a strong move to protect the rights of senior citizens, the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) of Jammalamadugu, A Sai Sree, annulled a property gift deed executed by an elderly couple in Proddatur, Kadapa district, after their five daughters abandoned them. The order was issued under Section 23 of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, which empowers authorities to revoke property transfers if children fail to care for their elderly parents. According to official reports, Mallepati Mohan Rao (86) and his wife Gauramma (75), who owned a sweet shop in the town, had gifted their house (Door No. 18/437-A) on Rangayya Satra Street to their daughters through a registered document (No. 29419/2024) on July 23, 2024. However, the couple later alleged that the daughters began neglecting them soon after the transfer, failing to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, and medical care. Left to depend on neighbours and charitable organisations, the couple eventually moved into a retirement home.
Irish Daily Mirror
08-06-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Nearly 19,500 cases of domestic abuse reported to gardai so far this year
Nearly 19,500 domestic abuse incidents have been reported to gardai so far this year, shocking new figures have revealed. Of these, one-third of the incidents were reported in Dublin. However, Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan also warned that this is not the full picture of domestic and gender-based violence incidents and gardai will provide more comprehensive data soon. Labour's Marie Sherlock said gardai must ensure there are enough supports in place to support people who have been brave enough to contact them in the first instance. She asked Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan to confirm the number of reported domestic and sexual-based violence incidents so far this year in each garda district. The data provided included cases that had been logged on the Garda Pulse system as Breach of a Barring Order and Breach of an Emergency Barring Order'. It also included any incident type that was recorded as having a 'domestic abuse' motive. Between the start of the year and May 27, 19,417 cases were reported. Of those, 6,267 incidents were reported in the six Dublin Garda districts (33%). The largest number of reports was in the Northern district of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, where 1,552 people reported domestic abuse. And 1,329 incidents were reported in the Louth/Cavan/Monaghan area, 1,283 in Wexford/Wicklow, and 1,196 in Kildare/Carlow. The lowest number of reports was in Sligo/Leitrim, where there were still 335 reports. Minister O'Callaghan warned Ms Sherlock this was not the 'full breadth of incidents that could be regarded as domestic and sexual based violence'. He said: 'An Garda Siochana and my Department are continuing to work hard to strengthen trust and confidence in the system, so that victims will feel confident to report what has happened to them and get justice. 'The nationwide rollout of Divisional Protective Service Units has ensured that when victims of crimes such as domestic abuse and sexual violence present to gardai, they are met with a consistently high standard of specialist assistance. 'This is not reflective of the full breadth of incidents that could be regarded as domestic and sexual based violence.' Ms Sherlock told the Irish Sunday Mirror that gardai must ensure there is enough support in place for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. She said: 'When you look at certain parts of Dublin, there's certainly a frightening level being reported. 'It requires a huge amount of very sensitive and delicate policing because you're dealing with a complicated set of factors.'
