Latest news with #Manju
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Corruption allegations against BJP councillors roil Thiruvananthapuram Corporation council meeting
Corruption allegations against two councillors of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) roiled a council meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation on Thursday, with the councillors of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) demanding the resignation of the accused. Councillors of the rival parties nearly came to blows on more than one occasion in a tense meeting in which no other agenda was discussed. The LDF councillors, who came with placards against the councillors, accused Punnakkamugal councillor P.V. Manju of aiding a coverup in the alleged misappropriation of around ₹3 lakh collected by the local Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) unit as user fee from households in the ward. The issue came to light when some of the members of the unit raised a complaint with the junior health inspector that their monthly wages, which is dependent on the user fee, was delayed. The LDF accused Ms. Manju of organising a meeting at her house to hush up the issue. After media report Though Ms. Manju claimed that she had lodged a complaint with the Poojappura police station on June 23, Mayor Arya Rajendran said that the councillor lodged the complaint only after the media reported it. Although the HKS members had earlier informed her about the issue, she did not report it to the officials concerned. A team led by the Corporation secretary will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the allegations. The Corporation has also lodged a complaint with the Poojappura police station, said the Mayor. The other allegation was against Pappanamcode councillor G.S. Asha Nath, whom the LDF accused of collecting money from beneficiaries for providing the Corporation's application for various schemes. The allegations were based on a social media post that she had made earlier this month in which she claimed that a person who is no longer an office-bearer of the BJP has been collecting money illegally in her name for providing application forms. The LDF alleged that the councillor put up the post as a face saver. Allegations were also raised against Thirumala councillor K. Anil Kumar, who was not present at the meeting, of threatening the Haritha Karma Sena workers to join the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the trade union affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Bharat Mata stickers The entire meeting was drowned in sloganeering and shouting matches. The BJP councillors, all of whom had pinned Bharat Mata stickers on their attire in protest over the ongoing Bharat Mata row, walked into the well of the council hall and got into shouting matches with the LDF councillors. The women councillors of the BJP stepped on to the dais, blocking the Mayor's view as she addressed the council, prompting the women councillors of the LDF to line up behind the Mayor. Ms. Rajendran accused one of the BJP councillors of abusing her family members. The meeting concluded with the passing of all agendas amid the loud sloganeering from both sides.
News18
5 days ago
- News18
Death For Sale: Rs 50,000 To Turn Murder Into Suicide In Sambhal's Postmortem Mafia
Last Updated: A racket now under police scrutiny has led to the arrest of seven individuals and the investigation of over 32 government doctors for allegedly altering death reports for money. She was discovered hanging. Her bruises suggested murder, yet the report stated suicide. In Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district, such contradictions are no mere coincidence – they are transactions valued at Rs 50,000. This is the cost to transform a murder into a suicide, erase signs of torture, or fabricate injury details on official postmortem and medical reports. A racket now under police scrutiny has led to the arrest of seven individuals and the investigation of over 32 government doctors for allegedly altering death reports for money. The scam revolves around a nexus of pharmacists, ward boys, and doctors who allegedly modified crucial medical and postmortem findings for cash. The racket was exposed in a shocking case involving 19-year-old Manju, whose death was falsely reported as a suicide. Her family allegedly strangled her and paid Rs 50,000 to a pharmacist and a ward boy to manipulate the postmortem report. The key suspects, Madhur Arya, a pharmacist at Bahjoi CHC, and Yash Sharma, a ward boy and computer operator, have been arrested. Investigators discovered incriminating WhatsApp chats and transaction records via GPay and PhonePe on Arya's phone, revealing a pattern of systematic tampering in potentially hundreds of cases. The Case That Exposed It All On May 31, Manju was found hanging at her home in Hardaspur village. While her family blamed her boyfriend Pramod, police found inconsistencies. Mobile location data showed the accused weren't near the scene, but Manju's father, brother, and relatives were. Further investigation revealed suspicious calls made by the family just before her death. During interrogation, Arya confessed that Manju's family had killed her and staged a hanging. Arya ensured the postmortem report indicated strangulation as the cause of death to frame her boyfriend. A deal was struck for Rs 50,000. Arya, Manju's father Chandrakesh, her brother Dharmendra, and relatives Jaiprakash and Pravesh were arrested. Yash Sharma, who reportedly edited the report digitally, was arrested days later. How the Racket Worked The operation functioned through informal networks. Bereaved or accused families approached intermediaries like Arya. Deals ranged from Rs 30,000 to Rs 1 lakh, depending on the severity of the case. Sharma, as the computer operator, had access to the postmortem report system and altered findings – changing 'strangulation" to 'hanging," erasing signs of injury, or inflating minor wounds. Communication and payments occurred largely via WhatsApp, Google Pay, and PhonePe. Files were often edited and uploaded onto official portals, bypassing verification. In many cases, doctors allegedly signed reports without verifying the contents. Evidence and Police Action Arya's phone revealed hundreds of chats detailing payments and requests for tampered reports. 'There were clear instructions on what to write and what to delete. Some chats even discussed altering injury photos," a senior officer said. Sharma's device, though mostly wiped clean, still had data pointing to three confirmed manipulations. Police arrested seven people including Arya and Sharma, and flagged 32 doctors for suspected involvement. Sambhal DM Rajendra Pensia held a closed-door meeting with local doctors, presenting the evidence. Some doctors reportedly apologised and pledged not to repeat the misconduct. While Arya was suspended and Sharma dismissed, most doctors received verbal warnings. A three-member inquiry panel has been formed to probe further. Suman's Case: A Vanishing Injury Report In Junawai, another woman, Suman, was found dead with visible injuries and a broken arm. However, her postmortem cited hanging with no external injuries. Arya's chats revealed this case too may have been tampered for a fee. Police now plan to reopen the case. Reforms in Process Sambhal SP Krishna Vishnoi told News18, 'From now on, we will print and hand over crime scene photographs to postmortem doctors to prevent alterations. We've also recommended changes in the online medical portal to flag suspicious edits." While some damage control is underway, the bigger question remains whether such forgery is limited only to Sambhal.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Time of India
Uncles came home to meet 9-year-old's father and drank. Then they raped her
Noida: "I just sit in one place all day." Whether it's about herself, her family, her school, or how she spends her days, nine-year-old Manju (name changed) says little. When we met her on Friday morning, she was running a temperature and had to leave soon to record her statement before the Child Welfare Commission (CWC). If it was a rare morning when she had both her parents by her side, her vacant expression betrayed nothing, her hands firmly clasped. Do you have friends, we ask her. "No," comes the reply. Do you like chocolates? "No." How about ice cream? "No." Her manner began to change soon after school closed for summer vacations on May 15. Both parents were at hand but neither noticed the girl withdrawing into a shell. Every other afternoon, the house – a small servant's quarter of a bungalow of a township in central Noida – had guests. Three of them, her father's friends. They would sit with him and drink. Her father would drink the most, till he passed out. But the friends wouldn't leave when he did. They would, instead, walk up to her next. One day, a packet of chips, another day, chocolates. When they called her "Gudiya", it would make her freeze. The touch would make her recoil. For a month, the three men sexually assaulted her. She could not confide in her alcoholic, ill-tempered father. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Laxmi Ji Idol For Wealth, Peace & Happiness Luxeartisanship Shop Now Undo Her mother was not available – busy with her other family, after she divorced and married again, though a court had ordered she would stay with her. The horrifying sexual exploitation the girl she went through would reveal itself when a doctor examined her on June 17 and asked some questions. She had fallen ill and had high fever. Her father had taken her to the district hospital in Sector 30. "When the doctor asked her if she was feeling any pain during the examination, she pointed to her chest and groin. When the doctor prodded a little further, the child revealed what happened. She said 'three uncles' had stripped and assaulted her repeatedly for nearly a month," a medical staffer at the hospital told TOI. During an examination that followed, no external injuries were found, sources said. "We informed her father and asked him to report the matter to the police," a hospital employee said. "But he began arguing with us. So, we called the police." Police took a statement from her father, and an FIR was filed on June 18. The three men identified by the girl, a security guard, a driver and a man who irons clothes, were arrested. On Friday, as Manju was produced before CWC, she was unable to give a statement. Dr KC Virmani, chairperson of CWC, told TOI, "The child was silent and is displaying signs of trauma. She has been sent to a childcare institute for the time being. She will stay there till it can be assessed that her family environment is safe for her. We have also ordered that her statement should be recorded at the magisterial court on Monday. We will be holding multiple sessions of counselling with the child to speak to her till she feels comfortable to share what happened to her. She will also be sent to a govt hospital for psycho-analysis in line with procedures for safety of children." One of police investigators in the case told TOI the girl's sudden illness was a blessing in disguise. "This case might not have come to light had she not fallen ill and the accused would have continued to exploit her," the officer said. Based on the father's complaint, a case under sections 137(2) (kidnapping) and 75 (sexual harassment) of BNS, along with relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act was registered at Sector 20 police station. After the medical exam, rape charges were added to the FIR. "Over the last month, the three accused took turns on different occasions and raped her," a police officer said.
DW
11-06-2025
- General
- DW
In Tamil Nadu, tribal groups turning forest weed into fuel – DW – 06/10/2025
In the Sathyamangalam forest in Tamil Nadu, tribal communities are cutting down the invasive species lantana camara and converting it into fuel briquettes. Lantana camara might look like just another flowering shrub, but in the forestsof India, it's a silent invader. Introduced during colonial times, this aggressive weed has overrun native vegetation and disrupted local ecosystems. But in Tamil Nadu's Erode district, a green solution is taking root. A social enterprise, TAMS Tribal Green Fuels, is working with Indigenous communities to clear the weed and convert it into biochar briquettes — a sustainable fuel alternative. Turning invasive forest weeds into jobs The initiative isn't just tackling an ecological threat — it's creating stable employment. Workers like Manju, a local tribal woman, now earn a steady income by harvesting lantana, a far cry from the sporadic agricultural work they once relied on. Since 2023, over 500 tonnes of lantana have been collected and processed. Using a combination of mechanical tools and manual techniques, workers cut, shred and transport the weed to a facility where it's turned into high-calorific biochar — ideal for tea factories and industrial boilers. The return of native plant species is showing early signs of environmental recovery, and the cleaner-burning briquettes meet India's eco-regulations. By converting an invasive species into a renewable resource, this initiative solves multiple problems at once: environmental degradation, unemployment and industrial pollution. With over 300 people already employed, the project is scaling not only in impact but also in vision. CEO Jollan Siruvadivel emphasizes long-term goals, supporting budding local entrepreneurs and building a more sustainable future. This is a powerful example of how grassroots innovation, environmental restoration and economic empowerment can work together to turn a crisis into a catalyst for change.
Time of India
04-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Rly staff killed by wife's lover, aide
Lucknow: A railway employee was allegedly killed by his own wife and nephew, who were in an illicit relationship. The murder was carried out with the help of a hired killer, whom the duo paid ₹40,000—₹5,000 of which was paid in advance, police said on Wednesday. The crime occurred on the night of May 24 in Banthra, when Manju Devi, 38, reported that her husband Siddhi Prasad was missing. She claimed he stepped out around 10:30 pm and never returned. His body was found the next morning in a dry pond behind their house in Dariyapur village, bearing head injuries and strangulation marks. "At first, it appeared to be an accidental death. But inconsistencies in Manju's statement and inputs from local sources led to suspicion," said Additional DCP (south) Amit Kumawat. A joint investigation by Banthra police and the south zone surveillance cell revealed the murder was pre-planned. Manju, frustrated with her husband's gambling and alcoholism, conspired with her husband's 25-year-old nephew Akash Verma—her alleged lover—to eliminate Siddhi. The duo roped in Akash's friend Sanjay Kashyap, a Gonda native working in a namkeen factory in Lucknow. "Manju tipped off the killers when the family was away attending a wedding. Akash and Sanjay entered the house, strangled Siddhi with a rope and smashed his head with an iron pipe to ensure his death," said DCP (South) Nipun Agarwal. They then dumped the body in a nearby pond, staging it to look like an accident by placing his slippers, phone, and clothes close by. On Akash's confession, police recovered the murder weapons—rope and iron pipe—from a nearby drain. A case under Section 103(1) of the BNS was registered, later enhanced with sections 238A and 353(3) BNS based on confessions and forensic evidence. While Manju and Akash have been arrested, Sanjay Kashyap is absconding.
