Gangrape fallout: MP may ask coaching centres to close by 8 pm
BHOPAL: Under fire over the alleged gangrape of a 19-year-old woman while she was returning from coaching classes, the Madhya Pradesh government is mulling to direct private educational centres to wind up teaching activities by 8 pm, or ensure safety of students leaving after that.
The woman was allegedly abducted and raped by four men near railway tracks in the vicinity of the Habibganj train station here on the night of October 31 when she was returning home after attending her coaching classes.
“We are going to hold a meeting with the people running the private education centres and coaching institutes shortly,” Minister of State for School Education Deepak Joshi said.
He said they would tell the owners of the institutes that if they want to remain open after 8 pm, then they should keep a tab on the safety of the students. “Using smartphones, the owners of the centres and institutions can keep a tab on their students. We are going to ask them to do so,” the minister said. “Our IT team has suggested that it was not a tough task to keep a watch on the students using smartphones after 8 pm,” he said. The 19-yearold college student was allegedly gangraped on the night of October 31 when she was returning home after attending coaching classes.
The Government Railway Police (GRP) had arrested three men while another accused is on the run. The woman reportedly made rounds of various police stations to lodge an FIR but was allegedly turned away over ‘jurisdiction’ of the crime. She was able to file her complaint two days after the incident.
Following the public outrage, five police officers were suspended and three transferred. LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh urban local body polls is likely to see the BJP coming out with its election manifesto, which may be similar in nature to its Lok Sankalp Patra, which the saffron party had brought out before assembly polls.
Uttar Pradesh will witness three-phase civic polls from November 22, making it the first electoral examination for the ruling BJP, which stormed to power in the assembly elections earlier this year with a massive mandate.
“The party is planning to come up with an election manifesto for urban local body elections. The main aim is to ensure overall improvement of municipal corporations and other urban local bodies in the state. Through the manifesto, the endeavour of the party will be to establish a direct connect with the public and find alternatives to their problems,” UP BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said.
“The focus of the manifesto will be a pledge to simplify the complex tax structure, while also simultaneously increasing the municipal tax ambit and bring more and more people under the tax net. At the same time, focus will be laid on strengthen urban public transportation and improve drinking water,” he said.
Exuding confidence that the party will make a clean sweep in urban local body polls, Tripathi said, “We aim to win all 16 municipal corporations this time. It will be a hat-trick for us after the massive wins in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and the 2017 assembly polls.”
As per the election schedule, 24 districts will go to polls on November 22, while 25 districts on November 26, and 26 districts on November 29.
Counting of votes polled for 16 nagar nigams, 198 nagar palika parishads and 438 nagar panchayats will be done on December 1.