MINOR AMONG 2 HELD UNDER U.P. ‘LOVE JIHAD’ LAW

LUCKNOW: The police have booked a 17-year-old boy and a 19-year-old man under Uttar Pradesh’s new anti-conversion law, as well as for alleged abduction and rape, in two separate cases registered in Bareilly. The boy, the man, and their victims are all residents of Bareilly’s Nawabganj neighbourhood.

The 17-year-old juvenile accused is in custody and will be tried as a minor, Bareilly’s senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rohit Singh Sajwan said. A student of class 12, he was booked for allegedly abducting a 15-year-old girl who is a student of Class 9. The two met at a coaching centre. In the other case, the 19-year-old man, also a Muslim, has been accused of abducting a 16-year-old student of Class 10 and taking her to Bhilwara in Rajasthan.

Commenting on both cases, SSP Sajwan said: “The accused, who took the girl to Jaipur, is admitted in hospital for some treatment. He has been taken into custody while the other accused has been arrested by the Bhilwara policer. We are pursuing both the cases.” He said the 17-year-old had been admitted in hospital for treatment of an old illness, and denied any possibility of police personnel having used force on him.

GUWAHATI: Prohibitory orders were imposed in Hailakandi district of Assam on Wednesday after at least six people were injured and several houses set afire, officials said.

The violence erupted when residents of areas along the Assam-mizoram border clashed over the construction of a road at Kachurtal area of Jhalnacherra in the district on Tuesday, the officials said.

“There was a quarrel on the construction of a road on the Assam-mizoram border on our side. Some Mizoram residents obstructed construction of the road and it led to a fight between residents of both states and several people got injured,” said Dilip Kumar Dey, DIG (Southern Range), Assam Police.

There have been several territorial disputes between the two states that share a 164-km boundary. Dialogues held since 1995 to resolve the problem have yielded little results.

“Three persons on our side got injured. When our personnel reached the spot they dispersed the mob. But while returning to Mizoram, the miscreants burnt down at least 18 houses on the Assam side,” he said. Personnel from the state police and central para-military forces have been deployed in the area.

NEW DELHI: India’s death rate among individuals who received the Covid-19 vaccine is one of the lowest in the world. With 23 deaths reported in persons post immunisation till date, the percentage of deaths of the total vaccinations is as low as 0.0003%, shows government data released on Wednesday.

Of the 23 deaths, nine persons died in the hospital while 14 deaths are recorded outside the hospital. The government has maintained that none of the deaths have been casually linked to Covid-19 vaccination, highlighting the fact that both the vaccines approved for use in India are supremely safe. “There is no doubt about it that both the vaccines are very safe. The adverse reactions are as low as one in 14, which is miniscule in comparison,” said Dr VK Paul, member (health), Niti Aayog.

As per the Union health ministry data, 6.8 million healthcare and frontline workers have been vaccinated till today with about 200,000 beneficiaries vaccinated on Wednesday.