India

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday said India is now an electoral autocracy in response to media reports on Swedish Institute's democracy report that downgraded India.

Modi-led government in India has used laws on sedition, defamation and counter terrorism to silence critics. India's level of liberal democracy registered a steep decline since its high in 2013. What a shame," he said quoting from the report.

Kolkata, March 12 (PTI) Mamata Banerjee has earned for herself the image of the gutsy political leader, who has weathered physical attacks and injuries in her four-decade- long career to emerge stronger in her public life.

Her comebacks after such incidents saw her attacking her opposition with greater ferocity.

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday claimed India was "no longer" a democratic country, quoting media reports on Swedish Institute's democracy report that downgraded India.

"India is no longer a democratic country," he said on Twitter, tagging a news report citing Sweden's V-Dem Institute's democracy report that has downgraded India from 'world's largest democracy' to 'electoral democracy'.

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) The Delhi assembly witnessed heated exchanges between members of the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP on Thursday, after ruling party MLA Amantullah Khan accused a political party of playing a role in the northeast Delhi riots last year.

Khan, who is the chairman of the Minority Welfare Committee of the Assembly, made the allegation while presenting its report on compensation for the victims of the communal riots that took place in February 2020.

Nandigram (WB) Mar 11 (PTI) Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has declared that her net worth is Rs 16.72 lakh.

Banerjee, who is contesting the Nandigram assembly constituency in Purba Medinipur district, doesn't own any vehicle or property, according to her self-sworn affidavit filed before the Election Commission of India.

The 66-year-old leader's total movable assets are worth Rs 16.72 lakh.

Such assets owned by her were worth Rs 30.45 lakh before the assembly election in 2016.

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) The Congress on Thursday demanded a judicial inquiry into the allegation that a Swedish firm gave a luxury bus to a company linked to union minister Nitin Gadkari, who has denied the charge as "malicious, fabricated and baseless".

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said the reports of the bus contract scam are "indeed very disturbing". She said the prime minister who used to speak about probity in public life is today "forced to be silent. He does not even want to talk about this".

Nagpur, Mar 11 (PTI) A woman has been arrested here for allegedly killing her husband, a police official said on Thursday.

Swati Laxman Malik (28), the accused, was the fifth wife of victim Laxman Ramlal Malik (65), a resident of Jaripatka, police said.

According to police, Laxman had disowned his younger son from Swati as he suspected her fidelity.

Kolkata, Mar 12 (PTI) The health condition of West Bengal Chief MInister Mamata Banerjee, who is nursing injuries suffered during poll campaigning at Nandigram, is stable and her improvement is satisfactory, doctors said on Friday.

Banerjee slept well at night and is responding well to treatment, said doctors at the state-run SSKM hospital, where the TMC supremo was rushed to on Wednesday after being allegedly pushed by unknown people while campaigning for the assembly elections in Nandigram in Purba Medinipore district.

Mahoba (UP), Mar 12 (PTI) A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 15-year-old relative in Uttar Pradesh's Mahoba district, police said on Friday.

The alleged incident took place on Wednesday evening in an area under the Charkhari police station limits, Station House Officer (SHO) Lakhan Singh said.

Based on the complaint of the girl's family, a case in this connection was registered on Thursday, the SHO said.

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Mar 12 (PTI) A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her 50-year-old stepfather in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Friday.

The alleged incident took place on Thursday evening, Ratanpuri Station House Officer (SHO) Vindhyachal Tiwari said.

Police have registered a case of rape based on the complaint of the girl's uncle and arrested her stepfather, the SHO said.

According to the complaint lodged by the girl's uncle, the accused took her to a nearby field and raped her.