India

Veraval (Guj), Mar 11 (PTI) A 55-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, police said on Wednesday.

The police on Monday arrested Bhikhabhai Sidi for allegedly raping the minor who was visiting a relative at Chhachhar village with her mother, an official from Talala police station said.

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) In a scathing attack on the Centre in Lok Sabha over the recent Delhi riots, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said there is a "tsunami of Hindutva hate" and called for an impartial probe to find the perpetrators of the violence.

Some of his remarks evoked sharp response from the Treasury benches, with at least two Union ministers -- Ravi Shankar Prasad and Kishan Reddy -- registering their protest.

Bhopal, Mar 11 (PTI) Former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, will file his nomination papers for the March 26 Rajya Sabha polls from Madhya Pradesh here on Friday, said a saffron party spokesman.

Earlier in the day, the BJP named Scindia as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh, where three seats are falling vacant, soon after he joined the party.

Mumbai, Mar 11 (PTI) Two persons from Mumbai on Wednesday tested positive for coronavirus, taking the number of such cases in Maharashtra to 10, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said.

There are eight coronavirus positive cases in Pune, the chief minister told reporters at Vidhan Bhawan.

Chennai, Mar 11 (PTI) The Madras High Court on Wednesday set aside a single judge's order which had held Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi cannot interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the elected government in the union territory.

It ruled that the Centre will take the final decision in matters referred by the Administrator (Bedi) in case of difference of opinion between her and the union territory government.

Gandhinagar, Mar 11 (PTI) Over 2,700 cases of rape, were registered in different parts of Gujarat in the last two years, the BJP government in the state told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.

As many as 2,723 cases of rape and gang-rape were registered in two years, which comes to around three to four such cases everyday, revealed the data shared by the Gujarat government during the Question Hour of the Assembly session today.

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Union minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday said the institution of Lokpal is fully functional in the country.

In a written reply to questions in Lok Sabha, the Minister of State PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said the President, on the recommendation of the duly constituted Selection Committee, appointed the Chairperson and eight members of the Lokpal who assumed charge of their offices on March 23 and 27 last year respectively.

Jalna, Mar 11 (PTI) A court here in Maharashtra has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl nearly five years ago.

District and sessions court judge S G Vedpathakon Monday convicted the accused, Sanjay Ranghnath Havare, a resident of Rohanwadi here, and awarded him life imprisonment, assistant government pleader Varsha Mukimsaid.

Sukma, Mar 12 (PTI) A District Reserve Guard jawan was killed by suspected Naxals in Chhattisgarh's insurgency-hit Sukma district, a police official said on Thursday.

The body of assistant constable Kadti Kanna was found near his village Argatta under Dornapal police station area on Thursday morning, the official said.

Mainpuri (UP), Mar 12 (PTI) A girl was found dead with strangulation marks in a village under Dannahar police station limits here, police said on Thursday.

The girl had gone missing since Monday and her body was spotted by locals in bushes on Tuesday morning, they said.