Gujarat

Ahmedabad, Mar 18 (PTI) A teenage girl was allegedly raped by a man claiming to be an exorcist in a village in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat, police said Monday.

The parents of the 14-year-old survivor had approached the accused, a self-styled exorcist, for help as their daughter had not been keeping well, said a Kalyanpur police station official in the district.

The incident took place Sunday at Bhatvadiya village, around 400km from Ahmedabad, he said.

Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of playing the "victim card" as she said people of the country were the victims of his "wrong policies".

She was speaking at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the Sardar Patel National Memorial here.

According to sources, the senior Congress leader in her address lashed out at the Modi government for 'politicising' issues related to national interest.

Ahmedabad, Mar 12 (PTI) Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Tuesday joined the Congress in the presence of party president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Justifying his decision to enter active politics ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Patel said he could now work for the six crore people of Gujarat in a better way.

After joining the Congress at its rally near Adalaj village in Gandhinagar district, Hardik in his address asked the gathering if it was the right decision.

Ahmedabad, Mar 10 (PTI) A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a neighbour in Morbi town of Gujarat, a police official said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday when the girl went to the house of the accused, Ramesh Koli, in Indira Nagar locality of Morbi town, located around 200 km from here, to play with his children, he said.

Ahmedabad, Mar 8 (PTI) Patidar community leader Hardik Patel Friday moved the Gujarat High Court to stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case.

The plea seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court would come up for hearing in the coming days.

Hardik has been convicted in a case of rioting and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment, which bars him from contesting an election.

Bhuj, Mar 7 (PTI) An ailing Pakistani prisoner died at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Thursday during treatment, said police.

The prisoner, Mohammad Anin Chaudhary, a resident of Karachi, was lodged at Palara jail near Bhuj town of Kutch district since 2017.

The 66-year-old was arrested by the Jakhau police of Kutch district on charges of illegally crossing the Indo-Pak border in the creek area for fishing, said officials.

Adalaj (Guj), Mar 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said asking the government to account for its work has now become a trend in the country.

He said his government aims to empower the society to conduct more and more social works.

Ahmedabad, Mar 3 (PTI) The Gujarat Congress will not project any one leader as the party's future face as it does not believe in running the show with one or two leaders like the BJP, state party in-charge Rajiv Satav has said.

But, he did not rule out fielding young leaders who emerged in the last few years, like Patidar quota agitation spearhead Hardik Patel, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Ahmedabad, Feb 25 (PTI) A married woman was allegedly raped by a Swaminarayan sect priest in a moving car at knife point in Junagadh in Gujarat, police said Monday.

The accused Swami Anandswarup Dasji allegedly called the woman to meet him under the pretext of helping her to resolve a dispute with her husband, and raped her at knife point in the car on February 18, said a police official from Junagadh, around 320 kms from here.

Gandhinagar, Feb 21 (PTI) The Gujarat Government informed the Legislative Assembly Thursday that more than 400 fishermen from the state are lodged in jails in Pakistan at present.

Fishermen from the state are often apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency for allegedly crossing into that country's waters.

To a question by Congress MLA Chirag Kalaria, fisheries minister Purshottam Solanki said in a written reply that as of December 31, 2018, 433 fishermen from Gujarat were in Pakistani jails.