Indian Sub-continent

Mumbai, Feb 22 (PTI) The Mumbai police's crime branch has arrested four persons in connection with a pornography-related case lodged against actor Gehena Vasisth, an official said on Tuesday.

The property cell of the crime branch on Monday arrested four persons, including a casting director, the official said.

At least three FIRs had been registered against Vasisth last year for allegedly creating pornographic content and uploading them on some OTT platforms.

Muzaffarnagar, Feb 22 (PTI) A woman was allegedly raped by a youth in a forest area near Purkazi here after giving her a lift on his bike, police said on Tuesday.

Accused Dilshad Ahmad has been arrested and a case was registered against him under section 376 of the IPC, and under SC/ST act, they said.

According to the complaint lodged by the victim's husband, the incident took place on Sunday when the accused Ahmad offered lift to the victim and then took her to a nearby forest and raped her.

The victim has been sent for medical examination.

Bengaluru, Feb 22 (PTI) The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday said it wishes to dispose of the Hijab related case this week itself and sought the cooperation of all the parties involved.

As soon as the court proceedings began, a lawyer appearing for the petitioner girls requested the full bench of the Karnataka High Court for some relaxation to the Muslim girls who wish to appear in the schools and colleges with Hijab. They had moved the court against the hijab ban.

Mumbai, Feb 22 (PTI) The BSE benchmark Sensex tanked over 1,000 points and the NSE Nifty cracked below the key 17,000-level in opening deals on Tuesday, mirroring a rout in the global equity markets.

The Sensex was trading 1,015 points or 1.76 per cent lower at 56,668.60, and the Nifty quoted 285.40 points or 1.66 per cent lower at 16,921.25 -- extending their losses to the fifth session in a row.

All the 30 Sensex constituents were trading with significant losses.

Kolkata, Feb 21 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that a special investigation team (SIT) will be formed to probe student leader Anish Khan's "mysterious" death that has sparked widespread protests by opposition parties.

Banerjee, who also holds the Home (Police) portfolio, said that the SIT will submit its report to her within 15 days.

She also claimed that the former Left leader, who later joined the Indian Secular Front, used to keep in touch with her party, the Trinamool Congress.

Kannur (Ker), Feb 21 (PTI) After a brief lull, violence has reared its ugly head in Kerala's politically sensitive Kannur district with the killing of a CPI(M) activist in a coastal village here early on Monday.

Haridasan, a fisherman, was allegedly attacked by a gang of assailants in front of his house at Punnol near New Mahe at around 1.30 AM while he was returning home after work, they said.

The 54-year old was rushed to a hospital in Thalassery by the neighbours who reached the spot hearing the sound but died on the way, police said.

Etawah, Feb 21 (PTI) A case for the violation of the election code has been registered against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as he spoke to the media inside a polling centre when voting was in progress, an official said on Monday.

District Magistrate Shruti Singh said on Sunday when polling was in progress at a polling centre in Abhinav School of Saifai, Yadav spoke to reporters, the video of which surfaced on social media.

The Saifai SDM and the Circle Officer were asked to probe the matter.

Allahabad, Feb 21 (PTI) A public interest litigation has been filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on the streaming of the short film, 'Why I killed Gandhi'.

The PIL contended that the display of the film may disturb communal harmony in Uttar Pradesh during the ongoing Assembly elections.

Nainital, Feb 21 (PTI) The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday sought the state government's stand on the Haridwar Dharma Sansad case involving alleged inflammatory speeches made against Muslims.

Hearing the bail plea of Jitendra Narayan Tyagi alias Wasim Rizvi, Justice R C Khulbe asked the state government to clarify its stand on the issue before February 23, the next date of hearing of the bail plea.

New Delhi, Feb 21 (PTI) India and Oman on Monday began a five-day air combat exercise in Jodhpur, in reflection of growing bilateral military cooperation.

The Indian Air Force has deployed a fleet of Sukhoi-30MKIs, Jaguar and Mirage-2000 fighter jets for the sixth edition of the exercise 'Eastern Bridge'.

On its part, the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) has deployed its F-16 jets.

"It will provide an opportunity to enhance operational capability and interoperability between the two air forces," the IAF said.