India

Lucknow, Aug 31 (IANS) A case of rape has been registered against Anandeshwar Pandey, general secretary of the UP Olympic Association, at Bhiwadi police station in Rajasthan.

A handball player has lodged an FIR against Pandey, also the treasurer of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), alleging sexual assault.

Seema Sharma, a former national-level handball player of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), has filed the complaint against Pandey, who was also the secretary general of the Handball Federation of India (HFI) from 2013 to 2020.

The FIR was registered at the Mahila Police Station at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan on Sunday under IPC section of 376 (rape), 511 (attempt to commit an offence) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

In her complaint, Sharma has accused Pandey of trying to rape her at the UPOA's office in Lucknow in March this year. The zero FIR has now been transferred to Lucknow's Hazratganj police station.

"It was a zero FIR and has the sections of sexual assault. The case was transferred to Lucknow on Monday," said SHO of Mahila Police Station Bhiwadi.

Sharma, a constable in the 4th battalion of SSB in Mohanlalganj here, had also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 31, detailing the incident and calling for his intervention in the matter.

As per the complaint, 28-year-old Sharma said she met Pandey during the selection trials for the National Women Handball Championships.

The trials were organised at the K.D. Singh Babu Stadium on March 12. She said she made it to the camp and before the final selection on March 26, she was asked to go to Pandey's office by her coach, where he allegedly misbehaved and molested her, according to the FIR.

Sharma wrote in her complaint that she resisted his advances during which her jersey got torn. "He then threatened me with dire consequences and said he is very powerful and will end my playing career," she said in her complaint.

"I informed my higher officials about this incident," said Sharma, who has represented Uttar Pradesh in sub-junior, junior and senior level national championships.

Sharma alleged that Pandey is a repeat offender and has finished the careers of many handball players but nobody dared to report against him because he is "powerful and well connected."

Pandey was also in the news last week as pictures of him in compromising positions with different women went viral on social media. Pandey had alleged "political conspiracy" in the whole issue, and said he had filed a complaint with the Lucknow Police cyber cell about the pictures.

A former national-level runner, Pandey started his career as a handball player and first represented Uttar Pradesh in the nationals in 1977-78.

He is also chairman of the Coordination Committee for the upcoming National Games set to be held in Ahmedabad from September 27.

--IANS
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Pilibhit, Aug 31 (IANS) A man in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit district gave triple talaq to his wife merely because she served him cold vegetables for dinner.

The woman, Umra, has lodged an FIR against the man and three other members of her husband's family under section 3/4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019 as well as IPC sections 498-A (for domestic violence), 323 (for voluntarily causing hurt), 354 (for using criminal force on woman) and 504 (for insulting) with the Puranpur police station.

According to the complaint, Umra alleged that she was married to Mohd Salman of Rajaganj locality on May 23, 2021, as per Muslim customs.

She said that the in-laws did not take her along with them as her family failed to give the dowry demanded by the accused and his family.

Umra said she was taken to her in-laws' place only when her mother arranged the dowry in August last year.

"Despite giving dowry, the people from the groom's side were not happy," she added.

The complainant also alleged that she was often subjected to physical torture by her husband and the in-laws.

She further stated that her husband assaulted her in April and gave her triple talaq, saying that she had served cold vegetables to him.

Umra said all this happened in front of his family and she was thrown out of the house. The woman has been living at her mother's house ever since then.

The woman said her family tried to sort out issues with Salman several times, but in vain.

"The matter was taken up in the family consultation centre for over four months. Finally, I got the FIR lodged after approaching SP (Pilibhit) Dinesh P," she added.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS) As BJP has already started preparations for the forthcoming Assembly elections to be held in Madhya Pradesh in 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met BJP National President J.P. Nadda to discuss the political situation in the state and revamp the state Cabinet.

Before the 2023 Assembly elections to be held in Madhya Pradesh, the BJP now wants to complete the process of making all political appointments as soon as possible. Along with this, the exercise of filling the vacant ministerial posts in the state Cabinet has also started.

Amid the recent talks of cabinet expansion in the state, Chouhan met Nadda on Tuesday which has further intensified the news speculated across political circles.

According to top party sources, during his meeting with Nadda, the Madhya Pradesh CM informed him about the political situation in the state and conveyed the wishes of all top leaders and discussed the core issues concerning the party organization and his government.

Sharing the photos of meeting Nadda, Chouhan tweeted, "Today, in New Delhi made a courtesy call on BJP National President JP Nadda ji and on this occasion informed him about various works and efforts for the development and public welfare in the state."

Shivraj further said, "I sincerely thank Nadda ji for his continuous cooperation, support and guidance."

The Chief Minister wants to get all the regional and caste equations right before the 2023 Assembly elections by expanding the state Cabinet this time. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who recently visited Madhya Pradesh, had discussed the election preparations in the state while reviewing the work of the party organization and state government.

On Tuesday, Chouhan also met President Droupadi Murmu and invited her to come to Madhya Pradesh while congratulating her formally on winning the recent presidential election.

--IANS
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Varanasi, Aug 31 (IANS) A research team led by Manoj Pandey from the Department of Surgical Oncology at the Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), has identified the somatic mutations responsible for developing gallbladder cancer.

Gallbladder cancer is one of the most common kind of cancers reported in the Gangetic belt. The cancer is often diagnosed late and has a poor survival rate. The current five-year survival rate is 10-20 per cent.

According to Pandey, the researchers at BHU have been working on gallbladder cancer for the past 25 years to find out the probable causes which continue to remain elusive.

As a part of the research, the team carried out next generation sequencing of tumour DNA from gallbladder cancer in 33 patients. This was further subjected to bioinformatics analysis.

The research team identified 27 somatic mutations that involved 14 critical genes. Of these, two genes namely p53 and KRAS were the most mutated and appeared to be driver mutations behind these cancers.

He said that the bioinformatics analysis identified MAP kinase, PI3K-AKT, EGF/EGFR and Focal Adhesion PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling pathways and cross-talk between these pathways.

The study suggested that the complex crosstalk between the mTOR, MAPK and multiple interacting cells signalling cascades promotes gallbladder cancer progression, and hence, motor targeted treatment is an attractive option in the cure of gallbladder cancer.

These targeting molecules are available and approved for different indications, however, they have never been used in gallbladder cancer.

The findings of the study have been published in the prestigious scientific journal Molecular biology reports.

According to Pandey, the driver mutations for gall bladder cancers have been identified for the first time.

However, it is still unclear why the mutations occur mainly in these two genes in this geographical area. Heavy metal toxicity and typhoid carrier state have earlier been implicated in gallbladder carcinogenesis.

He said this pathway and the cross talk have been identified for the first time in the world, and this opens the gate for use of new therapeutic drugs like evrolimus and temsirolimus in gallbladder cancer. Both of these drugs are mTOR inhibitors and interfere with the synthesis of proteins that regulate proliferation, growth and survival of tumour cells.

They also reduce tumour growth by reducing angiogenesis (new blood vessel formation in tumour) by inhibiting VEGF (gene) and hence cut its food supply, thereby killing the cells.

Pandey added that the research team has submitted a proposal for a clinical trial of mTOR inhibitors in gallbladder cancer, which if successful, will open a new doorway for treatment of gallbladder cancer which is considered incurable till now.

--IANS
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Puri, Aug 31 (IANS) On the eve of Ganesh puja, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh using 3,425 sand ladoos at the Puri beach in Odisha.

Sudarsan has created a six-feet-high sand sculpture of Lord Ganesh by using the sand ladoos with two elephants, and with a message "Happy Ganesh Puja". He shows two elephants in his sculpture praying for the environment.

"Every year we do something different in the sand. This year, we try to give a message to save our environment through our sculpture," said the sand artist.

The two-time world champion and Padma awardee artist Sudarsan always tries to spread awareness through his sculptures. His sand arts, created for public awareness, were appreciated by the UN Environment Programme and the World Health Organisation.

He has participated in more than 60 international sand art festivals and championships around the world and won many prizes for the country.

--IANS
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Gurugram, Aug 30 (IANS) Over two-dozen workers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including its former president of Gurugram district, Mahesh Yadav (sarpanch), joined the BJP on Tuesday.

The AAP members joined the saffron party at 'Gurukamal' - the BJP's local office - in the presence of state president Om Prakash Dhankhar.

"All these workers, who were angry with the policies of AAP, have joined the BJP and in future, they will work for the BJP and serve the public," Dhankhar told the media.

Dhankhar on Tuesday held an organisational meeting of party officials from Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Jhajjar and Nuh districts at Gurukamal.

During the meeting, he gave a target to the officials to include one-third of the families of the state in the BJP family before the 2024 elections.

"While BJP is an organisationally strong party, every worker associated with it should try to make it even more strong," he said.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) A Delhi court has issued a fresh summon to filmmaker Leena Manimekalai in a suit filed against the depiction of Hindu goddess Kaali in the poster of her controversial film by the same name, video and tweet "in a very uncalled way".

Civil Judge Abhishek Kumar of Tis Hazari Courts, in an order dated August 29, noted the submissions of plaintiff Adv Raj Gaurav, in which it was stated that an application filed by him on the previous date is pending for adjudication.

He also sought to serve the notice to the defendants (Manimekalai and others) through e­-mail as well as WhatsApp.

"In view of the submissions, let summons be issued afresh through all modes including service through e-­mail as well as Whatsapp," the judge ordered.

The matter will be next heard on November 1.

Earlier in July, the court had issued summons to Manimekalai.

The plea moved by advocate Raj Gaurav contended that the poster of the film depicts the goddess smoking, which not only hurts the religious sentiments of common Hindus but is also against the basics of morality and decency.

Apart from the filmmaker, notices and summons were also issued to her company, Touring Talkies Media Private Limited.

The controversy had escalated after Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra had said that she had every right as an individual to imagine goddess Kaali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting deity, as each person has his or her unique way of offering prayers.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Congress G-23 leaders Prithviraj Chavan, Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday met Ghulam Nabi Azad, who has resigned from the party and is going to hold his first public meeting in Jammu in September's first week.

The G-23 leaders are understood to be planning to contest the Presidential polls of the party which is slated on October 17.

Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor, who is likely to throw his hat into the ring, however said that: "Let's wait for sometime." Sources say Tharoor and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Chavan are likely candidates who could challenge the Gandhis' candidate.

With Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot emerging as front runner for the Congress President, being seen as choice of interim chief Sonia Gandhi, even as some want the return of Rahul Gandhi - with Gehlot too proposing his name, the G-23 was understood to have made up its mind to field a candidate if no Gandhi stood.

However, it remained to be seen if it would do so as it seemed unlikely as Sonia Gandhi's choice would be challenged.

The last time the election was conducted for the Congress President's post was in 2000 when Jitendra Prasada had challenged Sonia Gandhi but lost.

--IANS
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Kolkata, Aug 30 (IANS) All the primary teachers' recruitments in West Bengal done by the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE), through teacher eligibility test (TET) since 2011, are under the scanner of the central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED had sought the documents of all the recruitments done through TET since 2011 from the WBBPE. ED sources said that the documents has been sought from the joint director level officer of the agency. Accordingly, the WBBPE has sought these details from the different district primary education councils and asked them to send the files in this matter latest by September 1.

ED sources said that their sleuths will examine each file of recruitment done through TET since 2011 and identify whether there had been irregularities in the appointments made.

Already the CBI and the ED are conducting parallel probes in the matter following a directive of the Calcutta High Court's single- judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay. He also ordered the immediate removal of the Trinamool Congress legislator, Manik Bhattacharya from the chair of WBBPE President.

--IANS
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