Accused Washed His Clothes After Raping, Killing Kolkata Doctor: Cops

The man who was arrested on the charge of raping and murdering a doctor inside a Kolkata hospital returned to his place and went to sleep before washing his clothes the next morning to destroy evidence, a police officer probing the case claimed.

The police, however, found marks of blood on the shoe of the accused, a civic volunteer who is not associated with the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, but used to frequent the place.

The body of a woman post-graduate trainee who was allegedly raped and murdered inside a seminar hall of the hospital, was found on Friday morning. The civic volunteer was arrested on Saturday.

Protests by junior doctors demanding quick punishment of those responsible for the crime continued for the third day on Sunday, affecting services in government hospitals across West Bengal.

City Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal visited the medical establishment on Sunday for the second time in three days and held a meeting with representatives of agitating junior doctors.

He claimed the probe is "transparent" and urged people not to spread rumours.

"After committing the crime, the accused went back to the place where he was staying and slept till late on Friday morning. After waking up, he washed the clothes he was wearing during the crime to destroy evidence. His shoes, with blood stains on them, were found during a search," the officer said.

Asked if anyone else was involved in the crime as alleged by some quarters, he said, "As of now there is no evidence of that." The officer said that the police were waiting for the final post-mortem examination report as they wanted to match it with their probe findings.

The initial autopsy report stated that the victim was bleeding from her eyes, mouth and private parts. There were also injuries on her left leg, neck, right hand, ring finger and lips.

Another police officer said that circumstantial evidence also indicated a possibility that the doctor was first murdered and then raped.

"We are also talking to persons who were on duty on Thursday night till the next morning. CCTV footage is also being checked," the police officer said.

A team of police officers of the SIT, along with the forensic unit on Sunday, collected samples from the seminar hall of the hospital, a police source said.

The police also reconstructed the crime scene though the arrested accused was not present, the officer said.

"The autopsy report has been handed over to the parents of the deceased doctor today by one of our senior officers. We had a fruitful meeting with the students and we think they are satisfied. As per their demand, we have removed one assistant police officer who was posted here," the police commissioner said.

Goyal said the police are not trying to hide anyone, and the investigation is transparent.

The IPS officer said that they would soon start a toll-free number for the people to come up with suggestions or complaints.

The agitating junior doctors, however, said that they would continue their demonstration till they were totally "satisfied" and their demands regarding their safety and security were addressed.

The cease work in all emergency and non-emergency services will continue but there, one junior doctor said after the meeting with Goyal.

Junior doctors, house staff and post-graduate trainees (PGT) at various state-run hospitals, who are also demanding security for them in medical establishments, began a cease work since Friday evening. "The government must take significant steps to secure justice for the victim. The incident is not only a reflection of systemic failures at the hospital level, but it also points toward broader societal issues that demand immediate and focused attention," he said.

In the wake of the agitation, the state health department on Sunday cancelled offs and holidays of all senior doctors to tackle the stalemate.

Support for the agitating doctors came from different corners of the country.

The Federation of Resident Doctors' Association of India (FORDA) has supported the ongoing strike and called for a nationwide halt of elective services in hospitals on Monday.

The FORDA has informed the Union Health Ministry about their decision.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to seek death penalty for the perpetrator.

Meanwhile, Kolkata Police deployed a huge contingent at the hospital on Sunday.

"No one will be allowed inside the hospital premises without proper identification. We will ensure total safety of the health workers in the medical establishment," the officer said.

The hospital authorities expelled the two security persons contractually employed at the emergency ward for not discharging their duties properly which, in a way, led to the crime against the doctor, another official said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Gender Row Boxer Imane Khelif Files Complaint For Online Harassment

Paris Olympics boxing champion Imane Khelif, the Algerian at the centre of a gender eligibility row, has filed a legal complaint in France for online harassment, her lawyer said on Saturday. "The boxer Imane Khelif has decided to begin a new fight, a fight for justice, dignity and honour," Nabil Boudi said in a statement, saying Khelif had filed the complaint for "aggravated online harassment... to Paris prosecutors".

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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'Man From Mars' Nasar Wins Olympic Weightlifting Gold With World Record

Bulgarian Karlos Nasar became the lightest man to lift 400 kilogrammes in competition as he shattered the men's 89kg weightlifting world record at the Olympics on Friday. "The Olympic Games are like going into space for me and I feel like I'm on Mars," said the 20-year-old Nasar. Tied for first after lifting 180kg in the opening snatch round, the 20-year-old delayed his entry in the clean and jerk until most of his rivals had used their three attempts at lower weights.

With his first lift he flipped 213 kilogrammes over his head to secure the gold.

That left him two attempts to total 400kg and he opted to aim high.

Nasar seemed barely troubled. Pausing an extra beat with the bar on his chest, he grinned, before hoisting a world record 224kg over his head for a total of 404kg, another record.

Nasar has reportedly lifted even greater weights in training.

"I have visualised the win many times and I succeeded each time," he said.

When asked if he was playing to the camera, Nasar grinned.

"Sometimes the emotions that I show, I cannot control," he said. "Sometimes I don't even remember what happened on the stage."

Colombian Yeison Lopez was second on 390kg. Italian Antonino Pizzolato scored a dramatic bronze after failing on his first two attempts before he was only spared a no-score when judges upheld his appeal after a video review.

The talk at the press conference rapidly turned to Nasar's romantic life.

Nasar said he would be heading to the rhythmic gymnastics on Saturday to support the Bulgarian team and his girlfriend Magdalina Minevska.

Weightlifting has long struggled to rid itself of the negative image as a playground for dopers.

Nasar, who set his first world record at 17, could be the charismatic bad boy the sport needs to generate more favourable interest.

In 2022, he was arrested in a Bulgarian beach resort and the following February received a suspended prison sentence for driving under the influence of recreational drugs and without a licence and trying to evade arrest.

In May last year, he reached for the soap while showering in a Sofia hotel, dislodging the sink which shattered slicing one of his Achilles' tendons. He required surgery.

"Every single movement is painful," he said at the time. "It's hard to even brush my teeth and open my eyes."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Cabinet Okays 8 New Rail Line Projects Covering 14 Districts In 7 states

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved eight railway projects with total estimated cost of Rs 24,657 crore, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Friday.

The new line proposals will provide direct connectivity and improve mobility, providing enhanced efficiency and service reliability for the Indian Railways, Mr Vaishnaw said in a press briefing.

A government press release, providing details of these projects, said the eight projects covering 14 districts in seven states such as Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana and West Bengal will increase the existing network of the Indian Railways by 900 kms.

"With these projects 64 New Stations will be constructed, providing enhancing connectivity to Six (6) Aspirational Districts (East Singhbum, Bhadadri Kothagudem, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Nabarangpur, Rayagada), approx. 510 villages and about 40 lakh population," the release said.

"Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage site will be connected to Indian Railway Network facilitating large number of tourists," the release added.

According to the government, these are essential routes for transportation of commodities such as agriculture products, fertilizer, coal, iron ore, steel, cement, bauxite, limestone, aluminium powder, granite, ballast, containers etc.

Highlighting the benefits to freight operations, the release said, "The capacity augmentation works will result in additional freight traffic of magnitude 143 MTPA (Million Tonnes Per Annum)." "The Railways being environment friendly and energy efficient mode of transportation, will help both in achieving climate goals and minimizing logistics cost of the country, reduce oil import (32.20 Crore Litres) and lower CO2 emissions (0.87 Million Tonnes) which is equivalent to plantation of 3.5 crore trees," it added.

Four out of these eight railway lines, Gunupur-Therubali (New Line), Junagarh-Nabrangpur, Badampahar - Kandujhargarh and Bangriposi - Gorumahisani are in Odisha while one, ie, Malkangiri - Pandurangapuram (via Bhadrachalam) spreads in three states Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The Railway line between Buramara and Chakulia covers Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha.

Two other new lines Jalna - Jalgaon and Bikramshila - Katareah are in Maharashtra and Bihar, respectively.

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"Have Become Face Of Awami League By Default": Sheikh Hasina's Son To NDTV

Days after his mother's ouster, former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son and former adviser Sajeeb Wazed has told NDTV that he would consider returning to the country and leading the Awami League if the party's workers wanted him to.

In an exclusive interview on Friday, Mr Wazed said that his mother does not want to live in exile and would like to go back to Bangladesh. He also insisted that Ms Hasina wanted to retire for the last two terms as prime minister, but did not rule out her return to active politics.  

"I spoke with her (Ms Hasina) last night. She has no plans as of yet. She's staying put. All the rumours about her applying for visas or asylum... none of those are true. What she really wants is to eventually go back to Bangladesh. Whether that's to be in politics or to retire, it doesn't matter. It's her home. She has grown up there. This was going to be her last term anyway, she's 76 years old. She wants to retire in her village home in Tungipara (in south Bangladesh). That has been her dream. She does not want to live in exile outside Bangladesh," Mr Wazed said. 

When he was asked whether this would mean that Ms Hasina could return to active politics, Mr Wazed, who is an IT entrepreneur and lives in the US, said she would be the best person to answer but she was never in public life for herself. 

"She was in politics for her country, not because she wanted to be in power. She has been wanting to retire for the last two terms. In fact, she has been pushing me before every election to come and join politics. No one in our family has ever had ambition for power or politics," he claimed.

So if he didn't take her up on the offer at the time, would he do so now, considering that workers in his mother's party, the Awami League, would be looking for leadership at this critical juncture? When this question was posed to Mr Wazed, he said that he has become the face of the party by default for now. 

"I guess by default I am, you know, I have become the face right now. I never wanted this. I have no political ambition, but as soon as I learned that our party leaders were being attacked, their homes burned down, I said I cannot just abandon them. So I am in touch with many of our party leaders. Almost all our ministers' homes have been burned down, our ancestral home has been burned down... So in this situation, I will do whatever it takes. The Awami League still has tens of millions of followers, it is not going to disappear overnight," he asserted. 

'Workers Will Decide'

Stating that the Awami League could win the elections, as and when they are held, because of Ms Hasina's record of development, the entrepreneur said that the party is a democratic one and the workers and leaders will decide who will be at the helm. 

"If the Awami League activists...they all demand that I come, I will think about it. It depends on the members of the party... If the party demands that she (Ms Hasina) be the leader, then she will be the leader. As I said, we are a democratic party. It is totally up to the members of the party to decide who their leader is going to be," he said.

'Government Without Mandate'

On the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Mr Wazed said it has no mandate and the constitution provides for elections to be held within 90 days.

"The interim government has made no attempt to communicate with us. Today's statement from  one of the advisers... it is unfortunate they they have taken the exact same playbook that has failed before. They have been placed in power by a tiny minority and perhaps with foreign support. They don't have the mandate of the people of Bangladesh at all, and they think they will reform the country without a popular mandate... This is an unconstitutional, hand-picked government and it is in their interest to hold elections as soon as possible," he alleged.

Asked whether his mother would be willing to return to Bangladesh to face charges, he said she had nothing to be afraid of. 

"During the last military takeover, they arrested my mother. They put her on trial and she was acquitted on all charges. My mother is not afraid of that. They want to play that game. We can play it again. What will happen if they try to put Sheikh Hasina on trial? Well, they can find out. My mother has done nothing illegal. She has done nothing wrong. If there are people in our government that have acted outside the law, those are the people that need to be tried. You cannot blame my mother," he stressed. 

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Pak's ISI Fuelling Unrest In Bangladesh, Claims Sheikh Hasina's Son

Sheikh Hasina, who quit as prime minister and fled Bangladesh, will be back in the country as soon as democracy is restored, his son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said on Thursday and blamed Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, for fuelling the ongoing unrest in the country.

In an interview with PTI, Mr Joy said that although 76-year-old Sheikh Hasina would return to Bangladesh, it has not yet been decided whether she will be back as a "retired or active" politician.

He also asserted that the members of the Sheikh Mujib (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) family will neither abandon its people nor leave the beleaguered Awami League in the lurch.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for protecting his mother and appealed to India to help build international opinion and exert pressure to restore democracy in Bangladesh.

"Yes, it is true that I had said she wouldn't return to Bangladesh. But a lot has changed in the last two days following continuous attacks on our leaders and party workers across the country. Now we are going to do whatever it takes to keep our people safe; we are not going to leave them alone." 

"Awami League is the largest and oldest political party in Bangladesh, so we cannot just walk away from our people. She will definitely return to Bangladesh once democracy is restored," he told PTI over the phone.

Terming Awami League an "all-weather ally of India", he said India must ensure the security of Awami League leaders in Bangladesh by building international pressure.

Mr Joy also urged the interim government, headed by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, to restore law and order, noting that "the country is turning into a state of anarchy and becoming a second Afghanistan in the region." He said he also expects the interim government to create a level playing field whenever democracy is restored and fresh elections are held.

"You cannot exclude the Awami League and have a representative democracy in Bangladesh ever. Whatever his (Mohammed Yunus) personal views are, he has said that he wants a government of unity and wants to move forward and not let the mistakes of the past cloud over the future. I hope he stays true to his word," he asserted.

Prof Yunus took oath as the head of Bangladesh's interim government on Thursday and was administered the oath of office by President Mohammed Shahabuddin at a ceremony in Dhaka.

Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following violent protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs. She flew to the Hindon air base, near Delhi, in a Bangladesh military aircraft on Monday.

Mr Joy mentioned that once democracy is restored, either the Awami League or BNP will come to power, and the "Mujib family and Sheikh Hasina will be around." "She has been in touch with all our party leaders for the last two days. My mother was going to retire anytime soon, so we thought now that she is gone, they (rioters) would leave our party people alone, but that did not happen. Instead, they started attacking," he said.

Declining to comment directly on whether he and his sister Saima Wazed, who is currently the South East Asian regional director for the World Health Organization, would enter politics, Joy said he would do whatever it takes to protect Bangladesh from total anarchy.

"I can't give a definite reply to this question. But I will do whatever it takes to save Bangladesh and protect the Awami League. The Mujib family would not leave them in a lurch," said Joy, the former Information and Communication Technology Advisor to Hasina.

Blaming Pakistan for fueling the unrest in Bangladesh, Joy said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting foreign interference and alleged involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

"I am quite certain given the circumstantial evidence; I suspect Pakistan ISI's involvement. The attacks and protests were very coordinated, meticulously planned, and intentional efforts to keep inflaming the situation through social media. No matter what the government did to control the situation, they kept trying to worsen it," he said.

He also pointed out that the rioters attacked police with guns which could only be provided by terror outfits and foreign powers.

On reports of involvement of a US intelligence agency like the CIA, Joy said he had no evidence but added, "maybe, they are". He dismissed any Chinese involvement when asked about it.

Dismissing reports of Hasina seeking asylum in the UK or any other country as "rumours", Joy said the reports of her US Visa being revoked are also untrue.

"Nothing of this sort has been planned (seeking asylum). Sooner or later, there has to be a restoration of democracy in Bangladesh and hopefully, that will be between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Awami League. Then Sheikh Hasina will be back." "At this point, she wants to go back to Bangladesh. It's a question of when rather than if," he said, hinting that the ousted Bangladesh PM will be staying at an undisclosed location in India for now.

Joy, who spent much of his childhood studying in India, appealed to the Indian government to ensure the quick restoration of democracy for stability in the region.

"I want to thank the Indian government for protecting my mother. I owe my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Modi. If India wants stability in its eastern backyard, then they have to pressure the international community and take the lead to ensure the quick restoration of democracy," he said.

Speaking on the 'INDIA-out' campaign in Bangladesh, he said, "the anti-India forces are already very active, and with Awami League out of power, the ISI is now free to supply as many weapons as it wants to the anti-India forces." Joy said India must act fast before anti-India forces gain more ground.

Refuting claims that Ms Hasina ran away to save her own life, he said the family insisted on stopping the bloodshed.

"She was not willing to leave the country. The Prime Minister's security was ready to protect her till the end. But that would have led to hundreds of deaths of protestors who were marching towards the PM's residence. We convinced her for the sake of Bangladesh, we cannot let her get killed," he said.

"Our government was not weak, but my mother did not want to harm the students. Even after her leaving the country, the bloodshed has not stopped. The people will now understand the difference with and without Sheikh Hasina," he said.

The death toll in the anti-government protests in Bangladesh climbed to 440 on Wednesday, with the recovery of 29 more bodies of Hasina's Awami League party members across the country through Tuesday, taking the overall death toll to 469 in nearly three weeks since the protests began in July"Asatya Not J: When Amit Shah Helped Out Kiren Rijiju In Parliament

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"Dari Hui Hai": Distressed Antim Leaves Paris Amid Olympic Controversy

"Please leave me alone, I want to go back home," said a distressed Antim Panghal as she and her team boarded an Air India flight to New Delhi on Thursday evening, concluding a controversial Olympic campaign in which she was ousted in the opening round before facing the prospect of a three-year ban for alleged indiscipline. Having lost to Turkey's Yetgil Zeynep in her opening bout, the 53kg category wrestler, who made an Olympic debut here, grabbed headlines on Wednesday after a "disciplinary breach" involving her entourage, including younger sister Nisha.

Sporting her Team India jersey, she along with four members of her team quietly did the check in at the Terminal 2C of the Charles de Gaulle Airport before boarding the Air India 142 flight.

The estimated time of arrival in New Delhi is 09.29am on Friday.

When asked to clarify on the controversy, she refused to speak and hurried pass the security check points.

One of her coaches intervened: "Woh dari hui hai baat nahin karegi (She's scared and won't talk)." Following her 0-10 loss, Panghal allegedly gave her accreditation card to her sister and sent her to the Games Village to collect her belongings. However, she was stopped by the Village security.

By late Wednesday evening, both Panghal and her sister found themselves at the police station within the Village.

Meanwhile, Panghal's support team, consisting of coaches Bhagat Singh and Vikas, also became involved in a separate police matter.

They allegedly refused to pay the cab fare and behaved inappropriately with the driver before quickly retreating inside. The cab driver later reported the incident to the police.

"The Indian Olympic Association has decided to fly wrestler Panghal and her support staff back after a disciplinary breach was brought to IOA's notice by the French authorities," an IOA statement had said.

Panghal is likely to be banned for three years by the IOA, a source told PTI on Thursday.

Panghal had crashed out of the Olympics after losing her opening bout in the women's 53kg category on Wednesday.

"IOA (Indian Olympic Association) officials discussed the issue that caused embarrassment to all. It is considering a three-year ban on everyone involved, including the coaches," a source in the Indian contingent told PTI.

"First, we need to ensure that she reaches home. The decision will be announced only after she reaches India," the source added.

The body, however, asserted that the ban has not yet been imposed.

"A ban has not been imposed as yet," said an IOA official.

In widely-shared video, Panghal admitted that she had to go to the police station but only for the verification of her accreditation card.

"It was not a good day for me. I lost. A lot is being spread about me, that's not true. I had high fever, and had taken permission from my coach to go to the hotel with my sister.

"I needed some some of my belongings which were in the Games Village. My sister took my card and asked the officials there if she could take my belongings. They took her to the Police Station for accreditation verification." She also denied that her coaches were drunk and got into an altercation with a taxi driver over fare.

"My coaches had stayed back at the venue and when they wanted to come back, we booked a cab for them. My coaches did not have enough cash and due to the language issues, led to an argument with the taxi driver.

"Since they came to collect some Euros from the hotel room, it took some time and led to the situation. I already have had a bad time, please don't spread rumours. Please support me," she said.

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