Pune Rape Accused, Who Is On The Run, Posed As Cop For Months: Sources

Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, the Pune rape accused who is on the run, posed as a policeman for several months, sources have told NDTV. Rs 1 lakh will be given to the person providing information about his whereabouts, Pune Police Commissioner has announced.

A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a state transport bus at the Swargate bus station, which is one of the largest bus depots of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), in Pune on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old accused, a resident of Gunat village in Pune, is named in half a dozen cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching in Pune and Ahilyanagar district. He has been out on bail since 2019 in one of the offences.

Sources say the Swargate bus stop was the accused's usual haunt. He was, say sources, often spotted around there in a shirt, sports shoes and a mask. He would tell people around the bus stand that he was a policeman, the sources added.

According to the survivor, she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, when the accused engaged her in conversation, calling her 'didi' (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.

He took her to an empty 'Shiv Shahi' AC bus parked elsewhere on the premises. As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in but the man convinced her that it was the right vehicle. The accused then followed her and raped her, the woman, who works in the medical field, told the police.

According to residents of Gunat village, the accused is married and has children. He also has a brother and his parents are farm labourers, say villagers.  

Earlier today, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik ordered a security audit of all bus stations and depots of the State Road Transport Corporation.

The minister has also directed authorities to deploy women security guards, an MSRTC release said. He also asked police to increase patrolling at depots and bus stations, adding that depot managers must stay at the facility to keep an eye on happenings.

The MSRTC issued an internal circular asking staffers to wear proper uniforms with nameplate for identification.

CCTV cameras will be made mandatory along with GPS and panic buttons in around 15,000 MSRTC buses, including those hired from private contractors, Mr Sarnaik said.
 

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Failed To "Imagine Scenario" Like Oct 7: Israel Army Probe On Hamas Attack

An internal Israeli army probe into Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack released on Thursday acknowledged the military's "complete failure" to prevent the assault, which killed hundreds of Israelis, a military official said.

"October 7 was a complete failure, the IDF (military) failed in fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians," the official said, briefing reporters about the report's contents, on condition of anonymity.

"Too many civilians died that day asking themselves in their hearts or out loud, where was the IDF?"

"The Israel Defense Forces failed to protect Israeli citizens. The Gaza Division was overrun in the early hours of the war, as terrorists took control and carried out massacres in the communities and roads in the area," the military said in the summary of the report released to journalists.

The military acknowledged that it was "overconfident" and had misconceptions about Hamas's military capabilities ahead of the Palestinian militant group's attack, a senior military official said at the same briefing.

The inquiry, which included 77 separate investigations into what transpired in communities, at army bases, and multiple confrontation points around the Gaza periphery, is in the process of being presented to those directly affected.

"We did not even imagine such a scenario," the first military official told journalists, adding that Palestinian militants led by Hamas caught Israel by surprise, not only in terms of the size and scale of the attack, but also its "brutality".

The military probe found that Hamas's attack happened in three waves and at its height more than 5,000 people entered Israel from Gaza.

"The first wave... included more than 1,000 Nukhba (elite force) terrorists who infiltrated under the cover of heavy fire," the summary of the inquiry said.

It added that a second wave included 2,000 militants and third wave was characterised by the arrival of hundreds of militants, along with several thousand civilians. 

"In total, approximately 5,000 terrorists infiltrated Israeli territory during the attack," the report 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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Volcanic Eruption In 79 AD Turned Man's Brain Into Glass. How It Happened

It was a surprising discovery when scientists examining the remains of a man who died in bed in the ancient city of Herculaneum after Italy's Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD found dark fragments resembling obsidian inside his skull. It turns out the eruption had somehow turned his brain into glass.

It is the only case on record of such a phenomenon, and researchers now have answers for why and how it happened.

They say the vitrification - transformation into glass - of this victim's brain was the apparent effect of a scorching ash cloud that suddenly descended upon his city along the Bay of Naples, instantly killing all the inhabitants.

They concluded vitrification took place through a unique process of rapid exposure of the brain's organic material to a very high temperature - at least 510 degrees Celsius (950 degrees F) - and its subsequent rapid cooling.

The researchers conducted an extensive analysis that confirmed the glass nature of the fragments and revealed their physical properties.

"The glass formed as a result of this process allowed for an integral preservation of the biological brain material and its microstructures," said forensic anthropologist Pier Paolo Petrone of Universita di Napoli Federico II in Italy, one of the leaders of the research published in the journal Scientific Reports.

The eruption obliterated the thriving ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

"The only other type of organic glass we have evidence of is that produced in some rare cases of vitrification of wood, sporadic cases of which have been found at Herculaneum and Pompeii. However, in no other case in the world have vitrified organic human or animal remains ever been found," Petrone added.

Thousands of people were killed and the two cities were buried under a thick layer of volcanic material and mud, sitting untouched until their rediscovery in the 18th century. Victims were preserved in sudden death, as was the case with the one whose brain was turned to glass.

His body was first discovered in the 1960s inside a building called the College of the Augustales dedicated to the cult of Emperor Augustus, who had died in 14 AD. The individual was identified as a young man believed to have been the college's custodian. The remains were re-examined in 2018.

"I was in the room where the college's custodian was lying in his bed to document his charred bones. Under the lamp, I suddenly saw small glassy remains glittering in the volcanic ash that filled the skull," Petrone said.

"Taking one of these fragments, it had a black appearance and shiny surfaces quite similar to obsidian, a natural glass of volcanic origin - black and shiny, whose formation is due to the very rapid cooling of the lava. But, unlike obsidian, the glassy remains were extremely brittle and easy to crumble," Petrone said.

Analyses of this material, previously published in other scientific journals, revealed the presence of proteins and fatty acids common in human brain tissues, with the entire central nervous system exceptionally well preserved, represented by nerve cells interconnected by a dense network of fibers called axons.

The research is forging a deeper understanding of how the tragic events unfolded after the eruption.

"The study shows that the 'killer' at Herculaneum was the arrival in town of an early hot ash cloud. This highlights the importance of understanding the behavior of ash clouds, as they are very hazardous and still very poorly studied and understood," said volcanologist and study first author Guido Giordano of Roma Tre University in Italy.

The actual burial of the city occurred in later stages of the eruption.

The custodian at apparently around midnight was surprised while sleeping in his bed by the first effects of the eruption.

"As the postures of the victims' bodies show, the custodian of the college died instantly from the impact with the hot volcanic ash surge, as did all the rest of the inhabitants of Herculaneum," Petrone said. "The body of evidence found for the victims at Herculaneum shows that all people died instantly, so they did not have time to notice or suffer."

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

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Who Will Head BJP After JP Nadda? Decision Likely By March 15, Say Sources

The next BJP chief could be announced as soon as within a fortnight, sources have indicated, citing that the organisational elections of the party have been completed in 12 states. Sources said the party's national president likely to be announced before March 15, after which an inauspicious period starts in the Hindu calendar.. 

Elections in Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat are already over. So is the situation in Assam. There will be no change in Bihar, where elections are due by the end of this year.

State in-charges have already been asked to submit prospective names. Some states like UP and Gujarat are likely to get unit presidents before a national president is announced.

Mr Nadda's tenure was extended until June 2024 in view of the Lok Sabha election, and with his induction into the government, the party has been looking at prospective candidates to succeed him. 

But the process has been slow, with the leaders hoping to create consensus on the issue. 

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Out On Bail, Man Rapes Pune Woman Inside Bus 100 Metres From Police Station

Dattatraya Ramdas Gade, the man allegedly responsible for the rape of a 26-year-old woman in Pune, is a history sheeter, who was out on bail, the police have said. A manhunt is on in the city since the young woman reported the rape earlier today. The police have pressed in eight teams and sniffer dogs. 

Gade has at least six cases of theft, robbery and chain-snatching registered against him in Pune and adjoining Ahilyanagar district. Arrested for a robbery, he has been out on bail snice 2019, reported news agency Press Trust of India quoting un-named officials. 

Cases were registered against him in Shikrapur and Shirur police station limits in Pune district. He also faces cases in Ahilyanagar district. As late as last year, a theft case was lodged against him in Pune.

A Pune police team has already questioned his brother to know his whereabouts.

The rape took place at Swargate bus stand, one of the busiest in the city. Today, when Gade tricked the woman into the empty bus, locked its door and assaulted her, there have been people around, the police had said. 

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Smartana Patil, has told reporters that CCTV footage showed the woman walking towards the bus with the accused. In fact, the police identified him from the footage. There were many people and several buses on the station premises when the incident took place, she said. 

The woman had been waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district around 5.45 am. The accused, according to MSRTC officials, had taken her to the empty bus claiming to be its conductor. When she pointed out the bus was empty, he said it had people inside who were sleeping.
 
After the assault, the woman took a bus for her hometown and narrated the incident to her friend on phone while on way, the police said. On her friend's advice, she got off the bus and went to the police to report the matter.

The MSRTC is one of the three public transport bodies in the country, with a fleet of more than 14,000 buses. Every day, more than 55 lakh passengers travel by its buses.

(With Agencies)

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Trump Confirms Zelensky Visit On Friday Amid Negotiations On Mineral Deal

US President Donald Trump has confirmed he will receive his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Friday, as negotiations are underway on a deal to give the United States access to Ukrainian mineral resources.

"President Zelensky is going to be coming on Friday, that is now confirmed," Trump said Wednesday at his first cabinet meeting.

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

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"Ready For Another Language War": MK Stalin Convenes All-Party Meet

Amid the ongoing Hindi imposition row, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday said the state was "ready" for "another language war" and also announced convening an all-party meet on March 5 to discuss the Lok Sabha delimitation issue.

Tamil Nadu was facing the "threat" of losing 8 seats as the state has successfully implemented the family planning programme that led to population control, he said while addressing reporters after chairing a Cabinet meet at the Secretariat here.

About 40 political parties registered with the Election Commission of India have been invited for the all-party meeting, he said and appealed for unity, overcoming political differences.

Responding, BJP state president K Annamalai said Stalin was now trying to "shift the narrative" with the "imaginary fear" regarding delimitation as people of the state had rejected his argument on the three-language policy. He indicated that the BJP may not attend the all-party meet.

Asked if the March 5 meeting will discuss the three-language policy, a bone of contention between the NDA-led Centre and the Tamil Nadu government in light of the National Education Policy (NEP), Stalin said that to raise voice in the Parliament on issues like NEP, central funds and NEET, adequate number of MPs was required.

"Because, in the name of delimitation, a sword is hanging over southern states," he said.

The state was leading in all development indices, but now faced the "threat" of losing out on the Lok Sabha seats post delimitation as the process would be based on the state's population.

"Tamil Nadu succeeded in population control through the family planning programme. Just because population is less, there is a situation of the Lok Sabha seats being cut down (in TN). We stand to lose 8 seats and as a result, we would be having only 31 MPs, and not the 39 (present number)," he added.

"Our representation (in Parliament) will reduce, Tamil Nadu's voice is being stifled. This is a matter of Tamil Nadu's rights. All leaders and political parties should jointly speak across party lines on the issue," the CM added.

Responding to a query if the Centre was "sowing the seeds for another language war," in light of the alleged Hindi imposition, Stalin replied, "Yes, certainly. We are ready for it." The ruling DMK has been opposed to the three-language policy and has been insisting Tamil Nadu was content with Tamil and English, and has accused the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre of "imposing Hindi," a charge denied by the union government.

The "language war" refers to the DMK's anti-Hindi agitation in 1965, when the Dravidian party successfully campaigned against the alleged imposition of the language on the Tamil people.

In a copy of the invitation for the all-party meeting uploaded on his 'X' page, Stalin highlighted the various issues the state was facing, including central fund allocation.

Under such circumstances, the number of Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu going down will only further impact the state and it was the need of the hour to put up a show of unity in the interest of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, the need for such an all-party meeting, the CM added.

Meanwhile, Annamalai slammed the CM.

"When TN CM Thiru MK Stalin knows the whole of TN has rejected their argument... on the third language for our children studying in TN Govt schools similar to the schools run by TN CM's family, he now wants to shift the narrative to his imaginary fear of TN losing in the Delimitation of seats. What a shame & downfall for DMK!" "When our Hon PM Thiru @narendramodi avl had clearly said delimitation - if and when it happens - will be favourable to all, including the southern states, why this fear-mongering Thiru @mkstalin? Imaginary fears & stupid arguments have, of late, become TN CM's arsenal!" he said in a post on micro-blogging site 'X.' Later, speaking to reporters in Coimbatore, Annamalai demanded to know on what basis Stalin was making such claims and whether it was revealed so in the Parliament, by PM Narendra Modi or through a "secret document." Only if this is revealed would the BJP attend the March 5 meeting, he said and slammed the CM for "creating panic and this doesn't suit his position." "When delimitation comes, it is our duty to bring it without affecting the state. Lok Sabha seats have to increase and that is the need of the hour," he said. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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