Pioneer in short
Maha civic polls: BJP, allies win 68 seats
The BJP and its Mahayuti allies have won 68 seats unopposed in the Maharashtra civic polls scheduled for January 15, even as the Opposition parties alleged the ruling combine used threats and money to force candidates to withdraw from the fray. Across the State, as many as 68 candidates from the BJP and the Mahayuti have been elected unopposed, reflecting the party’s growing strength in urban local bodies, BJP leader Keshav Upadhye said on Friday.
14 Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh
At least 14 Maoists, including wanted ultras Vetti Mangdu and Madvi Hunga, were killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region on Saturday, officials said. While 12 Naxalites, including Mangdu and Madkam, and five women, were neutralised by the security forces during an exchange of fire in Sukma, the bodies of two Maoist cadres were found in the forests of Gaganpalli village in Basaguda, Bijapur. State Police unit, District Reserve Guard (DRG) had launched the anti-naxal operations based on inputs about the presence of Maoist cadres, a senior police official said. The operation in the southern region of Sukma was launched on Friday night by the DRG. A cache of weapons, including AK-47, INSAS, and self-loading rifles, has been recovered.
FIR against HP Professor
Himachal Pradesh on Saturday suspended an assistant professor of the Government College, Dharamshala, in connection with the alleged sexual harassment and ragging of a 19-year-old Dalit girl, who died during treatment last week. The decision was taken after an FIR was registered for sexual harassment against Assistant Professor (Geography) Ashok Kumar, who would remain under suspension with immediate effect, pending the outcome of a departmental inquiry, according to an order issued by the Education Secretary. According to media reports, the prima facie involvement of Ashok Kumar cannot be ruled out and, in order to ascertain the facts, disciplinary proceedings against him are contemplated, the order said. In his complaint, the student’s father alleged that his daughter was beaten by three seniors while the college professor indulged in obscene acts with her.
