The Indian Panorama

Tag: Sexual Assault

  • Indian origin techie sentenced to 9 years for sexual assault inside airplane

    Indian origin techie sentenced to 9 years for sexual assault inside airplane

    WASHINGTON(TIP): An Indian IT professional was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment on Thursday, December 14,  on charges of a “brazen sexual assault” against a fellow female passenger inside a commercial airplane earlier this year.

    Prabhu Ramamoorthy, 35, who came to the US on an H-1B visa in 2015, will be deported after he serves his sentence, a federal court in Detroit said as it sentenced the Indian national to nine years of imprisonment.

    Judge Terrence Berge hoped it would be grave enough to deter others from committing similar crimes. Federal prosecutors had sought 11 years of imprisonment for Ramamoorthy.

    “Everyone has the right to be secure and safe when they travel on airplanes. We will not tolerate the behavior of anyone who takes advantage of victims who are in a vulnerable position. We appreciate the victim in this case for her courage to speak out,” US Attorney Matthew Schneider said after the sentencing was announced.

    Ramamoorthy was convicted in August after a five-day trial that was conducted before United States District Judge Terrence Berg. The jury deliberated approximately three-and-a-half hours before returning the guilty verdict.

    According to the evidence presented at the trial, on January 3, Ramamoorthy had engaged in a sexual act with a female, while she was sleeping on a flight from Las Vegas to Detroit. Ramamoorthy was seated along with his wife, when he sexually assaulted his co-passenger.

    During the trial, the government admitted evidence demonstrating that Ramamoorthy had digitally penetrated the woman sleeping next to him during the overnight flight. The sexual assault woke her up, she found her pants unbuttoned and unzipped, and sought help from the flight attendants.

    The sentence was proof that the safety and security of all aircraft passengers was a priority for the FBI, said Timothy R Slater, Special Agent in Charge, Detroit Division of the FBI.

    In recent years, a number of Indian nationals have been arrested or charged with sexual assaults inside a plane. The FBI says airplane sexual assault is a serious offence that is on the rise. FBI statistics indicate that investigations of mid-air sexual assaults increased by 66 per cent from 2014 to 2017.

    That was in part due to increasingly “cramped, confined spaces; alcohol and drugs; fewer flight attendants; and dark cabins on night flights”–factors that “likely embolden offenders”–the FBI said in a recent report.

    The cramped style of airplane seating can exacerbate trauma for victims. According to mental health professionals, victims who are violated in confined spaces feel even more helpless, vulnerable and powerless. Victims may also feel intimidated by the person sitting next to them since the seating arrangement means that the perpetrator is effectively blocking the victim from getting up, according to the FBI.

    According to court papers, Ramamoorthy is from Tamil Nadu, where he grew up. His parents are farmers. He came to the US in July 2015 after his graduation to work as an IT professional.

    During his trial, Ramamoorthy presented himself to the court as a confused man stranded in America without English language skills despite his sophisticated technological job, federal prosecutors alleged. “His lack of empathy and remorse should not go unnoticed by this court,” they argued, seeking nearly 11 years of imprisonment for him.

    (Source:PTI)

  • Indian-origin man arrested in US for sexual enticement of 11 year old girl

    Indian-origin man arrested in US for sexual enticement of 11 year old girl

    NEW YORK(TIP): A 22-year-old Indian-origin man in the US has been arrested and charged with sexual enticement of a minor girl through social media, authorities have said.

    Sachin Aji Bhaskar, a resident of New York’s Buffalo city, faces a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, maximum of life in prison and a USD 250,000 fine.

    Assistant US Attorney Wei Xiang said on Tuesday that Bhaskar, using a social media application in August, contacted the 11-year-old girl in Buffalo claiming to be 15.

    He picked her up by car and returned her home approximately three hours later after having sex with her.

    He made an initial appearance before US Magistrate Judge Kenneth Schroder and is being held pending a detention hearing.

    The criminal complaint is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force.

    (Source: PTI)

  • Julian Assange has been charged, prosecutors reveal in inadvertent court filing

    Julian Assange has been charged, prosecutors reveal in inadvertent court filing

    WASHINGTON(TIP): A November 15 Washington Post report says WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange has been charged under seal, prosecutors inadvertently revealed in a recently unsealed court filing — a development that could significantly advance the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and have major implications for those who publish government secrets.

    The disclosure came in a filing in a case unrelated to Assange. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kellen S. Dwyer, urging a judge to keep the matter sealed, wrote “due to the sophistication of the defendant and the publicity surrounding the case, no other procedure is likely to keep confidential the fact that Assange has been charged.” Later, Dwyer wrote the charges would “need to remain sealed until Assange is arrested.”

    Dwyer is also assigned to the WikiLeaks case. People familiar with the matter said what Dwyer was disclosing was true, but unintentional.

    Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia said, “The court filing was made in error. That was not the intended name for this filing.”

    An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment.

    Federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia have long been investigating Assange, and in the Trump administration had begun taking a second look at whether to charge members of the WikiLeaks organization for the 2010 leak of diplomatic cables and military documents which the anti-secrecy group published. Investigators also had explored whether WikiLeaks could face criminal liability for the more recent revelation of sensitive CIA cyber-tools.

    Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has also exploring the publication by WikiLeaks of emails from the Democratic National Committee and the account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John D. Podesta. Officials have alleged the emails were hacked by Russian spies and transferred to WikiLeaks.

    Mueller has also been exploring, among other things, communications between the group and associates of President Trump, including political operative Roger Stone and commentator and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi.

    In July, his office charged 12 Russian military spies with conspiring to hack DNC computers, steal the organization’s data and publish the files in an effort to disrupt the election and referred in an indictment to WikiLeaks, described only as “Organization 1,” as the platform the Russians used to release the stolen emails.

    A spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.

    It was not immediately clear what charges Assange would face. In the past, prosecutors had contemplated pursuing a case involving conspiracy, theft of government property or violating the Espionage Act. But whether to charge the WikiLeaks founder was hardly a foregone conclusion. In the Obama administration, the Justice Department had concluded that pursuing Assange would be akin to prosecuting a news organization. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, though, had taken a more aggressive stance and vowed to crack down on all government leaks.

    Barry J. Pollack, one of Assange’s attorneys, said, “The only thing more irresponsible than charging a person for publishing truthful information would be to put in a public filing information that clearly was not intended for the public and without any notice to Mr. Assange. Obviously, I have no idea if he has actually been charged or for what, but the notion that the federal criminal charges could be brought based on the publication of truthful information is an incredibly dangerous precedent to set.”

    The filing in the Eastern District of Virginia came on August 22, in a case that combines national security and sex trafficking. Seitu Sulayman Kokayi, 29, was charged with enticing a 15-year-old girl to have sex with him and send him pornographic images of herself. But he was detained in part, according to the court filing, because he “has a substantial interest in terrorist acts.”

    His father-in-law, according to the filing, has been convicted of terrorist acts. The case involves previously classified information, according to government filings, and prosecutors plan to use information obtained under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Kokayi was indicted last week and is set to be arraigned Friday morning.

    The case had been sealed until early September, though by itself it attracted little notice. On Thursday, November 15 evening, Seamus Hughes, the deputy director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University who is known for scrubbing court filings, joked about the apparent error on Twitter — which first brought it to the attention of reporters.

    Even if he is charged, Assange’s coming to the United States to face trial is no sure thing. Since June 2012, Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy, afraid that if he steps outside he will be arrested.

    When he first sought asylum in the embassy, he was facing possible extradition to Sweden in a sex crimes case. He has argued that case was a pretext for what he predicted would be his arrest and extradition to the United States.

    In the years since, the Swedish case has been closed, but Assange has said he cannot risk leaving the embassy because the U.S. would attempt to have him arrested and extradited for disclosures of U.S. government secrets. Throughout that time, the U.S. has refused to say whether there are any sealed charges against Assange.

    If Assange were to leave the embassy and be arrested by British authorities, he would likely still fight extradition in the British courts.

  • US-based journalist accuses MJ Akbar of rape, he says ‘consensual’

    US-based journalist accuses MJ Akbar of rape, he says ‘consensual’

    WASHINGTON(TIP): Pallavi Gogoi, a US-based editor, has accused MJ Akbar of raping her while working under the “brilliant journalist” in India, an allegation denied by the former Union minister who called it a “consensual relationship”.

    Gogoi, the chief business editor of National Public Radio (NPR), a Washington-based American media organization, has detailed the “most painful memories” of her life in the Post article.

    She said that Akbar, the editor-in-chief of the Asian Age newspaper at that time, was a “brilliant journalist but used his position to prey” on her.

    “What I am about to share are the most painful memories of my life. I have shelved them away for 23 years,” she said, detailing how Akbar physically and mentally harassed her for years while working at the Asian Age newspaper from New Delhi to Mumbai to Jaipur to London.

    Gogoi said she was 22 when she joined the Asian Age. She was star-struck working under Akbar. She was mesmerized by his use of language, his turns of phrase and took all the verbal abuse.

    At 23, Gogoi became the editor of the op-ed page which was a big responsibility at a young age, she said.

    “But I would soon pay a very big price for doing a job I loved.

    “It must have been late spring or summer of 1994, and I had gone into his office — his door was often closed. I went to show him the op-ed page I had created… He applauded my effort and suddenly lunged to kiss me. I reeled. I emerged from the office, red-faced, confused, ashamed, destroyed,” she alleged.

    The second incident was a few months later when she was summoned to Mumbai to help launch a magazine, she claimed.

    “He called me to his room at the fancy Taj hotel, again to see the layouts. When he again came close to me to kiss me, I fought him and pushed him away. He scratched my face as I ran away, tears streaming down,” she wrote.

    When she got back to Delhi, Akbar threatened to kick her out of the job if she resisted him again. But she didn’t quit the paper, she said.

    While she was in Rajasthan on an assignment, Akbar said she could come to discuss the story in his hotel in Jaipur, she claimed.

    “In his hotel room, even though I fought him, he was physically more powerful. He ripped off my clothes and raped me,” she alleged, adding that instead of reporting him to the police, she was filled with shame.

    Gogoi claimed Akbar’s grip over her got tighter. “For a few months, he continued to defile me sexually, verbally, emotionally. I died a little every day,” she said.

    Akbar said he would send her either to the US or the UK as a reward for excellent work on covering the 1994 polls, she recalled.

    “I thought that finally, the abuse would stop… Except the truth was that he was sending me away, so I could have no defences and he could prey on me whenever he visited the city,” she said.

    Gogoi alleged that Akbar once worked himself into a rage in the London office after he saw her talking to a male colleague. He hit her and went on a rampage, throwing things from the desk at her — a pair of scissors or whatever he could get his hands on. She ran away and hid in Hyde Park.

    “I was in shreds—emotionally, physically, mentally,” she said.

    Akbar summoned her back to Mumbai after which she left the job.

    Gogoi wrote: “Today, I am a US citizen. I am a wife and mother. I found my love for journalism again. I picked up my life, piece by piece… Today, I’m a leader at National Public Radio. I know that I do not have to succumb to assault to have a job and succeed”.

    “Over the years, I have not brought up Akbar in conversations. I’ve always felt that Akbar is above the law and justice doesn’t apply to him. I felt he would never pay the price for what he had done to me”.

    He has called these allegations “baseless and wild” and has filed a lawsuit against one journalist who spoke out, she said.

    “It doesn’t surprise me. He feels he is entitled to make up his own version of ‘truth’ today, just like he felt entitled to our bodies then,” Gogoi added.

    ‘Consensual’

    The 67-year-old Akbar, who recently resigned as junior foreign minister after multiple women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment, called their relationship consensual.

    “Somewhere around 1994, Ms Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months,” Akbar, who filed a criminal defamation case against of his women accusers, amid the raging #MeToo campaign in India.

    Responding to Gogoi’s allegations, Akbar said several people who worked with him knew about his relationship with her and at no stage did her behavior give any one of them the impression that she was “working under, or in any way, under duress”.

    “In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing,” Akbar said. “This relationship (with Gogoi) gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note.

    Here’s his complete statement

    “On October 29th, the Washington Post forwarded to my lawyers a series of cryptic and non-specific questions, regarding incidents alleged to have taken place approximately 23 years ago. These allegations were false and were consequently denied. On the morning of 2nd November 2018, the Washington Post ran a piece written by Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, detailing false allegations of rape and violence against me. I have had occasion to read this article and it has become necessary, at this point in time, to bring certain facts to light.

    Somewhere around 1994, Ms. Pallavi Gogoi and I entered into a consensual relationship that spanned several months. This relationship gave rise to talk and would later cause significant strife in my home life as well. This consensual relationship ended, perhaps not on the best note.

    Several people who worked with me and knew both of us have come forward to indicate that they would be happy to bear testimony to what is stated above and, at no stage, did the behavior of Ms. Pallavi Gogoi, give any one of them the impression that she was working under, or in any way, under duress.

    In the past few weeks, I have been subjected to a barrage of false and fabricated accusations, which I am now addressing.

    For the moment, this is all I wish to say.”

    ‘Lies’

    In a separate statement, his wife Mallika Akbar also dismissed Gogoi’s accusations as a “lie”.

    In her statement, his wife Mallika admitted that she knew about the relationship between her husband and Gogoi, and the relationship caused unhappiness and discord in her family.

    Gogoi, in an earlier tweet, thanked the “journalists who have spoken out before me. I stand on their shoulders”. PTI

    Mallika Akbar also issued a statement calling Gogoi’s statement “a lie”.

    Her statement said:

    “I have been silent all this while as a `me too’ campaign has been unleashed against my husband, Mr. M.J. Akbar. However, the Washington Post article by Pallavi Gogoi alleging that she was raped by him forces me to step in with what I know to be true. More than twenty years ago, Pallavi Gogoi caused unhappiness and discord in our home. I learned of her and my husband’s involvement through her late night phone calls and her public display of affection in my presence. In her flaunting the relationship, she caused anguish and hurt to my entire family. At an Asian Age party at our home, crowded with young journalists, I have watched with mortification and pain as they danced close. I had confronted my husband at the time and he decided to prioritize his family. Tushita Patel and Pallavi Gogoi were often at our home, happily drinking and dining with us. Neither carried the haunted look of victims of sexual assault. I don’t know Pallavi’s reasons for telling this lie but a lie it is.”

    (With agencies)

  • Indian-Origin Man in UK Faces Trial for Rape

    Indian-Origin Man in UK Faces Trial for Rape

    LONDON(TIP): Sanjay Naker, an Indian-origin finance consultant from north London is on trial for allegedly raping an 18-year-old female after a night out drinking with his colleagues.

    Mr. Sanjay denies three charges of rape, one count of attempted rape, one charge of assault by penetration, and a count of sexual assault as the trial got underway at Inner London Crown Court this week.

    The married 28-year-old is accused of carrying the woman over his shoulder after she was denied entry into a nightclub in central London for being drunk and raped her in an alleyway.

    The jury was told that the last thing the unnamed woman remembers was standing in the smoking area with her cousin at the club and then staring at a brick wall in the alley.

    Naker told police the sex was consensual and said the woman had not appeared drunk. He admitted later searching online for a definition of the word “rape” but said it reassured him he had done nothing wrong.

    Showing the jury CCTV footage from the incident in March last year, prosecutor Neena Crinnion said, “He (Naker) has managed to maneuver her on to his back, into a piggyback position, and he is off across the road and down towards the passageway. The CCTV shows she appears to be slumped over his back, not really maintaining any grip”.

    Jurors watched footage of the woman falling from Naker’s back and banging her head on the ground, according to reports. Naker is then accused of “dragging” her further along the alleyway to a “filthy corner”.

    The prosecution alleges that Naker forced the “extremely drunk” woman to perform sex acts on him before trying to have sex with her.

    Naker denies the allegations as the trial remains ongoing at the London court.

     

  • Indian Origin Jailed in Singapore for Spiking Roommate’s Drink to Rape Her

    Indian Origin Jailed in Singapore for Spiking Roommate’s Drink to Rape Her

    SINGAPORE(TIP): A 28-year-old Indian origin in Singapore has been sentenced by a court there for attempting to spike his flat mate’s drink and subsequently rape her, according to reports.

    Annadurai Prabakaran, who worked in Singapore for more than seven years as a private hire bus driver, had earlier started to think of having sex with his 21-year-old flat mate, who is also an Indian origin residing there, court documents suggest.

    Prabakaran bought two tablets for two Singapore dollars, of what he assumed to be sleeping pills, to spike his flat mate’s water bottle.

    “He planned to drug her and have sexual intercourse with her while she was asleep,” according to a report, citing court documents.

    He then carried out a small test by using one of the pills to see whether it would become colorless when dissolved.

    Three days later, on December 12, he dissolved the other pill in his flat mate’s bottle, when she left it unattended.

    When her 21-year-old flat mate took a sip of water, she spat it out when she realized the water tasted bitter, according to reports.

    The woman, upon seeing that the water was cloudy, suspected Prabakaran and called a friend of her uncle’s. Her friend, also a woman, turned up at the apartment with a male friend.

    Prabakaran confessed to spiking his flat mate’s water and then pleaded for forgiveness, according to the court documents.

    He then grabbed the water bottle from the man, who was holding it at that time, and dropped it on the floor.

    The man proceeded to call the police, which sent the bottle to the Health Sciences Authority or HSA for analysis.

    A small amount of water had remained in the bottle. The HSA’s toxicology report revealed the spiked water to not have the chemicals inside a sleeping pill, but instead Sildenafil, a drug that is used to treat erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil’s side effects include nausea and headaches.

    Prabakaran pleaded guilty for obstructing justice, with his lawyer pleading to the court for Prabakaran to be given the lightest sentence possible.

    The court sentence handed out to Prabakaran was for two years and 10 months. He was also sentenced to three strokes of the cane.

    Singapore permits judicial caning and its caning laws are said to be one of the most severe in the world.

     

  • New York’s attorney general Eric Schneiderman who was pursuing Donald Trump, resigns in the face of a scandal

    New York’s attorney general Eric Schneiderman who was pursuing Donald Trump, resigns in the face of a scandal

    NEW YORK(TIP): New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman abruptly resigned on Monday, May 7 night just hours after the New Yorker published a bombshell report about his personal life alleging he was violent toward four different women. Schneiderman, who did not respond to a request for comment on this story, issued a statement saying he had merely engaged in sexual “role-playing.”

    Schneiderman, who was elected in 2010, had been pursuing Trump on several fronts — his personal business, the special counsel investigation into the 2016 election and on behalf of New York state against actions taken by the Trump administration.

    Trump allies — including his son Donald Trump Jr. and counselor Kellyanne Conway — celebrated the news of Schneiderman’s downfall.

    “Gotcha,” Conway tweeted.

    Schneiderman’s perch in the Empire State gave him jurisdiction over Trump’s company. He first took on Donald Trump in August 2013 when he sued Trump for fraud in conjunction with Trump University, a seminar series that the former attorney general called a “sham.”  Trump agreed to pay a $25 million settlement to students of the program who had brought their own lawsuit, claiming they had been misled with false claims that the costly courses would guarantee success in the real estate business.

    Since Trump took office, Schneiderman has been cooperating with Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia’s role in Trump’s election. That was a threat to Trump because the president could pardon anyone indicted by Mueller but has no pardon power over state charges. In Albany, N.Y., Schneiderman had been pushing to change New York law to close a double-jeopardy loophole that might have prevented him from bringing charges in that situation.

    Along with his work with Mueller, Schneiderman has filed a flurry of lawsuits against the Trump administration. This blitz included suits against each iteration of Trump’s travel ban, the repeal of DACA and rollbacks in emissions standards. Schneiderman’s office filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court in cases involving the travel ban and LGBT discrimination. Other states also joined many of these suits, but Schneiderman often led the coalitions.

    It’s not known if Schneiderman has been conducting its own investigations into Trump’s affairs. His office has not commented.

    With Schneiderman stepping down, the solicitor general, Barbara Underwood, becomes acting attorney general. A new attorney general could be chosen by the state Legislature, with both houses meeting in joint session. Democrats, led by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, have the majority and would be able to pick Schneiderman’s replacement. Multiple sources have told Yahoo News that the leading contenders include New York City Public Advocate Letitia James, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Kathleen Rice, state Sen. Michael Gianaris and state Sen. Jeffrey Klein. Heastie did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

    On Tuesday, the political buzz centered on James, who is known to be interested in the office and previously worked as an assistant attorney general. As public advocate, a nebulous position, she is New York City’s second-highest elected official and one of the state’s most prominent African-American women in office. A source familiar with the workings of the attorney general’s office predicted James would be a vocal opponent of Trump if she’s tapped for the job.

    “I think she would be aggressive and political in terms of going after Trump,” the source said.

    But any replacement picked by the Legislature will serve out only the remainder of Schneiderman’s term, which ends in December, unless that replacement runs for a full four-year term in November. Party primaries are on Sept. 13.

    A well-connected New York politico said legislators may forego naming a temporary replacement, leaving Underwood in the job and allowing voters to decide who should fill the office. Although there is already political pressure for the Legislature to choose this option, it would deprive legislators of the opportunity to reward a favorite and affect the shape of multiple upcoming races.

    The source familiar with the workings of the attorney general’s office predicted that, if Underwood remains in place, she would continue Schneiderman’s existing work.

    “If it’s Barbara Underwood, she’s like a lawyer’s lawyer,” the source said, noting she has argued before the Supreme Court.

    “I imagine she would continue all the Supreme Court actions, but I don’t know how aggressive she’d be in terms of going after new actions,” the source said.

    As for the election, New York’s statewide races generally lean Democratic, but Republicans are hoping Schneiderman’s woes could give them an opening. Republican Manny Alicandro, a corporate lawyer, launched a campaign shortly before the news broke. With Schneiderman out of the picture, more high-profile GOP candidates could also enter the fray. A Republican victory would be a major boon to Trump. Alicandro has criticized Schneiderman’s attacks on the White House as attention-seeking gamesmanship.

    There are at least two Democratic prospects eyeing that race who aren’t on the Legislature’s shortlist — former gubernatorial candidate Zephyr Teachout and ex-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.

    Teachout gained notoriety in the state by mounting a surprisingly successful progressive challenge to Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014. In a tweet on Tuesday, Teachout said she is “seriously considering running for Attorney General.” Bharara was fired by Trump last year and has since emerged as a major critic of the White House on Twitter and in a popular podcast.

    If Schneiderman’s successor takes on Trump, that person may have the advantage of putting in a full day at the office. The report detailing the abuse allegations also claimed Schneiderman drank heavily and used prescription drugs. Although all of the insiders who spoke to Yahoo News said they were stunned by the allegations, multiple sources who worked with Schneiderman said he regularly showed up to work several hours late.

    “We just thought he was lazy,” a source said.

    (Source: Yahoo)

  • Indian American Cancer Scientist Put on Leave after Harassment Allegations

    Indian American Cancer Scientist Put on Leave after Harassment Allegations

    WASHINGTON (TIP):  Top Indian American scientist Inder Verma, considered as one of the world’s leading authorities on gene therapy and cancer, has been placed on administrative leave following allegations of “inappropriate conduct” against him.

    Mr. Verma, 70, a scientist at the prestigious Salk Institute for Biological Studies in California, has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation into the allegations against him.

    The institute did not give any reason for suspending Mr. Verma.

    The institute has hired The Rose Group, a San Diego-based international employment law and consulting firm, to investigate allegations, not yet made public, that were reported to the institute in February.

    Mr. Verma, who is also on the boards of several Indian scientific institutes, has denied the allegations.

    “Recently, the institute became aware of allegations concerning Inder Verma. Consistent with Salk’s policies governing workplace conduct, the institute has undertaken a formal investigation that is being led by an independent outside party,” Dan Lewis, chairman of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies said in a statement.

    Mr Verma has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. He will not be performing scientific or administrative roles on behalf of the institute during this period,” he said, without referring to the nature of the investigation.

    The action against Mr Verma comes nearly four months after he was placed on temporary leave as editor of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a prestigious scientific journal.

    Mr Verma, who has denied the allegations, told that the leave had stemmed from the lawsuits that Salk professors filed against the Institute in July.

    “I have never used my position at the Salk Institute to take advantage of others. I have also never engaged in any sort of intimate relationship with anyone affiliated with the Salk Institute, he said in a statement to Science through his attorney.

    “I have never inappropriately touched, nor have I made any sexually charged comments, to anyone affiliated with the Salk Institute. I have never allowed any offensive or sexually charged conversations, jokes, material, etc. to occur at the Salk Institute, said Mr Verma who earned his MSc in Biochemistry from the Lucknow University.

    Denying misconduct allegations Mr Verma said, “I believe that it is inappropriate for an individual in a position of authority to engage in any intimate relationship with a direct report or to use that position of authority to take advantage of others.”

    In 2005, he was appointed as foreign fellow by the Indian national Science Academy.

  • Judgment day: on Asaram case verdict

    Judgment day: on Asaram case verdict

    Asaram’s rise and fall is reflective of the lives of some self-styled godmen of our times

    In sentencing Asaram Bapu to imprisonment for the rest of his natural life for the rape of a 16-year-old girl in 2013, a Special Court in Jodhpur has reinvigorated faith in the criminal justice system. Two aides who facilitated the crime have been sentenced to 20 years in prison. At a time when sexual offences against women and minor girls are being reported with benumbing regularity, a verdict of this sort reinforces public trust. Holding powerful and influential heads of religious institutions is not easy in this country, given the wide public support and political patronage they enjoy. Fortunately, neither the investigators nor the prosecutors in the case of the 77-year-old Asumal Harpalani, who named himself Asaram, seem to have been overawed by his large following or intimidated by his belligerent supporters. High-ranking police officers received letters and phone calls threatening them and their families with dire consequences, and witnesses were killed or attacked in the course of the investigation and trial. Against this backdrop, it took courage and determination for the victim and her family to seek justice. The facts are chilling. The victim’s parents, who were Asaram’s devotees, were asked to take her from the ashram’s residential school at Chhindwara to the godman’s home in Manai, near Jodhpur, ostensibly to exorcise ‘evil spirits’ that had possessed her. The parents were asked to leave, and the girl had to be alone with him. She was sexually assaulted and threatened against speaking out. Fortunately, her father

    It is also a sign of the times that every time the final verdict is set to be delivered in a criminal case involving a self-styled godman, the State concerned has to be on high alert and massive police deployment is required to quell possible trouble by followers. After the violence and mayhem that gripped Panchkula town in the immediate aftermath of the sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh last year in a rape case, this time the police took no chances, and the judgment was delivered in a makeshift courtroom in a prison. There is nothing more mortifying to the devout than witnessing jet-age godmen betraying the trust of their followers. Asaram fits into the template of the self-styled godman: graduating from running a liquor business to peddling spiritual succor, leading a lavish lifestyle, expanding into business and enjoying the patronage of the rich and powerful, and, ultimately, misusing his power to exploit his unquestioning devotees. Special Judge Madhusudan Sharma has underscored how the accused had broken the victim’s trust in him. Verdicts such as these are needed at a time when sections of society see tainted men as guardians of India’s age-old spiritual tradition.

    (The Hindu)

  • Asaram gets jail till death: Co-accused sentenced to 20 years in prison

    Asaram gets jail till death: Co-accused sentenced to 20 years in prison

    JODHPUR(TIP): A special trial court set up at the heavily fortified Jodhpur Central Jail on Wednesday, April 25, sentenced self-styled godman Asaram Bapu to jail till death, finding him guilty of raping a teenaged girl in his ashram in August 2013.

    This is the second conviction in a high-profile sexual offence case involving a self-styled guru after Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sent to jail for 20 years last August.

    Special Judge Madhusudhan Sharma sentenced co-accused Shilpi and Sharad to 20 years’ jail each and acquitted two others, Prakash and Shiva. Besides, the court slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Asaram and Rs 50,000 each on the other convicts, public prosecutor Pokhar Ram Vishnoi said.

    “Soon after the verdict, 77-year-old Asaram and other convicts broke down. The court considered Asaram’s act under the heinous crime category,” victim-family’s counsel Rajendra Singh told media persons.

    “A self-claimed spiritual guru has done the disgusting act of sexual exploitation with his teenaged disciple who had full faith on him. The convict should not be spared, and the maximum punishment be awarded, lifer to Asaram till natural life time, and 20 years each to his assistants who felicitated him in the act,” Singh said, quoting from the 453-page verdict.

    “We had complete faith in the judiciary and are happy that we got justice,” the victim’s father said, adding that the family had been living in constant fear and their business had been hit.

    Asaram sexually exploited a 16-year-old girl from UP’s Shahjahanpur in his Manal ashram near Jodhpur on the intervening night of August 15-16, 2013. The charge sheet against Asaram and the four co-accused was filed by the police on November 6, 2013, under various Sections of the POSCO (Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, Juvenile Justice Act and the Indian Penal Code.

    But rape is not the only charge against Asaram. He is also facing prosecution in a Rs 700-crore land grab case of 2000 in Madhya Pradesh. The case pertains to 200 acres of land in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh.

    Arrested in Indore and brought to Jodhpur on September 1, 2013, Asaram was under judicial custody since September 2, 2013. He also faces a rape case in Surat in which the Supreme Court earlier this month gave five weeks to the prosecution to complete the trial.

    Asaram unsuccessfully moved 12 bail applications, of which six were rejected by the trial court, three each by the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court in the last 56 months.

    The city of Jodhpur on Wednesday turned into a fortress with the deployment of the RAC, RPF and the state police in strength. Also, flag marches were held throughout the city, DCP-East Aman Deep Singh said.

    Several die-hard Asaram followers were detained early this morning from the railway station, bus terminals and in the vicinity of the jail. The Union Home Ministry had issued an advisory to Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana to remain alert.

    SAINT TO SINNER

    Aug 15, 2013: A 16-year-old girl accuses Asaram of raping her in his Jodhpur ashram

    Sept 1:Asaram brought to Jodhpur, remanded in custody

    October:Three women accuse Asaram and his son Narayan Sai of rape in Surat, Gujarat

    June 11:Surat case witness dies after being shot at in Rajkot hospital

    January 2015:Asaram’s cook Akhil Gupta, another witness, shot in Muzaffarnagar

    May 13:Mahendra Chawla, prime witness in case against Sai, shot at in Panipat

    March 14, 2016:Accused of killing Akhil Gupta, Asaram’s henchman Kartik Haldar held

    Nov 6: Charge sheet against Asaram and four co-accused

    March 19, 2017:Trial begins against Asaram in Jodhpur

    April 7, 2018:Special court hears final arguments

    April 17:Rajasthan High Court orders the special court to deliver verdict in Jodhpur Central Jail

    April 25:Special Judge Madhusudhan Sharma sentences co-accused Shilpi and Sharad to 20 years’ jail each and acquits two others, Prakash and Shiva. The court also slaps a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Asaram and Rs 50,000 each on the other convicts.

     

  • Indian Overseas Congress, USA condemns the rape and murder of the eight-year-old Asifa Bano

    Indian Overseas Congress, USA condemns the rape and murder of the eight-year-old Asifa Bano

    By George Abraham

    Indian Overseas Congress, USA joins millions of non-resident Indians across the globe in condemning the horrific rape and murder of an eight-year-old child Asifa Bano in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua. The barbarity and the bestiality involved in the killing of this little girl show the depraved and criminal mindsets of those who perpetrated such heinous acts. The ghastly way this girl was raped and murdered has indeed shaken the nation to its core and terrorized the people of conscience across the world.

    Asifa Bano, belonging to the Bakarwal community in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, was kidnapped, drugged and brutally gang-raped for three days. Her strangled body that was found on January 17, 2018, bore mute testimony to the inhumanity of her tormentors.

    Police reports indicate Asifa was locked inside a temple and repeatedly raped for three days and finally strangled to death. A police charge sheet also said before her head was bashed with a stone, one of the assailants – a police officer – had asked the killer to wait so he could rape the child for one last time.

    Days before this horrific murder was reported, another young girl from Unnao in U.P. had tried to commit suicide outside Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s house. She said she had been raped by BJP lawmaker Kuldeep Singh Sehgar and his brother a year ago. A day later, her father, who had been mercilessly thrashed for his refusal to withdraw the case, died.

    Holding him responsible for the “terrifying state of affairs,” 49 retired civil servants, in an open letter urged Prime Minister Modi to reach out to the families of the Kathua and Unnao rape victims to “seek their forgiveness.” Part of the statement reads as follows:

    “Prime Minister, it is your party which is in power. Given your supremacy within the party and the centralized control you and your party president exercise, you more than anyone else, have to be held responsible for this terrifying state of affairs. Instead of owning up and making reparations, however, you had until yesterday chosen to remain silent, breaking your silence only when public outage both in India and internationally reached a point when you could no longer ignore it.”

    “And even then, while you have condemned the act and expressed a sense of shame, you have not condemned the communal pathology behind the act nor shown the resolve to change the social, political and administrative conditions under which such communal hate is bred. We have had enough of these belated remonstrations and promises to bring justice when the communal cauldron is forever kept boiling by forces nested within the Sangh Parivar” the statement added.

    It is believed that this was done as part of a deliberate terror tactic to drive out a Muslim nomad community to which Asifa belonged. Different arms of the local government and political groups conspired to subvert the initial investigation and are using extrajudicial means to protect the accused.

    The United Nations on Friday termed the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district as horrific, PTI reported.

    “I think we have seen the media reports of this horrific case, of the abuse and the murder of a young girl,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujjaric told reporters. “We very much hope that the authorities will bring the perpetrators to justice, so they can be held accountable for the murder of this young girl.”

    “It is indeed the growing culture of violence emanating out of the wrong-headed sense of ultra-nationalism and majoritarian arrogance that is polarizing the communities and dividing the nation,” said George Abraham, Vice-Chairman for the Indian Overseas Congress, USA. “We call upon the Modi Government to stop paying lip service with slogans like “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” and provide true leadership in bringing perpetrators of this pervasive rape and abuse of women culture across the country to justice regardless of their party affiliations and oust any government official who remain stumbling blocks to that effort” Abraham added.

  • Indian Origin Physiotherapist Jailed for Molesting Teen Girl in Singapore

    Indian Origin Physiotherapist Jailed for Molesting Teen Girl in Singapore

    SINGAPORE (TIP):  An Indian-origin physiotherapist was sentenced to 11 months’ jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting a 18-year-old patient during treatment.

    Luke Manimaran Degarajoo, 43, had touched the teenage girl inappropriately during a physiotherapy session at his clinic about a year ago. He was sentenced on March 21.

    The girl had visited Degarajoo at the clinic on March 25 last year seeking treatment for back and hip pain, according to a news report.

    Degarajoo then directed her to a massage bed in a therapy room. During the massage, he asked the teenager to remove her top and loosen her shorts.

    The victim complied as she thought it was part of the treatment. While massaging her, Degarajoo molested her twice after rolling down her underwear and shorts, the report said.

    “The victim felt uncomfortable by the contact but did not shout or ask for help as she was unsure if it was part of the treatment or not,” Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail Wong said.

    The massage ended when the victim heard Degarajoo speaking to her friend who had glanced into the room and was surprised to find her nude.

    After the session ended, he gave her a report detailing his assessment of her condition. The girl did not complain initially as she thought it was part of the treatment.

    But she finally told her friend about her ordeal when they left the clinic at around 7.40 pm (local time) before lodging a police report about four hours later.

    Degarajoo is out on SGD 10,000 bail after the court granted his request to defer his sentence as he had to settle some personal matters.

    He will surrender himself at the State Courts on April 20 to begin serving his sentence, according to The Straits Times report.

  • Indian American Sandeep Rehal, former Personal Assistant to Weinstein, files lawsuit against mogul in New York

    Indian American Sandeep Rehal, former Personal Assistant to Weinstein, files lawsuit against mogul in New York

    Sandeep Rehal’s  lawsuit in California was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds.

    NEW YORK (TIP): The Indian American Sandeep Rehal , former personal assistant of Harvey Weinstein, has filed a federal lawsuit at a New York state court after her suit was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds by a federal judge.

    The case was dismissed by District Judge Jesse Furman on February 26th  citing a jurisdictional reason. The lawsuit had named Weinstein, his brother Bob, former human resources director Frank Gil and the Weinstein Company as defendants.

    While Rehal lives in California, The Weinstein Co. is a Delaware limited liability company based in New York. An LLC is considered a citizen of the state where its members reside. The New York federal court dismissed the case as Rehal couldn’t establish that none of the defendants were residents of California.

    According to the lawsuit filed by Rehal, during the course of two years that she worked as the personal assistant of Weinstein, she was subjected to many sexually harassing actions, statements, and physical touching. The producer also dictated emails while being naked, she alleged.

    Rehal said that the hostile work environment and the repeated sexual harassment have caused severe emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of self-esteem.

    She said Weinstein sought her assistance to even get him clean underwear and to clean up semen after his “extremely prolific sexual encounters.”

    Rehal said Weinstein made offensive sexist comments about her quite frequently and were made openly in the presence of other employees of TWC.

    Rehal added that Weinstein had asked her to maintain a special list of contacts of his “girls,” who were his many sexual partners. She was also asked to buy gifts and dresses for his “girls”.

    She also revealed in the suit that Weinstein wanted her to manage the stock of Caverject shots, which he used for his erectile dysfunction and was required to place one in his pocket every time he went for a sexual encounter, which she says was at least three times a week when he was in New York.

    Weinstein’s spokesperson had denied the allegations saying they would “respond in the appropriate legal forum with evidence proving they are untrue.”

  • Indian American Executive at Ford dismissed with immediate effect over ‘Inappropriate Behavior’

    Indian American Executive at Ford dismissed with immediate effect over ‘Inappropriate Behavior’

    MICHIGAN (TIP): Ford Motor Company announced on Feb. 21 that Raj Nair, the executive vice president and president, North America, is departing from the company effective immediately.

    The announcement follows an internal investigation that was conducted recently after reports of his inappropriate behavior surfaced.

    The review determined that certain behavior by Nair, 53, was inconsistent with the company’s code of conduct, Ford said in a statement.

    “We made this decision after a thorough review and careful consideration,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett said. “Ford is deeply committed to providing and nurturing a safe and respectful culture and we expect our leaders to fully uphold these values,” he added.

    “I sincerely regret that there have been instances where I have not exhibited leadership behaviors consistent with the principles that the Company and I have always espoused. I continue to have the utmost faith in the people of Ford Motor Company and wish them continued success in the future,” Nair, who is of Indian origin, said.

    The company did not mention the details of the internal investigation or the reports against Nair, who was often called a rising star in Ford and a potential future chief executive. Ford will divide Nair’s responsibilities among Kumar Galhotra, the firm’s chief marketing officer and head of the Lincoln brand, and Stuart Rowley, the vice president of strategy.

    Nair had been working with Ford since 1987 after he graduated from college. He was Ford’s CTO and head of global product development before assuming the executive vice president role in June 2017.

    He had been instrumental in changing the focus of Ford towards self-driving cars, phone-savvy infotainment and mobility services, according to Engadget.

    The high-level dismissal is one of the most prominent in an industry other than media and entertainment after sexual harassment at workplaces started to be taken seriously. Companies have started enforcing zero tolerance harassment policies, although it is not known if Nair was dismissed over charges of sexual harassment.

     

     

  • SC SLAMS MP FOR MERE RS 6,500 TO RAPE VICTIMS

    SC SLAMS MP FOR MERE RS 6,500 TO RAPE VICTIMS

    NEW DELHI (TIP): “You value a rape at Rs 6,500?” That was how a bench of Supreme Court justices reacted while reviewing an affidavit filed by the Madhya Pradesh government on utilisation of funds from the Nirbhaya scheme.

    A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta took the government to task and asked whether it was doing “charity” by paying a meagre amount to rape victims.

    “According to you (Madhya Pradesh) and your affidavit, on an average, you are paying Rs 6,000 to a rape victim. Are you doing a charity? How can you do so. … You value a rape at Rs 6,500?”

    “For Madhya Pradesh, the figures are fantastic. There are 1,951 rape victims in Madhya Pradesh and you are giving them Rs 6,000-Rs 6,500 each. Is that good, commendable? What is this,” the bench asked, adding, “this is total insensitiveness”.

    Despite getting the maximum amount of allocation under the Nirbhaya Fund, Madhya Pradesh had only spent around Rs one crore on 1,951 rape victims.

    The Nirbhaya Fund was set up by the Centre in 2013 after the December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder case in Delhi.

    In January, the apex court directed all states and union territories to submit an affidavit on the amount received by them under the Nirbhaya scheme and the amount disbursed to victims of sexual assault. As many as 24 states and UTs are yet to file their affidavits, PTI reported.

    During the hearing, when Haryana’s counsel said they would file their affidavit, the bench observed, “If you have not filed affidavit, it is a very clear indication of what you feel for safety of women in your state”.

    “You take your time and tell the women in your state that you do not care for them,” the bench said while observing that 24 states and UTs have not yet filed their affidavit as per the court’s direction.

    When the counsel representing one of the petitioners told the bench that they have so far received only one affidavit filed on behalf of Sikkim, the bench asked, “is this becoming a joke? If you are not interested in this case, tell us. On what basis you are saying that only one state has filed affidavit. You do not even see the office report?”.

    The counsel for Meghalaya told the bench that they have disbursed around Rs 30.55 lakh to 48 victims of sexual assault.