FIR Doesn’t Mention Rape, Police Reached After Two Hours

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap

 

Jospin’s husband and her four children at her burial site at Duragre village in Meghalaya Thursday. (Source: Express photo by Dasarath Deka)

Summary

State Home Minister Roshan Warjri on Thursday assured ‘justice’ to members of the bereaved family.

Raja Rongat (Meghalaya), Jun 6 : Not a single policeman was spotted during daytime as one drove 51 km from Tura in western Meghalaya to this hamlet 10 km short of Chokpot police station.

Thus, when Jospin M Sangma, 30, was shot on her head from point blank range on Tuesday 6 pm, the police arrived at the scene at  around 8.30 pm.

While the police had said in Shillong on Wednesday that the woman was killed when she resisted an attempt to molestation and rape, the FIR in Chokpot police station has no such mention.

An oral information given by Ganjak M Sangma, mother of the deceased, on the basis of which the FIR was recorded in English, said that two Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants with AK-47 rifles blamed Jospin to be a “police collaborator”, made her sit down on a chair outside her tea shop and shot her in her head.

According to agency report, the GNLA in a statement  denied that the woman was molested or raped and said that she was ‘executed’ for being a ‘police informer’.

“I saw two men, both wearing camouflage shorts and black T-shirts. They came and asked my wife whether she was Tanisha’s mother. When she said, ‘yes’, they said, ‘you are a police informer’. She denied, but one of them said, ‘what should we do? Kill you, or spare you?’.

The next moment a bullet blew off her head, and the two men disappeared into darkness,” said Abel A Sangma, 32, who along with his wife ran a small shop selling tea, puri and rice at Raja Rongat tri-juncture bus point.

“My wife was not a police informer. She has nothing to do with the police or militants. She was innocent. How will I bring up my four children without her?” asked Abel, holding his youngest child, four-year-old Menobarth, in his arms. While Tanisha, the eldest, is 11, Lima is seven and Rosemi is six.

Abel’s children refused to speak about the incident or their mother. They wept silently near her grave in a jungle about 500 m away from their home in village Duragre, four km from here. The family stayed in the tea shop instead of walking half-a-km downhill and another hand-a-km uphill from Duragre to reach the main road, as it’s closer to the missionary school which the children attended.

The children have since been shifted to their maternal grandmother’s house — Garos are matrilineal — in Duragre.

“We are yet to ascertain the motive behind killing of the woman,” said A T Sangma, additional SP of South Garo Hills district, who is camping at Chokpot police station to supervise investigations. “The woman was in no way a police informer,” he added.

State Home Minister Roshan Warjri on Thursday assured ‘justice’ to members of the bereaved family. An encounter was underway on Thursday between security forces and Garo militants who killed the woman.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister: Rape Is 'Sometimes Right, Sometimes Wrong'

By Sruthi Gottipati

Demonstrators hold placards during a candlelight vigil to mark the first death anniversary of the Delhi gang rape victim in New Delhi December 29, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Anindito Mukherjee/Files

New Delhi, Jun 6 : Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur has described rape as a social crime, saying "sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong", in the latest controversial remarks by an Indian politician about rape.

Akhilesh Yadav, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, where two cousins aged 12 and 14 were raped and hanged last week, has faced criticism for failing to visit the scene and for accusing the media of hyping the story.

Gaur, who is from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said on Thursday that the crime of rape can only be considered to have been committed if it is reported to police.

"This is a social crime which depends on men and women. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it's wrong," said Gaur, the home minister responsible for law and order in BJP-run Madhya Pradesh.
"Until there's a complaint, nothing can happen," Gaur told reporters.

Gaur also expressed sympathy with Mulayam Singh Yadav, head of the regional Samajwadi Party. In the recent election, Mulayam criticised legal changes that foresee the death penalty for gang rape, saying: "Boys commit mistakes: Will they be hanged for rape?"

The BJP dismissed Gaur's comments as an expression of his personal views, and not the party's.
Modi, who was sworn in as prime minister last week after a landslide election victory, has so far remained silent over the double killing in the village of Katra Shahadatganj, around half a day's drive east of New Delhi.

The father and uncle of one of the victims said they tried to report the crime to local police but had been turned away. Three men have been arrested over the killings. Two policemen were held on suspicion of trying to cover up the crime.

Although a rape is reported in India every 21 minutes on average, law enforcement failures mean that such crimes - a symptom of pervasive sexual and caste oppression - are often not reported or properly investigated, human rights groups say.

More sex crimes have come to light in recent days. A woman in a nearby district of Uttar Pradesh was gang-raped, forced to drink acid and strangled to death. Another was shot dead in northeast India while resisting attackers, media reports said.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said he was "especially appalled" by the rape and murder of the two girls.

"We say no to the dismissive, destructive attitude of, 'Boys will be boys'," he said in a statement this week that made clear his contempt for the language used by Mulayam Singh Yadav.
(Reporting by Sruthi Gottipati; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Normal Sex, No Acrobatics: The Variety Of Sexual Restrictions Placed On World Cup Players

By Travis Waldron

 

Brazil’s soccer stars, like Neymar, can have “normal sex” during the World Cup. Acrobatic sex, however, is banned.

Jurgen Klinsmann, the manager of the United States national team that will head to Brazil facing a tough task in the 2014 World Cup, has attracted his fair share of criticism from American fans for a variety of decisions leading up to the tournament. But his players are probably pleased with at least one declaration Klinsmann made this week: he won’t ban them from having sex during the World Cup.

“We are very casual in the way we approach things. Their families can come pretty much any time, they will be at the games, they can come to the hotel and we can have barbecues together. I think every nation is different,” Klinsmann said when asked if he’d follow in the footsteps of other managers who have banned players from having sex during the Cup. Klinsmann referenced his time as a player — he led West Germany to a World Cup victory in 1990 — to note that different cultures treat the issue differently. But the Yanks will be able to remain focused on the pitch even if they’re doing something else off of it.

“We have a group of guys together and an environment together that is very open, it’s very casual. But once we go on the field for training and for the games we are very serious and down to business.”
The issue of players having sex at the World Cup pops up every four years — Klinsmann was asked because Mexico manager Miguel Herrera announced in late May that he won’t let his players have sex throughout the tournament.

“If a player can’t go one month or 20 days without having sexual relations, then they are not prepared to be a professional player,” Herrera said. “Forty days of sexual abstinence isn’t going to hurt anybody.”

Herrera isn’t alone. Bosnia-Herzogovina manager Safet Susic said in April that he won’t allow his players to have sex during the World Cup, though he added that his players “can find another solution, they can even masturbate if they want.” The managers of Spain, Germany, and Chile have all banned players from having sex.

Then there’s the hybrid approach taken by Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, whose team is dealing with the pressure of trying to win a World Cup on home soil. “The players can have normal sex during the World Cup,” Scolari said in April. “Usually normal sex is done in balanced way, but there are certain forms, certain ways and others who do acrobatics. We will put limits and survey the players.”

France manager Didier Deschamps, meanwhile, says it all “depends on when, and how much.”
While managers may fret about the amount of energy their players expend between the sheets while at the World Cup, there’s no research supporting the idea that abstaining from sex improves athletic performance. The research that has been published suggests there’s no difference at all, as Discovery News pointed out before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:

In a 1995 study, he challenged 11 men to a treadmill test. Some had sex 12 hours before the test. Some abstained. Results, published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, showed no difference between the groups in how much oxygen their hearts needed or how efficiently their bodies used oxygen.

Whether players can or should be allowed to have sex around major sporting events is a common and often funny topic, but sex and sexuality have also been bigger issues around Brazil’s World Cup — and not just when it comes to players. Adidas, one of the Cup’s official sponsors, drew criticism for playing up sexual stereotypes of Brazilian women with two World Cup-themed t-shirts it produced earlier this year. One featured a bikini-clad Brazilian woman next to the slogan, “Looking to score,” the other used a woman’s rear end to illustrate “I Love Brazil.” Even Brazilian president Dilma Roussef criticized the shirts, and the company withdrew them amid calls for it to recognize that Brazil is “more than soccer balls and butts.”

The shirts drew attention to rampant sexualization of Brazilian (and Latina) women worldwide. That sexualization, as Nicole Froio wrote in The Guardian, can be tied to larger problems: one online survey found that 90 percent of Brazilian women say they change their dress to avoid fears of harassment, and 80 percent have avoided going out to avoid harassment. 99 percent said they had been harassed on the street. As Froio noted, latest government statistics show rising rape and sexual assault rates in the country too.

Brazil is also one of the world’s leading destinations for sex tourism, and the Brazilian government has ramped up its efforts to combat such tourism in recent years, asking web sites that sell sex to stop using official Brazilian travel branding and fighting against sex hotels. While some of those efforts have tried to eliminate child sex tourism, other government initiatives have been criticized for illegally and improperly cracking down on Brazil’s sex workers, as City Lab’s Julie Ruvolo detailed this week. In response, many of those sex workers have been among the Brazilians protesting the government ahead of the World Cup.

Of course, sex and sports mix all the time, and not just in Brazil: high-profile sexual assault cases and the sexualization of female athletes, women who work in sports, and male players’ significant others have emerged as major issues in the American sports world in ways that have helped put a new lens on the discussion about misogyny and sexism in broader American society. So while it’s always fun to talk about the sex-related policies of World Cup teams and managers, it’s worth discussing and reshaping the more serious ways in which sports and sex interact and shape society throughout the world too.

Evolution of the Flight Attendant Uniform

By Laura Carroll

Hats, gloves, an ever-changing hemline: The flight attendant getup has always been as much about fashion as it is function. With both Delta and Jet Blue debuting new duds for their cabin crews, we can't help but look through the archives of history's most fashionable staff. Behold, the evolution of the flight attendant uniform.

Archive Photos / Stringer / Getty Images

1940

Most early flight attendant uniforms were sophisticated and sweet, with long sleeves, swinging skirts, and—of course—the stewardess cap.

1944

Some airlines, however, left slightly less to the imagination.

1956

In the ’50s, flight attendants donned crisp collars and white gloves, with perfect coifs under their caps.

1963

Sadly, these terrific toppers were often removed before takeoff.

1969

When mod was mode, flight attendants took to wearing stand-up collars and shift dresses (and flats).

1972

Sky-high hemlines were complemented by fantastic head scarves in the early ’70s—a nod to the decade's departure from structured style.

1985

The ’80s, meanwhile, apparently left many flight attendants clad in plaid.

1990

Even at high altitudes, one could not escape the shoulder pads and boxy blazers that were popular in the early ’90s.

1999

As the century came to a close, flight attendant uniforms (like all fashion) became considerably more relaxed.

2004

These chambray shirts, fitted vests, and floppy bow ties are far more comfortable than the uniforms of yesteryear.

 

2008

And this nod to the mod era? We dig it.

2014

Jet Blue's new uniforms are simple and sleek—a winning combination of modern elements, as well as those of flight attendant uniforms past. Some things really do get better with age.

Man To Stand Trial For "molesting" Girl From Northeast India

New Delhi, Jun 6 : A Delhi court has ordered the trial of a man on the charge of molesting and assaulting a girl from North-East region when she was returning to home with her brother here in February this year.

However, the court discharged the man of the charge of passing casteist remarks against the girl and her brother, punishable under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) ACT.

Additional Sessions Judge Rajnish Bhatnagar ordered the framing of charges against Kamal under various sections of the Indian Penal Code including outraging the modesty of a woman, voluntarily causing hurt, assaulting a woman with an intention to disrobe her and wrongfully restraining.

The charge of wrongful restraint was also made out against one Manpreet, who was an on-looker accompanying Kamal, for trying to restrain the victim. He was also discharged under the SC/ST Act.

After discharging both the men under the SC/ST Act, the sessions judge remanded the case back to the magisterial court saying "all the offences under which Kamal and Manpreet are liable to be charged are triable by the court of magistrate."

According to the police, a girl belonging to North-East region lodged a complaint against Kamal on February 28 this year alleging that when she was going home with her cousin brother at night, she was teased by the accused who began passing lewd comments and castiest remarks at her and her brother.

When her brother urged him to refrain from using derogatory words, Kamal beat him up till he fainted, police had said.

Manpreet had allegedly blocked the girl's way and also threatened her when she tried to call the police.

Nagaland 'Green Village' Turns Tables On Hunters

Conservation efforts at a remote community in Nagaland state hailed as a model for protecting the environment.

By Amarjyoti Borah

Conservationists say the Khonoma model can be replicated in the rest of India [Amarjyoti Borah/Al Jazeera]

Khonoma, Nagaland - An idyllic "green village" in northeast India is being hailed as a model of conservation after an innovative project to protect wildlife began to lure tourists to the area.
India's government is now promoting Khonoma in the remote state of Nagaland as a successful example of what can be done by a small community to tackle hunting and logging and safeguard the environment.

The spirit of conservation has penetrated so deeply among villagers that local youths are signing up to be "wildlife wardens" in the community, 20km from Nagaland's capital, Kohima.

"The whole process has brought about a revolution here, and everyone has started to look at things through the eyes of a conservationist," said Kevichulie Meyase, a member of the Khonoma Tourism Development Board.

Sanctuary
In 1998, villagers formed the Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS) extending across a hilly terrain of 70sq km.

The whole process has brought about a revolution here, and everyone has started to look at things through the eyes of a conservationist. - Kevichulie Meyase, Khonoma Tourism Development Board

The aim was to protect local wildlife including the endangered Blyth's Tragopan, a pheasant that inhabits wooded areas, and the village established strict rules banning hunting and logging.

"If anyone is found coming to hunt in the sanctuary he is fined 3,000 rupees ($50) as a punishment," said Mhiesizokho Zinyu, a conservationist associated with the KNCTS.

In an effort to ensure the bans were strictly enforced, the regulations stipulated that offenders' families would also face the prospect of collective fines.

"All this meant that the villagers complied with the council's strictures," said Pankaj Gogoi, a researcher associated with the non-profit organisation Destination North East, who has worked in the area.

The success of the initiative is striking given that awareness about conservation was almost completely absent in the village until the early 1990s.

The Gujarat-based non-profit Centre for Environment Education (CEE) played a pivotal role in raising local consciousness about the importance of conservation, and this was reinforced by the leading role played by Khonoma's village council.

Monkey feast
"I still remember when we had visited the village for the first time in 1994, the residents there threw a lavish feast for us - we were served monkeys and endangered deer meat," said Abdesh Gangwar of CEE.

Gangwar said he is wonderstruck when he sees the conservation efforts now embraced by Khonoma's residents.

An woman walks down a street in Khonoma village [Reuters]

Soon after establishing the new initiative, the villagers launched a tourism programme to generate income lost as a result of the prohibition on hunting and logging.

In 2003, they formed the Khonoma Tourism Development Board, which now gives local youths and women opportunities to work as tour guides, operators and interpreters.

"This was done so that the livelihood of all those people who were dependent on logging of trees and hunting will not be affected, and it worked out very well," said Meyase. "The sanctuary is ideal for trekking and research work, and it has a variety of ecosystems ranging from semi-evergreen forest to savannah grasslands."

Riding on the sanctuary's success, the government adopted Khonoma as a "green village" and awarded it 30 million rupees ($500,000) to develop infrastructure.

"The money was used to construct footpaths, toilets, roads within the village, solar lights, viewpoints, and for the purchase of trekking equipment," Meyase said.

In tune with their mission of conservation, the roofs of all homes were painted green so everyone knows it as the "green village".

The villagers' efforts have been lauded by Nagaland's state government, and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio has said Khonoma offers the world lessons about what people can achieve while protecting nature.

It has been a great success and can also become a role model for other states and communities as well. - Firoz Ahmed, Aaranyak conservation group

Rich dividends
The villagers' efforts are paying rich dividends and the sanctuary has turned into a hotspot for tourists - yielding clear economic benefits.

Visitors who want to experience rural life can pay for "home-stays" - accommodation in a village household costing about $17 a night, enabling them to eat local food and enjoy the natural surroundings.

The tourism board said at least 1,000 tourists - both domestic and foreign - now visit the village annually.

"Payments are made to guides, to performers at cultural programmes, and to individual families who run the home-stays," said Meyase. "This has improved the economic conditions of several households."

Conservationists working in the region say the model established by Khonoma can now be replicated in other parts of India - and beyond.

"It has been a great success and can also become a role model for other states and communities as well," said Firoz Ahmed of Aaranyak, an environmental group.

Source:

Al Jazeera

Delhi University Helpdesk in City Big Hit With Students

By Kangkan Kalita

Guwahati, Jun 5 : The Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) helpdesk, which started functioning this week to entertain queries of aspirants seeking admission in colleges under Delhi University (DU), is receiving an overwhelming response.

Students from across the state are thronging the helpdesk at the district library here to get DU offline forms and to find out the names of colleges where they could do the honours course in their favourite subjects.

"Colleges under DU are attracting a large number of students from the northeast. Our volunteers have arrived here to guide students so that they can get admission under DU without any difficulty," said Satyam Saikia, DUSU northeast in charge.

Parents are also visiting the helpdesk, which will remain open till June 12 from 10 am to 5 pm. Rizwan Choudhury, a volunteer, said they are encouraging aspirants to submit online applications, which are less time consuming. Though some students submitted online forms, many preferred offline applications as these are more popular in colleges in the northeast.

"I visited the helpdesk to get an offline admission form because the process of submitting online forms is very slow. The volunteers helped me a lot and I got all relevant information about admission procedures. I am aspiring to get admission in one of the best colleges in Delhi with honours in economics," said Keerthana Borah, who passed the class 12 examination from the Assam Valley School in Sonitpur district this year.

Hiya Sahariah, a student of Delhi Public School, who cleared her class 12 examination this year, wants to get admission in one of the colleges in North Campus in Delhi. "I want to take honours in mathematics. I was very anxious to learn about the admission process under DU and the helpdesk was a great help," she said, adding that she will submit her form online as she is not in a mood to travel to Delhi to submit the offline application.

ZoRO Seeks Details Of Those Associated in MNF Movement

By S Singlianmang Guite

Churachandpur, Jun 5 : The Zo Reunification Organisation (ZoRO), Northern Zone has issued a missive seeking details of those who were involved during the MNF movement and has subsequently formed three men sub-committee to oversee the exercise.

As instructed by ZoRO GHQ, three men sub-committee on victims of MNF Movement, 1966-1986 with Goulal Tungnung, Haolal Haokip, and Lienhminthang Varte as its Chairman, Secretary and member respectively have been formed to collect details of Ex-Mizo National Front (MNF) cadres of all ranks and file, said George Guite Secretary I&P ZoRO, Northern Zone.

He added that the committee would also collect details of individuals or villagers who are the victims of security forces atrocities or those villagers whose houses have been burnt down/grounded due to the MNF movement.

The missive requested all concerned to submit their particulars in details to the committee, duly countersigned by their respective village chief, on or before June 30 .