Category: Nalanda

One CRPF jawan killed in IED blast triggered by Naxals in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district

Source: firstpost.com

Raipur: A CRPF jawan was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast triggered by Naxals in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, officials said.

The blast took place around 6 am near a camp of 195th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Pushpal in Bastar when one of its patrolling teams was returning after an anti-Naxal operation, a senior police officer told PTI.

The force had launched the operation on Tuesday night in the forests along the border of Bastar and Dantewada districts, he said.

A constable-rank jawan, Raushan Kumar (23), a native of Bihar’s Nalanda district, was killed in the blast. It was triggered as he accidentally stepped on the IED when the team was passing through a road construction site near Bodli village, the officer said.

The constable’s body was taken to the Pushpal camp from where it will be shifted to his battalion headquarters in Dantewada’s Barsoor, he said.

A search operation is underway in the area where the blast took place, he said.

Indian-American adoptive father of Sherin Mathews begins life sentence

Source: thehindu.com

The Indian-American foster father of 3-year-old Sherin Mathews, sentenced to life in prison for the death of the toddler who was found dead in a culvert in 2017, has begun serving the jail term in Dallas.

In a case that attracted much international attention, Wesley Mathews (39), pleaded guilty on June 24 to a lesser charge of injury to a child in Sherin’s tragic death.

He was originally charged with capital murder by authorities in the US state of Texas after they discovered Sherin’s highly decomposed body after a massive search that lasted 15 days.

On Thursday, Dallas County Sheriff officials said that Mathews was transferred from Dallas County jail to state prison at around 12:58 AM Thursday.

A Dallas County jury heard the case, and Mathews was sentenced to life in prison in Sherin’s death on June 26.

Mathews has since filed another appeal in the case asking for a new sentencing trial. His attorney alleges photos of Sherin’s body were “prejudicial”.

“Jurors expressed visible emotion when shown the exhibits,” defence attorney Brook Busbee wrote in the appeal.

The appeal also claims that evidence of prior injuries on Sherin’s body “prejudiced the jury”. The court filing said that those injuries cannot be linked to Mathews.

The father had reported Sherin missing after he put her outside October 7, 2017, because she wouldn’t drink her milk. Her badly decomposed body was found 15 days later in a culvert.

Prosecutors argued Mathews hid his crime, making it impossible to determine exactly what happened to the girl because of how badly decomposed her body was.

Mathews testified that his daughter choked on her milk and that he wrapped her body in a trash bag because he wanted “to do something nice” for her.

Sherin’s adoptive mother, Sini Mathews, was also criminally charged after the child’s body was found, but that case was later dismissed after the Dallas County District Attorney said there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

Mathews and his wife Sini Mathews, both hailing from Kerala, adopted Sherin from an orphanage in Bihar’s Nalanda district in 2016.

Police charged Sherin’s foster mother Sini with child abandonment in November 2017, after Mathews told officials that the couple left the toddler alone the night of her death while they went to dinner with their biological daughter.

Sini’s case was dismissed in March this year after prosecutors said they could not prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.

Sherin’s death attracted the attention of the Indian government and then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took keen interest in the case and also instructed the Indian mission in Houston to make sure that the Indian toddler received justice. India revoked the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) immigration status of Wesley and Sini after Sherin’s death.

The government further tightened the adoption process after Sherin’s tragic death.

Bihar woman claims she was abducted, confined and gang-raped for seven days

Source: timesnownews.com

Patna: A woman from Bihar has claimed that she was kidnapped, held hostage and gang-raped by a group of men in the state’s Nalanda district. In her complaint, the woman alleged that she was abducted by an acquaintance who managed to get her out of her husband’s home on the pretext of taking her to her parents’ home by deceiving her into believing that her father was unwell.

The woman, who got married about two months ago, claimed that she was abducted on July 16. A man known to her arrived at her husband’s home and told the complainant that her father was unwell. The accused then offered to drop her off at her parental home. After she took up the offer, she was taken to a residence where she was held hostage for a total of seven days and gang-raped by four men.

In her complainant, the woman further claimed that the accused also stole her jewellery and cash. On July 23, she managed to flee her captors and reached her husband’s home. She then narrated her ordeal before the police in Rahui who registered an FIR on the basis of her complaint. An investigation into the matter is underway by personnel attached with the Ghoswari police station. The survivor has identified one of the accused by name. More details are awaited as this is a developing story and the matter is under active investigation.

A similar incident has come to light from Samastipur where a woman has alleged that she was abducted and gang-raped by six men. The complainant also told police that the accused recorded illicit videos of her and the same are doing rounds on social media. The woman’s husband works in New Delhi and rushed back to his home in Bihar after the matter was brought to his attention.

Officials with the Hasanpur police station in Samastipur district arrested three people in connection with the alleged gang-rape of the 35-year-old woman. A preliminary investigation by police had revealed that she was going to meet her sister-in-law when she was abducted and taken to an isolated farm where she was gang-raped by six men. They even gagged her with a cloth to ensure that the sound of her screams does not alert locals. The accused were reportedly booked under sections 376 and 362 of the Indian Penal Code along with section 66E of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

Nalanda weavers want ‘acche din’ back for their handloom

Source: dnaindia.com

The Rashtrapati Bhavan windows were once adorned by the beautiful handmade curtains, brought in from Nalanda. The tide, however, has turned since the famed curtains no longer hold the prestigious order and the weavers blame this on the government’s apathy.

The curtains produced by the artisans of Bihar’s Baswan Bigha town were even being exported to Japan and Germany till five years ago, but that has now ceased.

According to Kapildev Prasad, a local weaver, former President Dr Rajendra Prasad had the Nalanda-made curtains hanging in the Rashtrapati Bhavan. But after him, the officials ignored the curtains and stopped procuring them. Not only this, the interest of ordinary people in handloom clothes faded and the craftsmen began running out of business which forced them to look for other jobs. Prasad claims that yet, he has somehow managed to eke out a livelihood for over 50 years. Even today, the demand for Bawan Buti sari and curtain isn’t much among Indians, but tourists from other Buddhist countries, including China and Japan, are fond of it.

Secretary of the Primary Weaver Cooperation Society, Sunil Kumar, said that the situation of weavers has become pathetic due to the government’s indifference. “Till 10 years ago, the industry thrived here. All the government buildings had our curtains. Now, orders are given elsewhere and no initiative is being taken by the government for us.” Earlier, fifty to sixty artisans used to work on the looms, the number now lingers at just 20 weavers.

However, in what might turn to be a fresh lease of life, fresh curtains have been sent by the association, through the weavers service center in Bhagalpur, to the Union Textile Ministry in New Delhi for the President’s Award. If selected — the design depicts Buddhist symbolism — it could breathe new life into the industry.

Kumar claimed, “Currently, we only weave the fabric as and when demand comes from customers. Our hopes of revival now rests on bagging the President’s Award.”

Eightfold inaugurates new artificial intelligence research and innovation hub in India

Source: dqindia.com

Building on robust growth, Eightfold.ai, the creator of the Talent Intelligence Platform, announced the opening of ‘Eightfold Nalanda’, its global center of excellence, research and innovation in cutting-edge AI domain. Founded by Dr. Ashutosh Garg and Varun Kacholia, IIT alumni and Machine Learning experts from Google and Facebook, Eightfold.ai has already secured more than 100 customers operating in 20 countries around the world.

With a recent Series C round of $28 million, the company has quickly become one of the most well capitalized companies in Silicon Valley, and with a growing portfolio of products, and a growing global team, the company is expanding quickly. The company’s customers in India include Tata Communications Limited and Delhivery.

“Opening Eightfold Nalanda, our center of excellence, in India is an important step in our growth,” said Dr. Ashutosh Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Eightfold.ai. “Having grown up in India, it’s important to me that we bring the benefits of our AI Platform to the workforce in India as well. The algorithms that power the Eightfold Talent Intelligence Platform are built to help everyone find the right role for them and help them realize their potential, while embracing our diversity.”

Co-Founders Dr. Garg and Kacholia are widely hailed for their record of innovation and leadership in Machine Learning, holding between them 86 patents. The co-founders have filed four new patents in the last year at Eightfold.ai.

In service of this vision for the company’s place in India, Eightfold.ai names its India headquarters and center of excellence as Eightfold Nalanda. The center of excellence in India will be under the leadership of Sandesh Goel, who will be General Manager for India.

“Today we have customers in 20 countries across four continents and they are driving the innovation on our Talent Intelligence Platform across talent acquisition, career planning, skills development, and employee and candidate experience. India, in itself, is now one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world and it was time to bring many strategic functions of the company to serve this geography at scale. I am excited to welcome Sandesh Goel to our team and have him build an excellent team in India,” said Dr. Garg.

“Opening the Eightfold Nalanda global center of excellence in India is an exciting moment for all of us,” said Sandesh Goel, general manager – India at Eightfold.ai. “Re-skilling is emerging as a key imperative for employers all over the world, nowhere more so than here in India. Half of the world’s Millennial population is in India, and these young workers face job displacement requiring them to learn new skills quickly. The employers of India must adapt in order to attract and retain their talent as well. These are the challenges we are now addressing at scale with our Talent Intelligence Platform.”

7 Children Among Eight Killed After Being Struck By Lightning In Bihar

Source: ndtv.com

NAWADA, BIHAR: 

Eight people, seven of them children aged 15 years or below, were killed and eight others were injured after lightning struck them in Bihar’s Nawada on Friday afternoon, an official said.

According to Sub Divisional Officer, Sadar, Nawada, Anu Kumar, the children were residents of Dhanpur Musahari village falling under Kalichak police station area and had taken shelter under a tree while it was raining.

The people who died have been identified as Ramesh Manjhi, 26, Chhotu Manjhi, Ganesh Manjhi and Monu Manjhi (all 15 years old), Nitish Manjhi, 12, Pravesh Kumar, 10, Chhotu Manjhi, 8 and Muni Lal Manjhi, 5, Mr Kumar said.

In addition, eight others were injured and seven of them were being treated at the Sadar hospital while the condition of another was stated to be critical and he has been admitted to Pavapuri in the adjoining Nalanda district, the official said.

Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar issued a statement expressing grief over the tragedy and announcing an ex-gratia of Rs. four lakh to the family of the people who lost their lives.

He also issued instructions for proper medical assistance to those who have sustained injuries, a release issued by the Chief Ministers office said.

Former Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha president Jitan Ram Manjhi issued a statement expressing grief and demanding that the ex-gratia amount be raised to Rs. 20 lakh each.

Mother reprimanded for not studying, So 12th student committed suicide

Source: newstracklive.com

Nalanda: In Nalanda district of Bihar, a case of suicide by a 12th grade student has been reported. The student was reportedly reprimanded at home for her studies. He then ended his life by eating poison in anger. The incident took place in Akbarpur village under the temporary police station area of Nalanda district.

A 15-year-old student in Akbarpur ate poison on Wednesday evening. She went to read tuition on Wednesday like per day. But after reading back home, the mother slammed her for her studies. Agitated, the student ate the poison and went to sleep. There was a hue and cry among the people after the incident occurred at midnight.

The girl was rushed to the hospital for treatment after being diagnosed with poisoning. But the doctors declared him dead. Police were also informed about the incident. After which they have taken the body from the police and transported it for post mortem. Police are investigating the case.

Eightfold inaugurates ‘Eightfold Nalanda’ in India to accelerate global expansion

Source: crn.in

Eightfold.ai, the creator of the Talent Intelligence Platform, has announced the opening of ‘Eightfold Nalanda’, its global center of excellence, research and innovation in AI domain. Founded by Dr Ashutosh Garg and Varun Kacholia, IIT alumni and machine learning experts from Google and Facebook, Eightfold.ai has already secured more than 100 customers operating in 20 countries around the world.

With a recent Series C round of $28 million, Eightfold.ai has become one of the most well capitalised companies in Silicon Valley, and with a growing portfolio of products, and a growing global team. Eightfold.ai’s customers in India include Tata Communications and Delhivery.

“Opening Eightfold Nalanda, our center of excellence, in India is an important step in our growth. Having grown up in India, it’s important to me that we bring the benefits of our AI Platform to the workforce in India as well. The algorithms that power the Eightfold Talent Intelligence Platform are built to help everyone find the right role for them and help them realise their potential, while embracing our diversity,” said Dr Ashutosh Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Eightfold.ai.

Co-Founders Dr Garg and Kacholia are widely hailed for their record of innovation and leadership in machine learning, holding between them 86 patents. The co-founders have filed four new patents in the last year at Eightfold.ai.

Eightfold.ai has named its India headquarters and CoE as Eightfold Nalanda. The CoE in India will be under the leadership of Sandesh Goel, who will be General Manager for India.

“Today we have customers in 20 countries across four continents and they are driving the innovation on our Talent Intelligence Platform across talent acquisition, career planning, skills development, and employee and candidate experience. India, in itself, is now one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world and it was time to bring many strategic functions of the company to serve this geography at scale. I am excited to welcome Sandesh Goel to our team and have him build an excellent team in India,” said Dr Garg.

“Opening the Eightfold Nalanda global center of excellence in India is an exciting moment for all of us. Re-skilling is emerging as a key imperative for employers all over the world, nowhere more so than here in India. Half of the world’s Millennial population is in India, and these young workers face job displacement requiring them to learn new skills quickly. The employers of India must adapt in order to attract and retain their talent as well. These are the challenges we are now addressing at scale with our Talent Intelligence Platform,” said Sandesh Goel, General Manager – India, Eightfold.ai.

NHRC notice to Bihar DGP over suicide of man in Nalanda police station

Source: pragativadi.com

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued a notice to Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) over the suicide of a political party leader at Nalanda police station.

The commission took suo motu cognizance of media reports that a local leader of the ruling JD(U) in Bihar, who was detained by the Nalanda police in connection with a kidnapping case, allegedly hanged himself inside the station late on Thursday night.

The family of the leader, identified as Ganesh Ravidas, claimed that the police tortured him in custody. Three policemen were reportedly arrested in connection with the case.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true amount to the gross violation of right to life of the victim. Accordingly, it has issued a notice to the Director-General of Police, Bihar calling for a detailed report on the matter within 6 weeks including Inquest Report, Post-mortem Report, Magisterial Enquiry Report and report of any other investigation conducted in the matter.

The incident reportedly occurred on 12.07.2019. The police authorities are also directed to explain as to why intimation in this regard has not been sent to the Commission within 24 hours of the occurrence of the incident.

According to the media reports, carried today on 15.7.2019, the victim was detained by the police in the night of 11.07.2019 in connection with allegations of the kidnapping of a girl residing in his village. He was suspected to have helped the girl elope. When police interrogation was on, the deceased went to use the washroom, which was outside the lock-up where he reportedly hanged himself from a window.

The news report further reveals that the victim was killed by the Police Station In-Charge and chowkidar. It is also stated that there were cut marks on the body of the deceased suggesting it to be a case of torture in police custody.

80 bonded labourers rescued from Kurukshetra

Source: tribuneindia.com

Around 80 bonded labourers, including women and children, were rescued yesterday from the owner of a brick-kiln in Kurukshetra. All belong to Nalanda and Banka districts of Bihar and were brought here by human traffickers.

The labourers were not issued release letters according to the 1976 order, nor were they rehabilitated or given remuneration according to the 2016 scheme. They reached Delhi and sat on strike at Jantar Mantar. After nine days of struggle, an FIR was registered against the principal employer at Pahwa police station in Kurukshetra yesterday and release certificates were issued to the labourers. However, children were still to receive the release certificates.

Some organisations such as the Bandhua Mukhti Morcha along with a team of the Human Rights Law Network and some students of law and foreign interns reached out to these labourers by creating a fund to collect money to buy tickets for them to go home in Bihar.

These landless people easily fell prey to human traffickers and after being trafficked, they ended up as bounded labourers. The employer, Minku Gupta, not only exploited them and took advantage of their vulnerable condition, but also harassed and physically assaulted them through goons.

These labourers wanted to go home but Gupta and the contractor did not allow them to leave. Several labourers had suffered injuries while several women and their children suffered due to inhuman conditions they were made to live in.