A POLICE force in England received more than 75 calls a day on average relating to domestic abuse over the past eight months. The data emerged as charities cautioned they were at “breaking point” owing to the huge increase in abuse incidents during the pandemic.
Police forces in Leicestershire, the Midlands and London all said offences relating to domestic violence and abuse shot up between March and November. Data from Leicestershire Police showed 17,628 reports of domestic abuse had been made between March and November. This is an increase of 11.8 per cent from the same time period in 2019.
West Midlands Police reported that domestic abuse cases rose by 37 per cent in the past year, while the Metropolitan Police also confirmed an increase in London. Their data indicated that since the Covid outbreak in March, offences increased by 7.1 per cent (an extra 4,549 offences between March 9 and November 22).
Claudia Webbe, the Labour MP for Leicester East, described the rise in domestic abuse cases as “horrific”. She has called for urgent government action. “While lockdown measures have been necessary to protect public health, increased time at home is effectively a prison sentence for those locked in abusive relationships,” Webbe told Eastern Eye. “As many cases of domestic abuse go under-reported, the reality of suffering will likely be even higher than these worrying statistics suggest.”
The MP noted a murder that took place in her constituency, where 21 year-old Bhavini Pravin was murdered by her ex-fiancée Jigukumar Sorthi, 23, in March, after she called off their arranged marriage. Sorthi was jailed for life for his brutal attack on Pravin, who suffered fatal wounds to her chest, knee and back.
“The government must provide financial resources for victims to be able to leave unsafe environments,” Webbe said, noting funding cuts which has seen women’s refuges lose £7 million since 2010. “The government must start treating domestic abuse with the urgency it demands.”
Several groups which support victims of honour-based abuse have also predicted a surge in forced marriage cases as families reschedule weddings for next year.
Freedom charity founder Aneeta Prem said, “As soon as people can travel freely again, all those forced marriages will go ahead.” Highlighting awareness and education on the issue have been affected too. Throughout the year, Freedom typically offers assemblies and workshops on forced marriage and honour-based abuse in schools across the UK.
However, the pandemic has meant that the majority of engagements have been cancelled, even though these are regarded as key educational activities to help combat the problem. “We haven’t been able to see more than 5,000 students this year and help them so we are especially worried,” Prem admitted.
Anup Manota, from charity Karma Nirvana, concurred, saying cases of forced marriage had dropped since the outbreak, due to travel restrictions and wedding ceremonies being postponed. “(Restrictions) gave some breathing space for those victims this year, but we are expecting a rise in forced marriage cases next year, when we’ll hopefully see some restrictions being eased,” said Manota, operations manager for the Leeds-based organisation. “We are definitely going to see some bounce back.”
The rise in domestic abuse incidents across the UK during the coronavirus crisis has led to a significant strain on charity services, with Prem admitting that Freedom was at “breaking point”. The organisation has seen a 40 per cent rise in abuse cases since March. The biggest rise came from those aged between 16 and 24 years, and 20 per cent of all callers were male.
“It’s a huge strain, we’re at breaking point,” she said. “We haven’t received a penny (from government) and without additional help, I don’t know how we are going to manage. The calls we’re getting are more harrowing and the people we are speaking to are more desperate than they have ever been.”
Prem heard from one “terrified” schoolgirl whose parents are pressuring her into marriage. Not being able to leave the house had added stress to the situation, the victim said. “She told me she felt hopeless. She needed to get out but there’s nowhere for her to go,” Prem said. “(The victim said) she loves her mum and dad, but why can’t they let her study instead of wanting her married?”
Prem added the increased level of violence in cases may be down to the declining mental health of abusers during the lockdown.
Surwat Sohail, chief executive at Roshni, had similar worries. Last year, the Birmingham-based charity typically dealt with approximately 15 calls from victims per week. Now, the charity receives around 40-50 calls within the same time period. A variety of victims, including those from a professional background, approached them with requests for help, Sohail said.
The charity, which supports ethnic minority communities, hired additional out-reach staff to deal with the spike in demand. “We have seen a huge increase and we are working around the clock,” Sohail told Eastern Eye. She recently received an email from a woman in her 40s who was forced into marriage when she was 18. The victim threatened to end her life, and while the police attempted to locate the woman, Sohail began to liaise with her over email. “From the time I received the email, it took more than two hours and almost 120 messages back and forth to support her,” she said. “That’s just one victim, so you can imagine the level of resources that we require.”
Karma Nirvana has seen a steep rise too. In September 2019, the charity received around 600 calls to the helpline. In September this year, the figure had more than doubled with over 1,300 contacts to the helpline. These latest statistics show a consistent rise across 2020, in comparison to their previous 2018-2019 numbers. They too organised recruitment drives and hired more staff to cope. “We have seen email contacts increase significantly too,” Manota said. “If a victim lives in a house (with their perpetrator), they would not be able to call us.”
Roshni has been receiving some calls for help through social media, too. One victim sent a photograph of themselves covered in blood, Sohail said. “From a data protection point of view, we don’t think it’s safe and we don’t encourage victims to contact us through Facebook,” she said. “But we’ve had desperate people contacting us, who don’t know what else to do.”
Prem agreed the majority of victims had been reaching out to the charity through their app. “If they’re at home all the time, it can make it difficult to reach out for support,” she explained. “(Using the app) is a more secretive way of communicating with the charity so that is why victims are using that method more than any other.”
Charities which help arrange accommodation for those who have suffered domestic violence have reported they are running out of places to house victims. Typically, victims in need would be considered for a place in refuges across the country. However, the increased demand has meant some have had to move into hotels or bed and breakfasts.
Sohail noted the high number of victims requiring accommodation in refuges, with one 16-bed property being filled within a week. Although the charity has not had to turn any victims away, some have been placed in hotel accommodation. Many, especially those with language barriers, are “scared” of being placed in a hotel, she added.
“They’ve never been into a hotel before and some have to room with other guests,” she said. “We’ve had victims call us and say, ‘I can hear somebody shouting in the next room, I’m really scared’. We have had to issue people with phones because they’re too scared. We’re now looking at other properties so we can expand the service and try and accommodate more women.”
During the first lockdown in March, Manota said he had heard of instances where refuges were forced to stop taking in victims due to the outbreak. Some, unfortunately, turned non-English speakers away, as staff members were not trained to support them.
“Some refuges were rejecting those vulnerable victims because they didn’t have a specialist staff member,” he said. “For us, it was more about housing somebody away from an abusive situation, rather than communicating with them – it was as long as it was somewhere safe.”
He added: “That situation was boiling in the background before the pandemic, but I think (the crisis) just accelerated it.”
Vanessa Jardine, the West Midland’s deputy chief constable, said the police were aware of the increase in crimes of domestic abuse during the pandemic. “During the coronavirus pandemic we have not reduced our response to domestic abuse victims,” Jardine said. “We continue to urge people to seek help. We will be there for you when you need us.”
The Met Police commissioner, Cressida Dick, said tackling violent crime was her “top priority”. “Since March we have been very much alive to the potential risk that coronavirus restrictions and lack of contact with others could pose to those in dangerous domestic settings,” she said. “While we saw a reduction in street crimes and violence through the early Covid period, we sadly saw an increase in other criminality including domestic abuse and online child sexual abuse. I would urge anyone who may be at risk of becoming a victim, or has concerns about a colleague, friend, loved one – please call us. We are here for you.”
Lucy Batchelor, Leicestershire Police’s detective chief inspector, also encouraged people to report incidents to them. “Domestic abuse is a force priority and as such we remain dedicated to investigating all received reports,” she told Eastern Eye. “We also continue to work hard to raise awareness of domestic abuse, including working with partner agencies, to provide support and advice so victims feel able to reach out for help. Domestic abuse is unacceptable on every level and no one should think they need to suffer in silence. We are here to help you.”
In response to Eastern Eye, a Home Office spokesperson confirmed the government would be publishing the ‘Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls’ strategy early next year. A survey launched earlier this month asked the public to share knowledge, opinions and experiences of violence against women and girls, to help shape the strategy.
Home secretary Priti Patel said: “I am steadfast in my determination to see more perpetrators brought to justice and all victims and survivors receiving the support they deserve.”
Last Wednesday (16), new data showed there were 2,024 honour-based abuse-related offences recorded by the police in England and Wales (excluding Greater Manchester Police) in 2019-2020. Of these, there were 140 forced marriage offences.
King Charles, wearing a black armband to pay respects to the victims of Air India plane crash, attends the Trooping the Colour parade on his official birthday in London. (Photo: Reuters)
A MINUTE's silence for the victims of the Air India plane crash was observed on Saturday during the Trooping the Colour parade in London marking King Charles's official birthday. Some members of the royal family wore black armbands during the ceremony.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles, 76, had requested changes to the parade “as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy”.
The crash on Thursday involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was taking off from Ahmedabad in eastern India and heading to London's Gatwick Airport. A total of 279 people, including passengers, crew and individuals on the ground, were killed.
Among the victims were 52 Britons. The only survivor identified so far is British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh from Leicester.
Following the disaster, King Charles said in a written statement that he was “desperately shocked by the terrible events” and extended his “deepest possible sympathy”.
Royal family attends parade
Trooping the Colour is a military tradition that dates back over 200 years and marks the monarch's official birthday. The event begins at Buckingham Palace, proceeds down The Mall, and concludes at Horse Guards Parade, where the King receives a royal salute and inspects the troops.
Hundreds of people gathered along The Mall and outside the palace to view the event. A small group of anti-monarchy protesters were present, carrying yellow signs that read “not my king” and “down with the crown”.
King Charles, who continues weekly treatment for an unspecified cancer, was accompanied by Queen Camilla. Also present were Prince William, 42, his wife Catherine, and their children George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven.
No appearance by Harry and Meghan
Catherine, 43, the Princess of Wales, had earlier announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer. In January 2025, she said she was “in remission” and has since gradually resumed public engagements.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan did not attend the event. The couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and now live in the United States. Reports in the UK media suggest that relations between Harry and other members of the royal family remain strained, with minimal communication between him and his brother William.
Although Trooping the Colour is held in June, King Charles was born in November. The tradition of a second birthday celebration was introduced in 1748 by King George II to ensure the monarch’s birthday could be marked in better weather.
Saturday's parade coincided with a major military parade in Washington led by US President Donald Trump on his 79th birthday.
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They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began. (Photo: Greater Manchester Police)
SEVEN men were convicted on Friday in the UK’s latest grooming trial, after a jury heard that two girl victims were forced to have sex “with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses”.
Jurors at the court in Manchester, northwest England, deliberated for three weeks before finding the seven men, all of whom are of South Asian descent, guilty of rape.
Mohammed Zahid, 64, Mushtaq Ahmed, 67, Kasir Bashir, 50, Mohammed Shahzad, 44, Naheem Akram, 48, Roheez Khan, 39, and Nisar Hussain, 41, will be sentenced at a later date, but judge Jonathan Seely warned that they face “lengthy prison sentences”.
They were all remanded in custody, except Bashir, who absconded before the trial began.
Operation Lytton and police investigation
The men were prosecuted as part of Operation Lytton, an investigation launched by Greater Manchester Police in 2015 into historical child sexual exploitation in Rochdale, a town near Manchester.
The issue has long been seized upon by far-right British figures, including notorious influencer Tommy Robinson, but has also been adopted as a rallying cry by the Conservatives and Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.
The issue of grooming gangs received international attention earlier in the year when US tech billionaire Elon Musk launched incendiary attacks on his X platform against the UK government after it resisted calls for a national inquiry.
Over the course of several decades, men of mostly South Asian origin in various English towns are suspected of having sexually abused thousands of mostly white girls from working class families, often from troubled homes.
Court testimony on abuse
Prosecutor Rossano Scamardella said during the trial that the men had abused the two girls for several years from the age of 13 — between 2001 and 2006.
“They were often forced to have oral sex and vaginal sex with multiple men on the same day, in filthy flats and on rancid mattresses,” he said.
“On other occasions they would be required to have sex in cars, car parks, alleyways or disused warehouses. Wherever and whenever these men wanted it.
“They were children passed around for sex; abused, degraded and then discarded,” he added.
One of the alleged victims was also “being exploited and abused by many other Asian men” not in the dock, said Scamardella.
Police response and apology
Following the verdicts, detective superintendent Alan Clitherow, of Greater Manchester Police, apologised for not acting earlier.
“There was information at the time that police and other agencies could, and should, have done something with, and we didn’t,” he said.
“The way those victims were dealt with at the time is indefensible and inexcusable. We have made comprehensive apologies for that.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles
THE KARUN THAKAR FUND, established by textile collector Karun Thakar in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), supports the study of Asian and African textiles and dress through scholarships and project grants.
The fund offers one-time Scholarship Awards of up to £10,000 for university students worldwide focusing on any aspect of Asian or African textiles and dress. Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students from any accredited university are eligible, provided their research or practice is clearly linked to these areas. The next round of Scholarship Award applications opens on 1 May 2025 and closes at 23:59 on July 15, 2025.
Karun Thakar is a leading textile collector with a lifelong focus on Asian and African textiles. He began collecting in the early 1980s and has built an extensive private collection ranging from 14th-century Indian trade cloths to West African loom weavings.
“From July 2021, The Karun Thakar Fund will offer scholarships to student practitioners and researchers studying any aspect of Asian or African textile/dress design or history,” the fund states. “Awardees’ work will be shared here, creating a platform for international conversation and knowledge exchange.”
Project Grants of up to £5,000—and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases—are also available for projects focused on Asian or African textiles or dress. The last round of Project Grants was allocated in 2024. These grants are open to emerging and early-career researchers, curators, practitioners, community leaders, and small not-for-profit groups operating in the UK or internationally.
“I am really excited to see what light we can shine through this fund,” said Karun. “The committee is looking at innovative ways to reach potential applicants who have new and radical approaches.”
The Selection Committee includes Karun Thakar, Gus Casely-Hayford, Christine Checinska, Ben Evans, Avalon Fotheringham, Lulu Lytle, Divia Patel, and Siddhartha Shah.
Ambulance are seen parked near the post-mortem room at a hospital before transferring victims' dead bodies to a mortuary in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025, a day after Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area.
GRIEVING families waited on Saturday for updates after one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent decades, as the death toll from the Air India crash rose to 279.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner issued a mayday call shortly before crashing around midday on Thursday. The aircraft burst into flames as it hit residential buildings in the northern Indian city of Ahmedabad.
A police source confirmed to AFP on Saturday that 279 bodies had been recovered from the site. The crash is among the worst aviation disasters of the 21st century.
There was one survivor among the 242 passengers and crew members on board. The tail section of the aircraft remained lodged in a hostel for medical staff.
At least 38 people on the ground were also killed.
"I saw my child for the first time in two years, it was a great time," said Anil Patel, whose son and daughter-in-law had come to visit before taking the flight.
"And now, there is nothing," he said, breaking down. "Whatever the gods wanted has happened."
Search for black box continues
Relatives of the victims have been providing DNA samples in Ahmedabad. Some family members have flown in to assist in the identification process.
The final casualty figure will only be confirmed once DNA testing is completed.
According to Air India, the aircraft was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian citizen, along with 12 crew members.
The victims included a senior politician and a teenage tea seller.
The only survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, spoke to national broadcaster DD News from his hospital bed. A British citizen, Ramesh said, "Initially, I too thought that I was about to die, but then I opened my eyes and realised that I was still alive."
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said on Friday that a flight data recorder had been found. "It would significantly aid" the investigation, he said.
Forensic teams are still searching for the second black box as investigators try to determine why the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, reaching a height of only 100 metres (330 feet).
US aircraft manufacturer Boeing said it was in contact with Air India and "ready to support them" regarding the incident. A source close to the investigation said this was the first crash involving a 787 Dreamliner.
(With inputs from agencies)
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A view shows the wreckage of the tail section of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from airport in Ahmedabad. (Photo: Reuters)
THE INVESTIGATION into the Air India crash that killed more than 240 people is focusing on the aircraft's engine, flaps, and landing gear.
The Indian aviation regulator has ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing 787 fleet, reported Reuters.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with 242 people on board and headed to Gatwick Airport near London, began losing altitude shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad. CCTV footage showed the aircraft crashing into a residential area and erupting into a fireball after hitting buildings.
Only one passenger survived. Local media reported that up to 24 people on the ground were also killed when the plane hit a medical college hostel during lunchtime.
This is the deadliest aviation accident globally in the past ten years.
Probe focuses on aircraft components
A source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters the investigation is examining several factors, including engine thrust, flap deployment, and why the landing gear was still down during take-off. The plane lost height and crashed moments after leaving the runway.
The probe is also looking into possible maintenance issues and whether Air India was at fault, the source said.
A bird-hit is not among the primary areas being investigated, the source added. Anti-terrorism teams are also involved in the probe.
The Indian government is considering whether to ground the Boeing 787 fleet during the investigation. Air India, Boeing, and the aviation ministry have not commented on this yet.
Air India operates more than 30 Dreamliners, including Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft. An Air India source said the airline has not received any communication about grounding the fleet so far.
Safety checks ordered on Dreamliner fleet
India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft with GEnx engines. This includes a "one-time check" of take-off parameters before each flight starting from midnight on 15 June.
The regulator also asked the airline to add flight control system checks during transit inspections and to complete power assurance checks within two weeks. These are aimed at confirming the engine can generate the necessary power.
Flight data recorder recovered
The aviation ministry said investigators have recovered the digital flight data recorder from the rooftop of the building where the plane crashed. The cockpit voice recorder, the second black box, has not yet been found.
The Tata Group, which took over Air India from the government in 2022 and later merged it with Vistara, is part of the investigation. Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in an internal memo that investigators from India, the UK, and the US have arrived. “We don’t know right now,” he said. “We want to understand what happened and will be fully transparent.”
GE Aerospace, which manufactures the aircraft engines, said it supports the regulator’s actions. “Safety is our top priority,” a GE Aerospace spokesperson said. “We are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.”
Rescue operations completed
On Friday, rescue workers completed search operations at the crash site. Teams were searching buildings for missing people, bodies, and aircraft parts that could assist the investigation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site in Gujarat, where he was briefed on rescue operations and met some of the injured in hospital. “The scene of devastation is saddening,” he said on X.
This is the first crash involving a Boeing Dreamliner since the aircraft began commercial service in 2011, according to the Aviation Safety Network. The aircraft involved in Thursday’s crash first flew in 2013 and was delivered to Air India in January 2014, according to Flightradar24.
The passengers included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.