A COURT in India has sentenced five men to death for the gang rape and murder of a teenage girl, along with the killing of her father and three-year-old niece. The crimes occurred in January 2021 in the central state of Chhattisgarh.
The perpetrators, who offered the teenager and her family rides on their motorbikes while they were waiting for public transport, later attacked them.
The girl's father was killed as he tried to stop the assault, and her niece was also killed during the attack, public prosecutor Sunil Kumar Mishra told AFP.
The teenager, who was later found unconscious by villagers, died on her way to the hospital.
The court found five men guilty of the rape and triple murder, sentencing them to death. "They were condemned to death," Mishra said on Thursday, following the announcement of the court's verdict the previous day.
A sixth man was convicted for his involvement in the crimes but was not proven to have participated in the rape. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the killings, Mishra added.
India permits the death penalty, although executions are rarely carried out.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about violence against women in the country. In 2022, an average of nearly 90 rapes per day were reported in India, but activists believe many more go unreported.
This week, a court in Kolkata sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping and murdering a 31-year-old doctor in August last year. The crime, committed at a state-run hospital, sparked protests and anger nationwide.
The brutal nature of these incidents has drawn comparisons to the 2012 Delhi gang rape and murder on a bus, which led to weeks of protests. Four men convicted in that case were executed in 2020.
Meanwhile, last week, authorities in Kerala arrested over 50 men for allegedly sexually abusing a teenager repeatedly over several years, with the survivor stating that around 60 men had targeted her.
(With inputs from AFP)
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)