Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian politician charged with raping teenager

INDIAN federal investigators Wednesday (11) charged a politician from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party with raping a teenager whose plight was ignored by police until she tried to set herself alight.

The Central Bureau of Investigation charged Kuldeep Singh Sengar with the 2017 rape of a 16-year-old girl, whose father was later beaten in custody allegedly by Sengar's brother and later died.


The sense of impunity enjoyed by Sengar, a powerful Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state lawmaker, and his brother sparked revulsion and protests across India demanding justice.

Sengar, who like his brother was not charged until the crime made national headlines, had smiled and bragged on television that he and his family would be proven innocent.

But CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal told a news source that Sengar had been formally charged with rape, criminal conspiracy and child sex offences.

The victim accused Sengar of assaulting her in June 2017 at his home in Unnao district in Uttar Pradesh.

Police in the notoriously lawless state refused to take action when her family reported the rape.

Her father, who kept pursuing her case, was detained by police and severely beaten. He later died from his injuries.

In April, nearly a year after her assault, the girl tried to set herself on fire outside the home of Uttar Pradesh leader, and BJP stalwart, Yogi Adityanath.

The chief minister ordered an investigation into the crime and the case was handed over to federal investigators.

The CBI last week charged Sengar's brother Atul Singh Sengar, and four others, with the murder of the girl's father.

The girl's ordeal went public as India was reeling from the rape and murder of a nomadic Muslim girl in Jammu and Kashmir whose attackers were defended by local BJP figures.

The two crimes underscored India's atrocious record on rape and protesters took to city streets in numbers not seen since the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student in Delhi.

That horrific killing drew global attention and unleashed public anger in India about rampant sexual violence against women.

It led to an overhaul of India's rape laws but high numbers of assaults persist.

Nearly 40,000 rape cases are reported every year, according to official figures.

Campaigners though say the real number is higher, with victims wary of how their complaints will be dealt with or the social stigma attached to sex crimes.

AFP

More For You

Nepal army hunts prisoners after mass jailbreaks in violent protests

Sabin Tamang, 20, who works in a restaurant and participated in a Gen-Z protest, holds up a shovel while posing for a photograph next to graffiti as he takes part in a cleaning campaign following Monday's deadly anti-corruption protests in Kathmandu, Nepal, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Nepal army hunts prisoners after mass jailbreaks in violent protests

NEPAL is facing its worst political and social crisis in decades after deadly protests toppled prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli earlier this week, leaving parliament in flames, thousands of prisoners on the run and the country’s leadership in limbo.

The protests, led largely by young people and dubbed the “Gen Z” movement, erupted after a controversial social media ban and quickly spread across the country. Demonstrators accused the government of corruption, lack of opportunities and failure to deliver reforms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Radhakrishnan

Modi’s ruling coalition nominated Radhakrishnan, 68, who is the governor of the western state of Maharashtra, as its candidate for the post.

X/@narendramodi

India elects BJP’s CP Radhakrishnan as vice president

INDIAN lawmakers elected CP Radhakrishnan, a former parliamentarian from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the country’s new vice president on Tuesday. The election comes more than a month after the previous vice president resigned.

Jagdeep Dhankhar, whose term was to end in 2027, stepped down in July, citing health reasons.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peter Mandelson

Mandelson, 71, a veteran Labour politician and key figure in the party under former leader Tony Blair, had come under scrutiny after letters and emails to Epstein were published. (Photo: Getty Images)

Peter Mandelson removed as UK ambassador to US over Epstein links

PETER MANDELSON, the UK's ambassador to the United States, has been sacked over revelations about his friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the government said.

"The Prime Minister has asked the Foreign Secretary to withdraw him as ambassador," a foreign ministry statement said, adding that new messages showed "the depth and extent of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein".

Keep ReadingShow less
High-stakes India–EU trade talks in New Delhi aim to break deadlock

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen with Narendra Modi during a meeting in New Delhi in February

High-stakes India–EU trade talks in New Delhi aim to break deadlock

INDIA and the European Union are holding potentially decisive trade negotiations in New Delhi this week, seeking to resolve differences over agriculture, dairy and non-tariff barriers to meet an ambitious end of year deadline for a deal, Indian government and EU sources said.

New Delhi is seeking to deepen global partnerships after US president Donald Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent last month over India’s Russian oil purchases, hitting exports such as textiles, leather and chemicals.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlie Kirk

Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of 18, building it into the largest conservative youth organisation in the country. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump ally Charlie Kirk shot dead: The key details

Highlights:

  • Conservative activist Charlie Kirk fatally shot at Utah Valley University
  • Shooter fired from a rooftop in what police called a “targeted attack”
  • Federal, state and local agencies involved in ongoing manhunt
  • Political leaders across parties condemn the killing

A MANHUNT was underway Thursday after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University, an attack that has sparked concerns of rising political violence in the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less