THE peacefulness of the lush green fields of paddy and maize lining the road to Vemulaghat village in Telangana, India belies the anger of villagers protesting against the state’s plans to acquire about 21,000 acres of land for a reservoir.
The Komuravelli Mallanna Sagar reservoir will irrigate 1.2 million acres of drought-prone land, according to state officials. Nearly a dozen villages will be submerged in the process, displacing more than 25,000 people, including those in Vemulaghat who have been protesting for more than three months.
“If the state wants water, why should we be kicked out? This is our land, our village,” said Roopa Mandoli, 34, who owns and cultivates two acres of land with her husband.
“If we are to give up everything, then we should at least be adequately compensated by the state. With the kind of money they are offering us, we will be impoverished,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, as villagers standing beside her nodded.
Conflict over land rights has increased in recent years in India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, with rising demand for land for industrial use and development projects.
Residents of Vemulaghat, the largest of 14 villages that will be affected by the proposed reservoir, have held a relay fast and marched to the highway holding placards and chanting slogans. One farmer from a nearby village killed himself.
Policemen stopped the highway protest, beating back villagers with batons and injuring dozens, activists say. The government has banned “unlawful assembly” and processions in Vemulaghat, and restricted visitors.
Now, villagers gather in an open space under a colourful awning, their protest slogans and pictures of the baton charge stuck on the walls, and watched constantly by several policemen.
“It’s like a military zone,” said Kiran Kumar Vissa, a campaigner with Rythu Swarajya Vedika, an umbrella organisation of NGOs working on agriculture issues, in Hyderabad city.
“The government is using intimidation to coerce the villagers into handing over their land,” he said.
India has introduced several land laws in the past decade to give the vulnerable more rights, but many of these laws are diluted and do not protect poor farmers enough, activists say.
Last month, the Supreme Court said land acquired by West Bengal for a Tata Motors factory must be returned to farmers as it was not acquired for a “public purpose”, ending a decade-long fight by the displaced farmers.
Rights groups protesting against the Mallanna Sagar project say there is a lack of clarity in the state’s land acquisition policy, and that the government has not released detailed reports on the project and its environmental and social impact.
Last year, the newly-created Telengana issued a government order known as GO123, to enable easier acquisitions of land for public projects.
Rights groups say the state order runs counter to the federal Land Acquisition Act of 2013, as it does not specify the amount of compensation to be paid, or list the conditions of rehabilitation and resettlement for those displaced.
“The state is using the order indiscriminately,” said Vissa.
“If GO123 is implemented, it will set a dangerous precedent for other states to bypass the Land Acquisition Act,” he said.
State irrigation minister Harish Rao has told reporters the government will compensate those displaced according to the Land Acquisition Act. But he did not say when or specify the amount.
After several calls to the minister, a spokesman said he would not comment on the project at this time.
Compensation amounts offered for Mallanna Sagar range from 585,000 rupees to 700,000 rupees ($5,222-$10,445) per acre, villagers said. About 30-40 percent of land needed for the project has been handed to the state so far, Vissa estimates.
Civil rights groups have filed cases against the state on the Mallanna Sagar and other projects because they say land is being acquired by coercion.
Last month, the High Court quashed GO123 in the matter of an industrial project, calling the notification “illegal, arbitrary, unconstitutional”.
The state has got an interim stay on the court order.
Villagers have had little interaction with state officials, even though state chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao hails from Medak district where Vemulaghat is located.
“We’ve been asking for a meeting with the government, asking them to explain the plan to us. No one has come,” said Janardhan Poreddy, who cultivates about 11 acres of land in Vemulaghat.
“We have enough water for two, even three crops a year. Can the government guarantee that they will relocate us to a similar place?” he said.
About 65 million people were displaced in India by dams, highways, mines, power plants and airports between 1950 and 2005, according to Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Less than a fifth have been resettled.
Conflicts over scarce land and water resources are only set to escalate in India, the world’s second most populous country.
At least one person was killed, offices shuttered and property torched in Bengaluru last week, as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu clashed in a long-running dispute over sharing river water..
For Mandoli and others in Vemulaghat, the Mallanna Sagar project threatens their very way of life.
“Everyone in this village works on the land. We don’t have anything else,” Mandoli said.
“Either give us alternate land and homes and enough money. Or leave us to our lives here,” she said.
A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for rape, attempted rape and firearm offences following a Metropolitan Police investigation in west London.
Navroop Singh, of Mellow Lane East, Hayes, was convicted of five charges including rape and was sentenced on Friday, July 4 at Isleworth Crown Court. He must serve a minimum of 14 years.
Singh was found guilty of attempting to rape a woman in Southall Park, Ealing, on October 13, 2024. He was also convicted of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to three further charges: possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, rape of a girl under 13, and assault of a girl under 13 by penetration. These charges relate to the rape of a child at Hayes End Park, Hillingdon, on October 23, 2024.
Police launched an investigation following the attempted rape report in Ealing. Officers gathered evidence including CCTV footage, witness accounts and forensic material. The woman had approached two off-duty officers near the park gates, who helped her reach a police station.
Detectives linked the Ealing incident to the rape of a child ten days later. They increased patrols, distributed leaflets in the area, and traced Singh to a location near his home. He was arrested on 27 October.
Acting Chief Superintendent Sean Lynch said: “I would like to commend the strength of the victim-survivors and their families and thank them for their unwavering bravery in reporting these awful incidents to us.
“Today’s conviction is testament to the officers’ thorough investigation, which has identified a violent sexual offender and undoubtedly prevented further harm.
“We are continuing to prioritise tackling violence against women and girls with our increased specialist teams. I hope that the community will find reassurance in our action to put this predator behind bars.”
Specialist officers supported both victims during the investigation and trial.
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'The 100 Club offers a powerful way to support and scale-up this work,' said the organisers.
LEPRA launched its first high-value giving network, the 100 Club, on June 26. The event was held at Quilon Restaurant in London and brought together philanthropists, business leaders and supporters of the charity’s work.
The event was hosted by Kalpesh Solanki, Group Managing Editor of Asian Media Group and President of the 100 Club. Remarks were delivered by Lepra’s Chair of Trustees Suzanne McCarthy and CEO Jimmy Innes, who spoke about the organisation’s ASPIRE project.
The project focuses on identifying undiagnosed cases of leprosy and lymphatic filariasis through community-based healthcare.
“The 100 Club offers a powerful way to support and scale-up this work,” said the organisers.
The event was hosted by Kalpesh Solanki, Group Managing Editor of Asian Media Group and President of the 100 Club.
The initiative features three membership levels and includes special recognition for founding members who join in 2025.
Lepra’s case-finding strategy involves door-to-door screening by trained teams, who identify symptoms and refer individuals for diagnosis and free multidrug therapy (MDT) treatment.
The charity said this approach has detected up to 300 per cent more leprosy cases compared to traditional methods, while using fewer human resources and reducing costs.
According to Lepra, the case detection programme costs £1 million annually and reached 61,215 people last year.
Currently, one in four families with children under five do not have access to local children’s centres or Family Hubs. (Representational image: iStock)
THE UK government has announced the nationwide rollout of Best Start Family Hubs across every local authority, aiming to support 500,000 more children by 2028.
The hubs are intended to offer easier access to family services and reduce pressure on parents.
Nationwide rollout and funding
Currently, one in four families with children under five do not have access to local children’s centres or Family Hubs.
The new initiative, backed by over £500 million, will create up to 1,000 hubs by the end of 2028, with all local authorities expected to have a hub by April 2026.
Areas including Warrington, Leeds, Reading, and Somerset are among those to gain access.
The hubs will provide services such as early language support, parenting sessions, housing advice, breastfeeding support, mental health services, and debt and welfare guidance.
A new digital platform will also be launched to connect parents with local hubs and the NHS App.
Quotes from ministers and organisations
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “It’s the driving mission of this government to break the link between a child’s background and what they go on to achieve – our new Best Start Family Hubs will put the first building blocks of better life chances in place for more children.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “By bringing together early support services and investing £500 million in children’s development, we’re taking preventative action that will improve lives and reduce pressure on the NHS – a key part of our 10 Year Health Plan.”
Anna Feuchtwang, CEO of the National Children’s Bureau, said: “The Prime Minister’s Plan for Change set out his ambition to improve outcomes in early childhood. Now the government has put its money where its mouth is and committed to rolling out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority.”
TWO brothers accused of assaulting a man inside a Starbucks and later attacking police officers at Manchester Airport are standing trial, with the prosecution arguing they used "unlawful and extreme violence".
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, are said to have acted aggressively on July 23 last year while at the airport to pick up their mother, who had arrived on a flight from Qatar.
The pair deny the charges and claim they were defending themselves.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the trouble started when their mother, shortly after landing, pointed out a man she had an issue with - Abdulkareem Ismaeil - who was inside a Starbucks café with his family.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said the younger brother, Amaaz, approached Ismaeil, shouted at him, then headbutted and punched him in front of his children.
Starbucks manager Cameron Cartledge said he heard loud voices and saw a man in a blue tracksuit—later identified as Amaaz—arguing closely with another man.
"Blue tracksuit man seemed quite aggressive. He got in the man’s face and shouted. Then he headbutted him, which made him stumble back," said Cartledge, adding that he called police immediately.
Another witness, barista Justine Pakalne, said the violence came from Amaaz, not Ismaeil. "Even if the other man stepped forward, he didn’t touch him. It was Amaaz who headbutted him," she said.
After the café incident, police officers found the brothers near the car park payment area of Terminal 2. According to Greaney, three officers - PCs Zachary Marsden, Ellie Cook, and Lydia Ward - approached to arrest Amaaz. When they did, he resisted and Amaad stepped in.
The court heard that both brothers attacked PC Marsden. Amaaz is also accused of assaulting PC Cook and breaking PC Ward’s nose during the struggle.
"The level of violence was very high," said Greaney. "Amaaz held PC Marsden by the neck, pulling him to the ground. PC Marsden managed to break free and later kicked Amaaz in the face to protect himself."
The prosecution acknowledged that the officer’s actions might appear “shocking” in isolation but argued they must be seen in the context of an armed officer facing a serious threat. "This happened in a busy airport where officers feared their weapons could be taken," Greaney said.
CCTV and police bodycam footage were shown to jurors, showing the incident unfold.
The defence claims both men acted in self-defence. However, Greaney dismissed that argument: "What the footage shows is not defensive behaviour, but offensive and violent conduct."
The court also heard that Ismaeil declined to give a police statement and is not part of the trial.
Both defendants deny all charges. The trial will continue on Monday (7).
THE seven-year prison sentence handed to a 15-year-old boy convicted of the manslaughter of 80-year-old Bhim Sen Kohli is to be reviewed under the UK’s Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
The boy, who cannot be named due to legal restrictions, was found guilty of carrying out an "unprovoked" attack on Kohli as he walked his dog in a park in Leicester, eastern England, in September last year.
The review follows a detailed assessment by Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP to determine whether the case met the threshold for referral.
“The Solicitor General, Lucy Rigby KC MP, was appalled by this violent, cowardly attack on an innocent man. She wishes to express her deepest sympathies to Bhim Kohli’s friends and family at this difficult time,” said a spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office.
“After a detailed review of the case, the Solicitor General concluded the sentence of the 15-year-old could be referred to the Court of Appeal. The court will now determine whether the sentence should be increased.”
A 13-year-old girl, who was also convicted of manslaughter for her role in the attack, avoided a custodial sentence. She had filmed the assault while laughing and encouraging the boy, the court heard.
At a sentencing hearing on June 5 at Leicester Crown Court, Justice Mark Turner described the attack as “wicked”. He said he was legally bound to consider the defendants’ ages.
The boy, referred to as D1, was convicted of physically assaulting Kohli, while the girl, referred to as D2, received a three-year youth rehabilitation order with a six-month curfew.
Addressing the girl in court, Justice Turner said that a custodial sentence would likely cause “more harm than good”. It is understood that her sentence will not be referred for review as it did not meet the legal threshold.
During the trial, the court was told that Kohli had been racially abused and repeatedly punched and kicked. His daughter, Susan Kohli, found him lying on the ground after the attack.
“They chose to attack a defenceless pensioner and for that I cannot give them any of my sympathy,” she said after the sentencing.
Kelly Matthews, senior district crown prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service, called the incident “tragic” and said it had deeply affected the Leicester community and beyond.
“Kohli set out to walk his dog in his local park, as he did every day, but lost his life in what followed,” she said.