The Value of an Indian Woman > Man suspected of beating and murdering his wife over dowry demands

 

Indian man in UK kills wife over suspected

dowry demand

Police launched the investigation after Harshita Brella's body was found in a car boot

New Delhi : A grisly murder shook Northamptonshire in UK, over alleged suspicion of dowry demand. Harshita Brella's murder, points finger at her husband, 23-year-old Pankaj Lamba, as per Northamptonshire police. Lamba is the prime suspect.

Sonia Brella, the Elder Sister of Harshita, told ANI on Friday that Lamba's family demanded dowry from them, even though they provided gold and money during the wedding. Speaking to ANI, Sonia alleged that she suspected that her sister was murdered for dowry.

"Harshita was married to Pankaj Lamba on March 22 this year. The family had given a lot of dowry to Pankaj but still he was not happy, he kept demanding dowry from us," she said.

Brella's body had been transported from Corby to east London by car, which was left parked in Brisbane Road, Ilford on November 14. Investigation suggests that Harshita was murdered on November 10. Police are now searching for Pankaj Lamba, who they wish to talk to in connection with her death, as per police's statement.

"We received a call from a local police station on November 15 that Harshita had been murdered. The embassy might have informed them. We were surprised as to how this happened. When we called Harshita and Lamba, both their phones were switched off. When we told Pankaj's family, they did not seem worried. We then felt that Pankaj must have told everything to his family after the murder," Sonia told ANI.Northamptonshire Police launched a murder investigation into Harshita's death after her body was found on November 14, as per their statement.

"We had talked to Harshita on 10th, we did not talk to Pankaj much, at that time she was very happy...she did not tell us that any fight or anything had happened," Sonia said.

Sonia told ANI that on August 29, after Harshita lodged a complaint, even Pankaj's family members came to her house, demanding dowry. Her father then sold some of their property to arrange the money.

"On August 29, when Pankaj had beaten her she lodged a complaint against him. Subsequently, his family members had come at our house here and again started demanding dowry, due to which my father sold some property to fulfill their demand and by February we were able to fulfill the demand. We were about to fulfil their demands after we got the money in hand," she said.

Sonia said that Harshita was assaulted by her husband and she filed a case of domestic abuse against him on August 29 with the Northamptonshire Police. Pankaj clandestinely paid the fine and was out on bail.

"Harshita's husband assaulted her on August 29 and she had filed a case against him. She used to give us every moment's information. This case was closed on October 30 when Pankaj paid the fine, but Harshita was not informed about it. It was said that Pankaj has got the case closed by paying the fine," she said.

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James said, "Harshita was identified as being at high risk of domestic abuse and was immediately assigned an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA)...Harshita was placed in a refuge and visited and contacted by officers on a number of occasions throughout the investigation. The alleged perpetrator was identified, quickly arrested and bailed with conditions."

Sonia said that the two were married on March 22 this year and moved to the UK next month as Lamba wanted to continue his further studies.

"Pankaj and Harshita had an arranged marriage on March 22. They went to UK on April 30, Pankaj does a part time job there as a delivery boy because he is a student. Harshita works as an admin in a warehouse there. He needed her to work and used to check her salary slips too. He used to make her work for multiple shifts. He even kept records of her bank details. Pankaj even emptied her account after she filed the case," she said.

"UK Police told us that it will take a week or two for Harshita's body to arrive, we have signed the undertaking and sent it," she added.She also appealed to the UK police to send the mortal remains of Harshita.

"Why the UK Police did not guide Harshita when she had already been subjected to domestic violence. The UK police told us that Pankaj had killed Harshita and no one else was with him. The quotes from their neighbours said that approximately 10 minutes after the fighting, they saw Pankaj coming out of the house," she said.

Sonia suspects that Pankaj came back to India and is on the run.

"I am sure that Pankaj has fled from the UK to India and is hiding somewhere here. The UK police should also caution Indian police that they must arrest Pankaj if he is here. We want to register a complaint with the Delhi Police but they are not registering a case saying that the incident took place on foreign soil. We will also go to the Ministry of External Affairs and register our complaint," she said.

Sonia further voiced suspicion that Lamba's family knows his whereabouts and are aware of the murder.

"When I called Pankaj's mother about the news, she coolly replied that at least my sister was returning back. She said her son's whereabouts are not known. But, on the other hand, they are not even trying to find his whereabouts and are calm. This behaviour raises suspicions," she said.

Islam Hates Girls > Child Sexual Abuse in Turkmenistan's Orphanages

 

Children Endure Hunger, Sexual Abuse

In Turkmen Orphanages, Ex-Resident Says

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

MARY, Turkmenistan -- Turkmenistan's state media often describe the country's orphanages as a safe and happy place that provides an idyllic childhood for its kids.

But 27-year-old Mahym, who grew up at an orphanage in the southeastern city of Mary, says the reality is anything but that.

Mahym, whose name has been changed in this report at her request, recalls going hungry and enduring physical and mental abuse at the hands of the staff in the state-run institution. She also said orphans are exploited as child labor in the cotton fields.

"There are all kinds of people working at the orphanage -- some were bad, some were good. But the head of the orphanage and some of the caregivers were just evil," she told RFE/RL's Turkmen Service.

According to Mahym, caregivers would "ruthlessly" beat and bully the defenseless orphans, who had no one to complain to.

"When a child broke something or didn't follow the caregivers' instructions, they would yell, beat, and insult them," Mahym said. "In fact, all the caregivers would beat us regularly. They would often pinch my hips and breasts."

No information is publicly available in the authoritarian Turkmenistan about the number of orphans in the care of government-run institutions.

State media often depicts immaculately dressed orphanage children posing for photos with top officials, including the president of the country, who pays a visit to the institutions or send them generous gifts to mark New Year's or other occasions.

The children are sometimes shown on school trips, at concerts, or meeting celebrities.

An official photograph shows children from Turkmen orphanages graduating from vocational training courses in May.

But behind the closed doors and away from the cameras, orphans are bullied, threatened, and exploited, Mahym claims. Children are even deprived of a basic education, she adds.

"We would see teachers only once or twice a month. One teacher would teach several subjects," Mahym said. "Therefore, most of the children who grew up in orphanages are illiterate; they can't read or write. The caregivers would often tell us we don't need an education."

Mahym also accuses the staff -- including cooks and caregivers -- at the Mary orphanage where she lived of taking home food that was allotted for children.

Children were only left with little more than boiled pasta, Mahym says, and that the only time the orphans would eat properly was when someone brought them food out of charity.

Sexual Exploitation, Child Labor

In one of her most damning accusations, Mahym claims she had witnessed some teenage girls at the orphanage being coerced into having sex with a law enforcement official.

Mahym did not elaborate on how widespread the alleged sexual exploitation was at her orphanage. But she says a female caregiver, who was hired in 2013, forced several girls to have sex with a police officer. Mahym says the policeman was the caregiver's relative.

"She would select good-looking girls aged 15 to 17 and force them to sleep with [a policeman]," Mahym said. "She would beat those who didn't obey."

Authorities in Mary didn't respond to RFE/RL's request for comment. RFE/RL cannot independently confirm Mahym's allegations, but several other Turkmen orphanage graduates have in the past spoken about abuses they are alleged to have endured or witnessed at the institutions.

Orphans above the age of 12 in Mary were routinely exploited as child labor to pick cotton for the state during the harvest season, Mahym claims.

Turkmenistan has been widely criticized for forcing students, public- and private-sector employees, and soldiers to harvest cotton.

"We would have lunch at the cotton field and would return to the orphanage in the evening," Mahym said. "Some caregivers would also force children to do chores at their homes."

The Turkmen government has been widely criticized for forcing students, public- and private-sector employees, and soldiers to harvest cotton under the threat of punishment.

Getting Away With Abuse

Mahym says she believes orphanage staff in Turkmenistan get away with what she describes as the abuse of defenseless children who are too afraid to complain and don't have anyone to stand up for them.

She tells the story of a childhood friend, Aisha, who began dating one of the orphanage boys and got pregnant at the age of 15. Aisha resisted the orphanage principal's demands to have an abortion but suffered a miscarriage, Mahym says.

"There were rumors that the staff put abortion pills in Aisha's food. After losing her child, Aisha began having psychological issues and was placed in a psychiatric hospital," Mahym said, adding that her friend subsequently died at the hospital.

"The principal and caregivers threatened us that if we told anyone about Aisha they would turn our lives into a living hell," Mahym said.

An official photo shows Turkmenistan's president visiting an orphanage in Asghabat in 2022.

The orphanage children's troubles continue even after they leave care when they turn 18, as the institutions don't prepare them for independent life, Mahym says.

With no financial resources or a support system, orphanage graduates often fail to integrate into society. Some turn to crime.

By law, orphanage graduates in Turkmenistan are eligible for social housing, but many of them must wait several years for accommodation, according to a resident of Lebap Province who grew up in state care.

Instead, the authorities place female graduates in retirement homes and forcibly send the boys to the military as conscripts, the Lebap woman told RFE/RL earlier this year.

Both Mahym and the former orphanage graduate from Lebap say they have decided to speak up about their experiences to turn the spotlight on the plight of Turkmen orphans in state care.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL's Turkmen Service

Tolerance for bullying in schools is shameful - Cape Cod High School

 

Girl, 15, vanished for several days after disturbing

video showed beating by Cape Cod HS bully, 13

By 

Social Links forDana Kennedy

Published June 8, 2024, 1:17 p.m. ET

A Massachusetts high school girl who was beaten and forced to lick the bathroom floor by another girl has been found safe after disappearing for several days after footage of the disturbing incident made the rounds online.

Video of the humiliating attack on Aliyah Konton, 15, at Mashpee High School on Cape Cod went viral on Snapchat after a friend of the bully filmed it and posted it.

Why does  bully have friends?

Konton had just recently moved to Mashpee and was trying to fit in, a classmate told WCVB.

Police were alerted to the video after a school resource officer spotted it on May 25 — but no one told parents about the incident until Konton vanished on June 2, eight days later, the Daily Mail reported.

This is inexplicable. Who in the school made the decision to not tell the parents? They should be fired! Why was the bully not expelled from school the day the video was discovered? She should have been permanently expelled! 

Video of Aliyah Konton, 15, being beaten up and forced to lick the bathroom floor of her high school went viral last month, causing her to flee her Mashpee, Mass., home.

The video starts with Konton standing in a school hallway as her 13-year-old attacker faces her and a mob of students watch. The bully then slaps Konton before she’s led away by another student.

The video then cuts to the school bathroom, where the alleged attacker is seen walking in as she drags a screaming Konton by her hair behind her.

Konton starts crying as she’s thrown by her hair near the bathroom stalls and is punched numerous times by the bully. The teen is seen putting an arm up to deflect the blows but otherwise does not fight back.

The bully then points to the floor near a garbage can.

“Lick the ground,” she orders, slapping her again when Konton hesitates, before again dragging her by her hair and forcing her face to the floor.

Police began searching for Konton eight days later when it was discovered she had disappeared from her Mashpee home — and parents finally learned about the vicious attack and how it had circulated in social media video.

3

Konton was forced to lick the bathroom floor after her attacker punched her and dragged her by her hair. A 13-year-old girl is facing charges in Falmouth District Court over the disturbing incident.X/CinemaShogun

“It’s awful to find out about this horrific incident on Facebook a week later, and not from the school itself,’ Jessica Valois wrote under the department’s post about the then-missing teen.

“Why has the Mashpee school system not informed us of this situation?” Corinne Shea seethed.

Residents of the small town organized small search parties. Konton was eventually spotted in nearby Barnstable last Wednesday and came home.

Classmate Leah Holtz said that Konton had only recently joined the school.

3

Konton had just recently moved to Mashpee and was trying to fit in at the school, a classmate said.Facebook/Mashpee Police Department

“She just seems like she was trying to fit in and just trying to make friends with everybody,” she told WCVB.

An unidentified 13-year-old girl is now facing seven counts of assault and battery in Falmouth District Court’s juvenile division.

An investigation into “potential accomplices” is ongoing, cops said Wednesday.

How about an investigation into who decided to not tell the parents about the video? How about investigating why the bully wasn't expelled immediately after the video was discovered? 

Why isn't Social Services involved in such cases to investigate the home life of such bullies?

The Perverted Lives of the Rich and Famous > Weinstein Rape Conviction Overturned - New Trial

 

Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction

overturned from #MeToo trial

By Michael Sisak  The Associated Press

Posted April 25, 2024 6:26 am

 Updated April 25, 2024 6:40 am

 5 min read

New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

“We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes,” the court’s 4-3 decision said. “The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial.”

The state Court of Appeals ruling reopens a painful chapter in America’s reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful figures — an era that began in 2017 with a flood of allegations against Weinstein. His accusers could again be forced to relive their traumas on the witness stand.

The court’s majority said “it is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.”

In a stinging dissent, Judge Madeline Singas wrote that the majority was “whitewashing the facts to conform to a he-said/she-said narrative,” and said the Court of Appeals was continuing a “disturbing trend of overturning juries’ guilty verdicts in cases involving sexual violence.”

0:33

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“The majority’s determination perpetuates outdated notions of sexual violence and allows predators to escape accountability,” Singas wrote.

Weinstein, 72, has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex on a TV and film production assistant in 2006 and rape in the third degree for an attack on an aspiring actress in 2013.

He will remain imprisoned because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape and sentenced to 16 years in prison. Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges involving one of the women who testified in New York.

Weinstein’s lawyers argued Judge James Burke’s rulings in favor of the prosecution turned the trial into “1-800-GET-HARVEY.”

The reversal of Weinstein’s conviction is the second major #MeToo setback in the last two years, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a Pennsylvania court decision to throw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction.

Weinstein’s conviction stood for more than four years, heralded by activists and advocates as a milestone achievement, but dissected just as quickly by his lawyers and, later, the Court of Appeals when it heard arguments on the matter in February.

4:46

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Allegations against Weinstein, the once powerful and feared studio boss behind such Oscar winners as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” ushered in the #MeToo movement. Dozens of women came forward to accuse Weinstein, including famous actresses such as Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman. His New York trial drew intense publicity, with protesters chanting “rapist” outside the courthouse.

Weinstein is incarcerated in New York at the Mohawk Correctional Facility, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Albany.

He maintains his innocence. He contends any sexual activity was consensual.

Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala argued before the appeals court in February that Burke swayed the trial by allowing three women to testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case and by giving prosecutors permission to confront Weinstein, if he had testified, about his long history of brutish behavior.

Aidala argued the extra testimony went beyond the normally allowable details about motive, opportunity, intent or a common scheme or plan, and essentially put Weinstein on trial for crimes he wasn’t charged with.

Weinstein wanted to testify, but opted not to because Burke’s ruling would’ve meant answering questions about more than two-dozen alleged acts of misbehavior dating back four decades, Aidala said. They included fighting with his movie producer brother, flipping over a table in anger and snapping at waiters and yelling at his assistants.

“We had a defendant who was begging to tell his side of the story. It’s a he said, she said case, and he’s saying ‘that’s not how it happened. Let me tell you how I did it,’” Aidala argued. Instead, the jurors heard evidence of Weinstein’s prior bad behavior that “had nothing to do with truth and veracity. It was all ‘he’s a bad guy.’”

3:10

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Aidala also took issue with Burke’s refusal to remove a juror who had written a novel involving predatory older men, a topic the defense lawyer argued too closely resembled the issues in Weinstein’s case.

A lawyer for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, which prosecuted the case, argued that the judge‘s rulings were proper and that the extra evidence and testimony he allowed was important to provide jurors context about Weinstein’s behavior and the way he interacted with women.

“Defendant’s argument was that they had a consensual and loving relationship both before and after the charged incidents,” Appellate Chief Steven Wu argued, referring to one of the women Weinstein was charged with assaulting. The additional testimony “just rebutted that characterization completely.”

Wu said Weinstein’s acquittal on the most serious charges — two counts of predatory sexual assault and a first-degree rape charge involving actor Annabella Sciorra’s allegations of a mid-1990s rape — showed jurors were paying attention and they were not confused or overwhelmed by the additional testimony.

2:57

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The Associated Press does not generally identify people alleging sexual assault unless they consent to be named; Sciorra has spoken publicly about her allegations.

The Court of Appeals agreed last year to take Weinstein’s case after an intermediate appeals court upheld his conviction. Prior to their ruling, judges on the lower appellate court had raised doubts about Burke’s conduct during oral arguments. One observed that Burke had let prosecutors pile on with “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from additional witnesses.

Burke’s term expired at the end of 2022. He was not reappointed and is no longer a judge.

In appealing, Weinstein’s lawyers sought a new trial, but only for the criminal sexual act charge. They argued the rape charge could not be retried because it involves alleged conduct outside the statute of limitations.