At least nine passengers were killed late Wednesday when an overnight sleeper bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, near India's capital Delhi. According to a police report cited by media, the bus's air conditioning unit caused the fire. The bus driver and conductor managed to escape the fire and are detained by authorities. A passenger who survived the tragedy told ANI news agency that the bus was packed. "I was sleeping when someone woke me up saying the bus had caught fire, and we all scrambled to get out," the passenger said. "It was not an easy situation to escape, there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out." Police are investigating the incident.
Authorities have arrested three men accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in southeast Delhi. The girl had been visiting a temple with a male friend on Monday evening before the two went to a nearby park, where the suspects allegedly intercepted them. The men posed as police officers to intimidate the minor and her friend. One of the men reportedly restrained the girl's friend while the other two assaulted her. The suspects allegedly threatened the pair with arrest if they reported the incident, according to police cited by The Hindustan Times. On Wednesday, hundreds of students protested in Delhi, demanding better safety for women. The alleged assault occurred barely 2 km from Lady Shri Ram (LSR) College, one of the country's top women's colleges. India has a high rate of reported sexual violence against women and girls. National Crime Records Bureau data shows that more than 80 rape cases are reported to police across the country each day.
An investigation team probing the alleged embezzlement of donations and offerings at the Ram Temple in the northern city of Ayodhya has filed a chargesheet against eight arrested suspects, media reports said on Wednesday. The police filed a 74,000-page chargesheet before a local court. All eight accused are in judicial custody. The Special Investigation Team's (SIT) status report documented 105 instances of theft captured by CCTV cameras at the temple premises. The controversy over alleged embezzlement forced authorities to appoint an Indian Air Force veteran, Jeetendra Mishra, as the chief executive officer of the temple earlier this month. The construction of the temple, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2024, was a longstanding political issue and a key commitment of Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was built at the site of the Babri mosque, which was demolished by Hindu nationalist mobs in 1992. Devout Hindus believe that the god Ram was born there more than 7,000 years ago, but that the Babri mosque was built over his birthplace by a 16th-century Muslim emperor.
This is the latest in similar incidents of deadly fires on buses. Hi, this is Shakeel from DW's New Delhi studio bringing you the latest updates from across India. Nine passengers were killed late on Wednesday when their overnight sleeper bus caught fire just outside Delhi. Meanwhile, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a nearly 70,000-page chargesheet against eight people arrested in connection with the Ram Temple donation embezzlement case on Wednesday. For all this and more, follow our live blog.
Source: www.dw.com