LIVE News Updates: Govt must decide if it’s with women or rapists: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government over increasing incidents of rape and assault on women in the state.

She said the government will have to decide whether it is supporting the women or the criminals.

"It's the government's duty to maintain law and order. There have been 90 cases of rape in Unnao alone in the last 11 months. The government must decide whether it is with women or with rapists and criminals," she said speaking with the reporters.

A rape victim was set on fire by the accused in Unnao on Thursday. She is battling for life at a Delhi hospital with 90 per cent burns. She is said to be extremely critical.

Around 67.9 per cent (26 lakh) of the 38 lakh voters cast their ballot in Thursday's by elections in 15 Karnataka Assembly segments, an official said on Friday.

"The final average voting percentage in the 15 Assembly seats has gone up to 67.9 per cent from 66.49 per cent after postal ballots were added to the votes registered in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the 4,185 polling stations," Election Commission official G. Jadiyappa told IANS in Bengaluru.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh's mother has lodged a police complaint against Delhi BJP's Poorvanchal morcha president Manish Singh. In her complaint, she said that the BJP activists created a ruckus outside their house when Sanjay Singh was not home and she was alone.

She said the BJP workers may commit any misdeed in future.

India won the toss and elected to field in the first T20I against West Indies in Hyderabad

Women in Jaggaiahpeta in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district on Friday celebrated the encounter killing of the rape and murder accused of Hyderabad vet.

The women distributed sweets and burst crackers

The Indian government has cancelled the passport of fugitive self-styled godman Nithyananda and rejected his application for new one, MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar said.

"We've sensitized all our missions and posts that this man is wanted in several cases of crime. We have asked our missions to sensitize the local government," he added.

Meanwhile, Ecuador has denied giving asylum to Nithyananda or having sold him any island. "Ecuador denied the request for international personal protection (refuge) made by Mr. Nithyananda before Ecuador and later on, Mr. Nithyananda left Ecuador presumably on his way to Haiti," a statement by Ecuadore embassy in New Delhi said on Friday.

Haiti is an island nation in the Caribbean.

The bodies of the accused in the rape and murder of the woman veterinarian in Hyderabad, who were killed in an encounter with the police, have been shifted from the encounter site to a hospital for post mortem.

The parents of the 2012 Delhi gangrape victim, popularly known as Nirbhaya, have moved the President's office seeking rejection of the mercy petition filed by one of the convicts Vinay Sharma.

The development came after the Union Home Ministry forwarded Vinay Sharma’s mercy petition to the President’s office.

In a letter to the President's office, they have said that the mercy petition is a deliberate attempt to avoid the execution of death sentence and hamper justice.

Nirbahya was brutalised by five men in a moving bus in December 2012. She died in Delhi's Safdarjung hospital a few days later.

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that rape convicts under the POCSO Act should not have the right to file mercy petition. He said that Parliament should consider making a law in this regard.

Speaking at an event in Rajasthan's Sirohi, Kovind said that women safety is a serious issue.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday took cognisance of the killing of four men accused of raping and murdering a woman veterinarian in Hyderabad and ordered an inquiry into the police encounter.

The apex human rights body said the encounter early morning on Friday is a matter of concern.

Citizenship Amendment Bill and National Register of Citizens are two sides of the same coin. They will first move CAB and then they will bring NRC. We won't allow them to implement either, says West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The rape survivor from Unnao, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital, is extremely critical and on ventilator, doctors attending to her said on Friday.

"The condition of the patient is extremely critical and she is on ventilator. Even her vitals are very low," said Dr Shalab Kumar, Head of Burn and Plastic Surgery at the hospital.

The Delhi Traffic Police on Thursday provided a "green corridor" for hindrance-free movement of the ambulance carrying her from the airport to the hospital.

"We have set up a dedicated ICU room for the patient. A team of doctors are consistently monitoring her health condition," Dr Sunil Gupta, Medical Superintendent at Safdarjung Hospital, said.

The rape survivor suffered 90 per cent burns after five men, including two of the rape accused, allegedly set her on fire while she was on her way to court, police said.

People celebrate and cheer for police at the encounter site where the four accused were killed in an encounter earlier today.

“Crimes against women are on the rise in Uttar Pradesh, but the state government is sleeping.Police here and also in Delhi should take inspiration from Hyderabad Police,but unfortunately here criminals are treated like state guests, there is jungle raj in UP right now,”says Mayawati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Former PM Dr.Manmohan Singh in Parliament, to pay tribute to Dr. BR Ambedkar on his death anniversary

An alert has been issued in the entire state on the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri masjid on December 6. Since the anniversary falls on Friday, the administration is taking more precaution and has asked the police officers to be on high alert at their respective postings.

"Justice has been served. Things will change after today. I request the govt that the Nirbhaya-accused should also be brought to justice soon," says Asha Devi (Nirbhaya’s mother).

It has been 10 days to the day my daughter died. I express my gratitude towards the police & govt for this. My daughter's soul must be at peace now, says Telangana rape victim’s father

All four people accused in the rape and murder of woman veterinarian in Telangana have been killed in an encounter with the police.

The encounter took place when the four men tried to escape from the crime scene where they were taken by police last night for re-construction of events on the night of rape and murder.

Senior Police officials arrive at the site of the encounter. All four accused in the rape and murder of woman veterinarian in Telangana were killed in an encounter with the police when the accused tried to escape while being taken to the crime spot.