In an incident shocking in its brutality, an 18-year-old Dalit woman working at an oil mill was pushed into a cauldron with hot oil when she protested sexual harassment. The incident, which took place at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, has left the teenager with serious burns. She has been moved to Delhi for treatment.

The three accused, including the mill owner, have been arrested.

A complaint filed by the woman’s brother yesterday says members of his family worked at an oil mill at Dhanaura Silvernagar village. His sister was working at the mill when the accused — mill owner Pramod and associates Raju and Sandip — started harassing her. When she protested, the accused allegedly hurled casteist abuses. They then pushed her into the cauldron full of hot oil, her brother has said.

In a statement recorded from her bed at a Delhi hospital, the 18-year-old said the accused misbehaved with her and verbally abused her before pushing her into the cauldron.

The woman has suffered burns on more than half of her body, with her legs and arms seriously scalded.

Based on her brother’s complaint, the police registered a case under sections relating to attempt to murder, assaulting a woman and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. “We have arrested the three accused and further action is being taken,” Circle Officer Vijay Chaudhary said.

The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in the north and central Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden following frequent security incidents on merchant vessels sailing through international shipping lanes.

Naval task groups comprising destroyers and frigates have been deployed to undertake maritime security operations and help merchant vessels in case of any incident, the navy said in a statement today.

The navy said it is also working closely with the Coast Guard to check new security risks in the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy’s move comes days after a merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, was struck by a drone 400 km off the Indian coastline. The ship with 21 crew members – 20 Indians and a Vietnamese – arrived at the Mumbai port under the protection of Coast Guard ship Vikram on December 26, two days after it was struck in the Arabian Sea.

“The last few weeks have seen increased maritime security incidents on merchant vessels transiting through international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and central/north Arabian Sea,” the navy said in the statement.

“The piracy incident on MV Ruen, approximately 700 nautical miles from the Indian coast, and the recent drone attack on MV Chem Pluto, approximately 220 nautical miles southwest of Porbandar, indicates a shift in maritime incidents closer to Indian EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” the navy said.

Apart from destroyers and frigates, the navy has deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and maritime patrol aircraft.

Long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft P8Is are being regularly tasked to maintain domain awareness.

The attack on MV Chem Pluto amid a flurry of new drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on the vital Red Sea shipping lane since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, with the group claiming to act in solidarity with Gaza.

The Pentagon claimed the tanker ship was targeted by a drone “fired from Iran.” It was the first time the Pentagon openly accused Iran of directly targeting ships since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.

As the grand consecration ceremony for Ram Temple in Ayodhya approaches, a shocking racket to loot the faithful in the temple’s name has come to light. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has warned how cyber criminals have put out social media messages, seeking donations in the name of the temple. These messages also have a QR code. Scan-and-pay and the money goes to the swindlers.

VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said the matter has been flagged to the Home Ministry and police chiefs in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. He stressed that Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra, the trust overseeing the construction of the temple, has not authorised anyone to collect funds.

सावधान..!!
श्री राम जन्मभूमि तीर्थ क्षेत्र के नाम से फर्जी आईडी बना कर कुछ लोग पैसा ठगी का प्रयास कर रहे हैं। @HMOIndia @CPDelhi @dgpup @Uppolice को ऐसे लोगों के विरूद्ध विलम्ब कार्यवाही करनी चहिए। @ShriRamTeerth has not authorised any body to collect funds for this occasion. pic.twitter.com/YHhgTBXEKi

— विनोद बंसल Vinod Bansal (@vinod_bansal) December 31, 2023

In a video message, Mr Bansal said they have recently been informed about the “ugly” attempts to collect money in the temple’s name. “Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Nyas has not authorised anyone to collect funds. I have written to the Home Ministry, Uttar Pradesh DGP and Delhi’s Commissioner of Police, seeking strict action so that people do not fall prey to such frauds. People need to be careful too,” he said. “This is an occasion for joy, we are sending out invitations. We will not accept any donation,” he said.

The matter, it is learnt, came to light after social media messages and phone calls asked people to donate to the temple. One of the persons who received a call shared the number with VHP workers. A VHP worker called the number and the fraudsters’ tactics were on display.

The VHP has shared an audio clip of the recorded phone call, the authenticity of which cannot be verified by NDTV. In the call, the VHP worker poses as someone who wanted to donate to the temple. When the caller says he wants to donate Rs 11,000 and others in the village were also keen to make donations, the alleged fraudster on the other side asks for a WhatsApp number where he can send the QR code.

To convince the caller, the alleged fraudster says the names and contact details of donors were being noted down and that they would be invited to the Ram Temple once construction work was completed. At one point, the alleged fraudster says a “war has broken out between Hindu and Muslim societies” and that the “Muslims are not letting the temple construction proceed”. “So we are collecting donation to build the temple,” he is heard saying.

When the caller asks for his name, the alleged fraudster says he is based out of Ayodhya and there are several groups collecting money for the temple.