Student swoop on Varanasi brothels

Lucknow: Benaras Hindu University students and NGO workers rescued 31 minors from a red-light area in Varanasi on Tuesday, reports our special correspondent.

Around 5 pm, about 20 BHU students and workers Gudia raided the brothels in Madhuadihi and rescued them.

The girls were taken into custody later in the evening and police have drawn up an FIR against unidentified accused for engaging the minors in the flesh trade.

Varanasi SSP Navneet Sikera said the police were trying to find out from where the girls have come. It appeared they were mostly from districts of Mirzapur, Mau and Gazipur, he said.

“The recovery of the 31 girls from brothels has exposed the underbelly of Varanasi,” said Ranjana Vajpayee, the chairperson of the state women’s commission. “When the police and the district administration go on a long slumber, this kind of exploitative machinery becomes active in employing minor girls in the flesh trade,” said Girija Vyas, the National Women’s Commission chairperson.

Nude-case Finn told to stay

Ajmer (PTI): A Finnish woman who was arrested for walking nude on a street in Pushkar has been released on bail and asked not to leave the town till proceedings in the case are over.

Erica, who was arrested on Saturday for walking nude after a bath in the holy Pushkar lake, has been accused of exhibiting obscenity. She was let out on bail on Monday against a personal bond of Rs 10,000.

Following public outcry over the incident, Erica had expressed regret, but had said the act for her was a spiritual ceremony.

However, some witnesses said she suffered from mental illness and was intoxicated during the incident.

Nepal check

Kathmandu (PTI): Nepal will start recording details of Nepalis and Indians crossing the border from a western Nepal transit point from next week to regularise movement of people. The record of people moving across the Nepalgunj-Rupaidiya transit point will be kept from November 1, the Nepal home ministry has said.

Salman case

mumbai (PTI): Bombay High Court has stayed its earlier order rejecting Salman Khan’s plea for in-camera deposition of an eyewitness in the hit-and-run case in which the actor is accused of killing one person and injuring four. Salmna can move the Supreme Court now.

Taj security

agra (PTI): Closed-circuit cameras will be set up at 31 points around Taj Mahal, the ASI has said. The cameras will screen the activities on the main platform and focus on the movements of tourists.A four-member Venezuelan team has returned to Chennai after covering 50,000 km in 60 days across India, Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan in a Hummer H1 car.