News18 Evening Digest: Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi Arrested During March to Hathras and Other Top Stories

Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi Arrested by UP Police on the Way to Hathras to Meet Rape Victim’s Family

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were on Thursday arrested by Uttar Pradesh police after they were stopped from marching towards Hathras to meet the family of the 20-year-old Dalit rape victim who succumbed to horrific injuries this week. Rahul Gandhi also fell down in the melee after police tried to stop him and his supporters from proceeding on the Yamuna Expressway. The Gandhis were then taken away in a police jeep. READ MORE

Hathras Gang-rape: Forensic Report Shows Victim Was Not Raped, Says Police Official

As several groups and political outfits continue to protest against the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 20-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, a senior official said that the forensic report of the victim has not confirmed rape. “The forensic report makes it clear the woman was not raped. The postmortem report says the victim died due to neck injury. The Forensic Science Laboratory report hasn’t found sperm in samples,” said Additional Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar on Thursday. READ MORE

2 Soldiers Killed, 4 Injured in Unprovoked Ceasefire Violation by Pakistan in J&K’s Kupwara

Two soldiers were killed and four injured in an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Naugam sector on Thursday, officials said. “Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation along the LoC in Naugam sector, Kupwara on Thursday morning by firing mortars and other weapons,” Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said. READ MORE

Another ‘Namaste Trump’? Chidambaram Takes a Dig at Modi over US President Questioning India’s Covid Record

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over US President Donald Trump’s remarks questioning the credibility of India’s Covid-19 numbers, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram asked whether the PM will hold another ‘Namaste Trump’ rally to honour his “dear friend”. During the first presidential debate ahead of the US polls, President Trump raised questions over the credibility of India’s coronavirus, claiming that it was among the countries that do not accurately disclose the number of deaths due to the pandemic. READ MORE

Supreme Court Orders Airlines To Refund Cancelled Bookings During Covid-19 Lockdown Within 3 Weeks

India’s top court on Friday ordered airlines to refund passengers who were forced to cancel tickets booked during a two-month, nationwide lockdown to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Supreme Court told airlines to refund the money within three weeks in a decision that will add to the burden on cash-strapped Indian carriers whose revenues have been hit by coronavirus restrictions on air travel. READ MORE

Miscreants Posing as Plasma Donors Defraud Desperate Families of Covid-19 Patients in Bengaluru

In what can be termed as a new low for the humanity, particularly in such times of duress, a ‘plasma donation’ fraud has surfaced in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. Pretending to be plasma donors, the culprits’ modus operandi involves calling up families of coronavirus positive patients, answering requests for plasma donation. The criminals then collect the money and disappear, leaving the families hapless, a report by Bangalore Mirror said. READ MORE

IPL Betting Games on Swiggy, Zomato Discount Campaigns Halted as Google Issues Notice

Google has issued notices to popular food delivery services Swiggy and Zomato, based on the promotional discount campaigns that the two apps were running on their platforms linked to the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The Google notice issued to Swiggy and Zomato is based on their gamification of discount campaigns, where customers on the app could ‘bet’ or predict certain aspects of IPL matches, and wins points that could then be applied as discounts on food orders. According to Google, these promotions represented violations to Google’s Play Store policies, which strictly discourage gambling. READ MORE