Shivshankar Chaurasia, one of the two men, arrested for allegedly raping a teenage girl in Gujarat’s Surat district died in a hospital here after he complained of breathing difficulty in police custody on Thursday.

According to Surat District Superintendent of Police Hitesh Joysar, Chaurasia had complained of difficulty in breathing at around 2.00 pm and was rushed to a health centre in the Kamrej area. He was then referred to the new civil hospital, where he died during treatment,” Joysar added.

The 45-year-old Chaurasia, named in murder and theft cases in the past, and Munna Paswan (40) were arrested on Wednesday for the alleged sexual assault on the minor, PTI reported.

Police will produce Paswan before a court in the evening seeking his remand, the police officer said.

Paswan, Chaurasia and a third person, who is yet to be nabbed, allegedly raped a 17-year-old girl in Mangrol taluka on Tuesday night, according to the police.

The police said that the teenager had gone to the Kim village to meet friends after attending her coaching class. She and her male friend were sitting in a deserted place on their way to a petrol pump along the highway near Mota Borsara village when three men approached them, police added.

While her friend escaped, the trio raped the minor before fleeing with her and her friend’s mobile phones. After being alerted, police registered a case for gang rape and other charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Paswan and Chaurasia were nabbed from a nearby location on Wednesday evening and cops had to open fire while taking the duo into custody, police had said in a release.

Police said several cases had been registered against the two in areas like Ankleshwar, Kadodara, Amirgadh and Karjan.

Chaurasia was booked in a murder case in 2017 in Ankleshwar and for theft in 2023 in Karjan. This year, he was booked under the Arms Act by the Amirgadh police station of Banaskantha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India-ASEAN friendship was very important at a time when parts of the world were facing conflicts and tensions.

Addressing the 21st India-ASEAN Summit, PM Modi also said he had announced the Act East Policy 10 years ago and in the past decade it had given new energy, direction and momentum to the historic ties between India and ASEAN nations.

“In the past decade, India-ASEAN trade has doubled and now stands at more than USD 130 billion,” he said.

The Prime Minister said he believed that the 21st century, also called the Asian century, is the century of India and ASEAN nations.

“India-ASEAN friendship, coordination dialogue and cooperation is very important at a time when several parts of the world are facing conflicts and tensions,” he said.

Announcing a 10-point plan to strengthen ASEAN-India comprehensive partnership, PM Modi focused on celebrating the year 2025 as “ASEAN-India Year of Tourism” for which India would make available $5 million towards joint activities.

“To celebrate a decade of Act East Policy through several people centric activities including Youth Summit, Start-up Festival, Hackathon, Music Festival, ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks and Delhi Dialogue,” he said.

He gave a third plan, “To organise ASEAN-India Women Scientists Conclave under ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund.”

The Prime Minister mentioned the doubling the number of scholarships at Nalanda University and provision of new scholarships for ASEAN students at Agricultural Universities in India.

To strengthen ASEAN-India partnership, Modi said, “Review of ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement by 2025.”

Enhancing Disaster Resilience for which India would make available $5 million, he said, would strengthen partnership further. He asked to initiate a new Health Ministers’ track towards building Health Resilience.

He also asked to initiate a regular mechanism of ASEAN-India Cyber Policy Dialogue towards strengthening Digital and Cyber Resilience.

In his 10-point plan, PM Modi suggested a workshop on Green Hydrogen in order to strengthen ASEAN-India comprehensive partnership.

“Invited ASEAN Leaders to join ‘Plant a Tree for Mother’ campaign towards building climate resilience,” PM Modi suggested.

“The India-ASEAN Summit was a productive one. We discussed how to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and ASEAN. We look forward to deepening trade ties, cultural linkages and cooperation in technology, connectivity and other such sectors,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Modi arrived here in Laos on a two-day visit to attend the ASEAN-India and East Asia summits and further deepen engagement with countries in the groupings. 

Industrialist, political leaders across the country paid tributes to veteran industrialist and Chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata who died late Wednesday night at the age of 86. He had been undergoing treatment at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital for the last few days.

Issuing a statement, Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said that with a profound sense of loss they bid farewell to Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contribution have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of the nation. 

As soon as the news broke, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the national icon, calling him a visionary business leader, a compassionate soul and an extraordinary human being. He said that Ratan Tata provided stable leadership to one of India’s oldest and most prestigious business houses, adding that his contribution went far beyond the boardroom. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi also condoled his death, stating  that Ratan Tata was a man with a vision, and has left a lasting mark on both business and philosophy.  

Industrialist Gautam Adani also paid tribute to Ratan Tata. He expressed that India has lost a giant, a visionary who redefined modern India’s path. He recalled Ratan Tata as not only a business leader, but one who embodied the spirit of India with integrity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to the greater good. 

Muskesh Ambani also hailed Ratan Tata as the country’s most illustrious and kind-hearted son. He expressed that it is a very sad day for India, and a big loss, not just to Tata Group, but to every Indian. Google CEO Sundar Pichai also credited the national icon for mentoring and developing the modern business leadership in India. 

Declaring a state of mourning in the state, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that Ratan Tata would be accorded state funeral. His mortal remains is also kept at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in South Mumbai’s Nariman Point from 10 am for people to pay their homage. His body will be taken to the Worli crematorium for last rites at 3:30 pm. 

Ratan Tata was born in 1937. After his parents divorce in 1948, Ratan Tata was raised by his grandmother, Navajbai Tata. He studied architecture at Cornell University, and followed it up with a management course at Harvard.

He is also the great-grandson of Jamsetji Tata, who founded a small business which is now one of the world’s largest corporations, with interests across the automotive, aerospace and defence, information technology, steel, real estate, financial services and investments, and aviation, e-commerce, and tourism sectors.

Ratan Tata was twice the Chairperson of the Tata Group conglomerate, from 1991 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017. Though he has long since stepped back from the company’s day-to-day running, he continues to head its charitable trusts. He received the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second- highest civilian honour in 2008. He also received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour, in 2000.