A 16-year-old Dalit girl who was allegedly raped by a man in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh has died during treatment at a hospital, police said on Friday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (West) Sanjay Rai said the teenager was held hostage and raped on Sunday last week.

“The accused tied her hands and mouth and left her in a millet field in a seriously injured state. She was admitted to the SRN Hospital in Prayagraj where she was undergoing treatment and passed away last evening,” Rai said.

On the complaint of the victim’s mother, the police had registered a case against accused Anil Gupta under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SC-ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, he said.

The 22-year-old accused was arrested on Monday after a gunfight with the police, they said. Murder charges have also been added to the case, police added. The body was returned to family after conducting the post-mortem, PTI reported.

In another incident from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi in November last year, a 19-year-old woman was hacked to death in broad daylight by two brothers, including the man accused of raping her.

According to reports, the woman butchered with an axe on the main road as scared villagers watched helplessly. Pawan Nishad was accused of raping her three years ago, when she was a minor. Reports said that Pawan and his associates had been harassing the woman, since then, to get her to drop the case lodged against him.

Pawan’s brother, Ashok Nishad, was an accused in a separate murder case and was released less than two days before the young woman’s murder. The officials explained that Pawan was out of jail by this time and the two plotted to confront the woman’s family and force them to close the case.

The BJP on Friday claimed the Opposition bloc INDIA is considering making the Leader of the Opposition’s post in the Lok Sabha rotational and asserted they should go ahead with such a decision if they feel Rahul Gandhi is not able to fulfill his responsibility with dedication.

Gandhi was appointed as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha with the Congress being the single largest Opposition party in the House. According to rules, only an MP from the single largest party in the Opposition with at least 10 per cent seats can be appointed as the LoP.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters in New Delhi, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said many leaders in the Opposition parties are capable of handling the work of the Leader of Opposition. However, she clarified that it is up to them to decide as it is their internal matter.

Her comments came amid the buzz over the Opposition parties considering making the Leader of Opposition’s post rotational in the Lower House.

“Yes, absolutely. I have also heard that there is talk of making the post of Leader of Opposition rotational. But I would politely say that this is an internal matter of the Opposition,” Swaraj told the press while replying to the media query.

“Yes, there are definitely many leaders in the Opposition parties who are quite capable of fulfilling the responsibility of the Leader of Opposition. If the INDI Alliance feels that Rahul Gandhi is not able to fulfill his responsibility with complete dedication, they should take such a decision,” she added.

Former Lok Sabha Secretary General PDT Achary, replying to PTI on a question if the Leader of Opposition’s post can be made rotational, said only an MP from the single largest Opposition party in the House can be appointed as the LoP.

The person whom the single largest opposition party wants to be appointed as the LoP is chosen by it only, he said. “Neither the government nor the Speaker have any role to play in it,” Acharya said.

The Speaker only recognises a person as the LoP in the Lok Sabha whose name is forwarded by the single largest Opposition party, he added.

Two Agniveers were killed when a shell from an Indian field gun exploded during firing practice at the Artillery Centre in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, police said on Friday.

According to an official, the incident occurred at the Artillery Centre in the Nashik Road area on Thursday afternoon.

The official informed that Agniveers Gohil Vishwaraj Singh, 20, and Saifat Shit, 21, were killed in the blast.

A team of Agniveers was firing an Indian field gun when one of the shells exploded. The duo sustained injuries and were taken to MH Hospital, Deolali, where they were pronounced dead, the official said.

Based on a complaint by Havildar Ajit Kumar, a case of accidental death has been registered with the Deolali Camp police, and further investigations are on, the official said as reported by PTI.

Announced on June 14, 2022, the Agnipath scheme has been criticised widely by the leaders from the Opposition, claiming that the scheme lacks gratuity, retirement benefits, job security and martyred status and others.

There are concerns about the four-year service period and what will happen to the 75 percent of Agniveers who leave the scheme after that time. There were widespread protests against this scheme in several states, including Bihar, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The Agnipath scheme aims to enlist young people aged between 17.5 and 21 years into the armed forces for a period of four years, which includes training. Under this scheme, Agniveers are recruited into the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy for four years of service. After this period, 25 percent of Agniveers are permanently recruited into the Indian Army.

Agniveers receive a starting package of about Rs 4.76 lakhs in the first year, which increases to around Rs 6.92 lakhs by the fourth year. Each Agniveer is required to contribute 30 percent of their monthly salary to a service fund, with an equal contribution made by the government.