11-month-old boy dies after falling into the bucket in Kasargod

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister-designate Rekha Gupta on Thursday assured that the BJP government would fulfill its poll promise of providing Rs 2,500 monthly financial assistance to women. The first installment of the monthly support will be credited to their accounts by March 8, Gupta said.

Ahead of the polls, the BJP's manifesto aimed to outdo the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) announcement of Rs 2,100 monthly support if it came to power. Gupta, who was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party on Wednesday, emphasized that delivering on their promises is her top priority.

"Fulfilling the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the responsibility of all 48 BJP MLAs in the capital. We will definitely fulfill all our promises, including financial support for women. Women will 100% get monetary support in their accounts by March 8," she said. March 8 is observed as International Women's Day.

The BJP secured a landslide victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, winning 48 out of 70 seats and ending the AAP's decade-long rule. Gupta, a former Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) president and municipal councilor, will be sworn in as the fourth woman CM of Delhi at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan later in the afternoon, in the presence of Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries.

New Delhi: Ten years ago, the BJP's Vijender Gupta was forcibly removed from the Delhi Assembly amid controversy over derogatory remarks made by a party colleague, OP Sharma, against then-AAP MLA Alka Lamba. Dramatic scenes from the Assembly showed Mr. Gupta, dressed in pristine white kurta-pyjama, being lifted, shouting and twisting, by several marshals. The BJP leader even clung to furniture, resisting all the way out.

Today, Mr. Gupta returns as the Speaker of the same Assembly, after the BJP achieved a remarkable victory in the 2025 Delhi election. He retained the Rohini seat he has held since 2015.

"I am thankful to the party for giving me this responsibility... to be Speaker of the Delhi Assembly. I will fulfill my responsibility. I hope we will have healthy discussions in the House," he told news agency PTI.

Mr. Gupta was previously the Leader of Opposition. Sources earlier mentioned he was even considered for the Chief Minister's post, a role that ultimately went to Rekha Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh. Rekha Gupta becomes the fourth BJP Chief Minister of Delhi and the second woman from the party to hold that position.

What Happened In 2015?

On November 30, 2015, chaos ensued in the Delhi Assembly as AAP and BJP MLAs clashed over the alleged derogatory remarks. Ram Niwas Goel, then the Speaker, ordered Vijender Gupta to leave the House till 4 pm. When he refused, marshals were called in. Mr. Gupta resisted and tried to hold onto the bench, but the staff ultimately evicted him.

Before his eviction, Mr. Gupta accused the Speaker of being biased towards the AAP, then in power, claiming that three BJP legislators had been abused and assaulted by ruling party MLAs. "But no action has been taken against them," he alleged.

The AAP has yet to comment on Vijender Gupta's nomination.

Rekha Gupta's Big Day

Ms. Gupta, a first-time MLA from Shalimar Bagh, said she had no expectations when she left her home Wednesday evening to attend a legislators' meeting. It was widely anticipated that her colleague, two-time former Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma, who defeated AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal for the New Delhi seat, would get the job.

However, the BJP delivered a surprising decision. "When I left home, I did not know that I would become the Chief Minister," Ms. Gupta said, adding that it was Mr. Verma who proposed her name.

An Indian woman sentenced to death in Abu Dhabi for allegedly murdering a four-month-old child was executed on February 15, the Delhi High Court was informed on Monday. The revelation came during a hearing on a petition filed by her father, who was seeking information about her well-being.

Court Calls Execution "Unfortunate"

Justice Sachin Datta, upon learning of the execution, described it as "very unfortunate."

"It is over. She was executed on February 15. Her last rites will be held on March 5," Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the court.

Family’s Fight for Information

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel said the family had been desperately seeking clarity on whether she was alive or had been executed.

He mentioned that Shahzadi Khan had called her family from prison on February 14, informing them that she would be executed within a day or two and that it would be her final call. Since then, they had received no updates about her condition.

The Centre’s counsel stated that embassy officials were in touch with the petitioner and were making arrangements for the family to attend her last rites in Abu Dhabi.

"We did our best. We hired a law firm to represent her in court. But the laws there deal with the murder of an infant very severely," he submitted.

Case Background

According to the petition, Shahzadi contacted her father from detention on February 14, 2025, saying she had been moved within the facility and wanted to speak with her parents before her execution.

Her father, Shabbir Khan, a resident of Banda in Uttar Pradesh, filed an application with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on February 21, 2025, seeking official confirmation of whether his daughter had been executed.

Shahzadi had been handed over to Abu Dhabi police on February 10, 2023. She was sentenced to death on July 31, 2023, and was held at Al Wathba jail.

The petition alleged that Shahzadi did not receive proper legal representation in court and was pressured into confessing, leading to her death sentence.

Events Leading to the Case

Shahzadi traveled to Abu Dhabi in December 2021 on a legal visa. In August 2022, her employer gave birth to a son, and she was hired as the child’s caregiver.

On December 7, 2022, the infant received routine vaccinations but tragically passed away that same evening.

The petition claimed that the child’s parents refused to allow a post-mortem and signed an agreement waiving further investigation into the death. However, despite this, Shahzadi was arrested and later sentenced to death.

Her family continues to seek justice and closure following her execution.