“I noticed that the youngest of the four individuals was experiencing difficulty breathing. I administered CPR. However, as her condition did not improve, she was taken to a nearby hospital. She passed away,” Dr Qureshi told BBC Marathi.

“The other three individuals were transferred from a local hospital to JJ Hospital,” he said, adding that they also died. Their post-mortem reports are still awaited.

Police said they seized all the food items, including rinds of the watermelon, to check for adulteration. As the last item the family had eaten before becoming ill, the attention was focused on the fruit.

Last week’s report from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mumbai shifted the focus from watermelon to zinc phosphide.

The chemical was “detected in the deceased individuals’ viscera samples – specifically in the liver, kidney, and spleen – as well as in samples of stomach contents, bile and abdominal fat”, FSL director Dr Vijay Thakare told BBC Marathi. “Zinc phosphide was also detected in the watermelon sample.”

Mundhe, who is investigating the case, also confirmed that the chemical was “detected in the watermelon samples collected during the investigation, although it was not found in any other food samples sent for analysis”.

The building in which the Dokadias lived has a rodent problem, according to a report in the Indian Express newspaper. It says that many families use repellents, poison cakes and glue pads to get rid of these pests.

Some of the poison used to kill rats contains zinc phosphide which is “an extremely toxic chemical compound”, says Mumbai-based doctor Bhushan Rokade.

“Once ingested or upon contact with moisture, this chemical generates phosphine gas which inhibits the body’s cells from utilising oxygen and has severe repercussions on multiple organs.

“Symptoms include vomiting, a sensation of tightness in the chest, shortness of breath and going into shock. Even in very minute quantities, it can prove fatal,” Dr Rokade explained.

On Wednesday, a senior police official told the BBC they were still puzzled by how the rat poison ended up in the fruit.

“We have questioned 40-50 people, including relatives, friends, family, neighbours and Dokadia’s work colleagues. We have formed multiple teams that are working to solve the case.

“We will keep working until we find the answers,” he said.

[BBC]

Pati police chief Jaka told the BBC that authorities investigated the 2024 case and interviewed witnesses, but ran into “obstacles along the way” – including four victims who withdrew their statements.

“The victim and the victim’s parents expressed their intention to resolve the matter amicably,” he explained.

“Therefore, several witnesses withdrew their testimony at the time, citing concerns about their children’s future.”

The case against Ashari resurfaced last month when, after two years, police finally named him as a suspect.

Authorities are still investigating the number of victims, Jaka said. But the allegations also point to a systemic trend of abuse in Indonesia’s Islamic boarding schools.

Ashari is said to have instilled misleading doctrines in his female students, several of whom said he claimed to be a saint with powers beyond human comprehension and, in other cases, the descendant of a prophet who should be honoured.

Imam Nahe’i, a member of the PBNU Anti-Sexual Violence Unit (SAKA) who is also a former commissioner of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, tells the BBC that cases of sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools usually follow a similar pattern.

Caretakers in these schools often teach things that “smell of shamanism or mysticism”, as opposed to “anything rational”, he says.

“Then there are also those who claim to be guardians,” he adds. “If you don’t obey them, you’ll go to hell.”

More explicitly, Imam Nahe’i says Islamic boarding schools often normalise, tolerate, and even allow actions such as touching, hugging and kissing students – which, he says, could lead to a tolerance of sexual violence.

He cites a case at a school in Sumenep, which “happened quite a long time ago, since 2017, until it was finally uncovered recently”.

“This means that all this time there has been some tolerance from those around them.”

Imam Nahe’i, who teaches at a large Islamic boarding school, says that when he asked he found his fellow teachers “didn’t understand what sexual violence was”.

“They said sexual violence is defined as penetration,” he explains. “If it hasn’t reached that point, it’s not considered sexual violence – it’s just a kind of sin.”

A broader issue relates to a lack of government supervision.

While Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs issued legislation in 2022 concerning the handling of sexual violence in educational contexts, Islamic boarding schools – which are typically founded by individuals rather than government institutions – are harder to regulate and often slip through the cracks.

This makes it difficult to report and protect against sexual violence in Islamic boarding schools. As Imam Nahe’i puts it, the legislation “cannot control” them.

“In order for Islamic boarding schools to have clear regulations and a task force, I think the Ministry of Religion really needs to push for this,” he says.

“In addition, supervision from the Ministry of Religion and the community regarding these newly emerging Islamic boarding schools must be stricter.”

The Ndholo Kusumo boarding school reportedly had a permit since 2021, and was home to at least 252 students.

In the wake of these latest allegations, the school has been closed down and students have been sent home.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs has revoked the school’s license permanently, and said that students’ educations would continue through online learning options or transfers to other institutions – especially for orphaned students.

The Director of Islamic Boarding Schools at the Ministry of Religion, Basnang Said, explained that the closure of the boarding school was to ensure that authorities could prioritise the investigation while maintaining order and protecting children.

New student admissions will be suspended until all issues are resolved and there is certainty that the childcare system, child protection, and institutional governance meet standards.

If Ndholo Kusumo is found to not meet those standards, it will be permanently deactivated.

The Ministry of Religion has further recommended that educators or caretakers at Islamic boarding schools who are suspected of sexually abusing students should be dismissed and kicked out of their residences on the Islamic boarding school grounds.

Islamic boarding schools across Indonesia are being asked to appoint new teaching staff with the capacity, moral integrity, and readiness to fully care for students 24 hours a day.

[BBC]

“We are not here to arrest Senator Dela Rosa,” he said. “In fact, we are here to protect him. Let that be clear. I made that clear to his family.”

No one has been arrested for the shooting, Remulla said.

Senate speaker Alan Peter Cayetano asked the public to send “any videos that could help with the investigation”.

The senate is currently controlled by allies of Duterte, whose daughter Sara is the vice president.

An alliance between the Duterte family and that of current President Bongbong Marcos collapsed two years ago,  setting off a bitter feud between them.

On Monday the lower house of congress voted to start impeachment of the vice president, but the senate has the power to block it.

Duterte has refused to recognise the ICC proceedings, arguing that during his presidency in 2019 the Philippines had pulled out of the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding agreement.

But last month, judges in the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber rejected that argument on the grounds that the alleged crimes had happened between 2011 and 2019 – while the Philippines was still a member of the ICC – paving the way for Duterte to stand trial.

[BBC]