The Maharashtra government has banned the literature of terrorist organisations such as Islamic State, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Pir Panjal Regiment, and Al Qaeda (AQIS), citing its content glorifying violent extremism, promoting radicalisation, and providing information on bomb-making and lone-wolf attacks.
The Maharashtra government has banned 114 items of literature from terrorist organisations like Islamic State and Al Qaeda, citing their role in glorifying extremism, promoting radicalisation, and threatening India's sovereignty and public order. The ban, issued via a gazette notification, follows intelligence inputs and ATS investigations into the circulation of such propaganda material.
Radical Islamist networks are deliberately targeting Muslim youths embedded within the country's professional and academic ecosystems, leveraging their skills, mobility, and digital reach to quietly strengthen operational capabilities. This trend highlights a dangerous evolution in terror recruitment -- one that exploits ideological faultlines, online echo chambers and transnational radical Islamist influences to attract individuals who outwardly embody India's modern and aspirational narrative, points out Dr Kanchan Lakshman.
'The strategy of frontal organisations of the Maoists is to create unrest and ensure that such unrest leads to a law and order problem.' 'To cover such acts it was necessary to bring in a different definition of unlawful activities which is different from the definition of unlawful activities in the UAPA.'
Amid a row over the Maharashtra government's decision to withdraw an award for the Marathi translation of alleged Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy's memoir, three members of the award selection committee have resigned from the state Literature and Culture Board citing "insult of democratic procedures".
'The government is trying to give a message that we as political bosses have discretion of deciding what people will read and what people will not read.'
A suspected SIMI operative and an aide of Indian Mujahideen media in-charge have been arrested from Secunderabad, with police saying that they were allegedly planning to go to Afghanistan to get training from Al Qaeda for carrying out terror activities in India.
In a relief to academic-activist Shoma Kanti Sen, arrested in June 2018 in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, the Supreme Court on Friday granted her bail while taking cognisance of the "composite effect" of the delay in framing charges coupled with her prolonged detention.
The apex court on July 28 granted bail to the two accused, noting that the actual involvement of Gonsalves and Ferreira in any terrorist act has not surfaced from any third-party communications.
'The wrong person had to spend a banvaas of 14 years on a wrong charge.'
Despite belonging to a political dynasty of sorts, Aaditya Thackeray is the first in his family to contest an election.
The draft lays down 17 charges against 15 accused, including human rights and civil liberties activists, and they have been sought to be charged under various sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The 29-year-old next-gen Thackeray, whom his party wants to be the deputy chief minister in the BJP-Sena alliance government, won with a thumping majority from Mumbai's Worli constituency.
'Rahul Gandhi has shown courage to heal the heart of democracy.'
Suspended Delhi University Professor G N Saibaba and five others were on Tuesday convicted by a sessions court for their links with the Maoists.
'These charges of the prosecution will fall to the ground and I am 100 per cent sure of that.'
All the 14 were being produced in local courts for a transit remand to Delhi where they would be questioned extensively by the NIA.
One of the finest minds on foreign exchange management, monetary and fiscal policies, on debt and currency markets, on bank management and governance, and indeed on almost every aspect of modern finance and banking passes into the ages.
Over 200 teachers from across India and abroad have written to Delhi University's vice-chancellor asking him to revoke Professor G N Saibaba's suspension so that he can rejoin his college.
'Nowhere in the country, except perhaps Jammu and Kashmir, do extremist groups enjoy political patronage as they do in Kerala. Terrorists are exported from Kerala to Afghanistan, Syria.'
'Slaughter of cows will be opposed by all parties in UP, Gujarat, Rajasthan, etc while it is different in Kerala, Goa and the north east.' 'Every national party adapts and take a view on various issues depending on the local situation and the feelings of the local people.' 'So, the Kerala BJP will look at each issue from the Kerala perspective, and not that of UP.'
'I stand by what I said. It is understandable that Rushdie got angry and called me names. But it also means it hurt him because there was some truth in what I said.'
