The women allege that the police had falsely detained Motasim, adding he was being targeted unnecessarily. They have also accused the police of ill treatment and using foul language. The protestors have demanded the withdrawal of cases against the women and children and action against police officers who are anti-Muslim.
Visuals of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah scaling the gate of the Naqshband Sahib graveyard and jostling with securitymen deployed there have gone viral.
The incident happened on Sunday night when the woman, an undergraduate student at a private college, went to the beach along with her boyfriend, who is a classmate, on the occasion of the Raja festival, they said.
Three men from Delhi were detained in Sambhal, India, for allegedly attempting to perform Hindu rituals, including a havan and puja, at the Shahi Jama Masjid. The incident occurred on Friday, with police citing concerns about public order and potential disruption to communal harmony. The mosque is a site of ongoing religious tensions, with four people having died in violence last year related to a court-ordered survey. The detainees claimed they were attempting to perform rituals at a nearby Vishnu Harihar temple.
'If the INDIA bloc ever forms the government, they will be more than tempted to use such provisions to bring about regime change in BJP-ruled states.'
Punjab Police detained several farmer leaders, including Sarwan Singh Pandher and Jagjit Singh Dallewal, while they were returning from a meeting with a central delegation in Chandigarh. The police also began evicting protesting farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points, which have been closed for over a year. The action comes amid concerns from industrialists in Punjab over the prolonged closure of the border points, which they say has resulted in heavy losses. The meeting between the farmer leaders and the central delegation, led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was inconclusive, but the next meeting is scheduled for May 4.
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 police produced the 27 accused in the court and submitted an application, seeking their 14-day remand to carry out investigation to find out whether rioting was part of a pre-planned conspiracy.
The world body said it has been keeping an eye on the protest by the wrestlers against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The body of a 22-year-old man was found in a river in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, sparking allegations that he was picked up by security forces for questioning after a terror attack. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference Lok Sabha member Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, and Jammu and Kashmir Minister Sakina Ittoo have demanded a judicial probe into the death of Imtiyaz Ahmad Magray.
Mathura resident Tarun Gautam has alleged in the court that police threatened his family and framed his son, a B.Tech student, in false cases under the Gangsters Act, and Arms Act.
Three men have been arrested in Mussoorie after a video went viral showing them assaulting two Kashmiri shawl vendors. The incident sparked outrage and led to the return of 16 Kashmiri shawl vendors to the Kashmir valley.
Appealing to the police to "protect" her son, the mother breaks down, shows her video message. Unable to gather herself, she then walks away from the camera.
New Delhi looks to be testing Omar's endurance with unconcealed glee, never feeling shy to bite whenever a moment comes its way. After all, ruling the country's only Muslim-majority UT/state has been the BJP's burning desire, points out Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs.
The Supreme Court of India has directed the directors general of police (DGP) of all states and union territories (UTs) to strictly adhere to safeguards available to persons in custody. The court made these observations after a man alleged he was held by Haryana Police in violation of the law on arrest and subjected to physical abuse. The court emphasized that even a 'criminal' enjoys certain legal protections and that police officers must be held accountable for any transgressions. It further directed its registry to send a copy of its judgment to all DGPs as a reminder to adhere to these safeguards.
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed pleas of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji and his wife Megala challenging the Madras high court order upholding his arrest in a money laundering case.
Ahmedabad civic authorities launched a massive demolition drive on Tuesday, razing over 2,000 illegally constructed houses and properties in the Chandola Lake area. The operation, which involved around 50 teams equipped with earthmovers and 2,000 police personnel, was carried out days after illegal Bangladeshi immigrants were detained from these settlements. The Gujarat High Court declined to stay the action, observing that the dwellings were situated on the periphery of the water body and therefore subject to demolition under the Land Revenue Code. Authorities also demolished the illegal farmhouse of Lalu Pathan, alleged mastermind behind the encroachments, who is suspected to have helped illegal immigrants obtain rental accommodation and Aadhaar cards.
A delegation from the National Commission for Women (NCW) visited a relief camp in Malda, West Bengal, and reported that women were being harassed and threatened by police. The NCW team, led by chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, met with those displaced by riots in Murshidabad and alleged that the women were being coerced to return home without proper safety measures. The team is scheduled to travel to Murshidabad and Kolkata to continue their investigation.
Recalling his detention during Hiteshwar Saikia's tenure as Assam Chief Minister, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that during the Congress government in Assam, he was beaten up and had jail food for seven days in the state.
'We need to be very vigilant as we are passing through some fraught times.'
Amid this unrest came the verdict of the Allahabad high court on June 12, 1975 that found Gandhi guilty over discrepancies in the electoral campaign, which led to the Emergency on the night of June 25.
Haneef, who has been in custody for 11 days, is yet to be charged with any offence.
In his recent speeches in Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also targeted the Gehlot government over the incident.
Zafar Ali, the president of the Shahi Jama Masjid committee in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Sunday in connection with the violence that erupted in November 2022 over a court-ordered survey of the mosque. Ali's brother alleged that the arrest was intended to prevent him from submitting his testimony before a judicial commission investigating the violence. The mosque has been at the center of a controversy after a petition claimed it was the site of an ancient Hindu temple. The violence resulted in four deaths and several injuries.
While India today is vastly different from the India of 1975, the need for vigilance against authoritarianism remains the same, asserts Utkarsh Mishra.
Amidst growing protests from students and other groups over the Telangana government's plan to develop 400 acres of land adjacent to the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for IT infrastructure, the Congress party has urged the state government to hold discussions with all stakeholders. The Congress leader, Meenakshi Natarajan, who is in charge of party affairs in Telangana, said the government should also consider the objections raised by students and others and await the Supreme Court's ruling on the land issue. The matter is currently being heard in both the Telangana High Court and Supreme Court.
Granting the interim relief to Shankar currently lodged in the Coimbatore Central Prison, a bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said it would not decide the case on merits as the Madras high court is seized of the matter.
Five minor Hindu girls were allegedly sexually exploited and blackmailed by Muslim accused in the Beawar district of Rajasthan.
A bench of the Bangladesh High Court ordered the release on bail of Hindu leader Chinmoy Krishna Das, who was arrested in November on charges of defaming the country's national flag. The two-judge bench granted the bail after a final hearing on their previous rule asking authorities why he should not be granted bail. Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on November 25.
"It is shocking that the Supreme Court is adjudicating bail pleas in cases that should be disposed of at the trial court level. The system is being burdened unnecessarily," Justice Oka said while hearing a bail plea.
The Bombay High Court has refused to release Mihir Shah, the main accused in a BMW hit-and-run case, on the grounds of "illegal" arrest. Shah, the son of a former Shiv Sena leader, and his driver had filed petitions in the HC claiming they have been illegally detained. The court dismissed the petitions, stating that the police had not informed them the grounds of their arrest at the time, which was in violation of the law. Both Shah and his driver are presently in judicial custody.
Police press charges for 'rioting' against protesting wrestlers
The Noapara police station in West Bengal holds a unique historical connection to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who was briefly detained there in 1931. The police station commemorates this event every year on Netaji's birth anniversary. The station preserves the cup and saucer used to offer Netaji tea, which he refused, as well as a memorial room with photographs and books about his life. Visitors can pay homage to Netaji at the memorial room and a statue of him stands proudly outside the station.
The bench not only issued notices to the state government and its police authorities, but also stayed the coercive proceedings against Shankar.
Actor Sapna Singh staged a protest in Bareilly after her 14-year-old son was found dead under suspicious circumstances. Police arrested his two friends, Anuj and Sunny, on charges of murder. The postmortem report indicated possible poisoning or drug overdose, and the friends confessed to consuming drugs and alcohol with the victim before he collapsed.
The Hindu Munnani staged a protest in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, against a group of people consuming non-vegetarian food on the sacred Thiruparankundram hill. The protest, which was initially banned, was allowed by the Madras High Court with some restrictions. Several thousands of devotees, Hindu Munnani functionaries, and BJP members participated in the protest, raising slogans hailing Murugan (Lord Subrahmanya). Hindu Munnani state president Kadeshwara Subramaniam and scores of activists were arrested.
A man who was detained in Durg in Chhattisgarh as a suspect in the January 16 Saif Ali Khan attack case said on Sunday that his life is in complete disarray following police action, leaving him without a job, a snub from his prospective bride and family facing ignominy.
A 16-year-old boy in Mumbai has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a man to death at Ghatkopar railway station after a dispute over a seat on a local train. The victim, Ankush Bhalerao, had slapped the boy during an argument on a train the previous day. The next morning, the boy attacked Bhalerao with a knife on the platform, resulting in his death. The teenager has been sent to a juvenile detention center.
'The idea of subversive activities is so vague that it could include making fun of the government, being critical of the government.'
A delegation of the National Commission for Women (NCW), led by its chairman Vijaya Rahatkar, met with riot-affected women in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, assuring them of safety and demanding an NIA probe into the recent communal clashes. The women narrated their harrowing experiences and demanded permanent BSF camps in select areas of the district. The NCW team also visited relief camps in Malda district and assessed the condition of women affected by the violence.