Home Blog Page 2339

Prayagraj court pronounces mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf guilty in Umesh Pal kidnapping case

A local court in Prayagraj has pronounced mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf guilty in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case.

On Monday, Atiq Ahmed, a former gangster-turned-politician, was transferred to the Naini Central Jail in Prayagraj. He was produced before the court on Tuesday for the verdict in the 2007 kidnapping case of Umesh Pal, a crucial witness in the 2005 Raju Pal murder, in which Ahmed is also a prime suspect.

Family of Umesh Pal demands the death penalty for Atiq Ahmed

Family of Umesh Pal, the lawyer who was abducted and killed, on Tuesday, said that they want the mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, a prime accused in the case to be given the death sentence stating that they want his “empire of terror to end”. 

“…We don’t have the strength to fight a case in the time to come. He (Atiq Ahmed) should be sentenced to death by hanging. If he is sentenced to life imprisonment, he can do anything from jail. He got my son killed from jail. He won’t let us live if he remains there…” Umesh Pal’s mother Shanti Devi told ANI ahead of a hearing of the case in Prayagraj court Umesh Pal’s widow Jaya Pal said, “I hope the court sentences him to death by hanging. If he lives, perhaps we won’t be able to live. Maybe it would be us next. If he is gone only then will terror be gone…” 

“I want Atiq Ahmed’s empire to end, I don’t want him to be alive. I urge the court to give him a death sentence,” she said.

Who is Atiq Ahmed? 

Atiq Ahmed, a former gangster who turned to politics, held the position of MLA for Allahabad West from 1989 to 2004. He also served as a Lok Sabha MP representing the Phulpur constituency in Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2009.

Atiq Ahmed, who was born on August 10, 1962, has been named in more than 100 cases. His brother Ashraf has 52 cases against him, while his wife Shaista Praveen and sons Ali and Umar Ahmad have three, four, and one case, respectively, against them.

In the 1989 UP Assembly election, Atiq Ahmed won the Allahabad West seat as an independent candidate, which he subsequently won in the next two elections as well. He then joined the Samajwadi Party in 1993 and later moved to Apna Dal in 1999. However, in 2003, he left Apna Dal and rejoined the Samajwadi Party, where he stayed until his arrest in 2018.

‘Violent speeches not protected,’ Delhi HC frames charges against Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, and 7 others in 2019 Jamia violence case

0

On Tuesday, March 28, the Delhi High Court partially overturned the trial court’s February order to discharge 9 of the 11 accused, including Sharjeel Imam and Safoor Zargar, in a case related to the violence that took place at Jamia Millia Islamia in December 2019.

Notably, the Delhi Police had moved to the High Court against the discharge granted to Sharjeel Imam and other accused in the Jamia Violence case by the Delhi trial court in February, calling the findings flawed and harmful to further inquiry.

Partially reversing the trial court order, the bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma charged accused Mohd Qasim, Mahmood Anwar, Shazar Raza, Umair Ahmed, Mohd Bilal Nadeem, Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, and Chanda Yadav under different sections related to rioting and unlawful assembly.

While pronouncing the verdict, the judge said the right to peaceful assembly is subject to reasonable restrictions and that acts of violence or ‘violent speeches’ are not protected.

“Prima facie, as seen in the video, the respondents were in the first line of the mob. They were raising slogans of Delhi police murdabad and were violently pushing the barricades,” said the court, while referring to some of the accused.

Delhi HC issues notice to Sharjeel Imam and others in Jamia violence case

Notably, on February 14, the Delhi High court issued a notice in response to the Delhi Police’s appeal against the discharge of Sharjeel Imam, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Safoora Zargar, and eight other accused in the 2019 Jamia violence case. Several respondents received notices from Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma after they arrived in court on prior notice in some cases.

According to the reports, the High court summoned the trial court record (TCR) in digitized form. It refused the observations made by the trial court and stated that the observations would not have an impact on any further police investigations or the trial of any accused in the matter.

Delhi Trial Court discharges Sharjeel Imam and others

The Delhi HC’s decision came after the trial court on February 4, released the defendants including Sharjeel Imam. He was cleared of all charges that were invoked against him in the sedition case related to a speech he delivered in 2019 which provoked violence in Jamia Nagar in Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). 

Delhi Police had then moved to the HC against the discharge granted to Sharjeel Imam and other accused. The Police stated in their petition that the Impugned Order is non-est, invalid, and against established legal precedent. “The trial court, while not considering and weighing the evidence on record, proceeded to discharge the respondents at the stage of framing of charges,” the petition stated.

It is pertinent to note here that though Sharjeel Imam had gotten released in the sedition case related to the 2019 violence in Jamia Nagar in Delhi, the former JNU student continues to be in jail under the stringent UAPA in the conspiracy case related to the February 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

Sharjeel Imam is also facing other cases for the speeches he gave during the anti-CAA protests, including instigating Islamists to cut off North Eastern region from the rest of the country by blocking the ‘chicken’s neck’ in North Bengal.

UP: Notorious criminal Jabruddin arrested in Shamli, over 50 booked for attacking the Haryana STF team that came to arrest him

0

On March 27, notorious criminal Jabruddin was arrested by Shamli Police following an encounter. Jabruddin was forcefully freed from the custody of Haryana STF personnel by the villagers in the district Shamli of Uttar Pradesh. A reward of Rs 25,000 for the information that led to his arrest was announced by Haryana DGP on March 21.

Speaking to the media, Shamli Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) OP Singh said an informant in the Jhunjhana Police Station area of the district spotted Jabruddin. Police surrounded him, and following an exchange of fire, Jabruddin surrendered. He sustained bullet injuries in the leg. Following the arrest, he was admitted to a hospital for treatment. The police recovered an illegal firearm and a motorcycle from his possession.

The attack on Haryana Police

On March 26, the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police went to village Kertu in district Shamli to arrest Jabruddin, who was wanted in a murder and illegal arms case of 2020. He was declared a wanted criminal with a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head. Jabruddin was allegedly involved in a murder case in February 2020 in Madhuban, district Karnal of Haryana.

When STF reached the village to arrest Jabruddin, he alarmed his brothers Meherdin and Alamdin. He told them Haryana Police were taking him away for a murder case and asked them to help him escape. Around 50-60 people gathered and circled the STF and local police team. They attacked the police with bricks and sticks.

Meanwhile, the police called reinforcement. They again tried to nab him, but he escaped with the help of his relatives and associates. EHC Manoj sustained a head injury during the attack. The attackers snatched his loaded gun. Furthermore, they tried to snatch constable Vikas’s AK47 but failed. The attackers snatched Constable Vikas’s gold and constable Rakesh’s silver chains.

An FIR was filed under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 224, 225, 307, 332, 353, 395, 397, 506 and 186 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1932 against Jabruddin, Alamdin, Mehardin, Alisher, Taaseen, Hasim, Dilshad, Kala, Hamid, Vijay Sharma, Furkan, Aaris, Aamir, Nadim, Aasif, Aarif, Kayyum, Lala, Hafiz Mursleen, Shareef, Sajid, and 30-40 others.

In a statement, Shamli Police said 21 people were identified, and others were being identified using the videos of the incident. So far, six people have been arrested in the case. The accused would be booked under Gangster Act as well. The looted pistol was recovered. Further investigation is underway.

Hindu exodus from Shamli

In January 2022, Hindus were forced to leave Kairana, district Shamli following murders and extortion cases. Kairana had become a nest for communal violence.

According to the report, Kairana local traders feel safe and secure under the BJP regime and do not want gangsters to overpower them again at any cost. Before 2017, the traders said ‘murders and extortion used to happen every now and then. The Samajwadi Party used to support the gangsters to create fear in the minds of Hindu traders. Many Hindus were killed for raising their voices against the murderers’.

In 2014, BJP MP Hukum Singh, who had won the Lok Sabha election from Kairana, claimed that nearly 250 Hindus were forced to leave Uttar Pradesh and many of them were left in fear following murders and extortions in the area. The charges were ratified by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which reported that Muslims in Kairana had tortured Hindu families, and their females and were coerced to keep shut their mouths.

Nashville Shooting: Biological woman who identified as a man entered his former school with 3 guns and killed 6, including three 9-year-olds

Three children and three adults were killed by a former student, Audrey Hale, at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. As per the police, the attack was carried out after meticulously planning the massacre.

Nashville chief of police John Drake told NBC News the shooter had planned to attack several different places, saying a manifesto belonging to the suspect indicates that there were going to be shootings at multiple locations, and the school was one of them.

Audrey Hale, who used “he/him” as his pronoun, had prepared a detailed map of the school and conducted surveillance before executing the mass shooting. The police have also recovered a “manifesto” and are going over the content of that manifesto.

Police believe the shooting stemmed from some resentment the suspect harbored for having to go to that school as a younger person.

The shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville is the most recent one in a string of mass shootings in the United States. Audrey Hale was carrying at least two assault rifles and a handgun when he entered the Covenant School. By using a side entry, Hale entered the school and advanced inside the building while firing several shots, before being shot down by authorities.

 The victims have been identified as 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 60-year-old head of school Katherine Koonce, and 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill.

Police had been identifying the shooter as a 28-year-old woman for hours before finally naming her Audrey Hale. The police chief later revealed that Hale was transsexual during a late-afternoon press conference.

The Covenant School has about 200 students from preschool through sixth grade and about 50 staff members. The school is attached to the Covenant Presbyterian church in Nashville.

The shooting has sparked a wave of grief and outrage across the Nashville community and beyond. Vigils and memorials are being held to honour the victims and support their families. Meanwhile, investigators continue to piece together the details of this tragic event, in hopes of preventing future tragedies from occurring.

Hong Kong: Housewife gets 4-month jail term for bribing a primary school principal with HK $20,000 for her son’s admission

In Hong Kong, a woman named Li Junping has been sentenced to 4 months in jail for trying to bribe a school principal with HK$ 20,000 (equivalent to US $ 2548) to secure the admission of her 7-year-old son. As per reports, the 45-year-old woman had moved from mainland China to Hong Kong in 2022.

In Hong Kong’s Eastern Court, Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei denounced the attempt to corrupt a government educational institution. She said that court must punish any attempt to gain an unfair advantage over those who reaped the rewards of their own endeavours.

Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui Yee-mei acknowledged that the court understands the desire of the mother to ensure her son’s admission to a good school. Still, the bribery was a dishonest act and it tried to tarnish the morals of society.

Li Junping was charged by Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in January this year for bribing the Principal.

Li Junping moved to Hong Kong from mainland China in June 2022, and soon after she tried to get her then 6-year-old son enrolled in the Hennessy Road Government Primary School in Causeway Bay. The Education Bureau’s central allocation scheme did not grant her child enrolment in the school she wanted.

After the first round of interviews, the child was not called for the next phase of the selection process. Li Junping then reportedly approached Principal Phoebe Lo Pui-shan personally and requested for her son’s enrollment. But the Principal asked the mother to wait for the school’s official response.

On June 18, after 2 weeks of waiting, the mother sent a sealed envelope to Principal Phoebe Lo Pui-shan. When Phoebe Lo Pui-shan opened the envelope, she was shocked to see currency notes inside. A school employee then returned the envelope to Li Junping.

Shockingly, Li Junping did not relent and returned to the school 2 days later with HK$20,000 and again tried to bribe the Principal. At that point, the Principal informed the police and Li Junping was arrested.

Later, the school also shared that the son’s application had not been shortlisted for enrolment.

While defending her case, Li Junping claimed that her intention was to make a donation to the school if her son’s application was approved for enrollment. She later admitted that what she did was wrong.

Li’s father-in-law, with whom Li and her son were residing in Hong Kong, was reportedly so angry by the incident that he made the mother and son vacate the house.

Li’s lawyer argued that she was new to Hong Kong and hence was not aware of local legislation regarding school admissions.

As per a report in South China Morning Post, offering a bribe to a government employee is punishable by up to 3 years in prison and HK$ 100,000 in penalty.

20 Umrah pilgrims on their way to Mecca killed after bus crashes and catches fire, video viral

At least 20 Umrah pilgrims were killed and 29 injured after a bus crashed southwest of Saudi Arabia on Monday. The video of the bus on fire has gone viral on social media.

As per reports, the bus hit a bridge, tipped over, and caught fire. The accident occurred due to a brake failure. It took place on the road joining Asir province and the city of Abha. At around 4 PM the accident took place which led to the bus being overturned. The road cuts through mountains and has 11 tunnels and 32 bridges. The bus was going down a bridge when it had brake failure and crashed into the barrier.

The victims were on their way to Mecca to conduct Umrah. Umrah is the religious pilgrimage Muslims undertake to the Islamic holy city of Mecca. Unlike Hajj, which can be done during specific dates only, Umrah can be done any time during the year.

The injured have been taken to local medical facilities for treatment. 

Teams from the Red Crescent Authority and Saudi civil defence arrived on scene for rescue operations.

Death penalty sought for gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed by Umesh Pal’s family, hearing in Prayagraj court to be held today, details

Family of Umesh Pal, the lawyer who was abducted and killed, on Tuesday said that they want the mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, a prime accused in the case to be given the death sentence stating that they want his “empire of terror to end”. 

“…We don’t have the strength to fight a case in the time to come. He (Atiq ahmed) should be sentenced to death by hanging. If he is sentenced to life imprisonment, he can do anything from jail. He got my son killed from jail. He won’t let us live if he remains there…” Umesh Pal’s mother Shanti Devi told ANI ahead of a hearing of the case in Prayagraj court Umesh Pal’s widow Jaya Pal said, “I hope court sentences him to death by hanging. If he lives, perhaps we won’t be able be alive. Maybe it would be us next. If he is gone only then will terror be gone…” 

“I want Atiq Ahmed’s empire to end, I don’t want him to be alive. I urge the court to give him a death sentence,” she said. 

Meanwhile, security has been deployed outside the residence of Umesh Pal in Prayagraj. 

The five time MLA Atiq Ahmed was brought to Prayagraj jail from Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail on Monday to be produced in Prayagraj Court today, which will deliver the verdict in the kidnapping case. All accused in the case, including mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s brother Ashraf, will be produced in court. 

Ahmed is also an accused in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Umesh Pal, who was a prime witness in the Raju Pal murder case, was shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24 this year. 

Ahmed is the main accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two security personnel were shot dead in Prayagraj on February 24 this year. 

District Bar Association, Prayagraj said that the hearing will not be held in any other cases except the Umesh Pal abduction case today in the MP-MLA court of Prayagraj. 

“A letter was written to Minister of District Advocates Association by Presiding Officer of MP MLA Court. A request also has been made to pronounce a verdict on March 28 itself,” the Association said. 

Security has also been increased outside Naini jail in Prayagraj and a heavy deployment of uniformed personnel was seen outside the jail premises today. 

Ahmed was on Monday brought to Naini jail in Prayagraj from Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad by road covering a distance of over 1,300 kilometres in around 24 hours. He was escorted by a 45-member team of Uttar Pradesh police. 

Judge of Special MP MLA Court Dr Dinesh Chandra Shukla will give a verdict in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case today. The court had reserved the verdict on March 17 after the completion of the hearing. 

On 25 January 2005, BSP MLA Raju Pal was murdered. Devilal Pal and Sandeep Yadav were also killed. Umesh Pal, the main witness in the Raju Pal murder case, was abducted on February 28, 2006. 

Atiq Ahmed had allegedly abducted Umesh Pal from a Land Cruiser vehicle near Phansi Imli of the Dhumanganj police station area. Keeping him in his Chakia office, he was beaten up and electrocuted. 

Atiq had made Umesh Pal give a written statement in his favor on March 1, 2006, that he was not present at the scene and did not want to testify. 

Umesh Pal filed a case of kidnapping in Dhumanganj police station in July 2007 after the formation of the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh in 2007. 

A case was registered against former MPs Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf, Dinesh Pasi, Ansar Ahmed alias Ansar Baba, Khan Soulat Hanif. Police has named Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf Dinesh Pasi, Ansar Ahmed, Saulat Hanif, Javed, Farhan, Israr, Abid Pradhan, Ashiq Malli and Ejaz Akhtar as accused. 

One of the accused Ansar Ahmed died. Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf and Farhan are in jail. The rest of the accused are out on bail. 

In 2009, the court framed charge on the accused and the trial of the case began. 

In 2016, in this case, an attempt was made to throw Umesh Pal from the fourth floor of the court premises to make him withdraw. 

An FIR has been registered in this matter at the Colonelganj police station. Various applications were filed on behalf of the accused to stop the trial of the case. 

Umesh Pal filed an application in the High Court demanding early settlement of the case. Allahabad High Court ordered to complete the hearing of the case in two months by March 16, 2023. 

During the trial, the prosecution produced 8 witnesses and the defence produced 50 witnesses. 

Umesh Pal was murdered on February 24 after returning from defending this case. 

In the Umesh Pal kidnapping case, an FIR has been registered in the Dhumanganj police station under IPC sections 147, 148, 149, 364 A, 341, 342, 504, 506, 120 B and 7 CLA Act. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Twitter account of BBC News Punjabi withheld in India

In yet another crackdown on anti-India propaganda outlets, the Twitter account of ‘BBC News Punjabi’ (@bbcnewspunjabi) has been withheld in India.

On visiting said Twitter profile, it returns the following message – @bbcnewspunjabi’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.

In January this year, the Indian government blocked the BBC’s contentious documentary about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gujarat riots of 2002.

Screengrab of the Twitter profile of BBC News Punjabi

Earlier on March 19 this year, pro-Khalistan MP and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann’s Twitter account was withheld in India in response to a legal demand. Mann is the Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur.

A day later, the Twitter account of Canadian lawmaker Jagmeet Singh was withheld in India. The development came days after the Punjab police launched a manhunt to nab pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh and his aides.

The ‘withheld’ accounts were actively fear-mongering on the micro-blogging platform and giving a falsified impression of the Punjab police’s action to the world.

Police find photos revealing the face of Shaista Parveen, Atiq Ahmed’s Burqa-clad wife accused in Umesh Pal murder case

The photo of Shaista Parveen, absconding in the Umesh Pal murder case in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, without a burqa, is viral on social media. Earlier it was said that Shaista’s picture without a burqa is not available. Because of this, the police were having trouble in their search. It is claimed that the pictures of Shaista without a burqa are in the hands of the police.

According to the information given by the police, some photographs of Shaista Parveen were found in an album. One of the viral pictures is said to be of a wedding ceremony. In which Shaista is seen eating food. This picture looks old. At the same time, another picture of her is also viral on many media houses and social media, in which her face is clearly visible.

Shaista is accused of masterminding the Umesh Pal murder case. Soon after the murder of Umesh Pal, Atiq’s wife Shaista came in front of the media and was claiming the innocence of her sons and husband. When the UP police probing the Umesh Pal murder case found evidence against Shaista for her involvement in the murder case, she went underground.

The police have arrested several accused involved in the Umesh Pal murder case. During interrogation, they revealed Shaista’s involvement in every conspiracy. It was told that she also used to participate in video call meetings. Atiq’s wife was seen with shooter Sabir before the murder. Shaista was also seen with shooter Armaan in another video. This video is from the time told when she contested for the post of Mayor.

The accused had informed that just before the murder of Umesh Pal, she had sent the message to the shooters. Shaista told the shooters, “Inshallah, we have to succeed by killing Umesh. This is a fight for rights. It has to be won. The one who wins, only he will be able to live. Participating in the meetings over video calls, Shaista used to say, “We have to bring back our honour by killing Umesh Pal. Our name should echo. You have to succeed by killing him. Inshallah, it will happen.

Police have announced a reward of 25 thousand to the person giving information about Shaista. Promising that the identity of the informer will be kept a secret. The police suspect that she may have fled abroad.

Angry with Mamata govt over delay in probe of a minor girl’s rape and murder, irate locals block roads and vandalise police vehicles in Kolkata

0

On Sunday, March 26, angry neighbours of a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly killed after being sexually molested in Kolkata’s Tiljala area, took to the streets to protest against Kolkata police, working at the behest of TMC supremo and WB CM Mamata Banerjee. The minor girl had reportedly gone missing on Sunday morning and locals accused the police of delaying the probe into the matter.

Alleging that the police “delayed” in searching for the missing girl, locals staged protests outside the Tiljala Police Station and carried out vandalism in the area damaging several vehicles on Sunday night demanding strict action against the culprit.

On Monday morning the locals once again put up blockades on the roads of the Tiljala area accusing the Kolkata police of taking action against the protestors rather than the culprits.

The police had actually detained three persons including a woman for their alleged involvement in the vandalism on Sunday night. Demanding the release of the detained persons, local people on Monday morning put up blockades on the roads of the Tiljala area.

The protestors also blockaded the key EM Bypass and railway tracks in the South Sealdah section disrupting road traffic and train services, on Monday afternoon.

The police officers claimed that three police vehicles were ransacked while one of them was torched. They also said that the locals pelted policemen with stones when a huge team of security forces reached there in order to disperse them.

In the midst of the chaos, a video of a local woman accusing the Tiljala police of callousness has surfaced. She blamed the Kolkata police for siding with the offender and acting arbitrarily against those calling for justice.

Reportedly, the protests erupted following the sudden disappearance of a seven-year-old girl on Sunday morning. After an extensive search, policemen reportedly found her body in one of the flats in an apartment block in the locality. The girl, a resident of Kustia’s Shri Dhar Roy Road in Kolkata’s Tiljala area, was allegedly killed after being sexually molested by one of her neighbours.

The police said that are discovering the body of the child, they arrested the flat owner and sent the deceased’s body for post-mortem examination.