Rashid Khan hit 3 sixes in the last 4 balls to power Gujarat Titans to a thrilling win over his former IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad against all odds. The Afghan all-rounder was part of a staggering 59 runs partnership off 24 balls with Rahul Tewatia as they turned the game around in favor of table-toppers Gujarat. Rashid Khan eventually won the game for Gujarat with 2 successive sixes off the last 2 balls from Marco Jansen, something his partner Tewatia did earlier this season against Punjab.
Chasing 196 for a win, Gujarat got off to an excellent start through veteran Indian wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha who scored 68 off just 38 balls. In the company of Shubman Gill, Saha looked to be making short work of a very stiff target but that was before Umran Malik came into the attack.
The young uncapped speedster Umran Malik blew Gujarat’s top order away with his pace as he ended up with 5 for 25 from his 4 overs, taking all the wickets that Gujarat lost during their chase. However, once he finished his quota, Tewatia and Rashid Khan took a toll on the remaining bowlers to clinch an unlikely win.
Umran Malik was unplayable as he took 5 wickets in his 4 overs (Image source: mpositive)
South African Marco Jansen was the unfortunate bowler who got tonked around for 4 sixes in the last over, including 3 in the last four balls from Rashid as Gujarat romped home to an unlikely win.
Till that partnership, it wasn’t the best of the days for Rashid as he was taken for 45 runs off his 4 wicketless overs. Having been put in to bat by Hardik Pandya, Hyderabad lost their skipper Williamson early but Abhishek Sharma in the company of Aidan Markram made sure Hyderabad get to a big total.
Shashank Singh, playing his first game of the season, smashed 25 off the last over from Lockie Ferguson to push Hyderabad to 195, which looked like a winning score at the time. However, Gujarat continued their trend of pulling a game out of the fire as they won yet another nail-biter.
With this win, Gujarat Titans already have one foot in the playoffs having reached 14 points, 4 points ahead of 3rd placed Hyderabad. Gujarat next play a struggling RCB on Saturday, while Hyderabad will take on Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.
In a shocking honour killing case, a Dalit man killed his own sister for marrying a Brahmin boy, and injured the boy and his family members by shooting at them. Angry over the Dalit girl’s love marriage with the boy another caste, the brother and his uncle entered the house of the Brahmin boy and shot the newly married couple and the boy’s family in Mainpuri on Tuesday 26th April 2022. After committing the crime, both of them fled from the spot. As soon as the incident was reported, the police rushed to the spot and admitted the newly-wed couple and the other family members to a hospital for treatment where the doctor declared the bride dead. The groom and his family members are currently undergoing treatment.
The incident took place at Mohalla Bharatwal in the Kotwali area of Mainpuri. The Dalit girl Komal Khatik (age 22) had a love marriage in Aliganj with Brahmin boy Karan Goswami who lived in the nearby locality on 20th April 2022 with the consent of her mother and her maternal uncle who lives in Aliganj. Both of them were in love with each other for the last year. While Karan Goswami’s family members were ready for this marriage, Komal Khatik’s brother was against it.
After the marriage, Komal Khatik was staying in her in-laws’ home in Purohitana Mohalla. But suddenly on Tuesday, Komal Khatik’s brother, their uncle Dilip Karthikl and few other persons came to Komal’s in-laws’ house. They shot Komal and Karan Goswami as soon as they entered the house. When Karan Goswami’s family members came to the rescue, the accused attacked them with pistols and injured them, and after that they fled from the spot.
The injured mother-in-law of the deceased girl was admitted to the hospital. Image Source: Amar Ujala
Komal died on the spot and her husband Karan Goswamu, his mother Pinky, and brother Rocky were injured in the attack. The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. The police are on the lookout for the accused. After the incident of honor killing in Mohalla Bharatwal, the people in the locality are very shocked. At the time of the incident, people present in the nearby houses came out hearing gunshots. They were shocked to see the attackers running with pistols in their hands.
However, when the police reached the spot, no one came forward to say anything about the accused. A complaint has been lodged against four persons in the case on behalf of the deceased’s brother-in-law Rocky. The deceased’s brother Karan Khatik and uncles Dilip Khatik, Ravindra Khatik, and Sunny Khatik are the four accused in this case. Police are on the lookout for the accused.
The US and Russia on Wednesday exchanged prisoners amidst escalating tensions over the Ukraine crisis, trading a former Marine jailed by Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long sentence in the United States.
American Trevor Reed, a former Marine who had been detained in Russia since 2019, was released in a prisoner swap arrangement between the two countries for Russian citizen Konstantin Yarashenko.
The swapping of prisoners took place in Turkey, the dramatic video of which has now gone viral on the internet. In the video, officials from the two sides can be seen exchanging the prisoners.
Video of the US and Russia swapping former marine Trevor Reed, formerly imprisoned in Russia, for convicted drug smuggler Alexei Yaroshenko on a runway in Turkey. Real bridge of spies Cold War vibes pic.twitter.com/5iiURYie83
In the video, Reed is seen dressed in all black and escorted by a man who is carrying a large bag and a duffel bag, presumably of the former US Marine. Konstantin, on the other hand, a marginally bald man with stocky appearance, is seen dressed in a brown-coloured t-shirt and trousers and escorted by two men.
The video reminded many of the film ’Bridge of Spies’, an adaptation of the prisoners exchange from the Cold War era when Francis Gary Powers—a U.S. Air Force pilot whose U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960 was exchanged for Rudolf Abel, a convicted Soviet KGB spy detained by the United States.
The Russian foreign ministry issued a statement following the swapping of prisoners in Turkey.
“As a result of a lengthy negotiations process, on April 27, 2022, US citizen Trevor Reed, previously convicted in the Russian Federation, was exchanged for Russian citizen Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison by an American court,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
Reed was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court on charges of allegedly attacking police officers while drunk. The Russian government also claimed that while being driven to the police station, Reed had allegedly grabbed the arm of a police officer, causing the car in which they were travelling to swerve, and hit another officer in his abdomen.
Konstantin Yaroshenko, on the other hand, was arrested in Liberia in 2010 for smuggling drugs. He was then taken to the United States, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in September 2011.
In a first, an organisation by the name of Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action (CASA) will participate in the 10th Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan held in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on Friday (April 29).
The 5-day event, inaugurated by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Wednesday (April 25) and organised by Hindu Dharma Parishad, will witness the presence of a Christian group for the first time. The group is a part of a discussion on ‘love jihad, land jihad and halal economy.’
While speaking about the development to The Indian Express, Hindu Dharma President M Gopal remarked, “We had Christians attending the event in the past. But this is the first time a Christian outfit is attending the event. The present situation in Kerala demands that Hindus and Christians should stand united.”
He further added, “There are common issues which both communities are facing such as love jihad and land jihad. Both communities are facing the same crisis situations. Islamic terrorism is confronting both communities. Left and Islamic historians have twisted the history of the state. We want to put the history in the right perspective. The conclave would take efforts in that direction.”
Opposition to Love Jihad
The association of CASA with Hindu outfits dates back to 2009 when it joined hands with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to thwart attempts by Islamists to lure Hindu, Christian girls under the pretext of love.
While speaking about the matter, the then CASA office-bearer KS Samson had vowed to co-operate with VHP to tackle the menace of ‘love jihad.’ The report added, “Samson said some days ago, CASA got to know about a Hindu family in a Christian parish where a school going girl was the victim. We immediately referred it to the VHP,he said, adding the saffron outfit has helped them in many cases.”
Screengrab of the TOI news report from 2009
Recently, the Christian Association and Alliance for Social Action had mobilised support in Kodenchery village in Kozhikode district against an alleged case of love jihad.
The case pertains to that of a Muslim man named Shejin, who eloped and married a Christian woman named Jyotsna Mary Joseph. Jyotsna, who worked as a nurse in Saudi Arabia, arrived in Kerala to get engaged to another man. However, she ended up eloping with Shejin.
Mary Joseph’s parents had lodged a complaint with the Kodancherry police, stating that their daughter was missing. As the police did not take action against Shejin, the relatives and the locals marched to the police station.
They alleged that the marriage was an act of ‘love jihad’. However, Jyotsna claimed that she got married of her own will. Meanwhile, her family alleged that Jyotsna was under pressure and that the couple had the support of CPI(M) leaders. As per a report by The News Minute, Christian groups under the leadership of CASA held protest marches, rallies and campaigns to rescue Jyotsna.
Shejin and Jyotsna Mary Joseph
Rescue activities undertaken by CASA
In an interview with News9, CASA co-founder Kevin Peter informed, “We have intervened in over 200 ‘love jihad’ cases in the state and were able to save around 90 girls. We also check the details on the website of the registration Department to identify ‘love jihad’ cases and alert the local priests.”
“With their help, we meet their families and save girls. From my understanding, in 8 out of 10 cases, girls regret their decision. Also, parents often face ostracism and humiliation. There is only one Bindu Sampath (mother of Nimisha Fatima who joined ISIS) or Ashokan (father of Hadiya who married Shefin Jahan) among thousands,” he added.
“Others are not ready to pursue the fight considering the future of their remaining kids. So we launched a ‘Mission Recall to Christ Love’ to bring back these girls. We brought back around 12 such girls. Of these, we were able to marry off two girls with eligible men from within their communities. These are happening in a secretive manner, we don’t publish such details,” Peter emphasised.
According to the CASA co-founder, there are about 5000 Christians associated with the organisation. About 2000 members are said to be active. Peter informed that they are not connected to any Church but have priests, former cops and other professionals in advisory committee. “We accept members only after carefully scrutinising their ID, parish details and their social media accounts to ensure that they are not anti-national or too communal,” he added.
Release of the film on ‘POCSO criminal’ Muhammad
Last year, Mollywood (Malayalam cinema) director Nadirshah courted controversy for directing a movie titled ‘Eesho: Not from the Bible’.
The movie, featuring actor Jayasurya in the lead, had drawn the ire of the Christian community for using the name of Jesus Christ (Eesho) in the title of the movie. Following the controversy, Nadirshah claimed that the ‘Eesho’ was the name of the character and not that of Christ.
In a Facebook post on August 2, 2021, Nadirshah clarified that he would not change the name of the movie. In retaliation, Christian Association And Alliance For Social Action (CASA) decided to release a short film on child abuse titled, ‘Muhammad: The POCSO criminal’.
It must be mentioned Muhammad is also the name of the last Prophet of Islam. As part of a global awareness campaign, CASA vowed to release the film on World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse last year.
The movie was based on the rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl in the Dibrugarh district of Assam by a Bangladeshi national named Muhammad. The short film received an overwhelming response from Keralite Christians.
“Super idea. Congratulations to the CASA team for this endeavour,” wrote one Facebook user. Another user suggested adding ‘Not from the Quran’ in line with Nadirshah’s movie titled ‘Eesho: Not from the Bible.’
While most Christian groups have traditionally been critical of the BJP, many have started to realise the growing menace of love jihad, or the discriminatory nature of the Halal ecosystem. CASA is working to raise awareness among Indian Christians about the dangers of radical Islam in India’s most literate State.
The government of India set the timeline for starting the commercial manufacturing of the indigenous microprocessors by December 2023. Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrashekhar made the announcement on Wednesday 27th April 2022 during the launch of Digital India RISC-V microprocessor program.
On the occasion, he said, “The Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) program aims to create future generations of microprocessors that will serve the need of India’s strategic focus on mobility, computing, and digitization.” The primary aim of this program is to enable the creation of Microprocessors for the future in India, and for the world and to achieve industry-grade silicon & design wins by December 2023, he added.
IT Madras and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) have developed two microprocessors named Shakti (32 bit) and Vega (64 bit) respectively using Open Source Architecture under the aegis of the Microprocessor Development Programme of the Ministry of Electronics and IT.
Hoping to roll out their commercial-scale production by the end of the calendar year 2023, Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “DIR-V will see partnerships between Startups, Academia & Multinationals, to make India not only a RISC-V Talent Hub for the World but also a supplier of RISC-V SoC (System on Chips) for Servers, Mobile devices, Automotive, IoT & Microcontrollers across the globe. One big milestone that I am very focused on is to have the first set of commercial silicon of Shakti and Vega processors available by December 2023 or early 2024.”
He added, “We want at least a few companies to adopt their product designs to DIR-V products Shakti and Vega before 2023-24 and when the silicon is ready, they start manufacturing and incorporating chips in the products. We also believe over the next one and a half years, the partnership between the Shakri and Vega teams and the overall DIR-V program with platform companies like HP, VVDN, Apple, and a large number of companies in the electronic ecosystem will help create design wins around DIR-V family of products Shakti and Vega.”
Reminiscing his early days as an x-86 processor chip designer at Intel, Rajeev Chandrasekhar mentioned that many new processor architectures have gone through an initial period of ferment characterized by waves of innovations.
“At some point, however, they all settled on a dominant design. ARM and x-86 are two such instruction set architectures- one of which is licensed and the other is sold, where industry consolidated in earlier decades. However, RISC-V has emerged as a strong alternative to them in the last decade, having no licensing encumbrances, enabling its adoption by one and all in the semiconductor industry, at different complexity levels for various design purposes,” Rajeev said.
The Union Minister further added, “Challenging the status quo, RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) is witnessing a quantum leap and unprecedented levels of processor innovation owing to its free and open nature. Today, there is a thriving ecosystem of chip designers in academia, scientific societies, and startups in the country, contending to gain the market share in RISC-V growing market. While India has certainly taken several early steps in the processor design area, the time is felicitous now to advocate India’s strides in RISC-V global community and unveil the Digital India RISC-V Processor roadmap to the world.”
On Wednesday, the CPI(M)-led LDF government of Kerala decided to send a two-member high-level official team to Gujarat to study a system aiding good governance introduced by the BJP-ruled state. Kerala Chief Secretary V P Joy and his staff officer Umesh NSK are slated to visit the state from April 27 to April 29 to study the CM’s Dashboard in Gujarat, a system that allows the CM’s office to monitor all e-Governance applications from a single platform.
K Surendran, BJP state president lauded the Kerala government’s decision to send the Chief Secretary to study the dashboard system in Gujarat and said that CM Vijayan had realized that the Gujarat model is the right model. “At last the Kerala govt has decided to study the Gujarat Model of development. Our state has to learn a lot from Gujarat, especially in the administrative, industrial, and energy sectors. Kerala could only survive by putting an end to Corruption, Extravaganza, and Nepotism”, he tweeted.
At last, the @vijayanpinarayi govt has decided to study the #GujaratModel of development. Our state has to learn a lot from Gujarat, especially in the administrative, industrial & energy sectors. Kerala could only survive by putting an end to Corruption, Extravaganza & Nepotism.
He also added that CM Vijayan should abandon the ‘failed Kerala model’ and implement the successful Gujarat model in the southern state. BJP national vice president A P Abdullakutty also welcomed the Kerala government’s decision to send a team to study a system aiding good governance in Gujarat and said that the state should also send a team to Uttar Pradesh to study how to run state-run transport buses.
The Kerala government decided to send a deligation led by chief secretary to Gujarath for studying about good governance and Gujarath development.
However, the decision of the CPI(M)-led LDF government of Kerala has sparked controversy with Congress and the Muslim League criticizing the government. Congress chief K Sudhakaran attacked the state government over the issue and sought to know whether the CPI(M)-led government was planning to emulate Kerala the model followed in Gujarat.
He termed Gujarat as ‘a breeding ground of extreme Hindutva ideologies soaked in the blood of the minorities’ and alleged that the Kerala officials’ visit to Gujarat should be seen as part of the expansion of relations between the BJP and the CPI(M) at the level of governance. Meanwhile, the Indian Union Muslim League leader MLA P K Kunhalikutty stated that there was nothing that Kerala needed to learn from Gujarat.
The CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran meanwhile noted that the decision taken by the state was significant and mentioned that politics should not become a hindrance in studying new things.
Using the Dashboard system, the Gujarat CM can access data from all e-Governance applications in the state, and monitor them comparing them with defined key performance indicators. Using this data, the CM’s office can identify problem areas and and contact the administration at the lowest levels to make corrections. The system collects over 3000 indicators from 20 government sectors from various e-Governance applications on a daily basis, and brings together all govt officials from all the departments on a single platform.
This controversy over Kerala govt studying Gujarat model comes just days after the recent controversy on Kerala allegedly studying ‘Delhi model’ on education. The Aam Aadmi Party had claimed officials from the education department in Kerala had visited Delhi to study the education system in the state. But Kerala govt had refused the claim, saying that they had not sent any official to study anything in Delhi.
A Male Conservative Member of Parliament in the UK parliament has been accused of watching pornography on his phone inside the House of Commons. A female minister and other Tory women MPs have complained to Conservative chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris who is investigating reports regarding the same.
The news broke when on Wednesday, Chris Heaton-Harris’s office issued a statement of him investigating that a Tory frontbencher watched a porn clip on his phone in the Commons chamber. A statement said, “The chief whip is looking into this matter. This behaviour is wholly unacceptable and action will be taken.” According to three different sources, around twelve women Tory MPs at the meeting with Heaton-Harris alleged instances of sexism and harassment by their colleagues.
The meeting between 40-50 Tory known as the ‘2022 group’, was attended by chief whip Chris Heaton-Harris, Tory party chair Oliver Dowden and House of Commons leader Mark Spencer in Westminster on Monday. The meeting included a few male MPs as well, who raised concerns that the ‘toxic atmosphere within the party could put women off standing for Parliament’. Apparently, Theresa May, the former Prime Minister looked on ‘with a face like thunder’ while hearing some of the testimonies.
The team which was listening to the grave concerns of women MPs from the Conservative Party was reportedly not expecting such hideous behaviour from its members. One MP who attended the meeting said “We were genuinely shocked and horrified. We must realise that there are serious issues they need to address.”
Commenting on the incident Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said, “That’s unacceptable in any workplace really. If somebody has done that then quite rightly I would expect there to be some consequences for that.”
The misogynistic comment on Labour MP Angela Rayner
The controversy over escalated misogyny among the Conservative Party comes days after Labour deputy leader, Angela Rayner complained that a Tory MP accused her of ‘crossing and uncrossing her legs’ to distract Boris Johnson at prime minister’s questions. The MP apparently compared the act with the character played by Sharon Stone in the film ‘Basic Instinct’.
As much as I disagree with @AngelaRayner on almost every political issue I respect her as a parliamentarian and deplore the misogyny directed at her anonymously today.
The news sparked outrage across the political spectrum while British PM Boris Johnson was grilled over the rising sexism in his party. Rayner said, “I feel like I’m being judged for what I wear, rather than what I’m saying to you.” Earlier the reports of 56 MPs, including three Cabinet ministers, facing allegations of sexual misconduct were submitted to Parliament’s Independent Complaints and Grievance scheme.
A man from Ambur, Tamil Nadu, got so frustrated by the customer service of Ola Electric that he set his electric bike on fire after it stopped midway. The man has been identified as Prithiviraj Gopinathan, a physiotherapist at Ambur.
Gopinathan took to Twitter to share the video of him burning the Ola Electric bike. He tagged the official Twitter accounts of Ola Electric, CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, Ather Energy, Hero Electric, and as well as American billionaire Elon Musk.
According to his Twitter timeline, Gopinathan has been facing problems with his Ola Electric bike for some time now. His bike would show that it was charged and could run for over 180 KMs, but the battery would die only after 50-60 KM, repeatedly causing him inconvenience. On the day of the incident, he had gone to Gudiyatham RTO because OLA had paid the registration fees there instead of his hometown Ambur.
While coming back from the RTO, his bike broke down in the middle of the road though it had shown enough battery power to cover the distance back home. He had called Ola for support as the battery of the bike died in the middle of the road without any prior warning. However, the company said it could send help only after 3-4 hours.
Irked by the reply, Gopinathan called his assistant and asked him to buy two-litre petrol. He parked the bike on the side of the road, poured fuel on it and set it on fire. He uploaded the video on his Twitter profile.
While going through his Twitter timeline, it was found that Gopinathan had been facing problems with the bike for over three months, but the company was not able to solve the issue.
OLA take a plate and sit on the road side and beg from people instead cheating them by give false hype now u made me to stand in the middle of the road 30kms away simply saying that wait for 3-4 hours will get help from RSA @OlaElectric@atherenergy@bhash@Hero_Electricpic.twitter.com/hjqe6LM2SR
Speaking to Times Of India, he said that after he shared the video on Twitter, the agency called him and urged him not to give interviews in the media. They also promised him to replace the bike. However, he said, “I bluntly told them my relationship with their company was over as soon as I burnt the bike. But he said a team has already left for his clinic in Ambur with a brand new e-bike and promised to deliver the bike tonight.”
Fire incidents in e-bikes
There have been a lot of complaints of electric bikes catching fire in the last few months. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari took cognizance of the matter and promised that the government would look into it.
OpIndia reached out to Gopinathan and Ola Electric for comments but could not connect.
After 4 people were killed in a blast near the Confuscious Institute in Karachi University in Pakistan on Tuesday (April 26), it has come to light that the suicide bombing attack was executed by a 30-year-old woman named Shari Baloch.
A video of the incident has now surfaced on social media, wherein a hijab-clad Shari can be seen patiently waiting for the van, carrying Chinese nationals, and then pressing the trigger for the blast.
BLA’s first female Fidayee Shari Baloch carried out an attack on the Chinese, seen in a video pic.twitter.com/ueXIz6YlHd
While such attacks are not uncommon in Pakistan, the Karachi varsity blast drew the attention of the public for two main reasons: The victims were Chinese nationals and the attacker was a woman.
Shari Baloch, also known by her alias Baramsh, had a strong academic and family background. According to journalist Gaurav Sawant, Shari was associated with the Majeed Brigade of the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). The special wing of BLA was designed to attack Chinese nationals living in Pakistan.
The BLA rebel had a Master’s degree in Zoology from the University of Balochistan and a Mphil degree from the Allama Iqbal Open University. Shari, a resident of Niazar Abad in Balochistan’s Turbat, was the mother of two children and a primary school teacher.
Shari’s husband, Habitan Bashir Baloch, is a doctor (dentist) by profession. In a tweet, he had expressed pride in the actions of his deceased wife.
“Shari Jan, your selfless act has left me speechless but I am also beaming with pride today. Mahroch and Meer Hassan will grow into very proud humans thinking what a great woman their mother was. You will continue to remain an important part of our lives,” he wrote.
Shari Jan,your selfless act has left me speechless but I am also beaming with pride today. Mahroch and Meer Hassan will grow into very proud humans thinking what a great woman their mother https://t.co/xOmoIiBPEf will continue to remain an important part of our lives. pic.twitter.com/Gdh2vYXw7J
Reportedly, Shari Baloch joined the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army about 2 years. She was aware of the forcible occupation of Balochistan by the State of Pakistan and the genocide perpetrated against the Balochis.
This perhaps explains why she refused to opt out of BLA, despite being offered the option to quit by the rebels. “Baloch Liberation Army’s Majeed Brigade targeted Chinese officials in an attack on Tuesday in Karachi. Three Chinese officials Huang Guiping, Ding Mufang, and Chen Sai were killed in the attack, whereas, Wang Yuqing and their security guards were injured,” the rebel group said in a statement.
Detailed statement of Baloch Liberation Army Majeed Brigade accepting responsibility for a “self-sacrificing attack” at Karachi University of Pakistan killing three Chinese nationals. Statement says the attack has added a new chapter to Baloch resistance. pic.twitter.com/OrlrTxEjmb
BLA informed that Shari Baloch confirmed her decision to undertake a ‘self-sacrificing attack’ about 6 months and stood by it. As per the spokesperson of the rebel group, the suicide bombing attack was executed to send a clear message to China that its presence in the province of Balochistan would not be tolerated.
Screengrab of the tweet by Shari Baloch
It has come to light that Shari Baloch had posted a ‘goodbye message’ prior to carrying out the suicide bombing attack. In another tweet, she had quoted Mahatma Gandhi and said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Shari Baloch
Shari Baloch’s uncle is a human rights campaigner and an author. Her father served as a member of the district council for a span of 3 years and the director of a Pakistani government agency. Her brother-in-law works as a lecturer.
According to The Express Tribunereport, the deceased was a member of the Baloch Students Organisation (BSO-Azad) during her student life. Her 5th cousin was killed in 2018 during a Pakistani military operation.
The Karnataka High Court granted bail to an accused named Saleem Khan who was booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), stating that merely attending jihadi meetings and purchasing training material does not prima facie qualify as a terrorist act. Saleem Khan is an alleged member of an organization called Al-Hind, which is allegedly reported to be involved in terrorist activities.
A bench of Justice B Veerappa and Justice S. Rachaiah said while granting bail to Saleem Khan, “Merely attending meetings and becoming Member of Al-Hind Group, which is not a banned organization as contemplated under the Schedule of UA(P) Act and attending jihadi meetings, purchasing training materials, and organizing shelters for co-members is not an offence as contemplated under the provisions of section 2(k) or section 2(m) of UA(P) Act.”
BREAKING: Karnataka HC grants bail to UAPA accused Saleem Khan, accused of involvement in Terrorist activities & alleged member of Al-Hind. Court says “merely attending jihadi meetings, purchasing training materials & organizing shelters for co-members” not offence under UAPA
On 10th January 2020, an FIR was registered against 17 accused in the Suddaguntepalya Police Station of Karnataka under the sections 153A, 121A, 120B, 122, 123, 124A, and 125 of the Indian Penal Code and the sections 13, 18, and 20 of the UAPA. Saleem Khan is one of the accused in this case. A special NIA court rejected the bail plea by Saleem Khan and another accused Mohammad Zaid on 29th December 2020. The accused had then approached the high court.
Petitioner’s lawyer advocate S. Balakrishnan submitted that both the accused are members of the Al-hind group which is not a banned terrorist organization according to the UAPA. He added that the accused persons are not members of ISIS, their stand is indicated by the fact that the prosecution has failed to produce any iota of material to prove their stand in any organization. S. Balakrishnan argued that to attract the provisions of section 18 of the UAPA, there must be some material abetting, advising, inciting, and directing anyone to do a terrorist act. In the present case, the prosecution has failed to prove anything on record against the accused persons.
Responding to this argument, special public prosecutor P Prasanna Kumar submitted that the charge sheet depicts that the accused Saleem Khan and Mohammad Zaid had attended several conspiracy meetings with the prime accused Mehboob Pasha in this case and they are directly involved in the offences made out against them in the charge sheet.
The court granted bail to Saleem Khan
The bench ruled that “Section 18A deals with imparting training in terrorism and section 20 deals with punishment for being a member of terrorist gang or organization. In the present case, the prosecution has not produced any material, as could be seen on examination of the charge sheet, against accused Saleem Khan about his involvement in a terrorist act or being a member of a terrorist gang or organization or training terrorism.”
Karnataka HC says nothing prohibits a constitutional court from granting bail to Saleem Khan as there is no material to show that he was part of any banned organisation. HC relied on SC’s judgment granting bail to Thwaha Faisal, accused of Maoist links??https://t.co/LAoyPHs7GZ
The court further said, “Admittedly, Al-Hind Group is not a terrorist organization as contemplated under section 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Protection) Act, thereby the prosecution has failed to prove the prima facie case for rejection of bail against accused Saleem Khan. Therefore, the trial Court is not justified in rejecting the bail application filed by the accused.”
The court added that in the absence of any prima facie case, a constitutional court cannot be prevented from granting bail to the accused. The court directed that the accused Saleem Khan be released on bail subject to executing a bond of Rupees 2 lakhs.
The bail plea of the other accused was rejected
On the other hand, regarding the other accused Mohammad Zaid, the court noted, “He is associated with the accused Mehboob Pasha for contacting unknown ISIS handlers through the dark web. ISIS is a banned organization as contemplated under the schedule of the UAPA. Accused Mohammad Zaidi was part of the terror group and was involved in furthering the activities of ISIS in India and assisted the prime accused Mehboob Pasha in communicating with the ISIS handler through the dark web and thus committed the punishable offence. Therefore he is not entitled to the discretionary relief of bail.”
