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‘We are trying to find his whereabouts’: Maharashtra home minister on reports that Param Bir Singh has fled to Russia

Shiv Sena ruled Maharashtra has seen the strange incidents of its former home minister and former Mumbai Police commissioner going ‘missing’. After former home minister Anil Deshmukh, now former police commissioner Param Bir Singh has also gone missing, as per probe agencies and the state government. And if reports are to be believed, Singh has fled to Russia.

Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse Patil today said that his govt is trying to locate Param Bir Singh, who is currently posted as Director General (DG) of Maharashtra Home Guard. The comments by the Maharashtra home minister came amid reports that Parambir Singh has left the country to Russia.

The home minister said that the investigating agencies suspect that Singh has fled the country, saying that the agencies have no information on his location. He said that along with the union home ministry, his ministry is also trying to locate the missing police officer. Responding to reports of Param Bir Singh fleeing to Russia, he said, “I have heard something like this but as a government official he cannot go abroad without government approval. If he’s gone, it’s no good.”

He informed that a Lookout Circular has been issued against Singh for not appearing before probe agencies even after several notices were issued to him.

Parambir Singh is wanted in several ongoing cases being probed by investigating agencies, including the Antilia Bomb scare, Mansukh Hiren murder case, and the Mumbai police extortion case.

NIA has sent him several notices in its investigation in the Antilia and Mansukh Hiren cases. A state govt appointed commission is probing allegations of extortion by Mumbai police on behalf of Maharashtra ministers including former home minister Anil Deshmukh. Interestingly, this allegation was made by Parambir Singh himself in a letter written to CM, along with dismissed cop Sachin Vaze.

Param Bir Singh is on leave from his post since May 5, citing health issues. Since then, he had sought several extensions of his leave by sending communications to the state govt. His last communication was in the second week of August, seeking extension of leave till August 29. However, there has been no communication from him after that.

Singh has filed affidavits in the ongoing cases through his lawyers, but has not responded to notices to appear before the probe agencies. His lawyers had also submitted that he could appear through video conferencing, but it was objected by prosecution lawyers.

UP govt suspends 6 cops accused of murder: All you need to know about the death of Kanpur businessman in Gorakhpur hotel

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Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has met the family of the Kanpur based deceased businessman Manish Gupta, who was allegedly killed in a police raid at a hotel room in Gorakhpur and assured fair and speedy investigation into the case. According to reports, Yogi Adityanath on Thursday in stern words said that illegal activities by police officers in the state are not acceptable and warned that those found involved in “very serious offences” will be dismissed.

Such people have no place in the Police Department and will be dealt with strictly according to the rules, CM Yogi Adityanath said, urging officials to identify them and provide a list of names with proof.

A criminal is a criminal regardless of his position: Yogi Adityanath

The Uttar Pradesh CM also assured on Twitter today that those who are responsible for the unfortunate incident in Gorakhpur, regardless of their position, shall not be spared at any cost. “A criminal is a criminal”, remarked Yogi Adityanath, adding that a case was registered immediately after the incident.

“District Kanpur exemplifies our “Zero Tolerance Policy” against crime and criminals. It is our responsibility to empathise with the victim’s pain. The government is by the family’s side at all times, and they will receive prompt justice at all costs. My heartfelt condolences go out to them”, added Yogi in his subsequent Tweet.

Wife of deceased businessman thanks Yogi Adityanath for meeting family’s demands

On Thursday, September 30, Yogi Adityanath personally met the family of the victim in Kanpur. After the meeting, Meenakshi Gupta, the wife of deceased Manish Gupta said that she was glad that at least the government is by their side and standing with them in this difficult time.

“He has understood my case deeply and with a lot of compassion and taken a call regarding my case. I am very satisfied. I am deeply grateful to him”, said Meenakshi Gupta thanking Yogi Adityanath for his cooperation.

She confirmed that Yogi Adityanath had agreed to fulfil all their demands. Meenakshi Gupta said that Yogi Adityanath has said that the case would be transferred to Kanpur and also accepted their request for a CBI probe.

She further added that Yogi Adityanath has accepted her request for a government job and all other demands which they had put forward before him.

“CM has assured me, he himself said to transfer the case to Kanpur and investigate it here by forming a new team. Secondly, postmortem to be done through panel and FIR should be registered”, Meenakshi Gupta was quoted by ANI as saying.

“He accepted my demand for govt job and will provide some money for my son’s future. He told me to write an application for the CBI probe and then he will see to it. I am happy that he acted as an elder guardian for my family”, she added.

Yogi Adityanath creates post to provide a govt job to Meenakshi Gupta, declares 10 lakhs compensation

According to ANI, the state government has said that “an OSD post in Kanpur Development Authority will be formed and Meenakshi Gupta will be deputed on the post. CM also gave a proposal to the district administration to increase compensation to the family of the deceased to Rs 10 Lakhs”.

UP Government suspends six police officers, charges them with murder of Kanpur businessman

According to reports, the Uttar Pradesh CM had spoken to the deceased’s wife, Meenakshi Gupta, on the night of Tuesday (September 28) and extended his condolences. Soon afterwards, six policemen were suspended in connection with Gupta’s death.

The authorities also charged these six police officers with murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Vipin Tada, adding that they have also launched a manhunt to apprehend them.

According to Gorakhpur DM Vijay Kiran Anand, JN Singh, Sub-Inspector Vijay Yadav, and Phalmandi police post-in-charge, Akshay Mishra are among the officers charged with murder. Moreover, the state authorities had suspended the policemen, including the Ramgarhtal SHO, on Tuesday and handed over the probe to the superintendent of police (city).

Kanpur based businessman Manish Gupta found dead in a hotel in Gorakhpur

The 38-year-old Manish Gupta, a Kanpur based property dealer had died in a hotel in Gorakhpur in the early hours of Tuesday, September 28. Police had said that they entered his hotel room as they were on the lookout for “suspicious persons”. They claimed Manish Gupta died of a head injury caused when he fell to the ground in an inebriated state.

In a statement released by ADG (Law and Order) on September 30, he said that they received information that on the night of September 27, checking was done at the hotel. There were three people in a room. Two of them had IDs while the third probably didn’t. He tried to flee, fell down and got injured. He was taken to hospital where he died.

Manish Gupta’s wife alleges husband died after police thrashed him

It may be noted that after Manish Gupta’s death his wife, Meenakshi Gupta had alleged that her husband died after police beat him up. Meenakshi had refused to accept her husband’s body after the post-mortem, insisting on first registering a case against the policemen.

She had also shared a video on Twitter on Tuesday, September 28, where she had sought justice and support from the people. Manish Gupta’s wife, Meenakshi, has accused the police and hotel staff of a cover-up. “My husband was murdered in that hotel, he was killed by a policeman. There was no blood on the scene even though my husband was beaten bloody. Two of his friends said that there was blood everywhere, but the hotel staff cleaned it up,” she rued.

Viral video shows multi-storey building crumbling down in Shimla. This is what happened

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An eight-storey apartment building collapsed in Shimla on Thursday in front of its residents and neighbours. However, a major tragedy associated with the incident was averted as the building was vacated on time.

Videos shared on social media show the building crumbling down to the ground within seconds like a house of cards, followed by a huge cloud of dust.

The building, located on a fragile hill slope of Kacchi Ghat area at Ghoda Chowki near Hali Palace in Shimla, collapsed after the ground below it was eroded by recent rains in the area. No causalities were reported in the incident, as the building was vacated hours before it collapsed at around 5.45 PM.

The police, administration and fire brigade was already on the spot when the building came down.

The Shimla municipal corporation had asked the families in the building to vacate it as soon as possible 15 days ago. However, the families were still living there till today, not believing the warning that it could collapse. However, all the occupants moved out earlier today hours before the building collapsed, because the building had already started to tilt in one direction.

It appears that rains and landslides in recent days had loosened the soil on which the building was standing. Moreover, the structure was built without a strong foundation, contributing to its collapse. Although attempts were made to salvage the structure, it was not successful as the foundation had become too weak.

Reportedly, sewerage of waters from adjoining buildings and the buildings located above on the hills was also seeping in the foundation of the collapsed building. Now, another building in the area also has been identified as in danger of collapse.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi said, “All eight families were evacuated this afternoon and are being rehabilitated and as such there was no loss of human life, another building has been endangered.” Several large buildings have come up in the fragile hill known as “Kachchi Ghati”, creating panic among people in the area.

Pakistanis share video of Muslims beaten by Muslims to claim Hindu atrocities on Muslims in India in anti-India campaign

Muslim social media users from several countries are sharing tweets calling for the boycott of Indian products, alleging atrocities on Muslims in the country. Muslim netizens, many of them from Pakistan and Gulf countries, are sharing images and videos alleging Muslims being attacked by the majority of Hindus in India, trying to build the narrative that Muslims are not safe in India. They are posting such tweets with the hashtag #BoycottIndianProducts. However, at least one such video has no communal angle.

The online campaign was triggered by the recent incidents in Assam when an eviction drive against illegal encroachment by Bangladesh origin Muslims had turned violent. Along with the visuals of the incident, Muslims mainly from Pakistan also shared several other images and videos from past incidents, claiming that they are from attacks on Muslims by Hindus. But in an eagerness to spread the anti-India campaign, the social media users also shared incidents that had no communal angle like they were claiming.

For example, one Twitter user with the name Zia Khan shared a video that showed a man beaten up by others by sticks. While Zia Khan shared the video as an example of alleged atrocities on Muslims by Hindus in India, the fact is that, even though the incident is from India, both the victims and the attackers were Muslims.

The incident seen in the video took place in July last year in Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh. The same video was shared by a journalist named Prashant Shukla. Replying to the tweet, Siddharthnagar Police had informed that the incident was the result of quarrel between kids of the victim and the accused, where one Ijaz and his family members were beaten by Istekhar, Anwar Raja, Mohammed Kaleem and Haleem.

Later Prashant Shukla had shared a video where victim Ijaz was naming the people who had attacked him and his family. His statement confirms that he was attacked by Muslims.

This makes it clear that a Muslim man was beaten by four Muslims in a dispute that started with a quarrel among their children, and it was not an incident of Hindus attacking Muslims. In fact, the incident had no communal angle at all.

But this incident has been used by Islamists on social media to run an anti-India campaign.

‘Sells his mother’: Congress sinks to new low, drags PM Modi’s 90-year-old mother in a debate about Congress disintegrating in Punjab

Congress is a party that has often been offended when Sonia Gandhi was called by her original Italian name, Antonia Maino. However, they seem to have no compunctions in insulting Prime Minister Modi’s mother repeatedly in an attempt to insult the Prime Minister himself. Today, in a discussion on Times Now Navbharat, a Congress spokesperson called Mudit Agarwal said that PM Modi ‘sells his mother on TV’.

Journalist and anchor Sushant Sinha took to Twitter to tweet a video of the exchange and say, “When the Congress leader said that “PM @narendramodi sell your mother” I was shocked. I can’t understand how anyone can say such a thing to a mother. The respect of women for the Congress is of such a level that even one’s mother should not be spared?”.

In a discussion about the dismantling of Congress after infighting erupted in Punjab, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand, the BJP spokesperson said that BJP is proud of the fact that PM Modi used to sell tea and has worked his way up with hard work. He then asked the Congress spokesperson what Sonia Gandhi has done in her life for Congress to question the Prime Minister and his humble background.

To that, the Congress spokesperson said that the Prime Minister was lying. “He has never sold tea. He was lying. He is the kind of person who sells his mother on television”, said the Congress spokesperson.

Sushant Sinha, the journalist and anchor of the show countered the shameful comment by the Congress spokesperson by saying that he was crossing his limits and no matter whose mother was being spoken about, one cannot say that someone sells their mother on Television. The anchor, to make the Congress spokesperson realise his folly, also reminded the Congress spokesperson that if he is passing shameful comments like PM Modi sells his mother on television, then the BJP spokesperson would also ask him what Sonia Gandhi’s profession was.

Even after the stern warning by the journalist, the Congress spokesperson did not stop there. He said that whenever PM Modi goes to meet his mother, there are always camera’s present. When the anchor asked him about the merit of his given that cameras are present even when Rahul Gandhi meets Sonia Gandhi, the Congress spokesperson shamelessly repeated his statement saying, “PM Modi sells his mother”.

Sushant Sinha also said that if he will make statements like the PM sells his mother, then people will remind Congress how they sold “Bharat Mata” with all their scams. Ultimately, Sinha told the Congress spokesperson that from next time, he will not be invited to the show. Before the discussion carried on, the anchor lowered the volume of Mudit Agarwal, the spokesperson who had made shameful statements.

The statements of Mudit Agarwal come has no surprised since Congress has been indulging in such low level politics of abusing the PM’s mother ever since BJP came to power in 2014. In 2015, when PM Modi met Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg,

Towards the end of the townhall, to a pointed question from Zuckerberg about Modi’s mother, the Modi’s voice cracked when he recalled his mother’s hardships when she washed utensils at neighbours’ homes to support her family.

And for some reason, the Congress, who are sworn sycophants of only one “mother”, decided to raise this extremely personal issue making some very crass comments.

Anand Sharma was the man chosen by Congress to execute this dirty job and he claimed that Modi lied about his mother’s hardships. This was, of course, a patent lie.

That was not the only time that Prime Minister’s Modi’s mother, who is a private individual and has no political standing, has been targetted by the ‘liberals’.

Congress leader Raj Babbar had mocked PM Modi’s mother by saying how the Rupee is devaluating so much that it is reaching her age (97/98). A Pakistani newspaper had even insulted his mother by calling Modi a ‘son of a prostitute‘. Earlier, Congress leader and MP candidate had equated PM Modi’s and UP CM Yogi Adityanath’s aunt, mother and sister to stray cattle.

China: Power outages impact production, Evergrande fall out, coal crisis may trigger major economic trouble

China seems to be slowly drifting into an economic crisis as the factory activities have contracted to the lowest level since February 2020. According to reports from the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) that analyses manufacturing activity, it has recorded a slump from 50.1 in August to 49.6 now. Any figure below 50 indicates the contraction of manufacturing activities. 

This is the first-ever decline China has witnessed on PMI since February last year when factory activities remained suspended due to the pandemic.

The world economy is slowly recovering after the pandemic, but according to media reports, China is facing a complex set of problems on many fronts.

China’s real estate giant Evergrande Group which once symbolized the real estate boom of China is making a desperate attempt to raise funds to pay outstanding liabilities worth $305 billion. Its share plunged to its lowest level in the last 11 years.

Set up in 1996 as a bottled water unit, Guangzhou based Evergrande moved to the real estate sector and expanded its business in more than 250 Chinese cities selling homes mostly to the middle class of China. But the financial crisis of the company has shaken the confidence of people. Financial experts fear that this can be “China’s Lehman moment”.

Power crisis

China has been facing an unprecedented power crisis affecting manufacturing and every other sector.  According to the media reports, the power outages have affected most of Eastern China, where the bulk of the population lives and works. The reports further state that blackouts have affected at least 17 provinces in recent months.

As the world economy has reopened and factories are back to production, it has increased the demand of coal which generates electricity. The high demand has increased coal prices. But Chinese regulators are not allowing power utilities to raise the rate to cover rising costs. So power utilities are not operating for more hours.

There are reports of many local power transmission authorities having issued orders to shut off power to many factories. Such instances were reported in Houjie which is a township in northwestern Dongguan.

Chinese state media has reported that 20 out of 30 provincial regions have implemented electricity rationing measures since mid-September. The current total stockpile of coal by China’s 6 major power generation units is just over 11.3 million tonnes, barely enough for 2 weeks.

Nomura’s Chief China Economist Ting Lu cut his forecast for Chinese GDP growth this year as factories shut down to comply with carbon emissions reduction targets. Nomura is a Japanese financial institution.

Apple, Tesla shut down factories temporarily

On Sunday (September 26), Apple Inc supplier Unimicron Technology Corp informed that production has been halted at 3 Chinese factories in order to comply with the new emission standards set by the Communist regime.

Reuters had recently reported that the power crunch in China has begun to affect tech manufacturers in the eastern and southeastern coasts of the country. Firms such as Tesla and Apple have been facing the brunt of it. About 30 Taiwanese firms with Chinese operations and 15 indigenous Chinese firms had mentioned power curbs hampering production activity in their exchange filings.

After Pala Bishop spoke about Narcotic Jihad and Love Jihad, Kerala Churches decides to ‘guard’ statements going out in the public

The statement made by Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church that non-Muslim boys and girls are increasingly becoming the victims of Narcotics Jihad along with Love Jihad in Kerala has created quite a flutter amongst the missionaries. The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) held a meeting in Kochi on Wednesday, September 29, in which it decided to ‘guard its official communications and religious sermons in future, reports Outlook.

The Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) includes bishops of Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Knanaya Catholic and Latin Catholic churches.

In an interaction with PTI, a Church official said the Church will continue to do its ‘prophetic responsibility’ but would henceforth present its statements, speeches and reactions before the public only after proper discussions and research at its appropriate forum.

“In future, our statements, speeches and responses will be guarded. We will be very cautious as we do not want to hurt the sentiments of other communities. The Church always stands for openness and strengthening the secular fabric of the society by enriching the communal harmony,” the official said.

It may be noted that this statement is the first-ever reaction since the Pala Bishop’s statement stoked a major controversy.

On September 9, OpIndia reported how Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt, speaking at an event, stated that non-Muslim boys and girls are increasingly becoming the victims of Narcotics Jihad along with Love Jihad in the state. Going a step ahead, the Bishop added that there are specific groups operational in Kerala that are targeting non-Muslim youngsters and even providing assistance to carry out targeted exploitation of non-Muslim youth. 

Meanwhile, the official further added that the statement made by Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, on the prevalence of Love Jihad and Narcotics Jihad in Kerala, was an eye-opener for the Church as it was “misinterpreted” by a section of media and politicians for serving their “narrow political and business interests”. This he said had hurt the sentiments of people of the other community (Muslim community).

The council condemned the use of ‘controversial’ terminologies like narcotic jihad or love jihad and said that it opposes in unity all sorts of interpretations that undermine religious harmony and degrade healthy co-existence in society by mischievously twisting the words of the church’s pastors.

“The KCBC disapproves of any covert attempts to show that there exists disunity among the Churches. The fundamental values of truth, love and justice, which the Catholic Church upholds, constitute the basis of all inter-religious dialogue and harmony among religions,” it had said in the communique.

Kerala Catholic Bishops Council has warned against Love Jihad

Interestingly, earlier, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), had slammed the State and Union Government for turning a blind eye to the issue, and not conducting a proper probe into the case of “missing women and children”.

“The menacing rise of Love Jihad stands to imperil the communal harmony and peace in Kerala. It is a fact that Christian girls are being targeted by the love jihad in the state,” the Media Commission of the Syro Malabar Church, the Synod of the Church stated explicitly in the press release.

After Punjab turmoil and brewing trouble in Chhatisgarh, now crisis may hit Congress in Uttarakhand: Here is what we know

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Congress leader Harish Rawat has been called to Delhi by party high command once again as the party faces problems in more states. Notably, Rawat has been serving as a key mediator in Punjab affairs for the Congress Party and in-charge of the election campaign committee for Uttarakhand. Rawat has been travelling between Delhi and Punjab several times in the past few months due to the major turn of events in the poll-bound state.

Reports suggest that Rawat was unable to attend the second phase of Parivartan Yatra in Uttarakhand that begun on September 17 as he had to rush to the national capital. In the last polls, Rawat had contested from the Haridwar Rural seat and lost the election. On the contrary, overall performance was better in Haridwar compared to the rest of the state in 2017 as it was the only district where Congress managed to win three seats.

While talking to Times of India, Udit Ghildiyal, a political analyst, said, “First the absence of Rawat will hurt the Congress, and secondly things going out of hand in Punjab also raises a question over his leadership skills, and it will be a key factor in the election campaign.” Jay Singh Rawat, the political analyst, said it was a surprise that Rawat was made in-charge of Punjab elections as both Uttarakhand and Punjab would go for polling at the same time.

Jay Singh said, “While Rawat is an undeclared CM face of the Congress in Uttarakhand, he is also handling the affairs in Punjab. When elections of both states are scheduled at the same time, the decision to make him in-charge of Punjab comes as a surprise. He has been busy shuttling between Delhi and Punjab.”

Suryakant Dhasmana, Congress state vice president, Uttarakhand, said being a senior leader, Rawat’s presence in Uttarakhand in the next few months is important. He further added that despite the busy schedule, Rawat has been holding online meetings to connect to the local leaders and workers.

It is noteworthy that on September 21, Harish Rawat had hinted that he might pull out his name from the CM race in the 2022 state elections in Uttarakhand. As Congress has selected a Dalit Sikh as CM in Punjab, Rawat had said he would want to see a Dalit becoming CM of Uttarakhand. He said, “History has been made in Punjab as Congress leadership under party national president Sonia Gandhi, a son of Dalit has been appointed the CM. I want to pray to the almighty to let me witness a Dalit becoming the CM of Uttarakhand in my lifetime.”

Crisis in Chhattisgarh

It was reported on Thursday that Congress is facing problems in Chhattisgarh as well. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has dispatched around 15 MLAs to Delhi, who is loyal to him. Reports suggest that he might send more MLAs to mobilize support in his favour. The MLAs have sought meeting with Congress high command as well as in-charge PL Punia.

The unexpected turns of events of Punjab

Punjab politics have become a political theatre of absurdity. First, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned from his post of Chief Minister. Then amidst a lot of speculations over the name for the new CM, Charanjit Singh Channi was appointed as the new chief minister. Later, Navjot Singh Sidhu also tendered his resignation from the post of party president in the state. Former CM Singh has met HM Shah and NSA Doval on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively fanning the speculations that he might join BJP. However, he rejected the theories but said he would not stay in Congress.

Casting director from South asked her to ‘compromise’ reveals actress Sneha Jain aka Gehna from Saath Nibhana Saathiya 2

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Television actress Sneha Jain who is playing the role of Gehna in the popular show Saath Nibhana Saathiya second season has revealed that a casting director from South subjected her to casting couch.

In an interview with ETimes TV, she said that early in her struggling days she once received a call from a casting director from the South Indian film industry about college going kids. Without naming him, she said that the film will be about three couples in equally important role.

After she sent him her pictures and profile, he asked her to travel to Hyderabad to meet the director and producer of the film. While she agreed to travel, she asked for details of the director and producer of the film along with storyline and banner. She also informed that she will travel with her mother. However, the casting director then put up condition that she would have to ‘compromise’ with the film director. “I was shocked,” she said.

Jain further informed that she was informed that when she would reach the hotel, she would get to know of the details about the film and such ‘compromise’ is a very normal thing. She was also asked to spend entire day with the director and do whatever he asks her to do. Regarding payment for film also she was informed that she would be given half the amount there and remaining after the film was complete.

Jain, however, rejected the offer. A few days later, the casting director again called her and told her that the offer still stands. “I yelled at him and asked him to stop calling me as I don’t want to be a part of such a project,” she said.

Pakistan: Prominent Sikh community member shot dead outside his Dawakhana in Peshawar

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Sardar Satnam Singh, a prominent member of the Sikh community and a famous Hakeem (doctor of traditional medicine) in Pakistan’s Peshawar has been shot dead outside his clinic on Thursday.

As reported by journalist Iftikhar Firdaus, unknown assailants attacked the Sikh Hakeem outside his apothecary in Peshawar’s Charadda Road area. He was reportedly fired 4 times. He is a resident of Hasanabdal area and ran the ‘Darmandar Dawakhana’, a popular clinic of traditional medicine in the city.

Though more details of the incident are awaited, initial reports say that the Sikh Hakeem’s murder was a planned and targeted attack. Multiple such attacks have been reported in the Islamic country against members of minority communities.

Satnam Singh was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, but could not be saved.

Sardar Satnam Singh was in his forties. Police have sealed his shop and cordoned off the area. The investigation is ongoing.