Awaaz e Siasat

Iran attached Israel through missiles to avenge Israel for killing two Iranian general.

Booms and air raid sirens sounded across Israel early Sunday after Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in an unprecedented revenge mission that pushed the Middle East closer to a regionwide war.

The attack marked the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault on Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Condemnation from the United Nations chief and others was swift, with France saying Iran “is risking a potential military escalation,” Britain calling the attack “reckless” and Germany saying Iran and its proxies “must stop it immediately.”

The Israeli military’s spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Iran fired scores of drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles — with the vast majority intercepted outside Israel’s borders. He said warplanes intercepted over 10 cruise missiles alone, also outside Israeli airspace.

Hagari said a handful of missiles landed in Israel. Rescuers said one strike critically wounded a 10-year-old girl in a Bedouin Arab town in southern Israel. Hagari said a missile struck an army base, causing light damage but no injuries.

“A wide-scale attack by Iran is a major escalation,” he said. Asked whether Israel would respond, Hagari said only that the army “does and will do whatever is required to protect the security of the state of Israel.”

U.S. forces downed some of the Iran-launched drones flying toward Israel, according to a U.S. defense official and two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. Israel’s military said its Arrow system handled most interceptions and noted that “strategic partners” were involved.

Iran had vowed revenge since an April 1 airstrike in Syria killed two Iranian generals inside an Iranian consular building. Iran accused Israel of being behind the attack. Israel hasn’t commented on it.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Palestine. Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has so far killed over 33,000 people, including more than 14,000 children and a considerable number of women.

Almost immediately after the recent war erupted, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon, began attacking Israel’s northern border. The two sides have been involved in daily exchanges of fire, while Iranian-backed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have launched rockets and missiles toward Israel.

In a statement carried late Saturday by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged launching “dozens of drones and missiles towards the occupied territories and positions of the Zionist regime.”

In a later statement, the Revolutionary Guard issued a direct warning to the U.S.: “The terrorist U.S. government is warned any support or participation in harming Iran’s interests will be followed by decisive and regretting response by Iran’s armed forces.”

IRNA also quoted an anonymous official saying ballistic missiles were part of the attack. A ballistic missile moves on an arch trajectory, heading up into space before gravity brings the weapon down at a speed several times faster than the speed of sound.

Israel has a multilayered air-defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets. However, in a massive attack involving multiple drones and missiles, the likelihood of a strike making it through is higher.

Iran has a vast arsenal of drones and missiles. Online videos shared by Iranian state television purported to show delta-wing-style drones resembling the Iranian Shahed-136s long used by Russia in its war on Ukraine. The slow-flying drones carry bombs. Ukraine has successfully used both surface-to-air missiles and ground fire to target them.

Some Israelis watched the interceptions light up the night sky.

Air raid sirens were reported in numerous places including northern Israel, southern Israel, the northern West Bank and the Dead Sea near the Jordanian border.

Israel’s army ordered residents in the Golan Heights — near the Syrian and Lebanese borders — as well as the southern towns of Nevatim and Dimona and the Red Sea resort of Eilat “to stay near protective spaces until further notice.” Dimona is home to Israel’s main nuclear facility, and Nevatim has a major air base.

The army’s Home Front Command canceled school Sunday and limited public gatherings to no more than 1,000 people. Israel and some other countries in the region closed their airspace.

Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: “Whoever harms us, we will harm them.”

In Washington, President Joe Biden convened a principals meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the attack. Biden again said in the face of Iran’s threats that his commitment to Israel’s security is “ironclad” — a change from the harsh criticism voiced in recent weeks over the war in Gaza.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of the U.S. military’s Central Command, was in Israel over the weekend consulting with Israeli defense officials. The Central Command oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations issued a warning to both Israel and the U.S. “Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” it wrote online. “It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!”

For days, Iranian officials including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had threatened to “slap” Israel for the Syria strike.

In Iran’s capital, Tehran, witnesses saw long lines at gas stations early Sunday as people appeared worried about what may come next. Dozens of people however demonstrated in support of the attack at Palestine Square

reported heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling on multiple locations in south Lebanon following Iran’s launch of drones. The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched “dozens” of Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military site in the Golan Heights early Sunday. It was not immediately clear if there was any damage.

Iranian missiles or drones were intercepted in the sky above the Jordanian capital, Amman. In Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, and elsewhere in the country, residents reported seeing missiles in the sky and hearing explosions, likely from interceptions. In Syria, explosions were heard in the capital, Damascus, and elsewhere. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian air defenses tried to shoot down Israeli attempts to intercept Iranian missiles.

Source:-local news and articles.

A girl was harrased and even try to kidnap by auto driver at footpath of Christ University, Bannerghatta Campus.

Two auto drivers tried to kidnap a student of Christ University, Bannerghatta Campus.

Two days after this incident, another incident has been reported. A girl left her PG at 7 PM for an evening walk alone. When she was passing from the footpath in front of the Christ University’s campus, an auto came from behind suddenly stopped beside here, groped one of her breasts and ran away. She was so shocked and devastated, she somehow gathered to courage to get up and move. Few metes ahead she went to an area where some autos were parked and drivers were there.

She took picture of one auto she suspected to be the one, then suddenly two auto drivers came out and started harassing her, forcing her to delete the picture she has taken in her phone. Argument happened, they were dominating her, under pressure she deleted the photographs and turned to move her home.

When she was walking away, same auto came behind her, hit her hard on the buttocks and ran away. This is unimaginable. There’s nothing – female safety is a joke, its’ getting hard for women to survive here.

Fast forward, she took the courage to stood up for herself, went to police station, tried to file an FIR, Christ University also tried to help initially, there were cameras in entry/exit of campus that recorded everything, CBI got involved. Within four days she had to went police station multiple times, where once Police called her to identify the accused that they suspect to be the one. She identified him, and then his wife came and started saying to her to forgive him as he was intoxicated at that time. These four days were really difficult for her, anybody could have been devastated, and she’s a girl all alone here (a final year master’s student).

Now what’s shocking is, the police tried to white wash themselves. They manipulated her and asked her to not file the FIR because they said if FIR is filed then there will be lot of work to do, she will have to come to police station a lot, also go to court and what not. And we know the legal system, no one’s can fight with it. But she was still trying to fight. Now the worst part, the police related the attemp-to-kidnap incident that happens few days back to her, and mentally harassed her a lot. They asked her why did she put up the stories when they girl wasn’t even kidnapped? Their saying was, “They were trying to kidnap but she wasn’t, then why did you put up the story? This is a cyber crime of spreading the misinformation, you can go to jail for this” and what not.

Please note that she didn’t even put a single story but they were pressurizing her and trying to let out their frustration on her. Then they forced her to write a letter saying “She wasn’t kidnapped and all this is a lie.” And she actually had to do it, because she had no other choice. And they took it as an evidence that nothing related to kidnapping ever happened, and it’s just misinformation.

Understand this, they tried to whitewash what happened earlier with this, and took a letter from her that nothing that sort of happened to make sure they aren’t blamed for anything. Moreover, by this time Christ University also stopped helping her, didn’t support her to file the FIR and that seems obvious because they don’t want the college’s reputation to go for a fall, and police also doesn’t want to make this matter public because they have to be answerable why something like this is happening under their control. It’s a win-win for both of them.

But now what about the girl? She had the courage to fight, but no one supported her. All just want their reputation to be protected but what about the wounds that this incident has left on her. I wrote this in short to make the post readable, but when we were listening to her, we cried bro, seriously we did. She is devastated. The letter that police asked her to write as an apology about that misinformation, they also forced her to put that up on her social accounts, which she did. And now she gave up. She gave up to this BS society, for which I am ashamed of. She accepted her fate and said its just one month remaining for her to complete her masters, and then she will leave this place and will never return.

But what about other girls in the college? This will keep repeating to them, and someday someone will not be fortunate enough to leave this place. And from her own perspective it seems legit now, because she did try to stand up for herself, she was constantly going to police station to Dean, every one but at the end it was just her who will need to go to police station, court, etc everyday that she cannot do.

I am ashamed of this, ashamed of me, and cannot do anything but just wonder where is this going. I hope maybe someday at some point of time, women can live peacefully without these retards gazing their eye on women as if they are their meal.

Source:-local news and articles.

The Muslim International students were attack by the Hindutva mob while offering Taraweeh prayers at Gujarat.

A Hindutva mob attacked Muslim international students studying at Gujarat University, one of the public state universities in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, over offering Taraweeh prayers at their hostel on Saturday night, March 16th. Videos of the attack are viral on social media, triggering widespread outrage.

Taraweeh prayers are special prayers offered in the congregation by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan, once a year.

The students claim that the mob was chanting Islamophobic and Hindu religious slogans ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and also carried knives, cricket bats, stones and, other weapons which they used to attack them. The police had arrived at the spot but students alleged that ‘Police let the goons go and did nothing.”

Five students have sustained severe injuries and are admitted to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Hospital. Those admitted are Haroon Jabbar from Afghanistan, Azad from Turkmenistan, and a Christian student Mario from Sri Lanka, the other two students are from African countries.

Ahmad Waris Sakha, a student of cyber security, told Maktoob, “As there are no mosques inside the university campus or the hostel premises. This was the temporary solution we found to offer our prayers on time. The mosque in the town is very far away. So we congregate in our hostel ground. We are 12 Muslim students from Asian and African countries.”

Sakha said that when they stood to offer Taraweeh prayers in A – block of the hostel, allotted to international students, they started hearing the chants of Jai Shree Ram.

“A mob, some of them wearing saffron scarves, came and started pushing us and asked questions like who allowed us to pray there and that they won’t let us pray in the hostel. By the time we could understand anything, they started beating and attacking us with the weapons they had. With knives, stones, and cricket bats, many of our fellow students got injured” said Sakha.

The security guard of the hostel also tried to stop the mob but failed to stop the attack.

Sakha, who is also the representative of the foreign students studying in GU, tried calling one of the officials in the administration, Dr. Jyoti, who is responsible for looking after the foreign students in the varsity but received a response opposite to his expectations.

“She said, this is not our responsibility”, said Sakha.

“Their (Mob) numbers were increasing, in a quick matter of time there were at least 200 of them. We then called the police and it took them more than an hour to reach our hostel. Upon hearing the siren of police vehicles and learning that the police had arrived, most of them ran while some of them were present on the premises. Police saw them, but did nothing to them. In front of the police, they managed to escape and the police let them go.”

In one of the videos accessed by Maktoob, some men can be seen running as the police stand right outside the gate of the hostel. In other videos, the goons wearing Saffron Shawls can also be seen vandalising the vehicles parked outside the hostel, belonging to the foreign students.

Approximately, 200 foreign students are studying in GU belonging to Asian, African, and European countries. The A – block of the hostel accommodates all these students.

The students also demand their allotment in the new hostel which was constructed six months ago to accommodate international students and only two students from a European country are living there.

“University is favouring them because they are Europeans,” Sakha said.

These foreign students are in India as a part of the scholarship program offered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) initiated by the Government of India. It offers annual scholarships to foreign students interested in various degree programs and disciplines in Indian central universities.

Sakha who has been studying in India since 2019 said, “It is very shameful on the part of India, which calls itself a democracy and a secular country but it doesn’t have space to accommodate varying religious beliefs and people who follow it.”

“Why would someone want to come to India to study when they have to go through violent attacks and intimidation based on their religious identity? After this attack, I don’t think we are safe,” he added.

Sakha, on behalf of all the international students at GU, urged the Indian government to take measures to ensure their safety in the varsity and the country. The students are also planning to file a police complaint in the matter.

Source:- local news and articles.

A female student at a Madrasa in Bengaluru has alleged that a team of (NCPCR) beat her up while asking inappropriate Questions.

A female student at a madrasa in Bengaluru has alleged that a team of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), led by its chairperson Priyank Kanoongo, beat her up while asking inappropriate questions during an inspection recently.

The girl alleged that the team members asked her if she would be married and sent off to Kuwait or Dubai. “They arrived and checked every corner of the madrasa. Then they asked out orphan girls enrolled here. First, they asked one girl if anyone here would touch her inappropriately or beat her. Then they came to me and asked my name and age. Later, they asked me if I was getting married and going to be sent to Dubai,” she said.

In a video that surfaced on social media on Saturday, the girl went on to say: “They (NCPCR team) asked me about my family and mother’s name. When I refused, they slapped me.” The girl further said that she was asked how many girls from the madrasa got married and went to Dubai.

In the video, another woman, who appears to be an officebearer of the madrasa, said: “These people barged in and asked inappropriate questions to these female students.”

She added, “They asked dirty questions to these students. They asked a man comes into the madrasa… what does he bring here… does he touch you… The kids are surprised upset as to why such questions were asked.”

They asked some students if they go to Saudi or Dubai after completing their studies in the madrasa. “They told some students why they were studying in the madrasa, and they should have studied MBBS and engineering instead,” she said looking agitated.

Source:- local news and articles.

An Indian student from City University of London Unfurled the Karnataka flag while receiving his degree.

The video that went viral on the internet has received a positive response from Twitter users. Several people congratulated Adish on graduating and praised him for his love of his native state.

During the convocation, an Indian student from City University of London unfurled the Karnataka flag while receiving his degree. The video of him displaying the state flag on stage has gone viral.

Adish R Wali, a City University of London – Bayes Business School MS Management graduate, posted a video of himself receiving the degree and wrote, “I graduated with MS in Management from City University of London – Bayes Business School (Cass). A moment of pride as I unfurled our Karnataka state flag during the ceremony in London, UK.”

The video that went viral on the internet has received a positive response from Twitter users. Several people congratulated Adish on graduating and praised him for his love of his native state.

Adhish posted the video on January 21, and it has received huge likes and comments. People congratulated him in the comments section. “Karnataka is and always will be the daughter of India no matter what. The very first line of our state song says, ‘Jaya Bharatha Jananiya thanu jaathe, Jaya he Karnataka maathe’. You need not question our loyalty towards India,” a user wrote.

“Your love towards our Kannada land is impeccable. Congrats on your milestone. I hope everyone who is settled outside will follow your steps,” another user wrote

Recently, the Karnataka flag garnered media attention for a variety of reasons. A student was allegedly attacked in Belagavi in December for allegedly hoisting the Karnataka flag during a college festival. The student can be seen bringing the Karnataka flag and raising it in front of the crowd while a group of students are allegedly dancing to DJ music inside the pre-university college in the video. The student who raised the flag was immediately beaten by a few other students. Many pro-Kannada organisations demanded an investigation after the video went viral on the internet.

Source:- local news and articles.

Delhi police misbehaved with Muslims while they were offering prayers.

A Delhi Police officer was suspended on Friday for kicking Muslim men, who were offering prayers on the road in the national capital. The incident occurred in Delhi’s Inderlok area and the video of the same is doing rounds on social media platforms. In the viral video, the cop can be seen kicking Muslim men, who are offering prayers on the road amid a huge rush near the mosque.

The video sparked outrage on social media with users questioning the behavior of Delhi Police and asking the government to take action against the concerned official.

Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi also shared the viral video and said that the Delhi Police official doesn’t understand the basic principles of humanity. “This @DelhiPolice soldier kicking a person while offering Namaz probably does not understand the basic principles of humanity, what is this hatred that is filled in the heart of this soldier, Delhi Police is requested to file a case against this soldier under appropriate sections. Enter and terminate its service,” Imran Pratapgarhi said.

The senior officials of the Delhi Police took cognisance of the viral video and initiated an inquiry against the official. The officials said that the accused official is suspended for the time being and necessary action will be taken in the matter.

Meanwhile, the police also beefed up the security in the area as the video accumulated lakhs of views and has the potential to create law and order issues.

The internet is divided over the video as some condemned the actions of police officer against the innocent civilians praying on the road, while others questioned the rationale of offering prayers on public property. But, largely the social media users were united in slamming the police officer for kicking the Muslim men. In the video, the crowd can be seen confronting the police officer about his actions.

Source:- local news and articles.

All five have been martyred in Haldwani’s violence.

At 7.30 pm on February 8, Zahid, 45, left his home in Gafur Basti in Haldwani to buy milk.

Soon after, his son Mohammad Anas, 16, learned that violence had flared up in their neighbourhood, triggered by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation demolishing a mosque and madrasa as part of an “anti-encroachment drive”. Anxious, Anas left their home to bring his father back.

“When they reached the crossroads, they encountered the police,” alleged Zahid’s brother Arif. “We received a call from neighbours saying they had been shot. They asked us to come pick up their bodies. There were several eyewitnesses – they saw it. They said the police thrashed them with lathis after shooting them.”

Zahid and Anas are among the five confirmed dead in the violence that blew up that day. The demolitions began that evening and ended by 5.30 pm. Soon after, locals clashed with the police. Stones were pelted, vehicles were set on fire, and the police used tear gas and force in response.

The district administration imposed curfew in the area and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami issued shoot-at-sight orders. District magistrate Vandana Singh told The Indian Express that the mob attempted to “burn alive” police personnel inside a police station and that “dozens” of cops were injured in the violence.

Apart from Zahid and Anas, the other three killed in the violence were identified as Mohammad Shaban, Fareem Qureshi and Prakash Kumar Singh, a resident of Bihar. The families of Zahid, Anas, and Shaban told Newslaundry the bodies had bullet injuries and accused the police of killing them. Newslaundry learned that the postmortems of Zahid, Anas and Shaban allegedly confirmed bullet injuries as well.

Members were not ready to speak up..

Zahid worked in construction and had four children including Anas, who was a Class 6 student. After receiving phone calls that they’d been shot, Arif said the family was unable to take them to the hospital immediately because of the violence and because they had no vehicle.

The bodies were only taken to the government hospital the following morning where they were declared dead. The burials took place on the evening of February 10 but only six family members were permitted to perform the last rites.

“It was to control the violence,” Arif said. “We understand the situation.”

There is currently heavy police deployment at the family’s home. “They are not allowing anyone to meet us and even not talk to the media,” Arif said. “The situation is really tense here. The police are barging inside the homes of people, beating them, randomly picking them up. At least seven people in our area have been picked up.”

At least 20 residents confirmed to Newslaundry that the police were “randomly picking up” people.

Newslaundry saw heavy police deployment at the house of another victim, 22, who ran a confectionery shop on the ground floor of his home in Azad Nagar in Banbhoolpura.

At least 15 cops stood at the door to the building. When we tried to approach, one of them shouted, “You cannot talk to the people. Can’t you see these are culprits? They are under suspicion.”

We just want to talk to the family, we replied. The cop said, “Media is not allowed to talk to the families.”

Later, we spoke to Shaban’s father Shafeek Ahmed over the telephone. He said, “Between 7 and 7.30 pm, he had closed down his shop and was then shot by the police. I can’t tell you more. We can’t talk to the media.”

The fourth dead, 30-year-old Faheem Qureshi, worked in transportation. His brother Farhan spoke to Newslaundry on the phone. He claimed that at about 8 pm, the police allegedly set his brother’s vehicle “on fire”. “Faheem stepped out of the house to extinguish the fire and then he was shot.”

Faheem’s other brother Javed blamed a neighbour for Faheem’s death. “My brother had a feud with him and has threatened to kill my father. He used the riots as an excuse to kill my brother. We didn’t see him shooting my brother but we are sure.”

Farhan told Newslaundry that 15 cops were stationed at the gate of their home. “They are not letting anyone step inside or out and not allowing us to talk to the media. It is a terrible situation.”

The fifth dead is Prakash, 24, originally from Bhojpur in Bihar. A graduate in agricultural studies, he had arrived in Haldwani on the day of the violence in search of work. His brother-in-law Ankit Kumar Singh reached Haldwani on February 10 to collect his body

“We do not know where exactly he was at the time he was shot and how he reached the hospital,” Ankit told Newslaundry. “The police are not giving any clarification to us. On the phone, they had not even informed us that he was dead. They just said he had been shot.”

Prakash’s friend, who accompanied Ankit to Haldwani and did not want to be named, said, “Why are we not being given any clarification on his death? They would know who brought him to the emergency at the government hospital. He was shot with three bullets.”

Source:- local news and articles.

Shoot in sight ordered when People raised their voices for demolition of madrasa and masjid

Haldwani: A curfew was imposed here on Thursday after local residents set vehicles and a police station on fire and hurled stones, injuring more than 60 people, over the demolition of an “illegally built” madrasa and an adjoining mosque, officials saying, but don’t know the actual reason behind this.

Most of the people hospitalised after the violence at Malik ka Bagicha in in the city’s Banbhoolpura area were police personnel. The remaining were municipal workers involved in the demolition of the local madrasa and a mosque in its complex, they said.

The injured also included Haldwani SDM, they added.

In state capital Dehradun, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with senior officials, including Chief Secretary Radha Raturi and DGP Abhinav Kumar to review the situation in Haldwani, according to an official statement.

Besides imposition of curfew in entire Haldwani, shoot-at-sight orders against rioters were also issued in the city, the statement said.

The chief minister urged everyone to maintain calm and asked officials to deal sternly with “anarchic elements”, it added.

As the violence escalated, all the shops in Haldwani were closed. After the imposition of curfew, all schools from Classes 1-12 in and around the city have also been closed.

Senior Superintendent of Police Prahlad Meena said the madrasa and the mosque stood on an illegally encroached government land and the demolitions were carried out in the heavy presence of police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel in compliance with a court order.

Angry residents, including women, in large numbers descended on the streets to protest the action as the demolition of the two structures began.

They were seen breaking barricades and arguing with the police personnel engaged in the demolition exercise.

As a bulldozer razed the madrasa and the mosque, mobs hurled stones at the police personnel, municipal corporation workers and journalists, leaving over 60 people injured, the officials said.

The police tried to disperse the irate mob by resorting to a mild lathi charge and bursting of teargas shells. However, tension escalated with the mob setting fire to several vehicles, including a police patrol car, they said.

By late evening, tension mounted further and the Banbhoolpura Police Station was also set on fire, leading to imposition of curfew in the town, they added.

The injured people have been admitted to the Soban Singh Jeena Hospital here, the officials said, adding that a majority of them suffered injuries on their heads and faces.

Meanwhile, a hearing was held by the Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday on a PIL seeking to stop the demolition of the mosque and madrasa in Haldwani. Filed by Malik colony resident Safia Malik and others, the petition challenged the notice given by the Haldwani Municipal Corporation to the petitioners.

However, no relief was granted in the matter by the vacation bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit, following which the demolition exercise began. The matter will now be heard on February 14.

After his meeting with senior officials, Dhami said, “A team of the administration had gone to the Banbhoolpura area to remove encroachments in compliance with a court order. Anarchic elements clashed with the police and indugled in arson. Curfew has been imposed and additional companies of police and central para-miltary forces are being rushed to Haldwani to maintain order.”

“Everyone has been asked to maintain peace. Stern action will be taken against the rioters who indulged in arson,” the statement quoted him as saying.

Anyone violating the curfew orders will be punished under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code, the curfew order said.

Earlier, the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani had made news in December 2022 when its residents held protests against the imminent removal of encroachments from around 29 acres of railway land there in compliance with a high court order.

The protesters had subsequently got relief from the Supreme Court in the matter.

Source:- local news and articles.

Mufti Salman Azhari was arrested by Gujarat ATS over a hate speech case.

Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) detained Islamic preacher Mufti Salman Azhari in Mumbai on Sunday over allegations of delivering an inflammatory speech. The arrest led to a gathering of hundreds of his supporters outside the Ghatkopar police station, prompting a lathi charge by the police to control the crowd and manage traffic disruptions.

Mufti Salman Azhari was held under Sections 153B (promoting enmity between different religious groups) and 505 (2) (statements circulated to incite offence against a community) of the Indian Penal Code. The arrest followed the circulation of a speech made by Mufti in Junagadh, Gujarat, which sparked controversy after being shared online.

Addressing his supporters from inside the police station, Mufti Salman Azhari urged them not to protest. He asserted his innocence, stating, “Neither am I a criminal, nor have I been brought here for committing a crime. They are conducting the necessary investigation, and I am also cooperating with them. I am ready to be arrested if it is my destiny.”

Two other individuals, Mohammad Yousuf Malek and Azim Habib Odedara, local organizers associated with the speech, had already been arrested by Gujarat Police before Mufti’s detention. Subsequently, the Gujarat Police sought assistance from the Maharashtra Police to apprehend the cleric.

According to Mufti’s lawyer, a group of around 35 to 40 police personnel in civilian clothes arrived at Mufti’s residence on Sunday morning. The police reportedly refused to disclose the purpose of their visit until coordinating with Mufti Salman Azhari himself. The lawyer stated, “After coordinating with Maulana Mufti Salman Azhari, they (police) said that a case has been lodged under 153 B, in Gujarat. Maulana Mufti Salman Azhari came to the police station with them and also cooperated.”

Source:- local news and articles.