‘Ungaludan Stalin’ camps to be held from July 15 across Chennai wards

New Delhi, April 16 (IANS) Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal reacted sharply to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s meeting with Muslim religious leaders on Wednesday and alleged that she was playing the political game using anti-social elements to build her vote bank.

The meeting reportedly aims to formulate a strategy to oppose the Waqf Act in West Bengal.

While speaking with IANS, Jaiswal said, “This is Mamata Banerjee’s political game. Muslim brothers never try to establish unrest or promote violence. But to build her vote bank, she is using people with an anti-social mindset.”

CM Banerjee and her party, Trinbamool Congress, have openly criticised the Centre’s approach to religious and minority rights, and Wednesday’s meeting is expected to finalise a roadmap for ‘legal and public resistance’.

In another development, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a significant case on Wednesday regarding the constitutional validity of the Waqf Act; ahead of it, Dilip Jaiswal urged people to give the Act at least a year.

He stated that if improvements are needed after that time, the government is open to making amendments.

Opposition parties have filed a petition demanding the annulment of the Act, claiming it is discriminatory and lacks a proper legal framework. The case is likely to have wide-reaching implications for religious endowments and community rights across the country.

Dilip Jaiswal addressed the issue ahead of the hearing in the Supreme Court, defending the legislation and urging the public to give it time.

“You can see that the Waqf Board was formed through a democratic process for the welfare of Pasmanda Muslims, poor Muslims and to free the board from those who had long controlled it. A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was constituted, opinions were taken from crores of people, and extensive discussions were held in both Houses of Parliament. Only after that was this law brought in,” Jaiswal said.

He added a comparison to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying, “My appeal to the people is, take a look at this law for one year, just as we did with the CAA. At that time, an atmosphere of fear was created among Muslim brothers across the country. If, after one year, you feel improvements are needed, we are open to amendments.”

–IANS

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Hyderabad, Jan 2 (IANS) After massive protests by female students of a private engineering college over alleged video recording in hostel bathrooms, police on Thursday registered a case and began investigations.

CMR Engineering College at Medchal, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, was rocked by protests on Wednesday night and this continued till 2 a.m.

Medchal police registered a case after taking a complaint from the students and picked up five mess workers on suspicion.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Srinivas Reddy said they seized 12 mobile phones of these workers.

“We have so far found no evidence that they recorded videos. We have not found any obscene videos on their phones. However, we are verifying if any videos were deleted,” he said.

The ACP said they took a complaint from the students and registered a case.

A case of negligence has also been registered against the management of the college as the rooms were given to mess workers next to the bathroom and they had access to the ventilator of the bathroom.

“We have found no evidence so far but there is room for suspicion,” the ACP said.

The police official said a girl saw the shadow of a person and brought the same to the warden’s notice but as there was no response from the warden, the students began the protest as they suspected that their videos might have been recorded.

The protestors raised slogans of “We want justice”. Leaders of student unions, including the ABVP, also joined the students in the protest which continued past midnight. ABVP leaders demanded action against the management of the college. They alleged that female students were being blackmailed. The student leaders warned that if videos recorded in bathrooms surface on social media, former minister and MLA Malla Reddy, who owns the college, will have to own responsibility.

The police official said fingerprint experts were called to collect samples from the imprints found on the glass of the ventilator. The experts will ascertain if the imprints match the fingerprints of any of the workers.

The ACP appealed to parents not to worry over rumours that 150-300 videos were recorded.

The police also questioned the management on employing male workers in women’s hostel. The management explained that as the cooking involved lifting huge vessels, they had to employ male workers but for food supply, they engaged women. The mess workers are from outside the state.

The ACP said if any evidence was found, criminal action would be taken against them and also management.

–IANS

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Imphal, June 23 (IANS) Manipur Police arrested a leader of Meitei radical outfit Arambai Tenggol was arrested for his alleged involvement in the murder of a differently-abled person in Imphal West district earlier this month, an official said on Monday.

A senior official said that the police arrested the main accused Longjam Khaba Singh (35), alias Boi, for his reported involvement in the murder of Md Chesam Abdul Kadir from Mongsangei Makha Leikai Arubam Leikai in Imphal West district.

So far 10 persons, including Khaba Singh, have been arrested in connection with the murder. Abdul Kadir, who belongs to the Meitei Pangal (Muslim) community, went missing on the midnight of June 11 and his body was later found buried at Samurou Naorem in Imphal West district triggering widespread protests.

The police exhumed the body on June 17 in the presence of an executive magistrate, forensic team and family members. Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla last assured appropriate legal action against the murder of 29-year-old physically challenged Abdul Kadir.

A Raj Bhavan official said that a delegation led by National People’s Party (NPP) MLA Khuraijam Loken Singh, along with representatives of the Joint Action Committee, met the Governor and urged him to take stern action against the perpetrators.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to Bhalla highlighting the urgent need to apprehend the accused promptly and to ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and transparently.

A total of five vehicles have been seized earlier in connection with the case.

Abdul Kadir was reportedly accused of theft and assaulted by some people, following which he was reported missing.

Meanwhile, the incident has sparked outrage across the state, particularly among the Meitei Pangal (Muslim) community.

The Manipur Meitei Pangal Welfare Organisation (MMWO) has strongly condemned the alleged kidnapping and murder of Abdul Kadir.

MMWO Secretary General Firoz Khan urged the government to arrange for stringent punishment for those involved in the incident. Various other organisations termed the act a “heartless crime” and linked it to a disturbing pattern of violence, including killings, abductions, and extortion, reported in Manipur’s valley region over the past two years.

They have appealed to the Governor and the Centre for immediate intervention to ensure justice for the victim.

–IANS

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