Bengal: 10 Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Raidighi

Ahmedabad, Aug 28 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Thursday strongly criticised the use of “indecent and unethical” language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s late mother during a joint programme of the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

In a sharp statement shared on social media platform X, CM Patel said that such remarks not only insult the Prime Minister’s revered mother but also “attack the maternal power of the entire country”.

He termed it an assault on Indian culture and the sentiments of 140 crore citizens.

“Through such language, Congress and RJD have dealt a severe blow to political values and decorum. This is not only an insult to the respected Prime Minister’s late mother but also to the entire maternal power of the country,” Patel wrote.

The Gujarat Chief Minister further asserted that the people of Bihar and the rest of the nation will not forgive this “disrespect”.

He warned that the power of India’s citizens would give a “stern response” to what he described as a “foolish misdeed”.

The controversy comes at a politically sensitive time, as both the Congress and RJD have been stepping up their campaign against the ruling BJP ahead of upcoming state and national elections.

CM Patel’s remarks align with a broader pushback from the BJP, which has accused opposition parties of crossing the line of political criticism by targeting Modi’s family.

The hashtag #माँ_का_अपमान_कॉंग्रेस_की_पहचान has since begun trending on social media, amplifying the BJP’s criticism of the opposition.

A political row has erupted in poll-bound Bihar after derogatory remarks were made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his late mother during Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’.

The incident, which took place in Darbhanga, was captured in a video that has since gone viral. The footage shows Congress workers using abusive language against the PM from a stage adorned with posters of Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Tejashwi Yadav, prompting the BJP to demand an apology from the Congress leader.

–IANS

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Srinagar, Dec 30 (IANS) The Principal District & Sessions Judge, Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday granted bail to eight accused in the infamous custodial torture case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under orders of the Supreme Court.

The accused, identified as Deputy SP Aijaz Ahmad, Sub-Inspector Riyaz Ahmad Mir, Special Police Officer Jahangeer Ahmad Beigh, Head Constables Mohammad Younis Khan and Tanveer Ahmad Malla, Selection Grade Constables Shakir Hussain Khoja and Altaf Hussain Bhat, and Constable Shahnawaz Ahmad, are lodged in the central jail after they were arrested by the CBI in August.

The accused have been ordered to furnish personal bonds and surety bonds of Rs 1,00,000 each. The court has prohibited the accused from leaving the territorial jurisdiction of the court without prior permission. If any one of them holds a passport, he should deposit the same in the court, the order said.

“The accused must not intimidate, influence or tamper with prosecution evidence, nor threaten any prosecution witness, and must remain present at every hearing before the trial court unless exempted by the court. Any breach of the bail conditions would be viewed seriously and could lead to cancellation of bail,” the court order said.

The Supreme Court, in an indictment of state abuse and institutional failure, had ordered CBI to take over the investigation into the illegal detention and brutal custodial torture of a serving police constable, Khursheed Ahmad Chohan, at the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC), Kupwara, J&K.

As crucial, in recognition of the brutality of the violations inflicted, reparation was also ordered. The court also awarded Rs 50,00,000 as compensation to the appellant, holding it to be a necessary constitutional remedy in light of the established violation of Article 21.

The Supreme Court not only quashed a retaliatory FIR filed against the victim under Section 309 IPC for “attempt to suicide” but directed the immediate arrest of the officers involved and ordered the Union Territory of J&K to pay Rs 50 lakh as constitutional compensation, recoverable from the guilty officers following departmental proceedings.

The CBI has also been tasked with investigating systemic failures and institutional impunity at the JIC.

“The unprecedented gravity of this case involving brutal and inhuman custodial torture, characterised by the complete mutilation of the appellant’s genitalia, represents one of the most barbaric instances of police atrocity which the state is trying to defend and cover up with all-pervasive power. The medical evidence conclusively establishes that such injuries are impossible to be self-inflicted. The respondent’s theory of suicide attempt crumbles under scrutiny when examined against the timeline and the medical evidence,” the apex court said.

Delivering the judgment, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta described the case as one involving “unprecedented gravity”, with complete mutilation of genitalia, pepper powder and electric shocks on private parts, and injuries consistent with custodial torture techniques such as falanga, the presence of multiple vegetative particles in the rectum, and anal insertion.

The court found the state’s claim of attempted suicide “medically impossible”, rejecting it as a fabricated counter-narrative aimed at shielding perpetrators.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Feb 18 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that it has been “terrorised” in West Bengal, as the apex court adjourned hearing on its plea accusing the state government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of interfering in recent search operations at the office of political consultancy firm Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and the residence of its co-founder Pratik Jain in Kolkata.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the federal anti-money laundering agency, strongly refuted the submission that the ED had “weaponised” its powers.

The remarks came after senior advocate Siddharth Luthra contended that the ED must justify the “weaponisation” of its authority.

“It (ED) has not been weaponised, it has been terrorised,” ASG Raju said.

After Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, the Centre’s second-highest law officer, stated that the ED is likely to file its rejoinder during the day, a Bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and K.V. Viswanathan posted the matter for further hearing on March 18.

The hearing was adjourned last week following a request made due to the ill health of senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

During the brief hearing, SG Mehta, representing the ED, informed the apex court that he had been apprised about Sibal’s inability to appear.

“I can’t oppose on this ground. If it can be kept on 18th February,” the Centre’s second-highest law officer submitted.

Acceding to the request, the Justice Mishra-led Bench had deferred the matter for further hearing on February 18.

The ED has approached the top court seeking directions to register FIRs against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the state Director General of Police (DGP), and the Kolkata Police Commissioner, alleging obstruction of lawful duties during the federal agency’s simultaneous search operations.

In her counter-affidavit, Chief Minister Banerjee has denied all allegations of interference and obstruction, asserting that her limited presence on the premises was solely to retrieve confidential and proprietary data belonging to her Trinamool Congress (AITC).

According to the affidavit, CM Banerjee visited Pratik Jain’s residence at Loudon Street and I-PAC’s office in Bidhannagar on January 8, 2026, after receiving information that sensitive political data of the Trinamool was being accessed during the searches. She maintained that the data was “vitally linked to the AITC’s strategy for the upcoming Legislative Assembly election”.

The affidavit stated that when she reached the premises, she “politely requested the officials of the Enforcement Directorate to be allowed to retrieve the Party’s data and the devices they were stored in and files containing prints of the same”.

It further claimed that “the officers of the Enforcement Directorate present thereat did not object to this request and permitted her to retrieve some of these devices and physical files”.

“After she had done so, the Answering Respondent (CM Banerjee) left the premises so as not to inconvenience the officials of the Enforcement Directorate in any way,” the counter affidavit said, adding that the ED’s own panchnamas record that the searches continued thereafter and were conducted “peacefully and in an orderly manner”.

CM Banerjee has also argued that neither the Trinamool nor its officials are accused in the alleged coal scam, and therefore, the ED cannot claim any right to the party’s proprietary data.

The counter affidavit has further accused the ED of acting with mala fide intent, alleging that the searches were carried out in the run-up to the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and after a prolonged period of inaction.

It has questioned the timing of the operations, claiming they coincided with I-PAC possessing “critical documents”, including a proposed list of candidates for the upcoming polls.

Alleging violations of statutory safeguards under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the affidavit also states that the ED failed to produce any audio or video recordings of the searches. This, it claimed, raises a “strong presumption” that the searches were clandestine and aimed at accessing confidential political data.

Earlier, on January 15, the Supreme Court had stayed the FIRs registered by the West Bengal Police against ED officials in connection with the searches, and had also directed the preservation of CCTV footage and other digital storage devices containing recordings of the searched premises and the surrounding areas.

–IANS

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