National Conference leader Omar Abdullah

Srinagar: National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said hatred for Muslims has been normalised in the country and India no longer celebrates its diversity.

Abdullah was commenting on a video on social media which showed some men heckling a woman wearing a Hijab at a college in Karnataka.

“How brave these men are and how macho they must feel while targeting a lone young lady! Hatred for Muslims has been completely mainstreamed and normalised in India today. We are no longer a nation that celebrates our diversity, we want to punish and exclude people for it,” he tweeted.

Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said incidents like these should not be seen in isolation.

“Harassing a Muslim girl in broad daylight without fear of any repercussion shows such goons enjoy patronage from those in power. Such incidents shouldn’t be seen in isolation as the BJP hopes that it helps to polarise in UP elections,” she tweeted.

Mangaluru: Police here on Tuesday arrested six persons while they were trying to sell 3.480 kg of ambergris (sperm whale vomit) worth Rs 3.48 crore from Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.

The arrested have been identified as Prashanth (24) from Kundapur, Sathyaraj (32) of Bengaluru, Rohit (27) of Thenkapadav, Rajesh (37) of Addur, Virupaksha (37) of Thenkayedapadav and Nagaraj (31), a resident of Kaup.

Police sources said they were found selling the ambergris, a high-valued, banned substance under the forest and environmental laws, near the Navodaya school at Balepuni in Bantwal taluk.

On being questioned, they told the police that the ambergris was given by Sedhu Manikya, a fisherman hailing from Tamil Nadu, the sources said. One Kg of ambergris costs Rs 1 crore in the international market and smugglers target whales for the substance.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of ACP Dinaker Shetty and a police team led by Konaje inspector Prakash Devadiga, the sources said.

Kushalnagar: A 20-year-old college student was on Tuesday stabbed by a fellow student allegedly over the differences that cropped up over wearing saffron shawls for protesting against students wearing Hijab to college. The incident was reported from Kushalnagar’s Sundarnagar College here.

According to the reports, 20-year-old Sandeep a final year student of Arts stream was stabbed by a first-year student after he refused to wear a saffron shawl protesting the students wearing Hijab to college.

Several students on Tuesday turned up to the college wearing saffron shawls amidst the Hijab row. A first-year student identified as Vikram allegedly asked Sandeep to wear a saffron shawl, things went out of control when Sandeep refused and got into a physical fight with Vikram after a brief altercation.

The fight later turned violent between the two groups supporting Vikram and Sandeep. Vikram allegedly stabbed Sandeep after dragging him outside the college campus, injuring him on the shoulder and back before fleeing the spot. Sandeep was rushed to a local hospital for treatment after the incident.

According to the eye-witnesses, Vikram was later detained by cops near Gopal Circle in the city.

Police sources have said both the group of students have been summoned to the police station and further investigations are underway.

New Delhi: Over 17,000 farmers in different parts of the country committed suicide between 2018 and 2020, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles statistics on accidental deaths and suicides from states and Union Territories and publishes the same annually as ‘Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India’ (ADSI) report.

According to the ADSI report, 5,763 farmers or cultivators committed suicide in 2018, while another 5,957 killed themselves in 2019. The report said 5,579 farmers or cultivators committed suicide in 2020.

Parmesh S Jain

The Narcotics Control Bureau officials on Monday busted an international drug syndicate seized 11 kgs of amphetamine worth Rs 1.5 crore concealed in the tarpaulin of the truck heading to Chennai from Manipur and arrested six persons including three Sri Lankan nationals running the racket .

Based on specific intelligence developed by NCB Chennai unit,on early Monday morning intercepted a truck at Chennai-Gumudipundi (National Highway) and caught the driver.

The search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 11 packets of white crystalline substance to be Amphetamine of one kgs in each packet .

These packets were concealed in tarpaulin which is difficult to detect.It was found along with a big machine in the truck.

Immediate follow up action was taken and multiple teams were deployed simultaneously which resulted in the apprehension of five persons from various locations of Chennai city and Tamilnadu,Amit Ghawate,Zonal Director , NCB, said .

Three out of the six accused are Sri Lankan nationals and three are from different parts of Indian.

The apprehended persons included financer, carrier,middleman,negotiator,vehicle owner, peddler and purchaser of contraband.

All the apprehended were part of same drug trafficking network and were working in multiple states and countries,Mr.Ghawate, said.

Probe revealed that the seized consignment was meant for trafficking to Sri Lanka through Sea route and part of it in other States of India.

The source of contraband is from Moreh in Manipur (located at Indo-Myanmar border).This is a seasoned drug trafficking network and operating for more than seven years.

They have solid foothold in Srilanka and states of Manipur, Tamil Nadu,the investigations found.
There has been a growing trend of involvement of Sri Lankan drug traffickers in the trafficking of Amphetamine Type Stimulants,who are predominantly into Heroin trafficking.

The seizure of 7.93 kg of Methamphetamine in August 2021 by NCB Chennai and the current seizure of Amphetamine involving Sri Lankan and Indian nationals clearly makes it evident that such networks are wide spread and has international ramifications,Mr.Ghawate,added.

AMROHA: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday declared former state minister Babu Singh Kushwaha as the chief ministerial candidate of his party’s pre-poll alliance “Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha”.

The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief made the announcement while also launching a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in an election rally in Hasanpur here.

“If the Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha forms its government in UP, Babu Singh Kushwaha will be its first chief minister,” said Owaisi, who had earlier said that if his pre-poll alliance is voted to power, he will have two chief ministers in UP.

Owaisi, however, had not explained under what provision of the Constitution, he would have two chief ministers in a single state.

In his Hassanpur rally, he also promised to have three deputy CMs for the state.

“We have also decided that there will be three deputy chief ministers in UP of which one will be a Muslim and two others from the most backward section of the society,” he added.

For the UP assembly elections, the AIMIM had forged a pre-poll alliance ‘Bhagidari Parivartan Morcha’ on January 22 along with Kushwaha’s Jan Adhikar Party and the Backward and Minority Community Employees Federation, headed by Waman Meshram.

A minister in the Mayawati government, Kushwaha had been made convener of the Morcha.

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he asserted that he has the courage of speaking with Modi while looking in his eyes.

“If the BJP is doing something wrong, I will raise my voice against it. This country was liberated by our ancestors. We got this country free with our blood. This country is mine and everyone else’s,” he asserted.

“But today when the BJP talks about changing the secular character of this country, Owaisi will look into the eyes of Modi and speak and he will continue to do so,” he said.

The Hyderabad MP also attacked UP Chief Minister Adityanath, calling him “Baba” and saying that he has only one solution to all problems: Defeat Mughals.

“If anyone thinks my voice will be suppressed for speaking against the UP chief minister, remember that as long as I am alive, I will keep speaking the truth. Your power will not suppress me,” said Owaisi.

Accusing the Adityanath government of inaction, he said, “Baba’s government was there for five years but Baba did nothing. If you talk about your problems with Baba, Baba will just say, ‘O young man, you vote for us, we have to defeat the Mughals.”

“And the SP-BSP will say that you vote for us and defeat the BJP,” he said, adding: “They say the BJP wins only because of the Majlis entering into the electoral fray.”

Owaisi also took digs at the chief minister’s various other purported remarks during the ongoing electioneering.

“Yogi Adityanath says he will create cold in May-June. Chief Minister, you should become a meteorologist. You (Yogi) say that you will remove the heat (garmi nikal denge), Are you a doctor of dysentery, is Baba selling Isabgol?” he asked.

“Listen to our message, Baba. The heat that Majlis has created in youths, will neither be reduced by your heat nor your cold. The heat we have created is on the foundation of truth, on the basis of reality to get respect and to gain our share. Even if I die, these people will go ahead with our message,” he asserted.

“I want freedom from radical forces. I want freedom from those parties who are fielding RSS candidates and are telling me that you do slavery. I want brotherhood so we have formed the morcha,” the AIMIM chief said in his rally.

BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court will on Tuesday take up the hearing of petitions, filed by students of the Government Pre-University College for Girls, Udupi, demanding permission to attend classes wearing hijab. The bench headed by Justice Krishna S. Dixith is expected to give the ruling on the issue by noon.

The hijab row started after a few students in Udupi Government Pre-University College started wearing hijab last month and were turned out of classrooms. The students refused to attend classes without hijab and the college administration on the other hand took a firm stand to allow them only if they shun hijab.

The controversy now has been discussed at international levels. The hijab issue continues to haunt college campuses across the state as protesting students are not relenting and made their stand clear that they will only attend classes by wearing hijab. The issue has taken a communal turn with the Hindu students too wearing saffron shawls. They are maintaining that until the Muslim students shun hijab, they won’t take off saffron shawls.

The college authorities are not allowing the students to enter colleges with hijab and saffron shawls with the help of police. The issue has snowballed into a major controversy and threatening law and order situation in the state.

The students who filed petitions are Ayesha, Hajeera Almas, Resham Farooq, Alia Assadi, Shafa, Shameem and Muskaan Jainaab. They are represented by their mothers in the court and advocate Mohammad Tahir. Another student Resham Farroq has filed a separate petition through advocate Shatabish Shivanna. The court will hear the petitions together.

The students in the petition have submitted that the college authorities have refused them the right to attend classes only because they wear hijab. The petition has claimed that Udupi BJP MLA Raghupathy Bhat is illegally interfering in the activities of the college and has been made a party in the case.

They have further requested the court to issue directions to the government to not to interfere with their religious and fundamental rights. They mentioned that wearing hijab is an essential part of their religion.

The students have also explained in their petition that they wore hijab along with uniform. The petitioners explained that the Principal, Vice Principal and lecturers humiliated them for wearing hijab.

They further stated that the students belonging to Islam and wearing hijab were denied entry into the college on December 28, 2021. They were asked to bring their parents, and when their parents came, the college authorities didn’t meet them and made them wait for the whole day, the petitioner explained. The students have submitted two petitions to the High Court.

The Principal Secretary, Primary and Secondary Education Department, Director of Pre-University Education Department, Deputy Director of Udupi Pre-University College, District Commissioner of Udupi, Principal of Udupi Pre-University College will file objections to the court regarding the petition by the students to allow them to wear hijab while attending classes.

The petitioner students have made Rudre Gowda, Principal of Udupi Pre-University College, Vice-president Gangadhar Sharma, seven lecturers parties in the case.

The petition also seeks to order an investigation on the Principal of Udupi College for violating guidelines by the Pre-University Deputy Director and direction to the college authorities to mark their attendance.