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Battle for UP: Rahul, Priyanka are secular, says IMC chief

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Ittihad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan has said that after meeting Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi, he realised that these two siblings were truly secular and therefore decided to support them.

“We had our resentment with Congress, but Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took advantage of it. We are responsible for the loss of the country. This step has been taken to rectify that mistake,” he said.

He said that the Congress had promised to him that they would probe Batla House encounter if their government is formed in 2009.

“Had there been a probe, world would have known that those killed were not terrorists and should be given martyr status,” he told reporters.

He admitted that he had always been against the Congress but has now realised that it was a mistake on his part.

National News

NHRC seeks report from Delhi Police over women journalists’ sexual harassment allegations

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New Delhi, Oct 8: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report regarding the alleged sexual harassment of three women journalists by Delhi Police personnel during a protest at Jantar Mantar on October 3.

Observing that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights, the NHRC has issued a notice to the Delhi Police Commissioner, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to the media report, three women journalists alleged that they were subjected to sexual misconduct by police personnel while being detained during the protests at Jantar Mantar.

The NHRC said the press report, carried on October 5, stated that the New Delhi District Police had received complaints regarding the alleged incidents and transferred them to the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police for an enquiry.

The Delhi Police said that the complaints were being transferred to the Crime Branch for a “fair and impartial enquiry”.

In a post on X, the Delhi Police said that on October 3, during the protest in the New Delhi area, allegations of sexual harassment were made by three female journalists against police officers.

“New Delhi District has received their complaints, and the same have been transferred to Crime Branch for fair and impartial enquiry,” it said.

The protests were being held at Jantar Mantar despite prohibitory orders, with protesters demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, amid the allegations, Vivek Bhagat, Assistant Commissioner of Police, voluntarily requested that he not be allowed to continue with his temporary current duty charge assignment until a full enquiry into the alleged harassment of the women journalists was conducted and satisfactorily concluded.

Following his request, the Delhi government modified an October 5 order assigning additional charge to senior police officers. The revised order excluded Bhagat and covered the remaining 11 officers.

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Crime

‘Punched, kicked and assaulted’: Delhi Police Constables recount ordeal during Cong protest

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New Delhi, Oct 8: A couple of Delhi Police personnel who allegedly came under attack from the Congress workers and supporters during the INDIA bloc stir in the national capital a day before, narrated the ordeal that they underwent while trying to contain the surging crowd.

A couple of Delhi Police Constables, including women personnel spoke to media, recounting the physical attack inflicted on them while the Congress-led INDIA bloc protested against the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

They claimed that they were kicked and punched by the mob while doing their duty.

Deependra Sandhu, a Delhi Police Constable, said that he was assaulted while trying to control the unruly protesters on Wednesday.

“They (protesters) deliberately targeted us because we were informing everyone that Section 163 was in force in the area and that they could not protest here. Suddenly, they went behind us and pulled us from behind. They then pushed us to the ground and started kicking and punching us. We somehow managed to protect ourselves and get away,” he recalled.

The Constable also told media that he saw the attacker running from the protest site after assaulting him from the behind.

“The man who pulled me down from behind and kicked me was wearing white clothes,” he said.

Head Constable Bhupendra Ahlawat had a similar tale to share. He, too, was attacked allegedly by Congress workers while he was in police uniform.

He called it a planned attack as the attacker was allegedly given a “cover and escape route” by the protesting party workers.

“I am the one who was kicked. They intentionally and deliberately pulled me from behind by my waist and made me fall. When I turned around to see who it was and whether I recognised him or not, as soon as I made eye contact with him, the Congress workers hid him. They took him to the green area in the middle of the roundabout and deliberately made him leave after asking him and hiding him,” he said.

Seema, a woman Constable said that she was assaulted during the INDIA bloc protest on Tuesday.

“It is our duty to follow the instructions given by our officers. At that time, we do not pay attention to whether we are getting injured. I realised only later that I had been injured. This happened at Akashvani Bhavan, when we were detaining the legislators.”

“They were the MLAs who were sitting with Priyanka Gandhi,” she added.

According to reports, the Delhi Police have lodged multiple FIRs over alleged misbehaviour, manhandling and assault of its personnel by the Opposition workers, while they adhered to security protocols and strived to maintain order amid difficult circumstances.

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Crime

Key shooter in Punjab influencer Mad Sandhu murder held by Gujarat Police

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Ahmedabad, Oct 8: The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested a man allegedly involved in the killing of Punjabi social media influencer and make-up artist Mad Sandhu in Amritsar on October 3, identifying him as the shooter who also arranged the motorcycle used in the attack, police said on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Parminder Prasad alias Parminder Kaka. According to Ahmedabad Crime Branch DCP, Ajit Rajian, Parminder carried out the firing that killed Sandhu and arranged the motorcycle used by the assailants.

“His role is that of the shooter. He did the firing and also arranged the bike,” Rajian told media. The arrest followed an input from Amritsar Police and coordination between the Punjab and Gujarat police teams.

The accused was traced to Ahmedabad, where the Crime Branch took him into custody as part of the investigation into the murder.

“A case has been registered as FIR No. 186/2026 under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Cantonment Police Station in Amritsar. Further legal proceedings are underway,” he confirmed.

Sandhu, whose real name was Madhusudan Sandhu, was shot on October 3 by two motorcycle-borne assailants near a car wash centre on Loharka Road in Amritsar.

Police had said the attackers opened fire before fleeing from the spot. Sandhu was taken to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The killing had initially led police to examine several possible angles. Investigators collected CCTV footage from the area and examined Sandhu’s movements and digital records to identify the attackers.

Amritsar Police had reportedly detained two persons while probing a possible contract-killing angle.

Sandhu, 29, had a substantial following on social media and was known for his work as a make-up artist and for speaking about make-up artistry and gender-related issues on podcasts and digital platforms.

He had more than two lakh followers on Instagram and had also appeared in the Punjabi film ‘Oye Bhole Oye’.

The case also drew attention after social-media posts allegedly linked to foreign-based gangsters claimed responsibility for the killing.

However, Punjab Police had earlier said the authenticity of such posts had not been established. Investigators have also been examining possible links to the network of gangster Goldy Dhillon.

The latest arrest is expected to help investigators establish the sequence of events leading to the killing, identify other persons involved and determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged contract killing.

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