Bengaluru, April 11: The Karnataka Police arrested four people and detained a minor on Friday in connection with a case of moral policing reported under the Chandra Layout police station limits in Bengaluru.

The accused allegedly confronted a Muslim woman for speaking with a Hindu youth. They verbally abused her and attempted to assault her.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Maheem, Afridi, Wasim, and Anjum. The police are also questioning the minor boy involved in the incident.

According to the police, the woman, who was wearing a burqa, was chatting with a Hindu youth seated on his bike in the Chandra Layout area. The group of accused individuals approached them and questioned the woman, asking why she was affectionately speaking to a Hindu boy while wearing a burqa.

The gang reportedly insulted her, asking whether she had any shame or self-respect. They also demanded that she provide the phone numbers of her family members so they could speak to them directly.

However, the woman stood her ground and confronted the group, questioning their interference in her personal matters. She reportedly told them that the person she was speaking to was her classmate and asked why she should give out her family’s contact information.

Enraged by her response, the group allegedly attempted to assault both the woman and the Hindu youth. The accused later circulated a video of the two chatting on social media, which went viral.

Following the circulation of the video, some Hindu organisations and activists raised objections and questioned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, asking whether this incident did not amount to moral policing. They further criticized the state government, rhetorically asking whether Sharia law had been implemented in Karnataka.

The Chandra Layout police registered a case and took swift action by arresting the accused.

In a horrific incident reported from Hangal town on January 8, 2024, a woman, a homemaker, was allegedly dragged out of a hotel after being seen with a person from another community and was beaten up.

The victim, who belonged to the minority community, said that when she was at the hotel, a group of five to six men barged inside, questioned her and took her on their motorcycles forcibly. She claimed that they took her to an isolated place and assaulted her brutally and all of them raped her. Later, they asked her to sit in a car and the driver also raped her. Her ordeal did not end there. She was also taken to other places and gang-raped. The police arrested the accused persons after the victim released a video and appealed for action.

Varanasi, April 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that in the last ten years, Varanasi’s status has been elevated from an ancient city to a “rapidly growing city.”

PM Modi arrived in his parliamentary constituency for the 50th time for the inauguration and laying the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 3,880 crore.

PM Modi also unveiled and initiated a total of 44 projects aimed at transforming both urban and rural infrastructure in the region. These projects are expected to significantly enhance public amenities, improve connectivity, and modernise essential services for the people of Varanasi.

Addressing a massive public gathering of more than 50,000 people of the constituency he has represented since 2014, PM Modi said, “I am indebted to Kashi. Kashi is mine, I am Kashi’s.”

“In the last 10 years, Varanasi has progressed rapidly. Kashi has protected history, embraced modernity and taken strong steps forward for the future. Kashi is not only ancient but also a growing city,” he added.

“The Kashi managed by Mahadev is leading Purvanchal’s development,” the Prime Minister said.

He stated that various infrastructure projects aimed at enhancing connectivity, the Har Ghar Jal Yojana, and numerous other developmental initiatives will contribute to creating a ‘Viksit Purvanchal’ for the youth.

PM Modi invoked Mahatma Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary and said that the Centre is taking forward Phule and his wife Savitri Bai Phule’s resolve towards women empowerment.

Taking a dig at the Opposition over dynastic politics, PM Modi said, “We are taking forward the idea of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’ for the nation. Those whose only focus is to conspire to seize power, their resolve is ‘Parivar ka Sath, Parivar ka Vikas.'”

He praised Banas Dairy in Varanasi for its initiatives aimed at empowering women, particularly through the Lakhpati Didi program. He also congratulated the animal keepers, especially the women in the Purvanchal region, for serving as an inspiration to the rest of the community.

He mentioned that today, India is the largest producer of milk in the world and attributed this achievement to the animal keepers and the dairy sector of the nation.

Among the major projects inaugurated are a newly constructed transit hostel at the Police Lines and modern police barracks in Ramnagar, highlighting the government’s commitment to enhancing civic infrastructure and law enforcement facilities.

The Prime Minister also distributed Geographical Indication (GI) certificates for 21 newly registered products of Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi, April 11: Tahawwur Rana had aspired for Pakistan’s highest award for gallantry in battle ‘Nishan-e-Haider’ for the nine Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who carried out the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and were gunned down by Indian security forces.

The US Department of Justice, in a statement, has released a bit of intercepted conversation between Tahawwur Rana and Headley after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The statement says, “After the attacks were complete, Rana allegedly told Headley that the Indians ‘deserved it’. In an intercepted conversation with Headley, Rana allegedly commended the nine LeT terrorists who had been killed committing the attacks, saying that ‘[t]hey should be given Nishan-e-Haider’- Pakistan’s ‘highest award for gallantry in battle’, which is reserved for fallen soldiers.”

The statement said that Rana is to stand trial in India on “10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai”.

Rana is described as a convicted terrorist, a Canadian citizen and a native of Pakistan by the US.

The US on Wednesday extradited Rana to India, which it said was a critical step toward seeking justice for the six Americans and scores of other victims who were killed in the heinous attacks.

In a detailed statement, the US has said that Rana, 64, is charged in India with numerous offences, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, related to his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks committed by LeT, a designated foreign terrorist organisation.

Describing the terror attacks, the US statement reads: Between November 26 and 29, 2008, ten LeT terrorists carried out a series of 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks in Mumbai. They infiltrated the city by sea and then broke into teams, dispersing to multiple locations. Attackers at a train station fired guns and threw grenades into crowds. Attackers at two restaurants shot indiscriminately at patrons. Attackers at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel gunned people down and detonated explosives. Attackers also shot and killed people at a Jewish community center.

When the terror finally subsided, 166 victims, including six Americans, were dead, along with all but one of the LeT terrorists. Hundreds more were injured, and Mumbai sustained more than $1.5 billion in property damage.

The US said the attacks “were among the most horrific and catastrophic in India’s history”.

Ahead of the extradition, India had handed over detailed investigation reports, documents and evidence to prove Rana’s involvement in the 2008 terror attack.

The US statement says that “India alleges that Rana facilitated a fraudulent cover so that his childhood friend David Coleman Headley (Headley), a U.S. citizen born Daood Gilani, could freely travel to Mumbai for the purpose of conducting surveillance of potential attack sites for LeT. As India alleges, Headley had received training from LeT members in Pakistan and was in direct communication with LeT about plans to attack Mumbai.”

Among other things, Rana allegedly agreed to open a Mumbai branch of his immigration business and appoint Headley as the manager of the office, despite Headley’s having no immigration experience. On two separate occasions, Rana allegedly helped Headley prepare and submit visa applications to Indian authorities that contained information Rana knew to be false, the statement mentions.

Rana also allegedly supplied, through his unsuspecting business partner, documentation in support of Headley’s attempt to secure formal approval from Indian authorities to open a branch office of Rana’s business. “Over the course of more than two years, Headley allegedly repeatedly met with Rana in Chicago and described his surveillance activities on behalf of LeT, LeT’s responses to Headley’s activities, and LeT’s potential plans for attacking Mumbai”, the statement further adds.

US Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce has said that on April 9, the United States extradited Rana, 64, to India “to face justice for his role in planning the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.”

She said, “The United States has long supported India’s efforts to ensure those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice, and as President Trump has said, the United States and India will continue to work together to combat the global scourge of terrorism.”