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Danish Siddiqui’s parents file new evidence against Taliban at ICC

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Even as Danish Siddiqui, the photo-journalist who was tortured and killed by the Taliban, was formally awarded his second Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography — for his groundbreaking work in documenting the COVID crisis in India — posthumously, his parents, Prof. Akhtar Siddiqui and Shahida Akhtar have filed additional evidence pertaining to their complaint, dated March 22, 2022, with the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor, asking for an investigation into their son’s killing and bringing those responsible to justice.

The evidence comprises affidavits, a medical opinion on the autopsy, and the copy of a WhatsApp chat that allegedly took place between members of the Taliban.

On July 16, 2021, Siddiqui, who was embedded by Reuters with the Afghan Special Forces in Spin Boldak, was injured in an attack by the Taliban. He was taken to a mosque, historically a place of refuge, for medical treatment. The mosque was attacked by the Taliban, and Danish was taken into custody, tortured and murdered. Reports say that he was attacked by the Red Unit of the Taliban. After his killing, his body was mutilated, including being run over by a heavy vehicle in public. His body revealed marks of torture and 12 bullet entry and exit points. These were received after his capture, as his bulletproof jacket had no bullet marks.

A report published by the ‘Washington Examiner’, says, “The Taliban are always brutal but likely took their cruelty to a new level because Siddiqui was Indian.”

“Danish was murdered by the Taliban for simply carrying out his journalistic duties,” said the late photojournalist’s mother, Shahida Akhtar. “While his second Pulitzer Prize makes us proud, we hope that the International Criminal Court will bring those responsible for his torture and death to justice.”

The International Criminal Court has been engaged in an ongoing investigation on international crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes, in Afghanistan, over which it has jurisdiction after Afghanistan’s government acceded to the Rome Statute.

“The new evidence that we have submitted to the International Criminal Court, along with what has been submitted till date, goes far in proving the culpability of the Taliban, including their leadership, in this heinous crime,” said Avi Singh, the lawyer representing Danish Siddiqui’s family.

Crime

UP Crime: Brother Kills Sister By Shooting In Her Head For Talking To Man On Mobile Phone In Saharanpur

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Saharanpur, December 11: A 20-year-old man shot dead his 18-year-old sister for talking to a man on her mobile phone in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district. The incident took place in a village in the district late on Sunday night. According to the police, the victim, Muskan, was taken to the district hospital where doctors pronounced her ‘brought dead’.

‘It is still not clear with whom the deceased was talking’

“It is still not clear with whom the deceased was talking on the phone which angered her brother Aditya Prajapati. Their mother Babita, who was also present at the time of the incident, tried to hide the facts and initially told us that some unidentified persons had shot her daughter dead while she was sleeping,” said Satyendra Prakash Singh, in charge, Saharanpur Rural Kotwali police station.

The police said no FIR has been filed in this connection yet

The police said no FIR has been filed in this connection yet as their father, Jagmohan, 46, a daily wage earner who lives in Dehradun, has yet to reach the village.

‘The body has been handed over to the family for cremation’

“He is expected to reach the village later in the day. The body has been handed over to the family for cremation after the post-mortem examination,” said Singh. Vipin Tada, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Saharanpur, said their mother did not inform the area police station about the incident.

Her daughter was shot by her brother

“The area police got information after the district hospital sent the information that a woman had died owing to a bullet injury. We interrogated the mother who later accepted that her daughter was shot by her brother,” said Tada. “The brother is absconding and we have formed three teams to arrest him,” he added.

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Crime

NIA SWOOPS DOWN ON 44 LOCATIONS IN M’RASHTRA & K’NATAKA, ARRESTS 15 ISIS OPERATIVES OF ISIS MAHARASHTRA MODULE

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New Delhi, 9th December 2023
In a massive crackdown on ISIS, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested 15 operatives of the banned terror outfit during multiple and widespread raids across Maharashtra and Karnataka.

NIA teams swooped down on as many as 44 locations in Padgha-Borivali, Thane, Mira Road and Pune in Maharashtra, and Bengaluru in Karnataka early this morning, and apprehended the 15 accused for promoting terror and terror related acts and activities of the proscribed organisation.

Huge amounts of unaccounted cash, firearms, sharp edged weapons, incriminating documents, smart phones and other digital devices were seized during the raids, conducted as part of NIA’s ongoing efforts to disrupt and demolish the attempts of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to carry out violent acts of terror and take innocent lives.

The accused, operating on the directions of their foreign handlers, had been actively involved in various terrorist activities, including fabrication of IEDs, for furthering the violent and destructive agenda of the ISIS, as per NIA investigations.

NIA investigations have further revealed that the accused, all members of ISIS Maharashtra module, were operating from Padgha-Borivali, where they had hatched the conspiracy to spread terror and carry out acts of violence across India. Pursuing the path of violent Jihad, Khilafat, ISIS etc., the accused had aimed to disturb the peace and communal harmony of the country and to wage a war against the Government of India.

Initial investigations have revealed that the arrested accused had self-declared the village of Padgha in rural Thane as a ‘liberated zone’ and as ‘Al Sham’. They were motivating impressionable Muslim youth to relocate in Padgha from their place of residence for strengthening the Padgha base.

Saqib Nachan, the main accused and the leader and head of the ISIS module, was also administering the ‘bayath’ (oath of allegiance to the Khalifa of ISIS ) to the persons joining the proscribed organisation.

ISIS is a Global Terror Organisation (GTG) , also known as Islamic State (IS) / Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) / Daish / Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) / ISIS Wilayat Khorasan/Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham Khorasan (ISIS-K)). The outfit has been spreading its terror network in India by putting in place localized ISIS modules and cells in various States of the country.

NIA has, in recent months, conducted large-scale raids and busted different ISIS modules by arresting several terror operatives in the ISIS terror conspiracy case in a bid to scuttle the organisation’s heinous and violent anti-India agenda. As part of its efforts towards that end, the agency had registered a case against the ISIS Maharashtra module earlier this year and has, since then, undertaken strong and concerted actions to destroy the various ISIS modules and networks operating across the country.

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Crime

UP Woman Critically Injured After Sub-Inspector Accidentally Shoots Her In Head At Aligarh Police Station

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A police officer in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh accidently shot a woman in her head from close range. A CCTV footage of the freak accident was circulated on social media on Friday.

In the video, the woman, who was accompanied by a man, was seen sitting at the police station for passport verification at the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) office of Aligarh Kotwali Nagar. A police officer handed over the pistol to sub-inspector Manoj Sharma, who proceeded to load the gun. Suddenly, a bullet was fired and hit the woman’s head. She was taken to Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College for urgent medical attention.

Law enforcement officials, including the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) and other police officers, arrived at the medical centre to inquire about the victim’s condition and oversee the ongoing treatment, according to reports.

Sub-inspector Sharma reportedly fled the scene following the accidental shooting. “We are actively pursuing all necessary legal measures, including the immediate suspension of the accused inspector. The motive behind the accidental firing is currently unknown, and our priority is ensuring the victim receives the necessary medical care,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, SSP, Aligarh.

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