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Deadly bomb blast near Damascus Shia shrine ahead of Ashura

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At least six people have been killed and more than 20 wounded after a bomb exploded near a Shia Muslim shrine south of the Syrian capital Damascus a day ahead of Ashura – a day of mourning observed by Shia Muslims, according to the interior ministry.

The blast near the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum, Syria’s most visited Shia pilgrimage site, was caused when a motorcycle exploded near a taxi, the interior ministry said on Thursday. It called it a “terrorist bombing”.

State television earlier reported that the explosion was caused by a “bomb placed in a taxi by unidentified people”.

News agency was not able to independently verify the casualty figures and the circumstances around the blast.

“We heard a huge blast and people began to run,” 39-year-old civil servant Ibrahim told news agency.

“Then ambulances arrived and security forces cordoned off the area.”

He said the explosion took place “near a security building around 600 metres from the mausoleum of Sayeda Zeinab”, granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad and the daughter of Imam Ali.

The London-based monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the explosion took place close to positions of Iranian militias, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad alongside Russia in Syria’s continuing conflict now in its 13th year.

Charred taxi surrounded by large crowds

Photos shared by Al-Ikhbariya state TV and pro-government media showed the charred taxi surrounded by large crowds of people and men in military fatigues. The area’s buildings had green, red, and black Ashura flags and banners hung.

In a video shared on social media, people carried two men covered in blood and dust off the ground while calling for help. The glass facades of shops nearby had shattered, while one was on fire.

Ashura is the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram, which is one of the holiest months for Shia Muslims. It marks the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Imam Hussein, and his 72 companions in the battle of Karbala in the seventh century in present-day Iraq. Ashura marks the peak of the mourning procession.

Sunni Muslims commemorate the day through voluntary fasting as it marks the day Nuh (Noah) left the Ark and the day Musa (Moses) was saved from the pharaoh of Egypt by God.

They also emulate the Prophet Muhammad who used to fast on Ashura in Mecca, where it became a common tradition for the early Muslims.

The explosion is the second in the Sayeda Zeinab neighbourhood in the days leading to Ashura. On Tuesday, Syrian state media citing a police official said that two civilians were wounded after a motorcycle laced with explosives was detonated.

Frequent targets

Earlier this week, two people were wounded in a separate blast outside the shrine, where pilgrims have been flocking to mark a mourning period for Shia Muslims.

The Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum was hit by several deadly bombings during the country’s civil war that erupted in 2011.

Since then, the mosque complex with its turquoise ceramics and gold dome in the Iranian style has been defended by Shia militiamen, mostly Lebanese and Iraqi, as well as by the army.

Attacks have nonetheless declined in recent years, with some of the security measures relaxed.

The Islamic State armed group (ISIL/ISIS) said it was behind a double suicide attack in February 2016, 400 meters from the mausoleum, that killed 134 people, including more than 90 civilians.

The group had also claimed a triple blast near the sanctuary several weeks earlier that took the lives of at least 70 people.

Crime

RG Kar financial irregularities case: Trial court slaps show-cause notice on CBI

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Kolkata, Jan 30: A trial court has slapped a show-cause on Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for procedural lapses in passing on information to the court about the West Bengal government’s nod for framing charges and trial process against former R.G. Kar principal Sandip Ghosh in the case related to financial irregularities in the institution.

On January 28, the CBI informed Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Tirthankar Ghosh about the clearance from the state government to start the charge-framing and trial process.

Now, the trial court has taken objection as to why the CBI has not informed the same court about the development.

It is learnt that the judge of the trial court has directed the Central agency to give a written explanation for why the same court was informed about it.

The CBI officials investigating the case received the no-objection certificate from the state government on the evening of January 27 and informed the Calcutta High Court about it the next day. On that day, CBI also submitted a report to the Calcutta High Court on the progress in the R.G. Kar financial irregularities case.

A single-judge bench of the Calcutta Court directed officials to complete the framing of charges and begin the trial process within a week.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting a parallel probe into the case.

While CBI started its investigation following an order by the Calcutta High Court, the ED made a suo motu entry to investigate the money laundering angle after filing an enforcement case information report (ECIR).

Altogether five persons, including Sandip Ghosh, his assistant-cum- bodyguard Afsar Ali, private contractors Biplab Sinha and Suman Hazra and a junior doctor Ashish Pandey, have been named by CBI and all are in judicial custody.

The main charges in the case include manipulation in the tendering process of R.G. Kar, getting infrastructure-related work done by private contractors bypassing the state Public Works Department against the hefty commission, smuggling of bio-medical wastes from the hospital outside and finally selling organs of the unidentified bodies sent to R. G. Kar morgue for post-mortem in the open market at premium prices.

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Crime

Mumbai: Worli Police Arrest 40-Year-Old Woman Within 12 Hours For Kidnapping 5-Year-Old Girl In Prem Nagar

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Mumbai: A 5-year-old girl was kidnapped while playing outside her house in Prem Nagar, Worli, between 11 AM and 12 PM on Tuesday.

The Worli Police acted swiftly upon receiving the information and launched an intensive search operation, successfully arresting the accused within 12 hours. The arrested woman has been identified as Deepali Bablu Das (40).

She is currently in police custody, and authorities are investigating whether she has been involved in similar child abduction cases in the past or if she is connected to a larger kidnapping network.

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Crime

Delhi Police seize ‘Punjab sarkar’ car with cash, liquor; Mann govt says ‘fake’

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New Delhi, Jan 30: Delhi Police have filed a case after a vehicle labelled “Punjab government” was intercepted with cash, liquor and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) pamphlets, an official said. The Punjab government, however, said the car had a fake registration plate and was different from the registered model.

The car was found on Wednesday and a large amount of cash and liquor was seized, police said.

The car had a “Punjab government” sticker, said the officials, adding that AAP pamphlets were also found in the car.

Delhi Police said the vehicle was found parked outside Punjab Bhawan on Copernicus Marg in the national capital. When searched, the cops said they found cash amounting to Rs 8 lakh, liquor bottles with Punjab stamps, and AAP pamphlets inside the car.

As per the model code of conduct in force in Delhi ahead of the Assembly elections, people are barred from carrying more than Rs 50,000 in cash.

A case has been registered at the Tilak Marg police station.

The Punjab government soon issued a denial after the news came out. The government said in a statement that as per the official record, the car was registered in the name of Major Anubhav Shivpuri, who was posted at the Army Dental College, Pathankot, three years ago. He is a permanent resident of Khadki in Maharashtra, it said.

“It has come to the knowledge of the Department of Transport (Govt of Punjab), that a vehicle carrying registration number PB35AE1342 has been apprehended in Delhi carrying illegal liquor and some unaccounted cash. It has been alleged in the media reports that the vehicle has a sticker of Punjab Govt on it,” the statement read.

The Punjab government said the registered vehicle model on the registration number PB35AE1342 was the Ford Eco Sport of make year 2018 but the actual vehicle apprehended by the police belongs to the Hyundai Creta series. “This confirms that the vehicle’s number plate is forged and fake. High-Security Registration Plate(HSRP) is mandatory for all vehicles and the registration plate visible in the video is an ordinary one, without the features of HSRP, hence easy to forge. Also, we have searched our records and found that no such vehicle is owned or hired by Govt of Punjab. The apprehended vehicle does not belong to Govt of Punjab at all.”

The AAP also released a statement, saying the car seizure was a “planted stunt and utterly bogus”.

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