International
Vile, senseless act: Global condemnation pours after Pahalgam terror attack (Ld)

New Delhi, April 23: Condolences poured in from across the globe following the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 16 dead and dozens injured.
The attack, which occurred on Tuesday in the picturesque Baisaran Valley, saw terrorists emerge from surrounding forests and indiscriminately open fire on a group of tourists, leaving dozens injured in addition to the fatalities.
Unequivocally condemning the barbaric attack on innocent tourists, Nepal said that it stands in steadfast solidarity with the Government and people of India in this time of sorrow.
The Foreign Ministry of Nepal stated, “We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families and express our sincere wishes for the swift and full recovery of those injured.”
“In line with our firm and principled position, Nepal condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and believes that such heinous acts of terrorism cannot and should not be justified on any ground,” the ministry added.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba took to her social media and expressed deep shock and sadness at the heinous terrorist attack that took place in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
“We strongly condemn this act of terrorism and the senseless violence that has claimed innocent lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families during this difficult time, and we wish a swift and full recovery to those who have been injured. Nepal stands in steadfast solidarity with the Government and people of India in this time of sorrow,” she posted
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also condemned the horrific terror attack, stating that violence can not be justified.
“I am shocked by the horrific terror attack on innocent civilians in Jammu and Kashmir overnight. There is no justification for this violence, and Australia condemns it. Our hearts go out to the injured, to those mourning loved ones, and to everyone in Australia touched by this terrible news.”
Calling the horrific attack in Kashmir “utterly devastating,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to social media and posted, “The horrific terrorist attack in Kashmir is utterly devastating. My thoughts are with those affected, their loved ones, and the people of India.”
President of the EU Commission Ursula von der Leyen also offered her deepest condolences over the “vile” terror attack.
“The vile terror attack in Pahalgam today stole so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to PM Narendra Modi and every Indian heart grieving today. Yet I know that India’s spirit is unbreakable. You will stand strong in this ordeal. And Europe will stand with you.”
Furthermore, the Ambassador of the European Union to India, Herve Delphin, stated that the EU stands against all forms and terrorism.
“Deeply shocked & saddened by the despicable Pahalgam terrorist attack against innocent tourists. Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims & best wishes of recovery to those injured. The EU stands against all forms of terrorism.”
Ono Keiichi, Ambassador of Japan to India, expressed deepest condolences and condemned the act of terrorism.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the victims of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam today. Japan strongly condemns any and all acts of terrorism. We stand firmly with India,” the Japanese Ambassador said.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also extended heartfelt condolences on the terrorist attack and condemned terrorism in all its forms.
“Deeply saddened by the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. Armenia strongly condemns terrorism in all its forms. Our thoughts and prayers are with the friendly people of India.”
Early reports suggest the Pakistan-based terror outfit, The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the assault, marking one of the worst attacks in the region in recent years.
Crime
Human rights body condemns rape of Hindu woman by local politician in Bangladesh

Dhaka, June 30: In yet another disturbing incident of violence on minorities and the atrocities against women in Bangladesh, a Hindu woman was brutally gang raped in her own home in the Cumilla district, while her attackers filmed the assault and circulated the footage, a human rights body said on Monday.
So far, five accused have been arrested, including the main accused, Fajar Ali, who is a politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities (HRCBM) said that the culprits circulated the video of the brutal assault “like a war trophy.”
“On the night of June 26, 2025, a Hindu woman in Muradnagar, Cumilla District, endured one of the most brutal forms of violence imaginable: her home was forcibly invaded, her dignity shattered, and her trauma recorded and circulated like a war trophy. She was gang raped by multiple assailants, her cries echoing through the silence of a country that has, for decades, looked away from the suffering of its most vulnerable,” read a statement issued by the HRCBM.
The human rights organisation also mentioned that the law enforcement officials failed to arrange a mandatory medical examination, delayed filing her First Information Report (FIR) until June 29, and later deflected blame by claiming it was “up to her” to pursue medical treatment.
The HRCBM mentioned that the critical delays in filing the FIR, failure to conduct a medical examination within the first 24 hours, and a dismissive attitude toward the survivor’s rights point to “systemic negligence,” adding that suggesting the survivor should arrange her own medical exam represented a “gross violation of procedural and ethical standards.”
The human rights body also said that despite public pressure and “media manipulation by Islamist groups portraying the crime as consensual,” one primary perpetrator and several accomplices involved in the distribution of the assault video were eventually arrested. However, several others remain at large.
The HRCBM asserted that in video statements received by the organisation from members of the local Muslim community, some of them were attempting to “downplay” the incident and “protect” the primary accused, Fajar Ali, and his gang — despite the “brutal nature of the assault.”
Such actions by community actors, it further stated, “obstruct justice and enable the normalisation of gender-based violence against minorities.”
“This incident is not isolated. It is a horrific example of an entrenched pattern in Bangladesh where minority women are routinely targeted, raped, abducted, forcibly converted, and shamed into silence,” it said.
According to the HRCBM, since April 2025 alone, 13 gang rape cases have been recorded in Cumilla District involving Hindu women. Additionally, across the country, reports of headless bodies, mass abductions, and forced conversions of young minority girls are rising at an alarming pace.
“Families now contact HRCBM regularly, pleading to rescue their daughters,” said the human rights organisation.
The HRCBM also criticised the mainstream Bangladeshi media for its largely silent response. They noted that the Muradnagar case, similar to many others, would likely have been “buried under layers of political denial and communal pressure” if it weren’t for the viral circulation of the assault video, which compelled public and institutional attention.
The HRCBM is preparing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding a judicial inquiry into the condition of minority women and girls in Bangladesh.
At the same time, it called upon the international community — UN agencies, human rights defenders, and global civil society — to support its efforts, pressure the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, and push for accountability mechanisms.
Condemning the horrific incident, Bangladesh Students League President Saddam Hussain said that in a country that increasingly resembles a “fascist Islamist regime,” the cries of women and Hindu minorities in Bangladesh continue to go unheard.
He stressed that each passing day brings another chilling tale of “temples desecrated, families displaced, and daughters brutalised.”
“The latest horror comes from Cumilla, where a young Hindu mother of two was raped at knifepoint by Fazar Ali and others. He is reported to be an active member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a party which has a long and controversial history regarding its treatment of religious minorities,” he said in a post on X.
“Her ordeal didn’t end there; they filmed the assault and continued to beat her mercilessly. The video, too disturbing to share, stands as a grim testament to the escalating violence and persecution faced by Hindu women and minorities in Bangladesh,” he said in a post on X.
“Her only crime: being a Hindu woman in a land where religious identity has become a target. As the nation turns a blind eye and justice remains elusive, the question lingers: How long will the Hindu community and women in Bangladesh be forced to live in fear? How much more must they endure before the world pays attention?” the post added.
International
Israeli soldier killed in Gaza

Jerusalem, June 30: An Israeli soldier was killed in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said.
In a statement, the military said Sergeant Yisrael Natan Rosenfeld, 20, of the 601st Combat Engineering Battalion of the 401st Brigade, “fell during combat,” Xinhua news agency reported.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported that Rosenfeld was killed by an explosive device in Jabalia, in an area where the military had begun demolishing buildings in preparation for constructing outposts as part of a planned buffer zone in northern Gaza.
Since the beginning of June, 21 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the Gaza Strip, bringing the military’s death toll to 880 since October 2023, according to official figures.
Earlier on Sunday, Palestinian sources reported heavy bombardments in northern Gaza, with at least 88 people killed and 365 wounded in Israeli attacks, according to Gaza health authorities.
The strikes came as the Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings, calling on residents of Gaza City and Jabalia to move immediately toward the al-Mawasi area.
Meanwhile, Gaza health authorities said on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli military operations since October 2023 had risen to at least 56,500.
Crime
25 prison officials in Punjab suspended in crackdown against drug networks

Chandigarh, June 28: In a major action against corruption and drug networks in prisons, the Punjab government on Saturday said it has suspended 25 officials, including three Deputy Superintendents and two Assistant Superintendents.
The government said the action is part of the drive to root out corruption and dismantle drug networks operating inside prisons.
“Following reports of irregularities and drug-related activities within jails, the government said the action was to end corruption and drug networks. The big action was taken as per information received about corruption and drug networks in jails,” the government said in a statement.
In March, the government shifted notorious jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria from the high-security Bathinda Central Jail to Silchar Jail in Assam as authorities suspected that detained gangsters were running drug syndicates from Punjab’s prisons.
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested Bhagwanpuria, also an accused in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (PIT NDPS) Act.
Bhagwanpuria, against whom 128 FIRs have been registered in Punjab and other states, was arrested in a murder case in 2015 and, since then, has been lodged in several jails, previously in Punjab.
In the singer Moosewala’s murder case, it was Bhagwanpuria and gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who had hatched a conspiracy to kill him.
However, later, both fell apart. Bhagwanpuria, a native of Gurdaspur district, is considered the most dreaded gangster of Punjab after Bishnoi and has more than five cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for hatching conspiracies to disturb communal harmony in Punjab.
Bhagwanpuria is facing 15 cases of arms and drug smuggling. On his shifting to Assam, the NCB had said then that Bhagwanpuria was moved out of Punjab as he had “established linkages” with international operatives in Canada, the US and Pakistan. His relocation was a must to disrupt the ecosystem, facilitating continued criminal activities, it added.
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