On Wednesday, NIA has invoked the harsh Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze in the case involving the recovery of a Scorpio containing explosives near Mukesh Ambani’s home. The NIA apprehended Waze on March 13 for his alleged involvement in the Ambani residence bomb threat case. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) told a special court in Mumbai last week that Waze was refusing to cooperate in the investigation and insisted on having his lawyer present during interrogation. The NIA objected, claiming that it would “frustrate” the primary purpose of police detention and that access…
Author: Our Correspondent
In Malaysia, a Muslim woman is being investigated for posting a 12-minute hateful speech against Malaysia’s Christian population on social media. The video, which was posted to the Facebook page “Puteri Mujahidah Wan Asshima Kamaruddin,” shows a woman pledging to “destroy Christians” if they use the term “Allah” to refer to God. This hate-fuelled speech comes in light of the Malaysian High Court’s decision to repeal a 35-year old government ban on the usage of the term “Allah” and three other Arabic terms by Christian publications. Before it was removed, the bigoted video received hundreds of thousands of views and…
India abstained from voting on a resolution critical of Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that seeks to create a central international database to allow future prosecutions of war crimes. However, the resolution on ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability, and human rights in Sri Lanka’ was adopted after 22 of the Council’s 47 members voted in favour of it. The resolution, sponsored by a core group of the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Malawi, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, was approved by 22 votes in favour, 11 against, and 14 abstentions during the UNHRC’s 46th ordinary session. This is India’s…
As the mystery deepens in the Mukesh Ambani car bomb case, on Tuesday, two policemen from the Crime Intelligence Unit were transferred. They were close confidantes of suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze. Assistant Police Inspector Riyazuddin Qazi and Assistant Police Inspector Prakash Hoval are the two officers. They were both Sachin Vaze’s subordinates. According to Mumbai Police, Riyazuddin Qazi has been assigned to the local weapons unit, while Prakash Hoval has been assigned to the Malabar Hill police station. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apparently questioned both of them several times in connection with the Antilia bomb scare…
The Indian military is set to receive its own version of the famous US Army Humvee, a light tactical vehicle that has come to symbolize battlefield mobility. On March 22, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Mahindra Defence Systems (MDSL) for the supply of 1,300 Light Specialist Vehicles (LSV) to the Indian Army for Rs 1,056 crore. The induction of cars is expected to take four years, according to a MoD press release issued on Monday. “The LSV is a modern fighting vehicle that will be authorized for carriage of medium machine guns (MMGs), automatic grenade launchers…
The growing number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital on Tuesday led officials to enforce limits on Holi festivities. Surging number of Covid-19 cases in the national capital on Tuesday prompted authorities to impose restrictions on Holi celebrations. The ban follows on the heels of 1,101 new Covid-19 cases and four deaths in Delhi. The city last had more than 1,100 cases on December 19, 2020, when it reported 1,139 cases. “Due to the escalating number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi, public celebrations for upcoming festivals such as Holi and Navratri, as well as meetings in general, will be…
On the eve of Pakistan Day, a letter was written by Indian Prime Minister Modi to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan stating that India wants cordial relations with Pakistan Prime Minister. He said that it was imperative to have an atmosphere of confidence, free of terror and animosity. “India, as a neighbouring country, wishes to maintain friendly relations with the citizens of Pakistan. This necessitates the creation of a trusting environment free of terror and animosity” said PM Modi. PM Modi also expressed his best wishes to Khan and the Pakistani people as they face the challenges of the coronavirus…
The special NIA court that refused bail to 83-year-old Jesuit priest and activist Stan Swamy within the Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case has held that clear Swamy had hatched a “serious conspiracy” with members of a banned Maoist organisation to make unrest within the country and to overthrow the govt . Special judge DE Kothalikar, who rejected Swamy’s bail plea on Monday, said in his order, which was made available on Tuesday, that supported the fabric on record it seemed Swamy was a member of banned Maoist organisation. The material that the court mentioned included around “140 e-mails between the applicant…
The BJP released its manifesto for Assam promising a “corrected National Register of Citizens (NRC)” if it came to power. Among its ten commitments, the party also mentioned several developmental measures, including a promise to solve Assam’s flood problem, as well as protection of indigenous rights. Unveiling the “Sankalpa Patra” in Guwahati, BJP national president, JP Nadda said, “We are committed to bringing a corrected NRC to secure and protect Assam…We will protect genuine Indian citizens and detect illegal infiltrators so that Assam can remain Assam’s.” The final Assam NRC which excluded 19 lakh people was published on August 31, 2019. Following that, the…
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1374294997382533123?s=20 The Centre announced on Tuesday that people over the age of 45 will register for the covid-19 vaccines from April 1. On Tuesday, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar made the announcement. The country is now in the second phase of its vaccination drive. Those over the age of 60, as well as those over the age of 45 who have comorbidities, should enrol to be vaccinated. Previously, during the first phase of the campaign, officials vaccinated frontline and healthcare employees. Javadekar said that there was no dearth of Covid-19 vaccine doses in India and urged all eligible people to register…