I never followed Islam but I was called Islamist' terrorist: Umar Khalid

March 19, 2016

New Delhi, Mar 19: Hours after his release from Tihar jail in a sedition case, JNU student Umar Khalid today said he has no regrets of being jailed and was rather proud of being booked under the said charges.

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"We have no regrets of being jailed in this particular case. We are in fact proud of the fact that we have been booked under sedition, a law under which activists like Arundhati Roy and Binayak Sen were booked.

"Our names have been added to the list of those who have been jailed for raising their voices," he told a gathering at the varsity.

In a 35-minute speech, Umar said, "I am not ashamed that I was in jail. Criminals are those who are in power, those in jail are the ones who raise their voice."

"I also don't think that freedom of expression is in danger. It only belongs to those in power. People like (Pravin) Togadia and Yogi Adityanath have all the freedom of expression," he said.

Umar claimed that he was being labelled a terrorist because of Islam, which, he said, he did not practice.

"I never followed Islam but I was called Islamist terrorist. It was not just my trial but entire Muslim community's trial. But I want to ask what if I was practising Muslim? What if I came from Azamgarh and wore a skull cap? That will be enough to give me a terrorist certificate", he said.

Khalid, who was welcomed at the gathering by JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and his 6-year-old sister Sara, said, "Those who are raising concerns about wastage of taxpayers' money, we want to tell them we are not going to go back to studies now that we are back from jail. By jailing us you have given bigger responsibilities on our shoulders and we will fulfill that by fighting."

Umar, and Anirban Bhattacharya, arrested last month on charges of sedition for their involvement in a controversial event organised to protest hanging of Afzal Guru, were today granted interim bail for six months by a Delhi court on ground of parity with Kanhaiya.

Kanhaiya, who was also arrested on charges of sedition in connection with the February 9 event at the JNU, was granted bail earlier this month.

"I was linked with Jaish-e-Mohammad, I was accused of eloping to Kashmir or Pakistan while I was sitting at the university administration block, I was declared a traitor to the nation by virtue of birth.

"We are still in a better position as we were not killed in an encounter or tortured in custody and our houses were not burnt. Usually that's the fate of those who raise their voices," Khalid said.

"We do condemn 'bharat ki barbadi' (India will be destroyed) slogans but our slogan is 'Sangh ki barbadi tak jung rahegi' (fight till sangh is destroyed). There can't be peace without justice and where there is RSS can't be justice," he said.

Amid shouting of 'aazaadi' slogans, Anirban recalled his experiences in jail and how authorities were more appalled at him being an "anti-national".

"They said Khalid sahab to we understand, but you being a Bhattacharya how can you be anti-national? I had no answers and I am still clueless about what transpired in the last one month," he said.

"I did not feel bad about being in jail but the day Kanhaiya came back to campus I missed being here," he said.

Comments

Naren kotian
 - 
Saturday, 19 Mar 2016

Lo rikaacha ...good joke kano...chaddi galu scared abthe ..haha...worlds most deadliest crimes rapes beheadings are done by muslims...99.999% muslims are terrorists. . take out the statistics .. First of all saabi galige nidde barallo mama Israel and modi hesru kelidre ...haha ...

Zubair
 - 
Saturday, 19 Mar 2016

Mr. Umar If you never followed ISLAM!! then, you are unfit to named as Umar Khalid... and raise voice against discrimination. Let media and politician call you as either Islamic Terrorist or fundamentalist it is not a big thing. Because Allah knows the best what and who are you..but be firm in your religion and fight for freedom IN India..

Rikaz
 - 
Saturday, 19 Mar 2016

cheddies are scared of muslims name....not whether you follow muslim or not...even in the night they cannot get proper sleep just because of muslim names....you dont have to harm them but they scared it is automatic...its from Allah the alimighty....Subhan Allah!

UMMAR
 - 
Saturday, 19 Mar 2016

NO NEED TO FOLLOW ISLAM ... IF U R MUSLIM U R TERROR AS PER THEM...

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June 10,2020

Udupi, June 10: Philanthropist and businessman Haji P K Abuswalih Kannangar passed away today at a private hospital in Mangaluru. He was 85. 

He was a resident of Pombathota house at Kannangar in Kaup taluk of Udupi district.

He was the proprietor of Green Store in Mudigere for past five decades and also was a coffee planter. 

He had served as the president of Muhayaddin Juma Masjid at Mudigere Hand-post in the past. He was also former president of Mudigere Taluk unit of Indian National Congress.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 4: A total of five people suspected of being infected with Coronavirus have been admitted to the isolation wards of Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases in Bengaluru.

Samples of these patients have been collected and their reports are likely to be received later today.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has assured people in state about preparedness to tackle Coronavirus.

Earlier in the day, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had said that there were 28 cases of Coronavirus in the country and added that universal screening of all international flights will begin to control the spread of the deadly virus.

Global deaths due to Coronavirus outbreak have risen above 3,000.

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March 14,2020

Hyderabad, Mar 14: Telangana Public Health Director Dr Srinivas on Friday said that 34 people, who came in contact with the 76-year-old Karnataka man who died of coronavirus, have been identified in the state.

"So far, 34 people who came in contact with him have been traced and are kept under strict home isolation by the Telangana health authorities. As of now, all the contacts are stable and under active surveillance by the health teams of the Telangana government," Srinivas said.

He added that the rapid response team of the state is further searching for the persons who might have come in contact with the person who died of COVID-19.

"Telangana health authorities were alerted by the Karnataka government after the 76-year-old man's samples tested positive for coronavirus after his death. The man has visited two hospitals in Hyderabad before he died in Karnataka," Srinivas further said.

The Karnataka man, who had died a few days ago, was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Telangana Health Minister's office said that the lone coronavirus patient from the state has recovered and is going to be discharged from the hospital soon.

The development comes after 82 confirmed cases of coronavirus and two deaths related to the lethal infection have been reported in the country.

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