Makkah Masjid blast: Acquittal of accused a matter of shame for the country, says witness

coastaldigest.com web desk
April 16, 2018

Hyedrabad, Apr 16: Expressing disappointment over the acquittal of all accused in the 2007 Makkah Masjid blast case, a witness on Monday said that justice was both delayed and denied.

Mohammad Irfan had spotted the second bomb and handed it to the bomb squad on the fateful day at the mosque.

Speaking to media, Irfan said, "Today, the judgement that came reminds us of the popular English saying- though justice is delayed but justice isn't denied, but today justice was both delayed and denied."

Terming the verdict a "matter of shame" for the country, Irfan added, "I still have faith in our judiciary. Higher courts will deal with the case, and if the investigative agencies work harder, the real culprits will soon be caught."

The blast, which took place on May 18, 2007 at the Makkah Masjid in Hyderabad during Friday prayers, had killed eight people and left 58 injured. It was allegedly carried out by a group of right-wing terrorists.

Recounting the day, Irfan said that he had spotted another live bomb amid the commotion that followed the first blast, and handed it over to the bomb squad.

"I got awards at both the national and state level for it," he said.

Earlier in the day, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Nampally acquitted five accused in the Makkah Masjid blast case, citing lack of evidence provided by the NIA against them.

Out of a total of 10 accused named in the case, only five faced trial, as one died while others are still absconding.

Also Read: Swami Aseemanand, associates acquitted in 2007 Makkah Masjid terror attack case

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News Network
May 15,2020

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala activist Rehana Fathima has been asked to take compulsory retirement from BSNL after she was embroiled in Sabarimala row.

Stating that her attempt to enter the shrine of celibate god in 2018 had spoiled the reputation of the company among customers, the BSNL, in its order asked her to take compulsory retirement, further claiming that her acts were “subversive of discipline and amount to misconduct”.

She was suspended from service following her arrest in November 2018 over Facebook posts.

Fathima, who is a technician with the state-run communications company, said she will explore legal remedies against the order sent by her employer.

The Fathima hit headlines when she attempted to enter the Sabarimala shrine, which has traditionally been closed to women in the age group of 10-50 years.

She did after the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women in the age group of 10-50.

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News Network
June 10,2020

Patna, Jun 10: A man in Bihar has willed half his property to two elephants after one of them foiled an attempt on his life by a pistol-totting criminal.

Akhtar Imam, chief manager of the Asian Elephant Rehabilitation and Wildlife Animal Trust (AERAWAT), said he has been looking after elephants since the age of 12.

"Once, there was an attempt of murder made against me. At that time the elephants saved me. When some miscreants armed with pistols tried to enter my room my elephant started trumpeting. It woke me up and I was able to shout and raise an alarm due to which the miscreants ran away," Imam said.

Imam says the two elephants, named Moti and Rani are like family for him and he cannot live without them.

However, the man claims that he fears threats to his life from his family members after he transferred his land to his two elephants. Imam's wife and sons have been living away from him for the last 10 years due to some dispute in the family.

He recounted that his son had allegedly filed a wrong case against him and also got him locked up. He eventually was let away after the charges levelled against him were proven wrong.

Imam said that his son Meraj had tried to sell the elephant to smugglers but was fortunately caught.

Imam says he has willed half of his property to his wife and his share of property worth Rs 5 crore to elephants said that if the jumbos die then the money would go to AERAWAT organisation.

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News Network
June 8,2020

New Delhi, Jun 8: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has gone into self-quarantine after developing sore throat and fever, and will get himself tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday, officials said on Monday.

They said the chief minister, who is also a diabetic, was feeling unwell since Sunday afternoon.

"He has mild fever and sore throat since Sunday afternoon. As advised by doctors, the chief minister will undergo COVID-19 test on Tuesday morning," officials said.

Officials said the CM had attended a Cabinet meeting on Sunday morning and thereafter, he did not attend any meeting.

The chief minister has been holding most of his meetings via video conferencing from his official residence for past two days.

This come as the number of coronavirus cases in the national capital crossed the 28,000-mark with 1,282 fresh infections while the death toll climbed to 812 on Sunday, a health bulletin issued by the Delhi government said. According to the health bulletin, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rose to 28,936 with 1,282 fresh cases.

A total of 51 fatalities were reported on June 6, the bulletin said, adding that these lives were lost between May 8 and June 5. It, however, said the cumulative death figure refers to fatalities where the primary cause of death was found to be COVID-19, according to a report of the Death Audit Committee on the basis of the case-sheets received from various hospitals.

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