Indian man arrested in Sharjah for assaulting wife
Sharjah: A 47-year-old Indian man has been arrested in Sharjah after his wife, with a heavily swollen and bleeding eye, posted a video online alleging domestic abuse, according to media reports on Thursday.
Jasmine Sultan, 33, on Tuesday tweeted, "Required urgent help. My name Jasmine Sultan I live in UAE Sharjah my husband name is Mohammad Khizar Ulla I have assaulted badly by husband I want help."
In an attached video, Sultan is seen bleeding from her heavily swollen left eye.
Within hours of being posted, the video was retweeted by nearly 37,000 people, tagging UAE law enforcement agencies, Indian missions and the governments, the Khaleej Times reported.
"He (Khizar) assaulted me violently on Sunday night. He punched more on my eyes, twisted my hands backwards, and hit me on my ribs, on my neck and my head. I thought I would die," Sultan told Khaleej Times.
Speaking to Gulf News, Sultan said her husband used to assault her regularly and that he had taken away her and children's passports and all her gold jewellery, worth Dirham 60,000.
The couple has two boys aged five years and 17 months.
Sharjah Police confirmed they responded to the news of an Asian woman who was suffering domestic abuse and that they have detained the accused, the daily reported.
Meanwhile, the Consulate-General of India to Dubai took note of the matter and got in touch with Sultan.
"We met Jasmine today and are in regular touch with her. We have called her husband to the consulate tomorrow, and understand that local authorities are already questioning him. We will provide all possible help to Jasmine," the Gulf News quoted the consulate-general as saying.
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Heated debate in Karnataka Legislative Council over continued ACC mining in Kalaburagi
Bengaluru (PTI): A heated exchange took place in the Karnataka Legislative Council on Tuesday over alleged non-payment of mining dues and the "unauthorised" continuation of quarry operations by the Adani Group’s ACC Limited, with ruling Congress and the opposition BJP members questioning the government’s handling of royalty recovery and permissions.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, Congress MLC K Shivakumar, speaking on behalf of his party MLC Arathi Krishna, alleged that substantial royalty dues remained unpaid even as operations continued.
Krishna wanted to know whether the Karnataka government was aware that the lease period granted to Adani Group’s ACC Ltd for mining in the Kannur Limestone Block at Wadi in Kalaburagi has expired.
“If it is true, what action has the government taken against the said company for allegedly carrying out unauthorised mining at the site without paying the total dues of Rs 850.21 crore towards royalty, rent or penalty payable to the state government?” she asked in the written question.
She claimed that despite the Law department having given a written opinion to the Mines department that the said company should not be permitted to undertake mining activities until it clears all pending dues payable to the government, no legal action has been initiated against ACC, and instead a letter has been written to the central government regarding renewal of the lease in favour of the company.
Krishna questioned the apparent disparity in enforcement between small quarry operators and large corporate entities.
“After the Adani Group took over quarrying, they had to pay Rs 837 crore as royalty. Till today, they have not paid the royalty. What prompted you to exempt them from this royalty?” asked Shivakumar, on behalf of Krishna.
“If there is any small quarry operator, if he does not pay royalty, you do not allow him... You just bring him and seize it.”
BJP MLC C T Ravi echoed similar concerns, questioning the legal and procedural basis for allowing participation in bidding and continuation of operations despite pending dues.
“Do your rules allow those with pending dues to participate? If such a provision exists, under which rule does it exist?” he asked, also seeking clarity on recommendations of the High-Level Committee, Law Department and concurrence of the Finance Department.
Responding to the allegations, Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy, replying on behalf of the Mines and Geology Minister S S Mallikarjun, maintained that no fresh licence had been granted and that the matter involved both an existing mining lease and a separate new application still under process.
He said the company had applied through the bidding route and was given time to complete formalities, which had since been done.
The minister explained that the issue of dues was pending before the court, which has allowed operations to continue subject to certain conditions.
“The old licence is continuing under court direction. It has not been stopped. We are following court direction,” he said, adding that part payment had been made and the balance would be decided through legal proceedings.
Ravi, however, pressed further, arguing that court orders did not prevent recovery of dues.
“The court has not said do not recover dues. What does your legal opinion say? Why have you not recovered?” he asked.
Shivakumar also raised concerns over declining non-tax revenue from mining, citing the state’s own budget observations.
“If Rs 800 crore to Rs 900 crore is allowed to let go like this, where will non-tax revenue come from?” he asked and sought to know why the government had not fully tapped the sector’s revenue potential.
The Minister reiterated that the due itself was under dispute, making immediate recovery difficult.
“How can we recover when the amount itself is not decided? Until recovery is possible, no further permission will be given,” he said, adding that consultations with the Law Department and Advocate General would be held to explore further action.
He also cited tender conditions, stating, “As per the tender notification dated October 5, 2020, a company must have paid all past dues to be considered a successful bidder.”
Unconvinced, Ravi demanded that the recovery of dues should follow.
