Amnesty seeks probe into journalist's death
New Delhi: Rights organisation Amnesty International India on Monday sought an independent probe into "mowing down" of a journalist in Madhya Pradesh and demanded the state government bring the guilty to book and send out a clear message that such attacks will not be tolerated.
Reacting to reports of Sandeep Sharma, a journalist investigating illegal sand mining, being mowed down by a truck in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, Asmita Basu, Programmes Director, Amnesty International India said the killing illustrates the risks that human rights defenders in India face.
She noted that the journalist had sought police protection after doing two 'sting' operations.
"An independent and impartial probe must investigate this murder. Many brave journalists, activists and whistleblowers have been harassed, threatened and killed for exposing human rights abuses and corruption," she said.
Basu said that in many cases, lives could have been saved if authorities had acted on reports of threats and other abuses.
"Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan needs to bring those responsible to book and send a clear message that these attacks will not be tolerated," she said.
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AIMIM wins Malegaon Central seat by 162 votes
Malegaon (Maharashtra), Nov 23: In a closely contested election, Mohammad Ismail Abdul Khalique of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has retained the Malegaon Central assembly seat, winning by a razor-thin margin of 162 votes.
This victory in the north Maharashtra constituency marks a significant turnaround for Khalique, who previously enjoyed a commanding lead in the 2019 elections, winning by over one lakh votes.
Khalique, an Islamic scholar, received a total of 1,09,653 votes this time, narrowly defeating his nearest rival, Asif Shaikh Rasheed of the Indian Secular Largest Assembly of Maharashtra party, who got 1,09,491 votes.
There were a total of 13 candidates contesting in this Muslim dominated constituency. Barring Khalique and Rasheed, two other candidates -- Shaan-e-Hind Nihal Ahmed of Samajwadi Party and Ejaz Baig Aziz Baig managed below 10,000 votes. Other remaining candidates were below 1,000 votes.
This election marks Khalique's third term as an MLA. He initially represented the Malegaon Central seat in 2009 as a member of the Jan Surajya Shakti party.
However, Khalique faced a setback in the 2014 elections when he contested under the banner of the Nationalist Congress Party and lost.
His return to the assembly in 2019 under the AIMIM banner solidified his political presence, and despite the significantly reduced margin this year, he has once again emerged victorious.
The results highlight the competitive nature of the Malegaon Central constituency and underscore Khalique's resilience in maintaining his position amidst changing political dynamics.
