Bangladeshi student leader Umama Fatema rejects U.S. award over Palestine stance
Dhaka: Umama Fatema, a key student leader in the movement that led to the removal of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has declined the prestigious U.S. International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award in protest against Washington’s support for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The award ceremony, scheduled for April 1, 2025, will be hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and First Lady Melania Trump. Fatema, along with fellow activists, had been selected for the "Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award" for their role in Bangladesh’s July 2024 uprising.
However, Fatema criticised the award’s past endorsement of Israeli actions, stating that accepting it would contradict the Palestinian struggle for justice. In a statement on social media, she wrote:
"This collective recognition of women activists is an immense honor for us. However, in October 2023, this same award was used to directly endorse Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestine. By denying the Palestinian liberation struggle, the award has justified Israel’s aggression in a manner that calls its impartiality into question. The Palestinian people have long been deprived of their fundamental human rights, including their right to land. Therefore, out of respect for the Palestinian freedom struggle, I personally reject this award."
She concluded her statement with the slogan: "From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free."
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Second PUC results: Life convict clears exam with distinction, DGP lauds effort
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Bengaluru: A life convict lodged in Ballari Central Prison has successfully cleared the second PUC examination.
Ashok Kumar S, who appeared for the examination under prison escort, secured 481 marks out of 600, registering 80.1 percent.
Director General of Police (Prisons and Correctional Services), Alok Kumar (IPS), shared the development on his official ‘X’ handle, commending the inmate’s achievement.
In his post, he stated that it was heartening to see a life convict score over 80 percent in the examination, adding that the inmate had appeared from Ballari Central Prison under escort.
It’s heartening to see that one of our life convict prisoners Ashok has obtained 80.1% marks in PUC exam. He appeared under Prison escort from Ballari Central Prison for his exams.
— alok kumar (@alokkumar6994) April 9, 2026
Glad to see that Walls of the prison has not subdued his hopes for a better future. pic.twitter.com/Nzlcy076SR
He further noted that the achievement reflected that the “walls of the prison have not subdued his hopes for a better future.”
Alok Kumar in his post also shared the result sheet of Ashok.
The Karnataka School Examination and Assessment Board (KSEAB) declared the second PUC results for 2026 on April 9.
A total of 6,32,200 students appeared for the examination across all streams, of whom 5,46,698 passed, recording an overall pass percentage of 86.48 per cent.
