7 cops, 2 others hurt in violence in Chhattisgarh village as out on bail man, aides attack locals
Gariaband (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): Seven cops and two villagers were injured in stone-pelting and violence that erupted in a village in Chhattisgarh's Gariaband district after a vandalism case accused out on bail, along with two others, went on an attack spree, police said on Monday.
The out on bail accused and his two associates allegedly assaulted four persons at different locations, one of them a witness in a 2024 temple desecration case. Following these assaults, an enraged mob of hundreds of villagers from a particular community attacked and torched over half a dozen houses of people from another community on Sunday evening in Dutkaiyya village under the Rajim police station area, they said.
Three men -- Arif Qureshi (18) and Salim Khan (23) -- residents of Dutkaiyya, and Imran Siddiqui (18) of Raipur allegedly assaulted four persons in Dutkaiyya, adjoining Bakli village under Rajim police station limits, and Basin village under Fingeshwar police station limits on Sunday morning, a police official said.
They also looted mobile phones from two of the victims, he said.
Following the assaults, villagers lodged three FIRs at the Rajim police station and one at Fingeshwar police station. The trio was arrested by around 6 pm on Sunday, he said.
However, later in the evening, hundreds of residents of Dutkaiyya and nearby villages allegedly gathered and attacked houses belonging to members of the minority community, including the home of Qureshi, he said.
Over half a dozen houses were vandalised and set on fire, and some vehicles were also torched. Two members of the minority community were injured in the attacks, he said.
When a police team, including senior officials, reached the spot to control the situation, they were allegedly attacked with stones and sticks by the mob. As many as seven police personnel were injured in attacks by sticks and stones, he said.
Force, including a lathi-charge, was used to disperse the mob and prevent loss of life and property. Seven women and children were rescued during the violence, the official stated.
An injured policeman was admitted to a private hospital in Raipur, while the other cops were undergoing treatment at the Community Health Centre in Rajim town. The injured civilians were admitted to a private and government hospital in Raipur, he said.
Police said communal tension in the village dates back to 2024, when Qureshi, then a minor, along with two others, was accused of desecrating a Shivling at a temple in Dutkaiyya village. He was then sent to a juvenile correctional home in Mana, Raipur, and was released on bail later.
After his release, Qureshi, now a major, allegedly intimidated villagers and harassed witnesses linked to the case. One of the persons assaulted on Sunday was a witness in the temple desecration case, he said.
An FIR has been registered on attempt to murder, rioting and arson charges against several persons involved in the violence, while a separate case of attempt to murder against a woman has been lodged in connection with an attack on a cop, police said.
The situation in Dutkaiyya village was under control and heavy police deployment has been made to prevent any further untoward incidents.
Authorities appealed to residents to maintain communal harmony and refrain from spreading or believing in rumours on social media and other communication platforms, officials said.
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Rahul on Indo-US trade deal: PM buckled under pressure to sell out farmers' blood & sweat
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi buckled under US pressure to finalise a trade deal and “sold out” the hard work of the Indian farmers through the agreement.
Addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex after he was not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha as he insisted on quoting from an article that cited former Army chief M M Naravane's unpublished “memoir”, Gandhi also said that it is for the first time in history that the Leader of Opposition has not been allowed to speak on the president's address.
In a post on X, Gandhi said, “PM Modi is Compromised. PM is too afraid to let me speak in Parliament about Naravane, Epstein Files and how he has surrendered on Tariffs.”
Hitting back at the Congress and Gandhi, BJP MP Anurag Thakur asked whether the Congress and others in the opposition are with India's interest.
He also slammed Gandhi over his allegation that Prime Minister Modi buckled under US pressure to finalise the trade deal.
Speaking to reporters, Gandhi said the issue is not Naravane's statement, “that is a side show”, but the main thing is that “our prime minister has been compromised”.
“I want to say three things. They are not allowing me to speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rattled. And the trade deal that had been stuck for the last four months, for some reason which Prime Minister Modi and I know, was sealed last evening,” he said.
Gandhi also claimed that Modi is under "enormous pressure", and his “image balloon” that had been inflated with thousands of crores could burst.
“The issue is not Naravane's statement, that is a side show, he (Modi) and I both know it. The main thing is that our prime minister has been compromised. Who has done it and how it has been done, the people of India have to think about it,” Gandhi said.
The Leader of Opposition also said the farmers of India must understand that there has been a “sell-out” of their hard work, as well as their blood and sweat, by Prime Minister Modi through this deal.
“He has sold it because he is compromised. He has not just sold you off, but the whole country. That is why they are not allowing me to speak,” Gandhi said, claiming that the prime minister is “scared”.
Asked what kind of pressure he was referring to, Gandhi said there is a case against industrialist Gautam Adani in the US and a lot more is to come in the Epstein files matter.
“There is a case on Adani in the US… That is not targeting Adani but Modi's financial structure. The Epstein files have more matter,” Gandhi said.
The Epstein files refer to thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Gandhi also called the pressure of the Epstein files and the case against Adani the two “pressure points” for the government.
In another X post in Hindi, Gandhi said, "For the first time in history, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha is not being allowed to speak on a serious issue like national security.”
“Why is Mr Modi so rattled by General Naravane's statement and the Epstein case,” he asked.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the US has stated that American farmers' products will now be sold in the Indian market, bringing money to rural America.
“India's millions of farmers want to know what the terms of this trade agreement are? Is the Modi government planning to fully open the Indian agricultural sector to America? Will the government thrust Indian farmers into direct competition with American companies? Has a compromise been made on the interests of our farmers? The situation must be clarified immediately before the public,” she said.
India and the US agreed to a trade deal under which Washington will bring down reciprocal tariffs on Indian goods to 18 per cent from the current 25 per cent, US President Donald Trump said on Monday after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi.
Modi said he was delighted that "Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent".
“Wonderful to speak with my dear friend President Trump today. Delighted that Made in India products will now have a reduced tariff of 18 per cent. Big thanks to President Trump on behalf of the 1.4 billion people of India for this wonderful announcement," the prime minister said.
