Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad discharged from hospital, car used by attackers recovered
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Lucknow/Saharanpur: Police have recovered the car used in the attack on Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad, who was discharged from hospital on Thursday, a day after he was shot at by unidentified assailants in Deoband.
The police are also investigating a death threat issued to the Dalit leader on Facebook, warning that "he will not survive next time".
After he was discharged from the Saharanpur district hospital, the 36-year-old Bhim Army chief said he is feeling better and his blood pressure is stable.
"I am taking medicine for the pain and hope that I will be fine in the next two-three days," he said.
Earlier, in a note posted on Twitter, Aazad demanded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation, claiming his government is providing protection to criminals on the basis of caste and religion.
A bullet grazed the abdomen of Aazad, who is also the president of the Azad Samaj Party, when unidentified assailants fired "four shots" at his SUV in Saharanpur's Deoband on Wednesday evening. He had gone there to attend a ritual at a supporter's home.
The car used by Aazad's attackers was seized from Miragpur village in Saharanpur late on Wednesday night. Its number plate showed it is registered in Haryana, the police said.
On a complaint lodged by Aazad's aide Manish Kumar, an FIR has been registered in connection with the attack under Section 307 (attempt to murder) and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) Act at the Deoband police station, they said.
Taking note of a death threat issued by a Facebook page called 'Kshatriya of Amethi' to Aazad days before the attack, the Amethi police have registered a case at the Gauriganj police station.
The police have taken cognisance of the post on Facebook page 'Kshatriya of Amethi' and registered a case against unidentified persons under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and relevant provisions of the IT Act, said Mayank Dwivedi, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Gauriganj.
A post shared five days ago on the page stated that Aazad would be killed by the Thakurs of Amethi at a road crossing in broad daylight.
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Another post shared on the page on Thursday said Aazad was shot in the waist but "he will not survive next time". Aazad is a very clever man, he needs security and a bulletproof vehicle and jacket, it said.
It also warned that there will be a big movement if any innocent Rajput is framed for the attack.
In his note on Twitter, Aazad alleged the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is worsening and "government-backed" criminals are in high spirits.
"My 56-inch chest is real, not fake. The fatal attack on me is a failure of the government because the security of the people of the state is the responsibility of the government and I am also a responsible citizen of the state," he said.
The chief minister should take moral responsibility for protecting criminals and resign immediately, he added.
Aazad said what happened with him could happen to the chief of any other political party or their supporters.
"There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is getting worse and secondly, the government is providing protection to criminals on the basis of caste and religion. Due to this, the government-backed criminals are in high spirits. Today, they neither fear the law nor the police," he charged.
In Lucknow, Bhim Army and Azad Samaj Party activists handed over to a government official a memorandum addressed to the governor demanding that Aazad's security be stepped up.
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Some supporters of the Bhim Army chief also raised slogans against the attack at Parivartan Chowk in Lucknow and were later taken into custody by police.
Azad Samaj Party's media in-charge Ajay Gautam told PTI that memorandums demanding Z-plus security for Aazad will be submitted to President Droupadi Murmu and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Following the attack on Wednesday, Aazad, who hails from Ghadkhauli village in Saharanpur, was taken to a community health centre and later shifted to the district hospital.
In a video message on Wednesday night, he appealed to his supporters to remain calm and said he would keep fighting constitutionally.
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Trump vows to ‘finish job’, thanks Middle East allies; urges countries to show courage, buy US oil
Says US will ‘hit Iran extremely hard’ over next 2-3 weeks, threatens power plants
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said the United States is close to achieving its objectives in Iran, while thanking key allies in the Middle East for their support.
“We are gonna finish the job. We are getting very close,” Trump said, expressing appreciation to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain. “They’ve been great and we will not let them fail in any way shape or form,” he added.
Trump claimed that US military operations against Iran have delivered major results over the past month. Referring to “Operation Epic Fury”, he said American forces had carried out “swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield”.
He said Iran’s naval and air capabilities had been severely weakened and its ability to launch missiles and drones had been significantly reduced. “Their ability to launch missiles and drones is dramatically curtailed, and their weapons factories and rocket launchers are being blown to pieces – very few of them left,” he said.
The US president also repeated his criticism of the 2015 nuclear deal signed under former President Barack Obama, claiming it would have allowed Iran to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear programme is peaceful.
Trump said the US military campaign aims to weaken Iran’s ability to support proxy groups and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. “Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran militarily,” he said, adding that key strategic objectives are “nearing completion”.
In a separate remark, Trump urged countries dependent on Gulf oil to take action and suggested they should rely more on American energy supplies. He called on them to show “delayed courage” and secure the Strait of Hormuz, which has been affected by the ongoing conflict.
“[They] should have done it before, should have done it with us, as we asked. Go to the strait and just take it, protect it,” he said, adding that the United States has sufficient oil resources.
The remarks come as tensions remain high in the region, with continued military exchanges and growing concerns over global energy supplies.
“We will continue until our objectives are fully achieved. Thanks to the progress, we’ve made, I can say we are on track to complete all of America’s objectives shortly, very shortly,” the US president said.
We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We are going to take them back to the stone ages where they belong,” he added.
He further added that “regime change was never our goal” but that “regime change has occurred because of their original leader’s death”.
He’s also warned Iran of strikes on power plants if no deal is agreed.
“If during this period of time, no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If no deal is reached we are going to hit every one of their electric generating plants very hard, and probably simultaneously,” he says.
