Christian girl says she left India for UAE for love, not to join terror group
Dubai: A 19-year-old Christian girl, who fled to Abu Dhabi and embraced Islam, has said she left India on her free will for love and rubbished reports that she has been "abducted and coerced" into joining a terrorist group, according to a media report.
Ciyani Benny's remarks came after her parents filed a missing report alongside a police complaint in Delhi saying that their daughter has been kidnapped while her college mates petitioned the Chief Justice of India stating: "an Indian national has been abducted by forces that have been creating havoc around the world."
"This is not true. I have found my true calling and have come to Abu Dhabi of my own free will. No one forced me. I am an adult citizen of India and can make my own decision, Benny, now known as Aisha, told Gulf News on Sunday.
Benny attended classes until 11am on September 18. However, the same afternoon, she took a 2.45 pm GoAir flight to Abu Dhabi to get married an Indian man she became friends with on social media about nine months ago.
Her parents, originally from Kozhikode in Kerala, said they fear their daughter could have been misled/cheated/brainwashed/abducted and led astray with very nefarious designs like joining an outfit such as Islamic State (IS) or being used as a slave.
Benny has strongly refuted these allegations.
On Saturday, she issued a statement saying that she embraced Islam in Abu Dhabi Court on September 24 of her own free will.
"I have accepted this religion and would ensure that I would live with the same faith, she said in a letter addressed to the Indian home minister, the National Commissions of Minorities and Kerala and Delhi chief ministers.
Our Constitution provides each and every citizen the freedom of religion and freedom... I have been called by the Indian Embassy and I have stated my terms that I have come here on my own and would not want to go back," she said, urging the government to take action against those spreading the fake news that she has been abducted or is part of a terrorist group .
"They are paranoid. The other day my family stumbled upon some prayers while rummaging through my belongings back home. The prayers were in the Arabic script so they assumed that I was being indoctrinated. The fact is that I have always had a keen interest in Islam and was studying it long before I met the love of my life, she said.
Benny said her parents have air-dashed to Abu Dhabi to meet her. "I have told them I am not going back. I want to get married to live in the UAE," she said.
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Karnataka fast-tracks investment approvals, cuts red tape across key clearances: Minister Patil
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister M B Patil on Saturday said the state government has fast-tracked approvals for investment projects and taken measures to cut red tape.
He said that since 2022, Karnataka has approved 2,028 projects worth Rs 5.11 lakh crore, which could create 7.16 lakh jobs.
Of these, Rs 69,564 crore has already been realised, generating 1.06 lakh jobs, he added.
“Karnataka fast-tracks approvals, cuts red tape,” the Minister for Large & Medium Industries said.
“Clear results of our government’s push to speed up approval processes are now evident. Not only have investment agreements been secured, but effective implementation is also underway,” he said in a post on X.
He added that simplified and swift approval processes are boosting investor confidence and providing greater impetus to industrial growth across the state.
“Karnataka’s investment-friendly environment is further strengthened by its culture of ease of doing business,” he said.
Noting that Karnataka is fast-tracking approvals and aligning departments and districts for on-ground delivery, the minister said: “We have overhauled 18 key approvals, cutting land use change clearance time from 120 to 45 days, fire NOC from 60 to 21 days, factory plan approvals from 30 to 14 days, and electrical approvals to just 10 days.”
In a competitive landscape, Karnataka is acting decisively to ensure faster decisions, fewer delays, and a truly pro-industry ecosystem, he added.
