CPI(M) condemns UP govt's move to withdraw charges against Akhlaq's lynching accused
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) general secretary MA Baby on Saturday condemned the move by the Uttar Pradesh government to withdraw charges against all those accused in the 2015 mob lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq in Greater Noida's Dadri, a case that had sparked nationwide outrage.
Baby took to X and called it a "double engine of murderers!"
"A decade after the horrific mob lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq, the Uttar Pradesh government is now reportedly seeking to withdraw charges against all the accused, including the son of BJP leader Sanjay Rana," Baby said.
"Strongly condemn this move, which is tantamount to giving state approval for hate crimes and murder. The UP government should immediately desist from attempts to exonerate these dangerous criminals," he said.
The Uttar Pradesh government has moved to withdraw charges against all those accused in the 2015 mob lynching, Additional District Government Counsel Bhag Singh Bhati told PTI on Saturday.
Akhlaq (52), a resident of the Bisada village in Greater Noida, was dragged out of his home and beaten to death by a mob on September 28, 2015, after announcements over a loudspeaker allegedly claimed he had slaughtered a cow and stored beef in his refrigerator. His son, Danish, sustained serious injuries while trying to save him.
Akhlaq's wife Ikraman lodged an FIR the same night at the Jarcha police station, naming 10 people and accusing four to five unidentified men as well. The case is currently pending before the district court in Surajpur, Greater Noida, a decade after the incident.
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Tejas jet suffered damage to airframe while landing at frontline air base
New Delhi (PTI): A Tejas light combat aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) sustained major damage to its airframe after it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase following a suspected brake failure earlier this month, authoritative sources said on Sunday.
The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, they said.
It is learnt that the aircraft was returning to the base after carrying out a training sortie.
There was no official word from the IAF on the accident that took place on February 7.
Following the incident, the IAF grounded the entire fleet of around 30 single-seat Tejas jets to carry out an extensive technical scrutiny, the sources said.
It was the third accident involving the Tejas jets. The first one took place in March 2024, when a Tejas jet crashed near Jaisalmer.
The second incident took place in November 2025, when a Tejas jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow.
The latest accident comes at a time when Tejas maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has missed several deadlines to supply the Tejas Mark 1A variant of the aircraft to the IAF.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas Mk-1A jets for the IAF.
The delivery of the jets is facing delays primarily due to GE Aerospace missing several deadlines for the supply of its aero engines to power the jets.
The defence ministry in September last year sealed another deal worth Rs 62,370 crore with HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the IAF.
Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
It has been designed to undertake air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles.
