Four Congress workers, woman held in killing of two DYFI activists in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram: Four Congress workers and a woman people were on Tuesday arrested in the killing of two DYFI workers at Venjaramoodu near here and the remand report filed by the police says it was "politically motivated."
Police had earlier in the day arrested the four Congress party workers and later in the evening recorded the arrest of a woman, named Preeja, for allegedly helping the accused to escape after the crime.
"Currently five people have been arrested. The woman was arrested for helping the accused to escape after the crime," police said, adding that two more accused are under custody.
Meanwhile, the remand report of the police submitted in a local court says the murder was politically motivated and the act was committed following a conspiracy hatched on August 30.
Mithilaj (30) and Haq Muhammed (24) of the CPI-M's youth wing were fatally attacked by Congress-INTUC-Youth Congress workers with sharp edged weapons near here late night on August 30.
The remand report says the root cause of the issue started on the eve of the 2019 Lok Sabha election when the accused, who are Congress workers, got into a scuffle with the DYFI workers.
"The accused in this case had on May 25 attempted to murder a DYFI activist Faisal and was arrested," the report submitted before the court said.
The report also said the accused hatched a conspiracy at a place near here and attacked the two DYFI workers on August 30.
Meanwhile, state Industries Minister E P Jayarajan today alleged that the accused in the killing were having "close links" with Congress MP Adoor Prakash, a charge rejected by the latter who dared the government to prove it.
A day after CPI(M) state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan alleged a high-level conspiracy by Congress leadership behind the attack, Jayarajan claimed the accused in the case were having close links with Congress Attingal MP Adoor Prakash.
He demanded an investigation into the MP's role in the conspiracy to kill the two DYFI activists.
"Adoor Prakash has close links with the accused in the Venjaramood double murder case of the DYFI activists. It seems like the accused have contacted the MP through phone after the murder and his role in the conspiracy should also be probed," he told reporters after visiting the houses of the deceased.
Dismissing the charge, Prakash accused the Left party of trying to derail the probe and challenged the state government to prove it.
"The state government has the police and all the latest technology. I challenge them to prove the allegation. They must not use the police to influence the probe," he told PTI.
Meanwhile, local TV channels aired a voice clip purportedly of one of the accused alleging that Prakash had helped them in a previous case involving an attack on a DYFI workerFaisal on May 25.
The two DYFI workers were attacked while they were going to Mithilaj's home on a motorbike.
CCTV visuals aired by TV channels showed a gang of assailants attacking the duo.
The CPI(M) has given a call to observe 'black day' on Wednesday in protest against the brutal killing of the DYFI workers.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Ramesh Chennithala has said the Congress had no role in the killings.
"Congress is not a party of assailants. We don't encourage goons in our party," he had said on Monday and accused the LDF government of unleashing "false propaganda" against the opposition party.
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Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
