Godse's followers might kill me for stand on Art 370: Asaduddin Owaisi
Hyderabad, Aug 14: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday said he might be killed by the followers of Nathuram Godse, who shot Mahatma Gandhi dead, since he was against the recent decision of the Centre to abrogate the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir, which gave a special status to the state.
He also alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to change Kashmir's demography through delimitation of Assembly constituencies to have its own chief minister.
Asked about the allegations that comments made by politicians like him helped Pakistan's propaganda, Owaisi told reporters here that such charges (against him) were not new.
"My belief is that somebody would shoot me one day. The followers of Godse can do so with me...If Mahatma Gandhi was shot, who is Owaisi. As long as I am alive, allegations would continue to be made," he said, while asserting that he had nothing to do with Pakistan.
Asked if he thought delimitation would happen in Kashmir, the Hyderabad MP said, "They want to do it. That is what the Election Commission said. The whole idea is to change the demography of Kashmir. The whole idea is to have a non-Muslim chief minister from the BJP only."
"That is why, this is a step in changing the demography of that state and that is why it has been bifurcated," he added and asserted that Kashmir was an integral part of India and would remain so.
Owaisi alleged that the BJP had love for Kashmir, but not for Kashmiris.
When pointed out that the conditions prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir were special, he said the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 19 and other articles of the Constitution could not be taken away.
"This government has forgotten constitutionalism," he said.
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief also claimed that the government would remove certain special provisions in states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.
"I am telling the people of Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam that it will happen there. These people would remove (special provisions) in Himachal also...," he said.
On the BJP raising the issue of the day of merger of the erstwhile Hyderabad state of the Nizam with the Indian Union (September 17, 1948) not being celebrated officially, Owaisi said he felt proud that Hyderabad became part of the Indian Union.
"About 10 lakh jobs would be lost in the automobile industry, but the 'liberation day' is being talked about," he said.
Addressing an Eid Milap meeting at his party office late on Tuesday, Owaisi said the government's decision to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- was against the principles of federalism as the state Assembly's views should have been taken before implementing such a decision.
Referring to actor Rajinikanth's comments lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Lord Krishna and Arjuna, he said, "Who are the Pandavas in this? Who are the Kauravas? So you would like to make Kashmir the Mahabharata? One actor has said, the other actors are happy. Feel happy."
The Congress in Tamil Nadu had also ridiculed Rajinikanth for his comments, asking him to "read the Mahabharata properly".
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Man chased, brutally stabbed inside public toilet in northwest Delhi; one arrested; juvenile held
New Delhi (PTI): An alleged road rage incident took a fatal turn when a 27-year-old factory worker was chased down by assailants and stabbed multiple times inside a public toilet in northwest Delhi's Ashok Vihar area, police said on Thursday.
According to police, the incident took place on Wednesday night, when witnesses saw the victim, Santosh Kumar, running into a public toilet in a desperate bid to save his life, with his attackers hot on his heels.
"A PCR call was received at 6:23 pm on April 8 regarding a man being stabbed inside the compound of a Sulabh Sauchalaya located at the fish market in Wazirpur Industrial Area," a senior police officer said.
A police team rushed to the spot and found the victim lying in a pool of blood inside the toilet premises. The victim, originally from Nepal, was residing in Macchi Market area, the official said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the incident stemmed from an altercation between the victim and a motorcycle rider. The verbal spat soon escalated into a physical scuffle, during which the accused, along with an associate, allegedly attacked Santosh with a knife.
Police sources said in a desperate attempt to save himself, the injured victim ran towards the nearby public toilet and tried to latch the door from inside. Eyewitness accounts suggest he tried to take refuge inside the public toilet and shut the door to prevent his attackers from entering. However, he was chased down, overpowered, and stabbed multiple times.
Santosh collapsed on the spot, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.
A case under sections 103(1) (murder) and 3(5) (common intentions) was registered at Ashok Vihar police station and an investigation was taken up.
During the probe, police arrested one accused identified as Tanish (19), a resident of CSA Colony in Macchi Market area, and apprehended a juvenile allegedly involved in the incident.
Police said the motorcycle used by the accused, which they had abandoned while fleeing after the attack, was recovered near the crime scene.
Family members and acquaintances of the deceased expressed shock over the killing. Santosh's uncle, who reached the spot after being informed, recounted the scene.
"When I came here, I saw him lying on the floor, dead. I noticed that he had been stabbed twice. I am not aware of what exactly happened. He was just 27 years old and used to work in a steel company with me. I don't know how many people were involved in the attack. We are from Nepal, and I have been working here for 15 years. I think he was stabbed outside and later came inside the toilet to save himself. There was a bike outside which I think belonged to the attackers," he said.
Police said the motive behind the crime appears to be road rage -- a sudden and heated altercation on the road that spiralled into a violent assault resulting in the victim's death.
Efforts are underway to identify and apprehend any other persons involved in the attack. Police teams are analysing CCTV footage from the surrounding area and examining local witnesses to piece together the sequence of events.
