Lucknow court frames charges against journalist Siddique Kappan in PMLA case
Lucknow, Dec 8: A court here has framed charges against jailed Kerala based journalist Siddique Kappan and six other people in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. Special Judge of Enforcement Directorate (ED) matters Sanjay Shankar Pandey asked the federal agency to produce its witnesses before the court on December 17.
Besides Kappen, the other accused in the case are KA Rauf Sherif, Atikur Rahman, Masud Ahmad, Mohammad Alam, Abdul Razzak and Ashraf Khadir. The ED had booked Kappan in the PMLA case for allegedly obtaining money from a foreign country illegally and utilising it in acts against the interest of the nation.
Kappan was arrested along with three others on October 6, 2020 while they were on their way to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh to report on the alleged gang rape and killing of a 19-year-old woman. He has been in jail since then.
Police had initially booked the journalist for offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Subsequently, the ED also lodged a case against him under the anti-money laundering law.
The central agency has charged Kappan, Rahman, Ahmed and Alam of receiving money from the now-banned Popular Front of India to "incite riots".
Rahman is the national treasurer of the Campus Front of India, a student body of the PFI. Ahmed is the general secretary of the Campus Front of India's Delhi unit, while Alam is a member of the outfit as well as the PFI.
Sherif, the national general secretary of the Campus Front of India, had funded their trip to Hathras, the Enforcement Directorate has claimed.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
