“Those around the CM are looting the state’s resources. You (Siddaramaiah) will have to answer to your conscience and pay the price for this mismanagement,” he said.
Moradabad lynching: Deceased Muslim man booked, friend arrested for cow slaughter
Vartha Bharati | 03-01-2025 | 19:37:00 IST
Moradabad: Days after a 37-year-old Muslim man, Shahideen Qureshi, was brutally assaulted by a mob over allegations of cow slaughter and later succumbed to his injuries, police arrested his friend on Wednesday but have yet to apprehend any suspects in the murder case.
The attack occurred in Moradabad’s Majhola area when Qureshi and his friend, Mohammad Adnan, were allegedly seen slaughtering an ox. A mob attacked Qureshi, leaving him critically injured. Adnan reportedly fled the scene.
Majhola Station House Officer Mohit Chaudhary confirmed that two FIRs were registered in the case. “We took suo motu cognisance and registered an FIR against Qureshi and Mohammad Adnan under charges of cow slaughter. Another FIR was filed based on a complaint by Qureshi’s brother, Mohammad Shahjad, under IPC Section 302 (murder) against unidentified persons,” he said.
Despite registering the murder FIR, no arrests have been made. Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Kumar Ran Vijay Singh said investigations are ongoing. “We have not been able to arrest anybody in connection with the killing of Qureshi so far,” he said.
Following the attack, Qureshi was rushed to the Moradabad district hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries on Monday evening. His body was handed over to his family for burial.
Qureshi, a bodybuilder with a passion for fitness who had participated in various competitions, lived in the Asalatpur locality. He is survived by his wife, Rizwana, and three sons, aged 13, 11, and 9.
Rizwana expressed her anguish over the incident, questioning the mob’s actions. “Who gave them the right to take a human life over the death of an animal? What happened to my husband is cruel. He was killed before his time,” she told The Print.
While police claimed the mob did not know Qureshi’s religion, a video of the assault circulated online shows attackers shouting “Jai Shri Ram” slogans, suggesting communal undertones. The video, purportedly shared by Hindutva vigilantes, has sparked outrage.
Additional Superintendent Singh dismissed claims that the incident constituted lynching, stating, “The technical definition of lynching is if someone is killed over caste, creed, or religion. Here, the mob didn’t know his religion, so it cannot be called lynching.”
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Karnataka govt likely finding excuses to halt guarantee schemes: Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy
05-01-2025 ¦
05-01-2025 IST
Mysuru (Karnataka), Jan 5: Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday accused the Congress government in Karnataka of finding ways to discontinue its flagship guarantee schemes, while "burdening" the common people with increased costs such as the recent 15 per cent hike in public transport bus fares.
Speaking to reporters, Kumaraswamy said, "The Chief Minister (Siddaramaiah) is someone who has presented the most number of budgets in the state, as he has also held a finance portfolio, with his consent the five guarantee schemes were implemented and they (Congress) claim that they have walked the talk, but to walk the talk they are playing with the lives of the common man." Expressing concern over the fare hike, he said it impacted farmers, labourers, and the working class.
“By increasing bus fares by 15 per cent, what has this government achieved? These hikes affect the lives of the common people, not the wealthy or ministers’ families,” he said, adding that the hike reflects the government’s insensitivity towards the struggles of the underprivileged.
ALSO READ: Siddaramaiah challenges Kumaraswamy to prove corruption, commission charges against govt
The revised bus fares, which took effect at midnight on Saturday, have drawn criticism from opposition parties and various sections of society.
The JDS leader charged the government with indulging in "daylight robbery," claiming that in the guise of implementing guarantee schemes, it was extracting several times more money from the same beneficiaries.
“The Congress government claims it is fulfilling its promises, but at what cost? They are taking money from the people through fare hikes, increased stamp duties, and higher cess on petrol and diesel, and then giving it back in the form of schemes like Gruha Lakshmi. This is no achievement,” he remarked.
He further alleged that corruption under the current administration has reached unprecedented levels. "Contractors supporting the Congress have said commissions now exceed 60 percent, which is worse than the previous government. Corruption is rampant at Vidhana Soudha and across departments, with fixed percentages for ministers." Acknowledging that some people have benefited from the state government’s guarantee schemes, Kumaraswamy said the fare hike and other financial burdens might be part of a strategy to eventually phase out these schemes.
“Looking at the government’s actions, it appears they are preparing excuses to do away with these schemes in the future. This could be a prelude to that conspiracy,” he said.
The former CM also highlighted the suicide cases of contractors and officials, attributing them to the rampant corruption in the administration.
He urged CM Siddaramaiah to hold his administration accountable.
