NIA to probe murder of rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty in Mangaluru
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) will probe the murder of rowdy-sheeter Suhas Shetty by a group of assailants in Mangaluru, Karnataka, last month, official sources said on Sunday.
The Union Home Ministry has asked the federal anti-terror agency to probe the case related to the "targeted killing" of Shetty "with the intention to create terror in the minds of people", they said.
Citing a home ministry communique in this regard, the sources said the accused involved in the murder case are allegedly members of the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned outfit.
"The NIA has received an order from the Union Home Ministry to investigate the case. The process to register the case is underway," a source said.
The NIA probe is required due to the gravity of the offence, its national ramifications as well as the need to unearth the larger conspiracy, the sources said, citing the home ministry order.
Shetty was killed at Kinnipadavu in Bajpe on the outskirts of Mangaluru on May 1.
He was travelling in a vehicle with his associates when five-six assailants, who came in a car and a pick-up vehicle, intercepted him.
The assailants attacked Shetty with sharp weapons, causing grievous injuries. He was rushed to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries
The gruesome attack was captured on a CCTV camera, which showed the assailants attacking him with machetes and swords.
Shetty was reportedly associated with various local Hindutva groups and had several cases registered against him, including for assault, murder and unlawful assembly, according to the local police.
Karnataka Police on June 3 arrested Abdul Razak (59), a resident of Mangaluru, for allegedly conspiring and sheltering the prime accused in Shetty's murder case.
The total number of arrests made in this case stood at 16, police said.
According to police, Razak is the father of Mohammed Muzammil, one of the key accused, and the father-in-law of Nausad Vamanjoor alias Chotte Nausad, another suspect in the case.
He allegedly conspired with them and others at his residence to plan the murder and later helped the accused evade arrest, according to the police.
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Indian startup's 'Drishti' satellite launched aboard SpaceX rocket
New Delhi (PTI): Bengaluru-based space start-up GalaxEye's Mission Drishti satellite was launched on Sunday aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Mission Drishti is the world's first OptoSAR satellite, integrating electro-optical (EO) and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors into a single operational platform, according to the company.
While EO sensors capture high-resolution images during sunlight and clear skies, SAR sensors provide all-weather and all-time images, using radar pulses.
In a statement, Suyash Singh, founder and CEO of GalaxEye, said, "With the satellite (Mission Drishti) now successfully in orbit, our immediate focus is on completing its commissioning. As we move through this phase, we are already witnessing strong global interest in the differentiated datasets enabled by our OptoSAR payload."
The satellite will help address long-standing limitations of conventional systems and enable more reliable and consistent data acquisition across diverse environmental conditions, the company said.
As a dual-use Earth observation satellite, the mission will support use cases across defence, agriculture, disaster management, maritime monitoring, and infrastructure planning.
The satellite is also expected to complement India's broader initiatives, including the 29 active Earth Observation satellites outlined in ISRO's recent annual report.
The launch came after five years of indigenous research and development, and extensive environmental testing and performance validation of the Mission Drishti.
In a statement, Lt Gen AK Bhatt (Retd), director general of Indian Space Association (ISpA), said, "GalaxEye has achieved what only a few global players have, which is seamlessly combining optical and SAR capabilities on a single platform to enable persistent, all-weather intelligence."
What stands out is not just the technology, but its broader impact on how downstream applications will increasingly define value in the space economy, particularly in Earth observation, where timely, decision-grade insights are critical," he added.
ISpA is the premier industry association of space and satellite companies in the country.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh also took note of the Mission Drishti launch, saying the development marked a significant milestone in India's space journey.
In a post on X, the minister said, "The successful launch of the world's first OptoSAR satellite, and the largest privately-built satellite in the country, reflects the immense potential of our young innovators driving nation-building."
GalaxEye aims to scale up Mission Drishti to a constellation of 10 satellites by 2030, developing a robust and sovereign Earth observation infrastructure for India.
