Owaisi calls for quotas for Muslim women
Kishanganj (Bihar) (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has made a strong pitch over quotas for Muslim women, flagging the alarmingly low representation, in Parliament, of females belonging to the minority community.
The Hyderabad MP made the comment during an election rally at Bihar's Kishanganj, the lone Muslim majority Lok Sabha seat in the state, where the AIMIM's provincial unit chief and MLA Akhtarul Iman is in the fray.
"The BJP-RSS falsely accuse the AIMIM of being against women's participation in politics. As early as 2004, we had fielded a female candidate in Secunderabad. Peace be upon her," said Owaisi, referring to late leader Humera Aziz.
"Our point is since Independence, 17 Lok Sabha polls have been held in the country, but the number of Muslim women who became MPs has been just about 20. So why not reservations for Muslim women," he said on Sunday.
Owaisi, who is an alumnus of the Lincoln's Inn at London, and likes to be addressed with the prefix "barrister", recounted the derision he faced upon moving an amendment, in Lok Sabha, to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam brought by the Narendra Modi government.
"Speaker Om Birla said to me you want to bring in an amendment but there is hardly anybody to back you. I replied Allah is with me," the AIMIM chief recalled.
His party also played a clip of Owaisi's Kishanganj speech, with the relevant portion of the Lok Sabha proceedings inserted, on social media.
"My argument is that Muslims and the backward classes together comprise about 65 per cent of the total population. We cannot deprive women of this vast social segment of their rights," said Owaisi.
"Our contention resonated with many OBC organisations. Their leaders came to thank me, saying Owaisi sahib, only you and your party MP Imtiyaz Jaleel raised the matter of reservations for women from backward classes," he claimed.
The AIMIM has declared it will contest over a dozen Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, where the total number is 40.
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4 held for sexually assaulting woman, girl on moving bus after social media alert in UP's Agra
Agra (UP) (PTI): Four people were arrested, after a prompt response by police following a social media alert, for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and a girl inside a moving bus here, officials said on Tuesday.
According to an official police statement, at 12:27 am on April 27, information was received on the social media platform X about an incident of sexual assault on a bus travelling from Kanpur to Ahmedabad, which was approaching Namner crossing in Agra.
Acting under the direction of Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar, the Agra Police social media team immediately alerted the Rakabganj police station within minutes and coordinated with the victims to confirm the incident and obtain the exact location, it stated.
Police teams launched intensive checking at Namner crossing and intercepted the bus as it reached the spot. The four accused involved in the incident were apprehended on the spot, and legal action was initiated against them, the statement said.
The police said the swift response and coordination between the social media team and field units ensured timely action, bringing relief to the victims and other passengers, who expressed gratitude towards the police, it added.
