Surat: M’luru men marching to Delhi demanding stricter punishment for rapists, die in road accident
Surat: Two individuals from Mangaluru lost their lives and three others sustained injuries when a truck collided with their vehicle during a protest march demanding stricter action against rapists in the country. The incident occurred around 2 PM on Wednesday, approximately 200 km from Surat, Gujarat.
The deceased have been identified as Musa Shariff, a social activist from Charmadi in Dakshina Kannada, and Lingegowda. They were part of a group marching from Mangaluru to Delhi to urge immediate and stringent measures against sexual violence.
The group, comprising five members, had paused for a break and was resting in an Omni car parked on the roadside when a truck rammed into the vehicle. The collision left the car severely mangled and killed Shariff and Lingegowda on the spot. The truck driver fled the scene after the accident, and authorities are investigating the incident.
Musa Shariff was a prominent activist associated with the Karnataka Drivers Trade Union and the KRS party. Known for his dedication to social causes, Shariff had taken up the march to demand punishment for perpetrators of sexual crimes, citing the rising number of such incidents despite campaigns like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao.
The march, which also included participants Naufal Abbas, Praveen, and Hamza, aimed to reach New Delhi, where the group planned to meet the Prime Minister and submit a memorandum highlighting the need for urgent action against sexual violence.
Shariff, who is survived by his wife and three daughters, had been documenting the journey on YouTube, sharing updates under the series “55th Day of the Protest March.” Tragically, their final video was uploaded just hours before the accident.
PC: YouTube Screengrab
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
