Time to protest on social media alone is over: Farhan Akhtar
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar on Wednesday said he will be hitting the streets to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act as he believes that the time to express outrage on social media alone is over.
The actor took to Twitter to announce that he will be partaking in a protest to be held on Thursday at August Kranti Maidan here. "See you on the 19th at August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The time to protest on social media alone is over," Farhan said.
The actor also shared an image that sought to explain the ramifications of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizen (NRC).
According to the amended act, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities, who had come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014, and were facing religious persecution, will not be treated as illegal immigrants but given Indian citizenship.
Farhan's response came three days after Delhi Police action against the students of Jamia Millia Islamia University on Sunday. The police entered the campus after a protest against the Act by the students turned violent.
Many from the film fraternity including his father veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar, actors Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub, Parineeti Chopra, Sidharth Malhotra, filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap, and Hollywood actor John Cusack expressed solidarity with the youth over the police crackdown inside the campus.
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Cross-border narcotics network busted in Jammu; most-wanted drug lord arrested
Jammu, Apr 15 (PTI): The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday said a major narcotics network with interstate and cross-border links was busted with the arrest of most-wanted drug kingpin Gulzar Ahmad alias Lau Gujjar along with several of his associates.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Jammu) Joginder Singh said Gujjar had been supplying narcotics in bulk quantities across the region, and evading capture for more than two decades, terming his arrest a major breakthrough.
"He was a hardcore criminal and a key figure in the drug supply chain. His network has now been fully identified and dismantled," the SSP told reporters here.
He said Gujjar entered the criminal world as a bovine smuggler in 2006 before launching himself into drug trade around 2016, and scaling up operations by 2019.
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A Pakistan-made pistol was recovered from his possession at the time of his arrest on April 4, the SSP said, adding that three of his associated were also arrested and more than 700 grams of heroin was seized.
Interrogation of around 10 more suspects linked to the network is underway, while around two dozen other suspects have been identified and are under surveillance, he said.
SSP Singh said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a superintendent of police rank officer has been constituted to probe the case, who would examine forward and backward linkages of the network including financial trails and assets created through illicit trade.
The police are trying to ascertain the source and the routes through which these illicit supplies entered India -- whether through Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir or through other border areas, he said.
Singh said the weapon recovered from the accused drug lord indicates a Pakistan link. "We are investigating that aspect as well, pointing towards broader narco-terror angle."
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The SSP said Gujjar was wanted in at least 28 cases in Jammu district alone and dozens of FIRs are registered against him in other states under different identities.
Highlighting the crackdown against drug syndicates, he said police have so far registered 103 cases related to drug peddling in Jammu district this year.
Out of these, nine cases involve commercial quantities of contraband.
Nearly 11 kg of heroin has been seized, along with poppy husk, ganja, controlled medication capsules, and other such contraband, he said, adding around 20 driving licences have been cancelled, and nearly 200 vehicles linked to drug activities have been blacklisted.
