UP Police assures 'fair probe' in murder case after 13 Muslim family members convert as protest
Lucknow, Oct 3 : Police officials in Baghpat district of western Uttar Pradesh have assured family members of a young man alleged to have been murdered that a "just probe" would be carried out into the matter, after 13 of them changed their religion to Hinduism as a protest.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Kumar Srivastava, visited the village after news emerged that 13 members of a Muslim family had converted, alleging "unfair investigation" by the police.
Srivastava told IANS that he had met the family members to assure them of a "free and fair probe", which he said was still underway. "The decision to change their religion was their own and the police has nothing to do with it," he added.
The family members alleged that the body of the young man, aged 22, was found in a shop on July 22 this year and that he had been murdered, although the police refused to accept this and had closed the case calling it a suicide.
The 13 family members of the deceased had given affidavits to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Badaut informing the district administration of their "wilful changing of religion", a district official told IANS. They also participated in a special 'havan', changing there names to Hindu ones, the official, who did not want to be named, said.
All 13 are from Niwada village's Khubbipura locality. During the conversion rituals, Hindu Yuva Vahini office- bearers were present. Some family members alleged that they were forced to convert by the Vahini members. The Vahini was founded in April 2002, on Ram Navami day by Yogi Adityanath, the present chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Village head Raj Kumar Singh and others said they will petition senior officers to get the family members of the deceased person justice. Singh said that no coercion was involved in the change of religion. The conversions have sparked off some tension in the area.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
