Vijayan condemns Assam CM''s alleged "point-blank" video
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said he was "shocked" by a purported video posted on the 'X' account of the BJP's Assam unit that appeared to incite violence against a minority community, and called for a united resistance to what he described as "communal hatemongering".
The now-deleted video purportedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma taking aim with a rifle and firing a shot at two people, one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard, with "point-blank shot" as the caption.
In a post on X, Vijayan said, "the video of Assam CM @himantabiswa is a shocking, direct incitement of violence against the Miya community."
"Such nefarious attempts to normalise hate for electoral gains are an affront to our Constitution," the veteran CPI(M) leader said.
He alleged that the "silence" of the BJP national leadership "confirms their complicity" in this divisive politics.
"Secular and democratic forces must unite to resist this communal hatemongering and protect the pluralist soul of India," he said.
Separately, in a Malayalam Facebook post, Vijayan said that standing at the doorstep of elections in Assam, a person holding a constitutional position was challenging the Constitution and spreading communalism in order to attract majority votes.
"How can a person who calls for genocide against minorities lead a state in a secular country," he asked.
Alleging that the national leadership of the BJP had so far been unwilling to rein in the Assam CM, Vijayan said: "The truth is that Himanta Biswa Sarma openly said what they hesitate to say publicly."
Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister on Monday expressed ignorance of the state BJP's video, which created a controversy and was deleted.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
