Ashraf, Rahman murder cases: K'taka govt. considering appointment of S. Balan as special PP
Mangaluru: The Karnataka government is reportedly considering appointing senior advocate S. Balan as the special public prosecutor in connection with the murder cases of Ashraf and Abdul Rahman.
Ashraf, a resident of Sultan Bathery taluk in Wayanad, Kerala, was lynched by a mob at Samrat Maidan near Kudupu on the outskirts of Mangaluru on April 27. In another incident, Abdul Rahman, from Kolthamajalu village in Badaga Bellur, was murdered by miscreants in Kagudde, Bantwal taluk, on the evening of May 27.
Family members of both victims have demanded a thorough investigation and strict punishment for all those involved. Responding to their plea, Karnataka Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader had reportedly discussed the matter with the Home and Law Minister, requesting that S. Balan be appointed as the special public prosecutor for both cases. In this backdrop, the state government is said to be considering Balan's appointment.
In the Ashraf murder case, police have arrested Sachin T., Devdas, Manjunath, Saideep, Nitish Kumar alias Santosh, Dixit Kumar, Sandeep, Vivian Alvares, Sridatta, Rahul, Pradeep Kumar, Manish Shetty, Dhanush, Dixit, Kishore Kumar, and 21 others. While some of the accused have secured bail, others remain in judicial custody.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
