Bhatkal: Collective body of Jamaats rules against fielding Muslim candidate in assembly elections
Bhatkal: The representatives of collective body of Jamaats, in a meeting led by Majlis-e-Islah wa Tanzeem here on Monday evening, decided not to field a Muslim candidate from Bhatkal in the upcoming Assembly elections.
The decision, however, proves to be a setback to the candidature of Inayatullah Shabandri, president of Tanzeem, who was considered a strong aspirant for the Bhatkal seat.
There had been heated debates regarding the fielding of a Muslim candidate in the constituency this year. There had also been an insistence that the Muslims, who have about 60,000 voters here, should unfailingly support a Muslim candidate.
In the backdrop of such demands and debates, the Tanzeem, which is a sociopolitical organization of Muslims in Bhatkal, called a meeting of collective body of Jamaats representatives here to discuss the issues. The meeting was attended by 48 representatives of various Jamaats, including those of Bhatkal, Shirali, Manki, Murudeshwara, Uppana, Samshi and Honnavar.
After much discussion at the meeting, followed by voting too, the plan to field a Muslim candidate was dropped. Most representatives in the Bhatkal area had supported the plan but a majority of the representatives from the Jamaats of the neighbouring areas had opposed it, as a result of which, it was decided not to give support a Muslim contestant.
The matter is learned to have been discussed earlier in a political affairs committee and executive committee meeting of the Tanzeem, where it was decided unanimously to field a Muslim candidate. When placed before the Sarva Jamaat, however, the decision taken at the Tanzeem meeting lost out.
Inayatullah Shabandri, who had contested the 2013 polls as a JD(S) candidate with the support of the Tanzeem, lost to the Independent candidate Mankalu Vaidya, in spite of getting more than 27,000 votes. The high number of votes he won, however, had fuelled the plan of fielding a Muslim candidate. In 2018, however, the JD(S) denied ticket to Shabandri as the Tanzeem had refused him support.
This year, Shabandri, who had high hopes of contesting and had even readied himself for a fight, is again disappointed with the decision of the Tanzeem. Being the president of the Tanzeem, however, Shabandri is forced to accept the decision of the organization.
The supporters had argued that there was excellent opportunity for a Muslim candidate to win the polls, as BJP legislator Sunil Naik is facing opposition in the party, while there are two factions in the Congress. In addition to such favourable winds, gaining other community members’ votes along with Muslim votes would ensure victory from a Muslim candidate, they argued. The decision in the Tanzeem meeting, however, proved a major setback for the argument.
Following the decision at the meeting, people are curious to find out whom the Tanzeem would support during this year polls.
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Odisha woman raped twice in a day, dies after being thrown off four-storey building; 2 held
Paradip (Odisha) (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was raped twice in a day in separate places by her boyfriend and a stranger offering help and then thrown off a four-storey building, leading to her death, in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district, police said on Friday.
Police arrested both the accused and booked them under various sections of BNS for kidnapping, rape and murder.
"The incident took place on February 22 after the woman left her house with plans to elope with her boyfriend, who had asked her to come to a temple by promising to marry her. However, he took her to a secluded place, raped her and abandoned her at Rahama bus stand," Jagatsinghpur Superintendent of Police Ankit Kumar Verma told reporters.
As the victim was waiting at the bus stand, another man hailing from Jharkhand, who was heading to nearby Paradip on his motorcycle, saw the hapless woman and offered help.
He, however, took her to the roof of his rented accommodation at a place in Paradip town and raped her again, the SP said.
The accused then threw the woman from the roof of the building, leading to her death, he said, adding her body was found the next morning.
The SP said the victim's brother lodged a complaint at Paradip Model police station on February 25, alleging that his sister was raped and murdered on February 22. An unnatural death case was registered on February 23 following the recovery of the woman's body.
Earlier, in the evening of February 22, the woman's brother had lodged a missing persons case at Tirtol police station when his sister did not return home.
BJD supremo and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Naveen Patnaik, condemned the incident and demanded justice for the woman and other victims of recent rape incidents.
"How many more innocent lives will be lost? From underage girls to differently abled young women, no one is safe. So, is the rule of law still in place in the state? The news of heinous crimes coming from Kanhari in Angul, Kuchinda in Sambalpur, and Paradip is deeply disturbing. Chaos everywhere, insecurity all around, O Mother!" he said in an X post.
"While the government delivers long-winded speeches on women's safety and law and order, the ground reality is extremely alarming. Even in broad daylight, an atmosphere of fear prevails. Despite repeated instances of such deplorable incidents, the government's failure to take any exemplary, stringent action is emboldening the criminals. The government should take proactive steps to spread awareness on women's safety and ensure the rule of law is upheld in the state," the former CM added.
