Central Hajj Committee Chairman informs why M'luru Airport was removed as embarkation point for Hajj
Here's what he said
Mangaluru: The Muslim Central Committee Dakshina Kannada, Udupi districts on Thursday submitted a memorandum to A. P. Abdullakutty, the Chairman of the Hajj Committee of India after the Mangaluru International Airport was removed from the embarkation point for the Hajj pilgrims for the year 2023.
The memorandum urged Abdullakutty to consider granting the embarkation point status again adding that removing it from the list has caused inconveniences to people from Dakshina Kannada and other neighboring districts who had chosen Mangaluru Airport as their embarkation point for their pilgrimage.
Speaking after accepting the memorandum, A. P. Abdullakutty noted that the Mangaluru International Airport was initially considered by the Central Hajj Committee as an embarkation point for Hajj this year but due to the lesser number of pilgrims choosing it as their embarkation point, it was removed from the list.
“There were less than 300 applications that selected the Mangaluru International Airport, so when the international tender was sent to air carriers Mangaluru was removed from the list. It is not controlled by the Centre or the Hajj Committee,” Abdullakutty told Vartha Bharati.
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When asked about the inconveniences being faced by the pilgrims who had selected Mangaluru Airport as their embarkation point, Abdullakutty said the Hajj Committee will discuss the issue and come out with a solution for the pilgrims. He also assured that the pilgrims will be facilitated their embarkation either from Kannur or from Bengaluru.
When asked if Mangaluru Airport will be further considered as an embarkation point in the future, Abdullakutty added that the Hajj Committee would consider it if more pilgrims opt for it as their favored embarkation point next year.
Earlier, Mangaluru International Airport was removed as an embarkation point, prompting social media debates and concerns adding that the people of Coastal Karnataka were being caused inconvenience due to the move.
In 2019, pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Shivamogga, and other districts embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage from Mangaluru International Airport. In 2020, and 2021 owing to the Pandemic the pilgrimage was not facilitated while in 2022 the majority of the passengers from these districts embarked on the pilgrimage from Bengaluru Airport. After Mangaluru airport not being included in the embarkation point this year, the pilgrims have expressed confusion and dissent over urging the Hajj Committee to intervene and include Mangaluru as one of the embarkation points for Hajj 2023.
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Malaysian Indian sentenced to jail and caning for raping Indonesian woman in Singapore
Singapore (PTI): An Indian-origin Malaysian man was sentenced in Singapore to 12 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane for raping a domestic worker outside a train station after tricking her into thinking that he was a police officer.
Sharveen Chetty, 48, pleaded guilty on February 4 to one charge of raping the 35-year-old Indonesian woman in the bushes outside Exit F of a subway, Little India Mass Rapid Transit station, at about 8pm on July 11, 2022.
The victim was with her friends at the time, but Chetty lured her away before he sexually assaulted her, according to a report by The Straits Times on Thursday.
Two other charges – a second rape charge and a charge of impersonating a police officer – were taken into consideration during sentencing on Wednesday.
The witnesses who testified on the first day of the trial included a doctor from Women’s and Children’s Hospital who examined the victim a day after the rapes, and forensic scientists from the Health Sciences Authority.
Chetty had initially contested the charges in a High Court trial that began on February 3. But he changed his mind and pleaded guilty on what would have been the second day of the trial, according to the daily report.
In sentencing, Justice Dedar Singh Gill considered it aggravating that Chetty had targeted the victim because she was a foreigner who might be unfamiliar with the local authorities.
The judge rejected the defence's arguments that the rape was not premeditated.
The judge, however, noted that Chetty had pleaded guilty before the victim and key prosecution witnesses testified, thus sparing her and her friends from going through cross-examination.
The prosecution had sought a sentence of between 11 and 13 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane, noting Chetty’s extensive efforts to disguise himself, and his predatory act of leading the victim away from the rest of the group.
Chetty admitted that he became sexually attracted to the victim.
