Kudupu mob lynching: Victim’s brother asks Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao to ensure probe is unbiased
Mangaluru: District In-charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao was handed a memorandum by Jabbar, brother of Ashraf who was allegedly lynched by a group of men in Kudupu near the city recently, requesting for justice to the family by ensuring the investigation is conducted in an unbiased manner.
The victim, Pulpalli Ashraf, a native of Wayanad in Kerala, was reportedly assaulted and lynched by a group of men playing cricket in Kudupu on April 27.
In his memorandum to the minister, Jabbar has said that several loopholes were found in the investigation conducted so far by the police in relation to the case. “The matter has been reported by media houses too. The police officials have not followed the procedure while filing the FIR and also in certain aspects of the investigation. Although the investigation officer and two constables have been suspended for the shortfalls, replacements have not been provided,” Jabbar pointed out and pressed for the immediate appointment of an unbiased and efficient officer to handle the case.
He also requested for an immediate announcement of legal compensation to the families of victims of mob lynching cases.
Jabbar further referred to the Supreme Court judgment in the Tehseen Poonawalla case that mob lynching cases should be handled by Fast Track Courts, and asked for a Fast Track Court to hear Ashraf’s case.
He said that this was the first case of mob lynching reported in Karnataka since the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 2023. Jabbar demanded the immediate appointment of a Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) for this case and legal authorities to follow the apex court’s directives without fail to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
14 India-bound ships in Strait of Hormuz stopped by Iran; 1 hit by bullets, 1 crosses: Sources
New Delhi (PTI): A convoy of 14 India-bound ships carrying crude oil and gas were stopped by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by firing at two of them while they were transiting the Strait of Hormuz, leading to 13 of the vessels returning to different locations in the Persian Gulf, official sources privy to the development said.
An Indian-flag carrying ship, which was hit by bullets fired by the IRGC while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, was carrying crude oil and a window pane was broken, forcing it to stop the journey and return. The extent of damage to the second vessel was not immediately known but it also had returned.
However, another ship, which was Indian flagged and loaded with crude oil for the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, sailed through the Strait and is now heading towards India, the sources said.
Two Iranian gunboats approached the targeted tanker and fired at it without warning. Gunboats approached the vessel 37 kilometres northeast of Oman, causing other vessels to return without completing the crossing, the sources said.
The incident was reported in waters between the Qeshm and Larak islands, they said.
Out of the 14 India-bound vessels, seven are carrying the Indian flag, four have the Liberia flag, two are of the Marshall Islands and one of Vietnam.
Six of them are loaded with crude oil, three have LPG and four are loaded with fertilisers. Among the ships, five are bulk carriers. All 14 vessels were sailing in a row.
Thirteen of them were stopped by the Iranian Navy and were instructed to wait. Out of the 13 stranded vessels, seven vessels are drifting south of Larak Island, waiting for clearance from the Iranian Navy, the sources said.
The Indian government is understood to have been coordinating with the Iranian authorities for the safe voyage of the stranded India-bound ships, they said.
The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz reportedly escalated again on Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass. This came as the United States pressed ahead with its blockade of Iranian ports.
Confusion over the Strait, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes, threatened to deepen the energy crisis.
The ceasefire between Iran and the US is due to run out by mid-next week.
Iran's joint military command said Saturday that "control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state ... under strict management and control of the armed forces."
It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the US blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.
