Mangaluru woman arrested for impersonating as IGP Roopa
Bengaluru: Banashankari police have arrested a lady hailing from Mangaluru for allegedly impersonating as IPS officer and IGP (Home Guards) D Roopa and calling a police official in Lucknow to book a room in five-star hotel for her.
The accused has been identified as Asha Prakash (45) a resident of Mangaluru.
According to the reports Asha called a police officer in Lucknow in third week of December last year and asked him to book her a room in a five-star hotel in the city from 29 December to 3 January.
The officer booked the room accordingly. Another officer from Lucknow who personally knew Roopa called her personally and asked about her trip and why didn’t she inform him about the trip. A shocked Roopa denied making any such calls and filed a complaint at Banashankari police station in this regard.
The police then tracked down the number from which the call was made to the officer in Lucknow and traced Asha in Mangaluru.
Asha initially denied making any such calls and also claimed that her mobile phone was stolen a month back and that she had filed a complaint in this regard as well at Pandeshwar police station. She also presented the acknowledgement slip provided by the Pandeshwar police.
Police however continued their investigation and then discovered that the number through which the call was made was being used in the same mobile phone with same IMEI number as that of which was being used by Asha at present.
According to a report published in Times of India website, Asha then confessed to committing the crime but did not reveal the motive behind it. “As the case was a non-heinous crime, she secured bail immediately” police said.
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Press bodies demand withdrawal of FIR Against Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair
New Delhi: Several press organisations have called for the withdrawal of the FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking platform Alt News. The FIR includes allegations of endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity under s. 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The case stems from Zubair’s social media post on October 3, where he shared a video of Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand’s speech that allegedly contained derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. The video, shared on X (formerly Twitter), led to protests from Muslim groups across several cities. The complaint against Zubair was filed by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsimhanand Saraswati Foundation, claiming the post was intended to incite violence.
On November 27, the Allahabad High Court was informed that s. 152 of the BNS and s. 66 of the Information Technology Act had been added to the FIR. While the court allowed these additions, press bodies expressed strong opposition to the charges, calling them a misuse of laws meant to stifle press freedom and dissent.
The Press Club of India described s. 152 as a "new avatar" of the sedition law, warning of its potential to silence media and free thinkers. Similarly, DIGIPUB, an association of digital news organisations, condemned the FIR as a "vindictive and unreasonable overreach" by the authorities.
DIGIPUB questioned whether the Uttar Pradesh government intends to target journalists who expose hate speech against minorities. It urged the police to shift focus to prosecuting individuals making hate speeches rather than harassing journalists like Zubair.
The Allahabad High Court has scheduled the next hearing on December 3, directing the investigating officer to provide detailed affidavits regarding the charges. Meanwhile, Zubair has sought legal protection against arrest.
