Mass wedding ceremony organized by Haji Karkala Shaikh Sabu Sahib Memorial Trust in Mangaluru
Mangaluru: A mass wedding ceremony for nine girls was organized today at Bolar Shadi Mahal by the Haji Karkala Shaikh Sabu Sahib Memorial Trust (Regd.), Barke, Mangaluru.
The event was presided over by the trust’s president, former Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), and former chairman of the Karnataka State Minority Commission, K.S. Muhammad Masood. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “This wedding event has been organized with special efforts by my brother, businessman, and chairman of Dubai’s Nash Group of Companies, K.S. Nisar Ahmad Karkala. Unfortunately, due to unavoidable circumstances, he could not be present today, but he has sent his heartfelt blessings to the newlywed couples. I personally, along with the trust, extend my best wishes to all the newlyweds.”
The Nikah ceremony was led by Dakshina Kannada District Qazi, Alhaj Twaka Ahmed Musliyar, and the Qazi of Kudroli Jamia Masjid, Maulana Shaikh Muthahar Hussain Kasmi.
The event was inaugurated by Yenepoya University Chancellor, Dr. Yenepoya Abdullah Kunhi, who praised the initiative, saying, “This simple yet significant wedding ceremony, held under the leadership of Muhammad Masood in the name of his father, is a great service to the community. It serves as an example for other organizations. May these nine newlywed couples have a blessed and prosperous married life.”
The event was graced by trustees, including Haji K.S. Fazlurrahman, Muhammad Asif Masood, former Mayor K. Ashraf, C. Mahmood Haji, Shahul Hameed Thangal, and Riyaz Faizi, among others.
Trustee Haji K.S. Imtiyaz Ahmad Karkala provided insights into the trust’s mission and objectives. The trust’s general secretary, Dr. Muhammad Arif Masood, delivered the welcome address, while Maulana Zubair recited the Quranic verses (Qira’at).
The event was compered by the general secretary of the Muslim Central Committee, Muhammad Hanif Mangaluru.
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UK Professor Nitasha Kaul's Overseas Citizenship of India cancelled
Academician decries move as "transnational repression"
London/New Delhi: Professor Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic, announced on May 18, 2025, via a social media post that her Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card has been cancelled by the Indian government. She described the move as a "bad faith, vindictive, cruel example of transnational repression" intended to punish her for her scholarly work critical of the Modi government's policies concerning minorities and democracy.
The cancellation follows an incident in February 2024 when Professor Kaul, who holds a British passport and held an OCI card, was denied entry into India upon arrival at Bengaluru airport. She had been invited by the then Congress-led Karnataka state government to speak at a conference on "The Constitution and Unity in India."
According to an image of the letter shared by Professor Kaul, the Indian government stated that it had been "brought to the notice of the Government of India that you have been found indulging in anti-India activities, motivated by malice and complete disregard for facts or history." The letter further accused her of regularly targeting India and its institutions on matters of India's sovereignty through "numerous inimical writings, speeches and journalistic activities at various international forums and on social media platforms."
Professor Kaul, who is a Professor of Politics, International Relations, and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the University of Westminster, London, vehemently rejects these accusations. She stated she had provided a 20,000-word response to what she termed the government's "ridiculous inanity about ‘anti-India’," but the OCI was cancelled through a "rigged process."
In her social media posts, Professor Kaul lamented the decision, questioning how the "mother of democracy" could deny her access to her mother in India. She characterized the action as stemming from "thin-skinned, petty insecurity with no respect for well-intentioned dissent."
The February 2024 denial of entry had already sparked controversy. At the time, immigration officials reportedly cited "orders from Delhi" without providing formal reasons, though Professor Kaul mentioned informal references to her past criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The Ministry of External Affairs had then responded by stating that the entry of foreign nationals into India is a "sovereign decision." Unofficial government sources had indicated that a "preventive lookout circular" was issued against her due to her alleged "pro-separatist" and "anti-India" stance on Kashmir.
The BJP in Karnataka had criticised the state government for inviting her, labelling her an "anti-India element." Conversely, the then-Karnataka government and various international human rights organizations and academic bodies had condemned the denial of entry.
Professor Kaul has been an outspoken commentator on Indian politics, including the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, and has testified before international bodies such as the US Congress on human rights in the region. She maintains her work is academic and pro-democracy, not anti-India.
The cancellation of her OCI card effectively bars her from entering India, a country to which she has personal and academic ties. This incident adds to a growing list of academics, journalists, and activists of Indian origin whose OCI status has been revoked or who have been denied entry to India in recent years, raising concerns about freedom of speech and dissent. Reports indicate that over 100 OCI cards were cancelled by the Indian government between 2014 and May 2023. Furthermore, in 2021, new rules were introduced requiring OCI cardholders to obtain special permission for activities such as research and journalism.
