Muslim Central Committee urges Centre to reinstate Mangaluru as Haj embarkation point
Mangaluru: The Muslim Central Committee (R), Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, led by its President and former MLC Al Haj K. S. Mohammed Masood, has urged the Union Government to designate Mangaluru International Airport once again as a Haj embarkation point for pilgrims from Coastal Karnataka.
In a detailed representation addressed to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Masood highlighted the inconvenience faced by Haj pilgrims from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, and Hassan districts after the embarkation facility at Mangaluru was discontinued in 2019.
The letter noted that Mangaluru International Airport, the second busiest in Karnataka and ranking 12th nationally in international passenger traffic, had been operating Haj flights directly to Jeddah and Medina between 2012 and 2019. The service was stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not been restored since.
Masood pointed out that during the seven years of operation, thousands of pilgrims from the coastal and Malnad regions benefitted from the Mangaluru embarkation point, with more than 1,500 pilgrims travelling annually. He said the present arrangement, which requires pilgrims to travel 345 km to Bengaluru, has caused severe hardship, especially to elderly and female pilgrims. The journey involves high travel costs, including a round-trip taxi fare of around Rs.10,500, besides accommodation expenses and toll charges.
Under these circumstances, the Committee has appealed to the Ministry of Minority Affairs and the Haj Committee of India to reinstate Mangaluru as a Haj embarkation point, considering the logistical advantages and public demand from the coastal region.
Health and Family Welfare Minister and Dakshina Kannada District In-Charge Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has also written to Minister Rijiju, supporting the request and urging the Centre to take prompt action on the matter.
Copies of the representation have been forwarded to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Minister for Haj and Municipal Administration Raheem Khan, Speaker U.T. Khader, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Mangaluru MP Capt. Brijesh Chowta, and the Chairmen of both the Haj Committee of India and the Karnataka State Haj Committee.
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Nashik TCS case: Accused Nida Khan held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Nashik (PTI): Weeks after she went into hiding, a female employee of the TCS unit in Nashik, accused in a case related to alleged religious conversion and sexual harassment of some women colleagues, has been arrested, police said.
Nida Khan was held on Thursday in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik said.
Khan is an accused in the Deolali Camp police station crime register number 156/26 here, he said.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police is probing nine cases of molestation and harassment at the IT major’s Nashik unit.
It had arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, by registering nine FIRs after allegations of exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit came to light.
The SIT had launched a search for Khan in different parts of Maharashtra. She is accused of targeting employees in a WhatsApp group, pressuring them to pray and eat non-vegetarian food.
According to the FIR, Khan allegedly advised women employees to dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions.
Some complainants have also alleged that they were coerced or pressured into adopting religious practices, including praying, changing dietary habits, and adopting religious symbols.
Besides Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for sexual harassment and defamation, Khan has also been booked under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste.
On April 18, she had moved the Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail and interim protection from arrest pending the plea hearing, citing her pregnancy. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court here on May 2.
TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.
