Amnesty India chair Aakar Patel says he was stopped from flying to US due to CBI lookout notice
Bengaluru(PTI): The Amnesty International India chair Aakar Patel alleged on Wednesday that he was stopped from leaving India at the airport here as Immigration officials told him that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has issued a lookout circular against him.
The CBI raided the premises of human rights watchdog's offices in Bengaluru and New Delhi in November 2019.
About 15 CBI officers had visited Amnesty office in Indiranagar, a posh locality near the central business district in Bengaluru taking away details pertaining to multiple compliances, organisation structure and others.
In 2018, the Enforcement Directorate raided the Amnesty International India office in connection with a foreign exchange contravention case.
The searches were in connection with the alleged violation of foreign direct investment norms linked to a previous case of revocation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license of the NGO by the Home Ministry in 2010.
Back then, the Amnesty International India alleged that a pattern of harassment has emerged every time Amnesty India stands up and speaks out against human rights violations in India.
It said that it stands in full compliance with Indian and international law.
Patel said on Wednesday when he went to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here in the morning to catch a flight from Bengaluru to Boston, Immigration officials stopped him saying that he was on the lookout circular by the CBI.
"I don't know why I am on the lookout circular. I did not know about it that I could not fly. I missed my flight and now I am back home. They (Immigration officials) did not let me go," Patel told PTI. Patel alleged that there was a case filed against him by a BJP MLA in Surat for which his passport had been impounded. He got the passport back from the court. He wanted to fly to the USA to deliver lectures in three universities-- Michigan University, Berkley University and New York University, Patel said.
"The talks are this month. The court released my passport. I got my Visa. I went to the airport. I was stopped at Immigration. I was told that I am on a lookout circular, that's the word that was used, from the CBI for the case that they had filed against the Amnesty in which I have neither been arrested nor I am on bail," the Amnesty International India chair said. Wondering why he was on the lookout circular, he said he had no clue that he could not fly.
Patel said he will see what legal options were available because he has to speak to his lawyers.
"This issue suddenly came up. Last time they (CBI) had called me was 14 months ago and I went there," he added.
CBI officer called to say I am on the Look-Out Circular because of the case Modi govt has filed against Amnesty International India
— Aakar Patel (@Aakar__Patel) April 6, 2022
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Two arrested in K'taka for assaulting minors, uploading CSAM content
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men were arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls, recording the acts on mobile phones and uploading the videos online as child sexual abuse material, police said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as Kiran Kumar (29), hailing from Chitradurga district, and Aditya M K (20), hailing from Shivamogga district, they said.
A probe was initiated after information was received from the NCRP portal regarding a suspected instance of creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) for online dissemination, police said.
Accordingly, a case was registered at Kaggalipura Police Station under relevant sections of the IT Act on May 10, they added.
Investigation revealed that two minor girl victims were exploited and videos were created and uploaded to the internet. The child victims have subsequently recorded their statements as per procedure and further necessary legal steps have been taken, Pronab Mohanty Director General of Police, Cyber Command, said in a statement.
Based on the statements of the victims, the accused persons, who allegedly assaulted the minors, recorded the acts on mobile phones and uploaded the videos online, were arrested, he said.
Following the probe, sections 65(2) (rape) and 70 (gangrape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the POCSO Act, have been added to the FIR, police said.
Officials collected relevant information and on May 12, arrested the accused persons and seized three mobile phones belonging to them, in which the videos had allegedly been recorded, he said.
The accused were later produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation, he added.
According to him, in CSAM cases, police usually apprehend offenders who have downloaded such content or have kept them in their possession after obtaining them from elsewhere, usually the internet.
"The present case is one of the very few instances where content creators and uploaders have been apprehended," Mohanty added.
