Anyone speaking in favour of Pakistan is wrong, it amounts to treason: Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that anyone speaking in favour of Pakistan is wrong and it amounts to treason.
He however said that inquiry is on in connection with alleged "mob lynching" of a man, accused of of shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan, in Mangaluru.
"If the Pakistan Zindabad slogan was shouted, it is wrong, whoever it is. Inquiry is still going on, a case has been registered, let the report come. It will be clear as to what action should be taken against whom," Siddaramaiah said, responding to a question by reporters on killing of a person in Mangaluru allegedly for shouting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan.
"If anyone speaks in favour of Pakistan, it is wrong, it is treason," he added.
Home Minister G Parameshwara said, a person was "lynched" in Mangaluru, and while interogating those behind the incident, they have claimed that the victim shouted 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan.
"It is being further investigated. Only those arrested said this. Nearly 20 people have been arrested now. Police are also finding out about the person (deceased) and his origins. We have taken the incident seriously. Further investigations are on and there were many people who had gone to play the cricket match. They are all being questioned to gather information. Investigation is very serious," he said.
When asked if the deceased person was from Kerala's Wayanad, Parameshwara said, there is such information and it needs to be verified, by establishing his identity and contacting his parents.
To a question, were there any failure on the part of the police as there are reports that they allegedly tried to project it as suicide initially, he said, "We have no such information. If any such thing is there it will come out from the investigation. If any police failures are identified, appropriate action will be taken,"
The Home Minister assured that the case has been taken seriously and there should be no apprehensions that it is being taken lightly.
However, according to police, the deceased has been identified as Ashraf from Pulpalli village in Sultan Bathery Taluk of Wayanad district in Kerala.
The incident had happened during a local cricket match near the Bhatra Kallurti temple in Kudupu village on the outskirts of Mangaluru, on April 27, police said.
Ashraf was allegedly assaulted with sticks, resulting in multiple injuries that led to internal bleeding and shock, police said adding he was declared dead at the hospital.
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Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threat
Washington (AP): Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre, announced his resignation on Tuesday, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration's war in Iran.
Kent said on social media Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
There was no immediate comment from the White House.
Kent, a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists, was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote.
As head of the National Counterterrorism Centre, he was in charge of an agency tasked with analysing and detecting terrorist threats.
Before entering President Donald Trump's administration, Kent ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress in Washington state. He also served in the military, seeing 11 deployments as a Green Beret, followed by work at the CIA.
Democrats strongly opposed Kent's confirmation, pointing to his past ties to far-right figures and conspiracy theories. During his 2022 congressional campaign, Kent paid Graham Jorgensen, a member of the far-right military group the Proud Boys, for consulting work. He also worked closely with Joey Gibson, the founder of the Christian nationalist group Patriot Prayer, and attracted support from a variety of far-right figures.
During his Senate confirmation hearing, Kent also refused to distance himself from a conspiracy theory that federal agents instigated the January 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, as well as false claims that Trump, a Republican, won the 2020 election over Democrat Joe Biden.
Democrats grilled Kent on his participation in a group chat on Signal that was used by Trump's national security team to discuss sensitive military plans.
Still, Republicans praised Kent's counterterrorism qualifications, pointing to his military and intelligence experience.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the GOP chair of the intelligence committee, said in a floor speech that Kent had "dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
