Many 'unseen hands' including certain organisations behind Hubballi violence: K'taka Home Minister
Bengaluru(PTI): Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on Friday said many "unseen hands" including certain organisations were behind the recent violence in Hubballi, over a social media post, and they will be brought to justice.
He also said that the government was contemplating on controlling activities of such organisations including imposing a ban on them.
"The Hubballi incident was to incite large-scale violence there, as our police acted immediately, the situation was brought under control in a couple of hours. The Maulvi (who allegedly instigated the mob) was arrested on Thursday, investigations are on to find who were behind the incident and organisations that were involved," Jnanendra said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, there will be a thorough inquiry as there are many unseen hands involved. "Innocent people were incited and sent on to the streets to indulge in violence. Some people are trying to create unrest in the society against a particular community and some organisations are involved in it. We are aware who they are and we will find them...thinking is on in all aspects like-to ban and control them. We want peace and stability and all communities to co-exist," he added.
Further alleging Congress' appeasement policy as the reason for communal issues, the Minister said, these are the trees that have grown from the seeds sown by that party.
A mob allegedly went on a rampage damaging many police vehicles, a hospital and a Hanuman temple in the old town of Hubballi and injured some police officers on duty over a social media post on April 16.
According to police sources, it was allegedly following a social media post of a digitally altered image of a Bhagwa (saffron) flag flying over a masjid.
'Muezzin' Wasim Pathan, the cleric, who is facing charges of instigating the mob for violence, was arrested on Thursday. According to the information last available, the number of people arrested in the case, so far, has gone up to 134.
Karnataka DG & IGP Praveen Sood said strict action will be taken against all those directly or indirectly involved in the violence and no one will be spared.
"All those directly or indirectly involved and conspiracy angle if any will be found and they will be brought to justice. We have arrested all those directly involved and time is required to arrest all those indirectly involved, as technical investigation has to take place," he said.
Warning against attacking police or police stations, the DGP said, if there is a complaint, police will take it and act, instead of that showing anger against the men in uniform is not right.
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UAE denies Netanyahu secretly visited the country during Iran war
Jerusalem (AP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the Israeli-US war with Iran, further strengthening ties with a Gulf nation that normalised relations with Israel in 2020, his office said Wednesday. The UAE denied any secret visit had occurred.
Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in a gathering that “resulted in a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates", according to the Israeli statement.
THE UAE's official WAM news agency posted an article denying the report about a Netanyahu visit.
According to WAM, the country's relations with Israel “are public and conducted within the framework of the well-known and officially declared Abraham Accords, and are not based on non-transparent or unofficial arrangements”.
The report also denied any Israeli military delegation was received in the UAE.
Israel's announcement came a day after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed that Israel had sent Iron Dome air-defence weapons and personnel to operate them to the UAE.
The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors that it remains open for business and safe.
Last week, WAM reported that Netanyahu was among the leaders who called the Emirati president to condemn Iranian attacks and express their solidarity with the Gulf federation.
It was rare public acknowledgment of direct talks between the countries that normalized relations in the 2020 Abraham Accords and have strengthened their ties during the Iran war.
Iran has criticised that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.
Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after normalising relations.
Iran demands Kuwait release detainees
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Iran's foreign minister accused Kuwait of attempting to “sow discord” by detaining four Iranians that the Gulf Arab country accuses of being Revolutionary Guard operatives.
In a post Wednesday on X, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi demanded the Iranians' immediate release and said Iran reserved the right to respond.
“This illegal act took place near an island used by the US to attack Iran,” Araghchi wrote.
A day earlier, Kuwait said four men were detained and two escaped while trying to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf on May 1.
Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.
Iranian human rights lawyer released
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Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been released from prison more than a month after being detained, a rights group and her daughter said Wednesday.
Sotoudeh, who is known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves, was detained by Iranian intelligence agents at her house in Tehran in April.
Her release comes as US President Donald Trump arrived in China for a long-anticipated visit that is expected to touch on the war in Iran.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which closely tracks developments in Iran, said that Sotoudeh was released on bail from Tehran's Evin Prison.
Her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan, posted on social media that Sotoudeh was released on temporary custody. Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency also reported Sotoudeh release.
Sotoudeh has been imprisoned multiple times. Her activist husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned in the same prison as his wife.
Nobel Peace laureate needs long-term care
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Doctors who examined Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi more than a week after she collapsed at a prison in Iran said she needs months of treatment, according to her foundation.
Mohammadi, 53, was urgently transferred from prison to a hospital in northwestern Iran on May 1 after she fell unconscious. She was released on bail nearly 10 days later and transferred to a hospital in Tehran where her specialists examined her.
The doctors said her vascular disease has worsened since she was last checked in 2024 and recommended eight months of treatment.
She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison and has been jailed repeatedly throughout her career. Her latest imprisonment began in December when she was arrested in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
