6 dead, 20 wounded in school shooting in Russia
Moscow (AP): A gunman on Monday morning killed six people and wounded 20 others in a school in central Russia, local police said.
Governor of the Udmurtia region, Alexander Brechalov, said in a video statement that the still unidentified shooter got into a school in Izhevsk, the region's capital, killed a guard and some of the children there.
There are victims among the children, there are wounded too, Brechalov said.
The school educated children between grades 1 and 11.
According to the governor and local police, the gunman shot himself. The school has been evacuated and area around it has been fenced off, the official said.
No details about the gunman or his motives have been released.
Izhevsk, a city of 640,000, is located west of the Ural mountains in central Russia, about 960 kilometres (596 miles) east of Moscow.
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New Delhi: Several press organisations have called for the withdrawal of the FIR filed by the Uttar Pradesh Police against Mohammed Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking platform Alt News. The FIR includes allegations of endangering India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity under s. 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The case stems from Zubair’s social media post on October 3, where he shared a video of Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand’s speech that allegedly contained derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad. The video, shared on X (formerly Twitter), led to protests from Muslim groups across several cities. The complaint against Zubair was filed by Udita Tyagi, general secretary of the Yati Narsimhanand Saraswati Foundation, claiming the post was intended to incite violence.
On November 27, the Allahabad High Court was informed that s. 152 of the BNS and s. 66 of the Information Technology Act had been added to the FIR. While the court allowed these additions, press bodies expressed strong opposition to the charges, calling them a misuse of laws meant to stifle press freedom and dissent.
The Press Club of India described s. 152 as a "new avatar" of the sedition law, warning of its potential to silence media and free thinkers. Similarly, DIGIPUB, an association of digital news organisations, condemned the FIR as a "vindictive and unreasonable overreach" by the authorities.
DIGIPUB questioned whether the Uttar Pradesh government intends to target journalists who expose hate speech against minorities. It urged the police to shift focus to prosecuting individuals making hate speeches rather than harassing journalists like Zubair.
The Allahabad High Court has scheduled the next hearing on December 3, directing the investigating officer to provide detailed affidavits regarding the charges. Meanwhile, Zubair has sought legal protection against arrest.
