Indian-origin jailed for hurting pregnant girlfriend in Singapore
Singapore: A 24-year-old Indian-origin man in Singapore has been sentenced to ten weeks in jail for his penchant for violence, having no control over his rage and hurting his pregnant girlfriend.
Mohamed Mustaffa Ali was sentenced on Wednesday by the Singapore District Court Judge Mathew Joseph after he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault - one was a road rage case last year and the other for hurting his pregnant girlfriend in 2017.
The judge also ticked off Mustaffa for his penchant for violence and having no control over his rage, reported The New Paper on Thursday.
The judge sentenced Mustaffa to 10 weeks' jail, the report said.
In the early hours of June 11 2017, Mustaffa had quarrelled with his girlfriend Shahiqah Nadiyeh Mohammad Herman, then 21, over her former boyfriend.
The agitated Mustaffa slapped her face three times and kicked her thigh twice, despite knowing she was four months pregnant with his child, the report added.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Chong told the court that Mustaffa had also pulled her off a mattress she was sitting on in a cousin house.
"The accused then dragged the victim out of the room and into the corridor... by her legs," Ng said.
His cousin then called the police. When the police arrived, Shahiqah refused to have a medical examination but told them she had bruises from Mustaffa's assault.
She later gave birth to a healthy boy and married Mustaffa last December.
In another incident, in March last year, Mustaffa was driving a rented car on the extreme right lane of the Kranji Expressway at about 9pm when he flashed the high beam at a car travelling in front of him at 60 to 70km/h.
The car moved to the middle lane, but when the vehicles were side by side, both drivers wound down their windows to exchange vulgarities and rude gestures.
They then stopped their cars at the road shoulder and got out to confront each other.
When Mustaffa raised his hands, the other man, Lum Wai Keong, 49, punched him in the face.
Mustaffa returned to his car to grab a wooden stick about the length of two arms and hit Lum with it repeatedly until it broke.
Lum, who suffered abrasions on his knee and forearms, has been charged in court with assaulting Mustaffa. His case is pending.
Mustaffa told the court that he had hit Shahiqah after losing control of himself because of stress from his recent divorce.
"I find your actions quite disgusting and despicable," the Judge told the accused.
"You used violence once before and you did it again. You think our Singapore roads are some kind of lawless place? I have no sympathy for your actions."
He told Mustaffa that marrying the woman he hurt did not reduce his culpability. "Even though she is your wife now, that does not in any way diminish your responsibility."
He then sentenced Mustaffa to six weeks' jail for voluntarily causing hurt in the road rage case and four weeks' jail for hurting Shahiqah.
Another charge for committing a rash act by pulling her off the bed was taken into consideration during sentencing.
For each count of voluntarily causing hurt, Mustaffa could have been jailed for up to two years, or fined up to SGD5,000, or both.
For committing a rash act, he could have been jailed for up to a year, or fined up to SGD5,000, or both.
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Mamata visits Bhabanipur EVM strong room, warns against counting irregularities
Kolkata (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee early Friday warned against any attempt to tamper with the counting process, hours after she visited an EVM strong room in Bhabanipur, alleging possible malpractice.
Banerjee, who emerged around 12:07 am after spending nearly four hours at the counting centre for her Bhabanipur constituency housed in Sakhawat Memorial School in south Kolkata, said only one person would be allowed inside the designated counting area.
"Either the candidate or one agent can stay upstairs. I have also suggested installation of a CCTV camera for the media," she told reporters.
Stressing the need for transparency, she said, "It is essential to maintain transparency. People’s votes must be protected. I rushed here after receiving complaints. The central forces initially did not allow me to enter."
Sounding a stern note ahead of the May 4 counting, she added, "If there is any plan to tamper with the counting process, it will not be tolerated."
On Thursday evening, Banerjee had reached the Bhabanipur Assembly segment counting centre, which houses the strong room for EVMs used in the April 29 polling, citing suspicion of tampering with the machines.
She entered the premises along with her election agent and remained inside for hours, even as Kolkata Mayor and TMC candidate from the Kolkata Port segment Firhad Hakim reached the spot but could not meet her.
"I reached here upon learning that the chief minister has arrived. But I couldn’t meet her since she was already inside the premises, exercising her right as a candidate to visit strong rooms. I wasn’t allowed there. I will not be able to confirm what exactly is transpiring inside," Hakim said.
The development coincided with protests by TMC candidates Kunal Ghosh and Shashi Panja outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra in north Kolkata, where they staged a sit-in alleging irregularities and possible tampering of EVMs stored in strong rooms, leading to face-offs between TMC and BJP supporters.
Earlier in a video message, Banerjee had urged party leaders, workers and polling agents to maintain a 24-hour vigil on EVM strong rooms, alleging that the BJP could attempt to tamper with the machines before counting begins.
Her remarks come amid heightened political tension in the state following a fiercely contested Assembly election, with parties closely monitoring arrangements and raising concerns over transparency.
