Malegaon blast witness takes a U-turn, claims ATS forced him to take names of Yogi and RSS leaders

News Network
December 28, 2021

Mumbai, Dec 28: A witness in the 2008 Malegoan blast case, whose statement had been recorded by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, today took a U-turn and claimed in a court that the ATS had threatened him to take the names of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and four other RSS leaders.

Notably, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, currently facing multiple cases of extortion, was posted as additional commissioner of the ATS, when it probed the Malegaon blast case.

The witness deposed before the special NIA court on Tuesday. His statement had been recorded by the ATS when it probed the case, before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the case.

During his deposition, the witness told the court that the then senior ATS officer Param Bir Singh and another officer had threatened him to take the names of Yogi Adityanath, the present UP CM, and four other Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders, including Indresh Kumar. He claimed the ATS tortured him and made him sit (in the ATS office) illegally.

After his deposition, the court declared the witness hostile for making allegations against the ATS and denying that he made any statement before the anti-terror agency. As many as 220 witnesses have been examined in the case till now and 15 of them have turned hostile.

On September 29, 2008, six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Nashik's Malegaon town, located about 200 km from Mumbai.

The accused in the case include Lok Sabha member Pragya Singh Thakur, Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, Shudakar Diwedi, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired), Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Dwivedi, Sudhakar Chaturvedi and Sameer Kulkarni, all of whom are out on bail. They are facing trial under provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Indian Penal Code. 

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News Network
November 19,2024

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News Network
November 14,2024

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The UN special rapporteur for Palestine has slammed Israel’s parliament for passing a law authorizing the detention of Palestinian children, who are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” in Israeli custody.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in a Thursday post on X, characterized the experiences of Palestinian minors in Israeli detention as extreme and often inhumane.

The UN expert highlighted the grave impact of this policy, noting that up to 700 Palestinian minors are taken into custody each year, a practice she described as part of an unlawful occupation that views these children as potential threats.

Albanese said Palestinian minors in Israeli custody are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” and that “generations of Palestinians will carry the scars and trauma from the Israeli mass incarceration system.”

She further criticized the international community for its inaction, suggesting that ongoing diplomatic efforts, which often rely on the idea of resuming negotiations for peace, have contributed to normalizing such human rights violations against Palestinian children and the broader population.

The comments by Albanese came in response to Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passing a law on November 7 that authorizes the detention of Palestinian children under the age of 14 for “terrorism or terrorist activities.”

Under the legislation, a temporary five-year measure, once the individuals turn 14, they will be transferred to adult prison to continue serving their sentences.

Additionally, the law allows for a three-year clause that enables courts to incarcerate minors in adult prisons for up to 10 days if they are considered dangerous. Courts have the authority to extend this duration if necessary, according to the Knesset.

The legislation underscores a shift in the treatment of minors and raises alarms among human rights advocates regarding the legal and ethical ramifications of detaining children and the conditions under which they may be held.

Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently in Israeli jails—around one-third without charge or trial. Also, an unknown number are arbitrarily held following a wave of arrests in the wake of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, the Israeli regime, under the supervision of extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has turned prisons and detention centers into “death chambers,” the ministry of detainees and ex-detainees’ affairs in Gaza says.

Violence, extreme hunger, humiliation, and other forms of abuse of Palestinian prisoners have been normalized across Israel’s jail system, reports indicate.

Over 270 Palestinian minors are being detained by Israeli authorities, in violation of UN resolutions and international treaties that forbid the incarceration of children, as reported by Palestinian rights organizations.

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