Karnataka CM and All Lawmakers Get 100% Salary Hike

Mangaluru, Mar 15: The Shaheen Group of Institutions, a well-known name in education, has partnered with Shepherds International Academy to establish a new campus, Shepherds Shaheen, in Arkula along the Mangaluru-Bengaluru Highway.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Press Club, here, attended by representatives from both institutions. This marks Shaheen’s first venture in Mangaluru, bringing its expertise in academic excellence and competitive exam coaching to the coastal region.

Vision for Quality Education

Dr. Abdul Qadeer, Chairman and Founder of Shaheen Group, speaking at the press conference, emphasized that education should not only focus on academic success but also on character building. “Our goal is to nurture students into responsible citizens first, before they become doctors, engineers, or other professionals,” he stated. He highlighted that Shaheen’s approach integrates strong values with academic learning to create well-rounded individuals.

Shepherds Shaheen will be built on a sprawling 3.6-acre eco-friendly campus, offering modern facilities to provide students with a world-class learning environment.

A Game-Changer for Mangaluru Students

Mohammed Nissar, Chairman of Shepherds International Academy, welcomed the partnership, stating that the collaboration would bring together Shepherds' decade-long commitment to progressive education and Shaheen’s proven excellence in competitive exam training.

Other key figures present at the event included General Secretary Mohammed Rizwan, Treasurer Shajid AK, and trustees SM Farooq and Naushad AK, who all expressed their enthusiasm for the initiative.

Sheikh Shafiq, Regional Head of Shaheen Group for Bengaluru and Mangaluru, assured that the new campus would uphold the same high academic standards that have made Shaheen a leader in medical and engineering entrance coaching across India.

A Legacy of Academic Excellence

Founded in 1989 in Bidar, Karnataka, by Dr. Abdul Qadeer, the Shaheen Group of Institutions started with just 17 students and has now expanded to over 105 branches across 13 states in India and Saudi Arabia. Today, more than 40,000 students study at Shaheen institutions.

The group has gained national recognition for its outstanding performance in medical and engineering entrance exams. Since 2008, over 5,000 students from Shaheen have secured MBBS seats in government medical colleges, with many more excelling in engineering and other professional courses. Shaheen students consistently secure 1% of all government MBBS seats in India and 15% of those in Karnataka. Many have also been admitted to prestigious institutions like AIIMS Delhi.

Shaheen’s presence in Karnataka is particularly strong, with multiple campuses in Bidar offering separate facilities for boys and girls. The institution is praised for its innovative curriculum, experienced faculty, and strong student support system.

With the launch of Shepherds Shaheen in Mangaluru, the institution aims to provide high-quality education to students in the coastal region, helping them achieve their academic and professional aspirations.

New York: An Indian national enrolled as a postdoctoral fellow in the US has been detained by immigration authorities, said a media report, less than a week after a Columbia student from India self-deported following allegations of activities supporting Hamas.

Badar Khan Suri's lawyer claimed that he is being punished “because of the Palestinian heritage of his wife — who is a US citizen — and because the government suspects that he and his wife oppose US foreign policy toward Israel.”

He is a former student of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Suri is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington DC.

A report in Politico said that Suri, who was studying and teaching on a student visa, has been “detained by federal immigration authorities amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on student activists whom the government accuses of opposing American foreign policy.”

The report said that “masked agents” arrested Suri from outside his home in Virginia Monday night.

A petition filed by his lawyer Hassan Ahmad said that he was taken to a facility in Virginia and is “expected to be transferred soon to a detention centre in Texas.”

The Politico report said that Suri’s lawyer has filed a lawsuit for his immediate release.

“The agents identified themselves as being with the Department of Homeland Security and told him the government had revoked his visa,” the lawsuit says, according to the Politico report.

The report added that according to Suri’s petition, he was put in “deportation proceedings under the same rarely used provision of immigration law” that the government has invoked to try to deport Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate and legal permanent resident arrested for his role in leading campus protests at Columbia against Israel. 

The petition says the couple has “long been doxxed and smeared” on anonymously run, far-right websites due to their support for Palestinian rights. The petition adds that Suri’s wife Mapheze Saleh has been alleged to have “ties with Hamas” and once worked for Al Jazeera.

The petition further notes that Suri has no criminal record and has not been charged with a crime. Ahmad said he had not been able to contact Suri as of Wednesday evening.

“We’re trying to speak with him. That hasn’t happened yet,” Ahmad said.

“This is just another example of our government abducting people the same way they abducted Khalil.”

According to his profile on the website of Georgetown University, Suri completed his PhD in Peace & Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi in 2020. 

He wrote his thesis on Transitional Democracy, Divided Societies and Prospects for Peace: A Study of State Building in Afghanistan and Iraq in which he underlined the complexities involved in introducing democracy in ethnically diverse societies; as well as challenges to project state building.

He has travelled extensively in the conflict zones of India, Pakistan, Balochistan in Iran, Iran, Turkey, Kurdish Areas in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and its southern region, Egypt and Palestine.  

The Politico report quoted a statement from a Georgetown spokesperson as saying that Suri is an "Indian national who was duly granted a visa to enter the United States to continue his doctoral research on peacebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"We are not aware of him engaging in any illegal activity, and we have not received a reason for his detention. We support our community members’ rights to free and open inquiry, deliberation and debate, even if the underlying ideas may be difficult, controversial or objectionable. We expect the legal system to adjudicate this case fairly," the spokesperson said.

Suri's detention comes less than a week after Ranjani Srinivasan, an Indian student at Columbia University, self-deported after her visa was revoked for allegedly “advocating for violence and terrorism” and involvement in activities supporting Hamas.

Srinivasan had entered the United States on an F-1 student visa as a doctoral student in Urban Planning at Columbia University, the Department of Homeland Security had said.

It added that Srinivasan was “involved in activities supporting” Hamas, a terrorist organisation.

The Department of State had revoked her visa on March 5. The Department of Homeland Security said it has obtained video footage of Srinivasan using the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home App to self-deport on March 11. 

Bhagalpur: A violent clash between two nephews of Union Minister Nityanand Rai in Bihar’s Bhagalpur resulted in one death and another critically injured on Thursday.

The incident occurred in Jagatpur under Parvatta police station, Navgachia district. The injured nephew is undergoing treatment at Bhagalpur hospital. Following the incident, top district officials rushed to the hospital, and an investigation is underway.

Naugachhia SP Prerna Kumar stated, "Around 7:30 am, we received information that two brothers shot at each other in Jagatpur village. One succumbed to injuries, while the other is critical. Initial reports suggest a dispute over a water tap escalated into gunfire. The deceased has been identified as Vikal Yadav, and the injured as Jaijit Yadav. Prompt action has been taken, and statements are being recorded. We also have information that they are relatives of a Union minister."

According to reports, the altercation between Jagjit Yadav and Vikal Yadav turned violent when one opened fire on the other. The injured man then grabbed the gun and retaliated. Both were taken to Bhagalpur hospital, where Vikal Yadav was declared dead, and Jaijit remains in critical condition.

During the clash, their mother, who tried to intervene, was shot in the hand. She is also receiving treatment at Dr. AK Yadav’s clinic.

Parvatta police station in-charge Shambhu Kumar confirmed that the dispute revolved around water and led to gunfire. Authorities are investigating further to determine the exact cause of the conflict.