Perod Saqafi booked for abusive speech against girl child

[email protected] (CD Network)
November 23, 2014

Kozhikode, Nov 23: Perod Abdurahiman Saqafi, the secretary of the All India Sunni Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, has strongly defended his abusive remarks against a four-and-a-half-year-old girl, who had been allegedly raped by two senior students last month.

perodsaqafi

The police have registered a case against Mr Saqafi, who is one of the senior administrative board members of the Parakkadavu Darul Huda English Medium School, where the girl child was sexually assaulted on October 30. The case was registered under Section 500 (Punishment for defamation) and Section 201 (punishment for giving false information to screen the offender) of the Indian Penal Code. He was also charged under Section 23 (Punishment for cruelty to juvenile or child) of the Juvenile Justice Act.

However, Mr Saqafi, who one of the close associates of Kanthapuram A P Aboobakar Musaliar, insisted that he had stated nothing wrong in his “clarification speech” delivered on November 11 at the same school.

Mr Saqafi had apparently insulted the child in his speech saying “If such a thing (sexual assault) happened, girl should have died, fainted, should have been covered with blood or should have at least screamed…”

Mother shocked

The mother of the victim has expressed shock over the abusive remarks by Mr Saqafi. “No human being can tolerate such abusive words against a girl child. He is an inhuman cleric. He should be punished for this crime. He is shielding the rapists,” she said. In his complaint, the girl's father has accused Mr Saqafi of tarnishing the image of the girl child and her family.

Two arrested

It was on October 30 that the sexual assault against the kindergarten student reportedly occurred. The incident came to light after the girl complained of nausea and pain. Two senior students of the school were arrested on November 15 in connection with the incident. They were charged under IPC 376 (rape) and relevant provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

Conspiracy

Meanwhile, the Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF), the students' wing of Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, has accused a Congress Minister of trying to scuttle the probe into the sexual assault on the girl child.

The office-bearers of the organisations owing allegiance to the E K Sunni faction alleged that this Congress leader from north Kerala had hatched a conspiracy to help the school management. They also accused Mr Saqafi of trying to suppress the incident and exert pleasure on girl's family.

The Sunni organisations demanded either a judicial inquiry or a probe by a special investigation team monitored by the High Court into the incident. The police should interrogate Mr Saqafi and his aides in the school to bring out the truth, they said.

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News Network
January 18,2025

kadabaaccident.jpg

Kadaba, Jan 18: In a heartrending incident, a 16-year-old student lost his life on Friday, January 18, after the motorbike he was riding skidded off the road and plunged into a culvert on the Dharmasthala–Mardhala–Subrahmanya state highway near Gargaspal, Peradka. 

The accident spot falls under the Noojibaltila gram panchayat in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district. 

The victim, Ashish, a tenth-grade student from a private school in Peradka, was the beloved son of Vishwanath of Hosamane Kaana in Noojibaltila village. His untimely demise has left his parents and sibling in profound grief.

The accident occurred during Ashish’s routine commute to school. Despite the swift intervention of a local resident, Sridhar, who rushed him to a private hospital in Kadaba, medical efforts could not save him. A case has been registered at the Kadaba police station.

The culvert where the accident happened has long been criticized by locals for its flawed and unsafe design. Numerous accidents have reportedly occurred at this spot, prompting repeated appeals from residents for immediate rectification. Community members have once again called upon authorities to prioritize repairs to prevent further tragedies.

Responding to the incident, Kadaba tahsildar Prabhakar Khajure underscored the importance of curbing underage driving. He directed the police department to take stringent action against minors found operating vehicles and cautioned parents about the serious consequences of providing vehicles to underage children.

This incident serves as a grim reminder of the pressing need for both infrastructural improvements and stricter enforcement of traffic regulations to safeguard young lives.

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News Network
January 13,2025

Mangaluru: Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) in Singapore remain determined to establish direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore despite setbacks. This follows Air India Express' (AIE) recent decision to postpone its planned direct flight service on this route, disappointing many expats.

In response, NRIs have proposed an alternative solution: extending IndiGo's existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru. Currently, the Singapore-Bengaluru flight lands at Kempegowda International Airport at 7:40 AM, but passengers cannot board the 9:00 AM Bengaluru-Mangaluru connection due to insufficient transit time. Extending the Singapore-Bengaluru flight to Mangaluru would address this issue and benefit travelers.

Rajesh H. Acharya, director of HQ Connections in Singapore and coordinator of the Singapore Tuluver community, expressed disappointment over AIE's handling of the situation. "We’ve been advocating for this route since 2017, and it was close to becoming a reality. However, the sudden postponement and lack of stakeholder support have delayed our efforts," he said.

A petition has been submitted to IndiGo Airlines requesting the introduction of a direct Mangaluru-Singapore flight. Alternatively, it suggests extending IndiGo’s existing Singapore-Bengaluru flight to include Mangaluru. Expats have also approached Scoot Airlines in Singapore for direct connectivity. However, the lack of 'Point of Call' status for Mangaluru Airport remains a significant hurdle for international flights.

Despite the challenges, NRIs continue their efforts to make direct air connectivity between Mangaluru and Singapore a reality.

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