India News

Ban circulation of video of Regar killing Afrazul Khan, appeals Afrazul’s widow to SC

Published

8 years ago

February 3, 2018

Ban circulation of video of Regar killing Afrazul Khan, appeals Afrazul’s widow to SC

Gulbahar Bibi also asks for compensation and for an independent public prosecutor not aligned to the state of Rajasthan

The pain of Gulbahar Bibi, whose husband Afrazul Khan was brutally hacked to death by Shambhulal Regar (currently under arrest), on December 6, 2017 in Rajsamand District, Rajasthan over false allegations of love-jihad, is not over.

It was not enough that Gulbahar had to endure the horrific incident when the family’s only breadwinner was hacked in a field by the sick-minded Regar with his young nephew even video recording it.

Now social media hacks, probably as sick as Regar, are continuously forwarding and sharing the horrific video that Regar had uploaded on the internet.

Now Gulbahar Bibi has petitioned the Supreme Court, naming the Union of India (Through Ministry of Home Affairs) and the State of Rajasthan (Through its Chief Secretary) as respondents to ban the video’s online circulation.

The demand in the petition is that the apex court should direct the Union government and the state governments to stop such viral video being shared and forwarded.

The petition also says that this video also promotes hostility between two communities and all websites hosting the video should be immediately banned.

The petitioner has approached the court “under Article 32 of the Constitution of India in order to also demand an impartial investigation from an independent national agency and also to look at the spreading of hate speech of a communal nature targeting a whole religious community and discriminating against them, demonizing them and encouraging violence against them and creating a communal divide.”

Says the petition: “Such propaganda is resulting in hate crimes which hit at the very root of our pluralistic and inclusive society.”

Regar is the murderer, but the petitioner has also sought an inquiry into the factors that “acted as a catalyst and motivated him to commit such a heinous act, the factors and people responsible for spreading such hatred in the name of a communal myth/fiction being propagated as ‘Love Jihad’”, the petition says.

The petition, which addresses the bigger picture in this barbaric act, says: “Such a vile act is reprehensible by all standards of humanity and violates the fundamental rights of the petitioner to live with dignity and in peace without the threat of being persecuted on the basis of her race, caste, creed, gender or religion, as such rights are bestowed upon the citizens of this country by the mandate of Article 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India. The Petitioner is also seeking the immediate removal of all videos of the heinous killing circulating on several websites including YouTube and the Respondent No 1 is duty bound to ensure that the service providers do not upload the said videos which are a form of hate speech encouraging others to indulge in copycat crimes.”

It has to be remembered in this context that the top court is already hearing petitions regarding obscene and reprehensible videos of sexual crimes against children that have been uploaded on the Internet and are circulating on social media. The issue has been heard in detail, but so far little progress has been made in finding a foolproof formula on how to segregate such videos and messages by either Google or WhatsApp or Facebook or other social media platforms.

This particular video presents yet another problem for the top court to sort out.

Compensation

Through the petition Gulbahar Bibi has also sought adequate compensation from the state (Rajasthan) for its failure to prevent the spread of communal violence. She has received a sum of Rs 2 lakh from the State of West Bengal and Rs 3 lakhs from the Rajasthan government, “but she has three daughters to provide for and the amount is by no means adequate for her maintenance and to take care of their future.”

That fear still stalks the widow was clear from the next part of the petition, which states that “The Petitioner is also seeking access to justice in a free and fair atmosphere and the appointment of a special public prosecutor unrelated to the ruling party of the state (Rajasthan) and functioning under the supervision of the (apex) court. This is particularly important since the petitioner resides in West Bengal and is unable to be physically present at the trial. There is an atmosphere of mass hysteria at the hearings as is evident from news reports that orange flags were hoisted on court house building by supporters of the accused on the date of hearing.”

Gulbahar Bibi and her late husband are from Kaliachak in the Maldah district of West Bengal and the 48-year-old Afrazul had been working as a daily wage labourer in the area for over ten years.

India News

Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

26 mins ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

India News

BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

36 mins ago

March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.

Polling and counting dates

Voting for all 126 Assembly seats in Assam is scheduled for April 9, while the votes will be counted on May 4.

India News

Delhi Palam fire leaves 6 dead, massive rescue operation underway

Six people died after a fire broke out in a residential building in Delhi’s Palam. Firefighters continue rescue efforts with 30 tenders at the spot.

Published

7 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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A tragic fire incident in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning claimed the lives of six people, triggering a large-scale emergency response.

According to officials, the blaze erupted in a residential building, prompting immediate action from fire and police authorities. Around 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the flames and carry out rescue operations.

Authorities said they received a distress call at approximately 7 am reporting the fire at a house within the building. Firefighters were deployed swiftly amid concerns that several residents could be trapped inside the structure.

A fire services official stated that initial information suggested people might still be inside, leading to an intensive search and rescue effort. Emergency teams, including police personnel, reached the congested locality to assist in evacuation and crowd management.

The firefighting operation was still ongoing at the time of reporting. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and further details are awaited as authorities continue their investigation.