English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Mob kills IT Engineer for fake WhatsApp rumour in Karnataka

Published

on

Mob kills IT Engineer for fake WhatsApp rumour in Karnataka

In gruesome mob frenzy a 32-year-old software engineer was beaten to death and three others, one of them a Qatari national, were seriously injured over WhatsApp-driven rumours of child kidnapping in Karnataka’s Bidar town on Friday.

According to police the mob frenzy started after the man from Qatar was seen distributing chocolates to the local children leaving their school. The police have arrested 32 people.

The IT engineer, Mohammad Azam, had gone for a drive on Friday with three others when they were stopped at the roadside. Mr Azam’s friend Mohammad Salam, who was from Qatar, was seen handing chocolates to children.

Due to rumours of child lifting in the area and seeing the chocolates being handed out to the school children, residents of a nearby village, Murki, sent messages on a WhatsApp group. Panicked after seeing a large crowd while someone taking their video, the men got into their car and drove away. Some of the villagers chased them on motorcycles. During the course speeding car hit one of the motorcycles and fell into a culvert.

Read More: WhatsApp tries to fight India’s Fake News problem, takes out full page newspaper ads

The crowd dragged the men out of the car and brutally beaten up, said eye witnesses. There are reports of crowd throwing stones on the occupants of the car. Nearby villagers also joined the unruly crowd. None came to their rescue. By the time the police arrived, Mohammad Azam had died. The others were taken to the hospital in Hyderabad.

Mob kills IT Engineer for fake WhatsApp rumour in KarnatakaAkram, the brother of the victim Mohammad Azam said, “They had gone out for a drive. My brother gave chocolates to children. We don’t know what their parents thought but several villagers gathered and beat them. How can they think they were kidnappers?” He also appealed the government to stop mob killings saying, “My brother was a software engineer, father of a 2-year-old. He was just a regular guy”.

The incident occurred when the group, while on their visit to a local lake, halted for lunch in Adhikera on the outskirts of Bidar. One of them Ismail, who returned from Qatar recently, offered chocolates to school girls. But the locals questioned and mistook them for child lifters.

Read More: With spate of lynchings provoked by rumours, Govt asks WhatsApp to act

The accompanying three persons, the cousins and friends of Mr Azam, were badly injured. Basheer has reportedly been fighting for his survival at a local hospital.

Reports say that among the 32 arrested for the killing, one is the administrator of the particular WhatsApp group involved in spreading rumour. There arrestees also include women.

Read More: Jharkhand: 19 arrested for lynchings; WhatsApp bigger culprit, say police

More than 20 people have been killed across India over fake WhatsApp rumours. The last such incident took place in Maharashtra’s Dhule, where five people were killed. The WhatsApp videos that had triggered the attack were fake – one of them was a five-year-old video from Syria that had photographs of children who died in a nerve gas attack.

India News

PM Modi marks Operation Sindoor anniversary, calls it India’s firm stand against terrorism

PM Modi said Operation Sindoor showcased India’s firm response against terrorism while paying tribute to the armed forces on the operation’s first anniversary.

Published

on

PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said Operation Sindoor demonstrated India’s firm response against terrorism and highlighted the country’s commitment to national security.

Marking one year of the operation, the Prime Minister praised the courage, precision and professionalism of the Indian armed forces. He said the military action was carried out in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that had claimed the lives of 26 civilians in 2025.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, as a calibrated tri-services operation targeting terror infrastructure linked to cross-border terrorism. Reports said the operation showcased coordinated action by the armed forces and was seen as a major counter-terror response by India.

On the anniversary of the operation, PM Modi also changed the display pictures across his social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The image carried the text “Operation Sindoor” along with the Indian tricolour design.

The Indian Air Force also shared visuals and messages recalling the operation and highlighting India’s military response. A video released by the force described the operation as a strong message against terrorism and referred to the precision strikes carried out during the mission.

Operation Sindoor was launched following the Pahalgam terror attack, after which India carried out strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to official statements and reports published at the time.

Continue Reading

India News

Vijay meets Tamil Nadu Governor again as TVK pushes to prove majority

TVK chief Vijay held another meeting with Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar as the party intensified efforts to secure majority support after emerging as the single-largest party in the Assembly elections.

Published

on

Actor vijay

Actor-turned-politician Vijay met Tamil Nadu Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar again on Thursday as his party, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), continued efforts to prove it has enough support to form the next government in the state.

TVK emerged as the single-largest party in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly after winning 108 seats, but it remains short of the majority mark of 118.

The Congress has extended support to TVK, adding five MLAs to Vijay’s side. However, the alliance still needs additional backing from other parties or independents to comfortably cross the halfway mark.

According to reports, the Governor has not yet been fully convinced that TVK currently has the required numbers to form a stable government. This has delayed clarity over the swearing-in ceremony and the formal invitation to form the government.

Political activity intensified after reports emerged that some AIADMK legislators were moved to a resort in Puducherry amid speculation over possible support to TVK. AIADMK leaders, however, publicly denied any internal crisis.

TVK sources have expressed confidence that the party will be able to demonstrate majority support during discussions with the Governor.

The Tamil Nadu election results marked a major political shift in the state, with TVK breaking the long-standing dominance of the DMK and AIADMK in its first Assembly election contest.

Continue Reading

India News

PM Modi changes social media profile pictures to mark Operation Sindoor anniversary

PM Modi changed his social media profile pictures to commemorate one year of Operation Sindoor, with several NDA leaders following the move.

Published

on

PM Modi speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday updated the display pictures of his social media accounts to mark the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. The new image was seen across his profiles on X, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp channels.

The updated profile picture carries the text “Operation Sindoor” on a black background along with elements of the Indian tricolour. One of the letters in the word “Sindoor” has been stylised using vermilion, commonly associated with married Hindu women.

Operation Sindoor was launched a year ago by Indian defence forces and the Border Security Force along the western border. The anniversary was also marked by several Union ministers and NDA leaders, who changed their social media profile pictures in a similar manner.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other senior leaders were among those who adopted the commemorative display image on social media platforms, according to reports.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com