Duped, converted: Religious conversion racket busted in Agra
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Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Midtown Manhattan shooting: Hundreds mourn NYPD officer at Bronx mosque; Bangladeshi-born cop hailed for sacrifice
(Photo credit: Agencies) Hundreds gathered at a New York mosque on Thursday to commemorate a Bangladesh-born police officer who lost his life protecting his adopted city when a shooter attacked an office building this week. Officer Didarul Islam "did believe in the American dream, not as something handed down but as something built with your own hands," Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed Islam's community as officers stood in formation outside the Bronx religious centre. Officials and New York's Bangladeshi community members gathered to honour the deceased officer during a service that highlighted his dedication to family, heritage and public service. The 36-year-old officer, a married father of two expecting a third child, was conducting an NYPD-approved private security assignment in uniform when he and three others were fatally shot Monday at the Manhattan high-rise housing the NFL's headquarters and various corporate offices. "To our family, he was our world. To the city, he was a proud NYPD officer who served with compassion and integrity. He lived to help others," Islam's widow said in a message delivered by a family member at the Parkchester Jame Masjid mosque, according to the Associated Press. Officers positioned on nearby rooftops provided security whilst fire engines displayed a large American flag across the street. A vehicle carried a digital display showing Islam's photographs and a tribute from his union. After immigrating to the United States, Islam established his career in America's largest police department. He viewed policing as "a blanket of the community, there to provide comfort and care," according to the police commissioner. Initially serving as a school safety agent, Islam became a patrol officer less than four years ago and received a posthumous promotion to detective on Thursday. "He could have gone into any other occupation he wanted, but he wanted to put on that uniform, and he wanted to protect fellow New Yorkers. And he wanted to let us know that he believed in what this city and what this country stood for," Mayor Eric Adams told attendees. In Washington, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commenced her briefing by conveying President Donald Trump's sympathies to Islam's family, noting he "made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of his fellow New Yorkers." Imam Zakir Ahmed emphasised the officer's immigrant background and Muslim faith, whilst noting Islam "lived at a time when people like him are too often feared, vilified and made to feel like outsiders." Following the service, attendees filled the streets for prayer, including Muslim officers, as their colleagues maintained formation behind them. The officer's casket, adorned with US and NYPD flags, was transported to Totowa, New Jersey, for burial. Julia Hyman, 27, another victim who worked at a real estate firm, was remembered at a Manhattan synagogue service on Wednesday. Funeral arrangements remain unannounced for security guard Aland Etienne and executive Wesley LePatner. Police identified Shane Tamura, 27, as the assailant, a former football player who recently worked in Las Vegas casino surveillance. Authorities discovered over 800 ammunition rounds in his vehicle and 47 shell casings at the scene. Officials reported Tamura had mental health issues and found prescribed psychiatric medication at his Las Vegas residence. He mistakenly accessed the wrong floor whilst attempting to reach the NFL office. The shooting seriously wounded an NFL employee in the lobby. Governor Kathy Hochul stated at Thursday's service that Islam "saved lives. He was out front," adding that "others may be alive today because he was the barrier."
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
‘Was stripped, kept in 5°C room, heard Pragya didi's screams': Shyam Sahu hails justice for entire Hindu community; says trauma still haunts him
INDORE: He says he was stripped, locked up in a chilled room, made to sit on shards of broken glass while he could hear Sadhvi Pragya Thakur scream in pain in the next room. For Shyam Sahu - one of the men who was arrested in connection with the Malegaon blast case , spent three years in jail and later discharged - the trauma he said he faced never ceased to haunt him. However, Thursday's verdict - acquitting seven accused in the 2008 Malegaon blast case - came as a balm for Sahu, an Indore-based businessman, as he celebrated here, while reliving the torment. "It is a day of celebration of truth, but it reopens wounds that never healed," said Sahu, who was arrested on Oct 17, 2008, and spent over three years in jail before being discharged along with four others. "Truth was troubled, but never defeated. This is not just a personal victory, it's justice for the entire Hindu community that was vilified for political mileage," Sahu said. Sahu recalled the brutalities he faced in those early days of detention. "They kept us in illegal custody for 4 to 5 days. They stripped me, locked me in a chilled room at 5°C, beat me brutally on my soles, made me sit on broken glass bottles. We were reduced to crawling just to use the toilet," he said. "They hit us for several hours and then gave us a balm to rub on our wounds so that it was not visible in medical examination. We were hit on our palms and asked to press paper balls in our hands to increase blood circulation to hide the wounds," he said. But what haunts him the most is what he heard from the next room. "Pragya didi's (Sadhvi Pragya Thakur) screams shook us to the core. We realised what real horror was," Sahu said. At the time, Sahu was 38 - a father of three, his youngest barely a year old. He ran a mobile phone showroom and real estate business, lived in a joint family. "When I was brought to Mumbai four months later, my elder brother Mohan came to see me in court. He suffered a heart attack right in front of me. I was in custody, couldn't even go to the hospital where he died. I carry that pain in me every day," Sahu added, Sahu was later granted temporary bail to attend his brother's and grandmother's funerals. He spent time in Nashik jail, then Arthur Road after MCOCA charges were added. Just days later, the 26/11 attacks happened. "Ajmal Kasab was brought in and kept in a nearby cell. The govt shifted us to Taloja jail with hardened criminals like Dawood's men, Chhota Rajan's aides, Arun Gawli's gang. They feared an attack on Kasab - we were moved for his safety," he said. Sahu was among five accused discharged earlier - including Shivnarayan Kalsangra, Jagdeep Mahatre (Dombivli), Praveen Takalki (Karnataka), and Rakesh Dhawde (Pune). "But there was no real relief. Society didn't accept us. People avoided our families. Financially, emotionally, we were ruined," he said. Sahu lashed out at the political narrative that followed. "Congress, for the sake of a vote bank, gave us the tag of 'Hindu terrorism'. Congress leaders defamed an entire community. Innocent people suffered - and not one apology came." As the last of the accused walk free, Sahu remains clear: justice delayed has been justice denied. "We're free men now, but what about our lost years, lost loved ones, lost dignity? No verdict can give that back."
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Families of blasts victims look back in anger
Malegaon: 'Have they been let off just today? Wasn't Sadhvi already free?' The youngest victim, Farheen, was 10 years old when she was killed in the blasts in 2008. 'Uparwala saza dega.' (God will punish them.) These words from relatives of those who died in the 2008 Malegaon blast, which occurred in the month of Ramzan, encapsulate the sentiment of the six affected families in this power loom city in Nashik district, soon after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court's verdict on Thursday. Old, ailing and abandoned by all political parties, these families, among the poorest residents of this city, have barely been able to keep track of the many twists and turns of the case. After the acquittal of all the accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts last week, the question being asked in Malegaon was simple –– will this be repeated in the Malegaon blast case. And if so, will the government rush to appeal as it did in the train blasts case? 'The home minister's speech in Parliament gave an inkling of the verdict,' said Aleem Faizee, founder editor of the Malegaon-based news website referring to Amit Shah's comment on Wednesday that no Hindu could ever be a terrorist. 'We have not got justice; we will appeal,' said Mufti Ismail, Malegaon MLA and general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema, which arranged for lawyers to represent the intervenors in the case. Advocate Irfana Hamdani added, 'We need to study the judgment to know how the evidence was placed before the court. The ATS charge sheet had both audio and video records of strategy meetings and phone conversations, recorded by one of the accused, and these pointed to Pragya Thakur's involvement.' Infirm and hard of hearing, Syed Nisar, 74, whose son died in the blast, has been the voice of the victims in the NIA court. He intervened in 2017 when the NIA said it had no objection to Sadhvi Pragya's bail application. 'This was not out of enmity for any community, but for justice,'' he clarified. 'My son was just 19.' The former scrap dealer is ready to continue fighting. Ainoor Bi lost her 23-year-old son Irfan, who helped her sell vegetables, in the blast. 'How could they not have been punished?'' she asked. 'Imagine what it means for parents to lose their young child.' After Irfan's death, she tried to resume work but could not do so as returning to the same spot in the market where her son's friends worked was unbearable. Hussain Shaha, who lost his father Harun, a power loom worker, was at his usual spot selling vegetable fritters even on the day the verdict was pronounced. The verdict means nothing to his mother, he said. 'Her health started failing after my father died; she is so far gone, she does not even recognise me.' 'Hemant Karkare (then ATS chief) had uncovered everything. If only he'd been alive…' rued Liaquat, father of the youngest victim. Holding up a picture of his then 10-year-old daughter Farheen, he said it was given to him by her teacher who took it from Farheen's scholarship form. 'My daughter was clever. She loved studies,' said the former truck driver. Karkare is revered in the community. Another set of victims in Malegaon, inextricably linked to the 2008 blast, also remembered him. Nine Muslims were arrested for the first set of blasts in the city in 2006 on Shab e Baraat, a night of prayer, in which 31 Muslims were killed. These men could get bail in 2011 and were finally discharged in 2016 only because Karkare's investigations into the 2008 blast led to a different set of accused for the 2006 blasts too. The appeal against their discharge is pending in the Bombay high court. Thursday's verdict has left people in the community angry. 'Was NIA's duty just to prove the accused innocent, or also to find the real culprits?'' asked eminent surgeon Dr Saeed Farani, who treated victims of both blasts. 'Perhaps we should just learn to live with this.' But what of Malegaon's Hindus? The Mausam river divides Hindus and Muslims geographically in the city. The power loom industry on which the city runs, necessitates interaction but otherwise, there's little intermingling. Gandhian Subhash Pardeshi said: 'When 31 of their fellow citizens died in the 2006 blasts, though Shiv Sena MLA Dada Bhuse sent Shiv Sainiks to donate blood, no Hindu in Malegaon condemned the attack or stepped up to share the grief of the families of the deceased.' 'That silence will continue,' he added.
