Police are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the four men to contact investigators…reports Asian Lite News
Police have sought public assistance in locating four Indian-origin men, aged between 22-30 years, in connection with an aggravated assault that took place in Canadian city of Brampton.
Aftaab Gill (22), Harmandeep Singh (22), Jatinder Singh (25) and Satnam Singh (30) assaulted a victim in the area of McLaughlin Road and Ray Lawson Boulevard on September 8.
Officers from the Peel Regional Police’s Criminal Investigation Bureau said on Sunday that multiple parties assaulted the victim and fled the area prior to police arrival.
The victim suffered serious non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
All four of them are residents of Brampton, Ontario, and wanted for aggravated assault.
Police are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of the four men to contact investigators.
In August this year, murder charges were laid against Parminder Singh Brar (31) and Simarpal Singh (21) in connection with an aggravated assault that left a 55-year-old man dead in British Columbia province.
In the same month, Dilip Kumar Dholani, a senior citizen visiting from India, was stabbed 17 times in broad daylight while taking his granddaughter out in a stroller in Oshawa, Greater Toronto Area.
Urging the Central and State governments to take action on the ongoing violence in Manipur, Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that silence is not an answer…reports Asian Lite News
Terming Manipur as a sensitive issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that Home Minister Amit Shah will reply during the discussion in detail in the Parliament.
“We have made it clear, respected Raj Singh and other leaders have also clarified that we are ready to discuss the issue in both houses. Manipur is a sensitive subject, a human-related subject of great sensitivity, so we want to discuss and answer the discussion in detail. There is a lot of issues that also have to be discussed. As I have said, we are ready to discuss Manipur”, Pralhad Joshi said in Lok Sabha. Speaking at the House after Opposition raised the Manipur viral video incident, Minister Joshi said that government is ready to discuss the Manipur issue adding that it was already clarified by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders.
Joshi also said that the Speaker will decide on the date to discuss the Manipur issue in the House.
“We have made it clear that we are ready to discuss Manipur in both Houses. Manipur is a sensitive issue. Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the discussion in detail. Let the Speaker decide the date of discussion”, Pralhad Joshi said.
He further added that there is a lot of issues which also need to be discussed.
“We have made it clear, respected Raj Singh and other leaders have also clarified that we are ready to discuss the issue in both houses. Manipur is a sensitive subject, a human-related subject of great sensitivity, so we want to discuss and answer the discussion in detail. There is a lot of issues that also have to be discussed. As I have said, we are ready to discuss Manipur”, he added.
Earlier, urging the Central and State governments to take action on the ongoing violence in Manipur, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that silence is not an answer.
The Chief Minister said that it is the duty and responsibility of the Central and State governments to look for immediate ways for peace restoration.
Notably, a video of two women being paraded naked by a group of men went viral a day earlier which triggered fresh controversy. However, the incident happened in May this year.
Manipur police made its first arrest in connection with the incident, as per Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. “Last night at around 1.30 am, we arrested the main culprit,” the Manipur chief minister told ANI.
“Every man and every human being will condemn this act,” Singh said adding that they will seek for the perpetrators to get punishment “to the maximum possible extent.”
“Really shocked when I saw the video and after seeing it I inquired about the incident it happened on 4 May…but this video leaked after 40 days. I asked for mass combing ops…and last night itself we arrested one man involved,” the Manipur chief minister said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday condemned the Manipur incident where two women being paraded naked on a road by a group of men went viral on social media.
“NCW condemns the Manipur incident. Taking suo moto cognizance. The DGP Manipur has been asked to promptly take appropriate action”, the NCW tweeted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this morning spoke to the media ahead of the beginning of the monsoon session of parliament. He said that he is pained over the incident and said the incident is “shameful for any civil society.”
“No accused will be spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” the Prime Minister said.
Opposition parties give notice in Parliament
Opposition parties have given notice to discuss the ongoing violence in Manipur in both Houses of the Parliament on Friday, the second day of the Monsoon Session.
While in the Lok Sabha the Opposition parties have given notice under Rule 193, in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition have given notice under Rule 176 and Rule 267. The government, in principle, has agreed to discuss the matter in Lok Sabha under Rule 193 and in Rajya Sabha under Rule 176.
It may be noted that Rule 193 in Lok Sabha and Rule 176 in Rajya Sabha refers to short discussion. Rule 267 in Rajya Sabha refers to suspension of business of the day.
Day one of the monsoon session of the Parliament witnessed unruly scenes amid slogneering by the opposition over Manipur violence as joint opposition sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the issue.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took note of the video and said, “I am filled with pain and the incident is shameful for any civil society.” “No accused will be spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” he said.
Opposition parties gave notices to discuss the Manipur issue under Rule 193 in Lok Sabha. While, in Rajya Sabha, the Opposition gave notice under Rule 176 and Rule 267 to discuss the matter.
Under Rule 267, Rajya Sabha MPs can give a written notice to suspend all listed business and discuss an issue of importance the country is facing. (ANI)
The statement said that the horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media…reports Asian Lite News
Horrific videos of two young women being paraded naked on a road by a mob in Manipur have been widely circulated on social media, drawing widespread condemnation and demand for strictest actions.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) claimed that the two women were also gang-raped in a paddy field after being paraded naked on May 4, and demanded stern actions against the perpetrators.
Many political leaders, including Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman severely condemned the incident and demanded strict action.
Responding to the incident, Manipur Police, in a tweet, said: “All out effort to arrest culprits as regard to the viral video of 02 (two) women paraded naked: As regard to the viral video of 02 (two) women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May, 2023, a case of abduction, gangrape and murder etc was registered at Nongpok Sekmai PS (Thoubal District) against unknown armed miscreants and the investigation has been started. The State Police is making all-out effort to arrest the culprits at the earliest.”
The ITLF, in a strongly-worded statement, said that two and a half months into the ethnic conflict in Manipur, evidence of atrocities committed against Kuki-Zo tribals continue to surface.
“A video which went viral on Wednesday shows a large Meitei mob parading two Kuki-Zo tribal women naked toward a paddy field to be gang-raped. The despicable scene, which happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows the men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors,” ITLF spokesman Ginza Vualzong said in a statement.
He said that the gangrape of the women in B. Phainom village happened after the village was burnt down and two men – one middle-aged and another teenager – were brutally beaten to death by the mob.
The statement said that the horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media.
The ITLF vehemently condemns the sickening act and demands that the Central and state governments, the National Commission for Women, and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes to take cognisance of the offense and take all necessary measures to bring justice to the culprits, the statement added.
Strongly condemning the incident, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra tweeted : “The pictures of sexual violence against women coming from Manipur are heart wrenching. The amount of condemnation of this horrific incident of violence against women is less. Women and children have to bear the maximum brunt of violence in the society. We must all condemn the violence in one voice while furthering the efforts for peace in Manipur. Why is the Central Government, Prime Minister sitting blindly on the violent incidents in Manipur? Do such pictures and violent incidents not disturb them ?”
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “PM’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy. INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur. We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward.”
PM’s silence and inaction has led Manipur into anarchy.
INDIA will not stay silent while the idea of India is being attacked in Manipur.
We stand with the people of Manipur. Peace is the only way forward.
TMP chief Deb Barman tweeted : “Disturbing videos emerging from Manipur about a woman belonging to a particular community being paraded naked by a mob . There is total breakdown in the relationships of the two communities there . Hate has won in Manipur.”
‘Absolutely heartbroken and appalled’
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin on Thursday said that he was absolutely heartbroken and appalled at the sight of two women paraded naked by a mob of men and later sexually assaulted.
Stalin in a tweet on his official handle said, “Absolutely heartbroken and appalled by the agonising violence unleashed on women in #Manipur. Where is our collective conscience ? The hate and venom are uprooting the very soul of humanity. We must stand united against such atrocities and work towards fostering a society of empathy and respect. The Union government should take all necessary steps to restore peace in Manipur.# Manipurviolence”.
Absolutely heartbroken and appalled by the agonising violence unleashed on women in #Manipur. Where is our collective conscience? The hate and venom are uprooting the very soul of humanity. We must stand united against such atrocities and work towards fostering a society of…
The dastardly act had reportedly taken place on May 4 at B Phainom village in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur.
The DMK and its allies are aiming for a clean sweep in the ensuing Lok Sabha election of 2024 and the Chief Minister has already called upon party workers and leaders to win all the 39 seats from Tamil Nadu and the lone seat from the neighbouring Puducherry.
With a disunited opposition in Tamil Nadu, Stalin is expecting to rake up maximum issues that would put the Central government in a poor light, sources said.
The DMK think tanks are of the opinion that regular bombardment against the Central government led by BJP will have its effect in Tamil Nadu which is strongly defending the entry of the saffron party into the state.
Loksabha adjourned
The Lok Sabha was adjourned till July 21 amid protests by the Congress-led opposition, which sought a discussion on Manipur violence and also Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response on the matter in the Lower House.
As soon as the Lower House convened at 2 p.m., the opposition members led by Congress, including DMK, Left and JD(U) entered the well of the House, shouting slogans “Manipur is burning!” and “PM come to the House!”
They sought Prime minister Narendra Modi’s response on Manipur violence in the Lok Sabha.
As Kirit Solanki, who was in the chair, allowed laying of papers, the opposition members raised slogans and created ruckus in the well.
Even NCP members and the lone newly elected AAP MP from Jalandhar Sushil Kumar Rinku could be seen standing near their seats, showing solidarity with other opposition members.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said that the government was ready to discuss Manipur issue in the House as and when the Speaker allots time and date. However amid continuous protests, Solanki adjourned the House for the day.
‘Incident can never be forgiven‘
Expressing his pain and anger over the Manipur incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the gruesome incident with the women in the Northeastern state is very shameful, and can never be forgiven.
“Today, my heart is filled with pain and anger. The incident of Manipur which has surfaced, for any civilised society, this is a very shameful incident,” Modi told reporters in the Parliament House Complex ahead of the beginning of the Monsoon Session, referring to the horrific video which went viral on social media, of two women being paraded naked in Manipur.
He said, “This incident is an insult for the entire nation as it has shamed 140 crore countrymen. The incident which happened with the women in Manipur can never be forgiven. I assure the countrymen that no one will be spared.”
The Prime Minister also urged the Chief Ministers of the states to further strengthen the law and order situation in their respective states.
“I urge all the CMs to further strengthen law and order situation in their respective states, especially for the protection of mother and daughter, and take action against the perpetrators,” he said.
He added, “Whether the incident is of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Manipur or any part of the country, rising above politics, the law and order is important.”
The Opposition has been slamming the BJP since the video went viral and questioned the law and order situation in the Northeastern state.
Prime Minister Modi also said that all the political parties should make the best use of this Monsoon session.
Bollywood demands justice
The recently surfaced video of two women belonging to the Kuki-Zomi community being paraded naked and being assaulted by a mob of men, has sent shockwaves across India. Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar and director Vivek Agnihotri have strongly reacted to the video, condemning the “shameful” act.
Akshay Kumar took to his Twitter and shared a note saying that he feels shaken and disgusted to see such unspeakable cruelty being meted out to the women.
He tweeted: “Shaken, disgusted to see the video of violence against women in Manipur. I hope the culprits get such a harsh punishment that no one ever thinks of doing a horrifying thing like this again.”
Vivek Agnihotri, who is known for ‘The Kashmir Files’, took to his Instagram and shared a heartfelt note saying how the nation has failed as a society.
He wrote in his Instagram post: “MANIPUR: Moplah, Direct Action Day, Noakhali, Bangladesh, Punjab, Kashmir, Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Bastar and now Manipur. Every time our innocent mothers and sisters become the ultimate victims of inhuman, barbarian acts. As a Bharatiya, as a man, as a human being, I am shattered each time. I am ashamed.”
He further mentioned that he feels guilty for being helpless in such a situation and also wrote that there is “no right to life in free India.”
He continued: “I am so guilty for my helplessness. O Manipur, I tried… I tried… but I failed. All I can do now is tell their tragic stories through my work. But it’s too late by then. We are all victims of selective and hyper- competitive electoral politics. We are victims of hyper-religion. We are victims of dangerous media. We, the people of Bharat, are victims. There is no #RightToLife in free India. And we can’t do anything about it.”
“This is not the freedom I want. This is not the kind of democracy I want. It’s worth nothing if it makes us bay for each other’s blood. We are a failed society. I am sorry, my sisters. I am sorry, my mothers. I am sorry, Bharat Mata,” he added.
Soni Razdan wrote in her Instagram Story: “I really want to know what the government is going, and why primetime news is not flooded with news about Manipur and most important of all, where is the Army?”
Kiara Advani tweeted: “The video of violence against women in Manipur is horrifying and has shaken me to the core. I pray the women get justice at the earliest. Those responsible must face the most SEVERE punishment they deserve.”
Sanjay Dutt also took to his Twitter and wrote: “The video portraying violence against women in Manipur was shocking and sickening. My utmost hope is for the culprits to be punished with the utmost severity, sending a clear message that such despicable actions will not be tolerated in any circumstance.”
Actor Riteish Deshmukh too wrote on his Twitter: “Deeply disturbed with the visuals of the atrocities against the women in Manipur… I am seething with anger… no man should go unpunished for such crime. Attack on the dignity of a woman is an attack on humanity itself (sic).”
Actor-comedian Vir Das shared a series of tweet holding the government and the officials responsible for the shameful and the delay in bringing justice to the victims.
He wrote: “When horrific incidents occur make no mistake, through the system, our leaders are IMMEDIATELY aware. When months later videos go viral, twitter is aware. If leaders only then respond, it’s to twitter, not horrific incidents. They care about online outrage, not real people.”
He continued in his tweets: “People outrage as and when they become aware or are allowed to. It takes a specific kind of creepy man to invalidate a crime against a woman by offsetting it against the comparative outrage for another crime against another woman. It’s Masterful whataboutery. Don’t fall for it.”
“Grateful to see our leadership speak up and take action for the viral people of India,” he added.
The video shows two women, one in her 20s and the other in her 40s, being made to walk naked down a road and towards a field by a mob of men. Some of the men can be seen dragging the two women towards a field and sexually assaulting them.
Though the said incident took place on May 4 as per the police, the video emerged on July 19 sparking massive outrage across the country.
The victim is going through corrective surgery on his arm, which is split open at the elbow area.
A 23-year-old Indian student was allegedly kicked, punched, and hit with the metal pole repeatedly by Khalistan supporters on Friday in Sydney’s Western Suburb of Merrylands, according to a media report.
The student, who works as a driver, was on his way to work early in the morning when he was attacked by four men who left the scene in a grey sedan, The Australia Today reported.
“As soon as I sat in my driving seat these Khalistan supporters came out of nowhere. One of them opened the left side door of my vehicle and hit me with an iron rod on my cheekbone under my left eye,” the student told the news outlet.
He said two of them were video recording the attack on their phones while four-five men were hitting him, adding that the goons were repeatedly raising the “Khalistan Zindabad” slogan the whole time.
“Everything happened within five minutes and they left saying this should be enough lesson for me for opposing the Khalistan issue, if not they are ready to give me more lessons like this,” the student said.
(Image source: The Australia Today)
The New South Wales (NSW) Police arrived with paramedics on the scene after they were alerted by the passersby who witnessed the incident.
“Shortly after 5.40 am on Friday, officers attached to Cumberland Police Area Command attended Rupert Street, Merrylands West, following reports of an assault,“ the NSW police said in a statement to The Australia Today.
“The 23-year-old was allegedly kicked, punched, and hit with the metal pole repeatedly before the four men left the scene in a grey sedan,” the statement added. The student was taken to Westmead Hospital with serious injuries to his head, leg, and arm.
According to The Australia Today, the victim is going through corrective surgery on his arm, which is split open at the elbow area.
Police urged people with information to contact them, adding that inquiries into the incident are on.
“We all have a responsibility to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur,” it added…reports Asian Lite News
The US State Department has condemned the assault on a Sikh taxi drive outside JFK airport in New York City.
“We are deeply disturbed by reports of an apparent attack on a Sikh cab driver at JFK airport, captured on video last week. Our diversity makes the U.S. stronger, & we condemn any form of hate-based violence,” the State Department said via its South and Central Asia division Twitter account.
“We all have a responsibility to hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable for their actions, no matter where such crimes occur,” it added.
The video of the incident went viral on Twitter where a man can be seen assaulting the Sikh taxi driver outside the airport. It has elicited condemnation of the attack from the Indian communities based in the US.
A January 5 video posted by various Twitter accounts, including by Simran Jeet Singh of the Inclusive America Project at the Aspen Institute, a think tank, shows a man, who appears to be Sikh cab driver standing by his taxi, being hit by another individual, according to The Hindu report.
The attacker walks away then comes back and starts hitting the taxi driver again. He then hits another individual who questions him. People can be heard shouting in the background, it was reported.
Meanwhile, Indian Consulate General in New York has termed the assault as “deeply disturbing”, and informed that it has taken up the matter with the US authorities and urged them to investigate the incident.
Shocking assault against Sikh Taxi driver in New York.
The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities & urged them to investigate this violent incident. – @IndiainNewYork Statement pic.twitter.com/6XmICuEpD6
“The assault against a Sikh taxi driver in New York is deeply disturbing. We have taken up the matter with US authorities and urged them to investigate this violent incident,” tweeted the Consulate General of India in New York.
Details about the driver or cause or time of the incident were not available. (with inputs from ANI)
Soon they began beating the four women, stripped them and dragged them through the market…reports Asian Lite News.
The police in Pakistan have arrested five men on charges of assaulting, stripping and filming four women in Faisalabad’s Bawa Chak Market, the Dawn reported.
The matter had surfaced after a video of the four women went viral on social media.
According to the FIR, the complainant, a garbage-picker, went to the Bawa Chak Market with three other women to collect garbage on Monday at around 10:30 am.
She told the police that they were thirsty and went inside a shop, Usman Electric Store, and asked for a bottle of water from one of the suspects, Saddam, whom they identified as the owner of the shop. But Saddam began shouting at them, accusing them of entering his shop with the intention to steal, the FIR said, adding that other suspects also reached the shop upon hearing him shouting, the report said.
Soon they began beating the four women, stripped them and dragged them through the market.
“They continued to beat us for around an hour and made our videos in naked condition,” the FIR quoted the complainant as saying.
Later, some family members of the victims reached the market and passersby gathered at the spot who pleaded to the suspects to let the women go, according to the FIR, the report added.
“The suspects committed gross injustice by stripping us, dragging us through the market and torturing us and strict action should be taken against them,” the complainant said in the FIR.
According to a tweet by Pakistan Punjab Police, two of the suspects were arrested on Monday night and three others were arrested on Tuesday.
