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
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru police have arrested a 27-year-old NRI on his return from Saudi Arabia in connection with an Instagram post allegedly containing derogatory and provocative remarks about the Hindu religion, officials said on Monday.

The accused, Abdul Khader Nehad, a resident of Ulaibettu in Mangaluru, was working in Saudi Arabia when the post was uploaded, police said.

A suo motu case was registered at the Bajpe police station on October 11 after an allegedly offensive post circulated from the Instagram account ‘team_sdpi_2025’. Police said the content was flagged for being provocative and derogatory in nature.

During the investigation, technical analysis traced the Instagram post to Nehad, who was residing abroad at the time, a senior police officer said. Based on these findings, a Look Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him.

On December 14, Nehad arrived from Saudi Arabia at Calicut International Airport in Kerala, where he was taken into custody on arrival. Police said further investigation is underway.

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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