Mukhtar Ansari backs Kejriwal to avoid division of secular votes in Varanasi

April 10, 2014

mukhtar-ansari
Varanasi, Apr 10: Jailed mafia don-turned-politician and independent legislator Mukhtar Ansari, who had earlier declared that he would also take a plunge in the electoral battle at Varanasi and contest against BJP PM nominee Narendra Modi, withdrew his candidature from the high-profile seat on Thursday.

Earlier, there were indicators from his family that he could opt out of the contest and instead support a 'joint nominee' from the 'secular parties' against Modi.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, Ansari had contested on BSP ticket from Varanasi and had narrowly lost to senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi by a narrow margin of 17,000 votes.

On April 9, Mukhtar's brother and president of the Quami Ekta Dal (QAD) floated by the don a few years back, Afzal Ansari said that his outfit was of the opinion that a joint candidate from the 'secular parties' should be fielded against Modi to prevent division in secular votes.

"We are reconsidering the decision to field Mukhtar from Varanasi. We do not want to create any confusion among the Muslims in the constituency," said Ansari.

The 53-year-old Mukhtar Ansari is an accused in the 2005 murder of a BJP MLA is currently biding time in an Agra jail. The several criminal charges that he faces also include the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act.

The other candidates in Varanasi are Aam Admi Party's Arvind Kejriwal, Congress' Ajay Rai (who is a local MLA), Samajwadi Party's Kailash Chaurasia (who recently quit his ministerial position in the state) and Bahujan Samaj Party's Vijay Prakash Jaiswal.

On Wednesday, the former Delhi Chief Minister got a shot in the arm when Varanasi's influential Muslim clerics decided to back him and appealed to the community to vote for him.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: The Mangaluru CEN police have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly posting provocative and misleading content on an Instagram page named “mr_a_titude”, targeting the Bajpe police.

Mangaluru Commissioner of Police Sudheer Kumar Reddy C H identified the arrested as Abhishek M, a resident of Katipalla in Mangaluru.

A case has been registered at the Bajpe Police Station under Sections 353(1)(c), 353(2), 56, and 57 read with Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the post.

According to police, the accused uploaded a photograph of a hotel on the Instagram page and alleged that accused persons in a murder case under the Bajpe police jurisdiction were being given “royal treatment” by the police, including being served beef meals daily from the hotel.

The post further accused the police of supporting criminals, misusing their authority, and betraying public trust. Police said the content was provocative in nature and aimed at inciting public outrage against the police.

Following the post, a case was registered at the Bajpe police station, and further investigation was transferred to the CEN police station.

Police records indicate that the accused has a criminal history, with multiple cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, assault, and robbery at the Surathkal Police Station, and one case at the Kaup Police Station.

The Commissioner said the accused was traced and arrested using technical evidence.

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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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