Situation continues to be tense in Hubballi after violence as cops detain over 100

News Network

April 18, 2022

Hubballi, Apr 18: More than 100 persons have been detained in connection with the large-scale violence following a provocative social media post targeting Muslims in the city and the accused are likely to be produced in a court on Monday.

The situation continues to be tense and tight security arrangements are in place, with prohibitory orders in effect till April 20.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that all the accused have been arrested and the investigation is being taken up, to pinpoint the conspirators. "Whoever is found guilty, strict action will be initiated against them," he said.

Police sources said that as many as eight special teams formed to nab criminal elements who indulged in violence are still on the lookout for the suspects. The police have arrested 88 persons so far in connection with the violence and lodged 10 cases.

Violence erupted in Hubballi on April 16 night following a WhatsApp post. The mob started pelting stones on public and government property. Later, they gathered in front of Old Hubballi police station and pelted the police with stones.

They damaged police vehicles and torched private vehicles, besides targeting the Sanjeevini Hospital and a temple. The police used tear gas and resorted to lathicharge to quell the mob.

Sources said that one police team is exclusively looking into the CCTV footage and identifying the rioters, while a cybercrime team is looking into social media posts and messages on WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram that led to the violence.

The investigation is being monitored by ADGP Pratap Reddy, designated by Hubballi-Dharwad Police Commissioner Labhu Ram, who passed on the details of the violence to him.

The Congress delegation, headed by its executive committee member Saleem Ahamad, will meet Ram on Monday over concerns that innocents are being picked up by the police.

Sri Ram Sena Founder Pramod Muthalik stated that the violence was an organised act against Hindus, in the guise of a WhatApp post. He had also slammed the Congress party for "remaining silent" when Hindus get arrested and coming to the rescue of minority community members. "Let the police do their job. Do not get heartburns when goondas and anti-social elements are arrested," he said.

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India’s Modi govt will buy oil from Venezuela, not Iran: Trump’s big claim

News Network

February 1,2026

US President Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that the government of India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a deal to buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing it from Iran.

"We've already made that deal, the concept of the deal," he told reporters on Air Force One.

Trump had imposed 25% tariffs on countries buying Venezuelan oil, including India, in March 2025. He had also hit India with tariffs for buying Russian oil, saying it was "funding" President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine.

Trump has said that the US has taken control of the oil-rich Venezuela after capturing former President Nicolas Maduro in January.

A fleet of 18 ships loaded with crude oil bound for refineries in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in January, the most since December 2024, according to a report by the news agency Bloomberg.

Combined crude deliveries to the US will reach about 2,75,000 barrels a day, more than doubling volumes seen in December last year. Shipments to China, which averaged 4,00,000 barrels a day last year, fell to zero in January.

PM Modi, Venezuelan President Agree To Expand Ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez spoke on Friday and agreed to take the bilateral relations to "new heights" in the years ahead.

It was the first phone call between the two leaders since the capture of Maduro and his wife by the US on January 3.

"Spoke with Acting President of Venezuela, Ms. Delcy Rodriguez. We agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India-Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead," PM Modi said in a post on X.

A statement from Prime Minister Modi's office said the two leaders agreed to further expand and deepen the India-Venezuela partnership in all areas, including trade and investment, energy, digital technology, health, agriculture, and people-to-people ties.

They exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest and underscored the importance of their close cooperation for the Global South, the statement said.

Rodriguez also said that they discussed partnerships in the fields of agriculture, science and technology, mining, and tourism, as well as the pharmaceutical and automotive industries.

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