Twitter, Facebook, Instagram accounts of PFI ‘withheld’ in India after ban 

News Network
September 29, 2022

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Twitter has ‘withheld’ the official Popular Front of India account a day after the government of India banned the organisation for a period of five years under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Facebook and Instagram, too, withheld the official accounts of the organisation.

On Twitter, where the organisation had over 80,000 followers, it showed that the account had been withheld in India following a legal demand. A similar notice was seen on the accounts of its chairperson OMA Salam and general secretary Anis Ahmed.

On Wednesday, after invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to effect the ban, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that the PFI and its affiliates are linked to terror groups like the ISIS, propagate “anti-national sentiments… radicalise a particular section of society with the intention to create disaffection” and constitute a “major threat to internal security of the country”.

Saying it was “necessary to curb the nefarious activities” of the organisation, the MHA declared the PFI an “unlawful association” along with “its associates or affiliates or fronts including Rehab India Foundation (RIF), Campus Front of India (CFI), All India Imams Council (AIIC), National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation (NCHRO), National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala”.

Within hours of the ban, the PFI announced it had disbanded. PFI Kerala general secretary A Abdul Sattar said, “As law-abiding citizens of the country, we accept the decision of the Home Ministry.’’

According to a document of the Home Ministry, the ban came in the wake of over 1,300 criminal cases registered across the country by law enforcement agencies against PFI members. These include offences related to the killing of leaders associated with hardline Hindutva organisations, organising suspected terror camps, alleged radicalisation of youth and links with foreign terrorist organisations such as the Islamic State.

The central government also directed all states and Union Territories to use their power under the UAPA against the PFI and its ‘affiliates’. 

The central government notification also declared Rehab India Foundation, Campus Front of India, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organization, National Women’s Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala, as an ‘unlawful association’ under sub-section (1) of section 3 of the UAPA.

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News Network
July 10,2025

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New Delhi, July 10: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking a direction to the Centre to use diplomatic channels to save an Indian nurse, who is likely to be executed in Yemen on July 16 for murder charges.

A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi listed the matter for hearing on July 14 after advocate Subhash Chandran KR said diplomatic channels need to be explored at the earliest.

He submitted that payment of blood money to the family of the deceased permissible under Sharia law can be explored.

The family of the deceased may pardon the Kerala nurse if blood money is paid, he submitted.

The bench asked the counsel to serve the copy of the petition to the Attorney General and sought his assistance.

Nimisha Priya, 38, a nurse from Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted of murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017. 

She was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She is currently imprisoned in a jail in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

The plea has been filed by an organisation "Save Nimisha Priya - International Action Council" which extends legal support to assist Nimishapriya.

The plea cited a media report that stated that the tentative date for execution of Nimishapriya has been fixed as July 16 by the Yemeni administration.

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News Network
July 7,2025

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Bengaluru, July 8: A college student was kidnapped and brutally assaulted by a group of eight to ten attackers for allegedly sending obscene messages to his ex-girlfriend in Bengaluru. 

According to police, the incident took place on June 30 in Soladevanahalli, a locality in the Nelamangala taluk near Bengaluru.

The incident was captured on camera by one of the accused - who were allegedly inspired by the actor Darshan murder case in which a man was kidnapped and killed for sending obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda.

The footage shows the attackers beating Kushal, stripping him, and hitting him on his private parts.

Officials said that Kushal was in a relationship with a college student for two years, but they broke up a few months ago. The girl later got into a relationship with another man. Angered by this, Kushal sent some obscene messages to the girl. In retaliation, the girl, her boyfriend, and his friends allegedly planned the attack, following which they called him at a location on the pretext of solving the issue.

However, the accused instead kidnapped him in a car, took him to a deserted spot near a lake, and assaulted him.

During the assault, one of the attackers referred to the Renukaswamy murder case, threatening the victim with similar consequences. They were also laughing while invoking the "inspired" murder case.
In the video, the accused were heard saying that he (victim) is Renukaswamy and they are accused number one, two and three.

The Soladevanahalli police registered a case and arrested all eight accused involved in the assault.

"We have arrested all the eight accused on charges of robbery and kidnapping," a police said.

Renukaswamy murder case

Renukaswamy's body, bearing multiple injuries, was discovered near a drain in Bengaluru's Sumanahalli. Investigations revealed that Renukaswamy, a resident of Chitradurga, had allegedly sent obscene messages to Pavithra Gowda. He was allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and killed.

Initially, four individuals surrendered to the police claiming responsibility, citing a financial dispute. However, inconsistencies in their statements revealed a conspiracy involving Darshan, Pavithra Gowda, and 15 others.

Actor Darshan was arrested on June 11 for his alleged involvement in the kidnapping and killing of 33-year-old Renukaswamy on June 8.

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News Network
July 6,2025

Mangaluru, July 6: In a chilling reminder of how fear and impersonation can override rationality, a Mangaluru woman was allegedly defrauded of a staggering ₹3.16 crore by cybercriminals posing as senior law enforcement officials and a public prosecutor.

This incident underscores the urgent need for public awareness about increasingly sophisticated impersonation scams, where fraudsters exploit legal jargon and fear tactics to drain victims financially.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN Crime Police Station, the ordeal began on June 5 when the woman received a call from an individual claiming to be Inspector Anu Sharma from the National Cyber Response Portal (NCRP). The caller informed her that a SIM card was allegedly purchased in her husband’s name and was being used for sending fraudulent messages and suspicious links.

The call was transferred multiple times — first to a so-called sub-inspector Mohan Kumar from ‘Sahar Police Station’ in Mumbai, who gathered personal details, and then to someone identifying himself as Public Prosecutor Deepak Venkata Ramana. The supposed prosecutor convinced the woman that her and her husband’s bank accounts were under scrutiny and needed to be “verified” through urgent fund transfers.

The complainant was threatened to maintain complete secrecy and promised that all transferred amounts would be refunded once the verification process was complete. Gripped by fear and manipulated through psychological pressure, she allegedly made a series of RTGS transfers between June 10 and June 27, totaling ₹3,16,52,142, into multiple bank accounts provided by the fraudsters.

Once the funds were drained, the fraudsters cut all communication and blocked the victim’s number. Only after she confided in her children did she realise that she had been conned.

Police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.

Why this matters:

This case highlights a disturbing trend in digital fraud, where scammers combine technology with fearmongering and impersonation to bypass even the most cautious minds. Authorities urge the public to be extremely wary of unsolicited calls claiming to be from police, banks, or legal institutions — especially when money is demanded under the guise of investigation or legal procedure.

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