Aslah Kayyalakkath

Zafar Ali, a prominent lawyer and the Sadar Chief of Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Sunday in connection with the 2024 protests against the survey of the mosque and the police violence that followed.

In an unprecedented move targeting students, Jamia Millia Islamia authorities issued public notices and pasted them on campus gates, displaying the personal contact details and academic records of students who participated in protests.

Dozens of FIRs have been registered against Muslim residents of Sambhal, including MP Zia-Ur-Rahman Barq, in alleged power theft cases. Power officials claim they discovered irregularities in electric meters, but local Muslims denounce the action as a “witch hunt.”

Friends, family members, and followers of legendary journalist and intellectual VT Rajshekar gathered in Bengaluru on Saturday to share memories and reflect on his enduring legacy.

On Saturday, at a round table conference titled ‘Freedom from Freedom Park’ in Bengaluru, nearly 30 citizen groups demanded the lifting of restrictions on protests. Authorities currently consider any form of protest at Freedom Park, located in the city’s Gandhinagar area, as illegal.

Acclaimed author Arundhati Roy urged the Indian government to stop selling weapons to Israel, which she called the south Asian country’s "complicit" in Israel’s ongoing genocidal war on Palestine.