Facebook Activism, Or Something More Sinister?
The arrest of ISIS recruit, 32-year-old Salman Mohiuddin, a Nampally resident, who studied for four years in Houston, Texas, has set alarm bells ringing among security agencies. Mohiudddin and his American girlfriend Nicky Joseph, alias Ayesha, started taking a keen interest in the activities of the ISIS in 2014. They started various Facebook accounts under different profile names in order to attract more youth to the cause. Mohiuddin was a resident of Bazarghat area in Nampally and was basically drifting from one job to another after his return from the US. He was to board a flight to Dubai when he was arrested. The police say the engineer was planning to go to Syria to undergo militant training and then start terrorist activities in India. Police raided the plush HH City Scape apartment where Mohiuddin's parents have been staying for the last three years. His father Ahmed Mohiuddin is a retired civil engineer and says that the police charges are baseless.
Strange Interim Ban on Cock-Fighting
Even as the Supreme Court issued an interim ban on cock-fighting, a popular sport in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, many chose to interpret it as a go-ahead. Politicians of all hues visited the cockfight venues and posed for photos and if popular guesstimates are to be believed, betting ran into about Rs 1,000 crore. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had earlier issued a ban on cockfights after a PIL was filed saying the sport encouraged animal cruelty, drinking and gambling. But it was challenged in Supreme Court. The apex court has again referred the matter to the High Court. Most organisers claimed there was no betting involved and that razors were not tied to the legs of the fighting cocks. Critics of this sport say a ban ought to be imposed similar to the one imposed on jallikattu (bullfighting). Be that as it may, said most rural folk and went ahead with their favourite sport on Sankranti day.