Suicide for toilet: 'I feel ashamed daddy,' Rekha had pleaded --- Inter student had said she felt ashamed of going out in the open

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

"Izzat Pothondhi Nanna (I am feeling ashamed, daddy),” is what 17-year-old K. Rekha, an intermediate  student of Jagruthi College in Gundala of Nalgonda district, has been been telling her father for the past seven months.

She had been insisting that her father construct a toilet as she had to walk with a water jug to the ‘jungle like grove’ near her house to attend nature’s call.
Even the place where she bathed was open with torn saris hung to cover one side.

Depressed because her parents could not build a toilet at home, Rekha committed suicide by immolating herself on Monday. The predicament of several other college and schoolgoing young girls and women is no different from that of Rekha as at least every two of four households in Gundala of Nalgonda do not have toilet facility.

The villages in other mandals in Nalgonda face a similar situation. In fact, 48 per cent of Telangana state households face a similar problem. Narrating the pain that her daughter suffered Rekha’s mother K. Lalamma recalled that her daughter always showed the Unicef sanitation advertisement where actress Vidya Balan stresses on the need to have a toilet in every household.
She used to tell her parents: “Idanna chusi nerchukondi (learn from at least this TV ad)”.

While the nation celebrated Republic Day, Rekha’s family grieved a day after she immolated herself as her father expressed his inability due to lack of space and money to construct a toilet.

Many girls are fighting for a toilet

Breaking into tears Lalamma said, “Bathroom kavali, bathroom kavali (need a bathroom) she used to tell us each and every day.

Rekha use to say ‘Nenu chaduvkune ammaini” (I am a college-going educated girl) I need to have self-respect. She stopped going to college after the Sankranti holidays stating that she is ashamed. On attaining puberty she was more vocal.”

Belonging to BCA (washerman) community Lalamma and her husband K. Sattaih residents of Chakalivada eke out a living on daily wages and monthly labour in Gundala.

They funded the education of two daughters and a son. Rekha’s sister, 12 year-old Maheswari studying in Class VII in a local government school, said, “Akka used to weep on the toilet issue. She used to tell me at least by the time I grow up the family will have one toilet.”

Gundala mandal revenue officer T. Jangaiah, who conducted an inquiry said, “I inquired about the case. There is no individual household latrine. The girl requested her parents several times but they told her they don’t have the money".

"She insisted and tried to explain that lessons she learnt in college stated that open defecation is not good. On Monday, she argued with her father and as there was no positive response she took her life.”

College-going girls of Rekha’s age held similar views. B. Sravanthi, daughter of Bayya Bishkapati studying in second year intermediate, said, “I knew Rekha and the issue on which she ended her life. I have been asking my father for the past two years to construct a toilet".

"He has been promising. He has now constructed a new house and I will now ask him to have a toilet there.” She added, “We have a latrine in the government college, we use that. We don’t have one in the house. Several of my friends in the college have similar problem.”

Telangana counter intelligence sleuths crack ultras command chain

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

The counter intelligence sleuths of TS who busted the ISIS' Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind (Army of the Caliph in India) network along with the National Investigation Agency has deciphered the chain of command and communication methods of the terror group.

The group had built its terror structure with a bomb-maker, an electric specialist and an information security analyst who can hack into systems and foot soldiers. This structure is similar to that of the Indian Mujahideen, police officials said.

Abu Anas, who hails from Rajasthan and was staying in Hyderabad, was the information security analyst, akin to IM’s Mansoor Peerboy. Mohammed Nafees Khan was the bomb-maker and local commander and Shareef Moinuddin the electrician.

A senior IPS official said, “They followed ranks not only in hierarchy but had built their group to execute the attacks and bomb blasts by making IEDs.

"There were several instances earlier where the bombs failed to go off due to circuit problems. That’s why they had an expert in electric circuits as well as an information security analyst who is also a trainer. The ISIS was planning to use his services as a trainer.”

Sources said the suspects were in “constant touch” with top commanders perceived to be close to ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Mudabbir Mushtaq Shaikh was the 'ameer' of the Janood-ul-Khalifa-e-Hind. Mudabbir was getting instructions from Shafi Armar alias Yousuf.

Mudabbir was working as the manager of a sports company and had received huge amounts routed from Turkey and Syria through hawala and other modes.
Rizwan Ali, a resident of Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, was its naib ameer (deputy chief).

Mangalore resident Najmul Huda was appointed ameer-e-askari (battalion commander) and Mohammed Nafees Khan of Tolichowki, Hyderabad, was the group’s ameer-e-wyulat (head of finance) and head of operations in Hyderabad.

They purchased 42 mobile phones with SIM cards. It is also believed that the groups visited several places and photographed important installations.

Investigators found that the ISIS suspects used to contact each other in FB and Twitter with the code “Doctor Medicine Leak Karega.”

Terror crackdown: Karnataka’s Yousuf plotted hits in India

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

The operations of the ISIS terrorists, who were arrested on Friday, were directed by the chief of ‘Warriors of the Caliph in India’ Shafi Armar alias Yousuf, who is waging a war for the terror group in Syria.

Yousuf passed on instructions to the three terror commanders including Mohammed Nafees Khan of Tolichowki, arrested in Hyderabad, and elsewhere in the country.

Yousuf is among the top three leaders of ‘Janood ul Khalifa e Hind’ (Army of the Caliph of India), the Indian arm of the ISIS.

Top sources in the police said that Nafees Khan had left his job recently to become a full-time chief of the terror group in Hyderabad and took the alias of Abu Zarrar.

Nafees had prepared the suspects to take part in a training camp in a forest in Karnataka. Apart from carrying out terror attacks, their aim was to secure the release of Indian Mujahideen former operative Yasin Bhatkal by carrying out a jail attack.

Suspect stabbed TS policeman
A constable of the Telangana counter-intelligence was stabbed while overpowering terror suspect Asghar of the erstwhile Indian Mujahideen in Bengaluru on Saturday.

He was the prime suspect in the 2008 Ahmedabad blast that resulted in the death of 56 people. He was also linked to the Surat blasts and conspiracies in Chennai and other places.

“We found a rifle and a map of the Republic Day celebrations in the city, while searching his house. Though this is not connected with the NIA crackdown on ISIS terrorists, it is learnt that Asghar was also in touch with Yousuf alias Shafi Armar, the ISIS head of India in Syria. Ashgar was assigned missions in south India,” the officer said.

A top official of the Bengaluru police said, “Asghar was living with his wife in Parappana Agrahara. The couple resisted arrest. The constable who was injured is out of danger and is in hospital.”

Bengaluru police commissioner Megharikh said “A cop from Telangana  was attacked in Parappana Agrahara. But We have not received any complaint so far.”

Four held for plot to ‘pipe bomb’ Hyderabad, Paris style attacks averted

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

Major pipe bomb blasts and Paris style attacks were averted in the city as the NIA took four terror suspects linked to the ISIS module into custody in Hyderabad and seized explosives, gunpowder and ammonium nitrate.

The NIA officially arrested Mohammed Nafees Khan alias Fatima Khan alias Abu Zarrar alias Akram, 24 and Mohammed Shareef Moinuddin Khan, 54, an electricity worker. Both are residents of Tolichowki in Hyderabad.

Two other suspects identified as Mohammed Obaidullah Khan, 33, a resident of Tolichowki, and Abu Anas, 27, a native of Rajasthan, were arrested.

The NIA sleuths seized gunpowder, ammonium nitrate weighing 2 kg, a pipe (possibly to be used for making pipe bombs), timer and a booklet and videos on “making explosive devices” and Jihadi literature from them.

NIA grills Obaidullah, Abu Anas in custody
Telangana state Director General of Police Anurag Sharma confirmed to this newspaper that the NIA has taken four suspected terrorists linked to ISIS conspiracy case into custody.

NIA is still grilling Obaidullah and Abu Anas in custody and their arrest is not formalised yet.

Another police official said, “Though overall NIA had taken 14 suspects into custody only five have been arrested so far. Improvised Explosive Device making material, mobile phones, laptops, cash and videos have been seized. They were working on procuring more explosives, weapons, identifying locations to organise training camps, including training of firearms, motivating new recruits to target police officers, foreigners in India and to carry out terrorist activities in various parts of the country.”

Police said they had not procured fire arms so far. The NIA had launched a nationwide crackdown in connection with a conspiracy case booked with them RC-14/2015 /NIA/DLI with the Delhi branch. The case was registered on December 9, 2015, according to the ministry of home affairs orders by the Delhi NIA. Arrests were made in three to four other states. A CI cell official said, “They are looking for more suspects in Hyderabad.”

NIA said, “Credible information has been received by the Central government that the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Dawlah-al Islamiyah fil-Iraq wash Sham (DAISH), an international terrorist organisation has been engaged in radicalisation of Indian youths and motivating them to join the terrorist organization as a result of which some Indian nationals have already joined it or are in the process of joining it for committing terrorist acts in the conflict zone of Iraq, Syria and Libya.”

HCU suicide: No names in suicide note may not be helpful for accused

By Udumula Sudhakar Reddy

University of Hyderabad research scholar Rohith Vemula not naming anyone in his suicide note will not help the accused in the case, which include Union minister Bandaru Dattatreya and vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile.

Legal experts say that in abetment to suicide cases a ‘suicide note’ is not the conclusive proof and corroborative evidence and circumstances have to be considered as per several High Court judgements.

Experts say that the claim of HRD minister Smriti Irani that Rohith’s suicide note exonerated the accused is not valid and if police investigation finds evidence linking that the circumstances created by the accused including alleged social boycotting, expulsion and other troubles have led to the suicide then the accused have to be prosecuted.

More importantly in Rohith’s case his first letter written to Prof. Appa Rao on December 18, 2015, will be the first piece of evidence to nail the accused. In that note, Rohith had written: “I request your highness to make preparations for the facility ‘euthanasia’ for students like me.”

Senior advocate C. Mallesh Rao said, “All the circumstances have to be taken into consideration in this case. How many letters he wrote prior to his suicide and their content? In the letter he wrote to the vice-chancellor he had clearly mentioned about his intention to end his life and blamed the vice-chancellor.

This letter shall be read with the last suicide note. They are part of a series and not a separate thing. The culprits shall not claim innocence based on the last note.”

Rohit had asked to serve 10 mg of Sodium Azide to all Dalit students at the time of admission with direction to use when they fell reading Ambedkar.

He also asked the vice-chancellor to supply rope to the rooms of all Dalit students.

Senior advocate Mr C. Mallesh Rao said, “Serious steps taken by authorities like ‘expelling students from public places in groups’ which is nothing but social boycott and solitary confinement; a previous letter written by Rohit to vice-chancell or which had clearly blaming him for troubling Dalit students; no response from vice-chancellor on it; other alternative pressure from Union Minister Dattatreya writing a letter to Srmit Irani and in turn she sending series of reminders.”

“Notices given to Rohit and other Dalit students and fake assault case by ABVP, all these aspects have to be considered as circumstances that forced him to end his life,” he elaborated.

Mr Rao added, “In the later suicide note he wrote about system and society deficiencies and not against any individuals.”

“So the people at the helm of affairs who caused these deficiencies in the system in this specific case of him leading to his suicide have to be booked as abettors.”

“The omission of the vice-chancellor and other accused in addressing the issues troubling Dalit students are to be considered.”