On March 27, five people underwent corporal punishment of lashing, following a verdict issued by the Taliban’s lower court situated in Arghandab District of Kandahar, reports Hasht-e Subh. The Taliban leveled charges of “moral corruption” against these individuals, resulting in the administration of 39 lashes to each offender.Additionally, it has been confirmed that the accused have been handed a two-year prison sentence.
On March 28, two individuals in Kabul faced 35 lashes each at the directive of the Primary Court of the Taliban in the Fourth Zone of Kabul, reports Hasht-e Subh. The communiqué further disclosed that alongside the brutal flogging, each defendant received a harsh one-year prison sentence. Despite mounting domestic and international pressures urging respect for human rights and the cessation of kangaroo courts, the Taliban remain resolute in their summary judicial proceedings.
On March 28, several local Taliban ‘commanders’ in Pasaband District of Ghor Province forcefully abducted a young girl, without any semblance of consent or compensation, reports Hasht-e Subh. Those involved are: that Khairullah Khairkhah, District Governor; Abdul Hamid Khalid, security commander; Mohammad Moshfeq, the intelligence deputy, and Tawhidi, the intelligence officer of Pasaband District. Afghanistan International adds that she was forcibly married to an individual named Shah Wali, who is a member of the Taliban.
On March 27, Manipur Police arrested four suspected cadres of United National Liberation Front-Koireng faction (UNLF-K) from the Inter-village road of Moirang Thoya to Tronglaobi village under the Moirang Police station in Bishnupur District of Manipur, reports Northeast Now. The arrested cadres were identified as Salam Rameshwor Singh (48), Tongbram Gyanjit Singh alias Chinglensana (39), Pukhrem Ingocha Singh (40) and Thokchom Temba alias Wakheiba (50). Three self-loading rifles (SLR) along with four empty magazines, twenty live rounds and one Baofeng Walkie Talkie Set were recovered from them. SATP had on March 28 reported the arrest of the four persons.
The Police arrested two cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Puttam Munna alias Sannal (35), a ‘deputy commander’ of the Kistaram Local Organisation Squad (LOS) Dalam (armed squad), and Jadi Peddabbai, who works as a ‘courier’ for the banned outfit, during a combing operation in the Mulakanapalli Forests in Dummugudem Mandal (administrative sub-division) in Bhadradri Kothagudem District of Telangana on March 27, reports The Times of India. Munna has been working for the Maoist Party since 2004 and served as a Maoist battalion member under the leadership of Madvi Hidma alias Santhosh, from 2011 to 2022. He carried an INR 500,000 reward against him in Chhattisgarh. Peddabbai has been working as a courier for the past three years for the Maoist 1st battalion in Chhattisgarh. The Police recovered explosives, including ten gelatin sticks, two detonators, and Maoist literature and pamphlets, from the arrested duo and sent them to judicial remand.
The Chhattisgarh Police arrested a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as Santosh Potam (18), from the boys’ hostel in Bijapur town in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh on March 28, reports outlookindia.com. Potam had connections with an attack on a District Reserve Guard (DRG) trooper on March 24 and an “urban network” of Maoists, Police said. Potam had done a recce of Dipak Durgam’s place, shared details about the trooper’s movement with his sister, who is also associated with the outlawed Maoist organisation, and made a plan to kill him, an official said. As per the plan, Potam called a ‘small action team’ of the Maoists that attacked Durgam. Efforts are on to arrest others who are part of their ‘urban network’, the official added.
On March 27, the National Investigation Agency arrested a key conspirator identified as Muzammil Shareef from Chikmagalur District in Karnataka in connection with the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that took place in Rameshwaram Café in Bengaluru on March 1, after NIA teams raided 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and one in Uttar Pradesh, reports The Hindu. NIA investigations revealed that Muzammil Shareef had extended logistic support to the other two identified accused, the bomber identified as Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain and the key conspirator identified as as Abdul Matheen Taha in the case.
On March 28, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) extended the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in three Districts of Arunachal Pradesh for another six months, reports India TodayNE. The notification issued by the UMHA stated that the Central Government, exercising its authority under Section 3 of the AFSPA, had previously declared Tirap, Changlang, and Longding Districts in Arunachal Pradesh, along with specific areas under the jurisdiction of Namsai, Mahadevpur, and Chowkham Police stations in Namsai District, as 'disturbed areas.’ The extension is slated for a duration of six months, effective from April 1, 2024, unless withdrawn earlier by the authorities.
On March 28, the Assam government extended the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 in four Districts for six months from April 1, reports Economic Times. The State government's political department issued a notification, stating that the 'Disturbed Area' tag under the AFSPA has been extended in areas covering Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar Districts.