The Taliban-run Supreme Court announced that 10 civilians were flogged with 39 lashes in connection with charges of theft and moral corruption in Khost Province, reports Afghanistan International on May 30. The court said six of the accused were sentenced to three years in prison, two others were sentenced to two years in prison and two other defendants were sentenced to six and 15 months in prison, respectively.
On May 29, the Taliban flogged a civilian 20 times on the accusation of theft by the order of a local court in the Khwaja Umari District of Ghazni Province, reports Afghanistan International.
On May 29, Afghanistan’s embassy in Italy condemned a Taliban order to evict Ismaili families from their homes in Baghlan Province, reports Amu TV. Furthermore, the embassy accused the Taliban of forcing the Ismaili families in Baghlan to convert to Sunni Islam.
Junbish Rawzana-e Azadi Zanan Afghanistan, a women’s rights advocacy group, issued a statement announcing its opposition to any type of talks with the Taliban at the third Doha (Qatar) meeting, reports Amu TV on May 30. It said, “Junbish Rawzana-e Azadi Zanan Afghanistan emphasizes the immediate demands for women’s human rights in Afghanistan and considers any engagement with the Taliban a betrayal of women.” “Engagement and legitimacy to the Taliban is an endorsement of terrorism in the world,” It added.
A team of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) arrested 16 cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) during a search operation in the Gorna Padiapara area in Bijapur District in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh on May 30, reports etvbharat.com. During the search operation in the forest, CoBRA and CRPF personnel saw some suspicious people, and when they questioned them, they started fleeing from the spot. They chased and caught all the 11 Maoists. While 11 Maoists were arrested from Gorna Padiapara, another five 'jan militia' (people's army of the Maoists) members were arrested from the forest area of Bhusapur. The five arrested 'jan militia' members are experts in planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and making explosives. The identities of the arrested Maoists are yet to be established.
Ten cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including four minors, surrendered to the Police in Dantewada District in the Bastar division of Chhattisgarh on May 30, reports The Pioneer. Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai said that the surrendered Maoists were residents of Rekhawaya village in Narayanpur District and worked under the Indravati area committee of the Maoists in south Bastar. As Maoist cadres, they were allegedly given tasks such as digging roads, felling trees to block roads and putting up posters and banners during the ‘bandh’ 9general shut down strike) call given by Maoists, Rai said. The identities of the surrendered Maoists are yet to be ascertained.
Border Security Force (BSF) stated on 'X' (formerly Twitter) that troops arrested three Pakistani intruders in the Ferozepur District of Punjab on May 30.
The BSF stated on 'X' that troops arrested one intruder in Gurdaspur District of Punjab on May 30.
Border Security Force (BSF) stated on 'X' (formerly Twitter) that troops downed four Pakistani drones and recovered two kilograms of heroin in an unspecified location in Punjab on May 30. Following this incident, the BSF completely sealed the border to prevent external forces from causing any disruption as the state goes to the polls the day after tomorrow in Punjab.
Tribals organised a massive rally against the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) at Maddigaruvu weekly market in G Madugula Mandal (administrative sub division) in Alluri Sitarama Raju District of Andhra Pradesh on May 30, reports The Hans India. As many as 500 people from Killamkota, Boithili, Injari, Ginnelakota, Jamiguda, and Kuntarla Panchayats (village-level local self-government institutions) participated in the rally and raised the slogan “Maoists don’t come to the Alluri district.” They claimed that development programmes are now taking place, which did not happen during the earlier Maoist era. Various development projects in their areas were displayed on placards. Tribals said that since last year, the establishment of cell towers and the construction of roads in the Maoist-affected areas have been going on. They requested that such development work be carried out on a large scale by the government.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on May 29, filed a charge sheet against Paresh Baruah, the ‘chief’ of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I), and five others in connection with the attack on an army camp located at Kakopathar in Tinsukia District of Assam on November 22, 2023, reports NIA. The other accused named in the charge sheet as key conspirators and executors of the attack are Arunodoy Dohutia, Saurabh Asom, Abhijit Gogoi, Porag Bora and Bijoy Moran. Bora and Moran were arrested in December 2023 from the Tinsukia District while the other accused are absconding.NIA investigations stated that Baruah and Dohutia had masterminded the conspiracy and had deputed two of the outfit’s cadres to carry out multiple attacks on army camps in Assam.It was further revealed that Abhijit Gogoi had coordinated the entire planning, preparation and execution of the attack in the case. He had conspired with Bijoy Moran an Over Ground Workers (OGW) of ULFA-I, and recruited local youth to help in executing the terrorist attack.
A tribal elder Malik Naseer was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Salarzai area of Bajaur District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 30, reports The Khorasan Diary.
The Provincial Police on May 30 heightened the security level in the city following a terrorism threat to the headquarters of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), four Police Stations and Police units in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, reports Dawn. The threat was issued by the Khurasani group of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), after which the Police high-ups held a meeting to devise a strategy to counter any possible terror activity in the city. “It has been learnt reliably that the defunct TTP (Khurasani network), operating under its commander, Ali Zar, has planned terrorist activities to target the police units in Lahore,” reads the special information report of the Punjab Police. The Police Stations the terrorist outfit allegedly intends to target include Mozang, Badami Bagh, Racecourse and Batapur. Similarly, the Liberty Market Facilitation Centre, the CIA Kotwali and the CIA headquarters are also among the targets of the terrorist organisation, according to the Police report. It said that motive of the TTP’s Khorasani group may be to avenge the recent killing of a terrorist, Faizan Butt.
On May 30, speaking to reporters in the town of Ampara in the Eastern Province, Secretary of Defence Kamal Gunaratne said that four of its nationals arrested in India last week by the authorities in Gujarat for links with the Islamic State (IS) terror group have no record of being religious extremists but are drug addicts, reports Indian Express. He said, “We are currently investigating them. We have found them to be severely addicted to drugs. They are not religious extremists.”