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From smoking on the flight to fighting with cops: Who is Balwant “Bobby” Kataria, the ‘influencer’ who has been arrested by NIA for human trafficking

Rukma Rathore
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From smoking on the flight to fighting with cops: Who is Balwant “Bobby” Kataria, the ‘influencer’ who has been arrested by NIA for human trafficking

On 27th May, the Gurugram police in a joint operation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended social media ‘influencer’ Balwant Kataria, popularly known as Bobby Kataria, for his alleged involvement in human trafficking, fraud and other offences. On 28th May, a city court sent him to a three-day police remand. As per reports, the Gurugram Police and the NIA jointly raided his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 109 and the YouTuber was arrested from his office in Conscient-One mall which is also situated in the same sector.

During the raids, the officials also recovered several suspicious documents, four mobile phones and a huge stash of cash (Rs 20 lakh). He was taken into custody after the Gurugram Police submitted a formal complaint against him. According to the authorities, he has been associated with a major human trafficking network since the previous year and could have connections to a global gang. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) crime Varun Dahiya, “All aspects of the investigation are being looked into by the police.”

The First Information Report revealed that he and other human traffickers had kidnapped and detained more than 150 Indians. Their passports and other identification were taken away and they were pressured into engaging in cybercrime activities for a Chinese enterprise. The victims also suffered from serious abuse, according to the FIR.

The 38-year-old social media celebrity reportedly posted job openings in other countries on his Instagram profile, according to a complaint lodged by Arun Kumar of Gopalganj, Uttar Pradesh, and Manish Tomar of Dhaulapur, Hapur. After being swayed by the advertisement, they got in touch with Bobby Kataria’s team and were invited to his office in Gurugram’s sector 109 where they were promised jobs in the United Arab Emirates and had to pay a registration fee of Rs 2,000. They further deposited over Rs 4 lakh into his accounts in three instalments in persuasion of their aspirations.

Arun Kumar shared, “I met Bobby Kataria on 1st February in his office and he gave me assurance of getting a job in the UAE after taking Rs 2,000 as a registration charge. I then transferred Rs 1.5 lakh to his account and got a ticket for Vientiane (the capital of Laos). Similarly, my friend Manish Tomar was also assured of getting a job in Singapore. Kataria charged Rs 2.59 lakh from Tomar and he too got a ticket to Vientiane and boarded the flight on 28th March 28.”

He added that they were met by someone called Abhi at the airport in Vientiane, who identified himself as Bobby Kataria’s friend after which a Pakistani man dropped them off at a hotel. Arun Kumar unveiled, “The next day, we were taken to an anonymous Chinese company, where we were thrashed and our passports were taken away. We were forced to commit cyber fraud targeting the US (United States) citizens. Around 150 Indians, including women, had been brought there through human trafficking and were being held hostage. On the third day, we managed to escape and approached the Indian Embassy. After returning, we asked Kataria to return our money, but he refused.”

Afterwards, they went to the authorities and an FIR was registered against Bobby Kataria and others under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating), 364 (abduction), 370 (buying and disposing of any person as a slave), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10/24 of the Immigration Act.”

On 27th May, the National Investigation Agency and local police collaborated to raid many sites in six states and Union Territories as part of a human trafficking case including forced cybercrimes. The search resulted in the arrest of five individuals named Manish Hingu of Vadodara, Pahlad Singh of Gopalganj, Nabialam Rai of southwest Delhi and Sartaj Singh of Chandigarh were nabbed along with Bobby Kataria who was caught following a tip-off of the NIA.

Who is Bobby Kataria

Bobby Kataria whose real name is Balwant Singh Kataria, is a native of the Basai village in Haryana. He is a bodybuilder, social media personality, and businessman from Gurugram. He is the founder of the Gurgaon-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Yuva Ekta Foundation. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a powerlifter who has set state and all-time records and has a bachelor’s degree in law. He has more than 3.5 lakh Instagram followers, however, his YouTube and Instagram profiles are presently disabled.

Bobby Kataria’s defunct Instagram account.

According to Bobby Kataria, he can design individualized diet and exercise regimens for people based on their individual fitness or competitive objectives. He reportedly not only coaches people in fitness but also makes promotional appearances in a variety of fields, including business, social services, events and product lines. According to his profile, he also speaks to organizations and interest groups and makes guest appearances on radio and television. He claims to actively support a number of public programs and facilities.

He began a consultancy business in February 2023 to provide employment to persons seeking opportunities abroad. He was spotted in multiple Facebook videos promoting alleged Canada visas he obtained for his clients and talking about a work opportunity in Russia.

Bobby Kataria’s controversial past

Notably, Bobby Kataria has already made headlines in the past for all the wrong reasons as he found himself in soup for breaking the law on many occasions including smoking a cigarette on an aeroplane and consuming alcohol in the middle of the road. A Dehradun court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for public intoxication and traffic obstruction.

Bobby Kataria landed himself in significant legal difficulties in 2022 after a video surfaced of him idly relaxing, hogging a whole row of seats, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs inside an aeroplane as a Haryanvi song can be heard in the background. He claimed that the clip showed a dummy plane and it was filmed during the shooting. However, according to the initial internal investigation of the airline, the incident happened inside the plane during boarding, as clearly displayed in the footage he posted.

Another video featured a smug Bobby Kataria setting a table and chair in the midst of a busy road in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand came to light in which could be witnessed drinking alcohol. He also ate a snack and held a water bottle as alcohol was visibly placed in front of him while “Apun ki dadagiri” (My bullying), “Aim kaim kaisi shame, name kaa yeh game hai (what shame, it is all about the name) and “Road apne baap ki” (My father owns the road) plays in the background and the caption declared, “It’s time to enjoy on the roads.”

Bobby Kataria turned himself in for the case in front of a Uttarakhand court in Dehradun in October 2022. Just one week before the surrender, he was given bail for smoking inside a passenger aircraft. Last week, a Dehradun court issued an arrest warrant for him without the possibility of bond since he did not show up for his scheduled police appearance.

A formal complaint was filed against Bobby Kataria in 2022 for physically assaulting a woman and making derogatory remarks about her on social media as well as threatening to kill her. The complainant, who lives in Ashok Vihar, Phase 3, Gurugram, stated in the First Information Report that the accused and his friends attended a championship arranged in Gurugram’s Sector 5 and forcibly halted the event. Additionally, they awarded medals and cash to their own team members after declaring them the winners.

He is notorious for spreading gun and gang culture on social media and producing problematic content, particularly on Instagram where he posts videos about fitness among other things for his wide audience.

Kerala: Young actress files rape case against Malayalam film director Omar Lulu, he calls it ‘attempt to extort money’

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Young actress files rape case against Malayalam film director Omar Lulu, he calls it ‘attempt to extort money’

Kerala police have registered a case against Malayalam film director Omar Lulu for allegedly raping an actor multiple times, based on the woman’s complaint. On Tuesday (28th May), an officer of the Ernakulam Rural Police said that an investigation was launched after registering an FIR against the director based on the woman’s complaint, reportedly a young actor. Meanwhile, the director has rubbished the allegations claiming that it stems from personal enmity. 

According to the Police, the Kochi City police commissioner received the complaint. After the FIR was lodged, the case was transferred to the Nedumbassery police station under the Ernakulam rural police, as the alleged crime was committed under its jurisdiction. Omar Lulu has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 376 (Punishment for rape), the official said.

After registering the case at Nedumbassery Police Station, the Police have recorded the statement of the victim. 

As per the police officials, in the complaint, it is alleged that Omar raped the complainant after taking her to several places between January and April this year. She added that the director promised to cast her in his movies. After raping her, the accused had also promised to marry her, the complaint further alleges. 

The Police officials have stated that Lulu, the sole accused in the case, will be summoned for questioning. 

Regarding the case, a Police officer said, “The victim first filed a complaint with the Kochi city police commissioner. Based on the complaint, Palarivattom police conducted a probe. However, considering that the rape incident took place near Nedumbassery, the case was recently transferred to us. We have registered a case for rape under IPC Section 376. The statement of the victim has been recorded. Now film director, Omar Lulu, who is the sole accused in the case will be summoned for questioning.” 

Responding to the allegations, Omar Lulu has denied the sexual assault allegations against him. 

On Tuesday, he said that the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by the young actor stem from personal enmity. He added that it could also be part of blackmail to extort money from him. According to Lulu, he had a close friendship with the actor, and she had acted in his last movie. He added that the complaint could be rooted in her resentment resulting from their severed friendship and the fact that she was denied a role in his ongoing project. He added that he would fully cooperate with the police investigation.

As per Onmanorama, Omar Lulu dismissed the allegations saying, “I have been friends with this girl for a long time. She accompanied me on many trips. However, there was a rift in our friendship, and we haven’t been in contact for six months. She also acted in my recent movie. Now, as the new movie started, she came forward with such a complaint. The motive behind such an accusation could be her frustration at not being given a chance in the film. Sometimes, it could also be part of an attempt to extort money.” 

Schools continue in Bihar amid intense heatwave: Sheikhpura and Begusarai administration face public ire after 60 students collapse

OpIndia Staff
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Schools continue in Bihar amid intense heatwave: Sheikhpura and Begusarai administration face public ire after 60 students collapse

Many states have announced summer vacations in school owing to the scorching heat across India but Bihar has emerged as an exception where students are still attending classes facing the oppressive temperature due to which students are falling sick and fainting in different parts of the state. On 29th May more than 60 students in Begusarai and Sheikhpura passed out and collapsed in their classroom.

On the morning of 29th May, at least 50 kids passed out at Mankaul Middle School in the Ariari block of Sheikhpura district amidst an acute heatwave, where temperatures are rising to between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius. Six pupils lost consciousness initially, but many more soon began to fall on the ground. The incident occurred when they went to an assembly for prayers before going to class. The entire situation threw the village and school into disarray.

When the ambulance failed to arrive, the unconscious students were given water and electrolytes and taken straight to the Sadar hospital in the district on bikes, tempos, and e-rickshaws. The locals, however, were incensed by the ambulance’s delay in reaching the spot and they proceeded to blockade the road and demonstrate against the government. Suresh Prasad narrated, “Students from the 8th grade started fainting in class after attending the assembly. We provided them with water and electrolytes and called for an ambulance. When it didn’t arrive, we used private vehicles to take them to the hospital.”

Meanwhile, at around 10 am approximately eighteen female pupils from Matihani Middle School in the Matihani block of the Begusarai district fainted from the extreme heat and were taken to Matihani Referral Hospital for medical attention. All the schools are open despite temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in Begisurai. School Headmaster Chandrakant Singh tried administering the ORS solution to the students however, it didn’t help after which all the girls were admitted to hospital.

The girls began passing out from the heat, according to the headmaster, however, the institution has fans, electricity and a generator set up. The girls received first aid at the school, but when their condition grew worse, they were all sent to the hospital to receive treatment. The students received a midday lunch in the school after 10 o’clock and were granted leave when family members began to arrive at the hospital and school after learning that the children were sick. The leave violates the official directive which has pronounced that the schools must remain open despite the severe temperature.

A school cook and many students suffered from the same fate in the Banka district on 29th May. A cook fell unconscious due to the heat in UMS Lalwamor Shambhuganj while the health of many young girls and boys at Middle School Baidpur and Middle School Mirzapur deteriorated due to the unbearable heat. A female pupil of Banka Sadar block’s Primary School Lilagoda passed out. Ayush Kumar, a student at NPS Kakna in the Sadar block, suffered nose bleeding. After two female students from two different Belhar block schools fainted, they were sent to the Community Health Center Belhar for medical attention.

Two ninth-grade pupils at LND Project Balika Uchcha Vidyalaya under Bounsi in the Banka district had an abrupt decline in their health. Both students complained of vomiting because of the heat and passed out. Likewise, two students passed out from intense heat in Aurangabad. The incident happened at the Government Higher Secondary School, which is situated in the Madanpur block of the Aurangabad district’s Chhalidohar village. Two kids had heat stroke and lost consciousness, causing a commotion across the entire school.

After the teachers called 112, the students were admitted to Community Health Centre Madanpur, where the doctor noted that both of their conditions had improved following first assistance. On 29th May, another six youngsters fainted and fell unconscious at the same time at Kurmichak Middle School in the Ghoswari block after which a 10-year-old was sent to a private clinic in nearby Samyagadh in haste due to her critical condition. Notably, similar reports have surfaced from different regions of Bihar creating major concerns for parents and teachers.

The Bihar government was asked to address this issue seriously by educators and parents. Residents voiced their outrage, arguing that, in light of the intense heat, Additional Chief Secretary KK Pathak should issue an order to close the schools. They pointed out that the temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees Celsius on 29th May. Notably, the then Additional Chief Secretary of Education Department KK Pathak had written so many letters during the winter season in response to the then-Patna District Magistrate’s order to close schools that officials of other districts did not want to take such a risk. The transfer of Patna DM marked the end of that correspondence.

The department of the Education Minister of the Grand Alliance (RJD-JDU-Congress) government was also changed due to trouble with KK Pathak. The Education Department has ordered kids and teachers to report to school instead of enjoying the annual summer vacation and their positions are under threat if they do not comply. He has instructed the teachers to report to school at 6 am during the summer. Schools are now opening from 6 am to 1.30 pm when the temperature is at its peak. Orders from KK Pathak are reputed to be eccentric. Sometimes he directs teachers to come to school on festivals including Holi, and other times he cancels the leave granted on Bihar’s biggest festival “Chhath.” Many times, the education department of Bihar has to withdraw its decisions due to opposition and embarrassment.

Bihar: 13 teachers punished with salary cut over ‘bed performance’, know the issue behind the viral letter of Education Dept

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: 13 teachers punished with salary cut over ‘bed performance’, know the issue behind the viral letter of Education Dept

In the Jamui district of Bihar, 13 teachers incurred salary deductions after being deemed absent and chastised for “bed performance” instead of “bad performance” owing to a typing error.  This triggered protests from teaching associations. On the 22nd of May education department officials carried out surprise inspections at several schools in Jamui. During the inspections, numerous teachers were absent and many more performed poorly.

Taking note of the absence and unsatisfactory performance of such teachers, the local district education officer (DEO) released an official letter detailing the action taken against the negligent teachers. More than the erring teachers, the letter ended up exposing the Bihar education department’s “bad performance”.

According to the letter, 13 teachers had their salaries cut for “bed performance”. As the letter went viral on social media, the DEO’s office soon issued a clarification. “Bad performance was mistakenly typed as ‘bed performance’ due to a typing error” according to the DEO.

Meanwhile, teaching associations have voiced concern that such mistakes undermine the department’s credibility and teachers’ dignity.

The concerned authorities have assured to take steps to prevent similar blunders in the future and prioritise increasing education quality in the district. Reports say that affected teachers will get their deducted salary once the correction is officially acknowledged.

UP: Muslim student says he was expelled by school over a hostel visit by a Hindu friend, reprimanded by warden for befriending non-Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim student says he was expelled by school over a hostel visit by a Hindu friend, reprimanded by warden for befriending non-Muslims

A Muslim student named Manvvar in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar has charged that he was expelled from school because he has a Hindu friend and disclosed that he received a harsh reprimand for the same. Furthermore, the institution also accused him of theft. According to the information, Manvvar a student of Vision International Academy located in Fulat, Muzaffarnagar faced eviction from the school after he met a Hindu boy.

Manvvar lived in the school hostel where his friend Sandeep had come to meet him recently. He was allowed to enter the place after the guard questioned him. He stayed in the dormitory for 10 minutes and left after inquiring about his pal’s well-being. However, a ruckus broke out after he departed from there.

The administration of the school looked into the matter and spoke with Manvvar’s friends after which the young boy was scolded and thrown out of the school when they learned about the identity of the visitor. The victim has unveiled that he was severely criticised by the school warden over his friendship with non-Muslims. The youngster added that he was also accused of taking Rs 10,000 by the school management.

Afterwards, Manvvar released a video and levelled allegations against the school. However, the latter claimed that the youth used to invite unauthorized persons inside the hostel which resulted in disciplinary action against him. The latter alleged that he violated repeated warnings and lied to get another person inside the dorm. The police stated that they haven’t received any complaints regarding the issue and would definitely initiate action if they do.

Arvind Kejriwal lies again, falsely claims Punjab Power Corporation was making losses before AAP govt, hides the truth behind free electricity

Raju Das
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Arvind Kejriwal lies again, falsely claims Punjab Power Corporation was making losses before AAP govt, hides the truth behind free electricity

On 29th May, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal credited the AAP government for making the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited profitable. Sharing a news report stating that PSPCL earned a profit of ₹900 crore in the last financial year (2023-24), the AAP supremo claimed that the company was running in loss during the previous governments, and it has turned profitable even after providing free electricity as per AAP govt’s power subsidy scheme.

Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi, “These are the results of the honest hard work of the AAP government. I congratulate the 3 crore people of Punjab and Bhagwant Mann ji for this great achievement.”

However, like everything else that out-on-bail CM Arvind Kejriwal claims, his claim of AAP turning PSPCL profitable is also a lie. While it is true that the company has earned a profit after suffering a loss in the previous year, the fact is that it was earning more profits before AAP came to power in Punjab. More importantly, that loss was also under AAP govt, after profits under the previous Congress govt.

The Tribune report that Kejriwal cited stated that the power corporation has earned profit because of improved coal supply from Pachhwara coal mine, and the company was able to sell power through the exchange.  

A look into the previous financial statements shows that after AAP’s Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government came to power in Punjab in March 2022, the profit and loss statement of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited showed a massive loss of ₹4,775.93 crore in the financial year 2022-23.

However, before AAP formed the government in the state, the company reported profit in the previous two years, under the Congress government. In 2020-21 the company reported a profit of ₹1446.10 crore, while in 2021-22, the profit of PSPCL was ₹1069.21 crore.

This means, that after AAP came to power, PSPCL went from ₹1,069.21 crore profit to ₹4,775.93 crore loss, a huge decline.

However, the company suffered losses in 2018-19 and 2020-21. This shows PSPCL’s profit and loss statement shows lots of variances over the years. But Kejriwal’s claim that it was loss-making earlier and AAP govt has made it profitable is completely false. The company made more profits before AAP came to power.

The other claim that Kejriwal made is that PSPCL made profits even after providing free electricity. This is a completely false and dishonest claim, because PSPCL is not providing free electricity. All subsidised power, including free power, is funded by respected governments, not the power companies. This means the Punjab government is paying the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited for the free electricity provided to consumers as per AAP’s election promise.

Last year, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced that his government cleared the entire electricity subsidy bill of ₹20,200 crore. “In 2022-23, which is the first year when the Punjab government paid the entire subsidy bill of ₹20,200 crore to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Not even a single penny was pending towards the PSPCL,” the CM had told the media in April 2023.

The CM also said that the subsidy amount of ₹20,200 crore comprised ₹9,063 crore for free electricity to the farm sector, ₹8,225 crore for domestic consumers, and ₹2,910 crore for subsidised power to industry.

Similarly, the Punjab government sanctioned ₹20,200 crore for the year 2022-23, out of which ₹18,276.74 crore has been released by the govt to PSPCL. For the year 2024-25, the state government has allocated ₹20,477 crore for power subsidy the budget. This amount includes ₹7,780 crore for domestic consumers, ₹9,330 core for farmers and ₹3,367 crore for industries.

Power companies often face trouble in collecting bills from power consumers. However, that problem is eliminated with the power subsidy, as the state governments pay the bill. Therefore, PSPCL has earned profit not despite of providing subsidies, it has earned profit partly because of free power because the state govt is directly making the payment to it.

‘Is the Lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his sudden deteriorating health?’ PM Modi says BJP will form special committee to probe it

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is the Lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his sudden deteriorating health?’ PM Modi says BJP will form special committee to probe it

On Wednesday (29th May), Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concerns about the deteriorating health of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The development comes a day after a video of CM Patnaik went viral in which his alleged proxy, VK Pandian, was seen grabbing his shaking hands to hide them from the public. PM Modi stressed that people who are close to CM Patnaik have expressed concerns about how his health has deteriorated drastically in the last year. He added that it has led many of them to suspect that there could be a conspiracy behind it. 

Sharing the concern, PM Modi announced that after forming the government in the state, the saffron party will form a special committee to probe whether the lobby that is running state in Patnaik’s name is responsible for his poor health. Meanwhile, CM Patnaik has rejected reports about his poor health stating that he is in “very good health”. 

Notably, the BJP has been launching scathing attacks on the BJD government over the issue of Odia Asmita. It asserts that an Odisha-born person should be the Chief Minister of the state rather than a Tamil-born retired IAS officer running the government without accountability. According to the BJP, BJD is running a proxy government in the name of Naveen Patnaik and Tamil-born bureaucrat turned BJD leader Pandian has become the ‘de-facto’ CM who is controlling and dictating terms to 77-year-old Patnaik whose health is allegedly deteriorating. 

Even in the recent viral video, Pandian, as usual, was seen holding the mike and watching the CM speak with careful observation when he grabbed his trembling hands to conceal them from the public eye. Sharing the video, the BJP stated that the video was symbolic of how Pandian has grabbed control of the state. 

A day after the video went viral, PM Modi raised the issue of CM Patnaik’s alleged poor health while addressing an election rally in Odisha’s Baripada. PM Modi said, “People are concerned about the health of CM Naveen Patnaik and how his health deteriorated so much in the last one year. Those close to CM Naveen say that the CM is not able to do anything on his own. Some even suspect a conspiracy behind the poor health condition of CM Naveen. People of Odisha have the right to know if there is any conspiracy behind CM Naveen’s deteriorating health.”

The Prime Minister further stated that the people have the right to know whether there is any conspiracy behind CM Patnaik’s deteriorating Health. And ‘Is the lobby running Odisha in Naveen Babu’s name responsible for his Poor Health?’’

Earlier, addressing a rally in Odisha’s Jajpur, Union Home Minister Amit Shah lambasted Pandian (referring to him as Tamil babu) for stopping Odia people from celebrating ‘Ram Mahotsav’. Slamming the ‘political heir’ of Odisha CM, Shah asserted, “Can a person from Tamil Nadu be the Chief Minister of Odisha? Narendra Modi will give you an Odia-speaking young CM who is a resident of Odisha.”

Leftists and Islamists celebrate Sharjeel Imam’s bail in one case: Here is why he will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case of Delhi anti-Hindu Riots

Paurush Gupta
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Leftists and Islamists celebrate Sharjeel Imam’s bail in one case: Here is why he will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case of Delhi anti-Hindu Riots

On Wednesday (29th May), mainstream media widely reported that the Delhi High Court has granted statutory bail to Sharjeel Imam in a UAPA and sedition case. The case relates to his inflammatory speeches delivered against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in AMU and the Jamia area in the National Capital pertaining to FIR 22/2020. He will remain in jail in the larger conspiracy case in Delhi anti-Hindu Riots, which is FIR 59/2020. 

A division bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain allowed his bail plea. He had sought relief under Section 436A of the CrPC on the ground that the accused had undergone half of the maximum seven years of punishment. He had approached the High Court to challenge the trial court’s order which denied him statutory bail in the case. 

Representing Sharjeel Imam, Advocate Talib Mustafa submitted that Imam has already undergone four years and seven months of incarceration out of the seven years of maximum imprisonment.

However, Special Public Prosecutor Rajat Nair, representing the Delhi Police, opposed the plea on the ground that Imam had not undergone half sentence. He said that Imam’s case was squarely covered by the Explanation to Section 436A of CrPC and therefore, he was not entitled to any statutory bail. He pointed out that the delay in pre-trial detention was solely because Imam requested the trial stay in 2022. The court, however, allowed his plea after taking note of various lists of dates, including the date of framing of charges and examination of witnesses.

Following the media reports about Sharjeel Imam getting bail, several leftists and Islamists started prematurely celebrating the development. They projected it as a major relief to the sedition accused with some media outlets and X users referring to him as a “Student” and “Activist” among others. Some users alleged that it would cause “heartburn” among the non-leftist and non-Islamists.

One user wrote, “Now RW and IT Cell trolls will have heartburn in the middle of heatwave.”

Some users tried projecting the sedition accused as a ‘hero’.

However, it is pertinent to note that most of the outlets and X users have done selective reporting on the issue as they have failed to highlight the fact that Sharjeel will have to remain in jail as he got relief only in one case FIR 20/22.

Flagging MSM’s selective reporting, OpIndia Editor-in-Chief Nupur J Sharma highlighted that the court granted him relief only on the ground that as an undertrial he had served one-half of the maximum punishment for that crime, however, the statutory bail is not on merits. Additionally, he will continue to remain in jail as he is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case in relation to the Delhi riots of 2020.”

Notably, except for the Bar and Bench report which notes that Imam will continue to remain in jail as he is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots 2020, other media houses have not reported it. Bar and Bench too, before they published the report, had not included this information in their tweet update. Additionally, several X users have lambasted NDTV and others for referring to the sedition accused as ‘Activist’.

The trial court made scathing observations in this case (FIR 20/22) regarding his inflammatory speeches 

While the High Court has granted him bail under Section 436A of the CrPC, the trial court on 17th February, this year, had dismissed his plea observing that his speeches and activities “mobilised the public” which disrupted the national capital and might be the main reason for the outbreak of the 2020 riots. 

Regarding Imam’s counsel’s argument that he should be granted bail under Section 436A, the trial court had ruled that the accused’s custody could be extended for a further period in “exceptional circumstances” after hearing the prosecution’s case before dismissing his bail plea on this ground. 

The Delhi Police Special Branch had booked him under FIR 22 of 2020. The case was initially registered for the offence of sedition and Section 13 of UAPA was invoked later. 

He has been in custody in this case since 28th January 2020. 

The trial court had said, “Although the applicant did not ask anybody to pick the weapons and kill the people, his speeches and activities mobilised the public which disrupted the city and might be the main reason in the outbreak of the riots. Further, through inflammatory speeches and social media, the applicant skillfully manipulated the real facts and incited the public in order to create havoc in the city.” 

In his order, Additional Sessions Judge Sameer Bajpai of Karkardooma court said, “Imam’s speeches were so powerful that it captured the imagination of the people belonging to a particular community and incited them to take part in disruptive activities which finally resulted in the riots.”

The judge further stated, “Finally, just after the speeches and the alleged activities of the applicant, on different dates and places, the riots occurred causing violence, huge damage to the public property, and death of a large number of people.” 

In this FIR, the court had framed charges against Imam in January last year. He has been charged for the offences under Section 124A (sedition), 153A(Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 505 (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the IPC along with Section 13 (Punishment for unlawful activities) of the UAPA.

Conspiracy case in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots

Imam was arrested in 2020 from Jehanabad, Bihar. He is a former Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and one of the key members of the group that organized Shaheen Bagh protests against CAA. Multiple FIRs were filed against Imam for a speech in which he allegedly asked the protestors to cut off Assam from India. FIRs were filed at Police stations in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. He also got bail in the cases filed at Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Subsequently, Imam was charge-sheeted as one of the main masterminds of the Delhi anti-Hindu riots and charged under the stringent UAPA. In an over 15,000-page chargesheet filed, the Delhi Police traced in painstaking detail how Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and several others masterminded the Delhi violence since the 5th of December 2019.

Sharjeel Imam’s involvement in the planning of the riots

The Delhi Riots chargesheet number 59, which spans over 16,000 pages, tracks in excruciating detail the conspiracy to foment riots and unrest that started shaping on the 5th of December, a day after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was tabled in parliament. 

On 5th December, Sharjeel Imam made WhatsApp groups of Muslim students and on the 6th of December, he started distributing pamphlets in mosques. Pamphlets which were written by Sharjeel Imam himself were distributed in the Jama Masjid area by the MSJ group. This fact was revealed by the chats recovered between Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi. The pamphlets were communal and essentially aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. Some of the pamphlets read “Law of Allah above all else” and “The command of Allah is above every law”. The pamphlets had misinformation about CAB and also, spoke about the destruction of the illegal structure previously on Ram Janmabhoomi, called Babri.

Several meetings were held between these “intellectuals” who were spreading fake news against CAB. On the 8th of December, this meeting was held, a picture of which is added to the chargesheet. The “minutes of the meeting” was shared in WhatsApp groups made by Sharjeel Imam (who was present at these meetings). Click here, to read in details about the involvement of other actors in this conspiracy and the details about the individuals who were part of that CAB team meeting. 

Sharjeel Imam’s involvement in the planning of the riot is, therefore, not a mystery. He was involved right from the start in the planning of the violence and also incitement through his seditious speeches. 

Uttar Pradesh: Vehicle in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy kills two persons, injures one in Gonda

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Vehicle in Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s son Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy kills two persons, injures one in Gonda

On 29th May, a Toyota Fortuner SUV collided with a bike in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh resulting in the deaths of two persons and critically wounded at least one more (two per some reports). The SUV was part of Karan Bhushan Singh’s convoy, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lok Sabha candidate from the Kaiserganj constituency. He is the son of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a six-time parliamentarian and former president of the Wrestling Federation of India.

Chanda Begum, the complainant, filed a First Information Report alleging that at approximately nine in the morning, her 17-year-old son Shaad Rehan and her 24-year-old nephew Shahzad were riding their bikes to purchase medication when the two-wheeler was struck by a speeding SUV approaching from the other side. The injured was taken to the Common Service Center. A huge crowd gathered at the scene afterwards.

The deceased were also rushed to the hospital where they were declared brought dead. The authorities confiscated the SUV which was a police escort vehicle and arrested the driver. Karan Bhushan Singh’s presence in the cavalcade at the time of the accident has not yet been confirmed. The accident took place near Baikunth Degree College on Colonelganj-Huzoorpur Road.

Additional Superintendent of Police, Gonda West also informed that received information of the incident and stated, “Police immediately arrived at the spot and brought Shaad Rehan and Shahzad to Community Health Center in Colonelganj where they later passed away. Their panchnama has been completed and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Their family has submitted a complaint. The accused has been booked under relevant sections based on the complaint. The situation is under control and there are no law and order issues. The matter is now under investigation.”

A considerable number of people, including the victims’ relatives, flocked to the CHC after learning of the tragic event and encircled the scene. Everybody in the convoy escaped from the area. There is a significant police presence at the scene because of the incident.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the sitting MP, was replaced by Karan Bhushan Singh as the BJP candidate after the former faced sexual harassment charges from female wrestlers. The case is in progress in a Delhi court. Karan is running for the Lok Sabha for the first time and serves as head of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association. Prateek Bhushan, his older brother, is a Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Gonda Sadar.

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was stranded in Israel during Oct 7 terror attacks by Hamas, posts ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was stranded in Israel during Oct 7 terror attacks by Hamas, posts ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story

Actor Nushrratt Bharuccha, best known for her roles in Pyar Ka Punchnama and Sonu Ki Titoo Ki Sweety, became the latest entrant to the club of Bollywood actors to partake in what appears as a paid campaign to oppose Israeli action against Hamas terrorists in Rafah, a Palestinian town situated in southeastern Gaza bordering Egypt. Like several other actors, Bharuccha posted an AI-depicted story ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ to stand up against the Israeli offensive in Rafah.

Nushrratt Bharuccha’s Instagram story

The post comes hours after several celebrities in India, including cricketer Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika Sajdeh, and others posted ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ Instagram story, the genesis of which appears inorganic and aimed at demonising Israel and building international pressure over the Jewish nation to stop military action against what it terms as among the last remaining battalions of Hamas taking refuge in Rafah.

While it is usual for actors and celebrities in India to monetise their social media activities, what is truly remarkable is the fact that actor Nushrratt Bharuccha threw her weight behind a trend even though she had been a first-hand witness of the atrocities Israelis faced at the hands of their tormentors, Hamas terrorists, on October 7 last year, when the actor was stranded in the Jewish nation.

Bharuccha was stranded in Israel during the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas. She had flown there to attend the Haifa International Film Festival when the attack took place, plunging the country into a state of war as Hamas terrorists from Gaza crossed the border and ran riot in the border villages, killing and maiming people, children, and women in their wake. Over 200 people were taken captive during the attack, with the images of an Israeli woman Shani Louk being paraded by Hamas terrorists becoming the symbol of the tragedy that befell Israel on that fateful day.

During that time, a member of Bharuccha’s team had said, “The last time that I managed to get in touch with Nushrratt Bharuccha was around 12.30 pm earlier today when she was safe in a basement. For safety measures, further details cannot be disclosed. However, since then, we were not able to connect. We are trying to get Nushrratt back safely to India and hope she returns in the best of health and unharmed.”

The actor returned home to Mumbai on October 8, with nervousness and stress writ large on her face as she exited the airport. The actor issued a lengthy statement detailing the hardships she faced during the harrowing 36 hours she spent trapped in a war-torn foreign country and thanked the Israeli embassy and the Government of India for bringing her back home safely.

On Instagram, she issued a statement explaining in detail the ordeal faced by her and many Israelis as Hamas terrorists went on a rampage in an unprecedented attack. “My producer, stylist, and I arrived in Haifa, Israel, on October 3 for the Haifa International Film Festival, where our film ‘Akelli’ was being screened alongside my Israeli co-stars, Tsahi Halevi and Amir Boutrous. After spending two days visiting Israel’s historic sites—Jerusalem, Jaffa, Bahá’­, and the Dead Sea—we nearly concluded our trip with a celebratory dinner for the film’s cast on Friday night, October 6. That evening, Tsahi, Amir, and I toasted our film’s selection at the festival, and promised to stay in touch and possibly work together again. We said our goodbyes and were prepared to fly back the next day,” she said.

“But Saturday morning was nothing like the celebration the night before. We were jolted awake by the deafening sounds of bombs exploding, a blaring siren, and utter chaos as we were rushed down to a ‘shelter’ in the hotel basement. After what felt like an endless wait, we emerged to learn that Israel was under attack. Nothing could have prepared us for this news,” she said.

She then added how the entire situation had left them terrified, as they had never experienced anything like it before. “In a state of complete terror, our first impulse was to reach the Indian Embassy, just 2 km from our hotel, but it seemed impossible to cover the distance without transportation, surrounded by the dreadful sounds of explosions. We were informed that Hamas militants had infiltrated several cities in Israel and were now on the roads, pulling civilians from their homes and shooting people at random.”

Bharuccha also thanked the Indian government and the Israeli embassy for facilitating her return to home.

In a lengthy statement, the actor said, “As someone who has barely escaped a war zone, I cannot be more grateful today…I’m back home and safe with my family and my loved ones. But with an experience that has made me immensely grateful for the safety and security that we almost take for granted. I am ever so grateful to the Government of India, the Indian Embassy and the Israeli Embassy, for their help and guidance in bringing my team and me back safe. I would also like to thank each and every one of my well-wishers from the bottom of my heart for their wishes and prayers for my safety.”

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