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NIA refutes allegations after West Bengal Police booked its officials on ‘molestation charges’, team was attacked by a mob while arresting 2 TMC leaders

Earlier in the day (on 7th April 2024), the East Midnapore Police filed an FIR against NIA and CRPF officials on charges of ‘molestation’, a day after the team was attacked by a mob while it was en route to Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district to probe a blast case. The NIA has now released a press statement categorically refuting the allegations terming the entire controversy as “unfortunate”. The anti-terror probe agency asserted that the attack on its team by an unruly mob was completely “unprovoked”.

Notably, the NIA team along with other security forces had visited the residence of a local TMC leader to investigate a 2022 blast case. But the officials soon came under attack from the supporters of the accused politician, who threw bricks and stones and damaged the windshield of vehicles. 

However, TMC Supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had downplayed the attack and tried to give a clean chit to attackers. She alleged that the NIA orchestrated the assault and raised questions about the timing of the raid. She further alleged that NIA officials intruded into the homes of women of Bhupatinagar village and committed atrocities on them, claiming that locals attacked the NIA team in retaliation. Following this, the West Bengal Police filed a case against NIA and CRPF officials under molestation charges which now have been categorically rejected by the NIA, through its official press release.  

In its official press release, the NIA categorically denied any mala fide in its recent actions in West Bengal’s Bhoopatinagar area. It also refuted the allegations of unlawful actions leveled against it and dismissed the entire controversy as unfortunate.

In the statement, NIA made it clear that its actions were bona fide, lawful, and legally mandated, as part of its ongoing investigation into the heinous crime related to the fabrication of crude bombs. The explosion had killed three persons in Neruabila village, PS Bhoopatinagar, district Purba Medinipur in West Bengal. 

Regarding the timeline and details of the case, the press release noted that the bomb blast incident had taken place in December 2022 and NIA had taken over the investigation in the case (re-registered by NIA as RC 16/2023/NIA/DLI) on 6th June 2023 on the directions of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, it added.

Regarding the Saturday attack on NIA and CRPF officials, NIA reiterated that its team had come under violent attack by an unruly mob when they had gone to conduct searches in Naruabila village on Saturday in connection with its probe in the said case. 

The agency stated that the attack was completely unprovoked and uncalled for, and an attempt to obstruct NIA from carrying out its lawful duties. It pointed out that the searches were conducted at five locations in the presence of independent witnesses, and under the security cover provided by CRPF, which included lady constables. The arrests were made after following all lawful procedures, it added.

Further in the press release, the NIA re-stated that an aggressive crowd had assaulted the NIA personnel who were taking arrested accused Manobrata Jana to the local police station for completing legal formalities. One NIA official sustained injuries and an official vehicle of NIA was also damaged in the attack. NIA has already filed a complaint at the area police station seeking legal action against the assailants.

The NIA highlighted that on Saturday it had arrested two accused Manobrata Jana and Bailicharan Maity, for their involvement in the crude bomb explosion case. The duo had failed to appear before the agency despite repeated summons to join the investigation. 

The agency had then, accordingly, filed an application before the Special NIA Court, Kolkata, which, after perusing the case records, had issued an order on 3rd April 2024, stating that it found the allegations to be of very serious nature, NIA added.

According to the press release, the special court had also observed that the agency was “at liberty to proceed with the investigation as expeditiously as possible, and to take all necessary action with regard to arrest, search, and seizure of the houses of the suspects/accused persons, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Criminal Code of Procedure, NIA Act and UA(P)A so far applicable for a proper and thorough investigation.” 

Following the Special Court’s order, NIA had, on Saturday, conducted the searches, which culminated in the arrest of the two accused, who were found to be involved in the case, the press release concluded. 

The said blast case pertains to an explosion that took place in Bhupatinagar on 3rd December 2022 and killed 3 people in the process. The deceased included the local booth President of TMC, Rajkumar Manna, his brother Debkumar Manna, and a man named Biswajit Gayen.

Uttar Pradesh: Young man recording video of burning cylinder dies after its explosion, several others injured, shops and bikes destroyed

On the evening of 6th April, a fire broke out in a dhaba (restaurant) built from thatch and polythene on Nadiha Road in Uttaripura village in Bilhaur police station area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The flames also engulfed another shop located nearby. A gas cylinder kept inside the shop also caught fire.

Meanwhile, some youngsters started making videos and reels instead of extinguishing the fire. During this suddenly the cylinder exploded and led to the death of one 19-year-old individual named Nikhil Rathore, and two others were injured. Three bikes and two shops were also destroyed in the blast.

Nikhil’s body was penetrated by a fragment of the cylinder and he passed away immediately. The wounded are being treated at the hospital. Those in the vicinity raced to the location as soon as they heard the explosion. The fire department was also notified by the people. The police arrived there and sent the injured to the hospital with the help of local people and the deceased was transported for postmortem. It took the fire department a long time to contain the fire.

According to the information received, there is a liquor store in the Uttaripura area surrounded by many meat, fish and egg shops. Three gas cylinders that were kept inside the dhaba caught fire at the same time and two of them exploded. Nikhil and another 18-year-old young man named Aman Chotelal who was there with his father Tulai started recording the occurrence only from a distance of 50 to 100 metres. However, the cylinder exploded due to the intense heat, killing Nikhil. The father and son also suffered grave injuries.

The injured have been admitted to the hospital. Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Tiwari and police station in-charge Keshav Kumar Tiwari reached the spot on receiving the information of the incident. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and MLA Rahul Bachcha Sonkar also visited there and assured all possible assistance to the victim’s family.

Both the shopkeepers absconded from there after the instance. According to Inspector Keshav Kumar Tiwari, the injured were taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) and after initial treatment, they were referred to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ajay Kumar Trivedi, Chief Fire Officer Deepak Sharma and Village Pradhan Abhijit Singh also showed up at the spot after learning of the tragic event.

Israel-Hamas war: IDF withdraws all ground troops, except one brigade, from Southern Gaza hours before peace talks

On Sunday (7th April), an Israel Defence Force (IDF) Spokesperson said that the Israeli military has withdrawn all ground troops, except one brigade, from the southern Gaza Strip. However, the military didn’t give further details including the number of soldiers involved.

The IDF also announced that it has concluded the active invasion stage of the war for now. However, the announcement left room for the possibility of a future new invasion of Rafah in deep southern Gaza, Jerusalem Post reported.

According to reports, the IDF believes that raids based on new intelligence, like the operation at Shifa Hospital and others in northern Gaza, are a more effective way to operate against Hamas terrorists.

According to the Jerusalem Post, at one point, the IDF had five divisions, between 30,000 and 40,000 ground forces, deep into Gaza. It had even larger forces circling the Strip. Following the reduction, the IDF has withdrawn all of Division 98 from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza while maintaining one plus brigades – the Nahal brigade and portions of Brigade 401 – in northern and central Gaza.

From December onwards, Division 98 has been neutralising Hamas terrorists in and around Khan Yunis. Jerusalem Post reported that a major reason for keeping Division 98 in Khan Yunis was to achieve concessions from Hamas in the hostage exchange negotiations.

The complete troop withdrawal, except for one brigade, comes six months after the start of the Israeli ground offensive in retaliation to the 7th October terror attack by Hamas. 

Notably, the Israeli military has been significantly reducing the number of troops in Gaza since mid-January when the IDF declared it had achieved operational control of northern Gaza. The continued troop withdrawal is aimed at relieving reservists and easing the diplomatic pressure from its Western ally, particularly the United States which had been pressing on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Further, the decision came less than two days after Israel opened the Erez Crossing and Ashdod port for humanitarian aid. Reportedly, the move followed US threats of cutting weapons support after Israel had repeatedly refused these requests from the Biden administration for months.

As per Israeli media, this comes amidst reports that Egypt is preparing to host a new round of talks to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas leadership. 

However, it is still unclear whether the conclusion of an active invasion in Southern Gaza would delay or avert a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israeli leaders have asserted that it is needed to eliminate the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the Palestinian enclave. 

Nonetheless, hours before troops were pulled out from the Gaza Strip, the IDF revealed that the troops of the Commando Brigade located a 900-meter-long tunnel in the al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis. The IDF added that, inside the tunnel, the troops found rooms where Hamas terrorists would reside, along with a large cache of weapons. 

The IDF further stated that the tunnel was later demolished by combat engineers and next to one of the tunnel entrances, a gunman was also killed.

Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war began exactly six months earlier on 7th October 2023 when Hamas terrorists, in a shock attack, invaded Southern Israel from land, sea, and air to kill over 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped over 254 Israeli and foreign nationals which prompted Israel to launch a retaliatory ground action after weeks of aerial bombardment on the Palestinian enclave. 

Delhi: 21-year-old man stabbed to death by two juveniles for refusing to give matchbox to light cigarettes

In a tragic incident in Delhi’s Timarpur area, 21-year-old man Anshul Bhati was stabbed to death by two juveniles on Saturday after a heated argument broke out over a trivial matter of refusing to give a matchbox to light a cigarette.

According to the officials, a PCR call was received on Saturday at the Timarpur police station regarding a stabbing incident. When the police team reached the spot, Anshul Bhati was found in critical condition and rushed to Hindu Rao Hospital. Tragically, he was declared dead upon arrival by the doctors.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) M K Meena said, “On reaching the spot, a police team found that there was a pool of blood inside of an autorickshaw and around it”. He added that the crime scene was inspected, the statement of an eyewitness was recorded, and CCTV footages of the area were scanned.

Investigations led by the Crime and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams, in collaboration with the police, uncovered crucial evidence, including the identification of two juveniles in CCTV footage. This led to the arrest of the two suspects, identified as Criminals with Previous Records (CCLs), within 12 hours of the incident. Police also recovered a knife, believed to be used in the crime.

“On the basis of CCTV footage and local intelligence, two CCLs have been apprehended,” DCP North Manoj Meena stated. “A knife used in the commission of the offence has been recovered,” he added.

During interrogation, the two juveniles revealed that one of them had asked Anshul Bhati for a matchbox to light cigarettes, but he refused to do so, leading to a verbal spat. The verbal fight soon escalated and one of them attacked the victim with a knife. The duo then fled the spot.

Both suspects have been remanded to police custody and are currently under investigation.

Further revelations from the ongoing investigation indicated that one of the suspects had previously been implicated in a murder case in Timarpur the previous year.

Election Commission busts fake claim about mismatch between votes polled and counted in EVMs in 2019 polls, appeals to ‘verify before amplification’

In a series of tweets on Sunday (7th April 2024), the Election Commission of India (ECI) debunked fake news alleging that the total votes counted by EVM in several Parliamentary constituencies during the 2019 General Elections exceeded the total votes polled. The ECI shared a link to a document detailing important statistics from previous elections, including the polling data from the 2019 General Elections (Lok Sabha).

The poll body clarified that the claims are false and that the alleged letter, purportedly from the poll body, is itself fake. The fake letter aimed at spreading baseless allegations of EVM hacking which has been repeatedly rejected by ECI and honorable courts.  

Responding to a post by a parody account named Ravish Kumar Parody, the Election Commission listed the fake claims and the reality of it. In the post, the parody account had shared a video of a YouTube channel named Mulniwasi Dastak in which a man named Waman Mesharam alleged that there was a mismatch in polling data (counted votes were more than the total votes polled) in around 373 Parliamentary constituencies out of total 542 Lok Sabha seats. The presenter specifically cited Varanasi alleging that in 2019, the EVM counted 12 lakh 87 thousand votes whereas the total votes polled were 11 lakh. 

Highlighting the first false claim made in the video, the ECI wrote, “False Claim 1: false claim is made in a video regarding mismatch of electors & votes polled in #EVM in VaranasiPC during #GE2019.” 

Busting the fake claim, the post added, “Reality: claim is misleading& fake. Total Electors in VaranasiPC were 18,56,791. Total votes polled & counted in EVM-10,58,744 & postal votes-2085.”

Likewise, the post continued, “False Claim 2: A false claim is being made quoting ECI letter that mismatch between total electors & votes polled in EVM were found in 373 PCs in #GE2019.. Reality: claim is misleading, #fake & baseless. There is no such communication issued by #ECI. There was no mismatch.” 

The poll body also attached a link to check Parliamentary constituency-wise details of electors and votes polled. PDF file of the same is included later in the article. 

After busting the fake news, ECI issued an appeal to verify things before propagating them and used the hashtag, “#VerifyBeforeYouAmplify”, an ongoing awareness campaign of the polling body to fight misinformation and fake news. 

However, the particular excerpt from the YouTube channel is not the single case where it made fake claims about EVM hacking. The channel has shared several videos alleging wrongdoings in EVM, EVM “scam” and how the voting machine (EVM) can be hacked in some DIY format videos.  

It is pertinent to note the Supreme Court had rejected multiple pleas challenging the voting by EVM or alleging other malpractices through the voting machine noting that they found these allegations to be ‘baseless’. In March this year, while disposing of two pleas related to EVM and polling, Justice Khanna observed that more than 10 cases have been examined on various issues related to the functioning of EVMs by the court time and again.

Pakistan: Six security personnel and 12 terrorists killed in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan

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Six security personnel and 12 terrorists were killed in separate incidents in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on Friday night and Saturday, reported Dawn.

The six security personnel also included a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

In one incident, eight terrorists were killed in a gun battle with security forces during an intelligence-based operation conducted in the Kot Sultan area of Kulachi tehsil, Dera Ismail Khan district, on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday.

The ISPR further stated that the security forces conducted the operation based on the reported presence of terrorists in Kot Sultan.

The terrorists have remained actively involved in numerous activities against security forces and targeted killings of civilians, reported Dawn.

Moreover, the security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, and explosives from them.

Meanwhile, two suspected terrorists were killed in a fire exchange with security forces in the North Waziristan district on Saturday.

The ISPR said the security forces carried out an operation in the district where the forces effectively engaged the militants’ location and killed two of them in the gun battle.

Meanwhile, in a similar incident in Lakki Marwat, a DSP and two cops were killed and a constable was injured by armed miscreants in two incidents on Friday night, according to the officials.

In the second attack the same night, a constable was killed when unknown assailants opened fire on him near his house in the Sra Darga area.

In another incident, a police official was killed and another was injured when a remote-controlled improvised explosive device went off in Mamund tehsil of Bajaur district on Saturday, as reported by Dawn.

According to the resident and police officials, the explosion occurred near a police post in the Barkholozo area just before iftar.


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Delhi BJP stages protest demanding resignation of arrested chief minister Arvind Kejriwal

On 7th April, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders staged a protest at Connaught Place in Central Delhi against Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. They demanded the resignation of Kejriwal from the CM post over his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam.

The protesters used a replica of CM’s newly renovated official bungalow and called it ‘Sheeshmahal’. Basing the protest on the reported irregularities in the construction and renovation, they named it “Sharab Se Sheeshmahal Tak”.

A selfie point with the protest’s name was also set up at the site. It featured liquor bottle-shaped cutouts of AAP leaders who were accused of being involved in the alleged Delhi Liquor Policy Scam.

Senior Delhi BJP leaders, Lok Sabha Candidates, MLAs and councillors including Virendra Sachdeva and Bansuri Swaraj participated in the protest. They raised slogans against Kejriwal and demanded his resignation. In a statement, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “People aren’t getting clean water. There’s no electricity. Arvind Kejriwal has looted the public of Delhi.”

On the other hand, AAP leaders staged a protest in the form of a day-long fast against the arrest of Kejriwal.

ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal in liquor policy scam

On 21st March, ED went to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in the evening for questioning. Later, he was arrested by the investigating agency in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam. AAP has claimed that Kejriwal’s arrest was politically motivated and illegal. However, his appeal in the court for interim relief was rejected. In November 2021, the Delhi Government introduced a new liquor policy. In June 2022, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee filed a complaint against the policy. In July 2022, the Chief Secretary of Delhi flagged the anomalies in the policy. Delhi LG requested CBI to initiate a probe and ED joined the investigation by registering a matter under PMLA. Since then, multiple arrests have been made including Manish Sisodia.

West Bengal Police register FIR against NIA and CRPF officials on molestation charges after mob attack on NIA team for arresting TMC leaders

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A day after the attack on an NIA team at Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case, the East Midnapore Police have registered an FIR and assured an investigation in the matter.

The police have registered an FIR against the NIA team and CRPF officials on the complaint of a woman. She alleged that NIA officials molested her by breaking the doors of their houses late at night.

The case has been registered at Bhupatinagar PS under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 325, 34, 354, 354(b), 427, 448, and 509.

Meanwhile, the NIA has also registered a case against the attackers at the Bhupatinagar police station.

SP Soumyadeep Bhattacharya said, “An NIA team had reached Bhupatinagar police station and we (police) fully cooperated with them. Earlier, another NIA team had come and there were reports of some arguments with them. During the incident, a vehicle was vandalised before the police arrived and one person was also reported to be injured. A FIR has been registered and an investigation is going on. Efforts for arrest are underway.”

Earlier on Saturday, some officers of the NIA were allegedly heckled in Purba Medinipur district while carrying out a probe in connection with a blast case.

According to sources in the elite anti-terror probe agency, an NIA team visiting Puba Medinipur in connection with an ongoing probe into the blast case came under attack on Saturday.

Sources said the vehicle in which the NIA officers were travelling was allegedly vandalised while a person was being picked up in connection with the case.

In a video of the alleged incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them.

The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added.

Notably, a similar attack was made on ED team at Sandeshkhali on in the state’s North 24 Parganas district on Jan 5.

A team of ED officers were surrounded, heckled, and attacked by protesters in Sandeshkhali while raiding the residence of expelled and jailed TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and another ruling party leader in connection with an alleged food scam.


(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Mindset of Tukde-Tukde gang: PM Modi slams Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his remarks on relevance of Kashmir in Rajasthan

On Sunday, April 7, PM Modi heavily criticised Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for his comment saying what do people of Rajasthan have to do with Kashmir. PM Modi was speaking at an election rally in Bihar’s Nawada where he questioned the Congress leader why he thinks Kashmir is not relevant in Rajasthan.

Addressing the crowd, PM Modi said, “The Congress’s national president, and it’s not a small post, said what is the use of talking about (Article) 370 after coming to Rajasthan? I feel ashamed in hearing that. Is Jammu and Kashmir not part of India?”

PM Modi further said, “I felt ashamed listening to it. Congress should listen to me. The youths of Rajasthan and Bihar gave their supreme sacrifice while protecting Jammu and Kashmir. And you are saying ‘Kashmir se kya lena dena’ (what is the relevance of Kashmir). This reflects the mindset of the ‘tukde-tukde gang‘. Should we apologise to these people for using such language? Should we entertain disrespect of those who sacrificed their lives?”

The Prime Minister also highlighted that the Congress party talks a lot about the Constitution, but Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution was finally implemented by Modi government in Jammu & Kashmir with the abrogation of Article 370.

During his speech, PM Modi also came down heavily on Congress for its recently released manifesto which smacks of appeasement politics. He emphasised that the Congress manifesto is similar to the one released by Muslim League pre-partition.

Earlier, during a political event in Jaipur on Saturday, Mr Kharge, had reacted at a question on scrapping special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

“Arre bhai, yahan ke logon se kya wasta hai (what has it got to do with the people here)?” Mr Kharge was heard replying to a question. He also incorrectly referred to Article 371, instead of Article 370, which the Congress later acknowledge was a slip of tongue.

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah had also slammed Mr Kharge for his comment on Kashmir. Shah attacked Congress chief for questioning the “relevance” of Kashmir in a Rajasthan rally and said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Shah also said that Congress party’s “Italian culture” is to blame for the party not understanding the very idea of India.

Gujarat University namaz row: 7 Afghan students asked to leave hostel who were staying illegally after their courses were over

There has been a recent controversy about offering namaz in an open area at Gujarat University’s NRI housing where a conflict emerged between Muslim students from abroad and local students. Now, Gujarat University (GU) is taking strong measures regarding the incident. Seven Afghan students have reportedly been asked to leave the university. They were staying in the university dormitory unlawfully. They have completed their education but continued to live in the hostel and have now received orders to vacate the premises. Five students have already left the university.

The Afghanistan embassy has also received information about the notice directing the students to leave the dorm. Over a hundred international students are enrolled in the university’s undergraduate and graduate programs. This included seven Afghan students who extended their stay in the hostel citing frivolous excuses which is prohibited under university regulations. The university administration learned about it and took appropriate measures.

According to representatives of Gujarat University, these students had finished their coursework but were using the hostel under the pretext of obtaining transcripts or certificates. However, a student is not permitted to remain in the hostel after concluding the course, per university regulations. The seven pupils also fell into this category. It was also mentioned that out of the seven students, four have completed their studies and three have only administrative work pending.

The Gujarat University Chancellor, Dr. Nirja Gupta reported that the seven Afghan students belong to the alumni group. They were lodging at the hostel on account of trivial justifications. Now, arrangements have been made for these pupils to leave the hostel and return to their country because they are now former students. Furthermore, according to the Chancellor, two of the seven students are expected to follow the directive while the other five have already departed from the institution.

Dispute over offering namaz in the university

A brawl broke out on 16th March between international and local students over performing namaz in a public place in A Block of the university hostel, sparking a major row. One of the local Hindu students attempted to convince the Muslim international students not to offer namaz in public. However, a foreign student assaulted a local student and as the situation escalated local students retaliated by attacking the international pupils.

The Ministry of External Affairs also took action following this occurrence. The institution was visited by delegations from Afghanistan and Gambia. The foreign students were moved to the new dormitories after the university administration and the delegation discussed all the issues. Now, the students living there illegally have been given a notice to go back to their country.