Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), attacked Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah’s late-night news conference on Sunday, May 28, accusing him of covering up the worst forms of torture and harassment of women detained by “the fascist government”.
“The interior minister’s news conference has left no doubt that the PTI women workers have been subjected to inhumane treatment in jail,” the former prime minister said as he addressed the nation through a video link.
Imran pleaded with the nation’s highest court to take immediate action in response to reports of rape against female party members and supporters who were detained after the riots on May 9.
In a news conference, the interior minister Sanaullah said that intelligence services had heard a discussion indicating that the PTI was preparing two distinct actions that would be carried out simultaneously. He termed these actions as ‘dramas’ and claimed that the recording showed that the PTI was preparing an operation at a specific property. Additionally, he said that the intercepted communications suggested a “rape act” would be carried out and blamed on law enforcement.
The former prime minister responded to the press conference by saying Sanaullah was trying to cover up and anticipate the horror stories about to break in the media. “If there were any doubts about women being mistreated in jails, this press conference from this certified criminal should remove all such doubts. We are also getting distressing reports of rape in the confines of detention,” he said.
Khan expressed his deep concern and claimed that a very disgusting occurrence had taken place. He highlighted that the administration was concerned about the inevitable backlash that would occur once the imprisoned women were ultimately released.
The PTI leader emphasised that women in Pakistan had never seen the kind of degradation the party is seeing now. “It is almost a year since May 25 when a large number of PTI leaders and workers were roughed up by law enforcement agencies, the government has been violating the sanctity of ‘chadar and char dewari’ (a metaphor used to emphasise women’s dignity and one’s protection inside the four walls of the house),” he said.
He emphasised how the PTI leaders, employees, regular people, and even women and children were degraded. “Their homes are being pulled down. Businesses are shut down, and everything is being done to terrorise and instill fear among people”, he said.
He emphasised that PTI is the only political party to actively encourage women’s engagement in the political process and draw sizable numbers of women and families to public rallies. “Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to roll back this positive trend by creating fear among women which will be a great loss to the country,” he said adding that such tactics were witnessed during the dictatorial rule.
“Today, I, on behalf of the nation and Pakistan’s biggest party, appeal to the 15 judges of the Supreme Court that the entire country is looking towards you. History will remember your role. Till now it seems you are slowly conceding your power and losing your freedom against the powerful. It doesn’t seem to us you are capable of taking a stand against the powerful,” the PTI chairman said.
Imran Khan alson requested a judicial investigation into the May 9 riots from the Supreme Court in order to identify those in charge of the looting and burning.
“It is the job of the courts to carry out an investigation and find out the culprits. We will fully help you. I will tell you to punish those who were responsible, but side by side, 25 people were martyred and hundreds were shot. Where in the world are peaceful protests shot at and then there is no investigation,” he was quoted as saying.
On May 9, the country of Pakistan witnessed massive chaos and ruckus after PTI chief Imran Khan was arrested. The PTI workers protested all over the nation and also targeted the country’s military institutions. Several of the demonstrators, including women, were imprisoned and there are still hundreds of individuals behind bars. Imran Khan asserted that these arrested PTI women workers were being ill-treated and raped in the jails.
The heinousness involved in the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Sakshi by her ‘friend’ Sahil in Delhi’s Shahbad dairy neighbourhood has shaken the consciousness of the country. In the murder, which was caught on CCTV camera, Sakshi was stabbed over 20 times and then her head was crushed using a boulder by Sahil. Her parents said that Sakshi was stabbed so many times by Sahil that her intestines were bulging out of her body.
Another CCTV video has now surfaced, revealing that Sahil was not alone when he committed the crime. It showed that he had arrived at the crime scene well before committing the heinous crime. Sahil was seen in the video interacting with another youth and watching something on a phone before walking away in the opposite direction. This CCTV footage, shared by the news agency ANI, was reportedly captured just minutes before Sahil murdered Sakshi.
#WATCH | Delhi | CCTV visuals show accused Sahil in the Shahbad Dairy area, before he murdered the 16-year-old girl, on 28th May.
According to reports, the youth seen with Sahil in the CCTV footage was his friend named Akash. Akash was standing with Sahil waiting for Sakshi. The police are now interrogating Akash to know what he was doing at the crime scene minutes before the murder.
Eyewitness says Sahil was accompanied by his gang members when he killed Sakshi
Meanwhile, an eyewitness has told police that Sahil was not alone when he stabbed Sakshi but was accompanied by other of his gang members who stood nearby and witnessed him kill Sakshi. According to the eyewitness, the onlookers could do nothing to protect the deceased teenager because they were afraid of the gang.
The eyewitness stated that he had previously seen Sahil and his gang members consuming drugs on multiple occasions. On the day of the murder, he said, his gang members were keeping an eye on him from a short distance away from the crime site.
Exclusive- साक्षी हत्याकांड में बड़ा खुलासा। आरोपी साहिल की पहचान करने वाले चश्मदीद ने कैमरे पर बताया।
“चाकू से गोदते वक़्त अकेला नहीं था साहिल, पूरा गैंग साथ था।
Notably, besides Akash, the police have identified five other Sakshi and Sahil’s friends who are being questioned alongside the accused Sahil. The Delhi Police are questioning Praveen, Sakshi’s ex-boyfriend, whose name was tattooed on Sakshi’s arm. Praveen is now in Jaunpur, UP.
The third person who is being questioned is Neetus, Sakshi’s close friend. The police said that Sakshi was living with Neetu for a few days. Neetu is married and her husband is currently held in Tihar jail due to a crime. Neetu knew Sakshi for the past 3-4 years and Sahil for the past 7-8 months.
Additionally, the Police are also questioning Aarti. She was the last person to meet Sakshi before she was killed. Along with these five people, the police are questioning one Jhabru, Sakshi’s friend. According to reports, Jhabru had threatened Sahil that he would kill him if he did not stop chasing Sakshi, the police quoted Sahil as confessing during his interrogation. Jhabru resides in the JJ colony in Shahbad Dairy.
Notably, Delhi Police have also said that they have been looking into the victim and Sahil’s Instagram accounts. Some of Sahil’s posts on Instagram revealed that he was friends with numerous girls. His chats with many girls have come to the fore which has revealed that Sahil was in a relationship with multiple girls at the same time. Police said there is a possibility that upon discovering this, Sakshi expressed may have her desire to end her relationship with Sahil and avoid any further communication with him, which is why Sahil decided to kill her.
Sahil, post his arrest, has, however, shown no remorse for the heinous crime he committed. According to police, he could not answer some of the questions posed to him. And so, cops believe that he is trying to mislead them.
‘Fearing anyone other than Allah is considered Shirk by us’: Video that Sahil uploaded on Instagram
Interestingly, when OpIndia started searching for his Instagram account we came across one of the stories that he chose to add to his “Instagram Highlights.” The story was a video (reel) of a man walking with a gun. The video was posted by one ‘Sameer6000’, which was in turn added to his stories by Sahil Khan (Sarfaraz). This story was posted as recently as 16th February by Sahil.
The background voice in the video says, “Aur hum, Allah ke siva kisika darr Shirk samajhte hai” (we consider fearing anyone other than Allah a shirk).
Shirk, as a concept in Islam means the sin of idolatry or polytheism (i.e., the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides Allah).
In the picture of his arrest shared by ANI, Sahil, who stabbed Sakshi over 20 times and brutally murdered her, was seen wearing a Kalava (a sacred Hindu thread) on his wrist. Sakshi and Sahil were reportedly in a relationship and had an ugly fight a day before the murder. The victim was on her way to attend a birthday party of her friend’s son when Sahil stopped her and started attacking her with a knife. In the brutal attack, Sahil kept stabbing the victim repeatedly and later picked up a concrete block to crush her head.
Police to prove ‘love jihad’ angle
Interestingly, Sakshi’s friend has now revealed that Sakshi believed Sahil was a Hindu. With the story by Sahil that points towards his staunch Islamic views and the fact that he was wearing a Kalava while getting arrested coupled with the revelation by Sakshi’s friend, there is now a need for the police to investigate whether a religious motive was involved in the murder by Sahil. After this revelation by Sakshi’s friend, the police have claimed that they will investigate the Love Jihad angle too.
On May 30, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed nine years in office. On this day in 2019, PM Modi took oath as the head of the state for the second consecutive term. In these nine years, Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre has achieved many milestones and delivered on many manifesto promises. There were unprecedented challenges in between like the Covid-19 pandemic that put the country’s progress on hold for a few months but the country bounced back with flying colours, thanks to the strong leadership at the centre.
9 years of unwavering dedication to the nation’s growth.
I invite everyone to visit this site https://t.co/jWxyZLPPcU to get a glimpse of our development journey. It also gives an opportunity to highlight how people have benefited from various Government schemes. #9YearsOfSeva
In these nine years, the Modi government has made sure to put out the numbers in real-time via several dashboards across departments and ministries. OpIndia had a look at the manifestos of 2014 and 2019 to check the achievements of the government based on the promises made by the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections as well as the challenges faced by the country.
Abrogation of Article 370 and annulling Article 35A
In its manifesto, BJP talked about its commitment to the abrogation of Article 370 and the annulment of Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. The promise was fulfilled in less than three months after coming back to power in 2019. On August 5, 2019, the Government of India announced the abrogation of Article 370 and annulled Article 35A in Jammu and Kashmir. With the decision, the government also transformed Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory and separated Ladakh to form another UT ruled directly by the central government. Since the abrogation, Jammu and Kashmir has seen rapid development in several sectors.
Source: BJP Manifesto
Ram Mandir and the development of holy sites
BJP talked about its commitment to building the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the development of holy sites across the country in its manifesto. Cultural development was an important part of the BJP’s manifesto. On November 9, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Hindu Paksha and gave disputed land to Hindus to build Bhavya Ram Mandir. Without wasting any time, the government of India formed the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust.
A special donation collection drive was initiated by the trust to collect funds for the construction and Hindus across the globe participated in it. On August 5, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir and the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya started. The Mandir will be open to the public in January 2024.
Furthermore, after PM Modi took charge, several projects to develop, renovate and rejuvenate sacred Hindu sites and other religious sites have commenced that include the development of Kedarnath, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Mahakal Corridor, and more. As the PM won the election from Varanasi, he has worked extensively on the development of the holy city.
The Covid-19 challenge
One of the biggest challenges faced by the country during the second term of PM Modi was the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 started spreading in India in early 2020. In March 2020, the Government of India decided to impose a nationwide lockdown to control the spread. Though it contained the virus to some extent, the second wave hit India hard. We lost over 5,00,000 lives to the pandemic and thousands lost their livelihood. The direct and indirect impact of the pandemic on the people showed how unprepared our health sector was.
India did not have testing centres, sufficient ICUs, and not even made-in-India PPE kits. By the time pandemic hit India, we were importing a lot of products including PPE kits from China. As the pandemic originated in China, its supply chain suffered badly. As per reports, there were only 2.75 lakhs PPE kits available at that time in the country.
There was no time to find another source and the government of India pulled its sleeves right on time. From manufacturing almost zero PPE kits, India became a PPE manufacturing giant in the coming months. GoI worked on a war footing to ensure hospitals, doctors, healthcare workers, and frontline workers get the required supply of PPE kits. Within two months of the nationwide lockdown, India developed its own PPE kits. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Textile worked together with the industry to ensure seamless supply.
A similar case was with the N95 masks, hand sanitisers, and other products. India not only maintained supply for the local market but also exported and gifted products to other nations in need.
While capable minds across industries worked to ensure supply to the healthcare sector did not get hampered, the scientists in India worked extensively to create an indigenous vaccine. Simultaneously, the Serum Institute of India, the largest vaccine manufacturer in the country, started manufacturing the Covishield vaccine in India. Covishield was developed by AstraZeneca. The indigenous vaccine Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech was ready in record time.
There was a lot of pressure on the Indian Government to allow vaccines by Pfizer but owing to the conditions put on the table by the company, GoI decided not to go for it.
India also developed a state-of-the-art CoWIN platform to track the Covid-19 vaccination drive in real time. So far, 220.66 crores doses of vaccine have been administered in India. Over 95.19 crore people have received two doses of the vaccine and over 22 crore people have received a precautionary third dose. There are still 261 vaccination centres active across the country out of which 191 are being run by the government and 70 are private.
Covid-19 vaccine stats. Source: MoHFW
Another shock that India received was the lack of medical oxygen during the second wave of Covid-19. The government took it as a lesson and the result came in the form of around 2,500 oxygen plants commissioned at government hospitals across the country by October 2021.
The advancements in the health sector
In the last nine years, the Government of India has worked extensively to improve the health sector in the country. When PM Modi took charge in 2014, there was only one fully operational AIIMS and six semi-operational AIIMS. Under the leadership of PM Modi, the government of India worked extensively on increasing the number of AIIMS across the country so that people can get the best medical care at affordable rates in their own states.
At present, apart from Delhi AIIMS, there are six fully operational AIIMS which are Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur, and Rishikesh. Ten AIIMS in Raebareli, Gorakhpur, Mangalagiri, Nagpur, Bathinda, Bibinagar, Kalyani, Deoghar, Bilaspur, and Rajkot are semi-operational where MBBS classes and OPDs are running. At Guwahati, Jammu, and Madurai AIIMS, MBBS classes have commenced. Awantipora, Manethi and Darbanga AIIMS are under construction. With operational, semi-operational, under construction, and newly announced AIIMS, the total has reached to 22. In March 2022, PM Modi said all 22 AIIMS will be fully operational by 2025.
Furthermore, the number of medical colleges has increased by 70 percent. There were 387 medical colleges in 2014, while in 2023, the number increased to 660.
The BJP-led central government launched a flagship healthcare scheme ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna’ to ensure universal healthcare coverage for poor families. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, which covers health records in digital form via Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts, made it possible to provide medical care to the needy.
Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) has also played a vital role in enabling the marginalised section of society to access high-quality generic medicine. Under the scheme, over 9,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) have been opened by the Government of India that provide generic medicines up to 70 percent cheaper than the market price.
These shops sell around 1,800 medicines and 280 surgical instruments at affordable prices. Similarly, AMRIT pharmacies have around 5,000 drugs, stents, implants and surgical disposables, and other consumables at up to 60 percent lesser prices compared to the general market. Not to forget, Jan Aushadhi Kendras sell sanitary napkins at just Re 1 making them easily accessible to women from marginalised backgrounds.
GoI has supported AYUSH and its off-shoot Ayurveda Aahara extensively to provide holistic healthcare facilities to the people of India. For women, several projects were started and pushed forward since PM Modi came to power. Programs like Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Mission Indradhanush (MI), PM POSHAN scheme, and other programs have provided women and children with better care during pregnancy and after birth. Maternal care was an important part of BJP’s manifesto and the government under the party has worked extensively in the field.
So far the government has created over 38 crore ABHA accounts. Over 18 crore patients have received care under the AYUSH doctrine. Over 3.9 crore pregnant women have received medical care under PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. Over 9.55 lakh TB patients have been adopted by Ni-Kshya Mitras. Over 5.65 crore mothers and children have been protected because of Mission Indradhanush. Programs like e-Sanjeevani have marked the 11 crore milestone of teleconsultations.
LPG connections more than doubled in nine years
When the Modi government came to power, only 14.52 crore households had access to LPG connections. The government started Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana to expand its reach and save women from harmful emissions. By March 2023, the number of LPG connections stand at 31.36 crore which means that in just nine years, the government has more than doubled the LPG connections. LPG coverage in India rose from 62% in 2016 (launch of the scheme) to over 104% in 2022.
The education Sector
In its manifesto, BJP talked extensively about improving the education sector. Digitisation of books and online courses has been a landmark decision of the Modi government. Under the present government, the education sector saw a lot of changes.
New Education Policy 2020 aimed at shifting the focus to providing a breeding ground for foundational thought from the very beginning. Notably, around 400 NCERT books have been digitised and are available for free to download. The government has opened new IITs and IIMs to provide students with better chances at higher education at affordable prices. Around 350 new universities have been established since 2014.
As per the data available, 43 percent of the universities and 61.4 percent of the colleges are now located in rural areas. Modi government opened 7 IITs and 7 IIMs since it came to power in 2014. When PM Modi took charge in 2014, there were 723 universities in the country and the number now stands at 1,113. Furthermore, there were 38,498 colleges in India in 2014 which has increased to 43,796 in 2023. That means, in just nine years, new 5,298 colleges have been built in the country which would not have been possible without Government’s intervention.
The road infrastructure
For any country to progress, road infrastructure holds the utmost importance. The government emphasised extensively connecting the country via the road network. India has around 63.73 lakh kilometres of road network which is the second largest in the world. In the last nine years, using a corridor-based National Highways development approach, the construction of roads has increased from 12 KM a day in 2014 to 29 KM a day in 2021-22.
GoI has also concentrated on building border infrastructure. Notably, in the last five years alone, the GoI has built over 13,525+ KM of roads connecting borders.
Connecting rural areas to cities improves connectivity and helps in the transportation of goods between the two sides. Keeping in mind the importance of rural connectivity, GoI has built over 3.28 lakh KMs of rural roads since 2014 under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. In the 2019 manifesto, BJP talked about connecting rural areas to the cities under Rural Road Upgradation Programme and worked extensively to fulfill the promise.
Digital revolution
There was a time when the opposition laughed at the Modi government’s plan to bring the digital revolution into the banking sector. No one believed when the government aspired to see roadside vendors using digital transactions. With commitment and one step at a time, the Modi government made it possible and emphasised extensively improving digital infrastructure.
From Jan Dhan Accounts to Aadhar connectivity, promoting Rupay cards and UPI, the Modi government’s initiatives helped in increasing digital transactions. In its manifesto, BJP talked about promoting and increasing digital transactions which it did. To put things in perspective, there were 21 banks linked to UPI in August 2016 and the number of digital transactions stood at 0.09 million worth 3.09 crores. In April 2023, 414 banks are connected to UPI.
Furthermore, the Modi government emphasised Direct Benefit Transfer or DBT under which monetary benefits were directly transferred to beneficiaries’ accounts. In nine years, the government has transferred over 29 lakh crores under different welfare schemes cutting out middlemen and plugging leakages. The government has saved over 2.23 lakh crores by transferring funds through DBT.
Saubhagya and Har Ghar Jal
Two important missions under the Modi government, named, Saubhagya and Har Ghar Jal have benefitted crores of Indians. Over 8 crore households have benefitted from Jal Jeevan Mission and received tap water connections. Over three crore households have been electrified under Saubhagya Yojana ensuring 99.9 percent coverage of electricity. Both schemes were part of BJP’s manifesto.
Other important achievements of the Modi government in nine years
BJP aimed at improving the lives of farmers in the country. Under welfare schemes like Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), GoI has provided free food grains to over 80 crore people. Food subsidy amounting to a total of Rs 4.04 lakh crore has been released to the states. Rs 14.48 crore has been released to FCI. The free food grains scheme under NFSA that started during Covid has been extended till December 31, 2023.
Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban) has resulted in an 800 percent increase in Urban Houses. Records suggest over 8.04 lakh houses were completed between 2004 and 2014 under the scheme. 2015 on wants, over 74 lakh houses were constructed.
Rs 7,558 crore+ worth of loans has been sanctioned under Stand Up India to SC/ST communities.
Rs 5,182 crores have been disbursed in 42.87 lakh accounts under the PM SVANidhi scheme.
Over 48.9 crores of Jan Dhan Accounts have been opened.
Over 4 crore houses have been sanctioned under PM Awas Yojana.
Over 28.90 crore unorganised workers are now registered on E-Shram Portal.
Over 11 crore toilets have been constructed.
Over 33.48 crore people have been enrolled under PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
Over 27.7 crore collateral-free loans have been sanctioned under Mudra loans.
Welfare schemes for farmers including short-term collateral-free loans, pension schemes for old farmers, subsidised seeds, and fertilisers are some of the benefits this government has brought on the ground. Furthermore, the soil card, Fasal Beema Yojna and Kisan credit card have helped crores of farmers across the country.
Monday (May 29), the country woke up to the shocking news of the brutal murder of a minor girl identified as Sakshi by her ‘friend’ Sahil in the Shahbad dairy area of Delhi. In the murder, which has been caught on CCTV camera, Sakshi was stabbed over 20 times and then her head was crushed using a boulder by Sahil. Her parents had said that Sakshi was stabbed so many times by Sahil that her intestines were bulging out of her body.
Delhi police have arrested the accused, Sahil in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district.
In the picture of his arrest shared by ANI, Sahil, who stabbed Sakshi over 20 times and brutally murdered her, was seen wearing a Kalava (a sacred Hindu thread) on his wrist. Sakshi and Sahil were reportedly in a relationship and had an ugly fight a day before the murder. The victim was on her way to attend a birthday party of her friend’s son when Sahil stopped her and started attacking her with a knife. In the brutal attack, Sahil kept stabbing the victim repeatedly and later picked up a concrete block to crush her head.
Interestingly, Sakshi’s friend has now revealed that Sakshi believed Sahil was a Hindu.
Now, another CCTV footage has emerged, uploaded by ANI, that shows Sahil lurking at the very spot where he murdered Sakshi before the murder was committed.
#WATCH | Delhi | CCTV visuals show accused Sahil in the Shahbad Dairy area, before he murdered the 16-year-old girl, on 28th May.
In the video uploaded by ANI, one can see Sahil talking to a friend and waving his hands about. After his conversation, Sahil is seen leaving the area. This footage is from before Sahil murdered Sakshi in the same spot where he is seen in the video.
If one examines the video closely, it seems that Sahil was not wearing a Kalava in this video, which is CCTV footage of moments before the murder took place.
Here are some stills from the video (This is a slideshow, please click next to view all images):
Still images from CCTV footage
Still images from CCTV footage
Still images from CCTV footage
Still images from CCTV footage
Still images from CCTV footage
While the CCTV footage is certainly not crystal clear and it is extremely dark in the video, from all the images and angles of the video footage, there are indications that Sahil was not wearing a Kalava moments before murdering Sakshi.
From the timestamps of the two video footages uploaded by ANI, it is evident that there were only a minute before Sahil proceeds to murder Sakshi, therefore, it is unlikely that he left from this area, wore a Kalava and then murdered Sakshi.
While this video footage indicates that Sahil was not wearing a Kalava while murdering Sakshi, the picture of Sahil’s arrest prominently shows that he is wearing one on his wrist.
Images of Sahil after he was arrested
Sahil was arrested on the 29th and the murder took place on 28th, therefore, he clearly had enough time to wear a Kalava in the meantime.
Now, the argument that can be made is that Sahil always wore a Kalava and maybe removed it while murdering Sakshi. To confirm, we checked Sahil Instagram profile for the images and reels he had uploaded of himself.
We found 2-3 images where he was indeed wearing a Kalava.
Instagram pictures of Sahil wearing Kalava
Instagram pictures of Sahil wearing Kalava
Instagram pictures of Sahil wearing Kalava
However, there were only these images where he seem to be wearing a Kalava. Most of his images were where he was not wearing one.
Image of Sahil taken from his Instagram account
It is, therefore, evident that Sahil only wore a Kalava rarely and mostly when he was in a group of friends.
This gives rise to several questions and theories.
The most obvious question is – why did he wear a Kalava after murdering Sakshi?
There are a couple of theories that could explain the move. First and foremost could be to evade the police by misrepresenting his identity. After he murdered Sakshi, it was obvious that he would be identified and his family spoken to. It would be revealed that he was a Muslim man whose name of Sahil Sarfaraz. Therefore, he could have thought that wearing a Kalava would hide his identity, portray him as a Hindu and therefore, he would be able to evade arrest.
That, however, would not explain why he wore a Kalava sometimes even earlier, as evidenced by his Instagram pictures.
It is pertinent to remember that Sakshi’s friend testified on camera that Sakshi believed that Sahil was actually a Hindu. It is entirely possible that Sahil used to wear a Kalava when he would be out with friends, including Sakshi, to misrepresent his identity and pretend to be a Hindu. Given that there are hundreds of cases where Muslim men trap Hindu girls by pretending to be Hindu, this could be a real possibility, coupled with the testimony of Sakshi’s friend.
Wearing a Kalava after murdering Sakshi would serve as a shield to hide his real intentions since he may have believed that his Muslim identity would be hidden. Pertinently, OpIndia discovered a video that Sahil had uploaded on his Instagram profile where the video showed a man carrying a gun with the VoiceOver saying that fearing anyone other than Allah was considered Shirk in Islam – from which we can conclude that Sahil did follow Islam rather staunchly.
These, however, are a matter of speculation and the truth can only be revealed after a thorough investigation. It is to be kept in mind that the police are not only investigating if the murder of Sakshi was premeditated, since Sahil purchased the knife 15 days ago, but are also investigating the Love Jihad angle after the testimony of Sakshi’s friend.
Monday (May 29), the country woke up to the shocking news of the brutal murder of a minor girl identified as Sakshi by her ‘friend’ Sahil in the Shahbad dairy area of Delhi. In the murder, which has been caught on CCTV camera, Sakshi was stabbed over 20 times and then her head was crushed using a boulder by Sahil. Her parents had said that Sakshi was stabbed so many times by Sahil that her intestines were bulging out of her body.
Delhi police have arrested the accused, Sahil in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district.
In the media, a picture of Sahil has been used repeatedly, of him wearing a purple shirt.
Image of Sahil being used by the media
OpIndia started searching several profiles on Instagram by the name of Sahil Khan, Sahil Sarfaraz and Sahil Sakshi. We finally found one profile where this image was uploaded and several other images of Sahil were uploaded, confirming that it was his handle.
Instagram handle of Sahil
When we started going through his ‘highlights’, we found an interesting story that was posted by Sahil.
In one of the stories that he chose to add to his “Instagram Highlights”, it was a video (reel) of a man walking with a gun. The video was posted by one ‘Sameer6000’, which was in turn added to his stories by Sahil Khan (Sarfaraz). This story was posted as recently as 16th February by Sahil.
The link of this story posted by Sahil can be accessed here.
Story uploaded by Sahil
In the video that was posted by Sahil, a man can be seen walking with a large gun. The background voice in the video says, “Aur hum, Allah ke siva kisika darr Shirk samajhte hai” (we consider fearing anyone other than Allah a shirk).
Shirk, as a concept in Islam means the sin of idolatry or polytheism (i.e., the deification or worship of anyone or anything besides Allah).
In the picture of his arrest shared by ANI, Sahil, who stabbed Sakshi over 20 times and brutally murdered her, was seen wearing a Kalava (a sacred Hindu thread) on his wrist. Sakshi and Sahil were reportedly in a relationship and had an ugly fight a day before the murder. The victim was on her way to attend a birthday party of her friend’s son when Sahil stopped her and started attacking her with a knife. In the brutal attack, Sahil kept stabbing the victim repeatedly and later picked up a concrete block to crush her head.
Interestingly, Sakshi’s friend has now revealed that Sakshi believed Sahil was a Hindu. With the story by Sahil that points towards his staunch Islamic views and the fact that he was wearing a Kalava while getting arrested coupled with the revelation by Sakshi’s friend, there is now a need for the police to investigate whether a religious motive was involved in the murder by Sahil. After this revelation by Sakshi’s friend, the police have claimed that they will investigate the Love Jihad angle too.
Many Nigerians have expressed outrage on social media over Chinese “illegal mining” activities in Lagos and Osun communities, Nigerian Tribune Online reported.
Expressing their displeasure through the Twitter hashtag #StopChineseIllegalMining, the protesters stated that Chinese miners have made themselves lords of the Nigerian natural resources which belong to the people and government.
They also called on the necessary government agencies to check the activities of the miners at the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) in Lagos and others in the Osun communities of Nigeria.
The website, Tribune Online, is the online edition of other publications of AFRICAN NEWSPAPERS OF NIGERIA (ANN) PLC, the publisher of Nigerian Tribune, Sunday Tribune and Saturday Tribune newspapers. Tribune Online is well known for the tradition of breaking news and has over the years, built a reputation for being Nigeria’s most informative online news medium, publishing general interests articles, organised in areas that include Politics, Business, Sports, Entertainment, Tourism, Op-Ed and others, for ease of navigation.
“Marching with pride to protect our soil and environment. Chinese illegal mining has gone too far, and it’s time to end it. Together, we can restore balance,” a tweet said.
Another tweet read “No more exploitation! Chinese illegal mining is depleting our natural resources. Let’s raise awareness and support sustainable practices. Join the movement today.”
Many residents living in Osun communities had earlier complained about the unlawful mining operations done by the Chinese which have continued to pose a tremendous risk, Nigerian Tribune Online reported.
In December 2020, residents of the Opa community in Osun accused a team of Chinese miners of environmental abuse and encroachment on their land.
The miners, who were allegedly looking for gold, had purchased a small portion of land near a stream from a local chief.
However, they later expanded their mining activities to other parts of the community, digging close to some houses and causing damage and flooding, Nigerian Tribune Online reported citing a report from Punch Newspaper.
The residents said they tried to stop the miners but they were ignored and intimidated by armed policemen guarding the site.
One of the eyewitnesses narrated the incident thus, “When these Chinese miners first came, a colleague house owner saw them using a big machine to dig on a parcel of land looking for gold. We confronted them. When they didn’t retreat, we started pelting them with stones. They were forced to retreat. A few days later, around 1:30 am, the Chinese miners and their labourers came back and commenced work on two plots of land belonging to me. They were looking for gold. Despite our complaint, they have continued excavation.”
“Many other houses were affected. Government and security agents should intervene and save us from the serious dangers we have been exposed to. Several buildings are now in serious danger of being washed away.”
Although the past Governor of Osun State Gboyega Oyetola promised to regulate the activities of mining in the state in 2019, residents of the affected communities said it has not yielded much result.
The plan was to register all miners operating in the state to prevent crime and environmental degradation, Nigerian Tribune Online reported.
Three years later, residents are still complaining about the illegal activities and the untold hardship it continued to heap on them.
Many media outlets also reported that some quarry operators fought with residents who were agitating over the illegal mining activities in their community.
The residents had accused the quarry owners of blasting rocks indiscriminately, causing air pollution, noise disturbance, and damage to buildings.
Even though the quarry operators had always denied the allegations and claimed that they had obtained the necessary permits and approvals from the government and the traditional ruler, residents continue to find justifiable reasons to call for illegal miners, dominated by the Chinese, to be stopped.
The landowners within the communities have also lamented and protested against the mining activities of some quarry operators in their areas.
Demonstrations were carried out in Ife, Osun State, and in Surulere, Lagos State against the actions of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), in Lagos State.
The landlords, according to a Channels TV report, indicated that Chinese miners were operating illegally and without the consent of the government or the traditional ruler, Nigerian Tribune Online reported.
“Majority of us have relocated our aged parents to safety areas, for our lives and property are no longer safe in this area. Anytime we are leaving home, our children must follow us, for we are not sure of any hazard that may occur before our arrival back to the house. Maybe the house might have fallen or cracked before we come back,” the Chairman of the Landlord Association in Ilode Area, Olafare Olarotimi said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In an update on the horrific Sakshi murder case from Delhi, it has come to the fore that the victim girl was friends with the accused Mohammed Sahil, and was unaware of his religion. One of Sakshi’s friends talked to the media on Monday to reveal that Sakshi used to think that Sahil belonged to the Hindu religion.
Neetu, one of the friends of the deceased broke her silence in the case and said Sakshi and Sahil had been fighting for some reason for the past many days. Meanwhile, another friend Aarti said that Sakshi knew Sahil as a Hindu boy. Delhi Police has arrested the accused and his medical examination has been done.
It was reported that Delhi Police arrested the accused Sahil from Bulandshahr in UP and Sahil had a Kalava (Hindu religious thread) tied on his hand. Police now have said that the matter will also be investigated from the angle of ‘Love Jihad’.
On Sunday (May 28, 2023), Sakshi was going to attend the birthday of her friend Neetu’s son. Neetu was one of her close friends and she used to often stay at her place as Neetu’s husband is in jail. Neetu informed the media after the murder that Sahil and Sakshi knew each other for 3-4 years. “For the past few days, they had been fighting over some issues and Sakishi didn’t want to talk to Sahil. She had gone out to buy some stuff for my son’s birthday but she never returned,” Neetu said.
Neetu said that Sakshi was approached by Sahil while she was waiting for one of their friends named Aarti. As per Neetu, the duo happened to engage in a fight and then Sahil, who had already come with the intention to murder, stabbed her around 20 times. He also crushed the victim’s head with a concrete block leading to her instant death.
Earlier, BJP leader Kapil Mishra also took to Twitter to point out that the Muslim accused was wearing a Kalava around his wrist. Calling it an incident of Love Jihad, the BJP leader questioned with whose tactical support did the accused carry out the heinous crime.
ये है मोहम्मद साहिल s/o सरफ़राज़
इसी हैवान ने दिल्ली में नाबालिग हिंदू लड़की को बेरहमी से चाकुओं से गोद गोद कर मार डाला
The CCTV footage of the heinous murder also emerged and the same has been going viral over the internet. Delhi Police have registered an FIR in the case following a complaint by the victim’s father.
The incident took place on Sunday, May 28, and the arrest came in within 24 hours of the crime’s occurrence. Along with Sahil, his father Sarfaraz has been taken into custody by the police.
In a repulsive act of beastliness, a cow has been reportedly raped by a cloth trader named Hasan Khan in the Bhilai city in the Durg district of Chhattisgarh. The incident, which was caught on CCTV footage occurred on May 24, 2023.
After the video of the heinous act went viral on social media, several outraged members of the BJYM and other Hindu organisations gheraoed the Jamul police station, demanding the accused be arrested and a case registered against the person involved in such a depraved act. The Chhattisgarh police acted on the complaint and arrested Hasan Khan within 24 hours and sent him to jail.
As per reports, the incident occurred in Bhilai’s Housing Board Colony. Firoz Khan and his family have been living here for three to four years. They own two to three houses in the area. Hasan Khan, a youth from Delhi, came to these people to sell garments. On May 24, around midnight, Hasan Khan indulged in the ghoulish act which was incidentally recorded on CCTV.
When locals witnessed Hasan Khan indulging in the repulsive act on the CCTV footage, they alerted BJP leaders on Monday (May 29, 2023). Following this, members of the BJP, BJYM, and Bajrang Dal banded together and reached the Jamul police station. They gheraoed the PS, demanding the arrest of the culprit.
As the situation deteriorated, the case was handled by IPS Prabhat Kumar and CSP Cantonment Ashish Banchore. Officers from the cantonment and Supela police stations were immediately dispatched to the crime scene. The police brought the family members of the accused to the police station. They were interrogated and based on the information gathered, the police arrested Hasan Khan.
Speaking about the incident, Deepak Yadav, a Bajrang Dal activist, stated, “We received information that on May 24, a man raped a cow.” The entire incident was captured on a CCTV camera. We filed a report on the incident with the Jamul police station. Following that, all of our gau rakshaks and Hindu brothers headed together with the police administration to the accused’s residence. When we arrived, the owner of the residence informed us that we did not know him (the accused). Later, he revealed that he works at his place.”
“We want that the harshest punishment is taken against such accused. They should not be spared at all. Otherwise, the entire Hindu society and Bajrang Dal will launch a fierce agitation,” Yadav further said, adding that a woman living in the locality had told them that this was the third such incident that took place in the Housing Board Colony. “Every time the accused is released after two hours of questioning. Others present there told that this is done intentionally,” the Bajrang Dal leader added.
On March 7, 18-year-old Mohammad Sahil and three others were arrestedfor having unnatural sex with a cow in Durg, Chhattisgarh. As per reports, the accused were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crime.
A day after a 16-year-old girl was stabbed and bludgeoned to death in the Shahbad Dairy area of the national capital, sources in Delhi Police said that the murder could have be premeditated as Sahil, the 20-year-old accused, had purchased the knife used in the murder a fortnight ago.
“During questioning, Sahil said that he had bought the knife used in the murder about 15 days ago from a weekly market,” police sources said. The accused has not however, disclosed the location from which he bought the knife and police are investigating, the sources said.
Police are also investigating whether or not the murder was a “crime of passion” or done on a sudden provocation, the sources said.
Sources that Sahil fled the city after the murder and switched off his phone. He reached Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh after changing two buses. Arrested on
Monday from Bulandshahr by Delhi Police, Sahil was today produced before court and sent to police remand for two days.
According to police sources, after committing the murder, Sahil dumped his weapon in Rithala before fleeing to Bulandshahr.
A CCTV grab of the incident shows Sahil purportedly stabbing the girl multiple times with a knife. He continued to stab her even when she slumped to the ground. He kicked her and then took a concrete slab lying nearby and bludgeoned her head. All this while the footage showed people watching the events unfold and walking past without intervening. At one point a dog is seen approaching the spot.
The police reached the crime spot after the local beat officer was informed by the locals about the incident about 10 minutes after the incident.
An initial police investigation concluded that at the time of the incident, the victim did not have a mobile phone.
As per the police, the accused was in a relationship with the minor, but they had a quarrel on Sunday night after which he killed her with multiple assaults. The police said that it had registered FIR in the matter under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Shahbad Dairy Police Station.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Monday, massive tensions continued in the Sangamner region of the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra after a mob of around 100 to 150 people attacked 6 Hindu persons with swords and sharp iron rods, resulting in severe injuries. The victims have been identified as Gokul Dighe, Ravindra Gadekar, Babasaheb Thorat, Jitendra Shinde, Ajay Thorat, and Ganesh Kakad and they have been shifted to a private hospital for treatment.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have taken place in the Jorve village of Sangamner city on Sunday. The saga began when 4 individuals from Jorve village traveled to Sangamner for some work in a pickup van. During their return to the village in the evening, they got stuck in heavy traffic. They then tried to get out of the traffic by honking their vehicle’s horn.
Some of the people in the area belonging to the specific community objected to the usual honking and thrashed the boys in the traffic. The boys then reached the village and narrated the matter to the other people of the village. They said that they were beaten by people from other community with swords and other sharp objects.
Taking cognizance of the incident that happened in the Jorve Naka area, former Dy Sarpanch of Jorve village Gokul Dighe along with Ravindra Gadekar, Babasaheb Thorat, Jitendra Shinde, Ajay Thorat, and Ganesh Kakad submitted a complaint at the Sangamner Police Station.
While these 6 persons were on their way back to the village, around 100 to 150 people including Irfan, Riyaz, Nadeem, and others from the specific community again attacked them and they could be heard saying, “These are the same people who have filed a police complaint. We’ll not spare them. They won’t go home alive.” The mob attacked the Hindus with sharp weapons including knives, iron rods, bamboo sticks, and swords.
घेऊन त्यांना घेराव घातला "ये वही लोग है, जो अपने खिलाफ पोलीस स्टेशन को तक्रार देणे गये थे. आज इन्हे जिंदा घर नही जाने देंगे" असे म्हणुन जोर्वेला जाणाऱ्या लोकाच्या डोक्यात पाठीवर लोखंडी रॉडने व धारधारशस्राने हल्ला केल्याची धक्कादायक घटना रविवार दि. 28 मे 2023 रोजी
After the incident, one of the victims, Ravindra Gadekar approached the police station and complained that he, along with 5 other Hindu persons, was attacked by people from a specific community. He also said that earlier 4 Hindus were attacked in the traffic by the people from the specific community.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, 8 Hindu persons, identified as Sumeet Thorat, Tanmay Dighe, Pundalik Dighe (17), Vijay Thorat, Ajay Thorat, Jitendra Dighe, Ravindra Gadekar, and Babasaheb Thorat have recieved severe injuries and have been admitted to a private hospital.
Based on the complaint filed by Gadekar, the Police filed an FIR in the case against 150 unidentified individuals and charged them with an attempt to murder. The Police however have identified some of the individuals in the case- Babu Tapriwala, Imran Wadewala, Nadeem Hussain, Imran (son of Yusuf Painter), Riyaz Zaheer Sheikh Rickshawala, Safiq Chahwala, Irfan, Safiq, Aqeel Tapriwala, Tahir Nazeer Pathan, Shahid Sandwala, Musif Sheikh, Mujju, Fayyum Fiter, Ffukhan Wadewala, Arfat Rafiq Sheikh and Irfan Wadewala.
The FIR in the case has been filed under sections 307, 324, 143, 147, 148, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code and also under the relevant sections of the Arms Act.
FIR copy obtained by OpIndia.
The victims have been shifted to a private hospital and are undergoing treatment there. Reports mention that after the incident, several members of the Hindu organization from Jorve village reached the Sangamner Police Station and demanded strict action against the accused. The Police have however made no arrests in the case yet.
Sub-inspector Nivant Jadhav said that the police are identifying the accused and have assured that strict action will be taken against them. “No one will be spared. Action will be taken against the accused,” he said. Reportedly, at present the police force has been deployed at the Jorve village and people have been asked to stay away from the rumours.
It is important to note that the three kilometers patch between Jorve and Sangamner houses many small shops and businesses. All these businesses have been illegally established on the land which belongs to the government. This is the only reason why massive traffic jams have started to appear there. Taking cognisance of the event, the Sangamner administration, after the incident, launched an anti-encroachment drive to raze down all the illegal businesses.
However, the drive was opposed by people supposedly belonging to a specific community. The people forced the administration to stop the drive. Later, on Monday, one of the chicken shops and a bike repair shop were vandalized and some of its assets were also set ablaze. The police force has been deployed in the area. Further investigations are underway.
