Home Blog Page 2261

Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for the killing of Atiq Ahmed

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for the killing of Atiq Ahmed

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has threatened to take revenge for the killing of the dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmed. As-Sahab, the propaganda wing of the Islamist terrorist organization AQIS, has released its seven-page magazine on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The AQIS magazine laments various alleged incidents directed against Muslims across the world. The Islamist terrorist organization has threatened to avenge the killing of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed.  The AQIS hailed the mafia brothers as ‘martyrs’ and vowed to ‘liberate’ Indian Muslims. 

“Muslims were martyred on live television cameras by aiming guns on their heads”, the AQIS propaganda magazine reads in an apparent reference to the killings of the mafia brothers.

The AQIS goes on to threaten India as the magazine says that the terrorist organization will free its terrorists from Tihar Jail and ‘liberate’ Indian Muslim men and women from their shackles.

“We will stop the oppressor, be it in the White House or the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi or GHQ in Rawalpindi. From Texas to Tihar and to Adyala—we shall liberate our Muslim brothers and sisters from their shackles,” the propaganda magazine said. 

The AQIS further claims that Muslim children will defend the honor of their Prophet by blowing themselves up with suicide bombs. 

“We shall strap bombs to the body of our children to protect the honor of our Prophet. To Allah we belong and shall return to him,” the magazine asserts.

Apart from this, it is also claimed in the magazine that women in Kashmir ‘lament’ the alleged forced disappearances and killing of Muslim men. It also alleged the ‘violations’ of Hijabs of the Kashmiri Muslim women by the ‘Indian occupiers’.

“The Hijab of Muslim sisters continue to be violated by the Indian occupiers in Kashmir and countless Kashmiri women continue to lament the forced disappearances of their spouses, sons, brothers, and fathers,” the propaganda magazine further claimed.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal quotes a fake account of Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and CBI

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal quotes a fake account of Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and CBI

On 21st April 2023, Delhi’s chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal quoted a tweet by a fake account in the name of Jammu and Kashmir’s former governor Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Satyapal Malik was summoned by CBI on 21st April 2023 to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. 

Arvind Kejriwal quoted a tweet from a fake account to criticise the Narendra Modi government in the centre and the investigation agency. The Twitter handle of Befitting Facts brought to light that Arvind Kejriwal has used a tweet from a fake account to attack PM Narendra Modi.

Arvind Kejriwal wrote, “The whole country is with you. You have shown great courage in these times of fear, sir. He is a coward, hiding behind CBI. Whenever there was a crisis in this great country, people like you faced it with courage. He is an illiterate, corrupt, traitor. He cannot compete with you. you go ahead sir proud of you.”

The tweet he quoted was posted by a Twitter handle @Satyapalmalik_ which is a fake account. The tweet read, “I have exposed the sins of some people by speaking the truth. Maybe that’s why the call has come. I am the son of a farmer, I will not panic. I stand by the truth.”

Befitting Facts exposed Arvind Kejriwal’s attempt to attack the PM using a tweet by this fake account. The Twitter handle of Facts tweeted, “That’s a fake account, just like your promises. Have some shame you are a chief minister of a state. Verify account before quoting them unless your IT cell is using that account.”

On Friday, April 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. Malik has been asked to appear before the agency on April 27 and April 28. He will be questioned on the allegation that employees of Jammu and Kashmir were forced to buy insurance schemes from Reliance Insurance when he was the governor, which had led to the cancellation of the group medical insurance proposal.

Responding to the summon, Malik told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked for his presence at the agency’s Akbar Road guesthouse in New Delhi for certain clarifications. “They want certain clarifications for which they want my presence. I am going to Rajasthan so I have given them dates from April 27 to 29 when I am available,” Malik said.

In the recent interview with Karan Thapar, Malik mentioned the case. He had alleged that RSS and BJP leader Ram Madhav had met him when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir to try and get him to pass the scheme proposed by Reliance Insurance, but he cancelled it. Satyapal Malik also alleged that Ram Madhav had tried to bribe him with Rs 300 crore to pass two files related to “Ambani” when he was the J&K governor.

“I had initially passed this scheme but a lot of people asked me to take it back. The first thing that happened was that government employees were really unhappy with the coming of the scheme. That is because all government employees had to pay Rs 8,500 a year for the scheme. Retired officers had to give more than Rs 20,000,” he said in the interview, where he made several controversial comments.

Ram Madhav has denied the allegations and has sent a defamation notice to Satyapal Malik. In his legal notice to Malik, Madhav said, “Malik made untrue and defamatory statements to stay relevant in the political circle.”

Not just AAP, Congress also targeted the central govt over the summon to Malik. Criticising this CBI summons, Congress tweeted, “After all, PM Modi could not help it. Satyapal Malik ji exposed him in front of the country. Now CBI has called Malik ji. This was bound to happen. There will be one more thing… ‘Godi Media’ will still remain silent, take it in writing.”

In April last year, the CBI lodged two FIRs over corruption allegations levelled by Malik in the awarding of contracts for a group medical insurance scheme for government employees and civil work worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir. In a first information report (FIR), the CBI named Reliance General Insurance along with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers as accused in the alleged scam.

Congress used the news extensively to attack the BJP government. Congress leader Salman Nizami then tweeted that there was no bidding and the ‘Modi government’ chose Reliance over LIC. Rahul Gandhi had also attacked PM Modi over his alleged connection with Ambani when this news appeared.

Now, Satyapal Malik has been summoned by the CBI over his allegation against the BJP and RSS regarding the Reliance Insurance case. Therefore, being the opponents of the BJP, AAP and Congress should be welcoming the summon. Instead, they are criticising the Modi govt, assuming that the summon is against Satyapal Malik.

Mukhtar Ansari: Know family history of the mafia, his rise in crime and politics, and the eventual downfall under the Yogi Adityanath government

Gopal Tiwari
-
0
Mukhtar Ansari: Know family history of the mafia, his rise in crime and politics, and the eventual downfall under the Yogi Adityanath government

The Mau district in Uttar Pradesh was carved out of the Azamgarh district in 1988. The Mau Assembly constituency elected a mafia-turned-politician named Mukhtar Ansari five consecutive times. For the last more than 15 years, this former ‘lawmaker’ – ill-known more for breaking the laws rather than making one – is lodged in jail.

He contested the election from jail. He won the election from jail. He operates his gangs from jail. He will soon get a verdict in a case booked under the gangster act against him. This representative of people, booked under scores of cases of ransom, kidnapping, murders, etc. is none other than mafia Mukhtar Ansari.

The Ansari family

Before going into the deeds of the dreaded mafia-turned-politician, it becomes necessary to know the lineage he hails from. Surprisingly, he finds his roots in a family that is a far cry from his own deeds.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari

Mukhtar Ansari happens to be the grandson of Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. This Mohammadabad-born Ghazipur-based Muslim national went on to become a doctor at a medical college in Madras (now Chennai). He went to the UK and earned degrees in MS and MD from there. Then he started practising surgery and is allegedly called one of the pioneers of modern-day surgery in India.

He also pursued some serious, weird, yet successful research in surgeries as complex as grafting animal testicles to man. There were so many areas to be researched in the field of surgery in those days. However, why Dr Ansari chose this topic to research is still a mystery.

This ‘gentleman’ joined Indian National Congress. He supported the Ottoman dynasty of Turkie Khalifa in the Khilafat movement. Interestingly, he simultaneously was a member of the Muslim League too. He was the president of Congress in 1927. He later earned secular credentials when he left the Muslim League as the Islamist outfit pronounced its separatist agenda. He remained the Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia from 1928 until he died in 1936.

Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari’s father Subhanalla Ansari was a nephew of this doctor politician ‘secularist’ chancellor of an Islamic educational institute. Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari had another nephew named Mohammed Abdul Aziz Ansari. His son Mohammad Hamid Ansari went on to become the longest-serving vice-president of independent India.

This Muslim person Mohammad Hamid Ansari – as an Indian – enjoyed the most respectable positions of the services he offered to the system as an ambassador of India abroad and the corresponding perks of being a loyalist to the prime political family in India, but still felt just before his last working day in the Rajya Sabha that Muslims in India are insecure like never before. NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat is the daughter-in-law of this Mohammad Hamid Ansari. She is married to his son Yusuf Ahmed Ansari.

This is the paternal family of the mafia Mukhtar Ansari. His two brothers are also elected representatives. His brother Afzal Ansari is an MP from Ghazipur. Another Ansari – called Sibkatullah Ansari – has also been an MLA.  His son Abbas, however, has aced the art of shooting and is a national-level professional shooting sportsman.

The maternal lineage of mafia Mukhtar Ansari

The maternal family of this mafia also holds a revered position in India’s history. His maternal grandfather Brigadier Mohammad Usman martyred in the Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir in a war against Pakistan on 3rd July 1948.

He was decorated with Maha Vir Chakra posthumously. He was the highest-ranked Muslim officer to have given the supreme sacrifice for India on a battlefield at that time. Against the backdrop of the partition of India on the basis of religion, this was seen as one of the greatest examples of communal harmony and sacrifice. Notably, his grandson mafia Mukhtar Ansari is accused of disturbing communal harmony and inciting religious riots against Hindus in Mau.

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari

Mukhtar Ansari – born on 30th June 1963 – had become a synonym for terror not only in Purvanchal but in the entire Uttar Pradesh. People all over North India now recognize him by his name, but now the reason for this is not the terror his name used to inspire. Since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the multi-crore empire of crime seems to be crumbling and how. Let us first see how he built an empire of hundreds of crores by murder and ransom.

In backward areas like Purvanchal, the situation in the 70s and 80s was that more than many criminal gangs and mafia were ready to capture every project of the government. The era of shedding blood for government contracts had begun. Mukhtar Ansari climbed up the ladder of contracts to become a politician.

Initial cases against Mukhtar Ansari

There are many cases registered against this mafia who became MLA from Mau for the 5th time in 2017. The crimes enlisted in these cases are murder, attempt to murder, armed riots, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, fraud for property expropriation, interference with public affairs, and willful attack to injure someone.

In the 80s, Mukhtar Ansari was involved in a gang war with another mafia Brijesh Singh. He had established his presence till Mau, Jaunpur, Ballia, and Varanasi. He pushed many youths from this area into the world of crime. In those years, the area was infamous for the cultivation of opium. His ancestral residence ‘Barka Phatak’ (literally meaning ‘Big Gate’) in Yusufpur of Ghazipur was once the hub of politics of 4 adjacent districts.

Mukhtar Ansari’s name first appeared in the Sachchidanand Rai murder case of 1988. Sachidanand Rai was killed in connection with a land dispute in the Ghazipur district. In this murder case, charges were levelled against Mukhtar Ansari. This was the first time that Mukhtar Ansari’s name was associated with a serious crime. However, the police could not gather any evidence in this case and Mukhtar Ansari could not be proven guilty. But from here, Mukhtar Ansari came into the limelight and in the 1990s, Mukhtar Ansari and his gang started occupying land, and grabbing various tenders and contracts.

Entry in politics

Mukhtar Ansari’s entry into the world of crime was not a compulsion but a well-thought-out career move. Mukhtar Ansari studied at Government City Inter College and PG College Ghazipur. He then moved into the student politics of Kashi Hindu University and later in 1996, he contested from Mau on a BSP ticket and was elected as an MLA.

Since then, he became MLA from this seat five consecutive times. In 1996, he contested from Bahujan Samaj Party. In 2002 and 2007, he got elected as an independent candidate. In 2012, he formed his party called Qaumi Ekta Dal and became an MLA from that party. In 2017, he merged his party with the BSP and was elected again as an MLA from BSP. In 2022, his son Abbas Ansari contested this seat from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and became an MLA. However, virtually, the power remains concentrated in the hands of the mafia jailed for a long.

The Krishnanand Rai murder case

The most important of the cases registered against Mukhtar Ansari is the incident of the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. It was 29 November 2005, which is still called a ‘Black Day’ by the people of Ghazipur. Krishnanand Rai was an MLA from Muhammadabad. He was also close to Manoj Sinha, who was a minister for 5 years in the previous central government from 2014 to 2019. It is notable that Afzal Ansari defeated Manoj Sinha in 2019 to become an MP from Ghazipur. Krishnanand Rai was killed on 29th June 2005. His six companions were also killed in this mayhem.

Unfazed by the regime, the killers fired 400 rounds of bullets. After the incident, 67 bullets were removed from the bodies of the deceased during the postmortem. Hanuman Pandey alias Rakesh Pandey who had executed this shooting was killed in an STF encounter during Yogi Adityanath’s reign. He, at the behest of Mukhtar Ansari, had killed BJP MLA Krishnanandan Rai who had come to inaugurate a cricket match at Sonadi village in the Karimuddin area, on November 29, 2005.

MLA Rai was popular among the people, which led to tremendous protests. Among those who protested were many people who are now in power in UP and Delhi. Rajnath Singh had staged a sit-in protest against this murder at that time for 14 days and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself had to come to end his protest.

Other major cases, Muslim appeasement, and riots

Mukhtar Ansari’s name also appeared in the contractor Ajay Prakash Singh’s murder case in Mau. The witness of this murder crime was also murdered. Similarly, the witness of the Krishnanand Rai murder case also died under suspicious circumstances. 

Mukhtar Ansari relied on Muslim voters in Ghazipur and Mau. Most of his henchmen were Muslims and he would take away the major chunk of Muslim votes in elections. He blended crime, politics, and religion in such a way that many incidents of communal violence occurred in Mau and surrounding areas during his tenure.

In one such incident of communal violence, Mukhtar Ansari came across a fearless Hindu monk who challenged Mukhtar Ansari’s empire of crime, terror, and religious fanaticism backed by his political power. He was none other than Yogi Adityanath who at that time was just an MP from Gorakhpur. It is notable that in 2005, Yogi Adityanath was not in power but in opposition as there was a UPA government in the centre and the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

The 2005 riots in Mau

In 2005, there was a fierce riot in Mau. Mukhtar Ansari was roaming there in an open jeep waving weapons and inciting Muslims to attack Hindu settlements. When mafia Mukhtar Ansari’s convoy used to pass through the road, no one would dare to come across him.

There were 20 to 30 SUVs of number 786 passing in a line one after the other. When Mukhtar Ansari walked, he was seen to be the tallest among his bodyguards and henchmen in his gang. But time has taken such a turn that now he has to use a wheelchair.

Mukhtar Ansari’s terror was spread in many districts including Mau, Ghazipur, Varanasi, and Azamgarh. Yogi Adityanath kept raising his voice against him. When the riot victims did not get justice in Mau, Yogi Adityanath challenged Mukhtar Ansari and said that he would get justice for the victims of the Mau riots.

In 2006, Yogi Adityanath set out from the Gorakhnath temple for Mau in a convoy of 10 to 12 vehicles. By the time Yogi Adityanath reached 30 km from Gorakhpur, the convoy of vehicles reached close to 150. The convoy moved towards Mau.

At that time, there was neither a BJP government in UP nor any support for the party in the interior parts of UP. Yogi Adityanath was stopped at Dohrighat, the border of Gorakhpur and Mau, after which Yogi Adityanath returned. It was alleged that Mukhtar Ansari was playing the game of appeasement under the protection of the state and union governments.

Mukhtar Ansari’s gang attacked Yogi Adityanath in 2008

In 2008, three years after the Mau riots, Yogi Adityanath again challenged Mukhtar Ansari. Yogi Adityanath announced that he will take out a rally under Hindu Yuva Vahini against terrorism in Azamgarh. As per the scheduled date, the rally was held on September 7, 2008, at the DAV Degree College grounds. Yogi Adityanath was supposed to address the rally.

On the morning of the rally, Yogi’s convoy left the Gorakhnath temple, which turned into more than 200 vehicles by the time it reached Azamgarh. When Yogi Adityanath’s convoy left, hundreds of vehicles other than the convoy also followed him. Several hundred motorcycles were also shouting slogans of Yogi-Yogi. Yogi Adityanath was sitting in the seventh SUV in the convoy. Suddenly, a stone was thrown at his car.

Yogi Adityanath’s convoy was attacked. The attack was preplanned. At that time, Yogi Adityanath implied that the attack was carried out by Mukhtar Ansari. Yogi Adityanath had said that bullets were continuously being fired on the convoy, vehicles were being broken, and the police remained silent. Notably, Mayawati was the chief minister of the state at that time.

The downfall

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari surrendered in 2005 in connection with the Mau riots. Being lodged in jail, he got the safest place to run his gang, because his brother Afzal Ansari was a Samajwadi Party MP from Ghazipur. SP ruled Uttar Pradesh in 2005. Various cases registered against Mukhtar Ansari did not progress much in the SP and BSP rule. However, the process of justice picked pace after Yogi Adityanath came to power in the state.

Mukhtar Ansari’s property worth hundreds of crores has not only been sealed and auctioned under the Yogi government but many of his shops and properties have also been demolished by bulldozers. His assets worth about Rs 300 crore have been either confiscated or razed off. More than 100 criminals from his gang are in jail now. In addition, about 75 arms licenses have also been cancelled. Afzal Ansari now talks about the threat to the family from the Yogi government. Afzal Ansari is also an accused in the Krishnanand Rai murder case. An MP-MLA court is going to pronounce the verdict in this case on 29th April 2023.

17 shops built on the ground floor of the Ghazal Hotel of Ghazipur were confiscated. This was located in Mahuabagh and belonged to Mukhtar Ansari’s wife Afsha Ansari. Prior to that 0.091 hectares of land were freed from the possession of one of his close associates. Earlier, coal mafia close to Ansari and owner of Tridev Construction, Umesh Singh’s four-story house built in Bhiti at a cost of Rs 10 crore, was bulldozed. Mukhtar Ansari’s sharpshooter Ali Sher was killed.

Mukhtar Ansari, who once inspired fear in the hearts of people, is now afraid himself. So much so that before being brought to UP, he had expressed the possibility of his murder during the virtual appearance in the court. He feared being killed by poisoning the food. His assets near assembly, worth crores, were confiscated. His henchman Shakeel Haider was arrested for debunking a Rs 66 crore loan. Property worth about Rs 2 crore 18 lakhs was confiscated in August 2021.

The officials who took action against Mukhtar Ansari were intimidated during the SP-BSP regime. In January 2004, Shailendra Kumar Singh was the Deputy SP in charge of the Varanasi unit of UP STF. He had recovered LMG from Mukhtar Ansari’s hideout, after which he was tortured by the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government. He had to resign. FIR was lodged against him. When he went to jail, Yogi Adityanath called his family and said, “I will do justice, when I will come to the power.” Fake cases registered against him were cancelled by the Yogi government.

The judiciary has also ordered to seize of the passports of Mukhtar Ansari’s wife and sons. Yogi government removed two IAS officers who benefited his family. Mohammad Azam, a close associate of MLA Mukhtar Ansari, himself demolished his illegal construction. Ansari gang’s Meraj and Isa Khan’s illegal buildings in Mau costing 20 crores were bulldozed. Several cases are registered against Mukhtar Ansari’s wife. She started writing a letter to the President seeking protection.

Similarly, UP Police also bulldozed the property of Azam, a close associate of Mukhtar Ansari. Azam had built an illegal hospital on the banks of the Ganges for ₹ 70Cr. Ansari’s Ghazal Hotel called ‘Mukhtar Ansari’s Taj Mahal’ in Ghazipur was demolished. FIR was lodged against Afzal Ansari’s wife Farhat for encroachment on the property. Property worth Rs 39 lakh was seized from his henchman Rajneesh Singh. His vehicles worth 4.5 crores were seized. His sons were declared criminals.

MP-MLA court to pronounce punishment on 29th April 2023

The MP-MLA court of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh has rescheduled the date for the order on cases against Mukhtar Ansari to April 29. In this order, the court is going to award the punishment to Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari under the Gangster Act.

The date for the court order was postponed, according to additional district government counsel (criminal) Ghazipur Niraj Srivastava, because the MP-MLA court’s presiding officer was not present on Saturday, 15th April 2023. He stated that on April 1 when the court withheld its decision, the trial in the case was completed.

Both Mukhtar Ansari and Afzal Ansari are booked under the gangster act in 2007. Mukhtar Ansari was charged for his role in the 1996 abduction of coal industrialist and Vishwa Hindu Parishad office-holder Nandkishore Rungta and the murder of BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai in 2005. After being listed on the gang chart created in response to the murder of Krishnand Rai, Afzal Ansari was also booked in this case.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik summoned by CBI for questioning in Reliance Insurance case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik summoned by CBI for questioning in Reliance Insurance case

On Friday, April 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. Malik has been asked to appear before the agency on April 27 and April 28. He will be questioned on the allegation that employees of Jammu and Kashmir were forced to buy insurance schemes from Reliance Insurance, which had led to the cancellation of the group medical insurance proposal.

Responding to the summon, Malik told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked for his presence at the agency’s Akbar Road guesthouse in New Delhi for certain clarifications.

“They want certain clarifications for which they want my presence. I am going to Rajasthan so I have given them dates from April 27 to 29 when I am available,” Malik said.

In the recent interview with Karan Thapar, Malik mentioned the case. He had alleged that RSS and BJP leader Ram Madhav had met him when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir to try and get him to pass the scheme proposed by Reliance Insurance, but he cancelled it.

“I had initially passed this scheme but a lot of people asked me to take it back. The first thing that happened was that government employees were really unhappy with the coming of the scheme. That is because all government employees had to pay Rs 8,500 a year for the scheme. Retired officers had to give more than Rs 20,000,” he said in the interview, where he made several controversial comments.

Satyapal Malik had also alleged that Ram Madhav had tried to bribe him with Rs 300 crore to pass two files related to “Ambani” when he was the J&K governor. While he had made the allegation earlier also, he had said it was a senior RSS leader. In the recent interview, he claimed that it was Ram Madhav.

Ram Madhav has denied the allegations and has sent a defamation notice to Satya Pal Malik. In his legal notice to Malik, Madhav said, “Malik made untrue and defamatory statements to stay relevant in political circle.”

In April last year, the CBI lodged two FIRs over corruption allegations levelled by Malik in the awarding of contracts for a group medical insurance scheme for government employees and civil work worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir. In a first information report (FIR), the CBI named Reliance General Insurance along with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers as accused in the alleged scam.

Satya Pal Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019 had claimed he was offered a Rs 300 crore bribe for clearing two files.

Notably, in 2018, some groups alleged that the central government is ‘forcing’ the state government employees in Jammu and Kashmir to buy group health insurance from Reliance. Some reports stated that the central government is favouring the Reliance company over state-owned LIC for providing group health insurance to employees.

Congress used the news extensively to attack the BJP government. Congress leader Salman Nizami then tweeted that there was no bidding and the ‘Modi government’ chose Reliance over LIC.

The claims that there was no bidding process and Reliance was chosen over LIC were, however. found to be completely false as the Jammu and Kashmir finance department had issued a notice inviting tenders on June 1, 2018, from all general insurance companies for the group medical insurance. So the claims of ‘no bidding process’ and ‘LIC being sidelined’ were totally false because when there was a tender process, naturally the contract would go to the lowest bidder with the best proposal.

Despite being debunked, Rahul Gandhi, continuing with his baseless allegations about the central government favouring industrialist Anil Ambani, had gone on to repeat this particular lie. In a tweet posted in October 2018, he claimed that employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government had been arm-twisted to buy health insurance from Reliance General Insurance Company, which is part of Anil Ambani’s Reliance group. Referring to PM Modi as BFF of Ambani, Rahul did not forget to include his lie about the Rafale deal too in the tweet.

It’s amusing how years keep passing but Rahul Gandhi remains persistent with his baseless allegation of the Modi government favouring big industrialists. The only difference is that recently, Mukesh Ambani has replaced his younger brother Anil Ambani.

‘Are Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti the festivals of riots?’, asks NCP leader Jitendra Awhad, says there will be religious riots in coming years

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Are Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti the festivals of riots?’, asks NCP leader Jitendra Awhad, says there will be religious riots in coming years

NCP leader Jitendra Awhad made controversial statements today by saying that he sometimes feels that festivals like Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti are made for riots only. He made this statement while addressing an NCP public rally. The clip of the speech went viral. NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was also present on the stage while Awhad made these remarks.

Jitendra Awhad said, “A riot took place in Aurangabad. I mean Ram Navami and what is that festival of Maruti? Haan… Hanuman Jayanti. Are these two festivals made for riots only? The atmosphere in the cities deteriorated during these festivals like never before. According to my understanding of Mumbai City, and the people living in Mumbai and its surroundings, the people of Mumbai and the surrounding area knew that there is some plan behind this all. I otherwise don’t dare to say anything in front of Saheb (Sharad Pawar). But it is my firm opinion that the upcoming year is a year of communal riots.”

Jitendra Awhad is known for criticising Hindu traditions and icons under the garb of progressive thoughts. He is an elected MLA of the Muslim-dominated constituency Kalwa-Mumbra in the Thane district near to Mumbai. It is evident why he did not say Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and deliberately called it Aurangabad in his speech. He was the Housing Development Minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. It is notable that widespread riots took place in various parts of the country on Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti this year as the Islamists pelted stones at the processions taken out by Hindus on the occasion of the festivals.

On 30th March 2023, Ram Navami processions were attacked and violence erupted in various places across the country. There were reports of stone-pelting and violence in many cities of the country. One person was killed in West Bengal and one in Maharashtra in these violent incidents. Apart from this, there have also been reports of stones pelting on the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Ram Navami or the birth anniversary of Lord Rama is an auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. On that day, Hindus seek blessings from Lord Rama, provide food to the needy, perform rituals, take out processions, and so on. But Islamists have attacked these Ram Navami processions at many places in the country, as part of growing attacks on Hindu festivals.

Instead of calling out these Islamists, Jitendra Awhad put a question mark on the purpose of celebrating these Hindu festivals. He essentially insinuated that Hindus celebrate these festivals because they want to execute the riots.

Godhra train burning case: Supreme Court grants bail to 8 life convicts

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Godhra train burning case: Supreme Court grants bail to 8 life convicts

The Supreme Court granted bail to eight life convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case on Friday due to the length of their sentences (17–18 years) and their individual parts in the crime. Four accused were, however, denied bail owing to their involvement in the case.

On February 27, 2002, some coaches of the Sabarmati Express were set ablaze at the Godhra Railway Station in Gujarat, resulting in the deaths of about 59 persons, including women and children. Massive riots broke out in Gujarat as a result of the occurrence. In 2011, a local court found 31 accused guilty and cleared 63 others.

The high court lowered 11 convicts’ death sentences in the case to life in prison in its October 2017 ruling and affirmed the life sentences imposed on 20 other individuals.

In his argument on behalf of the Gujarat government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court, which was presided over by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices P.S. Narasimha, that he had some concerns about the bail requests of four accused because of their involvement in the train burning case. The accused have undergone imprisonment for nearly 17 years.

He opposed the release of the four accused asserting that one of them had an iron pipe in his possession, while another had a sickle placed on a pole. He mentioned that the third accused attacked the passengers and stole their belongings while the last one bought, stored and carried the petrol that was used for starting the fire in the coach.

He had previously asserted that it wasn’t just a case of stone-throwing because the inmates had bolted a Sabarmati Express bogie and set it aflame, killing 59 passengers.

On behalf of the petitioners, senior attorney Sanjay Hegde urged that the court postpone the hearing on the four convicts’ bail requests, whose bail was challenged by Tushar Mehta, and give bail to other perpetrators.

He went on to say that he made this request precisely since there is a festival (Eid al-Fitr) on Saturday and he pushed the bench to consider the bail applications of the four accused after two weeks because they would be making statements on their behalf.

A second senior attorney pleaded with the bench not to reject the four accused bail petitions and postpone the hearing on their bail applications.

Tushar Mehta argued that the court should deny the four convicts’ pleas for release, adding that the court may keep the door open for them to resubmit their requests after a year or so.

Following the hearing of submissions, the bench approved bail for eight convicts while rejecting it for another four. “We direct that they be released on bail subject to such terms and conditions as may be imposed by the sessions court,” the bench declared at the conclusion of the hearing for eight petitioners to whom it had granted bail.

The top court had denied bail to two of the convicts on the last hearing date. The commute of 11 convicts’ death sentences to life in prison was challenged by the Gujarat government in a petition to the Supreme Court.

There are currently several appeals against the conviction before the Supreme Court. It had granted bail to one of the accused on December 15 of last year.

The Supreme Court had given the state government notice on the bail requests of Abdul Raheman Dhantia alias Kankatto, Abdul Sattar Ibrahim Gaddi Asla, and others in January of this year.

Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai releases ‘DMK files’ alleging corruption by CM Stalin’s family, DMK leaders send legal notice – read details

Gopal Tiwari
-
0
Tamil Nadu BJP president Annamalai releases ‘DMK files’ alleging corruption by CM Stalin’s family, DMK leaders send legal notice – read details

On Friday, 21st April 2023, K Annamalai – the president of the Tamil Nadu state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party – asked Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin to take the responsibility for the actions of his family in corruption. He also insisted that Stalin should answer the people about the “DMK Fies” and take appropriate action.

K Annamalai tweeted, “On behalf of the Tamil Nadu BJP, I insist that the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr MK Stalin should take responsibility for the actions of his family in corruption and answer to the people and take appropriate action.”

K Annamalai also shared a statement that said, “Yesterday, we released an audio clip in which the Tamil Nadu Finance Minister, Mr PTR Palanivel Thiagarajan, and both Udhayanidhi Stalin and Niru Sabareesan were heard saying that they had earned Rs 30,000 crores illegally in a single year. The Tamil Nadu Finance Minister’s statement adds to the video ‘DMK Files’ which we released on the 14th of this month. Till now, the DMK government’s silence without giving any explanation for it is a matter of concern for the people who voted for them and elected them. MK Stalin should feel it.”

The statement added, “BJP was saying from the beginning that the Coimbatore blast incident is a terror attack case. DMK denied it saying that it was just a cylinder explosion. Recently, it was proved by agencies that it was a terror act. On the one hand, there is a law and order problem in the state and on the other hand members of the chief minister MK Stalin’s family are involved in corruption. Stalin’s family acting against the promises made to the people and earning Rs 30000 crores illegally in a single year through corruption is no longer acceptable. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister should condemn this act of his family members who are flourishing in corruption. On behalf of the Bharatiya Janadhar Party in Tamil Nadu, I urge Stalin to take responsibility and answer to the people and take appropriate action.”

Audio of minister’s talk released

On 20th April 2023, an audio clip of Tamil Nadu’s finance minister Palanivel Thiagarajan allegedly speaking about his cabinet colleague and Chief Minister MK Stalin’s son Udhayanidhi Stalin went viral. The contentious audio recording has been uploaded numerous times by opposition party politicians, including BJP state president K Annamalai, who published the tape’s English and Tamil transcriptions on Twitter.

The finance minister – commonly referred to as PTR — is allegedly heard asserting in the audio recording that MK Stalin’s son and minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and son-in-law V Sabareesan had accumulated wealth through illegal means. Sabareesan, an essential DMK strategist, is married to Stalin’s daughter Senthamarai.

The finance minister allegedly said, “Both Udhayanidhi and Sabari realised that they made more money in one year than their grandparents did in their lives. And now it is getting to be a problem. How to handle it? How to not get caught? It’s all playing like… can’t really tell pretty close. Will say 30,000 crores.”

The DMK Files

K Annamalai, the president of the BJP in Tamil Nadu, disclosed a series of papers titled “DMK files” on alleged corruption within the DMK government on Friday. According to the BJP leader’s calculations and estimates, the DMK leaders’ assets were “worth Rs 1.34 lakh crore”. Annamalai further intimated that the AIADMK, a BJP ally that leads the Opposition alliance in Tamil Nadu, will not be spared in his corruption discovery.

In a press conference he addressed on 14th April 2023, Annamalai said, “DMK files will not end with a single part; every party that ruled the state will be exposed before 2024. If I am going to expose corruption, I will have to expose the corruption of everyone.”

He presented accusations of corruption against DMK leaders and their close relatives as he received cheers and applause from BJP supporters. He also asked the ruling party some pointed questions. The state BJP head accused DMK leaders Jagatratchagan, E V Velu, K N Nehru, Kanimozhi, Kalanidhi Maran, T R Baalu, Kalanithi Veerasamy, Duraimurugan, Kathir Anand, Arcot Veersamy, Kalanidhi Veersamy, and K Ponmudy among others of irregularities and discrepancies in assets.

Annamalai raised concerns regarding the funding of Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Red Giant movies, relationships between chief minister M K Stalin’s son-in-law Sabareesan and director of George’s Bank Srinivas Venkatesh in England, and an agreement Stalin signed with the Noble group of companies, where ministers Udhayanidhi Stalin and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi were allegedly once directors. Additionally, Annamalai implicated CM Stalin with corruption in relation to the Metro Phase 1 contract, which took place between 2006 and 2011 during the DMK government.

DMK leaders filed defamation cases against K Annamalai

On Wednesday, 19th April 2023, DMK Youth Wing chief and Tamil Nadu Minister, Udhayanidhi Stalin sent a legal notice to state BJP president K Annamalai over the allegations he made in the DMK Files. Udhayanidhi, son of Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin, demanded ₹ 50 crores as damages from Annamalai, besides an unconditional apology.

Besides Udhayanidhi Stalin, many other leaders from DMK sent defamation notices to K Annamalai. The BJP leader summarized them all in a thread of tweets he posted. He wrote, “The pertinent questions DMK Files asked have received nothing but kneejerk responses from DMK. The State FM’s admission of the 1st family accumulating more than ₹30,000 Crores in just a year hasn’t received any responses yet as they are spending their time, energy & their wallets to send me defamation notices.”

He further tweeted, “BGR Energy sent me a defamation notice for ₹500 Crore for exposing DMK’s favouritism to re-award a contract previously cancelled by TANGEDCO. Later DMK’s Organisation Secretary Thiru RS Bharathi sent me a Notice claiming ₹100 Crore for exposing the True nature of Thiru MK Stalin’s Dubai visit.”

He added, “After we exposed the wealth accumulated by DMK through DMK Files on 14th April 2023, Thiru RS Bharathi sent me a defamation notice for ₹500 Crore, Thiru Udhayanidhi Stalin for ₹50 Crore & Thiru TR Baalu for ₹100 Crore. Total defamation received by me to date till this hour is ₹1250 Crores.”

K Annamalai wrote in the last tweet of this thread, “DMK’s urge to fill their personal coffers never ends. These empty threats & Defamation notices are not going to help their cause. If you want my voice crushed, you should do better than just sending these notices, Thiru MK Stalin. Bring it on!”

BJP spokesperson’s remarks

BJP spokesperson Dr Syed Zafar Islam said, “DMK has been making shameful attempts of finding new means of money laundering. V Sabareesan, the son-in-law of MK Stalin, has set up two companies in the UK. And these so-called companies are nothing but the means of illegally routing the ill-gotten wealth.”

He added, “On one hand, Modi Ji has been giving a huge blow to corruption, and on the other hand, the DMK is busy furthering corruption. Be it the Gandhi family or the DMK, each and everyone therein has been absolutely immersed in corrupt practices, in eating away people’s money and resources.”

Netizens demand answers from Wipro after alleged ’employee’ makes derogatory comments about Lord Ram

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Netizens demand answers from Wipro after alleged ’employee’ makes derogatory comments about Lord Ram

On Thursday (April 20), an alleged employee at Indian multinational corporation Wipro courted controversy for sharing a derogatory meme of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita.

Identified as one Soma Sarkar, she shared a post wherein Lord Ram was shown throwing Goddess Sita into a burning pyre. It was accompanied by the caption ‘Ram after rescuing Sita from Ravana.’

“Chaddis (a derogatory term for RSS members) will say Ravaan kidnapped the shadow of Sita. Bolo Jay Shree Raam,” she commented with a laughing emoji.

Screengrab of the Facebook post of Soma Sarkar

Screenshots of her contentious Facebook post began doing the rounds of other social media platforms. Netizens criticised Soma Sarkar for her remarks and sought action against her from her alleged employer, Wipro.

“Hey @Wipro she is Soma sarkar who claims to be working as Senior Pharmacovigilance Associate at Wipro. She is posting blasphemous content on Facebook, do you promote these types of employees??” wrote one user.

Another user tweeted, “Hello, @KolkataPolice, this girl name #SomaSarkar is abusing Lord Ram & Lord Krishna and posting derogatory post against Hinduism. Please take actions against her.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Opindia was able to find the cached copy of her LinkedIn profile, wherein her designation was stated as ‘Pharmacovigilance Assistant’ at Wipro. At the time of writing, Soma Sarkar had deleted/deactivated her account.

Screengrab of the LinkedIn profile of Soma Sarkar

On her LinkedIn profile, the name of her alma mater is listed as ‘NSHM College of Management and Technology.’ On visiting the varsity site, we found the name of Soma Sarkar mentioned in the list of students placed at Wipro Pvt Ltd. in 2020.

Screengrab of the website of the University

On her Instagram profile (@flying_megh), one of her posts from earlier this month was accompanied by hashtags ‘wipro’, ‘wiproites’ and ‘wiprokolkata.’

Screengrab of the Instagram post of Soma Sarkar

Although several social media users had sought a response from Wipro, the corporation did not respond to the allegations or issued a statement in this regard.

Opindia has reached out to Wipro via its contact form and publicly available email correspondence. The article will be updated after we receive a response from the company.

‘Was Atiq Gandhi for you?’ Asaduddin Owaisi slammed for comparing killers of gangster Atiq Ahmed with Godse

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Was Atiq Gandhi for you?’ Asaduddin Owaisi slammed for comparing killers of gangster Atiq Ahmed with Godse

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and MP Asaduddin Owaisi came under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party for calling the murderers of Atiq Ahmed “Godse.”

Responding to the statement, BJP’s Shalabh Mani Tripathi charged, “I can’t comment on the killers but look at the comparison made by Owaisi. He is directly equating Atiq Ahmed with Gandhi. He (Atiq Ahmed) was made a member of parliament by the Samajwadi Party. His wife (Shaista Parveen) was put forth as a candidate by the Bahujan Samaj Party. Imran Pratapgarhi of the Congress compares him (Atiq Ahmed) to God.”

The BJP MLA accused the opposition of siding with the criminals. “Their (the opposition) politics of gangster worship are being observed by the entire nation. Congress, SP, and BSP have always supported the mafia. Owaisi wants to polarise elections. He made the same effort during the last UP elections, but he was unsuccessful. He lost deposits on all his seats. The people of UP and India will once more provide him with a befitting reply in the upcoming elections,” he proclaimed.

Swami Chakrapani, a politician and leader of a breakaway faction of the Hindu Mahasabha, also commented on the issue. He noted, “This is terribly regrettable. Asaduddin Owaisi sees Godse in everything. Violence is never acceptable, under any circumstances. The constitution governs the nation, thus protests must be conducted in accordance with it. However, criminals are being celebrated, and Congress officials are calling for Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed, who were recently assassinated, to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, the status of martyr, and the national flag (wrapped around their dead bodies).”

“Where is this country headed,” he asked. “Now, Owaisi has dragged Godse and Gandhi into this. It is quite unfortunate that this polarisation trend has permeated politics. It breeds animosity between Hindus and Muslims, which Owaisi and Congress exploit for their political gains. Instead of concentrating on how criminals should be punished, their entire focus is on playing politics over the matter,” he noted.

“They are illegal offspring of Godse because he also used bullets to kill Gandhi,” claimed Asaduddin Owaisi while addressing a gathering. “They idolise him. These three people (who shot down Atiq Ahmed) are part of a terror cell. I have serious questions about how many people have been given weapons, training, and orders to fulfil God’s dream,” he alleged. 

This came after Rajkumar Singh, also known as Rajju Bhaiya, a Congressman from Uttar Pradesh sought the Bharat Ratna (India’s highest civilian honour) for the murdered mafia. He also stated that the latter’s deceased body should have been covered with the Indian tricolour. Rajkumar Singh is a candidate for the councillor seat from Ward-43 South Malaka in the next Prayagraj municipal election.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead on 15 April by three people, Sunny Singh, Lovelesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya, who immediately surrendered afterwards and were taken into custody by the police present at the spot.

1...2,2602,2612,262...7,642Page 2,261 of 7,642