The BBC documentary dispute has heated up, with a complaint filed against the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union (JNUSU) for displaying the forbidden documentary on campus. This comes a day after the JNU administration requested students to cancel the controversial BBC docuseries on the 2002 Gujarat riots, which was due to be shown on campus on January 24.
According to the reports, the complaint was filed against the JNUSU and other organizers intending to show the illegal documentary on campus. The complaint was filed by Vineet Jindal, an advocate, and social activist at the Vasant Kunj police station on Tuesday morning. The documentary series titled ‘India: The Modi Question’ has sparked widespread outrage in India. The said documentary series has also been labelled a propaganda work by the Union administration.
Jindal said in his lawsuit that the documentary’s primary objective is to sow discord in the country and discredit Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the documentary has been banned by the central government, anyone organizing its screening has the same goal of causing religious separation and inciting hatred, the complaint read.
He further stated that, while the JNU administration has denied permission, certain students and organizers are still planning to show the documentary. As a result, the screening should be cancelled, and legal action should be taken against the organizers.
JNU asks to cancel the screening of the documentary “India: The Modi Question” scheduled for 24th Jan by a group of students stating that “such an unauthorised activity may disturb peace & harmony in the University.”. pic.twitter.com/yQwDah9xx7
“We all know about the documentary has already been banned in India but even after this basic purpose of making this documentary sheer agenda is to create and disrupt harmony between the communities as well as bring disgrace to the highest leader of the world Narendra Modi. Now, after the movie getting banned in India, there are a few people involved in Anti-national and anti-social activities, including some people in JNU who are supporting these kinds of acts which are against the law”, Jindal said.
“Although the JNU administration has instructed through an advisory to stop the screening, they are planning to do it today evening. In a bid to stop the screening, I have filed a complaint at the Vasant Kunj police station and requested them to initiate legal action against the people and organizers involved. The movie should be banned and the concerned person should be taken into custody”, he added.
Earlier, Student Islamic Organisation (SIO) & Muslim Student Federation known as the Fraternity group at Hyderabad Central University (HCU) had organized a screening of the BBC documentary inside the campus on Monday. More than 50 students from these groups attended the screening.
Also, the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, has announced that they will screen the controversial documentary on Tuesday evening in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram despite stiff opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Last week, India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative. “We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias, lack of objectivity, and frankly continuing colonial mindset are blatantly visible,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing.
The MEA spokesperson added that the documentary is a reflection of individuals that are peddling this narrative again.
After accusing actor Nora Fatehi of brainwashing him against his girlfriend Jacqueline Fernandez, conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has claimed that he paid a huge amount for Nora’s house in Morocco. This declaration from Sukesh comes after Nora Fatehi claimed that Sukesh offered her a large house and a wealthy lifestyle if she became his girlfriend.
In a recent statement to the media, Sukesh said, “Today she (Nora) talks about me promising her a house, but she already has taken a large amount from me to purchase a house for her family in Casablanca, Morocco. All these new stories are crafted by her to escape the law after the ED statement 9 months ago given by her.”
Sukesh also claimed to have given a car to Nora Fatehi. Sukesh Chandrasekhar said that he planned to gift her a Range Rover but she needed a car urgently, so he gave her a BMW S series and she asked him to register the car in the name of her best friend’s husband Bobby.
“Nora claims that she did not want a car, or she did not take it for herself, it is a very big lie, as she was after my life that her car had to be changed. As the ‘CLA’ that she had looked very cheap, so then I gave her the selected car, and the chats and screenshots are very well with the ED, so there is no lie at all. In fact, I wanted to give her a Range Rover, but as the car was not available in stock, I gave her the BMW S series, which she kept using for a long time. As she was a non-Indian, she asked me to register it in the name of her best friend’s husband Bobby’s name. I and Nora never had a professional transaction, as she is claiming except for once when she attended an event hosted by my foundation, for which official payment was made to her agency,” Sukesh Chandrasekhar said.
Notably, prior to this, Sukesh Chandrasekhar on Saturday, January 21 claimed that Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi has always been jealous of his girlfriend Jacqueline Fernandez.
Sukesh, in a press statement issued through his lawyers Anant Malik and AK Singh, stated that Nora Fatehi always brainwashed him against Jacqueline, so she wanted him to leave Jacqueline and start dating her.
It is notable that both actors Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi received expensive gifts from Sukesh Chandrasekhar. While Jacqueline was made an accused in the case by ED, Nora was made a witness in the Rs 200 crore money laundering case in December last year.
Pakistan’s economy has hit rock bottom, leaving its citizens struggling to meet basic needs such as food and energy. After videos and images of Pakistanis going to extreme lengths for 1 kg of flour went viral on social media, the people of Pakistan have turned to Twitter to voice their woes as a nationwide power outage left almost all regions without electricity on Monday.
Power failed across Pakistan on Monday (January 23) morning after a breakdown in its national grid. Power was out in all major cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Quetta, Lahore and Peshawar.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Energy, the national grid’s frequency fell at about 7:34 am, causing a “widespread disruption” in the energy system.
ابتدائی اطلاعات کے مطابق آج صبح 7:34 پر نیشنل گرڈ کی سسٹم فریکوئنسی کم ہوئ جس سے بجلی کے نظام میں وسیع بریک ڈاؤن ہوا سسٹم کی بحالی پر کام تیزی سےجاری ہے
According to local officials, the outage began in southern Sindh Province due to an unexpected power fluctuation. According to Khurram Dastgir Khan, the energy minister, this caused a chain reaction of failures at power plants around the country.
The disruption affected over 117 grid stations in Islamabad. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company’s spokesperson stated that electricity was being restored in a phased manner.
As the country plunged into darkness, Pakistanis resorted to Twitter to vent their frustrations. With no sign of relief in sight, Pakistani users began using the hashtag #ElectricityShutDown to share their misery in their own country. ‘Welcome to Purana Pakistan’ also started trending on Twitter.
One Twitter user Abdul Latif Mehsood shared an image of how he lit the tail lamp of his bike to lighten his otherwise pitch-dark residence due to the power outage in Pakistan.
People in Pakistan shared videos of how the power outage was affecting daily lives. Orange train service has stopped, trains halted at places in Beach track, and passengers were trapped inside the train, a Twitter user claimed. Another video showed people walking on the track on foot.
As large swathes of the country continued to face power cuts, several other Pakistani social media users took to Twitter to vent out their frustration, cloaked in humour.
Many Pakistani Netizens posted funny memes with the ‘Welcome Back to Purana Pakistan’ jibe, which Pakistan opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto used after Imran Khan’s removal as Prime Minister after losing the no-trust vote in 2022, to get through the blackout.
No light. No charge. No UPS. No water. No WiFi Welcome to Purana Pakistan
Some irate users also shared videos of how Pakistan slipped into an acute crisis with frustrated citizens killing each other for basic needs such as food and energy.
A shopkeeper was shot dead in Karachi by 2 men who tried to loot food grains from his shop. Heavy shortage of Food & Water amid #ElectricityShutDown reported in all major cities of Pakistan. People have started killing each other due to starvation. The administration has Failed. pic.twitter.com/GcTDSmFfiL
During the power outage, videos illustrating Pakistan’s perilous status flooded Twitter with citizens opining that the country is on the verge of civil war.
I don’t want to sound pessimistic but sir sarim is telling the truth. Leave Pakistan if you can. This country is going down and you won’t have the guts to survive breakdown of law and order, civil war and anarchy. Leave and take your family out of here as well asap. https://t.co/OyAYxc2kbu
Now civil war will begin. Until pppl all over pakistan stay on road until free happen elections until then. No petrol,food,light,water,job,money in coming days
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and former human rights minister Shireen Mazari slammed the government, saying that the “incompetent cabal of crooks” was bringing the country down.
Major power breakdown in Federal Capital since early morning but am told it may be far beyond just Islamabad. Anyone know the situation? Incompetent cabal of crooks bringing the country down while they save their looted wealth abroad! This is what Conspirators wanted?
Undoubtedly, Pakistan has been experiencing its worst economic crisis amidst food shortages, flash floods, and poverty. According to the State Bank, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves last week dropped to $4.3 billion, the lowest level since February 2014.
A cash-strapped and desperate Pakistan in a bid to revive the long-awaited International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme has agreed to accept all the conditions laid down by the IMF. Islamabad has also requested the IMF to send its mission to conclude the USD 6 Billion bailout programme which was initially agreed upon in 2019. It is, however, highly unlikely that the IMF would release the funds, at least not till the Pakistani government fulfils its pledges.
Other than this, Pakistan, which was declared South Asia’s weakest economy by a report is also hit by a severe food crisis. The situation in several cities of Pakistan is so dire that flour is being rationed and guarded by armed guards. Prices of flour and wheat have witnessed a dramatic surge.
The desperate situation has triggered chaos and some clashes among people were also seen in various parts of the country in the past few days.
Now this massive power outage, which has affected all major cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar, has only exacerbated the country’s existing problems.
On January 23, Supreme Court advocate Vineet Jindal filed a complaint with Delhi police against an unknown person linked to the Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice for giving life threats on calls and WhatsApp. Adv Jindal recently filed a complaint against SFJ for propagating the Khalistani movement in India and threatening terrorist activities on Republic Day.
देश व धर्म के लिए बोलने पर मुझे कल एक खलिस्तानी इंटरनेशनल आतंकी संगठन से धमकी मिली है।पुलिस ने आतंकी संगठन के ख़िलाफ़ FIR दर्ज की कर ली है सुरक्षा का वादा भी किया है।@HMOIndia@BhallaAjay26@CPDelhi
The FIR was registered under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on Jindal’s complaint. In his complaint, Jindal said that he had received death threats from terrorist organisations, including Babbar Khalsa, Sikhs For Justice and Islamic terrorists as well.
Source: Adv Vineet Jindal
On January 21, Vineet Jindal received death threats from two international numbers +61474268548 and +15105841217. Later, he also received a death threat in messages on WhatsApp from +61474268645. In the message, there was a video message from Khalistani supporters who burnt an effigy. There was a message with images of the gun firing at a mat.
The messages came on January 21 at 9:35 PM and 11:03 PM. The next day, he received a call from+15105841217 at 10:07 AM, in which the caller introduced himself as a member of Sikhs For Justice. He said they would kill him and his family. They also threatened to harm his children. Jindal noted in the complaint that the person threatened that he would face the consequences by January 24.
Notably, Jindal received photographs of hand grenades in his Twitter DM on December 14 last year. Subsequently, a complaint was filed by him in the matter. He said, “After the above-said threat, two terrorists were arrested with hand grenades from a very near place to my residence.” He urged police to file FIR against SFJ for threatening to kill him and his family. He also urged the police to provide security to him and his family.
Muslim students groups and political groups are screening the BBC propaganda documentary on PM Modi to insinuate that he, as a head of the state, let the riots, which took place after Muslim mob burned down a train killing 59 pilgrims returning from Ayodhya, happen. This is happening at universities, some funded by the Central Government.
The documentary by the British state-funded broadcaster is an attempt to make PM Modi appear ‘anti-Muslim’ ahead of the 2024 general elections. As usual, the same is being used by opposition leaders in India. It is almost as if they have accepted that they could not defeat Modi on their own and would rather have foreign intervention coupled with ‘dara hua Musalman’ narrative to try and defeat him in 2024.
However, there is more than the politics behind this propaganda that should worry us. The radicalisation of Muslim youths. The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO), members of whom have been involved in mobilising mobs for the anti-CAA protests that eventually led to anti-Hindu riots in Delhi in February 2020, were found screening the documentary at the Hyderabad Central University. Asif Tanha, one of the members of SIO, was booked for violence in Delhi.
The SIO was founded by Jamaat-e-Islami in 1982 after the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) broke away from it in 1981. A Livemint report from 2008 puts the relationship between the two organizations in this manner, “Blood brothers they may be, but the groups have charted conflicting courses, both in principle and actions. While SIMI is largely underground after the government crackdown, SIO is a gradually swelling student revolution in the making, taking Islam beyond the parodied stereotypes of fundamentalism and violence. Its mission: to prepare students, Muslims and non-Muslims, for reconstruction of a peaceful India on the basis of Islamic principles.”
Last week, the Centre said in an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court that activists of the outlawed Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) continue to function secretively and receive funds. It added that the organisation’s “objective of establishing Islamic rule in India can, under no circumstances, be permitted to subsist”.
The Centre pointed out that every new recruit of SIMI is administered an oath which asserts that they would operate for ‘independence of humanity’ and ‘establishment of Islamic system in my country’. The Centre also added that its “constitution not only disclaims, questions, and intends to disrupt the sovereignty and integrity of our country; but also cause disaffection against India and the Constitution of India”.
The blood brothers, so to say, are now screening the propaganda documentary which is not only one-sided but factually incorrect and based more on hearsay and confirmation bias. And while India is a democracy and one is all for free speech, there is a darker side to screening such documentaries for impressionable young people.
In 2016, the Delhi Police had told a court in a charge sheet filed against three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists that the Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar riots videos were shown to them to motivate them to join the terror ranks. JEM chief Maulana Masood Azhar was main inspiration for them to join terror organisations. One of the JEM terrorist, Sajid, had admitted that when the radicalised youths and terror aspirants met at a house in December 2015, they were told about ‘persecution of Muslims during Gujarat riots and Muzaffarnagar riots’.
Sajid had suggested that the trainee terrorists listen to speeches of Maulana Masood Azhar for ‘inspiration’. These speeches were about violent jihad in India in retaliation to demolition of disputed structure ‘Babri Masjid’ on Ram Janmabhoomi. These speeches also talked about so-called atrocities on Muslims in India and ‘liberation’ of Kashmir. These videos of Maulana Masood Azhar infused a sense of jihad in trainee jihadis.
The screening of riots videos was carried out to radicalise Muslim youth and inspire them to join terror activities. Muslim student organisations then screening more such propaganda videos which cry ‘Muslim persecution’ to young, impressionable youth, especially Muslims. What could go wrong?
This is not it. OpIndia had earlier reported how the videos from 2002 Gujarat riots were also used for forced religious conversion. While speaking to OpIndia, one Prakash Vasava (name changed), a member of the tribal Vasava community narrated how he was lured to convert to Islam. “We were told that in the Godhra carnage, (PM) Modi and (HM) Shah actually burned alive Muslims inside the train and then claimed that Hindus were killed. They told us that there was no temple at the Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya and that it will always be a mosque,” Vasava said about indoctrination by Haji Fefdawala, one of the men accused of forced conversion racket.
At a time when polarisation is at its peak and propagandists and Islamists, well-funded by foreign forces and break India forces, are at the forefront of spreading communal discord under the garb of ‘journalism’, these one-sided propaganda screenings only add the fuel to the fire. An average Muslim, living his life, is suddenly made aware of his Muslim identity by the propagandists and that eventually ends up being his only identity and that often acts as the first step towards radicalisation. The ‘educated and influential intellectual Muslims’ will dog whistle and the average ones will end up being foot soldiers in this jihad.
The West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scandal has been chosen as the topic for this year’s Saraswati Puja, which will be held on Thursday, January 26 by a pandal committee in North Kolkata’s Kankurgachi area. The images of the pandal decoration have gone viral over the internet in which three idols of Goddess Saraswati could well be seen in the pandal. The primary idol, which will be worshipped throughout the event, is one of them.
Another statue of Goddess Saraswati appears on a weighing scale, with a pile of cash on the other scale. Standing near them are clay sculptures of Bengal’s former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and his assistant Arpita Mukherjee, symbolizing the large sum of money confiscated by the Enforcement Directorate from the TMC leader’s houses.
West Bengal | Saraswati Puja pandal in Kolkata had theme of WBSSC scam showing Partha Chatterjee & Arpita Mukherjee(23.01)
Teachers are struggling for jobs,incompetent people got jobs by giving money & will ruin future of our children,it must be stopped:Organiser Biswajit Sarkar pic.twitter.com/mMgByo3m87
The third idol of Goddess Saraswati has been positioned in a cage alongside another cage filled with ad campaigns for tutors claiming to teach English and Bengali to potential applicants in 50 days—an indirect reference to the teachers’ recruitment scam in which aspirants were given jobs in exchange for large sums of money paid to ministers. “Goddess Saraswati is imprisoned due to the corruption prevalent in the sector of education in Bengal,” stated members of the pandal committee.
Besides the cage, a stage has been built with clay sculptures of individuals depicting the agitated job seekers who had been protesting on Kolkata’s streets against the alleged fraud and requesting jobs based on merit.
Biswajit Sarkar, the elder brother of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar, who was reportedly slain in Bengal’s post-poll violence in 2021, prompted the topic of this year’s Saraswati Puja at the Kankurgachi pandal in West Bengal. Members of the committee commended famous artist Jayanta Barua for bringing their concept to reality.
“Education in West Bengal is sold out for money. The teachers’ recruitment scam is the biggest in our state so far. Deserving candidates are not getting jobs but supporters of the ruling party are getting employed illegally. We have decided to register our protest against this huge scam by having it as the theme for this year’s Saraswati Puja”, Biswajit Sarkar was quoted as saying.
Last year, Partha Chatterjee, a prominent Trinamool Congress leader, and Arpita Mukherjee were detained for their alleged involvement in school employment fraud. More than Rs 50 crore was confiscated from Mukherjee’s two apartments.
Following that, the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate detained many personnel from the Education Department as well as a middleman who reportedly accepted money from the candidates (ED). Partha Chatterjee’s bail appeal was denied by a special CBI court in Alipore on Thursday, and his judicial custody has been prolonged till February 2.
Chatterjee, who is presently incarcerated at the Presidency Correctional Home, appeared in court alongside the other defendants in the school employment fraud case. The others were Former West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) chairman Subiresh Bhattacharya, former West Bengal Board of Secondary Education head Kalyanmoy Gangopadhyay, former WBSSC adviser Shanti Prasad Sinha, and middlemen Prasanna Roy and Pradeep Singh.
Draupadi’s mental condition had to be off, otherwise she would have objected to being disrobed in front of the entire court. She seemed to be a psychopath.
In a letter addressed to the PMO, students at the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) have made some serious accusations against Mohammad Ashfaq, the institution’s deputy registrar. In the letter dated December 16, 2022, Mohammad Ashfaq is accused of insulting the historical epic Mahabharata by poking fun at some of the characters while lecturing the students about mental health. Furthermore, students have accused him of unilaterally running the institute like a ‘madarsa’ and forcing his Islamic beliefs on the students. He has also been accused of harassment.
Speaking to OpIndia, Mohammad Ashfaq admitted that he conducts classes even though he is primarily a deputy registrar. Ashfaq, however, refuted the allegation levelled against him, calling them incorrect.
What exactly is NIMHR?
The National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) is the country’s only institute of its sort. It is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. It was started in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, in 2019. It is currently operated out of the old Zila Panchayat building. The institute’s new campus is being built on approximately 5 acres of land in Sekdakhedi village, Sehore district, along the Bhopal-Indore highway, at a cost of approximately Rs 180 crore. The first National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation in the country will have nine Departments and will conduct 12 courses to offer diploma, certificate, graduate, postgraduate and M.Phil degrees in the area of mental health rehabilitation.
Currently, the institute offers three courses, namely:
– Diploma in Vocational Rehabilitation Intellectual Disability (DVR-ID)
– Diploma in Community-Based Rehabilitation (DCBR)
– Certificate Course in Care Giving (CCCG)
DVR-ID is a one-year course, DCBR is two years, and CCCG is a ten-month course. Each course has 30 seats. The institute currently has more than 100 students. Approximately 60% of these are female students.
National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) in the old Zila Panchayat building (Source: nimhr.ac.in)
Allegations levelled by NIMHR students
On December 16, 2022, some institute students wrote a three-page letter addressed to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). This letter was also submitted to Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar Khatik. OpIndia also possesses a copy of this letter. The letter accuses Mohammad Ashfaq, NIMHR’s deputy registrar, of operating the institute arbitrarily, taking classes, misrepresenting historical Hindu characters and jeopardising students’ careers.
According to the letter, Mohammad Ashfaq also offers to provide undue benefits to members of his community in the surrounding areas using his clout and position at the institute. It has also been stated that the institute’s atmosphere was not like this prior to the appointment of Mohammad Ashfaq.
The letter added that Ashfaq has converted the ambience of the institute into a ‘madhouse’ due to his purported Islamic mindset. As a result, the students are said to be under a lot of ‘mental pressure.’
The letter, which did not mention any names of the students, concluded with a warning which read, “Immediate attention should be paid to the institute, otherwise it will become a total jihadi centre. He (Mohammed Ashfaq) threatens to ruin our future, so we are sending this letter to you without signing. Please save this national property from such Jihadis.”
Fingers raised at NIMHR director as well
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment oversees the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR). Rajesh Kumar Yadav, a Joint Secretary (DEPwD) in the Ministry, is currently in charge of the institute as a Director. In May 2022, he was granted this position. According to the letter, Yadav has not visited the institute even once since he has been tasked with the responsibility. “Director Rajesh Yadav has never visited the institute,” said Deputy Registrar Mohammad Ashfaq. This is recognised as one of the primary reasons for Mohammad Ashfaq leading the institute without any checks.
According to OpIndia’s probe, Dr Prabodh Seth was in charge of NIMHR before Rajesh Yadav. Unlike Rajesh Yadav, he paid frequent visits to the institution and met with the local officials to make decisions regarding the smooth running of the institute.
OpIndia tried contacting Rajesh Yadav on his official number to know his views about the allegations levelled against him. When asked about these accusations, he hung up on us. We tried calling him several times after that but he couldn’t be reached. We have also emailed Rajesh Yadav about these allegations, to which he has not yet replied. OpIndia will update the report as soon as we receive a response from him.
NIMHR Deputy Registrar Mohammad Ashfaq’s reply to the allegations
In an interview with OpIndia, Mohammad Ashfaq, deputy registrar of the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR), appeared to be oblivious to the letter addressed to the Prime Minister’s Office. “Eighty percent attendance is essential to appear in the examination. Some students do not even show up for class. Only such students, I believe, might have complained. It could have been discussed if they had sent the letter to the institute,” Ashfaq said.
Throughout the interview, Mohd Ashfaq displayed a keen interest in learning more about the students who had filed the complaint. He repeatedly stated that the complaint must have been made only by those students who had low attendance and were barred from taking the exam.
“It is upsetting to witness such an allegation against a government official,” he said. “How can someone issue an order without the consent of the relevant authority?” Ashfaq further bemoaned.
Ashfaq further noted that guest lecturer classes are held in the morning, which is when he took the lesson. When asked about the claim that he insulted the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata, Ashfaq said, “While taking a session on impairment and disabilities, I told the students that in our concept of disability, we have recognised blind Dhritarashtra as a monarch. Whatever I said was said with the utmost respect. I’m not sure how the students interpreted it. I don’t believe it is disrespectful to tell about our forefathers’ lives.”
National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation will look like this after the work is completed (Photo Credits: nimhr.ac.in)
What is the attendance controversy at NIMHR
When asked, Deputy Registrar Mohd Ashfaq did not specify the number of students at the National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) who had been debarred from sitting for exams due to poor attendance. Our findings show that there are 11 such students. “The institute is under Mohd Ashfaq’s control,” a DVR-ID student informed OpIndia on the condition of anonymity.
The student added, “He embarrasses the students in public. He is not a lecturer, despite that, he comes in at any time of the day and sits in the classes. He continues to put pressure on the students.”
The student further said that though he is not among those with low attendance, he is amongst the students who sent the letter to the PMO.
OpIndia has also obtained information about a complaint made to the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s helpline. In this complaint, filed on December 25, 2022, the complainant said that he was barred from taking the examination despite having paid the full fees. He has also claimed that attendance was manipulated. We also have information about a similar complaint filed with the Sehore District Collector. We are not disclosing the identity of the complainants due to their request.
OpIndia also has details of the complaint made on the Chief Minister’s helpline in Madhya Pradesh. In this complaint, filed on December 25, 2022, the complainant said that he was barred from taking the exam despite having paid the full fees. He has also accused the authorities of manipulating attendance. We also have information about a similar complaint that was submitted to the Sehore District Collector. Due to their request, OpIndia is not revealing the identity of the complainants.
Is attendance the root of the controversy?
According to Mohammad Ashfaq, the students with low attendance are at the root of the controversy. However, based on some documents in OpIndia’s possession, the charges, appear to be completely baseless.
The fixed hierarchy of the institute is shown in the image below.
You may, however, look at a circular issued on September 27, 2022, and duly signed by the deputy registrar of the institute, Mohammad Ashfaq, which indicated how all departments, including academics, were under his supervision.
Below you can also see the order, in which the name of Deputy Registrar Mohammad Ashfaq is also mentioned as the chairperson of the Academic and Research Work Committee.
Below you can see an order dated December 21, 2022, issued by Deputy Registrar Mohammad Ashfaq. A contractual worker sacked from NIMHR in the month of December told OpIndia, “Mohammed Ashfaq started exploiting the employees straight after his appointment and eventually took over every department of the institute. Those who do not kneel before him are dismissed from their jobs. I had been working at NIMHR for two years when, one fine day, he suddenly sacked me. I have small children. How will I provide for my family? the perplexed ex-employee said.
The sacked employee further alleged that Ashfaq uses the institute’s resources for personal use. He said that he uses workers like him for his domestic work. The former further asserted that the deputy registrar also monitors the patients who come to the facility for psychiatric treatment. Notably, this accusation was also included in the student’s complaint letter sent to the PMO.
Speaking to OpIndia, Deputy Registrar Mohammad Ashfaq refuted the accusations levelled at him. He said, “It’s been six months since I joined the institute. A lot of work has been done to remove the shortcomings that existed. I have set a goal for myself which is to finish all the pending tasks and start the new facility by July 31, 2023. Additionally, I want to start the courses that we have scheduled.” Ashfaq also mentioned how he has to appoint non-teaching and non-teaching staff in the institute as per requirements.
Will PM Modi’s dream institute die due to carelessness?
Mohammad Ashfaq, the institute’s deputy registrar, has also been accused of running the organisation like a ‘madarsa,’ getting local Muslims to benefit from it and being in contact with radical Islamist organisations. These accusations we cannot corroborate. We attempted to call Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar Khatik multiple times to know more about these accusations but were unable to reach him. We also sent him a letter, we will update the report once we receive a response.
Our findings, however, indicate that the level of attention required for this institution to flourish in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision is not being delivered. One reason for this appears to be director Rajesh Yadav’s apathy.
“Honourable Prime Minister wants us to become Vishwagurus,” Mohammad Ashfaq told OpIndia, adding that they are working to make it a world-class institution. “Our sole aim is to make it the largest and the best institute in the field of mental health,” added Ashfaq.
Mohammad Ashfaq also informed that he has been appointed as deputy director of the ‘Center for Disability Sports’ in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, adding that in such a scenario, the allegations against him must be probed. Additionally, the predicaments of the disgruntled students’ must also be addressed, given that only last month, the Government Law College in Indore, Madhya Pradesh was in news for promoting love jihad and religious extremism.
It may be recalled, that on Thursday, December 1, 2022, the Government Law College in Indore took six of its professors, including four Muslim teachers, off duty for allegedly promoting love jihad and other anti-social ideas among the students. The decision came after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) accused these professors of being anti-establishment and encouraging negative anti-social thoughts and fundamentalism against the union government.
On Monday (January 23, US local time), a Pakistani journalist named Jalil Afridi was slammed by the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price after the former tried to rake up the BBC documentary on Indian PM Narendra Modi to sour the bilateral relations between the two countries.
At about 1 hour and 2 minutes into the press briefing, he claimed that the United States has compromised on its value by refusing to condemn Narendra Modi for his supposed involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots (an insinuation made by the BBC’s propaganda documentary).
Jalil Afridi, who serves as the Managing Editor of The Frontier Post said, “I have never challenged the strategic interest of the US with India, but I regret the fact that since last eight years that I have been covering the State Department I have not seen once a senior official standing here at your seat condemning Narendra Modi himself individually – not just as a prime minister but individually his acts.”
Ned Price responded, “I am not aware of this documentary that you point to, but I will say broadly is that there are a number of elements that undergird the global strategic partnership that we have with our Indian partners.”
“There are close political ties, there are economic ties, there are exceptionally deep people-to-people ties between the United States and India. But one of those additional elements are the values that we share, the values that are common to American democracy and to Indian democracy,” he emphasised.
“India, of course, is the world’s largest democracy. It’s a vibrant democracy. And again, we look to everything that ties us together, and we look to reinforce all of those elements that tie us together,” the US State Department spokesperson schooled the Pakistani journalist.
Nonetheless, Jalil Afridi nudged Ned Price in the hopes of soliciting a hostile response about India or its Prime Minister. “How is it possible that State Department officials who were posted there at that time did not know that this individual, who was a former chief minister,” he asked.
“It happened right under his nose. Two thousand people were burned alive,” the Managing Director of The Frontier Post resorted to peddling disinformation.
Ned denies seeing BBC documentary on Modi’s Massacre in Gujrat, India https://t.co/HFIblCpZW9
“Again, I’m not familiar with the documentary you’re referring to. I am very familiar with the shared values that connect the United States and India as two thriving, vibrant democracies,” Ned Price reiterated.
He concluded, “When we have concerns about actions that are taken in India, we’ve voiced those. We’ve had an occasion to do that. But we want first and foremost to reinforce those values that are at the heart of our relationship.”
The Background of the BBC controversy
Recently, BBC aired a two-part documentary attacking PM Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. India has denounced the controversial program as a “propaganda piece” that is designed to push a discredited narrative.
One of the nefarious objectives behind the documentary was to whitewash the role of Islamists in the Godhra train carnage, which claimed a total of 59 Hindu lives.
It further used the already discredited statements of Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar to attack the Indian Prime Minister. BBC even used the claims of Babu Bajrangi and Haresh Bhatt, who have admitted that they were reading the script given by a journalist, to try and declare PM Modi guilty.
Massive protests erupted in several Middle East countries including Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey days after a copy of the Quran was reportedly burnt in Sweden during protests against Turkey outside Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. The protesters outside the Swedish Embassy in Turkey, Yemen, burnt the national flag of Sweden and strongly condemned the incident of burning the Quran.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yemen and Turkey and raised slogans against Sweden. They also have called for a boycott of all the Swedish brands like clothing brands named H&M, furniture brands IKEA, Skype, Volvo, Ericsson, Nordea, and more. The videos of the protests went viral over the internet in which the protesters could be seen raising slogans against Sweden and demanding a boycott of Swedish brands.
Also, in some of the videos, people could be seen burning the Swedish national flag and praying for the end of polytheism (the practice of believing in multiple deities). One of the Twitter users shared the video of the protests and prayed, “May Allah destroy the polytheists, as the Quran has been burnt Nauzubillah, so may they burn in this world and hereafter, Ameen”.
The incident of burning the Quran in Sweden happened on January 21 during the protest against Turkey. Two more protests were happening in Stockholm that day. One was in support of Kurds and another one was against Sweden’s bid to join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). As reported earlier, all three protests had permission from the Sweden Police.
According to the reports, Turkey condemned the Quran burning incident and called it a ‘vile act’. The country also said that the Swedish government’s decision to allow the protest to go ahead was ‘completely unacceptable’. The Quran was burnt by Rasmus Paludan, a politician from the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party.
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the incident happened after repeated warnings. “Permitting this anti-Islamic act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of ‘freedom of expression’ is completely unacceptable,” it said.
Statement issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey
The protesters meanwhile also burnt the poster of Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, in front of the Consulate General of Sweden in Istanbul on January 22. People protesting in Ankara and Istanbul also condemned Sweden for promoting ‘state-supported Islamophobia’ under the guise of ‘freedom of expression’. “We condemn Sweden’s state-supported Islamophobia,” flags and banners carried by protesters read.
Protesters burning the portrait of Paludan who burnt the Quran
The conflict between the two nations arose because Turkey delayed Sweden and Finland’s bids to join the NATO alliance. Following Russia’s war on Ukraine, both Scandinavian nations asked to join the alliance. Turkey, a NATO member, is utilizing its right to hold the applications under particular circumstances, including deporting critics of its President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and labeling Kurds as terrorists. The recent protest reportedly has most certainly reduced the likelihood of applications being approved.
A Gujarat court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Jaysukh Patel of the Oreva Group in relation to the October 30 bridge collapse in Morbi in which 134 people were killed.
Ajanta Manufacturing Limited (Oreva Group) had secured the contract to renovate, repair and operate the British-era bridge on the Machchu river in Morbi. On Sunday, Chief Judicial Magistrate of Morbi, MJ Khan, issued an arrest warrant against Patel under section 70 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
“The court issued an arrest warrant against Jaysukh Patel of Oreva Group, which had a contract for the renovation of the Morbi bridge. He has not been arrested for 70 days. No lookout notice issued yet,” Government prosecutor Sanjay Vora told ANI yesterday.
Notably, Patel had moved to Morbi sessions court on January 20 for anticipatory bail in the case, while the hearing was adjourned till February 1 as the public prosecutor was not present. Patel is not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the police in the case.
Nine persons, including four employees of Ajanta Manufacturing (Oreva Group), have been arrested so far in the case. They include two managers and an equal number of ticket booking clerks of the Oreva Group that was managing the British-era bridge.
As many as 134 persons lost their lives after a century-old suspension bridge fell into the Machchhu River of Morbi, Gujarat.
Gujarat High Court on November 7 took suo motu cognisance of the Morbi accident, issuing notices to officials, including those of the state Home department and seeking a report within a week.
The Supreme Court in November said the Morbi bridge collapse incident was an “enormous tragedy”, as it asked the Gujarat High Court, which was already holding hearings in the matter suo motu, to hold periodical hearings.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
