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‘99% of us are good people’: Actor Suniel Shetty urges UP CM Yogi Adityanath to help stop the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ campaign

OpIndia Staff
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‘99% of us are good people’: Actor Suniel Shetty urges UP CM Yogi Adityanath to help stop the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ campaign

On Thursday, January 5, Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty urged the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath to help eradicate the stigma around Bollywood. He also asked CM Yogi to do something about the Twitter trend ‘#BoycottBollywood’.

During an interactive session with UP CM Yogi Adityanath who was on a two-day visit to Mumbai to discuss shooting and investment prospects in Noida Film City, actor Suniel Shetty took the opportunity to lament about the impact the boycott campaign has made on Bollywood. He also stressed the need to bring audiences back to theatres as well as change the perception of Bollywood/Hindi cinema people that they all indulge in wrong activities.

“I’d want to talk about this hashtag #BoycottBollywood. If you say something about it, this would stop. It is important to tell people that we have done a lot of good work also,” Shetty said.

The 61-year-old went on to say that Bollywood has made some good films as well, but people now have developed a negative perception of Bollywood, which needs to be changed.

“There is one rotten apple everywhere, but you can’t count all of us like that only. People nowadays believe that Bollywood is a bad place, but we have produced some good movies here. When I did Border, I was also a part of one such film. I’ve been a part of a lot of good films. We need to come together and figure out how to get rid of the Boycott Bollywood hashtag. We have to figure out how we can remove this trend, Shetty added.

Moreover, Suniel Shetty also asked CM Yogi to discuss the anti-Bollywood campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that “99% of the people” in the industry are good.

“Today, if I am Suniel Shetty, it is because of UP and the fans from there. This is very likely if you take the initiative. It is important that we remove the stigma that has been placed on us. It’s a very strong feeling for me. It pains me to tell you that we have this stigma but 99% of us are not like that. We don’t do drugs all day, and we don’t do not do wrong work. We are associated with good work. Bollywood music and our stories have connected India with the rest of the world. So, Yogi ji, if you take the initiative and speak with our beloved Prime Minister about it, it will make a significant difference,” he added.

Notably, UP CM was on a two-day Mumbai visit to promote Uttar Pradesh as the “most film-friendly state in India”. On Thursday, he wrapped up his trip by meeting Shetty, Subhash Ghai, Jackie Shroff, Rajkumar Santoshi, Manmohan Shetty, Jackie Bhagnani, and Boney Kapoor.

It is worth noting that the BoycottBollywood hashtag first became mainstream following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, which sparked debate about the industry’s nepotism and the gate-keeping attitude of top production houses.

CJI Chandrachud recuses himself from hearing a contempt case against ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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CJI Chandrachud recuses himself from hearing a contempt case against ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra: Here is what we know so far

On Thursday (January 5), the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud recused himself from hearing a contempt case against ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra.

Citing that Kamra had made comments about one of his cases, the CJI said that the case would be placed before a different bench of Judges. “We will place this before a bench which I am not a part of because the comments were made on an order I passed. List after two weeks,” the order read.

The Contempt Case against Kunal Kamra

On November 11, 2020, Kunal Kamra went on an unhinged rant against the Supreme Court of India after it granted bail to ‘journalist’ Arnab Goswami in the ‘abetment of suicide’ case of interior designer Anvay Naik.

Arnab Goswami had challenged a Bombay High Court order of November 9 which had rejected the bail plea while asking him to move to the Sessions court for regular bail.

The ‘comedian’ took offence to the decision of the Supreme Court to grant bail to the journalist and thus cast aspersions on the integrity of the institution and the Judges. The Supreme Court of this country is the most Supreme joke of this country,” Kunal Kamra tweeted.

In another tweet, he wrote, “The pace at which the Supreme Court operates in matters of “National Interests” it’s time we replace Mahatma Gandhi’s photo with Harish Salve’s photo.”

“DY Chandrachud is a flight attendant serving champagne to first-class passengers after they’re fast-tracked through, while commoners don’t know if they’ll ever be boarded or seated, let alone served.*Justice*,” Kunal Kamra said in another tweet.

In one tweet, the ‘comedian’ pleaded with lawyers to stop referring Judges with the prefix ‘Honourable.’ He remarked, “All lawyers with a spine must stop the use of the prefix “Hon’ble” while referring to the Supreme Court or its judges. Honour has left the building long back…”

Soon after, multiple petitions were filed against Kunal Kamra for ‘criminal contempt of court’ under the Article 129 of The Constitution of India,1950 and the Contempt of Courts Act,1972.

The then Attorney General KK Venugopal granted his consent to filing petitions against the ‘comedian.’ On December 18 of that year, the Supreme Court issued a show-cause notice to Kunal Kamra for his tweets.

Kunal Kamra downplayed his derogatory remarks against the Judiciary as ‘jokes’ that are intended to make people laugh. “Just as the Supreme Court values the faith public places in it, it should also trust the public not to form its opinions of the Court on the basis of a few jokes on Twitter,” he said in January 2021.

Punjab Vigilance Bureau registers criminal case against Congress leader and former minister along with IAS officer and 10 govt officials: Here is why

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab Vigilance Bureau registers criminal case against Congress leader and former minister along with IAS officer and 10 govt officials: Here is why

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday registered a criminal case against former minister Sunder Sham Arora, Neelima, IAS, and 10 government officials for transferring an industrial plot to a realtor company and allowing it establish township by dividing plots. 

Three owners of a realtor firm, Gulmohar Township Private Limited have also been booked in connection with this case. The VB has arrested seven officials of PSIDC which included Ankur Chaudhary Estate Officer, Davinderpal Singh GM Personnel, JS Bhatia chief general manager (Planning), Ashima Aggarwal ATP (Planning), Parminder Singh Executive Engineer, Rajat Kumar DA and Sandeep Singh SDE for conniving with each other to provide undue benefit to the realtor firm. 

A spokesperson of the state VB on Thursday said that aiming to promote the industry, the Punjab Government had allotted 25 acres of land to Anand Lamps Limited through a sale deed in the year 1987 which was later transferred to a firm named Signify Innovations. 

This plot was then sold to Gulmohar Township through a sale deed by Signify Innovations after procuring a no-objection certificate from the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC). 

In March 2021, the then Industry and Commerce minister Sundar Sham Arora forwarded a letter to then MD PSIDC received from Gulmohar Township for further bifurcation of plots. 

He further informed that the MD PSIDC has constituted a departmental committee to examine the proposal of this realtor firm which included SP Singh Executive Director, Ankur Chaudhary Estate Officer, Bhai Sukhdeep Singh Sidhu, Davinderpal Singh GM Personnel, Tejveer Singh DTP, (deceased), JS Bhatia chief general manager (Planning), Ashima Aggarwal ATP (Planning), Parminder Singh Executive Engineer, Rajat DA, and Sandeep Singh SDE. 

The committee headed by SP Singh had approved the proposal of above said realtor firm to bifurcate plots from 12 plots to 125 plots without taking notice of the proposal report, project report, articles of association, and memorandum of association in this regard. In addition to this, the said committee had recommended the proposal of Gulmohar Township without consulting the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Municipal Corporation, Electricity Board, Forest Department, State Fire Brigade etc. 

During the investigation by the Forensic Science Laboratory, it has also been found that two pages of the noting on file didn’t match with the rest of the pages attached in the file. 

It was found that the above-said committee members have attached fake documents and did not scrutinize the said application/proposal thoroughly. 
The spokesperson further added that according to the deed of 1987, this plot was to be used for industrial purposes only and the said Gulmohar Township has no such background. 

He further added that according to the rules of the PSIDC, the fee for plots was to be charged at the rate of Rs. 20 per yard and Rs. 3 per year from the year 1987, which was a total fee of Rs.1,51,25,000 for a total of 1,21,000 square yards. It was astonishing that the accused firm had already attached a pay order of Rs 27,83,000 with the application while no one from the PSIDC had demanded it. 

Due to this, the Punjab Government has incurred a financial loss of Rs. 1,23,42,000. 

He informed that during the probe it was found that if this plot was to be sold as per the instructions/rules of the state government, the government would have got an income of 600 to 700 crores. At the time of the sale of 125 plots by Gulmohar Township, no proposal report, project report, articles of association, or memorandum of association were demanded from any buyer and sold all the plots illegally. 

He informed that by doing this, the above committee members including Mrs Neelima, then MD, and former minister Sundar Sham Arora colluded with each other and misused their official positions to give an unfair advantage to the owners/directors of Gulmohar Township Company Jagdeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh, and Rakesh Kumar Sharma. 

In this regard the VB has registered a case under section 13 (1) (a), 13 (2) of the prevention of corruption act and 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of IPC at VB police station Mohali, Punjab against all the above mentioned accused officers/officials of committee members of PSIDC, Neelima and former minister besides three directors of Gulmohar Township. The role of other persons would also be investigated during the investigation, he said.

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

Russian President Putin orders ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas

OpIndia Staff
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Russian President Putin orders ceasefire in Ukraine over Orthodox Christmas

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a ceasefire in Ukraine amidst the ongoing war over the period of Orthodox Christmas. The Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on the 7th of January and is widely celebrated in both countries currently at war. The ceasefire will be observed on the 6th and the 7th of January.

This is the first ceasefire ordered by the Russian president since the Russian offensive against Ukraine began in February 2022. Russia’s Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill had made a request to cease the hostilities during the festive period. The ceasefire order was shared by the Kremlin earlier today.

In his order, President Putin said, “Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation to introduce a ceasefire regime along the entire line of contact of the parties in Ukraine from 12.00 on January 6, 2023 to 24.00 on January 7, 2023.”

The order further said, ““Given the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of combat, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and give them the opportunity to attend church services on Christmas Eve, as well as on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.”

Ukraine had dismissed the plea by Patriarch Kirill earlier but is yet to react to the news of Putin’s ceasefire.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine started on February 24 last year as part of a special military operation. Russia occupies large areas in the east and south of Ukraine since then. The conflict has seen large-scale casualties in both countries and led to the largest refugee crisis in the continent since the second world war.

‘Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be ready by 1st January 2024’: Amit Shah

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ram Mandir in Ayodhya will be ready by 1st January 2024’: Amit Shah

On Thursday, 5th January 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Ram Mandir being constructed in Ayodhya will be ready by 1st January 2024. He made this statement while addressing a rally in Tripura.

While addressing a rally in Sabroom in South Tripura, Amit Shah said, “Congress obstructed the construction of Ram temple in the courts. After the Supreme Court verdict, Modi Ji started the construction of the temple. PM Modi performed Bhoomipujan and started the construction of the temple.”

Amit Shah added, “During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I was the president of the BJP and Rahul Baba was the president of the Congress. He used to ask every day – the date of construction of the temple there will never be told. So Rahul baba, open your ears and listen, on January 1, 2024, you will have the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya ready.”

Amit Shah further said, “Not only the Ram temple, wait one or two more years from now, the temple of Devi Tripura Sundari will also be made so grand that the whole world will come to see it here. We built the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. The Mahakal is also built. Somnath and Amba Ji’s temple will soon glitter with gold. The all-new temple of Maa Vindhyavasini is being built.”

The construction work of Lord Shri Ram’s temple in Ayodhya is going on at a rapid pace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple on August 5, 2020, and it is expected to be completed within 2023.

Outsiders involved in the Haldwani anti-eviction protests led by a cleric: reveals OpIndia ground report

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Outsiders involved in the Haldwani anti-eviction protests led by a cleric: reveals OpIndia ground report

Following the significant buzz on social media and subsequent national media coverage, the OpIndia team has been undertaking an on-the-ground investigation into the issue surrounding the expulsion of illegal settlers on railway lands in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. The team reached Haldwani on January 3, 2023, and has been working there ever since to learn the truth about the demonstration and refute the falsehood that Muslims in India are being attacked.

On 5th January 2023, the OpIndia team interacted with the people settled along the railway lines in Haldwani. These people were part of the protests. Many shocking facts surfaced in this interaction. The locals said that the illegal encroachers in Haldwani railway lands have come from various places and settled there. They also added that outsiders were involved in the protests against the encroachment demolition drive.

Where will the poor Muslims go?

When asked if you have any land or plot, one of a local who had participated in the protests said, “When we don’t have anything to eat, how will we have any money to buy land? I earned 30000 to 40000 rupees and invested them in making the home here only. And now the railway department says the land is theirs.”

When the OpIndia team member pointed towards a water tank at some distance from the illegal settlement, the local man said, “Here we have everything from the water supply tank to a school. Yes, there is a school inside this settlement.” Another person said that the water supply tank is 50 to 60 years old.

None of them knew about the Maulana who was leading the protests from the stage. They said that there are so many mosques in Haldwani and that they did not know exactly which mosque the Maulana belonged to. Meanwhile, a woman standing nearby intervened and said, “The Imam does not belong to any of the local mosques. He belongs to a mosque that is not here.”

The first person in the video continued and said, “Hindus, Muslims, Sardars – all live here. You can see Muslims here. But, down there, there are other communities living too. Will all of them be bulldozed just like that? Is it this simple for you?”

According to OpIndia sources, many people among the illegal encroachers have bought land at a nearby place called Golapar. Still, the people in this illegal settlement were presenting themselves as victims and asking where should they go.

Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are also settled in the illegal colony

When the OpIndia team asked the woman about the protests, she said, “I participated in the protests. We demanded that our land should be given to us. My name is Akhtari. Everyone from our houses participated in the protests including even the youngest of the children. All of them were present there. The railways put a loudspeaker in the name of giving notice to us. This is how we came to know.”

Akhtari added, “If the encroachment was removed many years ago, then why did the railways not acquire that land at that time only?” The man standing aside joined her and said, “Why did not the government take hold of the land back then only? Be it any government. Be it the Railways, municipality, forest department, or police department. None of them leaves their land open. The municipality has a clear demarcation of boundaries. So does the forest department. Why do they do this? To ensure that nobody encroaches. So, if the railway had evacuated the place in the past, why it did not do the boundary at that time only?”

On being asked if Rohingyas and Bangladeshis stay in this illegal colony, the man said, “There are so many communities. How many names should I take? There are Bengalis, Nepalis, and many more.” The woman named Akhtari also confirmed that multiple communities live in the encroached area.

Protestors did not know the Maulana who led the protests

The OpIndia team interacted with two more locals named Rashid and Ashraf. Both of them had participated in the protests. Ashraf said, “We did not know who was the Maulana sitting on the stage on that day. We don’t know from where he came. We don’t know his name.” When asked if the protestors were outsiders, Ashraf said that there were many outsiders involved in the protests. But Rashid, in a damage-control mode, said, “Outsiders were just a few of them, like the Maulana, the relatives of the locals. Everyone else was from the colony only.”

Local corporator supported the protestors

Rashid further said, “A local corporator here has told us that unless the judge in Delhi does not give any verdict, no one should talk anything about this. So there is a temporary silence here on this issue. Otherwise, everyone is protesting. Laik Bhai is the corporator. He is from the Congress party.”

A veteran local Muslim admitted that most of the people who settled in Haldwani are outsiders

As our team went ahead, a veteran local Muslim was seen approaching. When asked about the locals and outsiders, he said, “The people have settled here for a long time. But people in Haldwani have come here from outside only. A few of them are here for the last 100 years. Some of them have plots on lease. Some of them even own land and have registry papers. The current issue is driven one-sided. I did not go to the protests. I don’t know who the Maulana was and where did he come from.” Two other persons who participated in the protest also confirmed that the Maulana who led the protest was an outsider. They also confirmed that there is no fixed leader of this protest and whosoever is coming there is trying to lead the mob.

It is notable that the Supreme Court Wednesday put a stay on the matter of the removal of encroachment from Indian Railways land in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, saying that a workable arrangement has to be devised. Staying the Uttarakhand High Court order to evict more than 4000 families who are illegally encroaching on railway land, the apex court bench comprising Justices SK Kaul and AS Oka also barred any new construction or development on the land till the matter is resolved.

Pakistani commentator confuses retired Kiwi player Danny Morrison with pornstar Dani Daniels, latter reacts after video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani commentator confuses retired Kiwi player Danny Morrison with pornstar Dani Daniels, latter reacts after video goes viral

Test cricket is supposed to be serious business but the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi left netizens amused after Pakistani commentator Bazid Khan confused former New Zealand cricketer Danny Morrison with pornstar Dani Daniels.

While discussing the last-wicket stand of more than 100 runs between Matt Henry and Ajaz Patel in the first innings of the second Test match, commentator Bazid Khan referred to Morrison as Dani Daniels.

After the footage of the incident went viral, the porn star took to Twitter to respond with a humorous retort. “Put me in coach!” she tweeted.

Needless to say, Twitter users were also left in splits after the clip of the gaffe went viral and shared a plethora of funny memes and jokes.

Meanwhile, New Zealand were well in control of the match going into the last day with Pakistan needing 319 runs with 8 wickets in hand. The 2-Test series is tied at 0-0 after the first Test ended in a draw.

Another incident of peeing in the sky: Man urinated on female passenger’s blanket during Paris-Delhi Air India flight

OpIndia Staff
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Another incident of peeing in the sky: Man urinated on female passenger’s blanket during Paris-Delhi Air India flight

Days after an incident in which a man allegedly urinated on an elderly women during an Air India flight between New York-Delhi on November 26 last year, another incident of December 6 has come to light in which a “drunk man urinated on blanket of a co-passenger” while the Air India flight was on its way from Paris to the national capital. The shocking incidents took place in a gap of 11 days.

Sources said that the incident of December 6 was not reported in writing to Delhi Police or Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). “No written report has been filed with CISF and Delhi police regarding the incident on Dec 6,” a source told ANI.

A DGCA official also said no report has been filed with them regarding December 6 incident. “No report has been filed with DGCA regarding December 6 incident,” the official told ANI.

Sources said that the male passenger involved in the incident on Air India AI- 142 flight was apprehended by the CISF at the IGI airport in Delhi after the flight landed but was allowed to go after he apologised in writing to the co-passenger and no police case was filed.

DGCA issues show cause notices for dereliction of duty to the concerned people in such cases. A response from Air India is awaited. Sources said the pilot of Paris-Delhi flight did not report the incident to the DGCA.

Delhi Police has registered a FIR and Air India on Wednesday imposed a 30-day flying ban on the man who had allegedly urinated on an elderly co-passenger during a New York-Delhi flight in November last year.

While Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also launched an investigation into November incident, Air India has set up an internal panel to probe whether there were lapses on part of the crew in addressing the situation that caused distress to the woman.

The National Commission for Women has taken cognisance of the incident onboard the Air India flight in which the inebriated male passenger also flashed his private parts at the elderly woman during the New York-Delhi flight.

The Commission sought a detailed action taken report in the matter within seven days from the Delhi Police Commissioner.

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

‘Imran Hafeez asked many small children to come dressed in Madarsa uniforms’, reveals Minor boy who participated in the Haldwani ‘protest’

राहुल पाण्डेय
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‘Imran Hafeez asked many small children to come dressed in Madarsa uniforms’, reveals Minor boy who participated in the Haldwani ‘protest’

An OpIndia team has been conducting a ground investigation into the controversy over the eviction of illegal encroachers on railway land in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, following the tremendous buzz on social media and subsequent national media attention. The crew arrived in Haldwani on January 3, 2023, and has since been working to uncover the truth behind the protest and debunk the ‘Muslims in India under attack’ narrative that is being propagated. Today (January 5), during the course of our investigation, we spoke to some small children playing near the railway tracks who revealed how they were driven to participate in the ‘protest’.

One of the minor children playing there, who identified himself as Mohammad Sameer, told OpIndia how one Imran Hafeez had coerced him and many other children to participate in the Haldwani ‘protest.’ He also revealed how Hafiz Imran has asked all the children to come dressed up in their Madarsa uniforms.

In the video, a child is heard telling the OpIndia journalist that he attends Islamia School. He also confirms the presence of numerous Madarsas in the vicinity. The boy further verified that he and other children were taken to the Haldwani protest site dressed in Madarsa clothes. He added that one Madeen bhai, on the orders of Hafeez Imran, had gathered 10-12 children and brought them to the demonstration venue to participate in the protest.

NCPCR issues notice to Nanital DM over alleged use of minors in Haldwani protest

Notably, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken cognisance and raised objections to the use of minor children during protests against the removal of “encroachment” from a Railways land in Uttarakhand’s Haldwani. 

The apex child rights body in its letter to the Nainital District Magistrate said, “It is pertinent to mention that children of tender age have been brought to the protest site in these adverse weather conditions which can prove to be dangerous for their health and wellbeing.”

“The commission thereby requests your good offices to look into the matter and have a thorough inquiry of the events. Besides, the children which are being used in this illegal protest should be identified and produced before the Child Welfare Committee, if required for ensuring their protection,” it added.

Besides, the parents of these children may also be counselled appropriately, NCPCR said.

“In this context, it is pertinent to mention here that the Commission on earlier occasion has observed that use of children in such illegal protest has resulted in injury and even caused death of minor children in one of the protests,” the commission said.

Haldwani encroachers trained by journalist claiming to be from The Wire

Interestingly, yesterday (January 4), when OpIndia’s team was in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, to take stock of the situation, we spotted a man who identified himself as a journalist who was talking to the encroachers and tutoring them on what to say. Notably, he clearly asked them not to speak in Urdu but speak in Hindi and how it will come on channels such as the leftist propaganda outlet The Wire. He specifically asked one of the encroachers to address the Supreme Court, where the case was scheduled for hearing today, January 5.

The situation is very normal- no crowd, no noise, protest or uproar anywhere

We previously reported that on January 3, as our crew reached the location by train, we noticed the Gafur Basti neighbourhood, where illegal squatters who are being backed by AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and propaganda outlet Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair had actually encroached on railway land.

We could see Railway Protection Force members patrolling the tracks from the station. While media and social media reports believed that there is preparation for Shaheen Bagh-2 in Haldwani, nothing like this was visible on the ground level on January 3. The OpIndia team also visited the areas of Vanbhulpura which have been declared as encroachment areas and marked for bulldozing. At those places, people were seen passing the day like normal days.

The Haldwani encroachment clearance orders and protests against it

Earlier this year, social media was flooded with viral videos of thousands of people sitting in biting cold pleading their ‘homes’ be not removed. Turns out, they were illegal encroachers and removal of encroachment was done after a High Court orders. The land that was encroached upon belonged to Indian Railways.

The protesters also claimed that the clearance of encroachments would affect a large number of women, children, and elderly persons residing in the area. Since then, speculations are rife that these are orchestrated protests and are being made to be yet another ‘Shaheen Bagh‘. And now it seems the tricks of leftist media have worked and Supreme Court has put a stay on the demolition drive.

OpIndia team will be on the ground in Haldwani for next 2-3 days and bring you reports. Along with finding out the truth about the protests, our team will also try and go to the bottom of the ‘Muslims in India under attack’ narrative that is being peddled. We will also try and find out who all are supporting these protests, both local as well as outsiders. The crowd that is being shown on social media as the affected people, we will try and find out who they are.

As Supreme Court says 50,000 people cannot be uprooted overnight, here is how 1 lakh people were displaced during the Khori Gaon eviction

Shraddha Pandey
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As Supreme Court says 50,000 people cannot be uprooted overnight, here is how 1 lakh people were displaced during the Khori Gaon eviction

In Uttarakhand’s Haldwani, protests erupted against the clearance of illegal encroachments on railway lands following the High Court order. The protests started after Uttarakhand High Court, on December 26, 2022, ordered the authorities to immediately evict the illegal occupants to vacate the land belonging to the Indian Railways.  

The protestors, backed by the usual players like Asaduddin Owaisi, Amnesty India, and others desperate to revive a Shaheen Bagh at Haldwani, claimed that the removal of illegal encroachments will leave them homeless and affect a large number of women, children, and elders. 

Amidst the leftist propaganda machinery gearing up to exploit the issue by giving it a communal angle and propagating that the illegal encroachers (mostly Muslim residents in this case) are being oppressed by a Hindu nationalist party, the Supreme Court has put a stay on removal of illegal encroachments in Haldwani.

The Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka heard multiple petitions challenging the High Court order which directed clearance of illegal encroachments. During the hearing, the Supreme Court judges opined that 50,000 persons cannot be relocated in seven days. As Justice SK Kaul heard the case, he stated that there are numerous parts to the issue, that people have been living on the land for years, and that there are establishments.

However, on June 7, 2021, Supreme Court had directed the removal of illegal encroachments on forest land in Khori Gaon, a village at the foothills of the eco-sensitive Aravallis in Haryana’s Faridabad within six weeks. The SC order had come while hearing a plea seeking a stay on the demolition of 10,000 houses in the area. The apex court back then observed that no compromise can be made with forest lands. 

Later, on June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court upheld its decision to clear the illegal encroachments on forest lands and evict 100,000 people from the encroached forest land. 

Back then, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari heard the matter and directed that the State of Haryana could proceed with the demolition. In a similar scenario, as is now in Haldwani, the illegal encroachers in Khori Gaon had submitted before the Supreme Court that the removal of encroachments would leave them homeless.

The counsel for the petitioners had also sought the protection of their right to rehabilitation as well as an identification process, to which the Supreme Court bench had rejected the petitioner’s argument. The honourable court stated that enough time was given to them and also stated that it is only concerned about the forest lands and rehabilitation is to be taken care of by the state government. 

“We gave orders, you have been there at your own risk. This is forest land, not any ordinary land. When you want the scheme to be extended, you need to provide additional documents and details. One year was already given to you,” the Supreme Court said back then.

On July 16, 2021, UNHCR had appealed to the Indian government to halt the encroachment clearance drive in Khori Gaon and also expressed concern that “the Indian Supreme Court which has in the past led the protection of housing rights is now leading evictions.”

Interestingly, the Supreme Court in March 2022 held that the “environment is more important than your civil rights,” while hearing the petitions that addressed the issue of forest and non-forest land in relation to the interplay of provisions of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the Indian Forest Act, 1927, and the land that is part of the Faridabad Complex (Regulation and Development) Act, 1971.

While hearing the pleas back then, Justice M Khanwilkar observed, “Environment is more important than your civil rights. Your civil rights are subordinate to the environment. Once a forest, it is always a forest unless it is denotified.”

The Supreme Court upheld the importance of the environment in the Khori Gaon case over the civil rights of people and ordered the demolition of illegal encroachments on forest lands. Although the apex court also directed the state government to look after the rehabilitation of the displaced people. However, in the case of illegal encroachment of Indian Railways land the Supreme Court has put a stay on the encroachment clearance drive. While the Supreme Court has asked the government to ensure the rehabilitation of the valid residents and find a suitable solution for the encroachers, the petitioners have not sought rehabilitation as they claim ownership of the land.

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