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Torch bearers of freedom of speech and the press, Congress, threatens to take action against ScoopWhoop over old memes of Rahul Gandhi: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Torch bearers of freedom of speech and the press, Congress, threatens to take action against ScoopWhoop over old memes of Rahul Gandhi: Details

The Congress party has frequently argued that the BJP is hell-bent on undermining democracy’s fourth pillar. Party officials, particularly Rahul Gandhi, have regularly decried the lack of press freedom in Modi’s era. Last year, the dynasty-run party practically cried hoarse about India’s decline in the press freedom rankings.

However, it’s no secret that from the times of Jawaharlal Nehru to the present Sonia Gandhi era, the Congress party has been highly intolerant when it comes to accepting criticism from the press. The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has left no room for dissent and has acted strictly against the press whenever they have raised fingers against their misdeeds. One of the recent examples was how the entire Congress ecosystem went after Arnab Goswami with hundreds of FIRs and a concocted TRP scam just because he called Sonia Gandhi by her maiden name.

Just another example of this hypocrisy was on display recently when some Congress leaders took to the microblogging site Twitter to threaten the Delhi-based digital media company ScoopWhoop with legal action over some old memes of Rahul Gandhi.

In April 2015, ScoopWhoop published an article titled: “These Rahul Gandhi Memes Will Tell You Why He Needs Special Treatment”, wherein it shared some hilarious memes about the Congress leader. It’s surprising, however, that it took the Congress leaders and their supporters a little over seven years to react to the memes shared by the digital platform.

Yesterday, on October 14, seemingly out of nowhere, INC youth leader Srinivas BV slammed ScoopWhoop for those 2015 humorous memes it had published in jest about Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi. The Congress loyalist threatened to sue ScoopWhoop if those ‘malicious, false, and defamatory’ Tweets were not deleted within 24 hours with an apology on all platforms.

Without providing details of the memes that had irked him, Srinivas BV Tweeted, “We take strong notice of these malicious, false and defamatory tweets by @ScoopWhoop aimed at tarnishing the image of the leader who is exposing the govt. Calling upon you to remove these tweets in 24 hours with an apology on all platforms or legal consequences will follow.”

Taking a cue from Srinivas, Supriya Shrinate, a former Journalist and the current national spokesperson for the Congress party, also lambasted ScoopWhoop by sharing a screenshot of one of the memes the digital media outlet had posted on their senior leader Rahul Gandhi in May 2015.

“The only one man who looks Modi and the BJP in the eye and speaks truth to power is Rahul Gandhi. Delete this tweet @ScoopWhoop and apologise. This is in very bad taste, we will be forced to pursue it legally,” Tweeted Shrinate.

A Twitter user going by the handle @standon1983 was one of the first to publish screenshots of four of ScoopWhoop’s humorous Rahul Gandhi memes. The Congress sycophant seemed to be so triggered that he also brought up the sexual assault case in which the company’s CEO was accused to criticise the digital platform.

This Twitter user’s post was most likely the tipping point for Congress leaders, who lambasted the digital media site and threatened it with legal action. This behaviour by Congress supporters in attempting to harass the media outlet is hardly surprising given that the Congress party has traditionally been extremely intolerant of criticism from the press.

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty has left no room for dissent and has acted strictly against the press whenever they have raised fingers against their misdeeds. In fact, OpIndia had earlier chronicled a list of violations of press freedom committed by the Congress party.

The cycle of dictatorial tendencies that began with Jawaharlal Nehru being the country’s first Prime Minister has continued to thrive in the party’s genes even after seven decades. Perhaps the time has come for people to recognise that the Congress party’s claim to be a champion of free speech is an exaggeration, if not sheer propaganda.

Kerala Human Sacrifice: Police scrutinizing accused Mohammad Shafi’s financial dealings, Shafi travelled across Kerala, searched SM for targets

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Human Sacrifice: Police scrutinizing accused Mohammad Shafi’s financial dealings, Shafi travelled across Kerala, searched SM for targets

The special investigation team (SIT) investigating Kerala’s Elanthoor human sacrifice case is scrutinising accused Mohammed Shafi’s financial dealings to see if more people are involved in the horrific murders.

The SIT is also collecting information about Shafi’s pledge of 36 grams of gold. Investigation suggests that the jewellery he pledged in a financial firm near his rented house in Gandhi Nagar, Kochi, belonged to victim Padmam, the lottery seller sacrificed on September 26 by Shafi and couple Bhagaval Singh and Laila. Shafi’s wife Nabeesa told the SIT that Shafi had given her Rs 40,000 from the money he received for pledging the ornaments.

On Friday, the SIT searched Shafi’s rented house for nearly six hours and recovered papers from vehicles he owns as well as other documents. They also collected evidence at his home and the restaurant he ran in the city in order to recover the ornaments.

According to the police, Shafi collected Rs 1.1 lakh from the firm by falsely claiming that a woman from Tamil Nadu had lent him the gold to help with his financial problems. Padmam was from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu.

Shafi had pledged gold ornaments allegedly belonging to the deceased in several Kochi firms. They stated that they are looking for Shafi’s SUV, in which he moved the victims from Kochi to Elanthoor, NewIndianExpress reported.

The SIT is also finding out if the main accused Shafi received help from a fourth party in carrying out the heinous crime. Other than Shafi, Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila was arrested by Kochi city police for kidnapping and murdering two women (Padmam and Roselyn) as a part of the black magic ritual for financial gains.

Shafi created a fake profile on social media with the fake name Sreedevi to approach Bhagaval Singh. Shafi developed a friendship with the couple and somehow convinced the couple to perform human sacrifice. 

Notably, the police have requested the court that it needs to be investigated whether Shafi received assistance from someone else. The investigation discovered his suspicious presence in places like Kochi, Kottayam, and Malayatoor besides Pathanamthitta in recent times.

On Thursday, police informed the court that Shafi had travelled across the state and brought several people to the accused couple’s house at Elanthoor before carrying out the horrifying human sacrifices. Thus, it is important to record statements from these people.

Police also asserted that the statements of those including some people from the film industry who stayed at the couple’s house for Ayurvedic treatment also needed to be collected. The police submitted that it is important to examine whether missing cases involving women in various parts of the state had any link with the accused.

Notably, the Ernakulam Judicial First-Class Magistrate Court accepted the arguments of the investigation team. The court has granted police custody of all three accused until October 24.

As per the court orders to conduct a medical examination of all the accused every three days and submit the reports, the accused were taken to the Ernakulam General Hospital and after conducting their medical examination, they were taken to the Police Club at Kadavantra.

Kerala Human sacrifice case

The Kerala police unearthed disturbing details in the case of human sacrifice and black magic to bring prosperity and wealth to a family in the state. Three accused were arrested by Kochi city police for kidnapping and killing two women as part of black magic rituals. Mohammed Shafi (agent), Bhagaval Singh, and his wife Laila have been identified as the three accused. Now shocking details of the horrifying crime have surfaced.

One of the victims, Roselyn Varghese, was lured by the accused Mohammed Shafi to the accused couple’s house in Pathanamthitta to act in a porn film and was reportedly offered Rs 10 lakh. Upon reaching the couple’s house, Roselyn was tied to the bed by the couple saying that it was part of the porn film shoot. Then Shafi smashed the victim’s head, inserted a knife her into her private parts, and minutes later slit the throat of the victim, who died on the spot, according to the report by the Kerala Police.

As per an India Today report, the victim’s breasts were chopped off and were kept out of the “ritual”. The victim’s blood was spilled everywhere. Later, all three accused cut the body of the victim into pieces, and buried it in multiple pits near the accused couple’s house.

Padmam, another victim was brutalized in a similar manner. Padmam was reported missing on September 26. She was lured by Shafi into acting in a porn film and was promised Rs 15,000 in return. According to the police, CCTV footage shows Padmam leaving in a car with Shafi on the same day.

An argument broke out between the victim and Shafi upon reaching the house. Shafi choked the victim using a plastic rope around her neck and after shifting her to another room as she fell unconscious, Shafi inserted a knife in the victim’s private parts and slit her throat. Later, the accused chopped her body into 56 pieces and buried it in pits. 

Notably, accused Laila has confessed to cooking and eating the flesh of the victims as they were told by Shafi that doing so will help them “preserve their youth.”

“The mob intended to kill Hindus”: Delhi court frames charges against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 5 others in 2020 Delhi riot case

OpIndia Staff
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“The mob intended to kill Hindus”: Delhi court frames charges against former AAP councillor Tahir Hussain and 5 others in 2020 Delhi riot case

On Thursday, 13th October 2022, a Delhi Court framed charges on former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Councilor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, and four other accused in connection with the anti-Hindu riots that took place in North-East Delhi in 2020. Justice Pulastya Pramachala, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) heard the case in the Karkardooma District Court of Delhi and framed charges against former AAP councilor Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, Tanveer Malik, Gulfam, Nazim, and Kasim.

All six accused were charged by the court under Section 120B, read with Sections 147, 148, 149, 153A, 302, and 307 of the Indian Penal Code, while Gulfam and Tanveer were additionally charged with crimes punishable by Section 27 of the Arms Act.

ASJ Pramachala noted that the mob’s actions were the result of a criminal conspiracy, and all defendants are subject to trial for conceiving a plot to commit riot, kill Hindus, and damage Hindu property. Ajay Jha was shot as a result of the same conspiracy. The court stated that the indiscriminate firing at others ‘clearly demonstrates that this mob intended to kill Hindus, and it cannot be claimed that the accused were unaware of the mob’s goal.’  

Notably, Ajay Jha was injured by a gunshot in the Chand Bagh Khajoori Khas neighbourhood, according to an FIR filed in February 2020 at Dayalpur Police Station by the Shushrut Trauma Center in Delhi. While being examined, Jha informed the ASI that he was wounded on February 25, 2020, when he reached Tahir Hussain’s home and was heading towards Chand Bagh. At that time, he spotted a group of individuals on Hussain’s terrace tossing petrol bombs and stones at surrounding homes while also shooting bullets.

According to Jha, Tahir Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, and others were “raising religious slogans” while hurling petrol bombs and flinging stones at Hindu residences. Jha testified that three youngsters approached him and began throwing stones at him, while a resident Gulfam fired shots at him, injuring his shoulder and chest. He identified Gulfam and named the other members of the mob who are the subject of the FIR. Jha said that he did not provide his statement on the day of the incident because he was injured.

Acknowledging this, the court said, “Just because statements of the eyewitnesses were recorded in the case at a belated stage, without affording an opportunity to the prosecution and the witnesses to explain the reasons, the court cannot declare them to be unreliable.”

The court added, “Secondly, one must not forget that at the relevant time riots continued in Delhi for some days. Delhi Police and other security forces were pressed into service to stop the riots. Hence, the focus of the police was more on the aspect of controlling the riots rather than start investigating each incident of the riots.”

Even victims and witnesses lacked the confidence to lodge accusations against anybody, according to the court, thus it was clear that nothing could be expected to go according to plan during a crisis. Their personal security was more important to them. Following that, there was a complete lockdown as people battled the Covid epidemic.

The court further said, “Indiscriminate firing at others makes it clear that this mob consciously wanted to even kill Hindus. It cannot be said that the accused persons were oblivious to the objective of this mob. Apparently, this was an unlawful assembly, acting in pursuance of the aforesaid object. Therefore, if police are prosecuting accused persons separately for separate incidents, it cannot be said that they are being prosecuted for the same facts and the same cause of action in different cases. Accused persons have to be prosecuted for every criminal act and incident, which took place because of their indulging in a riot with a particular common object.”

Role of Tahir Hussain in the Delhi riots

It is notable to mention that Tahir Hussain had earlier confessed in a disclosure statement that he chose his own house as a launchpad for the riots. Given that his house was a high-rise building and was under construction at that time, it was easy to collect stones and bricks without raising any suspicion. 

He confessed that he and his co-conspirators had started collecting stones, bricks, and other ammunition, well in advance so that they could teach those, who were in support of the CAA, a lesson when the time was right. To that end, 2-3 days before the riots broke out, he had also got his licensed pistol released from the police station.

UK: Britain-based Hindu group writes to PM Liz Truss over targeted hate crimes against Hindus, seeks urgent action

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Britain-based Hindu group writes to PM Liz Truss over targeted hate crimes against Hindus, seeks urgent action

In the wake of the violence in Leicester in which a large number of Hindus, their places of worship, and their cultural and religious symbols were wantonly targeted and damaged by Islamic extremists and hoodlums, Insight UK, a social movement of the British Hindu and British Indian (BHI) communities, wrote an open letter to Liz Truss, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, drawing her attention toward the targeted hate crimes against Hindus. The letter is signed by 180 Hindu organisations.

In a letter dated October 14, 2022, Hindu organisations, representing the voices of Hindus residing in the UK, expressed grave concern about targeted hate crimes committed against the Hindu community in the country and urged authorities to take appropriate and prompt action against the same.

Members of Insight UK, an umbrella organisation working on the issues concerning British Hindus, wrote, using examples from recent attacks on Hindus in Leichester, Birmingham, and other towns across the country, that hatred of the Hindu community is at an all-time high in the UK.

“We write to draw your attention to the recent disturbances in Leicester, Birmingham and other towns which have greatly distressed the Indian and Hindu communities in the UK. Hatred towards the Hindu community is at an all-time high, to the point where there has been open violence, intimidation, and abuse levelled at Hindus through physical assaults, harassment on social media, and most recently through soft targeting in schools and the workplace,” read the letter.

The letter sought to draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the fact that, despite constituting less than 2% of the UK population, British Indians contribute significantly more in terms of socioeconomic contribution to the British economy, social integration, and upholding our progressive British values. It read that though the Hindu community is one of the most law-abiding, as evidenced by the imprisonment statistics, it has been under constant attack by radical Islamists.

“Today, we feel like a community that is under siege. As a last resort, we write to you to draw your attention to our plight, and the long-term consequences of what is unfolding,” the letter read.

The letter further read, “You must be aware of the violence in Leicester and the aggressive protests outside a temple in Birmingham as well as the vicious attempts to harass the Hindu community in Nottingham and outside London’s iconic Sanatan Mandir in Wembley. Although the causes of what happened in Leicester are many and complex, the bottom line is that a marginalised Hindu community has been targeted through violence and intimidation. This Hindu community now lives in a state of fear. While some families have already left the neighbourhood, many more are preparing to relocate. It is worth noting that a small, but highly organised band of radical Islamists took full advantage of the community tensions that existed between this marginalised Hindu community and their Muslim neighbours which previously lived in peace.”

The Hindus further drew the PM’s attention towards the anti-Hindu propaganda being peddled in the country. They wrote in the letter how on social media, a storm of misinformation was purposefully manufactured, with open incitement to violence against Hindus. As a result of this aggressive campaign, countless Hindus have been physically beaten, Hindu residences have been targeted, and cars with Hindu symbols have been vandalised. While the media largely characterised it as a clash between the two faith communities, it neglected to explain why the Hindus bore almost all of the brunt of the destruction, the letter said, adding that it is frightening for Leicester’s embattled Hindu population to know that the perpetrators of these crimes are still free to roam.

In the open letter, the Hindus further raised concerns about how those who ventured to express the truth in the media or on social media have always faced threats.

“Many Hindu speakers from Leicester who spoke to the media now live in fear and have had to seek police protection while carrying panic alarms at all times. Sections of the Hindu community are, in practice, being deprived of the basic rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion which are central to our liberal way of life,” the letter further stated.

While making a few appeals before the PM, the Hindus stated how in the given situation, they shudder to think what would happen to them when extra police patrol is lifted.

The six appeals put forward by Hindus in the UK

  • To ensure that the Police are actively investigating the most recent crimes against the Hindu community as set out In this letter
  • To declare and ensure financial support is provided for the victims of these riots, Including businesses in Leicester that have been vandalised during the riots
  • To commission an Independent investigation into anti-Hindu hatred and its causes, which will go a long way in raising awareness of this problem amongst the key institutions of our society
  • To recognise the threat of British homegrown extremism and how certain parts of Britain have become hubs of radicalisation.
  • To help us fund training for teachers so that they are aware of and can Identify and deal with anti-Hindu hatred in schools.
  • To ensure that sufficient security Is provided to the Hindu community both In the short-term and the long-term, including sufficient security during the celebration of Diwali around the UK.

“The above proposals and/or recommendations will go a long way in repairing the damage that has been done to so many by an extremist few. We truly hope that you will take our concerns seriously and act upon our appeal. We are prepared to work shoulder-to-shoulder with you to make our country a leading light in the world,” wrote the 108 Hindus as they ended their letter to the UK Prime Minister.

Leicester violence

In August 2022 after India vs Pakistan match in Asia Cup when India defeated Pakistan, an Islamist mob reportedly attacked Hindus in Leicester after a scuffle during the celebration by the Indian community. A week later, the violence repeated and the Islamists attacked Hindus for days, starting from the 4th of September. Subsequently, the Indian community in the UK, especially Leicester, has been the victim of Islamist mobs reportedly vandalising and desecrating Hindu symbols. However, a certain section of the ‘liberal’ and leftist media along with Islamists and their apologists have been trying to paint the Indian community, especially Hindus, as aggressors.

‘Europe is garden, rest of the world is jungle’, says EU foreign policy chief, Russia responds by saying ‘garden was built by plundering jungle’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Europe is garden, rest of the world is jungle’, says EU foreign policy chief, Russia responds by saying ‘garden was built by plundering jungle’

On 13th October 2022, European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ‘Europe is a garden and the rest of the world is a jungle.’ He also said that the jungle could invade the garden and that the gardeners have to go to the jungle to protect the garden. He made these racistrs remarks when he was addressing the opening ceremony of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium.

Josep Borrell said, “Europe is a garden. We have built a garden. Aggregate works are the best combination of political freedom, economic prosperity, and social cohesion that humankind has been able to build. There are three things together and here bridges may be the representation of the beautiful things intellectual life and well-being. The rest of the world is not exactly a garden. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it.”

He further said, “But the gardeners will not protect the garden by building walls. A small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in, it’s not a solution. Because the jungle has a strong growth capacity and the wall will never be high enough in order to protect the garden. The gardeners have to go to the jungle. The Europeans have to be much more engaged with the rest of the world. The rest of the world will invade us by different ways of means. “

Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova has strongly condemned Borel’s statement, saying that the ‘garden’ of Europe was built by looting the ‘jungle’ of the rest of the world during the colonial regime. She said, “To continue this analogy, the European gardener is in a vegetative state. On a serious note, Europe built that ‘garden’ through the barbaric plundering of the ‘jungle’. Borrell could not have phrased it any better: the world’s most prosperous system, created in Europe, nurtured by roots in colonies which they ruthlessly oppressed.”

Criticizing Germany’s involvement in both World Wars under the guise of reestablishing justice, she said, “Their philosophy of segregation and superiority became the underlying idea of fascism and Nazism. Both world wars in the 20th century were triggered by Germany’s ambition to ‘restore justice’ and re-divide Europe’s colonies that country had failed to grab for itself.”

She added, “Achieving that goal was to ensure Germany the same kind of prosperous and carefree life of the exploiters living in Borrell’s homeland, Spain, as well as in France, Britain, and Portugal.”

West Bengal: Protesters reportedly backed by TMC stop NCPCR chief from visiting Hooghly victim’s family, wave black flags

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Protesters reportedly backed by TMC stop NCPCR chief from visiting Hooghly victim’s family, wave black flags

On Friday, the convoy of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo was halted by the citizens of Hooghly district in West Bengal when he arrived to meet the family of a minor girl who was found dead in Baidyabati. The protesters didn’t allow Kanoongo to meet the family of the victim and also raised black flags in protest. Kanoongo was accompanied by BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal on October 14.

The NCPCR chief slammed the TMC government in the state and said that the state had failed to provide security to the children. “When this government can’t provide security to the Commission, we can imagine their failure in providing security to children. A child has been murdered. Goons of the ruling party are blocking the way and stopping us from meeting the family. We will leave only after meeting them”, Kanoongo said.

According to the reports, the protesters were allegedly supported by the TMC workers who raised black flags and stopped the NCPCR chief from meeting the family members of the victim. The girl, who had gone missing from Krishnapur village in Hooghly district on the night of Dussehra (October 5), was found dead on October 8. The corpse was discovered floating in a lake near her home. The girl’s family claims that she was brutally raped first and then killed. 

The girl, according to the family, had gone out on a bicycle with her cousin to visit a Durga Puja pandal but never returned home. The district of Hooghly is witnessing tensions since the discovery of the dead body of the minor girl. Reportedly, several members of the BJP, Congress, and also CPM visited the area to meet the family members of the victim but had to face protests from the residents.

Reports mention that the Congress delegation who had gone to meet the family members of the victim on Sunday were forced out of the village. “We stand in solidarity with the victim’s family. But the locals misunderstood us and did not allow us to enter the village. Police are working on the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who says there is no crime involved in the incident”, said Kamakhyanarayan Singh, a member of the congressional delegation and a councilor from the Uttarpara Municipality.

Also, BJP state secretary Priyanka Tibrewal and party MLA Biman Ghosh with other district leaders earlier met the local police and demanded a thorough investigation into the case. “The police’s job is not to manage the situation. Their primary role is to investigate it. So many days have passed since the incident took place and police cannot say whether the rape happened or not. The police have acted as per the guidelines set by CM Mamata Banerjee, as she always tries to cover up rape incidents. This is not just kidnapping. Sections of murder and the POCSO Act should be added to the FIR. We will extend legal help to the family if needed”, Tibrewal was quoted.

Later a CPM delegation led by party district secretary Debbrata Ghosh paid a visit to the family members of the victim. The Police in the case has arrested 4 accused including 3 juveniles on charges of sexually assaulting and murdering the 13-year-old girl. The Police also confirmed that the victim had been molested before one of them pushed her into the lake. “The four were drunk at the time of the incident. They were arrested on Sunday night from an area which is nearly 1km from the place where the victim’s body was found”, Hooghly Superintendent of Police (rural) Amandeep was quoted as saying.

A case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping), and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused.

Constable Ratan Lal murder during Delhi Riots: Accused woman who was absconding for 2 years arrested from Noida

OpIndia Staff
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Constable Ratan Lal murder during Delhi Riots: Accused woman who was absconding for 2 years arrested from Noida

On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested a woman from Noida who was on the run in connection with the death of Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal during the 2019 Northeast Delhi riots. Ratan Lal was mercilessly lynched by a crazed Islamist mob while he was trying to do his duty on the main Wazirabad Road, Chand Bagh during the massive communal Delhi Riots in 2019.

According to the reports, the Delhi Police has not revealed the identity of the Islamist woman arrested, but a reward of Rs 50,000 had been placed on her head. “She had been frequently changing her accommodations to evade her arrests. She also changed her number multiple times. While scanning her call details records, we found that she was in touch with one of her relatives. We traced the relatives and reached her hideout,” the police said.

On September 5, 2020, a Delhi court had declared the woman a fugitive after she could not be traced by the police.

The official stated that the operations wing of the North East district had been working hard for a long time to track down the location of the absconding culprit in the murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal but had not obtained any concrete leads.

The official further stated that during technical surveillance, it was discovered that the accused’s cellphone number was not in use, but during a thorough analysis of the CDR, one of her close relative’s mobile number was found to be frequently contacting the customer service line of a particular company located in Noida, which raised suspicion.

“Based on the inputs received, human sources were deployed and a round-the-clock close watch in the areas near locations of both the mobile numbers was mounted. We got a tip-off and a raid was conducted in Noida sector 63. The police then apprehended the accused woman,” the official added.

After confirming all the intelligence gathered in the case, the police laid a trap at Noida sector 63, and the 27-year-old woman was arrested at around 5.35 PM. The woman has been living at Subhash Mohallah in Bhajanpura.

The woman admitted her guilt and said that during the February 2020 riots, she was actively participating in rallies against CAA/NRC. After she was named as a suspect in the murder of head constable Ratan Lal, she fled from her house and had been staying in various rented accommodations since then to avoid the police authorities. 

During the past two years, the woman also got married to a man who arranged for her to work as a customer care executive in a Noida-based firm. She further confessed that she never used her phone and exclusively utilized Internet calling using Apps. She had been calling her relatives and family members using the customer service number.

Ratan Lal was mercilessly lynched by a crazed Islamist mob while he was trying to do his duty on the main Wazirabad Road, Chand Bagh during the Delhi riots. The 42-year-old belonged to Fathepur Tihwali village in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. He had joined the Delhi Police in the post of constable in 1998 and was posted at Gokulpuri Police Station. He used to live with his family in a house in Delhi’s Burari area.

Teacher recruitment scam: ED unearths letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee along with other incriminating evidence

OpIndia Staff
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Teacher recruitment scam: ED unearths letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee along with other incriminating evidence

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a letter addressed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in connection to the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam in the State, reported Zee News.

The said letter reportedly contains information about 44 aspirants who paid ₹7 lakhs each in exchange for a government job. Zee News reported that the contentious letter is written by a Trinamool Congress (TMC) office bearer and addressed to Mamata Banerjee, confirming the receipt of the trench of money.

Besides, ED also found a CD containing the names and roll number details of candidates who were selected for the fraudulent teacher’s exam of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).

The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, refers to the fraud committed at the State Level Selection Test (SLT) between 2014 to 2016.

Candidates who appeared for the SLST exam had alleged that many candidates who secured fewer marks ended up with higher ranks on the merit list. They further stated that the candidates who were not on the merit list were also sent appointment letters.

Also, in the year 2016, multiple allegations of corruption cropped up regarding the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees in secondary and higher secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.

The matter came to light in March 2022 after irregularities were noticed in the recruitment process of teachers in the state government schools.

The arrest of TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya 

On the intervening night of October 10-11, the Enforcement Directorate arrested TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, for failing to cooperate with the agency’s investigation in the teacher recruitment scam case.

A day earlier, he was questioned over conceivable irregularities in the recruitment of elementary teachers. It must be mentioned that Bhattacharya is the former president of WBBPE.

On the instructions of the Calcutta High Court, Manik Bhattacharya was removed from his position as head of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education in June this year. On July 22, the ED searched his residence. The TMC MLA was interrogated later that month.

The Supreme Court had granted him immunity from arrest in the CBI case till October 10. He was arrested just hours after his Supreme Court-granted legal immunity expired.

‘Electoral Bonds Scheme is a transparent system for raising political funding’: Centre to Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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‘Electoral Bonds Scheme is a transparent system for raising political funding’: Centre to Supreme Court

On Friday, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the electoral bonds scheme is an absolutely transparent system of political funding and that no black or unaccounted money can be obtained through it.

As part of efforts to increase transparency in political funding, electoral bonds have been promoted as an alternative to cash donations to political parties.

In defence of the electoral bonds scheme, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that there is absolutely no scope for black money or unaccounted money in the electoral bonds scheme. 

“The methodology of receiving funds has been extremely transparent. We will go over each step in detail. It is now impossible to obtain any unaccounted or black money. It is the most transparent system. To say it affects democracy does not hold water,” Mehta appearing for the Union of India, told a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and B R Gavai.

The court is considering a number of petitions that question the legality of the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme, which was first proposed in 2017 and implemented in 2018. This is after 18 months since the case has been listed in the apex court.

NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and other petitioners have submitted PILs.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who represented the NGO, stated that this is an issue that affects democracy. He stated that the matter should be heard as early as possible because electoral bonds are issued just before each state election.

Bhushan also claimed that the 2017 Finance Bill, which paved the way for the enactment of the electoral bond scheme, was passed as a money bill even though it was not. Appearing for one of the petitioners, Kapil Sibal, said the case should be heard by a larger bench.

The Supreme Court said it would decide on December 6 whether to refer a group of petitions challenging laws allowing political parties to be funded through the electoral bond scheme to a larger bench.

The Supreme Court stated that this is an important matter that requires a thorough hearing and requested the assistance of the Attorney General and Solicitor General in the matter.

Attorney General R Venkatmani stated that there is no critical urgency for the case to be listed and requested the court to list it in January 2023. Both Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal however, objected to the suggestion by the Attorney General stating that pushing the hearing to January 2023 would in a way means further sales of electoral bonds.

Electoral Bonds

Electoral bonds may be purchased by a person who is a citizen of India or is incorporated or established in India, according to the scheme’s provisions.

Individuals can purchase electoral bonds either individually or in groups. Only political parties that have been registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and have received at least one per cent of the votes cast in the most recent general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State are eligible to receive electoral bonds. The eligible political party may only cash electoral bonds through a bank account with an authorised bank.

‘You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab’, Asaduddin Owaisi asks in a rally

OpIndia Staff
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‘You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab’, Asaduddin Owaisi asks in a rally

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the hijab case is yet to come as a two-judge bench delivered a split verdict. But the politics over the issue continues, with Islamist politicians defending hijab. Again making comments over the issue, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has now compared Hijab with a bikini, saying that others can wear bikinis but that does not mean Muslim women will take off their hijab.

Asaduddin Owaisi said, “If not hijab, should we wear a bikini? If you want, you can wear it. Why are you bent upon finishing off our religion, culture and traditions like hijab and beard.”

Asaduddin Owaisi made these remarks on Friday 14th October 2022 while delivering a speech on the topic ‘Is the hijab a sign of backwardness of Muslims?’ Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Don’t Muslim women contribute to the development of the country? If Muslim women are covering their faces, does that mean they are covering their intelligence? They say Muslims are forcing their young children to wear hijabs. Are we really forcing that? You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab?”

Asaduddin Owaisi added, “If you want to see how dangerously our sisters drive vehicles, then come to Hyderabad. Never put your vehicles behind them. This is my personal experience. I always ask my driver to drive cautiously. Whenever you accompany our sisters on their motorcycles, sit in the back seat wearing a helmet. So you will know how much they are being forced for hijab.”

Asaduddin Owaisi further said, “They say that we are scared of Muslim girls. Tell me who scares anyone these days? Hindu, Sikh, and Christian students are allowed to wear their religious attire and attend classes. Only the attire of Muslims has been banned. What do they think of Muslim students? They feel that Muslims are inferior to us.”

Reasserting his dream to see a hijab-wearing person become the Prime Minister of the country one day, Asaduddin Owaisi said, “When I say that this country will get a hijab-wearing prime minister, some people have a headache. Some others have a stomachache. Why shouldn’t I say that? This is my dream. What’s wrong with that? Do you think they shouldn’t wear a hijab? If they should not wear a hijab, then what should they wear? Bikini? You also have the right to wear the attire of your choice. Do you think our girls should take off the hijab and we should cut the beards?”

It is notable that the Supreme Court of India gave a split decision on the Karnataka hijab row on 13th October 2022. The two-judge bench referred the matter to CJI to hand over the case to a larger three-judge bench.

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