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Fact-check: Did Shah Rukh Khan ‘donate’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara railway station? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-check: Did Shah Rukh Khan ‘donate’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara railway station? Here is the truth

On Sunday, many tweets were going viral with the claim that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has ‘donated’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO (reverse osmosis) plant at the Vadodara railway station. Many verified Twitter accounts, too, were tweeting the same.

Times Group’s Bombay Times was one of the first to tweet that Shah Rukh Khan has spent Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara Railway Station.

However, soon it was picked up by others who claimed he had ‘donated’ the money.

SRK ‘donated’ Rs 23 lakh for RO plant, claimed a tweet

One Rahul Kumar Pandey, a verified Twitter handle, tweeted how Khan got in touch with authorities in Vadodara and when he was informed about ‘water scarcity’, he decided to donate an RO plant at the railway station.

Other SRK fan accounts, too, joined in.

His fans from Pakistan, too, joined in.

However, this does not seem to be the case.

In March 2022, Gujarat High Court had proposed to Shah Rukh Khan’s lawyer that the actor can consider installing an RO plant at Vadodara railway station where an case was registered against him when a stampede occurred during film promotion of Raees in January 2017. One person was killed and two policemen were injured when the actor arrived at Vadodara railway station and halted for 10 minutes. The fans who had come to meet him went into tizzy and police had to resort to mild lathicharge to control the crowd.

When the train started to move, fans started running along the train. One person lost his life due to breathlessness and two policemen were injured. Along with Khan, cricketers Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan had also arrived at the station to meet the superstar.

Subsequently, a case was registered against him, and the court issued summons to him under the Railways Act for rash and negligent act that cause grievous hurt and endangered lives of others. Later, Khan approached the High Court to quash the FIR against him. In March 2022, an elaborate hearing took place at magisterial court in Vadodara. Vadodara High Court judge, while hearing the case on quashing the FIR, opined that this act of throwing soft balls and tshirt to fans was not act done rashly or negligently but that of overenthusiasm.

The judge then asked Khan’s lawyer if he would be open to setting up an RO plant on station to mitigate damages that can help people for years to come. The lawyer had agreed.

As of now, it is not yet clear whether the said RO plant that was suggested by the court has been operational on Vadodara Railway station, but it is unlikely the actor ‘donated’ the money for the RO plant ‘out of goodness of his heart’ since he has been suggested to do so by the court itself.

Did Nawab Malik ask Sanjay Raut to get extra pairs of Jockey underwear for him in Arthur Road jail? A fact-check

OpIndia Staff
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Did Nawab Malik ask Sanjay Raut to get extra pairs of Jockey underwear for him in Arthur Road jail? A fact-check

Hours after the arrest of Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a tweet, allegedly by Nawab Malik asking the Shiv Sena leader for an extra pair of underwear has been doing the rounds of the internet.

The purported screenshot of the tweet, allegedly by the NCP leader read, “Bhai Sanjay agar Arthur road jail aa rahe ho toh, mera liya jockey ke XXL size ke char kacche le aana.” The loose translation of the tweet goes as, “If you are being put up in Arthur Road jail, then, please bring 4 XXL-sized Jockey underwear for me.”

Screengrab of the purported tweet

OpIndia got into action to unearth the truth. Having noted the username of Nawab Malik’s Twitter ID, we performed a quick advanced search on the micro-blogging platform using the formula: <keyword>(from: <username of the Twitter handle>).

To our surprise, the search did not return any result. “No results for ” भाई संजय (from: nawabmalikncp)”, the message read.

Screengrab of the search result

The alleged tweet by Nawab Malik was not shared by any other politician from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). We also recalled how the seasoned politician has been in jail for some time and probably does not have access to his phone.

As such, it is not possible for Malik to make such a request to Sanjay Raut. Also, it is unlikely that the jail authorities allow inmates to share underwear.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested the NCP leader in February this year. Malik was issued summons to appear before the ED pertaining to a PMLA case related to elements linked to Dawood Ibrahim and the underworld. After an interrogation that lasted several hours, he was formally arrested by the ED. 

On the contrary, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was arrested on July 31 afternoon for his alleged involvement in the Patra Chawl scam case.

The screenshot is fake.

Haryana: STF arrests six for issuing death threats to MLAs, links of the gang traced to Pakistan and the Middle East

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: STF arrests six for issuing death threats to MLAs, links of the gang traced to Pakistan and the Middle East

On 31st July 2022, Haryana STF apprehended a six-member gang that was threatening state legislators. So far, four MLAs have complained to police about threats and extortion calls. Between June 24 and June 28, they reportedly received death threats and extortion calls from several phone numbers traceable to Middle Eastern nations.

FIRs were filed over these threats, and Haryana DGP PK Agrawal delegated the inquiry to STF (Headquarters). Technical analysis of these cellphones, according to STF IG B Satheesh Balan, has revealed that these phones are registered in Middle Eastern nations and were handled from Pakistan.

According to a report by The Tribune, several ex-MLAs of Punjab have also received similar threats from these phones. During conversations with MLAs, many accents and patterns were employed, such as the Mumbaikar tone and Punjabi dialect.

STF IG B Satheesh Balan said, “We had formed an SIT to investigate these cases. The two-week operation was personally monitored and supervised by DGP, Haryana. STF conducted a technical analysis of these mobile numbers and IP addresses. This involved five separate teams working on this technical analysis.”

He added, “While working on this link, the STF (H) prepared a strategic plan through which the STF (H) team started receiving these threat and extortion calls. The STF (H) accordingly asked the account number and mobile numbers to complete the transaction with the extortionists. To track these account numbers, two parallel teams conducted raids across Mumbai and Muzaffarpur, Bihar.”

Dulesh Alam and Badre Alam, two members of this gang, were nabbed from Mumbai. They were seized with 20 Passbook/Cheque Books, 18 ATM cards, 14 bogus SIM cards, 1 diary, and 5 mobile phones.

It was revealed that these offenders frequently lured poor or common people to create bank accounts by giving them Rs 15,000 to 20,000. They would then keep all the necessary documents (passbook, cheque books, ATM card, and ATM pin) with themselves and purchase fake SIM cards to operate these accounts.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, STF Bihar, and the Bihar Police provided STF Haryana with unwavering assistance during these searches. During questioning, the STF Haryana identified around ten Pakistani nationals through whom the threats and extortion were channeled.

IG Balan further said, “These accused do not belong to any criminal gang or terrorist organization. This in fact is a gang of very sharp criminals who are involved in professional fraud, and money laundering and have their members across Pakistan, the Middle East, and India. People sitting in other countries would entice victims by making calls in the name of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ or lotteries or by extortion calls and would make them transfer money to the account numbers given by Dulesh or Amit. Dulesh and Amit then either withdraw this money via ATMs or would transfer this amount to the Indian accounts of their Pakistan-based gang members.”

Why did Arvind Kejriwal government revert to the old Excise Policy in Delhi despite earning huge profits? Here is all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Why did Arvind Kejriwal government revert to the old Excise Policy in Delhi despite earning huge profits? Here is all you need to know

The home delivery of liquor will cease to exist in the National Capital from Sunday (July 31) onwards, following the expiry of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022 [pdf].

The now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government was originally proposed in 2020. After coming into effect in November 2021, it changed the manner in which alcohol was sold in Delhi.

Until then, only government-owned liquor vendors were permitted to sell alcohol. The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022 introduced private players in the market. The National Capital was divided into 32 zones and a total of 27 private vendors were to ply in each zone.

Every municipal ward had 2-3 liquor vendors operating in the area. The private liquor shops were allowed to attract crowds by offering discounts on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). They could deliver liquor at home, and even keep shops open till 3 am in the morning.

The drastic policy change resulted in a 27% increase in government revenue to ₹8900 crores. At the same time, it marked the complete exit of the Delhi government from the liquor business.

Despite this ‘success story’, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had to take a U-turn on its new excise policy. It decided to switch back to its old excise regime for retail liquor sales.

Reportedly, an official direction was issued on Friday (July 29) by Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. “…Vide which it has, inter-alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh excise policy is in place…”, the order read.

Allegations of cartelisation mars implementation of Excise Policy 2021-2022

So why did the Delhi government discard its ambitious plans? While the objective of Excise Policy 2021-2022 was to end black marketing and the liquor mafia, the AAP government soon came under fire over allegations of corruption.

Naresh Kumar, who was appointed the Chief Secretary of Delhi in April 2022, found irregularities and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy. A copy of the Excise Policy 2021-2022 was sent to him for examination by the Excise Department.

The Chief Secretary prepared a report and sought the response of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on July 8. It must be mentioned that Sisodia is also the head of the excise department.

The report blamed the Deputy CM for making changes to the excise policy without the authorisation of the Lieutenant Governor and providing ‘undue benefits’ to the liquor vendors.

Manish Sisodia reportedly waived off ₹144.36 crores on the license fee, to be paid by the private liquor vendors, under the garb of the Coronavirus pandemic. He also caused loss to the Excise Department and benefitted liquor licensees by waiving the import pass fee of ₹50 per beer case.

Delhi Police steps in

All these changes were made without the final approval of the Lieutenant Governor and thus considered illegal under the Delhi Excise Rules of 2010 and Transaction of Business Rules of 1993.

A copy of the Chief Secretary’s report was forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and the Delhi Chief Minister.  Following the revelations, LG Saxena recommended a probe into the matter.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi police was also apprised of the irregularities in Excise Policy 2021-2022 by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar. The cops gathered video recordings of the Excise Department’s meetings that took place in the month of July.

They sought procedural details about the distribution of liquor licenses, besides application forms of liquor licensees who were approved under the Excise Policy 2021-2022.

Under fire from all quarters, the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Delhi government was forced to return to the old excise regime to skirt the public outcry for the time being.

As ED detains Sanjay Raut, here is why netizens are tagging ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra and asking him if he’s ok

OpIndia Staff
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As ED detains Sanjay Raut, here is why netizens are tagging ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra and asking him if he’s ok

The Enforcement Directorate detained Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam case on 31st July 2022 in the afternoon. Sanjay Raut was arrested from his bungalow ‘Maitri’ in the Bhandup area of Mumbai where the ED team visited in the morning on the same day and conducted searches and questioned Sanjay Raut, his family members, and his close associates. Soon after his arrest, netizens started tagging the so-called comedian Kunal Kamra and trolling him in various posts.

Kunal Kamra hosted a talk show ‘Shut Up Ya Kunal’ and in one of the episodes of this show, he had appeared with Sanjay Raut. It is notable that he shot this episode shortly after the bulldozer action was taken by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai against actress Kangana Ranaut.

Sanjay Raut and Kunal Kamra also held a photo session in which they posed with toy bulldozers to mock the actress. Kunal Kamra had also said that Sanjay Raut should be made the President of India. He tweeted in October 2020, “I’m ok with presidents rule in Maharashtra the day Sanjay Raut Ji is our president.”

As ED arrested Sanjay Raut, netizens lashed out at Kunal Kamra for his support to the controversial Shiv Sena leader. A Twitter handle @kaajukatla tagged Kunal Kamra and wrote, “Carry the food tiffin for you father tomorrow.”

Another Twitter user India Speaks wrote, “Kunal Kamra, pack your bags and be ready.”

During the coup within Shiv Sena by the Eknath Shinde group of MLAs, Sanjay Raut tweeted “Kab tak baithoge Gauhati me, aana hi padega Chaupati me” which means “until when will you sit in Guwahati, you will have to come back to Mumbai.” Kunal Kamra shared an image of Sanjay Raut with this quote. After the arrest of Sanjay Raut, Akhilesh Narwaria replied to this tweet by Kunal Kamra and wrote, “Kab Tak chhupega ‘Maitri’ bungalow me, aana hi padega humare kaidkhane me – ED” which means “Until when will you hide in the ‘Maitri’ bungalow, you will have to come to our jail – ED”.

News analyst Ankush Saxena tweeted, “Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Comedian Kunal Kamra celebrated Bulldozer action. Sanjay Raut & Kunal Kamra used a toy bulldozer to take a dig at Kangana Ranaut. And, liberals were celebrating & sharing the above photo. Later, the Bombay High Court ordered that BMC acted with malice to demolish Kangana’s bungalow. Demolition was illegal & BMC must pay for damages.”

In this way, Sanjay Raut’s arrest by ED has led netizens to express their thoughts about Kuna Kamra citing his past activities with Sanjay Raut.

Taiwan missing from Nancy Pelosi’s itinerary after Chinese commentator urged govt to shoot down her plane

OpIndia Staff
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Taiwan missing from Nancy Pelosi’s itinerary after Chinese commentator urged govt to shoot down her plane

A lot of high-octane drama has happened on Twitter over the upcoming visit of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi to Asia. It all started after a report by CNN about Pelosi’s visit to Asia, where she was scheduled to make stops at various US allies in the region, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. However, there were talks of her possible visit to Taiwan as well, but China had issued a strong warning against it.

Quoting CNN’s tweet about Pelosi’s visit, Chinese Propagandist Commentator with the state media, Global Times, Hu Xijin said, “If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is an invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making the tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,” on Twitter. The tweet was later deleted by Twitter, stating it was against its Terms of Services.

Now-deleted tweet by Hu Xijin. Source: Twitter/_thegoldenAK47

Xijin, in another tweet, threatened Taiwan and said, “If Pelosi really visits Taiwan as planned, the Tsai Ing-wen authorities are an accomplice. The mainland will definitely carry out severe punishment actions on Taiwan at the same time. The unbearable consequences will fall on Tsai authorities.”

Source: Twitter

In a follow-up tweet, Xijin said sarcastically, “Where is Pelosi now? Does anybody know? Some said that she will be going to Taiwan by a submarine instead, and others said that she has sneaked into Taiwan disguised as someone else, is that the case?”

Source: Twitter

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Biden administration to provide full support to Pelosi if she wanted to visit Taiwan. He said, “CCP-mouthpiece The Global Times threatens Pelosi’s plane will be shot down if she visits Taiwan. President Biden must give full support to this visit. Don’t be weak and cave to the demands of petty warmongers and dictators in Beijing. Support the freedom-loving people of Taiwan.”

Source: Twitter

He added, “The Biden administration caving to the CCP would display very dangerous weakness. We are no one’s satellite state. This is a matter between two sovereign Nations – America and Taiwan.”

Source: Twitter

Quoting Pompeo, Xijin called him a coward and said, “In January last year, it was reported that you were going to visit Taiwan in the last days before leaving office, but you did not dare to go in the end. Now you are inciting Pelosi to do things you wouldn’t dare to do as secretary of state. You are sinister.”

Source: Twitter

Taiwan is among the major points of conflict between the US and China. Following the threat issued by the Chinese President Xi Jinping over the call to President Biden, the National Security Officials had reportedly worked to convince Pelosi against her trip to Taiwan.

In recent times, Vice President Kamala Harris also signalled a possible visit to Asia. Though she did not mention Taiwan, there were speculations that VP Harris might want to add Taiwan to her itinerary. China has repeatedly emphasised that Taiwan is part of One-China propaganda, a claim that the US has shown extreme opposition to.

On Friday (July 29), while speaking on Pelosi’s visit to Asia and if she might visit Taiwan, a White House national security spokesperson said the US government had observed there was no evidence of possible Chinese military action against Taiwan. Though the US has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is reportedly bound by the law to provide the means to defend itself. It is noteworthy that there is a large US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, including around the South China Sea.

UK: Prince Charles accepted 1 million Pounds from Osama Bin Laden’s family in 2013

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Prince Charles accepted 1 million Pounds from Osama Bin Laden’s family in 2013

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales accepted a £1 million payment from Osama Bin Laden’s family in donations in 2013, which has been revealed now. According to a report by the Sunday Times, in 2013, two years after Al Qaeda terrorist Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed, Prince Charles accepted the money from two of his half-brothers. The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF) received the amount in the form of a donation.

PWCF told that “thorough due diligence” had been maintained, and the choice to receive the funds rested with the trustees. Following a meeting with Bakr Bin Laden at Clarence House, Prince Charles took the money from Bakr Bin Laden, the rich Saudi family’s leader, and Bakr’s brother Shafiq. According to various sources, the heir to the throne accepted the money overriding protests from Clarence House and PWCF experts. Prince Charles had received advice from a number of people not to accept the offer.

However, Sir Ian Cheshire, the PWCF’s chairman, stated that the 2013 payment was “seriously reviewed” by the five trustees at the time. He added, “Due diligence was conducted, with information sought from a wide range of sources, including government. The decision to accept the donation was taken wholly by the trustees. Any attempt to suggest otherwise is misleading and inaccurate.”

Bin Laden was disowned by his family in 1994, and there is no evidence to show that his wealthy family had any links with his terror activities.

It is notable that the PWCF provides grants to non-profit organizations registered in the United Kingdom to carry out initiatives in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and abroad. According to a report by Hindustan Times, previously, police opened an investigation into another of Prince Charles’ charity organizations in February 2022 amid allegations of a cash-for-honors scam involving Saudi entrepreneur Mahfouz Marei Mubarak. Mubarak has made significant contributions to rehabilitation projects of specific regard to Prince Charles. The Saudi billionaire has rejected all allegations of misconduct.

EAM S Jaishankar royally ignores Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto even as he throws shade on terrorism in neighbouring country

OpIndia Staff
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EAM S Jaishankar royally ignores Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto even as he throws shade on terrorism in neighbouring country

On July 30, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, without taking the name of Pakistan at the SCO foreign minister’s meeting, said that there must be zero tolerance for terrorism in all its manifestations. At the meeting at Tashkent, Pakistan’s newly appointed foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other counterparts from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan were present. Foreign Minister Jaishankar also called upon Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to fight the new types of terrorism and new world threats such as hunger.

Following the meeting, S Jaishankar tweeted, “Highlighted that world faces an energy and food crisis due to disruptions from the Covid pandemic and Ukraine conflict. This needs to be urgently addressed. Response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism.”

He further talked about the position of India in Afghanistan and pointed out the humanitarian assistance provided to Afghanistan in the form of wheat, vaccines, medicines and clothing. He talked about the potential of Chabahar port for the economic future of SCO. He said, “Spoke of the economic progress in India, stressing the relevance of startups and innovation. Cooperation in traditional medicine is in the common interest of SCO members.”

Contrary to S Jaishankar’s emphasis on using the Chabahar Port of Iran by the SCO partners, Bilawal Bhutto talked about the CPEC project, which is China and Pakistan’s connectivity project. However, reports suggest that Bhutto’s elementary knowledge of foreign affairs stood nowhere in front of India’s foreign minister.

During the meeting, the foreign ministers finalized the agenda for the upcoming Samarkand summit, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping will take part along with their other counterparts. The upcoming summit will be the first time PM Modi and President Xi will meet since the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in 2020.

In a statement, the Indian government said, “The meeting discussed the preparations for the forthcoming SCO Summit of Heads of State scheduled to be held in Samarkand on 15-16 September 2022 and witnessed a dialogue on international and regional issues.”

Reportedly, China and Pakistan foreign ministers had bilateral talks with the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Despite India’s strong-worded opposition to the inclusion of third countries in CPEC, Wang talked about China’s support for the extension of the project into Afghanistan.

Speaking about India, Bhutto told WION, “India is our neighbour. You can choose a lot of things in your life, but you can’t choose your neighbour. We have to live with one another. Unfortunately, the event of August 2019, the recent Islamophobic statements by officials of the ruling party obviously make it difficult for us to engage constructively.”

Bhutto was referring to the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir that happened in August 2019 and alleged derogatory comments by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Interestingly, either he was ill-informed, or he chose to skip the fact that what Sharma said was in retaliation to the provocation by another panellist. He further said there were no plans for talks between India’s PM and Pakistan’s PM during the September summit.

Mumbai: ED arrests Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam case, seals his flat in Dadar

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: ED arrests Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam case, seals his flat in Dadar

The Enforcement Directorate detained Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on 31st July 2022 afternoon in the Patra Chawl scam case. As the Shiv Sena leader was not responding to the investigating team properly, the ED detained him for further questioning. A heavy police force has been deployed near the ED office in Mumbai. ED had summoned the Shiv Sena leader twice in July 2022. He did not present himself before the officers citing the current parliament session. An ED team had reached Raut’s residence this morning and started questioning him and searching the house. The central agency is probing him in the Patra Chawl scam case.

The search operation by the Enforcement Directorate at Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s residence in the Bhandup area of Mumbai is in full swing. The ED reached Sanjay Raut’s house on 31st July 2022 morning as it was investigating the Rs 1034 crore Patra Chawl scam case. The agency has deployed a 10-member-team to search the rooms of the Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and his brother MLA Sunil Raut.

According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the central agency is also probing two other close associates of Sanjay Raut. Search operations at his bungalow ‘Maitri’ started at around 7:30 in the morning. A team of ED is questioning Sanjay Raut’s family members in the bungalow one by one.

As soon as the information about the ED’s action at Sanjay Raut’s house was received, Shiv Sena workers started gathering outside his house. The workers are raising slogans against the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut came to the balcony of the house and waved his hand looking at the crowd gathered.

Involvement of Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case

The case pertains to Patra Chawl in the Goregaon area of Mumbai. It is a plot of land belonging to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority popularly called MHADA. There is a scam of about 1034 crores. Properties worth 9 crore rupees of Sanjay Raut and 2 crore rupees of Raut’s wife Varsha have been seized in the case.

It is alleged that real estate businessman Pravin Raut cheated people living in Patra Chawl. A construction company had got the job of constructing 3000 flats on this plot. Of these, 672 flats were to be given to those living here. The rest were to be given to MHADA, but in 2011, parts of this big plot were sold to other builders. Till now, the original residents of the chawl have not received the flats.

The PMC Bank scam that surfaced in Maharashtra in 2020 was under investigation when the name of Pravin Raut’s construction company came up. It was then found that a loan of Rs 55 lakh was given to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut from the bank account of the builder’s wife. The ED team is investigating why this transaction was done. It is alleged that Sanjay Raut had purchased a flat in Dadar with the same money. ED has now sealed that flat. Pravin Raut is a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited.

Marathi film producer Swapna Patkar, who has accused Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case, will be given protection by the Mumbai Police. Swapna Patkar alleged that she has received the letter, pressurizing her to withdraw her statement against Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case. The police can also file an FIR in this case.

Sanjay Raut was interrogated for 10 hours by the central agency on July 1 this year. He was asked to appear before ED on July 20 but he gave it a miss. A new summon was issued on July 27 but the Sena leader missed it too. This compelled the central agency to land at his residence directly.

Jharkhand: Congress MLA alleges 3 party MLAs caught with cash asked him to join them in toppling Hemant Soren govt with help of Himanta Biswa Sarma

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Congress MLA alleges 3 party MLAs caught with cash asked him to join them in toppling Hemant Soren govt with help of Himanta Biswa Sarma

A day after three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand were caught in Howrah in West Bengal with huge amounts of money, another Jharkhand Congress MLA has made sensational allegations against them. Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal Singh has alleged that the three MLAs, Rajesh Kachhaap, Naman Bixal Kongari and Irfan Ansari were planning to go to Assam and meet CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren government.

Kumar Jaimangal has lodged a complaint with the Ranchi police against the three Congress MLAs, alleging that they had approached him to join them in toppling the JMM-Congress alliance government. He has alleged that the MLAs Rajesh Kachhaap, Naman Bixal Kongari and Irfan Ansari are calling him to Kolkata and offering Rs 10 crore and an assured ministerial berth in the new Jharkhand govt after the collapse of the current one.

According to him, the MLAs want to take him to Guwahati and meet Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Sarma will assure him the money and the ministry. He further says that Irfan Ansari has already been promised the health ministry in the new govt.

The MLA has written in his complaint, “Shri Irfan Ansari and Rajesh Kachchap wants me to come to Kolkata and then take me to Guwahati where according to him he will make me meet Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma who will give me assurance of a definite ministerial berth apart from the money. Irfan Ansari has told me that he has already been promised Health ministry in the new government. He also told me that he shall be reaching Kolkata yesterday afternoon. He said that he has already got money transferred to his persons and once I reach Guwahati and promise it in front of Shri Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. He assured me that Shri Sarma is doing it with the blessings of top shots of BJP political party sitting in Delhi.”

Kumar Jaimangal Singh has written that he does not want to be part of this unconstitutional activity, and therefore seeking action against them. He said that the three MLAs are in Kolkata with token amount, presumably received to topple the govt, and that they are pressuring him to go to Kolkata and accompany them to Guwahati.

The Congress MLA has sought action against the three MLAs under section 7(C) of Prevention of Corruption Act and 120B IPC. He wrote in his complaint to police “Since I do not want to a part of such a criminal offence and indulge in such unethical activity which breaks the constitutional structure of the country, would request you to take action as per section 7(C) of Prevention Of Corruption Act and 120B IPC and bring this kind of criminal activity to stop which strikes at the very heart of the democracy and book the persons as per the provisions of law for influencing me for an illegal act in active collusion with others who are operating from behind to topple the present Govt of Jharkhand with a dangerous design and adopting all sorts of illegal ways by influencing their position being in capacity of Public Servants.”

It is notable that after they were caught with Rs 49 lakh in cash in Howrah, Khijri MLA Rajesh Kachhaap, Kolebira MLA Naman Bixal Kongari and Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari has been suspended from the Congress party. Announcing the suspension, Congress leader Pawan Khera had alleged BJP was trying to topple state governments.

However, the MLAs have denied the charges, and said that they went to Kolkata to buy sarees from wholesale markets, as they are cheaper in Kolkata.

In the 2019 Jharkhand elections, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha had won 30 seats and its alliance partner Congress won 16 seats, against BJP’s 25. With RJD’s 7, the government currently has a comfortable majority.

In the meanwhile, Assam CM Hemanta Biswa Sarma has denied the allegations made by Kumar Jaimangal Singh. He said that even the topmost Congress leaders keep in touch with me, but they don’t talk about politics. As he was in Congress 22 years, he maintain contact with them, but he does not know why the FIR was filed on this matter.

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