Home Blog Page 3220

Afghanistan: Female TV presenters defy diktat to cover their faces, receive threats from the Taliban government

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Afghanistan: Female TV presenters defy diktat to cover their faces, receive threats from the Taliban government

On Saturday (May 21), several female news presenters in Afghanistan appeared on TV without a face veil, in defiance of the Taliban diktat which made covering the face mandatory for the women.

As per reports, female journalists associated with 3 broadcast stations in Afghanistan went ahead with their live programmes without a face cover. The Taliban-led Afghan government has now threatened the women with termination from their organisations.

The radical Islamic outfit has also warned media managers who ‘failed’ to enforce their diktat. The development comes days after the Taliban had ordered female Afghan journalists to cover their faces during news programmes.

“If they don’t comply, we will talk to the managers and guardians of the presenters. Anyone who lives under a particular system and government has to obey the laws and orders of that system, so they must implement the order,” remarked Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Sadeq Akif Mohajir. 

While reacting to the Taliban’s diktat, journalist Wali Adrian had tweeted, “A powerful message from an Afghan woman (Tolo TV Host) that needs reflection: This is me, Yalda Ali, a woman -on verge of being eliminated by the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. We are required to appear like this, hereafter.”

Reportedly, the women declined to wear a face cover, fearing that it would lead to even more restrictions in future.“Our female colleagues are concerned that if they cover their faces, the next thing they would be told is to stop working,” Shamshad TV Head Abid Ehsas pointed out.

“This is the reason they have not observed the order so far,” he added. Although women had to wear headscarves on TV, the Taliban has now made covering the face mandatory.

While reacting to the orders of the Islamist outfit, a female journalist told the BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV. How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now – I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family.”

‘Head-to-toe’ burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan

Earlier this month, Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had issued a decree making an all-covering burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan. The decree by Akhundzada was released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul.

“They should wear a chador (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful”, the decree said. Recently, the Islamist outfit had declared that women would not be allowed to wear coloured Hijab.

According to reports on social media, female students who were wearing coloured hijab or scarves were not allowed to enter a university in Kabul on May 18 this year. Videos posted on social media showed Taliban operatives standing near the gate of the university and guiding the women who were wearing coloured Hijab. 

From cracking down on girls’ education in the country, to stopping women from flying alone, the Taliban has continued to oppress women in the country. The general disdain for the women under the Taliban rule can be seen in all spheres of society.

Gujarat: Cops book one Rafiq Mansoor for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Gujarat: Cops book one Rafiq Mansoor for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus

On Saturday (May 21), the police booked a man named Rafiq Mansoor for deliberately hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community, reported Desh Gujarat.

The accused had uploaded an objectionable Whatsapp post at around 8:30 pm. Desh Gujarat reported that he made abusive and insulting remarks about Hinduism. He also made despicable comments about a Hindu deity.

Mansoor is a resident of Tadkeshwar village in Mandvi Taluka of Surat. Reportedly, the locals have demanded strong action from the police against him. This comes soon after the discovery of Shivling inside the disputed structure Gyanvapi ‘mosque’ at Kashi.

It must be mentioned that a Delhi court had recently granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal who was arrested over a derogatory social media post after a Shivling was found in the disputed Gyanvapi complex.

In his bail plea, the Delhi Professor touted himself as a follower of the Hindu religion. ”It is further argued that the accused is a person of repute who is himself a follower of Hindu religion and does not seek to create animosity between religious groups,” the bail plea read.

The court ruled that the professor could walk out on bail after furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000.

How Kishan Bharwad was killed over alleged blasphemy

While Rafiq Mansoor has only been booked over his anti-Hindu posts and Ratan Lal has even been granted bail by the Judiciary, the scenario was different for Kishan Bharwad.

On 25th January 2022, Dhandhuka youth Kishan Bharwad was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants after he had shared a social media post that contained a visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims find the image of Prophet Muhammad offensive and killing those who commit such a ‘blasphemy’ is allowed and encouraged by Islamists.

Following Kishan Bharwad’s murder, at least 6 clerics were arrested from across India. While Hindus are paying with their lives on charges of blasphemy for questioning other Faiths, Islamists and their sympathisers are able to exploit legal loopholes to get away with their actions.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin hugs Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict upon his release, Congress ally had been fighting to get him out of jail

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin hugs Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict upon his release, Congress ally had been fighting to get him out of jail

On May 18, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin met AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. CM Stalin shared a video where he was seen hugging Perarivalan. Notably, his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been rooting for Perarivalan’s release for a long time.

In the tweet, he mentioned Perarivalan as a ‘brother’ and wished for his better future along with his mother, Arputhammal, who had been fighting for his release. Earlier, CM Stalin had shared a four-page long press release in Tamil where he patted his Government’s back and called the judgment of the Supreme Court worthy of ‘history, law, politics and administrative history’.

In the argument presented by the state in the Supreme Court, it was mentioned that the IPC 302 was subject to the public order of the state government, and Governor had to approve the decision made by the state government. The statement mentioned that the Supreme Court Judges noted that the Governor could not interfere in the State Government’s decisions.

The release of Perarivalan

In 2014, the then-Tamil Nadu government led by AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa invoked the state’s powers under Section 432 of CrPC and sent a recommendation to the Centre to release all convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including Perarivalan. At that time, Stalin’s party supported the decision. After the release of Perarivalan, AIADMK is also trying to take credit for the release.

In 2018, after coming to power, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu cabinet passed a resolution to release seven convicts of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination under Article 161 and was sent to the Governor of Tamil Nadu for approval. However, the decision from the Governor’s office remained pending.

In 2020, Stalin approached the Governor and urged him to approve the pending request to release Perarivalan as ordered by the Supreme Court. The Governor said he would consider the request, said CM Stalin in the recent press release. However, the request was forwarded to the President of India, stating he was the right authority to make the decision to release the convicts.

The matter came before the Supreme Court, which granted bail to Perarivalan in March 2022, followed by a release in May 2022. The Centre had opposed bail granted to Perarivalan in March. It is noteworthy that Perarivalan has not been declared ‘not guilty by the Supreme Court. It was only judicial in nature. He was released by the Apex court over legal aspects and the fact the Governor did not take a decision over his release for long.

Congress party’s stand on Perarivalan’s release

On May 19, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TMCC) held a silent protest against the release of Perarivalan. However, the Congress party has made it clear that the different stand on his release would not affect the alliance between Congress and DMK.

The Gandhi family, interestingly, did not oppose the release of the convicts. Former Union Minister S. Thiruvanavakarasu had said in a statement that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi never said they (convicts) should not be released. “Both Rahul and Sonia will not have any regrets over the release of Perarivalan,” said Thiruvanavakarasu. The statement had come a day before the silent protest was organized.

BJP’s stand on the release

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opposed the release of the convicts since the beginning. Stating that the blast that took the life of a former Prime Minister also killed several innocents and injured others, the party has marked its protest against the release. BJP leader and state president K Annamalai said the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence of four convicts, including Perarivalan. “But as remissions followed and there were multiple rounds, the Supreme Court has given an extraordinary judgement which is given in a special case,” he added.

He said though BJP accepts the decision by the Apex court, it is firm on the state that all the seven convicts are grave offenders. “Seventeen people died along with Rajiv Gandhi on a fatal day. The deceased included eight police personnel,” he said.

Lashing out at TN CM Stalin, Annamalai said, “They are not tyagis (one who sacrifices oneself) to be glorified. There are thousands of people in Tamil Nadu who can be glorified. Hence, the DMK and party president and chief minister M K Stalin have set a very bad example by giving an extraordinary welcome to Perarivalan. “Let him [Perarivalan] live his life, but the chief minister should not set a wrong example,” he said.

He further blamed Congress for putting a double act and said, “But then they go to the DMK begging Rajya Sabha seats. The people of Tamil Nadu are watching them closely.”

Relatives of other victims were pained by the release

The other victims of the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination are not happy with the release. India Today quoted S Abbas, son of a victim identified as S Samdhani Begum, who recalled how difficult it was for him to survive. He was only 10-year-old when his mother, a South Mahila Congress leader, was killed in the blast in 1991. Abbas’s father had died in 1988. She was standing close to Rajiv Gandhi at the time of the incident.

He said, “Imagine the difficulties of a 10-year-old child with both parents gone. I lost everything in my life, and the 16 families of the victims have lost everything in their lives too. This year one of the convicts was released. How is it justice? He is a convict in the case, and we are the victims. What humanitarian grounds are you seeing? It has been 31 years. He was released, but will they be able to give back my mother?”

Disappointed with the visuals of CM hugging him, Abbas said, “The CM hugging Perarivalan is such a disappointment. We are the victim and not him. It is all for political gain that these parties support Perarivalan. These politicians should visit us and see our pain and how our lives have been shattered.”

Another victim’s brother, John Joseph, also expressed his anger. John’s brother Edward Joseph, a CID inspector, was on Gandhi’s security on a fateful day. 67-year-old John said, “My brother was just 39, his death left my entire family in the dark. My mother developed heart problems and died of cardiac arrest. My sister-in-law was widowed at a young age with a small child. I was the one who identified my brother post his killing. I have knocked every possible door for justice, but the release of Perarivalan is a grave injustice to us all.” Pained John added the court might have released him, but “he [Perarivalan] would pay the price in God’s court”.

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on May 21 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. On that fateful day, along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 13 others had lost their lives.

Perarivalan was arrested in the case at the age of 19. He was sentenced to death in May 1999. He was charged with purchasing the 8-volt battery used to detonate the belt bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. During the lengthy pendency of their mercy petitions, his sentence and that of two others, Murugan and Santhan (both Sri Lankans), were commuted to life in prison in 2014. Soon after, the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu ordered the release of all seven of the case’s convicts.

When Rajiv Gandhi’s family, including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, chose to ‘forgive’ the convicts and said they had no objection if the killers were released, the kin of those who had died along with Rajiv Gandhi was not too happy with the move.

Gujarat: Aam Aadmi Party leader arrested with 8 others for obstructing development work in Jamnagar

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Gujarat: Aam Aadmi Party leader arrested with 8 others for obstructing development work in Jamnagar

The Gujarat Police arrested an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and eight others in the Kalyanpur taluka of Jamnagar district after a complaint was made against them for blocking Jetco Company’s operations of installing an electricity pole. They were asking considerably more compensation than the permitted amount.

After a thorough investigation, local IPS Nidhi Thakur and Kalyanpur PSI FB Gaganiya arrested AAP activist Nindresh Mandan Bhochiya, along with eight other people. It is alleged that these people were obstructing the work of the company contracted by the authorities to install electricity poles. They were also demanding higher compensation than the amount prescribed as per rules.

As per the reports, the legalities for producing all nine detained people before a local court are being completed.

It is worth noting that the Aam Aadmi Party is attempting to establish itself in Gujarat ahead of the state assembly elections later this year.

On May 15, 2022, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) launched a Parivartan Yatra to reach out to voters in 182 Gujarat constituencies before the assembly elections. During the Parivartan Yatra, however, the rallies appeared to be barren, and the meeting venue was deserted. The majority of the vehicles and individuals spotted at the rallies were from Punjab. Following this, individuals circulated various sorts of videos on social media, claiming that the Parivartan Yatra was a fiasco.

In this initiative, Gopal Italia began Parivartan Yatra from Somnath Temple on May 15th, while Isudan Gadhvi began Parivartan Yatra from Dwarka. In addition, the yatra was launched in six different locations around the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party’s Parivartan Yatra, but on the other side, had little support from Gujaratis. The Aam Aadmi Party’s leaders appear to have been aware of this since they had already gathered a big number of vehicles and people from Punjab for the yatra. There were relatively few participants in some of the rallies, while others of the Parivartan Yatra witnessed a desolate rally ground.

Rajasthan: 14-year-old minor girl raped at knifepoint inside the delivery room of govt hospital, accused Nasir Khan absconding

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: 14-year-old minor girl raped at knifepoint inside the delivery room of govt hospital, accused Nasir Khan absconding

In a shocking incident, a teenage girl was allegedly raped at knifepoint by one Nasir Khan inside the delivery room of a government hospital in Rajasthan’s Barmer.

According to the reports, a 14-year-old minor girl, a resident of Udaniyon Ki Dhani village, had visited the Barmer government hospital with her brother on May 16 to get treatment for her stomach ache. As there was a big rush in the hospital, her brother went out to the nearby market to buy some items while she waited for her turn.

The accused Nasir Khan saw her alone, took her to the nearby delivery room and raped her at knifepoint. Nasir Khan thrashed the minor girl and dragged her to the delivery room of the hospital. He raped her and captured the obscene act. Then, Nasir Khan threatened to make her video viral if she revealed the incident.

The girl shared the incident with her mother, following which a complaint was registered by the family on May 19.

Meanwhile, the Barmer police have booked the accused under the POCSO Act. The accused is absconding, and the police have launched a search to arrest the culprit at the earliest.

The victim’s family suspected that Nasir Khan had been stalking the girl ever since he had come to repair an electronic item at the victim’s house a few months ago.

Assam: Mob burns down police station and assault cops after alleged custodial death of fish trader Safiqul Islam

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Assam: Mob burns down police station and assault cops after alleged custodial death of fish trader Safiqul Islam

In a shocking incident in Assam, an enraged mob burnt down a police station after a man allegedly died in police custody. The incident happened in Batadrava in Nagaon district in Assam on Saturday, when a mob of around 2,000 people attacked the Batadrava police station, assaulted cops, and burnt the police station down.

The incident was triggered by the death of Safiqul Islam, a fish trader, while he was in police custody in the police station. After learning about his death, people from his community gathered around the police station and attacked it. The mob assaulted policemen on duty at that time, and after that set the police station on fire.

The family of Safiqul Islam has alleged that he was beaten to death by the police because he had refused to pay them bribe that the police officials had demanded from him. They alleged that the cops had demanded Rs 10,000, a duck and a chicken from his family in exchange of his release from custody.

Videos of the incident show a large number of people, including women attacking the police station and setting it on fire.

Soon after the attack, additional forces were sent to Batadrava to control the situation. Nagaon SP Leena Doley and other senior officials of Nagaon Police also arrived. Three persons who were part of the mob has been arrested so far by the police. Two policemen were injured in the attack.

“We have arrested three persons who were involved in the violence. This is absolutely unacceptable. Whatever may be the provocation, no one can take up law into their hands. We will look into every aspect of the incident and take action,” SP Leena Doley said.

Reportedly, Safiqul Islam, a residence of Salnabari under Dhing police station, was arrested by Batadrava Police on Friday evening when he was on his way to sell fish. He allegedly died in police custody and his family found his body a hospital in Nagaon today.

However, the police have denied that he died due to torture by police. SP Leena DOley said that Safiqul was brought by police in an inebriated condition from Bhumuraguri, after some people had informed the police about him. She said that his family members were informed about his detention, and after that they had gone to the police station in the morning, and even provided him food. However, his condition deteriorated while in detention, following which he was sent to the local PHC and from there he was referred to Nagaon civil hospital. However, he was declared brought dead at the civil hospital.

The SP further said that they are investigating the allegations made by Safiqul’s family.

Australia: Scott Morrison loses national elections, Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese to become the new PM

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Australia: Scott Morrison loses national elections, Labor Party’s Anthony Albanese to become the new PM

Australia’s opposition leader Anthony Albanese defeated the current Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the national election. He will be the next Prime Minister of Australia. The results of the election were declared on Saturday 21st May 2022. Australia’s Labor Party is set to take power for the first time since 2013, as voters booted out Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s conservative government. This change is seen as a mandate for bringing in greater action on climate change, women’s issues, and anti-corruption efforts.

Morrison conceded defeat on Saturday night and congratulated Anthony Albanese on the victory for the Labor Party, which was closing in on a majority in the 151-seat parliament. According to the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Labor Party won at least 72 seats while Morrison’s Liberal-National Coalition went on to secure 52 seats. The rest of the seats were won by the third front and the independent candidates.

Scott Morrison said, “In this country, at a time like this, when we look around the world, and particularly when we see those in Ukraine fighting for their very freedom and liberty, I think on a night like tonight we can reflect on the greatness of our democracy. I congratulate Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party and I wish him and his government all the very best.”

Albanese had focused his campaign on ending Australia’s ‘climate wars’, adopting more ambitious emissions targets, and introducing a federal corruption watchdog but he had refused calls to phase out coal use or to block the opening of new coal mines. As soon as Anthony Albanese won the elections, he announced, “We can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower.”

Australia’s high commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell AO tweeted, “Australia’s Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese is no stranger to India having travelled the country as a backpacker in 1991 and led a parliamentary delegation in 2018. During the campaign, he committed to deepening economic, strategic, and people-to-people links between India and Australia.”

In Australia, voting was held for 151 seats in the lower chamber. It takes 76 seats to form the government. There are two houses in Australia. The term of the Upper House is for 6 years. The term of the lower house is three years. Elections are held every three years. Six candidates were in the race for the post of Prime Minister in Australia, but the primary contest was between Morrison and Albanese. Morrison fell short of an absolute majority in the 2019 election but he managed to form the government together with smaller parties. Australia’s Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese will now travel to Tokyo for the Quad Summit. In Japan, he will hold bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the Quad Summit.

Petrol and diesel to get cheaper as center reduces excise duty, announces subsidy on gas cylinders under Ujjwala Yojana

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Petrol and diesel to get cheaper as center reduces excise duty, announces subsidy on gas cylinders under Ujjwala Yojana

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Saturday 21st May 2022 that the central government has decided to reduce the central excise duty on petrol and diesel. Excise duty on petrol will be reduced by rupees 8 per litre while that on diesel will be reduced by rupees 6 per litre. This will eventually reduce the retail petrol price by 9.5 rupees and the diesel price by 7 rupees.

Sharing the information, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted, “We are reducing the Central excise duty on Petrol by ₹ 8 per litre and on Diesel by ₹ 6 per litre. This will reduce the price of petrol by ₹ 9.5 per litre and of Diesel by ₹ 7 per litre. It will have a revenue implication of around ₹ 1 lakh crore/year for the government.”

Nirmala Sitharaman also announced that the gas cylinder prices will be subsidized by 200 rupees per cylinder for the connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. This will be applicable for 12 cylinders in a calendar year. She tweeted, “Also, this year, we will give a subsidy of ₹ 200 per gas cylinder (up to 12 cylinders) to over 9 crore beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. This will help our mothers and sisters. This will have a revenue implication of around ₹ 6100 crores a year.”

This change in the prices of petrol, diesel and gas cylinders has come as a great relief for the common man as the prices were soaring during past few weeks.

Punjab: Thousands of dairy farmers stage protest against the AAP government in the state

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab: Thousands of dairy farmers stage protest against the AAP government in the state

Days after the farmers belonging to various farmer unions started a protest against the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, dairy farmers in the state have also launched a protest against the state government over various demands. Thousands of dairy farmers from across Punjab gathered at the Verka Milk Plant in Mohali on 21st May 2022 to stage a massive protest against the Punjab government.

The protesting farmers chanted slogans in support of their demands as well as against the Bhagwant Mann government. They also spilled milk on the road to register their anger against the government.

Progressive Dairy Farmers Association (PDFA) is leading these protests. Daljit Singh Sadarpura, president of PDFA, addressed the protesting dairy farmers. He said, “After agriculture, dairy farming is the second-largest source of livelihood for farmers in Punjab. The state today ranks first in commercial dairy farming in the country. Punjab has the highest number of dairy farmers in the country. Today every dairy farmer is going through an economic crisis, whether he is a big or small producer of milk. In the last two years, we have not raised any issue about the rise in milk prices due to the epidemic as we know that everyone, including dairy farmers, is going through a crisis.”

Daljit Singh Sadarpura said that milk rates have not increased for more than two years, but the expenditure on milk production has increased a lot. About 75 percent of the total expenditure is on fodder. According to Daljit Singh Sadarpura, the rates of fodder have doubled in the last two years. Such a huge increase was never seen in the last 25 years in the dairy business.

Daljit Singh Sadarpura added, “The major component of animal fodder is soybean which was at Rs. 3200 per quintal a year ago, but now costs 10,000 Rs. We have suffered a lot due to it. In addition, fans have to be installed to protect all the cows and buffaloes from the heat. In view of the erratic supply of electricity, the cost of running generators has also increased significantly due to rising diesel prices. Rising diesel prices have also increased the cost of operating other machinery, including tractors.”

It is notable that there are about 6,000 dairy farms currently operating in Punjab. 3.5 lakh farmers are associated with the dairy farms in the state. Punjab is contributing more than 6 percent of the total milk production in India. The state has registered a significant increase in milk production per animal as compared to 2012. The production, which was 3.51 kg per animal in 2012, has now increased to more than 5.27 kg.

However, with the increase in milk production, the profits of milkmen have decreased. The reason behind this is the ever-increasing price rise of animal fodder, the animal fodder which was at Rs 20 has now reached Rs 40 per kg. In such a situation, it is very important to increase the price of milk. Dairy farmers in Punjab are demanding financial assistance of Rs 7 per kg on milk. After the lax attitude of the government, the dairy producers have decided to agitate.

Earlier this week, on Thursday, various farmer unions from the state of Punjab camped at the Chandigarh-Mohali border to stage a protest against the state government. They carried rations, beds, fans, utensils, and cooking gas cylinders and were stationed at the border to press the AAP government to fulfill their demands.

According to the reports, the farmers belonging to various farmer unions are demanding an increased bonus on wheat and a change in the paddy sowing schedule from June 10. Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal warned on May 18 that if all the grievances of the farmers are not adressed, they will break the barricades and move towards Chandigarh.

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi govt bulldozes off three illegal properties owned by gangster Mohammad Asif, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Yogi govt bulldozes off three illegal properties owned by gangster Mohammad Asif, video goes viral

Demolishing illegal properties built by criminals in Uttar Pradesh using a bulldozer has become the identity of the Yogi Adityanath government. In one such case, the Kanpur Municipal Corporation along with the district administration carried out a demolition drive against infamous gangster Mohammad Asif alias Pappu Smart and razed all his illegal properties to the ground.

According to the reports, Asif is one of the prominent gangsters in the state of Uttar Pradesh and several cases including that murder, loot, and extortion have been registered against him. The Kanpur Municipal Corporation rolled the bulldozer over the properties illegally owned by Asif, the video of which went viral over social media.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath after returning to power in March had first issued directives to the state administration to display zero-tolerance toward crime and criminals. He had asked the officials on April 8 to roll bulldozers against criminals and mafias and pull down all the illegal properties owned by them. However, he had asked the officials to stay away from the huts or shops of the poor. He had instructed the administration to have sensitivity toward the poor.

He had also said that quick action should be taken against those who occupy the property of the poor. “The order issued by the CM in such case would attract no police complaint”, he had assured. In the recent case also, it is reported that the demolition drive against gangster Asif was executed only after special orders were issued from the Chief Minister.

Later, the police administration and other departments identified three illegal properties of the gangster. The District Magistrate and other officers then held a meeting in this regard at the Police Commissioner’s residence and decided to execute the demolition drive on May 21. All the properties illegally owned by the gangster Asif were in the Chakeri police station area.

Illegal properties owned by criminals bulldozed by UP govt in recent past

Removal of illegal encroachments, and crackdown against criminals have been a highlight of the last 5 years of the Yogi government. In March 2022, CM Yogi’s government returned to power with a thumping mandate on the promise of robust law and order and corruption-free governance.

Recently, Bareilly Development Authority bulldozed and demolished an illegally constructed petrol pump of Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Shahzil Islam on 7th April 2022. Also, the Uttar Pradesh government had ordered the demolition of illegal property owned by former SP MLA Roshan Lal Verma and had sent demolition notices to two other SP leaders Brijesh Prajapati and Dharam Singh Saini.

There have also been multiple cases where criminals have surrendered to police voluntarily fearing the bulldozer action. Some illegal property holders themselves have requested the government to demolish their properties. One such case appeared in Mitrapur Ehrola village under tehsil Shahabad of Rampur district when Ehsan Mian, a local citizen filed an application himself and appealed SDM Ashok Choudhary to demolish his own illegally built house fearing the action by the government.

According to the reports, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh Government has sent a strong message to criminals, gangsters, and mafia in the state, by seizing and demolishing properties worth Rs 980 crores under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities Act in the last 14 months. As per the data of the state government, properties worth Rs 834 crore were bulldozed and seized in 2020 and more worth Rs 117 crore were confiscated in the year 2021.

1...3,2193,2203,221...7,638Page 3,220 of 7,638