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Delhi Court says Saleem Khan one of the organisers of Chand Bagh protest sites where inflammatory speeches were given, denies bail in larger conspiracy case

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Court says Saleem Khan one of the organisers of Chand Bagh protest sites where inflammatory speeches were given, denies bail in larger conspiracy case

On March 22, a Delhi Court denied bail of Mohammad Saleem Khan in the Delhi Riots larger conspiracy case.

In its order, the Court said as per the witness statements, Khan was one of the organizers of the Chand Bagh protest site where inflammatory speeches were given. The Court added they conspired to disrupt the traffic and planned protests at 23 sites in Delhi.

The Court said their intention was to disrupt the movement of the traffic that would result in disruption of essential services to the people living in North-East Delhi. They conspired to cause violence with various means that further led to the Delhi Riots of February 2020. The Court added that the plan was to encircle the area completely to completely halt the entry and exit of the people from the region.

The Court said, “The target was to…encircle the entire area completely stopping the entry and exit of citizens…and then creating panic to attack police personnel by women protesters in front only followed by other ordinary people and engulfing the area into a riot.” The series of events, as per the Court, would fall within the definition of a “terrorist act”.

Notably, the Court also mentioned the use of weapons and the manner in which the attacks happened, it was clear that it was a pre-planned conspiracy. It said, “Acts which threaten the unity and integrity of India and causes friction in communal harmony and creates terror in any section of the people, by making them feel surrounded resulting in violence, is also a terrorist act.”

Mentioning the CCTV footage, the Court said, “The footage filed by the prosecution does show a concerted and premeditated effort of mobilization of rioters who are armed and who ultimately blocked the Main Wazirabad road and attacked police personnel in the most brutal manner.”

Saleem Khan was part of the mob in the Delhi Riots

While talking about Saleem Khan’s role in the series of events that led to the Delhi Riots, the Delhi Court mentioned that Khan was found to be part of the mob. The Court mentioned he was present in the mob on February 24, 2020. The mob had stones, dandas, swords and rods with them.

The Court quoted a witness who lived near the Chand Bagh protest site. He said in his statement that Saleem Khan was one of the organizers of the protests that began around January 15, 2020, in Chand Bagh. He also saw Tahir Hussain, ex-Councilor Aam Aadmi Party, visiting the site of protest and handing out money. Hussain allegedly told the protesters, “This money will come to the help of our kaum,” the Court added.

Citing another witness, the Court said the conspirators provoked people against the government based on religion. The witness said in the statement, “The content of speeches would inter alia be that government will have to be compelled to withdraw CAA/NRC and for this, Kl violence and chakka­jam has to be used.”

Furthermore, on the Main Wazirabad Road, Head Constable Rattan Lal, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara), and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Gokul Puri was attacked by the protesters. While ACP and DSP sustained serious injuries, HC Rattan Lal was brutally killed. The Court noted Saleem Khan was present among the rioters and was identified subsequently.

In one of the speeches Khan gave, he said, “[the] Central Govt is a govt if Hindus and against Muslims. Till the time Govt Officers and Kaafirs are not killed, this govt will not take back CAA/NRC.”

Kerala: Judge Kalam Pasha stops renowned Mohiniyattam dancer Dr Neena Prasad from performing, humiliates her

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Judge Kalam Pasha stops renowned Mohiniyattam dancer Dr Neena Prasad from performing, humiliates her

Palakkad District Judge Kalam Pasha stoked a massive controversy after forcing renowned Mohiniyattam dancer Dr Neena Prasad to stop performing at an event organised at Government Moyan LP School, Palakkad, on Saturday evening.

According to the reports, Pasha, who resides near Government Moyan Lower Primary School in Palakkad town, claimed that Neena Prasad’s Mohiniyattam show, which was scheduled to be held around 08:30 PM on Saturday was a nuisance to him and forced the organisers to stop the show.

The police stormed the venue based on the orders of the judge and stopped the hour-long performance titled ‘Sakhyam’ that portrayed the strains in the relations between Krishna and Arjuna midway. The senior artist and her team were humiliated on the stage and were left in tears.

Following the incident, Dr Prasad said, “This was the bitterest experience of my dance career. It was a humiliating experience not only for me but also for the fellow artistes who mounted the stage with high hopes after more than two years of hibernation”.

The show was organised by the Sekharipuram Grandhasala, where the book Ithihasangale Thedi authored by Sreechitran MJ, was also released.

The noted artist alleged that it was the high-handedness of a judicial officer. Dr Prasad said she had come to Palakkad after spending hours preparing for the dance choreography.

“It was an intricate solo performance for which I dedicated a lot of my time. It was performed with sober instruments such as violin, mridangam and edakka. It wasn’t certainly a cacophony,” she said.

Reacting to the incident, Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham accused the judge of displaying cultural intolerance. In a statement on Monday, Sangham president Shaji N Karun and general secretary Ashokan Charuvil called upon the people to resist attempts to silence artists and cultural leaders. The Sahitya Sangham said the state should not stifle its art and culture.

“The people of Kerala always give more respect and importance to artists than bureaucrats and judges. It is time we remembered that we had a Prime Minister who gave a higher position to an artiste (M.S. Subbulakshmi),” they said.

Meanwhile, the police said they had no choice but to follow the orders of the judge.

Judge Pasha accused by wife of Triple Talaq

It is not the first time Judge Pasha has been embroiled in controversies. Last year, Pasha, a senior judge from Pallakad, was accused by his wife of illegally divorcing his wife by issuing “Triple Talaq”.

The wife of B Kalam Pasha, a session court Judge in Kerala’s Palakkad district, had approached the Kerala High Court to register a complaint seeking action against him. In her complaint, the woman said judge Kalam Pasha had issued Triple Talaq against her through a letter on March 1, 2018.

Later, he sent her another letter claiming that there was a typing error in the letter. The letter said that the original date of issuing Triple Talaq was March 1, 2017. The judge’s wife also accused Justice B Kalam Pasha and his brother of threatening her with dire consequences if she refused the divorce. Interestingly, the brother of the accused judge Kalam Pasha is B Kemal Pasha, a retired judge of the High Court of Kerala.

Wikipedia editors delete profiles of those who praised ‘The Kashmir Files’, had earlier vandalised movie page: Here is what we know so far

Anurag
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Wikipedia editors delete profiles of those who praised ‘The Kashmir Files’, had earlier vandalised movie page: Here is what we know so far

On March 22, multiple complaints were raised on Twitter by prominent personalities that their Wikipedia pages were either vandalised or deleted. They alleged the reason behind the deleted or vandalising of Wikipedia pages was they praised Vivek Agnihotri’s recent film ‘The Kashmir Files’. OpIndia investigated the matter and found reasons to believe that the allegations were, in fact, true.

Allegations and findings against Wikipedia

First, let’s talk about the allegations made by Tuhin A Sinha, National Media Panelist, BJP. On March 22, Sinha tweeted that Wikipedia had deleted his page that had existed since 2007. He said, “The only thing that may have irked them in last few days is my support four #KashmirFiles n me calling out Cong supported Jihad network.”

In a follow-up tweet, Sinha mentioned that a Wikipedia user Shirt58 was behind the page’s removal. Upon investigation, we found that a newly created page existed on Wikipedia under his name, which was scheduled for deletion as per the Wikipedia regulations that suggested a deleted page cannot be recreated.

History of recently created page on Tuhin Sinha on Wikipedia. Source: Wikipedia

For this page, Shirt58 had applied for speedy deletion. However, later the tag was removed as the page was edited. However, it was again nominated for deletion by Star Mississippi. As there were no captures on Archive.org for the talk section or history available on Wikipedia for the old page, it is unclear who submitted it for deletion in the first place. The discussion on its deletion can be read here.

The next step was to check if there were any achieved records for the page. We found multiple captures on Archive.org for Sinha’s Wikipedia page. The last capture was from March 11, 2022. It showed a detailed page on Sinha. Unfortunately, the history and talk sections of the page were not achieved.

Last capture of the old page of Tuhin Sinha on Wikipedia. Source: Archive.org

Speaking to OpIndia, Sinha said, “My Wikipedia page existed since 2006-2007 when I wrote my first book. So I was very shocked yesterday night to find that the page does not exist after somebody informed me he could not go to the page. Initially, I thought it could be a technical error. In the morning today, I again discovered that the page was not functional.”

He added, “I approached a couple of people who had edited Wikipedia pages in the past. I was actually informed that the page had been deleted. Now I am absolutely appalled that there is clearly somebody from the left ecosystem which is keeping a watch on everybody who is speaking in favour of The Kashmir Files and who is calling out the left-liberal ecosystem on the issue. Because I have been very proactive in speaking in favour of The Kashmir Files as a panel representative and spokesperson of the BJP and also I have spoken a lot on the Kashmir issue in the last several years including having written a book on the issue.”

Adding that he was taking up the issue with authorities, he said, “So I am sure somebody is keeping a watch. Somebody does not want the truth of the Kashmir massacre to be out. It is very surprising that in India today, the big tech companies somewhere employ sleeper cells within the country to curb the freedom of speech of right-wing nationals, and I am taking up the issue. Let’s see where it goes.”

In a follow-up tweet, Tuhin sought if Wikipedia has an office in India as other tech companies have to follow the laws of the land, and Wikipedia should be forced to comply as well.

Allegations made by Chaiti Narula

A few hours before Tuhin’s tweet, Chaiti Narula had also pointed out that her Wikipedia page was heavily vandalised. She said, “The same guy who wiped out my review of #KashmirFiles from Wikipedia completely vandalised my wiki profile. If I knew who made mine, I would have taken it up. But I have no clue. Heads up – the profile is hacked, vandalised by this chap.”

She further added in a follow-up tweet that someone in his circle found that the person who vandalised her profile was the same person who vandalised The Kashmir Files page, and both edits were being done at the same time.

Upon investigation, we noticed that her Wikipedia page had been deleted.

Screenshot of deleted page of Chaiti Narula on Wikipedia

When checked for archived snapshots of her Wiki page, we found that it was captured once on March 18, 2022. When we checked the archived page, it was evident that TrangaBellam, the same person who was continuously vandalising The Kashmir Files page on Wikipedia, was behind the request to delete the page. As no one countered the request, the page was deleted on March 20, 2022. The date can be noticed on the Deletion Request Notice available on the archived page.

Screenshot of the archived page of Chaiti Narula. Source: Archive.org

We also found that the page was created by a user, Gocrazy69, in October 2019.

Gocrazy69 had created Chaiti’s profile on Wikipedia in 2019. Source: Wikipedia.

When he found that the page was deleted by TrangaBellam, he had requested him to restore it, but by the time we published the report, TrangaBellam had not replied. In the reason for the proposed deletion, TrangaBellam had mentioned that the page needed some edits as proposed, and if no action was taken, the page could be deleted.

Gocrazy69 requested TrangaBellam to restore Chaiti’s page. Source: Wikipedia

A few things that must be known about Wikipedia

First of all, Wikipedia is an open-source encyclopedia that started with the aim to provide the latest updates about everything, including people, countries, things and events etc. However, as time passed by, the left-leaning elements took over the powers, which was confirmed by the founder himself in an interview with OpIndia.

Because Wikipedia can be edited and on multiple occasions, it has been pointed out that the editors are often biased towards political and religious sides of their choice, the website must not be considered as a genuine source of information. Now, let’s come to the interesting part of the discussion. Do you know what Wikipedia itself says about being a source of reliable information? Well, as per Wikipedia, and we are not changing the words, “Wikipedia is not a reliable source for academic writing or research. Nevertheless, Wikipedia is increasingly used by people in the academic community, from first-year students to distinguished professors, as an easily accessible tertiary source for information about anything and everything and as a quick “ready reference” to get a sense of a concept or idea.”

Screenshot taken from Wikipedia on March 23, 2022, at 20:46. We are mentioning the date and time as it can be edited by anyone without any notice.

It further reads, “However, citation of Wikipedia in research papers may be considered unacceptable because Wikipedia is not a reliable source. Many colleges and universities, as well as public and private secondary schools, have policies that prohibit students from using Wikipedia as their source for doing research papers, essays, or equivalent assignments. This is because anyone can edit Wikipedia at any moment. When an error is recognised, it is usually fixed. However, because Wikipedia cannot monitor thousands of edits made every day, some of those edits could contain vandalism or could be simply wrong and left unnoticed for days, weeks, months, or even years.”

When we looked at the links cited by Wikipedia itself about it is genuine or not as a reliable source, we noticed several links dated back to decades demanding its ban in the academic circle. In a 2006 article by Andrew Orlowski at The Register, it was discussed how using Wikipedia could harm the grades of the students. In 2007, in an article in The Guardian, it was mentioned that the students had been warned not to cite Wikipedia.

It is noteworthy that anyone, literally anyone, can create, edit, vandalise and delete content on Wikipedia. It is up to senior editors of the website to allow or revert the change. In many cases, the editors or high-ranking contributors themselves make decisions that could be otherwise deemed unethical in the field of academia. With the recent chain of events revolving around The Kashmir Files and the deletion of profiles of celebrated journalists and authors, it is clear that Wikipedia holds no authentication when it comes to unbiased and genuine content.

Karnataka: Mahalingeshwara Temple joins temples in Shivamogga and Udupi to allow only Hindus to set up stalls during the upcoming annual festival

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Mahalingeshwara Temple joins temples in Shivamogga and Udupi to allow only Hindus to set up stalls during the upcoming annual festival

The Mahalingeshwara Temple in the Puttur district of Karnataka has restricted the auction of temporary stalls to the Hindu community for the annual Jatra festival to be held in the city. The Annual Jatra festival which will be held in the temple precinct between April 10 to 20 will only Hindus to set up their shops during the ten days.

Notice issued on behalf of the Temple management. Source: varthabharti.in

The Temple administration put out a notice dated March 19, 2022, in the English daily The Hindu to announce the same. In a similar tone, the organising committee of the Kote Marikamba Jatra in Shivamogga had decided to allow only Hindu shopkeepers to set up their shops during the five-day festival beginning on March 22. This move came after Hindu organisations requested the committee to take the decision in the light of the murder of Hindu activist Harsha who was killed by radical Islamists in Shivamogga.

Earlier, the Hosa Marigudi Temple in Karnataka’s Udupi had also decided to allocate shops to only Hindu vendors in its annual fair. The committee had decided to allow stalls for the festival only by Hindus during the annual ‘Suggi Mari Pooja’ after Muslims in the coastal region shut down their shops on March 17 to protest against the Karnataka High Court’s decision on the hijab controversy.

After the temples in Shivamogga and Udupi, The Mahalingeshwara Temple in Puttur has followed the suit. The notice by the temple administration stated that only Hindu vendors will be allowed to participate in the Jothravati festival, which is due in April this year. The pooja in front of the temple during the Jatra will be held on the 29th of May and the temporary shopkeepers to be allotted the space identified by the temple office, the notice read.

Delhi had the poorest air quality among capital cities of 107 countries in 2021 but politics on it is unlikely to stop: Here’s why

Dibakar Dutta
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Delhi had the poorest air quality among capital cities of 107 countries in 2021 but politics on it is unlikely to stop: Here’s why

New Delhi has featured on the top of a list of 107 regional capital cities with the highest average annual PM2.5 concentration in 2021. Besides, India as a nation ranked 5th out of 117 countries with the highest PM2.5 levels.

The revelation was made in the 2021 World Air Quality Report published by IQAir. The Swiss air quality technology company collected data from 6,745 cities, spread across 117 countries to prepare the report.

“India’s annual average PM2.5 levels reached 58.1 in 2021, ending a three-year trend of improving air quality. India’s annual PM2.5 averages have now returned to pre-quarantine concentrations measured in 2019,” the report emphasised.

Screengrab of the 2021 World Air Quality Report on India, graphic via IQAir


The air quality report pointed out that in 2021, India was home to 11 out of 15 most polluted cities in South and Central Asia. During that period, PM2.5 levels in Delhi increased from 84 μg/m to 96.4 μg/m3.

As per the IQAir report, no Indian city was able to meet the World Health Organisation’s air quality guideline of 5 μg/m3 in 2021. Reportedly, more than 50% of Indian cities had 10 times more PM2.5 levels than the WHO guideline.

Screengrab of the 2021 World Air Quality Report on Delhi, graphic via IQAir

In 2021, Delhi continued to feature at the top in air pollution levels as compared to other metropolitan cities such as Kolkata (59 μg/m3), Mumbai (46.4 μg/m3), Hyderabad (39.4 μg/m3), Bengaluru (29 μg/m3) and Chennai (25.2 μg/m3).

“Air pollution has a massive impact on human health in India. It is the second biggest risk factor for disease, and the economic cost of air pollution is estimated to exceed $150 billion dollars annually,” the report said.

Screengrab of the 2021 World Air Quality Report on Indian metro cities, graphic via IQAir

It emphasised, “Major sources of air pollution in India include vehicular emissions, power generation, industrial waste, biomass combustion for cooking, the construction sector, and episodic events like crop burning.”

While pointing out that internal combustion engines in motor vehicles contribute about 20-30% of PM2.5 concentration, IQAir lauded the Indian government’s new BS-VI emission standard (currently equivalent to Euro 6-1 standard).

“Emissions testing methodologies capable of measuring emissions under real-world driving conditions, rather than more simple laboratory drive cycles, are in development at the International Centre for Automotive Technology in India with an anticipated release of 2023,” it concluded.

Misplaced priorities and Delhi’s deteriorating air quality

The average annual PM2.5 level in the National Capital of India was 96.4 μg/m3 in 2021, which is about 19 times higher than the WHO’s recommended air quality guideline. Despite this, air pollution in Delhi is a non-issue in both public and political discourse until the festival of Diwali in late September-October each year.

Politicians and the left-liberal ecosystem channelise their energy into shaming Hindus for burning firecrackers while remaining indifferent to the major contributors of air pollution. A 2017 IIT-Kanpur report had revealed that construction dust was the biggest culprit for deteriorating air quality in Delhi, followed by vehicular pollution and bad infrastructure.

Experts had observed that the air quality of the NCR deteriorated despite no firecracker being burnt at the time of the study. The air, in fact, was the cleanest in the week of Diwali suggesting that the rise in pollutant values was observed during the peak of the winter season.

According to the Fire Information for Resource Management System of NASA, incidents of stubble burning go up steadily in Punjab and Haryana during the month of October each year. This often coincides with the festival of Diwali, thereby giving opportunity to the usual suspects to malign the Hindu community instead of taking steps to prevent stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab.

In November 2020 alone, the contribution of stubble burning to the pollution in Delhi reached a whopping 40%. There is also an indication that the farmers’ time stubble burning with Diwali so that the pollution caused by them is blamed on firecrackers.

Although the 2021 World Air Quality Report by IQAir has left bare the claims of improving air quality in the National Capital, past record suggests that the political machinery is unlikely to act on it anytime soon.

Central Universities to admit students based on CUET scores, ditch old criteria of considering Class 12 marks for admissions

OpIndia Staff
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Central Universities to admit students based on CUET scores, ditch old criteria of considering Class 12 marks for admissions

The University Grants Commission on Monday directed that admissions to undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered in Central Universities should be strictly done on the basis of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET). The new decision does away with the criteria for considering Class 12 marks for UG admissions from the session 2022-23.

The Common University Entrance Test or the CUET will be conducted in the first week of July by the National Test Agency (NTA). UGC Chairperson M Jagadesh Kumar while announcing the exam said that the computer-based exam will be conducted in 13 regional languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The test will be mandatory for seeking admission into 45 central universities in the country.

Talking to the Press, M Jagadesh Kumar said, “Admissions to all undergraduate programmes in all the centrally funded universities and their affiliated colleges will be done solely on the basis of the CUET score from the 2022-23 session. For postgraduate programmes, many universities are also willing to use the CUET score. We hope that all central universities will ultimately use CUET for their postgraduate admissions also.” The Delhi University earlier had already announced that admissions for the 2022-23 session will be solely based on CUET scores.

The Universities have been given the liberty to set up their individual minimum eligibility criteria in terms of class 12 marks for undergraduate admissions. The decision does not affect the individual admission criteria of some universities including their reservation policies. “For instance, if any university reserves a certain percentage for local students or internal students, it will continue to do that. The only difference is that these students will also have to come through CUET like students to be admitted to general seats. The reservation policies and ordinances of the universities will remain unchanged,” the UGC chairperson said.

Universities with minority grants such as the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the Jamia Millia Islamia and St Stephan’s College are allowed to continue to reserve 50% of the seats for students belonging to the respective minority communities. The CUET does not entail the admissions of international students while they will be admitted on a supernumerary basis to Indian Universities, added M Jagadesh Kumar. The Universities are also allowed to reserve a certain weightage for practical exams alongside CUET scores for admissions into courses like music, painting, sculpture and theatre.

How will CUET be conducted?

M Jagadesh Kumar detailed that the three-and-a-half hour-long exam will be conducted in two phases based on the Class 12 NCERT syllabus. CUET will be a computer-based exam with multiple-choice questions. “Candidates can decide the number of domain subjects they want to attempt during the exam. They can appear for up to six domain subjects out of the basket of 27 subjects such as accountancy, biology, business studies, chemistry, geography history, economics, mathematics, among others,” he added.

Guidelines for the conduction of the CUET will be released soon by the University Grants Commission.

Facing rebellion at home, a beleaguered Imran Khan seeks refuge in religion to save his chair

OpIndia Staff
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Facing rebellion at home, a beleaguered Imran Khan seeks refuge in religion to save his chair

A two-day meeting of the Council of the Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) began in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Tuesday to discuss challenges faced by the Muslim world. The theme of the 48th session of the council is ‘Building Partnerships for Unity, Justice, and Development’. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is going to give the keynote address at the meeting.

The meeting comes at a time when Imran Khan is facing the biggest challenge yet of his Prime Ministerial term. The issues of rising inflation and growing national debt have hardly been a cause of concern for the Pakistan PM, but the no confidence motion brought by the opposition over these issues is harder to ignore.

Earlier this month, opposition leaders had brought the motion of no confidence against Imran Khan and his government, and Imran Khan is likely to face this no confidence motion in the assembly on the 28th of March. Biggest headache for Imran Khan is not just the unity of the opposition at this moment, but also the rebellion of several members of his own coalition. Over 2 dozen Members of National Assembly (MNAs) are likely to vote against the Imran Khan government.

With a collapsing economy, an open rebellion, no support from Pakistan Army, and bomb blasts, Imran is likely to turn to his last refuge, Islam. This OIC meeting gives him the perfect platform to do so. If he convinces the masses that he is the leader of the global Muslim Ummah, his opponents will find it tough to remove him.

Imran has tried several times in the past to portray himself as the leader of the Muslim Ummah. He even planned a TV channel with Turkey and Malaysia to promote Islam and dispel ‘Islamophobia’. Though he has always steadfastly refused to comment on the Muslim Uyghur genocide in China, because without Chinese support, Pakistan’s broken economy will absolutely collapse.

However, this time he has one reason to portray himself as the leader of Muslim Ummah, the fact that United Nations adopted a resolution proposed by Pakistan to mark 15th March as the day to combat Islamophobia. With the resolution being proposed by Pakistan, one can be sure that Imran Khan will repeatedly mention it during his keynote address at the OIC meeting, reminding all the attendees, but more to Pakistan public that he is responsible for creating this day against Islamophobia.

Imran Khan even wrote an Op-Ed in Arab News where like any Pakistani politician worth his salt, he raised the issue of Kashmir, another highly popular political issue in Pakistan. OIC meet will seek to get approval on 100 declarations during the meeting, including aid for Afghanistan and support for Kashmiris, though none of the declarations are likely to have any meaningful impact.

In a religion mad country like Pakistan, once Imran Khan convinces the people that he is fighting for Islam globally, it will be interesting to see the reactions of the rebels from his coalition. Pakistan’s politicians are anyway infamous for selling out and changing allegiances so public mood combined with a bit of money may save Imran’s chair after all.

Rajasthan: NCW sends fact-finding team to Dholpur as police claim Dalit victim was not gang-raped but only assaulted

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: NCW sends fact-finding team to Dholpur as police claim Dalit victim was not gang-raped but only assaulted

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday sent a three-member fact-finding team to Dholpur in Rajasthan, where a 26-year-old woman was reportedly gang-raped at gunpoint in front of her children and her husband. According to the statement, the Commission will visit with the survivor and her family, as well as the concerned SHO, SP, and investigating officer, to learn more about the inquiry.

On March 19, as the commission came to know about the crime, Rekha Sharma, the chairperson, wrote to the Director-General of Police in Rajasthan, requesting that an FIR be filed against the accused persons and that they be arrested as soon as possible. In its letter, the commission also requested the finest medical treatment for the survivor as well as security for the survivor and her family.

The statement however revealed that an interim action report sent to the NCW by the Rajasthan police stated that an FIR had been filed under relevant sections, but the accused are yet to be apprehended. According to the reports, a 26-year-old Dalit woman on March 17 was gang-raped in front of her children in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district. The woman said in her complaint that she was returning home from an agricultural field with her husband and children earlier this week. The family was halted by six men who thrashed the couple.

The accused hit the complainant’s spouse in the head with the butt of a revolver. The accused then sexually attacked the woman in front of her children, even though the woman had previously accused the same individuals of molesting her. The accused have been identified as Lalu Thakur, Dhan Singh Thakur, Vipin Thakur, Mohit Thakur, Sachin Thakur, and Lokendra Singh Thakur.

Rajasthan police denies charges of gang-rape, allege victim was only assaulted

Further according to the reports, the Police on Monday denied the incident of gang rape and said that the woman was ‘just assaulted’. Shivraj Meena, Superintendent of Police, Dholpur stated that ‘every aspect of the case was thoroughly investigated by recording the statements of 164 persons’. “Investigation revealed that there was no incident of gang rape with the victim”, he added admitting to an assault on the woman.

He further stated, “Investigation revealed that on March 15, six people of the village had beaten up the woman. After this, the woman filed a case of gang rape. The accused who assaulted the woman have been identified.” OpIndia tried to confirm the development by contacting the circle officer of Dholpur rural Vijay Kumar Singh but the call was left unattended, later switched off.

Reportedly, an FIR has been filed at the Kanchanpur police station in Dholpur district’s Bari tehsil. The accused have been charged under the Indian Penal Code and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The NCW has also asked for a time limit on the investigation and has requested that every action taken must be reported to the commission within seven days.

‘Subbiah Shanmugam arrested with an ulterior motive to detain him on a public holiday’: Madras HC grants bail to ABVP leader

OpIndia Staff
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‘Subbiah Shanmugam arrested with an ulterior motive to detain him on a public holiday’: Madras HC grants bail to ABVP leader

On March 22, Madras HC granted bail to Dr Subbiah Shanmugam, former National President, ABVP. In its order, the Court noted that arrest was made with an ulterior motive to detain him on a public holiday so that he could be detained for over 48 hours. The Court said, “Individuals are arrested during the night of Friday so that they will not be in a position to move the Court of law till Monday. Such detention would be absolutely violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, and it could be both a crime and tort (civil wrong) also.”

Subbiah, who is serving as a Surgical Oncologist at Stanly Government Medical College Hospital, was accused of throwing a used mask inside the gate of an old lady’s house and urinating in front of the gate. The alleged incident took place on July 10, 2020, at Balaji Vijayaraghavan. A complaint was filed against him at Adambakkam Police Station.

After two weeks, based on the complaint, an FIR under Sections Section 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule), 427 (mischief causing damage) and Section 4 of TNPHW Act, 2002 and later, the charges were altered into Section 271, 427, 447(Punishment for criminal trespass) of IPC and Section 3 of Tamil Nadu Public Property (Prevention of Damage and Loss) Act, 1992 read with Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 was filed against him.

Notably, in October 2020, the family of the elderly had said they wanted to submit a withdrawal of complaint letter. However, the police said they had to continue the investigation as the FIR was already lodged. The family had alleged pressure from the neighbours to withdraw the complaint. On the other hand, Subbiah had claimed that the allegations made by the family of the elderly lady were fake, and the video was doctored.

Subbiah was subsequently arrested and remanded to judicial custody. He filed for bail on an urgent basis without approaching the trial court. In his plea to the High Court, Subbiah alleged that the arrest was in gross violation of his fundamental rights and accused police of abuse of power. His counsel informed the Court that the dispute between Subbiah and the complainant had ended in a compromise long ago. However, he was arrested under the pressure of the ruling government as he was an officer at the Students Organization (ABVP).

The Court noted his arrested on a public holiday was done with the sole intention to prevent him from getting legal assistance and deemed the arrested a violation of the detainee’s fundamental rights. It is notable that the Supreme Court had also stated in a judgement that, “No arrest can be made because it is lawful for the police officer to do so. The existence of the power to arrest is one thing. The justification for the exercise of it is quite another. The police officer must be able to justify the arrest apart from his power to do so. Arrest and detention in police lock-up of a person can cause incalculable harm to the reputation and self-esteem of a person. No arrest can be made in a routine manner on a mere allegation of commission of an offence made against a person.

“It would be prudent for a police officer in the interest of protection of the constitutional rights of a citizen and perhaps in his own interest that no arrest should be made without a reasonable satisfaction reached after some investigation as to the genuineness and bona fides of a complaint and a reasonable belief both as to the person’s complicity and even so as to the need to effect the arrest. Denying a person of his liberty is a serious matter,” the court order further said.

The High Court granted interim bail to Subbiah on a bond of Rs 25,000 /- to the satisfaction of the Superintendent of Prison, Chengalpet.

ED attaches property worth over Rs 6 crores owned by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law in a money laundering case

OpIndia Staff
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ED attaches property worth over Rs 6 crores owned by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law in a money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) on Tuesday provisionally attached properties owned by Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law Shridhar Madhav Patankar in connection with a money laundering case.

As per reports, properties attached by the ED are worth more than Rs 6 crores, including 11 residential flats in the ‘Neelambari’ project in Thane. The properties belong to a firm, Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt Ltd &, owned by Patankar.

The development came in the wake of barbs traded by the Shiv Sena and the BJP in Maharashtra over the misuse of agencies against the opposition parties and leaders. Recently, former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis shared a pen drive with 125 hours of “evidence”, alleging how the Maharashtra government was misusing agencies to target the opposition. In retaliation, the Shiv Sena hit back alleging that central agencies were used by the federal government to target regional parties.

However, the attachment of properties owned by Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law took place in connection with the money laundering case against Pushpak Bullion, one of the Group companies of the Pushpak Group. In its investigation, the ED reportedly found that the Pushpak group had funnelled a part of illegally earned money into accounts of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt Ltd and it was used for purchasing 11 flats Neelambari project at Thane. 

Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law Shridhar Madhav Patankar owns and controls Shree Saibaba Grihanirmity Pvt Ltd company. Shridhar is the brother of Rashmi Thackrey, wife of Uddhav Thackrey and editor of Saamana newspaper. 

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday issued a press release related to the attachment. The press release said that earlier ED had recorded a money laundering case against Pushpak Bullion and group companies on 06.03.2017, under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 and has already provisionally attached immovable and movable properties of Pushpak Bullion to the tune of Rs. 21.46 Crore belonging to Mahesh Patel, Chandrakant Patel, their family members and companies controlled by them.

“Subsequent investigation revealed that Mahesh Patel had siphoned off and layered funds of Pushpak group concern Pushpak Realty in connivance with Mr Nandkishore Chaturvedi (Accommodation Entry provider). Pushpak Realty Developer, in the garb of sale, transferred funds to the tune of Rs. 20.02 crore to the entities controlled by Nandkishore Chaturvedi after layering it through various connected/ unconnected entities,” the press release added.

It further said, “Nandkishore Chaturvedi who operates a number of shell companies further transferred the money through his shell company Humsafar Dealer Private Limited in the garb of extending unsecured loans in excess of Rs 30 crores to Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiri Pvt. Ltd. Thus, the money siphoned off by Mahesh Patel in connivance with Nandkishore Chaturvedi was parked in the real estate projects by Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt. Ltd.”

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