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Tamil Nadu: DMK Govt demolishes Anjaneyar temple citing it was ‘illegally constructed’; 20 protesters detained

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: DMK Govt demolishes Anjaneyar temple citing it was ‘illegally constructed’; 20 protesters detained

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu Government demolished Sri Narasimha Anjaneyar Swamy temple in Chennai citing the reason for illegal temple construction by encroaching the Adyar riverbed in Varadharajapuram. The revenue officials along with the police force headed by the Tambaram Assistant Commissioner visited the spot and started to demolish the temple.

This is after the authorities had sent three encroachment notices to the Temple trust. The enraged Hindu devotees had also staged protests and objected to the demolition of the temple. According to the reports, around 20 people who protested and argued with the police yesterday were arrested and are detained at a nearby community hall.

It is worth noting that the temple of Sri Rama, the Sri Narasimha Anjaneyar Swamy had been built in the area located near Mudichur for the past 25 years and was constructed on 55 cents of land. A few years ago, the revenue officials found that the temple was constructed on the encroached waterbody and issued notices to the temple representatives. The idols of the Narasimha Anjaneyar temple in Tambaram were handed over to the trustees during the demolition.

The matter cropped up when videos of the destruction went viral over the internet distressing the Hindu community. Many of the enraged Hindu netizens have raised questions against the ruling DMK government. “How did an ancient temple encroach?”, asked one of the users holding responsible the MK Stalin govt for hurting the sentiments of Hindu people.

Another concerned user meanwhile happened to share the disturbing video and asked that how long were Hindus supposed to witness such more acts in Tamil Nadu. One of them even shared the temple demolition statistics in Tamil Nadu and said that there was no hope left for Hindus in the state under the DMK regime.

‘Temples built on the banks cannot be claimed as encroachment’- Kamatchipuram Mutt

It is reported that though the temple has been there for 25 years, it had been pulled down in 2015 and was rebuilt again at the same place. Kancheepuram Collector M Arathi said that encroachments on water bodies in Varadhrajapuram, Iyyapanthangal, Mangadu, Kolapakkam and Gerugambakkam had been identified by a joint committee comprising officials from the Public Works Department and the Revenue Department. “We are first removing commercial structures and places of worship. Time is being provided to those who have constructed houses. Some kind of rehabilitation is being planned for those who are poor,” Arathi added.

Further, reports suggest that the temple authorities had sought time till Hanuman Jayanthi ie. April 16, 2022, which was granted. The devotees yesterday also argued and protested as the government authorities demolished the temple before the time limit they had given to the devotees to shift the idols.

Earlier in the month of July 2021, the Tamil Nadu government had demolished a 125-year-old temple on the banks of Muthanankulam, a pond, in the name of removing encroachments under the Smart City project. The Kamatchipuram Mutt had then pointed out that the majority of the Hindu temples were built either on the banks of the river or lakes so that the devotees can take baths or wash their legs and hands before entering the temples, which cannot be claimed as encroachment.

They had also alleged that there are hundreds of places of worship of other religions in many areas where the state claims to encroach, but only Hindu temples were being targeted. The administration last year, during the same period, had demolished Amman Kovil, Bannari Amman Kovil, Angala Parameswari, Karupparayan Kovil, Muneeswaran Kovil and 2 more temples citing that the land had been taken up for rejuvenation and development under the Smart Cities Mission.

Rising cases of temple demolition in Tamil Nadu and the anti-Hindu bigotry of DMK

There has been a rising number of cases of temple demolition after MK Stalin took over as the state CM in Tamil Nadu. Besides temple demolitions, Hindu beliefs and customs have also come under attack of late.

As reported extensively by Opindia, MK Stalin had become the centre of controversy when Kalaiarasi Natarajan, a preacher had declared that there is no religion such as Hinduism and claimed that ‘we are all Shaivites’. In a Christmas event organised by the DMK, she had further said that one should never use the word ‘Hindu’. “There is no such thing as ‘Hindu’ religion. I feel disgusted to listen to Hindu religious stories”, she had said in the presence of DMK president MK Stalin. Recently, the DMK govt also happened to ban the events ahead of the Hindu festival of Pongal citing the surge in COVID cases.

The DMK has been accused by many of promoting anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin bigotry. The anti-Hindu stance became amply clear from the statements made by late DMK President M Karunanidhi. He had said that Lord Rama was a drunkard. The late president had also remarked that the term ‘Hindu’ meant ‘thief’. He stated, “Who is a Hindu? You must ask Periyar EVR. A good man would say the word Hindu means a thief.”

It is pertinent to note that Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M K Stalin is all set to chair the State-level advisory committee for all major Hindu temples under the purview of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department. The appointment of MK Stalin is in line with section 7 of the HR&CE Act. With this the fate of thousands of temples and hundreds of religious trusts, mutts are in the hands of someone who doesn’t believe in God.

A letter to those from IIMs who wrote a letter to the PM about ‘hate-filled voices’: Do you not hear these voices?

Maria Wirth
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A letter to those from IIMs who wrote a letter to the PM about ‘hate-filled voices’: Do you not hear these voices?

An article in the Indian Express from 8th January, 2022 caught my attention. It was titled “Your silence emboldens hate voices: Faculty, students of IIMs to PM”. 

16 Professors and 167 students of IIM Ahmedabad and Bangalore had signed a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office. It urged PM Modi to steer the country away from “forces that seek to divide us”, and rued, “Your silence, Honourable Prime Minister, emboldens the hate-filled voices and threatens the unity and integrity of our country.” 

Almost two years ago, I had also written a letter to the Prime Minister and had attached a draft for a petition to the United Nations with a similar request. I had focused on the contempt and resultant hatred which is inbuilt in the doctrines of Christianity and Islam for Hindus, which I know firsthand since I grew up in one of these religions. Hindus are seen as unbelievers, even though most Hindus are great believers in the Divine, because for those religions, ‘unbelievers’ means those who don’t believe in Christianity or Islam respectively. 

Both these religions are divisive because they divide humanity into those who are right and saved by the Almighty, and those who are wrong and will be punished by the Almighty. And they claim that Hindus belong to the second category. For them, Hindus are despicable, sinful idol-worshippers who will suffer for all eternity in hell. 

I had argued in my draft that teaching children these claims creates hatred and can lead to hate crimes if not genocide. This is not far-fetched. Genocide was committed in India by Muslim and Christian invaders over the last 1000 years and millions of Hindus were brutally killed for being Hindus.

My latter, of course, would not be talked about because it was not demonising Hindus.

‘The unrelenting, unjust vilification of Hindus and Hindutva (Hindu-ness) by the leftist media in support of these two religions puts Hindus in a dangerous position. Hate speech against a group precedes hate crimes and genocide. It needs to be stopped urgently.’

So when I saw this article in the Indian Express, I was happy that professors and students of the prestigious IIMs may finally have taken up the cause of the unacceptable discrimination of and hatred for Hindus, since there is no doubt that the two exclusive religions, each one of which claims that it alone is true, are divisive forces.

However, while reading the article, I soon realized that those professors and students seem to live in another world. A world that is upside down. Where the victims are the perpetrators and the perpetrators are the victims.

In short, the professors, who drafted the letter believe that Hindus are hate-filled and attack Muslims and Christians. They point to speeches by Sadhus, certain murders and lynching of Muslims by Hindus. Yes, these happened. For example, when Muslims steal cows and villagers go after them. The speech by Sadhus at the Dharma Sabha in Haridwar can be seen as a concerned reaction to equally or more terrible speeches which were made by Muslims and Christians in plenty and which show their intent to wipe out Hindus, but which strangely are not flagged by these professors and students as hateful.

Don’t those signatories of the letter remember for example the Muslim women at the CAA protest in Delhi saying on video that when they are in the majority, they will kill Hindus one by one? Or Waris Pathan, the spokesman for Owaisi, openly challenging Hindus that if the 15 crore Muslims take to the streets, it would be enough to bring the 100 crores of the country down to their knees? Don’t they know that it’s the duty of good Muslims to do Jihad and leave only Muslims on earth and that it’s the duty of good Christians to wipe out belief in “false gods”? 

There are umpteen hate-filled speeches against Hindus on the net, not only by Muslims but also by Christians. For example, a priest of the Pentecostal Church in TN asked all members to convert Hindus, so that in 3 years the whole of TN is converted. In the Blessings Magazine of the Baptist Church, the youth is exhorted “India must be converted in this generation.”

Have the signatories forgotten the lynching of the sadhus and their driver in Palghar? Or the many pujaris murdered and their temples desecrated? The many rapes and murders of Hindu girls? Or Ramalingam, a youth from Tamil Nadu, who objected to conversion and many like him for example from RSS?

Do those signatories not know about the history of the last 1000 years? I can’t even attempt to detail the cruelties by Muslims and Christians, as it would need the length of a book. Even in the last 100 years the list is terrible – the Hindu genocide by Moplahs, the ‘Direct Action Day, the partition, the brutalities against Hindus in 1971 in Bangladesh, or in 1990 in Kashmir.

Now, dear students and professors of IIMs, please compare with what Hindus did to Muslims and Christians and have some integrity and honesty. Think of your ancestors who greatly suffered for holding on to their Dharma, and who may have had to open their mouth and humbly receive the spittle of Muslims who rode on horses (I read this and other terrible incidents in ‘Legacy of Jihad’, by Andrew Bostom). Thanks to your ancestors Hindu civilisation still survived, though it has shrunk a lot. In fact, most Muslims in the world had Hindu ancestors, not only in Pakistan and Bangladesh but also in Indonesia, Malaysia, Afghanistan…

It’s really sad that you support those who attack Hindu Dharma and thereby risk making Indian Hindus and possibly yourself in a few decades suffer in similar depraved circumstances, as the unfortunate Hindus in Pakistan or Bangladesh do.

Your letter says “Our Constitution gives us the right to practice our religion with dignity – without fear, without shame. There is a sense of fear in our country now – places of worship, including churches in recent days, are being vandalised, and there have been calls to take arms against our Muslim brothers and sisters. All of this is carried out with impunity and without any fear of the due process.” 

Please introspect. You surely consider yourself highly educated, but there are gaps in your education. Read about the history and about the fundamentals of Hindu Dharma and the fundamentals of those religions which claim that they alone are true and all must follow them. And also read and listen to media with the required discernment.

Then you may come to a more realistic understanding.

Patriotic Pakistanis are hating Saudi Arabia, and they have solutions for all problems: Nukes and opium

OpIndia Staff
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Patriotic Pakistanis are hating Saudi Arabia, and they have solutions for all problems: Nukes and opium

Pakistan is facing an economic crisis. The current value of the Pakistani Rupee against the US Dollar is over PKR 175. Everything in the country is expensive, and people are struggling to meet their daily needs. Amidst all the economic mess, Saudi Arabia, the top leader of the Islamic world, is getting hate from the Patriotic Pakistanis. Though Saudi Arabia has extended the repayment date for the previous Loan and provided an additional Loan to Pakistan, it is essential to understand why the patriots of a country that is in economic crisis are hating the nation that is providing the financial support.

Since Imran Khan came to power, the already under-crisis Pakistan went further into deeper financial troubles. The breakpoint came in Pakistan when India announced the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The announcement irked the neighbouring country to the extent that irrespective of the fact that a lot of business happened between the two countries, Pakistan put a stop to the trade. It further deepened the financial crisis.

The 2018 loan from Saudi Arabia and the drama that followed

In 2018, Pakistan secured a $6.2 billion loan from Saudi Arabia. The package was announced following Imran Khan’s visit to Riyadh. Pakistan received $3 Billion to support its balance of payments crisis, and a further $3 Billion were extended in the form of oil imports. Everything was going fairly smooth between the two nations, but after the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K, Pakistan started to build pressure on Saudi Arabia to speak up against India’s actions.

In 2020, while continuing its pressure on Riyadh, Pakistan moved a step further and threatened to form another Islamic bloc with Iraq, Turkey and Malaysia. There was a limit to Riyadh’s patience, and it was crossed with the decision of forming another Islamic bloc. Saudi Arabia immediately asked Pakistan to repay part of the Loan that rounded up to $1 Billion. Saudi has a history of using its Loan to Pakistan to arm-twist its way into the decision-making process of the neighbouring country.

Pakistan tried its level best to convince Saudi to repeal its demand for a loan payback, but it did not work. Then came the all-weather friend of Pakistan, China, to the rescue. Pakistan got a loan of $1 Billion from China that was used to repay Saudi Arabia. Here what is notable is that China’s biggest investment (worth $60 Billion) in Pakistan, i.e. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is getting delayed for numerous reasons, including several disputes and security concerns. It is also noteworthy that loans from China come with a huge price. Several countries, including Sri Lanka, have lost properties on their own land to China due to the inability to repay the loan. But it is a story for another day.

The $10 billion investment that never happened

In 2019, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed interest in setting up a Saudi Aramco refinery in the Pakistani port of Gwadar. The project was worth $10 Billion, and it came at the point when cash-strapped Pakistan was running from pillar to post for foreign investment. At the same time, the Crown Prince had announced investments worth $100 Billion in India.

While the investments in India were on track, in 2020, the Pakistan government was informed that Saudi Arabia was not going to invest in Pakistan, owning to global economic slowdown due to Pandemic and poor commercial potential of the project.

Saudi Arabia’s decision was linked to Pakistan’s support to Turkey

It is essential to mention here that Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads over the Muslim’s world’s leadership for a long. The relationship between the two nations went sour after the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia sees Turkey as a threat to its leadership.

Pakistan’s decision to side with Turkey to form a new Muslim bloc angered Saudi Arabia. Turkey does not lead any Muslim bloc like Saudi Arabia, but it has projected itself as a leader of the Muslim world by raising concerns over “problems Muslims and Muslim countries are facing”.

Imran Khan’s Turkey love

The newfound love for Turkey reached such a level that Pakistanis went crazy over the Turkish drama Ertugrul and even Imran Khan started hailing it. The Pakistani PM asked his fellow countrymen to watch Ertugrul multiple times.

The patriotic Pakistanis’ anger towards Saudi Arabia and ‘world class’ solutions: Nukes and opium

Pakistanis often direct hate towards Saudi Arabia over different issues on social media networks. One Twitter user who goes by the handle CestMoiz scrolled through a Pakistani forum and found some worth-reading gems. The cash-strapped country has some ‘smoked-up’ patriots who not only have ‘best-selling’ ideas to end the economic crisis in Pakistan but are also willing to nuke Saudi Arabia for asking back the money they gave to Pakistan as Loan.

One of the posts that CestMoiz shared has a ‘solution’ provided by a Pakistani patriot in which he urged the government to issue more licenses to grow opium. He called it a good idea because the market value of opium is much higher than regular crops. He said as Islam allows consumption of opium used for medical purposes, allowing more farmers to grow opium and produce medical-grade products would help Pakistan in ending the economic crisis.

In another post, a Pakistani called Saudi Arabia ostriches just because they asked for their own money parked in Pakistani banks. The user said Saudis would kiss Pakistani’s feet once they were out of the economic crisis. He also suggested Pakistan should come out of the crisis without Saudi Arabia’s help.

Another user who goes by the handle Smoke said that as Pakistan has nukes, it has the power to threaten Saudi Arabia. He said, “Scare them, tell them you have three days to approve a new oil deal, condemn and take action against India for Kashmir. If you do not comply, we will nuke you off the face of this planet. Good luck selling your oil then.”

One user on the forum claimed that Pakistan threw the “money on Saudi Arabia’s face” because it was using the Loan to meddle with Pakistan’s foreign policy.

Earlier, Pakistanis had declared hatred for UAE too

The Pakistani love for Turkey was so deep that when Turkey and UAE had a diplomatic fallout over the Libyan crisis in 2020, patriotic Pakistanis had started a trend to ‘boycott UAE’. They claimed that UAE is India’s friend and because UAE is also doing things that Turkey doesn’t like, UAE deserves to be boycotted by Pakistanis in a show of true friendship.

Pakistanis boycotting UAE
Pakistanis boycotting UAE

The new Saudi loan with stricter regulations

Saudi Arabia has sanctioned a new loan to Pakistan on November 29 last year, under which Riyadh would provide $4.2 Billion to Pakistan for one year. $3 Billion would be provided in the form of safe deposits, while $1.2 billion would be provided in the form of oil supplies.

The regulations, however, are strict this time. Saudi Arabia has the right to ask Pakistan to repay the Loan on a 72-hour notice without giving any reason for the recall. There is no rollover option, and Pakistan has to repay the loan after one year.

Riyadh now has a lot of advantages over Pakistan. It can use the loan conditions to arm-twist Pakistan if it tries to do something that is against the interest of Saudi Arabia. Also, it will put a stop to increasing romance between Turkey and Pakistan.

The Left’s refusal to condemn Siddharth and Kanhaiya Kumar for their innuendos reveals their hollow commitment to feminism

Jinit Jain
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The Left’s refusal to condemn Siddharth and Kanhaiya Kumar for their innuendos reveals their hollow commitment to feminism

Actor Siddharth was at the centre of a raging furore yesterday for his crass sexual remarks for ace badminton player Saina Nehwal over her tweet expressing concern over the lax security measures undertaken by the Punjab government during his travel to the state last week.

In her tweet, Saina had condemned the security lapse in Punjab during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur.

But this did not sit well with Siddharth, who otherwise fashions himself as a champion of women empowerment but has no qualms in stooping down to the level of reprehensible trolls that use sexual innuendos against women whose opinions are at variance with them.

He responded to Saina’s tweet with a crass, sexually derogatory comment. “Subtle cock champion of the world… Thank God we have protectors of India. Shame on you #Rihanna,” Siddharth tweeted.

Source: Twitter

Cock’ is a slang used for the male sexual organ. By twisting the badminton term ‘shuttlecock’, Siddharth was trying to insult Saina in a crass, sexual manner.

Siddharth’s condemnable tweet triggered a massive controversy on social media, with netizens slamming the actor for resorting to sexual jibes in order to ridicule a woman whose political ideology did not jibe with his own. As outrage over his comment swelled and NCW took cognisance of his tweets, Siddharth brazened out his remarks, stating that his “cock” reference was not meant to disrespect anyone and there was no insinuation in it.

In an ideal world, the issue of using derogatory innuendos against women would have led to unequivocal condemnation cutting across political parties and ideological persuasions. But not in India, where the moral decay among the Left is so pervasive and ingrained that saving one’s own takes precedence over their commitment to the cause of women empowerment.

None of the virtue-signalling proponents of feminists from the Left cared to issue an open condemnation against Siddharth, because for them he continues to remain a “useful idiot” that they can use later when the controversy subsides, seemingly to reinforce their longstanding propaganda against Hindus, and by extension against the Modi government.

Even before the appalling treachery of the Left in Siddharth’s case came to the fore, another incident laid bare the unabashed duplicity of the liberal ecosystem. In a recent interview, Kanhaiya Kumar, a former CPI leader turned Congress member, made innuendos against Sonia Gandhi saying his ‘choice is young’ when asked about meeting the Congress president.

When asked about his “Khwaahish” (Desire) to meet Sonia Gandhi, Kanhaiya responded, “Iss tarah ke sawal aap humari umar dekh ke puchiye .Humari khwaahish bhi utni hi jawan hai jitni ek ordinary naujawan ki iss desh mein hai (You must ask such questions considering my age. My desire is as young as that of an ordinary youth in this country),” he said.

But since Kanhaiya belongs to the Congress fold now, he was immune to attacks and denunciations from the liberals, who are otherwise always eager to launch vicious campaigns against those who are found making innuendos against Sonia Gandhi. However, in this case, they uncharacteristically remained silent as ’eminent’ left-liberals turned a blind eye to Kanhaiya’s presumptuous remarks.

The Left refuses to condemn Siddharth and Kanhaiya Kumar for their innuendos against women

This is the classic liberal hypocrisy. They have a habit of holding others to higher standards of ideals and principles but when one of them is caught erring on those exalted standards, they bury their heads in the sand thinking that the issue will die its own death or would be supplanted by another controversy, saving them the trouble of calling out one of their own ideological brethren.

It also betrays that for the left “feminism” and “women empowerment” are nothing more than political tools that can be weaponised when deemed useful and necessary depending on its use. For instance, when a female liberal ideologue is called out for sharing fake news on social media, the Left cabal instantly portrays it as an “online misogynist attack” instead of acknowledging the fact that misleading information was being peddled by that person. But when one of the left-liberal members are caught in the brazen act of insulting a woman with vile remarks, the entire ecosystem becomes silent as the dead.

All the bombast of having unwavering adherence to “liberal values” is reserved only for the members belonging to the non-left. Being a part of the Left ecosystem grants offenders sufficient latitude to continue with their deplorable behaviour, lest condemning them would undermine their cause and weaken their fraternal unity. This is why people like Siddharth, Kanhaiya Kumar and many others get away with patently unacceptable conduct as liberals look the other way.

Compared to their silence on Siddharth’s crass sexual comments or Kanhaiya Kumar’s innuendos, the left ecosystem shows unmatched alacrity to attack and condemn people from the non-left, even when offences against them are unproven and phoney. This is the shameless duplicity that liberals have come to be associated with, and also one of the reasons for their undoing.

How handwringing over alleged hate speech but stoic silence over hate crime exposes hypocrisy of liberals

For instance, the liberals continue hyperventilating over the issue of alleged hate speech made at ‘Dharma Sansad’ in Haridwar last month. They have accused Yati and others who attended the Haridwar Conclave of making hate speech designed to whip up genocide against Muslims. Calls for police action have also been made against the attendees. An FIR was also filed in connection with the case and now they are making noises for the court to hear on the matter.

However, the same kind of spirited initiative was markedly missing when it to came to the death threats levelled against Yati Narsighanand Saraswati for his comments on Prophet Muhammad. Calls for ‘sar tan se juda’ or his ‘decapitation’ was raised, with even elected MLAs such as AAP leader Amanatullah Khan making clarion calls for his beheading. But none of the liberals who are making a beeline to demand action against attendees of ‘Dharma Sansad’ cared to unequivocally denounce the death threats braved by the Dasna Devi Temple head priest.

Just like the liberals have been muted against the death threats faced by Yati Narsighanand Saraswati, they were also silent about the calls for the decapitation of Hindu Samaj leader Kamlesh Tiwari. No credible effort was taken by the Left intelligentsia to address the hate that was marshalled towards Tiwari, who years later was murdered in cold blood by followers of the murderous Islamist ideology that justified and called for his beheading.

Another instance where the hypocrisy of liberals has been stark is the Punjab lynchings related to sacrilege cases. The country was recently roiled with two horrifying cases of mob lynching that took place in Punjab over allegations of sacrilege. Angry mobs took law into their own hands and lynched two individuals to death on the suspicion of sacrilege, underscoring the abject state of law and order situation in Punjab.

Unabashed hypocrisy, a distinct feature of the liberal ecosystem

These incidents should have shaken the liberal conscience to the core, prompting an unreserved condemnation of the ghastly murders committed in the name of sacrilege. However, as warped as it has become, the moral compass of the liberals did not push them towards condemning the sacrilege incident, instead, they remained tight-lipped about the deaths while openly denouncing incidents of sacrilege.

As liberals lose their sleep over alleged hate speech but remain unbothered by hate crimes committed by their supporters, similarly, they make a great fuss over supporting feminism but refrain from holding to account their own members who are accused of denigrating women. This shameless hypocrisy has become a hallmark of the left ecosystem, where empty rhetorics prevails over meaningful actions.

Fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari suing French company over unpaid commission of Rs 92 crores for UPA era deal

OpIndia Staff
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Fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari suing French company over unpaid commission of Rs 92 crores for UPA era deal

According to a report published in the United Kingdom on Monday, fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, whom OpIndia exposed of having links with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, has sued French business Thales for Rs 92 crore in ‘commissions’. Bhandari has claimed the company owed the ‘commission’ to him in connection with a defence transaction signed in India a decade ago, during the UPA regime.

Bhandari, who is wanted in India for violating the Official Secrets Act, is currently seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.

The contract under contention is a €2.4 billion contract signed in 2011 by the then United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government under Manmohan Singh to upgrade Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 planes.

According to the report in the UK-based newspaper The Telegraph, the French company is “facing allegations that it used a secret and illicit system of paying middlemen to secure lucrative international contracts.”

The Telegraph stated that Bhandari claimed he “helped” Thales to “sell the upgrade of the Mirage jets by facilitating a meeting” with a top defence ministry official, citing court documents. He also claimed that he was entitled to a €20 million(167 crores) consulting fee but only received €9 million (75 crores).

The fugitive arms lobbyist alleged that this was due to political factors in 2016 because he was close to the Congress Party.

He added that the ruling BJP party began persecuting him after coming to power. He escaped to the United Kingdom, where he is fighting extradition on ‘unrelated charges’ and claiming political asylum, according to the British publication.

According to the report, Bhandari has described himself in the lawsuit as a “well-known commercial intermediary involved in arms and defence in India”, who has “worked with major international defence companies to assist them in negotiating arms contracts with the Indian Ministry of Defence”.

The case is still in progress, and a decision is likely later this year.

“Thales firmly denies the claims by Mr Sanjay Bhandari regarding the sums allegedly due or any other payments to him by Thales SA. Thales has never signed a contract with Mr Bhandari or his companies in connection with this project,” a report by The Print quoted the French company as saying.

“Thales complies with the law and applies a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and influence peddling. The group’s integrity programme is regularly evaluated and amended to reflect changes in applicable legislation and best practices,” it added.

OpIndia expose on Sanjay Bhandari Rahul Gandhi nexus

Sanjay Bhandari is a close friend of Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra and an arms dealer. From 2012 to 2015, Sanjay Bhandari was lobbying to become the offset partner in the Rafale deal and Dassault had refused to indulge him. In fact, a file related to the purchase of 126 Rafale jets had gone missing from the defence ministry and it was later found on the road. It is alleged that Bhandari had stolen the file. It is alleged that Bhandari used to photocopy crucial files and passed them on to defence contractors that he had links with.

Until now, the link had only been established between Robert Vadra and Sanjay Bhandari. However, in March 2019, OpIndia had exclusively accessed information that linked Rahul Gandhi to Sanjay Bhandari, through some dubious land deals, thickening the cloud of questions. 

OpIndia published an article about Rahul Gandhi’s suspected ties with arms lobbyist Sanjay Bhandari in 2019. We accessed papers related to the ED search conducted on one HL Pahwa on 3rd May 2017 and 4th May 2017, which proved that there was a land deal between the Gandhi scion and HL Pahwa who was funded by one CC Thampi, who has close financial links to Sanjay Bhandari.

Rahul Gandhi’s land deal with HL Pahwa

According to the files seized by the Enforcement Directorate from HL Pahwa, Rahul Gandhi had purchased 6.5 acres of land located at Hassanpur, Palwal vide registration deed 4780 dated 3rd March 2008 from HL Pahwa for a measly Rs. 26,47,000. The land was purchased by making a cheque payment of Rs. 24,00,000 dated 12th January 2008 and Rs. 2,47,000 dated 17th March 2008.

But, File C page 57 of the seized ED files reveals that the stamp duty on this transaction was paid in cash and was not withdrawn by Pahwa. It thus becomes obvious that it was the buyer, in this case, Rahul Gandhi who paid the stamp duty.

Another revelation in the file (Page 60 of File C) is that Pahwa wanted to sell the land at Rs. 33,22,003 but agreed to sell only at Rs. 26,47,000 to Rahul Gandhi.

After the startling revelation, the Congress party had admitted to the dubious land deal, however, remained tight-lipped about Rahul Gandhi’s alleged ties with HL Pahwa, who, in turn, is connected to Sanjay Bhandari.

Bhandari remains elusive. In August 2020, ED had raided 14 locations related to Bhandari in connection to the Pilatus aircraft scam. He is under the scanner of the CBI as well for allegedly purchasing Benami properties for Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

CBI’s inquiry had found that in 2009, Sanjay Bhandari’s company had received the kickback amount through his Singapore based bank account. From there the money was laundered to Bhandari’s company in Dubai and then, it was allegedly used to purchase properties in London. It is notable here that the Enforcement Directorate has already stated in open court that Sanjay Bhandari was acting on behalf of Robert Vadra for the purchase of properties in London.

Delhi High Court issues notice to Twitter and Govt over Arti Tikoo’s petition: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi High Court issues notice to Twitter and Govt over Arti Tikoo’s petition: Read details

The Delhi High Court issued a notice on January 11 on a case brought by Aarti Tikoo, the founder of ‘The New Indian,’ contesting Twitter’s decision to lock her account. Tikoo’s account was locked by the social media giant after she highlighted that Islamists in Kashmir are sending death threats to her brother.

Justice Rekha Palli requested a response from the Centre and Twitter Inc., while also providing three weeks to file a counter-affidavit in the issue. Another two weeks have been set up for the filing of the rebuttal.

According to the plea, on December 14, 2021, Tikoo’s brother Sahil took part in a Twitter Space conversation in which he was referred to as an “Indian Agent” and other accusations were levelled against him.

The next day, Tikoo posted: “My brother who lives in Srinagar, being openly threatened by jihadi terrorists sitting in Kashmir-India & their handlers in Pakistan, UK & US. Is anyone watching? Are we sitting ducks waiting to be shot dead by Islamists or will you crack down on them?”

Following this, Twitter locked her account on the same day.

Tikoo has said in her appeal, referring to the transcripts of the threats given to her cousin on Twitter, that Twitter’s conduct of freezing her account is a violation of Articles 14, 19, and 21 since it is an infringement on her right to free expression and is arbitrary.

In December, Aarti Tikoo Singh had filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against Twitter, requesting that the government safeguard her fundamental right to free expression and life. According to the petition filed by counsel Mukesh Sharma, the way in which her brother was attacked by several participants was reminiscent of January 1990. According to the petition, she was astonished to see that Twitter had sent her a warning for this Tweet, stating that it violated their Rules on Hateful Conduct.

Open Ajanta Ellora caves with 50% capacity like theatres, gyms: Aurangabad tourism body writes to MH govt

OpIndia Staff
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Open Ajanta Ellora caves with 50% capacity like theatres, gyms: Aurangabad tourism body writes to MH govt

On Tuesday, an Aurangabad-based tourism association has written to Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray asking to re-open the historical sites like Ellora and Ajanta Caves that have been shut for tourists amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra.

The Aurangabad Tourism Development Foundation (ATDF), in its letter to Thackeray has said that theaters, which are closed venues are being allowed to operate with an attendance cap but not such sites. It states that the number of visitors to these sites must be restricted in view of the pandemic but they should not be closed completely.

According to ATDF President, Jaswant Singh Rajput, keeping world-renowned sites like Ellora and Ajanta Caves shut will adversely affect the tourism sector in the region. The organisation led by Rajput has urged the Maharashtra governmnet to allow such sites to open with 50 per cent capacity.

The letter further stated that the Ajanta and Ellora caves are spread over 2.5 km and that there would be no problem in ensuring proper social distancing among the visiting public. “The caves are better ventilated naturally than the shopping malls and cinema theatres and hence are capable to operate with 50 per cent capacity”, it added.

According to the local reports, this decision of the government has caused major inconvenience to the international tourists as this is the third time since March 2020, that the caves have been shut. “This will lead to a humongous economic loss to also all those who are dependent for their livelihood on tourism in and around Aurangabad”, Thackeray was informed.

Both the cave sites are UNESCO World Heritage Centres and attract millions of tourists every year.

Tourism has been the most battered sector in this pandemic and frequent closures of these monuments will create a huge negative impact both economically and psychologically on all stakeholders in the tourism industry in and around the city of Aurangabad, the letter asserted. The ATDF has also meanwhile ensured execution of full COVID protocols inside the caves.

The number of new COVID cases in Aurangabad has jumped to 317, with the active tally now at 1,141. The new cases comprise 276 from city limits and 41 from the rural areas.

Karnataka: 33-year-old Wasim Hazaratsab Mullah sets the branch on fire after bank rejects loan over low credit score

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: 33-year-old Wasim Hazaratsab Mullah sets the branch on fire after bank rejects loan over low credit score

33 year old Wasim Hazaratsab Mullah of Karnataka set the Canara Bank branch in Haveri on fire after it rejected the loan application of the accused. The Kaginele police on Tuesday arrested him and a case has been registered at Kaginele police station under Sections 436, 477, 435 of IPC.

It is reported that Mulla is a resident of Rattihalli town in Haveri district of Karnataka. He had submitted an application to secure a loan from the Canara Bank branch located at Hedugonda village within the jurisdiction of Kaginele police. The bank is said to have rejected his application due to the low CIBIL score.

Upset over the rejection of loan application, Mulla reached the bank’s branch late on Saturday night and broke open a window and spilt petrol inside the bank’s office. He then set the office on fire. The police and the fire authorities were informed about the incident by a few passersby.

According to the police, the fire at the bank has caused damage worth Rs 12 lakh including computers, fans, lights, passbook printer, cash counting machine, documents, CCTVs, and cash counters, which were all destroyed.

Bihar: Madarsa cleric rapes and impregnates minor student, records act and uses it to further rape her

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Madarsa cleric rapes and impregnates minor student, records act and uses it to further rape her

On Saturday, January 8, a case of rape of a minor Madarsa student has come to the fore from the Sitamarhi district in the Mithila region of Bihar. A report by TV9 Hindi suggests that the cleric Maulvi Tabrez raped and impregnated the minor girl, who came to study at his Madarsa. He also recorded the act and started blackmailing her with the video. The cleric reportedly used the video to further rape her on several occasions until she became pregnant.

He threatened to make the video viral if the minor told anybody in her family about his wrongdoing. However, when the minor realised she was pregnant, she narrated her ordeal to her family members who then approached the ladies police station in the district with a complaint against the cleric. The girl is said to be 5 months pregnant now.

Based on the complaint, the police have started investigating the case.

Madarsa cleric in Patna, Bihar attempts to rape 10-year-old, flees after being caught

In a similar incident reported from Patna, a cleric attempted to rape a minor girl studying in a Madarsa falling under the limits of Maner police station in Patna, Bihar. As per a report by Hindi daily, Dainik Bhaskar, when the police came to arrest him on the basis of a complaint submitted by the victim’s parents, the cleric named Maulana Shahbaz Raza left the Madarsa and escaped.

According to the report, the cleric started misbehaving with the 10-year-old, who was a student of the madarsa. Despite the girl’s persistent complaints, the maulvi use to keep touching her inappropriately. Enraged by the constant harassment, the young girl alerted her family member who in turn lodged a complaint against the cleric with the police. The girl’s mother met with Danapur ASP Syed Imran Masood to discuss the situation and gave him all the details, who, in turn, directed the Maner station in charge to register an FIR in this matter without delay.

The officer in charge of the Maner police station Rajiv Ranjan stepped up his efforts against the accused Maulana by immediately filing an FIR and launching an investigation in this matter.

The officer confirmed that an FIR has been filed in Maner police station under the POSCO Act against the madrasa’s Imam Shahbaz Raza for assaulting a child girl based on the girl’s confession. He added that the police are conducting raids on a daily basis and putting in possible efforts to apprehend the Maulvi as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, there is a lot of resentment and fury directed at the clerics in the neighbourhood, with residents requesting that he be severely punished in order to set an example for other Maulanas in the area.

Several cases of clerics being involved in similar crimes

On October 10, a case of rape of a madarsa student came to light in district Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Reports suggest that the cleric of the madarsa lured the student on the pretext of marriage. Later, when she got pregnant, he got the abortion done. 

Similarly, in July 2021, Nileshwar Police, district Kasaragod, Kerala, had arrested a 50-year-old madarsa teacher for repeatedly raping and sexually abusing his 16-year-old daughter for two years. He was also accused of getting his daughter raped by other men.

Djokovic’s participation in Australian Open still unsure as threat of deportation persists, Australian minister mulls personally considering his case

OpIndia Staff
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Djokovic’s participation in Australian Open still unsure as threat of deportation persists, Australian minister mulls personally considering his case

It is likely that Djokovic’s triumph in the court is a hollow victory, with the government’s counsel indicating that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke would now decide whether to cancel the tennis star’s visa for a second time.

Novak Djokovic will be able to defend his Australian Open title, at least for the time being, after Judge Anthony Kelly of the Federal Circuit and Family Court annulled the termination of his visa following an agreement between the tennis star’s attorneys and the government.

After the hearing, both parties agreed that Djokovic had not been given enough time to reply to the notice of visa cancellation. Border authorities told him he had until 8:30 a.m. on Thursday to react, but his visa was revoked at 7:42 a.m. Kelly ordered Djokovic’s release on these grounds.

However, the government’s counsel soon hinted that Hawke would consider using his personal power to revoke Djokovic’s visa once more.

We should expect further litigation if such a ruling is made. Kelly stated that he expects to be “well informed in advance” if he is called upon in future hearings, noting that “the stakes have grown rather than receded.” Kelly also stated that if the minister’s personal power was used, Djokovic might be prevented from re-entering Australia for three years, however this exclusion term may be lifted.

The Australian government decided to rescind the decision to cancel Novak Djokovic’s visa, which means that the visa he arrived to Australia on would be reinstated, and he will be released from custody and get his passport and other personal things.

The controversy surrounding the nine-time Australian Open winner has captivated the athletic world since Djokovic was stopped upon arrival in Melbourne last week owing to concerns regarding his medical exemption from vaccination to compete in the event, which begins on January 17.

Following the loss of his visa, Djokovic was sent to immigration custody in Melbourne’s renowned Park Hotel. His attorneys subsequently filed a judicial review application to contest the cancellation. For the time being, Djokovic is unrestricted. But it’s unclear if he’ll spend the next few days on a tennis court or in a federal court.

The Australian Open starts on January 17. Djokovic is the current world number 1. If he wins the title, he will be the most successful men’s player in tennis.

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