An undated video is making rounds on social media platforms, including WhatsApp, in which a young man can be seen peeing at an airport, visibly drunk. The social media posts claimed that the person seen in the video is actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan who was arrested for his involvement in a drug case a few months ago.
The message claimed it was Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan in the video.
OpIndia did some reverse image search taking stills from the video and found out that popular social sharing site Reddit had discussed this incident three years back. Though the fair-skinned, young lanky guy with big hair could indeed look like SRK’s son, the reality is different from what the social media posts claim.
अभी अभी ये वीडियो एक मित्र ने भेजा है, कहा जा रहा है कि वीडियो में दिखाई दे रहा युवक शाहरुख का बेटा आर्यन खान है, और ये हरकत अमेरिका के किसी एयरपोर्ट पर हुई है।
The incident happened on December 17, 2013, and the person who peed on the floor of an airport was Canadian actor Bronson Pelletier who is well known for his role as a shape-shifting werewolf in the movie franchise ‘The Twilight Saga’.
The 35-year-old actor was removed from the plane, claiming he was too intoxicated to be flying. The airport authorities at the LAX airport in Los Angeles had asked him to wait for the next flight giving him time to sober up. However, during that period, when the airport authorities were examining if he was drunk, Pelletier, who was visibly intoxicated, unzipped his pants and peed in public at the airport. The officer standing next to him could be heard saying, ‘Sir! Sir’ as he tried to stop him.
In the video, two security officers could be seen rushing towards him and handcuffing the actor after putting him on the ground. The people who were present at the scene were shocked by what they had witnessed. Someone in the background could be heard saying, “Oh My God!” Towards the end, the officer asked the person who recorded the video if he got everything on camera, to which he replied positively.
Pelletier was handed two years of probation and 52 court-mandated Alcohol Anonymous (AA) meetings. In his statement, the Canadian actor alleged that some fan had brought drinks for him at the airport, claiming he was obsessed with the actor. He further alleged later the same fan called security and had him deplaned.
Verdict: The person seen urinating in full public view at an airport is not SRK’s son Aryan Khan, but Canadian actor Bronson Pelletier.
In a major development on Monday morning, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case is reported to have filed a 5000-page long charge sheet in the local court. The filing of the charge sheet comes after three months since the incident took place in Tikunia village of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh.
Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra Teni, has been named as an accused in the violence case. So far 13 accused, including Ashish Mishra, have been sent to jail. The charge sheet has one more name added, taking the total number of accused to 14.
Ajay Mishra’s relative Virendra Shukla is the new name that has popped up in the charge sheet. He has been booked under Section 201 of the Indian Penal Code for a conspiracy to destroy evidence. As per sources, the SIT also submitted a pen drive and DVD to the court. The 90-day deadline to file a charge sheet was scheduled to end on Tuesday.
The 14 persons named in the charge sheet are, as per reports, Ashish Mishra, Virendra Shukla, Ankit Das, Nandan Das Bisht, Satyam Tripathi, Lateef, Shekhar Bharti, Sumit Jaiswal, Ashish Pandey, Luvkush, Shishupal, Ullas Trivedi, Rinku Rana, Dharmendra Banjara.
‘Farmers’ arrested by SIT over lynching of BJP workers
In a recent move, 3 more farmers were arrested for the brutal lynching of BJP workers. Kamaljeet Singh (age 29), Kanwaljeet Singh Sonu (age 35) and Gurpreet Singh (22) were arrested from Lakhimpur Kheri. The action has been taken in response to the complaint filed by Sumit Jayswal who is co-accused with Ashish Mishra – son of Minister Ajay Mishra – in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
The Lakhimpur Kheri incident
On 3rd October 2021, a ‘farmer’ mob had attacked a BJP convoy with stones and sticks in the Tikunia village of Lakhimpur Kheri district, Uttar Pradesh. Amid the ensuing commotion, a vehicle was seen running over the protestors. Following that, the angry mob of protestors had set ablaze two vehicles, dragged the people inside the vehicle and had beaten them to death. The incident claimed the lives of 8 people including protesting ‘farmers,’ BJP workers and a journalist.
BJP worker Shubham Mishra and his driver Hariom Mishra were also lynched to death on the spot by the so-called ‘farmers’. Another person named Shyam Sunder Nishad was also brutally lynched to death by the violent mob.
In a move to strengthen the security apparatus of the state, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath is all set to lay the foundation stone of the much-awaited Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Commando Training Centre in Deoband town of Saharanpur District. According to District Magistrate Akhilesh Singh, the official minute-to-minute program of the Chief Minister has not been received yet, but preparations are being made.
The Training Centre will come up in Deoband which houses the Islamic school of thought, Darul Uloom. There are more than 300 madrasas in Deoband. Due to Darul Uloom, many Muslims from all over the country and the world come to Deoband. Deoband is now on the radar of the government due to terrorist activities. This is the reason why various security experts opine on why Deoband has been selected for the ATS Commando Training Centre.
For the construction of the ATS centre, 2 thousand square meters of land of UP Small Industries Corporation has been given. It is worth noting that CM Yogi had recently announced the creation of 12 ATS centres in western Uttar Pradesh.
Rising terror activities in Muslim dominated western UP districts
To curb terrorist activities in the state, the state government in August 2021 decided to increase the scope of Uttar Pradesh ATS. Several suspected terrorist activities have been coming to the fore in western Uttar Pradesh. Especially in Deoband, the ATS has been investigating the suspects. In such a situation, with the establishment of a center here, the ATS will now be able to keep a close vigil on the activities around.
The government plans to set up similar ATS centres at other places including Meerut, Bahraich, Shravasti, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Media Advisor to the CM, Shalabh Mani Tripathi shared about the decision to open the centre in Deoband in a tweet in August 2021.
तालीबान की बर्बरता के बीच यूपी की खबर भी सुनिए,योगीजी ने तत्काल प्रभाव से ‘देवबंद’ में ATS कमांडो सेंटर खोलने का निर्णय लिया है,युद्धस्तर पर काम शुरू भी हो गया है,प्रदेश भर से चुने हुए करीब डेढ दर्जन तेज तर्रार एटीएस अफसरों की यहां तैनाती होगी। pic.twitter.com/cBcFqwEtYK
Deoband is the home to the Deobandi Islamic Movement. Deobandi is an Islamic revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that formed around the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in the town of Deoband. It is worth noting that the Taliban, which captured power in Afghanistan recently draws inspiration from the Deobandi movement.
It is worth noting that the Taliban, which has recently risen in prominence in Afghanistan and effectively controls the country, draws its inspiration from the Deobandi movement. The current article on Wikipedia refers to the Taliban as a Deobandi Islamist movement and a military organization in Afghanistan, engaged in waging a jihad within the country.
Not just Wikipedia, but the Taliban’s association with the UP town of Deoband was also highlighted in an article published in the New York Times in 2002. The article titled “Indian town’s seed grew into the Taliban code” discussed how the ideology of radical Islamism that germinated in a town in Uttar Pradesh went on to influence the jihadist movement on the other side the Durand Line, the line that separates Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A recent article in the Guardian also characterised the Taliban as “employing a narrow interpretation of Islamic sharia law inspired by the Deobandi fundamentalist school”.
Deobandi is an Islamic revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that formed around the Darul Uloom Islamic seminary in the town of Deoband. The seminary was founded in 1866 by Muhammad Qasim Nanautavi, Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, and several other figures. The Deobandi movement’s political wing, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, was founded in 1919.
It is alleged that Deobandi Islam is the most popular form of pedagogy in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and several prominent Afghan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have studied in Deobandi seminaries. By some accounts, about 15 to 25 per cent of Pakistani Sunni identify themselves as Deobandi. Similarly, terror organisations such as TTP, SSP, LeJ etc., which are quite active in Pakistan draw their inspiration from Deobandi ideology. Furthermore, even a majority of Bangladeshi Sunni Muslims swear their allegiance to the Deobandi Islamic movement.
Continuing his focus on promoting geriatric care within the state, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has approved special leave for Assam government employees on January 6 & 7, 2022. The CM on Sunday, in a video announcement on Twitter, urged officials to spend quality time with their families, parents and in-laws during the holidays.
To uphold ancient Indian values, I urge Assam Govt employees to spend quality time with their parents/in-laws on Jan 6 & 7, 2022 designated as spl leave.
I request them to rededicate themselves to the cause of building a New Assam & New India with blessings of their parents. pic.twitter.com/hZ2iwbgKoB
Sarma-led BJP Govt. in Assam had passed a decision to allow two-day special leave in order to facilitate employees to take care of their parents. The notification issued for the order read, “The Assam government is pleased to allow state government employees to avail casual leave on January 6 and 7, 2022, suffixing the two holidays, the 8th and 9th of January 2022, being the 2nd Saturday and Sunday, so as to enable them to spend the aforesaid days with their living parents and parents-in-law.”
Speaking to the media on Sunday, the CM reminded the officials that it would be mandatory to flourish photographs showing that they stayed with the parents during the holidays as proof. Those seeking the holidays will have to apply for leave prior. Stretching this one-of-a-kind initiative to onfield-duty police, healthcare officials, and other officials allied to emergency services, Himanta Biswa Sarma added that they will also be able to avail holidays in phases in the next four months.
The CM also said that his government is also planning to sanction special holidays for employees wanting to visit religious and tourist destinations next year. The move is in the view “to uphold ancient Indian values” on family culture wrote Himanta Biswa Sarma while announcing it on Twitter.
Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced 7 days of extra leave for employees to spend time with elderly parents
In August 2021, the Assam government had decided to grant an extra seven days’ leave to its employees once a year but with a strict stipulation that they will spend the time with their elderly parents. The announcement was made by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in his independence speech, wherein he asked people to take the resolve to not send their elderly parents to old-age homes.
The government had then also linked geriatric care to the employees’ pay by enacting the Assam Employees’ Parent Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring Amendment Bill. The Bill made it mandatory for the employees to take care of their parents or face a certain deduction from their pay that would be used for their parents’ welfare.
On Friday (31st December 2021) morning, miscreants hung beef packets on the doors of 3 Hindu temples and a house. in Bangladesh. The incident took place in Gendukuri village in Hatibandha Upazila in the Lalmonirhat district of Bangladesh.
As per reports, polythene bags containing raw beef were hung on the doors of 3 temples, namely, Gendukuri Kuthipara Kali Mandir, Gendukuri Camp Para Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, and Gendukuri Battala Kali Mandir. Miscreants had also placed a packet of raw beef on the door of one Monindranath Barman, a Hindu. When the incident came to light, the Hindus in the region filed 4 complaints with the Hatibandha police.
They also protested against the act of desecration at the Sri Sri Radha Govinda temple. The aggrieved Hindus had vowed to continue their protests until the culprits are arrested. The police have reportedly assured the Hindu community of prompt action. “All involved will be brought to book,” remarked police (Hatibandha) in-charge Ershadul Alam.
While speaking about the matter, Hatibandha Upazila Puja Udjapan Parishad president Dilip Kuma Singh informed that big packets were hung on the doors of 3 temples and one house. He said, “Police have assured us that the culprits will be arrested.” Singh announced that the act of desecration could be connected to the Local union Parishad polls that were held on December 26 last year.
Durga Puja Pandal attacks in Bangladesh
In the wee hours of October 13, 2021, radical Islamists had entered the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla district and placed a copy of the Quran on the feet of the idol of Lord Hanuman. According to Shibu Prasad Dutta, the general secretary of Cumilla Mahanagar Puja Udjapon Committee, someone carried out the mischief in the morning when the guard was asleep.
“The miscreants took some pictures of this and ran away. Within a few hours, using Facebook, the propaganda spread like wildfire with the provocative pictures,” confirmed a district official. The foundation for orchestrating a Hindu pogrom was perfectly laid – The insult of the ‘Holy Book’, the punishment for which is death.
While blaming the Hindu community for the desecration of the Quran, Islamists vandalised the Durga Puja pandal and the idols of the deities kept at the Nanuar Dighir Par Durga Mandir in Cumilla. According to Dipan Mitra, the Islamic extremists also attacked the Nrisingh Dev and Dashavuja Kali temples. He added that the mob also destroyed the Rishipara temple, Rajeswari Kali temple, besides 14 other temples and Durga pandals in the district.
On October 15 last year, Islamists had attacked the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh. In a tweet, the official handle of ISKCON wrote, “ISKCON temple & devotees were violently attacked today by a mob in Noakhali, Bangladesh. Temple suffered significant damage & the condition of a devotee remains critical. We call on the Govt of Bangladesh to ensure the safety of all Hindus & bring the perpetrators to justice.”
On January 3, Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s ex-wife Reham Khan said in a tweet that her vehicle was fired at and held at gunpoint while she was coming back from her nephew’s wedding. She attacked her ex-husband and questioned if the incident was a projection of his ‘New Pakistan’ rhetoric.
On the way back from my nephew’s marriage my car just got fired at & two men on a motorbike held vehicle at gunpoint!! I had just changed vehicles. My PS & driver were in the car. This is Imran Khan’s New Pakistan? Welcome to the state of cowards, thugs & the greedy!!
Reham said, “On the way back from my nephew’s marriage, my car just got fired at & two men on a motorbike held vehicle at gunpoint!! I had just changed vehicles. My PS & driver were in the car. This is Imran Khan’s New Pakistan? Welcome to the state of cowards, thugs & the greedy!!” The tweet was posted on the intervening night of January 2 and January 3.
In a follow-up tweet, she said the government of Pakistan should be held accountable for whatever happened, and she was ready to take a bullet for her homeland. She said, “I choose to live & die like the average Pakistani in Pakistan. Whether it was a cowardly targeted attack or just the state of lawlessness on the main highway of the twin cities…this so-called government should be held accountable for it! For my homeland, I can take a bullet!”
I choose to live & die like the average Pakistani in Pakistan. Whether it was a cowardly targeted attack or just the state of lawlessness on the main highway of the twin cities…this so called government should be held accountable for it! For my homeland I can take a bullet! https://t.co/d3J5mj8xVc
While waiting for a copy of FIR at Shams Colony Police Station, Islamabad, she said, “It’s 9 am. My PS & team has not had a minute of sleep & the FIR still has not been registered in Shams Colony Police Station Islamabad. The investigation is ongoing. Waiting for a copy of the FIR.”
It’s 9 am My PS & team has not had a minute of sleep & the FIR still has not been registered in Shams Colony Police Station Islamabad. Investigation is ongoing. Waiting for a copy of the FIR.
Later, in a tweet, she said she did not fear death or injury but was outraged and concerned about what her team had to go through.
Allah Malik but I am feeling guilty about those close to me having to go through this. My staff loves me more than family & for them to take these risks & go through personal sacrifice is too disturbing. A lovely family celebration marred by this awful incident. https://t.co/aPDxnCwurk
Reham Khan is a journalist of British-Pakistani origin. She was briefly married to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. She married him in January 2015 in a low-key ceremony and filed for divorce in October, just after ten months of marriage. In the autobiography she released in 2018, Reham made some allegations against Imran Khan.
Reham Khan, a journalist of British-Pakistani origin, was briefly married to Imran. She released an autobiography in 2018, in which she made some damning claims against the Pakistan Prime Minister. She levelled accusations of sexual harassment against Khan in her autobiography.
As per reports, there are instances of rampant sexual coercion and use of sexual favours within the ranks of PTI, including some directly related to Imran Khan. His former wife, Reham Khan has called out Imran Khan on multiple occasions and called him ‘fake’ and a ‘hypocrite who would do anything to get power’. In 2019, she called Khan a closet bigot and claimed he regularly made derogatory comments on Hindus.
TMC member Saket Gokhale is in the eye of a raging political storm after he came under public scrutiny for misappropriation of funds he collected through donations. As murky details of his swindling came to the fore, along with the allegations of sexual misconduct against him, a nefarious campaign is underway that provides a glimpse into the pervasive hate speech that goes around unchecked in the country.
With Saket Gokhale under the scanner for swindling money he sought in the name of activism, a raft of disillusioned left-leaning liberals have attributed Gokhale’s depravity to his Brahminical roots so as to salvage eroding public trust from the leftist ideology, of which Saket was and continues to remain one of its staunch adherents.
Many leftists, who have now become a butt of jokes on social media for being conned by a man who tapped their hate against PM Modi, resorted to what they have been doing since time immemorial: play the victim card and pass the buck on the Brahmins for their misery. After Gokhale was exposed for his swindling, allegations were hurled by the critics at the left ecosystem for harbouring and hailing people with questionable character. In opposition to this, the left-leaning ideologues and their supporters displayed unmatched alacrity in highlighting the TMC member’s Brahmin roots and blaming it for his wrongdoings.
Leftists highlight Gokhale’s Brahminical roots to spew venom against Brahmins
“A Brahmin man comes, loots this world of 22 lakhs and then loses all shit when people question him and cries saying he is a victim knowing fully well that he will get away in this system no matter what. This Brahmin audacity & entitlement needs to be put down,” said one of the Twitter users who appeared to be inclined towards the Left.
Source: Twitter
Others too highlighted misappropriation of funds by Saket Gokhale to insinuate how Brahmins are untrustworthy and deceitful.
Source: Twitter
Yet another Twitter user, Dilip Mandal, vilified Brahmins by asserting that Saket Gokhale’s misappropriation of funds is similar how to priests demand money by promising people to provide them with a better afterlife. Mandal also stated that this habit is longstanding and it would not go away too easily.
Source: Twitter
The Left spews anti-Brahmin vitriol as it tries to evade public reckoning over Saket Gokhale saga
Gokhale, before his undoing, was one of the blue-eyed boys of the liberal intelligentsia and supporters, who routinely interacted with him on various social media platforms and hailed his work for fighting against the “fascist” central government. Gokhale, for his part, had routinely and emphatically associated himself with the liberal ideology, something which the left-leaning liberals never rejected or questioned.
Now, as they feel cheated by one of their own and scathing questions are being raised on the ideology that attracts such immorality, the leftists have tried to deflect the criticism by reinforcing the victimhood narrative. Brahmins are being targeted now because Saket Gokhale happens to be a Brahmin. The fact that he never emphasised his Brahmin roots or revelled in being a Brahmin is not an important nugget of information that is worth enunciating because doing so would expose the moral decay that is plaguing the Left.
Moreover, since Saket is not from the BJP or the RSS, the organisations that have been ceaselessly reviled by the Left, the left supporters cannot dehumanise him the way they have come to dehumanise BJP and RSS workers who had been victims of hate crimes perpetrated against him. Therefore, the Left ecosystem is using Saket as a stick to beat Brahmins and propagate their anti-Brahmin propaganda to emerge from this imbroglio unscathed.
Instead of admitting that their hatred for PM Modi had clouded their judgment about the character of a person they were entrusting their hard-earned money with to continue his activism, the leftists are hiding their tomfoolery now by spewing venom against the Brahmins and making sweeping generalisations about Brahmins being innately fraud. Because doing otherwise could be catastrophic for the cause of left-liberalism. Admitting their own gullibility for being duped by Saket Gokhale would not only highlight their own fallibility but will also weaken the public confidence in the Left ideology. Therefore, they are now disingenuously calling attention to Saket Gokhale’s Brahmin roots and disparaging Brahmins for the vices of one of their own.
Nevertheless, the entire episode demonstrates how hate speech against Brahmins is rampant in India. It shows that Brahmins in our country do not enjoy the same citizenship status as accorded to the minorities, especially Muslims and Christians, whose rights are vigorously defended by the left-leaning liberals. A few weeks back, the entire liberal ecosystem swung into action to condemn Yati Narsighanand Saraswati for his remarks made at ‘Dharma Sansad’ in Haridwar. By contrast, the same level of concern was not extended to Brahmins. Instead, the Left continues to regard them as fair game, as expendable commodities who can be sacrificed on the altar of their ideology. This allows the Left to not only reinforce their anti-Brahmin propaganda but also aides them in pulling a veil over their association with Saket Gokhale.
Saket Gokhale accused of misappropriating funds collected from Modi haters
Rahul Gandhi fanboy turned TMC member Saket Gokhale came under scrutiny for alleged misappropriation of funds after poet and writer Hussain Haidry and several others raised demanded accountability from the activist politician on the utilisation of funds collected through fundraising campaigns.
Saket Gokhale was collecting funds through online fundraising campaigns for several years now and has collected lakhs of Rupees. But despite several donors and social media users demanding the details of the utilisation of the funds, he has been refusing to provide the same. When he was working as a Congress supporter, several Congress members and supporters had demanded accountability from him, but he had refused to provide.
It is alleged that all Saket Gokhale does is file online petitions for free and does not follow up with his petitions in courts. Therefore, he does not spend any money on his ‘activism’, and all the money donated to him by Congress workers and supporters go towards his personal expense.
Therefore, Hussain Haidry has demanded that Saket Gokhale give the details of how he spent the money he raised through fundraising campaigns. He said that hundreds and thousands of people, especially Muslims, have donated to Gokhale in the last 2-3 years in small amounts, but no stupendous work has been done by him.
He said that Saket Gokhale never replies if one asks for CA audited receipt and payment accounts till date, and status of work done till date in terms of FIR, PIL, RTI, Complaints filed with cost per case.
As allegations of misappropriation of funds started being levelled against Saket Gokhale and users demanded him to get his account audited, the TMC leader brazened it out, stating that he had already mentioned that funds he had procured through crowdfunding would be for his “sustenance” and that one does not promise “audited accounts” for monthly living expenses.
The Supreme Court on Monday, January 3, asked the central government to consider the repatriation plea of Sonia Sabastian alias Ayisha, an ISIS bride from Kerala, who had left India to join the terrorist group ISIS and is currently lodged in a jail in Afghanistan, reports Live Law.
The apex court has asked the central government to consider the request of VJ Sebastian Francis from Kerala, who had approached the Supreme Court in August last year, for its response and directions on the extradition of his daughter Sonia Sabastian alias Ayisha and his 7-year-old granddaughter.
The Supreme Court bench of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice BR Gavai has granted eight weeks to the Union government to file its response in the case. The bench also granted freedom to VJ Sebastian to approach the High Court under Article 226 if he is not satisfied with the decision taken by the Union Government regarding the extradition of his daughter and granddaughter from Afghanistan.
Advocate Ranjith Marar, representing the petitioner, stated that the plea was filed in July 2021, prior to the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. Despite the fact that the prisons were razed after the Taliban took power, the counsel argued that Sonia and her daughter could still be jailed because there have been reports of detainees being held in border areas.
Hearing the plea, Justice Nageswara Rao observed: “We can direct the government to take a decision on your request because extradition matters are not matters where we can given decisions on…. all these are matters for the government to decide.”
Father of Kerala ISIS terrorist bride approaches SC, asks court to direct Centre to repatriate daughter and grandaughter
Earlier in 2021, VJ Sebastian Francis from Kerala has approached the Supreme Court for directions on the extradition of his daughter Sonia Sabastian alias Ayisha and his 7-year-old granddaughter. In his petition, Francis said that the authorities should take necessary action to extradite his daughter and granddaughter. He had further claimed that the issue was urgent as the political and administrative scene in Afghanistan would change substantially after the exit of US troops. Blaming the Centre for not facilitating the extradition, he alleged that the government’s stand was ‘illegal and unconstitutional’. He also alleged it was a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India.
Reportedly, When Ayisha left India to join ISIS, a case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was filed against her. In 2017, Interpol also issued a Red Corner notice against her. After she reached Afghanistan, her husband was killed in the war, and she had to surrender to Afghan forces in November 2019 along with other women.
Govt of India had declined to facilitate return of four Kerala women who had joined ISIS
The government of India had earlier announced that it would not allow the return of four Kerala women who had joined ISIS namely Sonia alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam, Nimisha alias Fathima, and another woman named Raffaela.
Soon after, Bindu Sampath, the mother of ISIS terrorist Nimisha Fathima had also urged the Indian government to bring her daughter back from Afghanistan. She had reportedly said: “I’ve heard that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very kind-hearted person. I have full faith in him.”
Bindu lamented that she had not received any communication from the Indian government so far. “But I am very positive because there will be other views also in the government. I am banking on that. I believe in God. I am sure that God will create a situation for her return,” she had opined.
It is notable here that when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, jails were broken and many former prisoners were set free. As of now, since the country is being run by the Taliban and it is not formally recognised by most governments in the world, there is no status update on former prisoners of the erstwhile government of Afghanistan. Indian citizens residing in Afghanistan legally with valid documents were evacuated by special flights arranged by the Indian government.
Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha went to join ISIS with her husband Abdullah Rashid
Sebastian, together with a group of 21 men and women from Kerala, departed India in 2016 to join the ISKP in Afghanistan, according to a charge sheet submitted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2017. They had crossed the border from Iran to Afghanistan on foot. Sebastian, from Kasargod in Kerala, and her husband, Abdul Rashid Abdulla, departed India on May 31, 2016, according to the NIA.
Sonia Sebastian had earlier stated that
The NIA has been investigating cases where several non-Muslim women from Kerala were first converted, then married to Muslims and had then gone on to join ISIS as terrorists. ISIS recruitment and radicalisation of youth has been rampant in certain pockets of Kerala.
Meghalaya Governor Satyapal Malik has claimed that PM Modi behaved ‘arrogantly’ with him and refused to discuss the issue of farmers. He has stated that his discussions turned into arguments within 5 minutes.
मैं जब किसानों के मामले में प्रधानमंत्री जी से मिलने गया तो मेरी 5 मिनट में ही लड़ाई हो गई। वो बहुत घमंड में थे। जब मैंने उनसे कहा हमारे 500 लोग मर गए तो उन्होंने कहा- मेरे लिए मरे हैं?
The Meghalaya Governor was seen making the claims at an event in Dadri, Haryana. Malik claimed that during a meeting with the PM, he had raised the issue of farmers’ death and the PM had responded ‘arrogantly’. Malik claimed that his discussion became an argument within 5 minutes and when he said that over 500 farmers have died, (in the protests), the PM became angry and asked “Did they die because of me?”
Malik further claimed that he replied to the PM saying “Yes they died because of you, you were made king due to their votes. You send condolences even when a dog dies but you have been silent on this issue.” He added that the PM had asked him to meet Home Minister Amit Shah. He further added that Amit Shah told him that he (the PM) has ‘lost it’. The Meghalaya governor did not specify when exactly this particular meeting had taken place.
Throughout the video, the Governor was seen impolite words for the PM.
Satyapal Malik has been giving rogue statements regarding the farmer protests for months. He has been repeating the opposition’s stance. In an earlier video, he was seen giving threats to PM Modi, saying that he will meet the fate of Indira Gandhi (assassination by Khalistani terrorists) if he does not accept the demands of farmers.
Days after Congress loyalist-turned-TMC member Saket Gokhale came under public scrutiny for misappropriation of funds, allegations of sexual misconduct have now surfaced, allegedly against him. Akashi Kaul, an ardent supporter of Gokhale, issued a statement on the misappropriation of funds by a “certain individual” and levelled allegations of sexual misconduct as well. While Kaul did not name ‘names’, netizens inferred that she had Gokhale in mind.
In a statement, Kaul said, “An erstwhile online acquaintance I was closely associated with is now in the eye of the online storm for possible and alleged misappropriation of funds raised for a social good and lack of transparency while demanding government transparency (the irony).”
“My association with them was an international, online one, and they came very highly recommended by everyone that is now realizing that they are scum. It was only on coming back to India, meeting them and hearing one too many (in that even one is too many and I would do well to remember that in the future) stories of sexual misconduct, including being allegedly fired from their position at a political party for the same, that I begun to realize my mistake in associating with them,” she added.
Akashi Kaul admitted that she had prior knowledge of the allegations of sexual misconduct but was ‘slow’ in severing ties with the accused. She claimed, “I have since, made some noise about their sexual misconduct, in my capacity as a third party privy to private knowledge. However clearly, in our great country, outraging the modesty of a woman isn’t as the grave of a crime as misappropriation of funds is.”
She added, “In my personal opinion, I do not believe this person is an activist or a crusader for any cause. They are an opportunist, shunned by the political party they tried to get currency in and therefore going to the next available option, all in pursuit of a Rajya Sabha seat. They do not have the credentials or ability to run for an election at any level and their only claim to fame is a Kardashian-esque drama baiting game.”
Given her long-standing association with Saket Gokhale and her outrage following the fund embezzlement controversy, netizens were quick to point out that Kaul’s statement was in reference to the ongoing allegations against the RTI activist and TMC worker, Saket Gokhale. Social media users questioned her silence about Gokhale’s alleged sexual misconduct, despite being privy to the accusations. The fact that Akashi Kaul has not diverted the questions and not explicitly said that she is not talking about Saket Gokhale, it is safe to assume that it was indeed the TMC worker against whom these allegations have been made.
“Irony – You sarcastically say that in India misappropriation of funds is a bigger issue than outraging the modesty of woman but you yourself were quiet about the allegations of sexual misconduct and spoke only after misappropriation of funds issue came to light!” wrote one Twitter user. In her defence, Akashi Kaul claimed that she openly spoke about the allegations on Clubhouse for months.
Screengrab of the tweets
Another user asked, “Haven’t you been a part of their/ his clubhouse repeatedly even after knowing about the sexual misconduct part?” Instead of directly responding to the question, Kaul stated, “No. Then again, I don’t need to justify my actions to anyone but those I’m answerable to. Please hold your elected representatives as accountable as you’re holding me.”
Screengrab of the tweets
Twitter user, Opinion Bakery, pointed out, “This good lady was Saket Gokhale’s biggest champion on Clubhouse. Fascinating how she confesses to being aware of SG’s improper behaviour with women but chooses to speak up only now. That too in a mealy-mouthed manner without naming him directly. The “truth to power” gang”
This good lady was Saket Gokhale’s biggest champion on Clubhouse
Fascinating how she confesses to being aware of SG’s improper behaviour with women but chooses to speak up only now. That too in a mealy mouthed manner without naming him directly
Another Twitter user stated how Kaul’s claims could be inferred as ‘politically motivated’ since the latter only spoke about it after starting to hate Gokhale’s politics. “If you raise the alarm about a person being a sexual predator only when you no longer like someone’s politics, you put the victim and other women at risk. You also give him the chance to claim it is politically motivated,” the user said.
If you raise the alarm about a person being a sexual predator only when you no longer like someone’s politics, you put the victim and other women at risk. You also give him the chance to claim it is politically motivated. https://t.co/fjZAyMNL4N
It must be mentioned that Akashi Kaul had once hosted a Clubhouse room and named it “Sanghiyon ka Safai Abhiyaan.” During the discussion, she targeted several women and even labelled Opindia Editor Nupur J Sharma as ‘tramp’. Kaul has been the subject of fierce criticism on Twitter for remaining silent despite knowing about the sexual misconduct by her confidante.
On Sunday (December 2), political analyst Abhijit Iyer Mitra tweeted, “Looks like the women of the left are finally beginning to acknowledge the multiple instances of serious misconduct by Saket Gokhale. I hope they find the courage to talk about it publicly and not hide their experiences because he belongs to the same ideological spectrum.”
.2 Major & serious allegations of not just misconduct, but “outraging of modesty” by Saket Gokhale. Anyone who knows Akashi from clubhouse would know she was close to him. There are several ladies alleging this as can be seen from two separate ladies. pic.twitter.com/dhPBBd7r29
“Major & serious allegations of not just misconduct, but “outraging of modesty” by Saket Gokhale. Anyone who knows Akashi from clubhouse would know she was close to him. There are several ladies alleging this as can be seen from two separate ladies,” he added.
From the tweets of Abhijit, it is evident that he is hinting that allegations against Saket Gokhale were doing the rounds for a long time, just that, the friends of Saket have managed to speak up only after the financial scam allegations gathered steam.
Accusations of fund embezzlement, misuse of public money in procurement of drugs
In February 2021, allegations of fraud were made against Gokhale by several people, including left liberals. An AAP supporter named Amit Behere had accused Gokhale of wasting money by filing RTIs, which have had absolutely “zero return on investment”.
He had alleged that the donations to the Congress loyalist had obtained no results for the common public, except for personal benefit. In 2020, Gokhale had claimed to have collected over ₹ 22 lakhs to take on the ‘BJP hate machine’ and launched a ‘campaign to take down hate-speech mongers’ on social media.
In March 2021, a complaint was lodged with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against Saket Gokhale by the Legal activist group Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), accusing him of earning drug money through the means of crowdfunding. According to LRO, Saket Gokhale is the son of a former police officer, who was once accused in a drug trafficking case.
On Thursday (December 30, 2021), poet and writer Hussain Haidry raised the issue, demanding accountability from Saket Gokhale on the utilisation of funds collected through fundraising campaigns. He has demanded that Saket Gokhale give the details of how he spent the money he raised through fundraising campaigns.
He said that hundreds and thousands of people, especially Muslims, have donated to Gokhale in the last 2-3 years in small amounts, but no stupendous work has been done by him. Haidry received widespread support on Twitter demanding answers from Saket Gokhale.
It is interesting to note that Saket Gokhale himself had said that he is a full-time activist, and therefore the amount collected helps pay his expenses. He had also claimed that he ropes in more people, and their expenses are also paid from the donation money.
Note: There are wide speculations about the person mentioned in Akashi Kaul’s statement being Saket Gokhale given that she issued the statement in the light of allegations of misappropriation of funds surfacing against Saket Gokhale. Even Abhijit Iyer Mitra had hinted that the allegations of sexual harassment were floating for a long time. However, to be sure, we reached out to Saket Gokhale. He has not responded to the allegations so far. If and when he does, this article will be updated with his statement.
