The ban on NGO Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) of Zakir Naik has been extended for another five years. The ban on the organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in November 2016 was due to expire on Tuesday. However, since the activities of the IRF have not changed drastically since the time it was banned, the ban has been extended for another five years.
“Islamic Research Foundation has been indulging in activities, which are prejudicial to the security of the country and have the potential of disturbing peace and communal harmony and disrupting the secular fabric of the country,” the MHA notification extending the ban said.
As per reports, the notification said that unless the ban was extended, the group would spread communal disharmony and anti-national sentiments. It said that IRF would also promote secessionism through its support to militancy and indulge in activities inimical to the sovereignty, integrity and security of India.
The notification also made note of the fact that Zakir Naik has been making radical comments in statements and speeches that are accessible to millions of people through the internet and print media. The Islamist inclinations of Zakir Naik have been well documented. In 2016, terrorists involved in the Dhaka blast case had admitted that they were influenced by the preacher’s speeches.
In 2019, Zakir was banned from giving speeches in Malaysia after he made racist comments against Hindus and Chinese Malaysians. He was interrogated for hours in connection to the same. Zakir Naik is wanted in India in cases involving money laundering. The government of India had taken his channel, Peace TV, off the air for peddling hate propaganda.
‘Environmentalist’ Vimlendu Jha has defended stubble burning and farmers and said that to blame stubble burning as the major cause of air pollution in Delhi is incorrect.
According to Jha, ‘local’ and domestic issues are the major reason behind Delhi’s poor air quality. He claimed that stubble burning only causes a spike in existing air pollution and that too for a short period of time.
Further in his report, Jha has cited the IIT Kanpur study which stated that road dust, construction and demolition dust were the main factors of air pollution in Delhi with vehicle transmission being the second largest contributor. He has also claimed that Delhi’s air pollution problem is perennial and not seasonal. While Jha admits that Stubble burning causes a spike in air pollution for a few weeks, he has considered it a ‘hype’ to blame stubble burning for Delhi’s air pollution and asked the Delhi government to focus on local and domestic issues.
However, quite recently, Jha had heavily criticized citizens for bursting firecrackers on Diwali and also accused the media of helping to ‘communalize’ the bursting of firecrackers. He had even blamed people who celebrated Diwali for ‘sending the elderly and children to hospitals’.
Apparently, for Jha, citing the “2-3 weeks of stubble burning” is unfair, but the one evening of firecrackers has to be shamed and blamed for causing air pollution in Delhi.
We have just added ‘ghee’ in fire,by worsening the air pollution crisis of Delhi NCR,an already a gas chamber by furthering it by crackers. So wish our media fraternity understood the gravity of the situation and dealt with this with an iron fist, n not help communalise it. Alas! pic.twitter.com/LqoDYDSH2B
He said, “We have just added ‘ghee’ in fire, by worsening the air pollution crisis of Delhi NCR, already a gas chamber by furthering it by crackers. So wish our media fraternity understood the gravity of the situation and dealt with this with an iron fist, n not help communalise it. Alas!”
According to Jha, India has sent ‘scores’ of children and elderly to hospitals by bursting crackers.
To teach a ‘lesson’ to so called ‘liberals’, India burst firecrackers and sent scores of children and elderly to the hospital. #NewIndiahttps://t.co/ugfcghw8TR
Jha has suggested ‘agricultural reforms’ to curb the pollution caused by stubble burning and has sought a long term solution for the same. Considering the statements made by the environmentalist Jha, it appears that according to him, people cannot blame weeks-long stubble burning for causing air pollution in Delhi but they should blame one evening of firecrackers instead.
As part of Yogi Adityanath government’s crackdown on crime in the state, former Member of Parliament DP Yadav has been booked by the state police force under kidnapping, forgery and extortion charges. The tainted leader is often referred to as a mafia don.
Former MP D.P. Yadav has been booked by the #UttarPradeshPolice under charges of kidnapping, forgery and extortion charges.
According to reports, an FIR was filed against Dharam Pal Yadav, former Thakurdwara MLA Vijay Yadav, and four others at the civil lines police station in Uttar Pradesh, on the direction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court. The FIR was registered under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 364 (kidnapping for ransom) and 384 (extortion).
The Uttar Pradesh police said that the case was registered against the ex-MLA and others based on a complaint filed by a Mordabad-based businessman named Anil Tomar. In his complaint, Tomar alleged that DP Yadav, Vijay Yadav and the others kidnapped him from the civil lines area. He added that the ex-ministers and their aides demanded a ransom of Rs 10 crore against his release. They even threatened to murder him, he alleged.
Based on his complaint the Uttar Pradesh police filed an FIR against the former Member of Parliament and his aides and started investigating the case.
Interestingly, the FIR was filed against DP Yadav a day after the Uttrakhand High Court acquitted him in a 1992 murder case.
DP Singh was convicted and awarded life imprisonment by a special CBI court in Dehradun in connection with the 1992 murder of Mahendra Singh Bhati. He and his aides were convicted in the case under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code.
Mahendra Singh Bhati, who was an MLA from Ghaziabad’s Dadri area, was shot dead at the Dadri railway crossing in 1992 December.
In the 1970s, DP Yadav joined a liquor bootlegging group and swiftly accrued nine murder accusations, including that of Mahendra Singh Bhati. In 1989, DP Yadav teamed up with Mulayam Singh Yadav, who offered him a seat in the Samajwadi Party from Bulandshahr. He was elected and appointed as the Minister for Panchayati Raj. He served as an MLA four times and as a Member of Parliament twice.
It is noteworthy that DP Yadav’s son Vikas Yadav was convicted in the murder case of Nitish Katara in 2002. The Delhi High Court had upheld life sentences for three accused including Vikas Yadav.
Vikas Yadav had abducted Nitish Katara from a wedding party and murdered him as he was upset over Katara’s friendship with his sister Bharti Yadav.
A Delhi Court slammed advocate Mehmood Pracha for raising aspersions on the integrity of Delhi Police and arguing that only Muslims were targeted during the northeast Delhi riots of 2020.
Advocate Mehmood Pracha questioned the uprightness of the Delhi Police during the hearing of the bail plea of the accused Arif. In his order passed on November 11, Additional Sessions Judge Virender Bhat pulled up the advocate and declined to grant bail to Arif on the grounds that an eyewitness might be threatened by the accused.
The case pertains to the gruesome murder of one Alok Tiwari, who sustained several blunt and sharp injuries near Shiv Vihar Tiraha on February 25, 2020. The victim had received 13 injuries by sharp-edged and blunt objects, the post-mortem report said. Besides, the accused is also involved in two separate murder cases that took place during the riots.
Defending his client, Pracha asserted that the northeast Delhi riots were not “not actually communal riots” but had taken at the behest of “certain political vested interests to derail the peaceful protest that was going on against the newly promulgated CAA/NRC by the central government.”
He submitted that “only the persons belonging to the Muslim community, like the applicant were targeted by the police in the aftermath of the riots and were arraigned in false criminal cases.”
The court, however, came down hard against Pracha’s comments, stating that they were not in “good taste” and that the lawyer had failed to provide any material on record to substantiate his allegations. “These are noted with immense disgust, repugnance and strong disapproval,” the court noted in its sharp rebuke on Pracha’s accusation that Delhi Police was prejudicial against the Muslims while dispensing their duty.
Coming down hard against the advocate, the court said it was Pracha who was painting the Delhi Police with a communal brush through his claims that the criminal cases in connection with the riots have been slapped upon the members of the Muslim community alone.
“The statement of counsel is not only highly irresponsible but also patently false. This court, while dealing with the cases related to the riots, has noticed that members of both the communities have been arraigned as an accused and have been charge-sheeted by the police,” the court said.
The court hailed Delhi Police, saying that they appeared to have done their job with the utmost integrity and without any communal biases. “The police seems to have done their job with the utmost integrity and certainly not on communal lines. Maybe some lapses have occurred during the investigation of these cases related to the riots but even those lapses do not give any slightest indication that the investigation was prejudicial and unfair or it was coloured by communal biases,” the court observed.
The court admonished advocate Pracha and asked him to abstain from making such “irresponsible, unwarranted and manifestly false submissions.” It said the cases it has are of very serious, grave and sensitive in nature, which are required to be dealt with in a professional manner without any communal taint.
FIRs against Mehmood Pracha for misbehaving with Delhi Police officials and for inciting communal hatred
While the court pulled up Mehmood Pracha for his baseless and unfounded allegations against the Delhi Police, this is not the first time that the advocate is in the news for all the wrong reasons. In December 2020, an FIR was lodged against him for misbehaving with the police personnel and obstructing the raids conducted by the Delhi police at his office.
Before that, another FIR was filed against him, along with a Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad, in July 2020, after the two announced in a press conference that they would be setting up a camp in Lucknow to teach Muslims and Dalits about the ‘right to self-defence’ and how to apply for a firearm licence. Despite the FIR, Pracha was seen holding a camp inside a Lucknow Mosque where he was training Muslims about how to fill our licences and acquire firearms.
Hours after a clip of Raghav Juyal from the TV show Dance Deewane 3 went viral, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter to condemn Juyal’s remark where he mocks a 6-year-old Assamese contestant with inane “Chinese” mimicry.
In the clip, Juyal was seen making remarks involving Momos and ‘Chow Mein’ before introducing a 6-year-old contestant named Gunjan Singh, who hails from Assam.
The Assam CM in his Tweet condemned the “racist rhetoric” of the host of the show (Raghav Juyal) against the participant hailing from Guwahati, Assam. Calling it “shameful and totally unacceptable”, the Assam CM asserted that racism does not have any place in the country and should be condemned emphatically by everyone.
“It has come to my notice that a popular reality show host has used racist rhetoric against a young participant from Guwahati. This is shameful and totally unacceptable. Racism has no place in our country and we should all condem it unequivocally”, Tweeted Himanta Biswa Sarma.
It has come to my notice that a popular reality show host has used racist rhetoric against a young participant from Guwahati. This is shameful and totally unacceptable. Racism has no place in our country and we should all condem it unequivocally.
It may be recalled that yesterday (November 15, Monday) Raghav Juyal had issued a statement justifying his insane remark in the clip that went viral on social media. He said that it was not racism on his part but something that the child had said earlier that led to the joke.
However, Juyal did not explain the remarks about momos and Chow mein.
He said that once the girl had said she can speak in Chinese, which turned out to be gibberish, and since then, it had become an ongoing joke on the show.
The clip had been widely circulated in social media with many users condemning the blatantly racist comments made by the anchor, basically calling people from the North East ‘Chinese’.
The ‘Chinese’ jibes taken at the contestant from Assam did not sit well with social media users, who condemned the show host and asked Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Assam Police to act against him.
In the clip, which appears to be old as the host has reportedly quit the show since then, Juyal was seen mocking a little Assamese contestant named Gunjan Singh.
Before introducing her on the stage, Raghav Juyal tried to evoke laughter among his listeners by making inane remarks in what he claimed to be Chinese. When the judges of the reality show- Remo D’Souza, Madhuri Dixit and others asked him what is he blabbering, Juyal says they won’t understand it and then goes on to introduce Gunjan Singh as a girl whose “Chinese” might be incomprehensible, but her dance is understood by everyone.
“Introducing the little girl whose Chinese may not be indecipherable but her dance is understood by everyone…she is Gunjan Singh from Assam,” Juyal said.
On November 15, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognisance of the vile comments made by a Congress worker against actress Kangana Ranaut who was recently awarded Padma Shri.
In reply to a tweet by BJP Karyakarta and businessman Neelkant Bakshi, NCW said that Rekha Sharma, Chairperson NCW, has written to DGP Bihar to file a case against one Vinay Ojha, who had published several vile, hateful comments on social media against the actress after she was awarded Padma Shri.
@NCWIndia has taken cognisance of the matter. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to DGP Bihar seeking an immediate FIR in the matter and to arrest the accused for making derogatory comments about a woman on social media. The action taken must be apprised to NCW at the earliest.
In the tweet, NCW wrote, “NCW has taken cognisance of the matter. Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to DGP Bihar seeking an immediate FIR in the matter and to arrest the accused for making derogatory comments about a woman on social media. The action taken must be apprised to NCW at the earliest.”
The comments against Kangana by Congress worker
Vinay Ojha, General secretary of Social Media and IT Cell, Bihar, had published several derogatory and vile comments against Padma Shri awardee and four times National Awardee actress Kangana Ranaut after she was presented with the Padma Award by the President of India on Sunday.
In a now-deleted tweet, Ojha had published a screenshot of an intimate scene from one of Ranaut’s movies and wrote, “It is not easy to win Padma Shri. It takes a lot of effort to win one. But, when the king is characterless, then prostitutes’ brothel get famous.” In another now-deleted tweet, he said, “She won the award as alms, so the beggar thought we got independence as alms too.”
While @priyankagandhi is busy singing the “Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon” tune in Uttar Pradesh, the IT & Social Media Gen.Secretary of Bihar Congress @VinayOjhaInc is exposing the true face of the Congress party and their attitude towards successful, independent, self made women!! pic.twitter.com/0e2Ihqe7iq
“An outsider is somebody who comes here during election season to suck votes and then disappear.” Those are ugly words. And words of veteran TMC leader Derek O’Brien in conversation with Barkha Dutt earlier this year. This was the cornerstone of the TMC campaign against the BJP bringing apparent “outsiders” to Bengal.
In case you did not grasp the concept fully, Derek O’Brien explains the concept further.
“Let me give you an example… Let’s say Jaya Bachchan comes to Bengal and wishes to campaign. Would Jaya Bachchan be an outsider? I would say not. Jaya Bhaduri is an icon of this state. She knows, she understands the culture … even if you haven’t lived here … it doesn’t matter.”
Got it? Even if you haven’t lived in Bengal, you can be an “insider” like Jaya Bhaduri if you understand the “culture.”
Remember, this is not thinly veiled xenophobia. This, my friends, is Indian liberalism. Also this is more Indian liberalism. Got it?
Tweet by Derek O’Brien
Okay, so what do you make of this?
Press release by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee
A Bengali chairperson of TMC, acting through her National General Secretary, also a Bengali, appoints a Lok Sabha MP from Bengal as “state in charge” of the party’s Goa unit! Why?
How is Mahua Moitra an “insider” in Goa? Why is one of India’s leading liberal political parties intent on thrusting an outsider on Goa? Is this not an insult to the people of the state?
Let us ask ourselves some simple questions. Why would TMC be contesting in Goa? Does the TMC have some kind of traditional base in Goa or in any neighbouring state? Have you heard prominent TMC leaders speak any of Goa’s major languages such as Konkani, Marathi, Kannada or Hindi? Historically, do you remember TMC leaders expressing any interest in discussing the culture, politics or issues of Goa?
The answers seem obvious. The TMC is contesting Goa for two reasons. First, because it is a tiny state. Second, because elections are coming there. Hey Derek O’Brien, this seems like it meets your definition of an outsider, no?
And what exactly could the Bengal CM be promising in Goa? Does Bengal present some kind of successful model for economic growth, attracting investment, etc that Goa seems to be lacking? Obviously not. In fact, Goa is India’s richest state. It is number one among all states and union territories in per capita GDP. In contrast, West Bengal comes in at a pathetic number 22 among Indian states and union territories in per capita GDP. Remember that BJP has not ruled West Bengal even for a day, not even as an insignificant junior partner in some alliance. So my dear Indian liberals, Bengal’s backwardness is totally on you.
So what agenda could the chief minister of one of India’s least developed states be bringing to India’s richest state? Whatever this means…
What Mamata Banerjee said
She is right. In terms of economy or wealth creation, the liberal TMC from Bengal has nothing to offer Goa. But Bengal is a “strong” state. Goa is not. In fact, Bengal has a population of over 10 crore people. The population of Goa is barely 20 lakhs.
So what is it called when the ruler of a “strong” state comes to take over a tiny state? It is called imperialism. Especially when that tiny state is so rich. Taking over tiny but rich Goa would likely give the “strong” ruler of Bengal the springboard to fund further expansion, and eventually even rule over the whole of India. That’s Imperialism 101.
And what does TMC do in its effort to take over Bengal? First, they find an ex-Chief Minister of Goa who is willing to join TMC. As an immediate reward, she gives him a Rajya Sabha seat, which many people would say is a standard way of sidelining someone from state politics. Who will be the state in charge of TMC for Goa? It will be Mahua Moitra, a loyalist of Mamata Banerjee from Bengal.
What is this pattern called? Surely, we can recognize this.
Like I said at the very beginning, it is not nice to refer to people as outsiders. An Indian from anywhere is an Indian everywhere. This is one of the most sacred principles at the heart of our constitution. And therefore it would be wrong to apply the outsider label to Mamata Banerjee anywhere in India. Except for the fact that the TMC itself has rejected this sacred principle so aggressively.
So can we now say that the Bengal CM is an imperialist in Goa? And what should we call her new state in charge in Goa? The Viceroy?
The state of Maharashtra has been facing incidents of communal violence since November 12, when protests against the alleged targeting of Muslims in Tripura turned violent. Raza Academy, a radical Muslim organization, had called for a sit-in protest in Nanded.
Reports suggest that its affiliates tried to enter mixed-residential areas. The Police, however, controlled the situation in time. Seeing that they failed in their plan, the Muslim youth restored to stone-pelting. This is not the first time this organization’s name has made to headlines for causing communal violence and vandalism. Here is a list of events that happened under the banner of Raza Academy in the last six months.
On May 6, 2021, Saeed Noori, Chief of Raza Academy, released a video message in which he condemned the removal of ‘Muslim Only’ boards at Madinah by the Saudi Government. He also criticized the Saudi government for developing Cinema Hall, Clubs and Fashion Shows that are “against Islamic Law”. Noori asked his followers to pray for the ‘purity of Madinah (Harmain Shareefain) and Protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israel’. In his message, he alleged if the Saudi Government continued to ‘work against Islamic Law’ it could eventually pose a threat to the holy sites of Muslims in Saudi Arabia.
On May 19, 2021, an FIR was registered in Mumbai against Sudarshan News based on the complaint by Raza Academy. The complaint was filed against Suresh Chavhanke, editor-in-chief, Sudarshan News, for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of the Muslim Community. In the complaint, Raza Academy said that Sudarshan News aired a video that contained visuals showing a missile attack on the dome of the Holy Prophet’s Shrine. The organization also led a social media campaign demanding the arrest of Chavhanke. The FIR was registered under Sections 153(A), 295(A), 505(2) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
An FIR was registered at Pydhonie police station, Mumbai under sections 295(A) 153(A) 505(2) 34 IPC by Raza Academy through Saeed Noori Sahab and Irfan Shaikh Sahab (complainant) against slanderer Suresh Chavhanke#BanSudarshanNewspic.twitter.com/X7DvTXowGy
On the same day, a delegation of the organization’s Akola chapter met the district Collector and handed over a memorandum to the Indian Government. In the memorandum, they demanded that the Indian Government should pressure Israel to stop attacking Palestine.
On June 1, 2021, a delegation of Raza Academy met the Mumbai Police Commissioner (Law and Order) and demanded the immediate arrest of Wasim Rizvi. In the complaint, they alleged that Rizvi repeatedly hurt the sentiments of the Muslims, and he should be booked under UAPA. In a Facebook post, they wrote, “Under the leadership of Hazrat Maulana Sayed Moinuddin Ashraf Sahab and Hazrat Saeed Noori Sahab, President, Raza Academy, a delegation met Mumbai Joint Commissioner (Law & Order) to demand immediate arrest of Wasim Rizvi under UAPA.”
On June 19, 2021, Noori addressed a press conference in Delhi and again demanded the arrest of Rizvi. He alleged that Rizvi had hurt the sentiments of the Muslims by publishing an edited version of the Quran. He also demanded that all the copies of the edited Quran should be confiscated.
Press Conference held in Delhi by Raza Academy against Waseem Rizvi demanding immediate arrest of Waseem Rizvi for hurting sentiments of entire Muslim Community and also stop and confiscate the publication of Quran which he published without 26 verses.#RazaAcademypic.twitter.com/SexRsQVDro
On the same day, a delegation led by Noori met Police Commissioner, Lucknow, to demand Rizvi’s arrest as several FIRs had been registered against him across the country. Noori demanded the arrest and said he should be arrested before a law and order situation arose in the country. Later on August 27, they filed a PIL in Lucknow High Court against Rizvi and urged the court to combine all FIRs against him under one court and fast track the proceedings. On October 11, they filed a similar PIL in Supreme Court against Rizvi.
Raza Academy wants strict laws against ‘blasphemy’
On July 3, 2021, Raza Academy and VBA MLC Kapil Patil announced that they would table a private member bill against ‘blasphemy’. The Muslim religious leaders demanded the Maharashtra State Government to pass a bill to stop any kind of defamation of all religious figures. In a video message, Professor Abdul Majeed Siddiqui alleged that Islamic figures were being defamed in Maharashtra and India. He demanded a law against such defamation to ensure communal harmony.
On July 31, Patron Moin Miya and President Saeed Noori of Raza Academy led a delegation in Delhi to meet Aam Aadmi Party’s, MP Sanjay Singh. They demanded AAP should pass a law to stop the defamation of Prophet Mohd and Islamic figures. They insisted Singh table the anti-blasphemy bill in the parliament. A similar demand was again made on August 22 at Ala Hazarat Dargah, Bareily, during a press conference. During his address, Noori urged the UP government to pass anti-blasphemy law to put a stop to the alleged defamation of the Prophet and Islamic figures to ‘ensure communal harmony’. Later on September 29, they met Shivsena MP Arvind Sawant and demanded he should help them by tabling Prophet Mohd Bill in Assembly or Parliament.
रजा अकैडमी चीफ सईद नूरी साहब और हज़रत मोइन मियां की मुलाकत एम पी संजय सिंह के साथ l
आज मुबई से दिल्ली पहुंची रजा एकेडमी टीम और हजरत मोइन मियां ने राज्यसभा सांसद संजय सिंह से मुलाकात करके देश भर में प्रॉफिट मुहम्मद ﷺ के खिलाफ आए दिन होने वाली बदजुबानी के खिलाफ कानून बने pic.twitter.com/r2jI5BnDK1
On August 9, 2021, Raza Academy filed a complaint to Mumbai Police Commission and demanded action against ‘Navarasa’, a Tamil web series. In the complaint, they alleged that the poster of the web series contained Quranic verses which are against Islamic Law. They added that Quran could not be used for commercial purposes and such posters hurt the sentiments of the Muslims.
On August 12, 2021, they wrote to Mumbai Police Commission to book Pinky Chaudhary, President, Hindu Raksha Dal, under UAPA. As per the reports, the organization alleged that Chaudhary had hurt Muslim sentiments. They also demanded to block access to his social media accounts on all platforms.
On September 15, the Akola chapter of the organization filed a complaint to Cyber Police and demanded action against some social media handles that were allegedly posting communal content. In the complaint, the organization alleged that some social media posts urged non-Muslim boys to pursue Muslim girls of age 14-15 years and build a relationship with them so that later they could convert the girls.
On September 20, the organization held a meeting of Ulemas in Mumbai and condemned the Saudi Regime’s decision to build Cinema Halls and other means of entertainment in Madina. They alleged that the Saudi government ‘has no right to violate the sanctity of Madina’. They alleged Prince Mohd Bin Salman was acting on the behest of Israel and the USA and hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community across the globe. Later on September 23, they organized a protest against the Saudi Regime for the same at Masjid, Pydhonie, Mumbai.
Raza Academy was involved in the violent riots at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in 2012 when several Muslim rioters had indulged in vandalism, attacked police officials and had broken the war memorial honouring fallen Indian soldiers. Since 2020, the organisation has also been holding protests against France and French President Emmanuel Macron for supporting the Charlie Hebdo cartoons.
A day after customs officials seized two luxury watches from cricketer Hardik Pandya, following his return to India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he has issued a statement on Twitter in this regard.
While taking to the micro-blogging site on Tuesday (November 16), Pandya claimed that the luxury watches were not worth 5 crores. “Early on Monday morning, 15th November, on my arrival from Dubai, after picking up my luggage, I voluntarily went to Mumbai airport customs counter to declare the items brought by me and pay the requisite customs duty.”
He added, “Wrong perceptions have been floating around on social media regarding my declaration to customs at Mumbai airport, and I would like to clarify about what transpired. I had voluntarily declared all the items that I’d lawfully purchased from Dubai and was ready to pay whatever duties that needed to be paid.”
Pandya further said, “As a matter of fact, the customs department had asked for all purchase documents which were submitted; however customs is doing the proper valuation for duty which I’ve already confirmed to pay. The cost of the watch is approximately Rs. 1.5 crore and not Rs. 5 crores as per the rumours floating around on social media,” he emphasised.
In his defence, the Indian cricketer claimed that he was a law-abiding citizen who respected all government agencies. “I’ve received all the cooperation from the Mumbai customs department and I’ve assured my full cooperation to them and will provide them with whatever legitimate documents they need to get this matter cleared. All allegations against me of crossing any legal boundaries are totally unfounded,” he concluded.
Earlier, it was reported that the customs officials found that Hardik Pandya neither had invoices for the watches nor had he declared those watches as customs items. As a consequence, the customs officials confiscated his watches. Back in 2019, when he was injured and had undergone surgery, Pandya had shared an image of himself on a hospital bed sporting a shiny watch. Social media users claimed the watch was a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch in gold. Reports claimed the model was the self-winding Rose Gold Nautilus (in 18K rose gold case) with a reference number 5980/1R and Caliber CH 28‑520 C.
On November 15, yet another case of spitting on the dough while cooking tandoori roti at a hotel has come to light. One of the cooks at a hotel that operates by the name ‘Muslim Hotel’ has been detained by the Police for questioning after he was seen spitting on the dough while making tandoori roti. The hotel is located in Loni near the Banthala flyover. In the video, the man, who is wearing a white skull cap, can be seen spitting while making the roti. A complaint in this regard was filed by Hindu Raksha Dal at Loni Police Station.
UP: गाजियाबाद के ‘मुस्लिम होटल’ में तंदूरी रोटी बना रहा शख्स गिरफ्तार, रोटी पर थूकने का वीडियो वायरल होने के बाद कार्रवाई pic.twitter.com/7yVpMVKOxg
Ghaziabad Police has released a video statement of Rajneesh Upadhiyai, Circle Officer (CO) of the Loni region, on Twitter. The CO said, “A video has gone viral on social media in which a man was seen spitting on roti before putting it in tandoor. During the investigation, it was found that the video was of Muslim Hotel located near the Bathlana flyover in the Loni Police Station area. The man in question has been arrested for further questioning. Police will take appropriate action as per the law so that no one’s sentiments are hurt in the future.”
थाना लोनी क्षेत्र के एक होटल की वायरल वीडियो के संबंध में सीओ लोनी की वीडियो बाईट pic.twitter.com/bk81OUYWJT
Notably, just a month ago, a similar video had surfaced on social media in which a man was seen spitting on roti at a Dhaba in Ghaziabad. The accused arrested in the case was identified as Tamizuddin. Hindu Raksha Dal had filed a complaint in the matter. The video was of Chicken Point in Panchvati Ahimsa Vatika market at Bhatia Mod. Not only several cases of cooks spitting on roti have emerged in recent times but incidents of spitting had come to light while packing food items as well.
