The Chief Financial Officer of India Today group Dinesh Bhatia is again summoned by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 18 in connection with the TRP case. Bhatia was summoned on January 8 by ED, as reported exclusive by OpIndia.
He had appeared before ED on January 11 for questioning in connection with the alleged Television Rating Points (TRO) manipulation case. He was questioned for over nine hours on Monday by ED.
As per the reports, ED officials were not satisfied with the response given by Bhatia. The agency has asked him to bring some documents in the next appearance. ED has also asked the India Today group to explain some conversations with BARC officials. According to sources, these conversations could pertain to how India Today and AajTak had to kept high, in terms of TRPs.
The group’s name had appeared in the initial FIR registered by the Hansa Research in the case.
TRP case so far: India Today named in FIR, Republic blamed instead
On October 8, 2020, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had alleged that they have unearthed TRP manipulation and named Republic TV as one of the main accused. However, in the initial FIR, Republic TV was nowhere mentioned in it instead it had named India Today group as one of the main accused. Since the case has come to light, several allegations were made against the Republic TV network’s employees and the case has turned into an alleged witch-hunt against the channel by Maharashtra’s government.
So far police have arrested several people in the including owners of Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema channels, distribution head of Republic TV and several former relationship managers of Hansa Research Group. In the FIR, it was alleged that these channels had paid Rs.400-500 monthly to households for watching particular channels.
11 million people of the northern province of Hebei, China are under lockdown amidst yet another coronavirus spread in the country. The people of Shijiazhuang, a provincial capital close to Beijing, cannot leave the city. All the major highways are blocked.
Public transport services, including buses, trains and flights, have been cancelled. The lockdown was announced after 117 Covid-19 infections, including 67 asymptomatic cases were found in the city on January 6. According to Hebei’s health commission, Shijiazhuang reported another 66 positive cases on January 7. Shijiazhuang is just 289 KM from Beijing.
Schools, public transport, residential communities and villages closed
The municipal officials have banned outbound travel for all residents and vehicles except for emergencies. There is a ban on gatherings as well. The local authorities closed down schools, residential communities and villages within the city boundaries. The restrictions resemble the March 2020 restrictions that China imposed on some regions to contain the virus.
Scares of faster spread amid Lunar New Year celebrations
In a few weeks, China will celebrate its annual festival to welcome Lunar New Year, which generally sees millions of people travelling to their family homes. Last year, just two days before the celebrations Wuhan was sealed off, but by then millions of people had already left the city potentially spreading the virus in other past of the nation.
There is a fear that Lunar New Year travellers will against increase the spread of the virus. As of now, Shijiazhuang has entered a “wartime mode” to contain the virus. As per the reports, the government will run a city-wide testing drive for all 11 million residents with the help of thousands of health workers. By Saturday, the government had deployed over 40,000 health workers to complete screening of all 11 million residents at the earliest.
Rural areas are the weak links, say authorities
As per the health officials, the first recent case of Covid-19 was found on January 2 in an old woman in a village on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang. Chinese Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan also visited the province to assess the preventive measures being taken by the authorities. Around 86 percent of the cases in the region were found in rural areas. Experts believe that spike in the number of cases among elders in rural areas show that they are more vulnerable to the disease.
China’s track record so far
So far, China has reported 87,433 Covid-19 cases out of which 82,211 recovered and 4,634 had died.
An astonishing video is floating on the internet where it is being claimed that the UP Police was discussing thrashing Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti who is currently in judicial custody after issuing death threats against CM Yogi Adityanath and misbehaving with police officials. The UP Police is claimed to have made the comment when asked about the former law minister of Delhi.
The video is from April 2018 and not even from Uttar Pradesh. It was uploaded by Zee 24 Taas on its YouTube channel. And the police official in the video is DIG of Jodhpur Central Jail Vikram Singh. At 8 minutes 40 seconds, the DIG says, “Abhi Dand nahi pela hai. Subah dekhte hain dand pelte hain ki nahi. (The punishment has not come yet. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.)”
Thus we can now confirm that the claim is absolutely cent per cent false. The Uttar Pradesh Police has not thrashed Somnath Bharti
Somnath Bharti is in Judicial Custody
“Nothing is going to happen from this. Yogi Adityanath’s death is assured. You have helped the attacker escape. You need to understand this. Tell Yogi Adityanath he would not achieve from such attacks,” Somnath Bharti had said on Monday.
“I will get you sacked. Bear this in mind. I can identify all of you. I will get all the officers who are trying to stop me today sacked,” said Somnath Bharti while threatening the police officer who stopped him from leaving the guesthouse.
Following the outburst, Somnath Bharti was sent to judicial custody.
Arvind Kejriwal behind the whole charade?
There are also rumours floating that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was sick of Somnath Bharti due to the multitude of allegations of abuse against him and therefore, decided to send the latter to Uttar Pradesh. Rumours are also floating that Kejriwal himself was scared of Bharti due to the potential for violent outbursts.
Therefore, it is rumoured, Kejriwal sent Bharti to Uttar Pradesh, famous for its policing. However, we cannot confirm or deny these rumours.
The Tamil Nadu government has agreed to get the Christian cemetery built in front of Manimoortheeswaram Uchishta Ganapathy Temple near Tirunelveli shifted to another place to avoid any possible law and order problems.
The state government’s decision came in response to a legal notice served by an independent legal activism collective named Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) to Tiruneveli City Police Commissioner Deepak Damoor and Deputy Commissioner (Law & Order) S. Saravana in November last year.
The notice stated that a plot of land belonging to the temple was illegally occupied by Sacred Heart Church which was claiming ownership and title over the land. The notice highlighted how the devotees who demanded action against the Church were illegally detained and slapped with the National Security Act (NSA).
Matter was raised before authorities in August 2019
Earlier, a complaint was filed by the LRO in August 2019, with the Deputy Commissioner Tiruneveli demanding removal of the illegal Christian cemetery on the temple land. Responding to the complaint, the Tiruneveli district authorities had said that the Christian cemetery was located in a private land. The authorities had imposed a ban on carrying out funeral at the cemetery.
According to the Commune magazine, burials kept happening at the Cemetery despite the ban and around 50 graves had come up at the location. Last year in October, Indu Makkal Katchi (IMK) cadres had reportedly demolished some graves in the cemetery. Thereafter, the surrendered at the police station. Christian pastors and some political parties had met Tiruveneli District Collector Mrs. Shilpa Prabhakar Satish IAS after the incident and had demanded the IMK members who demolished graves at the cemetery to be tried under the National Security Act. Eight IMK members were lodged at Nanguneri sub-jail. Seven of them have been released on bail after removing charges under NSA against them while one person remains in jail.
Earlier today, Attorney General KK Venugopal in the Supreme Court argued that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the ongoing protests. The apex court was hearing a case challenging the validity of the three Farm Laws that were passed by the Centre in Septemeber 2020.
The argument, which was voiced by Attorney General KK Venugopal, came in response to a query from the Court regarding a specific averment made in an application filed by one of the farmer groups in favour of the farm laws alleging that a banned organisation is helping the protests.
As KK Venugopal made the statement, the Court asked him to file an affidavit. The lawyer said he would do so by tomorrow along with the inputs from the Intelligence Bureau.
Furthermore, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for a petitioner supporting the farm laws, said, “Those who organised rallies for Khalistan have put up flags at the protests”.
However, the declaration of Khalistani involvement in the ongoing protests rattled the usual suspects, who were quick to descend on the social media websites to sow confusion and discord by attributing wrong statements and assertions to the central government. Scores of left-leaning ‘intellectuals’ took this opportunity to widen the chasm between the farmers and the Centre by alleging that the government had termed all the protesters as Khalistani proponents.
Leftists give a false account of KK Venugopal’s statement to allege Centre has called protesters Khalistanis
The Wire journalist Rohini Singh took to Twitter and quoted the tweet by Live Law where in KK Venugopal had affirmed that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the protests. Singh tweeted, “Protesting farmers are Khalistanis. Government’s official stance now”.
Source: Twitter
Swati Chaturvedi, an abusive troll masquerading as journalist, also quoted the tweet to allege that the central government thinks that the farmers agitating are Khalistanis. She also hoped that the SC won’t let the slur pass.
Source: Twitter
The Caravan’s Vinod Jose raised aspersions on the government’s submissions in the Supreme Court about the existence of Khalistani supporters involved in the ongoing protests. Jose sought evidence and opined that such irresponsible statements would damage the standing of the Centre even more.
Source: Twitter
Actor Swara Bhasker, who had earlier thrown her weight behind Delhi riots accused Umar Khalid, also took to the microblogging website to allude that the Centre has likened the protesting farmers to Khalistanis.
“What are we then if for years we are consuming food grains grown by these said Khalistanis?” Bhasker tweeted.
Source: Twitter
Another Caravan journalist Hartosh Singh Bal, who has a knack of peddling fake stories and media canards, also twisted the AG KK Venugopal’s assertion that the farmer protest has seen infiltration from Khalistani elements. Bal suggested that the apex court should have said in its response that any random group of 57 farmers in the protests is farm more patriotic that the collective of the Modi cabinet.
Source: Twitter
Professional propagandist and YouTuber Abhisar Sharma too joined the bandwagon of the liberals who had sought to tarnish the Centre’s standing among the farmers by falsely claiming that the Modi government had equated the protesters with Khalistanis. In a tweet, Sharma inexplicably linked the involvement of Khalistanis in the ongoing protests with the government’s reassuring remarks on the patriotism of Sikhs.
Source: Twitter
The government, represented by AG KK Venugopal, noted that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the farmer protests. However, the perverse set of leftists twisted this statement to allege that the government had painted all the protesters with the same brush, accusing all of them of being pro-Khalistanis. Contrary to what these leftists would have us believe, the statement meant that Khalistani supporters and sympathisers have joined the protests to throw the country into chaos and disorder.
Banned Khalistani outfits extend their support to Farmers’ protests
The statement of Khalistani involvement in the ongoing protests is not groundless or baseless as alleged by the leftists. The farmers’ protest saw participation from pro-Khalistani elements. Several ‘farmers’ resorted to violence and worrying slogans, supporting Khalistan were also raised. With pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian slogans being raised during the ‘farmer protest’ along the Haryana-Punjab border, questions were also being raised over the alleged involvement of SFJ in instigating Punjab farmers to protest against the Modi government under the pretext that the three farm bills are ‘anti-farmer’ in nature.
The shady role of the SFJ was being analysed as details started emerging that pointed towards the possible interference of pro-Khalistan elements to hijack these farmer protest. It is important to note that the Khalistan organisation SFJ, funded by Pakistan, had earlier declared a grant of $1 million for farmers in Punjab and Haryana in lieu of their support for Khalistan.
On 23rd September, it was reported that the SFJ had attempted to capitalise on the ongoing protests by farmers and had declared that it would distribute $1 million among farmers who had defaulted on agricultural loans.
“From October 1 to October 8, any farmer — irrespective of his faith — can register 25 votes for the Khalistan Referendum 2020 and get a grant of Rs 5,000 as assistance to repay their agricultural loans,” SJF said. The security agencies have since received inputs on the latest offer by SFJ.
Besides, another contentious organisation Khalsa Aid, which is believed to be a front organisation for the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), was also involved in the ongoing farmers’ protests.
Khalsa Aid had set up massage centres at the farmers’ protests in makeshift spaces at Singhu border. In a Facebook post, they announced, “Khalsa Aid India has set up this makeshift space as a massage centre. This is for our farmer brothers and sisters who were experiencing pain. We are overwhelmed by the love and blessings that our farmers bestow on us.”
Pro-Khalistani slogans and posters of Khalistani terrorist Bhindranwale raised at farmers’ protests
There have been several instances when demonstrators participating in the farmers’ protests have displayed their Khalistani proclivities. One of them was Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, who had become the face of the farmers’ protest. Sidhu unabashedly hailed Khalistani terrorists Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a revolutionary fighter who fought for a strong federal structure. This was exposed in his interview with Barkha Dutt, who had self-admittedly provided him with a platform to come clean on the allegations of him being a Khalistani supporter.
However, the Punjabi actor refused to condemn Bhindranwale as a terrorist and went on to claim that the media during that time weaved a narrative and falsely portrayed him as a terrorist. He also alleged that about 80-90 per cent people in Punjab still do not consider Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale as a terrorist.
Sidhu was not the only Khalistani supporter who was associated with the farmers’ protests. On many instances during the protests, the demonstrators were seen raising pro-Khalistani slogans and holding posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In one of the videos from the protests that had gone viral, protesters were seen gloating over the death of the former Indian PM Indira Gandhi and threatened PM Modi with a similar fate if their demands were not fulfilled.
A huge ruckus broke out at the state headquarters of Bihar Congress where a meeting of its farmers’ cell was being conducted. Newly-appointed state in-charge Bhakta Charan Das was conducting the meeting. The angry members, who were reportedly miffed by the party’s disastrous performance in the recently concluded 2020 Bihar Legislative Assembly election, were seen abusing and throwing chairs at each other at the state headquarters.
It is being reported that the party workers were angry over Congress’ rout in the elections as well as ticket distribution. The video of the incident went viral on social media.
Bihar: Huge ruckus during Congress in-charge Bhakta Charan Das’ meeting with party workers in Patna. The party workers were angry over the defeat of Congress in elections as well as ticket distribution. (Note: Abusive language) pic.twitter.com/dB2nfYCE5n
In the video, the party members can be seen shouting (using abusive language), raising questions over the loss in Bihar elections, that concluded in November last year. The workers seemed so agitated that no one was willing to listen or calm down.
Reportedly, the newly-appointed AICC Bihar in-charge Bhakt Charan Das who was seated on the dais of the auditorium, besides top BPCC leaders at Sadaqat Ashram, BPCC headquarters, tried to pacify the enraged crowd by saying: “We have gathered here to share suggestions for the betterment of the party in the state. Please do not engage in personal attacks”.
“Pehle aaplog chup rahen (you all first keep quiet)”, Bhakt Charan Das is heard saying. However, the party members unfettered by the appeal continue to point fingers of accusation at each other.
According to reports, the Bihar police needed to intervene to control the frenzied Congress party functionaries at the state headquarters.
This sort of reaction seems to be extremely common with the Congress functionaries in Bihar. A similar ruckus had ensued at the Congress’ headquarter in Patna in November last year. Then too, the Bihar Congress leaders were seen calling each other names and exchanging blows over Congress’ poor show in the Bihar elections, in which the party had managed to win only 19 of the 70 seats it had contested, down from its previous tally of 27 seats out of 41 it had fought in the 2015 assembly elections in the state.
Pope Francis, the bishop of Rome and the head of Vatican Church, has changed the church law Monday affirming that the women would now be allowed to read gospels at the Mass, a role which was officially reserved for men, accept few exceptions. However, they would still not serve as priests in churches.
It is pertinent to note here that in the Roman Catholic Church, the priesthood is seen as an exclusively male preserve. Women are not allowed to be ordained as priests.
Meanwhile, in the decree, called Spiritus Domini (The Spirit of the Lord), Pope Francis said he had taken the decision after theological reflection and was making the change to increase recognition of the “precious contribution” women make in the church. However, Pope Francis stressed that these roles were “essentially distinct from the ordained ministry”, meaning that they should not be seen as an automatic precursor to women one day being allowed to be ordained, priests. The Vatican reserved the priesthood for men.
“The pontiff, therefore, has established that women can accede to these ministries and they are attributed by a liturgical function that institutionalises them,” the Vatican said in an explanatory note.
Pope Francis under pressure to allow women to be deacons
The change comes as the Pope remains under pressure to allow women to be deacons, (the ministers who perform many of the same functions as priests, such as presiding at weddings, baptisms and funerals), the position which is currently reserved for men even though historians say the ministry was performed by women in the early church.
According to reports, after the first commission failed to reach a consensus on whether women could be deacons, Francis created a second commission to look into the matter. While those in favour of expanding the diaconate to include women say, doing so would give women a greater say in the ministry and governance of the church, while also helping address priest shortages in several parts of the world. However, the ones opposing the stand opine that allowing it would become a slippery slope toward ordaining women to the priesthood.
Amidst the ongoing agitation against the new farm laws, a group of ‘farmers’ vandalised a Patanjali Ayurved store in Kundli on the Delhi-Haryana border.
In a video that has now surfaced on social media, the protestors were seen gathering outside a Patanjali store and shouting slogans. “Band karo, Band karo (Close it down),” the demonstrators yelled. In a bid to shut down the business establishment, one man was seen tying a chain and lock around the entrance gate.
Following that, the protestors went about sloganeering ‘Ramdev Haye haye (Down with Baba Ramdev)’ and ‘Jo Bole So Nihaal’. They also blackened the poster of Baba Ramdev and marked it with a huge cross.
Now what on earth does ‘Kissan Ekta’ gotta do with Baba Ramdas & Patanjali?? ? pic.twitter.com/iePo76rnqO
The protestors also tried to close down an adjacent government-owned Jan Aushadhi Kendra, which sell medicines at low rates to the poor and underprivileged. Even though the mob physically tried to shut down the businesses in an act of ‘dissent’, a man in the background claimed that they were executing it peacefully. He also alleged that the ‘biased’ media have been portraying farmers in a bad light.
So-called farmers call for a boycott of Baba Ramdev and Patanjali products as they vandalised the store
Exhibiting their anti-corporate sentiments, anti-farm law ‘protestors’ earlier called for a boycott of Baba Ramdev for allegedly being ‘anti-farmer’. They had also warned against the boycott of the products sold by his company, Patanjali. They forcibly shut down businesses, selling Patanjali products, in Tohana town as a mark of ‘resentment’. It was done without realising the losses incurred by the local owners as a result of their actions. Protestors associated with Andolan Vistar Morcha staged a protest outside a Patajani store in Hisar.
‘Protesting farmers’ steal generator set from Jio tower
To protest against corporate owned by Mukesh Ambani, protestors stole generators connected to Reliance Jio telecom towers, and ‘donated’ it to a Gurudwara. In a video that went viral on social media, protestors were seen dragging a generator set on a tractor to the gurdwara after dislodging it from the Jio Tower. The other protestors were seen following the tractor on its way to the Gurdwara.
The ‘protestors’ had been targeting Reliance Jio towers because Congress politicians had been spreading rumours and misinformation that “Ambani and Adani were about to exploit farmers”. Earlier, the protestors at Delhi border were seen urging people not to use Jio sim.
Recently, media reports were rife with Alibaba founder and billionaire business tycoon Jack Ma and his reported disappearance in China. Ma has been off the radar ever since he made deprecating remarks against the Chinese regulators in a summit in October 2020 for their efforts in stifling innovation.
Ma had gone on a tirade against China’s current banking system, the financial regulatory structure of the Communist-ruled country and how it was unsuitable for his fintech giant, Ant group. Ma’s critical remarks for the Communist regime, which demands nothing more than complete and utter obedience, terminated the planned IPO of his fintech giant, Ant Group, on November 3, just two days before it was scheduled to begin trading.
Days after his unflattering opinion of the Chinese authorities, Ma was summoned to a meeting with Communist Party officials. His other venture, Alibaba is also under investigation for monopolistic behaviour, as per a statement released by the Chinese Communist Party’s market supervision arm.
And Ma has not been spotted since October. Ma was conspicuous by his absence when the billionaire was replaced as a judge in the final of his own show—Africa’s Business Heroes, a television contest for budding entrepreneurs—and his photograph was removed from the judging webpage. Apparently, he has also been conspicuously left out of a promotional video.
The grand finale of show ‘Africa’s Business Heroes’ took place in November, shortly after the Chinese tech billionaire had criticised China’s regulators and its state-owned banks. The disappearance of Jack Ma underscores the strained relationship between the billionaire business tycoon and the Chinese authoritarian leader Xi Jinping.
Jinping has been unabashed in wielding power against those he perceives of challenging the dominance and authority of the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese President has shown little tolerance towards dissenting views and has come down hard against those who have refused to conform to his worldview.
Ma’s disappearance from the public sphere is a part of a bigger design by the CCP to exact compliance and loyalty from individuals who hold great sway in shaping public opinion. It is apposite to note that Jack Ma is not the first high- profile man to have disappeared out of a thin air.
Reportedly, China legalised secret detentions back in 2013. As such, several well-known people from various walks of life including actress Fan Bingbing, ex-Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, businessman and investor Guo Guangchang, and ex-real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang were made to disappear. All of them, however, mysteriously reappeared after some time.
Chinese businessman and investor Guo Guangchang
In December 2015, reports emerged that Chinese businessman and investor Guo Guangchang had gone missing. Several social media accounts reported that the founder and chairman of investment conglomerate Fosun International was hustled away by the police at Shanghai’s airport. His disappearance has prompted the companies he oversaw to request a suspension of trade in their respective Hong Kong and Shanghai-listed shares.
Guo Guangchang(Source: South China Morning Post)
Guo subsequently reappeared later and claimed that he had been assisting authorities in an unnamed investigation. No further explanation was offered, though his disappearance came amidst a corruption crackdown started by Xi Jinping after he rose to power in 2012.
Chinese actor Fan Bingbing
The internationally-acclaimed Chinese actress, Fan Bingbing, was another notable celebrity who mysteriously disappeared from the public eye for four months in 2018. The actress, who had appeared in over a dozen Chinese films, as well as in ‘X-Men’ franchise had gone missing from July 2018 to October 2018. She was reportedly detained by provincial authorities in connection with a tax evasion case.
Fan Bingbing(Source: USA Today)
The Chinese authorities had found out that she and her company had evaded 248 million yuan in taxes. After Fan reappeared from her four months of disappearance, she was obsequious to the Chinese government and even thanked them for “vanishing” her.
“It may be trough I encountered in my life or in my work, but this trough is actually a good thing,” she told in an interview to the New York Times. “It has made me calm down and think seriously about what I want to do in my future life,” she said.
Former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei
Meng Hongwei, who was the first Chinese head of Interpol, vanished on a trip back to the country from France in September 2018. He was scheduled to serve as the head of Interpol until 2020, but the organisation said he tendered his resignation days after he had gone missing from China.
Meng Hongwei(Source: BBC.com)
The CCP later confirmed that Hongwei was detained as a part of Xi Jinping’s fight against corruption and was suspected of taking bribes. The party said Meng had misused his position for personal gain, abused state funds to provide his family an “extravagant lifestyle” and ignored Communist Party principles. He was expelled from the party and stripped of all government positions.
According to the Chinese reports, Meng had allegedly admitted of taking more than $2 million in bribes. He was ordered by the Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People’s Court to pay a fine of two million yuan. The court statement also ordered that he would not appeal against the verdict. In January 2020, Meng was sentenced 13 and a half years in jail for accepting bribes.
Ex-real estate tycoon Ren Zhiqiang
More recently, Ren Zhiqiang, a former real estate tycoon and a staunch critic of China’s President Xi Jinping, had gone missing in March 2019 shortly after penning an essay critical of the Chinese Premier.
Ren Zhiqiang (Source: The New York Times)
Though he did not name Xi Jinping in his article, it was widely believed that the ‘clown’ he referred to in his article slamming the Chinese Communist Party for bungling up the response to coronavirus outbreak was meant for Xi Jinping.
The essay was published shortly after Xi Jinping’s televised speech. Ren reportedly wrote, “I too am curiously and conscientiously studying [the] speech… what I saw …[was] not an emperor standing there exhibiting his ‘new clothes’, but a clown who stripped naked and insisted on continuing being emperor.”
Such maverick and critical views earned him the ire of the Chinese Communist Party which had displayed time and again its willingness to clampdown dissent, even among the country’s elites. Ren disappeared days after he wrote the scathing article. Months later, a court in Beijing sentenced Mr Ren to 18 years in prison on Tuesday. The court found Ren guilty of graft, taking bribes, misusing public funds and abusing his power during and after his time as an executive at a property development company.
Ahead of the Republic Day celebrations, anti-farm law protestors have been eyeing to intensify the protests and build pressure on the central government.
As per reports, protestors from Haryana have announced a ‘tractor parade’ to Delhi from its borders on January 26. While speaking about the decision, Haryana BKU president Gurnam Singh Chaduni emphasised, “As per our strategy, all farmer brothers with their tractors should reach Delhi borders by January 24. We will enter Delhi on January 26, even if the police use lathis or bullets. ” He added, “We will break all their (police) barricades to enter Delhi.”
In anticipation of their planned parade, they have scheduled a rehearsal on January 17 on the Dadri-Bhiwani highway and on January 18 in Siwani. Chaduni has been at the forefront of leading protestors from Ambala to Delhi on November 25 by breaking through security barricades placed on Ambala-Delhi national highway to reach Delhi. He warned, “Our next programme will take place on January 26 but if Khattar sahab plans a rally even before it, we will oppose that event too.”
Violent protestors resort to vandalism, disruption of Haryana CM’s meeting
On Sunday, anti-farm law protestors ambushed the Kisan Mahapanchayat programme in Karnal, where Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar was supposed to address a large gathering of 2000 farmers. The protestors first gathered near Bastara toll plaza in Karnal on the Delhi-Chandigarh Highway before making their way to the village. They were successful in breaching 6 checkpoints and reaching the helipad in Kamila village where the CM was supposed to land.
The mob was seen digging up the interlocking tiles and vandalising the helipad, thereby forcing authorities to find an alternate site for the CM’s landing. In a bid to oppose the newly enacted farm laws, they vandalised the venue, tore down banners and flung the chairs. The anti-farm law protestors tore down the tents, forcing Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar to cancel the event.
“Tractor Parade’ may lead to law and order situation in Delhi
While speaking about the vandalism in the Kamila village, Gurnam Singh Chaduni admitted, “Khattar sahab has said, I have got it done. Yes, we have got it done certainly because they (BJP) were holding a programme in Kaimla village parallel to our agitation.” With the public admission of violence in Haryana and the recent threats of breaking police barricades on the occasion of the Republic Day Celebrations, the law and order situation in the National Capital might take a hit.
It is important to note that during the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots of 2020, the rioters unleashed mayhem on the day of Donald Trump’s visit to India. The objective was to strike terror in the National Capital and weaponise violence create a big spectacle at the international level. With Khalistanis peddling separatism, anti-India elements openly hailing Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and advocating violence, the possibility of serious law and order issues cannot be ruled out.
Threats to UK Prime Minister and ‘delusional beliefs’
To add to fears of an impending episode of violence on Republic Day, the anti-farm law protestors from Punjab had claimed ‘political win’ for themselves after British PM Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India. A statement released by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha claimed that the British PM cancelled his visit to India because of the upcoming ‘tractor’ parade.
Boris Johnson, British PM, was to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration. Amid the covid crisis, British PM wrote to PM Modi and expressed his inability to visit India as he has to oversee vaccination drive and other aspects related to the pandemic.
The protesting ‘farmers’ from Punjab, however, wanted to believe it is because of their roadblocks at various Delhi borders that the British PM has cancelled his visit. Given their ‘delusional beliefs’ of being able to influence governments of other countries, coupled with threats of police defiance, the protestors seem to be setting the stage for violence on January 26
