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MP HC cancels state govt order requiring Congress MLA to vacate accommodation allotted by Kamal Nath Sarkar

OpIndia Staff
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MP HC cancels state govt order requiring Congress MLA to vacate accommodation allotted by Kamal Nath Sarkar

Madhya Pradesh High Court has cancelled an order passed by the Madhya Pradesh government that had ordered Congress MLA from Katni Vijay Raghavendra Singh to vacate the government allotted to him. According to Indian Legal Live, the High Court had reserved order in the matter on December 17. A Division Bench of Justices Sanjay Yadav and Vijay Kumar Shukla passed the order during the hearing of the petition that challenged the order of the state government.

The MLA was allotted the accommodation during the Congress government

Advocates Varun Tankha and Samaresh Katare, who appeared on behalf of Vijay Raghavendra Singh, contended that their client was allotted the government accommodation in Bhopal during the tenure of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. They argued that the accommodation was allotted as per procedure. The advocates alleged that as soon as the BJP formed government in the state, it issued the order on June 1, 2020 to cancel the allocation. They termed the government order as malicious and approached the High Court.

According to LiveLaw, the Bench observed that the Government’s order “does not record any reason and the allotment of accommodation in favour of the petitioner has been cancelled with immediate effect without assigning any reason.”

Raghavendra Singh says government order reflected malfeasance

The counsels argued that the accommodation was allotted for a period of five years. Therefore, Vijay Raghavendra Singh cannot be forced to vacate it even if the government changes in the middle of the allotted period. They said that political malfeasance was being reflected in the government order. They added that the government order was a violation of the rules. The state government had reportedly requested for on-adherence to procedures and rules of allocation.

Americans fume as ‘Covid relief bill’ promises millions of dollars to Pakistan and other countries for democracy, gender programs

OpIndia Staff
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Americans fume as ‘Covid relief bill’ promises millions of dollars to Pakistan and other countries for democracy, gender programs

The $2.3 trillion spending bill in the United States that combines a $900 billion in Covid relief measures with a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill for the 2021 federal fiscal year has attracted severe criticism from certain quarters. The Covid relief bill has been passed by the US House and the Senate and awaits the president’s signature to be signed into law.

The bill provides $600 to Most Americans and their children. In addition, an enhanced $300 per week has been put in place for the unemployed till March. An additional $284 billion has been provided for the Paycheck Protection Program which provides forgivable loans to small businesses.

While the $600 provision has been criticized by many for being too less an amount, the allocations made in regular government spending has caused major outrage. The 5,593 page bill contains millions in dollars in funding to numerous countries as foreign aid.

Pakistan is set to receive up to $15 million for “democracy programs” and $10 million for “gender programs” and Sri Lanka will receive up to $15 million “for the refurbishing of a high endurance cutter,” a type of patrol boat.

Foreign aid allocations in the bill (Source: Breitbart)

The massive allocations in foreign aid has not gone down well with certain sections as they consider it to be a luxury spending at a time when citizens of the United States of America are enduring enormous hardships. Elected Representatives from the Republican Party have made staunch criticism of the Bill even though it received bipartisan support. Lauren Boebert, Congresswoman-elect from Colorado, said Congress was “broken”.

Thomas Massive, Congressman from Kentucky, was extremely unhappy with the Bill as well.

Anthony Kern, Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives, criticized the Bill as well.

Scott Taylor, former US Congressman from the Republican Party, was not too happy with the bill either.

The Covid relief bill has also attracted criticism from political observers.

Supporters of Donald Trump are also calling upon the US President to veto the bill.

Republicans have also faced intense criticism from supporters for supporting the bill in the House or the Senate. Despite such criticism, the bill is likely to be signed by Donald Trump.

From ‘suicide’ to conviction of Father Thomas and Sister Sephy: How it took 28 years for Sister Abhaya to get justice

Dibakar Dutta
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From ‘suicide’ to conviction of Father Thomas and Sister Sephy: How it took 28 years for Sister Abhaya to get justice

‘Justice delayed is just denied’ but for family members of Sister Abhaya, whose life came to a tragic end at the tender age of 19, it is a day of relief. In a major development on Tuesday, a special CBI court found two people guilty for the murder of Catholic nun in 1992. The quantum of punishment will be delivered tomorrow by the Court.

The victim was a pre-degree student at a college, administered by the Catholic Church. Her body was discovered at a well in St. Pius Convent in Kottayam in Kerala on March 27, 1992. The local police and the Crime Branch had initially dubbed the case as a ‘suicide’.

However, it was only a year later that the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the probe in the case, following a complaint by one Sister Banicassia, and 66 other nuns to the then Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran and a legal battle by Jomon Puthenpurackal.

Suicide or homicide?

The date was March 29, 1993, when the CBI finally stepped in. The nuns informed the CM about the botched up investigation in the case and appealed that the case is handed over to the central agency to investigate the murder angle.

When the CBI, led by SP A K Ohri began its probe, it was faced with hurdles. Due to the lack of medical evidence, the central agency could not conclude whether the death of Sister Abhaya was a homicide or suicide. Under the assumption that the case was that of a homicide, the CBI team made ‘prolonged efforts’ to determine the culprits but failed – an explanation in the initial report that was dismissed by the chief judicial magistrate court.

CBI hits a dead end

In its 2nd final report, filed under Deputy SP Surinder Paul, the CBI concluded that the case was that of homicide. The conclusion of the investigative team was premised on the medical opinion of three doctors, who had ruled Sister Abhaya’s death as murder, contrary to the claims of the doctor (Dr C Radhakrishnan) who conducted the autopsy. However, the CBI team was yet to trace the culprits or establish their identity. As such, it appealed to the court to consider the case as ‘closed being untraced’.

But, the 2nd report was rejected by the court as well. As such, the case remained open and this time officer RR Sahay was given the responsibility to lead the investigation. 13 years had passed by then and there was no trace of the accused. In August 2005, the CBI filed a third final report, reiterating that the agency could not find ‘involvement of any person’ and requested for the case to be closed. The request was rejected again by the court and the probe continued.

The Breakthrough in the Sister Abhaya case

By 2008 (16 years after the incident), the CBI had filed for the closure of the case four times due to lack of evidence. As such, the Kerala High Court on September 4, 2008, directed the State unit of CBI in Kochi to take up the case. The Court gave the agency a three-month time to complete the investigation. Under Deputy SP Nandakumaran Nair, the Kerala unit of CBI began its probe.

The first breakthrough in the case came in the form of eyewitness Sanju P Mathew, who lived next to the convent. In his recorded statement, he said that he had seen one Father Thomas Kottoor in the hostel campus of Sister Abhaya, a day before her deceased body was discovered. His statement marked the arrest of Father Thomas Kottoor, one Father Jose Puthrikkayl and one Sister Sephy. Accordingly, a charge sheet was filed against the three on July 17, 2009.

Allegations of evidence tampering

In July 2007, the CBI received the Court approval to undergo narco-tests on the suspects of the case. As such, the tests were conducted on August 3, 2007, in Bengaluru. Following the tests, the CBI informed the Court that the investigative team did not find ‘no new facts’ in the Sister Abhaya case. The central agency had submitted the copy of the test results to the narco-analysis results to the Court in a CD.

However, it was soon unearthed that the master tapes of the test results were tampered with. The revelation came after technical experts at the Centre for Development of Imaging Technology (C-DIT) in Thiruvanthapuram had investigated the tapes as a part of a forensic probe, directed by CJM court in Kochi. It was found that the tape of Father Thomas Kottoor, Sister Sephy and Father Puthrukkaayil was edited at 30, 23 and 19 places respectively.

In December 2019, the Kerala High Court ruled that brain mapping and narco-analysis and cannot be used as evidence, even if the consent of the accused is sought. The Court said that the test results can only be used to prove ‘discovery of fact’ as per the Indian Evidence Act (Section 27). As such, the doctors involved in the narco tests, namely N Krishnaveni and Pravin Parvathappa, were not examined by the trial court.

Circumstantial evidence to the rescue

The Central Bureau of Investigation relied on circumstantial evidence to ensure the conviction of the accused. The investigative team had found a messy kitchen that suggested a tussle between the victim and the perpetrators, prior to her murder.

As per the evidence provided by the CBI, a dripping water bottle was found near the fridge while the veil of Sister Abhaya was discovered below the exit door. Interestingly, the door was found locked from outside and slippers of the victim were spotted at two different places in the kitchen. Moreover, the CBI team also found that the door was unlatched from inside and discovered an axe and a basket on the ground. Although no bloodstains were found, the circumstantial evidence was clear to indicate a physical altercation in the kitchen.

Motives behind the gruesome murder

The CBI told the Court that Sister Abhaya found two priests, namely, Father Thomas Kottoor, and Father Jose Puthrikkayl and a nun Sister Sephy in a ‘compromising position’ on the morning of March 27, 1992. Fearing a backlash from the Church where the cardinal rule of ‘celibacy’ must be upheld, the accused decided to kill the victim.

The CBI counsel stated that Sister Sephy hit the victim with an axe while that Sister Abhaya was pushed into a well by the accused. It is important to point out that the victim was still alive when she was thrown into the well. The CBI argued that the accused did everything possible to destroy evidence and hide their sexual relationship. One of the accused, Father Jose Puthrikkayl was acquitted by a CBI trial court in 2018 for lack of evidence.

In today’s verdict, the special CBI court in Thiruvananthapuram found Sister Sephy and Father Thomas Kottoor guilty of the murder of Sister Abhaya in 1992. They have also been facing charges for criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence. After fighting the case for 28 years, activist Jomon Puthenpurackal, who had faced personal setbacks while pursuing the case, emphasised that the verdict restored the trust of the public in the Judiciary.

Accused had strangulated 5-year-old Odisha girl when she resisted rape, had tried to rape her dead body: SIT

OpIndia Staff
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Accused had strangulated 5-year-old Odisha girl when she resisted rape, had tried to rape her dead body: SIT

The Special Investigation Team(SIT) on Sunday arrested a person in connection with the sensational kidnapping and murder of the Nayagarh minor girl in Odisha. A day later, on Monday, the SIT informed that it has sufficient evidence against the arrestee, also the prime accused in the case.

Speaking to the media persons in Jadupur of Nayagarh, SIT Chief Arun Bothra said that the accused was questioned several times during the last 10 days after which the police arrested him.

SIT has enough evidence against the prime accused: SIT chief Arun Bothra

“The SIT has acquired sufficient evidence against the accused. We got critical evidence after questioning him multiple times over the span of the last 10 days. Based on the evidence from his statements, we have arrested him. I would like to confirm the fact that this man is the prime accused. Any of his associates’ involvement in the case is still under investigation,” SIT Chief Arun Bothra said while adding that though the two stages of investigation—detection and arrest have been completed—the police continues probing the case.

As per Bothra’s presser, the frock belonging to the 5-year-old girl bore semen stains which revealed that the victim was subjected to sexual assault. The SIT probe also found that a part of the clothing of the victim was missing.

Explaining the intent behind the incident, SIT Chief Bothra said that sexual assault was the main reason behind the crime. He said that the investigation would continue and a charge-sheet will be filed in the court once the probe is completed, after which the trial will begin in the court.

Meanwhile, the prime accused, a man named Saroj Sethi who was arrested on Sunday, was subjected to a bone ossification test, which revealed that he is above 18 years of age. The accused was produced before the Special Court-cum-ADJ POCSO Court in Nayagarh which allowed the SIT to take him on remand for three days from Tuesday.

Saroj Sethi, the prime accused in the case was addicted child pornography: Bothra

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, SIT chief Arun Bothra said that the possession of a smartphone and easy access to child pornography was a major factor which fuelled sexual assault against the minor girl. Bothra added that the prime accused Saroj Sethi was addicted to child pornography.

“Saroj Sethi was addicted to child pornography and had saved many such porn videos on his mobile phone. He had saved them in a separate folder and locked them with a password. On July 13, a day before the incident happened, Saroj had watched porn videos throughout the night. And the next day when the girl came to his house, this is what fuelled his sexual desperation,” Bothra said while sharing the details of the investigation.

The IPS officer stated that just because the minor girl was close to Sethi’s sister and used to routinely visit their house, on July 14 too, the victim went to their house to collect some Jamun from their backyard, unbeknownst to the fact the mother and sister had gone out for work. In a bid to take advantage of the situation, Sethi attempted to rape the minor girl. He had first removed her frock. When he tried to remove her leggings, the victim had cried and resisted. In his frantic desperation, the accused had strangulated her. He had put the girl’s body with her frock in a gunny bag and had thrown it away near the village pond, covering the bag with coconut fronds.

Bothra has also stated that the accused had tried to rape the girl’s dead body.

Bothra also claimed that the accused has confessed to his crime and as per his deposition, he had thrown the leggings of the minor girl in the village pond. Following the accused’s statement, the police have now started the process of drying the village pond. He added that there are no eyewitnesses to the crime, and the investigating team has sought the custodial remand of Sethi to interrogate him further.

Sethi had stated to media that Bothra had offered him a bribe

On the other hand, Saroj’s family has asserted that Bothra had offered them a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to admit to the crime, and had further promised to show him as a minor by understating his age by one year to reduce the punishment under the Juvenile Justice Act.

However, the claims were dismissed as fabrication by Bothra and the authorities. As per latest reports, the accused has been found to be above 18. Additionally, Bothra has stated that there is enough evidence, supported by scientific and forensic reports to prove charges in court.

Victim’s family unconvinced, demand CBI probe

However, despite the arrest in the case, the victim’s parents have expressed their disapproval with the SIT probe. “We don’t think our neighbour is the accused. The police are shielding the main accused, who is a close aide of our local MLA and minister Arun Sahu. We have been demanding a CBI probe,” they said.

The victim’s father has rubbished the SIT’s probe, stating that it is scripted. He said, “Two other girls who were playing with my daughter, had said that one Kanhu had kidnapped my child and had taken her to Babuli Nayak. Why is there no investigation on this?” he asked.

Case ignored for months, SIT after parents tried to self-immolate outside assembly

The 5-year-old girl went missing while playing near her house on July 14 and her skeletal remains were found in a gunny bag near her house 10 days later. The incident came to light when the victim’s parents tried to self-immolate outside the Odisha assembly seeking justice for their daughter on November 24. The couple tried to pour kerosene on themselves and self-immolate near the high-security zone outside the Assembly. The state government finally ordered a high court-monitored SIT investigation after the issue rocked the assembly for several days.

The couple had named one Babuli Nayak from their village as the suspect in the complaint filed by the police. Alleging harassment by police officials, the couple said that their daughter was killed by people close to BJD Minister Arun Sahu and that they were driven out of the village for demanding action against the culprits. They alleged that the killers had gouged out their daughter’s eyes and kidneys.

The 5-year-old child’s remains, with bones and body parts chopped off, was dumped at the couple’s backyard 10 days after the kidnapping. The family has been alleging that it is possible that she was killed for her organs. However, the SIT probe rejected the organ theft angle, stating that sexual desperation fuelled the crime. In October, the couple had claimed that the murderers of their daughter had also tried to kill them while they were in the hospital.

MP Congress elects BJP leader to the post of its youth wing general secretary and this is not satire: Read what happened

OpIndia Staff
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MP Congress elects BJP leader to the post of its youth wing general secretary and this is not satire: Read what happened

In an incident which has left the grand old party red-faced, the Madhya Pradesh Congress has elected a BJP leader for the post of the secretary of a district unit of the youth wing of their party in the organisational election held between December 10 and 12. The Youth Congress’s organisational elections ended on December 18 (Friday) and BJP leader- Harshit Singhai was “elected” by 12 votes.

The incident came to the fore when Harshit Singhai started receiving congratulatory messages over his new “post” in Jabalpur.

It’s been nine months since Harshit Singhai walked out of Madhya Pradesh Congress

Singhai was one of the leaders who quit Congress in March when scores of party MLAs and workers followed Jyotiraditya Scindia to the BJP. However, surprisingly the change has not displayed in Congress’s records in these past nine months.

Though the election of Harshit Singhai for the post of the youth wing general secretary now stands revoked, the blooper by the party’s state unit was being plugged as a crude display of the party’s disconnect with ground realities.

I had written to Rahul Gandhi and the former CM of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath when I left: BJP leader Singhai

Speaking about Congress party’s goof-up, the BJP leader remarked: “The most laughable is the fact that no one was interested in the polls and I was elected general secretary. I left the Congress on March 10 with Scindia-ji. I filled in my nomination for the Youth Congress polls three years ago.”

“When I joined the BJP with Scindia-ji, I requested the party that my name be dropped from the Youth Congress polls but nothing was done. When I called again, they asked me to send a mail explaining the circumstances in which I left the party. I had written to Kamal Nath (former Chief Minister) and Rahul Gandhi. This is what the Youth Congress has done across Madhya Pradesh. Those who are not in the party anymore are being elected,” said Singhai explaining that after nominations for the post of the youth wing general secretary was submitted, the polls kept getting delayed. They were first stalled because of the Madhya Pradesh election in 2018 and later because of the national election, confirmed Singhai.

Congress accuses BJP of resorting to “cheap tactics”

Meanwhile, the former state Youth Congress chief Kunal Chaudhary lashed out at Singhai accusing him of resorting to “cheap tactics” to malign his former party and lying about withdrawing his nomination. He said as soon as the error was flagged, the appointment was cancelled.

MP Youth Congress election coordinator Maqsood Mirza opined: “It’s a cheap publicity stunt of BJP. Singhai filed his nomination in March. Later, he joined BJP but he didn’t withdraw his nomination purportedly. The election process was held online and nobody paid attention as there were more than 1800 nominations and Singhai was not a popular leader.”

Was he, or was he not: Video emerges that shows farmers ‘beating up’ Ajit Anjum, journalist refutes: Full story

Jinit Jain
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Was he, or was he not: Video emerges that shows farmers ‘beating up’ Ajit Anjum, journalist refutes: Full story

Social Media websites were recently awash with videos of a scuffle between farmers and an unknown person at the protest site along the Delhi Border. Several social media users shared the video, claiming that the unknown person was none other than senior journalist Ajit Anjum, who was ‘beaten up’ by the farmers while reporting about the ongoing farmers’ protests.

The video that has gone viral on the internet showed a raft people, presumably, protesters involved in a scuffle with unknown people, close to the protest site on a highway.

Ajit Anjum refutes allegations, claims he intervened to stop the scuffle

However, soon after the video went viral with the claim that Ajit Anjum has been at the receiving ends of the blows rained by the protesting farmers, the journalist quickly took to Twitter to refute the allegations that he had had a scuffle with the protesters. Anjum claimed that he was in the middle of the chaos because he was trying to settle the matter between the two sparring parties.

“Some people are making this video viral with incorrect information. Some boys had entered into a brawl over an argument with a photographer. Seeing tempers flying high, many people like me came forward to end their raging dispute. The video is from that time,” Anjum tweeted while rejecting the allegations that he was being roughed up by the protesters.

Despite his clarification, the video continued to spread like wildfire, along with the rumours that Ajit Anjum has been thrashed by the protesters at the protest site when he had gone to cover the farmers’ protest. Peeved by the resilience of the viral video, Anjum issued another tweet, stating that the fake news machinery is rolling along even after he issued a clarification that he wasn’t manhandled at the protest site.

“The mechanism to make fake news viral is still in place. I am reiterating that nobody has manhandled me. I did not quarrel with anybody. I, along with others only tried to separate the two fighting parties who got embroiled in a scuffle on a comment made by the photographer. This information is for everybody who is constantly calling to check on me,” Anjum said.

Mumbai Police arrests Suresh Raina and Guru Randhawa for violating Covid norms, cricketer says not aware of local rules

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police arrests Suresh Raina and Guru Randhawa for violating Covid norms, cricketer says not aware of local rules

The Mumbai Police has arrested cricketer Suresh Raina, singer Guru Randhawa and other celebrities for violating Covid norms. Bollywood celebrity Susanne Khan, former wife of Hrithik Roshan, has been booked. They have been let out on bail after a case was registered.

Senior inspector of Sahar Police Station S Mane told the Indian Express, “A raid was conducted around 2.30 am at the Dragonfly Club near Mumbai airport. We found that the guests and those operating the club were not following lockdown measures, like wearing masks or observing social distancing. We arrested 34 persons that included seven staff members.”

According to the IE report, the Police arrested Suresh Raina and Randhawa under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duty promulgated by public servant) and 269 (acts in a way that could spread an infection) among others. “There were some women celebrities as well but we did not arrest them. They were served with a notice and allowed to go,” Mane added.

Raina’s management team has issued a statement after being released on bail. “Suresh was in Mumbai for a shoot which extended to late hours and was invited by a friend for a quick dinner post the same prior to him taking his flight back to Delhi. He was not aware of the local timings and protocols,” it said.

The statement added, “Once pointed out, he immediately complied with the procedures laid out by the authorities and regrets the unfortunate and unintentional incident. He always holds rules and laws laid down by governing bodies with the highest regard and will continue to do so in the future as well.”

The Maharashtra Government had announced night curfews on Monday across major cities to prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.

Read why Canada had once denied asylum to renowned Balochistan activist Karima Baloch, who has now been mysteriously found dead

OpIndia Staff
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Read why Canada had once denied asylum to renowned Balochistan activist Karima Baloch, who has now been mysteriously found dead

Karima Baloch, an activist and former chairperson of Baloch Students Organisation – Azad, who was a staunch critic of the Pakistan Army and government atrocities in Balochistan, has been found dead under mysterious circumstances in Toronto Canada Tuesday.

The spokesperson of the Baloch National Movement said that the martyrdom of Karima Baloch, a BNM leader living in exile in Canada and former chairperson of Baloch Student Organisation (BSO), is a great loss to the Baloch nation and the national movement.

The Canadian refugee, who spent her life fighting for the rights of the people of Balochistan was named as one of the world’s 100 most “inspirational and influential” women in 2016 by the BBC. She is believed to be one of the most prominent women leaders from Balochistan who often spoke on the atrocities and militarization of Balochistan. The activist had received acclamation for her “campaigns for independence for Balochistan,” an area that had been under the British rule until 1947 and was later acceded to Pakistan as one of the country’s four provinces.

Karima Baloch had championed the cause of women in Balochistan and was raised issues pertaining to barbarities perpetrated by the Pakistani Army in the region.

She had recently accused the Justin Trudeau government in Canada of facilitating Pakistani army officials by giving them refuge.

Canada denied refuge to Karima Baloch claiming BSO’s involvement in “subversion” against the Pakistani govt

Lots have been written and said about Karima Baloch’s activism, but little has been spoken on how her voice against Pakistan’s oppression in Balochistan, had become a stumbling block for her when she approached the Canadian government seeking asylum in 2016. According to reports, though she was later allowed to take refugee, the Canadian authorities had initially rejected her asylum request, which she made after she escaped from Pakistan in 2016 with the help of a few friends and Baloch activists, fearing for her life due to threats from the Pakistan army and intelligence agencies.

The Canada Border Services Agency had in 2016 rejected her request because of the Baloch Students Organisation – Azad’s involvement in “subversion” against the Pakistani government. In their order, Canadian border officials had then said that Mehrab is inadmissible on security grounds for being a member of an organization that engages, has engaged or will engage in an “act of subversion against a democratic government” as “understood in Canada.

An official of Pakistani High Commission in Ottawa had strongly responded to Karima Baloch’s asylum plea and contested that her claims that her life was in danger in Pakistan were untrue.

For the uninitiated, Pakistan has declared Baloch Students Organisation, which Karima Baloch was an active member of then, a terrorist organisation. Pakistan has accused BSO of working at the behest of the Indian intelligence RAW. A claim which Karima Baloch had vociferously refuted.

‘Fake accusations’ of BSO being a RAW agent by Pakistan a cover-up: Baloch activist

Karima had stated that BSO-Azad has no contacts with Indian intelligence RAW or any other intelligence agency of any country. Speaking to DNA, Karima had in 2016 claimed that the ‘fake accusations’ of a RAW agent by Pakistan is to cover up on its atrocities in Balochistan. She had stated that there is no Indian presence or involvement in Balochistan.

“The allegation of Indian involvement in Balochistan is an excuse to label ingrown Balochistan freedom movement as a proxy war to cover up the war crimes Pakistani state has committed in Balochistan. Pakistan wants to show the world that its ruthless policy is in self-defence against foreign aggression. But, the world is not blind, deaf and dumb. It is now an open secret that almost 7 decades old Baloch movement is an indigenous movement, not a proxy war imposed by an outsider. In fact, we are in self-defence against Pakistani aggression because it occupied our land illegally, and without our consent”, the Baloch activist had said.

After the Baloch activist was found dead today under mysterious conditions, many have accused Pakistan ISI of the killing.

Hathras Case: The victim and accused Sandeep Singh were romantically involved, says CBI charge sheet

OpIndia Staff
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Hathras Case: The victim and accused Sandeep Singh were romantically involved, says CBI charge sheet

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charge sheet on the Hathras case, filed on December 18, has reportedly mentioned that the victim and the accused Sandeep Singh were in a romantic relationship. The CBI reportedly found a record of a total of 115 calls exchanged between the victim and the accused from October 2019 to March 2020.

The UP police during their investigation had found out that Sandeep used to receive regular phone calls from the number registered in the name of the victim’s brother. Sandeep Singh belongs to the same village and was constantly in touch with the victim. The family of the victim has, however, denied having spoken to Sandeep before. The witnesses had reportedly told the CBI that the victim’s family had found out about their relationship and a fight had taken place between the two parties outside Sandeep’s house.

According to reports, Sandeep was angry after the victim stopped talking to him. The victim had reportedly stopped talking to the accused after March 2020 and the accused had started suspecting her.

CBI charge sheet made victim’s last statement as the basis

The CBI filed the charge sheet on the basis of the final statement given by the victim on September 22. The matter be heard on January 4 in a special court set up under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. Amid the opposition from the opposition leaders as well as the family of the victim, the Uttar Pradesh government had transferred the investigation of the case to the CBI for a fair and impartial investigation.

The incident took place on September 14 after which the victim was admitted at Safdurjung hospital in Delhi where she passed away on September 29. The initial medical report did not mention rape. The victim’s brother had also not mentioned rape in the complaint registered on the day of the incident. The rape allegations surfaced much later on September 22 when the police recorded the statement of the victim. The CBI report has been filed under sections 302, 376, 376A and 376 D of the Indian Penal Code and under the relevant provisions of the SC and ST Act.

The Hathras case had created massive political debates in the country, especially after media reports twisted facts and started claiming that the victim had been brutalised. It is notable here that the initial statements of the victim, the family’s FIR and statements had all alleged a strangulation attempt. However, later, the family had added the charges of rape and eventually gang rape to their list of allegations. Since the victim was a Dalit, political parties had tried to exploit the caste violence angle. Medical and forensic reports had dismissed sexual assault claims. The entire timeline of the case, media misreports, political spins and controversies, and the government’s actions can be read here.

‘Ad revolution, not education revolution’: Here are 10 questions by Kapil Mishra to Manish Sisodia about Delhi’s education system

OpIndia Staff
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‘Ad revolution, not education revolution’: Here are 10 questions by Kapil Mishra to Manish Sisodia about Delhi’s education system

BJP leader Kapil Mishra on Tuesday took to Twitter to expose the hollow claims made by the AAP government in Delhi regarding the state’s education system. Mishra stated that Delhi had witnessed an “advertising revolution” and not “education revolution” as alleged by the AAP leaders and asked 10 questions of the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

“I challenge you to answer these ten questions,” Mishra tweeted while sharing his queries.

AAP government claimed government schools improved, data doesn’t back that claim: Kapil Mishra

Citing the Economic Survey Report commissioned by the Delhi Government, Mishra asked why the students in Delhi were leaving the government schools to join private ones despite AAP government’s assertions that the standard of government-run schools in the national capital have improved dramatically. Mishra said the survey revealed that the share of private schools in the national capital increased to 45.4 per cent in 2017-18 as compared to 2014-15 when it was 30 per cent.

Another question asked by Kapil Mishra is why were the government schools in Delhi witnessing a continuous drop in the number of students appearing for 10th and 12th examination even though the population of the city was steadily rising.

“In 2014, 1 lakh 66 thousand students appeared for the 12th examinations. In 2015, 1 lakh 40 thousand appeared. Subsequently, in 2016, 1 lakh 31 thousand took 12th exams and in 2017 and 2018, 1 lakh 21 thousand and 1 lakh 11 thousand appeared for the 12th board exams. What has led to this dramatic fall in the number of students appearing for the 12th exams? Mishra asked.

Students in 9th and 11th were failed to show results for 10th and 12th standards have improved: Kapil Mishra

Mishra has alleged that with the intention of showing better results for the 10th exams, more than 50 per cent of the students are being failed in the 9th exams. He alleged that in 2016-17, 47.7 per cent of students were failed in the 9th grade and asked why 20 per cent of the students who had passed 10th examinations failed in the 11th standard.

“It means as compared to ninth standard, only half of them qualify for the 10th examinations and only one-third of them go on to give their 12th examinations. This figure is worst since India’s independence. Lakhs of students are being failed in 9th and 11th standards so that good results in 10th and 12th standard can be boasted in advertisements,” Mishra alleged.

The BJP leader has asked what are reasons that lakhs of students have failed examinations, dropped out of the government schools and got enrolled in the private schools.

Education budget remained unutilised during AAP’s tenure in Delhi: Mishra

Mishra has also raised questions on Delhi government’s budget allocation for education. He has alleged that the AAP government is spending more on the publicity of its Education policies than on the education itself.

“In the 2017-18 budget, why were the Rs 2000 crores allocated for education budget not utilised? In the last 5 years, the education budget has more or less hovered around Rs 2000 crores-mark, indicating that only announcements were made but work wasn’t done,” Mishra said.

Furthermore, Mishra raised pertinent questions regarding the development of new schools in Delhi. He has contended that the Delhi government has not built a single new single during its tenure. He added that only 15,000 temporary new rooms were built in 3,000 old schools.

“Is it Education revolution to build just 5 classrooms in every school, that too temporary rooms?” Mishra asked.

Kapil Mishra questions if the Delhi government’s education revolution is an advertisement revolution

“How many teachers were recruited in the last 7 years? Why the position of principal is vacant in 70 per cent of the schools? Why 76 per cent of the schools do not have a water connection?” Mishra further asked.

“Delhi neither saw new schools nor new colleges. Teachers were not recruited, education budget remained unutilised, water drinking facility at schools continue to remain poor, but what it saw were only advertising and media management. Is this education revolution or advertisement revolution?” Mishra asked.

The BJP leader has also raised aspersions against the deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, asking him to explain his brother-in-law’s relationship with the owner of the agency that puts up hoardings and banners in Delhi.

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