The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge sheet in the Hathras Case against the four accused on the basis of the final statement made by the victim on the 22nd of September. The 19-year old woman was allegedly gang-raped by the accused on the 14th of September.
Hathras: CBI files chargesheet in #Hathrascase at a special SC/ST court. CBI will take brother of Hathras case victim to Gujarat for a psychological assessment.
“CBI filed chargesheet against all 4 accused under various sections,” says Munna Singh Pundir, lawyer of accused pic.twitter.com/mVOmJ4KeAu
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh had made way for a CBI probe into the matter after opposition party leaders and the media attempted to use the Hathras case to target the state administration. The senior leadership of the Congress party and organisations such as the Bhim Army and Islamist PFI attempted to politicise the matter for their own objectives.
The CBI, during the course of their investigation, met the doctors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital where the victim received treatment following her alleged gang rape. One of the accused was also found to be a minor, based on the school marksheet.
The victim died on the 29th of September at the Safdurjung hospital in Delhi. The initial medical report showed no signs of rape and the victim’s brother had made no mention of rape in the complaint that was registered on the 14th of September. It was on the September 22 when the Police recorded the statement of the victim that the rape allegations first surfaced.
The CBI report has been filed at a special SC/ST Court and has been filed under the SC ST Atrocities Act. IPC Section 376 D, which pertains to rape; Section 302, which pertains to murder; and Sections 354 and 376 have also been invoked.
On Friday, Pakistani Human Rights activist Rahat Austin shared a disturbing video from Umarkot in Sindh wherein a Hindu boy was being brutally assaulted by an angry Muslim mob.
In the video, the boy could be seen surrounded by an angry mob who held him by the hair and slapped him continuously. While one attacker cuffed him by his jacket, the other pulled his head down.
Rahat Austin tweeted, “Muslim neighbourhood is beating a Hindu youth in Umerkot Sindh-Pakistan. Yesterday Hindu shops were attacked in the same area in which 3 Hindu businessmen got gunshots and admitted in the hospital. The situation is getting worse as Muslims demanding Hindus to leave their properties and town.”
Muslim neighborhood is beating a Hindu youth in Umarkot Sindh-Pakistan. Yesterday Hindu shops were attaked in same area in which 3 Hindu Buisiness men got gun shots and admit in hospital. Situation is getting worse as Muslims demanding Hindus to leave their properties and town. pic.twitter.com/tdsUnopBkj
In another incident shared by Austin, Islamists reportedly attacked three Hindu businessmen in a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood in Aisha Market in Umerkot, Sindh. The victims, identified as Raja Malhi, Anand and Ashok Mali, have sustained gunshot wounds.
Properties of Non-Muslims are considered as booty by majority of Pakistanis so they try to snatch it one way or another. A gang of Muslim neighborhood attacked, 3 Hindu businessmen Raja Malhi, Anand & Ashok Mali get gun shots in Aisha Market, Umerkot,Sindh-Pakistan on refusal. pic.twitter.com/gWkZvYHtMY
Highlighting the menace of encroachment of non-Muslim properties by Islamists, he emphasised, “Properties of Non-Muslims are considered as booty by the majority of Pakistanis so they try to snatch it one way or another.”
Islamists attack homes of Hindus in Sindh
Rahat Austin had informed on Monday that homes of Hindus belonging to Bheel community were attacked and looted by Islamists in Sindh, Pakistan. The Bheel community in Pakistan is highly marginalised and socio-economically backward. He informed that one Muhammad Aslam along with a few others from the neighbourhood allegedly tortured the impoverished Hindus living in that area and forced them to leave their houses.
These persecuted Hindus who are now scared to return to their respective homes have submitted a request for protection to the Session Judge and the SSP police Badin, Pakistan. The video shared by Rahat Austin shows these troubled Hindus raising slogans against the continuous atrocities meted out to them.
There was a remarkable conversation between alleged propagandist, and self-proclaimed ‘journalist’, Rohini Singh and her comrade Aditya Menon. It was remarkable because it is not everyday that the liberal hatred for the middle-class can be observed in full public display.
Rohini Singh declared that ‘Middle Class India’ has always been the “most immoral”. Menon agreed, and said, “The responses to your tweet only vindicated what you’ve written.” What triggered such a response was the apparent dislike for the ‘farmers protests’ and the anti-CAA protests among the Middle Class in Delhi.
Clown to Clown conversation between Rohini Singh and Aditya Menon
The hate for the Middle Class is particularly pronounced in case of Rohini Singh.
Rohini Singh will blame the Middle Class for near about everything
The ‘journalist’ does not believe the Middle Class even has the right to complain about perceived injustices.
Keep quiet and suffer in silence
It is a universal phenomenon among rich liberals and not limited to Rohini Singh and Aditya Menon. There is an undeniable disdain that rich liberals feel towards the Middle Class. But why is this so? The reasons are fairly simple, to be fair. The Middle Class is the biggest ideological adversary that rich liberals have to encounter.
Rich liberals and the Middle Class are extremely antagonistic to each other. The former is a revolutionary force, the latter, by and large, a stabilizing one. The former advocates and seeks radical transformation of society, the latter believes in incremental change and wants nothing more than the simple joys of life.
Rich liberals seek glory and pursue a policy of self aggrandizement in their personal lives while the Middle Class is more interested in attending to his duties and responsibilities. There is no boundary that the former would not cross and no cost that is big enough to dissuade them from pursuing individual ambitions. For the latter, however, rules and restrictions are the realities of life within the boundaries of which they must navigate.
Most importantly, however, social norms and traditional mores are perceived as obstacles to be overcome by rich liberals. The Middle Class, on the other hand, believes that these values lend meaning to their existence and they would like nothing more than passing on the world they inherited from their parents to their children.
Naturally, rich liberals are well aware that they do not have the numerical strength required to defeat the Middle Class, either electorally or in a revolution. Therefore, they rely on disenfranchised and marginalized sections of society to do the ‘dirty work’ for them. Therefore, what emerges is what Bertrand de Jouvenel described in his theory about the mechanism through which power operates.
While Jouevenel did not provide a name for it, it has been named by others as ‘High and Low versus the Middle’, that is, a section among the rich allies with the marginalized sections in their effort to seize power from power centers that lie in the middle. This was postulated as the mechanism that operates in revolutions.
The exact same theme cannot be said to operate in Indian society or a Democratic one but it is a fair idea about the mentality that operates here. People such as Rohini Singh are well aware that the ones protesting at Singhu Border or those involved in the anti-CAA protests do not subscribe to their view of the world. Nonetheless, such rich liberals seek to enforce their worldview by riding on the back of protesters.
It is also pertinent to mention here that it is the Middle Class that has the most to lose in any revolution and that is precisely why there’s such a lack of support for protests among the Middle Class. In case violence breaks out, it will be the Middle Class that suffers losses. The rich can hire private security to defend their assets, and even if they sustain some damages, they are more than capable of sustaining them without a collapse.
The Middle Class, on the other hand, does not have such luxuries. In revolutions, it is their way of life which will be most affected. It can also be observed that in the Western world currently, a rise in the popularity of radical ideas and a ‘populist uprising’ coincides perfectly with a declining Middle Class. It is especially true in case of the USA. For all such reasons, Rich liberals and the Middle Class are natural enemies. And that is why, the hate.
Congress scions Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are likely to lead the Congress campaign in the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. As per Jitin Prasada, Congress in-charge in West Bengal, the duo is likely to start the campaign in the TMC ruled state next month. Prasada told that Congress will be fighting the State Assembly elections along with the CPI(M)-led Left front.
Several meetings have been held by Prasada and state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury with the state leadership to take stock of the party organisation in the state. Prasada said that his party is conducting joint programmes with the Left front in the state. “We are conducting joint programmes with the Left Front in the State. We, along with the Left, will put up a strong fight against the TMC and the BJP in the next Assembly polls”, said Prasada.
BJP is sending central leaders because they don’t have strong leaders in the state: Congress
When questioned about why the AICC central leadership did not visit the state unlike the BJP, Jitin Prasada said that there is a difference in the functioning of two parties. He said that unlike the BJP his party had a long association with the state at the grassroots with local leadership. He said that the BJP does not have a face in the State therefore their central leadership has been frequenting the state, Congress’ state leadership was quite strong. “But in Congress, we believe in strong State leaders. In Bengal, we have strong leadership so we never felt to bring in central leaders here”, he said. “But as elections are approaching, from January onwards, senior AICC leaders including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are likely to campaign in the State regularly.”, he added.
It is noteworthy that after Congress’ miserable performance in Bihar Assembly elections, 23 senior Congress leaders had written a letter to Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi pointing out that at the peak of the campaign during the Bihar elections and even on the result day, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were holidaying in Shimla instead of being with the party.
Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda to visit Bengal every month till elections
State BJP President Dilip Ghosh had announced last month that Union Ministers Amit Shah and JP Nadda would be visiting the state every month till the Assembly elections. Shah is likely to arrive in the state on December 19. This will be his second visit to the state since November this year. Recently, the convoy of BJP chief JP Nadda and party’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya headed towards Diamond Harbour was attacked in West Bengal. Some protesters gathered on the streets and attempted to block the road to stop their convoy from passing and had also pelted stones at vehicles. BJP had started its Bengal campaign immediately after the Bihar elections.
Following their victory in the local body elections, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers have weaponised violence against the opposition BJP in the State.
As per reports, BJP offices were attacked by CPIM goons in the latter’s stronghold in Kanjangaadu in Kasargod district of Kerala. Similar attacks were carried out in Appatti and Puthiyakotta. Party workers from the CPIM attacked BJP offices in Arayi Karthika and Arayi Palakkal. During the act of vandalism, window panes and doors were broken, followed by the destruction of materials kept within office premises.
Two BJP party workers, who were at the office at that time, was also brutally assaulted by the CPIM goons. Reportedly, they also pelted stones at the residence of BJP leader Umanatha Rao’s daughter. The goons also threw crackers into the house of a BJP candidate from Nelikkat, Madhavan. As a consequence, his wife sustained critical injuries during the attack.
RSS offices attacked in Alleppey
Times Now reported that a Rashtriya SwayamSevak Sangh (RSS) office in Karthikapally in Alappuzha was allegedly attacked by CPIM workers on December 16 (Wednesday). The police have now lodged a case against 5 miscreants involved in the attack. CCTV footage, that has emerged following the attack, shows goons barging into the office premises.
As per the report, the accused came on two-wheelers and hurled bombs into the office. Visuals from the footage show a fire breaking out outside the office. Such incidents are becoming commonplace in Kerala, especially in the Northern areas of Malappuram. However, violent attacks are now being witnessed in central parts of Kerala such as Alappuzha.
#Breaking | RSS Office allegedly attacked in Kerala. Visuals caught on CCTV camera. RSS claims Left hand behind attack.
CPIM’s onslaught against the BJP comes after the party made inroads in Kerala, with 13.28% votes, through Trivandrum corporation and Palakkad municipality. BJP has also won seats in Kannur and Kasargod, thereby creating a situation of panic for the incumbent Communist party.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to provide ‘Z’ category security to rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) stalwart Suvendu Adhikari in West Bengal.
According to the reports, the MHA issued an order to enhance the security arrangement for Suvendu Adhikari after examining the security threat. His security detail has been updated after consultation with central security agencies. He will be now given security cover with the bulletproof vehicle in West Bengal and ‘Y+’ category CRPF security cover in other states, the MHA statement said.
Adhikari had recently quit Trinamool Congress and had also resigned from the West Bengal Legislative Assembly amidst the speculations of him joining the BJP. In his resignation letter, addressed to the party chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari thanked the TMC for the opportunities given to him.
Adhikari’s resignation from the state Assembly is being seen in connection with the Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal on December 19-20. Recently, the party had expelled Kanishka Panda, who is perceived to a close aide of Adhikari. Panda, who was the general secretary of the party at East Midnapore, had reportedly questioned the party leadership for withdrawing Adhikari’s security.
I was attacked 11 times before: Suvendu Adhikari
The sanctioning of ‘Z’ security to Adhikari also comes after accessing the growing threats to the rebel TMC leader following his resignation from the party. Recently, rebel Trinamool Congress leader Suvendu Adhikari had said he has been attacked 11 times in West Bengal.
At a recent rally in Midnapore, Suvendu Adhikari said, “I have been attacked 11 times recently. I want to tell my critics that I have people with me and these people have come for the connection I have with them.”
Adhikari’s exit might be a setback for the TMC
Former TMC stalwart Adhikari is expected to join the BJP during the Home Minister’s visit to the state. If he joins BJP, it will be a major setback for TMC ahead of Assembly elections in the state. Adhikari’s exit from TMC might prove fatal for the party as he is believed to have influence in more than 80 Assembly seats in addition to the clout he retains in the party.
Further, his absence will also have a huge impact mostly in South Bengal, old Midnapore, West Midnapore, and many other areas like Murshidabad, Nisith Pramanik had said.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday observed that ‘Tareekh pe Tareekh’ comment is a fact and coercive action would not be initiated for the criticism of judiciary on frequent adjournment of cases. The observation was about a tweet posted by social media user Sunaina Holey regarding how her case of seeking quashing of FIRs has been adjourned regularly.
A bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnaik took the tweet in a lighter vein, laughing at the choice of her words and adding that they were listening to her case. The court noted that it has no problem with such tweets and even mentioned that what Holey tweeted was a fact and for a litigant, his/her case is the most important.
Justice Shinde even remarked that there is a television programme by that name.
The court was listening to the matter of quashing of FIRs filed against Ms Holey for posting allegedly defamatory tweets against the government officials including Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray when the Maharashtra state advocate highlighted the latest tweet on ‘adjournment’ by Ms Holey.
Ms Holey’s lawyer, counsel Dr Abhinav Chandrachud, tried to mitigate the matter by claiming that his client was simply referring to an iconic dialogue from a famous Bollywood movie. Sunny Deol starrer ‘Damini’ is known for the famous ‘Tareekh pe Tareekh’ monologue, wherein the actor playing the character of a lawyer laments about the frequent adjournments that he faces in the court.
Bombay HC asks Ms Holey to refrain from commenting on pending matters
Though the court did not take an objection to Ms Holey’s tweet, they instructed her counsel to ask her to refrain from tweeting about pending petition till the matter is disposed of.
Justice Shinde also provided an explanation on the interminable delays and frequent adjournments in court cases. He stated that a large number of cases are filed and heard on a daily basis in the courts and no thought is put behind with respect to the infrastructure that is needed to listen to the matters.
Earlier, this same Bench of Justices Shinde and Karnik had observed on December 15 that judiciary must not waste precious time on contempt hearings which can otherwise be utilised for hearing critical questions of law. Justice Shinde commented that Contempt of court should be used only as a last resort and not be used against common people criticising the courts or judges.
Maha Vikas Aghadi’s intolerance towards dissidents
Maharashtra Police has shown an unhealthy and eager alacrity to prosecute those who have dared to voice opinions that are at variance with the views held by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state. It has hounded social media user Sameet Thakkar for criticising the Maharashtra government, including chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray. Similarly, the Maharashtra Police has also initiated action against activist Sunaina Holey for raising dissenting opinions on her social media accounts.
In fact, not just laypersons, but even celebrities have not been spared from the state’s wrath. Actor Kangana Ranaut’s office was hastily demolished by the BMC after she likened Mumbai to Pakistan occupied Kashmir as its streets were defiled with Azaadi graffiti. Similarly, Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and his channel are continuously hounded, for asking uncomfortable and piercing questions of the Maharashtra state government.
Sunaina Holey arrested by police for voicing dissenting views
Maharashtra Police had arrested one Twitter user Sunaina Holey, who goes by the ID @SunainaHoley, on Thursday after a complaint was filed against her by Rohan Chavhan, a leader of the Shiv Sena’s youth wing Yuva Sena. In his complaint, Chavhan wrote that Sunaina had posted objectionable content on the microblogging website against CM Uddhav Thackeray and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray.
The complaint was filed at Tulinj Police Station, Nalasopara. The user also runs a backup account @NidarNaari, and both these accounts were mentioned in the complaint. Chavhan mentioned that Sunaina used extremely offensive against the Shiv Sena chief and his son to defame their image on social media. He urged police to take action against her under section 294 (using obscene language in public place), 499 (defamation), 506 (criminal intimidation) and other relevant sections of the IPC and Section 66A of the Information Act 2000 within 48 hours.
Sunaina Holey was granted bail after the BJYM intervened in the matter. Advocate Vivekananda Gupta arranged for the bail of Sunaina Holey. BJP spokesperson Hitesh Jain also helped in the matter. People on social media were outraged by the highhandedness shown by the Shiv Sena. The party was criticised heavily for attempting to curtail an individual’s right to freedom of speech and expression. After soon after she received bail, Tulinj Police arrested her based on a different FIR. It is to this end that Ms Holey had filed a petition seeking quashing of FIRs filed against her.
The dilemma of the growing rift within the Congress party has compelled Sonia Gandhi to meet the dissenters within the party, in person. According to reports, the Congress interim president will be meeting the 23 leaders face-to-face on December 19 and 20, to discuss the letter written to her in August, demanding a sweeping change in the party, from top to bottom.
This is the first time Gandhi will be meeting the Congress leaders in person, months after the Covid-19 outbreak forced everyone to work virtually. She has been holding meetings over video conferencing ever since March, including crucial Congress Working Committee meetings where party leaders discussed the ‘letter’.
Reports suggest that besides discussing the demand for an overhaul management change and a “full and active leadership”, the party would also discuss its strategy on the government not convening the winter session of Parliament, finalising alliances and its strategy in the poll-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, the farmer’s agitation and the holding of the organisational elections. Rahul Gandhi is also likely to attend the meeting.
Congress ‘rebel’ leaders call for a complete overhaul of the party
In August the party’s top brass had called for full time and effective leadership, visible and active in the field, elections to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and an “institutional leadership mechanism” aimed at the party’s revival. 23 senior Congress leaders, including 5 former Chief Ministers, many Congress Working Committee members, incumbent MPs, and several former Union Ministers, wrote a letter to interim Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, calling for a complete overhaul of the party, from top to bottom.
The defiant letter had created a furore within the Congress party, with the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi allegedly accusing the signatories of the letter of colluding with the BJP, an allegation that was later denied.
However, the disenchantment within the Congress party became even more apparent as these 23 senior leaders wrote, not once but twice to party chief Sonia Gandhi, expressing their concerns over the degradation of the party.
Congress dissenters once again write to Sonia Gandhi complaining about Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi
In November, after the Bihar election debacle, these leaders again wrote to Sonia Gandhi demanding organisational elections for the party president’s post be held at the earliest. The letter also pointed towards a lack of faith in the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, suggesting in a censorious tone that at the peak of Bihar campaigning and even on result day, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were holidaying in Shimla instead of being with the party and leading the way.
A senior leader was then quoted as saying by Rediff: “Can such a casual approach happen in any other party which has a national presence?”
Among those who wrote both the letters, are Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and deputy leader of the party in the Upper House, Anand Sharma.
Vladimir Sankin, who has become a hero to a great many, has been convicted of murder after he eliminated a convicted pedophile while rescuing a child from the latter’s clutches. The 34 year old car mechanic could face up to 15 years in prison for killing Vladimir Zaitsev in the Russian city of Ufa.
Zaitsev had lured a 10-year-old and a 14-year-old to his flat and plied them with alcohol. Allegedly, he did engage in perverse sexual conduct against them. The younger of the two somehow managed to escape and alert Sankin who was passing by.
Sankin then rushed to the spot and freed the teenager after a scuffle with Zaitsev. The pedophile was grievously injured during the fight and is reported to have injured his head during a fall. Sankin is also reported to have beaten him with a stick. The pedophile was held until the police arrive but he died later in an ambulance.
The jury deliberated for nearly eight hours and in the end, held him guilty of murder. The medical evidence presented, however, suggested that the pedophile was killed by frostbite, not Sankin. The sentencing is expected to occur next week and the jury has appealed for leniency in his sentencing.
Sankin said in his defense, “I had a choice – to pass by or to save the kids. Surely every man would do the same in my place.” He has widespread support among the citizenry with a benefactor paying his legal costs and a petition of 70,000 people calling for his release.
His lawyer Shota Gorgadze will file an appeal and has urged the trial judge to deliver a suspended sentence or order a new trial under a lesser charge. He said that the jury has made it clear that Sankin “deserves leniency”. “Vladimir acted like a real man,” he said.
He described Sankin as “a simple guy who could not pass by a paedophile and [not protect] children from this rapist”. “The earth depends on such ordinary men,” he added. Sankin’s mother insisted that her son was not a murderer and was only protecting the children.
Zaitsev the pedophile has served sentence of five years, one year and eleven years in the past after being convicted of “sodomy” and “violent sexual acts” against children. Many have called for Sankin to be awarded for bravery.
The Mangaluru police on Thursday said that the accused in the Mangaluru graffiti case had links with terrorists from Saudi Arabia and added that they were in constant touch with these people as they put up graffitis in support of Islamic terrorist organizations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban in the city, reports Public TV.
Speaking to the media, Mangaluru police commissioner Vikas Kumar said that the accused was a part of a larger nexus, controlled by terrorists in Saudi Arabia. He added that the investigation so far has found that the religious bigotry and fanaticism had inspired the accused to indulge in this act.
Further, the police are now investigating the terrorist connection of those people in Saudi Arabia and have also issued a lookout notice in the connection with the same.
The main accused in the case – Mohammed Shaarik and Maz Munir Ahmed were in touch with a number of radical Islamic organizations through social media platforms. The two accused were part of a WhatsApp group that discussed plans to commit such crimes. Most of the other members of the WhatsApp groups are from India and the police are finding the details of the other group members.
Accused read religious literature, inspired them to commit such acts
The investigation has further revealed that the accused joined these WhatsApp groups to collect information. One of the relatives of the Mohammed Shaarik – Saadat has reportedly disclosed important information to the investigating team in connection with the case.
Reportedly, the accused had also cultivated the habit of reading Islamic literature, which inspired them to commit such acts. The police had recovered several books that incited them to commit such crimes from their residence. The investigation also revealed that the sleeper cell of a radical Islamic organization had hand in putting up such hate-filled graffitis in the city.
Meanwhile, the third accused in the case – Saadat was remanded to judicial custody on Tuesday, December 15. It is reported that Shaarik used to allegedly finance these radical Islamic activities and his accomplices used to refer to him as ‘terrorist’.
The other two accused – Mohammed Shaarik and Maz Munir Ahmed will be produced in the court on Friday as their police custody period ends on that day.
Graffiti hailing Islamic terror, threatening non-Muslims spotted in Mangaluru
In a horrific incident last month, two graffiti – one hailing radical Islamist terror outfits such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Taliban and another threatening non-Muslims, were spotted at circuit road in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
On November 26, on the anniversary of the ghastly terror attacks in 2008, the first graffiti threatening to bring Lashkar-e-Toiba and Taliban’s help to eliminate ‘Sanghis’ and ‘Manuvadis’ was spotted by the locals. Two days later, another disturbing graffiti was spotted in the city. The inscription was found outside an old police outpost in the court premises in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
A week later, the Mangaluru police had arrested three persons in connection with the case. Mangaluru police commissioner Vikash Kumar said that the accused committed such a crime to gain publicity.
