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Journalist Tavleen Singh withdraws defamation suit against Twitter user PokerShash for his satirical tweet

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist Tavleen Singh withdraws defamation suit against Twitter user PokerShash for his satirical tweet

Journalist Tavleen Singh has withdrawn the civil defamation suit filed by her against social media user Shashank Singh alias @pokershash for a satirical tweet posted by him on Twitter.

The District and Sessions court in New Delhi dismissed the case against Shashank as Tavleen Singh took the case back.

Civil defamation suit by Tavleen Singh against @pokershash withdrawn

Twitter user says resourceful people should not use their privilege to threaten people

Speaking to OpIndia, Shashank said that when Tavleen threatened him with a defamation suit, he thought she was simply pressuring him to remove the tweet. Later, he came to know that Tavleen had indeed filed a suit against him for a satirical tweet. Though, he added that he hadn’t received any summons till date.

Shashank welcomed Tavleen’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit and opined that people with financial resources and knowledge of the law should not exploit it to threaten common citizens. He added that courts are already hard-pressed with work and cases like this which are filed only to burnish one’s ego should be avoided.

Tavleen Singh filed a defamation suit against @Pokershash for his satirical tweet

After waxing eloquent on the need for absolute freedom of speech and holding forth on fostering an environment of tolerance in the country, Tavleen Singh had in August 2020 filed a civil defamation suit against Shashank alias @Pokershash for lampooning her on Twitter. Singh had filed a lawsuit against @pokershash for a satirical tweet in which he jocularly alleged that Tavleen had a meeting with others to defend controversial hate-speech peddler Sharjeel Imam.

“Sources of NDTV told me that there was a meeting between @zafarsareshwala, @tavleen_singh and @Altnews to defend Sharjeel Imam. In which they have decided that Imam was not saying ‘Assam ko India se kaat denge’ but he was saying ‘Aaj sham ko nadia se paar dekhenge’,” the Twitter user @pokershash had manifestly posted in a lighter vein to mock the support Imam had been receiving from several personalities. The Twitter user @pokerhash was later suspended by Twitter.

However, this evidently satirical tweet grated on the nerves of Tavleen Singh and she instantly blasted out at @pokershash, threatening him to remove the tweet or face legal consequences. Subsequently, Singh approached the Patiala House Court and filed a defamation suit against Shashank Singh.

Kejriwal grandstands over Delhi’s ‘improved’ rank in list of world’s best cities even as coronavirus cases soar amid pollution woes

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal grandstands over Delhi’s ‘improved’ rank in list of world’s best cities even as coronavirus cases soar amid pollution woes

Delhi is in throes of a renewed bout of an inexorable coronavirus outbreak. The number of infections being recorded in the national capital has assumed epic proportions, attributed partly to the plummeting temperatures and the alarming increase in city’s air pollution. 

However, amidst this acute crisis besieging Delhi, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has not shied away from grandstanding about the improvement in the ranking of the city amongst the world’s best cities. 

On Sunday, AAP party chief Arvind Kejriwal posted a piece of “good news” for all Dilliwalas. Retweeting Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s post, Kejriwal wrote, “Such a good news for all Dilliwalas. All dilli walas have worked so hard in the last six years to make it happen. The world is noticing the positive changes happening in Delhi.”

Sisodia had shared an annual report of the best cities in the world saying, “Congratulations to all the proud people of Delhi and @ArvindKejriwal for the leadership. Our beloved Delhi is ranked 62 in World’s Best cities. The only Indian city in the list,” tweeted Delhi’s Deputy CM.

The deputy chief minister of Delhi also claimed that this is that there is a significant improvement from the past ranking, which was 81 earlier. 

A report of the same was also shared by the official Twitter handle of the Aam Aadmi Party.

The ranking was carried out by a certain Resonance Consultancy Ltd, which granted the national capital 62nd position, making it the only Indian city to feature in the list. According to the reports, the ranks have been given to 100 cities from across the world with a population of over 10 lakh. The ranking was based on the basis of 25 factors, including social media hashtags, number of check-ins, diversity, tourist attractions, weather and more. It also included factors like Covid-19 infections in July, income incongruity and unemployment.

Improvement in ranking belies the on-ground situation in Delhi

While Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and his associates were busy gloating over the marked improvement in Delhi’s ranking in the list of best cities in the world, the dire coronavirus crisis in the national capital belied the standing conferred upon it by the Resonance Consultancy Ltd. 

The COVID-19 crisis in Delhi was so grim that the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had written a letter to the centre seeking permission to once again impose lockdown in the city. However, just a day later, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Health Minister Satyendar Jain allayed the suspicions among Delhi residents that the city might undergo another period of lockdown. 

Against this gloomy background, Kejriwal’s congratulatory tweet, boasting over the city’s advancement in the ranking struck a jarring note. The appalling air quality, the continued surge in coronavirus cases, makes one question the authenticity of the ranking themselves. This was also highlighted by several netizens who were furious that Delhi Chief Minister was busy preening oneself over the improvement in the rankings even as the situation on the ground continued to deteriorate. 

One of the Twitter users slammed Arvind Kejriwal claiming that the Delhi CM is lying about the city. The user shared a report published in Dainik Bhaskar in which the High Court had said that even as bodies were being cremated in the night, and burial sites were being overwhelmed, the Delhi government did nothing to address the concerns. 

Another Twitter user wondered if 62nd rank was the last ranking in the list given that Delhi has become a hotspot of coronavirus outbreak and it is being among the cities with the worst air quality index. 

One Twitter user highlighted the gross incongruencies that cast doubt on the credibility of the rankings altogether.

The Twitter user said that the pollution in Delhi is at the peak, it has recorded the highest number of coronavirus patients in the last 1 month, the number of people begging on a traffic signal is highest in Delhi and it registers the highest number of crimes in a city and yet stands 62nd on the list of world’s best cities.

Delhi continues to be afflicted by coronavirus outbreak and worsening air quality

Delhi is witnessing a third surge in the number of COVID-19 caseloads even as most of India’s numbers are showing a steady decline. Since the last week of October, Delhi’s coronavirus cases have been increasing at an alarming rate. 

In the last 24 hours alone, Delhi has recorded 6,746 new Covid-19 cases taking the total number of cases in the state to 5,29,863, according to the Delhi health department on Sunday. In the month of November, 1,759 fatalities were recorded, an average of 83 deaths per day.

Besides the scourge of coronavirus pandemic, Delhi is also facing worsening air quality index. The AQI of Delhi continues to remain poor as a thick layer of smog envelopes the national capital. The government agencies have said that the AQI is likely to deteriorate further due to unfavourable meteorological conditions. 

The city’s 24-hour average AQI was 274 on Sunday It was 251 on Saturday, 296 on Friday, 283 on Thursday and 211 on Wednesday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. 

Even as the coronavirus pandemic afflicts Delhi and the city’s air quality continues to nosedive, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputies are toiling hard, not to contain the outbreak and control the air pollution, but to cover up the mess caused by their ineptitude and incompetence. Patting themselves on the back for Delhi’s improvement in the ‘dubious’ rankings of the world’s best cities is simply an exercise to that end.

‘Even those who supported the LDF expressed concern’: Pinarayi Vijayan puts draconian law ‘on hold’ but justifies its necessity

OpIndia Staff
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‘Even those who supported the LDF expressed concern’: Pinarayi Vijayan puts draconian law ‘on hold’ but justifies its necessity

The controversial Section 118A of the Kerala Police Act will not be implemented for now and kept in abeyance, CM Pinarayi Vijayan announced on Monday. He said that further action on the matter will be taken after discussing it in the Assembly with all parties. The ordinance introducing the controversial section was approved by the Governor on Saturday.

Pinarayi Vijayan stated, “When the amendment was announced, there rose a difference of opinion from several quarters. Even those who support the LDF and those who stand for the protection of democracy expressed concern. It is in these circumstances that it was decided not to implement the amendment.”

“The government had decided to bring the amendment to prevent the false campaigns questioning personal freedom and dignity enshrined in the constitution. Women and transgender persons have been attacked mercilessly. Family relations have been affected and victims driven to suicide. People, including media heads, had demanded that there should be laws against it. That’s why we thought of the amendment,” he added.

The statement further said, “It is requested that people who are engaged in making false allegations, be restrained and cautious form making such allegations which are not in tune with the personal Liberty and humanity”.

Section 118A of Kerala Police Act

The opposition against the Section 118-A in the Kerala Police Act comes from the fact that it gives unbridled powers for the law enforcement agencies to curtail the freedom of the press and arrest anybody on the charges of exploiting social media to target individuals, especially women and children.

The new section empowers the police to act against media and register cases on the event of detection of a cognisable offence under the relevant section. The amendment proposes five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 for those convicted of producing, publishing or disseminating derogatory content through any means of communication to intimidate, insult or defame any person through social media.

The newly introduced provision says, “anyone who produces content, publishes or propagates it through any means of communication with an intention to threaten, insult or harm the reputation of an individual will be punished with an imprisonment of five years or a fine of Rs 10,000 or with both”.

Apart from opposition parties and civil society organisations, the section was opposed by coalition partners of the LDF as well.

‘Arunachal shares border with Tibet not China’: CM Pema Khandu calls out China’s illegal occupation of Tibet

OpIndia Staff
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‘Arunachal shares border with Tibet not China’: CM Pema Khandu calls out China’s illegal occupation of Tibet

Once again disregarding China’s long standing claim of Arunachal being a part of China’s southern Tibet region, Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu categorically asserted that his state shares a border with Tibet, not China. In a recent interview to The Hindu, the BJP leader said, “It is a fact that Arunachal does not share a direct border with China. The direct border is with Tibet. Nobody can erase history. The world knows that China annexed Tibet”.

This is however, not the first time the Arunachal CM has referred to LAC in state as India-Tibet border. After the violent faceoff between India and China at Galwan Valley in Ladakh, Pema Khandu had made a similar statement raising questions about China’s occupancy of Tibet.

With a hostile neighbour breathing down India’s neck, the Centre is boosting road infrastructure in the Himalayan Arunachal, specifically the Frontier Highway along the border to facilitate faster movement of troops during a war-like situation and give locals more accessibility by default.

If one goes by the history of conflicts since 1962 and unfounded claims over Arunachal Pradesh, it is imperative to protect our homeland. Many stretches of the border are indeed inaccessible. This is why we are pushing for the Frontier Highway along the 1,100 km LAC to facilitate faster movement of troops, said CM Pema Khandu to English daily The Hindu.

Arunachal deprived of foreign funding due to China’s interference: CM Pema Khandu

Speaking on the state staying deprived of foreign funding due to China’s interference, the CM said that foreign institutions including World Bank and Asian Development Bank, which provide loans at cheaper interest rates, do not extend loans to Arunachal. This he said was hurting his state. However, the Centre has been providing assistance to projects such as the ongoing 1,600 km Trans-Arunachal Highway project.

He said the Centre had discussed this issue and stressed that Arunachal must be given special attention. This led to the up-gradation of eight 1962-built advanced landing grounds and the construction of 1,600 km long Trans-Arunachal Highway. The work for Trans-Arunachal Highway is progressing well despite geographical challenges, the CM said.

Central Govt’s Invest India to have a special cell for Arunachal Pradesh

Khandu said Arunachal is a resourceful state but communication, be it road, railway, air or even digital connectivity, is the biggest bottleneck. Therefore, emphasising on the need of good connectivity in the state, the CM said that the Centre is mulling to create a special desk for Arunachal for investment under Invest India. 

“The DPR of East-West Industrial Corridor, which will connect east of Arunachal with the west of Arunachal, has been prepared. It will be sent to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highway for funds approval. As regards the Frontier Highway, the Central government will decide if MHA, Ministry of Rural Development or Defence Ministry will fund it”, said Pema Khandu.

Though tourism has been Arunachal’s focus area of investment, the CM said that agriculture and the allied sectors have huge potentials. Khandu speaks about the hydropower potentials of the state and how with the financial assistance from the Centre, this sector is also being developed rapidly.

We are power surplus now but we don’t have the grid to distribute power adequately across the State. Things are changing with new substations and transmission lines being installed, added the CM.

West Bengal: ‘Dead’ Coronavirus patient found alive days later, hospital accused of negligence

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: ‘Dead’ Coronavirus patient found alive days later, hospital accused of negligence

A hospital in Khardah city in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal has been accused of gross negligence. In a shocking incident, the hospital had declared a fully recovered Coronavirus patient, Shibdas Banerjee, as dead by confusing him with another elderly patient, Mohinimohan Mukherjee, in the hospital.

As per reports, Shibdas Banerjee and Mohinimohan Mukherjee were admitted to the Balrampur Basu Hospital on the same day of November 5. On November 7, both of them were referred to the Barasat Covid-19 hospital. However, at that time, only one vacant bed was available. After consultation with the doctors, Mohinimohan Mukherjee was transferred to the new hospital instead of Shibdas Banerjee. But as luck would have it, some of the latter’s hospital admission documents got mixed with the former’s, resulting in Mohinimohan Mukherjee getting admitted under the name of Shibdas Banerjee.

On 13 November, Mukherjee passed away and the hospital authorities instead contacted the family of Shibdas Mukherjee. It was revealed that his family was handed over the dead body of Mohinimohan Mukherjee instead, who performed the cremation, believing it was Shibdas Banerjee. Since the body was covered in protective gear as per Coronavirus protocols, the family of Shibdas Banerjee failed to ascertain the identity of the deceased.

Health Department seeks strict action against hospital staff

The incident came to light when the family of Mohinimohan Mukherjee was called by the hospital staff to inform about Shibdas Banerjee’s recovery. When the family members pointed out that they did not know the patient, the hospital staff was alarmed. The family members of Shibdas Banerjee were then informed by the hospital authorities of the mismatch, post which they visited the hospital and brought him home.

It is important to point that the family members of Shibdas Banerjee were mourning his death and conducting his funeral rituals when informed by the hospital staff about the negligence on their part. ABP News reported that the Health Department has found allegations of medical negligence to be true against 4-5 workers, employed with the Balrampur Basu Hospital. It has also sought strict action against the accused health workers.

NDTV journalist spreads fake news regarding IMA scam accused ex-Congress MLA Roshan Baig, wrongly drags BJP

OpIndia Staff
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NDTV journalist spreads fake news regarding IMA scam accused ex-Congress MLA Roshan Baig, wrongly drags BJP

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested former Congress Minister Roshan Baig in connection to the IMA ponzi scam case on Sunday. Mohammed Mansoor Khan is the main accused in the case in which he duped 30,000 investors of crores of rupees in a Ponzi scam. Baig is accused of helping Khan in fleeing the country when the scam was unearthed.

CBI searched Baig’s residence and took him to custody. Later in the evening, CBI put him under arrest. Baig was detained by Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the case. Khan, in a video, alleged that Baig had extorted money from him. The said the video was uploaded on YouTube, after which SIT detained him. When SIT got hold of him, he was trying to board a private charter plane to leave the country.

NDTV journalist drags BJP

NDTV journalist Arvind Gunasekar posted a tweet stating Baig is a former Congress MLA who “jumped ship from Congress to BJP in 2019.”

He claimed that Baig is now associated with the BJP.

However, BJP had denied Baig’s entry into the party in 2019, stating his link to the IMA case. In November 2019, when the Supreme Court allowed the disqualified Congress MLAs to contest by-poll elections on 17 assembly seats, all but Baig were welcomed by BJP in the party.

A senior Congress leader, Baig was 7-times MLA of Shivajinagar, Bengaluru representing Congress.

After several netizens pointed out the error, Gunasekar posted another tweet with correct information that Baig was never with BJP.

The infamous IMA case

In 2015, an activist had alerted police about a scam brewing at IMA, but he was turned down by the officials. RBI asked the Karnataka government to look into the IMA’s dealing. In 2016, the Karnataka police submitted a report stating they could not find any irregularities in the dealings as all investors were partners in the company. RBI was not satisfied with the answer and asked to probe the case again. The case was reopened in 2018. Mohammed Mansoor Khan, the main accused in the IMA Ponzi scam, also known as the Halal investment scam, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in New Delhi in July last year.

Including Mohammed Mansoor Khan, the kingpin of the scam, former Assistant Commissioner of Bengaluru North Taluk LC Nagaraj and former village accountant Manjunath N, 25 people were arrested in the case. In the supplement chargesheet filed by the police, 28 names were listed as accused, including senior IPS officers Hemant Nimbalkar, Ajay Hilori, former deputy superintendent of police (CID) EB Sridhara, inspector and station house officer of the Commercial Street Police Station M Ramesh, and sub-inspector of the station P Gowrishankar. One of the accused former Bengal Urban DC Vijay Shankar died in June 2020, allegedly by suicide.

Hathras case: All 4 accused taken to Gujarat for lie-detector and brain mapping tests, kin demand narco test on victim’s family too

OpIndia Staff
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Hathras case: All 4 accused taken to Gujarat for lie-detector and brain mapping tests, kin demand narco test on victim’s family too

The team of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials investigating the Hathras case along with Hathras police has taken all four accused from Aligarh jail where they were lodged to Gandhi Nagar in Gujarat for polygraph and brain mapping test on Saturday. The tests are likely to be held on Monday, as per reports.

According to the police, the accused- Sandeep, Ravi, Ramu and Lavkush Sikarwar, who are residents of Boolagarhi village under Chandpa police station of Hathras district, will be brought back to the Aligarh jail after the tests are done. If at all the accused need to be kept in Gandhi Nagar for a few days before returning to Aligarh jail, they would be lodged in Gandhi Nagar jail in Gujarat.

“The accused will be subjected to a polygraph test and brain mapping in Gandhi Nagar. They will return to the jail after the tests,” Alok Singh, superintendent at the Aligarh jail was quoted by the Hindustan Times.

The CBI went ahead with the decision to conduct the tests on the accused after getting consent from the CBI court.

It is pertinent to note here that last month, the Central Bureau of Investigation had taken over the probe into the case of the 19-year-old Dalit girl’s alleged rape, strangulation and subsequent death in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. A resident of Boolgarhi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras, the girl died at Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital on September 29.

Hathras accused’s family demand test be conducted on victim’s kin too

Meanwhile, according to a report by the Hindi daily Amar Ujala, the accused’s family has asked for a narco test and lie detector test on the victim’s family too. The family of the accused in the case said that they had not received any prior intimation of the tests being conducted on them. Though the family said that they had no objection for the same, they demanded that similar tests be conducted on the victim’s family also.

Victim’s family had refused to undergo polygraph or narco test

We had reported earlier this month how the victim’s kin had refused to take a polygraph test, citing ignorance about the test. Earlier, they had also resolutely refused to take a narco test.

The SIT probe’s preliminary report has recommended the narco test of the victim’s family. However, the victim’s mother has rejected the recommendation, saying her family wouldn’t undergo the narco test. In fact, when the Aaj Tak reporter pressed the grieving mother that the narco test would unearth facts of the matter hitherto hidden, the mother responded, “We have no idea what narco test and therefore we don’t want to get it done.”

Nevertheless, the voice sample of the victim’s brother was taken, and it will be examined by the agency. It is notable here that though the victim’s family had alleged rape days after the hospitalisation of the girl, several videos had surfaced on social media featuring the victim’s and her family’s initial statements where there was n mention of rape or any brutality. The FSL report had denied rape or sexual assault on the victim.

Hathras incident

On 14th September, a 19-year-old woman was strangulated, and later she succumbed to injuries on 29th September. Initially, charges of murder were pressed against the accused. However, later rape charged were also included.

The Hathras case had then become a ground for political drama and media propaganda. Congress leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, TMC leader Derek O’Brien, and several others have visited Hathras to meet the family in order to mount an attack against the Yogi Adityanath government in the state.

As Delhi chokes yet again, the blame sits squarely on Delhi government’s shoulders. Read how

OpIndia Staff
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As Delhi chokes yet again, the blame sits squarely on Delhi government’s shoulders. Read how

While Delhi is witnessing the hazardous level of air quality, the Delhi government has been mostly engaged in a blame-game. But, it is important to note that the Delhi government has left a large chunk of its environmental cess unspent. In a written reply to an RTI filed by The Sunday Guardian, the Transport Department of the Delhi has reportedly revealed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had only spent 1.6% of the total environmental cess collected to combat pollution in the recent four years.

As per reports, a total of ₹883 crores were collected by the AAP government as environmental cess in the last 4 years. An amount of ₹503 crores was collected in 2017, ₹228 crores in 2018 and ₹110 crores in 2019 and ₹4 crores till September 2020. Most of it was collected as environmental cess from incoming trucks to Delhi and a part of diesel sale in the NCR. But, the AAP-ruled Delhi government had spent only 1.6% of the environmental cess, even though the Chief Minister had assured to contain the menace of pollution in Delhi.

It was reported that only ₹15.58 crores were spent in the last 4 years for clean air and environmental protection. The RTI reply to Sunday Guardian reportedly revealed that no amount was spent in 2017 for the cause while ₹15 lacs were spent in 2018 for maintenance of improvement of non-motor vehicle lanes. An additional 43 crores were spent for the deployment of civil defence volunteers as marshals in Delhi. Although AAP had promised to procure hydrogen-powered buses for public transport, the Delhi government has spent only ₹15 crores since 2019 for the same. The RTI reply also stated that the government had released around ₹265 crores for the development of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS (Rapid Rail Transport System) after a court order in 2018. The funds were released from the environmental cess collected.

Arvind Kejriwal blames air pollution for rising Coronavirus cases

In a press conference on November 13, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had claimed that pollution was responsible for the drastic rise of Coronavirus cases in the National Capital. As of November 13, Delhi has recorded a whopping 43,116 active cases and a total of 7,332 fatalities. Arvind Kejriwal stated, “…When we wake up from sleep, we see only smoke around us. The number of Coronavirus cases in Delhi is rising dramatically. And the major reason behind this is pollution. We had earlier controlled the number of active cases, till October 20. But, since then, cases have been on the rise. There are many reasons but pollution happens to be the major reason…”

Umar Khalid ‘remotely-controlled’ Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots, timed it to Trump’s visit for international media coverage: Read details of fresh charge sheet

OpIndia Staff
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Umar Khalid ‘remotely-controlled’ Delhi’s anti-Hindu riots, timed it to Trump’s visit for international media coverage: Read details of fresh charge sheet

The Delhi police have filed a supplementary charge sheet on Sunday against 3 individuals for conspiracy during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February this year. It names Umar Khalid, his ‘protege’ Sharjeel Imam and Faizan Khan.

As per reports, the charge sheet was filed before additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat under the UAPA and other criminal activities like criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, murder, rioting, sedition, and other offences under the IPC.

The supplementary charge sheet was filed under the UAPA sections 13 (unlawful activities), 16 (terrorist act), 17 (raising funds for terrorist act) and 18 (conspiracy).

As per the charge sheet, Khalid wanted to fuel riots during the visit of US President Donald Trump to India. He hoped to use the international media coverage to surmount pressure on the incumbent BJP government to roll-back the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Delhi Police had arrested a total of 21 people in connection to the case. The cops had earlier filed a charge sheet in September, detailing the planning and execution of the riots. The new supplementary charge sheet comes at the backdrop of government’s approval to prosecute the duo under the UAPA. The Delhi police will soon file another supplementary charge sheet in a month’s period, detailing charges against other three accused.

The charge sheet revealed that Umar Khalid had a ‘secret office’ in the riot-torn region of Chand Bagh in Delhi. Reportedly, he would hold meetings at late night with other conspirators. It is pertinent to remember that Delhi’s Chand Bagh area witnessed unprecedented violence, including the gruesome murder of police head constable Ratan Lal during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February. It stated that Umar Khalid made ‘nationwide alliances’ with other ‘like-minded people’ immediately after the Citizenship Amendment Act received the assent of the Union Cabinet.

It says that Khalid ‘remotely-controlled’ the brutal riots that ended up claiming 53 lives.

Umar Khalid replicated Shaheen Bagh model in other places

Reportedly, Umar Khalid also oversaw the formation of an Islamist group named Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) with the help of Sharjeel Imam. The charge sheet accused him of ‘replicating’ Shaheen Bagh model in 24 other locations and controlled the events on February 23-24. The police stated, “Khalid used MSJ to foment the violence in South-East district in December 2019, which led to the Shaheen Bagh protests. He then coalesced a coalition of the current government haters that led to the formation of Delhi Protest Support Group on WhatsApp.

Other accusations against Umar Khalid

Khalid was arrested by the police on September 14 for his alleged involvement in the horrific Northeast Delhi riots. He was summoned by the police for investigation and was later arrested. In a charge sheet filed by the Delhi police and admitted by the court, it is alleged that Khalid had hatched the conspiracy of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots along with his friends during the visit of the US President Trump to India. Khalid had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI.

While Khalid and Imam are under judicial custody, Faizan Khan was granted bail. Othe accused persons include Congress’ Ishrat Jahan, AAP leader Tahir Hussain, Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Devangala Kalita, Khalid Saifi, Meeran Haidar and others.

It is offensive to pretend that anyone is shocked by Kerala’s draconian new censorship law

Abhishek Banerjee
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It is offensive to pretend that anyone is shocked by Kerala’s draconian new censorship law

First, the Kerala model of healthcare fell even behind the Bihar model of containing Coronavirus. Then, there was the gold scam. And elections in Kerala are due in six months. Naturally, it is time for Kerala’s Communist government to bring a new law that could impose five years in jail for “offensive” posts on social media.

And with this, Pinarayi Vijayan has established himself as one of the most forward thinking and open minded among Communist leaders who have ever been. This law could be the beginning of a kinder, gentler Communist Party.

I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way. It is very factual. You cannot expect Communists to learn democratic values overnight. It has to be a gradual process. For instance, the NDA government in Bihar was recently facing three term anti-incumbency. It pleaded its case before the people and won again. The Communist government in Kerala is facing just one term anti-incumbency. But Communists don’t react like that. They can only react with oppression. It’s the only thing they know.

This law is a beginning. Five years in jail for “offensive” social media posts. I presume that the accused will get some sort of hearing in a court of law before the conviction. A judicial process. No torture. No death penalty. And no concentration camp. This is a step forward, folks. Towards a kinder, gentler brand of Communism.

In the recent past, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan has been an outspoken fan of North Korea’s Communist dictator Kim Jong Un. In the past, the CPIM had passed a resolution supporting the 1989 Tiananmenn Square massacre in China. Some people say that as a student “leader,” Sitaram Yechury had himself distributed Chinese Communist propaganda on the Tiananmenn Square incident. When the Communists ruled over Bengal, there were 28,000 political murders in the first 20 years of Communist rule. This is the official number that the Communist government admitted on the floor of West Bengal Assembly. We can only guess what the real number would be.

In view of this, a legal process and a maximum penalty of five years in jail does not seem so bad at all. If you are lucky, the penalty could be as little as a fine of Rs 10,000. Historically, dissenters against Communism never got such a good deal.

If there is one thing that is offensive, it is a handful of liberals pretending to be shocked by Kerala’s new law. First, there were not many of them. But a small handful did put out one or two word tweets feigning disagreement.

You have to understand that this is just positioning. The tiny handful who objected are also part of the plan. To create the narrative that Communists have some kind of conscience. Don’t judge the left by what they do when they are outnumbered and in the opposition. You have to judge the left by what they do when they are in power.

Further, with these one or two word tweets, they are trying to make you think that this draconian law is the worst thing that the CPIM has ever done. If there was a time to be shocked, it was when Pinarayi Vijayan paid tributes to a convicted murderer. Or when he supported Kim Jong Un. If there is something to criticize the CPIM for, it is the 28,000 political murders under their rule in Bengal.

Pretending to be shocked or surprised by Kerala government’s new law is like being shocked that Stalin would cheat while playing hide and seek as a kid.

Yes, if a BJP government had brought a law such as this, there would have been earth-shattering outrage. Liberals would have brought down the sky with invocations of some Pakistani poet who writes about liberty by smashing idols or something. They would have booked the protest venues at Jantar Mantar for months. And millions of $$$ would have flowed from Chinese government coffers to Western newspapers and from there on to Indian liberals to militate against it. And so what? The BJP, the Congress, or say the Samajwadi Party or DMK are part of some sort of consensus on Indian democracy. Despite all the differences.

Are the Communists part of this democratic consensus? Ask a Communist if they even accept the sovereignty of India. Who do you think the Communists supported during the 1962 war? The Indian Communists use the hammer and sickle. The same emblem that appears in the Soviet flag and the Chinese Communist Party flag and in flags of Communist parties worldwide. They are not trying to hide anything. If we can’t see the obvious, the joke is on us, really.

I will tell you what the hardcore Communists are thinking right now. They are thinking that sweet old Pinarayi Vijayan has gone too soft on dissenters. The Communists who once ruled Bengal with an iron hand would laugh at his new law. Kim Jong Un would be so unimpressed. Stalin sent his dissenters to build a road in the Siberian permafrost. Some 10 lakh human bodies are buried inside this road, which cuts through some of the most scenic landscapes in the world. They call it the Road of Bones.

In this backdrop, Kerala government’s new law should be seen as an attempt by Communists to engage with India’s democratic and judicial institutions. We should welcome this. Or better still, figure out what Communists are really about.

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