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Mumbai police to stop at nothing to get police custody of Arnab Goswami? Now moves sessions court challenging order by Magistrate

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai police to stop at nothing to get police custody of Arnab Goswami? Now moves sessions court challenging order by Magistrate

On Thursday, the Raigad police moved the Sessions court, challenging the order of a lower court which remanded Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami to judicial custody instead of police custody. The revision application will be heard tomorrow (November 7). The case pertains to the death of an interior designer, named Anvay Naik, who committed suicide and left behind a note alleging that Arnab Goswami did not clear his dues to the tune of ₹83 lacs. It is pertinent to note that the case was closed in 2018 and has now been unilaterally opened by the police seemingly, to hound Arnab Goswami.

It now appears that the goal of the Mumbai Police is prepared to stop at absolutely nothing to secure the police remand of Arnab Goswami even after the scathing observations of the Magistrate court.

In its revision application to the Sessions Court, the police claimed that the Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle of the lower Court had ‘erred’ by not considering its submission and thereby sought the custody of Arnab Goswami and two others. The Raigad police had also prayed for the quashing of the order of the lower court.

Arnab Goswami sent to judicial custody

Earlier, the Alibaug court rejected the plea of Mumbai police plea seeking 14 days of police custody of Arnab Goswami, who was arrested on November 4. After a hearing that went into the midnight, the Alibaug Court granted 14 days of judicial custody for the Republic TV editor-in-chief, which meant that the Mumbai police would not interrogate him in its custody.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle had noted that the police failed to establish prima facie link between the deceased and Goswami. “Taking into consideration the reasons behind the arrest of the accused persons and the arguments put forth by the accused persons, the arrest appears to be prima facie illegal…There is no cogent evidence submitted that warrants this court to remand the arrested accused to police custody,” the CJM observed.

Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami arrested

Continuing their witch-hunt against Republic TV chief, the Mumbai Police on Wednesday arrested Arnab Goswami. The Mumbai Police reached Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami’s residence on Wednesday and physically manhandled him as they tried to detain him in a 2018 abetment to suicide case that was already closed.

A team of Mumbai Police arrested Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami after they physically assaulted and dragged him by grabbing his hair. In a shocking act, a large contingent of Mumbai Police was seen present at Goswami’s residence on Wednesday morning. In the below video, it can be seen how officials of the Mumbai Police were manhandling the Republic TV chief.

Allahabad HC orders man to keep away from social media for two years if he wants bail: Read what he had done and why the court ordered so

OpIndia Staff
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Allahabad HC orders man to keep away from social media for two years if he wants bail: Read what he had done and why the court ordered so

The Allahabad High Court on Monday granted bail to a man accused of making objectionable comments against the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other public representatives on the condition that he keeps off social media for two years.

According to the reports, Justice Siddharth of the Allahabad High Court passed an order granting bail to a person named Akhilanand, who was booked in Deoria for making objectionable remarks on social media against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other public figures.

While granting bail to the accused, Justice Siddharth said, “Applicant will not use social media for a period of two years or till the conclusion of trial before the Trial Court, whichever is earlier.”

The accused Akhilanand Rao is also accused of trying to misuse his status to gain undue advantage. The Uttar Pradesh Police had booked him under Sections 419, 420, 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 66D of the Information Technology Act.

Advocate Vimal Kumar Pandey, representing the accused, however, contended that the allegations made against the applicant were a case of false implication by the police.

The High Court also noted that the applicant was in jail since May 12. According to the affidavit filed in the bail application, the accused had a criminal history of 11 cases.

The High Court, setting prior conditions, ordered the release of the applicant on bail on furnishing a personal bond and two sureties each, as per an amount mentioned by the court and certain other conditions. The order also said that a breach of any of the conditions would be a ground for cancellation of bail.

The court also said the applicant shall not tamper with the prosecution evidence by intimidating witnesses during the investigation or the trial.

NSUI shares old images of ABVP protests against fee hike to target the BJP over ‘demonising’ students

OpIndia Staff
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NSUI shares old images of ABVP protests against fee hike to target the BJP over ‘demonising’ students

On Friday, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad – the students’ body of the RSS, accused National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) – the student wing of the Indian National Congress of appropriating their protests and misleading the public by passing off images of ABVP protesters as that of NSUI ones against the central government.

The NSUI had posted a series of images on Thursday to attack the BJP. In one of the images it shared on Twitter, it had tweeted an image of a student protestor who was seen being carried and pushed over a barricade by the Delhi police at a protest.

Sharing the particular image, the Congress students’ body, in their veiled attack against the BJP, said BJP knew best to demonise students and to destroy nation’s image.

Image Source: Congress

Hours after the NSUI tweeted an image of students’ protests, ABVP slammed the Congress students’ body for appropriating one of their protests and sharing images of their student leaders to take potshots at the BJP.

Taking a dig at the NSUI, ABVP said, “It seems Congress and NSUI are facing rejection in campuses to such a level that they now have to use a photo of ABVP karyakarta Shambhavi to take a failed potshot.”

According to the ABVP, the image shared by NSUI claiming to be a student protest against the BJP is in fact an image of ABVP protest that was organised in November 2019 to protest against a fee hike.

Image taken at ABVP protests outside UGC last year

The protest was carried out by the ABVP outside University Grants Commission against the fee hike. ABVP said that the lady protestor seen in the image shared by NSUI is an ABVP activist Shambhavee.

Reportedly, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had held protest outside University Grants Commission (UGC) against fee hike on November 13, 2019 in Delhi. The ABVP had carried out a signature campaign against a fee hike ahead of their protest outside UGC in Delhi last year.

A news report by India TV also corroborates the claims made by ABVP made against NSUI. In the video shared by India TV, one can see how ABVP leader Shambhavi was pushed and lifted by the police during the protests against fee hike outside UGC office in Delhi in November 2019.

The lady protestor in the image shared by NSUI is exactly same as the person being pushed by the Delhi Police at the ABVP protest in Delhi last year.

Leftists shares images of ABVP protest, but no credits given

Not just NSUI, even the Communist Party of India – Marxist had attempted to pass the same image as theirs last year.

A week after ABVP had organised protests outside UGC in Delhi, the CPI-M had hailed these students for protesting against fee hike. However, as it was carried out by ABVP, the communist party had deliberately ignored to credit these protests to the ABVP.

Even controversial Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani had shared these images without attributing these protests to ABVP.

However, ABVP had even then taken to Twitter to school them about these protests and had asked them to acknowledge ABVP protests while warning them against misappropriation of ABVP’s protests.

Congress has a long history of using ‘wrong images’ to peddle their propaganda

Just a few months back, the Gandhi-scion Priyanka Gandhi, continuing the act of putting misinformation on social media, had posted a tweet to criticise the farm reforms that are being implemented by the Narendra Modi government. The tweet was accompanied by a photograph of a farmer in distress. However, the photograph shared by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was at least seven years old.

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala had earlier shared an image from Nepal as that of India to play politics over the misery of the poor. The Congress leader had posted the image of a woman, carrying a toddler on her back on Twitter. Surjewala’s tweet was accompanied by a politically motivated caption that read, “New India ka Sach!“

Earlier, the Dalit Congress had taken to social media to share an old image of a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh to attack the central government for its alleged inefficiency of handling of the migrant workers’ issue. Sharing the image through the official Twitter handle, Dalit Congress had said that Modi govt should envisage the helplessness to the faces of these people and do something to help them

 

Amit Shah sounds election bugle in West Bengal by setting target as 200 seats: Can BJP do it? Here is what trend says

OpIndia Staff
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Amit Shah sounds election bugle in West Bengal by setting target as 200 seats: Can BJP do it? Here is what trend says

Home Minister Amit Shah is on a two-day visit to West Bengal ahead of the 2021 Assembly Elections all set to be held in the state. West Bengal has long been a coveted state for the Bhartiya Janta Party since the party has long believed that the country cannot see a renaissance without Bengal having a nationalist government. Speaking at Bankura, Amit Shah yesterday sounded the poll bugle and declares that the party would work towards getting 200 out of 294 Assembly seats in West Bengal.

Speaking to BJP workers who have often been at the receiving end of TMC’s ire and have cadres who also sacrificed their life in the state, Amit Shah said that people can continue to laugh at this aim, but the party will work diligently to get 200 seats in the upcoming Assembly Elections.

Amit Shah also evoked Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Birsa Munda – a tribal freedom fighter, religious leader and a folk hero belonged to the Munda tribe. Birsa Munda spearheaded an Indian tribal mass movement that arose in the tribal belt of modern Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh in the late 19th century during the British Raj. Munda is one of the most important faces of Indian tribal movements against the British, who inspired various tribes not only Mundas but also Kharias and Oraons, who accepted him as their leader.

Birsa Munda was born at Ulihatu in the Bengal Presidency (presently in Jharkhand) on 15 November 1875 into a Munda family. Munda spent his childhood amidst poverty in a typical tribal setup, where he converted to Christianity and became Birsa David in order to receive an education from a missionary school.

During the late 1880s, Munda began to understand the nature of exploitation meted out by the British against the native tribals. The huge disruption caused by British agrarian policies made an impact on the livelihood of these tribal people, disrupting their usual way of life which was hitherto peaceful and in tune with nature. Not only British economic and political policies but also aggressive religious and cultural policies of the Christian missionaries which belittled the tribal people and their culture acted as fuel for their fight against the British.

Can BJP get 200 seats in 2021 West Bengal elections, as Amit Shah said? The numbers suggest they can

States like West Bengal and Tripura are generally difficult to predict for pollsters because a majority of people are often tightlipped about their political preference. These states tend to be extremely politically aware and especially in states like West Bengal, the fear of facing backlash for their political choice is far too great for voters to be vocal if they plan to go against the ruling establishment.

At this point, Amit Shah’s claims that BJP can win 200 out of 294 Assembly seats in Bengal seems outlandish. BJP currently has 16 MLAs out of the grand total of 294 with TMC having a brute majority in the state with 222 seats. The Communist party is just a shade better than BJP, having 19 seats and Congress has 24 MLAs out of 294.

Given these numbers, for BJP to even think of getting 200 out of 294 seats merely after 5 years of getting 16 out of 294 seems to be pipe dream that nobody believes.

However, while unbelievable, is it really impossible?

Well, if the trend hold, it might be.

Let us take Tripura for example.

In 2013 Assembly Elections, the BJP had not even managed to win 1 seat in Tripura. The Communist party had won 49 seats and Congress had bagged 10. Just the next year, in 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Communists had bagged both Lok Sabha seats leaving the national parties far behind.

In 4 years, by the time 2018 assembly elections were held, the tables had turned and how. BJP ended up bagging 36 seats and the Communists were restricted at 16 seats. From 49 seats in 2013 to all 2 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 to 16 seats and a complete rout in Tripura in 2018. Few pollsters had predicted this rout. Jann Ki Baat had got it right and had predicted 14 to 23 for the Communists. CVoter, however, had given the Communists 24 to 36 seats.

If Tripura is a template to go on, it is entirely possible that BJP could pull out a massive victory in Bengal without anyone really seeing them coming. After all, that is how the TMC came into power, to begin with. In West Bengal, that is exactly what happened when the Communists were thrown out and TMC swept the polls.

In 2006 Assembly Elections, The Communists won 176 seats out of the 212 they contested.  The Left Front together managed to bag 233 seats. A brute majority that would appear insurmountable and undefeatable.

In 2011 Assembly Elections, the tables turned in the blink of an eye. Within the 5 years, the Left Front had been routed. TMC in 2011 ended up winning 190 seats (184 + 6 by-polls) and along with Congress, the alliance bagged 226 seats leaving the Left Front at 62.

In 2016 Assembly elections, TMC alone won 211 seats. The 2014 Lok Sabha elections too saw a brute majority of Mamata’s TMC.

Essentially, the pattern is evident.

A party which was not even remotely poised to win the state first makes small headways, almost negligible. Then, in one election, they suddenly make a headway that is a surprise, however, not too substantial to get alarmed about. Then, in the following election, there is landslide in their favour and the power equation in the state suddenly changes.

BJP seems to be going in that direction. They were nowhere in the political spectrum at all until 2019 Lok Sabha elections where they won 18 seats with a massive vote share of 42.86%. In the 2021 Assembly elections, it is therefore not laughable that Amit Shah is setting his eyes on a landslide victory.

The staggering numbers in Lok Sabha elections 2019 for BJP pointed towards a growing disenchantment in the state towards the Mamata Banerjee led government. in the run-up to Lok Sabha, there were numerous anecdotes about how some brave citizens started chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ on the street when convoys of TMC leaders passed. This came from a few brave quarters who had had enough of the tyranny. While Bengal is the land of Maa Durga and Maa Saraswati, ‘Jai Shree Ram’ soon became a symbol of political protest. One recalls how Mamata Banerjee got riled up when some youth yelled ‘Jai Shree Ram’ as her convoy passed. She got out of the car, threatened them, and claimed that they abused him.

TMC knew that their regionalism on television channels was not helping. They knew that their assertions that Lord Ram will not find resonance in Bengal were hogwash. More than religiosity, it was the political rebellion that Jai Shri Ram symbolised.

Moreover, the tyrannical trends in the state of myriad arrests for criticising the state government, minority appeasement of the Mamta Banerjee, the influx of illegal Bangladeshis and communal strife coupled with Hindus being murdered in the state by the cadre has played a significant role in the disenchantment. The Amphan destruction and the fact that the poor people of the state did not get the compensation promised is another Achilles heel that Mamata might have to pay the political price for.

Bengal has traditionally shifted its political allegiance after several years of silent tolerance. It happened with the Communists. They lost the faith of the people and the people of Bengal never looked back. It seems to be happening with TMC now as well.

West Bengal, just like Tripura can throw a surprise nobody is really prepared for, least of all, Mamata Banerjee.

Maharashtra HM launched ‘Operation Arnab’, deployed 40 police personnel to arrest Arnab Goswami in 2018 suicide case: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra HM launched ‘Operation Arnab’, deployed 40 police personnel to arrest Arnab Goswami in 2018 suicide case: Read details

A report in Times of India has detailed how the Maharashtra government carefully plotted a plan – “Operation Arnab” to carry out a witch-hunt against Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami.

According to the Times of India report, the Maharashtra Home Minister and NCP leader Anil Deshmukh formed a high-level 40-member team led by Konkan range Inspector General Sanjay Mohite to arrest Arnab Goswami in the 2018 suicide abetment case.

The Maharashtra Home department devised a plan “Operation Arnab” to nab Republic TV Chief Arnab Goswami in a 2018 suicide case. A team of police began the operation days after Raigad police allegedly obtained permission to probe into the alleged suicide case of architect Anvay Naik. To arrest Arnab, the Maharashtra government assembled a team of 40 personnel, who were mostly drawn from Mumbai and Raigad police.

IG Mohite reportedly drafted a plan to arrest Arnab and the responsibility to execute the plan was entrusted to Mumbai’s ‘encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze.

“For the team led by Mohite, it was a challenging task in view of the powerful Arnab. We acted very carefully, every member of the team observed restraint despite provocation,” a senior cabinet member said to Times of India.

Our people surrounded his house, was a secret operation, Maha cabinet minister

Explaining the details of “Operation Arnab” as if it was a mission to capture a hardened criminal, the cabinet member cited by TOI further added that after the preliminary probe, it was confirmed that Arnab was allegedly ‘involved in the abetment to suicide case’. He added that ‘their people’ made several rounds of the building where Arnab was residing. “It was a secret operation. We were fearing that if the information is leaked, Arnab may flee the city to avoid arrest,” he said.

On Wednesday morning, Mumbai Police barged into the residence of Arnab Goswami, assaulted him and his family as they dragged the Republic TV chief to arrest him.

Reportedly, the Maharashtra Police carrying out “Operation Arnab” chose the morning hours to ensure he was at home. “It was a planned operation, even small issues were taken care of. It was decided who will knock at the door, who will talk to Arnab and his family members and what the course of action would be if he resists. Arnab did resist. However, after Vaze explained to him the legal position if he failed to join the investigation, it was a smooth affair,” he said.

Mumbai Police arrests its own cop for closing the case in 2018

In a bizarre turn of events, Mumbai Police arrested one of its own police officers on the charges that he had filed a closure report in the 2018 suicide case.

According to the reports, a day after Arnab Goswami was arrested on the charges of abetting suicide in 2018, the Mumbai Police arrested a cop for filing closure report citing no evidence to probe the case. The cop was the investigating officer in the 2018 Anvay Naik’s suicide case.

An FIR was filed against Arnab Goswami in an alleged abetment to suicide case in May 2018. The FIR was filed after An Interior Designer had allegedly committed suicide in his bungalow in Alibaug. In his alleged suicide note, Anvay Naik had claimed Goswami had allegedly not paid Rs 83 lakh for a design project of a studio. However, Goswami was investigated and the case was closed by the court after a closure report was filed by the Police.

Republic TV had earlier clarified that the charges were false and they had made 90% of the payments due to the interior designer’s firm and the remaining amount was to be paid after the completion of the work which was never done.

SC makes scathing observations against indiscriminate use of SC/ST act, says not all insults can attract the stringent act: Read what Court said

OpIndia Staff
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SC makes scathing observations against indiscriminate use of SC/ST act, says not all insults can attract the stringent act: Read what Court said

On Thursday, the Supreme Court observed that a complaint cannot be registered under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act just because the complainant is a member of the SC/ST community. The offence in question must be directed towards the caste of the individual.

The observations come at a time when the SC/ST Act has been greatly misused and even non-caste insults to any person belonging to SC/ST have invited the stringent act.

Insults should be directed towards the caste for SC/ST Act to apply

A 3-Judge Bench of the apex court, comprising of Justices L Nageswara Rao, Hemant Gupta and Ajay Rastogi, stated: “All insults or intimidations to a person will not be an offence under the Act unless such insult or intimidation is on account of victim belonging to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe.” It further added, “Thus, an offence under the Act would be made out when a member of the vulnerable section of the society is subjected to indignities, humiliations and harassment.”

Insult must be made in public view

The Court emphasised that an offence under the SC/ST act cannot simply be established by ascertaining that the victim in question is a member of the SC community. The Bench pointed out that the intention to humiliate such a person for his caste must exist for a case to be made out under SC/ST act. The apex court stated that such an insult must also be made at ‘any place within public view’ for a case to be registered under Section 3 (1) (r) of the SC/ST Act.

Details of the case

The observations were made by the Supreme Court while hearing a petition by one Hitesh Verma who sought quashing of the chargesheet against him under Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 482 and Section 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST act. His petition was earlier rejected by the Uttarakhand High Court. The apex court observed that the alleged slurs were uttered by the petitioner at the residence of the complainant, in the absence of the public. It added that since the case was about a dispute over land possession, therefore charges under Section 3(1)(r) of the SC/ST act could not be invoked.

The Court stated, “In the present case, the parties are litigating over possession of the land. The allegation of hurling abuses is against a person who claims title over the property. If such person happens to be a Scheduled Caste, the offence under Section 3(1)(r) of the Act is not made out.”

Family of farmer who had named Shiv Sena MP Omprakash Rajenimbalkar in his suicide note demand justice, seeks action with the same swiftness as Arnab’s arrest

OpIndia Staff
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Family of farmer who had named Shiv Sena MP Omprakash Rajenimbalkar in his suicide note demand justice, seeks action with the same swiftness as Arnab’s arrest

The family of a farmer named Dilip Dhavale, who had committed suicide in 2019 after naming Shiv Sena MP from Osmanabad Omprakash Raje Nambalkar, is still waiting for justice. Dhavale, who was from Kasbe Tadwale village in Osmanabad had left two suicide notes, one addressed to the Inspector of Dhoki police station and the other addressed to ‘voters’. In the suicide note addressed to voters, Dhavale had accused Nambalkar and Vijay Dandnaik, the chairman of the Vasantdada Cooperative Bank, of mortgaging his land and availing a loan for the now-defunct Terna Cooperative Sugar Mill. He wrote that his land was auctioned thrice after the mill failed to repay the loan on time. He said that he took the extreme step due to humiliation and drought in the region.

After Arnab Goswami was arrested by Mumbai police in a similar abatement to suicide case yesterday, the family of Dilip Dhavale today demanded justice and similar ‘swift action’ action against the Shiv Sena MP.

Holding a press conference in Osmanabad today, the Dhavale family expressed anger on the delayed investigation in Dhavale’s death. Dilip Dhavale’s wife Vandana Dhavale said that during the Lok Sabha elections Uddhav Thackeray had promised to provide them justice. She said that her husband Dilip Dhawale committed suicide by hanging himself due to financial fraud and the resulting humiliation. Dhawale’s family said that the case was registered five months after the incident and a year has passed since the crime was registered and yet the police have not filed a charge sheet in the court.

Dhawale’s brother Raj and son Deepak expressed displeasure over the working of the police and demanded Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to get justice done in the matter. His family said that they would visit Mumbai in the next two days to meet the Chief Minister and brief him on the plight caused to them by Nambalkar. Expressing hope on the CM, Dhavale’s family said that the Chief Minister took immediate action after hearing the grievances of the Naik family in the abetment to suicide case against Arnab Goswami, and they hope that he will take similar action in their case also.

Nambalkar had denied all the allegations against him terming them as politically motivated, He said that he was neither on the board of the sugar factory nor on the body of the bank. He put the entire blame on the bank.

Jharkhand joins the list of non-BJP ruled states to block CBI from probing cases in the state, withdraws general consent

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand joins the list of non-BJP ruled states to block CBI from probing cases in the state, withdraws general consent

The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand has become the latest state to revoke the general consent given to CBI to probe cases in the state. After the revocation of the general consent by the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance government, the central agency will require the state govt’s consent before conducting any investigation inside the state.

An order issued by the Jharkhand government says, “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 6 of the Delhi Police Establishment Act 1946 (25 of 1946) the Government of Jharkhand hereby withdraws the consent accorded to the Members of Delhi Special Police Establishment vide Govt order Memo No J/Vlvidh-6019/96 Dated 19.02 1996 as also by any other Instruments issued by the Government of Jharkhand, from time to time, to exercise the powers and jurisdiction under the said Act In the State of Jharkhand”.

Jharkhand has joined the list of non-BJP ruled states to have withdrawn the blanket consent given to CBI, signifying the opposition parties rallying together against the central govt. In a similar move, Left Democratic Front (LDF) ruled Kerala had withdrawn the consent on Wednesday.

Earlier, other non-BJP ruled states West Bengal, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra had issued similar orders under the Delhi Police Establishment Act to require CBI obtain their consent to start any probe in the respective states. Andhra Pradesh had also withdrawn the consent in November 2018 by Chandrababu Naidu govt, but it was restored by the Jagan Mohan Reddy govt in June 2019.

West Bengal had also withdrawn the consent to CBI in 2018 immediately after Andhra Pradesh. Congress-led Chhattisgarh government had done the same in January 2019. Congress-ruled Rajasthan government had revoked the general consent in July 2020. More recently, the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP govt had followed suit in October this year, after the CBI had taken over the Sushant Singh Rajput case and UP govt had recommended transferring the TRP manipulation case to CBI.

CBI comes under the DSPE Act and it requires states to give the agency a consent to act against central government employees within a state as public order and police come under the state governments. To avoid issuing separate consents for each case, states generally issue a blanket consent to the CBI, which is routinely renewed. But after withdrawal of the general consent, the agency will have to seek permission for each cases it wants to probe in the states, and the states may refuse to grant such permission.

Eight key things Amit Shah said in an interview to AajTak about upcoming West Bengal assembly elections

OpIndia Staff
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Eight key things Amit Shah said in an interview to AajTak about upcoming West Bengal assembly elections

Home Minister Amit Shah is in West Bengal for a two-day tour, a first for the state before it goes to polls in 6 months. Speaking to AajTak, the Home Minister stated that the euphoria in the crowd, which appeared in large numbers to greet him when he landed in Bengal, hypothesised the change in the environment and the temperamental shift in the people of Bengal. He said that this time he sensed massive public anger against Mamata Banerjee and the ruling Trinamool Congress.

People of Bengal want change

The environmental change indicates that more than the political parties, the people of Bengal are excited about the 2021 elections as they are keen to see how, this time, BJP makes way for itself after defeating the incumbent TMC government in the upcoming Legislative Assembly.

There is a ray of hope that Modi govt would improve the worsening conditions of West Bengal

The way people are coming out on the roads in huge number clearly marks the surging rage against the Mamata Banerjee led government in West Bengal. Along with this, they also see a ray of hope that the Modi government would improve the worsening conditions of the state under the current leadership.

At least 100 BJP karyakartas have fallen prey to Mamata’s animosity: Amit Shah

Talking about the political violence in the state of Bengal, Amit Shah said that it would not be appropriate for a Home Minister to comment but as a BJP leader he can say that since the time BJP has gained footholds in the state, the TMC goons have not left a single opportunity to unleash utmost atrocities on the BJP karyakartas in the state. More than 100 BJP workers have fallen prey to Mamata Banerjee’s animosity. Amongst these, in at least 75 cases, no arrests have ever been made.

Political murders in WB are biggest example of Mamata Banerjee’s failure: Amit Shah

Amit Shah furthered that when he met the family of a deceased BJP worker he learnt that the post-mortem of the deceased was not yet conducted. Now, it will be done on November 5. “I have never seen such a law and order collapse in any other state as its here”, remarked the HM calling it the biggest example of Mamata Banerjee’s autocracy and her failure as the ruling government of the state.

Situation in WB cannot be likened to that in Uttar Pradesh

Answering to Mamata Banerjee’s accusations that BJP always tries to malign West Bengal, but remains mute on the deteriorating law and order situation in its own ruled state of Uttar Pradesh. The HM explained that whenever such situations need to be analysed it ought to be comparative. One needs to understand and compare today’s situation with the past situation to know where the State stands. Speaking of Uttar Pradesh, Amit Shah said that under Yogi Adityanath’s leadership, UP has seen a major improvement in law and order as compared to the past, which he opined is in stark contrast to the situation in West Bengal. With Mamata Banerjee at the helm of affairs, West Bengal’s condition has only worsened.

Cattle trafficking being executed at the behest of state authorities

“Be it the law and order situation in West Bengal or industrialisation or employment. Be it the persistent issue of cow smuggling through the porous riverine borders in West Bengal or the issue of illegal infiltration, Bengal has been witnessing a complete downfall.

The AajTak anchor here questions that since the border security is the responsibility of the central government, the state government should not be held accountable for the increase of cattle smuggling on the Indo-Bangladesh border. Aanwering to her question, Amit Shah explains why the role of state administration is important. He says that the Indo-Bangla border is a very difficult border due to the presence of many rivers, creeks, low and high mountains, tough tarrains and dense jungles. In such a situation, until the district magistrate and the district SP does not cooperate, it become difficult for the BSF to single-handedly control the illegal activities in the border area as their means and powers are limited.

The HM opined that cattle traffickers work as a big nexus along the international borders. There is an international conspiracy in force and BSF does not have the powers to act against this force. It’s only the state unit which can curb this racket. In fact, so many times BSF personnel have issued warnings, but the state unit have turned a deaf ear, said Amit Shah, furthering that this, however, does not surprise him knowing that they are working at the behest of WB government. “Inko upar se sangrakshan prapt hain” (they are protected from above), said Amit Shah.

Mamata indulging in a balancing act: Home Minister Amit Shah

Responding to allegations that BJP is misusing central forces to target TMC in Bengal, Amit Shah called it Mamata Banerjee’s balancing act. He said that the entire state of Bengal, the media, everyone around are aware how BJP workers are being targetted in the state. They are the ones who are paying the price for Mamata’s rage against BJP. Even Mamata Banerjee knows this. Now, she is trying to balance the situation by putting such baseless allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party. “I would urge Mamata didi to cite atleast one example to justify these frivilous accusations”, said Amit Shah.

The interviewer here questions Shah about the rise in the demand of President’s Rule in Bengal by the Governor who recently met Amit Shah at his residence in Delhi before going on a month-long tour to Darjeeling, Amit Shah refused to comment saying it would be inappropriate to talk about, close-door discussions on Public forum.

BJP winning Bengal with 2/3rd majority claims Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah furthered that he could sense massive public anger against Mamata Banerjee in Bengal. Hitting out at Banerjee and her government for denying the people of Bengal access to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare schemes, Shah predicted a two-third majority for the BJP in state elections scheduled for next year. “Mamata didi isko rok nahi sakti” (Mamata cannot stop this), said the Union Home Minister, insinuating that Mamata Banerjee’s doom was near.

Last year in the Lok Sabha elections, BJP had made history in Bengal. Despite Mamata Banerjee and her goons trying everything possible to stop BJP making inroads in Bengal, BJP had won 18 seats, touching an impressive double figure in Bengal for the first time.

This time too, BJP appears as the biggest threat to Mamata Banerjee’s incumbent government as it is quite likely to give a tough fight to the Trinamool Congress party in the upcoming Legislative Assembly elections which are scheduled to be held in 2021.

Home Minister Amit Shah’s interview can be watched here:

Amit Shah’s interview with AajTak

Ranchi: Protests erupt after Shivling inside a Shiva temple demolished by unidentified elements

OpIndia Staff
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Ranchi: Protests erupt after Shivling inside a Shiva temple demolished by unidentified elements

In a highly condemnable incident that happened in Ranchi in Jharkhand today, a Shivling in Shiva temple located in Rangrej Gali in Upper Bazar of the town was reportedly desecrated by some unidentified miscreants. The incident has angered the locals due to which heavy police force has been deployed in the area. According to reports, the temple priest left after performing the morning prayer, thereafter, someone saw the Shivling demolished around 8 am in the morning.

On receiving the information, police reached the spot and examined the CCTV footage of the nearby shop and saw a man entering the Shiva temple between 6:30 am and 7 am and throwing stones. The man reportedly appeared drunk or mentally unstable. Member of Parliament from Ranchi Sanjay Seth and Member of Legislative Assembly CP Singh also took stock of the situation.

Hindu Organisations and locals protested

Several Hindu organisations held protests against the incidents. While some locals themselves closed their shops in protest rest of the shops were forcefully shut down by angered locals. MP Sanjay Seth said that the anti-social elements who want to disturb the social harmony would not be allowed to succeed in their intentions. Seth demanded the administration to examine the CCTV footage to identify the culprits and arrest them without delay.

Sanjay Poddar, President of Shri Mahavir Mandal Doranda Central Committee, condemned the incident and said that this was an attempt to hurt the religious sentiments which would not be tolerated at any cost. He demanded the government and the administration to take cognisance of the incident. Poddar hinted that Hindu sentiments are being targeted as part of a conspiracy and said that this was not good for social harmony. On behalf of Shri Mahavir Mandal Doranda Central Committee, he urged the administration to identify and arrest the culprits within 24 hours.

Attack on Hindu temples

Attacks on Hindu temples have become a routine affair across the country. In September this year, several incidents of desecration of Hindu temples were reported from Andhra Pradesh. On September 17, 2020, a portion of the Nandi idol kept inside the historic 12th century Kasi Visweswara Swamy temple was damaged by some miscreants. This was preceded by and attack in Narasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi area in Sakhinetipalli Mandal in East Godavari district in which a century-old wooden chariot of the Lakshmi was gutted to ashes.

In February this year, a 50 feet tall ancient chariot of Prasanna Venkateswara Swamy temple at Bhogolu village of Bitragunta Mandal in Nellore district was set ablaze by unidentified miscreants.

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