Home Blog Page 5730

It has emerged as an island nation with its own rules: Gunja Kapoor who was hounded by a mob at Shaheen Bagh

Political analyst Gunja Kapoor, who was recently hounded by an unruly mob baying for her blood at Shaheen Bagh, took to YouTube to narrate her ordeal. Sharing a video on her YouTube channel, Right Narrative, Kapoor narrates how the entry at Shaheen Bagh requires you to show ‘documents’.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qBOvU1tDZU]

Gunja says that she visited Jamia as well as Shaheen Bagh and the way she was heckled and mistreated at both these places, she is forced to believe that the only reason behind this ill-treatment is that she does not possess a ‘visa’ for both these places. Going to Shaheen Bagh, which has metamorphosed into an island nation of sort without adequate references and a ‘visa’ of sorts can get you lynched, she said.

“I am not Sharjeel Imam who made a clarion call for Muslims to cut-off Assam from the rest of India through his anti-national speech, nor am I one of those anti-nationals who under the guise of being an Indian raise ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans” or ask for ‘Jinnah wali azaadi’,” Kapoor says in her video.

It is pertinent to note here that the protest at Shaheen Bagh, which has been raging on for weeks has exposed itself to be deeply Islamic and anti-Hindu in nature with posters like F*ck Hindutva that distorted the Om symbol to several slogans like ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Jinnah wali Azaadi’, that exposed the Islamist mobs’ deep-seated hatred for Hindus.

Read: NGO linked to George Soros, who had declared war against ‘Nationalists’ and PM Modi, calls for people to join Shaheen Bagh protests

She then goes on to explain why she felt the need to wear a burqa to Shaheen Bagh. She says that she chose to wear one because she felt insecure due to past experiences and wanted to keep safe. She recollects how a few days back, a woman journalist for Republic TV, who just went to do her job, was heckled and assaulted at Shaheen Bagh.

Gunja divulged that she also met a similar fate at Jamia when she went there with senior journalist Bhupendra Chaubey for a debate. The leftist and Islamist mob there asked them several questions like where have you come from? who has sent you here? etc and heckled and assaulted them, recollects Gunja.

Gunja says that she is shocked that at both these places (Jamia and Shaheen Bagh) she was repeatedly asked as to ‘who has sent you here’, which reveals that these so-called ‘peaceful’ protests are not voluntary or organic as being claimed, but a well organised and sponsored event.

“If it is ‘voluntary’ protest how are we being asked that who has sent you’ll here?”, wonders Gunja. “If you have not been referred by any of their reliable sources or dare to enter without a ‘visa’ you will be looked at suspiciously by the women protestors at Shaheen Bagh who would term you a trespasser,” says Gunja.

Read: Shaheen Bagh ground report: A well-organised ‘organic’ protest, estimated costs of Rs 5L everyday and protestors spying on you

Gunja says she was not only heckled and assaulted by the women at Shaheen Bagh but her Aadhaar card, mobile phone and cash was also snatched away from her. Gunja divulges that for one hour she kept pleading to call the police but the women there were hell-bent on not calling them as they said they “do not trust the police”. They told Gunja that they cannot hand her over to the police as they do not trust them, recalls Gunja.

Reportedly, the mob had got angry at Gunja for wearing a burqa while attending the protest. They had objected against Gunja wearing a burqa and trying to shoot videos in Shaheen Bagh. The lady protestors at the site, slapped Gunja several times, dragged by her hair, heckled her, forced her to chant Islamic slogans, claiming that she had disgraced the Burkha by wearing it to the protest site.

Extremely disturbed by the savagery perpetrated against her, Gunja recalls that the women protestors pounced at her and if it hadn’t been for the Delhi police anything could have happened to her. She says she kept begging to call the police but the women there refused to listen to her plea. Almost after an hour when the police came to know about the incident they rushed there and somehow rescued her, says Gunja.

UK court refuses extradition of couple who had got their adopted son murdered in India for Insurance money, as it will breach their human rights

0

The British judiciary has denied the possibility of extradition of an Indian couple accused of murdering their adopted son in India for the insurance payout stating that the likelihood of life in jail without parole would breach their human rights.

The couple is accused of allegedly hiring a hitman to kill 11-year-old Gopal and grab the insurance payout. According to the confession made by one of the hitmen, Britain’s chief magistrate rule stated that there is strong evidence to convict them of Gopal’s murder but they managed to evade extradition as justice Dingemans upheld the refusal to extradite the couple on the grounds that they face a punishment of life imprisonment without parole in India on the charge of double murder.

“This would be ‘inhuman and degrading treatment’, breaching Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and making their extradition unlawful,” the order denying extradition of the couple read.

The ruling drew ire from a wide spectrum of people. Conservative MP Tim Loughton, who sits on the Commons home affairs select committee, expressed his anguish over the travesty of justice, emphatically asking, “Do we really want suspected child killers roaming the streets of London? This is undoubtedly a heinous crime and I believe many people would agree that the couple should be given harshest punishment if they are found guilty. It is up to the Indian legal system to decide on the appropriate penalty and we should not be standing in the way of justice being served for the victims.”

David Green, belonging to the Civitas democracy think-tank, said that it is a little extraordinary and unjust to not assist a friendly, Commonwealth country in ensuring justice in a case like this. He also added that if this crime had been committed in the United Kingdom, a whole life sentence may have been a sentencing option.

Arti Dhir, 55, and her husband Kaval Raijada, 30, are charged for conspiring an alleged plot to kill 11-year-old Gopal Sejani to receive a windfall insurance amount of £150,000.

In 2015, the duo from West London had adopted the 11-year-old as their after travelling to Keshod in Gujarat. Advertisements were published in local newspapers, promising they would take a child to live a better life in London if their application was successful.

The couple met Gopal who was living in penury with his elder sister and her husband. His sister and her husband agreed to the adoption and started preparing adoption papers. However, the Indian police claim that the duo had a sinister plan in mind on the pretext of adopting a poverty-stricken child.

The police officials claim that soon after Gopal’s adoption, Dhir took out an insurance policy of £150,000 in Gopal’s name which would payout in 10 years or in case of his death. Dhir had reportedly paid the premium of £15,000 twice.

Read- Fugitive Nirav Modi threatens to ‘kill himself’ if extradited to India

According to Superintendent of Junagadh Police, Saurab Singh, ‘After a few days, she took out an insurance policy in his name. It was a big amount and she was well aware of the fact that in the event of Gopal’s death, she would be massively rewarded by the Insurance company.”

Shortly after meeting with Gopal and agreeing to adopt him, the couple returned to London and Gopal stayed in Gujarat while his Visa papers were being prepared.

Later in 2017, Gopal was kidnapped by two bike-borne men, stabbed and abandoned at a roadside. His brother-in-law, Mr Kardani, who tried to defend him was also attacked by the assailants. Both of them succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

The police had caught Nitish Mund, one of the assailants, who admitted that he was paid by Raijada, to take down the kid. Investigations found that Raijada transferred money to Mund shortly before Gopal was killed. The insurance money was not paid to Arti Dhir after the revelations by police in India.

Arti Dhir and Kaval Raijada were arrested by UK police in 2017 after a red cornder notice was issued by Interpol on India’s request. They couple can still be tried in UK as the alleged plot was hatched in UK, if the cops there investigate the case, the court said while refusing their extradition.

Congress MP rushes to manhandle minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in parliament, BJP calls it ‘dande maro’ mentality in action

On Friday, Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Manickam Tagore, attempted to manhandle Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan in the Parliament, after the latter condemned Rahul Gandhi’s “hit with sticks” remark against PM Narendra Modi. Following an uproar in the Parliament, the Lower House was adjourned till 2 pm.


Dr. Harshvardan stated, “I want to condemn in no uncertain words the outlandish language he (Rahul Gandhi) has used against the Prime Minister of the country.”

He added that it took him by surprise that Rahul Gandhi made such disparaging comments despite the fact that his father, Rajiv Gandhi, was a former Prime Minister of the country. He emphasized that the House must unequivocally condemn his statements. At that point, Manickam Tagore could be seen approaching the Union Health Minister.

The Former Congress President had remarked on Feb 6 in an election rally, “Ye jo Narendra Modi bhashan de raha hai, 6 mahine baad ye ghar se bahar nahi nikal payega. Hindustan ke yuva isko aisa danda marenge”

It loosely translates as “This Narendra Modi is giving speeches now but he won’t be able to step out of his house after 6 months. The youth of India will beat him with sticks (over the issue of unemployment).”

This drew the ire of several BJP members, including Jagdambika Pal who labelled the attack as “an unfortunate event in democracy”


The Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Prahlad Joshi, did not mince any words and was quick to point out the hooliganism culture and “frustration” brewing within the Congress party.


Rahul Gandhi however, took to Twitter to call the ruckus “orchestrated” despite his party member trying to physically assault the BJP’s Cabinet Minister.

He also claimed that the Prime Minister was clueless about solving India’s unemployment crisis and that he was being prevented from asking questions to the current political dispensation. Gandhi alleged that the uproar in Parliament was an attempt to protect Narendra Modi.


Tagore, however, has claimed that he had rushed to the well of the house to stop dr Harshvardhan from making an ‘unrelated statement’ and answer the starred question raised by Rahul Gandhi. Tagore has also claimed that he was himself manhandled by BJP leaders, especially Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh who allegedly threatened to kill him.

On Thursday, PM Narendra Modi took potshots at Rahul Gandhi for his “Dande jibe” and remarked that he will do more Surya Namaskar asana henceforth to make his back stronger to face abuses.

‘Thug life’: AAP glorifies party supporter who claims he’ll take money and food from all parties but vote for AAP

Just a day ahead of Delhi Assembly elections, the Aam Aadmi Party has resorted to yet another unfair practice by posting a video in which an AAP supporter is asking people to accept money and food from other political parties but vote for AAP instead in the upcoming elections.

In an official video titled ‘Thug Life’ posted by AAP, the party glorifies a person, who without any shame promotes unethical election practice of accepting money from political parties ahead of Delhi assembly elections. In the video, the AAP supporter can be heard saying, “I will take money and food from other political parties but vote for Jhaadu (AAP’s election symbol).”


This is not the first time that the Delhi-based Aam Aadmi Party is indulging in such immoral acts of urging people to take bribe money from other parties and instead vote for AAP.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal had landed in controversy yet again as he had urged voters to accept money from Congress and BJP but vote for the Aam Aadmi Party.

“Election se pehle doosri party paise baatne ayenge. Tab kya karoge? Paise sab se le lena par vote jhadoo ko de dena. “Election mein vote kisko diya hai kisiko pata nahi chalega, toh vote jhadoo ko dena.” (Before the elections, other parties would come and distribute money. What would you do then? Take all the money but cast your vote in favour of the broom (AAP’s election symbol). No one will come to know in whose favour you have cast your vote), Kejriwal had said.

Read- A chronology of how Arvind Kejriwal betrayed the 12 principles AAP was founded on

AAP supremo Kejriwal has earlier too faced the Election Commission’s resentment twice over this same remark but somehow has failed to rectify himself.

In 2015 during the Delhi assembly elections, speaking at a rally at West Delhi’s Nawada area, Kejriwal had stirred a similar controversy when he asked voters in Delhi to take the money offered by the BJP and the Congress but “fool” them by voting for the AAP.

Similarly, during the Goa polls in 2017, Kejriwal had unashamedly made the same remark saying, “If Congress or BJP candidates offer money, do not refuse it. Accept it as it is your own money and there is nothing wrong in getting it back. If they do not offer money, go to their offices and ask for it. But, when it comes to voting, press the button against the name of the AAP candidate.”

Kerala govt puts Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination image on cover of budget document, calls it political statement

Kerala’s Left Democratic Front government led by Pinarayi Vijayan has released their official budget document for the year 2020-21 on Friday. The document has used artist Tom Vattakuzhy’s ‘Death of Gandhi’ painting on the cover page.

The cover page of Kerala’s Budget 2020-21 document

The document was presented among the members of the state Assembly after state Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac ended the Budget speech which incidentally began with remarks against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

This idea of the Communist Kerala government of using Gandhi’s assassination picture for its budget document cover stirred a political storm, following which the Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac came up with a justification, calling it a ‘political statement’.

“Definitely, it is a political statement, the cover of my Budget speech. It is a painting by a Malayalam artist of Mahatma Gandhi’s murder scene. We are sending out a message that we will not forget who murdered Gandhi,” said Isaac.

Taking a dig at the BJP government at the Centre for proposing National Register of Citizens (NRC), Issac further alleged that today history is being re-written and NRC is being used to divide the country into communal lines.

“This is important at the times when history is being re-written. There is an attempt to erase some popular memories and use the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to divide the population into communal lines. Kerala will stand united,” he added.


Critics of CAA and NRC have been misleading people by saying that their provisions are discriminatory and may be used to target Muslims, a claim which the government has time and again refuted. Pertinently, NRC and NPR are still in the proposed stage but the opposition has been using it as a tool against Modi government by spreading misinformation over it and misleading the citizens to fan their political agenda.

Read: Indian Muslims do not stand to suffer due to the CAA-NRC combo: Here are the laws and guidelines explained

NRC is an official record of those people who are legal citizens of India. The dossier includes demographic information about all those individuals who qualify as citizens of India as per the Citizenship Act, 1955.

The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently.

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray approves allotment of Rs 10 crore land to Sharad Pawar led Trust at nominal rate despite objections

0

Even after objection raised by the state Revenue and Finance departments, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, led by Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray, allotted a 51-hectare land worth Rs 10 crore to Sharad Pawar led Vasantdada Sugar Institute (VSI) at a nominal rate.

While authorising the proposal, the Thackeray Cabinet gave short shrift to the objections voiced by the state’s Revenue Department and the Finance Department and disregarded an opinion submitted by the state’s Advocate General’s office.

The piece of land in contention, located in Maharashtra’s Jalna, was initially acquired by the state’s Agriculture Department for a state seed farm. According to the state communique, the market value of the plot was pegged at Rs 10 crores.

However, the land was sanctioned to the VSI, a public trust formed by cooperative sugar barons in 1975, to expand its educational and research activities. NCP chief Sharad Pawar is VSI chairman while the sitting Maharashtra ministers Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Excise Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, Finance Minister Jayant Patil (NCP), and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat (Congress) are among the Board of Trustees of the VSI. In addition, two other ministers Rajesh Tope (NCP) and Satej Patil (Congress) are on its governing council.

Read- Maharashtra government to bring reservations for Muslims in the state soon: Congress minister Aslam Sheikh

Since then the Revenue department has opposed the allocation of the land on concessional rates, quoting a 1997 Supreme Court verdict which said that the land acquired by the government for a specific purpose should be used for that particular purpose or for other public purposes and if this cannot be done, the land should be returned to the original owners. Both Revenue and Finance departments have questioned if the activities carried out by the VSI can be considered for “public purposes”.

The Finance department also stated that the plot should only be allocated at market rates after inviting bids. The Uddhav Thackeray government has also ignored state Advocate General’s opinion in this regard and asked the Revenue department to seek consultation from the law department and append conditions before allocating the land.

Supreme Court postpones hearing on petition over Shaheen Bagh roadblock, says it does not want to influence elections

The Supreme court has postponed the hearing for a plea filed against Shaheen Bagh protests, noting that it can influence the Delhi Assembly election voting on 8 February 2020.

The bench, comprising Justices KM Joseph and SK Kaul said, “We understand it’s an important issue. We will hold a detailed hearing on Monday”.

As per reports, the advocate appearing for one of the petitioners told the court that the voting day is scheduled for February 8, the bench noted, “That is exactly why we are saying come on Monday. Why should we influence it?”

The voting for 70 legislative assemblies in Delhi will take place on 8 February in Delhi and results will be declared on 11 February.

The bench also told the petitioners to come prepared for the argument on ‘why’ the matter should not be remitted back to the Delhi High Court. The hearing has been postponed to February 10.

The bench noted, “We think it would be appropriate if the high court deals with the matter. The high court is the appropriate forum and we can issue directions to this effect”.

The Shaheen Bagh protests that have been ongoing since December 15, have blockaded the road in the Kalindi Kunj-Shaheen Bagh stretch, causing immense traffic woes for daily commuters. The Okhla underpass area has also been restricted due to the protests by Muslims.

The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Amit Sahni, who had also approached the Delhi HC, seeking directions for the Delhi Police to remove the road blockade and ensure smooth traffic flow in the area.

The petitioner has argued that the Kalindi Kunj road is vital because it connects three states, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. It was also submitted that the roadblock and traffic diversions have caused the wastage of immense amount of time, energy and fuel, besides overburdening the DND, Akshardham and Ashram routes.

The court, though they deferred the matter, acknowledged that ‘there is a problem’.

Read: Shaheen Bagh ground report: A well-organised ‘organic’ protest, estimated costs of Rs 5L every day and protestors spying on you

Former Delhi MLA Nand Kishore Garg had also filed a petition separately in the Supreme court seeking directions to the authorities to remove Shaheen Bagh protesters.

The plea filed by Nand Kishor Garg had affirmed, “the law enforcement machinery was being “held hostage to the whims and fancies of the protesters” who have blocked vehicular and pedestrian movement from the road connecting Delhi to Noida”.

The high court urged the local authorities to deal with the situation while keeping issues of law and order in mind.

It is notable here that despite the Delhi Police’ request to the protestors to clear ways for school children and residents, there has been no progress so far.

Former diplomat falls for India Today’s headline error, slams EC thinking CBI has arrested Sisodia

On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended Gopal Krishna Madhav, a Delhi government officer, over bribery charges. Madhav was an Officer on Special Duty with the Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia since 2015.

Madhav, who is a  senior DANICS (Delhi, Andaman Nicobar Island Civil Services) officer, was arrested late in the night around 11:30 pm after a trap was set. He was caught red-handed, accepting a bribe to the tune of ₹2 lacs. He was taken straightaway to the CBI Headquarters. Reportedly, Madhav’s arrest was in connection with a case related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

However, India Today in an inadvertent error reported that it was Manish Sisodia who was arrested by the CBI in place of his OSD triggering confusion in the minds of the netizens.

“Political face-off between AAP, BJP erupts over arrest of Manish Sisodia by the CBI,” read the India Today report.

India Today’s tweet.

As soon as India Today put out an error through its tweet, many social media users corrected India Today report by suggesting that it was his aide who was arrested, not Deputy CM Sisodia himself.


Despite social media users schooling them for their error, India Today is yet to correct its wrong reportage. However, the error by the media group came to use for certain left-liberal users, who further used it to target the CBI and the Election Commission.

Former Diplomat KC Singh, often known for his anti-Modi tweets, used the tweet to attack the Election Commission for allowing CBI to allegedly ‘arrest’ Manish Sisodia at a time when Delhi is going to polls on February 8.

Singh, who perhaps did not comprehend the facts of the case, advised the Election Commission that they should have waited for another day before ‘arresting’ Sisodia. Singh said that Sisodia was not going to flee from India and urged the officers to instead search Sisodia’s house if they thought he could tamper with the evidence.

It is rather shocking that Singh, who had served as India’s Ambassador to various countries failed to even understand the basic facts pertaining to the case.

Delhi will vote on February 8.

Portable Mosques arranged for Muslim athletes and supporters during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

0

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics that are scheduled to begin from July 24 will see mobile mosques for the athletes and supporters belonging to the Islamic faith. The decision has been made due to the unavailability of appropriate prayer areas in hotels and public spaces in Tokyo.


The “mobile mosque” will host a 48-square-meter prayer room on the back of a parked truck. The back of the vehicle can be widened within seconds and will have provisions for pre-worship cleaning (Wuḍūʾ). The modified truck will also carry Arabic signage.

The portable masjid is the brainchild of an organisation named The Yasu Project.  CEO Yasuhara Inoue said, “I want athletes to compete with their utmost motivation and for the audience to cheer on with their utmost motivation as well. That is why I made this.”

2020 Tokyo Olympics mobile mosque
The extended mosque on wheels

He also claimed that the idea of mobile mosques will bring awareness about the different people co-existing in this world, besides promoting a non-discriminatory and peaceful Olympic Games.

Muslims constitute only about 0.1% in total population in Japan. An investigation by Waseda University found close 105 mosques in Japan, most being located on the outskirts of the capital city. As such, it is likely to cause inconvenience to the Muslims willing to pray 5 times every day. The portable mosques that are to be placed outside gaming venues will solve this issue.

In an email to Reuters, the Tokyo Games committee stated, “The Organising Committee is preparing a list of religious or faiths centers that could be contacted or visited if requested by residents of the Villages during the Games.”

MNS puts up poster outside CM Uddhav Thackeray’s house demanding expulsion of Pakistani and Bangladeshi infiltrators from his ‘own backyard’ Bandra

After teetering around the periphery of political oblivion for some time, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has shown unprecedented alacrity in staking a claim at the Hindu Nationalist space in Maharashtra that was vacated by Shiv Sena on the account of their new ‘secular-liberal’ alliance with Congress and NCP to form a government in the state.

The Raj Thackeray-led party has doubled down on its strategy of cornering the Uddhav Thackeray government on the issue of pervasive illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Pakistan in Maharashtra.

MNS party has put up posters outside Uddhav Thackeray's residence asking him to evict the illegal immigrants from Bandra area
Posters erected outside CM Uddhav Thackeray’s residence(Source: Indian Express)

The workers of MNS today put up a poster outside Matoshree, the residence of CM Uddhav Thackeray, seeking to evict Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh from the colonies which have cropped up in CM’s own area-Bandra. “Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators need to be evicted from India. If this is your stand, then you need to clean up these colonies of infiltrators which have cropped up in your own backyard in Bandra first,” the poster read.

Read: To fill the void left by newly ‘secular’ Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray’s MNS goes saffron on Balasaheb’s birth anniversary

MNS is set to organise a massive rally on upcoming Sunday, February 9, against the illegal immigrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh residing in Mumbai. Last month, firebrand politician Raj Thackeray had announced about the rally while launching an offensive against the illegal immigrants. “India needs to intensify its security even if it means people are inconvenienced. We are a ticking bomb. It is important to throw out Muslims from Pakistan and Bangladesh and for this, I am with Prime Minister Modi,” he had said.

Recently, the MNS had also put up flags in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, asking Pakistani and Bangladeshi illegal immigrants to leave or get evicted “MNS-style”.

Sena, however, has been maintaining that they do not see MNS’ new avatar as a threat. In an earlier Saamana editorial, Shiv Sena had stated that Raj Thackeray should stay firm with Hindutva, even if it has been borrowed from Shiv Sena. They added that MNS is unlikely to get any political leverage from it as Shiv Sena had never shed their “saffron colour.”