The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to AAP MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra from Punjab, seeking interim bail to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.
Majra, who is a representative from the Amargarh assembly constituency in Malerkotla, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case.
A vacation bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Aravind Kumar issued notice to the ED and sought its response on the plea filed by Majra seeking interim bail till June 4 to campaign for the elections.
Voting for Punjab’s 13 Lok Sabha seats will take place in the seventh and final phase on June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.
The bench, however, said it was not inclined to grant interim relief to Majra without hearing the opposite parties. The apex court sought replies within a week.
On May 24, the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his plea challenging his arrest, thereafter he approached the top court.
The CBI had conducted raids in May 2023 on premises linked to Majra in connection with an alleged bank fraud of Rs 40 crore.
In September 2022, the ED had conducted raids on several premises linked to him as part of a money laundering probe into the case and seized Rs 32 lakh cash, some mobile phones and hard drives.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Wednesday (29th May), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and a police team jointly raided a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. The teams rescued 57 minors from there, including 31 girls and 26 boys illegally made to work in the slaughterhouse owned by one Yasin Qureshi. All of them were being made to do animal slaughtering.
According to reports, the rescued minors were lured from UP, Bihar, and West Bengal by promising them jobs in Ghaziabad. Instead, they were being subjected to inhumane work at the slaughterhouse. Now, action is being taken under sections of the Labour Act and IPC, in this matter.
NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanungo said that they had been getting information about this for a long time. After receiving concrete input, a joint raid was conducted at the International Agro Food slaughterhouse in the Mussoorie area of Ghaziabad. It is owned by a man named Yasin Qureshi who is a major player in the meat industry.
Kanungo added that 57 minors including handicapped people have been rescued but the number could go up as the operation is ongoing. The ages of rescued children are being verified, he noted, the raid took place on the complaint of ‘Mission Mukti’.
The minors were engaged in the work of cutting and packing meat in the unit. Some of the children were kept as bonded labour, they were kept hostage and forced to work in the factory for the last several years. All the children were paid Rs 300 per day for their work.
आज उत्तरप्रदेश के ग़ाज़ियाबाद ज़िले के मसूरी इलाक़े में याशीन कुरेशी के इंटरनेशनल एग्रो फ़ूड के पशु क़त्लखाने पर @NCPCR_ के निर्देश पर @Uppolice के साथ की गयी संयुक्त छापामार कार्यवाही में 57 नाबालिगों (31 लड़कियाँ व 26 लड़कों इनमें दिव्यांग भी शामिल हैं।) को रेस्क्यू किया गया है… pic.twitter.com/0pmkT2dHgg
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (मोदी का परिवार) (@KanoongoPriyank) May 29, 2024
Ghaziabad Police ADCP (Crime) Sacchidanand said, “The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi received a complaint that 40 children from West Bengal and Bihar were being illegally employed in a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. Taking action, a team was formed by the Ghaziabad Commissioner, and today, with all the teams, a rescue operation was carried out at the Agro International Food slaughterhouse in Dasna Masuri, rescuing 57 children.”
Watch: "The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in New Delhi received a complaint that 40 children from West Bengal and Bihar were being illegally employed in a slaughterhouse in Ghaziabad. Taking action, a team was formed by the Ghaziabad Commissioner, and today,… pic.twitter.com/vDW1WF8tIi
The ADCP said that the children were found to be working in a very miserable condition.
The complaint was filed by the Child Welfare Committee after receiving information on the illegal employment of children in the slaughterhouse. After that, the police along with NCPCR raided the slaughterhouse and rescued the children.
According to reports, the action continued for around three hours. During the interrogation of the children, it was revealed that they were brought here from Moradabad-Bareilly, Bihar, and West Bengal by being lured with jobs promising Rs 10-15 thousand. Efforts are underway to provide the rescued minors with the necessary support, including medical assistance, counselling, and rehabilitation services.
Police said that all the children would be presented before the CWC after giving them medical treatment.
According to the Police, the main business of International Agro Food is meat processing, freezing, and exporting to other countries. The owner of this slaughterhouse is Yasin Qureshi and legal action will be taken against him. A case has been registered under the Bonded Labour Act and relevant sections of IPC.
The joint team part of the rescue operation included NCPCR, Mukti Foundation, Police, Administration, Childline, Anti Human Trafficking Unit, and Labour Department teams.
According to the International Agro Food’s claims, their factories are HACCP-approved and ISO-certified. The animals are slaughtered in strict accordance with the Islamic practice of Halal. They export their meat products to most global destinations including all West African, CIS, Middle East, Egypt, South Asian, and Far Eastern countries. The meat products produced are supplied directly to importers, the catering industry, supermarkets, and wholesalers under our popular brands at highly competitive prices.
If PM Modi’s sharp attacks on Congress were not enough, the Congress party also fears his silence as its delegation exhorted the Election Commission to intervene and expressed concerns over the potential ramifications of PM Modi’s ‘silence vow’ on the eve of crucial electoral events.
A delegation from the Indian National Congress has requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take action regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned “Maun Vrat” (vow of silence). Modi previously announced that after the campaigning for the 7th and final phase, he would travel to Kanyakumari for meditation.
Senior advocate and Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, speaking on behalf of the delegation, voiced concerns about the potential impact of Prime Minister Modi’s ‘silence vow’ on the eve of critical electoral events.
In a statement to ANI after the delegation met with the Election Commission, Singhvi outlined their main concerns. “We informed the Election Commission that during the 48-hour silence period, no one should be permitted to campaign, either directly or indirectly,” he stated. Singhvi emphasized that while the Congress has no issue with any leader’s actions, it is crucial to prevent such actions from becoming a form of indirect campaigning during the vital silence period.
#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress delegation meeting the ECI, Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi says, "We told the Election Commission, that during the silence period of 48 hours, no one should be allowed to campaign, directly or indirectly. We have no objection to whatever any… pic.twitter.com/yzLsr7av89
The Congress delegation expressed their grievances regarding PM Modi’s announcement to start the “Maun Vrat” on the evening of May 30, coinciding with the beginning of the silence period. “The silence period is from 7 PM on May 30 until June 1. This violates the Model Code of Conduct,” Singhvi stressed. He further claimed that such tactics are either intended to continue campaigning indirectly or to keep the Prime Minister in the spotlight, potentially influencing voter sentiments unfairly.
The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday ordered Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company Limited (EARCL) to cease and desist from the acquisition of financial assets, including security receipts (SRs), and reorganising the existing SRs into senior and subordinate tranches. In the same order, the banking regulator also ordered ECL Finance Ltd (ECL) to cease and desist from undertaking any structured transactions in respect of its wholesale exposures with immediate effect.
EARCL and ECL both are entities under the Edelweiss group or the Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, based in Mumbai.
On the same day, SEBI slapped a ₹5 lakh penalty on packaging products company AGI Greenpac for “failure to provide accurate, adequate, and explicit disclosure resulting in misrepresentation to the stock exchanges”.
The action comes after OpIndia reported on the questionable role of Edelweiss in the insolvency proceedings against Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited (HNG) and how it worked in favour of AGI Greenpac in the proceedings.
In a press release, the RBI said that the action is based on material concerns observed during the course of supervisory examinations, essentially arising out of the conduct of the group entities acting in concert. As per RBI, the entities entered into a series of structured transactions for evergreening stressed exposures of ECL, using the platform of Edelweiss and connected AIFs (Alternative Investment Funds), thereby circumventing applicable regulations.
Edelweiss is accused of non-compliance with regulations pertaining to the settlement of loans and sharing of non-public information of its clients with group entities. The company also failed to RBI’s supervisory letter issued after a previous inspection before the board.
On the other hand, ECL Finance Ltd is accused of submission of incorrect details of its eligible book debts to its lenders for computation of drawing power, non-compliance with loan to value norms for lending against shares, incorrect reporting to Central Repository for Information on Large Credits system (CRILC) and non-adherence to Know Your Customer (KYC) guidelines. ECL took over loans from non-lender entities of the group for ultimate sale to the group ARC, and allowed itself to be used as a conduit to circumvent regulations that permit ARCs to acquire financial assets only from banks and Financial Institutions, the RBI said.
The regulator added that instead of taking meaningful remedial action to rectify the deficiencies, it was observed that the group entities were resorting to new ways to circumvent regulations. Over the last few months, the Reserve Bank has been engaging with the senior management of the companies and their statutory auditors, but no meaningful corrective action has been evidenced so far, necessitating the imposition of business restrictions.
RBI added that both companies have been directed to strengthen their assurance functions to ensure regulatory compliance in letter and spirit at all times.
In the SEBI order against AGI Greenpac, the market regulator said that the company withheld crucial information regarding its deal to acquire Hindustan National Glass. It also failed to disclose material developments with respect to disclosures made by it to the exchanges “dated October 31, 2022, and March 16, 2023”.
SEBI further stated that AGI Greenpac failed to disclose crucial information related to a show-cause notice issued by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to it in the HNG acquisition case. Before the SEBI order, Justice Vikramajit Sen, the former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court and judge of the Supreme Court, had said that AGI made “partial and deceitful disclosure” about the CCI approval.
In the HNG insolvency case, the role of Edelweiss and its collusion with other entities were revealed. Notably, DBS Bank initiated insolvency proceedings against HNG in 2021, and Ernst & Young was appointed as the company’s advisor.
Edelweiss ARC was one of the creditors to Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited, and thereby part of the Committee of Creditors formed in the insolvency process. AGI Greenpac won the bid to acquire HNG in the Committee of Creditors, leading to a monopoly in the market as it was the second largest Indian container glass maker, while HNG was the largest. The deal was approved by the CoC without the mandatory Competition Commission of India (CCI), violating norms.
AGI won the bid thanks to Edelweiss voting against INSCO, another bidder. Ignoring appeals by other players in the industry, CCI approved the deal later. However, the matter was taken to the courts and now the deal is pending before the Supreme Court.
Now, it has been revealed recently that Edelweiss was also the funding partner of AGI Greenpac, in whose favour Edelweiss voted in the HNG insolvency case. Edelweiss Alternate Asset Advisors had promised to give ₹1,100 crore to AGI for the acquisition of HNG. And one of the conditions for this deal was that the funding will be provided only if CoC selects AGI. It was revealed that someone had objected to Edelweiss ARC voting in the CoC, but this was ignored.
Edelweiss was also to get non-convertible debentures of HNG after the insolvency process was concluded. Therefore, Edelweiss was essentially on both sides of the deal – funding AGI to acquire HNG and also voting in HNG CoC to ensure that AGI’s proposal was passed.
All these indicated a collusion among Edelweiss, AGI and Ernst & Young to ensure that HNG was acquired by AGI under insolvency procedures.
The OpIndia report explained in detail how Edelweiss group has been exploiting the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code formulated by the Modi govt to resolve insolvencies, including the insolvency procedure of Hindustan National Glass & Industries Limited. It is suspected that there is a collusion between Edelweiss and Ernst and Young to subvert the insolvency process.
CCI granted approval to AGI Greenpac’s takeover of HNG in March 2023, even though INSCO had emerged as winner in the bid. The decision was cleared by the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in July 2023, rejecting a complaint by rival bidder INSCO. However, after more complaints and litigation, the CCI in February 2024 gave the clean chit to INSCO to acquire HNG.
On Wednesday (29th May), Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena suspended Dr. RN Das, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj with immediate effect, according to an official order. Das has been suspended in connection with alleged irregularities in the procurement of medical kits.
In the order issued on Wednesday, the directorate said, “The Hon’ble Lt. Governor, Delhi, in the exercise of the powers conferred by sub-rule (1) of Rule-10 of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, hereby, places the said Dr. R.N. Das, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to Hon’ble Minister (Health), GNCTD, under suspension with immediate effect.”
As per the order, during the period of suspension, Das shall remain in Delhi headquarters and can not leave the headquarters without obtaining the previous permission of the Competent Authority.
According to news agency ANI, Das’ suspension pertains to his alleged involvement in the irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes.
Delhi LG, VK Saxena has approved the suspension of Dr. RN Das, OSD to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, for his alleged involvement in irregular and illegal registration of private nursing homes. pic.twitter.com/G8QNdOUit5
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has also alleged his role in the registration process of a children’s hospital in Vivek Vihar where six newborns died in a fire incident on Saturday night (25th May).
Earlier in April this year, the Directorate of Vigilance issued a show cause notice to Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj’s OSD RN Das in connection with the alleged irregularities in the procurement of various items. These included Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, gloves, masks and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits worth around Rs 60 crore during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.
According to the notice, the Directorate of Vigilance observed that “certain medical items were purchased to favour few individuals and companies/ firms and, thereby, caused wrongful gain to the companies and loss to the government…”
Das, the OSD to current Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, held the same position under former Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who resigned in 2023, the DoV notice issued in April had read.
Delhi’s AAP government and sources close to OSD Das had denied the allegations claiming that Das was neither the OSD to Saurabh Bharadwaj nor Satyendar Jain during the said period. Sources close to Das said that he had become OSD to the health minister on 14th March 2023. They claim that Das was only the chairperson and member of the technical committee in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, the time period when the allegations date back. According to them, there are three to four members in the technical committee.
However, DoV notice had read, “Das… was in the forefront in managing tenders in favour of a particular family in different company names, and the conspiracy was hatched in the backdrop of the Covid crisis…”
It further said that the Covid pandemic was used as a “reason and basis to swindle crores of rupees from the public exchequer”. It added, “…Health department officials have used the context of the Covid pandemic for enriching these private companies, and intentionally allowed cartelisation among them…”
The DoV further mentioned in the notice that Das chaired three committees for the procurement of single-use gloves, sterilised gloves, and N-95 masks and that the technical evaluation committee — chaired by Das — “extended undue favours by qualifying a firm in the absence of such certificates for net worth, experience, and proving that it was a glove manufacturer”, Indian Express had reported in April this year.
The notice also cited the procurement of RAT kits and said that the rate of kits was quoted at Rs 459.20 per unit, which was Rs 9.20 higher than the initial unit price.
The notice stated, “It is observed that the rate of RAT kits progressively declined every month, so much so that within a span of six months, RAT kits were available at a rate of Rs 31.50 per unit.”
The DoV had asked him to submit his reply with an explanation within seven days.
In February this year, OpIndia reported an incident wherein one Fardeen Mohammad and his accomplice Rauf brutally attacked a 17-year-old minor Hindu girl named Pooja for refusing to withdraw a molestation case. The accused attacked the girl with a sharp fodder cutter, while she was on her way to her coaching class. The incident transpired in Kashipur in Uttarakhand’s Uddham Singh Nagar district. The police had arrested the accused and he was jailed. However, Fardeen, his brother and co-accused Aaqib got bail on the 24th of May.
"Tumhara Baap Bahar Aa Gaya Hai! Settle Kar Lo Case Nahi To Tujhe Aur Tere Khandan Ko Kaat Daalunga… <Religious Slogans>..!"
– Mohd Fardeen thπea†ens the family of the Hindu girl (in quoted tweet) after being released on bail.
After getting released from jail, the accused received a grand welcome with drums playing and firecrackers bursting into the night. A crowd had gathered to ‘welcome’ accused Fardeen. It has been reported that on the 25th of May, Fardeen arrived at the Hindu girl’s house along with the crowd and threatened her. Following this, the police registered a case under Section 195A, 506 and detained 8 people. All of them were released after a challan was imposed.
In his complaint, the victim’s father said that on the night of 25th May, he woke up to the drum beats and noise created by the accused and the mob accompanying him. The accused and the mob raised religious slogans outside the Hindu victim’s house and threatened with dire consequences.
After this, accused Aaqib threatened the victim and her family saying that now he has come out and will go to jail only after killing the whole family. While leaving, Aaqib threatened the girl’s family saying that if they supported the girl, he would not even let even their dead body be found.
Meanwhile, SP Kashipur, Abhay Singh said that the police are questioning 8 to 10 people involved in threatening the victim’s family adding that strict action will be taken against those attempting to disrupt the peace in the region.
Uttarakhand government had demolished Fardeen’s house in February
It must be recalled that after Fardeen and other accused persons were arrested for attacking the Hindu girl. The BJP government in Uttarakhand bulldozed Fardeen’s illegal house constructed on government land.
As reported earlier, three days before the administration razed Fardeen Mohammad’s house, he and his accomplice Rauf had brutally attacked a 17-year-old minor Hindu girl named Pooja with a sharp fodder cutter, while she was on her way to her coaching class. The accused fled leaving the girl bleeding on the streets. The commuters rushed her to a nearby hospital. However, the incident was caught on the CCTV camera installed on the road which helped the police identify and arrest the accused.
The accused Muslim youths attacked the girl since she was refusing to withdraw a molestation case that she and her family members had previously lodged against Fardeen. Fardeen had been arrested in the molestation case and was out on bail when he attacked Pooja. Notably, when Fardeen launched the attack on Pooja, his father Rizwan and his brothers Bilal, Aaqib, Anas and Afridi were also standing there but none of them stopped Fardeen from attacking the girl. After the incident, the police had booked Fardeen under IPC sections 147, 307, 323, 354, 452, 504 and 506.
On 27th May, the Gurugram police in a joint operation with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended social media ‘influencer’ Balwant Kataria, popularly known as Bobby Kataria, for his alleged involvement in human trafficking, fraud and other offences. On 28th May, a city court sent him to a three-day police remand. As per reports, the Gurugram Police and the NIA jointly raided his residence in Gurugram’s Sector 109 and the YouTuber was arrested from his office in Conscient-One mall which is also situated in the same sector.
During the raids, the officials also recovered several suspicious documents, four mobile phones and a huge stash of cash (Rs 20 lakh). He was taken into custody after the Gurugram Police submitted a formal complaint against him. According to the authorities, he has been associated with a major human trafficking network since the previous year and could have connections to a global gang. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) crime Varun Dahiya, “All aspects of the investigation are being looked into by the police.”
The First Information Report revealed that he and other human traffickers had kidnapped and detained more than 150 Indians. Their passports and other identification were taken away and they were pressured into engaging in cybercrime activities for a Chinese enterprise. The victims also suffered from serious abuse, according to the FIR.
The 38-year-old social media celebrity reportedly posted job openings in other countries on his Instagram profile, according to a complaint lodged by Arun Kumar of Gopalganj, Uttar Pradesh, and Manish Tomar of Dhaulapur, Hapur. After being swayed by the advertisement, they got in touch with Bobby Kataria’s team and were invited to his office in Gurugram’s sector 109 where they were promised jobs in the United Arab Emirates and had to pay a registration fee of Rs 2,000. They further deposited over Rs 4 lakh into his accounts in three instalments in persuasion of their aspirations.
Arun Kumar shared, “I met Bobby Kataria on 1st February in his office and he gave me assurance of getting a job in the UAE after taking Rs 2,000 as a registration charge. I then transferred Rs 1.5 lakh to his account and got a ticket for Vientiane (the capital of Laos). Similarly, my friend Manish Tomar was also assured of getting a job in Singapore. Kataria charged Rs 2.59 lakh from Tomar and he too got a ticket to Vientiane and boarded the flight on 28th March 28.”
He added that they were met by someone called Abhi at the airport in Vientiane, who identified himself as Bobby Kataria’s friend after which a Pakistani man dropped them off at a hotel. Arun Kumar unveiled, “The next day, we were taken to an anonymous Chinese company, where we were thrashed and our passports were taken away. We were forced to commit cyber fraud targeting the US (United States) citizens. Around 150 Indians, including women, had been brought there through human trafficking and were being held hostage. On the third day, we managed to escape and approached the Indian Embassy. After returning, we asked Kataria to return our money, but he refused.”
Afterwards, they went to the authorities and an FIR was registered against Bobby Kataria and others under sections 323 (causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), 420 (cheating), 364 (abduction), 370 (buying and disposing of any person as a slave), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 10/24 of the Immigration Act.”
On 27th May, the National Investigation Agency and local police collaborated to raid many sites in six states and Union Territories as part of a human trafficking case including forced cybercrimes. The search resulted in the arrest of five individuals named Manish Hingu of Vadodara, Pahlad Singh of Gopalganj, Nabialam Rai of southwest Delhi and Sartaj Singh of Chandigarh were nabbed along with Bobby Kataria who was caught following a tip-off of the NIA.
Who is Bobby Kataria
Bobby Kataria whose real name is Balwant Singh Kataria, is a native of the Basai village in Haryana. He is a bodybuilder, social media personality, and businessman from Gurugram. He is the founder of the Gurgaon-based non-governmental organization (NGO) Yuva Ekta Foundation. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a powerlifter who has set state and all-time records and has a bachelor’s degree in law. He has more than 3.5 lakh Instagram followers, however, his YouTube and Instagram profiles are presently disabled.
Bobby Kataria’s defunct Instagram account.
According to Bobby Kataria, he can design individualized diet and exercise regimens for people based on their individual fitness or competitive objectives. He reportedly not only coaches people in fitness but also makes promotional appearances in a variety of fields, including business, social services, events and product lines. According to his profile, he also speaks to organizations and interest groups and makes guest appearances on radio and television. He claims to actively support a number of public programs and facilities.
He began a consultancy business in February 2023 to provide employment to persons seeking opportunities abroad. He was spotted in multiple Facebook videos promoting alleged Canada visas he obtained for his clients and talking about a work opportunity in Russia.
Bobby Kataria’s controversial past
Notably, Bobby Kataria has already made headlines in the past for all the wrong reasons as he found himself in soup for breaking the law on many occasions including smoking a cigarette on an aeroplane and consuming alcohol in the middle of the road. A Dehradun court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for public intoxication and traffic obstruction.
Bobby Kataria landed himself in significant legal difficulties in 2022 after a video surfaced of him idly relaxing, hogging a whole row of seats, lighting a cigarette and taking a few puffs inside an aeroplane as a Haryanvi song can be heard in the background. He claimed that the clip showed a dummy plane and it was filmed during the shooting. However, according to the initial internal investigation of the airline, the incident happened inside the plane during boarding, as clearly displayed in the footage he posted.
इस देश में एयरपोर्ट पर सुरक्षा का हाल ये है । @AmitShah जी @AmitShah जी ये व्यक्ति सरेआम देश के क़ानून की धज्जियाँ उड़ा रहा है ।कितनी चूक है सुरक्षा में ये कारनामा । pic.twitter.com/JybE1EnGJh
Another video featured a smug Bobby Kataria setting a table and chair in the midst of a busy road in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand came to light in which could be witnessed drinking alcohol. He also ate a snack and held a water bottle as alcohol was visibly placed in front of him while “Apun ki dadagiri” (My bullying), “Aim kaim kaisi shame, name kaa yeh game hai (what shame, it is all about the name) and “Road apne baap ki” (My father owns the road) plays in the background and the caption declared, “It’s time to enjoy on the roads.”
Bobby Kataria turned himself in for the case in front of a Uttarakhand court in Dehradun in October 2022. Just one week before the surrender, he was given bail for smoking inside a passenger aircraft. Last week, a Dehradun court issued an arrest warrant for him without the possibility of bond since he did not show up for his scheduled police appearance.
#Uttarakhand police @uttarakhandcops has filed a FIR against social media influencer Bobby Kataria under various sections of IPC for purportedly drinking on the road and posting video online. This video of Bobby Kataria ?is believed to be shot somewhere in #Dehradun dist pic.twitter.com/Ob8X0YNQW9
A formal complaint was filed against Bobby Kataria in 2022 for physically assaulting a woman and making derogatory remarks about her on social media as well as threatening to kill her. The complainant, who lives in Ashok Vihar, Phase 3, Gurugram, stated in the First Information Report that the accused and his friends attended a championship arranged in Gurugram’s Sector 5 and forcibly halted the event. Additionally, they awarded medals and cash to their own team members after declaring them the winners.
He is notorious for spreading gun and gang culture on social media and producing problematic content, particularly on Instagram where he posts videos about fitness among other things for his wide audience.
Kerala police have registered a case against Malayalam film director Omar Lulu for allegedly raping an actor multiple times, based on the woman’s complaint. On Tuesday (28th May), an officer of the Ernakulam Rural Police said that an investigation was launched after registering an FIR against the director based on the woman’s complaint, reportedly a young actor. Meanwhile, the director has rubbished the allegations claiming that it stems from personal enmity.
According to the Police, the Kochi City police commissioner received the complaint. After the FIR was lodged, the case was transferred to the Nedumbassery police station under the Ernakulam rural police, as the alleged crime was committed under its jurisdiction. Omar Lulu has been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 376 (Punishment for rape), the official said.
After registering the case at Nedumbassery Police Station, the Police have recorded the statement of the victim.
As per the police officials, in the complaint, it is alleged that Omar raped the complainant after taking her to several places between January and April this year. She added that the director promised to cast her in his movies. After raping her, the accused had also promised to marry her, the complaint further alleges.
The Police officials have stated that Lulu, the sole accused in the case, will be summoned for questioning.
Regarding the case, a Police officer said, “The victim first filed a complaint with the Kochi city police commissioner. Based on the complaint, Palarivattom police conducted a probe. However, considering that the rape incident took place near Nedumbassery, the case was recently transferred to us. We have registered a case for rape under IPC Section 376. The statement of the victim has been recorded. Now film director, Omar Lulu, who is the sole accused in the case will be summoned for questioning.”
Responding to the allegations, Omar Lulu has denied the sexual assault allegations against him.
On Tuesday, he said that the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by the young actor stem from personal enmity. He added that it could also be part of blackmail to extort money from him. According to Lulu, he had a close friendship with the actor, and she had acted in his last movie. He added that the complaint could be rooted in her resentment resulting from their severed friendship and the fact that she was denied a role in his ongoing project. He added that he would fully cooperate with the police investigation.
As per Onmanorama, Omar Lulu dismissed the allegations saying, “I have been friends with this girl for a long time. She accompanied me on many trips. However, there was a rift in our friendship, and we haven’t been in contact for six months. She also acted in my recent movie. Now, as the new movie started, she came forward with such a complaint. The motive behind such an accusation could be her frustration at not being given a chance in the film. Sometimes, it could also be part of an attempt to extort money.”
Many states have announced summer vacations in school owing to the scorching heat across India but Bihar has emerged as an exception where students are still attending classes facing the oppressive temperature due to which students are falling sick and fainting in different parts of the state. On 29th May more than 60 students in Begusarai and Sheikhpura passed out and collapsed in their classroom.
Intense heat wave conditions prevailing in #Bihar.
Several students in government schools fainted due to severe #heatwave in Sheikhpura and Begusarai.
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) May 29, 2024
On the morning of 29th May, at least 50 kids passed out at Mankaul Middle School in the Ariari block of Sheikhpura district amidst an acute heatwave, where temperatures are rising to between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius. Six pupils lost consciousness initially, but many more soon began to fall on the ground. The incident occurred when they went to an assembly for prayers before going to class. The entire situation threw the village and school into disarray.
When the ambulance failed to arrive, the unconscious students were given water and electrolytes and taken straight to the Sadar hospital in the district on bikes, tempos, and e-rickshaws. The locals, however, were incensed by the ambulance’s delay in reaching the spot and they proceeded to blockade the road and demonstrate against the government. Suresh Prasad narrated, “Students from the 8th grade started fainting in class after attending the assembly. We provided them with water and electrolytes and called for an ambulance. When it didn’t arrive, we used private vehicles to take them to the hospital.”
Meanwhile, at around 10 am approximately eighteen female pupils from Matihani Middle School in the Matihani block of the Begusarai district fainted from the extreme heat and were taken to Matihani Referral Hospital for medical attention. All the schools are open despite temperatures exceeding 40 degrees in Begisurai. School Headmaster Chandrakant Singh tried administering the ORS solution to the students however, it didn’t help after which all the girls were admitted to hospital.
The girls began passing out from the heat, according to the headmaster, however, the institution has fans, electricity and a generator set up. The girls received first aid at the school, but when their condition grew worse, they were all sent to the hospital to receive treatment. The students received a midday lunch in the school after 10 o’clock and were granted leave when family members began to arrive at the hospital and school after learning that the children were sick. The leave violates the official directive which has pronounced that the schools must remain open despite the severe temperature.
A school cook and many students suffered from the same fate in the Banka district on 29th May. A cook fell unconscious due to the heat in UMS Lalwamor Shambhuganj while the health of many young girls and boys at Middle School Baidpur and Middle School Mirzapur deteriorated due to the unbearable heat. A female pupil of Banka Sadar block’s Primary School Lilagoda passed out. Ayush Kumar, a student at NPS Kakna in the Sadar block, suffered nose bleeding. After two female students from two different Belhar block schools fainted, they were sent to the Community Health Center Belhar for medical attention.
Two ninth-grade pupils at LND Project Balika Uchcha Vidyalaya under Bounsi in the Banka district had an abrupt decline in their health. Both students complained of vomiting because of the heat and passed out. Likewise, two students passed out from intense heat in Aurangabad. The incident happened at the Government Higher Secondary School, which is situated in the Madanpur block of the Aurangabad district’s Chhalidohar village. Two kids had heat stroke and lost consciousness, causing a commotion across the entire school.
After the teachers called 112, the students were admitted to Community Health Centre Madanpur, where the doctor noted that both of their conditions had improved following first assistance. On 29th May, another six youngsters fainted and fell unconscious at the same time at Kurmichak Middle School in the Ghoswari block after which a 10-year-old was sent to a private clinic in nearby Samyagadh in haste due to her critical condition. Notably, similar reports have surfaced from different regions of Bihar creating major concerns for parents and teachers.
The Bihar government was asked to address this issue seriously by educators and parents. Residents voiced their outrage, arguing that, in light of the intense heat, Additional Chief Secretary KK Pathak should issue an order to close the schools. They pointed out that the temperature ranges from 42 to 45 degrees Celsius on 29th May. Notably, the then Additional Chief Secretary of Education Department KK Pathak had written so many letters during the winter season in response to the then-Patna District Magistrate’s order to close schools that officials of other districts did not want to take such a risk. The transfer of Patna DM marked the end of that correspondence.
The department of the Education Minister of the Grand Alliance (RJD-JDU-Congress) government was also changed due to trouble with KK Pathak. The Education Department has ordered kids and teachers to report to school instead of enjoying the annual summer vacation and their positions are under threat if they do not comply. He has instructed the teachers to report to school at 6 am during the summer. Schools are now opening from 6 am to 1.30 pm when the temperature is at its peak. Orders from KK Pathak are reputed to be eccentric. Sometimes he directs teachers to come to school on festivals including Holi, and other times he cancels the leave granted on Bihar’s biggest festival “Chhath.” Many times, the education department of Bihar has to withdraw its decisions due to opposition and embarrassment.
In the Jamui district of Bihar, 13 teachers incurred salary deductions after being deemed absent and chastised for “bed performance” instead of “bad performance” owing to a typing error. This triggered protests from teaching associations. On the 22nd of May education department officials carried out surprise inspections at several schools in Jamui. During the inspections, numerous teachers were absent and many more performed poorly.
Taking note of the absence and unsatisfactory performance of such teachers, the local district education officer (DEO) released an official letter detailing the action taken against the negligent teachers. More than the erring teachers, the letter ended up exposing the Bihar education department’s “bad performance”.
According to the letter, 13 teachers had their salaries cut for “bed performance”. As the letter went viral on social media, the DEO’s office soon issued a clarification. “Bad performance was mistakenly typed as ‘bed performance’ due to a typing error” according to the DEO.
Hahaha… मास्टर साहबों के वेतन bed performance पर काटने का आदेश हुआ था। अब bed को Bad performance से रिप्लेस कर दिया गया है। धन्य हो। pic.twitter.com/vPPJwRCI0m
निरीक्षण कार्य से अनुपस्थित तथा *Bed Performance करने वाले टोला सेवक का वेतन कटा। पैसे देकर एजेंसी द्वारा बहाल डाटा एंट्री ऑपरेटर हाल देखिए.. ? pic.twitter.com/A0OcIwPKHy
— Educators of Bihar (@BiharTeacherCan) May 23, 2024
Meanwhile, teaching associations have voiced concern that such mistakes undermine the department’s credibility and teachers’ dignity.
The concerned authorities have assured to take steps to prevent similar blunders in the future and prioritise increasing education quality in the district. Reports say that affected teachers will get their deducted salary once the correction is officially acknowledged.
