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You can opt out of our calls, but then don’t come back to us for our products and solutions: Watch what Bajaj Finserv chairman and MD Sanjiv Bajaj said

Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv, Sanjiv Bajaj has said that the company will soon give people an option to opt out of its spam calls, but those who choose to do so should not approach the company again for its services. 

“You will see in three months’ time on our website and our web app, an option, you click it, and we will never bother you again. You have the right to be forgotten by us. But then make sure you never come back to us for our products and solutions,” he informed at an event.  

“Because for the few thousand who do get bothered and I can understand that because they get so many calls and unfortunately a lot of those calls are not us. But if you ask me, ‘Can you tell me 100% sure’ I also can’t because there are so many numbers that they come from. But we want to give people the right to be forgotten by us as well,” he added.

However, the announcement didn’t go down well with the netizens who registered their displeasure on Twitter. One person remarked that he has never asked the company for a loan and never use Bajaj’s services again if they just stopped calling.

Swathi Bellam stated that the company is giving loans and not alms to the people. She further continued that people don’t have to show “gratitude to your company for the pestering calls offering loans.”

Malini wondered why people had to wait for three months to stop getting calls from Bajaj Finance, and why the company wasn’t being penalized for its spam calls.

One user commented that “loans are not freebies” and he shouldn’t make it sound like “charity.”

Another user wrote that Sanjiv Bajaj is “clueless” and vowed never to use Bajaj Finance in the future.

Cogito equated Sanjiv Bajaj with Rahul Gandhi.

An individual labelled the statement as “overconfidence and arrogance” and claimed that the company will go down in future.

Sanjiv Bajaj acknowledged that the present system might be problematic at times but emphasised the significance of outreach.”We issue 3 million loans a month and we get 1,500 complaints a quarter. No doubt, we have 1,500 people we have to solve for, to understand why they are getting bombarded, without 3 million people losing out on the opportunity to be financially included”, he said.

According to him, the lender presently receives 15% of its business as a result of telemarketing calls. This is a considerable sum, especially given that Bajaj Finance offers several small-ticket loans.

Loans marketed via phone calls are anticipated to account for less than 10% of Bajaj Finance’s total revenue. The company eventually hopes to reach a point where it will stop calling consumers to inquire about loans.

Gadar 2: SGPC demands action after video of a romantic scene shot in Gurdwara goes viral, director issues apology

Bollywood and controversy have been synonyms for many years. Now, Anil Sharma’s magnum opus, Gadar 2: The Katha Continues, the sequel of the iconic cult classic “Gadar”, starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel is embroiled in a fresh controversy.

On June 7, Wednesday, a video of a romantic scene from the movie leaked online in which the two actors can be seen gazing at each other while standing arm in arm in a Gurdwara at Chandigarh while the dhol is playing in the background. Some youths dressed as Nihang Sikhs are also seen performing the traditional Gatka (Sikh martial art).

As the clip went viral on the internet, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) slammed the filmmakers and Sunny Deol for filming a romantic scene inside a religious place. They have also objected to the use of the traditional Gatka in the video.

“A video is going viral in which the Hindi film actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sunny Deol is there. It is being told that the footage is from Gadar 2 and they have used Gurdwara as a venue for shooting the love sequence which cannot be filmed inside a Gurdwara. Flowers are being showered and Singhs are doing Gatka around them,” SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal protested in a video released by the organisation and tagged both the actor and BJP’s Twitter handle.

“The film’s director and Sunny Deol should understand that Gurdwara is not a place to shoot movies. Gurdwara is a place of reverence and boundaries. We strongly object to the scene and the gatka performed by the Singhs. The Sikh community feels humiliated by such depictions. Sunny Deol has to be held directly responsible for this,” he added.

According to reports, the scene which is has been slammed by the SGPC is the scene of the climax of the film, in which Sunny Deol meets the film’s lead Ameesha Patel inside the gurudwara after returning from Pakistan.

Gadar 2 director issues apology

After SGPC’s disapproval, the movie’s director Anil Sharma released a clarification on the issue and “sincerely” apologised for hurting or offending anyone unintentionally. “The shooting in Chandigarh gurdwara has led to a little confusion in the hearts of some friends. I have been taught ‘All religions are true, all religions are equal,’ and this is the mantra of Gadar 2’s unit,” he wrote on Twitter. However, Sunny Deol is yet to offer a statement on the matter.

Gadar 2 is a highly anticipated sequel to the 2001 blockbuster Gadar which was also directed by Anil Sharma and featured Sunny Deol as Tara Singh and Ameesha Patel as Sakeena Ali. It is expected to release in August but the filmmakers have not yet announced a release date.

MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande booked for violating prohibitory orders in Mumbai, had assembled to burn effigy of Aurangzeb a day after Kolhapur violence

In the aftermath of the Kolhapur violence which erupted after some people posted objectionable WhatsApp statuses praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan, the Mumbai police booked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Along with Deshpande, 8 others have been booked by the Mumbai Police under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

Notably, a sizable demonstration broke out in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, on Wednesday in opposition to a social media post that honoured the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb while demeaning a Maratha national icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

A day after this incident, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande in Mumbai’s Shijavi Park is said to have burnt the effigy of Aurangzeb. “FIR registered against MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others under Maharashtra police act 37, 135, for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in the aftermath of Kolhapur protests,” informed the Mumbai Police.

It is notable that Mumbai Police had issued prohibitory orders in the city following violence in Kolhapur under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act. According to the provisions of Section 37 of the act, the display of effigies is not allowed, among other restrictions like carrying arms, stones etc, when prohibitory orders are issued by a magistrate under this section. Section 135 lists the punishment applicable for violation of Section 37.

Meanwhile, 36 people have been arrested by the Kolhapur Police post massive violence in the city yesterday. As per the Police, 3 of the arrested persons are juveniles. Kolhapur Suprindent of Police (SP) Mahendra Pandit confirmed the development and added that the security in the city has been tightened though the situation has returned to normalcy.

“The situation of Kolhapur city and district has become normal since yesterday afternoon. 4 SRPF company, 300 Police constables and 60 officers deployed. Additional police arrangements have been made in the city to keep vigilance… 2 SRPF platoons from Pune, senior officers and a team of 100 jawans have come from Sangli and additional 1500 jawans have been deployed in the region,” the SP said.

According to the reports further, the police have filed 5 cases against persons who uploaded objectionable social media posts. The police are also said to have detained the persons and are interrogating them to know who influenced or allegedly forced them to post such controversial social media stories.

What happened in Kolhapur yesterday

Massive tensions erupted in the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday, June 7, amid peaceful protest by Hindu organisations against people who posted social media stories praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan on the glorious day when the state celebrated the 350th Rajyabhishek Day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The police had to resort to lathicharge and tear gas shells after the peaceful protest organised by several Hindu organisations was attacked by miscreants who pelted stones at the protesters. According to the local reports, the fight between the two groups happened after the Hindus were attacked by the miscreants.

Earlier, similar incidents were reported in Ahmednagar and Yavatmal districts of Maharashtra. In Ahmednagar, four persons had flaunted posters of Aurangzeb during a procession on Sunday in the Mukundnagar area. The police have filed a case against four people in total and have arrested two of them.

Further, in Yavatmal on May 17, Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against one person identified as Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan for uploading an Islamist propaganda social media story on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The accused person had posted a video in which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was seen bowing down before Aurangzeb. “Aurangzeb Hindustan ka Baap,” the video captioned.

Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign alone took 4.6 million Hindu lives

In the 17th century, Aurangzeb was seen as most ruthless Muslim king whose reign saw a scale of religious violence in India that is listed as 23rd in 100 deadliest episodes of atrocities in human history. Having imprisoned his father and killed his brothers for the throne, Aurangzeb unleashed one of the strongest campaigns of religious violence in the Mughal Empire’s history. Aurangzeb re-introduced the jizya tax, led a number of campaigns against non-Muslims, destroyed Hindu temples, and arrested and executed the ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.

He not only destroyed temples but also built mosques on the foundations of destroyed temples. Idols were smashed and briefly Mathura became known as Islamabad in local official documents, while the major Hindu pilgrimage sites in Varanasi and Somnath were destroyed. Such was the scale of the carnage that entire town and even provinces became depopulated from religious violence. Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign alone took 4.6 million Hindu lives, almost as much as in the Holocaust! During the Mughal-Maratha wars, about 2 million civilians died in war-torn lands due to famine, drought and plague.

In the current case, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others have been booked by the Mumbai Police under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act.

EAM Dr S Jaishankar underlines the advantages of PM Modi’s foreign policy in the last 9 years, laments Rahul Gandhi for taking domestic politics abroad

On 8th June 2023, the External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar addressed a special press conference on 9 years of the Modi government. In this conference, he underlined the achievements of the foreign policy adopted by the Modi government in the last 9 years and explained how the world has changed its view of looking towards India because of this policy. Dr S Jaishankar also lamented Rahul Gandhi for taking domestic politics abroad and seeking futile support from outside to achieve his desired political results in India.

Dr S Jaishankar said, “As we mark the completion of the nine years of the Modi government, I don’t feel anybody would dispute that the foreign policy is among many areas where there has been a significant transformation. It is reflected in the country’s highest standing, greater influence, bigger footprints, new concepts and stronger delivery.”

Dr S Jaishankar further said, “The world, especially the Global South, is looking at India as a development partner – as a reliable, effective development partner. The world is now looking at India not only as a collaborator but also as an economic partner. India is now becoming the fastest-growing economy in the world. In the last nine years, the country has been developing all-round.”

Dr S Jaishankar underlined how India’s growth story and foreign policy have made the world celebrate Indian culture. He said, “Today people want to listen to India and they feel that working with India will also increase their influence. Our tradition is being celebrated by the impact we are having on the world today.”

While answering a question about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi making comments about national politics in his international tours, Dr S Jaishankar said, “He (Rahul Gandhi) has a habit that when he goes out he criticizes the country, comments about our politics. The question is about what effect does it have on other countries. See, now the world is watching us. And what is the world seeing in us? The world is watching that elections are held in this country and sometimes one party wins in the elections, sometimes the other party. If there is no democracy in the country, then such a change should not come. Every election should have the same result. By the way, we know very well what will be the result of the 2024 elections.”

He added, “If you see, this narrative was first created here in our country. When it did not get any good response in the country, they took it abroad. Now he expects that the support gathered outside will work in the country. But the common man in the country does not connect with it. We have a democracy. You have your opinions, I have mine. You have a certain political view, we have our own. I don’t object to anything happening within the democracy of this country. But I don’t think that taking domestic politics abroad is in the best interests of the nation. Also, I don’t think that he will be able to build any credibility by doing so.”

Arvind Kejriwal’s speech at inauguration of Indraprastha University campus interrupted twice with sloganeering by AAP & BJP supporters

Today Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and LG- VK Saxena jointly inaugurated a new campus of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in East Delhi. However, his speech at the event was marked by multiple interruptions and sloganeering by supporters of both the Aam Adami Paty and Bharatiya Janata Party. Some audience present at the event objected to claims made by the AAP supremo while others hailed him, resulting in interruptions, after which Kejriwal appealed to them to listen to him first.

The first interruption took place after 4 minutes of the Delhi CM’s speech. He was claiming that the Delhi government has improved the government schools a lot, and the results were also visible. To this, someone in the audience objected. Arvind Kejriwal paused his speech, and asked him to raise any objections later. With folded hands, he requested to be allowed to continue. To this, AAP supporters started chanting ‘Arvind Kejriwal Zindabad’ slogans, interrupting the speech of their own leader.

In response, others in the audience, apparently BJP supporters, started chanting ‘Modi Zinadabad’ slogans, resulting a commutation at the event. After the noise came down, Arvind Kejriwal said, ‘had education system improved by such slogans, lots would have been done in 70 years’.

‘I requested you with folded hands, people from both parties, please listen to me for 5 minutes. If you don’t like my comments than you can chant slogans later also,’ Kejriwal begged the audience to keep calm and listen to his speech.

He said that he will speak for just 5 minutes, and if they don’t like what he says, they can leave. He asked them to sit down, and continued with his speech, generating claps from AAP supporters.

But another interruption took place after around 11 mins of the speech, when he was talking about the Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum scheme of the Delhi govt. It was announced in 2021 that under this scheme, Rs 2000 will be given to students of class 11 and 12 in seed money for developing business ideas. Talking about the scheme, Kejriwal said that Rs 2000 may seem like a small amount, but if 154 students come together, there will be Rs 30,000 in total, and with that money they can start a viable business.

However, someone from the audience interrupted by making some comments. After that, several members of the audience started doing a lot of noise. Arvind Kejriwal was visibly angry at this time, and he blasted a female official, questioning why he was invited if nobody is willing to listen to him. When the official said that AAP supporters are also making noises, Kejriwal said that they are doing it in response to the interruptions by the other section of the audience.

He again appealed the people to listen to him for 5 minutes, asking them to protest after his speech is over if they don’t like it. After that, he finished his speech without any further interruptions.

Interestingly, even before the speech, the inauguration of the campus by Kejwal already attracted controversy, as BJP had claimed that AAP was claiming credit for a project funded by the central govt. AAP had posted photographs of the campus, saying that it has been built by the Arvind Kejriwal govt.

However, BJP leaders and supporters countered the claim by showing that the foundation stone for the East Delhi campus of the university was actually laid by Smriti Irani in 2014, who was union HR minister at that time. Many also claimed that the campus construction was funded by the central govt.

Moreover, when Delhi govt announced that it will be inaugurated by the CM, the L-G’s office objected to the same, saying that the office of L-G V K Saxena had already been decided that the inauguration would be done by the L-G. A note from the L-G office said that it had already been decided that the launch would be done by Saxena and that the CM was aware of this. It said Kejriwal was supposed to be invited as the guest of honour and Atishi as a special guest.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj objected to this, saying the L-G can inaugurate police stations and Delhi Development Authority sports complexes if he wants, but education and higher education are state subjects. Finally, both the L-G and the CM jointly inaugurated the campus.

During his speech, VK Saxena addressed the claims of AAP, saying that foundation stone for the same was laid by former Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani in 2014. He further said that out of the total cost of Rs 378 crore spent in the new campus, Rs 346 crore was spent by the university from its own funds. He added that Delhi govt had approved approximately Rs 41 crore for the project.

Jharkhand: Four arrested for running Christian conversion drive in the name of free education in Chakradharpur

In Chakradharpur city of West Singbhum district of Jharkhand, four people have been arrested for conducting religious conversion drive and distributing related books in the garb of providing free education. In Kendo panchayat of Devgaon, three women and a man used to visit the Neeche Tola’s Kolsai village saying that they want to promote education and distributed pen, pencil, notebooks etc among the village children.

On Wednesday, June 7, the villagers found that their children have been provided books containing information about Jesus Christ and the Bible. Following this, they raised an objection and informed Sangeeta Savaiya, the deputy head of the village panchayat about it. Subsequently, Chakradharpur Police Station was informed about the attempt to convert the children to Christianity by teaching them books related to their religion. Sub-Inspector Vivek Pal arrived at the said village and arrested the four accused persons.

Deputy head of the panchayat Sangeeta Savaiya said that she was informed by the villagers that three women and a man are propagating Christianity in the name of free education over the last few days. She added that the village children were provided a book titled “Chitrankan Mera Saccha Adarsh”. 

Book distributed to children in Devgaon containing references to Jesus Christ and the Bible (Image via Lagatar.in)

The book included assignments in which children were instructed to colour some pictures. These exercises made mention of Jesus Christ or the Bible.

Book distributed to children in Devgaon containing references to Jesus Christ (Image via Lagatar.in)

Meanwhile, Chandrashekhar Kumar, the in-charge of Chakradharpur police station, stated that several persons had been apprehended at Devgaon. He added that an investigation has been initiated into the matter.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha takes Rajya Sabha Secretariat to court after losing Type VII bungalow he was not entitled to: Read details

Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha knocked on the doors of Delhi’s Patiala House Courts against the Rajya Sabha Secretariat after the latter cancelled the allotment of a Type-VII bungalow to him in March this year.

According to the Rajya Sabha Members Handbook, first-time MP Chadha is entitled to Type-V accommodation. MPs who are former Union Cabinet Ministers, former Governors or former Chief Ministers and former Lok Sabha Speakers, are entitled to Type-VII bungalow. Despite this, the AAP leader said that he has been ‘dispossessed’ from the official bungalow without due procedure and called the action taken by the RS Secretariat ‘illegal’ and ‘arbitrary’.

Chadha told TIE that he was not surprised that the allotment was cancelled. Calling the move a part of BJP’s vendetta politics, Raghav Chadha said it was an attempt to intimidate and silence him. 

“The cancellation of my allotted house is not an administrative decision; it is a blatant reflection of the BJP’s vindictive nature. The act reeks of political bias. It attempts to suppress my fearless voice in the Rajya Sabha, to pressurise and coerce me, and prevent me from holding the government accountable on core issues. Such acts of the executives targeting selective parliamentarians tantamount to illegal and unwarranted interference in the due discharge of their functions as the Representatives of the House. With its actions, the BJP has hit rock bottom of vendetta politics and jeopardised the basic structure of the Constitution itself, which envisages fearless discussions and dissent by the elected members of the House,” he said in a written reply.

Chadha said the cancellation notice was passed without any notice to him. “It bears mentioning that the allotment of the said accommodation was done by the Hon’ble Chairman of Rajya Sabha following the due process of law, after which the possession was taken, and I moved in with my family,” he said.

The court, as of now, has passed a stay order against the dispossession and listed the matter for the next hearing on July 10.

Why Raghav Chadha is not eligible for a Type-VIII bungalow

According to the Rajya Sabha Members Handbook, which was published in April 2022, Chadha is qualified for a Type-V accommodation in the ordinary course as he is a first-time member of parliament.

The handbook further states that MPs are eligible for Type-VII accommodations, the second-highest category accessible to Rajya Sabha MPs, if they have previously held the positions of Union Cabinet Minister, Governor, Chief Minister, or Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The two aforementioned standards are not met by Chadha.

Furthermore, the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Secretariat’s respective House Committees are principally in charge of assigning accommodations to MPs. According to the present rules, former Union Ministers who are still in office as Members of Parliament are permitted to keep their accommodations as Ministers until the appropriate House Committee assigns them to their rightful category.

However, the senior officials continue to reside in larger houses, as is customary among Indian politicians. The House Committee frequently grants relaxations to highly experienced leaders.

In Raghav Chadha’s case, he was given a Type-VII bungalow in New Delhi by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat last year on a special request made by him to Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

The Type-VII bungalow was allotted on request

It may be noted that as per the April 18 order of the Patiala House Court, Chadha, who was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab in March last year, was allotted a Type-6 bungalow, C-1/12, Pandara Park, on July 6, 2022.

After this, the AAP leader requested Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on 29 August 2022 to allot him a Type-7 bungalow. Considering his request, he was allotted Bungalow No. AB-5, Pandara Road, New Delhi on 8 September 2022. After accepting the allotment, Chadha moved in with his parents and got some renovation work done there.

After this, on March 3, he got the notice of cancellation of the allotment.

AAP and controversy over bungalows seem to have become a norm

Prior to this, the images of the sprawling mansion of AAP chief ‘aam admi’ Arvind Kejriwal went viral on social media.

As per a report by Times Now, the mansion is located at 6 Flagstaff Road in the Civil Lines area of the National Capital. Dubbed as the ‘Sheesh Mehal’ of the Delhi Chief Minister, it is spread across a 13000 square feet area.

An investigation by Times Now Navbharat found that the official bungalow of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Civil Lines was renovated at a cost of almost Rs 45 crore. The report, termed “Operation Sheesh Mahal,” said that Rs 44.78 crore of taxpayer funds were utilised for the renovations, raising questions about the Aam Aadmi Party’s commitment to promoting austerity.

The channel obtained documents that indicate the curtains at Arvind Kejriwal’s residence were priced at around Rs 5-8 lakh per piece. According to the documents, 23 curtains were approved for installation at the residence of Delhi CM and AAP national convenor, with a total cost of Rs 97 lakhs.

‘Go to hotel room’: Telangana temple priest after Adipurush director Om Raut kisses actress Kriti Sanon after visiting Tirupati temple

It appears that the cast and crew of Adipurush are always dogged by controversy. In the latest incident, Om Raut, the director of Adipurush, caused outrage when he kissed actress Kriti Sanon at Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati on June 7. The movie’s team attended a pre-release ceremony at Tirupati’s Sri Venkateswara University Stadium after which the duo was spotted at the temple for darshan. He was seen kissing Kriti Sanon goodbye outside the temple premises.

The Chilkur Balaji Temple’s head priest in Telangana called the action condemnable and voiced his opposition to it. “This is a condemnable act. Even a husband and wife do not go there (temple) together. You can go to a hotel room and do it. Your behaviour is like insulting Ramayan, and Goddess Sita,” he stated.

Ramesh Naidu Nagothu, the state secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party, expressed his disapproval at the public display of affection in a now-deleted tweet.

Source: Twitter

“After coming to the temple, I feel extremely amazing. It felt nice. We had a great darshan today morning. Yesterday, we put out the trailer. It’s a mesmerising feeling and I cannot put it into words,” Om Raut said while talking about his temple visit.

Many people opposed before when Kriti Sanon visited the Sita Cave and Kalaram Temple in Panchavati, Nashik. They were of the view that as their film’s release date approaches, Bollywood people start to practise religion. At the same time, several people advocated banning the use of religious places for movie marketing.

Adipurush is a cinematic adaption of the Indian epic Ramayana, which is directed by Om Raut. Kriti Sanon portrays Janaki in the movie, while Prabhas plays Raghav along with Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh. Sunny Singh appears as Lakshmana and Devdatta Nage dons the role of Bajrang. The multi-lingual project is reportedly made at a humungous budget of Rs 500 crore and is co-financed by Retrophiles and Bhushan Kumar’s T-series. It is all set to release in theatres on June 16 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

The movie was earlier in controversy over the look of the characters and perceived poor VFX. When the teaser of the movie was first released in October last year, the Ravana played by Saif Ali Khan resembled an Islamic invader and the look of Hanumana also didn’t resemble the description in Ramayana. Ram and Lakshman were seen wearing leather attire, which went against the description of simple attire during exile.

Kolhapur: Hindu minor threatened and abducted, Police books Imdad Nayakwadi and his aide Salman Pathan

Another case of love jihad has emerged from the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra which had recently witnessed violence over an objectionable WhatApp status praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan. The Police have booked two persons identified as Imdad Nayakwadi and Salman Pathan for issuing death threats to a Hindu minor and then abducting her and also trying to force her into marriage.

The case has been booked under sections 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 363 (Abduction), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (act furthering criminal conduct) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the case dates back to October 2022, but the complaint in the case was filed only on June 3 this year after the mother of the victim girl established contact with the girl to learn that she was brutally being beaten by the accused, Imdad.

The saga began in October last year when Imdad barged into the home of the victim girl and threatened her mother. “Send your daughter with me otherwise I’ll kill you and your daughters,” he said.

Accused identified in the copy

The victim girl was then abducted by the accused who later happened to force her into marriage. The accused, after a few days of abduction, again returned with his aide Salman Pathan and threatened the girl’s mother to keep quiet about the matter.

As per the complaint filed by the victim girl’s mother, the girl was taken to a specific locality by the accused and was made to reside in a rented apartment. The girl happened to call her mother after 2 to 3 months in which she revealed her location. The mother then immediately reached the spot and rescued the girl.

However, after a week or so, Imdad came home again and took the girl away with him. He also issued threats and warned the mother to keep quiet. After this incident, the mother kept in touch with the girl out of concern but could not trace her in person.

“Recently, she called me and said that Imdad was brutally beating her and that he has kept her hostage. She is not allowed to talk to the neighbours, or go out, or even talk to me on the phone. He has threatened my daughter that he would kill me and her sister if she does not follow his words,” the mother of the girl said in the complaint.

Complaint registered by girl’s mother

In the handwritten complaint, the woman also said that her daughter is in pain and that she wants her daughter back at any cost. The woman also said that earlier, the accused Imdad and Salman had trapped both her daughters and taken them to Panhala region of the city.

“I am mother of two twin daughters. When these two were in school, they were trapped in a relationship by the accused who later took them to Panhala. The boys had taken the girls away when they were returning home from their school. That time I had filed a complaint against the accused and had got my daughters back,” the mother said.

The FIR earlier registered against Imdad and Salman was filed under sections 354 D and 506 of the IPC. Relevant sections from the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 were also invoked.

A local Muslim corporator threatened the mother to withdraw the case

As per the complaint copy, the age of the victim girl is 17. Some of the audio call records between the mother and the victim obtained by OpIndia reveal that the girl is being brutally harassed and beaten by the accused. “He beats me and does not allow me to go out of the house. He also stops me from talking to the neighbours and over the phone,” the girl could be heard speaking in the records. The girl is also being pressurised for marriage.

The mother of the victim girl also said that a local Muslim corporator has also issued threats to their family and has warned them to withdraw the complaint against the two accused. “One Muslim nagarsevak, Riyaz Subedar threatened us to withdraw the case”, the mother of the girl could be heard saying in one of the phone call recordings obtained by OpIndia.

The FIR in the case has been filed under sections 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage), 363 (Abduction), 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (act furthering criminal conduct) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further investigations into the case are underway.

Wrestler Sakshi Malik, AAP leader Sanjay Singh and others spread fake news, use old photos to claim they show farmers assaulted by police in Haryana

On June 7, protesting wrestler Sakshi Malik and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh shared old photos on social media claiming that these are photos of farmers injured during the agitation demanding MSP for sunflower procurement. In the tweet, Malik wrote, “Farmers only demanded MSP. The cruel administration gave them batons and arrests. We condemn the arrest of Kisan leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni. He should be released at the earliest. The reports of martyr farmers during agitation have brought tears to our eyes.”

AAP leader Sanjay Singh wrote, “These are ‘Annadata’ of India. Their crime was they demanded the right price for their crops. Khattar government said, ‘If you demand a [right] price for the crops, we will kill you’.”

Many others shared these images of retweeted tweets claiming that these are farmers assaulted by police during the protest demanding higher MSP. However, all of them are spreading fake news, as the images they shared are several years old, and not related to the recent protest by farmers.

First, let’s discuss the images attached by Sakshi Malik and Sanjay Singh. The first image in which a Sikh man can be seen bareback with baton barks is from 2019. Twitter user Fabulous Guy shared a screenshot of an old tweet that contained the said photograph.

Upon research, OpIndia found that the particular photograph was from 2019. A Sikh driver got into an altercation with Delhi Police leading to injuries. As per reports of the incident, an argument broke out between the Sikh tempo driver of Gramin Sewa and the Delhi police personnel.

Source: Facebook

The Sikh man allegedly charged at the policemen with a sword in his hand. As a result, the Delhi Police personnel retaliated and thrashed him using batons. In the aftermath, the police personnel involved in the incident were suspended. The driver, identified as Sarabjeet Singh, was involved in similar altercations before, but he was let go with a warning.

The second image of a man with a head injury was from 2021. We found a tweet by journalist Mandeep Punia who shared the photograph with the details.

Now coming to the claim that farmer(s) died during the recent altercation between protesting farmers and Haryana Police. There are no reports of any protesting farmer dying during the recent incident. It is unclear where Malik picked the information.

Police cleared NH-44 on court orders

On June 7, Haryana Police used force to clear National Highway 44 (NH-44) at Shahabad in Kurukshetra of protesting farmers following orders from Punjab and Haryana High Court. Under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Charuni), the farmers had blocked the national highway demanding procurement of sunflowers at minimum support price (MSP).

The court directed the Haryana Government’s officials to ensure that NH-44 be kept open for “free flow and movement of the traffic, without any hindrance, so that the public is not inconvenienced”.

Calling the NH-44 lifeline of the country that connects the length and breadth of India, the court made it clear that the administration should exercise utmost restraint and use force to disperse the mob only as a last resort, which the police did.