On Tuesday (21st May 2024), the Madhubani district court in Bihar sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment for gang-raping a minor Hindu girl. The four convicts include Mohammad Zafar Ansari, Mohammad Jibril, Mohammad Ahmed, and Akhtar Ansari. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each of the convicts.
According to reports, the crime took place in the Harlakhi police station area of Madhubani. On 5th September 2022, the 16-year-old victim went with her brother to visit a fair in Kasera village. After some time, the victim went to a school near the fair venue for defecation. During this time, Mohammad Zafar Ansari, Mohammad Jibril, Mohammad Ahmed, and Akhtar Ansari also arrived there.
They caught hold of the victim and forcibly took her to the roof of the school building where they took turns to gang-rape her. Hearing the victim’s loud cries for help, people began gathering nearby. Fearing that they would be caught, all the culprits fled from the crime scene. However, passersby chased them, caught hold of Zafar Ansari, and handed him over to the Police.
During interrogation, he told Police that Mohammad Jibril, Mohammad Ahmed, and Akhtar Ansari were also involved in the crime. The police then raided and arrested the remaining three culprits. The next day, on 6th September 2022, the victim’s mother filed a complaint in the police station. Based on her complaint, the Police registered an FIR under Section 376 (D) of the IPC and POCSO Act and started an investigation.
The case was heard in the court of Devesh Kumar, the Additional District and Sessions Judge No. 7 (ADJ 7) of Madhubani. During the case proceedings, the defence and the prosecution submitted their arguments.
Following the completion of arguments by both sides, the court considered the evidence presented by the prosecution sufficient and sentenced Mohammad Zafar Ansari, Mohammad Jibril, Mohammad Ahmed, and Akhtar Ansari to life imprisonment.
The victim’s elder sister was also gang-raped: Victim’s Lawyer
Speaking with OpIndia, the victim’s lawyer said that the court, in its remarks, ordered that all the convicts be kept in jail until their last breath. He mentioned that during the trial, which lasted for one and a half years, the culprits changed lawyers multiple times; however, it proved to be of no benefit to them.
The court has asked the Bihar government to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh in this case. Advocate Ajay Jha Yash further stated that the victim’s elder sister was also gang-raped. The trial of that case is also going on in the court of ADJ 7. The sentencing in that case will be debated on 1st June 2024.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a plea challenging the transfer of the Bhushan Steel money laundering case from a judge who stated, “ED matters main kaun si bail hoti hai (Where is the question of bail in ED matters),” reported Bar and Bench. The Delhi High Court reserved its decision on 22nd May. Judge Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that judges lack public relations (PR) representatives to speak up for them and refute the lies about them.
“I want someone to talk about the rights of the judges also. This is a new issue. Judges don’t have PR offices that someone will speak for them about whatever nonsense is spoken about them,” she charged after considering the facts of the case as well as the ED’s assertions that these instructions would discourage judges who hear the agency’s matters.
According to the court, a judge is impacted when a case is transferred from them and could leave the district judiciary demoralised. “Being a judge for 32 years, people have been saying so many things against me after I passed orders in the last few weeks. Sab kuch bola bhi to nahi saktey hain na (We cannot say everything here). These orders (of transfer) get published everywhere. What effect does it have on the judge,” the court pointed out. Justice Sharma declared that she would be issuing a comprehensive order but she had not made up her decision as of yet.
Background of the matter
Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Jagdish Kumar who was hearing the case was replaced by Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Mukesh Kumar. The accused Ajay S. Mittal entered a plea, and on 1st May 1, the District & Sessions Judge at Rouse Avenue Court authorized the transfer. The hearing for Mittal’s bail request was scheduled for 10th April before Judge Jagdish Kumar. The matter was postponed until 25th April after the attorney requested more time to prepare for the arguments on the set date.
As the counsel left the courtroom, Mittal’s wife who is also a defendant in the case, overheard the judge addressing the court employees, “Lene do date, ED matters main kaun si bail hoti hai (let them keep taking dates, where is the question of bail in ED cases).” The District Judge accepted the motion and maintained that it was not feasible to establish that Mittal was incorrect or misguided in believing that the judge was biased in favour of the ED. The High Court was moved by the agency following the judge’s transfer.
When Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain represented the ED, he contended that the case was transferred based only on an affidavit that the accused’s wife had filed. He pointed out, “Ek zara bhi proof nahi diya hai unhone (They have not given even a speck of proof).” The agency mentioned that the claims could not be regarded as gospel truth and that none of the lawyers representing any side had heard the judge’s statement.
He highlighted, “We were there. The counsel for the other side was also there. No one has supported the allegations. Only on the word of the lady, the matter get transferred. This will have a deleterious effect. Any person who does not want their matter heard by a particular judge will make bald, substantiated allegations and get his matter transferred. It amounts to forum shopping. This is a classic case of forum shopping. They took repeated adjournments before the previous judge.”
He observed that the judge from whom the case was transferred is a Special Judge who oversees Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) and ED cases and is based at Rouse Avenue Court. He added, “Such a transfer will raise questions about his competence to handle any ED case.” Senior Attorney Sandeep Sethi, who was representing Mittal at the time, alleged that the transfer order was an administrative one. Mittal’s wife heard the comment, per him, and she swore an affidavit to that effect.
He claimed, “She did not make any allegation earlier. We are not choosing any court. We are not saying please transfer this case to a particular judge.” The senior advocate submitted that there is no alternative means of confirming the validity of the judge’s statement. “This is a very serious issue for us. We have all heard the phrase, justice should not only be done but it should appear to have been done.” The intricate problems of case administration, judicial integrity and the effects of administrative transfers within the judiciary will all be covered in Justice Sharma’s reserved decision.
Justice Sharma faces online trolling
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma faced a lot of criticism, especially from the Aam Aadmi Party and its ecosystem for her ruling against the party’s national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who claimed her to be biased and pro-Bharatiya Janata Party while creating false equivalences. A person charged, “How high court judge Swarna Kanta Sharma is giving discriminatory judgements. The case of Dilip Ray whose sentence was stayed because he had to contest elections on behalf of the BJP is a living example of it,” with a video of Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
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High Court की जज Swarna Kanta Sharma किस तरह से भेदभाव वाले जजमेंट दे रही है
इसका जीता जागता उदाहरण है दिलीप रे का मामला जिसकी सजा पर इसलिए रोक लगा दी गई क्योंकी इन्हें बीजेपी की तरफ़ से चुनाव लड़ना है
Another AAP supporter slammed her for allegedly “delaying the proceeding” over a “procedural point raised by BJP (ED),” implying that both the justice and the agency are working at the behest of the saffron party.
On just a 'procedural point' raised by BJP (ED), Delhi High Court Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma has allowed BJP (ED) to DELAY the proceeding.
Roshan Rai, an avid I.N.D.I. Alliance supporters referred to the judge as someone installed by the BJP and alleged, “Read the judgement by Swarna Kanta Sharma while dismissing Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest. You won’t be able to figure out if it is a BJP spokesperson speaking or a Judge of the Delhi High Court.”
Read the judgement by Swarna Kanta Sharma while dismissing Arvind Kejriwal's plea against his arrest.
You wont be able to figure out if it is a BJP spokesperson speaking or a Judge of the Delhi high court.
Similar remarks were made by a user, who characterized her as being partial toward the BJP while comparing the bail petition of Dilip Ray and Sanjay Singh. “Delhi HC Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma granted Dilip Ray instant relief, staying his conviction. Ray, a BJP candidate, is now allowed to contest. The same judge whose bail denial for Sanjay Singh was overturned by SC. Also handled Kejriwal’s arrest challenge, stopping short of conviction.”
Delhi HC Judge Swarna Kanta Sharma granted Dilip Ray instant relief, staying his conviction. Ray, a BJP candidate, is now allowed to contest.
The same judge whose bail denial for Sanjay Singh was overturned by SC.
One AAP supporter even called her a stain on the legal system and claimed, “Swarana Kanta Sharma is a blot on the judiciary. She does not understand the pain of jail and giving dates like SBI (State Bank of India).”
Swarna kanta sharma is blot on judiciary she does not understand the pain of jail and giving dates like SBI https://t.co/k25bUH2qtx
— AAP Sunil Jodhpur INDIA (@AAPsunil4490) May 10, 2024
The analogous sentiment could be seen in other comments shared by AAP supporters, who blamed the judge for being prejudiced against the party while benefiting the BJP.
The urban landscape of Mumbai is a canvas of paradoxes. Every day, the whims of elites clash with the needs of the common man. While the elites enjoy “swift” rides across smooth roads, the not-so-rich spend hours struggling to reach their destinations on local trains. Often termed the “Mumbai spirit”, videos of commuters getting crushed in a sea of “Mumbaikars” surface on social media. Amidst all this, the hope and desire to get a better way to commute, Mumbai Metro, is yet to bring relief to the common man on a burning Wednesday. On the other hand, “elite” Lutyens Journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai and other celebrities indulge in flip-flops over whom to support, development or made-up environmental causes.
On 22nd May 2024, Sardesai posted on X (formerly Twitter) about his swift journey from Worli to Nariman Point on Mumbai’s coastal road. He hailed it as a “game changer for Mumbai car traffic”. He is not wrong. The road is smooth like butter. The ease with which he travelled from one point to another on the coastal road is in stark contrast with the struggles millions face daily on Mumbai’s overcrowded local trains.
Wow! Just did Worli to Nariman Point in eight minutes on the coastal road. Can’t complain! Game changer for Mumbai car traffic! (Now to ensure that lakhs of commuters who have travelled in crowded suburban trains for years also have metro service fully up and running soon)? pic.twitter.com/wDY7QEbICm
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 22, 2024
On the same day, Rajdeep Sardesai made another post painting a vivid picture of the common commuters cramped in buses and walking miles in the summer heat for a glimpse of political leaders. The picture painted by him was expected as the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 are ongoing. He emphasises the dire state of education and health services available for rural India. He urged for a “Viksit Bharat” that is dependent on services rather than catchy slogans. He made a call for better infrastructure for the common man as well.
As I travel across the country, the ordinariness of people’s lives stands out in contrast to the lifestyle of most leaders. The leaders in their huge SUV convoys, palatial bungalows and unlimited spending capacity while the average citizen is cramped in overcrowded buses or…
— Rajdeep Sardesai (@sardesairajdeep) May 22, 2024
While Sardesai’s post on X might have made him look like a caring man who thinks about the common, poor, marginalised and needy people of India, in reality, he is among those journalists, activists and celebrities who supported the Aarey Forest protests that stalled a crucial metro project in Mumbai.
In October 2020, Rajdeep Sardesai lauded then-state minister Aaditya Thackeray for “saving” the Aarey Forest. The step taken by the then-Maharatra government led by the Maha Vikas Agaadi (MVA) alliance was celebrated by environmentalists and elite Mumbaikars. For those who are unfamiliar with the controversy, the Aarey Metro project was intended to create a metro car shed as part of the Mumbai Metro project. It would have improved the public transportation system in the city.
This is good news @AUThackeray . For many Mumbaikars of my age, Aarey’s forested area holds many wonderful memories. Not easy but let’s try and preserve at least some of us the city’s green lungs.. need to do more!?? https://t.co/zoCIAw7FlI
However, it met environmental protests led by the well-off residents of the city and the project was halted. They argued that Aarey was the “green lungs” of the city. The decision taken by the then-government to find another place for the metro shed deprived millions of Mumbaikars of a more efficient and less congested commuting option.
If we look at the reports from that time, it is clear that the Aarey protests were no less than a vendetta against the Metro project as it would have resulted in falling off very few trees. Comparing it to the film city present in the same forest area, the damaging effect of the latter is much more on the environment. However, the protesters created an atmosphere against the Aarey Metro Shed Project.
The hypocrisy of Rajdeep Sardesai is glaring. While he and his elite peers have the liberty to enjoy luxurious car rides on newly built buttery roads, the average Mumbaikar continues to become the victim of the mythic “spirit of Mumbai”.
It raises a critical question. Whose interests are being served by halting such projects. The elites often participate in protests to preserve their egos and nostalgic memories. They do not care about the immediate and practical needs of the working population of the cities. The metro project is not just about cutting travel time. It is about providing a better, more efficient and dignified way to commute. However, Mumbaikars often have limited choices. The overcrowded city, burdened local train system and unimaginable traffic across the city, do not make life easier.
It would not be wrong to say that the “spirit of Mumbai” is a curse rather than a boon. While Sardesai’s latest posts on social media highlight the newfound sympathy he has for the common commuters, they also bring forward the persistent urban hypocrisy. The elites can influence city planning in their favour. The common man cannot wake up and fix things on a ‘Wednesday’… It is high time that urban development in Mumbai prioritises the needs of the broader populace over the nostalgic and sometimes myopic views of the privileged residents.
One can only hope just like supporting the protests against Aarey Metro Car Shed, Sardesai would not come in support of the protests that are scheduled to be launched to save the “Slum of Dharavi” in the coming months. One can only hope that the elites of Mumbai do not promote the disgusting “slum tourism” of Dharavi as a focal point of the city and let the largest slum vanish from the face of the earth forever.
In a recent televised interview, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the decline in the population of the ‘all-inclusive’ Hindu civilization should be a matter of concern for the world. Notably, in an interview with Republic TV, PM Modi made these remarks in the context of a recent study conducted by the Economic Advisory Council to the PM regarding global demographic shifts. The comprehensive report pointed out that while the population of Hindus in India shrunk by 7.8%, the population of minorities, excluding Jains and Parsis, grew between 1950 and 2015.
Speaking with Republic TV’s Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, PM Modi emphasised that the report has exposed the “false narratives” that “minorities are under threat in India’.
The Prime Minister said, “Between 1950 and 2015, the share of Hindus dipped by 7.82%, while that of Muslims increased by 43%. Hindu civilisation is all accommodating, there is no point spreading false narratives anymore. Those creating narratives of minorities under threat must look into the report and come out of their false perception.”
PM Modi added, “A great culture which is all-inclusive, which can somehow keep the world in balance in the future, which is no one’s enemy, will not be able to influence if its share declines. Today the world should be concerned about how the Hindu population will increase.”
India’s TFR drops below 2.1 (replacement rate) for the first time, eyeing challenges currently staring at countries like Japan and South Korea
Notably, before the study by the EAC-PM, the international medical journal, Lancet highlighted concerns for India, noting that the nation is facing looming demographic challenges similar to what South Korea, Japan, China, and other countries are experiencing globally – population collapse or depopulation in the coming decades. In March this year, the Lancet released a comprehensive report regarding fertility rates across the globe.
The study pointed out that in recent years, India’s TFR (Total Fertility Rate) has fallen below the coveted replacement level of fertility – 2.1 – for the first time. The Total Fertility Rate is the average number of children born to women during their reproductive years. It differs from birth rates – defined as the number of live births per 1,000 women in the total population.
A country’s TFR below the replacement level of 2.1 generally means that the country’s population will decline in the coming years, while a TFR above 2.1 indicates that its population will stay steady or might increase. Nations strive to maintain their TFR around 2.1, which takes into account the need to replace the population compensating for mortality and other factors.
According to the Lancet study, India’s TFR has registered a sharp decline over the last century, from 6.18 in 1950 to 1.91 in 2021. It is further projected to decline, reaching 1.29 by 2050 and 1.04 by 2100. It is pertinent to note that India’s TFR decline is in line with alarming global trends. In addition to Lancet, several other global observers, including OECD data (which recorded India’s TFR as 2.03 in 2021) and World Bank data (reporting India’s TFR as 2 in 2021), have also indicated that India’s TFR is below the replacement level.
(Image Source – Business Standard)
By 2100, 97% of nations will have TFR below 2.1, says Lancet: Concerns of ‘Baby Boom’ and ‘Baby Bust’, challenges for ‘depopulated’ nations
The Lancet study projects that 155 out of 204 countries and territories worldwide, amounting to around 76% of nations, will have fertility rates below population replacement levels by 2050. It further estimates that by 2100, 198 countries, or 97% of nations, will have TFRs below 2.1. The forecasts are based on surveys, censuses, and other sources of data collected from 1950 through 2021 as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study.
Elon Musk and Population Collapse
Many people around the world mistakenly believe that there are too many people on Earth. However, in reality, the planet has the capacity to sustain a much higher population than its current level.
The global Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has fallen from around 5 in 1950 to 2.2 in 2021. As of 2021, 110 countries and territories (54%) had rates below the population replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.
According to the study, fertility rates in nearly all countries will be below replacement level by the end of this century. By then, the majority of the world’s live births will be taking place in low-income countries (LIC) which are prone to economic and political instability. The study indicates that the trend will lead to a divide between “baby boom” (in LIC) and “baby bust” (across the globe). With boom indicating population surge and bust indicating population decline.
(OECD data – Chart of all countries’ TFR with highlighted ones of India, OECD average, Korea and China, Source – OECD)
By 2100, it is projected that more than 75% of live births will take place in low- and lower-middle-income countries, and more than half will occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
South Korea, a country with the world’s lowest TFR, scripts new records every year; a lesson for India
While the decline in Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has become a pervasive global issue, the challenges are particularly pronounced for South Korea, which has the world’s lowest TFR. Since 2018, South Korea has been the only member of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) with a TFR below 1. According to reports, its population in 2023 declined for the fourth straight year.
(Video Courtesy – France24)
According to preliminary data from Statistics Korea, a government-affiliated body, the average number of children a South Korean woman has during her lifetime (TFR) in 2023 registered an alarming drp. It fell from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.72 in 2023. It has earlier projected that its fertility rate will likely fall further to 0.68 in 2024.
(Couples in South Korea are getting increasingly hesitant to start family and have babies for economic and other concerns, Image Source – BBC)
According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle, if the low fertility rate persists, the population of Asia’s fifth-biggest economy is projected to almost halve to 26.8 million by 2100.
Additionally, South Korean women give birth for the first time at an average age of 33.6 which is the highest among OECD members.
It is alarming that the country’s fertility rate continues to shrink and script record low every year despite comprehensive measures undertaken by the government and spending billions to increase its population. The country is facing what is being described as a threat of “national extinction”.
South Korea has spent over $270 billion on programs to encourage people to have more children, with no success
Since 2006, the Korean government has invested more than 360 trillion won ($270bn) in programs to urge Korean couples to have more children. For this, they have given a slew of incentives including cash subsidies, babysitting services, and support for infertility treatment. Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration has made reversing the falling birthrate a “national priority”. In December, his government promised to come up with “extraordinary measures” to tackle the situation.
However, financial and other allurements have failed to convince Korean couples to have babies or bigger families.
Since 2006, South Korea's government has spent $270bn, or just over 1% of GDP a year, on babymaking incentives. Here's the dismal result: pic.twitter.com/w9qIbubGA6
— James Pethokoukis ⏩️⤴️ (@JimPethokoukis) May 22, 2024
It’s important to note that sustained low fertility rates often indicate a rapidly aging population, leading to economic challenges. With fewer people of working age, boosting the economy becomes difficult, and a significant portion of the budget is redirected towards increasing healthcare and social security costs for the elderly.
However, South Korea is not alone in the region which is struggling with a rapidly aging population and population decline as the trends persist in Japan and China despite incentives.
In 2023, China’s population fell for the second consecutive year, experiencing a record-low birth rate. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s population dropped by 2.08 million (0.15%) to 1.409 billion in 2023. This decline was higher than the previous year’s decrease of 850,000 in 2022. It marked the first time since 1961, during the Great Famine of the Mao Zedong era, that China’s population had experienced an annual decline.
According to Reuters, in March this year, several hospitals in China stopped offering newborn delivery services due to declining demand.
Similarly, Japan registered a significant drop in its population last year. This was accompanied by a record decrease in the number of births and the lowest number of marriages since the end of the Second World War. According to government data, the number of babies born in Japan in 2023 fell for an eighth straight year to a historic low. The health and welfare ministry reported that only 758,631 babies were born in Japan last year, marking a 5.1% decline from the previous year and the lowest number of births recorded since statistics were first compiled in 1899.
(Baby ward in Japan, Image Source – The New York Times)
The development came a year after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned that the stubbornly low birthrate would soon threaten the country’s ability “to continue to function as a society”. He added, “The problem cannot wait and cannot be postponed”.
Elon Musk: "The birth rate on Earth is so low that we're facing civilizational collapse unless the birth rate returns to a sustainable level…Population collapse is one of the biggest threats to the future of human civilization, and that is what is going on right now. Take… pic.twitter.com/LtK9O6wYSm
Additionally, the number of marriages, in Japan, decreased by 5.9% to 489,281 couples, dropping below half a million for the first time in 90 years—a significant factor contributing to the declining birthrate.
Japan’s population, currently over 125 million, is projected to decline by approximately 30% to 87 million by 2070, with four out of every 10 individuals aged 65 or older.
Expressing concerns and stressing the need to “act now”, the chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said the declining birthrate had reached a “critical state”. Speaking with reporters, he said, “The period over the next six years or so until the 2030s, when the younger population will start declining rapidly, will be the last chance we have to try to reverse the trend. There is no time to waste.”
Governments around the globe announcing various incentives to encourage couples to have babies, but nothing seems to be working
According to the BBC, Korean couples with children receive free taxi services, and married couples are exempt from hospital bills and IVF treatment costs. With South Korea’s fertility rates plummeting, the city of Seongnam, the fourth-largest in the country, has resorted to organizing ‘mass blind dates’ in hopes of reversing the declining birth rates. Prospective parents are being enticed with various incentives, including cash rewards and housing subsidies.
As reported by Business Insider, the Hangzhou government in China is offering new parents $2,800 for their third child, while Wenzhou city in southeast China is providing $416.70 in subsidies per child. Chinese cities have also introduced up to 30 days of paid marriage leave for couples.
Concerns of young couples and initiatives undertaken by various governments to arrest the population decline; a ‘gloomy’ crystal ball for India
Despite government incentives, the birth rates are falling drastically. Young couples around the globe, particularly in South Korea and Japan have been reluctant to have babies and express hesitancy towards marriage and starting families. However, the same trend is growing in India as well. They cite reasons such as skyrocketing property prices, a lack of well-paid jobs, prioritization of work over daycare for children, increasing living expenses outpacing salary growth, and a costly education system. They believe that raising children and providing decent living amenities are becoming increasingly expensive.
Additionally, experts believe that the country’s social structure also influences fertility rates. They state that cultural factors, including the challenges working mothers face in balancing their jobs with household chores and childcare, play a significant role.
Unlike Western nations, being married is considered a prerequisite to having children in these nations. However, marriages are also declining as couples cite the soaring cost of living as one of the main reasons for delaying or avoiding marriage.
Lessons that India can draw from depopulating countries
As highlighted above, there is a growing trend in India where the average age at which individuals are getting married and having their first child is increasing. Couples are increasingly hesitant about marriage and are prioritizing work and career over starting a family. This trend mirrors global patterns seen in countries like South Korea, Japan, and even some parts of China, where economic pressures, career ambitions, and the high cost of living are leading many young people to delay or forgo traditional family structures.
If this persistent trend is not addressed in a timely manner, it will become nearly impossible to avoid the trajectory experienced by South Korea and Japan. This could lead to an acute crisis characterized by a sluggish economy, a lack of working-age population, a crumbling family structure, apathy towards raising families, an aging population, and a host of other insurmountable challenges.
Elon Musk in 2023:
"Population collapse is a major risk to the future of civilization. No new humans means no humanity." pic.twitter.com/vtK6KY9d1w
As Elon Musk and several demographers have noted, “Population collapse is potentially the greatest risk to the future of civilization”. In India, the most populated nation in the world, it is hard to fathom a nation without people, but that reality may not actually be that far away. The demographic challenge and social faultlines in India may also mean that the rapid decline of the population of certain communities, in contrast to a rapid rise in the population of specific other communities, leads to major socio-economic and political challenges, eventually affecting the very fabric of the Indic civilization.
On the 20th of May, voting for Bihar’s Madhubani Lok Sabha seat took place. Four persons were found casting bogus votes on Jaale and taken into police custody. That same night, a mob of approximately 140 people attacked the police station and released all four. The police have constituted a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter.
Jaale is located in Bihar’s Darbhanga district, however, it falls within the Madhubani Lok Sabha constituency. Four persons were found voting fraudulently at Haqqania Madrasa Deora Bandhauli, a polling booth in the Jale police station area. These four people were being held at the Jale police station when, in the evening, a mob of 130-140 people attacked the station and freed the arrested individuals.
Shocking ??
Darbhanga, Bihar ?
Mohammed Sanaullah & 3 Muslim women were arrested from Hakkania Madrasa polling station.
Why: Because they falsely voted while wearing Burqa.
— Shashank Shekhar Jha (@shashank_ssj) May 22, 2024
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, Sector Officer Nirbhay Kumar caught four people on 20 May, while patrolling during the voting process. Following this, the Jaale police station filed case number 103/24. In this case, one Sanaullah, Sadia Sheikh, Saleha Fatima, and Zeenat Parveen, all of whom reside in Deora Bandhauli, Police Station Jaale, District Darbhanga, were all found voting fraudulently. Sector Officer Nirbhay Kumar turned over all four to the police.
Reports say that a mob comprising around 130-140 people attacked the police station to free the four arrested persons and misbehaved with police officials. After this, the mob released the four from police custody. The police have now registered FIR against 24 named people and over a hundred unnamed people. The video relating to this case has gone viral on social media, with claims that the same crowd attacked the police station.
जाले थाना अंर्तगत घटित घटना का अधतन विवरण:- #Biharpolice#HainTaiyaarHum#Bihar pic.twitter.com/EOUCY6y7Bc
— Darbhanga Police (@DarbhangaPolice) May 21, 2024
Meanwhile, Darbhanga Police confirmed the attack on the police station. Darbhanga Police said in a statement that an FIR has been filed against 130-140 people based on the Jale Police Station in-charge’s complaint. Darbhanga police have filed a complaint under Sections 147/148/149/323/324/225/353/354 (B)/504 IPC. To investigate this matter, a Special Investigation Team has been formed under the command of Darbhanga SP. The Darbhanga SP-led SIT is conducting raids to nab the accused persons.
On the 22nd of May, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) declared a record dividend of Rs 2.11 lakh crore to the Government of India for fiscal year 2023-24. It was announced at the 608th meeting of the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board of Directors, held today in Mumbai, chaired by Governor Shaktikanta Das. The RBI’s dividend is the highest in five years. In 2019, the RBI transferred a surplus of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the Central government.
I was very pleased to attend the @RBI board meeting earlier today and join with other directors to approve this record dividend.
It’s important to note that this record amountwas declared AFTER increasing the ontingency risk buffer to 6.5% from 6%
In a press release, the RBI said, “During accounting years 2018-19 to 2021-22, owing to the prevailing macroeconomic conditions and the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Board had decided to maintain the Contingent Risk Buffer (CRB) at 5.50% of the Reserve Bank’s Balance Sheet size to support growth and overall economic activity. With the revival in economic growth in FY 2022-23, the CRB was increased to 6.00%. As the economy remains robust and resilient, the Board has decided to increase the CRB to 6.50% for FY 2023-24. The Board thereafter approved the transfer of ₹2,10,874 crore as surplus to the Central Government for the accounting year 2023-24.”
Notably, an increased dividend payment is probably going to assist the Central government in reaching its goal of 5.1% of GDP for fiscal deficit during the current fiscal year. Additionally, it would probably support tax collections, giving the new government more spending flexibility when it assumes power early next month following the conclusion of the general elections.
“The government has budgeted the FY25 dividend for RBI and PSU banks & financial institutions at Rs 1020bn, vis-a-vis Rs 1044 bn in FY24. In our view, a positive surprise is likely, similar to last year when the initial budget estimate for the overall dividend was only Rs 480 bn,” a Union Bank of India report published earlier this month reads.
How RBI generates surplus and transfers dividend to Central government
Notably, the RBI allocates contingency money every fiscal year. This provision is aimed at addressing unexpected and unforeseen scenarios, such as security value depreciation and risks emerging from systemic issues, monetary or exchange rate policy operations, and the RBI’s special obligations. The contingency risk buffer should be maintained at 5.5-6.5%. The RBI transferred Rs 1.3 lakh crore to its contingency fund in FY23.
Besides the Contingency Funds, the RBI also maintains revaluation accounts. The RBI maintains revaluation accounts to protect its assets (gold, foreign currency, and investments in domestic and international securities) against market fluctuations. These include the Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA), the Investment Revaluation Account (IRA), and the Foreign Exchange Forward Contracts Valuation Account (FCVA). Upon satiating the risk provisions and other operational expenses from the RBI revenues, the surplus is transferred to the Central government as dividend.
A substantial portion of the surplus is derived from RBI’s operations in financial markets, when it steps in, for example, to buy or sell foreign exchange; Open Market operations, when it endeavours to stop the rupee from appreciating. Moreover, it also generates surplus as income from government securities it holds in addition to returns from its foreign currency assets. The foreign currency assets are investments in the bonds of foreign central banks or some high-rated securities.
RBI also generates profits from deposits with other central banks or the Bank for International Settlement (BI). The RBI purchases these financial assets to offset its fixed liabilities, which include public money and deposits granted to commercial banks on which no interest is paid.
The RBI’s expenditures are mostly for the printing of currency notes and staff, as well as commissions to banks for carrying out transactions on behalf of the government and to primary dealers. Notably, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s net income for fiscal year 2023 was approximately Rs 874 billion.
On Wednesday (22nd May), the Calcutta High Court cancelled an estimated 5 lakh Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates issued by the West Bengal government since 2010.
As per reports, certificates issued by the West Bengal government before 2010 will remain valid. This will not affect those who have secured employment under the OBC category after 2010.
Following the verdict, Mamata Banerjee has announced to not follow the verdict of the Calcutta High Court and continue to grant OBC reservations to groups that are now invalid.
The Calcutta High Court has canceled all OBC certificates issued in Bengal since 2011 under the current Trinamool Congress administration pic.twitter.com/36oDWLV4pv
“I don’t accept Calcutta HC’s verdict. OBC reservation will continue as it is,” the West Bengal Chief Minister was quoted as saying by the West Bengal CM.
#BREAKING | "I don't accept Calcutta HC's verdict. OBC reservation will continue as it is": West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
In June 2023, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) found that Rohingyas and illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had received Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates in West Bengal.
NCBC also found that there were more Muslim OBC castes in the state compared to Hindus (although the latter constitute the majority in West Bengal).
NCBC chief Hansraj Gangaram Ahir informed that 118 out of 179 castes, which were granted OBC status in West Bengal, belong to the Muslim community. The matter came to light during field surveys conducted between February and May 2023.
A Muslim family in the Harda district of Madhya Pradesh is facing the brunt of a social boycott pronounced by the local Maulanas (Muslim religious leaders/clerics) because a dancer performed in a Nikah (Islamic wedding) ceremony at their house which was deemed against the religious practices. The period of the expulsion of the family stood at 11 months along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh. According to the media reports, the matter pertained to the Chhipaner Road of Harda where one Rashid lives with his family.
On 28th January, the marriage ceremony of one the family members took place at the residence with Moeen as the groom and Chandi as the bride. On 30th January, Rashid organised a party to celebrate their union which was attended by his relatives, friends and others from his neighborhood as well as nearby areas. He had also invited Rajasthani artists to entertain at the feast and a female dancer also did Ghoomar (traditional Rajasthani folk dance) there. A video of the dance is also going viral on social media.
— Harda Shanti kumar Jaisani (@jaisani_shanti) May 21, 2024
A female dancer dressed in Rajasthani attire can be seen performing live in front of a large audience in the viral video and a man in a traditional Rajasthani costume is also visible with her on the stage. A meeting was called by a few clerics from Rashid’s neighborhood after the programme which was joined by other members of the Muslim community as well. They unanimously decided that it was forbidden for women to dance during Nikah. Rashid and his family were found to be in violation of Islamic regulations by the self-appointed jury.
Rashid has given a complaint letter to the District Magistrate (DM) of Harda and pleaded for justice. He has revealed that his family has been ordered not to be invited to any weddings for 11 months and a penalty of Rs one lakh has been imposed on them. His elderly mother has called the diktat wrong. His family went to the police against it, however, the cops did not take any action against the accused behind the decree.
Rashid eventually complained to the District Magistrate of Harda. The official immediately dispatched a team to his house and neighbouring locations for investigation. On the other hand, his neighbours termed the allegations as false. They claimed that he had not been boycotted but ousted from the community’s collective food gatherings that are called ‘Jajam’. The matter is now under probe.
A 15-year-old Hindu girl has been abducted by a man named Mohammed Zeeshan in Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, the accused lured the underage victim into his trap by promising to make her a YouTuber.
The girl is a resident of Jagrati Vihar area in Meerut. Zeeshan, who lived on rent in the Madhav Puram area of the city, kidnapped the victim and has since been on the run from the law enforcement authorities.
He also made a video with the minor Hindu girl and uploaded it on his Facebook channel on 7th May this year. The victim’s father lodged a complaint with the Medical College police station, following which the cops initiated a probe into the matter.
Meerut, UP: YouTuber Mohd Zeeshan befriended a 15-year-old Hindu girl, who has now eloped with him.
Police investigations revealed that he was in contact with several Hindu girls and promised them stardom on YouTube.
Local Hindu organisations have extended their support to the girl’s father and have demanded the immediate arrest of the accused. During the investigation, it came to light that Mohammed Zeshan had similarly preyed on other Hindu girls.
According to reports, Zeeshan has several Hindu girls as ‘friends’ on his Facebook account. He would promise to make the victims ‘YouTubers’ and then kidnap them.
The Medical College police have constituted a team to nab the accused as soon as possible. They are also downloading videos from Zeeshan’s Facebook account and investigating his accomplices.
While speaking about the matter, SP (Meerut City) Ayush Vikram Singh stated that a case of kidnapping of a teenage girl was registered against the accused. He added that Zeeshan had fled from the house in Madhav Puram, where he lived on rent.
On the 5th of December 2019, a conspiracy to burn Delhi began to be hatched, leading eventually to the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. The conspiracy aimed to pull down the central government, target Hindus, create communal fear in the country and attack its sovereignty. The conspiracy led to waves of violence in Delhi and across the country. First, violence erupted in December 2019 and after low-level violence for almost 3 months, the rioters learnt their lessons from the 2019 violence, fine-tuned their plan, and executed the anti-Hindu riots of February 2020. As the conspiracy of the 2020 riots was being hatched, another conspiracy was afoot almost simultaneously. Leftists like Prabir Pukayashta of NewsClick along with several others, were being funded by China to create disaffection in India, end democracy and attack India’s sovereignty and independence.
It is only now, in May 2024, that are beginning to understand how these two seemingly independent conspiracies were deeply intertwined, with the participation of the Congress party evident in both these cases.
The Newsclick-China funding case, the conspiracy and what we know so far
On the 3rd of October 2023, the Delhi Special Cell arrested Prabir Pukayastha, the founder and editor of NewsClick along with the HR head Amit Chakravarty. An FIR in the matter was registered on the 17th of August 2023 under Sections 13, 16, 17, 18, and 22 of the UAPA and Sections 153A and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the news portal. On 3rd October 2023, the NewsClick office was raided and sealed by Delhi Police in connection to the case regarding foreign funding from China to propagate anti-India activities. Apart from locations linked to NewsClick, the residences of 40 journalists were also raided by Delhi Police across the country as they were connected to the news portal. Teesta Setalvad, Abhisar Sharma, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yetchury, Sanjay Rajoura, and others were among those who faced action by the Delhi Police.
The investigation into NewsClick, however, started much earlier. It was in 2021 that ED made startling revelations about the portal and its funding. On February 9, 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the home of News Click founder and Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha. According to the ED investigation, NewsClick had received ₹10 crores under Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from an American company.
In July 2021, the ED informed that the investigation into the money laundering case against ‘NewsClick’ had revealed that the promoters of the media outlet received nearly ₹38 crores from entities, which might be associated with the Communist Party of China.
An officer probing the money laundering case revealed that NewsClick had financial dealings with a Chinese agent, who is a Sri Lankan-Cuban-based businessman named Neville Roy Singham, who allegedly funnelled Rs 38 crore to PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd between 2018 and 2021 from abroad.
The officials, who had traced the money flow of the media outlet, said that Singham is associated with the propaganda arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
Thereafter, the New York Times published an investigation revealing that NewsClick received crores from the Chinese Communist Party through Neville Roy Singham.
“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr. Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.
The New York Times pointed out that Singham has been successful in disseminating Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States.
Since the investigation has progressed, the Special Cell filed an 8000-page chargesheet in the case. Shocking revelations from the chargesheet reveal that NewsClick had links with LeT, was in touch with Sharjeel Imam, and Naxals, got crores to spread disinformation during COVID, spread the distorted map of India, spread propaganda against democracy in India to replicate the Chinese-style government here and more.
In fact, it was since 2021 itself that NewsClick and Prabir Purkayastha’s links to Urban Naxal Gautam Navlakha had emerged as well. Navlakha also finds prominent mention in the NewsClick Chargesheet by the Special Cell.
At SSPL, Gautam Navlakha was also a Director with Prabir Purkayastha. Gautam Navlakha is one of the ‘Urban Naxals’ arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case and allegedly has links with Pakistan’s ISI. Following his arrest, it was reported that Gautam Navlakha was in touch with Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists as well.
Even more shockingly, Gautam Navlakha was an “Independent Partner” of PP NEWSCLICK STUDIO LLP where he was appointed to the position on the 17th of April, 2017. It is pertinent to note here that PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Private Limited, the current owner of Newsclick, was incorporated on the 11th of January, 2018, 10 days after the Bhima Koregaon violence.
China-funded NewsClick and its links to Delhi anti-Hindu Riots of 2020
The link between the Newsclick-China funding case and the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots conspiracy is revealed in the 8000-page chargesheet filed by the Special Cell. The Chargesheet says that there was a ‘deep-rooted common conspiracy’ to create a false narrative against CAA, which propagated that the law intended to strip Indian Muslims of their citizenship, which led eventually to the Delhi Riots 2020.
“The end result of this deliberate misinformation campaign was seen from the beginning of from Dec, 2019 and ranup to Feb, 2020 in the physical manifestation of the deadly Delhi Riots”, the chargesheet says.
In fact, the connection is not just limited to the conspiracy to spread misinformation but also monetary as it manifests in NewsClick employee, who is also connected to Congress and Soros, handed over money directly from NewsClick to Sharjeel Imam, the chargesheet reveals.
The involvement of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha and others in the Delhi Riots conspiracy since December 2019
The first trace of the China-funded NewsClick conspiring to create violence and spread misinformation against the CAA surfaced on the 17th of December 2019. On the 17th, an email marked ‘Share Notes on CAA docs’ was sent by Rajamanikam P, AIPSN (All India Peoples Science Network). AIPSN was founded by Prabir Pukayastha. This email was sent to several other organisations requesting for all organisations to share their anti-CAA programs. The email also wanted to reach a consensus on a joint statement against the law. The email content spread disinformation and fearmongered against CAA and NRC. It said that NRC was bound to persecute Muslims. It is to be kept in mind that there was not even a draft for the implementation of the national NRC by this time. In fact, there is still no draft to that effect.
On the 17th, there was another email was sent by Citizen for Justice and Peace (CJP), which is run by Teesta Setalvad. The email was addressed to Prabir Pukayastha spreading misinformation about CAA.
Further, on the 3rd of January 2020, Harsh Mandar also sent an email to Prabir Purkayastha, Githa Hariharan and others. In the email, Harsh Mandar suggested making a common pool of resources for the “resistance” against CAA. To this email, Githa responded by saying, “Yes, Harsh it makes sense for all of us to have a common bank of material that each of us uses as individual as well as for common purposes. Varda and Ishita copied in will be the connectors for ICF (Indian Cultural Forum, an NGO run by Githa Hariharan) and NewsClick. Varda has already prepared a Q&A explainer with the help of Mohsin and Prabir”.
On the 2nd of January, Harsh Mandar sent another email requesting a collective working group for all ‘explainers’. In this, he had mentioned Prabir and Gautam Navlakha to work on this. A campaign called ‘main bhi dilli’ was immediately started after this email exchange.
In the email exchanges, there was also date planned. On the 16th of January, Harsh Mandar had planned a ‘People’s Tribunal’ and had invited NewsClick, Prabir and several other left organisations to stand in solidarity with anti-CAA protests.
The People’s Tribunal and the details mentioned therein are rather telling of the strategy being employed in the anti-CAA protests, which were similar to those employed by Naxals in areas like Bastar, the investigators say. The investigators say that by holding such parallel public briefings and investigations, the Maoists try to undermine the authority of the police and the state, which is what China-funded NewsClick and the collaborators were attempting to do.
Dangerously, one of the central themes of these emails and discussions was that the state had embedded non-uniformed police officials who were the ones to instigate the violence and the stone-pelting. This was specifically done to instigate further violence.
On the 2nd of February, there was an email discussing the meeting of different Leftist organisations meeting at the NewsClick office in Delhi to discuss the protest.
In fact, in an email dated 22nd February 2022, a day before the Delhi anti-Hindu riots erupted, there was an email that there was a feverish rush to organise money for the protestors as well. As investigations show, a large amount of cash, received from Neville as well as raised through such ‘Hum Dekhenge’ contributions had ended up fanning the communal flares.
It is pertinent to note that while these emails may seem like just a ‘discussion’ between various people, it goes to show the close coordination and links between these individuals. When seen in the perspective of NewsClick getting money from China to create a specific pro-China, anti-India perspective, create anarchy and end democracy, create violence and also, the fact that NewsClick employee gave money directly to the anti-CAA rioters including Sharjeel Imam, the emails act as important evidence to understand the intent of the people involved. These emails are not the entire case in themselves, but one of the links that tie together other evidence like money trail, communication, being part of planning groups connected to Delhi Riots, giving money to protestors, witness statements etc.
Witness statements incriminating NewsClick and Prabir Pukayastha in Delhi anti-Hindu Riots and funding to Sharjeel Imam
The Delhi police included the testimonies of several protected witnesses, named ‘Gama’, ‘Gama2’ and ‘Gama3’ in its charge sheet.
It quoted ‘Gama’ as saying, “During the CAA protest, Purkayastha used to send the employees to take part and incite the Muslim community to do violent acts and rioting. He also used to give cash to employees to distribute among rioters…Prabir, Chakraborty and other members had extreme Marxist and Maoist ideologies… I came to know that these people were being funded by the Chinese Communist Party.”
Another witness ‘Gama2’ said that the NewsClick founder sent a man to Shaheen Bagh to give money to Islamic extremist Sharjeel Imam, currently behind bars for his role in anti-Hindu Delhi riots. “From this money, they should purchase weapons and other equipment to incite violence and rioting,” he added. ‘Gama2’ also testified that money was later routed to Naxals in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to spark violence.
“Articles and videos which showed the vaccine developed by India in a poor light and Chinese vaccines to be better,” he further added. One witness, ‘Gama3’ informed, “Funds (received by NewsClick) were used in funding CAA/NRC protest, farmers’ agitation, supporting Kashmiri separatists against abrogation of Article 370 and Maoists groups”.”
The clinching evidence against Prabir Purkayastha in Delhi anti-Hindu riots and the connection to Congress
The investigation reveals links between NewsClick, Congress and the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots which have hitherto remained unknown. The investigation reveals that NewsClick and people associated with it were not just spreading misinformation and ferrying money to terror accused like Sharjeel Imam and other Islamists, but were also actively a part of the WhatsApp groups which were made for the planning and execution of violence – like DPSG – Delhi Protest Solidarity Group.
The investigation reveals that Prabir Purkayastha was a part of the DPSG group through his employee Anand Mangnale, who was in parallel connected with Harsh Mandar.
the DPSG group is one of the groups which remains at the centre of the Delhi Riots investigation. It was a group created by Rahul Roy. The violence was primarily planned in groups like DPSG, MSJ Group, JCC Groups and others.
It was on the 26th of December 2019 that the DPSG group was formed. According to the Delhi Riots chargesheet No 59/2020 (the main conspiracy chargesheet), a meeting was held at ISI, Lodhi Colony attended by Harsh Mandar, Yogender Yadav, Umar Khalid, Nadeem Khan, Khalid Saifi, Sahil, Rahul Roy, Saba Dewan, Amrita Johri and others. Detailed discussion was held on the following points.
Formation of DPSG Group
Creation of different protest sites in Delhi.
Protest sites should be women-centric to avoid police clashes.
Protest sites to be set up in Muslim Majority Areas.
Collecting funds for sustenance of Protest sites.
Legal team for detainees.
Sending speakers/artists of diverse fields to different protest sites.
Regular meetings to take stock of the progress on the above points.
Who is Anand Mangnale, part of the DPSG group on behalf of NewsClick, and what is his connection to Congress: How he has been on OpIndia’s radar for a while
Anand Mangnale, who was a part of the DPSG group on behalf of NewsClick has been on OpIndia’s radar since 2019. To understand who he is and how he ties to Congress, George Soros and the entire nexus, we must go back to December 2019 when violence had erupted in JNU, as the first phase of Delhi’s anti-Hindu Riots. The violence in JNU was not exactly related to CAA, however, it was a part of the violent upheaval planned by the very same groups.
In 2019, the Left students of JNU were unhappy with a marginal hike in fees and had started protesting against the same in October. Though the decision was partially rolled back, the protests had not stopped and the Left students had refused to let classes function. The students opposing the fee hike had in December forcibly evicted the technical staff, made servers dysfunctional and indulged in rampant violence. They had also forcibly stopped other students from enrolling to the winter session.
At that time, messages from the WhatsApp group ‘Unity Against Left’ had been posted on social media. The message by one of the participants asked for action against those who support JNU. In reality, the WhatsApp group was of the Left students, who were using the name “Unity Against Left” to implicate ABVP students.
One of the chats posted by Barkha Dutt had Anand Mangnale posting a message for action against those who support JNU. OpIndia realised that it was Anand Mangale after which Barkha Dutt inadvertently shared the number from which the message came on the WhatsApp group on Twitter. A Google search of the same number revealed it was the same number Congress had used for a crowdfunding campaign.
Anand Mangnale has previously worked with JD(U)’s Prashant Kishore, who had earlier worked as a strategist for ex-Congress President Rahul Gandhi in 2016 ahead of Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections. OpIndia could not independently verify whether Mangnale was part of the team for Rahul Gandhi’s image makeover.
Throughout the conversations in this group, Anand pretended to be someone who belonged to ABVP – essentially – someone who was ‘against the Left’. However, he was someone who was connected to the Congress party and as we now know, NewsClick.
He had tried to mount a senseless defence at the time and also claimed that he had ‘infiltrated the group’ to ‘get info’ on what ABVP was doing to fan violence. However, it was revealed that Anand was actually added by the admin and therefore, it stands to reason that the group was not made by ABVP at all, but Left students pretending to be ‘anti-Left’ in order to blame ABVP for the violence created by them.
Congress at that time that the number belonged to a private vendor they had hired for Lok Sabha elections and it had discontinued. “The number belonged to a vendor and has nothing to do with INC,” Congress tweeted. However, Congress had used Anand’s number for ‘LetsVenture for Wish Kids’ crowdfunding and not really for an election campaign. Anand was, in fact, still very much part of crowdfunding for Congress and Congress leaders. He had tweeted seeking funding for Gourav Vallabh, Congress’ national spokesperson, in November 2019.
In fact, before his Congress connection had been reported, he had posted about being inside the JNU campus at the “T-point”.
In front of me @DelhiPolice was telling Students go back to hostels, students denied saying they aren't safe there. Together outside Sabarmati T point they are safe. While this was on one cop broke a tree branch & made a Lathi. Is this making sure students are safe?#JNUattackpic.twitter.com/2yz9xpnm8p
Only a day before, Sharjeel Imam had also posted about the T-point as well. Sharjeel Imam, one of the main conspirators of the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots had posted only a night before to say that around 8 PM, he and his associates donned helmets and started roaming near the hostel to ‘locate goondas’. He says that the police had control near the main gate. His statement of the police asking students to go back to hostels corroborates with what Imam writes in his post. So, Imam and Mangnale were at the Sabarmati Hostel t-point at around the same time.
Anand Mangnale had tweeted on the 5th of January. Sharjeel Imam had posted on the 4th of January. According to the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots chargesheets, it was on the 5th of January 2020 that a protest site had developed at Fruit Market, Seelampur, Delhi
The next appearance Anand Mangnale makes on OpIndia is in August 2023. OpIndia was investigating the hitjobs against Adani and had delved into an organisation called the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). In August 2023, OpIndia had reported that OCCRP could be planning another shakedown of the Adani Industries. Founded in 2006, OCCRP claims to have a network of journalists across 6 continents who specialise in reporting on organised crime and corruption. While it might seem like an independent, non-partisan organisation, OCCRP is funded by the likes of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation.
During our research, Opindia found that the South Asian (Regional) Editor of OCCRP was Anand Mangnale. We had also found that he was a partnerships and strategy consultant at the contentious left-propaganda outlet NewsClick
As per the information posted on the website of OCCRP, he has been working with the organisation since 2021. “Anand has worked on several investigations exposing corporate and government corruption, abuse of power, and government misinformation and fake news campaigns,” the profile bio read.
“Anand was a partnerships and strategy consultant with online news platform Newsclick.in, focusing on exposing corporate fraud and corruption.” it further added.
Articles written by Anand Manglale for NewsClick
We also found that Anand Mangnale wrote 15 articles for NewsClick between August 2017 and March 2020.
The revelation in the NewsClick-China funding chargesheet now confirms the stories of OpIndia right from December 2019 to August 2023. Anand Mangnale was connected with the Congress and was running crowdfunding campaigns for the party. He then started working with NewsClick. Thereafter, he joined the DPSG group, which was created on the 26th of December 2019. The DPSG group was one of the groups where the conspiracy to create violence was being hatched. All the main conspirators of the violence were present in the DPSG group – from Sharjeel Imam to Umar Khalid, Harsh Mandar and others. Mangnale joined the DPSG group while working with NewsClick and as we now know, at the behest of NewsClick (who was funding Sharjeel Imam from its Chinese money). Days after the DPSG group was created, in which Anand was present along with other conspirators of the Delhi Riots, in January 2020 violence erupted in JNU in which Mangnale was present inside the campus, despite NOT being a student of JNU. He had spoken exactly what Sharjeel Imam had about the JNU violence hours apart. According to OpIndia’s August 2023 report, Mangnale now works for a Soros-funded organisation called OCCRP which did hitjobs against Adani – something that was picked up by Rahul Gandhi to tarnish the image of India. Soros is the same man who had vowed to pull down Narendra Modi and had floated a 1 billion dollar fund for it.
Anand Mangnale, despite the evidence against him and being mentioned in the chargesheet, has denied the charges.
Third rate crime drama as chargesheet by @DelhiPolice Do your real jobs & duty. You aren’t there to do Government’s bidding. Constitution! Remember?
Ishrat Jahan – Another Congress leader involved in the Delhi Riots
Former Congress Councillor Ishrat Jahan was also deeply involved in the Delhi Riots – she was arrested on the 26th of February 2020 and was later given bail on humanitarian grounds by the court.
Following is how Ishrat Jahan was involved in the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots:
Ishrat Jahan attended a meeting organised by AAP leader Amanatullah Khan and at Alia Madrasa at Khureji in connection with the initiation of the protest. She along with Khalid Saifi was instrumental in the organisation of the 24/7 protest site at Khureji. On the 26th of February 2020, she said that the “revolution has reached the 2nd stage”.
On the 26th of February, Ishrat Jahan along with Khalid Saifi instigated people to attack police personnel and it was in this connection that FIR 44/20 was registered.
She was a part of the conspiracy hatched by JCC and other groups to instigate violence.
She delivered provocative speeches to instigate people against “other community” (Hindus) as well as the government of India.
As the main organiser of the protest site, she called other speakers to site like Sharjeel Imam, Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, Nadeem Khan etc to monitor the site and deliver speeches.
She was involved in raising funds from unaccounted and illegal means to be used in the protest.
She forced documents to hide her tracks.
Illegitimate funds were used to acquire weapons for the riots.
Her purpose was to create an Islamic state.
She was aware of the purpose, objective and process of the conspiracy.
At the Khureji protest site, women and children were used as a human shield and this was a part of the larger conspiracy hatched at DPSG.
She is connected to all other accused in the case like Amanatullah Khan, Khalid Saifi, Tasleem Ahmad, Natasha Narwal, Safoora Zargar and others.
There were 1097 calls and messages between Ishrat Jahan and Amanatullah Khan between 1st December 2019 and 26th February 2020.
There was a deposit of Rs 4 lakh found in her account from one Mahadev Vijay Kaste. Kaste said that, on the instruction of his boss Samir Abdul Sai where he was working as a driver and took a loan against gold worth Rs 4,31,700. The gold itself was given to him by his employer and he was asked by his employer to transfer Rs 4 lakh to Ishrat Jahan.
When interrogated, Samir Abdul Sai said that Imran Siddiqui was his business partner, who was a relative of Ishrat Jahan and also wanted to hide the track of the money because it was to be used for the protests.
Siddiqui confirmed the transfer of the money to Ishrat Jahan.
To hide the transfer of money, a fake agreement was drawn up between Siddiqui and Sai, however, the agreement does not have the signature of Siddiqui.
The date of the agreement is shown as 26th November 2019 but the entry by the Notary is made on 13th April 2020.
The partnership deed was prepared after Siddiqui was asked to join the investigation
Apart from this, cash of Rs 1,41,000 was deposited in Ishrat Jahan’s account and the same could not be explained by Jahan.
One witness, Peter, said that Ishrat Jahan had got illegal funds to organise the protest and acquire arms through Abdul Khalid. One country-made weapon was also recovered from JCL and arrested under FIR 44/20.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress and the mysterious, monetary relationship with China
Rahul Gandhi, Congress and China have a deep-rooted relationship that dates back several years, in fact, decades. On the 7th of August, 2008, an agreement was signed between the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party and the Communist Party of China (CPC).
During UPA1 in 2008, the Congress Party and the Communist Party of China (CPC) signed a deal in Beijing for exchanging high-level information and co-operation between them. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) also provided the two parties with the “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments”.
Interestingly, the MoU was signed by the then Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and on the Chinese side, it was signed by none other than Xi Jinping himself, who was then the Chinese vice-president and standing committee member of the CPC’s politburo. The MoU was signed in the presence of his mother and party president Sonia Gandhi.
Before the signing of the MoU, the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi had held a long meeting with Xi and other senior leaders of the Communist Party of China to discuss issues of mutual interest.
In 2008, Sonia Gandhi visited Beijing along with Rahul, daughter Priyanka, son-in-law Robert Vadra and their two children to attend the opening of the Olympic Games. A year before, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had also led a delegation of the Congress party to China.
The 2008 MoU between CCP and Congress came at a time when the Left parties in India had expressed a lack of trust in the UPA-1 government led by Congress. The India Today report suggests that even as China was aware of the political landscape in India, Xi Jinping went ahead and signed the pact with Congress as the CCP wanted deeper ties with Congress, especially with the Gandhi family.
Not just the MoUs, but the close relationship between the Chinese leadership and the Congress party, especially Rahul Gandhi had also been highlighted just a few years ago during the Doklam stand-off when Rahul Gandhi was caught secretly meeting Chinese officials.
The Gandhi-scion, not once but twice, was caught meeting Chinese officials, raising suspicion among the policymakers regarding the intent of his secretive meeting with the Chinese.
The first meeting took place in 2017, when Rahul Gandhi had a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui, especially at a time when India and China were in the middle of a stand-off at Doklam. At first, the Congress party had denied such meetings and had termed news reports suggesting that the Gandhi-scion had indeed met Chinese officials as ‘fake news’.
However, the Congress party had to face massive embarrassment after the Chinese embassy had confirmed the meeting between the then Congress vice president and the Chinese envoy.
This meeting was especially suspicious, because the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, at that time were vehemently attacking the Indian government over their stand in the ongoing military standoff with China.
In 2018, Rahul Gandhi revealed details of the secret meeting with a couple of Chinese ministers during his trip to Kailash Mansarovar in September 2018. The meeting was kept secret initially but later Rahul Gandhi revealed the details of the meeting accidentally leading people to speculate even more as to why both the Congress party and China were trying to hide the meeting.
That is not all. Back in 2020, details about the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s (RGF) monetary operations emerged. OpIndia had previously published detailed pieces about the Chinese government’s financial contributions of more than Rs 1 crore to RGF between 2006 and afterwards.
Apart from his relationship with China, it is also true that Rahul Gandhi has time and again aligned his interests with those of George Soros and the entities funded by him. On 31 October 2022, a person named Salil Shetty joined Rahul Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra in Harthikote in Karnataka. Salil Shetty is the global vice president of Open Society Foundations founded by George Soros. Before becoming VP of Open Society Foundation, Shetty was secretary general of Amnesty International, another left-wing organisation known for its anti-India activities. In 2020, Salil Shetty was actively involved in the anti-CAA protests in various places across the country, including Bengaluru and Delhi.
In fact, there is also a convergence between OCCRP, Rahul Gandhi and Anand Mangnale, given that Anand works for OCCRP which did a hitjob against Adani and Rahul Gandhi has been beating the dead horse ever since.
Pertinently, George Soros in a statement had also mentioned that PM Modi will have to “answer for” the so-called revelations against Adani. “This will significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on India’s federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India,” George Soros said reading from a prepared statement in the video – a statement that aligns perfectly with Rahul Gandhi’s agenda.
There are several other links between Rahul Gandhi and George Soros which can be read here and here.
The questions that arise – Delhi Riots, NewsClick, China Funding, Rahul Gandhi and Congress
The revelations made in the NewsClick open up a pandora’s box as far as the Delhi anti-Hindu Riot is concerned and the role of the Congress party. While so far, the Congress party’s involvement in fanning violence was limited to Sonia Gandhi’s ‘aar ya paar’ speech before the violence erupted, Rahul Gandhi’s fear-mongering and Ishrat Jahan, with the mentioning of Anand Mangnale in the investigation, there are several other questions that arise.
Anand Mangnale was inside the JNU premises when violence broke out in January 2020. At that time, his number was used for Congress fundraising. At the same time, he was also speaking the language of Sharjeel Imam. Was Congress aware of Anand Mangnale’s involvement?
While Mangnale was working for NewsClick, he was also fundraising for Congress. What is Congress’ role in the NewsClick Chinese funding saga, if any?
Anand Mangnale joined the DPSG group in December 2019 at the behest of NewsClick- a group which was central in planning Delhi violence. At the same time, he was also fundraising for Congress. Was Congress aware of DPSG and the planning of Delhi violence?
Did Congress have other representatives in the DPSG group?
Chinese money was directly funnelled to Sharjeel Imam and other protestors through Neville Roy Singham and NewsClick. The money was given to Sharjeel Imam by Anand Mangnale. Anand Mangnale and Sharjeel Imam were in the same DPSG group. Was Congress aware of this?
While the NewsClick investigation confirms OpIndia’s suspicions, Congress has a lot to answer for about its role in fomenting violence targeted at Hindus during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots 202.