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From stones pelting not being dangerous to pepper spray being one: How some of the judiciary’s confounding decisions have left the public befuddled 

Shraddha Pandey
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From stones pelting not being dangerous to pepper spray being one: How some of the judiciary’s confounding decisions have left the public befuddled 

There have been several cases wherein the courts randomly decided whether an object used in attack or self-defence is deadly or not. The judiciary has in some cases gone overboard in its “every sinner has a future” syndrome.

In a recent ruling, the  Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh High Court said that stones used in pelting cannot be considered “dangerous weapon” akin to those mentioned in Section 326 of Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) which pertains to causing grievous hurt with dangerous weapons.

The bench of Justice Sanjiv Kumar said in April this year that “The size of stones used for pelting cannot, by any stretch of reasoning, be termed as a ‘dangerous weapon’ or ‘an instrument’ used for shooting, stabbing or cutting etc., nor can it be termed as ‘any corrosive or ‘any explosive substance’ or a substance which it is deleterious to the human body to inhale, to swallow, or to receive into the blood etc.”

Justice Kumar made these remarks while hearing a criminal appeal against a 2009 judgment issued by Kathua Chief Judicial Magistrate. Appellant Jasbir Singh currently lodged in Kathua Jail, challenged his conviction and sentence under section 326 of the RPC. Singh was convicted after he pelted stones upon the complainant for having trespassed on the disputed land.

Although the court noted that Singh’s stone pelting resulted in the loss of eyesight of one eye of the complainant, the court observed that the stones used did not qualify as ‘dangerous weapons’ under Section 326 RPC. Consequently, the court set aside Singh’s conviction under RPC section 326 and convicted him under RPC section 325.

Pepper spray is ‘deadly weapon’, can’t be used for self-defence: Karnataka High Court

In April this year, the Karnataka High Court refused to dismiss a criminal case against the director of a private company and his wife, who was accused of using pepper spray on a man in self-defence. The court labelled Pepper spray a dangerous weapon, which has also mandated an investigation. A single judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna issued the ruling on the 22nd of April in response to a plea to quash criminal charges against the wife and director of C Krishnaiah Chetty and Company Private Limited.

It happened in a case wherein the director was ordered to stop making changes that would have limited access to the contested property’s walls and partitions. The director and his wife were accused of getting into a fight with the people who obtained the injunction and using pepper spray on them when they tried to block the property’s gate with a wall. The defence’s counsel said that the defendants used pepper spray in self-defence meanwhile, the other party contended that the use of pepper spray comes under the definition of deadline weapon in the Indian Penal Code.

In this case, the court observed that the director’s wife should not have used pepper spray in self-defence as there was no threat to life and ordered an investigation into the matter. “(She) could not have used pepper spray as private defence, as prima facie there was no imminent threat or danger caused to her life. Therefore, the case at hand would require investigation in the least”.

The question here arises how did the court decide that there was no threat or danger caused to her life when she used the pepper spray without any investigation?

“Used stone not axe”: Supreme Court reduces one of the convict’s sentences in a political murder case

In February this year, the Supreme Court ruled that there was not enough evidence to conclude that a man and the other three co-accused had the same intention to commit murder. Thus, the man was found not guilty of murder. Since he used a stone instead of an axe, unlike the other three culprits, the court found him guilty of a culpable homicide that did not qualify as murder, changing his conviction from Section 302 to Section 304 Part II of the IPC.

Wife kills husband with a wooden stick, Supreme Court reduces her jail term saying “stick is not a deadly weapon”

In August last year, the Supreme Court reduced the jail term of a woman convicted of beating her husband to death using a wooden stick. The court modified Nirmala’s conviction to that of non-intentional homicide saying that a stick lying in the house cannot be considered a deadly weapon, overlooking the fact that it was used by the convicted woman to thrash the deceased victim resulting in his death.

Additionally, Justices BR Gavai and JB Pardiwala of the Supreme Court bench observed that the woman might have been “provoked” into attacking her husband as the incident transpired amid a fight between them over the victim’s refusal to give Rs 500 to send their daughter to National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp.

Karnataka High Court says attacking a man’s testicles during a fight is not an “attempt to murder”

In June 2023, the Karnataka High Court modified the conviction of a person named Parmeshwarappa in a 2010 case saying that “squeezing a man’s testicles during a quarrel cannot be deemed an attempt to murder.” The Court said that since the convict did not bring any deadly weapon with intent to kill victim Omkarappa, although the convict attacked the victim’s testicles which may have resulted in death, and he had to undergo surgery to get a testicle removed, it is a grievous hurt.

The court went on to state that the injury can be brought under IPC section 325 for causing grievous injury.

“Though he had chosen the testicles, which is a vital part of the body and may cause death, and the injured was taken to the hospital, underwent surgery, and had a testicle removed, it is a grievous hurt. “In my view, this is the case which falls under the category of grievous hurt caused by the accused during the quarrel without using any deadly weapons. Therefore, I am of the view, that the sentence passed by the trial court finding guilty for the offence punishable under Section 307 of IPC is not correct and the offence committed by the accused falls under Section 325 of IPC,” the Karnataka High Court said.

What has emerged common in the above-discussed cases is that the honourable courts decided whether a certain object used to attack a person resulting either in death or serious injury is a “deadly weapon” or not. In some cases, the court modified the conviction citing the convict’s intent. It, however, raises a question of how the courts despite saying that attacking a man’s testicle may cause death do not consider the act as an “attempt to murder” but only grievous hurt, how does a woman beating her husband to death with a stick over refusing to give money is given a relaxation saying that she may have attacked her husband in a fit of anger but did not “intend” to kill him? Sticks, stones, and bricks are not deadly enough but pepper spray allegedly used in defence is a deadly weapon?

Interestingly, section 326 of the Indian Penal Code says that Whoever, except in the case provided for by section 335, voluntarily causes grievous hurt through any instrument for shooting, stabbing or cutting, or any instrument which, used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death, or using fire or any heated substance, or using any poison or any corrosive substance, or using any explosive substance, or employing any substance which it is deleterious to the human body to inhale, to swallow, or to receive into the blood, or using any animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.”

While the courts in such cases as mentioned above said that sticks and stones are not categorized in IPC section 326, the very expression “any instrument which is used as a weapon” gives the law a broader scope. When the law has specifically stated punishment for voluntarily causing hurt with any instrument used as a weapon of offence, it remains unclear why the judges do not find sticks, stones used for pelting and other though seemingly ordinary but used as a weapon of offence “deadly” enough.

AAP received Rs 7.08 crore foreign funds from 2014-2022, violated FCRA and RPA norms: ED to Home Ministry

OpIndia Staff
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AAP received Rs 7.08 crore foreign funds from 2014-2022, violated FCRA and RPA norms: ED to Home Ministry

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Union Home Ministry on Monday (20th May) that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received Rs 7.08 crore of foreign money between 2014 and 2022, reportedly violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), the Representation of People Act (RPA), and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The party led by Arvind Kejriwal disagreed with the ED’s assertions, claiming that they were part of a political effort to undermine the party.

In its report, the ED informed the Union Home Ministry that the AAP received funding from several countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman. The paperwork arrived ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi on May 25.

In its inquiry, the ED alleged multiple instances of anomalies in the collecting of foreign funds by the AAP and its leaders, accusing some of them, including AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, of siphoning off funds raised during a fund-raising event in Canada in 2016 for personal gain.

The probe agency supported the allegations with the contents of e-mails swapped between various AAP volunteers and functionaries, including Aniket Saxena (Coordinator of AAP Overseas India), Kumar Vishwas (then Convenor of AAP Overseas India), Kapil Bhardwaj (then AAP member), and Durgesh Pathak.

“The investigations so far revealed that the amounts collected through fund-raising campaigns in the US and Canada and the identities of actual donors were concealed in the books of accounts maintained by the AAP to circumvent the restrictions imposed under FCRA on donations by foreign citizens to a political party,” it alleged.

According to the investigation agency, many individuals made donations to AAP using the same passport numbers, email addresses, cellphone numbers, and credit cards.

The ED shared all information gathered during the investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, with the Union Home Ministry, including donor information such as names, country of origin, passport number, amount donated, mode of donation and bank account number of receiver, billing name, billing address, billing telephone numbers, billing e-mail, time and date of donation, and payment gateway.

The investigation agency also obtained donation-related information from Canadian nationals’ e-mail addresses and mobile phone numbers.

According to the ED, 155 people residing abroad donated Rs 1.02 crore on  404 instances using 55 passport numbers. On 256 instances, 71 donors used 21 cell numbers to make donations totalling Rs 99.90 lakh, while 75 donors from abroad used 15 credit cards to make donations totalling Rs 19.92 lakh on 148 occasions.

Donations worth Rs 51.15 lakh were received through the email IDs and telephone numbers of 19 Canadian nationals, according to the ED. However, the names and nationalities of these Canadian people were suppressed and incorrectly recorded in the documents, the agency revealed. 

“Instead, different names have been mentioned against these donations and this was intentionally done by AAP to hide donations by foreign nationals, which violates Section 3 of FCRA, 2010 and Section 298 of Representation of People Act 1951,” it stated.

“The amount was raised by concealing, misdeclaring, and manipulating the identities and nationalities of foreign donors as well as several other facts relating to foreign donations,” it added.

Another inquiry discovered that AAP established an organization named AAP Overseas India, along with volunteers from countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, whose major function was to raise foreign funding for AAP. It was also discovered that in 2016, volunteers were given a target of Rs 50 crore in overseas donations.

During a fund-raising event organized by AAP in Canada in 2016, Aniket Saxena (Coordinator of AAP Overseas India) and Kumar Vishwas (then Convenor of AAP Overseas India) exchanged emails.

According to the ED, the communication revealed that Durgesh Pathak and Kapil Bhardwaj, then AAP members, had urged Aniket to make a donation of 29,000 Canadian dollars gathered during a fundraising campaign straight to Durgesh Pathak and Kapil Bhardwaj via one Bhagwant Toor.

During an AAP-organized event in Toronto on November 22, 2015, which Durgesh Pathak attended, 15,000 Canadian dollars were raised, and handwritten raw data sheets containing donor information and amounts donated were e-mailed to AAP Overseas India by Canadian party volunteers.

The ED claimed that following an inquiry, it was discovered that the names of these genuine donors, as listed on handwritten data sheets, were not reflected in the official records provided by AAP.

Another event organized by AAP in Toronto on January 30, 2016, raised a total of 11,786 Canadian dollars, with 3,821 Canadian dollars utilized to cover event expenditures, according to the inquiry agency.

“An amount of 7,955 Canadian dollars was sent to AAP in their IDBI bank account using the passports of 11 AAP Canada volunteers (Indian citizens) even though the said donation was claimed to be made by more than 200 people who had attended that event,” the Enforcement Director asserted.

Party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi meanwhile claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was afraid of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

“This is not ED’s activity, but the BJP’s. This is a long-standing case, and we have provided comments to the ED, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Union Home Ministry, and Election Commission,” she stated.

“This is simply another plan by Modiji to smear the AAP. The BJP resorts to such tactics before every election. Many such false allegations will be made in the next four days,” she said.

AAP’s streak of misbehaving with women remains unbroken: Delhi Police reaches AAP office after Times Now journalists dial 100 over mistreatment by party workers

OpIndia Staff
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AAP’s streak of misbehaving with women remains unbroken: Delhi Police reaches AAP office after Times Now journalists dial 100 over mistreatment by party workers

Days after the Aam Aadmi Party got embroiled in the Swati Maliwal assault case after the Rajya Sabha member alleged that she was assaulted by the close aide of Arvind Kejriwal at his residence, another case of AAP workers manhandling journalists has come to the fore. 

Delhi Police on Monday (May 20) reportedly visited the AAP office situated in the national capital after Times Now journalist Aakanksha Khajuria and video journalist Radha Krishna dialled 100 to register a complaint against the party. The report said Khajuria and Krishna were allegedly misbehaved by AAP workers while reporting the Enforcement Directorate’s submissions to the Home Ministry.

According to Times Now reporters, the victims were misbehaved with by the AAP workers when they had sought Durgesh Pathak’s reaction to the Enforcement Directorate dossier that said AAP had violated the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and the Representational of People Act (RPA) by receiving foreign donations of Rs 7.08 crores from 2014 to 2022. 

The current incident, unfortunately, comes hot on the heels of the Swati Maliwal assault case wherein Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide Bibhav Kumar had been accused of assaulting the Rajya Sabha MP while she was at the CM’s residence to seek an audience with him. 

Swati Maliwal accuses Arvind Kejriwal’s close aide of assaulting her

Earlier last week, on 13th May, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal accused the Personal secretary of Arvind Kejriwal of assaulting her. In her complaint, Maliwal has alleged that Kejriwal’s personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar “slapped” her “at least seven to eight times” while she “continued screaming” and “brutally dragged” her while “kicking” her in her “chest, stomach and pelvis area.” According to the Delhi Police FIR, Maliwal described the events of May 13 when she had gone to the Civil Lines residence of Chief Minister Kejriwal.

“I went inside the camp office and called CM’s PS Bibhav Kumar but I could not go in. I then sent a message to his mobile number (through WhatsApp). However, there was no response. I then went inside the residential area through the main door as I have always done in the past year since Bibhav Kumar was not present I entered the residence area and informed the staff present there to tell the CM here to meet him,” the FIR read. “I was informed that he was present in the house and I was told to wait in the drawing room. I went into the drawing room and sat on the sofa and waited for him to meet me,” Swati Maliwal said.

“He then abused me and asked who are you to not listen to what I say. While saying these words, he came and stood right in front of me. Without any provocation whatsoever on my side, he started slapping me with full force. He slapped me seven to eight times at least while I continued screaming. I felt shocked and was screaming for help over and over again. To protect myself I pushed him away with my legs,” she said.

Bhopal: Faizal alias Badhshah takes Hindu girl to Kerala’s Kozhikode, forces to convert, Islamic documents recovered from victim

OpIndia Staff
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Bhopal: Faizal alias Badhshah takes Hindu girl to Kerala’s Kozhikode, forces to convert, Islamic documents recovered from victim

A case of alleged grooming and attempt to convert has recently came to light from Madhya Pradesh’s capital Bhopal. The family members of a girl who is said to be from the Yadav community have accused Faizal alias Badshah of abducting their daughter on the pretext of marriage and forcing her to recite Kalma and convert. After the investigation, Police rescued the victim on 18th May and arrested the accused. They are investigating the case from the angle of human trafficking as well. The victim has been sent to an NGO for counseling.  

In their FIR at Avadhpuri police station in Bhopal, the family members said, “A young man from the Muslim community took our daughter away on the pretext of marriage and then forced her to recite Kalma.” Police have registered a case under the Freedom of Religion Act. While EtvBharat’s report claims that the accused was arrested, according to media reports updated after the Etv report, the police stated that they would soon arrest the accused.  

Nonetheless, the details about the case came to light after the family of the victim filed a missing complaint at the Police station. 

According to reports, the accused is a resident of Anna Nagar, and he has been identified as Faizal alias Badshah. The 20-year-old victim hails from the Yadav community and is a resident of Awadhpuri. Faizal is accused of taking the victim to Kerala on 11th May on the pretext of marriage. He then started pressuring the victim to change her religion. However, the victim called her relatives and narrated her ordeal to them. Afterward, her family members lodged a complaint at the Awadhpuri police station. After the accused learned about the complaint, he reportedly booked a flight for the victim and sent her back to Bhopal. After arriving in the city on Saturday morning (18th May), she went to the police station to give her statements. 

According to reports, Police suspect that this could be a case of love jihad or human trafficking. Faizal alias Badshah is also accused of forcing the victim to do religious conversion. 

Speaking with Free Press, Awadhpuri police station TI Roshanlaal Bharti said that the woman used to reside in Anna Nagar, where she struck a friendship with a man named Badshah, who belonged to a different religion. The woman later shifted to Awadhpuri but stayed in touch with Badshah. In her complaint, the woman stated that Badhshah promised to marry her and said that he would reside with her in Kerala after marriage. 

TI Bharti added that an NGO working for the welfare of women has also taken cognisance of the issue.

Police recovered documents related to Islam and how to recite Kalma from the girl: Report

According to reports, the police have also recovered some documents from the victim girl that pertain to the Islamic faith and Kalma. According to the information received, police discovered a book titled “How to Become a Muslim” in the victim’s bag. Additionally, some papers were also found detailing how to recite Kalma. 

Following the recovery, the Police suspect that the girl was being pressured to do religious conversion. Additionally, the officials are also investigating this matter from the angle of human trafficking. 

According to Hindu organisations, Kerala’s Kozhikode is becoming a hotspot from where Hindu girls are being sent to Dubai and other places. In the wake of this, they have demanded the arrest of the accused in this case as soon as possible.

‘I respect Hinduism and support BJP, so I was assaulted’: Kutch resident Alimamad tells OpIndia why he was assaulted by miscreants of the Muslim community

Krunalsinh Rajput
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‘I respect Hinduism and support BJP, so I was assaulted’: Kutch resident Alimamad tells OpIndia why he was assaulted by miscreants of the Muslim community

On 10th May a shocking incident came to light from the Mandvi area of ​​Kutch, Gujarat where a Muslim youth, Alimamad Ilyas Shiroo living in Merau village was brutally assaulted for reportedly inducting his acquaintances into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In this incident, the Mandvi police registered a case under sections 365, 341, 323, 506 (2), and 120(b) of the IPC against the accused Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed.

The accused abducted Alimamad Ilyas and after tying him up they brutally beat the victim to such an extent that he suffered internal injuries.  

OpIndia reached out to the victim, and during the conversation, Alimamad explained in detail what transpired before and after he was assaulted by the miscreants. 

Alimamad Ilyas is currently in Bhuj and undergoing treatment at a government hospital there. According to him, due to excessive beating, his kidneys have been severely affected. The condition is serious, and the hospital doctors have also said that the treatment will take a long time. Talking about his health, he says that even after many days of treatment, there has only been a twenty percent improvement because he was severely beaten. He added, ‘I am in a lot of pain right now’.

‘I am a Muslim, but I believe in all religions, so they threatened me’

Narrating the entire incident, Alimamad told OpIndia, “I live in Merau (Kutch) and earn my livelihood by working as a labourer. I have one daughter. This whole incident started before the elections. I am a Muslim, but I have feelings for all religions. I especially have faith in Hinduism. I also go to listen to any katha or other religious programs in our village or the surrounding areas. It was this nature of mine that shocked those people (accused). I am a Muslim, but the people who assaulted me always told me that I had converted (religious conversion). Those people also threatened us many times, but I did not pay attention to it. Then Hakimsha Ibrahimsha Syed threatened to kill me and my daughter, so I filed a complaint at that time.”

The whole incident unfolded because I support the BJP

Alimamad Ilyas added, “I also support the Bharatiya Janata Party. Our country is a democracy, and anyone can believe in any religion and support any party, and that is my right. I have a friend in the neighbouring village of Shirwa, and after being influenced by my ideas, he also supported the BJP, which came as a shock to the accused: Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed, and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed.”

He further said, “Amidst all this, there was a meeting of our local BJP MLA and he welcomed my friend in front of everyone. Those people (the accused party) support Congress, so we were on their watch. My friend told me that the accused were harassing him and I asked him to take the help of the police. But in the meantime, the accused abused my friend and had a fight with him.”

Picked me up from the road and brutally assaulted me: Alimamad

He further says, “When I was coming to Merau, Akbarsha Abdulsha Syed, Hakimsha Kadarsha Syed, Jainulsha Kasamsha Syed, and Aliasgar Ibrahimsha Syed came in a red car and hit my bike and knocked me down. Before I could even realize anything, they picked me up and threw me into the car. They then took me to the office that Kadarshah had illegally built on government land allocated for cattle rearing in Shirwa. There, they tied my hands and feet and gagged me. Then they brutally assaulted me for almost two-and-a-half to three hours.”

I am afraid that these people will kill me: Alimamad 

Speaking with OpIndia, he said, “After beating me, those people threatened me that if I filed a police complaint, they would kill me as soon as they got out of jail. I have been beaten to such an extent that I cannot even urinate properly after the attack. I have been beaten so severely on my buttocks, back, and legs that my entire skin has turned black. After brutally assaulting me, they threw me back to the place from where they picked me up. I was unconscious and I felt like I would not be alive. As soon as I regained consciousness, I called 108 and reached Mandvi Government Hospital for treatment. After the Police arrived, I filed a complaint against the accused.”

He further says, “Due to excessive beating, I was initially transferred to a private hospital and later to a general hospital in Bhuj. My kidney has been seriously affected. I don’t know how many more days I will be admitted here.” Meanwhile, he also told OpIndia that he was under threat and that the accused would kill him as soon as he came out of the hospital.

Grateful to Hindu Society and Organisations for help

Alimamad told OpIndia, “The accused are so headstrong that the people of my community are not even helping me out of fear of them. All the accused are involved in illegal business. Because of them, not a single Muslim came to help me. Whatever treatment I am currently undergoing and whatever help I am receiving is from Hindu organisations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad and their workers. I am thankful to the Hindu society and organisations for this. My demand to the administration is that strict action should be taken against the accused who mercilessly assaulted me, and it should be fast-tracked.” 

It is pertinent to note that during the interaction, Alimamad also told OpIndia that he had once gone to a meeting of Kajal Hindustani and the accused were also aware of that.

An FIR has been registered in the entire matter, but till the report was published, the accused are yet to be arrested. OpIndia also tried to contact the Mandvi police to get more information, but no contact could be established. The report will be updated when a response is received or contact is made.

‘Miscreants with firearms and daggers assaulted us’: Ramakrishna Mission in Jalpaiguri files police complaint after Mamata targets Hindu advocacy group

OpIndia Staff
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‘Miscreants with firearms and daggers assaulted us’: Ramakrishna Mission in Jalpaiguri files police complaint after Mamata targets Hindu advocacy group

Days after West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee alleged that monks at the Ramakrishna Mission were working under the influence of the BJP, the Ramakrishna Mission in Jalpaiguri filed an official police complaint stating that miscreants carrying firearms attacked the Ashram in the wee hours of Monday.

“This is the worst thing Mamata Banerjee could have done to West Bengal,” BJP leader Amit Malviya tweeted.

“After she threatened Ramakrishna Mission, Bharat Sevashram Sangh and ISKCON from an open stage, criminals, with firearms and daggers entered Ramakrishna Mission Ashram under Kotwali PS in Jalpaiguri and attacked the monks, broke CCTV, brandished firearms, forcefully detained the Sadhus and threw them on streets,” he added.

In its complaint, the Ramakrishna Mission has stated that a man named Pradip Roy hired and connived with 10/12 anti-social muscle men by forming an unlawful assembly and armed with deadly weapons like firearms, daggers etc committed trespassed into the Sewak House by topping the ramparts and assaulted their men and security guards in the early hours of May 19.

“The said miscreants snatched the mobile phones of our men and security guards, damaged the CCTV cameras and assaulted our men for causing fear of instant death. By committing the aforesaid offence, the said miscreants left the place of occurrence by taking away the mobile phones and threatening our men and security guards with dire consequences,” the complaint further said.

“The said Pradip Roy and his men are presently roaming in and around the locality by uttering that law enforcing agency is under their command and should we try to resist them then they won’t hesitate even to shed blood or kill our men,” the complaint read.

Mamata Banerjee targets Ramakrishna Mission and other Hindu advocacy groups

It must be mentioned that Mamata Banerjee stirred the hornet’s nest on Saturday (18th May) by attacking Hindu organisations, working in West Bengal.

She claimed that a monk associated with Bharat Sewa Ashram Sangh named Kartik Maharaj had conspired with the BJP to not allow TMC agents in polling booths.

“Some monks of Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Sangha are working under the influence of BJP leaders in Delhi. Those who are looking after temples are doing great spiritual jobs, but everyone is not doing so. This is not done. We respect the monks,” she had claimed.

On Sunday (19th May), Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for targeting Hindu organisations such as ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sewa Ashram Sangh for electoral gain.

While speaking during a public meeting in West Bengal’s Purulia district, PM Modi stated, “The TMC government has crossed all limits. ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sewa Ashram Sangham are known across the globe for their service. They have taken the name of our country to new heights.”

He emphasised, “Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, is openly threatening these organisations. There are millions of followers associated with these missions all over the world, and their sole aim is to serve the people.”

Gujarat: ISIS terrorists Mohammad Nusrat, Mohammad Nufran, Mohammad Faris and Mohammad Razdin arrested from Ahmedabad Airport

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: ISIS terrorists Mohammad Nusrat, Mohammad Nufran, Mohammad Faris and Mohammad Razdin arrested from Ahmedabad Airport

On Monday, May 20, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Gujarat Police arrested four terrorists at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. According to the local police, all the arrested terrorists are residents of Sri Lanka, and are associated with the Islamic State, Desh Gujarat reported.

Gujarat DGP Vikash Sahay said, “Information was received that 4 people, namely, Mohammad Nusrat, Mohammad Nufran, Mohammad Faris and Mohammad Razdin. These 4 people are Sri Lankan nationals and are active members of the banned terror outfit Islamic State. All four of them are completely radicalised by the ISIS ideology and they are going to come to India to commit a terror attack.”

The ATS has started investigating the case following the arrests of the Islamic State terrorists. The ATS is currently interrogating the terrorists to determine their purpose for arriving in Ahmedabad. Efforts are ongoing to uncover their intentions for arriving in the state.

Initial investigation by ATS has revealed that the Islamic State terrorists traveled from Sri Lanka to Ahmedabad via Chennai. The Gujarat ATS arrested them before they could reach their intended target.

It has also been uncovered during the initial investigation that these terrorists were awaiting orders from their handlers in Pakistan who were expected to deliver them weapons to aid in their intended attack. The ATS has also recovered encrypted chats from the terrorists’ phones.

The arrest of the four ISIS terrorists from Gujarat comes shortly after Surat Police arrested Maulvi Sohail Abubakar for conspiring to kill suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma, party MLA from Hyderabad’s Goshamahal T Raja Singh, Sudarshan News editor-in-chief Suresh Chavhanke, and Sanatan Sangh national chairman as well as social media activist Updesh Rana.

The cleric was in touch with handlers from Pakistan and Nepal over the previous year and a half, the police uncovered during their inquiry. The handler in Nepal has been identified as Shahzad. The cleric talked with each of them via a SIM Card issued from Laos. He used WhatsApp and other social media platforms to communicate. Sohail was ordered by his superiors to ‘straighten out’ those who were defaming the honour of the Islamic Prophet.

Drones, explosives, and hate literature: How a village just 50 km away from Mumbai turned into India’s ISIS nerve centre

Jinit Jain
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Drones, explosives, and hate literature: How a village just 50 km away from Mumbai turned into India’s ISIS nerve centre

Mumbai, India’s financial centre and the capital of Maharashtra, is a teeming city known for its cosmopolitan nature and bustling activities. But a new report by journalist Pankaj Prasoon paints a sinister development underway in its neighbourhood, Padgha, a backwater town 50 kilometres northeast of Mumbai. 

Padgha experienced a dramatic and menacing transformation, earning the reputation of becoming India’s ISIS hub. This shift was masterminded by the notorious terrorist Saqib Nachan. Under his direction, Padgha was renamed Al Sham and began functioning almost like an independent enclave, governed by the repressive Sharia rule.

Saqib Nachan, a notorious terrorist, turned Padgha into a hub for extremism. Once a serene village, Padgha experienced a dramatic shift with the influx of unfamiliar and suspicious individuals, accompanied by a rise in Islamic radicalisation. This transformation accelerated Padgha’s descent into a centre for terror planning and radicalism, significantly altering its character and raising substantial security concerns.

In 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) executed a major raid in Padgha, uncovering 44 drones primed for an attack on Mumbai. This significant cache suggested that the terrorists had sophisticated plans and likely external support. However, the drones were not the only alarming discovery. The NIA also found a substantial stash of weapons and extremist literature. Surprisingly, Israeli flags were among the items seized, hinting at broader and more complex motives behind the activities in Padgha, possibly aiming to incite greater tension and violence.

The revelation of such a well-equipped terror hub so close to Mumbai raised serious national security concerns. The once peaceful village had become a significant threat, capable of launching major attacks, prompting critical questions about local security and community vigilance.

Padgha’s transformation from a quiet village to an ISIS hub known as Al Sham starkly illustrates the severe dangers posed by modern terrorism. It underscores the urgent need for robust intelligence, swift action, and a unified effort to ensure national safety.

Who is Saquib Nachan? The SIMI-linked terrorist who is the brains behind establishing ISIS hub Al Sham in India

Terrorist Saquib Nachan is the mastermind behind the village of Al-Sham. Nachan gained infamy after being involved in multiple terror blasts in Mumbai in just four months. He was accused of a blast at Mumbai Central railway station that injured 25 people in December 2002. A month later, he was accused of another bomb blast, this time in Vile Parle which killed 1 and injured 25 others. In March 2003, Nachan was named in a bomb blast at Mulund station that killed 11 and injured 82.

He was arrested shortly after that by Mumbai Police in April 2003 and held in prison for over 7 years. In 2011, he managed to secure bail but was arrested months later in connection with an attempted murder of VHP activist and lawyer Manoj Raicha.

The former secretary of SIMI was finally convicted in March 2016 for possessing weapons under the anti-terror law and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He served one year and 8 months in jail as a convict, while the remainder of the term as undertrial to come out free in November 2017.

In Padgha, Nachan strategically settled recruits in the pursuit to create a separate state. Intelligence sources reveal that Nachan played a pivotal role in radicalizing youth, organizing various training programs, and managing foreign operations, funding, and psychological warfare against India. His plans included orchestrating bombings across India, surpassing the severity of the 26/11 attacks. Additionally, Nachan administered the Bayʿah (oath of allegiance) to recruits, strengthening their commitment to the jihadist cause.

Under the guidance of foreign handlers, the accused actively participated in terrorist activities, including manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for planned attacks. They encouraged vulnerable Muslim youths to move to Al-Sham (Padgha) to bolster their presence.

However, the details of the nefarious designs of waging armed jihad and terror attacks in India with Padgha or Al-Sham as the ISIS India base came to the fore when the NIA arrested 15 terrorists, including Nachan in December 2023. Nachan’s arrest had come months after the security agencies got hold of his son, Shamil Nachan, who is accused of similar terror activities as his father, underscoring the enormity of rampant Islamic radicalism and terrorism prevalent in India.

Fact-Check: YouTuber Ravish Kumar fear-mongers, shares disinformation claiming BJP wants to change basis of reservation

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-Check: YouTuber Ravish Kumar fear-mongers, shares disinformation claiming BJP wants to change basis of reservation

On 20th May, journalist-turned-YouTuber and propagandist Ravish Kumar shared disinformation on social media platform X where he asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party is planning to change the basis of reservation. The disinformation was based on an interview Union Minister Rajnath Singh gave to Amar Ujala.

Source: X

In a post in Hindi, Ravish Kumar wrote, “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given an interview to Amar Ujala. Rajnath Ji is saying that the basis of reservation should be poverty. Are they talking about changing the basis of reservation? The opposition to reservation starts with this argument. Those who know the principles of reservation will surely shed light on this. They will say that a major basis is missing between religion and poverty and what that is. Rajnath Singh’s interview is printed on page ten. He is a senior politician. He has won elections many times. There is voting in Lucknow today.” Notably, his post came on the day of fifth phase of polling.

Rajnath Singh categorically said ‘no plan to change reservation’

The interview in question was published by Dainik Bhaskar on 20th May. It also appeared in the print version of the newspaper. During the interview, the reporter asked Singh about the claims opposition has made that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is seeking 400 seats as the party wants to change basis of reservation or the Constitution of India.

Source: Amar Ujala

Replying to the question, Rajnath Singh said, “These people [Congress party and other parties in opposition] amended the Constitution 80-90 times. In the year 1976, Indira Gandhi had changed the soul of the Constitution in its Preamble itself. Reservation should not be in the name of religion but on the basis of poverty and in India at present reservation is being given on the basis of poverty only. There is no question of ending it. The opposition says that we will give reservation in the name of religion. Does the Constitution allow this? I tell the opposition not to lie to the minorities.”

Ravish Kumar has a history of disinformation

This is not the first time Ravish Kumar has indulged in spreading disinformation. In May 2023, he used misleading news to call Gujarat “lab of Hindutva”, continued to create hysteria even after truth emerged. On 7th May 2023, he took to Facebook to fear-monger about ‘missing’ 40000 women from the Indian State of Gujarat. While sharing the screenshot of a misleading article by The New Indian Express, he wrote, “Ask Narendra Modi, where did the girls of Gujarat disappear? Can Modi, who talks about the pride of 6 crores Gujaratis, tell us about the whereabouts of 40000 missing girls?”

The propaganda artist then went on to dub Gujarat, the ‘laboratory of Hindu Rahstra.’ He inquired, “Which experiment is being run in this laboratory of Hindu Rahstra to disappear girls?” The half-baked information about 40000 ‘missing’ women was amplified by the left-liberal ecosystem in the hopes of deviating public discourse from ‘The Kerala Story’ to Gujarat. In a series of tweets, the Gujarat police informed that while 41,621 women had gone missing between 2016-2020, about 39,497 or approximately 95% of the women were traced and reunited with their families.

In February this year, Ravish Kumar whitewashed Islamist violence in Haldwani and suggested Opposition should milk it during election and dubbed courts as ‘communal’. A day after Islamists ran riots in Haldwani city in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, former NDTV ‘journalist’-turned-YouTuber Ravish Kumar gave a clean chit to the rioters and blamed the court and the State government for removing illegal encroachments.

In his long rant on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (9th February), the left-wing propagandist conveniently ignored the stone-pelting and arson attacks executed by radical Islamists. Instead, he accused the Hindus of supposedly being ‘complicit in silence.’ “The existence of mosques was erased overnight in Delhi. The people of Delhi city ignored it. They are becoming involved in every atrocity with their silence,” Ravish Kumar alleged at the very outset.

Saga of violence continues in West Bengal as assault and intimidation mar polling: BJP candidate Arjun Singh says TMC workers threatened to shoot him

OpIndia Staff
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Saga of violence continues in West Bengal as assault and intimidation mar polling: BJP candidate Arjun Singh says TMC workers threatened to shoot him

West Bengal, which already witnessed poll violence in the first four phases of the polling during Lok Sabha elections, has seen an uptick in violence during the fifth phase with reports of assault, intimidation, and even hospitalisation of several BJP workers within the first few hours of the polling.  

According to ABP Ananda, 471 complaints were registered with the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the first two hours of polling during the fifth phase. The principal opposition party in the state, BJP, has submitted 22 complaints while CPI-M has given 25 complaints. Incidentally, the ruling party in the state, Trinamool Congress has also submitted 30 complaints to the ECI. 

Violence erupted in Howrah’s Salkia in Bengal hours before polling began at 7 AM. The Bharatiya Janata Party said that its workers were assaulted by TMC members in the ensuing violence.  

BJP candidate Arjun Singh said that TMC workers in Barrackpore have been intimidating voters, adding that they even threatened to kill him. He added, “They even threatened to shoot me.”  

As per media reports, TMC workers later started heckling Arjun Singh in Kanchrapara after he accused a TMC polling agent of being an “outsider”. Arjun Singh had gone to the spot to verify a woman’s allegations that she was not being allowed to vote. The police later brought the situation under control.

In Howrah’s Liluah, a presiding official at polling station number 176 was allegedly assaulted by polling agents over a delay in the starting of the voting procedure. It is said that voting started there after over an hour. The poll body has sought an action taken report on the matter.

In Kalyani, it is reported that voters were threatened to discourage voting. After suffering injuries in an attack in Gayeshpur, a BJP worker was rushed to the Kalyani-AIIMS hospital. BJP candidate Shantanu Thakur went to meet the injured party worker later.

On her visit to Dhanekhali village, BJP candidate from Hooghly, Locket Chatterjee said that TMC agents were sitting with slips at “voter sahayata Kendra”, asking people to vote for Rachana Banerjee, the Trinamool candidate from Hooghly. TMC workers later had a verbal altercation with Locket Chatterjee at one booth. Chatterjee added that TMC bribed an ASHA worker to function as a polling agent in lieu of money.

While speaking to reporters, Chatterjee said, “She (ASHA worker) has been instructed to ask people to vote for Rachana. She is a Trinamool agent working as an assistant in booths asking people to vote for TMC. There is no other party slip with her.” 

According to the BJP, TMC workers have also been blocking voters from voting in Hooghly. BJP also said that TMC workers have been ‘jamming booths’ in the North Howrah region.

Meanwhile, in Jangipara, a central paramilitary force jawan was tied to a lamp post and brutally assaulted over allegations of sexually harassing a woman at her house. Similarly, in Uluberia, a BSF jawan was removed from poll duty over the allegations of ‘outraging modesty of a woman’. The Bengal Police has begun an investigation. 

As per reports, BJP’s camp in Serampore was vandalised after which the security forces have been on high alert to prevent any more untoward incidents.

A BJP Panchayat Deputy Head Tapan Bagh was also attacked amid reports of clashes with TMC workers in Arambagh’s Khanakul town. As per reports, Tapan Bagh suffered severe head injuries in the clashes. The Police said that two persons have been detained in the matter.

Furthermore, clashes reportedly broke out between BJP candidates and TMC workers in the North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Four BJP workers including a woman suffered grievous injuries in an attack in North 24 Parganas’s Swaroopnagar.

On 20th May, the fifth phase of voting is underway from 7 AM and voters will decide the fate of candidates in seven Lok Sabha constituencies namely Bangaon, Barrackpore, Howrah, Uluberia, Srerampur, Hooghly, and Arambagh.

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