Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday exuded confidence in forming the government of the INDIA bloc at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections results were declared on June 4 and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will not cross 140 seats.
“INDIA alliance will form the government The truth is that the one who is sitting facing the sea has turned his back on the public. The people are also against them. What does ‘400 paar’ mean? They (BJP) will not go beyond 140,” Akhilesh Yadav told ANI on Saturday.
Samajwadi Party chief arrived in Delhi on Saturday from Lucknow airport to attend the meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders.
Several other INDIA bloc leaders arrived in New Delhi to participate in the alliance’s meeting regarding the Lok Sabha elections.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, AAP MP Raghav Chadha, Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren, and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai were among the leaders who arrived here today.
Tejashwi said, “Today people are voting to teach a lesson to those who have increased inflation, poverty, and unemployment. We will bring 300 plus (seats). Everyone knows about exit polls under which everything is shown in a one-sided manner. It won’t be effective this time. There will be surprising results in Bihar. There will be so many seats that BJP will not be able to form a government at the Centre.”
AAP MP Raghav Chadha said, “A meeting of top leaders of the INDIA bloc has been called at the residence of Mallikarjun Kharge today. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal and all of us from the party will take part in that meeting.”
Jharkhand CM and Champai Soren also arrived in Delhi and said that the INDIA bloc will get a good number of seats.
“Our alliance will have discussions related to the elections. INDIA Alliance will get a good number of seats. All of that (NDA 400 paar slogan) is wrong,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and party candidate from the South Central seat, Anil Desai said that this time the ground reality is different, and people are very angry with the BJP.
It is worth noting that Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had similarly made outlandish claims in March 2023 when he said his party would defeat the BJP in all 80 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The SP is contesting only 62 seats this election.
Admitting that Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is not part of Pakistan, the government lawyer has told the Islamabad High Court that the poet Ahmed Farhad Shah, who is in police custody in PoJK, cannot be brought to the court in the federal capital as he is in “foreign territory” that does not come under the country’s jurisdiction, according to Dunya News.
At the outset of the proceedings, Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Duggal stated that there were cases registered against Farhad in Azad Kashmir, and he was on physical remand till June 2.
He stated that Farhad’s family had met him, so the habeas corpus petition be disposed of.
The Dunya News report said that Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani presided over the proceedings on the plea filed by Arooj Zainab, Farhad’s spouse.
Petitioner’s lawyer Imaan Mazari said her client had not only asked for the return of her husband, but also sought action against those responsible for his enforced disappearance, Dunya reported. .
The High Court remarked that the case would culminate only on the appearance of Farhad in court.
In his argument, AAG Duggal stated that Kashmir was a foreign territory with its own constitution and courts, where judgements of Pakistani courts were treated similarly to judgments of foreign courts, Dunya News reported.
The petitioner’s attorney told the court that Farhad’s family had travelled from Islamabad to the Dhirkot police station, but when they arrived, they were told that he had been transferred to Muzaffarabad due to the inclusion of sections relating to the charges of terrorism.
When Justice Kayani asked the Islamabad prosecutor general where Farhad had been before his detention on May 29, he said that the PoJK court would deal with it.
Justice Kayani remarked that everyone should work within the law, to which the prosecutor general maintained that he works within the law, reported Dunya News.
“We have to determine the misuse of law,” Kayani said to the petitioner’s attorney’s argument that the court should also consider cases involving the misuse of laws and procedures.
The court adjourned the hearing of the case until June 7, rejecting the request to dispose of the petition for the recovery of poet Ahmed Farhad.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Salman Khan’s Bandra home was the target of gunfire more than a month ago, and now the Navi Mumbai police reported that they discovered another conspiracy to assassinate the Bollywood actor. Last week, four people were taken into custody by the police on suspicion of plotting another attack on him while he was travelling to his farmhouse in Panvel. The arrested accused have been identified as Dhananjay Tapesingh alias Ajay Kashyap, Gaurav Bhatia alias Nahvi, Waspi Khan alias Wasim Chikna and Rizwan Khan alias Javed Khan.
According to reports, as early as February, the suspects had carried out a thorough reconnaissance of Panvel. Orders for weaponry from a Pakistani arms supplier known as Dogar were planned. More than seventeen individuals, including Lawrence Bishnoi, Anmol Bishnoi, Sampat Nehra and Goldy Brar are the subject of a first information report. The police stated that further investigation was underway.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare conveyed, “We have made four arrests in the case. The accused had been plotting to target the actor for a long time and had stayed in Panvel to conduct recce.” According to a copy of the First Information Report submitted at the Panvel police station in Navi Mumbai, the actor was the object of an attack by the incarcerated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, his cousin Anmol Bishnoi, who lives in Canada, and his accomplice Goldy Brar by obtaining sophisticated weapons from a Pakistani supplier including an AK-47, M-16, and AK-92.
Police sources unveiled that the intention was reportedly to storm the property or waylay his vehicle. Investigators are still unsure of the motivation behind the second plan to shoot at the actor’s Bandra residence. Four people connected to the earlier scheme were nabbed by Navi Mumbai police last week, and they are currently searching for at least fifteen to twenty more Lawrence Bishnoi gang members who had been staying near Salman Khan’s farmhouse since February of this year. Senior Inspector Nitin Thackeray discovered the plot last month after receiving a tip that several individuals were preparing to attack the actor’s farmhouse.
“We got to know recently after the Bandra shooting that Bishnoi had sent a few men to Navi Mumbai, namely Ajay Kashyap and others who went by the nicknames of Rocky Shooter, Satish Kaur and Sukha Shooter,” an official mentioned. On 14th April, two males riding bikes opened fire outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy Apartments in Bandra, Mumbai. Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal were later arrested in Gujarat.
On 26th April, Anuj Thapan and another accused involved in the case were captured in Punjab. On 1st May Anuj Thapan, passed away inside the crime branch lock-up of the Mumbai police. Mohammed Rafique Chowdhary another member of Lawrence Bishnoi from Rajasthan was caught by the Mumbai crime branch for offering financial assistance to Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal to purchase a motorcycle and rent a place to live. Furthermore, he repeatedly carried out surveillance in and around Salman Khan’s home.
Salman Khan’s security has been heightened to Y-Plus since November 2022 as a result of threats from gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar. He has reportedly purchased a new armoured vehicle for increased safety and has been given permission to keep a personal pistol.
A threat email addressed to the 58-year-old actor was received at his office in March of last year. As a result, the Mumbai Police submitted a formal complaint under sections 34 (common intention), 506-II (criminal intimidation), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) against the gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar as well as an additional individual. The FIR was based on an allegation that a man named Prashant Gunjalkar launched with the Bandra Police. The police noted that the complainant ran an artist management company and regularly visited Salman Khan’s home in Bandra.
Recently, the Chinese ambassador to Nepal, Chen Song, courted major public embarrassment after a Nepali journalist refused to yield to his pressure. The journalist not only refused to issue a public apology but also vowed to follow up on his story about hidden details in Chinese loans to Nepal.
Notably, the row erupted after Taksar News chief editor Gajendra Budhathoki revealed that Nepalis were misled about the details of Chinese loans to Pokhara Airport. Taking to X on 27th May, Budhathoki wrote in Nepali, “They said that the loan taken for Pokhara airport is 2 percent interest rate. It is 5 percent.”
(Image Source – OpIndia Hindi)
पोखरा विमानस्थलका लागि लिएको ऋण २ प्रतिशत ब्याजदरको भन्दै आएका थिए । ५ प्रतिशत पो रहेछ ।
— Gajendra Budhathoki ♿ (@gbudhathoki) May 27, 2024
According to the post, Nepal had taken loans from China to develop the Pokhara Airport, and the Nepali citizens were told that the interest rate on loans was two per cent. However, after Budhathoki revealed that it was five per cent, Chinese Ambassador Song tried to rubbish his claim as “lies”.
Responding to the journalist’s post, Song wrote, “Worst lies that I ever saw. It is public information, yet you dare to lie about it.”
Worst lies that I ever saw. It is public information, yet you dare to lie about it.
— Ambassador Chen Song (@PRCAmbNepal) May 28, 2024
To which, Budhathoki asserted that he would publish (details) with proof.
Following the journalist’s assertion, the Chinese ambassador demanded an apology from the journalist.
Alluding that the journalist is affiliated with a ‘third party’ or working for some group, Song tried to cast aspersions on the journalist’s intention and wrote, “We demand a formal apology from you and whoever people you represent.”
“If you have the document, publish it. If you don’t, need time to find proof, then what kind of intention is this. Spreading lies first, then wait for the tide to subside, and spread again,” Song also dared him to publish the details.
If you have the document, publish it. If you don't, need time to find proof, then what kind of intention is this. Spreading lies first, then wait for the tide to subside, and spread again.
— Ambassador Chen Song (@PRCAmbNepal) May 29, 2024
I will publish in my magazine
— Gajendra Budhathoki ♿ (@gbudhathoki) May 29, 2024
Refusing to apologise, Budhathoki replied, “Do not intimidate me, know your boundaries Mr. Chen, I have evidence from the Nepal Government.” He also said that he will publish the details in his magazine.
Do not intimidate me, know your boundaries Mr. Chen, I have evidence from the Nepal Government. https://t.co/B061GIsx0y
— Gajendra Budhathoki ♿ (@gbudhathoki) May 29, 2024
Continuing the verbal spat, Song said, “When you spread lies, do you have any boundaries?”
Several Nepali X users slammed the Chinese ambassador for intimidating a journalist. Others lambasted China’s wolf warrior diplomacy which has earned notoriety for the brazen aggressive and intimidating posturing of Chinese Ambassadors, diplomats and its Foreign Ministry spokespersons.
One user wrote, “Sir, this is not your dictatorship. Have you heard anything about “freedom of speech”? We demand a formal apology from you for trying to interfere in our freedom of expression.”
Sir, this is not your dictatorship. Have you heard anything about “freedom of speech”? We demand a formal apology from you for trying to interfere in our freedom of expression. #backoffambassador#WeDemandApology
Gajendra Budhathoki is the Chief Editor at the Nepali news outlet, Taksarnews. According to the outlet’s earlier report written by Budhathoki, the Nepali government had paid interest and commitment fee of Rs 94 crore 95 lakh to the Exim Bank of China for the loan taken for Pokhara International Airport by the end of the last Nepali financial year (2079/80).
It is pertinent to note that China has been notorious for luring several countries into its debt trap by promising to build modern infrastructure and granting them loans for ‘financially unviable’ projects at higher interest rates with several conditions attached that are concealed from the general public, media and Parliament/Judicial scrutiny.
This airport was inaugurated on 1st January 2023. For China, this project was part of its ultra-ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project but the Nepal government rejected its claim. While rejecting it, it was made clear that till now no project under BRI has been completed in Nepal and that China’s claims were false.
However, the company that is operating Pokhara Airport paid one instalment of the interest but it failed to pay the second instalment due in March 2024. The project garnered attention when Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Dahal Prachanda visited China.
Earlier this year in March, Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal announced that diplomatic efforts were initiated with China to convert a loan for Pokhara International Airport to a grant as it failed to garner income, instead piled up more debt.
The development came after opposition lawmaker Chanda Chaudhary raised questions about the increasing loss and piling debt, Nepal Prime Minister said that talks are underway to convert the loan into a grant.
Additionally in March 2024, the Auditor General of Nepal submitted an audit report of government expenses to the nation, demanding an investigation into the role of Finance Minister Varshaman Pun and questioning the viability of this project.
The Auditor General stated that the decision to build Pokhara Airport was taken without any prior study and contained many flaws. The report claimed that approving the construction of an unnecessary international airport in Pokhara constitutes corruption. The then-Finance Minister Varshaman Pun, who is still the Finance Minister in the Prachanda government, has allegedly benefited Chinese contractors. Furthermore, a Chinese company was given a tax exemption worth more than Rs 2 billion, which the report also identifies as corruption.
Furthermore, on 1st November 2023, a major raid was conducted on the Chinese company that has been part of the Pokhara International Airport over allegations of corruption. Subsequently, the bank accounts of the employees were sealed. Nepal’s anti-corruption agency, the Akhtiyar Misuse Research Commission, raided the office of the Chinese company CAMC Engineering. The raid was conducted based on allegations of poor-quality work and commission-taking at the airport.
Since its inception on 1st January 2023, the radar and VHF system of this airport have malfunctioned several times, causing planes to be sent back midway. This raid was conducted following complaints of corruption.
Amidst multiple reports of violence, intimidation of voters, and mob violence targeting polling booths in West Bengal, a stringer (journalist) associated with news agency ANI, Bunty Mukherjee has suffered a severe head injury in a stone pelting incident in the Canning area which falls under the Jaynagar Lok Sabha constituency. The stinger was covering the seventh and final phase of polling in the area when clashes broke out between Trinamool Congress and BJP workers. Following the incident, Mukherjee was taken to Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata.
Taking to X, ANI shared the details and posted, “A stringer associated with ANI, Bunty Mukherjee suffered a severe head injury when a stone pelting occurred in a clash between TMC and BJP workers in Canning, under Jaynagar Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal. The stringer was covering the last phase of Lok Sabha Elections 2024 today. He has been referred to Medica Superspecialty Hospital in Kolkata for treatment.
A stringer associated with ANI, Bunty Mukherjee suffered a severe head injury when a stone pelting occurred in a clash between TMC and BJP workers in Canning, under Jaynagar Lok Sabha constituency of West Bengal. The stringer was covering the last phase of Lok Sabha Elections… pic.twitter.com/lXtE5I2TUc
Earlier in the day, an angry mob threw EVM and VVPAT machines into a pond in the South Paraganas, causing hindrance to the polling. It is said that some of the polling agents were not allowed to sit in the polling booth, after which the mob barged into the polling station, snatched the EVM and VVPAT machines, and threw them into the pond.
The incident unfolded at booth numbers 40 and 41 in the Kultali area in South 24 Parganas district where the mob threw an EVM and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine into the pond. However, the Election Commission stated that they were reserve machines, and the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) in West Bengal informed that an FIR had been filed in this matter.
According to reports, a clash broke out between supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) at Bhangar in the Jadavpur constituency. Following the violent clashes, supporters of both parties hurled crude bombs at each other. Both the parties held a protest after the Police reached the spot. They raised allegations against each other which forced the Police to resort to lathi charge, disperse the mob, and bring the situation under control. The Police have also recovered some crude bombs from the area.
BJP has said that in several areas, voters are being intimidated to cast their votes in favour of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
In a separate incident, TMC workers heckled BJP candidate Tapas Roy after he visited some polling booths at Cossipore in Kolkata Uttar constituency. The hecklers interrupted his visit and raised ‘go back’ slogans. According to the information received, goons brutally attacked a BJP Karyakarta in booth number 25 in the Sandeshkhali, Boyermari GP area.
Attempt to capture Booth 271 in Diamond Harbour (West Bengal) foiled by vigilant people… Mamata Banerjee’s nephew is scared of losing. pic.twitter.com/UdTJ4Gz1hz
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2024
Taking to X, BJP leader Amit Malviya said that vigilant people foiled an attempt to capture Booth 271 in Diamond Harbour (West Bengal).
On Saturday (1st June), violence broke out in several parts of West Bengal as nine constituencies in the state are voting in the seventh and final phase of the Lok Sabha elections. In West Bengal, incidents of violence have been reported in all seven phases, marring the polling process in the state which has been gripped by poll-related violence for more than a decade now. In the South Paraganas, a mob threw EVM and VVPAT machines in a pond, causing hindrance for the polling and security officials.
According to reports, a clash broke out between supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Indian Secular Front (ISF) at Bhangar in the Jadavpur constituency. Following the violent clashes, supporters of both parties hurled crude bombs at each other. Both the parties held a protest after the Police reached the spot. They raised allegations against each other which forced the Police to resort to lathi charges, disperse the mob, and bring the situation under control. The Police have also recovered some crude bombs from the area.
According to reports, an angry mob threw an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) and VVPAT machine into the pond in West Bengal’s South Paraganas. It is alleged that some of the polling agents were not allowed to sit in the polling booth, after which the mob barged into the polling station, snatched the EVM and VVPAT machines, and threw them into the pond.
An angry mob throws an EVM machine into the pond in West Bengal.
Some of the polling agents were not being allowed to sit in the polling booth, and thereafter the mob barged into the polling station, snatched the EVM VVPAD, and threw it… pic.twitter.com/BRXQq5MGzz
The incident unfolded at booth numbers 40 and 41 in the Kultali area in South 24 Parganas district where the mob threw an EVM and voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine into the pond. However, the Election Commission stated that they were reserve machines, and the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) in West Bengal informed that an FIR had been filed in this matter.
VIDEO | Lok Sabha Elections 2024: EVM and VVPAT machine were reportedly thrown in water by a mob at booth number 40, 41 in Kultai, South 24 Parganas, #WestBengal.
A Senior EC official clarified, “The polling process has not been vitiated. Those which were kept in reserve were thrown in water. We have sought a report from the presiding officer.”
Taking to X, the Chief Electoral Office, West Bengal wrote, “Today morning at 6.40 am Reserve EVMs & papers of Sector Officer near Benimadhavpur FP school, at 129-Kultali AC of 19-Jaynagar (SC) PC has been looted by local mob and 1 CU, 1 BU, 2VVPAT machines have been thrown inside a pond. Sector Police was a little behind.”
(2/2) Sector Police was a little behind. FIR has been lodged by Sector Officer and necessary action has been initiated. Poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer.
It added, “FIR has been lodged by Sector Officer and necessary action has been initiated. The poll process in all six booths under the Sector is running uninterrupted. Fresh EVM and papers have been provided to the Sector Officer.”
The saffron party has alleged that in several areas voters are being intimidated to cast their votes in favour of the ruling Trinamool Congress.
In South Kolkata’s Muslim majority Kasba, TMC goons are standing near booths and intimidating voters to cast in favour of the TMC. BJP candidate Debasree Chaudhuri is on ground with QRT team and helping voters to come out. Mamata Banerjee knows South Kolkata is slipping…… pic.twitter.com/5MMTdIhLx7
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2024
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) June 1, 2024
In a separate incident, TMC workers heckled BJP candidate Tapas Roy after he visited some polling booths at Cossipore in Kolkata Uttar constituency. The hecklers interrupted his visit and raised ‘go back’ slogans. According to the information received, goons brutally attacked a BJP Karyakarta in booth number 25 in the Sandeshkhali, Boyermari GP area.
— Sudhanidhi Bandyopadhyay (@SudhanidhiB) June 1, 2024
BJP has alleged that while violent incidences have been reported in several parts of the state, the worst affected region is Diamond Harbour from where Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and heir apparent is contesting. Taking to X, Amit Malviya said that BJP workers are being intimidated, not allowed to sit in the booths, and their polling documents were destroyed. He alleged that West Bengal Police is acting like Abhishek Banerjee’s henchmen. Even the Muslims have not been spared because a large number of them are voting for CPI(M) candidate Pratikur Rahman. TMC’s ‘secularism’ dies the moment Muslims start voting against it, he added.
Democracy is up in flames in West Bengal. Bombs have been hurled in Jadavpur’s Bhangar, irate villagers in Joynagar’s Kultali have thrown an EVM and VVPAT machine in a pond because TMC goons won’t let them vote… But the worse affected is Diamond Harbour, where Mamata Banerjee’s… pic.twitter.com/csCl6ExQlj
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2024
In another tweet, BJP leader Malviya added that vigilant people foiled an attempt to capture Booth 271 in Diamond Harbour (West Bengal).
Attempt to capture Booth 271 in Diamond Harbour (West Bengal) foiled by vigilant people… Mamata Banerjee’s nephew is scared of losing. pic.twitter.com/UdTJ4Gz1hz
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) June 1, 2024
It is alleged that in Bhawanipur, some people tried to abduct BJYM member Raghubir Singh from the BJP office.
In Bhawanipur, some people tried to abduct BJYM member Raghubir Singh from the BJP office. 4/n ?pic.twitter.com/ab0SmczESr
— Abhijit Majumder (@abhijitmajumder) June 1, 2024
Furthermore, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that TMC workers and policemen threatened its polling agents on Friday night. It alleged that the TMC cadre and Policemen visited their homes in the Bermajur area in Sandeshkhali and threatened them. The saffron party shared video clips and said that the women of Sandeshkhali have once again protested against the TMC government’s move to terrorise the people ahead of the last phase of elections.
The brave women of #Sandeshkhali have chased away corrupt and compromised West Bengal Police. Our women leaders are speaking to them and each one of them will vote against the tyranny of Mamata Banerjee. This is a fight like none other and will be taken to logical conclusion…
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 31, 2024
In the seventh and last phase of Lok Sabha elections, voting is underway in nine seats in West Bengal amid tight security arrangements. These constituencies include Dum Dum, Barasat, Basirhat (under which Sandeshkhali falls), Jaynagar, Mathurapur, Diamond Harbour, Jadavpur, Kolkata Dakshin, and Kolkata Uttar seats.
Maulvi (cleric) Qari Shahnawaz regularly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Madhubani, Bihar. He used to make her swear on the Quran and warned that Allah would not forgive her if she told anyone. The Maulvi repeatedly raped the minor girl for more than a year. He would force the girl to stay back after class, stuff cloth in her mouth to muffle her screams, and commit the heinous act. The Maulvi also threatened her with a knife to stop her from speaking to anybody and hence she suffered in silence out of fear. However, her family members grew suspicious after she became 7 months pregnant and the matter came to light.
According to media reports, the case pertains to the Khutauna police station area of the Madhubani district where the accused, who is the head of a madrasa, was in charge of teaching the Quran, but instead chose to abuse a minor student in his class. Nobody was aware when his focus turned towards the 14 to 15-year-old girl and he made her an object of his malicious desire and lust while teaching religious verses. He used to stop her as other pupils left his class and raped her.
The mother of the underage girl stated that he scared the latter with the Quran and claimed that Allah would punish her if she informed anyone about his heinous act, in her complaint. The Maulvi frightened the girl with a knife as well. The family members noticed the visible changes in their daughter’s body and the shocking truth surfaced after an enquiry. The complainant disclosed that the perpetrator asked the adolescent’s father to send her to him as she was good at studies.
Nitish Kumar, the in-charge of the Khutauna police station, mentioned that a First Information Report has been registered and raids are being carried out to apprehend the offender. The horrifying development has angered the locals and they have demanded severe action against the cleric. The infuriated people have also locked the madrasa.
On the day of the last phase of polling for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said that Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress is indulging in intimidation of voters in Sandeshkhali, which has been in the eye of the storm for months due to suspended TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan.
BJP said that Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government is using state machinery to influence voters of Basirhat Lok Sabha seat, including in Sandeshkhali.
Sandeshkhali, which has been in news for months, in the Basirhat subdivision of Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, is voting in the seventh phase of Lok Sabha Election 2024 on June 1.
BJP’s Social Media head Amit Malviya posted on X, “In a midnight operation, WB Police, on the instructions of Mamata Banerjee, is going door to door in Bermajur, which is in #Sandeshkhali, and intimidating BJP booth agents.”
In a midnight operation, WB Police, on the instructions of Mamata Banerjee, is going door to door in Bermajur, which is in #Sandeshkhali, and intimidating BJP booth agents. Women are being threatened and abused. Their voter cards are being snatched and they are being told not to… pic.twitter.com/bPSPed86VS
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) May 31, 2024
Malviya added, “Women are being threatened and abused. Their voter cards are being snatched and they are being told not to sit in the booths tomorrow. Power has been shut in the entire area. Local TMC goons are guiding the police. There is no woman cop accompanying them, as should have been the case, if this was a legitimate exercise.”
The BJP IT Cell head highlighted that they are providing security to their workers, and asked Election Commission of India to look into the matter urgently.
BJP candidate from Basirhat, Rekha Patra, also attacked Trinamool Congress saying that they were stopped from casting their votes in last 2 elections. She told ANI, “We have not been able to vote since 2011, but today I am confident that we will be able to cast our votes in the elections, with the blessings of God and Modiji. This is why we are heading to the booth to vote.”
Rekha Patra said, “TMC’s atrocities are not new, they have been doing it since 2011. We have tolerated this for a long time, and we can tolerate it for just one more day. The entire public of Basirhat will respond to them.”
The handler of four Sri Lankan ISIS terrorists, who were arrested from Ahmedabad Airport last month, has been taken into custody by Sri Lankan Police Intelligence on Friday, May 31. 46-year-old Osman Pushparaja Gerard was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka had launched a high-level investigation with the participation of two main intelligence branches of the police, the CID and the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID), and other military intelligence services to nab the accused.The Lankan CID had also announced a reward of Rs. 2 million for information leading to the arrest of Osman, suspected of being an ISIS coordinator.
Sri Lankan security forces think that the 46-year-old acted as a handler of the four Sri Lankans who were arrested at Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat for suspected links with the banned Islamic State (ISIS) outfit. Following the arrest of the 4 Sri Lankan nationals in India, Sri Lankan authorities launched an investigation and have so far arrested 6 individuals in the case, including Osman.
Earlier, on May 20, the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of Gujarat Police arrested the four ISIS 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.
The 4 arrested ISIS terrorists are Mohammad Nusrat, Mohammad Nufran, Mohammad Faris, and Mohammad Razdin. 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.”
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 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 mother of the Minor accused in the Pune car accident case, which took the lives of two IT professionals who were travelling on a bike on the night of May 19, has been arrested on Saturday, a police official said.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirmed the arrest, stating, “The mother of the minor accused has been arrested in the case.”
Meanwhile, days after the Porsche car crash case that has sent shockwaves across the country, retired IAS officer Arun Bhatia has written a letter to the Chairman of Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) seeking the transfer of Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar from the city.
Bhatia has also requested the human rights body to investigate the conduct of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar since he “represents the police force in the city”.
The appointment of the doctor as Chief Medical Officer based on a politician’s recommendation should be investigated and the Health Secretary punished, Bhatia stated in the letter.
Bhatia has also asked for a report from the police regarding the step-by-step sequence of events and reasons for delay and lapses in the investigation process which must be obtained and brought into the public domain immediately.
“The present Police Commissioner cannot be relied upon to do this,” he mentioned. The retired civil servant accused the Police Commissioner of shielding the crime and his corrupt officials.
“To cap this scandal the court released on bail the seventeen-year-old who had emerged from a pub to take the wheel instead of placing him in a remand home”, he said.
Earlier on Friday the court sent the father and grandfather of the accused minor involved to judicial custody for 14 days.
Also, the Pune Police Crime Branch on Friday filed a production application for the father of the minor accused before the Pune District Court in the first FIR wherein charges of 120B were added.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
