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Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli is Congress acknowledging an imminent rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Jinit Jain
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Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli is Congress acknowledging an imminent rout in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections

Earlier today, on the last day to file nominations for Amethi and Rae Bareli, Congress was forced to end its weeks-long suspense on who would be their party candidates for the two high-profile constituencies. 

With Amethi and Rae Bareli both being the strong family hold of the Gandhi family, speculations were rife that Congress might finally field the Gandhi siblings, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi from the two seats respectively. 

But it came as a surprise to many, especially the Congress supporters and online trolls when the party announced that one KL Sharma would be the Congress candidate from Amethi and Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli.

The decision was perplexing for many can be gauged from the fact that KL Sharma was himself surprised by the announcement of his name from the Amethi constituency. A video of refusing to believe he is a Congress candidate from Amethi is going viral on the internet. In Amethi, Sharma will be fighting against Union Minister Smriti Irani, who had defeated Rahul Gandhi from the same seat five years ago. 

For weeks leading up to the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, deluded Congress supporters and online trolls claimed Gandhi’s return to Amethi to reclaim the constituency. But that fantasy is now shattered by the Congress party itself as it decided to field KL Sharma and not Rahul Gandhi from Amethi. 

Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli and not Amethi might be a strategic decision by the Congress party to salvage the last remaining pocket borough of the Gandhi family. Sonia Gandhi won the seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Now that Priyanka Gandhi is not in the election fray and Sonia Gandhi is already in Rajya Sabha, the Congress party had no other option but to zero in on the remaining Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, to ensure they give a tough fight in Rae Bareli. 

Even arriving at this decision wasn’t easy for the Congress party. Besides the party leadership and feedback from the ground that reportedly advised the Gandhis to stay away from Amethi and Rae Bareli, the party was also under pressure from the Left’s campaign in Kerala that accused Rahul Gandhi of abandoning the Wayanad constituency should he decide to fight from Amethi. It was one of the reasons that contributed to the suspense over whether Rahul would be fighting from Amethi or not.

Now that Wayanad had already polled, the Congress party ended the suspense on the last day to file nominations for the Amethi and Rae Bareli constituencies. Casting aside the negative feedback, Congress decided to field Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli, presumably in a desperate bid to save the last surviving bastion of the Gandhi family. 

The continuing suspense meant the Congress party could not organise public meetings and promote their candidate. This made it incumbent upon Congress to go with one of the Gandhis and not with a lesser-known candidate, which would have meant a certain defeat. However, such is the predicament of the Congress party that even the announcement of Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli doesn’t guarantee a win. 

This, in essence, means that Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli and not Amethi is an implicit acknowledgement from the Congress party that they are facing a rout in the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. For all its hullaballoo and aggressive social media campaigning about the INDI alliance dislodging the incumbent BJP, the Congress party is alive to the ground feedback that predicts a crushing defeat for the party in both Amethi and Rae Bareli if the Gandhi scion chooses to fight against Smriti Irani and a lesser known Congress candidate replaces Sonia Gandhi’s former Lok Sabha seat. This is why Gandhi has been fielded from Rae Bareli and a Gandhi family loyalist has been asked to take the rap in Amethi, where Smriti Irani is predicted to sweep the polls.

If Gandhis are not able to save their own family bastions, it sends a strong message to its cadres and supporters that the party might be struggling everywhere else in the country. On social media, with the help of ‘neutral’ journalists and propagandists, the Congress tried to project a false sense of belief that the INDI alliance was coming to power. But its decision concerning Rae Bareli and Amethi underscores its underlying despondency with regard to elections.

The party is so low on confidence that the selection of Rahul Gandhi from Rae Bareli is not a statement to its opponents but its helplessness in salvaging the decades-old Gandhi family stronghold. And if Congress is struggling to save Rae Bareli, it is anybody’s guess how would the party fare in the rest of the country. Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi’s candidature from Rae Bareli not only implies an acknowledgement of defeat but it strongly endorses the BJP’s belief that ‘Abki Baar 400 paar’ is a likely possibility. 

Rutgers University in NY has agreed to 8 out of 10 demands by pro-Hamas protesters that include displaying flags for ‘occupied Kashmir’ on campus

OpIndia Staff
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Rutgers University in NY has agreed to 8 out of 10 demands by pro-Hamas protesters that include displaying flags for ‘occupied Kashmir’ on campus

The anti-Israeli protesting students at Rutgers University in New Jersey and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis negotiated an agreement with the administration on Thursday (2nd May) to settle disputes and remove their Gaza solidarity campsite protest underway on the grounds of the University. 

As per the reports, Rutgers and the University of Minnesota have now joined Northwestern and Brown University in reaching mutual agreements to stop the pro-Hamas, terrorism-supporting camp protests.

At other institutions in the United States, pro-Hamas protestors have met the armed police after university administrations called on law enforcement to intervene and disperse the encampments. Over 2,000 pro-Palestinian protestors have been arrested on campuses across the country since last one month.

The accord came to fruition at Rutgers on Thursday (2nd May) after students met with the administration to put forward their demands, which included divesting from corporations that participate in or benefit from Israel; terminating Rutgers’ partnership with Tel Aviv University; embracing at least 10 displaced Gaza students; and demonstrating the flags of ‘occupied societies’, such as Palestinians, Kurds, and Kashmiris, alongside other existing international flags on campus.

“We will not leave until our demands are met. Display the flags of pre-occupied peoples including but not limited to Palestinians, Kurds, and Kashmiris in all areas displaying international flags across the Rutgers campuses,” the protest leaflet by the pro-Hamas students read.

It also added that the University shall hire senior administrators with cultural competency and knowledge about Arabs, Palestine, Muslims, and Islamophobia.

Reportedly, 8 out of 10 demands put forth by the pro-Hamas protestors at the campsite were recognized by the University resulting in the end of the so-called peaceful protests. “We are pleased to report that these students have agreed to peacefully end their protest. They have committed to removing their tents and belongings, effectively clearing Voorhees Mall,” Chancellor Francine Conway said in a statement adding that the process began before the 4 pm deadline that was issued by the University authorities.

While 8 demands have been agreed by the University, some of the protestors are still fighting to get the other two demands approved which include the actual call for divestment as well as severing ties with Tel Aviv University.

“Even though most of the demands have been met, there is still much work to be done … These demands will require great effort and continuous pressure to bring to fruition and your continued support is still needed,” the university’s alumni Muslim group wrote in an email to the university.

Rutgers’ Hamas-supporting students set up their encampment earlier this week, as did students at 80 other institutions across the United States. 

Final examinations at Rutgers were postponed on Thursday morning (2nd May) due to the encampment protest, and university president Jonathan Holloway warned student demonstrators of police action in an email if they did not comply and disperse the protests by 4 pm.

The anti-Israeli protesting students then began bringing down their tents just before 4 pm. However, during the protests, the students raised pro-Palestine slogans and yelled, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

Other universities are following suit, trying to ‘negotiate and appease’ the pro-Hamas protesters on campus

After four days, University of Minnesota students also removed their campsite on Wednesday (1st May), when interim university president Jeff Ettinger consented to meet with protesters and consider their demands.

Northwestern University administration also agreed to disclose university investments, a community home for Middle Eastern and North African/Muslim students, and funds to assist the admission of Palestinian academics and students.

Shortly after Northwestern protesters disassembled their campsite on Monday, Brown University followed suit. The Brown Corporation further has decided to hold a vote on a divestiture measure in October.

Notably, the New York Police Department arrested around 74 people this week in connection with anti-Israel protests at two universities. “In addition to the people arrested – 46 at Columbia University and 28 at the City College of New York – there are 16 outstanding desk appearance tickets that are returnable this month,” the authorities confirmed.

22 further have been charged with third-degree burglary and obstructing governmental administration. US President Biden meanwhile has condemned the violence, protests, and antisemitism that have erupted at some universities, saying that Americans have the right to protest, but not a right to cause chaos.

Image- Fox News

From the updates obtained till now, it is believed that Rutgers University is not willing to agree to divest from firms tied to Israel or terminate its partnership with Tel Aviv University.

Many Indians have noted point No 9 by the pro-Hamas protesters, that says they will display flags for ‘occupied Kashmir’, highlighting that the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist activities will now gain legitimacy in US educational institutions where many Indians go to study.

However, a more concerning demand to which the university has agreed is the ‘display of flags of occupied peoples – and that includes Kashmir’. Kashmir remains an integral part of India and its residents are Indian citizens irrespective of their religion, as confirmed by the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs time and again.

Any foreign university accepting such a demand which wrongly highlights Kashmir’s disassociation with India, sides with Pakistani terrorists who have been waging war against India over the Indian territory which has never been theirs. And concern revolving around this might grow if more US universities follow Rutgers in accepting ill demands put forth by the pro-Hamas protestors.

Odisha: Election Commission transfers ‘proxy CM’ VK Pandian’s wife IAS Sujata Karthikeyan over BJP’s complaint that she was working as ‘BJD agent’

OpIndia Staff
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Odisha: Election Commission transfers ‘proxy CM’ VK Pandian’s wife IAS Sujata Karthikeyan over BJP’s complaint that she was working as ‘BJD agent’

On 2nd May, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued an order to transfer Mission Shakti department commissioner-secretary Sujata Rout Karthikeyan in Odisha to a non-public dealing department effective immediately. She is the spouse of VK Pandian, the leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and chairman of 5T, who is a close associate of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

ECI sources attested to the fact that the action was carried out in response to a complaint that the officer had abused her position of authority and public office. She was accused by the Bharatiya Janata Party earlier in the day of exploiting her position to sway voters in favour of the BJD by exploiting the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) program. She was “actively” acting as an agent of the state’s ruling BJD, according to a plea filed with the Election Commission by the BJP.

The BJP stated in its complaint that the current government utilized the Mission Shakti department to influence votes in favour of the BJD in the concurrent Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. The complaint read, “Mission Shakti is being grossly misused by the ruling dispensation of the state, that is, BJD, to influence voters to vote for it in the 2024 Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly Elections. The functionaries of the department have been compelling and coercing these Self-Help Groups (SHG) with the threat of stopping the government’s financial benefits, thus making them propagate and influence the voters. This is a brazen violation of the model code of conduct under the garb of SVEEP for reaching out to a wider population with its messages of voter awareness and education.” 

The saffron party pointed out that the senior official was engaging in serious wrongdoing by leveraging power, resources and labour to persuade votes to the advantage of the BJD by means of the “SVEEP” initiative. It further mentioned, “It is extremely unfortunate that the serving IAS officer has given a go-bye to professionalism and is actively indulging as an agent of the BJD because of the influence of her husband on her. It would have been fair and proper for her to understand the implications of her being the wife of Pandian and, further understanding his role in the overall gamut of ongoing elections, she should have proceeded on leave and disassociated herself from anything to do with public dealing during the elections.”

On the contrary, the BJP highlighted that she was actively participating in the polls as a prominent person of the BJD in a manner that had never been seen before. “However, she is actively participating in the elections as a front person of the BJD in a manner which has been unheard of earlier.” The delegation appealed, “With a view to preserve the unbiased and unblemished reputation of ECI, it would be in the fitness of things to relieve Ms Karthikeyan from the post of commissioner-cum-secretary of Department of Mission Shakti and not assigned any public dealing duty till the conclusion of elections in Odisha.”

A top government official confirmed the transfer and stated that the state would notify her of her new role within a day or two. A memorandum in this regard was submitted to the ECI in New Delhi by a high-level BJP delegation that included Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Sudhanshu Trivedi and BJP general secretary Om Pathak.

The Odisha government has established over six lakh self-help groups with almost 70 lakh women in them as part of Mission Shakti. The Odisha government guarantees bank loans to these SHGs so they can start different types of livelihood enterprises under the 2001 program. The BJD’s recurrent election triumphs have been largely attributed to its rural women supporters, making this endeavour one of Naveen Patnaik’s administration’s key priorities. The Patnaik government accepted a proposal to award government enterprises worth Rs 1,000 crore to women’s self-help groups (SHGs) after winning the 2019 elections for the sixth time. With a budget of thousands of crores, the department, in line with its charter of duties, supports numerous SHGs and offers its members profitable activities through the provision of financing, market connections and other financial benefits.

No Indian Express, supporting Hamas, and glorifying terrorists is not ‘political opinion’: Somaiya school’s Parveen Shaikh gets usual cover fire from Leftist media

Shraddha Pandey
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No Indian Express, supporting Hamas, and glorifying terrorists is not ‘political opinion’: Somaiya school’s Parveen Shaikh gets usual cover fire from Leftist media

On the 3rd of May, Indian Express published an editorial in defence of Somaiya School principal Parveen Shaikh who has come under the fire after OpIndia exposed her terror sympathising social media activities.

The IE article titled: “Why a Mumbai school principal should not be sacked over her social media posts” calls terrorists of Palestinian terror group Hamas ‘fighters’. The news outlet in the very first sentence of its editorial made it clear that for them, the killers and rapists of Israeli civilians are ‘fighters’ not terrorists. It tells a lot about why Parveen Shaikh’s support of Hamas is not outrageous enough for Indian Express.

The article says that a school principal having a ‘stellar record’ in leading an institution is not expected to like social media posts valorising “Hamas fighters” especially after what happened on the 7th of October last year. However, the management of Somaiya School in Mumbai pressing Parveen Shaikh to resign is more disturbing than Shaikh’s support for a terrorist group that slaughtered over a 1000 civilians and is using their own people as human shield, as per the Indian Express article.

The IE editorial suggests that Shaikh being supportive of Hamas will not hurt the school, but the management asking her to resign for sympathising with terrorists will. In a similar vein as Scroll and Hindustan Times, IE also passes off Shaikh’s pro-Hamas proclivities as “unpopular political opinion”.

It is pertinent to reiterate here that being pro-Palestine is not the same as being pro-Hamas. IE makes an alarming argument that if Shaikh is fired for her so-called ‘political opinion’ why should the students of Somaiya School debate at all? They perhaps fail to register that not supporting brutal rape and murder of babies and women is not up for debate. It is basic humanity.

“It will also send a chilling message to its students, and future citizens: That the price for expressing a political opinion, even if it is unpopular, is too high. If the principal can be fired for this, why should students debate at all?” the IE editorial says.

Indian Express‘s argument raises many questions: What exactly does Indian Express want Somaiya School students to debate? Whether rape and murder of children and women is wrong? Or, whether supporting Hamas terrorists and their heinous crimes should warrant criticism? Why do they think that the slaughter of women and babies, the cold-blooded massacre of entire families, parading bodies of naked women through streets and killing elderly civilians even needs a ‘debate’ to judge whether it is right or wrong?

Supporting Palestine is not the same as supporting Hamas

In March this year, the United Nations in its report said that Hamas terrorists perpetrated “sexual violence, including rape, sexualized torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment against hostages and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing against those still held in captivity.” Does IE want students to ‘debate’ whether parading naked the body of Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman by Hamas was a horrific crime or ‘resistance’ against Israel?

The editorial goes on to emphasise Parveen Shaikh’s good track record as an educator and principal of Somaiya School in addition to having good relations with the management. It makes one wonder how her professional excellence over the years and good relations with the school management could be criteria for overlooking her pro-Hamas social media activities. What values will Shaikh as a principal of the prestigious Somaiya Vidyavihar instil in students if she calls Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “dog” and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath “evil” and sympathises with Hamas terrorists in the name of ‘Palestinian cause’.

To assert that somehow school principals and administrators are often targeted, the Indian Express editorial talked about a July 2023 case wherein it says that Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists thrashed a school principal in Pune over the recitation of Christian prayers and not those of other religions. However, IE for all the obvious reasons did not mention that the Principal of the DY Patil High School in the Ambi region of Pune identified as Alexander Coates Reid was removed from his position after being accused of molestation, religious conversion and causing insult to Hindu religion. As OpIndia reported earlier, Reid was manhandled by the Hindu activists after they found out that he had installed CCTV cameras in the girls’ washroom without any notice to the management or the parents.

The IE editorial says that the silver lining in this episode is Parveen Shaikh refusing to resign and asserting her “constitutional rights and sense of professional responsibility.” It is, however, usual practice of an average terror sympathiser to invoke constitutional rights, freedom of expression and whatnot when their contentious behaviour sparks public outrage.

Indian Express suggested that Somaiya School should stand by Parveen Shaikh and “serve as an example for education leaders across the country.” What example does the newspaper want set for educators? That you can blatantly support terrorists and rapists like Hamas, abuse your democratically elected prime minister and a chief minister “evil”, support Islamist preacher and fugitive like Zakir Naik, 2020 Delhi riots mastermind Umar Khalid and get away with it by exploiting the ‘constitutional rights’ that the secular democratic state of India bestows upon you?

So, are students of Somaiya Vidyavihar supposed to learn that it is ok to call someone a ‘dog’ and throw insults at them just because you do not agree with their political opinions? Is that what the principal teaching the pupils at Somaiya School? That Jews are not human and it is ok to slaughter Jewish women, children, babies, and even the elderly just because you believe in a greater Islamic cause and it is ok to rape Jewish women? Because this is what Hamas did. This is what Parveen Shaikh is supporting.

Amusingly, the IE editorial also has a piece of advice for Parveen Shaikh. No, it’s not to stop supporting Hamas terrorists, stop using abusive language against the prime minister and a state’s chief minister just because you don’t like them, or stop being anti-Hindu. Indian Express suggested that that her “liking” a social media post may be personal, however, its impact will be public. “And, as a professional who leads an institution of learning, Shaikh should realise that her “liking” a social media post may be personal but its import will be public [sic],” the IE editorial reads.

Interestingly, Indian Express is not the only one defending Parveen Shaikh and downplaying her pro-Hamas and anti-Hindu social media activities. As OpIndia reported earlier, left-leaning portal Scroll and Hindustan Times have also attempted to garner sympathy for Shaikh passing off her pro-Hamas leanings as mere political opinion and alleging that ‘Hindutva’ portal OpIndia targeted Shaikh due to her Muslim identity. However, we have made it abundantly clear that her religious identity is irrelevant, being the principal of a school with the responsibility of thousands of children, but the fact that Parveen Shaikh holds pro-Hamas views is very much relevant and alarming.

Too scared to contest against Smriti Irani? Rahul Gandhi gives up Amethi, to contest from Rae Bareli instead

OpIndia Staff
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Too scared to contest against Smriti Irani? Rahul Gandhi gives up Amethi, to contest from Rae Bareli instead

After much procrastination and speculations for weeks, the Congress party’s royal family has finally given up the Amethi seat. On May 3, the last day of filing nominations, Congress announced Rahul Gandhi’s name as the candidate for the Rae Bareli seat.

Sonia Gandhi had vacated the Rae Bareli seat recently, choosing to go to parliament via the Rajya Sabha route.

BJP has already announced UP minister Dinesh Pratap Singh as a candidate for the Rae Bareli seat.

Congress has announced the name of Kishori Lal Sharma from Amethi. As per the latest reports, Sharma was seen refusing to comment anything about the announcement of his name. He was seen avoiding journalists and saying that he would comment only after talks with the party leadership about it.

The seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli are considered the bastions of the Gandhi family. Smriti Irani took the challenge to defeat Rahul Gandhi in the Amethi seat. Though she didn’t succeed in 2014, she registered a phenomenal victory in 2019. The speculation of loss had made Rahul Gandhi contest from an alternative seat, Kerala’s Wayanad, where he managed to win.

Speculations were rife that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra would contest from Rae Bareli, to send a message to voters in UP that the Gandhi family is still very much politically relevant. However, putting all speculations to rest, Priyanka, whose leadership has failed to result in any gains for the Congress, seems to have given up hopes of winning.

Congress supporters and party leaders have expressed openly that the Gandhi family should ‘take up the fight’ instead of running away, to encourage the party workers.

CBI is an independent body, not under the control of Union of India: Central govt tells SC opposing WB govt’s plea against CBI probes

ANI
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CBI is an independent body, not under the control of Union of India: Central govt tells SC opposing WB govt’s plea against CBI probes

The Central government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is an independent body and is not under the control of the Union of India and opposed West Bengal’s suit against the Centre over the CBI probes in the State.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre, raised preliminary objections on a lawsuit filed by the West Bengal government on the CBI going ahead with its probe in several post-violence cases without the prerequisite nod from the State as per law.

Mehta told a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta the West Bengal government’s original suit was not maintainable and sought its dismissal.

The West Bengal government had filed an original suit in the apex court against the Centre under Article 131 of the Constitution, alleging that the CBI has been filing FIRs and proceeding with its investigation, despite the State having withdrawn the general consent to the federal agency to investigate cases within its territorial jurisdiction.

Article 131 empowers a State to move the Supreme Court directly in case of a dispute with the Centre or any other State.

The Solicitor General said the CBI is an independent body and not one coming under the Central government, therefore, the Central government cannot be sued in the matter.

Mehta pointed out that the CBI cannot be made the subject of an original suit under Article 131 of the Constitution.

Mehta said the cases referred to in the Wear Bengal’s suit have not been filed by the Union of India.

“CBI is not under Centre and cannot be subject to an original suit. The Union of India has not registered any case. CBI has registered it,” the Solicitor General told the bench.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing West Bengal, said that the CBI cannot probe cases concerning West Bengal without the State government’s general consent.

He contended that the CBI cannot be viewed as an independent “statutory” authority.

“It (CBI) is an arm of the government. Even the police is the investigative arm of the State government. They are regulated by statute but are not a statutory authority in itself,” Sibal argued.

The hearing in the case will continue on May 8.

On November 16, 2018, the West Bengal government withdrew the “general consent” accorded to the CBI to conduct probe and raids in the State.

The West Bengal government in its suit while referring to provisions of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946 said that the CBI has been proceeding with the investigation and filing FIRs without getting consent from the State government as mandated under the statute.

The State government had sought a stay of investigation in FIR by CBI in cases of post-poll violence in West Bengal in pursuance of the Calcutta High Court order.

It said that as the general consent given to the central agency by the Trinamool Congress government (TMC) has been withdrawn, the FIRs lodged cannot be proceeded with.

Earlier, the Centre had told the top court that it has nothing to do with the post-poll violence cases registered by the CBI in West Bengal and the lawsuit filed by the State government in which the Union of India is made a party is not maintainable.

The Centre had stated that CBI being an autonomous body set up under the special Act of Parliament is the agency that is registering and investigating cases and the Centre had no role in it.

In its affidavit, the Centre had stated that West Bengal’s power to withhold consent to the CBI is not absolute and the probe agency is entitled to carry out investigations that are being carried out against Central government employees or have a pan-India impact.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Love Jihad in Indore: Married Shahrukh Sheikh pretends to be Yash Jain to trap a girl, rapes her multiple times in the name of marriage

OpIndia Staff
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Love Jihad in Indore: Married Shahrukh Sheikh pretends to be Yash Jain to trap a girl, rapes her multiple times in the name of marriage

A Muslim man trapped a Jain girl working as a manager at a company in love jihad in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. Mohammad Shahrukh Sheikh pretended to be Yash Jain and became friends with her. He then proposed marriage to her and proceeded to sexually exploit her regularly at his aunt’s (mother’s sister) house. However, she began to gather information when she got suspicious and found out that he was not only a Muslim but also married.

She went to the Chandan Nagar police station and was sent to the Dwarkapuri police station from there. The authorities filed zero First Information Report (FIR) and handed over the case to the Hiranagar police station because the incident transpired in the Sukhlia area which falls under its jurisdiction.

The victim has charged the accused with befriending her by changing his name, lying about his religious identity and raping her under the false pretence of tying the knot. He is involved in the business of making furniture. The two met during his insurance work around a year ago. Dwarkapuri Police opened a rape case against Mohammad Shahrukh Sheikh, son of Mohammad Raees who lives in D Sector, Scheme No. 71 based on the girl’s statement and gave the case to Hiranagar police for immediate action.

She disclosed that he introduced himself as Yash Jain when the pair came across each other last year after which they started chatting and having conversations on the phone. He claimed to be serious about their relationship and wanted to marry her. She trusted his words and started dating him. The couple used to meet at his aunt’s residence located at MR-10 in Sukhlia. They met three to four times to discuss their marriage plans and he also sexually violated her. On 15th April, in the afternoon he took her to the same place. She suspected that he was hiding something from her.

She looked into him and discovered that his real name was Mohammad Shahrukh Sheikh and also has a house in Naya Pitha, Chandan Nagar. She reached there to find out more about him and talked to his family members. She learned that he already had a wife and informed her family about the entire instance. Afterwards, she and her family visited the police station and submitted a case against the culprit for practsing love jihad.

‘It is known as a biased organization with political agenda’: India firmly rejects USCIRF report on religious freedom in India

ANI
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‘It is known as a biased organization with political agenda’: India firmly rejects USCIRF report on religious freedom in India

India on Thursday rejected the report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom that accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of “reinforcing discriminatory nationalist policies” and said the organisation is completely ‘biased’ and it doesn’t even expect from the organization to understand country’s diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos.

“The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is known as a biased organization with a political agenda. They continue to publish their propaganda on India masquerading as part of an annual report,” Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing on Thursday.

“We really have no expectation that USCIRF will even seek to understand India’s diverse, pluralistic and democratic ethos. Their efforts to interfere in the largest electoral exercise of the world will never succeed,” he added.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which alleged that last year, Indian government failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples).

“In 2023, religious freedom conditions in India continued to deteriorate. The government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reinforced discriminatory nationalist policies, perpetuated hateful rhetoric, and failed to address communal violence disproportionately affecting Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Jews, and Adivasis (indigenous peoples). Continued enforcement of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and anti-conversion and cow slaughter laws resulted in the arbitrary detention, monitoring, and targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf,” the report said.

“Both news media and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) reporting on religious minorities were subjected to strict monitoring under FCRA regulations. In February 2023, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the FCRA license of the Centre for Policy Research, an NGO dedicated to reporting on social issues and state capacity, including discrimination against religious and ethnic minorities. Similarly, authorities raided the offices and homes of NewsClick journalists, including Teesta Setalvad for her reporting on anti-Muslim violence during the 2002 Gujarat riots,” it 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)

Shri Ram Janki Mandir public or private: Madhya Pradesh HC remands matter back to Jabalpur collector, details

OpIndia Staff
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Shri Ram Janki Mandir public or private: Madhya Pradesh HC remands matter back to Jabalpur collector, details

In a recent order, the Madhya Pradesh High Court in Jabalpur remitted a matter back to the Collector for further assessment of whether Shri Ram Janki Mandir, located in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, is a private or public trust.

The bench presided over by Justice GS Ahluwalia, was considering a case filed under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution challenging the legitimacy of numerous directives concerning the handling of the said land, LawBeat reported.

Advocate Ram Prasad Khare, representing the interests of the private trust associated with the Shri Ram Janki Mandir, contended that the land in question had been legitimately granted to the trust by the petitioners’ grandfather. Furthermore, it was argued that “The mother of the petitioner was appointed as Sarwarahkar (person entrusted to perform whatever is necessary for the deity’s service and protection of their property) and after her death, the petition is being prosecuted by her legal representative.”

The petitioners stated that the Collector’s designation as the manager in revenue records was erroneous as such a position is normally designated for public trusts, but the Shri Ram Janki Mandir is a private trust. They further emphasised the lack of consideration for the nature of the trust in the decisions taken by the Collector, Additional Commissioner, and Board of Revenue.

Notably, the LawBeat report says that government lawyer Mohan Sausarkar, representing the state, was directed to determine from the orders of the Collector, Jabalpur, Additional Commissioner of Jabalpur Division, Jabalpur, and the Board of Revenue “whether any finding with regard to the nature of the trust has been given or not?”

The court noted a glaring omission after giving careful consideration to the arguments made and going over the orders issued by the relevant authorities: “It is fairly conceded that none of the Authorities have not (sic) taken the pains to decide as to whether Shri Ram Janki Mandir situated in village Budrai, Tahsil Sihora, District Jabalpur is a private Trust or public Trust.”

In turn, the court struck aside the orders issued by the Collector, Additional Commissioner, and Board of Revenue.

To ensure a fair reconsideration of the dispute, the court remanded the matter back to Jabalpur Collector “to decide the question afresh after giving a specific finding as to whether Shri Ram Janki Mandir situated in village Budrai, Tahsil Sihora, District Jabalpur is a public Trust or a private Trust.”

The court stressed that if the trust is deemed to be private, “then in the light of the gift deed executed by Shri Bhaiyalal by which the entire property was gifted to the Deity, it is directed that Shri Ram Janki Deity would be the owner of the entire property and each and every penny of the same shall be utilised for the Deity only.

It added that both, the money and the property shall not be utilised for personal purposes, and Sarwarahkar would be under obligation to submit weekly accounts before the District Judge, Jabalpur.

ECI takes a serious view of political parties registering voters for post-election schemes under the guise of surveys, orders to cease

ANI
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ECI takes a serious view of political parties registering voters for post-election schemes under the guise of surveys, orders to cease

The Election Commission of India, while noticing various instances in the ongoing General Elections 2024, has issued an advisory on Thursday to all national and state political parties to immediately “cease and desist” from any activities that involve registering individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes through any advertisements, survey or applications.

The ECI has taken a serious view of activities by political parties and candidates seeking details of voters under the guise of various surveys for their proposed beneficiary schemes, as a corrupt practice of bribery under Section 123(1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

It has noted that “some political parties and candidates have been engaging in activities that blur the lines between legitimate surveys and partisan efforts to register individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes”.

The Commission, while noticing various instances in the ongoing General Elections 2024, has issued an advisory today to all national and state political parties to immediately cease and desist from any activities that involve registering individuals for post-election beneficiary-oriented schemes through any advertisements/surveys/Apps.

The Commission said the act of inviting/calling upon individual electors to register for post-election benefits may create an impression of the requirement of a one-to-one transactional relationship between the elector and the proposed benefit and has the potential to generate a quid-pro-quo arrangement for voting in a particular way thereby leading to inducement.

The Commission while acknowledging that “generic and general electoral promises are in the realm of permissibility, noted that such activities as mentioned in the table below obscure the distinction between authentic surveys and biased attempts to enrol people in programs for political gain, all while masquerading as legitimate survey activities or efforts to inform about government programs or party agendas related to potential individual benefits.”

The Commission has directed all District Election Officers to take appropriate actions against any such advertisements within the statutory provisions namely Section 127A of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, 123 (1) of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951, and Section 171 (B) IPC.

“The Newspaper advertisements call upon individual voters to register themselves for benefits by giving missed calls on a mobile or calling on a telephone number,” it added.

The poll body further mentioned that the distribution of guarantee cards in the form of pamphlets giving details of prospective individual benefits along with an attached form asking for details of voters such as name, age, address, mobile number, booth number, constituency name and number etc.

“Distribution of forms seeking details of voters such as name, ration card number, address, phone number, booth number, bank account number, constituency name & number etc. in the name of asocio-economic survey of prospective beneficiaries for expanding an ongoing government individual benefit scheme,” it added.

The Commission stated that the circulation or propagation of web platforms or web /mobile applications by political parties/ candidates seeking details of voters such as name, address, phone number, booth number, constituency name and number etc. (This may or may not have an invitation for availing individual benefits or revealing their voting preference).

Newspaper advertisements or physical forms regarding existing individual benefit schemes along with registration forms seeking details of the voter such as name, husband/father’s name, contact number, address etc, it added.

Lok Sabha elections are being held in seven phases till June 1 and votes will be counted on June 4.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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