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CBI signs Working Arrangement with Europol to enhance cooperation between the two agencies in combating crime

ANI
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CBI signs Working Arrangement with Europol to enhance cooperation between the two agencies in combating crime

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday signed a Working Arrangement with Europol, the law enforcement authority of the European Union countries, to combat crime and enhance cooperation between the two agencies.

The Working Arrangement was signed by Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle and CBI Director Praveen Sood. The signing was concluded in a virtual event held on March 21, simultaneously in New Delhi and the Hague in the presence of senior CBI and Europol officials, according to CBI’s official statement.

This arrangement promotes direct cooperation between both organisations to build on their respective mandates, strategies and to explore the potential for synergies.

During the signing ceremony, the CBI Director expressed his appreciation for the collaborative spirit demonstrated by both parties.

He stated, “This working arrangement is an outcome of years of negotiation between CBI and Europol to reach this common ground. This moment marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to combat crime and enhance cooperation between our agencies.”

He further highlighted that “The international dispersal of crimes, criminals and proceeds of crimes have necessitated need for expeditious international cooperation. Criminal networks operate across borders, exploiting differences in jurisdictions and taking advantage of modern technologies to evade detection. The arrangement we signed today reflects our shared commitment to address these challenges through enhanced cooperation and mutual assistance.”

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in addressing global security challenges.

She stated, “In an increasingly globalised world, the security of the European Union starts abroad. Security challenges have become more complex, multidimensional. There is nowadays a strong link between what happens outside of the EU’s borders and security within Europe.”

“The Working Arrangement which Europol has signed today with the CBI underscores the interconnected nature of security threats and the necessity of international cooperation to effectively address them. By joining forces with India, Europol further solidifies the EU’s commitment to proactive and comprehensive security measures, recognising that safeguarding our citizens requires a coordinated effort on a global scale,” she added.

This working arrangement not only brings together CBI and Europol but also enables wide cooperation between all law enforcement agencies in India and and all law enforcement agencies of 27 European countries that Europol represents as well as third countries and organizations associated with Europol, according to CBI’s official statement.

This will enhance cooperation in jointly tackling various forms of crime inter alia including organized crime, financial crimes, frauds, corruption, terrorism, cybercrime, human trafficking, drug trafficking, money laundering, environmental crimes, illicit trafficking in cultural goods, including antiquities and works of art, etc.

It establishes clear mechanisms for communication, cooperation, and collaboration, ensuring that respective law enforcement agencies can seamlessly collaborate, share best practices, and support each other, according to the official statement released by CBI.

This Working arrangement is very comprehensive and includes 26 detailed articles enumerating modalities for wide-ranging cooperation in over 30 different crime categories. The cooperation, in addition to the exchange of information, may include the exchange of specialist knowledge, general situation reports, results of strategic analysis, participation in training activities as well as providing advice and support in individual criminal investigations.

The CBI is the National Central Bureau for Interpol in India and coordinates assistance for all law enforcement agencies in India via Interpol channels. CBI is also a member of the GloBE international network of anti-corruption agencies.

It is pertinent to mention here that earlier this month, the CBI and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Mauritius, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance all-round cooperation in combating corruption, money laundering and related crimes.

This partnership with Europol reflects a commitment to international cooperation in law enforcement and underscores the value of collaborative efforts in addressing the complexities of modern-day crime.

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

“Allah knows who killed the Hindu children”: Say Muslims from Badaun double murder accused Sajid’s village

राहुल पाण्डेय
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“Allah knows who killed the Hindu children”: Say Muslims from Badaun double murder accused Sajid’s village

While the nation is still grappling with the shock of the gruesome murder of two Hindu children in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district, the villagers of the slain accused Sajid have said that they are not sure if Sajid or someone else killed Ayush and Ahaan. Others said that Sajid had changed their residence twice.

OpIndia’s ground report team is on a mission to uncover the truth of the horrific murder of two Hindu children in Badaun. In pursuit of facts, OpIndia arrived in the village of Sajid, who slaughtered children in Badaun. Sakhanu village is located approximately 13 kilometres from Badaun.

OpIndia talked to a local Dulichand in Sakhanu who said that Sajid’s family is not native to this village. He stated that Sajid’s family had changed their home twice previously. Sajid’s family used to reside in Kakrala and Uprala villages in Badaun.

Dulichand told OpIndia that Sajid’s grandfather’s name was Ghani, and he used to dispense medicines. Dulichand stated that he had not witnessed any hooliganism at the local level. During this, Dulichand lauded the current Yogi government. He pointed out that the administration under CM Yogi-led government is good.

Dulichand stated that more than half of the village’s population is Muslim, with the remaining Hindus. He stated that when the lockdown was implemented during the Covid-19 epidemic, many persons from the outside were hiding there. He stated that before 2017, bullies used to push people into forced labour.

When speaking with a Muslim man from Sakhanu, he expressed ambiguity questioning whether Sajid had murdered the Hindu children or someone else had done it. He stated that only Allah can determine whether Sajid killed the children or someone else did.

According to locals, Sajid’s family runs 11 shops in Badaun, which generally remain open until 8-9 p.m. But on the day of the crime, all shops were shut early and no shops were open at the time of the incident. The entire family had fled. Locals claimed that there was a great conspiracy behind this murder, which everyone in the family was aware of.

These locals, who visited Sajid and Javed’s barber shops for haircuts etc, stated that both of them seemed normal generally and had tied Kalava (sacred thread worn by Hindus). They added that the majority of their family members have kept names that do not explicitly reflect their religion.

Notably, on the evening of 19th March, Sajid, who ran a barbershop in Badaun, murdered two Hindu children, Ayush and Ahaan, with a knife (ustra). Sajid had fled after committing the murder. As reported earlier, Sajid was gunned down in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh police on the same day. Sajid’s brother Javed, who was there during the incident, escaped. Police teams were conducting raids in search of him. Police also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 on Javed. On the 21st of March, the police arrested him.

Delhi Liquor Scam: High Court refuses to grant any interim relief to Arvind Kejriwal from coercive action

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Liquor Scam: High Court refuses to grant any interim relief to Arvind Kejriwal from coercive action

On Thursday (21st March), the Delhi High Court refused to grant any interim relief from coercive action to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Liquor Scam case. A division bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain mentioned that they are not inclined to pass any such order to grant relief to the Delhi CM.

The High Court has asked for a response from the Enforcement Directorate regarding this new interim plea, scheduling the matter for 22nd April 2024.

In a media interaction, the Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said, “The petition is not maintainable, that was our main ground. And according to us, it’s not maintainable, it’s a desperate attempt for him to file the petition. Delhi HC stated that we are not inclined to grant an interim relief.”

The bench has given the Enforcement Directorate the freedom to submit a response to Arvind Kejriwal’s application for interim relief, which is a component of his petition contesting the summons issued to him by the central probe agency in the money laundering case. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented Kejriwal, while ASG SV Raju, along with special counsel Zoheb Hossain, appeared on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The main petition seeks to set aside all proceedings against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the “capacity of national convener of a political party/chief minister of the state” or in any other capacity arising out of and emanating from ED’s August 22, 2022 Case as well as all consequential proceedings emanating from it, including the summons of February 29, and March 16, and any further summons that may be issued to him.

Notably, by skipping the Enforcement Directorate’s repeated summonses in the Delhi excise policy scam, Arvind Kejriwal violated Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) – which deals with disobeying a legal order to be at a certain place in person or by an agent.

Ricky Kej condemns Madras Music Academy chief’s response to Ranjani-Gayatri: N Ravikiran, Vishakha Hari, Trichur Brothers and many more speak up against TM Krishna 

OpIndia Staff
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Ricky Kej condemns Madras Music Academy chief’s response to Ranjani-Gayatri: N Ravikiran, Vishakha Hari, Trichur Brothers and many more speak up against TM Krishna 

On Thursday (22nd March), three-time Grammy Award winner Indian music composer Ricky Kej condemned the attacking letter written by N Murali – the chief of the Madras Music Academy – to Carnatic musician sisters Ranjani and Gayatri. Earlier on 21st March, Ranjani and Gayatri withdrew from participating in the Music Academy’s conference 2024 and from presenting citing that the conference would be presided over by a Periyarite TM Krishna.

Ricky Kej wrote in an X post, “I am absolutely no one to judge right and wrong, or who is deserving of the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award. I deeply admire everyone involved, and everyone who have won or close to winning. But, I cannot deny that this letter reeks of arrogance, hatred and superiority. It hurts especially when directed against such amazing souls like Ranjani and Gayatri. I personally feel this letter is quite unbecoming of such a prestigious art institution.”

What did the chief of the Madras Music Academy write in his letter?

Ricky Kej also attached the letter written by N Murali. In this letter, N Murali said, “Dear Ms Ranjani and Ms Gayatri, I received your joint letter of 20th, March, 2024 and was shocked by both its vituperative content, which is replete with unwarranted and slanderous assertions and insinuations verging on defamation, and its vicious tone against a respected senior fellow-musician.”

He added, “You are aware that the Sangita Kalanidhi award instituted by The Music Academy in 1942 is the highest accolade in Carnatic music. The choice of Sangita Kalanidhi made year after year is a prerogative of The Music Academy and has always been made after careful deliberation, with the sole criterion being musical excellence demonstrated over a significant and sustained career. This year the Executive Committee of the Academy chose T.M. Krishna for this accolade based on his excellence in music over a long career, with no extraneous factors influencing our choice.”

N Murali further said in this letter, “We regard your decision to withdraw from the upcoming annual conference because the Academy has chosen for the award a musician you dislike and malign as unbecoming of artistes and in poor taste. I note that you have shared your letter addressed to me and the Academy, the social media, which apart from being discourteous, raises doubts about the intentions behind and the purpose of your letter.”

The chief of the Madras Music Academy concluded his letter by saying, “Normally, a missive of the kind you have addressed to me and the Academy posted on social media before you have received a reply would not warrant a response. But I would not like to deny you the courtesy of a response in consideration of your contributions to the field of Carnatic music.”

What was the stand of sisters Ranjani and Gayatri?

On 21st March, Ranjini and Gayatri posted on their social media handles, “We have communicated our decision to withdraw from participating in the Music Academy’s conference 2024 and from presenting our concert on 25th December. We have made this decision as the conference would be presided over by Mr TM Krishna.

“It’s dangerous to overlook Mr TM Krishna’s glorification of a figure like EVR who 1. Openly proposed a genocide of ‘brahmins’ 2. Repeatedly called/abused every woman of this community with vile profanity 3. Relentlessly worked to normalize filthy language in social discourse,” they posted on X, adding that TM Krishna has, over the years, “tried to spread a sense of shame in being a carnatic musician” and that has been exhibited through his “consistent denigration of spirituality in music.”

Who else is withdrawing from this event at the Music Academy Madras?

Renowned Carnatic musicians Trichur brothers have also withdrawn from the event. In a Facebook post, they wrote, “Formal announcement that we are pulling out of the Annual Conference 2024 of The Music Academy, Madras, for obvious reasons. “Mr TM Krishna believes in and propagates a value system that is diametrically opposite to our core values! We owe it to our Upbringing, Gurus, Rasikas, Family, Wellwishers and Students to stand up for what we believe in. Therefore to participate in a conference presided over by Mr. TM Krishna would make us outright hypocrites in our own eyes.”

Vedic speaker and writer Dushyanth Sridhar also wrote a letter to the president of the Music Academy Madras to communicate that he is withdrawing from the program. He wrote in his Facebook post, “Astikas, I have conveyed to the Madras Music Academy that I will not be performing on the 1st January 2025 (after the sadas). Below is a copy of the letter drafted to them.”

Apart from these names, many other stalwarts of the Carnatic music scene have spoken up against TM Krishna and the Music Academy’s mainstreaming of his ideologies.

Popular vocalist and Harikatha singer Visakha Hari has spoken against the Sangita Kalanidhi award given to TM Krishna. Composer Chitravina Ravikiran has declared that he is returning his Sangita Kalanidhi award from 2017 to mark his objection against TM Krishna and the Music Academy’s attempts to participate in promoting TM Krishna’s ideology.

Though Ravikiran did not name TM Krishna directly, he wrote, “My decision stems from my inability to relate to the kind of values the academy is trying to glorify today, by honouring an individual who has stridently tried to polarize and destabilize Indian classical music and dance fields and the country as a whole along caste and communal lines through misinformation, malleable truths and unprovoked attacks against certain groups of people.”

Who is TM Krishna?

TM Krishna, full name Thodur Madabusi Krishna, is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, author, and self-styled liberal social activist. Born on 22nd January 1976, in Chennai, India, Krishna has gained widespread recognition for his excellence in Carnatic music, a classical music tradition of India.

Apart from his musical pursuits, TM Krishna is also known for his self-styled social activism and advocacy for various causes which he considers attention-worthy. This includes caste issues, gender equality, and the democratisation of the arts. In the guise of addressing these issues, he had been a vocal critic of Hinduism and a staunch supporter of the Periyarite thoughts. In his attempt to be vocal about the need to break down barriers in classical music and make it more accessible to people from all backgrounds, he often resorted to making various statements against particular castes and communities especially the Brahmins by quoting EVR Periyar. Krishna has received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to music and society, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2016 for “ensuring social inclusiveness in culture.”

Umar Khalid’s lawyer claims everyone who gave statements against him has ‘fertile imagination’, claims no evidence against him in Delhi riots case

OpIndia Staff
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Umar Khalid’s lawyer claims everyone who gave statements against him has ‘fertile imagination’, claims no evidence against him in Delhi riots case

On 21st March, Karkardooma Sessions Court in Delhi heard the bail plea of anti-Hindu Delhi riots accused Umar Khalid. Only the defence lawyer’s arguments were heard, and the matter has been listed for the next hearing on 3rd April.

During the hearing, one of the most important aspects that came to light was the chats between Khalid and his celebrity contacts, including Sushant Singh. This was the first time these chats came to light as part of a reply by the prosecution. Full details of the chats are yet to be revealed.

The defence mentioned one of the chats between Khalid and Sushant, where Khalid shared a link to The Quint’s report to “expose” Delhi Police.

Defence ‘explained’ changed circumstances leading to the withdrawal of the bail plea from the Supreme Court

In his argument, the defence lawyer for Khalid claimed that the bail plea was withdrawn from the Supreme Court because ‘SLP filed against co-accused getting bail from the High Court’. The defence cited the bail granted to Devangana Katlita, Natasha Narwal and Asif Iqbal Tanha and argued that as Khalid’s SLP was pending and Umar was arguing before the High Court, no part of the bail order to Katlita and others could be cited.

The defence further argued that the only position to evaluate was to determine whether Khalid was entitled to bail factually or not. He argued that only the interpretation of UAPA is barred from being treated as precedent; hence, Khalid was entitled to the plea of parity.

Notably, in his reply, the public prosecutor mentioned that there were attempts to set a narrative of Khalid on social media and in media. The defence argued against it and called it “pamphleteering”. However, the prosecution’s reply presented evidence that Khalid attempted to set a narrative in media and social media.

The defence also argued that Khalid should be given bail due to “prolonged incarceration” and claimed that Khalid should be allowed to the “parity” argument as Devangana, Nathasha, and Asif got bail.

“The orders in Natasha, Devangana or Asif, or the order rejecting my bail, if bail is granted to me, would not be circumvented”, the defence says, citing other judgements. He also tried to draw a parallel between the Umar Khalid case and Vernon Gonsalves’s bail judgment. He said that the HC in Umar Khalid’s bail case interpreted Watalli’s judgement in a manner that made the court the mouthpiece of the prosecution.

Defence played ‘no evidence against Khalid’ card

In his argument, a defence lawyer said there was no evidence against Khalid. He also claimed Khalid was not present and did not cause death. He said, “Not a single witness refers to Umar Khalid having committed a terrorist act.”

According to the defence, attending a conference did not amount to terror. He admitted Khalid was present at a couple of meetings and added that the accusations against him were a “result of the fertile imagination of the IO”.

Speaking on Khalid’s presence in certain groups, such as MSJ or SOJ, the defence claimed that he was added to those groups and did not talk or give directions. He further claimed the said group did not commit a terror act. He also denied the accusations that Khalid had instructed Imam to start a WA group on the intervening night of 4th and 5th Dec 2019.

The defence further argued that because Supreme Court had said and, hartal, rail roko etc, are legitimate forms of protest, Chakka Jan could not equate to terror. Dismissing a witness’s statement, the defence claimed that the witness said Khalid may have “instructed” to create violence was purely hearsay.

Umar Khalid’s lawyer threw all his associates under the bus to get him bail

Khalid’s lawyer threw Tanha under the bus and argued the allegations against him were more severe than Khalid’s. He said if the Vernon Test was applied, Khalid should get bail on the argument of parity.

The defence lawyer admitted Khalid was part of the DPSG group but claimed there was no material evidence against him. “I am yet to see a message by Umar which incites violence, gets excited by violence, etc,” he argued.

Defence claimed that three out of five messages by Khalid were location shares, and one was about the call he received from Delhi Police, where they advised him not to proceed with the protest. Defence emphasised that Khalid had “minimum” involvement in planning the demonstrations and the groups mentioned in the charge sheet. He then continued to argue that DPSG were there and far more involved on the days when there was violence.

The defence claims everyone who spoke against Khalid has a ‘fertile imagination’

The defence claimed everyone, including police, investigating officers, lawyers, witnesses, people in the group, and some people who sent messages to the WA group, had a “fertile imagination”. All of them had named Khalid.

Speaking at the meeting at the Popular Front of India’s office for raising funds for the riots, the defence claimed that Khalid was not physically present at the Khajuri Khas violence. He pointed towards the Call Detail Record and claimed Khalid was not present at the location. Alluding the delay in naming Khalid in their statements, the defence questioned the authenticity of the statements given by Tahir Hussain and Khalid Saifi. The defence continued to throw every possible associate of Umar Khalid under the bus to get bail for him.

The prosecution did not get time to argue in the case as the judge asked for an adjournment. The matter will be next heard on 3rd April.

“Hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shree Ram, Brahmanwad se Azadi”: Anti-Hindu slogans raised in JNU

OpIndia Staff
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“Hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shree Ram, Brahmanwad se Azadi”: Anti-Hindu slogans raised in JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University, a prominent leftist stronghold, is embroiled in yet another controversy. On Wednesday (20th March), anti-Hindu slogans were raised in the varsity, and a video of the incident has gone viral online. The video shows students shouting slogans like, “Mile Phule-Kanshi Ram, Hawa Mein Ud Gaye Jai Shri Ram” during the night. Moreover, “Brahmanwad se azadi” (freedom from Brahminism) and “Free Palestine” slogans were also raised amidst the sounds of trumpets and Dhols.

It is pertinent to recall that in the 1990s (1993), when the SP-BSP allied against the BJP, supporters of both parties used to chant ‘Mile Mulayam-Kanshi Ram, Hawa Mein Ud Gaye Jai Shri Ram‘. As can be heard in the viral video, ‘Azadi‘ slogans were again chanted loudly in JNU. In addition, derogatory slogans were raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Notably, this is the same JNU where slogans like ‘Afzal, hum sharminda hain, tere qatil zinda hain‘ were chanted in support of the terrorist who attacked Parliament. Besides this, slogans such as ‘Bharat there tukde honge Inshallah Inshallah‘ were raised in the University.

JNU’s student union elections will take place on the 22nd of March. Until recently, only Leftist student leaders have won from here, but this time the competition is fierce with ABVP fielding a victim of leftist violence as its candidate.

Umesh Chandra Ajmeera of Warangal, a member of the tribal Banjara community, has been fielded by the ABVP. Umesh’s father Sitaraman Nayak Ajmeera was murdered by Naxalites in 1997 when he was four years old. After his father’s demise, Umesh’s mother Sammakka Ajmeera was forcibly converted. Distressed by her husband’s murder and forced religious conversion, his mother passed away shortly after his father’s demise. 

Despite these hardships and hailing from a Naxal-infected village, Umesh completed his primary education at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in United States Studies at JNU. Umesh has also received the JRF Award in Political Science. He came in contact with ABVP when he joined JNU for higher education. 

State Bank of India tells Supreme Court that it has submitted all details of Electoral Bonds including Bond numbers to Election Commission

OpIndia Staff
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State Bank of India tells Supreme Court that it has submitted all details of Electoral Bonds including Bond numbers to Election Commission

The State Bank of India on Thursday, 21 March, filed an affidavit with the Supreme Court informing that it has submitted all details related to Electoral Bonds, including the bond numbers to the Election Commission of India. The apex court on 18th March had ordered the SBI to disclose all data it has related to the bonds, after the data bank provided by the bank was deemed incomplete as it didn’t include the bond numbers, and the donors could not be linked to the political parties.

The SC had ordered the SBI to submit all details related to Electoral Bonds in its possession to the Election Commission, and the ECI is to publish the data on its website. The court had also ordered SBI chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara to file an affidavit by 5 PM on Thursday stating that all details in its custody have been disclosed and that no information has been suppressed.

Accordingly, the SBI MD filed the affidavit today, which states that the bank has provided /disclosed all details of the electoral bonds which are in its possession and custody to the Election Commission of India. The bank also attached a copy of proof of service along with the affidavit.

The affidavit states that it has provided two sets of data related to electoral, one for purchasers of bonds and the other for political parties that received the bonds. The details were submitted to the ECI on 20 March in two sealed envelopes. One envelope contained a pen drive with two PDF files, one containing all details of the purchase of electoral bonds, and the other with the details of political parties that received the bonds. The PDF files are password protected, and the passwords were provided separately in the second envelope. SBI said that it will provide the hard of the details later, if and when required.

The details of the purchaser include Sr. No., URN No., Journal Date, Date of Purchase, Date of Expiry, Name of the purchaser, Prefix, Bond Number, Denomination, Issue Branch Code, Issue Teller, and Status.

The details of the redemption by Political Parties have the Sr. No., Date of Encashment, Name of the Political Party, Last four digit of account number, Prefix, Bond Number, Denomination, Pay Branch Code, and Pay Teller.

The bank states that the prefix and the bond number is in fact the alphanumeric number. This alphanumeric number is printed on the electoral bonds with invisible ink. Which means, they are not visible to naked eye, but can be seen under ultraviolet. The bank during the last hearing had said that it is a security feature.

After the ECI publishes the data submitted by the State Bank of India, it will be possible to find which donor donated to which political party using the electoral bonds. While some parties like DMK and AIDMK have published the names of donors of electoral bonds, most parties have not. Some parties have cited the law enabling to withheld the information, while others like TMC and JDU said bonds were donated to them anonymously and some bonds were dropped in drop boxes, therefore they can’t identify the donors.

BJP leader Hiren Patel murder: 9th accused Irfan Bisti arrested after 4 years, killing contract was given by Congress leader’s brother

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leader Hiren Patel murder: 9th accused Irfan Bisti arrested after 4 years, killing contract was given by Congress leader’s brother

The ninth accused in the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor Hiren Patel in Gujarat’s Dahod was taken into custody by the authorities on 20th March, four years after the incident. The man has been identified as 24-year-old Mohammad Irfan Bisti of Ujjain. He was apprehended by the Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). He has been evading the police and running a hair salon business along with his wife under a new name in Indore in an attempt to conceal his identity.

This crime has been characterized in the police reports as a “contract killing” and a murder motivated by political rivalry. Hiren Patel, a BJP politician was run down by an automobile on 27th September 2020, around four years ago while out for a morning walk. Amit Katara, the son of former Dahod MP Babubhai Katara and brother of Congress MLA Bhavesh Katara, planned the conspiracy to assassinate Hiren Patel.

Following the death, a case was registered and eight people were nabbed in connection to the instance. The main contract killer turned out to be Imran Gudala from Mewat who executed the conspiracy after taking money from Amit Katara. Irfan’s name transpired after Imran was captured. However, the latter fled as soon as his identity was revealed.

Six of the eight people who were imprisoned were charged by Jhalod police in January 2021 with culpable homicide amounting to murder and criminal conspiracy. “After the incident, they (the accused) fled to Indore. When Irfan realised that his name was out and the police were searching for him, he fled to Khajrana, Indore, and had been hiding there with his wife, using his real name, Irfan Abbas. Irfan started a hair salon with his wife in Indore as a part of their disguise,” stated Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay.

The official added, “The Gujarat ATS unit received the information about Irfan’s whereabouts, which was also shared with senior officials of Madhya Pradesh ATS. With the help of the Indore unit of Madhya Pradesh ATS, Gujarat ATS Inspector VN Vaghela, along with his team, arrested Irfan Bisti. Upon questioning, Irfan admitted his involvement in the murder of Hiren Patel. A contract amount of Rs. 25,000-plus was promised to Irfan as a deal for the contract killing of Hiren Patel, which he admitted to during the police interrogation.”

According to police, Irfan Bisti travelled from Indore to Jhalod to carry out the murder plot with his accomplices and co-accused parties. The BJP leader went for a daily stroll around six in the morning on the fateful day when the culprits struck the man with an LMV at Jhalod’s Muwada intersection. He suffered fatal injuries as a result of the powerful impact. The assailants, according to the police, undertook a reconnaissance of his usual morning walk route. Hiren Patel served as a corporator at the Jhalod municipality.

Supreme Court stays notification of union govt’s Fact Check Unit under IT Rules

ANI
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Supreme Court stays notification of union govt’s Fact Check Unit under IT Rules

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the March 20 notification of Fact Check Unit by the Centre government under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules 2023 (IT Amendment Rules 2023).

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra put on hold the notification till the Bombay High Court finally decides the challenges to the IT Rules Amendment 2023.

The bench stayed the notification till third judge of Bombay High Court gives its verdict after completing hearing on legality of Rules setting up FCU.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had delivered a split decision. The third judge is hearing the case after split verdict from a division bench of High Court on validity of FCU.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) on Wednesday notified the FCU under the Press Information Bureau as a statutory body with powers to flag what it believes is false information related to the Central government and its agencies on social media sites.

The amended IT Rules, which came into effect in April 2023, empowers the FCU to monitor content on social media and flag alleged pieces of misinformation concerning the business of the Centre.

Editors Guild of India, standup comedian Kunal Kamra and others challenged the changes in the Information Technology (IT) Rules that empowers the government to identify “fake news” about itself on social media platforms.

The apex court was hearing petitions seeking an interim stay on the Central government notification for forming FCUs.

The IT Amendment Rules 2023 amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules 2021).

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

‘I didn’t know anything, he did it’: Second accused in Badaun double murder case and Sajid’s brother Javed claims innocence after arrest in Bareilly

OpIndia Staff
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‘I didn’t know anything, he did it’: Second accused in Badaun double murder case and Sajid’s brother Javed claims innocence after arrest in Bareilly

In a major development, Javed, the second accused involved in the murder of two Hindu boys Aayush and Ahaan in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun was arrested from Bareilly late on the night of 20th March. His brother Sajid, who allegedly killed the boys, has already been killed in a police encounter.

After his arrest, Javed claimed innocence, saying that Sajid alone committed the crime and he was not part of it. He claimed, “I went to Badaun but there was a lot of crowd. I absconded to Delhi and came directly to Bareilly from there to surrender. I have call recordings of people informing me that my brother has committed the crime. Take me to the authorities. I am a very simple and innocent person. He was my elder brother and he had done it. I didn’t do anything.”

“My name is Mohammad Javed and I am from Badaun,” he confirmed when people around him inquired about his identity. He again pleaded, “Please hand me over to the cops.” The people also checked his ID. He claimed that they shared a very good relationship with the family of the victims and he is still unaware of the motivation behind the heinous act. “Beat me if you want but I swear on my mother I’m innocent,” he said although the people assured him that they won’t do anything to him.

Javed had turned off his phone after the horrifying event and escaped to Delhi. According to accounts, he was apprehended by locals at the satellite bus stop and turned over to the cops.

Javed allegedly injured himself in an effort to avoid a possible confrontation before arriving at the police station. The accused resorted to self-harm as a preventative tactic because he knew that if he got hurt, the cops would take care of his medical requirements immediately. Javed claimed he was innocent and uninvolved in the deaths of the two youngsters out of fear of being encountered by the police.

Alok Priyadarshi, Senior Superintendent of Police verified the news of the arrest to the media and added that further investigation would proceed after Javed’s interrogation who is being transported to Badaun. The officer noted that the pressure from the probe and the Rs 25,000 award the police had offered for the offender were the reasons behind the development.

Sajid and Javed, who ran barbershops in Badaun, murdered two Hindu boys Aayush and Ahaan alias Honey on the evening of 19th March. After the murders, Sajid fled the scene and was eliminated in an encounter with the state police the same day. The accused also tried to kill Piyush, the brother of the victims, but he managed to escape with injuries.

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