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Alt News’ Mohammad Zubair continues to shield Congress workers who chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’: Here’s how this is not the first time a forensic report was dismissed

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News’ Mohammad Zubair continues to shield Congress workers who chanted ‘Pakistan Zindabad’: Here’s how this is not the first time a forensic report was dismissed

On 4th March, 3 persons were arrested by the Bengaluru Police after a forensic report confirmed that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were indeed raised inside the Vidhana Soudha after a Congress candidate Syed Naseer Hussain won the Rajya Sabha elections recently.

Despite the confirmation, Altnews co-founder and ‘fact-checker ’ Mohammad Zubair continues to shield the three arrested accused Ilthaz, Munavar, and Mohammad Shafi. As the forensic report confirmed that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised in the Karnataka state Assembly, several people demanded Zubair’s arrest for peddling lies that ‘Nasir Saab Zindabad’ slogans were raised.

In a long post on X on Tuesday (5th March), Zubair, who sees forensic reports and police statements as universal truth when it suits his agenda, is in this case, repeated his former claims and insinuated that the police arrest and the forensic report are wrong. “Karnataka Police has arrested 3 individuals for allegedly raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in Vidhana Soudha. The Home Minister has also given a statement confirming that Pro-Pakistan sloganeering were raised.  Many want @BlrCityPolice to arrest me for my tweet. But ? ????? ????? ?? ?? ??????. ? ?? ???% ???? ????? ???? ?? ???-???????? ???????, ??? ‘????? ???? ????????’.

The self-proclaimed fact-checker blamed the Kannada news channels for starting ‘false claims’ about the slogans raised after the Congress leader’s Rajya Sabha victory on 27th February.

He then cited the examples of the recent Hanuman flag removal controversy, the Congress government’s Hindu Religious Institutions & Charitable Endowment (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the current pro-Pakistan slogans controversy to literally reprimand the Congress Party for ‘failing to counter the ‘propaganda’ and registering FIRs against people.

“…This is how, BJP with the help of Local and National Media is winning the Propaganda war and Congress in Karnataka is still clueless on how to counter it,” Zubair added.

Clearly, Zubair’s long rant was nothing more than a face-saving exercise and an attempt to save himself from apologising for blatantly lying and shielding the arrested Congress supporters. It seems like the ‘Chief’ sees himself as someone bigger than the police, FSL and even the government.  Zubair ‘standing by’ his statements and refuting the findings of forensic analysis of the contentious video, the fact-checker is telling the people that his opinion is more factual than the forensic report since he cannot abandon his co-religionists in distress.

This, however, is not the first time that Mohammad Zubair, infamous for dog-whistling Islamists against Nupur Sharma, has dismissed even forensic reports confirming pro-Pakistan sloganeering by Muslims in past incidents. Back in the year 2022, a person named Abdul Salam, the former district president of the banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) was arrested by Bhilwara Police for raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans in a rally. In that case, Zubair had claimed that the slogans were “SDPI Zindabad” and not “Pakistan Zindabad”. Soon after, Altnews’s co-founder Pratik Sinha dismissed the forensic report of the viral video as ‘faulty’.

“Forensic report, if any, in this case, is faulty if it claims that ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were raised. It can be clearly heard that the slogan raised was ‘SDPI Zindabad’. An innocent man is being jailed and those who call themselves journalists are on the side of injustice,” Sinha wrote on X on 23rd November 2022.

Much like in the recent ‘Nasir Saab Zindabad’ claim, Alt News had then claimed in their “fact check” of the said video that ‘SDPI Zindabad’ slogans were raised. Even though the SHO of the concerned police station found in the investigation that pro-Pakistan slogans were raised, later the forensic analysis of the video proved the same, Alt News co-founders somehow found even the forensic report as ‘faulty’. An OpIndia report on Alt News and Mohammad Zubair’s whitewashing of pro-Pakistan sloganeering by Muslims can be read here.

Taking corrupt politicians head on to acting on Bengal recruitment scam: Read who is Abhijit Gangopadhyay, the High Court Judge entering politics

OpIndia Staff
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Taking corrupt politicians head on to acting on Bengal recruitment scam: Read who is Abhijit Gangopadhyay, the High Court Judge entering politics

On Tuesday, 5th March, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of Calcutta High Court submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court TS Sivagnanam. Hours later, Justice Gangopadhyay announced that he would be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on 7th March. Justice Gangopadhyay’s decision to join BJP did not come as a surprise as there were speculations that he would be joining a political party. Considering his views about Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the years, it was evident that he would be staying away from Bengal’s ruling party.

Justice Gangopadhyay was born on 19th August 1962. He graduated from Calcutta University’s Hazra Law College. Justice Gangopadhyay started his career as a Grade A officer of the West Bengal Civil Services. During his tenure as a land revenue officer, he acted on local corruption which led to threats to his life. Soon after, he resigned from his government job and moved back to Kolkata. After that, he started working as a lawyer and remained a penal lawyer for several insurance companies and the insurance regulator.

As per High Court documents, he was appointed an Additional Judge at the High Court on 2nd May 2018. On 30th June 2020, he was appointed as a permanent Judge in the Calcutta High Court. Justice Gangopadhyay was scheduled to retire on 19th August 2024. However, he decided to resign from his post and join BJP. It is unclear if he is going to get a ticket for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections but the probability of that happening is high.

Justice Gangopadhyay directed CBI and ED to probe recruitment scam

One of the major cases that Justice Gangopadhyay heard was the multi-crore recruitment scam where TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was one of the main accused. In 2022, he directed the CBI to probe the alleged recruitment scam leading to a scuffle between the judiciary and the ruling party. Justice Gangopadhyay’s decision to terminate over 32,000 appointments of teachers rocked the state government like never before. However, the order was later stayed by the Supreme Court.

During the hearing of the matter, he threatened to summon the entire cabinet to court and said, “No one has the right to do anything with the Constitution of India. I might have to ask the Election Commission to cancel the recognition of Trinamool Congress as a political party and withdraw its party logo.”

Justice Gangopadhyay’s clean track record impressed colleagues

Reports suggest that those who have worked with Justice Gangopadhyay deem him as an honest judge. A former judge of the Calcutta High Court told Indian Express, “He probably has a view that you have to adopt different methods to tackle corruption. But it’s not that he has any love for one party. He quit his civil services job after seeing massive corruption under the Left government. But despite his intentions, this may not be the way to do things.”

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s heated Reaction to fellow judge’s actions

In the fake caste certificate case, Justice Gangopadhyay ordered the West Bengal police to hand over case documents to CBI. The state was accused of issuing fake caste certificates to applicants so that they could gain admission to medical courses. However, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court stayed the order. Justice Soumen Sen was part of the bench. Reacting to the decision of the Division Bench, Justice Gangopadhyay accused Justice Sen of “acting for a political party in the State”.

Later, he took up the matter and ordered the Advocate General to hand over the case papers to CBI while insisting that he wasn’t informed about the stay order. He also accused Justice Sen of pressuring another Justice not to take a tough stance against TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. According to the allegation, Justice Amrita Sinha was presiding over cases involving TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. Justice Sen then summoned Justice Sinha to his chambers and advised her not to disturb Abhishek Banerjee, citing his political future. Following the remarks by Justice Gangopadhyay, the Supreme Court of India took Suo Moto cognizance of the matter and transferred the matter to itself while staying Justice Gangopadhyay’s orders.

Supreme Court’s reaction to Justice Gangopadhyay’s interview related to sub-judice case

In April 2023, the Supreme Court of India came down heavily on Justice Gangopadhyay for giving an interview to a Bengali news channel related to the recruitment scam. During the interview, Justice Gangopadhyay allegedly spoke against TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.

Reacting to the interview, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said, “I just want to say that judges have no business granting interviews on matters which are pending. If he said that about the petitioner (Mr Banerjee), he has no business participating in the proceedings. The question is whether a judge who has made statements like these about a political personality should be allowed to participate in the hearings. There has to be some process.”

Later on 28th April, the Supreme Court asked the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to reassign the recruitment scam case to another judge. Justice Gangopdhyay did not shy away from taking the matter head-on with the apex court and on the same day issued an order to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court to produce the documents of his removal from the case before him by midnight. Supreme Court stayed the order on the same evening.

Decoding how PM Modi hacks EVMs, Part 4: How his govt improved lives of women – rural and urban – at home, school and work

S. Sudhir Kumar
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Decoding how PM Modi hacks EVMs, Part 4: How his govt improved lives of women – rural and urban – at home, school and work

Many big economies globally have maternity leave policy of a minimum of 3 months only. So, when my colleagues and friends in global organisations come to know that India has a mandatory 6-month maternity leave policy, they are still pleasantly surprised. As important as this reform is for women in the organised sector (bought of course by the Modi government), there was another scheme by the Modi government that caught my attention – the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. 

The unorganised sector, such as agriculture, for example, has lakhs of women in rural and urban India where they have to work right up to the last days of pregnancy and resume working very soon after childbirth. They typically don’t have the luxury of a 6-month paid leave. The nature of the work also takes a toll both on their health and that of the baby. 

Through the Matru Vandana Yojana, the Modi government started a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme under which “cash benefits are provided to pregnant women in their bank account directly to meet enhanced nutritional needs and partially compensate for wage loss”. Coupled with the POSHAN Abhiyaan (that emphasises the nutritional status of adolescent girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children from 0-6 years of age), a holistic support system has been developed for pregnant women & lactating mothers, in the unorganised sector! 

While nutrition efforts were done earlier too, the direct cash transfer to also compensate for wage loss will bring in mental peace that cannot be quantified. Efforts such as these have improved the Maternal Mortality Rate from 132 per 1 lakh births to 97 per 1 lakh births. Now, you just have to ask yourselves why these women wouldn’t press the lotus button on the EVM. 

While we are on the topic of pregnancy, the upper limit for termination of pregnancy has been increased from 20 weeks to 24 weeks. This is important because certain abnormalities can only be detected after 20 weeks, and therefore gives a medical option to terminate if necessary. While we continue on the topic of pregnancy, did you know that India did not have any law governing Surrogacy? Modi government is the first government to enact a law that lays down rules for both Surrogacy and Assisted Reproduction. This may not fetch votes yet but lawmaking is the first step to help prevent the exploitation of women (especially for Surrogacy). 

In the unorganised sector, the participation of women in the workforce is much higher than in the organised sector. Women constitute nearly 57% of the popular MNREGA program (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). An International Labour Organisation study has pointed out how India improved the gender pay gap in MNREGA itself, over the last 8 years. We have already discussed how the Modi government revolutionised MNREGA with excellent high funding. So, in summary, more women participate in MNREGA; they earn more money now than before; they earn equivalent to men unlike how it was before. Now, you just have to ask yourselves why these women wouldn’t press the lotus button on the EVM! 

In the unorganised sector, the participation of women in entrepreneurial ventures is also higher than in the organised sector. Nearly 10 crore rural women are part of nearly 1 crore Self Help Groups. However, with Prime Minister Modi, it’s never about maintaining the status quo. From the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2023, he has announced the aim of creating 2 crore lakhpati didis from these groups. While announcing these, the Prime Minister has also spoken about skilling them even in the latest technologies such as drone repairing, and LED bulb making so that they aren’t far off from technology. The concept of the scheme is simple – make these women lakhpatis!

An endearing conversation with one such lakhpati didi gives a great glimpse of why these women feel so comfortable talking to the Prime Minister of India. The rural women have bought into the concept of thinking big and achieving big, and are now fully in tandem with the Prime Minister’s vision. Another conversation with women diary entrepreneurs of Varanasi is another proof of how big a hit he is. Now, you have to ask yourselves why these women wouldn’t press the lotus button on the EVM! 

With so much money coming in, where would the women keep all this money? Gone are the days of hiding money at home, away from the prying eyes of others. The amazing success of the Jan Dhan Scheme means that all these women have their own bank accounts (Out of the total 51.80 crore accounts, 28.75 crore accounts are owned by women!) and therefore access to their own money in the safest manner possible. 

Rural women are also now able to spend more time working (either as entrepreneurs or employees) because they now have to spend less time worrying about one basic necessity in their house – drinking water. We all have read about and also seen how women have to endure scorching conditions and walk long distances to get drinking water for their home, or we have witnessed the fights that break out at the water tanker that comes to your village. The Jal Jeevan Mission (the slogan is catchy – Har Ghar Nal se Jal) now ensures every house must have a tap and 55 litres of water supply every day. Nearly 12 crore households out of eligible 19 crore households have already been provided this connection. Now, you just have to ask why these women wouldn’t press the lotus button on the EVM!

Speaking of their homes; Swach Bharat has ensured toilets have been built, thus making it safer for women in rural areas; electricity availability is not a problem; electricity bills are also reduced through LED bulbs in the Ujala Scheme; cooking is through gas cylinders and not through inhaling dangerous smoke from wood (10 crore connections so far, through Ujjwala Scheme!) – I mean, I can go on and on, but do you see how holistic the focus on improving the lives of women, at home and at work, has been?

Through Beti Bachao, Beti Padao, our sex ratio at birth has improved from 918 in 2014-2015 to 933 in 2022 (meaning more girl children are born now or lesser girl children are being aborted now, as compared to before). Not only are more girl children studying now, but even the last barriers to their education have now been removed (Did you know that Sainik Schools didn’t allow admissions to girls? That rule was removed in 2021 by the Modi government). 

The legal age for girls to get married was 18. It has now been changed to 21, on par with men. Can you imagine the possibilities this opens up for the girls to pursue education and careers of their choice? Where will they get the money, you ask? The answer lies in the Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme – a parent opens an account for the girl child and can deposit up to 1.5 lakhs every year until she is 21 years of age. The account gets ~8% interest every year; the girl can withdraw 50% of the amount when she reaches 18, for higher education purposes. After she reaches 21, the entire money is hers. And already 3 crore accounts are opened and have deposited 1,62,000 crores of money into this scheme! 

And then there are the small things that matter big – for example, including victims of Acid attacks into the divyang category so that they get benefits meted out to the physically handicapped. 

Not too long ago, we used to discuss the multi-fold problems that girls and women face in our country. There is perhaps no other government that has had such a holistic approach to improving the lives of women – at home, at school, and at work. And with the passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, we will now have 33% of women participation in law-making too. Now, ask yourselves again why crores of women wouldn’t press the lotus button on the EVM! 

This is the 4th article in the series Decoding How PM Modi hacks EVMs (an allegation the opposition often throws at him). Part-1 speaks about the focus on small-scale entrepreneurs; Part-2 speaks about the revolutions in the labour/employment sector; Part-3 speaks about the focus on both prevention and cure in health. 

Supreme Court judges now have problem with ‘Bhoomi Poojan’, say no Puja Archana should be done, only bowing before constitution copy in court premises

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court judges now have problem with ‘Bhoomi Poojan’, say no Puja Archana should be done, only bowing before constitution copy in court premises

On Monday (4th March), Supreme Court Justice Abhay S Oka said that any “Pooja” or “Archana” should not be performed on the judiciary premises. He made this statement while attending a “Bhoomi Poojan” ceremony in Pune. This program was organised in the district court for the inauguration of the new buildings of the Pune district court. His statement came days after former Supreme Court Justice K Joseph asked the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to drop the Supreme Court’s motto “Yato Dharmastato Jaya” (Where there is Dharma, there is Victory) at an event organised by propaganda website The Wire.

Justice Abhay S Oka insisted that the legal fraternity should adopt Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar’s mindset and that the thrust should be on core Constitutional principles instead of religious rituals. According to reports, he said, “We have to stop doing Pooja Archana or lighting lamp kind of rituals during any events related to Judiciary. Instead, we should keep the Preamble of the Constitution and bow down to it to start any event. We need to start this new thing to respect our constitution and its value.”

Present at the event were Supreme Court judges, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Prasanna B Varale, the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, and Guardian Justice of Pune, Justice Revati Mohite Dere.

Notably, during his speech at this event, Justice BR Gavai vocally showed his agreement with Justice Abhay S Oka’s stand and said that Justice Oka had given a very good suggestion. He said, “Instead of performing pooja of a specific religion, we should mark the foundation with a spade. We should inaugurate the event by watering the plants instead of the lamp lighting ceremony as suggested by our colleague Anil Killore. It will send out a good message to society in terms of environment.”

Justice Gavai added, “I think if we as judges have courageous and unbiased nature like Ramshastri Prabhune within us, why should we fear to grant bail? These days, the situation is like bail is not granted in the district court.”

This is the second consecutive remark from the judiciary regarding perceived religious affiliations within a week. Earlier, on 28th February, former Justice Joseph suggested that the Supreme Court’s motto diverges from the national motto and, by implication, the national ethos. “Truth is the Constitution. Dharma is not always the truth. Dharma is the discharge of your duty in terms of the need of the hour.” he said.

Interestingly, at a seminar in 2018, Former Justice Joseph equated the Catholic Church to the Preamble of India in 2018. “The Catholic Church has always assimilated in itself all the traditions and cultures brought in by the believers from all over the world. This is similar to the preamble of our Constitution, which starts with the word ‘We’.” He added that the “one person who holds this Church in a single entity is the Pope”.

Delhi anti-Hindu Riots: UAPA accused Shifa Ur Rehman, Abdul Khalid Saifi and 2 others seek bail on parity with Natasha Narwal, HC reserves order

ANI
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Delhi anti-Hindu Riots: UAPA accused Shifa Ur Rehman, Abdul Khalid Saifi and 2 others seek bail on parity with Natasha Narwal, HC reserves order

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the bail plea of four accused in the case concerning the alleged larger conspiracy behind the northeast Delhi riots in 2020.

Shifa Ur Rehman, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Gulfisha Fatima and Mohd Saleem Khan are accused in the larger conspiracy of Delhi riots case registered under the stringent anti-terror law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Alumni Association of Jamia Milia Islamia (AAJMI) President Shifa Ur Rehman, Abdul Khalid Saifi, Mohd Saleem Khan and student activist Gulfisha Fatima have sought bail on the grounds of parity with Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita and Asif Iqbal Tanha, who are already on bail granted by the Delhi High Court.

A division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain reserved the order after hearing submissions of counsels for accused persons as well as Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad.

While opposing the bail pleas, SPP Amit Prasad argued that the accused can not claim parity because the orders of the High Court granting bail to Natasha, Devangana and Asif can’t be treated as precedent, as clarified by the Supreme Court.

He also submitted that if the accused persons seek parity with the accused persons, then the court has to see parity with the role of Umar Khalid, whose bail was dismissed by the High Court and this order has reached finality.

SPP Amit Prasad also submitted that the bar under 43 (D) is also applicable in this case under UAPA. He also said that there are protected witnesses who stated the role of the accused persons behind the conspiracy that caused riots.

He said that there were 58 protected witnesses and urged the court to order a day-to-day hearing.

However, the court rejected the submission and said that only one case should be heard on priority.

While arguing for Shifa Ur Rehman, senior advocate Salman Khurshid argued that there are no allegations of terrorist activity. There are allegations of protest.

He argued that any form of protest, chakka jaam, can not be called a terrorist activity under UAPA and such a conclusion would go against the foundation of the jurisprudence of liberty in the country.

Senior advocate Sushil Bajaj appeared for Gulfisha Fatima and argued that her alleged role is less serious than that of Natasha.

During the hearing, the SPP informed the court that a supplementary charge may be filed as certain FSL examinations are pending. The result can only be filed by way of a supplementary charge sheet.

The trial court has also filed a status of proceeding of the riots cases.

On February 29, the High Court asked the Delhi Police to clarify whether the investigation into the Delhi riot’s larger Conspiracy 2020 case is complete or if they are going to file more supplementary charge sheets.

The High Court had raised the question while hearing the bail plea of Abdul Khalid Saifi, founder of United Against Hate (UAH).

As of now, one main charge and four supplementary charge sheets have been filed by Delhi Police in this case.

An application moved by Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita is pending before the trial court against the commencement of arguments on charge without an investigation being completed.

On February 6, 2024, the High Court asked Delhi Police to show material against Saifi to show that he was involved in the violence. The high court had also rapped Delhi Police for lengthy arguments.

The bench asked the SPP to file a compilation defining the accused’s role.

The High Court is hearing the appeals related to the denial of bail to the accused booked under UAPA. Delhi police booked Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain and other accused in this case.

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

Bihar: Woman chops off boyfriend’s genitals, dumps him on road in Buxar

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Woman chops off boyfriend’s genitals, dumps him on road in Buxar

A woman in Bihar’s Buxar district allegedly slashed the genitals of her 25-year-old boyfriend on Saturday (2nd March), police said. She later dumped him on the road outside her house believing that he had died. However, the victim identified as Anil Gond survived the horrific attack. He is currently undergoing treatment and is said to be in critical condition. Police are investigating as to why the woman took the step.

According to reports, the victim’s family alleged that the woman hatched a conspiracy and called Anil to come to her house. There he was first assaulted and then the woman and her brother mutilated Anil’s private parts.

Pramod Kumar Chaudhary, the victim’s brother informed that the woman had called Anil and asked him to come over to her house which is in Dumraon. But when he reached her home, the accused woman attacked him and chopped off his private parts. She later dumped Anil on the road outside her house believing that he had passed away, as per India Today report. 

However, the victim, soaked in blood and excruciating pain, managed to reach a hospital from where he contacted his family members and informed them about the incident.

The victim is currently undergoing treatment at the VK Global Hospital in Buxar. 

Dumraon police officer Anisha Rana said, “We started an investigation into the matter as soon as we got information about the incident.” 

She stated that the victim underwent an operation, and has been kept under observation. She added, “The operation has been done. The man is critical and being kept under observation. Attacking someone like this is absolutely barbaric.”

25 Hindu families from Bangladesh seeking refuge in West Bengal after poll violence: Report

OpIndia Staff
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25 Hindu families from Bangladesh seeking refuge in West Bengal after poll violence: Report

Based on the harrowing account provided by a Bangladeshi refugee, a recent report from Northeast News reveals that approximately 25 Hindu families, totalling 100 individuals, have been compelled to flee Bangladesh, seeking refuge in West Bengal for their safety.

The minority Hindu community in Bangladesh has been living under constant fear for their lives, but tensions escalate around the election periods as Islamist frenzied mobs indulge in unabated pre- and post-poll violence targeting Hindu families. Since the federal elections were conducted in Bangladesh on January 7th of this year, reports of Hindus facing arson attacks and being forced to flee their homes have surfaced from India’s Eastern neighbour, despite scant media coverage by Bangladeshi media.

Earlier, OpIndia reported that communal attacks had taken place across Bangladesh including Faridpur, Sirajganj, Bagerhat, Jhenaidah, Pirojpur, Kushtia, Madaripur, Lalmonirhat, Daudkandi, Thakurgaon, Munshiganj and Gaibandha. In these violent incidences, Islamists associated with the Awami League attacked the homes of Hindus who supported candidates from other parties or Independents.  

A Bangladeshi national after taking refuge in India, Abinash Kumar Mandal (name changed) said, “This (pre and post-poll violence) caused such fear among the Hindus of Ujirpur that since January 7 as many as 25 families – roughly 100 persons, including children – did not waste much time to pack up and leave for the safety of West Bengal.”

According to the report, these 25 Hindu families from Ujirpur upazila in Barisal crossed the border to India to escape violent repression in the wake of the Bangladesh elections and Abinash is one among them. 

Violence causes ‘fresh migration’ from Bangladesh, 2000 Hindu families in the area face the brunt

On 27th February 2024, 45-year-old Abinash Kumar Mandal (name changed) left his modest house in Ujirpur in Bangladesh’s Barisal district amid intimidation and Islamist violence. Abhinash reached the Benapole immigration checkpoint on the India-Bangladesh border taking a bus route from Gopalganj to Jessore via Khulna.  

Abhinash reached the border checkpost with a Bangladeshi passport and a valid visa for India. Speaking over the phone from his place of refuge in Chakdah in West Bengal’s Nadia district, Abhinash recalled the post-poll violence that was unleashed in Ujirpur. 

He explained, “I intentionally took a circuitous route to reach Benapole. An arrest warrant, issued by the police at the behest of Ghazi Abu Hanif, the local strongman, was pending against me since the January 7 election in which musclemen and toughs working for Rashed Khan Menon, the official Awami League candidate. ” 

According to the Northeast News report, Ujirpur’s minority Hindus, who backed and worked for Awami League’s rival candidates, were especially targeted which resulted in more than 25 Hindu families fleeing from the area. 

Abinash emphatically said, “They have no intention of returning to Ujirpur.” He pointed out that most of the “fresh migrants” entered India as undocumented migrants while a few crossed the border after following due immigration formalities. 

Notably, there are two upazilas – Ujirpur and Banaripara in the Barisal-2 constituency. These two upazilas were home to around 2,000 Hindu families. Local residents and Awami League sources say that more Hindus left Banaripara than Ujirpur after the violence on January 7th.

Although instances of election-related violence were covered in a few local newspapers, the media largely neglected the exodus of Bangladesh Hindus to India, despite the recurring incidents of pre- and post-election clashes and the targeted violence against Hindus spanning several decades.

While the Indian government has pressed to soon implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, there hasn’t been much to help redress the latest flight of Hindus from Ujirpur and Banaripara to West Bengal. Notably, CAA grants Indian citizenship to members of the minority community from a few South Asian countries, including Bangladesh but it has 31st December 2014 as the sun set clause that is it is only applicable for those persecuted religious minorities that entered India on or before this date. 

According to Northeast News, Abinash who is one of the fresh Bangladeshi Hindu migrants, is not quite aware of this legislation. While he is struggling to make ends meet in Chakdah, Abinash notes that his decision to flee Bangladesh was not a spur-of-the-moment thought. Almost a year ago, his wife and two teenage children immigrated to India (Chakdah) while he waited for his time.

He said, “Most Hindus in Ujirpur and Banaripara rely on alternative plans when faced with adversity, especially violence against them.” 

Abinash pointed out that he is willing to “handle” the hardships of a “new immigrant” who does “not want to ever return to his land of birth”. The most important aim in his “life” now is to “get rid of the green (Bangladeshi) passport”, as reported by Northeast News.

According to the report, following the forced migration of Hindus from Bangladesh, local politicians and strongmen occupy their resources. 

West Bengal police refuse to comply with Calcutta HC orders, does not hand over Sheikh Shahjahan’s custody to CBI

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal police refuse to comply with Calcutta HC orders, does not hand over Sheikh Shahjahan’s custody to CBI

On Tuesday, March 5, the Calcutta High Court ordered the Mamata Govt to hand over the custody of TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan to the CBI and said that the directions be complied with by 4.30 pm today (March 5). The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) which is handling Shahjahan’s case, however, refused to hand over his custody to the central probe agency. As a result, the CBI officials had to return from police headquarters in Kolkata empty-handed.

The reason provided by the Mamata administration for not complying with the Calcutta High Court order was that the state had approached the Supreme Court against the HC order directing a CBI probe in the Sandeshkhali matter. They said that they would not release Sheikh Shahjahan till the top court’s ruling.

Notably, earlier in the day, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of Calcutta HC had dismissed the SIT formed to probe the arrest of TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and handed over the probe to the CBI. He ordered the Mamata Govt to hand over the custody of the TMC leader to the CBI by 4.30 pm today (March 5).

“Hand over Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI by 4.30 pm,” Calcutta High Court said while issuing an ultimatum to the Bengal government.

After the Calcutta High Court order, the Mamata Government moved the Supreme Court against the HC order directing a CBI probe in the Sandeshkhali matter. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Mamata Government mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court. SC, however, asked Singhvi to mention it before the registrar general of the top court.

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on February 29, in connection with last month’s attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. The arrest came 55 days after he fled in the wake of the public and political upheaval over allegations of sexual atrocities, land grabbing, robbing people, physical assault, and sexual abuse against Sheikh Shajahan and his supporters. He was arrested from a hideout barely 30km from Sandeshkhali.

The TMC leader was sent to 10-day police custody. The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) had taken over the ED officials’ assault case.

Joe Biden administration has imported over 3 lakh illegal immigrants into US through ‘secret flights’ in 2023, reveals lawsuit

OpIndia Staff
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Joe Biden administration has imported over 3 lakh illegal immigrants into US through ‘secret flights’ in 2023, reveals lawsuit

The Joe Biden administration has transported 3,20,000 illegal immigrants secretly into the United States in just one year from countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

This is besides the mass influx of aliens into the US through the nation’s Southern border. The revelation was made in a lawsuit filed by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

As per reports, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allowed the mass migration of illegal immigrants to US cities through chartered flights from foreign countries.

While the Joe Biden administration has admitted to running such a secretive programme between January and December 2023, the CBP has refused to disclose more information about the matter citing ‘national security vulnerabilities.’

This mass migration scheme was reportedly facilitated through an app called ‘CBP One,’ which allows illegal immigrants to apply for asylum from their home countries.

Based on their applications, the aliens were brought to the United States through ‘secret’ flights that landed at 43 different airports across the nation between January and December last year.

The ‘CBP One’ app was later used by illegal immigrants to apply for temporary humanitarian release and travel authorisation from the said airports.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), the aliens thereafter can remain in the United States for 2 years and receive work authorisation without any legal status.

“The government characterizes these programs as “family reunification programs”. While seven of the nationalities, excluding Venezuelans and Nicaraguans, can claim eligibility under older family reunification parole programs, all can also just fly in if they can show they have a non-family financial sponsor (which can even be “an organization, business, or other entity”) and meet other requirements, such as owning a valid passport and passing security checks based on biometric information provided through CBP One,” it added.

While reacting to the development, Elon Musk tweeted, “This administration is both importing voters and creating a national security threat from unvetted illegal immigrants. It is highly probable that the groundwork is being laid for something far worse than 9/11. Just a matter of time.”

Mohammed Ammruddin caught smoking ‘beedi’ inside Indigo flight’s restroom, arrested at Mumbai airport

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammed Ammruddin caught smoking ‘beedi’ inside Indigo flight’s restroom, arrested at Mumbai airport

On Monday (4th March), Indigo Airlines security personnel detained a traveller en route to Saudi Arabia at Mumbai International Airport. The suspect, Mohammed Ammruddin (42) of Delhi, was caught for smoking a beedi (cigarette) in the washroom of an Indigo flight.

The incident occurred on a Delhi-Mumbai flight. “The suspect, who was scheduled to fly from Mumbai to Dubai for a job, was caught by the vigilant security in charge while carrying out check onboard after the flight landed at Mumbai’s international airport at around 4.30 pm,” said a police officer of the Sahar police station.

The crew members got suspicious due to the strong smell of the beedi coming from the lavatory, and upon inspection, they discovered it within the toilet. When questioned, Ammruddin confessed to having smoked beedi and was detained by Sahar Police when the flight landed in Mumbai. The accused stated that he passed the security check at Delhi Airport by concealing the beedi and lighter in his trousers pocket.

Sahar police have booked him under the Indian Penal Code’s clause on endangering lives and the Aircraft Act. The suspect, who was set to fly from Mumbai to Saudi Arabia for work, was blocked from boarding the plane.

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