In Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, a Muslim man has been booked for allegedly pronouncing instant triple talaq on his wife following a dowry dispute in which his demand for a Scorpio car was not fulfilled. The matter pertains to the Pailani Police Station precinct, and it happened over eight years after the marriage.
In her complaint, the victim woman stated that she married in 2015 in accordance with Islamic norms and that her father paid a dowry of Rs 15 lakh at that time. She said that after the Nikah, her husband and other in-laws, including five brothers-in-law, made further demands for dowry. Notably, they were asking for a Mahindra Scorpio SUV as a dowry.
The victim further said that she was threatened by her husband with a second marriage, subjected to physical and emotional abuse, and was even driven out of her house in July of last year when the dowry demand was not met.
Presently residing at her parent’s home, the victim stated that her husband recently visited her and forced an argument for not getting a Scorpio car as a dowry. After his demand was denied, he allegedly gave her triple talaq, which has been outlawed by the govt. Meanwhile, Pailani police station in-charge Anil Kumar said that an FIR has been registered in the matter after the woman filed a complaint.
The victim has demanded strict action against her husband and in-laws for dowry harassment and the pronouncement of triple talaq. The police stated that a probe has been initiated into the matter, and efforts are underway to apprehend the accused persons.
Notably, several dowry-related harassment and killings have been reported in recent times. In December last year, it was reported that a 26-year-old doctor named Shahana died by suicide after her boyfriend Dr EA Ruvais refused to have nikah with her as her family could not fulfil the dowry demand in Kerala. Shahana, a resident doctor in the surgery department of the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, was found dead in her rented room on December 5.
In October last year, a case of alleged triple talaq and dowry harassment was reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad wherein the victim alleged that she was being harassed dowry by her husband’s family. She also accused her in-laws’ family of forcing her to have sexual relations with her husband’s brothers adding that they were trying to push her into prostitution.
The leftist-liberal-friendly media has recently been showing keen interest in the case where three Islamists, including two juveniles, were arrested in July last year for spitting on the Baba Mahakal procession held in Ujjain last year. The sudden interest emerged after the Madhya Pradesh High Court on January 18, granted bail to one of the accused Islamist Adnan Mansoori.
These leftist media outlets went hammer and tongs against the witnesses in the case who reportedly withdrew their statement against the accused. They harped on the suffering that the Muslim teen endured as a result of their ‘false’ testimonies given by the witnesses. The witnesses, however, confirmed to Dainik Bhaskar that they were being constantly threatened by the family of the accused due to which they retracted their statements.
Notably, the case suddenly gained special attention of the leftist media as soon as the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court granted bail to one of the accused Adnan Mansoori on January 18, five months after he was sent to judicial custody for spitting on a Hindu procession last year. The other two accused, who were juveniles, were released last year only. The media reports claimed that while granting bail, the court said that the witnesses in the case, who had earlier testified against the Muslim teens, turned hostile and retracted their statements.
The leftist media lamented how the life of the Muslim teen- Adnan Mansoori, was turned upside-down because of the ‘false’ testimonies the witnesses earlier presented before the police and the court, which they retracted now. They bemoaned how Adnan Mansuri had to spend 151 days in judicial custody and how, due to the false accusations, the Madhya Pradesh government had gone on to demolish the house of the accused, not mentioning that only the illegal portion of the house which was marked and highlighted by the municipal corporation had been demolished.
The leftist media, in their obvious adulation for the Muslim community, further went on to admonish the Indore police claiming that the primary complainant in the case Sawant Lok said that he was pressurised by the police to sign his portion of the FIR.
Ultra leftist media portal Newslaundry was quick to weave an empathetic narrative about the Muslim teen, who was behind bars for spitting on a Hindu religious procession. The article was headlined: Life turned upside-down for Muslim teens arrested for ‘spitting on yatra’
Several other news outlets like News24online, The Quint, India Today, also published reports after the Muslim teen was granted bail. All the articles were carefully worded to make sure that the Muslim teen, Adnan Mansoori, appeared to look like the victim in the case. Every media house reported how the witnesses retracted their previous statement, but none actually bothered to report the witnesses side of the story.
‘Fact-checking’ website Alt News’ out on bail co-founder Mohammed Zubair and several other Islamists, who were ecstatic about the chance to play the victim, joyously shared the news.
Witnesses reveal that the constant threat they and their families received from accused’s family forced them to retract their statements
Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, however, spoke to the witnesses in the case and presented their version. The witnesses told the Hindi publication the actual reason behind them retracting their statements. Swant Lok, the case’s prime witness and Ajay Khatri, the second witness, both informed the media outlet that they were compelled to alter their testimony against the accused because they were constantly receiving threats from the accused’s family.
On July 17, last year, Sawan Lot, a Ujjain resident, filed a complaint at the police station against three Muslim teenagers who had spat on the Mahakal procession as it was pasisng through their neighbourhood. Sawan had recorded the act on camera as well. Following his testimony in court, the accused were sent to jail.
Speaking about his earlier statement and the reason he went back on it, Lot stated that whatever he had testified in the beginning against the three Muslim teenagers was correct and that he had genuinely seen the accused spitting on the Yatra. He was, however, being pressurised and threatened by the accused’s family to retreact his statement and he eventually gave in to the pressure.
“For the past six months, my family has been putting pressure on me to drop the case. They were pushing me away from all of these issues. They would constantly question, “What will happen to us if something untoward takes place?” but I was always at odds with them. Recently, my father’s health started declining. He sobbed and told me to avoid getting involved in the case, after that, I went to the court and retracted my previous statement,” Sawant Lot told Dainik Bhaskar.
In response to a question about whether he had erred due to fear and pressure after the accused was given bail, Sawant Lot acknowledged that he had. He said that he realized his mistake only after the accused was given bail. He lamented that his vulnerability allowed those who had offended their god to be set free.
He continued by saying that he would now contact the police and file a report over the threats that the accused’s family has been sending to him and his family. He continued by saying he would go to the police and truthfully testify against the accused once again.
Image source: Dainik Bhaskar
The second witness, Ajay, was questioned by Dainik Bhaskar about why he had altered his testimony in court. He responded, “I own a flower and prasad shop close to the Ujjain temple. Ujjain is fifteen kilometres away from my village. From here, I head home alone. A group of boys wearing masks stopped me one day and threatened me with dire consequences if I did not withdraw the case. My friend Sawant’s father was also getting threats. Out of fear, Sawant and I withdrew our statement without informing the police.”
He added, “My family members were also being threatened due to which we had fights in our house everyday. They feared that our lives were in danger so they pressurised me to alter my statemnet in court.
Ajay said that the juvenile court was yet to record their statement. Furthermore, the three other witnesses in the case have not yet recorded their statements before the High Court. He said that Sawant and he would now both testify in court once more, this time speaking the truth, and the other three witnesses would also testify against the accused.
Image source: Dainik Bhaskar
The Mahakal Yatra spitting case
On 17th July, Ujjain Police arrested three Islamists, including two juveniles, for spitting on the second Baba Mahakal Procession. As per reports, a group of young men were spotted spitting water on the procession. On the second Monday of Sawan month, the procession of Baba Mahakal was traveling along the Shipra River when it crossed the Kharakuan Police Station area near the iron tank. It is a Muslim-dominanated area.
When the devotees asked them to stop, they did not pay heed and continued. The devotees made videos of them as proof of the derogatory act. Later, after the procession was complete, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists reached the police station and filed a complaint under Sections 295A, 153A, 296, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code.
Based on the complaint, the police arrested Adnan Mansoori and two other juveniles. Later, the two juveniles were released and Adnan Mansoori was sent to judicial custody by the court.
Later, on Wednesday (19 July), the residence of one of the three accused who spat on a Hindu religious procession ‘Mahakal ki Sawari’ from the rooftop, was torn down by a bulldozer. Additional Superintended of Police Ujjain Akash Bhuriya said, “The action has been taken against those who tried to disturb communal harmony and peace. The illegal portion of the house which was marked and highlighted by the municipal corporation was demolished.”
On Saturday (January 20), PM Modi visited the hallowed Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Tamil Nadu’s Srirangam. PM Modi is the first prime minister of India to visit Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli.
PM Modi wore a spotless ‘veshti’ (dhoti) and an ‘angavastram’ (a shawl) as he prayed with folded hands in the Lord Vishnu temple. PM Modi will hear verses from Ramayana at the temple. The visit comes two days before the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
An elephant at the temple premises blessed the Prime Minister and played a mouth organ as he visited the temple to offer prayers.
#WATCH | Tamil Nadu: An elephant at Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tiruchirappalli blessed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and played a mouth organ as PM visited the temple to offer prayers.
PM Narendra Modi is the first prime minister to visit Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in… pic.twitter.com/3YI22dO0UM
With PM Modi’s visit, fascinating facets of the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, one of the most illustrious temples in peninsular India, have come to the fore. For instance, the temple has a deep connection with Lord Ram and Ayodhya. Lord Vishnu is the primary deity worshipped at the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple.
The legend has it that the chief deity worshipped at the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple is the same idol originally worshipped by Lord Ram and his ancestors from the Ikshavaku dynasty.
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Prime Minister @narendramodi 's visit to Sri Ranganatha Swamy temple at Srirangam is very special.
The presiding deity at Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple was worshipped by Lord Ram and his ancestors
As per folklore, Sri Ram’s ancestors had received the idol from Lord Brahma himself. In the past, Ayodhya housed a revered idol that was worshipped daily. When Vibhishan requested a valuable gift from Sri Ram, the deity entrusted this idol to Vibhishan and instructed him to venerate it. While Vibhishan was en route to Lanka, the idol became permanently situated in Srirangam.
The mention of the deity is found in the renowned Sanskrit epic Ramayana, dated approximately between 800 to 400 BCE. This timeframe places the existence of the deity in the same era, suggesting that the temple has archaeological roots of at least 2,500 to 3,000 years, and traditionally, it is believed to be 30 lakh years old. The temple has been a significant landmark in the history of Vaishnavism, playing a pivotal role starting from the 11th century with the contributions of Ramanuja and his predecessors Nathamuni and Yamunacharya in Srirangam.
One of the interesting tidbits about the temple is that it has the largest temple compound in India and ranks among the most expansive religious complexes globally. Over the centuries, some of its structures have undergone renovations, expansions, and rebuilds, evolving as a living temple. A notable addition is the outer tower, soaring to approximately 73 meters (240 feet) in height, and completed in 1987. Often recognized as the largest functioning Hindu temple globally, with the larger Angkor Wat being the largest existing temple, Srirangam temple actively follows the Tenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism.
The temple, once a central hub of the early Bhakti movement with a rich tradition of devotional singing and dance, saw an interruption in this tradition during the 14th century. Although revived in a limited manner much later, the temple’s history reflects periods of both adversity and restoration.
Hosting an annual 21-day festival during the Tamil month of Margali (December–January), the temple draws in one million visitors. Acknowledging its cultural significance, the temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is on UNESCO’s tentative list. In 2017, the temple achieved the prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit for cultural heritage conservation, marking it as the first temple in Tamil Nadu to receive such recognition from UNESCO.
The Delhi High Court is about to settle a legal battle between two Delhi-based restaurants Moti Mahal and Daryaganj. The core of the issue is the question- Who was the true creator of the famous dishes Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken, and now the court may soon provide the answer.
The proprietors of the Daryaganj restaurant have been sued by the owners of Moti Mahal for using the tagline “Inventors of Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani.” According to Moti Mahal, whose original location was in the Delhi neighbourhood of Daryaganj, the former is “misleading people into believing” that there is a connection between the two businesses.
The court issued a summons to the owners of the Daryaganj restaurant, when the matter was addressed before Justice Sanjeev Narula on 16th January, and demanded that they provide written responses to the claim within a month. Justice Narula set a hearing date of 29th May along with notifying Moti Mahal of the appeal for an interim injunction.
The two restaurants have been claiming to be the creators of Dal Makhani and Butter Chicken for years. The owners of Moti Mahal assert that their founder Late Kundal Lal Gujral was the one who developed the dishes that are now synonymous with Indian food worldwide, whereas the Daryaganj restaurant contends that Late Kundan Lal Jaggi was the one who developed the recipe.
Moti Mahal has insisted in their lawsuit that their ancestor Late Kundal Lal Gujral was the one who invented the first Tandoori Chicken as well as Butter Chicken and Dal Makhani, which he brought to India following India’s partition. They state that in the beginning, Gujral worried about his cooked chicken drying out because unsold chicken leftovers could not be kept in the refrigerator. Therefore, he prepared a sauce to help him re-hydrate them. According to the claim, he invented “the makhani” or butter sauce which is a gravy made with tomatoes, butter, cream, and a few spices which provide a delicious and tangy flavour to the food.
Moti Mahal pointed out, “The invention of Dal Makhani is closely linked with the invention of Butter Chicken. He (Gujral) applied the same recipe with black lentils and gave birth to Dal Makhani around the same time.”
Daryaganj’s attorneys went before the court on 16th January and vigorously disputed the charges, calling the entire suit “baseless and lacking a cause of action.” However, they have not yet filed a response to the litigation. They declared that the accusations stated in the lawsuit are untrue and they have not participated in any misleading representation. They noted that the first Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar was founded by the forebears of both parties (Jaggi of the Daryaganj restaurants and Gujral of the Moti Mahal restaurants).
The owners of Moti Mahal were represented by senior advocates Sandeep Sethi, Chander M. Lall, and Shreya Sethi while the owners of the restaurant in Daryaganj were defended by senior counsel Amit Sibal along with lawyers Pravin Anand, Dhruv Anand, Udita, Revanta Mathur, Nimrat Singh and D Khanna.
The Enforcement Directorate is set to question Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the land scam case at his official residence in Ranchi today. ED teams entered the CM house at 1 pm on Saturday.
Meanwhile, security has been heightened outside CM Soren’s official residence and several areas in Ranchi.
“Heavy forces have been deployed in several areas in Ranchi. No citizen has the right to take laws into their hands. Senior officers have been deployed at different places. All the safety parameters have been kept in mind,” said Rajkumar Mehta, Superintendent of Police, Ranchi.
Several workers of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) gathered at the Chief Minister’s residence and raised slogans against the ED probe.
#WATCH | A team of ED officials arrives at the residence of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in Ranchi in land scam case. pic.twitter.com/WJrojsddDZ
Earlier this month, CM Hemant Soren wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stating that it could record his statement in the land scam case at his official residence on January 20.
ED had issued Soren the eighth summons on Saturday, asking him to join the investigation between January 16 to 20.
ED had previously issued a summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s press advisor, Abhishek Prasad to join its investigation on January 16 into an alleged money laundering probe linked to an illegal mining case.
The central agency concluded its day-long search of Soren’s media advisor Abhishek Prasad’s residence in Ranchi late on January 3.
The Chief Minister was issued a ‘last opportunity’ by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to record his statement on an alleged land scam days ago. Soren, in turn, replied to the agency, labelling the summons as ‘illegal.’
“Since you have not come to the office of the Directorate of Enforcement in obedience to the summonses issued to you, we are giving you this last opportunity to record your statement under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at the place, date and time, mutually convenient to you as well as the undersigned (ED), which should be within 7 days of receipt of this notice/Summons,” said the ED in its summons.
Soren was summoned by the ED earlier in mid-August, 2023, in connection with a land ‘scam’ case.
However, the CM ignored the summons, claiming that he was busy with the state’s Independence Day celebrations. He was asked again to appear on August 24 and September 9 but he skipped the dates, citing preoccupations. The agency then issued its fourth summons to the Jharkhand CM, asking him to report to the agency on September 23.
In his letter to the agency, Soren said he had provided all necessary documents and information to the ED. He wrote that if the ED needed any information, it could refer to the documents that he had already shared with the agency.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Former Pakistani batter Shoaib Malik has tied the marital knot with Pakistani actress Sana Javed, as announced through his official X (Twitter) handle on Saturday (20th January). This comes amid rumored reports of his separation from Indian Tennis legend Sania Mirza. However, there has not been any official confirmation regarding whether he has divorced his first wife or not. Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik got married in 2010.
Taking to X, Malik tweeted, “And We created you in pairs.” In his post, Malik also shared pictures with his wife Sana Javed.
Following her marriage, Sana Javed updated her Instagram handle to Sana Shoaib Malik and also shared pictures of the wedding on Saturday.
Reacting to his post, netizens were perplexed and asked about his marital status with Sania Mirza with some asking whether he had communicated Triple Talaq via the Internet.
As per reports, both of them had been dating for a long time as speculations were rife when the Pakistan cricketer wished the Pakistan actress on her birthday last year. Shoaib Malik had written, “Happy Birthday Buddy,” while sharing a photo of them together on his Instagram page.
Notably, Shoaib Malik had married Indian Tennis icon Sania Mirza in Hyderabad, India in 2010 in a traditional Muslim ceremony. It was followed by a Walima ceremony in Sialkot, Pakistan. They had their first child, Izhaan in 2018.
While there have been reports of their separation for years, both Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza had remained tight-lipped about their marital life. Back then, the reports of their separation had died down when Mirza and Malik celebrated their son’s birthday in Dubai last year.
However, speculations resurfaced recently when Sania Mirza just three days ago shared a cryptic post which sparked rumours of her divorce with Shoaib Malik.
Sania Mirza’s Instagram post read, “Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.”
Meanwhile, on his part, Malik had updated his Instagram bio and removed the caption that once read, “Husband to a Superwoman @mirzasaniar.”
Delhi’s Karkardooma Court has framed charges of attempt to murder against ex MCD councillor and lawyer Ishrat Jahan and 12 other accused, including Khalid Saifi. This case pertains to an FIR lodged at Police Station Jagat Puri.
Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, now transferred to the Rouse Avenue court, framed charges under the section of attempt to murder and rioting.
“There are grounds for presuming that accused persons have committed offences under Section 147/148/186/188/332/353/307 IPC read with Section 149 IPC,” ASJ Rawat said in the order of January 19.
In this case, the accused are Ishrat Jahan, Khalid Saifi, Vikram Pratap, Samir Ansari, Mohd Salim, Sabu Ansari, Iqbal Ahmed, Anzaar, Mohd Ilyas, Mohd Bilal Saifi, Salim Ahmed, Mohd Yameen and Sharif Khan.
However, the court discharged the accused persons from the offences of common intention, criminal conspiracy and Arms Act.
The court said that all accused persons are discharged for the offences under Section 34 IPC, 120-B IPC, 109 IPC and 25/27 Arms Act.
Isharat Jahan is also an accused in the larger conspiracy case and is out on bail.
The special public prosecutor had argued that the present case inter alia relates to the CAA protest at Khureji Khas and to maintain law and order arrangement, on February 26, 2020, a flag march was held in the area of Khureji Khas and at about 12.15 PM, the police party reached at Masjidwali Gali, Khureji Khas and asked the crowd to disburse as Section 144 Cr.PC was imposed in the area and assembly had been declared unlawful.
The prosecution also argued that despite that the crowd refused to abide by the order. Accused
Ishrat Jahan along with Khalid, Sabu Ansari, Bilal, Sharif Khan, Sameer Pradhan, Mohd. Salim, Hazi Iqbal, Yamin, Anzar, Vikram Pratap and others (who were identified by Beat Staff) abetted the crowd to not leave the area and also throw stones at the police force.
“The crowd started protesting and throwing stones at the police party. Even firing also took place at the place of the incident towards police force,” the Prosecution alleged.
“The protesters also manhandled the police officials in the said incident. Constable Vinod was injured and admitted to hospital. To control the situation, fire and tear gas in the air were fired by the police party,” it alleged.
On which, the mob started to run. However, the accused. persons namely Ishrat Jahan, Khalid and Sabu Ansari were apprehended by the police.
Delhi police also said that from the place of offence, stones, iron-rod, wooden sticks, and five empty cartridges were recovered.
On the same day, at night, other co-accused namely Vikram Pratap, Md Salim and CCL Aaftab were arrested who had run away from the spot.
One desi katta was recovered from the possession of CCL who disclosed that he used this katta to fire upon a police party and ran away from the spot.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Pakistan-based terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed made threats against Ram Mandir in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya on the night of 19th January, per a report in News18. The terror outfit released a statement and claimed that the temple was going to be inaugurated following the “killing of innocent Muslims.”
Ayodhya has been placed on high alert in response to the threat. Leading intelligence sources have stated that all required safety measures are being implemented and the situation is currently under control. Prior to the Republic Day celebrations on 26th January, the nation’s security is already on high alert, according to the top sources.
The terror group’s proclamation was deemed insignificant by security agencies who asserted, “Jaish’s statement is meaningless and they are proxies of Pakistan ISI.” The former even compared the situation to that of Al Aqsa while threatening the temple in Ayodhya. Jordan is in charge of the Al Aqsa mosque situated in Jerusalem which is regarded as the third-holiest place in Islam. Visitation to the site is allowed, however, prayer is not allowed for non-Muslims there.
Tensions between Israel and Palestine have traditionally been sparked by the mosque. Rocket and aerial attacks were exchanged during a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli police within the Al Aqsa mosque in April of last year. Before daybreak, armed police wearing riot gear raided the mosque’s prayer hall in an attempt to free “law-breaking youths and masked agitators” who had locked themselves inside after evening prayers.
The temple’s “pran pratishtha (consecration ceremony) is set to happen on 22nd January from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Along with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the event.
Over 7,000 people from an array of industries and occupations have received invitations to the event in which thousands of people are likely to participate.
Amidst the enthusiasm and anticipation around the forthcoming pran pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (UP ATS) arrested three people, reportedly related to the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice led by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The arrested individuals have been identified as Rajasthan residents Shankar Dussad, Ajit Kumar, and Pradeep Punia.
According to reports, the three planned on waving the SFJ flag during the pran pratishtha ceremony and raising pro-Khalistan slogans. The ATS said that the trio had been inspired by the recent Parliament security breach in Delhi. The arrested trio were doing recce in Ayodhya.
According to the UP ATS official, suspicion about the three grew after a recorded voice message from Khalistan leaders was circulated on the mobile phones of several people in Lucknow. The recorded voice message was delivered in a male voice. In the message, a man claiming to be Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun addressed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying that Sikh for Justice (SFJ) would hold the UP CM accountable on January 22 and that Ram Temple consecration would not save him. The recorded message also mentioned the arrest of two members of the Khalistani terrorist outfit from Ayodhya.
According to the ATS, among the 3 arrested, Shankar Dussad was in touch with Canada-based Khalistan supporter Sukhdool Gill before Gill’s murder in September of last year. Dussad had also been in contact with Khalistan supporter Harminder Singh alias “Landa,” who is based in a foreign country and relayed directions from SFJ leader Pannun.
On Friday, UP Police Director General (DG), Law and order, Prashant Kumar said that Dussad contacted Pannun through another Canadian guns smuggler, Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa. He stated that the pro-Khalistan leaders had directed Dussad to visit Ayodhya to make a map of the site. He added that Dussad and his two accomplices, in a white Scorpio (HR51BX3753), visited various sensitive locations before heading towards Trimurti Hotel. Their vehicle was intercepted in front of the Trimurti Hotel in Ayodhya on 18th January, and they were arrested. They had placed a saffron flag on the SUV so that police would not suspect them.
According to ATS officials, two distinct identity proofs were obtained from Dussad. Dussad was using a SIM card in the name of Dharamveer Mahala, and his SUV’s registration documents were also fabricated.
In a press release, ATS officials stated that Shankar Dussad was released on bail from Central Jail, Bikaner, on May 15, 2023, after spending more than seven years in jail since March 21, 2016.
While in Bikaner Jail, Dussad met a prisoner named Lakhbinder Singh, who invited him to meet his nephew Pampa, through whom he connected with Canada-based Khalistani leader Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke, who was assassinated in September 2023 by unknown assailants. He added that Dussad was communicating with Duneke and Landa via WhatsApp.
On Thursday (18th January), a public program in Bihar’s Dihuri village experienced a sudden stage collapse when a speaker began criticising the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. This incident occurred during the Pasmanda Vanchit Mahasangathan in Gaya, where leaders gathered to commemorate the 51st death anniversary of freedom fighter Abdul Qaum Ansari. The organisers had erected a substantial stage for the event, and former MP Ali Anwar Ansari was also present on the stage when it collapsed. The video of the collapse went viral on social media.
The incident unfolded in Dihuri village, situated in the Atari block of Gaya district, during a gathering of the Pasmanda Muslim community. A speaker was addressing the assembly of Pasmanda Muslims, discussing political matters while invoking the name of Lord Ram.
The local speaker said, “The consecration function of Shri Ramchandra Ji on 22nd January is being organised to garner votes. The question is why it is not celebrated on the day when Shri Ramchandra Ji is born.” As soon as he said this, the stage collapsed. Several people, including former MP Ali Anwar Ansari, who was present on the stage, were injured. Ali Anwar Ansari is a former Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and a RJD leader.
A gathering to pay tribute to freedom fighter Qaiyum Ansari in presence of former MP Ali Anwar Ansari was going on in gaya.
As soon as questions on credibility of Prana Pratishtha of Ram Mandir were raised- The Stage collapsed pic.twitter.com/0w1fBeHQ4p
The main speaker in the program former MP Ali Anwar Ansari in his speech said that a belt was already tied to the knee of his right leg. Now the stage collapse has caused further injury. The video of this incident was made by a local person present there. The video went viral on social media.
BJP’s former Gaya district president Dhanraj Sharma reacted to this incident. He said, “Lord Ram’s name is not for political gains. Hindu Sanatan Dharma is the pride of the country. The Mughals demolished the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram and built a structure. After years of struggle, the grand and divine temple is being constructed as per the decision given by the Supreme Court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will perform ‘Pran Pratishtha’ on 22nd January. All Indians should express happiness by joining that consecration, not protesting.”
