Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav asserted that India established the global standard time approximately 300 years ago, mentioning that an instrument used for determining time still exists in Ujjain. Additionally, Yadav announced that his government in Madhya Pradesh is committed to an initiative aimed at relocating the Prime Meridian, the longitudinal reference line central to global timekeeping, from its current position in Greenwich, England, to Ujjain. Responding to the Governor’s address in the Assembly, Mohan Yadav added that his govt will start a study at the Ujjain’s observatory to shift the Prime Meridian to India.
Mohan Yadav said, “We need to work in a way so that the respect and glory of our state, country, and Indian Sanatan Culture should grow in front of the world. I am very happy to share that we are moving ahead with firm actions on multiple such issues since our government was formed.”
He added, “For your information, I would like to tell you that just before 300 years from now, India’s time standard was followed in the world. As we were enslaved over time, this time standard was decided as per the capital of France – Paris – for fifty years. After that, around 250 years ago, when the British people became powerful, they took the time standards to their place in Greenwich. And then they started to decide the world’s standard time according to the Greenwich time. Despite we are called an eastern country, the time standard is set there.”
CM Mohan Yadav further said, “This (Greenwich) is a very weird centre for calculating standard time. Just imagine what kind of contradiction it is. There are only two kinds of animals in the world. One kind of animal that dwells in the daytime – which means they start their activities at sunrise and conclude them with sunset. The other type of animal is nocturnal who start their activities at sunset and concludes in the morning. Who are these animals starting their daily routine right in the middle of the night? What kind of standard this is that changes the date to midnight? What kind of parameter this is?”
The Madhya Pradesh chief minister continued, “I would like to explain more about this parameter. It is a parameter that was deployed to shame the Indian culture. I will just come to the point. You visit the observatory of Ujjain on 21st June and 22nd December at 12 o’clock (noon). Open your eyes and see. There is a conical apparatus made 300 years ago. Talking in terms of modern science, it is kind of a GPS made to determine the centre point of the world.”
Mohan Yadav also mentioned, “You would be astonished to know that it is Ujjain’s Dongla that you get exactly 23 degrees and 16 minutes latitude. This is confirmed by modern science which our ancestors have known for thousand years. We just started following the West and forgot the glorious things we already had. We will now reverse the direction of the time wheel and bring these mysteries in front of the world. Our government is working to prove that Ujjain is the global Prime Meridian and we will push to correct the time of the world.”
According to ancient Hindu astronomical knowledge, Ujjain was historically regarded as the central meridian of India, playing a crucial role in determining the nation’s time zones and variations in time. Additionally, it forms the foundation for timekeeping in the Hindu calendar.
In a touching gesture, BJP Anuppur District President Ramdas Puri’s pledge was fulfilled by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who helped him put on shoes for the first time in six years. Ramdas Puri took off his shoes in 2017, vowing not to wear them again until the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed the government in Madhya Pradesh. Puri vowed to stick to his pledge even after the party lost the state to Congress in 2019 but regained power in 2020 as the then CM Kamalnath-led Congress government collapsed.
#WATCH | Anuppur: Former Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan made Anuppur BJP District President Ramdas Puri fulfil his resolve by making him wear shoes.
Ramdas Puri had not worn shoes and slippers for the last 6 years. He had pledged in 2017-18 that he would not wear shoes… pic.twitter.com/zC7tbBuzi1
Taking to X on Saturday (December 23), Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared a video of this heartwarming moment and lauded Ramdas Puri for his commitment towards the BJP. “Workers like Ramdas Puri are the strength and capital of the party…Anuppur BJP District President Shri Ramdas Puri ji had pledged that he will not wear shoes and slippers until the BJP government is formed in the state. BJP government was formed in the state and after fulfilling their pledge, we made them wear shoes today. BJP is proud of such dedicated and hardworking workers and such workers will also contribute to making their country prosperous and developed by fulfilling the resolve of respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji. I salute Ramdas ji!” Chouhan posted.
रामदास पुरी जैसे कार्यकर्ता पार्टी की शक्ति और पूंजी हैं…
अनूपपुर के भाजपा जिला अध्यक्ष श्री रामदास पुरी जी ने संकल्प लिया था कि जब तक प्रदेश में भाजपा की सरकार नहीं बनेगी, तब तक वे जूते चप्पल नहीं पहनेंगे।
The BJP won 163 of the 230 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh, returning to power in the Hindi heartland. The opposition Congress was relegated to a dismal second place after securing 66 assembly seats, while the Bharat Adivasi Party won one seat. Even though the BJP brought about a historic change by appointing Mohan Yadav as the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Chouhan remains enormously popular among the general public in the state. The BJP stalwart is now touring the state and holding public events to boost the party’s position ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On 21st December, an overwhelming majority of state and UT wrestling associations elected Sanjay Singh as the New President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Sanjay Singh defeated former grappler Anita Sheoran in this court-monitored election for the sporting body by 40-7 votes.
The ‘rebel’ wrestlers including Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, and Sakshi Malik, who led the protests against former president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, had supported Anita Sheoran. Unhappy with the results of the election, wrestler Sakshi Malik announced her retirement from the sport claiming that Sanjay Singh is a business partner and aide of Former WFI President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
A day later, Bajrang Punia announced that he was returning his Padma Shri award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi which was awarded to him in 2019.
Singh was asked to resign on 20th January after allegations of sexual harassment by wrestlers Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia, and his wife Sangita Phogat and Sakshi Malik and her husband Satyavart Kadian. His term was anyway ending, and he was not eligible to contest in the just concluded elections as he has already held the post for 3 terms, which is the maximum allowed.
Later in the day on 22nd December, Sakshi Malik said that govt should intervene to overrule the election, claiming that the govt has the power to do so. While talking to Rajdeep Sardesai on India Today, she said that the protesting wrestlers wanted a female WFI chief to take over from Brij Bhushan Singh. She claimed that the government had assured the protesting wrestlers earlier in the year that the sporting body would have a female President.
In the interview with Rajdeep Sardesai who highlighted that elections were conducted fairly under monitoring, Malik argued that the government should have intervened in this election. The wrestler argued that the government should have mandated the sporting bodies to elect a Woman for the top post, seemingly hinting that the Union government should have “appointed” rebel wrestlers-backed female grappler Anita Sheron as the WFI President.
While she didn’t she said, she essentially meant that govt should override the WFI elections and sack Sanjay Singh, and appoint a woman as the new president.
However, the announcements of Malik’s retirement or Punia’s return of the Padma award, as signs of protest and exerting pressure against the election outcome and claims that the government can intervene to ‘override’ the concluded elections are completely wrong. Sporting bodies run outside direct govt control, and any attempt to interfere in the election or its results will result in an immediate ban from the United World Wrestling, the global wrestling body, or in this case, the continuation of suspension as WFI is already suspended by UWW because of not holding elections on time.
The rules for sporting bodies and past precedences point out that any interference in running sporting bodies by governments or even courts, including the selection of officials or changes in the “constitution” of sporting bodies in violation of the Olympic Charter or other sporting global bodies as the case may be, irrespective of the intent, attracts immediate suspension of the sporting body in its entirety. Thus, if govt interferes in the WFI elections, it will cause more harm to the wrestlers.
Past precedences and a well-laid-down rule for all sporting bodies globally
Stressing the need for “political neutrality” in sporting bodies, the Olympic Charter states the following –
Recognising that sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality. They have the rights and obligations of autonomy, which include freely establishing and controlling the rules of the sport, determining the structure and governance of their organisations, enjoying the right of elections free from any outside influence, and the responsibility for ensuring that principles of good governance be applied.
Conspicuously, it is important to note that if a sporting body is suspended, it ceases to receive funding from the IOC, and its officials are prohibited from participating in Olympic meetings and events. Additionally, athletes of that country may be prevented from competing in Olympic events under their national flag, unless the IOC decides to allow them to participate under the Olympic flag.
There are numerous examples of national sporting bodies suspended by the global bodies for interference by governments. In many of these cases, governments and courts had stepped in to remove irregularities in the running of such bodies, but even those were considered undue interference.
Indian sporting bodies suspended over the years for “government interference”
In 2012, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended India’s national Olympic committee because of government interference in its election process. The IOC executive board imposed the sanction when the Indian Olympic Association failed to comply with the world body’s demands for holding independent elections.
Back then, the Indian sporting body had been embroiled in disputes over the elections to succeed Suresh Kalmadi, who had been imprisoned for nine months due to corruption charges related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. Kalmadi, who had led the IOA for 16 years, opted not to seek re-election.
At the time, media reported that the IOC had repeatedly told the Indian body to adhere to its own constitution and the Olympic Charter and not follow the government’s sports code for that year’s elections for the sporting body. It warned that it would not recognise the results if the elections were held under government rules. Even though a clean-up was needed after the mess created by Kalmadi, IOC ruled that the govt could not do that.
Subsequently, in the same year, the Taekwondo Federation of India was suspended by the international body citing the Indian Olympic Association’s suspension from its parent body for not following the Olympic Charter.
In August 2022, FIFA banned the All India Football Federation (AIFF) stating “undue interference by a third party.” This “third party” was a reference to the actions of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.
As per reports, the Court-appointed administration wanted 36 ’eminent’ footballers to be part of the Electoral College that would vote in the elections. This meant a 50-50 representation of players and state body assembly members. However, the roadmap and the inclusion of 50% players was construed by the Bureau of the FIFA Council (constituting the FIFA president and the six confederation presidents) as “undue interference by a third party” and promptly suspended AIFF. Even though there was good intention behind the administrator’s decision, given that politicians dominated AIFF for years, FIFA decided that it was undue interference by the court.
The ‘political neutrality’ rule transcends all sports and various countries penalised under this provision
In October 2015, the IOC suspended Kuwait for the second time in five years over government interference in the country’s Olympic movement. The IOC had said, “The Olympic Movement in Kuwait has faced a number of issues to preserve its autonomy, in particular due to recently amended sports legislation in Kuwait.” The ban lasted for more than two years.
Kuwait was also banned in 2010 over a similar dispute but was reinstated before the 2012 London Olympics. Prior to that, the IOC had also suspended the national Olympic bodies of India, Ghana, and Panama for political interference, though all were eventually reinstated, the Guardian reported back then.
Additionally, in 2015, FIFA alleged third-party interference in Indonesia’s local soccer association by the government. The ban was later lifted in 2016.
In February 2022, FIFA suspended Zimbabwe and Kenya for “government interference.” FIFA suspended the two countries’ associations after their governments pushed aside the associations’ leaders. In July 2023, FIFA lifted the ban on Zimbabwe, 18 months after it had penalised it for “government interference” in its sporting body.
In January 2023, FIFA banned the Lankan FA for violations of FIFA rules in administration for factional fighting and political interference in the sport’s body’s administration. The suspension was eventually lifted in August, this year.
Apart from the Olympics and Football, in 2019, the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Zimbabwe over a failure to keep the sport free from government interference after the government commission “installed temporary leadership”.
Regarding its decision, ICC chairman Shashank Manohar had said, “We do not take the decision to suspend a member lightly, but we must keep our sport free from political interference.”
(The ‘non-government interference’ rules have been invoked in several sports, Cricket, Football, Olympics, Wrestling etc against a host of countries for several years)
Sri Lankan Cricket Board suspended by ICC
The most recent example of a sporting body suspended/banned for “government interference” is that of Sri Lanka Cricket. It was suspended by the ICC for ‘excessive government interference’ after the Sri Lankan team’s exit from the ongoing World Cup in India. On 10th November, ICC suspended SLC with immediate effect, after the board was sacked by the minister and then was reinstated by a court.
The Sri Lankan parliament had unanimously asked Sri Lanka Cricket’s elected board members to resign, accusing them of unprecedented corruption. The allegations of corruption against the board were made by the sports minister, and the parliament agreed with him. However, the board didn’t resign.
Afterward, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the SLC board and installed an interim committee headed by Arjuna Ranatunga on 6th November. But a court of appeal stayed the minister’s order for 14 days on 7th November, reinstating the current board, after SLC president Shammi Silva filed an appeal against the minister’s sacking order.
However, this was seen as excessive government interference in the sporting body by the ICC, and it suspended the Sri Lanka Cricket.
The way forward for protesting wrestlers in India
Strikingly, the election of a new president means that the suspension of WFI by the global wrestling body United World Wrestling will be lifted. UWW had suspended WFI for failing to hold elections before the August deadline, and the Indian wrestlers had been competing as neutral athletes at international events after that. WFI elections were originally scheduled for July, before the deadline, but it was deferred multiple times due to court cases.
As a result, Indian wrestlers lost the right to play under the Indian flag at the World Championships 2023 in September.
The past precedence and a similar well-laid-out rule transcending across all sports globally underscore that the government can’t appoint the WFI President or any head of any sporting federation in the country, as claimed by protesting wrestlers. As highlighted above, any attempt of interference by the government results in the suspension of such a body by the parent global body, jeopardising the career of athletes and sports in the country.
If overwhelming majority of a sporting body elected a chief who is not capable or deserving in your eyes, you are left with very few choices. You can't even go to court or ask the govt to interfere, because any interference even with good intentions, ends up hurting the athletes…
The fact remains that Sanjay Singh won the election which was monitored by the court, and there are no allegations of any irregularities in the elections held in Delhi. The protesting wrestlers are not contesting the election, they are not alleging any malpractice, they are contesting only the result alleging that the winner is close to the former president. However, that is not a valid argument to remove the elected president.
The protesting wrestlers wanted Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh out, and wanted WFI elections. Now that the federation has a new president, they have to accept the election result. Sanjay Singh can’t sacked because they want him sacked, he got 40 out of 47 votes.
However, if the protesting wrestlers insist that they will not play under WFI led by Sanjay Singh, the only option they have is to form a rival body. The rebel wrestlers can form a parallel ‘wrestling’ body to WFI and apply to UWW for recognition challenging the authenticity and legality of WFI. The parallel body getting backing from Olympic medal winners could be given a chance by UWW to air and assuage their grievances.
In fact, the protesters could have formed a rival body when Brij Bhushan was the president, or when WFI was suspended. However, international sports bodies recognise only one federation in a country.
Incidentally, they could seek the government’s assistance in getting the pre-requisite infrastructure for carrying out sporting activities rather than making a case for the government to intervene or override the election outcome, which is barred as per Charters of global international federations. However, it will be up to the govt to decide if wants to assist such a rival body.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the Union government is under no obligation to extend support to a rebel body, or even recognised bodies. The government extends support for the sporting federations to strengthen sporting bodies in order to promote sports. However, it is not bound to do so, and some sports are striving without much govt help. For example, BCCI owns several stadiums, but most other sporting bodies that lack adequate finance use government and public facilities.
Weeks after DMK leader Senthil Kumar insulted the Hindi heartland ‘Gaumutra states’, another party leader, Dayanidhi Maran, recently made disparaging remarks against migrants coming from Hindi-speaking states to Tamil Nadu.
“Hindi-speaking people are cleaning toilets and roads for us,” Dayanidhi Maran, a leader of DMK, one of the members of the INDI alliance, said at a public meeting in Tamil Nadu.
DMK leader and MP @Dayanidhi_Maran calls Hindi speaking people toilet cleaners.
There's no meaning of condemning their bigotry as they've become shameless but I'm eager to know the opinion of @NitishKumar & @RahulGandhi on it!
Earlier this month, Senthil Kumar, the DMK MP from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu made the pejorative ‘gaumutra’ remark to mock the Hindi-speaking states in the Northern part of India. While addressing the Parliament on ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023’, the DMK leader referred to states in the Hindi heartland as “Gaumutra states”.
Addressing the Lok Sabha members, he said, “The people of this country should think that the power of this BJP is only winning elections mainly in the heartland states of Hindi, what we generally call as the ‘Gaumutra states’.”
The insulting remarks were passed after the BJP swept to power in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.
INDI alliance leaders’ insulting remarks on Sanatana Dharma
Earlier this year, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin went on a tirade against Sanatan Dharma on social media. On September 2, the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated.”
“The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting,” he stated.
The comments sparked a massive controversy following which several INDI alliance leaders rushed to the defence of the DMK leader over his comment on Sanatana Dharma.
Congress leader Karti Chidambaram extended his support to the DMK leader on Saturday (September 2). “Sanatan Dharma is nothing but code for a Caste Hierarchical Society. All those batting for it are hankering for the Good Ole Days! Caste is the Curse of India,” he went on a vitriolic rant against the Hindu civilisational religious philosophy.
Similarly, Congress leader Priyank Kharge also came out in support of Stalin. Speaking to the media personnel, the Congress leader had said, “Any religion that does not promote equality or does not ensure you have the dignity of being human is not religion, according to me. Any religion that does not give equal rights or does not treat you like humans is as good as disease.”
After announcing that his administration is immediately going to cancel an order that effectively forbade Muslim women from wearing Islamic headscarves in schools, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has made a U-turn saying that the matter is still being considered. He said that he talked about lifting the government order banning religious clothing in educational institutions having dress codes when he was asked a question about it, and no decision has been taken yet. However, he asserted that the govt order will be revoked soon.
Talking to media the Karnataka CM stated, “The ban on the hijab hasn’t been lifted yet. I was questioned about lifting the prohibition on the hijab. I informed them that the government is thinking about taking it away. We’ll talk about it.”
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah takes a U-turn on withdrawal of hijab ban orders.
"We haven't done it (revoking the #HijabBan) yet. Someone asked me a question (on revoking hijab ban), I replied that the government is contemplating to revoke it. We will discuss it," says #Karnataka CM… pic.twitter.com/MJerWLnBax
“We will withdraw the order. Hijab can be worn. Alright? I’ve asked for that order to be withdrawn,” the chief minister declared at the inauguration of the Kavalande, Antarsante and police stations in Nanjangud, Mysuru. “Dress, eating habits, they’re your choice. Why should I come in the way? Wear whatever dress you want. Eat what you want. What’s that to me? I’ll eat my food. You eat yours. You have your right and I have mine. It’s that simple,” he stressed.
Karnataka Govt decides to withdraw #Hijab ban. " You can wear Hijab and go. Have instructed for the order to be withdrawan," says Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah. The matter is pending before the Supreme Court. Govt will withdraw the education dept order passed on Feb 5, 2022 pic.twitter.com/dl9GCxI6SW
The Congress leader added, “We (Congress) don’t discriminate based on caste or faith. BJP says ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas.’ Where are they practising this? Those sporting a beard, skull cap and wearing a burqa are asked not to welcome. They keep lying. We’re not like that,” earlier in a program. He claimed, “We help the poor of all castes and faiths – Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. Politics shouldn’t be done for the sake of votes. We don’t do that.”
He alleged that even people connected to the Bharatiya Janata Party are profiting from the assurances made by the Congress government. He discussed the hijab following suggestions from audience members. Using the microblogging platform X, he asserted that the decision of what to wear is a personal one. Additionally, he charged that the Bhartiya Janta Party was segregating society and people based on clothes, outfits and caste. He charged that PM Narendra Modi’s ‘Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas’ is bogus and he would scrap the hijab ban.
ಪ್ರಧಾನಿ @narendramodi ಅವರ ಸಬ್ ಕಾ ಸಾಥ್-ಸಬ್ ಕಾ ವಿಕಾಸ್ ಎನ್ನುವುದು ಬೋಗಸ್. ಬಟ್ಟೆ, ಉಡುಪು, ಜಾತಿ, ಆಧಾರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಜನರನ್ನು ವಿಭಜಿಸುವ, ಸಮಾಜವನ್ನು ಒಡೆಯುವ ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು @BJP4India ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಹಿಜಾಬ್ ನಿಷೇಧವನ್ನು ವಾಪಾಸ್ ಪಡೆಯಲು ತಿಳಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ.#Hijabpic.twitter.com/EIHU5V7zas
On 5 February 2022, the Bharatiya Janta Party administration issued an order that prohibited the wearing of the hijab in classrooms and required students to attend schools and pre-university campuses in the designated uniform. Early in 2022, the hijab became a contentious issue when several Muslim girls were barred from attending class due to their head covering being incompatible with the uniform. The directive issued by the BJP government commanded that students wear the uniform.
The Karnataka High Court upheld the order in March 2022 and determined that donning the headscarf was not a mandatory Islamic religious practice. When the case reached the Supreme Court, it issued a divided verdict in October 2022 over the legality of the aforementioned prohibition in the educational institutions deferring to a higher bench to make a decision.
The Karnataka hijab debate garnered international attention. Ayman Al-Zawahiri of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda exploited the controversy to attack India’s democracy and sided with the demonstrating Muslim pupils.
It is important to note that while many call it ‘hijab ban in Karnataka’, there is no such ban, and the previous BJP govt didn’t ban hijab in the state, as alleged by many Islamists and left-liberals. The govt order had banned hijab only in educational institutions that have prescribed dress codes. There is no restriction on hijab or even burqa in public places in the state.
On Saturday (23rd December), a drone reportedly struck an Israeli merchant ship in the Arabian Sea. The attack was carried out via an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS), causing a fire on board.
As per reports, no group has claimed responsibility for the drone strike, which took place 200 nautical miles southwest of Veraval City of Gujarat.
In a statement, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said, ” (We) received a report of an attack by Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS) on a vessel causing an explosion and fire. Incident 200NM South West of Veraval, India. Fire extinguished, no casualties. Authorities are investigating.”
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) December 23, 2023
“Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” it further added. Citing government sources, News18 reported that the site of the attack was far from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to WION journalist Sidhant Sibal, the Indian Navy is responding to the situation. An Indian naval aircraft and a warship have been dispatched to provide assistance.
Breaking: Indian Navy responds to the incident involving a drone attack off the coast of India; Navy Officials tell @WIONews that Indian naval aircraft is already overhead and "safety of the ship and the crew has been ascertained" https://t.co/0bS7meawTo
According to ANI, the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram was dispatched by the Navy to assist the merchant ship, identified as MV Chem Pluto. The vessel was reportedly carrying crude oil and going towards Mangalore in Karnataka from Saudi Arabia.
All crew including 20 Indians onboard the merchant ship are reportedly safe.
Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Vikram is moving towards a merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto in the Arabian Sea 217 nautical miles off Porbandar cost after it reported a fire incident suspected to be caused by a drone attack. The vessel has crude oil and was going towards Mangalore from… pic.twitter.com/a8JQevOn1Z
They are ascertaining the safety of the merchant ship and its crew. It must be mentioned that there has been a recent surge of attacks on Israeli-linked vessels by Lebanon-based Houthi rebels.
The intensified attacks on commercial and merchant ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels could drastically surge prices of oil, and insurance premiums for ships and other goods, creating a domino effect for inflation, as warned by experts.
Following these attacks, several major oil and shipping firms have announced to either suspend or re-route the trade away from the Red Sea creating a major disruption in the maritime trade. It is important to note that this disruption poses a higher risk than the one recently faced during the 2021 Suez Canal blockade crisis.
The protest march taken out by the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) towards the state police headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram turned violent on Saturday (23rd December). The protest march was against the statewide police highhandedness on Youth Congress activists during Nava Kerala Sadas. Senior Congress leaders and activists clashed with police. Police resorted to using water canons and tear gas shells against them. Many of the protesting Congress members were thus hospitalised.
#WATCH | Congress workers in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram march to the DGP office and clash with police during a protest against alleged police action on Youth Congress workers during a demonstration on December 20 pic.twitter.com/GXiFGU6FKH
KPCC President K Sudhakaran, opposition leader VD Satheesan, former opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, MPs including Shashi Tharoor, and other MLAs were among those affected by the police’s use of tear gas and water cannons. The leaders experienced breathlessness and eye pain following the tear gas attack and were shifted to Sree Rama Krishna Mission Hospital at Sasthamangalam for treatment. Anwar Sadhath MLA, Jeby Mather MP, and Chandy Oommen were also reported to be hospitalised.
The incident occurred when the protesters, led by Sudhakaran and Satheesan, reached Althara junction where the police had erected barricades. As Satheesan began speaking, some activists attempted to push through the barricades, prompting the police to respond with water cannons. The situation escalated as protesters retaliated by pelting stones, leading the police to fire tear gas shells multiple times.
VIDEO | Police use water cannon and tear gas to disperse UDF workers holding protest march to DGP office in #Thiruvananthapuram against alleged attack on Congress workers by DYFI and police.#Kerala
Shashi Tharoor, Thiruvananthapuram MP, condemned the police action, stating, “There are some protocols for using water cannons and tear gas shells. The police have violated this. I have called the DGP. He told me that he was unaware and would take prompt action. I will point this out in Parliament in the coming session. I still have the burning sensation on my face due to the shell attack.”
VIDEO | "I am utterly shocked about it, and I have spoken on strong terms to DGP about it. A peaceful rally was going on, the Leader of Opposition (VD Satheesan) was speaking, the KPCC president (K Sudhakaran) had spoken before that, and there was a quiet, calm audience listening… pic.twitter.com/Ohf2i2XIPs
Echoing Tharoor’s sentiments, MP Kodikunnil Suresh also condemned the police’s actions, describing them as premeditated and unprovoked. K Sudhakaran, from the hospital, accused the ‘police goons’ of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of instigating the violence. Congress MP K Muraleedharan attributed the attack to the desperation of Pinarayi Vijayan over the failure of the Nava Kerala Sadas.
In his statement, VD Satheesan criticised the police’s actions as unprecedented and directed by the Chief Minister, alleging that the police force was being controlled by certain individuals in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
The Congress leaders, post-incident, staged a sit-in in front of the KPCC office at Vellayambalam for approximately half an hour. As the protest unfolded, Congress workers clashed with the police and blocked main roads, leading to tense situations in the city.
Notably, the leftist parties which currently govern the state, are constituents of the I.N.D.I. alliance, spearheaded by the Congress at a national level. This coalition has been positioning itself as a significant contender against Narendra Modi’s BJP-led NDA in the forthcoming 2024 general elections. However, the recent events in Kerala, where these alliance partners are in direct conflict, underline the intricate and often contradictory nature of the I.N.D.I. alliance raising questions about the coherence and unity within the alliance as it prepares to take on the BJP in the national electoral arena.
The police custody of Mahesh Kumawat, the sixth accused in the case of the Parliament Security Breach was extended till 5th January by the Patiala House Court in Delhi on 23rd December. As part of their ongoing investigation, Delhi Police requested that he be given an additional 13 days of custody. Their plea was granted by Special Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur.
#WATCH | Delhi Police gets further 13-days custody of accused Mahesh Kumawat in Parliament security breach case pic.twitter.com/EG0KuetUra
Akhand Pratap Singh, the special public prosecutor for the Delhi Police, stated that the accused was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and that based on the results of the psychology analysis report, he should be questioned to obtain more information.
He along with others “wanted to create anarchy in the country so that they can compel the government to meet their unjust and illegal demands,” the prosecutor had previously told the court. According to him, the custody was necessary “to find the actual motive behind the attack and his association with enemy country and terrorist organisations.”
Mahesh Kumawat attended all of the meetings that were held in various locations regarding this matter, according to Delhi Police who briefed the Patiala House Court during the case’s hearing on 23rd December. The conspiracy behind the security breach had been in the works for over a year. The public prosecutor also shared with the court that he was a participant in the conspiracy and had been in communication with the other accused for the previous two years.
According to Delhi Police, he was present at almost every meeting that took place between the perpetrators. They also told the court that he actively participated in the destruction of a cell phone and gave information to the brains behind the operation, Lalit Jha.
The development occurred one day after the trial court’s order to the police to provide a copy of the First Information Report to the parents of one of the other defendants, Neelam Singh was delayed by the Delhi High Court. Delhi Police has filed a case in the High Court contesting the decision to give her a copy of the report. After reviewing the submissions, the high court bench led by Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma issued an order staying the trial court’s orders until 4th January of next year.
A motion urging Delhi Police to enable her lawyer to meet for legal guidance during her custody confinement duration was also granted by the Patiala House Court. According to Ramniwas, Neelam Singh’s brother, a judge has given her permission to see her counsel but not her family.
The court of Dr Hardeep Kaur declared that after weighing all the facts, it is of the opinion that the applicant has a right to legal representation which she can use even while she is being held by the police. It directed that a 15-minute interaction between Neelam Singh and her lawyer, as mentioned in the vakalatnama, be arranged on an alternate day, within the Investigation Officer’s (IO) visible range but outside his audible range to facilitate an effective and meaningful exchange between the parties. The bench clarified that if a meeting cannot be arranged on that day, it could be rescheduled for the following available date.
Meanwhile, on 22nd December, a Delhi court prolonged the police custody of Lalit Jha who is the mastermind of the parliament security breach for an additional two weeks till 5th January. His seven days of initial police custody ended on the same day that he was produced before Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Hardeep Kaur. He was imprisoned for 14 days by the Delhi Police Special Cell which is investigating the case. The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) stipulates a maximum of thirty days of incarceration.
On 21st December, four more convicted individuals, Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde, and Neelam Singh had their custody increased by the court till 5th January. The special cell recovered charred cell phones, SIM cards and other material evidence, according to special public prosecutor Akhand Pratap Singh. The police withheld this information due to the case’s delicate nature.
Psychoanalysis examinations were administered to all of the defendants in the case by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police. The examinations were reportedly carried out at a government facility in Rohini. The police also disclosed that Lalit Jha and Mahesh Kumawat’s psycho-analysis test was performed at the same location. Officials unveiled that the destroyed SIM cards are currently being reactivated by the Special Cell, which they anticipate could reveal new information in the case.
On Saturday, December 23, YouTuber Manish Kashyap walked out of Beur Jail in Patna after nine months of incarceration. The YouTuber received a rousing welcome from his supporters who gathered in large numbers as he stepped out from the jail at around 12 pm. As seen in the visuals emerging from the spot, Manish Kashyap’s supporters garlanded him and performed his Aarti.
Following this, Manish’s convoy left Beur jail in an open jeep meanwhile his supporters greeted him everywhere. Kashyap was also seen raising the Indian tricolour as the crowd cheered him.
Image credit: Dainik Bhaskar
When Manish Kashyap saw an overwhelming number of supporters, he remarked, “These are the people who hope that Bihar will change.” Manish stated “I had arrived out of jail after serving the Kala Pani term. I intend to continue working in journalism. If I get terrified, they will think that they succeeded in intimidating a journalist.”
बिहार : यूट्यूबर मनीष कश्यप 9 महीने बाद जेल से रिहा हुए
Manish Kashyap’s release was delayed due to an error in the court document. Bettiah Court was yet to give its approval to the production warrant. The YouTuber was released after these documents were received by the Beur Jail authorities.
Earlier on Saturday, at 10 a.m., the order relating to Manish Kashyap’s release from Bettiah Court arrived at Beur Jail Administration. In addition, Manish Kashyap’s lawyer arrived at Beur jail. After completing the necessary paperwork, Manish Kashyap was released from jail.
This comes after Kashyap got bail in all the cases. Kashyap, who hails from Bihar, was put behind bars over an alleged fake video case. Kashyap’s case pertains to a complaint lodged in connection with a fake video that was uploaded on YouTube in March this year claiming that migrant workers from Bihar were being assaulted in Tamil Nadu and that they were not safe in the state.
As reported earlier, a search was launched for Kashyap after the case was registered. During this period, his house was also confiscated. He surrendered on 18th March 18 2023, during the attachment-confiscation proceedings.
After this, the Tamil Nadu Police took him away. At present Kashyap is lodged in Bihar jail. On 10th November, the Madras High Court quashed a detention order against Kashyap. The court had also dropped charges slapped on him under NSA by the Tamil Nadu police.
Manish Kashyap had shared an alleged fake video of the assault on workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu. However, it was found that the video was created by the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of Gopalganj district in rented accommodation in Patna. The Economic Offenses Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police had registered an FIR against Manish Kashyap. Patna Economic Offenses Unit had registered 4 cases against Manish Kashyap.
In this case, a fake video of the beating of 3 Bihari labourers in Tamil Nadu is involved. At the same time, Tamil Nadu Police has registered a total of 13 cases. Manish Kashyap is named accused in 6 of these cases. The CJI in April had questioned why the NSA was imposed against Kashyap. “Why this vengeance against this man?” CJI DY Chandrachud had asked.
Tejashwi Yadav, the leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the deputy chief minister of Bihar received a fresh summons from the Enforcement Directorate on 23rd December in relation to a railway land-for-jobs scam. He is reportedly asked to appear on 5th January. The 34-year-old had already been summoned to appear on 22nd December, but he ignored. The Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo and former chief minister of Bihar, his father Lalu Prasad Yadav has been summoned to be present on 27th December at the headquarters of the agency located in Delhi.
On 20th December the officials informed that the agency sent summons to the father and son duo. The ED office asked that the latter appear before investigators on 22nd December 22 while the former was assigned a date of 27th December to record their statements per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This is senior Yadav’s first summon in this case while the agency had questioned his son on 1st April.
The Enforcement Department found Rs 600 crore in illicit gains from the RJD first family and unexplained cash worth Rs 1 crore during searches at Lalu and his family members’ homes in March of this year. The agency then conducted searches at twenty-four places finding $1900 in foreign currency, 540 grams of gold bullion, and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewelry.
The most recent summons were sent out one month after Amit Katyal, a close family friend of the Lalu Yadav clan was taken into custody by the agency in November. It previously announced in a statement that he was the director of the business named A K Infosystems Private Limited when it purchased land from candidates “on behalf” of the politician.
The agency mentioned, “The registered address of the company is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, which is the house belonging to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. Several other lands were also acquired by Amit Katyal in the said company in return for giving undue favours by Lalu Prasad Yadav when he was minister of railways.” It added that in 2014 following the purchase of the land, the company’s shares were “transferred” to Yadav family.
Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister under the Congress-led coalition government from 2004 to 2009 when the land-for-job scam was carried out. According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), appointments were made irregularly in the railways which were going against the established standards and protocols of Indian railroads for hiring. It further stated that those who were employed by the railways as “substitutes” either directly or via family and relations sold land to the union minister’s family at “highly discounted rates” and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited.
The ED case is predicated on a May 2022 CBI FIR on the matter. Furthermore, 12 other individuals who were hired by the Railways in 2008–09 are included in the report besides Lalu Yadav, former chief minister of Bihar and his wife Rabri Devi and their daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav.
The candidates were regularised when they handed land to the Yadav family, but only after being selected as substitutes in group D positions within three days of their “undue haste” application, according to the CBI. It disclosed that the transfers were effected through two gift deeds in the person of Hema Yadav, three sale deeds in the name of Rabri Devi, and one in the identity of Misa Bharti.
Furthermore, the agency claimed that Lalu’s family members purchased 1.05 lakh square feet of land in Patna by paying cash to the sellers. Additionally, a charge sheet against Lalu Yadav and fifteen other people, including Rabri Devi has been submitted by the CBI.
