A video of a female constable of Bihar Police is doing rounds on social media. In the viral video, she is seen engaged in an argument with a Magistrate during a program of the Animal Husbandry Department in Bihar’s capital, Patna.
साहब ने नाश्ता पानी कर लिया लेकिन साथ वालों को भूल गए!
Reportedly, the argument broke out between the magistrate and the police constable deployed for security at the event ‘over water’. When the magistrate asked the on-duty female constable to bring water, she got into an argument with the magistrate and made it a matter of prestige. Following the argument, the Magistrate threatened to take the matter with the DSP of the police line and complain about the police personnel.
Notably, the incident unfolded on Thursday (30th November), when the Animal and Fisheries Department organised a program to release 1 lakh 5 thousand fish babies in the Ganga river at Digha Ghat in Patna.
To provide security for the event, policemen had been deployed from the police lines since morning and VP Gupta was made the magistrate for this program. The police personnel had to skip their breakfast. However, when the Magistrate asked a policewoman to bring water before the event, it irked the female constable.
She asked the magistrate why should she bring water stating that she was a government servant and not his servant. Following the argument, all the policemen also came in her support and started opposing the magistrate.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. In the viral video, the female constable could be heard saying, ‘Are we their servant? We are servants of the government. Does he have a personal servant? They themselves have been having breakfast since morning, and did they ask us for breakfast? And he is asking us for water. Has he seen his face?’
Regarding the incident, Magistrate VP Gupta said that he had asked for water as a matter of humanity. Anyone can ask for water and give it to drink. When I brought bottles from my house, I gave water to these people also, but if these people make it an issue of prestige, then I will complain about this to the DSP of the police line.
New incidents of triple talaq are coming to light in the country even after the abhorrent practice is prohibited by the government. Now, a fresh matter has surfaced from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh where a woman was given triple talaq over the phone by her husband Monish alias Sonu who is living in Bengaluru.
She contended that police are purposefully not taking the accused into custody even after registering a case. He is threatening to kill her if she doesn’t drop the lawsuit.
Furthermore, the victim charged that she is under pressure to do Iddat despite her refusal. In Islamic law, the duration of Iddat varies depending on the circumstances of the divorce. The Iddat period is three menstrual cycles if the husband is the one to file for divorce and it is three menstrual cycles or three lunar months, whichever is longer if the wife is the one who files for divorce.
She wants the perpetrator to be apprehended on charges of triple talaq and warned to sit in a demonstration if her demand is not fulfilled. She also sent a request letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police Dr. Vipin Tada and he assured her that necessary action would be taken in the issue.
On 29 November the SSP office at Reserve Police Line received a complaint of a triple talaq case in which the victim who is from the Rampur Maniharan police station area informed that she was married to the young man. He is a native of Lakhnauti hamlet which falls under Gangoh police station. The couple got married around one and a half years ago. The woman’s spouse works in a company based in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
She informed that everything was good up to a certain point after their wedding. However, her in-laws started torturing her and demanded more dowry after some time. She accused her brother-in-law (husband’s older brother), mother-in-law and other family members of harassing her for the dowry. A month earlier, her husband responded with triple talaq after he was provoked by his family. She narrated the entire instance after reaching the SSP office.
She also made serious allegations against the local police. She unveiled that her in-laws pressured her to observe the Iddat period after the divorce and she lodged a case against all the accused, however, cops from Rampur Maniharan police station are not arresting them deliberately. Hence, she is not performing Iddat. Now, she is going to sit in protest outside the SSP office for the arrest of the culprits.
The SSP has taken the occurrence seriously. He informed that a married woman of a village in the Rampur Maniharam area has filed a case and charged her husband with giving her triple talaq. He added that she has demanded the arrest of the accused and necessary directions have been given to the police station in this regard. The official proclaimed that the offender would be taken into custody soon and legal action was going to be undertaken.
The internet went into a tizzy after Italian PM Giorgio Meloni shared her selfie with PM Modi from COP28, causing the hashtag ‘Melodi’ to trend on X, a social media platform earlier known as Twitter. By Saturday afternoon, the photograph had garnered over 19.9 million impressions on X, besides 49K retweets and 267K likes.
The heads of the two states met in Dubai, at the the United Nations ‘Conference of the Parties’ on Climate, COP28. During the meeting, the 46-year-old Italian leader, well-versed in social media trends, captioned the image with ‘#Melodi,’ a hashtag formed by combining the surnames of both leaders.
PM Modi’s response came after social media was rife with memes and discussions on the bonhomie between the two leaders. In no time, the internet started buzzing with ‘#Melodi’, with social media platforms awash with discussions on the selfie of Italian PM Meloni with PM Modi.
One of the X users commented, “Well that’s the best selfie ever & this is gonna break the internet,” and added #Melodi in his tweet.
Well thats the best selfie ever & this is gonna break the internet #Melodi
While the EMI triggered a meme fest and rave reactions from social media users, some made pithy observations of the growing power of Indian social media and its realisation among Western leaders.
Author and political commentator Ajit Datta tweeted, “World leaders have realised the power of Indian social media and are keeping close tabs on it.”
World leaders have realised the power of Indian social media and are keeping close tabs on it. https://t.co/lYyuibw1RB
Many others also used the picture to take a dig at the Gandhis. Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, some social media users suggested that PM Modi should extend an invitation to Meloni to join him in India for his 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, delivering a fitting response to “an Italian by an Italian.”
The ‘Italian’ reference was for Rahul Gandhi’s mother, Sonia Gandhi, who is said to have been born in a small village near Vicenza, Italy. After finishing her primary education in local schools, she relocated to Cambridge, England, where she reportedly met Rajiv Gandhi and subsequently married him in 1968.
Modi ji should invite Maloni ji to come to India for 2024 Modi campaign.
The hashtag and the selfie of the two world leaders was an object of discussion on other social media platforms too, with several users sharing videos capturing Modi and Meloni’s interactions at the summit. The online response included numerous memes, with certain posts amassing millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes on Instagram.
Some creative social media users also created memes and montages of the two leaders, paired with Bollywood scores, earning praise for the chemistry between the two leaders.
Former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ramiz Raja, has criticised the board for naming convicted match-fixer Salman Butt as a consultant member to chief selector Wahab Riaz for the next series against New Zealand. Notably, Salman Butt, who confessed to spot-fixing and was jailed, is one of the three people selected by the PCB on Friday (December 1) following recent administrative clearance to bring Pakistan cricket back on course. However, Raja is disappointed with the appointment. Other than Butt, ex-cricketer Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum have been selected for the role.
“It’s insane to have a selection committee consisting of a member whose decision can be termed as a display of filial affection or non-affection and another who was locked up for match-fixing,” Raja was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
On Friday, December 1, Pakistan’s top cricket regulating body released a press release confirming the appointment of the three members. “The three have assumed their responsibilities in the selection panel with immediate effect. Their first assignment as consultant members to the chief selector includes the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, set to commence on 12 January 2024 following the conclusion of the Test tour to Australia,” the press release read.
Interestingly, the PCB press release mentioned the cricketing credentials of the newly appointed consult members. While underscoring Salman Butt’s records, the press release stated, “Former Test captain Salman Butt represented Pakistan in 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is. He made 5,209 runs spanning the three formats with 11 international centuries. He was in the T20 World Cup winning squad in 2009.” However, the board did not make any mention of Butt confessing to his involvement in spot-fixing and the subsequent jail term he served.
It is pertinent to recall that the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Salman Butt, Pakistan’s captain at the time, as well as two other Pakistan players, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, back in September 2010. ICC also slapped Butt with a 10-year ban. Notably, at the behest of a bookie, the trio colluded to bowl no-balls at certain moments during the Lord’s Test against England. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir, and Mohammad Asif were sentenced to 30 months in prison in November 2011 after their trial in a London court for offences under the Gambling Act.
On Friday (1st December), the Delhi High Court admonished the AAP-led Delhi government for its lack of collaboration in providing funds and infrastructure for the courts in the national capital. Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Mini Pushkarna, presiding over the Division Bench, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the government’s stance, describing it as “non-cooperation at its peak.”
The bench highlighted the dire constraints faced by the courts in terms of both space and finances, noting that despite these challenges, no projects were being approved. These observations were made during the hearing of a plea filed by Achla Dhawan, who sought adequate space for local commissioners to record evidence.
Three judges sharing one courtroom; peak non-cooperation by State in providing court infra: Delhi High Court
The court asserted, “We are hearing a lot of things. Officers are saying a lot of things. But we are not saying anything because we are restraining ourselves. This is non-cooperation at its peak. Nothing is coming through. There are six to seven projects, they are all stuck. All projects are stuck. There are in-principle agreements from 2019 and 2021 but not a brick has been laid. Is this the level of cooperation.”
The court added, “Today, I have a digital court in Patiala House Court. One is shared by three judges. Two judges are asked to sit at home. There are no courtrooms for officers. We will have 100 judges ready by next month, we do not know where we will put them.”
This is not the first time that these concerns have been brought to the forefront. In the preceding hearing of the case, the High Court had already underscored these issues, duly acknowledging that there exists a pervasive shortage of both space and budget across all District Courts in Delhi.
The Bench had previously noted that the available number of courtrooms does not align with the sanctioned strength of judicial officers. Furthermore, it pointed out that numerous pending judicial infrastructure projects are awaiting administrative approval and expenditure sanction from the Delhi government.
Representing the Delhi government, Additional Standing Counsel (Civil) Sameer Vashisht informed the Bench that, to date, there has been no proposal from the High Court regarding the allocation of space for local commissioners. Regarding courtroom space, Vashisht argued that the land in Delhi falls under the jurisdiction of the Central government.
In response, the Bench highlighted that only one project is under the purview of the Central government, while the remaining projects fall within the domain of the Delhi government, yet there has been no progress. Vashisht assured the court that he would make efforts to expedite matters and convey the court’s concerns to the government and the law secretary. In response, the Bench directed Vashisht to submit a comprehensive affidavit on the issue.
Furthermore, the Bench issued an order for the law secretary to participate in the proceedings via video-conferencing. The next hearing on this matter is scheduled for 9th January 2024.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday said that the Government is fully ready for structured debate and they have requested the opposition to let the House function smoothly.
Joshi earlier today chaired a meeting of all floor leaders of political parties in both houses of Parliament ahead of the Winter Session that begins on December 4.
Addressing reporters here after the meeting, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said that the government is keen on having fruitful discussions in the Winter Session but parties need to “follow procedure” for a “structured” debate.
“There have been demands for Short Duration, Calling Attention and Zero Hour. We conduct Zero Hour in both Houses almost regularly. We have held Short Duration discussions also. We have said that we are ready for discussion, but they will also have to follow the procedure for a structured debate,” Joshi said.
Joshi requested all Parliamentarians to ensure the smooth running of the House so that the work done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last five years can be put on record.
“This is the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha. So there should be a structural debate. We request that the house should run smoothly. We would like to keep the unprecedented work done under the leadership of Modi in the last five years on record,” he said.
An ethics panel probing the cash for query allegations against Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra that recommended her expulsion for the remainder of the current Lok Sabha is set to submit its report in the House on Monday.
On this, Pralhad Joshi said that the House will abide by the precedent that has been followed on Ethics and the Speaker will decide on the matter in the House.
“The precedent that has been adopted so far on Ethics will be followed. There has been a discussion on that in the Ethics Committee and the Speaker will decide on what will be done in Parliament,” Joshi said while speaking to reporters about the Ethics Committee report.
Moitra has been probed by the Ethics Committee on the ‘cash-for-query’ allegations levelled against her by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Joshi said that the Winter session will commence on December 4 and will conclude on December 22. “There will be 15 sittings in 19 days,” he said.
Speaking about the all-party meeting, Joshi said, “30 leaders from 23 parties were present in today’s all-party meeting under the chairmanship of Rajnath Singh. We have received several suggestions.”
On discussion on the Manipur issue, he said, “We were ready to discuss Manipur in the last session. We had admitted that in Rajya Sabha as well. We are ready for any discussion but there is a procedure for all of this.”
“We are bringing in 19 Bills and two are financial items. There are a total of 21 items. The three bills are from the Home Ministry. There is a bill on Central University, constitutional order,” he said.
The all-party meeting was held before the announcement of the results of the assembly elections of four states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana) tomorrow. The results of Mizoram polls will be announced on December 4.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Friday (1st December), US lawmakers voted to expel George Santos. George Santos is the sixth person in the history of the United States of America to have been removed from his colleagues. Santos is a Republican from New York who was elected in 2022.
The vote to expel Santos came after the House Ethics Committee found that he had “engaged in conduct that constitutes a breach of trust and reflects discredit upon the House.” The committee found that Santos had lied about his education, work experience, and financial status.
The final vote count was 311-114, with 105 Republicans voting in favour of expulsion and 112 voting against it. All but eight Democrats voted in favour of expulsion. The resolution to expel Santos required a two-thirds majority, or 290 votes, to pass. The resolution passed easily, with 21 votes to spare.
George Santos’s meteoric rise and fall in the political arena is a story of deception, scandal, and ultimately, expulsion from Congress. His fabricated backstory, which included embellishments about his education, work experience, and personal life, initially propelled him to victory in the 2022 House elections, helping the Republicans secure a narrow majority. However, his elaborate web of lies began to unravel, exposing a pattern of financial impropriety and personal misconduct.
The unmasking of Santos’s true character led to a flurry of investigations, culminating in a damning report by the House Ethics Committee. The committee concluded that Santos had engaged in “overwhelming evidence” of misconduct, including knowingly filing false or incomplete financial disclosures, using campaign funds for personal purposes, and engaging in “a scheme to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy.”
In a decisive vote, the House of Representatives expelled Santos from Congress, marking only the sixth time in American history that a member has been ejected by their colleagues. Santos, who vehemently refuted the criminal charges against him, is accused of utilising funds from donors for purposes such as Botox treatments, subscriptions to the OnlyFans adult content platform, as well as indulging in extravagant Italian luxury items and vacationing in the Hamptons and Las Vegas, as per the ethics committee’s findings.
In India, TMC MP Mahua Moitra is also accused of taking bribes in cash and kind from businessman Darshan Hiranandani for asking questions in the parliament against Gautam Adani. A probe from the Ethics Committee of the Indian Parliament is also going on in this case. If found guilty, Mahua Moitra may face a similar action from the house.
An organisation by the name of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ (MSC) has been planning to conduct an ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ at the Ramlila Maidan in the National Capital.
On 12th October this year, it held a press conference and declared that a large congregation of Muslims would be organised on 29th October.
The announcement was made by Mehmood Pracha, the ‘national convenor’ of MSC, who claimed that ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ was being organised over alleged ‘atrocities’ against Muslims in India.
On 23rd October, Pracha made yet another video, appealing to the Muslim community to join the Mahapanchayat in large numbers.
In a petition filed before the Delhi High Court, he claimed to have received permission from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central district, Delhi) to hold the event at the Ramlila Maidan. Pracha had sought permission for a gathering of 10,000 people to ‘educate them about their constitutional rights.’
The national convenor of the ‘Mission Save Constitution’ (MSC) allegedly deposited ₹50000 for conducting the ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat’ after receiving ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the police.
After having learnt about the communal nature of the event, the Delhi police revoked the permission that was initially granted to MSC on 16th October this year. The booking at the Ramilla Maidan was subsequently cancelled on the following day.
Mehmood Pracha then moved the Delhi High Court on 19th October against the decision of the Delhi police to cancel the event. The court noted,
“…It has surfaced that the theme of the event is different than what was projected by the organizers while seeking permission. The letter further states that in the re-assessment it has been disclosed that…the language written on the posters available on social media regarding the event shows that the agenda of the event appears to be communal and there is a strong apprehension that holding such even during festive season and at such a sensitive place may spread communal hatred and dent the peace and tranquility of the area. The letter also states that amidst the tension in the Arab countries due to ongoing war between Israel and HAMAS, the authorities apprehend that such kind of events may lead to a law and order situation and spoil the atmosphere of Old Delhi where people belonging to all religions live and, therefore, the NOC granted to the Petitioner vide letter dated 06.10.2023 stands revoked.”
On 25th October, the court refused to interfere in the revocation of NOC, directed ‘Mission Save Constitution’ to reschedule their programme and seek fresh permission from Delhi Police after the Hindu festive season is over.
It further added, “Though the event has been styled for the purpose of educating people of their constitutional rights but the tenor of posters which have been produced by the learned Counsel for Respondent No.2 indicates that the event in question can have communal over-tones which can result in increasing communal tensions in the Old Delhi area, which is a “sensitive” area as people of different religions live here and communal violence in the area is not unknown. The apprehension raised by the SHO of that area, who is aware of the ground reality, cannot be ignored.“
All India Muslim Mahapanchayat postponed to 18th December
After the Delhi High Court refused to entertain his writ petition, Mehmood Pracha then rescheduled the controversial event to 4th December 2023.
However, Delhi police turned down his request, highlighting that it has already granted permission to an organisation named ‘Maha Tyagi Sewa Sansthan’ to conduct its programme between 3rd and 5th December this year.
The ‘Mission Save Constitution’ has claimed that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) informed it that Ramlilla Maidan had no programmes lined up on 4th December, 2023, and that Delhi police was somehow making a contradictory statement.
It must be mentioned that the ‘Maha Tyagi Sewa Sansthan’ sought permission from Delhi police on 8th November while MSC filed request two days later i.e. 10th November.
On 25th November, the Delhi High Court directed the MCD and the Delhi police to provide a date that is convenient to organising the ‘All India Muslim Mahapanchayat.’
The court said, “It is stated by the learned Counsel for the Petitioner that out of the dates given by MCD and the Police Authorities, the date of 18.12.2023 is the most convenient for holding the Mahapanchayat.“
As such, the event has now been re-scheduled to 18th December this year. The Delhi High Court has directed the police to consider the feasibility of holding the Mahapanchayat on that date.
On 28th November, the court directed ‘Mission Save Constitution’ to hand over details of all guests/ speakers to the police. A meeting was thereafter conducted between the organisers of the Mahapanchayat, the local police and the traffic police.
‘Mission Save Constitution’ and its nefarious demands
The organisation was founded by ‘advocate’ Mehmood Pracha on 15th August, 2020 i.e. on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day.
While Pracha serves as the ‘national convenor’ of ‘Mission Save Constitution’, retired IAS officer Wajahat Habibullah happens to be the ‘principal advisor’ of the organisation.
Retired Bombay High Court Judge Kolse Patil, known for his anti-Hindu remarks, is the ‘advisor’ of MSC.
The stated demands of the organisation include – junking the NRC and NPR (National Population Register) proposal to identify illegal immigrants in India, preventing arrests of anti-CAA/ NRC/ NPR rioters, compensation to rioters who were killed during anti-farm law and anti-CAA protests, and repeal of farm laws.
‘Mission Save Constitution’ has been organising sit-in protests for the past 96 days for one Ritu Singh, an ad-hoc Professor at Daulat Ram College of Delhi University whose employment was terminated in 2020.
Singh has claimed that her removal was due to her ‘Dalit’ caste identity and sought the removal of the college Prinicpal, Dr Savita Roy on grounds of caste discrimination. MSC has thrown its weight behind the former Professor of Daulat Ram College and has created a dedicated Facebook page for the ’cause.’
The YouTube page of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ prominently features Mehmood Pracha and Islamic hate preacher Maulana Tauqeer Raza, disseminating pro-Hamas propaganda and demonising Israel amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Screengrab of the YouTube videos parroting pro-Hamas propaganda
NMC ‘national convenor’ Mehmood Pracha featured in ISIS magazine
Mehmood Pracha, who works as an advocate and the national convenor of ‘Mission Save Constitution’, was accused of forging an affidavit and tutoring the anti-Hindu Delhi riot victims to give false testimonies.
His antics bear an uncanny resemblance to that of ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad, accused of tutoring victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. In December 2020, a special cell of Delhi Police conducted searches at the office of Mehmood Pracha. He was also booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 182, 193, 420, 468, 471, 472, 473, and 120B.
Raids at Advocate @MehmoodPracha's office being carried out by Delhi Police Special Cell. In its warrant, Police has claimed it is searching for "incriminating documents" and "meta data of outbox" of the official email id of Pracha's firm https://t.co/Rs1pAI81Os
Mehmood Pracha was seen representing rioter Arif, accused of murdering Hindu victim Alok Tiwari during the 2020 Delhi riots. He had cast aspersions on the integrity of Delhi Police and falsely claimed that only Muslims were targeted during the riots in the National Capital.
The national convenor of ‘Mission Save Constitution’ also holds the distinction of being featured on the cover of ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind’ in February 2020.
2) Lawyer Mehmood Pracha was also featured in ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind' in 2020.
In May 2022, Mehmood Pracha also defended Delhi University Professor Ratan Lal, who made derogatory remarks about the Shivling found inside the Gyanvapi mosque in Kashi.
This arrest is also a contempt of the judgement by the Supreme Court… & a violation of section 3 in the Scheduled Castes & the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act… we will prove his innocence. More protests should happen: Mehmood Pracha, advocate of Ratan Lal pic.twitter.com/sCz51lKml8
He was also involved in the character assassination of Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad, representing the Delhi Police in the case of the larger conspiracy in Delhi anti-Hindu riots of 2020.
Antics of Wajahat Habibullah
Wajahat Habibullah, a former IAS officer who served as the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, works as the ‘Principle Advisor’ to ‘Mission Save Constitution.’
He was one of the first petitioners to ask the Supreme Court to direct the Delhi police to lodge First Information Reports (FIRs) during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots. Habibullah had also come to the rescue of anti-CAA protestors at Shaheen Bagh, who brought the National Capital to a standstill by putting up a road blockade.
While filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court, he claimed, “There are numerous number of road that have no connection with the protest that have been barricaded by the police unnecessarily, abdicating their responsibilities and duties and wrongly laying the blame on the protest.”
10 activists, Aruna Roy, Arundhati Roy, Wajahat Habibullah, Shailesh Gandhi&Ors have said in their application that they were "concerned" about initiation of the contempt proceeding against Mr Bhushan for exercising his ''freedom of speech'' without fearhttps://t.co/jgz9lzo2CQ?
Wajahat Habibullah also came to the defence of lawyer-turned-activist Prashant Bhushan in contempt of court case by raking up the issue of ‘freedom of speech.’
Former Judge of the Bombay High Court, BG Kolse Patil, serves as the advisor of ‘Mission Save Constitution.’ A full-fledged ‘activist’, Patil was booked by the Pune Police in January 2020 for making defamatory remarks against Veer Savarkar.
In a viral video, he falsely claimed that the Indian freedom fighter was ‘convicted’ of rape without providing any evidence. While supporting Rahul Gandhi’s vitriolic tirade against Veer Savarkar, the retired High Court judge alleged that the freedom fighter called for the killing of Muslims and Christians.
Savarkar was punished for RAPE in LONDONRetired Chief Justice Of India Mr. Kolse Patil reveal the facts of Savarkar pic.twitter.com/OQh47cDBTf
In January 2020, he incited the Muslim community during an anti-CAA protest that was organised by Jamat Islamic Hind.
“We have started a movement. You (Muslims) should take the initiative now. You are 20-25 crores in population and once if you hit the streets, the entire country will be shaken,” BG Kolse Patil was heard saying.
He falsely claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted to give citizenship to Hindus whose names did not feature in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.
The ‘activist’ was accused of sexual harassment by an anonymous female journalist in 2018 during the #MeToo movement.
BG Kolse Patil was one of the organisers of the Elgaar Parishad held in Maharashtra in 2018, which culminated in the Bhima Koregaon riots. He is known for making anti-Hindu speeches from time to time.
Breaking: According to reports, NIA has recorded a statement of #UmarKhalid stating that he attended the Elgar Parishad meeting in December 2017 at the invitation of former #BombayHighCourt judge Justice Kholse-Patil. Khalid has further claimed that he stayed at his residence
In one such speech in 2016, he alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was spreading ‘Hindu terror’ in the country.
In another speech, Patil claimed that ‘RSS is the biggest enemy of India’ and vowed the defeat it at the ‘ideological level’. He has openly expressed his disdain for the word ‘Hindustan’, alleging that it is used to refer to Hindus alone and not all Indians.
In November 2017, the retired Bombay High Court Judge claimed that the RSS took money from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI at an event organised by the proscribed Popular Front of India (PFI). He alleged that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat received ₹24 lakh to destabilise India.
On 28th November, three Khalistani extremists have been found guilty of attempting to kill popular radio personality Harnek Singh, who is living in Auckland. The victim is a Sikh who is originally from India. The 27-year-old Sarvjeet Sidhu accepted a guilty plea to attempted murder only days before the trial commenced, while 44-year-old Sukhpreet Singh was pronounced culpable of accessory. Another 48-year-old Khalistan supporter, who lives in Auckland was also sentenced for the crime.
On 23rd December 2020 after a late-night broadcast radio personality Harnek Singh, commonly known as Nekki was ambushed by a mob of Sikh radicals in the driveway of his Wattle Downs residence resulting in more than 40 stab wounds. Three automobiles full of men were pursuing him when he was wounded “within an inch of his life”.
Harnek Singh was stabbed multiple times in his driveway in Wattle Downs. (Source: The New Zealand Herald)
Judge Mark Woolford noted that although the 48-year-old defendant, who is subjected to interim name suppression, was not present at the time of the attack, he had been harbouring a long-standing grudge against the international radio host for his political views and more liberal interpretation of their shared Sikh faith. According to the judge, he organised the “hit” and recruited goons to carry out his orders using his magnetic pull over others. He proclaimed that in this instance, both community protection and a potent deterrent message were required.
Two courtrooms were packed with the perpetrator’s supporters as a sentence of thirteen and a half years was handed down. The individual must serve a minimum of nine years before he is eligible to ask for parole. A 14-year sentence is the maximum for attempted murder. The judge stated that he was granted a six-month credit for the time he spent on electronically monitored bail throughout his protracted trial in September and October which is the only reason he did not receive the maximum punishment.
The attack’s motivation, according to the Judge “bears all the hallmarks of religious fanaticism.” He observed, “Violence of this kind is committed in what is perceived as the furtherance of the greater good. Sentencing in this context requires a different approach. The emphasis must be placed on protecting the community from further violence and it is essential to send a strong message of deterrence to others.”
Hundreds of thousands of people listen to Harnek Singh’s online radio show and most of them are from outside New Zealand. Harnek Singh said on the witness stand that he had attracted a sizable number of ardent detractors but he clarified that while most of them were more fundamentalist or conservative in their views, his personal views on Sikhism are probably more on the liberal end of the spectrum.
Harnek Singh wrote a victim impact statement, which the prosecutors delivered aloud during the court as he was not present there. He stated that the incident necessitated multiple operations as well as more than 350 stitches to his head and upper torso. Three years later, he is still healing from the physical injuries, but psychological wounds continue to affect him and his family.
Harnek Singh of South Auckland was attacked and stabbed multiple times. (Source: The New Zealand Herald)
“My family faces fear each day when the sun goes down. My wife and child wonder if someone is lurking in the shadows, looking into our home, wanting to attack us again. We went from a carefree, spontaneous and fun-loving family to one that is constantly in fear for my safety”, Harnek Singh said. However, he mentioned that he hopes his family won’t live in dread and expressed gratitude to the New Zealand legal system for ensuring that “no one is above the law, not even religion.”
Harnek addressed the culprits and highlighted, “You came to kill me. You tried to silence me. You wanted to send a chilling message to all those who express their disagreement with your unorthodox religious views. But you failed. I will continue to express my opinions and beliefs as I always have. The only chilling message you have managed to send is to people with the same views and opinions as yours that actions have consequences and that in a country like New Zealand, the law does not bend for you if your wrongful acts are in the name of God.”
The judge found resonance in those comments and he repeated them when he sentenced the accused. Dale Dufty, the defence attorney had asked for concessions because of his client’s troubled past and difficult childhood in India. Luke Radich, the crown prosecutor, countered that the latter’s involvement and the case’s character mandated the maximum 14-year beginning point.
“If this is not amongst the most serious cases of its type, then what is,” Radich asked and added, “It could not have been more pre-meditated and (the defendant) was the architect of it.” The judge eventually agreed. Defence attorney Katie Hogan claimed that there was no proof the primary offender was aware of the attack in advance.
Defence counsel Andrew Speed alleged that Sarvjeet Sidhu, who was one of the knife assailants in the driveway, was brainwashed by the principal offender. He received a nine-and-a-half-year prison sentence. Sukhpreet Singh, who helped the two stabbers unsuccessfully conceal their vehicle and gave them a shower and new clothes after the attack, was given a six-month home detention sentence.
On Friday, December 1, a 20-year-old nursing student named Fousiya was found dead in a hotel room on CLC Works Road in Chennai’s Chromepet. The girl was strangled to death by her boyfriend identified as Ashiq who uploaded the picture of the girl’s lifeless body on his Whatsapp status. The victim and her 20-year-old boyfriend checked in at the hotel at around 10: 30 am.
Fousiya was a second-year nursing student at Balaji Medical College in Chennai’s Chrompet area. Originally from Kerala’s Kollam district, Fousiya stayed at a girls’ hostel in New Colony. The victim had not attended classes at her college for the last three days. Fousiya was in a relationship with the accused, Aashiq, for about the last five years, according to police.
“On Friday morning, the couple had taken a room in a Chromepet hotel. That evening, Aashiq uploaded a picture of Fousiya’s dead body as his WhatsApp status,” the police said. The police added that Fousiya and Ashiq’s mutual friends saw the WhatsApp status and immediately informed the police. The police then arrived at the spot and initiated efforts to nab the accused. Upon checking the CCTV footage, the police located the accused Ashiq near an eatery and arrested him.
According to the police, the couple had an argument over accused Ashiq cheating on Fousiya as she saw some pictures of Ashiq with another woman on his phone. Their argument escalated to a point where the accused Ashiq first assaulted and then strangled the girl with a T-shirt. It has been reported that the duo were secretly married when they were minors and even had a baby. However, they had given up their baby for adoption in Chikmagalur.
Reportedly, the couple split up two years ago after Fousia uncovered his relationships with a few other women. She also filed a complaint with Kerala police, who booked him under the provisions of the Pocso Act and imprisoned him. He apologised and reconciled with her soon after he was released from jail. Accused Ashiq continued to pay her visits since then.
Meanwhile, Fousiya’s body was taken to Chromepet government hospital for a postmortem. Police are investigating whether the accused had any other motive for his crime.
