A Christian widow and a Muslim gardener, both illiterate, were arrested in the Pakpattan city of Pakistan on April 19 on blasphemy charges after they were accused of ‘intentionally’ burning papers containing verses of the holy Quran, Friday Times reported.
On April 15, a 46-year-old Christian widow named Mussarat Bibi and a Muslim gardener named Muhammad Sarmad were assigned the task of cleaning the storeroom of a school, which was filled with paper and scrap items. They gathered the paper and other scraps in a corner of the school and burned them.
Students later found that the burned items also contained holy pages. Four days later, a local resident named Kashif Nadeem contacted the police and accused the illiterate Christian widow of committing blasphemy by burning pages of the holy Quran at the school, Friday Times reported.
The complainant also gathered a mob outside the school and started protesting against the incident. However, police reached the scene on time and took the accused into custody to avert any untoward situation.
The complainant named only the Christian widow, but during the preliminary investigation, police found the gardener was also involved in setting the holy pages on fire, hence police named both persons in the FIR, Friday Times reported.
While condemning the incident, minority rights activist Joseph Jansen said that the blasphemy laws are being used as an excuse to violate people’s rights on a vast scale. In spite of their vulnerability, crimes committed against women and girls go unpunished, deterring them from seeking employment and achieving equality with men, he added.
He said that women were afraid to go out and work as a result of the abuse of blasphemy laws against religious minority women. Knowing that Mussarat is illiterate, innocent, and simply performing her role as she was alleged to have done is clear evidence that blasphemy laws have been misused, he added.
(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 Monday (May 8), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee banned the movie ‘The Kerala Files’ (sic) in West Bengal, citing the need to maintain ‘peace’ in the State.
“West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie ‘The Kerala Story’. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” news agency ANI quoted her as saying.
West Bengal govt has decided to ban the movie 'The Kerala Story'. This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee had referred to the said movie as ‘The Kerala Files’ during a press briefing at Nabanna after lashing out at Director Vivek Agnihotri’s The Kashmir Files.
“If the political party play with fire, casteism or divide and rule…Why this “Kashmir Files’? To humiliate one section. What is this Kerala File? Though I do not support the CPI (M) because they are working with BJP,” she had claimed.
“I am talking about the people…Instead of me, it was their duty (CPIM) to criticise it…That BJP is showing ‘The Kerala Files’…A distorted story,” Banerjee brazened it out.
The movie ‘The Kerala Story‘ revolves around the tragic reality of ISIS brides, with the lead actor Adah Sharma playing the role of one Shalini Unnikrishnan, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friends and gets converted to Islam. She later travels to IS (Islamic State) controlled area with her spouse.
Mamata Banerjee asked Hindus to not visit Muslim areas to maintain ‘peace’
Ahead of Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee had earlier insinuated that violence occurs when Hindus take out processions through ‘Muslim areas.’
“I want to request those who are taking out the Ram Navami procession, please do but do it peacefully. Kindly avoid Muslim areas as Ramzan is going on. Celebrate peacefully but don’t try to create violence. Don’t get provoked,” she was heard saying.
Nevertheless, Islamists wreaked havoc on a Ram Navami procession in the Shibpur area of Howrah. Mamata Banerjee instead went on to give a clean chit to Islamists and absolved them of any wrongdoing during the Hindu festival.
“Ki sonkha loghu bhai bona ra, Allah Tallah er kache doye kore danaga baaj der khotom korte parbe na (Can’t my brothers and sisters from the minority community pray to Allah to finish off these rioters),” she had appealed to the Muslim community.
KCR recently inaugurated Telangana’s new secretariat building. A news handle of his son KTR, which goes by KTR_news (and has nearly 6 lakh followers) claimed that no other state built a new secretariat (amongst many other such weird claims in a thread). The new secretariat was constructed not because there was a dire need for this building, but because KCR couldn’t physically step into it because it wasn’t vaastu compliant according to him.
In a press conference in the year 2015, KCR announced that the existing secretariat building has very bad vaastu, and that’s why no CM ever had a good time there. He was referring to the fact that from the year 1956 (when the state of Andhra Pradesh was formed) till the year 2004, no Chief Minister of the state ever completed a full term (Chandrababu did 9 years but didn’t complete full terms). YSR was the first Chief Minister to complete a full term (2004 to 2009) but YSR died in a helicopter crash in 2009, early in his 2nd term. Post his death, we saw 2 more Chief Ministers in the remaining 4 years and then the state was split.
He was alluding to this history while commenting that the existing secretariat building is basically not safe for him to work in (though he actually claimed that this was not good for Telangana)! KCR made some other points about the bad condition of the existing building which we will discuss later in this article. KCR did not even want to work from here, so he started literally working from home, from 2015 itself!
At this point in time (2015), KCR claimed that the construction cost for the new Secretariat will be ~150 crores, and he will demolish the Chest Hospital building in the city. There was widespread outrage by people at this decision to demolish the heritage chest hospital building. This outrage forced KCR to back off from the proposed new building here.
After some time, KCR put the onus on the central government to give the Bison Polo grounds – grounds that belong to the Ministry of Defence. The Prime Minister had given in-principle approval for the same in the year 2017. However, there was again outrage from the citizens; and also, the nitty-gritty between the state and the central government on the actual terms of transfer of this land was taking too long (even though the High Court approved the construction on Bison Polo Grounds). At this point in time (2018), KCR claimed that the construction cost for the new Secretariat will be 250 crores.
In the year 2019, the AP government headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy decides to hand over their share of 58% of the existing Secretariat building to the Telangana government. With 100% ownership of the existing building and the land on which it is there, KCR now decides to demolish the existing secretariat building and build a new one in this space itself.
Now remember this – in 2015, KCR tells us that the estimated construction cost for the new Secretariat is 150 crores. In a press conference in 2018, KCR increased the same to 250 crore rupees. Once the site was finalised, he allotted a whopping 610 crores for this building in the year 2021. A minister, at the inauguration of the building in April 2023 tells us that the final cost may be around 800 crores for this building!
At the press conference in 2015; at a speech in Assembly in 2015; and also, in a lengthy speech in the Assembly in the year 2018, KCR put forth some points against the old Secretariat building. He explained that since the Secretariat complex has disjoint buildings and therefore it is very difficult for officials to walk across buildings for important meetings; the various Heads of Departments are scattered across the city and get stuck in traffic jams while coming to meetings in Secretariat. KCR tells us that even for meetings that he has called, officials had to go back and forth to get relevant documents. Listening to all of this, you would think that it is logical to construct a new building.
However, no logic can explain KCR’s refusal to even come to the Secretariat for 9 full years. He conducted meetings from his house, which is still farther away from the existing Secretariat buildings. In addition to just the Heads of Departments having to go through traffic, now the ministers, secretaries and anyone else who had to meet the CM had to go through the harrowing traffic of Hyderabad to reach his house. For a full 8 years. How could KCR be ok with subjecting so many people through this torment while claiming that earlier only a few were tormented like this?
KCR claimed that fire safety is not good in the old building. Citizens couldn’t but help to allude to this anecdote when a major fire broke out in the new secretariat in the final stages of its construction! KCR claimed that HoDs don’t sit in the secretariat. Guess what – they still don’t get space in the new Secretariat. They will sit in a building that’s a little closer to the secretariat – from when no one knows.
KCR’s lucky number is 6. So, the new Secretariat consists of 6 operational floors (LG, UG and 6 floors); Chief Minister’s office is in the 6th floor. KCR signed 6 files in 6 minutes on Day 1 in the new secretariat. The entire English media was silent on this and some even wrote glowing reports. An official building of the government was built keeping in mind the lucky number and vaastu beliefs of the incumbent Chief Minister, at the exact same location where the older building existed. It took KCR 8 years to build this. And in all these 8 years, he did not even come to the Secretariat because it was not vaastu compliant according to him. The grandeur of the building is apparently a selling point (highest point taller than Taj Mahal apparently – like anyone cares!).
The outrage against the new building seems totally justified given the reasoning and planning that went behind this. There is no need to make this a mark for Telangana pride. It is simply an expenditure to fulfil the beliefs of the incumbent Chief Minister.
All three of Karnataka’s major political parties—BJP, Congress, and JD(S)—are busy making their final pitches as the high-stakes election campaign comes to an end on Monday (May 8), two days before the state goes to poll on May 10, 2023. While all the parties are putting their best foot forward to garner the attention of the voters, several opinion polls for the Karnataka Assembly elections have emerged predicting varied results.
While some have predicted a resounding victory for the incumbent BJP, others have projected Congress to have an advantage over its competing parties in the southern state.
The Karnataka Assembly has 224 members and a tally of 113 is required to form a simple majority government.
Name of the survey
BJP
Congress
JD(S)
Others
Zee-Matrize
103-118
82-97
28-33
1 to 4
Karnataka TV
105-110
80-85
34-38
3 to 7
Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat
100-114
86-98
20-26
3 to 7
NewsFirst-Matrize
96-106
84-94
29-34
2 to 7
Tv9 Kannada
103-115
79-91
26-36
1 to 3
India TV-CNX
85
105
32
2
ABP- CVoter
73-85
110-122
21-29
2 to 6
C Daily Tracker
46
147
28
3
Public TV’s Mood
85-95
98-108
28-33
Vistara News
88-93
84-90
23-26
South First-People’s Pulse
90-100
95-105
25-30
Zee-Matrize Opinion poll
Zee TV announced the results of its opinion poll conducted in association with an organization called Matrize. According to the survey, the incumbent BJP will once again form the government in Karnataka, by comfortably crossing the clear majority.
— Matrize News Communications Pvt. Ltd (@Matrize_NC) May 8, 2023
As announced in this survey, the possible seats for the parties out of a total of 224 seats are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 103-118
Indian National Congress: 82-97
JD(S): 28-33
Others: 1-4
Thus, the survey is predicting a comfortable victory for BJP with 103-118 seats in the 224-member house. Notably, in the 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP won 104 of the 224 legislative seats in Karnataka, a significant increase of 64 seats over the previous polls.
Karnataka TV opinion poll
A regional Kannada channel Karnataka TV also announced the results of its final survey in which it predicted the BJP to emerge as the single largest party in the upcoming Assembly polls.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 105-110
Indian National Congress: 80-85
JD(S): 34-38
Others: 3-7
Suvarna News-Jan Ki Baat opinion poll
Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections 2023, the second and final pre-poll survey conducted by leading Kannada news channel Suvarna News 24×7 and Jan Ki Baat has predicted that the ruling BJP will emerge as the single largest party and might even cross the halfway mark in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections. The opinion poll was based on a survey of over 30000 respondents across various districts of the state.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 100-114
Indian National Congress: 86-98
JD(S): 20-26
Others: 3-7
The pre-poll however placed Congress slightly ahead of BJP in terms of vote share. The potential vote share of each political party in this survey is as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 38-40.5%
Indian National Congress: 38.5-41.5%
JD(S): 14-16.5%
Others: 4-7%
NewsFirst-Matrize survey
NewsFirst conducted a survey along with Matrize which also predicted that the BJP would emerge as the single largest party but might remain slightly below the halfway mark in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 96-106
Indian National Congress: 84-94
JD(S): 29-34
Others: 2-7
News 1st Matrize Karnataka Opinion Poll
BJP : 96-106 INC : 84-94 JDS : 29-34 OTH : 2-7
Congress will be around 100. BJP 95 & JDS around 28.
The results of the Tv9 Kannada opinion poll that came out in the first week of May showed BJP emerging as the single largest party in the upcoming polls.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 103-115
Indian National Congress: 79-91
JD(S): 26-36
Others: 1-3
The potential vote share of each political party in this survey is as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 48%
Indian National Congress: 33%
JD(S): 14%
Others: 5%
India TV-CNX opinion poll
India TV announced the final results of the survey and opinion poll conducted in association with an organization called CNX. The survey shows that the Congress party may emerge as the single largest party in the Karnataka assembly elections, but may fall eight seats short of a clear majority.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 85
Indian National Congress: 105
JD(S): 32
Others: 2
ABP- CVoter survey
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 73-85
Indian National Congress: 110-122
JD(S): 21-29
Others: 2-6
C Daily Tracker survey
The C Daily Tracker released its survey results on April 30, predicting Congress a clear edge in the upcoming polls in Karnataka.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 46
Indian National Congress: 147
JD(S): 28
Others: 3
The potential vote share for various parties is as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 30.6%
Indian National Congress: 44.4%
JD(S): 18%
Others: 7%
‘Mood of Karnataka’ by Public TV
Public TV’s Mood in Karnataka also gave Congress the edge in the upcoming poll. According to the survey, Congress may, however, not secure a clear majority in the state polls.
As announced in this survey, the potential seats for various parties are as follows:
Bhartiya Janata Party: 85-95
Indian National Congress: 98-108
JD(S): 28-33
A hung mandate is shown by Vistara News as it gave 88-93 seats to BJP, 84-90 to Congress, and 23-26 to JD(S). According to the survey, there are 27–30 seats where the outcome is uncertain.
The pre-election survey by South First-People’s Pulse gave Congress 98 seats, with a range of 95 to 105 seats. The BJP is predicted to win 92 seats (90-100 seat range) and the JD(S) 27 seats (25-30 seat range).
Karnataka Assembly Elections
The Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Karnataka on May 10 2023 to elect all 224 members of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. The results will be declared on May 13 2023.
On May 6, Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that IAS officer Anil Tuteja, who was named in the NAN scam and being saved by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, is directly linked to a Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam. Tuteja is currently serving as joint secretary in Chhattisgarh’s industry and commerce department.
ED said in its application seeking remand of the kingpin of the scam Anwar Dhebar that an illegal liquor syndicate running in the state generated corruption money of over Rs 2,000 crores. The investigation agency told the court the money collected via corrupt means was used in election-related activities.
During its investigation, ED found that between 2019 and 2022, unaccounted illicit liquor worth 30-40 per cent of the overall liquor sales in the state was sold on the behest of the syndicate. While Anil Tuteja managed the money collected in the scam, Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur’s Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, was the kingpin of the syndicate and after the deduction of a specific percentage, all the money went to Anwar.
Source: ED
ED’s application in the court
In its application, ED mentioned that they received the Prosecution Complained filed by the IT Department along with documentary and digital data seized in search operations against Tuteja and others in the matter related to money laundering. Based on the analysis of the data by the ED, the investigation agency found there was a syndicate operating to collect bribes by controlling the high-level management of important State departments and SPSUs.
ED further noted that Tuteja was managing the affairs while Dhebar was the syndicate’s kingpin. They used their political connections to expand the syndicate across the state, particularly in the excise department. ED pointed out that they collected hundreds of crores in cash from “every possible point of access in a distributed hierarchical manner.” The actors involved in the scam would keep a small percentage of the collection and transfer the remaining funds to Dhebar.
Furthermore, the syndicate would allegedly keep their cut and send the money for the “benefit of the Political executives and electioneering.” ED alleged the loot “caused a massive loss to the State Exchequer and loss of central government taxes and in general loot from the local business community.”
Source: ED
Mentioning the family background of Dhebar, ED noted that he is the brother of Raipur’s mayor, who is under investigation by CBI in a murder case. Dhebar was allegedly running the syndicate at the behest of his political masters.
ED said during the investigation, the department found the syndicate was collecting a large number of bribes from liquor suppliers. They also collected bribes from other departments, including the food horticulture department and the PWD Department. ED said the retrieved messages from the seized devices showed how deep-rooted the syndicate was in different state departments.
ED said, “It was found that the corruption was systemic and so deep-rooted with multiple associates in different State Departments, that the accused persons and syndicate was forced to maintain detailed logs and accounts of the collected money lest there may be pilferage from the crime money itself.”
Every day, the officials would share the information in the form of detailed logs and accounts of the collected money on WhatsApp. Hey, we’re maintaining Excel Sheets to track illegal cash flow. They also found digital evidence depicting Dhebar gave Rs 14.41 crores to Tuteja.
Source: ED
There were three parts of the syndicate. Part A indicated the commission charged by liquor suppliers for selling liquor in the state. Part B indicated the off-the-record sale of unaccounted country liquor from Sinte-run shops. ED noted the sale was being made with the involvement of distillers, hologram manufacturers, bottle manufacturers, transporters, district excise officials and more. Part C depicted the annual commission collected from the distillers running businesses in the state.
The main aim of the forming Excise Department in the state was to regulate the supply of liquor and ensure the administration made ample arrangements to prevent hooch tragedies. Furthermore, it would have earned revenue for the state. However, Dhebar turned the whole department upside down, which resulted in the personal benefit of Anwar and others involved.
Source: ED
ED noted the syndicate comprised senior bureaucrats of the state, politicians and officials of the excise department. In February 2019, ITS officer Arunpati Tripathi joined the state-government-led Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL). Within three months, Tripathi was made the organisation’s Managing Director at the behest of Dhebar. He was given the job to maximise the bribe collection. Other IAS officers were also involved. IAS officer Vikas Agarwal and IAS officer Arvind Singh were included to collect money and logistics, respectively.
Manpower for the syndicate was provided by Sumcet Facilities Ltd, a company owned by an associate of Agarwal. The hologram contract was awarded to Prizm Holography and Films Securities Pvt Ltd. The task of cash collection was given to Tops Securities, owned by one Siddhartha Singhania, who was a close associate of Agarwal.
ED noted that in March 2019, Country liquor manufacturers Chhattisgarh Distilleries Limited, Bhatia Wines Merchants Private Limited, and Welcome Distilleries Private Limited met Dhebar and Tripathi. The distillers were ordered to pay Rs 75 per case commission. In return, Dhebar promised to raise their lending rates accordingly. The syndicate collected a huge amount in commission, and as CSMCL purchased the liquor, data was available. ED said a major share of the commission collected by Dhebar was given to a political party.
The syndicate also started manufacturing unaccounted kacha liquor. The syndicate decided to sell unaccounted country liquor as part of the conspiracy. It was being sold at state-run shops. Duplicate holograms were used to make them look original. Duplicate bottles were bought in cash and supplied to a distiller who would fill them and transport the illicit liquor skipping state-owned warehouses.
Dhebar set monthly targets. He would contact CSMCL MD or communicate through Arvind Singh. The senior excise officials would coordinate with the suppliers, including distillers, hologram makers, bottle makers, and transporters. Every month 200 trucks carrying 800 cases of country liquor were supplied by the distillers.
The liquor was supplied at Rs 560 per case. The MRP was Rs 2,880 per case. Over the years, it was increased to Rs 3,880 per year.
Source: ED
As it was not easy to extract money from Foreign Liquor makers and there was a demand for foreign liquor, Fl-10A licenses were brought into forte. Three known associates of Dhebar got the license. These license holders acted like collectors or intermediaries to buy foreign liquor and sold it to state-owned warehouses and generating a commission of around 10% from foreign liquor manufacturers.
ED said, “Investigation has established that more than Rs 2000 Crore of corruption money has been generated by this syndicate.” ED further accused Dhebar of being responsible for collecting every rupee of these proceeds with the crime.
On March 29, 2023, when ED raided Dhebar’s house, he was not there. Despite being called repeatedly by ED, he refused to join the proceedings. During the investigation, ED discovered that he had a secret trap door at his house, which he used to abscond when the ED team knocked at his door. Even his relatives were non-cooperative and refused to sign the search panchnama. They called many of their supporters and tried to mob the ED’s search team.”
ED noted Dhebar was head of the syndicate, but he was not the ultimate beneficiary. ED said, “He is only a private person who is not holding any position in the government. He was willing to get his way with the bureaucrats by using his proximity to the Mayor of Raipur and the Ruling Political Party. Entire Excise Machinery was subservient to him. This clearly shows that he drew his powers from the State Politicians.”
Source: ED
Anil Tuteja and NAN Scam
In 2015, during an investigation into allegations by Congress, the BJP-led Chhattisgarh government under then-CM Raman Singh unearthed NAN (Nagrik Apurti Nigam or Public Distribution Corporation scam) scam. Twenty-seven people were booked in the case, with Anil Tuteja and Alok Shukla being the prime accused. A Chargesheet was filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2015, but then Congress came to power, and things changed for Tuteja.
Based on Tuteja’s allegations that the investigation was unfair, the Baghel-led Congress govt formed an SIT. Baghel has been since trying to personally shelf Tuteja and implicate Raman Singh in the scam. In 2020, soon after Tuteja was given bail in the case, he was appointed against by the Baghel government and became joint secretary of commerce and industries. On the other hand, Shukla was made principal secretary in charge of the education and other departments.
OpIndia’s investigation into the NAN scam
During our investigation, we accessed WhatsApp chats of Tuteja retrieved by the IT department. The chats clearly demonstrate that the entire criminal justice delivery system in the State is being abused, misused and mutilated at the behest of Anil Tuteja and his son Yash Tuteja.
It was further revealed there was a “hitlist” against political opponents, and the Chief Minister was trying not just to help Tuteja but also implicate Ex-Chief Minister Raman Singh and his family members, former Principle Secretary Aman Singh and his wife Yasmeen Singh, Former DG (Police) Mukesh Gupta, Ashok Chaturvedi and Chintamani Chandrakar.
Several officials were found to be dancing to the tunes of Tuteja. They were dependent on Tuteja for even the smallest things, like securing a gym membership for their spouses.
The chats also show that Tuteja was acting as the head of the NAN investigation, where he himself was the prime accused and was coordinating the transfer of IPS officers, promotions and other favours doled to those who were willing to participate in these nefarious designs. Further, those who did not comply were being given punishment posting or, worse, being implicated in false cases themselves.
In the submissions by Income Tax to the court against Tuteja and others, it was specifically mentioned there was a Hawala link.
While the NAN scam is elaborate, what is far more elaborate is the extent to which the Bhupesh Baghel administration seems to have gone to not only save the prime accused but also to implicate Raman Singh and others in the scam.
OpIndia’s detailed investigation of the NAN Scam can be checked here under The Chhattisgarh Files.
Sameer Kaushal, a radio host based out of Canada, demanded the Trudeau government take action against Khalistani elements that pose a threat to the law and order of the country. The demand was made during a webinar that discussed the Bloom report, which shed light on how Khalistani extremists were using democracies to execute their nefarious designs.
Speaking at the seminar, Sameer Kaushal, the host at Sher-e-Punjab Radio in Canada and who was attacked by Khalistani extremists in March this year, expressed appreciation for Bloom’s report, which was initiated in 2019 when then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed resetting the ‘faith, religion, community’ program in the United Kingdom.
Kaushal also shared his own experience of violence at the hands of Khalistani extremists. Last month, the Indian High Commissioner’s visit to Canada’s Western coast was disrupted by Khalistani protesters who also prevented Kaushal, a recognized media person, from attending the event and subjected him to violence.
The radio host added that the Khalistanis are using religion to radicalize innocent citizens worldwide, creating a false narrative of the Indian government’s neglect of Sikh rights. He urged Canada to follow the UK’s lead and speak out against Khalistani violence in the country through the Bloom report.
N.C. Bipindra, the Chairman of Law and Society Alliance hosted the webinar, where he stated that the Khalistani movement does not represent the majority of the innocent Sikh population worldwide. He emphasized that Sikhism is considered one of the purest forms of religion, with its followers actively engaged in humanitarian aid.
Another speaker, Anilesh Mahajan, Deputy Editor at India Today, also appreciated Colin Bloom’s efforts in the report published by the British government. Mahajan noted that the increasing Khalistani activities in Western countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are being overlooked by their respective governments under the guise of freedom of speech and expression.
Since there are no policies outlining the audit of non-governmental organizations in these countries, gurudwaras are considered safe havens for pro-Khalistani activists, he added. Gurudwaras in Toronto, for example, are believed to be harbour grounds for people involved in extortion.
Mahajan stated that Khalistanis use a global criminal network that is actively funded by Pakistan. He provided an example of a man known as the “man of charity” who runs an NGO in India and carries out acts of donation in various countries, including Somalia. However, the man is secretly funded by Pakistan’s ISI and has close ties to Khalistani leaders, allowing them to expand their soft power worldwide.
The Khalistani ideology, Mahajan added, has also infiltrated Punjab’s cinema and music industry. He emphasized the need to understand the strategy of such radicals as they seek to undermine democratic values in various countries.
Colin Bloom, an independent faith engagement advisor, published a review commissioned by British authorities, recommending that the UK government investigate extremist activity within the country’s Sikh community amidst the backdrop of pro-Khalistan elements inciting violence and intimidation.
According to the report, a “small but highly vocal and aggressive minority of British Sikhs who can be described as pro-Khalistan extremists” are promoting an “ethno-nationalist agenda”. Some of these extremists are also known to support and incite violence and intimidation in their efforts to establish an independent state called Khalistan.
The report stated that the “subversive, sectarian, and discriminatory activities” of such elements are not representative of the majority of British Sikhs. The “extremist fringe ideology within the pro-Khalistan movement” has caused division within British Sikh communities.
The report further added that the UK government “should clearly define and investigate extremist activity and identify where this exists within the Sikh community, taking steps to develop a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of subversive and sectarian Sikh extremist activity”.
Khalistanis’ protest against Bloom report fails as no one turns up
On April 29 (local time), an embarrassing situation occurred for the Khalistani elements in London as no one turned up for the protest they had called for outside the Indian High Commission office. The protest was called against the report submitted by Colin Bloom, an independent faith engagement adviser, where he used the word “Sikh extremism”.
As per local reports, despite the call for protests on April 29 on various social media platforms, none turned up. Speaking to the media house, UK police said they were aware of the protests and stationed police personnel outside the HCI office. There was constant patrolling, and police vehicles were on standby. However, protesters did not turn up.
Ahead of the upcoming elections in the State of Karnataka, a popular Pakistani entertainer by the name of Sehar Shinwari has come out in support of the Congress party.
In a tweet on Saturday (May 6), she prayed for the victory of the grand-old party in the Karnataka elections with a 2/3 majority. “BJP will face the worst ever defeat,” Shinwari expressed hope in Congress.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sehar Shinwari
A day later on Sunday (May 7), she announced that Congress Scion will come to power next time.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sehar Shinwari
Recently, she hailed Rahul Gandhi for being a ‘man of steel’ and ‘educating’ Sanghis (a term used routinely by left-liberals and Islamist to mock the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh) and brainless.
On May 4 this year, the Pakistani entertainer wrote, “As long as BJP is in power, I don’t see any peace between India and Pakistan. Now its duty of India janta to use their power of vote and vote out this anti-peace party.”
“Vote for Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji in Karnataka elections and see the magic. He will bring back the glory of Mysore again,” she batted for the Congress scion.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sehar Shinwari
On May 7, Sehar Shinwari put three conditions before India to be able to bring negotiations with Pakistan. They included the removal of the BJP from power, withdrawal of the Indian Army from Junagadh and Kashmir and re-payment of 7 trillion USD to Pakistan, allegedly promised during the Partition.
Shinwari’s tweets have largely been anti-Narendra Modi and pro-Rahul Gandhi. Ahead of the 2019 General Elections, she had rooted for Rahul Gandhi as Prime Minister of India.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sehar Shinwari
Interestingly, the Pakistani entertainer also supports ‘Khalistan’ Pakistan’s ISI-supported propaganda that seeks a separate ‘country’ Khalistan for Sikhs. She has also tried to create a Hindu vs Sikh divide.
Although she calls herself an actress, there are no media articles, no videos on YouTube which acknowledge her as an actress. Pakistan is known to deploy PsyOps to drive an international narrative against India.
At this point, one cannot say for sure whether ‘Sehar Shirwani’ is a real account of an actual female actress who did a one-off role in an obscure serial back in 2017.is just some honeytrap/propaganda account run by Pakistani intelligence agencies for some ulterior motives?
Shaista Parveen, the wife of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, has been declared ‘mafia’ by the Uttar Pradesh police. The police, reportedly, mentioned Parveen as a mafia criminal in their FIR.
As per reports, the FIR was filed on May 2 at the Dhumanganj police station in Prayagraj by SHO Rajesh Kumar Maurya, after police raided the house of Shaista Praveen’s close relative Zafarullah’s son Atin Zafar, where Shaista had stayed. Atin Zafar was arrested for providing shelter to Shaista Praveen.
SS of the copy of the FIR which names Shaista Praveen as a ‘mafia’ criminal
The police also revealed that she was in Prayagraj on the day her husband Atiq Ahmed and brother-in-law Ashraf were buried in the Kasari-Masari cemetery.
She had reportedly disguised herself in order for her to secretly attend the burial. Shooter Sabir, who is also wanted in the Umesh Pal shootout case and carries a reward of five lakh rupees on his head, was also there with Shaista. However, due to the police’s strict surveillance, Shaista’s plan to attend her husband’s burial failed.
According to the information that surfaced during the police investigation, Shaista Parveen arrived in Khuldabad a day after Atiq Ahmed’s murder and stayed at the residence of a close relative, Zafarullah. Sabir, who is wanted and carries a reward of five lakh rupees on his head, was also there with Shaista. This was revealed by Zafarullah’s son Atin Zafar during police interrogation.
Shaista Parveen is an absconding accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. She carries a reward of Rs 50000 rupees on her head. She was actively involved in planning the murder and instructing the killers including her son Asad Ahmed who was killed in an encounter on 13th April 2023.
According to reports, Shaista Parveen has written a letter to chief minister Yogi Adityanath and urged him to spare her two younger sons. She said that they are not at fault and that they are being unnecessarily trapped in this. She also asked for an appointment to meet with Yogi Adityanath. The two minor sons are currently held in a juvenile home after they were detained by police following the Umesh Pal murder.
Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf Ahmed were accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. Umesh Pal was a witness in the Raju Pal murder case of 2005. Umesh Pal was killed by Atiq Ahmed’s henchmen on 24th February 2023. Asad Ahmed led this killing.
The ongoing protest against WFI chief Brij Bhushan Singh by top wrestlers saw a new development on May 8th as farmers joined the demonstration at Jantar Mantar, Delhi after breaking through police barricades.
To avoid any potential disturbances, authorities set up multiple barricades. However, on Monday, farmers breached the barricades to join the wrestlers who are calling for action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP, over accusations of sexual harassment.
In the video shared by ANI, one could see BKU members breaking barricades at the wrestlers’ protest.
“A group of farmers were escorted to Jantar Mantar . At entry barricades they were in a hurry to reach the dharna site in which some of them climbed the barricades which fell down & were removed by them. Police team kept the barricades at the back aside to facilitate their entry”, DCP New Delhi Pranav Tayal said.
“The protestors have reached the dharna site and the meeting is going on peacefully”, the senior police official said.
#WATCH | Farmers break through police barricades as they join protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar, Delhi
The wrestlers are demanding action against WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment. pic.twitter.com/k4d0FRANws
Only a day before, members of BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) including women, had organised a protest at the Tikri border after they were stopped by the police from entering the national capital. Even at that time, they had broken the barricades set up by the police.
Since April 23rd, Indian wrestlers, among them Olympic medalists Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar to protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who has been accused of sexual harassment. Today marks the 15th day of their demonstration.
The development comes days after Samyukta Kisan Morcha declared its support for the wrestlers’ protest, which followed an alleged late-night scuffle at Jantar Mantar. The wrestlers even threatened to return their medals and awards. The SKM is a faction of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which led the year-long agitation against the recently-repealed farm laws.
Farmer leaders including BKU’s Rakesh Tikait and Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s Baldev Singh Sirsa have pledged their support to the protesting wrestlers.
According to a statement released by the SKM, prominent leaders from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh will visit the protest site to show their support for the wrestlers who are demonstrating.
Wrestler protests
The wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, have been protesting against the President of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, claiming he sexually harassed female wrestlers. They are demanding the resignation and arrest of Singh.
On Sunday (May 7) morning, the Executive Editor of the propaganda outlet, The News Minute, courted controversy after he endorsed the idea of sending half of the Indians to ‘re-education camps’ – a system (gulag) reminiscent of the Soviet State between the 1920s and mid-1950s.
Sudipto Mondal was enraged at the sight of lakhs of people, waiting in anticipation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Bengaluru. As such, he suggested that those individuals do not belong to a ‘civilised society’ for the virtue of supporting the BJP.
While reacting to a tweet (archive) by PM Modi thanking Bengalureans for their overwhelming show of support, the Executive Editor of The News Minute wrote, “One day we will have to forgive half our population just like Rwanda and Germany did and start a reeducation program for people who we know do not belong in civilised society.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mandal
Re-education camps and Communist regimes
Despite being well aware of the dark history of ‘re-education camps’, Sudipto Mondal evoked the examples of Rwanda and Germany and hoped that half of India is ‘civilised’ through such programmes.
For him, a large chunk of India’s population is unfit to be a part of civilised society due to their association/ likeness to the BJP and then ought to be indoctrinated otherwise.
It must be mentioned that re-education centres have been used by Communist regimes from time to time to punish and control political dissidents and anyone perceived as a threat.
Soviet Russia had a network of forced labour camps, which were in operation from the 1930s until the 1950s. They were known as the ‘Gulag’. Within this system, there were specific ‘re-education’ camps which were designed to brainwash political prisoners who were believed to have deviated from Communism.
The Gulag system was established under the regime of Joseph Stalin. Prisoners in these camps were subjected to long hours of work in dangerous and difficult conditions, with little food or medical care.
The re-education programmes were often conducted through a combination of physical and psychological coercion, including beatings, torture, and forced confessions.
Prisoners were also exposed to propaganda and ideological indoctrination, which aimed to convince them of the superiority of the Soviet State and the need to abide by those values.
The use of re-education camps in the Gulag system was widely criticised for human rights abuses, and violations of basic principles of justice and fairness. An estimated total of 1.2-1.7 million people died at such centres.
Young men in a gulag, image via David Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies
The Gulag system began to decline in the 1950s under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, who initiated a process of “de-Stalinization” and began to release many of the prisoners who were still held in the camps.
While the gulag system came to an end in Soviet Russia, such re-education camps ply in Communist-ruled China even today to subjugate the Uyghur Muslims and ‘integrate’ them with the majority Han community.
Sudiopto Mondal’s disdain for ‘half of the people of the country’ was based on the fact that they voted for or supported the saffron party and thus more than willing to let them civilise themselves in ‘re-education camps’
Controversial views of The News Minute Editor
And this is not the first time that the Executive Editor of The News Minute has used such drastic examples to further his agenda.
In May 2021, he went on to fearmonger about ‘Hindutva ideologues’ stopping at nothing other than death squads and gas chambers. Sudipto Mondal deliberately chose to downplay the ‘Holocaust‘ that claimed the lives of 6 million Jews to make a snide remark at the ruling dispensaton in India.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
On multiple occasions, Sudipto Mondal has demonised the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as ‘terrorists.’
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
The Executive Editor of The News Minute has also mocked the Bajrang Dal for rescuing cattle, which were being transported to illegal slaughterhouses. “Bunch of terrorists,” he wrote.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
Through his tweets, the Executive Editor of The News Minute appears to be obsessed with caste and the fact that the propaganda outlet has a non-Brahmin chief and a Dalit deputy.
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
Screengrab of the tweet by Sudipto Mondal
The News Minute has courted several controversies in recent years. In May last year, it attempted to rationalise Islamist slogans calling for the death of Hindus at a PFI rally.
It also tried to justify the killing of a Hindu man by an Islamist on Holi, attacked Hindu traditions under the pretext of covering sexual harassment allegations and peddle fake news on multiple occasions (here, here and here).
