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‘No indication that FIR is politically motivated’: Gauhati HC rejects anticipatory bail to Congress leader Srinivas BV, refuses to quash case filed by Angkita Dutta

OpIndia Staff
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‘No indication that FIR is politically motivated’: Gauhati HC rejects anticipatory bail to Congress leader Srinivas BV, refuses to quash case filed by Angkita Dutta

On Thursday, the Gauhati High Court denied the Youth Congress President Srinivas BV’s request for anticipatory bail and declined to drop the First Information Report (FIR) against him for insulting the modesty of expelled Assam Youth Congress leader Angkita Dutta.

According to the victim’s claim, the Congress leader heckled the victim on February 25 at a hotel in Raipur during the Congress party’s plenary session, single-judge Justice Ajit Borthakur stated. He insulted her with slangs, threatening to damage her party career if she brought up the mistreatment in front of senior Congress party officials.

“As per the victim’s allegation, besides various humiliating verbatim the petitioner uttered the words “Aye ladki ye tum kiya likhti rehti ho ye sab? Tum kiya piti rehti ho, vodka piti ho ya tequila piti rehti ho (Hey girl, what are you always writing? What do you keep drinking, vodka or tequila),” the court observed.

The Court determined that these statements considered together appear to satisfy the criteria of Sections 352 (assault or criminal force), 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty), and 354A (1)(iv) of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with sexual harassment.

It added that the FIR’s accusations of criminal intimidation would apply to the alleged harassment, which included the victim being threatened not to report his misconduct to top party members and making repeated sexist remarks using slang expressions. The bench was informed of the Congressman’s petition to dismiss the FIR filed against him as a result of a complaint made by his former female coworker.

The ex-Congreewoman asserted in her complaint that he repeatedly verbally abused her, using sexist jokes and jargon, and intimidated her with serious repercussions if she revealed this to senior Congress Party figures.

Furthermore, she claimed that the accused heckled her at the hotel’s entrance while he held her arms and attacked her with slang terms during the Congress Party’s plenary meeting on March 25 at the Mayfair Hotel in Raipur. She further reported that nothing was done about his behaviour despite her notifying senior Congress party personnel about it.

The Rahul Gandhi loyalist, however, claimed that the FIR was brought against him in order to settle political scores. In order to personally appear before the officers looking into the complaint, he pitched for interim relief, which is to stay the notifications sent to him by the Dispur Police.

In its ruling, the bench rejected the contention that the victim filed the FIR to make amends for both personal and political grievances.

The bench noted, “There is no indication in the case diary that the FIR is politically motivated and based on some false and concocted story. The nature of offences disclosed in the FIR are crimes against society being basically pertaining to outraging of the modesty of woman. Therefore, at the present stage of the investigation, this Court cannot scrutinize the correctness or veracity of those allegations.”

Regarding the allegation that there was a delay in filing the FIR and that Youth Congress had brought defamation charges against the victim, the judge ruled that this was an internal political party matter and notrelated to the inquiry.

The bench rejected both, the request to quash the FIR after making these observations and his request for anticipatory bail in a different judgement.

Angkita Dutta was expelled from the primary membership of the Congress for six years for ‘anti-party activities.’ Soon after her complaint of being sexually harassed by Srinivas BV, Tariq Anwar, member-secretary of the Congress’ disciplinary action committee, mentioned, “Congress president has expelled Dr Angkita Dutta, president, Assam Pradesh Youth Congress, from the primary membership of the party for six years for her anti-party activities with immediate effect,” in an order.

Earlier on 27 April, the Gauhati High Court had rejected denied interim relief to Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV in the sexual harassment case. Before the petitioner’s interim request was taken into consideration, Justice Ajit Borthakur noted that a review of the case diary, including the victim woman’s statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C., was absolutely necessary for a fair decision.

UP Police opposes relief to SHAUTS VC and Director, say they received Rs 34 crore from foreign countries in ‘Yeshu Darbar Trust’ for illegal conversion of Hindus

OpIndia Staff
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UP Police opposes relief to SHAUTS VC and Director, say they received Rs 34 crore from foreign countries in ‘Yeshu Darbar Trust’ for illegal conversion of Hindus

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday opposed any relief to Vinod Bihari Lal and Rajendra Bihari Lal, Director, administration and Vice-Chancellor respectively, of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Science (SHUATS) in Prayagraj who have been accused in the forceful mass conversion case. The Police said that the duo have been charged with a number of crimes, including the widespread illegal conversion of marginalised Hindu and Muslim society to Christianity through threats and coercion.

The Police said that the duo didn’t deserve any kind of relief and said that they received over Rs 34 crores from several foreign countries and used the money for illegal conversion. “During the course of Investigation it has been found that the since 2005 around Rs 34,44,54,855.00 has been received in the FCRA account of SHUATS from various countries including USA, Afghanistan, Japan, Libya Iraq, Germany, Canada, Guyana, Uganda, Ethopia, Bahrain, Netherlands, Phillipines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Australia, Nepal, Bhutan and Nigeria,” the police said.

According to a police affidavit, the money originates from foreign nations to SHUATS, where it is then sent to the “Yeshu Darbar Trust” and distributed in cash to the pastors of the participating churches as well as to the staff at Broadwell Hospital. The hospital then allegedly uses the money to convert marginalised Muslims and Hindus to Christianity illegally through coercion and fraud.

According to one of the witnesses’ statements, when he went to visit his relatives’ daughter at Sadar Hospital, he learned that she had been transferred to Mission Hospital, where they encountered Josh Prakash, a doctor who emphasised that he only worshipped Jesus and asked how many gods they worshipped. He was instructed to follow suit in order to receive wheat money and good health.

Additionally, it stated that during searches at a facility known as Word Vision, India Branch, Civil Lines, Fatehpur, particular brochures and documents were recovered that promoted the advantages of converting to Christianity as well as a list of objects used for enticing individuals.

“The pamphlets so found also mentioned that an amount of Rs. 35,000 will be given to people who get themselves converted to Christianity and further if someone induces other people to get converted to Christianity then they will get an extra bonus amount, furthermore, if someone becomes preacher of Christianity then will be provided a monthly salary of Rs 25,000 and if some person converts 5 to 10 people then will get extra bonus amount,” the affidavit filed by Circle Officer, Fatehpur, stated.

Earlier on March 3, the apex court had stayed the arrest of Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology And Sciences (SHUATS), Dr. Rajendra Bihari Lal in a case concerning attempt to convert people to Christianity. The decision was made after the Allahabad High Court on February 14 this year awarded temporary protection to Lal from coercive action in a case involving widespread religious conversion.

FIR was recently registered in January 2023 against eight officials of SHUATS including vice-chancellor and two pro-vice-chancellors for allegedly luring Hindus and forcing them to convert their religion to Christianity. The officials were booked under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020. Accused Dr. Rajendra Bihari Lal had pled that he was not named in the FIR. However, he was later implicated in subsequent stage on basis of statement given by two witnesses whom he alleged were ‘biased’ against him.

Case was first reported in January this year

The FIR in the case was filed based on the complaint registered by a University’s former student named Savendra Vikram Singh on January 20 this year. The complainant stated that he was told that in exchange for converting to Christianity, he can have a job, Rs 15 thousand in cash, and ‘marriage to a beautiful girl’ in Fatehpur.

Savendra Vikram Singh is a resident of Bahauddinpur village in the Gosainganj area of Sultanpur district and visited Fatehpur in December 2021. There he met Ram Chandra Paswan, a resident of Sujarahi village who asked him to convert his religion to Christianity. “He told me we and our organisation will give you cash and your family will get free medical treatment. I was told that I would be given a job in SHUATS, Prayagraj, and I would get married to a beautiful girl. I got trapped and Ram Chandra took me to the Indian Presbyterian Church in Deviganj where I was made to meet the pastor. Both (pastor and Ram Chandra) then promised me gifts and money and took me to SHUATS,” Singh said.

According to Singh, he then met university Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, director (internal quality assurance and assessment cell) Ajai Lawrence, public relations officer Ramakant Dubey, Pro Vice-Chancellor (academics) Jonathan Lal, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Administration) S.B. Lal, dean (film and mass communication) Stephen Das, senior professor Derrick Denis, and around 40-50 other people who promised him cash, a job at SHUATS and a beautiful wife.

“Ajai Lawrence gave me Rs 15,000 in cash and Rajendra B. Lal told me that their organization has a lot of money and they would give me more if required. Then, I returned to Deviganj church with Ram Chandra and the pastor and converted to Christianity,” Singh was quoted as saying then.

Notably, Paswan who asked Singh to convert his religion in Fatehpur was arrested by the cops in July last year for running ‘changayi sabha’ and falsely promising ‘healing from illness’ to locals if they convert to Christianity. He also offered to get rid of bad spirits through prayers to Jesus and offered painkillers mixed ‘special water’ to visitors.

The FIR came months after the Uttar Pradesh Police had sent notices to the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and an administrative official of a Prayagraj-based agriculture university in connection with a case of illegal conversion. An FIR was lodged against 56 people for practising religious conversion. Notably, 53 of these 56 are out on bail.

The notices back then were issued to Chancellor Dr Jetti Oliver, Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal and administrative official Vinod B Lal of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS), an agriculture university in Uttar Pradesh that was set up more than a century ago.

Police seized 70 bank accounts of University and NGO founded by V-C

Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal is the founder of an NGO named Yeshu Darbar Trust which holds religious congregations in around 12 of its centers in Prayagraj and other cities of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Jharkhand. As reported earlier, 70 accounts of the university and the trust founded by Lal were seized and were being probed. Of the 70 bank accounts, four belong to the trust and the rest are that of the university.

Two old cases against SHAUTS also reopened

Reports mention that while the Police are probing into the religious angle of the case, it has also reopened earlier two police cases filed against the University. One case filed by Rakesh Dwivedi in 2012, accuses the university’s top brass getting arm licenses illegally by submitting fake information about names and addresses. The other one says that the University has not been granted minority status by the government but it claims so.

In 2012, a case was filed against University Vice Chancellor Rajendra B. Lal, director (administration) Vinod B. Lal, current registrar Robin L. Prasad and then registrar Ajai Lawrence under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record).

The FIR stated that the accused provided fake names and fake signatures despite holding government posts and took licenses for arms, revolver, rifle and double barreled gun from DM Pratapgarh. It stated that, despite having lived in Prayagraj since 1980, the defendants had shown their addresses to be in Sadar Bazar, Pratapgarh, while holding government positions.

The incident was investigated, and the investigating officer produced a final report (FR, a predecessor to the closure report) in March 2012 after concluding that the accused were not deficient under the sections implicated. Furthermore, the STF is investigating charges that the university did not get minority institution designation from the National Commission for Minority Education Institutions (NCMEI), the authority authorized to provide minority status to educational institutions.

Also on November 8, 2019, the UGC stated in an RTI response to Prayagraj-based Suvrat Kumar Singh, who had written to the UGC inquiring if SHUATS had minority institution status, that minority status is not awarded by it to an educational institution. Since the NCMEI grants minority status, the UGC submitted the inquiry to the commission, which responded on December 11, 2019, that it has not bestowed minority status certificates to SHUATS.

In the current given case, FIR has been lodged against eight university officials and 40-50 other unidentified persons executing illegal religious conversion of a man. The accused have been charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections 3 and 5 (1) of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020.

J&K: 5 Army soldiers killed in blast during anti-terror operations in Rajouri forest, Jaish-e-Mohammed’s front PAFF claims responsibility

OpIndia Staff
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J&K: 5 Army soldiers killed in blast during anti-terror operations in Rajouri forest, Jaish-e-Mohammed’s front PAFF claims responsibility

People’s Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a terror organisation established by Jaish-e-Mohammed in 2020, has claimed responsibility for the killing of five Indian Army troops during an explosion at an encounter between terrorists and security forces at Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement released by the spokesperson of the outfit, Tanveer Ahmad Rather has warned of more such attacks in the future as well.

Terrorists detonated an explosive device during an encounter that broke out with the security forces on Friday morning in the Kandi region of Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir, killing five Army soldiers and injuring four others, including an officer. Following the incident at the Kesari area of Kandi hamlet, mobile internet services were suspended in Rajouri.

According to army officials, terrorists belong to the same group that ambushed an army truck in Poonch on April 20 in which at least five jawans of Rashtriya Rifles lost their lives and one more was injured.

“During the joint operation, in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri, the terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The Army team has suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers including an officer,” a statement released by Army PRO Lt Colonel Devender Anand read. Three more soldiers succumbed to the injuries later.

“Indian Army columns have been conducting relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region,” it continued.

“On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3. Around 7.30 am on Friday, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs,” it added.

“The injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur. As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in terrorist groups. The operation is in progress. Further details are being ascertained,” Army informed.

The confrontation commenced when the combined teams of forces approached the area and were fired upon by the terrorists who were hiding there.

Terrorist activity has been frequently recorded in the vicinity. The police and security forces had established contact with two terrorists in the Kesari Top region a few days after the attack that resulted in the deaths of four soldiers at an Army camp at Pargal in the Budhal region in August of last year. The terrorists, however, had managed to get away by taking advantage of the thick forests.

Two terrorists were eliminated earlier on Thursday in an encounter in Baramulla, Jammu & Kashmir. The altercation erupted in the Wanigam Payeen Kreeri neighbourhood of the area.

Similarly, a confrontation in the Kupwara district on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of two militants. The confrontation reportedly occurred close to the Pichnad Machil region.

Sharad Pawar withdraws his resignation as NCP president after the party’s core committee rejected it unanimously 

ANI
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Sharad Pawar withdraws his resignation as NCP president after the party’s core committee rejected it unanimously 

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has withdrawn his decision to quit as party chief after NCP’s committee passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar’s resignation and requested him to continue to lead the party that he founded.

Sharad Pawar had on Tuesday announced his resignation from the party president’s post. While addressing a press conference, Pawar informed about the decision and said, “Because of your love and respect I am taking back my decision to step down as party chief.” “I can’t disrespect your sentiments. Due to your love, I am respecting the demand that was made to me to withdraw my resignation and the resolution that was passed by senior NCP leaders. I withdraw my decision to step down as the national president of Nationalist Congress Party,” said Pawar.

“After my 63 years of public life, I felt I was relieved from my post, but after this, there was a strong reaction from the workers of NCP, the public living with me along with numerous workers and office bearers, expressed sadness over this decision and urged me to reconsider,” he added further.

“Rohit Chintak, my workers who love me, innumerable well-wishers, all of them unanimously called me, my party colleagues from all over the country and especially from Maharashtra and others urged me to take over the responsibility of the post of president again,” said Pawar further.

When asked about the absence of Ajit Pawar at the press conference where he withdrew his resignation he said, “Others are here. Committee took this decision and after their decision, I took my decision back. All are united and discussed this. Senior leaders are there in the committee.”

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

‘Journalist’ and serial fake news peddler Ali Sohrab spreads lies to defend constable Shahadat Ali arrested for stalking schoolgirls in Lucknow

OpIndia Staff
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‘Journalist’ and serial fake news peddler Ali Sohrab spreads lies to defend constable Shahadat Ali arrested for stalking schoolgirls in Lucknow

Days after spreading fake news that 5 Hindus had raped the half-cremated body of a woman, ‘journalist’ Ali Sohrab was caught spreading fake news yet again. Referring an incident of stalking of a girl by a policeman that led to the suspension of the cop in Lucknow, he tried to defend the cop Shahadat Ali.

In a tweet posted on 4 May, Ali Sohrab claimed that constable Shahadat Ali was explaining something to a girl on a scooter, who is his daughter’s friend, when someone made a video of the same and shared on social media. He claimed that the cop was arrested based on the video, and later he was suspended.

It is notable that the DCP of East Lucknow has said that the cop was suspended following a complaint lodged against him. He said that a video of a cop chasing and talking to a schoolgirl went viral on social media, and a complaint in regard to the incident was received by the Cantt police station.

“Based on the complaint, a case has been registered under relevant sections. The accused has been identified as Shahadat Ali. He has been taken into police custody. Further investigation is on in this matter. The accused policeman has been suspended,” the DCP added.

While Ali Sohrab claims that the cop was talking to a girl riding a scooter and the girl is his daughter’s friend, the video shows otherwise. It shows constable Shahadat Ali riding a scooter without number plate and chasing a uniformed schoolgirl riding a bicycle. A woman, riding a scooter, spots this and stops him to confront him, asking whether he knows the girl.

When the cop says that the girl is his daughter’s friend and they study together, the woman immediately retorts by saying that he is lying. She says that the girl actually studies in a different school, while the cop’s daughter’s school is different.

The woman says that he is stalking girls daily in the area. A man, who was recording the video, also confirms that this is the same man who is stalking girls continuously.

When she asks why there is no number plate on his scooter, the cop says that it is an electric scooter and therefore it does not need a number plate. It is notable that electric vehicles need to be registered, and they are issued special number plates with white text on a green background.

However, EVs with a maximum power output of less than 250 watts and a maximum speed of 25 kmph do not require registration. The cop seemed to be riding NIJ Automotive’s Flion scooter, which fulfils the criteria of not requiring registration.

Later responding to a report of the incident, Lucknow Police said that appropriate action is being taken against the said policeman after taking cognizance of the matter and a case has been registered.

Ali Sohrab is a known fake news peddler. In 2020, he posted false news of 400 people being trapped in Mata Vaishno Devi temple. After this, he also claimed that 145 of them have been found to be Corona positive. Later it was found that nothing such happened and everything was false, and Sohrab had started the rumour to cover up the activities of Tablighi Jamaat.

He had also celebrated the murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, calling it Diwali. He was booked after that booked under IPC section 295 (malicious and intentional act intended to outrage religious feelings) and 66, 67 of the IT Act.

PM Modi talks about The Kerala Story: This is not the first time he talked about movies that have put national security in focus. Here are more

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi talks about The Kerala Story: This is not the first time he talked about movies that have put national security in focus. Here are more

On Friday, May 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked about the much-discussed film “The Kerala Story” which was released today. The film is based on the true stories of thousands of girls from Kerala who were converted to Islam and sent to Syria to become ISIS terrorists and sex slaves. PM Modi spoke about how the film depicts the ugly truth of terrorism and also exposes the terror conspiracies taking place in Kerala.

This, however, is not the first time that PM has raised awareness about movies that have put national security in focus. 

When PM Modi quoted the popular “How’s the Josh” dialogue from Uri: The Surgical Strike

In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the inaugural event of the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai quoted “How’s the Josh”, a popular dialogue from the film Uri: The Surgical Strike starring actors Vicky Kaushal and Yami Gautam in the lead roles.  The movie was based on the Surgical Strike of 2016, carried out by the Indian armed forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). 

PM Modi had also watched the film and appreciated the makers, for the realistic portrayal of the events of the 2016 surgical strike. “He has appreciated the way turn of events have been depicted and showcased well on celluloid right from the attacks on our camps to a surgical strike on PoK,” director Aditya Dhar had said back in 2019. 

It is worth recalling that in the early hours of September 29, 2016, the Indian Army carried out unprecedented surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC), annihilating at least 7 terror launchpads and inflicting heavy casualties on terrorists sheltered in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The strike came nearly 10 days after the brutal terror attack in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 18 Indian soldiers.

When PM Modi tweeted about the film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

In the year 2021, Prime Minister Modi met former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan and actor Ranganathan Madhavan who played the role of Nambi Narayanan in the film. 

PM Modi had said that scientists and technicians have made great sacrifices for the country. He said the film Rocketry covers an important topic that more people must know about. 

PM Modi said this while quoting a tweet of film actor R Madhavan who said he was honored to have met the Prime Minister recently along with ex-ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan.

“Happy to have met you and the brilliant Nambi Narayanan Ji. This film covers an important topic, which more people must know about.  Our scientists and technicians have made great sacrifices for our country, glimpses of which I could see in the clips of Rocketry.”

The film was released in July last year, though the film received criticism from liberal media and critics over the portrayal of scientist Nambi Narayanan as a practicing Hindu, the film did receive praise from the general audience.

When PM Modi praised The Kashmir Files

In March last year, PM Modi while speaking at the BJP parliamentary meeting lauded the film ‘The Kashmir Files’. PM Modi asserted that the film was based on facts and also slammed the “ecosystem” which claims to be a torchbearer of freedom of expression but was hell-bent on discrediting a film based on the genocide of Kashmir Hindus. 

“Instead of engaging in healthy debates based on facts and truths, this entire ecosystem has launched a full-fledged campaign to discredit the film. An individual has shown the courage to expose the truth, but this ecosystem is hell-bent on shaming his efforts. They also do not want to understand or allow others to do the same. They do not want to accept the truth, nor do they want the truth to be revealed in front of the world. The type of campaign that has been launched against the movie in the last few days is astounding”, PM Modi stated.

PM Modi had also clarified that he does not advocate for any specific film rather he is in favor of presenting facts in their entirety to the world. 

The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri along with his wife and actress Pallavi Joshi and film producer Abhishek Agarwal also met PM Modi in Delhi.

“I am so glad for you @AbhishekOfficl you have shown the courage to produce the most challenging truth of Bharat. #TheKashmirFiles screenings in the USA proved the changing mood of the world in the leadership of @narendramodi,” Agnihotri tweeted back then.

The film depicted the events of January 19, 1990, when mosques in Kashmir had issued a warning to Kashmiri Hindus while terming them as Kafirs. They had three options, leave Kashmir, convert to Islam, or be killed.

Additionally, PM Modi has lauded actor Akshay Kumar’s film Toilet: Ek Prem Katha for raising awareness about cleanliness and Swacch Bharat Mission.

“Good effort to further the message of cleanliness. 125 crore Indians have to continue working together to create a Swachh Bharat,” PM Modi had tweeted in 2017.

The movie focussed on the eradication of open defecation in India with an emphasis on cleanliness. This has been one of the main focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well. “A clean India would be the best tribute India could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019,” said Shri Narendra Modi as he launched the Swachh Bharat Mission at Rajpath in New Delhi. On 2nd October 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission was launched throughout length and breadth of the country as a national movement. The campaign aims to achieve the vision of a ‘Clean India’ by 2nd October 2019.

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is the most significant cleanliness campaign by the Government of India. Shri Narendra Modi led a cleanliness pledge at India Gate, which about thirty lakh government employees across the country joined.

The Kerala Story: Pushing the envelope in calling out soft conversion to Islam which graduates to terrorism by brainwashing

Nirwa Mehta
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The Kerala Story: Pushing the envelope in calling out soft conversion to Islam which graduates to terrorism by brainwashing

Disclaimer: Spoilers ahead.

When politicians start pandering to vote bank, truth becomes ‘propaganda’. We are told terrorism has no religion. But when terrorists carry out terror act in name of ‘one true god’, only apologists and sympathisers will say it has nothing to do with religion. For years, Hindi movies have played the game where terror activities are either justified or given context. Like there would be some ‘brutality’ a young boy witnesses at that age which made him pick up guns against the State. Here also terrorism is watered down and shown as if it is against the ‘oppressive’ State. Only that in reality it is against a community at large and in India, Hindus.

The Kerala Story, however, pushes the envelop as much as it could. It is unapologetic in showing how gullible people are brainwashed and lured into embracing another faith and then taken on to path of terrorism.

Many argue in a democracy, one must be free to choose which faith one wants to follow. 100%. But if it is choice one makes out of one’s free will. Not when one is lured into ‘converting out of one’s free will’.

Two Hindu girls, one of whom is an atheist, and one Christian girl are roommates in college with a hijabi Muslim girl. Except, the girl also works as an operative to get girls converted to Islam. She is very religious, the other girls aren’t, and hence are fascinated by her sincerity towards her faith. They ask a lot of questions. Which she answers patiently, without getting angry. These could be questions like ‘why do you pray before eating’? Or ‘why do you wear a hijab’? Girl says to thank Allah as only he runs the world and says things like hijab is a protection as girls one need not show off their body to anyone.

She then tries to plant doubts about Hindu gods amongst the girls. Like, ‘if your God was so powerful, why did he carry dead body of his wife and run all over the earth? Why would your god cry like a commoner?’ (this was in reference to Shiv and Sati) Or if your ‘Jesus was so powerful, how can he be crucified like a commoner?’ There is also wrath of Allah being put in their minds. Like how if you do haram or forbidden things, Allah would get angry. And you do good things, Allah would be pleased. Day of judgement will decide whether you go to hell or heaven. “Since you are disbelievers, you will automatically go to hell”, is what is told.

One day, the three girls are out having a good time. As previously planned by the Muslim girl with others who wanted to recruit them, the girls are eve teased. Emotionally disturbed and at a vulnerable time, the Muslim girl tells them that they were harassed because they did not wear hijab. The other hijabi girls in the mall were not harassed as ‘Allah was protecting them’. That’s when the girls start wearing hijab.

They meet other Muslim men, who are ‘cousins’ and ‘friends’ of the Muslim girl and develop a relationship. The local maulvi also encourages the men to get the women to convert soon. “For this, even if you have to make them pregnant, go ahead”, so they go ahead. Then at another emotionally vulnerable time – when the girl is pregnant at just 20, she is asked to ‘convert’ so she could marry a Muslim man.

Eventually, she is told about Sharia and Muslim land where they will be taken care of. How the land is so great as it is ruled by law of Allah. And taking all risk, they are on their way to Syria. To live under the Islamic law. Only to come to realisation they were trapped. That the great life they were promised were a lie and they would end up being sex slaves with zero rights.

To dismiss this as propaganda would be dishonesty. It is a story of Nimisha Fathima, Sonia Sebastian and many, many other girls in India. So when it is reproduced on the big screen, why is it making people uncomfortable? Are we to understand the ISIS is not fighting to establish Islamic rule? That the girls were not lured to go and live under the ‘khalifa’ (caliphate)? That they were not shown a rosy picture of life in Syria? That local clerics had no role to play in their brainwashing?

And it is not just girls, it is men too who, if not born Muslim, are lured to convert to Islam and then packed off to Syria to ‘fight for Islamic Caliphate’. Nimisha and Merrin from Kerala who became ISIS brides after converting to Islam, were married to Bexin Vincent and Bestin Vincent, Christian men who had converted to Islam. If religious conversion and ‘fight as soldiers of Allah’ is the reason for someone’s ‘wilful conversion’, is it even ‘wilful conversion’? Why are ‘liberals’ afraid to call out Islamic radicalisation spreading roots in our homes?

This ‘soft conversion’ tactic – where the person is encouraged to abandon the faith they are born in – to make them feel they are embracing Islam out of their own free will is a classic modus operandi. In January 2022, I visited remote village in Gujarat’s Bharuch where 100 members of tribal community had converted to Islam. While they were lured with promises of ‘better life’, ‘woman to marry’ and ‘money’, they were also brainwashed. They were repeatedly told stories about Hindu gods and goddesses showing them in poor light.

One of the victims, while speaking to me, told me that they were told how Lord Shiva beheaded his own son (Ganesh). ‘What kind of father cannot recognise his own son? How can a God get so angry on his son that he cuts his head? If he was so powerful a god, why did he not attach the head back, why kill an innocent elephant to fix his son?’ These were the questions posed to illiterate Hindu tribals – who are extremely gullible and not having means to answer these questions by reading up on them. After such questions, they were made offer of money, better jobs and converted to Islam.

While being indoctrinated, they were also shown footages of 2002 Gujarat riots and were made to believe that the train was set on fire by Hindus themselves. This line of thought is still propagated widely amongst Islamist circles and peddled when Muslim youth are being radicalised.

These are the lived experiences of these men and women. Why is truth being dismissed as propaganda? Why cry Islamophobia when indoctrination is being done in name of Islam?

When politicians pick vote bank over people, it is the common people like you and I who suffer because while terrorism may have no religion, terrorists do and so do their victims.

The Kerala Story is a story that needs to be told. Now. Before it is too late. And in our politicians’ race to appease a certain section of radicals, we have yet another Kashmir-like crisis on hand.

New CCTV footage shows attackers came back to stab gangster Tillu Tajpuria as officials watched on: All we know so far about the grisly murder inside Tihar

Jhankar Mohta
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New CCTV footage shows attackers came back to stab gangster Tillu Tajpuria as officials watched on: All we know so far about the grisly murder inside Tihar

A new CCTV footage from Delhi’s Tihar jail has emerged where the macabre murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuria by members of his rival gang took place on Tuesday (May 2) early morning. Yesterday (May 4) a shocking CCTV footage of his murder surfaced from inside Delhi’s Tihar Jail showing how the gruesome attack was executed.

Tillu Tajpuria was the prime accused in the 2021 Delhi Rohini Court shootout. Four men who were also lodged in the Tihar jail and were members of the Jitender Gogi gang carried out the shocking murder in the early hours of Tuesday.

In the new CCTV footage, the members of the rival gang can be seen coming back for the injured gangster when he was being carried by the jail authorities after the gruesome attack.

The footage shows jail officials hauling Tillu Tajpuria in a bed sheet after he was assaulted by rival inmates on Tuesday. Tillu Tajpuria appears to be alive, but gravely hurt. While the authorities carry him, the assailants suddenly emerge from another gate and begin brutally stabbing him again. The attack takes place in front of a large number of jail personnel. While some are seen impassively attempting to stop the assault, the majority of the jail staff is simply standing there like mute spectators.

Disturbing visuals of how Tillu Tajpuria was stabbed inside Tihar jail emerge

Prior to this, a video of the horrific attack had also surfaced on social media. In the video, the attackers were seen using bed sheets as a rope to descend from the first level and then charging into Tajpuria’s cell on the ground floor to attack him.

Tajpuria, dressed in a red T-shirt and black shorts, enters the scene from the opposite end. He hurries inside a cell and pulls the iron door shut as soon as he sees the first attacker.

All of the attackers had gathered on the ground floor by this point, with three of them gathered outside Tajpuria’s cell. Someone attempts to stop the fourth assailant, who is separated from the rest of the gang.

Because the door cannot be locked from the inside, the attackers barge inside the cell and drag Tajpuria out. They pull him to the common area and brutally stab him several times as blood splatters on the ground where the gang war erupted. Tillu Tajpuria was stabbed at least 92 times.

According to prison officials, the assailants may have cut the grills on the first floor and left them in place to not raise suspicion of the officials and then utilised that way to come down and kill Tillu at 6.15 am on Tuesday.

Tillu Tajpuria was reportedly transferred from Rohini jail roughly 15 days ago and was scheduled to be transferred again within five days. Only this year have three of the four Tillu murderers been transferred to Tihar. Tajpuria was the prime accused in the shootout that had taken place in the Rohini Court in Delhi in 2021 which had left Gangster Jitendra Gogi dead.

According to the police, members of the Gogi gang had attacked Tajpuria to avenge Jitendra Gogi’s death. After the attack, Tajpuria was rushed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The assailants were identified as Deepak alias Teetar, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan. All of them were locked on the first floor of the same barrack.

Link emerges between Atiq Ahmed’s killer and murder of Tillu Tejpuria

Interestingly, after Tillu Tajpuria was murdered on Tuesday, police revealed some sensational links between his gruesome murder and the murder of notorious gangster-political Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed.

The police said that during interrogation, Mohit Singh alias Sunny, accused of killing gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf on April 15, told the UP Police sleuths that the Turkish handguns he and Lavlesh Tiwari used to kill the two brothers were originally intended to shoot Tajpuria.

The high-end Zigana handgun Sunny and Lavlesh used was handed to them by Delhi gangster Jitendra Gogi. Cops said that Sunny was handed the weapons by Gogi in order to eliminate his arch-rival Tajpuria.

However, before the plan could be executed, Gogi was killed in Delhi’s Rohini court in September 2021. Sunny allegedly kept both pistols with him and used them to murder Atiq and his brother in Prayagraj.

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar takes responsibility for the attack

According to reports, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, a close aide of the feared gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who had taken responsibility for the sensational Sidhu Moosewala murder in Punjab, also took responsibility for the attack on Tajpuria. Goldy Brar was close to Jitender Gogi.

Notably, this was the second case of violence and gang rivalry in Tihar jail in a month. Last month, Prince Tewatia, a close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was killed in Tihar jail by rival gang members. 

Last year, Tihar jail superintendent Ajit Kumar was suspended over allegations that he was giving preferential treatment to the detained Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Satyendar Jain at the central jail in conjunction with prison authorities.

Mamata Banerjee randomly talks about unrelated historical figures while furthering rumours of Modi govt removing Mughal history from textbooks

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee randomly talks about unrelated historical figures while furthering rumours of Modi govt removing Mughal history from textbooks

On Friday (May 5), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resorted to fear-mongering over rumours about the Central government removing chapters on ‘Mughals’ from history textbooks. However, while objecting to rumoured deletion of chapters on Mughals from NCERT textbooks, she went on to mention several historical figures like MK Gandhi, Tagore, Ambedkar etc.

During a programme in Shamsherganj in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, she said, “If Centre wants to erase history, then, fighting is my Dharma.” OpIndia had earlier reported how the mainstream media speculated that NCERT removed certain chapters on the Mughal empire from the 12th-class history book.

“Can I forget Mahatma Gandhi, Vivekananda, Raghunath Murmu, Abul Kalam Azad, Ambedkar, Rabindranath, Nazrul? Remember history is always preserved in books,” Mamata Banerjee inquired despite no reports about the Union government trying to remove these historical personalities from textbooks.

While Mamata Banerjee was talking about the alleged removal of chapters on Mughals from school textbooks, she mentioned several other personalities, who have nothing to do with Mughals, and they were born long after the demise of the Mughal dynasty. Moreover, no chapter on these personalities has been removed from these persons, but the Bengal CM tried to imply that the govt has removed the freedom fighters and other noted personalities from the books.

“They tried to divide Hindus and Muslims in 1905. Could they do it? No. Rabindranath Tagore organised Rakashabandhan between Hindus and Muslims,” the West Bengal CM said while conveniently forgetting about the Partition of India in 1947, which also divided Bengal.

It is notable that British Raj had divided the Bengal Presidency into two parts, Muslim-majority East Bengal including Assam and Hindu-majority West Bengal including Bihar and Odisha. But due to huge protests against the partition, Bengal was reunited in 1911. However, when India was partitioned into India and Pakistan, Bengal was partitioned again.

She also claimed that Mahatma Gandhi sang the ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ song at the time of Independence in Kolkata, which is actually a distorted version to include a reference to Allah. Ahead of the Panchayat elections in the State, Mamata Banerjee hoped to reignite the rumour around the removal of Indian history from public memory.

It must be mentioned that the Director of NCERT, Dinesh Prasad Saklani, had earlier refuted the allegations that were being spread by various news outlets. He informed that chapters on the Mughals had not been removed. Only the overlapping chapters had been dropped to alleviate additional strain on children.

Mamata Banerjee blames the Centre for environmental damage

During the programme, the West Bengal CM also blamed the Central government for not preventing soil erosion and flooding in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

“If the Centre used the time devoted to political conspiracies, rioting, harassment, rumour mongering for the environment, then, Bengal would have flourished,” she brazened it out.

“This is a subject of the Central government…We have raised the matter with them but they did not help us… Controlling floods is the responsibility of the Central govt,” Mamata Banerjee said.

West Bengal CM accuses Modi govt of killing people, withholding funds

“BJP has two jobs – One is them is to kill people (Thok Do),” she alleged. Mamaya Banerjee also accused the Centre of withholding funds for MNREGA without informing her supporters about the circumstances leading to the decision.

It must be mentioned that the Central govt had invoked Section 27 of the MNREGA Act over the misappropriation of Central govt funds and other irregularities. “If I am lying, then, you tell me. I don’t lie often… I mean I don’t lie at all.” Mamata Banerjee claimed.

She then alleged that the Central government has told her that it will not give funds to West Bengal because it supposedly fights the ruling Trinamool Congress govt in the State.

The West Bengal claimed that CBI officers are supposedly instructed to malign the image of TMC leaders after supposedly finding no evidence of complicity. “Raam ka naam badnam maat karo, Desh ke naam badnam maat karo, agencies se Kuch kaam nahin hona vala,” Banerjee was heard saying.

Honey-trapped Pune DRDO scientist arrested for sharing defence information with a Pakistani woman

OpIndia Staff
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Honey-trapped Pune DRDO scientist arrested for sharing defence information with a Pakistani woman

In an alarming case of honeytrap, Pradeep Kurulkar, a 59-year-old scientist employed at a defence research and development organisation laboratory in Pune, has been arrested on allegations of spying and providing security-sensitive material to a purported female Pakistani intelligence operative. He is charged with violations of the Official Secrets Act (of 1923) sections 3 (spying) and 5 (wrongful transmission of information).

Honey trapping is a strategy in espionage where an agent cultivates a relationship with a civilian in order to exploit their trust or gain access to confidential information.

He had been in touch with the Pakistani operator via voice messaging and video conversations over WhatsApp, according to the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS). The perpetrator was removed from his post two weeks before the arrest. He was remanded in ATS custody till May 9 by the court of special judge S R Navandar.

An employee of the DRDO’s vigilance and security office in Delhi filed a complaint, which led to the arrest late on Wednesday. The accused reportedly provided the Pakistani agent with a picture of a missile and its location as well as some of his personal photographs which were later used to blackmail the man.

Special public prosecutor Vijay Fargade informed, “A DRDO inquiry officer had seized a laptop and two mobile phones belonging to the scientist on February 24, and a forensic analysis of the same confirmed that the scientist shared information with the Pakistani intelligence operative in what appears to be a honeytrap.”

V K Kaushik, a Delhi- based DRDO spokesman refused to speak on the development. The offender was referred to as “one of our leading scientists in developing various launchers, including for missiles” by a senior coworker.

“The (Pakistani) operative roped in a woman who posed as an engineering student from Ambala and approached the scientist for research in engineering equipment. Later, on the pretext of discussing her project, the girl started interacting with him over the phone and sending messages,” revealed a senior ATS official. The Pakistani operative got a woman to befriend the culprit on a social media platform.

The official added that the Pakistani agent was supposed to visit the scientist in New Delhi but never did. “Later, she started blackmailing him with photos and clips of video calls.”

After earning his Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Electrical Engineering from COEP Pune in 1985, Pradeep Kurulkar began working with the DRDO at Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Avadi, in 1988. He was working as Director of the Research & Development Establishment (Engineers), a premier Systems Engineering Laboratory of DRDO.

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