Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR in Kolkata in the alleged Municipality recruitment scam case on the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the Supreme Court of India stayed the High Court order. The apex court also stayed an ongoing ED investigation in the matter for a week, on a petition filed by the West Bengal government challenging the High Court order. The ED unearthed the municipal recruitment during its probe into the teacher recruitment scam.
A Calcutta High Court bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Friday had ordered a CBI probe into the matter after ED said that there were common elements in the municipal and teacher recruitment scams, including common accused persons and common beneficiaries. The ED had said in a report submitted to the court that the agents, including TMC leader Ayan Sheel, involved in the school jobs bribery scam case, were also allegedly involved in the recruitment of clerks, peons, sweepers, and drivers in various municipalities in the state.
Ordering CBI probe, the high court judge had also directed the CBI to submit a report on April 28 about the steps taken based on this order. Accordingly, the CBI filed FIR on Tuesday against Ayan Sheel and his company ABS Infozone Pvt Ltd, which was engaged in the printing and evaluation of OMR sheets, for alleged manipulation of the scores of candidates.
However, on Friday the Supreme Court of India stayed the High Court order for CBI probe in the Municipal recruitment scam after a plea was filed by the state govt challenging the HC order. The Supreme Court also stayed the probe by ED and CBI into the matter for a week.
Appearing for the Mamata Banerjee govt, Kapil Sibal said that no notice was issued to the state govt while ordering the CBI probe. On the other hand, the CBI counsel stated that state govt’s counsel was already present at the High Court when the order was issued.
Hearing the arguments, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud stayed the high court order, along with staying the ED and CBI probe in the municipal recruitment scam for one week. The court ordered the state govt to file a review petition at the high court during this period.
The Municipal Recruitment scam was detected by the ED during a search of Ayan Sheel’s Salt Lake house in the teacher recruitment case, where the agency found several documents, some of which were related to recruitments to various posts in around 60 municipalities in West Bengal.
In another related order, Supreme Court also directed the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to reassign the matter concerning the Primary Teachers’ Recruitment Scam in West Bengal to another judge, which is currently heard by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay. The order by the CJI comes after the Supreme Court had objected to Justice Gangopadhyay’s interview with ABP Ahanda where he had talked against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee regarding the teacher recruitment scam. The court had remarked that “judges have no business granting interviews on matters which are pending.”
After receiving the transcript of the interview, the court directed the transfer of the case to a different judge. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta objected to it, saying that judges are being targeted by political leaders against whom judgements are passed. But CJI DY Chandrachud said that order has been issued only because of commenting on an ongoing case in the interview.
The Kerala Story, starring Adah Sharma, is set to be released on May 5 and the trailer of the film is now out. The film is directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s movie. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has cleared the movie with an A certificate and ordered 10 cuts, and the Kerala High Court refused to stay the release of the movie.
‘The Kerala Story’ is a dramatic representation of the heartbreaking and gut-wrenching stories of women from Kerala who were radicalized to join the ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) terrorist ranks. It is notable that many of these women from Kerala joining ISIS were converted to Islam from Hinduism and Christianity with the motive of sending them to the terrorist organization ISIS.
The trailer opens with a picturesque terrain of Kerala and establishes Shalini Unnikrishnan – the lead character played by Adah Sharma. The trailer subsequently details Shalini’s Hindu family through visuals before revealing that officers interrogated her because she worked as an ISIS terrorist. Shalini tells the officers, “Rather than knowing when I joined ISIS, it’s more important to know why and how I joined ISIS, Sir.”
And then the trailer shows how innocent Hindu girls are systematically trapped into love jihad and converted to Islam.
The character of ‘Shalini Unnikrishnan’ in The Kerala Story is loosely based on Nimisha alias Fathima Isa
The character ‘Shalini Unnikrishnan’ in The Kerala Story is loosely based on the life of Nimisha alias Fathima Isa, one of the four women from Kerala who fled to Afghanistan, between 2016 and 2018, to join the terror outfit ISIS and wage war against the US forces in ISIS-controlled Khorasan Province.
The three others who fled along with Nimisha alias Fathima were identified as Sonia Sebastian alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam and Raffaela, known as ISIS brides. Nimisha is currently lodged in an Afghanistan prison after her husband, an ISIS terrorist, was killed in an attack.
Her real name is Nimisha Sampath. She was a Hindu and later embraced Islam. She also changed her name to Fathima Isa.
In November 2015, Nimisha, a BDS student, went missing from her college in Kasaragod with Rehman, and 19 others from Kerala before reaching an ISIS-controlled territory in Afghanistan. Nimisha and Merrin left Kerala for Afganistan with their husbands, Bexin Vincent and Bestin Vincent.
While Nimisha and Merrin became Fathima and Mariyam and after converting to Islam, their husbands also took the names Isha and Yahya after converting. In June-July of 2016, Nimisha gave birth to a girl named Ummu Kulusu. Reportedly, Nimisha was pregnant when she left India.
Nimisha alias Fathima got radicalized by an ISIS frontman in Kerala Abdul Rashid. In May 2016, she left India after telling her famly that she is travelling to Sri Lanka for religious studies. But she along with her husband and others went to Syria to join the Islamic State. From Syria they moved to Afghanistan after some time. In August 2016, NIA registered an FIR and issued red corner notices against the 21 persons.
Following the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a group of 10 women and 21 children (including Nimisha and Ummu Kulusu) surrendered before Afghan authorities in October 2019. They surrendered after their husbands were killed in the fight with the forces there, after which they were put in jail. After that it became known that some Indans who had joined ISIS were lodged in an Afghan jail.
Nimisha alias Fathima, her husband Bexin and their children were spotted in a photograph from Afghanaistan in 2019, and they were identified by Nimisha’s family. They were identified from the photographs provided by the NIA officials as part of the verification. Bexin’s family also confrmed the identity.
The family had earlier alleged that it was a case of love jihad as the girl was converted. “My children were religious and patriotic. My son wanted to be a military officer and daughter chose to be a dentist,” Nimisha’s brother Bindu had said. She had also said that Fathima was also forcibly subjected to abortion by Syed Rahman.
Bindu Sampath had said that her daughter was was “brainwashed” at a coaching centre in Thiruvananthapuram by terrorists and a doctor. She also said that Nimisha didn’t know that her husband was a ISIS terrorist.
In Kerala, Fathima’s mother Bindu K filed a petition seeking the repatriation of her daughter and four-year-old granddaughter. Bindu alleged that her daughter was a victim of targeted conversion to Islam through marriage or, ‘Love Jihad’. Bindu also moved the Supreme Court seeking a probe by a central agency into the religious conversions by extremist groups.
The Indian investigation agencies interviewed the four women living with children in Kabul. During the interview with the women, the investigation agencies found out that they have a strong stance in favour of Islamic terrorism.
Govt of India had declined to facilitate return of four Kerala women who had joined ISIS
The government of India had earlier announced that it would not allow the return of four Kerala women who had joined ISIS namely Sonia alias Ayisha, Merrin Jacob alias Mariyam, Nimisha alias Fathima, and another woman named Raffaela.
Soon after, Bindu Sampath, the mother of ISIS terrorist Nimisha Fathima urged the Indian government to bring her daughter back from Afghanistan. She had reportedly said, “I’ve heard that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very kind-hearted person. I have full faith in him.”
Bindu lamented that she had not received any communication from the Indian government so far. “But I am very positive because there will be other views also in the government. I am banking on that. I believe in God. I am sure that God will create a situation for her return,” she had opined.
Notably, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, jails were broken and many former prisoners were set free. Since the Taliban are running the country and it is not formally recognised by most governments in the world, there is no status update on former prisoners of the erstwhile government of Afghanistan. Indian citizens residing in Afghanistan legally with valid documents were evacuated by special flights arranged by the Indian government.
Reportedly, Nimisha Fathima and her daughter were among the hundreds of prisoners released by the Taliban, and the Taliban authorities had offered to deport them to India, along with other Indians. But the Indian govt decided not to bring them back.
From radicalization to forced conversion to ISIS connection, there is an obvious resemblance in the life journeys of Shalini Unnikrishnan, the lead character played by Adah Sharma in the upcoming Bollywood film The Kerala Story, and Nimisha Sampath alias Fathima Isa. In the trailer, the character named Shalini Unnikrishnan says that there were 32,000 women like her who joined ISIS and have now landed in Afghanistan jail.
‘The Kerala Story’ narrates the pain of such converted Muslim women from Kerala who were sent to ISIS as terrorists only to get buried in the deserts of Yemen and Syria. A dreaded game of converting a normal girl to an ISIS terrorist is being played in Kerala for the last few years. Increasing radicalization in the southern state because of the activities of Islamist organizations like the Popular Front of India and its other allied outfits is responsible for this trafficking of girls to the gulf.
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, also known as Veer Savarkar, is known an Indian nationalist and political leader who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement. However, over the last 75-80 years, the Congress party has left no stone unturned to present him as a controversial and polarizing figure in Indian politics only because of his association with Hindutva ideology and crystal clear views on certain topics.
Vilification of Veer Savarkar for mercy petitions
Especially, former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has often criticized Vinayak Damodar Savarkar for submitting mercy petitions while he was imprisoned in the Andaman Cellular Jail. Rahul Gandhi and other Congres members have accused Veer Savarkar of betraying the Indian freedom struggle by seeking clemency from the British authorities and giving up his fight for independence. Both these lines of criticisms of Savarkar by Rahul Gandhi and his fellow Congressmen stoked controversies as they attempted to vilify the nationalist hero.
It is notable that Veer Savarkar was one of the most learned prisoners in Andaman as opposed to other prisoners. Many of them would approach Savarkar for writing mercy petitions. Uneducated prisoners would call him ‘Bada Babu’. Savarkar’s elder brother Ganesh Savarkar was also imprisoned there. Savarkar was jailed with a sentence of 50 years and hence he also looked at mercy petitions as a way to get out of prison and fetch some ways to involve in public life to contribute to society in whatever way he could rather than withholding his potential in the jail.
Cellular Jail was not a luxurious jail as MK Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru often used to enjoy staying at. Looking at the hardships of other Indian prisoners there, Savarkar has also said in his mercy petitions that he would be as satisfied as his own release if his fellow Indians in Andaman are released by the British rulers and he is not spared. Veer Savarkar sought the freedom of every other political prisoner in Cellular Jail in exchange for his own continued incarceration.
Vilification of Savarkar over MK Gandhi’s murder
Besides, Veer Savarkar was accused of being involved in the assassination of MK Gandhi in 1948. He was arrested and tried for the murder but was ultimately found not guilty and acquitted due to lack of evidence. Despite the acquittal, many Congressmen and Congress sympathizing liberals continue to believe that Savarkar was involved in the assassination. It is only because of his association with Hindu nationalist organizations and the Hindutva ideology.
Savarkar’s ideological differences with Gandhi and his opposition to the Indian National Congress are often cited as potential motives for his involvement in the assassination. However, it is important to note that Savarkar was acquitted of the charges and there is no evidence of any sort linking him to the murder.
It is only because of the ideological differences that Congress and its ecosystem have systematically vilified Veer Savarkar over the last 75-80 years. This systematic vilification is not a new thing and it started much before MK Gandhi’s murder. However, it attained a visible violent form when Congressmen attacked his house ‘Savarkar Sadan’ in the Dadar area of Mumbai immediately after the murder of the so-called greatest preacher of non-violence.
Congress members led a violent attack on the ‘Savarkar Sadan’ after MK Gandhi’s murder
M K Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Vinayak Godse on January 30, 1948, in Delhi. The news sent shock waves across the country. Nathuram Godse belonged to an orthodox Chitpavan Brahmin family living in Pune. As soon as the family and caste details of Godse were made public, violence abruptly outpoured in major cities of Maharashtra. Congress party workers unleashed violence against Brahmins in Maharashtra. As Nathuram Godse was a Chitpavan Brahmin, the Congressmen attacked Chitpavan Brahmins first and then all sub-groups of Brahmins across Maharashtra. Savarkar was both – an ideological opponent as well as a Chitpavan Brahmin.
Savarkar’s vilification was done so strongly by the ‘non-violent’ followers of MK Gandhi – even before independence – that seldom do people revisit the fact that the first major lynching incident of independent India has been executed by the same Congressmen at the ‘Savarkar Sadan’. The victim of this incident is none other than Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar – the younger brother of Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar who mainstreamed the term Hindutva in the Indian polity. Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar was attacked by Congressmen in Mumbai. He never recovered from a head injury he received in this attack and succumbed to it 20 months after this attack.
At that time, the media disregarded the events that were taking place and state authorities exerted pressure to prevent any documentation of these occurrences, resulting in a lack of resources available today. However, British journalist Maureen Patterson’s investigation into the aftermath of Gandhi’s death in India shed light on the violence against Brahmins in Maharashtra in 1948, which had previously been overlooked. This spurred discussion and brought attention to the issue. OpIndia has gone through the documentary evidence of this heinous act of Congress workers.
Brutal attack on Dr Narayan Savarkar
Dr Narayan Savarkar’s lynching is documented in Patterson’s work “The Shifting Fortunes of Chitpavan Brahmins: The Focus on 1948”, published in D.W. Atwood et al. (eds.), “City. Countryside and Society in Maharashtra”. We, for the sake of this article, call it source 1. Besides, enough details regarding the attack on the ‘Savarkar Sadan’ are also documented in the ‘Digitized Private Papers of Sardar Patel: Letters and Newspaper Articles’ in the National Archives of India New Delhi. Let this be called source 2. Both sources are also cited in the second part of historian Vikram Sampath’s recent two-volume biography of Veer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.
Source 2 says, as quoted by Vikram Sampath, “Savarkar’s house in Dadar became the next target of mob anger. A crowd of 500 to 1,000 people gathered outside his house shouted slogans and pelted stones. As noted in a news report, Savarkar’s books, pictures and photographs were scattered everywhere on the road. Then people set it all ablaze. In many places, Savarkar’s photographs were first vandalised and then burnt.”
Vikram Sampath, on page number 420 and 421 of his book “Savarkar: A Contested Legacy”, further says, “Many people entered the ground floor area where Bhide Guruji, Savarkar’s former secretary and editor of the English weekly ‘Free Hindusthan’, lived. Savarkar was resting in his room on the first floor. The presence of mind of his colleagues Bal Savarkar and Bhaskar Shinde saved Savarkar’s life, as well as his wife Yamuna and son Vishwas. The previous night, 10 members of Savarkar’s family, including his bodyguard Appa Kasar and his personal secretary Gajanan Damle, were detained by the Mumbai Police.” Notably, there is no specific mention of Bhaskar Shinde – a non-Brahmin – getting attacked by Congressmen during this scuffle.
After this, Vikram Sampath quotes source 1 to describe the attack on Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar. It says, “Congress supporters got angry and gathered around Veer Savarkar’s house, but police intervention prevented him from physical injury. However, the police did not pay attention in time to prevent the attack on his brother, who lived next door.”
The details of the attack are horrific. Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar was dragged out, he was hit with stones and bricks so much that he fell in a pool of blood. He had suffered a serious head injury, was rushed to a hospital and his family was rushed to a safe place. Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar was physically assaulted in the aftermath of the Gandhi murder. He never fully recovered and died on 19 October 1949.
Massacre of Brahmins in Maharashtra after MK Gandhi’s murder
The outbreak of violence against Brahmins began in Pune, where as many as 50 Brahmins were identified and killed on January 30th, 1948. This wave of violence quickly spread to other cities in southern and western Maharashtra, with Nagpur in Vidarbha becoming a focal point for unrest. While the initial attacks were targeted at individuals with the surname ‘Godse’, the caste-based fury soon extended to all sub-castes of Brahmins, including the Deshastha and Karhade communities in Maharashtra. The violence was not limited to Chitpavan (Konkanastha) Brahmins alone.
The root cause of the violence was the assassination of Gandhi by a group of Hindu-nationalist men from the Brahmin community. Their motives were linked to Gandhi’s policies on partition, and not related to either Godse’s caste or his ideology. Despite this, the consequences of the assassination were borne disproportionately by Hindu nationalists and Brahmins including the Savarkar family. The tragic and senseless act of violence had far-reaching repercussions, affecting innocent individuals and communities beyond those directly involved in the assassination.
Ironically, the advocates of the ideology of “absolute non-violence” – followers of Gandhi – were involved in one of the earliest hate crimes in independent India. The incident of violence against Brahmins in Maharashtra was a dark stain on the legacy of Mohandas Gandhi as a proponent of peace and non-violence. The fact that such an act was perpetrated by those who espoused his teachings was a tragic contradiction. The violence of Congressmen thus caused Dr Narayan Damodar Savarkar’s death making him the first noted victim of mob lynching in India.
Days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was exposed for spending around Rs 45 crores on ‘renovation’ of his residence at Flagstaff road, Civil Lines area in Delhi, it has come to fore that the Kejriwal not only wants an expensive bungalow but also wants an expansive one. The Chief Minister of Delhi has decided to expand his present residence which is spread in 4.7 acres to 7.3 acres and the government has also issued eviction notices issued to the government officials including IAS officials and judges in the 2.6 acres of land located on the Rajpur road and Flagstaff road in Delhi, next to the existing CM’s residence.
According to the reports, the government has occupied 2 bungalows and 8 flats built next to the Chief Minister’s residence and is planning to merge the said properties into the CM’s residence. Reportedly, the decision regarding this expansion was taken in the Cabinet on July 28, 2021 and the notices were immediately issued to the residents of 2 bungalows and 8 flats to vacate the properties in August 2021.
The bungalows which have been vacated for building a CM complex, are situated on Flagstaff Road and the flats which are vacated are on Rajpur Road. According to a Times Now report, the construction of the expansion project has already begun and the government officials residing in the 2 bungalows and 8 flats have been shifted to other locations.
Times Now has accessed eviction notices served to IAS officers & judges residing in 2 bungalows & 8 flats which were reportedly being razed to turn the CM mansion into a Chief Ministerial complex: @DEKAMEGHNA explains details of #AAP's plans@aakaaankshapic.twitter.com/Kk2ToEmm09
The flats were allotted to KS Sherawat, now shifted to CWG Games Village, IAS officer Neha Bansal, now shifted to Court lane, Gurdeep Singh, now shifted to 17/6 Rajpur Road, Charu Agarwal, now shifted to 33/25 Rajpur Road, Vinod Kumar, now shifted to CWG Games Village and Ramesh Kumar, now shifted to CWG Games Village. Two flats were unoccupied when the eviction notice was issued. The flats with numbers 45/1 through 45/8 were given notices to leave.
Apart from the 8 flats, notices were also issued to vacate 2 bungalows on Flagstaff road, 8-A and 8-B. The occupant of 8-A has already shifted to another place.
According to the plan, the massive residential complex will come on a triangular plot surrounded by Flagstaff road, Rajpur Road and a lane connecting the two roads.
The projected larger Chief Ministerial Complex will include facilities like badminton court, sports area, swimming pool and garden among others. Recently, it was exposed how Delhi CM spent Rs 45 crores of taxpayers money to ‘renovate’ his residence. Kejriwal selected a curtain design costing Rs 7,94,000 per piece for his residence and ordered 23 such curtain pieces. He also ordered ‘Deor Pearl Marble’, known for its superior quality for Rs 3.30 crores. The said amount was used to buy the marble and polish it. Additionally, Rs 21,60,000 was spent on the chemical adhesive used to fix the marble.
Further, the Chief Minister ordered 6 hand-crafted wool carpets for a total of Rs 20 lakhs. Rs 63 lakhs were spent on renovating two kitchens and Rs 4 crores were spent on wall paneling. Additionally, another Rs 40 lakhs were spent on redoing the wardrobes and dressers in his room, his parents, and also the bedrooms of his two children.
Delhi CM spent an additional Rs 1 lakh each for 24 decorated pillars installed in his house. Further, he is also said to have spent Rs 88 lakhs for smart lighting along with Rs 2.16 crores for artistic, and ornamental work and Rs 41 lakhs for superior wooden doors and automatic sliding glass doors.
Rs 88 lakhs of smart lighting, along with Rs 2.16 crores of artistic, ornamental work & Rs 41 lakhs of superior wooden doors & automatic sliding glass doors- Here's all you can find inside CM's residence.@PadmajaJoshipic.twitter.com/ird8qiR1ot
It is worth noting that last year, the Delhi CM also used several crores of taxpayer’s money to construct a swimming pool inside his residence. It was also said that Kejriwal had got the pool modelled as per the standards of luxury Maldives hotels.
The renovation work undertaken at the Delhi CM’s home has been criticised by the BJP. The opposition party in Delhi stated that when Delhi was struggling with Covid, CM of Delhi was spending crores on getting his house renovated. The BJP also demanded Delhi CM’s resignation over this issue.
Further, the Congress also attacked the AAP saying that despite naming his party ‘Aam Aadmi Party’ (common man’s party) and making these pledges, Kejriwal spent a fortune on his bungalow when the people of Delhi were desperately seeking oxygen cylinders during the Covid pandemic.
Hitting back at the criticisms, the AAP responded by saying that the amount spent on renovation had to be seen in the context of the amount spent by other governments on similar projects. Also, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh claimed that Delhi CM’s official residence was built in 1942 and the roof had collapsed thrice. “Following the roof collapse incidents, the Public Works Department (PWD) suggested a new house be built and this was done,” he said.
The AAP also blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘wasting’ taxpayer’s money. “The estimate for the new Prime Minister’s sprawling house alone is Rs 467 crore, while the actual cost of the Central Vista project is estimated to be Rs 20,000 crore. Further, the renovation cost of the PM’s 7 RCR residence was three times the estimate. Just renovation was carried out at a whopping Rs 89 crore against an estimated cost of Rs 27 crore,” the party had said in its statement.
However, now it has come to the fore that the Chief Minister is planning to expand his residence into a huge massive CM’s residential complex by acquiring 2 bungalows and 8 flats in the nearby vicinity.
In Uttar Pradesh, body elections are scheduled for next month (UP Nikay Chunav 2023), and political parties are hard at work preparing for it. Amidst this, a letter that has surfaced on social media, allegedly signed by Ali Ahmed, wherein an appeal has been made to all members of the Muslim community in the state to stand united and not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the upcoming body elections, reported AmarUjala.
Ali Ahmed is the son of the deceased mafia don Atiq Ahmed and is currently lodged in Naini Jail in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
In the letter, Ali Ahmed purportedly accused Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav of being just as complicit in the plot to assassinate his father Atiq Ahmed and uncle Ashraf Ahmed as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
SS of the letter written in the name of Ali Ahmed going viral on social media (SOurce: Republic TV)
“My father, uncle Ashraf, and brother Asad were all encountered and now an attempt is being made to kill us as well. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is as much a party to the conspiracy hatched to kill my father, uncle and brother as is BJP leader and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. I urge all my Muslim brothers to band together and neither vote for BJP nor the Samajwadi Party in the upcoming local body polls,” read the letter.
The letter further claimed that the Uttar Pradesh police are now on the lookout to encounter Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Praveen.
It is pertinent to note here that the 51-year-old Shaista Parveen, the wife of mafia politician Atiq Ahmad who was shot dead in police custody, is now on the most-wanted list of the UP Police. Uttar Pradesh police have shifted their focus to tracing slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s absconding wife Shaista Parveen, who has not yet surrendered. She had not even turned up for the burials of her son or those of her husband and brother-in-law. A reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced for any information about her.
In Shaista’s name, there are four cases registered in Prayagraj since 2009 — three cheating and one murder. The first three cases filed at Colonelganj police station date back to 2009 and were registered under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security or will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document) besides section 30 (contravention of licence or rule) of the Arms Act. The murder case is of Umesh Pal.
Meanwhile, the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh is building houses for the poor on the land seized from the mafia in the state. It has been started with the land in Prayagraj vacated from the possession of the deceased mafia Atiq Ahmed.
Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead from point-blank range in Prayagraj on the night of April 15, 2023. The assassins were identified as Lavlesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny.
Atiq’s son Asad Ahmed and aide Ghulam were also neutralised in an encounter operation by the Uttar Pradesh Police.
A day after 10 District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and their driver were killed in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, a preliminary analysis by the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) has revealed that Maoists allegedly received signals about the presence of uniformed jawans when some locals stopped the vehicle just 100 metres from the IED point and requested donations for the Aamaa festival.
A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered in a search operation conducted by security forces after at least ten police personnel and a driver were killed in a blast carried out by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Source: PTI)
Another truck in the convoy, carrying two Maoists who had been arrested, successfully passed through the same location minutes prior to the explosion which occurred on the Aranpur road on Wednesday between 1 and 1.30 pm, around 50 kilometres from the district administrative centre.
The incidents that led up to Wednesday’s attack began on April 18, when Maoists opened fire on the convoy of Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi from the Bijapur district. He was travelling back to the city from a visit to a village in the Gangaloor tehsil when the assault was carried out on the Gangaloor-Padeda road.
“Investigation has revealed that the weapon of the assailant got jammed when they attacked the lawmaker. His driver in the meantime managed to speed away from the spot,” a source unveiled.
Following this incident, a special operation was launched and DRG personnel travelled to Aranpur in hired civil vehicles from their headquarters in Dantewada town. “After reaching Aranpur police station on April 24, they parked their vehicles for 48 hours and got on with the operation,” the source disclosed.
The team sprang into action after learning of the presence of armed Maoists close to Aranpur, informed an officer. “On Wednesday morning, there was an exchange of fire between the patrolling team and the Maoists near Nahadi village, around 7 km from Aranpur, following which two suspected Maoists suffered gunshot wounds. They were rounded up and were being brought back to the district headquarters in a convoy,” the source revealed.
A Central intelligence officer asserted that according to protocol, security personnel could only advance in an operation after receiving precise intelligence inputs and sanitising the route. In order to ensure that the convoy is not in danger, security services may enlist the aid of Road Opening Party (ROP).
“When they (DRG personnel) were returning, there was no ROP in place and the first vehicle, in which the two suspected Maoists were travelling, crossed the first (IED) point. The second vehicle (a private van) was stopped by the locals on the pretext of asking for some donation for the Aamaa festival,” a source revealed, mentioning the preliminary assessment report, which was handed over to senior officials on Thursday.
The fact that the driver, Dhaniram Yadav, had halted the car approximately 100 metres before the IED location also became apparent during the early investigation. It was also discovered that the explosive device was planted a day or two prior to the attack.
“There is a strong possibility that the locals signalled the Maoists that the DRG jawans were present and they were also carrying weapons. As soon as the van reached the point, the blast occurred and the vehicle flew some 50 metres,” the source remarked.
The source added, “Minutes after the Maoists set off the IED, they ran towards the van and tried to snatch the weapons. The DRG jawans in the next vehicle opened fire and the Maoists escaped from the spot.”
The officials have also noted that this incident is a recurrence of the 2021 Bukintor ambush, in which an IED explosion between Camp Kadenar and Kanhargaon resulted in the deaths of five jawans and the injuries of 13 more.
In Rajasthan’s Udaipur, a case has been registered against a Muslim man for allegedly raping and forcing a Hindu woman to convert to Islam and have Nikah with him. The 57-year-old accused who has been identified as Ajmal Khan is village development officer in Mewar ka Math Gram Panchayat in Kotra village and is already married twice.
Reportedly, the issue pertains to the Savina police station precinct in Udaipur. In her complaint submitted to the police, the 38-year-old victim stated that the accused held her hostage after intoxicating her. Following this, accused Ajmal Khan raped the victim and filmed it. He then used the video clip to blackmail and threaten the victim.
The victim has alleged that Ajmal Khan threatened her that if she refuses to comply with his demands, he will abduct her 8-year-old daughter and sell her off in a neighbouring state. Amidst persistent threats and blackmailing, the accused coerced the victim into converting to Islam and marrying him on December 17, 2021. Following this, Ajmal Khan not only changed the victim and her daughter’s name but also removed the idols and images of Hindu deities from her house. After their marriage, the accused Ajmal often used to beat the victim mercilessly.
The victim also claimed that the accused had told her that he is unmarried, however, she later got to know the truth. On April 2, the victim got to know that the accused has moved to his first wife’s house. Following this, the victim went there to confront the accused, however, Ajmal Khan brutally assaulted her. The victim suffered severe injuries on her eyes and hand.
After this incident, the victim decided to lodge a complaint against Ajmal Khan at the Savina police station. It’s interesting to note that the accused Ajmal Khan also filed a case against the victim under Section 420. Meanwhile, the police said that they are verifying the claims of both the complainants, and necessary action will be taken thereafter.
On 28th April 2023, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a plea seeking pan-India guidelines to control violence during Ram Navami processions. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Aravind Kumar dismissed this plea represented by advocate Vishal Tiwari.
BREAKING: #SupremeCourt DISMISSES plea seeking all-India guidelines to control violence during Ram Navami processions.
Justice Khanna: “Let us not make this such a big issue. We cannot get into legislation.”
Ram Navami or the birth anniversary of Lord Rama is an auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. However, like every year, Hindus came under attack when they celebrated one of their most revered festival on March 30 this year. Noticing the attacks becoming a pattern, a plea was filed in the Supreme Court to request an all-India guideline to control violence during the Hindu festival.
The court, reacting to this plea, said, “Let us not make this such a big issue. We cannot get into legislation. You withdraw.” Advocate Vishal Tiwari said, “Every year it happens. It is a pattern. Let me file representation then.”
Supreme Court hearing plea seeking all-India guidelines to control violence during Ram Navami processions.
— Bar & Bench – Live Threads (@lawbarandbench) April 28, 2023
The court said in its order, “Petition is dismissed as withdrawn, with liberty to file appropriate representations. We make it clear that we have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the same.”
Adv Vishal Tiwari: Every year it happens. It is a pattern. Let me file representation then.
Order: Petiton is dismissed as withdrawn, with liberty to file appropriate representations. We make it clear that we have not expressed any opinion on the merits of the same.
— Bar & Bench – Live Threads (@lawbarandbench) April 28, 2023
This is the second time apex court dismissed a Hindu plea regarding Ram Navami violence
Earlier on Monday, April 17, the Supreme Court refused to hear petitions seeking the registration of FIRs in recent incidents of violence witnessed during Ram Navami processions in different parts of the country.
The petition was filed by Hindu Front for Justice (Trust), through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain. Alleging that disturbances and violent acts are committed by members of the Muslim community every year during Ram Navami processions across the country, the plea sought the filing of FIRs in the violent incidents that took place during this year’s Ram Navami celebrations in various parts of the country.
Rejecting the plea, the apex court asked the petitioner to approach the high courts of the respective states where the incidents were reported.
Ram Navami violence
There were reports of stone-pelting and violence in many cities of the country. One person was killed in West Bengal and one in Maharashtra in these violent incidents. Apart from this, there have also been reports of stones pelting on the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, a fact-finding team, probing the violence that had erupted in West Bengal this year during Ram Navami Shobha Yatra, had alleged that the “riots were pre-planned, orchestrated and instigated.” It said that the West Bengal Police allowed the violence to go on during a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra in the Hooghly district. The Calcutta HC also observed that the violence in West Bengal was prima facie ‘pre-planned.’
OpIndia recently documented the current status of each such case. While we provided a summary of the incidents of violence, we also included the action taken by the police and their statements of the incidents, and in many cases, we also documented the versions of those Hindus who were victims of the hate crime.
A mob on Thursday night vandalised and torched the event venue in Churachandpur district in Manipur, which was to be attended by Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Friday. The incident happened in New Lamka in the Churachandpur district, where he was scheduled to inaugurate a gym-cum-sports facility today. He was also scheduled to address a meeting at the venue.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF), which has been protesting the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government’s survey of reserved and protected forests and wetlands, reportedly led the violence. The tribal forum has also alleged that the state administration has destroyed churches.
The Manipur govt is conducting a land survey at Khoupum Reserve Forest, which is being opposed by several organisations. The organisations objected to the survey alleging that it is being done without the consent of the village chief and the concerned village authorities. However, the govt has decided to go ahead with the survey after holding a ‘fruitful’ meeting with village chiefs in the area.
It is notable that earlier this month, three unauthorised churches were demolished by the state government in Imphal East district. According to the govt, these three churches were built at government-owned land at Tribal Colony in Imphal. The three churches, Catholic Holy Spirit Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church and Evangelical Baptist Convention Church, were demolished amid heavy security after Manipur high court termed them illegal as they were constructed without govt approval.
Following the violence, internet access has been momentarily suspended, and Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is implemented in the area.
The decision was taken following a report by the police citing the ‘likelihood of breach of peace, disturbance to public tranquillity and grave danger to human lives and properties in the district,’ Additional Deputy Commissioner, Churachandpur district, S Thienlatjoy Gangte, stated in the order issued on Thursday.
“Some unruly mobs and anti-social elements have damaged the newly constructed open gym at PT Sports Complex, New Lamka which is scheduled for inauguration by Chief Minister, Manipur on 28/04/2023 and also vandalized the venue for public meeting at Sadhbhav Mandap,” the official statement read.
“In addition, it is also learnt that a total shutdown in Churachandpur district has been called by Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Form (ITLF) from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm of 28/04/2023 and that there is likelihood of mobilisation of the public for protest through social media and networking sites which could lead to escalation of public unrest and unlawful activities in Churachandpur district,” it further informed.
“It is, therefore, requested to kindly consider curbing/suspension of internet/mobile data in Churachandpur district with immediate effect and until the situation improves,” the notice added.
The newly installed open gymnasium at the PT Sports establishment in New Lamka was partially set on fire by the infuriated throng. The enraged crowd was observed destroying furniture within the facility, including seats, and setting fire to sports equipment inside the property.
The gathering was promptly dispersed by local police, but the structure had already suffered damage from hundreds of flaming chairs. The local authorities increased security in the region as the situation became out of control, but the tension has not abated.
The administration, however, has not yet confirmed whether the programme has been cancelled or not.
Meanwhile, ITLF has called for an eight-hour shutdown in the Churachandpur district on Friday from 8 a.m. to protest the state government’s eviction drive from the protected and reserve forests.
The forum called for an eight-hour walkout in the district beginning at 8 am and remarked that it had been forced to carry out a non-cooperation campaign against the government in order to impede its projects. “The government has shown no sign of willingness or sincerity in addressing the plight of the people,” they alleged.
They have also received support from the Kuki Students’ Organisation, which has accused the state of exhibiting a stepmotherly attitude towards the indigenous people of the state.
Three churches in the state were apparently destroyed earlier this month after the Manipur government proclaimed that they were built unlawfully.
On Thursday, April 27, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK), an iconic comics publisher known for its religious and historical comics and graphic novels, published a Facebook post about controversial ultra-left-wing propagandist Arundhati Roy.
The Facebook post by The Amar Chitra Katha Studio talked about Roy’s life and career as an author and screenplay writer. “Born in Shillong in 1961, Arundhati Roy is an architect, screenplay writer, and author. Her first novel, The God of Small Things, became a global phenomenon, winning the Booker Prize in 1997. Apart from her work in fiction, she has authored non-fictional books and essays, about various political and social causes. Her work in screenplay writing has also been appreciated, with her first screenplay winning the National Film Award,” the Facebook post read. The said facebook post has now been deleted by ACK Studio.
Screenshot of Amar Chitra Katha’s now-deleted Facebook Post on Arundhati Roy
OpIndia checked the website of Amar Chitra Katha to find more on what the ACK opines about Arundhati Roy, in our search we found Roy’s author profile (archive) on ACK’s website written by one Mrinalini Manda. The author’s profile describes how Arundhati Roy is opposed to US foreign policy and India’s nuclear weapons policy, economic growth, and industrialization. It further mentions that Roy had campaigned alongside another ‘activist’ Medha Patkar during the Narmada Bachao Andolan.
It is notable that Medha Patkar had made it difficult for the state government to complete the Sardar Sarovar Dam project. It was only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge at the centre that the blockades in the Sardar Sarovar Dam project were cleared.
Interestingly, while Anant Pai’s Amar Chita Katha is accredited with revolutionalizing Hindu religious education, particularly for children, Arundhati Roy is often in controversy for her anti-Hindu comments as well as for peddling fake news.
Here are some instances when Arundhati Roy created and peddled fake news.
In 2002, Roy wrote a story for Outlook wherein she claimed that a friend of her friend named Sayeed was caught by a mob, her stomach ripped open and stuffed with burning rags, and an ‘Om’ symbol engraved on her forehead after she died. However, when Balbir Punj, a BJP MP back then decided to follow up on the case and ensure justice for the victim, Roy blatantly refused to cooperate and made excuses like the police had no power to summon her.
‘Who knows who set the train carrying 59 Karsevaks on fire’: Arundhati Roy lied before a foreign audience
In 2013, Arundhati Roy while speaking at Northwestern Law School in Chicago said that a train full of pilgrims returning from the destruction of the disputed Babri mosque in Ayodhya ‘caught’ fire adding that no one knows who set the train ablaze.
“A train full of pilgrims coming back from the destruction of this Ayodhya mosque which was disputed. The train caught fire; nobody knows who set fire to the train,” Roy said.
Despite the fact that the Babri structure demolition took place in 1992 and the Godhra train burning incident happened in 2002, moreover, a special court sentenced the accused, many of them to death in 2011, Roy decided to lie since the American audience would not be much informed about events taking place in India.
When Arundhati Roy asked people to lie during NPR
A police complaint was lodged against Roy in 2019 for inciting people against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Population Register (NPR) in her speech at Delhi University. Arundhati Roy asked people to lie during NPR or give fake names such as Ranga-Billa and fake addresses. She also claimed that NPR is nothing but a tactic for collecting data for NRC.
“Now what is NPR? NPR has happened before. In NPR, they will come to your house, they won’t ask you anything, they ask you for your name and phone number. It is a database for NRC,” Roy said back then.
This came despite the fact that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had clarified that neither any documentation is required for NPR nor anyone’s citizenship will be revoked if their name misses out from NPR.
When Arundhati Roy accused RSS of running a ‘deep’ movement to turn India into a Hindu nation
In a 2019 interview with ‘journalist’ Karan Thapar, Roy claimed RSS has initiated a ‘deep’ movement to transform India into a Hindu nation. Referring to the Sabarimala incident, Roy said that the fascist RSS is working towards majoritarian politics, marginalization of the minorities while declaring that Muslims in India are being terrorized. By doing so, Arundathi Roy not only indulges in fake propaganda against the present dispensation as she does not specifically presents any facts to prove her conjectures but also indulges in fear-mongering and Hinduphobia.
When Arundhati Roy vilified Hindus and claimed that the Modi government was using Coronavirus for Muslim genocide
During an interview with DW in 2020, Roy had said that she does not consider COVID-19 a crisis as she does not trust the government-released numbers. Roy went on to claim that the Hindu nationalist government was using Coronavirus to ghettoize and stigmatize Muslims just like how Nazis used Typhus to do the same. Although, she did not furnish any evidence to back her claim. She went on to claim the Modi government is building detention centres for Muslims in India.
When Arundhati Roy peddled lies about PM Cares Fund and India’s Covid vaccination drive
In an article for the British daily The Guardian, Roy peddled several lies and disinformation. She claimed that PM Cares Fund operated like a ‘private trust’ and lacked accountability. Contrary to Roy’s assertions, the PM Cares Fund is a relief assistance fund headed by the Prime Minister and its trustees include Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh, Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, and Minister of Finance, Nirmala Sitharaman in the Government of India. In addition, the PM Cares Fund is independently audited, and its audited statements are publicly available.
Besides she also claimed that the Modi government allowed Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India to roll out the most “expensive vaccines in the world”. Roy, however, did not mention that millions of people were provided free vaccine jabs and that the Indian vaccines were comparatively cheaper than foreign-made Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
When Amar Chitra Katha fired an intern after his anti-Hindu comments sparked outrage
Coming back to Amar Chitra Katha, in March 2021, an anti-Hindu statement by a person named Abu Aman who was an intern at ACK sparked outrage on social media following which the ACK had to issue a statement informing that the intern in question was sacked. Though he was sacked for the breach of contract even before his internship began. Abu Amaan had derided Hindu culture, by mocking the architecture and sculptures of medieval Hindu temples in India.
