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Pakistan: Hindu man Akash Ram, marketing head of BOL News, abducted in Karachi

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Pakistan: Hindu man Akash Ram, marketing head of BOL News, abducted in Karachi

A Hindu man in Pakistan was abducted from outside his residence in Karachi. Akash Ram, the marketing director of Bol News, was kidnapped In the early hours of Tuesday, which was captured on CCTV cameras. He was driven away in a silver car that was frequently spotted in front of the Karachi headquarters of the media organisation.

Akash Ram was abducted along with his security guard and two other servants. The CCTV cameras installed nearby were found to be destroyed.

His mother is seen constantly pleading with police for her son’s safe return in a video that has gone viral online. She revealed that she was sleeping when her younger son informed her about her elder son’s abduction.

The elderly mother added that there is no information regarding his location and pleaded that her son is innocent and she wants him back. “I just want to see my son again, I just want him back, nothing else,” she begged.

She also mentioned her son’s significant contributions to Pakistan and his continuous assistance to the underprivileged people of the state.

Last month, an unidentified motorist gunned down a Sikh businessman, Dayal Singh, who was in his 40s, in Peshawar city of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in broad daylight. The killing was reported a day after a Hindu ophthalmologist Dr Beerbal Genani (62) was murdered in a targeted attack in Karachi.

Hindu shopkeepers in Pakistan’s Punjab region were beaten for ‘violating the Ramzan Ordinance’ by preparing meals for delivery.

The international community and human rights organisations are extremely concerned about the rapidly declining status and the continuously diminishing numbers of minorities, particularly Hindus, in the country.

They are regularly harassed and their women, including minors, are abducted, raped and forcefully converted under the watchful eyes of the Pakistan government. A recent Human Rights fact sheet exposed the appaling situation and the hateful propaganda against minorities, especially Hindus, in the country.

UK: Arif Patel and Mohamed Jaffar Ali found guilty of committing 150 million pounds worth of designer clothing scam

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Arif Patel and Mohamed Jaffar Ali found guilty of committing 150 million pounds worth of designer clothing scam

One of the largest known carousel tax scams in the UK has been orchestrated by Arif Patel and Mohamed Jaffar Ali. Arif Patel, a 55-year-old Preston sock maker, and his criminal group attempted to steal 97 million pounds by claiming VAT reimbursement on bogus exports of textiles and mobile phones. 

Additionally, they imported and marketed fake clothing that, if it had been real, would have cost at least 50 million pounds. Through the use of offshore bank accounts, the money was utilized to purchase real estate in Preston and London.

Arif Patel was found guilty on Tuesday, April 11, of false accounting, a conspiracy to defraud the public revenue, the further sale of counterfeit apparel, and money laundering following a combined investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Lancashire Police.

Co-accused Mohamed Jaffar Ali, 58, of Dubai, was also convicted of money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the Revenue. The verdict was delivered following a 14-week trial at Chester Crown Court. Patel left for Dubai in 2011 and did not come back. He was found guilty on April 11 in his absence.

With the lifting of reporting limitations, it is now possible to publicly declare for the first time that 24 members of the criminal organisation were found guilty in five trials between 2011 and 2014 and sentenced to a combined total of more than 116 years in prison. The gang’s UK assets have also been frozen by HMRC, and legal action is currently being taken to reclaim these cash for the public coffer.

Richard Las, Director of the Fraud Investigation Service confirmed the matter and said, “These guilty verdicts close a significant chapter in one of the biggest tax fraud cases ever investigated by HMRC. For more than a decade HMRC and our partners have worked tirelessly and together to bring this gang to justice. Arif Patel lived a lavish lifestyle at the expense of the law-abiding majority.”

Las added that tax fraud is not devoid of victims, and fraudsters like these two rob the money that NHS and other essential public services rely on. “Our task is not done yet. The gang’s UK assets total more than 78 million pounds, and we have started the process to reclaim all of those criminal gains,” he stated.

Several lieutenants, including professional enablers, were essential to Arif Patel’s criminal organisation throughout the UK. Anil Hindocha, 69, and Yogesh Patel, 66, from Aylesbury, two chartered accountants from a Preston-based firm, were earlier implicated in this case. After being found guilty of fraudulent accounting, conspiring to defraud the public revenue, and money laundering in 2014, Anil Hindocha was sentenced to 12 years and 10 months in prison and Yogesh Patel was sentenced to five years in prison.

Arif Patel left for Dubai in July 2011 and never came back to the UK. He was found guilty on all counts, on April 11, 2023, following his trial at Chester Crown Court while he was not present.

Mohamed Jaffar Ali was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud public revenue and money laundering on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. He participated in the majority of the trial, but on March 27, 2023, he skipped court and a warrant for his arrest was issued. Next month, he will also receive a sentence. Meanwhile, Munaf Umarji Patel and Faisal Patel, brothers of Arif Patel, are still wanted by Lancashire Police.

China using Uyghur Muslim spies to catch others in the community who are violating ban on fasting during Ramzan: report

OpIndia Staff
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China using Uyghur Muslim spies to catch others in the community who are violating ban on fasting during Ramzan: report

Chinese authorities are intensifying their campaign of repression against Uyghur Muslims by employing spies to ensure that they are not fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, according to a report by Radio Free Asia.

The report states that the spies that Chinese officials refer to as ‘ears’ are recruited from regular civilians, police officials, and members of neighbourhood committees, citing a police officer from a region close to Turpan, or Tulufan in Chinese, in the eastern Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

“We have many secret agents,” the police officer told Radio Free Asia. As part of broader attempts to denigrate Uyghur culture, language, and religion, China started arbitrarily imprisoning Uyghurs in ‘re-education’ camps in 2017 and also prohibited them from fasting throughout Ramadan.

In 2021 and 2022, the prohibition was partially removed, allowing those over 65 to fast, and police decreased the frequency of house inspections and patrols of the streets.

However this year, irrespective of age, gender, or occupation, the government has outlawed fasting, according to a political officer at Turpan City Police Station. “No one is allowed to fast in this Ramzan,” which this year takes place from March 22 to April 20.

A policeman from Turpan City Bazaar Police Station found that 54 of the 56 Uyghur locals and former inmates who were called in for questioning during the first week of Ramzan had broken the rule by fasting. He and the other policeman at the station were unwilling to talk about what happened to people they found to have breached the diktat.

Two or three agents from each hamlet have been hired by the police stations in the region to keep an eye on locals who have been released from prison and people who have been imprisoned and interrogated in the past for Ramzan fasting.

The police officer from a neighbourhood close to Turpan remarked, “Our ‘ears’ came from three fields, the regular inhabitants, the police, and the neighbourhood committees.” 

“We hired Uyghurs to monitor other Uyghurs due to linguistic issues,” she explained and added, “70 to 80 Uyghur police officers work directly as ‘ears’ or supervise other civilian ‘ears’ at my place of employment.” One of the local policemen revealed that some communities even had four or five spies.

Authorities claimed to have even infiltrated the police force with spies to monitor whether Uyghur police officers were fasting in observance of Ramzan.

According to the police officer from a region close to Turpan, her station has 286 policemen, most of whom are Uyghurs. Nonetheless, due to the language barrier, her ‘comrades,’ or the Chinese police, found it challenging to spy on the Uyghur population there.

She noted that instead, Uyghur police personnel were sent out into the community to keep a close check on Uyghur citizens, or they were appointed as chiefs of the spy networks. She warned that both individuals who plan to fast and those who have in the past broken the law by doing so would be the subject of an investigation.

She pointed out that surveillance of the elderly and teens were necessary because ‘older people have rigid ideas and will not transform easily,’ and youngsters ‘are easy to confuse’ and vulnerable to the words of adults.

A staff member of the Turpan Prefecture Police Bureau proclaimed that the local government hired spies to monitor the police forces to determine whether Uyghur employees were fasting from dawn to night and then presented the findings at weekly political gatherings.

She shared, “We have our upper-level officers and internal agents watching the behaviour of Uyghur policemen,” including those officers put their Uyghur coworkers to the test by giving them fruit to eat. They haven’t yet found any cops who are fasting, she further said.

In addition to house searches, street patrols, and mosque searches, are also covered under this year’s policy as per a police officer from a station in Turpan City. Chinese officials consider eating before sunrise and having a meal together after sunset to be infractions of the law. Hence, the police on patrol interrogate Uyghur Muslim families to find out if they are doing this.

“When we search the houses, we check if they have carried out illegal religious activities and if there are security threats,” he affirmed. Violators would face legal education for minor offences and jail time for serious ones.

For years, Chinese authorities have imposed harsh restrictions on Uyghur Muslims in the north-western region of Xinjiang. More than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, who are primarily Muslim, have reportedly been interned in camps, according to the UN.

Kajal Hindustani granted bail, to step out of Junagadh jail in Una Ram Navami speech case

OpIndia Staff
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Kajal Hindustani granted bail, to step out of Junagadh jail in Una Ram Navami speech case

Hindu activist Kajal Hindustani is granted bail in the Ram Navami speech case in Una. As per local media reports, she is being released on bond of Rs 50,000. She will step out of Junagadh jail after five days.

On Sunday, April 9, Hindu activist Kajal Hindustani was arrested by Gujarat’s Una police. This came after a case was registered against her for an alleged ‘hate speech’. 

On March 30, the Ram Navami procession (Shobhayatra) was taken out in Una of district Gir Somnath, Gujarat. Following the procession, an event was organized where Hindu activist Kajal Hindustani was one of the speakers. The Dharmasabha took place at Raavanvadi near Trikon Bagh.

During her speech, Kajal raised several issues, including Love Jihad and Land Jihad. The local Muslims deemed her speech controversial and took the entire city hostage. There were reports of stone pelting at various places, and the city was on the edge for two days. In addition to this, the infamous Sar Tan Se Juda slogans were also raised against her. 

During Dharmsabha, Kajal said that if Muslim women marry Hindu men, it would benefit them. After her speech, Muslim leaders filed a complaint against her and demanded action. An FIR was registered against Kajal under Section 295A, 153A, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code.

Umesh Pal murder: Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad and gunman Ghulam killed in police encounter, Atiq cries in court, Pal’s family thanks Yogi for justice

OpIndia Staff
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Umesh Pal murder: Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad and gunman Ghulam killed in police encounter, Atiq cries in court, Pal’s family thanks Yogi for justice

Asad Ahmed, son of gangster turned politician Atiq Ahmed, has been killed in a police encounter at Jhansi. Asad Ahmed was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case. Along with Asad, his associate Ghulam Muhammad has also been killed in the encounter with UP Police STF. Ghulam Muhammad, son of Maksudan, was a gunman who fired shots during the Umesh Pal murder.

As per reports, Asad and Ghulam were constantly moving around to avoid capture by police and had reached Jhansi to meet someone, in preparation for leaving the state. UPSTF received information about the same and launched an operation. They had been tracking the two for 3 days before they were encountered today.

When the STF team approached them around noon today, Asad and Ghulam fired at them. The STF returned fire, resulting in the death of both. Both were carrying bounties of ₹5 lakh after their involvement in the Umesh Pal murder came to light.

The UPSTF team was led by Deputy SP Navendu and Deputy SP Vimal. The police had surrounded them and asked them to surrender. But they chose to fight instead. There is no reports of any injuries to the STF members so far.

Both of them were taken to a hospital after the incident, where the doctors announced them brought dead. Foreign-made firearms were recovered on them.

In the CCTV footage of Umesh Pal’s murder, Asad Pal was seen chasing and attacking Pal with a pistol.

When informed about the development, Umesh Pal’s family said that whatever has happened is good. Shanti Devi, the mother of Umesh said that the Yogi government has done justice in the case by killing Asad Ahmed. “I thank CM Yogi ji for serving justice and I appeal to him to give us justice ahead also. We have full faith in CM,” she said in Prayagraj.

Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed learnt about the encounter when they reached the courts for a hearing. According to reports, they started to cry after hearing the news. Notably, yesterday Atiq Ahmed appealed to the police to spare his family.

Terrorist organisation ‘Sikhs For Justice’ uses Bathinda shooting to push for a separate Khalistan, asks Sikh Indian soldiers to support separatists

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorist organisation ‘Sikhs For Justice’ uses Bathinda shooting to push for a separate Khalistan, asks Sikh Indian soldiers to support separatists

On April 13, the Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice piggybacked on the recent shooting incident at Bathinda Army Station and tried to use that to push the demand for a separate Khalistan.

SFJ piggybacked on Bathinda shooting incident. Source: Twitter

In a 48-second long video, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu said, “Remember, political power comes from the barrel of the gun. There will not be any peace in India unless we liberate Punjab from Indian occupation through the Khalistan referendum.”

Pannu further urged Sikh soldiers in Indian Army to converge on Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sago, on April 14 to support the Khalistan referendum by the terrorist Sikhs for Justice organisation. “There will not be any peace in India unless we create Khalistan and liberate Punjab from Indian occupation,” he repeated. The video is being shared widely by Pakistani handles.

Two masked men wearing kurta-pajamas killed four Army jawans in Bathinda

On April 12, four Indian Army jawans were brutally killed by two assailants possibly using an INSAS rifle that was reported stolen two days before the incident. The hunt for the assailants is still on and the security agencies have refuted the media reports that two persons were detained in the matter. In a statement, Bathinda SP (Investigation) Ajay Gandhi said two persons in civil dress were believed to be behind the shooting.

The jawan who reported the incident saw two unidentified men wearing white kurta-pajama coming out of the barracks after the attack. They were wearing face masks and their heads were covered. As per the jawan, one of them was carrying an INSAS rifle while the other was carrying an axe.

The suspects were of medium height and escaped into a forested area near the barracks. When the army officials rushed to the spot, they found 24-year-old Yogesh Kumar J and 25-year-old Sagar Banne in a pool of blood. Upon checking the other room, they found the bodies of 25-year-old Santosh M Nagaral and 24-year-old Kamalesh R. Two of them were from Karnataka while the other two were from Tamil Nadu.

The FIR in the matter was based on the complaint filed by Army Major Ashutosh Shukla at Bathinda Cantt Police Station under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant Sections of the Arms Act.

The investigation into the matter is underway. The Army is conducting a cordon-and-search operation to nab the assailants. The whole area has been sanitised. CCTV footage is being scanned to find further clues.

The Punjab Police has said in a statement that it was not a terrorist attack but a fratricidal incident. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has been briefed about the incident.

Another soldier dies at Bathinda station

In an unrelated matter, another soldier stationed at the Bathinda station reportedly died of a gunshot wound after his weapon was accidentally fired. He was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to the injuries. The soldier had returned to the station from leave on April 11.

West Bengal: Husband of one of 3 women, who crawled back to TMC from BJP doing ‘Dandavat Parikrama’, admits pressure from local TMC ‘higher-ups’

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West Bengal: Husband of one of 3 women, who crawled back to TMC from BJP doing ‘Dandavat Parikrama’, admits pressure from local TMC ‘higher-ups’

The three tribal women who were seen crawling from the Bharatiya Janata Party to the Trinamool Congress office in Balurghat, West Bengal, as ‘penance’ for joining the BJP have claimed they were never with the party. However, The Indian Express has reported that their ‘Dandavat Parikrama’ was ordered by the local TMC leadership as a ‘demonstration of strength.’

In fact, the TMC leader who is married to one of the victim women acknowledged that the party had been under ‘pressure’ from ‘local higher-ups’ to oppose the BJP’s action. He made no mention of who these ‘higher-ups’ were. Shiuli Mardi, Thakran Soren, and Martina Kisku were the three women who were seen in the viral video doing the ‘Dandavat Parikrama’, crawling to the TMC office as ‘penance’ for joining BJP a day ago.

Rajen, the husband of Shiuli Mardi, said when asked about his wife and the other women being made to crawl, “I have been with the TMC since 2013. The party has taken action against the person who was responsible. I was under tremendous pressure from local higher-ups, I have nothing more to tell you. But I can tell you that neither my wife nor the other two women have ever been with any other party. We are Christians, how will we join the BJP.”

Rajen is a former gram panchayat pradhan and the TMC’s regional vice-president. A temporary police station is only around 20 yards away from their home.

Around 18 miles from Balurghat, the local BJP unit hosted a function on April 6 and stated that over 100 persons, largely women had joined the party.

The three females crawled from the TMC’s Dakshin Dinajpur district headquarters, which Balurghat falls under, to the local BJP office a day later, on Good Friday, rubbing their noses on the ground. According to Pradipta Chakraborty, president of the Trinamool Mahila Congress in the Dakshin Dinajpur district, the women were ‘misled’ into joining the BJP and as ‘penance’ they did the ‘parikrama’ before returning to the TMC.

The incident was recorded on camera, which caused an uproar among the public and prompted Sukanta Majumdar, the state BJP chief, to write to President Droupadi Murmu and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes.

“Martina Kisku, Shiuli Mardi, Thakran Soren and Malati Murmu joined the BJP. They belong to the ST community. Today, TMC goons forced them to return to the ruling party and punished them by asking them to do a Dandavat Parikrama,” he proclaimed.

Pradipta Chakraborty was fired from her position when the video of the three ladies crawling generated controversy. The three tribal women live in Missionpara, 16 km from Balurghat. On Wednesday, Shiuli Mardi (31), Thakran Soren (42), and Martina Kisku (30) noted that they didn’t want to discuss the ‘incident’ anymore. All three of them refused to comment when asked why they performed the ‘parikrama.’

Shiuli Mardi, a mother of one, mentioned, “What happened has happened. Today our party leaders came and talked with us, and consoled us. They said they are with us and will help us. We are okay now. We were, we are and we will be with Trinamool Congress. We never joined the BJP.”

Thakran Soren emphasised that she never joined the BJP and that she ‘took shelter at Rajen’s home after the media started hounding us.’ Her husband is a daily wager, and her son is a mason.

Martina Kisku, who is also a single mother, observed, “I was living in dread after the video went viral, but now I’m OK. I have informed TMC leaders that I have met that my voter card’s address needs to be altered. I receive no perks. They promised to take the necessary action.”

Snehalata Hembram, the new Trinamool Mahila Congress district chairman who has succeeded Pradipta Chakraborty, and Debu Tudu, the sabhapati of the state Adivasi cell of the TMC, were among the politicians who visited the village on Wednesday and spoke with the three women for more than an hour.

“Why are you asking us who made them do it? What happened was wrong. The person who is guilty of the wrongdoing has been immediately removed from all her posts. A tribal lady has been made the district Mahila Trinamool Congress president. Police have also registered a case,” responded Debu Tudu when asked about the instance.

Snehalata Hembram remarked, “What happened was terrible, and the party acted swiftly. I’m now here to watch out for the welfare of these three women as well as all the women in the area.”

Pradipta Chakraborty didn’t respond to any calls or messages seeking her side of the story. When The Indian Express went to her Balurghat residence. They were instructed to wait in a room and subsequently informed that she was not there.

The BJP’s local booth president in Badsankair, which is only a short distance from Missionpara, Swapan Sil, pointed to a little veranda next to his salon where the party’s recruiting session was conducted on Thursday.

“I was there and I helped organise the programme. It was a Mahila Morcha event where over 100 people joined. I have seen the video. Those three women were not present here,” he asserted. Sumati Karmakar, the district vice-president of BJP’s Mahila Morcha, whose house is about 8 km from Missionpara village, also denied knowing the three women.

She affirmed, “I was there when the joining took place. Mostly women and a few men were there. But I did not see these women. Trinamool Congress made their own supporters enact this drama. Since many are joining us, they aim to create such nonsense and mislead tribal people.”

In the meantime, TMC had a counter-program on Wednesday at the Daralhat neighbourhood near Balurghat, where Krishna Kujur, the BJP’s candidate for Tapan in the 2016 Assembly elections, joined the TMC.

“I was the BJP’s Adivasi leader in the district. However, I saw BJP indulging in politics of division in the name of religion. I believe in the development model o Mamata Banerjee and that’s why I have joined TMC with over 100 families,” he voiced.

Jamshedpur police handcuff a Hindu lawyer who went to meet SSP over the recent communal clash, Bar Association lawyers protest arbitrary action

OpIndia Staff
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Jamshedpur police handcuff a Hindu lawyer who went to meet SSP over the recent communal clash, Bar Association lawyers protest arbitrary action

On Wednesday, as many as 1200 lawyers under the banner of the Jamshedpur Bar Association went on strike to protest against the arbitrary action taken by the Jamshedpur police against their fellow lawyer Chandan Choubey on Monday.

Notably, the lawyer in question, Chandan Chowbey, who is also a VHP member, was arrested with seven other VHP leaders namely Anirudh Giri, Chandan Das, Bhola Lohar, Bhim Yadav, Kanhaiya Pandey, Shankar Rao and Rajesh Choubey. Choubey was reportedly handcuffed, like a hardcore criminal, when he was produced in the court before being sent to jail.

The action was taken when they went to the office of SSP Prabhat Kumar to submit a memorandum concerning the arrest made post the violent clashes that occurred on Sunday in Jamshedpur.

According to reports, the police arrested the Hindu activists led by Chandan Choubey from outside the SSP’s office on Monday. Sections of the illegal possession of the Arms and Explosives Act and murder were slapped on them. On Tuesday evening, Chandan Choubey was sent to judicial custody.

The matter came to the notice of fellow lawyers when Chandan Choubey was brought to the Jamshedpur civil court in handcuffs before being sent to jail. Outraged by the police action, several lawyers gathered at the Bar Association. After an emergency meeting, members of the Bar Association resolved to abstain from work in protest of the arbitrary action taken against advocate Chowbey.

Under the law, an accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Handcuffing a person amounts to defiling his/her dignity. The Supreme Court in its directives has made it clear that no person can be handcuffed without recording a reason and a trial court’s order is mandatory.

“The act of submitting a memorandum to the senior SP is not a criminal act. If the police do not ensure the release of the arrested advocate by Wednesday evening, the Jamshedpur Bar Association will be compelled to continue the strike tomorrow, ” declared one of the members of the association.

The agitated lawyers are of the opinion that by putting hand-cuffs while arresting advocate Chowbey, the police have violated the apex court’s ruling and termed it to be a criminal act on the part of the police.

Expressing astonishment at how the police treated Chandan Choubey, who had simply gone to meet the Superintendent of Police with his client, the Jamshedpur Bar Association members demanded that the police officer who handcuffed Choubey must be taken to task. Meanwhile, a delegation led by District Bar Association Ad-hoc Committee President Lala Ajit Kumar Ambasht submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Vijaya Jadhav demanding the suspension of the guilty police officer. 

BJP MLA Saryu Rai has expressed surprise over the highhandedness of the Jamshedpur police working at the behest of the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand.

Notably, Anirudh Giri, who was amongst those arrested, had returned just two days ago after performing his deceased mother’s Shraaddh (death rituals).

The VHP leaders maintained their innocence while being arrested. They requested that the CCTV installed in the SSP office be investigated. Choubey claimed that under the pretence of a meeting, he and his fellow leaders were summoned to the SSP office and arrested. He also said that the police confiscated their cell phones.

It may be recalled that in the aftermath of violent clashes that occurred on Sunday in Jamshedpur, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) alleged that a masked mob came out of an Iftar party to target a temple. The Iftar party has been claimed to be organized by Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

Section 144 has been imposed in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, following the violence and mobile internet services have been temporarily suspended.

Reportedly, a violent mob targeted a temple and engaged in acts of arson and stone pelting against two nearby shops. Additionally, an autorickshaw was set ablaze. The police have detained several individuals, and a significant police presence has been deployed to the area. Some Hindu organizations have accused the administration of taking one-sided action.

According to media reports, the incident is from Shastri Nagar in Jamshedpur. Religious slogans were shouted during the attack on the Hindus. The controversy started on Saturday when a piece of meat was tied to a Hindu religious flag. Hindu organisations protested alleging that the flag was desecrated and demanded strict action against the accused. As soon as the information about the protests of Hindu organisations came, the people on the other side also started mobilising, triggering clashes between the two groups.

Delhi Excise Policy Scam: ED opposes bail of Manish Sisodia, says he planted emails to show public support for the policy

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Excise Policy Scam: ED opposes bail of Manish Sisodia, says he planted emails to show public support for the policy

On Wednesday, April 12, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed the bail of AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case connected to the excise policy. ED said to the Delhi Court that the AAP leader was responsible for manufacturing emails indicating widespread support for the policy.

At the Rouse Avenue district court, ED attorney Zoheb Hossain provided Special Judge MK Nagpal with documents informing him of the updates on the ongoing investigation into Manish Sisodia.

“We have evidence that Sisodia had planted emails. These have been received not only in the official email account of the excise department but even in Sisodia’s personal email account. This is another proof of conspiracy, the content of the email was given by Sisodia which suited his agenda,” Hossain said to the court.

He indicated that Zakir Khan, the head of the Delhi Minorities Commission, had been given instructions to send these pre-written emails. “Zakir Khan then asked his interns to send these emails… Fabricated emails to show public approval for a policy. This is a sham approval,” Hossain told the court.

In his testimony before the court, he said that the excise policy “was made without any discussion” and that it was “contrary to any known prudence”. Hossain told the court that the expert committee’s proposal called for people to apply and receive two retail vends.

According to the ED attorney, this was done to prevent cartelization. The lottery system was meant to make this happen. Hossain informed the court that Sisodia supported the limited entity concept.

In response to claims that the profit margin was boosted to 12% in order to ensure that bribes supplied by the “South Group” could be recouped, Hossain informed the court that there was “not a shred of evidence” supporting the claim. “Conspiracies are hatched in secrecy, all the elements of conspiracy are present. Policy-making cannot be done in secrecy,” Hossain told the jury.

“The new policy was framed, in lieu of kickbacks,” said Hossain adding that if the wholesale business was kept with the government, there was no manner in which the kickbacks could be taken. The attorney stated that Sisodia’s argument that these are policy considerations and the court should not second guess is a complete bogey.

“Policy making does not happen telepathically… A policy, which is touted to be transparent, and fair, is introduced without any deliberation. An illegal ecosystem was created to give illegal benefits to liquor cartels in lieu of kickbacks,” Hossain told the court.

The court will hear Sisodia’s attorney’s response on April 18. The majority of Sisodia’s attorneys’ arguments for bail have focused on the lack of evidence of concealment, projecting, or obtaining proceeds of crime.

Case filed against BBC India by ED under FEMA for violating foreign exchange laws

OpIndia Staff
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Case filed against BBC India by ED under FEMA for violating foreign exchange laws

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday, April 12, filed a case against BBC India under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) over allegations of violating foreign exchange laws. This move comes after February 2023 Income Tax Department survey in BBC offices in India. The IT Dept had non compliance with transfer pricing rules and diversion of profits. The three-day-long investigation concerned international taxation and the suspected transfer of BBC revenues. 

According to the reports, the Income Tax officials had in February studied the digital data and interrogated a few of its employees at BBC India office. Some of the officers were also stationed on the fifth floor of the BBC offices where the editorial staff works.

The survey was conducted as a result of BBC’s willful disregard for the Transfer Pricing Rules and its massive profit-diversion practices. Amid the survey, the liberals and opposition parties alleged that the Center had directed the raids after the media house published a documentary regarding PM Modi and the Gujarat riots 2002.

During the raids, the agency advised employees of BBC India to refrain from deleting any files from their digital devices until the survey is finished. Reports mention that the officers only copied the digital data and none of the journalists phones were taken away. However, senior BBC staffers’ mobile phones were copied during the operation, which also involved scanning a number of computers and laptops. Afterwards, the computers and phones were returned to the authorities.

This is a developing story, more details awaited.

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