Home Blog Page 2319

Indore: Junaid and 2 others brutally assault lawyer who got a PFI spy arrested; probe underway

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Indore: Junaid and 2 others brutally assault lawyer who got a PFI spy arrested; probe underway

The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday detained one individual named Junaid for assaulting a lawyer in the city of Indore. The lawyer who has been identified as Manish Gadakar is associated with Hindu Mahasabha. Reports mention that Manish was beaten by 3 persons, one of whom has been identified as Junaid.

According to the reports, Junaid arrived at Manish’s Tilak Nagar office to seek consultation over his brother’s bail procedure. However, Manish asked him to come in the later hours of the day as he was busy. In the evening, Junaid brought two other people to the victim’s office and threatened him from posting social media posts against Muslims.

Later, the trio assaulted the lawyer and warned him from using social media against Muslims. The men threatened Manish saying that he would be killed if he posts anything against Muslims on Facebook. The victim was immediately shifted to the local hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

Manish stated that the men came under the guise of seeking help to attain their relative’s bail but were fully prepared to launch an attack on me. “They had planned the assault well in advance and executed it in the evening at my office”, he said. Reports suggest that the accused were keeping a continuous watch on Manish’s office for the past two days and executed the attack on Tuesday.

Manish Gadkar helped police arrest PFI spy

It is important to note that Manish Gadkar is the one who helped the Police in identifying and arresting a Popular Front of India (PFI) spy in the Sadar Bazar area. Gadkar, in January this year, had complained against a ‘law student’, Sonu Mansuri, who was recording a video in the court during a case involving a Bajrang Dal leader.

Manish informed the police about Mansuri’s activities after which she was arrested and interrogated by the police. The police during the investigation also recovered a huge amount of cash from the PFI spy. The victim is associated with Hindu Mahasabha and has been active in campaigns against loudspeakers used for Azaan in Masjids.

In the current case, the Sadar Bazar Police in Madhya Pradesh has arrested Junaid for assaulting a lawyer associated with Hindu Mahasabha. Further investigations into the case are underway.

Indian embassy in touch with agencies to detain and deport fugitive Islamist hate preacher Zakir Naik from Oman: Reports

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Indian embassy in touch with agencies to detain and deport fugitive Islamist hate preacher Zakir Naik from Oman: Reports

Indian fugitive and radical Islamist preacher Zakir Naik is likely to be deported from Oman. Media reports have quoted sources as saying that the Indian intelligence agencies are already in contact with Oman officials in a bid to arrest Naik during his visit to Oman on March 23. According to reports, Naik is expected to visit Oman on March 23 for delivering religious sermons. 

There is a strong possibility that Oman officials may detain the controversial preacher upon his arrival and subsequently turn him over to Indian authorities. According to reports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) has also raised the issue with Oman’s Ambassador.

Naik had received an invitation to deliver two religious sermons in the country– “The Quran a Global Necessity” and “Prophet Muhammad A Mercy to Humankind”. His first lecture is set for March 23, the first day of Ramadan on March 23 and the second lecture will be held on March 25 at Sultan Qaboos University.

It is not clear how the Islamist preacher is to proceed regarding his arrival in the country, considering that the news of his possible arrest is already being flashed by the Indian media. The radical preacher resides in Malaysia.

Zakir Naik has been avoiding Indian authorities ever since his name started cropping up in terror-related cases. In 2016, terrorists involved in the Dhaka blast case admitted that they were influenced by the preacher’s speeches.

In 2019, Zakir was banned from giving speeches in Malaysia after he made racist comments against Hindus and Chinese Malaysians. He was interrogated for hours in connection to the same.

Last year OpIndia reported how he had earlier joined hands with those who instigated violence in Leicester in England’s Midlands area.

In July 2021, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported that Naik was seen alongside other Islamic preachers in a grand collage, fundraising for the construction of a grand mosque and Dawah (proselytism) centre in Oslo in Norway.

The Indian fugitive was spotted alongside UK-based Islamists, Ali Dawah and Mohammed Hijab, who reportedly instigated the recent spate of violence in Leicester. They were seen exhorting Muslims to contribute to the establishment of the Islamic centre by promising them a ‘house’ in Jannah (paradise).

Zakir Naik is wanted in India in cases involving money laundering. The government of India had taken his channel, Peace TV, off the air for peddling hate propaganda. He has been living in exile in Malaysia since 2017.

Now, it is being reported that the Indian embassy in Oman is working with local authorities to detain and deport him in accordance with local laws. The Indian embassy might likely send a legal team for follow-up after detention. According to reports, the local authorities are likely to oblige with requests for detention.

Qatar had invited Naik to give religious sermons at the FIFA World Cup 2022. However, after New Delhi raised concerns with Doha that it would be compelled to terminate Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s trip to the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony if Islamist Zakir Naik were to be formally invited to watch the event’s opening from the VVIP box, Qatar had informed India via official channels that Zakir Naik had not received any formal invitation to attend the November 20, 2022, FIFA World Cup inauguration in Doha. Qatar reportedly stated that other nations were deliberately disseminating “disinformation” to impair diplomatic ties between India and Qatar.

‘Despite 80,000 police officers, how did Amritpal Singh escape’, Punjab and Haryana HC raps Bhagwant Mann govt

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Despite 80,000 police officers, how did Amritpal Singh escape’, Punjab and Haryana HC raps Bhagwant Mann govt

Despite the state-wide crackdown on pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh and his supporters, the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has failed to nab the ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has reprimanded the state government for its failure to arrest Amritpal.

Amritpal Singh has been declared a ‘fugitive’ since Saturday, 18 March 2023, as Punjab Police continues to try and track him down. Following this development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court told the AAP government, “A massive search operation was launched to nab him. Despite this, he managed to escape. The intelligence system of the Punjab government has completely failed.”

“When there were 5-6 FIRs and you are saying there are 5-6 criminal cases against him, how did he manage to escape? What were 80,000 cops doing?”, the bench of justice NS Shekhawat remarked, referring to the Punjab government’s submissions.

In response, the Punjab Police said that a case has been registered against Amritpal under the NSA. Justice NS Shekhawat raised questions on the state government and asked why NSA has been imposed on Amritpal Singh. The court also asked that when the entire operation was planned, how did Amritpal escape? Doubting police story, the court asked that how is it that everyone except him was arrested.

In response, Advocate General Vinod Ghai, appearing for the Punjab government, said, “Police may have had weapons, but they were restrained from using force. Some matters are so sensitive that we cannot explain them in court. We are trying our best to arrest Amritpal.” During the hearing, Justice NS Shekhawat further said that if he escaped amidst such security, it is an intelligence failure.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann released a video in this regard and said that nobody will be allowed to play with Punjab’s security. Mann said, “Peace and tranquillity of Punjab and progress of the country is our priority. We will not spare any such force which may be flourishing in Punjab against the country.”

Amritpal was creating his own army

Intelligence agencies have revealed that Amritpal Singh was involved in building his own ‘private army’ by the name of ‘Anandpur Khalsa Fauj’. Inputs suggested that Amritpal Singh was using drug de-addiction centres and a gurdwara for stockpiling weapons and preparing youths to carry out suicide attacks under the name of Anandpur Khalsa Force (AKF), on the line of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

With the help of this army, Amritpal and his Khalistani supporters, working at the behest of ISI, were plotting an attack in Delhi. They also received funds from Pakistan.

As Congress targets Modi govt over Mehul Choksi, here is a recap of how Congress had facilitated scams by Nirav Modi and Choksi

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As Congress targets Modi govt over Mehul Choksi, here is a recap of how Congress had facilitated scams by Nirav Modi and Choksi

The Congress party, which has repeatedly indulged in spreading baseless allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s absconding, Tuesday once again trained its guns at the Prime Minister after Interpol dropped fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi‘s name from its Red Notice list.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hit out at PM Modi saying that the fugitives are getting respite while the ED-CBI are busy pursuing opposition leaders.

“They are doing things to divert attention from real issues. Our embassies are being attacked. People who have run away with money from banks, Mehul Choksi, those giving protection to such people talk about patriotism, it is a joke,” the Congress president told reporters before leaving for Parliament.

“We will ask the government to clarify on this,” he added.

Continuing his veil attack, Kharge tweeted in Hindi, “ED-CBI for opposition leaders but release from Interpol for ‘our Mehul bhai’ of Modi ji. When Parliament can be stalled for ‘best friend’, then how can help for the ‘old friend ‘ be denied who absconded five years ago.”

Mallikarjun Kharge was not the only one. In fact, as soon as this news became public the entire entourage of Congress lawmakers and their sycophants went on Twitter to cast aspersions on PM Modi.

Congress’ Supriya Shrinate also chimed in, accusing PM Modi of protecting Mehul Choksi.

“Modi Govt ‘Red Faced’ India by failing to prevent Mehul Choksi’s removal from Interpol’s List of Red Corner Notices! ₹13,000 CR PNB Fraud now closed for “HAMARE BHAI MEHUL” ! People’s Money down the drain. ‘Line-Up’ of ED & CBI for Opp-Leaders, But ‘Lifeline’ to Mehul Choksi !” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.

“Modi Sarkar ke Do Bhai—ED aur CBI—pursue Opposition leaders with great vigour in furtherance of the PM’s politics of vendetta & intimidation. But they allow Interpol to give a lifesaver to Mehul Choksi!” wrote Congress’ Jairam Ramesh.

Congress National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed went so far as to suggest that the BJP government purposefully botched the investigation to benefit Choksi.

Several Congress sycophants also quickly followed suit. Troll-cum-journalist Swati Chaturvedi took to Twitter to use similar parallels to advance the Congress agenda. “Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi & Vijay Mallya scammed Indian banks for thousands of crores & then had “assisted escapes” from India. Shameful that the Modi government claims to be tough on corruption. Prove it bring these scamsters back,” she tweeted.

Another INC loyalist Bhavika Kapoor went on to produce a so-called ‘chronology’ of events to insinuate PM Modi’s hand in deliberating Interpol to drop fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi’s name from its Red Notice list.

These ridiculous remarks and bizarre analogies appear to be a rehash of the unfounded claims that the Congress party, led by none other than their senior leader Rahul Gandhi, has used as one of its favourite electoral planks to attack the Prime Minister. Incidentally, soon after the news of the PNB fraud, which was perpetrated since 2011 broke, the Congress party tried to desperately link it to Narendra Modi. Congress claimed that Nirav Modi met the PM at the Davos economic summit in 2018, the year news of the massive Rs 11,000 crore financial fraud broke.

Since then, Rahul Gandhi has also peddled several lies with regard to the economic fugitive Nirav Modi and PM Modi. Rahul Gandhi has constantly blamed the Prime Minister for Nirav Modi’s absconding and has drawn strange parallels between the two.

Although we at OpIndia have several times in the past exposed Congress’ hopeless and bizarre analogies, here is a quick recap of how the party has itself facilitated the scam by the fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

Mehul Choksi’s lawyer talks about his client’s ‘loose alliance’ with the Congress

In August 2018, David Dorsett, Mehul Choksi’s lawyer stated that Choksi had a ‘loose alliance’ with the Congress which ‘inflamed’ the situation, implying the case against him is a case of a political witch hunt. In a conversation with Republic, Dorsett has claimed that there are ‘serious political elements involved’ in the case. Choksi’s lawyer also called Nirav Modi, his nephew, also an accused in the financial fraud, a ‘scapegoat’ and that the authorities are trying to pin the matter on him. He further says that a very serious political element is involved in this whole matter and the political climate in India is heated up in a very ‘serious way’, especially with the elections coming up next year. He claimed that “the politicians are in splints right now. They are trying to carry as much popular support as they can and the situation with Mr Choksi has to be seen in that context”. In this context, BJP had even cornered Congress over fielding Mehul Choksi’s lawyer as a candidate in the Karnataka Assembly elections.

Shehzad Poonawal claimed Rahul Gandhi met Nirav Modi

One must also recall that not too long ago, it was reported that the former Finance secretary Rajiv Takru, working under the erstwhile UPA government had tried to “silence” the PNB whistleblower in 2013. Incidentally, it was the same time that Shehzad Poonawalla, a rebel Congress leader who is now the BJP spokesperson, claimed that Rahul Gandhi himself had met Nirav Modi.

“Open challenge to Rahul Gandhi to deny he met Nirav Modi in September 2013 cocktail party -11th Sep if my memory serves me right! Imperial Hotel- Rahul spent a long time! Same period when loans are given to Mehul Choksi & Nirav Modi!! SPG may have records or let’s undergo a lie detector test?” Shehzad Poonawala has then said.

Besides this, it has been alleged that Finance Minister P Chidambaram himself had signed the whistleblower’s termination letter. The Rs 11,000 crores financial scam by Nirav Modi started under the Congress government itself in 2011. In fact, it was also reported that an unnamed Congress leader was involved in cash deals with Nirav Modi’s stores during the demonetisation period, raising questions over the suspicious nature of these transactions and a link between Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Nirav Modi had also emerged.

When Congress’ P Chidambaram signed an order benefitting 13 companies, including those owned by Mehul Choksi

Interestingly, on 16th May 2014, the day election results were declared with Prime Minister Modi winning the elections, P. Chidambaram, the then finance minister, had signed an order to benefit 13 companies including Mehul Choksi, who is Nirav Modi’s uncle. The 20:80 scheme that was sanctioned by Congress leader P Chidambaram allowed 13 ‘star trading houses (STH)’ and ‘premier trading houses (PTH)’, including Choksi-led Gitanjali Gems to import gold and sell about 80 per cent of their total bullion shipment in local markets. This scheme ended up encouraging gold hoarding and aided these traders in artificially inflating the retail prices. In fact, the Jewellers Association had warned about the repercussions of this decision and had blamed the Congress government for favouring crony capitalism. The warnings had fallen on deaf ears and were ignored not only by the Congress government but also by the RBI head, Raghuram Rajan.

Essentially, the scam that was levelled by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi originated with the order signed by P Chidambaram encouraging crony capitalism, defended by friendly media. From the 20:80 Gold Scheme to the Congress connections and the fact that Rahul Gandhi had potentially met Nirav Modi, with every revelation, Congress’ tentacles in this scam become apparent.

BJP sweeps cooperative societies elections in Uttar Pradesh, wins 6,200+ PACS out of 7000

OpIndia Staff
-
0
BJP sweeps cooperative societies elections in Uttar Pradesh, wins 6,200+ PACS out of 7000

On Sunday, amid accusations and denials from the leaders of the BJP and the Samajwadi Party, the elections for chairperson and vice-chairperson of 7000 Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (PACS) in Uttar Pradesh wrapped up with BJP winning around 80% of the seats. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party Party leaders won 80% of the seats in the elementary-level societies, while the Samajwadi Party leaders succeeded in a few areas. Reports of stone-throwing, sword-waving, and gunfire emerged from several areas of Uttar Pradesh. Several individuals were injured in one such event, which was reported by Bhagwantpur Sadhan Sahkari Samiti.

Elections were only held in 76 of Lucknow’s 81 PACCs. Of these, the BJP got as many as 61 seats.

There are 84 PACC societies in Meerut, and five of those organizations’ elections were postponed for a variety of reasons. The Bharatiya Janata Party gained the majority of seats in the remaining half of the PACCs, where elections were held with no opposition, according to Maninder Pal, chairman of the Meerut DCCB. 

The 132 PACCs in Badaun held their elections for Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and Directors without any opposition. The elected PACC delegates gathered at a nearby BJP party office shortly after the polls to celebrate their success.

There are 132 PACCs in Lakhimpur Kheri, of which the elections for 2 cooperatives were cancelled. In this district, 92 societies held their elections without any opposition, while the remaining societies went to the polls. According to reports, the BJP won the majority of the seats in this district.

“In, Barabanki District, there are 123 PACCs, out of which the elections of 90 societies were held unopposed and the remaining PACCS went to the polls”, Barabanki DCCB Chairman Dhirendra Kumar Verma was quoted as saying.

Most of the PACCS in Banda had unanimous elections, and very few people showed up at the polls. The BJP won the majority of the seats. According to Prakash Dwivedi, the previous Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Upbhokta Sahakari Sangh Limited, the elections were held without any problems or mishaps. 

There are 115 PACCs in the district of Shahjahanpur. Of them, 111 societies saw BJP representatives win the polls, while three societies had independent candidates prevail.

The BJP won 57 PACC elections in the Ambedkar Nagar district, which has 90 societies. Elections for cooperative unions and block unions would follow the primary-level co-op elections. There are 1297 co-ops, and elections for them will begin on March 22 and end on March 31 of the current year. Subsequently, from April 3 through April 13, 2023, Krya-Vikray co-ops will commence the election process for around existent 225 cooperatives.

On Sunday, out of 7148 cooperative societies, elections were held for the post of president and vice-president in 7,000 societies. Of these, BJP candidates won in more than 6200 committees. At the same time, the Samajwadi Party has registered victory on more than 500 committees.

Swiggy Instamart takes a dig at Amritpal supporters with its ‘Pulse aagyi pulse’ ad campaign

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Swiggy Instamart takes a dig at Amritpal supporters with its ‘Pulse aagyi pulse’ ad campaign

Swiggy Instamart, the instant groceries delivery service of food delivery app Swiggy, took a dig at pro-Khalistan fugitive Amritpal Singh’s supporters by tweeting a fun wordplay on the ‘pols aa gayi pols’ viral meme.

Swiggy tweeted an image of various pulses with the caption ‘Oye pulse aagyi pulse’. This was a dig on the viral video of Amritpal Singh’s supporter who had gone live on social media as Punjab police closed in on him to arrest him. At some point in the video, he could be heard saying how ‘pols aa gayi pols’ (police is here, police is here) to the audience and asked them to come together.

Following the chase, netizens had taken to social media and mocked the video. However, subsequently, Punjab Police has been taking action against those who had shared the video of the chase and has been asking Twitter to take down accounts of people who are sharing the video.

Amritpal Singh on the run

On 18 March, Punjab Police launched a massive search operation to arrest pro-Khalistan separatist leader Amritpal Singh. However, following a car chase, Singh managed to escape. Over 100 of his supporters have since been detained. Reports have suggested the NIA will be taking over the investigation now.

Kannada actor and ‘activist’ Chetan Kumar Ahimsa arrested for objectionable tweet against Lord Rama and Hindutva

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kannada actor and ‘activist’ Chetan Kumar Ahimsa arrested for objectionable tweet against Lord Rama and Hindutva

In a recent development, Kannada actor Chetan Kumar Popularly known as Chetan Ahimsa has been arrested by the police for posting a derogatory tweet about Lord Rama and Hindutva on the microblogging site Twitter.

Chetan Kumar posted the tweet on his official Twitter handle on Sunday morning. In the tweet, he made objectionable remarks about Lord Rama, Veer Savarkar and Hindutva. The tweet had gone viral within minutes, and many people had expressed their outrage and anger against the actor.

A screenshot of the Tweet which Chetan Kumar Ahimsa posted on the microblogging site Twitter

This is the tweet which led to his arrest. Notably, it has become a trend among celebrities to defame Hinduism and everything that the Hindus revere.

The arrest of Chetan Kumar has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many people expressing their opinion that the actor should be held accountable for his actions and that he should be punished for his derogatory remarks.

Chetan Kumar is not new to controversies, earlier he was arrested for his inappropriate remarks about the Judiciary.

MN Anucheth, the Deputy Commissioner of Police of Central Division, while talking to the media about Chetan Kumar’s arrest for objectionable tweets against the High Court had said, “Kannada film actor and activist Chetan Ahimsa has been arrested by Bengaluru City Police. An on-its-own FIR was registered on Tuesday under 505(2) and 504 of the IPC. Based on the tweet, the FIR was registered at Sheshadripuram Police Station.”

Source: Twitter

His tweet against Lord Rama and his subsequent arrest has once again highlighted the need for responsible behaviour on social media. Often Hindu symbols are taken for granted and derogatory comments are made about Hindu symbols of reverence.

The police have urged the public to refrain from posting offensive and derogatory content on social media and warned that strict action will be taken against those who violate the law.

Shahid Afridi, who had earlier called Narendra Modi worse than coronavirus, now pleads with PM Modi to send Indian team to Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Shahid Afridi, who had earlier called Narendra Modi worse than coronavirus, now pleads with PM Modi to send Indian team to Pakistan

Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi has pleaded with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup this year. The now finally retired Pakistani all-rounder made this plea during the Legends league Cricket currently going on in Doha, Qatar.

Shahid Afridi acknowledged that there is no doubt that India’s BCCI is a strong board. However, trying to channel Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman dialogue, Afridi said that with great power comes great responsibility. As per the controversial allrounder, India will make more friends than enemies if they send their team to Pakistan.

Interestingly, Shahid Afridi had compared Indian Prime Minister Narender Modi to coronavirus earlier while raising the Kashmir issue. He had said, “The world is infected by a deadly disease, but what’s more dangerous is in Modi’s heart and mind.”

Cricketing relations between the two neighbours broke down after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks executed by Pakistan-backed terrorists. The mastermind of those attacks, Hafiz Saeed, continues to walk free in Pakistan. Not just Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Dawood Ibrahim also continues to live a life of luxury in Pakistan.

During his interaction with the media, Afridi said, “Just send the Indian cricket team once, we will take care of them with utmost love.” Earlier, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah categorically told Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Najam Sethi that Indian Cricket Team cannot travel to Pakistan for Asian Cup 2023 that is scheduled to take place in Pakistan.

With India’s decision to not send its men’s cricket team for the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan has stated that if India does not reconsider its stance, Pakistan will also boycott the 2023 World Cup to be held in India

Shahid Afridi disrespecting the Indian flag

Earlier during the Legends League in Qatar, Shahid Afridi sparked controversy when he gave autographs on Indian Tricolour while keeping the flag on his thigh. Indian cricket fans slammed Afridi and called for action against the former Pakistani skipper stating that disrespecting the flag in any form is a crime.

Some fans even demanded a ban on Afridi’s entry into India for his offensive gesture toward the Indian flag.

Afridi supporting Kashmir separatism

Shahid Afridi has been a long-time supporter of separatism in Kashmir. Characterising separatist leader and terrorist Yasin Malik as a freedom fighter of “Kashmir’s struggle”, Afridi painted Malik as a victim of “fabricated charges” even though Malik had pleaded guilty to all charges levelled against him.

“India’s continued attempts to silence critical voices against its blatant human rights abuses are futile. Fabricated charges against #YasinMalik will not put a hold to #Kashmir‘s struggle to freedom. Urging the #UN to take notice of unfair & illegal trails against Kashmir leaders,” Shahid Afridi tweeted.

Shahid Afridi was also the star attraction of the Kashmir Premier League, which was held in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) where he issued warnings to BCCI during his stay.

Arvind Kejriwal avoids Congress, hosts dinner for other non-BJP ruled state CMs ahead of 2024 elections, but no one turns up

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Arvind Kejriwal avoids Congress, hosts dinner for other non-BJP ruled state CMs ahead of 2024 elections, but no one turns up

In an effort to form an alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal invited the chief ministers of seven states governed by political parties other than other the Bharatiya Janata Party to dinner on March 18. Sadly, none of them showed up.

According to the reports, Kejriwal did not invite the Congress leaders to the dinner. But none of the other invited leaders appeared for the event. The development is considered a blow to the Aam Aadmi Party’s desire to establish a coalition of parties that are not affiliated with the BJP or the Congress in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

According to the letter sent by the AAP chief earlier this month, the scheduled dinner of the eight politicians, including Kejriwal, which he referred to as the “Progressive Chief Ministers Group of India or G-8,” was to be concluded by a press conference the following day.

The invitation letters were sent to the CMs of West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Punjab’s chief ministers. The national capital’s Kapurthala House was set to host the event.

“It is delightful that ‘The Progressive Chief Ministers’ Group of India or G-8′ will convene for its inaugural meeting and launch in Delhi. It would be great to usher in a new era of inter-state cooperation. Let us gather for a dinner meeting in Delhi on the evening of 18th March 2023. This will be our first meeting and it will give us an opportunity to discuss the way forward for the group,” Kejriwal stated in the letter.

The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party had advised that the prospective G-8 grouping have a joint press conference and announce itself to the Indian populace. “Let us come together to mark a new beginning for our states and our country,” he said as he concluded the letter. Kejriwal has however issued no statement on the current development.

Reports mention that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received the letter on February 5 and was about to attend the dinner, but dropped it last minute. During a meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav last week, Banerjee said that Trinamool Congress would contest the Lok Sabha elections independently of the Congress and the BJP.

The spokesman for her party denied any notion of a third front but said that regional leaders, including former NDA partners, would band together ahead of the general elections in 2024.

Further, though Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had seen Arvind Kejriwal on his trip to Delhi right after joining the Mahagathbandhan, the Janata Dal-United, which is in power in Bihar in coalition with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, has been wary of being associated with the AAP.

It is notable here that though certain CMs like Mamata Banerjee and Telangana’s KCR had tried a lot to start a ‘Third Front’ before the 2019 general elections, the efforts were futile as the parties seem to be unable to come to an agreement.

A recent letter condemning the CBI’s actions against Manish Sisodia was not signed by the JD-U, which serves as a case in point. The JD-U then seemed to be following Congress’ lead, which is its ally in Bihar. Both the Kerala CMO and Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam refrained from commenting on the situation, a PTI report stated.

Disciplinary action to be initiated against Punjab Police officers in PM Modi security breach incident

ANI
-
0
Disciplinary action to be initiated against Punjab Police officers in PM Modi security breach incident

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against several police officers including the state’s top cop over security breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Punjab in January 2022. 

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings for the major penalty against Sidharth Chattopadhyay, the then DGP Punjab, Inderbir Singh, the then DIG, Ferozepur Range and Harmandeep Singh Hans, the then SSP Ferozepur over the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach in Punjab in January 2022, said an official letter by the Government of Punjab. On March 14, Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua said that the state government will soon submit the “interim” report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, related to the security breach issue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in January 2022. 

This came after the Central government sought a detailed action-taken report from the Punjab government over PM Modi’s security breach. Sources had said that a letter was sent through the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the Punjab government asking for a detailed action taken report against the erring officers. 

The Chief Secretary had said that the state government has received the report of the inquiry conducted by the Supreme Court-constituted panel into the incident and it is under consideration. 

A report of the Supreme Court-appointed inquiry committee looking into the breach in security during PM Modi’s Punjab visit on January 5, 2022, which was submitted six months ago, indicated then-state Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari, Police Chief S Chattopadhyaya, and other top officers for lapses. 

Soon after the security breach, the MHA constituted a three-member committee that summoned the Director General of Punjab Police, Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, Punjab ADGP, Patiala IGP, and Ferozpur DIG along with over a dozen top Punjab Police officers. They were responsible for the Prime Minister’s security during his visit to Punjab’s Ferozpur on January 5. 

The MHA then constituted a three-member committee led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat; Balbir Singh, Joint Director (IB); and S Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group. 

The Centre was considering action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against Punjab Police officers following the breach in the security of Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Punjab on January 5. 

Section 14 of the SPG Act makes the state government responsible for providing all assistance to the SPG during the PM’s movement. 

The MHA’s three-member team started its probe from its visit to the flyover where Prime Minister’s convoy was stuck for over 15-20 minutes due to a road blockade by protesters during his visit. 

The MHA had constituted the three-member committee to enquire into the serious lapses in the security arrangements during the PM’s visit to Punjab’s Ferozepur, which led to the exposure of the VVIP to grave security risk. 

The MHA had then also asked the Punjab government to “fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action”. 

The action was taken after the Prime Minister’s convoy during its visit to National Martyrs Memorial in Punjab via road reached a flyover where the road was blocked by some protestors. 

The Prime Minister was stuck on the flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister. 
The Punjab government had also constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident. 

Prime Minister Modi landed at Bathinda on January 5 morning from where he was to go to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. 

Due to rain and poor visibility, the Prime Minister waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out. When the weather did not improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which would take more than two hours. 

Prime Minister Modi then proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police, mentions the statement. Around 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when his convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. 

Prime Minister Modi was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. It was flagged as a major lapse in his security. 

The Home Ministry had then said PM Modi’s schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to the Punjab government. 

Following procedure, the Home Ministry said they had to make necessary arrangements for logistics, and security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. 

Also in view of the contingency plan the Punjab government had to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed, the MHA had said then, adding “after this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda Airport.” 

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

1...2,3182,3192,320...7,597Page 2,319 of 7,597