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The Hindu journalist lies about conviction of BJP’s Babu Bokhiria to insinuate Rahul Gandhi became a ‘victim’ of vendetta politics, here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu journalist lies about conviction of BJP’s Babu Bokhiria to insinuate Rahul Gandhi became a ‘victim’ of vendetta politics, here is the truth

On March 24, India’s Parliament disqualified senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha. The decision came after Surat Court convicted the Gandhi scion and sentenced him to two years in a 2019 criminal defamation case. Since his disqualification, the dynasty-run party’s members and sycophants have been practically crying hoarse and spreading all sorts of misinformation to insinuate that Rahul Gandhi has become a victim of BJP’s vendetta politics. One such person joining the bandwagon on Friday was Mahesh Langa, a ‘journalist’ with The Hindu.

Langa took to Twitter on March 24, hours after the news of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification became public, to invoke a decade-old conviction case of Gujarat BJP minister Babu Bokhiria and lie blatantly about it to portray the Gandhi dynast as a victim. Nevertheless, he was fact-checked as soon as he posted the lies.

Sharing a hashtag in support of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Mahesh Langa tweeted, “In 2013, Gujarat Cabinet minister Babu Bokhiria was convicted for two years in a mineral theft case. He was not disqualified and did not even resign from cabinet. After two weeks, his appeal for staying the conviction was granted. #RahulGandhi.”

To Langa’s dismay, Akhilesh Mishra, the CEO of BlueKraft and the digital director of MyGov, the government’s citizen interaction portal, fact-checked The Hindu journalist by citing facts that are easily accessible on several public platforms.

Mishra quickly reminded the so-called journalist that BJP leader Babu Bokhiria was convicted on June 15, 2013. Section 8 (4) of the Representation of the People Act was in effect at the time, which said that if a convicted lawmaker appeals the conviction at a higher court within 3 months of the conviction, there is no need to resign. Therefore, there was no need to resign for Babu Bokhiria as he had appealed the judgement within 3 months. The Supreme Court of India struct down section 8(4) of the RPA on July 10, 2013, after which disqualification has been automatic.

“Babu Bokaria was convicted on June 15, 2013. At this time, Sec 8 (4) of RPA applied and thus there was NO requirement to resign. The Supreme Court verdict, now the law of the land, came on 10th July 2013. Since then disqualification is automatic,” Akhilesh Mishra tweeted.

As rightly pointed out by Mishra, the Supreme Court of India passed a landmark judgment on 10 July 2013 in which it struck down Section 8(4) of the Representations of Peoples Act, 1950 as unconstitutional. This judgement was delivered in the case of Lily Thomas vs Union Of India & Ors ((2013) 7 SCC 653) which was presided over by Justice A.K. Patnaik, Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya.

The Supreme Court had delivered the judgement in response to two PILs filed by Supreme Court lawyer Lily Thomas and NGO Lok Prahari challenging Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 as being unconstitutional. Accepting the petitions, The Supreme Court held that Section 8(4) is indeed ultra vires to the constitution. 

Importantly, the apex court had added that sitting members who have previously benefited from Section 8(4) would be unaffected by this decision. Therefore, as Babubhai Bokhiria had taken the benefit of section 8(4) of the RPA before the Supreme Court struck it down, here was not liable to resign. Although the Congress party had demanded his resignation after the court verdict, he was not legally bound to do so.

On the other hand, as the said section no longer exists, Rahul Gandhi doesn’t have any protection from disqualification now, and what the parliament did was according to the law, as section 8(3) of RPA says that if any MP or MLA convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years shall be disqualified from the date of conviction, and the disqualification will continue for six years after release from jail.

Meanwhile, Babubhai Bokhiria, a member of the BJP party who was twice elected as an MLA in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly in 2012 and 2017, was sentenced in June 2013 to three years imprisonment in an alleged limestone mining scam. A Gujarat sessions court stayed Bokhiria’s conviction in July 2013. He was acquitted in late 2014.

Hence it is apparent that the court convicted Bokhiria in June 2013, while the apex court judgement on the disqualification of elected representatives following their conviction and sentencing occurred a month later in July 2013. As such, playing the mindless blame game and accusing the BJP of vendetta is completely ridiculous, which Congress adherents should avoid at this time and instead recommend various legal avenues to get the Gandhi scion out of this quandary.

It is interesting to note that the UPA-II government at that time had tried to overturn the Supreme Court judgement by bringing an amendment, and an ordinance was also issued to make it applicable immediately. But Rahul Gandhi himself had objected to this amendment, called it total nonsense, and had trashed it in front of the media. The amendment was withdrawn after this public humiliation of the Manmohan Singh government by its own leader.

‘No funds even to conduct elections,’ Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif shares the severity of the country’s financial troubles

OpIndia Staff
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‘No funds even to conduct elections,’ Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif shares the severity of the country’s financial troubles

The economic crisis in the country of Pakistan has left its Finance Ministry with no funds to even conduct the elections, said Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. The statement was issued by Defence Minister Asif and the Information Minister, Marriyum Aurangzeb, at a joint news conference on Friday.

Talking about the impending elections, which were postponed from April 30 to October 8, the Minister explained that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) postponed them due to the deteriorating security situation and difficult economic conditions in the nation. “Since February, in the last one month or couple of months, the security situation has definitely deteriorated,” he admitted.

“I am aware of the fact that the ministry of finance has said that under the present circumstances, we are going through some very tough times, so we won’t be able to provide funds for these elections,” Asif said while talking about lack of funds for elections.

Reportedly, the polls might get hampered not only due to money constraints but also security issues in Pakistan. Asif noted that another significant problem would be the absence of adequate security that may be used at voting places. “The commitment that our army has at the moment for the internal and external threats, they’ve said that it takes almost a month for the deployment of forces to the polling stations, especially the static duty, they have to take over the polling stations,” he said.

Khawaja Asif also slammed Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, and claimed that his allegation of an attempted assassination against him was false. “He first extended the tenure of former army chief General retired Qamar Javed Bajwa and now he is now blaming him. First, he blamed the US for his ouster,” the Minister said. 

The minister stated that while Khan illegally disbanded the provincial assembly, he was constitutionally removed from office by a vote of no confidence, and he now intends to escape appearing in court.

Asif further accused the PTI leader of imprisoning Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians while in office. He said that throughout Khan’s three years in office, he was imprisoned and that his party leader also had to appear in court on fabricated charges.

“Imran Khan is creating crises every day but the government is tackling these crises and Pakistan will come out of all these crises soon,” Khawaja Asif remarked. He further added that the former prime minister developed an erroneous narrative of a US conspiracy but that the Supreme Court intervened and saved the country from a constitutional crisis.

Pakistan is currently experiencing its most difficult economic situation in the last 20 years. The country’s resources have also been depleted as a result of the economic crisis, political unrest, and increasing number of attacks in the northwest.

Ahead of Karnataka polls, BJP govt scraps 4% OBC Muslim reservation, splits it between Vokkaligas and Lingayats

OpIndia Staff
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Ahead of Karnataka polls, BJP govt scraps 4% OBC Muslim reservation, splits it between Vokkaligas and Lingayats

The BJP government in Karnataka, led by CM Basavaraj Bommai, adjusted the SC/ST and OBC reservation ratios shortly before the Assembly elections to take into account long-standing requests for higher quotas put forth by various communities.   

Bommai, who presided over the final cabinet of his term on Friday, abolished the current 4% reservation (2B category) for Muslims under the OBC quota and transferred them to the 10% pool for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and increased the quota for Lingayats and Vokkaligas by 2% each.

A significant segment of the Lingayat population known as the Panchamasali Lingayat had been pushing for a change in the reservation category from 3B (5%) to 2A (15%). The Vokkaliga community, which was granted 4% of the OBC list’s 3A category’s reservations, made an identical demand. Accordingly,  on March 24, the Bommai administration added two more categories to the OBC list- 2A for Vokkaligas and 2D for Lingayats, boosting the overall quota to 6% and 7%, respectively.

The Panchamasali Lingayat movement had put the BJP administration under pressure due to the Supreme Court’s 1992 ruling (Indira Sawhney vs Union of India) that set a 50% ceiling on SC, ST, and OBC quota. Moreover, the Panchamasali Lingayats shared the 5% quota with other Veerashaiva-Lingayat subcultures, besides, Maratha, Jain, Christian, Bunt and Satani caste groups and switching them from 3B to 2A category was bound to frustrate the 102 castes including Kuruba, Idiga, Devadiga, Kumbara, Vishwakarma and Tigala that are already reaping the benefits under 2A.

“The Muslims have been shifted from 2A to EWS quota as there is no Constitutional provision for reservation for religious minorities. As per Dr Ambedkar too reservation is for the caste alone. However, my government has decided to move the minorities to EWS as both the old and new categories have the economic criterion,” said Bommai while briefing the media after the cabinet meeting. He also increased the reservation quota from 50 per cent to 56 per cent.

During the winter session in Belagavi in December of last year, the Karnataka legislature enacted the “Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services Under the State) Bill, 2022” to increase the reservation for SCs from 15% to 17% and for STs from 3% to 7%.

Bommai further said that the SC community had been split into four divisions, citing Article 341(2) of the Constitution.

“Among the untouchables, the SC (Left) – Madiga, Adi Dravida and Bambi will now get 6 per cent reservation and SC (Right) which includes Adi Karnataka Holeya and Chalavadi will get 5.5 per cent. Among the touchables, the Banjara, Bhovi, Koracha and Korama will get 4.5 per cent and Are Alemari and Alemari (nomads) will get the remaining one percent,” explained Bommai.

Notably, on October 8, 2022, the state cabinet had officially approved raising the SC/ST quota based on a proposal by Judge H.N. Nagamohan Das. Moreover, an ordinance was also approved. However, the BJP administration wrote to the Center asking for a constitutional change on March 23. In contrast to the Supreme Court’s 50% cap, the amended policy has increased the percentage of reservations in Karnataka to 56% – SC 17%, ST 7%, and OBC 32%.

Meanwhile, CLP leader Siddaramaiah criticized the BJP for eliminating the 2A category (which had a 4% quota for Muslims) and allocating it to the Lingayats and Vokkaligas. “It is an effort to breed animosity between the communities,” he said. 

US: Indian Americans hold a rally in support of India outside the San Francisco consulate that was attacked by Khalistanis

OpIndia Staff
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US: Indian Americans hold a rally in support of India outside the San Francisco consulate that was attacked by Khalistanis

The San Francisco consulate of India, which was vandalised by Khalistan supporters earlier this week, was the site of a large peace rally by members of the Indian-American community in support of India.

On Sunday, March 19, a group of pro-Khalistan demonstrators attacked and vandalised the Indian consulate in San Francisco. They demolished the temporary security barricades put up by the local police while shouting pro-Khalistan slogans and placed two ‘Khalistani flags’ inside the Consulate’s grounds. Soon after, two embassy employees took down these flags.

In an effort to show their support for India, a significant number of Indian Americans travelled from San Francisco and the surrounding areas and waved the tricolour at the consulate on Friday. They denounced the damaging actions of the few separatist Sikhs who were also present at the site.

To avert any unfortunate incident, local police officers were also present there in force. Some of the separatist Sikhs raised the flag of Khalistan and yelled pro-Khalistan slogans, but they were swamped by the massive group of Indian Americans who chanted pro-Indian slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and carried the Indian national flag alongside the US one.

Recent months have seen an increase in anti-Indian activities by Khalistanis, who have defaced certain Hindu temples in Canada, Australia, and the UK.

The incident of vandalism at the Indian consulate general in San Francisco by pro-Khalistan individuals during an anti-India rally was brought up by India in a meeting with the US Charge d’Affaires in Delhi.

The US administration was reminded of its basic obligation to protect and secure diplomatic representation and has been asked to take the necessary steps to stop similar occurrences from happening again, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi.

Indian Embassy in Washington D.C also notified the US State Department on the same issue.

In the US, there are roughly 4.2 million persons of Indian origin or American Indian heritage. The third-largest Asian ethnic group in the US comprises people of Indian descent. 

Khalistanis have escalated their hostile activities after the crackdown on Sikh separatist organization ‘Waris Punjab De’ and its radical chief Amritpal Singh.

Punjab government not serious about arresting Amritpal Singh: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab government not serious about arresting Amritpal Singh: Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij

On Friday, March 24, Anil Vij, the Haryana Home Minister, claimed that the Punjab government was not serious about arresting fugitive pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh. He alleged that the Punjab Police was informed of Amritpal’s whereabouts by the Haryana Police, but it took them one and a half days to get to Shahabad in Haryana from Punjab.

During a media interaction on March 24 in Ambala, Minister Vij said, “I don’t think the Punjab government is serious about arresting Amritpal Singh.  They have been lax in this matter. He was here in Shahbad eating at a relative’s residence while they were hunting in Jalandhar with all of their personnel. If he is a most-wanted person why you deployed all the police force to Jalandhar, while he was having rotis with his relatives in Shahabad.”

“He had already fled Shahbad by the time we learned of his whereabouts. However, the Punjab Police were notified, but it took them 1.5 days to get to Shahabad. I don’t know about their political drama but all this makes the Punjab government’s lax response to this issue very evident,” Vij asserted.

Vij’s statement comes after reports emerged that Amritpal crossed over to Haryana after escaping Punjab, where he took shelter in a lady’s house in Shahbad on the intervening night of March 19-20.  On Thursday, the police officers in pursuit of Amritpal Singh, claimed to have recovered CCTV footage that showed the last location of the fugitive leader in Haryana’s Shahbad area. The CCTV footage shows a man walking with an umbrella, who is suspected to be Amritpal Singh. The footage is from Sidhartha Colony in Shahbad Markanda, Kurukshetra.

According to reports, Amritpal reportedly left for Delhi on Friday. Since receiving the information, the Delhi Police have been on high alert and are working to track down Amritpal. An alert has also been issued in the nearby state of Uttarakhand and its districts of Dehradun, Haridwar, and Udham Singh Nagar.

The Punjab Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, stated on Thursday that a total of 207 people had been arrested for disrupting the state’s peace and harmony during the crackdown on Amritpal Singh. “Police teams are thoroughly screening every person who has been arrested, and they will soon be released from police custody,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi case: Petition filed before Supreme Court to declare automatic disqualification of convicted MPs ‘illegal’

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi case: Petition filed before Supreme Court to declare automatic disqualification of convicted MPs ‘illegal’

A day after Congress MP (Wayanad) Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case, a petition has now been filed before the Supreme Court seeking such automatic disqualifications of elected representatives as ‘illegal.’

According to the legal website, Bar and Bench, the petitioner has challenged the constitutional validity of Section 8(3) of the Representatives of People’s Act, 1951.

The legislation, in question, clearly states, “A person convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years…shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction and shall continue to be disqualified for a further period of six years since his release.”

The petition read:

“That the Petitioner herein is a Ph.D. Scholar and is a Social Activist having worked with organizations in the area of education, rights of young people and public health, who seeks to challenge the automatic disqualification of People’s representatives of elected legislative bodies, upon being convicted of any offence and sentenced to imprisonment for not less than two years as per Chapter III, S. 8 (3) of the Representatives of the People Act, 1951 (hereinafter referred to as “the 1951 Act”), and declare the same as ultra vires of the Constitution of India, 1950 since the same is in stark contradiction to sub- section (1) of the Section 8, Section 8A, 9, 9A, 10 and 10A and 11 of the 1951 Act, thereby restrains the members from freely discharging their duties casted upon them by the voter’s of their respective constituency, which is against the principles of democracy.“

The Background of the Case

On Thursday (March 23), Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Surat for his defamatory comments against people with the ‘Modi surname’ in a speech in 2019.

A criminal defamation case was filed by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi after Rahul Gandhi in an election rally had asked why everyone with the Modi surname is a thief, mentioning Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Narendra Modi.

Apart from the current disqualification, Rahul Gandhi will also not be able to contest the next general election, and also perhaps the 2029 elections, if the conviction is not overturned by a higher court. According to the law, the disqualification will continue for six years after release from jail.

With Rahul Gandhi disqualified, Election Commission will have to hold Wayanad by-poll before September 22

OpIndia Staff
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With Rahul Gandhi disqualified, Election Commission will have to hold Wayanad by-poll before September 22

On Friday, March 24, 2023, the Lok Sabha secretariat notified the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the lower House of the parliament after the Waynad MP was convicted. The Congress leader was sentenced to two years in jail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Surat on March 23 for his defamatory comments against people with the Modi surname in a speech in 2019. Now, the Election Commission will have to soon announce the by-poll for the Wayanad constituency if Rahul Gandhi fails to get relief in higher courts. 

Citing sources, India Today reported that the Election Commission may announce by-elections in Wayanad in the month of April. Notably, Rahul Gandhi will not be able to run for office for eight years after being convicted and stands disqualified unless a higher court stays or overturns his conviction and sentence.

According to Section 151A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, a bye-election for filling any vacancy shall be held within a period of six months from the date of the occurrence of the vacancy. With the stipulation that nothing in this section will apply if (a) a member’s remaining term in relation to a vacancy is less than one year, or (b) the Election Commission certifies, after consulting with the Central Government, that it will be difficult to hold the bye-election within the specified time period.

Meanwhile, along with losing his membership in the Lower House, Rahul is likely to forfeit the perks and advantages of being a member of parliament after being found ineligible. The Congress leader will be given a month to vacate his official bungalow at 12 Tuglaq Road in New Delhi.

Rahul Gandhi will also no longer be eligible for a number of perks that are available to all Members of Parliament. This includes a monthly constituency allowance of Rs 70,000 and a salary of Rs 1,00,000. Each MP is also entitled to a monthly office expenditure payment of Rs 60,000, which includes Rs 40,000 in secretarial support.

Along with this, the Congress scion will also lose his travel allowances, which include a free, non-transferable first class AC or executive class train pass, one first class and one-second class fare, one and a quarter of the member’s airfare, and a Rs 16 per km allowance for road travel.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Surat on Thursday for his defamatory comments against people with the Modi surname in a speech in 2019. A criminal defamation case was filed by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi after Rahul Gandhi in an election rally had asked why everyone with Modi surname is a thief, mentioning Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi.

If police catch us tomorrow, it will be a huge insult: Audio clip of fugitive Amritpal Singh’s uncle Harjeet Singh goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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If police catch us tomorrow, it will be a huge insult: Audio clip of fugitive Amritpal Singh’s uncle Harjeet Singh goes viral

An audio clip purportedly belonging to Harjeet Singh, the uncle of fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, expressing his willingness to surrender has gone viral on social media.

As per reports, the audio was recorded prior to his arrest and eventual transfer to Dibrugarh jail in Assam. Harjeet Singh could be heard talking to another fugitive, Papalpreet Singh, and arguing that surrender was the best option.

“Since we can’t run anymore, and there are cameras everywhere, it is best to surrender,” he had said while urging his nephew Amritpal Singh to surrender as well.

Harjeet Singh told his aide that he would surrender in a day or two’s time. “If the police catch us tomorrow, it will be a huge insult. Let us surrender in front of the police like warriors. Let’s invite the media,” he was heard saying.

“We can’t run for long. There are cameras everywhere. That’s why I request you. Bhai Sahib (Amritpal) must be with you. He will also listen to you,” he emphasised after realising that the Punjab police were closing in on them.

Uncle of Amritpal Singh worked in Punjab police

Reportedly, one of the uncles of Amritpal Singh, namely, Sukhchain Singh (now retired) served as an inspector with the Punjab police. The fugitive pro-Khalistani leader and his uncle Harjeet Singh reportedly received inputs from Sukhchain Singh about the functioning of the police.

It is believed that Amritpal Singh was able to evade the police due to his familiarity with their workings, a claim that Sukhchain Singh has since denied.

“The authorities deployed a huge force against Amritpal to arrest him. This shows that he’s already in police custody. How can someone, who is carrying only country-made weapons, escape from the police, which have all sorts of automatic arms?” he asked.

Sukhchain Singh added, “Amritpal was going around freely everywhere, including our place in Jallupur Khera village. He went to gurdwara every day. It is not difficult for the police to arrest him from here.”

Two aides of Amritpal Singh booked for extortion, criminal intimidation

Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh and his two unidentified associates have been booked on charges of extortion and criminal intimidation by the Bilga police. The complaint was filed by Gurmit Kaur, the wife of ‘granthi’ Sukhwinder Singh.

On March 18 this year, three masked people barged inside the gurdwara Singh Sabha in Sheikhupur village and locked Kaur’s family in a room at gunpoint. Kaur’s son, identified as Parwan Singh, recognised Amritpal Singh, who forcibly took away his motorcycle, shawl, and turban.

The ‘Waris Punjab De’ leader then directed Parwan to help them cross the Sutlej river and intimidated them into silence. According to Parwan, Amritpal Singh dialed one of his aides to bring a scooter after his motorcycle developed a technical snag.

The pro-Khaliatani leader then asked the son of the ‘granthi’ to leave his motorcycle at Darapur canal before helping them reach the Sutlej via Meonwal village.

According to Bilga police Station House Officer (SHO) Mohindar Pal, the trio has been booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 386, 342, 506, and 34 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act.

After Mahim mazar, MNS demands the demolition of illegal dargah in Panvel

OpIndia Staff
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After Mahim mazar, MNS demands the demolition of illegal dargah in Panvel

After the Brihanmumbai  Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the illegal Mahim mazar, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has demanded the demolition of an alleged illegal dargah in Panvel.

MNS asserted that the encroachment onto the hill began 15 years ago and that the “dargah” is a threat to national security because it is close to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. The party also raised a banner demanding that the State Government demolish the dargah. 

The poster put up by MNS (Image via TV9 Marathi)

According to Yogesh Chille, president and spokesperson for MNS Panvel city, “About one acre of land was encroached upon at a hill in Pargaon village, and a dargah was built. There are additional five or six rooms with tin shed roofs. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has acquired land adjacent to the airport”, he said.

He further added that according to his information, the planning agency had already served notice to remove the illegal structure. “We have written to the police and CIDCO to take action against the illegal shrine immediately”, he said.

It is notable that the illegal structure in Mahim was demolished after MNS chief Raj Thackeray played a clip in his Gudi Padwa address and exposed that an ‘illegal dargah’ has come up off the Mahim coast in Mumbai. He demanded the removal of the illegal structure and said that if it is not demolished immediately, then his party would construct a huge Ganpati temple at the same place.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Raj Thackeray thanked the Maharashtra government and BMC for their prompt action after he raised the issue. “Jai Maharashtra, Sasneh! In the Gudipadwa meeting of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, I showed the video of the unauthorized shrine built in the sea of Mahim in Mumbai, the unauthorized mosque built without permission in the Hindu settlement of Kupwad in Sangli, and many were shocked. I thank and congratulate Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister/Home Minister Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai Police Commissioner Mr. Vivek Phansalkar, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Mr. Iqbal Chehel, Sangli Municipal Commissioner, Collector, and other administrative officers and the employees,” Thackeray tweeted.

Moreover, Thackeray also urged Hindus to be careful as such illegal encroachments according to him are not just encroachments but an attack on religious places.

“Such encroachments are going on all over the state before our eyes, please note that this is not just an encroachment but an attack on religious places, if no timely measures are taken, this may cause us trouble in the future. Therefore, every Hindu brother, including the government and administration, must be careful! Thank you!”, the MNS chief added in his tweet written in Marathi.

Groomed by Muslim gangs, minced into pieces, fed as kebabs: Read about Charlene Downes who disappeared from Lancashire, UK, 20 years ago

OpIndia Staff
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Groomed by Muslim gangs, minced into pieces, fed as kebabs: Read about Charlene Downes who disappeared from Lancashire, UK, 20 years ago

On March 25, 2023, Charlene Downes would have turned 34. She was 14 when she suddenly went missing from her hometown of Blackpool in Lancashire on November 1st, 2003. Downes was feared to be groomed by Muslim gangs and murdered. Her body was allegedly minced into pieces and served as kebabs to customers at a takeaway restaurant in the area.

It is noteworthy that the Lancashire police, probing the case, initially treated Charlene’s disappearance as a runaway teenager but it soon became clear something more sinister had happened to the girl. The police confirmed that Charlene may have been linked to grooming gangs in Blackpool and said that they discovered at least 60 minor girls had been sexually groomed at takeaways in the city.

They arrested two accused Ilyad Albattikh and Mohammed Reveshi, who were later acquitted by the court due to lack of evidence. Lancashire police were chastised for their inept handling of the case.

This heinous case which remains unsolved to this day, served as a wake-up call to how Muslim grooming gangs continue to operate with impunity in the North of England, with the rapists remaining at large, essentially because police are too afraid of backlash for mentioning the ethnic origins of the Muslim male perpetrators.

Charlene Downes (source: dailymail.co.uk)

The timeline of the case

As per media reports, on November 1, 2003, at around 3.35 pm, Charlene was seen on CCTV crossing the road in the town centre.

At 7.15 p.m., her mother kissed Charlene after running into her, and her daughter stated she was heading to the arcade but would not be late. She met her friend and they went to the Carousel bar on North Pier.

At 9.03 pm Charlene was allegedly spotted on CCTV outside a Blackpool bar with a woman wearing a black coat.

Police released CCTV footage of Charlene (circled) walking in the seaside town (Source: dailymail.co.uk)

Charlene’s family reported her missing on November 2 after she failed to return home.

But, it wasn’t until 2006 that police informed Charlene’s family that she had been murdered and that the case was no longer a missing person investigation.

Days later, the Police announced a major breakthrough in the case. They said that they arrested a 51-year-old man who lived in Blackpool at the time of Charlene’s disappearance. A Lancashire Police spokesman said, that “the man, aged 51, who lived in Blackpool at the time of Charlene’s disappearance, is currently in custody.”

Subsequently, in May 2007, two men namely Ilyad Albattikh and Mohammed Reveshi were tried in court. Albattikh for Downes’ murder, the Mohammed Reveshi for helping to dispose of her body, but the court failed to reach a verdict.

However, the 2007 murder trial was called off due to police mistakes, and the IPCC watchdog decided that the killer may never be located.

A retrial was scheduled in April 2008. At the time of the trial, the court was told the fast food shop owner had “joked” that Charlene Downes had been chopped up and put into kebabs that were sold to the public. However, due to reservations about the evidence produced by Lancashire Constabulary, the accused were acquitted and also paid almost £250,000 each in compensation.

After receiving strong criticism for failing to thoroughly investigate the case, Lancashire police revived the inquiry in 2016 and discovered new CCTV footage showing Charlene walking with her sister Rebecca on the day she vanished. On the 13th anniversary of her disappearance in November, the CCTV footage was finally made public.

Parents of Charlene Downes accuse Lancashire police of mishandling the case

In 2017, her parents, Karen and Robert, vowed to sue Lancashire Police after learning crucial CCTV footage of her last movements was sat in archives for 12 years. The CCTV footage showed Charlene walking with her sister Rebecca on the day she vanished.

Charlene’s mother Karen Downes (source: dailymail.co.uk)

The parents lamented that if the footage had been available sooner than the 2007 murder trial, which resulted in the acquittal of Funny Boys kebab worker Ilyad Albattikh for murder and Mohammed Reveshi for disposal of Charlene’s body owing to police error, things could have turned out differently.

“It is unbelievable that they have had that footage all those years and never used it. It is an absolute disgrace and an insult to the memory of my dead daughter. Maybe If the CCTV was shown at the time I could have got justice years ago and put Charlene to rest but now my pain continues,” the aggrieved mother fumed.

“And instead of helping me, the police add to it as they never tell me anything and seem determined to keep me in the dark,” she added.

Karen had asserted that she is taking civil action against Lancashire Police and is seeking damages and a public apology over their handling of the investigation.

The horrifying case garnered a lot of media attention. Despite a lengthy and complex investigation, numerous media appeals and a £100,000 reward offered, the Lancashire police until now, found no trace of Charlene. It also said that there is no suggestion that the arrests of the two Blackpool men are directly connected to Charlene’s murder.

The Lancashire police had said that investigation into the case revealed that she was amongst the many children who were groomed by Muslim gangs operating near the location where she was last seen in November 2003.

In 2011, officers investigating Charlene’s case discovered that at least 60 schoolgirls were groomed for sex by employees of takeaway eateries in Blackpool.

The police thought the case to be like the Rochdale child abuse incident, where they were groomed in exchange for food, drink, and cigarettes. They suspected Charlene was one of the victims too.

A Crimewatch appeal was issued in 2014, and the police announced a £100,000 prize for information.

Lancashire Police detained two men on suspicion of previous sex offences – but not specifically against Charlene – on June 27 2016, as part of their investigation into Charlene’s murder.

Lancashire Police officers have taken over 4,800 witness accounts and explored 10,500 lines of enquiry, yet the case remains unresolved.

The investigation into her case is one of Lancashire Police’s largest and longest-running investigations. Nearly 20 years on, though the UK’s Lancashire police are still no closer to solving her murder, the case has definitely drawn the attention of authorities towards the wider issue of child sexual exploitation by Muslim grooming gangs operating in the region and various others in the United Kingdom.

Inquiry finds over 1,000 children were groomed by Muslim gangs and authorities looked away due to ‘racial unease’

Notably, in July 2022, an independent inquiry into Telford sexual exploitation case revealed how authorities looked away in the matter where over 1,000 children were groomed by Muslim gangs just because of racial unease. The report found that the key agencies investigating the matter dismissed child exploitation as “child prostitution.” They blamed the children for the situation and not the perpetrators.

The independent chair that investigated the case submitted the report on July 12, in which they concluded that the investigating agencies were nervous about the race of the accused and did not investigate the case properly. They added that the youth workers and teachers were discouraged from reporting the offences and exploitation of children. The steps were taken by the authorities to ignore the matter resulted in the exploitation of the children for years.

As per reports, there had been a widespread grooming nexus in the town since 1989. The independent chair found that the men would approach girls while being disguised as taxi drivers or food delivery drivers. Then they would pursue them to be their ‘girlfriend.’ These men would give the girls lifts. They would buy alcohol and cigarettes for them and later pursue them to indulge in sexual activities. The children were made to believe that everything that happened was normal.

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