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UK: Britain-based Hindu group writes to PM Liz Truss over targeted hate crimes against Hindus, seeks urgent action

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Britain-based Hindu group writes to PM Liz Truss over targeted hate crimes against Hindus, seeks urgent action

In the wake of the violence in Leicester in which a large number of Hindus, their places of worship, and their cultural and religious symbols were wantonly targeted and damaged by Islamic extremists and hoodlums, Insight UK, a social movement of the British Hindu and British Indian (BHI) communities, wrote an open letter to Liz Truss, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, drawing her attention toward the targeted hate crimes against Hindus. The letter is signed by 180 Hindu organisations.

In a letter dated October 14, 2022, Hindu organisations, representing the voices of Hindus residing in the UK, expressed grave concern about targeted hate crimes committed against the Hindu community in the country and urged authorities to take appropriate and prompt action against the same.

Members of Insight UK, an umbrella organisation working on the issues concerning British Hindus, wrote, using examples from recent attacks on Hindus in Leichester, Birmingham, and other towns across the country, that hatred of the Hindu community is at an all-time high in the UK.

“We write to draw your attention to the recent disturbances in Leicester, Birmingham and other towns which have greatly distressed the Indian and Hindu communities in the UK. Hatred towards the Hindu community is at an all-time high, to the point where there has been open violence, intimidation, and abuse levelled at Hindus through physical assaults, harassment on social media, and most recently through soft targeting in schools and the workplace,” read the letter.

The letter sought to draw the Prime Minister’s attention to the fact that, despite constituting less than 2% of the UK population, British Indians contribute significantly more in terms of socioeconomic contribution to the British economy, social integration, and upholding our progressive British values. It read that though the Hindu community is one of the most law-abiding, as evidenced by the imprisonment statistics, it has been under constant attack by radical Islamists.

“Today, we feel like a community that is under siege. As a last resort, we write to you to draw your attention to our plight, and the long-term consequences of what is unfolding,” the letter read.

The letter further read, “You must be aware of the violence in Leicester and the aggressive protests outside a temple in Birmingham as well as the vicious attempts to harass the Hindu community in Nottingham and outside London’s iconic Sanatan Mandir in Wembley. Although the causes of what happened in Leicester are many and complex, the bottom line is that a marginalised Hindu community has been targeted through violence and intimidation. This Hindu community now lives in a state of fear. While some families have already left the neighbourhood, many more are preparing to relocate. It is worth noting that a small, but highly organised band of radical Islamists took full advantage of the community tensions that existed between this marginalised Hindu community and their Muslim neighbours which previously lived in peace.”

The Hindus further drew the PM’s attention towards the anti-Hindu propaganda being peddled in the country. They wrote in the letter how on social media, a storm of misinformation was purposefully manufactured, with open incitement to violence against Hindus. As a result of this aggressive campaign, countless Hindus have been physically beaten, Hindu residences have been targeted, and cars with Hindu symbols have been vandalised. While the media largely characterised it as a clash between the two faith communities, it neglected to explain why the Hindus bore almost all of the brunt of the destruction, the letter said, adding that it is frightening for Leicester’s embattled Hindu population to know that the perpetrators of these crimes are still free to roam.

In the open letter, the Hindus further raised concerns about how those who ventured to express the truth in the media or on social media have always faced threats.

“Many Hindu speakers from Leicester who spoke to the media now live in fear and have had to seek police protection while carrying panic alarms at all times. Sections of the Hindu community are, in practice, being deprived of the basic rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion which are central to our liberal way of life,” the letter further stated.

While making a few appeals before the PM, the Hindus stated how in the given situation, they shudder to think what would happen to them when extra police patrol is lifted.

The six appeals put forward by Hindus in the UK

  • To ensure that the Police are actively investigating the most recent crimes against the Hindu community as set out In this letter
  • To declare and ensure financial support is provided for the victims of these riots, Including businesses in Leicester that have been vandalised during the riots
  • To commission an Independent investigation into anti-Hindu hatred and its causes, which will go a long way in raising awareness of this problem amongst the key institutions of our society
  • To recognise the threat of British homegrown extremism and how certain parts of Britain have become hubs of radicalisation.
  • To help us fund training for teachers so that they are aware of and can Identify and deal with anti-Hindu hatred in schools.
  • To ensure that sufficient security Is provided to the Hindu community both In the short-term and the long-term, including sufficient security during the celebration of Diwali around the UK.

“The above proposals and/or recommendations will go a long way in repairing the damage that has been done to so many by an extremist few. We truly hope that you will take our concerns seriously and act upon our appeal. We are prepared to work shoulder-to-shoulder with you to make our country a leading light in the world,” wrote the 108 Hindus as they ended their letter to the UK Prime Minister.

Leicester violence

In August 2022 after India vs Pakistan match in Asia Cup when India defeated Pakistan, an Islamist mob reportedly attacked Hindus in Leicester after a scuffle during the celebration by the Indian community. A week later, the violence repeated and the Islamists attacked Hindus for days, starting from the 4th of September. Subsequently, the Indian community in the UK, especially Leicester, has been the victim of Islamist mobs reportedly vandalising and desecrating Hindu symbols. However, a certain section of the ‘liberal’ and leftist media along with Islamists and their apologists have been trying to paint the Indian community, especially Hindus, as aggressors.

‘Europe is garden, rest of the world is jungle’, says EU foreign policy chief, Russia responds by saying ‘garden was built by plundering jungle’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Europe is garden, rest of the world is jungle’, says EU foreign policy chief, Russia responds by saying ‘garden was built by plundering jungle’

On 13th October 2022, European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said ‘Europe is a garden and the rest of the world is a jungle.’ He also said that the jungle could invade the garden and that the gardeners have to go to the jungle to protect the garden. He made these racistrs remarks when he was addressing the opening ceremony of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium.

Josep Borrell said, “Europe is a garden. We have built a garden. Aggregate works are the best combination of political freedom, economic prosperity, and social cohesion that humankind has been able to build. There are three things together and here bridges may be the representation of the beautiful things intellectual life and well-being. The rest of the world is not exactly a garden. Most of the rest of the world is a jungle, and the jungle could invade the garden. The gardeners should take care of it.”

He further said, “But the gardeners will not protect the garden by building walls. A small garden surrounded by high walls in order to prevent the jungle from coming in, it’s not a solution. Because the jungle has a strong growth capacity and the wall will never be high enough in order to protect the garden. The gardeners have to go to the jungle. The Europeans have to be much more engaged with the rest of the world. The rest of the world will invade us by different ways of means. “

Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Vladimirovna Zakharova has strongly condemned Borel’s statement, saying that the ‘garden’ of Europe was built by looting the ‘jungle’ of the rest of the world during the colonial regime. She said, “To continue this analogy, the European gardener is in a vegetative state. On a serious note, Europe built that ‘garden’ through the barbaric plundering of the ‘jungle’. Borrell could not have phrased it any better: the world’s most prosperous system, created in Europe, nurtured by roots in colonies which they ruthlessly oppressed.”

Criticizing Germany’s involvement in both World Wars under the guise of reestablishing justice, she said, “Their philosophy of segregation and superiority became the underlying idea of fascism and Nazism. Both world wars in the 20th century were triggered by Germany’s ambition to ‘restore justice’ and re-divide Europe’s colonies that country had failed to grab for itself.”

She added, “Achieving that goal was to ensure Germany the same kind of prosperous and carefree life of the exploiters living in Borrell’s homeland, Spain, as well as in France, Britain, and Portugal.”

West Bengal: Protesters reportedly backed by TMC stop NCPCR chief from visiting Hooghly victim’s family, wave black flags

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Protesters reportedly backed by TMC stop NCPCR chief from visiting Hooghly victim’s family, wave black flags

On Friday, the convoy of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo was halted by the citizens of Hooghly district in West Bengal when he arrived to meet the family of a minor girl who was found dead in Baidyabati. The protesters didn’t allow Kanoongo to meet the family of the victim and also raised black flags in protest. Kanoongo was accompanied by BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal on October 14.

The NCPCR chief slammed the TMC government in the state and said that the state had failed to provide security to the children. “When this government can’t provide security to the Commission, we can imagine their failure in providing security to children. A child has been murdered. Goons of the ruling party are blocking the way and stopping us from meeting the family. We will leave only after meeting them”, Kanoongo said.

According to the reports, the protesters were allegedly supported by the TMC workers who raised black flags and stopped the NCPCR chief from meeting the family members of the victim. The girl, who had gone missing from Krishnapur village in Hooghly district on the night of Dussehra (October 5), was found dead on October 8. The corpse was discovered floating in a lake near her home. The girl’s family claims that she was brutally raped first and then killed. 

The girl, according to the family, had gone out on a bicycle with her cousin to visit a Durga Puja pandal but never returned home. The district of Hooghly is witnessing tensions since the discovery of the dead body of the minor girl. Reportedly, several members of the BJP, Congress, and also CPM visited the area to meet the family members of the victim but had to face protests from the residents.

Reports mention that the Congress delegation who had gone to meet the family members of the victim on Sunday were forced out of the village. “We stand in solidarity with the victim’s family. But the locals misunderstood us and did not allow us to enter the village. Police are working on the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who says there is no crime involved in the incident”, said Kamakhyanarayan Singh, a member of the congressional delegation and a councilor from the Uttarpara Municipality.

Also, BJP state secretary Priyanka Tibrewal and party MLA Biman Ghosh with other district leaders earlier met the local police and demanded a thorough investigation into the case. “The police’s job is not to manage the situation. Their primary role is to investigate it. So many days have passed since the incident took place and police cannot say whether the rape happened or not. The police have acted as per the guidelines set by CM Mamata Banerjee, as she always tries to cover up rape incidents. This is not just kidnapping. Sections of murder and the POCSO Act should be added to the FIR. We will extend legal help to the family if needed”, Tibrewal was quoted.

Later a CPM delegation led by party district secretary Debbrata Ghosh paid a visit to the family members of the victim. The Police in the case has arrested 4 accused including 3 juveniles on charges of sexually assaulting and murdering the 13-year-old girl. The Police also confirmed that the victim had been molested before one of them pushed her into the lake. “The four were drunk at the time of the incident. They were arrested on Sunday night from an area which is nearly 1km from the place where the victim’s body was found”, Hooghly Superintendent of Police (rural) Amandeep was quoted as saying.

A case has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 363 (kidnapping), and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused.

Constable Ratan Lal murder during Delhi Riots: Accused woman who was absconding for 2 years arrested from Noida

OpIndia Staff
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Constable Ratan Lal murder during Delhi Riots: Accused woman who was absconding for 2 years arrested from Noida

On Thursday, the Delhi Police arrested a woman from Noida who was on the run in connection with the death of Delhi Police Head Constable Ratan Lal during the 2019 Northeast Delhi riots. Ratan Lal was mercilessly lynched by a crazed Islamist mob while he was trying to do his duty on the main Wazirabad Road, Chand Bagh during the massive communal Delhi Riots in 2019.

According to the reports, the Delhi Police has not revealed the identity of the Islamist woman arrested, but a reward of Rs 50,000 had been placed on her head. “She had been frequently changing her accommodations to evade her arrests. She also changed her number multiple times. While scanning her call details records, we found that she was in touch with one of her relatives. We traced the relatives and reached her hideout,” the police said.

On September 5, 2020, a Delhi court had declared the woman a fugitive after she could not be traced by the police.

The official stated that the operations wing of the North East district had been working hard for a long time to track down the location of the absconding culprit in the murder of Head Constable Ratan Lal but had not obtained any concrete leads.

The official further stated that during technical surveillance, it was discovered that the accused’s cellphone number was not in use, but during a thorough analysis of the CDR, one of her close relative’s mobile number was found to be frequently contacting the customer service line of a particular company located in Noida, which raised suspicion.

“Based on the inputs received, human sources were deployed and a round-the-clock close watch in the areas near locations of both the mobile numbers was mounted. We got a tip-off and a raid was conducted in Noida sector 63. The police then apprehended the accused woman,” the official added.

After confirming all the intelligence gathered in the case, the police laid a trap at Noida sector 63, and the 27-year-old woman was arrested at around 5.35 PM. The woman has been living at Subhash Mohallah in Bhajanpura.

The woman admitted her guilt and said that during the February 2020 riots, she was actively participating in rallies against CAA/NRC. After she was named as a suspect in the murder of head constable Ratan Lal, she fled from her house and had been staying in various rented accommodations since then to avoid the police authorities. 

During the past two years, the woman also got married to a man who arranged for her to work as a customer care executive in a Noida-based firm. She further confessed that she never used her phone and exclusively utilized Internet calling using Apps. She had been calling her relatives and family members using the customer service number.

Ratan Lal was mercilessly lynched by a crazed Islamist mob while he was trying to do his duty on the main Wazirabad Road, Chand Bagh during the Delhi riots. The 42-year-old belonged to Fathepur Tihwali village in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. He had joined the Delhi Police in the post of constable in 1998 and was posted at Gokulpuri Police Station. He used to live with his family in a house in Delhi’s Burari area.

Teacher recruitment scam: ED unearths letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee along with other incriminating evidence

OpIndia Staff
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Teacher recruitment scam: ED unearths letter addressed to Mamata Banerjee along with other incriminating evidence

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a letter addressed to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in connection to the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam in the State, reported Zee News.

The said letter reportedly contains information about 44 aspirants who paid ₹7 lakhs each in exchange for a government job. Zee News reported that the contentious letter is written by a Trinamool Congress (TMC) office bearer and addressed to Mamata Banerjee, confirming the receipt of the trench of money.

Besides, ED also found a CD containing the names and roll number details of candidates who were selected for the fraudulent teacher’s exam of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE).

The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, refers to the fraud committed at the State Level Selection Test (SLT) between 2014 to 2016.

Candidates who appeared for the SLST exam had alleged that many candidates who secured fewer marks ended up with higher ranks on the merit list. They further stated that the candidates who were not on the merit list were also sent appointment letters.

Also, in the year 2016, multiple allegations of corruption cropped up regarding the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees in secondary and higher secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education.

The matter came to light in March 2022 after irregularities were noticed in the recruitment process of teachers in the state government schools.

The arrest of TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya 

On the intervening night of October 10-11, the Enforcement Directorate arrested TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya, for failing to cooperate with the agency’s investigation in the teacher recruitment scam case.

A day earlier, he was questioned over conceivable irregularities in the recruitment of elementary teachers. It must be mentioned that Bhattacharya is the former president of WBBPE.

On the instructions of the Calcutta High Court, Manik Bhattacharya was removed from his position as head of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education in June this year. On July 22, the ED searched his residence. The TMC MLA was interrogated later that month.

The Supreme Court had granted him immunity from arrest in the CBI case till October 10. He was arrested just hours after his Supreme Court-granted legal immunity expired.

‘Electoral Bonds Scheme is a transparent system for raising political funding’: Centre to Supreme Court

OpIndia Staff
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‘Electoral Bonds Scheme is a transparent system for raising political funding’: Centre to Supreme Court

On Friday, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the electoral bonds scheme is an absolutely transparent system of political funding and that no black or unaccounted money can be obtained through it.

As part of efforts to increase transparency in political funding, electoral bonds have been promoted as an alternative to cash donations to political parties.

In defence of the electoral bonds scheme, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that there is absolutely no scope for black money or unaccounted money in the electoral bonds scheme. 

“The methodology of receiving funds has been extremely transparent. We will go over each step in detail. It is now impossible to obtain any unaccounted or black money. It is the most transparent system. To say it affects democracy does not hold water,” Mehta appearing for the Union of India, told a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and B R Gavai.

The court is considering a number of petitions that question the legality of the Centre’s electoral bonds scheme, which was first proposed in 2017 and implemented in 2018. This is after 18 months since the case has been listed in the apex court.

NGO, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Communist Party of India (Marxist), and other petitioners have submitted PILs.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, who represented the NGO, stated that this is an issue that affects democracy. He stated that the matter should be heard as early as possible because electoral bonds are issued just before each state election.

Bhushan also claimed that the 2017 Finance Bill, which paved the way for the enactment of the electoral bond scheme, was passed as a money bill even though it was not. Appearing for one of the petitioners, Kapil Sibal, said the case should be heard by a larger bench.

The Supreme Court said it would decide on December 6 whether to refer a group of petitions challenging laws allowing political parties to be funded through the electoral bond scheme to a larger bench.

The Supreme Court stated that this is an important matter that requires a thorough hearing and requested the assistance of the Attorney General and Solicitor General in the matter.

Attorney General R Venkatmani stated that there is no critical urgency for the case to be listed and requested the court to list it in January 2023. Both Prashant Bhushan and Kapil Sibal however, objected to the suggestion by the Attorney General stating that pushing the hearing to January 2023 would in a way means further sales of electoral bonds.

Electoral Bonds

Electoral bonds may be purchased by a person who is a citizen of India or is incorporated or established in India, according to the scheme’s provisions.

Individuals can purchase electoral bonds either individually or in groups. Only political parties that have been registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and have received at least one per cent of the votes cast in the most recent general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State are eligible to receive electoral bonds. The eligible political party may only cash electoral bonds through a bank account with an authorised bank.

‘You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab’, Asaduddin Owaisi asks in a rally

OpIndia Staff
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‘You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab’, Asaduddin Owaisi asks in a rally

The Supreme Court’s verdict on the hijab case is yet to come as a two-judge bench delivered a split verdict. But the politics over the issue continues, with Islamist politicians defending hijab. Again making comments over the issue, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi has now compared Hijab with a bikini, saying that others can wear bikinis but that does not mean Muslim women will take off their hijab.

Asaduddin Owaisi said, “If not hijab, should we wear a bikini? If you want, you can wear it. Why are you bent upon finishing off our religion, culture and traditions like hijab and beard.”

Asaduddin Owaisi made these remarks on Friday 14th October 2022 while delivering a speech on the topic ‘Is the hijab a sign of backwardness of Muslims?’ Asaduddin Owaisi said, “Don’t Muslim women contribute to the development of the country? If Muslim women are covering their faces, does that mean they are covering their intelligence? They say Muslims are forcing their young children to wear hijabs. Are we really forcing that? You happily wear a bikini. Why should we take off our hijab?”

Asaduddin Owaisi added, “If you want to see how dangerously our sisters drive vehicles, then come to Hyderabad. Never put your vehicles behind them. This is my personal experience. I always ask my driver to drive cautiously. Whenever you accompany our sisters on their motorcycles, sit in the back seat wearing a helmet. So you will know how much they are being forced for hijab.”

Asaduddin Owaisi further said, “They say that we are scared of Muslim girls. Tell me who scares anyone these days? Hindu, Sikh, and Christian students are allowed to wear their religious attire and attend classes. Only the attire of Muslims has been banned. What do they think of Muslim students? They feel that Muslims are inferior to us.”

Reasserting his dream to see a hijab-wearing person become the Prime Minister of the country one day, Asaduddin Owaisi said, “When I say that this country will get a hijab-wearing prime minister, some people have a headache. Some others have a stomachache. Why shouldn’t I say that? This is my dream. What’s wrong with that? Do you think they shouldn’t wear a hijab? If they should not wear a hijab, then what should they wear? Bikini? You also have the right to wear the attire of your choice. Do you think our girls should take off the hijab and we should cut the beards?”

It is notable that the Supreme Court of India gave a split decision on the Karnataka hijab row on 13th October 2022. The two-judge bench referred the matter to CJI to hand over the case to a larger three-judge bench.

‘Agar kheera utha lun to poori plate dustbin mein daal dete hain’: Hindu woman narrates religious discrimination she faces in Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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‘Agar kheera utha lun to poori plate dustbin mein daal dete hain’: Hindu woman narrates religious discrimination she faces in Pakistan

Hindus, a minority in the Islamic country of Pakistan, are frequently targeted with hatred, kidnappings, rapes, forced marriages, and death. In one such recent incident, a Hindu girl was mentally tortured after being inducted into a company in Karachi, Pakistan. She said that she was being treated miserably for being a Hindu.

The incident was brought to light by Narain Das Bheel, the founder and chief organizer of a Hindu organization named the ‘Hindus Organization of Sindh’. He said that the victim girl was his friend and that she was being tortured in a company in Karachi for being a Hindu.

“I have a Hindu friend who got a job in a new company in Karachi. Today she told me about her pain”, Bheel said sharing the screenshot of his Whatsapp conversation with the victim girl. The girl in the conversation said that nobody in the office talked to her because she was a Hindu. “I was crying yesterday. My dishes in the office are kept separate and nobody touches them”, the girl informed during the conversation.

She also said that the Islamists in her office were treating her like animals. “..Jaise mai janwar hu. Agar mai plate me se kheera utha ke kha lu to puri plate dustbin me daal dete hai (.. As if I am an animal. If I eat a cucumber from their plate, they throw away the entire food)”, she said.

A local political worker Sarman Brohi (as per Twitter bio) also took to social media to post about the incident on October 13. He stated that the woman had joined in the company as a textile designer and was tortured for belonging to the Hindu religion. The girl further said that she would leave the job and that she was looking for a better opportunity.

Hindu people residing in Pakistan have been facing adversities and severe institutionalized discrimination in Pakistan. Hindus in the country are targeted with hatred, forceful conversion, kidnappings, rapes, and even death. Recently amid the floods that erupted in the Sindh province of Pakistan, a young girl was gang-raped by two Pakistani Muslims in the flood-hit area on the pretext of providing grocery items and food. The two accused have been identified as Khalid who is an auto-rickshaw driver and Dilsher. The duo who belong to the Macchi caste allegedly drugged the victim woman and raped her brutally for two days.

Also, on August 31, a video from Pakistan had gone viral over social media where a man could be seen complaining of attempted rapes of their women by the Pakistani goons. Further, in September this year, a heart-wrenching incident was reported from Sindh where an 8-year-old Hindu girl was gang-raped amid the devastating floods. The suspects scratched her entire face and also gauged out her eyes.

Later a journalist was also arrested from Ghotki for covering the plight of Pakistani Hindus trapped in the floods in the Sindh province of Pakistan. He had covered the heart-wrenching story of Pakistani Hindus belonging to the Bhagri community in Mirpur Mathelo of Sindh. The journalist reported that the local administration had expelled the Bhagri community people from the flood relief camp for being Hindus.

To note, many of the Hindus living in the Sindh province of Pakistan are among the poorest sections of Pakistani society. They face human rights violations in cases regarding land grabbing, abduction, and conversion. They have fewer employment opportunities and many still live as bonded laborers under Muslim landlords. Hindus also suffer routine exploitation which they dare not report to the police.

Pakistan’s courts have continuously failed to provide justice for Hindus in Pakistan. A 2019 field investigation report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has reaffirmed an unpleasant reality that is already known for far too long—minorities in Pakistan live under constant fear of persecution as their perpetrators enjoy court sanctions, support from the influential and affluent section of the society and patronage from political leaders.

Kerala police add non-bailable charges against Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly for sexually assaulting a woman: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala police add non-bailable charges against Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly for sexually assaulting a woman: Details

On Thursday, October 13, the Kerala crime branch filed fresh rape charges against Congress MLA Eldhose Kunnappilly, who was previously being probed for kidnapping and assaulting his estranged girlfriend.

The case against Kunnappilly was registered by Kovalam police in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The MLA has been hiding since being booked in a physical assault case on Tuesday. The district crime branch, that took over the probe and launched a manhunt to locate the Congress MLA informed that both the mobile phones of the MLA have been switched off since he has been on the run.

As per reports, Kunnappilly, MLA from Ernakulam’s Perumbavoor constituency, was charged with rape on false marriage promises, insulting womanhood, kidnapping, trespassing, and assault based on the complaint of the same woman, who had earlier alleged that the MLA had abducted and manhandled her.

The rape charges were added when the victim told the investigating police that the Congress MLA had raped her multiple times in different locations after promising to marry her.

In her statement, recorded before the Magistrate under CRPC 164, the victim further alleged that the MLA abducted her from her home on September 14.

She also said that on one occasion, the Congress MLA assaulted her inside his car while drunk and threatened to kill her.

She added that the MLA later offered Rs 30 lakh to settle the matter, alleged the victim, also levelling serious allegations against the Kovalam police. She said that the police asked her to withdraw and settle the complaint against the MLA. The victim accused the SHO of asking her to write down that she had no complaints.

The victim said that she had all of the evidence against the wrongdoings of the MLA and the police trying to hush the case.

The Kovalam police rejected the allegations and said the teacher didn’t come to the police station for a statement. They claimed that the victim had filed a complaint with the city police commissioner on September 28, and there was only an accusation of physical assault.

Later, however, based on her allegations, the CI was transferred, and the case was given to the Crime Branch.

Meanwhile, in a social media post, the MLA stated that he has done nothing illegal and that he will defend the lawsuit lawfully. On Tuesday (October 11) he applied to the sessions court for anticipatory bail, and his petition has been scheduled for hearing on Saturday, October 15.

Questioned about the case, Congress has said that it would not protect the two-term MLA. Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly V D Satheesan said that KPCC has a clear stand on the issue and the party has never tried to protect him as usually done by the ruling CPI(M) when allegations would crop up against its leaders.

Notably, Eldhose Kunnappilly is the same Congress MLA who had apologised to the Muslim community for donating to the construction of Ram Mandir.

He also claimed he was ‘tricked’ into donating to the Ram Mandir by the RSS. Kunnappilly alleged that some people had come to collect donations for the construction of the temple but ‘did not reveal’ that they were associated with the RSS and that the donation was for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He claimed that ‘out of his innocence’, he donated Rs 1,000 for the temple construction.

Rana Ayyub pulls the usual victim card after ED files a chargesheet against her, refuses to offer an explanation

OpIndia Staff
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Rana Ayyub pulls the usual victim card after ED files a chargesheet against her, refuses to offer an explanation

‘Journalist’ Rana Ayyub played victim after the Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet against her in connection with a case alleging that she illegally acquired funds in the name of charity.

In a statement released on Twitter after ED charge sheeted her, Ms Ayyub called the agency’s action ‘against an alleged ‘motivated’ and abuse of PMLA—the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, under which she has been charged. However, Ms Ayyub did not proffer facts and explanations countering the allegations levelled against her. 

Instead, Ms Ayyub relied on rhetorics to declare herself a victim of “the abuse of PMLA law” for her attacks against the central government.

“The chargesheet filed by the ED is yet another desperate attempt to target and intimidate me for my work, and yet another example of the abuse of PMLA law and misuse of law enforcement agencies to silence me, a voice that questions and critiques the ruling regime,” Ayyub said in a statement released on Twitter.

Ms Ayyub has often raised aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary, particularly on occasions after it has issued verdicts that have run counter to her beliefs. But in her statement after being charge-sheeted by ED, Ms Ayyub oozed confidence in the judiciary, stating that she feels confident that “abuse of process” will not stand judicial scrutiny. And if it does, she always has the fallback card of accusing the Modi government of compromising the judiciary.

ED files charge sheet against donation fraud accused Rana Ayyub

On Wednesday, October 12, the Enforcement Directorate filed a prosecution complaint against alleged journalist Rana Ayyub in a money laundering case. The complaint was filed under Section 8 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in a special court in Ghaziabad, in relation to the three fundraising campaigns that Ayyub ran on Ketto but didn’t utilise most of the collected money for stated purposes.

In the prosecution complaint, the ED stated that it had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered on 07.09.2021 by the Indirapuram Police Station, Ghaziabad, U.P, under various sections of IPC 1860, Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 and Black Money Act against Rana Ayyub alleging that she illegally acquired funds from the general public in the name of charity by launching fund-raiser campaigns on the online crowdfunding platform ‘Ketto’.

ED also stated that Rana Ayyub is a journalist by profession and received foreign contributions without registration under FCRA. According to the statement issued by ED, the investigation revealed that Rana Ayyub launched 3 fundraiser campaigns on ‘Ketto platform’ starting in April 2020, and collected funds totalling Rs. 2,69,44,680/-, namely: 

  • Help in raising funds for slum dwellers & farmers
  • Relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra 
  • Help Rana Ayyub & her team to help those impacted by Covid19 in India.

The ED probe has found that all the money transferred to her personal bank accounts, Rana Ayyub used only around 10.8% of the fund she collected for relief work, and the bulk of the money was kept in bank accounts. The statement said, “Investigation by ED revealed that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of her father and sister and subsequently transferred to her personal accounts. Ms Rana Ayyub utilized these funds to create fixed deposits of Rs. 50 lakhs for herself and also transferred Rs. 50 Lakhs in a new bank account. ED investigation revealed that only approx. Rs. 29 lakhs was used for relief work.”

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