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Here is how Day 1 collection of Karan Johar’s Brahmastra, made on a 410 crore budget, stacks up against KGF 2, made on a budget of 100 crore

OpIndia Staff
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Here is how Day 1 collection of Karan Johar’s Brahmastra, made on a 410 crore budget, stacks up against KGF 2, made on a budget of 100 crore

Producer-Director Karan Johar’s highly ambitious film Brahmastra starring Bollywood heavyweights such as Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Nagarjuna, and even Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo role was released on September 9, 2022, in over 8000 screens across the world.

The first-day collection of the movie, which is said to have been made on a whopping Rs 410 crore budget, grossed around 35-36 crore nett in all its versions. Trade website BoxOfficeIndia.com has reported Brahmastra’s collection at around Rs 35-36 crore. This is being considered the highest opening day on a non-holiday for original Hindi content.

Brahmastra is the most expensive Hindi film ever made at 410 crores, breaking the record of Thugs Of Hindostan which was made at a cost of around 310 crores. Incidentally, Thugs of Hindostan earned around 52.5 crores on its opening day.

In comparison to these numbers and statistics for Brahmastra, Prashanth Neel’s KGF 2, starring South star Yash in the lead role of Rocky, not only grossed more at the box office but was also produced on one-fourth the budget of Brahmastra.

According to reports, KGF- Chapter 2 which was made on a budget of Rs 100 crore, collected Rs 134.50 crore in India and Rs 164 crore worldwide on the first day of its release. The Hindi version raked in Rs 53.95 crore at the box office on the first day, making it the highest opening day collection for a film in Hindi.

So if the budget and the first-day collection of these two movies are compared, KGF-2 emerges as the clear winner, as it not only grossed a higher first-day collection than Bramhastra but was also made on one-fourth of the budget giving it a clear edge.

King-sized disappointment: Karan Johar’s Brahmastra fails to impress

Notably, Karan Johar’s movie Brahmastra, which is now in theatres, failed to make an impression on film critics and reviewers despite all of the hype surrounding it. Well-known film critic Taran Adarsh took to Twitter on Friday to review the movie. He completely wrote off the movie and called it a ‘king-sized disappointment’. Giving the Ayan Mukherjee directorial movie a two out of five-star rating, Adarsh said that the film was ‘low on content’. He opined that the movie was ‘all gloss, no soul’.

Taran Adarsh was not the only one who was unimpressed with the movie. Many other movie reviewers and media houses gave the movie abysmal ratings ranging from 2 to 3.5 stars out of 5.

Financial Express went on to take a dig at the movie by calling it a ‘film for kids’. “Brahmastra review: Ayan Mukherji’s Rs 410 crore grand vision ends up becoming a film for kids!”, read the headline of Financial Express’ report reviewing the big-budget movie.

In fact, moments after the bad reviews of the movie started to appear, the stock price of major multiplex chains in the country started to fall. According to estimates, PVR and INOX, the two major listed theatre chains, lost over Rs 800 crore in market capitalisation on Friday. The stocks had started to gain in recent days, but they crashed on September 9, coinciding with the release of Brahmastra.

Karan Johar’s movie faces boycott calls

For the unversed, Karan Johar’s Brahmastra has been facing trouble ever since its trailer premiered. It came under attack after its lead actress Alia Bhatt also told people that they were under no compulsion to watch her movie. Besides, a video of actor Ranbir Kapoor, who is playing the protagonist in the movie, surfaced where he said he was a beef-eating foodie. This too attracted a lot of criticism. To add fuel to the fire, the Hinduphobic tweets of Dharma Productions’ Development Executive Shreemi Verma also went viral on social media.

With the screenshots of her anti-Hindu tweets, netizens started to post on Twitter that she is associated with Dharma Productions, and linked to the upcoming movie Brahmastra. Netizens called for a boycott of the movie for its association with such a Hinduphobic person. She eventually deactivated her account to control the backlash of her remarks.

Madhya Pradesh: Ikra becomes Ishika after willingly accepting Hinduism and marries a Hindu boy, asks her Islamist family to stay away

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Ikra becomes Ishika after willingly accepting Hinduism and marries a Hindu boy, asks her Islamist family to stay away

On Friday, a Muslim woman named Ikra willingly converted her religion from Islam to Hinduism in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandasaur district and married a Hindu man. The woman married her love Rahul Verma and accepted Hinduism as her new religion amid the religious chants at Gayatri Mandir.

According to the reports, the woman will now no more be identified as Ikra but as Ishika Verma after she accepted Hinduism following her marriage with Rahul. The incident is said to have happened on September 9 at Mandsaur’s Kalakhet Gautam Nagar Gayatri temple. The girl who performed Ghar Wapsi however has demanded security from her family members fearing they may harm her or her husband. “My family should leave us alone. They should not do anything to me or Rahul”, she said.

Mandsaur BJP MLA Yashpal Sisodia took cognizance of the incident and congratulated the couple on their wedding. He mentioned that journalist Jafar who had recently accepted Hinduism and changed his name to Chaitanya Singh Rajput was also present at the wedding.

Rajput (earlier known as Jafar) who helped the duo get married, talked to Opindia and confirmed that Rahul who hails from Mandasaur now stays in Jodhpur, Rajasthan with his family. “He owns a dance class and also is completing his education. The girl Ikra was his neighbour and they loved each other”, he added.

Rajput further said that both Rahul and Ishika are adults and they had already signed a marriage agreement in the Udaipur court. “Now both of them got married in Madasaur following the Hindu culture. All the rituals were performed during the wedding”, he stated.

Meanwhile, Rajput also added that the Rajasthan Police are harassing the family members of the boy. “After their Court marriage, the girl’s family reported an FIR against Rahul in Jodhpur. The Rajasthan Police is harassing his family. First, they took Rahul’s mother and later Rahul’s brother to the police station. They are still there being harassed”, Rajput said.

According to media reports, Ishika has studied till class 9 and is 19 years old. Ishika reiterated that she has converted her religion to Hinduism willingly and that she wants her family members to stay away from her husband and her new family.

Singer Jubin Nautiyal lands in controversy after the organiser of his US concert turns out to be a Khalistani criminal absconding for 30 years: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Singer Jubin Nautiyal lands in controversy after the organiser of his US concert turns out to be a Khalistani criminal absconding for 30 years: Details

Indian playback singer Jubin Nautiyal drew the ire of social media users after it came to light that the organiser of his music concert in Houston in Texas is allegedly an absconding criminal who used to be associated with a banned Khalistani outfit.

A Facebook post has been doing the rounds of the internet where an ISI agent named Rehan Siddiqui was seen heaving praises on the 33-year-old singer. “My favourite singer is coming to Houston. Good shows are worth the wait. Let’s begin its officially show time,” the post read.

Siddiqui further added, “Great job Jai Singh. Looking forward for your amazing presentation.” Jai Singh, the organiser of Nautiyal’s event, has been absconding from India for the past 30 years.

Screengrab of the Facebook post by Rehan Siddiqui

In January 2019, The Quint reported that Jai fled India and settled in Fermont city in the California State of the US. He is wanted at the Chandigarh police stations over serious charges of drug smuggling and video piracy.

He was associated with a banned Khalistani outfit in Punjab and has been providing logistical support to the Sikh separatist movement from Fermont. He has been accused of committing monetary fraud at the gurdwara, where he stayed.

Rehan Siddiqui, on the other hand, is a Pakistani ISI agent. In June 2020, Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy, informed that Union Home Ministry have blacklisted three individuals including Siddiqui on the recommendations of the Consulate General of India in Houston.

Screengrab of the response of G Kishan Reddy

“Further, the Embassy of India in Washington DC and the Consulate General of India in Houston have also been requested to engage with prominent influences, cultural bodies and bona-fide ‘Bollywood affiliated’ local entities to ensure that, appropriate message is conveyed to Indian actors and artists, so that they disassociate themselves from such anti-national elements,” he added.

Following outrage on social media, Rehan Siddiqui pulled down his Facebook post. The Houston event, where Jubin Nautiyal was scheduled to perform on September 23 this year, has allegedly been removed for online ticket sales. Amidst the controversy, the hashtag ‘#ArrestJubinNautiyal went viral on social media.

While the playback singer has not made any statement so far, a tweet dating back to July 19 is still up on his official page. Jubin Nautiyal had announced his music tour of the USA and Canada. He even shared the phone number of Jai Singh, the alleged Khalistani extremist, and asked people to contact him for more details about the event.

The archived version of the contentious tweet can be accessed here.

Delhi: Irshad Ali poses as a Hindu to befriend a woman, sexually assaults her and inflicts 28 injuries on her body when his identity is revealed

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Irshad Ali poses as a Hindu to befriend a woman, sexually assaults her and inflicts 28 injuries on her body when his identity is revealed

Delhi police have arrested a youth named Irshad Ali Khan based on a complaint filed by a woman in Jyoti Nagar on September 7, wherein she accused the former of cheating, kidnapping, sexually assaulting and sodomising her. According to police, Irshad Khan is also a co-accused in a 2008 murder case in Bhajanpura.

Subhi Vishwakarma, a journalist working for Swarajya took to Twitter on September 10, Saturday to share a TOI report on the incident. “In Delhi now; Irshad Ali, a murder accused posed as Guddu Choudhary to rape a woman in Jyoti Nagar area in Delhi,” Tweeted the journalist, sharing the news report.

The Times of India report quoted the victim as telling the police that Irshad Ali concealed his religious identity and pretended to be Guddu Chaudhary in order to initially befriend her. After she fell into his trap, he ‘married’ her. When his true identity was exposed after marriage, the accused held her captive in Delhi and Bhopal, where he sexually assaulted and sodomised her.

The police said that it received the complaint on September 7, adding that the medical examination of the victim revealed that she had injuries in 28 places on her body.

In the complaint, the victim alleged that Arshad Ali Khan alias Guddu Chaudhary befriended her in 2011 and even got a goddess tattoo done on his hand. The accused married her while claiming to be an advocate.

She further said that when after the wedding, she discovered that the accused was previously married, had two children, and practised a different faith, the accused held her captive in Delhi and Bhopal where he raped and assaulted her.

Greece Love Jihad: 35-year-old woman found murdered, wrapped in a blanket in Larissa home, Police searching for absconding Pakistani partner

OpIndia Staff
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Greece Love Jihad: 35-year-old woman found murdered, wrapped in a blanket in Larissa home, Police searching for absconding Pakistani partner

The forced Islamification of women under the veil of love is not only restricted to the Hindu population residing in the South Asian part of the globe but the cases have now reached other countries like Greece as well. The women in Greece are facing the heat of Grooming Jihad where Islamist men are first trapping the women in a love affair and then forcing them to convert to Islam.

In one such recent case, a 35-year-old woman in Greece’s city of Larissa was found murdered and wrapped in a blanket in the basement of an apartment building on Papanastasiou Street in the city. The woman was reportedly banged on her head by the accused who hails from Pakistan. The accused fled from the spot after the murder and left the woman wrapped in a blanket.

The incident came to light on Friday morning when the neighbour’s store owner complained about the stench coming out of the apartment. He checked at the basement to discover the dead body of the 35-year-old woman. He then informed the Police who reached the spot for further investigation.

The body was in advanced decomposition and initially, police officers suggested it was death due to pathological causes. However, the body was then sent for forensic examination, reports of which revealed that the deceased woman has suffered a major head injury. “It appears that the main suspect in the case is her partner who is a Pakistani national. He has disappeared and efforts are being taken to nab him”, the Police stated.

Reports mention that the victim woman had been living with her partner and had complained about domestic violence in the past. The woman had been murdered and covered in a blanket for 6 days. The Police investigating the case stated the possibility that the suspect might have fled from the country.

Earlier, a similar incident was reported from the Athens neighbourhood of Peristeri, Greece when a 17-year-old girl named Nicoletta was murdered by her Pakistani boyfriend identified as Ahsan. The accused had concealed his identity as an illegal Pakistani immigrant and was residing with the victim’s family. He later fell in love with the victim and murdered her after she allegedly spoke badly about the Quran and asked him to become Christian.

Reportedly, the accused had possessed four different identity documents with different names and ages. The forensic examination revealed that the victim identified as Nicoletta died from suffocation as the culprit covered her nose and lips. The victim’s death by suffocation took four to five minutes, and it seemed that she struggled a lot to survive.

The police later arrested the accused who had initially fled from the spot after murdering the victim. He had taken his and the victim’s phone with him. However, the police issued an international warrant in the case and tracked the accused’s phone to arrest him along the border with North Macedonia.

Jharkhand: Kasamuddin Ansari pours petrol on Deepak Soni and sets him ablaze after Soni told Ansari to stop harassing another person

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Kasamuddin Ansari pours petrol on Deepak Soni and sets him ablaze after Soni told Ansari to stop harassing another person

As per reports, a man named Deepak Soni was set ablaze by one Kasamuddin Ansari over a minor discussion in which Deepak advised Kasamuddin not to argue with another person. Kasamuddin was arguing with someone when Deepak Soni, who was standing close, simply remarked, “Why are you fighting?” Kasamuddin lost his calm in this affair, splashed fuel on Deepak Soni and lit him on fire.

According to reports, the incident occurred in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district. Deepak, who drives a car for a livelihood, had gone to park near his uncle’s house in Narhi village after coming from work. At the same time, he noticed a man named Kasamuddin Ansari arguing with someone. When Deepak Soni, who was standing nearby inquired about the cause of the argument and asked Kasamuddin to stop harassing the other person, Kasamuddin became enraged and poured a bottle of petrol on Soni, setting him on fire.

In this attack by Kasamuddin Ansari, Deepak Soni sustained serious injuries. He was admitted to the closest hospital for treatment, but the doctors referred Deepak to Sadar Hospital because of his serious condition. The police arrived at the scene and began their investigation after receiving the information. The accused Kasamuddin runs a grocery shop in his own house. There is tension in the village after the incident.

It is noteworthy that very recently a teen Hindu girl in the Dumka district of Jharkhand was set ablaze by her stalker Shahrukh for refusing his advances. The number of such incidents is apparently on the rise in Jharkhand where the state government is struggling to survive and the chief minister is being accused of having a conflict of interest.

Following the death of two teen girls in Dumka, when JMM MLA from Dumka and chief minister’s brother Basant Soren was asked about the reason for his absence from the district, he said that he was in Delhi to buy his undergarments.

Mufti accuses former Maharashtra govt led by Uddhav Thackeray of supporting terrorists, says, ‘refused support to those who spoke against terrorism’

OpIndia Staff
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Mufti accuses former Maharashtra govt led by Uddhav Thackeray of supporting terrorists, says, ‘refused support to those who spoke against terrorism’

Speaking on The Debate with Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami Friday, Mumbai-based Islamic scholar Mufti Mansoor Ziyaee accused the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray led-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of colluding with Mumbai-based terrorist organisations. The Sufi scholar added that the former Maharashtra government has never supported those who have spoken against terrorism.

The panel on Republic TV was debating the recent controversy over the grave beautification of Yakub Memon, the convicted terrorist in the 1993 Mumbai bombings case when Mufti Mansoor Ziyaee levelled some serious allegations against the erstwhile Shiv Sena government in the state. He accused accusing it of extending support to ‘anti-national forces’ and using Muslims only as a vote bank. 

At around 25.00-minutes into the debate, he said, “the previous MVA government used to work with all the terrorist organisations. They refused to support those who spoke against terrorism. Everybody in the world knows that I always speak against terrorism.

“I say this with full responsibility that the kind of atmosphere the MVA has created both in the state, as well as the country, needs to be looked into. These people have made it difficult for us to live, for people like us who always speak against terrorism, that is how MVA removed our security. They use us Muslims as a vote bank, just to get votes. These people are supporting the anti-nationals, who are breaking the unity of this Nation. Because of them, we face problems in the country,” the Islamic scholar added.

During the show, the media outlet also revealed photos of Yakub Memon’s kin Rauf Memon with several MVA government ministers. In the pictures, Rauf Memon is seen meeting NCP’s Nawab Malik and Aslam Shaikh of Congress. While Malik was the Minority Affairs Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government, Shaikh handled the portfolios of Ports, Fisheries and Textiles.

Rauf allegedly threatened a former trustee of the Juma Masjid Of Bombay Trust on behalf of Tiger Memon to construct a permanent Yakub grave, failing which he would be ‘made to disappear.’

Uddhav Thackeray govt accused of glorifying 1993 Mumbai bomb blast convict Yakub Memon

On September 7, a political controversy erupted after BJP leader Ram Kadam shared images of the grave of the Islamic terrorist at Mumbai’s Bada Qabrastan, saying that the terrorist’s grave was beautified when the MVA government was in power. He had added that the leaders of the MVA alliance parties, Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the people of India for allowing a convicted terrorist and traitor’s grave to be glorified.

Since the photographs surfaced, the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has been under fire for beautifying the tomb of terrorist Yakub Memon.

Who was Yakub Memon? 

Yakub Memon was convicted for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts and was sentenced to death. In 2015, the death sentence was carried out after his mercy petition was rejected. He was buried on July 30, 2015, at Bada Cemetery in South Mumbai. Yakub was the only convict awarded the death penalty. An attempt is now being made to turn Yakub’s grave into a tomb. LED lights have reportedly been put on this marble-covered grave. It is guarded 24 hours a day.

WATCH: Rahul Gandhi remains mute when Christian priest teaching him about Jesus, insults Hindu deities, had earlier said ‘Bharat Mata can give scabies’

OpIndia Staff
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WATCH: Rahul Gandhi remains mute when Christian priest teaching him about Jesus, insults Hindu deities, had earlier said ‘Bharat Mata can give scabies’

On Friday (September 9), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi met a rabid anti-Hindu pastor, George Ponnaiah, as part of his ambitious mass mobilisation programme ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’

In a video that has now gone viral on social media, Rahul Gandhi was seen learning about Jesus Christ from the pastor. “But, He is not God? Or is he God? Jesus is also God?”

A man in the background was heard explaining how the connection between Jesus Christ and God using the different states of water. “It is Like water, which is in 3 states – solid, liquid and gaseous form.”

He then proceeded to explain that Jesus Christ is God and also the son of God. “So, Jesus Christ is a form of God?” inquired Rahul Gandhi.

At that point, Father George Ponnaiah intervened and claimed that Jesus is the ‘real God’, unlike ‘Sakthi & other Hindu gods. The rabid Hindu hater said, “He (Jesus Christ) is a real God, revealed as a human person. Not like Sakthi and all.”

Rahul Gandhi, who otherwise claims to be a janeu dhari Brahmin, remained a mute spectator to the direct insinuation by the Christian pastor that the Hindu deities are unreal and imaginary.

While the Congress party is making a last-ditch effort to turn its political fortunes through the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, it appeared ironic that the Gandhi dynast chose to meet a man who made despicable remarks about Bharat Mata and the Hindu civilisation.

Father George Ponnaiah and his anti-Hindu tirade

On July 18 last year, the controversial pastor insulted Bharat Mata by claiming that She is dirty and can cause scabies. During his public address in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, he mocked BJP candidate MR Gandhi for not wearing footwear out of respect for Mother Earth (Bhumadevi/Bharat Mata).

“But we wear shoes. Why? Because the impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us. The Tamil Nadu government has given us free footwear. This bhuma devi is dangerous, you could catch scabies from it,” he brazened it out.

Father George Ponnaiah also issued veiled threats to the Hindu community about the changing demographics of the State. “We are now the majority (in the Kanyakumari district) from 42 per cent we have crossed 62 per cent. Soon we would be 70 per cent. You cannot stop us. I am saying this as a warning to my Hindu brothers.”

Following his vitriolic speech, about 330 representatives from various Hindu organisations filed complaints with the police in various districts of the state.

On July 21, 2021, Fr George Ponnaiah was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different religious groups), 295A (outraging feelings by insulting religious beliefs), 505-2 (statements promoting enmity between classes), 506-1 (criminal intimidation).

He was eventually arrested on July 24 of that year by the Kanyakumari police for his hate speech. The Madras High Court also refused to quash the FIR against the Catholic priest for his offensive language against Bharat Mata and Hindus.

“The petitioner poked fun at those who walk barefoot out of reverence for Mother Earth. He stated that Christians wear shoes so that they won’t catch sources of infection and filth. Nothing can be more outrageous to the feelings of the believing Hindus”, the court observed.

In August last year, Christian priest Arumanai Stephen, the secretary of Arumanai Christian Association(ACA), was booked by the Tamil Nadu police for gang-raping a married woman and recording a video of the heinous crime.

Interestingly, Stephen had organised the hate speech event of Father George Ponnaiah in Kanyakumari.

Former RJD MLC Anwar Ahmed’s son Asfar manhandles DSP, was protesting to free one Sarfaraz who had attacked the police: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Former RJD MLC Anwar Ahmed’s son Asfar manhandles DSP, was protesting to free one Sarfaraz who had attacked the police: Here is what happened

Asfar Ahmed, son of former RJD MLC Anwar Ahmed and Ward 40 councillor, caused a commotion when he arrived at Pirbahor police station on Friday evening to free shopkeeper Sarfaraz in connection with an attack on police in Bihar’s capital Patna. In front of a half-dozen police officers, Asfar Ahmed also misbehaved with Town DSP Ashok Prasad Singh. Threatened him to take off his uniform.

On Thursday, locals attacked the police squad that went on a raid in front of Sabzibagh Dental College. By running on the road, the people on the scene beat up the cops. In this case, the DSP and Thanedar of the area went to the scene and arrested a local shopkeeper on suspicion, and took him to the police station. Following this, local ward councillor Asfar Ahmed went to the police station and began pressuring the officers to free the imprisoned merchant.

The matter escalated so much that late in the night, the road in front of the police station, Ashok Rajpath, was blocked by miscreants. The commotion lasted a long time. The police used force to disperse the mob during this time. The police continued to camp on the scene until late at night. Five police stations remained on the scene.

On Friday, the police apprehended another recognized suspect, including the ward councillor, as part of the attack on the police on Thursday, and have been preparing to send them to jail since late at night.

As soon as Asfar Ahmed was arrested, at about 9.30 p.m., several anti-social elements gathered outside the police station and violently closed the adjacent stores. The commotion then began by blocking the road. However, according to reports, Vajravahan and an additional police force arrived at the Pirbahor police station and used light force on the people who were causing a commotion by blocking the road and driving them away. Tension persisted inside and outside the police station until late at night.

Former RJD MLC threatened DSP

According to DSP, as soon as he learned of his son’s detention, former RJD MLC Anwar Ahmed arrived at the Pirbahor police station and began threatening the officers and constables present in a loud manner. During this time, the former MLC vowed to go to the ‘top’ if his son was not released. However, one of the former MLCs did not cooperate with the police, while another suspect caught with his son was taken to jail late at night by the police.

The former MLC was also held in the police station till late at night. He was eventually released. Although, while leaving the police station, the former RJD MLC stated that he had been sitting in the police station for hours gossiping. He denied all claims levelled against himself and his son. According to DSP Town Ashok Prasad, the police’s work has been hampered. Further action will be taken in this matter by registering the charges against the councillor.

At the same time, the DSP stated that the ward councillor who caused a commotion in the police station tore his own shirt and tried to blame it on the cops. This, however, his actions were recorded on the CCTV camera.

Former RJD MLC has manhandled policemen earlier also

In 2008, Anwar Ahmed was arrested by the Pirbahore police on the charge of manhandling a sub-inspector. Anwar Ahmed’s son had hit a motorcyclist and had a fight with the motorcyclist. The motorcyclist went to Pirbahore police station and informed the police about the incident. When the officer-on-duty and sub-inspector reached the spot, they were manhandled and beaten up by Anwar Ahmed.

After CBI, ED raids multiple properties of Punjab AAP MLA Jaswant Singh in connection with a Rs 40 crore bank scam, seize incriminating evidence

OpIndia Staff
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After CBI, ED raids multiple properties of Punjab AAP MLA Jaswant Singh in connection with a Rs 40 crore bank scam, seize incriminating evidence

The Enforcement Directorate Thursday, September 8, carried out simultaneous raids at multiple properties belonging to Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra and his associates. The raid was carried out in connection with the Rs 40 crore bank scam.

According to reports, the ED officials, accompanied by paramilitary forces, simultaneously started searches at different locations, including a hotel at Dhuri, a school and the residence of the Amargarh MLA in Gajjan Majra and Lasoi villages.

In the raid, the central agency seized Rs 32 lakh in cash, some mobile phones, hard drives and evidence related to shell companies that were used for siphoning off funds.

“Incriminating pieces of evidence were seized related to bogus firms through which turnover of Tara Corporation Limited (of which Jaswant Singh is one of the directors) was inflated and loan funds were diverted/siphoned off by the accused. Further, mobile phones, hard drives and Indian currency worth Rs 32 lakh were also seized from the searched premises,” the ED said in a statement.

CBI raids Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jaswant Singh, recovers 94 signed blank cheques

Prior to this, a CBI team on May 7, 2022, carried out raids at the properties linked to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA. During the searches, the CBI team recovered 94 blank cheques signed by different signatories and several Aadhar cards.

The searches were conducted in connection with the case against the Amargarh MLA over a complaint lodged by Bank of India, Ludhiana branch. 

The case was registered against Jaswant Singh, Tara Corporation Ltd (renamed as Malaudh Agro Ltd.) based at Gaunspura, Tehsil- Malerkotla, and others. The AAP MLA was a director and guarantor in the accused company. Jaswant Singh’s brothers Balwant Singh and Kulwant Singh, and nephew Tejinder Singh are also accused in the case.

Explaining the nature of the fraud, CBI spokesperson RC Joshi said, “The borrower firm was sanctioned loans at 4 intervals from 2011-2014 by the Bank. It was further alleged that the firm through its Directors had concealed hypothecated stock and diverted book debts with malafide and dishonest intention so that the same was not made available to the creditor Bank for inspection and for effecting recovery as a secured creditor. An alleged loss of Rs. 40.92 Crore(approx) was caused to the Bank.”

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