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Netizens accuse AAP MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan of meeting Khalistani leaders in Canada: Here’s what we know

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens accuse AAP MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan of meeting Khalistani leaders in Canada: Here’s what we know

On September 14, netizens shared photographs of Aam Aadmi Party MLA and Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan with a Khalistani leader identified as Harjit Singh Bajwa from Canada.

In the posts shared on social media platforms, it has been alleged that Sandhwan met Bajwa during a fundraiser dinner organized in Canada. Bajwa is also President of a Gurudwara in Montreal, and the said dinner was allegedly organised by him.

OpIndia looked into Bajwa’s activities. We noticed that Bajwa is a known Khalistani leader in Canada. He uses his position to propagate Khalistani ideology and incites Sikhs into demanding a separate nation, Khalistan.

A video of Bajwa from August 15, 2022, also went viral on social media, where he was seen raising ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans in front of the Indian Consulate. The crowd present there also burnt the Indian National flag in his presence.

In another video shared by Gurudwara Guru Nanak Darbar, LaSalle, on June 4, 2020, Bajwa talked about former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh’s remarks about Khalistan. In his address, Bajwa extended his support for designated Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of Sikhs For Justice and said no one could stop Referendum 2020 from happening in India.

Harjit Singh regularly shares posts related to Khalistan on his social media accounts. On September 6, he shared a video on Referendum 2020 to urge people to vote in favour of Khalistan on September 18 in Brampton, Canada.

On September 9, he shared a video of OMNI Punjab where he could be seen with Khalistan supporters demanding a separate nation. The ‘protest’ took place outside Indian Consulate in Ontario, Canada.

In the past as well, Bajwa has openly shared videos and posts supporting the Khalistan movement. OpIndia could not verify if and when Sandhwan met Bajwa.

AAP accused of courting pro-Khalistani elements

It is noteworthy to mention this is not the first time that AAP has been accused of aligning with pro-Khalistan elements. In the run-up to the Punjab elections, former AAP member Kumar Vishwas had levelled explosive allegations against AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, whom he accused of hobnobbing with Khalistanis and seeking their support in elections. 

Speaking about the deep-rooted separatism in Kejriwal’s mind, Vishwas had said, “He even made dangerous statements in front of me that everyone knows in Punjab. One day when I asked him about referendum 2020 that was being funded by ISI and other elements across the world, he told me not to worry and said, “Either I will become Chief Minister of the state or I will become first Prime Minister of an independent nation (Khalistan).”

Gul Panag had made similar allegations

In 2018, similar allegations were made by actress Gul Panag 2018. Referring to Khalistani supporters in Punjab as K Gang, she had said, “Poorly calculated flirtation that was. One I warned against. Repeatedly. It’s because they didn’t ‘get’ or ‘understand’ Punjab. I thought the K gang had electoral weightage. All of us from Punjab knew better. But alas!”

Anti-India outfit SFJ claimed Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP used Khalistani votes and funds to win Punjab

Earlier this year, following AAP’s victory in Punjab elections, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the anti-India outfit SFJ, alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had used Khalistan votes and funds to win Punjab.

Khalistani terrorist Pannun had further added that it is an open secret that AAP has been heavily funded and supported by pro-Khalistan Sikhs from the USA, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia. 

BMW denies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s claim that it has decided to set up a new manufacturing plant in Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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BMW denies Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s claim that it has decided to set up a new manufacturing plant in Punjab

A day after the Punjab government announced that German luxury car maker BMW has decided to set up an automobile part manufacturing plant in the state, the company has denied taking any such decision. In a press release issued today, BMW said, “BMW Group India has no plans for setting up additional manufacturing operations in Punjab.”

The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.

The company also said in its press release, “Along with cars and motorcycles, BMW Group’s activities in India comprise of financial services for its premium clientele. BMW India and BMW India Financial Services are 100% subsidiaries of the BMW Group and are headquartered in Gurgaon (National Capital Region).”

BMW statement denying agreeing to set up a new plant in Punjab

BMW’s denial comes after the Punjab government had claimed in a statement that during his ongoing Germany visit, CM Bhagwant Mann has secured an investment from BMW as the company has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in the state. It was claimed that a decision for this investment was taken during Mann’s visit to BMW headquarters in Munich today.

The Punjab govt claimed that after Mann ‘showcased the Punjab government’s exemplary work to promote industry in the state’, BMW group agreed to set up its auto component unit in state. The statement added that it will be the second plant of BMW in India, after the existing one in Chennai.

CM Bhagwant Mann had said that the BMW unit will give a major boost to the industrial growth of Punjab and create jobs. The CM also invited BMW to collaborate with the state in the e-mobility sector.

Kanpur: Mazaar obstructing widening of highway demolished in heavy police presence

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur: Mazaar obstructing widening of highway demolished in heavy police presence

A Mazaar between Chaubepur and Shivrajpur in Kanpur was bulldozed by the Kanpur police and administration on Wednesday as part of the widening of GT Road from Aligarh to Kanpur. The Mazaar was blocking the widening of the highway and therefore it needed to be demolished.

The construction of the six-lane highway connecting Aligarh and Kanpur is progressing quickly. The NHAI plans to finish the work by October 2023. The Mazaar at Mariani village, located between Chaubepur and Shivrajpur, was becoming an impediment to construction. The administration had been attempting to remove it for two months, but the residents of the village were protesting.

On Wednesday, the patron of the religious place was called under the leadership of Bilhaur SDM Alka Lamba. After this, the Mazaar was removed peacefully. During this a heavy police force was present. The SDM said that law and order have not deteriorated in any way regarding the removal of the Mazaar.

A commotion erupted two months ago during the NHAI’s effort to demolish the Mazaar. The work on widening GT Road was then halted. According to locals, the Mazaar was constructed over a fifty-year period. This time, the administration had everything planned in advance by having a meeting. ASP Outer Vijendra Dwivedi and SDM Alka Lamba met with the patron and devised a plan to demolish the Mazaar.

The Punjab link to drugs seizure off the Gujarat Coast: Contraband worth Rs 200 crores ordered from Amritsar Jail

OpIndia Staff
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The Punjab link to drugs seizure off the Gujarat Coast: Contraband worth Rs 200 crores ordered from Amritsar Jail

A joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad caught a Pakistani fish trawler carrying 40 kgs of drugs worth Rs 200 crores off the Gujarat coast on Wednesday. 

Six Pakistani nationals present on the trawler were also arrested, an ATS official said. 

“The joint team of the Coast Guard and ATS intercepted the fishing boat carrying heroin near Jakhau harbour in Kutch district,” the official said.

The drugs were reportedly meant to be transported to Punjab after being offloaded on the Gujarat coast. Acting on a specific tip-off, the joint team of ATS and Coast Guard intercepted the boat that left Pakistan and caught six Pakistani nationals with 40 kg of heroin. The Coast Guard team is expected to reach the Jakhau coast later in the day.

The Punjab connection to drug seizures off the Gujarat coast

As per reports, the contraband caught is linked to jails in Amritsar, Ferozepur, and Faridkot in Punjab. The drugs seized today were reportedly ordered by a Nigerian national named Chief lodged in Amritsar Jail and Meraj Rahmani imprisoned in Kapurthala Jail.

It is worth noting that this is not the first time that ATS has unearthed Punjab links to the drugs seized off the Gujarat coast. While Arvind Kejriwal had asked that drugs transported from Gujarat to Punjab need to be investigated, he did not mention that the orders were placed from inside jails in Punjab. 

Earlier in July this year, officials caught 75 kg of drugs worth Rs 375 crores, ordered by one Bagga Khan imprisoned in Faridkot jail. 

Similarly, last year, Coast Guard caught 146 kg of drugs worth Rs 730 crores ordered by a person named Bhola shooter lodged in Ferozepur jail.

The Fauxy sends legal notice to Boom Live and its journalist for ‘fact-checking’ a satire article and calling them ‘fake news’

OpIndia Staff
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The Fauxy sends legal notice to Boom Live and its journalist for ‘fact-checking’ a satire article and calling them ‘fake news’

On September 14, popular satire website The Fauxy sent a legal notice to Boom Live and its journalist Mohammed Kudrati against the alleged false and malicious article published to ‘defame and malign’ its image. In its legal notice, The Fauxy alleged that an article published by Boom Live labelled them as ‘fake news, whereas The Fauxy categorically mentions that it is a satire website.

Supreme Court Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha sent the notice on behalf of The Fauxy. In the notice accessed by OpIndia, it was mentioned that despite the fact that The Fauxy explicitly mentions everywhere that it is a satire website, Boom Live decided to “fact-check” a satire piece written on former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and claimed that The Fauxy spreads fake news in the guise of satire.

Excerpt from the notice.

The notice further pointed out that the recipients of the notice, that is, journalist Kudrati, is well aware of what satire is. The notice read, “In fact, you Noticees are very well aware of the difference between real and satire news and that you Noticee No. 3, In fact, has been retweeting the tweets from parody account yourself which shows that the act done by you against my client is a hit-job in order to gain some views for Noticee no. 1 while trying to destroy the reputation of my client with malafide intention.”

Furthermore, when @being_humor, the Twitter user who founded The Fauxy, called out Boom Live and Kudrati over the misleading report on the website, Kudrati protected his account on the social media platform. Speaking to OpIndia, @being_humor confirmed that no one had replied to his tweets when he called out Kudrati and Boom Live for the alleged hit job, thus, they decided to send a legal notice.

@Being_humor said, “The Fauxy was started as a satire website, and since day one, we have placed a disclaimer on our website and social media accounts that categorically define the website content as satire. Despite all the effort to ensure the readers do not confuse the content with ‘real news,’ certain fact-checking websites fact-check our articles with the malicious intent to defame us. It has been long since they are trying to discredit us for the work we do.”

The Fauxy clearly advice its readers not to “confuse the articles of The Fauxy as genuine and true”. Source: TheFauxy.com

He added, “There are some social media users that pick our content without authorization and make it their own. When these fact-checking websites fact-check such posts and find our satire-based articles as the source, they defame The Fauxy.” Being_Humor said, “Ironically, many of these fact-checking websites have founders who used to run satirical accounts themselves and currently are on bail for spreading fake news.”

The case of Boom Live and The Fauxy

On September 7, it was reported that Boom Live, which claims to be India’s first ever independent organization to ‘fight misinformation,’ accused a satire website named ‘the Fauxy’ of sharing false information. The ‘fact-check’ article written by Boom Live reporter Mohammed Kudrati also targeted several social media handles for sharing the satirical article and trolling former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan for his previous remarks over the recession.

It all started on September 2, when the satirical content writing website named ‘The Fauxy’ published an article titled, “India will be cornered if it doesn’t get hit by the recession like rest of the world: Raghuram Rajan.” The article poked former Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan, who had been predicting an economic doom for India for years.

The Fauxy based its witty content on McKinsey CEO Bob Sternfels’ interview on September 2, in which he had said, “It is India‘s century, not India’s decade.” Sternfels, in his interview, also praised India for its economic growth and said that the country would be the world’s future expertise manufacturing unit with 20% of the global working population by 2047. The Fauxy humorously created Rajan’s response to this and indicated that the former RBI Governor would still be predicting India to be hit by a recession.

Though The Fauxy mentions everywhere that it is a satire website, Boom Live, which claims to fight misinformation, ‘fact-checked‘ a satire website and alleged that it was spreading misinformation. To dig the ‘truth’ out of humor, the channel also contacted Rajan, who is currently a professor of finance at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. The former RBI governor obviously refused to have made any such comments published on the satirical website.

Also, the Boom Live on September 6 targeted several right-wing social media users for sharing the article written by Fauxy. “Several right-wing social media users have taken The Fauxy’s article at face value and have further spread the misleading claim,” Boom Live quoted while it fact-checked a satirical website.

Boom Live failed to understand the satire and called out the Fauxy for spreading ‘misinformation.’ The so-called fact-checker also cited social media posts, not realizing that they had been mocking Raghuram Rajan for his perennial recession predictions.

Madrasa survey in UP: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind now says Govt should have asked the Muslim community first, Maulana instigates assault against survey teams

OpIndia Staff
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Madrasa survey in UP: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind now says Govt should have asked the Muslim community first, Maulana instigates assault against survey teams

Days after the Yogi Adityanath-led government initiated the survey of unrecognized madrasas in the state, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, led by several Islamic clerics criticised the government for “not taking the Islamic community into confidence” first.

Maulana Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Tuesday said that the state government should have taken the Islamist community into confidence before deciding to conduct the survey of the unrecognized madrasas of the state.

“We don’t have a problem with the state surveying the unrecognized madrasas. They just want to know what facilities, what kind of education is being provided to our children. But the state should have the Muslim community in confidence”, he stated. According to the reports, Maulana Madani also questioned why was the state government only surveying unrecognized madrasas and not other unrecognized educational institutions.

Maulana Madani also added that Muslim people were also concerned as a few divisive forces were deliberately targeting the community. The Uttar Pradesh government had on September 1 announced that it would survey unrecognized madrasas of the state to ascertain information such as details of teachers and students, curriculum, and its affiliation with any non-government organization.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs Danish Azad Ansari had said that the survey would be conducted as per the requirements of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) which wants to check on basic facilities being provided to students in madrasas. The minister had stated further that the survey would help gather other details also such as the name of the madrasa and the institution operating it, whether it is being run in a private or a rented building, and information regarding basic facilities of drinking water, furniture, electricity supply, and toilet, etc.

Earlier, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had extended support to the state government over its decision to survey the unrecognized madrasas which are running without government help. Maulana Madani had also called a meeting to discuss the strategies to ascertain unlicensed madrasas in the state.

However, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to conduct the survey of unrecognized madrasas in the state. It had said that the government was deliberately targeting minority institutions. “Madrasas are being targeted in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. This is being done even though minority institutions are protected under the law. If the issue is that of restricting religious education and promoting secular education instead, then why isn’t the government taking the same action against gurukuls”, Qasim Rasool Ilyas, an executive member of the AIMPLB, was quoted as saying.

To note, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of the All India Imam Association also cornered the UP government for surveying the unrecognized Madarsas. On September 14, he appealed to the Madarsa authorities to welcome the state surveying authorities with slippers, and shoes and bash them with the 2009 law related to madrasas.

Meanwhile, Former UP minister Mohsin Raza took cognizance of Maulana’s blatant statement and said that his words were to instigate Islamist students and madrasa authorities. “The government wants to do good to the madrasas through surveys, but when such statements are issued the government is forced to take a tough stand”, Raza said adding that strict action would be taken against Maulana Rashidi for his instigating remarks.

The Uttar Pradesh government began the survey of unrecognized madrasas in the state on September 10. The survey is being conducted by the District Minority Welfare Officers and their teams across the state. However, officers of the Education Department and Minority Welfare Department are also supposed to be present during the survey. According to the reports, the survey team is scheduled to complete the inspection by October 5 and submit its report to the government by October 25.

UP: Nimaj and Gulfam damage Hindu temple in Agra and issue death threats to the priest, booked

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Nimaj and Gulfam damage Hindu temple in Agra and issue death threats to the priest, booked

On Wednesday, the Uttar Pradesh Police booked two Islamists named Nimaj and Gulfam for damaging portions of a Hindu temple and issuing death threats to the temple priest in the Khandouli area of Agra. The accused also created a ruckus in the temple premises in an inebriated state and brutally assaulted the temple priest.

According to the Police report, the incident is said to have happened on September 11 at around 6 pm at Shri Balaji Mandir, Shah Nagar in the Khandouli area, Agra. The Police booked the duo based on the complaint that was filed by Ravi Kumar who is the president of the Balaji Mandir temple trust.

Ravi Kumar in the FIR mentioned that temple priest Umesh Kumar who is a resident of the Shah Nagar looks after the temple and performs ceremonial worship of the temple deity including rituals and offerings daily. On September 11, two Islamists named Nimaj and Gulfam from the same locality entered the temple in an inebriated state and began to create a ruckus inside the temple.

FIR Copy attained by Opindia

“They were drunk and continued to consume alcohol even after entering the temple. Further, they began using derogatory language toward priest Umesh after he asked them to stop drinking alcohol inside the temple premises. They also brutally thrashed him and issued death threats to him”, the complaint copy filed by temple trust president Ravi Kumar read.

temple
FIR Copy attained by Opindia

The Islamist also have damaged a few portions of the temple, as per the FIR. The Uttar Pradesh Police have booked the duo under sections 302 (offense of murder), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 295 (damaging any place of worship), and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigations in the case are underway.

Earlier on September 8, a similar incident was reported from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh when a man named Taufeeq Ahmed vandalised Lord Hanuman’s idol at Lete Hanuman Mandir in the city. Ahmed allegedly had entered the temple premises donning a ’tilak’ on his forehead and began vandalizing the deity’s idol while screaming ‘Jai Shri Ram’. He also tore the temple’s flag, prompting the priests to notify authorities. Two idols at the temple have reportedly suffered damage and the accused has been arrested.

Jharkhand: Congress leader Sultan Ansari booked for assault and rape of a tribal woman in Lohardaga

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Congress leader Sultan Ansari booked for assault and rape of a tribal woman in Lohardaga

On Wednesday, the Jharkhand Police registered an FIR against Congress leader Sultan Ansari for sexually assaulting a 35-year-old woman in Kuru village of Lohardaga district, Jharkhand. The accused dragged the victim woman to the farm and thrashed her on the ground, as per reports. He later assaulted her with sticks and raped her.

According to the reports, the victim woman is a widow and belongs to the tribal community. Her husband had died five years ago leaving a son behind. The woman worked in the fields to survive and look after her now 10-year-old son. On August 3, the accused who is a resident of the Urumuru village came to the field where the victim was working and sexually assaulted her.

The woman said that the incident happened a month ago but she could not file a complaint immediately as her health had deteriorated after the incident and also she was scared. Ansari is the district president of the National Congress Workers Committee. The victim in the complaint mentioned that Ansari often used to take sand-laden tractors from her field. He abused and beat her up after she protested against him on the day of the incident.

Reports mention that the Jharkhand Police had earlier refused to register the case. The woman had alleged that the Jharkhand Police was trying to help Ansari and so had refused to book him. According to her, the accused Sultan Ansari had also threatened her earlier by saying that he had good relations with the police officers and that no one would register a case against him, no matter how much she tries.

The woman reportedly went to court to get her complaint registered by the police, as per reports. Ansari raped her on August 3 and also threatened her saying, “I will kill you in this field”.

BJP leader Deepak Prakash took cognizance of the event and said that the incident was extremely unfortunate. He also slammed the Hemant Soren-led state government and said, “Tribals and Dalits are being tortured continuously by a particular community in Jharkhand, but Hemant Sarkar who is sitting on the lap of Congress, is silent for vote bank”.

“Sultan Ansari, who raped the tribal woman, is the Lohardaga district president of the National Congress Workers Committee. Congress should first stop giving protection to rapists. Dividing the country and practising atrocities on citizens is as if in the DNA of Congress”, he added.

In the current case, the Jharkhand Police have filed an FIR agaisnt Lohardaga district president of the National Congress Workers Committee Sultan Ansari. He has been booked under the relevant sections of the IPC. Kudu police station in charge Abhinav Kumar said that the matter is being investigated. “Appropriate action will be taken in this regard. Accused Sultan Ansari is still absconding. Police are conducting raids to make arrests. The situation will be more clear once he is arrested and questioned.

Delhi HC rejects Subramanian Swamy’s plea to retain Lutyens’s Bungalow allotted to him, directs to vacate within 6 weeks

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi HC rejects Subramanian Swamy’s plea to retain Lutyens’s Bungalow allotted to him, directs to vacate within 6 weeks

Delhi High Court has directed former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy to vacate the government bungalow that was assigned to him in 2016. The High Court ordered Swamy to hand over the possession of the house to the estate officer within six weeks.

In January 2016, the urban development ministry of the union government allotted a bungalow on Pandara Road in the Lutyens’ Bungalow Zone in Delhi to Subramanian Swamy on security grounds. Swamy was a private citizen at that time, but he was allotted the VVIP house based on threat perception.

Subramanian Swamy was nominated as a Rajya Sabha member in April 2016, and he continued to live in bungalow number AB-14 as an MP. His Rajya Sabha term ended in April this year, but he wanted to retain the house and approached the Delhi High Court seeking re-allotment of the bungalow. In his plea, he had said that it was originally allotted to him on security grounds, and he still faces threats due to his political activities.

The disgruntled BJP leader claimed that the type 7 bungalow should be re-allotted to him as he is a Z-category protectee and there are security guards that stay with him. Swamy’s lawyer Jayant Mehta also told the court that he has been paying the lease and licence charge of the property after his Rajya Sabha term ended.

But the central govt opposed the plea, saying that the house is required to allot other ministers and MPs. Central Government’s Standing Counsel Asheesh Jain said that while Swamy’s Z-category security has not been downgraded, the question is on the bungalow, which was allotted for five years, and that term has expired. He stressed that Swamy has been declared an unauthorised occupant after the expiry of 5 years under the Public Premises Act, and he has to vacate the place.

Asheesh Jain also stated that Swamy has a nice house in Nizamuddin East, and he can easily shift there. After that, Swamy’s lawyer said that the former MP still faces threats, and he can shift only if the government ensures his security. The central government’s counsel agreed to provide security during the shifting.

After hearing the arguments, the High Court rejected the plea filed by Swamy and ordered him to vacate the bungalow within 6 weeks. The court noted that the appellant has a residence in Nizamuddin East, and directed the govt to arrange for his security and safety there.

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