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WB cattle smuggling case: Arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s daughter refuses to talk to CBI, FD worth Rs. 16.97 crore traced

OpIndia Staff
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WB cattle smuggling case: Arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s daughter refuses to talk to CBI, FD worth Rs. 16.97 crore traced

On Wednesday, 17th August 2022, CBI traced FD worth approximately Rs 16.97 crores in the name of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal and his family which is frozen by them. Anubrata Mondal has been arrested by the agency in connection with the cattle smuggling case in West Bengal. His daughter Sukanya Mondal was also questioned in connection with the case, but reportedly she refused to talk to CBI officials.

According to a report by Jagran, a CBI team reached Anubrata Mondal’s residence in Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal at around 12.30 pm on Wednesday. The team also included a woman officer. During this time, the officials entered the house, but Sukanya Mondal refused to cooperate with them and answer their questions. According to CBI sources, Sukanya Mondal said she was not in a state of mind to talk as her father was in custody, and she lost her mother a year ago; and she was upset because of all these things. The CBI team tried hard to convince Sukanya Mondal for about ten minutes and asked her to cooperate in the investigation, but she refused to talk.

Sources said Sukanya Mondal’s questioning has become necessary after the CBI traced two companies — ANM Agrochem Foods Pvt Ltd and Neer Developer Pvt Ltd — as she is one of the directors of these companies. The second director is Vidyut Gayen. The CBI suspects that these two companies are shell companies to divert the proceeds of the illegal cattle trade created to hide black money raised from illegal cattle smuggling.

A primary school teacher by profession, Sukanya Mondal owns huge assets. CBI sources said, apart from these two companies, Sukanya Mondal has several personal and joint bank accounts with other family members including her father Anubrata Mondal. The CBI is also keeping an eye on them. The CBI on Wednesday questioned Manish Kothari, chartered accountant of Anubrata Mondal in Bolpur, as well as two employees of the local branch of a government bank where both Anubrata Mondal and Sukanya Mondal have accounts.

The cattle smuggling case in West Bengal came to light for the first time in the year 2020. TMC leader Anubrata Mondal was arrested on 11th August 2022 in connection with the case. After this, he has been sent to CBI custody till August 20.

Rohingyas and EWS flats controversy: All you need to know about the issue and the Modi government’s position on it

Raju Das
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Rohingyas and EWS flats controversy: All you need to know about the issue and the Modi government’s position on it

The issue of Rohingya Muslims living in India created a major storm today after union Housing & Urban Affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri claimed that the government has decided to settle Rohingyas living in camps in Delhi EWS flats. Calling it a landmark decision, the union minister said that the flats meant for the Economically Weaker Section in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi will have all basic amenities, police protection and they will also be provided UNHCR IDs.

While this announcement was welcomed by left liberals, it triggered massive outrage among the right wing on social media, the primary support base of BJP. People were not only outraged but also confused, because the comments of Hardeep Singh Puri went completely against everything the government has been saying about Rohingya Muslims. In courts, in parliament, and in press statements, the govt has been saying that Rohingyas are illegal foreigners, security threats, and they will be deported. While govt had already started to deport them, a Supreme Court stay order is preventing it.

On the demands of accepting the Rohingyas as refugees, the Modi govt has been saying that as India is not a signatory to the UN’s refugee convention, the country is not obliged to shelter them. The home ministry is also labelling Rohingyas as a security threat. Therefore, Puri created massive confusion by talking about respecting UN Refugee Convention of 1951.

However, the storm died down when the union home ministry essentially said that the union housing and urban development minister was providing wrong information. In a statement issued clarifying the matter, the MHA said that it has not given any direction to provide EWS flats to the Rohingyas. Calling them illegal foreigners, the home ministry reiterated its position that the Rohingyas will be deported to their country of origin, Myanmar.

The MHA also informed that it was the Delhi government which had proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location, but this was rejected by the MHA. The ministry has directed the Delhi govt to keep at the present location, and they will stay there till the matter of deportation is taken up with Myanmar.

The home ministry further informed that instead of EWS flats, the Rohingyas will be kept at detention centres till their deportation. The ministry also has asked the Delhi govt to declared the current Rohingya camps as detention centres immediately.

It is notable that the home ministry didn’t use the term to describe the Rohingyas, calling them illegal foreigners instead. This makes it clear that there is no intention of the Modi govt to grant refugee status to them, regardless of the claims of minister Puri. The govt clarified that the Rohingyas will be deported to their home country, and there is no question of sheltering them in flats.

The Rohingya problem

The Rohingya people, most of whom are Muslims, are a group of stateless people based in the Rakhine state in Myanmar. Originally from East Bengal/Bangladesh, most of them are not recognised as citizens of the country by Myanmar, and therefore they are stateless people as they don’t have citizenship of any country.

The Myanmar govt calls them Bengalis and does not accept the term Rohingya as the name of the community. In 2014, the govt had asked them to change their ethnicity to Bengali in the census, but almost all of them refused, claiming that they are living in Rakhine for centuries. But they could not produce any document to prove their claim.

Myanmar govt also accuses them of being involved in terror activities, and there are evidence of genocides of Hindus by the Rohingyas in Myanmar. As a result, in 2012, the military started to evict them from their villages on various charges. Since then, Rohingyas had started to flee to neighbouring countries, mostly Bangladesh. The action against the community culminated in the Rohingya genocide in 2016-2017 by the Burmese military. While the military crackdown was mainly against Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya terror group, civilian Rohingyas were also targeted by the military.

Following the crackdown on Rohingyas, millions of them fled to neighbouring countries. Most of them settled in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, creating the world’s largest refugee camp, the Kutupalong refugee camp. Some of the Rohingyas entered other countries including India, Thailand, Malaysia, and other countries in the region.

While Bangladesh has around 9 lakh Rohingyas, who refuse to return home due to fear of persecution, it is estimated that around 40,000 Rohingyas are living in India at present. While initially their entry went un-noticed and they were largely concentrated in the north-eastern states bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar, slowly they started to show up in several other states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Rohingyas are Illegal Foreigners, not refugees in India

Since the beginning, the Indian govt has made it clear that Rohingyas are illegal immigrants and they need to be deported. The govt’s position is that all foreign nationals living in the country without valid travel documents are illegal immigrants and they are to be treated as per law.

However, several political parties are trying the prevent deportation for their political benefits. It is alleged that the TMC has settled a large number of people from the group in West Bengal. Similarly, there are allegations that AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and Kejriwal’s Delhi govt systematically settled 300 illegal Rohingyas in Delhi. Today’s MHA statement also shows that the AAP govt is planning to keep them permanently or for a long term by shifting them from the camps.

While there is no blanket stay order from the Supreme Court on the deportation of Rohingyas from India, there are still hurdles to it. Every time some Rohingyas are selected for deportation, they approach the courts, and the courts grant a stay order, delaying the deportation almost indefinitely.

As an unaccepted community, the Myanmar govt is also generally unwilling to accept them back in the country. In the initial years after the crisis, the Junta govt had flatly refused to accept them back. While the Myanmar govt last year finally agreed to take them back, they have said all the Rohingyas need to be scrutinised before allowing them to enter the country, which has delayed the process.

Moreover, the Rohingyas themselves are not willing to return home. As they are not given citizenship, and also due to fear of further persecution, the Rohingyas prefer to live in refugee camps instead of returning to their homeland. As a result, the Rohingyas continue to live in India and other countries. While their official number in India is around 40,000, the actual number will be much more, because as already seen with Bangladeshi immigrants, it is almost impossible to keep track of illegal foreigners.

While international organisations and left liberals want India to give shelter to Rohingya Muslims, the stand of the Indian govt is clear, that they are a security threat and they need to be deported. Indian govt also argues that as the country is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention of the UN, the country is not bound by it to shelter them as refugees.

MoS (home) Nityanand Rai said in parliament last year, “India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the status of refugees and the 1967 protocol thereon. All foreign nationals (including refuge seekers) are governed by the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Citizenship Act, 1955, and rules and orders made thereunder. Foreign nationals who enter into the country without valid travel documents or whose travel documents expire while staying in India are treated as illegal migrants and are dealt as per the existing legal provisions.”

Today’s home ministry clarification reiterates this position that Rohingyas are illegal foreigners and they need to be deported.

India’s position on refugees and UNHCR

While India does house refugees, like the Afghans that fled Afghanistan last year after the Taliban took over the country, the govt retains the right to decide whom to deport and whom to allow to stay.

Even though around 20,000 Rohingyas have registered themselves with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and have been issued refugee ID cards by the organisation, govt of India says it does not give any right to the Rohingyas and the govt is not obliged to accept them as refugees. On the issue of Rohingyas registered by UNHCR, the Indian government’s position is that while it can’t prevent UNHCR from registering the Rohingyas as refugees in India, the govt is not bound to accept them as refugees.

“As far as we are concerned. they are all illegal immigrants. They have no basis to live here. Anybody who is illegal migrant will be deported,” then MoS Home Kiren Rijiju said in 2017.

This shows that the government’s position on the issue has not changed from the beginning, as the govt is consistently saying that Rohingyas are illegal foreigners and will be deported. Therefore, it is not clear what made Hardeep Singh Puri make those statements causing massive outrage and confusion. As he heads the housing and urban development ministry, people had assumed that his ministry might have been involved in shifting the Rohingyas to the EWS flats, but now it is revealed that the central govt is not involved in any such plans.

Puri had shared an ANI report from 16th August claiming that the Rohingyas will be moved to the flats, and with the MHA clarification, it seems he was misguided by the media report. The report claimed that the decision was taken in a meeting attended by senior officials of the Delhi government, Delhi Police and Ministry of Home Affairs. However, now the MHA has denied its involvement in the decision, and said that it has directed the Delhi govt to not shift the Rohingyas.

It is notable that even as per UNHCR, refugees can’t choose their country of asylum, they have to live wherever they are accepted. The Rohingyas crossed over from Bangladesh, where the Bangladesh govt with the aid of international agencies is running the refugee camps. Therefore, if the Rohingyas don’t want to return to Myanmar, they need to go back to the recognised refugee camp in Bangladesh.

Rohingyas in Bangladesh

It is interesting to note that due to continuous violence, crime and overall lawlessness, the Bangladesh govt is shifting refugees from the overcrowded Cox’s Bazar refugee camp. The govt has already started the process of relocating some of them to Bhasan Char, an island in the Bay of Bengal which was formed just 20 years ago and was earlier uninhibited.

The Bangladesh govt has built 1440 buildings on the island to house around 1 lakh Rohingya refugees. However, both the refugees and international aide workers refused to relocate to the remote island despite having better facilities, preferring to stay in Cox’s Bazar city instead. However, some Rohingya refugees have relocated and are living on the island now, earning their livelihood from farming, fishing etc activities.

Russia to award women who give birth to 10 children, Putin brings back Stalin-era ‘Mother Heroine’ title to boost population

OpIndia Staff
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Russia to award women who give birth to 10 children, Putin brings back Stalin-era ‘Mother Heroine’ title to boost population

Russian President Vladimir Putin has resurrected the Soviet-era ‘Mother Heroine’ award for mothers with ten or more children. This comes as Moscow faces a demographic dilemma that got compounded during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In the Soviet Union, the Mother Heroine was an honorary title bestowed for bearing and rearing a large family, which meant having 10 or more children. According to the reports, the mothers who are qualifying for the award will also be provided with a one-time payment of 1 million rubles viz $16,000 as soon as their tenth living child turns a year old.

“To establish the title Mother Heroine, to be awarded to a mother who is a citizen of the Russian Federation, who has given birth to and brought up ten or more children who are citizens of the Russian Federation”, the official order by the government was quoted.

Reports mention that qualified women will get the reward as soon as their tenth living kid becomes one year old. According to the law, women will still be eligible for the reward if they lose a child during a conflict, a terrorist incident, or an emergency circumstance.

To note, the ‘Mother Heroine’ award was founded by former Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1944, after the country lost a huge population during World War II. When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, the title was abolished.

Russia is undergoing a severe demographic change, especially after the Russia Ukraine war. The country’s population has been steadily declining for decades, decreasing to 145.1 million in early 2022. Also, Russia’s population decrease has almost doubled since 2021, when the coronavirus epidemic caused the country’s biggest natural population decline since the Soviet Union’s demise, and nearly tripled since 2020.

UP: Headless body found in Meerut identified, Shahid Qureshi arrested for killing own daughter and throwing her head away

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Headless body found in Meerut identified, Shahid Qureshi arrested for killing own daughter and throwing her head away

Days after a headless dead body of a young woman was found in the Lakkhipura area of Meerut, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a 50-year-old man named Shahid Qureshi in the case. The accused is the father of the woman whose body was found on August 12.

The woman has been identified as a young woman named Shaina, daughter of one Shahid Qureshi. Qureshi wanted his daughter to get married and so had fixed her Nikah, as shared by Dainik Bhaskar journalist Sachin Gupta. However, the proposal was not acceptable to Shaina. She strongly opposed the proposal after which her father got enraged and beheaded his daughter. He separated her head and wrapped her lower body in a bedsheet. The Meerut Police are still looking for the woman’s head.

As reported earlier, the body was first spotted by locals in a drain near Lane number 28 in the Lakkhipura area. Prima facie, the police believed that the accused had murdered the woman somewhere else and had abandoned the remains in the drain to conceal the identity.

Earlier, in 2019, a similarly beheaded and mutilated body of a woman was found. It took a year for the police to finally nab the accused named Saqib who had first eloped with a 19-year-old girl and had later killed her with help from his family members. Also, in June 2020, 6 persons were arrested for the murder of Ekta Jaisalwal from Ludhiana.

So far, in the current case, the Police have identified the accused and have arrested him. However, the Police are still looking for the head of the deceased woman. Further investigations in the case are underway.

Govt penalizes Flipkart, orders to recall 598 substandard pressure cookers that don’t follow quality norms

OpIndia Staff
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Govt penalizes Flipkart, orders to recall 598 substandard pressure cookers that don’t follow quality norms

On August 17, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) penalized e-commerce platform Flipkart for allowing the sale of sub-standard pressure cookers on its website. CCPA panel headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare directed Flipkart to notify all consumers who had bought 598 sub-standard pressure cookers from the platform.

CCPA ordered Flipkart to recall all the pressure cookers and reimburse the consumers for the price they had paid. Flipkart is to complete the process and submit a compliance report within 45 days. Furthermore, the company has to pay a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for allowing the sale of such pressure cookers on the platform that violated the rights of the consumers.

As per the official press release, from time to time, the Central Government has issued notifications on the Quality Control Orders (QCOs) where it has specified compulsory conformity to a standard and use of the standard mark for a product to protect consumers from the risk of suffering injury and harm and in the interest of the public at large.

In February 2021, the Domestic Pressure Cooker (Quality Control) Order came into force that mandated conformity to IS 2347:2017 for all domestic pressure cookers. Hence, since the date of the issue of the said order, “all pressure cookers are required to conform to IS 2347:2017, and due diligence is required to be done whether the pressure cookers are offered for sale online or offline,” the press release stated.

In its order, CCPA observed that there are provisions in terms of Use on Flipkart’s website that included mandatory use of the words ‘Powered by Flipkart’ on every invoice of the product. Furthermore, it distinguished sellers as Silver and Bronze for distribution of various benefits that indicated Flipkart plays a role in the sale of pressure cookers on the website.

CCPA further observed that Flipkart had admitted to earning a total of Rs 1,84,263 from the sale of such pressure cookers. “It was observed by CCPA that when Flipkart has gained commercially from the sale of such pressure cookers, it cannot alienate itself from the role and responsibility arising out of their sale to consumers,” the press release stated.

It is noteworthy that CCPA has launched a country-wide campaign to raise awareness and quality consciousness among consumers to prevent the sale of spurious and counterfeit goods that violate QCOs published by the Central Government. The products identified as part of the campaign include Helmets, Domestic Pressure Cookers, and Cooking Gas Cylinders. CCPA has also written to the District Collectors across the country to investigate unfair trade practices and violations of consumer rights concerning the manufacture or sale of such products and submit Action Taken Report.

The press release noted that CCPA has also written to Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs. to direct requisite action under law and ensure compliance with standards directed for compulsory use by the Central Government to protect the interest of consumers. Further, CCPA has written to Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), to duly notify all regional branches of BIS to take immediate cognizance of offences of a violation of mandatory standards under the provisions of BIS Act, 2016.

Notably, BIS has conducted several search and seizure operations under the campaign, where they found 1,435 pressure cookers and 1,088 helmets below the prescribed standards.

Department of Consumer Affairs has also launched a short code ‘1915’ to register grievances on the National Consumer Helpline. Notably, in the month of July, 38 per cent of the grievances on NCH were related to e-commerce platforms. Major categories of consumer grievances in e-commerce include delivery of a defective product, failure to refund the paid amount, delay in delivery of a product, etc.

Safety notices have also been issued by CCPA under Section 18(2)(j) to alert and caution consumers against buying goods that do not hold valid ISI Mark and violate compulsory BIS standards. Apart from Helmets, Pressure Cookers, and Cooking gas cylinders, notices were also issued for household goods, including electric immersion water heaters, sewing machines, microwave ovens, domestic gas stoves with LPG, etc.

Fact Check: Is the Indian Railways charging full ticket price for children below the age of 5?

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Is the Indian Railways charging full ticket price for children below the age of 5?

Several media houses and news portals, including Dainik Jagran, Zee News, and more, have claimed recently that the Indian Railways has updated its regulations and now charges the full amount for the tickets of children below 5 years. The reports have gone viral on social media platforms.

In its report, Zee News said that the Indian Railways has updated ticket booking rules on the IRCTC website, and as per new regulations, travellers with kids below the age of 5 have to pay full fare. It further said they have checked and confirmed the same on the IRCTC website.

A similar report was published on August 15 in Hindi daily Dainik Jagran where the title of the report had a “shock value.” The report called the “updated regulations” a shock for common travellers. It mentioned a story of a family who wanted to travel from Rajkot to Somnath and carried on to claim that the regulations have been changed recently.

OpIndia’s investigation

OpIndia checked and verified from the IRCTC website that it is a fact that if you want to book a separate berth for a child under the age of 5, you have to pay full charges.

We used the same origin and destination to search for tickets as mentioned in the Dainik Jagran report. IRCTC let us book the ticket, and the claim so far seems to be true.

Source: IRCTC

However, there is a catch. There are two options to book a ticket for the infant. If you look closely, there are two options on the page where you fill in details of the passengers. The first option is “With berth,” which was chosen in the previous screenshot. The second option is “add passenger without a berth,” which can be seen here.

When you click on the option to list the passenger without a berth, the website clearly says, “Ticket is not to be issued” that means though the passenger will be listed as a traveller, a berth will not be issued separately for the child and no additional charges will be levied by the Indian Railways.

Source: IRCTC

In the next step, we noticed that though we had added two names, only one ticket was issued for a person of age one as an additional berth was refused by us at the time of filling the details.

Source: IRCTC

Indian Railways 2020 circular clarified the pricing

In 2020, Indian Railways issued a circular in which it clarified the pricing for children under the age of 5, from the ages 5 to 14, and so on.

Source: Indian Railways

The circular clearly mentioned that in case a berth has been sought for a child under the age of 5, full fare will be charged. Only Divyang children will get concessions as per the norms. Similarly, in the case of children above the age of 5 and below the age of 14, full fare will be charged. If no berth is sought, half of the fare will be charged.

Verdict: The reports that Indian Railways recently changed regulations and is now charging full fare for children below 5 are false and misleading.

‘Rohingyas are illegal foreigners to be deported, no EWS flats for them’: Home Ministry clarifies after Union Minister’s tweet triggers outrage

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rohingyas are illegal foreigners to be deported, no EWS flats for them’: Home Ministry clarifies after Union Minister’s tweet triggers outrage

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs led by Home Minister Amit Shah clarified that the Rohingya illegal foreigners will not be given EWS flats in Delhi. “Govt of Delhi proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location. Illegal foreigners are to be kept in Detention Centre till their deportation as per law”, the HMO said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs stated on August 17 that it has not given any directions to provide EWS flats to Rohingya illegal migrants. “Govt of Delhi proposed to shift the Rohingyas to a new location. MHA has directed the GNCTD to ensure that the Rohingya illegal foreigners will continue at the present location at Kanchan Kunj and Madanpur Khadar as MHA has already taken up the matter of their deportation with the concerned country through MEA”, the HMO tweeted.

It added that the illegal foreigners are to be kept in Detention centers till their deportation as per law. “The Government of Delhi has not declared the present location as a Detention Centre. They have been directed to do the same immediately”, it noted.

Basically, the MHA asserted that the claims of shifting Rohingyas to EWS flats and giving them refugee cards are not true. It made clear that Rohingyas are ‘illegal foreigners’ illegally staying in India, and they will be deported, not be given refugee status.

Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Puri had tweeted that Rohingyas will be given EWS flats and UNHCR IDs

This is hours after Minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted that all the 1100 Rohingya illegal foreigners would be provided with accommodation (EWS flats) and round-the-clock protection. “India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision, all Rohingya Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs, and round-the-clock Delhi Police protection”, tweeted Puri.

Hardeep Puri’s tweet earlier today

As reported earlier, the tweet made by Minister Hardeep Singh Puri gave an impression that India, which has so far considered Rohingya Muslims as illegal immigrants was warming up to the idea of treating them as refugees. Pertinently, while Hardeep Puri said that India “respects and follows UN Refugee Convention 1951” and “provides refuge to all”, India is not a signatory to the UN Convention at all. Given that India is not a signatory to the UN Convention, it is important to understand that India is not legally obligated to consider any section as “refugees” even if they hold a refugee card.

Bihar: Absconding politician Kartikeya Singh, accused in kidnapping case, takes oath as minister in newly formed Nitish cabinet

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Absconding politician Kartikeya Singh, accused in kidnapping case, takes oath as minister in newly formed Nitish cabinet

On Tuesday, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expanded his new cabinet to induct 31 new ministers including 16 members from ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). A day after the cabinet expansion, controversy erupted over the induction of a few ministers like RJD MLC Kartikeya Singh as Law Minister, Sudhakar Singh as Agriculture Minister, and Chandrashekhar Yadav as Education Minister.

According to the reports, RJD MLC Kartikeya Singh who was appointed as Law Minister yesterday was supposed to surrender at Danapur Court in a kidnapping case but instead, he reached Raj Bhavan in Patna for the oath-taking ceremony. Similarly, Sudhakar Singh who was allegedly involved in the rice scam was appointed as an Agriculture Minister.

The case against now State Law Minister Kartikeya Singh

Reports mention that a case of kidnapping was registered against Karthikeya Singh and 17 others in Patna’s Bihta police station in 2014. He is accused of conspiracy to kidnap a builder named Rajiv Ranjan with the intent to kill him. A charge sheet has been filed in this case. A warrant was issued against Singh on July 14, this year and he was to surrender on August 16 but he was made the Law Minister on that day.

MLC Kartikeya Singh was appointed to the Nitish cabinet through the RJD quota. Singh is a native of Mokama and has also worked as a teacher. Responding to the controversy that erupted during the oath-taking ceremony, Singh said that all the cases against him are irrelevant and that there was no warrant issued in his name. “There is no warrant against me. I have given all the information in the affidavit”, he said.

“The allegations against me are all false and have mentioned all the required information in the election affidavit. Nothing is hidden from the Election Commission. I consider myself innocent. Having a case or not having it is a different matter. There is a difference between accusing and proving. Nothing has been proved yet”, he defended himself.

He has been charged under several sections of IPC including 363 (kidnapping), 364 (kidnapping with intent to murder), 365 (Secret, unjustified kidnapping with intent to imprison), and 34 (The incident was committed by more than one person). The Patna Court in his case had earlier rejected his anticipatory bail in the year 2017.

Sudhakar Singh’s alleged involvement in Rice Scam

The new cabinet led by CM Nitish Kumar appointed Sudhakar Singh as Agriculture Minister on August 16. According to reports, Sudhakar Singh’s name was not included in the prospects, but his father Jagdanand Singh who is RJD’s state president is said to have negotiated the accord. Jagdanand has held the position of state president of RJD since November 2019. Whereas, Sudhakar Singh is the MLA for Ramgarh in Buxar.

CM Nitish Kumar appointing Sudhakar Singh as an Agriculture Minister also was surprising as it was Nitish Kumar’s government who had filed a case against Singh in the rice scam which happened in 2013-14. A case was registered at Ramgarh police station against Singh for embezzling rice under section 420, 406 IPC. The case is still pending in Court.

RJD MLA Chandrashekhar was arrested from the airport with cartridges

Similarly, RJD MLA Chandrashekhar who has been appointed as Education Minister on August 16, was arrested at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in Delhi on February 20, 2019, for carrying 10 cartridges with his luggage. However, he was later released.

To note, Education Minister Chandrashekhar has become a minister for the second time in the state. Earlier in 2015, he had a ministerial position when the JDU-RJD government was in rule. He was then assigned to the Disaster Management Department. Chandrashekhar, 61, has 3 cases registered against him.

‘Instead of providing them housing, send them back’: VHP objects to the move to house Rohingyas in Delhi flats

OpIndia Staff
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‘Instead of providing them housing, send them back’: VHP objects to the move to house Rohingyas in Delhi flats

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has strongly objected to the plan by the central govt to house Rohingya Muslims in EWS flats in Delhi and provide them basic amenities. After Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri announced that all Rohingya Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi, VHP issued a statement urging the govt to reconsider the move and expel the Rohingya Muslims from India instead.

Alok Kumar, the International President of the VHP, stated in the statement that it is upsetting to witness Hardeep Puri, the Union Minister for Urban Development, referring to the Rohingya Muslims as refugees and awarding them EWS apartments in Bakkarwala, Delhi. He stated that the Union of India’s continuous position, including in its affidavit submitted before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, is that the Rohingyas are not refugees but infiltrators.

Alok Kumar said, “We are shocked to see a statement of Sh. Hardeep Puri, the Union Minister for Urban Development terming the Rohingyas as refugees and allotting to them the EWS flats in Bakkarwala, Delhi. We might remind Mr Puri of the statement made by the Union Home Minister Sh. Amit Shah in Parliament on 10.12.2020 declaring that Rohingyas will never be accepted in India (Rohingya Ko Kabhi Bhi Sweekar Nahi Kiya Jaega).”

“The fact that the Hindu Refugees from Pakistan continue to live in abysmal sub-human conditions in Majnu-ka-Tila area of Delhi makes the bounty proposed to be conferred on the Rohingyas makes it more deplorable,” he added.

“The VHP urges the Government of India to reconsider this issue and instead of providing the Rohingyas with housing, make arrangements to send them back and out of India.,” the statement further added.

Notably, on August 16, the Government of India decided to shift 1,100 registered Rohingya ‘refugees’ to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. In a tweet, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri said, “India has always welcomed those who have sought refuge in the country. In a landmark decision, all Rohingya Refugees will be shifted to EWS flats in the Bakkarwala area of Delhi. They will be provided basic amenities, UNHCR IDs, and round-the-clock Delhi Police protection.”

However, after there was an outrage against the move on social media, several BJP leaders tweeted that the govt is not sheltering Rohingyas, and there will be an official clarification explaining the move.

It is noteworthy that though Hardeep Singh Puri said that India respects and follows the UN Refugee Convention 1951 and provides refuge to all, actually India is not obligated to provide them with any facilities as it is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee convention of the United Nations. Prior to this, the union govt has said multiple times in courts and parliament that Rohingya Muslims are illegal immigrants and they are not refugees.

Actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who received luxury gifts from Sukesh Chandrashekar, named as an accused in the extortion case against the conman

OpIndia Staff
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Actress Jacqueline Fernandez, who received luxury gifts from Sukesh Chandrashekar, named as an accused in the extortion case against the conman

On 17th August 2022, the Enforcement Directorate included Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez as an accused in the Rs 200 crore extortion case against conman Sukesh Chandrashekar. Jacqueline Fernandez was added as an accused by the ED in a supplementary charge sheet filed in a Delhi court. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate had summoned Jacqueline multiple times in connection with the money laundering investigation to record her statements in the case.

Previously, Chandrashekar was detained by Delhi Police for purportedly swindling about Rs 215 crores from Aditi Singh and Shivendra Singh, relatives of the erstwhile promoters of pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy. The ED launched its money laundering investigation after taking notice of the Delhi Police case.

The first charge sheet filed by the ED detailed how Chandrashekar utilized the allegedly swindled money. Its supplemental charge sheet says that Chandrashekar offered Fernandez gifts worth over Rs 5 crores from the money he swindled. It has identified the actress as an accused, stating that she was aware that the gifts were purchased with illicit money.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar was arrested in 2017

In 2017, Delhi Police arrested Sukesh Chandrasekhar for the first time for allegedly duping AIADMK leader of Rs 2 crores on the pretext he would help the politician in retaining the two leaves symbol of the party. He had claimed he would do that by bribing the Election Commission officials. Since then, 34 cases have been filed against Chandrasekhar under charges of attempt to murder, cheating, extortion, bribing public officials, and more.

The ED had filed a charge sheet in Sukesh Chandrasekhar’s case in the court last year. The charge sheet also mentioned the expensive gifts given to Jacqueline Fernandez by the conman. During the interrogation, Sukesh Chandrasekhar confessed to giving the gifts to Jacqueline. The ED estimates that Sukesh Chandrashekhar had given gifts worth Rs 5.71 crore to her. Apart from that, Jacqueline’s relatives were given a hefty sum of US$173,000 and 27,000 Australian dollars as loans. 

Expensive gifts are given to Jacqueline Fernandez

In May 2022, the list of gifts given by Sukesh Chandrashekhar to Jacqueline Fernandez came to light. The gifts included three Persian cats each worth rupees 9 lakh, an Arabian horse that costs 52 lakh rupees, a diamond set with 15 pairs of earrings, expensive crockery, designer bags of expensive brands like Gucci and Chanel, two Gucci brand gym outfits, several pairs of Louis Vuitton brand footwear, two Hermes brand bracelets, a Mini Cooper car, and many Rolex brand watches.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar, in his statement to ED last year, had claimed that he had gifted jewellery worth Rs 7 crore to Jacqueline Fernandez. She was also given the BMW X5 car. Sukesh Chandrashekhar had also reportedly gifted a Maserati car to Jacqueline’s parents and a Porsche car from Bahrain to her mother.

Jacqueline Fernandez gave her statement to ED

The ED had recorded Jacqueline’s statements in August and October last year. In the statement, she had admitted to taking gifts and loans from Sukesh during the course of the questioning. Jacqueline had said that the gifts from Sukesh included three designer bags from Gucci and Chanel, two gym outfits from Gucci, pairs of Louis Vuitton shoes, two pairs of diamond coils, a bracelet made of multi-color stone, and two other bracelets from Hermes. The actress had also told the ED that Sukesh had gifted her a Mini Cooper car, but she had returned it. Jacqueline had said that Sukesh had given her sister Geraldine $1.5 million as a loan. Apart from this, she also admitted to transferring Rs 15 lakh to the account of her brother Warren, who is living in Australia.

How did the conman contact the actress?

When conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar messaged Jacqueline Fernandez, she first didn’t reply. Later, he got in touch with the actress via her hairstylist. Sukesh apparently introduced himself as the owner of a jewelry company and a TV network. Additionally, he claimed to be ‘close’ to Amit Shah, the home minister. Jacqueline told the investigators that she was unaware that Sukesh was phoning her from within Tihar jail when she was questioned.

According to reports, the actress said that Sukesh Chandrasekhar had only ever met him twice when he was on parole. The conman, however, maintained regular contact with the actress via video conversations conducted from the office he set up within Tihar jail. Sukesh’s attorney had before made it public that Jacqueline was dating him. The actor’s crew, however, had denied that she had any relation to Sukesh.

The 200 crores extortion and money-laundering case

While jailed as an undertrial, Sukesh Chandrasekhar allegedly extorted 200 crores from the wife of the promoter of Religare enterprises Shivinder Mohan Singh. Pretending to be a senior government official, Sukesh conned Shivinder Singh’s wife Aditi Singh assuring her that he can secure Shivinder’s bail. Sukesh and his wife, actress Leena Maria Paul used hawala routes and shell companies to launder the proceeds of their scam.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar and his wife were then arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) over an alleged extortion racket being run from jail. Sukesh was allegedly bribing prison authorities to keep his cons running from the prison. Several Bollywood personalities like Jacqueline Fernandez and Nora Fatehi allegedly kept coming to the prison to meet him during his stay.

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