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‘We won’t leave a Kafir alive’: Islamists attack Hindu youth Prateek Pawar with swords in Maharashtra for supporting Nupur Sharma and Kanhaiya Lal

OpIndia Staff
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‘We won’t leave a Kafir alive’: Islamists attack Hindu youth Prateek Pawar with swords in Maharashtra for supporting Nupur Sharma and Kanhaiya Lal

Targeted attacks on Hindus for supporting former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma are still continuing. On 4th August 2022, a Hindu youth named Prateek Pawar from the Karjat town in the Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra was attacked by around 12 to 15 Islamists who attacked him with various weapons like swords and sticks. Prateek Pawar is being treated in a private hospital in Ahmednagar.

According to the complaint by Prateek Pawar and his friend Amit Mane, the groups of Islamists attacked 23-year-old Prateek Pawar on August 4. Mane said that on August 4 Pawar was going towards Karjat in Ahmednagar and had stopped on the road near Akkabai chowk waiting for a friend. But suddenly around 12 to 14 people arrived in a white Swift car, and three two-wheelers – a black Bullet, a red Pulsar and a white scooter – and surrounded him. They told Pawar, ‘You have so much proud in Hindutva’. They further told him, ‘You are regularly posting posts and statuses on social media supporting Nupur Sharma and Kanhaiya Lal, due to which more people have started to support them, we think we should do a Umesh Kolhe with you also’. They were referring to the murder of Umesh Kolhe in Maharashtra for supporting Nupur Sharma.

After that, one Islamist named Shahrukh Pathan assaulted Prateek Pawar with a sword with the intention to kill him while chanting loud slogans. Pawar tried to protect himself and in the process, the sword hit his hand. After this, Nihal Khan Pathan and Sohail Khan Pathan attacked Sunny on the head from behind. The gravely injured Hindu youth fell to the ground and started bleeding, but the Islamist group continued to hit him with swords, sticks, hockey sticks etc saying that they will not let a Kafir remain alive. After a blow on the head with a sword, Prateek fainted and the attackers fled from the scene.

The victim was immediately rushed to a hospital, and police launched a probe into the case. The accused have been booked under sections 307, 143, 147, 148, 149 , 323, 504 of the IPC on the basis of the complaint filed by Amit Mane. Several persons including Sharukh Khan Pathan, Sohel Pathan, Nihal Khan Pathan, Ilail Sheikh, Tipu Pathan, Arbaz Kasam Pathan, Arshan Pathan, Aqeeb Syed have been named in the case. Reportedly, four persons have been arrested by the police.

‘Our hands are not tied’, says BJP MLA Nitesh Rane

BJP MLA Nilesh Rane today held a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Mumbai to talk about the attack.

Nilesh Rane said, “I am holding this press conference as a Hindu. The first killings for supporting Nupur Sharma took place in Udaipur in Rajasthan and Amravati in Maharashtra. A similar attempt was made on 4th August 2022 at Karjat in the Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra. A Hindu youth named Prateek Pawar was heading towards the community celebrations organized to mark the birth anniversary of great Dalit Marathi writer AnnaBhau Sathe. On his way to that program, a group of 10 to 15 Muslims stopped him and said – ‘You put Nupur Sharma’s photo as the display picture on your social media account. You are also asking other people in the town to do so. You are raising your voice as a Hindu.’ And these miscreants assaulted Prateek Pawar.”

Nitesh Rane further said, “The attackers had sharp weapons. Prateek Pawar was alone. Due to this brutal attack, he fell unconscious to the ground. The attackers thought that he died and thus they left the spot. When Prateek Pawar’s friends came to the spot, they took him to a government hospital from where he was shifted to a private hospital to get better treatment. He had 35 stitches. His ribs are broken. He is fighting his battle against death.”

Nitesh Rane added, “We live in a country that operates according to the constitution penned by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. Nupur Sharma’s issue is over. But if it is being revisited again and again as a reason to kill some Hindus in this state, then the attackers should realize that no one has tied our hands. The FIR, in this case, is registered; but the local police inspector was trying to pressurize Hindus as he visited the victim’s home. Our local leaders from various Hindu organizations came together and informed to the deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who instructed the police officials to take proper action. So far four culprits are arrested but the main attackers are still absconding. We request the police to take swift action and arrest all of them.”

BJP MLA further said, “This is not the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Nawab Malik is no more the minority affairs minister. If you target us Hindus like this, we can give an equally brutal reply. We follow the Constitution. There is no Sharia law in our country. Somebody says something to your deities and you are not ready to forget that. But at the same time, Hindu deities are insulted every day on social media and in public life. Why should we forget it all then? A youth in Nashik had spread the Shivling image with a condom put on it, a few weeks back. We took legal action against him. And we let it go. We did not kill him. But if you are not ready to forget such things and if you are ready to even kill us, then I give an open message to all those people that we are ready to retaliate.

Nitesh Rane said, “Don’t dare to touch our people. A country protected by weapons can only take care of its knowledge. If you provoke us to do certain things necessary to protect our Dharma and Nation, we will definitely do all those things. I demand that this matter in Karjat should be probed by NIA. No such incident should repeat in Maharashtra. This is my open warning as a Hindu. We will not attack first. But at the same time we will not tolerate such violence and we will show you that we are capable to defend ourselves in the way we want.”

Derek O’Brien moves bill for women who get harassed online, while Calcutta HC had rapped TMC govt for ‘casual attitude’ over violence against women

OpIndia Staff
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Derek O’Brien moves bill for women who get harassed online, while Calcutta HC had rapped TMC govt for ‘casual attitude’ over violence against women

TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien on Saturday moved a Private Member’s Bill in the upper house of the parliament for women who get harassed and abused online. The bill seeks to amend certain provisions of the IT Act, 2000, criminalising all forms of online abuse directed against women. 

The TMC leader took to Twitter to share a clip from Rajya Sabha where he had introduced the Bill to penalise online abuse against women. “There is no place for predators and misogynists on the internet. This NEW Bill is for WOMEN WHO GET HARASSED AND ABUSED ONLINE. Introduced my Private Member’s Bill amending IT Act 2000. These amendments criminalise all forms of online abuse against women,” he tweeted. 

Calcutta HC raps TMC govt for demonstrating “casual attitude” in serious matters such as rapes, murders of women during post-poll violence in Bengal

While Derek O’Brien moved a bill seeking criminalisation of online harassment and abuse of women, it is notable to point out the scathing observations the Calcutta High Court had made against the TMC-led West Bengal government over the heinous crimes committed against women, rapes and murders during the post-poll violence that erupted in the wake of election results in May 2021 after Mamata Banerjee returned to power. Having little confidence on the state-led probe, the court transferred the case to CBI. 

A five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice IP Mukerji, Justice Harish Tandon, Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Subrata Talukdar pronounced the judgement in a batch of petitions alleging Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government’s inaction over the brutal acts of violence unleashed by members of ruling Trinamool Congress in the aftermath of assembly elections. 

In its scathing order, the Calcutta High Court ordered that the HC will monitor the CBI investigation into the post-poll violence in the state. The Calcutta HC also pulled the state for demonstrating a “casual attitude in a serious matter”.

“The Committee, NHRC, any other Commission or Authority, and the State shall immediately hand over the entire record of the cases entrusted to the CBI for investigation. It is made clear that it shall be a Court-monitored investigation. Any obstruction in the course of investigation by anyone shall be viewed seriously”, the Calcutta High Court observed.

Women in West Bengal had also moved the Supreme Court narrating the details of the horrifying gang rapes they were subjected to in the post-poll violence by the members of the ruling TMC. They had sought SIT probe into all the incidents as well as the alleged inaction of the police. 

Post poll violence in West Bengal

Post-poll violence had become a leitmotif of news emerging out of Bengal following the declaration of results. Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.

Women were among the most affected by the orgy of violence that engulfed the state in the wake of the Bengal election results. Dissident women being raped, tortured, and murdered were reported from different parts of the state.

The violence unleashed forced people to flee their villages along with their families, witnessing one of the large-scale displacements to have ever taken place over violence in the aftermath of elections. Hundreds and thousands of people, fearing for their lives, had crossed over to Assam, where they had been provided temporary shelter under the supervision of minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Avinash Sable creates history: Becomes first non-Kenyan to win a Commonwealth medal in 3000 meters steeplechase in the 21st century

OpIndia Staff
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Avinash Sable creates history: Becomes first non-Kenyan to win a Commonwealth medal in 3000 meters steeplechase in the 21st century

Avinash Sable, born in Beed district in Maharashtra, created history earlier today when he became the first non-Kenyan to win a medal in the 3000 meters steeplechase event at the Commonwealth Games. In an event traditionally dominated by Kenyans, Sable won a silver medal ensuring that Kenyans don’t run away with all the medals yet again.

Avinash Sable finished the race with a time of 8:11.20, creating a new national record. This is the 9th time he has broken the national record in the event. Kenya continued their domination of the event as Abraham Kibiwot, the 2018 silver medallist, narrowly edged out the Indian athlete by 0.05 seconds to win the gold. The bronze also went to Kenya as world junior champion Amos Serem finished in 8:16.83.

Sable now holds the national record in three separate events, namely 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, and the half marathon.

After his remarkable performance, wishes poured in from all quarters, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister wasn’t the only one to recall his army background as many other people remembered his time at Siachen glacier.

Avinash Sable didn’t even start pursuing athletics seriously till 2016 when he got inducted into the 5 Mahar battalion of the Indian Army. Now he is smashing records left right and center and challenging the traditional powerhouse Kenya in their signature event.

Delhi liquor controversy: LG approves suspension of 11 Excise Dept officials including former commissioner for lapses

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi liquor controversy: LG approves suspension of 11 Excise Dept officials including former commissioner for lapses

On Friday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena approved the suspension of 11 senior officials of the Excise Department, including top bureaucrats, for flaws in the formulation of the new excise policy and its alleged mismanaged execution.

According to the reports, VK Saxena ordered disciplinary procedures against Arava Gopi Krishna, the former commissioner of Excise, and Anand Kumar Tiwari, the former Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officer. Apart from the two DANICs officers, the LG also recommended the suspension of nine other Excise department personnel.

This is after the LG ordered an investigation into the new excise policy 2021-22 for suspected rule breaches and procedural failures. The LG suggested that the CBI investigate the inconsistencies and shortcomings in the new Excise policy. Reportedly, the LG decided to suspend officials due to severe lapses on their part in the implementation of the Excise policy and also irregularities in finalizing the tender.

To note, Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodiya held a press conference on August 6 to blame Delhi’s Ex Lt Governor Anil Baijal for corruption in the new excise policy which has now been rolled back. Sisodia demanded a CBI investigation over the decision modification and questioned whether the LG was pressured. “It should also be investigated whether the former LG made the decision under duress and whether any Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was involved,” he accused.

Responding to the allegations made by the Delhi Dy CM, BJP’s Sambit Patra said that the Aam Aadmi Party was manufacturing a lie and was deliberately dragging the former LG into the matter.

The EOW of the Delhi Police earlier sent a notice to the assistant commissioner of the Delhi Excise Department, requesting information concerning the suspected illicit distribution of liquor licences to organisations that breached the terms and conditions of the New Excise Policy 2021-22. It has demanded papers and information from the excise department regarding when the New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was formed and when tenders for the award of liquor licences under the new policy were announced.

The EOW has also requested the department to disclose the application forms for all successful applicants who acquired a liquor licence, as well as any other relevant papers that they were required to provide.

In the meanwhile, as the new excise policy has been scrapped due to allegations of corruption, the licences granted to private liquor shops will expire on August 31. The Delhi govt will return to the old policy of state-run liquor stores and has decided to open 700 vends by the year-end, including 5 premium stores. The liquor outlets will be operated by four govt undertakings, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), and Delhi Consumer’s Cooperative Wholesale Stores (DCCWS) and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC).

Delhi govt to resume selling liquor after controversies around private licenses, to open 700 vends including 5 premium stores

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi govt to resume selling liquor after controversies around private licenses, to open 700 vends including 5 premium stores

Days after Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia announced the decision to scrap the new liquor policy, the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, the Delhi government has announced that it will open 700 liquor outlets in Delhi. Out of the 700 outlets, five will be premium liquor shops that will be set up in posh districts, malls, and large markets.

The liquor outlets will be operated by four govt undertakings, Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi Consumer’s Cooperative Wholesale Stores (DCCWS) and Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC). The objective of the government behind this is to maximize sales to minimize black marketing and smuggling from neighbouring states.

This development comes amidst the recently launched probe into the Delhi government’s excise department by the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), due to alleged irregularities in its new liquor policy. The government withdrew its 2021-22 excise policy last week after a continuing disagreement with the LG, who has urged the CBI to investigate claims of corruption in the scheme’s execution, and has chosen to reinstate the previous policy beginning September 1. In the meanwhile, private vending licenses have been extended until August 31.

The government plans to establish two premium outlets by August 31 and three more by the end of the year. Out of the 700 general outlets, 500 will be opened by September, and the rest 200 will be opened by December. The four organisations will operate the stores in different zones. DTTDC will run the shops in zones 1-9, DSIIDC in 10-18, DCCWS in 19-24, and DSCSC in 25-30. DTTDC and DSIIDC will open 150 liquor vends each by month end, while DCCWS and DSCSC will open 100 stores each in the same period. After that, DTTDC and DSIIDC will each open 60 additional outlets by December, and DCCWS and DSCSC will open 40 outlets each. The four corporations maintained 475 liquor vends under the former excise regime, which was in operation until November 17 of last year.

The present excise policy, which expires on August 31, private enterprises retail permits for 32 zones and 849 vends. The government, which had exited the retail liquor market following the implementation of Excise Policy 2021-22 on November 17, will reopen alcohol vends on September 1.

One of the officials stated that under the old policy, imported liquor brands were only sold by the private outlets while the government vends dealt with country-made liquor. “Now, as the government has decided to shut these (private) vends, there is a plan to open premium vends so people can walk in and buy without rush,” he was quoted.

Delhi Deputy CM blames ex LG Anil Baijal

Meanwhile, Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia held a press conference on August 6 to seek CBI investigation and blame Delhi’s Ex Lt Governor Anil Baijal for corruption in the new excise policy which has now been rolled back. “Due to change of decision in LG office, some shopkeepers got profit of thousands of crores and government lost thousands of crores,” he said adding that the new Excise Policy of Delhi 2021-22 benefited some individuals but was not effectively executed.

Anil Baijal was the Delhi LG when the Arvind Kejriwal administration developed the new excise policy, which came into effect on November 17, 2021. Sisodia stated that in the new excise policy, which was enacted in May 2021, it was determined that there would be an equal number of liquor stores in each location. “Previously”, he added, “there were up to 20 stores in one location and none in others”.

“Earlier, 849 shops in the national capital were unevenly distributed. In the new policy, equitable distribution was underlined to avoid instances like hooch policy”, the Dy CM said adding that the new excise policy was carefully read and approved by the then LG. However, the state government lost thousands of crores of rupees as a result of the decision being reversed 48 hours before the stores were to open.

According to him, 300 to 350 stores were unable to launch because the former LG altered his stance. Sisodia demanded a CBI investigation over the decision modification and questioned whether the LG was pressured. “It should also be investigated whether the former LG decided under duress and whether any Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was involved,” he accused.

‘AAP manufactures lie’

Responding to the allegations made by the Delhi Dy CM, BJP’s Sambit Patra said that the Aam Aadmi Party was manufacturing a lie and was deliberately dragging former LG into the matter. “If at all there was a scam, then why was the government silent from November 2021 to August 2022? Now they are suddenly making up the scam to divert the public attention. Already CBI, EOW, and ED are behind them. They just are looking to divert the attention”, he said.

He further said, “Sisodia allowed manufacturing vendors to run private liquor shops, which is illegal. He also allowed the black-listed companies to sell liquor which is also illegal. He also allowed the cartels to dominate the tenders. Later the AAP and Sisodia were issued show cause notice by the Excise departments”. Patra also demanded Sisodia to make public the answer written in response to the notice if any.

Delhi’s liquor policy

The policy was proposed in 2020 and came into force in November 2021. Delhi was divided into 32 zones, each with 27 liquor vends. It also marked the end of the government’s sale of alcohol, only private liquor shops now function in the city, with 2-3 vends in each mayoral ward. The objectives of the policy were to put a stop to the liquor mafia and black marketing, raise income and improve the customer experience, and ensure equal distribution of liquor vends.

The government also made laws more flexible for licensees, such as enabling them to provide discounts and establish their own pricing rather than selling at the government-mandated MRP. Following it, vendors gave discounts, attracting people. Following opposition rallies, the tax agency temporarily suspended discounts. Reports mention that the excise policy 2021-22 helped the government to earn increased revenue, generating around Rs 8900 crore.

Sisodia reportedly changed the excise policy without the LG’s consent, such as providing a remission of Rs. 144.36 crores on the surrendered licencing fee due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Delhi Police’s EOW’s action in the case

The EOW of the Delhi Police meanwhile has sent a notice to the assistant commissioner of the Delhi Excise Department, requesting information concerning the suspected illicit distribution of liquor licences to organisations that breached the terms and conditions of the New Excise Policy 2021-22. It has demanded papers and information from the excise department regarding when the New Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was formed and when tenders for the award of liquor licences under the new policy were announced.

The EOW has also requested the department to disclose the application forms for all successful applicants who acquired a liquor licence, as well as any other relevant papers that they were required to provide.

Two factions of Congress workers beat each other up in Himachal Pradesh during party’s ‘Rojgar Sangharsh Yatra’: Watch

OpIndia Staff
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Two factions of Congress workers beat each other up in Himachal Pradesh during party’s ‘Rojgar Sangharsh Yatra’: Watch

Congress party is in an agitation mode these days, protesting on the roads all over the country against the ruling BJP government in the center. The three main issues the grand old party is trying to raise, in decreasing order of importance, are ED questioning of Gandhis, inflation, and unemployment. However, things got a bit out of hand during one of these protests in Himachal Pradesh as two factions of Congress started fighting amongst themselves.

To protest against unemployment in the country, the Congress party took out its Rojgar Sangharsh Yatra in Himachal Pradesh. However, during the protest, a fight broke out between party members and they beat each other black and blue.

News agency ANI shared the video of the fight saying, Clash erupts between two factions of Congress in Nahan of Himachal Pradesh during Rojgar Sangharsh Yatra.

With Himachal Pradesh assembly elections set to be held later this year, Congress had been trying to build some momentum through this Yatra across the state during the past week. However, with their own workers beating each other brutally like this during this yatra, there is small scope of this resonating among the masses.

Maharashtra: Four Christian missionaries arrested in Dahanu for attempting to forcibly convert tribals

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Four Christian missionaries arrested in Dahanu for attempting to forcibly convert tribals

The villagers in the Dahanu area of the Palghar district foiled an attempt of four Christian missionaries to convert the tribals to Christianity by luring them with money. The missionaries told the tribals that they will get relief from their pains if they convert to Christianity. The Dahanu police then arrested the four Christian missionaries on Friday, 5th August 2022.

The incident took place in the Sarawli Talawpada village of the Dahanu taluka of the Palghar district on Friday afternoon when four Christian missionaries entered the house of an old tribal woman spotting her alone at her home. They lured her with money to convert to Christianity. The missionaries asked her to stop practicing her faith and accept Christianity so that she would get relief from her ailments. According to a report by Loksatta, they offered her money and tried to force her into religious conversion.

As the local villagers and the members of Hindu organizations came to know that the missionaries have come to the village, they quickly gathered in large numbers and took those missionaries and the old woman to the local police station. On the basis of the complaint lodged by the old tribal woman, the Dahanu police registered an FIR and imposed sections 153, 295, 448, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The Dahanu police arrested all the four Christian missionaries who are identified as Claimant D Baila, Mariam T Philips, Paramjit alias Pinki Sharma Kaur, and Parashuram Dharma Dhingada.

In the remote tribal-dominated talukas Dahanu, Talasari, Jawar, and Vikramgad in the Palghar district, conversion practices have been going on for many years. The poorly educated tribals of this area are being converted by taking advantage of their ignorance as well as by various allurements. As a result, in many places, there have been frequent disputes between Hindu tribals and converted Christian tribals over the celebration of festivals and other practices.

Bangladesh: ‘What have we done to deserve this’, wails her child as a Hindu woman was gang raped, disrobed and killed in a paddy field

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: ‘What have we done to deserve this’, wails her child as a Hindu woman was gang raped, disrobed and killed in a paddy field

On July 29 this year, the dead body of a Hindu woman was discovered in a paddy field in the Kumar para area in the Bhervedi Union in Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

As per reports, the deceased woman was identified as Apo Rani Roy. She was returning to her husband’s home from her paternal house. Later, her disrobed body was found in a paddy field. A 10-year-old girl named Bipasha Rani Roy was also found in an unconscious state near the victim’s body.

On finding Apo Rani Rani in a lifeless state, the passersby called for help and informed the police. The cops reached the spot and recovered her body. The minor girl was then admitted to the Sub-Divisional Health complex.

According to the victim’s family, Alo Rani Roy has been gang-raped by unidentified criminals. They claimed that the victim was murdered to prevent her from identifying the accused men.

In a video shared by ISKCON spokesperson Radharamn Das, the 10-year-old could be heard saying, “My mother held my hand tightly. She begged the perpetrators to let me go. She kept on asking them: What have we done to you? They grabbed me by my neck and hit me on the head. I fainted but they believed that I was dead.”

“I don’t know what happened to my mother after that.” Later in the video, the minor girl was seen bursting into tears and asking, “What have we done to deserve this?” Apo Rani Roy is now survived by her husband and daughter.

Hindu schoolgirl abducted and killed in Bangladesh

Last month, a Hindu girl from Bangladesh was abducted and killed by a man who later posted her picture on Facebook declaring that she was dead. The deceased girl was identified as Anuradha Sen who belonged to the minority Hindu community in Sherpur in Nalitabari Upazila of Bangladesh.

The girl, who was kidnapped earlier,was killed by the accused and her picture was posted on her Facebook account. The caption attached to the post read, “There is no need to find her. She is dead.” The accused was suspected to be Bari Mehdi who had earlier made threatening calls to Anuradha’s brother.

According to the reports, the victim had completed her 10th board exams from the Bankura High School this year. She was kidnapped by the criminal who pretended to be calling from her school to provide government funds for her further studies.

Using public funds for party’s celebration: AAP spent over Rs 14 lakhs from state exchequer on its electoral victory march, RTI reveals

OpIndia Staff
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Using public funds for party’s celebration: AAP spent over Rs 14 lakhs from state exchequer on its electoral victory march, RTI reveals

According to information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Punjab government spent Rs 14.63 lakh on the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) victory march, Dhanwad Punjab Yatra, in Amritsar on 13th March 2022. On 10th March 2022, the results of the Punjab assembly elections were declared in which the Aam Aadmi Party won 92 out of 117 seats in the state assembly and formed a government, following which the victory march was taken out by the party.

The expenses of the victory march include the costs born for honouring senior AAP leaders with gold-plated swords and arranging their accommodation in five-star hotels and decorating roads with flowers. Manik Goyal, an RTI activist, had filed the plea for details on the event’s expenses. The grand road show was headed by AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and CM-elect Bhagwant Mann. According to the RTI response, the Amritsar district administration received a total of 19 bills for the party’s victory march and paid Rs 14,63,129.

The RTI response revealed that The Taj Swarna, a five-star hotel, received a payment of 1,51,851 from the Amritsar district administration to cover four invoices. Besides, the district administration spent Rs 4,83,800 to decorate roadways with fresh flowers, Rs 75,000 to prepare the welcome gate, Rs 5,56,424 to arrange tents and chairs, Rs 54,500 on drummers, Rs 16,800 to purchase rose bouquets, Rs 18,000 to purchase phulkaris, Rs 34,000 to purchase four gold-plated swords, Rs 45,398 to install flex boards, Rs 17,500 to videographers and photographers, and Rs 9,856 to confectionary arrangements. All the expenses are done before Bhagwant Mann assumed the charges as the chief minister of the state.

Manik Goyal said that Bhagwant Mann was voted leader of the parliamentary party by newly elected MLAs on March 11, but he had yet to take the oath of office as chief minister when the AAP delved into the state exchequer to utilize cash for the party’s celebration rally. At the swearing-in event on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan in the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, Mann took the oath of office and confidentiality.

Mayank Goyal also informed that people were transported to Amritsar for the victory march using government buses, but the district administration did not respond to a question about the costs associated with their conveyance. Harpreet Singh Sudan, the deputy commissioner of Amritsar, declined to comment on the costs associated with the road show on March 13. He said, “I joined here in April and, therefore, I can’t comment on why and how this payment was made. It is the government’s prerogative to decide how, why, and where to pay. The authorities act on the government’s directions.”

Punjab’s finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that he will immediately look into this matter. Malvinder Singh Kang, the state’s top AAP spokesperson, was vague over the RTI response, nevertheless. He said, “I don’t know the authenticity of this information.”

It is notable that due to growing debt, slow development, and a load of freebies, Punjab’s economy has been in terrible circumstances for years. Ironically, the AAP government portrayed a bleak image of the state finances in a white paper it submitted to the assembly on June 25 and attributed the financial crisis to past administrations’ excessive spending and poor management.

Bollywood website Koimoi tries to bust ‘rumour’ that Aamir Khan met Pakistani Maulana Tariq Jameel, ends up confirming that Aamir did meet him

OpIndia Staff
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Bollywood website Koimoi tries to bust ‘rumour’ that Aamir Khan met Pakistani Maulana Tariq Jameel, ends up confirming that Aamir did meet him

Ahead of the much-awaited release of Laal Singh Chadha, a scene-by-scene copy of Tom Hanks’ classic Forrest Gump, Aamir Khan has been facing a lot of anger from Indian moviegoers who have been calling for a boycott of his latest film. Aamir Khan, whose last big-budget offering ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ ended up being one of the biggest ever flops in the history of Indian cinema seems to be feeling the effects of these boycott calls.

When asked about hashtags like ‘Boycott Bollywood’ and ‘Boycott Laal Singh Chaddha’ trending on Twitter, the actor said he feels sad about it. He also said that the ‘trolls’ make it sound like he does not love his country but that is absolutely ‘untrue’. Even though in the past Aamir Khan had told viewers openly not to watch his films, this time, the boycott calls seems to be affecting him and his PR drive during the past few days reflects that.

The reason why most moviegoers plan to boycott any Aamir movie varies from person to person, some want to boycott him over his mockery of Hindu Gods in PK, some want to boycott his movies because of his opposition to Sardar Sarovar Dam which provided water to the most drought-stricken areas of Gujarat, some want to boycott him for blaming current PM Narendra Modi for 2002 Gujarat riots, while some just can’t stand the sanctimoniousness.

Another reason why many moviegoers plan to boycott Aamir Khan’s movies is his proximity to openly anti-India Turkey, hanging out with Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi (who repeatedly calls for ‘independence of Jammu & Kashmir’ from India), and Aamir’s meeting with people like Pakistani Maulana Tariq Jameel.

To counter these boycott calls by the common Indians, Aamir Khan’s PR has been trying to paint a more rosy image of the Bollywood stalwart, and one such attempt has come from the Bollywood website Koimoi.

Koimoi published an article titled, “Did Aamir Khan Meet Jamaat-E-Ul Terrorist Maulana Tariq Jameel & Pakistani Cricketer Shahid Afridi In Saudi Arabia? Rumours Busted!” on the 5th of August 2022, in which, instead of busting any rumours, they confirmed that Aamir Khan indeed met these anti-India people in Saudi Arabia.

While trying to disprove Aamir Khan’s meeting with Tariq Jameel, the article notes, “It is worth pointing out that multiple publications reported that Laal Singh Chaddha actor met them at mecca when he went for Hajj pilgrimage accompanied by his mother Zeenat Hussain in October 2012. The said photo was taken at that time. Former Pakistani music band Vital Signs’ member Junaid Jamshed was also present at that time.”

The article further confirms that Junaid Jamshed also shared the picture on his Facebook account with a caption that read: “Shahid Afridi and Aamir Khan with Maulana Tariq Jameel.”

Who is Tariq Jameel, whose photo with Aamir Khan is creating all the controversy

Tariq Jameel is a Pakistani Islamic television preacher and a Tablighi Jamaat member. It is important to note that Tablighi Jamaat is banned in Saudi Arabia after the custodian of the two holy Mosques called Tablighi Jamaat “one of the gates of terrorism”.

In a tweet on December 6, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs said, “His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr.#Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh directed the mosques’ preachers and the mosques that held Friday prayer temporary to allocate the next Friday sermon 5/6/1443 H to warn against (the Tablighi and Da’wah group) which is called (Al Ahbab)”.

The tweet mentioned that the minister has directed that the sermon cover topics including declaration of “the misguidance, deviation, and danger of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise”, to mention their prominent mistakes, to mention their danger to society and a statement that affiliation with partisan groups (including the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Tablighi Jamaat gained widespread prominence in India when its gathering in Delhi became one of the earliest hotspots of Coronavirus in the country. The Tablighi Jamaat event was not only attended by Indian Islamic clerics but also foreign nationals. 

After emerging as a ‘superspreader’ of the Wuhan Coronavirus, the conduct of the members of the Tablighi Jamaat did not improve. While they were being transported from Nizamuddin for their treatment, they spat on roads during the bus ride. After being shifted to quarantine facilities in Delhi, they engaged in unruly behaviour with the staff and doctors. The occupants made unreasonable demands for food, misbehaved and abused staff members and spat all over and on persons working/attending to them, including doctors.

The controversial preacher Tariq Jameel, whom Aamir Khan met, had earlier blamed Muslim women when Coronavirus was running rampant in the country. At the peak of the Coronavirus crisis, he had said that when Muslim women and the youth indulge in shameless and immodest behaviour, then Allah inflicts pain and agony on humans.

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