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Assam: Private board headed by Badruddin Ajmal runs 1000 madrasas, CM Himanta Biswa assures strict actions against jihadi elements

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Private board headed by Badruddin Ajmal runs 1000 madrasas, CM Himanta Biswa assures strict actions against jihadi elements

The nearly 1,000 private madrasas currently running in Assam are being considered for regulation by the state government led by chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This follows the recent detention of 11 people in the districts of Morigaon, Barpeta, Guwahati, and Goalpara for their purported connections to international terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT).

The mastermind of this network, Mustafa alias Mufti Mustafa, was imprisoned with other people on Wednesday 27th July 2022. He was a teacher at the Saruchala Al-Jamiatus Salihat Madarasatul Banat in the Saharia Gaon village of Morigaon.

According to a report by India Today Northeast, there are at least 1,000 private madrasas operating in Assam, up from 788 in 2016, despite the fact that there is no formal tally of them. Government records regarding these madrasas affiliation are not proper. The state government has already made the decision to turn government-aided madrasas into conventional schools.

Assam’s Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said, “We are collecting reports and examining if we can enforce certain rules in the private madrasas and give direction to impart modern education there. We are taking legal opinion. I am not aware of any board which is running these private madrasas. We don’t have any specific data on these madrasas.” Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, the director general of the Assam Police, asserted that the police had conducted a survey of these madrasas and had full information. Nonetheless, the officer withheld the specifics.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s strict action

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that a few more madrasas will be investigated by the police. According to a report by The Sentinel, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We have already sealed two madrasas for their jihadi link. The government has the policy to seal madrasas if it gets any concrete complaints regarding their jihadi link. The authorities will admit the students of the sealed madrasas in nearby general schools.”

He added, “We have no government madrasas in the state. We have already closed down 750 government madrasas. Only privately run madrasas are operational. However, if we get any concrete information on their link with fundamentalists, we will not have any second thought to take action against them.”

A private body governing the madrasas

The report by India Today Northeast revealed that the All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya, with its headquarters in Nilbagan in the Hojai district, governs all private madrasas in the state of Assam. It is a private board that controls madrasas in adjacent states Nagaland and Meghalaya as well. These madrasas in Assam have enrollments of close to 100,000 students. Most of these madrasas are located in the districts of Nagaon, Hojai, Dhubri, and Goalpara, where enrollment rates are also significantly greater.

It further states that the madrasa where Mustafa taught, Saruchala Al-Jamiatus Salihat Madrasatul Banat, is also affiliated with All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya. According to Morigaon SP Aparna Natarajan, Mustafa was also heading another private madrasa from which he was detained. However, according to government officials, Mustafa’s arrest does not necessarily imply that all madrasas, or the students and instructors connected to them, have any links to terrorism.

All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya

The All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya, formerly known as Madaris-E Quawmiya, was founded in 1955 with the aim of not only establishing madrasas but also optimizing their administrative and educational processes. It was given its present name in 1982. Initially limiting its operations to the southern portions of the Nagaon district, the board steadily broadened its reach. Badaruddin Ajmal, leader of the AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) and a wealthy perfumes businessman, serves as the board’s president.

According to the board’s preamble, it was established to protect and propagate Islam’s philosophy as well as “Islamic science” and knowledge around the globe in order to create individuals who could counteract the so-called falsehoods and misrepresentations allegedly being promoted about Islam and madrasas as well as dismantle the anti-Muslim influences. According to Moulana Abdul Qadir Quasimi, general secretary of All Assam Tanzim Madaris Qawmiya, the board does not provide donations to madrasas, yet, under the promise of secrecy, the chiefs of several madrasas acknowledged to India Today that they do get regular funding from the board.

More girl students enrolled in recent years

Remarkably, one of the three types of madrasas in the state is a Banat madrasa (intended solely for girl students); the other two were Arabia (a quami madrasa controlled by the community) and Hafizia (where Quran is memorized). The number of Banat madrasas in Assam grew from 140 to 219 between 2016 and 2021, reflecting the biggest increase of the three.

The number of Madrasas exclusively run for girls has sharply increased in the last few years. Image Source: India Today Northeast

Mustafa’s madrasa was not affiliated with this board

Although the second madrasa Mustafa was operating was not connected to the board, Moulana Abdul Qadir Quasimi acknowledged that Mustafa had been working part-time in a madrasa that was recognized by the board. Quasimi acknowledges that mistakes have been made in spite of the board’s tight supervision.

He said, “We have asked madrasas to ensure that no suspicious people are admitted. Not only teachers but even students should also be scrutinized. No unidentified person should be allowed to stay as a guest. There are some who manage to evade scrutiny and we cannot install CCTV cameras everywhere.”

Some Muslim bodies and leaders are worried about mushrooming of madrasas

Some Muslim leaders are apparently concerned about the growth of private madrasas. According to Advocate Hafiz Rashid Choudhury, a working committee member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, there is a need for a regulatory agency to supervise the activities and functions of the madrasas.

Choudhury said, “Modern education like English, history and social studies need to be included along with religious education in the madrasas. A subject on comparative religion should also be introduced to strengthen the integrity of the nation.”

Rejaul Karim Sarkar, head of the All Assam Minority Students’ Union, criticized the rise in the number of madrasas that did not achieve their fundamental goals, as per the report in India Today. He said, “We do need madrasas, but it doesn’t mean that these institutions start spreading everywhere. Many are functioning even though they can’t produce one good student.” Moulana Abdul Qadir Quasimi has also said that there are more madrasas than required.

After Mufti Mustafa’s arrest, the government scrutiny of madrasas is expected to increase.

Punjab CM announces cash prize for Hindu athlete after netizens point out he only gave ‘good wishes’ while Sikh athlete got prize money for winning medals at CWG

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab CM announces cash prize for Hindu athlete after netizens point out he only gave ‘good wishes’ while Sikh athlete got prize money for winning medals at CWG

The Indian athletes are performing well at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham. Two of the athletes from Punjab, Harjinder Kaur and Vikas Thakur, won Bronze and silver medals in weight lifting competitions. However, there were allegations of discrimination Thakur by the Punjab govt after the wins, after which the AAP govt took a ‘corrective’ step.

Harjinder Kaur is a native of Mehs village near Nabha, Punjab. While congratulating her, the Chief Minister of Punjab wrote, “Congratulations to Harjinder Kaur, a native of Mehs village near Nabha, for winning a bronze medal in weightlifting in the Commonwealth Games. Harjinder, you will be a source of inspiration for the girls of Punjab. Congratulations to your parents and coaches too. Best wishes for the future. Chakde India.”

After the initial Tweet, within two hours, CM Bhagwant Mann announced Rs 40 cash prize for Kaur under the state government’s policy under the sports department. He said, “Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur of Punjab won a bronze medal in Birmingham Games 2022. Harjinder Kaur of Mehs village near Nabha will be given a cash prize of 40 lakh rupees by the Punjab government as per the policy of the sports department. This achievement of this proud player will encourage the upcoming players, especially our girls.”

On the same day, Vikas Thakur from Ludhiana won the Silver medal in the weight lifting tournament. CM wrote, “Another athlete from Punjab entered the medal list of India in the Commonwealth Games. Vikas Thakur of Ludhiana won the silver medal in the 96 kg weight lifting competition, lifting 346 kg. Congratulations. Keep up the hard work. Best wishes for the future. Well done. Chakde India!”

Hours passed by, but there was no announcement from the Chief Minister of any cash prize for Thakur. Netizens started to point out that a Sikh athlete who won a Bronze medal was awarded a cash prize, but a Hindu athlete did not get anything after winning the silver medal.

Twitter user 4racs sarcastically said, “UNESCO has declared AAP as the most secular political party in Universe,” and shared screenshots of CM Mann’s tweets.

Another Twitter user Ritik said, “Cash Prize of 40 L when a Sikh from Punjab won Bronze Medal, but just congratulations wish from Punjab CM when a Hindu from Punjab won Silver Medal. What a selective approch by Bhagwant Maan.”

Twitter user Equateall said, “Mr Bhagwant Mann Ji, the Silver medal is a higher honour than bronze. The Ludhiana weight lifter Vikas Thakur deserves an appropriate cash prize from the Punjab govt for winning silver medal.”

After 15 hours of initial tweet congratulating Thakur, CM Mann finally announced a cash reward for him. He said, “Ludhiana’s Vikas Thakur won a silver medal in weightlifting during the ongoing Commonwealth Games at Birmingham. According to the sports policy of the Punjab government, Vikas will be awarded ₹ 50 lakhs as a prize. My government is fully committed to encouraging and providing all possible help to the sportsmen of Punjab.”

It is unclear if he announced the cash reward following the backlash or if it was just a ‘Sarkari’ delay in the announcement.

Maulana Salman Nadwi, who attended inter-faith meeting with NSA Doval, backtracks on proposal to ban PFI, had earlier sworn allegiance to ISIS

OpIndia Staff
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Maulana Salman Nadwi, who attended inter-faith meeting with NSA Doval, backtracks on proposal to ban PFI, had earlier sworn allegiance to ISIS

Days after attending the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council (AISSC) that demanded a ban on the functioning of the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), Lucknow-based Islamic cleric Salman Nadwi opposed the call and said that it was illogical to ban the entire organization due to mistake of a few members.

Nadwi also compared the organization to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha (RSS) and blatantly contended that the two organizations worked on similar lines.

According to the reports, Nadwi was part of the inter-faith conference that was held in New Delhi last Saturday. The conference was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and AISSC which is an Islamist organization set up for four years. The conference passed the resolution to ban the PFI involved in radicalism or incidents like the recent killing of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur or the Bihar terror module.

However, Nadwi on July 31 made an about-face and refused to support the call for banning PFI.

He said that the law should punish those members of the organizations who are involved in the crimes but banning the entire organization because of such people is not a good idea. He alleged that he had no idea that a call to ban PFI was made at the conference.

The Islamic cleric went on to say that action should be taken against a few members of any organization who engage in illegal activity. They should be punished if there is evidence to support it but this cannot be used as justification to outlaw the entire group. “The same”, he said, “also holds for groups like the RSS, VHP, and Bajrang Dal”.

“It is not right to demand a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, Tablighi Jamaat or the RSS, its branches, Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad just because some of their members are found indulging in cruelty or making unlawful remarks,” he said in a video interview that was uploaded on his Youtube channel on July 31. He added that RSS and PFI worked on similar lines. “RSS says that it works for the society. PFI also does the same. It is not good to target the entire organization”, he stated.

He reiterated that no such resolution to ban the PFI was brought before him at the conference on Saturday and said that he attended the conference just to promote interfaith harmony. “I was not even aware that some resolution was to be passed,” he said.

It is worth noting that Salman Nadwi’s volte-face comes days after participating in the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council (AISSC), which was also attended by NSA Ajit Doval, and which passed the resolution calling for the ban on PFI. Visuals of Nadwi bear-hugging Mr Doval and animatedly shaking hands with other religious leaders had gone viral on the internet. 

Swearing allegiance to ISIS, congratulating Al-Baghdadi for becoming Caliph

Nadwi, who is known to profess hardcore support for Muslim Brotherhood, had in the past made no bones about his allegiance to the Islamic State. He had also congratulated Al-Baghdadi for becoming the Caliph and expressed excitement at the establishment of ISIS. 

The criminal antecedents of PFI

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that Salman Nadwi has a soft spot in his heart for a radical outfit like PFI, which is known for spreading Islamism in India and carrying out nefarious activities against non-Muslims. 

Recently, the Bihar Police busted the terror module in Patna that had links with the Islamic extremist outfit PFI. The NIA also raided 10 locations in Patna, Darbhanga, East Champaran, Nalanda, and Madhubani districts in Bihar in the case in which the suspects involved were closely associated with the PFI. The accused had planned anti-national activities during PM Modi’s visit to Patna.

The PFI activists have been involved in several other crimes. The one accused in the Kanhaiya Lal murder case is associated with the PFI. Recently a BJP Youth Morcha member named Praveen was murdered in Karnataka. The arrested accused Shafiq and Zaqir have links with PFI and SDPI. The PFI has been working as a radical organization for years. It also had a major role to play in chopping off the right hand of a professor from Kerala named TJ Joseph. Also, in 2019 when the NIA was probing the murder of Ramalingam, the agency filed a charge sheet against 18 persons. All 18 persons are allegedly associated with the PFI and SDPI.

‘Screaming Butterflies’, an award-winning film on love jihad by Assamese actor-director Aimee Baruah, to be screened at South Asian Short Film Festival

OpIndia Staff
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‘Screaming Butterflies’, an award-winning film on love jihad by Assamese actor-director Aimee Baruah, to be screened at South Asian Short Film Festival

Aimee Baruah, an Assamese actor-turned-director, will be participating with her documentary about love jihad in Assam at the forthcoming 5th South Asian Short Film Festival to be held in Kolkata. The producer held one-to-one conversations with many victim ladies on camera where she asked them about their heinous victimization. The documentary named ‘Screaming Butterflies’, which most recently won the Silver Conch award for Best Documentary Film at the Mumbai International Film Festival will be screened by the Films Division this month in association with the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). According to the schedule of the film festival to be held at Nandan in Kolkata, the documentary is being screened today, 3rd August 2022.

According to the reports, the documentary contains dreadful stories of all such women who became a victim of conversion to Islam under the pretext of love affairs by Islamist men. The reel in the very beginning displays a message that says that the documentary cannot be considered as evidence in the lawsuits that are underway in the Court of Law. Baruah also states that she has made no attempts to hide the faces of victims after the latter asked the director not to deliberately conceal the identities.

Elaborating about the film Screaming Butterflies, the director said that in early 2021, she knew 26 girls from Assam who were tricked and tortured by Islamist men who posed with false religious identities to lure them. It is then that she began to shoot the film. “I first wanted to hear their stories. I asked the permission for filming once I heard them out”, she was quoted. The Assamese actor says she is still in touch with each one of them.

Out of a total of 26 women, Baruah decided to focus on four women. To comfort the ladies, she also decided to operate the camera herself and no other crew members were present during the filming. Describing the plight of the women, the director said, “the women shared their stories with a hope that it might help other girls from being duped in this way. Every word they spoke came out from the depth of truth”. She added that the film is not about targeting one particular community. “It is wrong for a person from any faith to dupe girls this way and force them to convert”, she stated.

Talking about not blurring the faces of the victims in Screaming Butterflies, Aimee Baruah said that when the faces of victims are not shown, it is very difficult to show their emotions. And it was good that the victims themselves wanted to reveal their faces in cameras, and gave legal consent for the same. The victims said that they have narrated their stories to the media in the past, but the issue was not highlighted, therefore they came forward to tell their stories on camera.

Saying that the tortures that the women went through were unimaginable, Aimee said that she could not show everything as she felt it will be too much. She also said that her film is not against a particular community, but nobody in the world should be allowed to treat women like this using fake identities and falsehoods.

Though Love Jihad is not considered a problem by many leftists and Islamists, it is a fact that forces non-Islamist women to go through discomfort and unimaginable misery. Non-Islamist women are trapped in a ‘love affair’ by the Islamists who sometimes even hide their identities to lure the victims. The women are then sexually exploited and forced to follow the Islamic rituals and later accept the religion forever. In some cases, they are also forced to consume beef as a part of the Islam religion.

Though the problem of love jihad or grooming jihad has networked all over the country, cases like these are found more in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal. OpIndia has documented several such cases over the last few years.

In June this year, the film which shows the stories of the victims won the award for the Best Documentary film (below 60 minutes) in the National Competition section of the 17th Mumbai International Film Festival. The Director also received a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a Silver Conch. “For me, they aren’t just some mere film characters but original people who went through terrible experiences. And if we don’t observe their pain closely, we won’t understand their hardships,” she had said then.

The director stated that despite there are stringent laws that have been implemented against love jihad in various states, the country sees no slump in such continuing incidents of love jihad. She said that the life of women gets ruined after facing misery. “They hardly have friends even now. Unfortunately, our laws are not strong enough to punish the perpetrators”, she noted.

Before ‘Screaming Butterflies‘, Aimee Baruah also earned accolades for another film titled ‘Semkhor’. The Dimasa language short film was screened at several film festivals including Berlin International Film Festival, and she made her Cannes debut this year where the film was screened, and she was also invited to talk about the film. Semkhor won awards the National Film festival, and film festivals at Bengaluru, Dhaka and Toronto.

Actor-director Aimme Baruah, who has acted in a large of Assamese feature films and video films, is married to current Assam minister and BJP leader Pijush Hazarika.

Baloch freedom fighters claim responsibility for Pakistan Army helicopter crash, say military is lying by calling it ‘accident due to bad weather’

OpIndia Staff
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Baloch freedom fighters claim responsibility for Pakistan Army helicopter crash, say military is lying by calling it ‘accident due to bad weather’

A day after the media wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces claimed that the Pakistan Army helicopter that went missing on August 1, crashed in an ‘accident‘, the Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) an umbrella organization of Baloch armed rebel groups took responsibility for the same.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the rebel group claimed responsibility for targeting and downing the low-flying Pakistan military helicopter in the mountainous areas of Windar and Noorani in Balochistan. 

According to reports, the wreckage of the Pakistan Army helicopter carrying senior military officers that had gone missing on August 1 was found in Musa Goth, Windar, Lasbela on Tuesday, August 2. Six individuals who were on board including Commander 12 Corps were found dead.

The debris of the Pakistan Army helicopter carrying senior military officers that had gone missing on August 1 (source: @RupamDeodhai)

On Tuesday, Director-General (DG) ISPR Tweeted that the initial probe revealed that the accident had occurred due to bad weather. “The wreckage of an unfortunate helicopter which was on flood relief ops found in Musa Goth, Windar, Lasbela. All 6 officers and soldiers including l Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali embraced shahadat. …Accident occurred due to bad weather as per initial investigations,” Director-General (DG) ISPR said in a tweet.

The Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) spokesperson Baloch Khan, however, said in a statement on Wednesday, “Freedom fighters of BRAS targeted a low flying helicopter of Pakistan military. The targeted helicopter crashed near Moosa Goth in Dareji.”

“In the attack, carried out with anti-aircraft guns, the helicopter was badly damaged and later completely destroyed. All six enemy personnel on board the flight were killed in the attack. They included Core Commander 12 Core Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali, Director General Coast Guard Major General Amjad, Brigadier Khalid, pilot Major Saeed, co-pilot Talha and crew chief Naik Muddasir”, the statement by BRAS added. 

The statement released by BRAS (source: Aditya Raj Kaul on Twitter)

The spokesperson for BRAS asserted that the helicopter was the target of its fighters and added that Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali, who had continued to serve as Director General of Military Intelligence and Inspector General of the Frontier Corps South of Balochistan, was directly involved in forced disappearances and the Baloch genocide. Lieutenant General Sarfaraz Ali was one of the six Pakistani commanders who were on board the helicopter, supervising the flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan.

“Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) will continue to carry lethal attacks against the enemy (Pakistan army) until the full withdrawal of the enemy forces and the liberation of Baloch motherland”, the statement of BRAS added. 

According to authorities, the helicopter left Uthal at 5:10 p.m. on Monday and was scheduled to arrive in Karachi at 6:05 p.m. but lost communication with the air traffic controller.

“A Pakistan army aviation helicopter which was on flood relief operations in Lasbela, Balochistan lost contact with ATC. 6 individuals were on board including Commander 12 Corps who was supervising flood relief operations in Balochistan. The search operation is underway,” Tweeted Director-General (DG) ISPR on Monday, August 1.

Balochistan has been devastated by flash floods and heavy rains, which have killed 147 people so far. Relief operations are now being offered to the displaced in the province by the Pakistan Army and civic authorities.

Police and Army officers combed the region on Tuesday in an effort to find the chopper. However, the hazardous hilly terrain and the region’s damaged roadways caused by the flooding hindered their attempts. Later, the Pakistan army’s media wing said in a statement that the wreckage of the helicopter was found and claimed that, “the accident occurred due to bad weather.”

Notably, in February this year, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) had attacked two posts in Pakistan’s southwest province neutralizing more than 100 Pakistani personnel and destroying a large part of their camps. The BLA issued an official statement confirming that the major parts of both the camps were still under their control. Then too the Pakistan military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) denied the intensity of the attack and declared a reduced number of deaths.

Jahangirpuri violence: Accused Sanwar Malik, who collected glass bottles and stones to attack the Hanuman Jayanti procession, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Jahangirpuri violence: Accused Sanwar Malik, who collected glass bottles and stones to attack the Hanuman Jayanti procession, arrested

On August 2, Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested one of the main accused of Jahangirpuri Violence, identified as 29-year-old Sanwar Malik. He has been booked for rioting and assaulting Police. As per reports, he instigated locals and pelted stones at Police during the riots. As per Delhi Police, Malik was absconding since the violence and had been hiding in West Bengal and other places. A Rohini court had declared him a ‘proclaimed offender’.

Delhi Police had received information about Malik’s presence in the C-Block of Jahangirpuri. He was supposed to leave for West Bengal soon. In a statement, the Deputy Commission of Police (Crime Branch) said, “The secret informer had informed us that if Malik was not apprehended this time, he would flee to his native place in West Bengal. A team under DCP Anil Sharma was rushed to the spot. The team tried to catch him as he tried to escape. He was running, and the residents also tried to help him as they threw bricks at our staff. Even after suffering an injury, the staff managed to overpower Malik and arrest him.”

Malik hails from West Bengal but he was living in Delhi for many years. Notably, a case was registered against Malik and other residents of Jahangirpuri for obstructing Police in performing their duties and hitting them with bricks. Malik, who worked as a rag-picker, is also involved in six other criminal cases including rioting and attempt to murder. On the day of Hanuman Jayanti (April 16), Malik instigated his associates to pelt glass bottles at the Hindus participating in Shobha Yatra and pelt stones at the Police.

Jahangirpuri violence

On April 16, Hindus were taking out Shobha Yatra on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. When the procession was passing through Jahangirpuri of Northwest Delhi, people from the Muslim community allegedly pelted stones etc, at the Hindus and police personnel. Videos emerged on social media where members of the Muslim community were seen firing shots at the procession. Last month, Delhi Police Crime Branch submitted a 2,063 chargesheet against 37 accused who have been arrested so far in the case.

Pune Police arrests Shiv Sena leader Sanjay More for leading attack at Shinde faction MLA Uday Samant’s car, 4 more detained

OpIndia Staff
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Pune Police arrests Shiv Sena leader Sanjay More for leading attack at Shinde faction MLA Uday Samant’s car, 4 more detained

The Pune Police on Wednesday arrested five people including Shiv Sena city chief Sanjay More in connection to the attack on former State Minister and Shinde faction MLA Uday Samant. A complaint was filed under various sections of the IPC for the attack.

According to the reports, on Tuesday evening, Samant’s car was attacked by 4-5 miscreants while he was passing through the Katraj area of Pune. He then filed a complaint against the miscreants at Kothrud Police Station and said, “I do not know who they were, but the police need to find the attackers who were carrying sticks and stones”.

Samant informed about the incident to CM Eknath Shinde and said that he was being followed by a couple of cars. “I was stopped at the traffic signal at Katraj. I was followed by two-three vehicles. People from the cars came out and attacked me”, Samant was quoted. Responding to the incident, CM Shinde said that whatever happened was not at all courageous and that those who are behind the attack would be punished.

Reports mention that the attack happened when CM Shinde and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray were in Pune. Samant who was behind Shinde’s convoy was attacked after Shinde passed through the Katraj area. To note, Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray was holding a public rally in Katraj. The Shiv Sainiks were up in arms as Thackeray departed the stage following his address.

People who witnessed the attack reported that the window panes of Saman’t car have been damaged and the attackers, suspected Shiv Sainiks led by Uddhav Thackeray also hurled stones at Samant’s car. Samant is a former Education Minister who parted ways with Uddhav Thackeray to support current Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde. Now, he is part of the Eknath Shinde Shiv Sena faction.

Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray who held a rally at Katraj, Pune said that he had no idea about the incident.

‘You walked out, check Sansad TV for answers’: FM Nirmala Sitharaman busts TMC’s Derek O’ Brien’s ‘issues evaded’ claim

OpIndia Staff
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‘You walked out, check Sansad TV for answers’: FM Nirmala Sitharaman busts TMC’s Derek O’ Brien’s ‘issues evaded’ claim

Following the address given by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Rajya Sabha over inflation, GST and other matters, Trinamool Congress’s MP Derek O’Brien claimed that she ‘evaded his questions’. However, FM Sitharaman refuted the claims and said she replied to all the queries even though Derek had walked out of the house and suggested he checks the recording of the session.

In the tweet, FM Sitharaman said, “You just walked out Derek O’Brien, the moment I said in West Bengal, pre-GST, paneer had a VAT on it. Even in your absence, I kept answering each of the points you wanted replies on, on cesses, LPG, GST, and particularly on the rupee. Please take some time out to watch Sansad TV.”

She had quoted the TMC MP where he had tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “complain” against Fm Sitharaman. He had said, “Mr Narendra Modi, your Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to the Price Rise GST debate today in Rajya Sabha. WE HAD RAISED 6 SPECIFIC ISSUES. She evaded all. NO RESPONSE in #Parliament. Maybe I will get luckier on Twitter.”

After FM Sitharaman refuted his claims, without quoting her, Derek said, “So typical of Narendra Modi govt. His FM left RajyaSabha the moment I stood up to make my 14min speech for Trinamool Congress. They r now looking for a Twitter spat. She did not convincingly respond to any of the 6 ISSUES WE RAISED on Price Rise GST in Parliament. Happy tweeting.”

It is noteworthy that a major part of the current monsoon session at Rajya Sabha has seen continuous disruption by the leaders from opposition parties over price rise, GST etc. Around 20 members were suspended for disrupting the business in the house from different parties.

Owning to bad health, FM Sitharaman could not attend the daily business at the house for a few days, which was described as an “attempt to evade questions” despite the fact that the house was well-informed that FM would answer all the questions as soon as she feels better.

In a span of two days, FM attended both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha both to answer the questions tabled by the members regarding different matters, including GST, price rise, rupee vs dollar price and more.

Gujarat: Vadodara school plans mosque trip for kindergarten students on Jumma, cancels after uproar

Krunalsinh Rajput
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Gujarat: Vadodara school plans mosque trip for kindergarten students on Jumma, cancels after uproar

Delhi Public School in Vadodara’s Kalali had planned a field trip to a mosque for kindergarten children. However, the same has now been cancelled after protests. Bajrang Dal activists had protested against the field trip after parents of students objected to the same.

The Indian Express report claims that the students were earlier taken to a temple and also cites an unnamed parent who ‘did not see anything wrong with the mosque trip’. The report further claims that the unnamed parent claimed all parents had consented to sending their children to mosque.

The unnamed parent referred to Bajrang Dal activists as ‘fringe group’ and claimed that they were disheartened that their child was not going to mosque as they had earlier gone to a church and learnt about place of worship. Another unnamed parent reportedly told the Indian Express that her daughter was excited to visit the mosque as they had been telling the child about the mosque and had never been there before. It is pertinent to note that not all mosques allow women to enter to pray. It is not clear whether the mosque the kindergarten students were being taken to and where the girl child was very excited to go even allowed women.

Speaking to OpIndia, Ketan Trivedi, Vishwa Hindu Parishad coordinator said that the school chose 5th August, Friday for the visit to mosque and suspected that they wanted the children to be part of the Jumma namaz. He said, ‘If the school wanted to inspire they could have taken children to hospitals, army camps, so that they get inspired to become doctors, soldiers. Why take them to mosque?”. He said that the VHP will hold a vigil for Friday to see if the children are taken to mosque.

Trivedi further said that the VHP told the school authorities that these kind of field trips have potential to hurt someone’s religious sentiments and this appears more like a stunt than educational trip. He said that the school should focus on education and not religion. “Children are future of the country and take them to place where their minds are developed. Taking them to such religious places you start making them think on religion likes like what Muslims do, what Christians do. Why not take them to police stations or army camps instead?” he said.

After the parents raised objections, Bajrang Dal activists started chanting Ram Dhun outside the school. Later, school cancelled all field trips for the month of August.

Arpita Mukherjee purchased 18 properties from the Bengal SSC scam money, Partha Chatterjee co-owns too: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Arpita Mukherjee purchased 18 properties from the Bengal SSC scam money, Partha Chatterjee co-owns too: Reports

On Wednesday, Republic TV accessed documents that revealed a direct financial connection between accused Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee. The documents stated that Mukherjee who denied accepting that money recovered from her apartment belonged to her, had bought 18 properties between 2011 to 2022 from the proceeds of the crime.

According to the reports, Chatterjee is a co-purchaser in one of the multiple properties with Mukherjee. The property in question is a block of land of around 7,300 square feet in Birbhum that was purchased in 2012 by the Chatterjee-Mukherjee duo.

So far, the ED has raided two of Mukherjee’s houses. Raids on Mukherjee’s Diamond City house in Tollygunge, South Kolkata, confiscated Rs 20 crore in cash in Indian and international currencies, as well as 2 kg of gold jewellery. Cash worth Rs 27.90 crore and 6 kilos of gold were found from a home in Belgharia, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata.

However, Chatterjee’s close aide Arpita claimed that the money recovered by ED from her apartments did not belong to her and that it was kept at her house in her absence. “The money does not belong to me, it was kept there in my absence”, she said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier recovered more than Rs 50 crores in cash from her houses in Kolkata. After Arpita’s statements on August 2, the ED again raided her other premises in Kolkata.

Former Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, and his ‘close friend’ Arpita Mukherjee have been making headlines for their involvement in the multi-crore SSC recruitment scam case. During the ED raids, it has been found that Partha Chatterjee owns a large number of flats, many of which he has gifted to his ‘close aides’ including Arpita Mukherjee and Monalisa Das. Earlier, Arpita had told the ED that Partha Chatterjee used her flat as a ‘mini bank’.

The West Bengal Teacher’s recruitment scam, more commonly referred to as the SSC scam, looks into the recruitment process conducted through the State Level Selection Test (SLT) conducted by SSC from 2014 to 2016. Candidates who appeared for the State Level Selection Test (SLST) exam had alleged that many candidates who secured fewer marks ended up with higher ranks on the merit list. They further stated that the candidates who were not on the merit list were also sent appointment letters.

Also, in the year 2016, multiple allegations of corruption cropped up regarding the recruitment of Group C and Group D employees in secondary and higher secondary schools under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. The matter came to light in March this year after irregularities were noticed in the recruitment process of teachers in the state government schools.

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