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Sanjay Raut arrest: All you need to know about Patra Chawl Land Scam Case

OpIndia Staff
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Sanjay Raut arrest: All you need to know about Patra Chawl Land Scam Case

On July 31, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to Patra Chawl Land Scam Case. ED initially detained Raut following the raid on his residence in Mumbai. Notably, two summons were issued against Raut.

The central investigation agency has summoned him multiple times in relation to the case. On July 1, Raut appeared before the agency to record his statement. Later, Raut skipped the summons twice, stating he was busy with his duties as a member of the Parliament and could join the investigation only after August 1. The most recent summon issued on July 27. On July 28, ED questioned him for the second time. On July 31, they conducted a raid at his house and eventually arrested the Shiv Sena leader.

To understand why he was arrested, it is essential to learn about the Patra Chawl Land Scam. The alleged scam finds its roots dating back to 2007. Patra Chawl, also known as Siddharth Nagar, is a locality in North Mumbai’s suburb Goregaon, spread over 47 acres. In 2007, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL) signed an agreement to provide new houses to the 672 tenants of the chawl. Furthermore, GACPL was in agreement to develop 3,000 flats for MHADA. The remaining area of the chawl was marked to be sold to private developers.

Contrary to what was signed in the agreement between the tenants’ society, GACPL and MHADA in 2007, nothing was built for the residents of the chawl on ground. All the development mentioned in the agreement allegedly remained limited to the papers, and for the past 14 years, the residents have been seeking possession of the promised houses.

Sanjay Raut’s close aide’s owned GACPL and sold land marked for houses.

As per the agreement, the construction company GACPL was supposed to provide 672 houses to the tenants of the chawl. There was a provision for flats for MHADA as well. Only the remaining part was supposed to go to the private developers. However, the investigation agency ED alleged that Pravin Raut, a close aide of Sanjay Raut, and other directors of GACPL did not fulfil the agreed terms.

GACPL did not build even a single house for the displaced tenants of the chawl. Furthermore, the land (Floor Space Index or FSI) marked for their houses was sold to nine private developers for the price of Rs 901.79 crores. GACPL also launched its own project named The Meadows, for which the company took bookings from flat buyers that clocked close to Rs 138 crores.

There was a clause in the agreement under which GACPL was supposed to pay the rent to the tenants till they gave possession of the houses. For seven years, they paid the rent, but in 2014-15, the rent payments stopped. As the project was still pending and tenants were not getting the promised rent payments from the company, they started complaining. During that period, they came to know that GACPL had already sold the marked land to nine private developers without building a single house for them.

Following the update in the matter, MHADA decided to terminate the agreement with GACPL in January 2018, citing non-payment of rent and several other irregularities. The project again faced another obstacle as the nine buyers who bought the land from GACPL challenged the notice in the Bombay High Court.

In 2020, a single-member committee led by retired chief secretary Johnny Joseph was formed by the then-Maharashtra government. The aim was to study and recommend possible solutions for the rental payment and rehabilitation of the 672 tenants who were moved out of the chawl with a promise of new houses.

In June 2021, the project was reapproved by the then-Maharashtra government. In February 2022, the construction of the project restarted following the orders signed by then-chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. As per the orders, MHADA itself is working on the entire project as a developer, including the houses for the 672 tenants. It will hand over 306 flats to those who won them in the lottery in the building once they are completed.

Indian Express had quoted an MHADA official saying, “MHADA itself will now be working on the entire project as a developer and will be providing 650 square feet carpet area flats to the 672 tenants through the redevelopment project.”

The details of ED’s case

Enforcement Directorate has filed a case against GACPL, stating the illegal activities of the company allegedly amount to Rs 1,039.79 crores. During the investigation, the agency found that Pravin Raut had received Rs 100 crores from HDIL. ED further added that the money was diverted to different accounts owned by his family members, business entities and close associated. Some of the money was transferred to the accounts allegedly linked to Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut as well.

Furthermore, the agency said that Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, received an amount of Rs 83 lakhs directly or indirectly from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut, which translates to criminal proceeds. The money was allegedly used by Varsha Raut to buy an apartment in Dadar.

Following the investigation initiated by the ED, Rs 55 lakhs were transferred from Varsha to Madhur. ED said in its report, “During the said period, eight plots of land at Kihim beach in Alibaug were also purchased in the names of Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar, a close associate of Sanjay Raut. In this land deal, apart from the registered value, cash payments were made to the sellers. On identification of these assets and other assets of Pravin Raut, a provisional attachment order attaching all these assets of Pravin Raut and his associates has been issued.”

It is noteworthy that recently audio has gone viral on social media platforms in which Sanjay Raut was allegedly hurling abuses at Sujit Patkar’s wife, Swapna Patkar.

During the investigation, ED attached properties linked to Raut in Alibaug and Dadar. The agency wanted to question Raut about the connection with Pravin Raut. Another part of the questions included details about the dealings his wife was involved in. According to the sources, Raut did not cooperate in the investigation during the raid on his house.

Pravin Raut, one of the accused in the case, was arrested in February 2022 by the ED. He is currently in judicial custody.

Abhay Nath Yadav, the lawyer representing Masjid Committee in the Gyanvapi case, dies of a heart attack

OpIndia Staff
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Abhay Nath Yadav, the lawyer representing Masjid Committee in the Gyanvapi case, dies of a heart attack

Senior lawyer Abhay Nath Yadav, representing the Muslim side in the Gyanvapi case passed away on Sunday, July 31, because of a cardiac arrest. According to reports, Yadav died in a hospital on Maqbool Alam Road in Varanasi.

Notably, Yadav was representing Anjamun Intejamiya Masjid, the management committee of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, in the ongoing case over the disputed Gyanvapi structure.

Speaking about the sudden demise of Abhay Nath Yadav, senior lawyer of Banaras Bar Association Nityanand Rai informed that Yadav got a major heart attack around 10:30 pm on Sunday night and was rushed to Trimurti Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

After that, Yadav’s family took him to Shubham Hospital in Varanasi, where the doctors also confirmed his death.

As per reports, on August 4, a response from the Muslim side in the ongoing Gyanvapi case was due, and Abhay Nath Yadav’s involvement would have been crucial.

Pertinently, the Anjuman Intejamia Committee which manages the affairs and upkeep of the disputed structure often referred to as Gyanvapi ‘mosque’ and is representing the Muslim side in the case, has challenged the maintainability of a suit filed by five Hindu women seeking permission for daily worship of the Shringar Gauri Sthal in the disputed Gyanvapi complex of Kashi Vishwanath.

The legal dispute over the Gyanvapi temple

Moreover, the Muslim side had also opposed the Varanasi Civil Court’s order to allow the videography and survey of the disputed Gyanvapi structure. It had filed a petition opposing the survey inside the mosque and demanding the removal of the advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra leading the survey team alleging that he is biased. 

In fact, even after the survey was conducted the Muslim side asked the court not to make public the video of the same.

It may be recalled that the Hindu side claimed that the 11-hour survey has found ample evidence of a pre-existing temple in the Gyanvapi mosque. After listening to both parties, the court ruled that the survey report and the videography report will be handed over to both sides on the 30th of May. However, the Gyanvapi Mosque Committee on May 27 requested the court not to allow the photos and videos of the survey to become public. On the other hand, the Hindu side welcomed the court’s decision for the same.

In the month of May, a Shivling was found submerged in the wuzukhana, the place where people who offer namaz, the Islamic prayer, clean their dirty hands and feet and gargle water as a cleansing ritual, inside the complex where the disputed structure called ‘Gyanvapi mosque’ is situated. The mosque was constructed after destroying the Hindu temple of Kashi Vishwanath. The centuries-old Nandi inside the new complex right next to the disputed structure also points toward the place where the Shivling was found in the wuzukhana.

Upon discovery of the Shivling, the judge ordered the sealing of the complex and forbade those offering prayer in the masjid from cleaning their dirty feet and hands where the Shivling has been found. It also ordered to allow the videography and survey of the disputed Gyanvapi structure, which the Anjuman Intejamia Committee vehemently opposed.

Meanwhile, as per the latest reports, the Supreme Court will be holding a hearing in the Gyanvapi case in the month of October. The Supreme Court bench had said that the matter is currently being heard in the lower court. The bench of Justice Chandrachud, Justice Suryakant and Justice Narasimha is hearing the matter.

Congress, assorted propagandists spread misinformation regarding cow carcasses at dumping yard in Kutch, here is what authorities say

OpIndia Staff
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Congress, assorted propagandists spread misinformation regarding cow carcasses at dumping yard in Kutch, here is what authorities say

On Sunday, Congress leaders and its assorted sidekicks on Sunday took to social media to take jibes on Gujarat state government and claimed that the cow carcasses are brought to dumping yard in tractors and dumped. Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta tweeted a video and questioned where are the gau rakshaks.

Gau rakshaks are those who work for protection of cows and rescue and save them from illegal slaughter. Congress has time and again used cows as a jibe to mock Hindus because Hindus believe cows to be holy.

However, the fact is that this is exactly how cattle carcasses are disposed off across India. Due procedure is followed by administration for their proper disposal so that it does not result in spread of diseases. Further, this is also a dumping ground for cattle that is suffering from the lumpy virus disease that has claimed lives of many animals in the state.

Kutch District Development Officer (DDO) tweeted on Sunday that he visited the Nagor dumping yard in Bhuj and that acts as a regular and open dumping yard for cattle carcass. All cattle dead bodies, including regular as well as those suffering from lumpy virus, have been properly disposed off after following the regular procedures.

In fact, before Congress leader shared the video, one Kaushik Kanthecha, a journalist associated with Aaj Tak had shared similar video where in cow carcasses were lying on the ground. He had even claimed the cows had lumpy virus and questioned administration on steps taken to arrest the spread of disease.

The Kutch DDO had clarified that that the video is old and the cattle is not suffering from lumpy virus. He added that since it was raining few days prior, the proper disposal of the cattle had not taken place. However, the same was being done later.

Kutch administration has been taking proactive steps to vaccinate the cattle and stop the spread of lumpy virus.

As of now, the lumpy skin disease has spread over 17 districts in Gujarat claiming lives of 1200 cattle. The state government has started widescale survey, treatment and vaccination of cattle for the prevention of the disease. The officials have also considered banning cattle festivals. As per official data, 1240 cattle have died due to disease while 5.74 lakh cattle have been vaccinated against the same. Maximum cattle in Saurashtra region are infected by the disease.

Netizens take potshots at actor Salman Khan he received a gun licence from Mumbai Police

OpIndia Staff
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Netizens take potshots at actor Salman Khan he received a gun licence from Mumbai Police

Days after Bollywood actor Salman Khan received threats to his life, he was issued a gun licence by the Mumbai police.

The development was confirmed to Hindustan Times by an IPS officer anonymously. He said, “We issued the arms licence to the actor after completing all formalities.” The firearms licence was handed over by the Mumbai police to a representative of Salman Khan.

Social media users did not leave the opportunity to take a dig at the actor. “I hope he doesn’t use it on blackbucks,” wrote one user while referring to the 1998 black buck poaching case where the actor was caught killing wild animals in Rajasthan.

“That will bring the same result as Car licence did,” remarked another user while referring to Salman Khan’s 2002 hit and run case.

“Why does he need a weapon when he has a car?” inquired one Sahil Dogra.

While posting a picture of a black buck, one Twitter user wrote that the time has come for the animal to go underground.

Salman Khan had applied for the gun licence after receiving a threat letter from gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on June 5. As per the Arms Rules of 2016, a gun licence can be issued to individuals who are vulnerable to attacks due to their fame and wealth.

Given that the actor fell in the category, he was issued gun licence following verification by the office of the Deputy Commissioner on police. Salman Khan had earlier met Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar to discuss the matter.

“Actor Salman Khan applied for a weapon license for self-protection at the Mumbai Police, after he recently received a threat letter,” the Mumbai Police had informed then. The threat letter warned that Khan would reach the same fate as singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was killed by the gang members of Lawrence Bishnoi.

The letter was discovered outside the residence of the actor near the Bandra Bandstand promenade. Reportedly, the actor’s father Salim Khan goes for morning jog in the area. After the matter had come to light, the Mumbai police provided additional security outside the residence of the actor.

Salman Khan had received threats from Lawrence Bishnoi in 2018 for his involvement in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case. The black buck (chinkara) is considered sacred to the Bishnois, the community to which the dreaded gangster belongs.

The actor was convicted to five years in prison by a Jodhpur court in April 2018 for murdering two blackbucks in October 1998. The actor has appealed his conviction. Khan was first detained in the Jodhpur jail in connection with the case but was subsequently transferred to the Bharatpur jail.

Fact-check: Did Shah Rukh Khan ‘donate’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara railway station? Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-check: Did Shah Rukh Khan ‘donate’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara railway station? Here is the truth

On Sunday, many tweets were going viral with the claim that Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has ‘donated’ Rs 23 lakh for an RO (reverse osmosis) plant at the Vadodara railway station. Many verified Twitter accounts, too, were tweeting the same.

Times Group’s Bombay Times was one of the first to tweet that Shah Rukh Khan has spent Rs 23 lakh for an RO plant at Vadodara Railway Station.

However, soon it was picked up by others who claimed he had ‘donated’ the money.

SRK ‘donated’ Rs 23 lakh for RO plant, claimed a tweet

One Rahul Kumar Pandey, a verified Twitter handle, tweeted how Khan got in touch with authorities in Vadodara and when he was informed about ‘water scarcity’, he decided to donate an RO plant at the railway station.

Other SRK fan accounts, too, joined in.

His fans from Pakistan, too, joined in.

However, this does not seem to be the case.

In March 2022, Gujarat High Court had proposed to Shah Rukh Khan’s lawyer that the actor can consider installing an RO plant at Vadodara railway station where an case was registered against him when a stampede occurred during film promotion of Raees in January 2017. One person was killed and two policemen were injured when the actor arrived at Vadodara railway station and halted for 10 minutes. The fans who had come to meet him went into tizzy and police had to resort to mild lathicharge to control the crowd.

When the train started to move, fans started running along the train. One person lost his life due to breathlessness and two policemen were injured. Along with Khan, cricketers Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan had also arrived at the station to meet the superstar.

Subsequently, a case was registered against him, and the court issued summons to him under the Railways Act for rash and negligent act that cause grievous hurt and endangered lives of others. Later, Khan approached the High Court to quash the FIR against him. In March 2022, an elaborate hearing took place at magisterial court in Vadodara. Vadodara High Court judge, while hearing the case on quashing the FIR, opined that this act of throwing soft balls and tshirt to fans was not act done rashly or negligently but that of overenthusiasm.

The judge then asked Khan’s lawyer if he would be open to setting up an RO plant on station to mitigate damages that can help people for years to come. The lawyer had agreed.

As of now, it is not yet clear whether the said RO plant that was suggested by the court has been operational on Vadodara Railway station, but it is unlikely the actor ‘donated’ the money for the RO plant ‘out of goodness of his heart’ since he has been suggested to do so by the court itself.

Did Nawab Malik ask Sanjay Raut to get extra pairs of Jockey underwear for him in Arthur Road jail? A fact-check

OpIndia Staff
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Did Nawab Malik ask Sanjay Raut to get extra pairs of Jockey underwear for him in Arthur Road jail? A fact-check

Hours after the arrest of Sanjay Raut by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), a tweet, allegedly by Nawab Malik asking the Shiv Sena leader for an extra pair of underwear has been doing the rounds of the internet.

The purported screenshot of the tweet, allegedly by the NCP leader read, “Bhai Sanjay agar Arthur road jail aa rahe ho toh, mera liya jockey ke XXL size ke char kacche le aana.” The loose translation of the tweet goes as, “If you are being put up in Arthur Road jail, then, please bring 4 XXL-sized Jockey underwear for me.”

Screengrab of the purported tweet

OpIndia got into action to unearth the truth. Having noted the username of Nawab Malik’s Twitter ID, we performed a quick advanced search on the micro-blogging platform using the formula: <keyword>(from: <username of the Twitter handle>).

To our surprise, the search did not return any result. “No results for ” भाई संजय (from: nawabmalikncp)”, the message read.

Screengrab of the search result

The alleged tweet by Nawab Malik was not shared by any other politician from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). We also recalled how the seasoned politician has been in jail for some time and probably does not have access to his phone.

As such, it is not possible for Malik to make such a request to Sanjay Raut. Also, it is unlikely that the jail authorities allow inmates to share underwear.

The Enforcement Directorate arrested the NCP leader in February this year. Malik was issued summons to appear before the ED pertaining to a PMLA case related to elements linked to Dawood Ibrahim and the underworld. After an interrogation that lasted several hours, he was formally arrested by the ED. 

On the contrary, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was arrested on July 31 afternoon for his alleged involvement in the Patra Chawl scam case.

The screenshot is fake.

Haryana: STF arrests six for issuing death threats to MLAs, links of the gang traced to Pakistan and the Middle East

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: STF arrests six for issuing death threats to MLAs, links of the gang traced to Pakistan and the Middle East

On 31st July 2022, Haryana STF apprehended a six-member gang that was threatening state legislators. So far, four MLAs have complained to police about threats and extortion calls. Between June 24 and June 28, they reportedly received death threats and extortion calls from several phone numbers traceable to Middle Eastern nations.

FIRs were filed over these threats, and Haryana DGP PK Agrawal delegated the inquiry to STF (Headquarters). Technical analysis of these cellphones, according to STF IG B Satheesh Balan, has revealed that these phones are registered in Middle Eastern nations and were handled from Pakistan.

According to a report by The Tribune, several ex-MLAs of Punjab have also received similar threats from these phones. During conversations with MLAs, many accents and patterns were employed, such as the Mumbaikar tone and Punjabi dialect.

STF IG B Satheesh Balan said, “We had formed an SIT to investigate these cases. The two-week operation was personally monitored and supervised by DGP, Haryana. STF conducted a technical analysis of these mobile numbers and IP addresses. This involved five separate teams working on this technical analysis.”

He added, “While working on this link, the STF (H) prepared a strategic plan through which the STF (H) team started receiving these threat and extortion calls. The STF (H) accordingly asked the account number and mobile numbers to complete the transaction with the extortionists. To track these account numbers, two parallel teams conducted raids across Mumbai and Muzaffarpur, Bihar.”

Dulesh Alam and Badre Alam, two members of this gang, were nabbed from Mumbai. They were seized with 20 Passbook/Cheque Books, 18 ATM cards, 14 bogus SIM cards, 1 diary, and 5 mobile phones.

It was revealed that these offenders frequently lured poor or common people to create bank accounts by giving them Rs 15,000 to 20,000. They would then keep all the necessary documents (passbook, cheque books, ATM card, and ATM pin) with themselves and purchase fake SIM cards to operate these accounts.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, STF Bihar, and the Bihar Police provided STF Haryana with unwavering assistance during these searches. During questioning, the STF Haryana identified around ten Pakistani nationals through whom the threats and extortion were channeled.

IG Balan further said, “These accused do not belong to any criminal gang or terrorist organization. This in fact is a gang of very sharp criminals who are involved in professional fraud, and money laundering and have their members across Pakistan, the Middle East, and India. People sitting in other countries would entice victims by making calls in the name of ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ or lotteries or by extortion calls and would make them transfer money to the account numbers given by Dulesh or Amit. Dulesh and Amit then either withdraw this money via ATMs or would transfer this amount to the Indian accounts of their Pakistan-based gang members.”

Why did Arvind Kejriwal government revert to the old Excise Policy in Delhi despite earning huge profits? Here is all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Why did Arvind Kejriwal government revert to the old Excise Policy in Delhi despite earning huge profits? Here is all you need to know

The home delivery of liquor will cease to exist in the National Capital from Sunday (July 31) onwards, following the expiry of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022 [pdf].

The now-scrapped liquor policy of the Delhi government was originally proposed in 2020. After coming into effect in November 2021, it changed the manner in which alcohol was sold in Delhi.

Until then, only government-owned liquor vendors were permitted to sell alcohol. The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022 introduced private players in the market. The National Capital was divided into 32 zones and a total of 27 private vendors were to ply in each zone.

Every municipal ward had 2-3 liquor vendors operating in the area. The private liquor shops were allowed to attract crowds by offering discounts on the Maximum Retail Price (MRP). They could deliver liquor at home, and even keep shops open till 3 am in the morning.

The drastic policy change resulted in a 27% increase in government revenue to ₹8900 crores. At the same time, it marked the complete exit of the Delhi government from the liquor business.

Despite this ‘success story’, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had to take a U-turn on its new excise policy. It decided to switch back to its old excise regime for retail liquor sales.

Reportedly, an official direction was issued on Friday (July 29) by Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. “…Vide which it has, inter-alia, been directed to revert to the old regime of excise policy for a period of six months till a fresh excise policy is in place…”, the order read.

Allegations of cartelisation mars implementation of Excise Policy 2021-2022

So why did the Delhi government discard its ambitious plans? While the objective of Excise Policy 2021-2022 was to end black marketing and the liquor mafia, the AAP government soon came under fire over allegations of corruption.

Naresh Kumar, who was appointed the Chief Secretary of Delhi in April 2022, found irregularities and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy. A copy of the Excise Policy 2021-2022 was sent to him for examination by the Excise Department.

The Chief Secretary prepared a report and sought the response of Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on July 8. It must be mentioned that Sisodia is also the head of the excise department.

The report blamed the Deputy CM for making changes to the excise policy without the authorisation of the Lieutenant Governor and providing ‘undue benefits’ to the liquor vendors.

Manish Sisodia reportedly waived off ₹144.36 crores on the license fee, to be paid by the private liquor vendors, under the garb of the Coronavirus pandemic. He also caused loss to the Excise Department and benefitted liquor licensees by waiving the import pass fee of ₹50 per beer case.

Delhi Police steps in

All these changes were made without the final approval of the Lieutenant Governor and thus considered illegal under the Delhi Excise Rules of 2010 and Transaction of Business Rules of 1993.

A copy of the Chief Secretary’s report was forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and the Delhi Chief Minister.  Following the revelations, LG Saxena recommended a probe into the matter.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi police was also apprised of the irregularities in Excise Policy 2021-2022 by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar. The cops gathered video recordings of the Excise Department’s meetings that took place in the month of July.

They sought procedural details about the distribution of liquor licenses, besides application forms of liquor licensees who were approved under the Excise Policy 2021-2022.

Under fire from all quarters, the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Delhi government was forced to return to the old excise regime to skirt the public outcry for the time being.

As ED detains Sanjay Raut, here is why netizens are tagging ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra and asking him if he’s ok

OpIndia Staff
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As ED detains Sanjay Raut, here is why netizens are tagging ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra and asking him if he’s ok

The Enforcement Directorate detained Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam case on 31st July 2022 in the afternoon. Sanjay Raut was arrested from his bungalow ‘Maitri’ in the Bhandup area of Mumbai where the ED team visited in the morning on the same day and conducted searches and questioned Sanjay Raut, his family members, and his close associates. Soon after his arrest, netizens started tagging the so-called comedian Kunal Kamra and trolling him in various posts.

Kunal Kamra hosted a talk show ‘Shut Up Ya Kunal’ and in one of the episodes of this show, he had appeared with Sanjay Raut. It is notable that he shot this episode shortly after the bulldozer action was taken by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai against actress Kangana Ranaut.

Sanjay Raut and Kunal Kamra also held a photo session in which they posed with toy bulldozers to mock the actress. Kunal Kamra had also said that Sanjay Raut should be made the President of India. He tweeted in October 2020, “I’m ok with presidents rule in Maharashtra the day Sanjay Raut Ji is our president.”

As ED arrested Sanjay Raut, netizens lashed out at Kunal Kamra for his support to the controversial Shiv Sena leader. A Twitter handle @kaajukatla tagged Kunal Kamra and wrote, “Carry the food tiffin for you father tomorrow.”

Another Twitter user India Speaks wrote, “Kunal Kamra, pack your bags and be ready.”

During the coup within Shiv Sena by the Eknath Shinde group of MLAs, Sanjay Raut tweeted “Kab tak baithoge Gauhati me, aana hi padega Chaupati me” which means “until when will you sit in Guwahati, you will have to come back to Mumbai.” Kunal Kamra shared an image of Sanjay Raut with this quote. After the arrest of Sanjay Raut, Akhilesh Narwaria replied to this tweet by Kunal Kamra and wrote, “Kab Tak chhupega ‘Maitri’ bungalow me, aana hi padega humare kaidkhane me – ED” which means “Until when will you hide in the ‘Maitri’ bungalow, you will have to come to our jail – ED”.

News analyst Ankush Saxena tweeted, “Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and Comedian Kunal Kamra celebrated Bulldozer action. Sanjay Raut & Kunal Kamra used a toy bulldozer to take a dig at Kangana Ranaut. And, liberals were celebrating & sharing the above photo. Later, the Bombay High Court ordered that BMC acted with malice to demolish Kangana’s bungalow. Demolition was illegal & BMC must pay for damages.”

In this way, Sanjay Raut’s arrest by ED has led netizens to express their thoughts about Kuna Kamra citing his past activities with Sanjay Raut.

Taiwan missing from Nancy Pelosi’s itinerary after Chinese commentator urged govt to shoot down her plane

OpIndia Staff
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Taiwan missing from Nancy Pelosi’s itinerary after Chinese commentator urged govt to shoot down her plane

A lot of high-octane drama has happened on Twitter over the upcoming visit of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi to Asia. It all started after a report by CNN about Pelosi’s visit to Asia, where she was scheduled to make stops at various US allies in the region, including Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. However, there were talks of her possible visit to Taiwan as well, but China had issued a strong warning against it.

Quoting CNN’s tweet about Pelosi’s visit, Chinese Propagandist Commentator with the state media, Global Times, Hu Xijin said, “If US fighter jets escort Pelosi’s plane into Taiwan, it is an invasion. The PLA has the right to forcibly dispel Pelosi’s plane and the US fighter jets, including firing warning shots and making the tactical movement of obstruction. If ineffective, then shoot them down,” on Twitter. The tweet was later deleted by Twitter, stating it was against its Terms of Services.

Now-deleted tweet by Hu Xijin. Source: Twitter/_thegoldenAK47

Xijin, in another tweet, threatened Taiwan and said, “If Pelosi really visits Taiwan as planned, the Tsai Ing-wen authorities are an accomplice. The mainland will definitely carry out severe punishment actions on Taiwan at the same time. The unbearable consequences will fall on Tsai authorities.”

Source: Twitter

In a follow-up tweet, Xijin said sarcastically, “Where is Pelosi now? Does anybody know? Some said that she will be going to Taiwan by a submarine instead, and others said that she has sneaked into Taiwan disguised as someone else, is that the case?”

Source: Twitter

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Biden administration to provide full support to Pelosi if she wanted to visit Taiwan. He said, “CCP-mouthpiece The Global Times threatens Pelosi’s plane will be shot down if she visits Taiwan. President Biden must give full support to this visit. Don’t be weak and cave to the demands of petty warmongers and dictators in Beijing. Support the freedom-loving people of Taiwan.”

Source: Twitter

He added, “The Biden administration caving to the CCP would display very dangerous weakness. We are no one’s satellite state. This is a matter between two sovereign Nations – America and Taiwan.”

Source: Twitter

Quoting Pompeo, Xijin called him a coward and said, “In January last year, it was reported that you were going to visit Taiwan in the last days before leaving office, but you did not dare to go in the end. Now you are inciting Pelosi to do things you wouldn’t dare to do as secretary of state. You are sinister.”

Source: Twitter

Taiwan is among the major points of conflict between the US and China. Following the threat issued by the Chinese President Xi Jinping over the call to President Biden, the National Security Officials had reportedly worked to convince Pelosi against her trip to Taiwan.

In recent times, Vice President Kamala Harris also signalled a possible visit to Asia. Though she did not mention Taiwan, there were speculations that VP Harris might want to add Taiwan to her itinerary. China has repeatedly emphasised that Taiwan is part of One-China propaganda, a claim that the US has shown extreme opposition to.

On Friday (July 29), while speaking on Pelosi’s visit to Asia and if she might visit Taiwan, a White House national security spokesperson said the US government had observed there was no evidence of possible Chinese military action against Taiwan. Though the US has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is reportedly bound by the law to provide the means to defend itself. It is noteworthy that there is a large US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, including around the South China Sea.

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