The Gujarat Police Crime Branch has dismissed claims of rape and illegal confinement of a woman by BJP legislator Arjunsinh Chauhan, reportedDesh Gujarat.
On Wednesday (July 27), a man named Hiteshbhai Shankarlal Patel filed a complaint with the Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and alleged that BJP MLA (Mahmedavad) Arjunsinh Chauhan has used his influence to sexually exploit his wife multiple times.
While Patel is a former Sarpanch of Haldarvas village, Chauhan serves as the current Rural Development Minister in the Gujarat government.
Allegations levelled against BJP Minister
In his complaint, the man said, “The minister used his power to maintain a physical relationship with my wife and raped her repeatedly.” He further claimed that his wife refused to stay in the house out of fear of Arjunsinh Chauhan.
“Arjunsinh raped my wife between 2015 and 2021. During the Covid-induced lockdown, he kept my wife locked at some place for one and a half months. She was called by Arjunsinh at various places in the name of meetings and was raped. The then district president was even forcing her to sleep with other influential people”, the complainant added.
Complainant against Gujarat minister is psycho, allegations turned out to be false
Soon after, a police probe was launched into the matter. The Gujarat Crime Branch contacted the wife of Patel, Vaishaliben, and found the allegations to be untrue.
“The crime branch of Police has after its probe found that the allegations made by one Hitesh Patel claiming suspicious relations between Mehmedabad MLA and cabinet minister Arjunsinh Chauhan and his wife are false,” reported Desh Gujarat.
Vaishaliben informed that her husband has a suspicious nature and is currently being treated by a psychiatrist. She added that he would beat her regularly, post which she separated from Patel.
અંધારામાં તો પડછાયો પણ સાથ છોડી દે છે તેવા જીવનના અંધારામાં પણ મારી પડખે રહેનાર, મારા સંઘર્ષની સાથી, સમાજનાં દરેક કાર્યમાં સાથે રહીને, જીવનમાં ભાગીદાર બનનાર મારી ધર્મપત્ની નિતાને જન્મદિવસની ખૂબ ખૂબ શુભકામનાઓ. pic.twitter.com/rtIfIOPr6v
Amidst the controversy, BJP Minister Arjunsinh Chauhan posted a photo of his wife on Twitter and wished her on her birthday. He is also planning to file a ₹5 crore defamation suit for causing damage to his reputation through false charges.
On July 30, Army Assault Canine Dog ‘Axel’ laid down his life in the line of duty during a counter-terrorism operation at Wanigambala, district Baramulla, Kashmir. Axel was providing services to clear a building when he was shot three times.
Alex, who was only two-years-old light-brown Belgian Malinois, was part of the 26 Army Dog Unit. He was deployed with 29 Rashtriya Rifles units in the area of 10 Sector RR counter-insurgency forces. On Saturday, he, along with another Army Dog, ‘Balaji’, was part of the operation. Initially, Balaji was sent for building intervention. He sanitised the corridor inside. Following Balaji, Axel went inside the first room and cleared it. However, when he entered the second room, the terrorists fired shots at him. Reportedly for 15 seconds, he showed some movements but then fell down.
— Chinar Corps? – Indian Army (@ChinarcorpsIA) July 30, 2022
The operation continued for some time between the troops and terrorists. Lone terrorist Akhtar Hussain Bhat was killed in the encounter, and two Army officials along with a Police Personnel were injured. Once the 5-hour-long operation was over, Axel’s mortal remains were retrieved from the building and were sent to the 54 Armed Force Veterinary Hospital for post-mortem. As per reports, there were ten additional wounds and a fracture of the femur apart from bullet entry and exit wounds. In a statement, the Army officials informed that his wreath laying ceremony was scheduled for Sunday by the Force Commander.
Well-trained assault dogs like Axel are used to tear into the hiding locations of the militants. They are trained to cause fatal injuries to the terrorists. Officials said Axel was an efficient K9 official and had been part of several successful operations in the past.
— NORTHERN COMMAND – INDIAN ARMY (@NorthernComd_IA) July 30, 2022
The officials said these trained dogs, when laced with cameras, also help in determining the accurate positions of the terrorists along with other details like weapons and ammunition that the terrorists have. An official told News 18, Drones give us an overview of a building or a house where militants are trapped, but they don’t give us specifics inside a house or an annexe. The dogs come in handy and help us in operations where room intervention is required.”
The trainer of Axel was shattered seeing his mortal remains. A video of the trainer surfaced on social media where he was seen sitting next to Axel, stroking him. He said, “He took three bullets.” An official said, “We had recently taken him to an encounter site in the Tulibal area of Sopore. Two militants were killed there, and he did his bit. The entire unit is sad.”
Indian Army’s sniffer dog Axel laid down his life in the line of duty during an operation against Jihadi terrorists in Baramulla, of Jammu Kashmir. Axel was hit by the 3 bullets fired by the terrorists. Tribute & Salute to Warrior ?? pic.twitter.com/SvZMAQ39q9
— Major Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) July 31, 2022
On Sunday (July 31), the ceremony took place at the Kilo Force Commander and later, he was buried at 26 ADU Premises.
Baramulla, J&K | Last respects being paid to the Indian Army’s dog, Axel, who lost its life in action after being hit by a bullet in an operation yesterday pic.twitter.com/72Wjx1XAEg
Following the reports of Axel’s demise, Netizens paid respect to him on Social Media. Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon (Rtrd) said, “Salute Axel… You did your duty well. Jai Hind.”
Twitter user Anshul Saxena said, “Indian Army’s dog Axel laid down his life in the line of duty in an anti-terrorist operation at Wanigam Bala in Baramulla, J&K. Om Shanti. Axel was hit by 3 bullets by the hiding terrorists. One terrorist Akhtar Hussain Bhat killed in an anti-terrorist operation.”
Indian Army’s dog Axel laid down his life in the line of duty in an anti-terrorist operation at Wanigam Bala in Baramulla, J&K. Om Shanti.
Axel was hit by 3 bullets by the hiding terrorists.
A lawyer named Aseem Jaiswal from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh has received death threats after he had posted on social media in support of former Bhartiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma. He received death threats in a voice message from a Pakistan number. Police have registered an FIR and started an investigation into the matter.
According to a report by Navbharat Times, Aseem Jaiswal in Khandwa had posted a message on social media supporting Nupur Sharma. The young lawyer has completed his studies in Indore. In his complaint filed in the Kotwali police station, he informed that on 26th July 2022, he received a voice message on WhatsApp. The phone number was from Pakistan (+923232247201). In this voice message, the lawyer was abused and death threats were also issued to him. He shared this incident with his friends on July 28.
Aseem Jaiswal also told the police that he had compared the Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and Nupur Sharma in his social media post presenting how there are different reactions when the same thing is said by two different persons. The police have started investigations into this case.
#MPBreaking: खंडवा में वकील को पाकिस्तान से मिली जान से मारने की धमकी। नूपुर शर्मा के समर्थन में किया था पोस्ट। व्हाट्सएप पर वॉइस रिकॉर्डिंग के माध्यम से गाली-गलौज और जान से मारने की धमकी दी गई। एफआईआर दर्ज। एसपी विवेक सिंह ने जांच का दिया आश्वासन।#NBTMP, @NavbharatTimes
SP Vivek Singh has taken serious cognizance of this matter. CSP Poonamchand Yadav told, “The youth received threats through text and voice messages from a Pakistani mobile number. A case is registered against an unknown accused in this regard. The telephone agencies have also been informed accordingly. The police are constantly in contact with the youth to ensure his safety.”
There was a massive violent reaction to Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Muhammad. Many people supporting Nupur Sharma in their social media posts received death threats. Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Umesh Kolhe in Amravati were brutally murdered by Islamists over such social media posts.
On July 25, the dead body of 20-year-old Nishank Rathore was found on the railway tracks near Obaidullaganj town in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. As per reports, his corpse was allegedly cut into half by a running train.
However, the police have not registered a First Information Report (FIR) so far and yet labelled the mysterious death of the engineering student as a case of suicide.
But the family members have refused to buy the ‘suicide theory’ and reiterated that Rathore had no reason to kill himself. While speaking about the matter, the deceased’s sister Deeksha toldThe Print, “I am certain Nishank was murdered.” She added, “He was just a jovial and cheerful 20-year-old engineering student trying to figure out life… I am certain he wouldn’t take such an extreme step.”
Besides his family members, a school friend by the name of Raj Raj Raghuvanshi too has dismissed claims of suicide. It must be mentioned that Nishak stayed with him in Bhopal, prior to his unnatural death. He told The Print, “I’ve known him since Class 4, and he couldn’t have done this. He was not doing too badly in college. He knew all about cryptocurrencies and was actively investing in them. He did not show any sign of depression even when the market was crashing.”
“He did borrow money but that was also in good faith from friends who would never blackmail him. It would be bizarre if he took this step,” he emphasised.
Claims made by the police
According to the police, Nishank Rathore was in a deep financial crisis. Vikas Sahwal, Raisen Superintendent of Police (SP), claimed that the deceased invested in cryptocurrencies and borrowed money from instant loan apps at high-interest rates.
He told The Print, “His phone and laptop were given for forensics and we found out that he had plenty of loan apps on his phone that he was using. We are yet to ascertain how and when he used these apps.”
The SP also alleged that there is no evidence to suggest foul play in the death of Nishank Rathore. While pointing out that no FIR has been registered so far, SP Vikas Sahwal claimed that the deceased’s parents had no idea about Rathore’s mental health.
“There is no behavioural pattern or trace of him being involved with a larger group. He did not even have disciplinary issues in college. We did not find any information that would suggest that someone murdered him,” he concluded.
Unanswered questions about the death of Nishank Rathore
OpIndia had earlier reported how experts found loopholes in the ‘suicide theory.’ The police have not been able to explain the threat message that Umashankar Rathore, the father of the deceased, received on his phone on the evening of July 24.
On the same day, an Instagram story was uploaded from his profile, bearing the same Islamist slogan. The picture showed the deceased with a saffron flag, with a cross marked over it. “Rathore sahab bohot bahadur tha apka beta, Gustaak e Nabi ki ek sazaa tan sar se juda…(Mr Rathore, your son was brave! The punishment for insulting the Prophet is death),” read the message.
Earlier, several people have been killed over the Islamist slogan. A Hindu tailor from Udaipur, Kanhaiya Lal, was beheaded by Mohammed Ghaus and Riyaz for extending support to Nupur Sharma. 7 days prior to his beheading, another Hindu man named Umesh Kolhe was hacked to death for supporting Nupur Sharma. Several people, including TV actresses, have received death threats for merely speaking in support of the ex-BJP spokesperson.
Nishank Rathore had filled fuel in his rented bike and was headed towards his home. But, he later decided to make a U-turn and went in the direction of the railway station. His bike, phone and slippers were recovered from the vicinity of his body.
Although the deceased was a good student and had no disciplinary issues, it came to light that he did not attend any classes during his 4th semester and did not pay fees for the 5th semester.
5 times World Chess Champion Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand has faced a lot of tricky opponents during his long and illustrious career, and he had the answers to all of them while competing against them. However, an innocent question by 8-year-old twins at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai left the Chess genius at a total loss of words and made him admit that he doesn’t know the answer.
Anand was attending a Q & A session at the ongoing Chess Olympiad in Chennai, when the twins decided to ask him a question.
One of the twins asked, “How to reset the pieces?” As Anand started answering and talking about the direction he prefers his knights to face while setting up the board, the kid stopped him and asked, “How to distract the pieces?”
The question clearly caught the former world champion off-guard and he eventually said, “I have no idea.”
The video of the cute exchange was shared on social media and everyone appreciated the cute kids who left one of the greatest ever chess players speechless.
On 31st July 2022, a team of central agency NIA and Gujarat ATS reached Surat, Bharuch and Navsari for investigation. NIA has also arrested one suspect named Jaleel for questioning. According to reports, the action is being taken in connection with a 2021 terror module case.
In a joint operation by Surat police, NIA, and ATS, a suspect in the age group of 20-25 years is detained. He is identified as one Maulana Jaleel. Maualana Jaleel is being interrogated since 5 AM as per local media reports. He is taken to the SOG office in Gopipura extension for questioning.
As per TV9 Gujarati, Jaleel is also accused of sedition.
According to a report by News18 Gujarati, the action has been initiated in connection with a terror module case that appeared in 2021. The name of Bhatkal village surfaced in this module. The interrogation of the persons associated with this case led the agencies to a person living in Lalgate area of Surat.
On Saturday late night, one suspect who belongs to Ahmedabad, was nabbed after raids in Navsari and was being questioned too. In Bharuch, too, one father-son duo was being interrogated in the case, reported News 18 Gujarati. They are suspected to be associated with terror group Al Badr.
It may be noted that recently suspects with links to ISIS were arrested from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. On July 28, a man named Asif was arrested in Tamil Nadu. The NIA questioned him for ten hours and after that, he was taken into custody. A case has been filed against him under various sections of the IPC and UAPA. Apart from this, one of the men, Adil alias Zuba, was arrested in Tamil Nadu last Monday, that is, July 25, 2022.
Earlier on Sunday, 24th July 2022, the Central Crime Branch nabbed a man named Akhtar Hussain from the Tilak Nagar area of Bangalore. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were on the verge of carrying out terrorist attacks. Akhtar Hussain was also associated with Al-Qaeda. Akhtar is a native of Assam and came to Bangalore seven months ago. He used to work as a delivery boy in a food delivery app.
Amidst the reports of taking weekly holidays on Friday instead of Sunday in Muslim-dominated areas in Jharkhand, a report has come to light where a teacher was allegedly beaten for not allowing Muslim students to go for Namaz. The incident took place in the Goilkera block of West Singhbum district on July 29. As per reports, Ramendra Dubey, who is a teacher in a Government School, was beaten up in front of students by one local leader of the ruling party Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) Akbar Khan, who is a close aide of state minister Joba Manjhi.
Reports suggest that on Friday (July 29), when Dubey reached the school premises at 9 AM, Khan was already present there. Khan called him, to which Dubey said he would come after taking attendance of the students. Khan followed him and grabbed his collar from behind, and started beating him.
When Dubey asked Khan why he had beaten him, Khan questioned him why Muslim students were not allowed to go for Namaz at 11:30. Dubey refuted his allegations and told Khan that he never stopped anyone from offering Namaz, but Khan stated the students told him otherwise. Dubey further alleged that Khan threatened to kill him.
Dubey went to the Goilkera Police Station on the same day and tried to file a complaint against Khan. However, the Police reportedly refused to take his complaint allegedly because of Khan’s association with the ruling party. His complaint was later submitted on July 30, and an FIR was filed only after he removed the point where he talked about Namaz in the complaint.
Akbar Khan has claimed no such incident of assault happened. He said if any student wants to go home for Namaz or Pooja at 11:50 AM at the time of the break, he should be allowed to go. He further claimed that he was being implicated in political controversy.
OpIndia tried to call Goilkera Police Station but could not connect.
Controversial filmmaker and movie critic Kamaal R Khan made a sensational claim on Twitter earlier today. KRK, as Kamaal R Khan is popularly known, said that producer-director Anubhav Sinha had paid him to badmouth Priyanka Chopra’s paternal cousin Mannara ahead of the release of her debut film, Zid, in 2014.
Sharing his experience, KRK was revealing how a lot of people pay him to say bad things about them, so that they get publicity. He said that the first time it happened was when Anubhav Sinha paid him to say bad things about Mannara.
The movie critic wrote, “First time producer director Anubhav Sinha paid me to say bad about #ManaraChopra in 2014 when her film #Zid was releasing. I thought it’s coincidence. Otherwise why will ppl pay me for saying bad about them. But since then so many people have paid me for saying bad about them.”
First time producer director Anubhav Sinha paid me to say bad about #ManaraChopra in 2014 when her film #Zid was releasing. I thought it’s coincidence. Otherwise why will ppl pay me for saying bad about them. But since then so many people have paid me for saying bad about them.?
KRK further shared that people themselves request him to give them more dirty abuses, and are willing to pay more for that. He mentioned that these abuses are not related to the reviews of their films, but more of personal abuses.
If I am getting paid for saying bad about people. Then you can understand that any talent is not a bad talent. Even people are requesting to give them more dirty abuses and they are ready to pay me more which normally I refuse. I am not talking here about film reviews.
Anubhav Sinha is a writer-producer-director active in the film industry for over 2 decades. He has worked on films like Tum Bin, Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai, Tathastu, Cash, Ra One, and Zid (Mannara’s debut film) etc. More recently, he has made films like Thappad and Anek.
When Sinha’s film Article 15 had released, he had gone on an abusive rant against people who criticised him for turning the well-publicised Badaun case into a propaganda film against Brahmins. Even though all details from the case were changed, Anubhav Sinha painted it as a film based on a true story to further his propaganda, and lashed out at anyone who pointed this out.
On July 31, unknown assailants killed Aam Aadmi Party Municipal Councillor in Malerkotla. As per reports, AAP Councilor of Ward No 18 Akbar Bholi was heading towards the gym on Sunday morning when two assailants shot him dead.
Punjab: पंजाब में लगातार हो रहा खून-खराबा, अब सत्तारूढ़ AAP के पार्षद की मलेरकोटला में दिनदहाड़े ली गई जानhttps://t.co/Pd1COkZhzP
It is noteworthy that Bholi’s elder brother Mohammad Anwar was also killed by two assailants who came on motorbike. Mohammad Anwar was a Congress councillor and was killed in January 2020. The reasons behind the murder of Akbar Bholi are unclear. The Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
Akbar Ali had left the Congress party and joined Aam Aadmi Party just before Punjab Assembly Elections.
Law and order issue in Punjab
Since the Aam Aadmi Party government formed in Punjab, there have been persistent law and order issues in the state. On May 29, Congress leader and controversial singer Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in Moosa Village of district Mansa. On May 10, the Punjab Police Intelligence Office in Mohali was attacked by an RPG.
On July 28, India Today Consulting Editor and senior journalist Jayanta Ghosal came to the rescue of the West Bengal government, especially the Chief Minister of the state, Mamata Banerjee while discussing the SSC Scam. During a debate on the channel where Rajdeep Sardesai was the host, he said, “I am completely convinced that Mamata Banerjee didn’t know (about the sea of cash and SSC scam).”
He justified his claims by saying, “Because I tried to understand, I was in Kolkata yesterday, I talked to her. She was so upset, and she took the time to take action not because she was supporting Partha but because she was trying to understand what was happening.” Ghosal further claimed CM Banerjee did not know who SSC Scam accused Arpita Mukherjee was, even though there are photographs and videos that say otherwise. BJP Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala refuted his claims and showed him a video where CM Banerjee was praising Mukherjee for her “good work”.
Who is Jayanta Ghosal?
Born in 1962, Jayant Ghosal has worked as a political journalist for over four decades. His main association has been with Bengali Newspaper Ananda Bazar Patrika, where he works as a journalist. Apart from that, he has written for India TV, Bartaman, ABP News and others. He is also serving as Consulting Editor for the India Today group.
Media liaison for WB government
Ghosal is believed to be a close aide of Trinamool Congress’s chief Mamata Banerjee in the media sector. In September 2020, he was appointed as Information & Development Officer (IDO) by the Government of West Bengal. His main job as IDO was liaising between the Government of West Bengal and the Central Government’s various ministries.
As per the order issued on September 18, 2020, his profile as liaison for the WB government would not disallow him from engaging in other pursuits. The order read, “While he will thus be at the disposal of the Government of West Bengal for liaison, coordination and information dissemination, his other pursuits (not disharmonious with public interest, as envisaged by the Government of West Bengal) are not disallowed by this engagement. He will keep the State Government informed about his such other pursuits, if any.”
He was provided with office space in the Principal Residential Commissioner’s office and Kolkata Information Centre. The perks included a monthly salary of Rs 1.5 lakh and air-travel expenditure on duty in the Delhi-Kolkata-Delhi sector.
It is noteworthy the post was specially created by the West Bengal government.
West Bengal government has created a post of Information and Development Officer who will liaison with the Centre on behalf of the state. Senior journalist Jayanta Ghoshal has been appointed to the post.
In a tweet, PTi journalist Soumyajit Majumder said, “West Bengal government has created a post of Information and Development Officer who will liaison with the Centre on behalf of the state. Senior journalist Jayanta Ghoshal has been appointed to the post.”
Awarded by the WB govt
Furthermore, the West Bengal government also awarded him Banga Bhushan Award 2022 on July 25, 2022, just three days before he participated in the debate on India Today. Banga Bhushan Samman (Award) is a state award instituted by the government of West Bengal to honour the prominent personalities of different fields. The awards were started by the WB government in 2011.
Ghosal authored a book on CM Banerjee
Ghosal has been working closely with the West Bengal government, which is clear by the fact that he also authored a book on Mamata Banerjee titled “Mamata: Beyond 2021”, released in February 2022. The book revolves around Banerjee’s political career. According to the book’s description, Ghosal travelled across the state to understand which factors contributed to the TMC’s victory in the last Assembly Elections.
Book cover of “Mamata: Beyond 2021” by Jayanta Ghosal. Source: Amazon
It read, “There was a massive gap in the BJP’s understanding of Bengali identity, which Mamata was able to exploit. An ‘overdose’ of central intervention, ranging from paramilitary forces to intelligence agencies to targeting key TMC leaders, added to the BJP’s disconnect with voters. Increasingly, the state felt the divide between New Delhi and Bengal grow.” The book also explored the questions, including if Banerjee considered herself to be a suitable candidate for the post of Prime Minister.
According to Outlook, Ghosal has deep access to the BJP-RSS at the highest levels. He wrote, “Many BJP and RSS leaders now believe underestimating Mamata in 2024 — as Narendra Modi and Amit Shah did in 2021 — would be a blunder. So Mamata Banerjee will have to take many more innovative steps to make herself a widely-acceptable leader who can be an alternative to Narendra Modi. Far from being inactive on this front, she is preparing quietly. Her mission ‘New Delhi 2024’ will be worth watching.”
He further pointed out that to portray herself as a national leader, she would try to shed the pro-Muslim image that had been created during her tenure as Chief Minister of West Bengal. Furthermore, if the regional parties do well in the 2024 elections, he would surpass the image of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a national leader in the eyes of associated parties, especially Congress.
Jayant Ghosal’s debates, articles and op-eds mostly attempt to portray Mamata Banerjee as a beloved leader with a high possibility of performing well at the national level. However, her portrayal differs in the voters’ minds, especially because of the poor performance of TMC in different states, including Goa and continuous attacks on BJP workers in the state of West Bengal.
