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‘Highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite hatred among people’: FIR lays down serious allegations against Mohammed Zubair

OpIndia Staff
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‘Highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite hatred among people’: FIR lays down serious allegations against Mohammed Zubair

On June 27, the co-founder of Alt News, Mohammed Zubair, was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. He was sent to one-day Police custody and will be presented in the court once the custody period is over. OpIndia accessed the FIR copy filed against Zubair at IFSO/Special Cell.

The FIR was registered on June 20 based on the complaint filed by Sub Inspector Arun Kumar, who is posted at IFSO/Special Cell, Dwarka, New Delhi. In the complaint, SI Arun Kumar said while social media monitoring on June 20 at IFSO/Special Cell, Dwarka, New Delhi as an Emergency Officer, he noticed Twitter user balajikijaiin’s tweet where he had requested Delhi Police to take action against Zubair.

FIR against Mohammed Zubair.

Kumar said, “These words and the picture found to be used by Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear against a particular religious community and are highly provocative and more than sufficient to incite feelings of hatred amongst people which can be detrimental for maintenance of public tranquillity in the society. Transmission and publication of such posts have been deliberately done by Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear through electronic media to insult the religious feelings of a particular community with the intent to provoke breach of the peace which attracts offence under section 153A/295 IPC and hence from the contents of above-mentioned post from the Twitter handle (Mohammed Zubair @zoo_bear), offence U/s 153A/295 IPC is made out.”

Based on the complaint, FIR was registered under Sections 295 and 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). SI Arun Kumar also requested in the complaint to mark the investigation to him.

The arrest of Mohammed Zubair

On June 28, Mohammed Zubair was arrested by Delhi Police for hurting religious sentiments via social media posts. He was booked under Sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR was based on a tweet by Twitter user @balajikijaiin where he had shared a screenshot of an old tweet by Zubair in which he had mocked Lord Hanuman. In the tweet, @balajikijaiin had asked Delhi Police to take action against Zubair for hurting the sentiments of Hindus with his derogatory post against Lord Hanuman.

Afghan MMA fighter, along with a mob of his Afghan supporters, attempts to murder an Indian fighter in Delhi, has a fake Aadhar, dual passport

OpIndia Staff
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Afghan MMA fighter, along with a mob of his Afghan supporters, attempts to murder an Indian fighter in Delhi, has a fake Aadhar, dual passport

On Friday (June 24), a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter from Afghanistan brutally attacked Indian MMA star Srikant Sekhar outside the ring at the Matrix Fight Night 9 event in New Delhi along with a mob of his supporters. The accused has been identified as Abdul Badakshi Abdul Azim Badakshi. As per reports, Srikant sustained grave injuries during the attack including a broken jaw.

The attack happened after a fight between Seth Rosario and Badakshi where Badakshi lost, upsetting his Afghan supporters.

In a video that has now come to light, it could be seen how Badakshi and a mob of his supporters gheraoed the Indian MMA star and assaulted him.

In a tweet on Tuesday (June 28), MMA talk show expert Pravin Dabas revealed that the Afghan star had attempted to murder Srikant and is now planning to flee the country. He had also informed that Badakshi held an Indian passport as well as an Afghanistan passport.

Neeraj Goyat, a pro-boxer, had also shared the medical report of injured Srikant Sekhar. He tweeted, “Now he is about to fly back to Afghanistan. I urge Indian police and Indian government that strict legal action should be taken against him and arrest him as soon as possible.”

As per a report in India Today, Afghan MMA stars have been banned permanently from India in the aftermath of the incident by the Matrix Fight Night promotion.

According to Srikant Sekhar, bottles were chucked at him by Afghan fans and Badakshi had punched him from behind. He had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against his Afghan counterpart.

“I started cheering for Seth Rosario as he was getting the finish and someone from the crowd threw garbage at me and were showing middle fingers at me, and mocking me,” Srikant said during a conversation with Locker Room.

“I got pissed on this bunch and told them f**k you and flipped back. Then one official caught my hand and was taking me out of the cage side. He said get out of here, this crowd is getting mad at you and started escorting me out of the ringside,” he added.

Srikant Shekhar concluded, “I was going out with him and out of nowhere, I got sucker-punched by Abdul Badakshi from behind. I didn’t even see him coming, and neither I knew where he was. He hit me twice and I fell down. As I was on the floor, I saw officials pushing him and covering me up. Then the crowd broke into the arena and starts stomping me.”

Following the incident, Ayesha Shroff, part of the core team of Matrix Fight Night 9 event, commented that no Afghan fighter will ever feature at the event again.

‘She filed scripted affidavits in Gujarat Riots 2002 case, had got Rs 5 lakhs’: Ex-aide of Teesta Setalvad says Congress funded her agenda to target Modi

OpIndia Staff
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‘She filed scripted affidavits in Gujarat Riots 2002 case, had got Rs 5 lakhs’: Ex-aide of Teesta Setalvad says Congress funded her agenda to target Modi

On June 26, a former aide of Teesta Satalvad, Rais Khan Pathan, revealed that all the activities undertaken by the claimed rights activist Teesta Satalwad during the 2002 Gujarat riots were politically sponsored by the Congress party. He stated that Satalwad’s only motive was to target the then CM Narendra Modi.

In an exclusive debate with the Republic TV, Rais Khan said Teesta was in contact with many Congress leaders, including Ahmed Patel and Sonia Gandhi, and assured financial and social support to the so-called activist. “In 2002, Ahmed Patel came to Circuit House, Shahibaug in Ahmedabad. We (Khan and Teesta) had gone to meet him and Teesta had told him that she was short of funds to execute the activities planned. Patel then had called a person named Narendra Brahmbhatt who was chairman of the hotel association and had ordered him to provide funds to Teesta whenever she needed,” he said.

He added that Teesta was immediately provided with Rs 5 lakhs and an assurance that the entire Congress Party was in her support. Rais Khan said that all the affidavits filed on behalf of the witnesses in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots were scripted and that the witnesses had no idea about what was written in the affidavit.” Teesta didn’t ask anybody before framing the affidavits. Nobody knew what was written in them. Even Madina Pathan, one of the witnesses didn’t know what was written in the affidavit filed in her name”, Pathan said on June 27.

An affidavit in the Supreme Court stated that Madina, then a young bride, was raped and stabbed at her late husband’s house in Naroda Gam. But she has told the SIT that she was never raped but stabbed. She said she had no idea what was written in that affidavit since it was in English which she could neither read, write or understand.

“They (witness) didn’t know what was written in the affidavit. So how could they tell what was written in the affidavit? They told the truth before SIT. Teesta told victims to lie to pressurize the government. She tried to explain the same thing to Madina but later she told the truth. Teesta was very angry with her”, Pathan was quoted. He also added that Madina had then slammed Teesta for filing a false affidavit in her name. She had clearly denied the claims that she was raped.

According to Pathan, the victims had then together registered an FIR against Teesta Setalvad for filing false affidavits in their name. They claimed that all the affidavits filed by Setalvad were fake and totally untrue. “I also have submitted an affidavit in the court in the year 2011. It is full of evidence against Teesta Setalvad”, Pathan said reiterating that Setalvad was backed by the Congress party.

He said that the victims were taken to Delhi and were provided accommodation at Vithal Bhai Patel House on Parliament Street. Later they were made to meet Congress’s Sonia Gandhi and Ahmed Patel where the duo ordered the victims to follow Teesta and assured Teesta of monetary support.

On Sunday, the Ahmedabad crime branch arrested Teesta Setalvad, a day after she was detained by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in connection with a fresh case of forgery criminal conspiracy, and insulting criminal proceedings to cause injury registered against her. This came as the Supreme Court dismissed a petition challenging the clean chit given by the SIT to then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and others in the 2002 post-Godhra riots cases.

Setalvad has been booked under IPC 468 (Forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document or record as genuine), 194 (Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of capital offence) and other sections of the IPC alongside two others.

‘Liberal’ Meltdown continues as Mohammed Zubair spends a night in jail, alleged ‘fact-checker’ is now being hailed as ‘world’s finest journalist’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Liberal’ Meltdown continues as Mohammed Zubair spends a night in jail, alleged ‘fact-checker’ is now being hailed as ‘world’s finest journalist’

On Monday, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair was arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police on the charges of hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity. Zubair was arrested under sections 153A and 295 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Zubair’s arrest came days after several Hinduphobic posts from his Facebook account had gone viral. After a Twitter user shared his old posts mocking Hindu Gods, Zubair deleted his Facebook account. Expectedly after his arrest, the Left ‘liberal’ faces ganged up justifying Zubair’s Hinduphobia as if it is a fundamental right. An array of politicians, journalists, and political commentators have put out tweets in support of Mohammed Zubair, some even calling out his arrest a blow to fundamental rights.

One of the politicians to suffer heartburn after Zubair’s arrest was AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi. Owaisi, as he usually does, brought a ‘Muslim angle’ to the case by asking why Delhi Police does nothing about anti-Muslim genocidal slogans being raised. To be noted, it was Zubair himself, who a few weeks ago shared an out-of-context clip of Nupur Sharma’s comments on Prophet Mohammed that led to Islamists all over the world issuing death threats to her.

TMC MP Derek O’Brien went as far as referring to regular fake news peddler Zubair as ‘one of the world’s finest journalists’. The TMC leader lauded the alleged fact-checker for exposing BJP’s ‘Fake-news factory’ every single day. At the same time, he tagged PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah by calling them ‘cowards’.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor condemned Zubair’s arrest while referring to Zubair’s Fact-checking cum narrative factory as “a vital service in our post-truth political environment, rife with disinformation.” “They debunk falsehoods whoever perpetrates them,” Tharoor said while calling Zubair’s arrest an ‘attack on truth’.

Islamist outfit, the Tipu Sultan Party, applied the ‘secular’ logic demanding ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s arrest because Mohammed Zubair has been arrested. In their tweet, the party asked if arresting Zubair was a justice of secular law.

Support from Journalists and Writers

An Islamist journalist from the leftist propaganda outlet The Wire, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, called Mohammed Zubair a 'frontline democracy defender in India'. "His fact-checking was puncturing BJP’s propaganda on a daily basis. The arrest of Zubair is an attack on truth and free press in India," she wrote on Twitter.

In one of the Twitter Spaces conducted to mourn Mohammed Zubair's arrest attended by senior journalists, a Twitter user expressing support for Zubair, pondered how long would PM Modi live.

Unhinged glorification of Zubair as a 'journalist' came from many quarters of the Left. A journalist who writes for Al Jazeera, Rohin Kumar, called Zubair 'the Finest fact-checker in India'. He hailed the Alt-News co-founder for his alleged 'massive contribution to Indian Journalism'.

Another journalist working for The Quint, Fatima Khan wrote "Zubair is the finest journalist of our times. Hanging my head in shame, and rage."

Upon Zubair's arrest, the Delhi police informed, "The said post of Mohd. Zubair containing picture & words against a particular religious community are highly provocative & done deliberately which are more than sufficient to incite hatred among people, which can be detrimental for maintenance of public tranquillity."

BJP worker found hanging from a tree in West Bengal; party blames TMC: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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BJP worker found hanging from a tree in West Bengal; party blames TMC: Here is what we know so far

On Monday (June 27) morning, the body of a 45-year-old BJP worker was found hanging near Patharchati Kabarsthan in the Kotaldighi area in the Bankura district of West Bengal. The area falls under the Kotulpur Police Station.

As per reports, the deceased was identified as Sahadev Kha. The State unit of the BJP had alleged that the party worker was murdered by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) miscreants, although the police claimed that there was no evidence of murder.

Following a preliminary investigation, the cops also claimed that Sahadev might have committed suicide due to mental depression. However, visuals suggest that the deceased was hanged only after being killed elsewhere.

Although the deceased’s family had filed no written complaint yet, the police had lodged a case of unnatural death. Sahadev’s body was sent to the Bishnupur district hospital for autopsy, which was recorded on tape.

Reportedly, the deceased worked as an ice cream vendor. Meanwhile, the BJP has rubbished claims made by the police. The party argued that Sahadev was an active BJP member who was working at Booth No.104 in Gopalpur Dhak Para of Kotulpur assembly constituency.

The saffron party alleged that Sahadev was killed when he returned home and his body was hanged from a tree to make it look like a case of suicide. The BJP, led by MLA Niladri Sekhar Dana, set up a blockade at National Highway No. 6.

Leader of Opposition in Bishnupur Municipality, Shukla Chatterjee, took out a silent candle march in memory of Sahadev. “Need immediate punishment for the murders,” read one of the posters. She was accompanied by other BJP workers.

While speaking about the matter, Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Tiwari said, “The allegations of murder remain unsubstantiated. We ask everyone to not spread misinformation on social media/The BJP claimed that Sahadeb Khan, the deceased, was its member and he was killed allegedly by TMC supporters, a charge rubbished by the state’s ruling party.”

“We have initiated a proper inquiry into the matter. The place has been examined and circumstantial evidence has also been collected,” he added.

Son of BJP worker found hanging in West Bengal

Earlier, the 22-year-old son of a BJP worker was found hanging from a tree in Khejuri in East Medinipur. Identified as one Debashish, he was the son of BJP booth worker Muktipada Manna.

The local BJP leadership has accused Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of the death of the boy. However, the West Bengal police claimed that Manna had committed suicide.

Shockingly, he was found dead on the same day as Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to West Bengal. During his visit, Amit Shah had accused Mamata Banerjee-led government of promoting a culture of political violence and political murder.

PM Modi gifts Nandi-themed Dokra Art from Chattisgarh to Argentina’s Pres during Germany visit, read the significance of Nandi

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi gifts Nandi-themed Dokra Art from Chattisgarh to Argentina’s Pres during Germany visit, read the significance of Nandi

During the G7 Summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández with a Nandi-themed Dokra Art from Chattisgarh as a gesture of goodwill from the people of India. PM Modi is in Germany for two days beginning Sunday for this year’s summit, to which he has been invited as a special guest.

It is worthy to mention that Hindus worship Nandi since it is regarded as the carrier (mount) of Lord Shiva (Mahadev), the lord of devastation. According to the Shivmahapurana, Nandi, who is commonly shown as a seated bull facing the Shivling in a Shiv temple, is Mahadev’s most adored and fortunate follower.

Nandi is often shown seated in many temples. Standing Nandis can also be seen in a few temples, although they are uncommon. Nandi was designated as the primary protector of Mount Kailash, Mahadev’s home. As a result, he is also regarded as the protector of any Shiv temple.

It is worth noting that there is a Nandi in the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir complex, which faces the disputed Gyanvapi complex. Following the discovery of the Shivling in the Gyanvapi complex, people concluded that the 353-year wait for the Nandi statue facing the site where the Shivling emerged was ended.

Also, PM Modi gifted Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa a Dokra Art with a Ramayana theme from Chattisgarh.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, and US President Joe Biden are among the other international leaders attending the G7 Summit.

In addition to India, Germany, the summit’s host, has invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal, and South Africa as guests to recognise the democracies of the global south as allies. Prime Minister Modi arrived in Germany on Sunday and was received by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He will leave Germany today and go to the United Arab Emirates to convey his condolences for the death of the country’s former leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji group, Padma Bhushan Pallonji Mistry passes away at 93

OpIndia Staff
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Chairman of Shapoorji Pallonji group, Padma Bhushan Pallonji Mistry passes away at 93

On June 28, business tycoon Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry passed away at the age of 93. He was the Chairman of the Indian conglomerate Shapoorji Pallonji Group. Mistry passed away at his residence on the intervening night of June 27 and June 28. He was known as the ‘Phantom of Bombay House’ for his reclusive nature. Mistry was also the largest individual shareholder in Tata Group.

Condolence messages poured in after Pallomji Mistry’s death

Several leaders expressed Condolences over the demise of an icon of the Indian business world, Pallonji Mistry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Saddened by the passing away of Shri Pallonji Mistry. He made monumental contributions to the world of commerce and industry. My condolences to his family, friends and countless well-wishers. May his soul rest in peace.”

Union Minister Smriti Irani said, “Pallonji Mistry, the end of an era. One of life’s greatest joys was to have witnessed his genius, his gentleness at work. My condolences to the family and his loved ones.”

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari tweeted, “Deeply saddened on the unfortunate demise of Shri Pallonji Mistry. His invaluable contribution to infrastructure development, commerce & industry will never be forgotten. My condolences to his family & friends. Om Shanti.”

Union Minister Anurag Thakur also offered his condolences by saying, “Shapoorji Pallonji Group Chairman Sh Pallonji Mistry Ji was a pioneer of his industry and passionate about the projects he undertook spanning decades. Saddened to hear about his passing away. I express my condolences to his family and friends.”

Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Deeply saddened by the demise of Shri Pallonji Mistry. He contributed immensely to the Indian economy. My sincere condolences to his family & friends. May his soul rest in peace.”

Who was Pallonji Mistry?

Pallonji was born to a Parsi family from Gujarat in 1929. He was into the construction business. He completed his schooling at Cathedral & John Cannon School in Mumbai and gained graduation from Imperial College in London. Pallonji took Irish citizenship through marriage in 2003

He joined his family business in Shapoorji Pallonji Group at the age of 18 and helped in expanding the business to Dubai, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi during the 1970s. Notably, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group was founded in 1865. It has since expanded its construction business not only in India and the Middle East but also in South Asia and Africa.

Several iconic buildings in Mumbai were built by Shapoorji Pallonji Group, including the Reserve Bank of India building, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) building, Brabourne Stadium and others. Mistry owned several companies, including  Shapoorji Pallonji Construction Limited, Forbes Textiles and Eureka Forbes Limited, he was also former chairman of Associated Cement Companies (ACC).

For his contributions in the field of trade and industry, Pallonji was awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in the year 2016. Pallonji is survived by his wife Patsy Perin Dubash and four children Shapoor Mistry, Cyrus Mistry, Laila Mistry and Aloo Mistry. Shapoor manages Shapoorji Pallonji Group, and Cyrus served as Chairman of Tata Group from 2012 to 2016.

‘How can he be arrested on the basis of tweet by anonymous user’: ‘Liberals’ cast aspersion on the law of the land over Mohd Zubair’s arrest

OpIndia Staff
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‘How can he be arrested on the basis of tweet by anonymous user’: ‘Liberals’ cast aspersion on the law of the land over Mohd Zubair’s arrest

Following the arrest of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair by Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, so-called liberals came out in his support and demanded his release. One of the arguments they put forward was that the netizen whose tweet initiated action against Zubair had a low follower count.

Pro-AAP propagandist YouTuber Dhruv Rathee questioned the validity of the complaint because the user had only one follower before Zubair was arrested. He said, “According to Delhi Police, Zubair is arrested because an anonymous Twitter account with one follower complained that his sentiments are hurt. But Komal Sharma couldn’t be arrested despite video evidence of violence. What a joke this whole system is!”

Dhruv Rathee questioned how Zubair could be arrested on complaint of twitter user who had one follower. Source: Twitter

Newslaundry columnist Meghnad tracked when the account was created and pointed out that the tweet on which action was taken against Zubair was a screenshot from a Hindi movie from 1983. He said, “Here’s what Delhi police is acting on. An anonymous account is created in Oct 2021. Puts out a single tweet in Jun 2022 complaining that Zubair has insulted Hindus. The “hurtful” Tweet is from Mar 2018. The screenshot in Zubair’s tweet is from a 1983 move.”

Meghnad tracked the account creation and pointed out he posted only one tweet in months. Source: Twitter

There are a few points that need to be mentioned here. First of all, it was not just the screenshot but also the text Zubair had put out with it that made it derogatory. Secondly, he completely ignored the fact that the demand for action against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was called because of the text written hundreds of years ago in Islamic scriptures. If the action can be demanded on something that was written centuries ago, why not someone could demand action for something that was written five years ago?

Another Twitter user Katyusha user also drew conclusions over the low follower count of the account. She said, “This is the basis on which Zubair was apparently arrested!! One follower handle claimed his sentiments were hurt in his only tweet. The account was obviously created to tweet this. The whole thing was engineered!”

Katyusha raised objection on Delhi Police’s action on complaint of someone who had one follower. Source: Twitter

This is also untrue since multiple Twitter users have expressed their religious feelings were hurt by the mockery of Hindu gods and goddesses by Mohammed Zubair.

Law does not check social media followers

Everyone, who has been raising doubts over the account that demanded action against Zubair because of the lower follower count, is missing out on the fact that there is no condition in the law that requires someone to have a large follower base on social media to file a complaint. Law follows its process irrespective of the person’s status on social media.

Mohammed Gurfan, who filed a complaint against Nupur Sharma, has no Twitter presence. At least OpIndia counts not found any trace of Mohammed Gurfan on Twitter, who had claimed Sharma’s remarks hurt his religious sentiments. Going by the logic laid down by so-called liberals, Gurfan should have been shooed away by the Police, and no complaint should have been filed against Sharma as Gurfan has zero followers on Twitter which was even less compared to Twitter user Balajikijaiin.

Since Delhi Police named balajikijaiin in its statement, the Twitter user has gained almost 2,000 followers on the social media platform. He has also demanded action against Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

Maharashtra: Shiv Sena workers clash with supporters of rebel Maharashtra minister Rajendra Patil (Yadravkar), policemen also attacked

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Shiv Sena workers clash with supporters of rebel Maharashtra minister Rajendra Patil (Yadravkar), policemen also attacked

Amidst Maharashtra political turmoil, violence broke out on the streets of Kolhapur as supporters of rebel Maharashtra minister Rajendra Patil (Yadravkar) and some Shiv Sena workers met face to face. Workers of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party attacked even the police when they intervened to bring the situation under control, as shown in videos viral on the internet.

According to reports, followers of Yadravkar, an independent MLA from Shirol in Kolhapur, came out to support him in Jaysingpur town. Following that, a group of Shiv Sena supporters attempted to conduct a demonstration nearby. Shiv Sena workers were halted roughly 200 metres away by police, according to Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Shailesh Balkawade. After that, the confrontation turned violent, with workers and volunteers from both camps hitting each other. When policemen attempted to contain the commotion, they were also attacked.

It is worth noting that Shiv Sena MP and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist Sanjay Raut recently made veiled threats of violence against the rebel MLAs who have joined Eknath Shinde’s ‘rebel’ camp. In an interview with ANI on Friday, Raut stated that the (Eknath Shinde) group that is opposing them must understand that Shiv Sena workers are yet to come on the streets. He stated that such wars are fought through the courts or on the streets.

Earlier on Thursday, while speaking to NDTV, Sanjay Raut had directly threatened the rebel MLAs with street violence. When questioned about whether or not Uddhav Thackeray will stay the chief minister, he stated, “Let all the MLAs come to the floor of the House. We will see then. These MLAs who have left… will ultimately have to come back to Maharashtra. They will find it difficult to return and move around in Maharashtra.”

Maharashtra: Actress Ketaki Chitale gets interim relief in 21 FIRs filed against her for sharing post criticising NCP supremo Sharad Pawar

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Actress Ketaki Chitale gets interim relief in 21 FIRs filed against her for sharing post criticising NCP supremo Sharad Pawar

Last week, Marathi actress Ketaki Chitale walked out of the Thane Central Jail after spending over a month in custody for a social media post. Now, Chitale has got further relief in the remaining 21 FIRs lodged against her for allegedly posting derogatory remarks against Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar. The Bombay High Court ruled that police should not take any coercive action against her.

According to the reports, there were 22 FIRs filed against the actress from various parts of Maharashtra. Ketaki Chitale, who was arrested on May 15 for sharing an allegedly derogatory post on Facebook against Sharad Pawar was granted bail in one of the cases on June 16. Following that, on 23rd June, Chitale walked out of jail after having spent nearly 40 days in custody.

The Court on June 22 released her on a Rs 20,000 bond and slammed the State Police for not following proper procedure while arresting Chitale. Reports mention that Chitale was not sent a pre-arrest notice under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure which is mandatory. Further, the state police had applied section 66A of the IT Act which the Supreme Court has already scrapped.

The Court pulled up the police for violating norms and stated that severe action should be initiated against the investigating officer for not following the rules. Pertinently, on Monday, the Maharashtra Government told the Bombay High Court that it won’t arrest the Marathi actress under these 21 FIRs.

The 29-year-old actress was arrested on May 15 for a Facebook post where she had shared a verse, allegedly written on Pawar, calling him a person who hates Brahmins. Soon after the post was shared, the actress got several cases registered against her under charges of defamation and promoting enmity between 2 groups. A case under the SC-ST Act had also been filed against her. The cases were filed in multiple police stations in Mumbai and its suburbs.

Ketaki Chitale was charged under sections 500 (defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), 505 (2) (making, publishing, or circulating any statement, rumour, or report promoting enmity, hatred, or ill will between classes), 153 A (spreading disharmony among people), of the Indian Penal Code. The complaints noted that the post was likely to cause conflict between political parties.

The Police are meanwhile tracing Advocate Nitin Bhave who had originally written the poem shared by Chitale on her Facebook wall. During the investigation, though Chitale stated that she didn’t know who Bhave was, the Police confiscated her gadgets including the laptop and phone to find any evidence related to Bhave. The authorities are investigating the case to find clues about Bhave. “Our cyber team is working on it and when we submit our charge sheet in the case, we will mention it”, the crime branch officer from Thane had said.

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