On Sunday (June 24 ), a helicopter ferrying Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had to make an emergency landing in the Holy city of Varanasi.
As per initial reports, Yogi Adityanath was en route to Lucknow when a bird hit his helicopter, forcing an emergency landing. District Magistrate (Varanasi) Kaushal Raj Sharma, had confirmed the development. Moments after the helicopter took off from the airport, a bird hit one of its windows. The pilot then made an emergency landing at police lines ground in Varanasi. The chopper landed safely and nobody was injured in the incident.
The Chief Minister was then taken back to the circuit house in Varanasi. Later, he travelled to Babatpur airport via road, following which he boarded a State-run plane for Lucknow.
Reportedly, Yogi Adityanth had been in Varanasi since Saturday (June 23) to review the law and order situation and development works in the city. He had stayed overnight in Varanasi and was scheduled to depart for Lucknow on Sunday (June 24) morning.
During his stay in Varanasi, Yogi Adityanath also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
Man threatens to kill Yogi Adityanath and bomb Gorakhnath Temple
On Friday (June 24), a few journalists gloated upon the discovery that the man who operated under Muslim aliases such as ‘Rashid’ and ‘Suleman’, and had threatened to kill UP CM Yogi Adityanath and bomb Gorakhnath Temple turned out to be a Hindu, identified as ‘Sonu Singh’.
Nevertheless, in this case, the propagandists carefully omitted to mention a key detail about ‘Sonu Singh’ that he is a member of the ‘Bhim Army’. On February 4 this year, a Twitter handle named Lady Don threatened to blow up Gorakhnath Temple and kill CM Yogi Adityanath.
In the first tweet, it was written that a bomb was planted on the UP assembly in Lucknow, railway station and bus stand. The account further mentioned that Bhim Sena President Seema Singh will kill the Chief Minister by posing as a human bomb.
In the subsequent tweet, Lady Don said that Suleman Bhai planted a bomb at eight places in Gorakhnath Math, and the CM’s rags will fly away.
On June 24, the Supreme Court of India upheld Special Investigation Team (SIT) clean chit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat Riots when he was the chief minister of the state. In the judgment, the apex court said that Zakia Jafri’s plea was devoid of merit. Interestingly, in the judgment, the Court mentioned alleged rights activist Teesta Setalvad to have exploited the emotions of the petitioner Zakia Jafri for her own ‘ulterior motives’. In a 452-page long judgment, Teesta, who was a co-petitioner in the case, was mentioned 46 times, while the main petitioner Zakia was mentioned 45 times.
The Court made some strong observations against the activist that needs attention. First of all, at the beginning of the judgment, it was clearly mentioned that the respondent (the state of Gujarat and others) objected to the hearing of this matter based on the fact that it was filed with an unexplained delay. It was an obvious objection from the respondent, but overall there were no hurdles from the state. Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself pointed out in a recent interview that he gave after the judgment that there was no reason to object to the hearing as the state had nothing to hide.
However, the state did object to the joining of Teesta Setalvad, who was Petitioner No 2 in the case. The Court said the reason mentioned by the respondent was that the protest petition filed in the lower Court was submitted only by the main petitioner Zakia Jafri that was rejected. Secondly, the judgment read, “the antecedents of Ms Teesta Setalvad need to be reckoned and also because she has been vindictively persecuting this for her ulterior design by exploiting the emotions and sentiments of the appellant – Zakia Ahsan Jafri, the real victim of the circumstances.”
The ‘misadventure of sending letters to OHCHR’
On page 30, it was mentioned that at one point, Teesta sent two letters to the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights at the United Nations (OHCHR) about the case. The Court had called it ‘misadventure’ and took an undertaking that she would not repeat it. The details of the matter can be found on Page 139.
Court called out Teesta’s “misadventures”. Source: Supreme Court Judgment
The Court observed that during the investigation, though the Court was satisfied with the performance of the SIT, Teesta raised several questions about the integrity of the investigation team (Page 138/139). The Court noted, “At one stage, a similar attempt was made by the appellant, as a result of which the Court had to stay the trial of Gulberg Society case being CR No. 67/2002, which was eventually lifted on 1.5.2009 for the reasons noted in the said order. In fact, this Court had taken note of the misadventure of Ms Teesta Setalvad in forwarding her letters written to Chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed SIT to the OHCHR, Geneva and that upon her undertaking that she will not do so in future, the matter stood closed.”
In a way, Teesta not only raised questions over the SIT but also questioned the integrity of the honourable courts of the country by sending notes to the OHCHR.
‘Teesta tutored Zakia for statement given to Nanavati-Shah Commission’
On page 117, the court noted that in her evidence dated October 22, 2010, Zakia Ahsan Jafri admitted to the fact that RB Shreekumar and Teesta Setalvad were working together for an NGO. Teesta was convener of the Private Citizens Commission, an NGO headed by former Supreme Court Judges. The court observed that she was in a position to influence Zakia.
The court noted, “It is submitted that Ms Teesta Setalvad, for reasons best known to her and out of vengeance, was interested in continuing with her tirade and persecution on the basis of unsubstantiated allegations in the complaint in the name of the quest for justice with real purpose to keep the pot boiling and sensationalise and politicise the crime.”
Excerpt from Judgment. Source: Supreme Court.
On Page 118, the court observed that Zakia had admitted to concealing the fact that she had known Teesta for some time. She admitted during her cross-examination that the statement that she gave to Nanavati-Shah Commission was tutored by Teesta Setalvad. Interestingly, during cross-examination, Zakia admitted she never read the copy of her own statement to the Commission.
Zakia said she did not read the copy of her statement to Nanavati-Shah Commission. Source: Supreme Court Judgment
The court observed, “At the same time, she was unable to recall about the enquiry made by the SIT in connection with the affidavit filed by her before the Commission. And that, she had throughout followed the instructions of Ms Teesta Setalvad. In the final supplementary report filed by the SIT in Gulberg Society case being CR No. 67/2002, it has been clearly noted that nineteen witnesses insisted to take on record their prepared signed statement(s), which according to them, were prepared by Ms Teesta Setalvad and Advocate – Mr MM Tirmizi and did not show willingness to give their own statement. The statements so presented were stereotyped copies/computerised prepared statements given to them by Ms Teesta Setalvad and Advocate – Mr MM Tirmizi and they had merely signed such prepared statements.”
Appellant tried to keep the pot boiling on behest of Teesta and ilk
In its observation on Page 154, the Court pointed out that the protest petition was not a genuine one by any standard. The observation was made because of the fact that several allegations made by Zakia were found to be part of her attempts to ‘keep the pot boiling and politicising the crime’. The Court noted that Zakia kept adding new materials and allegations that the Court had to examine to do complete justice.
In a strong-worded observation, the Court said, “The appellant had the audacity to assert in the protest petition that it is open to her to keep on adding new materials and allegations which the Court is bound to examine to do complete justice, so that she would succeed in her design to keep the pot boiling and politicising the crime. This indeed was being done at the instance of the group of persons in the name of so-called public-spirited persons like Ms Teesta Setalvad. The protest petition is not a genuine protest petition by any standard.”
The Court said the appellant used new allegations and materials to keep the pot boiling. Source: Supreme Court Judgment
Notably, from Pages 148 onwards, the Court observed that the appellant tried to confuse the Court by making false allegations. At one point, she wanted the Court to disregard the version of all high officials except three who proclaimed themselves being wedded to the truth, including Sanjeev Bhatt, who is currently in jail over an alleged case of extra-judicial killing in police custody.
The Court noted that Bhatt had claimed to have been present in a meeting dated February 27, 2002, that was denied by all officers present at the meeting. Furthermore, Zakia claimed SIT did not record statements of several people who were crucial to the case, including Anil Patel. The Court said her allegations were proven false as the statements by three persons with the same name were included in the investigation report.
The appellant claimed the dead bodies of the victims of the Godhra train burning incident were intentionally paraded to instigate the people, but it was proven wrong during the investigation. During the investigation, it was revealed that the dead bodies were moved in closed vehicles, contrary to what Zakia had claimed. The Court observed the process of handing over the identified bodies to the legal representatives in detail and mentioned that the allegations raised by the appellant were completely false.
She also tried to mislead the Court by claiming that the passengers themselves or the persons belonging to their own community. Her claims were found to be untrue, and interestingly the main accused in the case, Rafiq Hussain Bhatuk, was arrested on February 16, 2021, after 19 years of the incident. Though the arrest was not mentioned in the judgment, in this case, his arrest holds significance in proving that the allegations were false.
The allegations of a larger conspiracy fell apart
On page 165, it was mentioned in the judgment that it was contended during the hearing that the allegations regarding a larger conspiracy by Teesta were out of vengeance. It was an attempt to defame the entire state of Gujarat. Solicitor General of India noted in his submission, “Appellant – Zakia Ahsan Jafri was used as a tool to further the said design, who in turn fell prey to the influence exerted by Ms Teesta Setalvad and lent her name as complainant in the complaint dated 8.6.2006 being the widow of deceased – Mr Ehsan Jafri, Member of Parliament.”
Teesta wanted to defame the entire state of Gujarat. Source: Supreme Court Judgement
There was evidence in the final report that proved Teesta had conjured facts and evidence. “She fabricated the documents by persons who were to be prospective witnesses of the complainant. It is not only a case of fabrication of documents, but also of influencing and tutoring the witnesses and making them depose on pre-typed affidavit, as has been noted in the judgment of the High Court dated 11.7.2011 in Criminal Miscellaneous Application No. 1692/2011,” the court observed.
Teesta fabricated documents related to witnesses. Source: Supreme Court Judgment
Notably, SG also urged SIT to take steps to prosecute Teesta Setalvad for ‘damning the elected representatives, bureaucracy and police administration of the whole State of Gujarat for ulterior purposes’. It was further observed that Teesta and her husband, Firoz Khan Sayeed Khan Pathan, were accused of misappropriation of the funds they had collected as donations in the name of Sabrang Trust. The money was meant to be spent on poor and needy persons affected by the mass violence, but it was allegedly ‘misused and misappropriated for their personal pleasure and comfort’.
Teesta and her husband were accused of misappropriation funds. Source: Supreme Court Judgement
The duo had filed for anticipatory bail that was rejected by the High Court, stating custodial interrogation would be necessary in the case. The court observed, “Relying on adverse observations, it is urged that the present proceedings were not genuine proceedings and the appellant has been set up, who is unaware about the real position. Reliance was also placed on the decision of this Court in Testa Setalvad, dealing with the powers of police officer to seize certain property in the course of investigation.”
Later on page 170, it was observed that though the issues raised by the appellant were unfounded and unsubstantiated, they were pursued with full vigour at the behest of Teesta. Her sole intention, according to the court, was to keep the matter alive.
Teesta pursued the false cases with sole intention to keep the matter alive. Source: Supreme Court Judgement
The arrest of Teesta Setalvad
On June 25, Teesta was arrested by ATS Gujarat Police for creating a sensation by making false claims about the Gujarat riots. She was brought to Ahmedabad by road from Mumbai on June 26.
On Sunday (June 26), ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad was brought to Ahmedabad via road by Gujarat Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS). Setalvad was arrested a day earlier for creating a sensation by making false claims about the Gujarat riots.
According to journalist Ashlin Mathew, the ‘activist’ was first taken to SVP Hospital in Ahmedabad for a Covid-19 test. She informed that Teesta Setalvad will be presented before a magistrate, following her medical test.
Reportedly, the activist had asked the ACP to allow her to present her case before the magistrate. She dubbed her arrest as a case of ‘kidnapping’ and claimed that she was not served any notice.
Teesta has been taken to SV hospital for covid test. She would be presented before the magistrate after that.
Teesta requested the ACP to let her present her case in front of magistrate. She called it a case of “kidnapping” as there was no notice served.
At the conclusion of her medical test, Testa Setalvad addressed the media and said, “They have done my medical. I have a big bruise on my hand, this is what the ATS did to me. They are taking me to the magistrate’s court.”
#WATCH | Teesta Setalvad’s medical checkup done at Civil Hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
“They have done my medical. I have a big bruise on my hand, this is what the ATS did to me. They are taking me to the magistrate’s court,” said Teesta Setalvad pic.twitter.com/NPQko8Lyv7
Visuals shared by news agency ANI showed that the Gujarat ATS reached Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Sunday morning.
#WATCH | Gujarat ATS team with detained Teesta Setalvad reached Crime Branch, Ahmedabad, early morning today. She was taken into custody yesterday, June 25, in relation to a case on her NGO pic.twitter.com/eclvhuiFmN
Earlier visuals showed the Gujarat ATS ferrying the accused via Vapi to Ahmedabad by road.
Gujarat | After taking activist Teesta Setalvad into custody, in connection with a case on her NGO, the Gujarat ATS team is en route to Ahmedabad from Mumbai. Visuals from Vapi. pic.twitter.com/d6gkTJsQ6T
On Friday (June 24), the Supreme Court rejected claims of a larger conspiracy into the Gujarat riots by PM Narendra Modi and other top Gujarat officials.
The Supreme Court said in its judgment that Teesta Setalvad, a co-petitioner in the case, exploited the emotions of Zakia Jafri, widow of deceased Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed by a rioting mob in Ahmedabad’s Chamanpura. The court denied Zakia Jafri’s request to reconsider the Special Investigation Team’s decision to exonerate Modi in the riots case.
After the Supreme Court’s judgment, Union Home Minister Amit Shah named NGO activist Teesta Setalvad and her involvement in the case to defame the authorities and the government.
Amidst the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took potshots at the Shiv Sena on Saturday (June 25).
He said, “We have 200 hotels in Guwahati & all have guests. Would we remove guests stating the flood situation? BJP is supporting (rebel Shiv Sena MLAs) in Maharashtra, I won’t get involved.”
The Assam CM thanked the Sena and its internal political turmoil for bringing the focus of the mainstream media to the flooding situation in Assam.
Assam | Our job is to provide security, comfort stay to anyone who’s come from outside. Tomorrow, even if Congress comes, I will extend the same welcome. I am grateful Shiv Sena came, its the reason Assam’s flood was highlighted: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (2/2) pic.twitter.com/tCCHRnBJWi
“Our job is to provide security, comfort stay to anyone who’s come from outside. Tomorrow, even if Congress comes, I will extend the same welcome. I am grateful Shiv Sena came, its the reason Assam’s flood was highlighted”, he was heard as saying.
While the Opposition has been trying to blame the BJP leader for supposedly prioritising politics over the lives of people affected by floods, Sarma surveyed different areas of Nagaon district via an NDRF boat.
#WATCH Assam CM Himanata Biswa Sarma today travelled in an NDRF boat to different areas of Nagaon district to assess the situation arising out of the floods
Earlier, he had rubbished claims that the BJP or Assam government was going to sponsor the private stay of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs at a hotel in Guwahati.
“Why Assam will spend money for them? Anyone can file an RTI to find it, why will we spend money for them? If someone comes to Assam, why Assam govt will pay their bills?” he said.
“Are people in Maharashtra or their MLAs facing such severe financial crisis that we have to pay their lodging bill? Or, why will we even pay even if they ask?” he further added.
On Friday (June 24), Sarma invited incumbent Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray to Guwahati on a vacation. “How can I ban the people from coming and staying in hotels in our state? Tomorrow if you book a hotel and I prohibit you and say that there is a federal structure in the country and so you don’t come to the hotel in Assam, will it be fine? Will you call it a federal structure?” he inquired.
On 25th June 2022, Gujarat police filed a case against former IPS officers Sanjiv Bhatt and RB Sreekumar, and activist Teesta Setalvad, after the Supreme Court said that false allegations of a ‘larger conspiracy’ were made in the Gujarat riots case. The police also took Setalvad and Sreekumar in custody, while Bhatt is already in jail as he was convicted in a custodial murder case. one of the three accused RB Sreekumar, former Gujarat DGP, former IB deputy director and current AAP leader, is also involved in some other cases. He is accused of framing ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan in fake espionage charges. He was also in news for filing a defamation case against Narendra Modi and Rajnath Singh. RB Sreekumar and Teesta Setalvad are now in the custody of Gujarat police.
Veteran ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan gave his reaction to this arrest while speaking to ANI. Nambi Narayanan said, “I came to know that he was arrested today for keeping on fabricating stories & trying to sensationalize them, there was a charge against him. It is exactly what he did in my case.”
I came to know that he was arrested today for keeping on fabricating stories & trying to sensationalise them, there was a charge against him. It is exactly what he did in my case: Former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayan to ANI, on Ahmedabad Police detaining ex-IPS officer
In 1994, ISRO scientist S Nambi Narayanan was arrested by Kerala police with some of his fellows including D Sasikumaran, K Chandrashekhar, and a few others on the charges of selling classified information about India’s cryogenic engine program to Russia and Pakistan’s ISI. The Kerala police had launch the case on the basis of input received from Intelligence Bureau (IB). However when the case was soon handed over the CBI, the CBI had found that the case was fabricated and the defendants were being falsely accused by the Kerala police. The CBI probe revealed that there was no case within a month of their apprehension. However, the matter lingered on because of its involvement with Kerala politics.
The role played by IB was had come into question, as the so-called evidence of spying had come from the agency, based on which the police had acted.
The CBI eventually informed the chief judicial magistrate in May 1996 that the espionage case was untrue and that there was no supporting proof. The report was approved by the court, and all of the accused were cleared. However, the newly elected CPI(M)-led government chose to play by its own rules and ordered more investigations until, in May 1998, the Supreme Court struck down Kerala’s request for a new probe.
Since then, the Kerala government has shielded the corrupt cops and delayed their time paying the compensation that was mandated by the High Court and the National Human Rights Commission. In order to begin criminal procedures against the police officers who allegedly falsified evidence against him, Narayanan filed a petition in April 2017. RB Sreekumar, arrested with Teesta Setalvad on 25th June 2022 for his false testimony in the Gujarat riots, was one of those police officers.
Based on the petition of Narayanan, the Supreme Court had appointed a three member committee to look into the matter. After the D.K. Jain Committee report pointed out a conspiracy by Kerala police and others to frame the scientist, the apex court had ordered CBI to probe the case last year. Accordingly, CBI conducted an in-depth investigation, and filed an FIR against several police officials was filed last year based on the committee report.
In the FIR filed by the CBI, RB Sreekumar was one of the 18 accused named in the case, along with the then Kerala police chief Sibi Mathew. Sreekumar was on deputation to IB when the espionage case against Narayanan was started. While he had denied any link with the case, Narayanan had named him as one of the conspirators.
Why RB Sreekumar troubled the ISRO scientists?
When CBI investigated the case, Nambi Narayanan told CBI, “When Sreekumar was commandant at VSSC, he had requested me to appoint his niece or nephew to a post at Thumba, but since the process was fair, she/he could not be selected. Then Sreekumar had come to my office to express his anger to which I had asked him to go out else I would call the police. Sreekumar had said I will regret this in the future.”
Narayanan’s colleague D Sasikumaran who was also arrested told the CBI in his statement, “I was taken into custody and thereafter, the real mental agony, physical torture which was endless, started. A lot of police personnel in their uniforms and civil dress were interrogating me and asking nonsense questions. If there was a delay in answering, they would start a physical assault by way of slaps and even kicks. When my interrogation was going on in police custody, two or three officers of the Kerala police along with Sreekumar, were present and were laughing.”
Former Kerala Former Police chief Siby Mathews also accused former Intelligence Bureau deputy director R B Sreekumar of forcing him to arrest Nambi Narayanan. Nambi Narayanan filed a defamation case against RB Sreekumar in 2014 for making false statements against him in regards to the espionage case.
RB Sreekumar had filed a defamation case against Narendra Modi
Interestingly, when BJP leaders alleged that Sreekumar had levelled charges of fake encounters against the Modi Government as a quid pro quo for the UPA dispensation giving him a clean chit in the ISRO spy case, RB Sreekumar went on to file a defamation case against Narendra Modi in 2013 who was at that time the chief minister of Gujarat and the Prime Minister candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Rajnath Singh, Meenakshi Lekhi, and Nambi Narayanan were among the others RB Sreekumar targeted in the same defamation case. However, the defamation case was dismissed by a Delhi court, as neither Sreekumar nor his lawyers were present at the court during multiple dates of hearing of the case.
Two people died in Oslo in Norway when a man opened fired on people ahead of the annual LGBTQ Pride festival. The police have described the incident as an “Islamist Terror Act”.
21 persons were also injured in the attack that took place on Oslo’s nightlife district, where the pride festivities were due to take place. The shootings took place at around 1 AM local time at three places in downtown Oslo before the attacker was arrested. After the attack, the Pride march was called off.
The shooter has been identified as a 42-year-old Norwegian citizen originally from Iran. The police recovered two weapons in connection with the attack, a handgun and an automatic weapon. The three locations where the shootings took place included a gay bar. The three places of attack were London Pub gay club, the Herr Nilsen jazz club and a takeaway food outlet. The gay pub is said to be a hub of LGBTQ activities in Oslo.
When the firing started at the pub, the panicked people present there rushed to the basement of the establishment and hid there. Around 80 to 100 people saved their lives by hiding in the basement.
Police have confirmed that the same person shot people at the three different places in the area. “The police are investigating the events as a terrorist attack,” police said in a statement. Police said that out of the 21 injured, 10 have serious injuries. The two killed were in their 50s and 60s, according to the police.
According to a journalist present at the time of the shooting, the man arrived with a bag from which he pulled out a gun and started firing at people.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stere also have described it as an act of Islamist terrorism. “Everything indicates that this has been an attack by an Islamist extremist,” he said while talking about the incident in a press conference.
While the Pride parade was cancelled due to the attack, thousands of people gathered at the site in the next morning and held a spontaneous march, waiving rainbow flags.
On Saturday, the Shiv Sena workers supporting the party’s rebel leader Eknath Shinde gathered on the streets of Thane in protest against CM Uddhav Thackeray, his son Aaditya Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut. The workers criticized Uddhav Thackeray for stepping far away from the policy of Hindutva and the ideologies of Shiv Sena Supremo Balasaheb Thackeray.
According to a video that was released by TV9 Bharatvarsh, the Shiv Sena workers gathered in Thane which is the stronghold of Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde and raised slogans against CM Uddhav Thackeray and MP Sanjay Raut. They blamed Sanjay Raut for creating a divide in the party.
“Shinde saab Shiv Sena abhi tak nahi chode hai. Vo akhri dam tak Shiv Sena me rahenge. Sanjay Raut ki vajah se hi Shiv Sena me itni badi fut ho gai hai. Sanjay Raut Gaddar hai, Bhawa hai Bhawa. (Shinde is a part of Shiv Sena and he’ll remain in Shiv Sena forever. It is Sanjay Raut who has created a divide in the party. He is the traitor. Abuses)”, the Shiv Sena workers supporting Shinde in his decision said on June 25.
They also added that they were not only Shiv Sena workers but they belonged to Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray. They reiterated the initial statements made by Shinde that Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray was different than what was established by supremo Balasaheb Thackeray and abused Raut for creating a divide in the party.
It is important to note that the Thane District Administration on Saturday imposed restrictions under section 144 of CrPC in the district, under which it has disallowed any kind of political procession till June 30. The administration has also banned the carrying of sticks, or any kind of arms and also the burning of posters and effigies. This is probably after a video that went viral on social media showed some people attacking the office of Shrikant Shinde, Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan in Thane district, and son of Shiv Sena rebel leader Eknath Shinde.
Reports mention that notices have been sent to 16 rebel MLAs and the Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal has asked them to appear in person in a matter of a petition filed by the Sena seeking their disqualification. Also, the MVA government has withdrawn the security cover provided at the residences of 16 rebel legislators, including Eknath Shinde.
Shinde who is in Guwahati at present called the action a ‘political vendetta’ and wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil. In the letter that was signed by 16 MLAs, Shinde stated that the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance will be responsible if any harm is caused to their family members.
राजकीय आकसापोटी शिवसेनेच्या आमदारांचे संरक्षण मुख्यमंत्री आणि गृहमंत्री यांच्या आदेशाने काढून घेण्यात आले आहे. त्यांच्या व त्यांच्या कुटुंबीयांच्या संरक्षणाची जबाबदारी सरकारची आहे.#MVAisAntiShivsenapic.twitter.com/lX2qjVTxGM
— Eknath Shinde – एकनाथ शिंदे (@mieknathshinde) June 25, 2022
However, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil refused to accept the claims made by Shinde regarding the protection. “There have been on orders issues either by the CM or the Home Ministry to withdraw the security of any MLA. Allegations being leveled to this effect are mischievous and false,” Patil said on June 25.
Meanwhile, Deepak Kesarkar speaking on behalf of the rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, said that the MLAs are still a part of the Shiv Sena and would be setting up a separate block of the party. “We are not going to merge with anyone. We will be setting up a separate block of the party. I have always told the CM that the Sena needs to be with the BJP. The synergy between a BJP Prime Minister and the state CM is important for the development of the state.”
Responding to this CM Thackeray stated that the rebels can do whatever they want except using the name of Balasaheb Thackeray. To note, Shiv Sena workers have been executing violent protests in the state of Maharashtra against the rebel Shiv Sena leaders. They vandalized the offices of Shiv Sena leaders like Mangesh Kudalkar and Sada Sarvankar who are in Guwahati. Also, today Shiv Sena workers in Pune ransacked the office of Sena legislator Tanaji Sawant, who is among the rebel MLAs currently camping in Guwahati.
Reportedly, supporters of rebel MLA Eknath Shinde also gathered outside his house in Louis Wadi, Thane, and expressed their solidarity with the leader.
In a landmark judgment delivered on Friday, 24 June 2022, the Supreme Court of India rejected the Zakia Jafri’s plea challenging the SIT’s clean chit to PM Narendra Modi in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Dismissing the plea, the apex court rapped the petitioner Zakia Jafri in the Gujarat riots case and termed the petition as “far-fetched” and an attempt to “keep the pot boiling.”
In essence, the Supreme Court yet again exonerated PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of their involvement in the communal conflagration that erupted in Gujarat after the cowardly burning of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra station on 27 February 2002, resulting in the deaths of 59 people, including women and children.
Besides vindicating PM Modi and Amit Shah, the monumental judgment also exposed the propagandists who built their careers pushing falsehoods of state involvement in fanning and encouraging the riots. From Zakia Jafri to Teesta Setalvad, donation fraud accused Rana Ayyub to disgraced former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt, to Mukul Sinha, a host of individuals peddled elaborate fiction to absolve Islamists responsible for setting the train on fire and implicate Modi and Shah for the violence that ensued later.
Champions of 2002 Gujarat riots ‘conspiracy’: Teesta Setalvad, former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt, Rana Ayyub and their dubious antics
Teesta Setalvad, a so-called rights activist, was one of the co-petitioners seeking a criminal trial against the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and 62 other ministers for their alleged complicity in the riots. On June 24, when the SC dismissed Zakia Jafri’s plea, it made a scathing observation on Setalvad’s involvement in the case. The apex court held that ‘activist’ Teesta Setalvad exploited the emotions of petitioner Zakia Jafri for “ulterior motives”.
However, Setalvad’s infamy stems not from the Supreme Court’s pointed observations but from allegations of misappropriation of funds meant for riot victims. She was arrested today by the Gujarat ATS for giving false information on the 2002 Gujarat riots. She is accused of siphoning off funds contributed to the welfare of those affected by the riots. Raees Khan, a former associate of Setalvad, had claimed that funds which were to be used for educational purposes were misused.
The Gujarat Police said that Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand had spent money collected for constructing a memorial for riot victims and their aid on personal expenses that included wine and liquor, expensive mobile phones, movie CDs, romantic novels, hair-styling, and dining among other avenues. According to the police, the two committed “colossal fraud”.
The police said that the two had “misappropriated the funds of charity and converted to their own use funds meant for the rehabilitation and welfare of the unfortunate victims of riots in Gujarat in Feb-March 2002”. The investigation revealed that Setalvad had claimed reimbursement on the purchase of sanitary napkins and “surprisingly” her husband had claimed the same as well.
Teesta Setalvad was also accused of fraudulently securing financial aid from the HRD Ministry when Kapil Sibal was the Minister during the UPA regime. She was accused of embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs. 1.51 crores.
During the Shaheen Bagh protests in 2020, Seetalvad was seen tutoring ‘protestors’ on what questions to ask the Supreme Court-appointed interlocutors. In a video that had gone viral on social media, a lady was heard reading out a list of questions the women could ask the interlocutors appointed by the Supreme Court to mediate and convince the Shaheen Bagh protestors to relocate to an alternative place. Teesta Setalvad could be spotted right behind her overseeing the tutoring.
Similarly, another dubious character, former IPS Sanjiv Bhatt, who is currently in jail in connection with a custodial death, got exposed for concocting a meeting with the then CM Narendra Modi at the latter’s residence on 27 February 2022. The Nanavati-Mehta commission, a committee formed to investigate the Godhra Train burning incident, categorically rubbished Bhatt’s claim that he had met CM Narendra Modi on 27 February 2022.
There are others, too, who catapulted their otherwise unremarkable careers by propagating conspiracy theories about the alleged complicity of the state government in the Gujarat riots case. For instance, ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub, an accused in a donation fraud case, kept talking about sting operation tapes that would prove beyond a reasonable doubt the involvement of higher echelons of leaders in planning and perpetuating the riots.
However, by her own admission, none of the media outlets she “pursued” were ready to release the tapes. In fact, years later, journalist Madhu Trehan exposed the edifice of lies surrounding the Gujarat riots that Rana Ayyub had assiduously built. Trehan revealed that Rana had passed up her offer to publish her much-vaunted ‘tapes’ that she routinely touts as authoritative proof of the Gujarat Riots conspiracy.
Significantly, Rana Ayyub has also authored a book ‘Gujarat Files’ to reinforce her fiction about the riots that rocked the country in the wake of the Godhra train burning incident, in which 59 Hindus, many of them children and women, lost their lives after a bogey of Sabarmati Express returning from Ayodhya was set on fire by miscreants near Godhra station.
However, the Supreme Court of India had trashed Rana Ayyub’s account in ‘Gujarat Files’, rubbishing the book as based upon surmises, conjectures, and suppositions. The bench had said, “The Book by Rana Ayyub is of no utility. It is based upon surmises, conjectures, and suppositions and has no evidentiary value”. Implying that the arguments made by Rana Ayyub in her book are her opinions, the court said that “The opinion of a person is not in the realm of the evidence.”
It is worth noting that the top court yesterday observed that Tehelka tapes about the alleged conspiracy in the Gujarat riots case are of no avail. The court said, “Tehelka tapes have no legal value, they are used only to sensationalise and politicise the matter.” Yet, Rana Ayyub continues to cite her “sting operation tapes” as credible evidence, without releasing them on the internet, to allege that there was a conspiracy in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The tendency of projecting one’s guilt on others: What it tells about the mentality of Islamists obsessed with implicating PM Modi and Amit Shah in the Gujarat riots case
As the complex edifice of lies and deceit peddled by anti-Modi propagandists falls apart, it provides a window into the mentality that drives such perverse behaviour. A popular psychological theory throws light on the behaviour of propagandists who have made tall claims of conspiracy in the Gujarat riots, only to have them struck down by the courts.
According to the theory, people who harbour a criminal mentality often suspect others of being involved in something similar. Therefore, the outrageous allegations that they level against others are nothing but a reflection of their deeds, which they try to superimpose on others. Just like they tutored the Shaheen Bagh protesters, they dismiss testimonies of actual witnesses by believing that they are all tutored.
This mentality is one of the reasons why the ‘liberals’ refuse to acknowledge the occurrence and victims of ‘Love Jihad’. As they find no qualms in peddling lies and promoting propaganda to project an alternative reality, they believe that victims of ‘Love Jihad’ are also susceptible to the similar behaviour traits that incentivise conjuring up lies and pushing misinformation with unabashed confidence. Therefore, heart-wrenching stories of ‘Love Jihad’ victims do not evoke the kind of response they should and are routinely dismissed as exaggeration and motivated propaganda by the ‘liberals’, because they are driven by a belief that holds their rivals of being as morally corrupt as they are.
How Islamists shield themselves and their brethren by superimposing their vices on others
The extension of the same theory where people try to project their vices on others and judge them by their own moral standards says that they often accuse others of wrongdoing when they want to save themselves or those who represent their ideology. And the past antecedents of the usual suspects mentioned above confirm the theory like Teesta Setalvad while billing herself as the voice of the victims of the riots is herself accused of embezzling funds meant for them.
For example, the usual suspects often throw wild allegations against the Gujarat state government, PM Modi, and HM Amit Shah, accusing them of being involved in engineering the riots, but they consciously refrain from calling out the Islamists who set the Sabarmati Express on fire that touched off the riots in the first place.
Even when they dare to speak about the train burning incident, it invariably involves making preposterous claims that the incident was a result of an “accidental fire” or retaliation for the “abduction of a Muslim girl” or an “inside job”, so the focus shifts away from Islamists responsible for burning the train and they could bolster their propaganda of highlighting the alleged complicity of CM Modi and Amit Shah in the riots.
It is because of this mentality that despite the repeated dismissals by the courts and contradictory findings by the investigative agencies, the usual suspects continue to live in the fiction that PM Modi, Amit Shah, and others are responsible for the riots. The usual suspects are so invested in their meticulously built fiction that they do not need courts or judiciary to declare culpability as witnessed by a tweet from Rana Ayyub where she said, “Sab Bik Gaye hain” after the top court rejected Zakia Jafri’s plea challenging the SIT’s clean chit to PM Modi. Perhaps, this is another manifestation of how the ‘liberals’ consider everyone who does not conform to their worldview as a sellout, just like themselves.
On Friday 24th June 2022, 35-year-old Akbar Miyana was arrested with his one aide by the railway police in Morbi district of Gujarat for trying to derail a local train in an attempt to take revenge for the bulldozer action initiated by the Uttar Pradesh government against the anti-social elements. Akbar lives in the Wakaner town of the Morbi district.
According to a report by The Indian Express, on June 12, Akbar attempted to derail a local train in the night by placing bricks on the tracks. He was assisted by Laxman Koli, a native of the Chandrapur village in the Wakaner taluka. After spotting the bricks, the railway’s loco pilot put the emergency brakes on the train. The incident happened at around 3.30 am. Several bricks were discovered by railway workers on a section of the railway line between Makansar and Wankaner railway station. The offender was apprehended by the railway police after they launched an urgent investigation using both technical and manual monitoring.
Deputy Superintendent of Rajkot division JK Zala said, “An FIR under Railways Act was registered against unidentified persons for trying to derail the Wankaner-Morbi DMU train. After a thorough probe, we zeroed in on these two men.” According to the police, the accused Akbar hatched the plan to derail the train as retaliation for the bulldozer action against rioters in Uttar Pradesh.
On 12th June 2022, large mobs of Muslims took to the streets of various cities in Gujarat in protest against Nupur Sharma for her alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The protest marches were organized in Surat, Ahmedabad, and Rajkot in Gujarat. On June 10, similar violent protests were carried out in various parts of the country including Uttar Pradesh. Stone-pelters destroyed many public and private properties across the states. The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh took strict action against the rioters and razed the illegal houses of the conspirators behind these violent protests.
A 27-year-old son of IAS officer Sanjay Popli, who is currently arrested in a corruption case, died of bullet wounds on Saturday, with police claiming he committed suicide and his family claiming foul play by the authorities. The incident occurred in the presence of a Punjab vigilance bureau team, which brought his father, IAS Sanjay Popli, to his home during a search on Saturday.
IAS Sanjay Popli’s son killed, shot in the head, Mother has accused Punjab vigilance team of firing. Turbulent times continue in Punjab under reckless @AAPPunjab regime pic.twitter.com/M2Kei5EiEg
The officer’s family has claimed that their son died in the presence of vigilance sleuths who were tormenting the family members during the probe. However, according to the authorities, Kartik Popli, a law graduate, committed suicide on the first floor of the residence. The incident occurred at about 1.30 PM on Saturday.
The family members of the deceased also made remarks stating that corruption has not ended in Punjab and that it has taken extreme heights under the Aam Aadmi Party government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
According to Sanjay Popli’s wife, the Vigilance authorities have been harassing them and have even tortured their domestic help in order to get them to make up stories to support the charge they have filed. “My 27-year-old son is gone. He was a brilliant lawyer. They have snatched him,” said the bereaved wife of Sanjay Popli.
Sanjay Popli, an IAS official, was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau earlier this week in connection with a fraud case after he allegedly asked for money in favour of approving the bidding for the construction of a sewage network in Nawanshahr. Sanjay Popli was arrested in a case pertaining to the allotment of tenders when he was posted as the chief executive officer of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
Recovery of Gold and cash
According to sources, the home of detained IAS official Sanjay Popli was searched and several gold and silver coins, cash, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets were also found.
Chandigarh | Several gold and silver coins, cash, mobile phones and other electronic devices were recovered from the residence of arrested IAS Sanjay Popli. pic.twitter.com/xl1LeXUT7v
Contractor Sanjay Kumar called the anti-corruption helpline and filed a report, which led to the arrest. As additional evidence that Sanjay Popli was requesting the second instalment for a bribe in the allocation of a tender for sewage work, Kumar also shared a video. Before being appointed as the Director of Pensions in May, Popli served as the CEO of the Punjab Sewerage Board.
