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Madhya Pradesh: Suleman attacks Mukesh Tiwari for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Suleman attacks Mukesh Tiwari for supporting Nupur Sharma on social media

On July 23, a man identified as Mukesh Tiwari was beaten up by one Mohammad Suleman for alleged posts and comments in favour of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma in Baikunthpur Police Station Area of Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. As per reports, Suleman and Mukesh were friends. Furthermore, the victim’s brother is associated with RSS.

Mukesh works in a private company. On Saturday, he left his home to go to the office. Suleman, who was his friend, called him and asked him to meet for something important. When Mukesh went to the mentioned place of meeting, Suleman asked him to sit and suddenly started assaulting him with sticks. Suleman continued to beat him and kept asking if Mukesh would post in support of Sharma again.

Mukesh was rushed to a private hospital for treatment. Mukesh’s brother Ashish said in a statement that he is an active member of RSS and regularly publishes religious posts on social media. Recently, he also published posts in favour of Nupur Sharma, after which his brother was attacked. Ashish further alleged that Mukesh’s bag, money and mobile were snatched by the attacker.

Following the incident, the Police are on the alert to avoid any communal tension in the area. An FIR was registered by the Police, and an investigation is underway.

Attacks on Hindus for supporting Nupur Sharma

Despite the suspension of Sharma and an apology from her for the alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed, there have been several attacks on Hindus who support her. Recently, on July 20, a Bajrang Dal leader identified as 26-year-old Ayush was attacked with sharp weapons on Ujjain Road in Agra. He was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Five people were arrested in the case.

The murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur and Hindu businessman Umesh Kolhe in Amravati was the result of their posts in support of Nupur Sharma. Islamists brutally beheaded Kanhaiya Lal in his own shop, and in the case of Kolhe, it was made to look like a robbery. Both the cases are being investigated by National Investigating Agency (NIA).

It is noteworthy that a man named Rizwan who crossed the India-Pakistan border to kill Nupur Sharma was also apprehended by the security forces in recent times.

Calcutta HC accepts ED plea to move arrested TMC minister Partha Chatterjee from state-run hospital, to be shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar

OpIndia Staff
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Calcutta HC accepts ED plea to move arrested TMC minister Partha Chatterjee from state-run hospital, to be shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar

Calcutta High Court today accepted a plea by the Enforcement Directorate seeking to move arrested TMC leader and West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee from state run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata to AIIMS Bhubaneswar. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had submitted a petition in the Calcutta High Court seeking to transfer West Bengal cabinet minister and former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to the Command hospital from the SSKM hospital in Kolkata. While initially ED had sought to move the TMC leader to Army Command Hospital in Kolkata, they had later proposed that he can be shifted to any AIIMS in Delhi, Bhubaneswar etc. Accepting this proposal, the high court ordered that he will be shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

A single bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri of Calcutta High Court heard the ED petition on 24th July 2022 and ordered that the accused be moved to AIIMS Bhubaneswar by air ambulance. The ED had moved the plea earlier today after a local court yesterday had ordered Partha Chatterjee to admit to a hospital. After he was remanded to ED custody for two days in the SSC teacher recruitment scam, he had complained of chest pain, and the court had allowed him to shift to the SSKM hospital instead of ED custody.

The Calcutta High Court, in its order, said, “In order to facilitate the learned Trial Judge to take a proper decision on the above issue, this Court passes the following direction: The Investigating Agency is directed to take the accused by air ambulance to AIIMS, Bhubaneswar in the early morning on 25th July 2022. The accused shall be taken to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport Calcutta by an ambulance from S.S.K.M. Super specialty Hospital. He will be accompanied by a doctor of S.S.K.M. Super specialty Hospital and an Advocate for the accused. The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar Authority is directed to medically examine the accused by a team of specialist doctors of Cardiology, Nephrology, Respiratory Medicines, and Endocrinology.”

The high court further ruled, “The AIIMS, Bhubaneswar will prepare a report and hand over the copies of the same to the Investigating Officer, Medical Officer of S.S.K.M. Super specialty Hospital and the learned Advocate for the accused by 3:00 p.m. on 25 July 2022. The Investigating Officer shall forward a soft copy of the above-mentioned medical report to his counterpart in Calcutta who, in turn, shall produce it before the learned Special Judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.”

On the next date of hearing, the high court said, “The learned Special Judge, shall take up the hearing of the case at 4:00 p.m. on 25 July 2022. The Investigating Officer shall make necessary arrangements for the production of the accused through the medium of electronic video linkage under amending provision of Clause (b) of sub section (2) of Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (West Bengal Act 20 of 2004, Section 31.”

After the hearing was over, the high court had reserved the decision. At that time, Ayan Poddar, lawyer of Partha Chatterjee, had told the media, “As of now, Court has reserved the judgment & final order will be pronounced shortly. ED gave a proposal that he can be shifted to some other hospital like AIIMS Delhi, Bhubaneswar but the court did not say anything about it.”

He also said, “Court also gave a proposal that doctors of AIIMS can be called here for his checkup. The final order of the court is awaited.”

Before this, ED urged the court not to count the stay of the accused in the hospital as Custody. The central probing agency appealed, “The period of the hospital should not be treated as Custody. If he needs medical treatment we can take him to the best hospital in Delhi or AIIMS Kalyani.” Responding to this, Justice Bibek Chaudhuri cited the example of Madan Mitra, and Anubrata Mondal as they also got admitted to the hospital as it’s a safe zone.

The Enforcement Directorate detained Partha Chatterjee on 23rd July 2022 in connection with the teacher recruitment fraud in West Bengal. TMC leader Partha Chatterjee’s arrest took place just one day after a huge stash cash was found in actor Arpita Mukherjee’s residence. Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide to West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee, was detained after unearthing Rs 21 crore in cash at her residence.

The ED is following the money trail in the scandal as the CBI is investigating the suspected anomalies in the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment. Partha Chatterjee was presented before the Bankshall Court in Kolkata after he was arrested. He was given to ED’s custody. While in custody, Partha Chatterjee experienced chest pain symptoms and was rushed to the SSKM hospital in Kolkata. Today Arpita Mukherjee was also remanded to one-day custody of ED.

West Bengal: Teacher Chaitali Chaki assaulted and stripped by a mob for scolding student Jarnatun Khatoon, no arrests 3 days after the incident

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Teacher Chaitali Chaki assaulted and stripped by a mob for scolding student Jarnatun Khatoon, no arrests 3 days after the incident

In a horrific incident that took place on Thursday, a female teacher in West Bengal was assaulted and stripped by a mob of guardians of some students after she had scolded a girl studying in the student. The incident took place in Trimohini Pratap Chandra High Secondary School in South Dinjapur, and even though three days have passed since the incident, police have taken no action against the culprits.

As reports, on Thursday when class nine student Jarnatun Khatoon was loitering on the veranda of the school instead of being in the class, teacher Chaitali Chaki had scolded Khatoon by holding her ear. Jarnatun alleged that the teacher also slapped her on back, and her hijab had slipped down from her head at that time.

After the parents of Jarnatun learnt about the incident after she reached home, the family members and others in the area reached the school. They were enraged that the teacher had hit the student causing her hijab to fall down. They entered the staff room of the school and assaulted the teacher. They also almost stripped Chaitali Chaki during the assault by pulling her cloths. Other teachers were shocked to see this but they could not stop the mob.

A video of the incident that appeared on social media shows a huge commotion inside the staff room, where the guardians, some of them wearing skullcaps, are seen assaulting the female teacher.

This incident caused a massive tension in and around the school, and police forces were deployed to prevent any more violence. On the next day, the joint BDO and the district school inspector visited the school to take stock of the situation.

Notably, on Friday, a day after the incident, principal of the school Kamal Kumar Jain had claimed that the matter has been resolved after a compromise by between the two parties. But soon it was found to be incorrect, as while a meeting beween the two parties was held, there was no compromise. Later the principal himself went the police station along with teacher Chaitali Chaki to file a case in the matter. In the complaint, several persons including Firdous Mandal, Afruza Mandal, Zakir Hossen, Masud Khatoon and Mafooja Khatoon have been named.

While the students and other parents are demanding action against the mob for assaulting the teacher, nobody has been nabbed by police so far. As a result, protests were carried out on Saturday in the entire South Dinjapur district demanding action against the culprits. Multiple complaints have been already filed with the police by several people and organisations in this regard, including local BJP leaders.

Students of several schools in the area came out in protest yesterday and blocked National Highway 512. They were joined by several former students and parents. However later police removed from the spot to clear the road, after a large number of vehicles were stuck due to the blockade.

In a separate protest, teachers from several local schools held a protest march wearing back cloths on their faces. They were carrying placards condemning the incident and demanding quick action. All Bengal Teachers Association also held a protest rally at Balurghat condemning the attack.

Ranchi: Jharkhand police arrest all four cattle smugglers who killed on-duty sub-inspector Sandhya Topno

OpIndia Staff
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Ranchi: Jharkhand police arrest all four cattle smugglers who killed on-duty sub-inspector Sandhya Topno

All the four accused who mowed down a woman police officer Sandhya Topno to death in Jharkhand’s Ranchi district have been arrested by Jharkhand police in the state capital Ranchi. One of the accused Nigaar Khan was arrested by the police on the spot. Three other accused, who were on the run since the incident, were arrested by the police on Sunday 24th July 2022. The accused are involved in cattle smuggling in the state.

According to a report by Aaj Tak, Ranchi SSP Kaushal Kishore said, “Total 4 accused have been arrested so far. All of these are involved in the incident. The owner and the driver of the van with which SI Sandhya Topno was mowed down, were present in the vehicle at the time of the incident. In addition, two other accused have been arrested. Police are doing everything possible to crack down on the syndicate of cattle smugglers.”

The four arrested accused in the case are identified as Nigaar Khan, Sajid, Shahid, and Tahid. City SP Anshuman Kumar told, “Sub-inspector Sandhya Topno was purposefully mowed down with the pick-up van. One of the accused named Nigaar Khan was nabbed on the spot. Another accused Sajid was absconding. Sajid, his brother Shahid and their father Tahid – all of them are now arrested.”

It is notable that on 20th July 2022, sub-inspector Sandhya Topno was mowed down while she was on duty leading to her death. She was crushed by these arrested accused who were reportedly smuggling cattle. Officer Sandhya was chasing the vehicle that was carrying the animals illegally. She got a tip about the vehicle and ran after the vehicle to nab the accused. However, the accused drove the vehicle in the opposite direction to crush the officer on the spot. Sub-Inspector Sandhya Topno was then immediately shifted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences hospital where the doctors declared her dead. 

‘Politely told her I am not member of electoral college’: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Margaret Alva calling him as part of her VP election campaign

OpIndia Staff
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‘Politely told her I am not member of electoral college’: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Margaret Alva calling him as part of her VP election campaign

On 24th July 2022, Assam’s chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in one of his tweets, took a dig at Margaret Alva – the opposition’s candidate for Vice-President election. Quoting a tweet by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh in which he mentioned Margaret Alva kickstarting her election campaign for the polls by talking with various state chief ministers including Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam chief minister said that he politely informed Margaret Alva that he is not a member of the electoral college and therefore he can’t vote in the VP elections.

Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “Smt. Margaret Alva took charge of her campaign office at 1, Pt Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane today. She spoke to CM Assam, CM Karnataka, & CM Delhi as part of her Vice Presidential campaign. The conversations were very cordial & friendly given her long political career & associations.”

Tweet of Jairam Ramesh

Quoting Congress leader’s tweet, Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted, “Smt. Margaret Alva spoke to me this morning. I politely told her that I’m not a member of the electoral college. As such I have no role in the election of Vice President of India.” Interestingly, Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier shared the same tweet and deleted it. Later he tagged Margaret Alva in his tweet and posted it again.

Tweet of Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both Houses of Parliament, in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote and the voting in such election is by secret ballot. Therefore, only the members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are voters in the VP polls, members of state assemblies don’t vote in this election, ulike the presidential elections.

It is notable that speaking to chief ministers in different states and seeking support from them, therefore, does not make any sense in this election unless the chief minister has some decisive role in his party to guide the Members of Parliament from that particular party. Because it is only the MPs of the parliament who can vote in the election of the Vice-President of India.

Leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Navin Patnaik, KC Rao, YSR Rajshekhar Reddy, and Mamata Banerjee are not only chief ministers but decisive figures in their respective political parties. So talking to these chief ministers holds separate importance in the election of the Vice-President of India. That is not the case with Assam’s chief minister and Karnataka CM, as they are BJP CMs, and not part of BJP’s central leadership.

After the tweet by Himanta Biswa Sarma, Margaret Alva posted a response on Twitter, saying that she is reaching out to leaders from various political parties as part of her campaign for the Vice Presidential election. She tweeted that she is aware of of the electoral college for the elections, but talked to Sarma as an old friend.

“Mr Sarma is an old friend & we’ve worked together long enough for him to know that after 30 yrs. in Parliament, I know what constitutes the electoral college,” she tweeted. Margaret Alva added that she had a nice chat with Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Opposition candidate Margaret Alva is contesting against NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar in the polls, scheduled for 6th August. The results will be declared on the same day.

Ailing mother wanted to marry her off, friend claims she made her fortune through modeling. Here is what we know about Arpita Mukherjee

Dibakar Dutta
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Ailing mother wanted to marry her off, friend claims she made her fortune through modeling. Here is what we know about Arpita Mukherjee

The Mamata Banerjee-led-West Bengal government is under the national spotlight once again after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered a whopping ₹21.20 crores from the residence of actress Arpita Mukherjee on July 22.

Besides the cash, jewellery worth ₹20 lakhs, 22 mobile phones and ₹54 lakh worth of foreign currency were also seized by the central agency. Arpita was arrested on July 23 this year, hours after the arrest of TMC Minister Partha Chatterjee in the same case.

In a statement, the central agency said, “During the searches, the ED recovered cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee, who is a close associate of Partha Chatterjee.”

“The said amount is suspected to be proceeds from the said SSC (School Service Commission) scam,” it further added. The name of the actress has cropped up in a scam pertaining to the recruitment of candidates for the West Bengal Primary Education Board and West Bengal School Service Commission.

An actress by profession, Arpita Mukherjee has worked in Odia, Bengali and Tamil films. She has acted alongside Bengali superstars Jeet and Prosenjit Chatterjee in ‘Partner (2008)’ and ‘Mama Bhagne’ (2009) respectively.

Mukherjee’s close ties with the ruling Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal have dominated the public discourse since the ED’s raid, even though the party has tried to distance itself from her.

In its defence, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Trinamool Congress has no links with the money recovered by the ED. It is the responsibility of those individuals, whose names have surfaced in the scam, to answer questions posed to them.”

This is despite the fact that Arpita Mukherjee was the face of the Naktala Udayan Sangha, the Durga Puja committee of TMC leader Partha Chatterjee, in 2019 and 2020. A poster from the 2020 event is now doing the rounds of the internet.

Arpita Mukherjee was the face of the Naktala Udayan Sangha in 2020, image via India Today

To the party’s embarrassment, a 2019 video of Mamata Banerjee praising the scam-tainted actress had also gone viral on social media.

“Odishai kaaj koro. Valo more koro. oh, korte? (Arpita has worked in Orissa. Keep up the good work. You have worked in Odisha in the past?),” Mamta Banerjee was heard as saying.

“Odiya bolte paro valo more? Odisha te kaaj more Banglar meya…Agar baar o eschelo akhane… Bobby der okhane o jai (Can you speak Odiya? She is Bengal’s daughter who works in Odisha..She had come earlier too. She also visits Bobby [Firhad Hakim]),” the West Bengal CM remarked.

Citing sources, India Today had also reported that Partha Chatterjee frequently visited the residence of the actress. It was also confirmed by the security guard of Arpita Mukherjee’s flat.

According to her longtime friend Soumen Roy, the actress made a name in the industry through modelling. As her career progressed, she got into the nail art business and opened a few stores.

Soumen, who has been acquainted with Arpita Mukherjee since 2002, claimed that he has no idea about the money recovered from her home.

According to Arpita Mukherjee’s mother, she has no idea about the activities of her daughter besides modelling and acting. She informed that Arpita had visited her 3-4 days prior to the ED raid.

“She would come here once in a while and keep in touch…She had acted in several films in Odisha,” she said. “How would I know how Arpita got hold of such a stash of money? The law enforcement authorities will have knowledge about it,” she stated.

While speaking to TV9 Bangla, the elderly woman regretted that her daughter did not secure a central government job, unlike her husband. She said that if Arpita listened to her, then she would have married her off early.

Nonetheless, the Enforcement Directorate is looking into all aspects of the SSC (School Service Commission) scam case and tightening its noose around the accused.

Nepal: Police seize two kg Uranium before smugglers take it to India, 15 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Nepal: Police seize two kg Uranium before smugglers take it to India, 15 arrested

Earlier this month, Nepal Police confiscated two kilos of uranium in Biratnagar near the Nepal-India border which were being smuggled into India. In addition, 15 persons were arrested in this case. While carrying illicit commodities, the traffickers attempted to smuggle the extremely radioactive substance into foreign countries via India. While the incident happened on July 1 and July 3, the news of the arrests and recovery of the Uranium has appeared in media now only.

According to a report by Jagran, the smugglers had planned to cross the border into India via Jogbani, a border town in Bihar’s Araria district. However, the Nepal police thwarted their strategy. The massive collection of radioactive material has sounded the alarm for Indian security officials.

Two kilos of uranium and other items were discovered to be in the custody of the arrested smugglers, who were lodging at two different hotels in Biratnagar, Nepal. They set off from Kathmandu with the intention of crossing the border into India. The recovered uranium is estimated to be worth crores of rupees. Morang SP Shantiraj Koirala confirmed the arrests and recovery of the Uranium in Nepal. He said that the enormous haul of uranium, weighing nearly two kilos along with other suspect materials, was seized from the two hotels in Biratnagar where the smugglers were staying. The police officer confirmed that the smugglers were trying to sneak into India along with the material.

As per a report by Nepal based portal Himalsanchar, 8 people were arrested with one kilogram Uranium on July 1, while another group of 7 people along with a kg of Uranium was arrested on July 3. However, the report said that the people who had the Uranium were trying to sale it. The report says that the first group was arrested when they were waiting for customers at Thuladai Hotel in Biratnagar.

The Indian security agencies is examining the interception of uranium consignments in Nepal. It is being investigated to see if it was utilized for anti-national actions. In addition, police and security services are involved in determining the availability of the radioactive element and syndicate members, reported DNA India.

Uranium is utilized in the production of nuclear weapons. It may also be used to make missiles, tiny shells, and bullets. Uranium-235 is also utilized as a nuclear fuel in power plants. In nuclear power plants, water is heated by uranium to produce steam, which is then utilized to produce electricity.

Bihar terror module case: Accused Marguv Ahmad Danish received cryptocurrency from Qatar for anti-India activities

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar terror module case: Accused Marguv Ahmad Danish received cryptocurrency from Qatar for anti-India activities

On July 24, Bihar Police revealed that Marguv Ahmad Danish, the accused in the Phulwari Sharif terror module case, had received funds in the form of cryptocurrency from Qatar. Danish was arrested by Bihar Police on July 15 for his alleged involvement in creating a terror module in Phulwari Sharif. He was operating two WhatsApp groups named ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ and ‘Direct Jihad’ to propagate anti-India activities.

A Police Officer was quoted by The New Indian Express as saying, “Evidence, collected during the investigation, revealed that Danish received funds in the form of cryptocurrency from Qatar-based organisation Alfalhi.” National Investigation Agency is probing the case. The Officer further added, “Investigations have also revealed that Danish was connected with the Pakistan-based fundamentalist group, Tehriq-e-Labbaiq. He was also in regular touch with Faizan, a Pakistani national.”

During the investigation, the Police found that he had sent messages disrespecting the national flag and symbol of the group (Ghazwa-e-Hind). The terror module was unearthed by the Police on July 14. Three people were arrested by the Police in this matter. On July 20, NIA carried out searches on several locations in Jamia Maria Niswa Madrasa, which is located in the East Champaran district of Bihar. They arrested a teacher named Asghar Ali in connection to the case. NIA took over the case formally on July 23.

Terror module case in Bihar

In the last few weeks, Bihar Police busted several terror modules where youth were getting trained to use arms. The training was provided by the dubious Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). Reports suggest that they had opened several training centres in 12 districts of Bihar. Several raids took place at Patna, Muzaffarpur, Purnia, East Champaran, Motihari, Saran, Darbhanga, and other districts.

To note, one of the documents named ‘India vision 2047’ that has been recovered by the Bihar Police talks about ‘subjugating coward majority community’ and bringing back the glory. According to the Police, the document is very objectionable and talks about the ‘rule of Islam in India’. “PFI is sure that even if 10% of whole Muslim population gather behind it, it will conquer frightened majority group and restore the glory,” Police said, quoting an excerpt from the eight-page long document titled ‘India Vision 2047’.

According to the Police, the document further states that in the event of a full-fledged conflict with the state, apart from relying on cadres, they would need help from their friendly Islamic countries. “In recent years, PFI has built cordial connections with Turkey, a flag-bearer of Islam,” the police official quoted from the document.

Finance Minister had warned against the use of cryptocurrency in terror funding

In April 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had warned that cryptocurrency could be used to fund terrorism in India. She had said that money laundering and terror funding are the biggest concerns when it comes to crypto transactions. Speaking at a seminar on Digital Currency titled “Money at a Crossroad: Public or Private Digital Money?” on April 18, she talked about the need for collective monitoring of crypto transactions to ensure the cryptos are not used to fund terror or for money laundering.

Smriti Irani sends legal notice to Congress leaders, details emerge as to how they dragged her daughter Zoish Irani in the controversy

Nirwa Mehta
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Smriti Irani sends legal notice to Congress leaders, details emerge as to how they dragged her daughter Zoish Irani in the controversy

Union Minister Smriti Irani has issued legal notice to Congress leaders for dragging her personal life into politics and casting aspersions on her 18 year old daughter, Zoish Irani. In a notice addressed to Congress leaders Pawan Khera, Jairam Ramesh, Netta D’Souza and the party itself through its President Sonia Gandhi, Irani has sought them to cease and desist from dissemination of defamatory, derogatory, false and misleading information and allegations on her daughter.

Irani has said that the above leaders have conspired with each other and with other unknown individuals and organisations to launch a series of scathing and belligerent personal attacks against her with oblique motive to malign, defame, injure her and the family’s reputation based on series of falsehoods and gross misinterpretation.

Irani said that the allegations against her daughter were made on behest of the congress leaders at the press briefing addressed at Congress party headquarters. Irani, in her legal notice, has reiterated that her daughter Zoish was never involved in running any bar in Goa and that she had also never applied for any licence for ‘running’ any bar or for any business enterprise. Further, she has also not been served any show cause notice from Excise Department of Goa till date.

In her legal notice, Irani said that the show cause notice issued by the Goa Excise Department was not even in her daughter Zoish’s name as mentioned by Congress in the press conference. She said how it was factually incorrect and the allegations were put across to sensationalise and magnify series of innuendos that has not only hurt Irani’s and her daughter’s reputation but also an attempt to outraging their modesty.

Irani said that the insistence of the Congress leaders to invoke value system of Irani with reference to her ‘sanskar’ were an attempt to make her and her young daughter social outcastes by insinuating that the act of running a bar makes the women disreputable.

She further said that the allegations were baseless and unsubstantiated and published and disseminated without any verification and hence it was a part of larger conspiracy to garner political mileage by sensationalising falsities, misinterpretations and false narratives. Irani added that the false allegations were intended to hurt her reputation as a minister and a person in public life and also to outrage her modesty and that of her daughter.

Subsequently, in her notice she has called upon the Congress leaders to tender a written and unconditional apology within 24 hours and the same should be widely disseminated in print media as well as social media. She has also said that the allegations be unconditionally withdrawn from all platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The Congress leaders are also asked to further cease and desist from disseminating the content regarding the allegations on Zoish Irani. Failing this, Irani has said she will initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the Congress leaders.

Congress accused Smriti Irani’s daughter Zoish of running an illegal ‘bar’ in Goa

Congress leaders on Saturday accused her 18-year old daughter Zoish Irani of running an illegal bar in Goa and asked PM Modi to sack Irani from the cabinet. Rubbishing allegations against her daughter, Irani hauled Congress leaders over the coals and challenged them to show her daughter’s name in the show cause notice they had flashed in the press conference.

Addressing the media, Irani had said on Saturday, that the allegations against her daughter were levelled at the behest of the Congress leadership, i.e the Gandhi family, because she dared to hold a press conference and question Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about the Rs 5,000 crore loot of the Indian treasury. 

Facts of Zoish Irani case

Zoish Irani is currently a student and pursuing her studies. She is neither the owner of the restaurant nor has any stake in it. According to sources, the licence of the restaurant was in name of one Anthony D’Gama and was applied for by his son. In February 2021, when the licence was issued, Anthony D’Gama was alive. The same was renewed in April 2021 and was valid till 31 March 2022 as is the norm.

However, when the license had to be renewed for the financial year 2022-23, the son of the owner applied on the same grounds as he had applied earlier and had specifically stated in the application that he would get the same transferred in his name within a period of 6 months as his father had passed away. As his legal heir, the process of transfer of licence has been initiated and prescribed fees have been paid as per sources. However, the renewed licence is yet to be issued.

Sources say that the person who has led the allegations, one Aires Rodrigues, himself has a series of legal cases slapped against him especially regarding his nationality and has a history of attacking the BJP as well as the leaders. Rodrigues had also wished death upon former Goa CM and ex Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who recently passed away after prolonged cancer. Rodrigues is one lawyer and also identifies himself as ‘RTI activist’.

On 21 July 2022, Goa’s Excise Commissioner Narayan Gad issued a show cause notice to Silly Souls Cafe and Bar in Goa on complaint of Rodrigues. Rodrigues had alleged that the licence obtained was “fraudulent and fabricated documents were produced”. However, as per a Times of India report, the RTI reply on Goa licence does not mention either Smriti Irani or her daughter, Zoish Irani.

Bihar: Six dead in Saran district after multiple explosions at an illegal firecracker factory run by one Reyaju Miyan

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Six dead in Saran district after multiple explosions at an illegal firecracker factory run by one Reyaju Miyan

On Sunday (24 July 2022), several explosions occurred in an illegally operating fireworks factory in Bihar’s Chhapra city in Saran district. Six people have been died in the incident so far. The blast occurred at the house of a man named Mohammad Reyaju Miyan Khan. The explosion was so powerful that it damaged numerous homes in the vicinity. Several people are feared to be trapped in the debris.

The incident occurred in the Khodaibagh village of the Khaira police station area in the Chhapra district. The villagers assert that Reyaju Miyan used to illegally manufacture crackers for fireworks in his own home. Reyaju Miyan is said to have resided with his brother Shabbir Miyan and his family in the house. Locals said that a series of blasts started at 10 AM and continued till 1 PM.

Following the explosion, local police arrived on the scene and began working to rescue the victims trapped beneath the rubble. The blast was so powerful that it completely destroyed Reyaju Miyan’s three-storey home. The FSL team is also on its way from Muzaffarnagar to investigate the matter. Looking at the explosion in Reyaju Miyan’s illegally operating firecracker factory, it is suspected that a highly strong explosive was being manufactured there. However, no information concerning his involvement in any criminal activities has been revealed as of yet.

Following the event, officers from multiple police stations, including Chhapra Sadar SDPO Muneshwar Prasad, Balwara SDPO Inderjit Baitha, Inspector Manju Kumari, Police Station President Vijay Kumar, and a team from the Fire Brigade, arrived on the scene. Five dead bodies have been recovered from the scene.

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