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West Bengal: Bomb squad detonates crude bombs in time in Purba Medinipur, explosion caught on camera, watch video

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West Bengal: Bomb squad detonates crude bombs in time in Purba Medinipur, explosion caught on camera, watch video

On Sunday (May 22), the bomb disposal squad detonated 800 active crude bombs in Bakcha village in Moyna Block in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

As per reports, the police acted on specific inputs and conducted a search operation in the Hogla forest area on Saturday (May 21) evening. The explosives were found stored in 12 plastic drums. The visuals of the detonation were shared by news agency ANI.

“A huge quantity of bombs has been recovered. Combing operation is still underway. Bomb Disposal Squad has started the process to neutralize the bombs found in the Hogla forest area,” informed West Bengal police.

Crude bombs recovered from Margram, Malda

Crude bombs are time and again found in various parts of West Bengal. On March 25 this year, the police recovered 200 crude bombs from Margram village in Rampurhat II CD Block in Birbhum district of West Bengal. The area falls under the administration of the Hansan Vidhan Sabha constituency.

As per reports, about 6 barrels of crude bombs were seized by the police. The bomb squad was also summoned to detonate the live bombs. It must be mentioned that Margram is located only a few kilometres away from Bogtui village, where 8 people were charred to death following the alleged murder of a TMC leader named Bhadu Sheikh.

Last month, four kids were injured in a crude bomb explosion while playing football in West Bengal’s Malda district. The explosives, according to officials, were concealed in a trench nearby a mosque where the children were playing.

The incident occurred in Gopalganj’s Kaliachak police station area. Two of the four children were discharged from the hospital after getting preliminary medication, while the other two underwent treatment at the Malda Medical College and Hospital.

TMC leader Saket Gokhale peddles misinformation about recent reduction in petrol, diesel prices

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TMC leader Saket Gokhale peddles misinformation about recent reduction in petrol, diesel prices

On Sunday, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale took to Twitter to attack Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the cental government’s recent decision to reduce excise duty on petrol and diesel.

Sitharaman had announced a cut in excise duty on Saturday evening, which paved way for reduction of fuel price across India.

Calling the Finance Minister a ‘spin doctor’, the Trinamool Congress leader claimed that the decision is a loss to the exchequer of the states. As per Saket Gokhale, the reduction in excise duty meant that the centre will have to share the burden with the state, resulting in less devolution of excise duty to the states.

According to Saket Gokhale, the states’ share 42 per cent of the fuel excise duty, and after yesterday’s cut, the states have to forego Rs.2.52/litre on petrol and Rs. 3.36/litre on diesel in revenue.

He also claimed that the Finance Minister did not reduce the cess on fuels, which goes entirely to Union Govt. “It is an eyewash,” Gokhale, a known peddler of fake news, claimed on social media.

However, the claims made by former Congress troll-turned-TMC leader Saket Gokhale that the centre’s decision to slash the excise duty would cost the states’ share of excise duty are outrightly false.

Will states lose tax revenue due to excise rate cut?

Short answer is no. Let us understand how states will not lose any tax revenue due to a slash in excise rates by the centre.

The central government has the power to levy taxes on the production of petroleum products, while states tax their sale. The central government charges an excise duty of 31 per cent and 34 per cent of the current retail prices of petrol and diesel. In addition, the dealer commission is 4 per cent for petrol and 3 per cent for diesel.

Further, the state governments levy sales tax/ Value Added Tax (VAT), which vary across states.

In addition, the central excise duty has two components: basic excise duty and cess on petrol and diesel. The centre shares some part of the levied taxes with the states as part of its tax devolution process. The Centre retains the cess part and the remaining excise duty.

Besides this, there is additional excise duty. It is the duty which the Centre raises time-to-time when fuel companies lower the base price due to the lower cost of the crude oil in the global market. However, the Centre nullifies it by raising special additional excise duty to fund its infrastructure projects.

The latest reduction in the duty is not from the Excise duty but instead from the additional Excise Duty, which is not shared with the states. Hence, the proposed reduction is entirely borne by the Centre.

In addition, the claims of Saket Gokhale that the Centre has not reduced the cess and instead has only slashed the duties of excise duty are also untrue as the government officials have confirmed that the latest tax cut includes cutting the cess component, which will not impact states’ share of money from the tax collection.

Similar misinformation was shared by Congress leader and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday evening after the announcement of reduction in excise rates. However, later when the circular was published, he retracted his comments and corrected himself that the entire burden of excise cut shall be borne by the Centre.

“Hence, contrary to what I said yesterday, the entire burden of the reduction falls on the centre. To that extent, I stand corrected. The states are getting very little by way of share of duties on Petrol and Diesel. Their revenue is from VAT on Petrol and Diesel,” P Chidambaram tweeted.

Hence, the claim put out by Saket Gokhale that the centre is eating away the tax money of the states by slashing the excise duty without consulting the states is factually incorrect.

Vishal Kotian releases deceased actor Siddharth Shukla’s song, fans outrage at release of the song against Shukla family’s wishes

OpIndia Staff
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Vishal Kotian releases deceased actor Siddharth Shukla’s song, fans outrage at release of the song against Shukla family’s wishes

Former Bigg Boss 15 contestant Vishal Kotian released a song featuring the deceased actor and the winner of Bigg Boss 13 Siddharth Shukla. Fans of the late actor have slammed Vishal Kotian on social media for not taking the consent of the Shukla family before releasing the song. The song titled ‘Jeena Zaroori Hai’ was released on 20th May 2022 and Vishal Kotian shared it from his Instagram handle. Along with late actor Siddharth Shukla, Vishal Kotian, and actress Deepika Tripathi also appear in this song.

Fans of Siddharth Shukla did not like this and they have asked Kotian to take this song down. Many of them have accused Vishal Kotian of releasing and posting this song just to encash the popularity of the late Siddharth Shukla.

Soon after Vishal Kotian shared the post, Siddharth Shukla’s fans rushed to comment on the post and ask whether he had taken prior permission from the Shukla family.

One of the fans wrote in his comment, “Even after the official statement released by Sidharth Shukla family, how could the team disrespect it. End of humanity. Shame on the entire team of the song !! STOP USING SIDDHARTH SHUKLA NAME FOR YOUR OWN CHEAP TACTICS.”

Another fan wrote in his comment, “The family said no. Do you have something called common sense or not? You make me sick. Catch somebody else for the footage and views! Leave him alone!”

It is notable that television actor Sidharth Shukla died of a heart attack in Mumbai on 2nd September 2021. His family had earlier issued a statement that read, “We, as a family, come with a request, which we hope everyone will respect. Sidharth has moved on and no longer can he make decisions for himself, but he’s still an integral part of our lives and our memories and we are there to protect his wishes. We request everyone who wants to use Sidharth’s name and/or face in any project, please reach out to us. Please take a moment to ask us. We knew Sidharth’s choices, we knew what he would have wanted and our decisions for him would be keeping all this in mind. And if there are projects that he wasn’t happy with, we are sure he wouldn’t want them released. Anything that did not release when he was with us, did not have his consent or intent for release. So please let’s keep his wishes in mind and let’s remember him with love, with respect, with fond memories, the ones he left us with. From, The Shukla Family.”

West Bengal: 3 arrested for printing counterfeit US dollars in Burdwan, BJP says TMC linked to the racket

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: 3 arrested for printing counterfeit US dollars in Burdwan, BJP says TMC linked to the racket

On Thursday (May 19), the police had busted a factory, printing fake currency, including counterfeit US dollars as well as Indian Rupees, in East Mathpara near Khagragarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal.

A total of 3 people, namely, Gopal Singh, Bipul Sarkar and Dipankar Chakraborty, were apprehended by the police in the case. ABP Ananda reported that Gopal rented a house with two other women about 5 months ago where Gopal set up the factory.

They had introduced themselves as human rights activists while renting the house. As per a report in News 18 Bangla, there were a total of 3 women in the house. Two of them were said to be physically disabled. One of the women also had a child.

Given their medical condition, the neighbours treated them with sympathy. However, they were oblivious to the fake currency factory that was being operated from that house by the accused.

Burdwan police received information that several businessmen were being handed out fake notes in the area. After conducting a probe into the matter, the police raided the premises of the house on Thursday (May 19) and arrested the 3 accused.

“We had no idea about their operations. When we saw police vehicles outside the house, we realised that something was fishy. The accused would hardly interact with others. After the incident, we are now in a state of fear,” informed a neighbour to ABP Ananda.

Screengrab of the fake identity card used by Gopal Singh

The Burdwan police recovered 24 fake ₹500 rupee notes, worth ₹12,000. They also seized counterfeit US dollars, chemicals and paper for printing fake currency. To their surprise, the cops found fake Identity cards, affiliated with the CBI and Anti-Corruption Foundation of India, in the name of Gopal Singh.

The cops are now interrogating the accused to determine the locations, where the fake notes were being circulated. The trio were produced before a local court on Friday (May 20). According to News18 Bangla, Dipankar Chakraborty is the mastermind of the racket.

Accused Gopal Singh spotted with TMC leaders

After the matter came to light, an image of accused Gopal Singh sharing the stage with TMC leaders went viral on social media. The accused in the fake currency racket was seen alongside Trinamool Congress spokesperson Prosenjit Das, leaders Ainul Haque and Rasbihari Haldar.

Gopal Singh spotted with TMC leaders, image via Zee 24 Ghanta

The picture was taken at a sports event in Ward no.12 of the Burdwan district. While hitting out at the TMC, BJP leader Mrityunjay Chandra remarked, “We had doubts about TMC’s involvement in the racket. It has now turned out to be true. Earlier, we had seen the party’s involvement in the 2014 Khagragarh blast.”

TMC spokesperson Prosenjit Das, who was seen with Gopal Singh, has rejected the allegations, “BJP’s job is to level false allegations. The police investigation is underway. The truth will be unearthed soon.”

Qutub Minar: Minister of Culture denies reports that the Archaeological Survey of India is asked to conduct excavation at the complex

OpIndia Staff
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Qutub Minar: Minister of Culture denies reports that the Archaeological Survey of India is asked to conduct excavation at the complex

Union Minister of Culture, GK Reddy has denied media reports that his ministry has asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct an excavation at the Qutub Minar complex to ascertain the facts behind its origin.

Earlier, the media had reported that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been tasked with conducting an excavation drive in the Qutub complex to ascertain the facts about the structure. The reports claimed that after visiting the Qutub Minar complex and surveying it for almost two hours, Govind Mohan, Secretary, the Ministry of Culture, issued directives to the ASI to conduct an excavation on the site.

As per a report by Dainik Jagran, excavation was supposed to take place at the Qutub Minar complex, where the ruins of buried Hindu temples are expected to be discovered.

Dharamveer Sharma, the former Regional Director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), recently claimed that Qutub Minar was actually Surya Stambh. He said it was erected by Emperor Vikramaditya, not the Mughals. He also stated that the edifice was not built in sections as some historians claim.

Dharamveer Sharma is one of India’s most well-known archaeologists. He has served three times as Superintending Archaeologist at ASI’s Delhi division. According to another report in Jagran, he worked actively on Qutub Minar conservation and visited the Minaret several times. He claimed to have observed Devanagari script inside the minaret.

Sharma explained that the tower was used as a constellation observatory. The Minaret has 27 binocular sites to compute 27 constellations. He further stated that Surya Stambh is mentioned on the third floor of the Minaret.

NMA asked to move Hindu idols from the Qutub Minar complex

The National Monuments Authority (NMA) had recently requested that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) remove two Ganesha statues from the Qutub Minar complex. Late last month, the NMA chairman wrote to ASI, seeking that two Ganesh idols known as Ulta Ganesh and Ganesh in cage be shifted from the Qutub Minar complex to the National Museum. He considered the “placement of the idols” insulting and felt their location should be changed.

(The report has been updated following the Union Minister’s statement)

‘Is Matoshree a mosque?’ MNS chief Raj Thackeray hits out at Rana couple for trying to recite Hanuman Chalisa there

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‘Is Matoshree a mosque?’ MNS chief Raj Thackeray hits out at Rana couple for trying to recite Hanuman Chalisa there

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray held a rally at Pune on Sunday, 22nd of May 2022. In this rally, he said, “I told that if the Azaan is heard from the loudspeakers on a mosque, then play Hanuman Chalisa in front of it. The Rana couple got up and went to ‘Matoshree’ (CM Uddhav Thackeray’s residence) to chant Hanuman Chalisa. Is ‘Matoshree’ a mosque?” Raj Thackeray held this rally after canceling the Ayodhya visit that he had announced in his earlier public meetings.

Earlier, Thackeray had said that if the Azaan via loudspeakers doesn’t stop in the state of Maharashtra, he will install loudspeakers outside mosques and play Hanuman Chalisa at double the volume. Following his statements, Amravati MP Navneet Rana and her MLA husband Ravi Rana jumped on the bandwagon. They announced that they will recite Hanuman Chalisa outside the CM residence ‘Matoshree’.

However, protests by Shiv Sena members against them caused them to cancel their plans. They were subsequently booked under various sections, including sedition, and arrested by the Mumbai Police. They have since been granted conditional bail in the cases against them.

Apart from targeting the Rana couple over their decision to head to ‘Matoshree’, Raj Thackeray also addressed the issue of cancelation of his Ayodhya visit. He said, “The day we announced our stand against the loudspeaker, on the same day I declared the date of going to Ayodhya in Pune. Within a few days, discussions started that Raj Thackeray should apologize. I was watching everything that was going on. I was getting information from Mumbai, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. There came a time when I realized that this was a trap. We shouldn’t fall into this trap because all these things started in Maharashtra and were controlled from here.”

Explaining his motive behind the Ayodhya visit, Raj Thackeray said, “It is necessary to visit the Ram Janmabhoomi. But I think many of you weren’t even born then (at the time of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement). There were no channels like today. At that time, Doordarshan was the only channel. It used to run newsreels on television. I still remember it was the Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh when the karsevaks from all over India went to Ayodhya, and our karsevaks were killed. I had seen the bodies of all those karsevaks floating in the Saryu river.”

Thackeray further added, “I wanted to have a darshan of Ram Janambhoomi, but I also wanted to see the place where my karsevaks were killed. Many do not understand the sentiments in politics. Let it be. If I had decided to go there tomorrow, many of you from Maharashtra would have come there. If something had happened there, you would have been trapped with cases and been put in jail. I thought I wouldn’t cause harm and hurt to my men like this. All these key officials would also be trapped with cases and no one would be here at the time of the upcoming election. This was their plan.”

About Brijbhushan Singh of BJP who had asked Raj Thackeray to apologize before entering Uttar Pradesh, Raj Thackeray said, “An MP gets up and challenges the chief minister there. Is it even possible? It has many layers. There are some that I can’t even talk about. Have you woken up now? Raj Thackeray should apologize and so on? And he remembers it now after 12-14 years later? Everyone should remember that this is leading in the wrong direction. If it is all about apologizing, then listen, there is a member in Gujarat and his name is Alpesh Thakur. After the rape of a girl in Gujarat, the people of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar were killed, in one night 10-15 thousand Biharis, Uttar Pradesh people were driven out. Who’s going to apologize from there?”

He further said, “I thought Maharashtra would be enraged when a MIM man went to Aurangzeb’s grave. But Maharashtra is cold. See his grave at the base of Pratapgarh, whom Shivachhatrapati had killed. It has expanded to 15 to 20 thousand square feet today. The mosque of Afzal Khan has stood there. Funding is coming in for that. Who and how is giving this funding? Because we’re sitting quietly. We have nothing to do with it.”

Raj Thackeray, who is set to undergo hip bone surgery, said that he will soon give a letter to the people of Maharashtra. He said, “I’m going to give you a letter. Everyone is requested that the letter should reach every house. This is a movement. It doesn’t have to be done on the road every time. But the people’s cooperation is necessary. Then only these things like loudspeakers in mosques will stop. It will take two to four weeks for recovery after the surgery next week. After a month or two, I’ll be back in front of you. Till then we continue this movement. The letter is to be delivered to the homes of all Hindu brothers.”

’17-year-old’ Amjad Fayed ‘killed’ by Israeli forces was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, had fought Israeli forces

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’17-year-old’ Amjad Fayed ‘killed’ by Israeli forces was a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, had fought Israeli forces

According to reports, an Israeli operation in Jenin, West Bank, on Saturday resulted in the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian boy. Amjad al-Fayed, 17, was recognised as the deceased youth by the ‘Palestinian health ministry.’ According to the report, another 18-year-old Palestinian was critically injured by the Israeli gunfire.

“A 17-year-old boy was killed and an 18-year-old was critically wounded by the Israeli occupation’s bullets during its aggression on Jenin,” the statement by the ‘ministry’ reads.

Molotov cocktails and explosives were hurled at Israeli forces during an operation in the region, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Locals claim that an undercover Israeli military unit was discovered by civilians on a major route in Jenin, near the boundaries of the Jenin refugee camp. Following that, confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian terrorists began. According to the IDF, a passing car opened fire as well on Israeli troops.

A statement by IDF reads, “During IDF operational activity near the town of Kafr Dan overnight, a number of suspects shot live fire at IDF soldiers from a passing vehicle. The suspects also hurled Molotov cocktails and an explosive device toward the soldiers. The soldiers responded with live fire in retaliation. Hits were identified.”

Several people on social media shared as the 17-year-old was ‘killed’ in the operation.

The youngster was allegedly a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group. Images and videos of him with firearms attacking and participating in conflicts may be seen on an Instagram account he allegedly uses.

Instagram post.
Instagram post.
Instagram post.

According to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organisation identified the boy as one of its fighters and said that he had fought Israeli forces.

On their official Telegram channel, the Al-Quds brigade, the militant branch of Islamic Jihad, issued a message of condolences for al-Fayed, claiming that his uncles were members of Islamic Jihad and had participated in an ambush in 2002 that killed 13 Israeli troops.

Afghanistan: Female TV presenters defy diktat to cover their faces, receive threats from the Taliban government

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Afghanistan: Female TV presenters defy diktat to cover their faces, receive threats from the Taliban government

On Saturday (May 21), several female news presenters in Afghanistan appeared on TV without a face veil, in defiance of the Taliban diktat which made covering the face mandatory for the women.

As per reports, female journalists associated with 3 broadcast stations in Afghanistan went ahead with their live programmes without a face cover. The Taliban-led Afghan government has now threatened the women with termination from their organisations.

The radical Islamic outfit has also warned media managers who ‘failed’ to enforce their diktat. The development comes days after the Taliban had ordered female Afghan journalists to cover their faces during news programmes.

“If they don’t comply, we will talk to the managers and guardians of the presenters. Anyone who lives under a particular system and government has to obey the laws and orders of that system, so they must implement the order,” remarked Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Sadeq Akif Mohajir. 

While reacting to the Taliban’s diktat, journalist Wali Adrian had tweeted, “A powerful message from an Afghan woman (Tolo TV Host) that needs reflection: This is me, Yalda Ali, a woman -on verge of being eliminated by the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. We are required to appear like this, hereafter.”

Reportedly, the women declined to wear a face cover, fearing that it would lead to even more restrictions in future.“Our female colleagues are concerned that if they cover their faces, the next thing they would be told is to stop working,” Shamshad TV Head Abid Ehsas pointed out.

“This is the reason they have not observed the order so far,” he added. Although women had to wear headscarves on TV, the Taliban has now made covering the face mandatory.

While reacting to the orders of the Islamist outfit, a female journalist told the BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV. How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now – I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family.”

‘Head-to-toe’ burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan

Earlier this month, Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had issued a decree making an all-covering burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan. The decree by Akhundzada was released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul.

“They should wear a chador (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful”, the decree said. Recently, the Islamist outfit had declared that women would not be allowed to wear coloured Hijab.

According to reports on social media, female students who were wearing coloured hijab or scarves were not allowed to enter a university in Kabul on May 18 this year. Videos posted on social media showed Taliban operatives standing near the gate of the university and guiding the women who were wearing coloured Hijab. 

From cracking down on girls’ education in the country, to stopping women from flying alone, the Taliban has continued to oppress women in the country. The general disdain for the women under the Taliban rule can be seen in all spheres of society.

Gujarat: Cops book one Rafiq Mansoor for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus

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Gujarat: Cops book one Rafiq Mansoor for hurting religious sentiments of Hindus

On Saturday (May 21), the police booked a man named Rafiq Mansoor for deliberately hurting the sentiments of the Hindu community, reported Desh Gujarat.

The accused had uploaded an objectionable Whatsapp post at around 8:30 pm. Desh Gujarat reported that he made abusive and insulting remarks about Hinduism. He also made despicable comments about a Hindu deity.

Mansoor is a resident of Tadkeshwar village in Mandvi Taluka of Surat. Reportedly, the locals have demanded strong action from the police against him. This comes soon after the discovery of Shivling inside the disputed structure Gyanvapi ‘mosque’ at Kashi.

It must be mentioned that a Delhi court had recently granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal who was arrested over a derogatory social media post after a Shivling was found in the disputed Gyanvapi complex.

In his bail plea, the Delhi Professor touted himself as a follower of the Hindu religion. ”It is further argued that the accused is a person of repute who is himself a follower of Hindu religion and does not seek to create animosity between religious groups,” the bail plea read.

The court ruled that the professor could walk out on bail after furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000.

How Kishan Bharwad was killed over alleged blasphemy

While Rafiq Mansoor has only been booked over his anti-Hindu posts and Ratan Lal has even been granted bail by the Judiciary, the scenario was different for Kishan Bharwad.

On 25th January 2022, Dhandhuka youth Kishan Bharwad was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants after he had shared a social media post that contained a visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims find the image of Prophet Muhammad offensive and killing those who commit such a ‘blasphemy’ is allowed and encouraged by Islamists.

Following Kishan Bharwad’s murder, at least 6 clerics were arrested from across India. While Hindus are paying with their lives on charges of blasphemy for questioning other Faiths, Islamists and their sympathisers are able to exploit legal loopholes to get away with their actions.

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin hugs Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict upon his release, Congress ally had been fighting to get him out of jail

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Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin hugs Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict upon his release, Congress ally had been fighting to get him out of jail

On May 18, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin met AG Perarivalan, one of the convicts in former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. CM Stalin shared a video where he was seen hugging Perarivalan. Notably, his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been rooting for Perarivalan’s release for a long time.

In the tweet, he mentioned Perarivalan as a ‘brother’ and wished for his better future along with his mother, Arputhammal, who had been fighting for his release. Earlier, CM Stalin had shared a four-page long press release in Tamil where he patted his Government’s back and called the judgment of the Supreme Court worthy of ‘history, law, politics and administrative history’.

In the argument presented by the state in the Supreme Court, it was mentioned that the IPC 302 was subject to the public order of the state government, and Governor had to approve the decision made by the state government. The statement mentioned that the Supreme Court Judges noted that the Governor could not interfere in the State Government’s decisions.

The release of Perarivalan

In 2014, the then-Tamil Nadu government led by AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa invoked the state’s powers under Section 432 of CrPC and sent a recommendation to the Centre to release all convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, including Perarivalan. At that time, Stalin’s party supported the decision. After the release of Perarivalan, AIADMK is also trying to take credit for the release.

In 2018, after coming to power, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu cabinet passed a resolution to release seven convicts of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination under Article 161 and was sent to the Governor of Tamil Nadu for approval. However, the decision from the Governor’s office remained pending.

In 2020, Stalin approached the Governor and urged him to approve the pending request to release Perarivalan as ordered by the Supreme Court. The Governor said he would consider the request, said CM Stalin in the recent press release. However, the request was forwarded to the President of India, stating he was the right authority to make the decision to release the convicts.

The matter came before the Supreme Court, which granted bail to Perarivalan in March 2022, followed by a release in May 2022. The Centre had opposed bail granted to Perarivalan in March. It is noteworthy that Perarivalan has not been declared ‘not guilty by the Supreme Court. It was only judicial in nature. He was released by the Apex court over legal aspects and the fact the Governor did not take a decision over his release for long.

Congress party’s stand on Perarivalan’s release

On May 19, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TMCC) held a silent protest against the release of Perarivalan. However, the Congress party has made it clear that the different stand on his release would not affect the alliance between Congress and DMK.

The Gandhi family, interestingly, did not oppose the release of the convicts. Former Union Minister S. Thiruvanavakarasu had said in a statement that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi never said they (convicts) should not be released. “Both Rahul and Sonia will not have any regrets over the release of Perarivalan,” said Thiruvanavakarasu. The statement had come a day before the silent protest was organized.

BJP’s stand on the release

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has opposed the release of the convicts since the beginning. Stating that the blast that took the life of a former Prime Minister also killed several innocents and injured others, the party has marked its protest against the release. BJP leader and state president K Annamalai said the Supreme Court had confirmed the death sentence of four convicts, including Perarivalan. “But as remissions followed and there were multiple rounds, the Supreme Court has given an extraordinary judgement which is given in a special case,” he added.

He said though BJP accepts the decision by the Apex court, it is firm on the state that all the seven convicts are grave offenders. “Seventeen people died along with Rajiv Gandhi on a fatal day. The deceased included eight police personnel,” he said.

Lashing out at TN CM Stalin, Annamalai said, “They are not tyagis (one who sacrifices oneself) to be glorified. There are thousands of people in Tamil Nadu who can be glorified. Hence, the DMK and party president and chief minister M K Stalin have set a very bad example by giving an extraordinary welcome to Perarivalan. “Let him [Perarivalan] live his life, but the chief minister should not set a wrong example,” he said.

He further blamed Congress for putting a double act and said, “But then they go to the DMK begging Rajya Sabha seats. The people of Tamil Nadu are watching them closely.”

Relatives of other victims were pained by the release

The other victims of the Rajiv Gandhi Assassination are not happy with the release. India Today quoted S Abbas, son of a victim identified as S Samdhani Begum, who recalled how difficult it was for him to survive. He was only 10-year-old when his mother, a South Mahila Congress leader, was killed in the blast in 1991. Abbas’s father had died in 1988. She was standing close to Rajiv Gandhi at the time of the incident.

He said, “Imagine the difficulties of a 10-year-old child with both parents gone. I lost everything in my life, and the 16 families of the victims have lost everything in their lives too. This year one of the convicts was released. How is it justice? He is a convict in the case, and we are the victims. What humanitarian grounds are you seeing? It has been 31 years. He was released, but will they be able to give back my mother?”

Disappointed with the visuals of CM hugging him, Abbas said, “The CM hugging Perarivalan is such a disappointment. We are the victim and not him. It is all for political gain that these parties support Perarivalan. These politicians should visit us and see our pain and how our lives have been shattered.”

Another victim’s brother, John Joseph, also expressed his anger. John’s brother Edward Joseph, a CID inspector, was on Gandhi’s security on a fateful day. 67-year-old John said, “My brother was just 39, his death left my entire family in the dark. My mother developed heart problems and died of cardiac arrest. My sister-in-law was widowed at a young age with a small child. I was the one who identified my brother post his killing. I have knocked every possible door for justice, but the release of Perarivalan is a grave injustice to us all.” Pained John added the court might have released him, but “he [Perarivalan] would pay the price in God’s court”.

Rajiv Gandhi Assassination

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on May 21 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. On that fateful day, along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 13 others had lost their lives.

Perarivalan was arrested in the case at the age of 19. He was sentenced to death in May 1999. He was charged with purchasing the 8-volt battery used to detonate the belt bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. During the lengthy pendency of their mercy petitions, his sentence and that of two others, Murugan and Santhan (both Sri Lankans), were commuted to life in prison in 2014. Soon after, the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu ordered the release of all seven of the case’s convicts.

When Rajiv Gandhi’s family, including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, chose to ‘forgive’ the convicts and said they had no objection if the killers were released, the kin of those who had died along with Rajiv Gandhi was not too happy with the move.

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