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Land belongs to ‘self-manifested’ God: Kashi Vishwanath Mandir challenges UP Sunni Waqf Board’s claim that the temple is Waqf property

OpIndia Staff
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Land belongs to ‘self-manifested’ God: Kashi Vishwanath Mandir challenges UP Sunni Waqf Board’s claim that the temple is Waqf property

On Thursday, Advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi continued his argument on behalf of the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and other Hindu parties, in a suit seeking the removal of the Gyanvapi Mosque and restoration of the original land to Hindus. Before the bench led by Justice Prakash Padia, Advocate Rastogi challenged the U.P Sunni Central Waqf Board’s claim that the disputed property upon which the Gyanvyapi Masjid stands today is a Waqf property.

Advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi who has been appointed as ‘the next friend of Lord Vishweshwar’ argued on behalf of the deity that the Waqf Act is only applicable to Muslims. Rastogi also pointed out that the temple or the lord (Vishweshwar) had never been served any notice regarding Waqf Board’s alleged claim that the property is a declared Waqf property. He argued that in the absence of such notice, the Act will not be applicable to the other party.

Challenging the Waqf board’s claims

Quoting from Section 6 (1) of the Waqf Act, 1954, Rastogi said, “(In the act), the term “any person interested therein”, includes any person to whom a reasonable opportunity had been afforded to represent his case by notice served on him. How the property of a person who does not have an interest in Waqf or is not benefited from Waqf (in this case the Lord) can be attached?” Rastogi asked. He argued that the property belonging to non-Muslims cannot be attached without the service of notice.

Further, Advocate Rastogi argued that according to section 5 of the Waqf act, 1995, if the property of Gyanwyapi Mosque is to be assumed to be registered as a Waqf property, it needed to be registered again. Since there is no document of record to show the registration of the property as Waqf, the argument by the Waqf board does not hold much water. “The Sunni Waqf Board had illegally and arbitrarily registered the property of the temple as the property of the mosque, hence it is void,” he asserted.

On Hindu religious nature of the disputed property

Furthermore, Advocate Ajay Kumar Singh said that there was no permission ever granted to offer Namaz in the temple. Rastogi interjected and clarified the issue of whether to call the land a mosque or a temple. “Some people call the disputed property a mosque, some people call it a temple, how will it be decided? – The religious character of the property will be considered for this,” he ascertained. He observed that the religious character of the temple was never changed, only the structure of one part of it has changed.

Rastogi then referred to the judgment in the appeal filed in 1937, filed by one Deen Mohammad for a granting declaration that the disputed land was Waqf without impleading any member of the Hindu community. The applicant had sought a declaration that he and other Muslims had the right to pray specially Alvida prayers and to exercise other religious and legal rights on the disputed property. The judgement given by the lower court had held that Hindu deities including ‘Gauri Ji’, ‘Bir Bhadeshwar Ji’ and ‘Abhi Mukteshwar’ were recognized to be residing inside the disputed property.

“The boundary wall that surrounds the Gyanwyapi Masjid from all the sides is much older than the Masjid and was earlier part of the boundary wall temple,” he further noted. After hearing the arguments from Advocate Rastogi, the bench decided to adjourn the hearing till May 9, 2022.

‘Hindus have to settle with just one wife or they are abandoned like Anandiben’: Masood Hashmi kicked out of TV debate for disrespecting UP Governor Anandiben Patel

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hindus have to settle with just one wife or they are abandoned like Anandiben’: Masood Hashmi kicked out of TV debate for disrespecting UP Governor Anandiben Patel

Political analyst Masood Hashmi of the Muslim Ittihad Foundation was kicked out of a debate on India TV hosted by anchor Meenakshi Joshi for disrespectfully mentioning Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on 27th April 2022. The debate was going on the topic of the Uniform Civil Code. Muslim scholar Maulana Sajid Rashidi, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala and political analyst Shivam Tyagi were the other panellists involved in the discussion.

When asked why the All India Muslim Personal Law Board opposes the uniform civil code even before it is drafted and presented before the parliament, Masood Hashmi said, “Hindus say that we poor Hindus can marry just once and in case we have a fight with our wife we have to go to the court for separating. So I welcome the Uniform Civil Code that allows Hindus to keep four wives at a time.”

Masood Hashmi’s ridiculous argument did not stop here. He went on to disrespect Uttar Pradesh’s Governor Anandiben Patel. He said, “The real problem with Hindus is that they feel that a Muslim can have four wives but we have to settle on just one. And then they have concepts like Devi and Basi and Dasi. Or they are abandoned just like Anandiben. If you have a problem with just one wife, go on, marry four. Who is stopping you from doing that?”

He further said, “Hindu society has a problem with just one wife too. As Anandiben could not handle the marriage she was left out. Unlike her, Modi Ji is enjoying, but unfortunately, Anandiben is left out.”

BJP spokesperson Shazad Poonawala condemned his remarks and said that such remarks on the honorable Governor are not tolerable. Anchor Meenakshi Joshi immediately expelled Masood Hashmi from the debate saying, “Any kind of disrespectful remarks for a person holding a constitutional post or his family members is not welcome. India TV does not have any place for someone who makes such remarks.”

This is not the first time that Masood Hashmi is kicked out of a TV show for making such controversial remarks. Earlier on 23rd September 2021, while debating about Muslim youths converting Hindu young girls forcefully, Masood Hashmi had said on a show aired by Zee Hindustan, “Hindu parents get their daughters hitched to Muslim men. Because Hindus take dowry while Muslims don’t. So, they tell their daughters to marry Muslim men over Hindus.”

Rohit Ranjan, who was hosting that show, interrupted Hashmi and asked him to get out of the show. While expelling Masood Hashmi from the show, he had said, “People with such crooked thoughts are not welcome anywhere. Who are you to question the Hindu religion?”

FCC commissioner shoots down ‘absurd’ demand of George Soros funded group to block Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition

OpIndia Staff
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FCC commissioner shoots down ‘absurd’ demand of George Soros funded group to block Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition

On 27th April 2022, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected the demand to block Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr shot down the demand terming it as ‘absurd’, which was raised by a left-leaning group Open Markets Institute which is funded by investor George Soros. The Commissioner clarified that the FCC has not such authority to block the deal, and that’s why termed the demand as ‘absurd’.

Open Markets Institute is an anti Big Tech group which fights against alleged monopolies by social media giants. It claimed that Elon Musk purchasing Twitter will be a direct threat to free speech in America. The group also claimed that as Musk already owns the Starlink satellite broadband network, he should not be allowed to own Twitter.

Open Markets Institute (OMI) had published a statement on 26th April 2022 in which it said, “Twitter’s board agreed to sell the corporation to Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX. The Open Markets Institute believes the deal poses a number of immediate and direct threats to American democracy and free speech. Open Markets also believes the deal violates existing law, and that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have ample authority to block it.”

It further said, “The most obvious problem is that the deal would give to a single man – one who already wields immense political and economic power – direct control over one of the world’s most important platforms for public communications and debate. As has been true from the Founding, the American people have an absolute right to ensure the full openness and neutrality of all essential public infrastructure.”

They added, “Yesterday’s deal also violates the law at a more technical level. Mr. Musk already controls one of the most important internet platforms in the world – in the form of the satellite communications system Starlink.” The group said that as US government already prevents mergers between existing “essential platforms”, the deal should be blocked. The group said, “as we would now expect the U.S. government to block a takeover of Twitter by Google, Facebook, Comcast, or Verizon, the same rules apply to the owners of Starlink”.

The OMI statement added, “Elon Musk’s effort to buy Twitter is not the only threat to free communications and debate in the United States. The size, scope, and business models of Facebook, Google, and Amazon also pose a wide variety of often extreme threats to American democracy and the basic rights of citizens. That’s why law enforcers and Congress should view this deal as an opportunity to firmly reestablish clear bans on any manipulation of communications by essential platforms, and to eliminate all business models that rely on such manipulation.”

Brendan Carr, a Trump-appointed FCC commissioner, shot down this claim signed by OMI Director Barry Lynn as absurd, saying that FCC has no such authority. Carr said in a statement on Wednesday 27th April 2022, “The FCC has no authority to block Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter, and to suggest otherwise is absurd. I would welcome the full FCC making it clear that we will not entertain these types of frivolous arguments.” He also added that it is particularly frivolous to ask the agency to do so in the name of protecting free speech and open debate.

While talking to the Fox Business, Brendan Carr said, “It does not surprise me to see that some interest groups are planning on throwing the kitchen sink at this transaction in an effort to derail it. Of course, the FCC has no authority to block this transaction. And while I am not in a position to speak for the DOJ or the FTC – the other agencies that were identified in that Open Markets Institute release – I am not aware of any basis upon which any federal agency can block it. But I defer to those agencies to speak to the scope of their authorities.”

Brendan Carr concluded by saying “Suffice it to say, it is far from clear that the groups objecting to this transaction are going to do so because they’re interested in the neutral application of competition and antitrust laws – these efforts look like a move motivated by a desire to prevent the free exchange of political views on Twitter.”

It is notable that Open Markets Institute is one of the groups funded by billionaire investor George Soros. His organization Open Society Foundation had provided a $180,000 two-year grant in 2018 to the Open Markets Institute for work around web platforms. Open Society Foundations acting Co-Director of U.S. Programs Laleh Ispahani earlier said in a statement, “Mr. Soros’s speech reflected rising concern about the effects of a handful of giant internet platforms having so much influence, and we’re certainly examining new ways we might address those concerns in ongoing conversations not just in the U.S. but among our foundation colleagues globally.”

According to the Open Society Foundation, the sole purpose of investing in the Open Markets Institute is reimagining pathways for algorithmic accountability of platforms and organizations that produce and distribute content, such as search and recommendation engines and social media.

International Toolkit activated again: Mehdi Hassan, footballer Mesut Ozil, Padma Lakshmi demonise India over ‘Muslim persecution’

OpIndia Staff
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International Toolkit activated again: Mehdi Hassan, footballer Mesut Ozil, Padma Lakshmi demonise India over ‘Muslim persecution’

As the holy month of Ramzan has marked escalated violence on Hindus on their festivals, the rampant campaign against Hindus in India has spread on a global scale. Recently, British-American Journalist Mehdi Hassan, TV presenter and Chef Padma Lakshmi and German Footballer Mesut Ozil have made unimaginable assertions against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while being openly complicit in being propagandists over so-called narrative of ‘Muslim Persecution in India’.

Mehdi Hassan

On April 26, British-American Journalist Mehdi Hasan tweeted his MSNBC editorial report saying, “Putin. Orban. Le Pen. We talk a lot in the West about the rise of far-right authoritarians and yet we never mention India’s Narendra Modi and his BJP. I did a deep-dive into India under Modi & new warnings of an anti-Muslim genocide.” The report alike his previous ones, carries his tirade against India and PM Modi saying that Modi is hell-bent on re-creating the “lost Hindu kingdom” one likes to call “Hindu Rashtra” and is “far-right” and “supremacist”. 

In the video he equated Hindu Nationalism in India (a nation which was divide on religious lines) with White Supremacy in the West, which is an ideology based on race. Later, he made false assumptions on historical figures like Gandhi, Nathuram Godse and Golwalkar with an agenda to equate Hindutva with Anti-sematism. In the past, he has claimed that non-Muslims live like animals and equated homosexuals with paedophiles, for which he has later apologised.

Padma Lakshmi

TV presenter and writer Padma Lakshmi, who often flouts her Indian origin “Sickening to see the violence against Muslims celebrated in India. The widespread anti-Muslim rhetoric preys on fear and poisons people. This propaganda is dangerous and nefarious because when you consider someone less than it’s much easier to participate in their oppression,” she alleged.

Later, she insinuated, “Fellow Hindus, don’t succumb to this fear-mongering. There is no threat to Hinduism in India or anywhere else.” Such a statement from Lakshmi is itself a reflection upon Hinduphobia that co-exists with denial of Hindu human rights from people like her.

When Padma Lakshmi asserts that true spirituality doesn’t include any room for sowing hatred of any kind, maybe she should realise that has been Hinduism, that has practised plurality while accepting people from all communities inside its civilizational fold even after facing catastrophic attacks from invaders.

Mesut Ozil

Today, German soccer player Mesut Ozil tweeted, “Praying during the holy night of Lailat al-Qadr for the safety and well-being of our Muslim brothers and sisters in India. Let’s spread awareness to this shameful situation!” The Arsenal Footballer asked “What is happening to human rights in the so-called largest democracy in the world?” with a hashtag ‘Break the Silence’.

With Ozil, it seems the international tookit for Muslim victimhood has started. He tweeted a picture of Muslims praying inside Delhi’s Jama Masjid on a Ramzan evening – which is itself shows how the Muslim community has prospered and continues to celebrate its festivals safely in India. Ozil has been vocal about his association with Turkish Prseident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and was caught in controversy after posing for a photograph with the dictator in 2018.

Other ‘Toolkits’ that made to the news

The monicker ‘Toolkit’ which has become a shorthand for a coercive action, targeting or online lynch-mob to a threaten a person or institution was first popularised by infamous global climate activist Greta Thunberg. She had inadvertently revealed the sinister global campaign against India after she shared a ‘Toolkit’ in a tweet during the Framer’s protests in India in 2021.

The document shared by Greta Thunberg listed a series of actions that people across the world could take to pressurise the Indian Government over the cause of agitating Farmers. Earlier, celebrities and politicians including Rihanna, Greta Thunberg, Mia Khalifa and Canadian MP Jagmeet and others had come forward in support of the farmer protests. But the document shared by Greta has made it clear that it is part of a larger conspiracy to cause unrest in India.

Later, in May 2021, A new Congress toolkit was circulating on social media that contained ways to craft a deliberate narrative to paint the Kumbh Mela as a “super-spreader” while maintaining a carefully crafted silence over massive Eid gatherings. The toolkit asked to “Collaborate in advance with friendly journalists on social media to immediately amplify these messages,” directed to its workers.

Shekhar Gupta’s The Print blames ‘lower caste’ Hindus for Jahangirpuri violence to whitewash stone pelting on Hanuman Jayanti procession

OpIndia Staff
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Shekhar Gupta’s The Print blames ‘lower caste’ Hindus for Jahangirpuri violence to whitewash stone pelting on Hanuman Jayanti procession

On Tuesday, Shekhar Gupta’s portal ‘The Print’ whitewashed the crimes unleashed by the Islamist mob in North-West Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on April 16 on the Hindu participating in the Hanuman Jayanti procession.

In an article published on April 26, the Print tries not only to absolve enraged Muslim mobs that pelted stones at the Hindus participating in the procession but also blamed ‘lower-caste’ Hindu migrants from Bengal for the violence that erupted in Jahangirpuri.

The article is written by alleged journalist Tanushree Pandey, who is notoriously known for directing far-left protestors to give directed TV interviews and manipulating the Hathras victim’s parents. Tanushree Pandey, who was caught twice in the past for propagating lies to put out a left-wing narrative on various incidents, has yet again tried pushing propaganda against Hindus by blaming them for the violence that erupted during the Hanuman Jayanthi procession in Jahangirpuri.

In the report, Tanushree Pandey attempts to implicate innocent Hindus by asking them leading questions. Pandey, who is known to invent facts to substantiate her claims, also puts out unverifiable information by saying these young Hindus were seen “brandishing hockey sticks, swords, and even guns” on the day of the violence.

According to Pandey, the area where violence broke out is home to Bengali Hindus, who are mostly from lower castes.

In the report, Pandey also claims they were mainly ‘mobilised’ by the local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha, allegedly run by Suken Sarkar, who is among 25 people arrested so far in connection with the Jahangirpuri violence. Suresh Sarkar, brother of Suken, convinced kids from the locality to join the rally, Pandey claimed in her report.

The Print report also claimed that Suresh Sarkar made these ‘lower caste’ Hindus clear they were long oppressed due to their caste, but the Jahangirpuri violence was a way to assert their credentials as part of a pan-Hindu identity against a common enemy – Muslims.

“It’s good that the clashes happened… otherwise, how would Hindus be awakened?” Sarkar is quoted as saying by Tanushree Pandey.

“Now, he says he is ready to carry on the good work — preparing the next generation to fight, and even kill if the need arises, in the name of their religion,” the Print report claimed to portray Hindus as the perpetual aggressor in the communal clashes that occur across the country.

Further, Pandey concocts conspiracy theories suggesting the local residents, many from the marginalised communities, have derived a sense of agency and power by joining the forces of Hindutva. She also quoted a young man named Sagar, who is allegedly studying Class 10, to substantiate her grand theories to absolve Muslims from their crime and depict Hindus as the aggressor in the violence that took place in Jahangirpuri on April 16.

“He carried a sword in the rally, he says, because, “Muslims also carry swords and other weapons with them during Muharram… why shouldn’t we?” When asked where he learned this, he says his uncle Suken Sarkar, who has been running the shakha for more than ten years, had said so,” the Print report stated.

Again, in her story, Tanushree Pandey claims that teenagers influenced by Hindutva groups had participated in the rally with pride.

“Bangladeshi Muslims started snatching our swords, and we ran from there. I feel bad that I ran. We were taught in the shakha to be brave and never be scared of Muslims, as we Hindus have to protect our country from them,” the Print quoted another Hindu person.

As per the Print, the radicalisation of Hindus in Jahangirpuri is because of a “steady diet of videos, memes, forwards, and saffron pop that promote not just Hindu muscularity but a fear of Muslim virility”.

Fearmongering against Hindus, Tanushree Pandey continued her vitriol by claiming there is a sense of urgency among Hindus to unite castes to “save” the country from a burgeoning population of Muslims.

“No one questions the “facts” of this content nor the militant nationalism that some TV channels and films promote,” Pandey cried in her report as she gave a clean chit to Muslims and blamed ‘lower caste’ Hindus for Jahangirpuri violence.

Tanushree Pandey and her saga of concocting evidence and ‘directing’ TV interviews

This is not the first time Tanushree Pandey has been involved with something like this. During the protests against the CAA, Tanushree Pandey was caught directing and coaching far-left students even before the actual interview. In the video, the journalist was seen to be having extensive discussions regarding the events that transpired at the University and, at one point, had a prolonged hush-hush conversation with a left-wing protestor during the JNU violence in December 2019.

In the video, it was seen that the two of them were having a conversation off the record where an attempt is deliberately made to have a hush-hush conversation so that the content of it is not audible to the observers. Furthermore, in the video, it appears that it is not journalism that was happening but propaganda with active collusion between the journalist and the Vice-President of JNUSU.

A year later, Tanushree Pandey, who was at the India Today, was also caught directing the witness to give unfavourable statements against the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government. A telephonic conversation between Pandey and the brother of the Hathras victim – Sandeep, had gone viral, in which Pandey was heard trying hard to convince Sandeep to send her a video statement of his father alleging that he was under immense pressure from the administration.

Throughout the conversation, Tanushree Pandey appeared insistent on coaxing out a very specific statement from Sandeep, while the latter remains non-committal on his statement and appears hesitant to toe the line that the journalist wants him to toe.

Sandeep had also confirmed the journalist’s allegations of pressure and, on other occasions, said that his father was not very clear on whether he was pressurised or not.

Tanushree Pandey was heard saying to Sandeep that she has learnt from somewhere, though do not specify where an attempt is being made to blame the death of the sister on her family. She lied to the victim’s parents to manipulate them and get a pre-decided statement to build a narrative against the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

Perhaps, Tanushree Pandey tried to pull a similar stunt this time as well to show that it was Muslims who were victims and not the Hindus, and the latter was responsible for the Jahangirpuri violence.

Hindus were attacked by Muslims from behind, pelted stones from the mosque

On April 16, Muslim mobs attacked the Hindu procession from inside the mosque and on the streets on the Hanuman Jayanti. The Islamists attacked Hanuman Jayanti Shobha Yatra from behind in Jahangirpuri, Delhi.

A video that the victims shot showed that a violent Muslim mob had attacked Hindu devotees passing through the street near the mosque during the recent Shobha Yatra in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area. In the video, it was seen that the Muslim mob attacked the Hindu devotees from a mosque.

Hindu devotees were marching with the procession on the streets of Jahangirpuri on Saturday. As they celebrated the festival with chants, religious slogans and flags, a Muslim mob attacked them with stones and glass bottles. Shots were fired too.

So far, 40 people have been arrested by the Police in the case, including prime accused Ansar and Aslam. There have been allegations that Ansar is an Aam Aadmi Party member.

Good cop-bad cop, Mamata claims Bengal means business, her MP Mahua Moitra picks up fights with corporates

OpIndia Staff
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Good cop-bad cop, Mamata claims Bengal means business, her MP Mahua Moitra picks up fights with corporates

On Thursday, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra picked up a fight with sporting goods retailer Decathlon India and accused them of violating privacy laws and consumer laws. She visited the store at Delhi’s Ansal Plaza to buy a pair of trousers for her father and refused to give in required details during the process of billing.

“Want to buy my dad trousers for ₹1499 in CASH at Decathlon_India Ansal Plaza and manager insists I need to put in my mobile number and email ID to purchase,” she tweeted on April 28 while she was at the store.

The TMC MP said that she was displeased by the insistence of the store manager to provide her mobile number to the store. She also stated that she had been shopping with the brand in the UK as well but was never asked for her mobile number. “I always buy stuff in the UK from Decathlon UK and they NEVER ask for mobile number only for the email if one wants a paperless receipt. So clearly only the Indian arm wants to fool customers here. Not nice Decathlon India”, she tweeted.

However, the store manager later put his mobile number and helped Moitra by issuing the bill in his name. Though impressed by the gesture of the store manager, Moitra continued to share her displeasing experience at the store.

She revealed that the manager helped her after she had received a text from one of the lawyers of the Supreme Court. The text read, “Do not give your mobile number to the store. Ask them to reconfigure their system. They have all configured their systems in a way as to trap the customer. They need to change their systems. Tech and data oligarchs want to enslave us”.

It is important to note that Moitra engaging in petty fights with the businesses in India could hurt the ‘Bengal is Business’ image posed by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on several occasions. Recently, the state held India’s first business summit after the COVID-19 period. The CM had invited all the prominent businessmen including Gautam Adani, Ambani, Sajjan Jindal, and Kumar Mangalam Birla to the two-day event.

Reportedly, the state of West Bengal has received investment proposals worth ₹3.42 lakh crores during the two-day business summit. “I am extremely happy to announce that we have received investment proposals worth ₹3,42,375 crores during the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) 2022. This business summit is expected to generate around 4 lakh jobs. It was a remarkable success,” Banerjee had said while speaking on the last day of the sixth BGBS. The summit has been a flagship industrial event of the Mamata Banerjee-led administration.

Huge cache of drugs cash recovered from Shaheen Bagh, NCB busts Indo-Afghan drug syndicate in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Huge cache of drugs cash recovered from Shaheen Bagh, NCB busts Indo-Afghan drug syndicate in Delhi

In a major drug haul in the national capital, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Delhi seized 50 kg of heroin, 47 kg of suspected narcotics, ₹30 lakhs of drug money in cash counting machines, and other incriminating materials from a residential premise in Jamia Nagar, Shaheen Bagh on 27th April 2022. According to NCB, this stock caught in Delhi is connected to an Indo-Afghan drug syndicate. NCB also said that the recovered heroin came from Afghanistan. The agency has arrested one person in this case.

The Narcotics Control Bureau, while giving details of the raid, said that this is the biggest drug catch in the recent past. The NCB has also seized 47 kg of suspected substances along with 50 kg of high-quality heroin from the spot at Shaheen Bagh. Not only this, but the agency has also seized ₹30 lakh cash, a cash counting machine, and other items from Jamia Nagar in Shaheen Bagh.

Deputy Director-General, Operations, (NCB) Sanjay Singh said, “The seized heroin originated from Afghanistan and drug money is suspected to be channelled through hawala.” According to the press release by the NCB, it has been revealed during investigations that an Indo- Afghan syndicate based in Delhi/NCR or neighboring states seems to be connected to the case. These syndicates have expertise in manufacturing/adultering Heroin locally. These syndicates have been smuggling goods to India through maritime as well as land border routes wherein heroin was smuggled in alongside various legitimate goods. Heroin was later extracted from those goods by the Indian counterparts with the help of some Afghan nationals. 

The press release says, “The contraband was stored in travel bags, bag packs, and jute sack. The seized Heroin was packed in packings of Flipkart. One Indian national has been arrested in the case.”

NCB Deputy Director-General, Gyaneshwar Singh said while talking to the Republic World, “The organization has been keeping a close watch on these international traffickers. This has linkages to many other countries, including Dubai, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many states in north India. We are examining their linkages with other syndicates. This area and such kinds of people are on our radar. We are keeping watch on certain associates and other connected areas. We are expecting more recoveries in the NCR region.”

Navneet Rana’s 8-year-old daughter Aarohi Rana recites Hanuman Chalisa, prays for the early release of her parents

OpIndia Staff
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Navneet Rana’s 8-year-old daughter Aarohi Rana recites Hanuman Chalisa, prays for the early release of her parents

While MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana are lodged in jail for trying to recite the Hanuman Chalisa near the Maharashtra CM’s residence, their daughter was seen today reciting the prayer at their home. Navneet Rana’s 8-year-old daughter Aarohi has recited Hanuman Chalisa at her home in Amravati and prayed for the early release of her parents.

Independent Lok Sabha MP from the Amravati constituency Navneet Rana and her husband, independent MLA from Badnera constituency of Amravati Ravi Rana, both were arrested by the Mumbai police for their foiled attempt to recite Hanuman Chalisa in front of CM Uddhav Thackeray’s house Matoshree on 23rd April 2022.

As the 8-year-old daughter of MP Navneet Rana and MLA Ravi Rana chanted Hanuman Chalisa at their home in Amravati, she said that she is praying to the deity for the early release of her parents from the jail. At present, Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana are lodged in jail. Their bail plea will be heard in the sessions court on 29th April 2022.

Amidst the loudspeaker controversy, the Rana couple had last week announced that they would chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside Uddhav Thackeray’s house ‘Matoshree’. On Friday morning, a large number of Shiv Sena goons gathered outside Rana’s house. Shiv Sena goons accused the Rana couple of ‘hurting religious sentiments’ and trying to incite violence. In response to a complaint by these Shiv Sena goons, a case was filed against the Amaravati MP under section 153A of the IPC (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony). The couple is accused of giving derogatory, offensive, and inciting statements against the Maharashtra govt and CM Uddhav Thackeray over the Hanuman Chalisa vs Azaan issue.

After the arrest, Navneet Rana said that Mumbai police forcefully took her away from her home. She also sought the help of former CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in the matter. The matter has now reached Delhi. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought a factual report from the Maharashtra government on the arrest of independent Lok Sabha MP Navneet Rana and the allegations of inhuman treatment at the Khar police station in Mumbai.

WB, Maharashtra, Delhi impose 25%+ tax on Aviation Fuel, the reason why flight tickets are expensive: Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

OpIndia Staff
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WB, Maharashtra, Delhi impose 25%+ tax on Aviation Fuel, the reason why flight tickets are expensive: Minister Hardeep Singh Puri

On Thursday, Hardeep Singh Puri, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, slammed the non-NDA-ruled states for not slashing VAT on fuel prices to provide relief to the public despite a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the states of West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Delhi imposed heavy Value Added Taxes (VAT) on petrol, diesel, and Aviation Turbine Fuel.

He stated that the prices of petrol will be cheaper in the opposition-ruled states if the state governments levy less VAT on fuel prices. He also said that the states charged more than 25 percent of VAT on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) and that was the only reason why the air ticket prices hadn’t come down. “Ever wondered why air ticket prices haven’t come down? ATF constitutes about 40 percent of the cost of airline operations. But West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Delhi impose massive 25% plus VAT on ATF while BJP states UP and Nagaland and UT of Jammu and Kashmir charge just 1 percent”, he said.

“Such hypocrisy of opposition ruled states. PM Modi Ji ensures affordable air travel to common citizens with his vision of ‘Hawai Chappal see Hawai Jahaj tak’ but these states create impediments. They manufacture protests against ‘oil prices’ but fleece the people to fill their coffers”, he added on Twitter.

Sharing the data further, the Minister said that the BJP ruled state levied less VAT on petrol and diesel, and due to that the prices of the fuel were under control there. “VAT on petrol and diesel in the BJP-ruled states are in the range of Rs 14.50 to Rs 17.50 per liter while taxes levied by states ruled by other parties are in the range of Rs 26 to Rs 32 per liter. The difference is clear. Their intent is only to protest and criticize, not extend relief to the people,” he tweeted.

Puri meanwhile specifically attacked the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government and said that the government should have thought about imposing fewer taxes on fuel instead of slashing the excise duty by 50 percent on imported liquor from 300 percent to 150 percent in November last year. He said that the alliance government of Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress collects Rs 32.15 taxes per liter on petrol.

It is important to note that PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday raised the issue of high fuel prices in Opposition-ruled states during a Covid review meeting with the Chief Ministers. He said that the Centre had slashed the VAT on fuel but some states had not for some reason. He requested Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Jharkhand to cut taxes to provide relief to people. However, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said that the Centre should reduce excise duty.

Launching a verbal attack on the opposition, Puri said on April 28 that protests cannot change the facts. “The truth hurts, but facts speak for themselves. Maharashtra government has collected Rs 79,412 crore as fuel taxes since 2018 and is expected to collect 33,000 cr this year. Why did it not reduce VAT on petrol and diesel to provide relief to people?”, he said.

Reports mention that the BJP-ruled states levy less Value Added Tax on fuel prices. Uttarakhand levies only Rs 14.51 and Uttar Pradesh Rs 16.50. In Haryana, 18 percent VAT is collected on petrol and 16 on diesel which is among the lowest.

Remember Ayesha Khan who died of suicide by jumping in Sabarmati river over dowry and harassment, her husband got 10 years jail time

OpIndia Staff
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Remember Ayesha Khan who died of suicide by jumping in Sabarmati river over dowry and harassment, her husband got 10 years jail time

Arif Khan, husband of Ahmedabad woman Ayesha, who died of suicide in February 2021, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by Ahmedabad sessions court. Ayesha had recorded a video right before jumping off in the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad. In the video that had gone viral on social media back then, Ayesha had accused her husband and his family of dowry and harassment.

As per reports, the court considered above video message of hers as clinching evidence to pronounce sentence. The court noted that in order to stop the social evil of domestic violence, the accused should not be spared. Arif’s voice test was also carried out which was also considered an importance evidence.

Ayesha had also called her husband before jumping into the Sabarmati River. Police had recovered 70-minute call recording between Ayesha and Arif in which the latter was heard yelling at her and saying, “Go die and send me a video of your death.”

A week after Ayesha’s death, more details had emerged that revealed her husband Arif had an extra-marital affair with a Rajasthan girl. Ayesha’s husband Arif use to call up his girlfriend and indulge in vulgar conversations with her in the presence of Ayesha, reports have said. Despite harassment from her husband, Ayesha decided to remain quiet and not confront her husband.

Reportedly, Arif had confessed to Ayesha that he had another woman in his life and had maintained that he would not leave her for Ayesha. Earlier in 2020, Ayesha had also filed a dowry harassment case against Arif and his family at the Vatva Police Station in Ahmedabad.

She also called her parents before committing suicide. Her parents desperately tried to convince Ayesha to change her decision but they were unsuccessful. She told her mother, “All that has happened his enough, I am frustrated, I can’t tolerate it anymore, He (her husband Arif) wants freedom, I will give him the freedom.”

Her suicide has sparked several strong reactions on social media. Authorities had recovered the body and a case has been registered against her husband in the matter. He was later arrested in March 2021.

While the overwhelming majority of people empathised with the 23-year old, there were some who complained that she chose Haram over Halal.

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