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‘It’s extremely disrespectful’: Actor Yami Gautam Dhar slams Anupama Chopra’s Film Companion for mocking her acting abilities in ‘Dasvi’ review

OpIndia Staff
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‘It’s extremely disrespectful’: Actor Yami Gautam Dhar slams Anupama Chopra’s Film Companion for mocking her acting abilities in ‘Dasvi’ review

Bollywood actor Yami Gautam Dhar, whose latest movie ‘Dasvi’ was released on Netflix on Thursday, April 7, 2020, has taken to Twitter to slam the movie critic Anupama Chopra led organisation “Film Companion” over a review of the movie. In a series of Tweets, the Bollywood actor chastised the organisation for dismissing her acting abilities while reviewing ‘Dasvi’, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Yami Gautam Dhar in the lead role.

The actor shared the screenshot of an excerpt from an article published by Film Companion wherein the entertainment journalism platform criticises Yami Gautam Dhar for her performance in the movie. While criticising the movie as “juvenile storytelling”, the platform wrote, “Yami Gautam is no longer the dead girlfriend in Hindi films, but the combative smile is starting to get repetitive.”

The excerpt from the article published by Film Companion reviewing Abhishek Bachchan and Yami Gautam starrer film ‘Dasvi’

Taking offence to the remarks, Yami Gautam Tweeted, “Before I say anything else, I’d like to say that I usually take constructive criticism in my stride. But when a certain platform keeps trying to pull you down consistently, I felt it necessary to speak up about it”.

In her next Tweet, the actor slammed Film Companion for ‘reviewing’ her work solely based on her performance in this particular film, despite the fact that she has given some super hit movies such as ‘A Thursday,’ ‘Bala,’ ‘Uri,’ and so on. “It’s extremely disrespectful!” she lambasted.

“It takes years of hard work for anyone & especially a self-made actor like me to keep proving our mettle again & again with every opportunity. This is what it comes down to from certain reputed portals!” Yami Gautam Dhar added.

She went on to write that it’s heartbreaking because, like many people from the industry she used to look up to Film Companion, but she hasn’t done so in a long time now. “I would request you not to ‘review’ my performance henceforth ! I’ll find grace in that & it’ll be less painful,” Yami said, tearing into the organisation for mocking the actor’s acting skills.

In the film review, Anupama Chopra’s Film Companion has used extremely harsh words to critic Dasvi which the organisation had rated as “the kind of movie that will scold you for cringing at it, or for not leaving your brains at home (which is ironically where it will stream). It positions itself as the sort of low-stakes comedy designed to guilt-trip the viewer for ‘misreading’ humour as jarring mediocrity.”

“It’s like a sanitized Adam Sandler comedy gone wrong, which is saying a lot, because Adam Sandler comedies are wrong to begin with,” wrote Film Companion journalist Rahul Desai, while completely dismissing the movie as one which lacks identity.

Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Dasvi co-starring Yami Gautam and Nimrat Kaur started streaming on Netflix and Jio Cinema on 7 April, 2022. Abhishek Bachchan has played the role of Ganga Ram Chaudhary the CM of a fictional Harit Pradesh, who is sent to judicial custody for the teacher recruitment scam. While languishing in jail, Ganga Ram Chaudhary, whose schooling stopped after Class 8, decides to give the Standard X (dasvi) examination a shot. Jyoti Deswal (Yami Gautam Dhar), the uncompromising and intrepid superintendent, ultimately helps Chaudhary in his endeavour. The movie has not been receiving very good reviews since its release.

The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri slams film critic Anupama Chopra and her organisation ‘Film Companion’

Notably, prior to this, Film Companion was in the news after Vivek Agnihotri had alleged that Anupama Chopra, the head of Film Companion, was trying to ‘sabotage’ his recent movie – The Kashmir Files.

On February 23, 2022, Agnihotri had Tweeted his allegation against Film Companion head Anupama Chopra that she is playing ‘dirty tricks’ in the background to target his movie. Vivek Agnihotri asked Anupama, calling her Shoorpankha, “If you have any guts, sabotage ‘The Kashmir Files’ openly. Please stop playing dirty tricks from the background. Your only qualification is that you are married to a Producer who despite being a KP (Kashmiri Pandit), stabbed KPs in their back.”

A day later, the national-award-winning director Vivek Agnihotri released a Youtube video exposing the self-proclaimed movie critic’s inherent prejudice against his films. He accused the movie critic Anupama Chopra and her organisation – “Film Companion” of carrying out a concerted campaign against his movie.

Naming certain production houses and producers, including Anupama Chopra’s husband Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Vivek Agnihotri pointed out that these entities have become the establishments of the Bollywood that set the rules and decide on the success of the individuals who enter the industry.

“Only those people who bend before this establishment will survive in the industry. Vivek Agnihotri never bows down to this establishment, never will do. Hence, I have been made to pay a price,” said the director in his video.

In his latest expose, the Bollywood director said that micro-blogging site Twitter recommended him one of the tweets of Film Companion that promoted Deepika Padukone-starrer movie Gehraiyaan. According to Vivek, Anupama Chopra’s organisation has aggressively marketed the movie even after the movie flopped at the box office. The Karan Johar-produced movie has been rejected by the viewers and has also been declared a massive flop.

After ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ and ‘legendary sniper Wali’, lady sniper ‘Charcoal’ becomes the latest mythical hero for Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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After ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ and ‘legendary sniper Wali’, lady sniper ‘Charcoal’ becomes the latest mythical hero for Ukraine

After the “Ghost of Kyiv“, the Snake Island resistance, and “Wali – the greatest sniper”, the latest myth to take the internet by storm from Ukraine is “Charcoal”. A lady sniper who has emerged as the legend keeping Russian forces at bay.

On Sunday, the Ukrainian Army posted a series of images of a female sniper, “Charcoal“, seen in camouflage, covering her face with a green mask. In these images, Charcoal was seen carrying a sniper rifle.

According to the New York Post report, Charcoal joined the US Marines in 2017, hoping to impress her younger brother. The Ukrainian forces have hailed her a “hero of the modern war.” She is now being compared to the legendary Second World War sharpshooter, nicknamed “Lady Death”.

The reports also claimed that the lady sniper has fought in Ukraine’s east region against Russia-supporting separatists and served until the end of her contract in January this year. Later, she returned to fight the Russians after they launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24.

“These are not people. The Nazis were not as vile as these orcs. We must take them all out!” a report by the Independent quoted her as saying.

However, no other information on Charcoal is available in the public domain. The Ukrainian army has refused to divulge any information regarding her combat successes.

Is the “Charcoal” story another myth propagated by the pro-Ukrainian media?

With this, Charcoal has become the latest sensation in this theater of war, similar to reports of a mysterious fighter ace destroying Russian fighter jets in the early days of the war. They had claimed that the “Ghost of Kyiv”, a MiG-29 pilot, had downed two Su-35s, one Su-27, one MiG-29, and two Su-25s of the Russian Airforce.

Well, it did not end with the mysterious ghost of Kyiv. Weeks later, another name popped up on social media platforms, an elite Canadian sniper, nicknamed “Wali” became the talking point as pro-Ukraine social media users described him as the world’s greatest sniper. The rumors were that “Wali” has arrived in Ukraine to fight the Russians as a volunteer fighter.

The rumors were that Wali is one of the world’s best snipers. A veteran of the Royal Canadian 22nd Regiment, Wali had arrived in war-torn Ukraine earlier this month to fight the Russian forces, the reports had claimed.

Wali’s story was nothing short of a fairy tale. He was sold as one of the best snipers in the world as he provided 40 kills on a productive day. The pro-Ukraine social media accounts had also claimed that Wali had served twice in the Afghanistan war between 2009 and 2011.

However, there was no solid evidence to prove the existence of either “Ghost of Kyiv” or “Wali”. Very similar to Snake Island heroes who actually surrendered

The story of “Charcoal” could also be another fairy tale peddled by the NATO-backed media to feed false information to the people of Ukraine to prop up their confidence in the face of the Russian invasion.

The orchestrated campaign of spreading misinformation aims to influence public opinion at large, especially in the west. However, so far, the disinformation blitzkrieg on social media has not helped Ukraine, as nothing has changed on the ground in favor of Ukraine.

Media reports claim Bareilly man Kamran thrashed for equating Modi and Yogi to Lord Ram and Krishna, Uttar Pradesh police say they are checking the veracity of the claims

OpIndia Staff
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Media reports claim Bareilly man Kamran thrashed for equating Modi and Yogi to Lord Ram and Krishna, Uttar Pradesh police say they are checking the veracity of the claims

On Thursday, April 7, many mainstream media houses reported that a man named Kamran was thrashed by a mob in the Bareilly district in Uttar Pradesh for praising PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Soon after the news was reported by media outlets, social media users began widely sharing it on the microblogging site Twitter.

A report by Live Hindustan said that Kamran equated PM Modi to Lord Ram and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath to Lord Krishna. Reportedly Kamran had also praised the Central and the state government’s announced schemes. This infuriated members of the locality, who then, in their fit of rage, brutally assaulted him, leaving him critically injured. 

Kamran, who suffered serious head injuries in the incident was rushed to the district hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment.

On the same development, a News18 Hindi report stated that Kamran had told the media that he had confessed before the mob that he had voted for the BJP in the last concluded Assembly elections. He had further told them that PM Modi was an embodiment of Lord Ram. He also praised PM Modi’s approach to leadership and the roles he took on as a leader. Kamran went on to say that he saw CM Yogi as Lord Krishna, who takes care of his people’s most basic needs, such as food and healthcare.

News18 Hindi further quoted Kamran as stating that he was assaulted two days earlier also, but this attack was a more lethal one. He has urged BJP workers to support him as he supports them.

The report further mentioned that the police have begun an investigation based on Kamran’s complaint by filing an FIR against five people. According to Inspector Neeraj Malik of the Baradari police station, Kamran’s nephew along with his aides thrashed him and a formal complaint has been filed against the 5 suspects.

Hindi Asianet News quoted Kamran as saying that some religious fundamentalists took offence to his statements praising the BJP government in the state and the centre and attacked him.

After the incident was widely reported, the Bareilly police issued a statement and a video byte on its official Twitter account. While it confirmed that Kamran was assaulted, it did not confirm the media claims that he was assaulted for praising PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath. The police said that they are checking the veracity of the claims made by various media outlets.

The police confirmed that based on Kamran’s complaint, an FIR under IPC sections 323 and 506 has been filed against his three relatives. The police confirmed that Kamran had said in his complaint that his relatives had beaten him up in the middle of the road and even threatened to kill him.

The police further added some additional information has been shared on electronic and social media regarding the case. The media has quoted the victim as saying some things which he did not mention in the complaint filed by him at Baradari Police station.

The Bareilly police added that they are attempting to contact the victim and that they will conduct a prompt and impartial investigation of the case only after verifying the veracity of the additional information provided by media outlets.

In a similar case that happened recently, many media houses had extensively reported how a man named was beaten up by his neighbours for putting up a BJP flag in his neighbourhood. They further added that Shakeel had alleged that his neighbours threatened him with gouging his eyes out and slitting his neck. Some media organisations even linked this entire matter to the incident of Babar Ali of Kushinagar.

Then too Kanpur Police swung into action to get to the bottom of the truth. In a video released by the police, Shakeel’s neighbour, Rajendra Singh, debunked the false claims that were being bandied around on social media platforms and by various news organisations.

Ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel roots for American interference after Ilhan Omar repeats her Anti-Modi rhetoric again

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel roots for American interference after Ilhan Omar repeats her Anti-Modi rhetoric again

On Wednesday, the US representative for the state of Minnesota, Ilhan Omar delivered yet another propaganda speech targeted at India and PM Narendra Modi in the House of Representatives. In her typical Islamist rhetoric, Omar claimed that the human rights of people, especially those of Muslims have been trampled upon in India when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister.

“How are we promoting a free and open (Indo-Pacific) region by supporting Modi? Why has the Biden administration been so reluctant to criticise Modi’s government on Human rights?” Omar asked in the House. She was seen suggesting that the US’ Cold War foreign policy of supporting dictators in the name of having a common enemy was indirectly equivalent to US’ support for India with Modi at the helm today.

Omar then went on to ask, “How much does the Modi government have to criminalise the act of being Muslim in India for us to say something? What would it take for us to outwardly criticise the actions that the Modi administration is taking against its Muslim minorities in India? Because if we remain silent and the situation gets out of control – in the way that it did with the Rohingyas, we all of a sudden show our interest in the genocide that’s taking place.” Omar suggested that America now has an opportunity to lead and make sure that there is “action” against the Modi Government’s policy concerning Muslims.

To Omar’s accusations, US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman stated that it is important for America to talk to countries with which it has multiple interests. “(We do so) by meeting with the civil society that supports our human riots concerns, that we support NGOs and the freedom of journalists. When I visited India last time, I met with the LGBTQIA+ community, and I have to tell you, five years ago, no such thing would exist and it is partly because of the advocacy of NGOs and civil society and our affirmation of them that people have more freedom than they once had,” Sherman stated.

As soon as the ex-Amnesty India head Aakar Patel heard about NGOs being discussed in the US House, he grabbed an opportunity to thank Ilhan Omar for her calls for intervention in the internal matters of India.

Omar who is known for peddling the Islamist narratives often directed against the Narendra Modi dispensation was seeking Biden Administration’s official help in her propaganda war. Aakar Patel replied to her in a tweet, “Thank you, Rep. Omar. Please continue to raise issues relating to human rights and civil liberties in India.”

On Wednesday, Patel was stopped by Immigration officers at Bengaluru Airport after CBI officers launched a Look Out Notice against him. Patel was supposedly travelling to the US to deliver lectures on American University campuses. The notice against Patel was concerned with a CBI case against Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT) and Amnesty International South Asia Foundation for violating FCRA (Foreign Currency Regulation Act) provisions in the name of running a ‘non-profit’ organisation in India. However, a Delhi court today ordered CBI to withdraw the Look Out Notice against Patel, and allowed him to travel abroad.

Who is Ilhan Omar?

A representative of Minnesota, Ilhan Omar is a member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party who has often toed a radical Islamist line in American politics. She has been unequivocally taking up the issue of Kashmir in the US House of representatives with a pro-Jihad stand calling US agencies to intervene in the issue. A known anti-semite in the US, Omar has often targtetted the Narendra Modi dispensation and the BJP of trampling human rights, freedom of sppech in India – especially when it comes to the Muslims residing in the country. In a US House Foreign Affair’s Committee Hearing on South Asia Human Rights, Omar attacked Journalist Aarti Tikoo who was representing the Indian panel on behalf of the Kashmiri Pandits engaging in their genocide denial.

Arvind Kejriwal claims Bhagwant Mann was demanding Punjab’s own money while seeking central aide, this is why he is playing a dangerous game

Raju Das
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Arvind Kejriwal claims Bhagwant Mann was demanding Punjab’s own money while seeking central aide, this is why he is playing a dangerous game

Aam Aadmi Party, which won an impressive victory in recent Punjab assembly elections, has been supporting separatist elements in Punjab and Kashmir. The party has been openly colliding with Khalistani separatist groups, which have been revealed even by former party leaders, and have been supporting Kashmiri terrorists, which was evident when Arvind Kejriwal had mocked the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus. In yet another such incident, AAP supremo gave hints of his separatist intentions, by implying that the states in India are different from the India as a nation.

Arvind Keriwal made a potentially secessionist remark on NDTV India, where the anchor had questioned the party for seeking aides from centre for Punjab after announcing freebies before the elections. It may be noted that before the Punjab elections, Arvind Kejriwal had claimed the freebies announced by the party will be funded by saving ₹54,000 crore from ‘wastage’ of public money through corruption. However, immediately after becoming the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann had demanded ₹1 lakh crore from the centre in the next two years.

When the NDTV anchor questioned Kejriwal about it, he bluntly replied that Mann had gone to demand their own money. He said that money belonging to people from various states are ‘lying’ with the central govt, and they are just asking the centre to give the money of people of Punjab.

Kejriwal claimed that Punjab CM went to the centre to say, ‘Give us the money of Punjab, we have to work’. He shamelessly ignored that he had promised to save ₹54,000 crore just by eliminating corruption like he has ‘done in Delhi’, even after claiming that Bhagwant Mann has already ended corruption in 10 days.

Kejriwal’s comments that money belonging to states are lying with the centre again raises questions on his understanding of economics despite being a CM and a former revenue official. Time and again, he tries to create a divide between the centre and the states, implying that the states are sovereign entities separate from the government of India.

The fact is, the central govt is not some foreign bank that states have deposited their money, and can withdraw ‘their money’ at will. Despite Rahul Gandhi’s recent claims that India is just a union of state, the Indian constitution makes it clear that India is a nation, and the states form this nation.

In the GST regime, states collect State GST while the centre collects central GST, both of which are the 50% of the GST applicable on a taxable item. Which means, states already collect 50% tax on most goods and services on their own. Apart from this, a share of central GST is also distributed among the states, along with other taxes like Income tax and Corporate Tax. Central govt also compensate the states for any shortfall due to moving from VAT to GST regime.

State CMs don’t have to go to the centre to ask for their share of revenue, the same is already allocated by the centre on the basis of recommendation of the Finance Commission. For example, in the union budget 2022-23, Punjab has been allocated ₹14,756.86 crore from various taxes collected by the central govt.

Most importantly, Bhagwant Mann was not demanding Punjab’s share in revenue from centre as Kejriwal claims, the CM was demanding additional ₹50,000 crore per year for two years claiming that the state’s economy is in very bad position. But Arvind Kejriwal termed it as Punjab demanding its own money from centre, which is completely false.

Moreover, no state can say that it wants 100% of its share in taxes, because all the taxes that centre collects come from states only, and the centre also has its own budget to fund. As the Govt of India does not have a separate territory and separate taxpayer base as Kejriwal seems to be suggesting, it can’t distribute all the revenue among states in cash form. Just like states get the benefit of various central govt schemes and the services of central departments, they also have to contribute to the central fund.

There are several sectors where the central govt spends money, all of which ultimately benefit the citizens living in the states only. The central govt has huge departments to run like defence, internal security, infrastructure development etc. Central govt also spends large amounts of money on various central welfare schemes and several subsidy programs, which benefit the citizens.

If the centre is building roads and railway lines, running welfare schemes for farmers and the poor, those are benefiting the people of respective states only, the centre does not have separate citizens to cater to.

It is not that the central govt is hoarding state’s money as Kejriwal is claiming, the money is being distributed among states and various central departments and schemes, which are detailed in the budget, on the basis of recommendations of various committees, the finance commission etc. The departmental parliamentary committee goes through all these details, none which are done in secretly. Therefore, with MPs in both houses of the parliament and with two state governments, the AAP chief knows all these details.

But still, Arvind Kejriwal continues to fuel centre-state divide by making baseless claims, by which he is playing a dangerous game of dividing the country. India has been battling separatism for decades in Punjab, in Kashmir, and in North Eastern state. The country has also been facing regionalism from several states, all of which ultimately harm the nation as a whole.

As a CM and the chief of party ruling two states, Arvind Kejriwal should be fighting separatism and regionalism, but he is fuelling them instead.

By demanding money from centre, Arvind Kejriwal has proved that his tall claims of funding his populist schemes by curtailing corruption were just tall claims, and now he and his party is actively preparing ground for blaming the Modi govt at centre to failure of fulfilment of their election promises.

It seems non-NDA parties have decided that weakening the nation by creating internal divisions is the best way to defeat BJP in polls, because Arvind Kejriwal is not the only one to adopt this strategy. Rahul Gandhi has started to challenging the idea of India in recent times, claiming that India is just a “union of states” and not a nation.

The Congress leader had said that the power arrangement between the states and the centre is of a “negotiation” and insinuated that India did not have a single national identity. By claiming that centre is hoarding money belonging to states, Arvind Kejriwal is also basically making the same allegations.

Other non-NDA state governments like West Bengal and Maharashtra governments have also chosen to fight with the centre on almost every aspect of governance instead of collaborating together for development and welfare of people. By doing this, major political parties in the county ruling some major states are actively supporting anti-nationalism and separatism in the country, which is a very dangerous sign.

Azaan row: Haji Salees of Sunni Ulema Council says 24 hour Akhand Path creates noise pollution

OpIndia Staff
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Azaan row: Haji Salees of Sunni Ulema Council says 24 hour Akhand Path creates noise pollution

General secretary of the Sunni Ulema Council Haji Salees claimed that azaan concludes in just 3 minutes, and the pollution due to the 24-hour Akhand Path by Hindus is the real issue to be seen.

While speaking with the news agency ANI in Kanpur, Haji M Salees claimed, “Some Hindu forces are pushing the nation towards hatred, which is not justified. Our Azaan gets completed in 2-3 minutes, they have a problem with that as well. They don’t see (noise) pollution over their 24hr Akhand Path.”

He further claimed, “The atmosphere is such that there’s a problem if we wear skull caps, carry a beard, or wear a hijab, mob lynchings are happening. They have an eye on what we eat as well.”

Loudspeaker and azaan

On April 5, veteran singer Anuradha Paudwal expressed her views on the issue of playing Azaan on loudspeakers during an interview with Zee News. She was referring to the practice of playing Azaan on loudspeakers in Mosques across the country. She told that while traveling across the world, including Muslim nations, she noticed playing Azaan on loudspeakers is banned. On 2nd April 2022, Raj Thackeray warned that if the government is not going to decide anything about the loudspeakers in the mosques, he will put double loudspeakers in front of the mosques and chant Hanuman Chalisa.

In Karnataka, some Hindu groups have started to protest against the loudspeaker Azan by playing the Hanuman Chalisa through loudspeakers in the morning. Hindu activist and Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik warned that if the government failed to remove loudspeakers from all the mosques, they would intensify their protest by singing bhajans using loudspeakers in temples.

Haryana: Ex-Congress leader Nirmal Singh joins AAP with daughter, was accused of shooting three cows

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: Ex-Congress leader Nirmal Singh joins AAP with daughter, was accused of shooting three cows

On Thursday, former Haryana Congress leader Nirmal Singh and his daughter Chitra joined Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the presence of AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Singh has been a two-time minister in the Haryana government and is also the founder of the Haryana Democratic Front.

Kejriwal who is looking to expand AAP in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh welcomed the father-daughter duo and said that all the members of the Haryana Democratic Front were welcome to the Aam Aadmi Party.

In 2020, a police case has been registered against Singh for shooting three cows at a farmhouse which had led to the death of one of them. Back then, Singh had gone to his farmhouse located on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. He shot at three cows who had entered the premises of the farmhouse in search of water.

Enraged by the ex-Congress leader’s action of slaughtering a cow, which is considered a holy animal by Hindus, several Hindu organizations had staged a demonstration and conveyed their vigorous opposition to the incident to UP CM Yogi Adityanath. The police, who initially denied lodging a complaint saying that the incident pertained to Haryana, had to register an FIR after a massive demonstration by Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists.

No details are available on the updates of the case as of now. Nirmal Singh who joined AAP today is also a four-time MLA. He had won the Naggal Assembly constituency in 1982, 1991, 1996, and 2005.

Delhi court allows ex-Amnesty head Aakar Patel to travel to the US till May 30, HC had earlier allowed donation fraud accused Rana Ayyub

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi court allows ex-Amnesty head Aakar Patel to travel to the US till May 30, HC had earlier allowed donation fraud accused Rana Ayyub

Former Amnesty International India head Aakar Patel has been granted allowance by the Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi to leave the country for foreign travel. The Court has also directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to remove the Look Out Circular (LOC) sent to Aakar Patel concerning the case against Amnesty International India regarding the FCRA violations.

It all started on April 6, when Patel was stopped at the Kempegowda Bengaluru International airport from boarding a flight to the USA. According to Patel, he was put on the ‘exit control’ list by the CBI and he received the passport back through a court order. In response to the look-out circular on him, Patel filed a plea at the Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi seeking directions to CBI for removal and withdrawal of the Look Out Circular against him and permission to travel to the US till May 30, 2022.

On Wednesday, the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the plea moved by Aakar Patel. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pawan Kumar issued notice to the CBI on Patel’s application and sought a response from the Investigation officers (IO) for withdrawal of the Look Out Circular against Patel for he has to take up his assignments and lecture series in the US. Today the court was hearing the plea by Patel which was represented by Advocate Tanveer Ahmed Mir.

Arguments by Aakar Patel’s lawyer

While the court was hearing both sides, Advocate Mir representing Patel questioned heavily the provision of opening the Look Out Circular (LOC) against the petitioner by the Investigation Officer of the CBI. The Look Out Circular is a legal letter used by authorities like Immigration officers to check whether a travelling person is wanted by the police. Mir countered that the notice against Aakar Patel is nothing but ‘rhetoric’. “It is nothing but a facade. Citizens’ rights can’t be railroaded like this. It is time that we send a suitable reply to the law enforcement agencies and society,” Mir said in Patel’s argument.

Mir said that the CBI’s logic behind issuing a LOC against Aakar Patel stating that him being an influential person and hence there was a chance of him fleeing from justice is totally unacceptable. Furthermore, Mir accused Investigation officer Bahuguna of violating court procedure, ethics, and morality. He asked the IO to pay Rs. 3.87 lakh from his personal account to Patel for the loss he incurred after being stooped from travelling to the US.

“Your honour the fundamental rights which are guaranteed under Article 19 and 21 are not to be trampled down, railroaded with a sense of impunity,” the lawyer argued.

Response by CBI officer

The Court asked the CBI officer about the necessity to open the LOC against Patel. The officer told the court that the letter was issued against the petitioner since he was an influential person and there was a chance of him fleeing from justice. The officer informed the court that the request for the opening of the LOC was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs on December 31. When asked about the reason behind the LOC, the officer submitted to the court that the chargesheet was filed against Patel without arrest, in anticipation that him being an influential person could flee from justice an application was moved against him.

The Investigation officer notified the court that Aakar Patel did not comply with the notices sent to him when CBI asked him for some documents. The officer told the court that opening a LOC against Patel was a collective decision since ‘he is very well connected’. The Court later pondered that had the petitioner been a flight risk, he could have been arrested, or the CBI could have taken surety during the investigation. To this, the IO rebutted saying, “We don’t have to give detailed reasons. There is a performa we give,” notifying that there are no provisions before the CBI to give reasons before issuing a LOC.

The Investigation officer further argued that since a total of Rs 26 crore is involved and the person is highly influential, a notice was sent to Aakar Patel.

ED case against Amnesty International

In February 2021, the ED attached movable properties of Amnesty International India worth Rs 17.66 crore in a money laundering case. During the investigations, ED had found that after the cancellation of the FCRA license by the Indian government, Amnesty International India Foundation Trust and other Amnesty entities adopted ‘new methods’ to receive money from abroad. Earlier, The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered an FIR against Amnesty International India Foundation Trust (AIIFT) and Amnesty International South Asia Foundation (AISAF) under sections of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and the Indian Penal Code (120-B) for criminal conspiracy.

Delhi High Court had allowed donation fraud accused Rana Ayyub to travel abroad

Only 3 days ago, the Delhi High Court, Saturday (April 4, 2022) granted permission to the donation fraud accused journalist Rana Ayyub to travel abroad. The permission, however, came with a few pre-requisite conditions. As per the court order, Rana must disclose the details of travel, her contact and her place of stay.

The Delhi High Court was hearing Rana Ayyub’s plea seeking interim relief from the Enforcement Directorate’s action against her, stopping her from travelling abroad.

The Delhi HC specified that Rana Ayyub could travel to Italy provided she submitted an undertaking to return and deposit some money to show her bonafide. Rana’s counsel submitted that the journalist would return to India on April 11.

The court also stated that Ayyub has her old parents here in India and noted that the amount of alleged misappropriation is not ‘that big’, and is around just “10-12 crores”.

‘Your brother stole all the money, nothing left to pay salary’: BharatPe CEO says to Ashneer Grover’s sister on employee’s post seeking salary

OpIndia Staff
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‘Your brother stole all the money, nothing left to pay salary’: BharatPe CEO says to Ashneer Grover’s sister on employee’s post seeking salary

On April 7, BharatPe Chief Executive Officer Suhail Sameer replied to a comment posted by former CEO Ashneer Grover’s sister Ashima Grover and said, “Your brother stole all the money. Very little left to pay the salaries.”

Source: LinkedIn

Ashima, who is Senior Manager at MetLife, had commented on a post by one Karan Sarki, an employee at BharatPe who had vented out his frustration over the non-payment of salaries. Ashima had written, “That’s the sad part… That’s it’s a shameless bunch.”

Source: LinkedIn

After Suhail targeted Ashneer for the delay in payments, Ashima said, “Oh really. But still, money is left for your ESOP, bonus, increment, parties and offsites and not to forget paid media.”

Source: LinkedIn

The post by a BharatPe employee

On April 6, a BharatPe employee Karan Sarki had written a post on LinkedIn tagging the top management of BharatPe, requesting them to pay the salaries and reimbursements on time. Sarki, who appeared to have been terminated from the company, said, “Dear Suhail and Shashvat, Sir, we haven’t received our salary for March month yet despite following so many times on e-mail and visiting the office. All the old admin staff of BharatPe has been terminated by you without giving any reason, and their salaries have not been paid.”

Source: LinkedIn

Sarki reminded the management that he and other employees had been with the company since the beginning, and still have been struggling to get the salaries that they deserve. He said, “We were with BharatPe ever since the Company started, and now we are nowhere because of your internal politics. We are poor people and have our houses to run and small kids to take care of. We have been spending our own money on the company’s petty cash, and our reimbursement bills have not been paid since December. All the staff of BharatPe is enjoying office paid trip to Goa, and we engraved employees are fighting for their salaries and job. What kind of leaders you are.”

Former CEO of BharatPe Ashneer Grover had commented on his post urging Suhail and others to clear the dues of the employees at the earliest. He said, “Folks, please look into this. Not done – their salaries have to be paid first before anything.”

Source: LinkedIn

Sarki was not the only employee who had made such a post. Another employee named Dhananjay Kumar had posted on Thursday, “I’m the oldest employee of BharatPe working day and night, and I have to follow up for my salary and reimbursement. Why were we thrown out of the company without any reason. My mother is suffering from Lung Disease and is hospitalized. Please give our dues and ESOPs back.”

Source: LinkedIn

Ashneer had mocked Suhail’s leadership over ‘degrowth’

Earlier on Thursday, Ashneer had mocked Suhail’s leadership over the degrowth of the company. In a tweet, he wrote, “So I just heard BharatPe closed its first quarter of ‘degrowth’ and ‘maximum cash burn’ under able (sic) leadership of Rajnish Kumar and Suhail Sameer. ‘Chaabi chheenna and hatti chalana do alag alag skills hai !’ Ab Nani yaad aayegi (Taking away the keys and maintaining an elephant are two different things. Now you will understand the difficulties) – markets are the ultimate test and truth.”

Ashneer resigned for BharatPe

Last month, Ashneer Grover had resigned from BharatPe amidst a probe into investigating financial fraud at the company. In an e-mail sent to the company board late on February 28, Monday night, Ashneer Grover said he’s resigning from the fintech firm. Ashneer’s resignation comes almost a week after the firm sacked his wife, Madhuri Jain, who was the company’s head of controls, for alleged financial irregularities, including creating bogus invoices and billing the company for personal beauty treatments and vacations overseas.

NMA asks ASI to move two Ganesha idols from Qutub Minar complex to a ‘respectable’ place at the National Museum: Report

OpIndia Staff
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NMA asks ASI to move two Ganesha idols from Qutub Minar complex to a ‘respectable’ place at the National Museum: Report

On April 7, Thursday, The Indian Express reported that The National Monuments Authority (NMA) has asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to retrieve two Ganesha idols placed in the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli, Delhi. 

As per the report, the NMA chairman wrote to ASI late last month, requesting that the two Ganesh idols called, Ulta Ganesh and Ganesha in cage, be removed from the Qutub Minar complex and relocated to the National Museum. He believed that the “placement of the idols is disrespectful,” and that it should be changed.

According to the report by the Indian Express the NMA stated in a letter to ASI that the idols should be given a “respectable” place at the National Museum, where more such antiquities are displayed.

The media report quoted NMA chairman Tarun Vijay as saying, “I visited the site several times and realised that the placement of the idols is disrespectful. They come near the feet of the mosque visitors,” he said. He also confirmed that the letter was sent to ASI, read the report by The Indian Express.

“After Independence, we removed the statues of British kings and queens from India Gate and changed the names of roads to erase marks of colonialism. Now we should work to reverse the cultural genocide that Hindus faced at the hands of Mughal rulers,” Vijay was quoted as saying further.

The “Ulta Ganesh” (upside down) is part of the complex’s south-facing wall, next to the Quwwat Ul Islam mosque. The other idol, encased in an iron cage, is close to the ground level and belongs to the same mosque.

“These idols were taken, apart from those of Jain Tirthankaras and Yamuna, Dashavatar, Navagrahas, after demolishing 27 Jain and Hindu temples built by King Anangpal Tomar… The way these idols have been placed is a mark of contempt for India, and needs correction,” Vijay said.

Notably, the chief of NMA also took to Twitter to share his views on the same. He opined that the Ganesh idols should be placed with due respect in the complex with a “description about what had happened to 27 temples and why Ganesha moorti was put upside down to humiliate Hindus”.

The Tweet was in response to a Tweet by author Ratan Sharda who reacted to news by saying, “This attempt to remove the Ganesh Deities from Qutub complex is an attempt to hide the wrongs done by Islamic invaders. The Ganesh Deities should never be shifted away. Instead return the Qutub complex to Hindus & let worship restarts once again. @ASIGoI @MinOfCultureGoI”.

OpIndia attempted to contact ASI to confirm the news’ veracity. Mr Mannu Sharma, the ASI media cell head, told us that he was unable to share any details at this time because a review meeting on the subject was scheduled for soon. He could only share information after the review meeting, he said.
This report will be updated when we receive any further information from the ASI.

Delhi court rejects petition seeking restoration of 27 Hindu, Jain temples inside Quwwat­ Ul-Islam mosque at Qutub Minar complex

It may be recalled that in December 2021, a Delhi court had rejected a petition filed that sought the restoration of temples situated in Quwwat­ Ul-Islam mosque located at the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli. The suit was filed on behalf of Hindu deity Lord Vishnu, Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and others, seeking the restoration of 27 Hindu and Jain temples “dismantled, desecrated and damaged under the command and orders of Qutub-ud-din-Aibak”.

Interestingly, the Court admitted that the Mosque was indeed built over the desecrated ruins of temples.

The court had essentially agreed that a historic wrong was committed and that indeed the mosque was built over desecrated temples, however, the court had refused to admit the petition because it was scared of “disturbing peace”. 

Petitioner demanded the court to create a trust to hand over the management and administration of temple in Qutub Minar complex

The petitioner had sought a mandatory injunction directing the Central government to create a trust, according to the Trust Act, 1882, and hand over the management and administration of the temple complex situated within the area of the Qutub complex.

The petitioner also sought a decree to be passed in the nature of a permanent injunction, restraining the defendants permanently from interfering in making necessary repair works, raising construction and making arrangements for pooja, darshan and worship of deities.

Qutubudin Aibak destroyed Hindu and Jain temples, along with their deities: Petition

“Qutubdin Aibak, a commander of Mohammed Gauri dismantled/ destroyed Shree Vishnu Hari temple and 27 Jain and Hindu temples along with constellations of respective deities and raised some inner constructions within the temple complex,” the plea said. 

The petition further stated that Qutubdin Aibak did not completely demolish the existing temples and build Quwwatul Islam Masjid by using materials from the temples, adding that there are still pictures of Hindu gods and deities like Ganesh, Vishnu, Yaksha and symbols like Kalash, temple wells and sacred lotus in the mosque.

“Only the faces of gods and deities are defaced, the rest of the sculptures are identifiable. The corridor is completely of Vedic style having rectangular galleries with the holy symbol engraved pillars,” the petitioner said.

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