Home Blog Page 3486

Telangana: Md Haji Pasha, Md Sohail and 5 others arrested for assaulting, looting migrant workers in Hyderabad

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Telangana: Md Haji Pasha, Md Sohail and 5 others arrested for assaulting, looting migrant workers in Hyderabad

The Saifabad Police on Sunday arrested a gang of seven people in Hyderabad for robbing and looting migrant workers. Five mobile phones and two auto-rickshaws were recovered from the arrested accused, one of which is the owner of a private travel agency.

The seven accused have been identified as Mohammed Sohail, Mohd Moin, Syed Nadeem, Shaik Jafar, Sohail Khan, Shaik Mohsin and Mohammed Haji Pasha. According to the reports, Mohd Haji Pasha is the owner of Salam Namaste travel agency and employed Mohammad Sohail as travel agency manager and Sayed Nadeem as the office boy. The four others were auto-rickshaw drivers.

The matter came to light when Mundar, a native of Madhya Pradesh lodged an official complaint at the Saifabad Police Station of being assaulted and robbed. On January 28, Mundar along with other migrant workers boarded a private travels bus from Singrauli to Karimnagar.

On January 30, they erroneously got off the bus at Tank Bund thinking that they had reached the destination. Two of the accused auto-rickshaw drivers then approached them and took them to the Salam Namaste travel office. The workers were assured by the auto drivers that they could get bus tickets to Karimanagar at Salam Namaste office.

DCP (Central) P Vishwa Prasad said that the auto drivers demanded high fares from the workers and robbed them for Rs 5000 and mobile phones after they refused to pay the amount. “The auto drivers and five others assaulted the workers and snatched their phones”, he was quoted.

The Saifabad Police arrested Mohd Haji Pasha, the owner of Salam Namaste travel agency, his employees and the auto drivers after analyzing the CCTV footage. The team has also recovered the stolen property of Rs 5000 and four mobile phones. The accused have been charged under sections 365, 395, 384, 420 r/w 109 of the Indian Penal Code.

Kishan Bharwad murder case: Maulana Ayyub printed 1500 copies of a book to brainwash Muslim youths, hawala connection also found

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Kishan Bharwad murder case: Maulana Ayyub printed 1500 copies of a book to brainwash Muslim youths, hawala connection also found

Another shocking fact has been revealed in the Kishan Bharwad murder case when it was found that the arrested Maulana Ayyub had printed 1500 copies of a book titled ‘Jajba-e-Shahadat’ to distribute among the Muslim youths of Gujarat in order to brainwash the young minds and inspire them for Jihad. This book contains radical Islamist things and it was distributed for free to the youths who came in contact with Maulana Ayub.

It is also found in the investigation that Maulana Qamar Gani, another accused in the case, had visited and stayed in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat where he brainwashed many youths. As a Pakistan connection in the case was also revealed earlier, the central agency NIA is also investigating this case. The accused will soon be presented in a special court. Maulana Qamar Gani charged Rs. 365 to the Muslim youth who wished to join his organization.

According to a report by TV9 Gujarati, the links to hawala connections have also been found in the Kishan Bharwad murder case. After revealing the Pakistan connection, in this case, investigation agencies became very alert and they were checking every aspect. The ATS investigation has concluded that donations in huge numbers were being collected through the donation boxes. This money would then be sent to Pakistan and then from Pakistan to Dubai. These donation amounts would be brought back to Gujarat via the hawala network and used to propagate the Jihadi agenda and fund brainwashing activities.

In Ahmedabad alone, there were 2000 such donation boxes active at various religious places. The money brought back from the hawala connection would be given to Dawat-e-Islami which is a so-called Islamic education organization. But in reality, this fund would be used to brainwash the Muslim youth in the state using social media. After the Pakistan connection of Maulana Qamar Usmani was exposed, these new things are appearing in the course of investigation one after the other.

It is notable that, being a border state, Gujarat has been on Pakistan’s target for a very long time. Ahmedabad bomb blasts of 2008 were having a Pakistan connection. Even the drugs stocks seized at Mundra port was also having a Pakistan connection. Now in the Kishan Bharwad murder case, it is revealed that the target killings of Hindu youth for sharing posts on social media also has a Pakistan connection and local Muslim youth are being brainwashed for executing these crimes.

Kishan Bharwad was killed by Islamists on January 25 accusing him of blasphemy. He had posted a video on social media which had an image of Prophet Mohammad, which had created an outrage among Muslims. He was briefly arrested for the same, and had apologised also, but it was not enough for the fanatics, who killed him for alleged blasphemy. Later it was revealed that two Maulvis had instigated Muslim youths to kill him, Maulana Ayyub and Maulana Qamar Gani Usmani. The weapon and ammunition used in the murder were reportedly given by Maulvi Ayyub

‘They kept slipping and being rushed downstream’: New report on Galwan clash says 38 PLA soldiers had drowned in river

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘They kept slipping and being rushed downstream’: New report on Galwan clash says 38 PLA soldiers had drowned in river

A sensational report on the 2020 Galwan Valley escalation has come up from an independent Australian portal -The Klaxon. According to the report, at least 38 Chinese soldiers drowned in the Galwan river between June 15 to 16 while attempting to cross the river in the dark.

On June 15, 2020, a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at Galwan Valley in Ladakh had erupted against freezing sub-zero temperatures in the night which escalated border tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbouring nations. While the Indian government acknowledged the casualties suffered and honoured its soldiers, China has been hiding its casualties in the clash since the very beginning.

In February 2021, China conferred posthumous awards upon four PLA troops thus officially recognising the casualties from the Galwan clash for the first time. Earlier, an image of a tombstone of a deceased PLA soldier provided the first evidence of Chinese casualty in the clashes.

However, according to the recent report by The Klaxon, ”at least 38 PLA troops were washed away and drowned” on the night of June 15 when the clash happened at the Galwan River. According to the report, evidence has also emerged that strongly suggests The Chinese side have intentionally conflated facts and imagery of two separate but similar clashes that occurred just over a week apart in Galwan.

Chinese media had reported nothing about the clashes and the Chinese casualties in the days after the events.

Pictures of supposed two clashes that happened respectively on June 06 and June 15, 2020 in Galwan. Source: research report

While the Indian side officially confirmed 20 of its soldiers were martyred in the incident, China has been repeatedly refused to disclose its total casualties. The new evidence backed by independent journalists and researchers states that the number of official casualties on the Chinese side extenders well beyond four – who were officially recognised by giving medals. “Beijing has gone to extreme lengths in order to silence discussion about the battle – in particular, discussion about the true number of Chinese casualties.” the report states.

‘They kept slipping away and drowning’

As claimed by the report, From April 2020 The Chinese forces started ramping up temporary infrastructure in the Galwan valley including tents, dugouts and machinery. Since May that year, skirmishes resulted out of clashes between Indian and Chinese troops at various points along the China-India border including one at the Pangong Lake in Ladakh.

A report prepared by social media researchers titled ‘Galwan Decoded’ explicitly states, “What was told by (China) to the world were mostly fabricated stories”. Following a year-long investigation involving discussions with mainland Chinese bloggers, information obtained from Chinese citizens and media reports which have since been deleted by Chinese authorities, the researchers who have published the report have however declined to be named on security grounds.

“Many blogs and pages have been culled by (Chinese authorities) but digital archives of mainland China reveal a different story,” the report says. The report claims that many Chinese soldiers were killed while attempting to cross in the fast-flowing Galwan River. As of today, China has claimed that only Junior Sergeant Wang Zhuoran – is reported as having drowned in the river, while the other three – PLA Battalion Commander Major Chen Hongjun, Private Chen Xiangrong and Junior Sergeant Xiao Siyuan, were killed by Indian forces.

The research report also includes a document that has been deleted from the internet which explicitly states that Wang Zhuorang’s company was ordered to ‘perform a support mission’ in June 2020. It further mentions, ”comrades in arms kept slipping and being rushed downstream. Wang Zhuran (Zhuoran) pushed four comrades ashore one after another but his legs became stuck by stones at the bottom of the river. The document also reportedly admits, “His physical strength was too weak and he drowned”.

Clipping from ‘The Klaxon’ report stating the deleted copy of the Chinese report

The Klaxon also claims to have obtained real footage of the battle released by Chinese media in August last year, which appears to strongly support the above claims.

Clash started over a temporary Bridge

The Klaxon report says, the roots of the Galwan clash date back to 22nd May 2020 when Indian soldiers tried to construct a temporary bridge over the Galwan river. According to the report, On May 22, Indian troops led by Colonel Santosh, Commander of the 16th Regiment of Bihar, “created a temporary walk-over bridge” over a stream of the Galwan River to allow troops to monitor Chinese activities. While the PLA was constructing its own infrastructure in the buffer zone, the construction of a temporary bridge by Indian troops sparked a strong reaction from the Chinese. On June 6, 80 PLA soldiers came to dismantle the bridge and nearly 100 troops came to defend it from the Indian side. After the June 6 standoff, both sides agreed to withdraw all personnel who crossed the buffer zone and mutually decided to dismantle all the facilities that crossed the line.

However, not adhering to the promise, The Chinese side instead of removing infrastructure built by them, started dismantling the bridge constructed by the Indian army. In retaliation, “On 15th June 2020, Col. Santosh Babu along with his troops went to the disputed area in the Galwan Valley at night in an attempt to remove the Chinese encroachment where Col. Qi Fabao heading the Chinese side was present along with nearly 150 soldiers.

‘Chinese retreat after Indian attack’

Instead of moving forward with dialogue, Fabao “ordered his troops to form a battle formation, instead of discussing the issue on the lines of mutual consent made on June 6, 2021”. The moment Col. Fabao attacked he was immediately besieged by the Indian army troops. For his rescue, came PLA battalion commander Chen Hongjun and soldier Chen Xiangrong while starting “a physical scuffle with Indian troops using steel pipes, sticks and stones to provide cover for (their) commander to escape.”

Interestingly, it is revealed that Colonel Qi Fabao was “hit in the head by an Indian army soldier and rushed back with serious injuries”. Moreover, “China’s Hongjun and Xiangrong were immediately silenced by the Indian army”, according to the report. Another Chinese soldier, Xiao Siyuan who was recording the event was attacked and severely wounded by an Indian soldier and later succumbed to his injuries. Reportedly, after Col. Fabao left the arena and when the PLA soldiers watched the dead bodies of major military commanders, they panicked into retreat.

Wang Zhuoran, whose company was ordered to support the mission “came forward along with his companion Ma Ming to help his scattered retreating comrades out of danger by guiding (their) way to retreat back.” It is reported that The PLA soldiers didn’t even have time to wear water pants and hurriedly decided to cross the icy waters of Galwan in the night to attack further. The report suggests that at this juncture, “The river rose suddenly and injured comrades kept slipping and (being) washed downstream”. Information gathered from the people who attended Wang’s funeral reveals that Junior Sergeant Wang Zhuorang pushed four of his comrades across the river successfully but his legs became stuck by stones at the bottom of the river.”

Based on resources by several Weibo users, “At least 38 PLA troops along with Wang were washed away and drowned that night, of which only Wang was declared among the four officially dead soldiers” After the incident, the bodies of the soldiers were first taken to the Shiquanhe Martyr Cemetery and were later handed at the local towns of the killed soldiers. Reportedly, the Chinese side reportedly used lethal weapons including iron rods, batons wrapped in barbed wire and clubs embedded with nails breaking the protocol of bilateral agreement between the countries signed in 1996.

With the new report exposing the claims of the Chinese having a minimal casualty in Galwan, Chinese propaganda on the death of its soldiers falls completely flat. While now an unofficial count of at least 38 PLA soldiers being dead in Galwan, the estimate by Former Indian Army Chief and Cabinet Minister General VK Singh of Chinese casualties being double than that on the Indian side (20) holds true as of now.

Mumbai: ED raids premises of Sujit Patkar, business partner of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s daughters, in Rs 1,034 crore land scam

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mumbai: ED raids premises of Sujit Patkar, business partner of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s daughters, in Rs 1,034 crore land scam

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate raided the premises of businessman Sujit Patkar in connection with Rs 1,034 crore re-development land scam. Sujit Patkar is a business associate of the daughters of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, Purvashi and Vidhita, in their wine company Magpie DFS Pvt. Ltd since the last 16 years.

According to the reports, the ED is probing Magpie DFS Pvt Ltd and its director Patkar, a close associate of the now arrested Pravin Raut, for the alleged fraud in the development of a plot in Goregaon in suburban Mumbai. The probe agency has searched the office and residence of Patkar as well as the premises of Raut.

This is a day after the ED arrested Pravin Raut, the former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd in Mumbai. On February 1, the ED recorded Pravin Raut’s statement under section 50 of PMLA and sent him to custody for eight days, till February 9.

The ED has initiated investigation under the provisions of PMLA on the basis of the FIR registered by Economic Offences Wing. The agency informed that Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd had entered into a tripartite agreement with the tenants and MHADA to redevelop Patra Chawl.

It is important to note that Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary company of Housing Development Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), which is already accused of a Rs 4,300 crore fraud at the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank. Reports mention that the Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd was involved in the redevelopment of Patra Chawl at Goregaon that had 672 tenants in tenements on 47 acres of land belonging to Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA).

While ED is now probing the role of Sujit Patkar in the case, it is reported that Parvin Raut illegally sold FSI to various builders for Rs 1,034 crore with the help of Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, Directors of Guru Ashish Constructions Pvt Ltd. This was done without constructing the rehab flats and flats to be handed over to MHADA, which was the pre-requisite.

The trio also obtained bank loan in addition to Rs 1,034 crore received from various builders. According to the reports, ED suspects that a part of the proceeds of the illegal sale of the FSI may have been invested in Magpie DFS Pvt Ltd, where Sanjay Raut’s daughters Purvashi and Vidhita are directors.

The investigation by the ED also revealed that Pravin Raut being Director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd played an active role in the redevelopment project and the Wadhwans managed to divert the proceeds of crime more than Rs 1,000 crore by harming the interest of 672 tenants and buyers.

Earlier in year 2010, Pravin Raut had received Rs 95 crore in his bank account in the guise of sale of equity and land deal though the company was not able to complete the project and had not generated any income. The Economic Offences Wing had then first filed an FIR to probe the allegations made in the re-development of the chawl.

According to the agency, Rs 95 crore amount was routed in Raut’s account from HDIL sourced by illegally availed loans from the PMC Bank. The accounts showed that HDIL had given money to Raut for acquiring land in the Palghar area.

The agency had also questioned Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut last year in connection with the PMC Bank case and her purported links with Pravin Raut’s wife. It had found that Raut transferred around Rs 1.6 crore to his wife who is a business partner of Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut. Of this Rs 1.6 crore, an amount of Rs 55 crore was allegedly transferred to Varsha Raut’s account as an interest-free loan. This money was then allegedly invested by Varsha in buying a flat at Dadar.

Alleged victims of Pegasus snoop who gave their devices to self-proclaimed ‘experts’ fail to submit phones before SC panel

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Alleged victims of Pegasus snoop who gave their devices to self-proclaimed ‘experts’ fail to submit phones before SC panel

The alleged victims of the Pegasus ‘snoop gate’ conspiracy, who had earlier claimed to have submitted their devices to self-proclaimed cyber security experts for forensic analysis, have failed to submit their devices before the Supreme Court-appointed panel that is probing the Pegasus ‘snoop gate’ case.

On January 2, 2022, the technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court had issued a public notice asking citizens and alleged victims of the Pegasus snoop gate to come forward and contact the panel if they suspected that their mobile devices were infected by Pegasus malware.

The public notice had also asked such citizens also to specify the reasons as to why they thought that their device may have been infected with Pegasus malware and whether they would be in a position to allow the technical committee to examine the said device.

The public notice issued in leading dailies read, “such person who suspects her/his device is infected” should send an email to the technical committee “before noon of January 7, 2022”.

However, according to the latest notice issued by the Supreme Court-appointed technical committee, only two people out of several self-proclaimed victims of ‘snooping’ have handed over their mobile phones to the Pegasus panel appointed by the Supreme Court.

The technical committee has released a notice urging them again to come forward and contact the panel if they suspected that their mobile devices were infected by Pegasus malware. The panel has now given time till February 8 for the other alleged victims to contact the panel and submit their devices that may have been infected by Pegasus.

One of the two persons is senior journalist J Gopikrishnan.

Journalists, political figures, left-liberals, lawyers fails to submit their devices before SC-appointed panel:

According to the latest notice issued by the Supreme Court-appointed panel, most of the self-proclaimed victims, comprising self-proclaimed journalists, political leaders, alleged activists, lawyers, etc., have not even submitted their devices to the technical panel probing the issue. The left-wing media outlets who have been aggressively putting out Pegasus ‘snoop gate’ conspiracy theories, had listed the names of 174 ‘victims’, who have been allegedly targetted by the Modi government by using Israeli spyware.

However, only two of the 174 ‘victims’ have come forward to submit their devices. The other ‘victims’ are yet to appear before the panel or present their devices before the technical panel appointed by the Supreme Court.

Interestingly, some of these alleged victims had voluntarily produced their devices to self-proclaimed cyber security ‘experts’ for “forensic” analysis. A few weeks after France-based media non-profit organisation Forbidden Stories had accessed a leaked database of 50,000 numbers whose names ‘may’ have been in the list of ‘potential targets’ for the prospective clients of NSO Group, the Amnesty International, in collaboration with far-left propaganda website – The Wire, had claimed to have carried out a forensic examination of the phones of 10 Indians, all of which, according to them, showed signs of either an attempted hack or a successful compromise.

Similarly, some of the petitioners have appointed their own “cyber experts”, who have now deposed before the Supreme Court-appointed committee that is probing the use of Pegasus ‘snoop gate’. These experts have told the panel that they found evidence of the presence of malware on the devices of their clients.

These “cyber-security researchers” had analysed the devices submitted to them by some alleged victims for forensic analysis.

Intriguingly, the same people who have submitted their devices to the cyber experts to publish investigative reports and to researchers who appeared before the panel are highly reluctant to do the same before the Supreme Court-appointed panel, raising suspicion over their conduct. Instead, they have sent “cyber experts” to appear before the panel to claim that their devices were affected by the Pegasus spyware.

With five days remaining for the latest deadline to end, one has to see whether the alleged victims would voluntarily submit their devices before the SC-appointed panel.

Bengaluru man tries to smuggle red sandalwood in Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu movie ‘Pushpa’ style, gets arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Bengaluru man tries to smuggle red sandalwood in Allu Arjun-starrer Telugu movie ‘Pushpa’ style, gets arrested

A Bengaluru-based driver attempted to smuggle red sandalwood in his truck in ‘real’ life, inspired by the ‘reel’ sandalwood smuggler Allu Arjun in the Telugu film ‘Pushpa: The Rise,’ but was detained. According to a report by Republic TV, Yasin Inayithulla was en-route from the Karnataka-Andhra border to Maharashtra, transporting red sandalwood in his truck. Maharashtra police at Gandhi Chowk, Meeraj Nagar, Sangli district, apprehended him after he crossed the border. The sandalwood, valued at Rs 2.45 crore, and his truck, valued at Rs 10 lakh, were seized by the police.

Speaking about the incident, Sangli Superintendent of Police Dikshit Gedam said, “We had received confidential information about illegal transportation of sandalwood. Based on this tip-off, we launched a joint operation with the forest officials and carried out a raid at Zakat Nakka. During this raid, we seized one vehicle and arrested one accused. We found around 1 ton of sandalwood worth Rs 2.45 cr and the vehicle is worth Rs 10 lakhs. We had registered the case under IPC sections 379, 34 and various sections of the forest act have also been invoked.”

The story of the film ‘Pushpa’ revolves around the smuggling of red sandalwood. Allu Arjun is playing the role of ‘Pushpa’, who dons the role of a lorry driver and also a smuggler of sandalwood. Actor Allu Arjun is shown in the film smuggling red sandalwood by piling wood into a tanker and then topping it with milk.

Inspired by the movie, the accused Yasin had loaded the truck with red sandalwood first, then put fruits and vegetable cartons on it. He had a sticker of COVID-19 important products plastered on the vehicle.

The smuggler managed to get across the Karnataka border without difficulty, but he was apprehended by Maharashtra police after crossing the border. The authorities are now conducting an investigation to determine the nature of the network that is behind him and how it operates.

In January this year, after executing a raid at Budhanam Toll Plaza on the Nellore-Chennai highway in Chillakur Mandal, Nellore police had apprehended an interstate gang involved in red sanders smuggling. The raid resulted in the arrest of 55 woodcutters and three smugglers. About 45 red sanders logs intended for shipment to China were seized from several stock locations in Tamil Nadu. A vehicle, 31 cellphones, 24 axes, and other red sander tree-chopping equipment were also seized during the search.

Punjab: BJP rally attacked by alleged Congress workers with sharp weapons in Pathankot, several BJP workers injured

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Punjab: BJP rally attacked by alleged Congress workers with sharp weapons in Pathankot, several BJP workers injured

On Wednesday, a rally to be addressed by Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma was attacked by 40-50 miscreants in Pathankot in Punjab. Several BJP workers were attacked by arms and sharp weapons resulting in severe injuries to 4 workers. Ashwani Sharma is contesting the assembly polls from Pathankot.

Reportedly, the alleged Congress workers attacked the BJP rally with rods and sharp weapons. As a result, Four BJP workers sustained injuries in the attack and were shifted to the hospital. Videos of the attack show that the miscreants also vandalised the rally venue by throwing away the chairs and other items, while the BJP workers were asking them to stop.

Ashwani Sharma condemning the attack said that the incident is enough to show the inability of the administration in Punjab to maintain the law and order. “Every political party has right to conduct a rally. Attacking people without any reason is hooliganism (gundagardi). Many of my party workers have been admitted to the hospital as they have been hit hard on their heads”, he added in a video that went viral over social media.

BJP spokesperson Anil Sarin has condemned the attack and has demanded strict action against the goons. The injured BJP workers were immediately shifted to the hospital and have suffered pain from stitches.

Speaking exclusively to Opindia, BJP State Media Advisor Col Jaibans Singh informed that the poll gathering in Pathankot was organised by BJP within the limits as directed by the Election Commission of India.

“Some miscreants, said to be from the Congress party, arrived at the gathering in large numbers and insisted that they would not allow Ashwani Sharma to speak in the Pathankot ward 19 area. The altercation led to a scuffle in which many BJP workers were injured”, Col Jaibans Singh said.

He added that the attackers, supposedly from the Congress party, were large in numbers as compared to the BJP gathering that had been kept within limits set by the Election Commission of India. “The party feels that there are certain people who are insecure due to the massive mandate that BJP is now getting in most of the constituencies in Punjab. These people are resorting to violence and other pressure tactics to intimidate the BJP cadre and candidates. The BJP strongly condemns these attacks and is not intimidated by them”, he stated.

Singh also alleged that the Congress was resorting to violence to subdue the voice of BJP in Punjab. He said that the BJP stands determined to carry on with the poll campaign within the prescribed norms of the Election Commission of India.

BJP Punjab president Ashwani Sharma filed nomination from Pathankot constituency on Monday for the upcoming state assembly polls. “Punjab wants a stable government to change the future of the state. BJP is going to form government in Punjab”, he had said.

The 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly elections will be held on 20 February 2022 to elect the 117 members of the 16th Assembly. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on 10 March 2022.

Lawyer of Delhi riots accused wants screenshots of WhatsApp chats that implicate Umar Khalid and others deleted

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Lawyer of Delhi riots accused wants screenshots of WhatsApp chats that implicate Umar Khalid and others deleted

Senior lawyer Rebecca John, who is representing Northeast Delhi riots suspect Khalid Saifi, asked a Delhi court on Thursday, February 3 to order LawBeat, an Indian legal news portal, to pull down Tweets regarding Umar Khalid’s yesterday’s bail hearing, which she referred to as ‘contemptuous’.

LawBeat had posted screenshots of WhatsApp messages that Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing on behalf of the Delhi police presented as evidence to oppose the bail plea of Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid.

Rebecca John calls WhatsApp messages implicating Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid ‘contemptuous’

“Before case begins, would like to point out that sections of the reporting be taken down. I don’t know who these people are. A media house named “Lawbeat” has put up whatsapp messages. This is absolutely contemptuous,” said Rebecca John in Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat’s court that is continuing to hear Umar Khalid, Khalid Saifi and other’s bail plea in connection with 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi Riots.

While Rebecca John insisted that the screenshots shared by Lawbeat be taken down, SPP Amit Prasad responded that “an appropriate application may be filed for pulling down tweets which have shared screenshots from yesterday’s hearing. I understand that will be more appropriate.”

“Don’t take screenshots during the court proceedings,” Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat responded.

‘Blood has to be shed, ready to ignite fire’, prosecutors provide WhatsApp chats as more evidence to oppose Umar Khalid’s bail plea

On Wednesday, OpIndia reported how Special Public Prosecutor Amit Prasad, appearing on behalf of the Delhi police, presented more evidence before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat, to oppose the bail plea of Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots accused Umar Khalid.

SPP Amit Prasad had included WhatsApp chats between numerous accused parties in his arguments, which were included in the chargesheet and additional chargesheets.

Prasad further informed the court that various WhatsApp groups, including the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) and the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG), were formed to coordinate information regarding protest places.

To substantiate claims that a larger conspiracy to cause communal riots was hatched by Umar Khalid, SPP Amit Prasad read out a statement of a witness who had confirmed that Umar Khalid during a meeting had said: “Sarkar musalmano ke khilaaf hai, bhashan se kaam nahi chalega, khoon bahana padega,” translated as (The government is against the Muslims, only talking is not enough, we will have to shed blood), the screenshot of which were shared by LawBeat while covering the proceedings.

Tamil Nadu: NCPCR investigation reveals the ‘hostel’ where Lavanya was staying is a Vatican funded orphanage with expired licence

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Tamil Nadu: NCPCR investigation reveals the ‘hostel’ where Lavanya was staying is a Vatican funded orphanage with expired licence

In a recent development to the M Lavanya suicide case of Tamil Nadu, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has revealed that the premises in which the victim was made to stay is not a hostel but an orphanage named St. Michael Home for Children.

According to the reports, Lavanya who studied in the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School was put up in a registered orphanage funded by the Vatican. The NCPCR investigation team headed by Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo and comprising RC Anand, Katiyajini Anand and Madulika Sharma also stated that the license of the orphanage had expired in November last year and has not been renewed since then.

Priyank Kanoongo informed the media that contrary to the claims made by media and others, the institution where the girl was staying is is registered as a “child care institution” and not as a hostel.

17-year-old Lavanya consumed poison on January 9 after she was pressured by the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School and its claimed hostel to convert to Christianity. In a dying declaration recorded on video, the girl had said that she was being tortured for refusing to accept Christianity and leave Hinduism.

However, the police and the media tried to cover up the conversion angle in the case and alleged that the girl killed herself because the school had asked her to do some regular chores. Lavanya breathed her last on January 20.

The NCPCR decided to investigate the matter as it had received several complaints regarding the case. Earlier, the child rights body had said that the girl was imposed corporal punishment, refused to go home and made to clean toilets and wash dishes etc, by the school authorities. As a result, the child committed suicide by drinking pesticides. NCPCR had also said that Tamil Nadu govt had refused to cooperate with it in the probe.

The investigation reported by NCPCR is crucial as the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court on January 31 has transferred the case to the CBI. The bench slammed the police for jumping to conclusions without conducting a thorough probe and charging the person instead who had shot the video.

The court observed merit in the petitioner’s counsel’s contention and stated that the police instead of finding out the truth, had been trying to bolster the counter-narrative.

Understanding the ‘Item Number’ Rahul Gandhi did in Parliament: More than ideology, its petty ego, the Gandhi family hubris

Sanghamitra
-
0
Understanding the ‘Item Number’ Rahul Gandhi did in Parliament: More than ideology, its petty ego, the Gandhi family hubris

What Rahul Gandhi did in the parliament on February 2 was not his 254th attempt at coming of age, or his big effort to finally guide his party in a well thought out path to defeat the BJP. The 40-minute tirade of big drama, high emotional statements, references to history, geopolitics and all that “intellectual” booster dose that is all over news headlines today will do zilch to increase Congress votes. We all know that.

What Rahul Gandhi did in the parliament last evening was a political version of a Kardashian sister dropping a semi-nude, a forgotten starlet nobody bothers to be updated about suddenly appearing ‘braless’ on her way to the gym, an obscure lyricist announcing that he is feeling threatened in Modi’s India, or a random Bollywood bimbo going to the Maldives and having breakfast inside a swimming pool while displaying her new bikini.

It was a gimmick to grab headlines. The latkas and jhatkas of the Item Number did attract a lot of whistles, as we can see in the media and social media today, but it was not directed at the BJP. The targets were other people.

2nd February was the day when two key regional leaders had made significant announcements. In Telangana, CM KCR had stated that he intends to travel to Mumbai to meet Uddhav Thackeray, and discuss the possibilities of a political alliance.

KCR had made such attempts before. Before the 2019 elections, he had travelled to Odisha, Bengal, UP and had met many regional leaders in 2018. Though they did not admit it upfront, the intentions of the meetings were clear. He was discussing the possibilities of an alliance, a political alternative to the BJP because Congress has failed terribly at providing it. The idea of a third front was discussed but never materialised.

The Congress was visibly unhappy with KCR’s efforts. They promptly declared that KCR will only be helping the BJP. As usual, anyone non-BJP, who does not fold hands and lies down on the feet of the Gandhi family, becomes BJP’s ‘B-team’.

Mamata Banerjee targets 2024 elections, tries to get support from other opposition parties

2nd February was also the day when Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee indirectly stated she will be taking on PM Modi at the national level. She stated that she will contest the 2024 general elections from UP. Mamata is an MLA in Bengal and the sitting CM of the state. Contesting the Lok Sabha elections from another state means only 1 thing. She plans to challenge the BJP at the centre.

Mamata has made similar announcements before. In December, she had declared, “There is no UPA”. She had visited Maharashtra and had met leaders from NCP and Shiv Sena. She minced no words. She asserted that Congress is finished politically and any efforts to pose a strong challenge to the BJP will have to be without the deadweight of Congress and its failed leaders.

As usual, the Congress, or rather, the Gandhi family refuses to budge.

In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there were multiple attempts by Mamata Banerjee to bring a third front. She had organised that big rally at the Brigade Ground in Kolkata, had invited almost all regional leaders to send a message and to substantiate the idea of a united opposition. She had travelled to Delhi too and had met Sonia Gandhi a number of times in the last few years, always making her intentions clear that she wants opposition parties to unite against the BJP.

Every time, though the Gandhis do not dare to say it on her face, they allow the minions in politics and media to insinuate that any efforts at any united opposition without the Congress, and especially without the Gandhis being the default leaders, (and accepted bosses), will only work as the BJP’s ‘B-team’.

In November 2021, when Mamata Banerjee was again on a visit to Delhi, she finally lost her cool when a journalist asked her if she would be meeting Sonia. “Is it a constitutional requirement to meet her every time?”, she had snapped.

On the day when there should have been discussions about the possibility of a United Opposition, about KCR and Mamata’s statements, about bringing regional leaders together or finding an alternative to the BJP, Rahul Gandhi just had to go to the parliament, make some verbal latkas-jhatkas and engage his ecosystem to bring all the attention to himself.

The Gandhi family hubris: They do not want anoyone else to lead an alliance against the BJP

Over the years, the Gandhi family has proven again and again that they are a recipe for disaster. They keep promoting the prince and the princess, and they keep failing miserably. But the party keeps operating as a monarchy. They had promoted a ‘grand alliance’ with the Samajwadi Party before the UP elections in 2017. Posters of Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh in ‘Karan-Arjun’ style had propped up all over, but the result was a meagre few MLA seats for Congress and its dead weight dragging the SP down.

Akhilesh was so badly stung from the loss that he refused any alliance with Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 general elections, Congress invested big in the promotion of Rahul and Priyanka. Op-eds after op-eds were written, on how Priyanka will save the party and will herald a new era in Indian politics. How she looks like Indira etc. The result: Congress lost deposits in 63 of the 67 seats it had contested in UP. It won only one out of the 67.

Veteran Congress leaders have time and again cautioned against the repeat failures, risking their own prospects in the party by asserting the pressing need for a change in leadership. But the Gandhi family just refuses to budge. It refuses to acknowledge anyone else as a leader to lead even Congress.

The Gandhi family refuses to let anyone else come even remotely close to the prospect of power. Inside the party, and in the wide gnawing abyss where there should be an opposition to the BJP.

Rahul Gandhi’s item number in the parliament was an effort by the ecosystem to take the headlines away from KCR and Mamata, to deny legitimacy to any regional leader trying to step foot in the national politics and thus posing even a remote threat to the ‘throne’ that the Gandhi family imagines itself in.

If Congress is even half as serious as it claims to be to ‘save democracy’ and provide an alternative to the people, they should have acknowledged their losses and had stepped off, they would have voiced support to leaders like Mamata or KCR. But sadly, that doesn’t look like happening any time soon.

Rahul Gandhi’s parliament ‘Item Number’ : Vacuous, verbose, high on drama, low on solutions

Just like an item number in a movie, Rahul Gandhi’s parliament stunt added nothing to the plot, it wasted screen time while providing cheap titillations to people seeking momentary gratification. Contrary to an item number, it will even fail to get any real benefit for his party too. Congress leaders all over the country are still staring at the prospect of losing deposits, struggling to douse infighting within the cadre, and desperately plugging leaks in the battered plumbing of the grand old party that is eventually going to bring the house down.

Democracy needs opposition. The BJP, no matter how successful and how effective, needs a strong opposition force to keep its party cadre working. The country needs an opposition to ask the right questions to the ruling party and provide an alternative to the people. The Gandhi family, in their hubris, is proving to be worse than a sandbank-stuck cargo container in the Suez.

Rahul’s idea: A fragmented India that is neither a nation nor a civilisational entity

What the Congress leadership over the years has been doing covertly, subtly, against the interests of the country, is now announced out in the open. Rahul Gandhi, through his speeches and actions over the years, has made it evident that in his mind, the opposition to India and opposition to Modi are the same thing. No wonder Pakistan finds his statements helpful enough to make its propaganda. No wonder his views are shared by Imran Khan and his government in Pakistan and no wonder that his party was signing MoUs for co-operation with the Chinese Communist Party while they were in power at the centre.

Rahul Gandhi keeps repeating that India is just a ‘Union of States’, for him, the country is just a set of fragments. That may be the reason why Nehru did not mind when China and Pakistan claimed some of those fragments from our frontiers. The Congress Party, in its lust for power, had allowed the partition of the country in 1947, because, for them, India is not ‘Bharat Mata’, the living, breathing embodiment of the motherland, it is just a combination of fragments. That may be the reason why Nehru made that “not a blade of grass grows there” remark when China occupied our territory.

The hubris of the Gandhi family is such that they would not mind multiple partitions of the country, provided they get to rule over some of the fragments. As seen in the 60 years of their rule that brought the emergency, riots, wars and genocide, they would gladly set the country on fire, just to become the kings and queens of the ashes.

1...3,4853,4863,487...7,576Page 3,486 of 7,576