Anti-cracker activist Roshni Ali on Saturday responded to a prominent Twitter user after he made a ‘Bloodless Eid’ jibe at her. The user, Ramnik Singh Mann, said, “After the failed attempt at a cracker less Diwali, I pledge my support to Roshni Ali for a #BloodlessEid.”
Roshni Ali responded the user by sharing a 34 second video on the platform. She said in the video, “Few months back when we weren’t getting oxygen, when people were dying on the road without oxygen, then did Covid ask you if you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist? Yeh nahi puchha na? Hum log sab lungs ke saath saans leta hai (Did not ask you right? We all breath through our lungs). This is the basic truth.”
She continued, “Please don’t make this matter political or communal. Please think for everyone., how do we progress to a new India where there will be clean, renewable energy and modern ways of thinking.”
Earlier, the activist had become a subject of mockery online after she broke out into an impromptu spell of ‘Naagin Dance‘ during a debate on Republic Bangla. Ali while speaking during a debate on Republic Bangla started to dance when she did not get a chance to speak. As multiple panellists voiced their opinions together, Ali began performing the ‘Naagin dance’ to grab attention.
The Calcutta High Court had ordered a blanket ban on firecrackers during Diwali based on a petition by Ali, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court.
Fires and untoward mishaps at hospitals in Maharashtra has become a dangerously common occurrence. After a spate of accidents was reported at several hospitals earlier this year, another such unfortunate incident has been reported from Ahmednagar where a major fire broke out at the District Hospital on November 6, killing at least 10 coronavirus patients and leaving scores of others injured.
The fire broke out at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the District Hospital, where at least 25 patients were admitted, according to a report published by India Today. Six of them suffered serious burn injuries in the incident.
Prima facie reports suggest that an electrical short-circuit may have started the fire. However, the exact cause of conflagration can only be determined after a thorough probe into the matter is completed. According to the sources, the fire broke out at the COVID ward in the new building of the hospital at around 11 am today morning.
The state government announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the next of kin of those who died in the fire at Maharashtra hospital.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressed his condolences over the deaths and has also ordered a probe into the incident. The district collector Rajendra Bhosale has reportedly been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit the report within a week.
The tragedy is another incident in the growing list of hospital mishaps witnessed in Maharashtra this year, which is a reflection of the crumbling health infrastructure in the state. Here are some of the accidents that have taken place in hospitals across Maharashtra this year:-
Major conflagration at Thane hospital
A major fire broke out at Mumbra’s Prime Criticare Hospital in the wee hours of April 28, leaving at least four patients dead. The hospital, located in Mumbra’s Kausa was a non-Covid hospital, and had more than 20 patients admitted when a fire erupted.
Preliminary reports suggested the fire broke out in the meter room of the hospital due to a short circuit. Within no time the fire spread to other areas of the two-floored hospital being run in a residential building.
Fire breaks out at Vijay Vallabh Covid Care hospital in Mumbai’s Virar, 13 dead
Earlier this year, a fire broke out at the ICU unit of the Vijay Vallabh Covid Care hospital in Virar West, Mumbai. At least 13 Covid-19 patients died after inhaling toxic fumes.
The fire reportedly started at 3 am in the morning on April 23 in the air conditioning unit of the hospital’s ICU, where, as many as 17 patients were being treated for the infection. After the fire broke, the Vasai Virar Corporation fire brigade reached the spot and doused the fire. However, until then, 13 people have lost their lives to the fire.
Oxygen leak from a tanker in Nasik left 24 patients dead
The hospitals and COVID care centres across the country are grappling with the scarcity of medicinal oxygen as the number of coronavirus cases surge. Amidst acute shortages of oxygen, an oxygen tanker leaked while being filled at Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital, Nashik.
Ventilators in the hospital were stopped for at least 30 minutes due to the oxygen deprivation caused by the tank leak. This temporary suspension of ventilators led to the death of 24 people, who had died because of oxygen deprivation.
10 COVID-19 patients reportedly die after fire breaks out at Bhandup mall in Mumbai which had COVID-19 hospital on the top floor
In March 2021, a massive fire broke out at a mall in Mumbai’s Bhandup area, which also accommodated a COVID-19 hospital, Sunrise Hospital, on its top floor. At the time the fire broke out as many as 76 COVID-19 patients were admitted to the hospital, which was located on the third floor of a mall. 10 people, all coronavirus patients, had reportedly died in the incident.
CNN News 18 accessed documents that showed Dreams Mall, Bhandup, the mall where the hospital was located had flouted fire safety norms. There were no fire safety norms at the mall. Earlier, BMC had carried out an assessment on Mumbai malls regarding the fire safety norms, and Dream Mall was amongst the 29 malls which were declared unsafe as it did not comply with the fire safety norms.
Blaze at a District General Hospital in Maharashtra claims the lives of 10 infants
Earlier in January, 10 newborn babies aged between 1 to 2 months lost their lives in a fire that broke out at Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) at Bhandara District General Hospital. There were a total of seventeen babies kept in the Unit, but only seven of them could be rescued.
Most newborns died due to suffocation. One baby had fatal injuries, and two others had minor burn injuries. The rest inhaled a lot of smoke, a doctor at the hospital later said.
Over a hundred Twitter accounts have been booked by the Tripura Police under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for spreading misinformation regarding the violence at Panisagar. The Police are now trying to trace the people behind the accounts. The case has been transferred to the crime branch of the Tripura Police.
The case which was earlier investigated by police is now transferred to the Crime Branch division of Tripura police. The police have been trying to trace the handlers of the accounts: PRO of Tripura police, Jyotishman Das Choudhary
Earlier, four Supreme Court lawyers were booked under UAPA and other sections of the Indian Penal code for spreading communal hatred through social media. A case was registered against the lawyers and they have been asked to appear before the Police by November 10.
Prior to the notice, the lawyers had addressed a press conference which was streamed through Facebook live, in order to release a so-called fact-finding report titled “Humanity under Attack in Tripura #MuslimsLivesMatter”. The lawyers alleged that 12 masjids, 9 shops and 3 homes belonging to Muslims were attacked during the recent protests by Hindu groups against attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh.
However, the Tripura govt has denied these allegations. The govt maintains that while some minor scuffles did take place, there was no attack on any mosque in Tripura, as being alleged by many.
The Modi government had given a huge relief to the middle class by slashing fuel price as part of a “Diwali gift.’ While reducing excise duty on petrol and diesel, the centre had also urged the state governments to cut VAT on the same so that the prices come down even further. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) had informed that a total of 22 States and Union Territories, mostly run by the BJP or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, have given relief to the masses. The Centre had made the first move by reducing the Central Excise Duty on diesel by 10% and on petrol by 5%. This was followed by the relief on local taxes granted by the BJP/NDA run States, with Karnataka and Union territories of Ladakh and Puducherry being the largest beneficiaries.
Despite the hue and cry of the Congress party over the soaring prices of fuel in the country, none of the States ruled by it including Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab and Chhattisgarh have reduced the local tax on petrol/diesel. It seems that the Congress party is in a huge dilemma to decide whether to cut VAT on fuel in states run by it. While the NDA-ruled states have already cut the tax, the Congress party seems to be unwilling to follow the advice of the Modi govt to reduce VAT. But this makes it appear hypocritical and insensitive to the consumers, as the party continues to attack the central govt over price rise, but refuses to cut the fuel price on its own.
The Congress leadership, including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, have been attacking the Modi govt over price rise. Here are some notable instances when they did so.
Sonia Gandhi wrote letter to PM Modi, accused govt of making profits
Earlier this year in February, Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused the government of ‘profiting from people’s misery. “I fail to understand how any government can justify such thoughtless and insensitive measures directly at the cost of our people. Your Government has increased excise duty on Diesel by 820% & on Petrol by 258% over and collected upwards of ₹21 lakh crore in the last six and a half years. This unaccounted-for windfall is yet to be passed to the people for whose benefit it was ostensibly collected,” Gandhi had accused the Central government.
Screengrab of the HT report from February 2021
Congress sets car on fire in Punjab, held demonstratiosns in Haryana
In June this year, the Congress party organised protests at petrol pumps in Punjab and Haryana against the incumbent BJP government. They had demanded rollback of the hike in fuel prices, along with prices of cooking oil and gas. The large-scale demonstrations were held in Mohali, Kurali, Patiala, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Gurgaon, Ambalana, Panipatand Rohtak. The Congress protestors had even resorted to arson in Amritsar, where they doused a vehicle on fire to send out a message that people were not able to buy cars.
While speaking about the protest, Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar had alleged, “The arrogant government at the Centre has constantly been increasing fuel prices instead of providing relief to the people during the current crisis. During the Congress-led UPA regime, despite international crude oil prices being very high, diesel prices hovered around ₹50, which is now near ₹90 per litre, while petrol is touching ₹100 per litre.”
Congress workers set car on fire in Amritsar, image via Hindustan Times
Congress protested in Maharashtra, Chattisgarh against fuel price hike
Later in July this year, Congress workers continued their protest against the Union government in the Congress-ruled State of Chattisgarh. In order to grab media attention and public eyeballs, Congress chief Mohan Makram toured the Kondagaon area in an auto rickshaw. He claimed that it was a means to protest against the ‘anti-people’ policites of the Modi.
“The prices of essential commodities have also risen due to the hike in fuel prices, causing problems for the common man,” he added. In Raipur, Congress leader Vikas Upadhyay and his group of protestors disrupted traffic and carried empty LPG gas cylinders on their back. They even tried to ambush the BJP office but were stopped by the police near the Lalganaga Mall.
Screengrab of the news report by the Daily Pioneer
In the following month, the grand-old-party organised cycle rallies in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra against hike in diesel and petrol prices. The Congress rally, which began from Hanging Gardens to Raj Bhavan, was led by State Chief Nana Patole. The party, which is an ally in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, met the Governor and handed out a amemorandum about issues faced by people. Patole had claimed, “People of the country are getting no respite from rising prices. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are advising States to reduce taxes. States do not get their rightful GST compensation, but the Centre is happily collecting taxes,” Mr. Patole said
Screengrab of the news report by The Hindu
Rahul Gandhi and his social media activism
In October, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi came out as the frontrunner in the party’s crusade against the fuel price hike, although his activism was limited to social media mostly. In a tweet on October 14, he wrote, “The old folk stories tells us about the tales of greed and misgovernance and the indiscriminate collection of taxes. Initially, the people would become dissilusioned but later they would bring an end to such a misgovernance.”
पुरानी लोककथाओं में ऐसे लालची कुशासन की कहानी होती थी जो अंधाधुंध टैक्स वसूली करता था। पहले जनता दुखी हो जाती लेकिन अंत में जनता ही उस कुशासन को ख़त्म करती थी।
Rahul Gandhi had prophesised the end of BJP regime if they did not mend their ways of supposed tax extortion and misgovernance. About 10 days later, the Congress scion tweeted again, “Tax dacoity is increasing in the price of petrol. If there was an election, there might have been some chances of cuts in fuel price. #TaxExtortion”
Priyanka Gandhi follows the footsteps of her brother
“Modi ji’s government has made big records in the matter of giving trouble to the public. Highest unemployment under the Modi government. Most government properties being sold by Modi government. The same government had also increased the petrol rates the most in a year,” Priyanka Vadra had alleged on October 24 in a tweet.
मोदी जी की सरकार ने जनता को कष्ट देने के मामले में बड़े-बड़े रिकॉर्ड बनाए हैं
Congress loyalist cries foul after Centre cuts excise duty on fuel
After the Modi government announced a cut in the excise duty of both petrol and diesel, a baffled Congress spokesperson took to Twitter to call it a ‘Jumla’. In a tweet, he said, “Please see the Jumlas of “Modi-nomics”! In Year 2021, Price of Petrol were hiked by ₹28 & Diesel by ₹26/litre. After losing 14 bye elections & 2 Lok Sabhas, reducing Petrol-Diesel price by ₹5 & ₹10 is tom-tommed as ‘Diwali Gift’ of Modi Ji!Hey Ram…..” Randeep Surjewala had managed to find an ‘election angle’ in the government’s decision.
3/3 Pl see the Jumlas of “Modi-nomics”!
In Year 2021, Price of Petrol were hiked by ₹28 & Diesel by ₹26/litre.
After losing 14 bye elections & 2 Lok Sabhas, reducing Petrol-Diesel price by ₹5 & ₹10 is tom-tommed as ‘Diwali Gift’ of Modi Ji!
Interestingly, non-NDA ruled states like Maharashtra, NCT of Delhi, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Punjab and Rajasthan have not undertaken any reduction in VAT prices in petrol or diesel. Although Congress has been protesting against fuel price hike and their leaders have been tweeting against it in unison, the States ruled by them are yet to see signs of relief.
Congress considers fuel tax cut but delays decision
As the Congress party comes under intense scrutiny and criticism for not reducing VAT on petrol and diesel, like NDA-ruled states have done, reportedly the states ruled by the party will cut the tax soon. According to a report by News18, three Congress-ruled states are going to cut the VAT.
However, there is no official announcement from any of the Congress-ruled states till now. Reports suggest the cabinets in the states are considering the matter, but the delay shows that the Congress party is actually is not in favour of cutting fuel taxes when it is in power. This shows the extreme contrasting behaviours of the party, which demands price cuts as the opposition party at the national level. But in the states where it is in power, it is reluctant to cut VAT.
Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) generated Rs 1.25 trillion worth business during Diwali setting a record trade figure in the last 10 years of festival, according to reports.
CAIT, a body of 70 million traders, noted that such massive scale of shopping has ended the economic slow down that the industry was suffering from for the past 2 years and gave a better hope for the future.
BC Bhartia, the body’s national president, and Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said, “In this year’s Diwali festival, there is an estimated business of about Rs 1.25 lakh crore rupees in the entire country which is a record figure ever attained in the last decade,” adding, “In Delhi alone, this business was about Rs 25,000 crore.”
Bhartia and Khandelwal also pointed out that Chinese goods were not at all sold this year in the markets through out the country. Remarkably, it was said that the special emphasis of the customers was on the purchase of Indian goods which resulted in a huge loss of business for China worth more than Rs 50,000 crore.
Also, Jewelers generated sales worth Rs 7,500 crores with 15 tonnes of gold jewellery sold during the Dhanteras festival. According to the joint statement released by CAIT and its jewellery section, All India Jewelers’ and GoldSmith Federation (AIJGF), around Rs 1,500 crore worth jewellery were sold in Maharashtra, Rs 1,000 crore in Delhi, Rs 600 crore in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 2,000 crore in South India.
National President of AIJGF Pankaj Arora stated that jewelers have made large preparations for availability of gold jewellery in number of designs because of the demand created by the festive season and upcoming wedding season. He had also claimed that the drop in COVID-19 cases and the significant vaccination numbers must have contributed to this customer turn around.
This Diwali, Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor had a candid interaction with the Big Bull Rakesh Jhunjhunwala as they discussed a panoply of topics including their journeys, life, stock market and each other’s success mantras.
When asked what he wanted from the New Year, Jhunjhunwala’s response was as profound as it was succinct. He said he just needs happiness, contentment, health and satisfaction from this New Year.
“I just pray to God to keep me happy, content, healthy and satisfied. Wealth and success is temporary and transient. What I would like to ask and pray to God is give me contentment and happiness, not to envy others and treat others well,” Jhunjhunwala told the ‘Ek Villain’ actor.
Elaborating on his dream of becoming an ace investor, the Big Bull cited verses from Bhagwad Gita emphasising that one should always put in the efforts without worrying about the end result. He said it is fine to put in right efforts and fail because there is no guarantee of success but labouring to achieve one’s objectives is under the control of the individual.
“Dreams are dreams. Humans should come to terms with the fact that defeat is a part of life. In Gita it is written, the efforts may be ours, but the results are His (God’s). So long as I have made the right efforts and not succeeded, it is fine. I don’t make the pretensions of being the God or of being omniscient to foresee defeat or be certain about results. The world is an ocean and I’m just a small drop in it. My existence is not permanent so I don’t get demotivated if something is denied to me or some results don’t go my way,” Jhunjhunwala said.
Money is something we must value and respect: Shraddha Kapoor
Responding to Jhunjhunwala’s question on what money means to her, Shraddha said she had been taught the value of respecting money by her father. She said that her father told her that regardless of how much one earns, whether Re 1, 50 paisa or Rs 10,000, one should value them equally and not take them for granted.
“I think money is something that is absolutely essential to survival. Money is also something that must be shared. Money is something we must respect and value,” Kapoor said.
Stock market allocation should be on the lines of other investments: Rakesh Jhunjhunwala
Kapoor also sought tips from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala for starting investments in the stock markets. He replied stock investing is a full-time profession as it requires to be monitored more than other investments. He explained one should plan their stock market allocations in the same way they plan other investments such as buying a house or other regular income plans.
On being about opportunity in personal and body care segment, Rakesh said the upside to the market is limitless as spending on make up and grooming has gone through the roof. Kapoor had asked for Rakesh’s opinion on her investment in the personal care company My Glamm.
Rakesh responded saying he could not be specific about the company without driving into its details but given the demand in urban, semi urban and rural areas, the outlook for personal care companies is positive.
The entire country is in awe of the magnificent statue of Adi Shankaracharya that was unveiled by PM Modi during his visit to the holy shrine of Kedarnath on Friday. As pictures of the 12 feet statue started doing the rounds on the internet, the conversation inevitably drifted towards the identity of the person who had sculpted the beautiful idol.
It was Arun Yogiraj, an artist from Mysuru, who is to be credited for the splendid idol of Adi Shankaracharya installed in Kedarnath. He spent nine months of relentless work to build the statue and bring it into its current form.
The ‘Birth’ of the majestic #AdiShankaracharya that was unveiled by our Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji today at Kedarnath is a tale of five generations of sculpting sadhana that @yogiraj_arun from Mysuru inherits.
“It was my privilege to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath. The process started in August 2020 and I was selected to make a sculpture by JSW. Before that, I made a model of two feet,” Yogiraj was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
— Ashwini M Sripad/ಅಶ್ವಿನಿ ಎಂ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದ್?? (@AshwiniMS_TNIE) November 5, 2021
“It was presented in front of the prime minister in September 2020. There were four-five models brought from all over India. Among those, my model was selected and I got a call to make a 12 feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya,” he added.
Yogiraj thought it was a huge responsibility entrusted upon him, as Prime Minister Modi was himself involved with every single aspect of the making and was constantly updated about the progress of the same.
Blessed sculptor @yogiraj_arun who has chiseled the imposing yet graceful image of Jagatguru #AdiShankaracharya. Such are the ‘unknown’ experts who can offer so much of what is ‘true’ India. Namaskaram ?? https://t.co/KJFPVH2bhX
After being chosen to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya, Yogiraj set about studying statues across the expanse of south India to get a better understanding of the crucial facets and measurements that would help him to make informed judgement about an imposing statue of a key spiritual icon of the nation.
The sculptor revealed that the process started in September 2020 and a team of seven worked continuously for nine months, 14-15 hours a day to create the idol. More than 80 tons of raw material was purchased for sculpting the statue which weighs around 28 tons.
It was a privilege for me to sculpt the statue of Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath. I am very happy that PM Modi dedicated the statue to the people of India. We worked for 14-15 hours everyday for 9 months to execute this sculpture: Arun Yogiraj, sculptor from Karnataka’s Mysuru pic.twitter.com/elIHu0SkQa
The idol was carved out of a single rock called ‘Krishna shile’ or the black chlorite schist, which has the strength to withstand all vagaries of the weather.
Yogiraj said that the sculptors concentrated on a 360 degrees view of the statue and gave importance to structure, posture, gesture, realistic part, traditional aspects, the divinity in the face among the rest of the things.
Meet Arun Yogiraj, artist who sculpted #AdiShankaracharya ‘s 12 feet statue set up in Kedarnath
He concentrated on a 360 degrees view of the statue & gave importance to structure, posture, gesture, realistic part, traditional aspects, the divinity in the face with other things. pic.twitter.com/zsskTX70u9
Besides, Yogiraj also sought suggestions from the Shringeri Mutt, the Shankara Mutt in Mysuru and other religious sources. Although, he was given specifications for the statue by the PMO office, he was granted enough liberty to make the changes as per his research findings.
Apart from building the magnificent idol of Adi Shankaracharya installed at Kedarnath, Arun’s other work include the famous 14.5-feet white marble stone sculpture of the Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar in Mysuru. So was the life-size White marble sculpture of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and various statues at the railway station.
Bust of Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar built by Arun Yogiraj
On the occasion of Engineer’s day this year, Mr Arun Yogiraj, also known as Arun Shilpi, created a monolithic stone statue of Sir M V for the Mangalore PWD office.
The sculptor is also known for the creation of an imposing statue of Lord Hanuman. A video of his spectacular creation was shared by him on his Twitter account.
Yogiraj belongs to an illustrious family of sculptors. His father Yogiraj Shilpi, was one among the eight children of B Basavanna Shilpi, a Mysuru palace artist who was appointed to work on the Gayatri Temple, the Bhuvaneshwari Temple and similar other tasks. The idol of Kaveri on the Krishna Raja Sagar Dam was also built by his grandfather.
The revered Shilpa Sri Siddhalinga Swami, a sculptor to the royal family of Mysuru, was the teacher of Basavanna Shilpi. Swami is credited for designing the domes of the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. Shilpi joined Swami’s gurukul in 1931 and trained for the next 25 years under his guidance.
Speaking about his father, Arun recalls, “He came out of the mutt in 1953 and started independently working on the Gayatri temple as HH Jayachamarajendra gave him an opportunity. Being thankful to the opportunity given to him by PM Modi, Arun says it is a tribute to the legacy he inherits.
The fulfilment of his grandfather’s prophecy and the embracement of the family legacy of sculpting
Although Yogiraj belongs to a family of illustrious sculptors, he did not particularly take interest in the family profession until more than a decade ago. He had completed his MBA and was employed with a private firm till 2008 when his inner calling led him to resign from his job and embrace his family legacy.
Yogiraj says his grandfather’s prophecy turned out to be true as he took up the tools and immersed himself in carving statues. “When I was a toddler, my grandfather prophesised that I would be the one who would pick up the tools and carry the family legacy forward. After 37 years, it is finally coming true.”
Yogiraj’s happiness would have known no bounds had his father been alive today. He passed away two weeks ago and till then he had been telling his son about the making of the Adi Shankaracharya statue, ‘Your voice should reach the rock, then only a good idol can be made.’
APS Deol, the Advocate General of Punjab, has accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of attempting to obstruct the functioning of the state government and the office of the Advocate General. APS Deol has also accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of lying for political benefits.
Punjab Advocate General APS Deol issues a Statement against Navjot Singh Sidhu.
APS Deol said, “His repeated utterances seek to derail the earnest efforts of the state government to ensure justice in the “Drugs matter” and the “Sacrilege cases”. Shri Navjot Singh Sidhu is spreading misinformation to gain political advantage over his political colleagues.”
“There is a concerted attempt by vested interests to malign the functioning of the Congress party in view of coming elections in Punjab for their selfish political gain by politicizing the constitutional office of the Advocate General of Punjab,” APS Deol said.
Punjab has been in a state of chaos ever since Sidhu was made the chief of Punjab Congress. Since then, Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister alleging that he had been humiliated by the party. Sidhu himself had resigned as Punjab Congress chief before his resignation was rejected and he returned to reclaim the position.
Now, it is the Advocate General of Punjab accusing Sidhu of lying for his own political benefit.
Sreedathan, the founder and managing director of the website Indus Scrolls has accused Newslaundry ‘journalist’ of misquoting him in her quest to whitewash the terror links of the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) member and ‘dubious’ journalist Siddique Kappan, who is languishing in UP jail for conspiring to create communal tension in Hathras.
“@newslaundry’s @akanksha_kumar3 washes Islamist dirty linen, to whitewash terror accused Siddique Kappan she weaves of web of lies, hides facts …misquotes @Sreedath despite repeated requests. After report, Islamists target @indusscrolls founder”, Tweeted the website Indus Scrolls while sharing the link of an article published on its website, detailing how the far-left website Newslaundry ‘journalist’ misconstrued Sreedathan’s statements to suit her narrative.
The article published by Indus Scrolls on November 5, 2021, headlined “Newslaundry’s Akansha Kumar washes Islamist dirty linen; weaves a web of lies, hides facts to whitewash Kappan’s terror links”, gives details of how Akansha Kumar, a ‘journalist’ working for far-left propaganda website Newslaundry distorted Sreedathan’s quotes to build a pro-Kappan narrative and hide Siddique Kappan’s terror links.
The report published by Indus Scrolls on November 5
The article by Indus Scrolls firstly negated the claim made by the Newslaundry journalist that Kappan had filed a defamation case against Sreedathan or Indus Scrolls. Through this, she wants to drive home the message that Sreedathan holds some personal grudge against Kappan, further, sharing Sreedathan’s take on the matter.
It may be noted that Newsluandry had on October 23, 2021, published an article titled: “Siddique Kappan’s chargesheet: The curious case of G Sreedathan and a source called WhatsApp”, written by Akansha Kumar. The archived version of the article can be viewed here.
Newlaundry report published on October 23, 2021
The same report was published by Newslaundry Hindi on November 3.
Same report published by Newslaundry Hindi on November 3
In the report, ‘journalist’ Akansh Kumar claimed: “Months before his arrest, Kappan had sent a defamation notice to Sreedathan”. The report further claimed that the UP police’s special task force had relied heavily on a statement by G Sreedathan, founder of the website Indus Scrolls.
The Newlaundry report claims that Siddique Kappan had sent a legal notice to G Sreedathan, the founder of the website Indus Scrolls on April 5, 2020, “after an article on Indus Scrolls claimed Kappan was involved in spreading fake news about the death of two students of Jamia University and propagating anti-Hindu news with the help of funds from PFI (Popular Front of India).”
Excerpt from the Newslaundry’s article
Indus Scrolls has vehemently refuted this claim saying that the claim that Kappan had filed a defamation case against Sreedathan or Indus Scrolls is a lie.
“Till this date, I have not received any defamation notice from anyone, leave alone Kappan. I don’t know Kappan personally. Indus Scrolls published the report on Kappan as his acts were anti-national. There were several questions about him and his activities under the cover of journalism. Since Kumar has access to the Islamist circles, I would request her to share a copy of the defamation notice with me. But more importantly, if Kumar is correct, the question is who has funded him, a freelance journalist with a measly salary, to engage a high-profile lawyer to file a defamation suit?”, Indus Scrolls quoted Sreedathan as saying.
Excerpt from Indus Scrolls’ report
Secondly, Indus Scrolls claimed that the Newslaundry journalist, through her report, tried to give an impression that the UP Police had relied only on the reports published by Indus Scrolls to prepare a 5,000-page charge sheet.
Excerpt for Newlaundry’s report
Indus Scrolls, piqued with Newslaundry’s shoddy journalism, quoted it founder as saying: “I don’t think she is too naïve to believe that the UP Police had built their case on the basis of our two small Malayalam reports. They have highly efficient officers and investigators and they know their job. By publishing such half-baked and fake stories aimed at building a narrative, Akansha is helping the Islamist cause. If the voluminous charge sheet was built on flimsy facts, why did the courts not give Kappan bail? Let them fight it in courts, not in media.” (She should at least have read the trial court order denying bail to Kappan.)
Indus Scrolls pointed out that another problem with the report written by Akansha Kumar was that she had sought to build a narrative solely on the basis of the defence lawyer’s claims. “What is a defence lawyer expected to do? Will he say that his client is a terrorist? It is like preparing a theft report on the sole basis of the thief’s statements. This is ridiculous,” the report quoted Sreedathan as saying.
Most notably, the Indus Scrolls report detailed how the Newslaundry journalist misquoted Sreedathan and withheld portions of a Whatsapp conversation he sent to Akansha Kumar that revealed Kappan’s direct ties to PFI.
Indus Scrolls submitted screenshots of Sreedathan and Akansha Kumar’s Whatsapp conversation to show how Newslaundry’s writer misquoted Sreedathan and rejected his request to correct it.
1. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
2. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
3. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
4. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
5. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
6. SS of Whatsapp conversation between Newslaundry journalist Akansha Kumar and Indus Scrolls editor-in-chief Sreedathan
According to Indus Scrolls, before filing the report, Akansha had called up Sreedathan for his comments on the charge sheet and the Kappan reports published on his website. He had explained Kappan’s links with PFI. Since Sreedathan had expressed his reluctance to engage in a long conversation with her, Akansha sent Sreedathan some questions on Whatsapp and requested him to answer them.
In his answer, Sreedathan had explicitly spoken about the arrested journalist Siddique Kappan links with the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). It is evident from the fourth and fifth screenshots of the Whatsapp conversation shared above, that Sreedathan had distinctly spoken about Kappan’s link with the PFI.
Sreedathan wrote to Akansha Kumar how Kappan was working for Thejas, the mouthpiece of PFI. He further mentioned that Kappan held some national level positions in NCHRO, a human rights group floated by PFI. Sreedathan clearly mentions in his Whatsapp message to Akansha Kumar that the “UP police chargesheet stated that Kappan attended several PFI and acted as a facilitator for PFI”.
These facts, which are of paramount importance in the Kerala-based ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan case was conveniently left out from the report written by the Newslaundry journalist.
Newslaundry skips portions of Sreedathan’s statements
While Kumar included other Sreedhatan comments, she methodically omitted words that clearly did not fit her narrative in order to exonerate Kappan of all terror linkages.
Slamming the Newslaundry journalist for maliciously fabricating facts, Indus Scrolls wrote: “To the benefit of Akansha and others who peddle the fake narrative that Kappan has no PFI links should go through the charge sheet. According to the charge sheet, Kappan visited several countries, including Georgia and South Africa while he was working with Thejas, the mouthpiece of PFI. The charge sheet has conclusively established Kappan’s links with PFI, like his participation in a secret workshop that deliberated on creating communal disturbances and riots”.
“The charge sheet also mentions that Kappan’s “services” were praised in the organization report presented at the PFI annual conference. Reporters like Akansha should read these portions of the charge sheet before giving ‘reliability certificates’ to journalists and accusing them of spreading false information”.
“Kappan used to stay in the office of the National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO), an NGO associated with PFI. Kappan’s wife claimed that he was staying in the NCHRO office, as he had a meagre salary. PFI martial arts trainer Anshad Badruddin was sharing the room with Kappan in NCHRO. This clearly indicates the link between PFI and NCHRO. Besides, NCHRO has intervened, organized protests, and provided legal assistance to PFI activists when they were arrested in terror-related cases”, read the Indus Scrolls report, leaving not an iota of doubt that media houses like Newslaundry are not only running a malicious campaign to make a hero out of terror accused Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan but are also steadfast in targetting the reputation and silencing journalists and individuals who write or speak against the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).
Newslaundry regularly resort to shoddy journalism
Though reprehensible, this sought of irresponsible journalism is only expected from the far-left media house Newslaundry. Only last month India Today had sued Newslaundry ‘journalists’ over articles published on the website and had sought damages of Rs 2 crores and permanent injunctions, Newslaundry ‘journalist’ Ayush Tiwari had said.
India Today had alleged that Newslaundry had committed copyright infringement and made “untrue, unfair, disparaging as well as maliciously defamatory remarks about the channel’s News, Reporting, Management & its News Anchors”.
In August this year, a tweet went viral where Newslaundry and The Print columnist Aveek Sen was seen calling for the rape of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. After Sen embarked on his campaign, numerous tweets of his went viral on the platform. In the tweets, he could be seen using vile abusive language against his detractors and others.
Sen has made several tweets objectifying women. In one particular instance, Aveek Sen harassed a woman who appeared to be a Baloch. After the woman thanked Sen for supporting the Baloch, his line of questioning veered towards extremely creepy behaviour.
Furthermore, whenever Newslaundry is referenced, it becomes imperative to recall the Newslaundry columnist and former Aligarh Muslim University student leader Sharjeel Usmani. In May 2021, Maharashtra Police had registered an FIR against Usmani for posting objectionable tweets against Hindus on Twitter. He had earlier celebrated the death of Aaj Tak news anchor Rohit Sardana.
Surat police arrested a youth named Malik Mohammad (21) in a case of grooming jihad who allegedly trapped a minor Hindu girl by posing as a Hindu boy and raped her later on. The victim told the police that when Malik’s identity was exposed, he pressurized her to convert to Islam as a pre-condition to marry her. Police acted on the basis of a missing complaint lodged by the father of the victim at Puna police station. The victim came in contact with Malik through a social media account, where he had introduced himself as Rahul Patel. The 17-year-old girl went missing after Malik allured her to run away with him on October 31.
But after police rescued her on November 3 from Vadodara, it turned out to be a case of grooming jihad where the victim was kidnapped and raped also. The accused took her to a farmhouse at Karjan in Vadodara where he raped and asked her to change her religion. But she refused to do so. After that, she managed to contact her parents and inform them about the situation. The parents informed the police about her location, after which the girl was rescued from Vadodara.
ACP C Division BM Basawa is investigating the case against the accused who has been charged under sections of kidnapping, rape and cheating of IPC and POSCO and section 4 of Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act 2021. Police have secured his two days police remand for his questioning.
The accused is a resident of Narayan Nagar in Bhaiyanagar and he works at a local textile mill in the same area. According to police, the accused befriended the victim on fake identity as Rahul Patel, a Hindu boy. The accused has also tattooed his fake identity on his hand. The victim is said to a native of Uttar Pradesh but her family is settled in Surat. She is said to belong to a well-to-do family.
During the interrogation, the accused is learnt to have confessed the crime. About his family, the accused said that his mother is Hindu and his father is a Muslim. He accepted that he and his brothers and sister follow Islam. The victim told the police that she was unaware that Rahul was actually Malik who duped her by faking his identity.
