Home Blog Page 3786

CBI rules out involvement of RSS workers in 2006 Muhammad Fasal murder in Kerala, finds involvement of CPI (M) in political murder

OpIndia Staff
-
0
CBI rules out involvement of RSS workers in 2006 Muhammad Fasal murder in Kerala, finds involvement of CPI (M) in political murder

The CBI in its report submitted to the special CBI court of Ernakulam in Kerala on November 5 has reiterated that the workers of the RSS had no role in the murder of Muhammad Fasal. Fasal, a newspaper vendor was hacked to death on October 22, 2006, near a mosque in Thalassery. Fasal, a native of Madapedika from Kodiyeri was the former CPI (M) activist. He was allegedly murdered by CPI (M) activists after he had joined the National Development Front (now Popular Front of India).

The CBI which arrested and charge-sheeted two CPI (M) leaders and their six associated in this murder case, launched a fresh probe on the order of Kerala high court following a twist in this case after Kerala police claimed that an RSS worker Kuppi Subeesh has confessed his involvement in Fasal murder case.

Reiterating its earlier probe, the CBI has said that two CPI (M) leaders from the Kannur district of Kerala namely Karayi Rajan and Karayi Chandrasekharan had planned this political murder. On their instruction, the gang led by M. K. Sunil Kumar alias Kodi Suni executed the murder. Accused Kodi Suni was also convicted in the case of the murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party leader T P. Chandrasekharan who was brutally murdered on May 4, 2012.

CBI discards Kerala police theory

As far as the confession of an RSS worker, Kuppi Subeesh about his involvement in this murder is concerned, the CBI has told the court that Kerala police had forced Subeesh to make a confession while he was in police custody. In 2016 Kuppi Subeesh was arrested in another political murder case lodged at Koothuparamba police station. Kuppi Subeesh said that he was subjected to brutal torture for two days at Azhikal Coast Guard Station, Kannur, by two Dy SPs. Police forced him to make the confession that he had three other RSS workers–Praneesh, Mahe, Prabeesh Kumar, Chembra, and Shinoj had killed Fasal. He, later on, retracted his alleged confession and said that he was implicated to save CPI (M) leaders.

On this the single bench of Kerala High Justice Ashok Menon in July this year directed the CBI to look into the evidence. It said, “It may be true that the CBI may not be satisfied with the materials now collected by the local police during the investigation in some other case involving Subeesh. But there is no harm in examining those materials also, as a part of a further investigation under section 173(8) Cr. P.C,” the court said.

Kerala police and government had tried to derail the probe

The CBI took over the investigation of this case on a directive of the High Court on a plea by the victim’s widow Mariyu since she was not satisfied with the police investigation. Both government and police made blatant attempts to hush up the case to shield CPI (M) cadres.

A former investigating officer of this case DSP K. Radhakrishnan said that CPI (M) had turned hostile Fasal as he was attracted young Muslims to join the National Development Front. Radhakrishnan who had investigated this case at the initial stage pointed fingers at CPI (M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who was the home minister at that time.

Radhakrishnan said that he had gathered evidence that proved Fasal’s murder was a decision of CPI(M). He said that Kodiyeri had called him to close the inquiry as soon as he came to know the investigation inching close to Karayis and other CPI (M) cadres. Radhakrishnan was removed from the probe. Valsaraja Kurup, who had provided key evidence of this case, was murdered later on. The officer was also brutally assaulted by the CPI (M)-DYFI workers when he was posted as DSP, Taliparamba. He was booked in a case.

As NDA ruled states slash fuel prices following central govt’s decision, Odisha becomes only opposition ruled state to follow suit

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As NDA ruled states slash fuel prices following central govt’s decision, Odisha becomes only opposition ruled state to follow suit

Despite the hue and cry of the Opposition over the soaring prices of fuel in the country, it has now come to light that no non-BJP ruled states has reduced local taxes on petrol and diesel except for Odisha.

BJP-ruled states like Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tripura, Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Assam, Bihar and Haryana announced cuts in VAT on Wednesday evening itself. This came a few hours after the Centre announced the excise cut on petrol and diesel prices on the day

Biju Janta Dal-ruled Odisha was the only non-NDA state to slash fuel prices as of Thursday. Northeastern states like Mizoram and Nagaland joined in too to cut fuel rates.

On the 4th of November, the Chief Minister’s office of the Odisha government had announced that they were reducing the tax on fuel following the announcement by the Modi government.

Press Information Bureau (PIB) informed that a total of 22 States, mostly run by the BJP or the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had 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.

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.

NDA ruled states join price cut move

After the centre cut the excise duty and urged the states to do the same, several states have reduced VAT on petrol and diesel. For instance, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh announced a flat cut of Rs 12 per litre in petrol and diesel.

The Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Assam, Tripura, Goa, Gujarat, Sikkim and Manipur had announced a reduction of VAT by Rs 7 per litre on petrol diesel. NDA-ruled Haryana government, too, reduced VAT making petrol and diesel cheaper by Rs 12 per litre, whereas Madhya Pradesh also announced a reduction of 4 per cent VAT on petrol and diesel. Nitish Kumar led BJP-JD (U) government in Bihar has announced a relief of more than Rs 3.

Mukesh Ambani and family not moving to London: Reliance rubbishes media reports based on which trolls targeted Modi govt

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mukesh Ambani and family not moving to London: Reliance rubbishes media reports based on which trolls targeted Modi govt

On the 4th of November 2021, a Mid-day newspaper published an “exclusive” claiming that Mukesh Ambani, along with his family, was all set to move out of India and settle down in London. According to the report, Ambanis were to make a 300-acre country club in Buckinghamshire, Stoke Park — acquired at a reported Rs 592 crore earlier this year, as their ‘primary home’.

Mid-Day reported, “Sources told mid-day that even a state-of-the-art medical facility has recently been set up in the property, adding that the experience of spending the pandemic in the 4,00,000 square feet Altamount Road residence, Antilia, made the family feel the need for a second home”.

The report further claimed that the property had a fully functional hospital, a mandir for which the Ambanis are set to take two priests to London from Mumbai and 40 bedrooms. The mid-day report also quoted “doctors who were hired to be a part of the medical team”, saying that the Ambanis had decided to make a hospital inside their property premises since the UK healthcare system is largely public-funded and in India, private hospitals are preferred.

A day after this report was published in Mid-day and picked up by several other newspapers, Reliance issued a statement rubbishing the claims made by the media report.

Statement issued by Reliance on the fake news that Mukesh Ambani and his family were moving to London

The statement read, “Reliance Industries Limited will like to clarify that the Chairman and his family have no plans whatsoever to relocate or reside in London or anywhere else in the world. RIL group company, RIIHL, which acquired Stoke Park estate recently, would like to clarify that its acquisition of the heritage property is aimed at enhancing this as a premier golfing & sporting resort, while fully complying with the planning guidelines & local regulations. This acquisition will add to the fast-growing consumer business of the group. Simultaneously, it will also expand the footprint of India’s famed hospitality industry globally”.

How the fake media report about Mukesh Ambani and his family moving to London was used by trolls to target the Modi government

As soon as Mid-Day floated the fake news about Mukesh Ambani and his family moving to London, several media houses picked up the news. As the fake news spread, trolls and Congress functionaries started to use the news to target the Narendra Modi government.

Prashant Bhushan, veteran troll, full-time PIL-ist and career trouble-maker had taken to Twitter to further the fake news.

Quoting the media report, Prashant Bhushan asked if Mukesh Ambani was another “bhagoda”. This was a way to target Amit Shah because he was exiled from Gujarat for 2 years while a fake case against him was being investigated after the Sohrabbudin Sheikh encounter. He was discharged later and all charges were proven fake. The Judge had said that the case against him was purely politically motivated, however, Prashant Bhushan, in his infinite hate, used the pejorative word to insult Amit Shah by using the fake news against Mukesh Ambani.

National Digital Media and Social Media coordinator of Congress, Gaurav Pandhi, also took to Twitter to target the Modi government using the fake news.

He claimed that the situation in India under the Modi government was “so bad” that even Asia’s richest man and his family were moving to London. He spoke about the mythical hate spread by BJP-RSS as a possible reason. Not only was this news fake, but Pandhi implied strange logic to target the Modi government. Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, has constantly claimed that PM Modi is an “agent” of Mukesh Ambani and has been working for his benefit. After Rahul Gandhi has spent 7 years screaming this trope, Congress was now claiming that Mukesh Ambani was leaving India because of PM Modi. The impeccable logic that is the hallmark of Congress was evident, even in this case.

In fact, Amnesty troll Aakar Patel went on to claim that Mukesh Ambani had not denied the story while plugging the story that carried Reliance’s denial.

While he urged his readers to “focus on the details”, it would appear that such tropes are being furthered by trolls to create confusion and ensure that the facts are muddled so they can continue to target the Modi government over the fake news spread by the media.

Three-member NIA team reaches Canada to investigate terrorist org SFJ, other pro-Khalistani groups and their foreign funding links

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Three-member NIA team reaches Canada to investigate terrorist org SFJ, other pro-Khalistani groups and their foreign funding links

A three-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team reached Canada on Friday, November 5. The NIA team is on a four-day visit to investigate the foreign funding links of terrorist organisations like Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and other pro-Khalistani groups like Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Zindabad Force, and Khalistan Tiger Force. Sikh For Justice is Pakistan’s ISI backed pro-Khalistani organization banned by the Indian government for involving in terror-related activities.

The NIA team, headed by an IG-level officer, will be probing the funding of NGOs by the aforementioned terrorist organisations. The central agency team would also investigate the Khalistani terrorist organisations funding routes from various foreign countries like the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany.

NIA summons pro-Khalistan outfit ‘Khalsa Aid’ in Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in ‘Referendum-2020’ case

It may be recalled that the NIA had in January summoned controversial pro-Khalistan organizations such as ‘Khalsa Aid’ and several persons including an alleged farmer leader and an actor having links to Khalistani networks to appear before them for questioning in connection with the ‘Sikhs For Justice Referendum’ case.

Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu and another Khalistani sympathizer Baldev Singh Sirsa are among 40 people summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for questioning in the SFJ case.

NIA files charge-sheet against 16 foreign-based Khalistani terrorists of SFJ

Earlier, on December 9, 2020, NIA had filed a charge-sheet against 16 accused who currently operate from foreign soil in connection with plotting conspiracy against India by launching a concerted secessionist campaign under the banner of ‘Referendum 2020’ for the creation of ‘Khalistan’.

A case was registered against the accused under various IPC sections 120B, 124A, 153A, 153B and 505 of IPC and 13, 17 and 18 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The charge-sheet nails the conspiracy of how Pakistan-backed Khalistani groups are fomenting trouble in Punjab.

The charge-sheeted accused are Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Avtar Singh Pannun, Gurpreet Singh Baagi, Harpreet Singh, Paramjit Singh, Sarabjit Singh Bannur, Amardeep Singh Purewal, JS Dhaliwal, Kulwant Singh Mothada, Dupinderjit Singh, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Kulwant Singh, Harjaap Singh, Sarabjit Singh, Jatinder Singh Grewal, S Himmat Singh. The above individuals are members of Sikh For Justice, an organization banned by the Indian government for involving in terror-related activities.

The NIA investigation in the case had revealed that Sikhs For Justice was nothing but a terror group that operates with the support of Pakistan’s ISI and has offices in various foreign countries like the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia etc. 

FIR registered against pro-Khalistani groups after a complaint by the MHA

The matter pertains to the December 15, 2020 FIR registered after a complaint by the MHA which stated that SFJ “and other Khalistani terrorist outfits including but not limited to Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Tiger Force and Khalistan Zindabad Force” along with their frontal organizations, have entered into a conspiracy to “create an atmosphere of fear and lawlessness and to cause disaffection in people and to incite them towards rising in rebellion” against the Government of India.”

As per the FIR, huge funds are collected abroad for the campaign and propaganda.

SFJ links to the farmers’ protests in India

The farmers’ protest saw participation from pro-Khalistani elements. Several ‘farmers’ resorted to violence and worrying slogans, supporting Khalistan were also raised. With pro-Khalistan and anti-Indian slogans being raised during the ‘farmer protest’ along the Haryana-Punjab border, questions were also being raised over the alleged involvement of SFJ in instigating Punjab farmers to protest against the Modi government under the pretext that the three farm bills are ‘anti-farmer’ in nature.

The SFJ collusion indicated the involvement of pro-Khalistan elements to hijack these farmer protest.  

It is important to note that the Khalistan organization SFJ, funded by Pakistan, had earlier declared a grant of $1 million for farmers in Punjab and Haryana in lieu of their support for Khalistan.

On September 23rd, it was reported that the SFJ attempted to capitalise on ongoing farmer demonstrations by announcing a $1 million handout to farmers who had defaulted on agricultural loans.

Paramjit Singh Pamma, a top SFJ official who is on the NIA’s most-wanted list, was also seen at a “Kisan Rally” in London. Pamma was spotted with his followers at the protest. Anti-India shouts and Khalistani banners were seen at the protest.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleges that BJP instigated people to burst firecrackers on Diwali to cause pollution

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai alleges that BJP instigated people to burst firecrackers on Diwali to cause pollution

While the overall air quality of Delhi plunged to the upper end of the ‘severe’ category on Friday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has blamed BJP for the rise in air pollution in Delhi after Diwali. After the Delhi residents defied restrictions to burst firecrackers on the occasion of Diwali yesterday, the AAP MLA from Babarpur alleged that Bharatiya Janata Party instigated people to intentionally burst crackers on Diwali to cause air pollution in Delhi. “Some people in Delhi burst firecrackers on purpose. The BJP is behind this,” the minister said on Friday.

In an interview with News 24, when the anchor had asked Gopal Rai about his opinion on the rise of pollution in Delhi after Diwali, Rai said, “Definitely, for last five years we have experienced a better environment, clean air and low pollution level, but the way the pollution levels increased after last night, there are two factors. Firstly, I want to congratulate all those who have acted responsibly and have not burst crackers on Diwali. But I want to say this clearly that people from the Bharatiya Janta Party has intentionally encouraged people to burst of firecrackers that have resulted in the increase of pollution after last night.”

The AAP minister blaming BJP for encouraging people to burst firecrackers is bizarre, because the Delhi police under the central govt have been implementing Supreme Court orders on firecrackers, and have arrested several people caught with firecrackers. In fact, a large number of supporters of BJP have blamed it for taking sides with the activists in restricting and banning the use of firecrackers during Diwali.

However, Gopal Rai admitted that another factor that caused air pollution in Delhi is stubble burning, but refrained from labelling it the main factor. He said, ‘Second factor that caused the pollution to rise was because of rain, the harvesting of paddy in the neighbouring states was delayed. We have seen the data from NASA, before 31st October, there were fires in approximately 800 to 1000 places. But if you see last night picture, there were fires in approximately 3500 places due to stubble burning. The wind has also changed direction from east to west…’

Notably, according to the Fire Information for Resource Management System of NASA, the incident of fires in Punjab and Haryana have gone up significantly in the month of October, which had reached its peak last week.

Source: NASA fire maps

NASA has used red dots to indicate incidents of fire caught by satellites. A look at the maps from 31st October and 5th November show that almost the entire state of Punjab was covered with red dots, which meant that crop residues were burnt at almost all the farmland in the state before Diwali. Similarly, a large portion of Haryana was also covered with such red dots indicating fire.

Reportedly, the share of stubble burning in air pollution in Delhi had reached 36% on Friday, the highest in the season so far. The wind direction has caused smoke from Punjab to move towards Delhi, and the local weather condition has meant that Delhi was covered with a thick layer of smog.

Four Supreme Court lawyers behind the so-called fact-finding report “Humanity under Attack in Tripura” booked under UAPA

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Four Supreme Court lawyers behind the so-called fact-finding report “Humanity under Attack in Tripura” booked under UAPA

Tripura Police have booked four Supreme Court lawyers under UAPA and several sections of the Indian Penal code for spreading communal hatred through social media posts. A case has been registered against four Supreme Court lawyers and they have been asked by the Tripura Police to appear before investigation by November 10.

Reportedly, 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. DIG (Southern Range) G K Rao in a video message on Wednesday said, ‘Some mischievous incidents are happening in the state since the last few days. There was some minor loss of property and some incidents of disturbance occurred. Tripura Police registered 11 cases including 4 in North Tripura, 3 in West Tripura, one in Gomati district and three cases in Sepahijala district.’

Lawyers who were sent notices from the Tripura Police include Supreme Court lawyer Ehtesham Hashmi, Lawyers for Democracy’s convener lawyer Amit Srivastava, NCHRO national secretary Ansar Indori and PUCL member Mukesh Kumar. 

Manik Das, the West Tripura district superintendent of police informed PTI, “A group of Supreme Court lawyers visited Tripura on Tuesday last and after their visit we noticed that several posts were made in social media expressing their discontent regarding the recent communal incidents. Police has registered a case and wants to know if the posts were made by them or were fake posts.” Manik Das also said that the lawyers were asked to appear before police for questioning by November 10.

On November 3, the case against the lawyers was filed at West Agartala police station under several sections of IPC including 153 (a) and (b) related to promoting disharmony, enmity or feelings of hatred between different groups on the grounds of religion, race etc, 469 (forgery), 504 (intentional insult, provocation), 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy), in addition to the section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The ‘fact-finding team’ of the lawyers had demanded the constitution of an inquiry committee headed by a retired High Court judge to investigate the alleged attack on Muslims, compensation to victims, reparation of damaged religious places etc. They had also demanded strict action against people and organizations who made provocative and false posts on social media to incite people.

Earlier, the Tripura Police responded to viral videos and news related to the alleged vandalism of a mosque during a protest march on Tuesday and categorically denied any such incident taking place and informed that FIR against the viral fake posts on social media platforms had been lodged.

As NDA-ruled states cut tax on fuel following excise cut by centre, Kerala refuses to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel, says there is no need

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As NDA-ruled states cut tax on fuel following excise cut by centre, Kerala refuses to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel, says there is no need

Pinarayi Vijayan led left Democratic Front government in Kerala has refused to reduce tax on petrol and diesel on the line of Centre and many NDA ruled states reducing taxes to give relief to people from the runaway prices. This means people of communist-ruled Kerala will not have that much relief except for what the Centre and several states have offered.

Kerala is among opposition-ruled states which are not inclined to give any relief to common people.

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal during a press conference said that VAT on petrol and diesel will not be reduced in the state. He claimed that owing to a peculiar tax structure of Kerala, there was a natural proportionate decrease in the VAT in the state after the Centre reduced taxes. “When the Centre reduces its tax by Rs 10 and Rs 5 for diesel and petrol respectively, it has actually been reduced by Rs 12.30 and Rs 6.56 in Kerala,” he said.

The finance minister said that even though Kerala govt has not announced any cut in VAT, there is actually a reduction by Rs 2.30 on diesel and Rs 1.56 on petrol due to its tax structure on fuel. He further claimed that like many other states, Kerala had not increased fuel tax during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the last six years the state has not increased state tax on petrol and diesel.

Besides, K N Balagopal claimed that the Kerala government runs several financial relief packages for people affected by COVID-19 and the rebuilding efforts after the recent natural disasters that will be affected if the VAT is reduced on petrol and diesel. He claimed that the Centre reduced excise duty as it suffered setbacks in the recent by-elections in various states.

On the eve of Diwali, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre had cut excise duty on petrol and diesel. The excise duty on petrol was reduced by Rs 5 and the same was cut by Rs 10 on diesel. The Centre urged state governments to ‘commensurately reduce’ the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol and diesel to give relief to consumers.

NDA ruled states join price cut move

After the centre cut the excise duty and urged the states to do the same, several states have reduced VAT on petrol and diesel. For instance, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh announced a flat cut of Rs 12 per litre in petrol and diesel. The Chief Minister of Karnataka Basavaraj S Bommai, Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, Biplab Kumar Deb of Tripura, Pramod Sawant of Goa, Bhupendra Bhagel of Gujarat, Prem Singh Tamang of Sikkim and N Biren Singh of Manipur have announced a reduction of VAT by Rs 7 per litre on petrol diesel. NDA-ruled Haryana government, too, reduced VAT making petrol and diesel cheaper by Rs 12 per litre, whereas Madhya Pradesh also announced a reduction of 4 percent VAT on petrol and diesel. Nitish Kumar led BJP-JD (U) government in Bihar has announced a relief of more than Rs 3.

Opposition parties crying hoarse on fuel prices are silent now to reduce prices in their states

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is the only non-NDA Chief Minister who welcomed Centre’s move and further reduced the price by Rs 3 on both diesel and petrol in Odisha. But other non-NDA ruled states are completely silent on giving relief to people by revising taxes on petrol and diesel as done by the Centre and NDA-ruled states. Kerala is among the states namely Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh ruled by the non-NDA parties. Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi who twice wrote letters to Prime Minister on fuel price in June last year and February this year has yet not asked her government in Punjab and Chhattisgarh, and alliance partners in Maharashtra and Jharkhand to give relief to people.

Sameer Wankhede will no longer probe Aryan Khan drug bust case, officer says he himself asked case to be investigated by central team

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sameer Wankhede will no longer probe Aryan Khan drug bust case, officer says he himself asked case to be investigated by central team

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, who has been leading the Mumbai drug bust case involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, will no longer be investigating the case. Wankhede, however, has denied that he was removed from the investigation.

Speaking to ANI about the development Sameer Wankhede said: “I’ve not been removed from the investigation. It was my writ petition in court that the matter is probed by a central agency. So Aryan case and Sameer Khan case are being probed by Delhi NCB’s SIT. It’s a coordination b/w NCB teams of Delhi and Mumbai”.

According to news agency ANI, the NCB Director-General has decided to transfer six high-profile cases, including that of Aryan Khan, from the anti-drug agency’s Mumbai zonal branch to its central team. Wankhede currently heads the agency’s Mumbai zonal unit.

Mutha Ashok Jain, Deputy DG, South-Western Region, NCB was quoted by ANI as calling it an administrative decision. “Total 6 cases of our zone will now be investigated by Delhi teams (of NCB), including Aryan Khan’s case and 5 other cases. It was an administrative decision”, said Jain.

A team of Delhi NCB is arriving in Mumbai tomorrow after the decision that 6 cases of the Mumbai zone, including Aryan Khan’s case and 5 other cases, will now be investigated by them. The NCB also confirmed that no officer or officers have been removed from the investigation.

Sameer Wankhede himself filed a petition before Bombay HC asking to transfer Aryan Khan and Sameer Khan’s case to central team

According to reports, NCB was mulling to hand over the Aryan Khan case to the central team after Sameer Wankhede himself filed a petition before the Bombay High Court stating that the cases of Aryan khan and Sameer Khan (son-in-law of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik) should be probed by the central team.

Wankhede is currently being investigated by a vigilance team of the NCB over allegations made against him by Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik.

It may be noted that no sooner did Sameer Wankhede arrest Aryan Khan in the drug case that the focus shifted from the latter to the former, with Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik launching ad hominem attacks against the NCB officer. A concerted attempt is being made to tarnish his reputation and shift the attention from the culpability of those accused in the case to the Narcotics officer who led the raid. As a part of this campaign, Sameer Wankhede’s personal life is scrutinised threadbare—be it his dead mother or his personal relationships—the focus is shifted to inconsequential things so that his actions in the Mumbai drugs case can be undermined.

Nawab Malik spearheads campaign against Wankhede

Nationalist Congress Party’s Nawab Malik raised questions on his integrity, alleging that the raid on the cruise ship was fake. Malik then alleged that Wankhede had extorted money from Bollywood stars earlier during the pandemic, a claim that is vigorously contested by the embattled officer.

A day after, Sameer Wankhede once again found himself in the eye of a raging storm when independent witness Prabhakhar Sail alleged that Rs 25 crore was demanded on behalf of the officer to let off Aryan Khan in the Mumbai cruise drugs case. Nawab Malik was quick to launch a scathing attack against Wankhede, accusing him of committing forgery.

Raising questions on his religious identity, Nawab Malik claimed Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim but made a Hindu caste certificate by forgery to get into the Indian Revenue Service under the scheduled caste category. 

Malik, besides continuously questioning Wankhade’s integrity and painting him as a corrupt officer, also said that his son-in-law Sameer Khan was framed in a ‘fake’ drugs case by the NCB, giving an impression that the motive behind leading a spirited campaign against Sameer Wankhede and NCB could perhaps be an attempt to weaken the case against Khan. 

Meanwhile, on his part, Wankhede has vehemently rubbished the allegations levelled against him, terming Malik’s comment as “shoddy”. 

“Fortunate are those who really truly know you”: As Virat Kohli continues to get trolled, Anushka Sharma writes a heartfelt note on his birthday

OpIndia Staff
-
0
“Fortunate are those who really truly know you”: As Virat Kohli continues to get trolled, Anushka Sharma writes a heartfelt note on his birthday

On Friday (November 5), actress Anushka Sharma penned a heartfelt note for her husband Virat Kohli on the occasion of his 33rd birthday. She has extended her support in the face of brutal trolling that the Indian skipper has been subjected to in the past few days, following back-to-back losses of the cricket team in the group stage match of T20 World Cup 2021.

Anushka Sharma wrote, “No filter needed, for this photo and the way you lead your life. Your core is made of honesty and guts of steel. Courage that pales doubt into oblivion. I know no one who can pick themselves up from a dark place like you can. You grow better in every way because you hold on to nothing in you as permanent and are fearless.”

While wishing Kohli on his birthday, she added, “I know we are not ones to talk to each other through social media like this but sometimes I just want to scream and tell the world what an amazing man you are. Fortunate are those who really truly know you. Thank you for making everything brighter and more beautiful.”

Virat Kohli had received a lot of criticism from fans recently for his comments on matters off the pitch. While the Indian cricket team has come under the scanner for its defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand, Virat Kohli was at the receiving end of criticism even before the tournament began. Kohli had said that he will share tips on how to celebrate a ‘meaningful Diwali’ and given his previous anti-cracker comments, he was slammed for it by people on social media.

‘Leading souls down the wrong path’: Archdiocese of New York abused on social media for wishing people a blessed Diwali, deletes tweet

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Leading souls down the wrong path’: Archdiocese of New York abused on social media for wishing people a blessed Diwali, deletes tweet

On Thursday (November 4), the Archdiocese of New York came under attack from Christian fanatics on social media for greeting Hindus during the festival of Diwali.

In a tweet, it stated, “A blessed Diwali from the Archdiocese of New York. Wishing peace and love to all.” However, it soon came became the target of a vitriolic campaign.

Screengrab of the tweet by the Archdiocese of New York

One Christian fanatic wrote, “Please delete. This is not Catholic. We are Catholic, let’s act like it.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Another fanatic tweeted, “Seriously? A Catholic archdiocese is wishing people a happy pagan festival? Delete this.”

Screengrab of the tweet

One user accused the Archdiocese of “leading down the wrong path”.

Screengrab of the tweet

There were similar abuses from others, with one calling the Archdiocese of New York “Pagan trash”.

Screengrab of the tweet
Screengrab of the tweet

Diwali is one of the most important festivals for Hindus and is celebrated worldwide. US President Joe Biden wished Hindus on the occasion as well. Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, conveyed a beautiful message on the occasion of Diwali, which was much appreciated by Hindus in India as well.

However, the wish by the Archdiocese of New York did not go down well with Christian fanatics in the United States who attacked them for wishing everyone a blessed Diwali. In India, too, Islamists have targeted Muslim ‘journalists’ and entertainers for celebrating the festival.

Pakistani cricket team captain Babar Azam was also attacked for wishing a happy Deepavali.

Update

Since the report was published, the Archdiocese of New York has deleted the tweet. The Diwali wish is no longer visible on its Twitter account.

1...3,7853,7863,787...7,649Page 3,786 of 7,649