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‘CM Yogi’s return to power is essential’: Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad announces support for BJP in UP elections

OpIndia Staff
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‘CM Yogi’s return to power is essential’: Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad announces support for BJP in UP elections

Mahant Ravindra Puri, President, Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), has announced support for Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections. Mahant Ravindra Puri, who is from Niranjani Akhara, was elected as the President of ABAP on Monday.

Soon after getting elected, he said, “ABAP will put all its weight behind the BJP to ensure that Yogi Adityanath returns as the next chief minister of UP and that BJP wins the Uttarakhand polls as well as the next general elections.”

He further added that those who are with Bhagwan Ram, Akhara Parishad is going to support them. Mahant Puri said CM Yogi’s return to power is essential to save Sanatan Dharma. He belongs to the faction of seven Akharas who elected him as the President. The meeting was called by the general secretary of ABAP, Hari Giri of Juna Akhara.

There is reportedly friction among the apex decision making body of the Akharas. Another faction of six Akharas also held a meeting at Haridwar on October 21, where they constituted an executive body.

Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections

The Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for early 2022, along with Punjab and other states. While Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to return to power based on the work they have done in over 5 years, the opposition parties are confident they are going to win. In the upcoming elections, AIMIM is hoping to churn Muslim votes in Uttar Pradesh. Congress and Samajwadi Party have decided not to form an alliance as last time they failed to woo the voters.

UP-Bihar students of Punjab college have not been rusticated for confronting Kashmiri students celebrating Pak victory: Details

Anurag
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UP-Bihar students of Punjab college have not been rusticated for confronting Kashmiri students celebrating Pak victory: Details

The Uttar Pradesh-Bihar students who allegedly roughed up the Kashmiri students in Punjab’s Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology (BGIET) college have not been rusticated from the college, the authorities have confirmed with OpIndia. This comes after social media post in which one Kashmiri student can be heard claiming that the college authorities have taken action against the students of UP-Bihar. The clashes were reported after Kashmiri students in the Punjab college were found celebrating and cheering for Pakistan after India lost to their arch nemesis on field in T20 World Cup match.

On October 24, after India lost the match against Pakistan in T20 World Cup, some Kashmiri students of Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology (BGIET) were caught on camera cheering for Pakistan. As a result, a scuffle broke out between the students from Kashmir and UP/Bihar, who opposed the cheering for the neighbouring country. The incident took place at around 11:30 PM on Sunday.

A video was later shared by a Kashmiri student alleging that the students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar barged into the room where Kashmiri students reside. He alleged, “We were watching the match here, and some students from Uttar Pradesh forcibly came inside and hit us.” In the video, the student also alleged that their rooms were vandalised and showed the condition of a couple of rooms.

As per reports, the students from Kashmir and UP, Bihar and Haryana were watching the Indo-Pak cricket match in their respective rooms. The Kashmiri students were allegedly cheering for Pakistan and raising ‘Azadi slogans. Once the match was finished, they allegedly burst firecrackers and celebrated Pakistan’s victor. The students from other states got irked by their behaviour and confronted them. The argument between the students soon turned into a scuffle.

The Police were informed about the incident who reached the institute to control the situation. Times of India quoted Inspector General of Police Patiala (Range), MS Chinna, saying that the students from Kashmir and UP/Bihar had a scuffle. “Both sides have apologised and have given in writing that they will not indulge in such activities in the future and will concentrate on their studies. Thus the matter has been amicably settled.”

Police said around 25-30 students from both groups landed in a scuffle over the alleged cheering for the Pakistani team by Kashmiri students. A senior Police officer, however, denied the reports that suggested ‘Azadi’ or anti-India slogans were raised.

Guninderjit Singh, director of Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology, told TOI that the institute has set up a five-member committee including the dean, students welfare, dean, affairs and others to investigate the incident. If anyone was found guilty, the institute might take action. He added, “The minor spat and heated arguments took place between the students of Kashmir and those from UP and Bihar, but some provoking videos making rounds over social media do not belong to the incident at our college.” He said the reports of students getting injured were also false.

OpIndia reached out to Sangrur senior superintendent of police Swapan Sharma who said that there was a minor scuffle between the two groups that has been resolved. When asked if any action was taken, Sharma said, “They are students. It was a minor scuffle between them. We advised them to concentrate on their studies rather than indulging in such activities. There was no need of any police action.”

BGIET denied social media posts regarding the rustication of UP/Bihar students

On Monday, some social media posts claimed that BGIET had rusticated the students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who confronted the Kashmiri students. The posts were based on a video in which a student Kamil Rashid from BGIET alleged that the students from UP/Bihar were fined and rusticated.

Screenshot of social media post claiming students from UP/Bihar were rusticated. Source: Twitter.
Screenshot of social media post claiming students from UP/Bihar were rusticated. Source: Twitter.

OpIndia reached out to the BGIET administration to confirm if the institute rusticated any student after the incident. While talking to OpIndia, Associate Professor Pranjal Shukla said that there was a minor scuffle between the students, which was resolved quickly. When asked about the social media reports, he said, “The social media reports are false. No student got rusticated. We are not going to take any such action. They are our children. Nothing will happen to the students from UP and Bihar. We have no plans to take any action against any student.”

UAPA invoked against students who cheered for Pakistan in Kashmir

Reports on Monday suggested that students in Kashmir’s Srinagar colleges who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup on Sunday are booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Two separate cases have been registered in two separate incidents, one at the hostel of SKIMS hospital in Soura and another at the hostel in Government Medical College (GMC) in Karan Nagar, Srinagar.

Understanding Balochistan: Pakistan’s occupation in the name of Islam, their ‘kill and dump’ policy and Baloch people’s resistance

Hakeem Baloch
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Understanding Balochistan: Pakistan’s occupation in the name of Islam, their ‘kill and dump’ policy and Baloch people’s resistance

When the British rule in the Indian subcontinent came to an end in August 1947, it disregarded the struggle of the indigenous people in the region. Among them is the struggle of the Baloch nation for the restoration of their lost freedom. On the 11th of August 1947, three days before the partition of India and the conception of Pakistan, the state of Balochistan announced its freedom from British rule. Unfortunately, the freedom of Balochistan did not last for very long. in March 1948 Pakistani forces invaded the Kalat state and annexed Balochistan forcefully. Since then, Balochistan has witnessed five resistance movements.

The Baloch nation has been opposing Pakistani rule in Balochistan since March 27, 1948. From Prince Abdul Karim to Nawab Khair Buksh Marri several veteran Baloch leaders have termed the annexation of Balochistan with Pakistan “a forceful occupation”. On the other hand, Pakistan terms this annexation as a merger of Islamic brotherhood. 

Pakistan wanted Balochistan to be merged into its federation. Pakistan’s first Governor-General and Muslim league’s leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah presented this proposal to the Khan of Kalat and offered him to join their federation. The proposal was presented before the parliament. Balochistan’s parliament in 1948 rejected the idea of a merger with Pakistan by an overwhelming majority and voted in favour of remaining a free and sovereign state.

Both houses the House of Commons and Lords denounced and condemn the idea of giving up the freedom of Balochistan in the name of Islam and religion. Mir Ghaus Bux Bizenjo, a member of the house of commons passed his famous comments on the issue of merger. He said, “if Pakistan wants to merge Balochistan with newly created Pakistani state in the name of Islam then they should also merge the state of Afghanistan, Iran and the Gulf states, as they all are Muslim states.”

On March 26, 1948, the Pakistani army and navy marched on the coastal areas of Balochistan including Kech and Panjgur. Meanwhile, Khan Ahmad Yar Khan was in Karachi to raise his voice against this illegal move, where he was forced to sign the Kalat State Accession Treaty with Pakistan. Despite this, the Pakistani army invaded and captured the central city of Kalat state on March 27, 1948, by force.

Over time nationalist forces of Balochistan have fought against what they called (illegal occupation of Balochistan). In 1948 Baloch fought under the banner of Prince Abul Karim Khan the last governor of Makran, in the 1960s Baloch people united and open a front against Pakistani occupation under the leadership of Nawab Norooz Khan Zehri after the 1970s Baloch nation continue to struggle on both political and armed fronts. The political struggle was led by the Political and student organisations and armed struggle was conducted by the tribal forces. 

The current struggle for a free Baloch state began at the end of the 1990s, in the leadership of the late Nawab Khair Buksh Marri. This phase of Baloch is more sophisticated from past struggles. Earlier movements against the Pakistani state were crushed within a couple of years of their commence, those struggles lacked a political front and the then leadership mostly focused on tribal regions.

The later struggle from its inception focuses on the political groups and it has broadly influenced every part of Balochistan. Nawab Khair Buksh Marri, the leader of the Baloch freedom struggle along with his friends started a political study circle called Haq-e-Tawar. This study circle involved people from different walks of life. Including teachers, advocates, Drs, engineers, shepherds, businessmen hence everyone was part of this close discussion.  

Those men under the supervision of Nawab Marri were debating and discussing guerilla warfare and political movements for national liberation. These discussions were spread in every nook and corner of Balochistan.

At the beginning of 2000, the Baloch Liberation Army waged a war against the Pakistani forces in Balochistan. The war later spread across Balochistan after the murder of prominent Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in August 2006. Bugti’s murder sparked turmoil, the demand for an independent state has reached its peak.

Baloch Student Organisation Azad (BSO-Azad), Baloch National Movement and Baloch Republican Party became the faces of the political front against the state atrocities, they were advocating for the freedom of Balochistan and campaigning against the human rights violations in Balochistan.

Considering the growing popularity of Baloch political parties and the high demand for a free Baloch homeland. The Pakistani establishment launched the policy of “Kill and Dump” in 2009. Pakistani forces abducted three renowned Baloch leaders Ghulam Mohammad Baloch then President of Baloch National Movement (BNM), Sher Mohammad Baloch Member of the central cabinet of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) and Lala Munir Baloch a founding member of BNM became victims of enforced disappearances and their mutilated decomposed dead bodies were found a week later from Murgaap river of Turbat, Balochistan.

After the Murgaap incident, Pakistani forces escalated the abduction and extrajudicial killings of Baloch political and rights activists. According to the Baloch human rights organisations only in the last two decades, the number of abductions has risen from hundreds to over twenty thousand.

Pakistan army intensified its “Kill and Dump” policy with zero tolerance against Baloch dissent. From 2009 onwards countless political and student activists were extrajudicially murdered, particularly the Central Information Secretary of BNM Haji Razaq Baloch and Secretary-General of BSO-Azad Raza Jahangeer Baloch. Haji Razzaq also worked as a senior journalist in a local newspaper known as Daily Tawar. Not only that, but the Pakistani establishment also took further steps to suppress the voice of the Baloch nation by banning their political parties and organisations. By the end of 2014 political and student activism in Balochistan were made impossible, anyone who dared to speak against the state brutalities was targeted by the Pakistani forces or their supported local death squads.

Pakistani military establishment used brutal force and committed atrocities across Balochistan thinking it might break the spirit of the Baloch nation and demoralize the mass to yield from their demand of freedom, but the Pakistan army failed before the will and commitment of the Baloch nation towards their indigenous struggle. 

Pakistan’s every effort to counter the Baloch struggle for a free and sovereign state may be successful in the short term, yet if we analyse the political and armed struggle of Balochistan Pakistan is unable to counter the indigenous struggle of the Baloch nation in long term. Nearly every spokesman of the Pakistani army since 2000 has said that there are few insurgents in Balochistan, we will crush them soon. Time has proven that those statements were false, the Baloch insurgents have become more strong in Balochistan and lethal in their operations against Pakistani occupation. However, the political struggle was crushed with brutal force and the remaining political activists of Baloch pro-independence parties have moved to the countries where they can freely practice their freedom of speech and campaign for the freedom of Balochistan without any fear. 

The Baloch nation needs the help of civilised countries and those who are against suppression, slavery, dictatorship and war crimes. Pakistan and China are partners in crime in Balochistan, world must realise China’s presence in Gwadar would be a threat to the western world and especially the European Union. Therefore, western powers and European Union must consider the Baloch nation as their only natural friend in the region and support their valid demand of a free Balochistan at every level and by all means.

When Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam explained why Indian Muslims have always celebrated Pakistan’s cricket match win against India

OpIndia Staff
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When Delhi riots accused Sharjeel Imam explained why Indian Muslims have always celebrated Pakistan’s cricket match win against India

Following the defeat of India to Pakistan in the group stage match of the T20 World Cup 2021, an old Facebook post of riot accused and radical Islamist Sharjeel Imam surfaced on social media.

In a Facebook post dated June 17, 2017, Imam had confessed, “Several youngsters of our community have been celebrating the victory of Pakistan in the cricket match. When social media was not in existence, we would celebrate at our house or in our neighbourhood. On numerous occasions during childhood, I have participated in such celebrations.”

Sharjeel Imam also went on to claim that such incidents give way to miscreants to label Muslims as ‘Pakistanis’.The radical Islamist then pondered upon the fact that he knew more about Pakistani cricketer Saeed Anwar and his family than that of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. “As a child growing up in Subzibadh in Patna, I knew more about the wife of Saeed Anwar as compared to Sourav Ganguly. There must have been some reason for the same. Find it out,” he emphasised.

Imam had further added that those ‘patriotic Indian’ Muslims who think that Indian Muslims supporting the Pakistan cricket team will cause them to be branded as Pakistanis and will create alienation, are wrong because Indian Muslims are anyway considered ‘Pakistanis’ (by the majority).

Screengrab of the 2017 Facebook post by Sharjeel Imam

Sharjeel Imam then justified his support for Pakistan by claiming that the Indian cricket team is run by a private corporation i.e. BCCI while the Pakistan cricket team is managed by the Pakistan government.

“Everyone has the right to choose their own heroes. My first favourite poet was Iqbal Lahori and my favourite bowler was Wasim Akram,” he had concluded.

Sharjeel Imam, who has been a columnist with Leftist propaganda website The Wire, The Quint and even FirstPost, was seen giving incendiary speeches to provoke and instigate riots in Jamia Nagar. He was also heard instigating people to organise a blockade and cut off North-Eastern states from the rest of India to force the government to concede to their demands. He was arrested by Delhi Police on 28th January 2020 from Bihar.

Kashmiri students thrashed for cheering for Pakistan, booked under UAPA

Kashmiri students at the Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology in Sangrur, Punjab were thrashed by students from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for cheering for Pakistan during their match against India in the T20 World Cup. Visuals of the incident were shared on social media. Videos showed rooms that were ransacked and a person could be heard saying that people from Uttar Pradesh were responsible for it.

The police said that the Kashmiris were cheering for Pakistan, which led to the scuffle. Indian Express quoted a senior police official from Sangrur as saying, “There are about 90 Kashmiri students and around 30 students from UP and Bihar in the college. Kashmiri students stay in 2 wings of the hostel. While the match was on, the students cheered when Pakistan was hitting runs. They also raised ‘azadi’ slogans.”

“After match ended, students from UP and Bihar went inside the rooms of Kashmiri students and had a scuffle with them. Later, the Kashmiri students also had a scuffle with the students from UP and Bihar. The police and college authorities pacified things overnight,” the police official added. The Kashmiri students were also charged under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Rajasthan: Nafisa Atari, teacher who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup, gets terminated

Anurag
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Rajasthan: Nafisa Atari, teacher who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup, gets terminated

Neerja Modi School in Rajasthan’s Udaipur has terminated services of a teacher identified as Nafisa Atari for celebrating Pakistan’s victory over India in World T20 World Cup match on Sunday.

On October 25, a WhatsApp post of a teacher identified as Nafisa Atari, a teacher of Neerja Modi School, Udaipur, Rajasthan, started to get viral on social media platforms. In the post, Atari had shared an image of Pakistani players with the text, “Jeet gaye, we won”. Nafisa was heavily criticized for the post. The netizens questioned what she might be teaching in her class if she was openly supporting Pakistan.

However, she has since been fired from the school.

School terminated Nafisa Atari

On Monday evening, several netizens shared a termination notice on Twitter where it was mentioned that Nafisa was terminated from the services. The notice in Hindi read, “Nafisa Atari, teacher at Neerja Modi School, has been terminated from the school with immediate effect during the meeting of Sojatia Charitable Trust.” The trust runs the Neerja Modi School. The notice did not mention the reason for termination.

Termination notice of Nafisa Atari. Source: Twitter

OpIndia reached out to Neerja Modi School in Udaipur to confirm the news. The school confirmed that Nafisa Atari was terminated yesterday during the meeting and said that the information floating on the social media platforms is accurate.

Nafisa claimed she is not a Pakistani supporter

A video of the teacher is also getting viral on the social media platforms in which she claimed her post was taken “out of context”. Nafisa said during the match, her family got divided into two teams, and each team supported either side. As her team was supporting Pakistan, she posted the status on the messaging app WhatsApp.

She said, “One of the parents who were on my contact list asked if I support Pakistan. I said yes. I thought it was a joke as there was an emoji at the end of the message.” The message that the particular parent had sent had a facepalm emoji at the end. Nafisa further claimed she was a patriot and could not support Pakistan ever. 

MP: Congress MLA’s rape accused son Karan Morwal arrested in Indore after ‘wanted’ posters were put up

OpIndia Staff
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MP: Congress MLA’s rape accused son Karan Morwal arrested in Indore after ‘wanted’ posters were put up

On Tuesday (October 26), Karan Morwal, the son of Congress’ Badnagar MLA Murli Morwal, was arrested by the police in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, reported Times Now. The development comes days after the cops put up ‘wanted posters‘ of the rape accused and announced a cash prize.

Karan Morwal had been absconding for the past 7 months after allegedly raping a female Youth Congress worker. The victim had filed a complaint against the Congress leader’s son in April this year. According to the woman, the incident took place on February 14. She said that the accused came to Indore and he took her to Hotel Pride, where she fell unconscious after drinking something that Morwal had offered her.

Morwal then reportedly took her to her flat in an unconscious state and raped her. The victim said that when she realized she was raped, the accused assured her that he would marry her. However, later, he raped her on the pretext of marriage. A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged on April 2, on the basis of the complaint of the woman. Charges were filed under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 376 (rape), 376(2)N (rape for more than one time), 376 (2) J, 506 (criminal intimidation) and 294 (obscene act at public places).

Kashmir students who celebrated India’s loss to Pakistan booked under UAPA, to be barred from govt jobs

OpIndia Staff
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Kashmir students who celebrated India’s loss to Pakistan booked under UAPA, to be barred from govt jobs

Students in Kashmir’s Srinagar colleges who celebrated Pakistan’s victory against India in T20 World Cup on Sunday are booked under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Two separate cases are registered in two separate incidents, one at the hostel of SKIMS hospital in Soura and another at the hostel in Government Medical College (GMC) in Karan Nagar, Srinagar.

Students pursuing MBBS and other degrees residing in the hostel raised slogans, including ‘azadi’ slogans and burst crackers while celebrating India’s loss to Pakistan. The FIR is still open and the accused are yet to be identified, reports said.

Further, reports say that the students will also be barred from selection in government jobs.

After India’s loss to Pakistan, videos went viral on social media where purported students in these colleges were found celebrating, cheering and dancing joyfully.

Another video showed Kashmiri student singing the Pakistan national anthem on India’s loss.

Meanwhile, PDP (People’s Democratic Party) chief Mehbooba Mufti questioned what was wrong in Kashmiris celebrating India’s loss to Pakistan after all.

She even invoked the abrogation of Article 370 which removed the special status to erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir and removed riders attached to it as part of Union of India.

Lucknow and Ahmedabad to be part of IPL 2022: Here are the winners of the bids for the new franchises

OpIndia Staff
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Lucknow and Ahmedabad to be part of IPL 2022: Here are the winners of the bids for the new franchises

BCCI announced the addition of two new franchises Lucknow and Ahmedabad to the Indian Premier League (IPL). RPSG Ventures Ltd. won the ownership rights for Lucknow and Irelia Company Pte. Ltd.(CVC Capital Partners) won the rights for Ahmedabad at the end of the bidding process held at Taj Dubai today.

BCCI said that the new franchises will participate in IPL 2022 provided the bidders complete the post-bid formalities mentioned in the ITT document. It also stated that IPL 2022 season will consist of ten teams with 74 matches to be played and that each team will play 7 home and 7 away matches. 

RPSG Ventures Ltd. won the Lucknow bid for INR 7090 crores, while CVC Capital Partners’ bid for Ahmedabad was INR 5625 crores. 10 parties entered the bidding process for the formation of two franchises at Taj Dubai. The list of bidders for the purchase of new teams included the owners of Premier League club Manchester United and the Adani Group. Among the centres shortlisted were – Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Cuttack, Dharamsala, Guwahati and Indore.

BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said, “The BCCI is happy to welcome two new teams from the next season of the Indian Premier League. I would like to congratulate RPSG Ventures Ltd. & Irelia Company Pte Ltd for being the successful bidders. The IPL will now go to two new cities in India viz in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. It is heartening to see the inclusion of two new teams at such a high valuation, and it reiterates the cricketing and financial strength of our cricket ecosystem..”

Honorary Secretary of BCCI Jay Shah also welcomed the new teams and said, “It is a momentous day for all of us and I formally welcome RPSG Ventures Ltd. and Irelia Company Pte Ltd. into the IPL fold. We had promised that IPL will be bigger and better from the 15th season and with Lucknow and Ahmedabad, we will take the league to different parts of India.”

‘Safe City’ project in Bengaluru awarded to Honeywell Automation, was mired in controversy over irregularities: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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‘Safe City’ project in Bengaluru awarded to Honeywell Automation, was mired in controversy over irregularities: All you need to know

Earlier last week, Honeywell Automation Pvt Ltd announced that it would lead the Bengaluru Safe City project under the Nirbhaya Fund by the Government of India. An initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the project aims to build safe, secure and empowering environment for women and girls in the aftermath of a horrifying rape incident in New Delhi in 2016. 

The contract valued at Rs 496.67 crores entails building infrastructure across Bengaluru through extensive use of audio-video systems, drones and CCTVs. It had unfortunately landed into controversy last year after gross irregularities were reported in the tender process of the contract. 

Bengaluru is one of the eight cities chosen for the government’s Safe City project, which involves identification of hot spots of crimes against women, scaling infrastructure, technology advancement and capacity building in the community through awareness programs. 

Honeywell Automation, which won the bid for Bengaluru’s Safe City Project, said it will build an integrated Command and Control Centre to manage a state-of-the-art video system that features more than 7,000 CCTV cameras deployed at more than 3,000 public locations across the city. 

The company says the video system will offer advanced video analysis, including facial recognition technology, a “Dial 100” application and drones. The upgradation of the city police department’s existing Suraksha app is also planned, which the company said would help improve incident response rate and citizen engagement.

The company further added that project will be implemented in phases and it will operate and maintain the security infrastructure for five years.

“For more than 30 years, Honeywell has supported India’s growth with differentiated technologies, working to make our cities safer, smarter and more connected,” Ashish Gaikwad, the president of Honeywell India, said.

The organisation insisted that its solutions would provide actionable insights that city authorities and municipalities could use to improve their situational awareness, economic development and quality of life for residents. Honeywell further said that it has delivered similar projects under the Smart Cities Mission across multiple states, including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

The Safe City project in Bengaluru had hit a snag last year after senior IPS officer and Home Secretary D Roopa levelled serious allegations of several irregularities observed in the bidding process of the project. OpIndia had then reported in detail the controversy surrounding Bengaluru’s Safe City project. 

Whistleblower D Roopa finds gross irregularities in Bengaluru’s Safe City project

It all began with a report stating that a woman IPS officer in Karnataka had impersonated the state Home Secretary i.e, D Roopa, to seek classified details regarding the ‘Safe City’ project that is being funded by the centre’s Nirbhaya Fund. A report by Times of India had then claimed that the Bengaluru City police was not happy with the officer’s interference in the project even as the process of selecting the bidder was underway. 

The Home Secretary had found serious irregularities in the RFP of the tender document for the ‘Safe City’ project when she studied the Nirbhaya Safe City project file in the Home Department. D Roopa clarified in detail stating that it was she who called the Ernst & Young officials to know the details pertaining to the tender documents, with the intention of ensuring that the tender process did not favour any single bidder.

D Roopa, a whistleblower in the case, found several irregularities in the bidding process and added that she only contacted the consultant firm to seek details on the manner in which tenders are being drafted to allegedly favour one firm.

Following the intervention by the female cop to seek the details of the tender over allegations of irregularities in the project, IGP Hemant Nimbalkar, the husband of Congress MLA Anjali Nimbalkar, who is the Chairman of Nirbhaya Tender Inviting Committee and chairman of Tender Scrutinising Committee, had filed a complaint with the chief secretary stating that the officer unauthorisedly tried to “access classified information before the publication of tender for wrongful gains”.

Irregularities in the tender process

The tender inviting and bidding process of Bengaluru Safe City project envisaged to make the city safer for women and children by installing over 7,500 CCTV cameras, was being allegedly influenced to favour a particular vendor. It is pertinent to note that Hemant Nimbalkar IPS is the Chairman of both Tender Inviting Committee and chairman of Tender Scrutinising Committee of the ‘Safe City’ Project. 

The proposal for the ‘Safe City’ Project, was first mooted by the police in 2013. However, it was approved by the Modi government only in 2018. Under the project, the centre will grant 60 per cent of the total funds, while the State government has to spend the remaining 40 per cent. The state government approved the project in October 2019. Since then, the tender process has been cancelled twice and the third one is underway but is at risk of being allegedly influenced to favour a single vendor.

The first RFP that was floated got cancelled in January 2020 over the failure of participants to pass pre-qualification criteria. The process started for the second time in June this year but was cancelled after one of the prospective bidders had pitched products from Chinese firm Huawei. The tender was cancelled in the light of the recent ban imposed on Chinese products by the Centre and the state government after the Galway Valley clash earlier this year.

Interestingly, the Bharat Electronics Limited, one of the bidders in the tender process, was in fact the first one to whistleblow pertaining to the irregularities in the project. After the tender process began for the first time in November 2019, the Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) had written a letter to the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru highlighting how the Request For Proposal (RFP) for inviting tender in the ‘Safe City’ project was drafted in such a way that it unreasonably favoured one of the two vendors. 

In its letter, the Navratna company, which has a rich experience of delivering similar projects, noted to Bengaluru Police Commissioner that the tender inviting process has itself put the other bidders in a disadvantageous position despite having vast experience in the similar projects. The BEL, flagging the irregularities, said that some of the provisions of the tender also violated CVC guidelines.

The tender process was subsequently cancelled and was later floated again under a fresh administration in the police commissionerate.

Kranti Redkar responds to Nawab Malik’s jibe, shares photographs of her and Sameer Wankhede’s Hindu marriage

OpIndia Staff
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Kranti Redkar responds to Nawab Malik’s jibe, shares photographs of her and Sameer Wankhede’s Hindu marriage

Ever since NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede arrested Bollywood actor Shah Rukh’s son Aryan Khan in the Mumbai cruise drug bust case, NCP leader Nawab Malik has been levelling a slew of allegations against the officer. Today, Kranti Redkar Wankhede took to Twitter to respond to one such accusation meted out against her husband by the Maharashtra minister, questioning his religious identity.

Sharing photographs of their Hindu marriage, Kranti Redkar Wankhede, a Marathi actress by profession and Sameer Wankhede’s wife, confirmed that they had never converted to any other religion and had gotten married under the Hindu Marriage Act, 2017.

She also stated that her husband’s first marriage to Dr Shabana Qureshi took place under the Special Marriages Act, proving that he never misrepresented his identity as a Muslim in order to collect ‘benefits’, as Malik claimed.

Kranti Redkar Wankhede Tweeted: “Me n my Husband Sameer r born Hindus.We hv never converted to any other religion. V respect all religions. Sameer’s father too is hindu married to my Muslim Mom in law who is no more. Sameer’s ex-marriage ws under special marriage act, divorced in 2016.Ours in hindu marriage act 2017”.

NCP leader Nawab Malik claims that Sameer Wankhede is Muslim and his father’s name is ‘Dawood’.

The NCB director’s wife’s response came after Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik, on Monday, claimed that Sameer Wankhede is Muslim and his father’s name is ‘Dawood’. The NCP leader had also released a photo of Wankhede from his first wedding to Dr Shabana Qureshi, insinuating that Sameer Wankhede claimed to be Hindu and forged his caste certificate in order to be selected in the civil services.

Sameer Wankhede responds to Nawab Malik’s jibe questioing his religious identity

Hours after Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik tweeted the birth certificate supposedly of Sameer Wankhede, the latter made a statement confirming that his father is Hindu and his mother is Muslim.

“I would like to express that my father Sh Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede retired as Senior Police Inspector of State Excise Department, Pune on 30.06.2007. My father is a Hindu and my mother Late Mrs Zaheeda was a Muslim. I belong to a composite, multi-religious and secular family in true Indian tradition and I am proud of my heritage,” Wankhede said in a press release.

Wankhede strongly condemned the tirade against him asserting: “The publishing of my personal documents on Twitter is defamatory in nature and unnecessary invasion of my family privacy. It is intended to malign me, my family, my father and my late mother.”

NCP Minister Nawab Malik targets NCB zonal director

Recently, Nawab Malik of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) alleged that Sameer Wankhede was in the Maldives during the pandemic when many Bollywood celebrities were vacationing there as well. He alleged that ‘vasuli’ (extortion) took place in Maldives and Dubai and said he even has photographs to establish the same.

In response, Sameer Wankhede said: “The minister is saying wrong things. It is an absolute lie. I went to the Maldives with my children for a vacation. I took proper permission from the competent authority for the same. I didn’t meet anyone and I don’t want to give any further clarification on these kinds of accusations. In December, I was in Mumbai, at the time when he said I was in Dubai. This can be investigated.”

Wankhede added: “My family is continuously being attacked — from my sister to my father. This is only because I am fighting for the truth and against drug activity. I will take appropriate legal action as the minister has levelled many wrong accusations. I will take legal recourse. We have a justice system, I will take their help after taking permission from my seniors.”

He had confirmed that he will be sending a legal notice to NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik for levelling allegations against him in connection to the Mumbai cruise drugs case.

On October 11, Sameer Wankhede had also lodged a complaint with the Maharashtra police where he said that he was being subjected to illegal surveillance. According to reports, NCB officials had taken this matter to senior officials of the Mumbai police and lodged a complaint about being followed by the Mumbai police officials.

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