Bakul Nath, the NRI son of veteran Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, is the latest addition to the ever-growing list of Indians named in Pandora Papers, a report published by Indian Express revealed.
Besides Bakul Nath, the key accused in the AgustaWestland scam Rajiv Saxena is also present on the list of people who allegedly have undisclosed properties and entities abroad. As per the report, their names featured because of their offshore networks and alleged money flows.
Records accessed by the publication allegedly brings forth new evidence in the corruption case being handled by the CBI and ED.
Bakul Nath’s name first cropped up in the interrogation report of Rajiv Saxena, who is currently on bail. As per records, Saxena colluded with Delhi-based lawyer Gautam Khaitan and reportedly got €12.40 million from AgustaWestland in the account of Interstellar Technologies, 99.99 per cent of the shares of which were taken over by Saxena by 2000. It is alleged that the embezzled money was then used to pay the middlemen.
“We (he and co-accused Sushen Mohan Gupta) received bridge funding through Pristine River Investments, a company managed by John Docherty for Bakul Nath, son of Kamal Nath. Thus, indirectly funds from Interstellar Technologies were used to repay the loans from Pristine River Investment,” Saxena had told the Indian Express last year.
Spector Consultancy Services, an offshore company set up by Trident Trust in February 2018, linked the NRI Bakul Nath to Swiss national Docherty, the Pandora Papers revealed. The company says Nath is the Beneficial Owner and lists him with a Dubai address. Docherty, it says, is its first director.
Another offshore company, Cellbrook Limited, is listed as a shareholder of Spector Consultancy Services. The organisation is listed as a real estate company and its assets in the first three years are pegged at $10 million.
The investigation carried out by the publication revealed Saxena had set up a trust Tanay Holdings Limited in 2014, which was linked to shares or ownership of 14 other companies or assets, including his villa in Palm Jumeirah, a flat in London, and other properties.
In 2014, Saxena set up Matrix UAE Trust, a business trust offshore with Matrix International Limited as its underlying BVI firm. Several of Saxena’s flagship companies were linked to the AgustaWestland kickbacks and were reportedly pledged to Matrix UAE Trust.
The AgustaWestland deal was cancelled by the Centre in 2014 but it was not until 2017 when Saxena’s wife Shivani was caught at the Chennai airport that the link of Saxenas to the VVIP Chopper scam came to the fore.
Following her arrest, Rajiv asked Trident Trust to liquidate the structures of Tanay Trust, Matrix UAE Trust, and their linked BVIs, and hand their shares over to him urgently.
Saxena was arrested by the UAE government security agencies in Dubai and later extradited to India on January 30, 2019. In his interrogation, Rajiv Saxena had named key Congress leaders and their relatives over alleged involvement in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper scam. In his interrogation in connection with the scam, Saxena named senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Kamal Nath’s son Bakul Nath and Sonia Gandhi’s close aide Ahmed Patel
Congress leader and close friend of the Gandhis Captain Satish Sharma named in Pandora Papers
Besides Bakul Nath and Rajiv Saxena, the investigation conducted into the Pandora Papers also threw up the name of Congress leader Captain Satish Sharma, who had close ties with the Gandhis and had passed away in February this year. The investigation revealed that Sharma was among those who had undisclosed properties and entities abroad.
At least 10 members of Captain Satish Sharma’s family, including his wife Sterre, children and grandchildren, are listed as beneficiaries under a trust named Jan Zegers Trust—an organisation incorporated in the Cayman Islands in 1995. The trust was later registered under the governing law of New Zealand as well.
Significantly, Sharma was then Union Minister of Petroleum and Gas under the Congress-led government at the Centre and had not made any declaration about the same to the Election Commission while filing poll nomination papers. He was an MP from the Amethi and later Raebareli Lok Sabha seats, the two seats preferred by the Gandhi family.
There was another trust named JZ II Trust that was incorporated in October 2015 when Sharma was a Congress Rajya Sabha member. The investigation by the Indian Express found Sharma to be the protector of the two aforementioned trusts and his wife Sterre listed as a beneficiary under them.
On October 11, a team of professors led by Prof Manindra Aggarwal of IIT Kanpur released a study on Uttar Pradesh government’s successful model to manage Covid-19. It explained how Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led UP Government ensured economic activities and controlled the spread of the infection with the Test, Track, Treat and Tackle (TTTT) approach. Despite being the most populous state in the country, UP managed to shrink the unemployment rate from 11% to 4% during the pandemic from March 2020 to July 2021. Notably, UP’s unemployment rate is currently lower than the national average.
India has till now seen two waves of the coronavirus pandemic. The first wave touched its peak on September 11, 2020, with 97,655 new cases in a day. The second wave, however, brought an unprecedented number of cases and touched the peak on May 6, 2021, with single-day high of 414,280 cases. Uttar Pradesh had its own share of a high number of cases. During the first wave, UP saw a peak at 7,016 cases. However, in the second wave, the numbers were over five times high, and the peak was reached on April 24, 2021, with 37,944 cases reported in a single day.
While determining how UP did in terms of numbers, one has to keep in mind that in terms of population, it is the most populous state in India. During the past one and half years, the state administration stepped up Covid management tactics on war footing to curb the numbers while ensuring the business activities in the state did not stop. In fact, the study pointed out that UP had issued 2.67 lakh No Objection Certificates (NOC) during the last one-and-half year that shows the government was determined to sustain the economic activities.
The main objectives of the state government
While planning the Covid management strategies, UP Government had a few objectives in mind to ensure lesser stress on the general public.
The first objective was to ensure that the livelihood of the citizens, especially the marginalised and migrant workers, does not get adversely affected.
For the state government, it was important to ensure to sustain economic activities to maintain economic growth.
It was essential to curb the spread of virus and stop it from spreading to the nicks and corners of the state.
Lastly, the government worked extensively on augmenting healthcare infrastructure to manage the increased load of the infection.
How did UP control the spread of the virus?
UP govt wanted to ensure businesses run smoothly in the state. Interestingly, during the second devastating wave of the virus, smaller containment zones were closed down, but the rest of the business went forward as usual. It is understandable that when businesses run during a pandemic, there is always a chance of a faster spread of the virus. Thus, it was important for the UP govt to arrest the spread at the time it started to sprout.
Our report on handling of Covid second wave by GoUP is available at https://t.co/Y8T3b3F1yV. A thread highlighting key points will follow soon.
The study revealed that the UP govt distributed over 33 lakh of immunity booster kits based on AYUSH recommendations during the pandemic. For the mild cases, the government formed home management strategies that allowed the patients to recover quickly and efficiently at home, reducing the pressure on the hospitals. Extensive testing and surveillance played an important role in tracing the spread of the infection and controlling it before it went out of hand. Smart management of containment zone also helped in ensuring that the infection fades away quickly. Last but not least, ramped up vaccination program despite excessive propaganda against vaccination by the opposition leaders helped in controlling Covid-19 in the state.
The efforts made by the UP Government showed positive results, and the study showed that UP recorded the highest recovery ratio at 98.6% among the top ten states with a maximum number of cases reported. Similarly, as the state emphasised on TTTT approach, the positivity ratio of the state was less than 0.0%. Notably, the state conducted 6.6 crores tests during the pandemic till July 31 2021. UP also had the lowest active cases per million (3) and deaths per million (97).
The Migrant Workers Crisis in UP
After the pan-India lockdown was announced in March-April 2020, migrant workers started to go back to their native states as soon as they got a chance. The study pointed out that around 35 lakh migrant workers came back to UP from different states during the first wave of Covid. Multiple strategies were conceptualised by the state government that included both short term and long term solutions to provide a livelihood to the migrant workers. Also, it was important to ensure the workers stay back after the first wave so that in future, no such hardships are faced.
Source: IIT Kanpur
To ensure migrant workers get healthcare and the state prevents any further outbreaks, multiple testing facilities and testing kiosks were established across the state. Immediate financial assistance of Rs. 1,000 was provided to the migrant workers to ensure they were able to stay at home under quarantine as mandated by the central health authorities. The state not only distributed free ration under national and state schemes but also established community kitchens to ensure no one was left hungry.
Secondly, the state created an innovative skill mapping initiative for migrant workers. It helped in providing them with the jobs as per their skills under different schemes. The study shows that the state did skill mapping of around 16 lakh migrant workers. UP also created an online platform so that the workers can find jobs on their smartphones rather than going to the labour mandis. While maximum number of jobs provided to workers during both waves of Covid were in the construction sector, other jobs included painting, carpenter, driver, plumber, cook, child caretaker, electrician and more.
Source: IIT Kanpur
Some of the jobs that the migrant workers did under the MGNREGA program were drought proofing, fisheries, micro-irrigation works, land development, rural infrastructure and more. The study suggests around 18 districts, 40-95% of jobs were given to women migrant workers under MGNREGA.
Srouce: IIT Kanpur
Financial support in the form of food grains and monetary benefits via DBT were provided to the poor people, including daily wagers, labours, street vendors, coolies, rickshaw pullers, migrant workers and more during both waves of Covid-19. Additional food grains were also provided free of cost to each member of such families in May and June during the second wave, in addition to the basic allotment under the PMGKAY scheme.
Covid management under resource-constrained settings in UP
There was a period during April and May this year when UP was reported over 30,000 cases per day. The health infrastructure was overwhelmed, and the state worked on war-footing to meet the demands of hospital beds and medical oxygen. The state rapidly augmented health infrastructure, increased healthcare manpower, addressed critical issues like oxygen shortage, ensured a steady supply of critical medicines, tested extensively to identify positive cases and created micro containment zones rather than going for state-wide lockdown.
Healthcare workers played a very important role in detecting and stopping the spread of the virus. In both urban and rural regions, these workers helped in breaking the transmission chain by testing and treating infected people. They also followed up with recoveries and helped in setting up healthcare facilities. Under the TTTT model, the state employed two ASHA workers, one Anganwadi worker, and one Anganwadi helper per 1000 people.
The state developed special training modules to train these workers via audio and video with voiceovers. The experts also created cascade models to train healthcare workers who worked in the field. District level and block level officers were oriented centrally for better management. Technical support from the centre, UPTSU, WHO and UNICEF also helped UP in Covid management.
The safety of the healthcare workers was a priority for the state. The government not only provided them sufficient personal protective gear like PPE Kits, masks, gloves, sanitisers etc. but also enrolled them under different schemes like PMJJBY, PMSBY and AKBY.
Hospital infrastructure
Not only state ramped up the availability of ICU beds in the state, but it also reported the highest number of ventilators. While making beds, ICUs and ventilators available for Covid patients, the state also made sure to sustain non-Covid services. While the government provided all the support for home isolation, they made sure that it was not allowed for the patients suffering from problems like HIV, transplant recipients, cancer therapy etc. For patients above the age of 60 or those who have co-morbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes etc., proper evaluation was done before allowing home isolation.
It is noteworthy that the state has been ramping up pediatric facilities for the possible third wave of the pandemic to ensure there is ample medical infrastructure for the children contracting the disease.
Immunity booster kits
While homoeopathic kits were most famous in the state, Ayurvedic kits like Ayush Kit, Ayush 64, Ayush Kadha etc., were extensively distributed across the state.
Oxygen supply chain
During the period of April end to May mid in 2021, due to a high number of positive cases, the oxygen demand was at its peak in the state. During this period, many hospitals across India reported a shortage of medical oxygen, including Uttar Pradesh. Though oxygen was available, the supply chain was not adequate. Government of India had provided funds to establish Oxygen plants in the states across India, but the study suggests only UP, and Assam pushed forward in setting up those plants. Uttar Pradesh formulated an extensive supply chain using GPS trackers for the oxygen trucks to ensure it reaches to all hospitals in time.
Source: IIT Kanpur
With a 78-member strong team, the integrated command and control centre of UP’s supply chain management monitored 15 oxygen plants along with 133 oxygen tankers that moved liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from these plants to various locations across the state. Indian Railways also provided support via trains to carry oxygen to UP. Indian Air Force airlifted the empty tankers to the oxygen plants to reduce the time spent in supplying LMO.
Notably, under different schemes, 549 oxygen plants were allotted for the state of UP. By July 31 2021, 238 plants had already been established.
Vishesh Surveillance Abhiyan Initiative
Vishesh Surveillance Abhiyan Initiative (VSAI) is a house-to-house surveillance program started by the UP government. The main aim was to detect and track cases at household levels. A two-member VSAI team visited households and educated them about infection prevention and control, detected symptomatic patients and identified people with co-morbidities. They collected samples, if required, and sent them for testing. The program helped in containing the spread in rural areas. The study revealed that the UP govt had deployed 141,610 such teams along with 21,242 supervisors in all rural areas.
Vaccination drive
The state ramped up vaccination drive to curb the spread. By July 31, 4.06 crore people had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 86 lakh were fully vaccinated. As per current data provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 9.16 crore have received at least one dose, while 2.48 crore are fully vaccinated in the state.
Sustenance packages
The study showed that the UP govt distributed 3876962.97 MT of ration during the second wave of Covid-19. The average distribution per person stands at 16.29 KG. The distribution was done under PMGKY that has been extended till November 2021. Five KG of Wheat/Rice is being distributed by the state government free of cost to 3.6 crore families.
Source: IIT Kanpur
During the second wave, Jan Dhan accounts of women beneficiaries were credited with Rs. 500 per month for the months of April, May and June. Further, Rs. 1000 were provided to BPL persons, senior citizens, widows, and disabled individuals. The government also provided Rs. 1000 to construction workers who lost their jobs due to stoppage of work in containment zones.
Task Team 9
Headed by medical education minister Suresh Khanna and health minister Jai Pratap Singh under the supervision of CM Yogi Adityanath, Task Team 9’s main function was to manage Covid beds across the state ensure availability of human healthcare resources and continuing the vaccination drive. The study pointed out that 73,000 monitoring committees under the team conducted door-to-door screening in around 97,000 villages. Around 1,00,000 tests were conducted daily in rural areas.
Observations made by the study for the possible third wave
The study suggests UP may see a very slow rise in the cases, with its peak in February 2022 with 1,200 infections per day at most. In case a new variant shows up, the state may see a faster rise with a peak in November with around 10,000 infections per day. In any scenario, the demand for beds would likely not go beyond 10,000; thus, it would not put pressure on the health infrastructure like it did in the second wave. Also, with vaccination going in full swing, the serious cases would be lesser in number compared to the second wave.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) zonal director Sameer Wankhede who is investigating the case of narcotics seizure on a Goa-bound cruise that led to the arrest of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan, has lodged a complaint with the state police and Union government, stating that he is being stalked.
According to the sources quoted by the Times of India, Wankhede had complained that he has learnt from his sources that someone has been following him even to a Kabristan in western suburbs, which he regularly visits to pray at his mother’s grave.
Is Sameer Wankhede being spied on? NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede & DDG Ashok Mutha Jain meet Maharashtra DGP & raise 'surveillance' issue. Here's CCTV footage that was allegedly retrieved by Mumbai police officials. CCTV footage shows Sameer Wankhede at Oshiwara Kabristan. pic.twitter.com/4dQbMDWFOf
Wankhede’s mother had passed away in 2015 and since then he has been frequenting the Kabristan to offer his prayers.
Wankhede met with Mumbai DGP, alleging that some persons in plain clothes had been following him for a few days. Wankhede had alleged that he is also been subjected to illegal surveillance. According to reports, Wankhede has CCTV footage of people in civil clothes following him.
Wankhede has reportedly also mentioned that two unknown persons, accompanied by police officials from Oshiwara station had taken away CCTV footage that had recorded his Kabristan visits. The NCB officer has expressed concerns over the safety of his family and himself.
The complaint has been filed at a time when Wankhede is in the midst of probing several people arrested in connection to the Mumbai rave party drug bust involving Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
Cruise ship drugs case: SRK’s son Aryan Khan among many others arrested by NCB
On Sunday, October 3, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and many other people were detained from a luxury cruise liner where a rave party was going on.
After the raid on the cruise Ship rave party, NCB seized a huge amount of narcotics and detained 10 people. The ship was supposedly going from Mumbai to Goa. According to reports, every person present at that party had paid an entry fee of more than 80 thousand rupees. As per sources, Mumbai Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and other NCB officials acted on an intelligence input and boarded the ship as normal passengers and carried out the operation.
The case held particular prominence after the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, who was also present on the cruise. Khan was initially remanded to NCB custody till the 7th of October. Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were also sent to NCB custody along with Aryan. On Friday last week, The court had rejected the bail plea of Aryan Khan and others arrested in the drug bust and sent them to 14 days of judicial custody.
“Every Thursday, there would be an evening Aarti at the Jalaram Bapa Temple. Then one Shaukat Ali purchased a house right across the temple. He would object to the Aarti. He eventually got 28 houses in the society sold to Muslims and now the Aarti at the temple has stopped. Not just that, the temple has now also been put up for sale,” says a source close to the developments in Bharuch on condition of anonymity.
Jalaram Bapa Temple up for sale in Bharuch (image courtesy: watchgujarat.com)
He says that in 2019, Disturbed Areas Act was implemented in parts of Bharuch but people including administration has been exploiting loopholes which has led to demography change in certain areas. “Only Hindus lived in Soni Faliyo and Hathikhana areas in Bharuch at one point. Now there are hardly 20-25 Hindu families living there. They have decided to sell off their homes and leave,” he added.
“I’ll give you an example. You and I are both living in same residential society. You live in house no 11 and I in house no 12. Logic dictates that all houses in same residential society would fall under the Disturbed Areas Act if the area falls under it. But then these bureaucrats and others have found out loopholes. They claim that one house falls under one TP scheme and other in another and hence one house falls under Disturbed Areas Act while other does not. Everyone is turning a blind eye to this demography change,” he said.
The video shot by local media channel GujaratWatch shows how Hindus have put up signs of homes and temples up for sale. “The residents of this chawl are Hindus but it is now up for sale,” says one of the banner.
The sources in the know of the matter, however, say that when the residents protested against such taking over of property by exploiting loopholes, police and administration instead threatened to file case against them accusing them of disturbing peace. “The government was elected to protect interest of Hindus, which is why they also brought in laws like anti-forced conversion laws, disturbed areas act, but such loopholes are being exploited and administration is not doing anything,” he said.
One of the residents, Gaurang Rana, while speaking to OpIndia said that there is a modus operandi where homes of Hindus are purchased by a Hindu buyer and within just 2-3 months a Muslim person will purchase it from the Hindu buyer. “Have you ever seen such transactions where a person owns home just for 2 months before selling it off? This when the houses fall under Disturbed Areas Act?” he said.
OpIndia had earlier reported how a similar case took place in Surat where a Muslim builder brought in a Hindu partner temporarily for purchase of land in Surat’s Adajan area where Disturbed Areas Act is in place. The Act was circumvented and permission to construct a building was obtained by the Muslim builder next to a temple by bringing in a Hindu partner ‘temporarily’ to hoodwink the law.
Speaking on increased woes of remaining Hindu families left in the area, he said that there is a temple where Aarti-Bhajan take place. “They (new Muslim residents) would create ruckus and object to usage of speakers. When we go sit in the faliya (community area), they accuse us of misbehaving and threaten us with false cases. It has become too difficult for us to stay here,” he said.
“We are fed up with this mental torture. We have made presentations before the administration but nothing has come out of it,” he said. OpIndia tried to reach out to Bharuch district authorities but could not get through.
In a letter written to the administration, residents of Soni Faliya alleging illegal transfer of property to Muslim owners, said that the demography of the area is changing and it has turned into a Muslim dominated area. “If this happens, they could slaughter animals in public places which could be disturbing for Hindus, especially women and children, who are predominantly vegetarian. Similarly it may also cause hindrance to celebration of Hindu festivals. They have already stopped playing of religious songs at Jalaram Bapa temple and Shiva temple in the locality,” the residents say in a note to the Chief Minister of Gujarat written on 2nd September, 2020.
Letter written to Chief Minister of Gujarat by Bharuch residents
Stating that in the past there have been incidents of communal violence in this area, the residents allege that Ramesh Prajapati (Intawala), who sold off the property to Muslim owners, is trying to create an atmosphere of communal discord. They have also alleged that Prajapati has received huge sums of money for selling property to Muslims.
Alleging conspiracy, the residents say that at first one or two Muslims would buy property at high rate. Then the Hindus in the area get influenced and sell their homes. Later, when the demography changes, the remaining Hindus end up having to sell their property at lower rates because of change in demography. “A lot of Hindu areas have now become Muslim dominated areas,” the letter says. The residents further insist that a high level probe is initiated for such transfer of property.
What is Disturbed Areas Act
District Administration, to maintain communal harmony and peace, could declare certain areas as ‘Disturbed Areas’ which are susceptible to demography change. The transfer of immovable property in these areas would require an elaborate procedure. The seller, in the application, must mention that the seller is selling the property by their own free will.
Disturbed Areas Act is often wrongly interpreted that it applicable where at least one party between buyer and seller are either Hindus or Muslims. The thing is, any such transactions in such areas would require to follow due process. This is to preserve the religious and community value and identity of the areas which are susceptible to demographic change.
A Collector would carry out formal inquiry after any such application is made and police and district magistrate have to carry out the inquiry. In such cases, the authorities have to physically go to the property and take information that is publicly available and even take written approval from people affected. This includes those who live nearby that particular property as well. Only once the procedure is followed and Collector is satisfied will he approve the transfer of property.
Essentially, the Collector is the peacekeeper of the district and it is his/her responsibility that the communal harmony is maintained. To make sure things don’t escalate and communal riots do not break out, the Collector has the responsibility of keeping peace. Through this Act, the government is trying to keep a check on the polarisation of communities in sensitive parts of the state.
Jon Kent, the son of the fictional character ‘Superman’, will come out as bisexual in an upcoming comic series, reported DC Comics. The comic titled ‘Superman: Son of Kal-el #5’ will be released on November 9 this year.
Reportedly, Jon Kent (the son of fictional characters Clarke Kent and Lois Lane), and the ‘new Superman,’ will be seen falling in love with a reporter named Jay Nakamura after having developed a friendship.
Nakamura, who possesses special powers, will also be seen supporting the superhero when he becomes physically and mentally exhausted. The character of ‘Superman’ has traditionally been that of a straight, white male.
While speaking about the new development, writer Tom Taylor justified the decision. He said, “I’ve always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros share this idea…Superman’s symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics.”
“The idea of replacing Clark Kent with another straight white saviour felt like a missed opportunity,” Tom Taylor further added. Jon Kent will also be seen focusing on real-life events and political issues such as holding protests against refugee deportation, extinguishing wildfires and preventing mass shootings at high schools.
DC Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee remarked, “We talk a lot about the power of the DC Multiverse in our storytelling and this is another incredible example. We can have Jon Kent exploring his identity in the comics as well as Jon Kent learning the secrets of his family on TV on Superman & Lois. They coexist in their own worlds and times, and our fans get to enjoy both simultaneously.
Several Hindu organizations in Punjab’s Jagraon staged a protest on Monday demanding the arrest of Jaspal Singh Heran, the chief editor of a Punjabi daily Rozana Pehredar, for using objectionable language against Hindu gods and goddesses through his newspaper and social media platforms.
Heran’s Punjabi daily had carried an article last week criticizing the former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal for visiting Mata Chintpurni temple in Himachal Pradesh on the occasion of the ongoing Hindu festival of Navratri.
However, to do so, Rozana Pehredar used derogatory language for the Hindu festival and the goddess. ‘In hopes for a victory, Sukhbir abandoned his own father and went to someone else’s mother,’ read the headline of the article.
The article further attacked Badal for listening to ‘Hindu masters’ and visiting a temple for ‘political gains.’ He further denounced Badal and said he should not call himself a Sikh if he wishes to visit Hindu temples.
The Hindu organizations took strong objection to this and carried out demonstrations throughout the city against Heran who is said to be a repeat offender.
The Jagraon police has booked Jaspal Singh Heran on the complaint of Amit Sharma, general secretary of Hindu Ekta Manch, Jagraon. However, no action has been taken against Heran as yet.
The protestors have issued a two-day ultimatum for arresting Heran. The stir will intensify if the demands are not met, warned the Hindu organizations.
Sikh organizations come out in support of Heran
Tensions prevailed in Jagraon on Monday after Hindu protestors marched towards the office of Gurdial Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ludhiana rural and announced to gherao the office.
The police resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd. Later, the SSP held a meeting with 11 members of the organizations and assured them of Heran’s arrest.
However, the situation got tensed after as many as 20 Sikh organizations from all over Punjab came out in support of Heran. They too held a demonstration outside SSP’s office demanding the FIR against Heran be quashed. At that time the Hindu organizations were protesting at a railway bridge and were stopped from moving ahead fearing clashes between the two groups.
Heavy security was deployed at the bridge to bar the Hindu organizations from marching forward towards the SSP’s office.
Only after the Sikh organizations handed over their letter to the SSP, were the Hindu organizations permitted to move forward.
Representatives of Sikh organizations hand over a letter to the SSP. Image Source: Jagran
Habitual offender
As per the protestors and netizens, Heran is a habitual offender infamous for making derogatory remarks against Hindus and even India on his social media pages.
Raj Bhardwaj who was a part of the protests said that the accused was still using objectionable language against Hindu Gods on social networking sites.
Vishal Joshi who is supposedly a part of the Indian National Congress (INC) also tweeted against Heran and through a Tweet informed that no action had been taken against the journalist for hurting the sentiments of Hindus.
Jaspal Singh heran had done so many news against the religious , country . On 15 aug 2021 he also publish news against India .and Punjab . And complaint is still pending at ADCP Office For FIR .. ਇਹ ਬੰਦਾ ਜਾਣ ਭੂਜ਼ ਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਤੇ ਦੇਸ਼ ਦਾ ਮਾਹੌਲ ਖਰਾਬ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ । pic.twitter.com/ShlsrjYf6o
Rupnagar, Punjab: Sikh men disrupt Ramleela event, abuse Hindu Gods
In another incident, some Sikh men had reportedly disrupted the Ramleela event organised by the Sanatan Dharm Ramleela committee in Rupnagar, Punjab on Saturday night.
As per reports, the Ramleela was underway when some Sikh men arrived with sticks and started abusing Hindu Gods, the organisers and created a nuisance. Chief Director Rakesh Sehgal and President of the committee Manohar Lal Kapoor had informed Jagran that the committee members tried to pacify the Sikh group but they refused to budge and continued their tirade.
The Sikh men reportedly accused the committee of being ‘BJP supporters’ and continued their rant against Hindu Gods, including Lord Ram, deeply hurting the devotees present. Due to their threats and nuisance, the Ramleela event was stopped for several hours.
The event organisers have stated that despite complaints, police had not taken any strong steps against the goons.
Growing Hindu-Sikh tensions as Khalistanis find new ways to influence
In recent years, there have been numerous instances that point towards a slow revival of Sikh extremism in Punjab and abroad. The Aam Aadmi Party, during the 2017 Punjab elections and even before that, was seen trying to trigger Khanlistani elements for its political gains.
In 2014, a number of pro-Khalistani outfits had declared their support for AAP ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election. A prominent AAP leader and Lok Sabha candidate Jarnail Singh was seen addressing pro-Khalistan rallies in London.
In 2018, in their most overt support for Khalistan yet, AAP MLA and Leader of Opposition Sukhpal Singh Khaira released a statement in support of Referendum 2020. Referendum 2020, for those unfamiliar, is a Khalistani terrorist plot seeking a ‘referendum’ for the secession of Punjab from India.
In the recent ‘farmer protest, AAP’s activities had followed the directions given in the Greta toolkit. The emboldening of pro-Khalistan elements was most prominent when the Indian national flag was disrespected and an alien flag was hoised atop the Red Fort on Republic Day, 2021.
As the politics around ‘farmer protests’ gets murkier, the Khalistani hand keeps getting more and more prominent. Many pro-Khalistani groups in India and abroad have been involved in the ‘farmer protests’ and as Punjab elections approach, the openly Hinduphobic side of Khalistani elements is becoming clearer too. To antagonise the ruling BJP and the Modi government, Khalistani elements, supported by Pakistan, now seem to be working on spreading hatred against Hindus.
An investment deal struck by the India Today group is under Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner over alleged FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) violation, report by Asianet suggests. The investigation has been on since a year as per reports.
India Today group reportedly received investment from abroad for their Mail Today venture and in past few months several top management members were called for questioning. The first summons were sent in August 2020 but the investigation slowed down because of the second wave of coronavirus pandemic. Citing reports, Asianet reported that the officials are scanning accounts which received the investment.
The management has till now cooperated with the probe and responded to summons. If there is FEMA violation, the group could face a penalty. India Today group is also under probe over money laundering allegations in fake TRP case last year.
The demographic imbalance in Uttarakhand has become a cause of concern for the government and the administration of the state. Security agencies are concerned over the fact that there has been an unprecedented increase in the Muslim population in specific areas of the state bordering Nepal, which is seen as problematic.
Seeing a specific conspiracy behind the sudden surge in the Muslim population in several districts of Uttarakhand, the security agencies had alerted the state Home Ministry.
In light of these circumstances, the security agencies had submitted a report to the Home Ministry earlier this year, with information on such vulnerable areas.
In the study, ‘vulnerable areas’ were specified. Surprisingly, the demographic shift in the districts was presented using the 2011 census rather than the present situation, and it was shocking to see that a decade ago, the number of illegal immigrants who had settled in these places had increased 2.5-fold.
A report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs by the security agency had marked three areas of Kumaon as sensitive. These areas are Udham Singh Nagar, Champawat and Pithoragarh. Amongst these areas, two towns of Pithoragarh, Dharchula and Jauljeevi have been tagged in the ‘extremely sensitive’ category.
Over 400 madarsas and mosques have mushroomed in districts along Nepal border
Apart from the border areas of Uttarakhand, an alert was issued for many areas in Uttar Pradesh as well. Reason being, that within the last 2 years, almost 400 new Madarsas, mosques and religious institutions have mushroomed in areas like Bahraich that has an international border with Nepal on the Northern part and also along the Indo-Nepal border that falls under the Gorakhpur-Basti division.
The report had also mentioned that, due to the sudden increase of specific ‘non-local’ groups, an exodus of the local population cannot be ruled out.
Apprehending communal disturbance, a warning has been issued asking authorities to take precautionary measures, said DIG Dr Nilesh Anand Bharane. According to intelligence agencies inputs, a conspiracy to divide India based on demographic imbalance is also believed to have been devised.
Therefore, as per the Uttarakhand Government directives, the intelligence agencies are scrutinising every detail and keeping a strict vigil on the border areas. The reason for this sudden excessive population growth will be only identified after further inquiry.
Possibility of building a corridor to connect Pakistan?
According to a Dainik Jagran report, security agencies have revealed that these illegal settlers are attempting to build a premeditated corridor connecting Uttarakhand, Bangladesh, Bihar, Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab. The possibility of connecting Pakistan with this corridor has also been stated. In fact, according to the reports, in the last 10 years, a large number of Muslims have been driven to infiltrate through this corridor under the guise of being refugees.
Security agencies claim that Pakistan’s ISI is active in India through Nepal. According to reports, madarsas or Islamic religious schools are being established primarily in locations that are crucial in terms of war policy. This list includes the Uttarakhand districts of Pithoragarh, Udham Singh Nagar, and Champawat, as well as the Uttar Pradesh divisions of Gorakhpur and Basti.
Uttarakhand being a border state, the police and the district administrators have been ordered to ensure regular meetings of the proposed district-level peace committees and “identify areas where antisocial elements are reported”.
Notably, Nanital, the Himalayan resort town in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand has been one of the worst affected as there has been a considerable change in the demography. The concern is that the kutcha houses which were initially built in the upper hill, Barapathar, and other sensitive and restricted locations behind the CRST school in Nanital, have overnight been converted to pucca illegal structures. In addition, a number of reports of illegal encroachment of land have been received in various locations. Locals say that almost all inhabitants are ‘migrant’ Muslims.
Speaking on the changing demography in the state, Gajraj Singh Bisht, former state general secretary of the BJP in Uttarakhand stated that “initially, these Muslims would come to hold your feet. They will then beg you with folded hands. But, when their count grows from one to ten, they will not even let you access their streets.
According to the 2011 census, Uttarakhand, which was carved out of Uttar Pradesh 21 years ago, has an 83 per cent Hindu population. Muslims, the second-largest group after Hindus, make up 14 per cent of the population of the state. Sikhs, Jains, Christians, and Buddhists make up the remaining 3 per cent of the population.
Three terrorists of Pakistan’s new terror outfit ‘The Resistance Front’ (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were eliminated on Tuesday morning in an encounter in the Shopian district of South Kashmir.
Mukhtar Shah, a terrorist killed during the encounter was responsible for killing Bihar resident Virendra Paswan, a street hawker in Srinagar.
General-inspector of Police Vijay Kumar while speaking with media confirmed, “Out of three killed terrorists, one terrorist has been identified as Mukhtar Shah of Ganderbal, who shifted to Shopian after killing one street hawker Virendra Paswan of Bihar.”
Shopian encounter, Jammu and Kashmir | Out of three killed terrorists, one terrorist has been identified as Mukhtar Shah of Ganderbal, who shifted to Shopian after killing one street hawker Virendra Paswan of Bihar: IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar pic.twitter.com/wngrnv7OVr
Reportedly, the encounter went on almost for the entire night in the Tulran, Imamsahab area of the Shopian district after the terrorists refused to surrender.
#WATCH | J&K Police in Shopian appeals to the trapped terrorists, asking them to surrender. An encounter broke out here at Tulran, Imamsahab area of Shopian.
Virendra Paswan, a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar, worked as a street vendor in Srinagar. He was shot at by terrorists in Madina Chowk, Srinagar last week.
Multiple encounters in J&K
Owing to an enhanced anti-terror operation, back-to-back encounters are being reported. This comes after as many as five civilians were killed by the Islamic terrorists in the valley in the past week.
Three encounters had ensued between security forces and terrorists on Monday. One Islamic terrorist identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar who was responsible for the recent targeted killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir was neutralized by the security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district.
Another unidentified terrorist was killed in a separate encounter that took place in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district early on Monday.
In the third anti-terror operation in Poonch, one JCO and four jawans of the Indian Army were martyred after they sustained critical injuries during the operation.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director, Sameer Wankhede 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.
Mumbai: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials met senior officials of Mumbai Police and complained to them about being followed by Mumbai Police officials in the past few days.
According to reports, Wankhede has CCTV footage of people in civil clothes following him.
This comes at a time when the Zonal Director of the NCB, Sameer Wankhede is investigating several people arrested in connection to the Mumbai rave party drug bust involving Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.
Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had earlier summoned the driver of Shah Rukh Khan for interrogation in connection with the Mumbai cruise drug bust. The court had rejected the bail plea of Aryan Khan and others arrested in the drug bust and sent them to 14 days of judicial custody. NCB officials also raided the residence and office of movie producer Imtiaz Khatri in Bandra Mumbai in connection with the case.
