Ahead of the much-awaited 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM has opened its arms for the notorious gangster Mukhtar Ansari, who remains in Banda jail owing to several pending criminal cases against him. All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Syed Asim Waqar has on Friday reportedly said on behalf of his party that “if Ansari wants, the AIMIM will give him a ticket”.
“Mayawati ji says Mukhtar Ansari is a criminal so they are cancelling his ticket. As long as Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari gave them benefits, they were given tickets,” said Waqar, adding, “On behalf of the AIMIM, I assure that if Ansari wants, our doors are open and we will give him a ticket.”
BSP chief Mayawati ditches close aide Mukhtar Ansari
The statement came hours after former Uttar Pradesh CM and BSP supremo Mayawati dropped her close aide and party MLA Mukhtar Ansari as a candidate for next year’s state election.
While declaring that the BSP’s state chief Bhim Rajbhar would be the candidate from Mau instead of Ansari, Mayawati had tweeted this morning: “BSP’s efforts will be that no mafia or strongman gets party ticket in the upcoming UP assembly polls. Keeping this in mind, not Mukhtar Ansari but Bhim Rajbhar has been finalised for the Mau constituency.”
Mayawati’s announcement came soon after Sigbatullah Ansari, a brother of Mukhtar Ansari, joined Akhilesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party.
Mayawati explained that her decision to avoid Mukhtar Ansari was part of her endeavour to meet the public’s “expectations” and pass this test. She urged her party’s office-bearers to consider candidates’ backgrounds when choosing candidates so that if the BSP forms government, it will be able to take “strong action against such elements.”
The BSP was committed to the paradigm of “kanoon dwara kanoon ka raj” (the use of the law to enforce the rules of law), and changing the face of Uttar Pradesh, she added.
According to reports, Mukhtar Ansari may have been kicked out of the BSP by the supremo to counter accusations by the ruling BJP and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath depicting BSP as a party of criminals and gangsters.
When Mayawati had campaigned for the dreaded gangster
Before the last UP election in 2017 when Ansari had rejoined the BSP after 7 years, Mayawati had campaigned for Mukhtar Ansari in Mau. Mayawati had said at the time that Ansari had been framed by the Samajwadi Party government of Akhilesh Yadav.
“My government has always been tough on criminals. But I also ensure that no one is fabricated in false cases. Mukhtar Ansari’s family is one such example. His family has been framed in false cases,” she had said.
Meanwhile, Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari is currently lodged in Banda jail. He has been in jails across UP on various charges since 2005. Ansari is charged in over 50 criminal cases, including murder and kidnapping. Fifteen cases have gone into trial.
Gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari lodged in Banda jail
Ansari had been booked by Ghazipur police under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The UP government has been demolishing multiple illegal properties of Ansari spread across the state and had also cracked down on Ansari’s aides and associates, as well as his illegal businesses. Ansari, the descendant of a politically powerful family linked with Congress leaders has been a mafia don and MLA for several consecutive terms.
In the last week of August, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had written to Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh seeking action against a Christian Pastor for using a minor boy for conversion activities. The NCPCR had sought action against the Christian Pastor named Prophet Bajinder Singh, after the matter was flagged to them by activist Anshul Saxena. But now the mother of the child has accused Saxena of spreading misinformation and has sought strict actions against him.
Saxena had forwarded the now infamous ‘Mera Yeshu Yeshu’ video to the child rights body, where a young boy was answering questions to claim that his elder sister could not speak earlier, but suddenly started speaking, presumably after a miracle healing by the pastor on the stage. Such ‘miracle healings’ on stage are a common tactic used by Christian missionaries to fool the common people and convince them to embrace Christianity.
Kindly investigate this case. Missionary is using a minor boy. He's crying. Pastor Baljinder Singh is involved. The body language of both the pastor and the child seem unusual. Look into this. pic.twitter.com/UQ6HYxgYZY
Anshul Saxena had asked the NCPCR to look into the matter as the body language of both the pastor and the child seemed unusual. Following this, the NCPCR had asked the Chandigarh police authorities to probe the matter.
Both Saxena and NCPCR had sought probe and action against the Christian pastor for use of a minor boy in his proselyting activities, and they had considered the child a victim. But in a strange turn of events, the mother of the boy has come forward to claim that the video of the event is being misused to defame the family.
Anshul Saxena filed complaint against Missionary for using minor child in the conversion activities.
Same missionary is now using the minor child to file case against Anshul.
The woman said that she demands strict action against Anshul Saxena, adding that she is giving the statement on her own, without any pressure from anyone. She also demonstrated that her daughter can speak now by asking to pronounce some words, which she does. She also asked her son what had happened, and he replies that he had cried in happiness after his sister started to speak.
Although the woman said that she is issuing the statement on her own, it is evident that the pastor is behind the video. When the action was sought against the pastor considering the boy as the victim, there was no need for her to come up against the complainant seeking strong action. According to claims made on social media, a counter FIR has already been filed against Anshul Saxena on behalf of the minor boy, presumably at the instance of the pastor as a defence mechanism.
A 30-year-old woman was heinously raped and brutalised inside a stationary tempo in the Sakinaka area in Andheri East, Mumbai, late on Thursday night (September 9). In the gut-wrenching incident, the accused after brutally raping the victim, inserted a rod in her private parts, leaving her in an extremely critical condition. Police said the medical examination confirmed that the victim was also brutalised.
The police have as of now, made one arrest in the case. “After registering the case, we scanned the CCTV recordings of the spot and have arrested a man who was seen at the crime scene,” said Maheshwar Reddy, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 10. Police are, however, suspecting that more people could have been involved in the said crime.
Divulging details of the police investigation carried out so far, the Sakinaka police said that the arrested accused has been identified as one Mohan Chauhan (45). He has been booked under 307, 376, 323 and 504 of the IPC. Sakinaka Police Station’s Senior Police Inspector Balwant Deshmukh said that the accused is being currently being interrogated in connection with the dastardly crime.
According to reports, the victim was found lying unconscious inside a stationary tempo at around 2:30 to 3:00 am at Khairani Road in the Sakinaka area, Mumbai. She had been bleeding profusely. Police officials, who reached the spot after receiving the information, rushed the victim to the BMC’s Rajawadi Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment.
The police said on Friday, September 10: “Today at about 3-3:30 AM, police control received a call from a person saying a man has beaten up a lady and required immediate help. Based on this call, within 10 mins, the Sakinaka police station team has reached the spot. At the location, a lady was found in a tempo in an injured state, immediately she was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital”.
The police added: “At Rajawadi hospital, she was admitted and her treatment was started. Doctors at the Rajawadi hospital gave the opinion that she has a severe wound in her private parts. After this, FIR was registered at Sakinaka police station and based on the CCTV footage and other information received by the Sakinaka detection team, one accused namely Mohan Chauhan was arrested and further investigating being carried out. The victim is being operated and her condition is critical as per the opinion of the doctor.”
Days after Afghan women hit the streets demanding female representation in the government of Afghanistan, a Taliban spokesperson made it clear that there would be no female participation in politics.
While speaking to TOLO News, Taliban spokesman Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi emphasised, “It is not necessary for a woman to be in the Cabinet.” He made it clear to the presenter that the Talibs did not believe that women are equal to men. “We do not consider them half of the society. What kind of half? The half in itself is misdefined here.”
He then went on to blame women of ‘prostitution’ in offices under the US-backed Afghan government in Kabul for the last 20 years. Hashimi further added, “The female protesters do not represent all women of Afghanistan, who give birth to children and educate them on Islamic ethics.”
The Taliban spokesperson claimed that the role of women was limited to producing babies. On being pressed about female representation in the Interim government, he stated, “Women cannot do the work of Afghan Ministry. It is like you put something on her neck that she can’t carry.”
A Taliban spokesman on @TOLOnews: “A woman can’t be a minister, it is like you put something on her neck that she can’t carry. It is not necessary for a woman to be in the cabinet, they should give birth & women protesters can’t represent all women in AFG.” Video with subtitles? pic.twitter.com/CFe4MokOk0
Under the previous Taliban regime (1996-2001), women were prevented from pursuing education, and getting a job. They had to cover themselves from head to toe and had to be accompanied by a male guardian at all times. Earlier in August, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid warned women from going to work for their own safety as ‘some’ of the Talibs were yet to be trained against hurting women. “We are worried our forces who are new and have not been yet trained very well may mistreat women,” he had cautioned.
Recently, a video of Talibs casually expressing their misogynistic views against women had revealed why the Taliban’s promise of embracing a more moderate outlook was nothing more than a window dressing, aimed to project a mirage of refinement to gain international legitimacy and suppress internal opposition.
A BBC journalist recently took to Twitter to share a video in which a Talib was seen making an appalling analogy to justify the hijab. Explaining the importance of the hijab, the Talibani official says: “Do you buy a sliced melon or an intact melon. Of course the intact one. A woman without a hijab is like a sliced melon.”
“I have left my home of decades with a heavy heart”, OpIndia editor in chief Nupur J Sharma took to Twitter on Thursday, September 9 to announce that she was forced to leave her home and her loved ones back in Kolkata, West Bengal. She had to flee overnight because of the constant threats she had been receiving from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.
My statement on some recent developments.
After unrelenting persecution and threats, for the safety of my family, I have left my home of decades with a heavy heart. pic.twitter.com/XEO4aUXQIr
The OpIndia editor-in-chief wrote how the vindictive Mamata Banerjee government in the state had made it almost impossible for her to follow her instincts and do her job truthfully. “For the safety of my family and to continue to uphold Dharma as OpIndia has been doing since inception, me leaving my home of decades became a necessity. I will do whatever is necessary to ensure that the integrity of our reportage is not compromised”, wrote Nupur Sharma saddened yet resolute.
The note posted by the OpIndia editor-in-chief garnered overwhelming support from hordes of supporters. Veteran journalist Kanchan Gupta wrote: “And we are worried about people fleeing terror in #Afghanistan… the under-reported exodus from #WestBengal is a blot on media in #India.
Meanwhile, the National General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party, BL Santosh said “every free, democratic society needs fearless fighters like you” while wishing her well.
Every single nation loving person stands by you & your family. Truth alone prevails. A free , democratic society needs fearless fighters like you & your team. Good luck ma’am . https://t.co/rZR3cUplQe
“The hounding of @UnSubtleDesi & her husband by the West Bengal govt; the filing of multiple FIRs; the mental agony they are having to withstand through harrowing visits to the police station – only exposes the DESPERATION to silence a FEARLESS voice. I stand with Nupur. ALWAYS”, were some encouraging words from scientist Anand Ranganathan.
“This is what Fascism is – incessant hounding of a journalist until she is forced to leave her home. I hope your move to Delhi stops them from hounding your family, esp your father, but I doubt it. They fear you, Nupur. We stand with you, always. ALWAYS”, wrote Anand Ranganathan in his subsequent Tweet.
This is what Fascism is – incessant hounding of a journalist until she is forced to leave her home. I hope your move to Delhi stops them from hounding your family, esp your father, but I doubt it. They fear you, Nupur.
This is heartbreaking to read. She must be taken to task, and that’s why it was so important to win that election. Take care @UnSubtleDesi. ? Be safe. We are all with you.
Twitter users also pointed out the deafening silence of ‘large media houses’ in failing to bring the persecution of a fellow journalist by state machinery to light.
Sad though it is to learn this move, it amounts to a damnation of the reign of intimidation in Bengal today and the silence of big-name media on the issue.
Vindictive Mamata Banerjee government files 4th FIR against OpIndia, gets stayed by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court had on September 3 stayed the 4th FIR filed by the Bengal Government against OpIndia.
The petition will now be heard in November according to the Apex Court, and no investigation in the matter can be done in the meantime. The 4th FIR filed in West Bengal was filed in connection to OpIndia’s coverage of the Telinipara riots in Bengal in 2020.
Nupur J Sharma, the editor-in-chief of OpIndia and Rahul Roushan, the CEO were summoned for interrogation by the CID on a Friday earlier this month. The duo had responded requesting for the interrogation to be done via video-conferencing and had also extended their full cooperation to the investigation.
Represented by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and Ravi Sharma, the duo had approached the Supreme Court seeking relief.
The petition had stated that the 4th FIR is the latest in a series of FIRs that were field maliciously against OpIndia. The first 3 FIRs were stayed by the Supreme Court in 2020.
Previous FIRs in 2020 that was stayed by the Supreme Court
In June 2020, the Supreme Court of India stayed three FIRs filed by the West Bengal government against four persons, three of them associated with OpIndia for articles published over the portal. The fourth individual named in the FIR is Vaibhav Sharma, husband of Nupur J Sharma, not associated with OpIndia. Apart from staying the FIRs, the bench also issued a notice to the West Bengal government.
The FIRs were filed in relation to three different news articles related to West Bengal on the portal. These reports were published by other media outlets also, and some of the OpIndia reports were actually based on other media reports, but the Mamata Banerjee govt had chosen to target only OpIndia for the reports. You can read in detail about it here.
Even as Islamists and ‘secular’ politicians including Congress leaders continue to support the Taliban after the group captured Afghanistan, now the Congress party is worried that the incidents in Afghanistan may benefit BJP politically. Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Friday alleged that the Narendra Modi government can use the Afghanistan conflict for the electoral advantages of the BJP in the upcoming assembly election in Uttar Pradesh.
The election in Uttar Pradesh is scheduled for the next year and the overwhelming public opinion favours a second term to Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Sibal posted on his Twitter handle, “We are hardly a player in an “inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue”. Our policy towards the Taliban regime will be guided by how this regime can use it to it’s advantage in the UP Assembly election. That is the bitter truth! The media is already playing its part!”
Afghanistan
We are hardly a player in an “ inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue ”.
Our policy towards the Taliban regime will be guided by how this regime can use it to it’s advantage in the UP Assembly election.
However, the statement of Sibal sounds contradictory as at the same time he has said that India has hardly any role to play in an ‘inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue.’ There is no further Tweet by him to explain or to understand how the Modi government can tweak an international issue for domestic consumption at a time Sibal himself has said that India is hardly a player in inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue.
Sibal has neither explained nor given any clue how India’s policy towards the Taliban regime will be guided vis a vis assembly election. Probably, Kapil Sibal is hinting towards the Taliban link with Uttar Pradesh. The ideology that had resulted in the birth of the Taliban had originated in Deoband in UP. Therefore, it is possible that the Congress leader is hinting that BJP will raise this issue to polarise the polls.
Call it senile or malicious, this statement has come a day after TS Tirumurti, India’s Permanent Representative to United Nations, on Thursday affirmed India’s stand that Afghan territory should not be used to threaten or attack any nation and its sovereignty besides to give shelter and training to terrorists and terror organization. Over the decades, India has undertaken around 500 development projects across 34 provinces of Afghanistan. A peaceful, progressive and democratic Afghanistan is the need of the hour that forms the bedrock of India’s policy to Afghan. In this case, Sibal who leaves no chance to hit the BJP with ‘unverified’ allegations may have been inspired by some highly speculative media reports.
Sibal has a known history of making unverified allegations to kick-off a controversy.
For instance, as a counsel in the Ayodhya title case, he had requested the court to adjourn the hearing of the case till 2019 stating that the verdict could influence the 2019 parliamentary elections. In 2019, when India had hit the terror factory at Balakot in Pakistan, Sibal had joined the ranks to raise doubts of the airstrike.
Rahul Gandhi woke up early today to wish his followers on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. While wishing his followers, Rahul Gandhi shared a graphic with the inscription “Ganesh Chaturthi ki hardik shubhkamnaye”, there was, however, one crucial element missing from the graphic. The image of Lord Ganesh himself.
Several netizens noticed the trend where Rahul Gandhi was perhaps deliberately not including the picture of Hindu Gods when he wished during festivals and reacted to the same.
One wondered how Rahul Gandhi was celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi without Lord Ganesh being there in his greeting.
Another Twitter user noticed that Rahul Gandhi not using images of Hindu Gods seems to be a trend. Even while wishing Janmashtami, the image of Lord Krishna was missing from his greeting.
Taking a cue from netizens, BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya too took to Twitter to question Rahul Gandhi as to why the image of Lord Ganesh was missing from his wishes.
Rahul Gandhi wishes Ganesh Chaturthi without even using a picture of Ganesh ji.
This disdain for the Hindus, their culture, beliefs and traditions for a former Congress president is troubling. Imagine the systematic discrimination Hindus would have suffered under the Congress. https://t.co/vPIeIatZrg
While using a basic graphic to wish Hindus on their festivals seems perfectly reasonable, several netizens were outraged about Rahul Gandhi habitually leaving the image of the Murti out of his greetings. It is to be remembered that in the recent past, this seems to be the third time that Rahul Gandhi has conveniently left the idol out.
In the first instance, Rahul Gandhi shared an image of Sumit Antil, a para-athlete who won gold at Tokyo Paralympics except that he had cropped out the ‘Om’ from the chain Antil is wearing. This comes on a day he shared fake ‘hate crime’ clip to further the ‘Dara Hua Musalman’ narrative. Rahul Gandhi also likes to identify himself as ‘Janeudhari Brahmin’ of the Kaul Dattatreya Gotra and also as a Shiv Bhakt. Netizens, however, were quick to point out that the actual image of Antil showed him wearing the ‘Om’ pendant in his chain.
Then, he had shared a Janmashtami greeting without using the image of Lord Krishna.
Now, on Ganesh Chaturthi, Rahul Gandhi seems to have repeated his trend and left out the image of Lord Ganesh from his greeting. In Hinduism, idols of Hindu Gods have a special meaning in any festival. With Rahul Gandhi leaving out the Murthi of the Hindu Gods twice and cropping the Aum pendant of Sumit Antil once in quick successions, Hindus, at least on social media have started to wonder if Rahul Gandhi has some inherent problem with Murthi worship of Hindus or whether he is leaving the Murthis to appease a certain section of Left intelligentsia that has started to harbour intense hatred for Hindus and Hinduism.
On 28 August, a group of farmer protestors had clashed violently with the Haryana Police in Karnal. The police had lathi-charged on the marauding mob and used water cannons to disperse the crowd. Following the police action, a barrage of Congress leaders and Congress supporters had started complaining on social media about alleged police brutality.
Several social media handles, including general secretary Priyanka Vadra, Randeep Surjewala and Imran Pratapgarhi had used the picture of a man lying on a hospital bed with a deep head wound. Even the official main handle of the Congress Party had misused the image, with elaborate texts, to blame the Haryana Police for attacking ‘farmer protestors’.
Image via Swarajua, Congress leaders sharing a photo of Tinku with false claims
The photo was widely shared by many social media handles, claiming that the person with the deep injury is a victim of police brutality against farmers.
However, Swarajya journalist Swati Goel Sharma has traced the person in the photo and found that his picture has been deviously used by Congress handles to falsely claim that he was a farmer protestor’ and a victim of brutality by Haryana Police.
Swati Sharma has spoken to Tinky Dayma, a resident of Gurugram who was the person in the photo. Dayma has stated that he has suffered deep anguish to learn that the photo of his injury has been used by Congress handles for their political propaganda.
Speaking to Swati, Dayma revealed, “I was deeply hurt when I saw the posts. I received them on my Gau Raksha Whatsapp group. How could they misuse my injuries for political gains?”
Tinku is not a ‘farmer protestor’ injured by Haryana Police. But he is a Gau Rakshak who had got that deep head injury while trying to stop a group of cattle smugglers near Gurugram.
Tinku Dayma is a Gau Rakshak, not ‘farmer protestor’ demanding repeal of new farm laws
Anguished over the misleading claims by Congress Party and its leaders, Tinku had lodged a complaint with the Gurugram Police, stating that his photo has been misused for political propaganda by certain political leaders.
Tinku Dayma’s complaint to Police, image via Swarajya
In his email complaint to the cyber cell of Haryana Police, Tinku Dayma has stated that Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi had maliciously used his pictures for his own political gain and had tried to malign the Haryana Police while making false claims.
Tinku’s complaint states that he had got a serious head injury while confronting cattle smugglers near the Rajesh Pilot Chowk Ullahwas village under Gurugram on 25 August. An FIR related to the incident has already been registered with the Haryana police on 26 August. He has expressed anguish over being falsely painted as a part of a violent mob that was protesting against the farm laws.
Tinku in his complaint has stated that the post shared by Pratapgarhi was shared by thousands of others and he has been hurt seeing the photo of his injury and personal suffering being used to propagate a vicious political agenda to malign the image of the Haryana government.
Tinku works to protect cows from cattle smugglers, with the help of Bajrang Dal
As per Swati’s report in Swarajya, Tinku’s group ‘Gau Raksha Dal’ comprises local volunteers who alert each other and work in a coordinated manner to track, and report cattle smugglers. They report the suspicious activities, like cattle being forcibly hurdled into cramped vans or mini-trucks, illegal dealings etc through a WhatsApp group of volunteers. The Gau Raksha Dal even follows and tries to stop cattle smugglers and help the local police to nab the criminals.
The volunteers in Tinku’s group also work to rehabilitate the cows by sending them to Gaushalas.
Tinku has stated that the Gau Rakshak’s primary goal is to save the cows from slaughter. “Catching the smugglers is always secondary because they manage to get bail and resume their activities soon anyway,” he added.
How Tinku got the injury
Tinku has stated to Swarajya that on around 3 am on the intervening night of 24 and 25 August, he had received a message on his phone that a minitruck carrying cows from Wazirabad is headed towards the Ullawas Dhani Road.
“I, along with several other boys, immediately reached there. We were in a camper van. The police were also chasing them at the same time. We spotted the thieves’ vehicle easily,” he explained to Swati.
“Only thieves ferry cows in the dead of the night”, he explained, stating that it is easy to spot the smugglers because no dairy farmer would harm his animals by piling them above each other in a cramped mini-truck. Also, the vehicles used by smugglers are always without number plates, the Gau Rakshak added.
Tinku added that cow smugglers often keep broken glass bottles in the van to attack any chasing Gau Rakshaks. On that night too the smugglers had thrown many glass bottles towards the direction of the camper van that Tinku and his fellow Gau Rakshaks were using. But when the Rakshaks continued the chase, the smugglers suddenly threw a cow on the road.
Not wanting to run over the animal, the camper van had suddenly taken a sharp turn, lost balance and turned turtle. Tinku had suffered a deep head injury in that accident and had lost consciousness.
Gau Raksha is Dharma
Tinku’s mother informed that Tinku was grievously injured and it is only due to the blessings of Gau Mata that he is alive. Tinku is a Gujjar and they live in a Gujjar village. His family are small farmers. The family believes that Gau Seva is their Dharma and even the villagers tell that what Tinku is doing is very good work.
Tinku’s family doesn’t understand how Gau Rakshaks are painted as notorious criminals in mainstream media. They believe that Gau Raksha is Dharma and the volunteers of the Gau Raksha Dal are loved and respected in the village.
“It happens only in your cities”, Tinku says when the journalist mentions that the mainstream media often portrays Gau Rakshaks as goons.
Gau Rakshaks work with the police
The Swarajya report also highlights how the Gau Rakshaks often work with the police. Tinku informed that the Gau Rakshak Dal never intervenes without informing the police and often the local police seek their help to stop cattle smugglers.
Tinku’s family informed that when the villagers learned of Tinku’s injury, many persons had visited him at the hospital and the elders even touched his feet, hailing his holy work of saving cows from slaughter.
As per the report, most cow smugglers working in the area are Meo Muslims from the Mewat region. Mewat has been notorious for a sharp rise in cattle smuggling and other crimes. In 2019, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had slammed the state governments for failing to curb cattle smuggling cases in the region.
The court, over the course of multiple hearings, had asked the police chief to give detailed reasons why none of the accused in 800 cases filed under the state’s anti-cow slaughter laws since 2015 had been convicted. The police had then informed the court that police personnel work in an extremely hostile environment in Mewat, often with a risk of life.
Contrary to ground realities, the mainstream media continues to defame Gau Rakshaks, painting them as lynchers and goons, while whitewashing smugglers as innocent victims.
There has been speculation and unconfirmed reports earlier that Rohullah was murdered by the Taliban. There are unconfirmed reports that he was tortured by the Jihadist group as well.
Rohullah Saleh, brother of former Vice President Amrullah Saleh has been killed by the #Taliban last night. The late Rohullah Saleh was fighting the resistance in #Panjshir. pic.twitter.com/EGPIBH6qOa
The Taliban had announced on the 6th of September that they have managed to gain control of the Panjshir Valley. The resistance forces, however, had claimed that they were still fighting the Jihadist group.
Soon after, Taliban destroyed the tomb of the Late Guerilla Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud in the Panjshir Province. After the Taliban took over Kabul, Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmad Shah Massoud, along with Amrullah Saleh had reportedly fled to Panjshir valley to continue the Resistance against Taliban occupation. Panjshir Valley remained the last bastion of the Northern Alliance and all the Anti-taliban fighters.
The circumstance surrounding the death of Rohullah are not yet clear. But reports say that he was killed when he was leaving Panjshir for Kabul.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has so far registered 34 FIRs in connection with the West Bengal post-poll violence investigation. According to the FIRs uploaded to the CBI website, the central agency has found merit in at least ten of these FIRs which declare unequivocally that the post-election violence that had erupted following the TMC’s victory in the assembly elections was politically motivated. Moreover, at least in 8 out of these 10 FIRs, names of members of the state’s ruling dispensation are mentioned as the perpetrators.
BJP wrokers dragged to a Muslim area and assaulted by TMC goons
In one of the FIRs uploaded on the CBI website, number RC0562021S0005, dated August 25, 2021, the complainant named Ayan Mandal clearly stated that on August 14, 2021, at around 3 pm in the afternoon, 8 TMC goons, namely Abul Sekh, Alamgir Sekh, Ujjal Ghosh and others, all residents of Hridaypur, Chapra in Nadia, West Bengal, dragged him and his brother to a Muslim locality where they were assaulted brutally with sticks and iron rods. The victim says they were singled out because they were known BJP supporters.
Image source: cbi.gov.in
Image source: cbi.gov.in
Join TMC or we will make your life hell
Complainant Bandana Khetrapal in an FIR number RC0562021S0004 dated August 25, 2021, narrated how her 26-year-old son Kush Khetrapal fell prey to the atrocities of the TMC goons as a result of his affirmation towards BJP. Bandana Khetrapal said that her son, who worked in a hotel in Mirzapur was often accosted by TMC workers namely Kanan Khetrapal, Sukumar and Dilip Khetrapal, when the former returned from work. They had threatened him to join TMC or face dire consequences.
Bandana Khetrapal recalled how her now-deceased son, had told her that the trio often stopped in on his way back home and hit him with shoes and slippers, threatening him to join TMC. They told Bandana’s son that if he did not join TMC they would make his life hell. They would forcefully make him drink alcohol and drown him in a pond. Bandana recalled how her son would regularly return home crying, afraid that his life was in danger.
Following the TMC’s victory in the assembly elections, the torture only increased. On May 6, the aforementioned TMC workers along with some others forcefully took Bandana Khetrapal’s son to their Raibhagini party office and killed him. Two days later on May 8, at around 5 pm, Kush’s body was found lying near the Baishtam pond, behind a Ganesha idol. The body had various stab marks on his body read the FIR.
They said they would finish Hinduism: Mother of deacased BJP supporter wrote in her WB post-poll violence FIR
According to the FIR number RC0562021S0012 dated August 26, 2021, filed by the complainant Tumpa Majhi, five TMC goons (all names are registered in the FIR) attacked her house with iron rods, weapons, bombs in a pre-planned manner. They ransacked the house and abducted her 22-year-old son. The TMC goons brutally assaulted Tumpa Majhi’s son. Soaked in blood, Balram Majhi fell to the ground but the accused kept attacking him.
Later, when the accused learnt that police was approaching the spot they fled hurriedly. “They threatened us that they would finish our Hinduism and fled away”, alleged Tumpa Majhi. “We were not allowed to leave the village late at night. My injured son was transferred to BIMS Hospital in Burdwan the same day, where he died at around 10 pm”.
The victim’s mother further accused the TMC goons of also causing financial damage to the tune of Rs 10 lakhs.
TMC goons killed the wife as they were unable to find her husband and son
According to the FIR number RC0562021S0017 dated August 27, 2021, filed by complainant Mamoni Khetrapal TMC goons came looking for her neighbour Anil Khetrapal and his son on May 3. When they could not find the father-son duo, the TMC goons brutally assaulted his wife with a sharp weapon. The victim was rushed to Jamalpur hospital in Bardhaman, West Bengal, where she was declared brought dead.
According to the FIR filed by complainant Fagal Mandi, his brother was killed on May 5, 2021, because of his political inclination towards a particular party.
The goons strangulated and fractured his testis to confirm he was dead: Brother of victim of Bengal post-poll violence
In another FIR filed by one Dinanath Kirtaniya, the complainant has said that all his family members are associated with BJP. Nine TMC goons (names mentioned in the FIR) threatened his brother and family members not to work for BJP. On April 17th again the accused rounded up his brother. They told him that he would be killed since he did not pay heed to their warning and left BJP. “You are still working for the BJP, we will kill you today”, the FIR quotes the TMC goons a telling Dinanath Kirtaniya’s brother.
That very night, when Dinanath’s brother went out of the house, he was attacked. He was first, as per plans, hit by a heavy blunt object. To confirm he was dead the TMC goons then strangulated his throat and fractured his testis, the brother of the deceased BJP worker detailed the harrowing incident in his complaint. The BJP worker died on the spot.
They killed him for being associated with the BJP
One Sufal Adhikari filed an FIR in which he accused 16 TMC miscreants of killing his nephew, Haran Adhikari and brutally assaulting a few others for their political affinity. He said that the TMC workers attacked Haran with bricks and shovels in front of the house of one Akhtar Molla. Haran Adhikari succumbed to his injuries while others were battling for their lives.
Today we have killed one, tomorrow we will kill all
One Marufa Bibi, a resident of Duttapukur in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas, registered a complaint in which she said that miscreants attacked her husband and other family members when they had gone to the field on May 3, at around 5.30 am. The miscreants surrounded the victims and started beating them up.
When Marufa Bibi’s husband tried to escape they hurled a bomb at him, as a result of which his right hand was torn and rib bones raptured. Marufa Bibi’s husband died on the spot. While fleeing the goons told them: “Today we have killed one, tomorrow we will kill all the members of your family”.
Post-poll violence in West Bengal
Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be the supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.
High Court hands over the West Bengal post-poll violence case to the CBI
The CBI has taken over the investigations on the orders of a five-judge panel of the Calcutta High Court, which on August 19, tasked the agency with a court-monitored probe into the innumerable murder and rape instances reported during West Bengal’s post-poll rioting which occurred in the aftermath of West Bengal Assembly elections in the month of May 2021.
On September 6, the CBI had arrested 2 persons from the Domjur area in the state’s Howrah district in connection with West Bengal post-poll violence. With this, the total tally of CBI arrests in post-poll violence has risen to 8.
