Uttar Pradesh police have arrested the key member of a gang involved in the kidnapping of the High Court lawyer Priti Shukla. While the investigation into the purported case is still ongoing, the police have revealed that all the criminals involved in the abduction of the lawyer are associated with Bhim Army, reports Amar Ujala.
The reports further add that the main arrested accused, Santosh Chaubey alias Surya has himself confessed to his association with the Bhim Army, and informed that active member of the organisation Bablu Ambedkar was the key conspirator in the kidnapping. According to the reports, the Police and STF sources have revealed that it was in the Bhim Army office itself that the entire kidnapping plot was conceived.
Shukla was reportedly abducted by car-borne miscreants when she was on an evening walk near her house in the Sushant Golf City area of the state capital on June 6 (Sunday).
The Bhim Army members had demanded a ransom of Rs 1 crore
The special task force (STF) assigned to investigate the case, arrested Santosh Chaubey alias Surya from Harkanshi Gadhi locality in the PGI area on Tuesday at 11 pm. STF also rescued the woman lawyer from the clutches of kidnappers after she had spent 52 hours in captivity.
According to STF deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Deepak Kumar Singh, the kidnappers had demanded Rs 1 crore from Priti Shukla’s husband, who is also a lawyer in the UP High Court. The abductors later settled for Rs 25 lakh after multiple negotiation calls, said the STF DSP, adding that the investigation so far suggested that 10 people were involved in the kidnapping plan and nine of them were still at large. However, the lawyer was rescued by the police before
The case
Meanwhile, speaking about the case, a senior police official said Priti Shukla and her husband Anurag Shukla had purchased two flats in the posh Sushant Golf City locality and bought two high-end sedan cars in the recent past. He further said that the arrested accused Santosh Chaubey, revealed that the couple’s lavish lifestyle drew them in, and his gang decided to kidnap the woman in the hopes that her husband would pay a large ransom in exchange for her safe release.
Anurag Shukla, according to reports, is a very famous and well established high court lawyer in Uttar Pradesh. He is known for two high-profile cases related to former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati, who is in jail for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore mining case, and another multi-crore case allegedly involving a real estate firm.
According to the DSP, Anurag Shukla reported his wife’s kidnapping to the Sushant Golf City police station on June 6, Sunday after receiving the ransom call, but the issue was not publicised so that the kidnappers do not get alerted about the police team’s action plan. He said that the accused had monitored the lawyer’s activities for some days before kidnapping his wife.
After kidnapping Priti Shukla, the accused had been changing their position frequently and were using the victim’s mobile phone to call her family for demanding the ransom.
During interrogation, Santosh Chaubey revealed names of his accomplices namely, Jitendra, Kallu, Rohit, Bablu and others, the STF said, adding efforts were on to nab them.
Propaganda website Alt News, which had come with a lousy fact-check to peddle misinformation against Prime Minister Modi on the vaccination procurement policy, has once again tied itself in a knot after the self-proclaimed fact-checking website quietly edited its earlier fact-check report, only to expose the opposition parties furthermore.
On Thursday, Islamist propaganda website Alt News, which often works as an extension of Congress IT cell, had come up with a so-called fact-check of Prime Minister’s recent speech where he had asserted that the states, especially the one ruled by the opposition parties, had pressurised them for a decentralised vaccine procurement policy. Addressing the nation on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced free Covid-19 vaccination for all above 18 years of age and had declared that the country would revert to a system of centralised procurement of vaccines against Covid-19, where the centre will procure vaccines from manufacturers and provide it to the states for free.
During his address, PM Modi had slammed the politicisation of the vaccination drive, especially by the opposition-ruled states, who constantly altered their policies on vaccination drive, thus creating added pressure on the centre to liberalise the vaccine procurement. In his address, PM Modi had mentioned how the centre has allowed states to purchase vaccines from manufacturers directly after some states had pressured the centre to decentralise vaccine policy, and explained how the “decentralisation” process as demanded by the opposition states had utterly failed, thus prompting them to reconsider the decision.
As PM Modi spoke about the constant politicisation of vaccine drive in the country, Alt News took an offence against him and had come up with an alleged fact-check claiming that he was lying about the decentralised vaccination procurement system as no opposition leaders have demanded the same. It had instead claimed that the state governments had asked the government to centralise the vaccination process.
In defence of the same, Alt News had presented selective information to claim that the state governments had never asked for a decentralised vaccination programme in the first place.
OpIndia exposes lies by Alt News
However, OpIndia had investigated the false claims put out by Alt News and had found out that the alleged fact-checkers had selectively put up facts to claim that the opposition party-ruled states had never demanded the centre to decentralise the entire process of vaccine procurement.
In a hurry to discredit PM Modi and centre’s vaccination policy, the Alt News had come up with a report filled with misinformation. In doing so, the alleged fact-checkers had exposed the opposition parties in their so-called fact-check report by putting out all the relevant facts to show how opposition states were demanding the decentralisation of vaccine procurement.
As OpIndia pointed out all the glaring errors, Alt News has silently edited its previous article. In the edited article, Alt News has now added statements put out by Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi, which they had earlier deliberately missed, to claim that PM Modi had indeed lied about the decentralised vaccine procurement. In addition to Rahul Gandhi, Alt News has also added statements made by DMK chief MK Stalin favouring decentralised vaccine procurement.
Alt News quietly adds Rahul Gandhi, Stalin’s statement on “decentralised” vaccination procurement
In its latest edit, Alt News has quietly added Rahul Gandhi’s statements where he had demanded that state governments have a greater say in Covid-19 vaccine procurement. Even though Alt News has missed most of the important statements put out by Rahul Gandhi in favour of the decentralisation of vaccine, it has now included a part of Rahul Gandhi’s statements in the latest edit.
“Even though public health is a state subject, our states have been bypassed right from vaccine procurement to registration,” the Alt News quoted Rahul Gandhi letter in the latest edition.
Edits carried out by Alt News after getting caught peddling misinformation against PM Modi
In addition to this, Alt News has also added statements put out by DMK Stalin where he had asked the centre to procure vaccines and begin a free, universal mass vaccination campaign across the country. Even though he was not an elected Chief Minister when he wrote the letter to PM Modi, the chief of DMK, who eventually became the CM a month later, had said that it was equally important to allow independent procurement of drugs, vaccines and medical equipment by the state governments.
In the earlier report, Alt News had conveniently missed adding DMK chief Stalin’s statements and had ignored his constant effort to pressurise the centre to decentralise vaccine procurement is not a reality for the alleged fact-checkers.
However, after getting exposed for its biased ‘fact-check’, Alt News has now quietly altered its original report to add both Rahul Gandhi’s and DMK Chief Stalin’s statement in support of decentralisation of vaccine procurement.
In the above statements put out Rahul Gandhi and DMK Stalin, one can clearly see how both batted for decentralised procurement of vaccines. However, for Alt News, it is not a statement in support of vaccine decentralisation.
Alt News yet again omits Mamata Banerjee’ letters to the centre demanding decentralisation
Even though it has managed to add statements of Rahul Gandhi and MK Stalin, after omitting them from its previous report, Alt News has yet again failed to add letters put out by Mamata Banerjee and the Maharashtra government in support of decentralisation of vaccine procurement. Mamata Banerjee had written three letters to PM Modi demanding decentralised procurement. However, Alt News has failed to mention it in its ‘fact-check’ even after updating it.
Even in its latest edit, the earlier glaring errors still persist, and Alt News has not done any due diligence to correct its massive blunders.
Ironically, despite all the latest edits, Alt News continues to proclaim that PM Modi had indeed lied about the decentralised vaccine policy. As per Alt News, out of the 30 states, 18 are controlled by the BJP directly or through a coalition and barring statements of two Chief Ministers, there are no reports of states wanting to purchase vaccines.
It seems like requests from Mamata Banerjee, Rahul Gandhi, the Maharashtra government, and Stalin does not matter for Alt News. It goes on to declare that PM Modi was cherry-picking statements of some of the Chief Ministers to blame them for the decentralised process of vaccine procurement. So, PM Modi was lying as per Alt News.
Even as the statements added by Alt News clearly shows that it was the state government that pressurised the centre to alter its policy on vaccination to liberalise the procurement drive, Alt News seems to think their alleged fact-check is still error-free.
Alt News continues to spread misinformation
This is not the first time that Alt News has been caught red-handedly for spreading misinformation, especially by indulging in the glaring act of selective commission and omission of facts to suit its narrative.
A few weeks back, the so-called fact-checker Alt News had come up with a similar ‘fact-check’ to whitewash the allegations against the Congress party in the toolkit controversy. The toolkit document, allegedly linked to the Congress party, had got leaked on social media recently, which entailed a detailed plan of action for the Congress leaders and supporters to exploit the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in the country and target the Modi government.
The instructions issued in the Congress toolkit contained all-encompassing and extensive directives to launch a formidable attack against the Modi government when they are engrossed in defeating the raging pandemic. The toolkit expose had created a storm across the country, fuelling massive anger against the Congress party. As accusations against the Congress party grew louder, the party had entailed the services of the propaganda website Alt News to give a clean chit for themselves.
Following the instructions, Alt News hurriedly came up with a ‘fact-check’ report to call it a forged document and blamed BJP and its supporters for spreading misinformation against the Congress party. However, Alt News had yet again done a very poor job in whitewashing the allegations against the Congress party as they had come up with some dubious analysis and ludicrous arguments to claim that the document allegedly prepared by AICC Research Department is a forged one.
Here is a detailed report exposing how propaganda outlet Alt News came with a flawed and laughable logic to wash the sins of the Congress party. As OpIndia pointed out glaring errors in their fact-check, Alt News had then too quietly edited out most of the report to give another clean-chit to the Congress party. The latest edit that Alt News had carried out had only exposed the lies of Congress party in the toolkit fiasco, leaving the grand old party more embarrassed.
In a bid to provide relief to the economically weaker section of the state, the CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has transferred Rs 230 crore into the bank accounts of 23 lakh daily wagers. The beneficiaries included dhobis, rickshaw pullers, construction workers, cobblers, halwais, etc.
Besides adopting stringent efforts to combat the Covid-19 crisis in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed sympathy for the poor who have been affected by the economic slump caused by the ongoing pandemic. He was quoted as saying on the occasion: “Be it the dream of building a house, proper treatment for illness, cost of education or the need of financial help in any mishap, the state government is there with you at every step.”
Lauding the daily wagers and labourers for helping the government in the fight against the pathogen, Yogi said that through collective efforts of the government and its people, Uttar Pradesh has managed to bring the outrageous situation under control.
“UP has a total population of about 25 crore and today states with half of our population are recording as many fresh Covid cases on a daily basis as we have in total,” he said, adding that UP has the best recovery rate and least number of deaths despite being the most populous state in the country.
“The labour brothers have made a significant contribution through complete dedication and hard work in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of ‘Self-reliant India’,” he added while interacting with the workers from different districts of the state virtually.
He enquired about their work, home and family before taking feedback on various government schemes.
Besides, the Uttar Pradesh CM also launched a website, which would help small shopkeepers, daily wage labourers, rickshaw/e-rickshaw pullers, porters, barbers, washermen, cobblers and confectioners etc. Yogi urged eligible candidates to register on the website.
According to a statement released by the Uttar Pradesh government, by merely registering to this website, every labourer, whether in the organised or unorganised sector, whether a general worker or an expressway worker, would be offered annual insurance of Rs 5,000,00 by the state government. The statement further read that “the effort of providing cover is being done with full dedication.”
Also, the CM appealed to people get themselves vaccinated and follow the COVID protocols.
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has been in the forefront of the battle against the Wuhan coronavirus
Speaking of the various measures the Uttar Pradesh CM has adopted to fight the covid crisis in the state, he has set up special “pink booths” to encourage women in the state to be vaccinated against Covid-19. These booths have become operational in all 75 districts of the state from June 7 (Monday).
On June 4, Yogi Adityanath instructed the state officials to triple the state’s daily Covid-19 vaccination rate in a month.
In the beginning of the month, the state of Uttar Pradesh, under the supervision of CM Yogi Adityanath, embarked on a massive Covid vaccination drive starting June 1 (Tuesday). The drive, which has been coined as ‘Mission June’ by the CM, intends to inoculate 90 lakhs to 1 crore beneficiaries across 75 districts of the state in the month of June.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh has reached the milestone of administering over 2 crore Covid-19 vaccine doses (2,02,34,598 to be precise) in the state. It has vaccinated over 30 lakh people between the ages of 18 and 44, the highest in the country for this age group.
The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against a group of JNU students who broke open and vandalized the B. R. Ambedkar Library of the university. The students have also been accused of manhandling the security guards and the staff present at the premises. They are occupying the library for two days after opening it forcefully, which has been kept closed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the police, a group of 35-40 students gathered outside the library demanding ‘immediate reopening’ which has been kept shut due to the ongoing pandemic. They protested in front of the library and heckled the guard to open the gates. Upon refusal, they got into a scuffle and tried to break open the library damaging the glass panes. This incident reportedly took place at 10:40 am on Tuesday morning.
According to the FIR, the guards had to call the Quick Response Team to disperse the protesting students who were trying to break into the library.
“Students manhandled security personnel and started hitting the library gate with sticks. The glass section of the gate was damaged… The security personnel resisted the attack and didn’t allow the students to enter from the three entrance gates. They (students) then found a small gate, broke the glass pane, and entered the library. The security personnel removed the students from the library,” read the FIR.
A case under sections of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, DDMA Act, Epidemic Diseased Act, and IPC has been registered against unknown persons at Vasant Kunj police station.
University to take disciplinary action
The Jawaharlal Nehru University Chief Proctor Office issued a circular detailing the protest, saying that disciplinary action will be taken against the students. As per the circular, a group of students had been occupying the main reading room of the building since June 08 forcing the administration to open the library.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Chief Proctor Office to take disciplinary action against students who scuffled with security staff, entered BR Ambedkar Library by breaking glass door on June 8. Space has been occupied since then; security office lodged police complaint in the matter pic.twitter.com/97TYMxfBnt
Despite several requests made by the staff, the students continued to occupy the library risking refusing to leave even at night. The circular specified that these students had been violating the Covid-19 norms, refused to wear masks and frequented the hostels for meals, putting the other students and staff at risk.
JNU circular. Image Source: ANI
The students also didn’t allow the staff to sanitize the space thereby putting the administration at a greater risk.
NSUI says ‘Sanghis administration’ is afraid of books
NSUI, the student’s wing of the Congress party, is supporting the students in demanding reopening the library. Despite the university making it clear that no new guidelines have been issued by the Delhi government to resume regular academic activities, the NSUI alleged that the ‘Sanghi administration’ is purposely keeping the libraries shut.
Shutting down libraries and reading halls is one of the best past time of this sanghi administration. These proto-fascist are so afraid of books that they found it okay to open community marriage hall while shutting down reading spaces in the campus.(1)#JNUpic.twitter.com/9LLOGRxgPw
The student’s wing of the Congress party encouraged violence by trending the hashtag #LadengeAurJeetenge giving rise to mobocracy mentality even amidst a pandemic.
Today students from various centre broke the locks of library and made it open for the student community of the campus. JNU-NSUI stand in full solidarity with students and demand immediate reopening of all reading spaces.(2)#LadengeAurJeetenge
More than 70 students and staff had tested Covid-19 positive
74 students and staff of the Jawaharlal Nehru University had tested positive for the Covid-19 virus in the second wave of the pandemic in April this year.
A health official on the condition of anonymity revealed that most students and staff who have been shifted to the quarantine centres are in an extremely critical state with SPO2 level dropping below 40%. He also informed that except one or two most had to be put on oxygen support, however, their condition continues to remain worrisome.
The Qatar-based media network Al Jazeera has received an award from Islamic terrorist outfit Hamas for its alleged ‘unbiased’ coverage of the recent clashes between the terrorist group and Israel Defence Forces.
On Tuesday, terror outfit Hamas released a statement announcing that they had honoured Al Jazeera news network for its coverage of the recent clashes at the Gaza and praised the Qatar-based media group for its coverage of the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle.
The deputy head of the terror outfit Khalil al-Hayya hailed the Qatari channel Al Jazeera for its ‘high professionalism’ during its coverage of the “Sword of Jerusalem” battle and for demonstrating its affiliation with the cause of the ‘oppressed’ Palestinian people. Hamas referred to the recent clashes between Israel and Palestinians and the subsequent terror attacks on Israel as the Battle of the “Sword of Jerusalem”.
Bestowing the award on Al Jazeera for its coverage, Hamas deputy chief Al-Hayya added that they were proud of the Al Jazeera ‘journalists’, who proved themselves to be the knights of speech and sacrifice during the coverage of the events.
Hamas praised Al Jazeera’s “high professionalism,” saying the network “demonstrated its affiliation with the cause of the oppressed Palestinian people.” “We are proud of the effective Al Jazeera crews,” Al-Hayya noted. (https://t.co/5blBBVo53p) https://t.co/CEHQtIXSUj
Terrorist Al-Hayya claimed that Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the battle was ‘from the heart’ even as it faced “great dangers” from the Israel Defence Forces and the Israeli occupation targeting their headquarters in Gaza.
The Hamas terrorists also saluted Al Jazeera Arabic journalist Givara Budeiri, who was recently arrested by the Israeli forces for instigating a crowd near Sheikh Jarrah compound at East Jerusalem. The Hamas delegation also spoke to the director of Al-Jazeera’s office in Palestine and praised Al Jazeera’s coverage during the clashes.
The delegation included members of the movement’s political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, Issam al-Daalis, Yasser Harb, and leaders Bassem Naim, Fawzi Barhoum, Muhammad Hamada and Hazem Qassem.
Al Jazeera’s links with Hamas
It is important to note that Al Jazeera has been accused of supporting Hamas terrorists in Gaza, and during the clashes, the Israeli Defence Forces had bombed the Al Jalaa building that housed Al Jazeera and other international media outlets, including the Associated Press in Gaza city after they found that the building housed Hamas terrorists.
Following the counter-terror operations, the Israel military said that Al Jalaa tower, which housed offices of major international media outlets, was home to a Hamas intelligence unit that operated several advanced electronic warfare devices meant to interfere with the military’s GPS reception, potentially affecting guided IDF weapons.
A few days after the operation, IDF chief Aviv Kohavi had revealed that journalists, knowingly or unknowingly, drank their morning coffee alongside Hamas electronics experts at the tower’s ground-level cafeteria.
Palestinian terror attacks against Israel
The nation of Israel and the Hamas terrorist forces were recently locked in a fierce battle, one of the worst in recent years. What was triggered from attacks on Israeli policemen at the Al Aqsa mosque, soon worsened to a military conflict. Hamas had fired thousands of rockets on Israel, targeted civilians, and Israel had opened airstrikes against Hamas in the Gaza strip. Several Israeli citizens had been killed in the rocket strikes, while the Iron Dome blocked over 90% of rockets. The death toll of Palestinians was much higher, considering that hundreds of Hamas rockets landed short of Isreal and fell inside Gaza.
In response to Hamas’s terror attacks, Israel had carried out its defensive counter-terror operations to eliminate terror threats emanating from Gaza. The Israeli army has struck more Hamas targets in the coastal enclave after Hamas started targeting civilians inside Israel. In a swift operation, the IDF also demolished a building that housed international media offices, including Al Jazeera’s in the Gaza Strip. The IDF has said that the building was being used by the Islamic terror group Hamas, making it a valid military target.
The Jhajjar police on Wednesday arrested the three accused wanted in the rape case of a 25-year old woman who came from West Bengal to participate in the protest at the Tikri border site. Following the arrest, the main accused Anil Malik has reportedly confessed that he along with his accomplice Anup Chinaut had raped the deceased victim in the train as well as at the farmer’s protest site on the Tikri border.
टीकरी बॉर्डर पर पश्चिम बंगाल की लड़की से बलात्कार के आरोप में बहादुरगढ़ पुलिस ने मुख्य आरोपी अनिल मलिक को गिरफ्तार किया। आरोपी ने पुलिस को बताया कि अनुप चनौत के साथ लड़की से ट्रेन और प्रर्दशन स्थल पर बलात्कार किया था। https://t.co/N856XHFU8k
Besides, the accused Anil Malik has also confessed of having recorded the incident, the video of which has been recovered by the police.
The three accused were produced before a local court on Thursday and have been sent to police custody for further investigation. The police have said that they have all the required evidence in the case.
Police had been in the lookout for the three accused since May 8, when the victim’s father filed a complaint alleging that his daughter was sexually assaulted at the Tikri border. This was some eight days after the purported incident had taken place. The police, in turn, had announced a reward of ₹25,000 each for the arrest of Anil Malik a resident of New Delhi, and his accomplice Anup Chinaut of Hisar, and Ankush Sangwan of Charkhi Dadri.
Bahadurgarh DSP Pawan Sharma, who is heading the SIT, said: “After interrogating 22 people, we learnt that Anil had raped the woman and Anup had supported him.”
The DSP also informed that a woman named Yogita Suhag had told the SIT that she had made a video of the victim, in which she had alleged that Anil had misbehaved with her when they were coming to Tikri.
The Tikri border rape case
OpIndia had reported that on April 12, the victim had travelled by train from West Bengal to attend a farmer’s protest, where she was sexually assaulted. On April 30, the victim had died at a private hospital in Bahadurgarh after getting infected with Covid-19.
The silence of ‘farmer leaders’ like Yogendra Yadav
Professional protestor Yogendra Yadav, who is presently protesting on behalf of ‘farmers,’ acknowledged on May 10 that he was aware of the woman’s sexual harassment as well as her prospective kidnapping by the perpetrators. This revelation brought widespread condemnation for Yadav who choose to stay mute despite having knowledge of the incident.
After social media posts of an IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh PV Sunil Kumar’s bashing Hindus went viral on social media, Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), the legal activism non-profit group, has filed a complaint against him for indulging in hate speech against Hindus.
Lodged a complaint with Secy Union Home Ministry against Mr. PV Sunil Kumar @PV_Sunil_Kumar IPS, Addl DG of AP Crime Investigation Department for indulging in hate speech against Hindus and prominent organization @RSSorg, indulging in divisive communal/caste based politics.(1/2) pic.twitter.com/9jsSiHKiF4
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) June 9, 2021
The complaint detailed several activities of the IPS officer who is the Additional Director General of Police, (Crime Investigation Department) in the Andhra Pradesh Government.
As per the complaint, Kumar runs an organization by the name “Ambedkar’s India Mission” and is known for hate speeches against Hindus and peddling divisive communal/caste-based politics.
Officer misusing his power and position
The complaint stated that the officer is abusing his position by running a private organization, thereby, violating Section 3 of The Police Forces (Restriction of Rights) Act, 1966. Kumar has frequently indulged in provoking people belonging to the Scheduled Caste by making hateful comments against the Hindu religion, scriptures and Gods through his social media handles.
In an instance dated 26th November 2020 (India’s Constitution Day), Kumar went live from the official Facebook page of his organization and abused the Hindu religion and sacred scriptures like Vedas and Puranas. The video, however, is no longer on Facebook.
In another viral video, Kumar can be seen praising the Britishers for giving them a God to pray when they were allegedly disallowed by the Hindu society, thereby, admitting that he is a Christian.
“When we aren’t allowed into Temples, Britishers showed Gave us a Church, When we aren’t allowed to have one God, Britishers showed us a God, When we aren’t allowed to study, Britishers introduced education to us”, he can be seen commenting from a stage at an event.
He is Mr.Sunil Kumar IPS, CID chief of #AndhraPradesh -openly admitting that he is Christian & promoting Christianity. Now investigating cases of vandalising of Hindu Deities and Temples in AP. Can Hindus expect fair investigation from a Hindu basher? @Sunil_Deodharpic.twitter.com/P9GcpXTXOH
Demanding SC status for the SC’s who converted to Christianity, Kumar in an interview to The Times of India had confessed that he will represent only the SC Mala community and will oppose the inclusion of any other caste in the SC category list.
He has also been reportedly advocating for separate gram panchayats for the SC community.
Videos removed after complaint
LRO updated that the videos of PV Sunil Kumar where he was seen making derogatory and abusive comments against Hindu Religion were taken down immediately after the complaint.
Since the videos of PV Sunil Kumar in which he made derogatory and abusive comments against Hindu Religion are removed immediately after our complaint, we submitted the downloaded copy of the same to Union Home Ministry @HMOIndia for strict action. pic.twitter.com/Nlj4HsYBxN
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) June 10, 2021
Submitting the downloaded copies of the same, LRO has urged the Union Home Ministry to take strict actions against him.
Complaint demands removal of the officer from his position
“Being a bureaucrat of prestigious All India Civil Services, he is openly spreading hatred against Hindu religion which is being followed by majority people of the Country thereby hurting the sentiments and trying to incite communal tensions between different religious groups in the state of Andhra Pradesh,” the complaint reads.
Hence, the complaint has demanded the removal of the officer from service pointing out to the recent Madras High Court ruling.
The ruling states that those who avail reservation benefits on joining government services and later change their religion should be removed from service.
Additionally, LRO has urged Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Secretary of Union Ministry of Home Affairs, to issue directions to the Andhra Pradesh Police to file an FIR against PV Sunil Kumar and conduct a probe into his finances to see if he or his organization has any links with national and international donors.
A discussion on a Clubhouse chatroom has triggered some heated debates between Christians and Muslims in Kerala. The recent discussion on ‘Love Jihad’ held by some Christian groups on the voice chat platform Clubhouse has angered Muslims in the state, reports New Indian Express
According to the NIE report, some Christian groups had organised a discussion titled “Christian Youths, This Way” on Clubhouse earlier this week. In the chat sessions organised by members of the Christian community, some of the speakers had raised issues such as ‘Love Jihad’ and had allegedly made some communal remarks against the Muslim community.
The remarks by Chrisitans have irked Muslims in the state, who are now trying to speak to Christian groups on the same in an effort to address the issue.
“Some of the utterances in the session were not merely anti-Muslim, but also anti-human. It was indeed shocking to hear such comments in the public space,” said Sunni scholar Basheer Faizy Desamangalam, as per the NIE report.
The Islamic scholar claimed that the Christian speakers highlighted incidents such as chopping the hands of Professor TJ Joseph to promote enmity between the Muslims and Christians in the state. As per Basheer, the chopping of TJ Joseph’s right palm by radical Islamists of the Popular Front of India for commenting on Prophet Muhammad was condemned by all Muslim organisations.
“They were harping on ‘Love Jihad’, a charge that has been dismissed by all investigating agencies and the courts,” he said.
Faizy said that many from the Christian community have now denounced the comments made by the participants on that Clubhouse discussion. He claimed that a priest apologised on behalf of the community for the comments that were made and expressed solidarity with them in a session organised by some Muslim groups.
Faizy said the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyyathul Ulema, the body of Sunni scholars, has expedited the move to initiate a dialogue between Christians and Muslims to sort out the issues. “We consider Christians as a fraternal community, historically and theologically,” he said.
Christian groups says the issue of ‘Love Jihad’ is real
Interestingly, Father Noble Thomas Parakkal, who had participated in the discussions, said the issue was “Love Jihad” cannot be fully written off as baseless. However, all interfaith marriages cannot be put under the category.
“There is a pattern that is discernible throughout the state that compels us to suspect a design behind it,” he said Father Noble, who is the public relations officer of Mananthavady diocese, said the present discussions should be seen in the backdrop of historical events such as the genocide of Christians in Armenia and the brutalities unleashed by the Islamic State.
Defending their criticism against Islam, Father Noble said that Islamic preachers such as MM Akbar have been insulting their religion for the past two decades
The Christian Priest said that there is a feeling that the entire Muslim community supported the Popular Front of India (PFI) in the Hadiya Love Jihad case. Panakkad Sadiq Ali Thangal’s newspaper article hailed the conversion of Hagia Sofia into a mosque, which was also provocative, Father Noble said.
Father Noble said sincere dialogues are possible only if the Muslim organisations stopped making further provocations.
“The latest example is the issue of 80:20 ratio (in the merit-cum-means scholarships). Everyone knows that justice is on our side, but all Muslim organisations continue to taunt us by making false claims,” he said, pointing out how Muslims have been demanding the entire minority scholarship quota to them.
Recently, The Kerala High Court had quashed three government orders pertaining to minority scholarships that fixed the ratio of scholarship distribution at 80:20 between Muslims and Christians. The Court directed the government to disburse the merit-cum-means scholarships equally among notified minority communities as per the latest population census, which had irked Muslims, who wanted all the quota to be given to only their community.
Kerala Catholics condemn Clubhouse discussion
The Kerala Catholic Youth Movement (KCYM) has condemned the comments made by certain Christian groups on the Clubhouse. In a statement, the KCYM state committee blasted the groups “that are working to implement the communal agenda of some political parties” and distanced itself from the debate.
The statement said torture of Christian missionaries in North India and communal policies of the central government are also the concerns of the Catholic Church. However, the fringe groups wanted to concentrate only on issues related to one particular religion, it said.
Meanwhile, Kerala MLA Najeeb Kanthapuram has asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to take stringent action against those who are trying to create a communal divide through social media. In a letter, Najeeb said that his social media have been flooded with posts, video and audio documentaries that allegedly create division between Christian and Muslim communities in the past few months.
Claiming that there is some clear conspiracy behind the posts, the MLA raised the suspicion that the move is aimed to destroy the communal amity and peaceful co-existence in society. “The atmosphere of peace existing in Kerala for centuries should not be disturbed and all efforts should be made to nab the culprits,” he said in the letter.
The primary accused wanted in the rape case of a 25-year old woman at the ongoing farmers’ protest site at Tikri border was arrested by the Jhajjar police in Bhiwani on Wednesday. As per reports, the two other accused named in the FIR who were on the run have also been arrested by the police.
#NewsAlert | Police arrest 3 accused in the Tikri border sexual assault case.
The arrests in the case have been made after a month on the complaint of the victim’s father who alleged that his daughter was sexually assaulted at the Tikri border.
As per the report, the prime accused Anil Malik confessed to having recorded the incident and the video has been recovered by the police. The three accused were produced before a local court on Thursday and have been sent to police custody for further investigation. The police have said that they have all the required evidence in the case.
A reward of ₹25,000 each had been announced for the arrest of Anil Malik a resident of New Delhi, and his accompliceAnup Chinaut of Hisar, and Ankush Sangwan of Charkhi Dadri.
Bahadurgarh DSP Pawan Sharma, who is heading the SIT, said, “After interrogating 22 people, we learnt that Anil had raped the woman and Anup had supported him.”
The DSP also informed that a woman named Yogita Suhag had told the SIT that she had made a video of the victim, in which she had alleged that Anil had misbehaved with her when they were coming to Tikri.
The victim had come from West Bengal on April 12 in a train to join the farmer’s protest where she was sexually assaulted. The victim who later got infected with the Covid-19 virus died at a private hospital in Bahadurgarh on April 30.
Farmer leaders were aware of the incident
Professional protestor Yogendra Yadav, who is currently protesting on behalf of ‘farmers’, on May 10 admitted to how he knew about the sexual harassment faced by the woman as well as her possible kidnapping by the culprits but turned a blind eye. He made these revelations in a press conference.
The victim’s father too had informed that Yadav was in touch with his daughter since April 24, before her death, and was aware of her predicament. However, he did not inform the police about the incident, which raises the question of whether he wanted to hide the misdeeds of the accused.
In a shocking incident reported from Kerala, a 24-year-old woman was allegedly locked up in a flat in Kochi, where she was tortured and sexually assaulted for months by her live-in partner, Martin Joseph.
As reported by The New Indian Express, after being repeatedly raped and subjected to torture including physical assault, the woman finally managed to flee the captivity and alerted the police. A case of rape, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation, and threat to life has been registered in the Ernakulam Central police station based on the complaint by the victim.
The incident
The incident that happened in a flat in marine drive, Kochi between February 2020 and-march 2021, was brought to the fore after one of the victim’s friend released images of her with scars and burn marks all over her body.
27-YEAR-OLD RAPED, LOCKED UP & ASSAULTED!
FIR registered by a fashion designer reveals she was locked up in a flat in #Kochi,raped repeatedly & subjected to torture & physical assault by her live-in partner from February 20 to March 8, 2021. Accused is absconding
The victim, who is a fashion designer by profession, was in a live-in relationship with the accused businessman Martin Joseph from February 15, 2020.
They had first stayed in a flat in Kadavanthra before relocating to Marine Drive. She claimed that the accused persuaded her to invest Rs 5 lakh in a stock market where he did business, offering her a monthly return of Rs 40,000. However, he did not pay back the money. During her stay last year, the accused reportedly physically and mentally assaulted her, as well as threatening to murder her. Finally, in December 2020, she broke up with him. Later, the victim decided to give the accused another chance and returned to live with him once more.
The Kochi woman was tortured and assaulted, forced to drink urine
As per reports, the victim was imprisoned in the flat and violently assaulted from February 20, 2021, to March 8, 2021.
The accused raped her and took nude images of her, threatening to send them to her parents if she did not cooperate. He had also beaten her with a broom on multiple occasions. He forced her to drink urine. The accused also allegedly inflicted burn injuries on her. The victim further revealed how the accused had many a time beaten her up with a belt, poured hot water mixed with chilli powder on her and tortured her physically and mentally.
State women’s rights panel intervenes, chastises the police for delaying the investigation
The case has been taken up by the state women’s rights panel, which has ordered the police to investigate the matter in detail. It has chastised the police for delaying the investigation and has also directed them to provide protection to the victim. Earlier, the victim said she was being pressured to drop her complaint.
The Ernakulum Central Police had filed an FIR against Martin Joseph based on the woman’s complaint on April 8, as per reports.
Based on the victims’ complaint an FIR has been registered and police have issued a lookout circular against Martin Joseph Pulikkottil, who has been absconding ever since. The woman’s complaint was filed on Ap
According to reports, the Ernakulam Central police have formed a special investigation team to probe the case. The police team divided themselves into two groups and searched several locations in Thrissur and Kozhikode for the accused, who has been absconding ever since the woman filed the complaint.
Accused Martin Joseph applies for anticipatory bail, pleads innocence
Meanwhile, the accused has approached Kerala high court for anticipatory bail. Earlier he had approached district court for anticipatory bail.
Martin Joseph has said in his anticipatory bail petition that he is just 26 years old and that the woman, who first concealed her marital status from him, engaged in a live-in relationship with him. He said she filed a rape case against him after their relationship got strained. Martin’s counsel, Senior advocate P Vijayabhanu, submitted the allegations against his client were false and that he had no prior criminal record.
The Ernakulam Sessions Court, on May 18, however, dismissed Martin’s anticipatory bail application, stating that the accused had forcefully manhandled the woman. The nine photographs depict the victim’s torment at the hands of the assailant, said Additional Sessions Court Judge D Suresh Kumar while dismissing Martin’s bail application.
Later, on June 8 (Tuesday), the High Court also adjourned the hearing in the anticipatory bail petition of the accused to June 11.
