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Is Centre arm-twisting farmers by ‘forcing’ Punjab to issue payments to farmers via DBT? A fact check

Anurag
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Is Centre arm-twisting farmers by ‘forcing’ Punjab to issue payments to farmers via DBT? A fact check

On April 4, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu called Union Minister Piyush Goyal a ‘liar’ and claimed that if his letter to Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh urging online MSP payment gets implemented, small farmers will become the biggest sufferers. While addressing the media in Patiala from his residence, he alleged that Goyal’s action was part of a larger conspiracy.

Sidhu further claimed that the centre was targeting Punjab, and the recent letter by the union minister is was full of lies. He said that Goyal mentioned in the letter that the land record department of Punjab has all the records of the land record holdings, which is incorrect. While citing a national sample survey of 2012-13, Sidhu claimed, “24 per cent of farming is on a contract basis”. According to Sidhu, contract farming happens on an oral contract, and if Goyal’s letter “is implemented in letter and spirit, no farmer will get payment. The small farmer will be the biggest sufferer.”

The centre is indulging in arm-twisting, alleged Sidhu

While accusing the centre of promoting private sector-led by “Ambanis and Adanis”, Sidhu claimed that the move could be termed as “economic blackmail of farmers”.

He further claimed that the centre is arm-twisting farmers as they are protesting against the Agriculture laws.

All institutions are being used against farmers, alleged Sidhu

Reserve Bank of India has denied extending the cash credit limit to Punjab. Citing the RBI’s move, Sidhu claimed that it is clear all institutions of the country are being used against farmers. “The centre is giving relaxations to private companies to return bank loans, but no such relaxation ever is given to farmers,” he said.

Punjab CM’s letter to Prime Minister

On April 3, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh sought a continuance of the existing system of payment to farmers via Arhtiyas till a consensus is formed on the issue of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). CM Singh claimed that Arhtiyas are not middlemen as assumed by many, but they are service providers between the farmers and the procurement agencies. He further urged the PM to ensure that the livelihood of the farmers and all others involved so that the procurement of the food grains is not jeopardized.

CM sought a meeting before the “situation gets out of hands”

In his letter, CM Singh sought a meeting with PM Modi to inform him of the concerns of various stakeholders in regard to changing the existing payment system. He urged PM to give time “before the situation gets out of hand”. He further expressed concerns that the Government of India is following a pattern in some of the recent one-sided decisions, which can be asserted as efforts to “rock” the legally sanctioned and well-established institutional and social arrangements through some guidelines and directives.

He said, “While I fully endorse the views that as a society, and a nation we have to continuously evolve and reform, and as the political leadership of the world’s largest democracy, we have to continuously think of improving, but I strongly believe that reforms are most successful and sustainable if carried out through a consultative process with all stakeholders, ensuring ownership of all.”

Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s letter to Punjab CM

On March 27, Union Minister Piyush Goyal wrote to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh and urged him to streamline their procurement and payment procedure in line with GOI guidelines of direct online payment to farmers and compliance with Public Finance Management System (PFMS) since 2018. As of now, Punjab is paying the farmers against the procured produce via arhtiyas. The government of Punjab has yet to integrate its land records with the central procurement portal hence delaying to implementation of the guideline of the central government to pay using DBT to the farmers’ accounts.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s Letter to CM Singh

Liquidation of the wheat stock

In his letter to the CM, Union, the minister said that it was brought to his notice that the Reserve Bank of India declined for extension of time for RMS 2018-19, which expired on December 30 2020. As a result, the account of the Government of Punjab has become “out of order” and would be classified as NPA by March 31, 2021. The Government of Punjab had thus requested the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to evacuate 22.32 LMT wheat crop year 2018-19 from Punjab.

Understanding the gravity of the situation, Goyal said that FCI and Railways had accorded overriding priority for evacuation of 2018-19 crop year wheat. The minister that it will mitigate the hardship of people and farmers of Punjab and possibility of a food credit account of Government of Punjab of Rs.89,290 cr. Becoming NPA. The evacuation of the crop is being monitored on a day-to-day basis, the minister added.

The minister further informed the CM that the FCI had already evacuated 18.82 LMT of 2018-19 crop year wheat out of 22.42 LMT that was lying with the State Agencies of Punjab. The remaining 3.60 LMT would be evacuated in the coming days. He said that the centre is doing its bests to ensure that the State of Punjab does not face any financial problem in this regard.

Follow Haryana’s payment system

The Union Minister urged the Punjab government to enable direct online payment to farmers that they had been asking to do since 2018. He said, “In the interest of farmers, GOI has been requesting the State Government of Punjab to streamline their procurement and payment procedure in line with GOI guidelines of direct online payment to farmers and compliance of Public Finance Management System (PFMS), since 2018.” However, the state of Punjab had been seeking an extension on the timelines.

The minister said, “The State Government have time and again sought an extension on these timelines which have been exempted during KMS 2019-20, RMS 2020-21 and KMS 2020-21, but despite giving sufficient time to comply with the guidelines and series of meetings held, State has not implemented these provisions so far.” He said that the Central government has again asked the state to implement DBT WEF the upcoming RMS 2021-22, i.e. April 1, 2021.

Letter to CM to implement DBT system for RMS 2021-22

While addressing the issue of contract farming, Goyal said that the C&MD of FCI had recently visited Punjab and Haryana to assert the preparedness for implementation of the DBT system. He found that Haryana was fully prepared to implement the system by integrating the land records with the e-procurement portal. However, the state of Punjab had not put up the required IT infrastructure in place. “Land records in Punjab are available with the Revenue Department and need to be integrated with the procurement portal, i.e. Anaj Kharid, which can be easily done before the ensuing Rabi season, or at least verification would be required from revenue officials,” he added.

The minister further added that all the major procuring states have already implemented the guidelines. Some states are using biometric authentication of farmers at the time of procurement, making it much easier to track the procurement and initiate payments.

One of the major issues that the Punjab government had raised was that the land in Punjab is being given on lease for tilling by absentee landlords, which may face title ship problem. The minister urged the government to follow the method developed by Haryana in which the details of tenant/sharecropper can be uploaded on the portal with the disclaimer that this would not be a legal document for claiming ownership through tenancy.

Punjab has been delaying DBT to farmers since 2012

Since 2012, the Government of India has been making efforts to initiate Direct Benefit Transfer of MSP to farmers across India. Since NDA come to power in 2014, major steps had been taken in the manner to bring more transparency and accountability to the existing system of MSP payment. MoUs were signed between the state governments and central government where state agencies are marked responsible for ensuring the use of EAT (Expenditure Advance Transfer) module of PFMS (Public Financial Management System) while making the payment.

The e-mode of payment ensures that all stakeholders like farmers, arhtiya and mandi get their payments directly instead of getting through another value chain participant. It ensures transparency without replacing the current APMC system, thus beneficial for everyone involved in the process. However, since 2012, Punjab has been delaying the implementation of DBT in MSP payments.

In 2018, the Department of Expenditure of the Ministry of Finance directed all registered agencies to mandatorily use the EAT module by 15.6.2018. In case the states fail to follow the instructions, no funds would be released for the payments. However, the state of Punjab failed to adhere to the orders and kept asking for an extension. It has to be noted that the government of Punjab was reminded to implement the system by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, in 2018 and 2019. The state replied that it is not possible to implement the system due to resistance from Arhtiya and APMC Act provision for making payment through Arhtiya.

Major procuring states except Punjab have implemented the system

In January and February 2021, three meetings were held by DFPD with officers of Punjab in which Punjab said that the integration of the Anaaj Kharid portal was still under process. In March 2021, DFPD again wrote to Punjab and informed them that its counterparts, including UP, MP, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu etc, have already implemented the DBT system.

Sources in the government said, “while the central government is trying to free the farmers from Arhtiyas for their survival, Punjab continues to evade the complete implementation of direct online payment to farmers. Land records are available but have not been integrated with the procurement portal for ensuing Rabi season, leaving the farmers at the mercy of Arhtiyas.”

Arhityas were deducting charges from MSP

OpIndia accessed an internal government note that showed in 2020, during the verification process, the central agencies found that Arthiyas were deducting Rs 12 per quintal from MSP payment at the cost of the farmer. It was revised only after vigorous follow up. The note further added, “The GoI stand is that the entire MSP should be transferred to farmers’ account and should not get parked into arthiya’s account. This will empower farmers and ensure transparency.”

Internal note on arhatiyas

The Food Ministry said in the note that a myth had been created that DBT may jeopardize the land title. However, it is not true. Mentioning the software developed by Haryana, the note added that it provides various options like “whether the owner is a tiller, or it is sharecropping or contract farming etc., with a disclaimer that this arrangement is only for the purpose of payment and has no relation to the titleship issue.”

The ministry said, “we need to take a clear position to ensure implementation. In case any waiver is considered again, this issue will get deferred. In the last Kharif Season 2020-21, the total procurement of rice in Punjab was more than the estimated production. This was due to non-verification of farmers and non-linking of their accounts.”

Arthiyas’ stronghold in government functioning

The government of Punjab is trying to publicize that the central government is implementing DBT of MSP to farmers as an arm-twisting tactic against the state and the farmers. However, the process of introducing DBT to pay the farmers against the produce has been in the pipeline since 2012. It is only Punjab among the top states from where the centre procure the maximum food grains that have not implemented the system yet. The delay and regular pressure on the central government to extend the deadline hints towards the stronghold of Arhtiyas in the state government functioning.

Bombay HC tells CBI to look into corruption allegations against Maha HM Anil Deshmukh, gives 15 days time

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC tells CBI to look into corruption allegations against Maha HM Anil Deshmukh, gives 15 days time

The Bombay High Court on Monday ordered a CBI probe into the allegations levelled against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh based on the petition filed by lawyer Jayshri Patil. 

The bench headed by the Chief Justice of Bombay HC instructed the Director of CBI to carry out a preliminary inquiry in pursuant to the law and conclude it within 15 days. Once the preliminary inquiry is complete, the director CBI is at discretion to further course of action, the Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said. 

However, the Court observed that since the state has already taken steps for a a probe by a high-level committee into the matter, the CBI need not immediately register an FIR in the case.

The court also disposed of Param Bir Singh’s plea, asking the former top cop to address his grievances regarding his transfer to the appropriate authority.

The Chief Justice Dipankar Datta expressed the court’s dilemma, stating that it is an extraordinary case where the petitioner— Param Bir Singh— has accused HM Anil Deshmukh in his PIL, and has alleged the state police of being biased. Singh had stated this reason for not filing an FIR. The bench said since it is an extraordinary case, a PIL can be maintained.

Senior advocate Vikram Nankani had appeared for Param Bir Singh. Other petitioners were represented by advocates Subhash Jha and Alankar Kirpekar in related petitions asking for probe into corruption allegations against Anil Deshmukh.

Bombay HC pulls up Param Bir Singh for not filing an FIR against HM Anil Deshmukh

Earlier last week, the Bombay HC had reserved its judgment on the maintainability of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into his letter alleging that State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had directed suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze to collect ₹100 crore a month from bars and restaurants.

The court had then slammed the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, asking him how could an investigation be initiated against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh without an FIR against him. The court also remarked that Param Bir Singh failed in his duty as a cop for not filing an FIR in the case.

The court had then noted that Param Bir Singh was not “a layman” and added that without an FIR there is no scope of the court to intervene or ask a probe agency to investigate.

Govt temporarily halts new registration of frontline and healthcare workers for Covid vaccination. Here is why

OpIndia Staff
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Govt temporarily halts new registration of frontline and healthcare workers for Covid vaccination. Here is why

On Saturday (April 3), the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has written to all States and Union Territories to not issue new registrations of frontline workers (FLWs) and healthcare workers (HCWs) for Coronavirus vaccination.

In a letter by the Chief Secretary (MoHFW) Rajesh Bhushan, he informed that the vaccination programme for healthcare workers commenced on January 16 this year. This was followed by the inoculation of frontline workers from February 2 onwards. “All efforts have been made in close collaboration with States/UTs to saturate vaccination of HCWs and FLWs,” the letter read.

It further noted, “While tracking the progress, the timeline for completing vaccination of all HCWs and FLWs with 1st dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been extended multiple times and was finally fixed at 25th February 2021 for HCWs and 6 March 2021 for FLWs. Around one month has elapsed since these timelines and ever after starting vaccination of population above 60 years of age, provision was made to register and vaccinate HCWs and FLWs with a view to ensure optimal coverage.”

However, Rajesh Bhushan noted that in some Covid Vaccination Centres, ineligible individuals are being registered and vaccinated as healthcare workers and frontline workers. He added that such a thing is being done in complete violation of the prescribed guidelines. “There have been 24% increase in HCW database
in the past few days,” he added.

In his letter, he reiterated that the matter was discussed in detail with state representatives and domain knowledge experts on Saturday. “As per the recommendation of NEGVAC (National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19), it has been decided that no fresh registrations in categories of HCWs and FLWs will be allowed with immediate effect. Registrations of persons aged 45 years and above will continue to be permitted on CoWIN portal,” Rajesh Bhushan pointed out.

Vaccination provisions for registered healthcare workers and frontline workers

The Secretary of Union Health Ministry emphasised that the healthcare workers, and the frontline workers, who have already registered on the CoWIN portal, must be vaccinated at the earliest. “I request you to kindly direct the concerned officials for wider dissemination of this policy decision for compliance. However, universal vaccination of already registered HCWs and FLWs should be ensured at the earliest,” the letter read.

On Saturday, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) stated that a total of 7,44,42,267 Coronavirus vaccine doses have been administered so far. It includes 89.53 lac HCWs (first dose), 53.06 lac HCWs (2nd dose), 96.19 lac FLWs (1st dose) and 40.18 lac FLWs (2nd dose).

Baby selling via WhatsApp: 4 arrested in Mumbai for kidnapping, selling and re-selling infant girl

OpIndia Staff
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Baby selling via WhatsApp: 4 arrested in Mumbai for kidnapping, selling and re-selling infant girl

In Mankhurd, Mumbai, the Police on Saturday arrested a total of four people for running a baby-selling racket. The incident came to light after the four-month-old daughter of a resident of Mankhurd went missing. The parents then approached the police, alleging that their neighbours Sharmin Khan and her husband Siddhiqe Khan, had kidnapped their four-month-old daughter on Friday, as per a Hindustan Times report.

A police official informed, “On that basis, we questioned Sharmin and Siddique, and we got to know that the child had been handed over to an Antop Hill-based woman named Farzana Sayyed Shaikh. She had given the baby further to one Asha Pawar of Chembur.”

The police arrested Asha Pawar but she had already sold the baby to another woman named Julia Fernandes, a resident of Matunga. Upon interrogation, Fernandes led the police to the infant in Bengaluru.

“The child was reunited with her parents. Sharmeen, Siddique, Farzana and Asha Pawar have been arrested. More arrests are likely in the case,” informed the police official.

The main accused is said to be a woman named Julia Fernandes who is yet to be arrested. Julia had delivered a child 10 days ago. As per reports, Julia had presented the kidnapped infant as her own child to a childless couple from Bengaluru and had claimed that she won’t be able to raise her.

Police had received a tip-off that a child has been sold for Rs 1.5 lakhs to a well-to-do couple in Bengaluru. It is revealed that a lady doctor from Gujarat is also involved in the racket. The doctor and Julia are yet to be arrested.

Julia Fernandes is a repeat offender

The police have informed that the main accused Julia Fernandes was arrested at Wadala in 2017 for allegedly running a baby-selling racket and came out on bail. Julia allegedly sends photos of newborns ‘available for sale’ to clients via WhatsApp.

In 2017, she had confessed to selling six babies together with an accomplice named Huma Dalvi. They had even sent a pregnant teenager to Indonesia to a couple.

Another baby-selling racket was busted by the city crime branch in Mumbai early this year. The 8 accused were into selling newborn babies and sold a girl child for Rs 60,0000 while a baby boy was sold for Rs 1.5 lakhs. The gang had sold four babies in six months, but the police had then suspected a higher number. Their modus operandi was to move around in poor localities, identify pregnant women and convince them to sell their babies in exchange for money.

Yogi Adityanath takes the Coronavirus vaccine, here is how UP is faring as compared to Maharashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath takes the Coronavirus vaccine, here is how UP is faring as compared to Maharashtra

On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath received the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine at the Civil Hospital in Lucknow. He said, “I thank PM & Union Health Ministry for making the vaccine available free of cost. I also thank the scientists of the country. The vaccine is completely safe. We all should take it when our turn comes.”

Yogi Adityanath also appealed to the people to adhere to the Coronavirus guidelines, even after taking the vaccine. “I appeal to the people to take all precautions even after taking the vaccine. The new COVID wave is the result of our complacency in observing COVID appropriate behaviour,” he remarked.

How UP government is fighting the Coronavirus pandemic?

On Sunday, the state of Uttar Pradesh reported 4,164 new cases and 31 additional fatalities. The total death toll in UP has now reached 8,881. While the total number of active cases stand at 19,738, a whopping 6, 01,440 Coronavirus patients have recovered from the infection.

In light of the rising cases, the state government had announced the closure of government and private schools for students studying in Classes 1-8 until April 11. The Yogi government has instructed schools to strictly adhere to the Coronavirus protocols for other classes. The Chief Minister has directed officials to increase the number of tests conducted each day.

In a recent order, Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari informed that a 25-metre containment zone, covering 20 houses, would be set up if one Coronavirus case is established. He added that about 60 houses will fall under a 50-metre containment zone if more than one Coronavirus case is detected. Tiwari emphasised that an area will be demarcated as a containment zone for 14 days from the date of collection of samples from the last Coronavirus positive patient.

Maha government orders strict restrictions

On Sunday, Maharashtra reported 29,344 new cases of Coronavirus on Sunday, thereby taking the total number of active cases to 4,31,896. There were 222 fatalities such yesterday and 55, 878 deaths overall.

The Uddhav Thackeray government had ordered the imposition of lockdown in Maharashtra from 8 pm onwards on Monday. In a notification, the state government said that all shops, with the exception of essential services, will remain closed till April end. People can buy non-essential items only on Monday. Restaurants are only allowed takeaways and home delivery will be limited to the day time.

While board exams will be conducted, all schools/college/private tuition classes will remain closed. Moreover, government offices will operate under 50% capacity. “Government and semi-government offices will run with 50% capacity while private offices will have to go for ‘work from home,” the notification readd. All religious, social-political gatherings have also been stopped in the State. The move is expected to cause severe monetary loss for salons, beauty parlours, malls and restaurants.

Chhattisgarh tragedy: Over 400 Naxal terrorist ambushed security forces from three sides, brutalise dead bodies, escape with weapons

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh tragedy: Over 400 Naxal terrorist ambushed security forces from three sides, brutalise dead bodies, escape with weapons

In the deadliest terrorist attack of 2021, a group of 400 Naxals ambushed a massive operation that included the STF, DRG and District Force of the Chhattisgarh Police, the CRPF and its elite COBRA unit. The teams were deployed in the forests of Chhattisgarh for a search and destroy anti-Naxalite operation along the border of Bijapur-Sukma district.

It was during this operation that the security teams of around 1500 personnel were ambushed by 400 Naxalites from three sides- led by the most-wanted Maoist commander and leader of the ‘People’s Liberation Guerilla Army’- Hidma. The close encounter between the Naxalites and security forces lasted for four hours in which the Naxalites rained bullets from light machine guns, used low-intensity IEDs and rocket launchers.

As per the latest report, a group of Maoists chopped off a security official’s hand before killing him and fled the scene with weapons, including bulletproof jackets, guns, ammunition, as well as his shoes. Some security officials were martyred due to dehydration.

The counter-attack by Naxalites which resulted in the martyrdom of 22 jawans and injured 31 others, is said to be a trap laid by the Maoists if reports are to be believed. An India Today report quoted an official speaking about the presence of Maoist leader Hidma in the area. The officer was quoted saying, “Within no time, they launched a counter-offensive. It is rare for such specific and accurate human and technical intelligence. Maoist presence in the area ready for a counter-attack makes it look like a trap now.”

Another senior official, in a statement to Indian Express, informed, “One of the primary sources of information these days is intercepts of information from receiver police have placed on a hill in Dantewada. This is not a new exercise and has happened before. In Minpa a year ago, and now here, there are clear signs that the Maoists know we are listening to their code. We are being played. The kind of fire we came under, and the positions they took, show it was well-planned. They knew we would find nothing at the spot and would return. When our team did, they were waiting, with very little escape route for our men.

The Chhattisgarh Police informed that the operation was launched based on intelligence inputs on the presence of Hidma, the commander of the Maoists, Battalion 1.

Not intelligence failure, says CG Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel from Assam

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel who even after several hours of the attack on security personnel, decided to stay in Assam, campaigning for Congress for the ongoing Assembly elections, finally gave a statement to the media late last evening. He said, “About 2000 soldiers were sent to install camps in an area which is Naxal bastion. This would restrict their movement, hence they were frustrated. There was no intelligence failure. We’ll surely install camps there. My condolences to bereaved families.”

Union Home Minister, Amit Shah who decided to terminate all his appointments and events for ongoing elections and head back to Delhi, informed during a media interaction that the death of the security forces will not go in vain and every sacrifice will be avenged. He has also assured the CM to provide all necessary help and said the centre would work with the state to win the battle against the Maoists.

The Chhattisgarh Police has been asked to submit a report to the Home Ministry detailing the Naxal attack, reported India Today. The directive comes after Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting with senior officials of the ministry, intelligence bureau and central armed police forces.

A senior security establishment official appealed saying, “We need serious thought based on deep consideration of Maoist tactics and our own; not knee-jerk response and ill-planned operations,” considering the fact our security forces have led successful operations in smaller teams that hit and attack basis solid human intelligence.

Islamists extend support to AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan who called for beheading for Yati Narasinghanand, call him ‘tiger of Delhi’

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists extend support to AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan who called for beheading for Yati Narasinghanand, call him ‘tiger of Delhi’

Islamists on Twitter extended their support to Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan for giving a call to behead Dasna Temple’s Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati.

Some called for arrest of Yati Narasinghanad while extending support to the man who said he’d rather have him beheaded.

AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan had said that Yati Narasinghanand could not be beheaded for alleged blasphemy because Indian laws do not allow it.

Congress supporters also cast aspersions that Delhi Police was not arresting Yati Narasinghanand because they are ‘afraid’ of Modi government.

Tipu Sultan Party is a political outfit established in 2019 ahead of general elections and had also contested in Delhi Assembly elections. It has won a few seats in Karnataka village council elections.

On 3rd April 2021, AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan called for the beheading of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati in a tweet.

Amanatullah Khan’s tweet

He had even made it his pinned tweet. Amanatullah Khan said, “This insult to our prophet is not tolerable to us at all. The tongue and head of this hateful insect should be cut off as punishment. However, Indian laws do not permit this.”

Despite netizens reporting the tweet as call for violence, Twitter let it stay on its platform for a day. Only on Sunday was it removed as it violated Twitter policy. However, it continued to stay on his Facebook page.

Aanchal Narang, a ‘queer feminist’ of Mumbai-based LGBT Feminist group LABIA, accused of sexual assault; members resign in protest

T Waraich
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Aanchal Narang, a ‘queer feminist’ of Mumbai-based LGBT Feminist group LABIA, accused of sexual assault; members resign in protest

On April 2, a now-deleted thread from a Twitter user named Chitra accused Aanchal Narang, a fellow member of the LGBT group LABIA (founded in 1995 as Stree Sangam), of sexual assault on behalf of another member of this collective. Chitra, whose Twitter account @That_Tall_Dyke has now been deactivated, made the accusations public through posting images containing a detailed account of the allegation and the apparent failure of LABIA in regard to dealing with this credible and serious allegation.

According to the allegation, in November 2019, queer feminist Aanchal Narang physically forced herself upon another member of LABIA, which according to the victim was sexual in nature. Chitra affirms multiple times in the detailed allegation that she has the “survivor’s explicit consent” to share the allegation. Chitra also reveals that she became privy to details of the alleged sexual assault through an email from the victim dated June 13, 2020.

In her tweet exposing this allegation to the wider public, Chitra also accused some high-level, senior members of LABIA of attempting to cover up the allegation in order to protect Aanchal. Chitra accused senior LABIA members of acting as “Enablers” of Aanchal’s behavior and making excuses for her, despite all of them claiming to be queer feminists, including Aanchal. Chitra names two of these senior members in her tweet, Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan.

Ever since the allegation became public, three senior members of LABIA have resigned. Two of them are Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan, both long-time members of LABIA. Both of them expressed a sentiment of telling their own version of the events someday in the future. Another person, Mridul Dudeja, a transgender man, who was part of the internal LABIA committee working on the sexual assault complaint against Aanchal, also resigned from LABIA. All three of them resigned from LABIA on the same day of April 4, 2021.

Chayanika’s resignation
Mridul’s resignation
Shals Mahajan’s resignation

The allegation says that after some members of the LABIA collective received an email from the victim detailing her sexual abuse at the hands of Aanchal Narang on June 13 of 2020, the victim’s consent was obtained to forward the allegation to the entire collective group on July 21, 2020. Following all of this, an internal LABIA committee was constituted to look into the victim’s complaint.

According to the report of this committee, not only the victim’s story was validated, but it also revealed that both Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan knew of the sexual assault incident merely weeks after it occurred. Another unnamed member of LABIA knew about the incident the day after it happened. Another senior member was aware of the incident a few months after it happened. According to Chitra, all such people were “Enablers” of Aanchal who didn’t do anything to reach out to the victim and ensure justice.

According to the allegation, the “Enablers” which include Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan “actively tried to silence anyone speaking out against Aanchal’s or their actions, or anyone trying to warn any other young queer vulnerable people about Aanchal.”

In order to justify this allegation, Chitra provided an example of an email dated October 19, 2020, sent by Chayanika and Shals. In this email, the “Enablers” were “disturbed to hear” that one of their members i.e. a fellow member of LABIA “contacted persons in Aanchal’s professional sphere and told them that by inviting Aanchal they are supporting a sexual abuser.”

Aanchal Narang is a self-described “Queer Puppy” and is also a trained mental health therapist specializing in gender, trauma, and sexuality. The allegation against Aanchal accuses her of “pinning the survivor and using force against them” i.e. pinning down the victim and forcing herself upon her sexually. Aanchal responded to the allegations on Twitter, affirming the validity of the allegation and confirming that she “violated her physical boundaries”.

Queer Feminist Aanchal Narang’s apology for the alleged sexual assault

On Twitter, Aanchal Narang gave her own timeline of the events, admitting to forcing herself upon a woman on November 3, 2019, matching up with the timeline of the allegation. According to Aanchal, she had a “few drinks” and “needed comfort”, which made her sexually force herself on another person. In her statement, Aanchal admits that there is “no justification for my actions” and that her actions have “violated the complainant”.

However, Aanchal claims that she has faced the consequences of her actions in her professional life, with multiple organizations black-listing her due to this allegation. Aanchal also claims that people are spreading false allegations about her, saying that she has three POCSO cases against her, which Aanchal says is “baseless”.

Aanchal also says that she has “taken steps to remedy” her behavior by being “more conscious” of her gestures, verbal and non-verbal cues etc. She also claims that all of her colleagues, close friends, and family are aware of this incident. She also rubbished any allegations of “grooming” i.e. contacting the victim in order to manipulate them, which Aanchal claims she has never done. Aanchal also mentions that her friends and therapy clients feel safe around her.

Queer Feminist Aanchal Narang ended her statement responding to sexual assault allegations against her by apologizing to the victim and expressing regret for her actions. She also apologized to all the people she “triggered” by the virtue of them hearing/reading/talking about this sexual assault incident.

After going through the allegation and Aanchal’s response, it becomes clear that on November 3, 2019, Aanchal Narang sexually assaulted a fellow member of the LGBT collective group LABIA, by pinning her down and forcing herself upon her. Senior members of LABIA like Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan became aware of this just a few weeks after the incident.

However, it took almost a year for an internal LABIA committee to form in order to investigate the allegation against Aanchal Narang. This attributed by Chitra in the allegation to delays by the “Enablers” of Aanchal which include Chayanika Shah and Shals Mahajan. Now the future of LABIA itself is in question, with both of the senior members resigning along with Mridul Dudeja who was part of the committee looking into the sexual assault allegation.

But, according to Chitra, the majority of the members of LABIA support the victim and wants justice for her. In the face of these allegations and resignations, the future of this more than quarter century old LGBT collective based in Mumbai is seriously threatened.

‘Mamata Banerjee has understood that she will face defeat, sought help from Sonia Gandhi’, claims Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mamata Banerjee has understood that she will face defeat, sought help from Sonia Gandhi’, claims Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has claimed that Mamata Banerjee is worried that her party will lose the assembly elections, and also that she herself will lose in Nandigram. The Congress leader claimed that the TMC chief has written to Sonia Gandhi seeking her help in the elections. It may be noted that Congress along with its allies is contesting against TMC in the elections, making it a three-corner contest.

Addressing a campaign rally at Berhampore in Murshidabad district, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “Mamata Banerjee has understood that she will face defeat. She has written a long letter to Sonia Gandhi, seeking her help. In the letter, the Trinamool Congress chief has sought help from the Congress to stop the BJP from coming to power in Bengal.”

Two days ago in an interaction with media, Chowdhury also said that Mamata Banerjee adopted a completely wrong strategy to contest elections from Nandigram. He said that it was wrong electoral strategy as Banerjee was stuck in Nandigram for her own campaign. By getting stuck at one place, she allowed her party to cede ground in everywhere else, it was a strategic mistake, tactical mistake, he said. ‘By remaining stuck at Nandigram, she has conceded defeat’, he had added.

‘For this reason she had to write letter to Sonia Gandhi, saying that everyone must come together to contest the elections,’ he said. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also said that Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee has already suffered a moral defeat. ‘From body language of Mamata Banerjee, it is clear that she is mentally prepared for the defeat’, he had added.

Trinamool and BJP have imported communal politics in Bengal, and we will have to suffer it, Chowdhury claimed.

The West Bengal CM is facing a tough contest in Nandigram from her former aide Suvendu Adhikari, who had left TMC and joined BJP last year ahead of elections. The Adhikari family has considerable hold over the area, and along with Suvendu Adhikari, his father and two brothers have also joined BJP. The election for the seat was held in the second phase on 1st April. Mamata Banerjee was tied with campaigning for herself there, preventing her from campaigning for the party elsewhere for several days.

Delhi Police registers FIR against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for calling for Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati’s beheading

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police registers FIR against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for calling for Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati’s beheading

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan for calling for the beheading of Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati. The FIR was filed under sections 153-A/506 of the Indian Penal Code.

In a now-removed-tweet, Khan had asked for Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati’s beheading. The provocative tweet against Twitter Rules, remained online for hours despite countless requests to remove it.

Amanatullah Khan had said, “This insult to our prophet is not tolerable to us at all. The tongue and head of this hateful insect should be cut off as punishment. However, Indian laws do not permit this.”

BJP leader Kapil Mishra has filed a complaint against Amanatullah Khan in Uttar Pradesh as well. He said, “His words can be a part of real and growing threat to the survival of the nation which can lead to the alarming situation of clashes and riots In India.”

Mishra added that Khan’s intent was to create disharmony between communities. “He is carrying malafide intention against Hindus and our Hindu Sadhus, which is transparent by his post. In his post, he is absolutely in his personal capacity abetting the murder of our Hindu Sadhu Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati by a particular community,” he added.

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