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Bengal: A day after joining, Yashwant Sinha becomes party VP, working committee member in TMC

OpIndia Staff
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Bengal: A day after joining, Yashwant Sinha becomes party VP, working committee member in TMC

With the high octane Assembly elections approaching, Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress is fast trying to fill up spaces left vacant by the party turncoats. Hours after the former union minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha joined TMC, he has been appointed as the Vice President and national working committee member of the Mamata’s TMC party. Meanwhile Sinha, in exchange for the favour, said that he would campaign hard and ensure that Mamata Banerjee comes back to power in the state.

Yashwant Sinha, former BJP leader, had joined the Trinamool Congress on March 13 (Saturday). Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, who had quit the saffron party in 2018, has been critical of the BJP after he was sidelined by the party leadership post the 2014 general elections.

Interestingly, soon after Sinha joined the Trinamool Congress party, he started singing paeans for the party chief. In a bizarre statement he claimed that after the Indian Airlines IC 814 flight was hijacked by Harkat-ul-Mujahideen terrorists, who took the flight to Afghanistan’s Kandahar, Mamata Banerjee had ‘offered’ to be a hostage to free the other civilians.

This is not the first time the former union minister has changed his political leaning. His entire political career is marked with switching loyalties, changing party affiliations, changing viewpoints on various matters. Sinha who began his career as an IAS officer, joined politics as a member of the Janata Party in 1984. Then from Janata Dal in 1989, he moved swiftly to become the Finance Minister for Prime Minister Chandrashekhar.

Once Chandrashekhar’s future began to become bleak, he deserted Chandrashekhar and moved to the BJP. Sinha resigned from BJP in 2018 and now is once again set to reinvent his political career with the Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress party.

‘TMC calls it conspiracy, EC says it was an accident’: Amit Shah accuses Mamata of ignoring pain of mothers who lost sons to violence

OpIndia Staff
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‘TMC calls it conspiracy, EC says it was an accident’: Amit Shah accuses Mamata of ignoring pain of mothers who lost sons to violence

Home Minister Amit Shah has slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during a rally at Ranibandh ahead of the assembly elections in the state. He accused the Trinamool supremo of ignoring the pain of the mothers of the BJP karyakartas who lost their lives due to political violence.

Amit Shah said, “Mamata Ji has a leg injury, it’s not known how she got it. TMC calls it a conspiracy, but EC says it was an accident. Didi, you’re roaming around in a wheelchair, concerned about your leg, but not the pain of mothers of my 130 workers who were killed.”

The Home Minister also joked about a delay caused by a glitch in his helicopter. He said, “I am a little late today because of some glitch in my helicopter but I won’t call it a conspiracy.”

Shah also said that people had hoped that political violence would come to an end after the defeat of the Left Front in West Bengal but that did not happen and corruption scaled new heights under the Mamata regime.

A detailed report into the injury suffered by Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram has said that the CM was not attacked by anyone, and she was injured in an accident. The revelation was made in the report by special observers Vivek Dubey and Ajay Nayak, who were asked by the Election Commission to submit a report on the incident.

Mukesh Ambani bomb threat: Controversial cop Sachin Vaze suspended again after his arrest by NIA

OpIndia Staff
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Mukesh Ambani bomb threat: Controversial cop Sachin Vaze suspended again after his arrest by NIA

Arrested Mumbai cop and controversial “Encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze has been suspended by an order of Addl CP Special Branch, said Mumbai Police PRO, S Chaitanya to ANI, in less than a year following his reinstatement. The Maharashtra Assistant police inspector had remained suspended for 16 years over a case of custodial death. He was reinstated in June last year in a controversial decision citing lack of adequate police personnel during the Covid pandemic.

The circumstances of his reinstatement had come under intense scrutiny following his arrest on Saturday by the National Investigation Agency for his role in the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiren and the explosives-laden car found outside the residence of Mukesh Ambani. After Sachin Vaze’s involvement in the case was highlighted by the opposition in the assembly, the Maharashtra Government led by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has been facing a lot of questions regarding the reinstatement and his role in controversial cases.

How Vaze was reinstated into Mumbai Police overnight following 16 years of suspension

For the uninitiated, on the 5th of June, 2020, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had reinstated Sachin Vaze into the Mumbai Police. The decision of his reinstatement was reportedly taken in haste, explaining it as a measure to deal with staff shortage precipitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sachin Vaze, who had joined Shiv Sena after his suspension, was even part of the Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) that was felicitated by Param Bir Singh for “best detection of the TRP scam”. The team comprised of ACP Shashank Sanbhor and assistant police inspectors Sachin Vaze, Nitin Londhe, Santosh Kotwal and Riyaz Kazi. Riyaz Kazi has also been reportedly arrested by the NIA in the current case.

Sachin Vaze was suspended in March 2004 over the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus, a 27-year-old software engineer. He resigned three years later and following his resignation, he reportedly joined the Shiv Sena.

“Encounter Specialist” Sachin Vaze arrested by the NIA

Since his arrest late Saturday night, he has spilt the beans claiming to be “a piece of the iceberg” in the Antilla Bomb Scare case, ABP News has reported. The report says that sources have claimed that Sachin Vaze was a very small part of the plan and the Shiv Sena leaders he named played a bigger role. It is pertinent to note here that Vaze was also behind the dramatic arrest of Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami last year in a case that was widely slammed as the Maharashtra government’s vendetta against the media house.

Vaze has been has been sent to NIA custody till 25th March.

New evidence against Sachin Vaze: NIA gets access to CCTV footage and fingerprints

OpIndia Staff
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New evidence against Sachin Vaze: NIA gets access to CCTV footage and fingerprints

In a fresh turn to Antilia bomb scare, NIA says it has accessed the CCTV footage, fingerprints and other evidence against Sachin Vaze. As per a TV9 Marathi report, NIA has gained access to CCTV footage covering 2 km radius of Sachin Vaze’s CIU office from 25th February to 5th March 2021.

As per NIA, the CCTV footage confirms that Sachin Vaze met Mansukh Hiren on 25th February, the same day, gelatin laden Scorpio was discovered at Mukesh Ambani’s residence. The report also suggests that the finger prints found on the Scorpio matches that of Sachin Vaze. On basis of the CCTV footage recovered, NIA is conducting an in-depth investigation to track his whereabouts, places he visited and the people he met in the dates mentioned above.

Relevant portion of TV9 report (image courtesy: @imac_too on Twitter)

In another shocking update, the same Scorpio was with Sachin Vaze four months ago which was used to arrest Arnab Goswami, however, the car had a different number plate then. The vehicle trail as reported by the Indian Express has also led to the recovery of a white Innova that was seen following the Scorpio found at Ambani’s residence. The NIA took custody of the white Innova from Motor Transport Department of Mumbai police, which was found parked inside Mumbai Police Headquarters. Surprisingly, the CIU was also on a lookout for a white vehicle. Upon asking how the police could not find the vehicle which was parked in the headquarters itself, the IPS officer claimed he was “not aware about it”.

As NIA tightens its grip on the case, Sachin Vaze’s health deteriorated and he underwent treatment at JJ Hospital. Two officers and two drivers working under Sachin Vaze were also subjected to an investigation which spanned over 9 hours. As per reports, more officials will soon be summoned for further investigations.

While the top guns of BJP Maharashtra have been aggressive to get to the root, NCP supremo, Sharad Pawar gave his first reaction on the case only now. On being asked, he said that it is a local issue and will not want to comment on the same.

Sachin Vaze arrested by the NIA

On Saturday night, Sachin Vaze was arrested by the NIA after hours-long interrogation in the Antilia bomb scare. It has been alleged that he was in touch with Mansukh Hiren, the auto-part businessman who was the owner of explosive filled car. He had said that the car was stolen and few days later he was found dead under mysterious circumstances. His wife has alleged that Vaze killed him.

On Sunday, a white Innova car, that was tailing the explosive-laden Scorpio was found from office of Mumbai Police commissionerate and was used by Vaze’s Crime Investigation Unit (CIU). In fact, some reports even suggest that the car was used by Vaze himself. Vaze has also reportedly named Shiv Sena leaders in the Antilia case.

Democracy under threat in USA? Military under Biden intimidates, threatens civilians, journalists over policy disagreement

K Bhattacharjee
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Democracy under threat in USA? Military under Biden intimidates, threatens civilians, journalists over policy disagreement

The past few days have been extraordinary in American politics. The US Military under Joe Biden has launched a comprehensive propaganda campaign against Tucker Carlson after the Fox News talk show host voiced his disagreement over matters of policy.

Tucker Carlson slammed Joe Biden for introducing identity politics into military policies and promoting ‘maternity flight suits’ at a press conference. The talk show host argued that the objective of the Military is not social justice but to win wars.

He expressed his skepticism with the notion that pregnant women increase the efficiency of the military. He said during a segment on the 10th of March, “So we’ve got new hairstyles and maternity flight suits… Pregnant women are going to fight our wars. It’s a mockery of the US military.”

“While China’s military becomes more masculine … our military needs to become, as Joe Biden says, more feminine,” Carlson continued. “It’s out of control and the Pentagon’s going along with this. Again, this is a mockery of the US military and its core mission, which is winning wars.”

Not too long after, the United States Department of Defense issued a stunning criticism against the journalist. In a press release, the DoD said, “Press Secretary Smites Fox Host That Dissed Diversity in U.S. Military”.

“I want to be very clear right up front, that the diversity of our military is one of our greatest strengths,” said Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby. “I’ve seen it for myself in long months at sea and in the combat waged by our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’ve seen it up on Capitol Hill just this past month. And I see it every day here right at the Pentagon.”

It is not clear how diversity in the US military has been its great strength given that the US military has struggled to win any of its numerous wars in recent times. Nevertheless, the Biden administration appears to have decided it was not enough.

Soon, senior officials of the US military began dissing Tucker Carlson from their official accounts on social media. The US Marine Corps decided it was a good idea to openly troll the journalist from its official Twitter handle.

US Marine Corps trolls Tucker Carlson
Source: Twitter

Not merely Tucker Carlson, the US Marine Corps went after civilians as well who urged them to focus on China instead of the Fox News anchor. The comments implied that people should not opine on policies unless they have served in the military and have been pregnant.

Source: Twitter

U.S. Master Gunnery Sergeant Scott Stalker, the Command Senior Enlisted Leader of U.S. Space Command, also had a few words to say to Carlson. “I’ll remind everyone that his opinion, which he has a right to, is based off of actually zero days of service in the armed forces,” he said, calling the show “Drama TV”.

Stalker also ‘liked’ a tweet where a user said he “will fight for him against Tucker for whatever reasons and at whatever costs.” Another senior military official said, “The DoD didn’t “attack” your show, we absolutely disagree with you! Trust me, you’d know if the DoD attacked you—it’s a doctrinal term.”

It was not just one or two erring military officials but almost entire top brass of the military that sanctioned the attack on Carlson. It is entirely unheard of that the military singles out a journalist for a targeted political propaganda campaign.

The conduct earned severe criticism from Americans across the board. They said that it was dangerous that the US Military had become so overtly political, a sentiment that was echoed by Carlson in his response to the campaign against him.

“The Department of Defense has never been more aggressively or openly political,” he said. He stated in a tweet, “This afternoon, the Department of Defense issued a press release attacking this show: ‘Press secretary smites Fox Host. Like we’re a hostile foreign power. Remarkable.”

Senator Ted Cruz from Texas issued a statement demanding a meeting with the Commandant of the USMC to put an end to “political attacks to intimidate Tucker Carlson & other civilians who criticize their policy decisions.” Ted Cruz said that the ethos of the military was being undermined “for the sake of leftwing ideology and political expediency”.

“Instead of allowing the debate to take its course in public among American citizens and their elected leaders, military officials over the last week have repeatedly launched attacks on Carlson, including through official DOD platforms and accounts and while in uniform. The campaign has alternated between being ostentatiously childish and simply outrageous,” the statement said.

Following Cruz’s statement, the II Marine Expeditionary Force’s official account tweeted an apology over their recent conduct. It said, “We are human and we messed up. We intended to speak up for female Marines and it was an effort to support them. They are a crucial part to our corps and we need them to know that. We will adjust fire and ensure the utmost professionalism in our tweets.”

The episode highlights the declining state of Democracy in the United States where even the Military has become politicized enough to feel empowered to attack journalists and civilians because they do not endorse the policy propositions of the Democrat establishment.

Over the past few months, it has become abundantly evident that Big Tech, Big Business, the Entertainment industry and, almost every powerful social institution was working in tandem to marginalise conservative political opinions. They felt empowered enough to admit openly that they engaged in a conspiracy to ensure Biden’s victory in 2020.

Under such circumstances, it is quite astonishing that American think tanks are lecturing countries such as India and labeling them ‘partly free’ while Democracy is dying a slow death in their own country.

Uttar Pradesh: Asaduddin Owaisi alleges ‘Muslim oppression’ even as he admits 63 per cent of the criminals killed in the encounter are non-Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Asaduddin Owaisi alleges ‘Muslim oppression’ even as he admits 63 per cent of the criminals killed in the encounter are non-Muslims

With the assembly elections fast approaching Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday attempted to polarise the society, in his bid to consolidate the Muslim votes. Owaisi raised the bogey of ‘Muslim oppression’ to allege that Muslims are unfairly targeted under the rule of Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking at Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur, Owaisi tried to cast the Yogi Adityanath government as anti-Muslim by alleging that out of 6,475 encounters of the criminals that took place in the state between 2017 and 2020, about 37 per cent of them were Muslims.

“6475 encounters took place between 2017 & 2020. Of those who were killed in encounters, 37% were Muslims. Why this oppression? Is govt working as per the Constitution? This will be decided by the people of Uttar Pradesh,” Owaisi said.

However, Owaisi’s assertion that 37 per cent of those killed in encounters are Muslims means that the remaining 63 per cent of them were non-Muslims. Despite the overwhelming number of criminals eliminated in encounters belonging to the non-Muslim fold, Owaisi scare-mongered about the ‘Muslim Oppression’ and alleged that Freedom of Expression has been grievously assaulted under the Yogi Adityanath rule.

The AIMIM chief also stated that Yogi Adityanath has left no stone unturned in tearing apart the Constitution of India during his reign in Uttar Pradesh. Owaisi also targeted Yogi Adityanath’s unflattering remarks for secularism.

“If secularism is preventing India from achieving its position in the whole world, then I want to ask Yogi and Modi how petrol and diesel prices are close to 100 rupees? Is it because of secularism?” Owaisi asked.

Owaisi was in Uttar Pradesh for attending meetings scheduled as a part of Sankalp Morcha’s campaigning for the upcoming assembly elections in the state. AIMIM had gotten into an alliance with the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party under the banner of Sankalp Morcha to fight the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh to be held in 2022. Through his campaigning, Owaisi is seeking to rally the support of the Muslims and wean them away from SP and BSP.

BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Tajinder Bagga hail Kejriwal’s decision to ‘celebrate’ Bhavya Ram Mandir and remind people of barbaric Mughal history

OpIndia Staff
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BJP leaders Kapil Mishra and Tajinder Bagga hail Kejriwal’s decision to ‘celebrate’ Bhavya Ram Mandir and remind people of barbaric Mughal history

On March 14, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Kapil Mishra and Tajinder Bagga expressed their happiness and hailed Kejriwal for his decision to celebrate Bhavya Ram Mandir and remind people of barbaric Mughal history. In a sarcastic video message, they said, “We are here to thank Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal. He has announced that he will take the elders in Delhi for ‘darshan’ once Bhavya Ram Mandir is constructed in Ayodhya after the demolition of Babri Masjid.”

They further added that by taking the elders to Ayodhya by using the Delhi government’s funds, CM Kejriwal would remind people of the atrocities of Aurangzeb against Hindus. It will also remind people of the struggle Hindus to have to go through to reclaim the land and construct Bhavya Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. “We thank Arvind Kejriwal and hope he will take more initiatives like this for Hindus in future. It will be a slap on the face of those who supported Babri Masjid,” Bagga and Mishra added.

The cryptic message was sarcasm on Kejriwal

On the first look, it may look like the BJP leaders are praising the opposition leader for his announcement that the Delhi government would facilitate darshan for elders in Ayodhya once the construction of Bhavya Ram Mandir is complete. However, it is more of a sarcastic comment on Kejriwal, who had supported Babri Masjid on several occasions.

Kejriwal, in 2014 said in a rally that Ram could not live in a temple that is constructed after demolishing a mosque. He narrated a possibly made-up story of a conversation between his grandmother and him. He had claimed, “When the Babri Masjid was demolished, I asked my grandmother that she must be happy. A temple for her Bhagwan Ram will be constructed in Ayodhya. To which she replied, my Ram will not live in a temple that is constructed by demolishing a mosque.”

This is the same Kejriwal who in 2015 attacked BJP for not giving the date of Ram Mandir. He said, “They always say they will construct a temple in Ayodhya but never tell the date when it will be constructed.”

In 2016, while attacking BJP, he posted a derogatory cartoon mocking Bhagwan Hanuman.

In 2018, Kejriwal said that by constructing the temple, no one could assure progress. He dragged Jawaharlal Nehru in his speech and said, “I was thinking if Nehru had constructed temple instead of constructing steel authority of India, would India be able to progress?

Reactions from netizens

Netizens mocked Kejriwal for his u-turn on the temple. Some even called him a chameleon.

Netizens expect that Kejriwal will again make a u-turn from his statement.

A booming economy, decreased unemployment rate: Here are the achievements of Yogi Sarkar in the last four years

OpIndia Staff
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A booming economy, decreased unemployment rate: Here are the achievements of Yogi Sarkar in the last four years

On Sunday, the Yogi Adityanath-led-Uttar Pradesh government released a 64-page document highlighting its major achievements in the State in the last 4 years.

As per a report in Indian Express, the booklet titled, “Sewa aur Sushashan ke 4 Varsh” laid down key developmental work done by the UP government. It stated that UP is now the leading state in 44 Central government schemes and has carried forward the development work as envisioned by PM Narendra Modi. The state government informed that the economy of the state has increased from ₹10.90 lac crore to ₹21.73 lac crore in the past 4 years.

The government emphasised that the per capita income in the State has doubled and that the unemployment rate declined from 17.5% in 2017 to 4.1% in February 2021. It said, “Uttar Pradesh is on its way to become the biggest economy in the country and the per capita income in the state has also doubled. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report the unemployment rate in the state has dropped to 4.1% on February 28 this year against 17.5% in 2017.”

Yogi government’s crackdown on criminals in Uttar Pradesh

In the document, the government listed its zero-tolerance policy against criminals that has led to a drastic drop in crimes in the state. A total of 135 criminals were neutralised while 10 policemen were martyred in 7,760 police encounters since March 2017. These encounters had led to the arrest of 16,592 criminals. The governmen also informed that around 3,028 accused and 1,086 policemen were injured in the encounters.

The government has arrested 36,990 criminals under the Gangster Act while 523 accused have been booked under the National Security Act (NSA). At the same time, it has seized and demolished ₹1000 crore worth of properties held by mafias and criminals. Moreover, 10,021 criminals with bounties on their head were also apprehended. The government has also made recoveries from rioters involved in vandalism and destruction of public property in the name of Anti-CAA protests.

UP leads India in several sectors under Yogi Adityanath

The Yogi Adityanath-led-government reiterated the implementation of 21 investment-friendly schemes in Uttar Pradesh that has now taken the state to the 2nd position in ‘Ease of Doing Business. Besides, around 4 lac youth were provided jobs by the government in the last 4 years. The state is leading in sugarcane production, toilet construction (2.61 crores), Coronavirus testing and vaccination, the establishment of MSMEs,construction of expressways and new medical colleges.

The government also listed road connectivity, women development, cow protection, women empowerment and rural development among its key achievements. The Yogi government will organise several programmes across the state from March 19 to March 25 to commemorate the completion of its 4 years. One of the largest events will be held at Lok Bhavan in Lucknow.

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana cries foul, invokes Pulwama while attacking NIA even as Sachin Vaze names party leaders in Antilia bomb probe

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana cries foul, invokes Pulwama while attacking NIA even as Sachin Vaze names party leaders in Antilia bomb probe

As the National Investigation Agency tightens its noose around Mumbai Police’s decorated officer Sachin Vaze, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana attacked the central government, terming the move as a vendetta against Maharashtra state government.

In a searing article published on Monday, Shiv Sena mouthpiece claimed Mumbai Police was capable enough to crack the Antilia Bomb scare case but the NIA team, sent by the Centre, arrested Sachin Vaze and insulted the Mumbai Police force.

Vaze, the assistant inspector with the Mumbai Police, was arrested by the NIA on the night of March 13 for allegedly planting an explosive-laden Scorpio car outside the residence of Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Group, on February 25.

Since his arrest, Maharashtra BJP has trained its guns on the beleaguered Maha Vikas Aghadi government and attacked for reinstating an officer that was under suspension for 16 years in connection with a custodial death case. Shiv Sena, on its part, hit back accusing the centre of interference by sending the NIA team to investigate the matter.

In its article, Sena has said that the state government is well aware of the gravity of the situation and has transferred the case over to the ATS(Anti-Terrorism Squad) but even as the probe was underway, the Centre rushed in an NIA team for investigation. This, according to Sena, is an unwarranted interference by the central government.

“Vaze was already transferred and the Antilia Bomb scare case was handed over to the state ATS team. Even as the case was under investigation, the Centre sent the NIA to investigate the case. It was unnecessary. But, if there is a chance of laying obstacles in the way of Maharashtra state agencies in their investigation, why should any of the investigating agencies of the Centre remain behind,” the editorial in Saamana caustically noted.

The article further added that the immediate arrest of Vaze has made the BJP euphoric. Hitting out at the centre, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece alleged that concerted attempts are being made to destabilise the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, paint them in a bad light, slap false cases against them and infringe upon the rights of the state government.

The editorial also cited the Sushant Sigh Rajput case to allege that the Centre has been needlessly meddling in the state matters, only to make a false case against the state government. It also slammed the NIA team, stating that the investigative agency could not end the arms struggle in Kashmir while it came to investigate the recovery of explosives outside the Ambani residence.

“In Sushant case, Mumbai Police did a superb job of investigation, yet the Centre brought the CBI for investigation. What did CBI unearth? They kept prowling but they could not find anything. Kangana Ranaut did illegal things, yet the central government and BJP people stood by her. When the investigation into the recovery of 20 gelatine sticks was being carried out by the state Anti-Terrorist Squad, the ‘NIA’ jumped into it. Such cache of explosives are routinely found in Kashmir, does the NIA squad go there?” the article said.

It further said, “It is still an enduring mystery as to how the cache of explosives made their way inside Pulwama and how 40 of our soldiers died in the blast. The movement of arms, explosives continue unabated on the Bihar-Nepal border. Even the situation on the Manipur-Myanmar border remains tensed and grim. In Naxal prone areas, entire factories of arms and explosives are built, there are anti-national conspiracies abound, but the NIA never visits such places. They could only sniff the gelatin sticks.”

Attacking the central government, the article said it has become a habit of the Centre to get in central investigative agencies whenever any trouble flares up in Maharashtra. “Ambani is one of the foremost businessmen in the country, there should have been no lapse in his security. That is why twenty gelatin sticks found in the premises of his house and the subsequent death of Mansukh Hiren, both cases are serious. But Mumbai Police could not investigate the matter because of the NIA,” said the article.

The article also lavished praises on the Mumbai Police, extolling them as a force that took the main accused in the Mumbai bomb blasts case to the gallows. It also cited the capture and the subsequent hanging of Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, stating that it was done by a team led by Mumbai-Maharashtra police.

“Despite Mumbai Police’s impressive past record of bravery and courage, the arrival of the National Investigation Agency in Mumbai for the investigation of 20 gelatin sticks is shocking. This reflects that the NIA was sent to settle previous scores,” the article said.

“Encounter Specialist” Sachin Vaze arrested by the NIA

The National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) on Saturday arrested controversial ‘Encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze, who is at the centre of the investigation in connection with the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiren and the explosives-laden car found outside the residence of Mukesh Ambani. The Maharashtra Assistant Police Inspector was arrested at 11.50 PM on Saturday, after being grilled by the central agency for 12 hours. Vaze will be presented before the court on Sunday.

Vaze has been arrested under Sections 286 (Negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 465 (Punishment for forgery), 473 (Making or possessing counterfeit seal), 506(2) (criminal intimidation), 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and 4(a)(b)(I)(attempt to cause an explosion) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.

During the probe, Vaze said he was just the tip of the iceberg and had reportedly named several Shiv Sena leaders who were allegedly involved in the bomb scare.

White Innova car recovered from Mumbai Police

On Sunday, the NIA recovered the white Innova car that was found tailing the explosive laden Scorpio placed outside Antilia. It was revealed that the car, the numberplate of which was not traceable, was being used by Mumbai Police Crime Investigation United. Further, reports suggested that it was Vaze who himself used to drive this car. Moreover, media reports suggested that the Scorpio car found with explosives was also the same car used to escort Alibaug Police to arrest Arnab Goswami in Anvay Naik death case last year. Vaze was leading the said investigation.

Maharashtra top cop removed from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch

On Wednesday, Sachin Vaze was removed from the Mumbai Police Crime Branch after his name surfaced in connection with the matter. The case had gotten murkier and murkier after it was reported that Vaze was in touch with Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the car, since June 2020. Hiren was subsequently found dead in the Kalwa creek, which only served to deepen the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani.

The Maharashtra ATS have already interrogated and recorded his statement in the matter.

‘Encounter cop’ Sachin Vaze has a problematic past, to say the least. He was accused in the custodial death case of one Khwaja Younis. Under suspicion, he was suspended from the police force. After his suspension, he had joined the Shiv Sena and had been only recently reinstated by the Uddhav Thackeray led government.

Oxford racism row: EAM S Jaishankar raises the issue in Parliament, says will champion the fight against such intolerance

OpIndia Staff
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Oxford racism row: EAM S Jaishankar raises the issue in Parliament, says will champion the fight against such intolerance

Days after the first female Indian elect of Oxford University Student’s Union, Rashmi Samant, was abused and vilified for being a Hindu, the Union External Affairs Minister (EAM) raised the matter in the Upper House of Parliament.

While speaking in the Rajya Sabha, S Jaishankar said, “As land of Mahatma Gandhi, we can never ever turn our eyes away from racism. Particularly so when it is in a country where we have such a large diaspora.” He added, “We’ve strong ties with UK. We’ll take up such matters with great candour when required.”

He further stated that the government will monitor such cases closely and raise the issue with the concerned authorities, as and when required. “We will always champion the fight against racism and other forms of intolerance,” S Jaishankar emphasised.

The Oxford Racism Row

Rashmi Samant was hounded by leftists and anti-Hindu propagandists after becoming the first female Indian elect of Oxford University Student’s Union on February 11. She was forced to resign within days after being abused, bullied and targeted for being a Hindu and over her views against British colonisation.

In a coordinated attack, her old social media posts were dredged up, accusing her of being racist, anti-semitic, Islamophobic, transphobic. Besides this, Rashmi was also targeted for being a Hindu. One of the faculty members in Oxford – Dr Abhijit Sarkar had even dragged Rashmi’s parents into the controversy, attacking them for having a Lord Shri Ram display picture on their social media accounts while claiming that Rashmi’s student council elections were funded by Prime Minister Modi.

He had even accused Rashmi of being Islamophobic by alleging that she came from coastal Karnataka, which the faculty member termed as “a bastion of Islamophobic far-right forces”. Following the controversy, netizens from across the world had demanded the dismissal of Hinduphobic faculty AbhijitSarkar and had trended hashtag #DismissAbhijitSarkar on Twitter.

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