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West Bengal: BJP fields Union Minister Babul Supriyo from Tollygunge, likely to contest against Mamata Banerjee

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: BJP fields Union Minister Babul Supriyo from Tollygunge, likely to contest against Mamata Banerjee

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo is set to contest from the high-profile Tollygunge constituency in South Kolkata in the upcoming West Bengal assembly polls.

According to the reports, Babul Supriyo, currently a Member of Lok Sabha from the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency, will be contesting from the Tollygunge constituency. It was earlier reported that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee might also contest from Tollygunge, in addition to the Nandigram constituency.

There were reports that Mamata Banerjee is likely to contest from a second seat and may file her nomination from Tollygunge as well. Mamata Banerjee, who has already filed her nomination from Nandigram on Wednesday, is looking for a safe second seat as the party is not positive about her victory against Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram.

Top TMC sources have confirmed to Sunday Guardian that Mamata Banerjee is considering to contest from Tollygunge after suffering an injury, making it tough for her to campaign aggressively in Nandigram. Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee, who announced the TMC candidates’ list for the first phase of the assembly elections on March 5, indicated that she could later consider contesting from a second seat – Tollygunge.

“Mamata Banerjee is currently injured. Her leg is bandaged, which will restrict her movement for some days. This will also restrict her campaigning in Nandigram. She does not want to take any chances, which is why Tollygunge is being considered as the second seat from where Didi is likely to contest,” a source from TMC said to Sunday Guardian.

With the BJP announcing that Babul Supriyo would contest from Tollygunge, it will be an interesting battle between the BJP and TMC, if at all Mamata Banerjee decided to contest from Tollygunge as well. Currently, the seat is held by TMC MLA Arup, Biswas, who has won three times from the constituency.

Swapan Das Gupta to contest from Tarakeshwar, Actor Yash Das Gupta gets BJP ticket

In addition to Supriyo, the BJP has fielded some interesting candidates for the West Bengal elections. Journalist-turned-politician Swapan Das Gupta, who is currently a nominated Rajya Sabha member, has been fielded from the Tarakeswar Assembly seat. BJP MP Nisith Pramanik has been fielded from the Dinhat constituency.

Meanwhile, Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee will also fight the assembly elections from Chunchura. Bengal actor Yash Das Gupta. who had joined BJP recently, will contest from Chanditala. Yash Das Gupta is a very close friend of TMC MP and actor Nusrat Jahan. BJP has also fielded economist Ashok Lahiri from Alipirduar.

The Election Commission had announced that West Bengal will go to the polls in 8 phases. The elections to 294 assembly seats in the state will start from March 27 till April 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.

Sri Lanka announces ban on burqa, to shut down over 1000 Islamic schools in the country

OpIndia Staff
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Sri Lanka announces ban on burqa, to shut down over 1000 Islamic schools in the country

In a major development on Friday (March 12), the government of Sri Lanka has decided to crack down on the wearing of the burqa and the functioning of unregistered Islamic schools (madrassas) in the country.

As per reports, Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara signed an order that sought Cabinet approval to ban Burqas. His signed order is now awaiting the approval of Parliament. On Saturday, Weerasekara emphasised, “The burqa has a direct impact on national security…In our early days, we had a lot of Muslim friends, but Muslim women and girls never wore the burqa. It is a sign of religious extremism that came about recently. We will definitely ban it.”

The move comes two years after the burqa was temporarily banned in the aftermath of the deadly bombings in 2 Roman Catholic churches, 1 Protestant church and 3 hotels in Sri Lanka, on the occasion of Easter. The terror attacks, executed by two Islamist outfits, claimed 260 innocent lives. Sri Lankan officials have informed that the ban on burqa, which is likely to be permanent this time, will be implemented soon.

Sri Lankan government to shut down unregistered Madrassa

He also informed that the Sri Lankan government will close down more than 1000 madrassas in the country that are operating without any valid registration and do not adhere to the national education policy. “Nobody can open a school and teach whatever you want to the children. It must be as per the government laid down education policy,” he added. The Public Security Minister emphasised that the unregistered Madrassas taught only Quran and Arabic language and that it was ‘bad for the students.

Muslim Council of Sri Lanka suggests that wearing face cover is a ‘right’

While speaking about the development, Muslim Council Vice-President Hilmi Ahmed said that if the government was facing issues to identify people due to their face cover, then, such individuals can remove face cover for identification. He further said that every individual has the right to wear a face cover. “That has to be seen from a rights point of view, and not just a religious point of view,” he added.

Ahmed also claimed that all Madrassas, with the exception of 5% schools, have registered with the government. Interestingly, he welcomed the decision of the government to crack down on such madrassas that do not adhere to the governmental rules. It must be mentioned that Muslims constitute 9% of the total population in the country.

Switzerland: People vote to ban burqa or niqab in public spaces

On March 7, during the referendum, 51% of the voters in Switzerland cast their vote favouring banning people from covering their faces completely in shops, restaurants and streets. However, full facial veils will be allowed inside places of worship and for ‘native customs’. 

The final results on Sunday showed that out of 26 cantons in the country, just six rejected the initiative. The turnaround was a little over 50% which is above average. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said that only a fraction of the Muslim women population wears such veils in Switzerland. The proposal was introduced by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP). They campaigned for the proposals with slogans like “Stop Extremism.”

White Innova belonging to Mumbai Crime Branch that tailed explosive-laden Scorpio appears to have fake number plate: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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White Innova belonging to Mumbai Crime Branch that tailed explosive-laden Scorpio appears to have fake number plate: Reports

In a fresh disclosure in the Antilia bomb scare case, the white Innova car that the NIA officials recovered from the Mumbai Police Commissionerate office on Saturday reportedly carried a fake number plate. The white Innova was suspected to be used, in addition to the Scorpio, to plant the bombs outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25. In CCTV footages, the Innova car was seeing following the Scorpio car, but after that day it had disappeared from the roads.

On Saturday, in a shocking development in the Antilia bomb scare case, the National Investigative Agency officials had recovered the white Innova car from the Mumbai Police Commissionerate office.

The NIA officials traced the white Innova to the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s Param Bir Singh’s office, where the suspicious car was parked. As they looked into it, they found that the white Innova suspected to be used along with the explosive-laden Scorpio car had “Police” written on its rear windshield. This means that the car was being used by Mumbai Police.

Reportedly, the Innova car was later brought to the NIA office on Saturday night. During the investigation, the NIA officials have found that the white Innova belonged to the CIU unit of the Mumbai Police and was used by Sachin Vaze. The NIA has accused Vaze of possessing explosives.

The Innova had carried an RTO’s registration number – ”MH 01 ZA 403”. According to a TV9 report, the number plate that was attached to the Innova car at the times of its seizure has found to be fake. A report by Times Now also says that number plate is fake, quoting NIA officials.

We try to search for the details of the registration number seen on the car on the national vehicle registration number enquiry portal of the Road Transport and Highway ministry, but we could not trace any information related to the car. The portal gave the message ‘Vehicle Detail not found’. The same message was displayed when searched for the number MH01ZA0403, adding 0 before the last 403. This means that the official records of the registered vehicles does not have any data related to this registration number.

Vahan portal has no record for the specific registration number plate that was attached to the white Innova.

It is also noteworthy that the images of the registration plate attached to the vehicle suggests that it is not a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP). It is on old plate which lacks the security features available with HRSP plates.

Though it is being reported that the car belonged to the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch, it is not clear about its original registration number.

Scorpio also carried fake number plate, owner died mysteriously

Incidentally, the explosive-laden Scorpio found outside Reliance Group’s chief Mukesh Ambani’s residence had also carried a fake registration number. It was earlier reported that Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze used the same Scorpio car to escort Alibagh Police in the Arnab case.

Two cars – an Innova (white colour) and a Scorpio (green colour) were allegedly used to plant the bombs outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25. The police had traced the Scorpio to Mansukh Hiren, an auto part dealer in Thane. However, a few days later, Hiren’s dead body was found in a creek. While initially it was claimed to be suicide, further investigation revealed that it is possibly a murder.

Following the shocking disclosure regarding Mumbai Police alleged links to white Innova car, several questions are being raised to the Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh. The NIA officials are expected to question several Mumbai police cops and Shiv Sena leaders in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case. It is reported that Vaze has disclosed some high-profile names in connection to the incident.

Govt of India pulls up Wall Street Journal for spreading fake news regarding jailing Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees

Nirwa Mehta
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Govt of India pulls up Wall Street Journal for spreading fake news regarding jailing Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter employees

The Government of India has pulled up the Wall Street Journal for falsely reporting that the government has threatened employees of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter with jail term.

WSJ article from 5th March

On 5th March 2021, citing sources, WSJ had reported that the Indian government has threatened employees of Facebook, its WhatsApp unit as well as Twitter with jail term as it ‘seeks to quash political protests and gain far-reaching powers over discourse on foreign-owned tech platforms’. The report claimed that the ‘warning’ came as direct response to the tech giants’ reluctance to taking down of data published on their platform which fuelled the violence in wake of ‘farmer’ protests.

“At least some of the written warnings cite specific, India-based employees at risk of arrest if the companies don’t comply, according to some of the people,” the report claimed.

However, in a sternly worded email, a copy of which is accessed by OpIndia, Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), said that the above article was not only factually incorrect but misleading. He said that none of the government communications, either written or oral, have ever threatened employees of these social media platforms with jail term.

“Therefore, with deep regret I wish to say that the conjecture of the Wall Street Journal is bereft of any fact and an attempt to defame the world’s largest open Internet economy which is thriving on account of innovative spirit of Indians and universal, easy and affordable availability of Internet,” the email said.

WSJ in its article claimed that the query sent to MeitY regarding the above allegations of threats of jail term remained unanswered. However, MeitY said that to the February 22, 2021 query by Newley Purnell, one of the co-authors of the above mentioned article, the government had sent a detailed response to Wall Street Journal.

The government had then replied that while there is no proposal to ban Twitter in India, it has been conveyed in the Parliament that the social media platforms are obliged to follow the laws of India and the Constitution of India, just as other businesses in India have to. “If social media platform is abused by a few to foment terrorism, violence, causes of terrorism, child pornography and a whole range of illegal activities then the social media platforms will have to be responsible,” the government had said.

The government had reiterated that social media users can criticise the government of India as well as Prime Minister of India but cannot promote violence, rampant communal divide and stoke the flames of terrorism.

“If Capitol Hill- the seat of American democracy was defiled by protestors then Social media platforms supported the Police action and prevented the protestors from using social media for communicating their views. However, in case of India there is a palpable double standard. When violent protestors attacked the Red Fort in Delhi- a symbol of India’s pride where all the Prime Ministers unfurl the National Flag on the Independence Day (15th August), then no action was taken by social media platforms including Twitter and the aggressors got coverage of their views and their consistent violent attacks on Policemen was ignored. This double standard is plainly unacceptable,” the government had said.

The government had said that India has third largest startup ecosystem in the world and if entrepreneurs are starting platforms like Koo, it only shows the rising technology potential of India.

However, in its article dated February 23, 2021, titled “Twitter’s High Hopes for India Waver Under Government’s Heavy Hand”, WSJ had only mentioned few lines from the response despite MEITY’s insistence that the views of the ministry be prominently highlighted. “Selectively mentioning only a very small part of the response is not only against the professional journalistic ethics but also raises several doubts about fair and balanced news reporting,” the government said.

Without mincing words, the government of India said that the recent guidelines only require the social media platforms to put in place a robust grievance redressal mechanism for the users. “The Government welcomes criticism and dissent. However, of late, repeated instances of abuse of social media to foment hate, discord and violence by terrorist groups from outside India and circulation of morphed images of women, revenge porn posing threat to the safety of users especially women users have become grave concerns,” the government expressed concerns over misuse of various social media platforms.

Calling out these platforms’ double standards on their reaction to incidents of violence in India and abroad, the MEITY said, “If vandalism and mayhem takes place at the Capitol Hill in Washington, social media platforms supports police action in containing that violence and rightly so. But when there is a violent attack on Red Fort in New Delhi- the pride of India’s freedom where Prime Ministers hoist the national flag on Independence Day, then some social media platforms give voice to the aggressors. This is unacceptable.”

The government put on record serious displeasure on the lopsided and fictional reportage by Wall Street Journal on this issue. “Falsely attributing to the Government the rumours of Jail term to employees of social media platforms when there is no such move, is nothing but fearmongering by the newspaper and hence deeply regrettable,” the government said. The government also expressed hope that going forward, WSJ would give adequate space to the response by the government so that the readers and other stakeholders get complete perspective.

UN-affiliated group that demanded the release of chopper scam accused Christian Michel now wants Indian govt to ‘remedy’ Safoora Zargar arrest

OpIndia Staff
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UN-affiliated group that demanded the release of chopper scam accused Christian Michel now wants Indian govt to ‘remedy’ Safoora Zargar arrest

A United Nations-affiliated group Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) has concluded that the arrest of Delhi anti-Hindu riots accused Safoora Zargar in February 2020 was arbitrary in nature. The group demanded that she should be provided compensation and other reparations by the Government.

WGAD, which operates under the office of the United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights, released its findings in Geneva on March 12. In its report, the group claimed that Zargar’s detention was arbitrary, and it went against both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

It claimed that, taking into account all the circumstances of the case, the appropriate remedy would be “to accord Zargar an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.” The group further added that the Government of India should take steps to “remedy the situation of Ms Zargar without delay and bring it into conformity with the relevant international norms”, including those of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Covenant.

The group in its report [PDF] alleged that she was ‘targetted’ by the Government for having anti-government views on Citizen (Amendment) Act 2019. As the Government of India did not reply to its allegations, the group referred her case to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism for further action.

Arrest of Safoora Zargar

Zargar, a student activist and MPhil student of Jamia Millia Islamia, was arrested in April 2020 for her alleged role in instigating violence in northeast Delhi, in which 53 people died, and 400 others were injured. She claimed that she was only part of the protests but denied the allegations made by the police. Her bail applications were rejected several times based on the fact that she was charged under serious sections.

When her lawyers filed a bail application claiming she should be released as she was pregnant, the police replied that around 39 deliveries took place in jail in the last decade, and it cannot be the group for granting bail. She was later granted bail in June 2020 on Humanitarian grounds. The court asked her not to leave Delhi without the court’s permission and to remain in touch with the investigating officer once every 15 days via phone. 

Safoora Zargar and the victim card

Zargar has been playing victimhood since she came out on bail. In a recent interview with The Quint, she said, “The most difficult part of it was the isolation, the confinement. I was held in a separate cell… When I was taken to jail, I was kept in a separate ward, in a fag end of the jail that had huge walls and barbed wires…It was very scary…I thought this is the end.” She also claimed that she feared miscarriage and made up her mind for the worse.

One may fall for the victim card she had played, followed by the one-sided decision made by the non-judicial group under UNHC, but her alleged role in the riots cannot be denied. Several videos had surfaced in which she was seen giving provocative speeches during Anti-CAA protests. Furthermore, she was named in Chargesheet number 59 that indicated a larger conspiracy behind the riots and had named the likes of Zargar and Umar Khalid as co-conspirators.

In the charge sheet, the police named her for allegedly instigated a Muslim mob near Chand Bagh area that attacked Delhi police personnel leading to the death of police constable Ratan Lal.

WGAD was recently slammed by the Ministry of External Affairs

In February 2021, WGAD had demanded that the Indian Government should release the VVIP chopper AgustaWestland scam accused Christian Michel with immediate effect. Anurag Srivastava, Spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs, slammed the group for its decision and said that the demands made by the group were based on “limited information, biased allegations from an unidentified source and on an inaccurate understanding of India’s criminal justice system.”

MEA further said that the Working Group is not a judicial body, and therefore, its opinions are not legally binding on the Member States. “The Working Group should be aware that India has robust grievance redressal mechanisms against allegations of violations of human rights in a vibrant and independent judiciary and a ‘category A’ National Human Rights Commission compliant with the Paris Principles,” MEA added.

Rejecting the opinion, MEA added, “The allegations which form the basis of the opinion rendered by the Working Group are contrary to facts. The Government of India, therefore, rejects the opinion rendered by the Working Group.”

Mamata Banerjee may contest from ‘safe’ Tollygunge constituency in addition to Nandigram: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee may contest from ‘safe’ Tollygunge constituency in addition to Nandigram: Reports

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief, Mamata Banerjee is likely to contest from a second seat, reports The Sunday Guardian.

According to the reports, Mamata Banerjee, who has already filed her nomination from Nandigram on Wednesday, is considering contesting from a safe second seat and may file her nomination from the Tollygunge seat in south Kolkata as well.

Top TMC sources have confirmed to Sunday Guardian that Mamata Banerjee is considering to contest from Tollygunge after suffering an injury, making it tough for her to campaign aggressively in Nandigram. In Nandigram, Mamata Banerjee faces a tough battle against her former colleague Suvendu Adhikari. Adhikari, who joined BJP recently, has already put up a formidable challenge to Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram and is expected to win from the Nandigram seat.

Mamata Banerjee, who got injured in an accident during her campaign in Nandigram, had to cut short of her campaign and rush to Kolkata for treatment. As per the sources in the TMC, Mamata Banerjee may contest from another safe seat as she finds it tough to continue the campaign in the high-profile Nandigram constituency.

“Mamata Banerjee is currently injured. Her leg is bandaged, which will restrict her movement for some days. This will also restrict her campaigning in Nandigram. She does not want to take any chances, which is why Tollygunge is being considered as the second seat from where Didi is likely to contest,” a source from TMC said to Sunday Guardian.

Interestingly, Mamata Banerjee, who announced the TMC candidates’ list for the first phase of the assembly elections on March 5, indicated that she could later consider contesting from a second seat – Tollygunge.

Party has communicated to the candidate, directed to not to do aggressive campaign in Tollygunge

After the exit of Adhikari, Mamata Banerjee had announced that she would contest from Nandigram seat in a bid to boost the morale of TMC cadres in East and West Medinipur districts, which had suffered a massive setback after the exit of Adhikari and other senior TMC leaders from the area.

The TMC sources said that the party and leaders close to Mamata Banerjee have already communicated this to Arup Biswas, the TMC candidate from the Tollygunge seat. The party sources said that the party has asked Arup Biswas to go slow with his campaigning in the Tollygunge seat and has issued diktats not to use posters and graffiti with his name for the time being. Biswas is a three-time MLA from the Tollygunge seat.

The Tollygunge seat from south Kolkata is known as a hub of the Bengali film industry and is considered a safe seat for the TMC as it has the backing of a large section of the industry. The Tollygunge seat will go to the polls on 10 April, while the last date of filing nomination is March 23.

The Election Commission had announced that West Bengal will go to the polls in 8 phases. The elections to 294 assembly seats in the state will start from March 27 till April 29. The counting of votes will be held on May 2.

‘I am a piece of iceberg’: Sachin Vaze has revealed involvement of other policemen, ‘bigger role’ of Shiv Sena leaders, claims report

OpIndia Staff
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‘I am a piece of iceberg’: Sachin Vaze has revealed involvement of other policemen, ‘bigger role’ of Shiv Sena leaders, claims report

Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze has admitted that he was involved 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.

Vaze had reportedly joined the Shiv Sena after resigning from the Police following his suspension.

“I am a piece of Iceberg in this case,” the ‘Encounter Specialist’ is reported to have said. Icebergs have over 90 per cent of their volume under the surface of the water. Icebergs are much bigger than they appear to be on the surface.

According to the report, sources have confirmed that Sachin Vaze has exposed the involvement of other Mumbai Police officers in the case. Earlier, it was reported that the explosive laden car found outside Reliance Group’s chief Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia was the same that was used by Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze to escort Alibagh Police in Arnab case.

Late on Saturday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Vaze in the Mansukh Hiren death case. The Maharashtra Assistant Police Inspector was arrested at 11.50 PM on Saturday, after being grilled by the central agency for 12 hours.

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.

White Innova car which accompanied explosives-laden Scorpio car recovered from Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh’s office: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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White Innova car which accompanied explosives-laden Scorpio car recovered from Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh’s office: Reports

In a shocking development in the Antilia bomb scare case, the National Investigative Agency officials have recovered the white Innova car from the Mumbai Police Commissionerate office. A white Innova was suspected to be used, in addition to the Scorpio, to plant the bombs outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25.

According to a report from Marathi news outlet Sakal, the NIA officials traced the white Innova to the Mumbai Police Commissionerate office, where the suspicious car was parked. As they took a closer look at the car, they found that the white Innova suspected to be used along with explosive-laden Scorpio car, had “Police” written over it.

During the investigation, the NIA officials have found that the white Innova belonged to the CIU unit of the Mumbai Police and was used by Sachin Vaze. The NIA has accused Vaze of possessing explosives.

As per reports, the car was found tailing the explosive-laden Scorpio which was planted outside Antilia.

Following the shocking finding of the white Innova car at the Mumbai Police Commissioner’s office, several questions are being raised to the Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh. The NIA officials are expected to question several Mumbai police cops and Shiv Sena leaders in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case. It is reported that Vaze has disclosed some high-profile names in connection to the incident.

NIA arrests Sachin Vaze, Mumbai Cop used Scorpio to arrest Arnab Goswami

Earlier on Saturday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested ‘encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze in connection with the Mansukh Hiren death case. The explosive-laden car found outside Antilia in February belonged to Hiren. It is alleged that Vaze is part of the group that planted the explosive-laden Scorpio on Carmichael Road (near Antilia) on February 25.

Speaking about the arrest, an NIA spokesperson said that Sachin Vaze has been arrested for his “role and involvement in placing an explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael Road on February 25”. The top cop was also investigated for his alleged role in the death of Mansukh Hiren, the owner of the Scorpio found near the Ambani residence.

Two cars – an Innova (white colour) and a Scorpio (green colour) were allegedly used to plant the bombs outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25. The police had traced the Scorpio to Mansukh Hiren, an auto part dealer in Thane.

A few days later, his dead body was found in a creek. While initially it was claimed to be suicide, further investigation revealed that it is possibly a murder. After Mansukh Hiren’s death, his wife, Vimla Hiren alleged that the vehicle was lent out to Sachin Vaze for four months till February 5. After that, it was reported stolen. She had accused Vaze of killing her husband.

Later, it was found out that Mumbai top cop Sachin Vaze had used the same explosive-laden Scorpio found outside Reliance Group’s chief Mukesh Ambani’s residence Antilia to escort Alibagh Police in Arnab case. 

‘We don’t need a certificate from others’: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar debunks India’s downgrading by foreign organisations

OpIndia Staff
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‘We don’t need a certificate from others’: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar debunks India’s downgrading by foreign organisations

Days after US-based watchdog ‘Freedom House’ downgraded India’s stat us from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’, Union Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar slammed the agenda-driven report during the India Today Conclave South on Saturday. His comments also come at the backdrop of the recent V-Dem Institute report that downgraded India’s status from a ‘democracy’ to ‘an electoral autocracy.’

On being asked by India Today journalist Rahul Kanwal about the decline in the country’s status on the freedom index, EAM S Jaishankar emphasised, “You used the dichotomy of democracy and autocracy. (Do) you want a truthful answer? It is hypocrisy. We have a set of self-appointed custodians of the world who find it very difficult to stomach that somebody in India is not looking for their approval…They invent their rules, their parameters, pass their judgements and make it look as though it is some kind of global exercise.”

S Jaishankar pointed out that all such agenda-driven reports refer to the BJP as a ‘Hindu nationalist party.’ He emphasised, “We are the nationalist guys. We have given vaccines to 70 countries in the world. Tell me (about) the internationalist countries. How many vaccines have then given? Which one of these countries have said that while I do (vaccinate) my own people, I will do (inoculate) other people who need it as much as we do. Where are these people?”

The Union External Affairs Minister said that the Indian government is accused of shrinking civil liberties whereas the ground reality is much further from such baseless claims. “Whatever you may say, in this country, nobody questions an election. Can you say that in those countries?” His remarks were directed at the United States, where skepticism about the 2020 Presidential Election results is still rife.

S Jaishankar added, “All of us are entitled to our beliefs, our faith and values. I do not put my hand on a religious book when I take my oath of office. Guess which country does?” His comments were again directed at the US, where the President takes the oath of office by placing one hand on the Bible and not the Constitution. “I am self-assured about my country. I don’t need a certificate from other countries who clearly have some agenda to drive,” he concluded.

‘Freedom House’ funded by US government, has ties with George Soros

Earlier, Freedom House had downgraded India’s status from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’. It claimed, “India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters”.

According to its 2016 financial statement, Freedom House generated 86% of its revenue from the US government itself. In 2019, the funding of the Freedom House organisation by the US government went up to 94%. Interestingly, while Freedom House itself is funded wholly by the US government, their website claims that this report itself is not funded by any government. Open Society Foundation, run by notorious billionaire George Soros also lists Freedom House as one of their allies.

V-Dem organisation has JNU leftists and Pakistani politicians on its Board

In its latest report published by a Swedish institute named V-Dem, it had declared that India was no longer a democracy. The organisation claimed that India had turned into “an electoral autocracy”, as the country’s democratic process had been ‘on a path of steep decline’. According to V-Dem, India ‘lost’ its status of electoral democracy, and became an electoral autocracy.

While liberals wanted the people to believe that V-Dem is a ‘prestigious’ organisation and the Indian government should take its verdict seriously, the facts present a different picture. a glance at the members of International Advisory Board organisation shows its anti-India bias. The board has two Indians, and both are known haters of the Modi government. They are Centre for Policy Research Chairman Pratap Bhanu Mehta and JNU professor Nirja Gopal Jayal. Another member of the advisory board is a Pakistani national, lawyer-politician Aitzaz Ahsan.

Antilia bomb scare: IM terrorist Tehseen Akhtar questioned, phone on which Telegram group Jaish-ul-Hind was created was found from his barrack

OpIndia Staff
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Antilia bomb scare: IM terrorist Tehseen Akhtar questioned, phone on which Telegram group Jaish-ul-Hind was created was found from his barrack

As per reports, the Special Cell of Delhi Police visited Tihar Jail on March 13 to question Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu, the last known head of now-dormant Indian Mujahideen, in connection to the phone recovered from his barrack in the jail. Akhtar is known to be tech-savvy and an expert in bomb-making. He was close aide of Yasin Bhatkal who founded Indian Mujahidin terrorist group.

The phone was allegedly used to create a Telegram channel that Jaish-ul-Hind, a group that claimed responsibility for parking the SUV with gelatin sticks close to the house of business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, had used. The same group had also claimed responsibility for the low-intensity bomb blast near the Israel Embassy in January this year.

Reports suggest that two smartphones were recovered from his barrack in Jail number 8. On Friday, the Police sought permission from a local court to question Akhtar. Hindustan Times quoted a prison officer who said, “Special cell officers are interrogating Tehsin Akhtar. We had handed them the phones on Thursday [March 11] night. They came in the afternoon [of March 13] and are still inside.”

Multiple terrorists used the phones – reports

When the Police came to know about the phone and traced it with the help of a private cyber agency, it was found to be operated in or close to Tihar Jail in Delhi. During the initial investigation, Police found that at least five other terrorists used the phone. It is believed that the same phone might have been used in the blast that took place outside the Israeli embassy. There are other terrorists lodged in the sub-jail number 8 who have connections to Al-Qaeda and underworld criminals.

Akhtar’s involvement in multiple blasts in India

Akhtar was involved in a series of bomb blasts from 2006 to 2013, including 2006 blasts in Varanasi, 2011 serial blasts in Mumbai and 2013 blasts in Hyderabad. He was sentenced to death for his involvement in the 2013 Hyderabad blasts case.

Antilia bomb scare incident

On February 25, a car with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked near Antilia, the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. On February 27, Jaish Ul Hind, a terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the incident via a Telegram channel. On February 28, they again posted a message on the Telegram channel claiming it was not them.

On investigation, the Police found that the message was sent from Tihar Jail. The case got murkier and murkier after the link of Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze with the owner of the Scorpio car surfaced. He was allegedly in touch with Mansukh Hiren, owner of the SUV. Hiren was found dead in the Kalwa Creek, which deepened the mystery. On March 13, Sachin Vaze was arrested by the National Investigation Agency after questioning him for hours. It was later reported that the Scorpio placed outside Antilia was also used by Vaze for escorting Alibaug Police to arrest Arnab Goswami in Anvay Naik case.

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