Days after a violent clash took place between the Hindu and Muslim community in Bhainsa in the Nirmal district of Telangana, the police have arrested 22 people, including one sitting AIMIM councillor.
As per reports, the unnamed AIMIM leader has been charged with an attempt to murder and armed riot. The police have also registered 19 cases against the accused. The cops have also arrested 21 others, belonging to both the communities for violence that ensued in Bhainsa on March 7. Moreover, the police have also detained and interrogated 28 people, who are suspected of being involved in arson and stone-pelting.
The local administration has suspended internet services and imposed Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). In order to keep the law and order situation under control, an additional force of 40 officers and 600 police personnel have been deployed in Bhainsa. While speaking about the incident, BJP (Telangana) President Bandi Sanjay had claimed that the government was favouring ‘one community’.
He emphasised, “The TRS government, especially Home Minister of Telangana Mahmood Ali, favours only one community. He speaks for his people and makes sure that they do not get into trouble. Bhainsa has faced communal clash even in the past and if the Telangana Government would have taken steps in the past to control the violence, then the recent incident might not have happened in the first place”
Bhainsa communal clashes
On March 7, an argument between a biker and some locals triggered a communal clash between Hindus and Muslims in Bhainsa, Telangana. 10 people were injured and at least two houses and 9 vehicles were set ablaze during the clash. During the scuffle, the two groups engaged in arson, violence and pelted stones at each other. A total of 6 civilians and 3 police officers were injured during the attack.
In January 2020, a similar clash had broken out between Muslims and Hindus in Bhainsa where 11 people were injured and several houses were torched. The Telangana government had filed a case against a journalist for reporting how a Muslim mob had attacked Hindu houses while chanting ‘Allah Hu Akbar.’
Indian billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, who is the chairman and founder of the Adani Group, has had the biggest wealth surge in the world, beating the likes of American business tycoons Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Adani has added more billions to his wealth than anyone else in the world this year on the back of strong investor sentiment around the impressive growth of his business ventures.
The net worth of Adani stands at $50 billion, a staggering rise of $16.2 billion in the past one year. This surge has made him the year’s biggest wealth gainer. The publicly traded shares of all Adani group stocks, except one, have risen at least 50 per cent this year.
The increase in Adani’s wealth outshines the $8.1 billion added by another Indian businessman and the richest person in Asia, Mukesh Ambani. It also illustrates the growing influence of the first-generation billionaire, who has attracted investment from Total SA to Warburg Pincus. The Adani Group is growing at a breakneck pace, adding ports, airports, data centres and coal mines in India, while steadfastly going ahead with his controversial Carmichael coal project in Australia.
According to Sunil Chandiramani, founder and chief executive officer at Nyka Advisory Services, Adani has been constantly augmenting his business in areas that are robust enough to withstand market cycles. “Now with the entry in data centres, the Group has demonstrated its willingness to take the plunge into the technology sector,” he said.
Adani Enterprises Ltd. signed an agreement last month to develop 1 gigawatt of data center capacity in India.
The Adani Group seems to have insulated itself from the economic fallout out of the coronavirus-induced lockdown. At a time when organisations are struggling on their path to recovery, companies within the Adani conglomerate have registered staggering growth. The shares of Adani Total Gas Ltd. has jumped 96 per cent this year while the flagship Adani Enterprises have leapt 90 per cent. Adani Transmission Ltd. is up 79%. Adani Power Ltd. and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Ltd. have added more than 52% this year. Adani Green Energy Ltd., which rose over 500% last year, is up 12% so far.
The success of the world’s largest vaccination drive in India and its exemplary efforts to supply vaccine to more than 60 other countries seems to have not gone well with a certain section of western media, who have been busy mocking and discrediting India’s success story. The liberal media outlets in the West and its ‘journalists’ in India are finding it tough to believe a country which they love to label as a ‘third -world’ nation has not only managed the pandemic well but is also generously helping other nations with its large vaccine manufacturing capacity.
In a similar attempt to discredit India’s vaccination drive, Amy Kazmin – the Chief of Financial Times’ South Asia bureau, had earlier resorted to weaving conspiracy theories around Prime Minister Modi and had concocted a story saying he might have already been inoculated with a ‘foreign vaccine in secret’ as he did not trust the two Indian made vaccines.
A report written by Ami Kazmin was published in FT on January 26, 2021, which raised doubts not only over India’s vaccine program but also claimed that PM Modi had already been vaccinated with a foreign vaccine, but the information has been kept secret.
The report said that the Modi government’s inoculation campaign uses two vaccines – Covishield, a locally manufactured dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and Covaxin, an indigenously developed by Bharat Biotech. The report spread false propaganda against the Bharat Biotech- manufactured vaccine saying top ‘Indian scientists’ have questioned the decision to use Covaxin.
The ‘journalist’ said that the vaccine’s efficacy was not proved, and hence many doctors and nurses “have balked” at receiving Covaxin, leading to lower than expected vaccine turnout.
PM Modi hesitant to take Indian vaccine, got secret foreign jab: claimed FT
In her report, Kazmin was seen taking potshots at PM Modi and said even as global leaders — such as Joe Biden, then US president-elect, and Kamala Harris as vice-president-elect, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad have come forward to take the jab, the Indian Prime Minister was hesitating to take the vaccine.
“His apparent reticence has been noticed and has fuelled speculation as to his motives adding to a broader controversy over the drive to inoculate 300m Indians by August,” read the report. India had started a priority vaccination drive for frontline workers on January 16 and PM Modi has emphasised that politicians won’t be allowed to ‘jump the queue’ and will have to wait for their turn.
The report further said that some have called PM Modi to take the Covaxin jab to “counter this hesitancy” and persuade others to follow.
However, Amy Khazmin also came up with a bizarre theory when she quoted “some people” to claim that the Indian PM may have been secretly inoculated already with an overseas vaccine, whose efficacy has been affirmed.
Financial Times report that had claimed PM Modi may have received a foreign jab as the efficacy of Covaxin is ‘doubtful’
The conspiracy theories of Amy Kazmin have now been busted after Prime Minister Modi took his first dose of the Indian-made Covaxin vaccine on March 1 during the second phase of the centre’s vaccination drive, when the drive was started for senior citizens. By taking the shot of Covaxin that has been discredited by Amy Kazmin and other western media outlets, PM Modi silently led a campaign to inspire confidence in people’s minds regarding the efficacy of the vaccine.
It is notable here that many foreign news portals have been trying to advertise the theories that the two western vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna may be ‘more effective than other vaccines. However, they conveniently forget to mention that both the vaccines are very expensive and unsuitable for large scale vaccination drives in many countries because they require storage and transportation at extremely low temperatures.
While all the vaccines currently under use all over the world are under trial and have received only ’emergency approval’ from respective governments, it is unclear why most Western media portals and some ‘liberal’ Indians have already decided that Western-made vaccines must be better than India-made vaccines.
Wild speculations and misinformation
The article also makes other wile speculations. It claims “top Indian scientists” have questioned India’s decision to sue Covaxin. Covaxin was developed in collaboration with India’s premier medical research body, ICMR. ICMR is also working with Bharat Biotech to conduct the clinical trials.
The article also insinuates that Modi is ‘being camera shy’ and hesitating to take the India-made vaccine, unlike other world leaders. However, it fails to mention that unlike other world leaders, PM Modi has managed the pandemic exceptionally well, something many Western ‘experts’ are not finding it easy to come to terms with.
In recently published clinical trial data, Covaxin has reported 81% efficacy. Not just PM Modi, but several other political leaders all over the country have actually set an example by not jumping the queue using their privilege and waiting for their turn, taking the vaccine only when it was available for senior citizens.
The article notes that PM Modi had asked politicians to ‘wait for their turn’. But in denouncing the vaccination drive, the PM’s decision, to speculative ‘low vaccine turnouts’, it spreads only misinformation and reflects how the Western world is prejudiced against developing nations.
When India started phase 2 of its vaccination drive on March 1, PM Modi walked into the AIIMS early in the morning and took the Covaxin dose like a regular Indian senior citizen. CMs like Naveen Pattnaik and Nitish Kumar, and many other political leaders also followed suit.
If one believed Amy’s conspiracy theories, PM Modi should not have taken the Covaxin jab as he was already inoculated with a ‘trusted’ foreign vaccine. Instead, PM Modi and his ministerial colleagues inspired the country by taking the Covaxin shot to dispel rumours spread by the left-liberals, both within India and the international media, against the Bharat Biotech-made vaccine.
Nearly two weeks after their lies being nailed, the Financial Times has neither deleted their concocted report on PM Modi and the country’s vaccination drive nor have apologised for the same.
Katie Leung, who played the role of Cho Chang in the Harry Potter movies, has said in a recent episode of the Chinese Chippy Girl podcast that her publicists told her to deny that she was being subjected to racist abuse online when she told them about it following the announcement of her role.
“I was, like, googling myself at one point, and I was on this website, which was kind of dedicated to the kind of Harry Potter fandom. I remember reading all the comments. And yeah, it was a lot of racist sh*t,” she said.
“I remember them saying to me, ‘Oh, look, Katie, we haven’t seen these, these websites that people are talking about. And you know? If you get asked that, just say it’s not true, say it’s not happening’,” Katie Leung said.
She added, “And I just nodded my head. I was like, ‘Okay, okay,’ even though I had seen it myself with my own eyes. I was like, ‘Okay, yeah, I’ll just say everything’s great.'”
Katie Leung has featured in other movies and television shows as well following her stint in the Harry Potter movies. In the movies, Cho Chang is a student at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who Harry Potter has a crush on.
She says that she is grateful for being a part of the movies but it was difficult in its own way. She first made an appearance during the fourth movie of the franchise, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. She is a Scottish actress of Hong Kong descent.
Britain’s ambassador to China was summoned by the Chinese foreign ministry to chastise her for an article she wrote defending the recent international media coverage on the country.
Caroline Wilson, the UK ambassador had penned a scathing article which she posted on the British embassy’s official WeChat account last week. In the article, Wilson contended that foreign media were misrepresented in China and that their criticism of Chinese authorities did not mean that they hated China. She underscored her point by illustrating how British media criticised the British government.
The article came in the wake of already tense relations between Beijing and London over the sweeping new security law passed by China in Hong Kong, including China’s genocidal crimes in Xinjiang and its clampdown against foreign media outlets.
After China summoned Wilson over her post, the British Ambassador took to Twitter to reiterate her stand.
British ambassador pushes back, says she stands by her article
“I stand by my article,” she said. “No doubt the outgoing Chinese ambassador to the UK stands by the 170+ pieces he was free to place in mainstream British media,” added Wilson, referring to Liu Xiaoming, who was based in Britain for around 11 years before leaving the country in January and who had extensively written articles that were published in various British media outlets.
I stand by my article. No doubt the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to the UK stands by the 170+ pieces he was free to place in mainstream British media. https://t.co/AgkynfJM36
In her article, Wilson sought to explain that the criticism of the Chinese government by the foreign media organisation did not mean that the journalists did not like China, but were, in fact, acting in “good faith” and playing a proactive role in monitoring government action.
She also added that the British journalists have all the freedom to ask piercing questions of their legislators while in China they are muffled by the Communist regime if they ask questions of public importance. While some Chinese news outlets did run some critical reports, but unlike the foreign media, they can only report critically under the supervision of the government, she said.
Though the article was not deleted from WeChat as of Thursday, it can longer be shared or reposted.
China summons Caroline Wilson for her article on media freedom
The article, nonetheless, raised the hackles of the Chinese foreign ministry and it summoned Wilson to issue “stern representations” over the “biased” and “inappropriate” article, saying it was “full of arrogance”. “The whole article is full of… ideological prejudice… and is seriously inconsistent with the status of diplomats,” it referenced the department’s head as saying.
Beijing blasts BBC Radio 4 for its reports a month after it banned BBC World
Wilson’s article came on the heels of a ban imposed by China on BBC World. Last month, Beijing banned BBC World News from television networks in mainland China after finding it had committed “serious violations” and “undermined China’s national unity”.
The retaliatory move came a week after Britain’s media regulator Ofcom revoked the U.K. broadcast license for China’s state-backed CGTN network after deeming it to be insufficiently editorially independent from Beijing.
China had cited a series of reports broadcasted by the BBC alleging human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, an allegation that Beijing staunchly denies even in the face of incriminating evidence.
Besides, escalating its crackdown against the BBC, China recently slammed the reports aired by BBC Radio 4, refuting them and condemning them as groundless accusations against it on issues related to COVID-19, diplomacy and other matters.
China had taken umbrage to BBC’s report titled “The Disinformation Dragon” in which the British broadcaster criticised Beijing over COVID-19 origin-tracing, Chinese diplomat’s “Wolf-Warrior” diplomacy, Tiktok, and Internet security and censorship in China.
There has been significant fine tuning in recent years in regulations related to foreign contributions to private non-profit entities, the most recent of which has been the FCRA Amendments of 2020. In this article, we describe some remaining issues in the regulations as they stand now, and describe some suggestions for improving the transparency in operations of foreign-funded non-profits.
Public Interest Litigation
Existing FCRA regulations restrict use of foreign funds in conducting demonstrations, dharnas and protests. However, nonprofits engage in public interest litigation through courts for continuing in activism. Potential conflicts of interest are not made explicit as part of litigation.
All petitioners and lawyers holding brief – whether original writ petitioner or anyone that files an intervention petition – must submit an affidavit as part of the petition to declare any one/all of the following
The Trust, Company or Foundation that is filing the petition must furnish its registration details, FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return.
Individuals on the board of directors, or board of trustees or founders/authors of a Trust or Foundation that is filing the petition must declare if they or a close relative are on board of directors, board of trustee or founder/author of a Trust that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
Individuals on the board of directors, or board of trustees or founders/authors of a Trust or Foundation that is filing the petition must declare if they or a close relative are in a position of profit in a Trust, Company or Foundation that is filing the petition that has FCRA registration. FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return to be furnished.
An individual filing petition must declare if he/she or a close relative is on board of directors, board of trustee or founder/author of a Trust that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
An individual filing petition must declare if he/she or a close relative is in a position of profit in a Trust, Company or Foundation that is filing the petition that has FCRA registration, FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return to be furnished.
Lawyer holding a brief must declare if he/she or a close relative is on board of directors, board of trustee or founder/author of a Trust that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
Lawyer holding a brief must declare if he/she or a close relative is in a position of profit in a Trust, Company or Foundation that is filing the petition that has FCRA registration, FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return to be furnished.
Close relatives are defined as Spouse, Children, Parents and In-Laws
Policy Consulting and Government Projects
Policy decisions of the Government require studies, surveys and special expert committees. The composition of the committee and award of contracts for studies and surveys are currently not restricted by FCRA rules. Potential conflicts of interest may never be declared explicitly and not made part of the contracting or vendor selection process.
Any organization or individual that has been given a contract for carrying out a study, survey or report, or is part of an expert committee commissioned by the Union or State Governments in the fields of Women and Children Development, Education, Skill Development, Human Rights, Social Justice, Environmental Protection, Animal Rights must declare the following
Trust, Company or Foundation that is awarded the contract must furnish its registration, FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return.
Individuals on the board of directors, or board of trustees or founders/authors of a Trust or Foundation that is awarded a contract must declare if they or a close relative are on board of directors, board of trustee or founder/author of a Trust that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
Individuals on the board of directors, or board of trustees or founders/authors of a Trust or Foundation that is awarded a contract must declare if they or a close relative are in a position of profit in a Trust, Company or Foundation that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
An individual given a contract or nominated for a committee must declare if he/she or a close relative is on board of directors, board of trustee or founder/author of a Trust that has FCRA Registration. Registration Number and FC4 return to be furnished
An individual given a contract or nominated for a committee must declare if he/she or a close relative is in a position of profit in a Trust, Company or Foundation that is filing the petition that has FCRA registration, FCRA Registration Number and latest FC4 Return to be furnished.
Donor Information
FCRA regulations include only sparse information about donors. The information must be extended. Entities that are restricted from receiving funds remit to another entity abroad, which in turn sends money to India.
FC 4 Returns must contain the following fields relating to all donors that cumulatively remit more than Rs 5 lakhs per annum:
Name of donor as registered in the home country
Address of donor as registered in the home country
Nature of business or enterprise of donor – one of Business, Charitable Trust, Religious Endowment or Charitable Trust, Government Agency, Political Trust, Political Party.
Primary source of funds of donor – Business, Other charitable institutions, Government Agency, Political Party, Political Trust
Does the donor or any entity that is the source of funds for the donor fall into any one of these categories
An entity whose Indian arm that has had FCRA Registration cancelled or placed in Prior Permission category
An entity related to a company or non-profit organization that has either been found guilty of or under investigation for foreign exchange violations.
An entity whose key personnel have been found in violation of Indian visa rules.
The stated aims and goals of the donor or entity that is the source of funds for the donor.
An undertaking that these details that have been furnished are to the best of the respondent’s knowledge.
At least 100 entities will be taken up scrutiny at random, or upon receipt of question from the public. The MHA shall make the list of such entities taken up for scrutiny public information. MHA can send a show cause notice if information in FC4 return is insufficient or if shared information indicates violation of FCRA norms. After a hearing, if the explanation is not satisfactory, entity can be placed in Prior Permission Category
Feedback, complaints and comments from public on NGO functioning
Many FCRA NGOs and their foreign donors may engage in activities or in public communication that conflict with national interests.
MHA FCRA site must include a facility for public comments section to let the general public submit promotional materials and public communications of donors and NGOs that conflict with national interests.
The MHA will have 20 working days from receipt of comment to respond with determination if the submitted query has merit. If the query is found to have merit, the MHA shall institute an enquiry within the next 20 working days. If the MHA finds sufficient proof of the entity acting against national interest either in India or abroad, the entity can be placed in Prior Permission category. In case the activity is found to be in violation of Indian laws, the findings may be forwarded to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and any other competent authority for prosecution.
On Thursday, comedian Rahul Dua apologised to dentists and physiotherapists after having insinuated that they are not ‘real’ doctors in a recent Youtube comedy video.
The video, which now stands deleted, showed Dua interacting with his audience. He stumbled upon an audience member by the name of Rashi, who happened to be a doctor by profession. Rahul Dua said, “Thank you for whatever you have done in the last one year (referring to the work done by health professionals to contain the Coronavirus pandemic.) Thank you very much.”
“Are you the main frontline worker or you are a dentist?” he asked. And the crowd burst into laughter, reiterating the problematic stereotype that ‘dentists’ are not ‘real doctors’. While addressing Rashi, the comedian confirmed, “So, you are a real doctor. Even she is saying that she is an actual doctor. So nice of you guys.”
Video Courtesy: Youtube/Rahul Dua
Rahul Dua then moved to the other section to engage with his audience members. At that point, a man in the crowd yelled, “Even he (referring to another audience member) is a doctor. Ask him which one?” The comedian responded, “The way it has been set up… I can guarantee that this guy is a physiotherapist.” He further continued, “I don’t know why physiotherapists call themselves doctors. After all, it is just an expensive massage.”
Rahul Dua issues apology, deletes video after outrage
His comments however did not go down well with some dentists and physiotherapists. On Thursday, comedian Rahul Dua posted a 1-minute-long video on Instagram and apologised for the remarks he made during the video.
“The crowd work video that I uploaded today was not appreciated by a few people. Several dentists and physiotherapists took offence to the (remarks made during the) video. It has always been my objective to make people happy, make them laugh, give them a good time and not hurt their feelings,” he emphasised.
“I don’t want this balancing act of rendering some people happy and others unhappy. So I am deleting the video. Spreading unhappiness is not my job. So I am deleting the video. You know it was a crowd work video and not a rehearsed set. I did not mean anything that I had said. In fact, I frequently visit dentists and physiotherapists. Peace. Hope you continue to support me and my work,” he added in his 1-minute video.
The Grace Church School in Noho, a private school in Manhattan, has urged its students to abandon the use of words such as “mom,” “dad” and “parents” in pursuit of what it calls “inclusive language”. The Inclusive Language Guide also calls the concept of ‘traditional’ family “outdated”.
The Inclusive Gender Guide advices students to use “grown-ups,” “folks,” “family” or “guardians” for “mom,” “dad” and “parents.” Instead of ‘nanny’ or ‘babysitter’, the guide recommends “caregiver”.
“Families are formed and structured in many ways. At Grace Church School, we use inclusive language that reflects this diversity. It’s important to refrain from making assumptions about who kids live with, who cares for them, whether they sleep in the same place every night, whether they see their parents, etc.,” it states.
“We actively try to undo notions of a “typical” or “normal” family structure, each family is unique,” the guide says while referring to traditional families as outdated. The guide also advices children to respond with “People can love and commit to whomever they please, it’s their choice who they marry,” when confronted with a person saying that one cannot marry someone of their own sex.
Screengrab from the Inclusive Gender Guide
The school, in a statement, defended its guide despite grave criticism. It said, “At Grace we understand the power of language both to include and to cause alienation. We also know that it is our job to give community members resources to allow them to make informed and generous choices.”
“The Inclusive Language Guide at issue in the press, which we shared with you this fall, comes from that place in our hearts and mission. It is designed to help the adults in the community find words to affirm and unite,” it added.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has seized a mobile from the jail barrack of Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar alias Monu in the high-security Tihar Jail. According to the police sources, the phone was used to operate a Telegram channel that was used to claim responsibility for placing an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai.
Big! Indian Mujahideen links emerge in explosives at Antilia case
Mobile handset (with number 9311**0819), which was used to claim responsibility for the explosive laden car through Telegram, has been seized from IM terrorist Tehsin Akhtar’s barracks in Tihar jail last night. pic.twitter.com/jRiV9BdiHn
Preliminary investigation hinted that at least five terrorists other than Tehseen used the phone to operate the Telegram channel, as per Times of India. Besides being allegedly used in the Antilia bomb claim, the police also believe that the phone might have been used in the blast that took place outside the Israeli embassy in the national capital.
The Special Cell of Delhi Police said the Telegram channel—Jaish-ul-Hind—was created inside the Tihar Jail. A probe is underway to trace the further links.
The police added that the location of the phone was traced with the help of a cyber agency. The location of the phone was traced to Tihar Jail in Delhi.
Following this, the Tihar Jail authorities conducted a massive search operation inside the sub-jail number 8 on Thursday. They recovered a mobile and a sim card. The phone was used to create the Telegram channel Jaish-ul-Hind through which the responsibility of the attack against Mukesh Ambani was claimed.
Apart from Tehseen Akhtar, the sub-jail number 8 also houses some other terrorists with links to Al Qaeda and some underworld criminals.
Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar’s role in Antilia bomb scare under probe
It is pertinent to note that the links to the Antilia bomb scare ties to Indian Mujahideen terrorist Tehseen Akhtar, who is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and on death row for a string of terror attacks, including being the brains behind the explosions that rocked Patna and left six dead in 2013. A computer-savvy and master at disguising himself, Akhtar was on the radar of the investigative agencies for being involved in many terror attacks across the country. Tehseen, who hails from Bihar’s Samastipur, is also believed to be close to Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal. Akhtar was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in 2014.
The Indian Mujahideen terrorist was also involved in the 2006 blasts in Varanasi, the 2011 serial blasts in Mumbai and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts. He was sentenced to death by a special NIA court in the 2013 Hyderabad bomb blasts case.
The police is planning to take remand of Tehseen Akhtar to question him regarding the mobile phone seizure, the official said.
Antilia bomb scare incident: Car laden with explosives recovered from outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence
On February 25, a Scorpio car with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked near Antilia, the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. The police had claimed that a Telegram channel was created on February 26 and the message claiming the responsibility of the attack was posted through the channel on February 27.
On February 28, Jaish Ul Hind allegedly used another channel on Telegram. The terror group claimed that they did not post the previous message and they had no connection to the SUV parked outside Ambani’s house. The police believe that the second message was sent from outside the country, but the location could not be pinned.
The message that was sent from Tihar Jail demanded money from Ambanis. A link for payment through cryptocurrency was also mentioned in the message. However, the link was not functioning, according to Mumbai Police. The message claimed that it was only a trailer, and “the big picture was yet to come.” It further added, “the brother who placed the SUV near the Ambani house has reached the safe house.”
The case had gotten murkier and murkier after the link of Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze with the owner of the Scorpio car surfaced. Vaze was reportedly 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 investigative agencies probing the matter are looking into all possible angles, including the role of Indian Mujahideen in the attack against the billionaire businessman.
Uttar Pradesh police have arrested a 40-year-old man for trying to assault a 4-year-old Dalit girl in Karhal in Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh, based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father. According to a report by Hindi daily Live Hindustan, police have charged accused Irshad, son of one Mehboob, who is a resident of Maniharan town in Uttar Pradesh, with various provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST Act, apart from relevant sections of the IPC. He would be sent to jail today.
In what transpired, the 4-year-old child had accompanied her mother to a temple for the Mahashivratri puja. The child, however, separated from her mother and got lost in the crowd. Seeing her crying alone in one corner, Irshad approached her. Assuring her that he would take her to her mother, Irshad took her to a secluded area behind the temple and tried to molest her.
The child started screaming for help. Hearing the cry, the people in and around the temple rushed to the spot. Seeing the crowd, Irshad tried to flee leaving the child in a badly injured situation, but the alert people caught him. The crowd started beating him up fiercely seeing him trying to molest the child. On receiving the news, station in-charge Shivkumar Chauhan reached the spot and sent the accused to the police station. The girl has been admitted at the hospital for treatment.
A case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections of the IPC, the POCSO Act and sections of the SC/ST Act based on the father’s complaint. The accused will be sent to jail today.
