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Will President’s Rule be imposed in West Bengal ahead of elections? Unlikely as things stand currently: Here is why

K Bhattacharjee
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Will President’s Rule be imposed in West Bengal ahead of elections? Unlikely as things stand currently: Here is why

Political violence has been one of the unpleasant realities for West Bengal for decades. The intensity of it has varied across time, with the extent of violence generally building towards a crescendo as elections approach. The past six years have followed the general pattern of the previous decades. This time around, at the helm of affairs is Mamata Banerjee and her opposition is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The mainstream media has the tendency to ignore political violence that does not suit their narrative and it is not surprising that the targeted violence against BJP karyakartas has not received the attention that it deserves. Simultaneously, deaths in explosions during the manufacturing of explosives by men allegedly associated with the Trinamool Congress has failed to register itself in the national consciousness.

But anyone who has been following West Bengal politics in recent times is acutely aware that things under Mamata Banerjee are worse than ever before. Political violence has reached unprecedented levels, there’s great anguish among the people due to unprecedented levels of corruption and the closer we approach to state elections, the more tyrannical the Trinamool government’s methods appear to become.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that among certain quarters, calls are being made for the imposition of president’s rule in the state. Unsurprisingly, the ones making the demand are from the BJP. The calls appear to have become even shriller since state president of the party, Dilip Ghosh, was attacked by allegedly the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Demands for President’s Rule in West Bengal

BJP leaders have been warning of president’s rule in the state for quite some time. Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan said in October, “The way TMC is committing crimes and atrocities in West Bengal, President’s rule will be imposed in the state within four month’s time in December”. Similarly, Asansol MP Babul Supriyo remarked, “The recent chain of events — ranging from the attack on a Sikh community member, the arrest of al-Qaeda operatives to brazen murder of Manish Shukla and other political opponents — show that it is a fit case for imposition of Article 365 in West Bengal.”

Towards the end of October, Kailash Vijayvargiya, secretary general of the BJP, said that there was very little possibility of free and fair elections under Mamata Banerjee. He said, “It is my personal opinion that free and fair election is not possible there (West Bengal) without the imposition of President’s rule as politicisation of bureaucracy has happened in that state. It is ok up to that, but now criminalisation of bureaucracy has also happened there.”

Vijayvargiya, the state in-charge of the BJP for West Bengal, also said that Mamata Banerjee herself would be responsible for the imposition of president’s rule in the state. It also has to be borne in mind that Home Minister Amit Shah has himself said in the past that considering the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, opposition parties have every right to demand the imposition of president’s rule.

Things as they currently stand

Since then, however, the BJP appears to be changing its stand on the imposition of president’s rule. Dilip Ghosh has said that Mamata Banerjee herself wants president’s rule to be imposed in the state. Speaking to a TV channel, he said, ‘Mamata Banerjee herself wants (article) 356 to be implemented in the state. She is forcing the Central Government in order to play the victim card during the elections’.

Article 356 is invoked by the president and permits the president to assume any or all functions of the state government or the governor other than its legislature. Ghosh went on to add, ‘If Bengal is under President’s rule, it will give CM Mamata Banerjee the sympathy of the common people and it will benefit her in the assembly elections. At present, there is a big challenge before the BJP in Bengal.’ He further added, ‘Anti-incumbency factor will not make much difference if people get sympathy’.

Amit Shah, too, said recently, “Article 356 is not a public issue. It is a constitutional matter. The Central government takes a decision on it based on the governor’s report. There is no need to enforce Article 356 here as the government will change only in April. So on whom will it be done?” Thus, clearly, the tone appears to be changing.

Will president’s rule be imposed in West Bengal?

Without a shadow of a doubt, political violence in Bengal is at unprecedented levels. There have been numerous deaths of BJP karyakartas in recent years and things have reached a point where not even elected MLAs are safe.

A BJP MLA in West Bengal was found dead recently and the circumstances surrounding his death is shrouded in mystery. Thus, there are no valid grounds to blame the BJP if president’s rule were to be imposed in the state. But it is a political decision and political decisions are taken bearing in mind political consequences.

Dilip Ghosh is obviously correct that Mamata Banerjee may secretly want president’s role to be imposed in the state. It will give her the golden opportunity to blame all her incompetence and failures on the central government and claim that her government’s failure from the very beginning were a consequence of interference from the centre.

It will certainly award her with an opportunity to play the victim card. Amit Shah believes that the anti-incumbency factor is strong enough for the BJP to be able to register a victory in the state elections next year. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that president’s rule will be imposed in the state. But things could change very quickly.

If the governor comes to believe that free and fair elections will be impossible to conduct in the state under the current ruling dispensation, then it appears extremely likely that he will recommend the imposition of president’s rule. Thus, it is only in the event of a radical escalation of violence from current levels on the part of the Trinamool government that president’s rule in the state will be deemed to be a necessity.

Telangana: Fire Workers association moves Supreme Court against HC order that imposed firecrackers ban

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Fire Workers association moves Supreme Court against HC order that imposed firecrackers ban

After the Telangana High Court passed an order on November 12 banning sale and use of fireworks hours ahead of Diwali, the Telangana Fire Workers Dealers Association (TFWDA) has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the High Court order. The TFWDA in their petition filed through Advocate Somanadri Goud K stated that the members of the association have been seriously affected by the ban on fireworks and that it violated their fundamental right to livelihood.

The plea states that the order was passed by the High Court without making the association a party to the case and without considering the impact it would have on the members engaged in manufacturing such products. The petition stated, “It is important to acknowledge nexus between law and economics in current times wherein a balanced approach needs to be adopted for balancing of the two rights available to the citizens under Article 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution of India.”

The association contented that the High Court order had caused immense financial difficulties to fireworks vendors especially because firecrackers were a seasonal business and heavy investments were made for it. They argued that the High Court failed to consider the economic adversities that would be caused to lakhs of people and their families who were directly or indirectly employed by the fireworks industry in Telangana.

The petition referred to the order of the Supreme Court (passed in Arjun Gopal and Ors. v Union of India and Ors) in which it had allowed the manufacturing and sale of green and improved firecrackers in adherence to the prescribed standards of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The Supreme Court had observed that a complete ban on firecrackers would not serve the interest of justice. It was contended by the petitioners that the High Court order was passed without considering the pendency of proceedings in Arjun Gopal case wherein directions were given from time to time keeping in view the Air Quality Index and other relevant factors. The TFWDA has pleaded before the court to pass an ex-parte-ad-interim stay on the operation and and effect of the impugned order.

The High Court passed the order banning fireworks despite being informed that the state was following the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Sivakasi fireworks vendors badly affected

People engaged in the production and sale of fireworks in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu have been severely affected by the ban that has been imposed in several states.

General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Fireworks Merchants Association Federation said that orders were already less due to Wuhan virus pandemic and the ban made the situation worse.

States that have banned fireworks on Diwali

According to reports, as many as 9 other states and UTs have imposed a ban on fireworks on Diwali including Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Chandigarh. The National Green Tribunal had sent notices to 18 states and union territories to expand the scope of hearing cases on pollution by firecrackers during Diwali.

Pervert Fauj? Maryam Sharif says that the Pakistan Army put cameras in the washrooms when she was in jail

OpIndia Staff
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Pervert Fauj? Maryam Sharif says that the Pakistan Army put cameras in the washrooms when she was in jail

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Sharif has launched a scathing attack on the Pakistan Prime Minister by revealing the hardships she faced when she was lodged in prison under the administration of the Pakistan Army led by the Imran Khan government. In a startling revelation on November 12 (Thursday), Maryam alleged that apart from her jail cell, the jail authorities had installed cameras even in the washroom she used in jail.

“I have gone to jail twice and if I speak about how I, a woman, was treated in jail, they will not have the audacity to show their faces,” she said referring to the Imran Khan government in a recent interview on Thursday. Maryam spoke about the alleged hardships she had to face when she was lodged in the prison by the Pakistan government.

For the uninitiated, Maryam Sharif was arrested last year in the money laundering case. The Imran Khan government had claimed that the Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s family had used one Chaudhry Sugar Mills for money-laundering and illegal transfer of its shares. Whereas, Maryam Sharif claimed that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested her by violating the law and that she was being politically victimised.

Maryam Sharif expresses concern over the plight of women in Pakistan under Imran Khan government

Meanwhile, Maryam furthered: “I don’t want to hide behind these incidents. I am struggling today, so I do not want to show that I was affected. I do not want to cry that I was abused. But I definitely want to bring this truth to the world about the status of women in jails,” she said. 

Hitting out at Imran Khan and his government and the plight of woman under his regime, Maryam Sharif said: “If they (Imran Khan govt) could break into the bedroom of Maryam Nawaz, get the cameras fitted in her washroom, you might wonder what they would have done to the rest of the women?”. She insinuated that until Imran Khan govt is in power, no woman is safe in Pakistan.

Maryam Sharif declares Imran Khan’s days as the PM of Pakistan are numbered

Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz is one of the three major political parties of Pakistan alongside Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Peoples Party. PML(N) has recently been trying to garner its supporters in Pakistan as public resentment againstg the Imran Khan governmentg grows.

Earlier in an election rally, Maryam Sharif, the heir to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had declared that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s days were numbered, and his ‘fake government’ is about to end. She said that the days of ‘fake rulers’ have been numbered and the last push would be made on November 15. She had also alleged that rigging of votes was taking place even before the Gilgit-Baltistan elections and that people should protect their votes and prevent them from being stolen.

Kunal Kamra gets his wish: Here is how he is playing martyr after deliberately tweeting garbage

OpIndia Staff
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Kunal Kamra gets his wish: Here is how he is playing martyr after deliberately tweeting garbage

A day after Attorney General KK Venugopal granted his consent to initiate contempt of court proceedings against far-left troll Kunal Kamra, the self-proclaimed comedian Kunal Kamra brazened out on Friday saying that he will not retract or apologize for his abusive tweets that maligned country’s judiciary.

Kunal Kamra, on Friday, took to Twitter to play martyr in the entire saga by saying that he would neither apologise or pay fine if he is convicted in the contempt case that is yet to be filed against him.

Positioning himself to be some sort of a ‘victim’, Kamra tweeted, “No lawyers, No apology, No fine, No waste of space”. Amusingly, Kamra’s theatrics comes even before the initiation of contempt proceedings against him. Only the consent of the Attorney General has been granted, and the actual proceedings are yet to start in the court.

Image Source: Kunal Kamra


Venting his anger out, Kamra ranted against the Supreme Court yet again in his tweet, saying, “The tweets I recently put out have been found in contempt of court. All that I tweeted was from my view of the Supreme Court of India giving a partial decision in favour of a Prime Time Loudspeaker.”

“I believe I must confess I very much love holding court and enjoying a platform with a captive audience. An audience of Supreme Court judges and the nation’s top most law officer is perhaps as VIP an audience as it gets. But I realise that more than any entertainment venue I would perform in, a time slot before the Supreme Court is a scarce commodity”.

Kunal Kamra, whose abusive propaganda has no takers anymore, was perhaps foreseeing such a controversy to boost his already dwindling ‘comedy’ career. In doing so, he has now continued his anti-judiciary remarks by saying that his views has not changed because the silence of the Supreme Court of India on matters of other’s personal liberty cannot go uncriticized.

“I don’t intend to retract my tweets or apologise for them. I believe they speak for themselves. I wish to volunteer having the time that would be alloted to the hearing of my contempt petition (20 hours at the very least, if Prashant Bhushan’s hearing is anything to go by), to other matters and parties who have not been as lucky and privileged as I am to jump the queue”.

Just like a quintessential far-left radical, Kamra too suggested that the court should rather here petitions filed in the apex court on the matters such as demonetisation petition, revocation of J&K’s special status, legality of electoral bonds and countless other matters rather than wasting time on him.

Mahesh Jethmalani had warned against Kamra’s vile intentions

Interestingly, senior Supreme Court advocate Mahesh Jethmalani had pre-empted this kind of a sinister campaign from the likes of Kunal Kamra and had warned that the alleged comedian would use the opportunity to even foul mouth country’s institution to uplift his already dead career.

After Kunal Kamra suffered a nervous breakdown against the Supreme Court, several users had pointed out on the need of filing a contempt plea against Kamra for his vile remarks. The infamous so-called comedian had lost his cool when the Supreme Court of India granted interim bail to Arnab Goswami on 11th November.

Kamra published a series of Tweets where he described the Supreme Court of India as ‘Supreme Joke of India’. As per the law, his tweets are subject to contempt proceedings.

However, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani advised people not to waste their time on Kamra. Calling Kamra a “lowly worm”, Jethmalani had also suggested them not to turn the “lowly worm” into a “glow worm” by giving him attention. He had said that Kamra deserved darkness and he should not be given the attention that he seeks so desperately.

“Don’t waste your time. You’ll turn a lowly worm into a glow worm. He wants the glare: give him the darkness he deserves”, said Jethmalani.

Kamra, who has slipped into irrelevance, is proving Mahesh Jethmalani right by brazing out the whole issue so that he gets some public attention.

Attorney General grants consent to initiate contempt of court proceedings against Kunal Kamra

On Friday, Attorney General KK Venugopal granted his consent to initiate contempt of court proceedings against far-left troll masquerading as a ‘stand-up comedian’ Kunal Kamra.

A Mumbai based lawyer had sought the Attorney General’s permission to initiate contempt proceedings against Kunal Kamra for his tweets against the Supreme Court, after apex court had granted bail to Arnab Goswami.

AG KK Venugopal, granting his consent to initiate proceedings against Kamra said the tweets by Kamra, where he referred to the Supreme Court of India as Supreme Joke India, and said that humour has left the SC long ago, “were highly objectionable.”

In his consent letter, KK Venugopal stated that the other tweets also are highly objectionable and it would perhaps be for the court to decide the question as to whether these tweets also would constitute criminal contempt of the Supreme Court of India.

The AG also referred to one image posted by Kamra where the Supreme Court was shown in saffron colour, and the Indian flag was replaced by the flag of BJP, insinuating that Supreme Court is working under BJP.

Indian liberals hoping that Joe Biden is their ticket to bring PM Modi down by blowing the imagined ‘human right violation’ trumpet: Why they will be disappointed

K Bhattacharjee
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Indian liberals hoping that Joe Biden is their ticket to bring PM Modi down by blowing the imagined ‘human right violation’ trumpet: Why they will be disappointed

Since Joe Biden became the presumptive president-elect of the USA, it has become almost fashionable among the liberal class of India to claim that the NDA government would face some amount of pushback for its alleged ‘human rights abuses’ in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. Under ordinary circumstances, it would be considered bizarre that domestic political opponents of Prime Minister Modi are actively seeking foreign interference in internal matters of India. But 2020 has been that kind of a year.

It is also quite obvious from the ramblings of such intellectuals that there are essentially two visions of United States of America that exist. Firstly, there is the “land of the free” and “home of the brave” vision of the USA that is a protector of liberty and freedom across the globe. And secondly, there is the vision of the USA as a country that prioritises its own national interests above all else and has engaged in doomed imperialism for the sole benefit of its ruling class.

Needless to say, the first vision exists in the minds of the likes of ’eminent intellectual’ Sadanand Dhume who perceive the USA to be a paragon of virtue and has been accorded the exalted position of upholding human rights worldwide. And the second, a much more realistic vision, is the driving force behind populism in the United States and is the general sentiment across much of the world outside the walls of liberal echo-chambers.

For instance, Sadanand Dhume, in a recent opinion piece, argued unironically, “For four years, Trump ignored the steep decline of democracy and human rights in India. Joe Biden won’t repeat that mistake.” His essential argument was that Joe Biden will not ignore the alleged human rights violations in India as the Trump administration has supposedly done. It has to be understood here that Donald Trump did little more than refuse to meddle in the internal affairs of our country.

But it has to be asked at this point, does Joe Biden have any moral authority to lecture others on ‘human rights’? We are not beholden to swallow the pile of utter nonsense that Gunga Din like Dhume serve us. Therefore, we ought to exercise our own critical mental faculties and ask where does the presumptive president-elect stand on matters of human rights.

Joe Biden was the Vice-President under Barack Obama during whose reign US military engagement across the world increased to an unprecedented level. Obama, of course, campaigned on the promise of bringing an end to foreign wars but after his election, he did precisely the opposite. By 2015, the US was dropping so many bombs on the Middle-East that it was running out of bombs to drop. It was speculated that by the end of his tenure, the USA was engaged in more countries militarily than when he took office.

Obama’s decision to overthrow Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, which he later dubbed the worst mistake of his presidency, led to slave markets in the failed state. Humans were sold for as little as $200, as a direct result of US interference under Barack Obama. During the entire charade, Joe Biden served loyally as the Vice-President.

One journalist at CGTN described the situation as, “Instead of democracy, anarchy became the new norm as thugs, radicalized Islamic insurgents rule the streets. Instead of respect for human rights, the country has experienced a humanitarian crises as desperate refugees fled and flooded Europe and its surrounding regions. Instead of economic growth, there is a growing slave trade where young men are being auctioned off as commodities in open slave markets.”

“In today’s circumstances, it is difficult to imagine Libya was once one of the wealthiest nations in Africa where people enjoyed a variety of social benefits funded by its oil exports. Its economy was envied across Africa and much of the Arab world,” the article added. And now, liberals expect him to speak out against alleged ‘human rights violations’ in India.

The Obama administration’s decision to arm ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels also ended in predictably disastrous scenarios. It was reported in 2017 that a study had revealed that sophisticated weapons that were provided to the rebels had ended up in the hands of ISIS. It has to be borne in mind here that the ISIS and the rebels were fighting the same enemy: Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

In every way possible, the Obama administration, under which Joe Biden served as the VP, was a humanitarian disaster. But we have liberals in India hoping that under a Biden presidency, human rights will be in focus again. Quite clearly, they have sold their integrity to the highest bidder and do not expect the plebs to question how on Earth does Biden of all people have the authority to question anyone on human rights? The idea of the USA highlighting the alleged human rights abuses of any country leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

It is also an open secret that the USA has funded Islamic terrorists across the world in order to achieve foreign policy objectives. It is also not disputed that their actions have led to the deaths of hundreds and thousands of Muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere. Yemen is at the heart of a terrible humanitarian crisis perpetrated by long-time US ally, Saudi Arabia.

Thus, when people such as Sadanand Dhume and other liberals herald the prominence of human rights in US diplomacy, it will be hard even for them to take themselves seriously. No one in the corridors of power in the western world take human rights seriously, much less liberals. It is cold-blooded self interests that drive diplomacy and it will continue to remain so for the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, it is not the first time that India will deal with a US president surrounded by people who appear far too keen on meddling into the internal matters of India and it won’t be the last. India has dealt with them before and will continue to do so in the future.

Tamil Nadu: Authorities evict a family from Temple in Tanjavur 60 years after encroachment

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Authorities evict a family from Temple in Tanjavur 60 years after encroachment

The Tamil Nadu govt’s Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) department has finally managed to evict a family that was residing inside the raja gopuram of Thopparankatti Vinayagar temple in Thanjavur by converting it into a house for several decades.

According to the reports, the temple administration had rented out approximately 430 square feet of the mandapam in the raja gopuram to a temple employee named Sabapathi Pillai through a tenancy agreement about 60 years ago. Pillai’s son 75-year-old Jayarama and his 70-year-old wife Shyamala were the last tenants residing in the ‘house’.

Sixty years later, there is no trace of the temple at the place now. Currently, only Shyamala lived in the house constructed inside the raja gopuram of the Thopparankatti Vinayagar temple.

The family living inside the temple were legally not encroachers till January 2019 as they were handed the eviction order by the HR&CE officials after local people notified about the occupation in early 2019. There was growing opposition from the locals who had requested the department to evict the family. However, Shyamala was initially adamant to not vacate from the place.

“They remained tenants until the order of termination of tenancy was issued by HR&CE after which they were considered as encroachers,” said HR&CE department advocate V Chandrasekar.

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) is one of the departments of the Government of Tamil Nadu that is responsible for managing and regulating the temple administration within the state.

Chandrasekar added that the temple trustees nearly 60 years ago may have decided to give it to the family without consulting the executive officers of the temple. Now the issue was taken up seriously and the solution was found by evicting them, he added.

Meanwhile, the officials have asked the family to vacate the place, but they stayed put.

“So we passed an order to terminate the tenancy on January 31, 2019. Yet, they remained there claiming that they had the rights to continue to reside there,” an officer said.

Family evicted from the temple, idols to be installed

A team of officials led by assistant commissioner of S Krishnan, HR&CE Department, Thanjavur Division, acting upon the notice carried out the anti-encroachment drive. One official said that the door frame (Nilai) put up at the entrance of the raja gopuram as the main door of the house was removed by the tenant Shyamala herself as she was evicted.

“It is also planned to install an idol in the rajagopuram after the inauguration,” another officials said adding that they may also consider renovation of the temple.

The anti-encroachment drive of Hindu temples by the HR&CE department in Tamil Nadu comes just after a week the Madras High Court had observed that the temples are testimony of pride and knowledge and cannot be used for any purposes other than religious functions.

Temple land for any purpose other than for holding religious functions

Last week, in a significant observation, the Madras High Court had said that the state government cannot use temple land for any purpose other than for holding religious functions.

The Madras High Court, responding to grievances raised by devotees regarding the alienation of temple land of two temples in Tamil Nadu, emphasised that temple land can be utilised only for the beneficial purposes of the temple. In the order, the Madras HC had also directed that the properties of religious institutions, particularly temples, have to be maintained properly. 

The High Court also observed that temples in Tamil Nadu are not only a source of identification of the ancient culture but also a testimony of pride and knowledge of the talent in the fields of arts, science and sculpture. The court also directed the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to identify and protect all temple lands from encroachers with an officer in charge filing periodical reports.

Witch-hunt continues: Police custody of Sameet Thakkar extended again, was arrested for criticising Uddhav Thackeray govt

OpIndia Staff
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Witch-hunt continues: Police custody of Sameet Thakkar extended again, was arrested for criticising Uddhav Thackeray govt

The witch-hunt that has been launched in Maharashtra against anyone who dares to criticise the Uddhav Thackeray led government reached its zenith when Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was assaulted and dragged out of his home to be arrested in a case that was close in 2019. After languishing in jail for 8 days, it took the Supreme Court to give relief to Arnab. However, the witch-hunt launched was not limited to a journalist like Arnab Goswami. It also extended to average citizens who were hounded and hauled through the coals for criticising the Uddhav Thackeray government.

Sameet Thakkar is an average citizen who used to criticise the Uddhav Thackeray government on Twitter. Thakkar who is facing charges for his remarks was arrested by Maharashtra police for the third time in a row on November 11. He has been sent to police custody till November 13. However, Thakkar’s ordeal does not end there, the courts are closed till November 15 which means that he can request bail only be after courts reopen on November 16.

On the 13th (Friday), when his police remand was scheduled to end, the Magistrate extended the custody and ordered for Sameet Thakkar to be in police remand till the 16th.

Sources close to Sameet have said that his police custody was to end today, however, in front of the magistrate, the police pressed for 3 more days of custody. Hence, instead of him going to Judicial custody, the magistrate granted police custody till the 16th.

Sneha Singhvi, who is a close friend of the family said that the police had taken his phone and laptop during arrest itself, which would mean that he was probably going through hours of interrogation. However, for mere tweets criticising the Uddhav government, the police seems to want to interrogate him further.

The series of arrests started on October 24: Sameet Thakkar hounded

Thakkar was first arrested by Nagpur’s Sitabuldi police on October 24 after which he spent nine days in custody. He was then re-arrested by the VP Road police from court premises after a Nagpur court granted him bail on November 2 in relation to the FIR lodged with Nagpur police. He was again arrested by BKC police on November 10 after he was granted bail on November 9 in relation to the FIR lodged with VP Road police. He was granted bail on the condition that he would not operate his Twitter account until further orders. 

The BKC police arrested Thakkar in relation to the case lodged with them and sought his police custody before the local magistrate court. His anticipatory bail in relation to the FIR filed with the BKC cyber police was rejected by the sessions court. Thakkar will now have to spend Diwali in police custody. It is noteworthy that out of nine people against whom FIR was registered at BKC police station, only Thakkar has been arrested.

Thakkar had allegedly called Aaditya Thackeray as  ‘Mohammad Azam Shah of Maharashtra, aka baby penguin.’ He also referred to CM as ‘Modern day Aurangazeb’ and posted a derogatory comment on Raut.

After Nagpur resident Sameet Thakkar was arrested for the third time, his brother Rishi Thakkar on Thursday Maharashtra met governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari seeking his intervention. 

Sameet Thakkar’s brother meeting Maharashtra Governor

Senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani had on Thursday confirmed to OpIndia that he would be stepping in for Sameet Thakkar and fighting his case.

Pakistan sponsored Al-Qaeda planning terrorist attack in West Bengal, radicalising youth through Jihad: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan sponsored Al-Qaeda planning terrorist attack in West Bengal, radicalising youth through Jihad: Report

An Intelligence Bureau (IB) report filed on November 5 has revealed that Pakistan sponsored terrorist outfit Al-Qaeda is planning a major terrorist attack in West Bengal. According to a report by India Today, the intelligence agency has suggested that the terror outfit is planning to activate sleeper cells to execute the attack.

Sources have suggested that efforts are being made by foreign handlers to radicalise youths in Bengal through global Jihad. Al-Qaeda members sitting in Pakistan are recruiting youths online in West Bengal.

Al Qaeda was founded in the 1980s by Osama Bin Laden and is an Islamic terrorist organisation that has been responsible for carrying out several terrorist attacks all around the world.

NIA has arrested 11 Al-Qaeda terrorist from West Bengal so far

It may be recalled that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended eleven Al-Qaeda terrorists from West Bengal since the month of September, when they busted a major terror module in the country after it nabbed 9 Islamic terrorists linked to Pakistan-sponsored Al Qaeda from West Bengal and Kerala on the 19 of the month.

On 1st October, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) made another arrest. 32-year-old Abdul Momin Mondal from Murshidabad in West Bengal was nabbed, taking the count of the total arrested Al-Qaeda terrorists from the state of WB to 11. Mondal, who worked as a madarsa teacher, was arrested for alleged involvement in an Al-Qaeda module that has been operating in West Bengal and Kerala. As per the reports, he was raising funds and trying to recruit new members for the terrorist organization.

Arrested terrorists had brainwashed youths, mobilised masses for anti-CAA violence in Murshidabad

After arresting the first 9 terrorists from Murshidabad, the NIA made some shocking revelations about the arrested terrorists. It had revealed that the terrorists had travelled to Karnataka and Kerala as migrant workers in 2019 where they came in contact with Al-Qaeda handlers. Besides, three terrorists had also travelled to Delhi to work as migrant labourers.

The NIA investigators have informed that during December last year, at least 6 of the Al-Qaeda terrorists were stationed in Murshidabad. They had participated in anti-CAA violence and mobilised masses to hit the streets. The central investigative agency has also recovered laptops from the terrorists that contained inciteful videos to brainwash the youth.

Besides sharing pro-Pakistani posts on social media, these terrorist also carried chocolate bombs as they were conspiring to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Crude bomb making activities increase in West Bengal as several blasts have taken place in the last few months: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Crude bomb making activities increase in West Bengal as several blasts have taken place in the last few months: Read details

The political violence against the Opposition, especially members of BJP and Hindu organisations, has reached an unprecedented level in the State of West Bengal. From politically-motivated murders to staging suicides, the BJP has been at the receiving end of the high-handedness of the Trinamool Congress workers. Bolstered by political patronage, they have unleashed a state of terror in West Bengal with violence and blasts taking place in several parts of the State every month. This indicates that the activities of crude bomb-making have accelerated in the state.

On Tuesday, a massive explosion took place at a club in Dubrajpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal near the residence of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Naresh Chandra Bauri. As per reports, the BJP has alleged that explosive substances were hoarded by the TMC workers at the club, which eventually led to the explosion. On the other hand, the TMC has dismissed the charges and claimed that its workers were watching IPL and bursting ‘firecrackers’ in celebration.

Blast at a police station in Birbhum

Earlier on August 10, an explosion took place inside the Dubrajpur police station. District police chief Shyam Singh stated, “We came to know about an explosion inside the Dubrajpur police station. We are investigating the case to find out what actually happened there,” said Shyam Singh, the district police chief.”

During the incident, a visitor to the police station was badly injured. He was then rushed to a private hospital for further medical treatment. Surprisingly, senior police officials came to know much later about the explosion as it was not reported immediately. In its defence, the police had claimed that no explosives are stored in the almirah and that all ‘seized items’ are securely kept in malkhana. “We suspect a battery or condenser of a ceiling fan exploded,” a police official informed. According to the sources cited by the Telegraph, the building and the electrical wiring of the police station was old and worn out.

Explosion at a healtcentre in Hetampur

Again on October this year, a blast took place at a one-storey homoeopathic clinic in Champanagari village in Hetampur gram panchayat in Dubrajpur block in Birbhum district of West Bengal. As per locals, crude bombs were stocked at a two-storeyed building by miscreants that resulted in the explosion. However, the police claimed that the blast took place due to a leakage in the LPG cylinder that was stocked in the clinic. Reportedly, one of the rooms, where the cylinder was kept, was frequently used by locals to store utensils and cylinders for public events.

During the blast, two walls of the building had collapsed and the iron door became detached. The clinic was constructed on the land of Hetampur gram panchayat through crowdfunding. “The explosion happened in the room attached to the free health centre. The police are investigating the matter and will take action according to law,” claimed Panchayat chief Mohammed Jasimuddin.

TMC insiders have conceded that there was a long tradition to hoard crude bombs in government buildings in Dubrajpur. “Crude bombs have become an integral part of the political clash. We have seized thousands of bombs in several police station areas of the district. However, the practice remains unchanged,” a police officer emphasised.

Bomb blast at a club in Kolkata

On October 13, another huge explosion took place at a three-storeyed Beleghata club, near Gandhi Bhavan in Kolkata, West Bengal. During the blast, which took place between 6:30 -6:45 am at Beleghata Gandhimath Friends Circle, the wall of the terrace was demolished along with the sewer pipeline and the asbestos roof. No casualties have been reported so far. According to ABP Ananda, traces of explosives were found on the rooftop. It was also reported that ‘sutlis‘ (threads), attached to explosives, was found lying in large quantities, on the road, beside the building.

Following the incident, the BJP slammed the Trinamool Congress of conspiring to stir up political violence in West Bengal. BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted, “Ahead of assembly elections, TMC wants to create anarchy in West Bengal. Today, we even saw the proof of it after a blast took place at a club on Beleghat main road. The roof of the club got destroyed and its remains fell to a far-off place. We have suspicions that a large number of explosives was hidden in the building.”

TMC workers and crude bombs

In May this year, the Bhagwanpur police had reportedly recovered 153 crude bombs from the backyard of one local resident and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporter named Sheikh Kasemuddin in Lalpur village of East Midnapore District in West Bengal. Four people were arrested in connection with the case. While three of them were released after initial questioning, Kasemuddin was produced before the Kanthi Court on Saturday. He was sent to 14 days in judicial custody by the judge.

In July, crude bombs were hurled at BJP workers, prior to the scheduled public rally by BJP MP from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh. The incident took place in Shymnagar in North 24 Parganas in West Bengal. The State unit of the BJP reportedly wanted to take out a protest march against the rise of terror, perpetrated by the Trinamool Congress (TMC), in Bhatpara, following the attack on one of its members, and also against corruption in the distribution of relief to the victims of the cyclone Amphan. When BJP workers flocked to the protest site, an explosion took place at the spot. Reportedly, 4 people were injured during the attack. Even though the rally was postponed for some time, it was resumed afterwards.

Earlier in August, a 40-year-old TMC worker named Humayun Kabir died after sustaining grave injuries during an explosion caused while making crude bombs at the roof of his house, reported The Hindustan Times. The incident took place in the Shamshergunj area in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. As per the report, the 10-year-old son of Humayun was also injured in the explosion. According to the sub-divisional police officer of Jangipur, Prasenjit Banerjee, Kabir was fatally injured while trying to make crude bombs. 

Vikas Dubey case: Yogi Govt suspends senior IPS Anant Dev over allegations of close links with slain gangster

OpIndia Staff
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Vikas Dubey case: Yogi Govt suspends senior IPS Anant Dev over allegations of close links with slain gangster

The Uttar Pradesh Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Anant Dev Tiwari has been suspended by the Yogi government after the special investigation team, investigating the case, unearthed his alleged nexus with the dreaded slain gangster Vikas Dubey who had killed eight policemen in an ambush at Bikru village in Kanpur on July 3.

“In its report, the SIT found Anant Dev guilty on various counts. On the basis of inquiry report, the government took the decision of suspending Dev,” Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi said.

Dev was transferred from Kanpur and made DIG, Special Task Force (STF) on June 15. Three weeks later, on the night of July 2, the Bikru massacre took place in which Vikas Dubey and his henchmen brutally shot 8 policemen to death when they had gone to arrest him at his village Bikru in Kanpur.

It is believed that Vikas Dubey’s clout had grown manifold when Anant Dev Tiwari was posted as SSP Kanpur.

Moreover, the Yogi government has also sent a show-cause notice to SSP Dinesh P, who was posted in Kanpur when the Bikru incident took place.

As per reports, apart from Anant Dev Tiwari, former ASP Rural Pradyumn Singh, a former CO LIU of Kanpur, and some Lucknow-based officials have been under scanner for their alleged involvement with the gangster too.

Audio clip of DIG admitting his links with the gangster goes viral

The action against the officers was initiated after an audio clip alleging a close nexus between the slain gangster Vikas Dubey and DIG PAC Anant Dev Tiwari went viral on social media. In the audio clip, the official can be heard telling the caller that he wept bitterly after the gangster was killed in an encounter on July 10. The official goes on to say that he, too, could land in jail if his proximity with the gangster is revealed.

The officer also divulged that not only policemen, but even tehsildar, lekhpal and BDO joined the langars (community feast) which was organised by Vikas Dubey at his residence daily until he was alive.

Yogi Govt formed SIT to probe crimes committed by Vikas Dubey, his nexus with police personnel

The Uttar Pradesh police, working at the behest of the Yogi Adityanath government has relentlessly been persuing the Vikas Dubey case to dig out the names of the police personnel who had been hand-in-gloves with the slain gangster. In July, the Uttar Pradesh government had ordered that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe into the crimes committed by the dreaded gangster and his alleged links with police personnel.

Vikas Dubey killed in an encounter

The notorious gangster Vikas Dubey, who was arrested yesterday from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, was killed in an encounter in Kanpur in the early morning on July 10. According to the reports, the encounter broke out between Vikas Dubey and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) after the gangster tried to flee from the overturned vehicle that was bringing him from Madhya Pradesh.

8 police personnel were killed and several others where injured in an ambush on July 3. A special team of police officials was formed to arrest Dubey when news was delivered that he was at his residence in Bikru village. The police teams were systematically cordoned off and fired upon by dozens of supporters of Dubey, resulting in a bloodbath that killed many of the police officials.

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