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Menace of alleged Love Jihad spreading across India like wildfire: 20 cases reported from UP and other states in the last 2 months

OpIndia Staff
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Menace of alleged Love Jihad spreading across India like wildfire: 20 cases reported from UP and other states in the last 2 months

Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur has recently been in the limelight as several cases of forced conversions of women on the pretext of marriage reported from the city that has fueled suspicions about a new model of entrapping Hindu women gaining a foothold in the city. However, the menace of Love Jihad is just not confined to Uttar Pradesh. It has rapidly been spreading its tentacles across many parts of the country, where susceptible and vulnerable Hindu women are being targeted by Muslim men, lured and brainwashed, forcefully converted to Islam, tortured, raped and then either killed or abandoned.

Today, through this report, we would like to draw attention towards this emerging menace of Love Jihad not only in the Western part of Uttar Pradesh where there is a significant population of Muslims but also in states like Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Love Jihad cases in Haryana

  • On August 22 it was reported how a 25-year-old Hindu widow was targetted by a Muslim man named Nizamuddin, who concealed his identity to lure her to convert her religion to Islam before marrying and impregnating her. When the woman got to know that the man, who identified himself as Goldie, was a Muslim she resented. Nizamuddin alias Goldie then started torturing her. He once stabbed her on the thigh and even tried to strangulate her. Goldie, along with his parents, threw the pregnant woman out of the house. The Hindu woman approached the police to file a complaint against her husband Nizamuddin and his family, in which she accused him of cheating.
  • Similarly in Tauru town, Mewat, Haryana, 10-12 days ago, a Hindu father lodged a kidnapping case after his daughter went missing. In the complaint, the girl’s father said that the boy, who was a Muslim, had trapped his daughter. He said that the girl took cash and jewellery from her house at the behest of the Muslim youth. It’s been more than 10 days, but until now, there is no clue about the whereabouts of the duo. The girl’s family confirmed that the accused’s mobile phone has been ringing but he has not been receiving it.

Delhi Love Jihad

  • On August 4, a case of Love Jihad had come into light in Kirari area of Delhi. We reported how the accused told the girl that he is a Hindu. He raped her for several months and took lakhs of rupees. It has been alleged that the accused forced her to convert and then get married to him. Later he refused to take her to his home. The victim had filed a complaint against Anwar alias Anu at Prem Nagar Police station under several sections including rape, intimidation, fraud and illegal marriage.
  • On September 6 another case of Love Jihad was reported in Delhi’s Okhla district. At first, the police had called in a case of dispute, but later an angle of purported Love Jihad also emerged. In the case, which went viral on social media, it was reported how two men Khurshid and Ansari tried to trap two Hindu sisters. After their identity was revealed and the girls refused to continue their relationship with the men, the latter beat up the family on the pretext of parking.

Madhya Pradesh

  • On September 14 we reported how a Congress leader Sikandar Khan posed as a Hindu to befriend the minor on Facebook. He then called her to his farmhouse, where he had raped her and clicked objectionable pictures of her. The Congress leader, since the last three years, has been using the pictures to blackmail the girl and sexually exploit her. The victim, at last, approached the police and opened up against the Congress leader.
  • On August 18, the Poonch police had reportedly arrested a native of Jammu and Kashmir named Shaukat Ali and four others after a woman accused him of trapping her under false Hindu identity, torturing and financial exploitation. In a video that has now gone viral on Facebook, the woman- Neha said that she met the accused while working in Jaipur for an event management company. She alleged that he claimed to be a Kashmiri Hindu (Sahil Kumar) to lure her into a relationship and marry her. The victim said that following her marriage 6 months ago, Shaukat Ali forced her to convert to Islam and physically assaulted her along with his family.

Love Jihad in Bihar

  • OpIndia had on August 28 reported about a 14-year-old minor girl being kidnapped by one Sabir, a father of four, from Bihar’s Madhubani district. A day after we reported about the incident, NCPCR had taken cognisance and the case was expedited resulting in the accused being arrested and the minor rescued. A married man and the father of multiple children, Sabir had kidnapped and his family had boasted about forcefully converting the 14-year-old minor girl from Naharniyan village under Harlakhi police station limits in Madhubani district of Bihar on August 20.

Multiple cases reported from Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the epi-centre for Love Jihad crimes. In the last two months, as many as 13 cases have been reported from various districts in Uttar Pradesh.

  • Today we reported how a person identified as Asif Khan was arrested by Agra police yesterday from Muradabad for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl. The girl, who was missing since last five days, has been rescued from captivity by the police. The police have also arrested a few other persons who assisted the Asif Khan. According to reports, Khan hid his identity and introduced himself as ‘Bunty Tyagi’ to lure the minor girl into a love affair. On September 11, the girl had gone out for a walk and did not return since then. 
  • Yesterday, we reported that a man named Abdullah was nabbed by the Meerut police. Abdullah, who allegedly has four wives and four children, lured a minor girl by identifying himself as ‘Aman Chaudhary’. He also used to wear a wig to look ‘younger’. The victim had been missing since September 3 and a missing report was filed by her parents. After being arrested by the police today, he confessed to having kidnapped the girl. The victim has been traced by the police. A report in News 18 has stated that Abdullah has victimised other girls too. He used to meet and lure girls claiming to be a young man named ‘Aman Chaudhary. He is a resident of Kankarkheda area of Meerut.
  • On September 13, a minor girl left home, distressed over a tiff with her family members. Taking advantage of the situation, a Muslim youth name Ikrara, allegedly brainwashed her and took her to Haryana. After a few days, he took her to his native place, Saharanpur, where he first converted her to Islam and then married her. He changed her name to Ikrana. FActing on the minor girl’s father’s complaint, the police arrested the youth. It was revealed that the youth had posed as a Hindu- Ravi to befriend the minor girl, who slowly fell into his trap and agreed to elope with him.
  • In yet another case which came to the fore on September 13, the victim hailing from Kanpur had taken to social media to narrate her ordeal. In the viral video, the victim confessed that one Muslim youth named Shibu Ali befriended her posing as a Hindu named Sachin. The girl said that when his identity was revealed, he started torturing her. Shibu beat her up and pressurised her to convert to Islam. He also forced her to consume beef, which is a sin according to Hindu customs and to engage in sexual activities with a cleric. The victim narrated how Shibu physically assaulted her when she refrained from doing what she was asked to. Tired of all this, the girl one day escaped and came back to her parents. On August 14, Shibu allegedly again called up the victim and pressurised her to give in to his demands. When she objected, Shibu attacked the victim with a knife.
  • On September 12, one Pooja Patel, a resident of Varanasi who had married Mohammad Aftab Siddiqui of Lucknow, committed suicide by hanging herself in her house. It was reported how Pooja, tired of being forced by husband Aftab and his family to adopt Islam had committed suicide. Calling it a case of Love Jihad, locals suspected that the girl was murdered by the husband’s family, which was pressurising her to adopt Islam.
  • On September 8, another case of Love Jihad has been reported in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where a 14-year-old Hindu girl was allegedly trapped by a Muslin youth pretending to be Hindu. The incident was reported in Kanpur’s Gopal Nagar. The victim’s family, with the help of Bajrang Dal State Secretary Ramji Tiwari, approached the police with a complaint and sought action against the accused- Fateh Khan alias Aryan Mehrotra. It was reported how the accused wore a Kalawa (Hindu sacred thread) around his wrist, sported a Tilak and frequently visited temples to fool the Hindu girl. As per the family’s complaint, the accused Fateh Khan had been pressuring the victim to adopt Islam and sexually exploiting her too. 
  • Last month, an incident came to the fore where an 18-year-old Hindu girl Muskaan, hailing from Kanpur’s Govind Nagar was brainwashed with the help of occult practices by one Muslim youth named Asif Shah alias Nafiz. He had reportedly, physically abused her, threatened and intimidated her to convert into Islam and marry him. OpIndia had extensively reported the case.
  • Then there is the Shalini Yadav case reported on August 21, which had actually started a domino effect, and other cases began to emerge. Shalini Yadav’s brother had alleged that one Mohd Faisal had brainwashed and pressurised her sister to adopt Islam. It is pertinent to note here, that Shalini Yadav, who now identifies herself as  Fiza Fatima, had been absconding for over two months.
  • Then the case of Lakhimpur Kheri’s 18-year-old Dalit girl, whose mutilated body was found dumped near a dried-up pond by one Dilshad. 
  • The Kanpur’s Panki case in which two accused Mohsin Khan and Aamir were arrested. The police had said that one Mohsin Khan befriended a Hindu girl, posing as Sameer, and then married her. Meanwhile, Mohsin’s friend Aamir became friendly with the younger sister of Mohsin’s wife, but the girl realised their game plan and stopped meeting him. She was then threatened with dire consequences if she did not marry Aamir. The girls approached the police and action was taken against the two youths.
  •  On August 28, a case was reported in which Lucky Khan allegedly befriended a minor Hindu girl and took objectional photos to blackmail her.
  • On July 31 some Muslim youths tried to kidnap a Dalit girl from her home in Meerut, UP. However, the victim’s family confronted these youths and rescued the girl. The victim’s family then lodged a complaint against Suhail and his accoplice with the police based on which an FIR was filed. In The complaint the girl’s family accused Suhail of posing as a Hindu for the 6 months and en-trap their daughter. When, Sohail’s identity was revealed in front pf the girl she refused to talk to him, this delebrated Sohail to plan her kidnapping.
  • At the end of the month of July, a story of the mummified and broken skeletons of one Priya and her young daughter had caused a shockwave across the nation. On July 26, disturbing videos had emerged showing how one Shamshad had buried the corpses of the mother-daughter duo in his own house. The Muslim youth from Meerut had posed as Amit Gurjar to befriend the Hindu girl Priya.  The Meerut police dug up Shamshad’s house to recovers decomposed bodies of Priya and her child tied and dumped in a plastic bag. Shamshad had allegedly killed the duo after his identity was revealed and hid the corpse in his own house.

The cases mentioned above are only a few of the many cases which must have occurred in the last 2 months. There must be many many more cases which might have transpired in the remote areas of the country but could not make it’s way to the media. Seeing the alarming rate at which such cases have been raising its ugly head in Uttar Pradesh, the Kanpur Police have formed an eight-member Special Investigation Team(SIT) to investigate the rising number of forced conversions done on the pretext of marriage.

In the backdrop of the increasing number of cases in the city, Hindu organisations met IG Kanpur Mohit Agarwal and requested for a probe into the matter. Acting on the complaint, the police constituted a team to probe if there is any pattern or modus operandi behind the alleged incidents of ‘love jihad’ in the district. In addition to this, the SIT team has also been asked to investigate the role of Islamic organisations like PFI and SIMI in financing the ‘love jihad’ racket in Kanpur.

Whether the widespread liberals and the left-controlled education system, believe it or not, it is now a well-established fact that the menace of Love Jihad exists and a well-organised syndicate, sponsored by many radical Islamic organisations, has been working towards it, in an attempt to push the nation towards a civil war. It is high time that these so-called liberals, who have shown scant interest in this disastrous conspiracy, open their eyes and perceive this dreaded threat knocking on our doors.

14-year-old Hindu girl who was abducted from Bihar tells court how Shabbir and his friends kidnapped and molested her

OpIndia Staff
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14-year-old Hindu girl who was abducted from Bihar tells court how Shabbir and his friends kidnapped and molested her

The 14-year-old minor girl who went missing from Nahariyan, Madhubani district, Bihar, has returned home. She was recovered by Bihar Police from Ahmedabad a few days ago. The police arrested Shabbir (Sabir in the previous complaint). The family members said that the administration handed over the girl on 15th September. Her statement was recorded in court.

Statement of the victim in front of the court

In the statement, the girl gave details of how she was abducted and what happened to her after the abduction. OpIndia accessed the copy of the statement. She said that on 20th August at around 6:30 PM, she went to defecate. Shabbir grabber her face from behind and intoxicated her. He took her to Delhi first and then to Gujarat. When they reached Gujarat, the victim found out that Shabbir was not alone.

However, the victim was unable to identify any other person as she was in an unconscious state. When she opposed molestation, she was threatened to keep quiet; otherwise, they would kill her family. In the statement, the girl described the atrocities Shabbir and his friends did to her. She said, “Bablu, aka Shabbir molested me. He opened my clothes and molested me repeatedly. If I protested, he would forcefully molest me.”

After the victim returned home, the OpIndia team spoke to her and her family. She repeated what was written in the statement and added that Shabbir threatened her while taking her to Ahmedabad. Her brother claimed that Shabbir (Sabir) kidnapped his sister and pressurized her to convert. He also threatened her not to take the name of any Hindu God or Goddess.

Shabbir stopped victim from performing Puja

According to the victim’s brother, Shabbir told his sister not to recite the Hindu Gods’ name. He said to her that it is a crime, and she should only take Allah’s name. He alleged that Shabbir used to force his sister to convert and marry. He said Shabbir took his sister not to get married but to sell her.

Police have arrested one companion of Shabbir in the case. The victim told police there was someone named Murtaja who also molested her.

NCPCR took Cognizance

A few days back, NCPCR had taken cognizance of the entire case after OpIndia’s report. Earlier, after the intervention of MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar, police registered a case in the matter. In the complaint filed on 20th August, the family said that the minor went out of the house for defecation. She did not return home. The family members had accused Shabbir from a particular community for the kidnapping. The alleged that when they went to Shabbir’s house, they were informed that their daughter was taken for conversion. 

The girl’s family filed a complaint on 23rd August, and an FIR was registered on 26th August. The girl’s father alleged that when he went to Shabbir’s house, they said, “Do whatever you want to do. We are prepared for everything. We will convert your daughter to Islam. You come from a low-status family and cannot do anything against us. Get out of my house, or I will kill and throw you out.”

Sudarshan TV controversy: Special bench to continue hearing on Friday

OpIndia Staff
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Sudarshan TV controversy: Special bench to continue hearing on Friday

On 17th September, a Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud heard a plea against the controversial program UPSC Jihad by Sudarshan TV. Though Supreme Court had refused to impose a pre-broadcast ban, in the orders on Tuesday, the court asked Sudarshan TV not to broadcast any further episodes.

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan appearing for Sudarshan TV, submitted their affidavit in the court, which was challenged by Senior Advocate Anoop Chaudhari, saying it had many irrelevant details. Divan claimed in the court that it was very difficult to prepare a reply in a short span. He requested the court to adjourn proceedings till Friday or Monday.

The episodes are available on YouTube

Advocate Shadan Farasat informed the court that all the episodes are available on YouTube. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked him to send a pen drive with the show’s episodes to the court master.

The hearing will continue on Friday

Justice Chandrachud said that they would ask CJI to constitute a Bench tomorrow, and the hearing will start at 12 PM. After learning about tomorrow’s hearing, Advocate Chaudhari said that they could not file a reply to the 92-page affidavit submitted by Sudarshan TV by tomorrow. Still, the court maintained that the next hearing would take place tomorrow. Senior Adv Divan assured the court that the links or videos would be submitted to the court master today.

On Tuesday, the court asked Sudarshan TV not to broadcast remaining episodes of the show UPSC Jihad.

Congress leaders spread fake news, twist Defence Minister’s statement to insinuate that China occupied 38,000 sq. km of land in the recent LAC stand-off

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leaders spread fake news, twist Defence Minister’s statement to insinuate that China occupied 38,000 sq. km of land in the recent LAC stand-off

Addressing the Parliament over the ongoing India-China stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that China has around 38,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in Ladakh under its control. He said that China claims another 90,000 square kilometres of territory in the Eastern sector of the Indo-china boundary in Arunachal Pradesh as its own. He added that 5,180 square kilometres of Indian territory in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was ceded by Pakistan to China under the Boundary Agreement of 1963.

Speaking about China’s malicious designs, Singh told that China does not accept the traditional and customary alignment of the boundaries between the two countries. He praised the Indian forces for showing patience as well as valour as and when required amid the tense situation at the LAC, he assured that India is well prepared to deal with any situation along the LAC. The members of Parliament showed solidarity with the armed forces.

However, some Congress leaders and some usual fake news peddlers could not hold themselves back for long and started spreading fake news on social media about the Indian territory under the control of China by twisting the Defense Minister’s speech in the Parliament. Apparently assuming that people would fall for his white lie, Congress leader Salman Nizami twisted the Defense Minister’s words and insinuated that China occupied 38,000 square kilometres of Indian territory in Ladakh during the recent stand-off at the LAC. He accused the Prime Minister of lying and also called him “Darpok Chowkidar”.

Soon the other fake news peddlers jumped in to expose their dim wits and started harping on the same lie. Gaurav Pandhi, National Coordinator of Digital Communications and Social Media Department of Congress went on to called PM Modi a traitor.

Some Pakistani social media handles on Twitter also joined the fake news peddlers of Congress and started further spreading the lie.

Another fake news news peddler on Twitter shared a cleverly clipped video containing the Defense Minister’s statement about the Indian territory under the Chinese control and the statement of Prime Minister wherein he assured that no new territory was lost to China.

Controversial ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub, who is a habitual fake news peddler, could not lag behind. She too peddled the same lie and also imagined how media would have targeted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had he been in Modi’s place.

Evidently, Congress leaders along with their fellow fake news peddlers tried hard to mislead people into believing that India lost 38,000 square kilometres of its territory to China in the recent stand-off along the LAC. Because, when Rajnath Singh was talking about 38,000 square kilometres of Indian land occupied by China, he was talking about Aksai Chin, part of Ladakh occupied by China during the Jawaharal Nehru regime. In fact, Nehru was not even concerned about the illegal occupation, saying that not even a blade of grass grows there.

However, it has become an old and boring trick of Congress leaders and their fellow fake news peddlers and people are well aware of it. Congress never misses a chance to twist or hide facts to spread fake news and target the government even if they harm the country’s interests in the process.

MES employee posted in Jaipur arrested by military intelligence for sending information to Pakistan after getting honey-trapped on Facebook

OpIndia Staff
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MES employee posted in Jaipur arrested by military intelligence for sending information to Pakistan after getting honey-trapped on Facebook

In a joint operation conducted by the Military Intelligence (MI) Lucknow and the Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana, an employee of the Military Engineering Services was arrested in Rewari, Haryana on espionage charges. The employee Mahesh Kumar was reportedly honey-trapped on Facebook and was sharing classified information to the Pakistan Military Intelligence.

According to reports, a joint interrogation of the accused is underway and his mobile phone is also being examined. The accused was in contact with the operatives of the Pakistani Military Intelligence for two and a half years. He had also received money on many occasions.

In June this year, Lucknow Military Intelligence had received an input that user of a mobile number used by Mahesh Kumar was sharing sensitive military information to a young woman associated with Pakistani MI. It was learnt that he addressed the Pakistani operative as “Madamji”, and he was sharing informed in exchange of money.

Based on this input, the MI had launched an operation code-named “Ops Madamji”, where it was found that Mahesh Kumar, who is a cleaning staff at MES Jaipur, is friends with at least three known and established Pakistani Intelligence Operative (PIO)-run Facebook accounts. When the MI further probed the matter, they found that Mahesh had received at least two payments of Rs 5000 each from his Pakistani handlers via Kerala.

As Mahesh Kumar was staying in Rewari in Haryana, the MI informed about the same to STF Haryana, and a joint team of both the agencies was formed to nab him. They had planned to nab him for interrogation on 13th and 14th September, but he was not in Rewari during those days. When Mahesh Kumar reached Rewari on Wednesday, he was apprehended by STF Haryana. His mobile phone was also taken, and he was jointly questioned by MI Lucknow, STF Haryana and MI Jaipur.

During questioning, MES employee Mahesh Kumar admitted that he was in contact with known PIO-run Facebook account with the name ‘Harleen Gill’ in July 2018. He said that he had sent the friend request to the PIO run account. They became friends on Facebook and used to communicate through text and audio or video chat on Facebook messenger. The account was run by a young woman who claimed that she was working with Principal Controller of Defence Accounts (PCDA) office in Jalandhar. The Facebook account of ‘Harleen Gill’ was later deactivated.

Next year in 2019 Mahesh Kumar received a fried request from another Facebook account with the name ‘Harman Kour’. They started communicating through Facebook messenger and later through WhatsApp. He was in contact with at least two PIO operatives on WhatsApp, and they used to exchange text and audio messages, apart from talking via video chats.

During the questioning, Mahesh Kumar has accepted that he shared details about Jaipur based Army Brigade, details of senior army officers, location of PCDA Jaipur, details of MES complaint records, Covid19 state of the Jaipur cantonment and posting order of civilian MES employees with his Pakistani handlers. He said that he used to gather such information by conversations with service personnel coming to Jaipur MES office for various purposes.

The Pakistanis used to ask him to send contact details of army officers posted in Jaipur and Bikaner, movement of army units, the state of Covid-19 in Jaipur cantonment etc. Mahesh Kumar revealed that he had given him bank account details to his Pakistani handlers, and he had received Rs 5000 on two occasions. However, it is suspected that he received more money and the same is being probed.

Although Mahesh Kumar’s main job is to clean offices, photos of several letters and notices, some with sensitive details, were found on his phone. Names of contact details of MES were also found in the phone.

Before his arrest, he had deleted all the chats with the Pakistani intelligence operatives. Although he had confessed to having sending information to Pakistan, it is suspected that he leaked more information that he had accepted.

In the month of February this year, eleven Navy personnel and two civilians were arrested for allegedly sharing sensitive information to Pakistani operatives through their social media profiles after being honey-trapped.

On his 70th birthday, PM Modi fondly recalls his teacher and mentor, read how he was as a student

OpIndia Staff
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On his 70th birthday, PM Modi fondly recalls his teacher and mentor, read how he was as a student

On the occasion of Prime Minister Modi’s birthday, journalist Sheela Bhat, who is also the treasurer of Editors’ Guild of India, took to Twitter to share an anecdote of one of her meetings with PM Modi.

Bhatt, in her tweet, said that she had met Prime Minister Modi when he was studying second year MA at home of his teachers Praveen Seth and Surabhi Ben.

Tagging the image of Surabhi Ben, Bhatt said that Modi during his days at Ahmedabad, had lived an extraordinary life. She went on to say that Prime Minister Modi only got his first home at the age of 51 years when he became of the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 suggesting that Modi had truly lived like a nomad without owning any materialistic possessions till he became the chief minister and got government accommodation.

Prime Minister Modi, remembering his earlier days, said he was delighted for bringing back memories from his student days and especially memories of his teacher, late Praveen Sheth. He was an outstanding mentor, said PM Modi while asking the whereabouts of Surabhi Ben.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi, Bhatt said that Surabhi Ben is currently 87-years old and living in Fremont, USA, with her family.

Bhatt said that Surabhi Ben also recollected how Prime Minister Modi had liked ‘black coffee’ at the age of 14 and was a ‘voracious reader’ who borrowed many books to read in the 1980s. She added that Surabhi ben is not at all surprised to see where he has reached today.

Prime Minister Modi’s journey

Before becoming the Prime Minister of India, PM Modi served as Chief Minister of Gujarat. When Keshubhai Patel-led BJP government in Gujarat was facing severe backlash over allegations of corruption, abuse of power and poor administration after the devastating 2001 earthquake, Patel resigned. Modi was brought in to lead the state. Within few months of swearing in as chief minister, Gujarat had byelections where he Rajkot (West) seat as MLA in February 2002, his first ever electoral victory.

The rest, as they say is history.

‘Attempts made to discredit police probe in Delhi riots’: More than 400 eminent citizens issue statement after Prashant Bhushan alleges criminal conspiracy in the probe

OpIndia Staff
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‘Attempts made to discredit police probe in Delhi riots’: More than 400 eminent citizens issue statement after Prashant Bhushan alleges criminal conspiracy in the probe

A day after activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan alleged ‘criminal conspiracy’ in the ongoing Delhi police investigation, more than 400 eminent citizens have issued a statement saying that attempts have been made to discredit the Delhi Police to derail the probe. The statement signed by teachers from JNU and Delhi University, authors, lawyers, demands that the investigation in the conspiracy to execute riots must be investigated thoroughly irrespective of the social economic religious or political standing of the person.

The statement states that the signatories are anguished to note that a number of persons are casting doubts on the police probe in the Delhi riots case. “We are writing to register our dissent, resist and oppose any kind of pressure and needless interference in the working of law enforcement agencies”, the statement adds.

The full text of the statement is given below.

We are a group of concerned nationalist citizens of India who have been keenly watching the developments in the cases related to Delhi Riots 2020 which occurred in February this year. We are anguished to note that a number of persons, including those who have served the in law enforcement in senior capacities in the past are now working to cast a doubt on the Police probe in the cases related to Delhi Riots 2020. We are writing to register our dissent, resist and oppose any kind of pressure and needless interference in the working of law enforcement agencies.

We submit that the dangerous attempts to discredit the Police probe in the Delhi Riots 2020 can be understood in the following ways:

1. Such attempts are being made by ideological pressure groups which a small section of persons who have served the Police and law enforcement in the past have aligned with possibly due to political and ideological reasons.

2. Such discrediting of the Police probe is being carried out in a section of the media which has clear ideological affiliations.

3. Statutory bodies like the Delhi Minorities Commission and clearly biased international bodies like the Amnesty International are now picking up on this narrative and further trying to build an opinion against the probe by the Delhi Police. They have also implicated the Delhi Police in the riots itself!!

In this regard the Delhi Police has already given detailed explanations in the past regarding the falsity of the narrative being floated against the probe. We as responsible citizens want to highlight the following:

1. The attempts to discredit the Delhi Police by implicating them in the Delhi Riots 2020 as well as discrediting their probe is clearly inspired by an attempt to build a narrative that the Delhi Riots were a Muslim pogrom which by definition is State led violence against minorities.

2. There is ample evidence that rather than being responsible for organizing the Delhi Riots 2020, the Delhi Police was in fact at the receiving end of violence by rioting mobs of agitated minority women and men that were prepared in advance with large caches of dangerous ammunition. Information regarding the death of policemen and law enforcement officers by gunshot and violent stabbing and large number of injured men in uniform is there in the public domain. Who can forget the image of Shahrukh Pathan pulling the gun on a lathi carrying police jawan. This certainly is not evidence of a pogrom organized by the State.

3. There is also ample evidence that both communities have suffered loss of life and property in the violence stemming from anti-CAA protest sites. The anti CAA protests witnessed stone-pelting, launching of petrol bombs, torching of school buses, attacking the police, doing violence and causing disturbance in residential areas as also injuring and killing the people. Radicalisation of women and children continued in these protest sites wherein inflammatory speeches were given and communal slogans were raised. Finally the blocking of metro station and roads in North-East Delhi led to a bloody attack on residents and riots in North East Delhi. Who can forget that one of the earliest images of the Delhi Riots was that of a 19 year old Hindu boy who was attacked in his own shop in the area ,with a drilling machine and had it embedded in the back of his head. Some of the early victims of the Delhi Riots were Vinod Kumar Kashyap and Dinesh Khatik who were Dalits.

4. It is very disturbing that ex- Police officials are now seeking to join the ideological chorus of those who have a clearly stated an anti-State and anti-national agenda and executed it during the Delhi Riots 2020. This amounts to pressure on the law enforcement by questioning the independence and commitment of a force that they have headed at one time.

We as citizens of this country including professors, writers’ authors, lawyers, and academicians urge that the Constitution of India mandates that rule of law must prevail. The investigation in the conspiracy to execute riots must be investigated thoroughly irrespective of the social economic religious or political standing of the person. No one should escape the long arm of law just because some so called esteemed citizens are involved or some ex- officers of the force are casting aspersions on their own cadre. The Article 14 of the Constitution of India guarantees that every person is equal in the eyes of law. Article 19 ensures that life and liberty can be taken away only by the due process of law. Thus let the law prevail and let the people of Delhi get justice.

It may be noted that in a press conference on Wednesday, Prashant Bhushan had alleged that the Delhi riots case by the police was a criminal conspiracy to protect the perpetrators and frame innocents.  He had alleged that Delhi police probe was framing innocent people who were protesting peacefully against an ‘unconstitutional’ law.

From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt to Gauri Khan: The celebrities who flew ‘high’ and have battled drug addiction

OpIndia Staff
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From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt to Gauri Khan: The celebrities who flew ‘high’ and have battled drug addiction

If someone tells Bollywood has no drug problem and stories you hear are either one-in-a-million or exaggerated, one should hear the hush-hush logical voice in your head laughing. There is no denying that the film industry has a drug problem. From Ranbir Kapoor to Sanjay Dutt, many actors, male and female, have confessed they had a drug problem at some point in their lives. From Gauri Khan to Mamta Kulkarni and from Honey Singh to Ranbir Kapoor, here is a list of top celebrities from B-town who either got involved or were accused of substance abuse.

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen Khan, Image: Stars Unfolded

Son of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Fardeen, had a short-lived Bollywood career. He was arrested with cocaine by Mumbai Police on 5th May 2001. He had to undergo a detoxification course to get rid of the habit in the same year. In an interview with Times of India in 2012, Fardeen said, “Any mind-altering substance, whether it’s narcotics or alcohol or prescription pills, creates a lethal dependency. Before you know it, you’re sucked into a downward spiral.” It took the narcotics department ten years to charge him in the case, after which he was granted bail with immunity to drug possession charges.

Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt, Image: Bollywood Bubble

Son of veteran actor Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt was arrested over drug possession charges in 1982, and he had to spend five months in jail. Dutt had his names involved in several high-profile cases, including the 1993 serial blast in Mumbai. In an interview with India Today, Dutt talked about his addiction problems in detail. He called his drug phase the worst nine years of his life. Dutt spent time in a rehabilitation center in the US to get rid of the drug problem. Dutt had said once, “from cocaine to heroine, if there is a drug, I have done it.”

His was perhaps one of the most publicised drug problem since it was even put upon celluloid when Ranbir Kapoor played Dutt in his biopic. He had once revealed how under the influence of heroin, he went to sleep for two days straight. When he woke up after two days, very hungry, he was informed that he had just passed out. That’s when he decided to go to his father Congress leader Sunil Dutt seeking help for drug addiction.

Mamta Kulkarni

Mamta Kulkarni, Image: Stars Unfolded

For many 90s kids, Mamta Kulkarni was one of the early-life crushes from the B-town. The actress, however, had her fair share with cases associated with drugs. She was booked in Kenya in a drug trafficking case in 2014. She was arrested by Kenya Police along with her husband, Vicky Goswami, and another Indian national, Kulam Hussein. Kulkarni left Bollywood in the 2000s, and she reportedly married Goswami, an infamous international drug lord.  Goswami spent ten years in Dubai jail over drug possession charges, after which he shifted to Kenya to start a business in real estate.

Honey Singh

Image: Huffpost India

Known for his raps and Punjabi music, the rapper-cum-star singer has a long history of alcohol abuse. In 2016, in an interview, Honey Singh revealed his addiction problem that led to his absence from the industry for 18-months. When he disappeared without any information, there were rumors that he was lodged in a rehab center for his drug problem. In his interview with Times of India, he denied those allegations but said that he was getting treatment for alcohol abuse. He admitted that he has bipolar disorder and is an alcoholic with a mental illness took a toll on his mental and physical health. He said, “I must confess that I was bipolar and an alcoholic, which aggravated the condition.”

Geetanjali Nagpal

Model Geetanjali Nagpal, Image: Indiatimes

Those who follow the fashion industry must have heard the name of Geetanjali Nagpal. Known as one of the successful models who shared the ramp with Sushmita Sen and other famous models, things went downside for Nagpal when she fell in the hands of drug addiction. In September 2007, she was noticed by a photojournalist begging on the streets in Delhi. Though no one knew what forced the daughter of an ex-Navy officer to live on the streets, it was learned that she was in a relationship with a British national before getting discovered on the streets.

Gauri Khan

Shahrukh Khan’s wife Gauri Khan, Image: BW Businessworld

Gauri Khan, wife of one of the most successful Indian film industry actors Shah Rukh Khan, was not the name anyone would have thought to be associated with drug abuse. However, it is alleged that she was held on Berlin Airport after a small amount of marijuana was found in her possession. She was let go off as the quantity was sufficient only for self-use, but her name was never released in public by Airport authorities in Berlin or India. The only news that came out was an actor’s wife was held in Berlin.

Sussanne Khan

Image: Times of India

A famous interior designer and ex-wife of Hrithik Roshan, Sussanne Khan, separated from the actor on mutual terms. However, there are alleged reports that one of the primary reasons behind their divorce is her addiction problem. In an interview, when her father, veteran actor Sanjay Khan, was asked about her daughter’s divorce, he did not say much. However, he talked about the institution of marriage. He said, “Do not be distracted… see the value of a home life, see the value of a good family, don’t think frivolously and while under the influence of alcohol or drugs”. It was alleged that he was hinting out the drug problem of her daughter that played a role in the divorce. Sussanne Khan is Fardeen Khan’s cousin.

Ranbir Kapoor

Image: India.com

Son of veteran actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, Ranbir Kapoor, has his fair share of generations-old association with the film industry. However, Kapoor had also been linked with substance abuse. In one of his interviews with Deccan Chronicle, he admitted using drugs during college times. He said, “I have tried drugs when I was in film school and got into bad influence. But I realised that nothing will happen in life if I continue with drugs. When we did that section, I did a lot of research.” Though he had not tried hard drugs after college, but he is addicted to nicotine, which he says is worse than drugs. Ranbir played the role of Sanjay Dutt in his biopic Sanju which was criticized for glorifying drug use. In another movie Rockstar, he played the role of a singer who was a habitual drug user.

Vijay Raaz

Image: Super Star Bio

Known for his comic roles, Vijay Raaz was arrested by Abu Dhabi police in 2005 for possession of drugs with DJ Aqeel. Raaz spent a week in jail before he was released. Vijay claimed that he was innocent, and he did not understand what airport officials were telling him in Arabic. He alleged that he was not carrying any narcotics.

Kangana Ranaut

Image: Naidunia

Kangana Ranaut is not a new name to be associated with controversies. A few days back, she claimed that 90 percent of Bollywood is a drug addict. However, there were allegations on her in the past that she was addicted to drugs. In March, she uploaded an IGTV video in which she admitted to being a drug addict at one point in life. Her ex-boyfriend Adhyayan Suman also alleged in an interview that she was a drug addict and his interview resurfaced after Ranaut’s recent allegations on Bollywood’s drug addiction.

Parveen Babi

Image: Patrika

Once known for her unmatchable beauty and acting skills, the career and life took a sad turn after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Parveen Babi’s alleged drug and alcohol addiction fuelled the mental health problem, and she started to doubt his colleagues. At one point, she allegedly claimed she had proof of Sanjay Dutt’s involvement in the 1993 Mumbai Bomb Blast case. She was also in relationship with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt.

Manisha Koirala

Image: DNA

Better known for her acting skills and being a cancer survivor, there are reports that she was addicted to drugs during the peak of her career. It is alleged that her addiction caused cancer. Though Manisha never talked about her addiction problem, rumors suggest her addiction took a toll on her personal and professional life as well.

Bollywood, parties, and drugs

If one wants to succeed in Bollywood, they need to attend parties. It is the best way to connect to established names in the industry. However, these parties are not only for network building. Sources in the industry say that drugs are openly thrown around during such parties. There can be a small corner where anyone can snort some ‘powder (code for cocaine),’ or the whole party floor might be full of ‘white powder’ and ‘weed.’ Industry insiders say cocaine and other hard drugs might be difficult to spot in a party, but if you want to smoke pot, every third person in a Bollywood party would have some on him/her.

Attorney General KK Venugopal denies consent for initiating contempt of court proceeding against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai

OpIndia Staff
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Attorney General KK Venugopal denies consent for initiating contempt of court proceeding against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai

Attorney General KK Venugopal on Friday declined to give his consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against controversial journalist Rajdeep Sardesai for making a series of statements against the judiciary on Twitter.

According to Live Law, Attorney General KK Venugopal, in his letter to Supreme Court advocate Om Prakash Parihar, denied his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against controversial ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai for his tweets on the suo-motu contempt case against Prashant Bhushan and judiciary.

In the letter, KK Venugopal has stated that that the tweets made by Rajdeep Sardesai are not of “so serious a nature as to undermine the majesty of the Supreme Court or lower its stature in the minds of the public”.

“The reputation of the Supreme Court as one of the greatest pillars of democracy has been built assiduously over the last 70 years. Trifling remarks and mere passing criticism though perhaps distasteful are unlikely to tarnish the image of the institution,” said Attorney General KK Venugopal while saying that he did not find any warrant for initiation of contempt proceedings.

Contempt proceedings against Rajdeep Sardesai

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking contempt proceedings against India Today employee Rajdeep Sardesai for his tweets on the suo-motu contempt case against Prashant Bhushan and judiciary. The petitioner had also sought the consent of Attorney General KK Venugopal for initiating contempt proceedings against Rajdeep Sardesai.

The plea which sought contempt action against Rajdeep Sardesai for making comments against country’s judiciary stated that Rajdeep Sardesai’s tweets showed that these were “not only a cheap stunt of publicity among people but a deliberate attempt to spread hatred in form of Anti India campaign”.

Rajdeep Sardesai had criticised the Supreme Court after the apex court had convicted controversial far-left activist Prashant Bhushan for making disrespectful remarks against the Supreme Court.

However, it was not yet clear which tweet of his has warranted petition on contempt of court proceedings. Rajdeep Sardesai had made a series of tweets after Supreme Court had found Prashant Bhushan guilty in the contempt proceedings against him.

In one tweet, Rajdeep Sardesai had criticised the Supreme Court over its ruling on Prashant Bhushan case while claiming that the apex court had time to hear contempt case while habeas corpus petitions of those detained in Kashmir was pending for more than a year.

In another tweet, he had also said that the contempt of court case agains Bhushan was an embarrassment of its own making by the Supreme Court. In one more tweet, he had asked the courts on how to do their job.

Special CBI Court orders filing of criminal case against Arun Shourie on the charges of corruption in disinvestment of a hotel in Rajasthan

OpIndia Staff
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Special CBI Court orders filing of criminal case against Arun Shourie on the charges of corruption in disinvestment of a hotel in Rajasthan

A Special court of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Jodhpur yesterday ordered the filing of criminal case in relation to the sale of a government-run hotel against former Union Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie, former Disinvestment Secretary Pradeep Baijal. Cases have been also ordered against three others namely, Ashish Guha, then MD of investment firm Lazard India Limited, Kanitlal Karamsey Vikamsey, then head f valuation firm Kanti Karamsey & Co. and Jyotsna Suri, Chairperson and MD of Bharat Hotels Limited. The case will be filed under section 120 B (criminal conspiracy), section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and section 13(1) D of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is alleged in the FIR filed by the CBI in 2014 had alleged that the Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel in Udaipur whose value was estimated to be Rs 252 crores was disinvested for Rs 7.52 crores. Based on its preliminary inquiry, the CBI had alleged that Baijal had abused his position and entered into a contract for the disinvestment of the hotel. The hotel was earlier run by the Indian Tourism Development Corporation. In the year 2002, it was sold to the Bharat Hotels Limited which runs the Lalit Group of Hotels during the NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The Court Rebuked the CBI

The Special CBI court was hearing the closure report of the CBI in this case in which the investigating agency said that it could not prosecute the accused due to lack of evidence. The Special CBI judge Pooran Kumar Sharma disagreed and rebuked the CBI for filing the closure report. The court ordered the hotel to be handed over to the state government. “The CBI is a reputed agency of the country; closure report by it despite facts pointing towards criminality is a case of concern” the court remarked.

The court also observed that, prima facie, it appeared that Arun Shourie and Pradeep Baijal abused their official positions. “Prime facie, it appears that the then minister Arun Shourie and Secretary Pradeep Baijal misused their offices and caused a loss of Rs 244 crore to the central government in the deal”, the court observed. “The unknown officers and private persons indulged in this conspiracy from 1999 to 2002 to cause loss of money to the government. The value of the land was evaluated at Rs 45 per square yard. Even a spoon in the hotel would have been costlier than that” the court said.

The court has ordered the accused persons to be summoned through arrest warrants.

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