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Modi govt abolishes textile board with ‘activists’ and ‘experts’ pontificating, to get work done through institutes like NIFT instead

Nupur J Sharma
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Modi govt abolishes textile board with ‘activists’ and ‘experts’ pontificating, to get work done through institutes like NIFT instead

The Modi government has taken yet another step to make the government free from activists and experts who know how to pontificate without really making any impact on the ground. Just like the garden variety activist who pontificates about poverty in the slums while sitting in air-conditioned parties, the Handloom Board, which was abolished by a notification on the 27th of July, had ‘activists and experts’ who sat in Delhi, enjoying the social status of a prestigious position without really working with the weavers.

The move inspired some amount of outrage from expected quarters that wished to turn this into a move that supposedly hampered the growth of the industry and also the interests of the weavers. The loudest criticism came from ‘activist’ Laila Tyabji.

Who is Laila Tyabji and is her criticism valid?

Laila Tyabji is reportedly an Indian social worker, designer, writer, and craft activist. She is one of the founders of Dastkar, a Delhi-based non-governmental organization, working for the ‘revival of traditional crafts in India’. Unsurprisingly, she was awarded by the UPA government in 2012 with a Padma Shri.

Outlook reported:

Laila Tyabji, chairperson of Dastakar — a not-for-profit NGO working to support traditional Indian craftspeople – reacted to the decision and said: “Strange things happen quietly in COVID times – without even a whisper of warning. The news that the almost 70-year-old All India Handicrafts Board, established in 1952 by Pupul Jayakar and nurtured by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, has been abolished came as a complete surprise.”

Tyabji expressed her shock in a Facebook post. She wrote: “All these years on, it remained the one official forum, however, watered down, where the voices and views of weavers and craftspeople could be expressed directly. One place where representatives of the sector were present in considerable numbers and were actually empowered to advise the Government in policy and sectoral spending… The spaces where people themselves can interact directly with Government, or be part of their own governance, are certainly becoming leaner and increasingly few in number. It is worrying.”

Essentially, Laila Tyabji insinuated that the Handloom Board was the one true voice of the artisans and craftsperson and the abolition of the board meant that the government would work in isolation and not really hear the real voice of the people, christening herself as their representative.

It is important to note that people in the know say that the Handloom Board was nothing but a group of advisors who wished to pontificate without doing making a substantial impact. “The board has existed for 4 decades. What is their impact?”, an individual close to the board said. Essentially, the board was started to give political patronage to friendly faces by the previous regime and thus, served no substantial purpose in furthering the interests of the weavers over the past 4 decades.

The criticism that has come from Laila Tyabji gives one the impression that voices of the downtrodden, which were heard through these activists are now being suppressed by the government. However, did Laila Tyabji actually make any substantial impact while working with the ministry to give the Ministry the required inputs?

People in the know have now questioned the commitment of Laila herself citing another example. Vide on order in 2016 was passed for the up-gradation of Weavers Service Centres and for the creation for Design Resource Centres.

The composition of the committee was as under:

The composition of the committee was as under:

  1. (i)  Ms. Laila Tyabji, Designer and founder of Dastkar, New Delhi.
  2. (ii)  Ms. Jaya Jaitley, Founder & President of Dastkari Haat Samiti,New Delhi.
  3. (iii)  Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Designer, Kolkata
  4. (iv)  Mr. Gaurang Shah, Designer, Hyderabad
  5. (v)  Ms. Anavila Misra, Designer, Mumbai
  6. (vi)  D.C (Handlooms) (Ex-officio) – Member Convener

The 1st meeting of the committee was held on 08.11.2016 under the chairpersonship of Hon’ble Minister of Textiles, in which policy decisions regarding revamping of WSCs were taken. On the basis of inputs received from WSCs along with the requirement of additional physical infrastructure & manpower, a draft report was submitted by the expert committee. Thereafter, the 2nd meeting of the expert committee was held on 27.02.2017 for discussing the draft report and to make final recommendations for upgrading WSCs.

In the meeting, it was decided that the expert committee members shall indicate their preferences for visits to various WSCs and such visits will be facilitated by the ministry.

Interestingly, only Jaya Jaitley visited the WSC and submitted her report to the Ministry. Laila Tyabji, who is now outraging about the Handloom Board being abolished and that her work being the “voice of the voiceless” will be compromised, did not only not bother to visit any WSC but also did not bother to submit a report to the Ministry.

Thereafter, it was decided to abolish the board and work towards the upliftment of the weavers and craftsmen through NIFT.

The Modi government then decided to set up DRC in all 28 Weavers Service Centres (WSCs) through NIFT with the following objective:

• To build and create design-oriented excellence in the Handloom Sector.

• To facilitate weavers, exporters, manufacturers and designers for creating new designs.

According to sources, an amount of Rs 3.5 crores has already been released to NIFT to work with weavers within the framework of this program and students and faculty, together, would be working with the Ministry.

The same objectives that were meant to be met by the committee and the board is now working effectively through the NIIFT.

Thus, it is evident that Laila Tyabji herself was hardly interested in representing the voices of the downtrodden to the Ministry. If she was, she would have visited the WSC and given her inputs to the government.

What people said about the Handloom Board

Essentially, the Handloom Board was an advisory council that made little to no impact on the ground. The members thus used their position as a status symbol without really contributing to the development or welfare of the weavers through their position in the board.

Many in the know expressed their opinion on the board, however, wished to stay anonymous. One person in the know said, “How can they claim to be the voice of the weavers of Bhagalpur and several other areas sitting in their AC rooms in Delhi? None of them bothered to visit the weavers personally and they wish to pretend as if they were the sole voice of the downtrodden. This is just them being disgruntled at losing a ‘prestigious position’ that they can show-off in parties”.

Essentially, people in the know said that the Board was hardly of any consequence and more work is certainly being done after the Ministry’s association with NIFT as compared to the board giving “gyan” on what the weavers and artisans needed without even meeting them.

Handloom Day

7th August 2020 marks the 6th National Handloom Day in India. August 7 was chosen as National Handloom Day to commemorate the Swadeshi Movement which was launched on this day in 1905 in the Calcutta Town hall to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government. The Handloom industry in India is of prime significance since it not only symbolises the culture of India but also gives employment to thousands of women.

The Modi government decided to abolish the much-hyped and ornamental Handloom Board. The notification to abolish the Handloom Board was issued on the 27th of July. The notification read, “‘Minimum Government and Maximum Governance’, leaner government machinery and the need for systematic rationalisation of government bodies, the Government of India have abolished All India Handloom Board with effect from the date of this resolution.”

Bollywood: Rapper Badshah questioned by Mumbai police crime branch over fake follower scam

OpIndia Staff
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Bollywood: Rapper Badshah questioned by Mumbai police crime branch over fake follower scam

On Thursday, Bollywood rapper Badshah was reportedly summoned by the Mumbai police crime branch in connection to the fake followers’ scam. As per reports, the rapper reported to the crime branch office on Friday at 12 pm where he was quizzed on 238 important questions.

Badshah is the first Bollywood celebrity who has been summoned by law enforcement in connection to the scam. Reportedly, there has been a drastic rise in the number of Badshah’s un-followers. As such, the Crime Branch has asked him to furnish a list of all his followers. Although Badshah is popular for his rap music, his videos on Youtube witness millions of views but only and a handful of comments. This has led the Mumbai police to interrogate him on this regard.

Google dismisses claims of Badshah

The rapper had reportedly claimed that his song ‘Paagal’ has garnered 75 million views in a day, a claim that has now been rejected by Google. The Crime Branch will now investigate his claims as well as the reasons behind the disparity between views and comments. Besides, there are 175 other high-profile stars who have allegedly paid to gain fake followers on social media. The racket came to light after Bhumi Trivedi discovered a fake profile of hers online.

Fake followers scam

The Mumbai Police had last month unearthed the fake-followers scam after discovering that a number of celebrities had ‘bought’ fake followers. A racket was burst in which they unearthed more than 50 companies that were involved in selling social media followers, likes and comments.

On 14th July, Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the crime branch had arrested one Abhishek Davade who provide such services. The 21-year-old service provider was using bots or fake profiles to increase engagement of his clients. To provide such services, Davade was using more than 170 accounts in which he allegedly added more than five lakh followers to make them look genuine.

Centre defends media’s right to report Tablighi Jamaat case in SC, says Jamiat petition demanding gag order based on non-accredit fact-check portals

OpIndia Staff
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Centre defends media’s right to report Tablighi Jamaat case in SC, says Jamiat petition demanding gag order based on non-accredit fact-check portals

The Centre responding on a petition filed by the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind in Supreme court seeking action against media reports “spreading hatred” over the Nizamuddin Markaz congregation of Tablighi Jamaat, came out in defence of media’s right to report facts on Friday.

In its response, the Centre told the Supreme Court that the attempt to seek a blanket “gag order” against the entire media will effectively take away the journalistic independence and the rights to information from the citizens.

“Attempt to seek a blanket gag order against the entire media…will effectively destroy freedom of the citizen to know about the affairs of the respective sections of the society in the nation and the right of the journalist to ensure an informed society,” the Centre told the court.

Centre slams unregulated ‘fact-check’ websites, questions its credibility in court

Slamming the ‘fact-check’ portals and websites, based on whose reports, the Islamic organisation, Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind had submitted its petition in the apex court, Centre said: “They are unregulated websites and are mostly based on perception, conjecture, surmises, suppositions of the individual writing them.”

Questioning the credibility of such “non-accredit fact-checking agencies” the centre asserted: “Furthermore, the bonafide of such non-accredit fact-checking agencies and extraneous considerations being crept into such fact-checking reports cannot also be ruled out.”

Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind moves SC against “fake” media reports on Tablighi Jamaat

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had on April 6 moved the Supreme Court asking the court to give directions to prevent the “communalization of Nizamuddin Markaz” issue. In its petition, the Jamiat had said that “sections of the media, instead of exercising restraint, reported the entire incident with a communal flavour”. It accuses some media houses of using terms such as “Corona jihad”, “Corona terrorism”, “Islamic insurrection” and “corona bombs”.

The petition had alleged that such “demonisation of the entire Muslim community in India” was leading to violation of Article 21 of the Constitution.

Tablighi Jamaat members emerged as the Coronavirus super-spreaders

During the initial outbreak of the coronavirus in India, the Tablighi Jamaat event at the Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi had wreaked havoc in the country. In the last week of March, initially, 200 people linked to the event were reportedly admitted to various hospitals in Delhi. Subsequently, thousands of cases began to erupt across the country with links to the Tablighi Jamaat and the country stood horrified as the magnitude of the Islamic Missionary organization’s transgressions became known.

Despite it being a well-established fact that the Tablighi Jamaat had gone on to become the sole reason for the Chinese virus to spread at an alarming rate across India, Islamists and their sympathisers had collectively rushed to shield the Tablighi Jamaat super spreaders and their chief who had incited Muslims to defy lockdown.

The Wire claims ‘activist’ Rehana Fathima should be celebrated and not punished for posting video of her children painting on her nude body

OpIndia Staff
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The Wire claims ‘activist’ Rehana Fathima should be celebrated and not punished for posting video of her children painting on her nude body

‘Activist’ Rehana Fathima caused widespread outrage when she shared a video on YouTube where her children could be seen painting on nude upper-body. Following the outrage, a case under POCSO was registered against her. In connection to the matter, The Wire has published an article on the 29th of July where it is claimed that the perverse actions of the activist ought to be celebrated and not punished.

Author V. Venkatesan, formerly a senior associate editor at Frontline, claimed that “her activism has the potential to challenge not only patriarchal stereotypes prevalent in conservative Kerala and elsewhere, but also the judicial attitude towards allegations of obscenity.”

Headline of The Wire article

In her defence, Venkatesan wrote, “She contends that she only allowed her body to be used as a canvas by her children to paint on, and only perverts would be aroused to sexual desire by seeing the nature of the work. Her message accompanying the uploaded edited video makes it clear that she intended to normalise the female form for her children and not allow distorted ideas of sexualisation to pervade their minds.”

Throughout the article, the author goes to great length to justify the brand of activism espoused by Rehana Fathima. The author relied on the statements made by the activist to claim that the sole intention of the activist was to further the cause of gender equality without pondering to elaborate on whether children should be made to engage in morally questionable actions at such a young age.

Venkatesan said further, “In Kerala, body painting on men is an accepted tradition during Pulikali festivals in Thrissur. When Theyyam and such other rituals are performed at the temple, painting is conducted on the bodies of male artists. If these acts are not assumed to be obscene or indecent, it is not clear why a similar act performed by a woman should be so considered, merely because she happens to be a woman. Fathima has also participated as the only female in the male-only performance at Pulikali at Thrissur in order to convey her message of gender equality.”

The Wire also expressed “hope” that the Supreme Court will “render justice to Rehana Fathima”. Rehana Fathima had been booked under the Juvenile Justice Act and the section 67 of the Information Technology Act (Electronically transmitting sexually explicit content) for non-bailable offences by the Thiruvalla police of Pathanamthitta district in Kerala. She was later denied anticipatory bail by the Kerala High Court.

Rehana Fathima, the controversial ultra-left wing activist who has attempted to desecrate the Sabarimala Temple in the past, on June 19 took to her YouTube channel to post a 2:00 minute video where she is seen lying on bed wearing only a pair of red shorts, while her children attempt to paint on her naked torso. She also uploaded the same on her Facebook page with hashtag #BodyArtPolitics.

Past Transgressions of Rehana Fathima

Rehana Fathima was sacked from her job in May 2020 after BSNL authorities after a probe found that her Facebook messages had incited communal tension and she had violated service rules. For the previous 18 months, she was under suspension after BSNL had received complaints from the public about her abusive pictures and videos, which had hurt religious sentiments.

In 2018, the Pathanamthitta police had registered a case against activist Rehana Fathima against a complaint filed by Sabarimala Achara Samrakshana Samithi for putting up social media posts that were “communally divisive” in nature. The self-proclaimed activist was also ‘expelled‘ from the Muslim community by the Kerala Muslim Jama’ath Council for her activities.

A model of sorts in the past, Fathima has been a part of the ‘Kiss of Love’ campaign in Kochi in 2014 against the purported moral policing. Rehana Fathima was also convicted in a cheque-fraud case and awarded a fine of Rs. 2.1 lakh and one day of imprisonment in the year 2014.

Uttar Pradesh: FIR filed against miscreants from a ‘particular community’ for attacking Hindus celebrating Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in Sultanpur

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: FIR filed against miscreants from a ‘particular community’ for attacking Hindus celebrating Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in Sultanpur

An FIR has been filed against miscreants for attacking Lord Ram devotees in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, for celebrating the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir to be constructed in Ayodhya. The assailants also attacked a businessman, thrashed his family members and vandalised his shop in the Hanumanganj market of the town.

The incident pertains to August 5 when villagers gathered in the market started distributing sweets to celebrate the completion of Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. However, this did not sit well with a particular community in the village, who arrived with a dozen people, and attacked the house of one Siyaram Modanwal and beat up his family members.

When police rushed to the spot to control the violence, they were welcomed with brickbats and stones by the assailants. Siyaram was injured in the attack. The miscreants, on the other hand, were arrested by the police.

With the tensions flaring up, police teams from the nearby police stations were deployed at the spot. The sub-Divisional Officer Lambhua Vidhesh Kumar and CO Lalchandra Chaudhary reached the spot on Thursday morning and took stock of the situation. 

According to SP Shiv Hari Meena, Kuldeep Modanwal’s bike had hit a pedestrian named Saddam after which clashes erupted between the two sides. Meena further added that a case had been lodged against the errants and an investigation is underway.

OpIndia tried reaching out to Sultanpur police but couldn’t get through. We shall update the story once we get more details about the case.

Bhoomi pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayohdya

Amidst much fanfare, the Bhoomi pujan ceremony that marks the construction of Ram Mandir was performed in Ayodhya on Wednesday, August 5. PM Modi had graced the occasion and participated in the ceremony before laying the ceremonial cornerstone for the soon-to-be constructed Ram Mandir.

Uttar Pradesh: Three linked to radical Islamist outfits PFI and SDPI arrested for sharing communal posts on Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan day

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Three linked to radical Islamist outfits PFI and SDPI arrested for sharing communal posts on Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan day

The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested three persons in Bahraich, linked to radical Islamist outfits Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) for their communally charged posts on social media on the day of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan event. As per reports, one of them is a doctor.

Accused were caught posting communal posts on social media

Additional Superintendent of Police Kunwar Gyananjay said that the police had received information on August 5 (Wednesday) that some people were sitting at one Dr Aleem’s clinic and forwarding messages on WhatsApp and tweeting comments which were against communal harmony and national integrity. When the police reached the spot they found that Dr Aleem along with two others named Kamruddin and Sahibe Alam were posting anti-national and hateful posts on Twitter. All three were arrested.

Uttar Pradesh police probing links of accused to PFI ans SDPI

The police informed that Sahibe Alam was the former office-bearer of PFI and currently working as media in charge of SDPI. The police furthered that the other two were also members of SDPI’s WhatsApp group. The police are now probing Dr Aleem and Kamruddin’s links to the radical Islamist outfits.

On the historic day of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan, Islamists suffered a meltdown

On the historic day of the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan, while most of the people were busy celebrating the beginning of a new era, there were many Islamists who had a complete meltdown on social media. While, perturbed radical fundamentalists trended hashtags like #ReturnBabriLandToMuslims, #5AugustBlackDay and #BabriZindaHai calling the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram Janmabhoomi construction site death of secularism, Maulana Sajid Rashidi from the All India Imam Association threatened that in the future, the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya will be demolished and another disputed structure will be built.

‘Blatant Hindu-tilt’: Islamic seminary Jamia Nizamia says Kamal Nath and Congress have betrayed Muslims by supporting Ram Mandir

OpIndia Staff
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‘Blatant Hindu-tilt’: Islamic seminary Jamia Nizamia says Kamal Nath and Congress have betrayed Muslims by supporting Ram Mandir

With the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir supported by several Congress leaders, particularly former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, Jamia Nizamia, one of the oldest Islamic seminaries in the country, have reportedly issued a scathing statement, criticising Congress and Kamal Nath’s endorsing the construction of the temple.

In its press release, Jamia Nizamia has accused the Congress party and Kamal Nath of turning their back on the Muslims, adding that backing Muslims is no longer favourable to their politics. It added that though the Muslim community never trusted Kamal Nath fully, but since he had openly assured Muslims clerics of “dealing with the Hindus later“, they had extended support to him.

Press release by Jamia Nizamia

“From last one week, we had witnessed the blatant Hindu-tilt that he has been displaying. Be it the organisation of a Hanuman Chalisa recital or celebrations of the construction of the Ram Mandir, his comments do not reflect the pain endured by the Muslim community. Their(Congress and Kamal Nath) actions have removed all the doubts and made it clear that Muslims are mere political pawns for them, who can be sacrificed for their politics” the statement read.

Jamia Nizamia also urged Muslims to assess the election candidates in their constituency and not blindly support the Congress party. “After this incident, we advise all the Muslim community members that in the coming elections, do not trust Kamal Nath and Congress. Extend your support to those candidates in your areas who will stand with you,” the statement read.

“Muslims are alone in the country now. During this time, we will have to carefully think before selecting our representative…It must be made clear from the first day itself that from now on, we have no ties with the Congress party or Kamal Nath,” the comminuqué said.

Jamia Nizamia office bearers have been associated with Asaduddin Owaisi

Many office bearers of the seminary have been associated with Asaduddin Owaisi. They have been featured as chief guests and speakers in events organised by AIMIM and Owaisi has been sharing their advisories to Muslims through his social media handles.

Poster of event shared by AIMIM general secretary on Twitter

Earlier, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi had also slammed the Congress for the sudden saffron-tilt. He has reacted on the tweets by Priyanka Vadra, Kamal Nath and others and had said, “Glad that they are not pretending anymore”.

Congress leaders extending their support for the Ram Mandir

The official statement from Jamia Nizamia came on the heels of a paradigm shift in Congress’s policy, promoting soft Hindutva to appease Hindus. From questioning the existence of Lord Ram in the past, Congress is now seen overtly extending its support for the construction of the Ram Temple. Former MP CM Kamal Nath organised a Hanuman Chalisa recital in Bhopal a day before the ground laying ceremony in Ayodhya. A few days back, in what appears as an attempt to woo disenchanted Hindu voters, Kamal Nath had declared that the construction of the Ram Mandir was done with the consent of all.

Not just Kamal Nath, but Gandhi scion and UP Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also seen rallying behind the cause of Ram Mandir. She had issued a statement on the event, claiming it to be a cause for national unity, brotherhood and cultural congregation.

Another senior Congress leader Manish Tewari had posted a devotional song dedicated to Lord Ram on his Twitter account and celebrated the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh became the first to receive Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan’s prasad, read why

OpIndia Staff
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Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh became the first to receive Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan’s prasad, read why

The Pratham Prasadam (first offering) from the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony of Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, performed by PM Narendra Modi on August 5 (Wednesday), was sent to a Dalit family in Ayodhya Thursday. It is being said that the first prasad was sent to the Mahabir’s family on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Mahabir’s family was pleasantly surprised when volunteers from the temple went to his house with the first prasad along with a copy of Shri Ramcharitmanas and a Tulsi mala. It was only after that the distribution of the prasad for others began in Ayodhya.

Reacting to it, Mahaveer said, “I am a Dalit. The CM sent first prasad to me and my family. I am thankful to him that he remembered me.”

“It’s a double delight for us. Firstly, our dream of a Ram temple has been fulfilled. Secondly, we got the first prasad. We hope that now the caste discrimination in the state will end and everyone will think of development and welfare of all,” he said.

Why a Dalit family was the first to receive the Bhoomi Pujan Prasad

But why did the Yogi government choose Mahavir’s family for the Pratham Prasadam? Choosing a Dalit family for the first prasad can be seen as a great gesture of humanity and a positive step towards shunning the caste-based societal taboos. Mahavir, a resident of Ayodhya’s Susahati Katra locality is the same person whose accommodation under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was visited by UP CM Yogi Adityanath during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Yogi Adityanath had food at his house and interacted with his family, after the Election Commission had imposed a 72 hours ban on Yogi Adityanath for his remarks during a speech that if the opposition trusts Ali, he (and the BJP) trust Bajrangbali.

Interestingly, while Mahavir, a Dalit was chosen for the Pratham Prasadam of the Bhoomi Pujan, Yogi government had chosen the main litigant of the Ram Janmabhoomi title suit from the Muslim side, Iqbal Ansari, as the first person to receive the invitation for Bhoomi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya. Iqbal had accepted the invitation and attended the event, after which he said that he went to Ram Janmabhoomi to send out a message that Muslims are not against the Ram temple. He also said that although he was a main litigant from the Muslim side, after the Supreme Court verdict it is their duty to accept the judgment in its spirit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed the Bhoomi Pujan of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Bhajans, shlokas and mantras were heard as the Ayodhya, festooned with flowers, diyas and yellow and saffron flags, celebrated the beginning of the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir.

Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA informs court that prime accused Swapna Suresh had close links with CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s office

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala gold smuggling case: NIA informs court that prime accused Swapna Suresh had close links with CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s office

The Kerala gold smuggling case has wreaked havoc on the incumbent Kerala State government. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigating the case has now informed the NIA Special Court in Kochi that Swapna Suresh, a prime accused in the case, had “good influence” in Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s office. Assistant Solicitor General (ASG) Vijayakumar, who was appearing for NIA made the sensational disclosure while opposing Swapna’s bail plea at the NIA special court in Ernakulam Thursday.

ASG Vijayakumar informed the court that Swapna Suresh had established links with chief minister’s office (CMO) through Pinarayi’s now suspended principal secretary, M Sivasankar, with whom she enjoyed close proximity.

Vijayan’s principal secretary M Sivasankar suspended after his name surfaced in the Kerala gold smuggling case

It is pertinent to note here that, the Kerala government had removed M Sivasankar as the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister after his name surfaced in a high-profile gold smuggling case related to the UAE embassy in the capital of Kerala. He has now been replaced by IAS Mir Mohammad Ali. 

NIA court was informed that M Sivasankar had gone out of the way to appoint Swapna in the Kerala government’s Space Park and he used to advise her on many issues.

The NIA said that because of this close link with the CMO, even after Swapna had quit her job in the consulate, she actively intervened and influenced almost all matters related to the consulate.

The NIA informed the court that it has invoked the stringent provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against the accused in this case as the money funneled through the gold smuggling scandal is likely to have been used or financing terror activities in India.

Link of accused Swapna Suresh with Kerala’s Higher Education minister KT Jaleel had surfaced

Last month the call details of Swapna Suresh had revealed that the accused was in regular touch with Kerala’s Higher Education minister KT Jaleel. According to the Call Detail Record (CDR), KT Jaleel had made several calls to Swapna Suresh. The details revealed that the minister and Suresh exchanged several calls in the month of May and June. Jaleel’s two personal staff members were also reportedly in touch with Suresh.

₹1 Crore in cash and nearly 1 kg gold recovered from the lockers of accused Swapna Suresh

It was earlier reported how NIA had recovered ₹1 crore in cash and almost ₹1 kg of gold from Swapna Suresh. In its remand report filed before an NIA Court, the agency had informed that the smuggled gold was kept in lockers and invested as deposits in several banks.

Investigations were also being conducted to ascertain whether the proceeds from the gold smuggling case were used to fund protests against the humanitarian Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. 

Kolkata Police files case of stalking and insulting modesty of woman in connection to trolling and harassment of Bengali women online

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata Police files case of stalking and insulting modesty of woman in connection to trolling and harassment of Bengali women online

The Kolkata Police is probing multiple complaints of harassment and trolling against Bengali women that have come to light following investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput that has hinted at the possibility of his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty’s involvement. Certain reports in the media claimed that Rhea Chakraborty, who happens to be a Bengali, used black magic against the deceased Bollywood actor.

Following the media reports, a targeted campaign against Bengali women was observed on social media where Bengali women were accused of being ‘gold-diggers’ and practising black magic. After the trolling was referred to relevant authorities, the authorities have said that they are probing the matter.

West Bengal Commission for Women (WBCW) chairperson Leena Ganguly said, “This is a worrying trend… We do not want to treat this just as a case against Bengali women, but women in general. The way women are being targeted using derogatory remarks is shocking…. Those indulging in such acts often think they can get away with it because police would not take it seriously.” “We will be sending these to the police’s cyber cell for an inquiry. Based on their report, the commission will decide the next step,” she had added.

A case has been filed under section 67A of Information Technology Act and sections 354D (stalking), 509 (whoever intending to insult the modesty of any woman) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. “We are enquiring into the complaints and collecting information linked to these,” Joint CP (Crime) Murlidhar Sharma said on Monday. The Kolkata Police has also written to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook in connection with the matter.

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