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Delhi University principal Masroor Ahmad Beg accused of plagiarism

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Delhi University principal Masroor Ahmad Beg accused of plagiarism

A complaint has been registered at the UGC chairman and vice-chancellor of DU against Masroor Ahmad Beg, the principal of Zakir Husain Delhi College (evening) accusing him of plagiarism, reports Times of India.

According to the reports, the members of Indian National Teachers’ Congress and Delhi University academic council have submitted a complaint to the UGC alleging that Masroor Ahmed Beg had plagiarised a number of papers and copied from the work of noted economist and former UGC chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat to get promoted as the principal of the college.

The complaint signed by several current and former academic council and executive council members was registered on June 20.

Beg manipulated his work, copied contents from other source

According to the UGC guidelines, for selection to the post of principal, one has to secure a minimum API score of 400. However, the fellow professors allege that Beg manipulated his work, copied full papers of other authors without mentioning or giving credit to get an appointment as the principal of the college.

The letter further mentioned that Beg achieved the score “through dubious and fraudulent means”.

The letter alleged that Thorat’s 2015 paper co-authored with AMU professor Mashkoor Ahmad titled “Minorities and poverty: Why some minorities are more poor than others?” published in the Journal of Social Inclusion Studies was copied by Beg in his work titled, “A Comparative Analysis of Poverty of Indian Minorities with respect to the Majority” in 2018.

Balram Pani, who is the dean of DU colleges confirmed that the university had received the complaint. He added that the university was looking into the matter and will take necessary action.

In another letter to the UGC, AC member Naveen Gaur on Monday said as per its “Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations 2018”, DU should constitute Departmental Academic Integrity Panel and Institutional Academic Integrity Panel to probe the allegations.

Sikh-owned restaurant vandalized by white supremacist group in the US, walls covered with racist and anti-ISIS graffiti

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Sikh-owned restaurant vandalized by white supremacist group in the US, walls covered with racist and anti-ISIS graffiti

A Sikh-owned restaurant named ‘Indian Palace’ in Santa Fe city, in New Mexico state of the US, was vandalized on Monday allegedly by a white supremacist group. Restaurant owner Baljit Singh said that they had suffered damages worth $100,000 (Rs.75.6 lakh). Vandals left slogans like “white power,” “Trump 2020”, “F**K ISIS,” and “go home” on the walls. The reports say that local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the case.

Sante Fe Reporter, a local daily, reported that vandals overturned the tables, destroyed the front desk area and kitchen of the restaurant. The police found piles of broken glassware across the restaurant. The wine racks were emptied and a statue of the goddess in the restaurant was beheaded. They took away the restaurant’s computers as well.

Singh said, “I walked into the kitchen, I saw everything and I was like, hold on, what? What is going on here?” The restaurant was closed for some time due to Covid-19 restrictions and Singh re-opened it recently.

A non-profit civil rights organization, the Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF) issued a statement in which they condemned the incident. Simran Singh, the SALDEF board member, said, “Santa Fe is a peaceful town, and the Sikh community has lived here, beautifully integrated, since the ’60s.” Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director SALDEF, said that such incidents of hate and violence are unacceptable.

Possible case of mistaken identity

white supremacist
Image Credit: SFR

Some of the graffiti against terrorist organization Islamic State on the restaurant walls suggest that it might be mistaken identity. This is not the first time Sikhs have been mistaken for Islamists or Iranians because of their turbans. On 29th April, a Sikh American Lakhwant Singh was brutally attacked in Lakewood, Colorado. He was told to go back to his country during the attack. A formal hate crime case was not registered in that incident. Many such incidents took place after the 9/11 terror attack in the US in which Sikhs were assaulted.

Support from the community

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement condemning the incident. In a tweet, she said, “We will not stand for such hatred in New Mexico.” She added that she had spoken to Baljit Singh to “let him know that our community is with him.”

Mayor Alan Webber called it a “sickening and appalling” hate crime. He assured strict actions against the culprits as per the law. He added, “The Singhs are a long-standing Sikh family that has used its resources to feed homeless Santa Feans through the goodness of their hearts. For them to be attacked this way breaks our hearts.” As per the reports, multiple fundraiser campaigns were started to help the restaurant.

“Relaunch of ‘the scion’ for the nth time can wait”: BJP chief JP Nadda takes a dig at Congress over LAC standoff

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“Relaunch of ‘the scion’ for the nth time can wait”: BJP chief JP Nadda takes a dig at Congress over LAC standoff

In a cutting remark against the Congress party and its former president–Rahul Gandhi, BJP chief JP Nadda said that the party has misconceptions of opposition being itself and at the time of unity and expressing solidarity with the forces, Congress is once again indulging in relaunching their ‘scion’ for the nth time.

“A rejected and ejected dynasty is not equal to the entire Opposition. One dynasty’s interests are not India’s interests. Today, the nation is united and supportive of our armed forces. This is the time for unity and solidarity. Relaunch of ‘the scion’ for the nth time can wait,” said Mr Nadda in a series of tweets.

He further tweeted that ‘one dynasty’ and its ‘courtiers’ have “grand delusions” about opposition being one dynasty. A dynast throws tantrums and his courtiers peddle that fake narrative, Nadda tweeted while taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi and Congress supporters.

The BJP chief further added that the Opposition has all the rights to ask questions of the government and the government did answer all of them in the All-Party Meet (APM) convened by PM Modi a few days ago. However, he added that “one family was an exception. Any guesses who?” alluding to the Gandhi family. He also added that other opposition parties extended their support and tendered their suggestions to the government in the APM.

Launching a stinging attack against the Gandhi family, Nadda claimed India lost thousands of square kilometres of land due to “misadventures of one dynasty”. “The Siachen glacier was almost gone. And much more. No wonder India has rejected them, he said while adding the report about the Siachen glacier to back his assertions.

Congress alleges government of mismanagement

The withering remarks by JP Nadda came on the heels of a strong-worded statement by the Congress Working Committee(CWC) which slammed the government on the mismanagement of not just the India-China standoff along the LAC in Eastern Ladakh but also for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attacking the central government, interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi said, “India has been hit by a terrible economic crisis, a pandemic of huge proportions and, now, by a full-blown crisis on the borders with China. Much of each crisis is attributable to the mismanagement of the BJP-led NDA Government and the wrong policies pursued by it.”

Corruption charges against TMC leaders in cyclone compensation distribution: Mamata Banerjee orders probe fearing impact on polls: Report

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Corruption charges against TMC leaders in cyclone compensation distribution: Mamata Banerjee orders probe fearing impact on polls: Report

In the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan that wrought havoc in West Bengal, the State Government had decided to compensate 5 lac people with ₹20,000 who had suffered damage to their houses. However, allegations of corruption and misappropriation of disaster relief funds have surfaced in recent times, thus leaving the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee irked over the conduct of administrative and panchayat officials.

According to a report by Ananda Bazaar Patrika, about 2,000 complaints had been filed by the Chief Minister with respect to the disbursement of funds for relief work. CM Mamata Banerjee informed Chief Secretary Rajiv Singh that she had received the said complaints through her sources and directed him to look into every allegation and take appropriate action. The report said that a majority of complaints were about the distribution of funds for farmers and house reconstruction. 

As per the report, several people had received the sum of ₹20,000 despite having pucca houses or not being affected by Cyclone Amphan. Reportedly, several relatives of panchayat officials had also received compensation. The disparity had been such that while several people had received funds in one particular neighbourhood, none got in the adjoining neighbourhood.

Reportedly, the State Chief Minister had also learnt about the ‘partiality’ displayed by officials in reconnecting power lines in several areas. The government officials had also informed that all complaints received by Prashant Kishore’s organisation, regarding the distribution of relief funds, had been communicated to Mamata Banerjee. 

However, government officials had claimed that the people who have been benefited by the relief funds outnumber the complaints received by them. They stated that a total of 8,500 crores had already been disbursed and errors in names, account numbers or IFSC codes were to be blamed for beneficiaries not receiving their due share.

Ananda Bazaar Patrika reported that around 40% of the funds did not reach the beneficiaries in the first phase but it was fixed later. A committee was formed for selecting the list of beneficiaries in consultation with Block Development Officers and people’s representatives. The amount of ₹20,000 was disbursed in accordance with the list provided by the Finance Ministry.

TMC Gram Pradhan suspended

Recently, Narendranath Singh who served as a five-time pradhan of Chanditala II block in Hoogly was reportedly expelled from the Trinamool Congress on charges of corruption in the distribution of relief funds. As per the Telegraph report, Singh had submitted a list of 166 people who were to receive the assured sum of ₹20,000.

However, the Pradhan had listed his phone number against 119 names, besides including his wife as one of the beneficiaries. In his defence, Singh said that the reason behind putting his phone number against the names of beneficiaries was that they did not have mobile phones.

“It is shocking to see that he used his own mobile number for 119 beneficiaries that included his wife. None of those had suffered any damage in Amphan. Local party workers had cautioned him, but he refused to listen. It was only after MP Kalyan Banerjee intervened that the top leadership came to know of this,” a Trinamool leader was quoted as saying. A probe was also conducted into the matter and the allegations of financial irregularities were found to be true.

When the Hooghly unit of TMC had asked him to resign, he refused to budge. As such, he was formally ousted from the party by the General Secretary Partha Chatterjee on Friday. According to reports, the Trinamool Congress had been cautious that the damage caused to the party, following corruption allegations, could hurt its prospects in the Assembly elections that are scheduled to held in 2021.

Allegations against other TMC leaders

Earlier, Minister Rajib Banerjee also reiterated that corruption by a few TMC leaders could severely affect the poll results. Earlier, a Trinamool leader in East Midnapore, Somnath Bera, had resigned after allegations of misappropriation of funds had surfaced against him. Bera submitted his resignation letter to the district president on the same day. However, Somnath has said that he was stepping down for personal reasons.

The State BJP had alleged that Rupam Bhava, TMC leader and a member of Gram panchayat in Dadpur village, had pocketed the relief fund, meant for victims of Cyclone Amphan, by submitting fake documents of about 20 beneficiaries. According to the report by ABP Ananda, the accused had listed his sister, mother, and neighbours as beneficiaries. In his defence, the TMC MP claimed that he did so to help a person who had recently met with an accident.

Show-cause notice to accused BDOs

According to the report by Ananda Bazaar Patrika, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has reiterated that corruption in the distribution of relief funds would not be tolerated. About 5-6 Block Development Officers (BDOs) from Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas have been handed show-cause notices, following complaints of misappropriation of funds.

If the response to the show-cause notice turned out to be unsatisfactory, then, stringent action would be taken against the said officials. Citing sources, Ananda Bazaar Patrika reported that Mamata Banerjee was herself looking into the issue of corruption in the distribution of relief funds.

Mamata Banerjee on June 6 had warned her party workers against ‘politicising relief work. She had reiterated that relief funds for both Coronavirus and Cyclone Amphan must reach all victims irrespective of party colours. Besides warning of dire consequences if found involved in corruption, West Bengal Chief Minister had advised the party leaders not to get involved in relief work and leave it to the administration.

Affluent people received government compensation

Earlier, it was reported that the owners of intact one-story and multi-story concrete houses in Madanpur II Gram Panchayat of Kalyani block in Nadia had received money by falsely claiming that they were the victims of Cyclone Amphan. It was found that 20 houses in the 28 did not suffer even the slightest damage, as they are pucca houses.

Local resident Narayan Haldar had lodged an official complaint with the Block Development Officer (BDO) Deep Chatterjee and the sub-divisional magistrate regarding this issue. “I was shocked to see the list of beneficiaries. They are highly accomplished people. All of them have pucca houses. It is a serious case of corruption,” Haldar was quoted as saying in media reports. Shockingly, TMC leader and Local panchayat member Somnath Adhikari, who too had received compensation for his undamaged house, had justified the same by saying that “whoever gets the opportunity will take government’s money. There is nothing poor or rich about it.”

Several other people had justified getting compensation despite suffering no loss due to the cyclone, and the complainant had accused that all of them are close to the ruling party.

Bank employee assaulted in Surat: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promises strict action against culprits

OpIndia Staff
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Bank employee assaulted in Surat: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman promises strict action against culprits

In a viral video, a person was seen first arguing and then assaulting a bank employee. Later, media reports stated that the incident was from Surat where a police official had misbehaved and assaulted bank officials.

As per reports, the incident had occurred on Monday, where a female employee was attacked in the Saroli branch of Canara Bank (formerly Syndicate Bank). The incident had sparked widespread outrage and the Bank Employees’ Association had also requested the Finance Minister to take cognisance of the issue.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has promised in a tweet that there will be strict action against the police constable who had assaulted a female staff, Santoshi Kumari, in the Saroli branch of the Syndicate Bank. She added in her tweet that she had a word with Dhaval Patel (Collector, Surat) who has promised timely action.

She added that she would closely follow this matter. Sitharaman emphasized that irrespective of the challenges amid coronavirus spread, the bank officials are providing seamless services to the public. Nothing should threaten their safety and dignity.

In her tweets, the finance minister mentioned that her office spoke to Commissioner of Police, IPS Bhrambhatt, who will visit the branch and assure the safety of the staff members. He also assured that the accused constable shall be suspended immediately.

Lady clerk assaulted over passbook printing after customer services hours

As per reports, two men had entered the bank premises after working hours at around 4:20 PM to get their passbook updates and asked the female clerk to do the same. When she informed them that the printer was not working and customer services are only till 4:00 PM, they started abusing her and another staff member present at the scene.

After arguing for a while, one of them entered the cubicle and attacked a female clerk who was recording the whole incident at that time.

In the bank’s CCTV footage, the whole incident got recorded.

The attack was so intense that she fell on the floor and got injured. The staff informed the nearest police station immediately. An FIR was registered against unknown persons.

Bank Employees’ Association writes to Finance Minister

The All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) has written a letter to the finance minister explaining the incident and requested her to ensure immediate action against the culprits. In the letter, the association said, “Employees genuinely feel that they have joined the Banks to work in the Banks and earn their livelihood and not to get beaten by such goons and assailants in the grab of customers.” They added that despite the difficulties everyone is facing due to pandemic, bank employees are working as frontline warriors to provide banking services.

A few weeks back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised strict action against those who assault or stop frontline workers from doing their job. 

Liberalman and more – watch these 5 clips going viral that expose liberal hypocrisy

OpIndia Staff
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Liberalman and more – watch these 5 clips going viral that expose liberal hypocrisy

Liberalman is the superhero we neither need nor deserve in real life. The fictional one, however, is something India absolutely needs to show the mirror to the hypocrisy of those who identify themselves as ‘liberals’ but are actually far from then. The Daily Switch, a political, media and culture website, on its social media account shared the antics of ‘liberals’ and ‘Liberalman’, the new superhero in town.

Liberalman ‘chooses’ who needs his help

In one of the viral videos, two animated characters are looking helplessly at their burning building where their 4-year-old is trapped. ‘Liberalman’, with his superpowers, flies in and the parents are hopeful that the superhero will save their child. However, Liberalman’s rescue operations come with terms and conditions. He only ‘helps’ the most ‘repressed’ people. When the ‘parents’ inform that their daughter is only 4 years old, Liberalman agrees as she would have surely been a victim of sexism. Liberalman, however, helps via options like candlelight march and the ‘dafli of doom‘. Clearly, Liberalman has his priorities sorted.

Liberals and Sonu Sood

A ‘liberal’ initially agrees with a commoner that Sonu Sood did great work helping migrants reach their hometowns. However, when Sonu Sood in a video says that he is a fan of PM Modi, ‘Liberal’ person now believes that Sonu Sood was irresponsible as sending back migrants might have spread coronavirus to villages. He also wants ‘azaadi’ from ‘murderer’ Sonu Sood.

‘Liberals’ offers solution to flop comics and actors

Struggling and washed up standup comics and actors have a new ray of hope. ‘Liberals’ in India have a solution to restart their career. The Placard and woke message combination. It may not make them funny, but at least it’ll make them famous!

Liberals vs IT cell

This is just so relatable. Unless you agree with them you are from the ‘IT cell’. Or from the RSS. A true liberal will never agree with anything right is happening in India under PM Modi.

How ‘liberal’ students reacted to coronavirus

Not to undermine the efforts of everyone who have put forward everything they have to help India fight the pandemic, we all now the one equivalent to the ‘JNU student’ above who is armed with a ‘dafli of doom’ while fighting those who are fighting the pandemic.

For more, you could follow The Daily Switch here.

Bengal: TMC MLA Tamonash Ghosh passes away due to coronavirus, had heart and kidney ailments

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Bengal: TMC MLA Tamonash Ghosh passes away due to coronavirus, had heart and kidney ailments

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Tamonash Ghosh who was diagnosed with the Wuhan Coronavirus in May passed away on Wednesday. He was 60-years-old.

Ghosh was a three-time MLA from the Falta constituency in South 24 Parganas of West Bengal and had been the party treasurer since 1998. He was admitted to the Apollo Hospital after testing positive for the deadly disease. Besides Coronavirus, he was suffering from heart and kidney complications.

As per a report in Anandabazar Patrika, he was initially negligent about the disease. However, the condition of the late TMC politician became critical by the time he was hospitalised. His condition had worsened in the past 3 days, leading to multi-organ failure. Hospital sources had revealed that Tamonash Ghosh was also diabetic. The doctors had to remove the phlegm that had congested his chest but the presence of pre-existing diseases turned fatal. His family members were also diagnosed with Coronavirus but had recovered due to timely treatment.

West Bengal CM pays homage to Tamonash Ghosh

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shared her condolences on Twitter. She remembered Ghosh’s contribution through social work and his long-standing association of 35 years with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Banerjee added, “He has left a void that will be difficult to fill. On behalf of all of us, heartfelt condolences to his wife Jharna, his two daughters, friends, and well-wishers.”

West Bengal has so far registered 14,728 cases of coronavirus. The death toll stands at 580. on Tuesday alone, 370 fresh cases weer detected. Active cases in the state stand at 4930.

Did Hong Kong approve new maps including Chinese-occupied territories as parts of India? Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Did Hong Kong approve new maps including Chinese-occupied territories as parts of India? Read details

Since few days a set of images is being circulated across social media platforms claiming that Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Cheng had posted a tweet stating that the ‘Republic of Hong Kong’ is going to approve a new map that includes Chinese-occupied areas of Aksai chin, Thag La ridge, Khinzemane and Tibet Autonomous region as parts of India under the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Various social media users took to Twitter to share the purported post to claim that ‘Republic of Hong Kong’ had released a new map of the country in which it has approved Chinese-occupied territories as parts of India.

These posts went viral in the country at a time when India and China are amidst a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control, which had led to violent clashes on June 15.

One user claimed that the ‘Republic of Hong Kong’ has approved a new map where Aksai Chin, Thag La Ridge, Khinzemane and Tibet Autonomous Region showing as part of Ladakh as belonging to India. The user said it is time India supports Hong Kong’s independence from China.

Netizens also shared a similar news claiming that the government of Hong Kong approved news maps that includes Chinese-occupied territories,

Fact Check:

The claim of Hong Kong releasing such new maps is untrue as no new maps have been approved by the Hong Kong government which includes China-occupied regions as part of India.

The photos of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng signing an ordinance is not related to the new maps but related to the ‘National Anthem ordinance’ passed by the legislative council of Hong Kong earlier this month. In the photo, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng is seen signing National Anthem ordinance and not the new maps.

When we reverse-searched the images shared on the social media, it was found out that the image was related to a press release of the Hong Kong Government with the title ‘CE signs National Anthem Ordinance’. This Ordinance was introduced to promote and protect China’s National Anthem in Hong Kong.

Various news reports have also shared the similar images linking it to National Anthem ordinance.

Image Source: Chinadailyhk

The social media account – Carrie Lam Cheng, which initially posted the images is a fake account created in the name of Hong Kong Chief Executive. The Hong Kong CE does not have an official Twitter account.

In 2014, the same fake account had posted tweets from India. Old tweets from this handle appear to be from India and all about India.

Image Source: Carrie Lam Cheng

Hence, it can be said that the news of Hong Kong approving new maps that includes China-occupied regions as part of India under Union Territory Ladakh is not true.

Moreover, there is no ‘Republic of Hong Kong’. Hong Kong is a special metropolitan area that is currently under the administration of China. It has a Legislative Council whose chief executive is Carrie Lam Cheng. The city was under Britain’s rule till 1997 but was handed over to China as per their agreement. The people of Hong Kong are currently carrying out protests demanding full democracy.

Pakistan: Ten cricket players test positive for coronavirus ahead of England tour, PCB says no change in schedule

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Ten cricket players test positive for coronavirus ahead of England tour, PCB says no change in schedule

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that seven more Pakistani cricketers have tested positive for Covid-19 infection. In a press release, the board informed the names of the players that are Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hasnain, Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Kashif Bhatti and Imran Khan.

On 22nd June, the board had confirmed that Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf and Haider Ali had tested positive for the infection. As of now, ten Pakistani cricketers have tested positive.

Pakistan is preparing for its tour of England scheduled for August this year. These tests were done as per mandatory safety protocol. As a total of ten players have been tested positive, there are speculations over the tour. On Monday, the board announced three players’ results to be Covid-positive in Rawalpindi and informed that the results of other players are awaited. Team masseur Malang Ali also tested positive for the virus.

England tour in August might be in jeopardy

Experts believe that these test results are a massive setback for the team. However, the board’s CEO Wasim Khan suggested that the tour of England will happen as per the schedule. As of now, all but one player from the main test team have tested negative. Only Mohammad Rizwan has tested positive.

Khan said, “The tour is very much on track, the squad will depart as per schedule on 28th. Fortunately, all first-choice red-ball players, barring Rizwan, are negative, which means they can start training immediately after they are tested & given all clear when they arrive in the UK,”

Pakistan will play three-match test series and T20 matches in England during their tour in August. The players who got tested positive for the infection are under self-isolation at home. They may join the team later after clearance from the board. Shoaib Malik and bowling coach Waqar Younis have not been tested yet.

If the England tour gets canceled, it will cost PCB an estimated loss of 90 million dollars in broadcasting revenues.

IMA ‘Halal’ ponzi scam: Senior IAS officer accused of corruption found hanging at his residence in Bengaluru

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IMA ‘Halal’ ponzi scam: Senior IAS officer accused of corruption found hanging at his residence in Bengaluru

In a shocking development, senior IAS officer BM Vijay Shankar, one of the accused in the multi-crore I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) ‘halal’ investment scam, has ended his life in his Jayanagar residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening.

According to the reports, former Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Bengaluru Urban BM Vijay Shankar, who was under suspension for his alleged role in the IMA Ponzi scheme, allegedly committed suicide at his residence by hanging himself.

Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao has informed, “Vijay Shankar, former DC of Bengaluru committed suicide by hanging himself. He was . It was an unnatural death and we are investigating the case.”

Vijay Shankar was earlier arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on July 8, 2019, for his alleged involvement in the Rs 4,000 crore IMA scam. He was incarcerated under judicial custody at Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru.

Later that month, Shankar was granted bail by a special court for cases under the PMLA. Later the CBI took over the investigation on August 30, 2019, and filed at least three FIRs in the case. The investigative agency had filed the first charge-sheet against IMA founder Mansoor Khan and 19 others. It had named Vijay Shankar as an accused in the third FIR. 

Initially, the Karnataka government had appointed Vijay Shankar and LC Nagaraj to investigate the complaints against IMA group under the Karnataka Protection of Interest of Depositors in Financial Establishments (KPID) Act, 2004.

Later, the CBI had found that both Vijay Shankar and Nagaraj had submitted a report to the government favouring IMA, which had duped thousands of people by running a Ponzi scheme. The officers were accused of accepting bribes from the IMA directors to give a favourable report. The probe had stated that Vijay Shankar had allegedly received an amount of Rs 1.50 crore.

On June 11, 2020, the CBI had requested sanction from the state government to prosecute Vijay Shankar and two other officers in the ponzi scam.

IMA halal investment scam

The IMA halal Ponzi scheme was run by the founder of IMA group Mohammed Mansoor Khan and his associates, who duped lakhs of people by promising higher returns using Islamic way of investment. The IMA promoter has been charged for running the Ponzi scheme, which allegedly duped 40,000 investors to the tune of over Rs 4,000 crore. 

The IMA scam is one of the biggest money laundering and financial fraud cases unearthed in Karnataka recently. Around 40,000 investors reportedly lost their money in this scam. IMA Managing Director Mohammad Mansoor Khan had attracted investors, especially Muslims, by offering an investment scheme that appeared to follow Islamic precepts and provided lucrative returns.

More than 41,000 complaints were registered by investors accusing IMA directors of committing fraud after the firm closed in May 2019 and ceased to pay dividends. 

The names of few Congress leader had also surfaced for their alleged involvement in the Ponzi scheme, making it a high-profile case. Senior Congress leaders like BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, former Congress MLA Roshan Baig, Congress legislator from Khanapur in Belagavi Anjali Nimbalkar’s husband and Karnataka IPS officer, Hemant Nimbalkar’s name had also surfaced in the investigation.

Two Karnataka cadre IPS officers Hemanth Nimbalkar and Ajay Hilori along with three police personnel were also booked by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Rs 4,000 crore IMA scam. 

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