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Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh now eyes temple money to fund welfare schemes, after bankrupting state with freebies

OpIndia Staff
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Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh now eyes temple money to fund welfare schemes, after bankrupting state with freebies

The Congress government’s freebie program has yet again backfired in Himachal Pradesh. On 29th January, a notification outlining the guidelines for temple trusts to contribute funds to the cash-strapped administration’s initiatives has now surfaced recently. Temples have been reportedly urged by the government to contribute to the Mukhyamantri Sukh-Aashray Yojana and Mukhyamantri Sukh Shiksha Yojna.

The official notice directed, “The various temple trusts functioning under the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions Charitable Endowments Act, 1984 keep making contributions for charitable activities and welfare scheme run by the state government. While making such charitable contribution the temple trusts may make contribution towards the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Ashray Yojna/Kosh as well as Mukhya Mantri Sukh Shiksha Yojna/Kosh with a view to provide fund for the above mentioned welfare schemes.”

It then listed the rules for the same and highlighted, “Every such proposal should first be passed by the trust in its meeting. Section 17 of the act ibid (same act) provides incurring expenditure on such activities, therefore, the provisions of section 17 and 17 (a) to (d) may strictly be adhered to. In all above cases the prior approval of the Chief Commissioner Temple must be taken by sending a case through Additional Chief Commissioner (Temple)-cum-Director, Language, Art & Culture.”

According to the notification, the Mukhya Mantri Sukh Ashray Scheme was introduced by the Himachal Pradesh government’s Social Justice and Empowerment Department on 28th February 2023 to offer better opportunities to older people, single and impoverished women and children, especially orphans. “These groups are generally isolated, neglected vulnerable and they are in need of care and protection. The role of the state government in respect of such persons is that of a foster parent and to provide their subsistence and to integrate them into the main stream of society,” it read.

The letter also alleged that 6,000 kids have been adopted as “children of the state” under this scheme and recently 23 of them flied to Chandigarh, Delhi and Goa and stayed in three Star Hotels there. Additionally, 17 children from the Bilaspur district were taken to Amritsar, Kapurthala and the Atari-Bagha Border. “Other such children will also be sent on educational and awareness trip,” it conveyed.

The notice claimed, “Taking its commitment and concern further for fostering equality and ensuring the holistic development of Women and Children in the state, the government of Himachal Pradesh in Social Justice and Empower Department has notified Mukhya Mantri Sukh Shiksha Yojna vide notification no. SJE-A-F(4)-1/2024, dated 03-09-2024.”

It added that the program’s primary goals are to strengthen family-level child protection, prevent child abuse, trafficking, teen marriages, drug abuse and other forms of child exploitation as well as to create an environment that is sensitive, supportive and aids vulnerable women and children in the state become self-sufficient. It also aims to create an environment that allows vulnerable women and children to live with dignity by addressing their nutritional, health and educational needs.

BJP hits out at Congress government

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has responded to the government’s claim that it complied with the legal provisions by accusing Congress of disparaging Sanatan Dharma while also requesting donations from temples for the initiatives.

“On one hand, the Sukhu government opposes Sanatan Dharma, keeps giving anti-Hindu statements and on the other hand, it wants to run the government’s flagship schemes by taking money from temples. The government is demanding money from temples, and pressure is being put on officials to send the money to the government. The Bharatiya Janata Party opposes this decision of the government” BJP leader Jairam Thakur charged.

He added, “A secretary of the Himachal Pradesh government department has written a letter to the deputy commissioner that the money in temple trusts should be deposited in the government treasury so that they can spend that money to run government schemes. This is sad and unfortunate. No government has ever taken money from temples and trusts to spend it on government schemes.”

“They have not only given orders to take money from temple trusts, they are also taking follow-ups. This decision should be opposed. The people who are in the temple, the trusts and committees, should also protest. The Vidhan Sabha session is also going to start on the 10th and we will strongly oppose this inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha,” the MLA assured.

Himachal Pradesh’s economic doom under Congress-rule

Notably, the Himachal Pradesh government recently planned to lease the century-old Hotel Wildflower Hall and approved the hiring of a consulting firm to facilitate the leasing of the property in a cabinet meeting to help in revenue generation for the state facing fiscal constraints. In November 2024, the state chose to address the state’s developmental needs by issuing an additional Rs 500 crore loan, which was part of its Rs 6,300 crore borrowing ceiling that was scheduled to expire in December.

The Himachal Pradesh government’s severe financial crisis prevented it from paying its employees and pensioners in last August which affected 391,000 individuals. The Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha approved an amendment bill in September 2024 to impose a milk tax of 10 paise per unit and an environment tax on energy use that varied from 2 paise to Rs 6 per unit. The average citizen was already burdened by the administration’s decision to remove 125 units of free power, hike the price of diesel by Rs 7 per litre and break its election commitment to give customers 300 units of free power.

Additionally, the Sukhu government raised the cost of tap water in rural areas from Rs 10 to Rs 100. On the other hand, its decision to impose a cess on hydro projects in order to raise an estimated Rs 4,000 crore was seen as regressive. The government even contemplated legalizing the cultivation of cannabis for medical and industrial purposes in an attempt to address its economic woes.

Interestingly, OpIndia already forewarned in 2023 that the government would encounter massive challenges if the Old Pension Scheme, a key part of the election manifesto of the Congress party, was reinstated. On 1st April 2024, OPS was phased out and the National Pension Scheme (NPS) took its place. The pension in the OPS was equal to half of the government employee’s last drawn salary. The NPS, on the other hand, was a contributory pension plan.

According to estimates, Himachal Pradesh’s debt to gross state product ratio was 43% during the preceding fiscal year. It was already comparable to a state like Punjab, which had switched to the previous pension plan and was at 53%. Its budget deficit was already at almost 5%, far greater than the prudential threshold of 3%. However, the Congress party’s petty goal of snatching the state from the saffron party only served to exacerbate its economic difficulties. Similar to Karnataka, general public and now even Hindu temples are forced to cope with the party’s myopic ans self-serving decisions.

From Beawar to Ajmer: The chilling pattern of Grooming Gangs in India—targeting, sexual exploitation, and forced conversions of Hindu girls by organised Islamist networks

Shraddha Pandey
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From Beawar to Ajmer: The chilling pattern of Grooming Gangs in India—targeting, sexual exploitation, and forced conversions of Hindu girls by organised Islamist networks

The term “Grooming gangs” evokes chilling parallels across many countries, most notably the infamous rape jihad cases in the United Kingdom wherein, for nearly four decades, gangs predominantly comprising Pakistani Muslim men systematically groomed, blackmailed, raped and tortured White Christian and other non-Muslim girls. In India, the disturbing case of sexual exploitation of minor Hindu girls by a Muslim grooming gang in Rajasthan’s Beawar district has refreshed the unhealed wounds of the 1992 Ajmer Scandal.

Muslim grooming gang in Beawar trapped, threatened, raped, blackmailed and pushed Hindu girls to convert to Islam

On 17th of February 2025, the Beawar police busted a gang of illiterate Muslim youths Rehan Mohammad (20), Sohail Mansuri (19), Lukman (20), Arman Pathan (19), Sahil Qureshi (19), and two minors who were trapping Hindu girls, raping them, and forcing them to convert to Islam. These rape jihadis were teaching Hindu girls about namaz, roza, and reciting the Kalma (Islamic declaration of faith). Furthermore, they were pressuring the girls to wear burqas, perform namaz, observe Roza (fast) and brainwash them for conversion to Islam. The accused rape jihadis have been booked under the POCSO Act alongside other relevant provisions.

As per a victim’s testimony, these rape jihadis used to follow Hindu girls studying class 10th at a school in Beawar’s Bijainagar. After coming in contact with the girls over mobile phone they would sexually assault the girls, take explicit pictures and videos of the crime and then use it to further abuse them. The accused would give small mobile phones to the victims.

One of the accused Sohail Mansuri, gave a victim a small mobile phone to communicate with him. He constantly threatened her. Following his insistence, she introduced her friends to Sohail’s friends, namely Riyan, Javed, and Arman. Sohail tormented the Hindu girl into wearing a burqa and taught her about Ramadan and fasting. He reportedly brainwashed her into observing fasts. He cut her hand with a blade and pressured her to recite the Kalma.

The victims said that the men would come in new vehicles, including Bullet motorcycles and other cars, to take them away. One of the victims said, “They once told me that a Brahmin girl would fetch ₹20 lakh if sold, and you (a Dalit) would get ₹10 lakh.” The girls said in their statements that they were continuously blackmailed with obscene photos and videos and forced to bring in other girls.

The case unravelled after a mobile phone was found with one of the girls. When the family called one of the Muslim men, he responded with abuses and threats. The victim’s family rushed to the police station and filed a complaint about the matter, after which the case unfolded layer by layer. The police found that it was not just one victim but multiple girls who had fallen prey. Several Muslim men were involved. They also extorted money from the girls and forced them to steal cash from their homes.

One of the victims from Beawar disclosed that the ‘Muslim gang’ used to pressurise her to go to the local maulvis and mosques. The police has arrested former councillor Hakim Qureshi in Bijaynagar on 23rd February in the case, demonstrating the involvement of several Muslim groups in this gang.

So far 8 accused have been arrested, while three minors have been taken into custody. While the police is investigating the matter, tensions prevail in Beawar as the local Hindu community is outraged over the incident.

The 1992 Ajmer Scandal

The Beawar case inevitably recalls the 1992 Ajmer sex scandal, one of India’s most infamous grooming gang cases. Over several years, a group led by Farooq Chishti and Nafees Chishti who were members of the Khadim families of the Ajmer Sharif Dargah, preyed on 100s of school and college-going Hindu girls aged 11-20. The Khadims claim to be the descendants of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. The rape jihadis, some of whom were Youth Congress leaders took the victims to remote farmhouses under false pretences, raped them and photographed them to further blackmail and exploit them. The Muslim groomers used the explicit images of their victims to blackmail the girls into bringing in more girls, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of abuse.

It all started with Farooq Chishti grooming a female student of Sophia Senior Secondary School and raping her. He took objectionable photographs of the minor and threatened her to introduce other girls to him. Later, those girls were raped and blackmailed as well. Farooq Chishti was the president of the Ajmer Youth Congress while two other accused, Nafis Chishti and Anwar Chishti were the vice-president and joint secretary respectively of the city Congress unit. In this case, some of the accused were the Chishti Khadims (caretakers) of the Ajmer Dargah.

The horrific sex scandal broke in April 1992 when a local newspaper Dainik Navjyoti published a story, sparking protests. The report written by journalist Santosh Gupta revealed that hundreds of schoolgirls were sexually exploited by the accused. They recorded the sexual assaults and used them to blackmail the girls to bring more girls to them. Daughters of big leaders in Ajmer also became victims of the scandal and the story was published with the title “Daughters of big leaders are victims of blackmail’. As the scandal was exposed, the perpetrators tried to erase evidence.

While the details of how the grooming gang targeted, raped and blackmailed victims came out in public after the Dainik Navjyoti report, justice remained slow and incomplete. It also emerged that the police, CID and the government were aware of the scandal since a year before the report was published, however, no concrete action was taken and investigations were deliberately stalled since many of the perpetrators belonged to the family of Khadims. The police had stalled the case because the local politicians warned action against the accused would lead to massive communal tension.  

Digvijay Singh who was the home minister of Rajasthan at that time had seen the obscene photographs 90 days before the report of the scandal came out. After the matter came to light, the police initially attempted to downplay the matter sparking widespread protests. During that period, Inspector General of Police, Omendra Bhardwaj, claimed in a press conference that the scandal was “not as big as publicised”. He also raised questions about the characters of the four girls whose photos were used to blackmail them. He claimed that their character was “suspicious”.

An FIR was registered and during the investigation, it emerged that many of the victims had committed suicide, some refused to come forward, and only a few victims gave statements and continued to fight the case. In 1998, the rights of the accused were sent to life imprisonment. However, four of them were acquitted by the Rajasthan High Court in 2001. In 2003, the other four accused’s sentence was reduced to 10 years. Out of 250 reported victims, only 12 filed complaints. It took the Indian Judicial System 32 years to punish the remaining six culprits as in August 2024, Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohil Gani, and Syed Zameer Hussain were convicted and sentenced to life in jail by a district court.

The love jihad factory in Kerala’s Malappuram: Journey of Hindu girls from building careers to vanishing behind Burqas

Back in 2020, the Syro Malabar Church, The Kerala Catholic Bishops’ Council and many Christian organisations voiced their concerns over the growing number of Love Jihad cases in Kerala. The Christian organisations echoed the concerns raised by Hindu organisations which alleged that there are forces active in Kerala that are targeting young women, brainwashing them in the name of ‘religious studies’, forcefully converting them to Islam and then shipping them off to serve for ISIS as sex slaves. Back then, Fr Varghese Vallikkatt, the spokesperson for the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council(KCBC), had stated that the government ignoring the cases of Love Jihad and not taking action, is nothing but a ‘silent sanction’.

In 2016, cases of systematic love jihad were reported in the media. In July 2016, Mini Vijayan, a military official alleged that her daughter Aparna, had been forcefully converted to Islam. Aparna was traced to Sathyasarani, or the Markazul Hidaya Educational and Charitable Trust in Malappuram. Aparna later appeared before the court and claimed to have converted to Islam and that she did not wish to go back to her mother. It turned out that Aparna had married an auto-driver named Aashiq from Malappuram. Investigations revealed that the literature from fugitive Islamic hate preacher Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation was widely used to brainwash and radicalise Hindu girls.

In another case involving a Hindu girl named Nimisha, in 2011 Kerala police arrested two persons named Sheena Farzana and Naser, two alleged ‘handlers’ who were recruiting young girls in Kerala to go and ‘work’ for ISIS in Yemen. They were both from Sathyasarani, an organisation run by the now-outlawed Islamist jihadist outfit PFI. Investigations led to the discovery of several other targeted conversions. Nimisha alongside 21 other Hindu girls converted to Islam and married Muslim men who were recruited by the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.

In 2017, when NIA started probing the ISIS link and Love Jihad cases, they found that two Hindu girls, Athira and Akhila (who later became Hadiya) were lured by the same woman, a PFI worker named Sainaba. All these cases had links with the Sathyasarani Trust or the Markazul Hidaya in Malappuram. Documents were found during a raid indicating that around 60 to 70 Hindu and Christian girls were at the Markazul Hidaya for ‘religious studies’ (conversion studies). Many such organisations are operating in Kerala backed with heavy funding. The vote bank politics and the fear of offending the perennially offended coupled with other factors have caused sluggish probes in these cases.

Another such case was reported by a Christian mother from Kerala named Cynthia who said that her daughter Tabitha, who was studying in a gulf nation, had suddenly left after declaring that she wanted to embrace Islam. She eventually established a Bahrain-based Islamic organisation called Discover Islam Society. During a meeting with her mother, a Hijab-clad Tabitha told her mother that she could not live with people who are not Muslims.

Back in 2016, it was reported that between 2011 and 2015, 5,975 people in the state had converted to Islam, of these 1410 converted in 2015 alone.

The Islamo-leftist ecosystem and the so-called ‘secular’ political parties have long been trivialising the menace of love jihad/rape jihad/grooming jihad as a ‘hoax’, ‘fiction’, and ‘BJP-RSS conspiracy theory’ despite there being ample evidence and thousands of cases across the country. Back in 2023, a major controversy erupted when the film The Kerala Story showed how Hindu girls are targeted, brainwashed, sexually abused, threatened and coerced into conversion to Islam and subsequently forced into terror and other illegal activities, the same ecosystem was outraged.

An organisation named Arsha Vidya Samajam has been working for many years in the direction of rescuing the girls who are tapped in ‘Love Jihad’ and bringing them back to their roots, also giving them respect in society and strengthening them mentally.

Rape, threats, forced conversions to Islam and perpetual abuse by rape jihadis in Uttar Pradesh: Locations change modus remains the same

Western Uttar Pradesh has been a hotbed of grooming jihad and other Islamist crimes. In 2020, the Kanpur Police formed a Special Investigation Team after several cases of forced conversions of Hindu women to Islam on the pretext of marriage reported from the city, especially from Kanpur’s Juhi Colony.

In November 2020, the SIT submitted its report to the Kanpur range inspector general, after probing 14 cases lodged in the police stations across the Kanpur district over the last year. Out of 14 cases, the SIT probed 11 criminal cases. In one case, one Fateh Khan pretended to be Aryan Mehrotra to trap a 14-year-old Hindu girl in Kanpur’s Gopal Nagar. The Muslim perpetrator befriended the minor Hindu girl, raped and assaulted her and threatened to harm her parents. The SIT report also revealed that Fateh Khan pressured the victim to convert to Islam and got her Aadhar card made in the name of Mariyam Fatima. The rape jihadi was booked under the POCSO Act alongside other relevant provisions.

In another case, a Muslim man named Mohammed Ubais aka Babu posed as a Hindu to entrap a 16-year-old minor Hindu girl. Ubais with the help of his sister Mahi Hayat Khan. The accused along with his sister tried to brainwash and pressurise the minor victim to adopt Islam. The girl was rescued by her mother and the accused was sent to jail.

Similar cases involving Muslim perpetrators targeting Hindu girls from Naubasta, Govindnagar, Babu Purwa, Chakeri, and Juhi Colony were detailed in the SIT report. In most of these cases, a common modus operandi was found. The Muslim perpetrators would make contact with gullible Hindu girls, befriend them, ensnare them into their love trap, sexually exploit them, record obscene videos and take pictures, threaten and blackmail them, and force them into converting to Islam.

In all 11 cases the SIT probed, they found certain transgressions based on which the accused were arrested and sent to jail. Pertinently, in 7 of these 11 cases, the victims were minors.

Back in 2020, it was reported that a Hindu girl named Shalini Yadav who went missing was found after two months, however, she had converted to Islam and became Fiza Fatima. Shalini Yadav (Fiza Fatima) uploaded a video on Facebook, eloping from her house and telling the story of converting to Islam and getting married to Mohammad Faisal. Shalini’s brother, however, called this a case of love jihad and alleged that a grooming gang was active in the Juhi Colony.

In 2020, it was reported that in just two months, 5 girls ran away from their homes in the Kanpur area with Muslim men. Other than Shalini Yadav, two sisters, residents of Awas Vikas, Kalyanpur fled with accused Shahrukh and another Muslim youth– both residents of Juhi Colony. Similarly, a girl and her younger sister, both residents of Panki Ratanpur Colony – accused Mohammad Mohsin, the case came to light when the younger sister understood the game plan of the Muslim perpetrators.

Grooming Jihad: From United Kingdom to India

The when and how of some of the major grooming gang cases have been discussed, however, the rampancy of such cases warrants a discussion on the “why” of this menace. While the Beawar case, the 1992 Ajmer scandal, the love jihad cases in Kerala and those in Uttar Pradesh involved a pattern, organised gang of rape jihadis targeting Hindu girls for sexual abuse and conversion to Islam, OpIndia on a near-daily basis reports cases of grooming jihad from across the country, which may not essentially involve gangs. Besides, the Hinduphobia Tracker offers an extensive database of rape jihad cases alongside other forms of crimes against Hindus.

In the year 2023 alone we reported over 153 cases of love jihad. Gang or no gang, there is a recurring pattern of Muslim men deliberately targeting gullible Hindu and other non-Muslim girls, exploiting their vulnerability to sexually exploit them and coerce them into converting to Islam.  

While the Christian missionaries and Pentecostal pastors harvest souls for Christianity by offering financial inducements, giving food grains, and promising to ‘miraculously’ heal diseases, Islamic rape jihadis rely on feigning love, sexual exploitation, coercion and brainwashing to convert their Hindu targets to Islam.

Be it the grooming gang cases in UK’s Rotherham and Telford or those reported in India’s Beawar, Ajmer or Kerala, the striking similarity lies in the modus operandi that transcends geography wherein predators exploit trust through gifts, flattery, or social media, then escalate to sexual abuse and blackmail, and forcing the victims to entrap others, with an additional layer of forced conversion to Islam in the cases in India. Beyond the depravity, this desperation to sexually exploit girls belonging to Hindu and other religions specifically stems from the Islamic disdain for Kafirs.

To the grooming/rape jihadis Hindu and other non-Muslim girls are objects of pleasure, the jihadis see their violation as a conquest of non-Muslims and assertion of Islamic dominance over the infidels. This perverted Jihadist mindset frames sexual exploitation as a tool to humiliate non-Muslims and establish their supposed ‘supremacy’. The horrific cases in Beawar and Ajmer echo this religious chauvinism. Systematic failures coupled with apathy towards victims and misplaced sympathy for perpetrators (as seen in the case of UK grooming gangs), fear of Islamist backlash and political shielding—perpetuate this grooming jihad horror, demanding not just justice for the victims but also a confrontation with its root causes.

Allahabad HC orders cleaning of Sambhal Mosque after ASI rejected request for whitewashing before Ramazan

ANI
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Allahabad HC orders cleaning of Sambhal Mosque after ASI rejected request for whitewashing before Ramazan

The Allahabad High Court has ordered cleaning of Sambhal Mosque premises ahead of Ramzan as Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) said whitewashing is not needed, Masjid Committee is set to file objections.

Advocate ASI Sambhal Vishnu Kumar Sharma said, “Jama Masjid Committee had given a request to ASI for whitewashing of Sambhal Mosque which was rejected by ASI. ASI said that when the case is sub judice then the permission cannot be given for whitewashing. Masjid Committee then went to High Court. HC formed an investigating committee. HC said that cleaning activity can be carried out. Further orders will be based on ASI report.”

Sambhal SP KK Bishnoi said that people are engrossed in festivities.

He said, “Peace is there in the city. Proper deployment of police personnel, PAC is there. It is the duty of police to fully implement the Court’s order on the ground, and we will do that. Police are alert ahead of Friday prayers. “

Security has been heightened in the Shahi Jama Masjid area of Sambhal after the Allahabad High Court directed a three-member committee to oversee the mosque’s painting ahead of Ramzan, officials said on Thursday.

Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal mandated a panel consisting of officials from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a scientific expert, and a local administration representative to ensure the work was conducted without causing structural damage to the mosque.

Sambhal ASP Shrish Chandra told ANI that heavy security arrangements have been put in place around the site. “Tight security arrangements have been made around the disputed site. An adequate police force has been deployed… Peace will be maintained… Surveillance is being conducted through CCTV and drones,” he said.

Samajwadi Party (SP) spokesperson Ameeque Jamei assured that peace would prevail in Sambhal.

“During Diwali, houses across the country are cleaned and painted. Similarly, ahead of Ramzan, mosques are also cleaned and painted. I believe the ASI should extend its full support instead of getting involved in politics. Those attempting to disrupt the unity of Sambhal will not succeed. Sambhal will remain united,” he told ANI.

Earlier in the month, the Uttar Pradesh police’s SIT filed a chargesheet of over 4,000 pages in six of the 12 cases in the November 24 Sambhal violence that erupted during the ASI’s examination of the Mughal-era mosque.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Karnataka: ₹2.6 crore to be spent on renovation of CM Siddaramaiah’s official bungalow, BJP calls it another Sheesh Mahal

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: ₹2.6 crore to be spent on renovation of CM Siddaramaiah’s official bungalow, BJP calls it another Sheesh Mahal

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to renovate his official residence on the lines of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Sheeshmahal by using Rs 2.6 crore of public money. The Karnataka Finance Department issued a notification on February 10 informing that the state Public Works Department (PWD) will be undertaking several works at the CM residence, including the construction of a helper’s room, storage, supply of kitchen items like utensils and crockery and electrical improvements, etc.

A special exemption was granted to the PWD for renovation

As per a report in Times of India, improvements worth Rs 1.7 crore, including internal wiring, lighting points, water points, water heaters, etc. will be carried out at ‘Kaveri’, the official residence of the Chief Minister. Around Rs 89 lakh will reportedly be spent on electrification and air conditioning. An amount of Rs 16 lakh will be spent on the installation of CCTV cameras, air conditioners and other electrical appliances, and Rs 45 lakh will be spent on the renovation of the chamber of the Deputy CM’s Secretary.

Notably, the PWD has been allowed to carry out the renovation work directly without issuing tenders. An exemption under section 4(g) of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act has been granted to the PWD. Last month, on January 29, a similar exemption was reportedly provided to the PWD for electrical work and furniture installation at the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivkumar.

BJP criticises the expenditure of public money

This has attracted widespread criticism, with the BJP terming the expenditure as outrageous. BJP MLA from Chikpet Uday Garudachar described the expenditure as ‘atrocious’. “Isn’t it atrocious? Something that shouldn’t be done is being done by the Chief Minister himself. My appeal is that, let us first ensure all the other things are done. Once those needs are met, he can focus on renovating his house or whatever else he wants”, said Garudachar. “People are struggling for money. There’s hardly any left,” he added.

The renovation of the CM house using public money at a time when the state is facing a financial crunch has raised questions at the Congress government in Karnataka. Last year in July, Basavaraj Rayareddy, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s financial advisor, said that the state lacks funds for development projects due to guarantee schemes. The crisis arose as enormous amounts of funds had to be set aside for Congress’s freebies.

No ICU and equipment in hospitals, non-functional mohalla clinics, only 4% of promised rooms added, and others: CAG report exposes the reality of Delhi’s health infrastructure

OpIndia Staff
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No ICU and equipment in hospitals, non-functional mohalla clinics, only 4% of promised rooms added, and others: CAG report exposes the reality of Delhi’s health infrastructure

The Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) audit report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on 25th February laid bare Delhi’s healthcare infrastructure. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta tabled the report in the Assembly which revealed all the discrepancies in the healthcare system of the national capital.

Delhi’s poor health infrastructure and the reality of Mohalla clinics

The audit report exposed the reality of Delhi’s Mohalla clinics which were once hailed as a revolutionary step towards accessible healthcare. Some of the findings of the audit report regarding the healthcare infrastructure in the national capital are –

  • Delhi’s healthcare infrastructure suffered from a range of problems, including financial mismanagement, negligence and lack of accountability in the last six years. It also highlighted an acute shortage of medical equipment and healthcare staff and the underutilization of emergency funds. The doctors at the Mohalla clinics spent less than a minute on consultations with patients.
  • About 70% of the patients who visited the Mohalla clinics between October 2022 and March 2023 received consultations for less than a minute. Around 18% of the Mohalla clinics assessed were found non-operational for periods ranging from 15 days to 2 years. Out of the 74 clinics reviewed, none was found to have maintained the full stock of 165 drugs listed in the Essential Drugs list.
  • Several hospitals in Delhi were reportedly found to be lacking critical medical services. Out of 27 hospitals in the city, 14 do not have ICU facilities, and 16 do not have blood banks. 12 of the hospitals were found operating without ambulance services. The AYUSH dispensaries in Delhi also lacked essential facilities like toilets, power backups, and check-up tables. Many hospitals reportedly face staff shortages, with a 21 % shortage of nurses, a 38% shortage of paramedics and around 50-60% shortage of doctors.
  • The CAG report revealed that critical hospital infrastructure like operation theatres, ICU beds and private rooms were not at all utilised at Rajiv Gandhi Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospitals. Besides, the trauma centre did not have doctors for emergency care.
  • Under-utilisation of Covid emergency funds was also highlighted in the report. Out of Rs 787.91 crore allocated for the COVID-19 response, only Rs 582.84 crore were utilised. Rs 30.52 crore meant for healthcare workers and Rs 83.14 crore allotted for essential drugs and PPE kits remained unused.
    • The previous AAP government failed to expand bed capacities in hospitals. Out of the promised 32,000 hospital beds, only 1,357 (4.24%) were added. Moreover, several hospital projects were delayed in the national capital, resulting in cost overruns amounting to Rs 383.52 crore. This included hospitals like Indira Gandhi Hospital, Burari Hospital and MA Dental Ph-II.
    • Hospitals have long surgery waiting periods, for example, Lok Nayak Hospital has 2-3 months waiting for general surgeries and 6-8 months waiting for burn and plastic surgeries. The CNBC hospital has a 12-month wait for pediatric surgeries.

Massive losses incurred due to the Liquor Excise Policy

The infamous Liquor Excise Policy 2-21-22 introduced by the previous AAP government which led to the arrest of former CM Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was also exposed by the CAG audit report. As per the CAG audit report released on 11th January 2025, the Delhi government incurred a loss of Rs 2,002 crore in the formulation and implementation of the policy.

  1. The audit report revealed that the group of ministers responsible for overseeing the policy did not consider the recommendations of the Expert Committee without offering any justification. The infirmities pointed out by the Committee in the policy were ignored. “…cases of related business entities holding licenses across the supply chain and skewed distribution pattern highlighted the risk of exclusivity arrangements and brand pushing…Some retailers retained licenses till the expiry of the policy period, some surrendered the same before the policy period was over. As retail licensees were limited in numbers, it caused a disruption in supply because the policy did not contain any provision requiring the licensees to give advance notices before surrendering the license, “the report said.
  2. According to the audit report, a loss of another 941 crore was incurred by the government due to its decision to open liquor vends in non-conforming areas. “In spite of being aware that vends were required to be opened in non-conforming wards in order to achieve the objective of equitable distribution, the Department did not take timely action to work out modalities leading to non-achievement of the objective. It also resulted in loss of revenue of approximately Rs 941 crore due to exemptions which had to be given to the zonal licensees”, the report read. In addition, Rs 144 crore was reportedly lost due to an irregular grant of waiver to the licensees because of the COVID-19 pandemic-related closures.
  3. The report also highlighted that many liquor wholesalers did not submit mandatory quality tests verifying compliance with the norms of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Besides, the reports of quality, harmful ingredients, heavy metals, and methyl alcohol were not submitted by several brands.
  4. Financial irregularities were also found in the Excise Supply Chain Information Management System (ESCIMS). The report claimed that undue benefit of Rs 24.23 crore was given to the implementing agency. As per the contract, the implementing agency was entitled to payments only for barcode authenticated bottles at the Point of Sale (POS) during sales. However, it was found in audit that between December 2013 and November 2022, barcode authentication amounted to Rs 65.88 crore while the actual payment created was Rs 90.11 crore.

Two of the 14 CAG audit reports have been released by the Delhi government so far. Subsequently, the CAG audit reports will be examined by a Public Accounts Committee comprising MLAs from the BJP and the AAP. The committee will be empowered to call government officials and former ministers for questioning and submit its recommendations.

Insult to Hindu faith: UP Minister Nitin Agrawal slams opposition for questioning Maha Kumbh

ANI
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Insult to Hindu faith: UP Minister Nitin Agrawal slams opposition for questioning Maha Kumbh

Uttar Pradesh Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitin Agrawal on Friday criticised the opposition, particularly the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress, for questioning the recently concluded Mahakumbh, describing their comments as an “insult to Hindu faith and eternal traditions.”

“See, the opposition has consistently questioned the Maha Kumbh and made objectionable comments. This has been going on for forty-five days since our great festival began, and even before that, during the preparations. The Samajwadi Party and other opposition parties repeatedly raised doubts. However, under the guidance of the Honorable Prime Minister, the Honorable Chief Minister successfully conducted this grand event, setting a world record with over sixty-six Crores devotees taking a holy dip in the past forty-five days,” Nitin said.

He further emphasized that during the event’s conclusion, the Chief Minister expressed gratitude to everyone involved. “Despite this, if the Samajwadi Party still raises questions, it is nothing but an insult to eternal traditions and Hindu faith. The people of Uttar Pradesh will answer the way the Samajwadi Party continues to disrespect Sanatan Dharma in the 2027 general elections,” he added.

Targeting Congress, Nitin questioned the absence of its top leaders from the Maha Kumbh. “Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi did not visit Kumbh. If some of their party members did, was it just for show or photo ops? If they didn’t go at all, does it mean they oppose the Mahakumbh? The Congress party must answer the people of this country. By boycotting this grand festival, they have boycotted Hindus and Sanatan Dharma.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praised the state police for their exceptional role in ensuring the smooth and successful organisation of the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

UP CM Adityanath acknowledged the police’s dedication and teamwork, which enabled the safe and secure participation of over 66 crore devotees.

The Chief Minister also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the event’s success, highlighting the use of technology and the state’s efforts to ensure a safe and organized experience.

Addressing the gathering, CM Yogi Adityanath commended the police force for managing the complexities of the Mahakumbh, a large-scale event that saw a huge influx of devotees.

“The police force and jawans played a pivotal role in the crowd management and overall success of the Mahakumbh. I congratulate them for their dedication,” he said.

CM Yogi emphasised that the event’s success was a result of PM Modi’s vision, which provided a framework for organising a “Divya Kumbh Bhavya Kumbh”

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

BBC makes son of Hamas terrorist ‘narrator’ in Gaza documentary, deliberately omits references to ‘Jihad’ and ‘jews’: What happened

Dibakar Dutta
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BBC makes son of Hamas terrorist ‘narrator’ in Gaza documentary, deliberately omits references to ‘Jihad’ and ‘jews’: What happened

On Thursday (27th February), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) News issued a statement, distancing itself from an anti-Semitic, propaganda-laden documentary on Gaza.

The controversial programme was titled ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ and was aired by BBC Two on 17th February 2025. It came under fire for featuring Abdullah Al-Yazouri, the son of a Hamas terrorist and omitting references to ‘Jihad’ and ‘Jews’

Almost 10 days after airing the documentary, a BBC spokesperson stated, “It (The BBC Board) has identified serious flaws in the making of this programme. Some of these were made by the production company, and some by the BBC; all of them are unacceptable. BBC News takes full responsibility for these and the impact that these have had on the Corporation’s reputation. We apologise for this.”

In a half-hearted ‘apology’, BBC News claimed that the publication of the documentary ‘damaged the trust’ of the audience.

“Although the programme was made by an independent production company, who were commissioned to deliver a fully compliant documentary, the BBC has ultimate editorial responsibility for this programme as broadcast,” it made a last ditch effort to defend itself.

BBC News claimed to not know that the narrator in the documentary had ties with Hamas. The propaganda news broadcaster, however, conceded thata ‘limited sum of money’ was wired to the wife of the Hamas terrorist Ayman Al-Yazouri for narration in the documentary.

It stated that a full audit of the expenditure of the production company (identified as Hoyo Films) as well as a fact-finding review was underway. BBC News claimed that Peter Johnston, the Director of Editorial Complaints and Reviews, would determine if any disciplinary actions were required.

It further added that issues raised surrounding the use of language and translation in the documentary would also be reviewed. Interestingly, BBC News announced that it would not broadcast the documentary again in its current form, hinting that it might see the light of the day again after re-modifications.

“We have no plans to broadcast the programme again in its current form or return it to iPlayer and will make a further assessment once the work of Peter Johnston is complete,” the BBC Board said.

Controversy surrounding the BBC documentary

The propaganda documentary by BBC News titled ‘Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone’ featured Abdullah Al-Yazouri, the son of a Hamas’ Ayman Al-Yazouri (who works as the ‘deputy agriculture minister’ of the terror outfit in the Gaza strip).

Abdullah was the narrator of the programme. The matter came to light following an expose by antisemitism researcher David Collier. Later, it was found that another girl featured in the documentary was the daughter of another Hamas terrorist.

One child in the programme was also shown posing with Hamas terrorists. BBC attempted to defend the inclusion of the son of a Hamas terrorist in the documentary.

“The film remains a powerful child’s eye view of the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza which we believe is an invaluable testament to their experiences, and we must meet our commitment to transparency,” it stated.

However, BBC News took down the programme on 21st February 2025 over widespread criticism.

British Daily ‘The Telegraph’ published a report on Tuesday (25th February) exposing how the BBC documentary deliberately omitted references to Jews (Yahud) on at least 5 different occasions and Gazans vowing to do ‘Jihad.’.

“The Telegraph can reveal that on at least five occasions the words Yahud or Yahudy – Arabic for “Jew” or “Jews” – were changed to “Israel” or “Israeli forces”, or were removed from the subtitles altogether,” it stated.

“An interviewee praising Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader, for “jihad against the Jews” was also mistranslated as saying he was fighting “Israeli forces“,” the newspaper further added.

It had also come to light that the cameraman involved in the production of the anti-Semitic documentary, Hatem Rawagh, had previously celebrated the killing of 1,139 Jews on 7th October 2023 in Israel.

Manipur: Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrenders over 240 weapons as Governor’s deadline ends, Kukis dismiss gesture. What does it mean for the state

OpIndia Staff
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Manipur: Meitei group Arambai Tenggol surrenders over 240 weapons as Governor’s deadline ends, Kukis dismiss gesture. What does it mean for the state

On Thursday, the last day of the 1 week time given by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to armed groups in Manipur to surrender looted arms from state armouries, the Arambai Tenggol, a Meitei organisation, came in a procession to surrender hundreds of guns.

The surrender took place on the grounds of the 1st Manipur Rifles (MR), with cadre of Arambai Tenggol arriving in trucks, including women members and supporters.

Arambai Tenggol puts certain conditions, seeks assurance that Kukis won’t attack Meiteis again

Arambai Tenggol had met Governor Ajay Bhalla on February 25, in which they agreed to surrender arms looted from the state government stores. The Arambai Tenggol, one of the larges Meitei organisations that has often been in conflict with the rival Kukis in the state, has stated that they have surrendered arms to the state wit the conditions that the State will ensure that there are no more attacks by Kukis on Meitei groups, and the State assures the protection of the lives and properties of Kukis.

In addition to asking security for Meiteis in the region, Arambai Tenggol is seeking a general amnesty for their members, including village volunteers, complete eradication of illegal poppy cultivations by Kuki groups, the completion of border fencing, and the implementation of NRC to identify illegal immigrants.

Additionally, Arambai Tenggol has stated that if the Kukis attack Meiteis again, resulting in the loss of civilian lives, they would take retaliatory action and the State should not try to restrain them at that time. The ST status for Meiteis, a controversial but long-standing demand from the Meiteis, was stressed again.

The demands were submitted in the form of a memorandum to the governor by the Arambai Tenggol. So far, there has been no official response on the demands from the government’s side.

What are Kuki groups saying

The Kuki-Jo groups of ITLF and COTU have issued a joint statement dismissing the mass surrender of arms by Meiteis as a move to garner sympathy. “The surrender of 300 weapons today by Arambai Tenggol is a mere gesture. It accounts for only 5% of the total looted arms in the Imphal Valley. It is a strategic attempt to improve their public image after meeting the Governor. They are responsible for killing more than 230 Kuki-Jo people.”

Looted arms in Manipur

As per official records, over 6000 weapons have been looted from state armouries and police stations over the months. After the Governor’s appeal, many weapons are being surrendered. In addition to the surrender of over 230 weapons by the Arambai Tengol yesterday, an additional 87 weapons were surrendered by the public in places such as Churachandpur, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Toubal, Kangpokpi, Jiribam and Imphal West.

The state has been in turmoil since May 2023. Multiple incidents of weapons looting have been reported. Armed militants often have attacked police stations and armories storage facilities with grenade and AK-47S, setting fire to the premises and absconding with the weapons.

The armed conflict between Kuki-Jo and Meitei groups has been rampant in the state for nearly 2 years, killing hundreds of civilians and rendering thousands homeless.

Poppy plantations and illegal drug trade in Manipur

One of the main factors in the ethnic clashes between Kuki and Meitei groups has been the illegal, often violent capture of vast stretches of lands by predominantly Kuki groups and using it for illicit poppy farming. The networks of the drug trade stretches from Manipur to Myanmar and beyond. The former Biren Singh government in Manipur has been asserting that the drug trade is the centre of conflict, both driving it, funding it, and fuelling it from within.

Hundreds of acres of poppy plantations have been destroyed by the government with the help of civilian groups so far. The Arambai Tenggol says that it is against poppy cultivations and wants to see the plantations destroyed. Raids and destruction of poppy farming have been going on a serious level comparable with the recovery of arms.

Though the arms surrender and action on insurgent groups have been progressing, the situation in Manipur is still fragile, and volatile. There are plenty of arms and ammunitions in circulation, including sophisticated weapons. The border with Myanmar remains porous, and amid the drug trafficking and violence between the ethnic groups, a permanent peace still seems elusive, even with the state being under the President’s rule.

Joined Islamic State after getting angry over Quran burning: German court sentences 2 Afghan terrorists who were plotting to attack Sweden’s parliament

OpIndia Staff
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Joined Islamic State after getting angry over Quran burning: German court sentences 2 Afghan terrorists who were plotting to attack Sweden’s parliament

A German court has sentenced two Afghan terrorists linked to terror organisation Islamic State to several years in prison for planning an attack on the Swedish Parliament and plotting to kill policemen. The two terrorists were plotting this to take revenge for the burning of the Quran in Sweden.

The Jena Higher Regional Court found both of them guilty of being members of the terrorist organisation Islamic State and plotting to commit murder. The court sentenced one of the accused to 5 years and six months in prison, and the other one to 4 years and 2 months in prison. The two terrorists were 30-year-old and 24-year-old respectively.

The accused can still appeal against the sentence. One of the two accused is named Ibrahim MG and the other is Ramin N. Both of them lived in Gera in Thuringia state of eastern Germany and knew each other beforehand.

Both these terrorists were radicalized through online Islamic State propaganda. Police arrested both of them in March last year. At that time, they were returning from Czech Republic where they had tried to get weapons for the attack.

According to the court, both Afghans were kept under surveillance for some time. German officials said that both these people were associated with the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K). They had received orders to carry out attacks in Europe. The plot made by them included planning to kill police and others.

Pune Bus Rape: Crime Branch detains accused in the Swargate bus depot case

ANI
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Pune Bus Rape: Crime Branch detains accused in the Swargate bus depot case

Pune Crime Branch has detained the accused in the Pune rape incident at the Swargate bus depot from a village in Shirur Tehsil of the Pune district.

The accused Dattatray Ramdas Gade was absconding since the incident happened on Tuesday, when the rape survivor, a working woman, was waiting for a bus to return home to Phaltan, which is located around 100 km away.

The accused allegedly approached her, falsely claiming that the bus to her destination was parked elsewhere. He led her to a MSRTC Shivsahi bus parked in the depot, where he allegedly raped her.

Meanwhile, State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has ordered for an immediate security audit of all bus stands and depots across the state.

As per a release issued on Thursday, the minister has also instructed that all registered buses parked at bus stations and depots and vehicles seized by transport offices be removed by April 15.

Considering the rising number of female passengers, Minister Sarnaik emphasised the need to increase the number of female security guards at bus stations.

Additionally, he directed that a specific timeframe be set for removing unregistered buses from bus stand areas, with the process to be completed by April 15. He also called for the appointment of an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to the vacant post of Chief Security and Vigilance Officer in the State Transport Corporation.

Leaders and workers of the Sharad Pawar-led NCP-SCP on Thursday staged a protest against the rape incident at the Swargate bus depot in Pune, calling for strict action against the accused.

The protesters demanded capital punishment for the rape accused and the safety of women.

Maharashtra’s Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik also ordered a departmental inquiry against the Assistant Transport Superintendent and the Bus Depot Manager of the Swargate Bus Depot in Pune following the February 25 incident in which the 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped inside a parked bus.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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