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Kerala CM heaped praise on a convicted murderer – nobody noticed

Abhishek Banerjee
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Kerala CM heaped praise on a convicted murderer – nobody noticed

Let me sketch a hypothetical scenario for you. Suppose a senior BJP leader commits a terrible crime: a murder of a political opponent. The BJP leader is arrested, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, suppose the state government is run by the BJP and the convicted murderer hardly spends any actual time in jail – because he keeps getting parole.

Then, one day, the murderer dies (of natural causes). The sitting BJP CM, his top Cabinet Ministers, the state party chief, pay rich tributes to him. They call him a martyr and a hero and an example to follow.

Imagine if something so shocking ever happened. At each step of that, imagine the howls from so called civil society. From the murder to the conviction to the parole to the praise, at every step the BJP and its supporters would be crucified in media criticism. They would be called terrorists, Nazis, ISIS and what not. Every newspaper, Indian and foreign, would report obsessively on it. Historians would record the incident so that it could be referenced even decades later.

The Communists just pulled this off. With barely a mention anywhere, nor a whiff of criticism.

CPI(M) member PK Kunjananthan died earlier this week.

CPIM leader P K Kunjanathan had been convicted in 2014 for a political murder and was serving life imprisonment. He had already enjoyed 400 days of parole in the last five years or so. During that time, he freely took part in activities of the party and even became an office bearer.

Here is what sitting Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan had to say about him:

“He had won the acceptance as a social worker, and affection of all sections of people in Panur.”

Here is what Kerala’s state CPIM chief had to say about him.

“….He was very dear to the people and a relentless worker who was instrumental in setting up the party in the area. He was dear and acceptable even among the political rivals, too….”

In case you forgot, he is describing a convicted murderer here. Popular even among political rivals? He was convicted for murdering a political opponent.

And here is (now celebrity) Health Minister K K Shailaja of Kerala.

“Comrade was the source of energy of the party. He was Kunajanthettan (ettan is an elder brother) to all, cutting across party lines, “

This should have been a media storm. It wasn’t. It didn’t even cause outrage on social media.

It’s not like Kerala gets no coverage. Search for “Kerala model” and Google will give you ten pages of results raving about Kerala’s supposedly amazing governance. In fact, propaganda about Kerala model is at its peak right now. In the last 3 months, Kerala has decisively defeated the Coronavirus at least 3-4 times. Yet, new cases keep propping up, possibly due to a CIA conspiracy.

It’s like the Communists wear some kind of magic armor. The Communist government slips in and out of global consciousness effortlessly. In the morning, K K Shailaja is the icon of good governance who saved the world. In the evening, she is praising a murderer. There is no attempt to hide, no dog whistle, no innuendo. Just straight talk praising a murderer. Her straight talk falls on our ears but we cannot hear it.

The Communist Party carries out murders in broad daylight and celebrates those murders in broad daylight. But we cannot see it. It’s hidden in plain sight.

This magic armor is called “ecosystem.” And it is a sad commentary on the right wing that they cannot extract a political price even when the left does something so outrageous and so openly.

In fact, it appears that Kerala CM makes no effort to exclude murder convicts from his personal social circle. Even as I write this, I discover that another convicted murderer is in the news surrounding the Kerala CM.

Mohamed Hashim was convicted in RSS karyakarta’s murder.

This time it is one Mohamad Hashim. He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by the Supreme Court in 2017.

Well, if he was sentenced in 2017, why is he outside? Because he is on parole – of course he is! How could he not be on parole?

Do you get this now? In practice, the Indian legal system has long ceased to exist in Communist ruled Kerala. The Communists get to make the rules. The Communists have absolute power over life and death. They don’t even worry about getting convicted. They just laugh at the Supreme Court, get parole and walk out of jail in broad daylight.

There were barely 30 people at this wedding ceremony. I suppose that means they only invited close friends and family. And a murder convict still made it to the list.

But when you have BBC eating out of your hands and when everyone loves the Kerala model, who cares about a few murder convictions? Oh and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is also a fan of mass murderers like North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. He said it publicly. And yes, he was CM at the time. And speaking at an official party event. And this is from 2018. That is just two years ago. And still nobody noticed. Let that sink in.

I am curious. Was Kim Jong Un also invited to the wedding? It would not surprise me. A visit from Uncle Kim would have made it so much more special. But there’s the Coronavirus and people can’t travel. Blame Modi.

‘Rats of Shah Dola’: How hundreds of children in the Islamic State of Pakistan are forcefully deformed and exploited as beggars

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Rats of Shah Dola’: How hundreds of children in the Islamic State of Pakistan are forcefully deformed and exploited as beggars

Religious orthodoxy, superstitious beliefs, coupled with mass illiteracy can pave the way for exploitation in society. One such startling case of child abuse, fuelled by religious dogmatism, comes from the Islamic State of Pakistan. Children suffering from microcephaly, a rare neurological disorder, are reduced to the status of animals in Pakistan. Often referred to as ‘chuhas’ or rats by people, these children are characterised by abnormally small heads, round jaws, and disfigured foreheads.

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the microcephalic children find refuge at the shrine of Shah Daula in Varedia, Gujarat. They are revered as divine creatures and simultaneously stripped of their human dignity. Reportedly, infertile from across the country flock to the shrine in the hopes of having a normal baby. Other pilgrims bring in their sick infants and hope of their bright health conditions in the future. The shrine of Shah Daula is considered as the abode of fertility for women.

Child abuse under the garb of magical ‘fertility’

Prayers are supposedly answered only under one atrocious condition – the women must donate their first child to the shrine. It is believed that otherwise subsequent children will be born with deformities. Hence, the first child must serve as one of the ‘rats of Shah Daula’. As per reports, these children are not allowed to meet their parents. They are then subjected to ‘artificial microcephaly’ wherein an iron band is placed on their head to prevent the normal growth of the cranium.

These unfortunate children are draped in green cloaks and forced to beg around the shrine. Since pilgrims live under the notion that ignoring them may invite doom, they fill the begging bowls of children with cash and coins. The children, devoid of education and parental patronage, are left at the mercy of the administration of the shrine. Reportedly, criminals in Pakistan have also been creating ‘artificial rats’ with the sinister objective of minting money. The children are coerced into begging on the streets, with begging bowls in their hands.

The History of the Shrine

The historical background of the shrine sheds light on the practice of child abuse that continues to this day. As per reports, Shah Daula who was supposedly fond of animals would put helmets on the heads of children for decorative purposes. He had a penchant for abnormal children and believed that they were human beings of different abilities. Following the death of the Sufi saint, the deformed children were associated with him and fabricated tales were weaved to justify the practice.

Keeping aside the tradition of abuse, a scientific assessment of the abnormality leads us to the religious practices in Islam that dictates the way of life in the conservative society of Pakistan. The root cause, as understood, behind the problem is the rampant rate of inbreeding or cousin marriages. An alarming absence of medical care, institutions to serve differently-abled children and the associated ignorance have trapped the children of Shah Daula into a life of misery.

Pakistani and International Laws

As per Section 328 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), deserting a child below the age of 12 years by parents is a crime. At the shrine of Shah Daula, the first child of such devotees are abandoned on the first or the second day of their birth. Besides, Section 332 and 335 punishes disfiguring a functional organ of any individual but the business of ‘artificial microcephaly’ goes unabated under the pretext of making infertile women fertile. Moreover, forcing children into begging is punishable with a maximum of 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of PKR 1,00,000 under Section 36 of the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Children Act 2004.

Although Pakistan is a member nation of the United Nations and liable under Sections 23 and 37 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child 1990 (UNCRC) to prevent the child abuse going unabated under the garb of ‘tradition’, little or no efforts have been made in this regard. Lack of consciousness amongst the public regarding human rights abuse, the complicity of governmental bodies, and the Council of Islamic Ideology needs to be held accountable.

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana likens alliance partner Congress to an old squeaking cot, advises Uddhav Thackeray to be prepared

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana likens alliance partner Congress to an old squeaking cot, advises Uddhav Thackeray to be prepared

The petty squabbling between the unholy alliance of NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena came out in open on Tuesday as the Shiv Sena mouthpiece–Saamana compared the Congress party to a perpetually squeaking old cot that keeps making noise now and then.

In its editorial piece, Saamana says, “The elected chief minister’s decision is final and binding. Even Sharad Pawar acts in accordance with this rule and meets the chief minister every now and then to proffer suggestions. Congress is doing good work but they have a knack of squeaking like an old cot every now and then.”

Cautioning Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray of the persistent rumbling from the Congress party, the Saamana piece said that the Shiv Sena supremo should be ready to tackle such behaviour of the Congress party.

“It is an old party with history but in this cot there are many party strongmen which is the reason why the old cot is making sound. CM should be ready to face this from Congress,” the Saamana article said.

The snide remarks for the alliance partner came after Congress leaders expressed their displeasure over the bureaucracy creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the Maharashtra government. Congress state chief Balasaheb Thorat and Congress heavyweight Ashok Chavan are reportedly going to meet the chief minister to convey their annoyance with the bureaucracy.

BJP attacks coalition after Sena’s jibe at the Congress party

Hours after Shiv Sena mouthpiece took a swipe at the Congress party, the principal opposition party which had once been in an alliance with the Shiv Sena slammed the unholy nexus between ideologically disparate parties of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena.

Attacking the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition in Maharashtra, the BJP asserted that the alliance partners are bickering even as the coronavirus pandemic is precipitously sweeping across the state.

BJP spokesperson Ram Kadam said that the Maharashtra government is indifferent to the coronavirus patients dying “due to lack of beds”. He also alleged that even as “Maharashtra has become China”, the coalition partners were busy indulging in fratricidal conflicts.

“They are busy talking about a squeaking old bed but are not concerned about the patients dying in Maharashtra due to lack of beds,” Ram Kadam said while adding, “Is there some self-respect left in Congress and NCP?”

ICSE and ISC exams: Council gives option to students to opt-out of the remaining papers: Here are the full details

OpIndia Staff
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ICSE and ISC exams: Council gives option to students to opt-out of the remaining papers: Here are the full details

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) on Monday informed the Bombay high court that it has decided not to pressurise ICSE – Class X and ISC – Class XII students to appear for the remaining papers of the board exams.

The CISCE gives children the option of opting-out of the remaining papers

The council has informed the bench comprising of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice SS Shinde that it has given the children appearing for the exams an option to either appear for remaining papers scheduled to be held from July 2 or opt-out. In case the children choose the second option, their final results in pending subjects would be determined on the basis of their performance in internal assessment or pre-board examinations or results of board examinations papers in subjects already taken.

Results of other subjects will be declared on the basis of student’s performance in the examination held so far.

Press release by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE)
Press release by the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE)

The council has said that the same would be communicated to all 2,605 schools affiliated to it and the option of each and every student will be ascertained. It said that the schools would be required to inform the same to its students, who will then choose their response and inform the school, which they would forward to the council latest by June 22.

CISCE responded to a PIL filed by advocate Arvind Tiwari in the Bombay High Court

The Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) had responded to public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Arvind Tiwari in the Bombay High Court, seeking a direction to the Board to cancel the examination of remaining papers.

Weighing the risks that the current coronavirus outbreak would put the children into, Advocate Tiwari, whose son is also appearing for ICSE examination, had said in his PIL that as a precaution, it would make sense for Indian educational boards to cancel the remaining papers of Class X and XII examinations.

Board examinations were postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic

ICSE and ISC 2020 examination started as scheduled on February 27. All the papers till March 18 were held according to the declared timetable. However, late on March 18, the board rescheduled the remaining examination due to restrictions imposed in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

On May 22, the board declared that examination of remaining papers of Class 10 will be held between July 2 and July 12 and examination of remaining papers of Class 12 will be held from July 1 to July 14.

Close to 2.8 lakh students are expected to sit for the ICSE exam in July.

Earlier, the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) was keen on holding examination for the remaining papers. In its reply to the PIL filed by Advocate Tiwari, the council had pointed out that on June 7, it held a video conferencing meeting with the principals of its affiliated schools in Maharashtra. This was attended by principals of 196 of the total 226 schools in the state and 84 of them were in favour of holding examination of remaining papers, said the council.

Tiwari said the bench has now sought to know if the Maharashtra government was willing to grant permission to CISCE for conducting ICSE and ISC examination in remaining papers. The petition has been posted for further hearing on June 17 (Wednesday).

India-China border stand-off: Three Indian soldiers, including a colonel martyred during a clash in Galwan, Ladakh

OpIndia Staff
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India-China border stand-off: Three Indian soldiers, including a colonel martyred during a clash in Galwan, Ladakh

In latest development from the Ladakh front, an Indian Army Colonel, who was the commanding officer of an infantry battalion and two Army jawans have been martyred during a clash with the Chinese troops at one of the standoff points in the Galwan Valley.

According to journalist Shiv Aroor, the three Indian Army soldiers were martyred during the ongoing clash between India and Chinese troops near Line of Actual Control at areas around Galwan valley at Ladakh.

Aroor shared an official statement by the Indian Army which mentioned that during the de-escalation process between the two sides in the Galwan valley, a violent face-off took place between two sides on Monday night at the spot leading to casualties.

During the clash-off, three Indian soldiers including an colonel-rank Army officer were martyred. The Indian Army and PLA officials are now present at the spot to defuse the tensions between two sides, said Indian Army.

Chinese troops deployment near Ladakh

The tension between India and China have escalated since reports emerged that China had deployed excessive troops and set up temporary tents across the Galwan river in Ladakh after a face-off near Pangong Tso on May 5-6.

It is also believed that Chinese troops have also taken up positions along the Pangong Tso Lake and are also carrying out aggressive patrols with motorboats to intimidate Indian forces in the region. Reportedly, the Chinese troops have damaged some temporary structures put up in the finger area near Pangong Tso Lake.

The face-offs, which started as a little skirmish initiated by the Chinese troops, later took a serious turn after the Chinese side brought in troops and heavy equipment from a military exercise.

Troops clashed in Eastern sector

The Galwan stand-off comes at the backdrop of a recent incident where troops of both India and China were involved in two face-offs in a span of a week in the Eastern Ladakh and near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector along the contentious border between the two countries.

In the first incident, the Chinese army personnel had clashed with Indian forces along the northern bank of the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh on May 5. The face-off ended the next morning following dialogue between the two sides. A number of soldiers on both sides had sustained minor injuries

Just days before, in another incident, nearly 150 Indian and Chinese military personnel had engaged in a face-off near Naku La Pass in the Sikkim sector of the Sino-India border in which at least 10 soldiers sustained injuries.

From ‘he was hearing voices’ to ‘don’t blame us’, Bollywood stars try to absolve themselves of the collective guilt over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death

Nirwa Mehta
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From ‘he was hearing voices’ to ‘don’t blame us’, Bollywood stars try to absolve themselves of the collective guilt over Sushant Singh Rajput’s death

A day after Sushant Singh Rajput committed suicide, Bollywood critic Subhash K Jha wrote an article in Congress mouthpiece wherein he had said how Mahesh Bhatt thought the deceased actor had mental illness like his former lover, Parveen Babi. Babi was rumoured to have been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, a claim she categorically denied by stating that it was a rumour spread by the Hindi film industry to malign her image.

Jha claims that these revelations were made by one writer, Suhrita Sengupta, a close associate of Bhatt. Sengupta had said that Bhatt told Rhea, Rajput’s then girlfriend, that his mental condition is just like that of Babi. Bhatt had suggested Rhea to break up her relationship with Rajput. Apparently, when Bhatt met Rajput for a possibility of a role in Sadak 2, Bhatt ‘identified melancholy under Sushant’s constant exuberance’. Jha claims that Suhrita said that Rhea stuck by Rajput despite his ‘rapid descent into depression’ and even when he ‘stopped taking medication’.

Quoting Suhrita, Jha says that Sushant started ‘hearing voices’. “There came a time when Sushant began hearing voices. He began to feel people were trying to kill him. One day an Anurag Kashyap film was playing in Sushant’s home and he told Rhea, ‘I  said no to an offer from Kashyap. Now he’s going to come to kill me.’ That’s when  Rhea was too frightened to stay with  Sushant any longer. She had no choice. Bhatt Saab told her there was nothing she could do. If she stayed on she would lose her sanity too. Rhea waited for Sushant’s sister to come to Mumbai and take charge. Sushant’s sisters tried their best to support and comfort him. But he was beyond listening to anyone. He wouldn’t take his medication,” Sengupta said.

Essentially, just a day after a person has died, Bollywood’s popular film critic pens down a piece claiming how the person who many believe was bullied and pushed over the edge, was well, ‘mentally unstable’. Sushant Singh Rajput is not around to defend himself on these claims. But by now, everyone has read these stories of him being ‘depressed’ and well, ‘hearing voices’.

In a country where mental illness is still a taboo, the who’s who of the Bollywood have already managed to paint him as a freak.

But this didn’t stop here. Bollywood starlets came together to what seems to be in a bid to absolve themselves of the collective guilt. On Monday many people pointed out the bullying Rajput had to face on hands of the ‘star kids’ or the pedigree who rule the roost. The star kids and their minions soon came out to support one of ‘their own’ (because Rajput was an ‘outsider’ as already established).

Similarly, Swara Bhaskar, Sonam’s colleague came out to defend Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt who were accused of bullying Sushant Singh Rajput on their show through mean comments and ridicule.

Times of India group’s entertainment arm, Zoom TV put put a post where they said how Rajput’s social media account was ‘infamous’ for ‘weird posts’.

Zoom TV’s tweet on Sushant Singh Rajput’s social media activity

Zoom has now deleted this tweet.

Essentially, because Rajput had Vincent Van Gogh’s painting The Starry Night as his Twitter cover image and had photos of celestial bodies. Because how can someone be intelligent in an industry where where being smart is mocked at.

And while we may never know what drove Sushant Singh Rajput over the edge, efforts already seem to be in motion to prove that he was crazy, mentally unstable and derail the conversation that the deep, dark world of Bollywood is full of toxic people who perhaps drove a young talented boy to suicide. Because why give dignity to the dead when you have your gang to save.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain admitted to hospital with COVID-19-like symptoms, had met Home Minister Amit Shah

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain admitted to hospital with COVID-19-like symptoms, had met Home Minister Amit Shah

In a recent Tweet, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain informed that he has developed COVID-19-like symptoms and has been admitted to the Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital. He was rushed to the hospital after symptoms of high fever and difficulty in breathing.

As per reports, Jain has also undergone a test for coronavirus and his results are awaited.

Jain recently attended the meeting organized by Amit Shah in HMO along with Union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan and CM Arvind Kejriwal, amongst others.

Kejriwal was also tested for Covid-19

Recently, the chief minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, was also tested for novel coronavirus after he complained about high fever and sore throat. He isolated himself and cancelled all the meetings. Later his reports came negative. Kejriwal replied to Jain’s tweet and wrote in Hindi that he had been working day and night during the spread without thinking about his own health. He must take care of himself and get better soon.

Satyendar Jain predicted 30,000 more cases in Delhi

Delhi is one of the worse-hit states by coronavirus pandemic. There are 42,829 total confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in Delhi. With 25,002 active cases and 1,400 deaths to date, Delhi’s health infrastructure is crumbling under pressure. Yesterday, Home Minister Amit Shah went to LNJP hospital to take stock of the situation. On 10th June, Delhi’s Health Minister had predicted 30,000 more cases in Delhi in the next 15 days.

Mohammed Hashim, convicted for the murder of RSS worker Suresh Babu, spotted at the wedding of Kerala Chief Minister’s daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammed Hashim, convicted for the murder of RSS worker Suresh Babu, spotted at the wedding of Kerala Chief Minister’s daughter

On Monday, the wedding of CPM leader Mohammed Riyas and Veena, the daughter of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, was reportedly attended by a convicted criminal, Mohammed Hashim. Hashim was reportedly involved in the murder of an RSS worker named Ottapilavu Suresh Babu in Thrissur, Kerala. His presence at the wedding of the Communist leader’s daughter has now sparked off a debate on social media.

As per reports, the murder convict is the cousin of the bridegroom, Mohammed Riyas. Hashim is serving a life sentence and was out of parole, owing to the Coronavirus outbreak. In his defence, Hashim said that he had not violated the parole conditions by attending the wedding ceremony. Although Hashim was acquitted by the Kerala High Court in 2017, he was convicted by the Supreme Court and sentenced to 7-years in imprisonment.

BJP leaders raise objection

On Monday, BJP leader Sobha Surendran tweeted a photograph wherein Mohammed Hashim could be seen standing behind the bride and the bridegroom. Calling the incident as ‘shocking’, she wrote, “Mohammed Hashim, the murderer of RSS Karyakarta Shri Suresh Babu, & convicted by Supreme Court for the same, attended the marriage of Pinarayi Vijayan’s daughter at the Chief Minister’s official residence. He was one among the 50 special invitees.”

Besides, BJP spokesperson (Kerala) Sandeep G Varier had also sought an explanation from the Chief Minister about the viral photograph. He asked Pinaryi Vijayan, who is also in charge of the State Home Ministry, to clarify whether a murder convict, out on parole, indeed attended the wedding of his daughter.

About Riyas and Veena

Amidst the pandemic, a total of 50 guests were reportedly allowed at the wedding that was held at the official residence of the CM, Cliff House, in Thiruvananthapuram. Mohammed Riyas, 2017 DYFI President and Communist leader, had earlier married Dr Sameeha Saithalavi. His marriage ended in divorce in 2015. Reportedly, his wife had accused him of domestic violence. Riyas had earlier led ‘beef cooking’ protests after the Centre sought to regulate the purchase and sale of cattle. He had also unsuccessfully contested for Kozhikode Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

Similarly, Veena was earlier married to advocate Suneesh but their marriage too ended in 2015. She had worked in the IT sector for close to 10 years and had founded a mobility and cloud solutions company named Exalogic. Congress leader PT Thomas pointed out that the website of the company had disappeared and reportedly traced to another company named Sprinklr which is responsible for maintaining Coronavirus data in the State.

Rajdeep Sardesai objects to the police investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, gets schooled by police officers

OpIndia Staff
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Rajdeep Sardesai objects to the police investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, gets schooled by police officers

On Sunday, 14 June, Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his residence in Mumbai’s Bandra. Following Sushant’s death, media and social media has been abuzz with a lot of discussions, and speculations over his death.

As per procedure, the Mumbai Police took his body for post mortem and an inquiry was launched. Yesterday, Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh had also spoken about the issue. Taking to Twitter, Deshmukh confirmed that though the post mortem has confirmed that Rajput had committed suicide by hanging himself, there have been allegations of professional rivalry. Deshmukh added that the police will also probe this angle in their investigation.

Rajdeep’s objection to the investigation

After Deshmukh’s Tweet, senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai shared an objection over the issue. Sardesai wrote that this is what happens when governments watch ‘too much social media’ and the Mumbai police should instead let Sushant Singh Rajput ‘rest in peace’ and let his family ‘mourn quietly’.

Rajdeep Sardesai on Twitter

Replying to Rajdeep, police officer Pranav Mahajan asked what exactly is his problem with an investigation that is the mandated legal procedure. He added that the law mandates that the reasons behind suicide cases are investigated.

IPS officer replies to Sardesai

Replying to Sardesai’s misleading tweet, senior IPS officer Arun Bothra informed him that Section 174 of CrPC mandates an enquiry into every unnatural death. The law has this responsibility towards the dead.

Bothra added that Rajput’s family deserves to know the reasons behind his death. Addressing Rajdeep’s assertions about ‘letting Sushant rest in peace’ and letting the family ‘mourn quietly’, Bothra asked whether Rajdeep wants the police to stop doing their job and let the grieving family be satisfied with what the news anchors say.

Rajdeep makes U-turn

After the reply, Rajdeep made an instant U-turn. While in his initial tweet he has clearly been objecting to the investigation, in his next reply, he stated that the investigation must happen but he was not comfortable with the home minister directing the police to investigate about the Bollywood rivalry angle based on media reports.

However, his attempt at diversion was again caught by Bothra. He replied that since Sushant was working in Bollywood, any investigation into his death will naturally involve Bollywood.

He also added that an inquiry into the death of a person will include all aspects, even the abetment of suicide under the section 306 of CrPC.

Bothra pointed the obvious to the senior journalist, that the probe on the unfortunate death of the Bollywood actor cannot be conducted at his village or in Hollywood, it has to be conducted where he worked and lived.

Sushant’s family has alleged foul play

It is notable here that though many reports have stated that the young actor was suffering from depression, his family has alleged foul play in his death. Sushant’s brother-in-law who is a senior police officer in Haryana had alleged foul play and has sought a thorough investigation into the case.

It is also notable here that even if media reports and speculations are discounted, any suicide mandates a police investigation and since Sushant’s professional and personal life was linked to Bollywood, the investigation will naturally involve this angle.

“There are many other small fry’s but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpent”: Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap exposes the bullying in Bollywood

OpIndia Staff
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“There are many other small fry’s but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpent”: Dabangg director Abhinav Kashyap exposes the bullying in Bollywood

Abhinav Singh Kashyap, director of Salman Khan starrer 2010 film Dabangg, took to Facebook to narrate his own bullying experience in Bollywood and appealed for a detailed investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. Kashyap said that the role of YRF talent management agency, a division of Yash Raj Films, comes under scanner and alleged that they may have played a role and pushed him over the edge to commit suicide. “These people don’t make careers. They ruin your career and life. Having suffered personally for a decade, I can confidently say every Talent Manager and all Talent Management Agencies of Bollywood are a potential death Trap for Artists,” he writes in his Facebook post.

Saying that Rajput’s death may just be the tip of the iceberg and may bring a wave of ‘#MeToo’ like movement exposing bullying and exploitation in Bollywood, Kashyap added how the talent management agencies in Mumbai scout for talent from small towns and lure them with the glamorous make-believe world of Bollywood. “The talent is then lured with free invites to Bollywood parties and random Restaurant launches on the pretext of introducing them to celebrities. The Blinding glamour of celebs and lure of easy money is unleashed on the unsuspecting. Mind you they are all ignored and treated very badly at these parties so they feel demoralized and their self-confidence breaks,” he says.

Kashyap further added how after the confidence of the newbie is broken, the talent management agencies offer them exclusive multi-year contract at very low rates. “Over a period of few years, mostly the prime of any actor, the talent is repeatedly broken till they either commit suicide or they succumb to Prostitution and escort services (Yes male escorts also) to feed the ego and sexual appetite of the rich and powerful, not just in Bollywood but also in Corporate world and politics,” he adds.

Elaborating about his experience during his directional debut Dabangg, Kashyap said, “The reason I moved out of making Dabangg 2 ten years ago is because Arbaaz Khan in collusion with Sohail Khan and family was trying to take control of my career by bullying me. Arbaaz Khan sabotaged my second project with Shree Ashtavinayak Films that I was signed up with by personally calling their head Mr. Raj Mehta and threatening him with dire consequences if they made a film with me,” he writes. Kashyap says he returned the signing money to Shree Ashtavinayak Films and joined Viacom Pictures and alleged that Arbaz Khan and Salman Khan’s brother Sohail Khan intimidated the then Viacom CEO Vikram Malhotra.

“My project was sabotaged and I was made to return my signing fee of Rupees 7 Crores plus interest of Ninety odd lacs. Its only then that Reliance Entertainment came to my rescue and we forged an enduring partnership for my film Besharam,” he writes. However, it was then Salman Khan and family that sabotaged the film, he alleges. “Mr. Salman Khan and family sabotaged the release of the film and got their PROs to run a sustained negative smear campaign against me and my film BESHARAM before release. This scared the distributors from buying my film,” he writes. He further accuses the Khan family of trying to sabotage the satellite release of the film Besharam.

“Over the next few years, all my projects and creative endeavors have been sabotaged and I have been repeatedly threatened with life and rape threats given to/for the female members of my family. The sustained gaslighting and bullying destroyed my mental health and that of my family and led to my divorce and breaking up of my family in 2017,” he says. Elaborating on the threats, Kashyap says, “They erred and sent some of these threats as texts, sent to me as sms from several numbers. Armed with evidence, I went to the police in 2017 to file an FIR which they refused to register but registered a non-cognizable complaint. When the threats continued, I forced the police to trace the numbers but they couldn’t be traced back to Sohail Khan(the suspected sender). My complaint remains open to date and I still have all the evidence.”

“My enemies are sharp, cunning and always attack me from the back and stay Hidden. But the best part is after 10 years, I know who my enemies are. Let it be known that they are Salim Khan, Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan. There are many other small fry’s but Salman Khan family is the head of this venomous serpent. They use a clever mix of their ill-gotten money, political clout and connections with the underworld to intimidate anyone and everyone,” Kashyap reveals.

“I refuse to cow down and will fight on till I see the end of either them or me. Enough tolerance. It’s time to fight back,” he challenged, saying that he will make sure no other innocent person will kill himself over lack of work with dignity in Bollywood.

In another post which he shared a couple of hours after his original post, he said that while there are other such cartels in Bollywood who exploit people, he chose to name the Khans because it was personal to him.

“This is my own struggle against the Salman Khan family and I alone am enough to take these guys on.Yes.. I will never commit suicide but should anything untoward happen to me.. By now the country knows who to blame… Treat this as my police statement,” he wrote.

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