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Bengaluru techie suicide case: Karnataka Police file FIR against wife, her mother, brother and uncle for abetment and criminal liability

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Bengaluru techie suicide case: Karnataka Police file FIR against wife, her mother, brother and uncle for abetment and criminal liability

An FIR has been filed against 4 people in connection with the suicide of a 34-year-old deputy general manager of a private firm, Atul Subhash, who died by suicide, accusing his wife, her family members, and a judge of harassment, extortion, and corruption.

The FIR based on a complaint by Atul’s brother Bikas Kumar was lodged at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru. The FIR has been filed under section 108 (abetment of suicide) and section 3 (5) (establishes joint criminal liability when two or more people act with a common intention) of the BNS. The FIR is filed against the techie’s wife Nikita Singhania, his mother-in-law Nisha Singhania, wife’s brother Anurag Singhania and his wife’s uncle Sushil Singhania.

As per the complaint filed by the brother of Atul, the FIR mentions that Atul Subhash married Nikita Singhania in 2019 and had a child together. The complaint alleges that the four accused filed a false case against Atul Subhash after their divorce and insisted on paying Rs 3 crore for the settlement of the case.

The complaint also alleges that Atul Subhash’s wife had demanded Rs 30 lakh to allow him to visit his son who is now four years old. The complaint alleges that Atul had died by suicide as he was harrased mentally and physically. Based on the complaint, the case has been registered and an investigation is underway.

Speaking to ANI, the victim’s brother Bikas Kumar said, “Around 8 months after my brother’s wife separated from him, she filed a divorce case and framed many charges against my brother and our entire family under different acts and sections. Every law in India is for women, and not for men – my brother fought for this but he left us.”

Bikas Kumar said, that even in his suicide notes, Atul Subhash wrote—‘ If I win from the system, devote my mortal remains in Ganga otherwise in a gutter outside the court.”

“My brother did everything for her. Whatever has happened was unfortunate. If he had ever discussed it with me or our father – we would have helped him get out of this situation… I want to request the govt of India and the President – that justice must be done to my brother if he is with truth otherwise give me the proof to show that he is wrong. There should be a proper investigation against the judge who is named in my brother’s suicide,” said Bikas Kumar.

The deceased’s friend, Jackson also spoke to ANI and said, “There were like nine cases put by his wife and because of that he was going through tremendous stress. But in this particular video and notes that he has made, it doesn’t seem that he was depressed. It seems that he did it out of a sense of harassment that he was facing from the system.”

“So it was more like his way of telling the system that it is not helping men and there is a lot of bias. During COVID times he was taking care of his wife and a kid. His wife was also infected with COVID and she had a lot of issues. So he went ahead to procure medicines for her and she wasn’t taking them on time which created some friction that escalated into multiple issues and then she left him along with the baby and he could not see his son. One particular point that I got to know recently from him was that he got a maintenance order for his son who is barely four or five years old, 40,000 rupees per month,” said Jackson.

According to a statement released by the police, the victim was a resident of Uttar Pradesh who was living in Bengaluru. The police stated that the Hoysala Police Control Room received a call at 6:00 am on Monday about the suicide in a flat at Bengaluru’s Manjunatha Layout in the Delfinium Residency.

The statement further stated that when the police went to search the place, the flat was locked from inside, and the lock was broken, following which they went inside and saw Atul hanging from a ceiling fan by the support of a nylon rope. The police stated that he was found dead upon arrival.

The police informed the incident to the brother of the deceased, Bikas Kumar, who later filed a complaint against Subhash’s wife, his mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, and his wife’s uncle, accusing them of filing a false complaint against Subhash and demanding Rs 3 crore money for the settlement, which led to his mental and physical harassment, following which he had to take the step.

In his suicide note, Subhash called for justice, stating, “Justice is Due” on every single page of the 24-page note. Along with his wife and her family members, Subhash also accused a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur for not hearing him out, and an officer in the court, accusing him of taking bribes in front of the judge.

Subhash further described the instances that instigated him to take such a step. Subhash recorded a video describing his alleged harassment and asking his family members not to immerse his ashes till justice is served to him. His suicide note also had a message for his four-year-old son who he claimed had been kept estranged from him. The note also called for his parents to be given custody of his child.

The note and the link to the Video were sent to the WhatsApp group of an NGO, to which he was connected. Subhash alleged in his suicide note that his wife had filed nine cases against him, including murder, sexual misconduct, harassment for money, domestic violence, and dowry.


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

Prof Shamika Ravi, member of EAC-PM, slams Congress leader Pawan Khera for spreading fake news about her receiving money from Soros

OpIndia Staff
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Prof Shamika Ravi, member of EAC-PM, slams Congress leader Pawan Khera for spreading fake news about her receiving money from Soros

Professor Shamika Ravi, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, and Secretary to the Government of India, has slammed Congress leader Pawan Khera for spreading false claims that she had received funds from international manipulator George Soros.

“The statement below is entirely incorrect. In 2006/7 The Open Society funded ISB (for work on financial inclusion) – where I was an assistant professor teaching & researching on the topic. No money came directly to any faculty member. 18 years later, I joined the EAC-PM. I have never been more proud of my work, my nation or my Prime Minister. Meanwhile, in 2020, George Soros declared his anti-India designs and guess who swarms towards him?” Shamika tweeted.

Earlier, Khera, rattled by BJP’s attack against the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi, had tweeted that Prof. Shamika Ravi, PM’s advisor and secretary, Government of India, received a grant from the Open Society Foundation funded by George Soros.

BJP slams Congress over alleged links to George Soros

Following Congress’ repeated attempt to stall the parliament over a US court’s indictment of the Adani group, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi in Rajya Sabha raised the matter of foreign government-funded organisations ceaselessly targeting India. He mentioned how a group named Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) has been publishing reports targeting the Adani group and India before every parliamentary session, indicating a targeted attack.

He cited the report by French media house Mediapart on OCCRP, which stated that while the organisation claims to be an independent, non-partisan organisation, it is actually funded by US government agencies and works to serve their interests. Trivedi said that the project has funding from foreign governments and the project has a focus on India. Apart from foreign governments, the project also has links with George Soros, the MP said.

Apart from the US and other governments, the group also receives funding from the Open Society Foundations (OSF) of George Soros, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, all left-wing groups openly targeting nationalist governments worldwide.

French media outlet Mediapart upset with BJP for using their report, calls excerpts from their own report ‘Fake News’

OpIndia Staff
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French media outlet Mediapart upset with BJP for using their report, calls excerpts from their own report ‘Fake News’

Leftist French media outlet Mediapart is reportedly upset with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for sharing their report linking OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and the US government amid the ongoing row in Parliament over Adani Group and George Soros. The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which published a hit piece on the Adani Group last year, is now under the scanner over its funding from the US government agencies as per the Mediapart report.

The ruling party in India, BJP, shared parts of the Mediapart report, highlighting the collusion between OCCRP, US government officials, and the Indian opposition. However, BJP sharing parts of their report hasn’t gone down well with Mediapart.

Reacting to it, the leftist French media organisation responded on December 7, “Mediapart firmly condemns the instrumentalisation of its recently published investigative article about OCCRP by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in order to serve BJP’s political agenda and attack press freedom.”

The statement was issued by Mediapart Director and publisher Carine Fouteau. She further said that BJP wrongly exploited Mediapart’s article in order to spread fake news that they never published. However, it was never clarified what was the fake news that BJP spread.

“There are no facts available supporting the conspiracy theory promoted by BJP,” said Mediapart’s publisher, without explaining what part of BJP sharing their own report amounts to a conspiracy theory.

Notably, on December 2, Mediapart published a report titled ‘The hidden links between a giant of investigative journalism and the US government’, where it delved into the overwhelming influence of the US government on the working of OCCRP.

Founded in 2007, OCCRP claims to have a network of journalists across 6 continents who ‘specialise in reporting on organised crime and corruption.’

Although it brands itself as an independent organisation, in reality, OCCRP receives a huge share of funding from the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The organisation had run a hit piece on Indian conglomerate Adani Group.

OCCRP and hit piece on Adani Group

In August 2023, OpIndia had predicted that the OCCRP was planning a shakedown of India’s financial markets, following the footsteps of US-based short seller ‘Hindenburg Research’.

We had revealed that OCCRP is funded by the likes of George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF), the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation.

OSF even gave a grant of $8,00,000 (~ ₹6.61 crores) to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project for ‘strengthening’ the organisation’s cross-border reporting and increasing the wider impact.

The ‘network of journalists’ published two hit pieces so far – one in August 2023 and another in May 2024. The baseless claims were junked by the Adani Group and also by the Mauritius-based fund ‘360 One.’

Even the Supreme Court of India had ruled that the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) report could not be used to cast doubt on the ongoing probe by SEBI.

‘Durgadi fort not Waqf property’: Kalyan Court rejects claims of a mosque inside the fort, says it houses a Durga temple

OpIndia Staff
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‘Durgadi fort not Waqf property’: Kalyan Court rejects claims of a mosque inside the fort, says it houses a Durga temple

On Tuesday, 10th December, a 48-year-old long-standing fight over the historical Durgadi Fort in Maharashtra’s Kalyan district was dismissed by the Kalyan District and Sessions Court today as it declared that the fort houses a Durga Mata temple and not a Masjid. For several years, the Majlish-e-Mushavreen Majjid Trust had been claiming that the historical fort having significance since the times of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj housed a Masjid and the property was ‘erroneously’ being claimed as a Hindu site. The Trust also stated that the fort was a Waqf property and that it belonged to the Waqf Board. However, Senior Division Judge A.S. Lanjewar dismissed claims by other religious groups seeking to transfer the case from the Welfare Court to the Waqf Board.

As per the reports, petitioner Dinesh Deshmukh who is the president of the Hindu Manch, shared the court’s decision with the media at Durgadi Fort saying that the case revolving around the fort had been ongoing for 50 years. “The two communities had been fighting over the claims of the fort. Initially heard in the Thane District Court, the case was later transferred to the Kalyan District and Sessions Court,” he said.

Deshmukh, meanwhile, also revealed that in the year 1971, the Thane District Collector declared the site to be a temple. Later, an application was filed, referring to the site as a Masjid. The application demanded inspection and inquiry into the matter. Advocate Bhausaheb Modak who represented the Hindu community’s case then highlighted a few features of the property such as windows in the temple, and a platform (chauthara) for placing Hindu idols. These details, as per Deshmukh, led the government to designate the site as a temple today.

Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) lauded the court decision and said that this was a massive win for the Hindu community. “The Kalyan District and Sessions Court has today given an important verdict that the historic Durgadi Fort of Kalyan is not a mosque but a temple of Goddess Durga. Shiv Sena welcomes this decision. The court has clarified that this fort is not the property of the Waqf Board. This is the fruit of blessings given by Mother Durga at Durgadi Fort,” the party said in an X post.

It also added that with this decision the long-standing struggle of the Hindus had ended. The party said that several leaders like Shiv Sena leader Balasaheb Thackeray, Dharamveer Anand Dighe, our respectable leader Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, etc had protested against the Majlish-e-Mushavreen Majjid Trust who claimed the fort as a Waqf property.

“Shiv Sena took the position that Durga fort has a temple of Durga. Many times Dharamveer Anand Dighe Saheb, and Eknathji Shinde Saheb sang the collective Aarti of the Goddess while raising bells and chanting along with Shiv Sainiks at the base of the fort. It was Balasaheb Thackeray who started the Navratri festival on Durgadi,” the party added.

“This decision is a victory for Hindutva and truth. This is the land that has been sanctified by the footsteps of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has visited this fort. The first armour of Hindu Swarajya was started by the Maharaja himself at Durgadi Fort in Kalyan,” it said glorifying the significance of the fort.

As per the local reports, in the year 1975-76, an application was filed in the Thane District Court claiming that the Durgadi Fort was not a temple but a mosque. The Court case continued for two years before it got transferred to the Kalyan District and Sessions Court. During the period, the site was identified as an alleged Waqf property.

As per the local sources, the Muslims also carried out unauthorized construction at the fort by building a Mosque and painting it in white and green color. Not only this but the steps ‍ leading to the fort, trees, stones, and other structures were also painted green. Further, it was also alleged that Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation and senior Police officials failed to take any action against the unauthorized construction. Instead, they asked protesting Hindus to stop demonstrations.

Unauthorized construction on the fort (Image obtained by OpIndia)

The Muslim religious bodies then sought to transfer the case from the Kalyan District and Sessions Court to the Waqf Board.

Petitioner Dinesh Deshmukh stated that the court rejected this request, declaring that the Durgadi Fort is a Hindu temple of Goddess Durga. Advocates Bhikaji Salvi, Suresh Patwardhan, Jayesh Salvi, and Sachin Kulkarni represented the case on behalf of Hindus in the court.

Tahir Hussain joins AIMIM, to contest from Mustafabad in Delhi- Read how main accused in Ankit Sharma murder case wanted to “teach kafirs a lesson”

OpIndia Staff
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Tahir Hussain joins AIMIM, to contest from Mustafabad in Delhi- Read how main accused in Ankit Sharma murder case wanted to “teach kafirs a lesson”

Ahead of the Delhi Assembly election scheduled in February next year, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) led by Asaduddin Owaisi has fielded ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain, accused in the larger conspiracy of the Delhi riots 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Ahead of the elections, Hussain joined AIMIM and now will be contesting the state elections from the Mustafabad seat.

The event was confirmed by Asaduddin Owaisi who shared an update on the X platform. “MCD Councillor Tahir Hussain joined AIMIM & will be our candidate from Mustafabad Assembly Constituency in the upcoming Delhi Vidhan Sabha elections. His family members & supporters met with me today & joined the party,” he said.

It is crucial to note that Tahir Hussain is a former AAP member and is accused of participating in, funding and orchestrating riots in Delhi in the year 2020. In March last year, the Karkardooma court in Delhi framed murder and conspiracy charges against Hussain and ten others for the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma during the anti-Hindu Delhi riots on 25th February 2020. Ankit Sharma’s dead body was recovered from a drain in Delhi.

The court while charging Hussain said that he executed the riots to deliberately target the Hindus. “Tahir was continuously acting in a manner of supervising & motivating this mob. All these things were done to target Hindus. Every member of the mob assembled there participated in achieving the objective of targeting Hindus,” the court said.

The court also added that Hussain instigated the Muslim mob to target Hindus and not at all sparre them. The court also later highlighted that Ankit Sharma was killed only because he was a Hindu. Further in August, the Delhi Court framed additional charges against Hussain, his brother Shah Alam, and eight others for committing acts of vandalism and arson in various shops in the Moonga Nagar area during the violence that happened in the year 2020.

Recently in the month of September this year, detailed evidence was provided in the court that proved that the Delhi riots mobilized and instigated by Hussain and his associates were a result of a deep-rooted conspiracy hatched after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament on December 4, 2019.

Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad, during his submissions, referred to the charge sheet filed in the case and contended that in this entire conspiracy, there were various organizations like Pinjra Tod, AAZMI, SIO, SFI, etc, through individuals that participated in protests and violent activities.

The prosecution referred to WhatsApp groups, chats, and witness statements to support their claims. He also referred to the statements of witnesses. The conspiracy aimed to disrupt the city by holding protests and chakka jaam (road blockages) in Muslim-majority areas, leading to violence against police and non-Muslims. As part of the conspiracy, 23 protest sites (against CAB) were created in Muslim-majority areas.

Notably, Hussain was arrested in April 2020, in connection with the North East Delhi riots 2020. The charge sheet was filed in September 2020, after the completion of the investigation. Subsequently, supplementary charge sheets were also filed, and the matter. Despite this, Hussain has been given a ticket from the Mustafabad region by the AIMIM.

The 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election for all 70 constituencies is expected to take place on or before February 2025. Hussain contesting from AIMIM will now be a challenge for the Aam Aadmi Party which seeks to secure a third term in the state.

Couple behind LGBTQ+ media outlet PinkNews accused of sexual misconduct

OpIndia Staff
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Couple behind LGBTQ+ media outlet PinkNews accused of sexual misconduct

Benjamin Cohen, the founder of the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media outlet, PinkNews and its chief operating officer and Cohen’s husband Dr Anthony James have been accused of sexual misconduct against their staff. A BBC report said that around 30 former PinkNews staff members saw Anthony James kissing and touching a junior colleague who they say appeared too drunk to consent.

Dr James kissed and touched a junior colleague who was drunk after a work event, according to witnesses, and Cohen invited a staff member to come “back to his” and smacked another on the bottom at a Christmas party. It has also been reported that female members of staff were urged to act as surrogates for the couple.

The BBC claimed to have interviewed 33 people who worked at PinkNews between 2017 and 2024 for its documentary, PinkNews: Behind Closed Doors, which was released on Tuesday.

Five former employees said that they witnessed Dr James groping and kissing a junior member of staff outside a prominent London pub where employees had gathered following a PinkNews event. They added that the employee was “too drunk to stand or talk” and “unable to consent”.

“Ben was extremely drunk to the point he fell off his chair and then asked me out of earshot of my other colleagues whether I wanted to go back to his … because Anthony, his husband, wasn’t there,” one of the former staffers said.

“Cai Wilshaw, former head of external affairs at PinkNews, said: “You had this sort of dark cloud in the office sometimes when Ben was there, that made it really difficult to actually enjoy working there. We worked together quite well, but it is clear that he is a very, very difficult character, and sometimes overly so in a way that really impacted people who worked with him, BBC reported.

SC seeks a report on Justice Yadav’s statements at a VHP event after he sounded alarm about dangers posed by ‘Kathmullahs’ in the country

OpIndia Staff
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SC seeks a report on Justice Yadav’s statements at a VHP event after he sounded alarm about dangers posed by ‘Kathmullahs’ in the country

The Supreme Court has sought information on the statement made by Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court in the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) program. The Supreme Court has asked the Allahabad High Court for the details of his entire statement. A complaint has also been filed against him in the Supreme Court. National Conference Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi claimed that Shekhar Yadav should be impeached.

Justice Yadav had declared that practices including Halala (Islamic practice where a divorced woman weds another man, consummates the marriage and then divorces him so she can remarry her first husband) and Char Nikah (taking four wives in Islam) have no place in the country. He also addressed further social media issues. “The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the speech given by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court and published in the newspapers. Details and information have been sought from the High Court and the matter is still under consideration,” the apex court pronounced in a statement.

Meanwhile, Mehdi announced that he would bring an impeachment motion against Justice Yadav in Parliament by Art 124(4) of the constitution. “I need the signatures of 100 members to move this motion. More than 7 members including Asaduddin Owaisi, Rajkumar Roat MP from Rajasthan, Sudhama Prasad MP from Bihar, Mohibbullah Nadvi MP from Uttar Pradesh and Ziau Rahman MP from Uttar Pradesh signed it and I thank them for their support and signatures,” he shared.

The lawmaker then added that he is in talks with other leaders from Congress, Samajwadi Party, All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) “who assured me that they will sign and support the motion after consultation with their respective party leaderships. I am hopeful that they will support this motion because these are the parties who believe in the of India and it principles and values.”

Furthermore, a left-leaning organization named Campaign for Judicial Accountability & Judicial Reforms (CJAR) has filed a complaint with Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and demanded an internal inquiry against Justice Yadav. CJAR alleged, “This speech of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav has raised doubts in the minds of our citizens about the independence and neutrality of the judiciary. Given the coverage it has received, a strong reaction is necessary.”

Background of the controversy

On Sunday (8th December), a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court delivered a lecture on the constitutional necessity of the Uniform Civil Code at an event hosted by the Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) legal cell in Prayagraj. In his speech, Justice Shekhar Yadav voiced “Kathmullas,” in an apparent reference to Islamic fundamentalists, are dangerous for the country. He was speaking on the topic “Uniform Civil Code: A Constitutional Necessity.“

“Lekin yeh jo kathmullah hai jo…yeh sahi shabd nahi hai…lekin kehne mein parhez nahi hai kyunki woh desh ke liye bura hai…desh ke liye ghatak hai, khilaaf hai, janta ko bhadhkane wale log hai…desh aage na badhe is prakar ke log hai…unse saavdhaan rehne ki zaroorat hai (But these kathmullah…this may not be the right word…but I won’t hesitate to say it because they are harmful to the country…they are detrimental, against the nation, and people who incite the public. They are the kind of people who do not want the country to progress, and we need to be cautious of them),” he remarked which led to a major controversy.

He added, “In our country, we are taught from a young age to respect all living beings, even the smallest animals, and to avoid harming them. This lesson becomes a part of who we are, which is perhaps why we are more tolerant and compassionate, feeling pain when others suffer. But this isn’t the case for everyone. In our culture, children are raised with guidance towards God, taught Vedic mantras, and instilled with the values of non-violence. However, in some other cultures, children grow up witnessing the slaughter of animals, which makes it difficult to expect them to develop tolerance and compassion.”

“I have no hesitation in saying that this is Hindustan, this country will run according to the majority living in India. This is the law. You can’t say that I am saying this as a judge of the High Court. The law works according to the majority. Our Hindu religion had many social evils like child marriage, sati and female infanticide, reformers like Ram Mohan Rai fought to eradicate these evils. But when it comes to social evils like halala, triple talaq and issues related to adoption in the Muslim community, then they did not dare to stand up against them,” Justice Yadav charged.

He mentioned that not even Muslims attempted to stop these practices during the program. “You cannot insult that woman who has been given the status of goddess in our scriptures and Vedas. You cannot have the right to have four wives, divorce or triple talaq. You assert that we have the right to perform ‘three talaq’ and women have no right to receive maintenance.”

He pointed out, “No authority can be exercised in this way. UCC is not something advocated by VHP, RSS or Hinduism. Even the Supreme Court of the country is talking about this…I swear that this country will definitely introduce a UCC law, and very soon.” Justice Yadav questioned why Muslims circumvent the law and treat matters like triple talaq and Halala as their laws.

“If you say that our law allows this, it is unacceptable. A woman will get maintenance, two marriages will not be allowed, and a man will have only one wife, not four wives…if one sister gets maintenance and the other does not, it creates discrimination, which is against the Constitution,” he highlighted. Justice Yadav also stated that a Hindu who views India as his mother is just as much a Hindu as one who dips in the Ganga and rubs sandalwood on his head.

Bangladesh Supreme Court stays verdict declaring ‘Joy Bangla’ as national slogan

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh Supreme Court stays verdict declaring ‘Joy Bangla’ as national slogan

Besides persecuting the Hindu and religious minorities, Bangladesh is wiping out every shred of the country’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s legacy. In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court stayed a High Court order that declared “Joy Bangla”—the slogan that remained a symbol of Bangladesh’s freedom struggle— as the country’s national slogan. The verdict came after Chief Advisor to the interim government Mohammad Yunus challenged the High Court decision.

The government filed a special plea in the Supreme Court in reaction to a High Court ruling dated March 10, 2022, designating ‘Joy Bangla’ as Bangladesh’s national slogan. Following Sheikh Hasina’s undemocratic ouster, Yunus’ government implemented significant changes, including removing the image of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from the currency and replacing it with religious architecture, Bengali traditions, and graffiti from the ‘student protest’ in July 2024.

Now on 10th December, Chief Justice Syed Rifat Ahmed and others decided that ‘Joy Bangla’ could no longer be deemed the national slogan backing the government’s viewpoint.

Even during the anarchy unleashed by Islamists in August, the violent protestors destroyed several Bangladeshi historical heritage sites in their bid to wipe out the legacy of “Bangabandhu” Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Several heritage sites associated with Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were vandalised during the recent conflict. OpIndia reported that the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the Dhanmondi area in Dhaka.

This museum was dedicated to Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated in 1975. Similarly, the protesters in Dhaka climbed atop a large statue of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father and hammered the statue’s head with an axe.

Aadhaar card for Rs 500, passport, and land deal: How a Rohingya intruder lived undetected in India for over a decade

OpIndia Staff
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Aadhaar card for Rs 500, passport, and land deal: How a Rohingya intruder lived undetected in India for over a decade

A shocking tale of how an illegal immigrant managed to evade authorities and continued to live in India for 10 long years has surfaced from Maharashtra’s Pune. A Rohingya Muslim not only eluded arrest and deportation but also managed to acquire an Aadhar Card, buy land, and even obtain an Indian passport— getting all the necessary documents that an Indian citizen usually has. 

This man, a native of Myanmar, secretly crossed the border into India via Bangladesh and gradually blended in with the local population. He tried his hand at various businesses, purchased land, and even built a house. His secret might have remained undiscovered, but one of his associates eventually exposed him.

The incident came to light in July this year when four Rohingyas, including two men and their wives, were arrested in the Dehu Road Cantonment area of Pune, Maharashtra. During the investigation, it was discovered that one of them, 43-year-old Muzammil Mohammad Amin Khan, had been living in India for more than a decade.

Amin Khan not only settled in Pune but also managed to acquire Indian passports and identification documents for both himself and his wife. Further interrogation revealed a startling backstory. According to police reports, Amin Khan had undergone religious training as a Maulana through an Islamic organization in Myanmar, where he lived with his wife and two daughters.

In December 2012, Amin Khan moved to Bangladesh with his family. While residing in a refugee camp, he struggled to find work. Eventually, he learned about job opportunities in West Bengal. During this period, he separated from his first wife and married another Rohingya woman named Shafika, with whom he later had a son.

Securing an Aadhaar Card for ₹500

In 2013, with the help of agents, Amin Khan illegally crossed the international border and entered West Bengal with his second wife and son. He initially travelled to Kolkata but was unable to secure any suitable work. Eventually, he moved to Pune by train, where he found a job at a private company in Talegaon MIDC. The company even provided him with a room to stay.

To increase his income, Amin Khan started buying children’s clothes from Bhiwandi in the Thane district and selling them on Dehu Road. Realizing the need for identification documents in India, he managed to obtain an Aadhaar number from a shop in Bhiwandi for just ₹500 without providing any supporting documents. Police suspect that local agents in Bhiwandi submitted fake documents at an Aadhaar enrollment centre on his behalf.

Land deal worth ₹80,000 without registration

After acquiring his Aadhaar card, Amin Khan also arranged for his wife’s Aadhaar to be made. Around this time, he met a man named Kamalbhai at a mosque in Pune, who introduced him to the betel nut business. Amin Khan began selling betel nuts in local markets and, as his business stabilized, he started looking for his own house.

During this time, Amin Khan met a woman named Chandrabhaga Kamble on Dehu Road. Amin Khan purchased approximately 600 square feet of land next to Kamble’s house in Gandhi Nagar, Dehu Road, by paying her ₹80,000 in cash. No official documents were prepared for this transaction. Amin Khan took possession of the land and, within a short time, built his own house there.

How Amin Khan was exposed

For nearly a decade, Amin Khan lived undetected with his family, pretending to be an Indian citizen. During this period, his wife gave birth to a daughter, and he even managed to obtain an Indian passport. Amin Khan continued his betel nut business without raising any suspicion.

However, his cover was blown in July 2024. The Pune unit of Maharashtra’s Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested a 35-year-old Rohingya named Shahid, also known as Sohidul Sheikh, from Dehu Road. Shahid has been living in India with his wife since 2015. During interrogation, he revealed that “Mujammil Mamu,” who also lived on Dehu Road, was originally from Myanmar.

Following this lead, the police raided Amin Khan’s house and arrested him. On July 27, a case was registered against Amin Khan and his wife under the Foreigners Act and Passport Act. According to the FIR, the police seized mobile phones, SIM cards, Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, Bangladeshi currency notes, and passports from their possession.

The family members of Chandrabhaga Kamble, who sold the land to Amin Khan, claimed they were unaware of his foreign origins. The police revealed that Kamble had passed away a few years ago, and the land remained in her name in government records. However, Amin Khan had managed to get the electricity connection for the house registered in his name.

The curious case of Prahlad Iyengar: From Janeu-dhari boy to radical pro-Palestinian activist who got suspended from MIT

Anurag
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The curious case of Prahlad Iyengar: From Janeu-dhari boy to radical pro-Palestinian activist who got suspended from MIT

In November 2024, Indian-origin Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) PhD student Prahlad Iyengar was barred from entering the campus after he authored a pro-Palestine essay in the student magazine Written Revolution. Reportedly, he has been suspended until January 2026, terminating his 5-year NSF fellowship. MIT Coalition Against Apartheid has come out in his support, calling his suspension an attack on “free speech” on campus.

Prahlad is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Notably, in 2023, he was suspended for participating in pro-Palestinian rallies. According to an email sent by MIT Dean of Student Life David Warren Randall to the editors of the magazine, the imagery and language used by Prahlad in the essay titled On Pacifism could be “interpreted as a call for more violent or destructive forms of protests at MIT.”

Notably, the email also cited the imagery used in the essay, which incorporated the logo of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist organisation by the US State Department. The editors of the magazine are facing disciplinary action. Speaking to WBUR, Prahlad called his suspension “a gross violation of free speech.” According to him, the purpose of the magazine was to “put out in our words what we were doing, why we were doing it, and what was happening on campus.”

In a statement, MIT Coalition Against Apartheid said the suspension is effectively expulsion as his academic career would be disrupted. They further added that his readmission would have to be allowed by the same panel that suspended him. They noted, “Prahlad is now appealing his case with the Chancellor to revoke or reduce the unjust sanctions against him. We have launched a campaign to put pressure on MIT’s administration to stop criminalising students who stand on the right side of history. We call on all organisations and institutions of conscience to sign on and stand up to MIT’s repression.”

The essay that led to Prahlad’s suspension

OpIndia examined the essay he wrote for the online magazine, which was started to support the Palestine movement following Israel’s military action against the terrorist organisation Hamas in response to the deadly terrorist attack of 7 October 2023.

In his essay, Prahlad criticised the reliance on pacifist strategies within the Palestinian liberation movement. He raised questions about the implications of protests at institutions, including his own, MIT. He framed his argument around the ineffectiveness of “strategic pacifism,” and his language and framing could be interpreted as advocating for more disruptive and potentially destructive forms of protests on university campuses.

Notably, Prahlad called for a “diversity of tactics” and criticised symbolic protests as ineffective. His essay appeared to challenge “activists” raising their voices for the Palestine movement to consider actions that are not limited to “non-violence,” particularly in institutional settings that are complicit in state power.

According to him, the traditional pacifist approach is limited and does not achieve the anticipated effect as it is “designed into the system we fight against.” He further noted that peaceful rallies and arrests are “a charade, an example of political theatre that does more to assuage the consciences of its attendees than it does to exact a cost from the entity which is enacting the very oppression they protest.”

Interestingly, he opened the floodgates against MIT itself by highlighting its role as a military contractor and contributor to technologies used in warfare. He argued that pacifist actions are not sufficient to challenge institutional complicity, leaving room for more confrontational approaches to protests.

He wrote, “Our actions are in some sense part of the state’s inherent notion of protest—we are, in a sense, culturally pacified, not wilfully pacifist.” This notion suggests that state-sanctioned forms of protest, like symbolic arrests, are not capable of disrupting “oppressive systems” and could be seen as calling for strategies that the state cannot easily accommodate.

He criticised the reliance on non-violent forms of protest, stating, “Despite my staunch opposition to the state through my actions, I was still a cog in its system, merely the rust which develops on the gears in order to beckon for more grease. I had not clogged the system—I had fed it.”

He further criticised the reluctance to engage in more aggressive forms of action, stating, “One year into a horrific genocide, it is time for the movement to begin wreaking havoc, or else, as we’ve seen, business will indeed go on as usual.”

It is evident that the essay encouraged activists at MIT to adopt more disruptive, or even destructive, tactics in their protests. Notably, he did not explicitly advocate violence in the essay, as this could have made it a clear-cut “manifesto.” Instead, he subtly positioned his argument against traditional pacifist methods as complicit in maintaining the status quo, creating space for interpretations that align with more confrontational forms of protest.

OpIndia found that Prahlad used two posters featuring the logo of the terrorist outfit Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and also used a post of calling for “Infitada everywhere”. Pertinent to note that Intifada is Palestine’s armed action (involving terrorist acts as well) against Israel. The first poster that was featured in the begining read, “We will burn the ground beneath your feet”. The poster featured a PFLP terrorist with a weapon.

Source: Written Revolution

The second poster used by Prahlad had the text “Unity of blood: a step on the path of victory. Long live the joint Lebanese-Palestinian struggle in the face of zionist terrorism” written in Arabic.

Source: Written Revolution

Both posters were featured on social media platforms that can be seen here and here. Use of such posters can be interpreted as a call for violent protests at the campuses as mentioned by the dean in his letter.

Prahlad’s social media history shows how his life drastically changed over the years

Upon a cursory glance at the social media posts on Prahlad’s Facebook and Instagram profiles, it is evident that earlier, he was a happy-go-lucky boy-next-door who loved to travel and enjoy time with his friends. His Facebook profile was full of photographs of him travelling with his friends across Europe in 2019.

However, things appear to have changed during the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd. In May 2020, he published a dark-themed post where he claimed to have “reflected on witnessing Atlanta descending into turmoil” during protests against police brutality following Floyd’s death. He expressed a shift from passive support to active engagement and acknowledged the destructive chaos near familiar places. He claimed there was a need for outlets for “collective anger” and expressed solidarity with the African American protesters, urging others to amplify their voices.

Source: Prahlad’s Facebook page.

This was the time when his profile suddenly changed to that of someone who is an activist and participates in protests. Then came the protests for the Palestinian cause, and since the military action by Israel against Hamas, he has been actively participating in the pro-Palestinian movement.

Source: Prahlad’s Facebook page

Prahlad used to be a simple, Janeu-dhari Indian-origin boy who appeared to love his life. However, campus activism and the gross radicalisation of students at campuses resulted in a complete shift, leading to his suspension from one of the most prestigious universities, MIT.

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