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Reconstruction of crime scene would not happen without ‘permission from above’: Telangana minister hints at CM’s approval for encounter?

OpIndia Staff
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Reconstruction of crime scene would not happen without ‘permission from above’: Telangana minister hints at CM’s approval for encounter?

In a first such official admission from the Telangana government regarding its alleged role in Friday’s Hyderabad encounter, in which four men accused of raping and killing a 26-year-old veterinary doctor in Hyderabad were shot dead, a senior minister in the K Chandrashekar Rao-led state government has revealed that the encounter would not have happened without permission from the top.

According to the reports, Talasani Srinivas Yadav, who holds the Veterinary & Animal Husbandry portfolio, said that the “reconstruction of the crime scene” that led to the encounter killing in the wee hours of Friday in Hyderabad “wouldn’t have happened without permission from above”.

Senior state minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav said that there was “pressure for immediate action” against the culprits following the rape and murder of the vet. He said that it was doubtful if justice would have been served through courts since the Indian judicial process “will go on forever” while crediting the Chief Minister for the police encounter.

Read: Telangana encounter: No right answer

Talasani Srinivas Yadav has also stoked a fresh controversy by claiming that they have sent a message across the country that if a person does something wrong, there will be an ‘encounter’.

Responding to a question whether an encounter could have happened without the knowledge of the top leadership, he said, “Correct. You know, the reconstruction of crime happened with instruction from above. 100%. Telangana state is very strong in taking immediate action,” said Yadav.

Asserting that his happiness about the encounter killing of the rape accused, Yadav said, “All over India, people are happy. I feel proud to be part of this Cabinet.” He said this was a message for all over India. “A message for (the protection of) our girls when there are so many rape cases,” he added.

Read: As Telangana police files case against 4 dead rape accused for attacking police, petition filed in SC against their encounter

Yadav further pointed out that it has been seven years since the December 16 Delhi gang rape happened. But nothing has happened, he added.

“It was an important case for the whole world, for India. So it is a message that there is no law at all. People go to jails, come out and get the opportunity to do crimes again. This is the condition in India. So, in this case, this (the encounter) is a strong message all over India,” Yadav said.

Tavleen Singh endorses Ummah, confuses CAB with NRC to say Muslims will turn Jihadis if illegal infiltrators are not given citizenship

K Bhattacharjee
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Tavleen Singh endorses Ummah, confuses CAB with NRC to say Muslims will turn Jihadis if illegal infiltrators are not given citizenship

Tavleen Singh, the mother of Aatish Taseer, has been miffed with the central government ever since her son’s OCI card was revoked and understandably so. Since then, she has been engaging in rants against the government that make little sense, motivated, of course, by the apparent misery of her son. In the latest episode, the topic Tavleen Singh has chosen to attack the government on is the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

In an article for The Indian Express, Tavleen Singh claims that Muslims are being targeted through the Citizenship Amendment Bill. The language that she uses in the articles makes it hard to know whether she is talking about the CAB or the NRC. Perhaps, in her mind, both are the same issue but in reality, they are vastly different.

Tavleen Singh in her article about Citizenship Amendment Bill writes, “There are things about the citizenship Bill that are deeply disturbing. Not least is the manner in which Home Minister Amit Shah routinely makes clear that it targets Muslims.” Amit Shah has never said any such thing. The CAB seeks to provide citizenship to persecuted religious minorities in neighbouring countries. It’s remarkably obtuse to suggest that Muslims in other countries are being targeted through the CAB.

Read: India: A land with Hindu consciousness, which will forever be a natural home for Hindus

Tavleen Singh further writes in the article, “Most of the “termites” that Shah so despises are very poor people who usually do not have documents to prove if they are Indian or not. They will now be at the mercy of officials who more often than not will use the law as a new source of inhumane extortion.” Here, it becomes obvious that Singh conflates the issue of NRC and CAB.

Amit Shah has never used the word ‘termite’ for any Indian Muslim. He used the analogy to refer to illegal immigrants who have caused a massive demographic shift in the North East and West Bengal. It’s ridiculous to claim that Indian Muslims are being targeted if people raise the issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh. Furthermore, the NRC is a necessity if we are to have a strong and secure nation. And those who do not find a place in it will be given ample opportunity to prove their case. Therefore, it’s extremely cynical to suggest such a thing.

Read: As Congress opposes CAB, here is what Manmohan Singh had said in support of the bill in 2003

The most obnoxious bit of the articles comes when it says that the CAB has nothing to do with partition. She says, “As someone who belongs to a family of refugees from Pakistan, may I tell you that the “fallout” of Partition was dealt with long ago. This new law is nothing more than a majoritarian and very ugly exercise to prove to Indian Muslims that in the ‘new India’, they have a lesser place than Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians and they better get used to this.”

It’s very much unclear how does prioritize religious minorities from neighbouring countries for citizenship makes Indian Muslims second class citizens. Indian Muslims have nothing to with the CAB and they are not affected by it in any manner whatsoever. It appears as though Tavleen Singh is feeling victimized on their behalf even when they have no cause to feel that way.

Read: Explained: How Citizenship Amendment Bill embraces the history of India

And CAB has everything to do with Partition. Liberals want us to believe that India began from a blank slate on the 15th of August, 1947 and when the new Constitution came into effect on the 26th of January three years later, the past magically ceased to matter. However, nations don’t think like that. A state cannot hope to prosper if it detaches itself completely from the factors that brought it into existence.

Regardless of what liberals might say, India does have more of a responsibility towards non-Muslims in neighbouring countries than the Muslims. It’s because India was partitioned on the basis of religion, India has no responsibility towards the descendants of those who engaged in a civil war so that their children could live in an Islamic State.

Tavleen Singh displays her great ignorance about the illegal immigrant problem when she writes, “If we had a situation similar to what exists on the southern border of the United States, or what happened in Europe when the Syrian war caused a mass migration, this amendment may have had some meaning, even in its current discriminatory form. But, this is not the situation we face.”

Read: Islamist organisation PFI that hosted Hamid Ansari opposes Citizenship Amendment Bill, gives away PoK to Pakistan

Quite clearly, Tavleen Singh has no clue about what’s happening in the North-Eastern regions of the country. Towns and villages have changed so quickly that it could very well be labelled as a demographic invasion. Moreover, India shouldn’t care about what Europe is doing or what the USA thinks. The security of our people and the stability of our country matters more than approval from the West. It might be hard for Tavleen Singh to believe that but it is how it is.

To conclude her article, Tavleen Singh engages in massive hyperbole. She says, “With the second-largest Muslim population in the world, we have contributed the least number of holy warriors to the worldwide jihad. But how long will things stay this way?” Thus, according to her, Indian Muslims may start waging a Jihad against India because of the CAB and NRC which does not affect them in any manner whatsoever. It’s as much a preposterous argument as it is dangerous.

The arguments made by liberals often appear to lay the groundwork for the justification of Jihad. If Tavleen Singh is to be believed, CAB and the NRC are valid grounds for Indian Muslims to feel disenfranchised enough to start a new Jihad. It’s a deplorable argument of the highest order. Jihad is not justifiable by any means and yet, here we see Tavleen Singh make the same argument.

Read: Here is why we need a global publicity strategy for Citizenship Amendment Bill

It should not come as a surprise to anyone. Liberals have justified the Jihad in Kashmir for long. They seriously appear to believe that Jihad is caused by government policies and not the diktats of their religion and the toxicity that is spread by the Maulvis and the Maulanas. Should India suffer another civil war in the future, it appears that the liberals will claim that India had it coming because of the policies it implemented to augment its own security. It appears liberals like Tavleen Singh will blame the government for Muslims waging Jihad against the Indian State and not the problematic aspects of their religion. And that is cause for much concern indeed.

Tavleen Singh in her article about the Citizenship Amendment Bill appears to be making the argument that not only should the Government be careful to not offend the sentiments of Indian Muslims, they should also take care to not offend the Ummah. Nothing else explains why Indian Muslims should feel victimized by the CAB, it has got nothing to do with them at all. But Tavleen Singh here is convinced that the CAB, which does not provide a certain privilege to Muslims from neighbouring countries, will cause Indian Muslims to start waging Jihad against India. It appears she does believe in the Global Ummah after all. And not only is she confirming her belief in the Ummah, she certainly appears to be advocating on behalf of it as well.

Mumbai Mirror tries to garner sympathy for officials being investigated for corruption in the production of Vande Bharat train

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Mirror tries to garner sympathy for officials being investigated for corruption in the production of Vande Bharat train

Today the Mumbai Mirror published a story on the ongoing vigilance probe related to the procurement of various items for the Vande Bharat Express train, also known as train 18. Several officials from the various departments of the Integrated Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, where the train is being made, are being questioned by the Chief Vigilance Officer of ICF in this regard, but the Mirror seems to be batting for the officials as they have tried to imply that there are vested interests behind the probe.

The reports by Mirror quotes the officials saying that the probe has been launched by the Railway Board to sabotage the Vande Bharat project. The report states that nine officers have been sent questionnaires regarding alleged irregularities in the procurement of the propulsion system for EMU/MEMUs (Electric Multiple Unit / Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) and the Train 18. The officers facing probe alleges that the threat of a vigilance probe is an attempt to get international contractors involved in the manufacture of Train 18. The officers allege that every decision they took is being questioned, and this will instil fear among officials and slow down the decision-making process in the Railways. One officer is quoted by Mirror as saying that the notices sent to them are a clear case of a witch-hunt.

The Mumbai Mirror report comes across as defending the officials facing probes of corruption. According to Railway sources, several complaints have been received related to the procurement of various items at ICF, particularly propulsion systems. Accordingly, the GM of the ICF Board had asked the CVO of the ICF conduct a detailed investigation, where a number of irregularities were detected in the procurement process of the propulsion system by ICF. After that, questionnaires have been sent to all concerned officials. These include five from Electrical, four from Mechanical, one from Finance & one from Store departments, which means a total of eleven officials are under the scanner by the vigilance.

Also Read- Exclusive: Railway officials clear the air on Vande Bharat Express and the alleged ‘derailment of production’

Some of the irregularities noticed in the procurement of propulsion system of EMU/MEMU trains, as per Railway Board sources, included irregularities noticed in the finalisation of eligibility criteria which was tweaked to favour certain parties specifically a Hyderabad based company. Further, the Railway Board guidelines for such tenders were ignored.

Apart from these, several irregularities were detected procurement of propulsion system for Vande Bharat, which included the tender for the propulsion system being awarded to a favourable party and only a single tender being released. The RDSO specifications were ignored and the delays in the supply were not fined. In fact, OpIndia has learnt that several aspects did not meet RDSO standards and some shortcomings were pointed out in the current rake of Vande Bharat.

Therefore, there have been serious allegations of irregularities at ICF, and the authorities are probing the same as per established rules. To allege the motives behind the investigation will mean encouraging the irregularities and defending the accused officials.

Moreover, the allegation of the officials that the probe is aimed at derailing production of Train 18 at the ICF to favour foreign manufacturer also does not have any basis. An answer by Railway minister Piyush Goyal at the Lok Sabha on 27th November states that a total of 160, 240 and 240 coaches of the train will in made at the ICF in 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22. Two rakes of the train have already been put into service in Delhi-Varanasi and Delhi- Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra routes.

This is not the first time that malicious reports have been published to allege that the Train 18 production at the ICF is being affected due to investigation of irregularities. Earlier also such claims were made, which were denied by the Railway authorities.

Devendra Fadnavis reveals that Ajit Pawar had said Sharad Pawar knew of alliance, lashes out at development projects being cancelled

OpIndia Staff
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Devendra Fadnavis reveals that Ajit Pawar had said Sharad Pawar knew of alliance, lashes out at development projects being cancelled

The Maharashtra drama recently came to an end when Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister in alliance with Sharad Pawar led NCP and Sonia Gandhi led Congress. Before the drama ended, in the wee hours of the morning, Ajit Pawar was sworn in as the deputy CM and Devendra Fadnavis as the CM before the alliance falling apart in 3 days. At the time, Sharad Pawar had claimed that he had no knowledge of the alliance between Ajit Pawar and BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis in the state and had categorically distanced himself from the alliance.

However, in an interview to a TV channel, Devendra Fadnavis has now claimed that Ajit Pawar had told Fadnavis that Sharad Pawar knew of the alliance being entered into by Ajit Pawar. In fact, he has also claimed that most NCP MLAs knew about the alliance and Fadnavis himself had spoken to some of them.

Read: Here are the 5 things that Ajit Pawar told NCP leaders about why he chose to ally with BJP in Maharashtra

Fadnavis said that Ajit Pawar had told him that he did not want to form a government with Congress and that a three-party alliance would be unstable for the state. He had then told Fadnavis that Sharad Pawar was aware of the plans. He also revealed that the alliance talks between Ajit Pawar and BJP were ‘on for a few days’ and that such alliance talks are not finalised in a few hours or 1-2 days.

Interestingly, hinting at much more, Fadnavis also said that the subject of the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Prime Minister Modi has not been revealed fully and there are many things that happened behind the scenes that will be revealed when the time is right.

Read: Sharad Pawar had sent message to PM Modi and Amit Shah with two demands for his support in Maharashtra, they rejected both

In this interview, Devendra Fadnavis also lashed out at the Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP alliance for putting crucial development projects on hold. He said that projects can always be reviewed and there is nothing wrong with it, however, when the state government is creating an environment where big projects are scrapped, how are investors going to invest in the state.

Read: Maharashtra in the grips of vendetta politics as the new government of Maha Vikas Aghadi puts key projects on hold

He also said that at the request of Uddhav Thackeray, he had decided to give the new government a chance but he had his doubts about the alliance since the three parties were ideologically not aligned.

After the Maharashtra Assembly Elections, Shiv Sena had decided to break its alliance with BJP because Uddhav Thackeray wanted the Chief Minister post for either his son Aditya Thackeray or himself. BJP had flatly refused and said repeatedly that giving the CM position to Sena was not discussed when the alliance was formed. Shiv Sena, in its desperation for power, had then turned ‘secular’ and allied with Congress and NCP to become the CM of the state.

Delhi: PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to kin of 43 killed in Anaj mandi fire, Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to kin of 43 killed in Anaj mandi fire, Rs 50,000 to those seriously injured

Forty-three people were killed when a fire broke out at a luggage manufacturing factory on an early morning in Anaj Mandi area of Delhi on Sunday. Most of the people who lost their lives were labourers who were sleeping at the factory in Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road when the fire broke out at 5 am.

According to the reports, more than 43 people have lost their lives and over 56 people have been injured in the fire. Over 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire and to carry out rescue operations. The cause of the fire incident is unknown yet.

The fire department officials said they received a call in the morning about a fire incident and had no information about people trapped in the burning building, which caused a delay in the rescue operations.

Reportedly, the building was packed with labourers who worked in different factories. The police have begun their investigation and have started looking for the owner of the building.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, CM Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Anurag Thakur have reached the site of the Anaj Mandi fire.

The Prime Minister has announced Rs. 2 lakh ex-gratia from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives in the fire. PM has also announced Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured.

Prime Minister Modi Office tweet

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal rushed to the site after meeting the injured at the hospital. “It is a very sad incident. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into it. Compensation of Rs 10 lakhs each will be given to families of those dead and Rs 1 lakh each to those injured. The expense of medical treatment of those injured to be borne by the government,” he said.

The factory was operating in a Delhi area, whose narrow and congested lanes are lined with many small manufacturing and storage units.

Speaking to media about the Delhi fire, Deputy Fire Chief Officer Sunil Choudhary said, “A fire broke out in a 600 sq feet plot. It was very dark inside. It is a factory where school bags, bottles and other materials were kept.”

Rescue operations are still on while the surrounding buildings in the area are being emptied. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel are assisting in rescue operations.

Uttar Pradesh: Four accused attack woman with acid after rape-survivor refuses to withdraw complaint against them

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Four accused attack woman with acid after rape-survivor refuses to withdraw complaint against them

In a horrific incident that has come to light in Muzaffarnagar, UP, a 30-year-old woman faced an acid attack by the four men following her refusal to withdraw her rape complaint filed against them.

According to the reports, the 30-year-old woman has suffered 30 per cent burns and she is currently undergoing treatment at a Meerut hospital.

Reportedly, the four men, who are also accused of raping the woman barged into the woman’s house on Wednesday night and demanded that she withdraw the complaint she had filed against them in a court for committing rape. As she refused, they poured acid on her, said Circle Officer Girja Shanker Tripathi of Shahpur police station.

The four men involved in the acid attack on the woman have been identified as Arif, Shahnawaz, Sharif and Abid of Kaserva village, said Tripathi.

“All four men are absconding but we will nab them soon,” he added. The woman had earlier filed a complaint in a court here, accusing the four of raping her some time back, he said.

The woman had filed the complaint in the court instead of approaching the police as the woman had earlier lodged a complaint with the police but the case was closed by the police citing no evidence of rape against the victim.

Following the attack on the woman, the police have now registered a case against the perpetrators under section 326 A of the Indian Penal Code. The provision entails a jail term of 10 years on conviction.

The FIR has also been lodged under IPC section 323 (causing hurt), 452 (trespassing into one’s house with an intention to assault him or her), 504 (criminal insult) and 506 (criminal threat), the police officer said.

The heinous incident is being reported days after the gut-wrenching Unnao incident, in which a 23-year-old victim was killed after she was set on fire by pouring kerosene on her allegedly by five men, including the duo who are accused of raping her a year ago.

The victim was attacked on early hours of Thursday by the accused when she along with her family were on their way to a court in Rae Bareli to attend a hearing in the rape case. The five men also included the two who were accused of raping the woman in December.

The 23-year-old woman died on Friday night after hours of fighting at the Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi. She was earlier admitted to a Lucknow hospital on Thursday with 90 per cent burns and was later airlifted to Delhi for further treatment.

The cases of rapes against women are coming out in the public at a time when there is a raging debate regarding the failure of the justice delivery system in the country leading to situations similar to Hyderabad encounter in which the police officials encountered the four accused who had raped and murdered the 27-year-old veterinary doctor.

Unnao police calls out Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, says her statement that there were 90 rape cases in past one year wrong

OpIndia Staff
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Unnao police calls out Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, says her statement that there were 90 rape cases in past one year wrong

After the Unnao victim was burnt to death by the rape-accused, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra claimed that over the past 1 year, over 90 cases of rape were reported in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. The Unnao police have now come out to rubbish the claims by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The Unnao Superintendent of Police spoke to India Today and asserted that Unnao had registered 51 cases of rape in the past one year and not 90 as claimed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Unnao SP Vikrant Vir told India Today, “51 cases of rape have been registered from January 1 till November 30 in the police stations falling under the Unnao district. Sixty-four cases of rape were registered in 2018, 54 in 2017, 37 in 2016 and 39 cases of rape were registered in 2015.”

On Friday, Congress party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had said, “Almost 90 cases of rape have been reported from Unnao district this year. Crime against women is on the rise and the government is busy shielding criminals. UP CM should set up a helpline dedicated for women at his office to act swiftly on any complaint that has been filed.”

While horrific rape cases are being reported from across the country, it shows the dishonesty of a political party if it chooses to talk about only one case simply because that state is ruled by an opposition party.

There have been widespread protests in the country after a girl in Unnao was burnt to death allegedly by a rape-accused who had victimised her earlier and was out-on-bail. The Yogi Adityanath government had vowed to ensure justice for the victim with the case being heard in fast track court. The Yogi Adityanath government has also announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for the family of the victim and a house.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had in a statement called the Unnao rape victim’s death extremely saddening and unfortunate, adding that all the accused have been arrested by the police. He assured that the government will take the case to a fast track court ensuring strict punishment for the accused.

The 23-year-old Unnao rape victim, who was airlifted to Delhi and admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with 90 per cent burns after being set on fire, died on Friday night.

After battling for life for almost 40 hours, the woman died following a cardiac arrest at 11.40 pm, hospital sources said.

The victim was attacked on early hours of Thursday by the out-on-bail accused when she along with her family were on their way to a court in Rae Bareli to attend a hearing in the rape case. The five men who attacked them also included the two who were accused of raping the woman in December. Her family had alleged that their relatives have been getting death threats for pursuing this case. “We have faith on the police but if they fail to protect us, we will have to protect ourselves,” the Unnao rape survivor’s brother said.

Reports say 1000 trees in Aurangabad to be cut for Bal Thackeray memorial while Uddhav Thackeray halts Mumbai Metro project to save Aarey trees, mayor denies

OpIndia Staff
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Reports say 1000 trees in Aurangabad to be cut for Bal Thackeray memorial while Uddhav Thackeray halts Mumbai Metro project to save Aarey trees, mayor denies

The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, which has been strongly advocating for eco-conservation by cancelling the metro project at Aarey on ‘concerns’ that trees are being cut, seems to have taken a u-turn as Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, which Sena controls, wants to now chop down 1,000 trees for a Bal Thackeray memorial in Priyadarshini Park.

According to the Mumbai Mirror report, Shiv Sena-governed Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is all set to cut nearly 1,000 trees for a memorial of the party’s founder, the late Bal Thackeray. This decision of the AMC comes after Shiv Sena Chief and newly elected CM Uddhav Thackeray had stopped work on a Metro car shed at Aarey Colony claiming that the project would require felling of many trees.

Reportedly, Priyadarshini Park is dense wood that spans across 17 acres in the middle of Aurangabad. It serves as a green lung to the city and used for walking, jogging and other leisure activities. According to environmental activists, the park is home to 70 species, 40 species of butterflies and various reptiles and small mammals.

Read: Aarey activist from NGO Vanashakti threatens a woman with ‘dire consequences’ for a Facebook post that supported Mumbai Metro

However, the Sena which runs the AMC for the past 25 years now wants to build a memorial for Bala Thackeray by felling thousands of trees at Priyadarshini Park. The memorial will also have an amphitheatre, a museum and a food court. It will be built with a whopping cost of Rs 61 crore.

Sunny Khinwsara, a lawyer for petitioners who have filed a Petition in the Bombay HC said that as per AMC’s own project report there is a need to cut at least 1,000 trees.

“AMC’s affidavit in court is silent on the number of trees needs to be cut for the project. It just says ‘minimum number’ of trees will be cut. In fact, in an advertisement published by AMC in a local newspaper, it had invited tenders for the cutting of 330 trees,” he added.

Read: Climate Change and India: Urban elites should focus their energy on pressuring developed nations to meet emission targets

According to Khinwsara, the park was taken by the AMC from City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) on the terms that the former will maintain a public garden there. In his affidavit, he also claimed that the condition of the park has deteriorated since it was taken over by AMC from CIDCO in 2016 and that more than 1,200 trees have either been cut or dried up.

Reportedly, the CIDCO handed over the land in the 1980s to Mahatma Gandhi Mission, who converted the barren land to a lush green park over the years by planting more than 10,000 trees.

However, Aurangabad mayor Nandkumar Ghodele has denied the reports that trees are being cut for the memorial. He said that they will ensure that no trees are cut while building the memorial and will abide by directions given by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.


Read: NGOs and assorted ‘liberals’ protesting against Mumbai Metro are wrong: Here are the facts of Aarey Colony Metro Shed

Soon after coming to power in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had ordered to put a halt to the car shed construction for the Mumbai Metro in Aarey Milk Colony.

Addressing his first press conference as chief minister, Uddhav Thackeray said, “I have ordered to stop the work of Aarey metro car shed project today. Metro work will not stop but till next decision, not a single leaf of Aarey will be cut”. Saying that overnight cutting of trees in Aarey was not acceptable, Thackeray said not a single tree leaf will be cut till further notice.

A day after new CM Uddhav Thackeray had stopped construction of the metro car shed in the Aarey Milk Colony his government had registered against officials and a contractor for allegedly cutting of trees along the route of Metro Line in Thane.

The Supreme Court had last month, clarified that there is no stay order on the construction of Metro shed in Aarey Colony, with a stipulation that a stay on felling of trees will remain. However, the Metro Corporation had clearly stated that that they have cut all the trees that needed to be cut and they do not need to cut any more trees in the area.

Laws should be amended so accused in rape cases do not get bail: Sister of Hyderabad rape and murder victim

OpIndia Staff
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Laws should be amended so accused in rape cases do not get bail: Sister of Hyderabad rape and murder victim

The sister of Telangana veterinarian who was gang-raped and murdered near Hyderabad has demanded that law should be amended to ensure that accused in rape cases do not get bail, reports ANI. This comment by the Hyderabad victim’s sister comes after a spate of incidents where out-on-bail rape accused have gone after their victims.

“Laws should be amended so that accused don’t get bail in such cases,” she said speaking to ANI while demanding speedy justice.

“There has to be a full stop to such incidents. Justice should be delivered at the earliest. It shouldn’t take years and the victim is killed in the meantime,” she said.

Earlier, reacting to the news of the death of the four accused in a police encounter, the Hyderabad’s vet’s father had welcomed the decision on Friday and admitted he had never expected that justice would be delivered to his daughter so fast.

Read: Chhattisgarh: Molester released on bail days ago chases and attacks his victim with a sickle, leaves her critically injured

Echoing the same sentiments as her daughter, he had mentioned that the entire country should introspect over the recent developments. The Hyderabad vet’s father had reiterated the need for stricter laws so that rapists could be hanged faster.

The 27-year-old veterinary doctor was brutally gang-raped and set ablaze on the night of November 27 by the four accused before burning her body on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Read: Telangana encounter: No right answer

The Telangana police had arrested all the four under charges of gang-rape and murder in less than 24 hours after the crime. The police had confirmed that a lorry driver named Mohammad Pasha from Narayanpet in Mahababub Nagar district was allegedly the main suspect. The other accused were identified as Naveen from Gudigandla, cleaner Kesavulu, and an assistant named Shiva.

On the early hours of Friday, four people arrested in connection with the case were shot dead by police in an encounter while they were being taken to the crime spot on Friday. According to police, the four accused snatched weapons and tried to flee.

Prime accused in Vyapam case seen at school event attended by MP CM Kamal Nath and Congress leader Digvijay Singh

OpIndia Staff
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Prime accused in Vyapam case seen at school event attended by MP CM Kamal Nath and Congress leader Digvijay Singh

The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh has set itself up for huge embarrassment after the prime accused in the Vyapam scam, Jagdish Sagar, was seen at the same school event attended by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. The same event was also attended by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh and Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari. Sagar was seen during the prize distribution programme at Daily College School in Indore.

Sagar is accused of having conspired to get admissions for more than 150 students in medical colleges through Vyapam. Two cases were filed against Sagar pertaining to the Pre-Medical Test in 2012 and 2013. He was arrested for being the mastermind of the Vyapam scam in 2013 and after spending years in jail, had secured bail in 2015 after CBI took over the case.

In 2018, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed a charge sheet in the Vyapam scam against ‘mastermind’ Dr Jagdish Sagar, two officials of the exam board, and others under the anti-money laundering law. Apart from Sagar who acted as the middleman, Dr Vinod Bhandari who is the ex-chairman of Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS), and Vyapam officials Dr Pankaj Trivedi and Nitin Mohindra were named. The chargesheet was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Read: Vyapam: Congress leader KK Mishra sentenced to 2 years jail in Shivraj Chouhan defamation case

The charges against Jagdish Sagar was filed in 2018 after the investigation had revealed that he illegally acquired money by resorting to malpractices in PMT-2012, pre-PG examination-2012, PMT-2013, and that he had deposited the illegal earnings in the regular banking channels and acquired various properties.

In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections, Jagdish Sagar had fought on a BSP ticket and lost. Sagar had fought the Gohad seat where Congress candidate Ranjiv Jatav had won and Sagar had come a distant third.

Interestingly, a Bhopal court in 2018 had directed police to FIR against in Congress leaders Kamal Nath, Digvijay Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and whistleblower Prashant Pandey in the Vyapam scam case. A district court in Bhopal had issued this order to Shyamala Hills police station in Bhopal, on the accusation of submitting false evidence in High Court and Supreme Court.

Read: Day after court orders FIR against Congress leaders in Vyapam case, Rahul Gandhi raises it

The court order had come as a complaint filed by BJP law cell under several sections of IPC including 420, 466 and 468. The complaint alleges that the Congress leaders have misled the court by submitting forged documents before Madhya Pradesh High Court. The petition also alleges that the Congress leaders are trying to mislead the court and manipulate the investigation into the scam.

This petition had come as a counter-petition filed by Digvijay Singh against several BJP leaders. On 19 September 2018, Digvijay Singh had filed the petition accusing that the then MP Chief Minister Shivraj Sing Chauhan is at the root of the Vyapam Scam. He had also submitted around 27,000 pages of documents related to Scam along with the petition. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal had represented Singh in the court.

Read: FIR ordered against Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia for submitting false evidence in Vyapam

The Congress leaders had alleged that a hard disk related to the case was tampered with. Sibal had said that the then CM’s name appeared 48 times in the disk, which was removed by police. Sibal claimed he had sent the data to Truth Lab in Bengaluru and they had found that data was tampered with.

But, Forensic Science Laboratory in Hyderabad had concluded that disk was not tampered with, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan was already given a clean shit by Supreme Court two years ago in the matter based on the FSL. Therefore, BJP had alleged that Congress was misleading the court by again saying that disk tampered when SC has already accepted the FSL report that disk was genuine.

It is pertinent to note here that in 2017, Congress leader KK Mishra was sentenced to two years in prison for defaming Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his family in the Vyapam case.

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