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Fact Check: Congress and The Wire spread falsehoods about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Ashutosh Kulkarni
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Fact Check: Congress and The Wire spread falsehoods about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

As times evolve, a new system of lying has been invented. It is termed as a “White Lie” and it has been known to humans since the ages, however, it is only recently that these lies have proliferated into the media industry. If I tell you I killed a person but don’t tell you that I am a cop and the person killed was a terrorist, you will end up thinking I am a criminal. That’s how white lies and half-truths are spread to obfuscate and confuse the readers.

Something similar has been happening with Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) launched in 2016. Everybody is presenting facts based on fancy “RTI queries” but no one puts it in the right perspective.

Based on an RTI query, The Hindu published an article claiming the number of farmers covered under PMFBY has dropped down by 84 lakhs between 2016-17 to 2017-18 while The Wire has claimed that Rs 2829 crore dues haven’t been paid to the farmers in last two years 2016-17 and 2017-18. Only Kharif data available for 2017-18 which is 8.2% of the total estimated claims. Even though the figures of Rabi 2017-18 are not available according to the RTI reply reported by Wire, we will use the available data to disprove their hypothesis.

Let us deal with these issues one by one.

Why Farmers Quit PMFBY

 

As you can see, there is a drop of about 84 lakhs in the total farmers insured. But without looking at the macro picture, it is downright incorrect and disingenuous.

  1. Notice that it is loanee farmers who have reduced in a chunk while non-loanee farmers are constant.
  2. The drop is significantly noted in big states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka who have announced huge farm loan waivers around 2017-18
  3. Any loanee farmer takes farm insurance as a surety that if his crop is damaged, he would at least pay off loans with the help of insurance he gets. Once the loans get waived by the State, farmers tend to exit from the PM Fasal Bima Yojana
  4. Bank Loans and Insurance are closely related. Banks make it mandatory for farmers to take up insurance policies so that if the farmer defaults, they can recover some loan amount from the farmers’ insurance premium. Insurance companies too find it suitable to sell policies from banks due to reduced marketing costs. Thus, loan waivers and insurance are closely related.
  5. The last factor is the good monsoon in 2017 that reduced uncertainties which resulted in the drop in the number of farmers insured.

If in spite of loan waivers by three big states, the farmers under PMFBY drop by mere 84 lakh out of whopping 5.72 crores, isn’t it an indicator that the scheme is still alive and kicking?

Pending Dues

The Wire claims there is a backlog of Rs 2,829 crores in the last two years in the settling of insurance claims. It says the total estimated claims were Rs 34,441 crores out of which Rs 31,612 crore are settled. Rest Rs 2,829 remain to be settled, which is 8.2% of the total estimated claims.

For comparison, let’s look at the two years before Fasal Bima was launched (2014-15 and 2015-16) and compare it with two years of Fasal Bima (2016-17 and 2017-18) and see the claims reported, claims settled and claims due. The figures are cumulative of Kharif and Rabi seasons.

Note- Before PMFBY was launched, there were three insurance schemes namely National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS), Modified National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) and Weather-based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)

(All figures from annexure of 2017 CAG report on crop insurance)

Thus, the pendency of dues was almost 45% in the pre-Fasal Bima days while the pendency has reduced to 8.2% in the two years of PM Fasal Bima, as noted before. Although claims are still being held up, the gap has reduced considerably.

If pendency actually reduced after PM Fasal Bima Yojana was launched, can one really claim PMFBY has benefitted insurance companies? The falsehood, other than The Wire, was also spread by Congress leader P Chidambaram.


To cut the long story short, PMFBY has been a definite improvement over the earlier insurance schemes. It has reduced the burden of a premium on the farmers to the level of 1.5% for Rabi crops, 2% for Kharif and 5% for horticultural crops.

There is no cap on government subsidy on premiums. It covers post-harvest losses too. The scheme aims at a long-term aim of full insurance coverage for farmers. Lots of improvement needs to be done. But judging it prematurely and based on white lies and half-baked narratives reeks of malicious intentions.

Congress leaders post doctored video to prove the video of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan in Congress rally is fake

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leaders post doctored video to prove the video of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogan in Congress rally is fake

On December 3, a video clip appeared on social media which showed that during a rally address by Congress leader Navojit Singh Sidhu, slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was raised by some people. Sidhu was addressing an election rally in Khairthal, Alwar in Rajasthan on December 1. Zee News did a report on slogans and showed a portion of the speech when then Pakistan Zindabad slogans were heard.


After this, several Congress leaders claimed that no such slogan was raised, and alleged that Zee News was spreading fake news. As a proof of their claim, they posted the ‘original video’ of the speech. Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that a doctored video was being spread, and he posted a 45-second video of the speech as a proof.


The same was also tweeted by other Congress workers, denying that any such slogan was raised and the video was doctored.

But what the Congress leaders are claiming to be ‘original video’ of the speech is actually a small portion of the whole speech by Sidhu, and obviously, the slogan has been carefully left out of that short clip.

We have found that a 22-minute video of the speech was posted on Youtube on December 1, the day Sidhu addressed the rally. In that video, at 6:19 minutes, it is heard that someone indeed shouted Pakistan Zindabad. Just before Sidhu starts mocking Modi by saying ‘behno aur bhaiyo’, this slogan is heard in the background.

https://youtu.be/rAH-BD5hOvw?t=372

The clip shared by the Congress leaders start just after this, hence it does not contain the slogan.

The video was also shown by a Pakistani channel, which noted that Pakistan Zindabad slogans were raised in India.


Therefore, it can be concluded that allegations of Congress that the video is doctored in wrong. Someone indeed raised the slogan in the rally. And to prove their point, the Congress leaders actually posted a ‘doctored’ video, by cutting the part where the slogan was heard.

‘Honey-trapping’ the preferred method by Pakistan to lure young men into terrorism

OpIndia Staff
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‘Honey-trapping’ the preferred method by Pakistan to lure young men into terrorism

Pakistan based terror groups have made ‘honey trapping’ their most preferred method to lure youths in Jammu and Kashmir to join terrorism and to use them as human carriers for delivering arms from one place to another or acting as guides to infiltrating terrorists.

‘Honey Trapping’ is a commonly used technique practised for very long by spy agencies to extract sensitive information.

An intelligence-based operation had led to the arrest of a woman named Syed Shazia, in her early thirties, from Bandipore, a fortnight ago. During interrogation, it was revealed that Shazia had many accounts on various social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, which many youths in the valley followed. The intelligence agencies officials had confirmed that Shazia’s internet protocol (IP) address was being tapped for several months before she could be nabbed.

Shazia had been in touch with some police department officials as well, but the officials dismissed it by calling it a usual “double cross” tactics, as she used to report the movement of troops and “not so sensitive” information to her administrators across the border.

During the interrogation, she further admitted about the presence of other women in militants ranks who had been tasked with luring youths into militancy.

A week before her arrest on November 17, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had arrested Aysia Jan (28) for carrying 20 grenades in Lawaypora on the city outskirts, after receiving inputs about militants trying to smuggle arms and ammunition into the city.

Besides grenades, the police had also seized ammunition from her possession, they said.

A probe into a September 2017 Amarnath killing case, in which the police killed Abu Ismail, the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and Chotta Qassim, who was involved in the gunning down of Amarnath pilgrims in which eight people were killed, led to the monitoring of Shazia.

Some documents and materials which were seized from the encounter site in the outskirts of Srinagar city indicated that unidentified woman from North Kashmir was involved in supplying arms to the two slain terrorists.

In April this year, the police finally identified the woman as Syed Shazia. By continuously following her social media accounts it was revealed that Shazia was getting instructions for ‘honey trapping’ youths into terrorism from across the border.

Before her arrest, a special police officer from Handwara was picked up by police for passing informing to Shazia that her phone was being tapped by the police.

It was found that the special police officer identified as Irfan had been passing information to Shaiza, officials confirmed.

She was arrested under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code and Arms Act.

Recently with the sensational arrest of the BrahMos engineer, Nishant Agarwal, who was arrested for spying for Pakistan, the Intelligence Bureau had issued a high alert against the hostile neighbour’s ‘honeytrap’ strategy, which is prevalent in India.

The alert states that Pakistan’s ISI has been utilizing good looking Chinese and Pakistani girls to lure and set the trap on high ranking officials and those involved in dealing with sensitive information.

In February this year an Indian Air Force officer, Captain Arun Marwaha, was arrested by the counter-intelligence wing of the force for alleged involvement in espionage and leaking classified documents and had been arrested by the police under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

In April it was reported that a 23-year-old man named Gaurav Kumar, who was honey-trapped by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was arrested from Rohtak for allegedly passing information to the Pakistani spy agency about Indian Army camps he had visited for recruitment tests.

Earlier this year, an Indian diplomat Madhuri Gupta was sentenced to jail for allegedly leaking sensitive information to ISI officials who had honey trapped her during her stint at the Indian high commission in Islamabad.

‘Remove police for 15 minutes’ fame Akbaruddin Owaisi mimics PM Modi, tells him to behave like a ‘real wazir-e-azam’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Remove police for 15 minutes’ fame Akbaruddin Owaisi mimics PM Modi, tells him to behave like a ‘real wazir-e-azam’

There seems to be no end to the war of words between the BJP and AIMIM leaders ahead of assembly elections in Telangana. Reportedly, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, brother of party’s chief Asaduddin Owaisi has now taken a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by referring him to ‘Chaiwala’.

Speaking at an election rally in Hyderabad on Sunday, Akbaruddin Owaisi, four-time MLA from Telangana went on to advise the Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to behave like a ‘Chaiwala’ but to conduct himself like the Prime Minister of the country.

“Baat karein ki chai chai chai, chai. Har waqt vahi, demonetisation. Ye chai, vo chai, kadak chai, naram chai. Ye Wazir-e-Azam hain ya kya hain? Arey chaiwala tha, ab Wazir-e-Azam hai. Wazir-e-Azam jaisa ban jao. ( He every time either speaks of  ‘Chai’ or demonetisation…Is he a Prime Minister. You were a tea-seller in the past and the Prime Minister now, behave like a Prime Minister),” said Akbaruddin Owaisi.


The younger Owaisi further attacked the Prime Minister by saying that AIMIM party and its leaders have the capacity to force a ‘Chaiwala’ to bow down in front of the Muslims. Reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s earlier statements, Akbaruddin Owaisi mocked his saffron-clad attire and said the next 1000 generations of Owaisi will stay in this country.

Earlier, while speaking at a campaign rally on Sunday Yogi Adityanath had warned Asaduddin Owaisi that if BJP comes to power, Owaisi will have to flee Hyderabad as the Nizams of the Hyderabad did.

The elections to Telangana legislative assembly will be held on 7th December along with Rajasthan and the results will be declared on 11th December along with other four states, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram. Congress and TDP have formed a pre-poll alliance to fight against the ruling TRS led by K Chandrashekhar. The BJP is fighting Telangana elections alone against the Congress, TDP, AIMIM and the ruling TRS.

Being gay is ‘fashionable’, homosexuals should leave the Church: Pope Francis on gay clergy

OpIndia Staff
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Being gay is ‘fashionable’, homosexuals should leave the Church: Pope Francis on gay clergy

Pope Francis has expressed his views regarding ‘homosexuality in the churches’ saying that having gays in the Catholic clergy is something that worries him and remarking that some societies consider homosexuality as a “fashionable” lifestyle to which the Catholic clergy is susceptible.

Speaking at an interview with Spanish priest Fernando Prado ahead of a book release called “The Strength of Vocation”, the Pope said that active homosexuals in the Catholic Church should leave, rather than living a “double life”. He urged homosexuals who are already priests and nuns to be celibate and behave responsibly to avoid dragging church into any scandal.

“The issue of homosexuality is a very serious issue that must be adequately discerned from the beginning with the candidates,” the pontiff said with regards to the screening of candidates before they join the priesthood.

Pope Francis’s position with regards to homosexuality in the clergy is not new as the Roman Catholic church believes that homosexual acts are sinful. A 2016 church decree had stressed the ‘obligation of sexual abstinence’ and had barred gays from joining holy orders.

“We have to urge homosexual priests, and men and women religious, to live celibacy with integrity, and above all, that they are impeccably responsible, trying to never scandalise either their communities or the faithful holy people of God,”  Pope Francis said.

Earlier in 2013, contrary to his current homophobic views, Pope Francis just months after assuming the papacy had said, “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?”, signalling a softer tone on homosexuality. “The key is for the church to welcome, not exclude and show mercy, not condemnation,” Pope Francis had spoken about the need for the church to welcome people regardless of their sexual orientation.

Recently, Former papal nuncio (ambassador) to the United States, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano had shockingly revealed that Pope Francis was aware of the sexual abuse allegations against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and yet did nothing to punish but went to elevate him to a position where he was helping choose powerful American Bishops. Archbishop Vigano had also called for the resignation of the Pope.

in many countries in the world, Catholic priests and churches are under investigation for hiding cases of sexual abuse by priests. Authorities have been alleging that the Catholic church uses the excuse of ‘pontifical secrets’ to shield guilty priests and works actively to rehabilitate them, further endangering potential victims.

Navjot Singh Sidhu hits another low, calls Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath “chowkidar ka kutta”

OpIndia Staff
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Navjot Singh Sidhu hits another low, calls Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath “chowkidar ka kutta”

In a new low, Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu could be heard saying in one of his rallies “Chowkidar Chor hai” (The Watchmen is a thief, while referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and went on to add, “Chowkidar ka kutta bhi chor hai” while appearing to refer to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOtGymIYwU]

Sidhu said about Yogi, “Abhi sar mundwaya hi tha ki olay bhi padh gaye” and “What does he think of himself?” Sidhu then went to refer to BJP’s defeat in the bypolls in Yogi’s own constituency in Uttar Pradesh. He then stated, “Chowkidar Chor hai aur Chaukidar ka kutta bhi chor ke saath mila hua hai” (The Watchmen is a thief and the Watchmen’s dog is also in cohorts with the thief). He then said, “Come on the field, Yogi. What Yogi? The biggest Bhogi.”

In recent months, Navjot Singh Sidhu has been making extremely controversial and disgraceful remarks for which his party has been facing severe criticism. First, when he travelled to Pakistan for Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony and hugged the Pakistan Army’s chief and now, for this enthusiasm during the Kartarpur inauguration. Sidhu, on his trip to Pakistan this time, was heavily criticised by Captain Amarinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab who had declined the invite to travel. In the face of that criticism, Sidhu was heard saying that he went because Rahul Gandhi wanted him to travel. In fact, a video surfaced where he also spoke about Rahul Gandhi proving Sidhu with a special plane so he could travel to Pakistan on time.

Then, Sidhu posed with a Khalistani terrorist for a photograph during his Kartarpur visit. It wasn’t all, Sidhu lied blatantly that Rahul Gandhi had sent him to Pakistan after asserting it himself that he went there at the Congress President’s behest.

Navjot Singh Sidhu has been flirting with the limits of decency for quite some time. He has always been known to talk much more than what is appropriate, a character flaw that has earned him the reputation of being a cartoon who cannot be taken seriously. However, in the great tradition of the Congress party producing leaders who abuse political opponents in India in the filthiest of languages while glorifying Pakistanis, Sidhu appears to fit in perfectly.

Bhopal Gas tragedy, Rajiv Gandhi and Adil Shahryar: A sordid tale of alleged quid pro quo

OpIndia Staff
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Bhopal Gas tragedy, Rajiv Gandhi and Adil Shahryar: A sordid tale of alleged quid pro quo

The 3rd of December, 2018 marks the 34th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Hundreds and thousands of lives were lost that fateful night when over 5 lakh people were exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC), an extremely toxic gas after a leak at the Union Carbide Plant in Madhya Pradesh. Claims regarding the total number of deaths in the tragedy vary from over 5,000 by the government to over 15,000 by activists. Regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the total number of casualties, it is regarded as one of the worst industrial disasters across the world.

Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), was considered widely to be guilty of slack maintenance in the plant that led to the disaster. Eight former plant employees were eventually convicted in June 2010 but by then, the Court had declared Anderson an accused and an absconder. With assistance from prominent political players in the corridors of power, Anderson had fled the country merely days after the disaster, never to return.

Some say the Americans had built significant pressure on the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to release Anderson after he was arrested and detained at the Union Carbide Guest House. “We arrested him on the basis of a written order but released him on an oral order,” said Swaraj Puri, Bhopal’s Superintendent of Police in 1984. He claimed that the oral order came from “higher-ups”. The pilot who flew Anderson from Bhopal to Delhi on the 7th of December revealed that the aircraft was authorized by the then Chief Minister of the State, Congress politician Arjun Singh, as per the journey log book.

Others say that Rajiv Gandhi allowed Anderson to flee on the basis of a quid pro quo arrangement for the release of his childhood, Adil Shahryar, who was serving a 35-year sentence in the USA. Sharyar was the son of Muhammad Yunus, an Indian civil servant and former ambassador to Turkey, Indonesia, Iraq and Spain. Yunus was a close associate of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.

Shahryar was found guilty on five counts, including felony and fraud, by a Florida District Court. He was held guilty of attempting to firebomb a ship and was charged with defrauding shipping authorities and the American Express International Banking Corporation.

In a memorandum to the Attorney General from John Roberts, the AG’s special assistant, the latter emphasized on the gravity of the charges against Shahryar. He wrote, “Adil was tried in federal court, before a jury, on 5 counts: (1) attempting to firebomb a ship; (2) false statements on various certificates in connection with the shipment; (3) mail fraud; (4) making of a firearm (the bombs); and (5) the use of a firearm (the bombs) in the commission of a felony. The case was airtight: evidence linked Adil to the purchase of the bomb materials, and he had only an incredible story attempting to pin the blame on two associates to present in defence. He was convicted and sentenced, after a sentencing hearing, to 35 years.

The judge indicated he viewed the attempted firebombing of the ship as very serious. Adil had what the prosecutor described as a “superb” defence attorney during the trial, though Adil fired him before the sentencing hearing. The original state arson charges are still pending against Adil. The assistant U.S. attorney who tried the case concluded that Adil was “dangerous and deserves every day of the 35 years he got.””

Hollywood actor Charlton Heston had requested the then Attorney General William French Smith in 1982 to intervene in the matter. The Attorney General, however, after his assistant’s memorandum, flatly refused to consider the gravity of the charges against Shahryar.

He said in his letter to the actor, “I am afraid, however, that it would not be appropriate for me to intervene in this matter in any way. Mr Shahryar was convicted of serious crimes after a full trial before a jury of his peers, and was sentenced by the judge according to law.”

Not too long after Anderson fled India to escape trial, then U.S. President Ronald Reagan issued Shahryar a Presidential pardon. And he returned to India soon after. The escape of Warren Anderson is still considered a great betrayal of the victims of the tragedy. He eventually died in September 2014, not having suffered any consequences for his alleged role in the tragedy. Rajiv Gandhi’s desire to prioritize the release of his childhood friend, a person who was convicted of extremely severe charges, may well have ensured Anderson’s release and subsequent escape.

According to another theory that has been floating around, Muhammad Yunus had threatened Rajiv Gandhi that if he was unable to secure Shahryar’s release, then he would reveal damning secrets about Nehru’s involvement in the Netaji mystery. “Yunus threatened Rajiv that he would unmask his grandfather in the Netaji matter if he did not seek his son’s release,” the late Pradip Bose, nephew of Netaji Bose, apparently said.

Whether there was actually a quid pro quo involved where Rajiv Gandhi felicitated the escape of Anderson to secure the release of his convicted childhood friend, we may never know. Whether his eagerness to embrace the quid pro quo was motivated by a desire to protect the legacy of his family rather than any affection for a friend, we may never know. But given the murky history of the Nehru-Gandhi family, there may well be more to the matter than meets the eye.

Qatar to become the first Gulf nation to withdraw from OPEC, decision effective from January 2019

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar to become the first Gulf nation to withdraw from OPEC, decision effective from January 2019

Qatar will be withdrawing from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in January 2019, its energy minister has announced. Qatar is one of the 15 member countries of the international cartel of oil exporting nations. On Monday the country’s energy minister Saad al-Kaabi told a news conference that “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership form OPEC effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to OPEC this morning.”

The minister said that the decision to pull out of OPEC was not easy as Qatar has been a member of the organisation for 57 years, but added that the countries impact on decisions made by OPEC was small. The country will be withdrawing from the organisation effective from 1 January 2019.


The minister said that Qatar intends to focus its efforts on developing its natural gas industry. He added that the decision represents a technical and strategic change, and it is not politically motivated. He also said that the decision was not linked to economic boycott imposed on the country by Saudi Arab and three other Arab nations. In 2017, Saudi Arab, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt had imposed an economic boycott against Qatar.

Qatar is one of the smallest producers of oil in the OPEC nations, with less than 2% share in the total OPEC production. But it is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), and the nation wants to concentrate on LNG. The energy minister said that Qatar will be increasing its natural gas production to 110 million tons from current 77 million tons per year. He said, “Qatar has worked diligently during the past few years to develop a future strategy based on growth and expansion, both in its activities at home and abroad”.

To maintain international crude prices as a desirable level, OPEC imposes production quota on its member countries. This ensures that there is no excess supply of oil in the market which can drive down the prices. Although OPEC claims it acts as a modest force for market stabilisation, and not as an anti-competitive cartel.

Other OPEC members have exited the group in past, but Qatar is the first Gulf nation to do so. This comes ahead of OPEC meeting in Vienna on December 6. OPEC and its allies including Russia will discuss cutting supplies in the meeting to stop the ongoing drop in crude prices.

Zakia Jafri’s petition challenging the acquittals by SIT in 2002 Gujarat riots case adjourned to mid-January

OpIndia Staff
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Zakia Jafri’s petition challenging the acquittals by SIT in 2002 Gujarat riots case adjourned to mid-January

The Supreme Court of India on Monday postponed the hearing till mid-January on the petition filed by Zakia Jafri challenging the clean chit given by the Special Investigation Team to the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. Zakia Jafri’s husband Ehsan Jafri was killed by a mob which attacked Gulberg society during 2002 riots in Ahmedabad.


Zakia Jafri had lodged a petition in the apex court on October 5, 2017, challenging the Gujarat High Court’s judgment which upheld the clean chit given to politicians and officials by the SIT in its conclusion, citing lack of “prosecutable evidence” against them. The Gujarat High Court maintained the investigation of the Special Investigation Team, giving a clean chit to 64 people including Narendra Modi. According to Ms Jafri, the Gujarat High Court “erroneously” upheld the Magistrate Court order absolving all accused.

Senior advocate Mukul Rastogi, representing SIT argued in the SC that Zakia’s case was unsustainable and that “it was an issue of fact and for how long it can go on.” Solicitor General Tushar Malhotra claimed that the parallel findings by the subordinate courts and High court led to the rejection of Zakia’s petition in the past as well.

The apex court bench comprising of Judges A M Khanwilkar and Hemant Gupta adjourned the matter for hearing in the third week of January 2019. Earlier, the hearing was deferred for a week on November 26. Before that the hearing on the matter was deferred by a week on November 19.

Ehsan Jafri and 68 others were brutally killed by the mob in the aftermath of the Godhra train burning. The mob barged in the Muslim dominated Gulberg Society of Ahmedabad and killed 69 people. In 2006, the police filed a case against Modi, some ministers and officials in response to a complaint filed by Zakia.

On April 27, 2009, the Supreme Court ordered SIT to take action on the complaint of Zakia. SIT investigated the case and a filed closure report in 2012. The closure report cited that no substantial evidence was found against Modi or other accused officials.

Kerala: Beef festival organiser and left-wing ‘activist’ Deepa Nisanth apologises for plagiarism

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Beef festival organiser and left-wing ‘activist’ Deepa Nisanth apologises for plagiarism

Controversial left-wing writer and college faculty Deepa Nisanth, an important face behind the infamous beef festivals and left-wing activist Sreechithran have been caught red-handed by social media users after the duo had lifted a poem and published it in a magazine. The controversial writer has now apologised for blatant plagiarism of a poem, reported Mathrubhumi.

In 2015, she had challenged the Sangh Parivar by taking the lead in organising a beef festival at the college, which is run by Cochin Devaswom Board.

According to the reports, Deepa Nisanth along with Sreechithran had lifted a poem titled ‘Anganeyirikke Marichu Poyi Njan’ written by young poet S Kalesh and then published it in ‘Kerala Private College Teacher’, a journal of the left-wing All Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (AKPCTA). Deepa Nisanth with some minor changes had published the poem in the left-wing magazine claiming it has her work.

However, S Kalesh, the composer of the poem was shocked after it was republished by the left-wing activist under her name which was first published in 2011 in his blog and later as part of the book Sabdamahasamudram’ in 2015. Incidentally, the original poem also had the same title ‘Anganeyirikke’ meaning “So when I died”, which was later lifted by the duo.

Poet S Kalesh in his Facebook post had said that he had evidence that Deepa Nisanth plagiarized many lines from a poem that he had written in 2011. Kalesh had threatened Deepa Nisanth of legal proceedings for lifting his poem and had asked her to give a clear explanation regarding her shameful behaviour.

However, Deepa Nisanth had initially claimed that she did not plagiarize the poem rather it was sent to her by Sreechithran claiming it was his poem. “The poem was sent to me by my friend several years back. I wanted him to publish it. But, he was not ready for that…When he disagreed, I decided to publish it in my name taking advantage of the authority given by friendship,” said Deepa.

After receiving severe flak across the social media, Deepa Nisanth wrote an apology post saying, “Since I’m responsible for each and every word published under my name, I apologise. I expect this issue will end here,” she said in the FB post.

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