In Gujarat’s Junagadh, the family of a patient named Yunus attacked the doctors at Junagadh Civil Hospital alleging negligence. In the attack, two doctors and a staff sustained injuries. This incident triggered protests with the Civil Hospital’s medicos going on a strike. The police acted promptly and arrived at the spot. They assured the protesting medicos of appropriate legal action and filed an FIR against 8 people. So far 5 people have been arrested in this case.
According to the information received, Yunus Hussain Khatri was admitted to Junagadh Civil Hospital on the night of August 15-16 due to chest pain. Doctors gave the patient all the necessary treatment in emergency. The patient was then placed on a ventilator in the ICU for further treatment, however, he eventually died. The family of the deceased Yunus attacked the doctors, blaming them for negligence. In the attack, nursing staff, including the doctor, sustained serious injuries. Civil hospital staff also went on strike in response to the attack.
As the Junagadh Police swung into action and arrested five of the eight accused after registering a case against them, the protesting medicos called off their strike within hours. While the police assured that the rest of the accused would be arrested, the doctors and nursing staff returned to their respective duties.
Speaking to OpIndia, DySP Hitesh Dhandhalya said that the doctor and nursing staff on duty at the civil hospital were attacked at night. A relative of a family came here for treatment, however, he died later. Subsequently, the family of the deceased patient Yunus attacked the doctor and nursing staff. A complaint has been registered against the accused in the A Division Police Station and immediate action has been taken against the attackers
The brutal rape case of the 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata has shaken the entire country with everybody demanding justice for the incident. While the CBI has taken over the case, several politicians, journalists, celebrities, and every conscious citizen have condemned the incident and have raised their voices against the heinous crime, demanding immediate arrest of the accused involved.
Meanwhile, several others who don’t deserve to be called humans are busy mocking the victim and the crime, further justifying it by glorifying the accused persons involved. One of the persons identified as Mehtaab who is believed to be belonging to Karachi, Pakistan glorified the accused persons and demeaned the victim woman on social media. He indicated that he should also have been part of the group of the accused who brutally raped the doctor during her night duty at RG Kar Medical College in Kolkata.
Several others on Facebook including Rabia Shah, Almas Chaudhury, and Istiak Ahmed mocked the brutal rape incident by blatantly saying that the victim’s doctor managed to ‘satisfy’ 8-10 people at a time. They further blatantly mocked the woman under the guise of paying tributes to her saying ‘Rape in Peace’ instead of ‘Rest in Peace’.
Another in the name of Rakesh Babesh claiming to be a Brahmin from Delhi termed the incident as ‘hot’. In response to the comment that described the barbarity that the lady doctor had to face on the cruel night of 9th August at the hands of 8-10 men who brutally raped and killed her while on duty, Babesh said, “That’s so hot.” Unsurprisingly, the response attracted laughter reactions from many other users.
In the midst of this, some of the users also body-shamed the woman saying that she didn’t deserve this kind of attention. Calling the woman less beautiful, a user identified as Tushal Moge Wala questioned what must have the rapists seen in the woman. “That victim doctor was not that beautiful, so she didn’t deserve this much attention. I don’t know what those people liked about her. Another incident showing that in India a below-average girl can also attract 10 boys,” the derogatory comment read. (None of these comments could be independently verified. The same though are making rounds on social media).
The incidences and the social media posts boiling blood don’t stop here. Some of the uncivilized people are found to have created fake Instagram accounts in the name of the rape victim calling her a ‘comedian’. One such account discovered by OpIndia demands justice for the incident of rape while calling the victim a ‘comedian’. The same has now been deleted.
One, in the name of Soumill, passes a derogatory comment, again body-shaming the doctor victim. “No disrespect to her but what happened to guys man? Are yo really that desperate to ejaculate inside a woman who is not even pretty? 10 guys. Clown world,” he commented.
The Kolkata Police meanwhile providing the update in the case revealed on August 16th that 25 persons were arrested in the RG Kar hospital vandalism case, while 4 more were identified with the help of social media users. The vandalism happened on 14th August at midnight when the TMC goons as alleged by the BJP barged into the hospital and tried to destroy the evidence in the case after the CBI took over the investigation.
Update: As of now, we have made 25 arrests in relation to the vandalism at R.G. Kar Hospital on Wednesday night. Four more suspects were identified by netizens from our social media posts. The search for the remaining suspects is ongoing. Thank you once again for your support. pic.twitter.com/AlaIU23KOV
It was also alleged by the opposition parties that the Kolkata Police and the state were trying to cover up the case by terming it a ‘suicide’ initially. The parents of the girl were also told by the hospital administration in the beginning that the girl had committed suicide. However, later it was found that she had been brutally raped and murdered by around 10 accused persons, none of whom have yet been arrested.
What exactly happened to the girl on 9th August?
On 9th August, a semi-nude body of a female PG trainee doctor was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. It is a government-run hospital. Following the discovery, her father had said that she was raped and killed inside the hospital, and efforts were underway to “conceal the truth.”
The doctor had dinner with four of her coworkers at 2:30 am that night after seeing Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event during the Paris Olympics. Afterwards, she went to the seminar hall to relax. The main accused in the case, Sanjay Roy, had access to every department as he worked at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital police outpost. He was not affiliated with the institution but often went there. CCTV evidence shows him entering the premises where the doctor was discovered, that led to his arrest on 10th August. He returned home after committing the horrifying act and slept in late. Roy also cleaned the outfit he wore to remove any evidence. The police recovered his bloodstained shoes during a search.
The Doctor was brutally tortured before she was suffocated to death, according to the post-mortem report. The four-page report stated that she had been strangled and that “perverted sexuality” and “genital torture” had resulted in serious wounds in her private parts.
The Doctor’s thyroid cartilage was also shattered. A source stated that the rape and murder occurred on 9th August most likely between 3 and 5 am. Her lips, fingers, left leg, and abdomen were all covered with injuries.
According to sources, the Doctor’s head was slammed against a wall or the floor resulting in severe injuries and her mouth and nose were squeezed shut to stop the victim from shouting. The accused had reportedly beaten her up as she attempted to defend herself and resist. He then raped and killed her. According to the autopsy, the girl’s hands and face had cuts on them. Shards of glass from her spectacles broke and got into her eyes following an intense blow. The initial postmortem report ruled out suicide and stated that the trainee doctor had been sexually assaulted before being murdered.
Conclusion
Incidents like this have the potential to infuriate civilized people, who eventually take to the streets to demand justice for women. They speak out against such horrible atrocities, calling into doubt the country’s stated safe atmosphere for women. According to statistics, India witnessed 90 rapes every day until 2022, and the number has subsequently increased as of 2024. In 2012, a 22-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gang-raped and murdered on a Delhi bus, prompting lawmakers to stiffen laws against sexual violence. But things don’t seem to have changed a lot as women in India continue to feel unsafe at workplaces, while walking on the streets, at places of worship, and even sometimes at their homes.
As per the NCB’s data, conviction rates for rape altered between 27% and 28% from 2018 to 2022. Unfortunately, this is the second lowest rate out of five violent crimes, including murder, kidnapping, rioting, and causing grievous harm. Since 2013, a number of high-profile cases have brought attention to the issue that occurs on a daily basis in some or other parts of the country. In 2018, a 26-year-old man from central India was executed three weeks after being arrested on charges of raping and murdering a baby girl.
Four accused were shot dead by police in 2019 after they raped and killed a 27-year-old veterinarian near Hyderabad. The men had been in police custody, and officers stated they were shot dead near the crime site while attempting to steal the weapons of the following police officers. The 2020 gang-rape of a 19-year-old girl in northern India’s Hathras region, followed by her death weeks later in a hospital, sparked widespread outrage. Numerous such instances can be shared revealing the society’s mentality and atrocities against women. But the point behind all this is just to condemn violence against women and seek justice for them heavily. Apart from people who commit such crimes, all those who justify rapes, see women as objects, and mock victim women are also equally liable for grievous punishment. The country that is given the respect as that of a ‘mother’, ‘Bharat Mata,’ must ensure that the women who live within its borders feel safe, free, and independent.
A day after a frenzied mob vandalised the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, one of the attackers turned out to be a close confidante of Trinamool Congress councillor Sukanta Sen Sharma
The accused named Soumik Sen is a gym trainer by occupation. While speaking to TV9 Bangla, Sen said that he attacked the healthcare facility without any provocation.
He claimed to have gone to a public meeting and found a mob gathering outside the hospital. On seeing that, Sen joined hands with the attackers and carried out vandalism at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
“I had gone to a protest rally. Later, I also engaged in vandalism along with others. I have committed a mistake,” he was heard saying.
Sen said that his acquaintances, whom he regularly met at the gym, were part of the mob. In videos that went viral on social media, he was seen breaking the furniture at the emergency ward of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital with a rod.
In his defence, he claimed to have gotten emotionally carried away after seeing other vandals in action. Sen is a resident of Sinthi suburb of Kolkata. He surrendered before the police on Friday (16th August).
Mob attack on RG Kar Medical College and Hospital
On Thursday (15th August) night, a mob of 50-odd men laid siege at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. The goons carried out attacks against the protesting doctors demanding justice for the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor.
In videos that have now surfaced on social media, the mob was seen vandalising the hospital premises, damaging police vehicles and physically attacking doctors present there. The attackers were also involved in stone pelting.
According to reports, the mob entered were standing outside the hospital and then suddenly barged into the premises. They broke into the emergency ward of the hospital and destroyed the furniture and medicine stocks.
According to the protesting doctors, the mayhem unleashed by the goons lasted for about an hour. In the meantime, Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal has accused online media outlets and social media accounts of instigating the unprovoked attack by the mob.
Two girls took the life of their old maternal grandmother and then committed robbery to steal her money in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. The authorities have arrested the accused from Maharashtra’s Nagpur and also recovered the looted items. Atinder Shahni, a resident of Kuber Apartment in Purai which falls under the jurisdiction of Utai Police Station was murdered by unidentified individuals who then took her possessions. Her rotting corpse was discovered by the cops who broke the door and entered the place after which a case was filed and an investigation commenced.
Meanwhile, the police learned that her daughter lives in Nagpur and her granddaughters had demanded money from the victim. They even threatened to kill the elderly female if she did not comply. The cops then left for Nagpur and were misled by the accused initially but confessed to the crime after the former subjected them to strict interrogation. The culprits unveiled that the two girls reached Durg station from Nagpur via Chhattisgarh Express on 24th July. They then arrived at Atinder Shahni’s house in an auto and knocked at the door. The deceased opened it and her elder granddaughter used her hand to shut her mouth with the help of her minor sister.
They tied the woman’s hands and feet with their dupatta, pressed a pillow to her mouth, hit her on the head with a steel water bottle and killed her. Afterwards, they snatched the jewellery from her body along with cash, mobile and documents which were kept in the almirah. The duo then fled on their grandmother’s scooter to Rajnandgaon where they put the two-wheeler on a bus and reached Nagpur. They parked the vehicle near the railway tracks and returned home. Patan SDPO (Sub Divisional Police Officer) stated that an investigation was conducted after launching a case and both perpetrators were taken into custody.
Within hours of Sheikh Hasina’s deposition by a student-led mass uprising, Al Jazeera was busy reporting that Indian citizens were spreading racist, Islamophobic fake news on social media.
Al Jazeera coverage of the Bangladesh ant-Hindu violence
Despite their headlines, it isn’t clear that Al Jazeera actually found any racists among India’s 1.4bn citizens. Their reportage dwelt instead on hearsay and a few examples of erroneous posts circulated on Facebook. They also failed to mention the very real specter of the 1971 Hindu genocide, today’s incitement for the formation of a Muslim super-state stretching from Jharkhand to the Chinese border and Arunachal Pradesh, and very credible polls that suggest Bangladesh now favors driving non-Muslims from Bangladesh. Say what you want about its bias and obtuseness, Qatar’s global news network has good reason to cover this crisis with cheap allegations of Hindu racism.
Al Jazeera’s breathtakingly narrow scope for interpretation of major civic events abroad reflects the paucity of Qatar’s civil society at home. A one-party Emirate of 350,000 citizens, served by indentured workers (largely Hindu Indians), and governed by a Wahabi regime of Islamic law, Qatar bans any religious iconography in public, has named its infrastructure after Islamic warlords and prophets and comprehends political nuance in flat terms of ‘revealed truth’ and ‘haram’. The tiny emirate has a long list of infractions to defend, particularly in the field of upholding the freedoms of ethnic minorities, particularly Hindu ethnic minorities.
But for the 430m viewers who tune in to Qatar’s state PR machine worldwide, the attempt to rebrand Bangladesh’s uprising of Islamic fundamentalism in terms of civic protest is nothing new. Islamic coups typically benefit from an allegiance to naive secular visionaries at the outset. It is easier to attack the visionaries’ opponents than to address the obvious floors in the vision, which inevitably leads to the accusation of Islamophobia and finally to general sympathy with the Islamic struggle. Al Jazeera follows the same formula in stirring up anti-semitic hatred and race riots in the USA and will join any secular cause – even those strictly banned in Islamic law such as Gay Pride – to attack those who stand against political Islam.
Using global events as vehicles for securing influence, Qatar’s bid to mediate for superpowers is no secret and is written into its state constitution. Their position as a wealthy ally of America and Europe depends upon stirring up fractious regimes against the West and then acting as a broker of goodwill under the glare of their PR machine.
Amazingly, this tiny emirate has now turned itself into a de facto embassy for Al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Hamas. It also gained a foothold in Europe during the breakup of Yugoslavia, where Al Jazeera’s channel in tiny Bosnia rose to become second only to its global English network.
Given Qatar’s disruptive bid to divide and mediate, it is very alarming that Al Jazeera now wishes to act as a global arbiter in Bangladesh. However, if they persist in their line that Bangladesh is lifting themselves to a new height among the free nations of the world, Al Jazeera will undoubtedly have bitten off more than they can chew.
The truth is that the interim government in Dhaka has already set about renaming Bangladesh’s infrastructure after Islamic prophets, and there is a constant onslaught against Hindu religious symbols and structures like Temples. Hefazat-e-Islami extremists and their Jamaat-e-Islami allies are known to all worthwhile journalists for their unjust treatment of the Hindu minority and the Islamic firebrand Dr Khalid Hossain has specifically attacked the Bangladesh’s ties to India. If Al Jazeera wishes to complain that Hindus have overestimated their exposure to this coup, then India will certainly not bestow upon them the laurels of oppression and press censorship.
In summary, the message projected at the West is that the protests were wildly successful: a Prime Minister was deposed, statues of the founding fathers were toppled in the capital, and state nepotism was afforded to the descendants of the genocidal war (without splitting hairs, of course, about whether these were the perpetrators or the inflicted), were slashed from one third to a meager 5%.
Bangladesh’s true progress – unlike that of Qatar’s Iranian and Afghan allies – will now unfold under the scrutiny and running commentary of the world’s largest democracy – India. Al Jazeera’s narrative will die, for once, where it should: In the limelight.
Qatar must consider whether they can afford for this to happen to their chuntering media network. Backing the wrong horse in Bangladesh certainly seems like an extremely high price to pay for a state whose fragile hegemony depends on using that same network to blindside Western democracies.
Stefan Tompson is the founder of Visegrad24, a Warsaw-based social media news company. He has covered conflicts in East Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Jalaluddin Khan arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was granted bail by the Supreme Court on 13th August. It claimed that the legal principle “bail is the rule, jail is an exception” applies even to offences under special statutes and it would be a breach of the fundamental rights to deny bail in deserving circumstances. Notably, Jalaluddin Khan was booked under the UAPA and other sections of the Indian Penal Code which has now been replaced by Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) after he rented out the top floor of his house to the outlawed Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).
A bench of Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih pronounced the order while pointing out the significance of evaluating bail requests in compliance with the law, even in cases involving grave accusations. “Allegations of the prosecution may be very serious, but it is the court’s duty to consider the case for bail in accordance with the law. Bail is the rule and jail is the exception that applies even to special statutes. If courts start denying bail in deserving cases, it will be a violation of rights guaranteed under Article 21,” the court conveyed as it didn’t regard PFI as a terrorist organisation.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) earlier stated that the investigation revealed the formation of a criminal conspiracy to carry out violent and terror acts which would foster fear and jeopardize the country’s integrity and unity. The accused set up rented accommodation in Ahmad Palace, Phulwarisharif (Patna), as part of this scheme and the spaces were used for criminal conspiracy meetings and training people on how to commit violent crimes.
The accused reportedly intended to cause disruptions during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anticipated visit in 2022, according to information provided to the Bihar Police. On 11th July 2022, the Phulwarisharif Police raided the residence of Jalaluddin Khan who is a retired police constable in response to a tip-off and arrested him the next day.
Shocking details in the chargesheet
Meanwhile, the statements of the protected witnesses were brought to the bench’s attention by Aishwarya Bhati, Additional Solicitor General of India. She also referred to the CCTV footage that the Investigating Agency had taken from the Ahmad Palace building, which indicated that Khan and another accused person were seen removing certain items from the building’s first floor on 6th and 7th June 2022. Khan tampered with the evidence since the objects were found missing during the police raid carried out on 11th July 2022. She based her submission on the charge sheet, which stated that a protected witness revealed that Khan and many other accused connected to PFI attended a meeting and training session on 29th May 2022, on the first floor of the Ahmad Palace building to discuss the group’s growth, basic as well as advanced training of PFI members, Muslim empowerment and PFI’s future plans.
She quoted a statement from a protected witness that trained PFI members were given orders to attack and murder was given to the trained PFI members to attack and murder the designated targets who were engaged in making comments against Islam following former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad. A total of Rs. 25,000 was moved from an absconding accused to the account of Amir Jalal Khan, his elder son. She mentioned that Khan had intentionally permitted the first floor to be occupied by the PFI for its operations and the rent agreement was fabricated to deceive the police.
She argued that the charge sheet and the supporting documentation contained sufficient evidence to establish a strong prima facie case regarding his involvement in the offences covered by Sections 13, 18, 18A, and 20 of the UAPA. She drew attention to the fact that the accused, under whose name the first-floor lease was displayed, had actively participated in the Student Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), another outlawed terrorist organization.
However, the court stated that the building was in the name of Khan’s wife. Information concerning a plot by certain suspected individuals who had gathered in the Phulwarisharif area to obstruct PM Modi’s planned visit to Bihar was reported to the Bihar Police after which a raid was conducted based on this secret information. The authorities retrieved five sets of documents titled “India 2047 Towards Rule of Islamic India, Internal Document: Not for circulation,” pamphlets titled “Popular front of India 20 February 2021” (of which twenty-five were in Hindi and thirty in Urdu), 49 cloth flags, two magazines titled “Mulk ke liye Popular front ke saath (With PFI, for the sake of India)” and one copy of a rent agreement on non-judicial stamp. Seized items also included the recovered articles and a Samsung phone that had the accused Mohammed Jalaluddin’s SIM card (A-2). They were associated with anti-Indian operations.
A protected witness confirmed that a meeting cum training was organized in Ahmad Palace, Phulwarisharif on 29th May 2022 to discuss the aforementioned plans of PFI’s expansion and its targetted killings. A gathering of about forty to forty-five people, including accused Mahboob Alam Nadvi, accused Sanaullah, accused Riyaz Mourif, accused Mehboob-Ur-Rehman, accused Ehsan Parvez, accused Ansarul Huque, accused Riyaz Ahmed, accused Perwez Alam, accused Tausif Alam, accused Athar Parvej, accused Jalaluddin Khan, and others connected to PFI, was presided over by accused Riyaz Firangipet of Karnataka.
The CCTV footage verified that on 6th and 7th July 2022, at the Ahmad Palace in Phulwarisharif, which was attended by the accused (from multiple states) named in the First Information Report (FIR) including Athar Parvej. The CCTV footage additionally corroborated that on 11th July 2022, at approximately 7 pm, the Police of PS Phulwarisharif conducted a raid on the first floor of Ahmad Palace with Athar Parvej and Jalaluddin Khan present there. Additionally, it also proved that before the search, Khan tampered with the evidence by moving objects from the first floor of Ahmad Palace. After investigation, it was also determined that Rs 25,000 had been deposited into the account of Khan’s son
The contents of the document titled “India 2047 Towards Rule of Islamic India” are thoroughly explained in the charge sheet which highlighted that after the aforementioned texts were examined closely, it became clear that their purpose was to impose Islamic law in India. However, the court countered that the charge sheet does not refer to the type of items that Khan previously moved from the first-floor premises and declared that he would have moved the items listed in the charge sheet if he had wanted to change the incriminating materials that PFI had distributed while mentioning that the floor was home to commercial premises. The bench added, “If the appellant intended to allow the conduct of the objectionable activities of PFI by giving first-floor premises on rent, he would not have installed CCTV cameras.”
Court demands explanation from NIA
The apex court also considered the testimony of the prosecution witness, asserting that the witness failed to explicitly indicate that Khan attended the meeting on 29th May 2022. The names of several attendees have been listed by him which does not contain Khan’s name who was identified as the building’s owner after the meeting. The court declared that the protected witness had in fact testified that the discussion focused on elevating the position of Muslims, providing them with both basic and advanced training, and elevating their standing in terms of administration, politics, and education along with Muslim empowerment.
“Going by the witness’s version, we find that there was no discussion about the activities of PFI in the meeting held on 29th May 2022,” the bench expressed. The court contended that the charge sheet contained a significant distortion of the genuine statement of the witness and multiple statements that the protected witness did not utter have been included. This court then demanded an explanation from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and announced that the investigative apparatus must be impartial.
Subsequently, many earlier rulings were examined and debated to determine the conditions under which bail may or may not be granted under such strict provisions, particularly the UAPA. However, the Supreme Court eventually ruled in favour of Khan. It stated that nothing in the charge sheet indicated that he indulged in or completed any illegal activity as defined under the UAPA and proclaimed that there isn’t any concrete evidence to suggest he encouraged, assisted, or facilitated the performance of any unlawful actions. “Assuming that the co-accused were indulging in terrorist acts or were making any act preparatory to the commission of terrorist acts, there is absolutely no material on record to show that there was any conspiracy to commit any terrorist act to which the appellant was a party. There is no material produced on record to show that the appellant advocated, abetted, advised, or incited the commission of terrorist acts or any preparatory activity,” the court observed.
The negotiations to rent out the first floor were handled by Khan’s son, according to the court which pointed out that if the charge sheet is accurate, then it is impossible to establish, even based on a preliminary inquiry, that Khan intentionally enabled the commission or planning of terrorist actions by renting out the first floor of the building. The charge sheet against him made no mention of any camps he established to provide terrorist training.
The court noted that the charge sheet made no mention of Khan’s membership in any terrorist organization. “As regards the second part of being a member of a terrorist organisation, as per Section 2(m), a terrorist organisation means an organisation listed in the first schedule or an organisation operating under the same name as the organisation was listed. The charge sheet does not mention the name of the terrorist organisation within the meaning of Section 2(m) of which the appellant was a member,” it stated while clarifying that PFI is not a terrorist group.
Supreme Court announces the verdict
The Supreme Court ruled that, in light of the development, it is not conceivable to conclude from a plain reading of the charge sheet that there are reasonable reasons to suspect that Khan committed crimes that are punishable by the UAPA. The court declared, “We have taken the charge sheet and the statement of witness Z as they are without conducting a mini-trial. Looking at what we have held earlier, it is impossible to record a prima facie finding that there were reasonable grounds for believing that the accusation against the appellant of commission of offences under the UAPA was prima facie true. No antecedents of the appellant have been brought on record.” The court then concluded, “The upshot of the above discussion is that there was no reason to reject the bail application filed by the appellant.”
The Supreme Court communicated that the evidence in the charge sheet had not been sufficiently taken into account by the special court and high court. “Perhaps the focus was more on the activities of PFI, and therefore, the appellant’s case could not be properly appreciated. When a case is made out for a grant of bail, the courts should not have any hesitation in granting bail. The allegations of the prosecution may be very serious.” It termed “Bail is the rule and jail is an exception” as “a settled law” and added, “Even in a case like the present case where there are stringent conditions for the grant of bail in the relevant statutes, the same rule holds good with only modification that the bail can be granted if the conditions in the statute are satisfied. The rule also means that once a case is made out for the grant of bail, the court cannot decline to grant bail.”
The court pronounced, “Hence, the impugned orders are set aside. The appeal is allowed. The appellant is directed to be enlarged on bail on the terms and conditions as may be fixed by the special court,” and further ordered that Khan should appear before the special judge no later than seven days after the judgement was produced and will receive bail from the special court, subject to suitable terms and conditions, until the trial’s conclusion. The respondent’s attorney must be heard by the special court before the terms and conditions are decided. The court also explained that the judgment’s provisional conclusions are solely intended to be taken into account when evaluating the bail request. “The reasons are confined to the case of the appellant. The same will have no bearing on the trial and cases of the co-accused,” it highlighted.
Jalaluddin Khan was booked under sections 121, 121A and 122 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 13, 18, 18A and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. A charge sheet was filed on 7th January of last year. He made an application for bail under the UAPA before the special court but was denied. As a result, he and the other accused petitioned the High Court for bail. However, his plea was again rejected by the impugned judgment while his co-accused obtained bail.
Ever since the unceremonious ouster of Sheikh Hasina from the helm of power in Bangladesh, Hindus are being killed, attacked, and raped with their temples vandalised, idols broken and properties looted by Islamists. Even in the face of the worst atrocities being committed by Islamists against Hindus, a significant section of the Western media is dead set on whitewashing the Islamist crimes. After the “Hindus are safe in Bangladesh” and “politically and not religiously driven attacks” narratives to whitewash Islamist crimes fell flat, the Western media weaving a fresh narrative of “anti-India sentiments”.
On the 14th of August, the American magazine The New Yorker published an article based on a phone conversation with Subho Basu, an associate professor of history and classical studies at McGill University and author wherein it attempted to justify anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh since India is a Hindu-majority country.
The article [archive] titled The Historical Forces Behind the Student Rebellion in Bangladesh delved into what led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, and what was the breaking point. Subho Basu told the publication about the quota system history in Bangladesh and how the recent anti-quota protests erupted. Subho Basu asserted that the opposition to Sheikh Hasina did not come from the Islamist political outfit Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) but only from the students who wanted to ‘reform’ the State. However, right after Sheikh Hasina left Bangladesh, it was seen how the ‘reform’ enthusiasts stormed into her residence, stole items, and cattle and flashed her undergarments in celebration. Too much reform for a Muslim-majority nation.
Subho Basu hands clean chit to BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami even as they actively magnified the violent protests
While Basu gave a clean chit to BNP suggesting that students’ protests took the form of anti-government protests, OpIndia has earlier reported how the anti-quota protests led by students were never anti-government protests since it was the Sheikh Hasina-led government that had scrapped the quota for government jobs and later filed an appeal against Supreme Court upholding the High Court’s decision to reinstate the quotas in government jobs. this Islamist political outfit alongside Jihadist Jamaat-e-Islami hijacked the protests. While protests became more violent as clashes between protestors and police rose, the violence escalated when the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) began to amp up the protests and use them to attack the ruling Awami League government. The involvement of these opposition groups exacerbated the intensity of the protests, as their supporters joined the fray.
‘Anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh is justified since the Hindu nationalist party is ruling in India‘: New Yorker article tries to insinuate
In his blatant justification of the violence unleashed by Islamists in Bangladesh, Subho Basu said that the ‘protestors’ perceived that somehow India was behind curbed press freedom, alleged forced disappearances by Awami League leaders and illegal arrests.
According to Basu’s insinuation, since there is a “Hindu nationalist” part in power in India, the killings of Hindus, rape, arson, and attacks on temples is all justified as a Hindu nationalist party ruling a Hindu majority country ‘did not sit well’ with a Muslim majority Bangladesh. On one hand, Basu claimed that the protestors were not Islamists, on the other, he also blamed the “Hindu India” for causing discontent among them. Why would Bangladesh “non-Islamist” protestors be upset with India being ruled by a democratically elected so-called Hindu nationalist party unless they hate India, particularly the Hindu majority?
Excerpt from The New Yorker’s article
It must be recalled how the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami spearheaded an anti-India campaign “India Out” calling for a boycott of Indian goods.
Downplaying the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, The New Yorker’s reporter Isaac Chotiner said that there are ‘fears’ that Hindus have been targeted in this ‘revolution. This comes despite the fact that more than 205 attacks on Hindus by Islamist mobs have been reported. It is pertinent to mention here that The New Yorker has time and again targeted the Modi government in its propaganda pieces. Last year, Isaac Chotiner exposing his disdain for Hindus vocal about their rights had launched an unprovoked attack on Suhag A Shukla, co-founder and executive director of advocacy organisation Hindu American Foundation after the foundation posted a message congratulating Shukla on being honoured by the US health secretary.
OpIndia has persistently been exposing the sinister agenda of Western and Islamist-sympathising media outlets. While Australian state-owned ABC News passed off the anti-Hindu pogroms in Bangladesh as politically motivated and blamed the Indian media for ‘inflaming anxieties’ by reporting Islamist attacks on Hindus, Qatar-funded Islamist propaganda outlet Al Jazeeraclaimed that Indian media houses reporting the attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are ‘Islamophobic’ and ‘Alarmist’. Before this, the New York Times also tried to pass off the violence against Hindus as “political revenge attacks”. These propaganda outlets are using Hindu ‘intellectuals’ and some sold-outs to cement their anti-Hindu narrative and whitewash the Islamist crimes.
Notably, OpIndia punctured the apocryphal narrative peddled by these Islamist cheerleaders that attacks on Hindus happened since they are Awami League supporters, by questioning if that was actually the case why Islamists targeted Hindu temples. The Western media through the ‘intellectuals’, ‘authors’ and ‘political analysts’ is throwing a fresh argument that Hindus are under attack as they supported Sheikh Hasina who was pro-India. Thus, for attacking Hindu leaders of the Awami League, their association with the party was enough, and for vandalising Hindu temples, Sheikh Hasina’s closeness with India was enough.
Those who singled out Hindus, assaulted them, raped their women and destroyed their temples were driven by their hate for “Hindu India” as claimed by Subho Basu, and yet he fails to muster the courage to call them Islamist fanatics. It was also reported that Jamaat-e-Islami prepared a list of Hindu houses and shops to be attacked regardless of their political affiliation or opinion about India. Hating India just because the Indian people voted a Hindu nationalist party to power thrice itself establishes that the mob violence in Bangladesh is solely driven by Hindu hate. It must be noted that Muslim leaders of Awami League have also been targeted and killed, which can be called political revenge, however, the Jamaat and BNP supporters did not burn mosques to exact political revenge or express their hatred towards Awami League for its India-friendly stance.
‘Hindu India’ and Indian ‘right-wing’ to be blamed for anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh, but attackers are not Islamists
Much like how the Indian liberals and Islamist bootlickers are blaming Indian media and the “right-wing” for magnifying the anti-Hindu violence, Subho Basu while speaking to The New Yorker, blamed the Indian right wing for the same. He went on to claim that the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party is trying to capitalise on the anti-Hindu violence in India since its popularity is declining.
Excerpt from The New Yorker’s article
This argument, however, is flawed. Firstly and most importantly, the BJP’s popularity is not essentially declining. In a largely free and fair democracy like India wherein every move of the government is under public scrutiny, the BJP has managed to gain more seats than the entire united opposition alliance for the third consecutive time with Narendra Modi still being on the helm of power and popularity. Secondly, while Islamists and their propaganda wing would want India to leave Hindus at the mercy of Islamists, the so-called Indian right wing does not see the plight of Hindus from the perspective of political gains. For Hindus in India, it is a matter of their co-religionists being persecuted by a community which is the majority in Bangladesh and the second-largest majority in India. It is not rocket science that the unrest in a neighbouring country like Bangladesh would have ramifications for India.
It is ironic that Basu blamed ‘Hindu India’ and Indian ‘right-wing’ for the Muslim mobs attacking Hindus and their temples and yet opines that they are ‘reform’ seekers not Islamists. Historically, Hindus were driven out of Afghanistan, are being persecuted in Pakistan and are now being attacked in Bangladesh at a significant scale, if this systematic genocide of Hindus continues, the Indian Hindus will also face a similar existential threat.
After justifying Hindu persecution as a political reprisal, Islamist pens for hire are now whitewashing it by blaming ‘Hindu India’. In every scenario, they want to shape global opinion such that persecution of Hindus for political reasons, or simply because Islamists are dissatisfied with the Hindu majority India, is legitimate and not unworthy of global outrage.
A shocking revelation has come to the fore in the 31-year-old doctor woman’s rape and murder in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College. On Thursday, 15th August, a clipping of an argument from the Calcutta High Court was shared on social media, and it was exposed that the Kolkata Police and the state investigating the case wanted 7 days before transferring the case investigation to CBI.
After the court denied the plea, the police demanded at least 24 hours before transferring the case to CBI. “This is the least the police can be expected to transfer,” the counsel representing the police could be heard. Meanwhile, the other counsel arguing in the case stated that the top executives had asked the police to ‘get the case settled’ and ‘not to talk to anyone on this issue’, and the same was conveyed to the parents of the victim.
It is alleged that the state sought time to allegedly derail the evidence and create hindrances in the central investigation. The unidentified goons however are believed to have attacked the College premises last night in a bid to allegedly destroy the evidence which could lead to substantial revelations in the case.
The video clipping of the Court argument from the hearing on 13 August is making rounds on social media. The counsel representing the petitioners in the case can be heard saying that WB Police Commissioner Vineet Goel who was the Inspector General of CID during the Kamdun rape case was responsible for the acquittal of the accused at that time. “It is due to his botching up in that case that the accused were acquitted and Kamduni failed. This time also the accused will be acquitted and I will show how it all happens,” the lawyer was heard saying.
They wanted 7 days before transferring case to CBI, then pleaded for at least 24 hours (to cover up) but HC denied, So Goons destroyed whole crime scene OVERNIGHT (to wipe out multiple DNA samples) But another serious allegation against police commissioner that went unnoticed… pic.twitter.com/PCp2FRFayN
“This person is now made a Commissioner of Police. He should be put on compulsory waiting. He is the person who is responsible for the Kamduni rape and murder case. Because he was the head of the investigation, he blotched it up completely. And the same thing he has done. What he has done? On the victim’s body, he has brought a scratch mark. In the Kamduni case, the same happened. They got a scratch mark on the victim, we argued and then this honorable court acquitted that person. The same modus operandi is being followed by the Goel. He needs to go,” the counsel defending the victim could be heard saying. (time stamp: 25:00+)
As per the reports, after the Court’s intervention, CP Vineet Goel was ordered to go on compulsory waiting in connection with the rape and murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Medical College, and the case was immediately transferred to the CBI on 14th August.
Notably, unidentified goons attacked RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on Wednesday night, causing massive damage amid ongoing protests over the rape and murder of a doctor at the facility.
A mob disguised as protestors, entered the hospital grounds, vandalized property, and also pelted stones at the police officers. The violence led to the damage of a police vehicle and several two-wheelers, with some officers sustaining injuries. As per the BJP, TMC goons vandalized the hospital properties to create hindrances in the investigation. It is alleged that the mob tried to vandalise the crime scene, but they vandalised the wrong floor due to confusion with the floor number.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Goel who arrived at the scene around 2 am, selectively attributed the violence to social media posts and rumors. He stated that the police responded to the chaos by firing tear gas shells. The Police meanwhile also attempted to allegedly cover up the violence by claiming that the scene of the crime had not been disturbed during the mob vandalism that broke out late on the night of August 14. Goel also said that police could not arrest anyone just based on ‘rumors’ that were being spread.
“I can’t just arrest an intern based on some kind of rumor, it’s against my conscience… As far as I am concerned, my team is concerned we have done what is right. Now the case is already gone… CBI will be investigating it… We have been transparent with everyone… We wanted the students to form a seven-member committee on Sunday to share everything with them but they haven’t come up with the committee till today. It’s the most unfortunate thing–the motivated media campaign that was being run has portrayed the Kolkata Police in a very bad light. We are always with the people of Kolkata, but unfortunately, this kind of incident wouldn’t have happened if this kind of malicious campaign wasn’t run by the media…We have not tried to save anyone,” the Kolkata Commissioner of Police said.
On Tuesday, 13th August, the Calcutta High Court also directed the West Bengal state counsel to ensure that the Principal of RG Kar Medical College stepped down from the post immediately else the Court would pass an order. The directions from the High Court came during the hearing of the RG Kar Medical College Rape and Murder Case where a 31-year-old PG student was brutally raped and murdered inside college premises. The matter was heard by a Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice H Bhattacharyya.
The Court pointed out that there was an attempt to cover up the matter by declaring the incident as suicide. The Principal also indulged in victim blaming suggesting it was a case of psychosis.
The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the state said they would transfer the matter to CBI but now suggesting it would be done after seven days. “These 7 days are very crucial to wipe away evidence,” the counsel asserted.
Court: There is an apprehension that if time lost there are chances of something getting derailed. How do you (state) assure that doesn’t happen.
State: I am coming to show you that in 24 hours. I am trying expedite matter…
Petitioner counsel: first State says transferred to…
On 9th August, a semi-nude body of a female PG trainee doctor was found inside the seminar hall of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. It is a government-run hospital. Following the discovery, her father had said that she was raped and killed inside the hospital, and efforts were underway to “conceal the truth.”
The doctor had dinner with four of her coworkers at 2:30 am that night after seeing Neeraj Chopra’s javelin throw event during the Paris Olympics. Afterwards, she went to the seminar hall to relax. The main accused in the case, Sanjay Roy, had access to every department as he worked at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital police outpost. He was not affiliated with the institution but often went there. CCTV evidence shows him entering the premises where the doctor was discovered, that led to his arrest on 10th August. He returned home after committing the horrifying act and slept in late. Roy also cleaned the outfit he wore to remove any evidence. The police recovered his bloodstained shoes during a search.
The Doctor was brutally tortured before she was suffocated to death, according to the post-mortem report. The four-page report stated that she had been strangled and that “perverted sexuality” and “genital torture” had resulted in a serious wounds in her private parts.
The Doctor’s thyroid cartilage was also shattered. A source stated that the rape and murder occurred on 9th August most likely between 3 and 5 am. Her lips, fingers, left leg, and abdomen were all covered with injuries.
According to sources, the Doctor’s head was slammed against a wall or the floor resulting in severe injuries and her mouth and nose were squeezed shut to stop the victim from shouting. The accused had reportedly beaten her up as she attempted to defend herself and resist. He then raped and killed her. According to the autopsy, the girl’s hands and face had cuts on them. Shards of glass from her spectacles broke and got into her eyes following an intense blow. The initial postmortem report ruled out suicide and stated that the trainee doctor had been sexually assaulted before being murdered.
The Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases from September 18, the Chief Election Commissioner, Rajiv Kumar announced on Friday.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Rajiv Kumar said that the assembly election in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases.
The elections of first phase will be held on September 18, second phase will be held on September 25 and third phase will be held on October 1. The counting of the votes will be held on October 4.
“Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir will be held in three phases, with voting on September 18th, September 25th, and October 1st. Counting of votes on October 4,” Kumar said.
The dates to file the nominations for the first phase will be on August 27, nominations for the second phase will be on September 5, and September 12 is the last day to file nominations for the third phase.
Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said, “During Lok Sabha elections in J-K, people were there to participate in the elections. The long queues and the shine on their faces were a testament to this…There was thriving political participation in the entire election…We want the layers of democracy to be strengthened in J&K”
On August 14, the Election Commission held a meeting with Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are a total of 90 assembly constituencies, of which 74 are General, nine are ST and seven are SC.
In Jammu and Kashmir, there are 87.09 lakh total electors. Of which 44.46 lakh are male, 42.62 female, 169 are Transgender, 82,590 PwDs, 73943 very senior citizens, 2660 centenarians, 76092 service electors, and 3.71 lakh are first-time voters.
Meanwhile, directions were given to Enforcement Agencies, DMs, and SPs to ensure free, fair, and inducement-free elections.
In December of last year, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to conclude the election process by September 30, 2024.
Jammu and Kashmir will witness elections after a gap of ten years as the last assembly election was held in 2014.
The PDP-BJP coalition government fell in June 2018 when the latter withdrew support to the then-Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The Modi government is planning to revive the discarded draft bill ‘The Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property)’ amid ongoing protests over the rape-murder of a female doctor at R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
The draft bill [pdf] was first formulated in September 2019 to address cases of violence against healthcare professionals and damage to hospitals and clinics.
The legislation was proposed in the aftermath of nationwide protests over the attack on two doctors by relatives of a patient named Mohammed Sayeed at the NRS Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
Provision for longer jail terms and hefty fines
“No person shall indulge in any act of violence against a healthcare personnel or cause any damage or loss to any property in a healthcare institution,” the bill stated.
It proposed a minimum of 6 months of imprisonment, which could be extended up to 5 years, for committing acts of violence against doctors. The minimum jail term was set to three years (extendable up to 10 years) for attacks leading to grievous hurt.
Besides, a provision was made to impose fines ranging between ₹50000 and ₹5 lakhs for acts of violence. In case of grievous injury to the health professional, the fines imposed on the culprit were to range from ₹2 lakhs to ₹10 lakhs.
Non-bailable offence, investigation by DSP-level officer
Most importantly, crime committed under the proposed bill ‘The Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property)’ was made not only cognisable but non-bailable.
Another provision in the proposed legislation was the mandatory notification to the police by the healthcare institutions about the attack on a health professional.
“Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, upon a written request of the aggrieved healthcare service personnel, it shall be mandatory for the person in charge of a clinical establishment to inform the officer in charge of the concerned police station of the commission of an offence under this Act,” the bill emphasised.
It was also provided that such a case would be investigated by a senior cop who is not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
Compensation for targeted doctors and damaged hospitals
The proposed legislation also directed convicted individuals to pay compensation to doctors and healthcare professionals targeted by them. This included paying ₹1 lakh for causing ‘hurt’ and ₹5 lakh for causing ‘grievous hurt’.
Besides, the compensation for vandalising a healthcare institution was set to twice of Fair Market Value (FMV) of the damaged property.
“If the convicted person does not pay the compensation granted under sub-section (1), the said sum shall be recovered as an arrear of land revenue under the Revenue Recovery Act, 1890,” the bill added.
Violence against healthcare professionals defined
The draft legislation defined violence as –
Harm, injury, hurt, grievous hurt, intimidation to, or danger to the life of, a healthcare service personnel in the discharge of duty, either within the premises of a clinical establishment or otherwise;
Obstruction or hindrance to a healthcare service personnel in discharge of duty, either within the premises of a clinical establishment or otherwise;
Loss of or damage to any property or documents in a clinical establishment;
What happened to the bill
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Modi government promulgated the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Act, 2020 which made violence against healthcare personnel cognizable and non-bailable offences.
In July 2022, it was reported that the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had dumped the ‘The Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property)’ Bill of 2019.
The revelation was made in an RTI reply obtained by activist K.V. Babu. “It is informed that it was decided not to pursue the draft legislation further,” it was stated.
In February 2023, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya confirmed that the government was not going forward with separate legislation for doctors and healthcare professionals.
“Thereafter it was decided not to enact a separate Legislation for prohibiting violence against doctors and other health care professionals,” he had said.
Revival of the bill
Following the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, discussions began on the need for a new law to protect healthcare workers.
On 12th August, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) put forth a set of demands before the governemnt. One of them included the enactment of the ‘The Healthcare Service Personnel and Clinical Establishments (Prohibition of violence and damage to property)’.
It has now come to light that the Modi government is forming a panel to review the proposed legislation.
A senior bureaucrat told News18, “The new panel is likely to include representations from all stakeholders involved including doctors, medical associations and senior officials from multiple ministries,” a senior bureaucrat.
“In 2019, the panel included officials from the law ministry, ministry of Home Affairs, doctors from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), representatives from the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and officials from health ministry. We are considering the same mix including the representatives from the young resident doctors,” the official added.
