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‘You Don’t Do Anything For Months’: Supreme Court rejects West Bengal government’s plea challenging Calcutta HC order directing CBI probe in Sandeshkhali cases

OpIndia Staff
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‘You Don’t Do Anything For Months’: Supreme Court rejects West Bengal government’s plea challenging Calcutta HC order directing CBI probe in Sandeshkhali cases

On Monday (8th July), the Supreme Court dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order that directed a CBI probe into allegations of land-grabbing and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali. During the brief hearing on Monday, Justice Gavai asked, “Why should the state be interested?” 

The bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan dismissed the arguments of Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Bengal government, who submitted that at the most only two FIRs, relating to ED officials, could be given to the CBI.  

Singhvi argued, “Far reaching directions to CBI at the most could be restricted to two FIRs, which related to ED officials. Now the impugned directions cover everything, like ration scam. See how much work has been done by us…it can’t be a blanket direction.” He added, “43 FIRs are about so-called ration scam…” 

Dismissing Singhvi’s submission, the bench directed that “all” cases related to Sandeshkhali will be probed by the CBI. Justice Gavai pulled up the West Bengal government and observed, “You don’t do anything for months…” 

Justice Viswanathan also questioned the ineffectiveness of the Bengal Police. He added, “FIRs registered 4 years ago, when were the arrests made? Who were the accused?” 

Justice Gavai asserted, “The order is pertaining to all related incidents…it’s not omnibus.” 

However, while dismissing the plea, the court noted that the observations made during today’s hearing must not influence CBI in its investigating. 

The bench was hearing the West Bengal government’s plea against the CBI probe into the allegations of land-grabbing and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali by suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his accomplices. 

During an earlier hearing held in April 2024, the Supreme Court pulled up the West Bengal government for opposing the CBI investigation into the Sandeshkhali cases. Criticising the government’s stance, the bench asked how can a state government approach the top court to protect the interests of an individual.

The bench had adjourned the matter at the request of the Bengal government’s counsel Singhvi. While the bench expressed reservations about adjourning the matter, it accepted his request only after taking his statement on record that “the pendency of this petition will not be used as a ground for any purposes.” 

Following the pronouncement of the order, Justice Gavai was heard saying, “Why should the State come as a petitioner for protecting the interest of some private (individual)?”

All Hail The Prince: Global Left loves Rahul Gandhi – not because he is bright – but because he is as reliably Woke

Ganesh R
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All Hail The Prince: Global Left loves Rahul Gandhi – not because he is bright – but because he is as reliably Woke

The leftist propaganda ecosystem has been singing praise of Rahul Gandhi non-stop ever since the results were out on 4th June. His taking over the job of LoP has given new meanings to the term as if it is equal to the PM’s chair! The post of leader of the Congress party in LS was offered to Shri Khargeji, a Dalit leader when it carried no weight. But they couldn’t resist keeping it within the Famiglia when it became “constitutional”. Don’t expect any of our fearless journalists to ask why! His reckless antics and blatant lies in the Parliament have been spun as “opposition finding its voice”. They don’t even seem to mind that their non-stop tune of “democracy dying in India” has been made an even bigger lie than it was. And of course, the rest of the opposition has been given the short end of the propaganda stick. 

After trying to create fake news about LoP being a “constitutional position”, the ecosystem moved on to other ways to hail the prince. Every word, gesture, and body language of the Prince has “fearless independent” sycophants in the leftist media going gaga or getting goosebumps. It was as if you could not do the job with 50 seats and needed 99 for that.

There is, of course, little doubt that 2024 has been better for Congress and by extension, its crown Prince than 2014 or 2019. They improved the tally to 99 seats, even if you ignore PM Modi’s 99/543, not 99/100 remark. But the point is, this increase is very much part of the revival of almost ALL opposition parties. It’s not the intention of this article to go into why.

Yes, you could argue AAP lost compared to its state election performance but even they improved compared to their 2019 tally. You could also argue similarly that Congress declined in KA but the fact is their tally went up when compared to GE 2019.

Obviously, the most spectacular increase has been that of Akilhesh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party – nearly 7 times! This rubbed off on Congress too with its tally going up by 5 seats. BJP’s (in hindsight) self-goal in Maharashtra resulted in a drubbing and this is where Congress found its biggest increase – 12 seats. Between these two states and Rajasthan, the bulk of the increase is accounted for.

If you recall the tune sung by the leftist media elites before the election, it was one of Congress being first among equals and the need to build alliances and concede space to state players, etc. In fact, worried over the clean sweep by BJP, many even criticized Congress for being over-ambitious. All that has been forgotten once 4th June happened. It is almost as if the rest of the INDI alliance doesn’t matter and it is Rahul Rahul all the way.

Why?

To understand this, we must understand who really runs the show. It should be obvious it is the leftist ecosystem. And the global woke leftists acting as force multipliers. Without the sustained propaganda background music given by the left’s formidable army of “journalists”, academia, global media and of course the “activists” and “civil society” funded by liberal moneybags like George Soros and Omidyar etc., it is doubtful if Congress would have seen any success at all. Add the power of Wikipedia, NYT, WaPo, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, etc. As if that were not enough, publications with totally non-political objectives like Nature, Lancet, etc., too started running hit jobs against the Modi regime, using blatantly biased “opinion writers” like Mani Shankar Aiyar’s daughter. Imagine Jay Shah getting column space in some UK cricket magazine to attack INC & Rahul Gandhi! 

We keep hearing shocking news – Rohun Dua, a journalist, has filed a lawsuit alleging that a few Google – YouTube employees worked to alter algorithms to benefit one side. Brave Muslim journalists like Amana Begum Ansari who dared to take on the STSJ brigade and their dog whistlers and risk their lives doing so were repeatedly demonetized by YouTube despite non-controversial content. While users get “recommendations” of Ravish Kumar videos. Many other non-Left SM users have long alleged this, not just in India. 

Clearly, Modi was not fighting a political party. He was fighting a powerful global ecosystem that was using its enormous reach, all the dirty tricks in the books, complete control over social media tech giants (barring Elon Musk’s X), and of course, billions of dollars in money power to deploy. Given the opaque ways many of these NGOs and charlatans operate, and the holler that we hear when “fascist “ Modi asks them to keep books, we will never know how much of this was actually deployed. 

Getting rid of Modi has been their top priority along with their Polpotist pogrom on Sanatana Dharma, which has gone from being hidden & subtle to direct and on the face. 

These efforts failed on 4th June despite the setback BJP received. Now they are staring at five more years of wilderness without power and ability to pursue their agendas. But there is a silver lining in the cloud – BJP doesn’t have its own majority. There is always a chance that with all the powers at their disposal, they could wean away a few allies and restore the golden age. 

So efforts are now on in two directions – try to sow FUD among NDA allies. And try to create enough conditions of anarchy, chaos, and violence to ensure the government collapses. 

As part of the former action item, so-called “journalists” are openly expressing disappointment that Modi’s allies are “weak” or declaring they “surrendered to BJP”. 

Coming to the other action item – anarchy and chaos – this is where Rahul Gandhi comes in handy. And this is also where other dynasts are not of that much use to the ecosystem. As I pointed out earlier, many of these dynasts, including Akhilesh Yadav, are not ambitious outside of their states. They are quite content to live the good life as long as their local franchises are in their control. They know that they cannot get even a seat or two outside of their strongholds, all talk of pan-Dravidian ideology or nominal contests in other states, etc., notwithstanding. Even Kejri has been reduced to a one-state wonder. Their best chance was a Congress with about 60 seats but LS majority as a group and 30-40 seats for a few of them. Then the bigger ones can demand the PM seat or threaten to move to NDA. That is not gonna happen, perhaps not even in 2029.

But there is a far bigger, far more important reason for the leftist ecosystem, in India and in the West to continue to lay all their bets on Rahul Gandhi. One that overrides all else even if they are willing to invest time and money, launch another dynast to national success with the same arsenal they deployed to launch Rahul Gandhi. 

That is ideological commitment. 

With Rahul Gandhi, 90% of their work is already done without lifting a finger. NONE of the other dynasts – particularly Akhilesh, Tejaswi, even M K Stalin or Uddhav Thackeray, and non-dynasts like Mamata Banerjee – are reliably woke or leftist. They are simply regional warlords with remarkable ideological fluidity if at all you can accuse them of having any ideology in the first place. More importantly, they don’t exhibit the sort of hate for Hinduism that Rahul betrays in body language and in words despite all denials to the contrary. 

You may argue that DMK is vehemently anti-Hindu, more direct than even Rahul but this too is a farce and a drama more than anything else like much else in TN politics. Frankly, DMK doesn’t care as long as they are in power. Unlike in the past when applying “vibhuti” – ashes on the forehead – can invite dismissal today many DMK activists and leaders openly display it. And in any case, their influence doesn’t cross the TN border. Left knows this. Moreover, DMK is not just pro-business – it runs several large businesses through the first family. As such it’s a poor substitute. You may have noticed Rahul plowing a lonely furrow on the Adani Ambani topic. A few even openly disassociated from that line of attack.

For the left, this level of commitment to the “cause” from Rahul Gandhi is a HUGE benefit. As I mentioned earlier, their work is almost done. As I have written often, complete destruction of Sanatan Dharma is a precondition to imposing leftists’ murderous, rapist savage ideologies of Stalin and Mao on India. If also an important part of Beijing’s plan for “South Asia”. Hinduism is by DNA democratic and hence anti-commie. They simply cannot compromise on this goal and waste time on a Princeling that doesn’t share this passion. Global wokes may not share this enthusiasm for anti-Hindu pogrom on their own, but they have so many other reasons to go along that they don’t care too. They obviously understand and sympathize because they are waging a similar war on Christianity in their own fiefdoms. 

This is why you will see the leftist ecosystem singing praise of Rahul Gandhi, trying to turn him into an all-conquering superhero even at the cost of antagonizing or ignoring the other dynasts who are part of the INDI alliance. He is too important. 

And the goal is that much nearer after June 4th. One leftist propagandist even declared he “almost won” inviting mirth and laughter.

One factor that may assist BJP & PM Modi in a serendipitous way is Biden’s increasingly obvious dementia, which could no longer be covered up in lies. And the first-rate crisis it has spawned. Right now, the entire woke ecosystem is focused on making sure US voters don’t turn against the Democratic party, just Biden. NYT and others have already thrown him under the bus as if he was perfectly sane until that fine Thursday evening debate. The entire cabal will now work with 100% focus to ensure Trump doesn’t return. That takes a lot of money and bandwidth. Getting rid of Modi and installing a dimwit dynast can wait. 

But anything goes after that. Especially if MH elections are along the lines of GE. 

Watch the space but always remember the big picture. It helps.

UP: ‘Muslim ‘journalists’ among 5 booked over fake news claiming a Muslim man was ‘lynched’ for barging into a Hindu house, autopsy says death not due to assault

Shraddha Pandey
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UP: ‘Muslim ‘journalists’ among 5 booked over fake news claiming a Muslim man was ‘lynched’ for barging into a Hindu house, autopsy says death not due to assault

In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli, a Muslim man Firoz Qureshi died after an altercation over entering Jalalabad resident Rajendra’s house in Mohalla Ganga Aryanagar in an inebriated state on the night of 4th July. Several Muslim ‘journalists’ and Islamists on social media resorted to peddling fake news and described scrap worker Firoz Qureshi’s death as a case of ‘mob lynching’ over suspicion of theft.

Notably, ‘journalist’ Wasim Akram Tyagi had published three posts on X claiming that Firoz Qureshi was beaten to death by Pinky, Pankaj, Rajendra and others mob lynched Qureshi who succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. Giving furtherance to a false narrative peddled by Islamists after Lok Sabha elections that Muslims are being mob lynched for their religious identity, Tyagi asked if this is a mere coincidence or an experiment.

Similarly, Zakir Ali Tyagi also claimed that Firoz Qureshi was brutally assaulted by Rajendra, Pinky and others due to which he died. One of his X posts read, “Police have registered a case under section of unintentional murder against the accused of murder of Firoz Qureshi who was killed in mob lynching in Jalalabad of Shamli, that is, according to the police, the murderers did not have the intention to kill him, they were only beating him due to which he died, this is why the people of Jalalabad protested today by keeping Firoz’s body on the road and demanded from the police to register a murder case against the murderers Pinky, Pankaj, Rajendra and their associates and demanded strict action. Learn from Shamli police how to convert a deliberate murder into an unintentional murder!”

Police register FIR against ‘journalists’ peddling fake ‘mob lynching’ narrative

Taking action against five ‘journalists’ passing off Firoz Qureshi’s death as mob lynching, Thana Bhawan Police on 6th July registered an FIR against Wasim Akram Tyagi, Zakir Ali Tyagi, Ahmad Raza Khan, Saif Allahbadi and Asif Rana. These people have been booked under BNS Section 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and Section 353 (Statements conducing to public mischief). The FIR was filed against these fake news peddlers on the complaint of Thana Bhawan Police sub-inspector Manendra Kumar.

FIR against Zakir Ali and four others

“Regarding the incident of deceased Firoz Qureshi…Zakir Ali, Wasim Akram Tyagi, Asif Rana, Saif Allahbadi and Ahmed Raza Khan posted/reposted from their X account… They wrote that late at night in the Jalalabad area of Thana Bhawan police station precinct, a youth, whose name is said to be Firoz alias Kala Qureshi, was beaten to death by some people of another community on suspicion of breaking into the house. Anyone would kill someone like this and then say that he/she had suspicions. Because of the tweets by the above persons on their X accounts, there is an enmity and anger among the people of a particular community… Due to this, there is every possibility of communal harmony and local peace getting disturbed. Please take legal action in this regard,” the FIR stated.

Shamli Police refutes mob lynching claims

While these five ‘journalists’ and several Islamists were peddling a narrative that Firoz Qureshi’s death is the latest incident of targeted mob lynching of Muslims, especially after the election, Shamli Police issued a statement bursting this sinister narrative. In its statement, the police said that on 4th July, Firoz broke into Rajendra’s house in an inebriated state triggering a scuffle between the two parties. However, Firoz’s family took him to their home soon after where he died. The police said that there were no serious injury mark marks on the body of the deceased.

Later, Firoz’s family member complained, based on which an FIR was registered and Rajendra was booked under Bharitya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) 105—culpable homicide. In addition, the deceased’s body was sent for post-mortem examination. The police said that the postmortem report stated that the cause of Firoz’s death was not assault. Firoz had entered Rajendra’s home on the night of 4th July in an intoxicated state resulting in a scuffle. Notably, even in his complaint, Firoz’s brother Afzal stated that Firoz used to consume intoxicants sometimes. The police said that despite this, the incident was given a communal colour and passed off as a case of mob lynching.

“It was also informed earlier that it is clear from the post-mortem report that the cause of death was not assault. The deceased had entered the accused’s house drunk. Despite this, the incident was deliberately given a communal colour and it was posted on social media as mob lynching to spread ill will. Action will be taken in the FIR registered as per the post-mortem report. An appropriate FIR has also been registered against the malicious post. The accusations are irrational and hence refuted,” Shamli Police said.

The police stated that since the cause of death is unknown, the deceased’s viscera has been preserved and the report is awaited. Meanwhile, the inspector in charge of the Thana Bhawan police station has been directed to take strict action against the five individuals accused of posting fake news.

Zakir Ali Tyagi has a history of spreading hatred against Hindus

Notably, the accused, Zakir Ali Tyagi and Wasim Akram, often made offensive remarks against Hindus on X. Zakir Ali Tyagi had made offensive comments about Sita and Lakshmi in August 2020 while reporting rape cases. He was also imprisoned in 2017 after writing an objectionable post about UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

Islamist sympathising media paints a false picture of Firoz Qureshi’s death to give a push to ‘mob lynching’ narrative

Other than the so-called journalists named in the FIR, several leftist-Islamist propaganda portals also contributed in the furtherance of the “targeted mob lynching of Muslims” narrative. In this vein, Maktoob, a Muslim portal dedicated to peddling a false Muslim victimhood narrative, reported the incident in question as a case of mob lynching by Hindus. “In UP’s Shamli, Muslim man beaten to death, 12th lynching since June 4, eighth Muslim victim,” reads the headline of the report.

Similarly, The Observer Post reported, “Muslim Man ‘Lynched To Death’ In Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli Over Allegations Of Theft”.

The Observer Post’s misleading report on Firoz Qureshi’s death

Citing details from this report, The Siasat Daily also described the incident as a case of mob lynching. Siasat went on to claim that in recent times there have been mob lynchings targeting Muslims over suspicion of theft and that communal violence against ‘minorities’ in Uttar Pradesh is on the rise.

Siasat Report on Firoz Qureshi’s death

These propaganda outlets effectively portrayed the death of a youth who happened to be a Muslim as a mob lynching and gave it a communal angle, even though there was not one. This blatant spread of disinformation exposes Rajendra’s family to threats in addition to fuelling communal discord.

Islamists using every incident where the deceased is Muslim to push the “Musalmaan khatre mein hai” narrative

While the “Muslim khatre mein hain” narrative has been pushed by Islamists and their extended ecosystem for years, it has gained momentum after the Lok Sabha election results were declared in June this year. These so-called journalists and ‘news outlets’ are desperately trying to give communal colour to any incident of violence or death wherein the deceased happens to be a Muslim. Earlier this month, OpIndia reported how several notorious Islamists and Muslim ‘journalists’ resorted to spreading false claims about the death of a Maulana in the Koderma district of Jharkhand. While several Islamists claimed that Maulana Shahabuddin was beaten to death by a Hindu mob due to his Muslim identity, the police of this non-BJP ruled state refuted their claims and said that the Maulana succumbed to his injuries caused in the accident.

Before this, OpIndia reported about how the Islamists used the killings of three Maulanas in separate incidents to peddle a fake narrative that after elections Muslim clerics are being “targeted and killed” by Hindus over voting for Congress and I.N.D.I. Alliance, however, it turned out that there was no communal angle in any of these cases.

The tendency of Islamists on social media to label every incident of death wherein the deceased happens to be a Muslim as mob lynching exacerbates communal tensions. Such sweeping generalisations not only distort the facts but also inflame sentiments, creating a false narrative of widespread persecution while defaming Hindus.

UP: Woman faces triple talaq after voting for BJP in Lok Sabha elections, husband Saiwan Miya and relatives booked

Siddhi Somani
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UP: Woman faces triple talaq after voting for BJP in Lok Sabha elections, husband Saiwan Miya and relatives booked

On 7th July, Charra police station in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh filed an FIR against one unknown person based on the complaint filed by a woman identified as Sofiya Khan (name changed). The woman in the complaint stated that her husband, Saiwan Miya divorced her by giving her ‘triple talaq’ after she voted for a BJP candidate in the recently happened Lok Sabha elections.

The FIR copy of the incident has been obtained by OpIndia. The victim woman in the FIR said that she got married to Saiwan Miya in April 2021. She stated that her husband hid the fact from her that he was already married and that already had a kid. She also stated that Saiwan Miya accepted 8,50,000 from her family as a dowry.

“On asking about the first marriage, Saiwan Miya gave unconvincing answers and then began to assault me for enquiring about his personal life. He and his family had deliberately hidden the fact that he was already married and a father of a kid,” Sofiya said in the FIR.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

“They (Saiwan and his family) also asked for additional dowry and his family threatened that they would get her divorced from him soon. They used to assault and abuse brutally,” she added. Recently Saiwan Miya threatened her and gave her divorce by saying talaq three times.

As per the complaint, on 24th April this year, the woman was returning from the voting booth amid the then-underway Lok Sabha elections. The accused and his brothers Shabbu and Shadan met her on her way home and asked where had she gone. “I told them I was returning from the voting booth. After this, they asked me whom did I vote for. On saying BJP, his brothers asked Saiwan Miya to divorce me,” the woman said.

The accused then said talaq three times and indicated that all his relations with the woman were over.

Woman had contested from Samajwadi party, was assaulted by husband after losing ZP elections

The woman while talking to the media also stated that she had contested the local body elections from the Samajwadi Party a few years back after which Saiwan deceptively married her. Later after the woman lost, the accused began hitting her. The woman then realized that BJP was the party that was working for the betterment of the community and the society, after which she decided to vote for the party in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, resulting in a triple talaq.

SHO Charra confirmed incident to OpIndia, said accused Saiwan Miya, Khurshid, Shabbu, Shadan, and Khurgan will soon be arrested

The FIR in the case has been filed under sections 498A (protects married women from cruelty inflicted by their husbands or relatives), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and 3 and 4 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.

OpIndia talked to SHO Charra Balendra Singh who confirmed the incident and said that the woman was assaulted and issued triple talaq. He also added “So far no arrests have been made. The accused identified as Saiwan Miya, Khurshid, Shabbu, Shadan, and Khurgan will soon be arrested. A complaint has been filed. Investigations are underway,” he said.

A similar incident was reported in June this year where a Muslim man from Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district issued triple talaq to his 26-year-old wife after she voted for BJP. The woman had filed a police complaint against her husband accusing him and her in-laws of physically and mentally torturing her for dowry. However, the woman’s husband has refuted the allegations, accusing her of having extramarital affairs.

The victim woman claimed that her husband had earlier sent her the talaq notice and that his family had falsely accused her of being ‘characterless’. “I supported and voted for the BJP. When my husband, his mother, and sisters learned of this, he gave me triple talaq. His family members asked him to either leave them or give triple talaq to me,” the victim was quoted as saying.

Collusion, planning to attack Adani for profits? Hindenburg shared report on Adani with China-linked hedge fund 2 months before publication: SEBI notice reveals

OpIndia Staff
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Collusion, planning to attack Adani for profits? Hindenburg shared report on Adani with China-linked hedge fund 2 months before publication: SEBI notice reveals

US-based short seller Hindenburg Research, which has been targeting the Adani Group in India, has reportedly shared an ‘advance copy’ with one of their clients two months prior to the publication of their report on Adani, the 46-page notice by SEBI said. The report was amplified by many politicians and media portals in India, leading to a massive route in Adani stocks in 2023.

As per reports, Hindenburg had shared its report on Adani with their client two months prior to publication, enabling them to obtain ‘unfair’ profits from the stock price movements in a brokered deal using the report. The SEBI notice details how Kingdon Capital, led by New York-based hedge fund manager Mark Kingdon, and a broker linked to Kotak Mahindra Bank profited significantly from the nearly 150 billion dollar routing the 10 companies under Adani Groups faced in the stock market.

The SEBI notice highlights that Hindenburg Research used ‘non-public’ and misleading information about the Adani Group to create a panic in the Indian stock market.

As per reports, Hindenburg’s response to the SEBI notice has acknowledged the prior sharing of information with the said broker but it has claimed that SEBI is trying to ‘silent’ them for exposing Adani. Hindenburg’s response admits that the vehicle used to bet against Adani Enterprises Ltd belonged to Kotak Mahindra International Ltd, a Mauritious-based firm owned by Kotak Mahindra Ltd.

The fund by KMIL placed bets on Adani Enterprises on behalf of Mark Kingdon’s Kingdon Capital Management. SEBI’s notice to Hindenburg also includes time-stamped chats between a Kingdon employee and traders from KMIL, details the sale of future contracts in Adani Enterprises.

‘Kingdom never disclosed that they are acting on Hindenburg’s information’: says Kotak Mahindra Bank

Meanwhile the Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd has stated that they were not aware of Kingdon Capital’s contacts with Hindenburg, or the fact that Kingdon was already in possession of prior information regarding the report on Adani. “Kingdon never disclosed they had any relationship with Hindenburg, or that they were acting on the basis of any price sensitive information (on Adani Group)”, Kotak Mahindra has stated.

‘Hindenburg and Kingdon partnered to target Adani’

Hindenburg’s response to SEBI has disclosed that Hindenburg and  Kingdon Capital partnered to orchestrate a strategic move against Adani Group and benefitted from short-selling Adani stocks.

On Kingdon Capital’s recommendation, Kotak Mahindra Bank created an offshore fund named the Kingdon India Opportunity Fund. It served as a critical vehicle for Kingdon Capital to engage in short selling of Adani Group’s shares. The creation and utilisation of this fund was part of sophisticated strategies employed by  Kingdon Capital to leverage financial markets to their advantage.

As pointed out by Mahesh Jethmalani, Kingdon India Opportunity Fund took large short positions in Adani shares through the Mauritius route before the Hindenburg report was published. The Rajya Sabha MP and Supreme Court advocate disclosed that funds amounting to $40 million were provided by Kingdon’s Master Fund, owned by the Kingdon family.

Jethmalani has added that Hindenburg was hired by Mark Kingdon specifically to target Adani.

Who is Mark Kingdon?

Mark Kingdon is the founder and owner of  Kingdon Capital. He is a prominent figure in the investment community. Kingdon’s background and connections add layers of complexity to the story that has been unfolding for the last week. Anla Cheng, a Chinese American woman, is the wife of Mark Kingdon. She is a senior partner at the private equity firm Sino-Century and the founder of the New York-based news platform SupChina. Cheng has been cited as an influential lobbyist for Chinese interests in USA. There are speculations that the attack on Adani could have stemmed from the fact that Adani Group has been outbidding Chinese firms in key international projects, such as the Haifa Port deal in Israel.

Sikh man asks Kuala Lumpur court to declare he has never been Muslim and Sharia won’t apply to him, Islamic Council steps in to say only Sharia court can decide: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Sikh man asks Kuala Lumpur court to declare he has never been Muslim and Sharia won’t apply to him, Islamic Council steps in to say only Sharia court can decide: Details

A strange case of identity crisis of a Sikh man has come to light in Malaysia where a man who was raised as a Sikh approached the civil court for a declaration that he has never been a Muslim. However, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) has appealed to dismiss the case without being subjected to a trial arguing that only the Sharia Court has the authority to determine the religious status of the man.

In his affidavit filed in the Kuala Lumpur High Court on 4th December 2024, the Sikh man asked the court to declare that he has never been a Muslim. As per the affidavit submitted by the applicant, his mother passed away on 17th November 2007. Initially, she was a Sikh woman who converted to Islam to get married to his father, who was a Muslim from Pakistan. The wedding took place on 8th August 1993. The applicant was born on 25th June 1996. The mother did not raise him as a Muslim but as a Sikh and he learned all the Sikh customs in his childhood from his uncle.

In his appeal, he said that Islamic law does not apply to him as he is a Sikh. He said, “To this day, I still practice Sikhism and regularly visit Sikh temples with my uncles and family and also celebrate all Sikh religious festivals and events such as Vaisakhi, Gurpurab, Akand Paath, Bandi Chor Divas, and Lohri. I have never willingly professed Islam at any point in time. I have never prayed in the Muslim faith or visited a mosque. I have never celebrated any Muslim festival or adopted any Islamic beliefs, including consuming only halal food or beverages and fasting. To the contrary, I would usually be vegetarian whenever I visited the temple or before a Sikh festival.”

Cutting Item 1 under “List II-State List” of the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, he argued that Islamic laws apply to persons willingly professing Islam. He said, “Throughout my life when called upon to make an oral declaration of my religion of choice, I have always answered ‘Sikhism’. I state that the general reputation of me among my friends and family is that I am a Sikh. I also state that although I was forced to take Pendidikan Islam in school, I did not sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination and instead discontinued my studies as I was not interested in taking Pendidikan Islam as a subject in the SPM examination. Based on my understanding and appreciation of Sikhism, I truly have faith in the beliefs and doctrines of Sikhism, and I regard Sikhism as my only path to spiritual well-being, peace of mind, and personal happiness. I intend to maintain my faith and beliefs in Sikhism and continue to acknowledge and practice Sikhism. I cannot, and will not, under any circumstances retract or abandon my Sikh religious beliefs or embrace any other religion. I also cannot and will not adopt any other belief system or doctrine. I uphold my right to practice Sikhism as guaranteed under Article 11 of the Federal Constitution. This is also a human right as stated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations as well as various other human rights instruments.”

In his application, he contented that the way MAIWP and the Government of Malaysia have interpreted Islamic law could land him in trouble and would result in a violation of his rights and interests as a Sikh. He emphasized that he could be prosecuted and convicted in Sharia Court merely because he followed Sikhism and religious enforcement officers could investigate, detain or arrest him. Being a Sikh, he eats and drinks in public during Ramzan, refuses to pay Zakat, drinks alcohol, and is alone in a house with a woman, all of which could land him in trouble.

He added, “Further, I cannot marry my non-Muslim partner who is known, loved, and cherished by me. As a result of this, I am still unmarried and cannot have legitimate children. I also state that when I die, my remains will be taken by the officers of the Muslim religious body for burial by Islamic funeral rites, not respecting my wish to follow Sikh religious funeral rites. I also assert that I cannot bequeath or dispose of by will, any property in my possession, in the event/at the time of my death. Instead, my property will be managed through an Islamic religious council in a way that is contrary to my wishes.”

The application submitted by MAIWP to dismiss the case is set for hearing on 30th September.

Congress faced defeat in the 2024 Elections in the only 3 states where they are in power, that too, within 6 to 18 months of forming govt: Details

S. Sudhir Kumar
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Congress faced defeat in the 2024 Elections in the only 3 states where they are in power, that too, within 6 to 18 months of forming govt: Details

At the time of going to the Lok Sabha elections in April-May of 2024, the Congress party was in power in 3 states – Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana. 

Amongst these three, Telangana was the most recent state they won in 2023 December. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has told us multiple times that he treats the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a referendum on his 6-month governance. It was a bold statement to make, given that he had just taken over. He was confident of winning 12 to 14 seats out of the 17 seats. He was very aggressive in his campaign and he was also used by the Congress for some Delhi-based interviews. 

The result was that the Congress party won 8 Lok Sabha seats out of the 17; the BJP scripted history by winning 8 seats too (MIM won the Hyderabad seat). The BJP won 8 assembly seats out of 119 in the 2023 December assembly elections but revived so miraculously that it won 8 Lok Sabha seats in just 6 months! 

This should have triggered a debate in the media – particularly since the Chief Minister himself claimed this was a referendum on his governance. Very clearly, winning 8 seats out of 17 doesn’t classify as winning a referendum. In just 6 months, the Congress party’s governance gave so much confidence to the people that they decided to teach them a lesson! 

The performance in Karnataka was worse than in Karnataka. The downfall in Karnataka deserves a more detailed analysis, but yet again the media has failed us. The Congress party, which has been in power for about a year in Karnataka, was able to win only 9 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats. On social media, we see that the ministers of the Karnataka government are very active in satirical posts; very active in reporting to alleged fact-checkers; very active in creating a North-South divide; and whatnot. At one point in time, the media thought that with such great articulation, these ministers would take over the governance of India one day too. 

None of us can forget the elevations that Deputy Chief Minister, D.K.Shivakumar gets in the English media. The fact remains that his own younger brother had to face a crushing defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. None of us can forget the analysis after analysis of how the pioneering free-scheme guarantees of the Congress party are ushering in a new Karnataka! Where have all these analysts gone now? The Congress party won only 9 out of the 28 seats – if this is not a resounding verdict on their poor performance in the past year, then what else is? 

The worst performance though was from Himachal Pradesh. The Congress party lost all 4 seats in the state in 2024 elections. Losing 100% of seats would have triggered a massive backlash and analysis on why this happened, but we didn’t get to see any meaningful analysis of this drubbing. 

The cold fact remains that the Congress party won very less seats from the states they are in power, as opposed to states where they are part of the opposition. On their own, the Congress won substantial seats only in Punjab where they are in opposition. Everywhere else, the bulk of seats they won were in cooperation with their allies (Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala). In contrast, the BJP has swept in states in which they are in power; has won new states; has retained power in states; and with their allies, has retained power at the centre too! Yes, of course, they lost substantial seats in UP, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra, but the scale of the loss of the Congress party should dwarf that of the BJP. 

However, in direct contrast, our English media wants us to believe the exact opposite. In their bid to elevate Rahul Gandhi, the English media certainly wants to cover up the voice of people where Rahul Gandhi’s party is actually in power. 

The Congress party has not retained any state after the 2011 Assam elections. They have lost all assembly polls where they have been in power ever since. And now, they are setting a new record in anti-incumbency (just 6 to 18 months) in the states where they are in power. Serious analysts would pore over these details and ask Congress to buckle up. Congress themselves have put up several committees to study the poor performance in some states. What stops the media from doing their job of studying these results and enlightening the public outside of these states? We all know the answer to what stops them.

Pro-Palestine MP Shockat Adam Patel from Leicester South is brother of Ismail Patel, the founder of pro-Hamas Islamist org Friends of Al Aqsa: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Pro-Palestine MP Shockat Adam Patel from Leicester South is brother of Ismail Patel, the founder of pro-Hamas Islamist org Friends of Al Aqsa: Reports

Shockat Adam, the newly-elected MP in Leicester South in United Kingdom’s General Elections that took place on 4th July, is the brother of the founder of the hardline Islamist group ‘Friends of Al Aqsa’, Ismail Patel. During his victory speech, someone from the audience passed him a black and white keffiyeh headscarf, which is a Palestinian headscarf. Shockat raised it and said his victory was “for the people of Gaza”.

Notably, Ismail has previously visited Gaza and met leaders of the terrorist organisation Hamas. Reportedly, he “saluted” the terror group for “resisting Israel”. The extremist group Friends of Al Aqsa was founded in the mid-1990s by Ismail in Leicester. The group has played a vital role in organising pro-Palestine demonstrations across the UK following the Hamas Terrorist Attack on Israel.

Shockat has been active at the protest sites and has given pro-Palestinian speeches. During his online campaign, his photographs while speaking to a pro-Palestinian group holding Palestinian flags with the words “Our Community Needs You” were circulated to gain trust of the like-minded voters.

Shockat has defeated former Labour minister Jonathan Ashworth by a sleek margin. Notably, Ashworth held the seat since 2011. However, since the Hamas Terror Attack on October 7, Ashworth became a target of the pro-Palestinians who actively hounded him on the streets of the city accusing him of betraying the people of Palestine.

According to Jewish News’ unnamed sources, Shockat’s office was shared with Friends of Al Aqsa to organise protests in the city. The organisation celebrated Shockat’s victory on social media. In a post, they wrote, “Yesterday’s election was a tectonic shift in British politics. Widespread dissatisfaction at the Conservative’s and Labour’s stance on Palestine and the ongoing genocide in Gaza saw an unprecedented shift towards pro-Palestinian candidates, both running as Independents and within smaller parties.”

Apart from Friends of Al Aqsa, Shockat also received support from The Muslim Vote (TMV). The organisation openly directed Muslim voters to vote for the candidates who have been supportive of their ideology. Because of the influence of such organisations, Labour MPs in several constituencies face challenges in the elections. Even Muslim candidates including Labour MPs Naz Shah, Rushanara Ali and Shabana Mahmood faced challenges as they were labelled as “pro-genocide” for supporting Keir Starmer’s party.

Interestingly, Jewish News revealed that thousands of unlabelled posters were circulated before the elections that were anti-Ashworth. Posters reading “Vote for Genocide Vote Labour” were made to letterboxes of the voters, thanks to paid distributors.

Coming back to Shockat, he gave the impression that his campaign was not based solely around Gaza. Promises like “Protect our NHS” and “Champion affordable housing” were part of his pledge. However, his official website read, “Our opposition, the media and specific Zionist organisations are behind attempts to ban pro-Palestine demonstrations in the country”. He added, “Weaponising terms like antisemitism, a heinous prejudice in itself, are used and abused to smear any objector of the actions of the Israeli military.”

Who is Shockat Adam Patel?

Shockat Adam Patel is an Indian-origin MP who won from the Leicester South constituency. Shockat ran his election campaign on a pro-Palestine agenda and defeated Jon Ashworth of the Labour Party by a margin of 979 votes.

“We as a city have done this. We as a city are a shining example to the rest of the world that it is the people that matter, not those that rule over (us). This is for the people of Gaza,” he made his intentions clear soon after the election results. In a recent report, OpIndia revealed how he is connected to a radical Islamic outfit named ‘Muslim Engagement and Development’ (MEND) for quite a long time, even holding the position of ‘Leicester Chair.’ MEND was exposed as early as 2017 by the ‘Henry Jackson Society’ as “Islamists Masquerading As Civil Libertarians.”

OpIndia had extensively reported on the violence carried out by radical Muslim mobs in Leicester in England’s East Midlands region in 2022. We also pointed out how widespread disinformation was weaponised to justify the targeted attacks against the Hindu community. At that time, Shockat Adam had attempted to downplay the violence carried out by his co-religionists by labelling it as a ‘reaction to provocation.’

During his interview with The World in October 2022, the new MP from Leicester South claimed, “The Muslim community didn’t just start going and beating up Hindu individuals. This was in response to what they felt was provocation for a sustained period.” In one interview with Byline Times in 2022, Shockat Adam further amplified the lie about rise of Hindu nationalism in Leicester. “There has been an undercurrent of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and [Hindu] nationalism creeping into our city. Some of these members of the new community have come to this country from an India which is in the fervour of nationalism, and the RSS, so they have come with a background of [Hindu] supremacy,” he claimed albeit without evidence.

Shockat Adam also did not shy from carrying out anti-India propaganda from the United Kingdom. Through the radical Islamic outfit ‘MEND’, he organised a webinar titled ‘Indian from Partition to Persecution’ in December 2020. He had roped in a serial fake news peddler CJ Werleman to spread canards about his country of origin. During the webinar, Shockat said, “Our discussion in the show revolves mainly around how India, from its post-colonial birth 73 years ago, after 200 years of imperial subjugation, has now gone through a process where individuals on the ground, commentators, political commentators and human rights activists are saying that they are subjugating their own people.”

Majid Freeman, a rabid Islamist who was at the forefront of instigating violence against Hindus during the 2022 Leicester episode, extended his support to pro-Palestine Shockat Adam. In one tweet, he said, “Remember this from the other week? @JonAshworth will be regretting this right now. The best man @ShockatAdam won and has now replaced him in Leicester South.”

France: Violence erupts as exit polls suggest surprising Leftist win, Marine Le Pen’s conservative party projected to lose

OpIndia Staff
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France: Violence erupts as exit polls suggest surprising Leftist win, Marine Le Pen’s conservative party projected to lose

Violence erupted across France following a surprising exit poll suggesting a left-wing coalition’s lead in the snap election, dealing a blow to Marine Le Pen’s ambitions of forming France’s first hard-right government since the war, Fox News reported.

Video footage captured masked demonstrators running through streets, igniting flares, and causing disturbances as riot police were dispatched nationwide.

French election night turned turbulent as results showed a left-wing coalition poised to claim the majority of parliamentary seats, prompting both celebrations and unrest in Paris, Fox News reported.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his resignation as a far-left political alliance unexpectedly surged ahead in the snap elections.

Thousands gathered at Paris’s Place de la Republique to cheer the news, highlighting widespread support for the coalition over Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc, which secured second place.

Conservatives were left reeling by the upset, having anticipated Marine Le Pen’s National Rally to seize power, as reported by Fox News.

Social media footage captured fiery scenes in Parisian streets, with authorities in riot gear managing crowds as tear gas was deployed amid clashes. Protesters reportedly threw Molotov cocktails and set off smoke bombs.

The victorious left-wing coalition, known as the Popular Front, comprises France’s Socialist Party, the French Communist Party, the Ecologists, and France Unbowed.

Their platform includes overturning Macron’s pension reforms and advocating for a retirement age of 60, along with plans to raise public sector wages, reinstate a wealth tax, and increase France’s minimum wage.

The election results marked a significant shift in French politics, with the National Rally, led by Jordan Bardella, claiming substantial gains despite initial high expectations. He criticised Macron for purportedly “pushing France into uncertainty and instability” and expressed disappointment at falling short of projected outcomes despite an increase in parliamentary seats.

Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron will wait to make decisions about a new government, according to a statement from Elysee Palace, following the announcement of preliminary results from the second round of parliamentary elections.

In Paris, the announcement that the left-wing NFP was projected to surpass RN sparked jubilation among supporters. The result marked a turnaround from RN’s initial lead after the first round of elections. In a show of emotion, Parisians took to the streets, holding signs and cheering as the outcome was confirmed at 8 pm local time.

Amidst the celebrations, expressions of relief were evident as flares were lit and chants of “everyone hates fascists” echoed through the streets.

Initial projections were released at 8 PM Paris time (1800 GMT), with official results anticipated to be announced between late Sunday and Monday.

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

China builds military base in an area on north bank of Pangong Tso under its control since 1962, Mallikarjun Kharge falsely claims it was under Indian control until 2020

OpIndia Staff
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China builds military base in an area on north bank of Pangong Tso under its control since 1962, Mallikarjun Kharge falsely claims it was under Indian control until 2020

On Sunday (7th July), Congress President and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge shared a media report regarding the Chinese built-up and construction of military infrastructure near the Line of Actual Control (LAC). While attempting to target the Modi government over the issue of territorial sovereignty, he alleged that India has lost its sovereign territories under the Modi government.

Citing a Hindustan Times report, Kharge highlighted that the Chinese have constructed a military base at the Sirijap site on the northern bank of Pangong Tso. He then went on to allege that the area was under Indian control until May 2020.

In his post, he also accused the Modi government of not acting tough against China and accused PM Modi of giving a so-called “Clean chit” to China on its belligerent occupation of Indian territories which according to the Congress leader and the ecosystem, China occupied under the tenure of the Modi government. However, the allegations of the Congress leader are false, misleading, and spreading fake news about China’s territorial occupation of Indian territories post-May 2020 built-up and border stand-off.    

Notably, popular Defence analyst and X user Abhijeet Iyer Mitra shared a Fact check of Mallikarjun Kharge’s claims done by an X handle named Donnie. The Fact check of the Congress leader’s claim reveals that the site in question, Sirijap had been under the control of China for decades, in fact, post-1962 India-Sino war. 

Evidently, it was widely reported in Indian media that the Congress-led UPA government had admitted that the Chinese Army had denied India access to Sirijap – the area in question in 2013, a year before the Modi government had assumed power, alluding to the fact that it was not under Indian control until May 2020 and control over India’s sovereign territory was not lost during the Modi government.  

Additionally, the Chinese had built a full-fledged observation/intel base in the area by 2009 when the Congress-led UPA was in power. 

Furthermore, in a journal published in the United Service Institute of India in 2005, again when the Congress-led UPA government was in power, General Thapliyal had extensively written about the 1962 India-Sino war and how the Chinese army “captured” areas in and around Sirijap. Committing war crimes, the Chinese soldiers lined up Indian Prisoners of War and shot all of them. 

(Excerpts from journal published in 2005, General Thapliyal clearly mentioned that China “captured” the Sirijap area in 1962, contrary to the allegations and claim of Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mallikarjun Kharge)

In his post, Abhijeet Mitra further added that the place has been listed on Google Maps as being in China’s Ngari prefecture. Moreover all the roads visible today – were visible in 2009, he added. 

As the India-China border standoff has continued for more than four years, the Indian Army and the Modi government had on umpteenth occasions denied any occupation of Indian territories in the border standoff and reiterated their firm commitment to safeguarding India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Despite the initial logistical gap, on account of the lack of focus of the UPA government on border Infrastructure, India has been resolute in following mirror deployment and taking appropriate measures to counter Chinese built-up and its misdeeds on the LAC and elsewhere. 

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