Amidst a raging debate on the Next of Kin (NOK) rules for pension and other benefits, a repealed law of the Armed Forces has taken centre stage. Notably, in a media interaction, martyr Captain Anshuman Singh’s father recently demanded a revision of the NOK rules.
He also offered to marry his second son to the martyr’s wife so that Captain Singh’s aggrieved family could continue to receive monetary benefits.
However, it is pertinent to note that this was a mandatory law in the armed forces till 2017 which restricted the choice of martyr’s wife to start afresh and re-marry and forced her to remarry her brother-in-law to continue receiving monetary allowances.
Wow. So until 2017, the widow of a gallantry awardee would continue to receive monetary allowances after remarriage only if she married her deceased husband's brother. The Modi Govt removed this rule.
— Sensei Kraken Zero (@YearOfTheKraken) July 12, 2024
According to this law, the government used to deny monetary allowance to the widow of a gallantry awardee in case if she remarried. However, the martyr’s widow could continue to receive the allowances only if she married her brother-in-law and “lived a communal life with the living eligible heir.”
However, on 16th November 2017, the Modi government repealed the ‘regressive’ law after receiving several representations from various quarters including the Army Tribunal.
The Ministry of Defence released an official communication in this regard in November 2017. In a press note titled, ‘Monetary Allowance for Widows of Gallantry Awards Recipients’.
It mentioned that the recipients of the gallantry awards are entitled to the monetary allowance as per the letter of 1972 of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), superseded by a letter in 1995 of the MoD, which has been revised from time to time.
As per the then-existing condition (till November 2017) for the grant of monetary allowance, the allowance shall be admissible to the award recipient and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her remarriage or death. The payment of the allowance will, however, be continued to a widow who re-marries the late husband’s brother and lives a communal life with the living heir eligible for a family pension, the official Ministry of Defence note stated.
It added that the Ministry received representations from various quarters to remove the condition of the widow’s remarriage with the late husband’s brother for continuation of the monetary allowance. After considering their recommendation, the Modi government “removed” this condition through a letter dated 16th November 2017.
Since then, the revised condition for the grant of monetary allowance for recipients of gallantry awards is as under-
“The allowance shall be admissible to the recipient of the award and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her death.”
While the law has been repealed, in many cases, the practice of a martyr’s wife marrying her brother-in-law still continues to keep the compensation money within the family. Several cases lingered on in courts years after the law was repealed.
Notably, four years after the Modi government repealed the mandatory condition, the Armed Forces Tribunal in October 2021 declared regulations that deprive a soldier’s widow of liberalised family pension (LFP) if she remarries anyone other than her husband’s brother as “void”. The tribunal termed it “highly discriminatory” and a violation of public policy.
The tribunal had ruled, “A widow is competent and entitled to remarry according to her choice and will. The conditions preventing the remarriage of the widow or restricting her choice to marry to the late husband’s brother alone for claiming LFP will only be conditions imposed in restraint of marriage and hence, violate the public policy to be followed in respect of marriage. Therefore, those two conditions… are void as they are against the public policy in respect of marriage.”
The results of the Maharashtra biennial legislative council elections have once again turned the tables, with the National Democratic Alliance-led Mahayuti alliance winning all nine of the 11 seats it contested following the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance’s exceptional performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. The Mahayuti alliance’s nine candidates, including Pankaja Munde of the Bharatiya Janata Party, triumphed in the election.
Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP) who was supported by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) lost the election while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Milind Narvekar and Congresswoman Pragya Satav won. There was a dispute about who would take the heat among the twelve candidates vying for the eleven Legislative Council seats. The defeat was borne primarily by Jayant Patil. He fled the Legislature’s grounds well in advance of the results being announced and unveiled, “Congress MLAs indulged in cross-voting.”
“We will check to see which MLAs cross-voted and will take action against them. We thought four MLAs would cross-vote, but it is more than four. We will find out the exact number in a couple of days,” stated Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nana Patole informed that he has submitted a report to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on the matter and declared, “All traitors will be shown the door.” NCP (SP) spokesperson Vidya Chavan claimed, “BJP has resorted to its old tactics of using money to influence elections and it has succeeded again.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar conveyed, “We had 40 MLAs of our own besides the support from two independent candidates. However, we received five additional votes. I want to thank those who gave additional votes to our candidates.” The five votes were reportedly of Congress MLAs as some of them had attended NCP meetings regularly. Sunil Tatkare, state president of NCP said, “I am very happy. This win is bigger than my Lok Sabha victory. A higher power supported us in this election. This is a trailer for the State Assembly election. Our MLAs have shown our opponents their place. I am proud of my MLAs.”
According to media reports, among all the votes that have been disclosed till now, seven votes of the Congress were reportedly split. There are 37 MLAs in the Congress and Pragya Satav received the first preference votes of 25 MLAs, indicating that the 12 first preference votes from the party were additional. There are 22 first-preference votes for Milind Narvekar who won in the second round, whereas the Shiv Sena (UBT) has only 15 members. Jayant Patil, on the other hand, received 12 first-preference votes from Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction.
First-choice votes went to eight candidates, who swept the election. The remaining contenders had to rely on the votes cast for the second choice. A candidate needed to obtain at least 23 votes to win. Those who acquired an equal or higher number of votes are declared the winners. The winning candidates from the NDA alliance were BJP’s Pankaja Munde (26-Winner), Parinay Fuke (26-Winner), Amit Gorkhe (26-Winner), Yogesh Tilekar (26-Winner) and Sadabhau Khot (14-Winner in the second round). Shivaji Rao Garje (24-Winner) and Rajesh Witekar (23-Winner) emerged victorious from NCP (Ajit Pawar) while Kripal Tumane (24-Winner) and Bhavna Gawli (25-Winner) won from Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde).
Shiv Sena (UBT) however, prevailed in the final phase after fielding Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide Milind Narvekar even though they lacked the MLAs’ strength. Two candidates from Other Backward Castes, one Dalit, one Maratha and Pankaja Munde who had just lost the general election from Beed were among the five BJP candidates that emerged victorious in the poll. Notably, Eknath Shinde corrected the error of not offering the Lok Sabha seat to two incumbent MLAs and fielded Bhavna Gawli and Krupal Tumhane who were elected to the Legislative Council. Jayant Patil lost because the other MVA allies failed to support him although he was backed by Sharad Pawar’s NCP.
There is still the possibility for approximately seven MLAs to do cross-voting from smaller parties such as Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Samajwadi Party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, as well as independents affiliated with Maha Vikas Aghadi. The MLAs who supported Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar remain with them following the Lok Sabha election results, according to this outcome.
With 103 MLAs in addition to 12 independents and MLAs from small parties, the BJP fielded five candidates. The Congress MLAs’ cross-voting helped the BJP as well. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed, “Some people (the Opposition) were predicting cross-voting from our side, but we received votes not just from our own MLAs, but from MVA MLAs too.” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also voiced, “The Opposition’s claim of breaching our ranks has fallen flat. Their wickets have tumbled and they are in pain.”
The results indicate a loss for MVA ahead of the assembly polls and demonstrate that Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were successful in holding onto their legislators during the anticipation that some of them would support the opposition. The outcomes are also viewed as a win for Mahayuti’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, who oversaw vote administration for the party. The significant development comes after his party’s poor result in the Lok Sabha poll in Maharashtra and recent defeat in the elections for the Mumbai graduates and teachers constituency elections.
On Friday (12th July), the Andhra Pradesh police registered a case against former state Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, and criminal intimidation. The FIR is based on a complaint filed by former YSRCP MP K Raghurama Krishnam Raju. He is currently a TDP MLA from Undi.
In his complaint, TDP MLA Raju has alleged that the Police officials assaulted him in 2021 at the behest of then-state CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. Notably, Raju was arrested in May 2021 on charges of sedition for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the YSRCP government and then CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.
In his complaint submitted to the Guntur Police, Raju stated that he was arrested in Hyderabad. From there, he was shifted to the CB-CID office in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh without obtaining a Prisoner Transit warrant. It is alleged that at the CID office, the then CID chief PV Sunil Kumar, IPS officer P Sitaramanjaneyulu, and other police officials assaulted him with a rubber belt and lathi. The complaint added that the accused did not even allow him to take medicines as he had undergone a bypass surgery a few weeks ago. He alleged that this was done “under the influence of then-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy”.
In his complaint, he further alleged that the Police took away his mobile phone and forcibly acquired its password.
In the complaint, Raju said, “Sunil Kumar had also threatened to kill me if I did not stop criticising Reddy (then CM of Andra Pradesh).”
Based on his complaint, Guntur district’s Nagarapalem Police registered an FIR in which it made Sunil Kumar the first accused, Sitaramanjaneyulu the second accused, and Jagan Mohan Reddy the third accused.
According to the officials, apart from Ex-CM Reddy, and two senior IPS officers, the Police have also booked retired police officer R Vijay Paul and former Guntur Government General Hospital superintendent G Prabhavati. Both Vijay Paul and Prabhavati were superannuated.
The official added that Raju also alleged that he was subjected to “custodial torture”. Ex-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and others were booked under IPC Sections 120 B, 166, 167, 197, 307, 326, 465 and 506 read with 34. The Police invoked IPC sections as the case is three years old.
Allegations around Raju’s arrest in 2021 recently came to the fore after he lodged a complaint against Reddy and others on 10th June.
He has accused the former CM and the senior officials of “plotting” a criminal “conspiracy” against him. According to his complaint, senior IPS officers Sunil Kumar and Sitaramanjaneyulu, police officer Vijaya Paul, and government doctor Prabhavathi were part of that “conspiracy.” Notably, he was arrested in May 2021 in the middle of the Covid-19 second wave.
In the complaint, he alleged, “A false case was registered against me by the CB-CID of the Andhra Pradesh government. On May 14, 2021, I was arrested without due process, I was bullied, unlawfully physically pulled inside the police vehicle, and forcibly taken to Guntur the same night.”
Raju, who was a YSRCP MP from Narasapuram further stated, “I was arrested without due process, including the absence of a medical examination or adherence to proper legal procedures…I was kept in the CB-CID office, Guntur from 9:30 pm onwards (May 14, 2021). I was not given my medicine despite having had an open heart bypass surgery.”
It is pertinent to note that when he was arrested, Jagan Mohan Reddy was the state CM, Kumar was heading the CID, Sitaramanjaneyulu headed the Intelligence wing, and Paul was ASP CID.
According to his allegations, when the Magistrate sent him to Guntur Government General Hospital, the then superintendent of the hospital, Prabhavathi, colluded with Sunil Kumar to create false medical reports that no injuries were inflicted on him.
Raju stated that due to police brutality, he was shifted from Guntur to Secunderabad Army Hospital by the orders of the Supreme Court and thereafter he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.
Prior to his arrest in May 2021, rebel MLA Raju made headlines for several months for speaking against CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and he was accused of abusing the then CM Jagan Mohan Reddy daily through select media houses from Delhi and Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, after an FIR was registered against him, Sunil Kumar argued how can a ‘new FIR’ be registered in this case claiming that it was rejected by the Supreme Court.
సుప్రీం కోర్టులో మూడేళ్ళు నడిచి … సాక్షాత్తూ సుప్రీమ్ కోర్ట్ తిరస్కరించిన కేసులో కొత్తగా FIR వేయడాన్ని ఏమనాలో మీ విజ్ఞతకే వదిలేస్తున్నాను
Taking to X, he wrote, “I leave it to your wisdom to understand how an FIR can be filed anew in a case that has already been dismissed by the Supreme Court after three years of proceedings.”
Allegations of phone tapping and controversy around the lavish state in Vizag
However, Former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has been at the centre of many controversies and allegations of indulging in criminal acts in the past. Last year in February, two MLAs from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party raised allegations of phone tapping. They accused their own party and pointed fingers at then CM Jagan Reddy.
One of the MLAs, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy claimed that his phone was being tapped only after he met with CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. He also claimed that this phone tapping was not possible without CM Jagan’s orders.
Additionally, the current ruling party in the state, TDP recently slammed Jagan Mohan Reddy and his government for alleged “misgovernance” and building a luxurious sea-facing abode in Visakhapatnam (Vizag). According to the TDP, the lavish estate, was meant to serve as Jagan Reddy’s camp office as he proclaimed Vizag as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.
On Saturday (13th July), an FIR was registered against the parents of the trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, for allegedly threatening a farmer with a pistol. The Police lodged an FIR based on a farmer’s complaint after an old video went viral in which Puja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar was seen pointing a pistol at farmers. Notably, Puja has been in the news for allegedly making VIP demands during training and reportedly faking mental disability to gain concessions in the Civil Services process. The development comes after the central government formed a panel to probe trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s candidature.
Based on the viral video, Manorama Khedkar was booked under sections 323, 504, 506, 143, 144, 147, 148, and 149 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and various sections of the Indian Arms Act. The Police have also booked Puja’s father, Dilip Khedkar, and five others.
According to the police, the FIR was registered at Paud police station in Pune based on the complaint of the farmer who said that the mother of the trainee IAS officer had threatened him.
The Police said, “The Police have registered an FIR against Manorama Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar, parents of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, and five others. The FIR was filed last night at Paud police station based on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that he was threatened by Manorama Khedkar. Charges under the Arms Act have also been included.”
Earlier, on Thursday, July 11, the central government formed a single-member committee to probe allegations of irregularities in Khedkar’s candidature.
In a statement, the Ministry of Personnel said that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary under the Central Government and that it will submit its report in two weeks.
The statement read, “The Central Government has constituted a single-member committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India, to verify the candidature claims and other details of IAS Puja Manorma Dilip Khedkar, a candidate of Civil Services Examination 2022 and earlier CSEs. The Committee will submit its report in 2 weeks.”
Furthermore, the Pune Municipal Corporation is also likely to take action against illegal encroachment on the footpath outside Puja Khedkar’s family bungalow and others nearby, with Bulldozers seen on standby near the bungalow.
Allegations of VIP demand and forgery in disability and caste certificate: Controversies surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar
Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar made headlines after she was transferred from Pune to Washim due to alleged misuse of power. The controversy erupted when she used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. She also demanded facilities that are not available to probationary officers in the services.
According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3. However, she was denied the claims.
Soon after questions were raised about her candidature in the Civil Services Exam. It has been reported that she submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. Reports say that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate. Her affidavit showed that she claimed to be visually impaired and mentally ill in her affidavit to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
In an affidavit to the UPSC, Khedkar asserted that she was visually and mentally impaired to gain concessions in the selection process. However, she refused to undergo a required medical examination six times to verify her disabilities. Khedkar, originally from Ahmednagar, is an IAS officer from the 2023 batch.
The Commission later contested her selection, and in February 2023, a tribunal ruled against her. However, she still managed to have her civil service appointment confirmed. Now, a single-member committee constituted by the Central government is probing into allegations of irregularities in her candidature.
On Friday (12th July) evening, social media was rife with the fake claim that the Vice-President of the United States Kamala Harris had a telephone conversation with Rahul Gandhi.
The development comes amid attempts to pass off the Congress leader as an internationally sought-out politician. Several ‘journalists’, activists and loyalists of the Congress were party to the fake news.
“Big Breaking! US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to LOP Rahul Gandhi on phone yesterday. After becoming LOP, Rahul Gandhi’s stature has increased a lot, now the world sees him as the next Prime Minister of India,” wrote one Harsh Tiwari
Screebgrab of the tweets peddling the fake news, image via X/ THe Analyser
The political editor of the Hindustan Times, Vinod Sharma, also disseminated the fake story.
Pidis: Rahul Gandhi talked to US Vice President
US VP office: No such conversation took place
Looks like Balakbuddhi got scammed first by fraud callers & then these journalists doing paid tweet for a convo that never happened pic.twitter.com/VkgnBBcXXn
The matter reached a crescendo when Press Trust of India posted about it. The syndicated feed of the news agency was used by the leftist propaganda newspaper The Telegraph to make the same dubious claims.
“Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and US Vice President Kamala Harris had a telephonic conversation on Thursday, sources said. Though the specifics of the conversation were not known, this comes in the run-up to the US presidential polls later this year,” the PTI feed on The Telegraph read.
On Saturday (13th July) morning, the Chief US correspondent of PTI Lalit K Jha clarified that no such telephonic conversation had occurred.
Argentina on Friday designated Hamas as a terrorist organization and ordered a freeze on the financial assets of the Palestinian group, ABC News reported.
The move is symbolic of President Javier Milei’s pro-Israel stance as he seeks to strongly align Argentina with Israel and the US, ABC News reported.
Mieli’s office cited the group’s cross-border attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 that killed approximately 1,200 people and took 250 people hostage, in one of the deadliest assaults in Israel’s 76-year-old history, ABC News reported.
The statement also mentioned Hamas’ close ties to Iran which Argentina blames for two deadly militant attacks on Jewish sites in the country.
The move comes just days before the 30th anniversary of one of the attacks, the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. It killed 85 people and wounded hundreds more in the worst such attack in Argentina’s modern history, ABC News reported.
The other attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992, killed more than 20 people. Argentina’s judiciary has accused members of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group of carrying out the two attacks.
On Friday, Milei announced his “unwavering commitment to recognizing terrorists for what they are,” adding that “it’s the first time that there is a political will to do so.”
The US, European Union, and several other countries gave a terrorist designation on Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip before its current war with Israel.
Previous left-leaning Peronist governments in Argentina, home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, have maintained friendly ties with Israel but also voiced support for Palestinian statehood.
“Argentina must once again align itself with Western civilization,” Milei’s office said Friday.
For his first state visit as president earlier this year, Milei flew to Jerusalem in a show of support for the Israeli government and promised to move his nation’s embassy to the contested capital — drawing praise from Netanyahu and ire from Hamas.
Hamas: Emerged out of the Muslim Brotherhood in the region
Hamas is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which means “Islamic Resistance Movement” in English. It was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin who was a Palestinian cleric. After doing Islamic scholarship in Cairo, he was associated with the local branches of the Muslim Brotherhood. In the 1960s, Yassin preached religious sermons in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Subsequently, in December 1987, Yassin established Hamas as the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Gaza. This came in the backdrop of the first intifada – Palestinian attacks against Israel for alleged atrocities in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
Initially, Hamas believed that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) was a threat to the Muslim Brotherhood so it did everything to ‘counter’ it. In 1988, Hamas published its charter which called for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic society in historic Palestine.
Since April 1993, Hamas has been carrying out suicide bombings. The first reported bombing was done five months before PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed the Oslo Accords.
The historic accord led to the establishment of limited self-government for parts of the West Bank and Gaza. A new entity called the Palestinian Authority (PA) was created for this purpose. However, Hamas condemned and tried to derail these developments towards peace. It also condemned the PLO’s and Israel’s recognition of each other.
Later, in 1997, the United States designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organisation as it went on to spearhead violent resistance during the second intifada, in the early 2000s. Hamas’s founder, Yassin was killed by Israeli forces in 2004.
Benefactors of the terror organisation
Hamas is a designated terrorist entity and for this reason, it is barred from getting official assistance that the United States and European Union (EU) provide to the PLO in the West Bank. Apart from funding from Palestinian expatriates, private donors in the Persian Gulf, and Islamic charities in the West, Hamas reportedly gets financial and other support from Iran, Turkey, and Qatar among other Islamic nations.
Iran is one of the biggest benefactors of Hamas as it contributes funds, weapons, and training to fight a proxy war against Israel. Iran pumps funds to the tune of $100 million annually to Hamas, PIJ, and other Palestinian outfits designated as terrorist organisations by the United States.
However, during the Syrian civil war, Iran and Hamas had a brief fallout with each other.
Qatar also provides hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance to Gaza through Hamas. However, foreign aid generally reaches Gaza via the PA and UN agencies.
Earlier, Hamas amassed funds to the tune of $12 million per month from taxes on Egyptian goods imported or smuggled into Gaza through tunnels. Gaza shares a 12 km long border with Egypt on its south. However, in 2013, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi assumed power. Since then, Cairo has ended Hamas’s operation as it asserts that Hamas is an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Afterwards, the Egyptian military closed down the majority of tunnels that were crossing into its territory. This action took place during their campaign against a faction affiliated with the self-declared Islamic State on their side of the border, within the Sinai Peninsula.
Additionally, Turkey is another backer of the Hamas particularly after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rose to power in 2002. Though it claims that it backs Hamas only politically, Ankara has been accused of funding Hamas’s terrorism, including through aid diverted from the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
On Saturday (13th July), National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chief Priyank Kanoongo made a heartfelt appeal to not enroll Hindus and other non-Muslim children in Islamic seminaries (madrassas).
In a tweet, he stated, “Madrassas are centres for providing Islamic religious education and are outside the scope of the Right to Education Act. As such, retaining Hindu and other non-Muslim children in Madrasass is not only a violation of their fundamental constitutional rights but can also become a reason for spreading religious animosity in the society.”
In this regard, Priyank Kanoongo had requested State governments to make alternate arrangements for non-Muslim students, who are currently enrolled in madrassas, in regular schools.
“The Chief Secretary of the State Government of Uttar Pradesh had issued an order in accordance with the recommendation of the NCPCR,” he informed.
मदरसा ,इस्लामिक मज़हबी शिक्षा सिखाने का केंद्र होता है और शिक्षा अधिकार क़ानून के दायरे के बाहर होता है। ऐसे में मदरसों में हिंदू व अन्य ग़ैर मुस्लिम बच्चों को रखना न केवल उनके संवैधानिक मूल अधिकार का हनन है बल्कि समाज में धार्मिक वैमनस्य फैलने का कारण भी बन सकता है। इसलिए… pic.twitter.com/YbY0fTMjuL
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) July 13, 2024
Priyank Kanoongo warned that the Islamic outfit Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind had been spreading rumours about the order and inciting the public against the UP government.
“It has been learnt through newspapers that an Islamic organisation called Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is misleading people about this order and is working to incite the sentiments of the general public against the government. This organisation of clerics is a branch of Darul Uloom Deoband against which the Commission has taken action for supporting Ghazwa-e-Hind,” he added.
The NCPCR chief highlighted the instance of forced religious conversion and circumcision of a Hindu boy in a village near Deoband in Uttar Pradesh. The incident was reported in October last year.
“None should violate the religious freedom of children. I request the public with folded hands to not be misled by any fundamentalist organisation and to participate in building a better future for children,” Priyank Kanoongo wrote while demanding strong action against fake news peddlers.
Hours after the European Union accused social media platform X of breaching its online content rules, with its “verified” blue tick accounts having the potential to “deceive” users, owner Elon Musk dropped a bombshell revelation, asserting that the European Commission offered a secret deal to quietly censor speech if they wanted to avoid fine.
“The European Commission offered ? an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us. The other platforms accepted that deal. ? did not,” Musk tweeted.
The European Commission offered ? an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us.
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has been accused by the European Union of violating its online content regulations. The EU’s tech regulator pointed out that the platform’s “verified” blue tick accounts could potentially mislead users. Although users might believe that the identities of blue tick holders are verified, anyone can pay for the tick, leading to possible deception. Evidence of “malicious actors” exploiting this system was also found.
Additionally, the regulator slammed X for lacking transparency in advertising and failing to provide data for research purposes as mandated by EU rules. As a result, X could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue and may be required to alter its operations within the EU.
These conclusions stem from a seven-month investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates major tech companies, including X, to prevent illegal content and protect the public. The DSA was introduced in 2022, and similar investigations are underway for ByteDance’s TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta Platforms.
The Commission stated that X’s design and operation of its blue tick verified accounts are not in line with industry standards and mislead users. They added that allowing anyone to subscribe for a “verified” status undermines users’ ability to make informed decisions regarding the authenticity of accounts and content. There is also evidence of malicious actors abusing the “verified account” feature to deceive users.
The state of Maharashtra is known for its rich, wholesome culture, the history associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and the magnificent forts he built or conquered to establish Swarajya. Each historic fort here has its own story to tell, be it the Shivneri where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was born, or the Raigadh which was the capital of the Maratha Kingdom, or Rajgadh, the former capital of the Empire. Similarly, the fort of Vishalgadh which is currently in the news for the claimed illegal encroachments holds great importance when it comes to the history of Chhatrapati and his loyalist, the Maratha General Army Baji Prabhu Deshpande.
Vishalgadh located in the Kolhapur district of Maharashtra is the fort that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj reached after escaping from the trap of Bijapur’s Adilshahi army led by a General called Siddhi Masood who wanted to kill him. Maratha warriors Baji Prabhu and Phulaji Prabhu then fought a battle at Pawankhind to assist the king reach Vishalgadh safely on the 13th of July, 1660. Marking the 364th year of the battle, the Sakal Hindu Samaj and the loyalists, and worshippers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj have decided to lead a protest against the ‘illegal encroachment’ settled on the fort, demeaning its history and causing alleged insult to the Hindu legacy.
Pawankhind
This is notably, the second of its kind protest where the Hindu community people are demanding the removal of the illegal encroachment from the fort and restoration of the fort’s original legacy. OpIndia went to the ground on July 11th, days ahead of the massive protest organized by the current Chattrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and activist Shirish More, the 11th ancestor of the great Maharashtrian saint Sant Tukaram Maharaj. It was observed that massive alleged illegal construction and encroachment has been happening for years on the fort causing ‘insult’ to around 24 Hindu temples and structures originally located on the fort since the 17th century.
It is believed that the population located on the fort of Vishalgadh, most of which is Muslim, has been involved in carrying out alleged illegal encroachments, construction, or illegal expansion of the Masjid. The population there has also for years constructed illegal sheds, further expanding the businesses of chicken and cattle slaughters. The Hindu protestors on the 7th of July this year conducted the first massive protest in heavy rains on the lower ground of the fort and demanded the removal of the illegal structure and ban on the animal slaughter on the fort.
#Vishalgadh Thousands of spirited Hindu youths have gathered at historic Vishalgadh Fort to free it from the clutches of global squatters called #Jihadi land mafias! Sprawling Izlamic structures have propped up at Shivshahi fort spread across thousands of square fts as a result… pic.twitter.com/NIWdMqrevJ
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) July 7, 2024
‘Illegal Masjid’ and expansion of houses belonging to the specific community population
As per the documents exclusively obtained by OpIndia, there are a total of 156 properties that have undertaken illegal expansion of the homes and shops by building iron sheet sheds. Many of the houses on the other hand are illegally built only using iron sheet sheds. Among these 156, around 100 plus properties belong to the Muslim community people who are said to have illegally encroached on the area around the old Dargah and the firm extended Masjid covered by iron sheets.
The old Dargah on the fort known as the Sardar Malik Rehan Baba Dargah is one of the 12 religious structures officially mentioned in the survey report by the government. A report by the Archeological Survey State Department, obtained exclusively by OpIndia reveals that the fort was declared an archaeological site in the year 1999, and after that, a survey was conducted to include 12 religious structures out of which 11 are Hindu temples and 1 is this Dargah.
However, the area where the Dargah was located earlier was quite small which has now been expanded to more than a thousand square feet. The Hindu community protestors say that the expansion of the Masjid behind the Dragah has been undertaken without the state’s permission, hence illegal. Notably, the total area that has been encroached as per the government documents by the population reading on the fort is around 58,000 sq ft. The maximum encroachment has reportedly allegedly happened around the Malik Rehan Baba Dargah and the Masjid aligned.
Insides of the Masjid (L), Dargah and Masjid structure that has been allegedly illegally expanded (R)
Furthermore, it is worth noting that numerous Hindus who live on the fort, probably unaware of the Hindu heritage associated with the fort, visit the Dargah. Also, some Hindus, most of whom are from Karnataka, go to the Dargah since they believe that any prayers or desires made at Malik Rehan Baba’s Dargah are granted. Unfortunately, Hindus have failed to visit and maintain the Hindu temples and structures located on the fort since the 17th century.
Around the Dargah, several Muslim community people have constructed alleged illegal sheds selling religious products like Chunri (religious cloth) for Baba, essence sticks, flowers, and photographs. For any construction or expansion to take place on a heritage structure, severe permission from the Archeology department and the state is required, but as per the protesting indiciduals, the community people have failed to follow the rules and have been expanding their premises illegally the last 10 years.
The Dargah remains well-maintained and well-looked after as compared to the other Hindu structures. The structure around the Dargah also seems to have been constructed, expanded, or renovated in the year 2015, but no Hindu structure to date unfortunately has obtained this level of attention on the fort.
Illegal construction around the dargah
Interestingly, on asking about Malik Rehan Baba in whose memory this Dargah was built, one of the local Hindu residents said that he was an invader who was killed by the Mavlas of the Maratha empire. “People here (Muslims) believe that Malik Rehan Baba and his Dargah have a history of 2000 years. They believe that Baba resided here since then. But this fort was built by King Bhoja of the Shilahara dynasty who is believed to have ruled from 1175–1212 ie between the 12th and 13th centuries. Then how can this Baba reside here before that? He was an Adilshahi invader and was killed by the brave Mavlas of Marathas in the 17th century. The previous governments sadly spent around Rs 10 lakhs on the beautification of the Dargah but the Hindu temples, Samadhi Sthals of Baji Prabhu and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande who for Swarajya, the life of our beloved king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj remain ignored,” said Rohit Jangam (name changed for the security reasons), one of the activists working to save Vishalgadh.
Court battle over the removal of illegal structures
In December 2022, the state archaeology department issued orders asking persons from a minority community to demolish their illegal structures. The department had directed the persons to demolish their structures within 30 days of receipt of the orders.
The aggrieved individuals then approached the HC, challenging the demolition order, claiming that their structures were built before the fort was designated a protected monument in 1999. As a result, the relevant portions of the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains Act of 1960 could not apply to them.
The Bombay High Court had then stayed the demolition order in February 2023. The division bench of Justice Gautam Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale, while hearing the petition filed by Ayub Kagadi and six others, was informed that the persons claimed to be in possession of small land parcels within Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur district were for more than 30 to 60 years. While the land in the possession of one of them was regularised in 1983, proposals for regularisation of the structures were pending before the government.
The bench was also informed that the petitioners received notices from the joint director of the Department of Archaeology on December 13, 2022, under Section 21 (2) of the 1960 Act. The notification required the petitioners to remove their constructions within 30 days and said that if they failed to do so, the government would demolish them without notice and reclaim the costs from them.
Illegal encroachment on forts, public land, and culturally valuable locations is a widespread problem throughout the country. However, each time authorities muster the resolve to address the problem and genuinely apply the law, it is seen that components of the leftist ecosystem tend to help the encroachers. Such considerations are virtually always considered by our system, and any hopes citizens have for prompt justice are lost in the legal morass.
Temples and Hindu structures on the fort stand ignored, damaged
There were a total of 55 ancient temples on the fort of Vishalgadh. But today, only 20 to 24 Hindu structures and temples are intact though in dire condition. The rest have become extinct. OpIndia visited a few temples like the Bhagwanteshwar Mandir, the old Shiva temple, the Vitthal Rukmini temple, and the Hanuman temple. Also, respectful visits were paid to the Samadhi Stals of Veer Baji Prabhu and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande, brothers who fought the battle of Pawankhind to save the life of Maratha King Chhatrapati Maharaj.
These temples are looked after and maintained by Nilesh Hardikar, the only Brahmin individual who said, has been residing on the fort since his birth. Today, the 61-year-old man takes care of these temples at his own cost and also daily offers respects at the Samadhi Sthals of Deshpande warriors.
Hardikar resides in a single-room home allotted to his ancestors by the then government and walks daily 16-20 km to look after the temples and the Hindu structures. The Hanuman temple is around 5 km from his home, the Samadhi Sthal of Deshpande warriors is 4 km, and the Amruteshwar temple is at a distance of 5 km. But this Hindu Brahmin who keeps on raising his voice against the illegal activities on the fort walks daily this long to worship the Lords and look after the temples.
“The condition of the temples here is not that good. But I try my best to keep the temples clean and in good condition. I daily offer prayers and flowers at the Bhagwanteshwar Mandir, Vitthal Mandir, and other Hindu structures, and that too at my own cost. This is what we have been doing for years. The government has as if completely ignored these temples but has spent lakhs of rupees in the past to develop other religious structures,” he said as he hesitated to name the old Dargah.
Bhagwanteshwar temple (L), Hanuman temple (R) visited by OpIndia
He further confirmed that illegal encroachments have been taking place on the fort and maximum of them have been undertaken by the other community people. “I don’t say that Hindus have not illegally expanded their properties here. But that is minor as out of 156 total properties here, only 34 belong to Hindus. The government must take down illegal encroachments but most necessarily it should do something to maintain these old temples. If not paid attention, these temples and the Hindu legacy of the fort will go extinct,” Hardikar added.
On visiting the Vitthal temple, it was found that the old roof of the structure had become vulnerable and could shatter at any time. The idol of Lord Ganesha in the Bhagwanteshwar temple stood broken, unclean, and covered in some plastic which was painful to see.
Condition of Hindu temples and Gods on the fort of Vishalgadh
Further, a massive inconvenience was caused while on the way to the Samadhi Stals of Baji Prabhu Deshpande and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande as no proper roads were constructed leading to the Samadhi Stals. One has to walk miles down the green luscious mountains, balancing the heavy flowing winds to offer respects at the Samadhi Sthals. Also, the spot is so isolated that hardly any passerby or tourist treks down to offer respects there, Hardikar stated.
Meanwhile, the condition on the trek path leading to the Samadhi Sthals causes inconvenience for many more reasons. The spot actually where the Samadhi Sthals have been constructed is possibly on the back side of the fort where many residents throw domestic and plastic waste clogging the paths. The fort is poorly maintained, also there are no proper toilets for the tourists or visitors. Anybody in such case prefers to use the tail side of the fort, where the path to the Samadhi Sthal is situated. This writer’s heart actually ached when the pathetic path was seen.
Samadhi Stals of Baji Pradhu and Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande (L), waste on the path to reach there (R)
On asking about the government’s actions on this, Hardikar, who is also associated with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) said that there are land disputes between the forest department and the archaeological department, so the actual development of the fort except for the other religious structure has never taken place.
“Earlier these Samadhi Stals were also completely ignored. This saffron paint and sheds on the sthals have been built by a Hindu Maratha group named Shiv Pratishthan a few years ago,” he said. As informed to OpIndia, several people earlier used to come on the fort for drinking and other ill habits causing insult to the entire structure. However, after several Hindu leaders raised their voices against the perpetrators, such activities have come to an end.
No photos of Hindu Gods
Hardikar meanwhile also said that no Hindu religious items or Puja items like photographs of Goddess Lakshmi of Lord Ganpati are available on the fort. “We need pictures of Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali, Lord Ganpati during the Ganesh festival. But these pictures are not sold here on the fort. However, all the religious items required by the Muslims for their religious festivals are easily available here,” he said.
Hindus raised voices against the illegal slaughtering of animals on the fort
As per the government document obtained exclusively by OpIndia, the Hindu community has been demanding a ban on the slaughter of chickens and other animals on the fort. The demonstrators stated that no fort in the state of Maharashtra allows the slaughter of animals, so why shall it be allowed on Vishalgadh. Further, several government-level meetings happened where the protestors revealed that the remains of the slaughtered animals were thrown in the open on the fort which could cause harm to the health of the residents.
As per the demands of protestors at the District collector’s office, it is a ritual at the Malik Rehan Baba Dargah to offer slaughtered chickens and goats. The demonstrators stated that people from nearby areas like Sangli, Kolhapur and Karnataka who believe in Rehan Baba, offer slaughter to his Dargah before prayers. “It can cause harm to the residents. Hence, the slaughtering activity shall be banned or conducted far away from the residential area of the fort,” the demands made in the year 2022 read.
Also, it was discussed that slaughtering was ruining the cultural legacy of the fort and that it should be banned. Accordingly, the Archelogy State Department in February 2023 issued orders imposing a fine of more than Rs 500 on anyone who slaughters animals on the fort premises.
During the visit, no slaughter activity could be seen. However, several chicken shops at the bottom of the fort housing several hens away from the prime residential area could be spotted, where possibly slaughter of chickens is permitted.
Chicken lunch shop at the bottom of the fort
Notably, this year, the Bombay High Court allowed the sacrifice of animals on Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid) and Urs at a Dargah within the precincts of Vishalgad Fort. The order was passed on a petition by Hajrat Peer Malik Rehan Mira Saheb Dargah, a registered trust, challenging the communication issued by the Deputy Director of Archaeology and Museums to the District Collector of Kolhapur, imposing a ban on animal slaughter in the fort area.
The communication banned animal sacrifice stating that as per the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, there is a ban on cooking food in the protected area near the monument.
Last year, the HC had refused to allow unregulated or unmonitored slaughter of animals on the fort. The trust had been barred by the archaeology department from carrying out animal sacrifice based on a 1998 HC order that restrained offering sacrifices to deities. The HC said that maintaining hygiene and sanitation was of utmost importance though the trust claimed that slaughtering was being carried out 1.3km away from the fort.
Demographic changes happened on the fort in the recent past
Mahesh Vibhute of the Sakal Hindu Samaj who has been massively protesting against the illegal encroachment on the fort informed OpIndia that this matter is not at all communal, however, the people residing on the fort have made attempts to give it a communal colour. “Our only demand is the removal of illegal encroachment, be it by Hindus or Muslims. We are striving to protect the fort, that’s it,” Vibhute affirmed.
Meanwhile, he did not deny the fact that the Muslim population on the fort has been on the rise and that they have been illegally expanding their premises the most. OpIndia accessed some old historic documents from the year 1921. As per the population census of that year, the total population on the fort was 138 residing in 17 houses. Out of these, 70 were male and 68 were female. Moreover, the population of Hindus from those 138 was 81 and the rest 57 people belonged to the Muslim community.
As per the 1953 government record, the total number of voters staying on the fort was 33 of which 12 belonged to the Muslim community. Later according to the government record from the year 1961, the number of voters increased to 44 of which 20 belonged to the Muslim community. In 2011, the total population was 528. However, reading the 2022 government record, it was learned that the total number of voters residing on the fort had increased to 459 of which 169 belonged to the Hindu community and 290 to the Muslim community.
It is evident that the Muslim population on the fort has been increasing in the past 4-5 decades. All the old government documents proving the same are in the possession of OpIndia. Further, the documents also reveal that several persons residing on the fort had been allotted houses under the Indira Awas Yojana from the year 2004 to 2014. Several such beneficiaries and premises could be spotted on the Dargah linked road.
The beneficiaries during the earlier ruling governments were issued monetary help of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000 under the Indira Awas Yojana to build homes on the fort premises. On asking about the actual encroachment, Vibhute said that earlier there were only around 30-40 persons staying on the fort. They were allotted some land by the previous governments to build homes. “But these people, from both the community illegally expanded their premises by building sheds. Today there are thousands of people living on the fort and a total of 156 properties are illegal. We just want this encroachment to be removed,” he stated.
“To say,” he further added, “the Hindu community is also not safe up there. Most of the Hindus there have now matched to the tunes of the other community. Last year, after the COVID, one Hindu girl was abducted and converted to Islam. Later she was married to a Muslim residing on the fort. And these are not made-up stories. This all is mentioned in the police record. Temples on the fort are not maintained. It pains to see the dire condition of Samadhi Sthals of Deshpande warriors. If this continues to happen, the legacy of the fort will soon be lost,” he added.
Meanwhile, he also reiterated that the issue is not at all about Hindus or Muslims, it is about the fort and its restoration. Whoever has illegally expanded, or constructed their properties, be it Hindus or Muslims shall take it down. “We want our Vishalgadh fort restored,” he affirmed.
Conclusion
Vishalgadh which is 3500 feet above sea level is rich in greenery but is not at all well maintained causing insult to its Hindu legacy. The fort which is around 162.32 Hector area is divided between the Archaeology Department and the Forest Department. However, no encroachment is said to have happened on the land that belongs to the Forest Department.
The fort was declared a heritage site in the year 1999 after which ideally permission of the state archelogy department is needed if any repair or construction has to take place. However, it seems that several persons have illegally expanded their properties on the fort.
Further, the complication arises due to the division of area and the responsibility between the two state departments. CM Eknath Shinde however has assured that the state will take ‘correct’ action against the illegal encroachments on the fort. Recently, a state-level delegation met to discuss the issue reiterating their demands with the state. Now Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje has planned a massive protest against the alleged illegal encroachment on the fort on the 14th of July, marking the 364th year of the battle of Pawankhind.
Apart from the alleged illegal encroachments, the state and the Hindu community people need to pay attention to the beautification of the fort and the renovation of the Hindu temples. Several temples on the fort and other Hindu structures have become vulnerable and need immediate repair. If not, they soon will become extinct like the other 20 temples that stand ignored on the fort.
The area surrounding the Dargah appears to be considerably developed in comparison to other Hindu-populated places. People visit the fort primarily for the Dargah, which features silver doors. People, especially those from the Hindu community visiting the fort need to know about the other Hindu structures there and learn about the sacrifices made by our Hindu warriors to save the life of our beloved Maratha King, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. And any alleged illegal encroachment, both by Hindus and Muslims should definitely be removed.
Satyanarayana Varma, a 36-year-old prominent suspect in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd scam, paid Rs 3.3 crore to a Hyderabad car dealer for a used Lamborghini. However, this was not his own money and was actually a portion of the fund allocated for the development of the state’s Scheduled Tribes. But the high-end purchase didn’t last long as police uncovered the transaction, seized the car, gave it back to the dealer and collected the amount from him in a matter of days after pursuing the money trail.
As per reports he was nabbed on 13th June by the special investigation team (SIT) in Hyderabad. Police confiscated Rs. 8.2 crore belonging to the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki ST Development Corporation Ltd.
An SIT of the state police headed by the director general of police of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was recently established by the Karnataka government to look into the theft of Rs 94 crore from a scheduled tribes development corporation bank account. The action was taken in response to demands raised by the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the scandal. Union Bank of India officials reportedly wrote to the agency requesting that it should delve into the bank’s mismanagement of funds.
The anomalies were discovered following the suicide on 26th May of P Chandrashekaran, a development corporation employee involved in fund auditing, who claimed fraud in the use of money in a six-page death note. A managing director of the company filed a complaint in Bengaluru, alleging six Union Bank of India executives were involved in the scandal, concurrently with an unnatural death report submitted in the Shivamogga area. A case has been filed by the police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to criminal forgery, cheating and breach of trust.
The SIT has been established to inquire into the official’s death and the fraud. Manish Kharbikar, a senior IPS officer and the CID’s additional director general of police for economic offences will serve as its head. The squad also includes Raghavendra Hegade, superintendent of police (CID), Hariram Shankar, superintendent of police (state intelligence), and Shivprakash Devaraju, deputy commissioner of police (traffic). According to the government decision, the SIT would investigate all incidents involving financial embezzlement at the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes’ Development Corporation.
The order read, “The Special Investigation Team shall carry out a comprehensive investigation of the cases and financial affairs and other related affairs of the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Development Corporation, and submit the investigation report to the Government through the Director General and Inspector General of Defense.”
Two company personnel, Parashuram G. Durugannavar, the accounts officer and former MD JJ Padmanabh have already been placed under SIT custody. Nine bogus accounts that were also opened on the same day as the theft of Rs 94.73 crore of government money have been linked to the theft, according to the initial probe into the matter. The funds were moved to Hyderabad-based Ratnakar Bank Limited (RBL) accounts. Former Youth Affairs, Sports, and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for an interrogation case. The BJP has vowed to start a protest from 6th June if the government does not remove him from the cabinet.
