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UK Court approves extradition of Robert Vadra’s aide, Sanjay Bhandari, who is facing ED, CBI probe in PMLA case in India

OpIndia Staff
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UK Court approves extradition of Robert Vadra’s aide, Sanjay Bhandari, who is facing ED, CBI probe in PMLA case in India

On November 7, Monday, a court in the United Kingdom allowed for the extradition of fugitive arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, whom OpIndia exposed as having links with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, to India. His extradition has been ordered in an ED case initiated by Income Tax Dept under Black Money Act.

In India, Bhandari is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). There were two requests for the extradition of Bhandari. The first was related to tax evasion and the second was related to money laundering. ED had been fighting the case in UK court on behalf of the Indian government.

The ED launched its probe after Income Tax authorities filed a complaint against accused Sanjay Bhandari in court under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income & Assets) and Imposition of Act, 2015 [Black Money Act].

Bhandari, who is connected to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra, fled India in 2016 after being raided at his home for allegedly possessing classified information about the country’s defence acquisitions.

Bhandari, who is now on conditional bail in London, reportedly asked for political asylum, citing persecution by the BJP-led government because of his ties to the opposition Congress party’s first family.

District Judge Michael Snow, who heard the case earlier this year at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, concluded that there are no legal obstacles to his extradition and decided to refer the case to UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who is authorised to order the extradition based on the court order.

Special court asks ED to expedite the extradition of Vadra’s aide Sanjay Bhandari from the UK

In October 2020, a Special Court in Delhi took cognizance of a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. The court issued summons to Sanjay Bhandari and others named in a case under sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and directed ED to expedite the process of extradition of Sanjay Bhandari which is pending before UK Authorities so that he can be brought to India for trial in accordance with the law.

On June 1 2020, ED filed a prosecution complaint, which is equivalent to a charge sheet, against Sanjay Bhandari and other co-conspirators, including various companies floated by Bhandari in foreign locations for the purpose of a money laundering case.

Earlier, a complaint under Section 51(1) of the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income & Assets) and Imposition of Act, 2015 [Black Money Act] was filed against accused Sanjay Bhandari by Income Tax authorities. It was revealed that accused Sanjay Bhandari stashed black money abroad with the assistance of his accomplices to evade taxes, causing huge financial loss to the national exchequer.

Since the offence under Section 51 of the Black Money Act is a scheduled offence under PMLA, the investigation was handed over to ED. During the course of the investigation, it was revealed that Sanjay Bhandari owned assets in various foreign jurisdictions, incorporated various entities in UAE as an owner / beneficial owner and also had a financial interest in an entity incorporated in Panama. It was also revealed that all those foreign assets and entities were not disclosed by Sanjay Bhandari to Income Tax authorities in India.

Apart from the money laundering case, Sanjay Bhandari is accused in several other cases in India, like the Pilatus Aircraft scam and the ONGC/ONGO petro addition (OPAL) case. An FIR filed in July this year by CBI had alleged that Bhandari acted as a middleman and helped M/s Samsung Engineering in approaching unknown public servants working with ONGC/ONGO petro addition (OPAL) to show “undue favour” to the company.

Bengaluru Court orders blocking Twitter handles of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra in copyright infringement case filed by MRT Music

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru Court orders blocking Twitter handles of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra in copyright infringement case filed by MRT Music

A Bengaluru Court has temporarily blocked the Twitter handles of the Congress party, Bharat Jodo Yatra in the copyright infringement suit in copyright infringement suit initiated by MRT Music (plaintiff) alleging that the handles illegally used sound records of the film KGF-Chapter 2.

The court stated that prima facie materials established that if the alleged illegal use of sound records was encouraged, the plaintiff would suffer an irreparable injury and would also result in encouraging piracy at large. The court further added that the plaintiff has produced a CD showing side-by-side, the original version of his copyrighted work with that of the illegally synchronised version.

“These prima facie materials available before this court at this stage establish that if the same is encouraged plaintiff who is in the business of acquiring cinematography films, songs, music albums etc., will be put to irreparable injury and further same leads to encouraging piracy at large,” the Court said.

The court, via an order of ex-parte injunction, restrained the defendants from unauthorisedly and illegally using the copyrighted work owned by the plaintiff till the next date of hearing.

The court also asked Twitter to remove three links from its platform and directed it to block the handles of INC and Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Advocate for MRT argued that an appointment of a Commissioner to inspect and conduct an electronic audit and to preserve the infringing material on INC’s Twitter account and Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook account is imperative since the respondents were illegally using their music and infringing their rights.

Music label sues Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders for illegal use of KGF Chapter 2 music in Bharat Jodo Yatra promos

On Friday, MRT Music, a Bengaluru-based music company, filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Supriya Srinate, and Jairam Ramesh. The company has alleged that the Congress party utilized songs from the Hindi version of the Kannada super-hit film KGF: Chapter 2 without permission to produce video content for the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra of the party led by Rahul Gandhi. It is notable that while Lahari Music and T-Series own the music rights for the South Indian versions of the movie, MRT owns the rights to the Hindi version.

The company mentioned in its complaint that it had spent a lot of money to attain the rights to the songs in the South Indian super-hit film KGF 2 in Hindi. Narasimhan Sampath, the music platform’s attorney confirmed that the music company had filed a suit against the Congress, represented by general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Supriya Shrinate, and Rahul Gandhi, for violation of copyrights belonging to MRT Music.

“The complaint mainly pertains to the unlawful fraudulent and illegal actions of the members of the steering committee in so far as violating the copyrights owned by MRT Music. The INC has created a video by unlawfully downloading and synchronizing and broadcasting the songs about the movie KGF Chapter 2 in Hindi and portraying it to be owned by the INC. They have also used a logo namely “Bharath Jodo Yatra” in the said video and have broadcasted the same on their official social media handles,” Sampath had quoted.

‘Chhatrapati a one-man army who stood up against invaders’: Author Medha Bhaskaran elaborates on Shivaji Maharaj’s life at The Ranveer Show podcast

Pallav
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‘Chhatrapati a one-man army who stood up against invaders’: Author Medha Bhaskaran elaborates on Shivaji Maharaj’s life at The Ranveer Show podcast

Medha Bhaskaran, the author of the book Challenging Destiny, gave her insights into the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in a podcast with renowned YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia on his YouTube channel BeerBiceps. On the podcast, she discussed Indian history, from the arrival of invaders to the emergence of Shivaji Maharaj as India’s greatest emperor.

In the podcast, which has been released on YouTube in three parts, Bhaskaran detailed how the invaders entered the country with the intention to rule through their atrocities and how Shivaji Maharaj became a one-man army to stand up to his people facing barbaric torture. Bhaskaran shared her insights referring to herself as an atheist and stating that she was not pulling in the religious perspective.

Times Before Shivaji Maharaj

In the first part, Medha Bhaskaran talks to Ranveer about how the invaders entered India due to its richness of all kinds of resources and how they tormented the native people to their benefit. She stated that the Mughal dynasty was full of brutality where every single personality was, at one point or another, waiting to eliminate the other to reach the throne. Upon this remark, the host of the show, Ranveer, says that it was all just a ‘Game of Thrones.’

Revealing the atrocities committed by the Islamic invaders, Bhaskaran said that they were always fighting a war of succession and were busy killing their kith and kin. She stated that the way and outcome of this war was either the throne or the grave.

The days were full of horror as the Mughal tyrants targeted Hindu natives very badly. They would abduct Hindu women and take them as sex slaves and torture them once they were done with the work. The Mughal rulers had Mansabdars with them who were ruthless warriors. They held the land and collected all the revenue punishing the residents in their area.

Bhaskaran also said that the Mughal emperor Akbar was not a great man. Rather, he was a cruel ruler who was always worried to secure his throne. Jahangir, the son of Akbar, got Khusrau Mirza, his son, blinded so that he does not ascend the throne.

Rise Of India’s Greatest Emperor – Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj

Bhaskaran talked about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the subsequent parts of the podcast. Shivaji Maharaj was born on February 19, 1630, three years after Jahangir’s death, in the Shivneri fort in the Junnar Taluka of Maharashtra’s present-day Pune district. His father, Shahajiraje Bhosle, was a commander of Ahmednagar’s Nizamashah. He then joined the courts of Adilshah of Bijapur.

Rajmata Jijabai, his mother, instilled dharmic and patriotic ideals in her son since infancy. She nurtured him by telling him stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, instilling in him the characteristics of heroism and morality. Bhaskaran said that Shivaji Maharaj had must would have had an IQ better that that of Einstein.

Major sections of Maharashtra were controlled at the time by several Shahis who had emerged as a result of the Bahamani sultanate’s constraints. The two major forces were Nizamshahi and Adilshahi. Many warrior Maratha families would either serve as Shahi commanders or sell swords. In any event, the outcome was the same: systematic Islamic persecution of native Hindus, particularly peasants. These Maratha soldiers would wield control in their allocated local regions called ‘Jagirs,’ and would exploit the populace as part of their duty for the Shahas. Because of the dread in the Deccan at the time, no one dared to protest this.

Shivaba, as he was known as a youngster, was a child when his father relocated to Bengaluru to serve Adilshaha of Bijapur. Shahajiraje Bhosle possessed a ‘Jagir’ of the Pune and Supe area in Maharashtra. It is bordered by 12 Sahyadri Mountain valleys. As a result, it is known as the Land of 12 Mawal, and a fighter from this region is known as a Mawla.

Rajmata Jijabai oversaw the region’s ruling affairs in the absence of Shahajiraje Bhosle. She taught her son Shastra and Shastra. Shivaba swore his oath at the temple of Rayareshwar at the age of 16 to build a Hindu state as the supreme Lord intended.

Maratha Empire’s Beginnings – Shivaji Maharaj & Aurangzeb

By 1659, Shivaji Maharaj had taken control of several forts in both the Adilshahi and Nizamshahi kingdoms. At this time, the Adilshahi court dispatched the mighty commander Afzalkhan to assassinate Shivaji Maharaj. However, at their face-to-face meeting in Pratapgadh, Shivaji Maharaj murdered him by piercing his intestine with his secret weapon ‘Tiger Claws.’ As a result, the 10th of November 1659 is known as Shivpratap Din. It is the day when the Islamic rulers were truly terrified by Maharaj’s heroism, and this occurrence increased Maratha’s confidence to unimaginable heights.

Six months later, Shivaji Maharaj was besieged at Panhalgadh by tens of thousands of Adilshahi warriors headed by Siddi Johar, Siddi Masood, and Afzalkhan’s son Fazalkhan. Baji Prabhu Deshpande and his 300 Bandal army men fought a rearguard fight to guarantee Shivaji Maharaj’s safe escape from the three-month-long siege of Vishalgadh. Baji Prabhu Deshpande, his brother Phulaji Prabhu Deshpande, and Rayaji Bandal were all martyred in this fight on the night of July 12th and 13th, 1660.

From this point on, Shivaji Maharaj did not look back. Aurangzeb assumed control of the Mughal sultanate in 1657. Messages from 1659 and 1660 were clear enough, so he dispatched his maternal uncle Shahistekhan to apprehend Shivaji Maharaj.

Shahistekhan wreaked devastation throughout the Deccan, particularly in Pune. Shivaba had spent his youth playing with his buddies at Pune’s Lal Mahal. Shivaji Maharaj invaded Lal Mahal three months later. Shahistekhan escaped the attack but lost three fingers when Shivaji Maharaj hacked them off to prevent him from escaping via a window.

Aurangzeb dispatched Mirza Raje Jaisingh and Dilerkhan to attack and finish the Swarajya in 1665-66. This was mostly due to the fact that Shivaji Maharaj had already begun his distinct autonomous administration at the time. Murarbaji Deshpande, another of Shivaji Maharaj’s valiant commanders, was killed at the battle of Purandar in 1665. Following this struggle, he was forced to form a pact with Mirza Raje Jaisingh.

According to this, he handed the Mughals 23 forts and an area with annual revenue of Rs. 4 lakhs at the time. Mirza Raje also invited him to Aurangzeb’s 50th birthday celebrations in Agra. Shivaji Maharaj was given the status of a Mughal commander in charge of a 5000-man army. Aurangzeb afterwards offered him a Jagir of 20,000 soldiers as a reward.

Shivaji Maharaj argued in front of everyone that comparing himself to those he had conquered in the past was an insult. Enraged Aurangzeb imprisoned Shivaji Maharaj in Agra for ten months, but he escaped.

On his way back to Maharashtra, he sent his son Sambhaji to Kashi for protection. During this period, Sambhaji Maharaj took a serious interest in Sanskrit and went on to produce outstanding Sanskrit poetries afterwards. In a span of seven years, Shivaji Maharaj recaptured lost areas and increased the number of forts to 350. On June 6, 1674, he was coronated as the first Chhatrapati of the Hindavi Swarajya employing Hindu religious ceremonies.

He was the one who recognised the value of naval ships in limiting British and Portuguese aggressions. His navy had around 70 warships. Swarajya also had a large number of ships for commerce. For centuries following the Chola kingdom, there was no substantial Hindu navy fleet of battle. Shivaji Maharaj reconstructed that strength. As a result, he is known as the “Father of the Indian Navy.”

Note: Some points not covered in the podcast have been added to improve reader’s experience.

Kerala: Muslim women burn hijab to show solidarity with the anti-hijab movement in Iran

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Muslim women burn hijab to show solidarity with the anti-hijab movement in Iran

On November 6, Muslim women in Kerala burnt hijab to express solidarity with the anti-hijab movement in Iran. The hijab-burning incident took place during a seminar organised by Kerala Yukthivadi Sangam titled ‘Fanos-Science and Free thinking’. The seminar took place in Kozhikode.

As a part of the event, a hijab was burnt by six women in support of Iranian women protesting against the Islamic theocracy’s strict diktats on wearing the veil.

Reportedly, this is the first such event reported in India where a hijab was burnt to express solidarity with women protesting over the death of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian women whose death after being held by ’morality police’ triggered a wave of uprising seen in decades in the Islamic country.

The members of the organisation raised slogans and held placards expressing solidarity with women protesting against the enforced hijab in Iran. The organisation is known for organising seminars that revolve around free thinking.

The Iranian anti-hijab protests

The anti-hijab protests in Iran started after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody. She was picked by the moral police and received a beating for not wearing a hijab properly. The death of Amini sparked outrage across the country with women removing their hijab and calling for freedom from enforced hijab.

Pro-hijab movement in India

Women from across the world have come forward to express their solidarity with the women of Iran raising their voices against the hijab. However, in India, an opposite scenario has been running since early this year as Muslim college students from Karnataka have been demanding to let them wear hijab in college. On the contrary, the college administration was adamant about not allowing hijab. The state government stepped in and said as per regulations it cannot be allowed. The matter went to Karnataka High Court which upheld the government’s decision. The case is under trial in the Supreme Court.

Jungle Raj in Bihar: BJP leader now shot dead in Katihar. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Jungle Raj in Bihar: BJP leader now shot dead in Katihar. Here is what we know so far

On Monday (November 7) morning, a BJP leader was shot dead by two bike-borne assailants in Telta village in the Balrampur subdivision in the Katihar district of Bihar.

The deceased was identified as local politician Sanjeev Mishra. As per reports, two masked men reached the residence of the victim. Mishra, who was standing outside his house, was fired at by the assailants.

The BJP leader sustained injuries to his head and chest. On hearing the sound of bullets, his family members rushed to the spot. Sanjeev Mishra was taken to the nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

After the news of the assassination spread like wildfire, the locals hit the streets in protest. Reportedly, roads were blocked and some vehicles were also vandalised by the protestors.

The Telta police reached the scene and tried to pacify the angry mob. A large contingent of police personnel was also deployed to control the law and order situation. The locals had meanwhile demanded the immediate arrest of the accused.

The body of the victim was sent for post-mortem and a probe was initiated. It is said that the assassination took place to avenge an old dispute. Sanjeev Mishra was a former district councillor and had been a member of the BJP (Katihar) Working Committee.

Sanjeev Mishra was also attacked a year ago

It has now come to light that the victim was also attacked a year ago. At that time, Sanjeev Mishra was badly injured but managed to survive. A First Information Report (FIR) was also lodged against Mo Mobid and 12 others.

The BJP leader, who was also a social activist, is now survived by his mother and sister. Mishra’s assassination was condemned by ex-Deputy CM Tarkishore Prasad. He lamented how Jungle Raj has been reinstated in the State, immediately after the RJD-JDU alliance.

Apparently, jungle raj has returned in Bihar as in the last few months attacks and targeted killings of traders, local leaders and general lawlessness are at their peak. In September this year, BJP leader and contractor Bablu Singh was shot in broad daylight by two masked criminals in the Arrah city of Bihar. Singh was shot from a very close range while he was on his morning walk. He was immediately shifted to the local hospital where he is undergoing treatment.

Gold trader kidnapped and murdered in Bihar

After a two-day search operation, the body of a gold trader kidnapped in Bihar’s Arrah was found on November 2. The gold trader identified as Hariji Gupta was murdered after being kidnapped, and his body decayed in water. Three people were arrested after the police launched an investigation.

“We discovered his body after a two-day search. After being kidnapped, he was murdered. Since the body decomposed in water, a post-mortem committee of doctors was formed,” Himanshu, the Assistant Superintendent of Police, stated on November 5.

Earlier, after Hariji Gupta went missing, his family suspected it to be a case of kidnapping. The family members tried but failed to locate him. It was only then that they filed a police complaint. Three suspects were detained by police.

Hariji Gupta was a resident of Bihar’s Arrah and owned three jewellery shops there. He also owned two shops in Patna. He also had a market on the Arrah bypass Road, where he ran several shops. Gupta was also a lawyer.

Acid poured into eyes, bottles inserted into vagina, victim left to die: SC acquits 3 convicts in 2012 Chhawala gang rape and murder case

OpIndia Staff
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Acid poured into eyes, bottles inserted into vagina, victim left to die: SC acquits 3 convicts in 2012 Chhawala gang rape and murder case

On November 7, 2022, the Supreme Court acquitted all three convicts who had been awarded death sentence by a Delhi court for the 2012 rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in the Chhawala neighbourhood of Delhi.

In February 2014, a Delhi court convicted three men to death after finding them guilty of brutally raping and killing a 19-year-old woman in 2012. On August 26, 2014, the Delhi High Court upheld the death punishment, declaring that the accused were “predators” roaming the streets and “looking for prey.”

The incident pertains to February 2012, about 10 months before the Nirbhaya incident took place, but it did not attract media attention to the extent that the latter did. The deceased victim’s family, who had been yearning for justice, said today that they were heartbroken by the verdict delivered by the Supreme Court. The bereaved mother of the 19-year-old expressed disappointment that the Supreme Court announced the ruling without providing any explanation for its decision and stated that they do not know which door to knock on now in order to pursue justice.

2012 Chhawala gang rape case

On February 9, 2012, three assailants kidnapped the girl from a spot just minutes away from their house in Qutub Vihar Phase-2 in Delhi. The girl was an immigrant from Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand, resided in Qutub Vihar, Phase II in Dwarka in southwest Delhi with her parents and two younger brothers. She wanted to be a teacher and was pursuing her graduation at a college in Delhi. She also worked in Gurgaon’s Cyber City as a data input operator to augment her father’s low salary. On that fateful night, the girl was on her way back home from work with three female colleagues who lived in the same neighbourhood. 

The girls were dropped off by a bus at around 8:30 PM in the evening. From there, they were supposed to walk through a mesh of lanes to reach their respective homes. When they reached a roundabout at Hanuman Chowk, three individuals in red Indica accosted them and started making lewd remarks to them. Unnerved by the men, the girls cried for help. But no one came forward to their rescue. Then three men hustled the girl into the car and sped away.

She was then taken to a mustard field some 30 kilometres away in the Haryana village of Rodhai where the three perpetrators- Ravi, Vinod and Rahul took their turns to brutally rape and brutalise her.

Perpetrators inflicted brutalities on the victim

It took the police three days to arrest the perpetrators. All three were residents of the same neighbourhood as the girl and had been released from Tihar Jail just a few days before the incident

The interrogation of the three accused revealed chilling details of the fate that had befallen the girl. The accused had reportedly mutilated and poured acid into the victim’s eyes, inserted a broken liquor bottle into her vagina and abandoned her in the mustard field in Haryana to die. According to the girl’s autopsy, she had died on February 13, a few hours before her body was recovered. For more than three days, the girl bled to death and the forensics test confirmed rape. 

Shocking callousness and apathy shown by the police and the then Delhi CM Sheila Dixit: Victim’s father

The victim’s family had reported the kidnapping on the very same night. The grieving father of the girl was taken aback by the apathy displayed by the police personnel who had come there to investigate the kidnapping. “Get us a car and then we will follow the kidnappers,” one of the police officials reportedly scoffed at the girl’s father. 

Enraged by this callousness, a raft of protesters decided to demonstrate outside the Chhawla police station. About 300 protesters staged a sit-in outside the police station for the next three days despite the police officials raining blows and lathis on them. 

The victim’s father ran pillar to post seeking justice for his daughter. He approached the then Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit for help but was shunned away saying, “such incidents keep happening”. He claimed that the officials at the Chief Minister’s Office handed him a cheque of Rs one lakh and asked him to leave. Apart from this, no other assistance or compensation of any kind was given to him.

He also stated that neither Arvind Kejriwal, nor Rahul Gandhi took interest in a demonstration for his daughter. “I went to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar to mark my protest against the treatment meted out to my daughter. On one side, Arvind Kejriwal was giving a speech. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi was participating in a sit-in protest. None of them came and expressed their solidarity with me,” he lamented.

Israeli writer appeals to Elon Musk to remove Ayatollah Khamenei From Twitter

Anurag
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Israeli writer appeals to Elon Musk to remove Ayatollah Khamenei From Twitter

On November 6 (local time), Israeli writer and speaker Emily Schrader started a petition on Change.org urging new Twitter owner Elon Musk to deplatform Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei. In a tweet, Emily said, “Enough is enough. Elong Musk remove the Ayatollah from Twitter. If he doesn’t let his own people use the platform, why should you let him use the platform?”

The description of the petition at Change.org Emily detailed how the Islamic regime led by Ayatollah Khamenei has caused trouble not only in Iran but in other countries as well. She wrote, “For 43 years, the Islamic Regime in Iran, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, has overseen the brutal and systemic persecution of its own people, torturing, raping, and killing civilians who oppose the regime. The Islamic regime has also overseen the funding and arming of violent proxy terrorist organizations in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza, and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims, Christians and Jews throughout the region.”

She further held Ayatollah responsible for the designated terrorist organisation Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the morality police. It read, “Within Iran, the Ayatollah is responsible for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) which is a US-designated terrorist organization, and the morality police which routinely harasses and arrests women for not wearing the mandatory hijab. The morality police, along with countless other Iranian regime-associated officials, are currently sanctioned by the US, Canada and the EU.”

She added that while Ayatollah filtered the internet for the general public in Iran and banned social media platforms such as Twitter, he himself used these platforms to propagate his agendas. She said, “When it comes to technology, the Ayatollah’s regime has filtered the internet for its own public, banning social media platforms such as Twitter in their entirety, yet the Ayatollah himself uses the platform to spread blatant calls to violence which are then carried out by his own proxies, as well as Holocaust denial and other forms of conspiratorial hate.”

Emily said whatever Ayatollah publishes on the internet is not the words of a random Twitter user. “They are calls to action from a world leader. The Ayatollah oversees the Islamic regime forces, including cyber forces, which have been repeatedly proven to use bots to target and harass activists who speak out against the regime outside of Iran. This is a stark violation of Twitter’s existing policies,” she added.

She alleged that Ayatollah calls for an end to the United States and Israel on regular bases on the social media platform. “Ayatollah is using an American social media platform which seeks to provide freedom of speech to the public, to spread speech that would be deemed illegal in any US court of law.  In doing so, Twitter is allowing itself to be used as a tool of the IRGC – a US-designated terrorist organization,” she said.

Towards the end, she said, “Any leader who bans a platform for his own citizens shouldn’t be able to use that platform as a tool to promote antisemitism, violence and extremism – especially that which leads directly to violence against innocent people.”

Speaking to OpIndia about having a balance between free speech and restrictions on disinformation, Emily said, “Free speech, even offensive speech, is protected by the US constitution — but speech that leads directly to violence is not. Ayatollah Khamenei uses his platform on Twitter, which is prohibited for his own citizens in Iran, to call for violence and even genocide against large groups of people, and to knowingly spread disinformation to fuel unrest and violence. That’s a security issue and Elon Musk must act. This is a very different situation than a Twitter political squabble.”

Ex-IB officer RN Kulkarni was killed for objecting to a building violation by a neighbour, says family

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-IB officer RN Kulkarni was killed for objecting to a building violation by a neighbour, says family

On Friday 4th November 2022, 83-year-old RN Kulkarni, a retired assistant director of the central intelligence bureau, died after being hit by a car in the Manasa Gangotri area of Mysuru. The police investigating the case have now found that it was not an accident but a planned homicide.

According to sources close to the investigation, Kulkarni was killed after questioning a neighbour about allegedly violating Mysuru City Corporation by-laws while constructing a building, reports The New Indian Express.

A complaint filed by Kulkarni’s son-in-law Sanjaya Angadi stated that Kulkarni, upon learning that their neighbour Madappa was constructing a building, had urged that he leave the space as required by law. “But Madappa had not considered my father-in-law’s request and started the construction, violating the by-laws. My father-in-law filed a complaint with the corporation and even brought a stay on the construction from the High Court,” the complaint stated. 

Kulkarni, an ex-intelligence officer, had previously discovered that he was being followed by numerous vehicles with the intention of crashing with him. “Our father-in-law had revealed this to us over the phone as we stay in the US. We had told him to file a complaint, and he did with the local police station. He had also written to the city police commissioner and even to the Prime Minister’s Office along with details of vehicles (number plates) that followed him on three different occasions,” said Angadi.

The police have initiated an investigation under IPC Sections 302 and 34 and have launched an inquiry. According to sources, because Sanjaya named Madappa and his sons as suspects in the case, the police have taken the three into custody for questioning. We are looking into it from all aspects to determine the exact basis for the crime,” City Police Commissioner Dr Chandragupta said.

RN Kulkarni, who had penned a book exposing Jihad, was hit by the car at around 5:30 pm on November 4 when he was going for an evening walk. The VV Puram traffic police initially filed a hit-and-run case. However, CCTV evidence that circulated on social media assisted investigators in determining that it was a murder.

CCTV footage from a nearby camera had shown he was walking by the roadside and the car turned towards him with the sole purpose of hitting the veteran ex-officer and running away as he fell down. Kulkarni was thrown into the air by the speeding car before hitting the ground. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries later. 

A case has been registered at the Jayalakshmi police station in this regard. It is notable that RK Kulkarni retired from the services in 2000.

Telangana by-polls prove that 2023 election is going to be a fight between TRS and BJP: The downfall of Congress and challenges for BJP

S. Sudhir Kumar
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Telangana by-polls prove that 2023 election is going to be a fight between TRS and BJP: The downfall of Congress and challenges for BJP

The results of yet another much-awaited by-poll in Telangana were declared yesterday. The TRS has emerged victorious in this election by beating the BJP with a margin of about 10,000 votes. We had earlier discussed the background of this election in the Munugodu constituency in Telangana. As the headline aptly indicates, the TRS literally put in its entire might for this prestigious election – 88 MLAs of the TRS stayed put in the constituency for 2-3 weeks; the entire cabinet made multiple rounds; the CM himself was in charge for a village and also held a huge public meeting towards the end of the campaigning. 

In addition to this large-scale deployment, the TRS also deployed various campaign strategies that included allying with the Communists (2004-14, this seat was with the Communists); KTR calling up local BJP leaders and impressing upon them the various schemes of TRS that are benefitting the people; last minute GOs that benefit the areas just across the border of Munugodu constituency; large scale distribution of certain goodies etc. All these have paid off well for the party, as is evident from the fact that the party led in 12 of the 15 rounds of counting. 

However, as everyone in the media have repeatedly pointed out – TRS’s victory margin is totally disproportionate to the scale of their investment into this election. When the entire cabinet and almost the entire Legislature party stayed put in the constituency and all you could do was to conjure up a 5% victory margin, it also speaks quite highly of the spirited challenge that the BJP has put into this election. While of course, the spirited campaign is a positive aspect of the BJP, the result of this election also indicates the mountainous challenge that is ahead for the BJP in Telangana. 

The by-poll was necessitated because the sitting MLA from Congress, Mr Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy quit the congress party and joined the BJP. In the 2018 elections, he won 97,000 votes as against the 75000 votes by TRS and 12000 votes by the BJP. In this election, he won nearly 87,000 votes – indicating his stronghold on the constituency. The BJP has to continue to put in stronger efforts to nurture such strong leaders across all 33 districts in the state. 

One of the key reasons for the rise of the BJP in Telangana is because of its spirited public engagement efforts. The Party President, Mr Bandi Sanjay Kumar has completed 4 phases of his padayatra, completing walking nearly 1200 km across the state. Union Cabinet Minister Kishan Reddy is in the state every weekend, meeting people. Many leaders from Telangana have been given key roles in the national organization and their on-ground presence is really helping the party build their messaging and connect. 

Another key reason for the rise of the BJP in Telangana is because of the disenchantment that is setting in with KCR’s family rule in Telangana. For the BJP to fully utilize this sentiment, it has a lot of catching up to do in terms of grooming more local leaders and the messaging of what it can offer if voted to power.  TRS party’s messaging across various social media and mainstream media outlets is by far more visible than that of the BJP.

There is another big challenge for the BJP – and that is the Congress party! This election indicates that the downfall of the Congress party in Telangana is a continuously successful process! This particular seat was held by the Congress party earlier. The MP under whose constituency Munugodu falls is also from the Congress party (a disgruntled one now). Rahul Gandhi was in Telangana for nearly 10 days, during which the by-poll was held, as part of his Bharat Jodo Yatra. And yet the Congress party lost its deposit yesterday. 

The story is not just about the loss of its deposit. The Congress party got about 24000 votes (nearly 10%) in yesterday’s election. The Congress party has such a vote bank in many constituencies across the state and that vote bank doesn’t necessarily automatically trend towards the BJP. We have seen earlier also that this vote bank splits between the TRS and the BJP. Hence the uphill challenge for the BJP is to ensure that this vote bank moves towards the BJP as much as possible. A weakened Congress is certainly ensuring a rise of the BJP, but is it enough to win power? The answer to that question today is no. 

As indicated in many previous articles, the Telangana BJP needs to ensure that the WB result is not replicated in the 2023 elections. For this, in addition to the big picture, there are many small things that need to be taken care of. The party has an enthused cadre and an equally committed volunteer workforce to help in creating a narrative, spreading the message and in campaigning. The TRS is as formidable a force as the TMC is. Whilst KCR can of course not deploy this kind of strength in the 2023 assembly elections, he still has a good foothold on many leaders and areas of Telangana. The 2023 elections are a fight between TRS and the BJP. In the past 4 years, both parties have seen ups and downs in elections, so we know how close the fight will be! 

Is Sania Mirza separating from her Pakistani husband Shoaib Malik? Social media abuzz with speculations after cryptic Insta post

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Is Sania Mirza separating from her Pakistani husband Shoaib Malik? Social media abuzz with speculations after cryptic Insta post

The high-profile cross-border romance between Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is in disarray, as speculated on social media and some media reports.

Their relationship has long been the talk of the town. The couple married in 2010 and had their first child, Izhaan Mirza Malik, in 2018. Pakistani media has been reporting that Shoaib and Sania have drifted apart and have been living separately for some time now. Neither of the stars has spoken anything about it.

In a mysterious post, the tennis player has just given fuel to the suspicions about her marital troubles. She posted on her Instagram stories, “Where do broken hearts go? To find Allah.” Claims of Shoaib Malik cheating on Sania while filming for a show spread like a wildfire in Pakistani media. At the same time, their followers tried to decipher whether or not things are going well between the pair based on their cryptic message.

As per reports, she had recently shared another post with her son and wrote, “The moment that gets me through the hardest days.”

Image: Bollywood life

Shoaib and Sania celebrated Izhaan’s fourth birthday in Dubai recently. While the cricketer posted several images from the celebration on Instagram, Sania did not.

Shoaib Malik was asked about Sania Mirza’s tennis academies and their locations on one of Pakistan’s latest cricket programmes, ‘Ask The Pavilion.’ “I don’t really have proper information about the locations,” the cricketer responded. “I have never been to any of those academies,”  he adds. Shoaib’s response surprised Waqar Younis, who said, “What sort of husband you are?”

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik married on April 12, 2010, at the Taj Krishna Hotel in Hyderabad, India, in a traditional Hyderabadi Muslim wedding ceremony. Following that, Pakistani wedding rituals for a mahr were observed, and their Walima ceremony was performed in Sialkot, Pakistan.

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