September 2022 - Page 19 of 52 - Lokmarg

DCW Summons Twitter India, DP On Sharing Child Pornography, Rape Videos

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has summoned Twitter India and Delhi Police officials over alleged videos of child pornography and rape being shared on the social media platform.

DCW took suo moto cognizance of several alleged tweets on the social media platform Twitter displaying child pornography.

“Videos of child pornography were shared on Twitter and were sold for Rs 20. Twitter is yet to delete them and report it further. We have summoned the head of Twitter India and have sought a report. We have also summoned Delhi Police and have sought immediate action,” DCW chief Swati Maliwal told ANI.

DCW said these tweets are openly depicting videos and photographs of sexual acts involving children.

In its letter to Twitter India and Delhi Police, the Commission said “Almost all the tweets are portraying children completely naked and many of them also depict brutal rape and other non-consensual sexual activities with children and women. Shockingly, some of these videos even depict rape with children and women while they are asleep!”

“Some of the twitter accounts engaging in these criminal acts appear to be running a racket wherein they seek money for providing pornographic and rape videos of children and women from other users of the social media platform,” said DCW.

The Commission claimed there appear to be hundreds of such objectionable videos on the social media platform which are openly displaying child pornography and rape videos of women and children.

DCW said it is deeply distressing that such illegal acts involving sexual abuse of children and young women are being publicized openly through the social media platform Twitter.

The Commission said it wishes to ascertain the steps being taken by Twitter to

prevent such “filthy and outrightly criminal acts” being propagated through its medium as well as the systems in place in the platform to immediately report the same to law enforcement agencies.

“Now therefore you are hereby summoned to appear before the Commission for the

purpose aforementioned on September 26. If you fail to comply with this order without lawful excuse, you will be subjected to the consequences of non-attendance as provided in law,” stated DCW. (ANI)

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Plight Of Ahmadiyya Community In Pak, Treated As 2nd Class Citizens

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The Ahmadi community in Pakistan lives as second-class citizens, their right to propagate and practice their religion is legally denied in Pakistan.

Most in the community are resigned to this fate but unfortunately even peaceful existence seems a distant dream when legal forums and mobs of attackers alike are mobilized to target the community and threaten their lives and livelihoods, reported Al Arabiya Post.
The Pakistani legal system is in need of urgent reform to protect the safety and dignity of the Ahmadi community.

Recently on August 22, sixteen graves belonging to members of the minority Ahmadiyya community were desecrated by unknown persons in Faisalabad, Punjab, approximately 150km away from Lahore.

Ahmadiyya spokesperson Aamir Mahmood stated that the gravestones in a walled communal graveyard had been desecrated for the first time in 75 years. Mahmood claimed that the incident had been provoked by sermons given by Muslim clerics in the area who objected to the use of Islamic verses on the gravestones, reported Al Arabiya Post.

This objection is enabled by provisions in the Pakistan Penal Code and has become the justification used in a number of cases where the Ahmadiyya community has been attacked.

Section 298-C of the Pakistan Penal Code elevates the discrimination against Ahmadiyyas into law. It prohibits Qadianis (Ahmadiyyas) from calling themselves Muslim or propagating their faith, reported Al Arabiya Post.

The section prohibits Ahmadiyyas from representing themselves as Muslims directly or indirectly, inviting others to practice or accept their religion and concludes with a deliberately overbroad clause which prohibits them from any action that “in any other manner whatsoever outrages the religious feelings of Muslims”.

This particular section, 298-C is commonly cited when blasphemy cases are filed against Ahmadiyyas, which is an increasingly common occurrence. This trend creates extreme risks for members of the Ahmadi community as the charge carries the death penalty.

At the centre of this legal persecution is a man named Hassan Muawiya, a religious cleric based in Lahore. Muawiya works with the Khatm-E-Nabuwwat Forum to pursue cases of blasphemy against Ahmadis.

The prosecution of these cases is often accompanied by overt intimidation. In reality, the law itself tends to outlaw the Ahmadi faith and renders their existence conditional on the sufferance of the least tolerant Muslims, reported Al Arabiya Post.

The framing of existing legislation allows any Muslim to generate a complaint if they feel that their religious feelings have been outraged by Ahmadis. This is an entirely subjective standard which is not very well suited to criminal law and encourages those who desire to target the community or abuse the legal system to settle personal scores.

As it currently stands, the Pakistani legal system has two key dangers for Ahmadis. While S. 298-C is an overbroad section which practically invites parties like Muawiya to generate complaints and take offence, it has the saving grace of prescribing penalties that are not out of line with other offences.

On the other hand, Ahmadis are routinely prosecuted for blasphemy which is very precisely defined but carries extremely harsh sentences including the death penalty. Many Ahmadis have been falsely accused of blasphemy and executed, reported Al Arabiya Post. (ANI)

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Delhi Police Summons Jacqueline’s Costume Designer

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police summoned Leepakshi Ellawadi, the costume designer of Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez, on Wednesday in connection with the Rs 200-crore money laundering case involving conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.

Leepakshi, who was earlier summoned on Monday, had skipped questioning, citing health reasons.
On Monday, Jacqueline had appeared before Delhi Police’s EOW, for the second time. Police had summoned Leepakshi on the same day in order to confront her with the actor. However, Leepakshi did not appear and was given time for Wednesday.

On Monday, Jacqueline was questioned about the money trail of the gifts given by Sukesh Chandrashekhar and the diversion of funds. Further investigation on this matter will be done once Leepakshi joins the probe, a senior police official told ANI.

She also gave Delhi Police a list of items that she had received from Sukesh, which allegedly were bought from the money he had extorted from Aditi Singh, the wife of jailed former Ranbaxy owner Shivinder Singh.

According to EOW sources, Jacqueline was questioned regarding the chartered flight ride booked by conman Sukesh for her. The actor accepted that she has earlier counted on him for chartered flight rides not once but multiple times.

Earlier on September 14, Jacqueline appeared before the EOW of Delhi Police in connection with the case. She was confronted with Pinky Irani, who appeared to have introduced the actor to Sukesh.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) named Jacqueline in their chargesheet in the money laundering case that involves Sukesh.

The probe agency chargesheet stated that actor Jacqueline knew about Sukesh’s involvement in criminal cases but she chose to overlook his criminal past and got involved in financial transactions with him. ED had registered a money laundering case in the alleged scam over the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. The agency had earlier stated that Fernandez’s statements were recorded on August 30 and October 20, 2021, where she admitted to having received gifts from Chandrashekar.

It also said that Fernandez had used proceeds of crime and bought valuable gifts for herself and her family members in India as well as abroad which amounts to an offense of money laundering under section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar, a native of Bengaluru in Karnataka, is currently lodged in a Delhi jail and faces over 10 criminal cases registered against him.

Chandrashekhar has been accused of extorting Rs 200 crore when he was lodged in Rohini jail, from Aditi Singh, the wife of jailed former Ranbaxy owner Shivinder Singh, while posing as an official from the union law ministry and the PMO, on the pretext of getting her husband out on bail. (ANI)

ED Files Complaint Against 8 Including Partha, Arpita

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint against eight accused including Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee in the Teachers Recruitment Scam in West Bengal before the PMLA Special Court, Calcutta.

According to ED officials, six entities were used for money laundering. Partha and Arpita used M/s Echhay Entertainment Pvt Ltd, Ananta Texfab Pvt Ltd, Symbiosis Merchants Pvt Ltd, Sentry Engineering Pvt Ltd, Viewmore Highrise Pvt Ltd and APA Utility Services to launder the money.
Special Court took cognizance of the Prosecution Complaint on Monday after finding that a prime-facie case has been made against the 8 accused persons.

ED had earlier arrested Partha Chatterjee, the then Minister, Government of West Bengal and his close associate Arpita Mukherjee on July 23. The accused are presently in Judicial Custody and will be produced again before the Special Court on September 28.

ED has already seized cash amounting to a total of Rs. 49.80 Crore gold and jewellery valued at more than Rs. 5.08 Crore and provisionally attached properties worth Rs. 48.22 Crore thus the total seizure in the case stands at Rs. 103.10 Crore. (ANI)

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Manik Saha: Man Who Steered BJP To Power In Tripura Again

Shah Reviews Implementation Of Bru Agreement With Tripura CM

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed the implementation of the Bru agreement with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha in the national capital.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla along with senior officers of central and state government also took part in the meeting.
Significant achievement has been made in the resettlement of Bru people displaced from Mizoram in Tripura since the signing of the agreement in January 2020.

The Agreement provides a comprehensive package for each family being rehabilitated. The number of rehabilitated families in Tripura is 6,959 with total population of 37,136.

So far 3,696 families have been resettled and the rest are in the process of resettlement. Construction of houses have been completed for 2,407 families so far.

Various certificates like Permanent Resident of Tripura Certificate (PRTC), Schedule Tribe Certificates, Aadhaar card inclusion of names in the electoral rolls are being issued for the resettled Bru families.

During his visit to the national capital, Manik Saha also met Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

Saha said in a tweet that a detailed discussion was held on a wide range of issues pertaining to the improvisation of existing and setting up of new health infrastructure in the state. (ANI)

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Survey Of UP Madrassas Begins In Kanpur

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

In light of the Uttar Pradesh government’s order, the survey of Islamic educational institutions, or Madrassas has started in Kanpur.

According to the government order, the survey will be on the basis of 12 aspects. The teams of officials for the Madrassa survey have been constituted by District Magistrate (DM) as per government order.

“The survey of Madrassas has started. We are checking certain points such as land records, syllabus, cleanliness, housing facilities etc. Some Madrassas have been identified to be checked. There are 25 Madrassas in the city area. The rest are the in surrounding villages,” said Sub Divisional Magistrate Himanshu Nagpal.

Earlier this month, the Uttar Pradesh government started the process of conducting a survey of the Islamic education institutions.

Earlier, the UP government declared to conduct a survey in unrecognised madrassas to ascertain information on the number of students, teachers, curriculum and affiliation with any non-government organisation.

The survey of unrecognized Madrassas is conducted to ensure the basic facilities of the students of Madrassas.

Danish Azad Ansari, Minister of State for Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Waqf Department said that the order also holds to give maternity leave and child care leave to women employees working in Madrassas in the light of the rules applicable in the Department of Secondary Education and Basic Education.

All the District Magistrates (DMs) in Uttar Pradesh have been issued instructions regarding the survey. The government has also ordered holding a survey of unrecognised Madrassas by October 5. The teams will constitute officials of the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSA) and District Minority Officers.

Once the survey is conducted it has also been instructed to hand over the report to the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) after which ADM will present the consolidated statements to the District Magistrates (DMs).

Moreover, it has been ordered that in case of a disputed management committee or in case of the death of any employee in an aided Madrassas, a post-facto approval for appointment by the principal Madrassas and District Minority Welfare Officer in the dependent quota of the deceased and the existence of a valid management committee has to be sought.

Meanwhile, a convention of madrassas of Uttar Pradesh was held in Darul Uloom, Deoband on the survey of unrecognized madrassas by the state government on Sunday. The convention was attended by over 250 madrassa representatives.

After the convention, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind president Maulana Arshad Madani said there is no objection from the madrassas on the issue of the survey of unrecognized madrassas by the state government.

“There is no opposition among us regarding the survey. We have instructed the Ulemas to give correct answers to whatever questions are asked to them and people should cooperate fully in the survey,” Madani said.

He said the madrassas are instructed to keep their rules and accounts correct and conduct audits from time to time.

Madani said that the madrassas will not take help from the government for day-to-day religious affairs adding that the government can help in building schools and colleges.

Madani said if a madrassa is on the land of the government, then the government has the right to demolish it, but “if the madrassa is on its own land, then we are against it.”

He said the convention appealed to all Islamic madrassas to cooperate with the survey team. (ANI)

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K’taka Govt Decides To Withdraw 35 Criminal Cases

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw 35 criminal cases registered in various police stations of the state. The Cabinet’s decision came in accordance with the recommendation of a sub-committee.

In the meeting that was held on Monday night, the Cabinet gave its nod over several matters including the appointment of civic workers as government employees.
The meeting at the Vidhan Soudha concluded with the nod to approve the appointment of civic workers who were performing duties on an outsourcing basis as government employees.

With this, the government will appoint 11,133 civil servants serving in the Municipal Corporations and other local bodies of the state as government employees under the special recruitment rules.

3,673 employees of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), 5,533 in municipal councils and 1,927 civil servants in municipal corporations are working on contract basis. Now recruitment will be done as government employees and the civil servants will be working under the pay scale of Rs 17,000-28,980, the meeting concluded.

The meeting of the Cabinet in Karnataka also announced the merger of Pre University (PU) and SSLC exam boards.

The amalgamation was agreed in view of the financial loss and the need for additional staff in these educational bodies.

The Cabinet also took a call on the ‘mutual transfer of teachers’. Such transfers are allowed when both teachers of the same subject agree.

The Cabinet announced that a bill regarding the transfer of teachers will be presented in the House today.

Meanwhile, the Basavaraj Bommai-led government has ordered to provide 75 units of free electricity to the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) cardholders of SC and ST community.

The Chief Minister’s Education Fund Scheme will be extended to the children of fishermen and farmers.

The state Cabinet further agreed to table the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Bill in the House. (ANI)

Bharat Jodo Day13: Yatra To Cover 15 Km Today, To Camp In Kochi

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

The 13th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra began from Cherthala on Tuesday.

The Congress MP Rahul Gandhi-led Yatra will continue for 15 kilometers until Kuthiyathodu in Alappuzha.
The campsite tonight is in Kochi district.

“Like the last few days, the 13th day of #BharatJodoYatra also started around 6:30 in the morning. In the morning session of the padayatra today, Indian travellers will walk 15 km from Cherthala to Kuthiyathodu in the Alappuzha district. Tonight’s camp will be organized in Kochi district,” tweeted Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party workers, followers and masses will be in the southern state of Kerala for 18 days.

The Yatra is in its Kerala leg and would traverse through the state in the upcoming 12 days.

The 3,500-km march from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will be completed in 150 days and cover as many as 12 states. From Kerala, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 18 days, reaching Karnataka on September 30. It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north. The Padyatra (march) will cover a distance of 25 km every day.

Earlier on Monday Congress MP Rahul Gandhi participated in a snake boat race exhibition in the Punnamada lake in Kerala.

Rahul Gandhi was seen rowing the boat along with other men and had a smile at the end as he wiped his face.

Gandhi took to Twitter and said, “When we all work together in perfect harmony, there is nothing we cannot accomplish”.

Earlier in the day, the Congress leader interacted with fishermen at Vadackal beach in Kerala’s Alappuzha and discussed the challenges faced by them.

The Wayanad MP held discussions about the rising fuel costs, reduced subsidies, dwindling fish stock, inadequate educational opportunities, and environmental destruction among other issues.

“At 6 am, Rahul Gandhi interacted with fisherfolk at Vadackal beach in Alappuzha on their challenges–rising fuel costs, reduced subsidies, dwindling fish stock, lack of social welfare & pensions, inadequate educational opportunities, and environmental destruction,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh informed in a tweet.

The Congress leader said that the spirit of the Bharat Jodo Yatra is to bring Indians together irrespective of religion, and community and remind them that this is one country and it will be successful if we stand together and are respectful towards each other.

The Yatra includes Padayatras, rallies, and public meetings which will be later attended by the senior Congress leaders including Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

The Congress suffered a debacle in the assembly polls held earlier this year and the Yatra is seen as an attempt to rally the party rank and file for the upcoming electoral battles. (ANI)

Jyotiraditya: Will Probe Bhagwant Mann Deplaning Incident

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

After a row over Punjab chief minister Bhagwant allegedly being deplaned on a Delhi-bound flight from Germany allegedly because he was inebriated, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said he will investigate the matter and has sought a detailed report from Lufthansa Airlines.

On Monday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal levelled serious allegations against Mann and asked him to clarify media reports of him being deplaned from a flight from Frankurt to Delhi on Sunday as he was “too drunk to walk” leading to a 4-hour delay in the flight.
Scindia on Tuesday said that he will investigate the matter based on the requests made to him.

“This was an incident on international soil, will have to make sure to verify the details and facts. It’s up to Lufthansa airlines to provide that data,” Scindia said.

India’s aviation ministry received details about Mann’s last-minute skipping of his Lufthansa Airways flight and on the basis of the details, the ministry decided to seek a report in detail from Lufthansa.

“Based on a request which has been sent to me… I will certainly look into the matter,” Scindia told mediapersons.

The Punjab chief minister was on a visit to Germany from September 11-18 to attract investments and strategic alliances in various sectors. Notably, Mann returned from his eight-day trip from Germany on Monday.

Lufthansa Airlines had, meanwhile, on Monday issued clarification regarding the 4-hour delay of its Delhi-Frankfurt flight.

According to Lufthansa News, Frankfurt to Delhi flight departed later than its scheduled time due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change. “Our flight from Frankfurt to Delhi departed later than originally planned due to a delayed inbound flight and an aircraft change,” Lufthansa News tweeted replying to a user asking about the delay in the flight.

In another tweet by a user asking whether CM Bhagwant Mann was “drunk”, Lufthansa News tweeted that it can’t provide information regarding individual passengers due to data protection reasons. “For data protection reasons we do not provide any information regarding individual passengers,” Lufthansa News said in another tweet.

SAD’s Badal said: “Disturbing media reports quoting co-passengers say Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned from a Lufthansa flight as he was too drunk to walk. And it led to a 4-hour flight delay. He missed AAP’s national convention. These reports have embarrassed and shamed Punjabis all over the globe.”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also dismissed the Badal’s charge that Mann was deplaned from the flight because he was inebriated and said that the Opposition doesn’t have issues to talk about and the Punjab Chief Minister had health problems.

Responding to the allegations, AAP leaders Kuldeep Dhaliwal and Meet Hayer held a joint press conference and said, “Anyone can have health issues. The Opposition does not have any issues to talk about. That is why they are highlighting this issue which is meaningless and fake.

“Earlier, Badal slammed the Punjab government over their silence on the issue and sought clarifications on the incident. He also asked AAP leaders, including party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on the issue. “Shockingly, the Punjab government is mum over these reports involving their CM Bhagwant Mann. Arvind Kejriwal needs to come clean on this issue. The government of India must step into this, as it involves Punjabi and national pride. If he was deplaned, the government of India must raise the issue with its German counterpart,” he added.

Previously on August 31, a delegation, including SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, submitted a memorandum to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and demanded a CBI inquiry into the state excise policy alleging a scam in the policy. “There has been a scam in Punjab Excise Policy just like it happened in Delhi. Just like the Delhi LG has ordered an inquiry into the Excise Policy case, we demand a CBI inquiry along the same lines in Punjab,” said Badal. (ANI)

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L-G Sinha Inaugurates Kashmir’s First Multiplex After 3 Decades

By LokMarg 20th September 2022

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant General Manoj Sinha inaugurated the first-of-its-kind multiplex in Kashmir after cinemas were shut down in the region in the 1990s, in Shivpora locality of Srinagar district.

This multiplex, which has a capacity of 520 people is designed by INOX with the latest technology. With the opening of the multiplex, in Srinagar, Kashmiris will get a chance to see movies on the big screen after more than three decades.
“Providing health infrastructure, employment, quality education to the youths and to empower them is our priority,” Sinha said adding “these types of initiatives will not only help in generating employment but also provide social security to our youths,” LG said.

Chairman of the project, and Owner Vijay Dhar, thanking the LG of J-K, said, “This was a project of passion. My happiness has no limits. We are thankful for LG sir to have inaugurated the Multiplex. Every work is 100 per cent complete. We will have a special screening for Lal Singh Chaddha. 1st of October the multiplex will open for locals.”

Designer of the Multiplex, Amit Katyal told ANI, ” This was an old project, as old as 3 years old. This was a shared dream of Vikas Dhar and me, but Covid halted our plans for 2 years. It was a dream project, that started to bring a change in Kashmir for youngsters.

“We made this Multiplex with INOX standards depicting the local culture of Kashmir. We have designed an INOX logo depicting the art and culture of Kashmir. In June this year, the project started. Lobby interiors, box office and food courts were desined by our team in accordance with INOX standards. A change will happen in Kashmir with this multiplex.”

The Kashmiri handicrafts ‘khatamband’ and ‘papier mache’ have been used in the cinema hall, which stands out.

“World famous Kashmiri ‘papier mache’ and khatamband’ handicrafts have been used in the architecture. This is our ancestral work. It took us 2 and a half months to complete the artisan work. My work is being displayed here which makes me happy, ” Artist Irshad Ahmad told ANI.

Notably, J-K was a preferred destination for moviemakers, which diminished due to militancy in the region during the 1990s.

Locals expressed happiness over the opening of the multiplex in Kashmir.

A local, Syed Tajmul, told ANI, “For 32 years, cinemas were closed in Kashmir, now it has made a comeback. It is a very good intention that will benefit the youth of the district. Earlier, we had to go to Jammu to watch cinema, but now we can watch it here.”

Another local, Rohit also expressed happiness and said, “I feel very happy that now people have some opportunities for entertainment. It is very nice, shows a certain kind of progress. Let’s hope the people of Srinagar will enjoy coming to the movies like sports. We feel a sense of normalcy.”

Meanwhile, Ashoke Pandit, President of the Indian Film and Television Director’s Association, wrote to L-G Sinha and praised his efforts.

The letter said, “We are extremely glad to know that you have inaugurated Multiplex Cinema Halls at Pulwama and Shopian. We extend our heartiest congratulations on the exemplary initiative which will boost the spirits of the owners of cinemas and instil confidence in the cinegoers. Above all, it will bring life to a normal.”

In another letter, the President of the Indian Motion Picture Producer Association, Abhay Kumar Sinha wrote, “We on behalf of the Indian Motion Picture Producer Association heartily congratulate you for inaugurating multiplexes in Kashmir.” (ANI)