Digvijay writes to PM, seeks probe against Gadkari

October 23, 2012

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New Delhi, October 23: Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh today wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding a probe into allegations of dubious funding of companies run by BJP president Nitin Gadkari.

 

In his communication, Digvijay Singh urged the Prime Minister to ask the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to institute an inquiry by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into the matter, saying that, "a prima facie case does exist".

 

He was referring to reports related to the association of BJP chief with a Nagpur-based company Purti Power and Sugar Limited, regarding which "irregularities" have come to the fore.

 

"Gadkari has also said that he is open to a free and fair investigation. Being the National President of BJP, it is in the fitness of things that his case is properly investigated and he gets a fair opportunity to prove his innocence and clear his name," Singh said.

 

It is for the first time that any Congress leader has demanded a probe into the issue.

The Party has so far been maintaining that there should not be any politics on the private business of individuals and unless some investigating agency stumbles upon any irregularity, there is no need for Congress to target the BJP chief.

 

Singh has also attached with the letter a report compiled from information taken from the official site of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and said that findings of a TV investigation as well as this report make "some very pertinent points that requires serious attention."

 

In his letter, Singh, a known detractor of Gadkari, said that it is believed that the BJP chief had acquired Purti Sugar Mill, which had shut down.

 

Complimenting NDTV for the "exhaustive investigation" carried out by it on PPSL, he said certain points require serious attention.

 

"The companies that bought equity in PPSL appear to be defunct companies which had not done business for a long time. Out of nowhere these companies got the capital to buy equity in PPSL, most likely from another layer of Shell Companies...

 

"Most of these companies have given bogus addresses... It is also interesting that all the companies have used a single email ID that is [email protected]," he said.

 

Singh mentioned in the letter that four names are common to list of Board of Directors of all the 18 companies.

 

Gadkari had recently filed a defamation suit against the Congress general secretary.

At the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit merely said that it was for the government to decide about probing the issue when asked whether the party endorses the demand made by Singh.

 

At the same time, he sought to insist that the allegations of corruption against Gadkari were "qualitatively different" than those faced by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, when asked about parallel between the two episodes.

 

"The cases of Gadkari and Vadra are different. After the statement of the Haryana government and DLF, it is clear that no favour has been done to him. This issue is only political. Since somebody has made money, he should not be targetted only because he is related to somebody.

 

"We are also saying on Gadkari issue that let the government agencies first examine the issue and something comes out that the allegations are true, then we will see it," Dikshit said.

 

On BJP MP Ram Jethmalani asking Gadkari not to seek a second term in office in the wake of allegations of corruption against him, the Congress spokesman said it was BJP's internal issue.

 

"It is for the BJP to decide what kind of President they would like," he said.

A senior party leader, who declined to be identified, said that the continuance of Gadkari in such a situation is to the benefit of Congress.

 

Replying to questions why Congress is soft-pedalling the issue of Gadkari, Dikshit said.

 

"There is no issue of compromise. Institutions will do their job. If they come out certain facts, political parties will respond... Every business deal of a private individual is not a political issue."

 

Asked about Digvijay's letter to the Prime Minister on the issue, Dikshit said that since a letter has been sent, "let the Prime Minister take a decision on it".

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News Network
February 9,2020

Srinagar, Feb 9: Authorities on Sunday snapped mobile internet services in Kashmir as a precautionary measure to prevent any law and order disturbance on the seventh death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, officials said.

The mobile internet services were suspended early in the morning as the authorities apprehended violence in the valley in view of the bandh call given by separatist outfits, the officials said.

The authorities had restored 2G internet services in Kashmir on January 25, more than five months after snapping all communication facilities in the valley following abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

Police on Saturday lodged an FIR against the banned Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) for calling a strike on Afzal Guru's death anniversary.

Guru was hanged in 2013 inside Tihar jail for his role in the Parliament attack in December 2001.

Two journalists were summoned by police for reporting the JKLF press release, which had called for strike on Sunday and Tuesday -- the death anniversary of the outfit founder Mohammad Maqbool Bhat.

They were let off after five hours of questioning. Bhat was hanged in 1984 and is buried inside Tihar jail.

Meanwhile, normal life in Kashmir was affected due to the strike, the officials said.

Markets and business establishments remained closed, while public transport was largely off the roads, they said.

There have been no reports of any untoward incident from anywhere in the valley so far, the officials added.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

New Delhi, May 26: The in-fighting among the residents of housing societies over feeding of stray dogs is nowhere near ending, with yet another attack on a pregnant Russian woman again in the national capital region this time in Noida.

The Russian woman residing in a condominium in Noida's Sector 71 was allegedly attacked by two men for feeding foundling canines inside the complex.

"We have initiated an inquiry and a case has been registered against the men for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation," Amit Kumar Singh, Station House Officer of Phase 3 police station told IANS.

The police said that the victim is married to an Indian man and they live in that society.

The issue was raked up on social media by one of the residents of the society. Her post had even solicited a response and help from the Noida Police Commissioner.

Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj wrote, "Mob led by Vikas Sharma, and Mr. Chauhan beat up a pregnant woman in Jagriti Apartment, Sector 71 Noida. Request you to immediately arrest these men and provide security to the scared woman!"

When contacted, a member of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of the society said that the allegations levied by her are false and that he, along with a handful of other people, had only asked her not to feed the dogs.

Vikas Sharma divulged, "The woman was called at the society gate by the members of the RWA. When she was asked not to feed the street dogs, she became aggressive, started fighting with the residents of the society and even pushed a 70-year-old woman. The complaint that she registered against us is false. We did not even touch her."

He added that there are 70-80 street dogs in the society who have lately become extremely aggressive. "The lady was asked not to feed them as people feared stepping out of their houses and getting bitten."

In another incident on Tuesday, a Greater Noida man beat up a Chinese woman for allegedly fostering a stray dog which bit his canine.

Greater Noida District Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh told IANS that the man named Amar Pratap Singh of ATS Paradiso misbehaved with the woman after his dog was bit by another dog who she used to feed every day.

The incident happened in the wee hours of the day when the accused took his dog out for a walk. "After his dog was bitten, in a fit of rage, he misbehaved with the Chinese woman." A Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) has been registered and no arrests have been made so far, the police said.

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Agencies
January 16,2020

New Delhi, Jan 16: The Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on Thursday rejected the mercy plea of Mukesh, one of the convicts in the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

The mercy plea was then forwarded to Lieutenant Governor, who has now sent it to Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The convicts were sentenced to death for raping a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus in the national capital on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012.

The victim, who was later given the name Nirbhaya, had succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Singapore where she had been airlifted for medical treatment.

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