'Since the last two days, reports have emerged that according to an Enforcement Directorate report, Popular Front of India (PFI) mobilised Rs 120 crores during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). According to an Economic Times report, the agency was investigating the Kerala-based political outfit under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) since 2018. ED has reportedly found that at least Rs 1.04 crore was deposited in several bank accounts across the country linked to the organisation between December 4 last year and January 6, 2020.
'The National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe into the 2018 Koregaon-Bhima violence today, a day after the Maharashtra government held a review meeting with senior Pune police officers to take a call on pursuing the matter. The centre's decision has given rise to yet another face-off with the Uddhav Thackeray government, which was seen to be preparing to withdraw all cases against intellectuals and social activists accused of inciting the clashes.
'A 36-year-old engineer and MBA-holder, Aditya Rao, surrendered on Thursday to the Bengaluru police stating he had placed the bag of explosive materials at the Mangaluru International Airport. Aditya Rao’s surrender came in the wake of massive speculation, both by political parties, leaders and certain sections of the media that “jihadi forces” were trying to “spread communal unrest” in the country. Aditya’s arrest has brought to the limelight Islamophobic statements made by members of the ruling BJP, pro-Hindu groups and by a certain section of the media.
'A letter found on Delhi-based activist Rona Wilson documenting an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears to be a “spoof” that was obtained from suspicious sources, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is believed to have told the Pune police during a review of the chargesheet filed in the “urban naxal” cases. The particular e-mail exchange between Maoists and the alleged “urban naxals” had only a single time stamp and not two — from both the receiver and the sender — thereby raising doubts over its authenticity...'
'“Those people from three neighbouring countries who belong to minority communities and have fled to India to escape persecution, have been provided a measure of help and relief by the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019; they have been shown some leniency. These concessions are not necessarily the outcome of Modi’s thinking. It is not that the idea materialised in Modi’s mind overnight and Modi made it happen. These concessions conform to the very spirit of Gandhi’s thought.
'Cracking down on protesters in an unusual manner, the Uttar Pradesh police officials reportedly snatched the blankets, utensils and food items of residents demonstrating against the amended Citizenship Act near the Clock Tower in Lucknow's old quarters. Miffed by the action, several took to Twitter to post videos and photos of the incident on Saturday. The posts soon started circulating on social media with '#KAMBALCHOR_UPPOLICE' becoming one of the top trends on Twitter...'
'Amidst the ongoing controversy over the collection of Aadhaar numbers during the process of updating the National Population Register (NPR), the Union home ministry on Thursday insisted the government would not force people to submit their Aadhaar credentials to official enumerators. However, official documents show that the ministry wanted mandatory collection of Aadhaar numbers to be an essential part of the NPR exercise.
'On January 10, India Today broadcast a sting operation where first-year French degree program student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Akshat Awasthi, confessed his involvement in the January 5 attack. Awasthi identified himself as an ABVP activist. India Today investigation revealed three names – Akshat Awasthi (ABVP activist), Rohit Shah, and Geeta Kumari (former JNUSU president and AISA activist) – who confessed the roles they played that fateful night.
'Two photographs of JNSU president Aishe Ghosh have been juxtaposed together to portray that she plastered different arms at different times. Thus suggesting that her injuries are fake. Ghosh was injured during violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) where masked goons attacked students on January 5-6. Shefali Vaidya was among those who made the allegation but later took it down... RSS-affiliated ABVP’s national organising secretary Ashish Chauhan also shared the images. His tweet, now deleted, was retweeted by Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, in-charge of BJP’s foreign affairs department...
'If reality spoke for itself, Prasar Bharati would probably dispute it. On January 6, a day after mob violence in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, India's state broadcaster spun a blatantly false angle on it. This was fact-checked by AltNews, but Prasar Bharati would not back down... In short, the state broadcaster of India — itself borne out of the fears around autonomy following ruthless state propaganda during Indira Gandhi’s Emergency regime — is now peddling demonstrably false information online. Unsurprisingly, this information suits the position of the current establishment.
