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Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has issued an advisory warning students against participating in the screening of a banned BBC documentary featuring Narendra Modi, stating such activities could disturb "communal harmony" on campus. The advisory comes ahead of a screening of 'India: The Modi Question' by the Left-backed All India Students Federation (AISF) at Ganga Dhaba Tuesday night. The university said no permission had been granted for the screening, calling it "unauthorized and unwarranted." "It has come to the notice that a group of students has released a pamphlet for screening a banned documentary scheduled for tomorrow at 9:00 p.m. at Ganga Dhaba. No prior permission for this event has been taken from the IHA. This is to emphasise that such an unauthorized activity may disturb communal harmony and peaceful environment of the University Campus," the advisory issued on Monday read. The varsity warned students against proceeding with the event and being influenced by the ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that a fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time, while referring to a movie on the Godhra train-burning incident of 2002, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. Modi made the comments on X, reacting to a user's post praising the movie "Sabarmati Report" for "bringing out the important truth of one of the most shameful events in our recent history". The user also made other points, claiming that the "brutal burning of passengers" of the Sabarmati Express train was turned into a political minefield by a vested-interest group, who saw it as a means to tarnish the image of "one leader", an apparent reference to Modi. The prime minister said, "Well said. It is good that this truth is coming out, and that too in a way common people can see it." "A fake narrative can persist only for a limited period of time. Eventually, the facts will always come out!" he added. While the Gujarat Police had blamed a Muslim mob for setti
The Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the alleged malpractices in conducting the NEET-UG exam at a private school in Godhra of Gujarat in May, on Sunday arrested its owner. With the arrest of Dixit Patel, owner of Jay Jalaram School situated near Godhra in Panchmahal district, the number of persons arrested so far- five of them were held by Gujarat Police- has gone up to six. Jay Jalaram School was one of the designated centres where the NEET-UG exam was held on May 5. Patel was arrested in the early hours of Sunday from his residence in Panchmahal district, said public prosecutor Rakesh Thakor. "As the case has been handed over to the CBI by the Gujarat government, a CBI team will produce him (Dixit Patel) before a designated court in Ahmedabad to acquire his remand," said Thakor. Patel is the sixth person to be arrested in this case wherein the accused had allegedly demanded Rs 10 lakh each from at least 27 candidates to help them clear the test. The other five persons,
A CBI team reached Godhra city in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Monday to investigate the case of alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG medical entrance exam held on May 5, officials said. A case was registered by the Godhra police on May 8 under various Indian Penal Code sections, including criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust, for allegedly trying to help 27 candidates clear the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate) for a sum of Rs 10 lakh each. Superintendent of Police, Panchmahal, Himanshu Solanki said a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reached Godhra and met local police officers. "We will extend all the support they need to investigate the case," he said. The CBI on Sunday filed a fresh FIR against unidentified persons under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating), among others, amid countrywide protests and litigation by students for a probe into the paper leak claims. Gujarat's home department o
All 11 convicts in the Bilkis Bano case surrendered late Sunday night at Godhra sub jail in Gujarat's Panchmahal district in keeping with the deadline imposed by the Supreme Court. "All 11 convicts have surrendered before jail authorities late Sunday night," said local Crime Branch inspector NL Desai. The top court had on January 8 annulled the remission the Gujarat government granted to the 11 convicts in the high-profile case while slamming the State for being "complicit" with an accused and abusing its discretion. It ordered the convicts, who were released prematurely on Independence Day in 2022, to go back to jail within two weeks. The apex court had a couple of days ago rejected pleas of the convicts for grant of more time to surrender and had asked them to do so by Sunday. The 11 convicts are Bakabhai Vohania, Bipin Chandra Joshi, Kesarbhai Vohania, Govind Nai, Jaswant Nai, Mitesh Bhatt, Pradeep Mordhiya, Radheshyam Shah, Rajubhai Soni, Ramesh Chandana and Shailesh ...
With a special court in Gujarat acquitting all 67 accused, including former state minister Maya Kodnani, in the case of post-Godhra riots in Ahmedabad's Naroda Gam that claimed the lives of 11 Muslim community members, focus is now back on similar cases related to one of the most turbulent times in the state's history. Apart from the Naroda Gam case, seven other 2002 post-Godhra riots cases were investigated by the Supreme Court (SC)-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT). 1) Gulberg Society case: Sixty-nine people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, were killed in the violence at Gulberg Society in Ahmedabad in February 2002. The trial court gave its verdict and sentenced 24 people in the case, of whom 11 were sentenced to life imprisonment. The case is pending before the high court. 2) Naroda Patiya case: Ninety-six people, mostly belonging to a minority community, were killed in the riots at Naroda Patiya in Ahmedabad. The trial court sentenced 32 convicts, including .
A court in Gujarat has acquitted all 26 persons accused of gangrape and murder of more than a dozen members of a minority community in separate incidents in Kalol during 2002 communal riots for want of evidence in the 20-year-old case. Of the total 39 accused, 13 died during the pendency of the case and the trial against them was abated. A court of additional sessions judge of Halol in Panchmahal district, Leelabhai Chudasama, on Friday acquitted 26 persons for the offence of murder, gangrape and rioting for want of evidence. "As many as 13 out of a total 39 accused in the case had died during the pendency of the trial," the court said in the order passed on Friday. The accused persons were part of a mob that went on a rampage in the communal riots that broke out on March 1, 2002, during a bandh call given after the Sabarmati train burning incident in Godhra on February 27. An FIR was lodged against the accused at Kalol police station on March 2 that year. The prosecution examined
A court at Halol town in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Tuesday acquitted 22 persons, accused of killing 17 members of a minority community, including two children, for want of evidence in a case stemming from the 2002 post-Godhra communal riots in the state. The court of Additional Sessions Judge Harsh Trivedi acquitted all the 22 accused, eight of whom died during the pendency of the case, defence lawyer Gopalsinh Solanki said. "The court acquitted all the accused in the case of rioting and murder of 17 members of a minority community, including two children, in Delol village of the district for want of evidence, Solanki said. According to the prosecution, the victims were killed on February 28, 2002, and their bodies burnt with an intention to destroy evidence. Communal riots had broken out in different parts of the state a day after a bogie of the Sabarmati Express was torched by a mob near Godhra town in Panchmahal district on February 27, 2002, killing 59 passengers, most
After an impressive show in last year's civic body polls in Godhra, a communally-sensitive town in Gujarat, the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM is now trying to build upon those gains in this Assembly seat in the upcoming state elections, banking on the minority base and division of votes of other candidates. The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had won seven seats in the Godhra Municipal Council (GMC) polls last year and even tied up with independents to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ideological foe, out of power. Independent candidate Sanjay Soni became the chairman of the GMC with the support of the AIMIM in February 2021, but severed ties with it in November that year after getting the support of the BJP which has 18 members in the 44-member house. In the upcoming Assembly polls, the AIMIM is making efforts to cement its position further, and aims to win the Godhra seat, currently held by the BJP. Godhra town in Panchmahal district in eastern Gujarat has h