New Delhi, June 4: The Supreme Court has termed the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal against BJP party workers as a dastardly offence which was “nothing short of a grave attack on the roots of democracy”.

The observation came from a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta as it dealt with a plea filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the grant of bail to several accused in the post-poll violence cases.

The CBI contended that the Calcutta High Court granted bail to the respondents-accused on totally extraneous considerations, and after their release on bail, there was no possibility of a fair trial being conducted.

Ordering cancellation of bail, the Supreme Court said that the allegations against the accused were so grave that the same shook the conscience of the court. “The concerted attack on the complainant’s house was launched on the day of the election results with the sole objective of wreaking vengeance because he had supported the saffron party. This is a grave circumstance which convinces us that the accused persons were trying to terrorise the members of the opposite political party whom the accused respondents were supporting,” said the top court.

It took note of the fact that the trial has not budged an inch to date, though a charge sheet was filed way back in 2022, and this delay was mostly attributable to non-cooperation by the accused persons.

Saying that there was no possibility of a fair and impartial trial being conducted if the accused were allowed to remain on bail, the Supreme Court set aside the bail order passed by the Calcutta High Court.

“The accused respondents shall surrender before the trial Court within two weeks from today, failing which, the trial Court shall adopt coercive measures to secure their presence. Upon surrendering/being arrested, the accused respondents shall be remanded to custody,” ordered the top court.

Further, it asked the trial court to expedite the proceedings and conclude the trial within a period of six months.

The Supreme Court asked the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police of West Bengal to ensure that proper protection was provided to the complainant and all other material witnesses so that they can freely appear and depose at the trial without any fear or apprehension.

It granted liberty to the CBI or the complainant to directly report to the top court any violation of the above direction.

Following the post-poll violence, an FIR was registered against the respondents-accused in December 2021 for the offences punishable under Sections 143, 144, 147, 148, 149, 427, 326, 376 read with 511 and 34 of IPC (Indian Penal Code), 1860.

The complainant, a follower of the Hindu religion, claimed that the majority of the residents in his village belong to the other community and are the supporters of the ruling Trinamool Congress. As per the complainant, a few villagers started campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prior to the Assembly election, which drew the wrath of Trinamool supporters, and allegedly, a bomb was thrown at his tea stall.

On the date on which the election results were announced, a gang of 40-50 miscreants gathered together and started throwing bombs towards the house of the complainant.

The complainant’s house was totally vandalised and looted by the accused persons. The wife of the complainant was grabbed by the hair, her clothes were snatched away, and she was forcibly undressed. To save herself, the complainant’s wife poured kerosene oil on her person and threatened that she would set fire to herself on which the miscreants left the spot.

When the complainant and his family approached Sadaipur Police Station the next day, the officer-in-charge did not accept the complaint and advised them to leave the village.

After several writ petitions were filed before the Calcutta High Court containing allegations of non-registration of FIRs in post-poll violence cases, a CBI probe was ordered into all the cases where the allegations involved murder and crimes against women.

The CBI filed its charge-sheet against a number of assailants, including the respondents-accused, for the offences punishable under Sections 34, 148, 149, 326, 354, 511, read with 376D and 450 of IPC.

Chennai, June 4: After the death of a female wild elephant that ingested plastic waste, the Coimbatore Forest Division in Tamil Nadu has issued a stern appeal to local bodies to immediately stop dumping garbage along forest fringes.

The elephant, which was found dead near the Maruthamalai foothills recently, had reportedly consumed plastic bags and leftover food from an open dump yard.

Forest officials and wildlife activists have since blamed poor waste management practices by nearby civic bodies for drawing wild animals to human settlements, thereby intensifying human-wildlife conflict in the region. “Open dumping is hazardous to animal health and increases the chances of dangerous human-animal interactions,” said a forest department official.

Letters have been sent to the Block Development Officers (BDOs) of Periyanacikenpalayam and Thondamuthur, urging immediate action to halt garbage disposal along forest boundaries and clear existing waste to safeguard wildlife.

Officials warned that once wild elephants locate dump yards as food sources, they are likely to return repeatedly.

“Leftover food waste, especially with high salt content, poses serious health risks to elephants,” the official added.

While the forest department has called for urgent corrective measures from civic agencies, farmers in the region have voiced frustration over the department’s inability to prevent wild elephants from straying into agricultural lands, even those situated far from forest areas.

In response, forest authorities have intensified patrols in vulnerable zones. “We have deployed night staff to monitor and deter elephant movement near the old dump yard in Maruthamalai,” said a range officer.

Additional surveillance is being carried out in areas, including Pannimadai, Veerapandi, Varapalayam, and Thadagam, to prevent elephants from foraging in human settlements.

The department is also working alongside NGOs, volunteers, and staff from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HRCE) Department to launch awareness drives.

A major anti-dumping campaign is scheduled for June 5 to coincide with World Environment Day. Forest officials emphasised the need for a coordinated effort between civic bodies, residents, and wildlife authorities to prevent further loss of wildlife due to negligence and promote safer coexistence between humans and animals.

Chandigarh, June 4: After YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra, who was arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan, Punjab Police on Wednesday claimed to have unearthed a critical espionage network linked to another YouTuber, Jasbir Singh, a resident of Rupnagar.

Jasbir Singh, who operates a YouTube channel called ‘JaanMahal’, has been found associated with Pakistani intelligence operative Shakir, alias Jutt Randhawa, part of a terror-backed espionage network.

He also maintained close contact with Haryana-based Jyoti Malhotra and Ehsan-ur-Rahim, alias Danish, a Pakistani national and expelled Pakistan High Commission official, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav informed on X.

Investigations have revealed that Jasbir attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish’s invitation, where he met Pakistani army officials and bloggers.

He travelled to Pakistan on three occasions (2020, 2021, 2024), and his electronic devices contained multiple Pakistan-based numbers, now under detailed forensic scrutiny, said the DGP.

After Jyoti Malhotra’s arrest, Jasbir attempted to erase all traces of his communications with these Pakistani intelligence operatives to avoid detection.

A first information report (FIR) has been registered in Mohali, near here. The DGP added that investigations are underway to dismantle the broader espionage-terror network and identify all collaborators.

A day earlier, Counter-Intelligence Punjab, in a joint operation with Tarn Taran police, had arrested a man linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for sharing sensitive information concerning army movements during Operation Sindoor.

The accused was identified as Gagandeep Singh, alias Gagan, a resident of Tarn Taran town.

DGP Yadav had said preliminary investigation has revealed that Gagandeep Singh was in direct contact with Pakistan-based Khalistani supporter Gopal Singh Chawla for past five years, through whom he was introduced to Pakistani intelligence operatives.

Investigations also revealed that the accused had been sharing classified information, including troop deployments, strategic locations, and army movements during Operation Sindoor, posing a serious threat to national security.

The DGP had said police teams have recovered two mobile devices from the possession of the accused, containing sensitive intelligence that he shared with the Pakistani intelligence operatives, as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts.

The accused also received payments from operatives via Indian channels.