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Chinese Visa scam: CBI is playing test cricket with me, mocks Karti Chidambaram

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Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram on Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the third straight day to record his statements in connection with Chinese Visa Scam.

While interacting with the media, Karti Chidambaram said that he had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against the CBI for seizing his confidential parliamentary papers and is awaiting his reply.

He also took a dig at the investigation agency by likening his interrogation to a test cricket game and termed it a “tactic” of harassment and political vendetta.

On Thursday, the CBI grilled Karti – son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram – for about six hours. The following day again, the questioning went on for about six hours.

S. Bhaskararaman his Chartered Accountant, is currently in custodial remand of the CBI. Karti will be confronted with him. The CBI had told the court that it wants to confront both the accused.

The CBI has also recovered 65,000 emails in the matter which will be used as evidence.

According to sources, a sales deed recovered during the raids is very important. This sales deed is of a property bought in Jor Bagh and the power of attorney is in the name of Bhaskararaman whereas the property was bought by Karti and his mother.

Karti Chidambaram will be questioned in this connection.

According to an FIR filed recently, a Mansa (Punjab) based private firm, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, took help of a middleman and allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh to get the Visa issued for Chinese nationals to help completion of the project before the deadline.

“The Mansa (Punjab) based private firm was in the process of establishing a 1,980 MW thermal power plant and establishing of plant was outsourced to a Chinese company. The project was running behind its schedule. In order to avoid penal actions for the delay, the said private company was trying to bring more and more Chinese persons, professionals for their site at district Mansa (Punjab) and needed Project VISAs over and above the ceiling imposed by Ministry of Home Affairs,” said the CBI official.

The official said that for the purpose, the representative of the said private company approached a person based at Chennai through his close associate and thereafter they devised a back-door way to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of Project VISAs permissible to the company’s plant) by granting permission to re-use 263 Project VISAs allotted to the said Chinese company’s officials.

In pursuance of the same, the said representative of Mansa based private company submitted a letter to Ministry of Home Affairs seeking approval to re-use the Project VISAs allotted to this company, which was approved within a month and permission was issued to the company.

“A bribe of Rs 50 lakh was allegedly demanded by said private person based at Chennai through his close associate which was paid by the said Mansa based private company. The payment of said bribe was routed from Mansa based private company to said private person of Chennai and his close associate through a Mumbai based company as payment of false invoice raised for Consultancy and out of pocket expenses for Chinese visas related works whereas the private company based at Mumbai was never in any kind of work relating to VISAs rather it was in an entirely different business of industrial knives,” said the CBI official.

It has been alleged that Karti’s father P. Chidambaram allegedly helped the Chinese getting visas by flouting rules.

The CBI officials said that they were looking into the matter.

Maharashtra

Youth are not with you, you are just doing politics, Shrikant Shinde attacks the opposition

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During the debate in the Lok Sabha on the amendment bill to prevent irregularities in public examinations, Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde lashed out at the opposition. He said that while the Modi government is taking decisive steps to secure the future of the youth, the opposition is merely playing politics over the students’ woes. Dr. Shinde remarked that the anger expressed by the youth should not be seen as a mere protest but as the beginning of a systemic change. No single exam determines the entire life of a student. If a student does not succeed in an exam, he should not despair but focus on the future of his life, his family and the country.

Urging the youth to draw inspiration from the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, he said that Shivaji Maharaj laid the foundation of Hindu Swarajya by conquering his first fort at the age of just sixteen. Today’s youth also have the power to change the nation. Only the right direction and a strong system are needed. Dr. Shinde said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has not only condemned the incidents of paper leaks but has also taken concrete steps to clean up the entire system. Citing the moral accountability of the government, he pointed out that Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned from his post, and now, through this amendment bill, arrangements are being made for fast-track courts so that the accused in the paper leak case are punished at the earliest. He stressed that the government’s aim is not just to imprison the culprits but to save a precious year of millions of students. Stressing the need for educational reforms, Dr. Shinde said that the result of years of hard work and the fulfillment of dreams of families should not depend on a single three-hour exam. Students should get the opportunity to appear for the exam several times a year. The government should also take steps towards developing a question bank system, reducing the increasing mental pressure on students and implementing effective regulations for the coaching industry. He said that the Mahayoti government in Maharashtra has taken a historic initiative to provide free education to the economically weaker sections and girls belonging to EC-BC categories. This government is not just making laws but is committed to comprehensive reforms in the education system. Attacking the opposition hard, Dr. Shrikant Shinde remarked that those who are now claiming to champion the youth failed to go to Jantar Mantar during the 37-day-long student protest. They feared the emergence of a new political alternative. Now, seeing their political platform slipping, they have started doing politics in the name of the youth. He challenged the opposition to first clarify whether the youth are really with them. Inciting the emotions of the students, abusing the government, and spreading misinformation does not offer any solution to the problem. In a democracy, the government interacted with the students, listened to their concerns, and even withdrew the cases registered against them in several instances. This shows the strength of democracy and the sensitivity of the Modi government. Dr. Shinde stressed that this amendment bill is not just a law to stop paper leaks but is a firm commitment to secure the future of millions of youth, ensure transparency in the examination system and bring about educational reforms. The opposition should put aside politics and stand in support of the youth of the country and their future. During the parliamentary debate on the Examination Reforms Bill, Shiv Sena MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde said that comprehensive reforms are needed in the examination system of the country. He pointed out that conducting important examinations like NEET only once a year puts unnecessary pressure on lakhs of students. Dr. Shinde noted that many students miss the examination due to illness, family reasons or other circumstances, with students from rural areas facing more difficulties in particular. In such a situation, they lose an entire year. He suggested that serious consideration should be given to conducting the NEET examination more than once a year. In many countries, such examinations are held twice a year. Implementing a similar system in India will give students a second chance and reduce mental stress. Dr. Shinde said that the systems governing not only NEET but also other competitive exams should be updated with the changing times to ensure fair and better opportunities for students.

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Maharashtra

Terror in Mumbai! Zulfikar gang accused of demanding a week’s notice from a builder and killing him, Mumbai Crime Branch action, 12 goons arrested

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed to have arrested gangster Zulfikar Behlim and his brother Mohsin Behlim for demanding a ransom of Rs 25 lakh from a builder. Both of them had demanded a ransom of Rs 25 lakh from the builder and also threatened to kill him. In this regard, the builder had registered a case against gangster Zulfiqar and his brother, including 12 gangsters. Crime Branch Unit 9 laid a trap and arrested these 12 accused while collecting the ransom. A case has been registered against the accused under the Extortion and Arms Acts. The court has ordered the accused to be remanded till July 31. Zulfikar and Mohsin had created terror in Mumbai city and suburbs and had also tried to demand ransom from several builders. Therefore, the police have appealed that if this gang has demanded ransom from anyone, they can register a complaint against them with the police and the Crime Branch. This action was taken by Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti Joint Police Commissioner Anil The investigation was carried out by Kanbhare DCP Nunath Dhole and Crime Unit In-charge Sachin Pranak.

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Crime

Odisha: Drug-addicted son kills father after argument over de-addiction medication

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Bhubaneswar, July 28: Within 24 hours of the gruesome murder of a woman allegedly by her husband in the Chakeisiani area under Mancheswar police station limits, another brutal killing occurred in the same police station area of Odisha’s Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, with a 50-year-old man allegedly beaten to death by his drug-addicted son.

Police identified the victim as S. Duryadhan (50), while the accused, S. Debaraj (25), is his only son.

The deceased Duryadhan worked as a labour contractor.

Upon being informed, the police along with the scientific team immediately reached the crime spot and launched an investigation into the case.

Speaking to reporters, Biswaranjan Senapati, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Zone V), said, “Preliminary investigation suggests that Debaraj killed his father following a dispute over his drug use.”

He also added that accused son was a habitual brown sugar addict and had earlier been admitted to a de-addiction centre by his father.

“Following medical advice, Duryodhan used to mix the prescribed de-addiction medicine into a bidi and ask his son to smoke it whenever he would ask for any normal cigarette or bidi. However, Debaraj disliked the arrangement and frequently engaged in heated arguments with his father over the issue,” Senapati said.

The ACP said a heated argument over the issue erupted on Monday night, forcing the accused’s mother and other family members to leave the house out of fear.

According to Senapati, only the father and son were at home on Tuesday morning when they again got into an argument after the victim offered his son a bidi containing the prescribed medicine, while the latter demanded a regular bidi.

Meanwhile, the accused suddenly went into a fury after Duryadhan insisted and attacked the victim with an iron pipe. He later bludgeoned his father with a stone.

“The family members also told us that the accused has a brain tumour and often gets furious all of a sudden. He has been detained at the police station and will be produced before the court later,” Senapati added.

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