Indian security forces in the Shopian district of the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have eliminated four militants belonging to the banned Islamic terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, reports Zee News.
“One more unidentified terrorist killed in Shopian encounter, total of four terrorists affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT killed, incriminating materials including arms and ammunition recovered. Search going on,” police said.
The encounter took place in the Manihal area of the Shopian district where a joint team of security forces of CRPF, Indian Army and J&K Police personnel, had launched a cordon and search operation following information about the presence of terrorists in the region.
Last week, two top commanders of a terrorist outfit were killed in Rawalpora village in Shopian, the Police said. Among the dead was Vilayat Ahmad Lone alias Sajjad Afghani of Shopian, the Jaish-e-Mohammad commander in Shopian.
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On March 22, a combined operation launched by the Indian Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police (J&K) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) eliminated four terrorists who had an allegiance with the banned Islamic terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Taking cognisance of the situation, the army asked the local militants to surrender with the assurance that they will be treated humanely and that the government will do everything to help rehabilitate them.
As the negotiations moved forward, the army even got hold of the wife of one of the terrorists and his four-year-old son to ask him to surrender and she asked her husband to surrender for the sake of the children. The army even allowed his son to speak to him and the child asked his father to come back.
However, the other three militants did not allow that to happen. The security forces could have taken them down but they waited till the morning hoping they would be able to reach an accord.
The army suffered one injury when a soldier risked his own life trying to talk to these misguided men. The soldier in question belonged to the 34 Rashtriya Rifles, according to GOC Victor force commander Maj Gen Rashim Bali.
As a last ditch attempt to reason with the surrounded militants, the army brought a man who was a former Lashkar terrorist and brother-in-law of one of the men. When that overture also failed and the militants opened fire on the security forces, the army was left with no choice but to retaliate which resulted in their death.
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This is Part 1 of a Special Report on the Kerala-based Christian evangelical organisation, Gospel For Asia, and the Believers Eastern Church. Part 2 of the Report can be read here.
A series of actions taken by various Indian law enforcement agencies and Indian tax authorities against Kerala-based Gospel for Asia headed by self-styled Bishop Moran Mor Athanasius Yohan I Metropolitan, Believers Eastern Church, have brought to light large-scale diversion of donor funds for acquisition of assets and investment in “for profit” activities by one of India’s largest evangelical organisation. Further, the same organisation is facing a class action suit in Canada from aggrieved donors and has just settled another class action suit in USA from aggrieved donors whose noble intentions of helping the poor and needy in India were dashed to the ground by Gospel for Asia’s fund diversion.
On 5th March, 2021, Income Tax Department, Government of India had attached Cheruvally estates owned by Believer’s church, headed by self-styled Bishop K P Yohanan. Earlier, the I-T raids in Believers church establishments had unearthed ₹ 6,000 crore black-money scam. Now, the IT department has attached 2000 acres of land which Believers church took over from Harrisons Malayalam.
On 5th Nov, 2020, Income Tax authorities in India raided multiple premises of Gospel for Asia, Believers Church and its associates. The press release by Income tax department said that unexplained cash of approximately ₹6 crore has also been found during the search, including ₹ 3.85 crore in a place of worship in Delhi. The search has led to unearthing of a number of real estate transactions involving unaccounted cash payments. Related documents such as sale agreements, etc. have been seized. The group has also inflated the price in real estate transactions to show as if the money received in donations is being spent on the activities of the trusts. The evidence found so far indicate that the siphoning of funds in cash may be running into hundreds of crores of rupees.
FCRA Licenses of GFA-Believers Church Cancelled in 2017:
In October 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, cancelled the FCRA Registration of the Believers Church and three of its affiliates — Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia India), Love India Ministries and Last Hour Ministry. During FY16, Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia) was the single largest recipient of foreign aid in the country as it received ₹ 826.27 crore. Believers Church had received ₹ 342.64 crore, Last Hour Ministry ₹ 103.51 crore and Love India Ministries ₹ 76.23 crore during FY16.
In the words of Warren Throckmorton, a blogger who has meticulously documented and pursued Gospel for Asia-Believer’s Church –
Furthermore, GFA still isn’t being transparent with donors about the charity registration situation in India. GFA and Believers Church in India lost their registration status in India and cannot directly take foreign contributions. No doubt GFA is sending funds to shell organizations in India but this violates the law there. I and others have repeatedly asked GFA how Bridge of Hope and flood relief funds are getting to Indian recipients, but they have given false answers. It seems to me that GFA is setting themselves up for more such accusations by not telling donors that the funds for Indian missionaries, Indian children sponsored through Bridge of Hope, and other India-specific donations have been restricted from India.
While Gospel for Asia (GFA) and its associate Believer’s Church are facing action by Indian authorities, GFA has been facing law suits in USA and Canada. Right from 2014, GFA has been under severe criticism from donors, auditors, ex-employees and others who are following the activities of GFA. There have been a steady stream of accusations against GFA about its utilisation of donor funds and huge gaps between funds collected from donors and funds utilised at the field for purposes specified by the donors. Huge sums of donor money had reported vanished or was diverted for acquiring assets or investments in “for profits” business ventures.
Gospel for Asia Settles RICO Lawsuit in USA; Agrees to $37-Million Settlement
Between 2007 and 2013 ― the complaint alleges ― the GFA solicited over $450 million in donations from United States donors, with over one million unique donations made each year.
The lawsuit (since settled) had alleged that ministry leaders were “covertly diverting the money to a multi-million dollar personal empire.” The lawsuit had asked a U.S. District Court to order money returned to unwitting donors whose well-intentioned contributions were, according to the lawsuit, misappropriated. The lawsuit accused GFA founder and leader K.P. Yohannan of funnelling millions of dollars into a variety of for-profit businesses and a lavish 350-acre compound that is home to GFA’s sprawling headquarters in Wills Point, Texas.
GFA promised donors their contributions would be used for specific purposes the donors themselves selected, the lawsuit noted, such as buying blankets or camels for poor families or motorbikes for missionaries, especially in regions of South Asia, where the ministry concentrates most of its work. GFA did not keep such promises, the lawsuit contended.
On 28th February, 2019, Gospel for Asia filed documents in court settling with plaintiffs Garland and Phyllis Murphy by agreeing to set aside $37-million in a Settlement Fund to provide relief for donors as well as cover court costs and attorneys’ fees. GFA continued to deny wrongdoing but nonetheless agreed to establish a stunning settlement fund of $37-million. GFA also agreed to have Dr. Murphy join the board of the organization. Murphy and GFA will also work together to designate a replacement for K.P. Yohannan’s wife who will go off of the GFA board. GFA also agreed not to appoint any other relative of Yohannan to the board. GFA also agreed to create a board subcommittee which shall not include Yohannan in order to provide oversight for the organization’s compliance with the settlement. The mission organization also agreed to comply with Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability guidelines and seek readmission to membership. [Click here to read the full settlement]
This is certainly a huge development in view of the fact that at one point of time, Gospel for Asia was the second largest Christian missionary organisation in the USA and the highest recipient of foreign currency donations amongst all NGOs in India. This should serve as a warning to all mega churches in USA and elsewhere in the world. Donors who had parted with their hard earned money thinking that their money is being used to serve the poor and needy across the world would surely welcome this settlement. Gospel for Asia continue to bluster and spin tales hanging onto to “settlement is not an admission of guilt”.
After settling the $37-million fraud lawsuit with new board member Garland Murphy, Gospel for Asia now wants donors to re-gift their settlement funds back to Gospel for Asia. According to an appeal letter received by a former donor, GFA is spending promotional money in an attempt to recapture their losses. Take a look:
Image Credits: wthrockmorton.com
Image Credits: wthrockmorton.com
Donors receiving refund cheques following the settlement of the fraud lawsuit started receiving mails from Gospel for Asia to re-donate the refund! During the week of October 28, former donors to Gospel for Asia received the first of two checks as a part of the massive $37 million fraud lawsuit settlement. Shortly after receiving their checks, those same donors promptly received a mailing asking for them to re-gift those funds to GFA. One such donor posted a partial photo of his letter.
A copy of a letter from Gospel For Asia asking a donor to re-donate a refund that was received after a legal settlement | Credits: Twitter
Gospel for Asia faces class-action lawsuit in Canada for $100 million fraud:
Even as Gospel for Asia settled the USA class action suit for US $37 million, in February, 2020, Gospel for Asia became the focus of yet another class-action lawsuit filed in Canada. The Plaintiff alleged the charity “defrauded or made negligent misstatements” to him and other donors. The statement of claim also said the “defendants civilly conspired to misrepresent the nature of donations collected.” The plaintiff alleged that the money raised didn’t go where it was supposed to and sought damages for the “misuse of donor funds in excess of $100 million.” [For more details on the suit, click here]
More details on the alleged fund-diversions and other illegalities perpetrated by Gospel For Asia will be disclosed in the successive parts of the Special Report, which will be published in the coming days.
Acknowledgement: The author of this report acknowledges the efforts made by Warren Throckmorton, a blogger and professor at Grove City College (https://www.wthrockmorton.com/), who has meticulously documented, from 2015 onwards, all issues relating to GFA. Despite threats of legal action, he has exposed the misdeeds of Gospel For Asia and Believers Church.
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In a video that is recently going viral on social media, an entire village can be seen preventing the DMK cadres from entering inside. The video shows a group of DMK men trying to get down from their car and enter a village for campaigning.
A swarm of people immediately surrounded them as well as the car who were found to be struggling to move amidst the crowd who became restless. The party cadres can be seen trying to reason with the villagers but to no avail.
As a few of the party members were found to be looking down from the truck, the crowd surrounded those who had gotten down, and the situation look like it is nowhere near getting resolved.
Later, one DMK man violently waved his arms and asked the crowd to disperse, but the public refuse to budge. Finally, a senior party member asked his party members to get back into the car. This incident become viral on social media.
Mahboob Akbarali of Ramanathapuram and Hassan Rafiuddin of Chennai, who were on a flight from Dubai, were detained by airport customs officers upon receiving a tip from the National Intelligence Agency.
The police found their hairstyle to be suspicious. Upon examining them, it was revealed that they were wearing a wig and that a part of the head had been shaved. Two packets of gold glue weighing 698 grams were found hidden under the wigs they were wearing. 595 grams of gold was confiscated from them.
Similarly, Syed Ahmedullah of Ramanathapuram, Santosh Selvam of Salem and Abdullah of Chennai, who were travelling by flight from Dubai to Chennai in Dubai and Sharjah last Friday, were detained by customs at the outer gate of the airport.
Examining them as their hairstyle was suspicious, it was found that part of the head had been shaved and they were wearing a wig. It was revealed that 3 packets containing gold glue weighing 2410 grams were hidden inside the wigs they were wearing. 2.08 kg of gold worth ₹96.57 lakh was seized and seized under the Customs Act. All three were arrested.
In another case, four passengers on their way to Sharjah were stopped by customs officials at the departure terminal on their way to a security compound after immigration control checks. After examining their hair, it was revealed that all four passengers were wearing wigs. 67500 Saudi Riyals were stored inside their wigs. In addition to this, 4750 US dollars, 6500 drams and 800000 dachas were seized from their pocket pockets.
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It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that in some places bikes are used by some antisocial elements to intimidate the voters before the poll day and on poll day.
The Commission has considered the above issue and has decided that Bike Rallies shall not be allowed at any place 72 hours before the date of poll and on the Poll day in all poll going constituencies.
Instructions in this regard have been issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of the poll-bound states/UT, which is available on ECI’s website. There was also a letter issued by the Chief Election Commissioner to the polling officers for all five states.
The letter read:
“It has been brought to the notice of the Commission that in some places bikes are used by some antisocial elements to intimidate the voters before the Poll day and on Poll day.
The Commission has considered the above issue and has decided that Bike Rallies shall not be allowed at any place 72 hours before date of poll and/or on the Poll day in all poll going constituencies.
This is in supersession of all instructions issued from time to time-related to the matter mentioned above.
Kindly inform all concerned stakeholders including candidates/political parties and Commission’s Observers for strict compliance.”
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In the Muslim-dominated area of Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi, a Muslim mob on Saturday (20 March) night attacked a Dalit colony in the area after news emerged of a Hindu man marrying his Muslim girlfriend.
Last month, Bajrang Dal member Rinku Sharma had been stabbed to death in his house by a Muslim mob in the Mangolpuri area in Delhi.
Videos of Muslim men rampaging through the by-lanes of the Hindu Dalit locality in Sarai Kale Khan went viral on social media, after being widely shared on the internet.
Video: Muslim mob attacking Dalit colony in Delhi's Sarai Kaale Khan area after a Dalit boy married a Muslim girl.https://t.co/8EmhEQkk59
After the attack, which was intended to cause harm to the family members of the boy who married his Muslim girlfriend, the family ran away to their relatives’ place in Ghaziabad.
A mob of more than 50 Muslims, armed with rods, sticks and swords attacked suddenly Saturday night. As per the locals in that area, the attackers wanted revenge for the marriage and attacked Hindu women and children.
So far, four men ― identified as Farman, Shahrukh, Hasan Ali and Raza Ahmed ― have been arrested.
“Sumit married Khushi Ahmed on March 14. Khushi’s brother, Farman & others raided Sumit’s house and went on a rampage on Saturday”, tweeted Raj Shekhar Jha, a journalist with Times of India.
According to the victim’s sister and women from the neighbourhood, the Muslim men tried to enter houses of Hindus and tried to molest girls.
In a video shared on Twitter by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Hari Manjhi, women from the neighbourhood quoted the Muslim men as saying, “If a Hindu takes one of our girls, we will carry away all the girls from you”.
Locals were also angry that it took the police more than an hour to reach the area. The mob also turned their ire on the vehicles parked outside and caused damage to property. When the police reached the spot, the damage was already done. Later, the paramilitary force had to be deployed in the area to control the situation.
What residents of Sarai Kale Khan told me: Demography-wise, a little more than 50% is Muslim. Hindus mostly Dalits. Land owned primarily by Gujjars, who have built buildings with large number of small one-room sets. 75% of Muslim residents are tenants living in these buildings
Sarai Kale Khan violence: Valmiki man and Muslim woman married in temple on 17. Yesterday, the woman gave statement of consent first in court then in police station. The couple left for another city late evening for safety. Within an hour, a mob attacked entire Harijan basti
It is clear that the marriage between the Dalit man his Muslim girlfriend was consensual and the girl has given a statement in the police station saying that she was not coerced to marry the man.
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K Annamalai, former Indian Police Officer (IPS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate for Aravakurichchi assembly seat in Tamil Nadu was challenged by a local village jamaat’s (Muslim society body) order banning the party and Annamalai from entering their village.
In a video that is making the rounds on social media, the former IPS officer turned BJP leader was seen talking openly that the party will enter Pallapatti and the party does not need the jamaat’s permission to enter the village for electioneering.
BJP Aravakurichi candidate Shri. Annamalai's response to Jamaat's ban on BJP entering Pallapatti for seeking votes. Annamalai emphasized that he understands and respects Islam. He challenges Jamaat members for a debate on Islam. Jamaat must facilitate people to know and decide pic.twitter.com/hSb9MLTTVr
He further said that he was willing to debate the BJP’s record on welfare schemes and social reform initiatives targeted at the Islamic community and he is willing to debate the BJP’s performance for the last six years against the Congress’ ten years in power from the perspective of welfare schemes aimed at minorities.
The Singham, as he was fondly known, also said it was the BJP that got rid of Triple Talaq and how Modi helped Muslim women. Annamalai who has experience in handling law and order situations, issued a challenge saying that he was willing to debate the best theology scholar the jamaat can send and a group of people cannot speak for the entire Islamic community or religion.
Annamalai went on to say that the jamaat should change its name to the main opposition party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and not just act as its extension and said that Muslim women will give more votes to the BJP alliance then the DMK.
The jamaat is very strict in this area and said that the women of the community must adhere to a strict Islamic dress code (burka) and women must not attend political meetings.
Annamalai had served in the Karnataka cadre for 10 years before resigning from the police service in 2019 and got the name Singham of Karnataka for his sense of justice and service and held the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Bengaluru South) prior to his resignation.
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Balamurugan, the driver of former IPS officer K. Annamalai, who is contesting as the BJP’s MLA candidate from Aravakurichi assembly constituency, was attacked by DMK goons in Karur on Sunday (March 21).
Annamalai was seen campaigning near Punnam Chattram Cheran School in area when, suddenly, goons allegedly sent by DMK’s Karur constituency candidate Senthil Balaji stormed the venue to attack Annamalai.
Balamurugan, the driver of the BJP campaign vehicle, was severely beaten up and suffered injuries in the head. He fell unconscious at the scene.
P. Karthi, who was with them, was also attacked. Both have been admitted to a private hospital in Karur.
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General Bajwa was addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue and in his speech, he said the key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia depends on stable Indo-Pak relations which will then ensure connectivity between East and West Asia.
However, in his speech, Bajwa did mention Kashmir as the core issue and said, “The Kashmir issue is obviously at the heart of disputes. It is important to understand that without the resolution of Kashmir dispute through peaceful means, [the] process of sub-continental rapprochement will always remain susceptible to derailment due to politically motivated bellicosity,”.
He also added that the onus of peace lies with India and said, “Our neighbor will have to create a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir.”
This is the first so-called overture made by Pakistan to India after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35a by the Modi government in 2019.
Since the Uri terror attack and the subsequent surgical strike by the Indian Army to take out Pakistani terror launchpads, India has not initiated any dialogue with Pakistan. Things got further deteriorated after the Pulwama suicide attack that killed 40 Para-Military personal and the airstrike on Balkot that destroyed terror camps of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Also, India had made it very clear that normal neighborly relations with Pakistan are only possible when the terror apparatus in Pakistan is dismantled and an end of hostility and violence.
This declaration of peace should not come as a surprise because Prime Minister Imran Khan while inaugurating the summit, had said that Pakistan was trying to bring in peace, but added a caveat that India would have to take the first step to normalize ties and said Pakistan will provide a direct route to the Central Asian region which will economically benefit India as Central Asia is rich in oil and gas.
This outreach to India for peace is a well-thought-out strategy because right now Pakistan’s economy is in a very bad state with a mountain debt. and there are fears that months after Saudi Arabia had sought the early repayment of a $3 billion loan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), could also do the same and ask for their money back.
Pakistan was also shocked when India stood toe to toe against China in Ladakh where the Chinese had to disengage after they realized that if they start a conflict with India, there is no solution for the conflict termination or resolution. China’s showboating did not affect the Indian military or the Modi government and it ended up costing China economically. Also, India’s Covid vaccine outreach program and the successful development of its indigenous vaccine only elevated India’s stature globally.
Also, Pakistan is dependent on the World Health Organisation (WHO) for receiving the Covid-19 vaccine under the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (Gavi) and as per reports Imran Khan got his vaccination done today (18 March).
However, Pakistan is mostly worried about the Quad group of nations which recently held a summit where the heads of state of India, the US, Australia, and Japan took part and discussed many important topics. Also, America asking India to be part of the peace negotiation between the Taliban and the elected Afghan government has not gone well with Pakistan which considers Afganistan as its strategic backyard.
But it cannot be ruled out that the Americans are also behind this as they desperately want India in Afghanistan and told Pakistan to toss the idea of routs to Central Asia which in reality will be economically beneficial for India and the entire region and at the same time counter China growing ambitions in Central Asia through its Belt and Road Initiative as they are trying to do the same in the Indo-Pacific region.
During his speech, Bajwa tried to draw references from the Cold War and said various powers centers will ultimately lead to another Cold War due to unsettled issues in South Asia that are dragging the entire region back into poverty and underdevelopment.
Bajwa also talked about poverty and linked that with the regional tension that had hindered regional connectivity and integration and said how Pakistan has resisted the temptation to become part of the arms race or increase the defense budget despite rising security challenges wherein if there was peace the money could be spent on human development.
This was a direct reference to India’s ongoing defense modernization plans as the Indian military is gearing up for new challenges in the coming years. India enjoys access to some of the best weapons platforms in the world as more and more weapons manufacturers are getting into a joint venture with private Indian companies.
But what India must internalize that both Khan and General Bajwa though talked about peace & security in the region, did not give up on Kashmir which they consider as an outstanding dispute and there are no specifics on any action plan.
Ceasefire at the LAC can never be a prerequisite for talks nor can it be used as some positive measures in Kashmir to ease pressure on the Pakistan government before restoring the normal diplomatic ties as there are still active terror threats emanating from Pakistan. Also, Pakistan is in no position to ask the Modi government to take back Article 370 which will be a deal-breaker.
Bajwa’s call to bury the past and move forward is easier said than done because first, he would have to dismantle Islamic jihadist terror networks which the Pakistan army has called its strategic asset. Also, they would have to stop providing material support to Islamic terror groups, Khalistanis, and Maoists in India.
The geostrategic location Pakistan enjoys has its advantages but that old tosh has run its course. This call for peace is nothing but an attempt of desperation and a ruse to get India to talk. If India refuses, Pakistan will again play the victim card of the big brother being unfair to the little brother and score a diplomatic point and hope there will be international pressure on India.
There is also a threat of the FATF blacklisting Pakistan. However, that is unlikely to happen but being on the gray list until June 2021 has its consequences. Being on the FATF’s “gray” list means that Pakistan will not get any access to finances in the form of investments and aid from the International Monetary Fund(IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank(ADB), and the European Union.
For Pakistan, nothing is more important than getting aid and loan from financial institutions like the IMF. However, no amount of money can kick start their economy as the rot in the system is institutional. Plus Pakistan mostly has an informal economy ad it also depends on remittance.
However, they find themselves where they can no longer extort money or concessions. The idea of Pakistan as a gateway to Central Asia for India is quite old; however, India will not bite into this old trick used by Pakistan since 1947 when it managed to get a lot of aid from America and in return gave nothing.
The article was originally published in Aseema and has been republished here with permission.
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