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Tag: Irfan Ansari

  • Bengal cash haul: Calcutta HC grants interim bail to three arrested Jharkhand MLAs

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to three Jharkhand MLAs arrested by West Bengal Police in Howrah district after nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from a car they were travelling in.

    The three Congress MLAs — Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari — were arrested after their car was intercepted on NH 16 at Panchla in Howrah district on July 30 and nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from the vehicle.

    A division bench comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Ananya Bandopadhyay granted interim bail to the three MLAs for three months and directed them to not leave the Kolkata municipal area during the period.

    The court also directed the three MLAs to appear before the investigating officer in the case once a week and to deposit their passports.

    The investigation into the case has been handed over to the state CID by the police authorities.

    The MLAs claimed that the money was meant for buying sarees for an Adivasi festival in Jharkhand.

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to three Jharkhand MLAs arrested by West Bengal Police in Howrah district after nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from a car they were travelling in.

    The three Congress MLAs — Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari — were arrested after their car was intercepted on NH 16 at Panchla in Howrah district on July 30 and nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from the vehicle.

    A division bench comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Ananya Bandopadhyay granted interim bail to the three MLAs for three months and directed them to not leave the Kolkata municipal area during the period.

    The court also directed the three MLAs to appear before the investigating officer in the case once a week and to deposit their passports.

    The investigation into the case has been handed over to the state CID by the police authorities.

    The MLAs claimed that the money was meant for buying sarees for an Adivasi festival in Jharkhand.

  • Bengal CID summons Assam businessman in Jharkhand MLAs’ cash seizure case

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: West Bengal Police has summoned Assam-based businessman Ashok Kumar Dhanuka in connection with its investigation into the Jharkhand MLAs’ cash seizure case.

    According to sources, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal pasted a notice on the gate of Dhanuka’s residence here, asking him to appear before its investigators in Kolkata on Monday.

    The businessman could not be reached for comment as his mobile phones were switched off.

    Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand – Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari – were arrested by West Bengal Police on July 31 after Rs 49 lakh in cash was seized from a car in which they were travelling.

    The West Bengal CID took over the investigation from the Howrah Rural Police.

    It is not immediately known when sleuths of the neighbouring state pasted the notice on the gate of Dhanuka’s residence.

    However, on August 3, a four-member team of the West Bengal CID had visited the BJP-ruled Assam as part of the investigation in the cash seizure case.

    The team wanted to collect CCTV footage of the Guwahati airport as it was alleged that the three Jharkhand MLAs had reached the Assam capital on July 29 and left the city the next day.

    The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the Hemant Soren government by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth to MLAs.

    The party has also dragged in the name of the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the alleged conspiracy, but these allegations were rubbished by the BJP, which claimed that the grand old party was trying to hide its own corruption after the cash was found.

    GUWAHATI: West Bengal Police has summoned Assam-based businessman Ashok Kumar Dhanuka in connection with its investigation into the Jharkhand MLAs’ cash seizure case.

    According to sources, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal pasted a notice on the gate of Dhanuka’s residence here, asking him to appear before its investigators in Kolkata on Monday.

    The businessman could not be reached for comment as his mobile phones were switched off.

    Three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand – Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari – were arrested by West Bengal Police on July 31 after Rs 49 lakh in cash was seized from a car in which they were travelling.

    The West Bengal CID took over the investigation from the Howrah Rural Police.

    It is not immediately known when sleuths of the neighbouring state pasted the notice on the gate of Dhanuka’s residence.

    However, on August 3, a four-member team of the West Bengal CID had visited the BJP-ruled Assam as part of the investigation in the cash seizure case.

    The team wanted to collect CCTV footage of the Guwahati airport as it was alleged that the three Jharkhand MLAs had reached the Assam capital on July 29 and left the city the next day.

    The Congress, which is a part of the JMM-led government in Jharkhand, alleged that the BJP was trying to topple the Hemant Soren government by offering Rs 10 crore each and a ministerial berth to MLAs.

    The party has also dragged in the name of the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the alleged conspiracy, but these allegations were rubbished by the BJP, which claimed that the grand old party was trying to hide its own corruption after the cash was found.

  • Congress suspends three Jharkhand MLAs held in Bengal with huge amount of cash

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday suspended three Jharkhand MLAs, who were caught allegedly with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal’s Howrah.

    The Congress had accused the BJP of trying to topple its coalition government in Jharkhand after the three MLAs were caught on Saturday.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party’s Jharkhand in-charge Avinash Pande said Congress president Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs with immediate effect.

    Acting on a tip-off, police on Saturday intercepted an SUV in which Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling on national highway-16 at Ranihati in Howrah and allegedly found a huge amount of cash in the vehicle.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter on Saturday that “The BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stands exposed tonight in Howrah. The game plan of ‘Hum Do’ in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing E-D duo.”

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday suspended three Jharkhand MLAs, who were caught allegedly with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal’s Howrah.

    The Congress had accused the BJP of trying to topple its coalition government in Jharkhand after the three MLAs were caught on Saturday.

    Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party’s Jharkhand in-charge Avinash Pande said Congress president Sonia Gandhi has suspended the three MLAs with immediate effect.

    Acting on a tip-off, police on Saturday intercepted an SUV in which Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling on national highway-16 at Ranihati in Howrah and allegedly found a huge amount of cash in the vehicle.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter on Saturday that “The BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stands exposed tonight in Howrah. The game plan of ‘Hum Do’ in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing E-D duo.”

  • ‘BJP’s Operation Lotus in Jharkhand exposed’: Congress after three MLAs caught with cash

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to topple its coalition government in Jharkhand after three MLAS were caught allegedly with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal’s Howrah, saying the saffron party’s game plan is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra.

    Acting on a tip-off, police on Saturday intercepted an SUV in which Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling on national highway-16 at Ranihati in Howrah and allegedly found a huge amount of cash in the vehicle.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter on Saturday that “The BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stands exposed tonight in Howrah. The game plan of ‘Hum Do’ in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing E-D duo.”

    After rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the Maharashtra chief minister recently, the Congress had hit out at the BJP for capturing power “unethically” The Jharkhand Congress also claimed that the huge amount of cash was part of a conspiracy by the BJP to topple the Hemant Soren government, of which it is a part along with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal.

    Howrah Superintendent of Police (Rural) Swati Bhangalia had said, “We had specific inputs that a huge amount of money was being transported in a black car. We started checking the vehicles and intercepted this SUV in which three Jharkhand MLAs were travelling. A huge amount of cash was found in the vehicle.”

    “Cash counting machines are being brought in to ascertain the total amount. The MLAs are also being questioned about the source of the money and where it was being taken to,” she added.

    Besides the MLAs, there were two other people in the SUV, which carried a board mentioning “MLA Jamtara Jharkhand” along with the Congress’ election symbol, police said.

    Ansari is the MLA of Jamtara, while Kachchap is the legislator of Khijri in Ranchi district and Kongari is the MLA of Kolebira in Simdega district.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress has accused the BJP of trying to topple its coalition government in Jharkhand after three MLAS were caught allegedly with a huge amount of cash in West Bengal’s Howrah, saying the saffron party’s game plan is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra.

    Acting on a tip-off, police on Saturday intercepted an SUV in which Congress MLAs Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were travelling on national highway-16 at Ranihati in Howrah and allegedly found a huge amount of cash in the vehicle.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter on Saturday that “The BJP’s ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jharkhand stands exposed tonight in Howrah. The game plan of ‘Hum Do’ in Delhi is to do in Jharkhand what they did in Maharashtra by installing E-D duo.”

    After rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the Maharashtra chief minister recently, the Congress had hit out at the BJP for capturing power “unethically” The Jharkhand Congress also claimed that the huge amount of cash was part of a conspiracy by the BJP to topple the Hemant Soren government, of which it is a part along with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal.

    Howrah Superintendent of Police (Rural) Swati Bhangalia had said, “We had specific inputs that a huge amount of money was being transported in a black car. We started checking the vehicles and intercepted this SUV in which three Jharkhand MLAs were travelling. A huge amount of cash was found in the vehicle.”

    “Cash counting machines are being brought in to ascertain the total amount. The MLAs are also being questioned about the source of the money and where it was being taken to,” she added.

    Besides the MLAs, there were two other people in the SUV, which carried a board mentioning “MLA Jamtara Jharkhand” along with the Congress’ election symbol, police said.

    Ansari is the MLA of Jamtara, while Kachchap is the legislator of Khijri in Ranchi district and Kongari is the MLA of Kolebira in Simdega district.

  • People in Afghanistan are happy with Taliban rule, says Jharkhand Congress MLA

    Express News Service

    RANCHI: Irfan Ansari, Congress MLA from Jharkhand’s Jamtara, has once again has landed in controversy by saying that people in Afghanistan are happy with the Taliban rule and it is the US forces which had been doing atrocities on the women and children in Afghanistan. Notably, Ansari is also among three Congress MLAs who have been named for conspiring to topple the JMM-led alliance government in Jharkhand.

    After attending the first day of the monsoon session of Jharkhand Assembly on Friday, Ansari also said Taliban is fighting a battle against the atrocities of the US forces over the women and children of Afghanistan. “People in Afghanistan are happy with Taliban rule. It is the American forces which had been doing atrocities on the women and children in Afghanistan. This is a battle against those atrocities and the rest is propaganda by the outsiders,” he said.

    The BJP has strongly opposed Ansari’s statement saying that this is a reflection of a thinking due to which the whole world is suffering. It also demanded CM Hemant Soren to clear his stand on the statement made by Ansari.

    “The entire world is watching the actual face of Taliban. These kind of radical Islamists have been helping such forces to nurture. If Ansari likes Taliban so much, he is free to move to Afghanistan,” said Jharkhand State BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha. “Such kind of thinking will not be allowed to get nurtured and if someone tries to give shelter to them, stringent action will be taken against them,” he added.

    “I also demand CM Hemant Soren to clear his stand on this statement. Being the Chief Minister, he must tell people whether he also agrees to the statement made by Irfan Ansari, or he differs with it,” said Sinha.

    It is a well established fact that the three MLAs – Irfan Ansari, Uma Shankar Akela and Amit Yadav were present in a Delhi Hotel on July 15 along with the three Maharsashta BJP leaders for holding secret parley with two of Maharashtra based BJP leaders allegedly for toppling the Hemant Soren government. Ansari even confessed his Delhi visit but denied his involvement in the shady deal.

  • Congress MLA Irfan Ansari performs puja at Baidyanath Dham, BJP MP demands his arrest

    By PTI
    DEOGHAR: Jharkhand’s Congress MLA Irfan Ansari on Wednesday performed puja at the famous Baidyanath Dham temple at Deoghar, considered to be the most sacred abode of Lord Shiva, creating a controversy.

    Claiming that entry of non-Hindus is not allowed in the temple, BJP MP Dr Nishikant Dubey demanded immediate arrest of Ansari.

    The MLA of Jamtara, along with his companions, entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple and performed the puja.

    Photographs of the act were also taken.

    Ansari claimed that he has been coming to the Baidyanath Dham temple since his childhood to take the blessings of Lord Shiva.

    “Whenever elections come, I have been blessed by Baba Bhole (Lord Shiva) and I have won. Who is Nishikant Dubey to take me away from Baba?” Ansari said.

    Dubey, the MP of Godda, demanded that the states JMM-led government order arrest of Ansari and take action against the deputy commissioner and the superintendent of police of Deoghar for allowing this to happen.

    “No non-Hindu has entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Baba temple till date.

    Just as the entry of non-Muslims is forbidden in the Kaaba in Mecca, the entry of non-Hindus into the Baba temple is also forbidden,” he told a press conference.

    Kaaba is a small shrine located inside the Great Mosque in Mecca and considered by Muslims as the holiest spot on Earth.

    Dubey said that once National Confrence leader Farooq Abdullah, when he was a Union minister, came to Deoghar and bowed down to Baba with folded hands from outside, but did not enter the sanctum sanctorum.