Arms licences of BJP MLA seen dancing with guns suspended

Agencies
July 13, 2019

Haridwar, Jul 13: Three arms licenses of Uttarakhand MLA Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion, seen dancing with two pistols and a carbine in a viral video, have been suspended, officials said on Saturday.

Suspended from the party for an indefinite period after the video came out, the BJP MLA has also got a notice from the party why he should not be expelled.

"After getting reports from the Haridwar police, I have suspended three licences of (Kunwar Pranav Singh) Champion," District Magistrate Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary said.

Under the notice, Champion has been asked to reply within 15 days as to why the licences of all the three weapons should not be cancelled, he added.

The action came following a report by Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Janmejay Khanduri that the licenses of the three weapons - a double barrel rifle, a revolver and a modified carbine, should be cancelled on security and safety reasons.

"There are some cases against Champion. So we have decided to recommend the cancellation of the licences," said Khanduri.

Champion has criticized the move saying his son, who is a shooter, used to practice with these weapons. "With this decision, the sports future of my son looks bleak," he told his supporters.

State BJP President Ajay Bhatt on Wednesday had served notice seeking Champion explain why he should not be expelled as the opposition launched scathing attack on the ruling party on the issue. Led by state Congress Vice President Suryakant Dhasmana, a host of Congress leaders sought strict action against Champion - a former Congress MLA - on the basis of this video and called for filing an FIR against him.

"In a section of media there are reports that Champion has been expelled from the party. But we want to clarify that a decision to expel Champion would be taken after the reply of Champion to the notice," state BJP spokesman Devendra Bhasin said.

He also said that senior party leaders have also asked the central leadership to decide on the expulsion of Champion.

On the other hand, senior police officials clarified that no FIR has been filed against Champion so far in the incident. The application regarding the FIR has been forwarded to Haridwar for further action, said a police official.

Dancing to the tune of "Gup Chup" song from Bollywood blockbuster "Karan Arjun", Champion is seen holding a pistol in his mouth and a carbine in one hand while there is another pistol in the other hand. Holding a glass of whiskey, he is even seen allegedly abusing Uttarakhand.

After remaining in controversies for a long time, Champion had been suspended for three months by the ruling BJP last month, after a preliminary report prepared by the state party unit's disciplinary committee found him guilty of gross indiscipline and also took cognizance of his alleged threats to a journalist.

A video had gone viral last month also in which Champion, the MLA from Khanpur, was seen threatening an electronic media journalist.

He was also in the news for publicly making fun of fellow party MLA Deshraj Karnawal, and later challenging him to a wrestling match to settle their long-standing dispute. Karnwal however did not turn up for the match.

Champion, who wanted a ticket for his wife for the Lok Sabha polls from Haridwar, had described the then sitting MP from the seat and now Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank as a "migratory bird".

Champion was among the nine Congress MLAs who had rebelled against then Chief Minister Harish Rawat and crossed over to the BJP in 2016. Later all the nine MLAs were disqualified by the Speaker under the anti-defection law.

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News Network
March 14,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 14: “Hindutva is my commitment and development is my priority,” said Indian army veteran and entrepreneur Captain Brijesh Chowta after the BJP high command announced a ticket to him from Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.

Known as a BJP stronghold, Nalin Kumar Kateel has served as the MP of this constituency for the past 15 years.

Soon after the announcement was made, 42-year-old Chowta, who is also the BJP state secretary from Dakshina Kannada constituency, sought the blessings of his parents and went to Shree Sharavu Mahaganapathi Temple and visited the war memorial to offer tributes.

A BSc graduate from St Aloysius College, he completed his executive business Management program from the Indian Institute of Management, Indore.

He was commissioned into the 7th battalion of the 8 Gorkha Rifles and served in counter-insurgency operations in Assam and Manipur and was part of Elite Ghatak team. He also served as the adjutant to the battalion. He has been associated with the BJP since 2013. He is the president of Mangaluru Kambala and organiser of Mangaluru Lit Fest.

“Humbled and grateful to our party seniors led by our commander-in-chief PM Narendra Modi for giving me this opportunity to be our party’s candidate and representative of his work and vision in Dakshina Kannada. I pledge to continue to work with even greater rigour for the welfare of our region and people driven by the mantra of ‘Nation First’. I humbly bow down to all our karyakartas & everyone who stood by me & toiled with me to make this happen. Our task has just begun, as we work towards making Dakshina Kannada the number one in the state,” Captain Chowta said on X.

Kateel welcomes change 

Meanwhile, sitting Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel has welcomed the party’s decision to field Capt Brijesh Chowta as the BJP candidate for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency.

He said the change aligns with the party’s strategy of fostering new talent to broaden its base and activities. He hoped that he will win by a margin of more than 3 lakh votes.

Soon after the list was announced on Wednesday, the three-time MP told reporters that he has brought projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore during the last 10 years, under the Modi government.

He thanked the party for giving him a big responsibility of leading the party in the state. “I have worked honestly,” he said.

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News Network
March 15,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 15: Former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act on Thursday for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor at his residence in Bengaluru last month.

Yediyurappa, 81, was booked after a woman lodged a complaint saying that she visited his residence on February 2 seeking justice in a rape case against her daughter and sought that a special investigation team (SIT) be formed to look into the case.

According to the first information report (FIR), Yediyurappa allegedly took the minor to a room, closed the door and sexually assaulted her. The woman further alleged in the FIR that when she confronted Yediyurappa, he said that he was checking if the girl was raped or not. Yediyurappa later allegedly apologised and asked the woman not to reveal the matter to anyone.

The Sadashivanagar police in Bengaluru have registered a case under Section 8 (commit sexual assault) of the Pocso Act and Section 354 (a) (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Reacting to the allegations, the former CM said that around one-and-a-half months ago, they (the victim and her mother) had come to his house seeking help and he had taken them inside. 

“After listening to her, I called the city police commissioner B Dayananda over phone seeking to address her problem. Later, they spoke against me and I then suspected that there is some health problem with her. I sent them to city police commissioner’s office. I even gave her some money as they were in distress. I came to know that an FIR has been registered and will look into it. But this is what I get for helping someone,” he added.

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News Network
March 22,2024

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday produced Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal before the Rouse Avenue court and sought a 10-day custody in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. "Kejriwal was the kingpin of the scam," the ED reportedly told the court after the AAP chief was produced before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja around 2 pm amid tight security. 

ASG S V Raju was appearing for the agency, while Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Kejriwal. 

Raju in his argument said Kejriwal was "directly involved in formulation of the (liquor) policy... he was involved in handling of proceeds of crime as well in the Goa election campaign."

"The expert committee was constituted but it was a sham committee. The policy was made in such a manner that it would enable the taking of bribes and recoupment of people who gave the bribes," the ED counsel said. 

Kejriwal was produced in the trial court shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Kejriwal's counsel said he would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and then come back to the apex court with another petition.

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