Congress revives Haren Pandya murder case as Sunita Williams returns to Earth
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New Delhi: The Congress has brought back the Haren Pandya murder case into political discourse as NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Pandya’s cousin, returns to Earth. The party has questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sincerity in celebrating Williams' achievements, contrasting it with his alleged past indifference towards her due to her family ties with Pandya, a former Gujarat BJP minister assassinated in 2003.
The Congress Kerala unit posted on social media: "Modi pens a letter to Sunita Williams, and in all likelihood, she will put it in the trash. Why? She is Haren Pandya's cousin… He challenged Modi and was murdered during a 'morning walk'." The statement has reignited discussions about the case and its political implications.
Haren Pandya’s political rift with Modi
Pandya, a former Gujarat home minister, was a prominent BJP leader known for his RSS background. Tensions between him and Modi escalated in 2001 when he refused to vacate his Ellisbridge Assembly seat for Modi’s electoral entry into the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
The rift deepened in 2002 when Pandya allegedly testified before an independent panel, led by Justice V. R. Krishna Iyer, about Modi’s role in the Gujarat riots. Some reports claimed Pandya accused Modi of instructing officials to allow retaliatory violence after the Godhra train burning. Following this, Pandya was removed from his ministerial post, denied an election ticket, and later found dead on 26 March 2003 during his morning walk in Ahmedabad.
Controversial investigation and legal battles
The CBI initially linked Pandya’s murder to Islamic militants, claiming it was an act of revenge for the 2002 riots. In 2007, a Gujarat trial court convicted 12 individuals, but the Gujarat High Court overturned the convictions in 2011, calling the investigation “botched, misdirected, and perverse.” The Supreme Court reinstated the convictions in 2019, rejecting demands for a fresh probe. Pandya’s father, Vitthal Pandya, had repeatedly accused Modi of shielding the real culprits.
Sunita Williams and Modi’s selective recognition
Congress has also highlighted the BJP government’s past indifference towards Sunita Williams. Reports from The Telegraph in 2007 noted that despite her achievements and Gujarati heritage, Modi’s administration ignored her accomplishments. Williams had previously campaigned for Pandya in 1998 and joined his victory procession.
In contrast, Modi has now praised Williams in a personal letter, calling her one of India’s illustrious daughters. Congress alleges that this shift is politically motivated. While the BJP has dismissed these claims, the Haren Pandya case continues to be a point of contention in Modi’s political legacy.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
