Delhi Excise policy: ED arrests two persons
New Delhi (PTI): The ED has arrested two company executives linked to liquor trade in the money laundering investigation being conducted by it into the now scrapped Delhi Excise policy case, official sources said Thursday.
Benoy Babu of Pernod Ricard and Sharath Reddy of Aurobindo Pharma have been arrested under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted multiple raids in this case so far.
In September, it arrested Sameer Mahandru, managing director of a liquor manufacturing company Indospirit.
The agency early this month raided the premises of a PA of Delhi Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and later questioned him at its office in Delhi.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Sisodia as an accused among others. The CBI had raided the premises of the deputy chief minister and some Delhi government bureaucrats after filing the case.
The excise scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. The LG had also suspended 11 excise officials.
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School principal's 'speak in English' directive sparks FIR and protests in MP's Guna
Guna: A directive from Sister Catherine, the principal of Vandana Convent School in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, to "speak in English" has led to significant unrest, including an FIR and protests by ABVP activists.
The controversy began when Sister Catherine directed students to speak in English during the school assembly, a common directive in English-medium schools. However, this incident escalated after local daily Patrika published a report alleging that the principal “snatched the mic” from a student reciting a Sanskrit shloka. The report resulted in ABVP activists storming the school, demanding an apology from the principal, and the police filing an FIR against her for "hurting religious sentiments."
The incident unfolded at Vandana Convent School, one of the oldest English-medium schools in the district, two days after the Patrika article was published. The ABVP activists demanded that the school be shut down or that students recite the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan in the school assembly every day. Guna District Education Officer CS Sisodia also issued a show-cause notice threatening action against the school.
Sister Catherine clarified that the directive was a standard practice to encourage students to improve their English-speaking skills. "I asked the students to give their speeches in English, not to offend anyone’s religious sentiments," she explained. "If anyone was hurt, I apologize."
Despite her explanation, ABVP activists continued their protest, insisting on an apology from the principal. Sister Catherine noted that ABVP leader Saksham Dubey insisted on students reciting the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan and threatened further action against the school.
The school staff defended the principal, stating that it was a "normal directive" and that the local daily had published "fake news." They said that the school promotes linguistic skills in various languages, including Hindi and Sanskrit, and that designated days for public speaking in different languages are a regular part of the school curriculum.
The Patrika report, headlined "Convent school main Hindi Bolne par bachhon ke hath se cheena mic (Mic was snatched from students for speaking Hindi in convent school)," did not include details about the school's protocol for designated language days or the principal's prior instructions.
The school's alumni condemned the actions of the ABVP and the filing of the FIR. Harbeer Singh Sood, an alumnus and secretary of Guru Singh Sabha, described the incident as "given a political angle" and an "unfair FIR." Other alumni, including senior software engineer Rohit Rakhan and scientific officer Rajeev Dua, praised the school for its inclusive approach and commitment to quality education.
The school has responded to the DEO notice and sought protection from the district collector and superintendent of police. Despite police assurances, ABVP members continued their protest until Sister Catherine issued an apology. The matter remains under investigation.
ABVP members, after forcing the principal to apologize, allegedly further escalated the situation by urging some of the schoolchildren to join them in chanting "Jai Shri Ram."
Inputs from a story by News Laundry
ABVP members didn't stop there. After barging into the school campus and forcing the principal to apologize, they urged some school kids to join them and chant "Jai Shri Ram." https://t.co/DYe8hBiBn1 pic.twitter.com/sIm3um6XHF
— Prateek Goyal (@tweets_prateekg) July 24, 2024
