Indian diplomat triggers controversy after suggesting Israel model for Kashmiri Pandits return
New York, Nov 27: A top Indian diplomat in the US has said that the Kashmiri Pandits could return to the Valley soon because "if the Israeli people can do it, we can also do it," sparking a controversy by mentioning the Israeli "model".
During a private event in the city that was attended by some members of the Kashmiri Pandit diaspora, India's Consul General in New York Sandeep Chakravorty spoke about the Abrogation of Article 370.
"I believe the security conditions in Jammu and Kashmir will improve. It will allow refugees to go back and in your lifetime, you will be able to go back...you will be able to go back to your home and you will find security. Because we already have a model in the world," he said, in an apparent reference to the Israeli settlement model.
"I don't know why we don't follow it. It has happened in the Middle East, you have to look, if the Israeli people can do it. We can also do it," he said in remarks that were recorded and then uploaded on social media.
His remarks sparked a controversy with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan targeting the Indian government over its Kashmir policy.
Reacting to the controversy, Chakravorty said that his remarks about Jammu and Kashmir and a reference to the Israeli issue have been taken out of context.
"I have seen some social media comments on my recent remarks. My remarks are being taken out of context," Chakravorty tweeted on Wednesday.
Israel has built about 140 settlements since its occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The settlements are widely considered illegal under international law. The US recently said that it no longer believes the Israeli settlements are illegal.
In his remarks during the meeting with the Kashmiri Pandits, Chakravorty also said that people have been talking about the Kashmiri culture.
Referring to a comment made by a guest on the Israeli issue and Jewish issue, he said, "they kept their culture alive for 2000 years outside the land and they went back. I think we all have to keep the Kashmiri culture alive. The Kashmiri culture is the Indian culture, it is the Hindu culture."
"None of us can imagine an India without Kashmir," he said.
He further said that he believes that in his lifetime, "we will have our land back, our people have to go back Give us some time, the government has done what it has done."
On August 5, India abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution to revoke Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated it into two union territories.
The Indian government would not have taken such a big international risk only to do the amendment, Chakravorty said to applause.
It was an international diplomatic struggle but "we have successfully stalled it," he added.
Pakistan reacted strongly to India's decision to abrogate Article 370 and downgraded bilateral ties and expelled the Indian envoy.
India has categorically told the international community that the scrapping of Article 370 was an internal matter. It has also advised Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
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Traffic fraud: Fake 'no-entry' sticker racket busted in Delhi, mastermind among 3 held
New Delhi (PTI): Police here have busted a crime syndicate involved in traffic fraud and extortion, arresting three people including the alleged mastermind who sold fake stickers to help commercial vehicles bypass no-entry restrictions, an official said on Saturday.
The police said they dismantled a third organised syndicate linked to traffic-related frauds, with the arrest of Rinku Rana alias Bhushan, his associate Sonu Sharma and Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, who was also connected to another extortion syndicate.
According to the police, Rinku Rana was running a well-organised network that facilitated the movement of commercial goods vehicles during restricted hours by selling fake 'marka' or stickers for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle every month. The stickers were falsely projected as authorisation to evade traffic challans.
During raids, the police recovered Rs 31 lakh in cash, property documents worth several crores of rupees, over 500 fake stickers and six mobile phones allegedly used to operate the syndicate.
The crackdown followed a complaint filed by a traffic police officer in April this year after a commercial vehicle tried to evade checking by producing a fake sticker claiming exemption from enforcement action.
Investigation revealed that social media groups were being used to coordinate the illegal movement of vehicles and alert drivers about traffic police checkpoints, police said.
"A parallel system was being run to cheat drivers and vehicle owners while undermining traffic enforcement. On the basis of evidence, provisions related to organised crime under the BNS were invoked," a senior police officer said.
Sonu Sharma, the police said, managed social media groups through which stickers were sold and real-time alerts were circulated regarding traffic police movement. He also acted as a link between Rana and drivers operating in the field.
In a related development, Mukesh Kumar alias Pakodi, an associate of Rajkumar alias Raju Meena, who was earlier arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), was also apprehended.
Mukesh allegedly helped extort money from transporters and was involved in blackmailing traffic police personnel by recording enforcement actions, the police said.
Investigators alleged the syndicate led by Rajkumar deployed drivers to deliberately violate traffic rules and secretly record police officials during challans, later using manipulated videos to extort money under threat of false allegations.
The police said that in total, eight accused belonging to three different organised crime syndicates linked to traffic frauds and extortion have been arrested so far.
Further investigation is underway to trace the remaining members, conduct financial probes, and analyse digital evidence recovered during the raids, officials added.
