IPS Officer Rahul Kumar transferred days after foiling riot plot in Ratlam, booking Hindutva leaders
Ratlam (Madhya Pradesh): In a controversial development, IPS officer Rahul Kumar Lodha, who successfully prevented a communal riot in Ratlam on September 7 and booked 13 leaders from right-wing groups, was transferred within two days of the incident.
The attempted unrest began when right-wing groups in Ratlam spread rumors of stone-pelting on a Ganesh idol during a procession. In response, the group raised provocative slogans outside a police station, pelted stones at the police, and later targeted Muslim neighborhoods. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rahul Lodha acted to prevent the situation from escalating further, registering cases against 13 leaders involved in the incident, including several with criminal histories.
While the police were quick to intervene and control the situation, some members of the group who had participated in the Ganesh procession gathered at the police station, demanding that an FIR be registered. The mob became violent, vandalizing vehicles and shops in the Hathikhan area, prompting the police to use force to disperse them. Following this, the police registered a case against unidentified individuals, which included the name of Jalaj Sakhla, the district vice president of the BJP Yuva Morcha.
Hindu organizations, expressing dissatisfaction with the police action, submitted a memorandum protesting the booking of their leaders while criticizing the police for not identifying the alleged stone pelters. They warned of further agitation if the authorities failed to act against those responsible for the initial stone pelting within 24 hours.
Later that night, around midnight, in a sudden administrative reshuffle, SP Rahul Lodha was transferred from his post in Ratlam to SP Rail, Bhopal. Narsinghpur SP Amit Kumar was appointed as the new SP of Ratlam. Lodha’s transfer has sparked outrage among many citizens, with netizens praising his efforts to prevent communal violence and suggesting that his removal was politically motivated.
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SC seeks ED's response on journalist's bail plea in money laundering case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response within three days on a bail plea of journalist Mahesh Langa in a money laundering case linked to an alleged financial fraud.
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi also asked senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the jailed journalist, to file rejoinder, if needed, to the ED's response within two days of it being filed.
The top court fixed the case for further hearing on December 15.
During the brief hearing on Monday, Sibal said a journalist has been facing as many as six cases.
"The journalist is accused of extortion," the counsel for the ED said and sought a short adjournment on the ground that Solicitor General Tuhar Mehta was unavailable at the moment.
The top court on September 8 sought responses from the Gujarat government and the ED on Langa's bail plea.
While issuing the notices on Langa's bail plea, the bench asked, "What kind of a journalist is he?"
"With due respect, there are some very genuine journalists. But there are also people who on their scooter say we are 'patrakar' (journalists) and what they actually do everybody knows," the bench told Sibal.
Sibal replied that these are all allegations.
"In one FIR, he gets anticipatory bail, then a second FIR is lodged and again anticipatory bail is granted but now he is booked under a third FIR for income tax evasion. There are other things also against him," Sibal submitted.
He added that there is a background to the case also.
On July 31, the Gujarat High Court rejected Langa's bail plea in the money laundering case on the grounds that if released on bail, prejudice would be caused to the prosecution case.
On February 25, the ED said it arrested Langa in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged financial fraud.
He was first arrested in October 2024 in a GST fraud case.
The money laundering case against Langa stems from two FIRs filed by Ahmedabad police on charges of fraud, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, cheating and causing wrongful loss of lakhs of rupees to certain people.
