BJP 'desperately attacking' judiciary, alleges Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi
Bengaluru, Jul 6: Accusing the ruling BJP of "desperately attacking" the Judiciary, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Wednesday said his party was writing to the Chief Justice of India, asking for a special committee to look into "orchestrated" attacks.
Calling it a "disturbing issue", the national spokesperson of the AICC said there has been "deliberate, orchestrated, coordinated attack on the judiciary, when the narrative does not suit the ruling party".
"The attacks on judges are not just random and piecemeal incidents; rather the attacks are clearly organised, standardised, and institutionalised. It is followed by a consistent and continuous trolling process, the intention of which is extended, encouraged, and endorsed by BJP 'netas' and their supporters," Singhvi alleged.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the main objective behind such campaigns is to "demoralise, pressurise, and terrorise the judiciary".
"We will not let this matter rest. We are going to follow this and expose the BJP for its complete hypocrisy, for subverting institutions of constitutional governance, for subverting the pillars of our democracy. We are in the process of writing to the Chief Justice of India, seeking a special committee to look into these orchestrated attacks on the judicial system and the Supreme Court of India," he added.
The Rajya Sabha member repeatedly targeted the ruling BJP accusing it of attacking the judiciary and the Supreme Court following its remarks against the party's former national spokesperson Nupur Sharma's "role" in the Udaipur violence.
He said an organised army of trolls was deployed to manufacture and spread fake news regarding the judges, with fake and distorted photographs being shared to demonstrate a false proximity with leaders of the Congress.
Further highlighting the intellectuals' letter to the Bench asking for them to withdraw their remarks, he said, "The statement was clearly drafted with the blessings of the PM's office."
Attacking the BJP, Singhvi asked, "In a country of one billion voices, how many will the BJP try to silence? In a country built on the Constitution, how many institutions will the BJP subvert just to stay in power? In a country facing the consequences of the BJP's complete administrative incompetence and failure, how long will BJP hide behind divisive propaganda?"
He also pointed out to Karnataka High Court Judge Justice H P Sandesh "exposing" the pressure and threats of transfer he was facing merely because "he had shown truth to power".
"...if this can happen to sitting judges, you can imagine what can happen to political opponents, social activists and ordinary people," he added.
On Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra's statement in support to documentary "Kaali" showing the goddess smoking and holding an LGBTQ flag, Singhvi said: "People must be very careful before they play with emotions of people which are reflected in symbols, faith and culture, and those who organise such visuals should have thought many times over."
"I do believe that balance must be maintained in the symbols and essence of our faith, and the heart and spirit of our culture cannot be trivialised by anyone anywhere," he added.
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Ahmedabad plane crash: Six months on, college hostel lies in ruins, sans bustle of students
Ahmedabad (PTI): Six months after the AI-171 plane crash, the B J Medical College hostel complex in Ahmedabad stands as a haunting reminder, with its charred walls and burnt trees replacing the once lively chatter of students with an eerie stillness.
Scattered across the crash site are grim remnants of daily life - burnt cars and motorcycles, twisted beds and furniture, charred books, clothes and personal belongings.
The Atulyam-4 hostel building and the adjoining canteen complex stand abandoned, with entry strictly prohibited.
For residents near the site, memories of the incident still linger, casting a lasting shadow on their lives, with some of them saying they are still afraid to look up at the sky when an aircraft passes overhead.
On June 12, Air India flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London, crashed moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 260 persons.
The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex in Meghaninagar, turning a lively student neighbourhood into a landscape of ruin and grief.
"The area now lies very silent, only a few birds chirp here," Sanjaybhai, a security guard deployed at the premises by authorities to prevent trespassing, told PTI.
Mahendrasingh Jadeja, a general store owner whose shop is just 50 metres from the point where the aircraft struck, described it as an unimaginable calamity. "In all my years, I have never seen anything like this."
Pointing to a tree behind his shop, the 60-year-old said the aircraft first struck there before crashing into the hostel building.
"It was a scorching summer afternoon. Not many people were outside. When I heard a loud crashing sound, I ran out of my shop. We were all terrified," he recalled.
"Even today, we instinctively look up whenever a plane passes overhead," he added.
Another local, Manubhai Rajput, who lives barely 200 metres from the site, said he witnessed the horror unfold on June 12.
"The plane was flying unusually low. Before I could understand what was happening, there was thick black smoke and a deafening crash," he said.
For over three decades, Rajput and his neighbours lived close to the airport without giving much thought to the aircraft overhead.
"We never looked up at the sky. But that day is etched in my mind. The plane hit a tree first, and then there was a loud sound," he said.
Rajput recalled how hundreds of locals rushed to the site even before police, fire services or the Army arrived.
Tinaben, another resident of Meghaninagar, said she never imagined something like this could happen in Ahmedabad.
"Despite being close to the airport, this area always felt safe," she said.
As an aircraft roared overhead during the conversation, Tinaben paused, looked up nervously and said, "It's still scary."
A senior official of Civil Hospital Ahmedabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the state government has yet to decide what to do with the damaged site.
Currently, investigations are going on and the site is strictly prohibited for people, he added.
