QWrap: Khalistan Separatist’s Invite Revoked; NiMo’s Assets Frozen

1. Trudeau’s Dinner Invite to Khalistan Separatist Revoked

A day after Justin Trudeau assured Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh that Canada didn't support any separatist movement, the Khalistan issue has come to haunt the visiting Prime Minister.

A huge controversy erupted when news emerged that an invitation has been extended to Khalistan separatist Atwal, who was also convicted of attempted assassination in Canada in 1987, for the reception to be held at the residence of Canadian High Commissioner Nadir Patel in New Delhi on Thursday.

Compelled to take cognisance of the matter, the High Commission later rescinded the invitation.

“This individual( Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal) should never have been invited to any event on the program, and his invitation has been rescinded. We are in the process of looking into how this occurred,” the Canada PMO said in a statement.

(Get live updates here)

2. ED Freezes NiMo’s & Choksi’s Shares, Mutual Funds Worth Rs 94 Cr

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, 22 February sealed luxury properties of billionaire Nirav Modi in Alibaug area near Mumbai.

The ED has also frozen shares and mutual funds worth Rs 94 crore belonging to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s companies.

The CBI has revealed that Vipul Ambani, the arrested CFO of Firestar International, was fully aware of the fraudulent and illegal LoUs, which were issued by Gokulnath Shetty ‘in conspiracy and guidance’ of Nirav Modi and other employees.

(Get live updates here)

3. Help The Quint Raise Money for 8-Month-Old Rape Survivor ‘Chhutki’

Chhutki, an eight-month old baby, was raped by her 28-year-old cousin.

She had to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the vaginal and rectal tearing. She doesn’t laugh like she used to. She gets scared looking at strangers. She hardly sleeps because the pain keeps her awake.

Her father works as a daily wage labourer and her mother works as a domestic help. The parents have stopped going to work so that they can take care of their baby.

Let’s help Chhutki win this fight. Donate to help her family meet her medical expenses, and to help secure her education in the future. Click here to donate.

4. Bollywood Films Need to Stop Glorifying Stalking: Nandita Das

Nandita Das, in an exclusive interview to The Quint believes that Bollywood should be more reflective and self conscious while making movies because Indians take movies very seriously.

“ What does art do, what does cinema do? It subliminally goes into our consciousness. And when you reinforce the fact that stalking is ok, and that a no means a yes, you are dis-empowering the woman,” said Das.

(Watch the full interview here)

5. AIB Sketches Fail the Bechdel Test, Say Aayushi and Sumedh

Comedians and online content creators, Aayushi Jagad and Sumedh Natu have made a compelling argument about All India Bakchod’s (AIB) sketches. In their video titled ‘How AIB Uses Feminism’, they have pointed out how the comedy collective barely passes the Bechdel Test.

Barring their “women only” sketches like A Women’s Besties 1 & 2 and The Bollywood Diva Song, the representation of women in their sketches is “problematic”, argue Aayushi and Sumedh.

And because AIB is what it is, they have already reacted to the video. They promise to do better. Why? Because representation matters!

(Read the full story here)

(The Quint, in association with BitGiving, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for an 8-month-old who was raped in Delhi on 28 January 2018. The baby girl, who we will refer to as 'Chhutki', was allegedly raped by her 28-year-old cousin when her parents were away. She has been discharged from AIIMS hospital after undergoing three surgeries, but needs more medical treatment in order to heal completely. Her parents hail from a low-income group and have stopped going to work so that they can take care of the baby. You can help cover Chhutki's medical expenses and secure her future. Every little bit counts. Click here to donate.)