Rags to riches : Teesta swallowed riot victims’ money?

By Milind Arolkar

Mumbai, July 1: Making money or being rich is not a crime! But what can be called for making money on the name of dead and using it for personal luxury and kids’ pocket money?

In a fresh revelation, it has been exposed that social activist Teesta Setalvad, her husband Javed Anand and her NGOS ‘Citizen for Justice and Peace’ and ‘Sabrang’ Trust, have used and are using funds which were donated for the riot victims. Those donations were largely made by the Muslim community for the Muslim brethrens killed in riot.

After the analysis of these financial figures, it has emerged how Teesta Setalvad become rags to riches after 2002 Gujarat riots. A person who was not in a position to deposit even Rs. 500 in her account continuously for two years (From 1st Jan,2001 to 31st Dec,2002), could managed to get deposit of Rs. 1.49 crores in her account and Rs. 92.21 Lakhs into her husband Javed Anand's account after Gujarat 2002 riots. Statement of financial transactions of Teesta Setalvad and her NGOs, obtained through the Right to Information has revealed this bare fact.

Notably, large amount is transferred from the trust account to her own account and in the accounts of other family members and her NGOs. How the activist who shows sympathy for riot victims, can make such inappropriate financial transactions is the question remained.

Another question arises that, does Teesta Setalvad swallow riot victims’ money?

It is noteworthy that on the eve of the Gujarat Riots anniversary day in February this year, the residents of Gulbarg society have warned her to distribute funds collected for the ‘Museum’ and ‘memorial of Victims of communal violence’. Gulberg residents were furious and fed up with the motives of Teesta Setalvad milking from the Gujarat riots for several years.

Read: Gulberg residents warn Teesta : Distribute funds collected for riot museum

Teesta’s NGOs swallowed Money…How?

The financial documents revealed by the Sources have reveled that all the money in above mentioned personal SB-accounts of Teesta Setalvad and Javed Anand at IDBI have been invested in Fixed Deposits, shares and mutual funds such as ICICI Prudential, Reliance Capital, Kotak Mahindra, Franklin Templeton etc.

Interestingly, the ‘Sabrang’ Trust has only three trustees namely Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand and Amili Setalvad (Teesta’s sister). Milking from the riot victims’ money goes to the extent that Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand takes Rs. 40,000 each per month as salary from Sabrang Trust. Even Teesta’s daughter Tamara Setalvad gets her pocket money in kind of salary of Rs. 7,500 per month from Sabrang Trust. It seems that it is a family trust though registered for public cause; say the sources monitoring NGO activities.

Trustees taking monthly salary from the public trust neither permissible nor heard in any other case. Best example of siphoning of money taken for public cause from this trust.

Financial transactions say…

The availed financial transactions show a surprising thing that CJP’s FCRA account No. 01404000204736 (with IDBI Bank’s Khar branch) state that the total Foreign donation received by Teesta’s trust from 12.04.2007 to 04.06.2013 is Rs. 95,195,40. More surprising is this foreign donation money is transferred to the accounts of Teesta Setalvad, Sabrang Communication, and CJP’s normal account. (See Table-A) 

Details amount transferred from FCRA accounts of Teesta Setalvad’s both Trusts

Riots to donations, activists’ accounts swelled up…

The data uncovered by the Sources show a swelling trend into the accounts of the Social activists. The data shows that the personal bank accounts in which not a single penny was deposited for two years, have over flooded after year 2002.

Teesta Setalvad’s SB-Account no 369102010003883 maintained with Union Bank of India shows that total amount deposited from 01.01.01 to 31.12.01 is NIL - total amount deposited from 01.01.02 to 31.12.02 is NIL; but the huge amount of money started pouring in after 1 January 2003. Total amount deposited from 01.01.03 to 31.05.13 is none less than Rs. 1,49,44,851.

Teesta Setalvad’s SB-Account no 014104000142595 maintained with IDBI Bank, shows huge amount deposited from 30.04.05 to 30.05.13 is Rs. 61,48,536.

Similarly the Secular idol Javed Anand’s SB-Account no 369102010006884 maintained with Union Bank of India gets flooded with Rs. 92,21,191 after 1 January 2003. Javed’s SB-Account no 014104000142601 maintained with IDBI Bank also states that Rs. 36,23,981 got deposited from year 2005 to 2013.

Even, Rs. 3,52,213 are deposited in Teesta’s daughter Tamara Setalvad’s bank account from February 2011 to March 2013.

Total amount received by Teesta Setalvad in her SB account of IDBI and Union Bank is Rs. 2,10,93,387 and similarly hubby Javed is having Rs. 1,28,45,172 in his accounts, the Sources reveal.

After reading those facts one gets confused about how such huge amount of Lakhs and Crores of rupees was attracted by Teesta and her NGOs. This was the money with sentiments of thousands of Muslims donated for the rehabilitation of their brethrens. But the financial data revealed by sources just show that the money donated for the victims actually has rehabilitated the social activist couple who used the entire 2002 Gujarat riot episode to vilify Gujarat CM Narendra Modi and the saffron forces.

Various experts in NGO sector and financial sector have termed the case of foreign donations tranfered to personal accounts as a  ‘serious offence’ under the FCRA regulations of the Home Ministery.

It is reported that Teesta is refusing to comment on all those financial gambles.

Hatred, In the name of Peace

Teesta Setalwad has bagged several national-international awards in the name of her ‘work’ and ‘advocacy’ for the Gujarat 2002 riot victims. From last thirteen years in the name of ‘Peace’, Teesta spewed venom on the saffron forces. After the 2002 Gujarat riots Teesta became highly active and her NGO became instrumental in filing various cases against Gujarat Government regarding the Gujarat riots in 2002. Main target was Gujarat CM Narendra Modi who at that time was trying to rebuild his state after a devastation caused by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake.

From last thirteen years in the name of ‘Peace’, Teesta spewed enough venom on the saffron forces using every communication channel.

After the 2002 Gujarat riots Teesta became highly active and her NGO became instrumental in filing cases against the Gujarat Government regarding the Gujarat riots in 2002. The main target was Gujarat CM Narendra Modi who at that time was trying to rebuild his state after a devastation caused by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Posing to be the ‘messiah’ of the Muslim community, all of a sudden, a brigade of rights activists appeared in the scene to demonise Modi.

Teesta tried every possible way to entrap Modi. Her former aides like Rais Khan Pathan and witnesses like Yasmeen Shaikh ans Zaheera Sheikh have exposed Teesta Setalvad’s conspiracy to demonise Narendra Modi and portray him as a key conspirator behind the 2002 riot in Gujarat in which both Hindus and Muslims were killed.  Another important thing to be noted is that for as many as 4 years after the 2002 riots, Teesta’s sole petitioner Zakia Jafri never make any complaint against Narendra Modi. It is only after 2006 that she began speaking against Modi, tutored by the influential ‘activist’ when they saw this as a chance to frame and crucify the biggest fish i.e. the RSS BJP and their development mascot Narendra Modi! 

The complaint, filed against Modi and 61 others including Government officials and State Ministers by the wife of late Congress leader Ehsan Jafri who was killed in the 2002 riots , was a bunch of impenetrable factual errors, legal ambiguities and baseless allegations. As the Court procedure geared up, the petitioners cant make them defendable and possible to prove. And this fact is making the Activist more frenzy in the social and Media platforms.

Read:

Put Teesta behind bars: Former aides demand

Teesta Setalvad’s Conspiracy Exposed

Watch Video: A confession by Rais Khan Pathan_ Teesta Setalvad Exposed

Activist who only interested in Witnesses than Victims

On the other side. when realised that the activist is only interested in Witnesses than Victims, Teesta’s one time trusted aide and accused in the Pandarwada Grave Exhumation case Rais Khan Pathan demanded that Teesta should be arrested as she is the main  conspirator. He claimed that he and other colleagues were innocent and whatever they have done was on the instructions from the main accused. He demanded that, Teesta should be immediately put behind the bars. They have strongly claimed that, Setalvad is the main conspirator in the Pandarwada case and should be arrested for the investigation like them. They have also confessed that, whatever they have done was only under her instructions and continuous pressure.

All those efforts to demean a BJP Chief Minister like Narendra Modi helped Setalvad to get a prime seat in the UPA government’s directive body, the ‘National Advisory Committee’ which is Chaired by Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi also conferred Teesta, the joint editor of ‘Communalism Combat’ with the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana award’ in 2002.

Do you smell something burning?