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Can the name ‘INDIA’ be registered as a political alliance? As the opposition launches a PR campaign, here is what the Emblems and Names Act says

Anurag
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Can the name ‘INDIA’ be registered as a political alliance? As the opposition launches a PR campaign, here is what the Emblems and Names Act says

On 18th July, 26 opposition parties formed an alliance to compete with Lok Sabha Elections 2024 against NDA. They named the alliance’ INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance)’, bidding goodbye to UPA during the meeting held in Bengaluru, Karnataka. While opposition parties are rushing to take credit for coming up with the acronym, the main question is whether the country’s name can be used this way.

Criticism on social media

The name of the alliance has received a sharp reaction on social media. Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha called upon the Election Commission of India to act on the alliance’s name. He wrote, “The Emblems And Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 prohibits Opposition from using “INDIA” as the name of their alliance.”

Bombay High Court Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey, head of BJP Maharashtra Social Media-Legal & Advisory Department, wrote to ECI and registered his objection over the alliance’s name. He wrote, “I have registered an objection to the Election Commission of India regarding using the INDIA name for political gain to disrespect the nation’s dignity. I trust in the Election Commission of India’s commitment to fostering fair and transparent elections. I believe that your intervention in this matter will help maintain the dignity of our nation and preserve the democratic principles on which our country stands.”

Registering ‘INDIA’ is going to be difficult

To understand the situation, it is essential to look at what the law says about using the country’s name in India. In case they have formed the alliance just for colloquial or conversational purposes, they may find a loophole to use it. However, if they plan to register it somehow, it will not be possible to do so.

The opposition parties announced that they would have the headquarters of the alliance in New Delhi. Suppose they are serious about using the alliance for campaigning. In that case, they have to register it in some way and launch a website along with social media handles in the coming days. Using the name ‘INDIA’ for these purposes will not be a cakewalk for them.

Registering a political party is different from forming an alliance

As per the law, to form a new political party in India, an application has to be submitted to Election Commission’s office ‘Nirvachan Sadan’. Upon receiving the application, the Election Commission examines it, and if it finds it appropriate, the party gets registered. An election symbol is also provided to the political party after registration. Unlike the political party, the alliance’s name does not require registration. For example, NDA, UPA, MVA or Mahagathbandhan are all alliances used in day-to-day political conversations, but they do not require government registration. Interestingly, we all talk about NDA and UPA extensively, but both alliances do not have a website. On the other hand, the main political parties in both alliances, i.e. BJP and Congress, have their own websites, respectively.

The law prohibits the use of ‘INDIA’

Returning to the newly formed alliance of the opposition parties, if they plan to register any institution, website, company or organisation with the name “INDIA”, they will face serious consequences. They have to add word(s) before or after the word ‘INDIA’ as, according to the constitution, it is the name of our country. To understand why they cannot register, it is essential to examine ‘THE EMBLEMS AND NAMES (PREVENTION OF IMPROPER USE) ACT of 1950‘.

Certain names, symbols, and marks cannot be registered per the law. There are 20 such entities listed in the Act that cannot be used for registration. Now, one may think there are India TV, NDTV India and Times of India, then what is the problem with the name of the alliance? You can register a name with ‘India’ in it, provided there are words before or after it. ‘India TV’ is okay to register, but a media house with the name ‘India’ is impossible. Similarly, you cannot register any name using the word ‘Bharat’. Furthermore, the Act prohibits registering any state mark or emblem of India.

The 20 names, symbols and marks that cannot be registered include seal of UN, WHO name, symbol or seal, National Flag of India, name, symbol or seal of the country of India or any of its state or government organisation, name, symbol or seal of President-Governor, any name that appears to belong to the govenrment or govenrment institutions, the name or picture of the President, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Raj Bhavan, the picture of Mahatma Gandi or any Prime Minister of India (can be used for calendars but its commercial use is prohibited), the name-sign of any government honour or medal, the name, sign or seal of the ‘International Civil Aviation Organisation’, the word ‘INTERPOL’, the name, emblem and seal of the ‘World Meterorological Organisation’, the name, symbol and seal of ‘Tuberculosis Association of India’, name, symbol and seal of ‘International Atomic Energy Agency’,names or their pictures like ‘Ashoka Chakra’ and ‘Dharma Chakra’,Parliament-Vidhan Sabha or any court’s name-picture-mark, ‘Ramakrishna Math’ or ‘Ramakrishna Mission’ name-mark, ‘Sharda Math’ or ‘Ramakrishna Sharda Mission’ name-mark, and name, symbol and seal of ‘Bharat Scouts and Guides’.

The law states that anything from the list cannot be used to register any organization, institution, company or group. The trademark or design cannot be one of the types described above, for example, Ashoka Chakra or the National Flag, and cannot be patented. Furthermore, the decision of the Central Government will be final in this.

The law also states that the word ‘Republic’ or ‘Sardar-e-Riyasat’ cannot be used for registration. This is why when Arnab Goswami announced ‘Republic’ as the name of his media house, he had to go to court. Arnab went with the name Republic Network for the media house, ‘Republic World’ for the English channel and ‘Republic Bharat’ for the Hindi channel.

Another fine example of such a case is the website India.com. For those who are unaware, the company’s name is ‘Indiadotcom Digital Pvt Ltd’, not just ‘INDIA’. India.com is one of the pre-2000s domain names. It was registered in 1997. The news portal that runs on the domain came into existence in 2011. That means the company might have acquired the domain name later.

Interestingly, when India started the .in registry in 2005, before it was open to the public, several domain names were reserved by the National Internet Exchange of India or NIXI, the government body that governs .in and its subsidiary domain names like .co.in etc. One such domain name was India.in. Even the Government of India does not use the domain for any purpose, and it has been kept as a dormant domain. You can check the complete list of reserved names by NIXI here.

While the chest-thumping over the new alliance and its name continued in the political arena, the opposition parties have a lot of work on, including deciding how they may use INDIA and, above all, who will be the face of the PM for Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Mamata, Rahul, or Kejriwal? I.N.D.I.A. alliance parties rush to claim credit for the acronym, yet to decide a joint leader or agenda to face BJP in 2024

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata, Rahul, or Kejriwal? I.N.D.I.A. alliance parties rush to claim credit for the acronym, yet to decide a joint leader or agenda to face BJP in 2024

On 18th July 2023, the 26 Opposition parties gathered in Bengaluru to discuss strategy for the 2024 elections have named their alliance ‘I.N.D.I.A.’, or Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance. However, the alliance parties were seen rushing to claim credit for the acronym and the coalition is yet to find a joint agenda and face as the Prime Ministerial candidate to contest Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi in 2024.

As the acronym of the coalition was declared, various news started appearing about who proposed or ideated the name for the alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Claim 1: Kejriwal discovered I.N.D.I.A

Initially, Arvind Kejriwal was credited for this name. It was reported that Arvind Kejriwal said in the meeting of the opposition parties that the alliance is named I.N.D.I.A. because only I.N.D.I.A. can defeat NDA. It was also reported that Arvind Kejriwal explained the full form of the acronym to all the leaders present in the meeting.

Claim 2: Mamata Banerjee discovered I.N.D.I.A

On the other hand, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan credited TMC leader Mamata Banerjee for innovating this name for the opposition alliance. while speaking to the media, he said, “First Mamata Banerjee proposed this name. After Kharge ji, she spoke. She said that we have to name our alliance I.N.D.I.A. First, she proposed International Democratic Inclusive Alliance. After a long discussion, it was called International Developmental Inclusive Alliance. So Mamata Banerjee proposed and everyone accepted.”

The VCK chief seems to have mixed up ‘Indian’ with ‘International’ and ‘Democratic’ with ‘Developmental’.

When asked about Tamil Nadu’s chief minister MK Stalin proposing the acronym, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said, “No. Immediately he seconded the proposal (by Mamata Banerjee). He immediately agreed and he mentioned the ED raid in the Tamil Nadu state and condemned this kind of attitude of the BJP government.”

A popular Twitter handle called this rush for credit an ‘opportUNITY’, to mock the evident lack of unity in the so-called I.N.D.I.A.

Claim 3: Rahul Gandhi discovered I.N.D.I.A

Congress party also came ahead to credit their scion Rahul Gandhi for the ideation of this name of the joint venture of small political parties to fight against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said that it was Rahul Gandhi who coined this term. While crediting the Gandhi scion, she underlined that the Congress party does not take any credit for this and calls it a collective effort to name the alliance.

Surpiya Shrinate said, “It was a collective effort. I don’t think we are taking any credit for this but yes, the idea came from Rahul Gandhi. and he defended the idea and he argued for this. what is this fight about? Who is this fight between? This fight is between the NDA versus India. This fight is for the Idea of India. This fight is for the voice of India. This fight is for the Constitution of India.”

She further said, “And if it is indeed about India then why not call ourselves India because we represent India. We are fighting for India. We are combative about India and this fight is now NDA versus India. And wherever and whoever you pitch against India, India always wins.”

It is notable that there is no declared common minimum agenda of the coalition of the opposition. However, all the leaders present in the party agreed on coming together for opposing BJP and Narendra Modi. All the leaders of various parties present in the meeting including Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal of Congress, Raghav Chaddha of AAP, and MK Stalin of DMK expressed their staunch opposition to BJP and Modi while addressing the meeting. The other details of the agenda and the leader or chairperson of the coalition and the prime ministerial candidate of this alliance are not yet decided. However, many parties involved in the coalition see their respective leaders as potential contender for the top office.

Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult case crosses 400 as 12 more bodies exhumed, over 600 people still missing

OpIndia Staff
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Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult case crosses 400 as 12 more bodies exhumed, over 600 people still missing

On Monday, July 17, officials investigating the Kenyan Christian doomsday cult deaths said that the death toll had crossed 400 as 12 more bodies were exhumed on Monday in Shakahola. Coastal Regional Commissioner, Rhonda Onyancha said that the death toll has reached 403 adding that the exhumation process continues.

Onyancha also said that 95 people have been rescued.

According to the authorities, most of the deceased were adherents of the preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the founder of the Good News International Church. The accused pastor and 36 other suspects are currently in police custody.

More than 610 people are still reported to be missing from villages around the forest. DNA matching had been performed on 253 of the 403 bodies exhumed so far.

Mackenzie relocated to the forested area in Malindi in 2019 after his church was closed due to his preaching, which included encouraging children not to attend school. Earlier, he was arrested and released on bond in connection with the disappearance of children.

A judicial panel of investigation established by Kenyan President William Ruto to determine what happened and who was responsible was overturned by a court decision after opposition leader Raila Odinga appealed against it.

The president called what happened in Malindi “terrorism” and vowed to take down “those using religion to advance their heinous acts.”

The believers of the Christian doomsday cult were told that they would reach heaven faster and meet Jesus Christ if they starved to death. Official autopsies on some of the bodies in the enormous Shakahola farm located inside the forest found evidence of malnutrition, suffocation, and beatings. The findings were confirmed by chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor. However, most of the victims appeared to have died of starvation.

The Christian pastor, in his defense claimed that he had done nothing wrong and that his Church shut down in 2019. As per reports, Nthenge recited the names of three villages (Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Judea) before baptizing people in ponds and asking them to starve to death.

Mumbai: Hindu girl blackmailed and forcefully converted to Islam, Amin Azam Sheikh and 4 others arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Hindu girl blackmailed and forcefully converted to Islam, Amin Azam Sheikh and 4 others arrested

Another case of forced conversion to Islam has emerged from Mira Bhayandar in Mumbai. Reportedly, a 22-year-old girl filed a police complaint against one Amin Azam Sheikh, and his family members at the Naya Nagar police station. The victim alleged that Amin, his mother, and other accused, not only caused her physical harm but also harrassed her mentally. 

In her complaint, the victim stated that the accused intimidated her and threatened to make her intimate videos viral if she does not convert to Islam.

Based on the victim’s statement, the Naya Nagar police registered a case against Amin, his mother Reshma Azam Shaikh, Qazi Muftin Ismail, Jariab Saleem Sayyed, and an unknown person. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 376(2)(n), 366, 323, 504, 406, and 34. 

Subsequently, the Police initiated an investigation into the matter and arrested all the accused including the main accused Amin Azam Sheikh. 

According to the victim’s statement given to the Police, in 2022, she got acquainted with a boy named Shahbaz who is a resident of Borivali. He would frequently come to visit the computer coaching center near Mira Road station as the victim was enrolled here and he could meet with her. Later, he introduced Amin Sheikh to the victim girl. 

The victim stated that after meeting for a few days, Amin Sheikh came to her computer class on the 16th of February 2022, and insisted the girl to start a romantic relationship with him.

However, when she turned down his proposal, Amin took out a knife and pressurized her into saying yes. The victim added that Amin threatened to commit suicide by stabbing himself if she didn’t accept her proposal. She stated that she got scared and agreed on dating Amin.

The victim added that a few days later, Amin took her to his home and introduced his parents to her. On another occasion, he tricked her to visit his home, saying that his brother’s daughter was not well and they had to visit the hospital to see her. However, when she reached her house, there was no one except Amin. 

According to the victim, Amin took advantage of the situation and coerced the girl into physical intimacy by threatening her with a knife.

Later, on 21 June 2022, Amin arrived outside her house in a car and asked her to meet him. As per the victim, he was accompanied by two more boys who were also sitting in the car. 

The complaint further stated that as soon as she got into the car, a boy informed her that they had been sent from the mosque to take her. He declared, “today you are going to become a Muslim from Hindu and will no longer remain a Kafir.” 

Afterward, they took her to a Qazi in Bandra where the cleric changed her name to Rahima. The complaint add that he made her sign three stamp papers of Rs 100. Subsequently, Amin took her to Hazrat Baleshah Syed Dargah of Uttan and tied a talisman on her hand.

As per the victim, when she went to his house the next day, his mother was displeased seeing her and said, “Why have you brought this Kafir to the house?” 

Additionally, she came to know that Amin was already a married man and the girl whom he had introduced as his brother’s daughter was his own daughter. 

In her complaint, the victim further claimed that the atrocities of Amin and his family members increased. Apparently, she was forcibly kept hostage and locked up in his house and was once reportedly rescued by the Police after they received a complaint regarding this. 

Sahara depositors will get their refunds within 45 days, Amit Shah launches CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal: Read how it will work

OpIndia Staff
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Sahara depositors will get their refunds within 45 days, Amit Shah launches CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal: Read how it will work

On the 18th of July, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah launched the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS)-Sahara Refund Portal in New Delhi. It has been developed by a subsidiary of IFCI Ltd. and it will help over 10 crore depositors of Sahara Group in claiming their refund in a timely and transparent manner.

Former SC Judge and Secretary, Ministry of Cooperation Justice R. Subhash Reddy, several prominent dignitaries, and depositors of these four cooperatives of Sahara group were also present at the launch event. 

Speaking at the launch, Shah said, “The process of returning the money of depositors, which was stuck in four cooperative societies of Sahara Group, has started with the launch of Sahara Refund Portal.” He assured that crores of people are going to receive their hard-earned money, which was stuck due to scams, within 45 days of submitting an application for the refunds. 

Hailing it as a great achievement, Shah highlighted that around 1.78 crore small investors, whose deposits of up to Rs. 30,000 were stuck in these four cooperatives will get a refund in the first phase. 

Shah added, “All the (central probing) agencies together filed a petition in the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court gave a historic decision to form a committee under the chairmanship of a former Supreme Court judge to start the payment process in a transparent manner.” 

Further, Shah highlighted that depositors would initially get up to a Rs 10,000 refund. Subsequently, the refund amount would be increased for those who had invested higher amounts.

He mentioned that the first phase has begun with a corpus of Rs 5,000 crores with the launch of this portal. After the completion of the Rs 5,000 crore payment, another appeal will be made in the Supreme Court to return the amount to the remaining investors, the Minister said.

Earlier, on the 29th of March, the Union government had assured the depositors that the money will be refunded to 10 crore investors of the four cooperative societies within nine months. This was followed by the Supreme Court order that directed the release of a corpus of Rs 5000 crore from the “Sahara-SEBI Refund Account” to the CRCS so that refund could be disbursed to legitimate depositors of Sahara Group. 

Refund process

The CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal can be directly accessed online through the official website of the Ministry of Cooperation (https://cooperation.gov.in). The depositors will have to fill in all the necessary details to claim their refunds. 

In the initial phase, around 1.7 crore investors will be able to register themselves with the refund portal.

How will the portal work?

The CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal will work by linking your Aadhaar number to your mobile phone number. Second, the Aadhaar card must be linked to their bank account. Additionally, you will have to provide receipt details. Following this, you will be able to download a form, complete it, and re-upload it to the portal. Then the refunding procedure will start.

Notably, there is no charge for submitting the online form. 

How to apply on CRCS Sahara Refund Portal?

  1. Open CRCS Sahara Refund Portal: Search https://mocrefund.crcs.gov.in/ 
  2. To register as a depositor, enter your 12-digit Membership Number, the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar Number, your 10-digit Aadhaar-linked Mobile Number, and the Captcha. Then click “Get OTP.”
  3. Enter the OTP received on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number and complete the registration process.
SS of CRCS Sahara Refund Portal
  1. On the depositor login screen, enter the last 4 digits of your Aadhaar Number, your 10-digit Aadhaar-linked Mobile Number, and the Captcha. Click “Get OTP.”
  2. Enter the OTP.
  3. Once logged in, give your consent as prompted by Aadhaar. On the next page, accept the terms and conditions by clicking “I agree.”
  1. On the Personal Details screen, enter your 12-digit Aadhaar Number and click “Get OTP.” You will receive the OTP on your Aadhaar-linked mobile number.
  2. Enter the OTP and click “Verify OTP.”
  3. After verifying the OTP, you will see your Aadhaar user details displayed, including First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, Date of Birth, and Father/Husband Name.
  4. Optionally, you can enter your email address and click “Save Email,” then press the “Next” button.
  5. Enter the details displayed on the Certificate of Deposit.
  6. Click “Submit Claim” to view all the details in the grid below. Here, you can add multiple claim requests.
  7. Once all the claim details are entered, the pre-filled claim request form will be prepared. Please ensure all claims are entered before preparing the form, as it cannot be changed or added later.
  8. Affix your latest photograph and sign the claim form along with the photograph.
  9. Upload the claim form and a copy of your PAN card on the “Upload Document” screen. Note that your PAN card is mandatory if the claim amount is ₹50,000 or more. The size limit for the claim request form, signed with the photograph and PAN card, is 12MB and 50KB.
  10. A thank you page will appear with a claim request number. Make sure to note down the claim request number for future reference.

What documents would one need to apply for the refund?

  • Membership number
  • Deposit account number
  • Mobile Number linked with Aadhaar (mandatory)
  • Certificate of Deposit/Passbook
  • PAN Card (if the claim amount is Rs.50,000/- and above it is mandatory)

How long will the process take?

Next, the Co-operative Societies of the Sahara Group will verify the claim within 30 days of submission. Afterwards, the applicants will be notified about their claim status. This will be done either through a text message or on the portal within 15 days after the verification process. 

The entire refund claim cycle is expected to take around 45 days.

Who all are eligible to get the refund and what are the cut-off dates to apply for claims

Genuine depositors of four Cooperative Societies of the Sahara Group will be able to submit their claims through this portal. These four cooperative societies of the Sahara Group include:

  • Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Limited
  • Saharayan Universal Multipurpose Society Limited
  • Hamara India Credit Cooperative Society Limited
  • Stars Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited

Notably, the depositors of Cooperative Societies of Sahara Group who have deposited their money before the following dates and have outstanding receipts are eligible:

Depositors of the three following societies who have deposited before March 22, 2022

  • Sahara Credit Cooperative Society Limited
  • Saharayan Universal Multipurpose Society Limited
  • Hamara India Credit Cooperative Society Limited

Depositors of the following society who have deposited before March 29, 2023

Stars Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.

Deposits of around 10 crore individuals had been stuck in the four cooperative societies of the Sahara group. But this initiative of the Modi government will help these depositors in getting their refunds back in a timely and secure manner.

‘Unstable PM Contender’: Posters mocking Bihar CM Nitish Kumar comes up in Bengaluru amid opposition ‘unity’ meeting

OpIndia Staff
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‘Unstable PM Contender’: Posters mocking Bihar CM Nitish Kumar comes up in Bengaluru amid opposition ‘unity’ meeting

On Tuesday, July 18, posters mocking Bihar CM Nitish Kumar emerged in various places in Bengaluru, including major areas like Windsor Manor Bridge and Airport Road. The posters in which he was referred to as the “unstable Prime Ministerial contender” appeared at a time when Opposition parties are holding a two-day mega ‘unity’ meeting in the city in a show of strength ahead of the crucial 2024 General Elections.

One of the posters highlighted Nitish Kumar’s shortcomings, particularly the collapse of the Sultanganj bridge in Bihar in April 2022 and again in June 2023.

The poster read, “The unstable Prime Ministerial contender. Bangalore rolls out the Red Carpet for Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. First date of Sultanganj bridge collapse – April 2022. Second date of Sultanganj bridge collapse – June 2023.”

Another poster poked fun at Nitish Kumar’s attempts to rally the opposition against the BJP-led government in the next Lok Sabha election, despite the fact that bridges in Bihar were unable to withstand his governance.

“Welcome to Shri Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister, Government of Bihar. Sultanganj Bridge, Nitish Kumar’s gift to Bihar, that keeps collapsing. While bridges in Bihar cannot withstand his reign, count on him to lead the ‘Opposition Party’ campaign,” it reads.

After becoming aware of the posters placed at “Chalukya Circle,” a short distance from the location of the conference that Nitish Kumar is attending, the police acted swiftly and removed the posters.

Notably, last month, the state of Bihar had also witnessed a poster war just a day before 17 opposition parties are scheduled to meet to discuss the timeline and the roadmap for the approaching 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The controversy arose after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chapter in Delhi displayed a poster calling for unity among the opposition while the chapter in Bihar referred to Nitish Kumar as the BJP’s ‘B team.’

After severing relations with the BJP, Nitish Kumar joined the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance). He has since been actively trying to bring together opposition groups to oppose the saffron party.

The Bihar Chief Minister chaired the first Opposition meeting in Patna on June 23.

The Opposition meeting in Bengaluru, meanwhile, is being attended by 26 opposition groups, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress (TMC), and Samajwadi Party (SP).

Unemployed B.Com pass girl has 14 prospective grooms to choose from, viral post triggers myriad reactions

OpIndia Staff
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Unemployed B.Com pass girl has 14 prospective grooms to choose from, viral post triggers myriad reactions

A post by an unknown girl asking help to choose one from 14 prospective grooms on a matrimonial site has been going viral, for different reasons.

“Confession”, the post read, “29, Female, B.Com. Not working as of now. I am speaking to 14 guys through matrimony and confused. Which one should I choose. Please help”.

The unknown woman, apparently a 29-year-old B.Com graduate had diligently listed all 14 prospective grooms along with details of their age, salary, company name, and job location.

The companies include some of India’s most sought-after employers, including Flipkart, Deloitte, ICICI Bank, TCS, and Unacademy. Even a doctor in Delhi seems to be interested.

Two prospective grooms even had additional details after their listing. A 34-year-old guy working for ICICI bank in Kolkata has “Bald” mentioned specifically, adding a shortcoming that might cause him to be rejected by Miss BCom pass.

Another guy, a 32-year-old man working with BCG in Mumbai, is earning a whooping 45 lakhs per annum, but as Miss BCom noted down, he is “just 5 feet 5 inches” tall.

Miss B.Com’s post has caught social media in a whirlwind of shock and outrage and indignant reactions over the blatant objectification of these 14 men, all apparently interested to marry Miss B.Com pass.

CA Shubham Agrawal announced that the only goal in his life now is to fall in love with someone, so “he doesn’t get judged by a 29-year-old BCom girl.”

A person named Aryan Trivedi shared his anger, asking how can a 29-year-old “aunty” judging such highly qualified guys.

“Imagine dedicating your whole life for education, building a good career, and then getting judged on your salary by a 29 y/o B.Com aunty who’s not even working as of now What is this bs system?” Aryan lamented.

Well, Aryan, this system is called the great Indian arranged marriage market.

Popular handle Squint Neon, however, had an entirely different take on the issue. He blamed Miss B.Com for disrupting the marriage market by talking with 14 guys at once and causing most other girls to remain single.

Not all people are mean on social media though. Some people had genuine advice for the woman.

The corporate world has also noticed the careful mention of salary details. “Matrimony websites have the most accurate salary data. With Grapevine, we are trying to be second best”, tweeted corporate chat platform Grapevine.

Another user had some serious advice. A guy under 30 with less than 20 lakhs per annum salary was suggested as an ideal candidate for her.

We don’t know who Miss B.Com is, but we wish her the best of luck in finding a suitable candidate to marry.

Ghaziabad: Driver drives a car in reverse for 2 KMs on National Highway, kills an engineering student on his way

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad: Driver drives a car in reverse for 2 KMs on National Highway, kills an engineering student on his way

On 16th July, a driver killed a B-Tech student on National Highway 9 (NH9) in Ghaziabad. The deceased has been identified as 21-year-old Krishnanshu Choudhary, who lived in Asotech Society in the Crossing Republic. As per reports, the driver drove the car in reverse for 2 KMs before hitting Krishnanshu.

As per the police, the car was travelling to Meerut and was supposed to enter the Meerut Expressway. The driver accidentally entered National Highway 9, and by the time he realised, he had travelled around 2 KM. The driver decided to drive the car in reverse on the National Highway to make up for it and hit Krishnanshu, who was riding a scooty. The driver escaped from the scene after the accident.

The victim was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he was declared dead. Notably, two-wheelers are not allowed on the Meerut Expressway but can travel on NH9. Furthermore, reversing vehicles is not allowed on special carriage, they must only travel in one direction.

The police are trying to identify the driver who caused the accident using CCTV cameras installed at houses and shops on NH9. There are no such cameras available on the National Highway that can provide some leads. An FIR has been registered against the unknown driver under Sections 279 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code.

Reports suggest that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was requested in December 2022 to install cameras on the National Highway to curb incidents of rash driving. Three months after the police sent the request, NHAI announced to install 232 CCTV cameras on National Highway and underpass. However, NHAI manager Puneet Khanna said in a statement there is no provision for installing CCTV on the highway.

Constable died in a road accident on NH9

In another incident, constable Sushil Kumar died in a road accident on NH9. He was travelling on a scooter for duty change when a car hit him near Crossing Republic Police Station.

Six died in a road accident on Meerut Expressway because of wrong-side driving

The latest accident comes on the heels of another terrible accident when 6 people died thanks to the wrong side driving on the Meerut-Delhi expressway by a school bus driver. According to the police, the school bus was empty and was reportedly coming from the wrong direction. “A school bus and a TUV met with an accident on the Delhi Meerut Expressway at 6.00 am today. The bus driver was coming from the wrong direction after filling CNG from Delhi near Ghazipur. The people in the car were coming from Meerut and had to go to Gurgaon. There was a head-on collision. 6 persons died, and 2 were seriously injured. The driver of the bus has been caught. The entire fault was of the bus driver who was coming from the wrong direction”, Ramanand Kushwaha, ADCP Traffic Police, said in a statement.

“The dead include 2 children. Women and men are also included. 2 people are injured and are being treated in the hospital. There were 8 people in the car. The bus belongs to Bal Bharti School Bus, which is in Noida”, ADCP Kushwaha added.

The marriage of Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi was illegal under Islamic law? Islamabad court summons them both

ANI
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The marriage of Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi was illegal under Islamic law? Islamabad court summons them both


The district and sessions court in Islamabad has termed the case against the “illegal” marriage of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as admissible in court and summoned both of them on July 20, Geo TV reported.

Civil Judge Qudratullah announced the verdict and issued notices to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and his wife. Petitioner Muhammad Hanif had claimed that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and married Khan in January 2018, despite her ‘iddat’ period not having ended and stated that it “is against Sharia and Muslim norms.”

As per the Geo TV report, Iddat is a 130-day waiting period after the dissolution of a woman’s marriage through divorce, death, or any other form of separation from her husband, during which the woman remains unmarried.

Cleric Mufti Muhammad Saeed who conducted the marriage between Imran and Bushra submitted in his statements to court that Khan had married Bushra Bibi during the latter’s iddat, despite knowing everything.

He quoted Khan as saying that Bushra Bibi had been divorced on November 2017 and that there was a “prediction” that the PTI chairman would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.

Last week, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Islamabad Muhammad Azam Khan remanded the case to a civil judge and dismissed another civil court’s verdict declaring a petition challenging the legality of the marriage objectionable, according to Geo TV.

Saeed in his statement to a lower court, said that he had solemnized Khan’s nikah with Bushra Bibi over the assurance of a woman claiming to be the former first lady’s sister.

“Then the former premier contacted me again on February 2018 and requested me to solemnize his Nikah with Bushra Bibi again as the first time it was against the Shariah,” Saeed added in his statement before the court.

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

UK: McDonald’s employees speak out over sexual abuse, racism, and bullying at the workplace

OpIndia Staff
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UK: McDonald’s employees speak out over sexual abuse, racism, and bullying at the workplace

More than 100 current and former staffers at McDonald’s outlets in the UK have alleged that a toxic culture of sexual assault, harassment, racism, and bullying has been prevalent in the fast-food joint in the country.  

Speaking with BBC, several McDonald’s staffers, some as young as 17 years old, have claimed that they have been groped and harassed almost routinely.

The BBC launched an investigation to understand the working conditions at the fast-food chain after it had signed a legally binding agreement with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). In this agreement, McDonald’s pledged that it will protect its staff from sexual harassment.

Back then, McDonald’s asserted that it already had a strong track record in this area. However, the staffers, while speaking to BBC, revealed otherwise.

The media corporation claimed that during its five-month-long investigation, it reached out to McDonald’s staffers asking about their working experiences at the fast-food joint. 

The BBC report claimed, that the staffers shared their ordeal and more than 100 allegations were levelled against senior members including Managers of McDonald’s various outlets in the UK. Out of these 100 allegations, 31 were related to sexual assault, and 78 were about sexual harassment. Additionally, 18 staffers made allegations of racism and six others alleged homophobia.

Allegations staffers raised against McDonald’s

  • A current staffer (17-year-old) employed at McDonald’s Cheshire outlet alleged that a colleague who was 20 years older than her, hurled racial slurs at her. Reportedly, he said that he wanted to make a “black and white” baby with her and asked to show her private body part.
  • A former staffer claimed that she was 17 years old when a senior manager at a Plymouth restaurant choked her and grabbed her bottom. She also added that a shift manager sent her sexually explicit images.
  • A manager in McDonald’s Hampshire outlet asked a 16-year-old male worker to perform sexual acts in exchange for vapes (e-cigarettes).
  • In Cheshire restaurant, 16-year-old new female starters were pressurised for having sex with a manager
  • A current worker in Essex claimed that she faced antisemitic abuses
  • A woman staffer alleged that she was called a slur word and subjected to racist jokes at an Aberdeen branch
  • An Indian-origin worker in Oxfordshire claimed that her crew members spoke in “gibberish” to imitate her. They also called a Pakistani colleague a terrorist. 
  • In the Wales branch, Male managers and crew members were betting cash on which of them could sleep with a new recruit first

These are some of the allegations that current and former McDonald’s staffers raised against the crew and senior members of the multinational fast food chain. 

Responding to these allegations, McDonald’s said it had “fallen short” and it “deeply apologised”. It also stated that all employees deserve to work in a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.

UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission said it was “concerned” by the BBC’s findings. They announced that they are launching a new email hotline for this matter. 

BBC report added that several staffers claimed that McDonald’s managers at various outlets across the UK were responsible for the harassment and assaults. In many cases, these staffers shared their ordeal with their colleagues and senior managers but they failed to act on their complaints. Afterwards, many of them were compelled to quit their job. 

Furthermore, staffers alleged that managers had sexual relationships with junior members of staff, which is against company policy.

Few staffers shared their ordeal

One current worker stated that her male colleagues saw her as “fresh meat” when she started working at the Nottingham branch. Some female staffers told BBC that they were forced by managers to wear tight uniforms. 

A 22-year-old staffer in Norwich, Lucy said, “There is a saying at McDonald’s, “tits on tills” – boys in the kitchen, girls on the counter. The idea is to put attractive people at the front.”

One 20-year-old Emily said, “It’s the expectation that if you work at McDonald’s, you will be harassed.” She left the McDonald’s Brighton branch last year, reportedly after a male colleague in his 60s kept stroking her hair in a sexually suggestive way which made her uncomfortable.

Last year, Shelby started working at a McDonald’s restaurant in Berkshire, back then, she was just 16 years of age. She highlighted that older male colleagues used the cramped layout in the kitchen as an excuse to touch junior female staff inappropriately.

Speaking to BBC, she said, “They’d grope stomach, waists, bums. Every shift I worked, there would be at least a comment being made, or I’d be brushed, a hand brushed across me, or it would be a more severe thing, like having my bum grabbed, hips grabbed.”

She added that last summer, she was standing at the front counter when a 50-year-old staffer came from behind. He grabbed her onto him and pulled her onto his groin.

She said, “I just froze. I felt disgusted.” She told her senior management about these incidents of sexual abuse, but they did nothing. She cited a “toxic work environment” as the reason for her quitting the job in her resignation. 

Another staffer in Birmingham alleged that she was smacked on the bottom by a male colleague when she was 19. She reported it to her manager but no action was taken. Reportedly, the act was caught on camera and she had a visible bruise, despite all of it, she was forced to continue working with him forcing her to quit. 

While in some cases, McDonald’s did take some actions. But staffers claim that several of the accused were just shifted within the franchise, rather than being fired.

Seemingly, some staffers didn’t raise complaints about this because they didn’t want to risk their job. Apparently, young staff at McDonald’s are often on zero-hours contracts. This means their hours are flexible, but they are at the mercy of shift managers who decide their rotational shifts.

While signing the agreement in February with UK’s equality watchdog, McDonald’s pledged “zero tolerance” on sexual harassment. It also claimed that it will undertake training programmes for its employees. However, staffers highlighted that the senior managers don’t take these training sessions seriously. 

Troubles continue for McDonald’s

The working culture at McDonald’s has been facing scrutiny globally. In the United States, the fast-food joint is facing multimillion-dollar lawsuits filed by its employees over sexual harassment allegations.

Earlier, in 2019, McDonald’s chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, was fired when it was revealed that he had inappropriate consensual relationships with McDonald’s employees.

However, the first allegations of sexual harassment at McDonald’s came to light in the UK around five years ago. At that time, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) claimed that it received 1,000 complaints. It was claimed that it was quickly brushed under the carpet as many cases were settled using confidentiality clauses.

It is important to note that McDonald’s is one of the UK’s largest private-sector employers. It has more than 170,000 people working in 1,450 restaurants. Around 75% of its workforce are aged between 16 and 25. For many staffers, it is their first job. However, these revelations have marred and put the working culture at McDonald’s in the dock. 

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