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Instagram influencer Amaan Tanwar spews hate against non-Muslims, urges his followers to smash the skull of those who are anti-Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Instagram influencer Amaan Tanwar spews hate against non-Muslims, urges his followers to smash the skull of those who are anti-Islam

On Monday, June 26, a Twitter user The Right Wing Guy shared a reel of an Instagram influencer named Amaan Tanwar wherein the latter is seen inciting Muslims to commit violence against non-Muslims.

In the 0.20-second video, the Instagram influencer, going by the handle- amaantanwarofficial0001, is heard threatening non-Muslims with violence. He urges his Muslim brethren to stay united and smash the skull of those who are against Islam.

The video has since gone viral on Twitter, with several users asking Haryana Police to take action against the hate monger.

After Amaan Tanwar’s video started doing rounds on Twitter, we looked into his Instagram account and found him to be quite popular on the photo and video-sharing social media app with as many as 44.5k followers. He identifies himself as an ‘artist’ on social media.

Amaan Tanwar’s Instagram page is replete with inflammatory posts where he incites violence against non-Muslims. In almost every post, the social media user made a constant effort to inspire his Muslim followers to carry out acts of violence against non-Muslims.

A post which the influencer shared six days ago was captioned “Musalman” in Hindi. Amaan Tanwar threatened the non-Muslims in the form of two-line poetry saying that his Muslim brotherhood will annihilate non-Muslims from the country in pronto.

The Islamist is heard gloating in one message from May 31 that non-Muslims should consider their fate a hundred times before interfering with Muslims since they are not afraid of death.

In another hate-filled post posted on May 29, he again threatens non-Muslims. He theatened the non-Muslims to not challenge Muslims lest they (Muslims) would soon put an end to all of them (non-Muslims).

In another post dated May 26, Amaan Tanwar issues a threat by stating that he and his fellow Muslims are prepared to kill anyone who opposes their religion. “Baat agar Islam par aayegi toh goli sidha maate mein jayegi,” he said.

In one he posted on May 14, Amaan Tanwar threatens non-Muslims with revenge. Trying to project Muslims as being oppressed and persecuted by non-Muslims in the country, the Islamist influencer is heard saying, “tumhe jitno karno hai karlo humme pareshan, par ek baat yaad rakhiyo badlo zarro lenge yeh musalman” (trouble us as much as you can but always remember one thing, we Muslims will definitely take revenge).

“Badla zaroor legal Musalman,” read the cation of this video, which roughly translates to ‘Muslims will definitely take revenge.”

However, Amaan Tanwar has posted a lot more dangerous content on his Instagram profile than just these few examples.

Every other post on his timeline features the social media user either brazenly issuing veiled threats to non-Muslims or inciting his co-religionists to commit violence against non-Muslims.

‘Immense damage to humanity’: Elon Musk on Paul Ehrlich’s ‘Population Bomb’ ideas, Sanjay Gandhi’s forced sterilization of Indians during Emergency

OpIndia Staff
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‘Immense damage to humanity’: Elon Musk on Paul Ehrlich’s ‘Population Bomb’ ideas, Sanjay Gandhi’s forced sterilization of Indians during Emergency

During the Emergency, Sanjay Gandhi, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s son, had embarked on a gruesome mission, to sterilize as many Indians as possible. Encouraged by the tens of millions of dollars given by the World Bank, Swedish International Development Authority, and the UN Population Fund, the illegitimate government of India at that time treated its own people as livestock.

As per reports, after the Emergency was imposed in 1975, approximately 6.2 million Indian men were sterilized in just one year. Poor, uneducated men from undeveloped areas were the government’s favorite target. Sometimes, even the entire village was cordoned off by the police and the men were dragged for surgeries.

Paul Ehrlich’s idea of population control

In 1968, German physician Paul Ehrlich published his book ‘The Population Bomb’. The hastily written book was widely promoted by the author. Ehrlich had predicted a doom and gloom scenario for the whole world, telling that the planet has been overpopulated and soon millions of people will be starving to death.

“Hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death. No matter what people do, “nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate, the book said.

In 1970, the book saw a sudden jump in popularity after Ehrlich appeared on NBC’s Tonight Show in the USA.

Eventually, promoted by Ehrlich’s relentless fearmongering, the idea of the ‘Population Bomb’ became mainstream. Government and international organizations started promoting massive population control measures. However, in India, the idea caused a whole different level of perversion, the forced sterilization program led by Sanjay Gandhi.

Elon Musk calls it ‘an immense damage to humanity’

On 26 June, a Twitter handle @mezaoptimizer shared some excerpts from an article, describing how Ehrlich’s predictions about overpopulation leading to doom have been proven wrong. Ehrlich had predicted that England will cease to exist by the 2000s and over 65 million Americans will starve to death.

Ehrlich had recommended forced sterilization for India, as per the article. The then US President Lyndon Johnson reportedly told the PM of India that India can get the US govt’s financial help only if it carries out a mass sterilization program of its population. Encouraged by his mother, Sanjay Gandhi allocated quotas to CMs of states, especially UP and Bihar, to sterilize men in villages. Government officials were encouraged and pressurized to achieve targets for the given number of mass sterilizations in their respective locations.

The article highlights how Ehrlich went on to receive every single award for environmental science and activism possible. He has earned millions over the years and is now a professor emeritus at Stanford University.

Elon Musk responded to the tweet, saying how Paul Ehrlich caused immense damage to humanity.

As per reports, the institutions like Ford and Rockefeller Foundation played a key role in carrying out forced sterilizations in India. The USA, the country that lectures non-stop about human rights and democracy today, was on board with this program. World Bank President Robert McNamara even praised Indira Gandhi, saying, “At long last, India is moving to effectively address its population problem.”

During Indira Gandhi’s visit to Washington, an adviser had reportedly asked US President Johnson if he is considering giving aid to India. “Are you out of your f*cking mind? I’m not going to piss away foreign aid in nations where they refuse to deal with their own population problems”, was reportedly his response.

The forced sterilization of millions of Indian men remains one of the darkest, most horrific chapters in the modern history of the country. Over 2000 men had died during botched-up procedures.

Troll account Team Saath, of whom TV actor Sushant is the ‘brand ambassador and mentor’, demands the arrest of Professor Ranganathan for quoting Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Troll account Team Saath, of whom TV actor Sushant is the ‘brand ambassador and mentor’, demands the arrest of Professor Ranganathan for quoting Gandhi

On June 26, the troll account Team Saath, which often gangs up against Twitter handles that do not side with its ideology, demanded the arrest of the author and Professor Anand Ranganathan for quoting MK Gandhi. In a tweet, Team Saath wrote, “Now this man should be dealt with in a court of law. Someone must come forward and take the bull by the horns.” They tagged Congress, Supriya Shrinate, Pawan Khera, and Ashok Kumar Pandey. There was a screenshot of Prof Ranganathan’s tweet included in the post.

Anand Ranganathan quoted MK Gandhi

In a tweet, Prof Ranganathan wrote, “Hindus should not harbour anger against Muslims even if the latter want to destroy and kill us all. We should face death bravely. If Muslims established their rule after killing all Hindus, we would be ushering in a new India. – Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the nation, April 6, 1947.” In the attached video, Prof Ranganathan opposed the idea of giving Gandhi prize to Gita Press over the notion that Gandhi was anti-Hindu.

His tweet was a direct quote from MK Gandhi. On April 6, 1947, Gandhi made a speech at the prayer meeting. During the meeting, he expressed his dismay over the fact that Hindus fought back against Muslims in Bihar. He accused Hindus of killing “Nationalist Muslims”. He said, “Hindus should not harbour anger in their hearts against Muslims even if the latter wanted to destroy them. Even if the Muslims want to kill us all, we should face death bravely. If they established their rule after killing Hindus, we would be ushering in a new world by sacrificing our lives. None should fear death. Birth and death are inevitable for every human being. Why should we then rejoice or grieve? If we die with a smile, we shall enter into a new life; we shall be ushering in a new India.”

What Prof Ranganathan said was a direct quote from MK Gandhi. It is available easily as part of ‘Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi’ and can be downloaded from Gandhi Ashram Sevagram’s website. The quote can be found in the last paragram of page 248 in “Volume Ninety-four : (February 17, 1947 – April 29, 1947)”.

In his statement, prof Ranganathan said, “To have a Gandhi prize, to begin with, is an insult to India.” He then narrated the story of Gandhi’s niece Manu who was forced to walk 30 miles amid ongoing riots to retrieve a scrubbing stone. The story was documented by Gandhi’s grandson Rajmohan Gandhi in his book ‘The Man, his people and the Empire“.

Page 560 of the book read, “Discovering the loss later in the day (15 Jan.) in Narayanpur, Gandhi asked Manu to walk back alone to Bhatialpur and retrieve the pumice stone. Though an old woman had thrown the stone away, Manu located it and hurried back.

Saying, “Take your stone,’ she threw the object before Gandhi, who laughed and said that Manu had passed a test. He added: If scoundrels had seized and killed you I would have danced with joy, but I would not have liked it a bit if you had run back out of fear… I said to myself, “This girl sings ‘Ekla Chalo Re with enthusiasm but has she digested the message?’ … You can see how hard I can be… I also realized it.“

He mentioned several of Gandhi’s quotes to prove how Gandhi Prize should not have existed. While all the quotes mentioned by prof Ranganathan are available in public domain, Team Saath targeted him for “insulting” Gandhi.

Though there are speculations on social media that actor Sushant Singh is inextricably linked to the account ‘Team Saath‘, they clarified that Sushant Singh is not the group’s founder but rather ‘The Goodwill Ambassador’. The account, the tweet said, is run by one ‘The Linguist’.

Recently, Team Saath targeted filmmaker Ashoke Pandit just days before the release of the film ’72 Hoorain’ that Pandit has co-produced. His account was suspended and continues to remain under suspension.

Barack Obama should spend his energy complimenting India, not criticising it: Former Commissioner of USCIRF

OpIndia Staff
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Barack Obama should spend his energy complimenting India, not criticising it: Former Commissioner of USCIRF

Barack Obama is drawing a lot of his flak over his answers to a question on Prime Minister Narendra Modi even from voices within the USA now.

Former Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Johnnie Moore has said that the former US President should focus his energy on complimenting India more than criticising India.

Moore’s statement was in regard to contentious remarks made by Obama during an interview with CNN news host Christiane Amanpour, just hours before PM Modi made his historic address at the joint session of the US Congress.

“I think the former president (Barack Obama) should spend his energy complimenting India more than criticising India. India is the most diverse country in human history. It’s not a perfect country, just like the US is not a perfect country, but its diversity is its strength… Even in that critique, President Obama couldn’t help but also compliment PM Modi, and I certainly understand why, having spent some time with him,” Moore said.

Further, the former Commissioner of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom added, “With your friends, it’s sometimes better to privately criticise than to publicly praise. It’s good geopolitics. Because there are plenty of people around the world who want to demonstrate that this is the twilight of democracy; it is not the twilight of democracy, it is the new dawn of democracy. So I disagree with the sentiment of the former President.”

Obama sparks row during Modi’s US visit

In an interview with CNN news host Christiane Amanpour, Obama suggested that the Indian Prime Minister must be told by the Biden administration about protecting the ‘Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India.’ He also hinted at another ‘partition’ of India, under the Modi government.

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi (L) with Former US President Barack Hussein Obama

He said, “If President (Joe Biden) meets with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, the protection of Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning.”

Barack Obama also claimed, “If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, then, part of the conversation would be that if you do not protect the rights of minorities, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart…That would be contrary to the interests of India.”

Nirmala Sitharaman’s retort

Finance Minister of India Nirmala Sitharaman in a fierce retort reminded the former US President that 6 Muslim nations were bombed by the US under his rule.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Source: ANI)

“It was surprising that when the PM was visiting the US and telling people about India, a former US President (Barack Obama) was making a statement on Indian Muslims…I am speaking with caution, we want a good friendship with the US, but they comment on India’s religious tolerance. Perhaps 6 Muslim-dominated countries were bombed due to him (Obama)…More than 26,000 bombs were dropped,” she had said.

Muslim youth gatecrash a Dalit family’s marriage function, abuse and pelt stones from the rooftop on being called out for indecent behaviour

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim youth gatecrash a Dalit family’s marriage function, abuse and pelt stones from the rooftop on being called out for indecent behaviour

On the 24th of June, 2023, several youths from the Muslim community gatecrashed the marriage program of a Dalit family in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. There are allegations that the Muslim youths made forced entry into the wedding program through a speeding bike. Reportedly, they started abusing and pelting stones from the rooftop when they were called out for their indecent behaviour and molestation of women at the marriage function.   

The Police had to reach the spot and bring the situation under control. Around one dozen miscreants have been taken into custody. 

As per media reports, the case pertains to the Ramgarh police station area of Alwar district. On Saturday night, there was a wedding program for the daughter of Babulal Meghwal in Khoh village. When the DJ was on and the program of Bindori was going on, it is alleged that some Muslim youths arrived there. They started dancing with the women present there which was opposed by the bride’s family.

The accused gatecrashed the wedding on a speeding bike

One of the victims, Jai Kishan, said that the miscreants had come on speeding bikes and they made forced entry into the function at high speed. Apparently, this infuriated the accused and they threatened the bride’s family and called 20-25 members of their family. During this, the accused continuously abused the bride’s family members and made casteist remarks.

Meanwhile, some of the miscreants climbed on the rooftops and started pelting stones at the people present at the wedding function. Some people were injured in the incident and they are being treated at the local hospital. As soon as the information about the matter was received, a heavy police force reached the spot.

The police have initiated legal action against five individuals under section 151 for breaching the peace. Additionally, it has been reported that approximately a dozen people have been taken into custody. Other accused individuals have also faced legal consequences under different sections of the SC-ST Act. According to the victim, Jaikishan, they have experienced instances of assault multiple times in the past, but they used to silently endure it while seeking solace within themselves.

Presently the police are investigating the whole matter.

Shiv Sena’s Saamna scores a massive self-goal, calls Patna Opposition meet as ‘Wagner Group’ to challenge PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena’s Saamna scores a massive self-goal, calls Patna Opposition meet as ‘Wagner Group’ to challenge PM Modi

On Monday, Saamna newspaper which is the mouthpiece of the Shiv Sena-UBT political party in Maharashtra termed the opposition coalition meeting of June 23 as the ‘Wagner Group of India’ and asserted that it will topple the Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the centre in the upcoming elections. The editorial piece drew a parallel between the Opposition and the ruling BJP and the Wagner group’s rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“The Wagner Group came together in Patna to challenge Modi’s power in India. This group is not a rented one. Like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Modi will also have to go, but through democratic means. The Wagner Group in Patna has given these indications!” the editorial in the newspaper today said.

The comparison sounded strange as Wagner is a mercenary group started by Prighozin who used to be an ex-convict-turned-food seller. The PMC Wagner group has been referred to as “the defender of democracy” in the Saamana editorial, while comparing it to India’s opposition parties. According to the report, the Opposition gathered in Patna to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the exact same time that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner, rebelled against Putin.

“17 major political parties met in Patna of Friday. Around five incumbent Chief Ministers of various states and several other former leaders attended the meeting where it has been decided to defeat Prime Minister Modi and the BJP in a one-on-one match in the upcoming 2024 general elections. This is good news from the point of view of democracy,” the editorial roughly read in Marathi.

Moreover, the so-called challenge by Wagner against Putin lasted less than 24 hours. The Russian government intervened, and made Wagner turn back to hold a different position in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Moreover, the Russian public seemed angry with the Wagner group.

The editorial called CM Eknath Shinde and his ministers as ‘the rented army’

Shiv Sena UBT also said that the meeting garnered expected reply from the Home Minister Amit Shah who said BJP will win 300 seats come what may in the upcoming elections. “Till yesterday, BJP party president JP Nadda was claiming that BJP would wil 400 seats and after just one meeting, Amit Shah said that BJP would win 300 seats. It was just the first meeting and the numbers they expect to win have reduced by 100. This is the power of opposition. The party has made people believe that it is credible and capable to rule over this country but truth is something else,” the editorial read.

The party also alleged that the BJP has employed and ‘rented’ several people to boost the BJP in public minds and to gain votes, “but”, it said, “the opposition group is not rented. It is this unity which will give a scathing reply to the BJP in the upcoming elections.”

“The same situation is happening in Russia today,” the editorial continued. “Putin is facing the backlash from the Wagner group. Wagner Group chief Yevgheny Prigozhin, who is leading the rebellion, has claimed that Russia will soon have a new President. Vladimir Putin meanwhile has called the armed rebellion by mercenary chief a betrayal and a stab in the back. This kind of language is not expected from a President’s mouth. Here in India, the BJP has also composed many such teams who are eventually going to harm the BJP leading to its fall,” it added.

The editorial indicated that Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his ministers were a ‘rented army’ and that they are going to backstab the BJP, just like the Wagner group tried to do.

AAP is not entirely pleased with the meeting’s agenda and priorities

The 17 opposition parties that gathered on Friday, June 23, in Patna determined to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a single force in the 2024 general election in an effort to topple the Narendra Modi administration. The leaders reflected on the importance of Patna for fostering opposition unity because it served as the focal point of the Jayaprakash Narayan-led campaign that overthrew the Indira Gandhi government in the 1970s.

The leaders of the opposition parties assembled at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s official residence at 1-Aney Marg in Patna. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s uneasiness about the controversial Ordinance pertaining to Delhi’s administration was also evident at the meeting. Although AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal was present for the meeting, he skipped the press conference which the opposition leaders addressed right after the meeting. According to reports, the chief minister of Delhi was not entirely pleased with the meeting’s agenda or priorities.

BJP slams alliance calls it unholy, selfish, short-lived

The BJP meanwhile slammed the alliance and called it a ‘selfish’ alliance. The BJP said that the target of the ‘unholy’ alliance of the non-BJP parties was not PM Modi but the future of India. Union minister Smriti Irani happened to cite the differences between the AAP and the Congress and said that the differences were ‘indicative of the alliance’s short-lived nature.’

“Today, those parties which couldn’t stand each other in the past, came together, taking a pledge that will hinder India’s development…wolves hunt in packs…a political pack met in Patna today,” Irani said after a day after the meeting on June 23.

Whenever these political groups have come together in the past, according to Irani, they have only brought corruption and nepotism, which has hampered India’s economic growth. The tension between the AAP and Congress over the Delhi ordinance issue was brought up by the speaker, who asserted that “AAP’s blackmailing at the beginning itself shows what the future holds for this alliance.”

Second round of opposition talks in mid-July

It is being said that CM Kejriwal didn’t want to attend the meeting but he did after CM Nitish Kumar insisted on his presence. The AAP says that Congress must declare its opposition to the Ordinance for AAP to take part in any of the opposition meetings.

However, apart from AAP-Congress differences, the other political parties seem to have decided to defeat the BJP in the upcoming general election. The oppositions are also slated to have a second round of talks in Shimla around July 11–12 to settle the course of action to execute their plan. The forthcoming gathering will be hosted by the Congress party.

Adipurush collection dips consistently despite makers slashing ticket rates twice, earns only 7 crores on Day 10

OpIndia Staff
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Adipurush collection dips consistently despite makers slashing ticket rates twice, earns only 7 crores on Day 10

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Owing to the underwhelming performance of Om Raut’s movie Adipurush, the makers of the movie have slashed the rates of the tickets twice, but this has also failed to entice audiences to the theatres. Despite all the efforts, Adipurush managed to earn only Rs 7.2 crore net in India in all languages on its second Sunday which marked the tenth day of its release, reports Sacnilk.com

The film registered an overall theatre occupancy of 16.34 per cent in the Hindi belt on Sunday, June 25.

This takes its 10-day net collection in India to around Rs 275.75 crores at the domestic box office in all languages and the gross collection to 325.05 crores.

The dipping trend had, in fact, continued the entire last week with Prabhas, Saif Ali and Kirti Sanon starrer movie collecting Rs 3.40 crore on its second Friday (June 23) and Rs 5.25 crore on its second Saturday (June 24).

Adipurus collection at the box office on days 8, 9 and 10th (source: Sacnilk.com)

Makers further slash ticket prices amid free fall at box office

It may be noted, that in response to declining box office performance and growing backlash, the makers of Adirurush announced a reduction in ticket prices for Thursday and Friday shows to Rs 150. However, due to continued criticism and a drop in collections on Monday and Tuesday, they have further lowered the prices. On Sunday, on the 10th day, the makers announced that the new price had been set at Rs 112.

“Witness the epic saga unfold. Book your tickets starting from just Rs112/-* and experience the grandeur world of Adipurush,  Offer starts tomorrow! #JaiShriRam,” read the announcement from T-Series official Instagram handle. It also has a tagline which states that Adipurush will be screened with edited and changed dialogues.

Notably, the movie had made a great start with 200 crores in its first weekend but raked in only 10 crores on June 20. It experienced a startling drop of 75% on Monday and has been experiencing a subsequent decline thereafter.

One of the most expensive Indian films, Adipurush which was released on 16 June to negative reviews is ‘based’ on Valmiki’s Ramayana. Written and directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series, it features Prabhas as Raghava, Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, Sunny Singh as Shesh and Devdatta Nage as Bajrang. It was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages.

Controversy around Adipurush

The 3D project has been in the headlines due to its revered subject ever since the makers announced its inception. The excitement soon turned into disappointment after its teaser was released. After the extreme backlash to the visual effects and CGI, its budget was increased to 500 crores from 400 crores to improve and enhance the visual effects, CGI, lighting and colour grading. The makers also pushed back the original release date from January to fix the issues pointed out.

However, when it finally made its way to the theatres it proved to be a huge letdown, largely owing to the colloquial dialogues penned by Manoj Muntashir Shukla, the performance and outfits of the actors, the lousy storyline, the awful VFX, the poor direction and most importantly the deviation from the source material.

The low numbers seem to be a result of the negative word of mouth against the film. Adipurush has been slammed for its dialogues and for giving a colloquial twist to the sacred Ramayana. There have been calls for a ban on the movie by several Hindu outfits, other organisations as well as audiences for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. Recently, the All Indian Cine Workers Association had written to PM Modi, then subsequently to Amit Shah and Mumbai Police seeking a case against the makers of Adipurush for making a ‘mockery of Ramayan.’

Restriction of Rath Yatra by police amounts to interference with religious practice: Calcutta High Court

OpIndia Staff
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Restriction of Rath Yatra by police amounts to interference with religious practice: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court came down heavily on the State Police for not allowing a chariot parade in Sankrail, Howrah, for this year’s Jagannath Rath Yatra. The court criticised the Police and remarked that the conditions that they had imposed amounted to interference with religious practice.

Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ruled that requiring the deity to travel without a chariot for around 300 metres would be exceedingly inappropriate. He further asserted that the same will invalidate, defeat, and jeopardise the Rath Yatra’s mission and purpose.

The Court said, “Over the decades and centuries, people of all religious denominations have participated with joy and actively supported Rath Yatra in this State. To restrict a Rath Yatra, and to impose conditions, therefore, would amount to interference with a religious practice which has not happened in this State or any other part of the country, till date.”

Earlier, the West Bengal Police had issued a guideline stating that the worshippers may use chariots to transport the deity up to a particular point. Afterward, the worshippers were asked that they must discharge the deity and carry them by hand to the temple due to traffic constraints.

The case proceedings

On June 16, the Petitioner sought permission from the Court to hold a Rath Yatra march in a particular region. But the court asked him to seek clearance from the proper authorities. Displeased by the Police’s response, the petitioner filed this urgent petition before the Honourable Court on the 19th of June.

In their application dated June 19, the petitioners requested the court to modify the order passed on June 16, 2023. Specifically, they sought permission from the court to physically carry the deity from the temple near the Delta Jute Mill gate to Beltala More. Additionally, they requested authorisation to proceed further on the chariot from Beltala More to KDT Pole and beyond if necessary.

After hearing both parties, the court stated that to require the petitioner to physically carry the deity from the temple located near the Delta Jute Mill gate to Beltala More without a chariot would negate, defeat and compromise the object and purpose of the Rath Yatra.

The court added, “A Rath Yatra as folklore and mythology would have, meant for the deity Lord Jagannath and Balabhadra to travel on a chariot from their house to their sister’s house/aunt’s house to visit and to see an unwell aunt.”

However, the court didn’t modify its earlier order dated June 16, 2023.

The court said, “The petitioner shall as already directed earlier, maintain peace and harmony in the procession of the Rath Yatra.”

The court also asked the police to take appropriate and stern procedural measures in case there is an anticipation of any vested interest or elements trying to disrupt the religious function. Subsequently, the court disposed of the petition.

Electricity tariff increases in Delhi, AAP minister accuses centre of ‘mismanagement’, promises no effect on consumers

OpIndia Staff
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Electricity tariff increases in Delhi, AAP minister accuses centre of ‘mismanagement’, promises no effect on consumers

On June 22, Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DREC) allowed electricity companies to increase tariffs in Delhi. The new tariff will affect consumers living in South Delhi, West Delhi, the trans-Yamuna area, old Delhi, and New Delhi. Reports suggest that the tariff will increase by 10% in regions where BSES provides electricity.

Power Minister of New Delhi Atishi Marlena said the change in tariff would not affect the consumers, especially those who were getting zero bills. In a statement, a Delhi government official told ANI, “Consumers will not be directly affected by this increase. Under the Power Purchase Agreement, electricity prices keep increasing and decreasing. Electricity becomes cheaper in winter, while the price increases slightly in summer. Every quarterly review shows a marginal increase or decrease in the prices under the power purchase agreement.”

The approval from DREC was given based on requests submitted by MYPL and BRPL. The new tariff will remain in effect till March 2024. BYPL consumers will have to pay 9.42% extra for electricity, while BRPL consumers will have to pay a 6.39% additional tariff. Consumers in the NDMC region will pay a 2% additional tariff. Consumers living in North and Northwest Delhi, where TPDDL provides electricity, will not get affected by the price change.

Delhi power minister Atishi Marlena blamed the central government for the price hike. She claimed that the central government has a mandate of blending 10% of imported coal into domestic coal for power companies. She further claimed that while domestic coal costs Rs 2,000 per tonne, imported coal costs around Rs 25,000 per tonne.

The 10% mandate that Atishi talked about was withdrawn in August 2022. A new mandate is in place to blend a maximum of 6% of imported coal. The central government issued the order on January 9, 2023, requiring all power companies to use imported coal to the extent of 6% of their requirement. It will remain in effect until September this year.

As per the Money Control report from June 5, the power companies managed to blend an average of 3% of imported coal. The aim was to save domestic coal for peak season. Thus the claim of accusing the central government of the increase in price is misleading. Though power companies could not comply fully with the orders, India managed to save 46 MT of domestic coal. 

Freebie policy of the AAP

AAP has remained in power for a long time due to its free electricity policy. The freebie policy has put a lot of financial pressure on the Delhi Government and Punjab Governments as AAP replicated it in the state. Not to forget, AAP tweaked its free electricity policy in Delhi, and it is available only to those who opted for it.

The power tariff was increased in Punjab as well. In Punjab, too, the consumers will continue to get free electricity. The burden, however, has been put on the state government. It has to be understood that nothing comes free. The subsidy the AAP government is providing has to be earned from other sources.

A similar situation has been created in Congress-ruled Karnataka, where Congress promised free electricity but increased the tariff soon after it came to power. In April this year, the tariff was also increased in Congress-ruled Himachal Pradesh. Congress is also providing free electricity up to some units in Himachal.

Afghanistan: Taliban exploiting humanitarian aid, diverting funds to its fighters, says report

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Taliban exploiting humanitarian aid, diverting funds to its fighters, says report

Recently, NPR, an independent non-profit media organization, interviewed six Afghan aid workers from five provinces in Afghanistan. As per the information shared by these aid workers, NPR highlighted that the Taliban has been diverting foreign aid to their fighters through coercion, bullying, threats of legal action, and even violence. 

For security reasons, the locations of the interviewees have been kept discreet, but these aid workers represent different provinces, providing a comprehensive understanding of the ground situation in Taliban-governed Afghanistan.

An anonymous aid worker, identified as MF, had apprehensions about speaking to the press due to fear of the Taliban regime. Despite the risks, MF believed that his story was crucial and requested the use of initials to maintain anonymity.

It is important to note that MF works for an international charity that distributes food aid in northern Afghanistan. The charity ensures that families in need have access to sustenance and avoids potential hunger by providing packages comprising rice, flour, and oil.

Food aid is crucial because, in March, the World Food Programme estimated that around 20 million Afghans were suffering from hunger, which was nearly double the number recorded just three years ago.

However, MF lamented that providing food aid to the right people has become a daunting task due to pressure exerted by local Taliban members. They insist on diverting the charity to individuals of their choosing, even if those individuals do not meet the criteria set by the charity. He stated that although these are not official requests from the Taliban Ministry for charities to comply, these unofficial letters or verbal requests are taken very seriously. 

MF states that while some of their suggested names may be genuinely needy, others are Taliban fighters who do not meet the charity’s criteria. 

MF said, “If we refuse to comply, employees are threatened, detained, and even beaten on baseless charges.”

While the economic crisis in the war-torn nation has been constantly pushing more and more people into hunger, these exploitative tactics by the Taliban have worsened the situation. 

Western aid still pouring into Taliban-controlled nation

Even after the international sanctions on the terrorist group and banking restrictions, Afghan people still receive $40 million a week in the form of humanitarian aid despite the fact that a significant portion of the Western aid is diverted toward the Taliban and their fighters. 

Similarly, the Taliban has jeopardized charitable work by banning women from working anywhere, including UN groups working in Afghanistan.

Though the Taliban deliberately avoided responding to allegations of diverting Western aid into its coffers, in April it issued a statement about criticism of the ban on women employees at nonprofit groups. In its statement, the Taliban said it is an “internal social matter.”

The US government appointed an authority to overlook its spending in Afghanistan called the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). In its April report, it also documented the Taliban’s grave interference with these International charities. 

The report asserted that in 2022 alone there were 362 incidents of violence and threats against humanitarian aid workers, assets, and facilities. It cited 39 incidents of threats or intimidation against these aid workers. 

Additionally, one nongovernmental group in Kabul suspended aid distribution after getting framed in an “unspecified security incident” that involved the Taliban’s Ministry of refugees and repatriation. Though in this case, aid resumed after three weeks when negotiations were brokered with the Taliban who then provided assurance for their security. 

Similarly, another NGO in Faryab province reported that Taliban members confiscated its food aid aimed at hungry Afghans. 

It is not that Western nations are completely unaware of their aid going into the Taliban’s coffer. Earlier, in April, while addressing the Congressional Committee on Oversight and Accountability, the head of SIGAR John Sopko raised concerns about the grave misuse of U.S. tax dollars in Afghanistan.

As per SIGAR, since 2021, the United States has allotted $2 billion for humanitarian and development efforts in Afghanistan — 60% of which is food aid. 

Officially it is claimed that these funds go to projects implemented through various nongovernmental and international organizations.

Sopko said, “However, it is clear from our work that the Taliban is using various methods to divert U.S. aid dollars to the Taliban and its allies.”

As per another staff worker, Mariam, the Taliban forces these charities to give funds to Taliban-supported projects such as building local madrassas — religious schools providing education on Islam alongside basic literacy courses but they do not follow the standard school curriculum and exclude certain subjects.

She added that they force charities to have their members in management positions. 

It is not that the US had not suspended these humanitarian assistances on reports of embezzlement but the Western aid in Afghanistan continues unabated despite the Taliban misusing it. For instance, earlier this month, the US suspended food aid to Ethiopia, citing embezzlement of aid in a “widespread and coordinated detour operation.”

The director of the Center for Humanitarian Health at Johns Hopkins University, Paul Spiegel conducted a five-week investigation in late 2021. This investigation was a  part of the World Health Organization (WHO) report, on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.

Spiegel said, “Some of this is the cost of doing business, and it can be a very difficult decision to make. Because if you take a very strict stand [against the Taliban], they will restrict access to people in need.”

On indirectly funding the Taliban, he asserted, “It’s a bargain with the devil” and he urged the international community to continue helping Afghans.

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