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Quad meeting cancellation: PM Modi to still visit Australia because there is a ‘Little India’ and a bilateral program waiting. Read

OpIndia Staff
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Quad meeting cancellation: PM Modi to still visit Australia because there is a ‘Little India’ and a bilateral program waiting. Read

Even though the Quad meeting scheduled for the coming week stands cancelled, PM Modi would reportedly visit Australia for a planned bilateral program and a ‘Little India’ awaiting him Down Under. 

Australian PM Albanese expressed hope that PM Modi would visit the country despite the cancellation of the Quad meeting for the events planned for his trip. 

PM Modi’s visit to Australia comes against the backdrop of an important bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart, PM Albanese.

‘Little India’ awaits PM Modi in Australia

Besides, a collective of approximately 60 Indian shop owners, who have been actively advocating for the renaming of Harris Park, are also eagerly waiting to receive Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to Sydney. The Prime Minister has been invited to lay the foundation stone for the ‘Little India’ Gateway entrance.

The Indian business community in Harris Park is making preparations to warmly receive Mr Modi. They refer to the collection of Indian restaurants and retail shops as ‘Little India’ and believe that formalizing the nickname would enhance the area’s attractiveness to tourists.

Behind the scenes, Andrew Charlton, the Member of Parliament for Parramatta, has been actively collaborating with government officials from both major political parties to facilitate Mr Modi’s visit to Harris Park.

According to Sanjay Deshwal, the president of the Little India Harris Park Business Association, the initial proposal to officially name the area ‘Little India’ was made in 2015. However, the efforts faced a setback when the Geographic Names Board advised the Parramatta Council to refrain from using the term, citing concerns of potential confusion.

With PM Modi’s visit, the Indian businesses ar Harris Park are upbeat that their demand would finally be fulfilled and the area would be formally named ‘Little India’. 

Parramatta councillor Paul Noack, who initiated the motion, expressed the aspiration to establish the area as an international destination akin to places like Little India in Singapore and other renowned locations worldwide. This initiative, he stated, would put Harris Park on the map. It is important to note that the proposed designation of the three main streets as a cultural precinct would not replace the suburb name Harris Park.

The Quad meeting was cancelled following US President Joe Biden’s last-minute withdrawal due to the domestic debt ceiling crisis. It is now expected that the four leaders of the Quad grouping – the US, Japan, India, and Australia – will convene on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Japan this weekend.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan starts to make good his promise of govt relinquishing control of Temple activities: Read about latest cabinet decision that would help priests

OpIndia Staff
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Shivraj Singh Chouhan starts to make good his promise of govt relinquishing control of Temple activities: Read about latest cabinet decision that would help priests

Weeks after promising to free Hindu temples from government control, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday took the first big step towards that direction after it allowed priests to sustain their livelihood through the income from temple agricultural land. This would also mean that the priests would not be dependent on the meagre salaries that were being given by the government and would be able to sustain themselves better.

Ashish Agrawal, the media in charge of the BJP state unit, revealed that the Cabinet of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has decided that priests can now utilize the income generated from up to 10 acres of agricultural land associated with managed temples. Similarly, if the land exceeds 10 acres, the priests will retain the income from the first 10 acres and the remaining land will be auctioned for farming, with the proceeds deposited into the temple’s account.

The Cabinet has also taken a decision to initiate a campaign to free temple lands from encroachment.

Last year, the Religious Trusts and Endowments Department of the Madhya Pradesh government issued orders to increase the honorarium for priests. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that temples and priests without agricultural land would receive a monthly honorarium of Rs. 5,000.

Similarly, temples with 5 acres of agricultural land would provide priests with a monthly honorarium of Rs. 2,500. However, priests serving temples with more than 10 acres of agricultural land would not receive any separate salary.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan announces liberating Hindu temples from govt control

In April 2023, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced that the state government will not control any activities of temples.

During a Parshuram Jayanti event in Bhopal, the chief minister stated, “We have decided that the government will relinquish control over temple activities, and the auction of temple land will be conducted by priests instead of collectors.”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has long advocated for the liberation of Hindu temples from government control. The RSS has consistently emphasized that Hindu temples are subject to government oversight and expressed concerns that funds generated by these temples are being utilized for the upkeep of churches and mosques.

Amidst the debt crisis in the USA, Joe Biden hails Pakistan as a partner in the region

OpIndia Staff
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Amidst the debt crisis in the USA, Joe Biden hails Pakistan as a partner in the region

Amid the political turmoil in Pakistan, the United States declared on Tuesday that Islamabad is an important partner of the USA in the region and it wants Pakistan to succeed despite the country’s internal unrest.

John Kirby, the White House’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, spoke to reporters and stated, “We want to see Pakistan be a success. And we want to see the Pakistan government live up to the strongest aspirations of the Pakistani people.” He was answering a question on the current situation in Pakistan and US govt wanting a stable Pakistan.

“Pakistan is an important partner in the region. They are suffering from the threat of terrorism every single day. And we are mindful of the challenges that they are facing politically and economically as well. In the United States, they will continue to find a good friend,” he responded to the query raising concern over the grave situation in the South-Asian country.

In a different press conference, Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson for the State Department, told reporters that the US does not support any particular candidate or political party in Pakistan or any other nation and emphasised how important a strong, stable, and wealthy Pakistan is to its relations with the country.

“We do not choose a political party or a particular candidate when it comes to Pakistan or really any country. As it relates to Pakistan, our view is that a strong, stable, prosperous Pakistan is key to a strong and stable US-Pakistan relationship,” he answered a question on the political circus in Pakistan.

“Our belief is that individuals should have the freedom to express themselves, but do so without participating in any violence, violence that would put government employees in government buildings in harm’s way. And specifically on the arrest, I spoke a little bit to this last week,” he mentioned referring to the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s arrest last week by the Pakistani Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Australian phase of US President Joe Biden’s tour has been postponed because of acrimonious negotiations with the Republican-majority US Congress over the government’s debt threshold. He also pulled out of a visit to Papua New Guinea.

He was scheduled to participate in the third Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad Summit) with prime ministers Narendra Modi of India, Fumio Kishida of Japan and Anthony Albanese of Australia, but his vital travel has been hindered by the country’s contentious internal politics.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden and opposition Republican leaders provided optimism of a compromise that would prevent a disastrous US debt default, however, the most recent discussions came to an end without an agreement. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that the US faces an “unprecedented economic and financial storm,” referring to the debt crisis the US govt is facing.

US govt needs to raise its debt ceiling, failing to do so will result in the govt defaulting on its bills, which will be a historic first. Like most other govts, US govt also spends more than its revenue collected in forms of taxes and duties etc, and they cover the deficit by borrowing money.

To borrow money, the US treasury issues securities, like US government bonds, that it will eventually pay back with interest. However, there is a limit to how much money the US government can borrow. Once this debt limit is reached, the treasury cannot issue more securities, which means the govt has no more money to spend. This can lead to the suspension of various govt-run services. The US Congress sets the debt limit, which is $31.4 trillion at present.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also announced on Wednesday that the Quad leaders’ summit scheduled for Sydney the following week would not take place. This development occurred as Washington tries to strengthen its security connections in the Pacific despite the growing rivalry with Beijing.

Despite the cancellation, it was reported that there would be no change in plan for PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia.

All four leaders are still slated to attend this weekend’s G7 summit in Hiroshima, where the Quad countries, United States of America (USA), India, Australia, and Japan are now likely to hold a side meeting.

Not Russian anymore as per EU Council regulation: S Jaishankar after EU called for action against India for reselling Russian oil

OpIndia Staff
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Not Russian anymore as per EU Council regulation: S Jaishankar after EU called for action against India for reselling Russian oil

On May 16, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that Russian oil substantially processed in other countries before exporting to EU countries is not considered Russian as per EU Council’s regulations. Defending India’s purchase of Russian oil in Brussels, he urged the EU leaders, who are threatening to block oil import from India, to look into the European Union Council Regulation 833/2014. His remarks came after the European Union Foreign Policy chief called for action against Indian refined products from Russian crude. Union minister S Jaishankar advised him to look at EU Council regulations that say Russian crude transformed substantially in a third country is not treated as Russian crude as per their own regulations.

The minister was replying to a media query over the remarks of Foreign Policy chief Joseph Borrell who wants the bloc to act on refined products from India made using Russian crude oil. Borrell’s comments came during an interview with Financial Times.

Dr Jaishankar said, “I really don’t see the basis for your question. Because my understanding of council regulations is that Russian crude substantially transformed in a third country and not treated as Russian anymore. I would urge you to look at Council’s Regulation 833/2014.”

In an interview with Financial Times, Josep Borrell said, “If diesel or gasoline is entering Europe . . . coming from India and being produced with Russian oil, that is certainly a circumvention of sanctions and member states have to take measures.” He further said, “That India buys Russian oil, it’s normal. And if, thanks to our limitations on the price of oil, India can buy this oil much cheaper, the less money Russia gets, the better.”

However, he added that if India uses that as a centre where Russian oil is being refined and sold to the European countries, they have to act on it. He further added he would raise the issue with Dr Jaishankar during a meeting with him.

Dr Jaishankar defended India’s imports from Russia several times

This is not the first time Dr S Jaishankar has defended India’s imports from Russia. While doing so, he has indirectly criticised the West for putting pressure on India to reduce trade with Russia amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Notably, Russia initiated military action against Ukraine in February 2022. It has been over a year since the war between the two nations started. The USA and other NATO countries support Ukraine by providing support in the form of weapons, soldiers and money.

While defending India’s trade with Russia, Dr Jaishankar has categorically said that compared to the transaction between India and European countries, India’s business with Russia is very small, from around USD 12 billion to USD 13 billion. He had said, “We have also given the Russians a set of products. I don’t think people should read more into it other than the legitimate expectations of any trading country to increase its trade.” In another statement, he said, “We do buy some energy, which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect looking at the figures. Our total purchases for the month will be less than what Europe does in an afternoon. So, you might want to think about it.”

Dr Jaishankar is in Brussels for the last leg of his three-nation visit that covered Bangladesh, Sweden and Belgium for the India-EU Trade and Technology Council meeting. He is accompanied by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar.

Aligarh: Mohammad Hassan sentenced to 20 years in jail under POCSO Act for raping his adopted minor daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Aligarh: Mohammad Hassan sentenced to 20 years in jail under POCSO Act for raping his adopted minor daughter

On Monday, May 15, an Aligarh court sentenced 50-year-old Mohammad Hassan alias Pappu to twenty years in prison for raping his 13-year-old adopted minor daughter in October last year. Hasan was sentenced within 41 days after being charged under the POCSO Act. Reportedly, he adopted a Hindu laborer’s daughter. He had been raping the minor girl for about a year. Following Mohammad Hasan’s conviction, the victim was sent to a women’s shelter home.

Reportedly, Mohammad Hasan, a Quarsi resident claimed to have adopted a three-year-old Hindu girl from a brick kiln in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad where he used to work roughly eight years ago. He brought the girl to his home. Although he adopted the girl from a Hindu labourer, he renamed her as per his religion. Pappu was raping the juvenile girl for over a year. On October 25, 2022, Hassan’s daughter-in-law witnessed him sexually abusing the girl at their house. 

Upon receiving information about the matter, a social worker in Quarsi named Mohan Chauhan lodged a complaint against Mohammad Hassan. Following this, a medical examination of the victim was conducted. On the basis of Chauhan’s complaint, Mohammad Hassan was booked under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on October 26, 2022.

During the hearing, the court convicted the accused Mohammad Hassan, and sentenced him to 20 years in prison and a Rs 50,000 fine based on the evidence and testimony of the female child. Out of the fine, the court ordered that Rs 40,000 be given to the victim. It is worth noting that the charge sheet in the case was submitted on April 4, 2023. On May 15, the court convicted the rape accused within 16 dates (41 days).

Government Counsel Mahesh Singh said that the convict failed to furnish any documentary evidence to establish when and how the girl was adopted by him. He added that the police tried to trace the victim’s family but failed to do so. Singh also said that the court on the basis of the victim’s testimony had added IPC section 376 (rape) against the accused. Mohammad Hassan was acquitted under 354 and sentenced 20 years jail term on the rape charge. 

Sanchar Saathi: Here is how you can block lost or stolen phones, find out numbers issued in your name. Govt launches AI-powered portal for mobile users

OpIndia Staff
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Sanchar Saathi: Here is how you can block lost or stolen phones, find out numbers issued in your name. Govt launches AI-powered portal for mobile users

On Tuesday, the Department of Telecom launched a new portal named Sanchar Saathi which will help mobile phone users to block and track their lost or stolen mobile phones across India. Moreover, users will also be able to view all the mobile phone connections which have been issued on their documents. “People will be able to block, track and check the genuineness of a used device before buying them,” said Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while launching the portal.

“Under PM Modi’s vision for Telecom user’s safety we have launched Sanchar Saathi Portal under which there are three reforms for telecom users’ safety that will help protect a user’s digital identity. These reforms perfectly fit the PM’s vision to benchmark India’s telecom sector globally,” he said.

The first reform, as per the Minister, is the Centralised Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) which helps block, track and trace a mobile phone if it is lost or stolen. “If the SIM card is removed and a new SIM card is inserted still the phone can be blocked. The CEIR will help keep phone data and personal belongings safe,” the Minister said while addressing the masses at the launch event.

The second reform is Know Your Mobile. The consumer will get the facility to know how many SIM cards are there in their name, and what kind of documents have been attached. The users can now turn off their SIM cards as phone numbers are connected to KYC. “This will be done with an AI algorithm,” the Minister said.

The third reform is the ‘Astra’, an all AI-based framework to prevent cases where a fraudster takes multiple connections using different identities. According to the Minister, till now over forty thousand Point of Sale (POS) systems, that were supporting these fraudsters, have been blacklisted with Astra. With the help of Astra, 87 crore connections were traced, about 40 lakh connections were found fake, and 36 lakh connections have been closed following a detailed procedure. “In two cases it was found that one person has taken 5200 connections and the other has taken 6900 connections,” he added at the launch event.

He said that consumers can use the TAFCOP service on Sanchar Saathi to see if other mobile numbers are using their names without their knowledge or consent.

The facilities for Sanchar Saathi were created by C-DoT. The Department of Telecom’s technology development division has been successful in adding a capability to monitor the usage of counterfeit mobile phones across all telecom networks.

Prior to a mobile device’s sale in India, the government has now made it essential to provide the IMEI, a 15-digit unique numeric identity. The list of allowed IMEI numbers will be available to the mobile networks, allowing them to verify for the presence of any unlicensed mobile devices on their network.

The IMEI number of the device and the mobile number associated with it will be visible to telecom carriers and the CEIR system, and the data is utilised in some states to trace your lost or stolen mobiles using CEIR.

One of the typical methods used by criminals to avoid being found and blocked from using stolen mobile phones is to alter the IMEI number of the device. With the use of numerous databases, the CEIR will be able to prohibit any cloned mobile devices on the network.

In various telecom circles, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and the North East, C-DOT has been operating the technology’s pilot programme. Using the CEIR system, the Karnataka Police recently found and returned 2,500 missing mobile phones to their owners. With the aid of Apple id, a method for tracking stolen smartphones already exists, but Android-based smartphones have mostly caused problems.

Using stolen cell phones will be futile with the new system in place. The technique created by Sanchar Saathi may also aid in reducing phone smuggling.

Here is how the various services on the Sanchar Saathi platform can be used.

Know Your Mobile (KYM): There are three options to use this service, SMS, KYM and web portal. It provides all the information related to the IMEI number provided.

Lost Phone: It has the option to block a lost or stolen mobile phone, unblock a phone if it is found later, and track the request status. To block a number, information about the lost/stolen phone and the location where it happened, and the phone owner’s personal information has to be provided. Mobile number and device brand are mandatory fields for the information about the phone, while others like IMEI numbers (each SIM in a phone have individual IMEI numbers), second number if there was a second SIM, model name etc can be provided. The owner’s name and identity details are also mandatory.

Mobile connections in your name: After providing the mobile number, the system lists all phone numbers issued to the owner of that number. Only the first 2 and last 4 digits of the numbers are displayed, and three options are given against each number, Not My Number, Not Required, and Required. If a number is not recognised by the user and it was issued without the knowledge of the user, this option can be selected. This will raise a request for disconnection of the number.

The ‘Not Required’ option is for those numbers which were taken by the user in the past but are no longer in use, selecting this will also raise a request for disconnection of the number. For the numbers which were taken by the user and are currently in use, the Required option should be selected before clicking the Report button.

Meet Santosh Jain: A financial exec working in Sudan who provided diesel for Indian Embassy’s vehicles during Operation Kaveri

Anurag
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Meet Santosh Jain: A financial exec working in Sudan who provided diesel for Indian Embassy’s vehicles during Operation Kaveri

April 15 was just another day for Santosh Jain who worked as a financial head in a company in Sudan. He went to his office in a steel factory as he did daily. Little he knew his life would turn upside down within hours of reaching the office.

On that day, the war reached his city. Jain was stuck in the office, his wife, Jyoti Agarwal, was locked in the house, and his two children were stuck in the school while there were tanks on the roads. Jain and 162 workers in his factory were stuck in the middle of the ongoing war. When Indian Embassy informed him that there was no diesel for the rescue vehicles, Jain provided the fuel from the steel factory he worked at.

In an interview with Dainik Bhaskar, Jain said his day was routine. Before he left for the office, his wife had already sent the children to the school. He came to the office and started working. Soon, he heard noises from the outside. He could listen to the noises of bullets being fired and bombs falling around the factory. It was a horrifying situation for everyone in the factory. They shut the doors and hid inside two rooms. After a few hours, the paramilitary barged into the factory and looted their cash and mobile phones. They obliged to armed personnel’s demands to stay alive.

Jain said he received a call from his children’s school, which asked him to take the children back home. However, he could not do anything as he was stuck in the office, and his wife was stuck in the house. He requested a school teacher to take his children with her. He could only bring back his children home the next day.

During the time between the war started in his city and the day of the rescue, Jain and his family lived on a minimal ration that was stored at their house. He said, “I had to bring 162 families with me. I could not leave them behind. Many of them could not speak English, Arabic or other Sudanese language.” 

Hurdles in Operation Kaveri and How Jain helped

Jain said he received a call from the Embassy that the vehicles would reach his city soon for the rescue. It was a 12-hour drive to the Sudan Port. However, the rescue operation kept delaying for a couple of days. Later, Embassy officials informed him that there were vehicles, but it was impossible to arrange diesel for them.

Jain said, “There was a tank full of diesel in our steel factory. I thought this was more important; the rest could be figured out later. I told them to send the vehicles. All the tanks were filled with diesel from the factory, and we left for the Sudan port.” Jain said the vehicles were to reach at 3 AM but could only reach 8 AM. Soon all tanks of the vehicles were filled with diesel from the steel factory, and they started the journey back home. It took them 12 hours to reach Sudan Port and within a week.”

Jain told Dainik Bhaskar that throughout the journey to the port, there were checkpoints where all passengers were checked to make sure no Sudanese was among them. They had to hide their expensive phones out of fear of being snatched away. “We came back only with two pairs of clothes. We left everything we had built there in the last ten years,” said Jain.

The Horrifying Tales of the Sudan War

Jyoti told Dainik Bhaskar that they ate only lentils and rice stored in the house for days. There was no electricity. The weather was extremely hot, and it felt as if they would boil. She said, “Our children wanted to sleep with gates open. We could not let them. A pregnant woman living next door slept in the open. A bomb fell next to her, and she was blown into pieces.”

Jain saw a building rumble into pieces right in front of his eyes while hiding in the office. They had told their relatives in India that if they did not get a call for a couple of days, assume there was no electricity. If they did not reach out for over a week, assume they were dead.

Jain and his family are now settling in India. Their children have joined a school in Faridabad and the couple is running a start-up to sell clothes. They hope to see a brighter future in India.

Operation Kaveri

The government of India launched Operation Kaveri to evacuate Indians from war-hit Sudan. Under the ongoing Operation Kaveri, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan went to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to manage the evacuation. Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar regularly updated about the evacuation process on social media. Apart from Indian Nationals, foreign nationals were also evacuated by India.

The Indians were evacuated from Port Sudan to Jeddah after the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend their ceasefire amid ongoing violence in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region. Indians are being taken from Port Sudan to Jeddah on Navy ships and C-130J planes, from where they are being flown to India on C17 jet planes. On April 30, Dr S Jaishankar informed that 229 Indians reached Bengaluru. On April 29, 365 passengers reached India in one batch, and 231 reached home in another batch. In a tweet, Muraleedharan mentioned that around 2,100 Indians were scheduled for evacuation from battle-torn Sudan.

Sudan war

There is an ongoing conflict between Sudan’s military and its main paramilitary force. They are fighting to take control of the country. The war threatens the stability of Sudan and the wider region. The details of the conflict can be read here. Our coverage of Operation Kaveri can be read here.

Yavatmal: Sheikh Aftaab booked for posting video showing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj bowing to Aurangzeb, counter FIR filed against Hindus after Muslims were booked

Siddhi Somani
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Yavatmal: Sheikh Aftaab booked for posting video showing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj bowing to Aurangzeb, counter FIR filed against Hindus after Muslims were booked

On May 15, Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against one person identified as Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan for uploading an Islamist propaganda social media story on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The accused person posted a video in which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was seen bowing down before Aurangzeb. “Aurangzeb Hindustan ka Baap,” the video captioned.

The incident is said to have happened in the Pusad region of the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra on May 14. Team OpIndia accessed the FIR copy of the incident in which the complainant named Gajanan Chavhan said that the accused had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by deliberately posting an anti-Hindu video on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The video has also been accessed by OpIndia.

“We had organized a procession honouring Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in our city. After the procession, I saw a Facebook story was deliberately uploaded by Aftaab saying that Aurangzeb is the father of Hindustan. He also posted a video showing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj bowing down before Aurangzeb. This has hurt the religious sentiments of us Hindus. This was also an attempt to incite communal violence in the city,” Chavhan added.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

He also stated in the complaint that he showed the status to his other Hindu associates named Gajanan Karade, Mahesh Saroshe, Ganesh Bokshe, Prashant Pagir, Mahadev Dakhore and Khandu Shelgavkar who helped him file a police complaint. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is like God to us. And the accused has caused insult to him,” the complainant said.

Screenshots of video posted by Aftaab (Video obtained by OpIndia)

Counter FIR filed against Hindus an hour after Aftaab was booked

Team OpIndia talked to Mahesh Saroshe, one of the persons who helped Chavhan in filing a police complaint. He said that Gajanan Chavhan has not been seen in the city and that he is not reachable since the complaint has been filed against the accused. OpIndia also contacted Chavhan’s brother regarding the case. He also confirmed that Gajanan had gone into hiding and that his phone was not reachable.

“The tension between Hindus and Muslims here is long-standing. This time they uploaded Islamic status on the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was definitely a deliberate attempt. This has hurt our religious sentiments. Moreover, the Muslims have filed another complaint against us for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. And now the police are looking for us instead of arresting Aftaab,” Mahesh said.

Notably, an hour after Aftaab was booked for posting Islamic status and attempting to incite communal violence, a Muslim person named Mohammed Mobin Sheikh Mujammel registered an FIR against Mahesh Saroshe and Ganesh Bokshe for posting a social media story praising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and allegedly causing insult to Aurangzeb.

The FIR copy obtained by OpIndia stated that Mahesh and Ganesh posted a video saying, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is father of Aurangzeb.” Mahesh confirmed to OpIndia that he posted the video and said that it was in response to the video posted by Aftaab.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

Police detained Aftaab’s two brothers but then happened to release them

He claimed that the police booked him and his friend but took no action against Aftaab. “The Police detained two of his brothers and released them after inquiry. Aftaab is believed to have absconded. But the police are looking for Gajanan Chavhan and also us (Mahesh and Ganesh). We are struggling to file an anticipatory bail in the case so that we are not trapped for raising our voice against pro-Islamist activity,” Mahesh confirmed.

The police have booked Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan, Mahesh and Ganesh under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.

Team OpIndia tried to connect to the SDPO Pusad office and also Khandala Police Station, but the calls remained unanswered. The report will be updated once we hear from the authorities.

Kerala: 17-year-old girl found hanging in a Madrassa in Balarampuram, family alleges mental torture by a ‘teacher’

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: 17-year-old girl found hanging in a Madrassa in Balarampuram, family alleges mental torture by a ‘teacher’

A 17-year-old girl named Asmiya Mole was reportedly discovered dead inside a library at a Madrassa in Balarampuram city, Kerala. She was a resident of Beemapally in Thiruvananthapuram. Her family has alleged that the girl was being abused by a teacher of the madrassa named Al Aman.

The mother of the deceased filed a report of the alleged mental abuse of her daughter by a Madrassa teacher to Balarampuram police station. According to the police, a case has been launched under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code, and an investigation is currently underway. The victim was a resident of the hostel and a student at a nearby religious study institute.

She contacted her mother on Saturday afternoon and requested to be sent back home, as per Balarampuram police. She reached the institution, but the authorities allegedly did not allow her to meet Asmiya. After some time, she was told that her daughter was found dead.

Police said, “Her mother reached the Madrassa around 4.30 pm. She was asked to get permission. Around 6.30 she was informed that the girl was found hanging inside the library. Her mother took her to a private hospital in Neyyattinkara. She was declared brought dead on arrival at 7 pm.” The autopsy of the body was later conducted at the Medical College Hospital Thiruvananthapuram.

In accordance with Asmiya Mole’s uncle Tajudeen, she came home during Ramazan and informed her mother that a new Madrassa instructor was psychologically tormenting her.

“She returned to Madrassa on May 2 and complained to her mother again about the teacher. After reporting the matter to the Madrassa administration, the Ustad (teacher) asked her mother why Asmiya did not complain to him instead,” he revealed.

“We came to know from the media that 135 students were studying there. The primary report says it was hanging. We want to know what prompted her to commit suicide. What were the problems she faced there? We only wanted to know who was behind her death,” he added. The family has demanded a thorough inquiry into the serious matter.

CBI arrests media channel India Ahead’s Arvind Kumar Singh, says transferred crores through Hawala to firm handling AAP’s Goa election publicity

OpIndia Staff
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CBI arrests media channel India Ahead’s Arvind Kumar Singh, says transferred crores through Hawala to firm handling AAP’s Goa election publicity

On Monday, May 15, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said that Arvind Kumar Singh, the commercial head and production controller of Noida-based India Ahead news channel in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam on Friday. Following his arrest on the same day, Special CBI Judge M. K. Nagpal of Rouse Avenue Court remanded Singh to CBI custody till May 18.

According to a CBI official, “Arvind Kumar Singh was arrested on Friday for allegedly transferring Rs 17 crore over hawala networks to a firm, which was handling the Aam Aadmi Party’s publicity campaign during the Goa assembly elections.”

During the investigation, the CBI recovered WhatsApp chats and hawala operator data indicating that Singh had been involved in the hawala transactions of Rs 17 crore between June 2021 and January 2022 to a firm managing the AAP’s outdoor advertisement campaign in Goa.

While remanding Arvind Kumar Singh to CBI custody, Justice Nagpal stated, “This court is of the opinion that some further interrogation in custody from the accused is required, as is his confrontation with the other documentary as well as digital evidence that has come on record during the investigation of the case. Therefore, he has been remanded to the custody of the CBI until May 18.”

The Goa Assembly elections took place on February 14, 2022. The Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which intended to grant licenses to liquor retailers, is said to have benefited specific dealers who allegedly paid kickbacks for it. The policy was later scrapped. 

Notably, Bhupendra Chaubey, the editor-in-chief of India Ahead is married to Delhi Education Minister Atishi’s elder sister Rosa Basanti. In 2022, it was reported that India Ahead was faced with a financial crunch and rumours surfaced that the English free-to-air channel might shut down soon. In January this year, the news channel reportedly shut down its operations and the dues of the employees were unpaid. Chaubey had at the time refuted these reports.

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