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West Bengal: Tension grips Dinajpur after Dalit teenager found dead in a canal, kins allege rape and murder, police lathi charge on people demanding justice

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Tension grips Dinajpur after Dalit teenager found dead in a canal, kins allege rape and murder, police lathi charge on people demanding justice

On Friday (April 21) morning, the dead body of a 17-year-old Dalit girl was discovered floating in a canal in West Bengal’s North Dinajpur district’s Kaliagunj area. The kins of the victim allege that the teenager was raped before being murdered. The girl had gone missing on her way to tuition classes on Thursday.

Police have arrested two individuals, including one Javed Akhtar, whom the victim knew.

Meanwhile, angry locals along with the victim’s family members blocked a road with her body, demanding justice for the victim and strict punishment for the culprits, alleging it was a case of gang rape. Police reached the spot and started raining lathis and tear gas on the locals to disperse them. Some media houses like The Indian Express reported that the protesters pelted the police with bricks which led to a lathi charge. 

Several people were reportedly injured in the incident while police detained several from the spot. A large contingent of police personnel was deployed in the area to avoid escalation.

According to the district SP,  Sana Akhtar, two people have been arrested based on a complaint filed by the deceased’s relatives. Concerning the lathi charge and use of tear gas shells, he stated that it was necessary to do so in order to obtain the victim’s body and conduct the postmortem as quickly as possible in order to avoid the loss of critical evidence.

After the incident, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the police didn’t allow the BJP MLAs to meet the victim’s family. He also accused the police of “diluting” the evidence.

Pointing out the West Bengal police’s apathy and highhandedness, the BJP leader shared a video wherein the West Bengal police were seen dragging the victim’s body in an apathetic manner.

Taking to Twitter, Adhikari said, “The @BJP4Bengal MLAs weren’t allowed to visit the victim’s family & were involuntarily taken to a Police Station & made to sit there forcefully, because how else would @WBPolice suppress information & dilute evidence. They’re dragging the victim’s body in such undignified manner”.

Questioning the law and order situation in the state, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari tweeted, “Sorry state of Law & Order situation in WB as @WBPolice is busy with making security arrangements for ‘Bhaipo’s Nabajowar’. Unfortunately the common people; especially women are paying the price. The perpetrators are getting emboldened due to the inaction of the state government.”

Meanwhile, NCPCR Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo tweeted that a fact-finding team will be visiting there to conduct an investigation. “The NCPCR has taken note of reports of gang rape and murder of a Dalit girl child in Raiganj, West Bengal’s Uttar Dinajpur district,” he tweeted.

The NCPCR chief alleged that the Chief Secretary of the state and the North Dinajpur Collector are not responding despite the body informing them about the incident.

“We have received the info about the alleged rape and murder of a girl in Kaliyaganj in North Dinajpur and we are going to investigate it. It is very saddening that we informed about this incident to the chief secretary of the state govt and the collector of North Dinajpur in the afternoon, but we have not received any reply yet. We are trying for justice for the girl,” the NCPCR chief was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.

Bud Light marketing executive Alissa Heinerscheid takes ‘leave of absence’ amidst backlash over Dylan Mulvaney controversy

OpIndia Staff
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Bud Light marketing executive Alissa Heinerscheid takes ‘leave of absence’ amidst backlash over Dylan Mulvaney controversy

The senior marketing executive for Bud Light, who oversaw the contentious Dylan Mulvaney ad campaign, has taken a leave of absence. This development comes amid backlash over the decision of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the largest beer maker in the world, to partner with actor and transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney to promote its popular beer brand Bud Light. Budweiser global marketing VP Todd Allen will replace Alissa Heinerscheid as the vice president of marketing for Bud Light. It is, however, unclear whether Alissa Heinerscheid who joined Bud Light in June last year has been replaced permanently or for a limited time period.

Bud Light began its partnership with Dylan Mulvaney by sending the social media personality, who started to transition from male to female in 2021, custom cans featuring her face, to commemorate her being a woman for over a year. On April 2, Mulvaney uploaded a sponsored Instagram post about Bud Light’s March Madness contest.

“Happy March Madness!! Just found out this had to do with sports and not just saying it’s a crazy month! In celebration of this sports thing @budlight is giving you the chance to win $15,000! Share a video with #EasyCarryContest for a chance to win!! Good luck! #budlightpartner,” Mulvaney wrote in the caption of the said post.

The brewing company also gifted Mulvaney cans with her face on them to commemorate her 365 days of ‘womanhood’.

Image via Dylan Mulvaney’s Instagram

This, however, did not go down well with many, and soon an outrage erupted with a significant number of people boycotting Bud Light and slamming the brand for its collaboration with Mulvaney. The people boycotting the brand say that the brand is forgetting its target demographics and is going ‘woke’ and veering towards the left.

Several celebrities also joined in the outrage. American singer-musician Kid Rock joined the online protests and boycott calls as he posted a video on his Twitter account in which he can be seen shooting a stack of Bud Light cans with a rifle. 

In the video, Kid Rock said, “Let me say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible Rock then opens fire on the beer cans and continues “F*** Bud Light. And f*** Anheuser-Busch.”

Other than Kid Rock, American singer Travis Tritt also decided to boycott Anheuser-Busch products. “I will be deleting all Anheuser-Busch products from my tour hospitality rider. I know many other artists who are doing the same,” Tritt tweeted.

“Corporate America, are you paying attention? One woke marketing employee named Alissa Heinerscheid wiped out customer loyalty to a major brand. Go woke, go broke,” Conservative Radio host Erick Erickson tweeted.

Several other people also joined in the boycott calls as the controversy continued to grow.

Heinerscheid’s campaign to make Bud Light ‘inclusive’ 

Interestingly, Heinerscheid in a recent podcast “Make Yourself At Home” talked about transforming the “fratty” image of Bud Light to a more ‘inclusive’ beer company. 

“I’m a businesswoman, and I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light, and it was ‘This brand is in decline, it’s been in a decline for a really long time, and if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand there will be no future for Bud Light,'” Heinerscheid said on the podcast.

She claimed to have fostered “belief” in the brand that, in order to progress and elevate, a campaign must be truly inclusive, have a lighter, brighter, and more distinctive vibe, and appeal to both women and men.

From defending the move to issuing a half-hearted apology, how Bud Light reacted to the backlash

Initially, Bud Light defended its decision to collaborate with the trans-rights activist as its brand influencer amidst allegations of spreading gender propaganda. Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, told Fox News in response to the criticism that it “works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points.”

However, CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev Brendan Whitworth stated, “We never intended to be a part of a discussion that divides people,” in a statement released on April 15. “We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer”, the statement added.

Dylan Mulvaney’s collaboration with Nike to promote Sports Bra

Dylan Mulvaney enjoys a massive following across social media platforms and has over 11 million followers on TikTok and 1.8 million followers on Instagram. Mulvaney’s “365 Days of Girlhood” TikTok series, in which she documents her transition, has drawn sponsorship from other well-known companies, such as Nike. In an Instagram post, Mulvaney announced a collaboration with Nike, the popular sportswear brand to promote their sports bra. 

Following the announcement, Nike also encountered severe backlash for ignoring women from its target market and handing the job to a “biological man”. British reality TV personality Oli London slammed Nike Women for “slapping women in the face by mocking them and paying a man to take their place.”

While popular internet personality Oli London and many others criticized the Nike and Dylan Malvaney collaboration, the company defended its decision in an Instagram comment the company dropped on one of its posts.

“You are an essential component to the success of your community! We welcome comments that contribute to a positive and constructive discussion: Be kind… Be inclusive… Encourage each other… Hate speech, bullying, or other behaviors that are not in the spirit of a diverse and inclusive community will be deleted,” Nike wrote on Instagram.

MP: Two women Naxalites carrying ₹14 lakh bounty each killed in an encounter with Hawk Force in Balaghat

OpIndia Staff
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MP: Two women Naxalites carrying ₹14 lakh bounty each killed in an encounter with Hawk Force in Balaghat

Two female Naxalites died in an encounter with security personnel on Saturday in the Madhya Pradesh district of Balaghat. They collectively had a bounty of Rs 28 lakh on their heads.

The encounter took place in Kadla forest area under Garhi police station in the wee hours on Saturday, at around 3 am. The two Naxals were killed after a prolonged gunfight with the Hawk Force.

The deceased Naxalites were identified as Sarita Khatia Mocha, an Area Committee Member (ACM) who was active in Vistar Dalam, and Sunita, another ACM who served as the commander of the Maoists’ Bhoramdev Committee. Both carried a reward of Rs 14 lakh each.

According to officials, apart from the two deaths, it is suspected that some other Naxalites were injured in the encounter. The Hawk Force personnel have started a massive search operation in the forest. IGP Balaghat Sanjay Kumar, Superintendent of Police Balaghat Sameer Saurabh and top officers of Hawk Force are present at the spot.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Sameer Saurabh reported that the altercation took place in the early hours in the Kadla forest region within the boundaries of the Garhi police station.

He revealed that a search operation was underway in the region and items including guns, cartridges, other ammunition, and Naxal literature were recovered from them.

Five Naxals were killed by Jharkhand police earlier this month after a shootout with security personnel in the Chatra area. While two of them carried rewards of Rs. 25 lakh each, the remaining three had a bounty of Rs. 5 lakh each.

The confrontation happened near the Chatra-Palamu boundary in the vicinity of the Lawalong police station, around 160 kilometres from Ranchi, the state capital. Furthermore, a significant quantity of weapons and ammunition were confiscated from there.

Australian Minister: Zero tolerance when it comes to attacks on Hindu temples in the country

OpIndia Staff
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Australian Minister: Zero tolerance when it comes to attacks on Hindu temples in the country

Minister for Homelessness, Social and Community Housing from Australia, Michael Sukkar, condemned the recent acts of vandalism and violence committed against the Hindu population in the country by Khalistan supporters.

There have already been four attacks on Hindu temples in a span of two months. Khalistanis stormed the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane last month and left hateful graffiti on the temple’s perimeter. 

‘Hindustan Murdabad’ was written on the walls of the ISCKON temple in Melbourne’s Albert Park on January 23. The Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria, was vandalised on January 16, while anti-Indian graffiti was painted on the Swaminarayan Temple in Melbourne on January 12.

“Well, I can completely understand the concern that many in India have. We have a zero-tolerance, particularly in the coalition opposition parties, zero-tolerance approach to those sorts of issues being brought to Australia. Quite frankly, our view for all migrants to Australia is that you don’t bring those all those animosities to Australia,” the Minister while responding on the issue.

“And in any event, acting in that way, in a violent way, we have no tolerance for. I understand that the five men have been charged in relation to those activities because we in no way, shape, or form support that kind of violent conduct,” he added.

“I myself am a migrant. My family migrated from Lebanon and we have always said ‘Don’t bring problems from home to Australia.’ You do not bring your domestic issues and differences when you come here. Violence and vandalism cannot be tolerated,” he remarked.

The Deakin MP also spoke about the shared values of both India and Australia. “India is a large and diverse country. It has been a successful democracy because people have been able to solve their differences and that’s one thing Australia and India share. We are not perfect, but there are always ways of solving differences and issues. But violence and vandalism are not acceptable. We have zero tolerance for it,” he noted.

He highlighted that around 10,000 members of the Indian-Australian community live in his constituency, which is home to a significant proportion of the Indian diaspora.

“Every single constituent of mine from the Australian-Indian community urged me to visit India, and now I’m here to understand the country better and forge stronger Indo-Australian ties,” he mentioned.

Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anticipated trip to Australia for the QUAD summit he commented, “Well, it’s quite exciting that your Prime Minister is planning on going to Australia for the quad summit. We believe it to be of utmost significance for our area. Four democracies coming together to form the QUAD, which has a lot more influence than many of us could have expected since the Asia Pacific region is so crucial to the future of wealth and peace in the globe, I think is a fantastic thing.”

“And we hope that we can welcome your Prime Minister to Australia in the same way that all Australians are made very welcome when we come to India, including me, on this most recent trip,” he affirmed.

“We think that in order to ensure peace in our region, the more that we’re able as a grouping of share of like-minded countries, the closer we’re able to work together, the better. I think we all have to accept that large nations, including India, who are large, who have influence, quite rightly, want that influence to be projected in their immediate area. And we think you can do it in a healthy way, just like the Indians do. And we hope that the quad can help support that,” he observed while stressing the importance of QUAD.

Ajit Pawar again praises PM Modi and RSS, says can stake claim for Maharashtra CM even today instead of 2024

OpIndia Staff
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Ajit Pawar again praises PM Modi and RSS, says can stake claim for Maharashtra CM even today instead of 2024

On Friday, the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said that he could stake claim to the post of the Maharashtra Chief Minister even now instead of waiting for the 2024 Assembly elections. Pawar was speaking at a special event organized by the Sakal Media Group in Pune.

“In 2004, the NCP could have had its first Chief Minister. The NCP had numbers on its side. Some decisions are taken at the highest level. To maintain party discipline, we follow the directives issued by the seniors. In 2004, we had an alliance with the Congress. We had won 71 seats. Even the Congress had made up its mind that the NCP will have its Chief Minister. But after some developments, we were told the Congress would get the Chief Minister’s post. Our MLAs had elected R R Patil as our legislative party leader but we missed the opportunity. Later, we stood second in terms of MLAs and, therefore, had to remain satisfied with the Deputy Chief Minister’s post,” he said.

Further, when asked if he would like to be the Chief Minister of the state, he affirmed positively and said, “100 per cent”. He meanwhile also reiterated that he would remain loyal to the Nationalist Congress Party and he would stand bythe party’s ideology.

This comes days after speculations were rife about Ajit Pawar leaving NCP to join hands with the BJP. Also, several media reports were published which claimed that Ajit Pawar was allegedly preparing to join the BJP with the support of more than 40 MLAs, who have also signed a petition in favour of his decision.

Pawar subsequently refuted the accusations in a press conference this week. He affirmed that he is not leaving the NCP and that no signatures of any MLAs had been obtained to support the speculated shift. Also, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar dismissed speculations about Ajit Pawar’s political move. He said that no meeting of the party MLAs had been called in the matter. However earlier, when asked whether NCP would form an alliance with BJP, the NCP supremo had said that it was difficult to predict the future. “Nothing can be said about what will happen in the future,” he was quoted.

Ajit Pawar on April 21 while talking to the Sakal Media group showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He said that it was Narendra Modi’s “charisma” that allowed BJP to come to power in the year 2014 and also 2019.

“The BJP came to power in 2014 and 2019. The only reason for this is Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi’s charisma reigned in the country. He won the confidence of the country. Through his speeches, he impressed the people. And that’s why people thought the country’s reins should be handed over to him,” he said.

“BJP had leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi who could take everyone along. They couldn’t do so, but Narendra Modi did it. The BJP had never won a full majority. Narendra Modi ensured majority for the BJP,” he said.

Further while lauding the BJP and the RSS, he said that BJP is a unique party which does not work alone. “There are so many other organizations like the RSS, Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, etc who support BJP. And this happens in no other political party. The working structure of the BJP is amazing,” he said.

On speaking about the rebellion of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Pawar said that he knew Shinde would take such step and that (Pawar) had also warned about it to Sharad Pawar and the then CM Uddhav Thackeray. “Though we had the reins in our hands, they managed it so well that we could not do anything. Uddhav Thackeray, as Chief Minister, had given all authority to Shinde to decide who would be officers in Thane district. All the civic and police officers were appointed by Shinde (then Cabinet minister). All the officers remained loyal to Shinde when he decided to escape to Surat along with some MLAs. Though Uddhav asked the officers to ensure that the vehicles escaping to Surat were turned back to Matoshree, the officers remained loyal to Shinde,” he said.

It is worth noting that Ajit Pawar had on April 8 also praised the BJP-led government and said that it was PM Modi’s magic that the party had reached the remotest of the locations. He also slammed the people who criticized Modi for his education and said that it was important to see how that man works.

US: Businessman, who claimed voting machines were manipulated in 2020 elections, ordered to pay $5 Million to expert who disproved his claims

OpIndia Staff
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US: Businessman, who claimed voting machines were manipulated in 2020 elections, ordered to pay $5 Million to expert who disproved his claims

On Wednesday (April 19), a US businessman named Mike Lindell was asked to pay $5 million (~ ₹41 crores) to a computer forensics expert after the latter debunked his claims of ‘Chinese interference’ in the 2020 Presidential elections.

The ‘MyPillow’ founder Mike Lindell, had vowed to pay $5 million ahead of a ‘cyber symposium’ organised in South Dakota in August 2021. Lindell had claimed that he has data to show Chinese interference in the 2020 US Presidential election.

He promised to pay the hefty sum of money to any individual who could prove that the data was not from the 2020 election. The American businessman had infamously named the challenge ‘Prove Mike Wrong.’

A 63-year-old computer forensic expert and a Trump supporter, by the name of Robert Zeidman, was able to prove Lindell’s claims wrong. After examining the data provided by the American businessman, Zeidman concluded that it did not prove election interference or vote fraud.

He also found that the given data had no connection to the 2020 US Presidential election results. When Zeidman sought the prize money from Lindell Management, it reportedly refused to pay him.

The computer forensic expert then approached a private arbitration panel, which ruled in his favour in a 23-page decision. The arbitrators conducted an ‘evidentiary hearing’ in Minneapolis in January this year and delivered their verdict on Wednesday (April 19).

“He proved the data Lindell LLC provided, and represented reflected information from the November 2020 election, unequivocally did not reflect November 2020 election data. Failure to pay Mr Zeidman the $5 million prize was a breach of the contract, entitling him to recover,” the panel said.

While reacting to the development, Robert Zeidman Zeidman said “They clearly saw this as I did — that the data we were given at the symposium was not at all what Mr Lindell said it was. The truth is finally out there.”

His attorney, Brian Glasser, remarked, “I think the arbitrators thought it important that these claims be vetted, because they’ve done great harm to our country.”

Mike Lindell, who is now facing a $1.3 billion defamation suit from Dominion voting systems, told The Washington Post, “They made a terribly wrong decision! This will be going to court!”

He also posted a meme, which read, “I don’t always get sued for $5 million dollars. But when I do, I ride go-karts.” Reportedly, Lindell had spent millions to amplify ‘election fraud’ claims after the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Fox News settles defamation lawsuit for $787 million

On Tuesday (April 18), Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit against it for a whopping $787.5 million after being sued for claiming that a voting machine company named Dominion helped ‘steal’ the 2020 US Presidential elections.

As per reports, the development came just before the opening statements were made in what was going to be a ‘blockbuster media trial.’ Dominion had initially sought $1.6 billion in damages from the American news network.

Fox News and Dominion later reached a settlement for half the ask at $787.5 million. The American news network also stated that the settlement reflected its continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

Congress expels Angkita Dutta from the party for ‘anti-party activities’ after she files harassment complaint against senior leader Srinivas BV

OpIndia Staff
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Congress expels Angkita Dutta from the party for ‘anti-party activities’ after she files harassment complaint against senior leader Srinivas BV

On Saturday, April 22, the Congress party expelled Assam Pradesh Youth Congress President, Angkita Dutta, from the primary membership of the Congress party for six years for ‘anti-party activities.’

The decision came after she lodged a police complaint against IYC national president Srinivas BV, accusing him of harassment.

Source: Twitter user @shemin_joy

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the Congress on Friday (April 21) for improperly handling the harassment charges by Angkita Dutta against the national president of the party’s youth wing, Srinivas BV. He assured that the Assam police would intervene in the matter if the Congress party failed to resolve it.

Assam Congress sends show cause notice to Angkita Dutta

Prior to this, on April 20, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) issued a show cause notice to Dr Angkita Dutta over the allegations she leveled against IYC National President and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Srinivas BV. 

APCC President Bhupen Kumar Borah issued the notice seeking an explanation from the former President of Assam Pradesh Youth Congress Dr Angkita Dutta as to why disciplinary actions should not be taken against her. She was given two days to respond.

Notably, on the same day, Angkita Dutta filed a police complaint against Srinivas at Dispur Police Station in Guwahati alleging harassment. In the complaint, she alleged that Srinivas made sexist comments, used abusive language, and mentally harassed her. She also added that he threatened her with dire consequences if she complained about him to the senior office bearers.

In the complaint, she narrated a recent incident in Chhatishargar, where Srinivas allegedly held her arm, pushed and pulled her, and used slang words to threaten her. 

Indian Youth Congress sends legal notice

The show cause notice came two days after Roopesh S Bhadauria, National Chairman of the Indian Youth Congress Legal Cell, sent a legal notice to Dr Angkita Dutta. The notice was sent on behalf of Srinivas. In the notice, it was claimed that Srinivas was a “well-known public figure”, and the allegations levels by Dutta in tweets and other statements were “sexist, chauvinistic, false and frivolous”, and the language used was “unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory and malicious”.

Punjab: AAP MLA’s father arrested in extortion case, demanded Rs 10 lakhs from property dealer to settle rape allegation

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: AAP MLA’s father arrested in extortion case, demanded Rs 10 lakhs from property dealer to settle rape allegation

Father of Jalalabad Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagdeep Goldy Kamboj, Surinder Kamboj (65), was arrested on Friday in an extortion case. Kamboj was demanding Rs 10 lakh from a property dealer to settle a rape allegation made against him by a woman who is a resident of Jalalabad town. He had already taken Rs 50,000 from the property dealer. 

DSP Atul Soni, who confirmed the event, stated that Rs 50,000 ‘extortion money’ was recovered from Surinder during the arrest. According to the reports, the arrest was made based on the complaint that was filed by a property broker Sunil Kumar, who has been charged with rape in another matter as a result of a complaint made by the woman. Sunil hasn’t been arrested yet.

The FIR filed in the case states that Rano Bai, a resident of Maini Colony, had approached Sunil Kumar, a resident of Dashmesh Nagri, for purchasing a property at Dr. Khan Wali Street.

“On April 20, at about 3.30 pm, I contacted Sunil Kumar to show me a property as I intended to buy one. Sunil showed me a vacant house which he said was his own property and he raped me. After coming home, I told my sons about the incident and later I went to the civil hospital to get a medical examination done. On the morning of April 21, I came to the police station to get my complaint lodged,” the woman said in the complaint.

According to the police report, Surinder reportedly contacted Sunil Kumar and informed him that Rano Bai had visited the hospital for a checkup before heading to the police station to file a rape complaint against him. In exchange for resolving the issue, he allegedly sought Rs 10 lakh from the property dealer.

Later, Sunil Kumar registered a case against Surinder at the police station. According to him, he previously paid Rs 50,000 out of fear of his name being tarnished. Reportedly, he has the audio recording of the exchange on his cell phone.

Kumar meanwhile stated in the complaint that he had got a call from the woman on April 20 at around 3 pm saying that she wanted to buy a house. Kumar showed her his own residence, which he intended to sell. “At 5 pm, the woman rang me up to say that her son was beating her for roaming around with me. Her daughter-in-law too called me a few minutes later and accused me of being a rapist,” Kumar said to the police.

“Later in the evening, I received a call from Surinder Kamboj who told me that the police will book me in the rape case and called me to his house for a settlement. Surinder Kamboj demanded Rs 10 lakh as settlement, following which I complained to the police,” he added.

The Jalalabad police has charged Surinder, Rano Bai, her son Sunil Rai, and his wife (whose name is not stated in the FIR) with violating Sections 384, 389, and 34 of the IPC based on Sunil Kumar’s statement.

Surinder served as the chairman of the Land Mortgage Bank in Jalalabad. Several years earlier, he had run for the Jalalabad Assembly seat but lost.

Ex-CIA chief and his colleagues dubbed Hunter Biden laptop story as ‘Russian disinformation’ to help Joe Biden’s election campaign

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-CIA chief and his colleagues dubbed Hunter Biden laptop story as ‘Russian disinformation’ to help Joe Biden’s election campaign

Former acting CIA Director Mike Morell helped US President Joe Biden’s electoral campaign by labeling the ‘Hunter Biden laptop story‘ as Russian disinformation in October 2020, reported New York Post.

Morell reportedly got 50 of his colleagues to sign a letter, which dubbed the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop and the contentious emails as Russian propaganda. He made the revelations before the House Judiciary Committee.

The ex-acting CIA Director informed that the current US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had reached out to him for help. Although Morell wanted to see Joe Biden win, he said that he had no intention of writing the letter until Blinken contacted him.

According to New York Post, the incumbent US Secretary of State forwarded Mike Morell an article, published in USA Today. The said article claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was probing whether Hunter Biden’s laptop was part of the Russian disinformation campaign.

Soon after, the former acting Director of the CIA contacted one Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA senior operations officer, for his help in writing the letter. In the following two days, Mike Morell was able to find four other ex-CIA Directors and retired intelligence officials to sign the dubious letter.

On October 19, 2020, the letter appeared in Politico, which published it in an article titled ‘Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former officials say.”

Interestingly, US President Joe Biden used the dubious claims of the letter, penned by Mike Morell and supported by 50 other former colleagues, during the presidential debate with Donald Trump on October 22, 2020.

Biden was also able to discredit accusations of his involvement in international influence-peddling operations by his family or that he never spoke to his son about his overseas business dealings.

Mike Morell recalled being thanked by the Chairman of the Biden campaign, Steve Richhetii. “He was the head of the Biden campaign at the time…Steve thanked me for putting the statement out. And that was the extent of the conversation,” he told the House Judiciary Committee.

Republicans Jim Jordan and Michael Turner have written to Anthony Blinken about the revelations made by ex-acting CIA Director Mike Morell

“The concerted efforts to dismiss the serious allegations in the Post’s reporting and to suppress any discussion of the story played a substantial role in the 2020 election,” the letter stated.

“It is apparent that the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election…” they emphasised.

“This concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens’ informed participation in our democracy,” the letter added.

The Hunter Biden laptop story

It is notable here that in the last weeks of the 2020 US presidential elections, the New York Post published an explosive story about Hunter Biden’s problematic emails with a Ukrainian gas company executive from Burisma.

In its report, the news outlet alleged that they had accessed material from a damaged Macbook that was brought to a service centre for repair. The customer who brought the laptop never collected or paid for the services.

The shop owner said he repeatedly tried to contact the client. Though he could not identify the owner as Hunter Biden, he said the laptop had Beau Biden Foundation’s sticker.

The report has several documents and mentions a video that proves that Joe Biden met a high-profile businessman from Ukraine when he was Vice President of the United States. 

Reports suggested that Biden may have helped his son Hunter, using his influence as the VP of the United States, in his business in Ukraine. The Biden Camp categorically denied all the allegations.

The story was heavily censored by both Twitter and Facebook and was branded as a piece of fake news. Initially, the report was dismissed as a hoax by Biden-supporting media, but it was eventually confirmed that the laptop’s contents did really belong to Hunter Biden.

Following the restriction of the NYP report, Twitter justified the action by claiming that its policies forbid the sharing of compromised information. After the elections were over and Joe Biden was declared president, it became clear that the NY Post story was indeed true.

Twitter’s former head Jack Dorsey then expressed regret over censoring the story and blocking New York Post from their Twitter account.

Rahul Gandhi vacates his government bungalow, moves in with his mother

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi vacates his government bungalow, moves in with his mother

A day after moving all his belongings from his official residence at the 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi handed over the government bungalow to the authorities on Saturday, April 22. It is notable that April 22 was the last date to vacate the bungalow as per the directive of the Lok Sabha Housing Committee. Rahul Gandhi’s belongings have reportedly been moved to his mother Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath residence. 

This comes after a Surat Sessions court rejected Rahul Gandhi’s plea for suspending his 2 years punishment in the ‘Modi surname’ case. The plea was rejected on Thursday, April 20. The two years punishment, given upon his conviction, still stands and he continues to be disqualified as an MP, in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, of 1951.

It is notable that Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail on March 23 for his remarks insulting the Modi surname. During an election rally in 2019, Rahul Gandhi alleged that everyone with the Modi surname, including Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi, are thieves. Following this, Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader, accusing him of defaming the entire Modi community. The Gandhi scion, however, was granted bail immediately and the court sentence was also suspended for a month.

In accordance with the law, the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Rahul Gandhi and declared his constituency vacant in response to the Surat court judgment. It was reported that the Election Commission can now call a by-election for the seat.

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