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Fact-check: Did Kharge offer to move to the servant’s quarter to make way for Rahul Gandhi after he lost govt accommodation?

On March 28, several Twitter users shared Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said in a statement that he would move to a servant’s quarter to make way for Rahul Gandhi after he lost government accommodation.

Twitter users claim Kharge said he would move to servant quarters for Gandhi. Source: Twitter
Twitter users claim Kharge said he would move to servant quarters for Gandhi. Source: Twitter

Our investigation found that a satire portal, The Unpaid Times, was the source of the tweets. In a tweet, they wrote, “If Rahul Gandhi ji vacates his official bungalow, he can live in my house, I am willing to move into servant quarter for him.” Claims Congress president Mallikarjun Khadge.” Their Twitter bio says, “The best fake news website of India”. The tweet was fake, but it is not completely false.

As per the News Agency ANI, Kharge offered to vacate his house for Rahul Gandhi. Slamming the Government of India for asking Gandhi to vacate the government accommodation, Kharge said, “They will make all attempts to weaken him (Rahul Gandhi), but if he vacates the bungalow, he will go live with his mother, or he can come to me, and I will vacate one. I condemn the attitude of Govt to scare, threaten and humiliate him. This isn’t the way.” However, it is unclear where Kharge would go if he vacates the house for Gandhi.

Claiming the party in power does it to humiliate others, he said, “Sometimes, we have been without a bungalow for 3-4 months. I received my bungalow after six months. People do this to humiliate others. I condemn such an attitude.”

Rahul Gandhi asked to vacate the house

Days after being disqualified from the Lok Sabha after his conviction in a criminal defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been asked to vacate his 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, reported ANI. The news agency quoted a source saying that the Lok Sabha Housing committee has issued a notice to the Gandhi scion asking him to vacate his government-allotted bungalow. According to reports, the Lok Sabha Housing Committee has asked Rahul Gandhi to vacate the bungalow by April 22. Rahul Gandhi has occupied the bungalow since he was allotted the same after becoming a member of Lok Sabha from Amethi in 2004.

Verdict: Congress President offered to vacate his house for Rahul Gandhi but did not say he would move to servant quarters. The information being shared on social media is half true.

Atiq Ahmed, with 100 cases against him in 43 years, finally gets rigorous life term

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Atiq Ahmed, who was never punished in any case in the last 43 years, despite a hundred cases being registered against him, was finally given life imprisonment on Tuesday, in what could serve as an example for the whole country.

The Uttar Pradesh government in a release stated, “What could not be done in 43 years in Uttar Pradesh has finally been done during the government of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Awarded rigorous life imprisonment by the MP-MLA court in the Umesh Pal kidnapping case”. “The Mafia don Atiq Ahmed, who had never been punished in any case despite having been accused in hundred cases, would now have to spend the rest of his life behind bars,” the release added.

An MP-MLA court in Prayagraj on Tuesday sentenced mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed to rigorous life imprisonment in the Umesh Pal abduction case.

The Court pronounced life sentences to Atiq Ahmed, Dinesh Pasi and Khan Saulat Hanif in the case and has also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each of the three.

However, the seven other accused in the case, including Ashraf, the brother of Atiq Ahmed have been acquitted.

It is noteworthy that a total of 11 persons including Atiq were made accused in the 17-year-old case, out of which one accused has already died.

Notably, Atiq has been involved in several serious cases, including murder, kidnapping, rioting, extortion, loot, dacoity and illegal land grabbing.

The release added that the Yogi government has shown the mafia its “right place”, and the punishment is an ‘example’ for the whole country.

“During Samajwadi Party’s rule, the same Atiq Ahmed roamed around freely, giving the impression to the common man that the road of law ended even before the entry gate to his dwelling. Things had reached such a position that mafia and gangsters had a respectable community in the state,” the release stated.

The release added, “The people of the country and the state have also seen that when there is better co-ordination between the prosecution and the police and it is coupled with effective lobbying in the court, no matter how big a criminal is, he cannot escape the legal dragnet”.

The case pertains to the kidnapping of Umesh Pal, a witness to the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal.

Umesh Pal was abducted 17 years ago on February 28, 2006, by Atiq and his henchmen allegedly to change his testimony. Pal was tortured and forced to give affidavits to change their testimonies.

After getting free from them, Umesh Pal reached the police and got a case registered against the gangster and his henchmen in this regard.

The court, on Tuesday, sentenced Atiq and other two accused to rigorous life imprisonment under Section-364A/34, Section-120B, 147, 323/149, 341, 342, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 7 of Criminal Amendment Act (CLA).

Atiq Ahmed was brought by Uttar Pradesh police from Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail to Prayagraj’s Naini jail on Monday after an over 24-hour long drive from Gujarat.

After the verdict, Shanti Devi, mother of Umesh Pal said, “He (Atiq Ahmed) was sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping my son but he should be given a death sentence for killing my son. I have faith in UP CM Yogi Adityanath and the judicial system”.

Jaya Devi, the widow of Umesh Pal said, “We are satisfied with the judgement as of now. Atiq Ahmed should be given a death sentence for killing my husband. We want justice and I request UP CM Yogi Adityanath to help us. If he and his brother will survive, it will be a problem for us and the society”.

The government further stated in the release, “There was a time in SP government when cases against this mafia were withdrawn. SP leaders were accused of sharing stage with Atiq on public forums, who also used to contest elections on their party’s symbol. Atiq had become an example of the nexus between politicians and the mafia”.

“It is the result of CM Yogi’s zero tolerance policy towards crimes and criminals that the impregnable fort of the mafia, once considered above law, has crumbled today, making the mafia and its supporters agitated and nervous,” the release added.

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

Rajasthan doctors’ strike: Cracks in the government as Transport Minister Pratap Singh Kachariyawas disagrees with Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena

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Cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas on Tuesday apparently contradicted health minister Parsadi Lal Meena’s statement and said that if necessary, the Rajasthan government will step back amid the ongoing protest by doctors in Rajasthan against the Right to Health Bill.

He said, “We do not want confrontation with the doctors and want them to end the strike. If required, the government will take four steps back.” 

Earlier on Monday, Rajasthan’s health minister Parsadi Lal Meena said that the government would not take back the bill at any cost. “If there’s any problem with the bill, then we are ready to hold a discussion but the bill won’t be taken back. At any cost, we will not take back the bill,” Meena said while talking to ANI.

However, Pratap Singh further said, “Right to Health Bill has been brought in the interest of the public as government intention and thinking is to make Rajasthan first state in the country to have Right to Health Bill.”

Pratap Singh also offered himself to be a mediator between government and doctors and said “if doctors are having any problem they can share, I had talks with CM and the Deputy CM also wants this deadlock to be ended. A government never enters a fight for prestige and if in public interest it has to step back then it will. I would also request the doctor to find a solution through talks.”

Private hospitals and doctors in Rajasthan have been protesting against the Right to Health (RTH) bill through a work boycott urging the state government not to implement it.

Rajasthan, last week passed the Right to Health Bill, which gives every resident of the state the right to avail free Out Patient Department (OPD) services and in Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health facilities, becoming the first state to do so.

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

Bihar: Doctor receives extortion letter demanding Rs 2 crores, police forms SIT to probe

A doctor in Motihari, Bihar has received a letter demanding 2 crore rupees in extortion and threatening that he and his family would be killed if the demands were not met within a couple of days, the police said on Tuesday.

Chhatauni’s station house officer (SHO) Vinay Kumar on Tuesday said the doctor has been identified by police as Sanjay Kumar and the threatening letter was found in his chamber on Sunday.

The SHO said, “We have registered a case and are looking into the matter”.

When reached, Dr Sanjay Kumar claimed he had received threats of severe consequences if the demands were not met. 

“I found an envelope placed near my laptop just before closing the clinic in the evening of March 26 where someone has said that my family members and I were under his active scanner and will be killed if 2 crores were not given,” said Dr Kumar, who also manages a diagnostic facility in the town.

In the meantime, a group of medical professionals called East Champaran SP Kantesh Kumar Mishra to request security for the physician. “We informed the SP about the difficulties faced by doctors as a result of this extortion demand. In addition, we have requested protection up until the arrest is made,” added Dr BK Pandey, IMA Motihari unit secretary.

When contacted, SP Mishra stated that a special investigation team (SIT) had been established, with Sadar Sub Divisional Police Officer serving as its head. The SP stated, “We are looking into the matter from all perspectives.”

Bihar has a notorious history of kidnapping, extortion, and other crimes. Kidnapping and extortion used to be an industry in the Lalu Yadav rule, a shadow that the state is yet to fully emerge from.

MK Gandhi’s statue vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti in Canada’s Ontario

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Another instance in a sequence of similar events occurred when a statue of MK Gandhi in Canada was vandalised and defaced with graffiti that expresses support for Khalistan and opposition to India.

During the early hours of Thursday, the act of vandalism took place near Hamilton’s City Hall, located in the province of Ontario. The statue of MK Gandhi had been situated at that site since 2012.

Based on video footage of the vandalism, the six-foot-tall bronze statue, which had been donated by the Indian Government, was covered in paint and defaced with graffiti that included insults directed at Gandhi and an offensive remark about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In addition, a Khalistan flag was affixed to the walking stick that the statue held. The graffiti was found at the base of the statue.

The act of vandalism was detected early in the morning and the municipal authorities promptly took steps to remove the graffiti and clean the statue. The Hamilton Police informed the Hindustan Times that they received a complaint related to the incident on Thursday afternoon and were currently conducting an investigation.

In February, the Shri Ram Mandir, a Hindu temple located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), was the site of a desecration incident. Anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti were spray-painted on the back wall of the temple, marking the fourth occurrence of such incidents within eight months. The town of Mississauga, also situated in the GTA, was the specific location where the vandalism took place.

Similarly, the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was desecrated on January 30. Preceding this event, in July of last year, a statue of Gandhi located at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill was vandalized. The bronze statue, which stood 20 feet tall, was placed in the temple’s Peace Park. Subsequently, another incident of vandalism took place at the entrance of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto in September of the same year.

To date, no arrests have been made concerning any of these incidents. Although some have associated them with the Punjab Referendum organized by the separatist organization, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), the Canadian law enforcement authorities have not yet confirmed such a connection.

As with prior incidents, a video of the vandalism was circulated on social media by accounts seemingly supportive of Pakistan. The footage was purportedly filmed during the night when the incident took place.

As a consequence of the September vandalism, India lodged a formal diplomatic complaint, in the form of a Note Verbale, with Global Affairs Canada, the nation’s foreign affairs ministry.

This is not the first instance of an MK Gandhi statue being targeted in North America. In February of the previous year, a statue was beheaded in New York, and in January 2021, another statue was vandalised in Davis, California.

Rajasthan: Doctors on strike, hospitals at a standstill, faceoff continues in the state over ‘Right to Health’ bill

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The faceoff between agitating doctors and the Rajasthan government over the Right to Health (RTH) bill continued on Tuesday with the government adamant on not taking the bill back at any cost.

The ongoing agitation by private doctors, demanding a rollback of the bill, entered the 11th day on Tuesday with work at the private hospitals coming to a standstill. On Monday, state health minister Parsadi Lal Meena said that the government would not take back the bill at any cost.

“If there’s any problem with the bill, then we are ready to hold a discussion but the bill won’t be taken back. At any cost, we will not take back the bill,” Meena said while talking to ANI.

The agitating medicos, who took a cycle rally on Tuesday to mark their protest, have made it clear that if the Bill is not withdrawn, then their strike will continue.

The protesting medicos demanded to hold direct talks with chief minister Ashok Gehlot to address their grievances.

Dr Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society, said that private hospitals have objections to the provision of emergency services in the present form of the bill.

He said that despite so many talks, our issues have not been resolved yet. “Now, direct talks will be held with the Chief Minister. Then this issue will be resolved,” Kapoor said.

“After a lot of discussions, the Right to Health bill was brought by our government. People of the state are being benefitted from it. We held discussions and abided by all demands of protesting doctors. CM has appealed to them to come back to work. They are taking undue advantage,” Meena further said.

Dr Kapoor said that the Health Minister said that all the views of the doctors have been considered in this bill. “If it would have been the case, then why would 50,000 doctors agitate on the streets in Jaipur,” he added.

The state minister also said that the bill was also sent to a select committee before it was passed. “If required we will recruit more doctors if protests continue, we will do whatever is required,” he added.

Parsadi Lal Meena’s reaction came amid the strike of private doctors and hospitals regarding the Right to Health Bill.

Significantly, private hospitals and doctors in Rajasthan have been protesting against the Right to Health (RTH) bill through a work boycott urging the state government not to implement it.

Rajasthan, last week passed the Right to Health Bill, which gives every resident of the state the right to avail free Out Patient Department (OPD) services and In-Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health facilities, becoming the first state to do so. Also, similar healthcare services will be provided free of cost at select private facilities.

According to the Bill, free healthcare services, including consultation, drugs, diagnostics, emergency transport, procedure and emergency care, will be provided at all public health institutions and select private facilities subject to conditions specified in the rules, which will be formulated now.

Also, all residents will be entitled to emergency treatment and care for accidental emergencies without prepayment of any fee or charges.

In a case of medico-legal nature, the bill says no public or private hospital can delay treatment merely on the grounds of receiving police clearance.

The bill gives a right to the resident of the state to emergency treatment and care “without prepayment of requisite fee or charges” by any public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres.

The Bill was passed amid protests by the opposition BJP, which wanted to bring in certain changes to the provisions, as well as an agitation by a section of doctors.

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

Kolkata human sacrifice case: NCPCR issues notice to West Bengal DGP and CS, seeks report within 48 hours

On Monday, the National Commission for Protection of Childs Rights took suo moto cognisance in the matter where a 7-year-old girl was killed in human sacrifice in Tiljala, Kolkata. The child rights body has issued a notice to the DGP and the Chief Secretary of West Bengal and asked for a factual report on the issue within 48 hours.

The NCPCR action in the case came hours after reports emerged that on Sunday (March 26) night, in Kolkata’s Tiljala neighbourhood, Alok Kumar brutally attacked and killed a 7-year-old girl. According to the authorities, the accused was asked to sacrifice a child in order to guarantee that his wife would give birth to a healthy child.

The cops located the minor’s body in the same building from where she had been kidnapped earlier in the day. To ascertain whether or not the youngster had been sexually abused, the body was sent for post-mortem examination.

According to the girl’s parents, she was sent to dump the garbage at the nearby garbage- bin on Sunday morning and could not be located after that. The police were informed and the cops doubted that the girl or her body might have been hidden in one of the adjacent residences. After hours of searching, the police found the child’s body in the same building from where she went missing earlier.

Later in the day, angry neighbours of a seven-year-old girl took to the streets to protest against Kolkata police. Alleging that the police “delayed” in searching for the missing girl, locals staged protests outside the Tiljala Police Station and carried out vandalism in the area damaging several vehicles on Sunday night demanding strict action against the culprit.

On Monday morning the locals once again put up blockades on the roads of the Tiljala area accusing the Kolkata police of taking action against the protestors rather than the culprits.

The police had actually detained three persons including a woman for their alleged involvement in the vandalism on Sunday night. Demanding the release of the detained persons, local people on Monday morning put up blockades on the roads of the Tiljala area.

The protestors also blockaded the key EM Bypass and railway tracks in the South Sealdah section disrupting road traffic and train services, on Monday afternoon.

AAP MP congratulates Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra for their ‘union’, then pays Twitter to promote his tweet

Days after rumours of actress Parineeti Chopra dating AAP leader Raghav Chadha went viral on social media, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjeev Arora took to Twitter to congratulate the duo on their ‘union.’

In a tweet posted on Tuesday (March 28) morning, the businessman-turned-politician wrote, “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra.”

He further added, “May their union be blessed with an abundance of love, joy, and companionship. My best wishes!!!” The archive of the tweet can be accessed here.

In a bizarre move, Sanjeev Arora even paid the micro-blogging platform to ‘promote’ his tweet. The sudden development has left netizens wondering whether Parineeti Chopra and Raghav Chadha are already engaged.

Screengrab of the promoted tweet by AAP MP Sanjeev Arora

 Although neither party has made an official confirmation, they have been seen together on a couple of occasions recently. Raghav Chadha and Parineeti Chopra have been spotted in each other’s company over dinner and lunch in the past few days.

Recently, the duo was clicked as they stepped out of a restaurant together after lunch. The speculation about their relationship has sparked a buzz on social media, with many people wondering about the status of the rumoured couple.

Unexploded bombs left over from decades of war killed or maimed over 700 children in Afghanistan in 2022: UNICEF

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Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the unexplored shells and other war remains have been constantly taking the lives of children in the war-hit country.

According to UNICEF, more than 700 children have lost their lives in Afghanistan last year due to the pathetic situation of the country as war remnants are now a part of Afghanistan. Taking to Twitter, UNICEF Afghanistan tweeted, “More than 700 children were killed or maimed” because of unexploded ordnance and other “war remnants” in 2022.”

“Last week, 8 children lost their lives due to unexploded ordinance in Afghanistan. They lost their lives playing with unexploded ordnance and collecting metal scraps to sell,” UNICEF Afghanistan added, reported TOLOnews.

Concern was expressed by Kabul residents who said that due to poverty, youngsters gather metals to sell. The locals said that their ignorance of ordnance had harmed them.

“Due to poverty and unemployment, they (children) are forced to go to the mountains, collect sticks or coal for food. They are being martyred in these mines that are planted from the previous years,” TOLOnews quoted a resident of Kabul, Rokai as saying.

Separately, another resident, Shoaib said, “The unexploded mines are more in provinces than in cities. The awareness of the people is less in rural areas compared to the city,” reported the Afghan News agency.
Landmines, mortar shells, unexploded ordnance, and other similar weapons have long killed numerous civilians in Afghanistan, particularly children.

Since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, blasts have become a regular affair in the country.

After capturing Kabul in August last year, the Islamic authorities have imposed severe restrictions on women’s and girls’ rights, suppressed the media, and arbitrarily detained, tortured, and summarily executed critics and perceived opponents, among other abuses.

Rights groups say that the Taliban’s human rights abuses have brought widespread condemnation and imperilled international efforts to address the country’s dire humanitarian situation.

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

Greater Noida: Residents object to outsiders offering namaz in society premises, leftists peddle ‘residents against namaz’ to claim Islamophobia

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On March 27, Noida Police removed a makeshift “mosque” from Supertech Ecovillage-2 society located in Greater Noida West after residents objected to alleged outsiders coming for Namaz during Ramzan. As per reports, the residents of the society objected to the makeshift mosque for security reasons, as outsiders were allegedly coming to offer prayers. The setup was done in the open area by the maintenance company without the permission of the residents.

Bisrakh Police Station in-charge Anil Rajput said in a statement that a complaint was made via phone about the scuffle between the residents of two communities at the society. The police reached the spot and got the makeshift mosque removed.

An unnamed resident was quoted by News18 as saying that when residents noticed people offering namaz regularly in the society, they inquired if they were residents. When it was revealed they were non-residents, the residents got worried. The society does not have security gates installed either.

Cries of Islamophobia and misinformation on social media

After the incident, several Twitter users shared misleading information and called it “Islamophobia”. Notably, the residents said they did not object to Muslims offering namaz but objected to the outsiders coming in to offer namaz. Maktoob Media’s journalist Meer Faisal shared a misleading tweet about the incident and wrote, “Members of a housing society in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, raised a commotion after it was discovered that some Muslims were praying in the building’s basement. Police have solved the majority community problem by taking down the tent that was built for prayer.” He skipped the information that outsiders were coming to offer prayers.

Pro-Khalistani propagandist founder of Poetic Justice Foundation Mo Dhaliwal said, “India’s apartheid won’t need barbed wire fences. They’ll get it done with “news” media and a radicalized populace.”

Pro-Khalistani Mo Dhaliwal targetted residents by calling them “radicalized”. Source: Twitter

Propaganda journalist Anna MM Vetticad also joined in and called the incident “sick”.

Anna called it “sick”. Source: Twitter

Actress and activist Swara Bhaskar who recently married SP leader Fahad Ahmed said, “The pettiness that we have to brandish proudly in the name of asserting our ‘majority’ status is just nauseating! Shame on these people…”

Swara Bhaskar called it nauseating. Source: Twitter

Journalist Debasish Roy Chowdhury said, “These “protests” don’t even need paid Hindutva goons any longer, they now emerge organically from regular folks. We know how this ends, right?”

Debasish also targetted residents. Source: Twitter

Hindustan Times’ Neha Yadav said, “how is taking down the tent built for praying a solution? Every time at their behest you cater to Islamophobes, you anyway end up questioning the constitutional framework of this country. Which law in this country provides that Muslims can’t pray?”

Neha called residents Islamophobes. Source: Twitter

Twitter user Shuja said, “How dare Muslims pray peacefully in the corner without disturbing the peace and abusing other religions and damaging public property?”

Shuja posted a sarcastic tweet. Source: Twitter

Columnist Harini called Hindus who objected to outsiders “Rakshasas and Asuras” for caring about their safety.

Harini called residents Asuras and Rakshasas. Source: Twitter

Author Rana Safvi said, “why is namaz such a big problem? People who fasted the whole day just want to read taraweeh in peace. Reason its in groups is bec very people know the Quran by heart & in groups a hafiz recites one chapter daily.”

Rana targetted residents. Source: Twitter

Dep Asia editor Rituparna Chatterjee called it Blatant Islamophobia.

Rituparna called it “Islamophobia”. Source: Twitter

Twitter user Hasshim Khan wrote, “Uttar Pradesh is becoming Hotspot for #Islamophobic incidents, Moradabad incidents is new still another news comes from greater Noida where fringe hindu elements stop Salah in private property and police is also helping majority hindu.”

Hasshim targetted UP. Source: Twitter

Propaganda magazine Milli Gazette wrote, “So any tent erected for religious purpose in a residential society is now onwards illegal?”

Milli Gazette fueled propaganda. Source: Twitter

OpIndia tried reaching out to Noida police but could not connect.