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‘Hindus kidnapped Muslim girl’: Fake news spread by Islamists to stoke communal tension in Leicester has eerie similarities with the 2002 Godhra riots

Dibakar Dutta
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‘Hindus kidnapped Muslim girl’: Fake news spread by Islamists to stoke communal tension in Leicester has eerie similarities with the 2002 Godhra riots

On November 3, a UK-based think tank debunked the false claims made by Islamists about the presence of ‘RSS terrorists’ and ‘Hindutva extremist organisations’ in Leicester city in the East Midlands region of England.

The disinformation was peddled by Islamists to rationalise their targeting of the Hindu community and camouflage their acts of aggression as violence perpetrated in self-defence.

The Henry Jackson Society (HJS), founded in 2005, released a 39-page report [pdf] on November 3 and concluded that the false allegations had exposed the Hindu community in Leicester to hate, vandalism and assault.

Screengrab of the report by Charlotte Littlewood of the Henry Jackson Society

“Contrary to press reports at the time, the investigations did not find Hindutva extremist organisations operating in Leicester, but instead discovered a micro-community cohesion issue falsely presented as an issue of organised Hindutva extremism and terrorism,” the summary of the report read.

HJS emphasised, “It finds that false allegations of RSS terrorists and Hindutva extremist organisations active in the UK has put the wider Hindu community at risk from hate, vandalism and assault.”

“Some members of the Hindu community in Leicester imposed a voluntary curfew, some relocated to stay with family or friends until they felt safe to return, while still others were unable to return to work owing to fears for their personal safety,” it further added.

Excerpt from the report by Charlotte Littlewood of the Henry Jackson Society

The report, prepared by research fellow Charlotte Littlewood, cited temporary Chief Constable of Leicester Police Robert Nixon, and pointed out that disinformation had been the greatest challenge in containing the unrest in the city.

“The allegations stoked tensions and were pivotal in the numbers that joined the anti-Hindutva Muslim marches, the violence that ensued and the wider impact then on the Hindu community in the UK,” she added.

“Beyond the claims of RRS terrorists and Hindutva extremists, there were accusations of attacking a mosque, kidnapping (the man accused of kidnapping was not in the country and approach of a 14-year-old girl by three men (later confirmed untrue by Leicester police),” the report concluded.

The origins of the disinformation campaign

On September 13, a conspiracy theorist and Muslim fanatic by the name of Majid Freeman alleged that 3 men had tried to abduct a teenage Muslim girl. “CONFIRMED: An incident took place this morning not far from a college in Leicester,” he tweeted.

“A Muslim teenager was approached by 3 men but she ran away into the school. The college & police are aware of it and the family have been given an incident number by Leicester Police,” he claimed.

Screengrab of the tweet by Majid Freeman

The conspiracy theorist even claimed to have met the family of the girl, who was traumatised by the alleged kidnapping attempt. “The girl is very shaken but she is ok alhamdulillah. They’ve reported the incident to the police. Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of this and the people behind it are caught,” he said.

Screengrab of the tweet by Majid Freeman

The fake news was then amplified by other Islamists, who alleged the role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the alleged abduction attempt. The Hindu man, falsely accused of kidnapping the Muslim girl, was doxxed on Facebook and his residential address was leaked on social media.

On September 14, the Leicester police debunked the disinformation through a press release. It said, “Yesterday we issued an appeal following a report that a teenage girl had been approached by three men in the area of Richmond Way, Leicester, on Monday morning.”

“A full investigation has been carried out. Following extensive enquiries, we have established that the incident did not take place and no offence was committed,” the cops confirmed.

The deliberate attempt by Majid Freeman to stoke hysteria in the Muslim community and lay the foundation of violence against the Leicester Hindus did not stop the city Mayor to arrange a meeting with him.

A similar modus operandi during the 2002 Godhra carnage

It has been 20 years since 59 Hindus, travelling by Sabarmati Express, were burnt alive by Islamists in Godhra. However, soon after the carnage unfolded, the usual suspects began peddling conspiracy theories to rationalise the brutal killing of the karsevaks returning from Ayodhya.

One of the fake stories that was doing the rounds in mainstream media was the alleged abduction of a young Muslim girl by the karsevaks over a dispute with her father (who happened to be a bearded tea seller).

“Hearing the chaos, the daughter (16) of the old man who was also present at the station came forward and tried to save her father from karsevaks. She kept pleading and begging them to stop beating her father and leave him alone,” a report in Outlook read.

“But instead of listening to her woes, the karsevaks lifted the young girl and took her inside their compartment (S-6) and closed the compartment door shut. The train started to move out of the platform of Godhra railway station,” it continued.

“The old man kept banging on the compartment doors and pleaded to leave his daughter. Just before the train could move out completely from the platform, two stall vendors jumped into the last bogey that comes after the guard cabin. And with the intention of saving the girl, they pulled the chain and stopped the train,” it said.

Later, the Nanavati Commission, probing the case, junked the allegations. After careful scrutiny of her evidence, the Commission came to the conclusion that the version of the supposed victim did not appear to be true.

“The alleged attempt to abduct her was made while they were near the bookstall. That would mean that they were almost in the middle of the covered portion of the platform and very close to the offices of the railway staff. The evidence discloses that there were many persons on the platform,” it noted.

“Apart from passengers, many Muslim vendors were there. The railway staff was present in their offices. Some policemen were also present. If she had raised shouts to save her then they would have been heard at least by some persons who were near about but not a single vendor or anyone else has come forward to support her version,” the Commission emphasised.

“Her explanation that she was much frightened and had giddiness and, therefore, they had decided not to go back to Vadodara on that day, does not appear to be true,” it further stated.

The parallels between the two incidents of violence targeting Hindus and the fake stories floated of a Muslim girl being abducted, harassed by Hindus which triggered violence in a bid to justify the same is alarming. In both the cases, Leicester as well as Godhra, the Islamists and their apologists conjured up fake stories to make the Hindus come across as aggressors and justified the violence perpetrated on them as ‘retaliation’ to save honour of a woman of Muslim community. However, as can be seen, in both the cases, no such incident of harassment of the Muslim girl took place and a fake narrative was created to simply unleash violence on Hindus and obfuscate the facts to further propaganda.

‘False and baseless’, PIB fact-checks Rahul Gandhi’s claims about privatisation of Indian Railways

OpIndia Staff
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‘False and baseless’, PIB fact-checks Rahul Gandhi’s claims about privatisation of Indian Railways

On Sunday, November 13, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) took to Twitter to fact-check the misleading claims made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on the privatisation of railways as false and baseless.

The official Twitter handle of the PIB Fact Check shared a screenshot of Rahul Gandhi’s tweet from Saturday (November 12), which claimed that 151 trains of the Indian Railways have been privatized and wrote in Hindi, “In a tweet, a false claim is being made that 151 trains, Railway property, stations and hospitals have been privatised. This is false and baseless. The Railways have not privatized any of its assets.”

Notably, Rahul Gandhi shared a video from his ongoing campaign in a tweet on Saturday, writing, “Railways connect India, serving 2.5 crore passengers per day and employing 12 lakh people. Railway, Pradhanmantri ji, is the property of the country. It should not be privatized. It needs empowerment, not privatisation. Don’t sell it.”

In the video embedded in Rahul Gandhi’s tweet, he can be seen interacting with people in Telangana while on his Bharat Jodo Yatra. Some of them were railway union members who came to meet Rahul Gandhi to submit a memorandum opposing the alleged ‘privatisation of railways.’

“Which part of Indian Railways is being privatized?” Rahul Gandhi inquired as he walked. ‘Railway stations, workshops, medical centers, and establishments will be privatized,’ said Bharani Bhanu Prasad, a member of the South Central Railway Employees’ Sangh.

“When do they plan to do this? Are they already doing this slowly?” Rahul Gandhi inquired. “Yes, Sir,” the members replied.

“To whom are they giving it? Big companies or small ones?” Rahul Gandhi queried. “Big companies, sir,” the union members said collectively in the video. “Private trains are already in use in India,” the members claimed.

The Railways’ Employee Sangh member went on to claim that Adani, Ambani, and their affiliated companies are getting railways properties including trains as part of Modi government’s railway privatisation.

The railway union members also stated in the video that they met with Rahul Gandhi and explained the ‘privatisation’ of the railways to him. “In the 170-year history of the Indian Railways, we have never seen or heard of privatisation. We are opposed to the privatization,” a member said.

Gujarat: AAP IT cell spreads fake video to mock BJP while trying to take advantage of Morbi bridge tragedy

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: AAP IT cell spreads fake video to mock BJP while trying to take advantage of Morbi bridge tragedy

On 12th November 2022, one Praatik Innamdar of Aam Aadmi Party’s IT cell in Gujarat tweeted an old video from West Bengal claiming that it is from Gujarat where BJP workers were being beaten up by angry crowd. He added “Morbi Bridge Collapse” hashtag, to insinuate that the people were angry with BJP workers because of the Morbi tragedy that claimed over a hundred lives.

However, the video is old and not from Gujarat.

Notably, the people in the video are speaking in Bangla. The hoardings and boards in the surroundings are in Bangla. As the AAP has included text over the images, it is not clearly seen who is beating whom.

The video shared by AAP’s IT cell in Gujarat. Image Source: Twitter Handle of Praatik Innamdar

A rickshaw stops near a petrol pump. A man suddenly barges into the scene along with some of his accomplices and thrashes the person in the rickshaw. The rickshaw bears a loudspeaker and the Bharatiya Janata Party flags.

In this way, a person was being thrashed near a petrol pump. Image Source: Twitter handle of Praatik Innamdar

After some research, it was found that the video is originally from West Bengal. The video was shared by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on 6th August 2022. In his tweet, Adhikari has written, “Yesterday Asit Mazumdar; TMC MLA from Chinsurah; Hooghly, thrashed a BJP Karyakarta for campaigning democratically. Those who questioned the NHRC, India’s post-poll violence report, citing ‘Law of the ruler, not Rule of law’ in WB haven’t seen Mamata Banerjee’s GOONDA Raaj.”

So, it became clear that the video is originally from West Bengal in which a TMC leader along with his supporters was seen thrashing a BJP worker in West Bengal. Praatik Innamdar who shared this video claiming that it is from Gujarat is a member of the Gujarat IT cell of Arvind Kejriwal. He has also shared his photographs with the party chief Arvind Kejriwal from his Twitter handle in the past.

The screenshots and tweets confirm that the video shared by AAP is not from Gujarat and that by claiming that it is from Morbi, AAP appears to be trying to take the advantage of the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy for its political gains. It is notable that a 140-year-old hanging cable bridge in Morbi collapsed on 30th October 2022. The bridge had just been reopened following renovations.

The video is originally from West Bengal. Image Source: Twitter handle of Suvendu Adhikari

However, this is not the only incident in which AAP is using old pictures or videos from one place to claim that it is from some other place. AAP has also used a picture from Trinamool Congress Party’s mega rally held in 2018 and claimed that it is from Surat in Gujarat.

AAP’s Jhalawar unit shared a photo from West Bengal and claimed that it is from Surat. Image Source: Twitter handle of Kanchan Gupta.

An official Twitter handle of the party’s Jhalawar unit shared one such old photograph and claimed that the crowd was present in Surat to follow AAP leader Raghav Chadha who was accompanying Gopal Italia as he filed his nomination form for the assembly elections.

Exposing this lie by Aam Aadmi Party, Kanchan Gupta tweeted, “An official handle of Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is spreading disinformation. But then, it is Kejriwal and it is not surprising that his fans would use a picture of a 2018 TMC rally in Kolkata West Bengal, and claim the crowds have turned up for Raghav Chadha in Surat Gujarat.

State assembly elections in Gujarat will take place on December 1 and December 5. The results of the same will be declared on December 8.

Asked me to use oils to enlarge my breasts, kept staring at my private parts: Actress Sheela Priya Seth makes shocking statements about Sajid Khan

OpIndia Staff
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Asked me to use oils to enlarge my breasts, kept staring at my private parts: Actress Sheela Priya Seth makes shocking statements about Sajid Khan

Actress and Model Sheela Priya Seth has accused Filmmaker and Bigg Boss contestant Sajid Khan of sexually harassing her 14 years ago. After Sherlyn Chopra, Rani Chatterjee, and Kanishka Soni, Sheela Priya Seth is the latest actress to level serious allegations against Sajid Khan.

In an interview, actress Sheela Priya Seth stated that Sajid Khan misbehaved with her 14 years ago, in the year 2008. “I first met director Sajid Khan in the year 2008. When I asked him to cast me in his upcoming project, I was shocked by some of his actions.,” said Sheela, who has worked in Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam films.

Sheela further said, “He kept on looking at my private parts for about 5 minutes and told me that you should get breast surgery done, your breasts are not big enough for Bollywood. He went on to say that I should apply oils to enlarge my breasts and massage daily, only then I will be able to get roles in Bollywood. These remarks of Sajid Khan terrified me and I immediately left that place.” 

Notably, in October, Bhojpuri actress Rani Chatterjee leveled similar allegations against Sajid Khan who asked her about her breast size. Rani revealed that when she went to Khan’s house, he told her he would like to cast her for a song titled Dhokha Dhokha. He allegedly told her that he wanted to see her legs as she would be wearing a short lehenga. The situation was awkward for Rani who said he further asked her to show her knees.

Rani added Khan allegedly asked her about her breast size and questioned if she has a boyfriend or not. He also allegedly asked her about her sex life and questioned its ‘frequency’. She added he also tried to touch her inappropriately.

It is worth noting that Sajid Khan in one of his old interviews confessed to having cheated on many girls and that he had a ‘loose character’. The video of the same went viral on social media recently. The video was from the talk show ‘Koshish Se Kamyabi Tak’ hosted by Kiran Juneja. When Juneja asked him about his relationships, he said, “During the time I was continuously shooting for television when I was in my 20s, I had a loose character. I was going around with a lot of girls and lying to them. Though I never did anything wrong to them, I used to say ‘I Love You’ and ask them to marry me.” In a humourous mood, he said, “I would have married 350 times by now.” Khan said between the age of 30 and 35, he stopped going around with girls as he met someone special.

Recently, actress Sherlyn Chopra filed a police complaint against him for criminal intimidation and sexual harassment. She says that Khan is a persistent offender and a sexual predator, but despite her repeated demands, the Bigg Boss producers didn’t throw Khan off the show.

Sajid Khan is still inside the Bigg Boss house as part of the 16th season of the show.

Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini Sriharan smiles to the camera as she steps out of prison along with her husband and 4 others

OpIndia Staff
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Rajiv Gandhi assassination convict Nalini Sriharan smiles to the camera as she steps out of prison along with her husband and 4 others

On November 12, six convicts of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination case, including Nalini Sriharan, were released from four different jails after Supreme Courts ordered their premature release. Nalini Sriharan was released from Women’s Prison in Vellore, while her husband Murugan Sriharan, a Sri Lankan national, was released from Vellore Central jail. Another Sri Lankan Santhan was also released from the central jail. Two other Lankan convicts, Robert Payas and Jayakumar, were released from the Puzhal prison. The sixth convict Ravichandran was formally released from Madurai Central Prison. As he was already out on parole, he went to jail for formalities and came out a free man.

Several videos of Sriharan surfaced on social media while she was coming out of prison. In one of the videos, she was seen surrounded by media personnel and smiling at the camera. The release of the convicts has sparked controversy. Questions are being raised not only by the Bharatiya Janata Party but also by the leaders and members of the Congress party. Not to forget, in 2018, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s wife and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi told the apex court she did not have a problem with the release of the convicts.

The four Sri Lankan convicts have been shifted to a special refugee camp for foreign nationals at Kottapattu, near the central prison in Tiruchi.

 Sriharan said she was ‘sorry for those who were killed with Gandhi’

In an exclusive statement to NDTV, Sriharan said she was not “very happy” that her husband was not with her and had been sent to a separate camp. When Sriharan was arrested, she was two months pregnant. She has a daughter. When asked about her plans for the future, she said, “My family wants me to join my husband and my daughter. So I am planning that way only. My daughter also wants us to be with her forever.” When asked about what she wanted to say to the family members of those who had died along with Gandhi in the bomb blast, she said, “I am very sorry for them. That’s what I can tell just now. We have spent so many years thinking about it, and we are sorry.”

BJP condemned political parties fetching brownie points over the release

BJP’s IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya in a statement to Times Now said, “Well, it is debatable whether the Supreme Court’s decision to exercise its power and set free assassins of former Prime Minister and fourteen others is right or wrong. But what is more disconcerting is the entire orchestrated drama by the Gandhis around forgiveness. And the spineless surrender of the Congress party to the DMK, which is embracing the release of these assassins. That should really tell us how certain parties, including the Congress and the DMK, are using murderers for their political purposes.”

DMK rooted for the release

It is pertinent to note that in May 2022, when one of the convicts, AG Perarivalan, was released from Jail on bail, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu MK Stalin met him and hugged him. His party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been rooting for Perarivalan’s release for a long time.

In the tweet, he mentioned Perarivalan as a ‘brother’ and wished for a better future along with his mother, Arputhammal, who had been fighting for his release. Earlier, CM Stalin had shared a four-page long press release in Tamil where he patted his Government’s back and called the judgment of the Supreme Court worthy of ‘history, law, politics and administrative history.

Congress leaders spoke against the release

Several Congress leaders and sympathisers released a statement against the release of the convicts. In a statement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “The decision of the Supreme Court to free the remaining killers of former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi is totally unacceptable and completely erroneous. The Congress Party criticises it clearly and finds it wholly untenable. It is most unfortunate that the Supreme Court has not acted in consonance with the spirit of India on this issue.” However, he did not say anything about Sonia Gandhi forgiving the assassins.

Congress sympathiser Tehseen Poonahwala said, “These people killed an Ex PM of India. Why are these people being released? This is horrible! What does it say about our great country? What is the Union Government doing? The Hon’ble PM must immediately pass an ordinance and overturn this judgement! This is DANGEROUS!”

When he was countered with the fact that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were not against the release, he supported Rahul Gandhi for his “not hatred towards the killers” but condemned the release. He added, “Shri Rahul Gandhi Ji & PGV Ji like wonderful human beings harbour no hatred towards their father’s killers & that is admirable and I respect that! Also, personally I [am] against the death penalty. But we cannot release the terrorists who killed an ex-PM! That is plain wrong!”

Assaissination of Rajiv Gandhi

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on May 21 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. On that fateful day, along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 13 others lost their lives.

Kin of 13 others killed in blast condemned Gandhis

When Rajiv Gandhi’s family, including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, chose to ‘forgive’ the convicts and said they had no objection if the killers were released, the kin of those who had died along with Rajiv Gandhi was not too happy with the move. How could Sonia Gandhi or her children decide on behalf of family members of 13 others who lost their lives along with Rajiv Gandhi, they said.

Sheru weds Sweety: Childless couple adopts female dog from local temple, to perform her ‘Kanyadaan’ as she marries neighbour’s dog

OpIndia Staff
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Sheru weds Sweety: Childless couple adopts female dog from local temple, to perform her ‘Kanyadaan’ as she marries neighbour’s dog

Two dogs are set to be married by their owners in Haryana’s Gurugram in an unconventional marriage ceremony. Two neighbours in Gurugram’s Palam Vihar Extension have organised this wedding after arranging a match between their pet dogs.

While Sheru (male) and Sweety (female) will take the Pheras on November 13 at 8:30 PM, the Mehendi ceremony was held on Saturday, according to the wedding organisers. This one-of-a-kind wedding of the dogs Sheru and Sweety, for which 100 invitation cards have been sent, has piqued the interest of their entire neighbourhood of Jile Singh Colony in Palam Vihar Extension, as they will be attending the marriage ceremony as ‘Baraatis.’

Rani, the lady who fostered Sweety, spoke about her dog, saying that her husband brought the dog from a local temple because the couple had no kids. “I did not have children after marriage and to help me tackle this loneliness, my husband brought Sweety from the temple 3 years ago and since then I have raised Sweety like my child,” she explained.

She went on to say that because of the wedding, they now had the chance to perform a ‘Kanyadaan,’ a sacred Hindu ritual in which a family gives away the daughter, who is the bride, to the groom’s family in order to achieve salvation.

Sheru’s family also adopted him as he was a street dog, he is eight years old and has been playing with their children since they were younger.

This dog wedding has received a lot of attention because of the recent incidents of pets attacking people which has brought dog-human relations in NCR under the scanner. Pet ownership and how pet owners should behave on shared properties have long been contentious issues in city housing societies. The issue of feeding stray dogs has also generated debate. Repeated incidents of pet dog attacks in Ghaziabad, Noida, and Mumbai have alarmed citizens all across the nation.

Jammu & Kashmir: In yet another targeted attack, two migrant labourers shot by terrorists in Anantnag

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu & Kashmir: In yet another targeted attack, two migrant labourers shot by terrorists in Anantnag

On Saturday evening, two migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh were left injured after being shot by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Anantnag area. Meanwhile, a search for the assailants is underway in the neighbourhood. The incident occurred in Anantnag district’s Rakh Momin region.

Chhota Prasad and Govind have been identified as the workers targeted in the terrorist attack. Both hail from the Uttar Pradesh town of Kushinagar. Chhota Prasad, 30, was shot in the stomach, while Govind, was injured in the hip. Both have been sent to Government Medical College Anantnag for treatment, and their conditions have been reported to be stable.

The labourers were heading to the Rakh Momin area adjoining Bijbehara in the Anantnag district on Saturday night when terrorists opened fire on them from close range. Both labourers slumped to the ground after being hit by the bullets. The terrorists escaped, believing the labourers have been killed.

Hearing the gunshots, security forces patrolling the area arrived at the scene, and the injured were transferred to the Medical College Hospital in Anantnag with the assistance of locals. Dr Iqbal, the hospital’s medical superintendent, stated that both labourers’ conditions are stable.

It is notable that this is the second attack on migrant labourers in the Anantnag district in the last 10 days. Terrorists fired at two non-local labourers in the Dialgam region on November 3. They were identified as Bekuu Ram, a Bihar resident, and Tej Bahadur, a Nepal resident. The workers were employed in a private SAPS school in the Anantnag district’s Bondialgam sector.

According to Jammu and Kashmir police, both victims were invited by terrorists to come out for some task, and when they arrived, militants shot at them using a pistol.

Targeted attacks on ‘non-locals’ continue in Kashmir

Fear has seized a large part of Kashmir’s ‘non-local’ workforce as targeted killings of non-locals in the valley have risen in recent months. On October 17, OpIndia reported how two poor non-Kashmiri people were killed in Kashmir by the terrorists. The first victim was identified as Arbind Kumar Sah from the Banka district of Bihar who used to sell Golgappa in Srinagar.

On October 5, Virendra Paswan, who hailed from Bhagalpur, Bihar, was shot dead in Kashmir by Islamic terrorists. Like Arvind, Virendra was also a street vendor who used to sell Golgappa.

Another victim was Sagir Ahmad (58) from the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, who was shot dead in Pulwama. Ahmad was a carpenter by profession, and he was working in Jammu and Kashmir for the past one and half years.

On October 17, two labourers were killed while a third one was critically injured in the Kulgam district in South Kashmir when Islamic terrorists barged inside a house and fired upon the labourers who were staying there. The incident took place in the Wanpoh area in Laram Gangipora in Kulgam.

Uttar Pradesh: Bike borne Shoaib opens fire on Aligarh Muslim University campus, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Bike borne Shoaib opens fire on Aligarh Muslim University campus, arrested

On Saturday (November 12), one person was arrested by Aligarh police for allegedly firing on the Aligarh Muslim University campus. 

Aligarh Police informed that the accused who has been identified as Shoaib alias Choba who opened fire on the campus was caught by security personnel at the proctor’s office. The reported incident took place near the Civil Lines Police station area. 

“The accused detained is not an AMU student and is being questioned.” Law and order are under control, and a case has been filed against him. “No one was hurt in the firing,” said Aligarh SP Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.

Some students were sitting at the General Education Center (GEC) near AMU’s Arts Faculty. A person on a bike arrived around 12:30 p.m. and began threatening the students. When the rest of the university students began to gather, the accused left, threatening them. Syed Nawaz Zaid Ali, Assistant Proctor at AMU, stated that two suspects arrived on campus after some time.

AMU proctor Professor Mohammed Wasim Ali said that the accused “tried to start a conversation with girl students sitting on the lawn near Kennedy Hall. Soon after, senior students arrived and objected to it, and the accused persons indulged in an argument with the students.”

“The outsider fled from the scene but fired in the air while leaving” The alert security personnel of the proctorial department followed and captured the outsider. The accused was handed over to police, and a complaint has been filed at Aligarh’s Civil Lines police station,” the proctor added.

Notably, a bag, about two dozen cartridges, and a country-made firearm were recovered from the accused, identified as Shoaib alias Choba. The accused is said to be a resident of Jeevangarh. Aligarh Police have informed that an investigation is underway and necessary action will be taken.

Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10,000 fine on pet owners in Noida if their dog attacks others causing injury, read details

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Rs 10,000 fine on pet owners in Noida if their dog attacks others causing injury, read details

On Saturday, the Noida authority approved safety guidelines for residential high-rises and set rules for pet registration which included fine for pet owners in case of injury cause by the dogs. According to the guidelines, keeping an unregistered dog in the city will now result in a Rs 2,000 fine. In case of injury caused by a dog bite, a fine of Rs 10,000 will be imposed. The CEO of Noida Authority provided this information.

The meeting was held at the authority’s main administrative building in Sector 6. Arvind Kumar, the commissioner of the Uttar Pradesh infrastructure and industrial development department and chairman of the Noida authority, presided over the board meeting. Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.

Taking to Twitter, the CEO of Noida Authority in a series of tweets written in Hindi, informed about the decisions taken in the meeting. 

“In today’s, @/Noida_authority 207th board meeting, decisions were taken regarding the policy formulation of Noida Authority for stray/pet dogs/pet cats. The policy has been decided by the authority following the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board of India for the Noida region,” the tweet read.

The Noida Authority CEO announced on Twitter that it is mandatory to get pet dog/cat registration done by January 31, 2023. A fine will be imposed in case of failure of registration. Pet dogs must also be sterilized and vaccinated against rabies.

In the case of a violation, a fine of Rs 2000 per month is imposed. The construction of a dog shelter for sick/aggressive street dogs with the consent of RWA/AOA/village residents, whose maintenance will be the duty of the concerned RWA/AOA, was announced in a tweet by Noida Authority.

It was also stated that the feeding location in the outdoor area will be marked as needed, and that food and drink arrangements will be made solely by the feeders / RWA / AOA.

The penalty will also be imposed if there are sanitation issues concerning the pet animals. The guidelines further mention the treatment of the person/animal will be the sole responsibility of the pet dog owner. 

Apart from formulating guidelines regarding stray animals, the board meeting also addressed and settled issues concerning the layout of the proposed sports city, which will include approximately two dozen real estate projects.

A revised master plan for the sports city project, which includes sports facilities as well as group housing on 300 acres of land in Sector 150 was also approved. 

‘Have you looked at her face’: TMC Minister makes derogatory remarks about President Murmu, shamelessly tries to defend it later

OpIndia Staff
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‘Have you looked at her face’: TMC Minister makes derogatory remarks about President Murmu, shamelessly tries to defend it later

On Friday (November 11), Trinamool Congress leader Akhil Giri courted controversy after taking potshots at the facial appearance of President Draupadi Murmu.

The TMC Minister for Correctional Administration made the misogynist remarks during a public address in Nandigram town in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal.

In a video that went viral on social media, he was heard as saying, “He (Suvendu Adhikari) claimed that I don’t look good. How beautiful is Suvendu? We don’t judge people by their appearance. We respect the office of the President (Draupadi Murmu). But have you looked at her face?”

President Murmu hails from a Scheduled Tribe (ST) community from Odisha. Born in a family of Santhal tribes in northern Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, in a nondescript village, she is India’s first President from the tribal community.

Comments by Akhil Giri draw ire

His remarks drew the wrath of Opposition leaders, including the BJP (Nandigram) MLA Suvendu Adhikari. “MLAs have sought an urgent appointment to meet Governor La. Ganesan regarding the sacking of Minister Akhil Giri,” Adhikari tweeted.

The BJP leader also shared a copy of his letter, dated November 12, and emphasised that the TMC legislator had lost the moral authority to continue occupying the post of a Minister.

While speaking to the media, BJP Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “The more you condemn it, the less it is. If Mamata Banerjee has little morality left or little faith in democracy, then she should immediately sack him & apologize to the nation.”

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also questioned the “unacceptable” remarks of TMC Minister Akhil Giri against President Draupadi Murmu. “People are protesting against this in Odisha and are demanding the resignation of the TMC minister for his comment on the President,” he informed.

Even Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader did not hold back and condemned the comments of Giri. “Hon’ble President is the shining example of our Nation’s rich culture, tradition & values. Mr.Akhil Giri should unconditionally apologise & be sacked,” he tweeted.

Akhil Giri defends his remarks under the garb of an apology

After coming under the line of fire, the TMC legislator tried to rationalise his remarks in the name of an apology. “I respect President. I mentioned the post&made a comparison to respond to Suvendu Adhikari, I didn’t take any name,” Giri said.

“He had said Akhil Giri looks bad in his appearance. I’m a min,took oath to office. If something is said against me, it’s an insult to Constitution. I said ‘President’, I didn’t take anyone’s name,” he continued.

“I said ‘President’, I didn’t take anyone’s name,” Akhil Giri said.

Trinamool Congress goes in a damage-control mode

Following outrage by netizens and from political quarters, the Trinamool Congress was forced to issue a clarification and ‘condemn’ the remarks of its party leader.

In a tweet, it said, “We have the utmost respect for Hon’ble President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu. Our party strongly condemns the unfortunate remarks made by MLA Akhil Giri and clarifies that we do not endorse such statements.”

“In the era of women’s empowerment, such misogyny is unacceptable,” the tweet further added. The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here. Despite mouthing platitudes, the Trinamool Congress failed to take any action against Akhil Giri.

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