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‘Keep a coffin ready’: Investigating officer in RSS’ Sreenivasan murder case, where all accused are from banned terror outfit PFI, receives death threats

OpIndia Staff
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‘Keep a coffin ready’: Investigating officer in RSS’ Sreenivasan murder case, where all accused are from banned terror outfit PFI, receives death threats

A complaint has been filed at Palakkad-Town South Police Station by an investigation officer probing the murder case of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Swayamsevak, SK Sreenivasan. In his complaint, the officer alleged that he had been receiving threatening calls. He added that the caller said the probe caused trouble for them and the officer would face the consequences for the same. The officer said the caller told him to “keep a coffin ready”.

Notably, 34 accused have been arrested so far for the murder of Sreenivasan. All the accused belong to the banned Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI). Reportedly, Sreenivasan was hacked to death on April 16, a day after a PFI leader Zubair was allegedly killed. Special investigation teams were formed to probe the two cases. ADGP Law and Order is heading both teams.

Murder of Sreenivasan

On April 16, SK Sreenivasan, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader, was hacked to death in broad daylight in Kerala’s Palakkad. He was a former Physical Education instructor of the RSS. Reports suggested he was murdered by a group of 5-6 assailants who arrived on three bikes. They hacked him to death inside his shop in the Melamuri area of Palakkad with sharp weapons.

According to eyewitnesses, the attackers were armed with machetes and attacked him several times, inflicting multiple fatal injuries. According to Kerala police, he was murdered in retaliation for the alleged murder of PFI leader Zubair on April 15 2022.

Ban on PFI

PFI, along with its eight sister organisations, were banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 27 under UAPA for five years. In its notification, the MHA said, “The PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts as an unlawful association with immediate effect”.

Bharat Forge gets an order of exporting 155mm artillery guns worth $155.5 mn to a ‘non-conflict zone’ country

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Bharat Forge gets an order of exporting 155mm artillery guns worth $155.5 mn to a ‘non-conflict zone’ country

On 9th November 2022, Bharat Forge Limited, a company located in Pune, said that it has received a $155.50 million export order for one of its 155mm artillery gun platforms. The contract had been received by its subsidiary Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited, and it would be completed in three years.

The Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative by the government of India and the Make in India policy has brought a significant change in the defence manufacturing sector of India, and it is one of the examples of the success of the initiative.

The company communicated with the Bombay Stock Exchange in a notification that said, “We are pleased to inform that Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, has been awarded an export order for a 155mm Artillery Gun platform to be executed over a 3-year time frame. The total value of the order is $155.50 million.”

However, the company didn’t mention the country which has placed the order for the artillery guns but mentioned that it is a non-conflict zone, which means that the country is currently not involved in any war. The company said, “This order, to a non-conflict zone, is a great testament to the Government of India’s AatmaNirbhar Bharat agenda and its sustained push to promote exports of Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) advanced defence platforms from India.”

The company also didn’t specify the exact artillery being exported, as Kalyani Strategic Systems makes multiple models of 155mm gun, which are MArG (Multi-terrain Artillery Gun), Bharat ULH (Ultra-Light Howitzer), Bharat 52 and Bharat 45.

The purchaser country could be Saudi Arabia and the selected gun could be Bharat 52, as it was reported in 2020 that Saudi Arabia was evaluating two guns sent by Kalyani Group, Bharat 52 and Garuda V2. As Garuda V2 is a 105mm gun, it is not the gun in question. Bharat-52 gun is a 155mm, 52 calibre towed howitzer, and it is also being considered by the Indian Army.

A variety of goods, including a variety of artillery weapons, have been manufactured by Bharat Forge, which has recently extensively diversified into the production of defence equipment. While it has supplied the Indian Army with 60 Kalyani-M4 armoured vehicles and has orders for 30 more, it has not yet received a domestic order for its artillery cannons.

The defence ministry has been gradually banning the import of a number of weapons since 2021 in an effort to boost manufacturing and export. Bharat Forge’s shares reached a 52-week high of Rs. 890 on the BSE after the announcement, before dropping to Rs. 878.7 on Wednesday.

It is notable that this is the second such big incident in which an Indian defence manufacturer has received an order for exports. In September 2022, India received an order to export missiles, rockets, and ammunition to Armenia. India is also going to export the indigenous Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launchers to Armenia to aid the nation in its war against Azerbaijan. It will be the first export of the Pinaka rocket launchers.

India has signed a $250 million (over Rs 2000 crore) deal to export anti-tank rockets and other ammunition to Armenia, apart from the rocket launchers. India will be supplying the weapons in the coming months via a government-to-government channel.


West Bengal: Three men barge into a house and attack two women for being lesbians, burn their private parts

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Three men barge into a house and attack two women for being lesbians, burn their private parts

On October 25, two women were brutally tortured by three men in West Bengal for being lesbians. The incident took place in Sagardighi town in the Jangipur subdivision in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal.

As per reports, the perpetrators were identified as Sahebul Sheikh, Kadam Mollah and Saheb. Both Mollah and Sameer are said to be the relatives of the victim.

On the fateful night of October 25, the trio barged into the house of the victims at around 11 o’clock and questioned them for sleeping together on the same bed.

They assaulted the two women and burnt their private parts with hot rods for being in a same-sex relationship. The perpetrators also attempted to strip and rape the victims and poured alcohol on their bodies. After unleashing their brutality, they tried to intimidate the women into silence by threatening to reveal their sexual orientation to the public.

After the assault, the two women were admitted to the Sagardighi Super Speciality Hospital in Murshidabad, and were released after a week,

A complaint was filed by one of the victim’s grandmothers with the Sagardighi Police Station on October 28. “My friend and I meet up every day and roll bidis, but I did not see her on October 25. Later in the night, she called me up and asked me to visit her. She was suffering from immense pain in her abdomen,” one of the victims narrated.

Perpetrators used the same-sex relationship troupe to exploit the victims: Police

The duo, one of whom later confessed to a same-sex relationship, informed that they decided to spend the night together. “We are in a relationship, no one restrained us. Had we been warned, we would not have pursued. Three of them molested us, touched us uncomfortably, and tried to rape us,” she said.

Reportedly, the two women are in their early 20s and hail from a family of impoverished farmers. Investigators believe that the three perpetrators used the pretext of lesbianism to sexually exploit them.

“It may be that there the actual motive was to rape the two innocent girls. In rural areas it becomes easier to exploit them if they are branded lesbians,” a cop informed.

One accused arrested so far

As per reports, the Malda police have so far nabbed Sahebul Sheikh in connection to the case. He was produced before the Murshidabad court on Monday (November 7) and remanded to 7 days in police custody.

SP (Jangipur) Bholanath Pandey said, “We arrested one of the three accused and search is on to arrest the rest.” Saheb and Kadam are still on the run from the law enforcement authorities.

Prachyam comes up with 10-part documentary series ‘Sahebs Who Never Left’ to reclaim Indic narrative: Watch the promo of its first part

OpIndia Staff
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Prachyam comes up with 10-part documentary series ‘Sahebs Who Never Left’ to reclaim Indic narrative: Watch the promo of its first part

Indic film production studio Prachyam Films’ much-awaited first part of its 10-part documentary series, ‘Sahebs Who Never Left’, is all set to release on 14 November 2022. The series seeks to reclaim the Indic narrative from the existing colonial-fed history and enlighten the audience about the aspect of India’s past that has been conveniently distorted and misrepresented by historians.

‘Sahebs Who Never Left’ is a documentary series on the real history of Bharat and how it has been suppressed to glorify a select few who were exactly responsible for stifling free speech, exercising vote and choice.

The teaser of the enthralling documentary series has dropped on YouTube. Here’s the teaser for the first part of the documentary series:-

Speaking on the journey of ‘Sahebs Who Never Left’, the head of the production Abhishek Pratap Singh says, “We had embarked upon a year-long project to dive deep into the ocean of Indology and bring forth the choicest of pearls, in a format that will be cinematic enough for the thrill-craving millennial generation, yet informative enough for Indology enthusiasts. So we are happy to say that our first film is now ready for release.”

The documentary series delves into the colonialism of India and how Britishers or ‘Gora Sahebs’ as they were colloquially referred to by their Indian counterparts, colonised Bharat under the pretext of ‘civilising’ the indigenous people and used every means at their disposal—from assault, imposing crippling taxes, fomenting caste divides, depriving education, destroying Indian traditions, sowing seeds of partition, and many more.

Picture from a scene filmed in Sahebs Who Never Left

‘Sahebs Who Never Left’ showcases the deep-rooted racism of the British against the native Indians and narrates the true story of India that has been diligently kept under wraps by the ‘Brown Sahebs‘, who, in their bid to reinforce their loyalty to the Englishmen, have continued to push the British version of history to date, papering over their cruelties and at times, even rationalising their inequities.

Shooting of Sahebs by Prachyam

Praveen K Chaturvedi, the CEO and Chief Director of Prachyam says, “We are staunch believers in quality over quantity. There is a lot of content being produced in pockets all around the internet, but a very less portion of that is something that has repeat value. And that is the niche we strive to fill. The road to quality visuals is often littered with overtime and slow turnarounds, but the results echo in eternity. And eternal content over ephemeral is what we are aiming towards. We hope our first film is a step in that direction.”

Prachyam started its journey in 2020 with a small but an enthusiastic team that engaged with an international community of Indologists, including leading scientists, eminent educators, accomplished storytellers, consummate conservationists, modern technologists, and many other doyens from a variety of fields to help define critical challenges of our times, drive new knowledge, advance new solutions, and inspire positive transformative change.

In close to 2 years, Prachyam has gained a substantial social community size, and its videos and short films have been viewed by millions, who love and engage with their content on YouTube, Instagram, and other social media platforms.

“We are a group of filmmakers, who wake up every day to make Indic identity a matter of pride for the masses out there! Prachyam uses the power of cinematic expression, and storytelling to illuminate and further India’s glorious traditions and message,” said Kshitiz Rai, the Chief Creative Director of ‘Sahebs Who Never Left’. “The brilliant philosophy and deep values of Bhārat always move us, and that’s what we express in our creations.”

The movie-like feat of how a Balaji idol, stolen from Karnataka Temple, was recovered by Idol Wing in Tamil Nadu: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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The movie-like feat of how a Balaji idol, stolen from Karnataka Temple, was recovered by Idol Wing in Tamil Nadu: Read details

On Monday (November 7), the Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID recovered an antique idol of Lord Balaji, which was stolen from a temple in Karnataka. The recovery was nothing short of a movie plot, with the sleuths masquerading as smugglers and engaging a broker to nab the accused.

The idol is believed to have been stolen from a temple in the Mandya district of Karnataka. The idol weighs 22.8 kg, it is 58 cm in height and 31 cm in width. The theft was orchestrated in 2017 by the temple priest, who was supposedly in need of urgent money.

He had sold the antique idol to an advocate, who hailed from Gobichettipalayam in Erode district of Tamil Nadu. When the unnamed advocate was smuggling the 600-year-idol to Tamil Nadu, his car was stopped by the Karnataka police.

Karnataka police confiscated the stolen idol in 2017

Since he did not have documents and failed to provide a convincing explanation, the cops seized the idol and lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against the advocate for theft. The Karnataka police conducted a probe into the matter and even filed a charge sheet against him in court. However, the advocate was able to obtain a forged bill and was acquitted based on it.

He was thus successful in taking the prized idol of Lord Balaji to Gobichettipalayam. Initially, the advocate tried to sell the idol for a whopping ₹50 crore in the international market. Owing to the high price, he wasn’t able to find customers.

Idol Wing sleuths masqueraded as wealthy smugglers

The advocate then tasked his junior to sell the Balaji idol. He passed away in 2018, leaving the antique to the junior advocate. On the suggestion of one of the brokers, the junior advocate slashed the price of the idol to ₹33 crores.

In the meanwhile, Idol Wing officials were posing as smugglers to recover stolen antique idols. As part of this strategy, two sub-inspectors were masquerading as wealthy idol smugglers and looking for stolen idols. On November 4, they stumbled upon a broker which led to the recovery of the idol.

Two Sub-Inspectors, namely, Rajesh and Pandiarajan, were approached by the broker at a coffee shop on Avinashi road in Coimbatore (80 km west of Gobichettipalayam) after learning that they were looking to purchase antique idols. During this conversation, the broker informed of a 600-year-old Balaji idol, currently in possession of his old friend (the junior advocate from Gobichettipalayam).

Successful recovery of the stolen idol

When the undercover officers expressed their interest in the idol, the broker said that he can arrange the transaction and quoted the price at ₹33 crores. He also said that he can show them the idol the next day. The broker led the duo to the residence of the junior advocate on Sunday (November 6), where the Idol Wing investigators pretended to perform dubious tests on the idol.

Accordingly, the Idol Wing officers posing as smugglers were taken to the house of the advocate, at VIP Muthu Nagar, Nagarpalayam, Gobichettipalayam, by the broker on the following day. The officers were shown the idol, and the officers said that they need to do some tests to confirm that it is genuinely an antique idol and not a fake. After the seller agreed to it, the Sub Inspectors did some tests that looked like real, and based on this ‘test’, they concluded that ₹33 crore is too much for it.

They told the junior advocate that the antique idol cost only ₹15 crores. After bargaining over the price, they agreed to sell it at the new price. The cops, who were pretending to be smugglers all the while, promised to return back the following day with the cash as the price for the idol.

On Monday (November 7), sub-inspector Rajesh and Pandiarajan landed at the VIP Muthu Nagar residence of the advocate with a briefcase, along with a police team waiting outside. When the advocate brought the idol, the Idol Wing CID team swung into action.

In a matter of seconds, they seized the stolen idol and gheraoed him from all sides. After realising that he has been busted and his residence was surrounded by police, the advocate resigned to his fate and offered no resistance. During interrogation, he confessed to receiving the idol from his senior, who passed away in 2018. He said that the senior advocate knew a priest at the temple in Mandya, from whom he had received the idol in exchange for money.

Given that only the senior advocate was privy to the information about the temple and the priest, the Idol Wing CID has not been able to ascertain the origins of the murti. The idol was produced before the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Kumbakonam.

The Tamil Nadu Idol Wing CID revealed their grand plan and successful attempt at recovery of the 600-year-old idol in a press release on Wednesday (November 9). The operation was led by Inspector Elango and supervised by the Additional DSP Central Zone Balamurugan.

Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi withdraws his ‘Hindu word is Persian’ remark, expresses regret

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi withdraws his ‘Hindu word is Persian’ remark, expresses regret

Karnataka Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi has issued a letter withdrawing his ‘word Hindu is Persian’ remark after a massive outrage erupted over the comments earlier this week. In his letter addressed to the Karnataka chief minister Basavraj Bommai, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee’s Working President Satish Jarkiholi gave a brief explanation behind his remark and regretted the offence caused to the people by his statement.

Satish Jarkiholi wrote in his letter, “Speaking at the Manav Bandhutva Vedike Karnataka program held at Nippani on 06-11-2022, I mentioned the following issues: The word Hindu is derived from the Persian language. How did it come to India? I have said in many articles that the meaning of the word ‘Hindu’ is not clear and that it is very necessary for it to be discussed publicly. This is based on the reference I have made to Wikipedia, books, dictionaries, and the writings of historians.”

Satish Jarkiholi added, “Some vested interests are trying to project me as anti-Hindu. There has also been a systematic conspiracy to defame and harm me. I request you to examine all the above aspects and investigate those who created this disturbance without explaining the actual situation. Once again, I request you immediately constitute a committee to look into the matter, and that one thing that I spoke about at the House-to-House Buddha, Basava, Ambedkar, program of the Manav Bandhutva Vedike at Nippani has been controversial because it is being manipulated and maligned.”

Concluding his letter, Satish Jarkiholi wrote, “With the good intention of not creating confusion among the public, I am withdrawing that statement which I said that day and I regret if anyone has been offended by this statement.”

On Sunday, 6th November 2022, the Karnataka Congress working president Satish Jarkiholi passed controversial comments against the word ‘Hindu’ in a rally at Nippani of Belagavi district, Karnataka. He said that the word originated from Persia and was not an Indian term. He said that the original meaning of the term is dirty and insulting and also wondered why people in India were taking the term ‘Hindu’ so seriously. He also said that a word and a religion from elsewhere are being forcefully imposed on people here, and demanded that there should be a proper debate in this matter. Jarkiholi had the remarks during an event organised by “Manav Bandhutva Vedike”.

BJP had staged protests in various places in Karnata against Satish Jarkiholi for the comments. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai questioned Congress leader Siddaramaiah for being silent on the issue and demanded his comments on the matter. Former CM B S Yediyurappa said Jarkiholi must issue an apology and said that people will teach a lesson if he does not apologise. BJP workers burnt the effigy of the Congress at the demonstrations held at various places, including Bengaluru, Belagavi, Chamarajanagar, Tumakuru, Karwar, Yadgir, Raichur, Shivamogga, Gadag, Kalaburagi, Kolar, Bagalkote and other places.

Despite the widespread protests, Satish Jarkiholi was refusing to relent and was ruling out offering any apology. Even earlier today, he had said that he wants a debate on the origin of Hindu, and said he would resign from the assembly if is proven wrong. However, later in the day, perhaps pressurised by the party, Congress leader Satish Jarkiholi withdrew his remarks and said sorry to those who were hurt by his comments.

Rajasthan: Shakeel, Nasir among 3 arrested for beating a tribal man to death over drawing water from a tube well, booked under SC/ST Act

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Shakeel, Nasir among 3 arrested for beating a tribal man to death over drawing water from a tube well, booked under SC/ST Act

On Tuesday, the Rajasthan Police arrested Shakeel, Nasir, and Bablu for beating a 46-year-old tribal man to death in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. The victim identified as Kishanlal Bheel belonged to the tribal community and was brutally beaten for drawing water from a tube well.

According to the reports, the accused also abused the injured victim and did not allow his family members to take him to the hospital. The man was admitted to the hospital only after the police reached the spot, but he succumbed to his injuries. Three accused have been arrested and booked under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

The incident is said to have happened in Bhomiyaji ki Ghati in Soorsagar. Gautam Dotasara, SHO, Soorsagar Police Station confirmed the incident and said that the Police officers are searching for others who are involved in the incident.

Following the event, Bheel’s family and community members staged protests and refused to conduct his last rites. They demanded that all of the offenders be arrested immediately. The protesters also demanded monetary compensation and a government job for the next of kin. “We have been in conversation with the demonstrators so that the postmortem can be done and the body be handed over to the family for the funeral,” Dotasara said.

According to the victim’s brother identified as Ashok, several of the residents, including the three detained, have influence over the tube well erected in the area. They have also installed a pump and do not allow anybody to use it. “On Sunday night, Kishanlal had gone to the tube well for water but these people pushed him away and hurled casteist slurs at him,” Ashok alleged.

“Soon after he arrived home, other individuals invaded our house and beat up Bheel and his son with rods and sticks,”, Ashok added. The Police have arrested three Muslim persons in the case and searching for others who are involved in the incident. The case has been registered against the accused under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

Gujarat: Senior Congress leader Mohansinh Rathava, a 10-time MLA, joins BJP ahead of elections

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Gujarat: Senior Congress leader Mohansinh Rathava, a 10-time MLA, joins BJP ahead of elections

Ahead of the upcoming Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress is facing major setbacks. Before it can recover from one loss, the news of another blow for the party arrives, and this has now become a pattern in the state Congress. In this series, the news of the resignation of Mohansinh Rathava of the Congress has shaken the Gujarat Congress. Rathava’s resignation has triggered speculation in political circles that Congress may be looking ahead at its worst phase in the state.

According to reports, senior Congress leader and Chhota Udepur MLA Mohansinh Rathava has resigned from the party membership and all posts. The senior-most and stalwart leader of the Congress, Mohansinh Rathava holds the record of being the most successful MLA candidate of the Chhota Udepur Legislative Assembly.

He addressed his resignation to state party president Jagdish Thakor. He resigned as an elected member of the Chhota Udepur assembly constituency as well as a member of the Indian National Congress Party. The resignation of Mohansinh Rathava will cause a big loss to the Congress party.

Resignation furnished by Mohasinh Rathwa.

Mohansinh Rathava has been the Minister of Tribal Development, Forest, Fisheries, and Social Security in the past, besides being the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

Records held by Mohansinh Rathava

Mohansinh Rathava has been elected from the Chhota Udepur seat and holds the record for being an MLA for the most number of times. He has been elected as an MLA from the Chhota Udepur assembly constituency for the last 11 terms i.e. since 1972.

Rathava, who was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly for nine consecutive terms in Gujarat, set a record for being elected for the most consecutive times in 2012. He was sworn in as an MLA for the 10th time when the Gujarat Assembly session was underway, breaking his own record in 2017 and becoming the most sworn-in MLA in Gujarat.

Rathava has won the Chhota Udepur seat the most number of times. He has been elected to the 4th Legislative Assembly of 1972-74, the Fifth Legislative Assembly of 1975-80, the Sixth Legislative Assembly of 1980-85, the Seventh Assembly of 1985-90, the Eighth Legislative Assembly of 1990-95, the Ninth Legislative Assembly of 1995-97, the Tenth Legislative Assembly of 1998-2002, the 12th Legislative Assembly of 2007-2012, the 13th Legislative Assembly of 2012.

Though it was speculated that Rathava may retire politically, he soon joined the BJP. It is notable here that Rathava’s son is married to the daughter of another senior Congress leader Sukhram Rathava. Replying to media questions, Rathava denied the idea that the quit Congress because the party refused a ticket for his son. He stated that he had feelings for the BJP for many years.

The Chhota Udepur constituency is reserved for ST candidates.

“I’m especially sorry to those impacted”: Says Mark Zuckerberg while announcing layoffs of over 11,000 Meta employees

OpIndia Staff
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“I’m especially sorry to those impacted”: Says Mark Zuckerberg while announcing layoffs of over 11,000 Meta employees

Days after Elon Musk-owned Twitter fired a larger number of employees, now Meta has laid off more than 11,000 of its employees across the globe. Meta is the parent company of social media platforms Facebook, Instagram, and the widely used messaging app WhatsApp. It is notable that Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg had already given the signs of the layoff. In a message posted by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the company fired more than 11000 employees on Wednesday 9th November 2022, reducing the manpower of the company by around 13%.

It is notable that Meta has around 87000 employees worldwide, out of which around 11000 are being laid off by the company, in what will likely be the biggest employment layoffs in the history of the business. Silicon Valley is currently being shaken by the revelation that Meta Platforms is to begin its mass layoffs starting today in order to cut costs. Facebook has continually added staff members since Mark Zuckerberg launched the Silicon Valley business in 2004. It had 87,314 employees as of the end of September, which was a record. However, the business, now known as Meta, started making significant employment cuts on Wednesday 9th November 2022.

“Today I’m sharing some of the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history,” Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his message announcing the mass layoff. Apart from this, the company is also taking additional steps to cut costs, he said.

“I want to take accountability for these decisions and for how we got here. I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted,” Mark wrote. ” We’re also restructuring our business teams more substantially,” he added.

He added that although the cutbacks affected all departments, some, like recruiting, were more severely impacted than others, as the company has also announced a hiring freeze for the time being.

According to reports, Zuckerberg met with executives on Tuesday to discuss the layoffs. According to a witness, the chief executive accepted responsibility for the layoffs and said that his firm had expanded too swiftly. Three other persons stated that Meta had also postponed employee travel so they would be accessible to meet with managers should their team be affected by layoffs.

Mark Zuckerberg further said in message, “At the start of Covid, the world rapidly moved online and the surge of e-commerce led to outsized revenue growth. Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue even after the pandemic ended. I did too, so I made the decision to significantly increase our investments. Unfortunately, this did not play out the way I expected. Not only has online commerce returned to prior trends, but the macroeconomic downturn, increased competition, and ads signal loss have caused our revenue to be much lower than I’d expected. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

He said that the company needs to become more capital efficient, and therefore it has started to cut costs across its business, including scaling back budgets, reducing perks, and shrinking its real estate footprint. “But these measures alone won’t bring our expenses in line with our revenue growth, so I’ve also made the hard decision to let people go,” he added.

Mark Zuckerberg also revealed the Severance Package for fired employees, which will be 16 weeks of base pay plus two additional weeks for every year of service, with no cap. The employees will be paid for all remaining PTO, and they will receive their November 15, 2022 restricted stock unit vesting. The impacted people and their families will get health insurance coverage for six months. Apart from this, Meta will provide them career support for three months through an external vendor, and people on visas will be provided immigration support.

With the removal of around 11,000 employees taking place immediately, Meta has decided to remove their access to Meta systems today itself, “given the amount of access to sensitive information”. However, the company allowed them to use their company email accounts for the day, “so everyone can say farewell”.

Other decisions

Some other cost-cutting measures announced by the CEO include shrinking its real estate footprint. The company will be transitioning to desk-sharing for people who spend most of their time outside the office. The company will also not hire additional people in the first quarter, apart from some exceptions. “. I’m going to watch our business performance, operational efficiency, and other macroeconomic factors to determine whether and how much we should resume hiring at that point,” Zuckerberg wrote.

The company is also reviewing its spending on infrastructure, and aims to become even more efficient with the existing capacity, while building AI infrastructure.

Stocks of Meta improved with the lay off news

As the layoffs were declared, Meta stock futures went up by over 4.5%. This is a sign that the investors are happy with the decision of the company to cut costs.

“Victory to Dharma, I am back at your service. Jai Shri Ram”: BJP MLA T Raja Singh after Telangana HC grants bail in Prophet remark row

OpIndia Staff
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“Victory to Dharma, I am back at your service. Jai Shri Ram”: BJP MLA T Raja Singh after Telangana HC grants bail in Prophet remark row

On Wednesday, November 9, the Telangana High Court granted bail to Ghoshamahal MLA T Raja Singh, who was arrested on August 25 under the Preventive Detention Act. The court ordered T Raja Singh not to make any provocative statements or offend any religion.

The lawmaker was also barred from attending press conferences, rallies, or processions, according to the court. In addition, the court ordered him not to post on social media for the next three months.

Soon after the court orders, T Raja Singh took to Twitter and wrote in Hindi, “Victory to Dharma. Once again I am back at your service. Jai Shri Ram.”

The BJP MLA had posted a comedy video, in which he allegedly used abusive language toward Prophet Muhammad, protesters demonstrating against the legislator had claimed. Multiple people filed a complaint against Singh and said that he had hurt the religious sentiments of the Islamists.

In August 2022, the Telangana Police registered an FIR against Raja Singh, BJP MLA from Goshamahal for his alleged remarks against Prophet Muhammad. Later, he was arrested. This move came after severe protests broke in Hyderabad at South Zone DCP office where protesters demanded immediate action against Singh and chanted ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’, an Islamist chant calling for his beheading for ‘blasphemy’ against Prophet Muhammad.

Later, the BJP suspended T Raja Singh allegedly for his post on Prophet Muhammad. In the letter issued by the Central Disciplinary Committee, it was mentioned that Raja’s views were contrary to Party’s stand on various matters, and he violated Rule XXV 10(a) of the constitution of the Party that reads, “Breach of discipline includes acting or carrying on propaganda against any program or decision of the Party.”

Mohammed Zubair dog whistles against Nupur Sharma

Notably, former spokesperson of BJP Nupur Sharma was also suspended on similar grounds after a clip of her remarks on Prophet Muhammad during a debate went viral on social media. Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shared an incomplete video of Nupur Sharma’s debate on Times Now where she was defending her faith after a fellow co-panellist mocked the Shivling discovered at the Gyanvapi compound. 

The row escalated after Mohammad Zubair and his supporters on Twitter sought help from Muslim accounts from the Middle East, creating a diplomatic nightmare for the Indian missions in the Persian Gulf. Zubair was subsequently arrested for his derogatory posts against Hindu Gods. He was later granted interim bail in the matter.

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