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Terror accused Altaf Ahmed Shah, son-in-law of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani dies of cancer at Delhi AIIMS

OpIndia Staff
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Terror accused Altaf Ahmed Shah, son-in-law of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani dies of cancer at Delhi AIIMS

On Tuesday, jailed terrorist Altaf Ahmad Shah, son-in-law of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani breathed his last at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. Shah was diagnosed with renal cancer that spread to other parts of his body leading to his death on October 11.

The incident was confirmed by Shah’s daughter named Ruwa who said that her father had died of cancer in Delhi’s AIIMS hospital. “Abu breathed his last at AIIMS, New Delhi. As a prisoner,” she tweeted. According to the reports, Shah was the son-in-law of separatist leader Geelani who was the former Hurriyat chief. Shah was arrested in the year 2017 and was in Tihar jail since then in a terror funding case.

Shah, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, and Peer Saifullah were produced before Delhi’s Patiala Court in the year 2017 in the terror funding case which also involved terrorist Hafiz Saeed. The NIA also questioned Geelani’s sons in the matter and eventually filed a case alleging separatists of collaborating with terrorist organizations.

The NIA had launched searches at many locations around the union territory (a state at the time) other than Haryana and the national capital, seizing electronic gadgets and valuables worth crores of rupees. The complaint was filed for illegally soliciting, receiving, and collecting funds for separatist and terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir. It also included spreading havoc in the Valley by throwing stones at security officers, torching schools, destroying public property, and declaring war against India.

According to Shah’s daughter Ruwa, Shah, a resident of Soura in Srinagar was diagnosed with renal cancer and was not keeping well for the past six months. He was taken to Deendayal hospital Janakpuri, then to Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital, and was later shifted to AIIMS where he breathed his last.

TMC’s Derek O’Brien steps in to give legitimacy to The Wire’s Meta joke that turned out to be a hoax

Nirwa Mehta
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TMC’s Derek O’Brien steps in to give legitimacy to The Wire’s Meta joke that turned out to be a hoax

After it was concluded beyond doubt that propaganda website The Wire quite likely fell for a haox, if they have not perpetrated it themselves, involving Facebook’s parent company Meta and BJP’s IT Cell head Amit Malviya, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien has now stepped in to give legitimacy to this. Taking to Twitter, O’Brien said that he would raise this issue in the Parliament.

The ‘good fight’ O’Brien wants to take up has been categorically denied by Meta executives as fake and fabricated documents. In an article published on October 10, 2022, titled ‘If BJP’s Amit Malviya Reports Your Post, Instagram Will Take It Down – No Questions Asked’, leftist propaganda website ‘The Wire’ alleged that BJP’s Amit Malviya is an all-powerful individual who can get any social media post on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram removed. The article was based on some random troll account calling itself ‘political satire’ account with less than 5,000 followers claiming Malviya personally targeted his posts and ‘curbed his reach’.

On one hand, The Wire wanted everyone to believe Malviya is some super-villain-ish individual with all the power on the internet and on other hand, it wanted us to believe he would personally go after obscure accounts on Instagram with hardly any clout when there are way more political influencer accounts who have way more nuisance value.

Meta says The Wire story based on fabricated documents

After the report was published Meta has categorically come out and denied the writeup published by The Wire and said that the documents they used for building up the narrative were fabricated. Meta’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Guy Rosen, issued a statement calling out the hoax and concluded it by saying that he hopes The Wire was a victim in the hoax and not a perpetrator.

Even before Facebook’s denial came out towards the evening India time on Tuesday, many Twitter users, a lot of whom know a thing or two about technology had cast aspersions on The Wire’s report which appeared ridiculous from the word go. In fact, a lot of Modi critics and haters too did not buy The Wire’s writeup as it was clearly way too exaggerated and appeared ridiculously hilarious. Amusingly, it is the Left-Liberal cabal that has a history of deplatforming critics while championing the ’cause’ of free speech. Remember how former US President Donald Trump was deplatformed from all social media platforms? Social media platforms such as Twitter has quite clearly mentioned that their employees are left-leaning and it does show in the way it operates too.

Derek O’Brien goes after hoax instead of sorting his own backyard

But Derek O’Brien here would like to take this hoax as some sort of gospel and raise ‘the issue’ in the Parliament in winter session. The Wire hoax was so unbelievable that even Rahul Gandhi didn’t share its screenshot to attack Modi government, like he usually does. To put things in perspective, Islamists are running riots in O’Brien’s backyard, attacking Durga Puja pandals and opposing the celebration of Hindu festivals. But no, O’Brien would rather exaggerate a hoax in Parliament than get the law and order in his own home state in order.

O’Brien was also mocked at by netizens for the same.

While some even gave him advice to choose his battles wisely.

This, obviously, is not the first time O’Brien has chosen to raise inconsequential issues in Parliament in what appears to be his way of making up for lack of credibility otherwise. Back in 2018, O’Brien had threatened to name Twitter users in Parliament whom he found ‘offensive’ and those who ‘irritate him’.

As seen above, Derek decided to accuse a twitter user of lying about Omar Abdullah’s statement and as a result threatened that he would be mentioned in the Parliament. It was indeed shocking to note that a senior MP wanted to use Parliament’s precious time to discuss social media disagreements and call out private citizens, who would be in no position to defend themselves from his attacks.

Even before this, in 2017, based on a writeup by Swati Chaturvedi, abusive troll masquerading as a journalist with The Wire like sources, O’Brien made childish accusations against some Twitter users, including against OpIndia co-founder Rahul Raj, accusing them of issuing criminal threats to other people while being followed by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi. This is akin to an MP quoting a pamphlet printed by ISIS to claim that Barack Obama was a terrorist. What next? An MP quoting a WhatsApp forward to make a point? It was a clear case of intimidation.

But it seems O’Brien would still continue to put his bets on trash published by dubious platforms with questionable credibility and create noise in the Parliament so that the cries of people back home in West Bengal are stifled.

Imagine being so petty.

Mohammad Zubair caught stealing from Hanuman Mandir in Bareilly, had identified himself as ‘Rohit’

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammad Zubair caught stealing from Hanuman Mandir in Bareilly, had identified himself as ‘Rohit’

A Muslim youth was on Tuesday caught stealing inside Bada Bagh Hanuman Mandir in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. The accused was caught stealing money from the donation box. When caught he initially told his name as Rohit, however, when locals beat him and asked for his phone number, Rohit Turned out to be Mohammad Zubair.

An amount of Rs 1692 was also recovered from Zubair. The video of the incident is going viral on social media.

After getting information about the incident, members of Hindu Jagran Manch also reached the spot. The accused was taken to the police station and after questioning he admitted that his name is Mohammad Zubair Khan and he is a resident of Sirolli police station. Hindu Jagran Manch has expressed apprehension that the motive of Zubair might have been something serious and alleged that the accused was doing a recce of the temple for the last few days.

Reportedly, the accused Zubair was raising religious slogans and was making derogatory remarks about Hindu deities. According to a Dainik Bhaskar report, the accused threatened to blow up the temple with a bomb.

Mohammad Zubair has been arrested on a complaint of the temple priest Kuldeep Mishra. 

According to SP City Rahul Bhati, a youth was caught stealing today at the Bada Bagh Hanuman temple in Premnagar. After that, he initially claimed his name as Rohit, and when questioned, he revealed his real name as Mohammad Zubair. He was arrested immediately. The SP stated that a case has been registered against him under sections 380, 506, 511, and 295A of the IPC.

OpIndia Exclusive: Secretary of Durga pandal committee sheds light on the deliberate plan by Islamists to stir anti-Hindu violence

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Exclusive: Secretary of Durga pandal committee sheds light on the deliberate plan by Islamists to stir anti-Hindu violence

Days after Islamists ran riot in the Mominpore locality of Kolkata, Opindia reached out to the organisers of the Durga Puja pandal that was targeted by the attackers.

In a telephone conversation, Mishri Lal Dhanuk informed us about the events leading up to the attack. Dhanuk is the Secretary of the Harijan Durgosave Committee. He said that an Islamic flag was affixed, in the middle of the road, ahead of the Eid-Milad-Un-Nabi celebrations.

“It was put up opposite the Puja pandal – something that had never happened before. The Islamic flag was placed in such a way that if any heavy vehicle passed through that road, then, it would either dislodge the flag or tear it,” he emphasised.

Secretary of Durga Pandal Committee narrates the ordeal

Mishri Lal Dhanuk remarked, “We did not have any issue with the flag. We thought they wanted to celebrate the festival in that way.” He informed that the local Hindus had gone to Dashami ghat for Visarjan of the Durga idol on Friday (October 7) and returned home late in the night.

“At about 2:30 am on Saturday (October 8), there was chaos over the ‘uprooting’ of an Islamic flag. Mobs came in droves, damaged vehicles, and electric light posts. About 42 bikes and 4 taxis were damaged during the orgy of violence,” he said.

“All of us in the neighbourhood were up on our feet. Islamists were about to enter the Puja pandal but their plan was thwarted by the arrival of the police. The mob was successful in destroying the Hindu houses in the neighbourhood”, Dhanuk added.

On being asked about the aftermath of the attack, he said, “We are still in shock. We have not been able to process the shock. Our neighbourhood has suffered a lot of damage. You can only assess the magnitude of destruction if you see it through your own eyes.”

“Police were deployed after the first attack on Saturday. Again on Sunday (October 9), there was another attack in the evening. The carnage went on for 2 days. There was bombing and arson,” Dhanuk added,

Mishri Lal Dhanuk speaks about Lakshmi Puja visarjan, police protection and compensation

Opindia also asked about the Lakshmi Puja and whether the worship of the deity was affected by the Islamist attack. “Puja was somehow conducted under police supervision. We were worried about the immersion of the idol, “Dhanuk pointed out.

He said that the local police granted them a special pass and arranged for a car for the immersion of the idol of Goddess Lakshmi, amidst the imposition of Section 144. On being asked about government compensation, the Secretary of the Harijan Durgosave Committee said that no such assurance has been made by the government so far.

“IPS Crime officer Murlidharan however said that he will request the government for partial compensation to those whose vehicles, and houses were damaged in the carnage. He has asked us to submit names and details of the bikes, and cars that were damaged,” Dhanuk remarked.

“The Puja is conducted by the employees (cleaning staff serving in Wards 65-80) of Kolkata Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) since 1945. We do not seek outside contributions and are funded by Dhanuk, and Mallik communities,” he concluded.

The decision to not remove the Lakshmi Puja pandal irked Islamists

Opindia has earlier learnt how the Hindus were targeted by Islamists for refusing to dismantle the Durga Puja pandals, ahead of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.

A Kolkata-based journalist, who was privy to the incident, informed, “Mominpore is a Muslim-dominated area. There are small pockets where Hindus live.” He stated that a Durga Puja pandal, organised by the Harijan Durgosave committee, was the primary target of the Islamists.

“Muslims in the area have been pressuring them to remove the pandal and stop the conduct of Lakshmi Puja,” he informed. “In West Bengal, wherever Durga Puja is celebrated, it is mandatory to worship Goddess Lakshmi at the same site,” the journalist added.

While the Hindu Dalits were being coerced into submission since the time of Durga Puja, they refused to relent. In their defence, the Harijan Durgosave Committee informed that the Durga pandal could only be removed after the conduct of Lakshmi Puja.

This however did not sit well with the local Muslims, who came in droves to vandalise the pandal, pelt stones and damage vehicles on Sunday (October 9).

“They coerced the Ekbalpur police station to register a case against Hindus, who are associated with the Puja committee. They also carried out targeted attacks on Hindu homes and looted shops belonging to the Hindu community,” the Kolkata-based journalist added.

PM Modi inaugurates the first phase of Shri Mahakaleshwar temple corridor in Ujjain

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi inaugurates the first phase of Shri Mahakaleshwar temple corridor in Ujjain

On Tuesday, October 11, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, which has been constructed on the basis of “Shiv Leela” (108 murals and 93 statues illustrating stories relating to Lord Shiva).

The event started with PM Modi performing puja at Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion later, PM Modi said, “Phase I of the project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities.” PM Modi was accompanied by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

After Varanasi’s Vishwanath temple and Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath shrine, Mahakal temple is the third ‘jyotirlinga’ temple to undergo extensive renovations under the Modi government. The Rs 800-crore Mahakal corridor is four times the size of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which was inaugurated late last year by the Prime Minister.

Mahakal Maharaj Mandir Parisar Vistar Yojna is a plan for the expansion, beautification, and decongestion of the Mahakaleshwar temple and its adjoining area in the Ujjain district. The redevelopment project is being carried out in two phases. While the first phase of the Mahakal Temple expansion project has been completed as per the schedule and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister today, reports suggest that the entire project would be complete by June 2023.

In fact in January this year, the Madhya Pradesh government vouched for the development of Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple ahead of the Mahashivratri festival on March 1. “The Teerth in Ujjain will be developed in such a way that there will be a feeling of grandeur and divinity. Necessary works will be completed soon to increase the beauty of the city”, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had tweeted.

The Mahakaleshwar Corridor’s first phase has been completed at a cost of Rs 350 crore while the total cost of the project is around 850 crores. Notably, the state budget of the Mahakal Temple Expansion Project is Rs 421 crores with the rest coming from the centre government. The management will further contribute Rs 21 crore to the project.

According to the plan, the 2.82-hectare Mahakaleshwar temple grounds will be expanded to 47 hectares and developed by the Ujjain district administration over two phases. Rudrasagar Lake, which covers 17 hectares, will be a part of this. The initiative is anticipated to boost city foot traffic from the existing 1.50 crore to about 3 crores annually.

First phases of the Mahakaleshwar Temple expansion project

A visiting plaza with two entrances, or Dwaars, known as the Nandi Dwaar and the Pinaki Dwaar, is one of the features of the first phase of the Vistar Yojna. Up to 20,000 pilgrims can congregate in the tourist plaza at once. Additionally, a plan for traffic flow has been created with consideration for how visitors enter the city and get to the temple.

Vehicle travel into the extended temple area has been restricted, and decentralised parking has been made available at a number of entry points. At the entry plaza, amenities like ticketing kiosks have been installed.

The plaza and the Mahakal temple are connected by a 900-meter pedestrian corridor that is adorned with 108 paintings and 93 statues that tell the tales of Lord Shiva, including the Shiv Vivah, Tripurasur Vadh, Shiv Puran, and Shiv Tandav Swaroop. Along this pedestrian strip, there are 128 convenience stores, restaurants, shops, florists, and other businesses.

On October 9, Sunday, Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje tweeted a video showing the aerial view of ‘Mahakal Lok.’ He wrote that its “design is inspired by Shiv Leela”.

What would be included in the second phase of redevelopment

The eastern and northern fronts of the temple would be expanded during the second phase. Various portions of the city of Ujjain, including Maharajwada, Mahal Gate, Hari Phatak Bridge, Ramghat façade, and Begam Bagh Road, will also be developed.

The complex of the Mahakal temple will be connected to buildings in Maharajwada, and a historical Dharamshala and Kumbh museum will also be constructed.

The second phase is being developed with funding from Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) under the City Investments to Innovate Integrate and Sustainable (CITIIS) programme.

Once the renovation is completed, the temple will have an almost eight-fold increase in space.

Significance of Ujjain’s Mahakal temple for Hindus

Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga is a Hindu temple devoted to Shiva and one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, or shrines believed to be Shiva’s most sacred abodes. It is situated in the ancient city of Ujjain in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The temple is located on the banks of the sacred river Kshipra, which was originally built by Lord Brahma in accordance with Hindu mythology.

The idol of Mahakaleshwar faces south which is why it is also known as ‘dakshinamukhi.’ This is a unique characteristic found only in Mahakaleshwar among the 12 Jyotirlingas as the rest all face east. The temple is regarded as one of India’s 18 Maha Shakti Peeths.

According to the chronicles, the presiding god, Shiva in the lingam form is thought to be Swayambhu, which is self-manifested or in other words, deriving Shakti (power) from within itself, and distinct from any other jyotirlingas in the nation which were ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

It is believed that there was once a king named Chandrasena who ruled Ujjain and was a Shiva devotee. God manifested himself in Mahakal form and destroyed his adversaries. Shiva agreed to live in the city and become its deity at the request of his devotees.

Interestingly, Ujjain’s Mahakaleshwar temple finds a mention in several ancient Indian poetic texts. In fact, Kalidasa described the Mahakal temple in the early part of the Meghadutam (Purva Megha), which was written in the fourth century.

History has it that in the 13th century, during an invasion of Ujjain, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish demolished the temple complex. Shams-ud-din Iltutmish was one of the slaves turned son-in-law of Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who had first attacked the Kashi Vishwanath in the 12th century under Mohammad of Ghori’s orders.

In 1734 CE, Ranoji Shinde, a Maratha general, built the present five-storeyed temple structure. Prior to independence, the temple was managed by the Dev Sthan Trust. Following independence, Ujjain’s municipal corporation assumed control. The temple’s administration is currently in the hands of the Ujjain district collectorate office.

‘Temples are places of exploitation’: AAP Gujarat President Gopal Italia’s hate-filled video from 2018 goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Temples are places of exploitation’: AAP Gujarat President Gopal Italia’s hate-filled video from 2018 goes viral

On October 11, an old hate-filled video from 2018 of Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat State President Gopal Italia went viral on social media platforms in which he said that temples are places of exploitation and women should not dance during Kathavachan (preaching sessions that happen at temples and during religious events).

In the video, Gopal Italia was holding a book titled “Mahila Arakshan Avam Bhartiya Samaj”, authored by Harimohan Dhavan and Arun Kumar. The book was launched in 2011. It has no ratings on either Amazon or Goodreads and has only one rating on Flipkart.

In the video, Italia said, “I want to request to your mothers and sisters. Oh, my mothers, sisters and daughters, you will not get anything by going to temples or Kathavachan. These are the places of exploitation. If you want your rights, if you want to rule this country, if you want similar rights, then instead of dancing during Kathavachan, my mothers and sisters, read this book.”

Gopal Italia calls PM Modi ‘neech’

This is not the first time a hate-filled video of Gopal Italia has gone viral on social media. Recently, an undated video of Italia where he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a ‘Neech’ went viral on social media.

In this video, Gopal Italia said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a ‘neech’ person. I can’t confirm, but I want to ask you, is there any former Prime Minister of the country who has made so many gimmicks while going to cast a vote? This ‘neech’ type of person is doing road shows here. And he is showing how I am making this country C. You better understand the meaning of C. He talks about digital India and rushes to Gujarat from Delhi to cast a vote. This is how he is making country C. So, this ‘neech’ type of person is giving a message to the country about how he is making this country C.”

Earlier in September this year, a video of Italia went viral where he was addressing a rally. In a speech in Gujarati in Dwarka, Italia said, “Now to relieve everyone from Bhagwan Shri Krishna and these demons of BJP, Arvind Kejriwal has come as Arjun…” While this appears like a slip of the tongue, neither Italia nor Arvind Kejriwal has apologised for comparing Shri Krishna to demons.

Again in the same month, he was booked for using derogatory remarks against Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil and Minister Harsh Sanghavi during a rally that was conducted ahead of the Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022.

The Wire’s ’email leak’ to explain their first fabricated story against Amit Malviya also turns out to be fabricated: What Meta’s CISO said

OpIndia Staff
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The Wire’s ’email leak’ to explain their first fabricated story against Amit Malviya also turns out to be fabricated: What Meta’s CISO said

In an article published on October 10, 2022, titled ‘If BJP’s Amit Malviya Reports Your Post, Instagram Will Take It Down – No Questions Asked’, leftist propaganda website ‘The Wire’ alleged that BJP’s Amit Malviya is an all-powerful individual who can get any social media post on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram removed. 

After the article was published, Meta’s head of communications Andy Stone dismissed the story and stated that it is based on fabricated documents. However, The Wire was not letting the story go despite being clearly told that there is no substance to it. They did another story on October 11, where they alleged that the documents they used were not fabricated. To support their wild allegations, The Wire shared a screenshot of an alleged mail by Andy Stone where he was upset that an internal document has been leaked to them.

The Wire claimed this email was sent by Meta’s communications head

Frustrated with another hitjob against their company, Meta’s Chief Information Security Officer had to come out and clear the air that The Wire’s entire reporting is fabricated and based on forged documents. Guy Rosen, Meta’s CISO, shared a thread on Twitter where he detailed how The Wire’s reports don’t hold any water.

Rosen tweeted, “I wanted to set the record straight about two stories run this week by @thewire_in with untrue claims about Meta’s content moderation operations and processes. tl;dr these stories are fabrications.”

In the thread, Rosen shared that both the reports by The Wire are totally incorrect and contained misinformation about their cross-check program. Rosen also went on to share several anomalies in the reports, including email address which isn’t used by Andy Stone, URLs that are not in use, and addresses that aren’t used at their company.

Guy Rosen ended his thread by hoping that The Wire is a victim of some hoax, and is not actually promoting one itself. However, looking at The Wire’s track record of hitjobs, we seriously doubt that they are the victims here.

Amitabh Bachchan recalls when Dhirubhai Ambani tried to get him back on his feet by paying off his debts, old video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Amitabh Bachchan recalls when Dhirubhai Ambani tried to get him back on his feet by paying off his debts, old video goes viral

October 11, 2022, marks the 80th birthday of Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. Big B, as he is fondly called by his fans, without a doubt India’s biggest superstar, is also one of the richest actors in the country today. However, there was a time when he was facing a severe financial crisis and was drowned in debt up to his neck. 

Today, on the occasion of his birthday, while his fans have turned to Twitter to wish him by sharing numerous memorable dialogues and snippets from his countless blockbusters, another video has gone viral. In that video, the Bollywood legend discusses his difficult times and how Reliance Industries founder Dhirubhai Ambani offered to assist him after he literally turned bankrupt in the 1990s.

The video is reportedly from an event held in 2017 to mark the fortieth anniversary of Reliance Industries Ltd. Speaking during the event, Amitabh Bachchan stated that when Dhirubhai Ambani learned about his financial woes, he advised his son Anil Ambani to help him by giving him some money. Big B recalled the encounter and stated, “The sum of money he was attempting to present me would have ended all my troubles. I got emotional at his generosity. However, I felt that I won’t be able to repay his generosity. By God’s grace, times changed. I began getting work and I paid off all of the loans.”

During the event, the legendary actor recalled yet another encounter with the Reliance founder. “During one of the functions to which all the big businessmen and celebrities were invited, I was also present as the guest of Anil Ambani. While I sat quietly chitchatting with Anil, Dhirubhai called me in front of the guests and said, “This boy had fallen down but got back on his own. I respect him for that.”

Years later during the annual event, Amitabh Bachchan said that those words are still more valuable to him than the amount of wealth he was offered by Dhirubhai Ambani.

Notably, in the 1990s, came Amitabh Bachchan’s career’s biggest setbacks. During those years, Big B’s movies somehow started failing so he launched India’s first entertainment firm, the Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd (ABCL) in 1994 with the goal of diversifying into film production, distribution, event management, talent management, and television marketing. The company enjoyed initial popularity as an innovative idea at the time, only to bankrupt Big B in a couple of years.

By 1999, the company was in shambles as it lost millions and Big B’s debts reached an all-time high of Rs 90 crore, compared to his net worth of Rs 60.52 crore in 1999.

Big B has stated in various interviews that creditors began showing up at his house to collect their money back and his renowned bungalow Pratiksha was threatened with seizure. In fact, Canara Bank had even requested permission from the Mumbai High Court to attach Pratiksha in order to recover its dues.

As it is said, all bad things must come to an end, things turned for the better for the actor when Kaun Banega Crorepati came his way. The actor accepted to host the show. The first season of KBC premiered on July 3, 2000, on Star TV and it was Amitabh Bachchan’s first time as a television host. KBC Season 1 was a roaring success.

Alongside, Big B also approached his old friend, colleague and director Yash Chopra, requesting work, and returned to Bollywood with Mohabbatein and the rest is history. He not only paid off all of his liabilities over time, but he also restored his financial security and stardom.

Kerala human sacrifice: Md Shafi, CPM worker Bhagaval Singh, and his wife murder 2 women to attain financial prosperity, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala human sacrifice: Md Shafi, CPM worker Bhagaval Singh, and his wife murder 2 women to attain financial prosperity, arrested

On Tuesday, the Kerala police uncovered a disturbing case of human sacrifice and black magic practised to bring wealth and prosperity to a family. The Kochi city police apprehended three persons suspected of kidnapping and killing two women in Kochi as part of black magic rituals. The three accused persons have been identified as Mohammed Shafi (agent), BhagavalSingh, and his wife Laila.

According to the reports, Shafi is a resident of SRM Road, Ernakulam, while the Singh couple is native of Thiruvalla, and were residing at Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta. The couple confessed to having murdered two women as a part of a witchcraft ritual. The accused justified their actions by saying that the women were murdered for the economic prosperity of their family in the Pathanamthitta district.

Police stated that Mohammed Shafi had persuaded Bhagaval Singh and Laila that performing human sacrifices would bring the family riches and great fortune. He also lured the two victim women and took them to the accused before they were murdered.

The two women who were murdered have been identified as Padmam (52) of the Panchavady colony in Ponnurunni, and Rosily (50) a native of Vadakkencherry in Thrissur district. The two were residing at Kalady in Ernakulam district when the incident happened. Their bodies were severed into parts and buried at Elanthoor in the Pathanamthitta district.

Padmam worked as a lottery dealer, while Rosily worked as a salesgirl. According to police sources, the incident came to the fore while investigating Padmam’s missing case. The investigation into Padmam’s disappearance brought the police to Thiruvalla. Then they discovered Rosily’s case as well. The subsequent investigations in the duo’s case led to the unexpected revelation on October 11.

Padmam’s son Selvaraj had filed a complaint on September 27 that he stopped receiving calls from his mother for several days. “My mother used to call me daily, but when that stopped I panicked. I came to Kerala and searched. When I could not find her, I filed a missing person complaint with the police”, he was quoted. According to Selvaraj, his mother was a lottery seller. The Police discovered her dead body in the Aranmula in the Pathanamthitta district, where the woman’s mobile signal was last traced.

However, the remains of Rosily were also found in the same spot during the investigation. Reports mention that Rosily who worked as a salesgirl had gone missing six months ago. The body parts of the deceased were buried close to trees under the accused Singh’s house at Elanthoor, Pathanamthitta district. The ladies reportedly were tied to the cot firmly and beheaded by Laila after chopping the entire body with a sharp weapon. Later, bodies were destroyed and buried in the nearby area.  

The incident has sent shock waves throughout the entire state. CM Pinarayi Vijayan also condemned the brutal murder and said that the incident has shaken the progressive minds of the state. “Only people with a sick mentality can do such things. Incidents of black magic and sorcery are challenges to a progressive society. We have to create social awareness against such evils while ensuring stringent action against such incidents. People should come forward to bring such social evils before society”, he said.

The CM also added that the Police shall take stringent action against the accused and bring all persons involved in the crime before the law. However, reports mention that one of the accused named Bhagwant Singh is associated with CPI (M). Singh is an active CPI (M) worker and former Branch Secretary of the Communist Party and at present a local committee member. He is also a leader of the farmers’ organization controlled by the party.

Some media reports had mentioned the name f Bhagaval Singh as Bhagawant Singh.

State BJP President K Surendran visited the spot today and noted that this is not the first time that such a horrific incident has happened in the city. “Bhagwant Singh is a practitioner of black magic and an active worker of CPI(M). The police should also investigate the role of radical terror outfits in human sacrifice”, he tweeted.

Surendran also said that Mohammed Shafi who worked as an agent in the entire episode had links with Islamic terrorist organisations.

Iran: Mahsa Amini’s family says they are receiving death threats from the Iranian government amid anti-hijab protests

OpIndia Staff
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Iran: Mahsa Amini’s family says they are receiving death threats from the Iranian government amid anti-hijab protests

On Monday, the family members of the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in Iranian moral police custody three weeks ago, said that they are receiving death threats from the Iranian government for participating in the protest against hijab laws. They are also being warned not to get involved in the demonstrations against the mandatory hijab laws.

“Our family has been under immense pressure from the Islamic Republic’s officials, so we don’t talk to human rights organisations or channels outside of Iran and inform anyone from the outside world about her passing”, said Erfan Mortezai, cousin of Mahsa.

According to the reports, Mortezai is a Peshmerga soldier for Komala, an exiled Iranian Kurdish opposition organization based in Iraq, which Iran accuses of separatism. The Amini family in Iran, on the other hand, has frequently denied backing Kurdish separatist organizations. Mortezai identifies his late cousin as Zhina, the name her loved ones gave her. Her parents were obliged to use Mahsa as her official Iranian name on papers since some Kurdish names are illegal in Iran.

“Zhina was a normal person, she was not political. The regime has been making up scenarios and disinformation – saying that Zhina was in contact with me and I taught her and sent her back to Iran to do a certain activity, when in fact this is completely baseless,” Mortezai said.

He said that regime authorities in Iran had threatened him and Mahsa’s family on Instagram, using bogus identities to warn them that they would be killed if they participated in the protests. “Myself, I have been receiving many threats over the phone, that if they see me in the city, they will kidnap me and kill me,” he added.

Mahsa Amini’s custodial death sparks anti-hijab protests across Iran

According to the reports, 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was abducted by the ‘morality police’ in Tehran for not complying with the mandatory hijab laws of the country. Amini who was on a pleasure trip to Tehran had not covered her hair properly in the hijab. She was arrested by the police and then beaten in the police van while being taken to a detention centre, dubbed as a ‘re-education class’ for not conforming to the country’s mandatory hijab rules.

The police took the woman to the police station on Vozara Avenue where already dozens of other women were being held for not following the hijab rules. They beat the women and schooled them about the proper dress rules of the country. Mahsa was brutally beaten and taken to the hospital after she stopped responding in the custody. The doctors at the hospital stated that her heart continued to beat but her brain was no longer functioning. The woman breathed her last three days after the incident.

Her killing sparked massive protests in Iran, with women taking to the streets to up raise their voices against the regime. Several ladies including school-going girls burnt their hijabs in sympathy with the tragedy, while women all throughout the world trimmed their hair in the protest. Protests erupted in dozens of places around the country in the aftermath of her death after which the government retaliated with a harsh crackdown.

However, three weeks after the death of Amini, Iran’s Forensic Organisation revealed a report stating that the woman had died due to illness and not due to blows and beatings given to her in police custody. Earlier, the Police had also tried to cover up the matter claiming that Mahsa was already suffering from a heart problem and that she was never beaten in the custody.

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