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Salman Khan’s ex-girlfriend Somy Ali threatens to expose ‘Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood’ in an Instagram post, deletes it later: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Salman Khan’s ex-girlfriend Somy Ali threatens to expose ‘Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood’ in an Instagram post, deletes it later: Details

Salman Khan’s ex-girlfriend Somy Ali recently posted a cryptic post on her Instagram account, warning about ‘Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood’. On 30th March 2022, she posted a photo on her Instagram handle which is a still image from Salman Khan’s debut film Maine Pyar Kiya.

In the caption of the photo, she wrote, “The Harvey Weinstein of Bollywood! You will be exposed. The women you abused will come out one day and share their truth. Just like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.”

Source: Instagram

Commenting on the photo, India’s first transgender model Nikkiey Chawla wrote, “Can’t even imagine for a sec what all those girls might have gone through… that emotional trauma. Kudos to u my darling for raising your voice.” Nikkiey chawla also tagged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in that comment.

Though Somy Ali did not mention who she was referring to in her post, it is clear from the picture attached that she was hinting toward Salman Khan. The picture she had attached was from Salman Khan’s debut movie ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’.

She also tagged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who was said to be in a relationship with Salman Khan in 1999 when both were working together in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Somy Ali, through her post, was trying to imply that Salman Khan is Bollywood’s Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer who was convicted of sexual abuse.

However, hours after uploading the post, Somy Ali deleted it.

Allegations against Salman Khan are not a new thing.

As such, Salman Khan is not new to controversies. Allegations of abusing his co-workers, especially women, have often been levelled against him. In a press conference held on 1st April 2003, actor Vivek Oberoi had alleged that Salman Khan had called him 41 times in a night and threatened him. Vivek Oberoi had also alleged that Salman Khan first asked him about his love affairs if any and that later in the same call Salman Khan told Vivek Oberoi that he had physical relationships with Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukherjee, and Somy Ali.

This whole episode of Vivek Oberoi was much talked about especially because it involved the name of Aishwarya Rai whom Vivek Oberoi was reportedly dating in those days. Later Salman Khan had cast Sneha Ullal in his film Lucky. It is notable to mention that Sneha Ullal resembled Aishwarya Rai to a great degree.

It was during the shooting and release times of the film Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya that Salman Khan was allegedly in a relationship with Katrina Kaif, who went on to date actor Ranbir Kapoor and later married Uri actor Vicky Kaushal.

Actress Pooja Misra alleged in 2018 that Salman Khan, Shatrughan Sinha, and the families of both the actors had conspired to make sure that Pshe does not get any work. The actress also alleged that almost all the members of both families were involved in her sexual exploitation. In another video from the Instagram handle, she also alleged that Salman Khan brought Sonakshi Sinha only after having physical relationships with her.

Salman Khan and the exploitation of women is not a new discussion. Besides, Salman Khan is also infamous for his involvement in the much-talked-about hit and run case. Although, he was acquitted by the court later. He had also allegedly killed a blackbuck when he had been in Jodhpur for the shooting of his film Hum Sath Sath Hain in 1998.

Oscars slapgate: Who are the biggest gainers and losers of the Chris Rock-Will Smith spectacle

Guest Author
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Oscars slapgate: Who are the biggest gainers and losers of the Chris Rock-Will Smith spectacle

“He deserved it..”, “He shouldn’t have..”

After Sunday night’s knocker of an Oscar Night, the World is debating between these 2 questions, whether to support Chris Rock or to condemn him for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition or whether to censure Will Smith for the violent act or to condone him for having stood up for his family on the biggest world stage of the Oscars. 

In between this debate, I want to ponder upon a few larger points on who gains and who losses the most from such public incidents?

The biggest gainers of the Oscar slapgate

The “Biggest Gainer” amongst all this will be The Academy; after all negative publicity is still publicity and what else could a show with its falling viewership year after year desire for? With its fair share of controversies, some self-inflicted ones, would the Oscars refuse to gain whatever little it can from something that everybody is talking about and will continue to talk about for years to come? I can bet you, they may already have a late-night talk show host in their minds as the next host for the next 2023 edition and they may already be scripting their ‘slap stick’ jokes (pun intended) on Will and Chris episode. 

The “Bigger Gainer” has to be the media, both mainstream and social media. What would have been a dull night with next day headlines simply reading about the last night’s winners from the Oscars, Chris Rock & Will Smith certainly gave them ample enough airtime and readership to beat this episode drum for the next few days and even weeks. There are already talks about Will Smith’s personal life, his marriage, his past jokes and whatnot as part of the “yellow journalism” that doesn’t spare a moment to destroy lives & careers. There is a division amongst communities and even amongst the black community about what a brother should have done and what a brother should not have done – which the media, especially the US News & Entertainment News Media is best enjoying and making full use of to increase their viewership and website traffic. 

I must not forget to acknowledge another gainer from this episode has been the world of social media. The end of the year 2022 meme calendar has already found its entry for March and it can’t be matched. I can tell you that image of Will Smith slapping the left cheek of Chris Rock has become a meme template for ages to come. 

And the “Big Gainers” will be both Chris Rock & Will Smith with an equal share of how they play their cards to gain public sympathy, to gain the patient hearing of the public and then to gain rights to tell their side of the story. I read a joke that said, “ChrisRock may already have got a 45-minute script for his next stand up and Netflix may just be signing him”. In showbiz, you know that commodity sells even if that commodity is your or somebody else’s personal tragedy or controversy. I’m pretty sure both Chris Rock and Will Smith will not only individually tell their stories with a series of interviews, tell tales to the world but also do a grand act of “finally make-up”. Who can forget so many such friends turned foes and foes turned friends stories in our Bollywood, you name them and we have them. There is an entire gossip industry that feeds & breeds off of these rumour mills and they will keep you entertained with stories – some authentic and some fiction. 

The biggest losers and the lessons to be drawn from such publicity incidents

But now let’s talk about the big, bigger and biggest losers in all this, which according to me is more important to dissect and learn from.

The “Big Loser” or I should say the victim in this episode has come out to be humour. Politics, religion and many socially charged topics have already blurred the lines of blasphemy, profanity and obnoxiousness. While cracking below-the-belt jokes at the expense of others has certainly brought down the quality of humour & comedy but at the same time, our benchmark of good laugh has certainly gone bonkers where nobody knows what’s going to fly and what’s not going to fly. I’ve read tweets where some first blamed Will Smith for not taking Chris’s joke in the right spirit and then all of a sudden do a 180ᵒ turn learning about Jada Smith’s medical condition and even a vice-versa too. 

Come on, let’s be honest. We all laughed at Chris Rock’s G.I. Jane-2 joke that night initially until we learnt the fact about Jada Smith’s “Alopecia” and what really irked Will Smith. I’ll admit that I didn’t know about the disease, let alone Jada’s suffering and I assume most of you didn’t either. When I did learn about it, the only thing I could think was that Chris Rock must be too close to the Smiths’ and must have that confidence in the family to be able to crack the joke on stage at their expense. We all do know whom to be comfortable with and whom not to. Did Chris Rock make that error in judgement, who knows? But certainly, we all made equal errors in our judgement at that moment. 

The “Bigger Loser” in this drama obviously is the audience. We all were left confused that night about whether it was staged or was it for real. Even the audience at Kodak Theatre didn’t know whether to laugh with it or laugh it off. The audiences for years have been taken for, are being taken for and will continue to be taken for rides with a lot of make-fake until break PR stunts!! Just that same day, almost everybody in India fell for the Twitter spat between IPL team Rajasthan Royals’ Twitter admin and their captain Sanju Samson for having posted an objectionable image of the Captain. This spat later turned out to be a hoax stunt, which was to grab attention and had everyone from media influencers to the Rajasthan Royals team involved including the captain himself who played victim all through the afternoon. The stunt even went to the extent of the Social Media admin being fake fired as part of the script. 

What the brands, the brand ambassadors and the celebrities miss and fail to understand is that they are playing with the emotions of their consumers and the more they antagonize these emotions for gaining views & eye-balls, the more trust deficit they’re creating within the market for everybody including other brands, brand ambassadors and celebrities. Some brand ambassadors very proudly mention the fact that they don’t play with the health of their fans and won’t endorse some of the dirty products, but then why do they decide to play with the emotions & trust of their fans by playing such dirty tricks with them? It reminds me of the infamous “Boy & Lion” story that we all have heard in our childhood. One day the lion may just be for real and no consumer or fan would believe you that day. Brands are playing with leverage and the day they may need this trust the most, one may have already run out of that long rope with the public. It’s thin ice I can tell. 

The “Biggest” and sadly the least talked about Loser in all of this is and will always be society. I’m a nobody, sitting thousands of miles away from Hollywood LA adjudicating whether the jury is for or against the two gentlemen. Even as I write this opinion, I’m still so much split whether it was staged to rescue the falling viewership of the Oscars or was it for real that Will Smith put his entire social image at stake. Between the fan wars and camps where some are blaming Chris Rock for it, some are blaming Will Smith and some are even blaming Jada Smith in all of this, we as a society still aren’t answering who is at loss in all of this? It’s magnanimous of both to doze the sparks before it became a full-fledged wildfire (at least one less than California wants to handle in the Summer). For Chris Rock to not have pressed assault charges against Will Smith with LAPD and for Will Smith to come out with an unconditional apology addressed to Chris Rocklike a man. 

One begs to ask a question to society as ourselves, are we becoming too intolerant to not ignore a ‘lame’ or a ‘below the belt’ joke? And are we leveraging our freedom of expression to make jokes at anybody’s expense? Society seems to have lost its charm around a good laugh and warmth amongst each other. While our jokes are going too deep below the belt, we are reaching too far up the throats for each other. What’s too less to outrage upon and what’s too much to joke upon has become convoluted. There are many who’ve misused both the trust & ire of the public and made the waters too muddier for others to even make simple statements or make innocent jokes or make an honest mistake. Every word, every joke & every action is seen with tints of colour and shades of social differences that live amongst us today. And I can tell you that there are people taking the best and the worst advantages of this. 

Public Memory is and always will be short-lived. You’ll have another such Shahrukh-Salman or Will-Chris or Sajid-Ashutosh controversy to divert your attention. You’ll see many PR stunts that involve fake fights or create imaginary friction between stars, brands or even make fans fight like cocks but one will need to go back and ask the all-important question: who stands to gain and who loses in such public spectacles.

As Will Smith ended his apology letter to Chris Rock, I guess this point also will be “a Work in Progress” for society to ponder on.

Note: The article is authored by Twitter user @moronhumor

Delhi: Kashmiri Pandits stage a peaceful protest outside the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal against his insulting remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’

Pallav
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Delhi: Kashmiri Pandits stage a peaceful protest outside the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal against his insulting remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’

Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits staged a protest outside Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house in Delhi against his recent comments in the legislative assembly where he mocked ’The Kashmir Files’, a movie that chronicles the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits and their subsequent exodus.

A group of Kashmiri pandits marched from the Indraprastha College of Women to the residence of CM Kejriwal on Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines.

The protest was coordinated by ‘India 4 Kashmir’, an organization that works on the issue of Kashmir and Kashmiri Pandits. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s words against “Kashmiri Hindu Genocide” were criticised by India 4 Kashmir (I4K), a pan-India campaign to recapture the lost ground and rehabilitate Indians in Kashmir with dignity and pride.

A peaceful protest was held outside Kejriwal’s residence by activists from this movement, as well as other Kashmiri Pandits and civil society people. The protesters voiced their displeasure with his disrespectful statements and ridicule of the “Kashmiri Hindu Genocide.”

OpIndia went to the protest site for on-the-ground reporting and covered the whole event. The protesters were halted outside the street and were not permitted to approach Kejriwal’s home. This came up as a result of claims of violence outside of CM’s home. However, there were no traces of violence in the area that we could see. A group that was earlier demonstrating at the spot made some small sloganeering, and some of the protestors went ahead and threw red ink on the gate of the CM’s residence.

Kashmiri Pandits express their discontent against Kejriwal for refusing to grant tax privileges to ‘The Kashmir Files’

OpIndia contacted a few people and inquired about their opinions and the reasons for their protest. Kusum Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit who was among the protestors, expressed her disappointment with Kejriwal’s words. He granted tax exemption to other films, but not The Kashmir Files, she said. This demonstrates his partiality and crooked mentality.

Another person, Ratno Rudra, who is a resident of Delhi, also shared his anger toward CM Kejriwal. He stated that the statement made by Arvind Kejriwal exposes his insensitive mindset. He further stated that the foundation on which Arvind Kejriwal has made his empire is based on lies. “He lied about the appointment of Kashmiri migrant teachers. He is getting advantage of planned media to get things whitewashed,” he stated. Rudra also added that the work done by the central government is commendable and further steps that are being planned are in better vision.

Protesters also shouted slogans and carried with them roses with getting well soon wishes inscribed on them. The main demand of the protestors was to give these flowers to Arvind Kejriwal and wish him better health.

However, they were denied further entry and were forced to return to the barriers outside the roadway, placing all of their flowers and banners on the barricades. The protestors were very disappointed as they were denied entry even when they had prior permission for the event.

For Saksshi Mattoo, a Kashmiri Pandit herself, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s insulting remarks for a movie that depicted the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley betrayed that he is suffering from some illness. “The way Kejriwal mocked the atrocities meted out on our children, our sisters like Girija, reveals that he is ill and therefore, we are here to wish him get well soon,” Mattoo said.

India 4 Kashmir stated in its press release that the protest was a peaceful medium to express solidarity with the victims and survivors of genocide
rendered homeless by Islamic terrorism since 1990. “His statement in the Delhi Assembly mocking and terming our genocide as ‘fake’ had come as a shock to the community and has been received as insulting to the victims and survivors of genocide,” it added.

“As a mother, I am pained by his words and especially affected by his laughing on such a serious matter of genocide,” Purnima Kaul, Rajashthan Coordinator I4K, who travelled all the way from Jaipur to join in the demonstrations, said. “Since then, I haven’t been able to sleep.”

“Denial of Genocide is enabling it,” Rohit Kachroo, National Coordinator, I4K, remarked. It’s an international crime, and Arvind Kejriwal agreed with the culprits by referring to the whole video as “Jhooti” or “Fake.” He went on to say that India 4 Kashmir strongly rejects his words made in the temple of democracy, calling it “a dark day in the history of the Delhi Assembly.”

“India 4 Kashmir also requests the Government of India to pass the Genocide Bill unanimously thereby recognizing and codifying it officially,” the press release further added.

Note: Anupam Singh of OpIndia Hindi also contributed to this report.

Madhya Pradesh govt bulldozes illegally constructed house of 65-year old rape accused in Gwalior

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh govt bulldozes illegally constructed house of 65-year old rape accused in Gwalior

The House of a 65-year-old rape accused has been demolished using a bulldozer by municipal authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior. With this, Yogi Government’s famous bulldozer policy to punish criminals has ticked off well in Madhya Pradesh as well.

The official Twitter handle of the office of Gwalior’s Collector has tweeted the details about the incident. It was reported that a 65-year-old man named Chaturbhuj Rathore, a resident of Bahodapur Shubhash Nagar in Gwalior allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl. Apparently, the girl was lured by giving chocolates and the man raped her by tying a bandage on her eyes in a warehouse. The accused who happens to be a shopkeeper was arrested immediately after the case was filed by the victim’s parents.

As per reports, during interrogation it was found that the accused’s house was illegally constructed and hence administration decided to demolish it. Family members, especially women, resisted and hence women’s police was called in to arrest them and then raze down the building.

On Wednesday, the house of Chaturbhuj Rathore, the rape accused, was demolished under the Anti-Mafia Campaign run by Chief Minister of MP, Shivraj Singh Chauhan. It was reported that the illegal house was constructed in the Bahodapur area of Gwalior. CM Chauhan took to Twitter and asserted in a quoted tweet, “There is no place for goons, miscreants and mafia on the soil of Madhya Pradesh. Leave the state or change your ways, there is no other way. If not, the bulldozer will run.”

In a similar incident today in Bhopal, A marriage hall was razed in Mungaoli tehsil of Ashok Nagar district. Danish, the son of the hall owner Nisar Khan along with another person, Sohail, raped a girl who went there as a  labourer. The MP Police took out a procession of two criminals involved in the crime and then demolished the marriage hall with bulldozers.

Rajasthan: Deceased Dr Sharma’s husband reveals how local politicians and journalists pushed his wife towards suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Deceased Dr Sharma’s husband reveals how local politicians and journalists pushed his wife towards suicide

A day after Dr Archana Sharma committed suicide after being stressed over an FIR filed against her under section 302 of IPC, accusing her of medical negligence, her husband Dr Suneet Upadhyay accused the local politicians and journalists of spreading misinformation in the case. He said that the local leaders and the journalists pressurized the police to lodge an FIR against the doctors.

On March 28, a 22-year-old pregnant woman was brought to Anand hospital run by Dr Archana Sharma and her husband. Though she was taken to the labour room, her condition deteriorated and she died due to heavy blood loss. Dr Upadhay, in his statement, said that the patient had died of PPH complications and that the doctors at the hospital had tried their best to save the life of the deceased. Even the relatives of the family members had upheld the efforts and had accepted the situation.

“The family requested the hospital to arrange for an ambulance so that they could take the deceased person home for last rites. We helped them with the free ambulance service”, he said adding that BJP’s Shiv Shankar Balya Joshi later allegedly went to the family and brought back the dead body to the hospital. “Joshi with the help of Dr Kirodi Lal Meena promised the family to get monetary aid from the CM’s fund. They gathered a crowd of 200 people, called other BJP leaders, and protested against the hospital. They also accused Dr Archana Sharma of an attempt to murder”, he accused.

According to Upadhyay, Joshi forced the police to register the case under section 302 of IPC. He added that Dr Archana read the news in Rajasthan Patrika the next day and could not handle the pressure. “She got scared. She was constantly saying that journalist Mahesh Bihari, Joshi, and Kirodi Lal Meena would send her to jail”, he stated. He also alleged that the journalist Mahesh Bihari had spread misinformation by considering one side of the story. “He didn’t consider and print the hospital’s say in the matter”, Upadhyay said.

Dr Archana Sharma, unable to handle the pressure hanged herself in a hospital room and left a suicide note in which she mentioned that the patient had died due to postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) post-delivery, a known medical complication. “I didn’t commit any mistake. I didn’t kill anyone. Please do not harass my family and my children. The patient died of PPH, a known complication. Don’t harass doctors. Please. My death will perhaps prove my innocence”, the handwritten note read.

Dr Upadhyay, in the meanwhile, also made an appeal that the doctor’s fraternity should not be harassed by politicians and the police. “People like Bihari, Joshi should not be allowed to create violence in hospitals. Dr Kirodi Lal Meena should stop supporting these people and the police should arrest them immediately”, he said adding that Joshi was a goon and had also hit the police earlier.

Audio clip of a conversation between a protester and a Dalit leader surfaces, suggests that Dr Archana could have been victim of Dalit politics

Meanwhile, an audio clip has emerged which suggests that Dr Archana could have been a victim of Dalit politics and how provisions of the SC/ST Act are exploited and weaponised by corrupt politicians. In the audio clip, a protester is in conversation with an alleged Dalit leader wherein the latter urges the protester to settle for at least Rs 50 lakhs as compensation and no less than that. When the protester informs the leader that they have settled for Rs 3 lakhs, the Dalit leader bristles at him, telling him that they could easily get Rs 4-5 lakhs under the SC/ST Act.

“Are you mad? Don’t ruin the game. You could easily get Rs 4 to 5 lakhs from the state government under the SC/ST Act. Why are you settling the matter for just Rs 3 lakhs? You should demand no less than Rs 50 lakhs from them(doctors and hospital authorities) to settle the issue. Don’t spoil the game by agreeing for just Rs 3 lakhs,” an alleged Dalit leader is heard telling a protester who is demonstrating against the doctors and the hospital over the death of a 22-year-old pregnant lady.

Dr Sharma had worked as an associate professor and a unit head in Gandhinagar’s government medical college before joining her husband at Lalsot’s Anand Hospital. According to police, the pregnant woman died at the hospital after delivering her fourth child and the deceased’s family had accused the doctor of medical negligence.

Five Jammu and Kashmir Government employees suspended after terror links exposed, two of them arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Five Jammu and Kashmir Government employees suspended after terror links exposed, two of them arrested

The Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended five of its employees after their links with terrorist outfits including Hizbul Mujahideen, Jamaat e Islami and Islamic State were established. The services of five officers working in the J&K government were suspended in accordance with Article 311(2)(c) of the Constitution of India after it was known that they were working as overground workers for the terrorist outfits.

The scrutinizing committee which acts as a watchdog for looking after security links recommended the termination of services of five officials including two police constables who earlier served as SPOs, a teacher, a computer operator and a nurse working with the state health department. The terminations have been made from different areas of the Union territory of J&K including Pulwama, Srinagar, Awantipora, Kulgam and Baramulla districts.

It appears that the terrorists were appointed in the administration with the help of separatists or due to links with the people of earlier dispensations. Among the sacked officials, names include Tawseef Ahmed Mir, Ghulam Hassan Parray, Arshid Ahmad Das, Shahid Hussain Rather and Sharafat Ali Khan.

Ghulam Hassan Parray

Parray, A computer operator from Srinagar was inducted into the J&K administration with the help of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani. It has been reported that he played a pivotal role in popularising Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir and spread his propaganda by inducting youths like Mughees Ahmed into the terror organisation. In 2009, he was booked by the J&K police for organising a violent protest in Parimpora.

Shahid Hussain Rather

Initially hired as a Special Police Officer in 2005, Shahid Hussain Rather was terminated from his services after his links with terrorists were exposed. In 2013, he was surprisingly promoted as a constable and started supplying army equipment to the terrorists in the valley. His associations with terrorism became public after the police confiscated hand grenades, Chinese pistols and drugs from him and his associates in Uri.

Tawseef Ahmed Mir

Tawseef Ahmed Mir is the second police constable who has been suspended from his duties over his links with terrorism in the valley. Tawseef’s father is a slain terrorist from the Al-Jihad outfit, which he joined in the later years. It is known that Mir supplied logistics to terror commanders from Al-Jihad in Shopian. He tried to assassinate two police officials in different attempts and also recruited young people for the terror outfit. Tawseef was suspended from his service in 2017 after an FIR was registered against him under the Public Safety Act.

Sharafat Ali Khan

Sharafat who was initially inducted as SPO in 1998, diverted to the health department. Khan involved himself in the circulation of fake Indian currency notes, a known means of terror funding in the valley. His activities were first exposed when he was arrested along with police constable Shahid in June 2021 in Baramulla.

Arshid Ahmed Das

Arshid Das worked as a teacher and worked for Jamaat-e-Islami in Awantipora. He was close to Hizbul Mujahideen and often supported terrorist activities in his role as a teacher. Das was involved in organising stone-pelting attacks on CRPF personnel in Awantipora and reportedly also collected funds for Jamaat-e-Islami and other terror organisations.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has alerted the government of Jammu and Kashmir regarding mandatory Vigilance Clearance for government employees for obtaining passports in connection with instructions of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoP&T).

Mamata Banerjee blames PM Modi for starting the Ukraine-Russia war, Suvendu Adhikari slams West Bengal CM

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee blames PM Modi for starting the Ukraine-Russia war, Suvendu Adhikari slams West Bengal CM

In a bizarre allegation against the Modi government, the Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the Modi government of starting the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

A video has gone viral on social media in which West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was seen blaming Prime Minister Modi for the 35-day-long war in Ukraine.

Addressing a public gathering, Mamata Banerjee targetted PM Modi, saying he should have thought before stoking a war between Russia and Ukraine and asked him what would students do upon their return from the war-torn country.

“Should you not have thought before stoking a war between Russia and Ukraine…that when our students return from Ukraine where will they eat…where will they go, how would they continue their studies? Making hollow promises,” Mamata Banerjee was heard saying.

BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari reacts to Mamata Banerjee’s wild allegations, calls them ‘unimaginable’

Reacting to the wild claims made by Mamata Banerjee, BJP leader and West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said that the comments made by Mamata Banerjee were ‘unimaginable’. The BJP leader accused the West Bengal Chief Minister of exceeding her limit and accused the centre of stoking war between Russia and Ukraine.

“Isn’t she aware that these words could be used against India diplomatically? Our Foreign Policy & International Relations might get impacted,” the BJP leader said.

He even tagged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the post, saying he should take note of her statement, which may have implications on Indian foreign policy.

Strangely, this is not the first time that Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has lashed out at Prime Minister Modi for his alleged role in the Ukraine-Russia crisis. A few weeks back, Mamata Banerjee had alleged that he failed to predict Russia’s decision to launch special military actions inside Ukraine.

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had addressed a public rally in Varanasi in support of the Samajwadi Party. Addressing the rally, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had attacked Prime Minister Modi, saying there is a war going on in Ukraine, and Prime Minister Modi is having a meeting in Delhi.

The West Bengal Chief Minister questioned the Modi government regarding the necessity of such emergency crisis meetings. Banerjee had claimed that PM Modi had failed to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine despite having a close friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Khalsa Aid’s South Australia coordinator threatens a Hindu-Sikh couple for organising ‘Vaisakhi Mela’

OpIndia Staff
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Khalsa Aid’s South Australia coordinator threatens a Hindu-Sikh couple for organising ‘Vaisakhi Mela’

On March 30, it was reported that a Hindu-Sikh couple, who was a farmer protests supporter, was threatened by dubious organisation Khalsa Aid’s South Australian coordinator Gurinderjit Singh Jassar over Vaisakhi Fair that is scheduled for April 2. The couple runs an organisation named ‘Punjabi Aussie Association of South Australia’.

Harmeet Kaur and Rajesh Thakur have been organising the festival for several years without any problem. However, this year Khalsa Aid’s South Australia Head Jassar allegedly made a threatening call to the couple, demanding to change the name of the fair. Thakur claimed Jassar said, “Vaisakhi belongs to us [Sikhs]”. When Thakur refused to budge in, Jassar allegedly got aggressive over the call and accused him of sexualising the festival.

Thakur further alleged Jassar offered him money to drop the word “Vaisakhi” from the name of the fair. In a live video, Jassar said he got the name of another festival changed. However, despite approaching the other organiser [he was allegedly pointing towards Thakur] for the same, the name was not changed. Furthermore, he said a group of Sikhs would reach the venue on the day of the fair and protest peacefully. “If they get physical, we will not restrain ourselves,” he claimed.

Notably, when a local media channel Raabta Radio raised the issue in favour of the couple, they got targeted online by abusive trolls. Robbie Benipal, Editor of Raabta Radio, claimed his organisation was publicly targeted for supporting the couple. “In an Indian program couple of days back, they surrounded me and rudely questioned me on why I gave a platform to Harmeet Kaur, organiser of Vaisakhi Mela,” he said.

Not only the couple but their friends were also harassed and threatened by the group. Kaur alleged an international student called one of her friends and threatened they would cut Kaur into pieces if they saw her at the fair. “We will be 300-400 people, some are coming from Melbourne to beat the shit out of you (kuttapa karne). Our group is bringing mike and a speaker, we will capture the stage, and anyone who tries to stop us will know who we are,” they told her friend.

The couple had filed a complaint to Australian Police demanding action against the group and requested them to be aware of the event as the Jassar group might attack them. They have arranged private security for the safety of the attendees at the fair.

Thakur said in a statement that on March 22, he received a call from one Gurshiminder Singh Mintu Brar, who threatened him if he went ahead with the fair, there would be Hindu-Sikh riots. “Mintu Brar told me that he is in touch with all three gurudwaras in Adelaide and some Melbourne Sikh groups (Jathebandiya) who are ready to come in Vaisakhi Mela and run amok,” he added. According to The Australia Today, two of three Gurudwaras in Adelaide categorically denied any communication with Brar.

In a statement, Brar, who is MD at Idea Ventures and owner of Brar Farms, denied all the allegations and agreed Jassar’s social media posts were inflammatory. He claimed he only tried to mediate between the couple and Jassar group.

Australian Sikh leaders have come in support of the couple. Amrik Singh Thandi, Sikh leader and member of the Sikh Society of South Australia, said no one could claim the Vaisakhi festival as their own. It belongs to every religion. Mahavir Singh Grewal, President, Allenby Garden Gurudwara, said everybody dances at the Vaisakhi festival in India, and no one should have a problem with the same in Australia.

In a statement, South Australian Police said, “South Australia Police is aware of the upcoming Vaisakhi Mela festival. As with other community events, SAPOL works with organisers and conducts assessments to identify the level of police presence required. These assessments are conducted in the lead up to and during the event.”

Smriti Irani slams NCP MP Fauzia Khan over her remark ‘girls are married because they have nothing else to do’

OpIndia Staff
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Smriti Irani slams NCP MP Fauzia Khan over her remark ‘girls are married because they have nothing else to do’

On Wednesday, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani slаmmed NCP MP Fauzia Khan in Rajya Sabha for her regressive approach and lack of awareness on the issue of child marriages. Khan had said in the parliament earlier today that young underage girls choose to marry because they remain unoccupied after a certain age limit.

“When we actually go into a village, we see that people refuse to keep their girls doing nothing till the age of 18 or 21 whatever. They say that the girls are not secure and so want to get married themselves. How do we ensure that the girls are kept occupied in some productive work whether it is skill development, education or something that occupies their minds until they reach marriageable age”, she asked as she also raised questioned the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment), Bill tabled by the Ministry in December 2021.

“Child marriage cannot be justified because the child has nothing better to do”, said Smriti Irani hitting out hard on the NCP MP from Maharashtra. “Women in the country marry because they are unoccupied, I think this is an anomaly that needs to be corrected. And specifically, young girls, who choose marriage because they have nothing better to do. I hope that the Member would retract that position”, she affirmed.

She added that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all the steps to ensure that the girls under the age of marriageable age are secure and are being provided education. “Also, given the familial pressure for the child marriage, the government has ensured that there is constructive dialogue through the district administration and the state administration for particular communities”, she stated (Timestamp 50.03)

The Minister also stated that strict action against the family members and those attending the child marriages would be taken by the state. “There are various child rights organizations like the NCPCR who are also spreading awareness among the particular communities during particular seasons when more of such crimes are likely to occur. It is the family members of the children and the relatives attending the wedding who will be charged”, she added (Timestamp 46.03).

It is important to note that the government in December 2021, approved the proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women pan-India from 18 years to 21 years. The move seeks to bring gender equality to India. The Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy under the Constitution of India guarantee gender equality.

As India progresses, further opportunities open up for women to pursue higher education and careers. There are imperatives for lowering the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), and improvements in nutrition levels as well as an increase in Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB). These are the main reasons for effecting the proposed legislation.

The Bill will also result in women attaining psychological maturity before marriage, exercising better reproductive rights, and better place in important health decisions including family planning, use of contraceptives, etc. Reportedly, on March 22, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu has granted a three-month extension to the Standing Committee responsible for studying the Bill.

Gautam Gambhir takes a dig at Arvind Kejriwal after AAP cries ‘CM in danger’ over protests by BJP youth wing

OpIndia Staff
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Gautam Gambhir takes a dig at Arvind Kejriwal after AAP cries ‘CM in danger’ over protests by BJP youth wing

BJP MP and former cricketer Gautam Gambhir took a dig at Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on 30th March 2022. After Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) protested outside the house of the Delhi CM, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party and police have jointly sent some goons to the residence of the Delhi CM with an intention to ‘kill him’.

Members of BJP’s youth wing had gathered outside CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to mark their displeasure and protest against his remarks in Delhi Assembly, wherein he called ‘The Kashmir Files’, a movie depicting the atrocities faced by Kashmiri Pandits as a film based on lies. Kejriwal had then also taken a swipe at the demands of making the movie tax-free by asking film director and producer Vivek Agnihotri to release it for free on YouTube.

In opposition to Kejriwal’s callous remarks on ‘The Kashmir Files’, BJP youth wing workers, along with BJYM national president Tejasvi Surya and Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, led a protest outside the Delhi CM’s residence, which was later dubbed by Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia as an attempt to kill Arvind Kejriwal.

However, Gautam Gambir responded to the allegations levelled by Manish Sisodia, alleging that the AAP was now pulling out a victim card after insulting the Kashmiri Hindus. “Hello Delhi, I am badly trapped by insulting the Kashmiri Hindus. Even after a million attempts and a paid interview, the situation is not under control. Now there is only one way, the victim card. The BJP wants to kill me. Please help spread it! Your Publicity Minister,” Gambhir sarcastically tweeted in order to insinuate what AAP and Kejriwal were trying to do so after the latter’s remarks in Delhi Assembly sparked nationwide outrage.

Earlier, Manish Sisodia alleged that as BJP is not able to defeat Arvind Kejriwal in the elections, it is now planning to kill Arvind Kejriwal. OpIndia has been present at the protest site. There was no violent mob outside Kejriwal’s house. In fact, all of them were protesting in a peaceful manner.

There was massive outrage on social media against this statement by Arvind Kejriwal. Now, as his party finds itself mired in the quagmire, the only way it sees to salvage itself from the crisis is by playing the victim card and exaggerating a relatively peaceful protest by BJP as a wanton attempt to endanger the life of the Delhi CM.

Kashmiri Hindus organise a demonstration to protest against disparaging remarks made by Arvind Kejriwal

Besides BJP workers, Kashmiri Hindus were also seen holding placards and demonstrating outside the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal in opposition to the disparaging remarks he had made in the Delhi Assembly last week.

Kashmiri Hindus peacefully protested outside Arvind Kejriwal’s house. Image by OpIndia

It is notable to mention that ‘The Kashmir Files’, a film directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, is based on the genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir in the year 1990 and their subsequent exodus.

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