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MP: Locals in Bhind go ballistic over removal of an illegally constructed statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, set ablaze huts and pelt stones at police

OpIndia Staff
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MP: Locals in Bhind go ballistic over removal of an illegally constructed statue of Dr BR Ambedkar, set ablaze huts and pelt stones at police

A case has surfaced in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh, where an idol of Bhimrao Ambedkar was erected on government property at Dalit Basti in Lahaar locality. After receiving a complaint that the idol of Bhimrao Ambedkar had been built overnight on government land, the local authorities arrived on the scene. The residents of the Dalit community became enraged and hostile as the police administration arrived. The villagers were not ready to listen to the administrative officers.

As the crowd’s rage grew, the crowd set fire to the huts surrounding the statue. Even here, the trouble did not end. Angry residents also shouted anti-government slogans and threw stones at the administration’s personnel. When the administration team reached close to the idol, they were attacked with dung and stones. The dry wood lying around was set on fire and a general sense of tension prevailed in the region.

The incident took place at the Janakpura village of the Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh. As per reports, locals allegedly constructed the idol of BR Ambedkar on government land without authorization overnight. As a result, the administrative crew had arrived at the location to remove the idol. However, there was quite a ruckus.

After getting a complaint that a statue had been installed on government property, SDM KV Vivek and several police officers went to the scene. The people became enraged as soon as their gaze fell on the bulldozer that arrived with the SDM. In the presence of the SDM, they set fire to the huts raised around the statue and even attempted to assault them.

Seeing the matter gaining momentum, SDM KV Vivek tried to cool the issue and convince the local people after which the locals agreed to obey him. People’s rage dissipated after listening to the SDM who assured the locals that the statue will be legally constructed in the locality.

‘Got stared down’: actor Mandira Bedi reveals how cricketers ‘made her feel out of place’ when she was anchoring cricket shows on TV

OpIndia Staff
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‘Got stared down’: actor Mandira Bedi reveals how cricketers ‘made her feel out of place’ when she was anchoring cricket shows on TV

Actress Mandira Bedi, who was one of the first few women who ventured into hosting cricket tournaments with the ICC Cricket World Cups in 2003, has opened up about her experience when she used to host pre-match shows at cricket tournaments. In a recent interview during Pinkvilla’s Woman Up season 3, the actress spoke about the intimidation and challenges she faced during her journey as a cricket host and commentator almost two decades ago.

The actress revealed how she was ‘stared down’ by many cricketers she interviewed. When Mandira asked them questions, she stated that many of them would think to themselves, “What is she even asking?” She also claimed that their responses were frequently unrelated to her questions, which made her feel intimidated.

She discussed her experiences as a host and commentator, as well as her attempts to get acceptance in a cricket niche circuit and the difficulties she faced in combating the patriarchal mindset of those around her.

“Nobody accepted me to begin with, certainly not the people sitting on the panel. I’m friends with all the ex-cricketers now who I worked with back then as well but they didn’t like that either. They didn’t like that there was a woman wearing a saree, dressed up, talking cricket. Nobody fed me any lines, nobody fed me any questions. I was there to represent the layperson who doesn’t know every technicality of cricket, who does not know every nuance of cricket.”

“So, I was there and I was told whatever question comes to your mind at that particular point of time if you’re thinking it ask it. I was given that freedom. Of course, I got stared down by a lot of the cricketers like- what’s she even asking, why is she even asking that. They answered whatever they wanted to answer nothing connected to my question and that can be very very intimidating but I kind of was assured by the channel, it was Sony, that backed me and chose me from 150-200 women. They said that we’ve chosen you with the reason we think you have what it takes to stay, so go ahead and be yourself and start enjoying yourself,” the actor added.

“You know I made it easier for all the women hosts out there because I took the brunt,” Mandira Bedi quipped. 

Mandira Bedi was one of the first women to present and commentate on cricket matches. In 2003 and 2007, she hosted the ICC Cricket World Cups. In 2004 and 2006, Mandira hosted the Champions Trophies. She was also a host for Sony Max during the second season of the Indian Premier League. She was also in charge of IPL 3 coverage for ITV, a British network. 

Raj Kaushal, Mandira’s filmmaker husband, died in June of last year. She has two children, a son named Vir (10) and a daughter named Tara (5). Bedi started her career at the age of 21 as a model. Mandira Bedi first rose to prominence when she played the titular role in the acclaimed Doordarshan soap opera Shanti in 1994. She made her feature film debut with the Bollywood movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge in 1995. Since then, Mandira has appeared in numerous tv shows and films in the course of a career spanning over two decades. Apart from being an actor, Bedi is a popular fashion designer who owns a saree brand.

Complaint filed against ‘Comedian’ Kunal Kamra for making derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court in his ‘Be Like’ video

OpIndia Staff
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Complaint filed against ‘Comedian’ Kunal Kamra for making derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court in his ‘Be Like’ video

On Saturday, a complaint was filed against ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra for deliberately defaming and spoiling the image of the Supreme Court of India. Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey, a practicing legal solicitor at Bombay High Court and the legal advisor of BJP-Maharashtra shared a copy of the complaint he filed against the comedian through his Twitter account.

He requested to the Chief Justice of India and the Supreme Court of India to initiate proceedings against the self-proclaimed comedian for criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. In the letter filed, he said that the constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression but Kamra had sought abuse to this very freedom in order to deliberately defame the entire institution of law.

“A fair and constructive criticism of a judgement is permissible but the same cannot be exceeded to an extent where it mocks the fundamentals of the judiciary”, the letter added. Kunal Kamra in his recently uploaded video ‘Be Like’ on his YouTube channel made derogatory remarks against the SC. While speaking about the contempt of case filed against him in the top court, Kamra had said, “Dear SC, kal ki baat bhul ja, l*vda pakad ke jhul ja (forget yesterday’s talk, come swing on p*nis)”.

Kamra in the video further said that he had more respect for the food court in the shopping mall that the apex court and alleged that the SC is a ‘Brahmin Baniya’ affair and it did not represent different cultures.

It is important to note that in December 2020, the SC had issued notice to Kamra seeking contempt proceedings after his contemptous remarks against the Judiciary in his bid to become a liberal ‘hero’ or ‘martyr’. In one of the tweets he had shown middle finger to CJI Arvind Bobde and in another he had painted SC in saffron color to allege that it had become a puppet of the NDA govt. “The pace at which the SC operates in the national interests, its time we replace Mahatma Gandhi’s photo with Harish Salve photo”, he had said.

Kunal Kamra has 1.99 million subscribers on YouTube and the 1 hour 22 minutes long video has been viewed 13 lakh times till date. Interestingly, the video has been liked by 89 thousand people and disliked by none.

Pakistani Ambassador stands in fear as Sirajuddin Haqqani passes, Taliban leader ignores him and walks away

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani Ambassador stands in fear as Sirajuddin Haqqani passes, Taliban leader ignores him and walks away

In a major embarrassment to Pakistan, Sirajuddin Haqqani – Taliban’s Interior Minister and head of the Haqqani terror network ignored Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan even as the latter stood from his seat to greet him.

According to the reports, Sirajuddin Haqqani – one of the most wanted terrorists and head of the Haqqani network- attended the police graduation ceremony at Kabul Police Academy on Saturday. This is the first-ever media appearance of the Taliban’s deputy leader, who has a $10 million FBI bounty on his head.

In a video shared by journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, it was seen Sirajuddin Haqqani leaving the event after addressing the graduates at a police graduation ceremony in Kabul. The Pakistan Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan got up in a panic to wish Haqqani as the Taliban leader passed him.

However, the Haqqani leader ignored the Pakistan Ambassador and walked away even as the latter greeted him.

According to experts, the incident is only the reflection of the distrust that has developed between the Taliban and the Pakistan Army, the one time beneficiaries and supporters of the terror group.

Who is Sirajuddin Haqqani?

Sirajuddin Haqqani is the head of the ‘Haqqani Network’, based in North Waziristan, Pakistan. The Haqqani Network is responsible for high-profile attacks like – June 2011 assault on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel, suicide bombings—in 2008 and 2009—against the Indian Embassy in Kabul and 2011 attack on US Embassy, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters, the Afghan Presidential Palace in Kabul.

Sirajuddin Haqqani and his network were designated as a terrorist in 2012 because of their ties to the Islamic terror groups – Taliban and Al-Qaeda. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, he was appointed as Interior Minister of Afghanistan. 

Journalist with The Hindu peddles misinformation on evacuation of stranded nationals from Ukraine, gets caught for pushing pro-DMK propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist with The Hindu peddles misinformation on evacuation of stranded nationals from Ukraine, gets caught for pushing pro-DMK propaganda

As India continues to evacuate all its stranded nationals from the war-torn country, a concerted misinformation campaign is being run by a section of left-wing media and journalists to mislead and scare the Indian nationals stuck in Ukraine. Parvathi Bindu Benu, a journalist working with the left-wing media outlet – The Hindu Business Line, was caught propagating lies about the evacuation of students from Ukrainian’s city Pisochyn.

On Thursday, Parvathi Bindu Benu quoted a tweet of DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi in which she had asked for details and contact information of certain students who were allegedly stuck in Pisochyn of Kharkiv province. In fact, Kanamozhi was responding to one of the earlier tweets put out by Parvathi asking for information about how to reach Lviv.

The Hindu
Source: Twitter

As Kanimozhi intervened to resolve the issue, the Hindu Business Line journalist got excited and declared that the government of Tamil Nadu arranged the transport to evacuate students free of cost from Pisochyn. The alleged journalist also ridiculed other states, saying they must follow suit.

Essentially, the ‘journalist’ was insinuating that the Tamil Nadu government directly arranged the bus to bring back the stranded students bypassing the Ministry of External Affairs. The journalist made a claim despite having no proof to suggest that the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government had arranged a bus to evacuate Tamil Nadu students from the war-torn country.

However, according to official data, the buses were arranged by the Indian government contrary to the claim of the Hindu Business Line ‘journalist’ saying that it was the Tamil Nadu government that came to the rescue of stranded Indian students by arranging the bus.

On Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said that some Indians were stranded in Kharkiv while five buses were waiting to take a section of citizens out of the Pisochyn area.

Several visuals circulating on social media platforms show Indian students being taken out on buses from Pishocyn.

The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has also tweeted out on Saturday they were reaching out to the 298 students in Pisochyn. The Indian Embassy added that more buses are en route and expected to arrive soon to pick up students. The Embassy asked the students to follow all safety instructions and precautions.

The buses were arranged by MEA and local mission at the Government of India’s expense and not by the Tamil Nadu government as suggested by the alleged journalist.

More importantly, the entire evacuation process is being handled and monitored by the Ministry of External Affairs. The Government of India has launched ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate Indian nationals from Ukraine. No state government is running independent evacuation operations in Ukraine.

The Tamil Nadu government, which has announced its intentions to bring back Tamil Nadu students stuck in Ukraine, cannot directly coordinate with authorities in Ukraine. There is a strict protocol regarding the evacuation of Indians in Ukraine.

According to journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, the evacuation process is handled through an MEA Control Room and Indian embassies abroad. Tamil Nadu cannot arrange the buses, instead, it is the MEA and the embassies that are arranging buses in Pisochyn to evacuate stranded citizens. 

Despite clarifications and official reports, the alleged journalist continues to mislead the public by claiming that her information is verified.

The Hindu
Soure: Twitter

Hence, the assertions made by the Hindu Business Line journalist is not factually correct.

Ever since the Tamil Nadu government announced that they would be sending four legislators to Hungary, Romania, Poland, and Slovakia to evacuate stranded Tamil Nadu students, there has been a concerted campaign to discredit the centre’s efforts to bring back Indian students.

Freedom for Freedom: How far will the ‘my freedom to do this and that’ trope go

Virender Kapoor
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Freedom for Freedom: How far will the ‘my freedom to do this and that’ trope go

I remember during mid-sixties MF Hussain – Maqbool Fida Husain- was seen in Connaught Place, inner circle New Delhi, quite often. If I remember correctly he had a 1958 make fiat which he had painted crazy with different colours like a jigsaw puzzle and one could see him driving in CP where there were hardly any cars on the road those days. This was quite a sight. At that time MF Hussain who turned into a great painter had just become famous and soon became a darling of the art circle. He was called Pablo Picasso of India!

He became so famous for his horses and modern art that some of his paintings sold at a mind-boggling price- one of his creations was sold for USD 1.6 million in 2008, setting a world record at Christie’s South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale.

Later in India, his talent earned him the Padma Bhushan in 1973, the Padma Vibhushan in 1989, and a nomination to the Rajya Sabha in 1986. So the man was more than big enough for any boots.

But he had a peculiar habit of not wearing any footwear, not even chappals. This was entirely a matter of choice and his argument was that he was bare feet because he liked to feel the earth under his feet.

Because of this during the peak of his career he was denied entry seeing his bare feet by a club in south Bombay – now Mumbai. No shoes no entry. Some clubs to date do not allow sports shoes and insist on collared shirts- tucked in – period. You may be anybody, rules of the institution are rules for everyone. You can’t go to the court and say, ‘it is my freedom to dress the way I want and I will wear chappals and come’. A man like this whose autographs were sought by the rich and famous was asked to go back. Though the media made some headlines he had to retreat.

The same MF Hussain was seen in boots in UK or New York during winters to protect his feet. Sensible no- he knew that frostbite doesn’t spare anyone including the rich and famous. He was neither finicky nor foolish and knew where the line needs to be drawn with rules as well as nature.

Of course, you are free to wear or not to wear shoes but you need to follow the rules. This freedom for freedom is being stretched to a breakpoint in modern times. And don’t give this ‘Convoluted Constitutional’ argument which seems to have run out of steam as a point of deflection, defence- it now looks flimsy. You cannot say I will wear Tommy Hilfiger underwear and a dollar vest to my class in school or college as it is hot, because so and so section of the constitution gives me freedom! 

With the same logic if a teacher asks you a question in the class and you turn around and say:

‘I invoke my right to remain silent’ or the teacher says ‘please go and sit down in the class’ and you say ‘Sorry sir, Article 19(d) of the constitution gives me a right to roam around anywhere within India!’ when the result comes and ten out of 60 students fail, the ten who failed to give an application ‘you must pass all of us under the right of equality.’

If one has rights one also has responsibilities. One has to respect the law and respect the institution one goes to go to. Instead of making a school that teaches children to do better in life a place to be grateful for one should not think one has bought the teachers and the institution by paying the fees. No one is doing a favour- remember they are working to better our life and our children’s future.

Where will this end?

This is heading towards doom. There are plenty within the peer group to instigate children and many from the outside for their petty gains are exploiting children – our children.

Along with the heady ideas of freedom and rebellious attitude being shown in films, and the liberal brigade coaxing us, it will spell doom for the parents. Remember, governments will come and go, judges will go but our children will be ours forever. We have to take charge of our sons and daughters and support the teachers- remember if teachers go, we will have illiterate and arrogant, ill-mannered people now kids and tomorrow adults. We should not create any ill feelings in our children and should not outsource values to schools- it is our job and if we don’t the lightening will first fall on us. Remember we in a family have two or four kids to tame, the school teachers handle in hundreds. We should not make their task more difficult.

So to all the parents who are watching some tamasha or the other on some issue or the other in the society every day involving children, need to smell the coffee. All this will boomerang and wreak havoc on us only. And then there will be nowhere to go. Teachers will raise their hands, the government will not be able to do much and courts will say that it is not their job.

Russia declares ceasefire in 2 cities in ‘independent’ Donetsk in Ukraine, humanitarian corridor to be opened for civilians to leave war zone

OpIndia Staff
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Russia declares ceasefire in 2 cities in ‘independent’ Donetsk in Ukraine, humanitarian corridor to be opened for civilians to leave war zone

On Saturday 5th March 2022, Russia declared a ceasefire of its invasion of Ukraine to open up a humanitarian corridor for the civilians to leave the war zone safely. Russian news agency Sputnik News reported the update citing a statement by the Russian defense ministry.

According to the report, the Russian defense ministry has said, “Today, March 5, from 10 AM Moscow time, the Russian side declares a regime of silence and opens humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha.” According to this, civilians living in Mariupol and Volnovakha cities will find it easier to evacuate from the war-hit zone. It is notable that Mariupol is a port town and it holds strategic importance.

Mariupol and Volnovakha are located in south-eastern party of Ukraine, and are part of Donetsk Oblast. Notably, ahead of the invasion, Putin had announced that Russian govt is recognizing Donetsk and Luhansk as “independent”. The Russian president had signed a decree recognizing the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DPR) and the “Luhansk People’s Republic” (LPR) as independent.

Sputnik news agency tweeted from its Twitter handle saying, “Russia declares ceasefire in Ukraine from 07:00 GMT to open humanitarian corridors for civilians.”

The Russian defense ministry has also made it clear that they have discussed the details of the humanitarian corridor and the exit routes with their Ukrainian counterparts earlier in the second round of discussion that was held in the Brest city of Belarus. Ukraine had urged in these discussions that Russia should immediately declare a ceasefire and make humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians safely.

On Thursday 3rd March 2022, Ukraine’s presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak had tweeted, “The second round of negotiations is over. Unfortunately, the results Ukraine needs are not yet achieved. There is a solution only for the organization of humanitarian corridors.”

Sputnik News has reported that according to Mykhailo Podolyak, around 20000 people want to leave the city of Volnovakha which is situated in the Donetsk region which along with Luhansk is identified by Russia as an independent entity just before the war began. Currently, the forces of the so-called people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk have blockaded the city of Mariupol which is a port city. According to the report of the Sputnik News agency, the ceasefire will provide time for the local residents to secure essential items.

Mohammad Azad, owner of house, visited site before blast, police arrests brothers Mohammad Scholzer and Shahzad: New revelations in Bhagalpur blast case

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammad Azad, owner of house, visited site before blast, police arrests brothers Mohammad Scholzer and Shahzad: New revelations in Bhagalpur blast case

A powerful explosion swept through a three-storey structure in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district’s Kajvalichak area on the night of Thursday, March 3 and Friday, March 4. The house where the massive explosion took place was less than 100 metres from the Kotwali police station. The blast killed at least 14 individuals, including six women and two children aged 2 and 3, and injured another ten.

Under the impact of the bomb, four adjacent houses were completely destroyed, while few others suffered cracks or partially caved in. The house where the blast occurred, according to the authorities, belonged to one Mohammad Azad Malik, who had rented it out to a woman named Lilawati Devi.

Kajwalichak is a densely populated area whose inhabitants were said to be involved in illegal firecracker business.

Mohammad Azad might have visited the sight in Bhagalpur before the blast

The SIT team investigating the case is now probing the role of Mohammad Azad Malik, the owner of the house where the blast took place. It is believed that Azad had visited the scene after the bomb blast but then suddenly disappeared. Azad has been absconding ever since. As a result, the police suspect that Azad might be involved in the occurrence of the blast.

It is being believed that Azad had visited Lilawati Devi before the explosion took place. In the given situation the police believe that Azad would undoubtedly be aware of the presence of gunpowder in the house and the illegal firecracker business that was being carried out in the house. It is being doubted that even Azad might be engaging in unlawful activity under the pretence of running an iron grill manufacturing business in the same premises.

Meanwhile, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the case stormed Azad’s home and apprehended his two brothers, Mohammad Scholzer and Shahzad. Aside from that, the authorities are looking into Azad’s ties to West Bengal and explosives smugglers.

SHO suspended for dereliction of duty

Furthermore, in view of the incident of illegal storage of gunpowder and manufacturing illegal firecrackers in the area, the Station house officer of the local Tatarpur police station, Sanjay Kumar Sudhanu, has been suspended for dereliction of duty, Bhagalpur’s senior superintendent of police Babu Ram said.

Notably, the Bihar DGP SK Singhal had told reporters, “Primary investigation has suggested that an unlicensed firecracker manufacturing unit was being run from the rented house. The ATS will probe the matter. FSL samples are being collected”. Gun powder and iron nails, used in making crude bombs and firecrackers, have been seized from the spot, he said.

Large quantity of gunpowder, illegal firecrackers and country-made bombs stored in the house caused the blast

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the large quantity of gunpowder, illegal firecrackers and country-made bombs stored in the house caused the blast. As such, the explosion was so powerful that its sound was heard and trembles felt up to 10 km from the spot. The blast sent splinters flying as far as half a km. The smell of burning gunpowder was reported to have extended several kilometres by residents of nearby towns. The house where the explosion occurred was reduced to rubble, as were three other pucca dwellings nearby.

Though the Bomb Disposal Squad has not yet found any bomb or its remains anywhere during the investigation, seven-eight kgs of gunpowder have been recovered from the debris. A huge quantity of ammonium nitrate and sulphur, used in the manufacture of firecrackers, besides wrappers and plastic, have also been found at the spot, revealed DGP SK Singhal.

Power supply lines were snapped due to the blast’s intensity and the rubble was hampering rescue operations. An earthmover was used to clear the rubbles, said the DGP.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been filed based on the statement of Tatarpur police station Inspector Purnendu Kumar. Mahendra Mandal and his family have been charged in this case, along with Mohammad Azad, Lilawati Devi, and their entire family. The FIR has been filed under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Explosive Substances Ac

The deceased have been identified as Lilawati Devi (55) her daughter-in-laws Pinki Devi (30) and Aarti Kumari (24) Pinki’s son Priyansu Kumar (14) and Aarti’s son Ayansh Kumar (2), said police. Others killed in the incident were identified as Mahendra (60) (Lilawati’s neighbour), his wife Sheela Devi (55) their son, Sunil Mandal (28), Nandani Devi (daughter-in-law ) (25) and her son Moon Kumar (3).

Not the first time that such an incident occured in the area in Bhagalpur

According to local residents, this is not the first time that a blast occurred at Navin’s house. Similar incidents were reported from the spot in 2002, 2008 and 2018 but the local administration remained a mute spectator alleged the people living in the neighbourhood.

In the 2002 incident, four people were killed on the spot and two others sustained serious injuries.

“In a similar incident on October 24, 2002, Mahendra’s Suresh Mandal and three others were killed,” said Singhal, adding that a charge sheet was filed in the case against four who died in the incident.

It is worth noting that earlier there was a blast in the Khagaria district of Bihar. Prior to that, in June 2021, a bomb exploded in a non-operational madarsa in front of the Noori Masjid Islampur complex in Navtolia under the Town police station area in the Banka district of Bihar. Many people, including Maulvi Mohammad Momid of the madrassa, were injured in the blast.

Similarly, on June 10, 2021, a bomb kept in a bag exploded in Bhuvaneshwari Rampur village of Bairagachi police station area of ​​Araria district of Bihar. A person named Mohammad Afroz was badly injured in this blast. Later it was told that Afroz was carrying the bomb in the bag. But after colliding with the bar, it exploded in his hand. Two live bombs were also recovered.

Remembering Shane Warne: Cricketing world pays tribute to the legend behind the Edgbaston Ripper and the ‘ball of the century’

OpIndia Staff
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Remembering Shane Warne: Cricketing world pays tribute to the legend behind the Edgbaston Ripper and the ‘ball of the century’

On Friday (March 4), the cricketing world woke up to a rude shock when it learnt about the untimely demise of former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne.

Warne, who was just 52 years old, died of a ‘suspected heart attack’ in Ko Samui in Thailand. Tributes poured in from all corners for the cricketing legend, who took a whopping 708 wickets in test and 293 wickets in one-day matches.

On Saturday (March 5), the Indian cricket team observed a minute’s silence in memory of Shane Warne, ahead of Day 2 of the First Test match against Sri Lanka. The players also wore black armbands when they took the field against the Lankan side.

Both the Australian cricket team and the Pakistan side also observed a minute’s silence at the Pindi Stadium, before the start of the second day’s play, in the aftermath of the Peshawar attack and demise of Shane Warne.

The Australia women’s national cricket team also observed a moment of silence and wore black armbands to pay tribute to former cricketers Rod Marsh and Shane Warne, ahead of their match against the England team in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022.

In light of his contribution to the field of cricket, Cricket Australia has decided to rename the Great Southern Stand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as the S.K. Warne Stand.

In a heartfelt tribute to the ace spinner, former Indian captain Virat Kohli said, “I got the sad news last night about the demise of Shane Warne, out of nowhere to be honest. We carry on doing what we do in life. We are only involved in the present moment. Life is fickle and unpredictable. We need to be grateful for all the moments that we are alive. Passing away at the age of 52 is totally unexpected. Went far too early. I stand here in disbelief and shock.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison tweeted, “Shane was one of our greatest cricketers of all time, one of only a few that could approach the extraordinary achievements of the great Don Bradman. His achievements were the product of his talent, discipline & passion for the game he loved. But Shane was more than this to Australians. He was one of our nation’s greatest characters. His humour, his passion, his irreverence, his approachability ensured he was loved by all.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson also paid his condolences to Shane Warne. While hailing him as a cricketing genius, Johnson thanked him for introducing disadvantaged kids to the sport.

Shane Warne is immortalised in the field of cricket by his two extraordinary deliveries

Shane Warne will forever be remembered for his iconic ‘ball of the century‘, which he bowled on June 4, 1993, to English cricketer Mike Gatting. The delivery took Gatting off-guard and the batsman was bowled even before he could read the movement of the ball.

Warne bowled the leg-spin during the 2nd day of the First Test match of the 1993 Ashes series at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester. The delivery by an inexperienced Warne hinted at the revival of leg-spin bowling in international cricket. Interestingly, it was his first-ever ball in an Ashes test series.

A modest Warne had said, “The ball of the century was a fluke. It really was. I never did it again in the first ball of any time. So it really was a fluke and I think it was meant to be.”

12 years later, the ace spinner went on to deliver the ‘Edgbaston ripper’ in 2005.

He bowled a leg-spin delivery from round the wicket to dismiss English batsman Andre Strauss. The spin was so massive that it left the batsman bamboozled and earned Warne the title of one of the greatest spinners in history.

India and Bangladesh hold Commerce Secretary-level meeting in New Delhi, significant progress on multimodal connectivity between the two countries

OpIndia Staff
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India and Bangladesh hold Commerce Secretary-level meeting in New Delhi, significant progress on multimodal connectivity between the two countries

A Commerce Secretary level meeting between India and Bangladesh was held in New Delhi on 4th March 2022. The commerce secretary of the government of India, B.V.R. Subrahmanyam led the Indian delegation while Mr. Tapan Kanti Ghosh, who is the senior secretary in the ministry of commerce of the government of Bangladesh, led the Bangladesh delegation.

According to a report by ANI, in this meeting, both sides held extensive discussions on a variety of issues of mutual interest. The discussed issues include the development of railway infrastructure, port infrastructure, Joint Study on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), Border Haats, Regional connectivity through Multi–Modal Transportation, Harmonization of Standards, Mutual Recognition Agreement. 

It is notable that Bangladesh is the sixth largest trade partner of India. Keeping this thing in mind, both sides discussed various aspects of improving the multimodal connectivity between the two countries. Among the issues discussed for the facilitation of trade between India-Bangladesh through railways, a Detailed Project Proposal (DPP) was approved for developing a container handling facility at Sirajganj Bazar.

A 900-meter long new siding line is constructed at Benapole for running freight trains between India-Bangladesh. Besides, the construction of the loading and unloading platform is completed at Darshana in order to allow the import of all commodities from India by rail via Darshana. A DPP is also approved for the development of Rail and Road-based ICD at Ishwardi.

A consensus was made over the use of returning empty railway wagons/containers by Bangladesh. The overall logistics cost of India’s exports to Bangladesh will be significantly reduced due to this. Both the countries also agreed upon opening the border haats which were closed due to covid restriction. CEPA study will also be finalized soon.

Press Information Bureau has said in its press release that the meeting was preceded by the 14th meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade, at the level of Joint/Additional Secretaries of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, and Ministry of Commerce, Government of Bangladesh on 2-3 March 2022 in New Delhi. Comprehensive discussions were held on various areas of mutual interest. In the meeting, it was agreed that the next meetings of the JWG and Commerce Secretaries will be held in Bangladesh and the dates of this meeting will be decided as per mutual convenience.

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