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Telangana Congress president stokes north-south divide, claims CM KCR has Bihari DNA and relies on Bihari officers​

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana Congress president stokes north-south divide, claims CM KCR has Bihari DNA and relies on Bihari officers​

Taking a leaf out of Congress playbook of regional polarisation, Telangana Congress president A Revanth Reddy recently fanned ‘North-South’ divide in his attempt to rundown chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Reddy claimed that KCR had a Bihari DNA in him and is running the state with the help of Bihari officers like chief secretary Somesh Kumar and acting DGP Anjani Kumar.

The remarks were made in response to TRS’ decision to rope in poll strategist Prashant Kishor for the 2023 assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Insinuating that KCR is working against the interests of Telangana, Revanth said the CM, who used to rely on his welfare schemes to win him elections, is now seeking help of strategist from Bihar for acing the polls. 

“The ancestors of KCR belonged to Bihar, which he himself had admitted in an interview to a television channel in 2008 and that they had migrated to Telangana. KCR, who used to bank on his welfare schemes to win elections, is now taking the help of a political strategist from Bihar in Prashant Kishore,” Revanth said in an official statement released after a meeting held in Secunderabad to review the status of digital membership drive of the party.

Revanth cited the appointments of Somesh Kumar and Anjani Kumar, both of whom are from Bihar, to the post of chief secretary and acting DGP respectively, to back his claim that KCR is employing discriminatory measures against the people of Telangana.

“The top post in state administration, that of the chief secretary has been given to Somesh Kumar who is from Bihar and in charge director general of police Anjani Kumar is also from Bihar. Municipal administration principal secretary Arvind Kumar, Sandeep Kumar Sultania among others— all holding a major chunk of portfolios in the state administration are from Bihar. Our bureaucrats from Telangana like R S Praveen Kumar have been meted out a raw deal,” Revanth was quoted as saying by Times of India. 

Continuing his attempt to fuel ‘North-South’ discord, Revanth asked people whether they wanted Telangana state to be governed by a Bihar batch, calling upon the IAS and IPS officers from the state to give up their post and demonstrate to the world the “pourusham of Telangana.”

“You all know how the politics of Bihar is run on the strength of the sword. Violence mars elections. Women cannot venture out safely during night. You all know how bad law and order is in Bihar,” Revanth said, trying to insinuate the consequences of voting KCR back in power. 

The Congress playbook of stoking sub-nationalism and polarising the country on regional lines

It is worth noting that Revanth’s chauvinistic remarks came weeks after another Congress leader, Charanjit Singh Channi, made hateful remarks against people from UP, Bihar, while campaigning for assembly elections in Punjab. 

“The bhaiyas from UP, Bihar and Delhi come here to live and rule the state, we will not allow them to enter,” Channi said while addressing a public meeting. Notably, ‘Bhaiye’ in Punjabi is a pejorative reference for people of UP and Bihar. While Channi was promising to evict people from UP and Bihar, Priyanka Gandhi was standing by his side unflustered and instead, cheering the Punjab CM on his comments. 

Her brother, Rahul Gandhi, too has a storied history of stoking regional polarisation in a desperate bid to reverse his sagging political fortunes. In February 2021, the Gandhi scion on his visit to Kerala insulted the voters of Amethi, his former constituency from where he was defeated by BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019 General elections. 

Addressing the public in Trivandrum, Kerala, the senior Congress leader said that “people in Kerala are interested in issues and not just superficially but going into detail in issues”. One was left to wonder whether Rahul Gandhi was insinuating that the people in the North are not as serious and informed as the people of the South. 

Approximately a year before that, Rahul Gandhi attacked North Indian states claiming that they had emasculated Panchayati Raj. In April 2020, Rahul Gandhi had said that North Indian states are not empowering people as much as the South Indian states, because the North Indian states believe more in centralisation of power while South Indian states believe in ideas like Panchayati Raj.

More recently, in February 2022, Rahul Gandhi was accused of stoking sub-nationalism when he ignited a massive debate in the country by questioning the very idea of India as a ‘nation’. Speaking in the Parliament on the motion of thanks to President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that India was just a “union of states” and not as a nation.

Subramanian Swamy hurls abuses at PM Modi for “being neutral” while students are being rescued from a war that has nothing to do with India

OpIndia Staff
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Subramanian Swamy hurls abuses at PM Modi for “being neutral” while students are being rescued from a war that has nothing to do with India

Days after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy hurled abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for ‘being neutral’ amidst the conflict in the Eastern European country.

In a tweet on Tuesday (March 1), Subramanian Swamy claimed, “Now that it is clear that what Russia has done in Ukraine violates BRICS Resolution in Delhi Declaration of last year.” He asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct Russia to stop its military offensive.

Screengrab of the tweet by Subramanian Swamy

“Will Modi have the guts to tell Putin to back off?” said the Parliamentarian displayed his ignorance. It must be mentioned that on February 24 (the day of invasion), PM Modi had called for an immediate cessation of violence in Ukraine during his telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Keeping geopolitical concerns and the country’s interests in mind, India abstained from voting on the United Nations Security Council resolution that criticised Russia’s action against Ukraine. Despite this, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti made it clear that India was deeply disturbed by the turn of events in Ukraine.

“No solution can ever be arrived at at the cost of human lives. We are also deeply concerned about the welfare of the Indian community, including a large number of students, in Ukraine. The contemporary global order has been built on the UN Charter, international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” he stated.

The career diplomat had added, “All members need to honour these principles and find a constructive way forward. Dialogue is the only answer to settling disputes. However, daunting it may appear at this moment,” TS Tirumurti told the United Nations.

Given that it is not ‘India’s war’, the government chose to stay balanced while being upfront in condemning hostilities carried out in Ukraine by Russia. Swamy, a vocal critic of the BJP government, held the belief that such a move displayed that the Modi government lacked guts.

Subramanian Swamy calls PM Modi a ‘political Hijda’

A Twitter user (@AndyKapur1) had emphasised, “No, he’s caught between a rock and a hard place, the best is to play neutral which he is doing.” Miffed by the response, Swamy resorted to using derogatory language against the transgender community.

In a bid to label the “Indian government’ as ‘incompetent’, Swamy dubbed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a ‘political Hijda.’ Swamy claimed, “A Prime Minister of 1.4 billion cultured people cannot be a political hijda.”

Screengrab of the tweet

Operation Ganga to the rescue

While Subramanian Swamy has been busy in mud slinging, the Indian government, under ‘Operation Ganga’, has moved a massive amount of personnel and resources to repatriate every stranded Indian from Ukraine.

The Ukrainian airspace was closed for civilian aircraft from Thursday (February 24) morning onwards. As such, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had to coordinate with the embassies of neighbouring countries in Poland, Romania and Hungary for the creation of safe evacuation channels.

Under ‘Operation Ganga’, Indians are first taken in batches from Ukraine to bordering countries (currently Hungary and Romania) via buses/commute arranged by the embassy. They are then airlifted to Delhi or Mumbai through chartered Air India flights.

On Saturday (February 26) evening, the first Air India flight carrying 219 Indian nationals reached the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai from Bucharest in Romania.

As of Tuesday (March 1), a total of 2012 Indians were evacuated via 9 chartered Air India flights under Operation Ganga. It must be mentioned that prior to the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had evacuated 240 people from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv on Tuesday (February 22). This puts the total number of Indian evacuees at 2252.

Congress protest near S Jaishankar’s house demanding safe evacuation of Indians as Indian Govt already brings back 2252, shifts 9000 out of Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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Congress protest near S Jaishankar’s house demanding safe evacuation of Indians as Indian Govt already brings back 2252, shifts 9000 out of Ukraine

At the time when the Indian government is leaving no stone unturned to bring back its stranded nationals from the war-hit Ukraine, the Congress has yet again opted to use the catastrophe for playing petty politics. According to reports, on March 1, 2022 (Tuesday), the Indian Youth Congress members staged a protest near External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s residence here in Delhi, demanding the safe evacuation of Indian students stranded in war-torn Ukraine.

At a time when the entire nation should be standing together and supporting the government in its efforts to bring back the stranded nationals, the IYC workers decided to create a ruckus on the road leading to EAM S Jaishnkar’s residence. They burnt posters and shouted, “Modi Murdabad” (down with Modi) slogans.

However, the Congress workers were intercepted by the Delhi police on the Tughlaq road while they were marching towards the minister’s residence. Some of them were detained and sent to Mandir Marg police station.

The Congress’ protest comes at a time when several reports have suggested that India has already managed to bring almost 9000 students out of Ukraine while a considerable number are now in safer areas. “We will continue to make utmost efforts to ensure the return our citizens stranded in Ukraine,” a sources has been quoted by various media houses as saying.

Moreover, until March 1, 2022, over 2200 Indian national have safey been brought back to India from the war-torn Ukraine.

It may be noted that only today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also reiterated that India is doing everything it takes to assure the safety of its people stuck in Ukraine. “We will not rest till our fellow Indians are safe. Ninth #OperationGanga flight departs Bucharest for New Delhi with 218 Indian nationals,” Tweeted the EAM.

Operation Ganga: Four Union Ministers to fly to neighbouring nations of Ukraine to coordinate evacuation of Indian students

At a media briefing on Monday, February 28, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that Union minister Hardeep Puri will travel to Hungary, Jyotiraditya Scindia will monitor the evacuation process in Romania and Moldova, Kiren Rijiju will visit Slovakia, and Gen. (retd) V K Singh will travel to Poland. “The special envoys will go to these countries to basically coordinate and oversee the evacuation process there on the ground,” he said. Bagchi said the “situation on the ground in terms of evacuation continues to be complex and fluid. Nevertheless, we have been able to accelerate our evaluation process clearly over the last 24 hour,” said Bagchi.

Government to rope in Air Force for Ukraine evacuation efforts

It may be noted that the government of India has decided to engage the Indian Air Force (IAF) as well as commercial flights to help nearly 20,000 Indian students, most studying medicine, who have been stuck in Ukraine.

The Indian government has started an evacuation operation named ‘Operation Ganga’ for the stranded Indian students. Several special flights have been running from Poland, Romania, and Hungary to bring the students home.

It must be mentioned that the Ukrainian airspace was closed for civilian aircraft from Thursday (February 24) morning onwards. As such, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had to coordinate with the embassies of neighbouring countries in Poland, Romania and Hungary for the creation of safe evacuation channels.

Under ‘Operation Ganga’, Indians were first taken in batches from Ukraine to bordering countries (currently Hungary and Romania) via buses/commute arranged by the embassy. They were then airlifted to Delhi or Mumbai through chartered Air India flights.

On Tuesday, March 1, an Air India Express flight carrying 182 Indian nationals evacuated from war-torn Ukraine landed in Mumbai from the Romanian capital Bucharest on Tuesday morning, an airline spokesperson said. Union MSME minister Narayan Rane received them at the Mumbai airport. This was the 7th flight carrying strandsed Indian back home from Ukraine.

Notably, until Monday, February 28, 2022, under Operation Ganga, a total of six evacuation flights had landed in India with 1396 nationals who were stranded in war-torn Ukraine after the Russian military offensive. It must be mentioned that prior to the closure of the Ukrainian airspace, Air India had evacuated 240 people from Boryspil International Airport in Kyiv on Tuesday (February 22). This had put the total number of Indian evacuees until Feb 28 at 1636.

Today, another 182 Indian nationals reached Mumbai from war-torn Ukraine. The 8th and the 9th flights, carrying 216 and 218 Indians respectively are on their way back home, taking the total count of Indian evacuees until March 1 to 2252.

Moreover, more than 9000 have been brought out of the war-hit Ukraine and several others have been shifted to safer places.

Ateeq Shariff, admin of Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ booked for posting derogatory remarks against HC judge hearing hijab case

OpIndia Staff
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Ateeq Shariff, admin of Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ booked for posting derogatory remarks against HC judge hearing hijab case

On Tuesday, the Cyber Crime Division of the Bengaluru South division registered a case against Ateeq Shariff, the administrator of a Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’ for posting derogatory messages against one of the three judges of the Karnataka High Court hearing the hijab case.

The case has been registered against Shariff and another associate for posting derogatory content on February 12 against one of the judges questioning his credentials and integrity. The case was registered by the Cyber Crime Division on its own.

According to the reports, the Police has said that the persons who have liked the post may also face penal action. The three-judge bench specially constituted to hear the hijab case comprises Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justice J M Khazi and Justice Krishna S Dixit.

The case is similar to the one in which Kannada actor Chetan Kumar Ahimsa had targeted Justice Krishna Dixit questioning his clarity. Taking to Twitter handle, Ahimsa on February 6 had retweeted his June 2020 post with a fresh comment on Justice Krishna Dixit.

“This is a tweet I wrote nearly two years ago regarding a Karnataka High Court decision. Justice Krishna Dixit made such disturbing comments in a rape case. Now, this same judge is determining whether #hijabs are acceptable or not in govt schools. Does he have the clarity required?”, his post read. The actor was arrested by the police and booked under 505(2) and 504 of the IPC.

Meanwhile, this is not the first case that has been registered against the Facebook page ‘Mangalore Muslims’. Earlier on February 23, the Mangaluru police had registered an FIR against admins for inciting hatred and violence by posting derogatory content about the 26-year-old Bajrang Dal leader Harsha. The Hindu leader was stabbed to death by Muslims on the streets of Karnataka’s Shivamogga.

The Facebook page had posted content defending Harsha’s murder and referred to him as a street dog. The page had claimed that Harsha was murdered for allegedly abusing Prophet Mohammed in the year 2015. It had also added that whoever insults the Prophet will meet the same fate.

Mangalore Muslims page has been accused of repeatedly posting provocative posts against Hindutva outfits and Hindu political leaders to spread hatred between Hindus and Muslims and provoke to indulge in violence.

The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum in the first week of January after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijab. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.

The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.

The controversy spiralled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks, protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts as incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state. The order of the hijab case is still pending in the High Court.

Quint Digital Media Limited to now have Adani Group as a minority stakeholder

OpIndia Staff
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Quint Digital Media Limited to now have Adani Group as a minority stakeholder

Gautam Adani’s Adani Group has decided to acquire a minority stake in Quintillion Business Media Pvt Ltd. The Billionaire tycoon is all set to invest in Raghav Bahl-led leading digital business news platform in India.

India’s only digital-based news platform to be listed on the stock exchange, Quint Digital Media Limited is now looking forward to having the Adani Group as an investor. On Tuesday, Quint said that it has entered into a binding term sheet with the Adani Group via its media subsidiary, Adani Media Ventures (AMV). However, the proposed transaction is only for Quintillian Business Media (QBM) and does not include other platforms like The Quint, Quintype Technologies, The News Minute and Youth ki Awaaz owned by Quint Digital.

Sanjay Pugalia, CEO, Adani Media Ventures Limited said, “I have had the privilege of working with QBM’s talented, credible and diverse team. This relationship between AMV and QBM marks a strong beginning of Adani Group’s foray into Indian media.”

Commenting on the new path charted by his company, Pugalia said, “Adani Media Ventures intends to lead the path for new age media across different platforms. The adoption of technology and the increased ability of our nation to consume information has dramatically transformed the way media is expected to disseminate authentic information. This is exactly what Adani Media Ventures aims to do.”

The CEO of QBM Anil Uniyal said, “We are delighted to welcome the Adani Group as an investor in QBM. Given the proven execution record of the Adani group, their support to fulfil the ambitions of QBM will lay the foundation for accelerating the growth of the business and scale of QBM’s high-quality content for the Indian audiences”

QBM is a business and financial news company that covers content based on the Indian economy, international finance, corporate law & governance and business news, amongst others through its platform Bloomberg Quint. It is learnt that the Adani Group is set to close the transaction after completing customary due diligence and definitive documents. Earlier in November 2021, Quint Digital had announced the acquisition of a 100% stake in Quintillion Business Media.

‘Zelenskyy regime using civilians as human shields against advancing Russian troops’: ASEAN Centre expert at MGIMO University

OpIndia Staff
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‘Zelenskyy regime using civilians as human shields against advancing Russian troops’: ASEAN Centre expert at MGIMO University

Dr Victor Sumsky, a leading expert at the ASEAN Centre in Moscow State Institute of International Relations(MGIMO) University in Russia, has alleged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s regime is using civilians as human shields to prevent the forward movement of the advancing Russian army.

The remarks were made by Dr Sumsky on Times Now, where he accused the Zelenskyy regime of unleashing a propaganda offensive to paint Russia as a villain and hinder the pace of progressing Russian troops.

When asked about reports stating that the Russian army has been attacking civilians in Ukraine, Sumsky rejected them, saying that it was a part of the Zelenskyy government’s effort to tarnish the reputation of Russia by disseminating misleading information. “Zelenskyy has made it a point to use civilians as human shields against advancing Russian troops. These are tactics used by terrorists across the world,” Victor Sumsky said.

It is worth noting that Zelenskyy has said that his government will provide weapons to anyone who wants to fight and has asked people to be ready to support Ukraine in city squares. In the wake of the invasion, Zelenskyy had tweeted that the Ukrainian government will provide arms and ammunition to civilians willing to fight against the Russian forces. Zelenskyy had also stated that his government will lift sanctions against any citizens who take up arms in defence of the country as part of the territorial defence.

Earlier today, an Indian student became a casualty of the ongoing crisis in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, following heavy shelling from Russian forces.

“With profound sorrow, we confirm that an Indian student lost his life in shelling in Kharkiv this morning. The Ministry is in touch with his family. We convey our deepest condolences to the family,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

Nearly 20,000 Indian students, most studying medicine, have been stuck in Ukraine. The Indian government has started an evacuation operation named ‘Operation Ganga’ for the stranded Indian students. Several special flights have been running from Poland, Romania, and Hungary to bring the students home.

Russia launches ‘military operations’ against Ukraine

On Thursday (February 24), Russian President Vladimir Putin announced limited military operations against Ukraine. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the special operation to be conducted in East Ukraine.

Putin had added explicitly that Moscow did not plan on occupying Ukraine. He said the military action he announced would seek to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine and came in response to threats from Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s border guard agency, the Russian military entered the country from neighbouring Belarus. The Russian forces crossed Belarus to enter Ukraine from the North, said Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Northern border forces in Ukraine have come under attack by Russian troops.

Poland steps up to help Indian students fleeing Ukraine: Here is how decades ago, an Indian Maharaja had sheltered Polish children during WWII

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Poland steps up to help Indian students fleeing Ukraine: Here is how decades ago, an Indian Maharaja had sheltered Polish children during WWII

In 1941, When World War II broke out, a large number of Polish people were packed and drawn as labour in Soviet Russia after the Red Army invaded Poland. When Germany attacked USSR and the British recognised Poland as a nation, some Polish refugees in Soviet Russia successfully fled to many parts of the world freeing from the Russian operation. During a long journey of thousands of kilometres in the warmer areas of the global south, many Polish children were left undernourished and dehydrated, while many of them lost their lives.

After being refused by many landlocked countries over the shelter, a flock of over a thousand children arrived in India through the passage of Iran and Afghanistan. This time too they were denied permission in Bombay by the then British Governor. Realising the brevity of the situation, The Polish Consulate in Bombay launched a public awareness campaign in India about the plight of Jewish refugees in Europe and started to work behind the scenes to arrange for these Polish orphans from Siberia to travel to India. A ray of rope came from the princely state of Nawnagar from where the Maharaja had heard the plight of Polish refugees. His conviction to help the refugees from Poland was such that he fought with the British Government and pressured them to allow him to grant refuge to the Polich children.

It was Maharaja Digvijaysinghji Ranjitsinghji Jadeja, a newly knighted ruler from the small state of Nawanagar in Gujarat who opened his doors and his heart to the unsettled Polish people. Soon arrangments were made for the refugees to board a ship that was landed in the Rosi port in his province. The flock of around a thousand Polish orphans between 2 to 17 years of age entered Navnagar and a camp for them was established at Balachadi. To many of the children who lost their parents in the World War, this Maharaja from Gujarat became their ‘Bapu’.

“You may have not have your parents, but I am your father now,” Maharaja Jadeja said while welcoming his new guests to his state. Soon, efforts were made to take care of their bare necessities and the Maharaja went ahead to take care that their Polish sensibilities were being preserved. When a group of children complained about the spicy Indian food which they were not accustomed to, Maharaja hired seven Polish chefs to cook for the children. Permanent dormitories were constructed for the children wherein they enjoyed their own space, food and medical care.

The Maharaja of Jamnagar with his adopted Polish children in Nawnagar. Image Credits: Wiki Commons

When Maharaja Digvijaysinghji realised that the education of these children had taken a toll with their exodus, Polish teachers at the camp taught the children in their native language. It is learnt that ‘Jam Sahib’ as he was affectionately called, transformed a large guest house at Balachadi into a full-blown school with benches and tables. While the efforts of Digvijaysinghji are a true epitome of the ancient Indian saying ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (World is a one-family), he paved was for a ‘little-Poland’ in Balachadi upon which a documentary film produced by the Polish embassy in India has been made by the same name.

Today, the legacy of Maharaja Jadeja is resonating on the brink of the Russia-Ukraine tussle, which is touted to be the prelude to a probable world war. When Indian students were stuck in crisis-hit Ukraine, the Polish administration allowed Indian nationals to enter their territory who were fleeing from war-torn Ukraine. While India has launched Operation Ganga to rescue Indian students from the neighbouring countries of Ukraine, visuals of Indians being taken care of by the Polish administration made their way to the media.

Much like the erstwhile Maharaja, this time, Indian children found their way in dormitories opened by Poland. Basic necessities like food, water and medicines were provided by the Polish administration for students. The embassy of Poland in India announced that Indian students are in safe hands until rescue operations are completed to the fullest.

Today, the humanitarian underpinnings of the relationship between in India and Poland are underlined by a quote by Mark Twain – “that History doesn’t repeat itself, but It often rhymes” When once interviewed by a Polish magazine, Jam Sahib said, “Maybe there, in the beautiful hills beside the seashore, the children will be able to recover their health and to forget the ordeal they went through. I sympathise with the Polish nation and its relentless struggle against oppression.”  

Skwer Dobrego Maharadzy or Square of the Good Maharaja in Warsaw, Poland

Poland has also announced that Indian students in Ukraine can cross the border into Poland without any visa and they will be helped.

Poland to this day is grateful to the Maharaja for his gesture. In Warsaw’s Ochota, a park goes with an unusual name, “Skwer Dobrego Maharadzy” which means Square of the Good Maharaja. They say geopolitical interests are always strategic, but it is often values and principles upheld in difficult times like these which pay the way for brotherhood among nations for years to come.

Naveen died in shelling, efforts to bring mortal remains initiated by Karnataka CM: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Naveen died in shelling, efforts to bring mortal remains initiated by Karnataka CM: Reports

The Indian student Naveen who lost his life on March 1 in Kharkiv, Ukraine, was out of the shelter to buy something from a nearby store. News agency ANI quoted Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Karnataka SDMA, saying, “We have confirmed from MEA the unfortunate demise of Naveen Shekharappa in Ukraine. He was from Chalageri, Haveri. He had left for a nearby store to buy something. Later his friend got a call from a local official that he (Naveen) has died.”

Visuals show massive blast resulting in Naveen’s death

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, TV9, shared the visuals of the blast that claimed Naveen’s life. According to the TV9 report, Naveen was standing in a line for food outside Governor’s house city hall. A Russian individual grabbed the phone found near the body and took it to Indians, which helped identify Naveen. The mortal remains have been shifted to the local morgue. Around 3000-4000 Indian students are stuck in Kharkiv.

Karnataka CM initiated efforts to bring back Naveen’s mortal remains

As per ANI, Karnataka Chief Minister Bommai has initiated efforts to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen at the earliest. Karnataka CMO officials said, “Naveen Shekharappa, a Haveri district student died in Ukraine. CM Bommai spoke with his father. All efforts will be made to bring back Naveen’s body to India. The CM said that the matter is being negotiated with foreign ministry officials.”

YouTube blocks Russian channels RT and Sputnik in Europe for promoting ‘Kremlin based agenda’ amid ongoing war in Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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YouTube blocks Russian channels RT and Sputnik in Europe for promoting ‘Kremlin based agenda’ amid ongoing war in Ukraine

In the midst of the ongoing war in Ukraine, YouTube has blocked the channels connected to Russian state-backed media outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik across Europe effective immediately. The two channels have been called out of spreading misinformation and Kremlin based agenda calling Russian invasion as a ‘special operation’.

YouTube in its statement said that the company was observing the situation in Ukraine very closely. “It’ll take time for the systems to fully ramp up. Our teams continue to monitor the situation around the clock to take swift action,” the company operated by Alphabet Inc’s Google, said on Tuesday.

This is a day after the European Union took an unprecedented step and announced that it would ban Kremlin based media outlets named Russia Today and Sputnik. “The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin’s war and to sow division in our Union. So we are developing tools to ban their toxic and harmful disinformation in Europe,” said the EU’s president, Ursula von der Leyen in a statement.

European Commissioner in Charge of Internal Market Thierry Breton and the values and transparency commissioner, Vera Jourova spoke to the CEOs of Google and YouTube urging them to step up efforts against Russian propaganda. Russia Today has 4.66 million subscribers while Sputnik has 322k subscribers on YouTube.

Earlier the day, social media platforms like Facebook, Tiktok and Microsoft also exercised ban on the two outlets. Nick Clegg, Vice President of Global Affairs at Facebook parent Meta said that the company had received requests from various governments and the EU to take further steps in relation to Russian state-controlled media. “Given the exceptional nature of the current situation, we will be restricting access to RT and Sputnik across the EU at this time”, Clegg said.

Meanwhile, Microsoft dropped RT’s news apps from its smartphone app store and announced that it would not display any RT or Sputnik content on its Microsoft Start news feed and MSN.com. It further has pushed the sites down in Bing search results.

On February 26, the micro-blogging site Twitter had also paused advertisements in Ukraine and Russia to ensure critical public safety. It had also paused certain tweet recommendations for people in war-torn Ukraine and Russia to prevent the dissemination of abusive content.

It is pertinent to note that Russia Today and Sputnik have followers of millions on social media platforms. According to the reports, the two media outlets have made attempts to justify Russia’s decision of invading Ukraine. They have framed Russia’s invasion as a response to Ukrainian aggression and called it as a ‘special operation’.

On February 24, Russia launched attacks on Ukraine from the neighbouring country Belarus. The Russian forces crossed Belarus to enter Ukraine from the North and crashed attacks on border units, border patrols, and checkpoints using artillery, heavy equipment, and small arms.

Arms found hidden in a closed house, 2 hand grenades, 22-25 used cartridges recovered by Gurugram police, investigation on

OpIndia Staff
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Arms found hidden in a closed house, 2 hand grenades, 22-25 used cartridges recovered by Gurugram police, investigation on

On Tuesday, March 1, top police officers and armed personnel conducted a search operation following intelligence that a huge cache of illegal arms and ammunition were stashed in an abandoned building near a CNG petrol pump in Gurugram Sector 31, where three people were hacked to death a day earlier. The search was conducted based on a tip-off received at around 9.45 am on Tuesday.

According to reports, two hand grenades, 17 training bombs and around 22 to 25 used cartridges were reportedly recovered from the abandoned house in Sector-31 of Gurugram. Senior officials at the spot said that the grenades were neutralised at about 1.30 pm.

“We are yet to find out where these grenades were transported from and how they ended up in the house. We will contact the ordnance factory regarding the details of hand grenades,” said Rajeev Deswal, deputy commissioner of police (crime).

The Gurugram police acted in the early hours of Tuesday after receiving information through a Tweet that a large stockpile of weapons was lying in a residence in Sector 31. After receiving the information, the NSG team was informed about the same. Within no time, senior police officers, including DCP (East), DCP (Crime), officials from the Crime Branch and Sector 40 police station reached the spot and surrounded the abandoned residence from all sides. Bomb Disposal Squad and the Dog Squad was called in.

Virender Vij, DCP Gurugram (East), said, “We had received information about the presence of ammunition in an unoccupied house in Sector 31. The bomb disposal squad and several police teams have launched an operation. The bomb disposal squad is following protocol and only after their probe is complete, we will be able to ascertain any details. We are checking with HUDA officials about the ownership of the house.”

Meanwhile, security around the area has been tightened. The Gurugram police have cordoned off the area and told residents in the neighbourhood to vacate their homes. The road leading to the house has also been closed to traffic. Investigators stated that they are reviewing the area’s CCTV footage and questioning residents.

The house is reportedly just a few metres away from a CNG pump whose three employees were hacked to death using sharp weapons in the early hours of Monday. The deceased were identified as Bhupendra, Pushpendra and Naresh, all natives of Uttar Pradesh.

According to the preliminary investigation, the accused had cut off the power to the petrol station, rendering 14 CCTV cameras inoperable. According to police, at least Rs 10 lakh in cash was left untouched in a safe in the room where the murders took place, implying that personal animosity was the motive.

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