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IAF inquiry rules out failure or sabotage, blames weather for helicopter crash killing CDS General Rawat

OpIndia Staff
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IAF inquiry rules out failure or sabotage, blames weather for helicopter crash killing CDS General Rawat

The study of the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder in the investigation of the December 8 tragedy that killed many others, including the country’s first Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, has been completed.

In its preliminary inquiry, the Court of Inquiry of the three agencies examined these tapes. It has been determined that the accident was caused by a mechanical malfunction, damage, or negligence. This information was provided by the Indian Air Force on Friday.

According to the Air Force, the accident occurred as a consequence of a rapid change in weather, which caused clouds to shift. As the helicopter flew into the clouds, the pilot became disoriented about his flight path. The Court of Inquiry has also made several suggestions based on the facts discovered in the inquiry, which are presently being examined.

General Rawat, the country’s first CDS, his wife Madhulika, and 12 armed forces members died in a helicopter crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, prompting the establishment of the Court of Inquiry.

“The Court of Inquiry has ruled out mechanical failure, sabotage, or negligence as a cause of the accident. The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley.” the Indian Air Force said on Friday. “It led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in Controlled Flight into Terrain or CFIT.” It added.

The Air Force’s Mi-17 helicopter was involved in a mishap in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on December 8 of last year. This disaster killed CDS General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 other army officers.

While 13 of the 14 people on board died in the crash, Group Captain Varun Singh died a week later from his afflictions. General Bipin Rawat, as Chief of Defense Staff, was tasked with improving the country’s three armies’ ability to operate together. He also had a significant influence on the modernization of the army’s three wings.

Hamid Ansari’s nephew Mukhtar Ansari, who once terrorized Purvanchal, now fears for his own life: How his empire of crime was shattered by Yogi govt

OpIndia Staff
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Hamid Ansari’s nephew Mukhtar Ansari, who once terrorized Purvanchal, now fears for his own life: How his empire of crime was shattered by Yogi govt

Mukhtar Ansari had become a synonym for terror not only in Purvanchal but in entire Uttar Pradesh. People all over North India now recognize him by his name, but now the reason for this is not the terror his name used to inspire. Since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the multi-crore empire of crime seems to be crumbling and how.

Before we talk about what happened to this mafia of Purvanchal, especially after Yogi became the CM of UP, let us first know how he built an empire of hundreds of crores by murder and ransom. He is the grandson of Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, who was the President of ‘Indian National Congress (INC)’ in 1927. His brother Afzal Ansari is an MP from Ghazipur. Another Ansari – called Sibkatullah Ansari – has also been an MLA. Hamid Ansari, who was the Vice President of India for a decade, comes from this family.

How Mukhtar Ansari created an empire of crime in Purvanchal

In backward areas like Purvanchal, the situation in the 70s was that more than many criminal gangs and mafia were ready to capture every project of the government. The era of shedding blood for government contracts had begun. There are 16 cases registered against this mafia who became MLA from Mau for the 5th time. The crimes enlisted in these cases are murder, attempt to murder, armed riots, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, fraud for property expropriation, interference with public affairs, and willful attack to injure someone.

There was a time when more than 30 criminal cases were registered against this gangster. The most important of these is the incident of the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. It was 29 November 2005, which is still called ‘Black Day’ by the people of Ghazipur. Krishnanand Rai was the MLA from Muhammadabad. He was also close to Manoj Sinha, who was a minister in the previous central government for 5 years. The same Manoj Sinha, defeating whom from Ghazipur, Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari, became MP.

The killers, fearless of the UP state government, fired 400 rounds of bullets. During the postmortem after the incident, 67 bullets were removed from the bodies of the dead. After getting shot by such a large number of bullets, hardly anyone is left alive, that too when these bullets are fired by AK-47. Hanuman Pandey alias Rakesh Pandey who had executed this shooting was killed in an STF encounter during Yogi Adityanath’s reign. He, at the behest of Mukhtar Ansari, had killed BJP MLA Krishnanandan Rai who had come to inaugurate a cricket match at Sonadi village in the Karimuddin area, on November 29, 2005.

Mukhtar Ansari was first elected as MLA on the BSP ticket. He has won the last three elections sitting in jail. This is the effect of fear and polarization of Muslims in his area for him. In the 80s, he was involved in a gang war with another mafia Brijesh Singh. He had established his presence till Mau, Jaunpur, Ballia, and Varanasi. He pushed many youths from this area into the world of crime. In those years, the area was infamous for the cultivation of opium. His ancestral residence ‘Barka Phatak’ (literally meaning ‘Big Gate’) in Yusufpur of Ghazipur was once the hub of politics of 4 districts.

In 2009, Mukhtar Ansari had a total of 48 FIRs were registered against him. His name also appeared in the contractor Ajay Prakash Singh’s murder case in Mau. The witness of this murder crime was also murdered. Similarly, the witness of the Krishnanand Rai murder case also died under suspicious circumstances. Mukhtar Ansari is from a rich family and his father used to be a communist leader. Mukhtar Ansari’s brother Afzal Ansari is also a 5-time MLA and a 2-time MP. Mukhtar Ansari was once expelled from BSP by Mayawati.

Mukhtar Ansari was afraid even to step into Uttar Pradesh in Yogi government

Mukhtar Ansari, who was in jail in Punjab, was afraid to come to Uttar Pradesh because he feared getting killed in a police encounter. When he was going to be transferred from a jail in Punjab to jail in UP, at that time, he did not eat or drink anything on the way and his face was swollen with fear. The Congress government of Punjab had tried hard to save him. The matter reached the court. Eventually, the Yogi government succeeded in shifting him to a jail in Banda.

Then in a letter to Priyanka Gandhi, late MLA Krishnanand Rai’s wife Alka Rai had said, “I have to say with sorrow that under your leadership the government of Punjab and Rajasthan has given the status of state guest to the killer of my husband and the notorious criminal Mukhtar Ansari and his son Abbas Ansari. The proof of this is the photographs published in the newspaper, from which it is clear that under the government’s patronage, the Rajasthan government got Mukhtar’s son married.”

Now know how Mukhtar Ansari’s property worth hundreds of crores has not only been sealed and auctioned under the Yogi government but many of his shops and properties have also been demolished by bulldozers. His assets worth about Rs 300 crore have been either confiscated or razed off. More than 100 criminals of his gang are in jail now. In addition, about 75 arms licenses have also been cancelled. Afzal Ansari now talks about the threat to the family from the Yogi government.

Recently, 17 shops built on the ground floor of Ghazal Hotel of Ghazipur were confiscated. This was located in Mahuabagh and belonged to Mukhtar Ansari’s wife Afsha Ansari. Prior to that 0.091 hectares of land was freed from the possession of one of his close associates. Earlier, coal mafia close to Ansari and owner of Tridev Construction, Umesh Singh’s four-story house built in Bhiti at a cost of Rs 10 crore, was bulldozed. Mukhtar Ansari’s sharpshooter Ali Sher was killed.

Mukhtar Ansari, who once inspired fear in the hearts of people, is now afraid himself. So much so that before being brought to UP, he had expressed the possibility of his murder during the virtual appearance in the court. He feared being killed by poisoning the food. His assets near assembly, worth crores, were confiscated. His henchman Shakeel Haider was arrested for debunking a Rs 66 crore loan. Property worth about Rs 2 crore 18 lakh was confiscated in August 2021.

Property worth Rs 53 lakh of his close friend Nanhe Khan was seized. The police also arrested him. Two of Mukhtar Ansari’s henchmen Meraj and Mukeem were murdered inside the jail. While shifting from Punjab to UP, he was so much frightened that from eyes to the throat, he used to tell the court new diseases every day. Efforts to cancel his assembly membership also started. Afraid of coming to UP, he started eating food only once a day. He was in a wheelchair.

Also, know how the officials who took action against Mukhtar Ansari were intimidated during the SP-BSP regime. In January 2004, Shailendra Kumar Singh was the Deputy SP in charge of the Varanasi unit of UP STF. He had recovered LMG from Mukhtar Ansari’s hideout, after which he was tortured by the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government. He had to resign. FIR was lodged against him. When he went to jail, Yogi Adityanath had called his family and said, “I will do justice, when I will come to the power.” Fake cases registered against him were canceled by the Yogi government.

The judiciary has also ordered to seize the passports of Mukhtar Ansari’s wife and sons. Yogi government removed two IAS officers who benefited his family. Mohammad Azam, a close associate to MLA Mukhtar Ansari, himself demolished his illegal construction. Ansari gang’s Meraj and Isa Khan’s illegal buildings in Mau costing 20 crores were bulldozed. Several cases are registered against Mukhtar Ansari’s wife. She started writing a letter to the President seeking protection.

Similarly, UP Police also bulldozed the property of Azam, a close associate to Mukhtar Ansari. Azam had built an illegal hospital on the banks of the Ganges for ₹ 70Cr. Ansari’s Ghazal Hotel called ‘Mukhtar Ansari’s Taj Mahal’ in Ghazipur was demolished. FIR was lodged against Afzal Ansari’s wife Farhat for encroachment of the property. Property worth Rs 39 lakh was seized from his gang’s Rajneesh Singh. His vehicles worth 4.5 crores were seized. His sons were declared criminals.

10th century Yogini idol repatriated to India from the UK, 40 years after it was stolen from a temple in Uttar Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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10th century Yogini idol repatriated to India from the UK, 40 years after it was stolen from a temple in Uttar Pradesh

On Friday, on the occasion of Makar Sankranti, the High Commission of India in London recovered an ancient Indian idol of a goat-headed goddess that had gone missing from a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Lokhari village 40 years ago. The goat-headed Yogini idol was handed over to the Archaeological Survey of India yesterday by Indian envoy to United Kingdom Gaitri Issar Kumar.

The official statement by the High Commission of India revealed that the statue had been illegally removed 40 years ago from a temple in Lokhari and was discovered in a garden of a private residence in London. It also added that the statue is part of a larger collection of Yogini figures that went missing from Lokhari between about 1978 and 1982.

According to the reports, stolen art recovery expert Christopher Marinello in October 2021 came across the idol when a widow in the UK requested help to sell the contents of her home, including the Yogini figure. Marinello, the founder of Art Recovery International, a company that specializes in recovering looted and missing works of art, later informed about it to the India Pride Project who assisted the High Commission of India in recovering the idol.

Vijay Kumar, the co-founder of the India Pride Project, identified the sculpture while the Commission processed the requisite documentation with local and Indian authorities. The India Pride Project is Singapore based NGO which is dedicated to recovering looted cultural objects across India.

According to the statement, the Yogini figures were studied by Indian scholar Vijay Daheja on behalf of the National Museum in Delhi. In 1986, the study was then published as a book named ‘Yogini Cult and Temples: A Tantrak Tradition’. The High Commission also referred to this study to reconfirm the identity of the sculpture, the statement suggested.

“Yoginis are a group of powerful female divinities, associated with the Tantric mode of worship. They are worshipped as a group, often 64 and are believed to possess infinite powers”, noted the Commission who has handed over the idol to the Archaeological Survey of India in New Delhi.

The sculpture was spotted at the art market in London for a brief time in 1988, as it was listed for sale in a Sotheby’s catalogue with an auction value of up to $19,849 (£15,000).

New Jersey Police arrests Mohamed Hassanain in hate crime against Sikh taxi driver, Sikh Coalition thanks police for swift action

OpIndia Staff
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New Jersey Police arrests Mohamed Hassanain in hate crime against Sikh taxi driver, Sikh Coalition thanks police for swift action

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department has arrested one Mohamed Hassanain in the hate crime case where he had assaulted an Indian-origin Sikh taxi driver at John F. Kennedy International Airport on January 3. According to Sikh Coalition, the accused is also a taxi driver.

A video of the incident had gone viral where accused Hassanain is seen shouting at the victim “go back to your country”, and “turbaned people” in a derogatory manner. Hassanain had further punched and shoved the Sikh driver and ripped off his turban.

Hassanain has been charged with assault in the third degree as a hate crime, assault in the third degree, and aggravated harassment in the second degree. Accused Hassanain is set to be arraigned on January 15 by the competent court.

Sikh Coalition, that calls itself a community-based civil and human rights organisation thanked police for the quick action.

“We are grateful to the Port Authority Police Department and Queens District Attorney’s Office for their prompt action on this case, and for recognizing that the attack on Mr Singh included clear anti-Sikh bias,” said Amrith Kaur Aakre, the Legal Director of the Sikh Coalition.

“This case underscores the importance of sharing all of the details of these kinds of attacks with law enforcement. Holding perpetrators accountable for both their actions and their hateful motivations is the clearest way to show that bigotry, and the violence that it fuels, have no place in our communities”, she said further.

She said that taxi and rideshare drivers from the Sikh community are at a heightened risk of hateful assault. In recent years, the Sikh Coalition has provided free legal aid to many Sikh drivers who were attacked in various places across the USA.

The incident left people shocked and angered as the Sikh driver was assaulted and abused without any provocation.

The victim had parked his taxi at the Terminal 4 taxi stand and in the meantime accused blocked his vehicle. When he picked up a customer, he stepped out of his car and asked Hassanain to move. On this Hassanain attempted to hit him with his own car door and later on started punching the victim in the head, chest, and arms, knocking off his turban.

The victim said that he was shocked and angered when he was assaulted for doing nothing. “I am thankful for law enforcement, the Sikh Coalition, and all those in the community who have offered their strength in this difficult time. No one should experience what I did–but if they do, I hope they receive the same overwhelming amount of support and quick, professional action by the authorities in response”, the driver said.

Mumbai court denies interim relief in defamation case filed by Salman Khan against neighbour in 2018: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai court denies interim relief in defamation case filed by Salman Khan against neighbour in 2018: Here is what happened

A Mumbai civil court has declined to issue a temporary restraining order in favour of Salman Khan in a defamation lawsuit he has filed against his neighbour. Salman was accused by one of his neighbours in a YouTube video in 2018 of refusing to allow them to build a house next to his Pavel farmhouse, despite the fact that they (the neighbour) owned the property, and Salman responded by filing a defamation suit against the neighbour.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan filed a defamation action against Ketan Kakkad, a resident of Malad, Mumbai, who owns a site adjacent to Salman’s farmhouse in Panvel. Ketan accused Salman of denying him access to construct a bungalow on his own site, which he acquired in 1996. According to Salman, Kakkad defamed him during an interview with a YouTuber. The couple also gave an interview to ABP news with the same allegations.

The Kakkads said that Salman had installed a barrier near the farm home, preventing them from entering their property. Despite owning the land, they are unable to obtain basic necessities such as electricity and material for construction.

Following the allegations made by his neighbour Ketan Kakkad and his wife Anita Kakkad, Salman Khan filed a defamation suit against them. He also filed a lawsuit against two other individuals who were present during the interview. In addition to the defamation claim, Salman filed an injunction in court against the defamatory information made by Kakkads. Social media firms such as Google, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook were also made a party to the case. As reports suggest, the actor wants these sites to delete and block slanderous information about him from their websites.

As per India Today, the injunction plea requests that the court should restrain them by a temporary order and injunction “from directly or indirectly loading/uploading, posting, re-posting, tweeting, retweeting, giving interviews, corresponding, communicating, hosting, printing, publishing, issuing, disseminating, circulating, any further or other defamatory content and/or derogatory remarks or making any further or other defamatory content, malicious or scandalous statements, posts, messages, tweets, videos, interviews, communications and correspondence in relation to Khan and/or his Panvel Farmhouse on social media platforms, including but not limited to the ones, run and operated by Defendant Nos. 5 to 12 (social media companies) or otherwise in any manner including on any other medium/mode whatsoever either directly and/or indirectly in any manner whatsoever.”

As India Today reported, the action was heard at the city civil court on 14 January before Judge Anil H Laddhad. Khan’s attorneys emphasised the importance of granting the injunction. However, counsel for the Kakkad family quickly rejected the plea, revealing that they were unaware of the whole complaint because they just received the files on the case on January 13th, late at night. The lawyers then requested Judge Laddhad for more time so that they could await Kakkad’s response to the lawsuit.

After hearing this, Judge Laddhad agreed to allow Kakkad’s lawyers some time to write a response on their side. The hearing in the case has been adjourned until January 21.

Salman’s controversies are not new. When Salman Khan and a couple of his co-stars were in Jodhpur for the filming of a film scheduled at the site 23 years ago, they went on a safari. Salman Khan had shot a blackbuck at the time. Also, Salman Khan’s car ploughed over five persons sleeping on a Street in Mumbai in 2002, killing one and wounding four others.

Denied ticket as couldn’t pay bribe to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s secretary: UP Mahila Congress leader after accusing party of being anti-women

OpIndia Staff
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Denied ticket as couldn’t pay bribe to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s secretary: UP Mahila Congress leader after accusing party of being anti-women

Dr Priyanka Maurya, the state vice-president of Mahila Congress, Uttar Pradesh since 2019 and the face of the party’s women’s manifesto “Shakti Vidhan,” has been levelling serious allegations against her own party. After accusing her own party of being anti-women and anti-OBC, she has now alleged that the party’s ticket distribution in the state was rigged and she was denied an election ticket by Congress as she refused to pay a bribe for the same.

Maurya stated in a tweet that she was denied a ticket because she is an OBC girl who could not afford to bribe Priyanka Gandhi’s secretary, Sandeep Singh. She also claimed that she received a call from an unknown person who demanded money in exchange for a ticket, which she denied.

It may be recalled that in November last year, Sandeep Singh, Priyanka’s personal secretary, two other Congress leaders named Yogesh Kumar Dixit and Shiv Pandey were booked by Lucknow’s Hussainganj Police for intimidation and assault.

Congress is anti-women, anti-OBC: UP Mahila Congress leader

Yesterday, OpIndia reported how Priyanka Maurya, in her conversation with TV9 Bharatvarsh called Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s election campaign- ‘Ladki hoon, Lad Sakti hoon’ a sham. She said it was a “lollipop” that was given to her by her party which she said, in reality, is anti-women and anti-OBC.

The state VP added that the ticket distribution was all pre-planned and the party is actually averse to its women candidates. “We were asked to work hard for the party and we did. However, the party came out as anti-women and anti-OBC when it came to ticket distribution”.

When questioned on being the cover face of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s women’s manifesto for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls titled ‘Shakti Vidhan’, the miffed state vice-president of Mahila Congress Priyanka Maurya called it a “lollipop” given to her by the Congress party. The party has used my face to attract women and OBCs voters, but when it came to ticket distribution they chose a non-OBC candidate over me, said Priyanka Maurya.

Speaking about the marathon organised by the Congress in Bareilly, Priyanka Maurya said that they were constantly nagged by the party leaders to get the maximum number of women participants for the marathon and assured tickets based on their contributions. She said that they worked very hard but gathered as many participants, ‘but all in vain’.

She had also spoken about the widespread fraud the COngress leaders engaged in when it came to awarding promised prizes such as two-wheelers, watches, and smartphones to winning participants of the marathon in Bareilly.

Priyanka Maurya had wished to contest the UP polls from the Sarojini Nagar seat in Lucknow. However, the party allotted the seat to Rudra Daman Singh.

Women chant Modi-Yogi at Priyanka’s marathon in Uttar Pradesh, viral video shows them getting assaulted

It may be recalled that several videos had emerged from Priyanka Gandhi’s Marathon in Jhansi where a group of girls that were attending the marathon were heard raising slogans favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. It was revealed that Congress workers misbehaved with the girls that led to the chants of Modi-Yogi at the rally. 

‘I was assaulted’: Former ‘ScoopWhoop Unscripted’ anchor Samdish Bhatia speaks out about why he quit and how ScoopWhoop turned a blind eye

OpIndia Staff
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‘I was assaulted’: Former ‘ScoopWhoop Unscripted’ anchor Samdish Bhatia speaks out about why he quit and how ScoopWhoop turned a blind eye

Three months after quitting Delhi-based digital media company ScoopWhoop, journalist Samdish Bhatia spoke out about his ex-employer’s indifference to an alleged incident of assault that resulted in a traumatic experience.

On Friday (January 14), Bhatia took to Instagram to narrate his ordeal. He stated, “For over 3 months now, my loved ones have helped me deal with and get over the trauma of what led to my exit from the place that I, along with my team, so passionately built.” The face behind the ‘ScoopWhoop Unscripted’ show lamented about not being given the opportunity to bid adieu to the space where he had worked for 6 years.

In his own words, Bhatia described ScoopWhoop as “the place which eventually treated me with such utter disdain that this post is how I have to say goodbye and try and find some closure.” In his social media post, the journalist narrated that he was assaulted. “I do not wish to take names in public forums. This is not my disagreement with the policy of taking names publicly. It is simply the path that I have chosen for myself for now,” he said.

Bhatia spoke out against the indifference meted out to him by ScoopWhoop. “After the trauma of what happened came the other traumatic experience of how the organization chose to deal with it and how they continue to do so since they have made a clear choice to side with one of the senior-most people in the organisation.”

He added, “I have been infantilised, disrespected, gaslighted and till date denied my truth. There is a very big chance that they will come at me after this.” The journalist emphasised that it took him 3 months to put behind the traumatic experience, look ahead in life and open up about it to his supporters.

“The low point that I experienced after the incident was unimaginable. I refuse to go there again just to be able to articulate what I felt then. Let’s just say – I was down and out, did not want to work or face the camera anymore, did not want to exhibit any kind of energy and I did not see any hope of getting out of there. It is at this point that my one true partner stood up and took complete care of me,” Bhatia pointed out.

The man behind the ‘ScoopWhoop Unscripted’ show also lamented about the space he created at the company, besides the unfinished projects that now lie in hard disks. In October last year, Bhatia had informed about his decision to quit the company through an Instagram story. “I am no longer a part of ScoopWhoop Unscripted. I am telling the truth. Even though the resignation has not been accepted, I am out for good. This is what I want to say at this point.”

Screengrab of the Instagram story of Samdish Bhatia

Former ScoopWhoop journalist was mocked for not objecting to sexual innunedos of Kanhaiya Kumar, biased coverage of West Bengal polls

He has now started a new venture named ‘Unfiltered By Samdish’ and has enmassed 2.19 lakh subscribers already on his Youtube channel. Bhatia had recently interviewed Congress leader and former JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar during which the latter made sexual innuendos against Sonia Gandhi.

When asked about his “Khwaahish” (Desire) of meeting Sonia Gandhi, Kumar had said “Iss tarah ke sawal aap humari umar dekh ke puchiye” (You must ask such questions considering my age). “Humari khwaahish bhi utni hi jawan hai jitni ek ordinary naujawan ki iss desh mein hai” (My desire is as young as that of an ordinary youth in this country),” he had asserted.

The former ScoopWhoop journalist was mocked for his biased coverage of West Bengal polls. Popular Twitter user (@HashTagCricket) stated, “Scoopwhoop’s “unscripted” West Bengal video looks more scripted than the interview Rhea Chakraborty gave to Rajdeep Sardesai.” Another Twitter user pointed out the obnoxious analogies drawn in the video to suggest that BJP was weak and fragile in Bengal.

Samidsh Bhatia was criticised for problematic portrayal of marital rape

It must be mentioned that Samdish Bhatia came under fierce criticism from feminist groups over the ‘shocking’ and ‘satirical’ portrayal of marital rape in a video titled, ‘Delhi on Marital Rape’. An article by Feminism in India stated, “In the first 20 seconds of the video, Producer Samdish Bhatia attempts to satirise the sensational news coverage format. Bhatia also seems to be in character through the video, not objecting to or reacting with disgust to any of the egregious comments made by his subjects. He is good at interviews. But that does not defend the editing which also seems to take on that misogynistic character.”

As protests grow, Rajasthan police now say that Alwar victim, found bleeding profusely, was not abducted or raped: Details

OpIndia Staff
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As protests grow, Rajasthan police now say that Alwar victim, found bleeding profusely, was not abducted or raped: Details

A day after Rajasthan saw massive protests over the deafening silence of the senior Congress party leaders over the horrific rape of the specially-abled girl at the Tijara flyover in Alwar, Rajasthan, the state police have rushed to conclude that the minor was not raped or abducted but reached the Tijara Bridge on her own.

Superintendent of Police, Alwar, Tejaswani Gautam said, “The panel of doctors submitted a report to the police in which they have said that injuries are not suggestive of any penetrative assault… So far, facts and technical information of medical experts suggest that there is no possibility of rape in the case.”

According to Alwar Superintendent of Police Tejaswani Gautam, the girl travelled about 25 kilometres from her hometown in an auto-rickshaw to arrive in Alwar. She then “walked alone” towards the Tijara Fatak bridge.

“We have been able to track the girl’s movements and traced the auto-rickshaw in which she travelled with 8-10 other passengers. A team of forensic experts have not found anything suspicious in the auto-rickshaw. The driver was interrogated and her co-passengers will be questioned,” PTI quoted the SP as saying.

Police claimed that while CCTV footage from numerous sites showed her strolling in many areas of the city and on the bridge, no camera detected her in a disturbed state on the bridge.

Police said that after scanning footage of over 250 CCTV cameras it was found that the girl visited many areas of the city and in one video, was seen sitting on the footpath. “In one of the videos, she is seen walking towards the bridge but there is no camera on the bridge where she was found in a distressed condition,” said the Alwar SP.

Apart from the CCTV footage and the statements of the auto driver and other residents in the vicinity, police claim they have uncovered nothing odd. “Right now, an inquiry is underway to determine what happened along the bridge,” said another police officer.

Child psychologists and professionals in dealing with people with special needs, interacted with the minor to learn more about what had transpired with her. But, because she was in pain, she didn’t answer. The police are currently working on a questionnaire that will be administered by professionals. While police say that there is little possibility of rape, Dr Pramila Sharma, a surgeon at the Jaipur hospital where the girl is admitted, said the wound at the perineum “was a very extensive wound”.

BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who visited the hospital where the girl is admitted, said: “Doctors say what happened with ‘Nirbhaya’ (the 2012 Delhi gangrape victim), the barbarians have committed the same atrocity with her.” He was critical of police not being able to apprehend those behind the assault. It is pertinent to note that BJP had questioned Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for her silence as she has been vacationing at Ranthambore, Sawai Madhopur, with her husband and family even as protests have only grown.

Protests grow against Congress’ apathy towards Alwar rape incident

OpIndia reported on Friday how several people have taken to the streets of Rajasthan to protest against Congress’ apathy towards the Alwar rape incident. Videos have surfaced, where several protesters on Thursday reached outside the hotel in Rajasthan where Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi was staying for her birthday and raised slogans including ‘stop the torture against women’ and ‘who is against women- Congress party’ in Hindi.  

Amidst slogans of “Priyanka Gandhi give justice”, “hang the accused” and slogans against the ruling Congress govt in Rajasthan, a protestor told the police officer how they were forced aside from the gates as they went to meet Priyanka Gandhi with their grievances.

At Jaipur’s Statue Circle, members of the Rajasthan Association of the Deaf have also been staging a protest against the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra slammed the grand old party saying that the incident exposes the opposition party’s hypocrisy in talking about women empowerment in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Patra alleged that as soon as BJP leaders learned of the horrible incident, they raced to meet Priyanka Gandhi, but were denied access because the Congress politician was busy celebrating her birthday.

Acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal: Kerala cop, who investigated the case, calls verdict ‘shocking’, former HC judge says ‘miscarriage of justice’

OpIndia Staff
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Acquittal of Bishop Franco Mulakkal: Kerala cop, who investigated the case, calls verdict ‘shocking’, former HC judge says ‘miscarriage of justice’

Many people, directly or indirectly linked to the case, are not too pleased with the Kerala Court’s verdict to acquit Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Catholic Church in the nun rape case. The Kerala police officer who headed the investigation against the Bishop called the decision of the Kottayam Additional Sessions Court ‘shocking’. Rueing that the police probe built a water-tight case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, Former Kottayam SP Harishankar called the verdict as “extremely unfortunate.”

A teary-eyed Sister Anupama, who had spearheaded the protests against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, told media after the verdict: “We cannot believe this verdict. We will continue this fight until the day our fellow sister gets justice, even if it means we have to die. All the testimonies were in our favour so we don’t know what happened in court. We will definitely appeal in the higher court.”

Bishop Franco Mulakkal of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jalandhar was accused of raping a 44-year-old nun at a guest house in Kuravilangad in May 2014 and subsequent sexual exploitations afterwards.

Further expressing disbelief at the Kottayam Additional Sessions Court’s verdict to set the former Jalandhar Bishop of the Catholic Church free from rape charges, Former Karnataka HC Judge Justice Michael Francis Saldanha told the Republic TV: “This is a miscarriage of justice and it’s intolerable.”

“I am absolutely shocked and horrified because I had the opportunity to look at the case and a good amount of evidence and one of the reasons why I cannot accept this decision is because he had gone to the High Court during the investigation and asked to quash the complaint. The HC had said that there is absolutely no doubt about the evidence and charges, against that he carried the matter to Supreme Court. The High Court has seen the case and in my mind, there was absolutely zero possibility for him to get acquitted. I think the High Court must intervene in the matter and re-examine the case. This is globally shocking,” stated Michael Francis Saldanha.

The Kerala court’s 289-page verdict acquitting Bishop Franco Mulakkal from rape charges

It may be noted that the court on Friday acquitted Roman Catholic Bishop Franco Mulakkal of allegations of raping a nun in a convent, citing a variety of factors, including the victim’s conflicting version of events and the prosecution’s lack of corroborative evidence.

“This is a case in which the grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up. It is impossible to separate the grain from the chaff. There are exaggerations and embellishments in the version of the victim. She has also made every attempt to hide certain facts. It is also evident that the victim was swayed under the influence of others who had other vested interest in the matter,” the Kottayam Additional Sessions Judge G Gopakumar had written in his 289-page order, that was made available only by Friday night.

Interestingly, on Friday morning, judge G Gopakumar had pronounced the verdict and cleared the Bishop of the rape charges with a single-liner “not guilty”.

The case against the Bishop was described in the order as a matter of nuns’ infighting, rivalry, and group disputes, as well as a desire for power, status, and control over the congregation.

Judge Gopakumar stated in the order: “when it is not feasible to separate truth from falsehood, when grain and chaff are inextricably mixed up, the only available course is to discard the evidence in toto”.

It further read, “It is true that the hymen of the victim was found torn in her medical examination. But defence contends that there was a complaint against the victim, by her own cousin that she had indulged in sexual intercourse with her husband.

“Even if it is assumed that the complaint was a false complaint, from the mere fact that the victim’s hymen was found torn, penile penetration or forceful sexual intercourse cannot be inferred.”

The court noted that the victim’s statements were inconsistent, and hence “she cannot be classified as a sterling witness or a wholly reliable witness.”

“In the said circumstances, this court is unable to place reliance on the solitary testimony of PW1 (victim) and to hold the accused guilty of the offences charged against him,” the court said in its order acquitting Mulakkal of the offences under various sections of the IPC.

NCW asks victim to approach High Court

Expressing shock at the verdict, Rekha Sharma, the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women had also said that the victim nun must appeal to the High Court. “The Victim Nun must go to the high court. National Commission for Women is with her in this fight for justice”, she tweeted.

According to the reports, the Kuravilangad Police in 2018 had registered a case on the basis of a complaint filed by a nun against Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar Diocese. According to the complaint the nun was raped several times by the bishop at Missionaries of Jesus convent between 2014 and 2016.

In September 2018, the Bishop was arrested for interrogation and was remanded to judicial custody. According to the nuns who stood in support of the victim, several such complaints against the Bishop were overlooked by the authorities. Sister Lucy Kalapura, one of the protester nuns also was permanently expelled from the Church.

The Bishop had then denied the charges as he called the complaint by nun baseless and formulated until the Kerala High Court in 2020 ruled that he must face trial in the case.

Pakistan picks up tweet by Rahul Gandhi where he casts aspersions on India’s handling of COVID based on a ‘The Wire’ interview

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan picks up tweet by Rahul Gandhi where he casts aspersions on India’s handling of COVID based on a ‘The Wire’ interview

Pakistan has once again picked up exaggerated lies peddled by Rahul Gandhi to attack the government over its efforts to handle the Covid situation in the country. Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV recently shared Rahul Gandhi’s Tweet with a caption: “Indian Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi tweets regarding what expert in video calls “vast COVID-19 deaths under-reporting in India.”

Rahul Gandhi, in keeping with his propensity of attacking the Modi government at every opportunity, had today, taken to his official Twitter account to share an interview of Prof Prabhat Jha with Karan Thapar for the leftist propaganda media outlet- The Wire. The Gandhi scion captioned his Tweet: “GOI lies. World knows. India suffers.”

Here, Rahul Gandhi shared a snippet from the interview where Prabhat Jha, the founding Director of the Centre for Global Health Research at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada is heard casting aspersions on India’s handling of COVID. Without providing any substantial evidence, the professor is heard frivolously claiming that WHO doesn’t trust India’s COVID-19 death count is because the undercounting in India is substantially greater than in other countries.

Interestingly, The Wire is peddling an interview where it is being said that WHO does not trust India’s numbers, on the anniversary of the day when WHO had, in 2020, declared that COVID does not transmit human to human.

WHO had chosen to peddle the lies furthered by China to obfuscate the origins of COVID and the extent of the pandemic and on the 14th of January, reiterated the false claim by China that COVID does not spread from human to human contact.

It’s no surprise that Rahul Gandhi was once again seen casting aspersions at India’s handling of the COVID situation. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi ran massive propaganda against India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive. OpIndia penned down a list of misinformation Rahul Gandhi had peddled in the last few months to score a political point against the centre over its vaccination campaign.

Of course, Pakistan, which is always quick to pick up on Congress’ propaganda in order to malign India, lapped up the rampant falsehoods disseminated by the leftist media outlet ‘The Wire’ and effectively endorsed by the Gandhi scion.

This is not the first time that Pakistan has picked up the lies spread by Rahul Gandhi to attack India. Parroting the same sentiments as the Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi, Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan had also pinned the blame of the Delhi anti-CAA riots and farmers’ protest on the RSS/BJP ideology.

It is notable here that Imran Khan’s party and Rahul Gandhi’s party have been picking ideas from each other and repeating statements of each other. We at OpIndia had even prepared a list of the instances where they just parroted each other.

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