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West Bengal polls: Election Commission’s vehicle set ablaze by miscreants in erstwhile Maoist stronghold, driver escapes narrowly

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal polls: Election Commission’s vehicle set ablaze by miscreants in erstwhile Maoist stronghold, driver escapes narrowly

On Friday, a vehicle hired by the Election Commission for poll duty was set on fire in Bandwan in Purulia district of West Bengal. The incident took place just hours before the first phase of Vidhan Sabha elections in the State.

As per reports, the vehicle was returning after dropping officials on election duty at the polling station. When it reached the former Maoist affected Tulsidi village in ‘Jangalmahal’, the car was ambushed by a group of miscreants. They hurled petrol bombs at the vehicle, before disappearing into the forests. While the driver of the car managed to escape unhurt, the vehicle turned into ashes.

The driver of the vehicle happens to be the only eye witness to the attack. While speaking to ABP Ananda, he said that two masked men emerged from the forest and stopped the vehicle. They threw explosive chemicals into the backseat, thereby causing the car to catch fire. The miscreants also blocked the door of the car so as to not allow the driver to escape. However, he managed to exit only after they had left the crime scene.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/ABP Ananda)

Officials from the fire brigade were called in to douse the fire. Reportedly, the polling station is located just half a kilometre away from the place, where the vehicle was torched. Moreover, the car was easily distinguishable as it bore the sticker of the Election Commission. It must be mentioned that all 9 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Purulia are up for voting on Saturday during the first phase of elections.

The police have initiated an investigation into the case. They conducted search operation in the forest area, with the help of locals. They are now probing whether the attack has been orchestrated by Maoist groups. The police informed that a forensic team will be called in to investigate the chemicals used in the attack. The incident has triggered panic and fear among the residents in the area.

West Bengal election scheduled from March 27

The West Bengal State Legislative polls will be conducted in 8 phases. The elections will commence from 27 and the counting will be done on May 2. Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora informed that the second phase will be conducted on April 1 for 30 constituencies, followed by the 3rd Phase on April 6. The 4th phase will be conducted on April 10, followed by the 5th and 6th phase on April 17 and April 23 respectively. The last phase of polls will take place on April 29.

Delhi govt to offer job to brother of Ankit Sharma, IB staffer killed by an AAP-leader-led mob amidst chants of Allahu Akbar during Delhi anti-Hindu riots

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi govt to offer job to brother of Ankit Sharma, IB staffer killed by an AAP-leader-led mob amidst chants of Allahu Akbar during Delhi anti-Hindu riots

The Delhi Cabinet on Friday approved a proposal to provide a government job to the brother of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma. Ankit Sharma was brutally stabbed to death during the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots, by a mob led by former AAP leader Tahir Hussain, amidst chants of Allahu Akbar and ‘maaro Kafiro ko maaro’.

Almost a year after the horrific murder of IB staffer Ankit Sharma, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government has now decided to provide a government job to his brother. The government will now seek Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s approval for the proposal, it said in a statement.

“Delhi Government will provide government job to the brother of Late Ankit Sharma who lost his life during the Delhi riots,” announced Delhi Chief Minister’s Office.

Earlier, the Delhi government had released Rs.1 crore as compensation for Sharma’s family. However, it is yet unknown whether the compensation reached Sharma’s family.

Ankit Sharma, who had gone missing during the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots, was killed during the riots by Muslim mobs-led by former AAP leader Tahir Hussain. Sharma’s body was recovered from a drain near Tahir Hussain’s house on February 26, a day after he went missing.

The Delhi government’s decision to grant compensation for the family of IB staffer Ankit Sharma comes at a time when one of its own party leaders has been accused of plotting his brutal murder during the communal violence that erupted on the streets of Delhi in February last year.

Ankit Sharma’s murder during Anti-Hindu Delhi Riots

Amidst the chants of ‘Allahu Akbar’, Ankit Sharma, a friendly, ambitious, idealistic IB officer, was brutally murdered with multiple stab wounds and torture marks. His remains were then thrown into the drain mercilessly during the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots.

According to the charge-sheet, Ankit Sharma was specifically targeted by a mob led by suspended AAP leader Tahir Hussain, and there was a deep-rooted conspiracy behind his murder. The charge sheet says that Ankit Sharma was murdered outside Tahir Hussain’s residence in the Khajuri Khas area on February 25.

After stabbing him multiple times, the mob threw his body in the nearby drain. A witness standing at a distance on a terrace captured the video on his mobile in which a mob is seen dumping the deceased body into the drain. The dead body was recovered from the drain the next morning.

The autopsy report revealed that his body had been mutilated beyond belief. He has stab wounds all over his body, and not even a single portion of it was spared. He was stabbed for hours, four to six hours, by possibly as many as six individuals together. 

Ten people including ex-AAP councillor Tahir Hussain have been arrested in this case. Further investigation has revealed that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the riot and the murder of IB Official Ankit Sharma who was a very familiar face in the area.

The charge sheet says that he was specifically targeted by the mob led by Tahir Hussain who was then the politician of the Aam Aadmi Party and a sitting councillor in East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Delhi. The investigation has also revealed that Tahir Hussain was the main person who had been instigating the mob both on 24 and 25 of February in the Chand Bagh area. Another charge sheet against him has been filed for orchestrating riots on 24 February.

Munawar Faruqui case: Co-accused Nalin Yadav quits stand-up comedy and starts working as a daily labourer

OpIndia Staff
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Munawar Faruqui case: Co-accused Nalin Yadav quits stand-up comedy and starts working as a daily labourer

Nalin Yadav, who was one of the co-accused in the Munawar Faruqui case and was recently released on interim bail, has quit his stand-up comedy gig and taken to working as a daily labourer at an industry.

Yadav was arrested along with Faruqui and 3 others after a complaint was filed against them by Eklavya Singh Gaud, son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaud. Yadav, along with others, has been accused of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and of insulting Hindu deities at a stand-up comedy show in Indore on January 1

After remaining in jail for over 57 days, Yadav managed to secure bail and was out on February 26. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, he said that the arrest has radically upended his life. From being a stand-up artist in Indore, Yadav now works as a day labourer, earning Rs 200 a day in an industrial area in Pithampur of Dhar district.

“In my childhood, friends and neighbours used to say that I have a very good sense of humour and I have the talent to make people laugh. I took these words very seriously and decided to become a comedian. I didn’t feel bad when I used to receive appreciation of one or two people on my jokes but now after doing hard work, today I am left with nothing but to do petty jobs to make ends meet,” he lamented in an interview to HT.  

Yadav had hoped to get back to the stand-up comedy gig upon his release. However, his expectations we shattered when, to his shock and despair, people in his neighbourhood snapped all ties with him and his brother. Yadav bewailed that since his release, nobody had called him to check after his condition. Neighbours saw him as if he is a dreaded criminal or some vulgar person, he said. The stand-up comedian also claimed that his few friends who helped his brother in collecting bail amount don’t want to support him anymore.

Yadav also said that owners of the cafes where he used to perform his gig have started avoiding him. “After I came out of jail, I contacted some cafe owners where I used to perform as a comedian and earn money but nobody is even ready to talk to me. They requested me not to call them because they don’t want anyone to know that they are associated with me in any manner. Now, I am in total despair. Three days a week, I spend convincing people that I did no wrong, and for the remaining four days, I work as a labourer at an industry. My younger brother is also doing a private job to restart life,” Yadav said.

Munawar Faruqui and 4 others arrested for passing indecent remarks on Hindu deities

Munawar Faruqui, the controversial ‘stand-up comedian’, was arrested on 2 January 2021 by the Indore police along with four others for passing indecent remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show in the city, has been sent to judicial custody.

Eklavya Singh Gaur, an activist and the chief of Hindu Rakshak Sangathan, filed the complaint about the show after they had gone to watch the show. When they heard the “indecent” comments, they forced the organisers to stop the program.

The Hindu activist Gaur also submitted video footage of the show. Gaur had said he and his friends went to watch the show where Faruqui was performing as the main comedian.

“The show mocked Hindu deities by passing indecent comments. The Godhra incident and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were also mentioned inappropriately. We shot a video and stopped the show by taking the audience out of the cafe. Then we caught the comedians and organizers of the show and took them to Tukoganj police station,” the Hindu activist said.

Four Hefazat-e-Islami members shot dead as Islamist protest over PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka turns violent: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Four Hefazat-e-Islami members shot dead as Islamist protest over PM Modi’s visit to Dhaka turns violent: Details

Four members of the hardline Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam have reportedly been shot dead on March 26 (Friday) in police firing in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The police had opened fire to control Islamists protesting against India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the nation’s capital Dhaka. According to reports, the police had retaliated when the protest turned violent.

Modi is in Bangladesh to attend its Golden Jubilee celebrations of independence and the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founder and father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A police official told the media that they had to fire tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who turned violent. They had entered a police station and vandalised it, told the Dhaka police to the media.

According to reports, at least 1,500 supporters of the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam attacked the police station in the Hathazari town chanting anti-Modi slogans. “They attacked us all of a sudden,” said Alauddin Talukder, a police inspector told AFP. He added that out of the four dead, three were of them were madrasa students and another a tailor.

For the uninitiated, Hathazari town in Bangladesh is home to one of the country’s largest madrasas and is the headquarters of the hardliner group Hefazat-e-Islam, which was formed in 2010 and is believed to be the country’s largest hardline Islamist outfit. The extremist group has a history of persecuting minority Hindus in Bangladesh.

Only on March 18, we reported that hundreds of supporters of the extremist Islamist group attacked and vandalized about 80 houses of Hindus in the northeastern Sylhet division, Bangladesh. The brutal attack was planned after a young Hindu man criticized Joint-Secretary General Mawlana Mufti Mamunul Haque in a Facebook post.

Many local Hindus had to flee their homes fearing for life which gave the attackers an opportunity to ransack and loot their homes.

According to reports the fanatic mob used loudspeakers of local Mosques to incite violence and gather as many Islamist goons as they could. They incited the local Muslims to kill Hindus and rape Hindu women as a means to take vengeance for the Facebook status that criticized their leader. The followers of Hefazat-e-Islam reportedly entered the village, ransacked and looted many houses.

Similarly, last year, thousands of members of this Islamist organisation had taken out a massive demonstration in Bangladesh against French President Macron as he refused to condemn the caricature of Prophet Mohammad in defence of free speech.

In 2013 police clashed with tens of thousands of Hefazat supporters in Dhaka, leaving nearly 50 people dead.

Amazon denies accusations of forcing workers to urinate in bottles to save time, netizens reply with proofs that the company is lying

OpIndia Staff
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Amazon denies accusations of forcing workers to urinate in bottles to save time, netizens reply with proofs that the company is lying

Amazon is facing immense criticism on social media after it publicly disputed U.S. Democratic Representative Mark Pocan’s claims that the company forces its workers to “urinate in water bottles” in order to minimize time wastage. The e-commerce goliath responded to Rep. Pocan with a seemingly snide remark, saying, “You don’t really believe the peeing in bottles thing, do you? If that were true, nobody would work for us”.

This remark sparked an online firestorm, with thousands of people lambasting Amazon online. In the original tweet, Rep. Mark Pocan, who is also the Chair Emeriti of the House Progressive Caucus, was replying to Amazon executive Dave Clark’s claims of running a “progressive workplace”. In response to Amazon’s remark, Rep. Mark Pocan simply tweeted, “And yes, I do believe your workers. You don’t?”

There were more than 11,000 responses to Amazon’s tweet denying forcing its workers to urinate in water bottles, largely negative towards Amazon. Amazon’s glib remark attracted the response of multiple journalists. One of the responses was from James Bloodworth, a journalist who went undercover in a British Amazon facility in 2018, wrote that he “found a Coca-Cola bottle containing urine sitting incongruently on a warehouse shelf”.

Another reporter tweeted a picture of the driver policy of a former Amazon contractor, Synctruck, which clearly urges drivers to clean their vans after making all their deliveries. “This includes garbage, bags, and urine bottles,” the driver policy read.

A labor reporter responded to Amazon’s tweet, saying, “As a labor reporter who covers Amazon extensively…I can say Amazon delivery drivers not having a time or place to pee is one of the most universal concerns I hear about”, providing testimony from a current Amazon driver who is forced to “pee in a coffee cup everyday”.

The Intercept, an online news outfit, published documents that show Amazon management was aware of the issue, enough to reference it in their official documents. A document listing out “violations and defects” from the Pittsburgh Amazon facility expressly mentions both “public urination” and “public defecation”.

All of this controversy comes in the backdrop of a unionization push for an Amazon facility which can potentially catalyze a renewed labor movement in the United States. Amazon workers in Bessemer, Alabama are right now in the middle of a voting process in order to create a bargaining unit represented by the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union (RWDSU). The deadline for the mail-in voting ballots is March 29.

Amar Chitra Katha issues statement after anti-Hindu comment of ‘intern’ goes viral: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Amar Chitra Katha issues statement after anti-Hindu comment of ‘intern’ goes viral: All you need to know

A controversy was kicked up on March 24, after an anti-Hindu statement made by Abu Amaan, who called himself an intern at Amar Chitra Katha, went viral on Twitter. Twitter users outraged over Abu Amaan’s blatant display of bigotry and called out Amar Chitra Katha for hiring him.

Amar Chitra Katha, in turn, released an official statement informing that Amaan had been sacked. It said that Abu Amaan was terminated for breaching the employment contract even before the internship period began.

The distasteful act came to the fore when a Twitter user Sai Priya shared the image of one person indulging in an obscene act.

Soon after, one thing led to another and the anti-Hindu comment by Abu Amaan surfaced. A user, Atul Ahuja, pointed out how the artist, interning with ACK, had derided Hindu culture, by mocking the architecture and sculptures of medieval Hindu temples in India.

Atul Ahuja shared a screenshot of Abu Amaan’s response to the original Instagram post, in which she was seen mocking a sculpture at a Hindu place of worship. The Instagram user had posted a picture, where she was making an obscene gesture at a sculpture of a female deity in some medieval Hindu temple. It is pertinent to note here that following the outrage, the user has deleted her Instagram account.

Abu Amaan, who describes himself as a painter, sculptor, astrophile on his Instagram bio, was quick to use this opportunity to insult Hinduism. Abu Amaan responded to the original post by writing how “I did the exact same thing when I went there”.

Abu Amaan’s Instagram bio

Abu Amaan faced flak from the Hindus on Twitter who asked ACK to take action against its uncouth employee.

Abu Amaan’s comment on the post

The screenshot of his comment soon went viral on social media, triggering outrage against Abu Amaan and his employer Amar Chitra Katha. Following the outrage, Amar Chitra Katha issued a statement where it confirmed that Abu Amaan’s internship contract had been revoked.

It said that the artist was being sacked due to a breach of a confidentiality clause in his internship contract. The company said that the intern had violated the clause by sharing confidential information publicly, but didn’t reveal what kind of ‘confidential’ information was published. Furthermore, the internship was revoked even before the internship period began. It is also pertinent to note that Abu Amaan has deleted the bit about ACK from his Instagram bio as well.

The publication said that the company had a zero-tolerance policy towards any breach of contract. It urged readers to understand the full context so as to avoid the spread of hatred and misinformation.

People who fed us daadi nana stories by Priyanka now have issues believing history that RSS supported creation of Bangladesh

K Bhattacharjee
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People who fed us daadi nana stories by Priyanka now have issues believing history that RSS supported creation of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on an official visit to Bangladesh. He delivered a speech in Dhaka, Bangladesh where he recalled the Satyagraha he participated in with his friends, for which he was arrested. It was Narendra Modi’s first visit to a foreign country since the pandemic began.

The Prime Minister appeared to refer to the Gana Satyagrah organised by the Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the BJP, in August 1971. However, ’eminent intellectuals’ have taken offense at Narendra Modi recalling the same in his speech.

Maya Mirchandani, Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism and Media Studies at Ashoka University, said that there is a consensus in India that Indira Gandhi played an instrumental role in the liberation of Bangladesh. She said, “It was hard strategy that led to Bangladesh’s independence 50 years ago, not satyagraha.”

Quite clearly, Narendra Modi never said that it was Satyagraha that won Bangladesh its freedom. But Mirchandani, nonetheless, deliberately twisted his comments in order to cast aspersions on his motives. As it turns out, an award to former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by the Government of Bangladesh in 2015 mentioned the said rally by Jana Sangh.

The citation of the award said, “To press the demand for India Government’s expedited support to Bangladesh’s Liberation War, Jana Sangh held a Gana Satyagraha during 1-11 August and their volunteers organised a huge rally in front of the Indian Parliament House on 12 August 1971.”

The citation for the award

Vajpayee was also lauded for his “firm stand at national and international levels for the cause of Bangladesh and its striving people.” “The people of Bangladesh would always remember the significant contributions made by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee towards supporting the cause of Bangladesh’s Liberation War and consolidating friendship between Bangladesh and India,” it said.

Despite Bangladesh’s own acknowledgment of the role played by the Jana Sangh, liberals in India appear deeply offended by the Prime Minister’s remarks. They have resorted to passing snide jibes and mocking Narendra Modi for his comments.

It is apparent that liberals have quite a hard time believing authentic history. It seems that they are unable to come to terms with the fact that leaders from a wide ranging section of the Indian political spectrum campaigned for the liberation of Bangladesh. It is remarkably similar to the narrative that is peddled regarding the Indian Independence Movement itself where all credit is placed at the feet of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi and the contributions of all others are sidelined.

Liberals appear to believe that just because they are themselves not aware of a certain event or a certain contribution, it means that it did not happen. But history does not work that way and truth has a way of coming out despite monumental efforts to suppress it.

These are the same ‘intellectuals’ who fall over themselves to hail Rahul Gandhi as a youth leader at the age of 50. These are the same people who believe Priyanka Gandhi has the credentials to lead India just because her face bears a resemblance with Indira Gandhi’s, which is perfectly ordinary given that she is her grand daughter.

The intellectuals fawn over incredulous stories involving Priyanka Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi regarding their parents or grandparents and yet, when it comes to a relevant aspect of India history, they feign ignorance to cast aspersions of factual statements.

None of them bothered to point fingers at Priyanka Gandhi when she came up with unbelievable stories about how Jawaharlal Nehru found his bodyguard sleeping on his bed one night or her tale about Indira Gandhi telling her stories about Joan of Arc.

These stories do not ring true at all and appeared tailor made to humanize themselves in the eyes of the public and yet, it only made them more worthy in the eyes of the ‘intellectuals’. The same intellectuals now have a problem when Prime Minister Modi recalled his participation in a Satyagraha for the liberation of Bangladesh.

All of this, of course, is par for the course for an ‘intellectual’ elite that is unwilling to come to terms with the fact that there is more to the history of post-independent India than the Nehru-Gandhi family. But despite their staunch efforts to the contrary, the history they have tried to bury for so long will resurface.

Karnataka sex CD case: FIR lodged against BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi for sexual harassment after woman files complaint

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka sex CD case: FIR lodged against BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi for sexual harassment after woman files complaint

An FIR has been filed against BJP leader Ramesh Jarkiholi at the Cubbon Park police station in Bengaluru after a handwritten complaint was filed by the woman involved in the sex CD scandal. She filed a two-page complaint at the commissioner’s office through her advocate KM Jagadish alleging that she feared for her safety.

The FIR is reportedly filed under IPC sections 376c – Sexual intercourse by a person in authority, 354a – Sexual harassment, 504 – Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace, 506 – Criminal intimidation, 417 – Cheating, and IT Act 67a – Publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit content.

Woman demands protection, alleging threat to her life from Ramesh Jarkiholi

In her letter, the woman explained how she met Jarkiholi and the events that came to pass in the wake of the meeting. The complaint said that she contacted Jarkiholi as she wanted to shoot a short video and therefore exchanged numbers.

After they started speaking, the woman alleged, Jarkiholi vowed to get her a job and informed her that she would have to compromise. She mentioned in her complaint that she got a video call from the leader when he was in Delhi and staying at the Karnataka Bhavan. Jarkiholi had allegedly asked her to strip in front of the camera, snippets of which were leaked to the media in the CD that was released earlier in February.

The woman had alleged that she did not come out earlier as she was afraid of the fact that Jarkiholi was an influential man and well-connected. She accused the MLA of offering her money to settle the matter and ignored her when she asked for a job. The complainant also mentioned that she and her family have been receiving threats from Jarkiholi and that attempts were also made by him to kill them.

Earlier on March 13, the woman had released another video from an undisclosed location, asking to be provided with security. Jarkiholi had then filed an FIR against unknown people, alleging that the video was fake and that he was being politically targeted.

In February this year, a complaint was filed against Jarkiholi by a social activist named Dinesh Kalahalli after the videos were leaked. However, within a few days, the complaint was withdrawn. The Karnataka government has now instituted a Special Investigating Team(SIT) to probe the matter.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, the MLA from Gokak constituency, had defected to the BJP from Congress

Ramesh Jarkiholi is a BJP MLA representing Gokak in the Karnataka state assembly. He had served as Water Resources Minister in the Government of Karnataka from 7 February 2020 to 3 March 2021. He was previously associated with the Congress party. In 2019, Jarkiholi jumped the ship and started campaigning for the BJP. He was a cabinet minister in Siddaramaiah’s government from June 2016 to May 2018 and was later made the Minister of Municipal Administration under HD Kumaraswamy government in Karnataka.

Maharashtra Chief Secretary’s fact-finding report on phone-tapping a sham, full of fallacies: Former CM Devendra Fadnavis

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra Chief Secretary’s fact-finding report on phone-tapping a sham, full of fallacies: Former CM Devendra Fadnavis

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday rubbished the fact-finding report submitted to the Maharashtra government by the state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte over the phone-tapping allegations. Fadnavis said that the report submitted by Kunte was a sham and replete with fallacies.

“The Indian Telegraph Act mentioned in the report is cited to the public in a manner convenient to the government. The report in itself is full of fallacies. Although there are sufficient provisions to tap the phone calls, the government is not ready to accept it,” Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis said The Act empowers the official to intercept calls to avoid any possible offense that could happen, adding that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Maharashtra police has all the rights to carry out phone-tapping.

The BJP leader also asked why the state government did not follow DGP Subodh Jaiswal’s recommendation of having the CID probe the matter.

“The then DGP Subodh Jaiswal had recommended a CID probe (into the alleged transfer scam) based on the conversations among police officials and other persons involved in it. Then why no action was taken on his recommendations?” he asked.

State Minister Nawab Malik responsible for leaking the detailed report about the transfer racket: Devendra Fadnavis

The former chief minister of Maharashtra also alleged that it was Maha Vikas Aghadi minister Nawab Malik who had leaked the detailed report by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla about the alleged transfer racket in the state police force.

Revealing that Nawab Malik had released the detailed report on the alleged transfer racket, Fadnavis said, “I had only shared a two-page cover letter (related to Rashmi Shukla’s letter), whereas it was state minister Nawab Malik who leaked some of its pages. I was even contacted by some journalists after they received the report from Nawab Malik.”

If any action is to be taken in this case, it should be against Mr Malik, he added.

Fadnavis further mentioned that he has it on good authority that the report was prepared by Nawab Malik or Jitendra Awhad and signed by chief secretary Sitaram Kunte. The BJP leader said if any legal action is taken against him, he will produce proof of the same in the court of law.

Fadnavis also claimed that of all the names mentioned by Nawab Malik from the list, 12 officials had received the postings as per their request.

Maharashtra chief secretary comes to state government’s rescue, recommends strict action against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla

After Fadnavis made an explosive revelation that Uddhav Thackeray had ignored a report on transfer posting racket in the state police, the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra came to the state government’s rescue, submitting in a report that there had been no wrongdoing observed in the postings of the police officials in the state. Kunte alleged that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had illegally tapped the phones of politicians and recommended strict action against her.

In his report that was released on Thursday, Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte claimed that the former Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Rashmi Shukla may have leaked her confidential letter on the alleged corruption in transfers in the police department to Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis (BJP).

Furthermore, the report which was submitted to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stated that there was no wrongdoing in the police transfers and all transfers of police officers made between September 2-October 28, 2020. It added that the transfers were based on the recommendations of the Police Establishment Board.

NCPCR writes to I and B Ministry, asks for removal of objectionable scenes from Netflix’s ‘Bombay Begums’

OpIndia Staff
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NCPCR writes to I and B Ministry, asks for removal of objectionable scenes from Netflix’s ‘Bombay Begums’

On Friday (March 26), the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote a letter [pdf] to the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry seeking issuance of directions to Netflix for the removal of inappropriate scenes from the ‘Bombay Begums’ web series. The contentious show has come under social media criticism over its obscene portrayal of minor children.

The letter addressed to I & B Ministry Chief Secretary Vikram Sahay pointed out that NCPCR received complaints from 2 Twitter handles against the ‘Bombay Begum’ series for showcasing minor children snorting drugs and taking indecent selfies in classrooms. The Commission reiterated that glorifying such acts through media platforms and OTTs goes against the laws meant for the protection and welfare of children.

NCPCR argued that such vicious content has the potential to create a ‘negative impression’ in the tender minds of young children and lead to an increase in child abuse and exploitation. “Any act of aforesaid nature cannot be permissible and hence the step should be taken to stop such publication at the earliest,” it said. As such, NCPCR took cognisance of the matter under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act (CPCR), 2005.

NCPCR points out objectionable scenes in the Bombay Begums series

“It is pertinent to mention that in one of the scenes, a minor girl was smoking cigarette which is violation of Section 77 of JJ Act, 2015,” the Commission pointed out. It said that in its earlier letter dated March 16, NCPCR has requested inquiry and lawful action from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting against such a depiction. However, it did not receive any reply from the Ministry.

“Any such depiction or presentation, which could be a threat for any child’s interest cannot be permissible in the garb of creativity,” the letter emphasised. It pointed out that the series is meant for viewers above the age of 18 aka adults but children were being used to depict storylines and participating in prohibited acts such as consumption of drugs.

NCPR noted, “In the opinion of the Commission, the ingredient to inhale by the child artist is relevant upto the extent of determining law applicable on that child but acting to do any prohibited act, which can be viewed as the prohibited act affects all of that child artist’s age and the consent of the parent of that child artist cannot save makers/ publishers of that act from the offence against children.”

NCPCR calls for verification of the age of girls in web series, highlights the issue of bullying

The Commission pointed out another scene from the web series wherein a girl was seen taking pictures of breasts and sending them to one fellow male classmate. “…The Commission is of the view that the age of all the girls acting in the scene needs to be ascertained, as it seems that minor children are used in that scene, in violation of POCSO Act, 2012 and with the same logic as aforesaid, presence of the parents/mothers of those child artists cannot help makers/publishers to escape from their liability to present the product which is against the law,” it added.

NCPCR also took cognisance of another scene wherein a minor girl was seen commenting on the breast size of another minor girl. It said that the scene was a violation of the POCSO Act, 2012 and highlighted the issue of bullying. “It is pertinent to highlight that bullying is an act, which has lead to a lot of child-related issues as it spoils the complete personality of the child. Bullying in any form cannot be encouraged and that too through a natural biological human cycle,” the Commission said in its letter.

Commission says Web Series violates I & B Ministry guidelines, POCSO Act

NCPCR further noted that the objectionable scenes, cutting across 5 episodes, are against the ‘Guidelines to Regulate Child Participation in TV Serials, Reality Shows and Advertisements’ published by the I&B Ministry. The guidelines stated under Section 15 points out that no child should be cast in roles that cause distress or embarrassment (clause 1). Furthermore, clause 2 of Section 15 prevents the depiction of children indulging in smoking and anti-social behaviour.

The third clause prevents putting a child in distressing situations to obtain a “realistic depiction of an emotional reaction.” The letter by NCPCR Chairperson, Priyank Kanoongo, also pointed that the inappropriate depiction of minors in the series violated Section 67B (publishing or transmitting of material depicting children in a sexually explicit act in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. NCPCR also added that the series violated Section 292 (Sale, etc., of obscene books,) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 13 and 14 of the POCSO Act, which defines and lays down punishment for child pornography.

Netflix tries to ‘justify’ inappropriate scenes involving minors

The Commission had earlier directed the online streaming platform to stop the broadcast of the series and remove the contentious scenes. In regard to the controversy surrounding the ‘Bombay Begums’ series, Netflix and NCPCR held a meeting on March 16 to discuss the portrayal of children in the said web series. At its request, NCPCR provided Netflix with an extended time frame to discuss the matter with their legal team.

NCPCR noted, “The Commission received the reply of Netflix dated 18.03.2021, which is an effort made by the Netflix to justify all objectionable scenes highlighted by the NCPCR. However, after a thorough perusal of the reply, the NCPCR is of the opinion that the effort to justify those scenes is a futile exercise and the bad impact of those scenes on children as well as the negative impression about adolescent young children due to those scenes cannot be denied.

The Commission concluded, “It is a fact that children tend to get influenced by what they see or watch on television and thus, it is our moral and legal duty to protect them. It is also important to highlight that films have less reach if compared with the extent of publication through OTT and other platforms in the present era.” It added, “It is further important to highlight that the series is streaming at the time when it has got more viewers than normally any series could have considering the pandemic has shifted classrooms and offices on virtual medium.”

NCPCR recommends I & B Ministry to issue directions to Netflix

“It is clear that the Netflix Series “Bombay Begums” has not only violated the prevailing law of land and guidelines, its continuing the same and affecting children’s interest to a very large extent,” NCPCR reiterated. The Commission has therefore recommended the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue directions to Netflix to remove the contentious scenes and take action as per laws of the land to protect the children. “You are further requested to furnish an ATR in this regard within 7 days of issue of this letter, failing which the Commission will be constrained to initiate proceedings under Section 14 of CPCR Act, 2005,” it added.

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