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Metro Man and BJP candidate in Kerala E Sreedharan shuts NDTV up, slams media for being ‘purchased by opposition’: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Metro Man and BJP candidate in Kerala E Sreedharan shuts NDTV up, slams media for being ‘purchased by opposition’: Here is what happened

E Sreedharan, fondly known as ‘Metro man’ for his role in building the Delhi Metro, slammed the ‘paid’ media for its bias against the BJP government. In an interview with NDTV, E Sreedharan, who recently joined the BJP, lashed out at the NDTV reporter, when she tried to put words into his mouth, insinuating that India has become polarised and communalised under Modi’s regime.

“Not at all, these theories are only peddled by those who don’t like the Modi government. The majority of people have accepted Modi. See how the country has progressed today. People opposing Modi are finding small errors. That is not fair. If Modi wasn’t the PM, Jammu & Kashmir would have gone away from India. Don’t take a small thing and make it into a mountain”, E Sreedharan tore into the NDTV reporter when asked whether India was a better place during the Congress regime.

Don’t make a mountain of a molehill, E Sreedharan lambastes at NDTV journalist

When the NDTV reporter speaks about the inconvenience caused to the people of Jammu and Kashmir due to the longest Internet shutdown in the valley, Sreedharan lambasted that these are the small, little sacrifices one has to do for the sake of the country. Don’t make a mountain of a molehill, this is unfair and what unfortunately our media is doing, the media which is being purchased by the opposition parties, said the riled Metro Man.

“Please don’t ask me these sort of questions, ask me positive questions please”, lambasted Sreedharan at the NDTV interviewer.

For the uninitiated, the Central Government had blocked the mobile web access in August 2019 after the Centre announced the revocation of its special status and bifurcation of the state into two UTs – Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Interestingly, many times in between the 5-minute snippet of the interview shared by the channel on its official Twitter handle, the technocrat shuts up the journalist for asking him insignificant questions. While the journalist tries her best to peddle her anti-Modi narrative, E Sreedharan makes it very obvious that he is not in accord with her rationale.

Unwavering, the journalist furthers that a section of people are unhappy that E Sreedharan has joined BJP. Responding to NDTV’s question, Sreedharan cites an example of how once a journalist had cast aspersions at him, accusing him of favouring his family members with contracts when he was the MD of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). “Is this any way to vilify a person? Why is our media going to such low levels? Why don’t you see the good things instead of concentrating on negatives”, wondered E Sreedharan, speaking to NDTV.

Puncturing NDTV journalist’s claims that BJP only indulges in favouritism and communalism, the former chief of Delhi Metro says that it was wrong to portray BJP as a communal party today in the country. In fact, all the political parties who have been in power in the past have only worked for their own people. They have distributed posts not on merit but on political affiliations. The heads of all the institution, universities…chancellors, vice-chancellors all have been leftists, said Sreedharan.

Saying so Dr Sreedharan wonders why media only “wants to see the dark side of things and not the brighter side”. In a piece of advice for all the leftist-biased media, technocrat E Sreedharan says that “media should join the struggle to bring the country forward”.

Speaking about how BJP has emerged in Kerala, the 88-year-old technocrat said that BJP’s growth trajectory in the state has been commendable. In the last 7 years, the growth of the BJP in Kerala has been tremendous. The results of the upcoming election will show how BJP has grown in the last few years.

On March 4, 2021, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced that E Sreedharan would be the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.

The 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election is scheduled to be held in Kerala in April 2021.

Dalit goons in Latur demolish Hindu temple to build Ambedkarite temple, assault a girl and slap SC/ST act against her for protesting: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Dalit goons in Latur demolish Hindu temple to build Ambedkarite temple, assault a girl and slap SC/ST act against her for protesting: Report

In a shocking incident, a Maratha girl in Latur was molested, beaten up and slapped with SC/ST Act when she protested against the unauthorised demolition of a Hindu temple, a report by Neo Politico said.

The report further said that not only was the girl ruthlessly thrashed, but her genitals were also badly mutilated. A mob of 15-20 people had reportedly attacked her genitals and other sensitive body parts with stones. The incident happened in the Kingaon Kopra village of the Latur district of Maharashtra.

The family members of the victim have alleged that some Dalit locals in the village tried to demolish their Hindu temple, in a bid to build their Ambedkarite temple. The family has even alleged that village sarpanch, upsarpanch, and gram sevak all hail from the Dalit community and have come out in support of the goons.

The incident took place on March 12 when the accused had reportedly gathered around the Mata Bhavani temple in the village to demolish it. However, the goons faced stiff resistance from the girl, who opposed when they were razing down the temple. The goons, along with sarpanch and upsarpanch then allegedly began beating her, flogging her brutally and mutilating her genitals. It is also reported that they attempted to rape her but the girl somehow managed to escape.

The report goes on to claim that there are some pro-Ambedkarite Dalits in the village who have been nursing a desire to build their own temples. It cites this desire as a reason for the attack on the Hindu temples. Reportedly, the Dalits came armed with JCBs to demolish the holy Mata Bhavani temple in the village. The report says the temple was obliterated amidst the chants of Jai Bhim slogans.

Regarding the mutilation of genitals of the girl, the report cites medical experts to claim the girl may not be able to give birth to a child ever. The family have alleged that the police are not assisting them and instead, pressurising them into striking a compromise with the culprits.

OpIndia got in touch with the local police to seek more details about the incident but they declined to comment on the matter.

After vehemently opposing the Farm Laws, Congress and others demand implementation of the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

OpIndia Staff
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After vehemently opposing the Farm Laws, Congress and others demand implementation of the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020

For all these months, the ongoing farmers’ protests in Delhi have been co-opted by opportunist politicians and ‘activists’ trying to mount an attack against the Modi government. Be it the Congress Party or TMC, the AAP or Samajwadi Party, all have adopted a similar trajectory to further their propaganda and berate the BJP government at the centre by sharing some blatant and outright lies against the new farm laws.

All along, the hypocrisy and double-standards of these opposition politicians have been laid exposed. Now, in yet another U-turn, members of the opposition have come together to demand that the government implements the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The Act is one of the three farm laws against which the Congress party and others have been emphatically protesting.

Actually, a report was tabled in Lok Sabha on Friday by the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, which has members from 13 parties including BJP, Congress, TMC, AAP, NCP, SP and Shiv Sena.

The committee headed by the TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay said in its report: “hope[s] and expect[s] that the recently enacted ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020’ which was aimed at addressing the issue will become a catalyst for unlocking vast untapped resources in the agriculture sector by creating an environment for enhanced investments…, fair and productive competition in agricultural marketing and increase farmers’ income”.

The committee, therefore, recommended to the Modi government “to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in letter and spirit, and without let or hindrances so that the farmers and other stakeholders of the farming sector in this country receive the benefits intended under the said Act”.

It is ludicrous that these people who are demanding that the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 be implemented, have gone out of the way to spread rumours against the farm laws, exploit the farmers’ agitation and cast the Modi government as anti-farmer. They have been supporting the demands of the protestors that the three laws, including the Essential Commodities Act, should be scrapped.

Here it becomes imperative to revisit the cynicism and flip flops embraced by these opposition politicians regarding Modi government’s three farm laws.

Hypocrisy of Congress over the Farm Laws

Congress Party has been in the forefront of the agitation against the farm laws. Congress’s leaders have been telling the world that the farm laws are “black laws” or “kaale kanoon,” and the government must take them back. Party supremo Rahul Gandhi, being the “rising star” who has been discovered and launched and relaunched so many times in the past few years, has talked extensively against these laws. 

Rahul Gandhi has shared some blatant and outright lies, in the past and continues to do so, against the three agriculture bills and has also slammed the government regarding the MSP and APMC. The Gandhi scion expressed concern for the farmers of the country, who according to him, are facing severe difficulties in the absence of MSP and APMC. Extending his support for the farmers, the Wayanad MP said that it’s his duty to back the farmers of the country.

However, we have reported extensively how the Congress manifesto from 2019 General Assembly elections reveals a diametrically opposite stand of the party when it went to the polls last year. The Congress manifesto for 2019 had promised the exact same reforms.

Mamata Banerjee and her hypocrisy over the Farm Laws

On December 7, 2020, in a rally in West Bengal’s West Midnapore, Banerjee contended that the Centre must withdraw the farm bills or step down from the government. “The BJP government (at the Centre) should immediately withdraw the farm bills or step down. It should not continue to remain in power after sacrificing the rights of the farmers,” she had declaimed.

Ironically, while Ms Banerjee held forth on how the farm bills are not in the interest of the farmers and the urgent need to repeal them, she had passed similar agriculture laws in West Bengal in 2014 which she is vehemently opposing today.

Samajwadi Party uses farmers’ protest to reinvent its declining political career

Similarly, the Samajwadi Party has also been trying to carve out a new role for itself after the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has rendered it weak and inconsequential.

Realising that the farmers’ protests could be leverage to make a comeback, the Samajwadi Party aligned itself with the protests, hoping that it would serve to strengthen its political capital needed to fight the Yogi Adityanath government. With this intention, the party mobilised its functionaries and workers for a ‘Kisan Yatra’ in December last year to mark their support for the demonstrators protesting against the three agriculture laws.

AAP and it’s theatric over the Farm Laws

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his fellow AAP ministers had gone to discharge endless drama and taken multiple U-turns over the farm laws in its course to please its vote bank. To this end, he was seen tearing the copies of Farm Laws in a bid to extend their support to the protesters demonstrating along the Delhi borders.

However, like the Congress and the TMC, Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP had also quietly notified one of the Farm Laws in November 2020 even while portraying themselves as against the new Bills.

Pakistan PM Imran Khan tests positive for Covid-19 within 2 days of taking Chinese vaccine

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan PM Imran Khan tests positive for Covid-19 within 2 days of taking Chinese vaccine

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. Incidentally, he tested positive for the virus within 48 hours of receiving the Chinese Covid-19 vaccine Sinopharm. He is currently under observation.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan was vaccinated today. On the occasion, he appealed to the nation to ensure full implementation of SOPs in view of the third wave of the pandemic,” his office said in a statement.

It is not clear yet whether the Chinese Coronavirus vaccine, the side effects of which have caused some amount of concern among countries around the world, were directly responsible for Imran Khan testing positive for the virus. However, it appears unlikely that such is the case.

Most vaccines take a few days to take effect after the administration process has been completed. Sinopharm vaccine requires two doses to be effective while Pakistan’s Prime Minister had only appeared to receive his first dose recently.

Chinese vaccines have met with some suspicion as serious questions are being raised against the efficacy of their Covid-19 vaccines. Also, there is very less information available compared to those produced by other major powers.

‘We will rise with roar of Osama bin Laden, we are Rasul soldiers’: Muslims in Bangladesh protest against visit by ‘Hindu Nationalist’ PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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‘We will rise with roar of Osama bin Laden, we are Rasul soldiers’: Muslims in Bangladesh protest against visit by ‘Hindu Nationalist’ PM Modi

On Friday, Muslims and ‘student activists’ in Bangladesh took out a protest march ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka. PM Modi is scheduled to join his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on March 26 during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence.

Following the Jummah (Friday prayers), a group of about 500 Muslims marched on the streets outside Baitul Mokarram Mosque in Dhaka. In a video that has now surfaced on social media, hordes of men brandishing skull caps and long beards were seen sloganeering against India and Prime Minister Modi. They were also seen holding their chappals (floaters) in the air to express their demand for the cancellation of his trip to the country.

A second protest march was taken out by the ‘student activists’ of the Left at the campus of Dhaka University. The protestors carried a banner that read, ‘Go Back Modi’, ‘Go Back India’, and ‘Go Back Killer Modi.’ The demonstrators alleged that PM Modi and his ‘Hindu nationalist party’ have been ‘oppressing’ Muslims in India. They further claimed that several Bangladeshis have been killed by Indian border security guards, while in reality, such deaths occur when they try to smuggle, infiltrate into the Indian territory.

We will become Taliban, says protestor

“India’s subordinate government of Hasina has invited Modi, we are here to protest against that,” commented one Hossain Mohammed Anwar. In another video shared by Bangladeshi Hindu activist Raju Das, an Islamist was heard saying, “If Narendra Modi is allowed to come to Bangladesh, we will have to turn into terrorists. Bengal will become Afghanistan, and we will become the Taliban.”

“We will rise with the roar of Osama bin Laden, we will not obey any obstacle. We are Rasul soldier, don’t be afraid of bullets and bombs. Remember, Allah is with you. We cannot tolerate this. For the sake of Islam, the Quran and the country, we will all fight together, he concluded. Besides, the protestors were seen putting up an effigy of PM Modi with the inscription, “Modi is a terrorist.” They also desecrated the Indian flag but putting up a cross mark on the tricolour.

Islamist organisations in Bangladesh protest against Indian

In February last year, thousands of Muslims took out a march from the main mosque in Bangladesh capital Dhaka to protest against the Indian government for the riots in Delhi which left at least 52 dead and hundreds injured. Thousands of Muslims left the Baitul Mokarram Mosque, joined the rally and shouted slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The protesters went on to demand that Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina drop her plan to invite Prime Minister Modi to a commemoration next month on the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The protesters claimed that the invitation was an insult to the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh and disrespect to the non-communal freedom icon of the nation. The march was organized by six Muslim political groups at the initiative of Jamiat Ulema-e Islam General Secretary Nur Hossain Qasmi. There was massive police deployment around the protest area. 

Anti-CAA Bangladeshi student asked to leave India

Afsara Meem, a first-year student of Visva-Bharati University was allegedly asked to leave India for indulging in activities against the Indian government. Afsara, the undergraduate student was allegedly told by the authorities to leave India for uploading pictures of the Anti-CAA protests on her Facebook handle, as per a report in Telegraph.

The 20-year-old student who had come to India in 2018 from Bangladesh’s Kustia is pursuing a Bachelor of Design degree at the department of fine arts. The Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office of Kolkata had reportedly issued a ‘leave-India’ letter to the Bangladeshi woman on 14 February. Legal activists group Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has claimed that they had highlighted the case of a foreign national interfering in India’s internal matters.

Madhya Pradesh: Sarpanch mowed down by tractor for complaining against forest land encroachment, Faqeer Ahmed and his four sons arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Sarpanch mowed down by tractor for complaining against forest land encroachment, Faqeer Ahmed and his four sons arrested

In a gruesome incident on Thursday, a 48-year-old man was mowed down by a tractor following a complaint against land encroachment in Lateri town in Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh.

As per reports, the victim has been identified as one Santram Valmiki. He was the Sarpanch of Murwas Gram Panchayat. Santram had filed a complaint with the Collector Pankaj Jain on September 10 last year after one Faqeer Ahmed and his sons namely, Farooq, Irfan, Umar and Rizwan encroached upon 100 bigha of forest land. While acting on his complaint, Jain had written a letter to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) for further action.

Collector Pankaj Jain had summoned the Divisional Manager of the Forest Department, Adarsh Shrivastava on January 28 and directed him to take action. In this regard, Shrivastava sent a letter to forest officers on March 9. A team was thus constituted by the Department to lead the anti-encroachment drive on March 16. However, Faqeer Ahmed and his sons were miffed by the decision. Umar, a watchman in the Forest Department, would pass on information from forest officials, identified as Santosh Dubey and Pankaj to his father Faqeer Ahmed.

The gruesome murder of Santram Valmiki

A day before the anti-encroachment drive was scheduled to begin, the complainant Santram Valmiki was crushed to death by a tractor on Thursday when he was returning to his house from the Murwas Panchayat Bhavan. The victim Santram Valmiki, who was on his bike at the time, was hit by the tractor driven by Ahmed’s son Rizwan near Bhairo Chowk.

On receiving information, the cops reached the crime scene and rushed Santram to the hospital. The victim was declared dead on arrival. Rizwan was accompanied by his brothers Umar, Farooq and Irfan. They also threatened passersby, who were a witness to the incident, with swords and guns and warned them against reporting to the police. The police have arrested all the five accused, including Faqeer Ahmed, for hatching the murder conspiracy.

BJP, VHP and victim’s wife demand strict action

While recounting the barbaric incident, the victim’s wife Asha Devi said, “After my husband lodged the complaint, they threatened him with dire consequences and now they killed him.” She further added, “My husband…(pleaded for help) but nobody helped him.” The incident has sparked outrage in the area, with BJP and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) sitting on a dharna and demanding strong action against the accused.

Accusing the administration and the police of supporting land encroachers, BJP leader Umakant Sharma said, “Had the administration and police acted timely, Santram would not have been killed. A local police station in-charge was patronising the mafia and he should be removed from the post.” He, along with his supporters, sat on a protest outside the Murwas police station.

Valmiki community stage protest, Section 144 imposed in the area

In his defence, Police Station Incharge Anirudh Pandey said, “The police station is located about 400 metres away from the crime spot. I did not save the accused. I am being wrongly accused. I Nabed him and took him away.” The Valmiki community also staged a demonstration and sent a memorandum to the Collector, demanding appropriate action. A large team of police personnel has been deployed in the area and the assembly of more than 4 people have been restricted by the SDM under Section 144.

4 cases of dog rape in Mumbai in past few months as concerns over animal safety grow: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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4 cases of dog rape in Mumbai in past few months as concerns over animal safety grow: All you need to know

A disturbing trend has emerged in Mumbai in recent times. At a time, when women across the world are uninhibitedly coming out to report sexual atrocities committed against them, there is a marked rise in the number of sexual crimes committed against animals, be it dogs, sheep, goats or cows.

While Mumbai is generally touted as one of the safer cities for human beings to live in, unfortunately, if the recent incidents are to be accounted for, the same cannot be said for animals, especially dogs. In the last few months, there have been at least 4 incidents of bestiality that street dogs in Mumbai were subjected to. Depraved men, in a bid to satiate their sexual lust, targeted street dogs and raped them.

Here are the four incidents from Mumbai where men with twisted psyche made dogs the victims of their sexual lust.

20-year-old Toufeek Ahmed caught on CCTV raping a female dog

Yesterday, a 20-year-old Muslim youth identified as Toufeek Ahmed was caught on a CCTV surveillance camera sexually abusing a female dog. According to information received in the case, the incident took place at Kalina in Santacruz.

“The accused man is a hawker who sells bread in the locality. In the CCTV video, he is seen raping the dog, which is bestiality. After the FIR was lodged this week, the Valoka police went to his local address to nab him. However, he has reportedly left for his native place in Uttar Pradesh. We request the police to arrest him soon,” said Mahajan, the chairperson of Animal Rescue And Care Trust (ARAC).

A case has been registered against Toufeek Ahmed at Vakola police under IPC section 377 for unnatural sex.

According to Street dogs of Bombay, a collective that works for the welfare of street dogs in Mumbai, Toufeek, who worked as a hawker selling bread on roads, raped female dogs at midnight. As per the NGO, the accused Toufeek has gone missing ever since the video went viral. It is being suspected that Toufeek has returned to his hometown in Uttar Pradesh.

Ahmad Shah arrested for raping over 30 stray dogs in Juhu area

Last week, a 67-year-old vegetable trader Ahmad Shah was arrested by DN Nagar police station for sexually abusing a dog at the Juhu Galli area. An NGO volunteer had caught Ahmad Shah raping a stray dog. A complaint was lodged by Vijay Mohnani from NGO Bombay Animal Rights, who submitted a video to the police in which Shah could be seen raping the dog. 

The police reportedly suspect that the vegetable vendor has raped over 30 dogs between 3 am to 4 am in the night over a long period of time. He allegedly offered the animals meat and raped them while they ate. The accused even claimed that since he had been feeding the animals and the animals “did not object”, it is not a crime.

Soon after the horrific incident came to light, there was a massive uproar across the country. Several social media users took to social media to demand justice for the sexually harassed dog ‘Sheru’ and demanded strict action against Ahmad Shah. Netizens voiced their opinion on the internet by trending the “#SorrySheru” hashtag and expressed anguish over the increase in cases of dog rape in recent days.

8-year-old female canine raped inside a shopping complex in Powai

Back in October 2020, an 8-year-old female canine named Noorie was raped inside the Galleria shopping complex in Powai, Mumbai. The dog was then taken to the animal care centre of the World For All (WFA) for medical treatment. To their horror, the veterinary doctors found an 11-inch wooden stick inside the dog’s genitals. The doctors have now removed the stick successfully. Meanwhile, the police have arrested one accused in the case.

While speaking on the development, Bombay Animal Rights (BAR) activist Vijay Kishore Mohanani stated, “On October 22, some of the local animal figures informed us that the dog, Noorie, was found severely injured in Galleria.  We suspect that some psycho who either works inside Galleria or lives nearby brutalised the very friendly dog.” 

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Powai Police Station against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 377 and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The video of the injured dog, lying in a helpless state, had gone viral on social media.

Dog raped by a daily wage worker in Navi Mumbai

A week before the female canine Noorie was raped in Powai, a 65-year-old man was arrested for raping a dog at the Nerul railway station complex in Navi Mumbai. The accused has been identified as one Mahendra D Pawar. The gruesome act of bestality came to light after CCTV footage of the station complex, which captured the despicable incident, was sent to an animal rights group named People for Animals (PFA Mumbai, Unit-2).

While speaking about the development, PFA activist Vijaya Rangare stated, “ Around a week ago, a late-night CCTV footage showing a man sexually abusing a female dog on the west side of Nerul Station Complex was sent to our PFA Mumbai Unit-2.”  After learning about the incident, he and his colleague Aditya Patil rushed to the spot and began inquiring about the crime. Soon, they were able to ascertain the identity of the accused, Mahendra D Pawar.  

During the inquiry, it was found that the accused was a daily wage worker who slept within the Nerul Station complex, drank alcohol at night and abused the female dog. The animal rights activist further informed that the Mahendra was untraceable for some time and he was nowhere to be found in the station complex. On Sunday, a local informed about the whereabouts of Pawar. The Nerul police and the PFA team then rushed to the station complex and arrested the accused.

Home Ministry transfers Mansukh Hiren death case to NIA, Maharashtra ATS was earlier investigating the matter: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Home Ministry transfers Mansukh Hiren death case to NIA, Maharashtra ATS was earlier investigating the matter: Details

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the Mansukh Hiren death case that is connected to the Antilia bomb scare incident.

According to reports, Mansukh Hiren death case will now be investigated by the NIA. The Ministry of Home Affairs has given formal orders to NIA regarding the matter. Maharashtra ATS was earlier investigating the case.

Mansukh Hiren was the owner of the vehicle laden with explosives parked outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence – ‘Antilia’. The Mumbai Police had recovered about 20 gelatin sticks, and a threat letter addressed to the Ambani family was recovered from the car, a Scorpio, on February 25.

Shockingly, a few days later, the body of Mansukh Hiren was found near Kalwa creek in Thane on March 5.

However, the family members of Mansukh Hiren refused to accept his body, stating that they will do it only after the police and the administration make his postmortem report public. 

Hiren’s wife alleged that Sachin Vaze, the Mumbai crime branch officer, killed her husband. The family pointed towards the letter penned by Hiren in which he alleged that he was mentally harassed in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case. Besides, the family members of Hiren rejected the notion that Hiren might have committed suicide. 

Shiv Sena objected to NIA probe

Earlier, BJP leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had demanded a probe by the NIA in the case. Two weeks back, Devendra Fadnavis had said, “I had demanded the security for Hiren in the Legislative Assembly today along with the NIA probe in the matter. Now, after the suicide of Hiren, the suspicion intensifies. I demand an NIA probe in the matter.”

However, Shiv Sena vehemently had opposed the NIA investigation into the high-profile Mansukh Hiren death case. Rejecting the demanding a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into Mansukh Hiren’s death, Shiv Sena motor-mouth leader Sanjay Raut on Saturday said that no one should try to capitalise on Hiren’s death.

Raut had added that if there were any issues raised by the Opposition in the Hiren death case, it should be investigated. He had asked the opposition to provide information on the case and said that it should be investigated. “However, I do not think it is right to put the government in the cage of the accused before the investigation is completed. But no one should try to capitalise on his death,” Raut said while interacting with reporters.

“This death of a key witness during the investigation is shocking and unfortunate. There is a public suspicion of whether Hiren was murdered or committed suicide. This doubt needs to be dispelled. What is the reason for his death? Who is responsible for it? The sooner the Home Ministry reveals the truth about all this, the better it will be for the image and reputation of the government,” he added.

Antilia bomb scare and connection between Mansukh Hiren and Sachin Vaze

On February 25, a Scorpio car with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked near Antilia, the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. A few days later, it was revealed that the car belonged to a person named Mansukh Hiren. The bomb-laden car was owned by Mansukh Hiren, who had alleged that his car was stolen from Mulund-Airoli link road. Hiren had also filed a police complaint about the missing car.

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis had made sensational disclosures related to the Antilia bomb scare while speaking in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha and said that the bomb-laden vehicle belonged to Hiren.

Speaking in the assembly, Fadnavis alleged that the owner of the Scorpio car, which was used to plant gelatin sticks and a threat letter outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai, was in touch with a mobile phone number that is registered under the name of Mumbai Police officer and ‘encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze.

However, hours after Fadnavis had made a statement in the legislative assembly, Hiren’s body was washed ashore in the Kalwa creek, which only deepened the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani.

Later, top sources in the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) said that they had found injuries on the body of businessman Mansukh Hiren’s head and neck. An unnamed source in the Maharashtra ATS said that Hiren might have been assaulted before his death. The ATS official said that it appeared that someone might have assaulted Mansukh Hiren with a blunt and heavy object.

After sounding the alarm bells over Trump’s stumble, media gives Joe Biden a free pass over stairs fall: Here is how the coverage differed

OpIndia Staff
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After sounding the alarm bells over Trump’s stumble, media gives Joe Biden a free pass over stairs fall: Here is how the coverage differed

US President Joe Biden stumbled and fell on the stairs while boarding Air Force One on Friday, raising further questions about his health. His health was a matter of significant debate even during the campaign with incumbent Donald Trump taking regular potshots at him.

More recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin had implied that Joe Biden has gone senile after the latter answered in the affirmative when asked if he believed Putin is a “killer”. Now, after the stumble, further concerns are being raised regarding the US President’s health.

Another matter that has come to the fore is the media’s duplicity in its coverage of the matter. Users on social media have pointed out that while the American mainstream media had made much hue and cry when Donald Trump had a minor stumble, they are now attempting to whitewash the concerns about Biden’s health after he fell flat on the stairs in three installments.

Users have pointed out that while the media spent a great deal of time explaining why Trump’s minor stumble was “important”, they are going out of their way to give Joe Biden a free pass. Screenshots shared by Drew Holden show the New York Times giving Biden a free pass but had earlier reported that “Trump’s halting walk down ramp raises new health questions”.

CNN demonstrated the same duplicity in their coverage of the two instances. Regarding Trump, CNN explained why the stumble “actually matters” but after Biden’s fall, the news network had no such snide remarks to offer.

Not only American media but British media was on a fact-free conspiracy mongering witch hunt as well. After Trump’s stumble, BBC and The Sun dedicated their resources to speculating whether Donald Trump is scared of stairs.

The Washington Post, obviously, was in on the act as well. While they maintained a neutral tone reporting Biden’s fall, on the other occasion, they reported, “Trump tries to explain his slow and unsteady walk down a ramp at West Point”.

Far-Left media outlet Slate did cover the fact that the press was on a “tricky footing” on the matter but they were themselves guilty of sensationalising Trump’s stumble.

The duplicity in media coverage has long been apparent and the reason why the media remains one of the least trusted institutions in the United States. In a January 21 poll, it was reported that 56% of Americans agreed that “Journalists and reporters are purposely trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false or gross exaggerations.”

Congress candidate in Assam brags that she allowed people to enrol in voter lists without any verification when she was a govt official

OpIndia Staff
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Congress candidate in Assam brags that she allowed people to enrol in voter lists without any verification when she was a govt official

A Congress candidate in the Assam assembly elections have confirmed what was believed by most people in the state, that govt officials were instrumental in filling the voter lists with names without any verification. This explosive revelation was made by Sibamoni Bora, the Congress candidate from Batadrava constituency in Nagaon district, who was earlier a Block Development Officer.

At an election rally in Batadrava, Sibamoni Bora said that when she was entrusted with election duties when she was posted there as BDO, she let people enter their names without any verification. She said this to prove how she has been ‘serving’ people of the area even before she joined politics, when she was a government officer.

In a video shared by Assamese news channel News Live, Sibamoni Bora can be heard saying, ‘me and my father and have been working for you for a long time. A lot of you people have got voting rights because of me, I can claim that. Because when I was a BDO here, when hearings took place (for updating voter lists), I had accepted all the applications without a single house visit. Those who hare voting now here, I had enabled them to do so. If I had not done that at that time, you would not have got the voting rights.’

The Congress candidate further added, ‘you don’t have to fear about that, because this time the grand alliance will form the government’. She hinted that if Congress-AIUDF combine does not come to power, they may lose the voting rights, and hence they should vote for her.

In Assam, public hearings take place for determining the applications submitted for inclusion of names in the voter list. During such hearings, the applicants present their case for including them as voter, while others can object to the same if they suspect that the applicant is an illegal migrant. The Election Commission deputes officers from the state government to conduct such hearings. The officers have the responsibility to ensure that only genuine voters are included in the voter list, and for this they need to visit the house of the applicant to verify the address, apart from verifying other details and documents submitted along with the application.

This is the most important step in ensuring that illegal immigrants can’t enlist themselves as voters of India. But it has been alleged that officials often bypassed the verification process to include names, and the claim by the former BDO, who is now a Congress leader, proves that the allegation is true.

Sibamoni Bora is constesting against incumbent MLA and popular BJP leader Angoorlata Deka, a former actress in the Assamese movie industry. Batadrava is the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardev, the founder of Vaishnavism in Assam. But the region has seen large scale illegal infiltration from Bangladeshis, and large areas of Bardowa Satra, the Vaishnav monastery, has been encroached by illegal immigrants from Bangladeshis. The Congress is largely depending on the Bangladeshi Muslim voters in the constituency. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that removing the encroachers from the Satra land will be one of the main priorities of the govt if NDA comes back to power.

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