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NCPCR takes cognisance of complaint against police officer Anthony Michael for allegedly torturing the children of deceased Sadhu Saravanan

OpIndia Staff
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NCPCR takes cognisance of complaint against police officer Anthony Michael for allegedly torturing the children of deceased Sadhu Saravanan

Priyank Kunoongo, the Chairperson of the National Commission of Child Rights, has announced on Twitter that the commission has taken cognisance of the complaint filed against Tamil Nadu Police Officer Anthony Michael for allegedly torturing the children of Sadhu Saravanan. The police officer has been accused of beating the Hindu Sadhu which led to him committing suicide.

The complaint was filed by the Legal Rights Observatory and sought an FIR against the police officer under the Juvenile Justice Act. The son and daughter of victim Saravanan had also told the local media that the SI had brutally attacked their father.

Hindu Makkal Katchi claims Saravanan beaten up for opposing religious conversions

Today, a right-wing Hindu nationalist party in Tamil Nadu, the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) held a demonstration in Salem demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. According to a report by Swarajya, the local organiser of the event, CM Manikandan, has alleged sub-inspector Antony Michael, who abetted the Hindu Sadhu to suicide, had beaten up the latter, as his activities were obstructing conversion efforts made by local church people.

“There is a church in the locality. Not many were going to it and the sadhu was held responsible for it. So, Michael beat him up to ensure he would not be a hurdle,” the HMK leader claimed.

The Sadhu committed suicide after being beaten up by the police officer

We reported how on August 14, when Saravanan was treating two women, possessed by evil spirits, at his home, when SI Anthony Michael rushed to the spot and allegedly thrashed him after abusing him. Following the attack on him, the Hindu Sadhu went missing the next morning. As local people and his friends began a search next day, his friends received his video on Whatsapp in which he said that the police beating had led to his depression.

Later, on 15th August his decomposed body was found in that area and the police found a mobile near the body. “Sub-inspector Anthony Michael beat me up thinking he can do anything with the power he got,” the sadhu alleged in the video.

Kim Jong Un, ‘The Undertaker’ of North Korea, is dead, claims an expert

OpIndia Staff
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Kim Jong Un, ‘The Undertaker’ of North Korea, is dead, claims an expert

Roy Calley, an expert who has extensively travelled in North Korea, has claimed that the authoritarian dictator Kim Jong Un is dead. Recently, reports had claimed that the North Korea leader was in coma.

Calley added that North Korea being increasingly evasive over the health complications suffered by Kim could be because of the major operational changes being made in the country. The journalist cited that changes such as making Kim’s sister the de facto second-in-command – underscores something major happening in the country.

The journalist also remembered how North Korea had withheld the death of the previous leader Kim Jong il, whose announcement of death was made months later, adding that the matter about Kim Jong Un’s death will be cleared once his sister takes charge of the country.

Kim Jong Un was assumed to be dead earlier too

It is pertinent to note that just a few weeks ago, reports of North Korean leader’s death had started surfacing after he was not seen in public for a few weeks. Several news organisations and “experts” had then opined that Kim Jong Un was dead and that his sister, the legitimate heir apparent to the throne of North Korea, would soon assume the leadership and announce the death of the leader.

In fact, countless articles and elaborate sources were quoted then to assert that Kim Jong Un was suffering from a terminal disease and his absence from public functions was cited as a reliable indicator of his death. However, weeks later, the country released video footage of the leader attending an official programme, putting paid to the rumours surrounding his death.

It appears that the North Korean dictator is following the enduring legacy of the WWE superstar ‘The Undertaker’, who feigned death numerous times on WWE, only to make dramatic returns later. It appears that the authoritarian leader of North Korea is following into the footsteps of the iconic wrestler, letting the world speculate on his death and so-called mysterious ailment and then making a puzzling come back only when the world is least expecting him to show up.

Police officer Anthony Michael beat up Sadhu Saravanan as his activities prevented conversion of Hindus, claims Hindu Makkal Katchi

OpIndia Staff
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Police officer Anthony Michael beat up Sadhu Saravanan as his activities prevented conversion of Hindus, claims Hindu Makkal Katchi

A 42-year-old Hindu sadhu – Saravanan had ended his life yesterday out of humiliation and torture near Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s village, after a group of policemen led by a local sub-inspector Anthony Micheal humiliated the Hindu Sadhu.

Today, a right-wing Hindu nationalist party in Tamil Nadu, the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) held a demonstration in Salem demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. According to a report by Swarajya, the local organiser of the event, CM Manikandan, has alleged sub-inspector Antony Michael, who abetted the Hindu Sadhu to suicide, had beaten up the latter, as his activities were obstructing conversion efforts made by local church people.

“There is a church in the locality. Not many were going to it and the sadhu was held responsible for it. So, Michael beat him up to ensure he would not be a hurdle,” the HMK leader claimed.

The Hindu nationalist party members were probably alluding that since Saravanan tackled people complaining of being possessed by ghosts with his divine healing and holy pendant, the evangelists could not entice them to the local church, which under ordinary circumstances would stand a chance. Because of this, he was being seen as a hurdle to the church’s activities.

Hindu Sadhu Saravanan commits suicide after police officer Anthony Michael thrashes and humiliates him

We reported how on August 14, when Saravanan was treating two women, possessed by evil spirits, at his home, when SI Anthony Michael rushed to the spot and allegedly thrashed him after abusing him. Following the attack on him, the Hindu Sadhu went missing the next morning. As local people and his friends began a search next day, his friends received his video on Whatsapp in which he said that the police beating had led to his depression.

Later, on 15th August his decomposed body was found in that area and the police found a mobile near the body. “Sub-inspector Anthony Michael beat me up thinking he can do anything with the power he got,” the sadhu alleged in the video.

Family alleged police brutality as the reason for Sadhu’s death

The son and daughter of victim Saravanan had also said to the local media that the SI had brutally attacked their father.

Voices demanding justice for Saravanan gets louder on social media

A campaign seeking CBI inquiry has been launched. Emails are being sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to take cognisance of the issue. Prime Minister’s Office attention has also been drawn towards the incident on social media. Hashtags like #JusticeForSaravanan and #ArrestAntonyMichael have been trending on Twitter, with Netizens demanding justice for the Hindu saint. The enraged social media users have also pointed out how the media in Tamil Nadu have chosen silence over the death as in this case the deceased is a Hindu.

Madam has to continue until the election takes place: Congress Working Committee member KH Muniyappa

Jinit Jain
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Madam has to continue until the election takes place: Congress Working Committee member KH Muniyappa

Following the conclusion of the fiery meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) today, one of the members of the CWC, KH Muniyappa, talking to media said that “Madam”(Sonia Gandhi) will continue on her post as the interim president of the Congress party until the time the party elects a suitable to replace her as the party president.

“Madam (Sonia Gandhi) has to continue and the election will take place as soon as possible which is the unanimous decision of the working committee,” Muniyappa said after the Congress Working Committee meeting.

Sonia Gandhi asked Congress to relieve her of her duties as party president

According to the reports, in the 7-hours long marathon meeting of the Congress Working Committee members, the interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi expressed her wish to be relieved of her job as the party president. The request from Ms Gandhi came in the wake of an explosive letter written by 23 senior leaders calling for “a full-time, visible leadership”.

Claiming that she had been hurt by her colleagues, Ms Gandhi ended the meeting on a conciliatory note, saying she held no “ill-will” against the dissenters.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had moved a resolution asking Sonia Gandhi to continue. The party has set a time frame of six-months for the All India Congress Committee to start the search of a new chief, as requested by Sonia Gandhi.

Several of the Congress leaders in the meeting suggested Sonia Gandhi hand over the reins of the party to Rahul Gandhi if she did not wish to continue as party president. Rahul Gandhi had last year tendered his resignation from the post of party president after an embarrassing poll debacle in the 2019 General elections.

CWC meet called to discuss August 7 letter by 23 senior party members

The CWC meeting was convened to discuss the letter issued on August 7 by 23 senior party leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor and Anand Sharma, calling for radical reforms in the party to dispel uncertainty over the leadership and curtail a drift that had demotivated workers. The letter, however, suggested that Gandhis will always be a part of the “collective leadership” of the party.

Apparently, a controversy was kicked up earlier today after several news reports, including NDTV, reported that Rahul Gandhi was unhappy with the dissenters’ letter and accused them of colluding with the BJP.

Senior Kapil Sibal posted a tweet, expressing his anguish over being accused of conniving with the BJP while he had faithfully served the Congress for about 30 years. However, he later backtracked and pulled down the tweet, posting a new tweet in which he claimed he has been personally informed by Rahul Gandhi that he never said what was attributed to him.

Similarly, Ghulam Nabi Azad had also tendered his resignation following the backlash over the letter. But, he too defended Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Wayanad MP did not make any remark of colluding with the BJP.

Determined to become Gandhi and Mandela, Prashant Bhushan repeats that he stands by his remarks undermining faith in the judiciary

OpIndia Staff
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Determined to become Gandhi and Mandela, Prashant Bhushan repeats that he stands by his remarks undermining faith in the judiciary

Digging his heels in, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, who is held guilty of contempt for his scurrilous tweets on the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and past CJIs, has refused to tender an apology for his remarks as the three-day time window given by the court to reconsider his statements ended today.

Prashant Bhushan refuses to budge from his stand

Refusing to offer an apology in line with the Supreme Court order of August 20 where he was adjudged guilty of contempt of court, Prashant Bhushan issued a supplementary statement in the case, alleging that “offering an insincere apology would amount to a contempt of his conscience and of an institution that he holds in the highest esteem”.

Prashant Bhushan defended himself in front of the three-judge bench hearing the case, claiming that he considered his tweets as the “discharge of highest duty” and that his tweets were expressed in “good faith”, not to malign the apex court or any particular Chief Justice. Bhushan contended that he offered “constructive criticism” so that the court can arrest any drift away from its long-standing role as a preserver of the Constitution and custodian of people’s rights.

“My tweets represented this bonafide belief that I continue to hold…Therefore, an apology for expression of this belief, conditional or unconditional, would be insincere,” Bhushan said.

Bhushan’s bid to appear as modern-day Gandhi

A few days ago, Bhushan had posted an unassuming tweet where he refused to be compared to Gandhiji and Mandela, claiming that such comparison is misplaced and that he had done nothing compared to what the two great men did.

However, just days later, the supreme court advocate held guilty of contempt, shared an article on how Gandhiji too had refused to offer an apology and decided to face the contempt the proceeding. The uncanny similarity between the two cases is hard to miss.

Perhaps, in his bid to portray himself as the modern-day Gandhi and Mandela, Prashant Bhushan has resolutely stood by his remarks that raised aspersions on the Chief Justices of India and the Supreme Court. By drawing a parallel with Gandhiji, Bhushan possibly attempts to exculpate himself of his contemptuous remarks against the top court, and paint the Supreme Court as the unjust oppressor. 

The drama continues as Congress leader writes a letter in blood to Sonia Gandhi: Read what he wants

OpIndia Staff
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The drama continues as Congress leader writes a letter in blood to Sonia Gandhi: Read what he wants

Just when everyone was thinking that the melodrama over Congress presidency and CWC meeting is becoming slightly boring, a Congress functionary went a step ahead and brought in a vintage Bollywood twist,

Congress leader Sandeep Tanwar from Delhi came up with a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi written allegedly in blood, with the demand of reinstating Rahul Gandhi to the position of party president.

Sandeep Tanwar, Ex Congress candidate from Delhi Cantt. and Assembly Councillor Delhi Cantonment Board, today took to Twitter to upload a letter he had written in blood to the interim President of the All India Congress Committee, Sonia Gandhi. In his letter, Tanwar has appealed the interim Congress president to select Rahul Gandhi to lead the party again.

“Rahul Gandhi has build this party with his blood and sweat. In bad times, he has raised the voices of people from streets to parliament. If Rahul Gandhi is not made the president of the party, that decision will not be in the interest of the party,” the letter uploaded by Sandeep Tanwar read.

Besides, Tanwar has also attached another picture with the tweet, where he is seen holding the letter written in blood. However, with no injury marks visible on his hands, or anywhere else, many have started speculating on the veracity of the claim made by Tanwar that the letter was written with his own blood.

News report of Rahul Gandhi accusing Congress party veterans of collusion with BJP stirs furore

Earlier today, news reports of former Congress president Rahul Gandhi accusing party veterans of colluding with the BJP sent the Congress party into a tizzy, with many senior leaders expressing their anguish over the incident.

Kapil Sibal initially expressed his anguish at Rahul’s purported allegations, claiming he had been loyal to Congress for the last 3 decades. However, he later deleted the tweet, saying Gandhi had personally clarified that no such comments were made by him. Another senior leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, also offered to resign from his post over the allegations of ‘colluding with the BJP’. However, he also came in the defence of Rahul Gandhi soon, claiming the Wayanad MP did not make the remark.

Finally, after a daylong drama and speculations, it has been clarified now that Sonia Gandhi will continue to be the interim president of the Congress party.

 

Sonia Gandhi to continue to be Congress president, CWC concludes after seven hour marathon session. Here is how it unfolded

OpIndia Staff
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Sonia Gandhi to continue to be Congress president, CWC concludes after seven hour marathon session. Here is how it unfolded

After seven hour marathon session, Congress Working Committee has finally concluded that Sonia Gandhi will continue to be interim President despite the deliberations and rumours that she may step down and let a non-Gandhi, and hopefully a non-Vadra, take over as party president.

Detailed resolutions are currently being drafted. New President may be elected within next six months.

The Congress Working Committee meeting commenced at around 11 AM and multiple media houses citing ‘sources’ are sharing inputs which are all over the place. Like those high school competitions where everyone knows the teacher’s favourite will win all debate competitions despite better candidates, everyone is quite sure if the Congress president isn’t a Gandhi (or Vadra), the de facto President will still be one from 10, Janpath.

Congress leadership (read the Gandhis) had again started the resignation drama where their loyalists are urging them to stay on.

Sonia Gandhi offered to step down while former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged her to stay on.

Rahul Gandhi questioned why the letter was sent when Sonia Gandhi was hospitalised.

Former Congress President and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi questioned the timing of letter by 23 Congress leaders appealing for a total overhaul of the party leadership and accused them of colluding with the BJP.

He also questioned the timing of the letter. Upset, Kapil Sibal has now resorted to sly tweeting. Oh, he later deleted the tweet.
Kapil Sibal tweet

He said he was informed how Rahul Gandhi never said that the old guard of Congress is colluding with BJP and hence withdrew the tweet.

Though, his colleague, Ghulam Nabi Azad seems to be having different thoughts. Except, after Rahul Gandhi’s allegations, he has now offered to quit. (Though now that Sibal has withdrawn his tweet, we are still not sure whether his offer to resign holds true.) He later took to Twitter to ‘clarify’ his position on the confusion. The entire drama makes no sense as of now. Except to Rahul Gandhi fangirl Sanjukta, who seems to have figure it out. Updates: More Congress leaders now want Sonia Gandhi to continue.

The meeting finally got over and it is now confirmed that Sonia Gandhi will continue to be party’s president.

Note: The article is updated to reflect recent changes. Hope it was as entertaining for you as it was for us.

Son of singer SP Balasubrahmanyam asks not to believe media reports on singer’s coronavirus status

OpIndia Staff
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Son of singer SP Balasubrahmanyam asks not to believe media reports on singer’s coronavirus status

Producer SP Charan has taken to social media to refute media reports claiming that his father, SP Balasubrahmanyam, who has been hospitalized for over two weeks now, has tested negative for Covid-19.

Various media houses shared a statement in SP Charan’s name, claiming that he has informed in a statement regarding his father’s health update on Monday that the legendary singer has tested negative. However, taking to social media, Charan has rebutted these claims and requested fans not to believe rumours on his father’s Covid-19 status.

“I usually post Appa’s health updates after I have a discussion with the medical team from the hospital. But unfortunately, I am forced to put up a post in the morning,” said the singing maestro’s son, adding that he usually disseminates the updates through the media.

“Regardless of whether it is COVID negative or positive, the (health) status is still the same,” he added. The producer informed that the singer continues to be on life support, but his vital parameters are stabilizing. He added that he will update on SPB’s health on Monday evening after he has a discussion with the doctors and the medical team from the hospital. “Please refrain from rumour-mongering”, Charan requested.

In early August, SP Balasubrahmanyam shared a video on social media to inform his fans that he has tested positive for COVID-19. On August 14, his health deteriorated and he had to be shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and put on a ventilator. 

In 2018, at the height of #MeToo movement in India, many women had accused William Dalrymple of making them feel uncomfortable by ‘creepy behaviour’

OpIndia Staff
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In 2018, at the height of #MeToo movement in India, many women had accused William Dalrymple of making them feel uncomfortable by ‘creepy behaviour’

William Dalrymple, the so-called historian, along with his ‘liberal’ authors’ gang, bullied Bloomsbury, an international publishing house to drop the book “Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story” by Adv Monika Arora that was set to release next month. During the height of #MeToo movement in India, many women accused Dalrymple of making them feel uncomfortable with ‘creepy behaviour’.

In October 2018, Scroll employee Karnika Kohli put out a cryptic tweet asking whether everyone will remain silent over William Dalrymple.

Karnika Kohli’s tweet

Women who felt uncomfortable around him or while talking to him over the social media platforms took the hint, and a few came forward to tell their stories.

The most detailed version of his behaviour towards young women was posted by one Preetha. She said that he sent her a random friend request on Facebook, which being his fan, she did not find alarming. However, he started to compliment her a lot which made her feel uncomfortable. He also asked her out for dinner and drinks. When she told him she would think about going out for dinner with him, “he replied with many winks and kiss smileys,” she said. She said that she should have snapped when he randomly asked her for dinner and call him out for being creepy.

@preetha on Twitter

To her post, many people said that it should have been taken as normal as it is not wrong for someone to ask a woman out for dinner or drinks that forced Preetha to write a long note. She said, “It is disheartening not at all shocking that men are questioning my intentions instead of Dalrymple’s in this case although other women have shared that they have heard of/had similar encounters with him.”

The user named Preetha had shared a long note detailing the issue.

Note shared by Preetha
Note shared by Preetha
Note shared by Preetha
Note shared by Preetha

She further added that refusing to admit his actions are not similar to the actions of a new male colleague as a new colleague will have a reason to know her better than William did not have. After telling him that she was his fan, his actions felt like “he is exerting his power, unlike the colleague.”

Another user MissKandpal concurred what Preetha had to say. She said she was asked to meet over dinner as well.

MissKandpal’s tweet

Author and political analyst Shubhrastha also pointed out unsolicited messages from Dalrymple and said her cold reply might have saved her from such dinner requests.

Shubhrastha’s tweet

Dalrymple is supposed to be married and living in India with his wife and three kids.

#MeToo movement in India

In October 2018, multiple women took to social media platforms and called out their sexual predators across industries like media, advertising, academia, film industry and even the comedy circuit which prides itself in being the ‘liberal’ voice of India. Various personalities like Vinod Dua, Mahesh Murthy, Sajid Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and many, many others were accused of sexual abuse.

Congress trolls fume over communication fiasco, call NDTV ‘Godi media’: Read why

Anurag
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Congress trolls fume over communication fiasco, call NDTV ‘Godi media’: Read why

If you are active on social media, you must have heard the term ‘Godi Media’. It is a term often used by social media trolls to deride media houses that are critical of the Congress or AAP. In an interesting turn of events, the Congress supporters have today started calling the NDTV as ‘Godi media’.

It all started with NDTV’s tweet where it claimed that Rahul Gandhi during CWC Meeting accused the Congress leaders who had written a ‘dissent letter’ of colluding with the BJP. The ‘news’ was soon picked up by other media portals too, but NDTV had broken it and despite prompt clarification by the Congress that Rahul had said no such thing, NDTV stood by its report, attributing to sources.

Here are some tweets that show people calling NDTV all sort of names. The ‘news’ had generated a lot of reactions, with Kapil Sibal going on a full-fledged rant, so naturally, the Congress camp seemed to be rattled.

Congress supporters attack NDTV

Calling NDTV Godi Media, Deep Karan Singh of Congress said that “sources” want to mislead the nation and NDTV is helping them.

Mihir Sharma who is supposed to be a journalist got furious and asked NDTV if they would like to explain the tweet. he added, “Do your job as journalists, if you expect the world to support you when you get in trouble for journalism.”

Hasiba Amin of Congress shamed NDTV and asked them to delete it.

A user Priya who seemed to be a fan of Rahul Gandhi and Indian National Congress claimed that NDTV’s true face has been exposed because of this one tweet. The user also called NDTV as ‘Jhadu media’, in an apparent attempt to prove that it is worse than ‘Godi media’.

Gaurav Pandhi, the National Coordinator, Digital Communications & Social Media at Congress took a jibe at a viral video of PM Modi feeding peacocks and poked NDTV in a single tweet while trying to show his intelligence. He said, “Shame on you @/NDTV for spreading fake news & lies.”

The AAM Aadmi Party, probably not wanting to miss out on all the fun, and social media attention, posted and image of BJP’s Lotus with Congress’s hands embedded in it as it’s petals. They named it as Congress Janata Party.

While Congress supporters have unleashed their fury at NDTV for making their prince Rahul Gandhi seem negative, the CWC meeting is in itself a whole different level of drama. As we write this report, the meeting continues. We will update if any other media house gets declared as Godi Media by the angry Congress supporters.

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