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After Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie, Gunjan Saxena says no gender bias experienced by her in the IAF

OpIndia Staff
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After Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie, Gunjan Saxena says no gender bias experienced by her in the IAF

A day after the Indian Air Force wrote a letter against Netflix movie ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’ for the “undue negative” portrayal of its work culture in the movie, the real life Gunjan Saxena has come forward and opened up about her experiences serving in the Indian Air Force as compared to what has been depicted in the film. Gunjan said that her superiors, colleagues and commanding officers all supported her in the Air Force.

The growing rate of women officers in the IAF is a testament to its strong values and ethos: Gunjan Saxena

Speaking to IANS, Saxena extolled the culture at the Indian Air Force, saying that it was the training and the strong ethos of the Indian Air Force which provided her with the courage to do all the extraordinarily courageous accomplishments she is associated with. She also added that it was just her, all the women officers from all branches of the Indian Armed Forces who have served or are still serving in the organisation are driven by the strong values and rich cultural ethos of the Air Force.

“Yes, as a commercial movie or as a work of fiction, the film has tried to capture my story. But what is beyond any doubt is that doors were opened and opportunities were given and that is also shown in the movie,” Saxena said, who cleared her entrance exam and joined the Indian Air Force in 1994.

Saxena says that there were no impartiality observed at the Indian Air Force and equal opportunities were granted to her and other officers to perform. She added that the rising rate of number of women officers in the Indian Air Force is a testament to the egalitarian policies of the organisation. “This shows that the Indian Air Force, which is a deeply respected institution in the country, has been so progressive and positive about bringing change in itself. So that’s how I would like to address this question,” Saxena said on the question about the gender discrimination faced by her during her initial years in the IAF.

The controversy surrounding the movie ‘Gunjan Saxena’

The issue came to the fore when the Netflix movie ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’, that essays the role of India’s first woman pilot Gunjan Saxena, landed in a controversy after viewers and Armed Forces veterans raised objections over the negative portrayal of the Indian Air Force in the commercial film. The Indian Armed Force shot off a letter to Dharma Productions, Netflix and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), protesting against the inaccurate representation of gender discrimination in the Air Forces as portrayed in the movie. The Air Force said that certain scenes and dialogues in the movie portrays it in a bad light.

According to an official privy to the details, before the release of the movie, the Indian Air Force had requested Dharma Productions to modify or delete the objectionable scenes. However, no such action was taken by the Karan Johar-owned production house.

It is also pertinent to note that the letter by the IAF was written after the Defence Ministry’s letter to the CBFC last month, raising objections to the depiction of armed personnel in some web series.

Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, martyred in the Batla House encounter, to be honoured with police gallantry medal

OpIndia Staff
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Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma, martyred in the Batla House encounter, to be honoured with police gallantry medal

Late Delhi Police officer Mohan Chandra Sharma, who was martyred during the Batla House encounter in 2008, will be honoured with the police gallantry medal posthumously on the occasion of the Independence Day this year. The Home Ministry has released the list of personnel who are to be honoured with the gallantry medals this year.

As per reports, along with Mohan Chand Sharma, who was martyred, another serving police official Dharmendra Kumar will also be awarded the gallantry medal. It is notable here that Mohan Chand Sharma was earlier awarded the Ashok Chakra in 2009.

Sharma has received the President’s medal seven times.

Some ‘liberals’ who wanted ‘contempt of court’ proceedings against those they did not agree with, but are now defending Prashant Bhushan

OpIndia Staff
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Some ‘liberals’ who wanted ‘contempt of court’ proceedings against those they did not agree with, but are now defending Prashant Bhushan

Prashant Bhushan was found guilty of contempt of court by the Supreme Court of India. The order was passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The verdict against the ‘PIL Activist’ has, along expected lines, set the proverbial cat among the pigeons and ’eminent citizens’ are jumping out of the woodwork to defend him.

Journalists, who had previously wanted action against those they disagree with, have suddenly come to believe that action against the senior advocate could undermine the credibility of the Supreme Court. Prominent among them was Rajdeep Sardesai who had recently landed in hot soup after spreading fake news regarding the death of former President Pranab Mukherjee.

Tajdeep Sardesai’s changing stance on Contempt of Court

While Rakdeep Sardesai lamented in 2018 that a leaked audio of state BJP President of Kerala claimed that the party had planned and executed the Sabarimala agitation against the Supreme Court verdict allowing the entry of women and how no one bothered about contempt of court, two years later, he was more concerned about the fact that the matter of detainees in Kashmir was pending before the Court while the Court ruled adversely against Prashant Bhushan.

Nidhi Razdan commented on the matter in a similar vein. In a tweet dripping with sarcasm, the former NDTV ‘journalist’ said that the Supreme Court ought to be complimented for the speedy resolution of the contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan “just like the habaes corpus petitions the court has heard and disposed off to ensure justice”. In 2018, however, she was singing a different tune.

During Sabarimala, she had termed it a “mass contempt of court”.

Nidhi Razdan’s hypocrisy

Abusive troll masquerading as a journalist, Swati Chaturvedi, too, appears to have undergone a change of stance. While she now believes that the Supreme Court ought to wear its powers lightly and it is not beyond criticism, she enquired in 2019 why was it that the Court was silent on two cases related to contempt of court.

Tweets by Swati Chaturvedi

On a similar note, so-called ‘journalist’ Nikhil Wagle appears to have altered his stance on matters that hurt the credibility of the Supreme Court. While earlier, he said that ‘fake news peddlers’ deserve to be jailed, after the guilty verdict on the contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan, he came to the conclusion that this will hurt the Court’s credibility.

Nikhil Wagle’s shenanigans

Thus, quite evidently, such propagandists would have had no issues if those they disagree with had been found guilty of contempt of court but now that someone they perceive to be on their side was held guilty of it, they have suddenly developed an aversion towards the whole concept. It is much like the manner in which Prashant Bhushan challenged the law criminalising contempt of court in the Supreme Court when he realised there was a serious threat he might be held guilty under the same law.

Contempt proceedings against Prashant Bhushan over defamatory tweets

Earlier, the Supreme Court of India took Suo Moto against Prashant Bhushan’s reckless behaviour on social media and initiated contempt of Court case against him and Twitter India. The apex court issued a show-cause notice to the senior advocate asking him to explain why actions should not be taken against him on contempt of court charges. 

The court has also asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to assist the court, in the case, and a notice for the same has been issued to the AG. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra heard the suo moto case against Prashant Bhushan. The court stated that the case been filed against Prashant Bhushan for his tweet on last 4 CJIs, and another tweet on CJI riding a bike.

Bengaluru riots, Wikipedia and the impossible staircase of Indian secularism

Abhishek Banerjee
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Bengaluru riots, Wikipedia and the impossible staircase of Indian secularism

Let me start by showing you this famous artwork by MC Escher, titled “Ascending and Descending.” Although he was an artist, MC Escher has a cult following among mathematicians because of the exploration of infinity in his work. So, look closely.

We will come back to what is special about this picture.

The Bengaluru riots of Aug 11, 2020 are still fresh in our memory. But public memory is short. Which is why we have Wikipedia, a website which is now more powerful than any history text book.

Promptly enough, there is now a Wikipedia page for the Bengaluru riots, which begins thus.

“Clashes” “Armed assailants”

Who could these people be? Aliens from Mars? Compare to the Wikipedia article on Delhi riots, which takes a much more direct approach towards identifying people.

“Hindu mobs attacking Muslims”

If you think there is a difference in tone between the two articles, you are not alone. So, is Wikipedia biased? No, not at all. To find out why the tone of the two articles is so different, every Indian must read the “Talk” page on this article.

Somebody asks why the religion of the rioters is not being highlighted properly in the Bengaluru article just like it was in the case of Delhi riots?

The stock reply comes from other editors in the form of a question: Which (media) source clearly mentions the religion of the rioters? Are multiple third party sources stating the religion of the rioters?

No! So, don’t blame Wikipedia. They’re blameless. Go somewhere else with your demand.

But where? Secular media sources have not highlighted the religion of the rioters. Why? Because they are committed to “Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb.” They are noble people with the best of intentions who just want peace and harmony to rule in India. Go somewhere else.

Okay, how about “right wing” media sources then? Like Opindia. They’ve not hidden the religion of the rioters. Justice at last, right?

Oops! Forgot to tell you. Opindia is banned from being used as a source on Wikipedia.

So where do you go? Back to Wikipedia? They’re blameless. It’s not their fault you don’t have a source to support your claim.

So if Wikipedia is not at fault, if secular media is not at fault, whose fault is it? It is you and your memory which is at fault. How dare you remember the religion of the rioters in Bengaluru? You are guilty of thoughtcrime.

Now look again at the artwork by MC Escher. In particular to the stairs at the top of the building. Pick any point and follow one set of those human-like figures facing one way. They just go up and up, always ascending, but somehow ending up at exactly the same point. Now follow the other set of human like figures facing the other way. They just go down and down, always descending the same stairs but somehow ending up exactly at the same point.

That’s secularism.

The truth goes round and round, always appearing to get somewhere. When in reality it is getting nowhere.

The same with all other narratives of Indian secularism. You want to say that Hindus suffered oppression during 800 years of Islamic rule? Go find a reputable historian to support your claim. But wait! Don’t forget that “reputable” historian is defined to mean a historian who rejects your claim.

Good luck proving your claim now. They’ve got all bases covered. You can keep ascending or descending the impossible staircase of Indian secularism. You’ll never reach the top, or the bottom. You can only let go of the truth and accept Big Secularism into your heart.

As George Orwell would have said, War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength.

My family has lived here for 50 years, I considered Muslims my brothers: MLA breaks down while narrating how his house was burnt down by rioters

OpIndia Staff
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My family has lived here for 50 years, I considered Muslims my brothers: MLA breaks down while narrating how his house was burnt down by rioters

I considered Muslims as my brothers and lived like one for the last 25 years at the least…yet today I lost my 50-year-old house, said Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy as he broke down during a press conference on Wednesday.

During the recent Bengaluru riots, rabid Islamists ran amok, resorting to stone-pelting, arson and vandalism. A huge mob of Muslims rampaged on the streets and burnt down the house of a Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy, attacked the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations, torched police vehicles and numerous other vehicles and caused immense damage to public property.

They burned down my brother’s house too: Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy cried at the press conference

Reminiscing the horrifying incident, the Congress MLA said that a mob of 3000-4000 Muslim rioters arrived at his house, pelted stones, poured petrol, burnt tires and set the house on fire. “They attacked with swords, hatchets, sticks and also threw petrol bombs at my residence”, he recollected.

Breaking down on camera, the MLA stated that the house is where he had grown up with his siblings and has been living with his parents. The family has been living there for the last 50 years, he said. MLA Srinivas Murthy is from the Dalit community and despite a heavy Muslim vote share in his constituency, has been winning since last 4 terms with a good margin. He is also reported to have a good relationship with local Muslim leaders.

The MLA also blamed ‘outsiders’ for instigating the riots and urged the local residents to help him nab the culprits.

The Congress MLA requests a CBI or CID inquiry in the case

“Question arises as to how can I protect common citizens if this is what a lawmaker has to suffer”, Murthy lamented, urging the Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa and home minister Amit Shah to provide him and his family members adequate security. He requested that the case be handed over to the CBI, or CID for a thorough investigation.

“Being a lawmaker and having won by the biggest margin in Karnataka, this is my condition today. What could be the condition of other lawmakers?”, he asked.

Congress link emerges in Bengaluru riots

Meanwhile, details which had emerged soon after the horrific riots, hint that Kaleem Pasha, the husband of the corporator from Nagawara Irshad Begum, along with other SDPI leaders orchestrated the riots.

Kaleem Pasha, who is a former corporator of Nagawara ward, reportedly has close links with the Congress leadership in the state and is known to be an associate of former Karnataka Home Minister and senior Congress leader KJ George. His Facebook profile also highlights the fact that he was an active Congress worker. Pasha was booked by Bengaluru police along with local SDPI leader Muzammil Pasha for orchestrating the Bengaluru violence.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slams India Today for its ‘sting operation’ on Air India, says action already taken against touts selling tickets at high prices

OpIndia Staff
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Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri slams India Today for its ‘sting operation’ on Air India, says action already taken against touts selling tickets at high prices

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday slammed India Today network for its so-called ‘sting operation’ to allege that no action has been taken by the government against agents and travel operators, who were caught selling Vande Bharat tickets of Air India to stranded passengers at a high premium.

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, without naming India Today, said that the media group should have done homework before publishing such sting operation.

The India Today group had carried out a ‘sting operation’, which showed agents “soliciting customers” by offering tickets under Vande Bharat Mission at a higher price than Air India’s published prices. The India Today investigation had claimed black-marketeers who have been hijacking the country’s massive repatriation mission amidst virus restrictions.

Responding to the allegation, Minister Puri said how Air India has been extremely vigilant and has time and again repeatedly warned citizens against such touts who were soliciting customers. The Minister also stated that Air India has repeatedly advised customers to buy tickets only at published prices. The airline has continuously publicised its efforts, said Minister Puri.

The Minister was referring to Air India’s recent circular on the issue of touts and agents luring customers to pay higher fares for tickets under Vande Bharat Mission. In its circular, Air India had categorically mentioned that it has come under its notice that some touts have been extracting higher prices from customers than listed fares for certain VBM flights.

The national career had also mentioned that it had already warned three agents for selling tickets at a higher price, much before India Today’s sting and also blacklisted them after fresh allegations surfaced.

Additionally, the Minister also said that an FIR was lodged regarding this malpractice by agents at Parliament Street police station as early as on 8 June 2020 nearly 2 months before this ‘sting.’

“Lazy journalism has its own pitfalls. If only the media group had checked with AI or just browsed through social media it would have got its facts right,” said Hardeep Singh Puri as he took a dig at India Today for carrying out a sting operation to reveal information which was already in the public domain.

The Minister also clarified that the persons who are featuring on the ‘sting’ are not even agents. He added that they were sub-agents and the agents are appointed by IATA. An FIR has already been lodged against these touts, said the Minister while advising India Today network for self-introspection.

Union Minister had refuted similar false narrative by media previously

This is not the first time that the Union Minister himself had to clarify on the misinformation peddled by the media on the Vande Bharat Mission. In June, Union Minister Hardeep Puri had slammed Economic Times for a misleading report on Air India’s Vande Bharat Mission.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had slammed the Economic Times for allegedly becoming a mouthpiece for foreign aviation companies and accused them of making misleading claims on the repatriation operation being run by the Indian government to bring back stranded Indians in different parts of the world in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

In its report, the ET had claimed that those people wanting to come back to India or fly out are more than ‘fed up’ with the Vande Bharat Mission. Further, the report alleged that the national carrier Air India has been charging exorbitant charges to bring back stranded Indians from different parts of the world.

However, Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had responded to the allegations made by the Economic Times and had called it a ‘new low’ and also gave a point-to-point explanation debunking all the claims made by ET in its report.

The Vande Bharat Mission

Vande Bharat Mission (VBM) is a major repatriation exercise by the Indian government to bring back Indian citizens stranded abroad amidst the coronavirus-induced travel restrictions.

Under VBM, Air India Ltd and its subsidiary Air India Express have repatriated thousands of stranded Indian citizens from various nations after the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns in several nations.

Jesus Christ’s photo inside Hindu temple goes viral claiming police SP had ‘pressurized’ priest to put it there, temple priest and police deny allegations

OpIndia Staff
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Jesus Christ’s photo inside Hindu temple goes viral claiming police SP had ‘pressurized’ priest to put it there, temple priest and police deny allegations

An image has gone viral on social media claiming that the newly appointed Superintendent of Police of Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka allegedly forced the priests of a local Hindu temple to place the photo of Jesus and Mary inside the Garbhagriha or the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

According to a report, on August 5, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu groups had reportedly organised a special pooja at the local Anjaneya Swamy temple in Chamarajanagar to celebrate the historic event of Ayodhya Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan. After the pooja, the police officer Divya Sara Thomas, the SP of the district visited the temple, pressurised the priest of the temple and made him place the photo of Jesus and Mary which she was carrying, in front of the temple idol inside the sanctum of the temple, as claimed by social media users.

It has been claimed that the priest succumbed to the pressure exerted by the officer and placed the photo inside the Garbhagriha of the temple while performing the pooja. The pictures of the same have become viral on the internet.

Following the incident, several Hindus have demanded action against the police officer and has also called for the sacking of the officer.

Read- Has social service become a way of Conversion for the Missionary mafia?

Temple priest clarifies

Meanwhile, the temple priest has denied that he was forced to place the photo inside the Garbhagriha. The Priest clarified that it is the custom of the temple to offer guests the Hindu idols after puja. But as the SP was Christian, they decided to gift her a photo of Jesus Christ instead. He also apologised for the incident and said that they did not have any evil intentions to hurt any religious sentiments by placing the photo of Jesus Christ inside the Garbhagriha of the temple.

“On August, on the occasion of Ayodhya Bhoomi Pujan event, there was a special pooja. We performed pooja by placing photos of a different faith. There is no evil intentions or any attempt to hurt any religious sentiments. It is a routine activity, where we pray for people irrespective of their identity,” said the temple priest.

Police deny the allegations

After the message went viral on social media, Karnataka Police issued a statement denying the allegations. They have informed that the SP was not carrying any photograph while visiting the temple, and the photo of Jesus was actually given to her by the priest after the rituals, along with photos of Hindu deities.

The statement says, “the devotees of Veeranjaneya Temple Kollegal town requested the SP to visit the temple. The temple is frequently visited by devotees of different faith. On realizing that the new SP is from a different faith the priest after completing the puja rituals gifted her a photo of Jesus Christ along with photos of Hindu deities also. The SP has not forced the priest or the devotees to offer archana for Jesus Christ nor did she carry any photos on her person to the temple. The photos of the incident has been misinterpreted and is being circulated in social media with incorrect information. The priest of the temple also has issued a clarification in this regard through a video.”

IPS officer Divya Sara Thomas has also denied the charges that she forced the priest to put the photo inside the temple. Speaking to India Today, she said, “On August 5, I was on rounds in Kollegal Taluk for flood-related arrangements and that’s when the locals invited me to the temple. But the social media posts that came later are very unfortunate and disheartening. Till now I have never thought of myself as a minority or Christian and I have done my work with utmost sincerity and dedication. As a public servant, we are ready to take bouquets and brickbats with equal vigour. Will continue to work with the same level of enthusiasm.”

Both the Karnataka police statement and the SP are silent over the issue of placing the photo of Jesus Christ inside the Garbhagriha of the temple.

When Prashant Bhushan wanted those he didn’t agree with to be jailed for contempt of court

OpIndia Staff
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When Prashant Bhushan wanted those he didn’t agree with to be jailed for contempt of court

‘PIL Activist’ Prashant Bhushan has been found guilty on charges of Contempt of Court by the Supreme Court of India. The order was passed by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The proceedings were initiated suo moto by the Court following tweets by the activist on the 22nd and 29th of June.

Amusingly enough, while contempt of court proceedings were on against him, Prashant Bhushan along with Arun Shourie and N Ram moved the Supreme Court challenging the law criminalising the same. In the end, however, the Court permitted the petitioners to withdraw the petition and directed them to take the matter up in the High Court at a later point in time if they so wished.

However, as it so happens, it does not appear that Prashant Bhushan has always been opposed to the law criminalising contempt of court. One does tend to get the impression that it is only when he was himself under the scanner that the former AAP politician realised the demerits of the law. Thus, in the past where he saw many virtues, now he only saw unbearable injustice.

For instance, when former Justice of the Calcutta High Court CS Karnan was jailed by the Supreme Court on charges of contempt of court, Prashant Bhushan hailed the landmark decision where a sitting High Court judge was sentenced to imprisonment for the first time. The activist was ‘glad’ with the decision, as he himself announced on social media in May 2017.

Tweet by Prashant Bhushan

Similar in 2019 during the CBI vs CBI row, Prashant Bhushan had declared that then interim chief of M Nageshwar Rao had committed contempt of court by changing the investigating officer in a case.

Tweet by Prashant Bhushan

There are several incidents in the past where Prashant Bhushan had claimed that others had committed the offence of contempt of court. But when the same law was applied against him, he went ahead to challenge the law itself.

Quite evidently, Prashant Bhushan and those with sympathies towards him belong to the school of thought where it is conventional wisdom that laws should apply selectively against their detractors. They appear to have the impression that they are somehow above the laws that apply to the rest of the citizens of the country due to their self-proclaimed inherent moral superiority.

Contempt proceedings against Prashant Bhushan over defamatory tweets

Earlier, the Supreme Court of India took Suo Moto against Prashant Bhushan’s reckless behaviour on social media and initiated contempt of Court case against him and Twitter India. The apex court issued a show-cause notice to the senior advocate asking him to explain why actions should not be taken against him on contempt of court charges. 

The court has also asked Attorney General KK Venugopal to assist the court, in the case, and a notice for the same has been issued to the AG. A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra heard the suo moto case against Prashant Bhushan. The court stated that the case been filed against Prashant Bhushan for his tweet on last 4 CJIs, and another tweet on CJI riding a bike.

‘Dravidian politics’ in turmoil: All you need to know about Periyar’s grandson joining BJP and DMK facing heat over Skanda Sashit Kavasam row

OpIndia Staff
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‘Dravidian politics’ in turmoil: All you need to know about Periyar’s grandson joining BJP and DMK facing heat over Skanda Sashit Kavasam row

The Dravidian parties that had a monopoly over the political discourse in Tamil Nadu are now in a state of turmoil. The changing perception against the regional parties in Tamil Nadu, amongst the general populace, has been spearheaded by three crucial events – the defection of Periyar’s grandson, Sathish Krishna, to the BJP, the recent row over Skanda Sashti Kavasam and the sacking of DMK MLA Ku Ku Selvam from the party after he praised PM Modi.

Grandson of Periyar joins BJP

On Wednesday, Satish Krishna deserted AIADMK and joined the BJP. His defection was hailed by the BJP as it would pave the way for other disenchanted politicians, from both the regional parties of Tamil Nadu, to follow suit. Earlier in August, several party leaders from the DMDK and DMK had joined the BJP.

DMK MLA ousted by party for praising PM Modi

On Thursday, the DMK broke all ties with one of its MLAs, Ku Ka Selvam, after his open praise for PM Modi did not go down well with the party supremo Stalin. As per reports, he is likely to join the BJP soon along with other MLAs and district presidents. Selvam had reportedly met BJP General Secretary (Tamil Nadu) Muralidhar Rao and State President L Murugan, besides party president (national) JP Nadda.

Although he was initially suspended, DMK ousted him on Thursday for ‘anti-party’ activities. In a statement, Stalin said that Selvam was working against party’s interests and had brought a ‘bad name’ to the party. While addressing the media, the rebel MLA had made several demands to MK Stalin which include internal party elections and dismantling of ties with the Congress party.

In his defence, Selvam argued that there was no rule which barred party members from meeting political leaders from other parties and that his dismissal from DMK was unjustified. Speculations are rife that Selvam will now join the BJP. He had reportedly claimed that several district presidents and MLAs will join the Bharatiya Janata Party soon.

Skanda Sashti Kavasam row

Earlier in July, a Youtube channel named  ‘Karuppar Kootam’ had posted a derogatory version of a Tamil Hindu devotional song, Skanda Sashti Kavasam. The channel gave a ‘sexual interpretation’ to the song dedicated to Lord Muruga. In the aftermath of the incident, the DMK maintained silence over the issue while the BJP demanded the blocking of the Hinduphobic channel.

As a result, an entire village compromising of 70 families in Vadugapatti near Modakurichi joined the BJP on August 5. Reportedly, they chanted the sacred hymns of Skanda Sashti kavasam and performed puja at a temple. Impressed by the BJP’s efforts in safeguarding the Hindu religion, several DMK workers including Vice-President of Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency defected to the BJP.

While the DMK had earlier claimed that the BJP can never gain stronghold in Periyar’s land, the Dravidian party is now caught in a state of fix with its own shrinking voter base.

FIR on Meerut’s former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi who announced a bounty of Rs 51 lakh for Karnataka Congress MLA’s nephew Naveen’s head

OpIndia Staff
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FIR on Meerut’s former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi who announced a bounty of Rs 51 lakh for Karnataka Congress MLA’s nephew Naveen’s head

An FIR has been filed against former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi, who had announced a bounty of Rs 51 lakh on Karnataka Congress MLA’s nephew Naveen’s head over an alleged ‘blasphemous’ Facebook post. Rizvi had also asked members of the Muslim community to contribute money for the bounty.

According to reports, after the video of the SP leader announcing the bounty, went viral on social media, Meerut SSP Ajay Sahni took cognizance of the video and ordered a probe into the matter.

A case was registered late night on August 13 by the Meerut police at Phalauda police station. Rizvi has been booked under IPC sections 153 (A) and 505 (2).

Copy of FIR filed against former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi
Copy of FIR filed against former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi

Video of Former SP leader Shahzeb Rizvi announcing the reward went viral on social media

In the video, Rizvi said, he condemns the comments made by the youth in his Facebook post. And whoever beheads Naveen for ‘insulting the Prophet’ and brings his head will be rewarded with Rs 51 lakh. He also asked members from his community to contribute money for this bounty. Rizvi said the comments of the youth have hurt the sentiments of Muslims, and that’s why he announced the bounty to behead him.

Rizvi is a resident of Rasulpur village under Phalauda police station in Meerut. He was earlier a member of the Samajwadi party but at present, he is not associated with the party, as per reports. He was the state secretary for the minority cell in the party in Uttar Pradesh. He is a resident of Rasulpur village under Phalauda police station in Meerut. After leaving the Samajwadi Party, at present he identifies himself as a ‘social worker’.

Islamists went on a rampage in Bengaluru on August 11

Earlier on August 11 (Tuesday) evening, violence erupted in Bengaluru over the allegedly derogatory post by Naveen. 60 police personnel were injured and dozens of vehicles were torched by the mob which had attacked the DJ Halli and KG Halli police stations, besides the residence of Naveen’s uncle and Congress MLA R Akhanda Srinivas Murthy.

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