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Birju Das and his family attacked by Ansari and Khurshid over parking in Delhi, Das alleges there is a lot more to the story

OpIndia Staff
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Birju Das and his family attacked by Ansari and Khurshid over parking in Delhi, Das alleges there is a lot more to the story

On 3rd September, two parties clashed over parking near the office of the Aam Aadmi Party in Okhla Phase II, Delhi. Birju Das and his family got severely injured in the incident. The other group claimed they were injured as well. The police described it as a clash over a petty parking issue, but Das claims it is just an excuse to cover old enmity. Das broke his leg in the clash and is currently admitted to AIIMS for treatment. He may need an operation on Monday if there is no improvement in his condition.

Birju Das in hospital

Birju Das’s statement

When OpIndia came to know about the case, we contacted Birju Das, who was lodged in the hospital for treatment. He said, “They used to molest our daughters in the past. Our elder daughter got molested before. Then the younger daughter was also mistreated. Last year, they entered our house and beaten my daughter. We filed complaints in every case. But no action was taken. This time they started a fight on the pretext of a car parking. They even had a pistol.”

CCTV Video of the clash

Birju said that it was a preplanned attack. They only needed some excuse to start the fight. They parked the car in his spot, and when he asked them to remove it, they started fighting with him. When his children came to save him, they got beaten too. Birju said that police filed the case in non-criminal charges that led to their immediate release; however, he is in hospital, and his children had to get stitches.

Screenshot from a video of the attack

Report filed

The police have registered a case under Section 34,506,323,341 of IPC at Okhla Police station on 4th September. The complaint mentioned that Birju was attacked by Khursheed and Salalan at around 9-9:30 PM. During the clash, Khursheed took out a pistol, and when Birju tried to stop him, they all started beating Das. During this, someone called 100. Police reached the spot and took Birju and his wife to the hospital.

Part of FIR with Birju’s statement

Statement of Police

When OpIndia contacted Officer Akhilesh Kumar, who is handling the case, he said the clash was over parking. Both parties have filed cases against each other. The other side has presented two MLCs as well. However, on the complaint of Birju Das, all three have been arrested.

The accusation of the other party

Kumar said that the enmity between the two parties is old. The other side claims that their father died 20 days ago, and they were carrying food for the labourers for the same reason. Birju first asked to remove the vehicle and then started abusing them that led to the fight. Police are taking statements from the people present at the time of the clash. Kumar said that they could not add section 307 without checking the facts.

Birju Das’s daughters’ statements

The daughters of Birju Das have a different point of view in the case. The younger daughter said that she received a threatening call four days before the incident. His elder daughter claimed that those people were present at the spot where her father parks his bike. When the fight took place, they ran to check on her father and found him on the ground. They were beating him, and Salalan had his knee on their father’s chest. The elder daughter said only Khursheed was from outside. The rest of them were from their locality. The younger daughter claimed that when the police came, they started blaming Birju’s family.

Wife and daughters of Birju Das

The elder daughter Jyoti said that Ansari attacked them before as well. They filed a complaint at that time, but Ansari’s mother pleaded their father to take back the case. She said that Das had the recording of her pleading, but the other side deleted the videos on the day of the clash. She said Khursheed is trying to convince her for marriage though he is already married. She said he threatened her several times that he would do something to her family, but she never thought they would actually attack.

The younger sister had left studies

The younger daughter was harassed continuously while going to school. They had to file a complaint with the women’s cell and had to keep her away from home for ten days. She named Afsen, Imran, and Riyaz, who used to follow her while returning from school. She said that they had beaten their father’s driver as well. Das filed a case against them, but there was no conclusion to it as well.

Complaint filed last year

The case went viral over the internet

Several netizens shared the photos and videos of the case.

Sudershan TV’s reporter Gaurav Mishra is posting regular updates in the case. In a tweet, he wrote that the family is disturbed by the molestation of their daughter, and police are not taking any strict action.

Protests break out in Inner Mongolia after China replaces ethnic Mongolian language with Mandarin in the academic curriculum

Dibakar Dutta
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Protests break out in Inner Mongolia after China replaces ethnic Mongolian language with Mandarin in the academic curriculum

China has been relentless in his pursuit of removing its ethnic minorities. Amidst the brutal attempts of ‘mainstreaming’ Uighur Muslims in the country, the Communist-ruled country is now trying to strip the ethnic Mongolese minority of their language and culture in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

The change in Chinese policy

In August this year, the Chinese government announced an overhaul in its academic curriculum in the ‘autonomous’ region of Inner Mongolia. The region, annexed by China after the Second World War, is home to 4.2 million ethnic Mongolians. Under the new rules, classes in Mongolian in the region will be stopped and subjects such as literature, politics, and history will be taught in Mandarin. Similar programs for cultural destruction (or cultural assimilation as the Communist Party of China calls it) are underway in Tibet and Xinjiang, home to Uighur ethnic minority.

Authorities have defended the move by suggesting that it would help Mongols in higher education and seeking employment. Chinese spokesperson Hua Chunyin said, “The national common spoken and written language is a symbol of national sovereignty. It is every citizen’s right and duty to learn and use the national common spoken and written language.”

However, international policymakers have rubbished this claim and said that it is a part of the ‘aggressive assimilation’ plan adopted by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping ever since he came to power. Xi said in 2014, “We should implement bilingual education in some ethnic areas, both requiring ethnic minorities to learn the national common language, and encouraging Hans living in these areas learn ethnic minority languages.”

Map of Inner Mongolia

The fight for ethnic language

This decision was not well-received by the people living in Inner Mongolia. The people of Inner Mongolia have been successful in ‘preserving their traditional Mongolian alphabet’, unlike independent Mongolia. The latter, under the influence of Russia, uses the Cyrillic script. The Mongols in Inner Mongolia fear the same with the new Chinese policy.

The authoritarian Communist party was taken aback when parents launched widespread strikes along with 3,00,000 students. As such, when the school opened in this month, only 40 Mongolian students registered for the term while only 10 students showed up on Day 1. Parents of Mongolian children had earlier announced that they would keep their wards home instead of accepting the new language of instruction.

Former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj tweeted, “We need to voice our support for Mongolians striving to preserve their mother tongue and scripture in China. The right to learn and use one’s mother tongue is an inalienable right for all. Upholding this right is a way for China to be a respectable and responsible power.”

Tweet my former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj

A banner read, “Mongolia’s language is part of what makes a person Mongolian and if a person loses their language they lose their national identity.” In one video, the citizens of Southern Mongolia yelled, “My Mongolia! Forever my Mongolia” as a mark of protest against the imposition of Mandarin.

In another video, young students were heard saying, “Our mother language is Mongolian! Until death We are Mongolian.”

Food delivery workers too joined in the fight for preserving their mother tongue. Many carried banners on their bikes that read, “save our mother tongue.”

Mongolian biker protests against the imposition of Mandarin (Image Courtesy: CNN)

Speaking to Quartz, an ethnic Mongol said, “We have been the weakest and oppressed in our own homeland. Imagine you are not allowed to learn, sign public documents in your own language, let alone promote it.”

Overseas Mongolians, human rights groups and locals have signed petitions demanding a repeal of the new policy. Reportedly, 20,000 signatures were collected from people in 10 counties, and a total of 196 petitions were handed over to the Education Bureau of the regional government. At the same time, around 300 employees of the State-run Mongolian TV and radio stations have threatened to quit if protesting parents are penalised for refusing to send children to schools.

Chinese regime tries to curb student protests

Averse to popular protests, the Chinese regime has decided to curb the protests with an iron hand. Armed military vehicles and tanks have been deployed in the Chinese autonomous region to disrupt the coordinated protests. Sharing a video from August 31, YouTuber Jennifer Zeng wrote, “On Aug. 31, military armored vehicles appeared on the streets of Inner Mongolia, amidst strong protests from Mongolian students and parents against the CCP’s policy to cancel Mongolian language instruction.”

Meanwhile, the police have detained protestors and directed public servants to send their children to school or lose their jobs.

The Communist government has also published a list of ‘ring leaders’ and is offering incentives to facilitate their arrest. Several arrest warrants have also been issued. One such list in Horqin district has included 129 dissenters. The Chinese government had also shut down a Mongolian social media platform named Bainu to prevent Mongolian protestors from communicating and organising demonstrations.

Tensions between Han Chinese and Mongols

However, unlike the Tibetans and Uighurs, the Mongolians have refused to become the ‘model minority’. This is despite the fact that they are more integrated with the majority Han Chinese population than the Tibetans and Uighurs. Reportedly, intermarriage is common and the majority of Mongolian parents send their children to ‘Chinese-language schools’ in the hopes of better economic opportunities.

However, tensions had been brewing between the two ethnic groups ever since 2011 when a Mongolian herder was killed by a Han Chinese truck driver. Due to trucks crossing’ over their pastureland, the Mongolians had protested about the loss of their ‘pastoral tradition’. Director of Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, Enghebatu Togochog, stated, “The Mongolian way of life (has already been) wiped out by so many policies. This new policy is the final blow to the Mongolian identity”

The motives behind the language imposition

The Chinese regime has left no stone unturned in seizing the rights of ethnic minorities and eroding their culture, in a bid to promote ‘ethnic assimilation‘ and ‘national homogenisation’. Reportedly, the State has encouraged the settlement of the majority Han Chinese man in Inner Mongolia and pay a ‘generous bonus’ on marrying Mongolian women. In what is commonly referred to as ‘cultural genocide’, China is making a new move in the pursuit of its nefarious plan through the imposition of Mandarin.

Mandarin has been gradually thrust upon the ethnic population since the 1990s. Earlier, in ethnic Mongol schools, Mandarin was taught in the third year but then it was shifted to the second. And now China plans to shove the language down the children’s throat in the first year with ‘advanced content’ when they barely learn to read and write their own mother tongue. However, unabated in their sinister motives, the regional government has instructed teachers to promote the government policy ‘proactively’ and ensure that the students return to school.




‘Beheading is the punishment for blasphemers,’ Muslims in Pakistan protest after Charlie Hebdo announces reprint of prophet Mohammad cartoons

OpIndia Staff
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‘Beheading is the punishment for blasphemers,’ Muslims in Pakistan protest after Charlie Hebdo announces reprint of prophet Mohammad cartoons

Pakistan witnessed protests by tens of thousands of Muslims on Friday after Charlie Hebdo decided to reprint cartoons mocking prophet Mohammad, which prompted Islamic terrorists to launch a terror attack against them in 2015. “Death to France” was chanted and the protesters called for a boycott of French products.

The protesters also demanded that the French ambassador to the country be expelled. “We need to send a strong message to the French that this disrespect to our beloved prophet will not be tolerated,” said one protester. The protests were largely led by the Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan and were witnessed in several cities across the country. There were protests in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Lahore and Dera Ismail Khan.

The reprinting of the cartoons on prophet Mohammad also led the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan to issue a condemnation of Charlie Hebdo. “Decapitation is the punishment of blasphemers,” one placard at the protests said. Razi Hussani, TLP district leader in Karachi, stated, “It (re-printing of prophet Mohammad cartoons) amounts to big terrorism; they repeat such acts of blasphemy against Prophet Mohammad every few years. It should be stopped.”

Earlier, Charlie Hebdo had announced that it will republish cartoons of prophet Mohammed that had caused Islamic Terrorists to launch a terror attack against them in 2015 as trial against the perpetrators gets underway. “We will never lie down. We will never give up,” its director Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau said in an editorial to be published along with the cartoons in the latest edition.

The terror attack led to the deaths of twelve people and in subsequent days, a policewoman and four Jews were murdered. The trial will involve the allegations against the accomplices, accused of supplying the weapons and putting the terrorists in touch with ISIS apart from various other crimes. Some of France’s most renowned cartoonists were killed in the terror attack.

To woo young voters in Uttar Pradesh, Congress party to hold quiz competitions on Rajiv Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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To woo young voters in Uttar Pradesh, Congress party to hold quiz competitions on Rajiv Gandhi

The Uttar Pradesh unit of Congress has decided to woo young voters ahead of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections next year. To do that, the Congress party will now be organizing a quiz competition on former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

According to the reports, the Congress party will be conducting a state-wide quiz competition on Rajiv Gandhi’s personality and achievements. The quiz competition will be held online on September 13 and 14, a senior party leader said.

Speaking to the media, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said that the preparation for the quiz competition will enable participants to know more about the personality and achievements of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. He added that the competition is meant for youngsters in the age group of 16-22 years.

Till now over 5 lakh aspirants have registered themselves for the competition, Singh added. He said that all the frontal organizations of the party have been given responsibility for this.

“We are expecting more than 20 lakh youths to participate in the competition,” he said.

Further, the Congress leader added that through this quiz competition, the party will establish communication with these youths. Explaining the rationale behind the quiz competition, Singh said, “Party leadership is of the view that youths should come forward. Thanks to the bad policies of the BJP government, the youths are envisaging a dark future in the current circumstances.”

‘Priyanka does not meet leaders outside her trusted circle’, UP Congress leaders write to Sonia Gandhi, urges her to rise above love for family

OpIndia Staff
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‘Priyanka does not meet leaders outside her trusted circle’, UP Congress leaders write to Sonia Gandhi, urges her to rise above love for family

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has received another letter from the senior party leaders. This time the letter came from Uttar Pradesh in which the state Congress urged Sonia Gandhi to rise above the party. They asked Sonia to save the party before it becomes just a part of history. The letter was signed by nine leaders who were expelled from the party last year.

In the four-page letter, they attacked the general secretary in-charge of UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra, and urged Sonia Gandhi to think about the party before the family. They said, “Parivaar ke moh se upar uthe” and restore the party’s democratic traditions. The letter mentioned that the leaders were trying to get an appointment from Sonia Gandhi from the last one year, but they were denied every time. They alleged that the situation of the Congress party in UP is going through the worst phase.

The letter said, “There is an apprehension that you are not being apprised of the prevailing situation by those in charge of state affairs. We had appealed against our expulsion, which was illegal, but even the central disciplinary committee has not found time to consider our appeal,” the letter says.”

The letter has been signed by former MP Santosh Singh, former minister Satyadev Tripathi, former MLAs Vinod Chaudhary, Bhoodar Narain Mishra, Nekchand Pandey, Swayam Prakash Goswami and Sanjeev Singh.

The attack on Priyanka Gandhi

In the letter, the leaders alleged that Priyanka does not meet leaders outside her trusted circle. They said that the party’s posts are being occupied by people who are not even a part of the party. They are working on a salary basis. The leaders alleged in the letter that those leaders are not familiar with the Congress party’s ideology. However, they give directions to the party in Uttar Pradesh.

They issued a warning to the party president and said if the situation continues to remain the same, the party will hit rock bottom in the state where it once stood at the peak. Former MP Santosh Singh, former MLAs Vinod Chaudhary, Swayam Prakash Goswami, Bhoodar Narain Mishra, Nekchand Pandey, former minister Satyadev Tripathi and Sanjeev Singhsigned the letter.

Instagram suspends accounts of two journalists of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ for publishing Prophet Muhammad cartoons for several hours

OpIndia Staff
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Instagram suspends accounts of two journalists of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ for publishing Prophet Muhammad cartoons for several hours

The Instagram accounts of two journalists of ‘Charlie Hebdo’ were suspended for several hours after they shared a photo from the front page of the paper dedicated to the trail of January 2015 attacks. In 2015, Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad that led to an attack on their office.

Laure Daussy, Journalist at Charlie Hebdo, reported the blockage of her account on Twitter. She said, “My Instagram account has been deactivated. The last photo I posted was the front page of Charlie Hebdo.” She said it might be because of hacking or mass reporting, which is a new form of censorship and it is ‘mind-blowing.’

Corrine Rey, known as Coco, informed on his Twitter account that a similar thing has happened to her account as well. She said, “like my colleague from Charlie Hebdo, Laure Daussy, my Instagram account was deactivated following the broadcast of the cover with the cartoons of [Prophet] Muhammad.” She called it ‘simply scandalous.’

The satirical newspaper told AFP that the said issue was sold out on day one, and they had to reprint it. A total of 200,000 copies were printed, which is three times the usual number. The trial for the case began last week and the paper republished the cartoons to remember those who were killed in the attack. France’s president Emmanuel Macron also came in support of the paper and denied to condemn republishing of the cartoon.

Alt News comes out strongly in support of Mohammed Zubair after he was booked under POCSO Act for online harassment of a girl child

OpIndia Staff
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Alt News comes out strongly in support of Mohammed Zubair after he was booked under POCSO Act for online harassment of a girl child

Pratik Sinha, co-founder of AltNews, has announced on social media that the platform firmly stands by fellow co-founder Mohammed Zubair after an FIR was registered against him under the stringent POCSO Act for online harassment of a girl child. The statement said that an attempt was being made to ‘hound’ Mohammed Zubair and AltNews firmly stands by his side.

Statement by AltNews

The statement said, “An attempt is being made to hound co-founder of Alt News, Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) through misuse of legal apparatus. Alt News stands by Mohammed Zubair. Zubair has been in the forefront of fighting fake narratives, and his work hurts those who have weaponised misinformation to subvert the Indian democracy.”

FIR lodged against Mohammed Zubair

Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of the NCPCR, said on the 5th of September that according to the action taken report (ATR) received by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, an FIR has been lodged against AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair under stringent POCSO Act for online harassment of girl child. He also informed that as per the request made by Twitter India, an additional time of 10 days has been provided to them to provide relevant information.

NCPCR sought action against the AltNews co-founder

On August 8, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights had taken cognizance of a matter where a minor girl child was threatened and tortured by AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair on the microblogging site. Priyank Kanoongo had informed that Twitter India and the concerned law enforcement officials had been informed about the tweet, and they have been asked to take appropriate action.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) wrote to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Delhi, Nodal Cyber Cell officer, saying that the commission has received several complaints seeking action against Zubair under POCSO or relevant acts for “stalking of a minor girl on Twitter”.

Co-founder of AltNews shares the photo of a minor girl to intimidate the grandfather

On August 7, Zubair indulged in an online spat with a Twitter user Jagdish Singh. The AltNews co-founder targetted a minor girl in his Twitter fight with this social media user. Instead of replying to the user directly, Zubair had brazenly referred to a minor girl seen in the profile picture of the user Jagdish Singh, presumably his granddaughter.

After Zubair had highlighted the minor girl seen in the photo, Islamists had started to issue rape threats to the girl. Zubair’s tweet came under heavy criticism from social media users who accused him of shamelessly using a child to get back at a critic.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s mother donates her eyes, body upon her demise at 89

OpIndia Staff
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Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s mother donates her eyes, body upon her demise at 89

On Sunday, Union Home Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan’s mother Snehlata Devi passed away at the age of 89. Taking to Twitter, the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan shared the news of the demise of his mother.

Dr Harsh Vardhan informed that his mother had suffered a cardiac arrest. The Union Minister added that he has donated her eyes at the All India Institute Of Medical Science (AIIMS) in Delhi.

The Minister termed his mother as a towering personality who was his guide. He added saying that her death would leave a void in his life that no one can fill.

Dr Harsh Vardhan’s mother donates eyes, body

The Union Health Minister also informed that donating eyes was his mother’s last wish.

“Her body donation would keep inspiring us to live for the society,” he said in a tweet in Hindi. Dr Harsh Vardhan further said that her body would be handed over to the Maulana Azad Medical College administration on Sunday.

‘Calling me haramkhor shows your mindset’: Kangana Ranaut lashes out on Sanjay Raut, blames men like him for crimes against women. Watch video

OpIndia Staff
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‘Calling me haramkhor shows your mindset’: Kangana Ranaut lashes out on Sanjay Raut, blames men like him for crimes against women. Watch video

A day after Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had threatened and abused three-times national award winner Kangana Ranaut by calling her a ‘Haramkhor’, the Bollywood actress on Sunday hit out on the controversial Shiv Sena leader saying that she had full freedom of expression and could go anywhere in the country.

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, the Bollywood actress launched a scathing attack on the Sanjay Raut saying that calling a woman ‘haramkhor’ only showed his mindset.

“Sanjay ji, I have full freedom of expression, I have the freedom to go anywhere in my country,” said Kangana Ranaut in her tweet.

Slamming Raut for his vile comments, Kangana Ranaut held the likes of Sanjay Raut responsible for the increasing mentality in the society to commit crimes against women. The daughters of this country will never forgive you, said Kangana Ranaut responding to Shiv Sena leader’s misogynistic rant against her. “As a government servant you know how many women are threatened and raped every day in the country. They get abused at work place, they face violence from their husbands. It is the mindset like yours which encourages such behaviour against women,” she said.

You were quiet when Aamir Khan spoke about intolerance: Kangana Ranaut

Exposing the hypocrisy of the likes of Sanjay Raut, Kangana Ranaut said that when Aamir Khan and Naseeruddin Shah claimed they were afraid to live in India, nobody called them ‘haramkhor’.

The actress also noted that she has praised Mumbai police in the past, but with their recent acts of not acting on the cases of Palghar Hindu Sadhu lunching and reluctance to deliver justice in the Sushant Singh Rajput case has made her to express her freedom to criticise the Mumbai Police.

She asserted that criticising Mumbai Police or Sanjay Raut did not mean that she was insulting Maharashtra.

“You aren’t Maharashtra. Your people are threatening me, still I’ll come to Mumbai on September 9,” said Kangana Ranaut challenging Sanjay Raut over his earlier threats to her.

It is pertinent to note that Kangana Ranaut has been forefront at criticising Maharashtra government and its police force over allegations of botched up investigation in Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case.

Sanjay Raut threatens and abuses Kangana Ranaut

On Saturday, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had hit a new low now and in a brazen display of misogyny, he had referred to the ‘Manikarnika’ actress as a ‘haramkhor’.

Responding to Kangana Ranaut’s earlier comment that no one can stop her from entering Mumbai, the Shiv Sena leader said, “Maharashtra ka baap Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj hai... Mujhe lagata hai asa vakti ke baap ko idhaar la kar dikahan padega.. aapka ki baap dikhaya agar hai toh (The father of Maharashtra is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj… We need to bring Kangana’s daddy here and show him around… You (reporter) too show your father, if you have any).”

On being asked whether he will take unlawful steps to prevent Kangana Ranaut from entering Mumbai, Sanjay Raut replied, “What is law? Did that girl respect the law in the manner in which she spoke? Why are you acting as the lawyer of that ‘haramkhor’ girl?”

Sanjay Raut threatens Kangana Ranaut, asks her not to return to Mumbai

Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, in an article in Sena mouthpiece Saamana, had asked actress Kangana Ranaut to not to travel back to Mumbai after she had expressed fear stating that that the city police force was more threatening to her than the ‘movie mafia’.

Responding to his remarks, she had tweeted, “Sanjay Raut Shiv Sena leader has given me an open threat and asked me not to come back to Mumbai after Aazadi graffitis in Mumbai streets and now open threats, why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan occupied Kashmir?”

Kangana Ranaut’s statements against Mumbai Police had come in the backdrop of a recent controversy after Commissioner of Mumbai Police Param Bir Singh had ‘liked’ a tweet which had asked for public shaming of the actress.

No, Indian Railways will not allow begging in trains and platforms, Ministry busts media reports

OpIndia Staff
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No, Indian Railways will not allow begging in trains and platforms, Ministry busts media reports

Shekhar Gupta’s ThePrint on Saturday published an article claiming that the Indian Railways may decriminalise begging inside the train compartments and stations, thereby allowing begging.

ThePrint report on begging on trains

In its article, citing unnamed sources, ThePrint claimed that the Ministry of Railways has moved a proposal to decriminalise begging in trains and on stations as the provision of the Railway Act, 1989, is not used that often and is used to harass people. In the same article, ThePrint mentions how the said ‘proposed amendment’ does not permi begging in any railway carriage or upon any part of the Railway.

Similar such reports were published by The Hindu on September 4. The Hindu, too, stated that the Railways may do away with the fine and punishment for begging on the trains, thereby effectively ‘allowing’ begging. Network18 then cited The Hindu report for an article making similar claims.

However, the Indian Railways spokesperson on Sunday took to Twitter to clarify that such media reports are rumours and there is no such proposal to allow begging on trains and platforms.

Contrary to certain media reports, there is no proposal to allow begging in trains or stations, the ministry spokesperson tweeted.

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