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Bahrain: Video of burqa-clad woman breaking Hindu idols goes viral, Islamists hail and celebrate on social media

OpIndia Staff
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Bahrain: Video of burqa-clad woman breaking Hindu idols goes viral, Islamists hail and celebrate on social media

A video of a burqa-clad woman breaking idols of Lord Ganesha in a store has gone viral on social media.

In the video, one can see two women standing near an aisle where idols of Hindu gods are kept on the shelf. One of the women then picks up the idols and then throws it on the floor and breaks it. Soon, Islamists took to social media to celebrate the breaking of idols and hailing the woman for doing so.

Some were of the opinion that smashing of idols must only be done when ‘Allah commands it’ and such arbitrary breaking of idols without direct instructions from Allah is unfair.

Islamists also celebrated the same on Facebook.

Islamists celebrating on Facebook
Islamists hailing the burqa-clad woman breaking the Hindu idols
Islamists celebrating breaking of Hindu idols

The Ministry of Interior, Bahrain has issued a statement regarding the viral video and said that the Director-General of Capital Governorate Police the 54-year-old woman was summoned for intentionally damaging a shop in Juffair and breaking religious idols. The ministry has further stated that legal proceedings are underway.

Wing Commander Namrita Chandi hits out on Karan Johar’s Dharma Production for ‘monstrous film’ Gunjan Saxena for showing IAF in poor light

OpIndia Staff
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Wing Commander Namrita Chandi hits out on Karan Johar’s Dharma Production for ‘monstrous film’ Gunjan Saxena for showing IAF in poor light

Amidst the ongoing controversy that has erupted over Bollywood movie ‘Gunjan Saxena’ for negatively portraying the Indian Air Force, a former Air Force officer has written a scathing letter to the makers of the movie saying that they cannot peddle lies in the name of creative freedom.

In her letter to the makers of the movie – ‘Gunjan Saxena’, published by the Outlook, Wing Commander Namrita Chandi (Retd) has a written a detailed response addressing the negative portrayal of the Indian Armed Forces, especially Indian Air Force and has given a befitting reply by rejecting the claims of extreme gender bias, misogyny and even harassment of women in the IAF as portrayed in the movie.

Wing Commander Chandi (Retd.), in her letter, has said that both men and women have trained together in the Armed Forces and have seen each other under the worst of circumstances.

“This rebuttal to “Gunjan Saxena, The Kargil Girl”, has as little to do with Gunjan, as has the film,” Chandi categorically clarifies at the beginning.

Moviemakers showed Air Force officers in poor light

The rebuttal, according to the former Air Force officer Chandi, has more to do with the house of Dharma Productions, owned by Karan Johar and all those ‘penny dreadful’ story and screenplay writers, who have contributed to this monstrous film that has shown the Indian Air Forces officers in the proud blue uniform in very poor light. 

“I saw this film with little expectation. Very few films do any justice to truth, as it stands. Film makers issue disclaimers and also absolve themselves under the guise of cinematic license and creative freedom,” adds Wing Commander Chandi (Retd.).

The Air Force officer said that the cinematic licences and creative freedom can be applied to bubble gum films like ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum’ type but cannot be stretched into an absolute travesty of set rules and established protocols of hallowed institutions like the Indian Air Force.

She added that even though she was not certain what Gunjan could have told the researchers of the film about her experiences in the crew room, but she can say with authority and absolute iron-clad surety that no one who has worn a uniform, even for the five or six years like Gunjan did, will ever feed such a scenario to the ‘makers of puerile cinema’.

Men in uniform are true gentlemen and professionals, says former officer

Narrating her own experience during her days at the Indian Air Force, Namrita Chandi said, “I have myself served as a helicopter pilot and I have never faced the kind of abuse and maltreatment as was portrayed in the movie. In fact, men in uniform are true gentlemen and professionals. They go out of their way to make lady officers comfortable and adjust. Yes, initially there were teething troubles like no changing rooms or exclusive ladies toilets; yet the men made space for us. Sometimes, my brother officers stood guard outside the curtain while I changed. Never in my entire career span of 15 years have I been disrespected or mistreated”.

The former officer also added that the flight commanders, the people who wield the burden in all operational squadrons are men of great professional competence and not in the least like that man depicted in the film. “Every pilot in the Air Force has to prove himself: Man or woman, says the retired officer.

Attacks Karan Johar’s production house for distorting facts

Launching a scathing attack on moviemakers over distorting facts to suit their narrative, Wing Commander Namrita Chandi (Retd.) added that creative license is one thing but when someone deals with institutions, they cannot change facts. Elaborate and fantasise, if you must but don’t peddle lies, she wrote.

Putting some facts in her letter, officer Chandi said that it was Srividya Rajan, who was the first lady pilot who flew to Kargil – not Gunjan as depicted in the movie.

Explaining a scene in the movie where an Army Major makes certain comments on the character of Gunjan Saxena, Retd officer Chandi said that even an imbecile knows that once you are a commissioned officer, you are committed to the constitution of India and asked the moviemakers not to make a civilian even imagine that it is even possible to disobey orders.

“I have myself been the first lady officer to fly on the International Border with Pakistan, way back in 1996. I had the confidence of every officer that sat with me in the crew room. I was the first lady pilot to be posted to Leh and fly the Cheetah helicopter in the Siachen Glacier, an area where the superstitious belief was that the Army suffered casualties whenever a lady visited Base Camp! But not once did my colleagues or flight commander raise objections to my flying or had doubts on my ability. My husband and I were both posted together in Leh from December 2000 till December 2002. If I was suspect, he would be the first person to object,” she explained the way Indian Armed Forces functioning without discriminating based on gender.

The former Air Force helicopter pilot said that the entire narrative in the movie is skewed and as far from the truth as chalk and cheese. If this film attempted at infusing patriotism in the country’s women, and she as a young woman would run as far away from the Indian Air Force as possible! The film shows misogyny at its worst, she attacked Karan Johar’s production house for stereotyping institutions.

Lady officers are hurt and shocked

She added that her lady officer colleagues are shocked and very saddened by what has been represented and conveyed through this movie. The social media, sometimes, convolutes the facts in a manner that dilute the importance of gallantry awards.

The news that Gunjan Saxena got a Shaurya Chakra is absolutely untrue, reveals Namrita Chandi. She said the moviemakers have played with the facts, which are demeaning the sanctity and bravery of genuine Shaurya Chakra winners. 

“I reiterate that none of us have anything against Gunjan. Our greatest objection is to the way the lady officers have been shown. My fellow lady officers, and I, down the years, fiercely defend our male colleagues. They have welcomed us and given us equal respect. We learned, albeit the hard way, but to co-exist with utmost harmony and respect for each other.”

The officer revealed how the seniors took them under their wings and taught them, sometimes harshly, but mostly with a gentle and firm grip. In any case, we were ready to venture into a male-dominated territory where the initial foray was naturally met with resistance, she narrated her positive experience during her days at Indian Air Force.

“I served for a full 15 years as a helicopter pilot and can call myself a very proud Indian Air Force veteran. There is no way that I will allow the image of the force to be tarnished like this, whether it is due to creativity or cinematic license,” said Wing Commander Namrita Chandi (Retd.)

Concluding her letter, Wing Commander Namrita Chandi also advises Jahnavi Kapoor, who played the role of Gunjan Saxena in the movie, to state that she must have come away with a poor and pathetic impression of women. “Lady, let me advise you, please, never again do a film of this kind if you are a proud Indian woman. Stop showcasing Indian professional women and men in such poor light,” the former officer penned down her thought on the recent controversy.

The controversy surrounding the movie ‘Gunjan Saxena’

The issue came to the fore when the ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl’, that essays the role of India’s first woman pilot Gunjan Saxena, landed in a controversy after it was released on Netflix, 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 portray it in a bad light. Gunjan Saxena herself told a media agency that she didn’t experience any gender bias in the IAF.

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. Following the allegations of the baseless negative portrayal of IAF, the National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma also urged the filmmakers to stop the streaming of the film on Netflix.

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.

Fact Check: Is “Raam” with the photo of Lord Ram printed on it is the world’s most expensive currency

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Is “Raam” with the photo of Lord Ram printed on it is the world’s most expensive currency

A claim is being shared on the social media platforms that the most expensive and strongest currency in circulation is Raam. According to the claim, the price of one Raam is equal to 10 Euros. The price of one Euro at the moment is around Rs. 88.65. In this way, if the claim is to be believed, the price of one Raam should be Rs.886.5. The Netherlands government recognizes the currency, and it is still in circulation.

Supreme Court advocate Prashant Patel Umrao shared the information on social media and said, “Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started this currency in Holland and the Dutch government has also approved it.” He added that the current price of one Raam Euros. The currency was launched in different denominations in 2001. Umrao also shared images of notes of 1, 5 and 10 Raam with a photograph of Bhagwan Ram inscribed on it. You can even notice “World Peace Nation” and “The Netherlands” written on the notes.

The claim went viral on the social media, and many people wrote that while Raam is being accepted as a valid currency, there are leaders in India who consider chanting Ram Naam is communal. That leaders hesitate to support Modi government on Ram temple to appease a particular community. Some users pointed out that Bhagwan Ram was born in India, but he is getting more respect outside India.

When OpIndia investigates the claims on social media, we found that the currency named Raam was used in some shops in the Netherlands. We also found a report by BBC dated back to February 2003 stating that the Dutch Central Bank made it clear that the currency issued by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is in sync with its regulation. At that time, more than 100 shops in the Netherlands accepted the currency.

History of currency Raam

Raam was launched in October 2001 by “The Global Country of World Peace.” The GCWP is a non-profit organisation based in USA, and its headquarter is located in Maharishi Vedic City in Iowa. Raam is issued in three denominations, 1, 5 and 10 Raams. The currency was accepted in some places in the Netherlands and USA at that time. The Finance Minister of Maharishi Movement, Benjamin Feldman, said that Raam could be proven to help eradicate poverty. He insisted that its use should be encouraged in agriculture.

Raam is commonly known as Word Peace Bond. The Maharishi Movement said that it would strengthen World Peace, balance the economy and fight poverty at the same time. In Europe, it is equal to ten Euros while in the US it becomes ten Dollars. The currency was used to build peace palaces by the organisation.

Although the currency was first issued almost two decades ago, the present status of its circulation is not known, as no recent information on it is available online. There is no information that it is used widely at present outside the Vedic city, where it is used.

Not a regular legal tender

Raam is actually “Bearer Bond” in financial terms, which is also known as local currency. Bearer bond is more an instrument of an investment than a regular transaction. Unlike a regular currency of a country, which is accepted by everyone in that country, bearer bonds may not be acceptable to all when offered in a transaction. The bond is convertible in Holland at the Fortis Bank in Roermond in Holland and in the Maharishi Vedic City in Iowa, there is no information of it being convertible in any other location.

Bearer bonds are generally issued by corporate houses or governments to collect funds, hence its basically a debt instrument. But no record is kept of the investors of the bonds, and therefore, whoever physically holds the bonds becomes the owner. For this reason, it can be used as a currency to exchange fund. But it is still not a regular currency, and bonds generally earn interests as it is a debt instrument.

Though it is priced at 10 Euro, as it is not a legal tender issued by a sovereign state or a central bank, it is not a regular currency. Moreover, it is not widely used as a currency. It is also not traded in the currency market and it has a fixed valuation against Dollar and Euro.

Another fact is, while Raam is valued at $10 and €10, bearer bonds with much more value are issued. So, it also not the most expensive bearer bond. Therefore, it is not a regular currency, and it cannot be called the world’s most expensive currency.

Global Country of World Peace has been trying to obtain a sovereign status by acquiring land and setting up a Vatican like independent city state. They tried to buy land from several countries, but none of them agreed to sell them land to set up an independent state. If GCWP is able to set up a sovereign state, then it will be able to set up a central bank, and its currency Raam will get the status of a regular legal tender.

At 1.94%, India has one of lowest fatality rate for Chinese coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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At 1.94%, India has one of lowest fatality rate for Chinese coronavirus

The fatality rate in India stands at 1.94% which is amongst the lowest in the world. In past 24 hours, India has seen almost 54,000 people recover from the Chinese virus. The recovery rate in India is at over 70% and there are currently about 6,80,571 active coronavirus cases in India. So far, a total of 18,62,258 people have recovered in the country taking recovery rate to 71.61%.

Pranab Mukherjee’s health continues to remain critical, being closely monitored by health specialists

OpIndia Staff
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Pranab Mukherjee’s health continues to remain critical, being closely monitored by health specialists

Former President Pranab Mukherjee continues to remain critical at Army (R&R) hospital where a team of specialists is monitoring his health. While his vitals and clinical parameters are stable, he continues to be on ventilator. Since he tested positive for Chinese coronavirus and has multiple co-morbidities, his health condition is being closely monitored by health specialists.

He had been admitted to Army (R&R) Hospital earlier this month for a brain surgery where he tested positive for coronavirus. His health condition then deteriorated and he has since been on ventilator.

NCW chief asks filmmakers of ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil girl’ to apologise and stop the screening of the movie

OpIndia Staff
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NCW chief asks filmmakers of ‘Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil girl’ to apologise and stop the screening of the movie

Days after Indian Air Force (IAF) raised objections over untrue portrayal of gender bias in the film Gunjan Saxena, The Kargil Girl, National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma had urged the filmmakers to stop the screening of the Netflix feature film. The movie, based on the life of the ex-IAF officer who was a part of 1999 Kargil war, has been mired in controversy, ever since its release on the digital platform on Wednesday.

Replying to a news report highlighting the fact that the former IAF officer had equal opportunities to perform, Rekha Sharma tweeted, “If that is so, the filmmaker must apologise and discontinue the screening. Why showing something which is portraying our own forces in bad light especially when it’s not true.”

NCW chief urged ‘real’ Gunjan Saxena to clarify on the controversy

Earlier, on Thursday, the NCW head had demanded clarity from the former IAF pilot on the allegations of ‘gender discrimination’ that has been emphasised in the movie. She wrote, “Being from Army background I can never imagine defence officers behaving like goons. Officer or not, women are always getting their due respect in forces.”

Gunjan Saxena denies claims of ‘gender bias’

Saxena clarified that there was 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. “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.

IAF writes to filmmakers of the movie

Earlier, 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.

Fact check: Did two Muslim men in Turkey cut off a dog’s ears and posted pics on Facebook? Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Fact check: Did two Muslim men in Turkey cut off a dog’s ears and posted pics on Facebook? Read details

The gruesome photographs showing two Muslim men standing next to a dog with its ears cut off has gone viral on the internet recently. In the images from Turkey, it was seen that two Muslim youths had cut off the ears of the dog and proudly posted photos of the same on Facebook.

The heinous act of the two youths has created a rage on the internet with people slamming the duo for their sheer insensitivity and animal cruelty.

As the images of the horrid incident began to resurface on the internet, various social media users expressed their shock and demanded appropriate punishment for such barbarism towards innocent animals.

Fact Check: Three-year old incident

The shocking incident, which has become viral now, had indeed happened, but it is not a new one. The incident, which had occurred in Isparta, Turkey, where the two individuals were caught doing this heinous crime is at least three-year-old.

In 2017, two Turkish Muslim youths Hasan Kuzu and Neset Yaman had posted these images on social media in which they posed holding one of the animal’s bloodied ears.

In one photograph they had posted, it was seen that the animal was forced to look at its own severed ears. The incident was reportedly related to rooster and dogfighting. 

Image Source: Hamlet

Following the incident, the two Turkish Muslim youths were detained by police and they were fined 4,404 Lira. However, the court had let off the two culprits after imposing the fine.

After the court’s lenient punishment, an online petition was also launched and signed by almost 80,000 people worldwide, which called on the Turkish authorities to revise its animal’s cruelty laws and impose tougher punishments on offenders.  

The petition read, “This lax punishment is not acceptable for inflicting such reprehensible harm on an animal. These men’s shockingly light sentence is not even close to proportional to the pain and suffering they senselessly inflicted on an innocent animal — let alone the multiple dogs presumably forced to tear each other to shreds in fights staged for human entertainment.”

SaReGaMa claims copyright violation by Doordarshan telecast of Armed Forces musical band performance of Saare Jahan Se Achha on Independence Day

OpIndia Staff
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SaReGaMa claims copyright violation by Doordarshan telecast of Armed Forces musical band performance of Saare Jahan Se Achha on Independence Day

On the occasion of 74th Independence Day, the state-owned Doordarshan uploaded live band performances of the men and women in uniform on their social media accounts including YouTube. Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi S Vempati was disappointed to learn that DD National’s channel on YouTube received a copyright strike for uploading the said video in which the bands played patriotic songs.

In his tweet, Vempati wrote, ” Disappointed to see that live musical band performances by the Armed Forces produced by Doordarshan have been copyright claimed by commercial musical entities on the @/ddnational YouTube channel”.

He added that it is ethically and morally wrong on the music companies’ side to raise a claim on the patriotic songs played by the Tri-services bands. “As an example what is the basis for SareGaMa to claim copyright on “Saare Jahan Se Accha” performance by the Tri-services band?” he said.

Vempati requested both music entities and Google India to look into the matter.

You can watch the performance here:

Bengaluru riots accused Syed Nadeem who was arrested for violence dies, tests positive for coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru riots accused Syed Nadeem who was arrested for violence dies, tests positive for coronavirus

An accused in the Bengaluru riots case has died due to injuries in the abdomen on Saturday taking the tally of the deceased to four.

According to the reports, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said that one accused named Syed Nadeem, who was arrested after the incident, was admitted to the Bowring hospital due to chest pain.

The 24-year-old had reportedly hit by some hard object in the abdomen. The accused complained of chest pain and was brought to the hospital where he succumbed, said Commissioner Pant.

“He (accused Syed Nadeem) was in jail since 12th(August). Last night (he) came to Bowring Hospital with chest pain. Probably some hard object hit on his abdomen,” Pant said.

According to police, Syed Nadeem was arrested on August 12 in connection with the violence at DJ Halli riots in the city and was in Parappana Agrahara jail. The accused also tested positive for the coronavirus infection on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Pant has ruled out that Nadeem died of bullet injuries. “Nothing to do with bullets,” he said.

Kaleem Pasha, close aide of Congress leader KJ George arrested for instigating riots

Days after violent riots engulfed the area of KG Halli and DJ Halli in Bengaluru, Kaleem Pasha, one of the masterminds behind the Bengaluru riots, was nabbed by the Bengaluru police for his alleged involvement in the Bengaluru riots that occurred on Tuesday killing four people and injuring more than 60 police personnel.

Kaleem Pasha is the husband of Irshad Begum, a BBMP corporator from Nagavara ward. The Bengaluru police have named Kaleem Pasha as 7th accused in the FIR. According to the police, Kaleem Pasha is also one of the key conspirators behind the deadly violence that took place on Tuesday night.

Kaleem Pasha, who is a former corporator of Nagavara 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. 

Bengaluru riots: A pre-planned attack by Islamists on police personnel

Three people were killed and more than 60 police personnel were injured in the stone-pelting and the subsequent riots unleashed by the irate Muslim mobs. At least 10 vehicles, including Innovas of two DCPs, were damaged in front of the stations. The mob also set fire to the vehicles in front of the DJ Halli police station.

During the pre-planned attack, the Muslim mob, carrying petrol bombs and other weapons, also barged into the nearby police quarters and attacked the premises. The Muslim mob was seen raising Islamic slogans like ‘Allah-hu-Akbar’ and ‘Nara-e-Taqbeer’ outside the police station.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Karnataka Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that a district magistrate will hold an inquiry into mob violence in Bengaluru and also informed that so far 146 people have been arrested.

Uttar Pradesh: 13-year-old gang-raped and killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, eyes gouged, tongue cut

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: 13-year-old gang-raped and killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, eyes gouged, tongue cut

In a shocking incident, a 13-year-old girl was raped and killed in Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh. As per Police reports, her body was found in the sugarcane field. The incident took place on Friday. The Police have arrested two men.

Teenager raped in Lakhimpur

The girl went out from her home for defecation at around 1 PM on 14th August in Isanagar Police Station area but never came back home. When the girl did not return home, her family members started looking for her. They informed the Police after they failed to find her. The Police found her dead body in the sugarcane fields that belonged to one of the accused. They collected her remains for post-mortem.

Girl’s father said, “We went looking for her everywhere. She was found in the sugarcane field. Her eyes were gouged out. Her tongue was cut. She was strangled and dragged in the field with her dupatta.”

Two men arrested

After recovering the dead body, the relatives of the girl accused two men Santosh Yadav and Sanjay Gautam for raping and killing her. The two men are residents of the same village. The police filed a complaint based on the statements of the relatives. On 15th August, the post-mortem report came back, and it confirmed gang rape of the child. The police then registered a case against the two for gang rape and murder. Satyendra Kumar, SP Lakhimpur Kheri said that the post-mortem report confirmed rape. They have started the investigation under NSA as well.

The unfortunate incident comes days after a six-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped in Hapur, Uttar Pradesh. The accused, Dalpat, who had been evading arrest for a week, was arrested by Hapur Police after a gunfight with the police.

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