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Local politician Faheem Khan, accused of orchestrating the Nagpur violence, arrested; FIR filed against 51 accused

OpIndia Staff
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Local politician Faheem Khan, accused of orchestrating the Nagpur violence, arrested; FIR filed against 51 accused

Nagpur Police on Wednesday (19th March) arrested Faheem Khan, city president of the Minority Democratic Party (MDP) in connection with Nagpur violence. The police have filed an FIR against 51 accused including Faheem Khan. Khan is said to be the mastermind of the communal violence that broke out in Nagpur on 17th March.

Khan was reportedly arrested within hours of filing the FIR at the Ganeshpath Police Station wherein he is named as an accused. The FIR includes charges of conspiracy to rape, molestation and misconduct. Police had released a photograph of 38-year-old Khan, a resident of Sanjay Bagh Colony in Yashodhara Nagar. He has been remanded to police custody till 21st March. A video had also reportedly emerged showing Khan delivering a provocative speech moments before the violence.

As per senior police officials, a preliminary investigation revealed that Khan’s provocative speech, which was captured in the video, directly contributed to the escalation of tensions, resulting in communal clashes. The investigation into the matter is going on.

Khan reportedly contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Nagpur Lok Sabha seat against the senior BJP leader and the Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari. He lost to Gadkari by more than 6.5 lakh votes.

On the evening of 17th March, Nagpur underwent violent unrest that left more than 30 people wounded over rumours of the burning of a copy of the Quran during a protest by Hindu organisations demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Demonstrators covered an effigy of the Mughal despot with a sheet and then put it on fire during the agitation. During the violence, a Muslim mob molested a woman police officer in the Bhhaladarpura area of Nagpur, Maharashtra, and attempted to disrobe her during the violence by the mob over Hindus demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. An FIR has been filed against the rioters at Ganeshpeth police station.

Curfew is effective in several parts of the city as part of measures to restore peace.

‘I am still wiping the egg off my face’: Shashi Tharoor admits how he was wrong to outrage against Modi govt buying Russian oil

OpIndia Staff
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‘I am still wiping the egg off my face’: Shashi Tharoor admits how he was wrong to outrage against Modi govt buying Russian oil

During the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi on 18th March, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that he seems to be wiping egg off his face conceding that despite himself calling for the condemnation of Russia’s war with Ukraine and objecting to the Indian government’s continuation of business with Russia, three years later India is in a unique position to be friendly with both countries and be welcomed by both leaders.

“I am still wiping the egg off my face because I was one person in the parliamentary debate who actually criticized the Indian position at the time back in February 2022,” Tharoor said.

Explaining his reasoning for condemning the war, Tharoor continued “On the well-worn grounds that Espen (Norway’s Foreign Minister) will understand because he and I talked about all this in my UN days, that there was a violation of the UN Charter, sovereignty of a member state, namely Ukraine, and we had always stood for the that there had been a violation of the principle of the inviolability of borders of a sovereign state, inadmissibility of the use of force to settle international disputes and all of those principles had been violated by one party, and we should have condemned it.”

“Well, 3 years later, it does look like I am the one with egg on my face because clearly the policy has meant that India has actually a Prime Minister who can hug both the president of Ukraine and the president of Moscow two weeks apart and be accepted in both places and therefore India is in a position where it can make a difference to a lasting peace if it was so required in ways that very few countries would be able to,” Tharoor added.

Bombay HC orders family court to decide divorce case of Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma tomorrow dur to IPL, the cricketer agrees to pay ₹4.75 crore alimony

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC orders family court to decide divorce case of Yuzvendra Chahal and Dhanashree Verma tomorrow dur to IPL, the cricketer agrees to pay ₹4.75 crore alimony

Bombay High Court on Wednesday ordered a family court to decide on the divorce petition filed by cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal and his estranged wife Dhanashree Verma by tomorrow, granting them a waiver of a mandatory six-month cooling off period. The court order also mentioned that Chahal has agreed to pay an alimony of ₹4.75 crore to Dhanashree.

The high court overturned the decision of the family court to refuse the waiver of the cooling-off period of six months stipulated under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act for a divorce decree. The High Court agreed to grant the waiver considering Chahal’s participation in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). The leg-spin bowler is a member of the Kings XI Punjab team.

The court stated, “As petitioner 1 (Chahal) is participant of IPL, learned counsel informs that he may not be available from 21st March, the learned judge family court is requested to decide petition by tomorrow,” as reported by Bar and Bench.’ The court also noted that Chahal and Verma have been living apart for over two and half years, and both parties have agreed on the alimony during the mediation process.

Chahal and Verma got married in December 2020, but they are living separately since June 2022. In February this year they filed a plea seeking divorce on the basis of mutual consent. They also sought waiver of the six-month cooling-off period.

However, the family court rejected the request on the grounds that the terms of the mutual consent were only partially fulfilled. The court said that while Chahal was required to pay ₹4.75 crore to Dhanashree as per the consent terms, only ₹2.37 crore has been paid. The court considered it as partial compliance of the consent terms and rejected the waiver.

This information from the high court order makes it clear Chahal is not required to ₹60 crore as alimony to Dhanashree, as was being claimed on social media. Dhanashree’s family had already denied that she has demanded ₹60 crore.

However, the High Court has now granted the waiver of the mandatory 6-month cooling-off period for divorce and ordered the family court to decide the case on Thursday. The court stated that the partial payment of alimony was in compliance with the mutual consent terms as Chahal is required to pay the balance amount only after the decree of divorce.

The Bombay High Court said, “Thus it is clear that there is no impediment in the facts and circumstances of the case in granting the applications… Accordingly, impugned order dated 20th February is quashed and set aside and the writ is allowed.”

Not Chhaava but liberal mollycoddling of rampaging Muslim mobs is responsible for the Nagpur violence

Jinit Jain
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Not Chhaava but liberal mollycoddling of rampaging Muslim mobs is responsible for the Nagpur violence

The recent violence in Nagpur was yet another grim reminder of how the Indian Left operates as a protective shield for Islamist mobs, ensuring that every act of aggression is justified, rationalized, or outright ignored. As usual, instead of holding Islamists accountable for their intolerance and violent tendencies, left-wing ideologues scrambled to spin the narrative—this time absurdly blaming actor Vicky Kaushal and the film Chhaava for “provoking” Muslims.

The Left’s routine whitewashing of Islamist violence

Whenever a Muslim mob indulges in violence, an influential section of India’s so-called “liberal” ecosystem instantly rallies behind them. Their objective? To shift the blame onto Hindus, the BJP, the RSS, or any other convenient scapegoat—while shielding Islamists from accountability. This playbook was followed to the letter in the Nagpur violence case.

The riots erupted because Islamists took offence at demands to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhaji Nagar—a demand that, by any rational measure, should have sparked a debate, not a riot. Aurangzeb was a documented religious bigot, a genocidal ruler responsible for the destruction of countless Hindu temples, forced conversions, and mass killings. And yet, instead of asking why Muslims continue to revere such a polarizing historical figure, the Left-wing discourse immediately pivoted to blaming Chhaava and Vicky Kaushal for “hurting sentiments.”

This intellectual dishonesty is not new. It is the same mechanism that kicked in after every major Islamist riot—from the anti-CAA protests to the Udaipur beheading of Kanhaiya Lal. Each time, instead of acknowledging the radicalization within a section of the Muslim community, the Left concocts excuses to exonerate the perpetrators and demonize those who merely speak inconvenient truths.

Whether it is Ram Guha or Apoorvanand, The Wire’s Siddharth Varadarajan or Rohini Singh, popularly referred to as 2 BHK on social media for her alleged proximity with a political party, or politicians of the Left persuasion, all of them have sought to blame truth-telling in the form of movies made on historical events for the Islamist penchant for violence, passing the buck on the victim for committing the unpardonable sin of amplifying the truth and shielding the perpetrators who are champing at the bit of taking to violent means to suppress dissent.

The ever-shifting goalpost: From Aurangzeb’s tomb to Chhaava

A telling aspect of this narrative manipulation is how swiftly Leftist commentators and Islamist apologists changed their justifications. Initially, they claimed that Hindus demanding the demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb “provoked” Muslims into retaliation, the narrative took a sudden turn to blame Chhaava for igniting sentiments of Hindus by depicting historical truths about Mughal oppression. Whatever narrative floated their boat, liberals went along with it, latched onto Aurangzeb’s tomb controversy as well as Chhaava, alleging that Hindus had “pushed Muslims against the wall.”

This pattern is predictable. When Islamist mobs pelt stones at Hindus, the Left asks, “What provoked them?” When Hindus respond, the Left screams, “Fascism! Majoritarianism!” It is always Hindus who must self-censor, always Hindus who must bend over backwards to avoid offending Islamists.

The Left’s intellectual gaslighting and the “victimhood” industry

The Left’s gaslighting follows a well-rehearsed formula. First, they deny that Islamist violence is a recurring problem. Next, they claim that Muslims are perpetual victims, pushed into a corner by “Hindu majoritarianism.” Finally, they manufacture an excuse for why violence was inevitable—whether it’s a film like Chhaava, an election campaign, or even a mere demand to remove a tyrant’s tomb.

This strategy is designed to provide Islamists with an unchallenged space to operate, ensuring that they remain forever shielded from criticism. It also feeds into a dangerous victimhood complex, where even the most violent and intolerant elements within the Muslim community believe that they are justified in their actions because they have been “wronged” in some way.

The real question: Why are Islamists always itching to riot?

The more pressing question, which no Leftist intellectual dares to ask, is: Why do Islamists so often resort to violence at the slightest “provocation”? Why does a mere film or a historical discussion become an excuse for mayhem? Why does the “secular” Left never challenge this hair-trigger outrage?

The answer is uncomfortable: Islamists have been conditioned to believe that their religious sentiments are above scrutiny and that any challenge to their historical narratives is akin to blasphemy and must be met with force. So whether it’s Allaudin Khilji, Aurangzeb or any other Mongol marauder, the Islamists are trained to hail them as religious warriors and their criticism as sacrilege deserving of a violent response. This conditioning is actively enabled by India’s Left-wing elites, who have consistently provided intellectual and moral cover for their actions.

In the case of the Nagpur violence, no sincere attempt was made to question why 600-1,000 Muslims would riot over Aurangzeb’s tomb. No Leftist questioned why a historical mass murderer is still a revered figure and his grave being allowed to turn into a shrine where the faithful can congregate and draw inspiration for another Nagpur-like riot or Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj like torture. Instead, they followed their script—attacking Hindus, blaming the BJP, and portraying Muslims as helpless victims.

The consequence: Encouraging an endless cycle of violence

This deliberate mollycoddling of Islamists has dangerous consequences. By consistently shifting blame away from rioters and towards their victims, the Left ensures that Islamist violence remains unchecked. Every riot, every street veto, and every act of intolerance reinforces the idea that force, not reason, dictates public discourse in India.

Ultimately, the Nagpur violence was not about Chhaava or Vicky Kaushal—it was about an ecosystem that refuses to hold Islamists accountable. As long as this mollycoddling continues, the cycle of violence will only escalate, with the Left continuing to gaslight Hindus into believing that they are always at fault for daring to speak the truth.

Osmania University issues circular banning on-campus protests and dharnas: Here’s all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Osmania University issues circular banning on-campus protests and dharnas: Here’s all you need to know

Osmania University has prohibited agitations, dharnas and demonstrations within its departments, colleges, centres, and administrative buildings. The University authorities said they have viewed the matter seriously and decided to prohibit trespassing, staging dharnas and agitations, raising slogans etc in the premises of the Departments/Colleges/ Centres/Administrative Building of the varsity.

The University has also prohibited preventing administrative authorities and staff from discharging their official duties and using “unparliamentary and filthy language” against University staff and authorities.

This reportedly comes after some students at Osmania University protested recently after a razor blade was allegedly found in a curry served for dinner at the New Godavari hostel mess.

The protesting students allegedly blocked the varsity’s main gate and raised slogans against the administration while holding the curry vessel. The students demand Vice-Chancellor Professor M Kumar to address their grievance. The students alleged that a few days ago when worms were found in the cabbage curry served at the mess.

As per an internal document of the University, they said it was observed there are several incidents of students/student groups have been entering the Departments /Colleges, Centres/Administrative Building, Osmania and staging demonstrations and

Dharnas resulting in disruption of the administrative work and giving a wrong perception of the University to the Society. Such incidents, they said are causing adverse effects on the smooth functioning of the University, leading to delays in administrative and academic progress. On certain occasions, these incidents also raised security issues and concerns. The University further said that if any person is found involved in the above “activities, serious action will be initiated” against such person as per law. The varsity also said that stakeholders (i.e., Students on rolls) with a genuine grievance in the University system, if any, may first approach the concerned Official at the institution level, and thereafter may represent to the Registrar and the authorities, with prior permission.

Meanwhile, students are protesting against the varsity’s directives and are demanding the withdrawal of the said circular.

The protesting students also demanded release of their arrested peers.

Union Minister and BJP leader Kishan Reddy criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy after Osmania University banned protests and processions at the campus and said it is an “undemocratic decision”.

He also acknowledged the role of the Varsity during the struggle for the freedom movement. “Osmania University has a long history. It played a significant role during the freedom struggle as well… When the first Telangana revolution began in 1969, nearly 369 students of Osmania University were martyred in police firing… When TRS formed the government, KCR put a ban on student agitation in the university,” Reddy said.

“And now, Revanth Reddy has issued an order banning processions, sloganeering, gathering, and protests in the university… No university puts a ban on such things… It is an undemocratic decision…,” Kishan Reddy added.

In a statement, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also condemned the restrictions on protests at Osmania University. “ABVP strongly condemns the illegal arrests and calls for a bandh to demand the withdrawal of the undemocratic circular issued by Osmania University authorities.

Terror of anti-social elements in Vastral, man runs over people in Vadodara: Two incidents in Gujarat, two perspectives, two types of police action

ભાર્ગવ રાજ્યગુરુ
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Terror of anti-social elements in Vastral, man runs over people in Vadodara: Two incidents in Gujarat, two perspectives, two types of police action

Two significant incidents that occurred in Gujarat recently attracted the attention of nearly the whole country. The events were shocking and heartbreaking. Legal action is underway in both cases. However, why do individuals believe the two instances are different?

One instance had antisocial elements openly brandishing swords and intimidating bystanders in Vastral of Ahmedabad and the other involved Rakshit Chaurasia who killed a woman and wounded seven other people by his speeding car in Vadodara. Ironically his name is Rakshit (protector), but ended up destroying lives.

These two tragedies were not the only ones that occurred in Gujarat. Such situations have transpired on multiple occasions in the past, and each time, action was carried out. People eventually forget about them. They, however, cannot overlook the action that follows the same pattern consistently. P olice have responded differently in each case. Let’s discuss the two in more detail.

Anti-social elements create terror in Ahmedabad, houses vandalised

The date was 13th-14th March when some anti-social individuals wreaked havoc at night in Vastral and their videos went viral on the media and online. They waved swords in public and attacked passersby. They also damaged vehicles. Part two of the video was released a few hours after the first one in which the police publicly thrashed the accused and paraded them on the streets. Afterwards, more clips of these videos surfaced.

Some displayed the action taken against the culprits while others showed the protests by the family members of the latter. Another footage featured the demolition of their houses under the protection of the police administration. Several people were also seen destroying the kutcha houses located in the area with hammers. Many perpetrators were caught during the night while the remaining were nabbed next morning. The authorities should continue their action as it is necessary to be strict with those who harass common people, to prevent similar instances in the future.

After the incident, the state police chief also ordered swift action and asked to prepare a list of all such individuals in Gujarat within 100 hours following which further measures ensued. The 14 accused in the case were sent on 4-day remand. According to the latest reports, 13 of them have been sent to judicial custody. The cops file a First Information Report (FIR) after the arrest and the accused are brought before the court once the investigation is completed, in these matters. Notably, the main accused is still absconding and the hunt is on to catch him. A charge sheet will be submitted in court once the inquiry is over.

Accused arrested in Vadodara case

Let’s now analyze the case in Vadodara which happened on 13th March. It occurred at the same time as the aforementioned issue in Vastral. Gujarat received national attention as a result of both instances. The incident in Vadodara took place in the Karelibaug area close to the Amrapali Complex. Rakshit Chaurasia, a law student of MS University, drove the car at full speed in a drunken state and crushed 8 people including a woman (Hemali Patel) died on the spot.

He then came out of the four-wheeler and shouted “another round, another round” as if nothing had happened. The video also gained notoriety online as netizens expressed their outrage. He was apprehended by the locals and turned over to the authorities. The police then conducted a rapid test on Rakshith and Prince Chauhan (his friend who was in the car) which revealed that the pair had taken drugs and alcohol. However, the medical test report is yet to be released.

The accused brought the drugs to “enjoy” Holi, according to the police statement. They are currently in protected police remand. The probe is ongoing and further action will be decided after the medical report is received. The date of hearing is also not fixed. The accused is a Varanasi native who is at present a student in Vadodara. It is obvious that he hails from a wealthy household because he stated that his father is a “businessman.”

Discussion on social media about both incidents, questions on police action too

The two instances listed above have generated a lot of debate on social media. Users responded to the police move and remarked that although Gujarat Police inquired both crimes, which happened simultaneously in the state, no real action has been taken against Rakshit while the homes of the accused in Ahmedabad have been razed. The police’s lack of a firm stance against the young man has infuriated people. He reportedly belongs to an affluent family while the offenders from the other case have unprivileged roots.

It is vital for the police to keep an eye on those who cause nuisance in public. However, the lack of action by the police against the perpetrators in Vadodara case is incomprehensible to the people. The same was previously observed in the Tathya Patel case. He ran over nine individuals and killed them instantly on 20th July 2023, when he drove his Jaguar car at a high speed (more than 142.5 kmph) on the Iskcon Bridge. Tathya Patel’s father was charged with acting outrageously even after the incident. No particular measures were taken during that incident and users are blaming the police of failing to take a firm stance this time around as well.

Debate regarding the stance of the judiciary

On the other hand, there is also debate among users concerning the court’s stance. People frequently talk about the court’s lenient attitude in cases such as Tathya Patel and now Vadodara incident. The reason is that these people have powerful connections because of their wealthy parents while middle-class individuals are publically humiliated and have their illegal homes eliminated. The fact that Prajnesh Harshadbhai Patel alias Gota, Tathya Patel’s father, was also granted bail and that his company/business has not been thoroughly investigated is another topic of controversy.

However, Tathya Patel cannot be released from prison after nine people were killed. He is incarcerated at Sabarmati Central Jail at the moment. He has submitted multiple bail applications, including both regular and temporary bail. However, his plea was continuously denied by the Gujarat High Court and the Ahmedabad Sessions Court. The judge recently denied his bail request in December 2024. The matter is still pending, though.

Judiciary’s position in Pune Porsche case

The Pune Porsche case triggered the most discussion about the court’s position. Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, two young IT experts were killed on 19th May 2024, when a 17-year-old inebriated minor drove a Porsche and crushed them. The accused was granted bail with “severe” terms by the Juvenile Justice Board just hours after the incident. The conditions included completing a 300-word essay, serving 15 days of traffic duty with the Yerawada police, seeking treatment for addiction and going to counseling. The nation was so enraged by the board’s judgment that on 22nd May the JJB was forced to revoke the bail and place the accused in an observation house until 5th June.

He was released from the observation home by the Bombay High Court on 25th June and granted his custody to his aunt. Furthermore, the Pune Police petitioned JJB to have the youngster tried as an adult and it remains pending. The teenager, of course, came from privileged background as well. These young men who were seen intoxicated in these startling occurrences are members of prominent families. Their expensive vehicles are now a topic of conversation too. Charges of tampering with evidence, pressuring the driver to take the blame and altering the blood sample have been brought against the accused’s father, mother and grandfather in the Pune case.

On 27th May, Dr Ajay Taware and Dr Shrihari Halnor of Sassoon Hospital were arrested as they had altered the blood sample of the accused which prevented his drunken state from being exposed. He is still out on bail and no punishment has been imposed om him by the court. Moreover, the Bombay High Court pronounced that he should be treated as an underage under the Juvenile Justice Act. Netizens raised objections that he murdered two people, IT specialists, at that. The culprit has completed the 15-day safe driving course and submitted an essay in the court.

Why are the people angry

The aforementioned conversations addresses the infamous and contentious cases. Netizens are furious at the dearth of action taken against the children of such affluent parents. Why are they not reprimanded publicly? Why is their ancestral properties or businesses not being investigated? Why are they not subjected to the same standard of inquiry? Why they aren’t in Tihar jail? Why does the police lack the ability to take decisive action while the court readily grants bail to such accused in exchange for written essays or statements? These questions have incensed people on social media.

Whether it is the Vadodara incident, the Ahmedabad Iskcon bridge case or the Pune Porsche instance, the lack of effective measures like the one enforced in Vastral has been bothering people amid debates on social media. There are calls for the police to treat all of the accused with the same toughness as they did in Ahmedabad. Similar measures should have been executed in the Vadodar case and other such incidents akin to Vastral where a strong example was set. Thus, the mania for speeding cars could have been curbed among such wealthy individuals, and a precedent for society could have been established.

Read the original article in Gujarati here.

Sambhal administration to demolish illegal structures including a mosque built on municipal land in Chanduasi

OpIndia Staff
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Sambhal administration to demolish illegal structures including a mosque built on municipal land in Chanduasi

The Sambhal administration is set to take stringent action against encroachment on government land in the Chandausi municipal area in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh. Around 34 illegal structures including a mosque built on the municipal land in Chanduasi city will be demolished. The action came after a complaint was filed by a municipality clerk highlighting the encroachment of about six and a half bighas of land out of the twenty-nine bighas belonging to the municipal board.

The administration will take action against the mosque and illegal houses built by illegally occupying 6.5 bighas of municipal land in Waris Nagar of Chandosi in Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh. The DM has given instructions to investigate the documents of 34 structures including the mosque. If illegal occupation is found in this investigation, demolition action will be taken.

The DM reached the spot to take stock of the situation and ordered that whoever sold or occupied government land, action would be taken as per the rules. This decision has created a stir in the area. The administration has become strict regarding the mosque and 34 houses built on government land in Chandausi Waris Nagar. Municipal Corporation Chandausi had complained to the tehsil administration that the Mustafa Mosque built in Waris Nagar of Laxmanganj area and the houses built around it are built on government land.

As per reports, on 8th March a team of the revenue department headed by the Tehsildar measured the encroached land. The team found that 33 houses and a mosque were built on encroached land. Besides, two plots were also illegally occupied. On Monday (17th March), District Magistrate Sambhal, Rajendra Pensiya and SP Krishna Kumar Bishnoi inspected the illegal buildings. The people living in the houses constructed on the municipal land failed to produce any documents proving that the land belonged to them. The DM and the SP directed the officials to demolish the illegal construction. They also ordered the filing of FIRs against the encroachers.

“The land belongs to the municipal board. An illegal registry has been created without ownership of the land. 34 illegal structures including 33 houses and a mosque have been constructed,” said DM Pensiyia.

Sambhal MP’s house likely to be demolished

A house belonging to Sambhal MP Zia Ur Rehman is also likely to be demolished after it was found to have been constructed without getting the map approved. A case has been going on in the court regarding an unapproved construction in the house. Sambhal SDM Dr Vandana Mishra said that the MP was allowed to either show that there was no new construction in the house or to show that the house did not belong to him but to someone else. However, the MP failed to produce any documents to prove either.

A two-member investigation committee has been set up to examine the unapproved construction in the house. The committee will submit its report in the next 3 days to the SDM. The next date of hearing in the matter is 22nd March. Action regarding demolition will be taken based on the report of the committee.

Bihar: 80-year-old Dalit woman assaulted, family abused by Chhote Alam, Shahbuddin and others, TOI chooses to highlight ‘Holi celebrations’ in headline instead

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: 80-year-old Dalit woman assaulted, family abused by Chhote Alam, Shahbuddin and others, TOI chooses to highlight ‘Holi celebrations’ in headline instead

In Bihar’s Gopalganj district, an 80-year-old Dalit Hindu woman was allegedly raped on 14th March 2025 when she had gone to a wheat field to cut grass. According to the complaint lodged by the victim’s son, at around 4:30 pm, the victim was attacked and gagged by a Muslim man who then allegedly raped her. Reports say that the accused also attempted to gouge out her eyes.

After the alleged crime, the 24-year-old main accused who is reported to be known by the alias Chhote Alam fled the spot after assuming that the unconscious victim had died.

A village girl spotted the victim in an unconscious state and then informed the 80-year-old woman’s family. Subsequently, the victim was brought to her home by her family and a doctor was called. The victim is reported to have regained consciousness on 15th March, after 19 hours.

The complaint filed by the victim’s family states that the accused persons had threatened the victim not to inform anyone about their heinous crime or they would kill her.

In his complaint, the victim’s son mentions that after she revealed her ordeal before them, they went to one of the accused Syed Ali’s house to confront him. However, accused Syed Ali, Babudin, Shahabuddin, Saddam, Hashmat and Jummadin drove them away and hurled casteist slurs.

“S*&la ch@m%&r siyaar, hamare darwaze par aa kar shikayat karne aa gya. Bhago nahi toh yahin ch@m&%r siyaar m@d&*c^%d jaan se maar denge,” the complaint cites the accused persons as saying.

The police have registered a case against the accused persons including the main accused, four of his family members and two others present at the crime scene, under relevant BNS sections and the SC/ST Act.

The Baikunthpur, Police Station SHO earlier said that one of the persons who was present with the accused has been arrested while efforts are on to arrest the main accused and others.

According to an Aajtak report, Sadar SDPO Abhay Kumar Ranjan has said that the victim was sent for medical examination and the medical reports refute the allegations of rape as mentioned by the victim’s family in the complaint, however, the physical assault was confirmed. The officer also reportedly stated that the main accused had been arrested.

Times of India omits names of the Muslim accused, insinuates old woman raped by Holi celebrating men

The Times of India newspaper published a report on this incident, however, not without omitting the names of the Muslim accused and insinuating that the incident happened amidst Holi celebrations as if the Holi-celebrating Hindu men raped the victim. “An 80-year-old dalit woman was allegedly raped in a village in Gopalganj district amid Holi on March 14,” TOI report headlined “Elderly Dalit woman raped in Gopalganj during Holi”.

Meanwhile, ETV Bharat also insinuated that the Dalit woman was raped during Holi celebrations and did not mention the names of the Muslim accused.

Similarly, The Observer Post, an Islamist ‘media’ outlet notorious for peddling fake news and false narratives, also insinuated that the alleged incident happened during Holi celebrations. Despite mentioning details from the complaint, both the Islamist propaganda outlet and TOI omitted the names of the Muslim accused and laid emphasis on Holi and casteist slurs hurled at the victim by the accused. Thus, keeping the readers the impression that the casteist slurs spoken against the Dalit woman and the alleged crime were committed by Holi-celebrating ‘upper caste’ Hindu men.

While The Observer Post withholding names of the Muslim accused and using the “during Holi celebrations” framing is not surprising since defending Islamists is their core agenda, a mainstream media outlet like the Times of India publishing such misleading headlines is alarming.

ED raids on Soros-linked entities in India: Here are the organisations that are under scanner for FEMA violations

OpIndia Staff
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ED raids on Soros-linked entities in India: Here are the organisations that are under scanner for FEMA violations

On Tuesday (18th March), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided 8 locations in Bengaluru linked with beneficiary entities of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), owned by far-left billionaire George Soros. The raids were reportedly conducted as part of the ED investigations into the violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations by three Bengaluru-based companies.

The entities whose premises were searched by the ED included some international human rights bodies and a company named Aspada Investments Pvt Ltd. Aspada Investments Pvt Ltd was reportedly set up by the OSF in Mauritius to channelise funds in India. It was set up in Bengaluru on February 4, 2013, to manage OSF’s investment in India.

OSF’s investment arm provided ₹300 crore to more than 12 Indian companies

As per reports, the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF), a social impact investment arm of the OSF, transferred around ₹25 core between 2020-21 and 2023-24 to three Indian companies in violation of the FEMA guidelines. The companies are named- Rootbridge Services Pvt Ltd (RSPL), Rootbridge Academy Pvt Ltd (RAPL) and ASAR Social Impact Advisors Pvt Ltd (ASAR). The SEDF reportedly provided funds to the tune of ₹300 crore to more than 12 companies in India.

The OSF was put under the Prior Reference Category (PRC) by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2016 which mandated the OSF to seek prior permission from the ministry before giving any donations to FCRA-registered entities in India. However, the OSF had been trying to bypass the regulations and restrictions by bringing in funds through FDI and consultancy fees and using the money to fund certain NGOs in India, in contravention of Indian laws.

SEDF transferred funds to Indian companies for ‘services’ that were never rendered

According to the Times of India, the SEDF transferred funds to the RSPL through compulsorily convertible preference shares. The RAPL set up in 2019, was given ₹2.7 crore by the SEDF as commission agent services. However, no services were provided by the company which suggested that the RAPL acted as an agent for the SEDF to bypass the FCRA regulations for funding NGOs in India. Similarly, the ASAR which was set up in 2016, received an amount of ₹2.9 crore from the SEDF in the name of ‘service fees’ which was suspected by the investigation agency to be a donation in disguise. The ED is examining the end use of other FDI funds brought in by Soros EDF and OSF.

Soros’ Open Society Foundation is accused of engineering regime change operations around the world though civil society groups and activists. The OSF describes itself as the world’s largest private funding agency of groups supporting human rights, justice and accountable government. In 2020, it had an annual budget of US$1 billion. The SEDF is an active social impact investor in India and its stated goals include ‘helping smallholder farmers and small businesses boost their incomes, making healthcare, schooling and financial services more available and affordable to a broader range of people’. The OSF has reportedly invested $90 million in start-up and early funding projects managed by Aspada Investments since 2008.

The ED raids on the OSF-funded entities in India come at a time when Soros’s foundation is facing the heat in the United States after the Trump government came to power. Soros had aligned with far-left liberals and had opposed Donald Trump ahead of the US Presidential election. He had also announced his dislike for the Modi government in India, and had stated that his organisation has set aside $1 billion to change ‘nationalist’ governments around the world.

Nagpur: Muslim mob molested woman police officer, tried to disrobe her, while rioting against Hindus who wanted removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb

OpIndia Staff
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Nagpur: Muslim mob molested woman police officer, tried to disrobe her, while rioting against Hindus who wanted removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb

On 17th March, a Muslim mob molested a woman police officer in the Bhhaladarpura area of Nagpur, Maharashtra, and attempted to disrobe her during the violence by the mob over Hindus demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. An FIR has been filed against the rioters at Ganeshpeth police station. The violence broke out in Nagpur over rumours that copies of the Quran were burnt during protests by Hindus. Thousands of mobsters were seen chanting Islamic slogans, vandalising vehicles, pelting stones at houses, and destroying shops belonging to Hindus in different parts of the city.

According to media reports, a mob of around 500 individuals was chanting slogans and pelting stones. Senior police officials reached the scene with a heavy police force, including riot control personnel and female officers, to bring the situation under control.

As the police attempted to disperse the mob, the Islamists turned aggressive and started pelting stones at the police personnel. They abused the police and physically assaulted some officers. Amid the ongoing violence, a group within the mob got hold of a woman police officer and molested her. They attempted to disrobe her. Fortunately, the female police officer managed to escape in time. As she escaped, the rioters turned to police vehicles parked in the area and vandalised them.

Round-the-clock police patrols

Police have marked 11 areas as highly sensitive and 19 as sensitive following the riots. Additional police forces have been deployed in the area for round-the-clock patrols. The sensitive areas include Mahal and Mominpura. Reports suggest that armed police units have been patrolling these areas continuously to ensure law and order.

Nagpur Violence

On the evening of 17th March, Nagpur underwent violent unrest that left more than 30 people wounded over rumours of the burning of a copy of the Quran during a protest by Hindu organisations demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Demonstrators covered an effigy of the Mughal despot with a sheet and then put it on fire during the agitation. Rumours, however, quickly surfaced that a copy of Quran had also been burned during the outrage. The fake claims then spread like wildfire especially through social media, triggering members of the Muslim community. The atmosphere became tense as thousands of Muslims gathered to protest and shouted Islamic slogans after which they soon wreaked havoc on the streets of Nagpur.

According to reports, rioters set fire to cars, threw stones and damaged public property. Three cars and around 30 vehicles were set ablaze, 33 police personnel were hurt, and nearly 60 to 65 rioters were arrested. The area around the Kotwali police station was soon affected by the violence that started in Chitnis Park and Mahal and later spread to other parts. The decoration materials intended for the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra were also not spared. According to witnesses, the rioters had their faces concealed and were carrying swords, weapons and bottles.

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