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“How did he arrange buses during the lockdown?” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleges political conspiracy behind Sonu Sood arranging transport for migrants

OpIndia Staff
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“How did he arrange buses during the lockdown?” Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleges political conspiracy behind Sonu Sood arranging transport for migrants

Despite the mammoth task undertaken by actor Sonu Sood to facilitate the journey of 12,000 stranded migrant workers in Mumbai to their native villages, the ruling Shiv Sena has now attacked him in a stinging editorial in the party mouthpiece, Saamna. Alleging a larger political conspiracy behind his efforts, the article questioned how Sood became a ‘Mahatma’ in such a short time.

Shiv Sena leader and the author of the said editorial, Sanjay Raut, has suggested that it was not possible for the actor to facilitate the transportation of such a large number of people without political support. Casting aspersions about Sood’s credibility, the article mentioned how he had met the Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who had often been at loggerheads with the incumbent State government. Koshyari had also praised him for his work when the two met at the Raj Bhavan on May 31.

“It is being said that Sonu Sood transported millions of migrant labourers to their home in other states,” Raut remarked. Hitting out at the Bollywood actor, Shiv Sena accused him of overshadowing the work done by the State Government. In the scathing tirade, Raut enquired as to how Sood procured buses during the lockdown. “When the states are not allowing to take any migrant workers, where are the migrants going?” he questioned. While suggesting that Sonu Sood is hand-in-gloves with the BJP, Sanjay Raut stated that he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon and assume the charge of being the celebrity manager of Mumbai.

“Sonu Sood is a good actor. There is a different director for movies, the work he has done is good but there is a possibility that there is a political director behind it,” Sanjay Raut was quoted as saying. Amidst rumours that the actor would join BJP, Sood told Gulf News that he was doing extremely well in his career as an actor and was not interested in politics. Reportedly, he had received several offers to join politics but had turned all of them down.

Congress supporters peddle conspiracy theories about Sonu Sood

Following his meeting with the Governor Koshyari, Sood was attacked by Congress supporters who rushed to float conspiracy theory that he was actually a BJP agent. They alleged that Sood was doing the good work to deliberately make the Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena government look bad. He was also compared with Anna Hazare, who started the India Against Corruption movement which eventually led to the creation of the Aam Aadmi Party. Sonu Sood was also made out to be a villain because he was praised by Union Minister and how other BJP leaders reached out to him and helped him with his work.

“India is ONE”: Himanta Biswa Sarma slams Maharashtra and Delhi governments for disowning Assamese people amid coronavirus crisis

OpIndia Staff
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“India is ONE”: Himanta Biswa Sarma slams Maharashtra and Delhi governments for disowning Assamese people amid coronavirus crisis

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed shock at the ‘second-class citizen’ treatment meted out by certain state governments, especially Maharashtra and Delhi, to people from other states who are residing and earning their livelihood in these states. In a series of tweets on Thursday, he said that other state government should take as much care of citizens who are of other state as much as they take care citizens from their own states.

Reiterating that we are all Indians, he urged other state governments to not abandon the citizens just because their home states are different in a crisis such as this.

He further stated that Assam government will continue to provide medical assistance to anyone in need in the state. “India is ONE. Our Citizens are ONE. No ONE is outsider on this land. Let’s not divide on frivolous grounds,” he said.

In his interview to Times Now, he further mentioned that had there been more aggressive testing in Delhi and Maharashtra, they would have managed to detect them much earlier and the chain would perhaps broken sooner. Slamming Delhi and Maharashtra governments for treating the workers from Assam as outsiders, Sarma said, “Our worker has been taken to Maharashtra, Delhi so that they can work and contribute to economy of these states. But today when crisis comes, they immediately disown our people. They say no, these are migrant labour. So wherefrom this ‘migrant workers’ come? They are engaged in economy of your state, your industry. For the first time in India it has happened that government of Maharashtra and government of Delhi have disowned people of Assam and started calling them ‘migrant labour’.”

It is demeaning, he said. “People will ask government of Maharashtra that if you cannot take care of us, why have you taken there for production and industries,” he said. “I am pained to see. It is tragic to see that people have been disowned from my state. How did definition of ‘migrant worker’ emerge? Isn’t India for everyone?” he questioned. He further reiterated that people of any other states working and living in Assam will be provided medical assistance without any discrimination.

On Sunday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that only those who are residents of Delhi will be admitted to Delhi government run hospitals for coronavirus treatment. People from other states are free to go to central government run hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung.

Jharkhand: Geological Survey of India discovers gold reserves of 250 kgs near Jamdeshpur, to be auctioned soon

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Geological Survey of India discovers gold reserves of 250 kgs near Jamdeshpur, to be auctioned soon

In a significant development, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Saturday announced that it has discovered nearly 250 kilogram of gold reserve beneath the ground in Bhitar Dari village in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district. The village is just 20 kilometres away from steel township of Jamshedpur.

According to the reports, the Geological Survey of India had submitted its final report to the state government on June 3, enabling the authorities to auction the gold mines of the area in the near future.

The GSI report states that a mineable gold resource of nearly 250 kg can be unearthed around the mining stretch of Bhitar Dari-Hakegora areas. During its exploration activity, GSI drilled over six boreholes as deep as 600 meters which augmented 340354.7 (0.34 million tonnes) tonnes of gold ore with an average grade of 0.71 g/t with 0.4 g/t cut off and a total of 55196 tonnes of ore with an average grade of 1 g/t with 1 g/t cut off. The GSI report also mentioned that the gold would have to be mined from up to a depth of nearly 150 metres in the area.

Reportedly, a team led by Pankaj Kumar, Director had carried out the survey, mapping and sampling in Bhitar Dari since 2013-14 while senior geologists Abhishek Das and Nandu Khalkho carried out the drilling process in the year 2017-18 and 2018-19.

Gold mines in Sonbhadra Uttar Pradesh

In February this year, the Geological Survey of India and Uttar Pradesh Directorate of Geology and Mining had discovered two goldmines having around 160-kilo gold ore in Uttar Pradesh’s Naxalite-affected Sonbhadra area.

Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was two months pregnant when arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination, was two months pregnant when arrested

Former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in a suicide bomb attack on 21 May, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu. Along with him, 13 other people had lost their lives. Nalini Sriharan, one of the convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination and currently serving life term, was two months pregnant when she was imprisoned. She gave birth to a baby girl Arithra Murugan during her time in prison. For some time, Arithra lived in jail with her. Arithra is now a doctor in the United Kingdom. Nalini, meanwhile, has spent nearly three decades in prison for her role in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.

A biography of Rajiv Gandhi by Minhaz Merchant provides the exact role that Nalini Sriharan played in the assassination. According to the biography, Nalini was part of the core group that plotted the assassination. The others in the group were Shrivasaran, Murugan (with who Nalini had an affair), Arivu, Dhanu the suicide bomber, Shubha and three locals, Bhagyanathan, Nalini and Padma. It was this core group that went over every minute detail of the plan.

In 2019, Nalini she was granted a 30-day parole to make arrangements for her daughter’s wedding. She had pleaded that she was in jail for 28 years and during all that time, she had never availed ordinary leaves of a month available to convicts serving life terms. In the past, she has also said that she regrets the murder of Rajiv Gandhi.

For her part, Nalini Sriharan completely denies all involvement in the case. She had once met Priyanka Vadra Gandhi and when asked by the daughter of the deceased former Prime Minister, she had said that she had no role in his death. She apparently told her that she was a prisoner of ‘circumstances’.

The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to release all seven convicts, AG Perarivalan, V Sriharan alias Murugan, T Suthendraraja alias Santhan, Jayakumar, Robert Payas, Ravichandran and Nalini Sriharan, wife of V Sriharan under Article 161 of the Constitution is still pending with Governor. Four of the convicts – Sriharan, Santhan, Robert Payas and Jayakumar are Sri Lankan nationals.

Initially, Nalini Sriharan was sentenced to death due to her role in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. However, her death sentence was later reduced to a life term after Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President, pleaded for clemency on the account of her daughter who was born in jail.

13 others killed with Rajiv Gandhi

On that fateful day, along with former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 13 others had lost their lives. When Rajiv Gandhi’s family, including Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi, chose to ‘forgive’ the convicts and said they had no objection if the killers are released, the kin of those who had died along with Rajiv Gandhi were not too happy with the move. How could Sonia Gandhi or her children decide on behalf of family members of 13 others who lost their lives along with Rajiv Gandhi, they said.

Safoora Zargar arrested for inciting riots

Safoora Zargar, a student of Jamia Milia Islamia university, is lodged in jail currently for her alleged involvement in the anti-CAA riots in Delhi. Her imprisonment has sparked a lot of outrage because she is pregnant. Despite the Court observing that it could not be said there was no prima facie case against her, usual suspects are outraged and demand her immediate release citing her pregnancy.

However, as can be seen above, there have been cases where pregnant women have been arrested and even convicted for their crimes.

Former Bombay HC justice Micheal Saldanha accuses Bishop of Mysore KA William of murder, sexual misconduct, corruption

OpIndia Staff
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Former Bombay HC justice Micheal Saldanha accuses Bishop of Mysore KA William of murder, sexual misconduct, corruption

Former judge of Bombay High Court justice Micheal F Saldanha has made grave allegations against Bishop of Mysore KA William of “letting loose a virtual reign of terror” in the Diocese of Mysore. Former Justice Saldanha also accused William’s superior – the Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Peter Machado, of colluding and covering up murders allegedly committed by Bishop William, reports Mid Day.

According to the reports, on May 29, Justice Saldanha had sent a legal notice to Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) President Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who is also the Archbishop of Bombay.

He had also sent the legal notice to both the Christian clerics – Archbishop of Bangalore Dr Peter Machado and Bishop William, accusing the latter of committing crimes such as murders, sexual misconduct, etc.

“Following the deaths of four priests – two murders, one hanging and one so-called accident, the Bishop of Mysore has let loose a virtual reign of terror in the Diocese,” read the letter written by Justice Saldanha.

Bishop William accused of having connections with underworld mafia

Justice Saldanha alleged that Bishop William has used the underworld mafia and protection from the local police, which has resulted in as much as 23% of the Catholic Laity leaving the church. For the last one year, this man has been asked to leave, but he defiantly carries on terrorising, the notice further stated.

Justice Saldhana has also written that the Archbishop of Bangalore, the immediate superior of Bishop William, should have acted and removed him at least eight months back. However, the justice alleged that the Archbishop was himself colliding with Bishop William to cover up the murders.

According to Saldhana, Bishop Machado has ignored 17 written complaints “fully backed by evidence,” all of which have come from “men of credibility,” a majority of them being priests.

Apart from this, the letter said that there is also a mention of Bishop Machado having ignored 19 written complaints relating to cases that have brought shame, disgrace and ridicule to the Diocese. He added that the complaints to the Cardinal in Mumbai, the internuncio in Delhi and the Catholic Bishops Conference was also disregarded.

Justice Saldanha highlights alleged crimes of Bishop William

Justice Saldanha has also written a separate section – “William’s latest atrocity” in his letter. Justice Saldanha accused Bishop William of calling an urgent meeting on a 12-hour notice to pronounced a transfer order against 37 priests, who had complained regarding Bishop William’s alleged involvement in criminal offences, misappropriation of funds and sexual misconduct.

We had reported regarding the complaint written to Pope Francis by several parishes against Bishop William accusing him of practising factionalism, favouritism, illegal parenthood, sexual liaisons and corruption. Bishop William, along with Father Leslie Moras, had involved in the 2019 Mysore Church sex scandal when a woman, who worked in their church, had allegedly accused them of seeking sexual favours.

In the letter, the former justice said that Bishop Francis had indulged in revenge transfers targeting the priests who had complained against him and sending eminent scholars to remote villages where there is not even drinking water.

The notice further read, “The whole country is fighting for survival and everything is on hold. The governments, the courts, and the administration have suspended all activity. No transfers should have been undertaken at this point in time.”

In the notice, Justice Saldhana also demanded to revoke the illegal transfer order. “If this does not happen within 12 hours, then some drastic steps will have to follow”.

Speaking to Mid-day, Justice Saldhana said that he had spoken to all the 37 priests, who are the complainants and can vouch for their credibility. He added that there has been unabated womanising by Bishop William and evidence has been produced. There are also instances of him defaulting on church money and each time he had a problem with a woman, there were large payoffs, revealed Justice Micheal F Saldanha.

Allegations of murdering priests

Melwyn Fernandes, secretary of Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC), who had exposed Bishop William’s alleged misbehaviour last year, said that there are allegations of murders of priests being camouflaged as accidents.

“I call upon the Archbishop of Bangalore Peter Machado and CBCI President Cardinal Oswald Gracias to immediately suspend the Bishop of Mysore and to get the police to institute a high-level inquiry into the murders of innocent priests, as well as the transfers,” said Melwyn Fernandes.

Responding to allegations, Archbishop Machado said, “Normally, when such matters come to me, I pass them on to my higher authorities in Delhi. I have already escalated the issue”. Meanwhile, Father Nigel Barrett, spokesperson for Cardinal Gracias of Mumbai, said that he was not aware of the issue.

Commando Sunaina Patel, who continued fighting Naxal terrorists during pregnancy, gives birth to a daughter

OpIndia Staff
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Commando Sunaina Patel, who continued fighting Naxal terrorists during pregnancy, gives birth to a daughter

In March, news agency ANI reporter Lokesh covered a story of Commando Sunaina Patel posted in the Naxal hit area of Chhattisgarh. The story that broke the internet on International Women’s Day was special not only because she was a woman commando but because she continued to patrol the area while she was 8-months pregnant. Sunaina is a commando in the elite anti-Naxal unit In Chhattisgarh.

Commando Sunaina joined the unit during pregnancy last year

According to the reports, she joined the unit with 2-month pregnancy. She never stepped back from her duties and decided to take rest only when her officers asked her to take it easy in the advanced stages of pregnancy. During her patrolling days, she was carrying a full load of weapons, including AK-47 and a backpack that weighed around ten KG.

In a recent tweet, ANI reporter Tanmay informed that Sunaina had given birth to a healthy baby girl. He added to his tweet that both mother and child are healthy. He also posted a few photographs of Sunaina with her daughter.

She has suffered miscarriage before

Abhishek Pallav, SP Dantewada, said that Sunaina had suffered a miscarriage before while performing her duties. Even though she was reluctant to go off duty, her officers asked her to take proper rest as everyone was concerned for the wellbeing of the mother and the child. He added that her contributions are inspiring many women to join the anti-Naxal force. 

Social media flooded with wishes

After learning about Sunaina’s daughter, many users on social media wished good health and happiness for mother and daughter. Many called her inspiration for the young generation, and her story will motivate more women to join forces against anti-India elements.

Women DRGs aka District Reserve Guard Danteshwari Fighters

Commando Sunaina Patel is part of the Women DRG unit that was constituted in May 2019. It is an elite anti-Naxal unit posted in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. It is the only unit with a team of women DRGs that perform regular patrolling in the Naxal-hit areas against Maoist cadres.

Delhi: “He will kill me. Please save my life”, says Hindu woman who was earlier tortured by her Muslim husband to eat beef

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: “He will kill me. Please save my life”, says Hindu woman who was earlier tortured by her Muslim husband to eat beef

In a viral video uploaded on Saturday by Supreme Court Advocate Karunesh Shukla, a Hindu woman named Neha Jogi narrated her harrowing experience of being married to a Muslim husband, Nafees Khan. She is a resident of Burari in Delhi and was deceived into marriage by Khan. “He started beating me mercilessly and forcing me to convert to Islam,” she sighed.

In her own words, she was coerced into undergoing the gender-identification test of her unborn child. Neha had been warned by Khan to leave his house. The perpetrator even threatened to kill her and her family members. She alleged that the police initially refused to lodge an FIR and instead recommended her to opt for counselling.

“If he kills me, what will I do with counselling? I beg my Hindu brothers and sisters to help me. I apologise for my mistake (marriage). He can kill me. He has several criminal cases against him. One of his brothers has been implicated in a rape case while another has been linked to a murder case. If I am dead, what will be the use of the police investigation? Please save me.” she pleaded.

Neha revealed that stones are pelted at her house every day and the police have not taken appropriate action in this matter. “Where will I go? Please help me,” she requested. Breaking into tears with folded hands, her aged mother said, “I plead the Hindu society to help us. They will kill us. Please help us.”

Alleged Police Indifference

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered by the Police under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation). The Burari Police station allegedly refused to file an FIR in the matter initially when Neha Khan approached them but proceeded to do so after the advocate intervened in the matter. The FIR lodged at the Burari Police Station states that Neha Khan married Nafees Khan in March 2018, it was a love marriage. Her daughter was born nine months later. She says in the FIR that she came to know after her marriage that her husband was already married.

Advocate speaks to Opindia

Advocate Karunesh Shukla informed OpIndia that he is receiving threats from Pakistan and being abused in the most vulgar of words. He told us that he is fearful of his life. Karunesh said that Neha Khan has since then gone to her parents’ home. The whereabouts of Nafees Khan are not exactly known to the advocate. He told us that she is continuing to receive threats from the family of her husband.

The advocate also said that Nafees Khan told Neha Khan that she could practice her own faith after they were married. However, following their marriage, he used to force her to eat buffalo meat. He used to beat her and tell her to read the Quran and perform Namaz, the lawyer told us. In the video that has gone viral, the woman also says that the brother of his husband is in the Aam Aadmi Party. She says that she was told that her grave will be dug and he will build his life over her grave.

Safoora Zargar, arrested for inciting Delhi riots, was the general secretary of the Congress-backed NSUI’s Jamia unit

OpIndia Staff
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Safoora Zargar, arrested for inciting Delhi riots, was the general secretary of the Congress-backed NSUI’s Jamia unit

Jamia Millia Islamia student Safoora Zargar who was arrested under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for her involvement in the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots was reportedly the general secretary of the Congress-backed NSUI’s Jamia unit.

According to the reports, Zargar was among the first two coordinators of the Jamia Coordination Committee, which was set up in December last year to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The sociology student from Kashmir was an active member in Congress and its student wing National Students Union of India (NSUI). She was the office bearer of NSU and was involved in many NSU meetings before the student body got dissolved in Jamia in 2018. However, she had identified herself as a member of the Jamia Coordination Committee and also its media coordinator. 

Here is an image posted by Safoora Zargar wishing Congress leader Amrita Dhawan for her birthday. In the image, it can be seen that Safoora Zargar had tagged the NSUI unit of Jamia Millia University.

Amrita Dhawan is a Congress leader and has been acting President of NSUI. She also contested 2013 Delhi elections from Tilak Nagar constituency on Congress ticket.

In another tweet from 2018, the riot-accused Safoora Zargar has also tagged various NSUI social media handles, while she was seen holding a banner of the National convention of Congress student union – NSUI.

According to other reports, Safoora Zargar was actively involved in Shaheen Bagh protests and propagated anti-India sentiments by shouting Azadi slogans inside Jamia campus. She was also caught shouting secessionist slogans like Azadi for Bihar, Azadi for Kerala, Azadi for Assam etc. during a protest rally.

Zargar was arrested by the Delhi Police in the month of April for allegedly leading the anti-CAA protests at the Jaffrabad metro station of Delhi in February 2020, which eventually led to Anti-Hindu riots in the national capital causing the death of 53 people and injuring several others. The Congress leader Safoora Zargar is charged under UAPA for her involvement in Anti-Hindu riots.

Along with Zargar, another Congress leader Ishrat Jahan is also accused of inciting mob during the Hindu riots in Delhi. She was also arrested by the Delhi police, however, she has been granted interim bail of ten days for her Nikaah.

Addition to these accused, President of Jamia Alumni Association Shifa-Ur-Rehman, Meeran Haider, Jamia Millia Islamia University students Asif Iqbal Tanha, Gulfisha Khatoon, suspended AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain, former student leader Umar Khalid has been charged under the anti-terror law UAPA for their involvement in the Anti-Hindu riots.

A far-left ‘Pinjra Tod’ activist Natasha Narwal was also booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for her role in inciting the anti-Hindu communal riots in Northeast Delhi in February.

As per reports, Zargar, was instrumental in arranging guest speakers during the CAA protests at Jamia Millia. The accused Safoora Zargar had uploaded several images on social media, which exposed her links with the Congress party.

Congress leaders attended Jamia protests

It is pertinent to note that the senior leader of the Congress party like Salman Khurshid, Shashi Tharoor had visited the Jamia campus to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the run-up to the Anti-Hindu Delhi riots.

On February 10, Salman Khurshid, a senior leader of the Congress party, was spotted at the protest in Jamia campus to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. During his presence, chants of Azadi had echoed inside the campus and a baby was spotted shouting anti-India slogans.

Senior Congress leader Khurshid beamed with pride, and encouraged as the child was cheered by the crowd to chant slogans of “Tum Goli Maaro! Azadi” and “Hum Chheen ke lenge Azadi”. However, he appeared to be perfectly at home chanting Azadi slogans with the child. 

Similarly, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had also joined the anti-CAA protest inside Jamia campus, where radical Islamic chants of ‘La Ilaha Illallah’ was shouted by Islamists in his presence.

The Congress leader had expressed his concerns that CAA protests on ‘secularism’ are getting hijacked by Islamists, however, he had to retract his statements after he faced severe criticism from Muslims.  

NSUI role in violent anti-CAA protests

The role of the Congress party and its students wing NSUI in instigating protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act across universities was exposed by OpIndia. It was revealed that how the members associated with NSUI carefully coordinated a sinister plot which promoted anarchy across the country. The members of the student wing of Congress – NSUI was also accused of planning, coordinating and executing anti-CAA protests across the country.

Punjab: Communal tension prevailed in Jalandhar after pregnant woman was beaten up by youth over drug trafficking

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Communal tension prevailed in Jalandhar after pregnant woman was beaten up by youth over drug trafficking

The drug problem in Phillaur, (Jalandhar) Punjab caused communal tension between two groups after a youth beat up a pregnant woman. As per the report published in Dainik Jagran, some houses were damaged and four people were severely injured over drug trafficking incident. After learning about the incident, heavy police force reached the spot to control the situation. The police admitted injured people in Civil Hospital, Phillaur.

Pregnant woman beaten up

Kamla Masih, a resident of ward number 10 of ‘Ucchi Ghaati,’ said that a community openly sells drugs, vaccines and liquor in the locality. Addicts roam around in this area all the time. On Friday at around 8:00 PM, her pregnant daughter Mala was going to the market to buy some good and a few boys passed lewd comments on her.

A dispute erupted between the boys and Mala that ended in boys beating her up. She was severely injured. When people rushed to save her, those boys started throwing bricks and stones. As per the report, the women from the boys’ side went on the roofs and allegedly started throwing bricks on those tried to save Mala. The attackers also broke Kamla’s scooter and caused ruckus till late at night.

Heavy police force deployed

Police were informed about the incident, after which heavy police forced reached the scene to control the situation. On Saturday, the atmosphere got tense again at around 11 AM when women and children of the locality sat down to protest. Under Kamla’s leadership, they announced that they wouldn’t allow the sale of drugs in the locality.

Allegations of drug trafficking

One Joji has alleged that this is not the first time such an incident has taken place. He said that some people come to sell drugs and snatch money from those who come to buy anything from the market. He added that the other side started throwing stones that caused damage to their houses and injured a few people.

Mukhtiar Singh, station in-charge of Phillaur, said that police would not allow anyone to break the law under his watch. Police are investigating the communal tension between two groups and whoever is responsible will be punished as per the law. He added that the situation is under control and police are there to ensure peace.

As Rajya Sabha polls near, Gujarat Congress MLAs huddle up in Rajasthan after three MLAs quit the party in one week

OpIndia Staff
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As Rajya Sabha polls near, Gujarat Congress MLAs huddle up in Rajasthan after three MLAs quit the party in one week

In the last three months, a total of eight MLAs of the Congress party resigned in Gujarat that brought down the tally in the state to 65. Five MLAs resigned back in March while three resigned on 4th June just before Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for 19th June. Congress had blamed BJP for indulging in horse-trading to break their MLAs in the past. While it is evident that the internal politics in the Congress party is pushing away the “loyal” party leaders, instead of accepting their own mistakes, Congress is blaming others.

All MLAs shifted to Resort in Rajasthan

As per reports, the remaining Gujarat Congress MLAs have been shifted to Wildwinds Resorts at Abu Road in Rajasthan. Earlier, four Congress MLAs were seen at Ambaji that is close to the Gujarat-Rajasthan border. Gulab Singh Rajput, Congress MLAs, said that MLA would discuss the strategy for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.

Gulab Singh added to his statement that no MLAs are going to leave the party. He accused of those MLAs who have left the party of “betraying the people”. They have disrespected people’s mandate and the party will never forgive them.

Congress and the history of resort politics

This is not the first time the Congress Party is using resort politics to stop its MLAs from resigning. In March this year, Congress had tucked away its Madhya Pradesh MLAs in Rajasthan amid political upheaval. Eventually, the Congress-led Madhya Pradesh government toppled. In July 2019, during the intense power tussle in Karnataka, the Congress and the JDS had herded its MLAs in resorts to keep the flock together. However, the encampment of the MLAs did not help the Congress party as the BJP adroitly toppled the 14-month long Congress-JDS government in the state and formed its own government.

Before the Rajya Sabha elections in 2017, Congress airlifted all MLAs to a resort in Karnataka. At that time, Ahmed Patel’s nomination for Rajya Sabha was at stake. Before almost every floor test since 2014, Congress had to move its MLAs to a ‘safer’ location to avoid alleged “horse-trading by BJP.”

24 Rajya Sabha seats at stake

On 1st June, the election commission announced the date for the Rajya Sabha elections. 24 Rajya Sabha seats will be at stake in the upcoming elections on 19th June 2020. Out of these 24 seats, elections on 18 seats could not happen in the last couple of months due to lockdown. The remaining six seats will get vacant in June and July. Four seats will be filled from Gujarat while remaining seats are from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

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