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Murshidabad man applied for correction in Voter ID, received updated Voter Identity Card with a dog’s photo on it

OpIndia Staff
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Murshidabad man applied for correction in Voter ID, received updated Voter Identity Card with a dog’s photo on it

In an unusual yet major blunder, Sunil Karmakar, a resident of Ramnagar village in Murshidabad in West Bengal, was fumed at the authorities after he received a voter ID with his name and personal information but with a dog’s picture on it. Sunil Karmakar had applied for correction in his earlier Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC), but in return, he got an EPIC with an even bigger error as a result of his application.


However, Block Department officer has clarified that the card wasn’t the final one and the Photo has already been corrected. Karmakar will get a final voter ID card with the correct photo, he said.

While speaking to ANI, Karmakar said that he was called at Dulal Smriti School, and there, the officer handed him this updated voter ID without checking the picture. He said, “Yesterday, I was called at Dulal Smriti School and this voter ID was given to me. I saw the photo. The officer there signed and gave it to me but he didn’t see the photo. This is playing with my dignity. I will go to the BDO office and request that this should not happen again.”


On this bizarre inaccuracy by the authorities, BDO clarified, “It’s not his final voter ID card. If there is a mistake, it’ll be corrected. As far as the dog’s photo is concerned, it might have been done by someone while filling online application. The photo has already been corrected. He’ll get the final ID card with the correct photo.”

The Chief Electoral Officer of Wets Bengal has informed that the error has already been rectified and Karmakar has been given an Elector information slip with the correct particulars, and a corrected EPIC is being issued. The official also said that an enquiry has been conducted and action is being taken against the officials responsible for this.

One official involved with correcting voter ID-related errors said that the error was already spotted earlier when the draft voters’ list was published, but he had no idea how it remained uncorrected. He said that after seeing the error, he had rushed to Karmakar’s house and had obtained a photograph of the man, but somehow the card got printed with the dog’s photograph.

Another video surfaces showing police personnel rescue injured DCP Amit Sharma from rioting mob in East Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Another video surfaces showing police personnel rescue injured DCP Amit Sharma from rioting mob in East Delhi

Another video of Delhi riots, presumably of February 24, has surfaced where violent rioters at Chand Bagh area in East Delhi are seen pelting stones at police personnel as they try and rescue injured DCP Shahdara IPS Amit Sharma. This is the same attack which reportedly claimed the life of constable Ratan Lal.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lVB5egiBeY]

At the beginning of the video, one can see the police personnel breaking through the barricades and carrying the injured DCP to the other side of the street, away from the group of frenzied rioters. The rioters continue to pelt stones at police personnel from one side of the street to the other side as the later tries to rescue the injured cop. Towards the end of the video, police personnel can be seen dragging the unconscious DCP away, shielding him from the raining stones and bricks.

If one hears carefully, towards the middle of the video, gunshots can be heard in the background. As the police fire gunshots in the air, the mob of rioters are seen quickly dispersing by running in the opposite direction.

Earlier in the day, another video of the same attack had surfaced, where a violent mob of rioters could be seen attacking the Delhi Police officers with stones and sticks. The mob had individuals wearing black burqas who could be seen pelting stones at the police. One could safely presume the women were also attacking the Delhi Police with stones.

As per reports, DCP Amit Sharma was badly injured by the rioters and constable Ratan Lal was killed by the rioters as he tried to save IPS Sharma. Although initial reports had said that Ratan Lal died due to injuries from stone-pelting, the autopsy report had confirmed that he had died of a bullet injury. On the same day, one Mohammad Shahrukh was found wielding a gun and shooting at Delhi Police personnel. He was later arrested after being on the run for almost a week. One IB official Ankit Sharma was also brutally murdered by the rioting mob. As per reports, he was stabbed as many as 400 times before his body was thrown in a drain.

On Wednesday, Delhi Police said that 531 cases have been registered of which 47 cases are under the Arms Act in connection with the Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

Modi Mandate 2019: How psephologist Pradeep Bhandari covered 400 constituencies to know what Indian voter thinks

OpIndia Staff
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Modi Mandate 2019: How psephologist Pradeep Bhandari covered 400 constituencies to know what Indian voter thinks

Psephologist Pradeep Bhandari has turned author with his debut book ‘Modi Mandate 2019: Dispatches from Ground Zero” which he penned after travelling to as many as 400 out of 543 Lok Sabha constituencies. Speaking to OpIndia, Bhandari said that the other than the fact that the book was written after extensive groundwork, it is written in a unique style which is easy to understand by readers.

“It is not just any other political book. This is real conversation and real people I talked to. All the conversations in this book are with regular Indian voter and not any politician. I went to tea stalls, pan shops, talked to village folks especially women to know what they are thinking and who do they think will come to power,” Bhandari said.

Speaking about the unique format of the book which is more of a conversational style, Bhandari said, “It is like a conversation you have with friends. It is not a heavy-duty book with jargons. In fact, the book should be included in course for political science as it is the first book written with no generalisations and has ground report from 400 constituencies.”

Excerpt of his book from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh:

‘Aap kya keh rahe hain…yahan bhi aur kendra mein bhi aayega to Modi hi…’ (What are you saying? Modi will emerge victorious here as well as get a majority at the centre…) said a Banaras Hindu University professor, as he chewed paan masala.

This was in response to my question: ‘Kya lag raha hai…sarkar badal jayegi iss baar? Idhar to Priyankaji aa jayengi log keh rahe hain…’ (What does the situation look like? Will there be a change in government this time? People are saying Priyanka [Gandhi] would come to power…) We were at ‘Pappu ki Adi’, a famous tea shop in Banaras whose display board reads ‘Bharat ki rajneeti ko disha dene wala vishwa prasidh Pappu ki Adi’ (The tea stall that has given direction to politics in India—Pappu ki Adi). The tagline read ‘Kashi ke sangeetkaron, professoron, patrakaron, kulpatiyon, acharyon aur rajeentigyon ka buddhi sanwardhan sthan (The meeting point of Kashi’s professors, intellectuals, journalists, philosophers and politicians for intellectually stimulating conversations).

The gathbandhan had fielded Shalini Yadav, who had not even won a mayor election in the past, against Modi. It was clear they knew they didn’t stand a chance against Modi, and all they wanted was a scapegoat. After making a lot of noise, triggering debates and stirring up political discussions, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who once expressed interest in contesting against Modi, also decided not to contest, supposedly choosing to give time to handling party responsibilities rather than focusing on only one seat. The Congress, as a part of their usual modus operandi, chose Ajay Rai as a scapegoat. UP was peculiar in this sense. While Modi’s staunchest rivals in UP—Mayawati and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra—were themselves not contesting elections, they maintained claims regarding an anti-Modi current in the state. It was also evident from the fact that even Akhilesh Yadav, former UP chief minister and president of the SP, couldn’t afford wagering by contesting from any seat other than Azamgarh.

It was in this city of the Ganges that I realized it was not Modi’s election but more of a mass public movement by the people who were campaigning for him. Banaras [also Varanasi] surprised me. In my entire journey, I had not encountered a reasoning as rational as I did in Varanasi.

‘Modi! Modi! to kar rahe ho magar kuch vikas bhi hua hai yahan par?’ (You are chanting Modi’s name, but has any development taken place here?) I asked, trying to imitate the renowned jibe often picked up by the Opposition. The man started chanting ‘Modi! Modi!’ the moment he realized I was shooting for a political show. I was about to write him off when to my surprise he started reciting Modi government’s schemes from A to Z.

When we reached the ghats, I couldn’t help noticing they were cleaner than ever before. My eyes fell on a poster which made a rather bold claim: ‘Kachre ka dibba maatr 50 kadam mein’ (The next garbage bin is just 50 steps away.)

My sceptical mind sought proof. I asked one of my team members, Abhinav, to check and confirm if this was indeed true. Lo and behold, the results answered another burning question I had had for long: Why do people in Varanasi blindly trust Modi? The dustbins were placed within 50 steps, exactly like the poster claimed. And what was more, there were portable toilets too, placed in short distances near the ghats to ensure additional cleanliness. I could see vikas (development) right in front of me.

Modi had become synonymous with development, and I realized this soon after a well-learned man in his late sixties said this to me: ‘Modiji ko Banaras se nahi ladna chahiye, Banaras ka to kaafi vikas kar diye wo paanch saal mein…kahin aur se ladenge to wahan bhi vikas hoga’ (Modi shouldn’t contest from Varanasi. He has done enough development here in the past five years. If he contests from another place, that place too will get developed).

While the elders identified with Modi’s vikas, youngsters were drawn to him because what they saw in Modi was a ray of hope. I particularly remember what a young boy said to me: ‘Modiji ne desh ka naam uncha kiya hai…duniya bhar ke deshon ne Modiji ko inaam diya hai…aur aaj jab Modiji kisi vishwa stariya meeting mein jaate hain to unko bahut samman milta hai…ye desh ke liye bahut badi baat hai. Hamaare desh ki chavvi inn pichle paanch saalo mein bilkul hi badal gayi hai…’ (Modi has made India proud globally. And whenever he goes to any international-level meet, he is shown respect. This is a big thing for our country. The country’s image has really changed in the last five years…)

While voters with a BJP leaning always backed their answers with reasoning, supporters of the gathbandhan and the Congress Party seemed to lack confidence in their leadership. They probably knew the outcome already.

To get diverse opinions, I sought out a famous dosawala opposite Vishwanath Mandir. He hailed from Andhra Pradesh and his opinion would mean a lot. However, his evaluation wasn’t any different from the majority in Banaras. He said: ‘PM pad ke liye to Modi hi sahi hain! (Modi is suitable for the prime minister’s post!)’

‘If you permit me, I shall file my nomination from the holy city tomorrow. I will then return to thank you all after winning the polls!’ Modi had said amid a sea of people chanting his name during his roadshow in Varanasi which traversed from Lanka Gate to Ganga Gate. Wherever he went, Modi was showered with flower petals apart from the unconditional love he received from the crowds. His roadshow was a festival in itself, its sheer opulence having the ability to overshadow Holi or even Diwali. Varanasi was shut voluntarily and people were on the streets to confer their unconditional support to the man who was now a part of their family and more.

The book Modi Mandate 2019: Dispatches from Ground Zero by Pradeep Bhandari released on 2nd March and it can be ordered here.

Karachi-bound seized Chinese ship was carrying nuclear-capable equipment to Pakistan: DRDO experts

OpIndia Staff
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Karachi-bound seized Chinese ship was carrying nuclear-capable equipment to Pakistan: DRDO experts

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has confirmed that an industrial autoclave seized from the Chinese ship Dai Cui Yun could have been used for the manufacture of nuclear-capable long-range ballistic missiles or satellite launch rockets, reports WION.

Last month, India had detained a Karachi bound Chinese ship. It has now emerged that the Chinese ship was carrying nuclear-capable equipment to Pakistan. The ship was detained by Customs at Kandla Port while en-route to Port Qasim, Karachi, on February 3 on the basis of an intelligence tip-off.


The ship had left Jiangyin Port on Yangtze river in China’s Jiangsu province on January 17, 2020, and was bound for Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan when it was intercepted at Kandla port on an intelligence tip-off. Port Qasim is in Karachi, Sindh, where Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme is based.

Later, the ship was allowed to proceed to the Pakistani port on February 20 after the dual-use (civilian and military) equipment was seized. The autoclave was wrongly declared as an industrial dryer.

However, analysts at DRDO have now confirmed that the ship was carrying nuclear technologies from China to Pakistan.

“The autoclave can be used for the manufacture of the motor of very long-range missiles, with range upwards of 1,500 kilometres or even in the construction of a motor for the launch of satellites. Pakistan has the Shaheen-II missile in the 1,500-2,000 kilometre range and the platform was tested last May,” said one of the officials to Hindustan Times.

According to DRDO’s technical experts, the seized 18-metre by 4-metre autoclave can indeed be used in the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) platforms. An autoclave is a pressure chamber which carries out various industrial and scientific processes. Prima facie, it can be used for civilian as well as military purposes.

With nuclear scientists at DRDO confirming that the Chinese ship was indeed carrying nuclear equipment to Pakistan, the customs can now seize the cargo and charge the vessel and its owners for violations of Special Chemicals, Organisms, Materials, Equipment and Technologies (SCOMET) export regulations.

Further, it is now up to India’s national security decision-makers to invoke the Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act 2005 as well as inform the UN under the WMD Convention to expose the nuclear proliferation nexus between Beijing and Islamabad.

Police tracing Bangladeshi criminals in Ankit Sharma case, believe his murder was ‘target killing’: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Police tracing Bangladeshi criminals in Ankit Sharma case, believe his murder was ‘target killing’: Report

The initial probe into the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma has revealed that there was a strong possibility of the murder being a ‘targeted killing’ and not a random act of violence, reports Times of India.

According to the initial investigation, Ankit Sharma had returned from office at around 5 pm on February 25 and had stepped out with his friends. Ankit, along with his friend Kalu and a few others were on one side of a ‘pulia’ (small bridge) while heavy stone-pelting was on from the other side. Sharma was at the front facing the mob, said a source to Times of India.

The eyewitnesses have revealed that Sharma was hit by a stone and fell. They recounted that a group of men from the mob came from the other side and overpowered Sharma, who was then dragged away to the other side. “Curiously, they did not touch anyone else but him,” said the eyewitness.


Ankit Sharma was possibly taken to a confined location or a house as nobody saw him after that. The probe agencies believe that is where he was suspected to have been stripped and brutalised allegedly by Muslim mobs of AAP leader Tahir Hussain. His body was then dragged to the drain and dumped. The body, which had only undergarments on it, was taken out from the drain the next day.

After analysing the prima facie sequence of events, the intelligence establishment is convinced that Sharma’s death appeared to be a murder with a motive. “The sequence indicates that the killers may have been trying to send across a message. This is bigger than what meets the eye,” a senior intelligence officer told TOI on Wednesday.

An investigator hinting at probing the angle of ‘targetted killing’ said, “The fact that Sharma was abducted and taken away and not killed or harmed at the spot by the mob had raised suspicion at first. The theory has only been strengthened as the sequence of events has become clearer. Vengeance is clearly visible by the condition of the body. Nobody is killed like this usually by a mob,” he added.

A senior police officer said that they were trying to identify the accused who dragged him away based on the details of their appearance as recalled by eyewitnesses. “Leads from technical surveillance in the area is awaited. We are also trying to trace a group of Bangladeshi criminals whose locations are known to be in the area around that time,” he added.

Amidst the violence that gripped several parts of the Northeast Delhi, the body of a young officer of the Intelligence Bureau, Ankit Sharma, was recovered today from a drain in Chand Bagh, one of the areas hit by the violence that had swept northeast Delhi. It is believed that he was beaten to death and later, the mob disposed of his body by dumping it in the drain.

Read: Ankit Sharma, stabbed hundreds of times with his intestines torn apart, fails to get sympathy from Left media, the harbingers of virtue

The autopsy report states that Ankit Sharma was stabbed hundreds of times, and his body has been mutilated beyond belief. He has stab wounds all over his body and not even a single portion of it was spared. He was stabbed for hours, four to six hours, by possibly as many as six individuals together.

Moreover, his intestines were ripped apart, says the autopsy report. Forensic doctors have reportedly said that they haven’t seen such nightmarish mutilation in their lives. The report says that the body had “multiple abrasion.. deep cut.. by sharp edge objects”.

The role of Aam Aadmi Party leader Tahir Hussain in the brutal murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) employee Ankit Sharma and also inciting riots in the Delhi has now been under scanner.

Earlier, eyewitness accounts of Ankit Sharma’s death have come to the fore confirming the suspicions that Sharma was lynched to death by a Muslim mob. Eyewitnesses had stated that the young officer was dragged inside a house by an enraged mob before his dead body was found lying in the drain.

The Hindu residents of Moonga Nagar area of Chand Bagh have levelled serious allegations against AAP leader Mohammed Tahir Hussain. As per the residents, the Muslim mob operated from Hussain’s house to unleash their carnage. One of the residents of Moonga Nagar, who was an eyewitness to the murder of Ankit Sharma, stated that the IB sleuth was dragged inside the Hussain’s building by a frenzied mob from the gate of the house.

“Supreme Court has failed India’s minorities”: Foreign-funded ‘activist’ Harsh Mander’s another video indulging in fear-mongering goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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“Supreme Court has failed India’s minorities”: Foreign-funded ‘activist’ Harsh Mander’s another video indulging in fear-mongering goes viral

Yet another video of foreign-funded controversial ‘activist’ Harsh Mander has emerged where he is again indulging in fear-mongering and accusing the Supreme Court of ‘failing Indian minorities’.

At around 2 minutes in this video on scare-mongering about CAA, NPR and NRC, Mander can be heard saying that the issue of CAA cannot be resolved in the Parliament. He says that second place such issues could be resolved are in courts. “I would like to say it again very clearly that the working of the Supreme Court in recent years and it is important that for a majority in a democracy should not turn majoritarian. The Supreme Court has a very critical role in a judiciary. I think they have failed India’s minorities in recent months and years over and over again in their Ayodhya judgement, in how they responded to Kashmir and how they responded to petitions of students being beaten up in Aligarh and Jamia,” he says.

Perhaps Mander believes that even Supreme Court will call out the lies of CAA detractors, he then says that he does not this “issue” will be decided by the Supreme Court either. Again inciting people to take to streets, Mander says, “The third place I think it is going to get resolved is on the streets. The battle is being fought and it is being fought in ways that are inspiring for all of us.”

Read: ‘Fact-finding’ report by Harsh Mander on the AMU violence during anti-CAA riots on 15th Dec falls flat: Here is how

Invoking Mahatma Gandhi and his civil disobedience movement against the British rule in a democracy, Mander says that similar to the breaking of Salt Law for which Gandhi was jailed, people should also demand to go to detention camps should any of the illegal immigrants are sent there. Furthering fear-mongering, he says that the implementation of NRC will have different consequences for Muslims and non-Muslims.

Mander further calls upon people to boycott census “as long as it continues to be tainted with NPR”.

Yesterday, the Delhi Police filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against Mander seeking contempt of court proceedings against him for his ‘justice on streets’ speech which went viral on social media. In the video shot at Jamia Millia Islamia gate no. 7 in Delhi, Mander can be heard provoking the mob to take to streets, and say how there is no faith in Supreme Court anymore.

Do we really need proof that non-Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are persecuted? Harish Salve slams detractors of CAA

OpIndia Staff
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Do we really need proof that non-Muslims in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are persecuted? Harish Salve slams detractors of CAA

Harish Salve, one of India’s biggest names in national and international law, has written an article in the Times of India, explaining the importance of the CAA and how the arguments against the law are baseless.

In the TOI article, Salve has written that though much has been said against the law and a lot of controversies has been generated, even leading to a communal riot in Delhi, he has hopelessly failed to comprehend what the controversy is all about.

Salve writes further writes, “Illegal migrants are deported under the Foreigners Act 1946 and the Citizenship Act 1955. The procedure to identify illegal migrants in the Northeast was criticised and for good reason. But the law that requires Muslim migrants from Pakistan and Bangladesh to be deported is the law of 1946 and 1955.  If the CAA goes away, Muslims from Bangladesh (and elsewhere) who are illegal migrants would be liable to be deported as would illegal migrants who are Sikh, Buddhist or Christian.”

salve further explains that the citizenship laws in most countries are based on similar principles all over the world. One acquires citizenship by birth, descent, naturalisation, or by the acquisition of territories. Those who enter a country without permission are illegal immigrants.

Salve furthers that after the Bangladesh war, the Northeastern states faced demographic consequences and eventually resulted in the Assam Accord. The Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act had made it practically impossible to identify illegal migrants and was challenged in the Supreme Court. Salve then writes that the SC had slammed the government for failing to deport illegal migrants and it was then that the idea of detention centres was mooted.

Harish Salve then adds that the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in 2016 and was then referred to a joint parliamentary committee. The committee had presented its report in January 2019, recommending the Bill.

He adds further that the rules formed in 2003 had provided for the creation for a National Register for Citizens, by conducting house-to-house enumeration, identifying cases that needed separate inquiry. He adds that even after 16 years, the rules are yet to be operationalised.

Countering the ‘liberal’ argument that the CAA is against equality, Salve writes, “The principle of equality does not mean that every law must have universal application. The principle of equality does not take away from the state the power of making classifications. If a law deals equally with members of a defined class, it is not open to the charge of denial of equal protection on the ground that it has no application to other persons.”

CAA’s avowed objective is to enable conferment of Indian citizenship upon members of minority communities who hail from  Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Do we really need proof that minorities are persecuted in these Islamic republics? How can Parliament be faulted for coming to a conclusion that such minorities in the three named neighbours need to be protected?

Salve further added that classification on the basis of religion is not per se unconstitutional for our constitution itself confers special rights upon members of minority religious communities in India. “If the law was broader and allowed members of all religious communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to migrate into India, we could as well do away with our borders.”

Slamming the ‘loudest’ allegation against the CAA, that it is designed to ‘throw out all Muslims from India’, Salve writes that there is no law, rule or notification published, or even a draft circulated, that would suggest that the government has any such intent. He says that if there is any procedure for citizens to prove their citizenship, it would be equally applicable to all Indian citizens, irrespective of their religion and any procedure otherwise will be unconstitutional.

Read: Harish Salve defends CAB, says bill not anti-Muslim, does not violate articles 14, 15 or 21 of the Indian constitution: Read details

Discussing the polarisation in Indian society, Salve says that the polarisation between castes and religions is at least as old as the notion of modern India. He adds that there is also polarisation between those who have enjoyed the perquisites of power over decades and between those who have replaced them.

Hinting at the communist ideologies that are hailed by the so-called ‘intellectuals’ in India, Salve adds that certain ideologies which are but dust on the bookshelves of political history in the countries of their origin continue to be romanced by intellectuals, some of whom dominate civil society and civil discourse. He adds that all this has proven to be the fertile ground for protests and aggressive debates and the people who ‘romanticize’ such movements have not bothered to let ‘the truth’ spoil their ‘good stories’.

Flipkart cofounder Sachin Bansal’s wife files police complaint, alleges dowry harassment

OpIndia Staff
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Flipkart cofounder Sachin Bansal’s wife files police complaint, alleges dowry harassment

Priya Bansal, the wife of Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal has filed a police complaint in Bangalore alleging that her husband and his family have been harassing her over dowry. As per reports, Ms Bansal has filed her complaint at the Kormangala police station in Bengaluru against Sachin Bansal and three others.

As per reports, the dowry harassment allegations have been filed against Sachin Bansal, his parents Kiran Bansal and Satprakash Bansal, and Sachin’s brother Nitin Bansal. The complaint was filed on February 28.

As per a report in The Newsminute, from court documents, it is revealed that prior to Priya Bansal’s complaint, Sachin Bansal’s mother had filed a case against her daughter in law. Priya and Sachin Bansal had married in 2008.

Priya Bansal has alleged in her complaint that her family had spent over 50 lakhs on her wedding and had given Sachin Rs 11 lakh. She has also alleged that Sachin and his family have been harassing her after she refused to sign over some jointly owned properties to Sachin’s sole ownership.

Priya Bansal has also stated that Sachin had physically assaulted her on several occasions. She has also accused Sachin of sexually harassing her sister when he had visited Delhi.

Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal had exited the e-commerce giant a few years back after selling his stakes, reportedly for over 1 billion USD. Sachin’s wife Priya Bansal is a dentist by profession and has a clinic in Bengaluru.

In 2017, former MLA and rebel AAP leader Kapil Mishra, who is now in BJP, had alleged that AAP in Delhi had received donations worth crores through hawala transactions and shell companies. He had also named one Priya Bansal from Bengaluru as a donor who had donated Rs 90 lakhs to AAP but had paid only Rs 4000 as a tax on her income. Social Media posts had later claimed that it was Sachin Bansal’s wife.

Prasar Bharati CEO rejects invite by BBC due to its biased coverage of Anti-Hindu Delhi riots

OpIndia Staff
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Prasar Bharati CEO rejects invite by BBC due to its biased coverage of Anti-Hindu Delhi riots

In a massive embarrassment to controversial British national broadcaster, BBC, Prasar Bharati chief executive Shashi Shekhar Vempati has declined an offer to attend one of their event citing one-sided reportage of the Anti-Hindu riots in Delhi.

In a letter written to Tony Hall, the Director-General of the BBC, Shashi Shekhar Vempati has declined the invitation to attend the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards Night. This is the first such award ceremony hosted by the BBC.

Prasar Bharti CEO Shashi Shekar Vempati’s letter to BBC refusing to attend their event

Citing a report of the BBC by Yogita Limaye from March 3, 2020, Vempati said BBC has used certain visuals to show one-sided stories on Delhi police but nowhere attempted to report stories regarding the murderous attack on police personnel, including the death of Delhi police constable Ratan Lal and IB employee Ankit Sharma, who was allegedly murdered by AAP leader Tahir Hussain and his Muslim mobs during the anti-Hindu riots.

In her report, Limaye says that while Delhi Police are meant to protect all of India’s people, “but here, Police are seen with Hindus throwing stones towards Muslims.” Limaye does not mention about the attacks on Delhi Police DCP Amit Sharma and constable Ratan Lal where Lal later succumbed to injuries of the rioting Muslim mob. In a video that has surfaced, Muslim women too were seen hurling stones at Delhi Police.

Read: Video surfaces where rioters, including women, pelt stones, attack Delhi Police, killing constable Ratan Lal as he tried to save DCP Amit Sharma

Conveying his refusal to attend the event, Prasar Bharti CEO Vempati said, “It was dismaying that the BBC has filed such a one-sided version of the incidents of violence in Delhi which rather than help break the cycle of violence has only contributed to further vitiating the atmosphere while insinuating the brave men and women in uniform who are charged with the onerous responsibility of maintaining law and order.”

Vempati has also asked BBC to “respect the sovereignty of nations” and urged it to work together with the Indian broadcaster in the greater public interest. He also added that he hopes the BBC would review its editorial views on reports of such nature.

Read: Here Lies BBC: Your BBC is not infallible, dear Media Sepoys

Ever since the Citizenship Amendment Act was passed by the Indian government, the “liberal-secular” media, both within the country and international media, has been at the forefront of spreading false propaganda. In a way, these media instigated people with false reportage resulting in the anti-Hindu riots. The international media has been under scanner for its one-sided reportage of the riots where violence perpetrated by violent Muslim mobs is either completely ignored (like BBC’s Yogita Limaye did) or even ended up blaming the Hindus for crimes they have nothing to do with.

Coronavirus outbreak: As panic grips, chemist shops face shortage of hand sanitizers, face masks across the country

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus outbreak: As panic grips, chemist shops face shortage of hand sanitizers, face masks across the country

As reports of coronavirus cases being reported from several parts of India, people are rushing to medical stores to buy protective masks, hand sanitizers. However, they have been hit by a massive shortage.

Reportedly, not just surgical masks but demand for hand sanitisers have also skyrocketed since the outbreak of the deadly virus. As the demand for protective masks and sanitizers in India have gone up significantly, the price of masks has shot up multiple times.

Chemist shops in several localities have run out of stock. The manufacturers have not been able to replace the stock as demand suddenly spiked in the past couple of days. Some chemist shops who have stocks available for masks have also jacked up prices, selling them at the double the origin price.


Incidentally, even e-commerce websites have either run out of these two products or have increased the rates of hand sanitizers and masks. The shortage is largely due to supply disruptions in China coupled with a large amount of buying from the Middle East and China.

“There was steady demand of hand sanitizers and masks in the past two months since the outbreak of coronavirus but ever since a case was reported in Delhi, there has been a sudden spike in demand,” a salesperson said.

Another salesperson added, “We are not getting supplies of those brands and we are running out of stock of what we have, as demand has been huge in the last two days.”

The rise in demand is also seen across the world with the rapid spread of the virus across 60 countries, leading to panic buying and acute shortage. There has been an increase in places like the UK, which saw almost 260 per cent increase in hand sanitiser sales, it was up by around 73 per cent in the US.

According to reports, there are 28 confirmed cases of coronavirus in India so far. The Indian government has said it is monitoring the situation and has taken precautions, including an increase in screenings.

Read: Gurugram Paytm employee tested positive with novel coronavirus after returning from Italy

Coronavirus is a deadly respiratory which has killed more than 3,110 and so far 90,893 cases are reported globally, according to the World Health Organisation.

The transmission of the virus takes place when someone who is infected comes in contact with another person. According to medical experts, coughing, sneezing or even shaking hands with an infected person can cause exposure.

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported from Wuhan, China, on 31 December 2019. In the past 24 hours, 129 new cases have been reported in China. This is the lowest number of new cases it reported since January 20.

Outside China, 1848 cases were reported in 48 countries. 80 per cent of those cases are from just three countries: the Republic of Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Italy.

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