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Abdul Razzaq says that Bumrah is a ‘baby bowler’ and he would have dominated him

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Abdul Razzaq says that Bumrah is a ‘baby bowler’ and he would have dominated him

Former Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has sensationally claimed in an interview that he would have easily dominated Bumrah. Bumrah is regarded as the best pace bowler of today’s generation and helped India to win its first Test series down under last year.

“I have played world-class bowlers all across the world. I have no issues in facing Jasprit Bumrah. The pressure will be on him if I am in front of him. Because when you have faced bowlers like Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram or Shoaib Akhtar, you gain confidence. Bumrah is a ‘baby bowler’ for me. I can easily dominate him. Even he knows that this player has faced all these great bowlers in his time,” Razzaq said.

“Bumrah is doing good as per the current lot of players and he has improved a lot. He has an awkward action, and he runs awkwardly, but his ball release is tremendous. It falls on the seam. Hence, he is effective,” Razzaq said.

Razzaq also gave his view on the comparison between Tendulkar and Kohli, “If you speak to players from 1992 to 2007, they will tell you what cricket was. There were world-class players at that time. Now there are no longer world-class players. There is no depth in bowling, batting or fielding. It is all basic now,” he said.

“Like if Virat Kohli scores, so he scores. Yeah, he is a good player for them and is performing consistently, but you cannot place him in the same category as Sachin Tendulkar. He belongs to a completely different category,” Razzaq said.

Abdul Razzaq played 46 Tests, 265 ODIs and 32 T20Is in his cricketing career for Pakistan.

Tihar Jail executioner crisis: Ravi Kumar from Shimla writes to President Kovind to appoint him to hang convicts in Nirbhaya case

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Tihar Jail executioner crisis: Ravi Kumar from Shimla writes to President Kovind to appoint him to hang convicts in Nirbhaya case

One Ravi Kumar from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh has written to President Ramnath Kovind to appoint him as a temporary executioner in Delhi’s Tihar jail. According to news agency ANI, in his letter he has stated that he should be appointed as temporary executioner so that Nirbhaya case convicts can be hanged soon and “her soul rests in peace”.

Yesterday, Times of India had reported that Tihar Jail does not have a hangman as the execution date for the men who brutally gang-raped Nirbhaya in December, 2012 nears. The hanging of convicts may be done as early as in one month’s time. The convicts are to be hanged a day after the court issues a ‘Black Warrant’, a sanction for their execution. The warrant is issued after the President rejects their mercy petition.

When Parliament attack terrorist Afzal Guru was executed, Tihar authorities were caught off-guard and one of the prison officials pulled the lever. Tihar officials have reportedly started contacting other jails to ask if they have hangmen they could use. Tihar is expected to get a temporary hangman for the convicts.

Read: Nirbhaya gangrape victim’s friend demanded money for appearing on interviews, claims journalist

As of now, only one convict, Vinay Sharma, has asked for mercy and jail authorities have sent it to Delhi Government which have forwarded the same to Lieutenant Governor with a request to reject the petition as the crime was very severe. The LG will send the file to the President and the decision will then be conveyed to Tihar Jail. Following this, the jail authorities will move the court for a Black Warrant. A day after issuance of the warrant, the convicts will be executed.

The four accused were found guilty of rape, murder and destruction of evidence in September 2013 and sentenced to death by hanging. The Delhi High Court upheld the sentence, noting that the crime, which prompted widespread protests over sexual crimes against women in the country, fell into the judicial system’s “rarest of rare category” that allows capital punishment.

The convicts then appealed in the top court but the Supreme Court rejected the convicts’ appeal stating that they had committed “a barbaric crime” that had “shaken society’s conscience,” and maintained the death sentence of the four convicts who had been charged with rape and murder. In July 2018, the Supreme Court rejected a review petition by three of the convicts. There were two other persons involved in the horrific crime. One of the accused Ram Singh had commited suicide, while the sixth person was a juvenile who had already spent the maximum two year term applicable for minors in a juvenile home and is leading a free life now.

Navy Day: When Indian Navy ships bombed Karachi harbour and turned the tides in the 1971 Indo-Pak war

OpIndia Staff
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Navy Day: When Indian Navy ships bombed Karachi harbour and turned the tides in the 1971 Indo-Pak war

Every year December 4 is commemorated as the Indian Navy Day to commemorate the audacious attack on the Karachi harbour by the Indian Naval missile boats during the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war. On this day, every year, the Indian Navy organises a Beating Retreat ceremony at the Gateway of India, Mumbai. The Naval bands perform across places in the country while warships and aircraft are open for visitors.

The day reminds one of the courage and valour that symbolises the Indian Navy. The operation, codenamed as ‘Operation Trident’ was carried out by the Indian Naval ships at the intervening night of December 4 and 5 that caused significant damages to the harbour of Karachi along with vessels parked there amidst the ongoing Indo-Pak 1971 war. 4 Pakistani vessels were sunk by the Indian offensive operation and the Karachi harbour was rendered non-operational due to the severe damages caused by the Indian assault.

Pakistan lost a minesweeper, a destroyer, a cargo vessel carrying ammunition, and fuel storage tanks in Karachi. Along with this, another destroyer was also seriously damaged and eventually discarded.

The Indian offensive had 3 Vidyut class missile boats, 2 anti-submarines and a tanker.

The names of the missile boats were INS Nirghat, INS Nipat and INS Veer.


The Karachi port was the headquarters of the Pakistani Navy. In the run-up to the 1971 Indo-Pak war, as the situation along the border flared up, the Indian Navy decided to commission three Vidyut-class missile boats in the vicinity of Okha(Gujarat) to carry out patrols in the Arabian sea. Their responsibility was to keep a close watch on the Pakistani Navy’s activities as the Pakistani fleet too used the same waters for carrying out their operations.

However, on December 3, when Pakistan officially initiated a war against India by carrying out attacks on the Indian airfields along the border, Operation Trident was launched on December 4, 1971, taking Pakistani Forces, especially Navy by surprise and pulverising the harbour of Karachi along with Pakistani vessels.

Among the ‘kills’ were Pakistan’s destroyer PNS Khaibar, which was sunk, the merchant ship MV Venus Challenger, which was carrying ammunitions for Pakistan’s army and airforce, and a minesweeper PNS Muhafiz. India’s INS Nipat had set an oil depot in Karachi harbour on fire, creating chaos all around.

In a 90-minute operation, 4 Pakistani vessels had been destroyed along with Karachi’s fuel storage facility.

The operation proved to be a key milestone in India’s victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war. It put paid to the Pakistani machinations of sending vessels in the Bay of Bengal waters to crush the Bangladesh liberation movement. With the port dysfunctional and vessels sunk, Pakistani Navy could not launch an operation to aid their beleaguered Army that was fighting a futile war in Bangladesh. Subsequently, the war ended in a decisive Indian victory with about 93000 Pakistani prisoners of war surrendering to the Indian Armed Forces on December 16, 1971.

Chhattisgarh: ITBP constable Masudul Rahman shoots and kills 6 colleagues, injures 2 and commits suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: ITBP constable Masudul Rahman shoots and kills 6 colleagues, injures 2 and commits suicide

In a shocking incident, six personnel of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were killed and two others injured in Chhattisgarh today after an ITBP personnel fired at them on Wednesday.

According to the reports, ITBP constable Masudul Rahman fired at his colleagues with his service weapon, killing five of them and injuring two others. Later, the constable committed suicide by turning the gun on himself, the police said.

The incident took place at around 9 am at an ITBP camp in the insurgency-hit Narayanpur district, around 350 km from state capital Raipur, said Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P.

The police are yet to ascertain why the constable opened fire at his colleagues. It is suspected that he was upset with not getting leave and allegedly killed his colleagues following a dispute. The injured personnel have been flown to Raipur for treatment.

Besides Masudul Rahman those killed were identified as head constable Mahendra Singh (Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh), head constable Daljit Singh (Ludhiana, Punjab), constables Surjit Sarkar (Burdwan, West Bengal), Biswaroop Mahtoo (Purulia, West Bengal) and Bijeesh (Kozhikode, Kerala).

Two other constables, SB Ullas from Kerala and Sitaram Doon from Rajasthan have been injured in the incident.

“The ITBP personnel who shot his five colleagues committed suicide with his own rifle and died on the spot. The injured were being air-lifted to Raipur for treatment. The IG and SP have just reached the spot and further details about what triggered the incident would be known soon,” DGP Chhattisgarh DM Awasthi has stated to Times Of India.

Will support BJP when it comes to National Interest: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

OpIndia Staff
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Will support BJP when it comes to National Interest: NCP chief Sharad Pawar

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, in a recently held interview by ABP News, claimed that though his party has aligned with the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra state but when it comes to issues of National Interest, it will always back the BJP.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goieoR5Ct9Y]

When the interviewer asked the rationale behind why Pawar chose to side with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra instead of the BJP which would have augmented his stature in the politics, provided his party with cabinet ministers, the NCP chief responded, “We always had good relation with the BJP. If tomorrow an issue of National Interest comes up, we will support the BJP. We have political differences and that’s why we went with the Shiv Sena party.”

However, the news interviewer posed a counter-question asking Pawar the reason for aligning with the BJP in the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Pawar replied that he did not want the two parties-BJP and Shiv Sena to come together at that time as their alliance would have had a detrimental effect on the fortunes of the NCP and therefore to this end, his party extended their support to the BJP at that time. “If BJP and Shiv Sena had come together, it would have made it tough for our party and therefore I did not want them to enter into an alliance,” Pawar said.

Recently, after about a month of struggle over the government formation in Maharashtra, BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis had taken oath as the chief minister of state with the support of NCP and Ajeet Pawar sworn-in as the deputy chief minister. However, within 48 hours, Pawar backtracked and extended his support to the alliance of Shiv Sena and Congress.

Uddhav Thackeray was selected as the chief ministerial candidate of the alliance while the deputy chief minister post is with the NCP. It is rumoured that Ajeet Pawar is the frontrunner in the NCP for taking oath as the deputy chief minister. Congress was given the position of Speaker which was granted to Gandhi family loyalist Nana Patole.

Rahul Gandhi caught sleeping in Lok Sabha during discussion on Chinese threat to India’s security

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi caught sleeping in Lok Sabha during discussion on Chinese threat to India’s security

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was today found sleeping in the Lok Sabha while the leader of opposition Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary was slamming the government on the issue of the Chinese threat to India’s security.


Raising the perpetual threat posed by the two hostile neighbours Pakistan and China, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “India is destined to be surrounded by two hostile neighbours-Pakistan and China who pose an inimical threat to India. We can change history but cannot change geography. Pakistan backs terrorists but China backs Pakistan. We have an aggressive approach in dealing with threats emanating from Pakistan but why do we have a soft approach in dealing with China?”

Chowdhury also raised the recent security breach at the Andaman and Nicobar Island where a Chinese vessel Shi Yan 1 was reportedly found carrying out ‘research activities’ in the Indian waters. It was, however, subsequently driven away by the Indian Navy. Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also gave an adjournment notice over the “Chinese Intrusion in Arunachal Pradesh” claiming that China has illegally taken hold of 40-50Kms of Arunachal Pradesh.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB4ABP-AQQg]

However, during this discussion over issues of national security raised by his own party, Rahul Gandhi was seen sitting behind the Congress MP Chowdhury and blissfully taking a nap. Perhaps, the security of the country with regards to Chinese incursions is not on the priority list of the Wayanad MP, who has been known for clandestine meetings with Chinese ministers and delegates on numerous occasions.

During the Doklam standoff, while Congress and Rahul Gandhi himself were relentlessly slamming the central government for not handling the issue well, Rahul had also met the Chinese ambassador and Congress had tried to lie about it. Their initial denial over the meeting was later exposed when the Chinese embassy’s website had posted about the meeting.

This is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has been caught sleeping during the Lok Sabha proceedings. There have been multiple occasions on which Rahul Gandhi was seen dozing off in the midst of Lok Sabha debates.

Read: Six excuses given by Congress and friends to save ‘sleeping’ Rahul Gandhi

In 2016, media claimed that they caught Rahul Gandhi “sleeping” during a debate in the Lok Sabha on the issue of atrocities on Dalits. During that time, Congress sympathisers and supporters had come out in defence of Rahul Gandhi, with some claiming that he was in deep meditation while others candidly admitting that owing to his relentless efforts and work, he deserves the ‘relaxation’.

“Mountbatten gave away India, and his wife. Cuckolded by Nehru”: Netflix’s British series The Crown tips the hat to first Prime Minister of India

OpIndia Staff
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“Mountbatten gave away India, and his wife. Cuckolded by Nehru”: Netflix’s British series The Crown tips the hat to first Prime Minister of India

Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of India, was charged with overseeing the transition from British India to independent India by 30th June, 1948. On his arrival he realised the situation is too volatile to wait for too long and decided to grant independence to India sooner rather than later. In the process he even split India into India and Pakistan.

The affair between Lord Mountbatten’s wife, Edwina and Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of Independent India is no secret. In an article that called Mountbatten “man-eater”, dailymail.co.uk recounted how Mountbatten fell in love with Nehru and how her promiscuity took a toll on her children. According to Lady Mountbatten’s daughter Pamela, ‘She found in Panditji [Nehru] the companionship and equality of spirit and intellect that she craved. Each helped overcome loneliness in the other.’

This has now found its way into the popular Netflix series The Crown, created by British writer Peter Morgan and produced by Left Bank Pictures and Sony Pictures Television. The Crown is a historical drama that chronicles life of Queen Elizabeth from her younger days to her reign and gives a glimpse into the personal life of the royals. Lord Mountbatten was also the uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband to Queen Elizabeth. There are a few references to Lord Mountbatten and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

In first season’s first episode, during the wedding ceremony of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at first Winston Churchill appears to be referring to Lord Mountbatten as the man who gave away India. In the same sequence, few other people too say the same.


“Oh, it is Lord Mountbatten, the Duke of Edinburgh’s uncle. The man who gave away India, and his own wife. Cuckolded by Nehru, if you please. Cuckold is the husband of the wife who has cheated on him with another man.

Read: How Jawaharlal Nehru used Indian Navy assets not just for vacation, but to ‘pay respects’ to Edwina Mountbatten after she died

In second season, Lord Mountbatten is appearing to accept the affair his wife had with Jawaharlal Nehru to Queen Elizabeth.

In the above video, one can see Lord Mountbatten speaking to his niece-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, about the ‘wild spirit’ she married to. He says he knew it because he was married to one too. “Trying to tame them is no use. There were times in India, it was all right under my nose, with Nehru of all people, my opposite number,” actor playing Lord Mountbatten said. “The humiliation could not have been more complete,” he said.

Rajkot: Two Muslim men booked for thrashing a Dalit man for ‘daring’ to wear a Pathani suit

OpIndia Staff
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Rajkot: Two Muslim men booked for thrashing a Dalit man for ‘daring’ to wear a Pathani suit

On Tuesday, two men have been booked for attacking a Dalit man for wearing a ‘daring to wear a Pathani suit in Gandhidham town of Kutch district.

According to a report by Times of India, the police officials have booked Amjad Pathan and Azgar Pathan for allegedly beating up 27-year-old Jayanti Bhati on the afternoon of November 26 near Green Palace hotel in Gandhidham. Jayanti Bhati belongs to a Dalit community and worked as a truck driver.

Bhati had reportedly stopped near a hotel to have tea while two men approached towards him on a motorbike and started arguing with him. They asked Bhati as to why was he wearing a ‘Pathani’ suit. Following a heated argument, one of the accused lifted the ‘Pathani’ suit from behind and covered Bhati’s face and both of them thrashed the victim.

Read: 25 crimes that prove that the Dalit-Muslim unity is nothing but a farce

Reportedly, the accused also threatened Bhati by saying that he belonged to lower caste and should not wear a ‘Pathani’ suit. They further threatened to kill Bhati if he dared to wear the attire again.

Following the incident, Bhati lodged a complaint with the division police station of Gandhidham on the same day and left for his job. An FIR has also been lodged against the two accused under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocity) Act, assault and criminal intimidation. Both the accused are yet to be arrested.

Citizenship Amendment Bill to be tabled this session, HM Amit Shah holds last round of meetings

OpIndia Staff
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Citizenship Amendment Bill to be tabled this session, HM Amit Shah holds last round of meetings

Amid reports that the union government is likely to introduce the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the parliament in the coming days, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a meeting with the leaders of the North-eastern states to allay their concerns over the bill which intends to provide citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from neighbouring countries.

According to reports, the Tuesday night meeting with the leaders of the region is the third meeting in the series between Union Home Minister Amit Shah, senior leaders of the regions, activists and civil society organisations over the issue of Citizen Amendment Bill.

Earlier during the day, Assam minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma said the meeting on Tuesday is the final round in the series. “Today is the final round of meeting with Assam, Manipur and Nagaland. After this, the framework of Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) will be formulated. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has indicated that CAB will be introduced in this Parliament session,” Sarma said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that Citizenship Amendment Bill will come before the Parliament in a positive environment and also he said that he hoped all the remaining confusion will also go away once the draft of Citizenship Amendment Bill is out in the public.

Read: Citizenship Amendment Bill: A necessity to correct a historical wrong

Earlier, Home Minister Amit Shah had met politicians and organisations from the northeastern states on Tuesday to understand their concerns over the proposed law. Amit Shah had also held discussions with the representatives of students’ bodies and civil society groups of Assam on the CAB. Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, too, attended the meetings. Mizoram CM Zoramthanga also called on Shah.

The groups, including the All Assam Students Union, had informed their concerns regarding the proposed bill to the Home Minister Shah. They reportedly said that the proposed law if enacted, could affect the indigenous people of the northeast.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday has informed all its MPs to be present in the House in large numbers in the coming days and said the Bill is as important as the law that abrogated controversial Article 370.

Reportedly, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing the weekly meeting of BJP MPs indicated that the Bill is expected to be tabled in the Parliament next week and the government expects it to be passed before December 10.

“The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is coming soon. It is very important to get it passed,”  Defence Minister Singh reportedly stated to the BJP MPs.

Dismissing the Opposition’s objections over the bill, Singh said that the BJP had always worked to unite the country and its people. “If religious minorities are being persecuted in those countries, it is our duty to deliver justice to them. It should not be linked to any religion,” he said.

The Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, in order to grant Indian nationality to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, who come to India because of religious persecution in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan even if they do not possess proper documents.

Read: India: A land with Hindu consciousness, which will forever be a natural home for Hindus

A section of people and organisations in the northeast have apprehensions about the Bill, arguing that it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for genuine Indian citizens in Assam, irrespective of religion.

The CAB will propose to amend the definition of illegal migrants, reduction in the number of years of residency period to obtain Indian citizenship through naturalisation and empower the Centre to cancel the registration of Overseas Citizen of India card in case of any violation.

The story behind viral picture of Piyush Goyal running towards parliament building

OpIndia Staff
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The story behind viral picture of Piyush Goyal running towards parliament building

On Wednesday morning, a couple of pictures showing a union minister running towards the parliament building were shared with much amusement on the social media. The picture was first shared by a correspondent of CNN-News18 Payal Mehta, who asked readers to guess the minister in the pic.


It turned out to be very easy guess for most readers, thanks to the getup of the minister and ‘bullet train’ hint. Netizens could recognise that it was Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who currently holds the dual portfolios of Railways and Commerce.

Goyal appears to be in a hurry to go inside the parliament even as media persons around him are hoping to catch a glimpse or get some sound-byte from him. But why was he in such a hurry?

It has turned out that the Minister did not want to be late for Question Hour in the Lok Sabha and he can be seen holding papers that presumably has the relevant information related to the questions that have been put to him by other members of the parliament.

The reason why Goyal had to hurry was because he was attending a cabinet meeting in the morning. As soon as the cabinet meeting got over, he rushed to be on time to answer questions in the parliament.

Full marks for fitness and punctuality!

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