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Government asks TikTok, Helo to answer queries on anti-national messages on the apps or face ban

OpIndia Staff
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Government asks TikTok, Helo to answer queries on anti-national messages on the apps or face ban

The government has issued notices to popular apps TikTok and Helo over allegations that the platforms were being used for anti-national activities. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has asked the companies to answer a set of 21 questions regarding this or face a ban otherwise.

The action was taken after Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, had complained to the Prime Minister about the apps. They had raised serious allegations that both apps were being used for anti-national activities. The companies have been given time until 22nd July 2019 to respond to the allegations.

Besides this MeitY has also sought an assurance that the data of Indian users were not being transferred and will not be transferred in future also to any other foreign government or any third party or private entity

The ministry has also asked about the steps taken by both companies to keep a check on fake news as per the Indian laws. They have also sought an explanation from Helo on allegations that it has paid a huge sum to other media platforms for putting 11,000 morphed political ads on social media sites.

Both companies have issued a joint statement. A spokesperson said, “India is one of our strongest markets and we are happy to be part of the mainframe of Digital India in 15 Indian languages. In line with our commitment to India, we are investing $1 billion dollars in India over the next three years, with a strategic focus on developing technology infrastructure, establishing local partnerships and supporting initiatives such as the Skill India Program which we are proud to be assisting with already”.

The companies have also promised to cooperate with the government. The spokesperson further said, “our continued success in India will not be possible without the support of our local community. We take our responsibilities to this community seriously and welcome this opportunity to fully collaborate with the Government to meet and exceed our obligations”.

In February, a Tamil Nadu minister had sought a ban on the TikTok ban, claiming that it damages Indian culture. In April, the Madras HC had ordered an interim ban on the app for after it was found the app hosted pornographic content. Following this, the government had ordered Google and Apple to remove the app from the stores. However, the ban was lifted later as India didn’t have legislation to take care of matters related to children’s cybersecurity.

Recently, the Mumbai Police cyber cell has registered a complaint against a group of TikTok ‘influencers’ who had propagated revenge over Tabrez Ansari’s death. After threatening to unleash violence against Hindus, abusive actor Ajaz Khan later resorted to taunting Mumbai Police after they filed an FIR against TikTok ‘influencers’. Today he was arrested to by police for his video.

TikTok is a popular video-sharing app that lets users make short videos and share them on the app which is available on smartphone platforms. Most people use it to make and share lip-sync, comedy and talent videos, but recently some people have started to post political messages on the app. Helo is a social app which lets users to share videos, images, quotes etc.

As Karnataka assembly descends into turmoil, CM’s brother HD Revanna naps peacefully inside the house

OpIndia Staff
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As Karnataka assembly descends into turmoil, CM’s brother HD Revanna naps peacefully inside the house

The coalition government of Janta Dal (Secular) and Congress is facing a second trust vote today. Amidst the high voltage drama, chaos and political mud-slinging, JD(S) MLA and former PM HD Deve Gowda’s son HD Revanna was caught on camera sleeping inside the Vidhan Soudha during the live telecast of Karnataka Assembly proceedings.


Amusingly, this is not the first time the Karnataka public works minister has been caught taking a nap in such assembly sessions or public gatherings. HD Revanna has been found taking a nap multiple times in the past.

In January 2019, he was spotted sleeping during HD Deve Gowda’ speech at Hasan.

Last year, when the assembly met to conduct a floor test post-2018 elections, HD Revanna was again caught on camera sleeping inside the assembly while the then CM BS Yeddyurappa gave his last speech ahead of the scheduled floor test.

The Supreme Court had then ordered a floor test in the Karnataka Assembly after slashing the 15-day window given by Governor Vajubhai Vala to BJP Chief Minister Yeddyurappa to prove his majority. However, Yeddyurappa had then submitted his resignation making the floor test redundant.

Karnataka is once again going through a high octane political drama with MLAs of the Congress- JDs coalition government resigning then the Speaker refusing to accept resignations. MLAs were herded into hotels and resorts amidst the allegations of horse-trading. Today, the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government taking a floor test to decide if the nearly 14-month-old government will survive.

In the latest, 21 MLAs including 15 rebel MLAs are currently missing from the House, meanwhile, BJP has demanded an immediate floor test. The House is adjourned till 3 pm.

You can visit or live blog: https://www.opindia.com/2019/07/live-updates-live-blog-2019-karnataka-floor-test/ for latest updates on the Karnataka Trust Vote.

Jason Roy included in squad for the one off test against Ireland

Ritesh
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Jason Roy included in squad for the one off test against Ireland

England Cricket Board and selectors have announced the English squad for the one-off test against Ireland and included the star batsman of their World Cup campaign, Jason Roy in the squad. James Anderson, the old speedster is also back in the Test squad despite some niggle.

Jason Roy has been one of the best openers of World Cup 2019, made 443 runs as an opener but he is not a regular red ball opener and test cricket will be his real test of patience.

Fast bowlers Mark Wood and Jofra Archer were not considered for selection because both players have left side strains. Wood is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks after injuring himself in Sunday’s World Cup final. Archer has been allowed to go to Barbados to have a holiday before the tests against Australia.

Most of the players from World Cup squad have been rested for the Test at Lord’s to get some break before the biggest rivalry in tests, the Ashes.

It will be England’s first red-ball match of the home summer, before the Ashes series against Australia begins on 1 August. England and Ireland have never faced each other in a Test.

England squad v Ireland: Joe Root, Moeen Ali , Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Sam Curran (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Lewis Gregory (Somerset), Jack Leach (Somerset), Jason Roy (Surrey), Olly Stone (Warwickshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

England squad for pre-Ashes camp: Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Jack Leach, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

Abusive actor Ajaz Khan arrested by Mumbai Police for instigating violence through social media

OpIndia Staff
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Abusive actor Ajaz Khan arrested by Mumbai Police for instigating violence through social media

Abusive Actor Ajaz Khan has been arrested by Mumbai Police Crime Branch for controversial videos he had posted on social media. He had posted many videos on various social media sites provoking violence and mob lynching of Hindus by Muslims, and mocking police for not being able to catch Muslims who indulge in communal violence.


Recently Ajaz Khan had posted a video on TikTok mocking the Mumbai police for filing FIRs against the TikTok celebrities. Mumbai Police had filed FIRs against several TikTok celebrities in the last couple of weeks for posting videos on the video-sharing site threatening violence as revenge for Tabrej Ansari’s death.

On July 9, the Mumbai Police cyber cell had registered a complaint filed by Shiv Sena activist Solanki against the group of TikTok ‘influencers’– – Faisal Shaikh, Hasnain Khan, Faiz Baloch, Adnan Shaikh and Sadhan Faroqui, for propagating revenge over Tabrez Ansari’s death.

In a video uploaded in Tik Tok, the group had propagated revenge against people over 22-year-old Jharkhand man Tabrez Ansari’s death. “You may have killed that innocent Tabrez Ansari, but tomorrow if his son takes revenge, do not say that all Muslims are terrorists,” the video claimed.

Hardcore Islamist Ajaz Khan is known for making hatemongering controversial statements. Recently he had menacingly threatened actor Payal Rohatgi that one day, the entire world will become Muslim. In a misogynist attack against Payal, Ajaz Khan had referred Payal Rohatgi as a C grade actor. In a hate speech video on Facebook, Ajaz Khan was seen blatantly inciting communal violence. He was found urging the Muslim community to come out on roads. Khan said they should be ashamed of themselves for not coming out on streets after the alleged killing of Tabrez Ansari. He had threatened that if 40 crore Muslims of the country, including legal and illegal residents, came out on the streets the whole country would be shut down.

Earlier Ajaz Khan was arrested by Anti-Narcotics Cell of Navi Mumbai for possessing drugs. He later got out on bail. He was arrested in 2016 too for sending lewd and vulgar messages to a hairstylist. In the past too, Ajaz Khan has indulged in promoting hate speech through his Facebook account which could disturb the communal harmony in the country.

Blood and carcasses of illegally slaughtered animals flowing through river Varuna into Ganga in Varanasi: NGT

OpIndia Staff
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Blood and carcasses of illegally slaughtered animals flowing through river Varuna into Ganga in Varanasi: NGT

A panel of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has confirmed that the blood of illegally slaughtered animals which is drained in the Varuna river is turning the stream of the river at some places into differing shades of a blood-red colour. Earlier this year, in January, the NGT instituted Eastern UP Rivers and Water Reservoirs Monitoring Committee (EUP-RWRMC), during their examination found the red colour of the water.

In a report submitted to the NGT, the EUP-RWRMC has mentioned that the pollution of the city’s Varuna and Assi rivers is due to the major and minor sewers from Ardali Bazar carry “slaughter-house untreated effluent” and domestic excrement into the Varuna which carries it eventually into the Ganga. Headed by retired Justice D.P. Singh, the EUP-RWRMC has suggested the NGT to levy an environmental penalty of more than Rs 27 lakh on the Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) for failing to act in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has recognised Varuna’s expanse from Rameshwar Ghat to Adikeshwar Ghat as befouled. As per some reports, scientists have claimed that the Varuna’s water quality is “extremely poor” and the oxygen levels carried by the river water are “below detectable limits”.  gave Reports by various scientists have also confirmed that the Varuna’s water quality is “poor” and oxygen levels of the river downstream are “below detectable limits”. The water of the two rivers have been found to be unfit for bathing, drinking, fish culture and is being instructed to use only for irrigation. industrial cooling and controlled waste disposal.

According to panel secretary Rajendra Singh, the oxygen levels of the dissolved oxygen in upstream of Shashtri Ghat was found 2.5 mg/L before the waste from sewages drained in the river. In downstream, after the excrement from Ardali Bazaar mixed in the river water, the dissolved oxygen levels were found to be below detectable limits. Singh said, “These results indicate how dangerous untreated effluents from these slaughterhouses are and how they render the water of the river unpotable and hazardous for consumption.”

The panel has pinned the blame on the state government, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Central Board, CPCB, VMC, district authorities and the Jal Nigam for the rampant pollution in the river. The panel has prescribed that Varanasi administration and VMC must put an end to the flow of animal carcasses, blood and flesh from illegal drains on the banks of the two rivers within two months. The panel has also asked the relevant authorities to declare an advisory to people to not bathe in the Varuna and Assi as they are highly contaminated.

Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew arrested from Mumbai airport by crime branch

OpIndia Staff
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Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew arrested from Mumbai airport by crime branch

Mumbai crime branch’s Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) has arrested Dawood Ibrahim’s, nephew Rizwan Kaskar, from Mumbai airport on Wednesday night, as he was attempting to flee from the country.

Rizwan was wanted in connection with an extortion case. He is currently in police custody, an official confirmed on Thursday.

Rizwan Kaskar is the son of Dawood Ibrahim‘s brother Iqbal Kaskar, who is currently in jail, under the stringent act of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for running an extortion racket.

Rizwan’s name appeared during the interrogation of Dawood’s hawala operator Ahmed Raza Wadharia who was deported from Dubai two days ago. On the basis of the information given by Raza, a trap was laid and he was detained at the Mumbai International airport.

In a major breakthrough, the Mumbai police with the help of the Indian government had recently, managed to deport D-Company’s main hawala operator Ahmad Raza alias Afroz Vadaria to India. Raza, a close aide of Chhota Shakeel and Faheem Machmach was reportedly entrusted with expanding Dawood’s business in Surat, Mumbai and Thane.

The Mumbai Police team had been tracking Raza from the past year and had also issued a lookout circular (LOC) against him. Raza was detained in Dubai last month after which Indian agencies started the process to get him deported to India.

The Indian government has also been auctioning off the properties of Dawood in India.

Assamese Muslim body claims unregulated Madrasas are promoting fundamentalism

OpIndia Staff
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Assamese Muslim body claims unregulated Madrasas are promoting fundamentalism

An Assamese Muslim organization, Goriya Moriya Desi Jatiya Parishad, has raised concerns about the state of Madrasas in the state with illegal immigrants demanding that these unregistered Madrasas be regulated as well, FirstPost has reported.

“Madrasas, which claim to provide Islamic education to the poor immigrant Muslim population, have mushroomed in big numbers in Assam’s river islands. Many of these madrasas are not even registered with the government and hardly anything is known about the quality and kind of education. The government of Assam should step in to monitor the course being taught there,” said Goriya Moriya Desi Jatiya Parishad working president Nurul Haque as per the report.

Haque asserted that fundamentalism doesn’t necessarily mean terrorist activities but is dangerous just the same. He said, “Religious education is meant to create brotherhood. If fundamentalist groups are getting to control these institutes, then it can cause division in society.” When Haque says ‘immigrant Muslim population’, he is referring to the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

Bangladeshi immigrant Muslims in the state’s numerous river islands often share a straining relationship with the local indigenous tribes. Locals often accuse the illegal immigrants of land grabbing and other unlawful activities.

Haque further stated that he had met then Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier and requested him to monitor the activities of the unregulated Madrasas. In 2018, the BJP government in the state passed The Assam Madrasa Education (Provincialisation of Services of Employees and Re-Organisation of Madrasa Educational Institutions) Bill towards achieving that objective. However, Haque claims that it has been ineffective in arresting the growth of unregulated Madrasas in the state.

SP leader Azam Khan faces threat of arrest as 13 FIRs registered against him in land grabbing cases

OpIndia Staff
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SP leader Azam Khan faces threat of arrest as 13 FIRs registered against him in land grabbing cases

Powerful Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s trouble seems to be mounting, as after Uttar Pradesh government contemplating to declare him as a “land mafia”, now he may be arrested in land grabbing cases.

As many as 13 cases have been registered against him, on the allegation that he illegally grabbed lands from farmers using forged documents for construction of the Mohammed Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. The multi-million private university is run by Azam Khan’s trust.

Criminal cases against Khan have been lodged at the Azim Nagar police station in Rampur on the complaints of 26 farmers. The farmers have alleged that Azam Khan had illegally detained them and pressured them to sign forged sale deeds to acquire several thousand hectares of land from them. But when they didn’t do so, the land was forcefully grabbed. The then Rampur circle officer Alay Hassan Khan was an accomplice in the crime, who has also been named in the case. It is alleged that Alay had adducted the farmers who had refused to sell land to Azam Khan, and registered their land in the name of the university without any payment.

Rampur police said that criminal case against Azam Khan and Alay Khan was registered after verifying all the facts. The 13 FIRs have been filed under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 384 (extortion), 447 (criminal trespass) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0ipoFG9HIY]

Mohammad Ali Jauhar University was established in 2006, during the term of SP government led by Mulayam Singh Yadav, when Azam Khan was a powerful minister of UP.

Congress leader Faisal Khan Lala termed Azam Khan a land mafia, saying he calls himself a saviour of Muslims, but in fact he grabbed land of poor Muslim farmers. Lala alleged that Azam Khan demolished the houses of farmers to grab their land for his trust. He said that not only land of farmers, Azam Khan also grabbed the ring road.

Last week Muslim farmers in Rampur organised a protest against Azam Khan. Faisal Khan Lala handed over a petition to the authorities on behalf of the farmers at the occasion, asking for action against the SP leader. He said that people in that area were living there for a long time, as they were allotted the plots by the Nawabs. But when Azam Khan was a minister, he illegally cancelled those allotments, demolished their homes using bulldozers, and occupied the land. He also said that Azam Khan has recently built a house there and hanged a board of a school, which is illegal. He also said that if the land is not returned to the original owners, people will take it back by doing Kar Seva.

It may be noted that in March this year the UP government had demolished the Urdu Gate built by Azam Khan in the Jauhar Ali University road in Rampur. No permission was taken to build the gate, and it had caused diversion of traffic.

In the meanwhile, Samajwadi Party had decided to support the Rampur MP in the case, saying that the charges are false. Party president Akhilesh Yadav has formed a 21 member committee to probe the ‘fake charges’ against Azam Khan, led by the leader of opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmad Hasan. The committee will visit Rampur to gather facts of the matter, and will submit their report to Akhilesh Yadav. Copies of the report will be given to Assembly speaker and Legislative Council chairperson also.

 

I-T dept attaches benami plot in Noida worth Rs 400 crores belonging to BSP supremo Mayawati’s brother and wife

OpIndia Staff
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I-T dept attaches benami plot in Noida worth Rs 400 crores belonging to BSP supremo Mayawati’s brother and wife

Tightening its noose around benami properties, the Income Tax department has attached a ‘benami’ plot worth Rs 400 crores belonging to the brother of BSP supremo Mayawati Anand Kumar and his wife Vichiter Lata. The plot is reportedly seven-acre in size and is located in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida. It was “beneficially owned” by Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar and his wife Vichiter Lata.

According to the provisional order, attachment of the land was issued on July 16 by Delhi-based Benami Prohibition Unit of the Income Tax department. The order was issued under section 24(3) of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988. It stated that the benami property owned by the couple measured 28,328.07 square meters or about 7 acres.

Last month, the BSP supremo Mayawati had announced Anand Kumar as the vice president of the party. Mayawati took the decision at National Convention of the BSP at party headquarters in Lucknow. This is not the first time Mayawati had appointed her brother as the party vice-president. She had in past also appointed Anand as the party vice-president. However, after opposition parties accused her of promoting dynasty politics, she decided to remove him.

Anand Kumar has once worked as a clerk in the Noida authority. Kumar has been accused of operating fake companies. After Mayawati became UP chief minister in 2007, Kumar opened as many as 49 fake companies and his assets skyrocketed to a whopping Rs 1316 crore towards the end of 2014. He is also accused of taking loans of several crore rupees under the name of his fake companies.

The ED and the Income Tax department, both have been investigating cases of money laundering against Mayawati’s brother. Both Incomes Tax department, as well as the Enforcement Directorate, have been probing cases of money laundering against Mayawati’s brother. During demonetisation, the Enforcement Directorate detected Rs 1.43 crore deposited in Anand Kumar’s bank account.

In 2017, the IT department probe revealed that Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar may have acquired benami assets worth Rs 3000 crores. The investigation which led to the arrest of SK Jain, alleged for facilitating Kumar to acquire benami properties had provided accommodation entries to him to allegedly procure benami assets.

Earlier this year, the Income Tax raids at the BSP supremo’s former secretary yielded 20 immovable properties worth Rs 225 crores, luxury cars valued at Rs 1 crore, cash od Rs 2.03 crores and jewellery worth Rs 17.79 lakhs in his possession.

Tiger dies after eating a Sambar Deer, Tamil Media reports how it died after consuming ‘Sambhar Rice’

OpIndia Staff
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Tiger dies after eating a Sambar Deer, Tamil Media reports how it died after consuming ‘Sambhar Rice’

On Sunday evening, a tiger was found dead soon after it had eaten a sambar deer. The carcass was found in the Parsons Valley reservoir in the Nilgiris district. A section of the Tamil media has reported that the tiger had died after it had consumed “sambhar rice”.


According to a report, by a Tamil website, the tiger was hungry for a long time and was forced to go towards the nearby village in search of food. The tiger had searched for food in a garbage dump. According to the report, it had consumed “sambhar rice” along with a few pieces of plastic. Several reports claim that this was found after a post mortem.

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

Here are some of the websites that had a similar headline.

However, the tiger had died after eating a sambar deer and not “sambhar rice”. One of the Tamil websites, Dinamani, has already removed its report from the website.

As reported by Indian Express, the carcass of the six-year-old tiger was found 100 metres away from the backwater of the Parsons Valley Reservoir by anti-poaching watchers. The tiger had vomited after quenching its thirst, after which it had died. Initially, it was suspected that the tiger could have been poisoned.

However, post mortem revealed that the stomach was full of tapeworms along with undigested sambar deer meat. It also had a broken piece of shaving blade along with internal bleeding in the stomach.

Officials say that either the tapeworm infestation could have choked the passage of food inside the alimentary canal leading to its death. It is also possible that the blade could have made the digestion complicated.

Although the Nilgiris district is plastic-free, it’s common for deers and bisons to rummage through garbage dumps in the Ooty town. The blade is suspected to have entered the tiger after the dear had consumed it.

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