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Vulgar and obscene remarks on Captain Anshuman Singh’s widow: Delhi Police registers FIR against social media user after NCW took cognizance

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Vulgar and obscene remarks on Captain Anshuman Singh’s widow: Delhi Police registers FIR against social media user after NCW took cognizance

Following a complaint by the National Commission for Women (NCW), the Delhi Police on Saturday, July 13, registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a social media user for ‘lewd and derogatory’ remark on Smriti Singh, the wife of Kirti Chakra awardee Captain Anshuman Singh.

Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operation (IFSO) cell registered the FIR over an alleged lewd remark made on the widow of Kirti Chakra awardee Captain Anshuman Singh on social media platform X, officials said.

FIR has been registered at the IFSO unit under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) act and Information Technology (IT) Act. The social media platform owned by Elon Musk, X, has also been asked to provide details of the social media account using their platform.

Earlier, on Monday, July 8, the NCW issued a letter referencing specific legal provisions violated by the lewd comment, including Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, which penalizes acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman, and Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000, which deals with the punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.

Several lewd and vulgar comments had surfaced on social media after Captain Anshuman Singh’s widow was pictured collecting his posthumous Kirti Chakra award.

The NCW took a suo motu cognizance in the matter and filed a complaint with the Delhi Police. It also wrote to the Police Commissioner of Delhi, demanding the man’s arrest and sought a detailed report within three days.

‘Emergency was a North India issue. Indira won in south’: Rajdeep Sardesai downplays Emergency after Centre announces ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Emergency was a North India issue. Indira won in south’: Rajdeep Sardesai downplays Emergency after Centre announces ‘Samvidhan Hatya Diwas’

India Today ‘journalist’ and husband of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC or TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose, Rajdeep Sardesai, tried to downplay the Emergency imposed on the country by former PM Indira Gandhi.

Speaking at the ‘Neta Nagri’ show of The Lallantop, Sardesai said raising the issue of the Emergency at present would take away the limelight from current problems. He further added that Congress emerged victorious in elections even after gagging the whole of India during the dark period of Emergency, implying that people had moved on and once again accepted the party.

He said, “North India faced the major brunt of the emergency. India Gandhi and Congress managed to win and dominate in South India in 1977. However, they didn’t manage to sweep Maharashtra like they did in the North. Now, you are telling the young people in 2024, the kids who belong to today’s generation or were born after the emergency and are between 18 to 38 years of age, to learn what happened on 25th June. You cannot do politics from the rearview mirror.”

“If you keep revisiting the past how will you tackle today’s challenges including, unemployment, inflation, Agniveer, NEET-UG paper leak, terror attacks in Jammu, violence in Manipur, and floods in Bihar?” Sardesai said.

Notably, the comments followed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government pronounced 26th June as the “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas” (Constitution Murder Day) to pay tribute to the victims of the emergency. The Union Home Ministry on 11th July issued a gazette notification saying that the Government of India has declared 25th June as “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas.”

The notification states that a proclamation of Emergency was made on 25th June 1975, following which there was gross abuse of power by the Government of the day and the people of India were subjected to excesses and atrocities. It adds that the people of India have abiding faith in the Constitution of India and the power of India’s resilient democracy.

“Therefore, the Government of India declares 25th June as ‘Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas (संविधान हत्या दिवस)’ to pay tribute to all those who suffered and fought against the gross abuse of power during the period of Emergency and to recommit the people of India to not support in any manner such gross abuse of power, in future,” the notification further added.

Apple engaged in abusive conduct and practices, reveals CCI’s anti-trust probe, slams iPhone maker’s dominance in apps market

OpIndia Staff
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Apple engaged in abusive conduct and practices, reveals CCI’s anti-trust probe, slams iPhone maker’s dominance in apps market

Apple engaged “in abusive conduct and practices” to take advantage of its dominating position in the app stores market for its iOS operating system, according to an investigation by India’s antitrust body. A confidential research obtained by Reuters revealed the information. Since 2021, Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) has been under investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for potentially abusing its dominating position in the app market by pressuring developers to use its exclusive in-app purchase mechanism. Apple has refuted any wrongdoing, claiming to be a minor participant in India, where Android-powered phones predominate.

Apple has “significant influence” over how digital goods and services reach customers, particularly through its iOS platform and App Store, according to a 142-page assessment from the CCI’s investigations branch that was obtained by Reuters but has not yet been published. The CCI unit on the 24th of June stated, “Apple App Store is an unavoidable trading partner for app developers, and resultantly, app developers have no choice but to adhere to Apple’s unfair terms, including the mandatory use of Apple’s proprietary billing and payment system. From the perspective of app developers, the Apple iOS ecosystem is indispensable.”

The probe report from India coincides with growing antitrust scrutiny for Apple in other nations. The technology giant could be subjected to a major penalty after European Union antitrust regulators declared in June that the iPhone maker had breached the bloc’s tech regulations. An inquiry into the company’s new app developer fees is also underway. Apple announced intentions to enable software developers to distribute their programs to users in the European Union through channels other than Apple’s App Store in January, in response to a new regulation known as the Digital Markets Act.

The CCI report, the most important stage of the Indian probe, is about to be examined by senior officials of the watchdog. Prior to a final ruling, which might involve both financial penalties and orders to alter corporate procedures, Apple and other parties will have the opportunity to submit their reply.

A little-known non-profit organization named “Together We Fight Society” initially brought the Indian lawsuit, charging that Apple’s up to 30% in-app fee damages competition by driving up costs for both app developers and users. Subsequently, a collection of Indian entrepreneurs, including Match (MTCH.O), the owner of Tinder and the Alliance of Digital India Foundation, brought similar petitions against Apple before the CCI, which were being heard concurrently. According to the CCI inquiry team’s report, Apple has not given any permission for any third-party payment processor to offer in-app purchase services.

It further stated that, in the majority of instances, the apps are prohibited from having any external links that send users to other payment platforms, in violation of Indian competition regulations. As of mid-2024, about 3.5% of India’s 690 million smartphones ran on Apple’s iOS operating system and the remainder, according to Counterpoint Research, employed Android. However, the company notes that Apple’s smartphone base in the nation had grown five times over the previous five years. Apple argued in its CCI submissions that Google has a 90–100% market share in India, compared to its “insignificant” 0-5% share. Additionally, the business claimed it was able to grow and preserve the security of its App Store owing to the in-app payment method.

“App stores are OS (operating system) specific and Apple’s App store is the sole App store available for reaching iOS users. The payment policy of Apple adversely affects the app developers, users and other payment processors,” CCI pointed out. The CCI report disclosed that throughout its probe of Apple, it took into account feedback from other businesses, including Microsoft, Uber, and Amazon. Google has also been under fire from CCI for its in-app purchasing system. Google was fined $113 million by the CCI in October 2022 and ordered to stop pressuring developers to utilize its in-app payment mechanism and permit third-party billing. Google has contested the verdict.

Racism is the new cool? Official X handle of American TV show demonises Indians as ‘street-shitting ragheads’

OpIndia Staff
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Racism is the new cool? Official X handle of American TV show demonises Indians as ‘street-shitting ragheads’

On Friday (12th July), the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of ‘The Sopranos‘ stirred the hornet’s nest for making racist and derogatory remarks towards the Indian community.

In a tweet posted on the micro-blogging platform, the American TV series referred to Indians as ‘mother fuckers’ and ‘street-shitting ragheads.’ The caption wrote – ‘Motherfucking fucking–Street-shitting raghead Indian fucks.’

The official X handle of ‘The Sopranos’ tried to pass off the derogatory remark as ‘real dialogue’ from the TV series. However, one user was quick to point out that such remarks were not part of the show.

Screengrab of the tweet by The Sopranos

An X user (@SaiyanWhoKills) stated that the character featured in the screenshot did not say anything about Indians. He had also uploaded a short video clip of the scene to substantiate his point.

In the original clip, the character Tony Soprano was heard saying, “Motherfucking fucking — Fucking dreams, Jesus Christ.”

As such, it becomes clear that the X handle of The Sopranos deliberately posted the racist message to mock Indians. To understand the context behind the sudden tweet, we need to look into the background of the controversy.

The Background of the Controversy

The official X handle of The Sopranos made the disturbing remarks in response to a harmless tweet posted by an Indian user ‘Dhanwal'(@himankkumar1).

“This Twitter page absolutely sucks. You should hire someone who doesn’t just post random screenshots from the entire series. Unfollowed,” Dhanwal wrote.

Screengrab of the tweet

The Sopranos thereafter dubbed the entire Indian community ‘mother fuckers’ and ‘street-shitting ragheads.’

The controversial tweet by the popular American TV series promoted other racists, Islamists and white supremacists to mock Indians as ‘pajeets’ and other dehumanising terms.

OpIndia had previously reported how Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology was being used by extremist groups to spread hate and propaganda against Indians, especially the Hindu community.

No electricity subsidy for taxpayers: Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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No electricity subsidy for taxpayers: Congress govt in Himachal Pradesh

At a Cabinet meeting on Friday, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh decided to discontinue the free electricity scheme for income-tax payers. However, the 125-unit free power subsidy for domestic consumers will remain in place for other groups, such as BPL and IRDP families.

The cabinet took key decisions, including streamlining provisions for the Zero Electricity Bill, limiting subsidies to a ‘One Family One Meter’ policy, and connecting electricity connections to Aadhaar-seeded ration cards. The Cabinet notably ended subsidies for a broad range of officials and categories, including Chief Ministers, ministers, MPs, MLAs, government employees, and income taxpayers.

Additionally, the Cabinet approved land acquisition and compensation for families affected by the Kangra Airport expansion. Education reforms included the creation of 486 lecturer physical education posts, 157 supernumerary principal school cadre posts, and 245 special educator positions to support children with special needs. The Cabinet also sanctioned new positions for fire officers, and police personnel for heliport deployment, and regularized 18 Grameena Vidya Upasaks as junior basic teachers.

When Modi govt repealed law in 2017 that made it mandatory for martyr soldier’s wife to marry brother-in-law to receive monetary allowance

OpIndia Staff
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When Modi govt repealed law in 2017 that made it mandatory for martyr soldier’s wife to marry brother-in-law to receive monetary allowance

Amidst a raging debate on the Next of Kin (NOK) rules for pension and other benefits, a repealed law of the Armed Forces has taken centre stage. Notably, in a media interaction, martyr Captain Anshuman Singh’s father recently demanded a revision of the NOK rules.

He also offered to marry his second son to the martyr’s wife so that Captain Singh’s aggrieved family could continue to receive monetary benefits. 

However, it is pertinent to note that this was a mandatory law in the armed forces till 2017 which restricted the choice of martyr’s wife to start afresh and re-marry and forced her to remarry her brother-in-law to continue receiving monetary allowances.

According to this law, the government used to deny monetary allowance to the widow of a gallantry awardee in case if she remarried. However, the martyr’s widow could continue to receive the allowances only if she married her brother-in-law and “lived a communal life with the living eligible heir.”

However, on 16th November 2017, the Modi government repealed the ‘regressive’ law after receiving several representations from various quarters including the Army Tribunal. 

The Ministry of Defence released an official communication in this regard in November 2017. In a press note titled, ‘Monetary Allowance for Widows of Gallantry Awards Recipients’. 

It mentioned that the recipients of the gallantry awards are entitled to the monetary allowance as per the letter of 1972 of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), superseded by a letter in 1995 of the MoD, which has been revised from time to time. 

As per the then-existing condition (till November 2017) for the grant of monetary allowance, the allowance shall be admissible to the award recipient and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her remarriage or death. The payment of the allowance will, however, be continued to a widow who re-marries the late husband’s brother and lives a communal life with the living heir eligible for a family pension, the official Ministry of Defence note stated. 

It added that the Ministry received representations from various quarters to remove the condition of the widow’s remarriage with the late husband’s brother for continuation of the monetary allowance. After considering their recommendation, the Modi government “removed” this condition through a letter dated 16th November 2017. 

Since then, the revised condition for the grant of monetary allowance for recipients of gallantry awards is as under-

“The allowance shall be admissible to the recipient of the award and on his death to his widow lawfully married by a valid ceremony. The widow will continue to receive the allowance until her death.”  

While the law has been repealed, in many cases, the practice of a martyr’s wife marrying her brother-in-law still continues to keep the compensation money within the family. Several cases lingered on in courts years after the law was repealed. 

Notably, four years after the Modi government repealed the mandatory condition, the Armed Forces Tribunal in October 2021 declared regulations that deprive a soldier’s widow of liberalised family pension (LFP) if she remarries anyone other than her husband’s brother as “void”. The tribunal termed it “highly discriminatory” and a violation of public policy.

The tribunal had ruled, “A widow is competent and entitled to remarry according to her choice and will. The conditions preventing the remarriage of the widow or restricting her choice to marry to the late husband’s brother alone for claiming LFP will only be conditions imposed in restraint of marriage and hence, violate the public policy to be followed in respect of marriage. Therefore, those two conditions… are void as they are against the public policy in respect of marriage.”

Veer_nari_pensionDownload

Maharashtra Council Polls: How BJP-Shiv Sena led Mahayuti alliance defeated the opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra Council Polls: How BJP-Shiv Sena led Mahayuti alliance defeated the opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition

The results of the Maharashtra biennial legislative council elections have once again turned the tables, with the National Democratic Alliance-led Mahayuti alliance winning all nine of the 11 seats it contested following the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance’s exceptional performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll. The Mahayuti alliance’s nine candidates, including Pankaja Munde of the Bharatiya Janata Party, triumphed in the election.

Jayant Patil of the Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP) who was supported by the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) lost the election while Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Milind Narvekar and Congresswoman Pragya Satav won. There was a dispute about who would take the heat among the twelve candidates vying for the eleven Legislative Council seats. The defeat was borne primarily by Jayant Patil. He fled the Legislature’s grounds well in advance of the results being announced and unveiled, “Congress MLAs indulged in cross-voting.”

“We will check to see which MLAs cross-voted and will take action against them. We thought four MLAs would cross-vote, but it is more than four. We will find out the exact number in a couple of days,” stated Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Nana Patole informed that he has submitted a report to the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on the matter and declared, “All traitors will be shown the door.” NCP (SP) spokesperson Vidya Chavan claimed, “BJP has resorted to its old tactics of using money to influence elections and it has succeeded again.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar conveyed, “We had 40 MLAs of our own besides the support from two independent candidates. However, we received five additional votes. I want to thank those who gave additional votes to our candidates.” The five votes were reportedly of Congress MLAs as some of them had attended NCP meetings regularly. Sunil Tatkare, state president of NCP said, “I am very happy. This win is bigger than my Lok Sabha victory. A higher power supported us in this election. This is a trailer for the State Assembly election. Our MLAs have shown our opponents their place. I am proud of my MLAs.”

According to media reports, among all the votes that have been disclosed till now, seven votes of the Congress were reportedly split. There are 37 MLAs in the Congress and Pragya Satav received the first preference votes of 25 MLAs, indicating that the 12 first preference votes from the party were additional. There are 22 first-preference votes for Milind Narvekar who won in the second round, whereas the Shiv Sena (UBT) has only 15 members. Jayant Patil, on the other hand, received 12 first-preference votes from Sharad Pawar’s NCP faction.

First-choice votes went to eight candidates, who swept the election. The remaining contenders had to rely on the votes cast for the second choice. A candidate needed to obtain at least 23 votes to win. Those who acquired an equal or higher number of votes are declared the winners. The winning candidates from the NDA alliance were BJP’s Pankaja Munde (26-Winner), Parinay Fuke (26-Winner), Amit Gorkhe (26-Winner), Yogesh Tilekar (26-Winner) and Sadabhau Khot (14-Winner in the second round). Shivaji Rao Garje (24-Winner) and Rajesh Witekar (23-Winner) emerged victorious from NCP (Ajit Pawar) while Kripal Tumane (24-Winner) and Bhavna Gawli (25-Winner) won from Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde).

Shiv Sena (UBT) however, prevailed in the final phase after fielding Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide Milind Narvekar even though they lacked the MLAs’ strength. Two candidates from Other Backward Castes, one Dalit, one Maratha and Pankaja Munde who had just lost the general election from Beed were among the five BJP candidates that emerged victorious in the poll. Notably, Eknath Shinde corrected the error of not offering the Lok Sabha seat to two incumbent MLAs and fielded Bhavna Gawli and Krupal Tumhane who were elected to the Legislative Council. Jayant Patil lost because the other MVA allies failed to support him although he was backed by Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

There is still the possibility for approximately seven MLAs to do cross-voting from smaller parties such as Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, the Samajwadi Party and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, as well as independents affiliated with Maha Vikas Aghadi. The MLAs who supported Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar remain with them following the Lok Sabha election results, according to this outcome.

With 103 MLAs in addition to 12 independents and MLAs from small parties, the BJP fielded five candidates. The Congress MLAs’ cross-voting helped the BJP as well. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed, “Some people (the Opposition) were predicting cross-voting from our side, but we received votes not just from our own MLAs, but from MVA MLAs too.” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also voiced, “The Opposition’s claim of breaching our ranks has fallen flat. Their wickets have tumbled and they are in pain.”

The results indicate a loss for MVA ahead of the assembly polls and demonstrate that Ajit Pawar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde were successful in holding onto their legislators during the anticipation that some of them would support the opposition. The outcomes are also viewed as a win for Mahayuti’s deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, who oversaw vote administration for the party. The significant development comes after his party’s poor result in the Lok Sabha poll in Maharashtra and recent defeat in the elections for the Mumbai graduates and teachers constituency elections.

Andra Pradesh: Ex-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and two senior IPS officers booked in ‘attempt to murder’ case on TDP MLA’s complaint

OpIndia Staff
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Andra Pradesh: Ex-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and two senior IPS officers booked in ‘attempt to murder’ case on TDP MLA’s complaint

On Friday (12th July), the Andhra Pradesh police registered a case against former state Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, attempt to murder, and criminal intimidation. The FIR is based on a complaint filed by former YSRCP MP K Raghurama Krishnam Raju. He is currently a TDP MLA from Undi.

In his complaint, TDP MLA Raju has alleged that the Police officials assaulted him in 2021 at the behest of then-state CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. Notably, Raju was arrested in May 2021 on charges of sedition for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the YSRCP government and then CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.

In his complaint submitted to the Guntur Police, Raju stated that he was arrested in Hyderabad. From there, he was shifted to the CB-CID office in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh without obtaining a Prisoner Transit warrant. It is alleged that at the CID office, the then CID chief PV Sunil Kumar, IPS officer P Sitaramanjaneyulu, and other police officials assaulted him with a rubber belt and lathi. The complaint added that the accused did not even allow him to take medicines as he had undergone a bypass surgery a few weeks ago. He alleged that this was done “under the influence of then-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy”. 

In his complaint, he further alleged that the Police took away his mobile phone and forcibly acquired its password. 

In the complaint, Raju said, “Sunil Kumar had also threatened to kill me if I did not stop criticising Reddy (then CM of Andra Pradesh).” 

Based on his complaint, Guntur district’s Nagarapalem Police registered an FIR in which it made Sunil Kumar the first accused, Sitaramanjaneyulu the second accused, and Jagan Mohan Reddy the third accused.

According to the officials, apart from Ex-CM Reddy, and two senior IPS officers, the Police have also booked retired police officer R Vijay Paul and former Guntur Government General Hospital superintendent G Prabhavati. Both Vijay Paul and Prabhavati were superannuated.

The official added that Raju also alleged that he was subjected to “custodial torture”. Ex-CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and others were booked under IPC Sections 120 B, 166, 167, 197, 307, 326, 465 and 506 read with 34. The Police invoked IPC sections as the case is three years old. 

Allegations around Raju’s arrest in 2021 recently came to the fore after he lodged a complaint against Reddy and others on 10th June. 

He has accused the former CM and the senior officials of “plotting” a criminal “conspiracy” against him. According to his complaint, senior IPS officers Sunil Kumar and Sitaramanjaneyulu, police officer Vijaya Paul, and government doctor Prabhavathi were part of that “conspiracy.” Notably, he was arrested in May 2021 in the middle of the Covid-19 second wave.

In the complaint, he alleged, “A false case was registered against me by the CB-CID of the Andhra Pradesh government. On May 14, 2021, I was arrested without due process, I was bullied, unlawfully physically pulled inside the police vehicle, and forcibly taken to Guntur the same night.”  

Raju, who was a YSRCP MP from Narasapuram further stated, “I was arrested without due process, including the absence of a medical examination or adherence to proper legal procedures…I was kept in the CB-CID office, Guntur from 9:30 pm onwards (May 14, 2021). I was not given my medicine despite having had an open heart bypass surgery.” 

It is pertinent to note that when he was arrested, Jagan Mohan Reddy was the state CM, Kumar was heading the CID, Sitaramanjaneyulu headed the Intelligence wing, and Paul was ASP CID. 

According to his allegations, when the Magistrate sent him to Guntur Government General Hospital, the then superintendent of the hospital, Prabhavathi, colluded with Sunil Kumar to create false medical reports that no injuries were inflicted on him. 

Raju stated that due to police brutality, he was shifted from Guntur to Secunderabad Army Hospital by the orders of the Supreme Court and thereafter he was granted bail by the Supreme Court.

Prior to his arrest in May 2021, rebel MLA Raju made headlines for several months for speaking against CM Jagan Mohan Reddy and he was accused of abusing the then CM Jagan Mohan Reddy daily through select media houses from Delhi and Hyderabad. 

Meanwhile, after an FIR was registered against him, Sunil Kumar argued how can a ‘new FIR’ be registered in this case claiming that it was rejected by the Supreme Court.

Taking to X, he wrote, “I leave it to your wisdom to understand how an FIR can be filed anew in a case that has already been dismissed by the Supreme Court after three years of proceedings.”

Allegations of phone tapping and controversy around the lavish state in Vizag

However, Former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy has been at the centre of many controversies and allegations of indulging in criminal acts in the past. Last year in February, two MLAs from Jagan Mohan Reddy’s party raised allegations of phone tapping. They accused their own party and pointed fingers at then CM Jagan Reddy. 

One of the MLAs, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy claimed that his phone was being tapped only after he met with CM Jagan Mohan Reddy. He also claimed that this phone tapping was not possible without CM Jagan’s orders.

Additionally, the current ruling party in the state, TDP recently slammed Jagan Mohan Reddy and his government for alleged “misgovernance” and building a luxurious sea-facing abode in Visakhapatnam (Vizag). According to the TDP, the lavish estate, was meant to serve as Jagan Reddy’s camp office as he proclaimed Vizag as the capital of Andhra Pradesh.

Maharashtra: FIR registered against parents of trainee IAS Puja Khedkar for threatening a farmer, booked after her mother’s old video pointing a pistol at the farmer went viral

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: FIR registered against parents of trainee IAS Puja Khedkar for threatening a farmer, booked after her mother’s old video pointing a pistol at the farmer went viral

On Saturday (13th July), an FIR was registered against the parents of the trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, for allegedly threatening a farmer with a pistol. The Police lodged an FIR based on a farmer’s complaint after an old video went viral in which Puja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar was seen pointing a pistol at farmers. Notably, Puja has been in the news for allegedly making VIP demands during training and reportedly faking mental disability to gain concessions in the Civil Services process. The development comes after the central government formed a panel to probe trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s candidature. 

Based on the viral video, Manorama Khedkar was booked under sections 323, 504, 506, 143, 144, 147, 148, and 149 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and various sections of the Indian Arms Act. The Police have also booked Puja’s father, Dilip Khedkar, and five others. 

According to the police, the FIR was registered at Paud police station in Pune based on the complaint of the farmer who said that the mother of the trainee IAS officer had threatened him. 

The Police said, “The Police have registered an FIR against Manorama Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar, parents of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, and five others. The FIR was filed last night at Paud police station based on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that he was threatened by Manorama Khedkar. Charges under the Arms Act have also been included.”

Earlier, on Thursday, July 11, the central government formed a single-member committee to probe allegations of irregularities in Khedkar’s candidature. 

In a statement, the Ministry of Personnel said that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary under the Central Government and that it will submit its report in two weeks. 

The statement read, “The Central Government has constituted a single-member committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India, to verify the candidature claims and other details of IAS Puja Manorma Dilip Khedkar, a candidate of Civil Services Examination 2022 and earlier CSEs. The Committee will submit its report in 2 weeks.” 

Furthermore, the Pune Municipal Corporation is also likely to take action against illegal encroachment on the footpath outside Puja Khedkar’s family bungalow and others nearby, with Bulldozers seen on standby near the bungalow.

Allegations of VIP demand and forgery in disability and caste certificate: Controversies surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar

Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar made headlines after she was transferred from Pune to Washim due to alleged misuse of power. The controversy erupted when she used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. She also demanded facilities that are not available to probationary officers in the services. 

According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3. However, she was denied the claims.

Soon after questions were raised about her candidature in the Civil Services Exam. It has been reported that she submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. Reports say that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate. Her affidavit showed that she claimed to be visually impaired and mentally ill in her affidavit to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

In an affidavit to the UPSC, Khedkar asserted that she was visually and mentally impaired to gain concessions in the selection process. However, she refused to undergo a required medical examination six times to verify her disabilities. Khedkar, originally from Ahmednagar, is an IAS officer from the 2023 batch.

The Commission later contested her selection, and in February 2023, a tribunal ruled against her. However, she still managed to have her civil service appointment confirmed. Now, a single-member committee constituted by the Central government is probing into allegations of irregularities in her candidature.

(With Inputs from ANI)

Rahul Gandhi talked to Kamala Harris over phone? No, attempt to portray Congress dynast as international leader is fake

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi talked to Kamala Harris over phone? No, attempt to portray Congress dynast as international leader is fake

On Friday (12th July) evening, social media was rife with the fake claim that the Vice-President of the United States Kamala Harris had a telephone conversation with Rahul Gandhi.

The development comes amid attempts to pass off the Congress leader as an internationally sought-out politician. Several ‘journalists’, activists and loyalists of the Congress were party to the fake news.

“Big Breaking! US Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to LOP Rahul Gandhi on phone yesterday. After becoming LOP, Rahul Gandhi’s stature has increased a lot, now the world sees him as the next Prime Minister of India,” wrote one Harsh Tiwari

Screebgrab of the tweets peddling the fake news, image via X/ THe Analyser

The political editor of the Hindustan Times, Vinod Sharma, also disseminated the fake story.

The Truth behind the viral claims

The matter reached a crescendo when Press Trust of India posted about it. The syndicated feed of the news agency was used by the leftist propaganda newspaper The Telegraph to make the same dubious claims.

“Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and US Vice President Kamala Harris had a telephonic conversation on Thursday, sources said. Though the specifics of the conversation were not known, this comes in the run-up to the US presidential polls later this year,” the PTI feed on The Telegraph read.

On Saturday (13th July) morning, the Chief US correspondent of PTI Lalit K Jha clarified that no such telephonic conversation had occurred.

“This news is inaccurate as per office of the US Vice President. @KamalaHarris has not spoken with Rahul Gandhi,” he said in a tweet.

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