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Bail denied to Shoeb Akhtar, who beheaded his friend’s Hindu wife for not converting to Islam: The full details of the case and what the HC order says

OpIndia Staff
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Bail denied to Shoeb Akhtar, who beheaded his friend’s Hindu wife for not converting to Islam: The full details of the case and what the HC order says

On the 9th of July, the Allahabad High Court denied bail to one Shoeb Akhtar, accused of beheading a Hindu girl since she refused to convert to Islam after marrying co-accused Ajaj Ahmed, in 2020.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh found no compelling cause to release the accused on bail, taking into account the nature of the offence, the role assigned to applicant Shoeb Akhtar, and the stage of the trial. Notably, Shoeb Akhtar was booked by Chopan Police in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh under IPC sections 302 [punishment for murder] and 201 [causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen the offender].

According to the prosecution, accused Shoeb Akhtar decapitated Priya as she refused to convert to Islam after marrying co-accused and Akhtar’s friend Ajaj Ahmad.

As OpIndia reported back in 2020, accused Ajaj was unwilling to bring the Hindu victim to his home unless she converted to Islam. As the victim was reluctant to abandon her Hindu identity, Ajaj kept her in a rented room in the Obla area. Here, he was persistently pressuring the victim to convert to Islam. As the Hindu girl refused to convert, the angry Ajaj called upon another friend Shoeb Akhtar. The two Muslim youths carried Priya to a nearby forest area and killed her.

According to the horrifying details mentioned in the court order, the dead body of the Hindu girl with a chopped head was lying in the drain towards the forest on the western side of the road.

This is the second bail application moved by accused Shoeb Akhtar through his counsel Saurabh Pandey. He had earlier applied for bail through his counsel in January last year. The court, however, had rejected the plea then also “considering the facts that as per the postmortem report, death of the deceased was due to ante-mortem separation of neck from the body.”

The deceased victim’s sister Sharmila in her statement said that the Priya used to tell her how Ajaj Ahmad and his friend Shoeb Akhtar were pressurising her to convert to Islam even though she was not willing to do so. “Since deceased was not accepting Muslim religion, therefore she has been murdered by co-accused Ajaj Ahmad and present applicant- Shoeb Akhtar. Both the accused were apprehended together and on their disclosure, incriminating materials were recovered,” the court order reads.

Representing the State, an Additional Government Advocate opposed Akhtar’s second bail plea emphasising the gravity and heinous nature of the act and said that Ajaj gained bail by hiding the 24th January 2023 judgement that denied Shoeb’s first bail petition.

In addition, the State’s representative contended that a wrong argument was attributed to the State in the court order while granting bail to Ajaj. The Court stated in that ruling that ‘it is admitted fact that applicant is in jail since the last eight and a half years’.

The court found merit in the State’s argument that the court overlooked the order of rejection of the first bail plea filed by Shoeb Akhtar while granting bail to Ajaj Ahmad in October 2023.

“I also find substance in the submission of learned Additional Government Advocate that while passing the order dated 05.10.2023 of co-accused as noted above, the order dated 24.01.2023 has not been taken into consideration and wrong period of detention of the accused- Ajaj Ahmad @ Asif has been mentioned as noted above. Considering the gravity of offence, role assigned to the accused-applicant and the stage of trial, I do not find any good ground to release the applicant on bail. Accordingly, the bail application is rejected,” the court order reads.

Images: Excerpts taken from the Allahabad High Court’s order dated 9th July

Therefore, considering the gravity of the crime, the Court considered it appropriate to reject Shoeb Akhtar’s second bail application.

The court ordered Superintendent of Police, Sonbhadra, to ensure the presence of all remaining prosecution witnesses on the next trial date. Notably, out of 25 prosecution witnesses, 9 prosecution witnesses have already been examined before the trial court so far.
The court also ordered the trial court to expedite the trial without granting adjournment for either side.

Supreme Court refuses to entertain PIL seeking probe into Hathras stampede by expert committee, says High Court is robust to deal with it

ANI
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Supreme Court refuses to entertain PIL seeking probe into Hathras stampede by expert committee, says High Court is robust to deal with it

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a PIL seeking direction to appoint a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired top court judge to inquire into the Hathras stampede incident, where more than 100 people were killed on July 2.

A bench of Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, observed that it is a disturbing incident, but it can not entertain the petition as the High Court is robust to deal with this case.

It asked the petitioner to approach the High Court with his plea.

“Everything does not have to come to the Supreme Court under Article 32. You can approach the High Court. They are robust courts. Of course, this is a disturbing incident,” said the bench to advocate Vishal Tiwari, who filed the PIL.

The plea had sought direction to the committee to suggest and frame guidelines and safety measures to avoid such incidents at large public gatherings.

The petition had further sought the court’s direction to the State of Uttar Pradesh to submit a status report before the apex court in the Hathras stampede incident and initiate legal action against the persons, authorities and officials for their negligent conduct.

It had asked the top court to direct all state governments to issue directions and guidelines to prevent stampedes or other incidents for the safety of the public when organising any religious events or other events where a large number of people gather.

More than 100 people, including women and children, were killed after a stampede at a ‘satsang’ organised by a self-styled godman, Bhole Baba, aka Narayan Saakar Hari, in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras.

As per reports, the event drew in a crowd of over two lakh devotees, while permission was only granted to have around 80,000 attendees.

In his plea, the advocate cited several such stampede-like events that have occurred in the past, including the Kumbh Mela stampede in 1954, where around 800 people were reported dead, the Mecca Masjid stampede of 2007 where 16 people were reported dead, the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine deaths in 2022; the deaths during Dussehra celebrations at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna in 2014; and the deaths of around 104 Sabarimala devotees at Pulmedu in Idukki.

“Such an incident, prima facie, depicts the serious condition of responsibility lapse, negligence and unfaithful duty of care towards the public by the government authorities. In the past decade, various incidents have taken place in our country wherein, due to mismanagement, lapses in duty, and negligent maintenance activities, there have been cases of huge public casualties that could have been avoided, yet such arbitrary and undone actions have led to such work,” the plea stated.

 (This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Court asks Congress leaders including Ragini Nayak, Pawan Khera to delete misleading posts on Rajat Sharma: Here is how legal portals and Congress twisted the court order

Shraddha Pandey
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Court asks Congress leaders including Ragini Nayak, Pawan Khera to delete misleading posts on Rajat Sharma: Here is how legal portals and Congress twisted the court order

In a major blow to the Congress leaders Ragini Nayak, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera, the Delhi High Court on 11th July, ordered the trio to delete X posts wherein they shared video clips from a discussion on India TV, Sharma’s news channel. Sharing the clip, Congress leaders last month alleged that Sharma used offensive language towards Congress’s Ragini Nayak. As X Corp had geo-blocked the 5 X posts in question in pursuance of the court order dated 14th June, the court on Thursday directed X Corp to unblock the URLs of these posts.

“Having considered the submissions of the Plaintiff and Defendant no. 1, this Court directs that Defendant No. 1 shall unblock the URLs listed below which they claimed to have geo-blocked in pursuance of the order dated 14.06.2024. Such unblocking of the URLs will be done by 5 P.M. on 12.07.2024,” the Delhi High Court said.

Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed the three Congress leaders to “immediately delete” the X posts listed in the court order within one hour of their URL unblocking by X Corp before 5 pm on 12th July.

“The Defendant No. 1 shall immediately inform the Plaintiff and Defendant Nos. 4, 5 and 6 that the tweets have been unblocked. Upon being informed, Defendant Nos. 4 to 6 shall immediately delete the following tweets within 1 hour of such unblocking by Defendant No. 1, latest by 7 PM on 12.07.2024,” the court order states.

Moreover, the court also directed Ragini Nayak, Jairam Ramesh and Pawan Khera not to post the video clip in question or post anything about the IndiaTV debate held on 4th June this year until a final decision by the court.

Plaintiff Rajat Sharma, who owns IndiaTV, expressed apprehension through his counsel Sandeep Sethi that the Congress leaders may not delete the said posts even after the unblocking of URLs. While the court said that such a “breach” of the court order is “unlikely”, in case of non-compliance, Sharma shall inform X Corp by 8 pm on 12th July. Once the intimation is received by X Corp, in case the defendants defy the court order, X Corp will re-block the URLs of the listed posts on or before 8 pm on 13th July.

Notably, in an order dated 14th June 2024, the Delhi High Court had directed the three Congress leaders to remove the said X posts, however, the trio did not delete any of those posts until 3rd or 4th July. After this, X Corp claimed to have geo-blocked which simply means restricting or blocking access to online resources based on the user’s geographic location.

As per a court order dated 5th July, Rajat Sharma had contended that while X Corp had geo-blocked the listed X posts restricting their viewership in India, those posts could be viewed by social media users abroad. Sharma through his counsel deemed this partial compliance of the injunction order as “disobedience” until those posts are disabled globally.

Legal portals and Congress twist court order

On 11th July several legal portals like Bar and Bench, and LiveLaw reported that X Corp had informed the Delhi High Court that the video posted by Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak alleging that senior journalist Rajat Sharma used abusive words against her is “not fake or edited”. Appearing for X, Advocate Rajshekhar Rao filed an application claiming that Rajat Sharma indeed said the abusive word “B****c***” against Ragini Nayak during the live debate on 4th June.

“A comparison between the Video and the footage live streamed by India reveals that both videos are identical in content. Thus, the Video in the posts is prima facie genuine and matches India TV’s own YouTube channel live stream, which is still available online,” the X Corp’s application claimed seeking vacation of the injunction order.

X Corp. contended that ordering the deletion of the X posts in question would grant final relief to plaintiff Rajat Sharma in the guise of interim relief.

This is a case where the plaintiff says he said nothing. If you hear the content, it show he said something… Ex facie, I am able to show that something was said… On this basis alone, the suit [by Sharma] must go… This order [interim injunction] should go,” Rao said.

These reports deliberately highlighted the X Corp’s application claiming that the video clip posted by Ragini Nayak and the other two Congress leaders is not edited or fake, instead of reporting the crux of the court order. Emphasising on the X Corp’s application claiming that the video is not fake instead of the court order which directed Congress leaders to delete the said posts, these legal portals advertently or inadvertently peddled a false propaganda that somehow, Congress leaders have been vindicated even though the court order is a “win” for Rajat Sharma.

Quoting LiveLaw’s X post, Congress spokesperson Ragini Nayak said, “‘X’ formerly ‘Twitter’ ने दिल्ली High Court को बताया कि मेरे द्वारा पोस्टेड वीडियो न तो ‘Fake’ है, न ही ‘Edited’ है !!! [X formerly Twitter tells Delhi High Court that video posted by me is neither fake nor edited.],” Nayak wrote.

In response to the propaganda peddled by the Congress ecosystem, Rajat Sharma shared an excerpt from the court order wherein it was stated that the defendants have been ordered to delete the video clips featuring Sharma.

“I am amazed at the false propaganda. The court in the order today has clearly directed Ragini Nayak, Pawan Khera, and Jairam Ramesh to delete the tweets as per order dated 14.6.24. Court has further directed Twitter to block the tweets if the Congress leaders fail to do so. The court has also told the Congress leaders that they are not allowed to post any further tweets related to the debate, till the ad interim order is finally decided by the court The order is attached here for anyone who can read. Satyamev Jayate!,” Sharma posted.

Notably, OpIndia had earlier conducted an analysis of the video clip from the 4th June debate and found that there is a small gap when Sharma was speaking in a low voice. Our anaylsis showed that what might look like abusive word to some people, in reality Sharma was saying “Kya baat karein, chodo”. He said, “Kya baat karein” then there is a small gap followed by him saying “chodo”. When it is played at a normal speed, this gap is not visible.

Arvind Kejriwal gets bail in Delhi liquor policy scam case, but here’s why he is still going to remain in jail

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal gets bail in Delhi liquor policy scam case, but here’s why he is still going to remain in jail

On Friday (12th July), the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case, filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to the Delhi liquor policy scam.

The matter was heard by a 2-judge Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. The apex court noted that the AAP supremo raised certain legal questions in his bail application, which needs to be dealt with by a larger bench.

The Judges thereafter released Arvind Kejriwal on an interim bail. “Given that right to life is concerned and since matter is referred to larger bench, we direct Arvind Kejriwal to be released on interim bail,” the Supreme Court stated.

It must be mentioned that the AAP supremo was granted bail in the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate. However, he is in custody in connection to the case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). As such, he will continue to remain in jail.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on 21st March this year and granted bail on June 1st. He made his way back to Tihar jail after the bail period was over.

Delhi Liquor policy scam case

At the heart of the controversy is the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022, which has been explained in 10 simple points.

  • The liquor policy was first proposed in September 2020 but came into effect only in November 2021.
  • It changed the manner in which alcohol was being sold in the National Capital. Introduced private players in the market and marked the exit of government-owned liquor vendors.
  • Delhi was divided into 32 zones and a total of 27 private vendors were to ply in each zone. Every municipal ward had 2-3 liquor vendors operating in the area. 
  • Proposals such as home delivery of liquor, allowing liquor vendors to offer unlimited discounts, opening of stores till 3 am were also tabled before the Delhi Cabinet.
  • The drastic policy change resulted in a 27% increase in government revenue to ₹8900 crores. At the same time, it marked the complete exit of the Delhi government from the liquor business.
  • While the objective of Excise Policy 2021-2022 was to end black marketing and the liquor mafia, the Delhi government soon came under fire over allegations of corruption.
  • Chief Secretary of Delhi, Naresh Kumar, found irregularities and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy. Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a CBI probe on the recommendation of Naresh Kumar.
  • Manish Sisodia waived off ₹144.36 crores on the license fee, to be paid by the private liquor vendors, under the garb of the Coronavirus pandemic. Incurred loss to the Excise Department and benefitted liquor licensees by waiving the import pass fee of ₹50 per beer case.
  • All these changes were made without the final approval of the Lieutenant Governor and thus considered illegal under the Delhi Excise Rules of 2010 and Transaction of Business Rules of 1993.
  • Thus, the Delhi government made a U-turn on its new excise policy in July 2022. A month later, CBI booked Manish Sisodia, ex-Only Much Louder (OML) CEO Vijay Nair and 13 others in an FIR for irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022.

Karnataka: ED takes Congress leader B Nagendra into custody days after raiding his premises in Valmiki Corporation Scam

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: ED takes Congress leader B Nagendra into custody days after raiding his premises in Valmiki Corporation Scam

On Friday (12th July), Congress leader and Former Karnataka Minister, B Nagendra was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for interrogation in the Valmiki Corporation Scam case. This is days after the ED conducted raids on 20 locations associated with the suspects in the scam at the State-run Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation, wherein funds worth up to Rs 88 crore have possibly been embezzled.

As per the reports, premises raided by the ED were linked to two ruling Congress MLAs, Ballari Rural MLA B. Nagendra, who resigned as Minister for Scheduled Tribes Welfare on June 6th, and Raichur Rural MLA Basanagouda Daddal, the corporation’s chairman.

On July 10th, the ED also detained the personal assistant (PA) of B Nagendra identified as Harish. He was taken to the ED office in Bengaluru and was interrogated in the case. The raids reportedly occurred one day after SIT questioned Nagendra and Daddal on July 9th. To date, the SIT has arrested 11 people and recovered Rs 14.5 crore.

Others raided by the ED include the main suspect JJ Padmanabh, managing director of the corporation, Parashuram, a bookkeeper at the corporation, and three workers of the Union Bank of India’s MG Road branch in Bengaluru, where the purported money laundering is said to have occurred.

Notably, the ED obtained security cover for the raids from the Central Reserve Police Force rather than the Karnataka Police.

Nagendra and Daddal were present at their homes during the raids and were questioned by ED agents until late at night 10th of July. 

The fraud was discovered after the corporation’s accounting superintendent, P. Chandrashekhar, killed himself on May 26th. In a note, he claimed that money was illegally transferred from the firm to several accounts. The Union Bank of India, headquartered in Mumbai, filed a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleging embezzlement of Rs 88 crore.

In addition to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the State Government and the CBI, the ED is the third agency investigating the said scam.

US President Biden addresses Zelenskyy as ‘President Putin’ at NATO event, calls Kamala Harris as ‘Vice President Trump’ later

OpIndia Staff
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US President Biden addresses Zelenskyy as ‘President Putin’ at NATO event, calls Kamala Harris as ‘Vice President Trump’ later

 US President Joe Biden who is under intense scrutiny over his advanced age on Thursday introduced Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin at a NATO event and later at a solo press conference in Washington mixes up the name of his vice president, Kamala Harris with the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“And now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination, ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden,81, said at the NATO summit in Washington on July 10, drawing gasps from those in the room.

After a two second pause, he immediately corrected himself and said, “Going to beat President Putin, President Zelensky. I am so focused on beating Putin.”

Zelensky responded to Biden’s comments with “I am better (than Putin),” to which Biden replied “You are a hell of a lot better,” as some in the room laughed, before Zelensky began his own address.

Fellow leaders at the NATO summit fielded questions about Biden, and their answers have largely been supportive.

“We all slip up sometimes,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, “It’s happened to me and it could happen again tomorrow. I would ask for your indulgence.”

Later on at a solo press conference, Biden was repeatedly asked about the concerns over his age on his candidacy. He responded with “I’ve gotta finish the job.”

In an embarrassing gaffe, he mistakenly referred to his Vice-President Kamala Harris as “Vice-President Trump”.

“Look, I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she was not qualified to be president. So start there,” Biden stated as he responded to a question about his confidence in Harris.

CNN reported that Trump pounced on the verbal stumble to to post on Truth Social to highlight the moment.

“Crooked Joe begins his ‘Big Boy’ Press Conference with, ‘I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president, though I think she was not qualified to be president.’ Great job, Joe!” Trump wrote, along with a video clip of the moment, CNN reported.

Biden’s re-election campaign has been struggling for the past two weeks, following his debate performance against his opponent, Donald Trump, who is 78 years old.

Meanwhile, four more Democrats in the House of Representatives called on Biden to end his campaign: Brad Schneider of Illinois, Greg Stanton of Arizona, Ed Case of Hawaii, and Hillary Scholten of Michigan.

“For our country’s sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders,” Stanton said in a prepared statement.

Following this, some Senate Democrats said they were still uncertain about Biden’s ability to win after meeting with Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and other top aides. 

Concerns about Biden’s failing health started gaining mainstream media attention after the debacle at the Atlanta debate with former President Trump. The US President was seen fumbling and forgetting words mid-sentence, even mumbling incoherent lines. Trump had even remarked, “I don’t know what he said. I think even he doesn’t know what he said.”

Biden, however, has denied the speculations of him stepping down. He has made it clear that he will continue as US President and will also contest the 2024 elections as the Republican candidate. The Republican party, however, is yet to formally announce their presidential candidate.

(With inputs from ANI)

SpiceJet food supervisor arrested for slapping CISF personnel at Jaipur Airport, airline to take legal action against the ASI claiming he sexually harassed her

OpIndia Staff
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SpiceJet food supervisor arrested for slapping CISF personnel at Jaipur Airport, airline to take legal action against the ASI claiming he sexually harassed her

A female SpiceJet employee was arrested today for slapping a CISF officer at Jaipur Airport. Anuradha Rani, employed as a food supervisor with the airline, was prevented from entering the airport through the vehicle gate of the airport, which led to an argument that escalated to her slapping Assistant Sub Inspector Giriraj Prasad. While CISF claimed that Rani didn’t have proper permission to use the gate and a case was filed against her for the assault, now the Spicejet has accused the CISF official of sexual harassment against its employee.

The incident took place at around 4 AM at Jaipur Airport when Anuradha Rani was attempting to enter the airport through the “vehicle gate” with other staff when ASI Giriraj Prasad stopped her for not having proper permission to use that gate. He then asked her to go through security screening at the gate designated for airline crew. But at that time no female personnel of CISF were available at that point, and the ASI called for a female colleague.

But during this time, the situation escalated, and Anuradha Rani slapped Giriraj Prasad, which was caught on camera.

After this, a case was registered against Rani under sections 121 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 132 (assaulting a public servant) of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The SpiceJet employee was subsequently arrested.

However, later SpiceJet issued a statement defending its employee, accusing the CISF personnel of misbehavior and sexual harassment. The airline said that Anuradha Rani was escorting a catering vehicle and she has a valid airport entry pass issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), which authorizes her to use the gate. As per SpiceJet, she was subjected to inappropriate and unacceptable language by the CISF personnel, including asking her to come and meet him after his duty hours at his home.

The statement said, “SpiceJet is taking immediate legal action in this serious case of sexual harassment against its female employee and has approached the local police. We stand firmly by our employee and are committed to providing her with full support.”

What is ‘NOK’, why Captain Anshuman Singh’s parents are upset, why Kirti Chakra awardee ended up in controversy after martyrdom: Details

OpIndia Staff
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What is ‘NOK’, why Captain Anshuman Singh’s parents are upset, why Kirti Chakra awardee ended up in controversy after martyrdom: Details

Recently, martyred Captain Anshuman Singh was awarded the ‘Kirti Chakra’ by President Draupadi Murmu. His wife Smriti received the award on his behalf, along with Captain Anshuman Singh’s mother Manju Singh. Anshuman Singh, a resident of Deoria, saved 4 colleagues without caring for his own life after a fire broke out in the army camp in Siachen. Videos of what Smriti Singh said after receiving the ‘Kirti Chakra’ went viral on social media and people paid tribute to the martyred Captain and expressed condolences to the family.

Smriti Singh talked about how Anshuman Singh used to say that he would not die an ordinary death, instead, he would take a bullet on his chest. Smriti said that she met Anshuman on the very first day of college, both of them fell in love at first sight and after being in a long distance relationship for 8 years, both of them got married. A day before Anshuman Singh’s ultimate sacrifice, both of them had talked a lot, they were planning what their future life would be like – from the birth of children to building a house.

The news of Anshuman’s death came the very next day. The whole country paid tribute to his bravery after listening to his story. Now the parents of the martyred army officer have talked to media and what they said is becoming a topic of discussion as well as controversy. It is worth noting that a few days ago, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi also met Anshuman’s parents.

The martyred captain’s father said that he has also told Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh why he talked to Rahul Gandhi. He said, “The criteria set by the Indian Army regarding NOK (Next of Kin) are not right. It was a 5-month-old marriage, they have no children. The parents only have their photo hanging behind them. She (Smriti Singh) has also changed her address, what do we have? There should be a change in the rules of NOK.”

Talking about the Kargil war of 1999, he said that after that there was a change of 67-33%, it should be properly defined – what will happen if the wife stays in the family, what will happen if there are children or not, what will happen if she leaves. Anshuman’s father said that the old tradition should not continue. He said that Anshuman Singh’s mother is a co-recipient of the ‘Kirti Chakra’, but she does not have that Chakra to put on her son’s statue.

Anshuman Singh’s father said that Rahul Gandhi has assured to talk to Rajnath Singh in this regard. The martyred soldier’s mother Manju Singh said, “Daughters-in-law run away. There are many such cases where daughters-in-law are leaving their parents and running away. No parent in the future should have to suffer like us.”

NOK means ‘Next of Kin’. After a soldier is martyred on duty, only the NOK receives the compensation amount and other benefits.

OpIndia spoke to an officer working in the army, who, on the condition of anonymity, told that when a person joins the army, during that process, he is also asked to fill a will. Most of the new joinees are young and unmarried. In such a situation, their guardians are usually the nominees. There is a document called ‘Part 2’ in the army, in which the soldier has to disclose his personal details..

There are some soldiers who follow the 70:30 formula after joining, that is, 70% nominee is the wife and 30% is the parents. This depends on the discretion of the soldier, it is decided by him and not the government. Under the rules, there is also a provision for 50:50 formula, but only a few soldiers choose it. For this, they have to take permission from their Commanding Officer. Therefore, it is up to the soldier to decide who will get what from the compensation after his martyrdom.

In the case of Captain Anshuman Singh, his father himself is an ex-soldier, so he is getting canteen and medical facilities as per the rules. Promotion, transfer-posting, disciplinary action and other information are also in ‘Part 2’ and it is managed by the Commanding Officer. At the same time, other things like greetings, respect and congratulatory messages are part of ‘Part 1’, which increases the morale of the soldiers. It is said about ‘Part 2’ that it is considered necessary to maintain discipline in the army.

New cybercrime of stealing money without OTP busted in Bihar, gang used Aadhaar biometrics data from victim’s land records obtained from govt website

OpIndia Staff
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New cybercrime of stealing money without OTP busted in Bihar, gang used Aadhaar biometrics data from victim’s land records obtained from govt website

The traditional methods of exploiting a One-time password (OTP) and making fraudulent phone calls to take someone’s hard-earned money have given way to new forms of cyber fraud. A person’s account was defrauded in a cyber-fraud case that surfaced in the Purnia district of Bihar without the use of an OTP, a phone call or any other conventional tactics that the public and police are aware of.

In this case, the cybercriminals used the Aadhaar biometrics data of the victim obtained from govt land records to make transactions using the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System. Bihar police revealed the unique scam in a press conference, the video of which was shared by Haryana IPS officer Pankaj Jain on X (Twitter).

Explaining the modus operanding of the scam, the Bihar Police said that the victim’s land documents, dated 25th June 2024, were obtained by the cybercrime gang by hacking into the government database. The criminals then breached the victim’s Aadhaar details and fingerprint from the land documents.

Subsequently, the perpetrator reportedly impersonated the victim by cloning the thumb impression taken from the land records. They then took money out of the victim’s bank account through the Aadhaar Enabled Payment System using the cloned thumb impression and the victim’s Aadhaar details. As AePS enables payment without any OTP, the criminals were able to steal money using the illegally obtained Aadhaar details and fingerprints.

Eight persons have been arrested by the Bihar Police in connection with the case. The group has been defrauding people of their money on a regular basis without using OTP or fraudulent phone calls. Further investigation is underway and the authorities are looking for the rest of the culprits.

Aadhaar cardholders can make transactions using their Aadhaar credentials by using the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AePS). Although this is a ground-breaking method of handling payments in places with poor or no Internet connectivity, the fact that the cardholder’s fingerprint is used to confirm their identification poses a risk because it can be taken unlawfully and replicated by fraudsters.

The Aadhaar number should be concealed to prevent AePS fraud. A virtual ID should be used for online transactions rather than Aadhaar. The virtual ID can be generated on the UIDAI website. People should make sure their phone number and email address are connected to their Aadhaar so the person can receive alerts when their Aadhaar is utilized in any suspicious way. If one has fallen victim to AePS cyber fraud, it should be reported on the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal.

Waive off loans, legally guarantee MSP: Samyukt Kisan Morcha to launch fresh farmers protest over their demands

OpIndia Staff
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Waive off loans, legally guarantee MSP: Samyukt Kisan Morcha to launch fresh farmers protest over their demands

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on 11th July announced that it will resume its agitation over its pending demands, including a legal guarantee to Minimum Support Price (MSP), a loan waiver, pensions for farmers and farmworkers and stop the privatisation of the power sector. The organisation had presided over the 2020-21 farmers protests. The farmers’ body mentioned that it would also seek appointments to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to present their charter on unfulfilled requests from farmers.

It declared, “The general body has decided to resume the agitation demanding implementation of the agreement, dated December 9, 2021, that the union government has with the SKM, signed by the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Government of India and other key demands affecting the livelihood of farmers.” A legally guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for all crops, an end to the privatization of the power industry and prepaid smart meters, compensation for the families of all farmers who lost their lives in the farmers’ struggle, the withdrawal of all cases pertaining to the farmers’ agitation and the amendment of the pollution control act to exempt farmers from criminal liability due to stubble burning are all covered by the agreement.

The SKM intends to redouble its efforts by presenting an updated demand charter to every member of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Delegations from their leadership will personally meet with the members of parliament from 16th and 18th July to apply pressure on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and demand that the farmers’ demands be addressed immediately. The decision was made during the SKM’s general assembly meeting on 10th July in New Delhi.

“Memorandums will be submitted to the newly elected members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on July 16, 17, and 18. The state units of the SKM will be meeting the MPs of their respective states. In addition, the SKM will be seeking time from the PM as well as the LoP to hand them over the memorandums,” informed Dr Darshan Pal, a member of the National Coordination Committee.

“On July 17, a three-hour-long protest will be carried out outside the houses of the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and all Aam Aadmi Party ministers to press upon the demands related to the state, including the water crisis, debt burden, and opening of the India-Pakistan road trade corridor, among others,” stated Ruldu Singh Mansa, president of the Punjab Kisan Union and another National Coordination Committee member of the SKM.

Leaders of SKM conveyed that they will hold seminars on the same day in every state to illustrate how the water issue and climate change are impacting agriculture. Furthermore, it will commemorate “Quit India Day” as “Corporates Quit India Day” to pressure India to leave the World Trade Organization and stage protests nationwide in favour of its demands charter. Members of SKM asserted that the “Expose, Oppose and Punish BJP” campaign cost the saffron party 63 seats in the Lok Sabha. They claimed that the campaign was responsible for the party’s defeat in 38 rural seats in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

The farmers’ outfit pledged to persist with their anti-BJP campaign and hold Mahapanchayats in the next assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Haryana and Jharkhand. Notably, from 20th November 2020 to 9th December 2021, the SKM protested against the three farm regulations that the Modi government had proposed and then revoked, at the borders of Singhu and Tikri, close to Delhi.

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