The massive landslides in Wayanad district of Kerala on Tuesday (30th July) have claimed the lives of 95 people.
As per reports, about 116 people are injured and many remain missing. The development was confirmed by the office of the Kerala Revenue Minister.’
The catastrophe has been triggered by heavy rainfall, leading to landslides and destruction of homes, swelling of water bodies, and uprooting of trees.
Areas such as Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, and Noolpuzha villages have also been cut off due to landslides.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team is conducting search and rescue operations along with the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA).
In the meantime, the Public Service Commission exams that were scheduled to take place between 31st July and 2nd August have been postponed.
The Kerala government had announced 2-days of Statewide mourning in light of the devastation caused by the landslides.
The case of fake birth certificates in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh is getting bigger and sinister every day. The fraud happened to the extent that the population of the villages was not considered. As per recent revelations, the number of birth certificates issued in Nuruddinpur village of Rae Bareli exceeds exponentially compared to the actual population of the village. The population of the village is only 8,000 but the number of birth certificates issued exceeded 12,000. Zeeshan, the main accused in the case, managed it with the help of village development officer Vijay Yadav.
It is the job of the village development officer to verify the birth, income, caste and death certificates. Zeeshan could only apply for these certificates on behalf of the applicants, in this case, illegal immigrants. Vijay Yadav allegedly gave his number to Zeeshan which was used for the verification process. Ideally, the village development officer receives an OTP on his mobile that is used to confirm if the application is valid and only then a certificate can be issued. However, Zeeshan, with the help of Yadav, violated the process.
How big is the fraud?
According to the ground report of Aaj Tak, birth certificates issued in Nuruddinpur are 1.5 times more than the population of the village, which comes under Yadav’s jurisdiction. The husband of the village’s head stated that the population of the village is approx. 7,000-8,000. However, based on the village’s address, at least 12,000 birth certificates were issued as informed by the officials to the village head.
He explained that the certificates were issued without being recorded in the family register. That means the village head was not informed about these birth certificates. Neither CSC nor Yadav informed the village head about it.
Furthermore, while issuing the birth certificates, the birth rate proportion was ignored completely. In the case of Palahi village, the population of the village is only 4,500 but the number of birth certificates issued was 819. The village head Deepak said that there is only one Muslim family in the village but the birth certificates issued in their village’s name were all under Muslim names. He was taken by surprise when he was informed about the fraud. Similar incidents happened in other villages of Rae Bareli.
Vijay Yadav filed the complaint
When the matter got exposed, Yadav, whose ID was used to create the certificates, filed a complaint to save himself. He claimed that Zeeshan betrayed his trust. The police and ATS are investigating the case from other angles as well. As per media reports, Yadav lives at Zeeshan’s house as a tenant. He claimed to have given his CUG number to Zeeshan based on trust but it was used to issue fake certificates.
Investigation underway
The investigation in the matter is under to determine if any large organisation was behind Zeeshan’s operations or if the illegal immigrants approached him individually. The investigating agencies are also looking into the finances of Zeeshan to determine how much money he received for each fake certificate. Investigation has revealed that they might have made in crores. Those who got certificates from him were arrested from different parts of the country and out of those, many were Bangladeshis and Rohingyas. PFI’s name has also emerged during the investigation.
So far, Zeeshan, his father Riyaz and one another person has been arrested along with Vijay Yadav in the matter. The investigating agencies believe more people could be involved and more revelations will be made during the ATS operation.
In May this year, OpIndia reported that a Hindu girl registered a case of violence against her Muslim husband in Lucknow, in which six individuals were named along with some unidentified persons. The named accused other than Saifuddin are Monika, Tabassum Saeed, Najam, Fahim, and Ashifuddin. The victim is originally from Baharaich district in Uttar Pradesh and resides in Lucknow while the main accused Mohammed Saifuddin hails from Bidar in Karnataka.
The victim Ankita Sharma [named changed] had alleged a love jihad conspiracy and claimed that a Karnataka Congress leader Alimuddin was also involved in this nexus. The victim filed a case of forced conversion, sexual assault and torture.
The Hindu woman alleged that she was raped by the accused and forced to marry him after converting to Islam. She was then tricked into having her five-month-old fetus aborted at a hospital in Mumbai. Notably, Saifuddin’s former fiancee and his family members have also been booked for harassing the woman for dowry, pushing her to convert from Hinduism to Islam and committing other offences.
Sharma stated that the two met and grew intimate while working in Bahrain in her complaint filed at Gudamba Police Station in Lucknow and disclosed, “One day, he raped me in Bahrain, and I lodged a rape complaint there. While the matter was under investigation, Mohammed Saifuddin and his family members persuaded me to withdraw the complaint after I became five months pregnant as a result of the rape. They also pressured me to change my religion. Later, on February 13, 2024, I was married to Saifuddin according to Muslim law. In due course, Saifuddin tricked me into visiting Mumbai for a medical consultation, and I was admitted to a hospital where the doctors secretly aborted the five-month-old fetus.”
As reported earlier, the police registered a case for dowry-related harassment against the offenders, including Saifuddin, who is still absconding, as informed by Station House Officer (SHO) Gudamba NK Srivastava. The accused, his 4 brothers and Monika have been booked under IPC sections 498A, 323 and 313.
Saifuddin trapped women by emotionally blackmailing them
The Hindu victim woman said that the accused Mohammed Saifuddin met her as a client in Bahrain. The victim had worked in Bahrain and Dubai for around seven years. The accused began dating her after they had spoken for a few days. He used to drink alcohol mixed with medicines and claimed to be very frustrated with his family members. Saifuddin pretended to have personal problems and eventually persuaded the victim to marry him. The victim alleged that Saifuddin once gave her a sedative and sexually assaulted her. The accused also recorded a video of his crime and used the same to blackmail her.
On the 13th of February, she gave in to his family’s demands and married him while also becoming a Muslim. Saifuddin brought her to Mumbai under the guise of treatment when she was five months pregnant.
Saifuddin sold Indian girls in Gulf countries who ended up doing ‘Mujra’ in bars, says victim
Speaking to ABP News, the Hindu victim woman said, “Saifuddin’s profession is to trap girls in his net by emotionally blackmailing them.” She said that Saifuddin’s targets are from states like Mumbai, Delhi and Gujarat. The victim said that Saifuddin lured his victim on the pretext of offering them jobs in beauty parlours and promised other facilities.
The victim asserted that her relationship with Saifuddin was never consensual. The victim who is a Brahmin said that since she refused his marriage proposal saying that in her family inter-caste or inter-religion marriage is not allowed, the accused took it as a challenge.
Besides, the victim said that several people including Muslims and “fake Hindus” from Kerala, Karnataka and Hyderabad are fooling the authorities in Bahrain. She said that they run restaurants where girls are made to do “mujra”. An attempt was made to push the victim into performing Mujra, however, she said that she understood what was happening after she checked the details of the visas Saifuddin took her help with the visa processes. Upon checking, the Hindu victim found that these girls were working in either some restaurant or some bar.
Victim reached the police station in Lucknow and accused the police of inaction
In May this year, the victim made a video in the Gudamba Thana in Lucknow and alleged that the police were deliberately dragging the matter instead of taking action. In the video, she could be heard confronting the police for allegedly not taking her for a medical examination despite 48 hours having passed since the registration of the FIR. She said that an officer Zafar Abbas told her to come for a medical examination, today, the next day, and the next to the next day. She also said that the police earlier told her that the Investigative Officer (IO) of her case was not present, however, the victim turned the mobile camera towards a female officer and said “This Savitri Singh madam…she is my IO…madam many big hospitals are involved in this case…you should think about it.” The police personnel were seen asking the woman not to record the video.
In another video clip recorded by the victim while sitting in a police officer’s cabin, she claimed that the Gudamba Police were pressurising her to drop religious conversion allegations from her case. She named one officer Nagina and claimed that she had asked her to either drop the religious conversion allegation or the police would not accept her FIR.
‘Accused sexually assaulted, humiliated, a Congress leader was involved too’
The victim, in her complaint letter, said that when she went to Saifuddin’s house in Bidar, Karnataka, there was an attempt to kill her. Moreover, the accused attempted to violate her private parts, inserting toe into them, and shredding her clothes. During this time, a Congress leader Alimuddin was also allegedly present. “A Congress leader pulled my Jeans and his brother inserted his toe of feet inside my vagina,” the victim said. She added that when she Police station of a Congress-ruled state to complain against him. Congress leaders misbehaved with her inside the police station.
The victim alleged that Saifuddin’s brother was filming all of these activities. In the midst, his brother approached Ankita and assaulted her. Later, the other brothers of the accused Saifuddin arrived, and Congress leader Mohammad Alimuddin, who was present in the house, said to the woman, ‘Hold her, we will show you [the victim] how rape happens.’ When the Hindu victim began screaming, she was hit and confined to her room. Later, when she attempted to flee the room, one of the brothers approached her and grabbed her chest before asking her to leave without a t-shirt.
The Hindu victim said that she was targeted because she is a Hindu Brahmin girl from Uttar Pradesh. Ankita claims that when she released a video of what happened to her on social media, several women came forward to reveal their similar ordeals.
Lao PDR (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) has released a postage stamp showcasing Shri Ram Lalla of Ayodhya, becoming the first nation globally to feature this revered deity on a stamp. This issuance coincided with the visit of India’s external affairs minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, and underscores the profound civilisational and cultural connections between Lao PDR and India.
The statue of Shri Ram Lalla, depicting Lord Ram in his child form, is a significant element of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Made from black stone, this statue stands 51 inches tall and was ceremoniously placed in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum on January 22, 2024.
Laos is a landlocked country bordered to the north by China and to the northeast and east by Vietnam. Cambodia lies to the south of Laos, Thailand to the west, and Myanmar to the northwest. Laos is considered part of India’s extended neighbourhood, with only Myanmar separating it from India’s North East.
India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, and Lao PDR’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Saleumxay Kommasith, jointly unveiled the special commemorative postage stamp set during a ceremony in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. India’s ambassador to Laos, Prashant Agrawal, was also present at the event, which took place during Dr. Jaishankar’s visit to the Southeast Asian country for ASEAN meetings.
A good meeting with DPM and FM Saleumxay Kommasith of Lao PDR. Thanked him for the warm hospitality.
Witnessed exchange of MoUs on 10 Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) for Laos under Mekong Ganga Cooperation and cooperation in sharing successful Digital Solutions.
The stamp set includes two distinct stamps: one featuring Lord Buddha of Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of Laos and a significant Buddhist site, and the other depicting Lord Shri Ram of Ayodhya.
Buddhism and Hinduism have long served as a strong bridge between India and Lao PDR, with India being the birthplace of the two faiths and home to many important sites associated with them, which have a significant following in Southeast Asia.
The Ramayana is a revered epic in India and holds a special place in Laotian culture as well. In Laos, the Ramayana is known as Ramakien or the Story of Phra Lak Phra Ram and is often performed during auspicious occasions. The theme of the stamp set, “Celebrating Shared Cultural Heritage of Lao PDR and India,” symbolises the longstanding historical ties between the two nations.
According to some historical accounts, the Lao people’s original belief system was animism, which was later influenced by Indian culture. Hinduism followed, and subsequently, Buddhism became prominent. Buddhism has played a significant role in Lao history and influences nearly all aspects of Lao life today. Currently, about 65% of the Lao population practices Hinayana (Theravada) Buddhism, although animism still coexists with Buddhism.
The exact period of cultural contact between India and Laos is unclear due to a lack of historical records. However, it is generally accepted that Hindu and Buddhist practices were introduced to Laos in the early centuries of the Common Era, despite local traditions suggesting Buddhism arrived in Laos before Christ. According to these traditions, a Buddhist shrine (That) was built in Laos during Emperor Asoka’s reign, around the mid-third century BCE.
The Ourangkharittan chronicle mentions that Luang in Vientiane was originally constructed by a Buddhist monk, Phra Chao Chanthaburi Pasithisak, to house a relic from Rajgir in India.
Hinduism and Buddhism quickly became the official religions throughout Southeast Asia, with Sanskrit often serving as the main court language. In Laos, Buddhism and the Ramayana are the primary symbols of Indian culture.
The appeal of Hinduism and Buddhism in Southeast Asia was both political and spiritual. Southeast Asian states were chiefdoms with temporary rulers and uncertain succession lines. Although Hinduism and Buddhism were introduced peacefully, they inspired aspirations for universal kingship among Southeast Asian rulers. These rulers emulated King Asoka of India’s Maurya dynasty, who was regarded as a chakravartin, or universal ruler, and a role model in Southeast Asia. Hinduism and Buddhism provided an elaborate system of beliefs and rituals that enabled Southeast Asian rulers to claim divine legitimacy by identifying with Vishnu, Shiva, or Buddha, and to build larger, more organised polities or empires.
This led to the establishment of a more organised and enduring political order in Southeast Asia, though some elements of the previous political fabric remained. This transformed Southeast Asia into a region of mandalas (a Sanskrit word meaning ‘sacred circle’). In daily life, rituals, customs, and public ceremonies still show traces of Hindu influence. For example, the traditional greeting to learned persons and religious teachers by joining hands at the heart level is similar to the Indian practice of Pranam.
Underscoring the shared cultural heritage that spans the Southeast Asian region for millennia and deepening ties between India and Laos, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) commenced the restoration of the fifth-century Wat Phou Hindu Temple, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wat Phou Temple
UNESCO describes the temple complex as embodying the Hindu concept of the connection between nature and humanity. The site also includes two planned cities along the Mekong River and Phou Kao Mountain. The Wat Phou temple, which dates from the 5th to 15th centuries, is primarily linked to the Khmer Empire.
Carvings on the walls of Wat Phou temple in Laos
Wat Phou temple was reportedly constructed for Lord Shiva in the fifth century. The site features mythological scriptures dedicated to Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. However, with the spread of Buddhism in Southeast Asia, the temple was converted into a Buddhist shrine.
In 1955, Laos released a set of 6 stamps on Ramayana depicting Lord Rama, Sita, Raavan & Hanumaan.
Laos 1955 -Sita, Rama, Ravana, Hanuman
In 1971, it issued another stamp that depicted Matsya fighting with Lord Hanuman.
Laos 1971 Matasya fights with Hanuman
Cambodia
Not just Laos but South Asia shares its cultural heritage with India, its traditions, and religions that have spawned from here. To the south of Laos lies Cambodia, another nation whose cultural and social fabric has been deeply influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism.
The roots of Hinduism in Cambodia date back to the Funan Kingdom, which ruled from 100 BC to 500 AD, with kings worshipping Vishnu and Shiva during this era. Hinduism continued to be the dominant religion when the Khmer Empire rose to power, maintaining its prominence until the reign of Jayavarman VII (1181-1218). Nothing testifies it more prominently than the Angkor Wat Temple, located within 402 acres sprawling within the ancient Khmer capital city of Angkor, it is considered as the largest religious structure in the world by Guinness World Records. It is one of the few temples in the world dedicated to Lord Brahma.
Cambodia-Angkor Wat Hindu Temple
Hindu iconography is prevalent in many of the temples within the park, offering historians insights into the Kingdom’s religious history. This includes Khmer representations of Ganesha and Hanuman, as well as bas-relief carvings illustrating scenes from the Ramayana, known as the Reamker in Cambodia, which remains a significant element in traditional performances.
As a mark of tribute to its Hindu past, Cambodia brought out several stamps on Hindu deities. While Buddhism is the main religion (nearly 97% of the population is Buddhist) of Cambodia, Hindus account for less than 0.2% of the overall population. However, Cambodia has clung to its Hindu past and issued several stamps on the same. In 1964, Cambodia issued a set of 5 stamps on Hanumaan.
Cambodia issued Hanuman stamps
In 2006, Cambodia issued a set of 5 stamps depicting Luv Kush, Lord Rama, Sita, Raavan and Hanumaan. It also issued a miniature sheet featuring Matasya with Hanumaan.
Thailand
Thailand, another Southeast Asian country, has nearly 95% of its population practising Buddhism. Hindus constitute around 0.03% of the total population.
Hinduism in Thailand dates back to more than 2,000 years ago. Several factors, including immigration from India, trade and cultural ties have contributed to the growing influence of Hinduism, and later of Buddhism in Thailand. The famous Thai epic Ramakien is derived from the Buddhist Dasaratha Jataka, a Thai adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Thailand’s national emblem features Garuda, the mount (vahana) of Vishnu.
The city of Ayutthaya, located near Bangkok, is named after Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama. Many Hindu rituals are still observed, including the use of holy strings and the pouring of water from conch shells. Additionally, many Thais worship Hindu-Buddhist deities, such as Brahma at the renowned Erawan Shrine, along with statues of Ganesha, Indra, and Shiva.
The effect of the Hindu culture on Thai society is also heavily reflected in its philately. In 1973, Indonesia issued a set of 8 stamps depicting various scenes from Ramayana which included Ashoka Vatika, Ravana’s Parasol, Vanara Sena crossing the sea etc.
Thailand issued stamps that depicted scenes from Hindu epic Ramayana
In 2005 it issued a set of 4 stamps that depicted Rama meeting Sita, Ravana, Hanumaan and Ram fighting Ravana.
In 2014, it issued a set of 2 miniature sheets depicting Ganesha. (Pic 17). In 2016, it issued a set of 2 stamps as part of a joint issue with Indonesia, depicting scenes from Ramayana.
Thailand issues stamps on Ramayana in 2016
Whether it is India, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, or Indonesia, every country has a unique Hindu tradition that adds to the rich tapestry of the multi-religious societies these nations embody and give a glimpse into the diversity and tolerance of multiple interpretations of the faith that Hinduism uniquely offers.
Three students died due to drowning in the basement of Rau UPSC coaching institute in Old Rajender Nagar, Delhi, on 24th July 2024. After this incident, the students preparing for UPSC living in this area are angry. Along with the police administration, they are also raising questions on the silence of those teachers and coaching institute owners who are generally found flaunting their knowledge on every issue.
The most questions are being raised on Vikas Divyakirti, head of Drishti IAS coaching institute, and Avadh Ojha, a history teacher. This is because their reels and videos go viral the most when it comes to UPSC preparations. Students are running a campaign against them in Rajender Nagar as well as on social media.
In one such X (earlier Twitter) post, a poem made against Avadh Ojha and Divyakirti has been posted. Taking aim at Avadh Ojha in the poem, it was written, “Ojha to bhai bojha hai. Gyan jhaad ke sota hai.” Regarding Vikas Divyakirti, it was written, “Vikas ne bas khud vikas kiya, mafia ne coaching vyapaar kiya“.
The students who are raising questions on Vikas Divyakirti are using his own lines to target him. Now the students are against him following the same line.
Vikas, a student, is protesting outside Divyakirti’s Drishti Coaching Institute by carrying placards with the lines, “Why be afraid of what will happen in life, if nothing happens then you will have experience”, and demanding the Drishti owner to speak on this topic. Students have been protesting for many days against these coaching centre owners.
रात के साढ़े 12 बजे हैं, मुखर्जी नगर का एक चौराहा!
चौराहे के एक कोने पर विकास दिव्यकीर्ति का ‘शोरूम’ है और एक कोने पर बनी सोसाइटी में उनका घर है।
It is worth noting that after the incident in Rajender Nagar, all coaching institutes in the area are under investigation. In this investigation, Vikas Divyakirti’s institute Drishti was also found to be operating in the basement in violation of the rules. After this, it was sealed. Since then, students have been asking questions to Vikas Divyakirti, who otherwise speaks on every issue.
विकास दिव्यकीर्ति भी बेसमेंट में अवैध कार्य करते हैं, सुनकर विश्वास नहीं हो रहा कि, इतनी बड़ी-बड़ी नैतिकता की बात करने वाला भी बेसमेंट में अवैध कार्य करने में लिप्त है। pic.twitter.com/4SPVx5awD6
Students are also looking for history teacher Avadh Ojha, who used to tell stories of hooliganism in his student life to UPSC aspirants. Avadh Ojha is usually active on social media preaching to students. Now students are looking for him.
अवध ओझा और विकास दिव्यकीर्ती सर के लिए ये दो तस्वीरें सोशल मीडिया पर खूब वायरल है।
— Mukesh Gurjar Sikar (@MukeshGurjarkdl) July 30, 2024
Meanwhile, no new statement has come from Vikas Divyakirti and Avadh Ojha. They have not even expressed their condolences to the students who died due to the negligence of the Rau coaching institute. Due to this, the anger of other students is increasing.
India’s shooting ace Manu Bhaker scripted history on Tuesday when she became the first Indian to win two medals at the same Olympics.
Bhaker and her partner Sarabjot Singh secured bronze in the 10 M Air Pistol Mixed team event. Earlier, Bhaker had won bronze in the women’s individual 10M Air pistol event.
Manu-Sarabjot beat South Korea’s Lee Wonho and Oh Ye Jin 16-10 in the Bronze Medal play-off match. With this medal, India’s medal tally increases to two in the Paris Olympics. Both Bhaker and Sarabjot shot consistently with regular 10s in the series against the Koreans.
The NRAI celebrated the success saying “India wins bronze in the mixed team 10m air pistol as @realmanubhaker and @Sarabjotsingh30 beat Korea’s Oh Ye Jin & Lee Won Ho 16-10 in the bronze match. Second medal for Manu at the Games. History!”
Earlier on Monday, Manu-Sarabjot secured 580-20x points in total to finish third, The gold medal match will take place between Turkiye (582-18x) and Serbia (581-24x).
In the qualification round of the mixed team 10 m air pistol event, each member of a team got to shoot a total of 30 shots in a time span of 30 minutes. Each series of shots consists of 10 shots per player and 20 in total. The top four teams got the privilege of qualifying for medal rounds, with the top two teams playing for gold and third and fourth-placed teams locking horns for bronze.
Manu-Sarabjot, sat at six with 193 points, with Manu getting 98 points and Sarabjot getting 95. In their second series, Manu and Sarabjot secured a total of 195 points, with Manu getting 98 and Sarabjot getting 97.
In their third series, Manu-Sarabjot secured 192 points, with Manu getting 95 points and Sarabjot getting 97 points. At the end of all three series, Manu-Sarabjot had the final score of 580-20x.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On Tuesday, 30th July, the Maharashtra Crime Branch arrested Dawood Sheikh who brutally murdered a 20-year-old girl identified as Yashashri Shinde in Uran area of Navi Mumbai. As per the reports, the accused was arrested from his hometown, Gulbarga in Karnataka.
The police had created eight teams to launch a manhunt for Dawood who had fled from Mumbai after he brutally killed Yashashri on 26th July. According to a crime branch officer familiar with the case, Dawood admitted to killing Yashashri Shinde because she had rejected advances earlier and he feared she was in a relationship with another man.
As reported earlier, the dead body of Shinde was found lying in a pool of blood on an isolated road near a petrol pump in Kotnaka of Uran taluka in Navi Mumbai on 26th July. Her private parts had been brutally stabbed and her face was smashed using a rock so that she could not be identified. The parents of the girl identified the accused as Dawood Sheikh. Sheikh reportedly confessed to having murdered the girl as an act of revenge.
Notably, in 2019, the victim’s father had registered an FIR against Dawood Sheikh for molesting and harassing his daughter. As she was a minor, a case under Sections 354 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 8 and 12 of POCSO were registered. Dawood was arrested and sent to jail. After coming out of jail, he went to Karnataka and later returned to Mumbai to take revenge. The family has alleged that Dawood was in contact with Yashshri.
CCTV footage related to the incident has also been accessed by local media which reported that the accused had been keeping watch on the victim in the Uran area. Yashashri in the video can be seen passing through the Uran area street on 25th July. In the same footage 10 minutes later, the accused can be seen following her, hinting at the possibility that the entire incident may have been planned and that the victim was stalked by the accused on the day of the incident.
तीन दिवसांपूर्वी उरणमध्ये एक धक्कादायक घटना घडली होती. यशश्री शिंदे नावाच्या तरुणीची अत्यंत क्रूरपणे हत्या करण्यात आली. आता याचा एक व्हिडीओ समोर आला आहे. ज्यामध्ये आरोपी तरुणीचा पाठलाग करताना दिसून येत आहे. pic.twitter.com/uhi0ciM6cW
Team OpIndia has obtained the FIR copy of the incident filed on 27th July against an unidentified person. As per the complaint copy, Yashashri had gone missing on the 25th of July. She worked at AMII Business Support Solution in Belapur but was on work off that day. She had left her home saying that she would be with one of her friends and be home soon. However, she failed to be back by 7:45 pm after which the family members of the deceased victim filed a missing person’s complaint (40/2024).
After some time at around 2:20 am the police called the family and said that a dead body was found near a petrol pump in Kotnaka of Uran taluka in Navi Mumbai. The body had been brutally mutilated and the face of the body was also destroyed. The father of the girl, however, identified Yashashri from her clothes and accessories and confirmed that it was his daughter.
“The body was stabbed in several places including her private parts. Her face was ruined. Injury marks could be seen on her stomach and chest. It was Yashashri. She was taken to the Indira Nagar Local Hospital where she was declared dead,” the, father of the deceased victim mentioned in the FIR.
Yashashri sustained three stab injuries on her waist and back. A TV9 report suggested that there were several injuries on her private parts. Her bones were broken and stab wounds were found on her stomach and back. Several injury marks were found on her chest as well. The face was smashed using a rock so that she could not be identified. The father of the victim later identified a suspect in the case as Dawood Sheikh and stated that his daughter was murdered as an act of revenge.
Senior inspector Rajendra Kote had confirmed the suspect saying that the victim girl’s parents had alleged that Shaikh murdered their daughter as she had registered an FIR of molestation and POCSO against Shaikh in the year 2019, after which he was arrested by Uran police and sent to jail.
Team OpIndia also obtained the claimed FIR from the year 2019 which was filed by Yashashri’s father under sections 354 (uses criminal force against a woman to outrage her modesty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act, 2012.
As per the complaint, the accused Dawood had followed the girl to her classes and once threatened her to spend time with him. He had tried to coerce her into a relationship. The accused was also caught red-handed forcefully talking to the girl and harassing her. “He had forced my daughter, 15 years old to talk to him and spend time with him. My daughter resisted. He also molested her and forced her to come close to him. He ignored constant resistance from my daughter,” Surendra mentioned in the complaint filed in the year 2019.
As per the information exclusively gathered by OpIndia, the accused Dawood was then arrested by the police and sent to jail for 6 months. After his release, he went back to Karnataka. However, he returned to Mumbai recently intending to murder the girl.
While the 2019 FIR suggested Dawood molested Yashashri, some media reports stated that it was a case of a “love affair gone wrong”. Call records released after the brutal incident suggested that she had been in contact with the accused. Free Press Journal report noted that the police said the victim had a tattoo of the accused’s name on her body.
On Monday, 29th July, the Supreme Court of India granted veto powers to former apex court Judge, Justice BN Srikrishna, to take administrative decisions of the Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple. The decision by the apex court came in response to the report submitted by Justice Srikrishna stating that he was facing difficulties in managing the temple affairs amidst non-cooperation from committee members. The order was passed by a three-judge bench comprising of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Mishra.
The court acknowledged former Judge Srikrishna’s concerns who reported that there was a potential contempt of court orders if the current state of affairs persisted. The apex court also emphasised the importance of strictly maintaining ancient traditions and forms of worship in the temple that date back centuries.
The court said, “The suggestions of Justice Srikrishna should be accepted”. Consequently, the court also issued several directives to ensure the smooth functioning of the temple administration. The court said that the District Judge of Karwar is to be inducted into the committee with an Additional District Judge (ADJ) as an alternate if there is a need. The ADJ, however, will not handle the matters related to the temple.
The court asserted that the decision-making authority regarding the temple administration will be constituted by the District Judge in case Justice Srikrishna is not available. However, consulting Justice Srikrishna before making any decision is essential, the court said. The chairperson of the committee will frame the procedural rules.
The apex court granted Justice Srikrishna, the appointed chairperson of the committee, the veto power of a casting vote while other members will serve only in an advisory capacity without any such power.
CJI: 3. Chairperson shall have the casting vote and all members apart from Chairman and vice chairman shall have advisory role and no veto over the chairman and vice chairman decisions.
4. State govt can re nominate 4 private members of the committee who shall be the…
The Supreme Court granted permission to the State Government to re-nominate four private members (Upadivantas) to the committee.
CJI: 3. Chairperson shall have the casting vote and all members apart from Chairman and vice chairman shall have advisory role and no veto over the chairman and vice chairman decisions.
4. State govt can re nominate 4 private members of the committee who shall be the…
Senior Advocate Devadatt Kamat representing Math objected to the veto power granted to Justice Srikrishna stating that the judge had not personally visited the temple since 2021. The apex court, however, expressed confidence in Justice Srikrishna’s impartiality and reiterated the necessity for all committee members to function in an advisory role.
Sr Adv Devadatt Kamat: This is just a one sided story.. Justice Srikrishna has not even visited the ground since 2021.
CJI: There is no reason for us to disbelief as former judge of this court.
CJI: We will say all members to act in advisory capacity. Rules of procedure to be…
Background of the Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple case
In 2021, the Supreme Court of India appointed Justice Srikrishna as head of the overseeing committee. The judgement came in response to an appeal filed against a 2018 Karnataka High Court judgment that quashed the state government’s decision of 2008 which transferred the temple management to Ramachandrapura Math.
It all started when the Gokarna Mahabaleshwar Temple was included in the list of notified temples under the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, of 1997. In 2008, the then-Karnataka government de-notified the temple name from the list and handed over the administration to the Ramachandrapura temple leading to a public interest litigation.
In 2018, the Karnataka High Court quashed the 2008 order of the Karnataka Government and reinstated the temple as a notified institute. The court also established an oversight committee. The matter was challenged in the Supreme Court of India by the Ramachandrapura Math. In the 2021 Judgement, the Supreme Court of India appointed BN Srikrishna to lead the committee and emphasised the need for an independent administration pending final adjudication.
In January 2024, the Karnataka High Court quashed the attempts made by the Congress-led State Government to alter the composition of the oversight committee by changing the members appointed by the previous BJP-led government. The High Court noted that to make such changes, the Karnataka Government should have sought permission from the Supreme Court and deemed the move an attempt to bypass the Court’s orders.
The matter is scheduled for the next hearing in September 2024.
On Tuesday (30th July), the Odisha government suspended an Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer named Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao on charges of ‘grave misconduct.’
Uttamrao served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in the Department of Fire Services & Home Guards in Odisha.
The disciplinary action comes three days after he assaulted the husband of a woman, with whom he had an alleged extra-marital affair. The incident took place on Saturday (27th July).
Odisha government suspends IPS officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao on the grounds of 'grave misconduct' pic.twitter.com/yXIexqeWTv
As per reports, the IPS officer forcibly entered the house of the woman in an intoxicated state, vandalised the furniture and attempted to drag her out to marry her.
He also assaulted the husband of the woman. Interestingly, the woman is a police Inspector in the Bhubaneswar Economic Offences Wing and has had an affair with Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao for 5 years.
The IPS officer is also married and has two children. He was taken into custody when cops were informed about the matter.
Action against Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao
Following the incident, the Odisha government directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to submit a confidential report on the matter.
The government thereafter suspended Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao with immediate effect for ‘grave misconduct’ as a member of IPS. He has been directed to not leave Cuttack without the permission of the DGP.
During the period of suspension, Uttamrao will be allowed to draw subsistence allowance after he furnishes a certificate proving his non-engagement in any other employment, business, profession or vocation.
After the shocking murder of Yashashri Shinde in Navi Mumbai, two more cases of brutal sexual assaults have come to light from the Mumbai area. Notably, Shinde was found lying in a pool of blood on an isolated road near a petrol pump in Kotnaka of Uran taluka in Navi Mumbai.
On Sunday, 28th July, the Maharashtra Police booked two individuals identified as Mohammed Galib Sheikh and Talib Sheikh for harassing, threatening, and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in the Penkarpada area of Mumbai. The accused persons have also been charged for forcing the girl to commit suicide.
The incident is said to have taken place in the last week, however, the FIR in the case was filed at Kashmira Police Station in Mumbai on 28th July. The victim was a minor and belonged to the Phulpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Azamgadh district. As per the FIR copy exclusively obtained by OpIndia, the girl was allegedly abducted by the accused Galib who brought her to Mumbai.
The girl had gone missing from her village on 22nd July. While the family of the girl was looking for her, they were informed by one of the villagers that she had committed suicide on 25th July, and that she was last seen with the accused Galib Sheikh in Mumbai.
The girl committed suicide (Image obtained by OpIndia)
As per the mother of the girl who filed a complaint in the case, the accused Galib, who belongs to the same village, had been following and harassing the victim. “He (Galib) used to follow my daughter to her school. He used to threaten her to leave the school and marry him. He used to harass her and say that he would continue harassing her even if she got married to some other person,” she said.
“I was worried about my daughter’s safety so I dropped her off at school, because he had threatened my daughter that he would abduct her and marry her. He had also taken her to Mumbai earlier. I had then complained at Nizamabad Police Station but his threats continued. However, my daughter went missing on 22nd July. Somebody then informed me that she was last seen with Galib Sheikh. He is the one who has forced my daughter to commit suicide. She has ended her life being fed up with Galib and his brother’s (Talib) harassment,” the mother said.
As per the complaint, the accused is said to have sexually assaulted the minor girl in the Penkarpada area of Mumbai after which she committed suicide. As per the family, the girl was sexually assaulted previously by Galib who had threatened her to keep quiet about it.
The police have charged Galib Sheikh and Talib Sheikh under sections 137(2), 87, 96, 64(1), 108 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita, 2023, and section 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Dr Asif Khan lures, sexually assaults 34-year-old Hindu, flees
Another horrifying case of sexual assault was filed by a 34-year-old woman at Mira Road Police Station on 22nd July saying that one Dr Mohammed Asif Khan lured her into a relationship first, and then sexually assaulted her on the pretext of marriage. The accused, as per the FIR, assaulted the woman several times and forced her to abort her pregnancy three times. He promised her that he would marry her and also made her talk to his mother Rajiya Khan for assurance.
The accused and his mother are said to have made fake promises to the woman, after which the accused fled from Mumbai, and went to Vapi, Gujarat, his home. The woman in the complaint said that the accused later stopped taking her calls and also refused to marry her.
The sexual assaults continued from February 2023 to June 2024. The police have booked the accused under sections 376(2)(n), 313, and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with section 173 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita, 2023. Further investigations are underway.
Concerns about women safety in Mumbai
The safety of women has become in new concern in the state of Maharashtra. This is after the dead body of a 20-year-old woman identified as Yashashri Shinde was found lying in a pool of blood on an isolated road near a petrol pump in Kotnaka of Uran taluka in Navi Mumbai on 26th July. Her private parts had been brutally stabbed and her face was smashed using a rock so that she could not be identified. The parents of the girl identified the accused as Dawood Sheikh who is believed to have murdered the girl as an act of revenge.
Notably, in 2019, the victim’s father had registered an FIR against Dawood Sheikh for molesting her daughter. As she was a minor, a case under Sections 354 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 8 and 12 of POCSO were registered. Dawood was arrested and sent to jail. After coming out of jail, he went to Karnataka and later returned to Mumbai to take revenge. He is believed to have trapped the girl in a ‘love’ affair and then murdered her. The family has alleged that Dawood was in contact with Yashshri. Investigations in the case are underway.
