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YouTuber Ajit Anjum threatens criminal defamation against fellow YouTuber after she interviewed a journalist claiming Anjum sexually harassed female anchors

OpIndia Staff
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YouTuber Ajit Anjum threatens criminal defamation against fellow YouTuber after she interviewed a journalist claiming Anjum sexually harassed female anchors

On the 12th of April 2024, YouTube channel ‘Alternate Media’ host Gayatri interviewed journalist Kumar Srikant. The video was about a host of issues which the guest, Kumar Srikant was addressing. During the interview, several allegations against YouTuber Ajit Anjum were made by the journalist being interviewed.

Srikant claimed that throughout his career, Ajit Anjum had a history of sexually harassing female anchors, while he used to be an anchor in mainstream media channels like AajTak, TV9 and News24. These allegations have been strongly refuted by Ajit Anjum.

In the video, Srikant claims that when Ajit Anjum was working at News24, he would employ women anchors based on their figure and looks, not their work. While making these claims about Ajit Anjum, Srikant also mentions Vinod Kapri and says that he does ‘Ilu Ilu in parking lots’ and despite him sending legal notices to those who had made these claims, this story could not be suppressed. He says that the story of Vinod Kapri is the story for another day.

Talking about Ajit Anjum, he says that his friends told him that other than the sexual harassment of female anchors, Anjum would also take bribes to allow other anchors and journalists to hold the News24 mic while reporting. These bribes of 20,000-40,000 were taken by Anjum from news stringers, Srikant claims his friend told him. He further claims that it was because of this ‘corruption’ that he was fired by Rajiv Shukla from News24.

Srikant claims that after joining India TV, Ajit Anjum continues his campaign of sexual harassment of anchors. He would abuse female anchors and ask them to ‘wear tight clothes’. He claims that these orders were given to a big female anchor who was married and had children too. Further, Srikant claims that Anjum had also given threats to fire this anchor.

The allegations by Srikant don’t stop here. He also claimed in the interview that Ajit Anjum would sit and consume alcohol in his cabin and ask female interns to get him soda from the office pantry. He would then, while drinking, tell the interns how he would turn them into stars. Srikant claims that even after joining TV9 Bharatvarsh, Ajit Anjum indulged in corruption.

In response to these allegations made by Kumar Srikant, Ajit Anjum published a video where he strongly denied these allegations. In his video, he also claimed that there are female anchors who would testify on his behalf to refute allegations that he indulged in sexual harassment of female anchors in the channels where he worked before turning into a YouTuber.

Ajit Anjum has sent a defamation notice to the anchor of the YouTube channel who interviewed journalist Kumar Srikant who made these allegations. It is pertinent to note that throughout the video, anchor Gayatri had not made any allegations against Ajit Anjum, but was interviewing the journalist who made these allegations.

Ajit Anjum also said that the reason why he is sending the legal notice and could further go to court for defamation is because he fears that similar videos could be made against his friend Vinod Kapri, Abhisar Sharma, and other YouTubers.

Interestingly, in the video response by Ajit Anjum where he refutes the allegations made by Kumar Srikant, he brings up another claim made by Kumar Srikant, which he says forms the basis of his defamation notice against Gayatri. He says that in the video, Srikant claims that there is a pending case against Anjum in Ghaziabad. The case pertains to the case of defaming a doctor. Anjum says that this is false and there is no case pending against him in Ghaziabad. While Anjum is right in saying that he is not an accused in the Ghaziabad case, which is actually against Rajdeep Sardesai and others for running a fake sting operation in 2006, the anchor also mentions the POCSO case against Ajit Anjum, which he craftily leaves out of his response video.

The response video by Ajit Anjum can be viewed here.

There are several other allegations made in the interview by Srikant which were denied by Ajit Anjum. Some of the other allegations pertain to him owning several apartments in Noida, owning land in Bhagalpur etc, owning a Mercedes Sadan etc. Ajit Anjum has pointed out that several of the allegations made by Srikant are patently untrue – for example – Srikant claims that Anjum’s name used to be Jha, but he changed his name to Anjum because of “Sarva Dharm” considerations. These allegations, Ajit Anjum says, are not true. He also mentions in his video that Srikant and Gayatri would have to prove these allegations in court.

USA: Public-funded NPR suspends veteran editor Uri Berliner after he writes about media outlet’s political bias, editor resigns

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Public-funded NPR suspends veteran editor Uri Berliner after he writes about media outlet’s political bias, editor resigns

On 17th April, Public-funded National Public Radio (NPR) in the USA has suspended veteran editor Uri Berliner for authoring an essay where he was critical of the news outlet’s liberal bias. Berliner was a senior editor on the NPR business desk and worked for the outlet for 25 years. He was suspended without pay after which he resigned from his post.

In a statement, Berliner said, “I am resigning from NPR, a great American institution where I have worked for 25 years. I don’t support calls to defund NPR,” Berliner said in a statement. “I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism. But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay.”

Berliner’s critical essay on the news outlet

On 9th April, The Free Press published an essay authored by Uri Berliner titled ‘I’ve been at NPR for 25 years. Here’s how we lost America’s trust. In the essay, he discussed that NPR always had a liberal bent but remained open-minded and nerdy. However, they were not a knee-jerk activist or scolding-type outlets. However, in recent years things changed. “Today, those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online find something different: the distilled worldview of a very small segment of the U.S. population,” he wrote.

He described how the the outlet lost its conservative, moderates and traditional liberals over time and by 2023, 67% of the listeners were very or somewhat liberals. According to Berliner, it all started when former President Donald Trump took charge at the office in 2016. People at NPR were not pleased with him becoming the President and provided a platform to those who conspired against him. For example, Adam Schiff, a top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was interviewed 25 times about Trump and Russia. However, when no credible evidence of the so-called Russiagate was found in the Mueller report, NPR’s coverage on it was ‘sparse’. The media outlet quietly stopped fanning the Russiagate narrative.

Interestingly, NPR also decided to turn a blind eye to the explosive expose by the New York Post on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Uri Berliner wrote that NPR’s managing editor for news discarded the reports as “not really stories”. The managing editor for news explained the thinking of ignoring the story as “We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.”

Despite evidence, NPR stuck to the narrative that Covid was natural

Furthermore, despite the evidence and research over the years, NRP stuck to its stand that COVID-19 was of natural origin and not a lab leak from China. Berliner wrote, “When a colleague on our science desk was asked why they were so dismissive of the lab leak theory, the response was odd. The colleague compared it to the Bush administration’s unfounded argument that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, apparently meaning we won’t get fooled again.”

Berliner gave several examples where NPR could have taken a different, more conservative path but decided to stick to its liberal bias.

NPR and its controversies

It must be mentioned that the media outlet has been at the forefront of peddling Hinduphobia and anti-India propaganda in the United States.

In September 2019, the then NPR producer Furkan Khan went on a vitriolic tirade against the Hindu community. “If Indians give up Hinduism, they will also be solving most of their problems with all the piss drinking and dung worshipping.”

The dehumanising language used by Furkan Khan was similar to the last video message of terrorist Adil Ahmed Dar, who carried out the Pulwama attack of 2019.

No lessons learned: Priyanka Gandhi’s clueless rants before elections of 2019 and 2024

OpIndia Staff
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No lessons learned: Priyanka Gandhi’s clueless rants before elections of 2019 and 2024

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra appears to be falling short of words to campaign for her brother Rahul Gandhi against PM Modi. With bizarre statements, she is perhaps following in the footsteps of the Congress scion.

On Wednesday, 17th April, Priyanka questioned the BJP’s 400-plus slogan and said she wondered if “they have done something”.

“On what basis are they saying they will get 400, are they astrologers? Either they have done something beforehand and they know they will secure more than 400 seats. Otherwise, how can they say they will get 400 seats?” she said.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra went one step further to imply that elections in India are rigged. She said, “If today in this country, the elections are conducted in such a way in which there is no tampering of EVMs, then I can say with full confidence that they will not get more than 180 seats.”

The Congress leader was campaigning in Saharanpur for candidate Imran Masood. When asked to predict the number of seats INDI Alliance would get, her response lacked confidence. Priyanka said she was not an astrologer but that the block would get a “good number of seats”.

The Congress general secretary also attempted to raise an alarm about PM Modi’s statement in the ANI interview where he said that he has big plans for the country and no one needs to be scared about it.

Priyanka seems to have taken this statement personally. “Did anyone ask him why are leaders of BJP saying that they will change the Constitution? Why are only BJP leaders talking about changing Constitution? Where did this conversation start?” she said.

She also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is completely cut off from people and their issues. She added that Modi enjoys so much power that those around him are scared to tell him the truth. Not to mention that the Modi wave has only renewed, but even the opinion polls show that Modi is the popular choice.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, like her brother Rahul Gandhi, has time and again turned heads with her statements for all the wrong reasons.

In November 2023, during a public rally, Priyanka Gandhi while speaking about the Minimum Support Price (MSP) provided by the government to farmers, forgot the full form of MSP.

While the Congress party projects the Gandhis as the messiah of farmers, Priyanka Gandhi’s gaffe raised questions over the seriousness of the Congress leader regarding farmers’ issues given the significance of MSP in Indian agricultural policy.

On November 7, Priyanka Gandhi while addressing an election rally in Kurud, Chhattisgarh claimed that nobody knows what Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani make.

“Who is this Adani? What does Adani make for you? Can anyone tell me how many jobs Adani generates? We knew Tata made trucks, and also the things Birla makes. What does Adani and Ambani make? Can anyone tell how many labourers work for them? How many employment opportunities do they give? They don’t make anything for you,” Priyanka said.

In July 2023, Priyanka Gandhi claimed to ‘expose’ the Modi government’s scams. After claiming that the Modi government did scam after scam and was about to show a long list of scams by the BJP-led government she failed to show even a single list and embarrassed herself by saying that she couldn’t find the list.

Similarly, before the 2019 elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra admitted to having milked the ‘Gandhi’ as she stated in her first election rally that she had visited the Sabarmati Ashram for the first time then.

In her Gandhinagar speech, Priyanka Gandhi admitted that it was the first time she was visiting Gujarat, and also the first time she had visited Mahatma Gandhi’s Sabarmati Ashram.

While rallying in Uttar Pradesh in 2019, Priyanka embarrassed herself by offering a used garland on the statue of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

In a video shared by Union Minister Smriti Irani, Priyanka Gandhi was seen wearing two garlands. She then walked up to the statue of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and removed one of the two garlands she was wearing and offers it to Shastri’s statue without even realising that she had insulted Shastri Ji instead of respecting him by offering a used garland on his statue.

The Congress leader also made headlines for lying about the MGNREGA scheme to target the Modi government, attributing all of India’s successes to the Congress, and much more. While on Wednesday she was preaching to a large crowd of Muslim voters about Shri Ram, in 2019, reports claimed that the Jain community was left in the lurch and angry when she skipped a visit to a Jain temple in Saharanpur.

Brazil: Woman brings dead body of her uncle to bank and tries to make the corpse sign off on a loan

OpIndia Staff
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Brazil: Woman brings dead body of her uncle to bank and tries to make the corpse sign off on a loan

In a bizarre incident in Brazil, a woman wheeled a dead man, who she said was her uncle, to a bank to withdraw a $3,000+ loan. The woman has been detained by the local police. The footage of the woman in the bank in the South American country has gone viral on social media.The footage shows the woman at the counter of a Rio de Janeiro branch of Itau Bank, propping up the head of an elderly man in a wheelchair and trying to get his hand to clasp a pen and sign the papers for the loan.

According to the police, the woman was attempting to take out a loan of 17,000 reals, equivalent to $3,250. The loan had already been approved by the bank but still needed the elderly man’s signature.

The woman entered the bank pushing the dead man in a wheelchair. The dead man’s eyes were closed and his head was lolling wildly. The woman tried to control the dead man’s head and make him clasp the pen with which to make the signature on loan document. However, the man remained unresponsive, his arms remained limp, and his head kept falling back.

At the bank, the woman reportedly said, for the benefit of the bank employees, “Uncle Paulo, are you listening? You need to sign it. If you don’t sign it, there’s no way. I can’t sign it for you. It has to be you. What I can do, I do.”

She further said, “Sign it so you don’t give me any more headaches, having to go to the registry office. I can’t take it anymore.”

Following that, the employees at the Rio de Janeiro bank became suspicious, and called the emergency services. When emergency workers arrived, they determined that the man was dead, and has been dead for a few hours.

Following this discovery, Police for the precinct of Bangu, on Rio’s west side, booked the woman for attempted theft by fraud and defiling a cadaver. The police is currently investigating how the old man died.

Rio de Janeiro Civil police chief Fabio Luis Souza said that the bank employees decided to call paramedics following their suspicions, but when the paramedics arrived, they concluded that the man had been dead for a couple of hours, and must have been dead when he arrived at the bank.

Meanwhile, CNN has reported that the family’s lawyer disputed the account offered by police, and said that the old man arrived at the bank alive, and following the incident, the woman is completely shaken and medicated.

Jharkhand: Ram Navami procession in Bokaro attacked by Islamists, 12 injured in stone pelting

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Ram Navami procession in Bokaro attacked by Islamists, 12 injured in stone pelting

On Wednesday (17th April), a Hindu procession carried out on the occasion of Ram Navami was stopped by the Islamists in the Jalagaon region of Jharkhand’s Bokaro district as it passed by a Masjid. The Islamists are also said to have pelted stones at the Hindu participants resulting in severe injuries. As per the reports, the injured Hindus were taken to the hospital and a massive police force has been deployed at the location.

The incident reportedly happened at around 6:30 pm in the evening when the Hindu procession reached the local Shiv Mandir passing by the Masjid. When the procession reached close to the Masjid area, some of the Islamists stopped the procession and later pelted stones at the Hindu participants.

Chaos erupted at the spot and someone immediately called the police who reached the location with massive force. Around 12 persons from the Hindu community are believed to be injured. However, any further untoward incident was prevented given the police presence.

Meanwhile, a report by News18 claims that the Islamists also set a few vehicles on fire. However, no verification of this information has been obtained.

It is important to note that attacks on Hindu processions on the occasion of religious festivals have become a recurring issue in many states. Earlier in Ranchi, the police had inspected the locations from where the Ramnavami procession was scheduled to pass and had discovered stones placed at the terraces of the residential buildings.

The police had also issued warnings to the owners of the buildings saying that if any stone pelting happens, the owners of the properties would be held responsible.

Notably, in the year 2022, a similar incident happened in Jharkhand’s Lohardaga district where one person died and 12 people sustained injuries as violence broke out during a Ram Navami procession. As many as 10 bikes and a pick-up van were set on fire during the violence by the Islamists and it took district officials and the police at least an hour to bring the situation under control.

At present, massive police force and security personnel have been deployed at the spot as tension continues to prevail. Further investigation into the case is underway.

Nestlé adds sugar in infant food sold in India, avoids sugar in Europe and US: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Nestlé adds sugar in infant food sold in India, avoids sugar in Europe and US: Report

Nestlé, the world’s largest infant food company, adds sugar to infant milk in low and middle-income nations, but not in its markets in Europe and the UK. Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, and IBFAN (International Baby Food Action Network) tested samples of the company’s infant food items offered in Asia, Africa, and Latin America at a laboratory in Belgium. Cerelac baby cereals in India, with sales exceeding $250 million in 2022, contain approximately 3 grams of added sugar per serving.

According to a Public Eye investigation report titled: “Sugar: for Nestlé, not all babies are equal” published on Wednesday (17th April), Nestle’s Cerelac wheat-based cereals for six-month-old babies in Germany, France, and the UK contain no added sugar. However, the same product has over 5 grams per serving in Ethiopia and 6 grams in Thailand.

Not all babies are equal: No added sugar in European countries, sugar for low/middle-income countries

The report said that the highest amount of added sugar was found in a Nestlé product in the Philippines which contained 7.3 grams per serving. However, the same products were sold without added sugar in Switzerland and other European countries.

“Almost all the Cerelac infant cereals examined contain added sugar – nearly 4 grams per serving on average, equal to roughly a sugar cube – although they are targeted at babies from six months of age. The highest amount – 7.3 grams per serving – was detected in a product sold in the Philippines. Most of the Nido powdered-milk products for young children from one to three years old examined also contain added sugar – almost two grams per serving on average. The maximum value (5.3 grams) was detected in a product sold in Panama. In Switzerland and in Nestlé’s main European markets, such products are sold without added sugar,” the Public Eye report says.

The findings revealed that in India, all 15 Cerelac baby products contain an average of roughly 3 grams of sugar per serving. In addition to Nestlé’s alarming double standards, the Public Eye investigation says that the amount of added sugar is often not indicated in the nutritional information provided on the packaging of these products.

“In India, where sales surpassed $250 million in 2022, all Cerelac baby cereals contain added sugar, on average nearly 3 grams per serving. The same situation prevails in South Africa, the main market on the African continent, where all Cerelac baby cereals contain four grams or more of added sugar per serving. In Brazil, the world’s second-largest market, with sales of around $150 million in 2022, three-quarters of Cerelac baby cereals (known as Mucilon in the country) contain added sugar, on average 3 grams per serving,” the Public Eye report adds.

In Bangladesh, the added per serving (in grams) of Cerelac was found to be 3.3 grams. The added sugar level is stated on the packaging, but the associated risks are glossed over. In India and Pakistan, it was 2.7g, but no disclosure was found on the tested package from Nestlé. Nigeria has the highest concentration (6.8g), followed by Senegal and Vietnam.

While the company emphasises that its products are “without added sucrose,” they do contain sugar in the form of honey. However, the WHO classifies honey and sucrose as sugar that should not be added to baby food. They can cause weight gain or even obesity.

Nestlé’s double standard, a form of colonisation

Questioning Nestlé’s double standard, Karen Hofman, Professor of Public Health at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and a qualified paediatrician told Public Eye, “I do not understand why products for sale in South Africa should be different from those that are sold in high-income settings. It is a form of colonisation and should not be tolerated. There is no valid reason to add sugar to baby food anywhere.”

Meanwhile, a Nestlé India spokesperson stated that the company complies with all local and international standards and has already decreased added sugars across its infant cereal range by up to 30% in the past five years.

Bengaluru: Farhan, Sameer, and others assault Hindus for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, force them to chant Allah Hu Akbar, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: Farhan, Sameer, and others assault Hindus for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, force them to chant Allah Hu Akbar, arrested

On 17th November three Hindu men were hackled and assaulted in Bengaluru for raising “Jai Shri Ram” slogans. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. As per reports, three men travelling in a car holding a religious flag and chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans on the occasion of Shri Ram Navami, were assaulted by 2 men.

Two bike-borne Muslim men came and stopped the car in the Chikkabettahallu area. They objected to the Jai Shri Ram slogans and asked them to chant “Allah Hu Akbar” instead. FIR in the matter has been registered and the accused were apprehended by the police.

Initially, they had verbal argument but it turned into a physical altercation. Bikers and some locals reportedly assaulted the Hindu occupants of the car. One of the victims was hit with a stick on his head while the other victim sustained injuries on his nose.

An FIR in the matter has been registered against Syed Irfan, Sheikh Sahil, Farman and Sameer by Bengaluru Police under Sections 295A, 298, 143, 147, 504, 324, 326, 506 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

DCP Northeast, Bengaluru City, BM Laxmi Prasad, said, “The three youths were holding a flag and chanting Jai Shri Ram while travelling in the car. During that time, two youths blocked the car and questioned them for shouting these slogans, also demanding them to say Allah Hu Akbar. As these people got out of the car, those on the bike ran away to bring more youths to assault them. In that altercation, one person injured his nose.”

A copy of the FIR was shared by advocate and VHP activist Girish Bharadwaj. As per the FIR, victims Pawan, Binayak and Rahul were traveling on Chikkabettahalli road on 17th April when two Muslims approached them on bikes and abused them. They forced the victims to chant “Allah Hu Akbar”. The complainant and his friends were attacked with a stick. Rahul sustained injuries on the head while the complainant’s nose bone was broken.

Google fires 28 pro-Palestine employees involved in protest against $1.2 Billion Israel contract

OpIndia Staff
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Google fires 28 pro-Palestine employees involved in protest against $1.2 Billion Israel contract

Google has fired 28 employees after they were involved in protests against Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion joint contract with Amazon.com Inc. to provide the Israeli government with AI and cloud services. The employees had taken part in a sit-in protest at the tech giant’s offices in New York and Sunnyvale, California.

According to a New York Post report, the pro-Palestinian employees donning traditional Arab headscarves had stormed and occupied the office of a top executive in California on Tuesday, April 16. They were terminated late on Wednesday, April 17, after an internal investigation. The news of the firing was shared by Google vice president of global security, Chris Rackow, in a company-wide memo.

The protesters in New York office of the company had occupied the 10th floor of the building in Manhattan. There were protests in the Seattle offices of Google as well.

In the memo, Rackow reportedly wrote, “They took over office spaces, defaced our property, and physically impeded the work of other Googlers. Their behavior was unacceptable, extremely disruptive, and made co-workers feel threatened.”

“Behavior like this has no place in our workplace and we will not tolerate it. It clearly violates multiple policies that all employees must adhere to – including our code of conduct and policy on harassment, discrimination, retaliation, standards of conduct, and workplace concerns”, Rackow further wrote in the memo as per the New York Post.

The memo further read, “The overwhelming majority of our employees do the right thing. If you’re one of the few who are tempted to think we’re going to overlook conduct that violates our policies, think again.”

The protests were led by staffers affiliated with the ‘No Tech for Apartheid’ organisation which has been upset with Google’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. Some protesters in New York and California staged a nearly 10-hour sit-in at the offices, with others sharing the protest through a Twitch livestream. Nine of the protesters were arrested after the protest on trespassing charges.

The protesters are demanding that Google pull out of the $1.2 billion “Project Nimbus” contract, under which, Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services provide cloud-computing and artificial intelligence services for the Israeli government and military. They are saying that the technology could be used against Palestinians in Gaza.

UP: Stone-pelting on Hindu homes in Ghazipur, a shop vandalised; most attackers Muslim minors

राहुल पाण्डेय
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UP: Stone-pelting on Hindu homes in Ghazipur, a shop vandalised; most attackers Muslim minors

In Uttar Pradesh’s Gazipur district, some houses of Hindus have been attacked with stones. The accusation of stone-pelting is against 5 members of the Muslim community, against whom an FIR has been registered. On Friday (April 12, 2024), the police arrested 2 people in connection with the case. The complainant has alleged that the attack was a conspiracy to scare them away. The Bajrang Dal has accused some troublemakers from the Muslim community of not only harassing Hindu girls but also spitting on houses after chewing betel.

This incident is from the police station area of ​​Dildarnagar in Gazipur district. Shiv Vilas Gupta, who lives in Usiya village, filed a complaint stating that on April 5, 2024, two troublemakers pelted stones at his house. During this time, the CCTV camera installed in the house was also targeted. After this incident, on the night of April 9-10, some troublemakers started stoning Shiv Vilas’s house.

The victim mentioned that during the stone-pelting, he identified 5 accused from the Muslim community from CCTV footage. There is suspicion that some of them may be minors. The complaint alleges stone-pelting against 5 named individuals and 2 unknown ones. The victim has demanded strict action against the accused. All of them have been charged under sections 147, 352, and 427 of the IPC.

Not just me, many Hindu victims

Shiv Vilas told OpIndia that he runs a medical store and takes care of his family. He said that he is not alone in facing stone-pelting, but many Hindus in Usiya village are affected. According to Shiv, the village has almost an equal population of Hindus and Muslims. The victim does not know why his house was targeted. He claims that he has no previous dispute with the attackers.

Abhimanyu’s shop was also vandalized

The night Shiv Vilas Gupta’s house was attacked, Abhimanyu Chaurasia’s shop in Usiya village was also targeted. Abhimanyu Chaurasia complained to the police on April 11, 2024. Abhimanyu stated that on the night of April 9, his betel leaf stall was overturned. On the same night, several other Hindu homes were also damaged by the miscreants.

Loss during Muslim festivals

In his complaint, Abhimanyu claimed that harassing Hindus is a daily occurrence in Usiya village. According to Abhimanyu, Hindus often suffer losses during Muslim festivals. While describing the attackers as criminally minded, Abhimanyu has also named those against whom Shiv Vilas Gupta has lodged an FIR. OpIndia has a copy of the complaint.

Girls harassed, spit from betel

Shivam Chaube, co-coordinator of Bajrang Dal in Gazipur, spoke to OpIndia about this incident. He said that after the incident, they went to the village. Explaining the increasing trouble in the village due to the Muslim population, Shivam said that not only stone-pelting but often after chewing betel, houses of Hindus are spit on and sisters and daughters are also teased.

According to Shivam, the family members of the attackers are involved in illegal activities, which is why they have money. With this money, they support their crimes. OpIndia has video footage of the incident. In this footage, some people can be seen pelting stones. OpIndia called the SHO of Dildarnagar, but their official number was not reachable.

After talking to the station in-charge, the news will be updated. However, according to the information gathered by us, all accused named in the FIR are minors. They have been taken into custody by the police. However, after the necessary legal action, they have been granted bail. The investigation into the case is ongoing.

West Bengal: Ram Navami Shobha Yatra attacked with stones and bombs in Murshidabad days after Mamata Banerjee predicted riots on 17 April, 20 injured

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Ram Navami Shobha Yatra attacked with stones and bombs in Murshidabad days after Mamata Banerjee predicted riots on 17 April, 20 injured

While the nation is marking celebrations of Ram Navami, an attack on a Ramanavami Shobha Yatra has been reported from West Bengal’s Rejinagar in Murshidabad district. As per reports, the procession that started from Shaktipur School came under attack a few hours ago when miscreants started stone pelting which led to a tense situation in the region.

Not just stones, even bombs were hurled at the procession, injuring several devotees.

“At least 20 people have been injured in the incident. A woman who was severely injured has been admitted in the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital. The rest are getting treated in local hospitals,” a police officer was quoted by Indian Express.

Stones were reportedly hurled at the Shobha Yatra from the roof of a house.

Following the incident, CAPF and police personnel were rushed to the spot and the authorities maintain that they have brought the situation under control. 

Sharing a video of the attack on the Ramanavami procession in Rejinagar, BJP IT Cell Head Amit Malviya slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government for failing to protect the Shobha Yatra. 

Taking to X, he wrote, “Mamata Banerjee is a blot on West Bengal. She, once again, failed to protect Ramanavami Shobha Yatras. Hindu devotees targeted in Rejinagar, Murshidabad. Hindus are a minority in this area. Just pointing it out, so that she doesn’t blame the Hindus for the attack on themselves..”

In another tweet, he blamed TMC Supremo’s provocative speeches for the recent attack on Ramnavami processions in Murshidabad. He also demanded the Election Commission of India to take notice of the ‘targeted violence’ against Hindus. 

He stated, “Mamata Banerjee’s provocative communal speeches are responsible for the attack on the Ramnavami Shobha Yatra in Rejinagar, Murshidabad. High time @ECISVEEP took note of Bengal Chief Minister’s irresponsible utterances, which are leading to targeted violence against the Hindus.”

Several X users have also shared videos of the Murshidabad incident. In these viral videos, miscreants can be seen pelting stones from rooftops at passersby and the Hindu religious procession. 

Notably, Murshidabad has emerged as a major place for crude bomb-making ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Police have recovered such bombs in several places in the area. Yesterday, bombs hidden behind a wood mill in Rejinagar exploded due to intense heat, causing panic among people.

Earlier in the day, the Hindu Jagran Manch announced that it would take out 5,000 processions in West Bengal at ward or panchayat level in all the districts. The outfit, which is associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has also scheduled grand rallies in Barasat, Siliguri, and Kolkata’s Burrabazar.

Reports say that in Kolkata alone around 5000 police personnel have been deployed are nearly 60 Ram Navami processions are likely to be taken out. The Howrah Police have deployed drones to monitor sensitive areas in Kolkata and Howrah. Police will also video-record processions. Police in Howrah and West Midnapore have instructed liquor shops and bars to close.

Notably, incidents of violence were reported in Howrah on the 30th of March of last year and extended to two other districts, North Dinajpur and Hooghly. Ten people were injured during the clashes.

As reported earlier, the Calcutta High Court on Monday (15th April) granted permission to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Anjani Putra Sena to hold Ram Navami processions in Howrah on 17th April, subject to certain conditions. The state authorities sought to stop the procession and proposed an alternate route.

It is pertinent to note that tensions were high after TMC Supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had alleged that there could be rioting on 17th April in the state when Hindus were slated to mark celebrations of Ram Navami. So far, the incidents of violence against Ram Navami processions have reportedly come down this year. 

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