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Another Sandeshkhali in making? Villager in TMC’s Birbhum constituency says money for West Bengal govt schemes given only if wife looks ‘beautiful’

OpIndia Staff
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Another Sandeshkhali in making? Villager in TMC’s Birbhum constituency says money for West Bengal govt schemes given only if wife looks ‘beautiful’

Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, a villager told Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Satabdi Roy that the beneficiaries of West Bengal government schemes are chosen based on the ‘beauty’ of their wives.

The incident occurred on Saturday (6th April) in Rautara village in Birbhum district of West Bengal when the TMC MP had gone for her election campaign.

In a video that surfaced on social media, the man identified as Sheikh Saiful was heard saying, “Jar bou dekhta sundar se paba, jar bou dekhta sundar noi se pabe na. Amake boleche“

His statement’s loose translation goes as, “Only those people whose wives look beautiful will get the money from the government schemes. Those individuals who do not have beautiful wives will not receive any benefits. They had told me this clearly).

While speaking about the matter to ABP Ananda, BJP spokesperson Dhruba Saha lashed out at the Mamata-Banerjee government, “TMC is trying to deviate the mind of people from such real incidents. It is true that every village of West Bengal has now become Sandeshkhali.”

TMC downplays the statement of the villager

In the meantime, the Trinamool Congress has attempted to trivialise the testimony of villager Sheikh Saiful . Party leader Malay Mukherjee claimed, “Is it not possible to have a beautiful wife at home? Has it been said that those with ‘ugly wives’ will not get benefits from the government?”

“Both beautiful and ugly people will get money from government schemes. We need to see if the money is being misused. We cannot say with certainty that 100% good work has happened everywhere,” he brazened out.

The development comes months after Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his accomplices came under scanner over sexual violence against women in Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Unrest in Sandeshkhali

The unrest in Sandeshkhali village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal brought into focus the atrocities committed against women by former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides Shibu Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.

Multiple women have come forward to narrate instances of land grabbing, and sexual violence perpetrated against them by the trio. Forced by circumstances, they took matters into their own hands and gheraoed the police station.

The agitation led by women eventually led to the arrest of the 3 TMC goons. OpIndia had previously reported how the Trinamool Congress, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has left no stone unturned to trivialise the sexual violence committed against women in Sandeshkhali.

Besides Mamata Banerjee, TMC MLA Udayan Guha also attempted to downplay the sexual exploitation of women in Sandeshkhali as ‘eating pie (Pitha khaowa)’ and ‘mischief (Dushtami)’ on 29th February.

TMC spokesperson Jui Biswas also sought to deny sexual violence in Sandeshkhali by demanding ‘video footage of rapes’ as proof. Journalist’ Sagarika Ghose, who was recently rewarded with a Rajya Sabha seat by the TMC, also trivialised the raging unrest in Sandeshkhali village as a ‘local land dispute.’

TMC Minister Partha Bhowmick had earlier tried to dismiss accusations of sexual violence by women of Sandeshkhali village as ‘fake.’ On 10th March, the actress turned TMC candidate from Hooghly, Rachna Banerjee, was seen casting aspersions on the sexual violence faced by women in Sandeshkhali.

Recently, a video of Kolkata Mayor and Trinamool Congress MLA Firham Hakim doing whataboutery on the plight of women of Sandeshkhali village had surfaced on social media. While mocking the ordeal of women, he said, “Now, you know that one ‘khali’ is grabbing all headlines. What ‘Khali’? Ah, Sandeshkhali. It is everywhere.”

‘YSR Congress Party has turned Andhra Pradesh into the drugs capital of India, youth addicted to ganja’: Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan

ANI
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‘YSR Congress Party has turned Andhra Pradesh into the drugs capital of India, youth addicted to ganja’: Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan

Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has alleged that the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government has made Andhra Pradesh the “drug capital” of the country.

“The YSRCP regime went on to weaken youth power and make youth addicted to ganja. We will put an end to such a rule and drag this YSRCP government, which has turned the state into a drug capital, out of the state,” Kalyan said while addressing an election rally in Anakapalli on Sunday.

“My aim is to protect the state. I say, as the witness of Anakapalli Nukalamma mother (deity of Nookambika Ammavari Temple), that we will protect the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is said that any personality emerges when given power. It is only now that the people of the state have realised the meaning of giving power to this Chief Minister (YS Jagan Mohan Reddy),” he added.

He said that the Janasena Party wants the future of the state to be high and the coming generation to be better.

He said that the Janasena Party aligned with the BJP and TDP to ensure that anti-YSRCP votes should not be divided.

Speaking about the alliance parties’ candidates, he said, “Konatala Ramakrishna, Nadendla Manohar and Mandali Buddha Prasad should win and speak for the people in the Assembly. I strongly believe that the future of the state will be better if leaders who are fully aware of the people’s problems bring policies for the people in the assembly. Surely the leaders who have full political understanding and think for the people will stand for the betterment of Andhra Pradesh. I led the party with great commitment for a decade. It is not a big deal to get a ministerial position using the closeness with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. But I took a step forward to stand strong for the future of the people.”

Last month, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president YS Sharmila also alleged that the state has been turned into the “drug capital” of the country during the YSRCP government.

The Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra Pradesh are scheduled for May 13, with vote counting set for June 4.

Notably, the Andhra Pradesh Assembly consists of 175 seats and a party would need at least 88 seats to form a government.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP won with a majority of 102 seats. Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP won 67 seats. The BJP could only win four seats by contesting against the two regional heavyweights.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, the YSRCP won with a thumping majority of 151 seats, while the TDP was confined to 23 seats.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats in the country will be held in seven phases starting April 19. The counting of votes for the Lok Sabha as well as the assemblies will take place on June 4. 

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

‘We need not fall into their mouths again’: Maldives minister Mariyam Shiuna, who abused PM Modi, opposes taking help from India, posts fake poster

OpIndia Staff
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‘We need not fall into their mouths again’: Maldives minister Mariyam Shiuna, who abused PM Modi, opposes taking help from India, posts fake poster

Maldivian Minister Mariyam Shiuna, who previously made a derogatory post against India and PM Modi, has once again courted controversy. Despite the Maldives requesting help from India, and India extending a helping hand, the ruling party leader has come out to oppose accepting any assistance from India.

Notably, late at night on 6th April, the Maldivian Minister uploaded a post targeting the Maldivian opposition party MDP, and India’s ruling party BJP. The post, seeking support for the ruling Maldivian party PPM, mocks the Ashoka Chakra of the Indian National flag. The translated version of the tweet reads, “The MDP is heading towards the mouth. We need not fall into their mouth again.”

(Post by Maldivian Minister Mariyam Shiuna)

The post also included a morphed election campaign poster of the opposition party Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), replacing the image of a compass with an image of Ashoka Chakra. This has been seen as an insult to the Indian flag.

The image of the fake poster also included the symbols of BJP along with the symbol of MDP, accusing of collusion between the two parties. Notably, MDP has been highly critical of Mohamed Muizzu government’s anti-India policy.

However, later Mariyam Shiuna deleted the tweet.

Responding to the post, political commentator Mr. Sinha raised questions on the double-speak of the Maldivian ruling party led by the incumbent President Mohamed Muizzu. He asserted that the Indian government should confront the Maldivian President as on one hand they are requesting for India’s help. However, on the other hand, their Minister is opposing India’s help and abusing the Indian national flag. 

He wrote, “Translation of the tweet by Maldivian Minister: MDP is heading towards a big slip. The people of Maldives don’t want to fall and slip with them. She’s opposing Indian help & abusing our national flag… Dear @narendramodi @DrSJaishankar, you need to grill @MMuizzu. One side Muizzu requesting India for help & other side he’s allowing his ministers to abuse India..” 

Incidentally, machine translation of different languages often produces varied interpretations that convey the same underlying meaning.  

Pertinent to note that the diplomatic ties between both nations have been strained ever since President Muizzu, who led the ‘India-out’ campaign during elections, assumed power in November last year. Following his victory, he has been pressing India to completely pull out its troops from Maldives. However, the ties worsened after several Maldivian Ministers made derogatory posts against India and Indians. 

However, despite strained ties, India had recently permitted the export of essential commodities at the request of the Maldives government. Afterward, Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer thanked India for a “gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship”. Responding to his post, Indian FM Dr. S Jaishankar replied, “You are welcome, FM @MoosaZameer. India stands firmly committed to its Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies.”

But the latest controversial tweet by Maldivian Minister Mariyam Shiuna could end up in the redux of the last social media sparring between the two countries. 

How Maldivian Ministers’ post following PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit triggered diplomatic Row last time

After PM Modi visited Lakshadweep, political commentator Raushan Sinha shared PM Modi’s video ‘promoting tourism in Lakshadweep’. Mr. Sinha asserted that it is a “big setback to the new Chinese puppet govt of Maldives”.

The post irked Mariyam Shiuna, Maldives’ Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts. The Maldivian leader responded to Mr. Sinha’s post by calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “clown” and a “puppet of Israel”, which she later deleted. It is worth noting that PM Modi did not mention the Maldives anywhere in his tweets.

The Indian government had raised strong objections with the Maldivian government against the remarks made by Mariyam Shiuna. 

Shiuna, along with two more ruling party leaders in the Maldives, were later suspended. 

On their part, several Indians announced a boycott of their trip to Maldives. After the boycott trend in India, Maldives, whose economy depends on tourism, approached China urging Beijing to send more tourists to their nation. Following massive backlash from India and Maldives opposition parties, President Muizzu appealed to India to provide debt relief calling India their “closest ally”. 

In the form of permission to export essential commodities at the request of the Maldives government, India had helped the Maldives but the seeming thaw in diplomatic strain could suffer again because of controversial post by Maldivian Minister. 

“BJP will cause riots on 17th April”: Mamata Banerjee fearmongers about ‘riots’ ahead of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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“BJP will cause riots on 17th April”: Mamata Banerjee fearmongers about ‘riots’ ahead of Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal

On Sunday (7th April), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party will “riot” two days before the first phase of Lok Sabha voting on 19th April in the state. The TMC supremo further alleged that the BJP would “riot” by sending the National Investigation Agency (NIA). 

Notably, addressing a public rally in Purulia, Bengal CM Banerjee said, “Hold rallies and meetings but do not riot. It is they (BJP) who will riot. Voting is on 19 April and they will riot on 17 April.” 

Alleging that the saffron party will enter the state by sending NIA and rioting, she added, “Lord Ram does not tell you to riot but these people will riot and by rioting, they will get NIA to enter the state.” She had earlier downplayed the recent attack on the NIA team by raising questions about the timing of the raid in a blast probe case.

The TMC leaders have justified the violent attacks and hindrance in the bomb blast and other probes alleging that the NIA and other agencies are “political arms” of the BJP that want to frame TMC leaders and threaten them to join the BJP. According to the TMC leaders, the agencies’ probe against TMC leaders will “provoke riots” in the state and it has blamed the BJP for that eventuality.  

Notably, on 6th April, the NIA team along with other security forces visited the residence of a local TMC leader to investigate a 2022 blast case. But the officials soon came under attack from the supporters of the accused politician, who threw bricks and stones and damaged the windshield of vehicles. 

TMC Supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee tried to give a clean chit to attackers. She alleged that the NIA orchestrated the assault and raised questions about the timing of the raid. She further alleged that NIA officials intruded into the homes of women of Bhupatinagar village and committed atrocities on them, claiming that locals attacked the NIA team in retaliation. Following this, the West Bengal Police filed a case against NIA and CRPF officials under molestation charges which has been categorically rejected by the NIA, through its official press release.  

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had questioned the arrest of TMC leaders by the probe agency “right before the elections”.

Apart from leveling political allegations on the anti-terror probe agency, she had issued an “entire world” to fight against the BJP. 

The TMC supremo said, “Why did they raid at midnight? Did they have police permission? Locals reacted in the way they would have if any other stranger had visited the place at midnight. Why are they arresting people right before the elections? What does the BJP think, that they will arrest every booth agent? What right does the NIA have? They are doing all these to support the BJP. We call upon the entire world to fight against this BJP’s dirty politics.” 

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also threatened to “expose the BJP’s conspiracy” and their “nexus with the NIA”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi who hails from BJP, had lambasted Mamata Banerjee-led TMC for the recent attack on NIA officials stating that the ruling party in Bengal is “hell-bent on destroying law & order” in the state. 

Addressing a rally in Jalpaiguri, PM Modi revealed the TMC strategy stating, “TMC wants its corrupt leaders to get free license to commit crimes. So, when central investigations agencies arrive here, they attack and threaten the team. TMC is the govt which is hell-bent on destroying the law and order.” 

“The TMC is disregarding the law and the constitution of the country,” the prime minister added.

Backward classes commission issues notice to West Bengal govt after police didn’t respond on TMC leader Pijush Panda’s casteist comments against PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Backward classes commission issues notice to West Bengal govt after police didn’t respond on TMC leader Pijush Panda’s casteist comments against PM Modi

National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has issued a notice to the West Bengal government on Saturday in connection with objectionable remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Trinamool Congress leader Pijush Panda.

Earlier, the NCBC had issued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) of Bengal state calling for action against the TMC leader. But, after the body didn’t receive any response, it has issued a notice to the West Bengal government asking what action has been taken against the accused leader.

Pijush Panda had made “objectionable and casteist” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning how a person from Teli community, a backwards caste, can perform the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

TMC leader Pijush Panda had attacked PM Modi for inaugurating Ram Mandir despite being an OBC from Teli caste, saying only Brahmins can do so. He also suggested that OBCs like PM Modi should do the job of polishing shoes, saying that with a ‘Teli’ inaugurating Ram Mandir, Brahmins like himself will need to polish shoes.

He had said, “Narendra Modi is arrogant. He is the son of a Teli (the community from which PM Modi hails). How can he inaugurate the Ram Mandir and offer Puja and a Brahmin is not even invited? Then what is the use of the sacred thread of the Brahmins? I am going to send my sacred thread to the Prime Minister’s office. I will polish shoes at the Contai Central Bus stand instead.”

Taking immediate cognizance of this, the National Commission for Backward Classes on 2nd April issued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) of Bengal state asking him to take action.

“National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has found that TMC leader Pijush Panda used objectionable and casteist remarks against PM Modi. Taking the matter seriously, Hansraj Gangaram Aahir, President of the Commission, takes cognizance of the matter and orders a probe into it. The commission seeks a report within 24 hours regarding action taken against him,” read the letter written by the commission to the police chief.

However, the commission didn’t receive any response from the police on the matter. As a result, the National Commission for Backward Classes sent a notice to the West Bengal administration on Saturday. And information has been sought regarding what action has been taken against Pijush Panda in this regard.

Talking about the notices sent to the West Bengal police and the state govt, NCBC Chairman Hansraj Ahir said, “We received a complaint from some of the MP and BJP leaders there (West Bengal) and we immediately sent a notice to the DGP West Bengal asking what action you have taken on this and if he has not yet responded to our office. Yesterday we issued a notice to those people who have made such indecent statements by a person named Panda regarding caste and have disregarded the post of Prime Minister…It is an insult to the OBC…Many people in the OBC category were hurt by such comments and complaints were received. So we sent a notice, yesterday also we have sent a notice, we have sent it to the DM.”

NCBC Chairman Hansraj Ahir said that the body has not received any response on both these notices, adding that another reminder notice will be sent to the TMC-led government on Monday. Ahir said that if the local administration does not take cognizance even after multiple notices and disregards the Commission, then the NCBC will take “strict action” using its constitutional powers.

He hoped that the Bengal administration will not force the commission to take further steps using its legal powers.

NIA refutes allegations after West Bengal Police booked its officials on ‘molestation charges’, team was attacked by a mob while arresting 2 TMC leaders

Paurush Gupta
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NIA refutes allegations after West Bengal Police booked its officials on ‘molestation charges’, team was attacked by a mob while arresting 2 TMC leaders

Earlier in the day (on 7th April 2024), the East Midnapore Police filed an FIR against NIA and CRPF officials on charges of ‘molestation’, a day after the team was attacked by a mob while it was en route to Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district to probe a blast case. The NIA has now released a press statement categorically refuting the allegations terming the entire controversy as “unfortunate”. The anti-terror probe agency asserted that the attack on its team by an unruly mob was completely “unprovoked”.

Notably, the NIA team along with other security forces had visited the residence of a local TMC leader to investigate a 2022 blast case. But the officials soon came under attack from the supporters of the accused politician, who threw bricks and stones and damaged the windshield of vehicles. 

However, TMC Supremo and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had downplayed the attack and tried to give a clean chit to attackers. She alleged that the NIA orchestrated the assault and raised questions about the timing of the raid. She further alleged that NIA officials intruded into the homes of women of Bhupatinagar village and committed atrocities on them, claiming that locals attacked the NIA team in retaliation. Following this, the West Bengal Police filed a case against NIA and CRPF officials under molestation charges which now have been categorically rejected by the NIA, through its official press release.  

In its official press release, the NIA categorically denied any mala fide in its recent actions in West Bengal’s Bhoopatinagar area. It also refuted the allegations of unlawful actions leveled against it and dismissed the entire controversy as unfortunate.

In the statement, NIA made it clear that its actions were bona fide, lawful, and legally mandated, as part of its ongoing investigation into the heinous crime related to the fabrication of crude bombs. The explosion had killed three persons in Neruabila village, PS Bhoopatinagar, district Purba Medinipur in West Bengal. 

Regarding the timeline and details of the case, the press release noted that the bomb blast incident had taken place in December 2022 and NIA had taken over the investigation in the case (re-registered by NIA as RC 16/2023/NIA/DLI) on 6th June 2023 on the directions of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court, it added.

Regarding the Saturday attack on NIA and CRPF officials, NIA reiterated that its team had come under violent attack by an unruly mob when they had gone to conduct searches in Naruabila village on Saturday in connection with its probe in the said case. 

The agency stated that the attack was completely unprovoked and uncalled for, and an attempt to obstruct NIA from carrying out its lawful duties. It pointed out that the searches were conducted at five locations in the presence of independent witnesses, and under the security cover provided by CRPF, which included lady constables. The arrests were made after following all lawful procedures, it added.

Further in the press release, the NIA re-stated that an aggressive crowd had assaulted the NIA personnel who were taking arrested accused Manobrata Jana to the local police station for completing legal formalities. One NIA official sustained injuries and an official vehicle of NIA was also damaged in the attack. NIA has already filed a complaint at the area police station seeking legal action against the assailants.

The NIA highlighted that on Saturday it had arrested two accused Manobrata Jana and Bailicharan Maity, for their involvement in the crude bomb explosion case. The duo had failed to appear before the agency despite repeated summons to join the investigation. 

The agency had then, accordingly, filed an application before the Special NIA Court, Kolkata, which, after perusing the case records, had issued an order on 3rd April 2024, stating that it found the allegations to be of very serious nature, NIA added.

According to the press release, the special court had also observed that the agency was “at liberty to proceed with the investigation as expeditiously as possible, and to take all necessary action with regard to arrest, search, and seizure of the houses of the suspects/accused persons, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Criminal Code of Procedure, NIA Act and UA(P)A so far applicable for a proper and thorough investigation.” 

Following the Special Court’s order, NIA had, on Saturday, conducted the searches, which culminated in the arrest of the two accused, who were found to be involved in the case, the press release concluded. 

The said blast case pertains to an explosion that took place in Bhupatinagar on 3rd December 2022 and killed 3 people in the process. The deceased included the local booth President of TMC, Rajkumar Manna, his brother Debkumar Manna, and a man named Biswajit Gayen.

Uttar Pradesh: Young man recording video of burning cylinder dies after its explosion, several others injured, shops and bikes destroyed

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Young man recording video of burning cylinder dies after its explosion, several others injured, shops and bikes destroyed

On the evening of 6th April, a fire broke out in a dhaba (restaurant) built from thatch and polythene on Nadiha Road in Uttaripura village in Bilhaur police station area in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The flames also engulfed another shop located nearby. A gas cylinder kept inside the shop also caught fire.

Meanwhile, some youngsters started making videos and reels instead of extinguishing the fire. During this suddenly the cylinder exploded and led to the death of one 19-year-old individual named Nikhil Rathore, and two others were injured. Three bikes and two shops were also destroyed in the blast.

Nikhil’s body was penetrated by a fragment of the cylinder and he passed away immediately. The wounded are being treated at the hospital. Those in the vicinity raced to the location as soon as they heard the explosion. The fire department was also notified by the people. The police arrived there and sent the injured to the hospital with the help of local people and the deceased was transported for postmortem. It took the fire department a long time to contain the fire.

According to the information received, there is a liquor store in the Uttaripura area surrounded by many meat, fish and egg shops. Three gas cylinders that were kept inside the dhaba caught fire at the same time and two of them exploded. Nikhil and another 18-year-old young man named Aman Chotelal who was there with his father Tulai started recording the occurrence only from a distance of 50 to 100 metres. However, the cylinder exploded due to the intense heat, killing Nikhil. The father and son also suffered grave injuries.

The injured have been admitted to the hospital. Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Tiwari and police station in-charge Keshav Kumar Tiwari reached the spot on receiving the information of the incident. Bharatiya Janata Party leader and MLA Rahul Bachcha Sonkar also visited there and assured all possible assistance to the victim’s family.

Both the shopkeepers absconded from there after the instance. According to Inspector Keshav Kumar Tiwari, the injured were taken to the Community Health Centre (CHC) and after initial treatment, they were referred to Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ajay Kumar Trivedi, Chief Fire Officer Deepak Sharma and Village Pradhan Abhijit Singh also showed up at the spot after learning of the tragic event.

Israel-Hamas war: IDF withdraws all ground troops, except one brigade, from Southern Gaza hours before peace talks

OpIndia Staff
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Israel-Hamas war: IDF withdraws all ground troops, except one brigade, from Southern Gaza hours before peace talks

On Sunday (7th April), an Israel Defence Force (IDF) Spokesperson said that the Israeli military has withdrawn all ground troops, except one brigade, from the southern Gaza Strip. However, the military didn’t give further details including the number of soldiers involved.

The IDF also announced that it has concluded the active invasion stage of the war for now. However, the announcement left room for the possibility of a future new invasion of Rafah in deep southern Gaza, Jerusalem Post reported.

According to reports, the IDF believes that raids based on new intelligence, like the operation at Shifa Hospital and others in northern Gaza, are a more effective way to operate against Hamas terrorists.

According to the Jerusalem Post, at one point, the IDF had five divisions, between 30,000 and 40,000 ground forces, deep into Gaza. It had even larger forces circling the Strip. Following the reduction, the IDF has withdrawn all of Division 98 from Khan Yunis in southern Gaza while maintaining one plus brigades – the Nahal brigade and portions of Brigade 401 – in northern and central Gaza.

From December onwards, Division 98 has been neutralising Hamas terrorists in and around Khan Yunis. Jerusalem Post reported that a major reason for keeping Division 98 in Khan Yunis was to achieve concessions from Hamas in the hostage exchange negotiations.

The complete troop withdrawal, except for one brigade, comes six months after the start of the Israeli ground offensive in retaliation to the 7th October terror attack by Hamas. 

Notably, the Israeli military has been significantly reducing the number of troops in Gaza since mid-January when the IDF declared it had achieved operational control of northern Gaza. The continued troop withdrawal is aimed at relieving reservists and easing the diplomatic pressure from its Western ally, particularly the United States which had been pressing on Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Further, the decision came less than two days after Israel opened the Erez Crossing and Ashdod port for humanitarian aid. Reportedly, the move followed US threats of cutting weapons support after Israel had repeatedly refused these requests from the Biden administration for months.

As per Israeli media, this comes amidst reports that Egypt is preparing to host a new round of talks to reach a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas leadership. 

However, it is still unclear whether the conclusion of an active invasion in Southern Gaza would delay or avert a long-threatened incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Israeli leaders have asserted that it is needed to eliminate the Islamist Hamas movement ruling the Palestinian enclave. 

Nonetheless, hours before troops were pulled out from the Gaza Strip, the IDF revealed that the troops of the Commando Brigade located a 900-meter-long tunnel in the al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis. The IDF added that, inside the tunnel, the troops found rooms where Hamas terrorists would reside, along with a large cache of weapons. 

The IDF further stated that the tunnel was later demolished by combat engineers and next to one of the tunnel entrances, a gunman was also killed.

Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war began exactly six months earlier on 7th October 2023 when Hamas terrorists, in a shock attack, invaded Southern Israel from land, sea, and air to kill over 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped over 254 Israeli and foreign nationals which prompted Israel to launch a retaliatory ground action after weeks of aerial bombardment on the Palestinian enclave. 

Delhi: 21-year-old man stabbed to death by two juveniles for refusing to give matchbox to light cigarettes

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: 21-year-old man stabbed to death by two juveniles for refusing to give matchbox to light cigarettes

In a tragic incident in Delhi’s Timarpur area, 21-year-old man Anshul Bhati was stabbed to death by two juveniles on Saturday after a heated argument broke out over a trivial matter of refusing to give a matchbox to light a cigarette.

According to the officials, a PCR call was received on Saturday at the Timarpur police station regarding a stabbing incident. When the police team reached the spot, Anshul Bhati was found in critical condition and rushed to Hindu Rao Hospital. Tragically, he was declared dead upon arrival by the doctors.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) M K Meena said, “On reaching the spot, a police team found that there was a pool of blood inside of an autorickshaw and around it”. He added that the crime scene was inspected, the statement of an eyewitness was recorded, and CCTV footages of the area were scanned.

Investigations led by the Crime and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams, in collaboration with the police, uncovered crucial evidence, including the identification of two juveniles in CCTV footage. This led to the arrest of the two suspects, identified as Criminals with Previous Records (CCLs), within 12 hours of the incident. Police also recovered a knife, believed to be used in the crime.

“On the basis of CCTV footage and local intelligence, two CCLs have been apprehended,” DCP North Manoj Meena stated. “A knife used in the commission of the offence has been recovered,” he added.

During interrogation, the two juveniles revealed that one of them had asked Anshul Bhati for a matchbox to light cigarettes, but he refused to do so, leading to a verbal spat. The verbal fight soon escalated and one of them attacked the victim with a knife. The duo then fled the spot.

Both suspects have been remanded to police custody and are currently under investigation.

Further revelations from the ongoing investigation indicated that one of the suspects had previously been implicated in a murder case in Timarpur the previous year.

Election Commission busts fake claim about mismatch between votes polled and counted in EVMs in 2019 polls, appeals to ‘verify before amplification’

OpIndia Staff
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Election Commission busts fake claim about mismatch between votes polled and counted in EVMs in 2019 polls, appeals to ‘verify before amplification’

In a series of tweets on Sunday (7th April 2024), the Election Commission of India (ECI) debunked fake news alleging that the total votes counted by EVM in several Parliamentary constituencies during the 2019 General Elections exceeded the total votes polled. The ECI shared a link to a document detailing important statistics from previous elections, including the polling data from the 2019 General Elections (Lok Sabha).

The poll body clarified that the claims are false and that the alleged letter, purportedly from the poll body, is itself fake. The fake letter aimed at spreading baseless allegations of EVM hacking which has been repeatedly rejected by ECI and honorable courts.  

Responding to a post by a parody account named Ravish Kumar Parody, the Election Commission listed the fake claims and the reality of it. In the post, the parody account had shared a video of a YouTube channel named Mulniwasi Dastak in which a man named Waman Mesharam alleged that there was a mismatch in polling data (counted votes were more than the total votes polled) in around 373 Parliamentary constituencies out of total 542 Lok Sabha seats. The presenter specifically cited Varanasi alleging that in 2019, the EVM counted 12 lakh 87 thousand votes whereas the total votes polled were 11 lakh. 

Highlighting the first false claim made in the video, the ECI wrote, “False Claim 1: false claim is made in a video regarding mismatch of electors & votes polled in #EVM in VaranasiPC during #GE2019.” 

Busting the fake claim, the post added, “Reality: claim is misleading& fake. Total Electors in VaranasiPC were 18,56,791. Total votes polled & counted in EVM-10,58,744 & postal votes-2085.”

Likewise, the post continued, “False Claim 2: A false claim is being made quoting ECI letter that mismatch between total electors & votes polled in EVM were found in 373 PCs in #GE2019.. Reality: claim is misleading, #fake & baseless. There is no such communication issued by #ECI. There was no mismatch.” 

The poll body also attached a link to check Parliamentary constituency-wise details of electors and votes polled. PDF file of the same is included later in the article. 

After busting the fake news, ECI issued an appeal to verify things before propagating them and used the hashtag, “#VerifyBeforeYouAmplify”, an ongoing awareness campaign of the polling body to fight misinformation and fake news. 

However, the particular excerpt from the YouTube channel is not the single case where it made fake claims about EVM hacking. The channel has shared several videos alleging wrongdoings in EVM, EVM “scam” and how the voting machine (EVM) can be hacked in some DIY format videos.  

It is pertinent to note the Supreme Court had rejected multiple pleas challenging the voting by EVM or alleging other malpractices through the voting machine noting that they found these allegations to be ‘baseless’. In March this year, while disposing of two pleas related to EVM and polling, Justice Khanna observed that more than 10 cases have been examined on various issues related to the functioning of EVMs by the court time and again.

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