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Officer injured, vehicle damaged: NIA issues statement after mob attacked its team in West Bengal while arresting 2 TMC leaders in blast case

OpIndia Staff
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Officer injured, vehicle damaged: NIA issues statement after mob attacked its team in West Bengal while arresting 2 TMC leaders in blast case

In the East Medinipur district of Bengal, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team conducting a raid related to a 2022 bomb blast case was assaulted on Saturday (6th April). An officer from the anti-terror agency sustained injuries during the attack in the Bhupatinagar locality in the East Medinipur district. The team’s vehicle was vandalised by a sudden mob, leading to the breaking of its windscreen. The NIA arrested two key conspirators of the blast case during this raid. Notably, both the arrested accused are from West Bengal’s ruling party TMC.

In a video of the incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added.

After the incident, a statement in this regard has been issued by the agency from its X handle. In this statement, the agency said, “In a breakthrough in West Bengal’s Bhupatinagar blast case, in which three persons were killed in December 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested two key conspirators amid stiff resistance from an unruly crowd in the state’s East Medinipore district.”

It added, “The duo, Balai Charan Maity and Manobrata Jana, were arrested after extensive searches at five locations, including the house of Jana, where a crowd of local residents tried to obstruct the NIA team. One NIA team member suffered a minor injury and the agency’s official vehicle was also damaged as some miscreants in the crowd assaulted them.”

Giving more details about the attack, the NIA said in its statement, “The aggressive crowd tried to stop the NIA team and its security component from moving towards Bhupatinagar police station to complete the arrest formalities. NIA has complained to the local police station in this regard. Manobrata Jana, and the other arrested accused, identified as Balai Charan Maity, were found to have conspired to manufacture and explode crude bombs to spread terror.”

Detailing the bomb blast incident under probe, the NIA said in its statement, “Three persons were killed in the December 2022 explosion in the house of one Rajkumar Manna in village Naruabilla, District East Medinipur, West Bengal. Manna himself was seriously in the blast, along with two others, Biswajit Gayen and Buddhadeb Manna. All three succumbed to their injuries later.”

The agency added, “The State police initially registered an FIR on 3rd December 2022 against the three men killed in the explosion but the provisions of the Explosive Substances Act were not applied. Subsequently, a writ petition was filed before the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta with a prayer for invoking the relevant sections of the Act and transferring the case to NIA. NIA took over the case on 4th June 2023, as per the High Court order dated 21st March 2023, and re-registered it as RC 16/2023/NIA/DLI under various sections of the law, including the Explosive Substances Act.”

The anti-terror probe agency further said, “During the investigation, NIA uncovered the role of several other accused in the case, including the arrested accused, Manobrata Jana of village Naruabila, and Balai Charan Maity of Ninaruya Analberia. The two men had actively participated in the conspiracy to make crude bombs and had extended support for the same, NIA had found in its probe, which led to today’s searches and arrests. The arrested accused will be produced before the Special NIA Court, Kolkata, as per law, Investigations in the case are continuing.”

NIA officials detained two local TMC leaders, known as Manobrata Jana and Balai Charan Maity, in connection with the bomb blast case. While returning to Kolkata, the vehicle transporting them came under attack. A senior police official said, “Locals gheraoed the vehicle and pelted stones at it. The NIA has said one of its officers was also injured. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also lodged a police complaint in this regard.”

The NIA had summoned eight Trinamool Congress leaders to present themselves before its officers on Saturday for questioning regarding a blast that occurred in Bhupatinagar, East Medinipur district of West Bengal, in 2022. These leaders had previously ignored summonses directing them to visit the NIA office in Kolkata’s New Town on 28th March.

On 3rd December 2022, an explosion destroyed a makeshift house with a thatched roof in Bhupatinagar, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh accused the opposition BJP of orchestrating the NIA’s actions. West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari posted on X to denounce the assault on the NIA officials, stating that the law and order situation in West Bengal has completely deteriorated.

He posted, “The NIA Team, probing the Bhupatinagar Bomb Blast Case has come under attack at Bhupatinagar in the Bhagabanpur Assembly Constituency, of Purba Medinipur District. The Law and Order structure of West Bengal has crumbled completely and since the control is right now with the Election Commission of India, it’s high time that the Election Commission of India should take proper action against the Officer in Charge of Bhupatinagar Police Station, SDPO Contai, SP of Purba Medinipur District and the DG of WB Police.”

He added, “It is due to Mamata Banerjee’s repeated instigation that even after the ED Officials were attacked at Sandeshkhali, the TMC Leaders could still dare to attack the NIA Officers. She recently spoke ill about the NIA at the political event at Mathabhanga, in the Cooch Behar district. The NIA team went to apprehend Balai Maity and others who didn’t cooperate after receiving the summons. Instead, these TMC Leaders were busy planning how to attack the National Investigation Agency Officers.”

BJP leader Locket Chatterjee condemned the assault in Midnapore on Saturday. Describing it as “outrageous,” the BJP candidate from West Bengal’s Hooghly stated, “This blatant disregard for law and order is unacceptable.”

Punjab: 55-year-old woman assaulted, paraded semi-naked by daughter-in-law’s family; were angry over their daughter’s love marriage

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: 55-year-old woman assaulted, paraded semi-naked by daughter-in-law’s family; were angry over their daughter’s love marriage

A shocking incident has surfaced from Valtoha village in Punjab’s Tarn Taran where a 55-year-old woman was paraded in a semi-nude state by the family of her daughter-in-law on 31st March because they were enraged over the girl’s love marriage. The accused filmed her as she was paraded in the streets of the hamlet. They also snatched the clothes she picked in a futile attempt to cover herself. The victim tried to protect herself from the humiliation and hid in shops. Afterwards, they released entire the recording to social media.

The authorities didn’t file a case against the offenders earlier and were forced to do so after the footage gained traction online. Valtoha police station submitted a case against three named and two anonymous individuals. Raj Lali Gill, the chairperson of the Punjab Women Commission, announced that she has spoken with senior officers and strict action will be taken in the matter.

The woman who is a resident of Jeevan Nagar stated in her complaint that her son Akashdeep Singh had married Ramandeep Kaur, their neighbour Baldev Singh’s daughter in court. The two had left home on 24th February and tied the knot on 9th March. On 31st March the girl’s brothers and mother, Sharanjit Singh also known as Sunny, Gurcharan Singh, Kulwinder Kaur alias Mani, and two other unidentified people arrived outside their house and started shouting.

When she emerged from the house after hearing the commotion, these people tore her clothes and exposed half of her body. The girl’s brother grabbed the old lady by her hair and beat her. They assaulted her and also wanted to rip her salwar (lowers) but she somehow prevented it from happening after which they started making a video of her as she ran in the streets. She further complained that they didn’t even let her take chunni (stoll). She took shelter in stores as the accused followed and filmed her. She then moved inside a shop and the shopkeeper objected due to which the filming was eventually halted.

Meanwhile, she screamed for help after which her husband and others gathered and rescued her. The female stated that she went to the police and made a complaint on the night of 31st March, however, the cops didn’t take action against the culprits even after filing a report. They were still at their place when she returned to her house. On 1st April, she informed that the accused were at home and the police should apprehend them but to no avail and in fact the case was filed on 4th April under sections 354, 354-B, 354-D, 323, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code.

However, Station House Officer Sunita Rani claimed that the woman came to record a complaint on 2nd April and wanted to settle the issue with the offenders rather than initiating legal action against them. Police only launched a case after she gave her statement. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Preet Inder Singh of Bhikhiwind, based on the woman’s testimony, a case has been lodged under various sections against Sharanjit Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Kulwinder Kaur, residents of Valtoha and two unknown persons. Raids are being conducted to arrest them as they are absconding.

Furthermore, the Punjab Commission for Women has taken cognisance of the shameful occurrence in Tarn Taran and has sought a report on the action taken by the police regarding the matter.

Haryana: AAP requests permission to hold campaign rally, election commission officials reject it with abusive comment, 5 employees suspended

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: AAP requests permission to hold campaign rally, election commission officials reject it with abusive comment, 5 employees suspended

In Kaithal, Haryana, the Aam Aadmi Party had sought permission from the Election Commission to hold two programs for election campaigning. But both the applications were rejected with lewd abuse written in the comments. After the matter came to light, 5 employees working for he election commission have been suspended. AAP has said that this is a shameful incident.

AAP’s Shubham Rana had sought permission for meetings and for the use of loudspeakers. In addition to Chandna Gate of Kaithak, permission was sought for meetings and loudspeakers in ward number 9-10 and Siwan. It was reported that the program will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday (7th April).

However, the permission for the campaign events were denied. Moreover, in place of the reason of the rejection, the official wrote abusive words in the official letter, triggering outrage.

One comment reads – ‘Koni Dende’. This is in the Haryanvi language, which means – I will not give. However, the second comment contains abuse addressing the mother of the applicant. The party has objected to the comments made by the local office of the Election Commission officer while not allowing these meetings.

Five personnel working with the Haryana election commission have been suspended after the matter came to light, including one junior engineer and four computer operators.

OpIndia reached out to Shubham Rana to get more information in this regard. He said, “This incident is real. This permission was sought for meetings in villages. In this case, 5 people of the local election commission office have also been suspended. They are all computer operators. The local election commission official also did not rule out the possibility of a computer hack.”

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Assistant Election Officer) has directed the police to investigate the matter.

Aam Aadmi Party’s Kurukshetra Lok Sabha candidate Sushil Gupta released a video saying that BJP people are now sitting in the Election Commission’s office, who are rejecting permission to AAP to hold meetings and abusing their families. He said, “The people of the country are seeing how the Bharatiya Janata Party is making fun of democracy by killing it. The people of India will definitely answer this in the coming Lok Sabha elections.”

He added, “Strict action should be taken against administrative officers who do not respect the code of conduct. In a democracy, it is the job of the Election Commission to ensure fair elections. Time and again, such incidents are coming to light which shows that the Election Commission is failing to play its role.”

The Haryana unit of the Aam Aadmi Party posted, “Election Commission has become a puppet of BJP in Haryana. Permission for two events on 7 April was sought by AAP. The first one was rejected and then ‘Koni Dende’ (won’t allow) was written. The second permission was also rejected and obscene abuses against the mother were written. Can’t there be fair elections in this country? Nothing can be more shameful than the language used by the Election Commission. The people of the country will not tolerate this kind of mischief.”

Aam Aadmi Party posted, “Shameful!! Has the Election Commission recruited BJP trolls in its offices? When the AAP candidate asked permission from the Election Commission for the program So the Election Commission, abusing the AAP candidate in writing, refused to permit the event The Election Commission should tell the country that it is not responsible towards all the parties of the country; it has become only a political wing of the BJP.”

Haryana will go to polls on 25th May. Sushil Gupta himself is contesting from Kurukshetra. He is fighting the election against the BJP candidate former chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. AAP state vice president Anurag Danda has termed it a dark chapter in democratic history. Sushil Gupta demanded strict action against the administrative officials for not following the code of conduct.

‘You bloody fool’, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate goes on an abusive rant against Shehzad Poonawalla in a live TV debate

OpIndia Staff
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‘You bloody fool’, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate goes on an abusive rant against Shehzad Poonawalla in a live TV debate

On Friday (5th April), Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate went on an abusive rant against BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla in a live TV debate on News18. Shrinate called him a ‘bloody fool’ and an ‘intemperate young boy’. The debate hosted by anchor Zakka Jacob was about Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s remarks on The Guardian’s report accusing India of multiple killings outside India. Rajnath Singh had said in an interview with CNN-News 18 that ‘if a terrorist escapes from India, we will go outside to kill him’.

During this debate, Shehzad Poonawalla said that Supriya Shrinate had misnamed the Director General of Military Operations in Northern Command. He attempted to correct her with the information as to who was on that post in 2020 and who is heading it now in 2024. In response to this, Supriya Shrinate lost her cool and called Shehzad Poonawalla a ‘bloody fool’. This is seen at 31:12 in the video embedded below.

Shehzad Poonawalla took it to X and posted about the incident from his handle. He wrote, “Today Supriya Shrinate crossed all limits & abused me not once but twice on national TV. “Bloody Fool”, “intemperate young boy,” said the GAALIBAAZ who did not spare Kangana Ranaut and the people of Mandi (to date she has not identified the culprit).”

He added, “My crime: I exposed her lies on air on Rameshwaram cafe blast & the fact that she got the name of Northern Army Commander wrong in her haste! She had no answers on Karnataka HM’s statement on Pulwama too.”

He further wrote in his post, “See the video where she says the wrong name of the Northern Army Commander not once but twice (( I then go on to trap her on the point but she is too dumb to understand it and says the wrong name again so much for facts))”

Shehzad Poonawalla also mentioned how Supriya Shrinate abused him in the past in a similar fashion. He wrote, “This is not the first time she has abused me. She called me Goon on Rajdeep Sardesai’s show. She called me more names on other shows. She even insulted my aged mother once. Do we need more proof about who posted that post on Kangana Ranaut? Will ECI act on her now?”

Supriya Shrinate recently insulted Kangana Ranaut

Notably, Kangana Ranaut was at the receiving end of a particularly nasty online attack after Congress leaders and supporters targeted her with sexual innuendos and abuses following the announcement of her candidature from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in Himachal Pradesh.

In a post on Instagram which has now been deleted, Congress National Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate asked, “Kya bhav chal raha hai Mandi me koi batayega? (Will someone tell me what the rate system in Mandi is?)” with a particularly racy picture of Kangana Ranaut.

Supriya Shrinate’s post against Kangana Ranaut. Image Source: Screenshot of post on Supriya Shrinate’s Instagram handle

Later, Supriya Shrinate went into a defensive mode as she posted a video blaming one of her ‘team members’ for her sexist post against actor Kangana Ranaut. “Many people have access to my Facebook and Instagram accounts. One of these people had posted a very disgusting and objectionable post today,” Ms Shrinate said in a 1-minute 29-second long video posted by her on X.

Now she has abused another BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla on a live TV show. Referring to the way she insulted Kangana Ranaut and later blamed it on her staff, Shehzad Poonawalla reshared the snippet of Supriya Shrinate calling him a Bloody fool and wrote in the caption of the post, “Do we need more proof on who posted that disgusting post on Kangana Ranaut from Supriya Shrinate’s account? The true face of a GAALIBAAZ!”

Bricks pelted on cars, windshield broken, officials gheraoed: NIA team comes under attack from supporters of TMC leader in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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Bricks pelted on cars, windshield broken, officials gheraoed: NIA team comes under attack from supporters of TMC leader in West Bengal

In a rerun of the attack on a raiding team of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) at Sandeshkhali in the North 24 Parganas district, some officers of the elite National Investigation Agency (NIA) were attacked by supporters of a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader on Saturday (6th April).

The incident took place in Bhupatinagar in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. As per reports, the NIA team had visited the residence of a local TMC leader to investigate in connection with a 2022 blast case.

However, the officials soon came under attack from the supporters of the accused politician, who threw bricks and stones and damaged the windshield of vehicles.

An NIA officer sustained injuries during the unprovoked attack. The central investigation agency had reportedly arrested two people in connection to the 2022 blast case. It has now filed a complaint with the local police over the attack by supporters of the local TMC leader.

In a video of the incident that was widely shared on social media, locals were purportedly seen gathering around a vehicle, trying to stop the NIA team from taking the suspect along with them. The villagers also pelted the vehicle with stones, sources added.

The 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.

As was widely reported earlier, a team of ED officers were surrounded, heckled and attacked by protesters in Sandeshkhali while raiding the residence of expelled and jailed TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and another ruling party leader in connection with an alleged food scam.

(With inputs from ANI)

Ties to Jamaat-e-Islami and ISI, support for Tablian and more: Meet Pinaki Bhattacharya, a neo-convert to Islam spearheading the ‘India Out’ campaign in Bangladesh

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
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Ties to Jamaat-e-Islami and ISI, support for Tablian and more: Meet Pinaki Bhattacharya, a neo-convert to Islam spearheading the ‘India Out’ campaign in Bangladesh

Pinaki Bhattacharya, a man who left Hindu dharma and embraced Islam – being influenced by Tablighi Jamaat – fled Bangladesh when law enforcement agencies began investigation into allegations of producing counterfeit medicines, including Chinese sex tablets and Yaba, a drug containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine – sought asylum in France and began vile propaganda against Hindus and Bharat through YouTube channel and social media platforms.

His activities are patronized and funded by Jamaat-e-Islami as well as Al Qaeda-connected ultra-Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). In the recent weeks, Pinaki began massive propaganda in favour of ‘India Out’ movement and has been giving anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat instigation to the viewers of his YouTube channel as well as followers on his social media accounts.

He also runs propaganda against the United States, Israel, Britain, European Union and secularist forces. Pinaki Bhattachraya has also been supportive of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir as well as other parts of India. He has been one of the defenders of Afghan Taliban.

Pinaki Bhattacharya was born in 1967 in Jaleshory Tola under Bogra district of Bangladesh. His father’s name is Shaymol Bhattacharya, who was a school teacher at Bagra Zila School. Pinaki is the eldest son of Shaymol Bhattacharya, and his mother’s name is Shukrity Bhattacharya. He has a brother named Avro Bhattacharya and a sister named Lopa Mudra Bhattacharya. From 1985 to 1992, Pinaki attended Rajshahi Medical College.

His father, Shyamal Bhattacharya, a respected school teacher, writer, and drama actor, was deeply disheartened by his son’s religious conversion. Their relationship soured to the point where Shyamal, in a fit of anger, disowned Pinaki, cutting off all communication. Pinaki, graduated from Rajshahi Medical College in 1992, an institution with a reputation for being associated with Jamaat-e-Islami activities.

Upon learning of Pinaki’s affiliations with Pakistani spy agency Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) and his ties to Islamists, jihadists, and terrorists, his wife, also a physician, distanced herself from him.

In France, Pinaki holds two occupations: he operates an illegal hawala business and manages social media accounts, including a YouTube channel with nearly two million subscribers. The majority of his YouTube audience comprises semi-educated and uneducated individuals from Bangladesh and West Bengal, along with significant viewership from Bangladeshi labourers in various countries such as Malaysia and the Middle East.

In one of his recent videos, which drew almost one million views Pinaki prominently promoted a video from a Pakistani YouTube channel called ‘The Blank Page Official’, which claimed that “India has activated powerful assets to counter Bangladesh’s India Out campaign”.

According to reports from Indian media outlets, Pinaki Bhattacharya is described as an extremist who holds anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat sentiments. He frequently publishes content that defames Hindu dharma and goes to the extent of derogatorily labeling every Hindu as “bastards”. Similarly, he targets Bangladeshi citizens and media outlets that oppose the “India Out” activities.

According to a Bharatiya website, a self-proclaimed activist Pinaki Bhattacharya is anti-Hindu and anti-India extremist. He has been regularly publishing contents defaming Hindu religion.

It said, Pinaki became popular amongst radical Muslims and anti-India and anti-Hindu bloc in Bangladesh for his jihadist and anti-India publications. He persuaded Bangladeshi Muslims to wage jihad against the Hindus and join jihadist forces in Jammu and Kashmir in India.

Tensions escalate in Middle East: Israel and US prepare for a potential attack by Iran as it vows to retaliate following attack on its Damascus consulate

OpIndia Staff
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Tensions escalate in Middle East: Israel and US prepare for a potential attack by Iran as it vows to retaliate following attack on its Damascus consulate

The United States is on high alert and actively readying itself for a potentially “significant” attack from Iran, which could occur as early as within the next week. This threat from Iran could target either Israeli or American assets in the region. The heightened preparation follows the Israeli strike in Damascus on Monday (1st April), which resulted in the death of senior Iranian commanders. Iran-supported terrorist organisation Hezbollah has also asked Israel to be ready for the war.

A senior administration official in the US said that an attack by Iran is “inevitable”. According to reports, the USA and Israel are vigorously striving to prepare themselves in anticipation of the forthcoming events, as they foresee that Iran’s potential attack could manifest in various forms. They acknowledge that both US and Israeli assets, as well as personnel, are vulnerable to being targeted. The US official said, “As of Friday, the two governments did not know when or how Iran planned to strike back.”

Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, wrote on X, “In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warns US leadership not to get dragged in Netanyahu’s trap for the US: Stay away so you won’t get hurt. In response, the US asked Iran not to target American facilities.”

A direct attack by Iran on Israel is one of the worst-case possibilities that the Biden administration is preparing for since it would ensure a quick escalation of an already volatile situation in the Middle East. Such an attack may escalate the Israel-Hamas confrontation into a larger regional conflict. The Islamic Republic has stated that it is going to give a “slap” to Israel, its old adversary. However, it is unknown when this could occur or whether Iran will attempt to strike Israel directly or through Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Monday strike targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, killing at least seven Iranians. While Israel has routinely targeted Iran-linked assets in Syria in recent months, this was the first strike on an Iranian diplomatic building. Since then, Israel has been on high alert, cancelling combat troops’ leave, mobilising reserves, and strengthening its air defenses. On Thursday, its military jumbled navigational signals above Tel Aviv in an attempt to disable GPS-navigated drones or missiles aimed towards the nation.

US President Joe Biden discussed the threat from Iran in a phone call on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has confirmed that seven Iranian military advisers were killed in the strike, including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Quds Force, an elite overseas espionage and paramilitary wing. Iran has stated that it keeps the right “to take a decisive response.”

Another Indian student dies in US, total incidents of unnatural death reach 10 since the beginning of 2024

ANI
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Another Indian student dies in US, total incidents of unnatural death reach 10 since the beginning of 2024

An Indian student has died in the US state of Ohio, and the police investigation is underway, said the Indian Consulate in New York on Friday. The cause of death, however, is not known as of yet.

“Deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Mr. Uma Satya Sai Gadde, an Indian student in Cleveland, Ohio,” the Indian Consulate in New York wrote in a post on X.

The Consulate said that all possible assistance has been provided to the family of the deceased student, including transporting his mortal remains to India at the earliest.

“Police investigation is underway. @IndiainNewYork continues to remain in touch with the family in India. All possible assistance is being extended, including to transport Mr. Uma Gadde’s mortal remains to India at the earliest,” the Consulate wrote.

The incident takes place at a time when the deaths of Indian-origin students in the US are on the rise.

Previously in March, a 25-year-old Indian student had gone missing from the Cleveland area of the US, following which his family urged the External Affairs Ministry to find their son after receiving a “ransom call.”

Mohammed Abdul Arafat, a native of Hyderabad, went to the US for his masters in IT from Cleveland University in May 2023 but has been missing since March 7, 2024.

His father, Mohd Saleem, said that after ten days, they received a phone call where the person was saying that their son (Abdul Arafat) had been kidnapped and asked for a USD 1200 ransom.

Not long ago, in a distressing incident, an Indian student faced a brutal attack in Chicago in February this year.

Following the attack, the Indian Consulate in Chicago stated that it was in touch with the victim, Syed Mazahir Ali, as well as his wife in India. The Indian mission assured all possible assistance to Ali, who hails from Hyderabad, and his family.

Videos on social media that surfaced showed Ali bleeding heavily as he described the horrific incident.

Meanwhile, on January 30, Neel Acharya, a student at Purdue University, was found dead after being missing for days, according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner.

Similarly, on January 29, another Indian student, identified as Vivek Saini, was brutally killed with repeated blows from a hammer by a homeless man inside a store in Lithonia, Georgia, US.

A video of the incident went viral on social media, but the date of the incident can’t be confirmed.

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

India permits the export of essential commodities at the request of the Maldives government

OpIndia Staff
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India permits the export of essential commodities at the request of the Maldives government

Amid the India-Maldives dispute, India has agreed to export specific quantities of essential commodities for the 2024-25 period, as requested by the Maldivian government. The High Commission of India in the Maldives announced on Thursday via X that the quotas for these items have been increased.

“In response to the Maldives government’s request, India has authorised the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the 2024-25 period through a unique bilateral mechanism. The quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards,” the announcement stated.

Significantly, these approved quantities mark the highest since the inception of this arrangement in 1981.

The quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial for the thriving construction sector in the Maldives, has been raised by 25 per cent to 1,000,000 metric tonnes.

Additionally, there is a 5 per cent increase in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour, and dal (pulses).

Furthermore, even last year, India continued to export rice, sugar, and onions to the Maldives despite a global ban on these items’ exports from India.

“The Indian High Commission in the Maldives affirmed India’s unwavering commitment to supporting human-centric development in the Maldives, in line with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” stated the official communication.

It’s worth noting that relations between India and the Maldives have faced strains since Muizzu took office, as he criticised New Delhi during and after the presidential elections.

In March, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu reportedly requested debt relief measures from New Delhi, while also emphasising that India remains the Maldives’ “closest ally.”

He clarified that he has not taken any actions or made statements that could strain the relationship between the two countries.

During an interview with local media outlet ‘Mihaaru’, President Muizzu expressed hope that India would consider accommodating debt relief measures for the Maldives in repaying the substantial loans taken from India over successive governments, as reported by Adhadhu.

“The circumstances we have inherited include very large loans from India. Therefore, we are in discussions to seek flexibility in the repayment terms of these loans. Rather than halting any ongoing projects, we aim to proceed with them swiftly. Hence, I don’t foresee any negative impacts on Maldives-India relations,” he stated.

‘In Indian tradition, you refer to grandfather’s brother as grandfather’ – Bhagat Singh’s grandson tears apart opposition leaders questioning his relationship to the freedom fighter

Anurag
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‘In Indian tradition, you refer to grandfather’s brother as grandfather’ – Bhagat Singh’s grandson tears apart opposition leaders questioning his relationship to the freedom fighter

On 5th April, opposition leaders and propagandists questioned Yadvinder Sandhu about how he could call himself Bhagat Singh’s grandson when the latter was unmarried. Sandhu, the grandson of freedom fighter’s younger brother, released a video slamming the Aam Aadmi Party for using Arvind Kejriwal’s fake image in jail alongside freedom fighters that irked the opposition leaders. Speaking to OpIndia, Yadvinder Sandhu questioned if any leaders, including Kejriwal, currently have the structure to compare themselves to freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh or Dr BR Ambedkar.

When asked about the accusations on how he could call himself Bhagat Singh’s grandson when the latter was unmarried, he said, “We are part of Indian traditions and customs where we refer to our grandfather’s brother as a grandfather. You tell me, if your grandfather had a brother, what would you call him? Grandfather, right? Bhagat Singh Ji was my grandfather’s real brother. He was Bhagat Singh’s younger brother. I was told, as per Indian customs, that my grandfather’s brother is my grandfather. So I call him my grandfather.”

He added every Indian is a descendant of Singh. He said, “I am not the only descendant of Bhagat Singh. Everyone in this country is his descendant. You are talking to me; you are also his descendant. His real descendant is the one who does something good for the country.”

“I am lucky to belong to his bloodline. Like you said, people are questioning how I can call him my grandfather. I can call him that if there is another name for the relationship that they prefer. But for me, my grandfather’s brother is my grandfather.”

When asked about his views on the freedom fighter’s name being used for political gains, he said, “If you listen to my previous statement, I did not single out Kejriwal Ji. I said it to every politician. The level of politics that we are seeing in India today has become personal. There was a time when politics meant doing something for the welfare of the people. But the way politics function in our country, I said no politician can compare himself to Bhagat Singh. It does not look good. [My] video that came out on Kejriwal was symbolic. Any politician in today’s time who compares himself to Bhagat Singh or Dr Ambedkar is wrong.”

Bhagat Singh’s grandson criticised AAP

Earlier, Sandhu released a video message criticising AAP for placing a fake image of ‘jailed Kejriwal’ alongside freedom fighters. He said, “I watched a video of Sunita Kejriwal that caused us immense distress and displeasure because it attempted to equate Arvind Kejriwal to the two great leaders, Bhagat Singh and BR Amdebdar by placing his portrait next to theirs. We believe it was inappropriate. All I want to say is that it was wrong for the Aam Aadmi Party to do such a thing. Moreover, no politician should ever draw comparisons between themselves and BR Ambedkar or Bhagat Singh. Keep the politics to yourself only and there is no problem with it.”

He further mentioned, “However, avoid comparing oneself with such prominent individuals. All we can do is endeavour to tread their path. Responses are coming in from throughout India. The comparison of Arvind Kejriwal with Bhagat Singh and BR Amdebdar has infuriated a lot of their followers. It was unacceptable to the people. I’ll caution the Aam Aadmi Party not to repeat it in the future.”

Opposition leaders questioned how Yadvinder Sandhu called Bhagat Singh ‘grandfather’

After Sandhu’s video statement, several opposition leaders questioned how Sandhu called Bhagat Singh grandfather when the latter was unmarried. TMC MP Saket Gokhale wrote, ““Grandson of Shaheed Bhagat Singh?” Bhagat Singh never married, so how on earth is this person being presented as his “grandson?”

Source: X

Congress’s Kerala Media and Communication in-charge Lavanya Ballal Jain wrote, “Shaheed Bhagat Singh never married. So how is this person his grandson?”

Source: X

An X user Man Aman Singh Chhina said, “Grandson? Bhagat Singh was a bachelor. How can relations be manufactured like this? The exact relation should be stated.”

Joydas wrote, “Bhagat Singh Never Married, did not have any Children. But Media is reporting about his “Grandson” taking offence about usage of Bhagat Singh’s Photographs. To begin with, the so called Grandson doesn’t have any say about whose photo can be next to Bhagat Singh.”

AAP compared Arvind Kejriwal to Bhagat Singh

Since Kejriwal’s arrest, his wife Sunita has been making frequent appearances before the public to garner sympathy for her scam-tainted husband. As part of her latest shenanigans, Sunita Kejriwal shared a video in which a fake image of Arvind Kejriwal ‘behind bars’ has been added along with the portraits of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar in what appears to be the CM’s home office.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on 21st March by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy scam after he had ignored nine summons issued to him by the agency.

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