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Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Five agencies along with BRO and Army continue rescue operations, here is what each of them has been assigned

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Five agencies along with BRO and Army continue rescue operations, here is what each of them has been assigned

Continuing their unwavering commitment to saving lives, the government is actively engaged in ongoing rescue operations at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers remain trapped. The 2 km section of the tunnel, with completed concrete work ensuring the safety of the workers, is the focus of the rescue efforts.

Various government agencies are working tirelessly on each assigned specific tasks to ensure the safe evacuation of the workers. National and International experts are present at site to advice on the rescue operation. The government maintains constant communication to boost the morale of those trapped.

Key Updates on Rescue Operations:

  1. NHIDCL Lifeline Efforts:
  • Freshly cooked food and fresh fruits are being inserted inside the tunnel at regular intervals using the 2nd life line (150 mm dia.) service.
  • Sufficient fruits like orange, Apple, Banana etc., along with medicines and salts has also been supplied in this lifeline in regular interval. Additional Dry Food are also being supplied for future stock.
  • Modified communication system with wire connectivity developed by SDRF is being used for communication regularly. People inside have reported that they are safe.

2. Horizontal Boring by NHIDCL

  • Auger drilling started at 0045 Hrs on 22.11.2023 was halted due to metallic object (Lattice girder rib) being encountered in front of the pipe and the pipe could not be inserted further. Cutting of Metallic object (Lattice Girder rib) using Gas cutters has been completed. Pushing of 9th pipe reached an additional 1.8 meter distance. Minor vibration was noted, so Auger was pushed slightly back to re-assess the force to be applied. Obstructions were observed.
  • A bend part of forepole (pipe) from tunnel lining was struck in the auger assembly which led to vibrations.
  • Strengthening of platform for auger machine using accelerating agent for rapid hardening of concrete completed followed by anchoring and bolting of the platform.
  • Pushing of 10th Pipe( 4.7 m length) started at 1625 hrs on 24.11.2023 and a length of 2.2 m was inserted upto 1750 hrs on 24.11.2023 resulting In total inserted length of 46.9 m.
  • During pushing of 10th pipe, further obstruction was observed and pushing of pipe had to stop. Thereafter, pulling back of auger was initiated. 15 m length of Auger came out initially by pulling and thereafter the auger joints got broken and facing difficulties for pulling of auger in one go due to probable hard stuck of auger.
  • Thereafter manual cutting of auger in small pieces by gas cutting and taking out of the same from inside the pipe (800 mm) is adopted.
  • DRDO Team from Hyderabad with Plasma Cutter has arrived at site. Cutting of Auger with Plasma cutter started at 0400 hrs on 26.11.2023 which had to be stopped due to operational difficulties at site and cutting using Gas cutters resumed at 0710 hrs on 26.11.2023. At the time of reporting, 33.80 m length of Auger has been pulled out.
  • Erection of False Ribs (@ 500 mm c/c) from face of tunnel towards Tunnel exit on Silkyara side to protect the Operational area started at 1950 hrs on 25.11.023. Total 6 number of Rib erection completed.

3. Vertical Drilling (1 m dia) for Rescue by SJVNL:

  • Drilling Machineries arrived at site.
  • Platform for launching of drilling machine has been completed.
  • Marking of drilling point over the tunnel has been finalized at Ch. 300 L/S after discussion with GSI, RVNL & ONGC.
  • Main machine reached at Drilling site. Drilling rig of machine transported from tunnel portal to drilling site. Drilling started at 1205 hrs  on 26.11.2023.

4. Horizontal Drilling from Barkot Side by THDCL:

  • THDC has initiated the construction of a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end.
  • Fifth blast taken at 0225 hrs at 26.11.2023.
  • Total executed length of drift is 10.6m. Fabrication work of 13 number of ribs has been completed.

5. Perpendicular-Horizontal Drilling by RVNL:

  • Equipments for micro tunneling required for horizontal drilling to rescue labourers has reached site from Nashik and Delhi.
  • The work of making platform is under progress.

6. Vertical Drilling (8 inches dia) by RVNL at Silkyara end:

  • Access road of 1150 meter has been completed by BRO and handed over to RVNL. Machine for drilling towed to location by BRO.
  • Electric Connection has been provided to RVNL.
  • Platform for vertical drilling has been completed.
  • Drilling started at 0400 hours on 26.11.2023 and 40 meter completed.

7. Vertical Drilling (24 inches dia) Toward Barkot End by ONGC

  • ONGC drilling team visited the site on 20.11.2023.
  • Air Drilling Rig from Indore has reached site.
  • All the associated material of Air Hammer Drilling Rig mobilized by ONGC are in standby at Rishikesh as the road and location for placement of Rig for drilling are being prepared by BRO.
  • For assisting in cutting the Auger blades and Shaft, ONGC has arranged a Magna Cutter Machine. Team with machinery reached the site at 1000 hours on 26.11.2023.

8. Drift Tunnel by Manual-Semi Mechanized Method by Joint Team of THDCL /Army/Coal India and NHIDCL:

  • Drift design completed (1.2m X 1.5m sections)
  • Material available at site.
  • Fabrication started on 21.11.2023 by Army welders.
  • 22 numbers of frames have been fabricated.

9. Road Cutting and Supportive Work by BRO:

  • BRO has completed construction of approach road for vertical drilling by SJVNL and RVNL.
  • BRO is also building approach road for ONGC with geological surveys conducted by ONGC. 1050 meters of approach road has been constructed so far out of 5000 meters.

Background:

On 12th November 2023, a collapse occurred in the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side. Immediate mobilization of resources by the State and Central Governments ensued to rescue the 41 trapped labours.

Initially opting for a 900 mm pipe through the debris, safety concerns led to the exploration of multiple rescue options simultaneously. The area of entrapment, measuring 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometres in length, is the built-up portion of the tunnel, offering safety to the labours  with available electricity and water supply.

Five agencies—ONGC, SJVNL, RVNL, NHIDCL, and THDCL—have been assigned specific responsibilities, working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.

Note: The timelines provided are subject to change due to technical glitches, the challenging Himalayan terrain, and unforeseen emergencies.

— PIB Release

Police seal interstate borders to stop a repeat of the Delhi farmer protests amid 3-day farmer protest called by SKM in Chandigarh

OpIndia Staff
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Police seal interstate borders to stop a repeat of the Delhi farmer protests amid 3-day farmer protest called by SKM in Chandigarh

Farmers from all across Punjab and Haryana have begun to gather in large numbers to participate in a three-day protest in Chandigarh. The call for protest was issued earlier by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) to push for ‘pending demands’ on the third anniversary of the anti-farm law protest. 

(Farmers gathering in Chandigarh for a three-day protest, Video courtesy – The Tribune)

The three-day protest began on Sunday and thousands of farmers from Punjab and Haryana are expected to reach Chandigarh. As per India Today report, hundreds of tractor trolleys have lined up on the roads leading to Chandigarh, a move that resembles a Singhu-Tikri border gathering near Delhi in 2020.

To avoid any untoward incident and repeat of protracted Delhi-like anti-farm law protests, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Haryana police have barricaded interstate borders. The police authorities are taking steps to prevent farmers from entering Chandigarh. Around 2,000 police personnel were slated to be deployed at entry and exit points of the city on Sunday.

According to media reports, the farmers are expected to gather at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali. Subsequently, on Monday (27th November), the protesting farmers may attempt to march toward Chandigarh.

The SKM which is an umbrella organisation of over two dozen farmer unions has prepared a demand charter for submission to the Governor and Chief Minister of Punjab. Speaking with India Today, the Farmer leaders said that the demands that were “agreed to” at the time of the withdrawal of the three farm laws have not been fulfilled. 

The farmers have been pressing the government to ensure a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP) in line with the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission report. Their demands also include extending MSP to various crops, withdrawing charges against protesting farmers, addressing concerns related to burning paddy, and providing a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for farmers aged 60 and above. 

Meanwhile, Five farmers’ associations have also extended support to SKM’s call for a three-day protest in Chandigarh, from November 26 to 28.

AAP teachers’ wing member Anand Prakash accuses BJP of orchestrating the Pulwama terror attack, police complaint filed in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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AAP teachers’ wing member Anand Prakash accuses BJP of orchestrating the Pulwama terror attack, police complaint filed in Delhi

On 26th November (Sunday), a BJYM official filed a Police Complaint against Anand Prakash, a member of the OBC Commission of the Delhi government and a part of AAP’s teacher wing, after he accused BJP of orchestrating the Pulwama terror attack. The complaint states that Prakash hurt the sentiments of the general public and defamed the Union government by ‘deliberately’ spreading disinformation about the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack. 

Anand Prakash shared a Tweet on X on 26th November 2023 in which he accused the Modi government of carrying out the Pulwama attack to win the Lok Sabha 2019 elections. The complaint also includes the contents and link of the said post.  

Professor Anand Prakash’s post read, “भाजपा ने क्या किया नौ सालो मे? पुलवामा अटैक खुद करवा कर चुनाव जीता देश के जवानों को मार कर”. (Translation – What has the Modi government done in last nine years? It carried out Pulwama attack on its own and won elections after killing Indian soldiers)

The attached link of the post – (https://x.com/anand11_aap/status/17286427231444951337s=46&t=SCkxui6amC3nFgiXIVCDzg)

(The Purported post by member of OBC Commission of Delhi government accusing Modi government of staging false flag operation in Pulwama to secure Lok Sabha 2019 election victory)

However, following the police complaint, he deleted his Twitter account (@anand11_aap), therefore the tweet doesn’t exist. 

Notably, Anand Prakash is an Assistant Professor at Rajdhani College, University Of Delhi. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is also a Member of the OBC Commission of the Government Of NCT of Delhi.

He is also a member of the Aam Aadmi Party, and his Instagram account ID is Anand11_AAP. He is a part of the Academics for Action and Development Teachers’ Association (AADTA), the teachers’ wing of the Aam Aadmi Party.

(Image Source – Professor Anand Prakash’s Linkedin Profile)
(His Twitter account doesn’t exist now)

The Police complaint has been filed at the Moti Nagar Police Station by the National Executive Member of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Abhimanyu Tyagi. 

Regarding the alleged defamatory post, the complaint states, “This post come when the country is mourning over the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and paying homage to the soldier, police officers and other soldiers martyred concerned security and the citizens who were killed in the 26/11 terrorist attack…” 

It added, “..the post of the Accused where he is defaming our country and alleging that the ruling government led by Bharatiya Janata Party had pre-planned the Pulawama attack and killed the soldiers of our country for the sake of winning elections.”

Abhimanyu Tyagi filed the complaint after BJP leader Tajinder Bagga asked him to do so. “He is Assistant Professor in Rajdhani college and blaming India for Pulwama terrorist attack. @Abhiemanyu ji pls go to local police station and file FIR against him,” Bagga had tweeted.

According to the complaint, the post was shared to target the ruling government to dishearten and discourage the soldiers which can be exploited by the enemy countries to plan a war against our nation.

The complaint argued that such an irresponsible statement and post were made by the accused deliberately to invoke and provoke riots in Delhi and other parts of the country by using such disparaging and deprecatory words. 

The complaint further reads, “That Posting such an irresponsible statement by the Accused is deliberate and intentional attempt to invoke and provoke the riots in Delhi and other parts of the country by using such disparaging and deprecatory words by an Assistant Professor who is supposed to be a prudent man and have more responsibility compared to others as he is a teacher and the future of so many students is in the hand of him. It can be very well understood that if he can post such statement than what he must be teaching in his classes.”

The said defamatory post by Professor Anand Prakash is an offence in the Indian Penal Code, 1860 as well as the Information Technology Act, 2000, the complaint added. Subsequently, the complainant demanded that a thorough investigation should be initiated and an FIR be registered against the accused. As per the complaint, prima facia “defamatory post against the BJP-led ruling Government can be a tool to instigate riots”.

Pulwama terror attack

On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to Srinagar via National Highway 44 came under a suicide bombing attack in Pulwama. 22-year-old Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist from Kakapora in Jammu and Kashmir, rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus carrying the CRPF personnel. 40 of our jawans were martyred in that cowardly terror attack.

The terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. They also posted a video of the Islamic terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar, who had joined the outfit a year before. In an official statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that Pakistan was responsible for assisting terrorist attacks and that JeM founder Maulana Masood Azhar had been “given the freedom to target India.”

However, the ghastly terror attack was not spared by certain opposition leaders and political parties who tried to give a clean chit to Pakistan and the terrorists involved.

The opposition leaders tried to pin the blame on Narendra Modi instead and tried to spin conspiracy theories around the attack. The anti-Modi sentiment and the fear of getting wiped out from the political spectrum ahead of the 2019 general elections were so deep-rooted in the opposition leaders that they went on to accuse Modi of executing this brutal attack for BJP’s political gains. Many of them also questioned the role of the armed forces during this attack. Others questioned the air strike by the Indian Air Force in Balakot after this attack.

Strikingly, on 21st July this year, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also tried to pass off the 2019 Pulwama terror attack as a ‘staged incident’ at her Martyr’s Day rally at Esplanade in Kolkata.

In her speech, Banerjee claimed, “I will tell the students and the youth that the BJP is planning to pull off staged events such as Pulwama (terror attack).” 

“They are planning to create fake, staged videos like in movies. They will stage dramas, shoot videos, and defame Bengal. This is their conspiracy,” she brazened it out.

Watch: ‘AICC Ka Neta Bol Raha Hai’ – Congress President abuses party supporters in Telangana, asks them to shut up or leave

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: ‘AICC Ka Neta Bol Raha Hai’ – Congress President abuses party supporters in Telangana, asks them to shut up or leave

On 26th November, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge got angry at his own party supporters during a public meeting in Kalwakurthy, Telangana. During his address at the political rally for the upcoming Telangana Elections, Kharge got angry at the supporters because they were saying something and asked them to leave if they did not want to listen to him.

In the live stream of the video, it can be seen that when Kharge was addressing the rally in Hindi which was being translated to Telugu by a party leader, some people in the audience were raising their hands and chanting some slogans, which were not audible. Kharge got angry with this and asked them to shut up or leave the venue.

He said, “Hey keep quiet! If you want to listen, stay, otherwise get out. Don’t talk [like] that. Don’t you realise, the person speaking at this meeting is a leader of the All India Congress Committee? And you are saying whatever you like. If you are willing to listen, then listen, otherwise go to your place.”

Sharing the clip, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell chief Amit Malviya said, “This is not unusual. Kharge ji, despite being the Congress President, is humiliated in all his public meetings. He helplessly screams and shouts at his workers, who don’t give him the requisite respect. The Gandhis have reduced him to a rubber-stamp President. His photos had either disappeared or reduced to stamp size in all Rajasthan ads, for instance, whereas Rahul Gandhi and Gehlot’s pictures were displayed dominantly. Is the Congress insulting Mr Kharge because he is a Dalit?”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has a long history of association with controversies. In August this year, despite being chief of the second largest political party in the Lok Sabha, Kharge decided not to attend the Independence Day ceremony. The seat designated for him remained vacant at the function. In May 2023, a complaint was filed against Kharge for bringing up President Droupadi Murmu’s caste ahead of the new Parliament building. In April 2023, Kharge called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “poisonous snake” ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections. Earlier in November 2022, he compared PM Modi with demon king Raavan during an election rally.

Telangana Assembly Elections

The voting for Telangana Assembly Elections is scheduled for 30th November 2023 to elect all 199 members. The result will be announced on 3rd December 2023 with four other states which are Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Madhya Pradesh.

Ghaziabad: Tailor Shahid Hussain kills his wife by stabbing her in the neck with scissors for refusing to give money to eat chicken fries

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad: Tailor Shahid Hussain kills his wife by stabbing her in the neck with scissors for refusing to give money to eat chicken fries

Shahid Hussain – a tailor in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh – killed his wife by stabbing her neck with scissors. The reason for the murder is said to be not giving money to eat chicken fries. Police have arrested Shahid Hussain and sent him to jail. The matter is being investigated and further legal action is underway. The incident took place on Saturday (25th November).

According to Ghaziabad police, this case is from the Loni police station area. Here, 50-year-old Shahid Hussain (son of Makdoom Hussain) lives near 100-feet Road in Prem Nagar. He is a tailor by profession and runs his business from his own house. For this, he has installed sewing 3 machines in the house. Shahid’s daughters also help in their father’s work.

Shahid had borrowed Rs 600 from his wife Noor Bano to buy yarn etc for his shop. On Saturday, Shahid received an order from a customer to sew some clothes. Shahid had taken Rs 2,000 in advance from the customer who ordered pyjamas and repaid his wife’s loan of Rs 600.

After a while, when Shahid felt like eating chicken fries, he again demanded money from his wife Noor Bano. Noor Bano refused to give money to her husband, which led to an argument between the two. But after a while, Noor Bano ordered chicken fries herself. However, Noor Bano’s children refused to eat it. Shahid and Noor Bano once again started fighting over this matter.

The argument escalated between the husband and wife, and he took his scissors and struck her on her neck with it. Realising what he had done, Shahid Hussain fled from the house, and his son and daughter took their mother to the hospital.

Noor Bano’s son admitted his mother to GTB Hospital in Delhi but the victim died there. The police apprehended Shahid on 25th November and sent him to jail after necessary legal action. According to media reports, the deceased woman’s sons Arsalan and Shahnawaz have accused their father of coming home drunk on the night of the incident. They also said that their mother was very upset with this habit.

Revisiting 26/11: When son of Mahesh Bhatt was told by American terrorist David Headley to not go to South Mumbai

Shraddha Pandey
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Revisiting 26/11: When son of Mahesh Bhatt was told by American terrorist David Headley to not go to South Mumbai

15 years have passed since the 26/11 deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai. On November 26, 2008, ten Pakistani terrorists arrived in Mumbai via sea. They attacked various locations in the southern part of the city, including Nariman House, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Leopold Cafe, and grand hotels like Taj Palace and Trident.

They opened fire in public and killed scores, planted a bomb inside a taxi and drove it into Mumbai’s suburbs. Ajmal Kasab was apprehended alive, and his nine accomplices were neutralized in a 60-hour operation.

It is worth recalling that controversial filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul Bhatt was named by 26/11 terrorist David Headley during interrogation. A lesser talked about fact relating to Rahul Bhatt’s ‘friendship’ with terrorist David Headley is that back in 2008, he warned Rahul Bhatt not to go to South Mumbai on 26/11.

Screengrab of the news report

The duo first met at a gym in Mumbai in 2007. In 2011, David Coleman Headley told a Chicago court that he told Bhatt not to go to South Mumbai on November 26, the day of the Mumbai terror attacks. Even after the attacks Headley and Rahul Bhatt were in touch over emails.

Headley reportedly told the court that was “never more pleased” although he was said to have written “sorry” to Rahul Bhatt. Terrorist David Headley had told the court back then that he began liking Rahul Bhatt t and that he had planned to make a movie with him.

Headley told the Chicago court that he intended to recruit Bhatt as an ISI agent and take him to Pakistan’s tribal areas, but not to kidnap or kill him, as defence attorney Charles D Swift alleged.

In an interview with NDTV thirteen years back, Rahul Bhatt said that he and his gym trainer friend Vilas used to call Headley as “Agent Headley” saying that he was very intelligent and used jargon like a secret agent. Bhatt revealed that Headley had told him that he was of Irish descent.

Headley had also told his ‘friend’ that attacks like the one at the Marriot Hotel in Pakistan’s Islamabad in 2008 that left around 53 dead and hundreds injured could happen in India as well. However, Bhatt did not take it seriously.

“Once we were talking about terror attacks and a bomb blast at one of the hotels in Islamabad. Headley said to me that looking at the situation around, ‘you can see similar things happen in your country too’. But I never got any negative vibe from him,” Rahul Bhatt said.

When Mahesh Bhatt wanted to name his son Rahul as ‘Mohammad’

In a 2012 interview with the Times of India, Rahul Bhatt levelled several startling accusations about his father, Mahesh Bhatt. In this interview, he stated that Mahesh never thought of him as his son and intended to name him ‘Mohammad.’

Many people did not believe him when he said that, but it was true, according to him. It was his neighbours who requested his Anglo-Indian mother not to let Mahesh name him Mohammad as Mahesh would have several chances to show his secularism.

Rahul claimed back then that if he was named Mohammad, no one would even know who his father was. He believed when his name appeared in the 26/11 case if he had named Mohammad, he would have been thrown in Tihar with no scope of coming out.

He blamed his father for not considering or treating him as his son. Rahul said it was his behaviour that allowed to him come in contact with Headley. If he had been a better father, the situation would have been a lot different.

Those times and circumstances were challenging for him. He had no one to show the right path. He said though he knows he should not say, but Mahesh treated him like an illegitimate child.

Headley reconnoitred terror targets in Mumbai before the attacks

According to a 2013 US Justice Department press release, David Headley was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in terror attacks in Mumbai and Denmark.

Headley received instructions in 2005 from his masters in Islamic terrorist outfit Lashkar e Tayyiba to change his name before conducting reconnaissance of the target sites in India in 2006.

Headley, who was a US citizen of Pakistan descent changed his name in Philadelphia “to facilitate his activities on behalf of Lashkar by portraying himself in India as an American who was neither Muslim nor Pakistani.”

Dawood Gilani, aka David Headley, visited Mumbai five times: in September 2006, February and September 2007, and April and July 2008. He used to take videos and pictures of the potential targets and give them to Lashkar terrorists during his visit to Pakistan.

Moreover, Headley and his accomplices in Pakistan discussed potential landing sites in Mumbai for a team of attackers who would arrive by sea. It is worth mentioning that Pakistani-origin Canadian terrorist Tahawwur Rana committed fraud against the Indian government through the creation and submission of forged documents.

Tahawwur Rana was convicted in Chicago for providing support for the Pakistani terror group, Lashkar-e-Taiba – the main conspirator of the Mumbai attacks and also on charges of supporting a possible terror attack against a Danish newspaper that printed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in 2005.

Uttarakhand: Occultist Ali Hassan kills his two daughters claiming they were infected by paranormal elements, parents, brothers and sister arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Uttarakhand: Occultist Ali Hassan kills his two daughters claiming they were infected by paranormal elements, parents, brothers and sister arrested

A shocking case of murder has come to light in Kashipur of Udham Singh Nagar district in Uttarakhand where a Muslim occultist named Ali Hassan alias Sooraj who works as a mason brutally murdered his two daughters as an act of sacrifice. The authorities apprehended the father after the bodies were discovered. The victims have been identified as 19-year-old Fareen and 11-year-old Yasmeen.

The alarming news sent shockwaves in Ward Number 12 of Khalik Colony, Laxmipur Patti where the dead bodies of the two girls were found on the bed in the house. The body of the younger daughter is reported to be three to four days old while the older one was killed on the night of 24 November. On receiving the information about the crime, the police took possession of the bodies and their post-mortem was conducted by a panel of doctors.

The father who is allegedly into black magic is being interrogated in police custody. Bloodstains were spotted in the home’s veranda and the remains of a sacrificed chicken and some magic items were located at the door of the residence. The family members tried to mislead the cops and complained that the paranormal factors were responsible for the incident during the questioning.

The police inquiry revealed that the shocking development was brought on by their faith in black magic and occultism. The two girls died from beatings and strangulations. Fareen used to work in a beauty parlour for the last one and a half years. It was found that the younger girl Yasmeen was severely abused, her ankles were scorched by fire which caused blisters. She died on 23 November night due to continuous torture and the elder sister also went through the same torment.

Shaheen, one of the elder siblings of the victims who stays in Rehar after marriage, was suspicious that something unusual was happening at her parent’s house when she visited it recently. When she went back to her in-law’s house, she kept worrying about it and called her aunt (wife of the brother of her father) Mehtab who lives in Sugar Colony urging her to visit the house of her parents to inquire about the situation there.

Mehtab reached the house on Saturday, but Hassan’s wife  Husn Jahan and their daughter Hina, who were present in the house, didn’t open the door. Mehtab called the police, after which they forcefully opened the door, and they witnessed the dead sisters lying side by side on the cots in the room near the beds of Husna Jahan and Hina.

When asked, the two tried to lie and trick the people by telling the story of paranormal elements and claimed that the father and the sons had gone to bring shrouds for the deceased. The bodies were sent for autopsy after that. Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhay Singh, Circle Officer (CO) Vandana Verma, Officer Manoj Raturi, Special Sub-Inspector of Police (SSI) Pradeep Mishra, Sub-Inspector Deepak Joshi and Special Operations Group (SOG) Kuldeep Singh reached the scene with police force after being notified about the matter.

They took information from Husna Jahan and Farmaan, the mother and brother of the deceased. They stated that Ali Hassan and Husna Jahan have four daughters Hina, Shaheen, Fareen and Yasmeen and three sons Armaan, Farmaan and Rizwaan. Hina and Shaheen are married and live with their respective in-laws. When they were asked about Ali Hassan, Armaan and Rizwaan, they answered that the three had gone to visit the shrine of Baba Bhullanshah in Katoratal since last night.

During the course of interviewing locals, the cops learned that the home had been the source of a lot of screaming for the past four to five days. The family had no social connections to anyone in the neighbourhood, hence, nobody used to visit them. The family members told the police on 23 November that the two sisters were under the influence of supernatural forces. The police responded by making them understand the situation and recommended that they seek medical attention from qualified physicians. Police personnel were similarly taken aback upon learning of the deaths early on 25 November.

SP Abhay Singh proclaimed that the case was suspicious. “The preliminary inquiry into these killings seems to point to the involvement of occultism at first glance. The probe has so far shown that the father beat the girls to death because of the family’s faith in the supernatural, but the authorities are looking into all possible angles.” He added that butchered chicken, some rupees and traces of blood were also observed in an empty plot near the house.

The police have taken the parents, one sister and three brothers into custody on the morning of 25 November. The police officer remarked that the exact cause of death of the two sisters would be known after the post-mortem report and police investigation.

According to him, Rudrapur’s dog squad and forensic team were called in to look into the occurrence. Members of the team including Head Constable Bhupendra Singh, Yashpal Arya and Constable Hemendra Tamta along with Head Constable Dog Squad, Dog Katty arrived at the area for initial inquiry. They collected blood samples and some odd items.

Bus conductor Harikesh Vishwakarma – whom Lareb Hashmi tried to behead for ‘blasphemy’ – hails from a poor family, colleagues paying hospital bills, Hashmi arrested

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Bus conductor Harikesh Vishwakarma – whom Lareb Hashmi tried to behead for ‘blasphemy’ – hails from a poor family, colleagues paying hospital bills, Hashmi arrested

On Friday (25th November) morning, Lareb Hashmi, a B.Tech student, attacked a 24-year-old bus conductor Harikesh Vishwakarma with a cleaver after accusing the latter of committing ‘blasphemy’. The incident took place in the Praygraj city of Uttar Pradesh.

Speaking to OpIndia, the victim’s father said that he belongs to a poor family. The expenses of the treatment are being borne by the employees of the Uttar Pradesh Transport Department. Harikesh’s father Ram Shiromani Vishwakarma lodged an FIR against Lareb Hashmi. In this FIR, Ram Shiromani has said that Lareb Hashmi attacked his son over a bus fare dispute.

Harikesh sustained injuries on his neck and hands in the attack. Other passengers in the bus had fled during the attack. Passenger Nandan Yadav admitted Harikesh to the hospital. In an interaction with OpIndia, Ram Shiromani Vishwakarma said that his son’s condition is improving and now Harikesh has been able to speak.

Harikesh Vishwakarma got the job 2 years ago, he was married last year

Harikesh’s father said that he is from a very poor family. 24-year-old Harikesh has studied up to the intermediate level (12th standard). Apart from this, he also took an ITI degree. Two years ago, with the introduction of electric bus service in Prayagraj, he got a job as a conductor.

Harikesh got married approximately a year ago. Ram Shiromani, his father, shared with OpIndia that their family relied significantly on Harikesh’s income. During the talk, emotions overwhelmed Ram Shiromani, and tears welled up as he spoke about his son.

Roadways department employees bear the cost of treatment of Harikesh Vishwakarma

Harikesh Vishwakarma is originally a resident of Semri village which comes under the Sarai Mamrej police station of Prayagraj district. Harikesh’s father told OpIndia that he is undergoing treatment at Swarooprani Hospital Prayagraj. The cost of treatment is being borne by colleagues working in his department.

When asked about the reason behind this attack, Ram Shiromani Vishwakarma said that he did not know what was the reason for such brutality shown by Lareb Hashmi against his son. Police have taken action against Lareb Hashmi under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) based on the complaint of Harikesh’s father.

After hacking Harikesh, Lareb Hashmi shot at SHO

Two separate FIRs have been registered against Lareb Hashmi in the industrial area police station of Prayagraj. The first FIR was lodged by Harikesh’s father. The second case has been registered by Subhash Kumar Singh, station house officer of the industrial area police station.

In this FIR, SHO Subhash Kumar Singh stated that he arrested the accused Lareb Hashmi around 5 p.m., about 100 meters away from the gate of United College. When asked about the cleaver used in the attack, Hashmi said he was hiding in a bush near Chandy Port.

The police team took Lareb to the spot to recover the cleaver. At around 7:07 p.m., Lareb asked the police to stop the vehicle. When the car stopped, Hashmi got out of the vehicle and started walking towards one place, saying that the cleaver was kept there. After going 50-60 steps ahead, he freed his hand from the police and started running away.

When the police chased Hashmi, he took advantage of the darkness and went behind a bush. From there, he took out a weapon and fired at the police. The bullet passed by the police station house officer’s ear. Fortunately, he did not get hurt.

In this attack, SOG (Special Operations Group) in-charge Sub-Inspector Ranjit Singh also narrowly survived. According to the police, the bullet was fired by Hashmi from a 32-bore pistol kept hidden by him. In self-defence, the police retaliated in which Hashmi was shot in the leg and fell down. After Hashmi received a bullet shot, the police nabbed him and recovered the cleaver which he kept nearby.

The police have registered a case against Lareb Hashmi under Section 307 of the IPC as well as Section 3/25/27 of the Arms Act 1959. Lareb Hashmi is undergoing treatment at the hospital. A copy of the FIR is with OpIndia.

Lareb Hashmi is suspended from the college

On 25th November (Saturday), the United College of Engineering and Research suspended Lareb Hashmi. Regarding the disciplinary action against the murder accused Hashmi, the College principal (Dean) HP Shukla said that Hashmi was a quiet student who often sat alone. According to the Dean, Hashmi often did not respond to questions and never engaged in conversations with others. However, the college faculty never thought such an incident would occur.

Meanwhile, the university students staged a protest following the criminal incident and demanded strict action against Hashmi. The students stressed that their parents were concerned for their safety and were not allowing them to attend college following the brutal incident involving one of their students. 

They also alleged that the college authorities were responsible for the incident. Several Hindu outfits also staged a demonstration at the college demanding that strict action should be initiated against students with extremist ideologies.

‘We are expecting to sign peace accord’: Manipur CM N Biren Singh says government in advance talks with Imphal Valley-based insurgent group

OpIndia Staff
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‘We are expecting to sign peace accord’: Manipur CM N Biren Singh says government in advance talks with Imphal Valley-based insurgent group

On 26th November (Sunday), Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced that his state government could soon sign a ‘peace accord’ with an Imphal Valley-based insurgent group. However, he refrained from naming the underground organisation with which the government has been engaging in “peace talks”. 

Speaking to PTI-Video, the Manipur Chief Minister said, “We are advancing, and we are expecting to sign a peace accord with one big UG (underground organisation) very shortly.”

It is important to note that this is the first time that the government has officially confirmed holding peace talks with insurgent groups since the ethnic clashes broke out in the state on 3rd May, this year. Earlier sources indicated that the state government was in talks with one faction of the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF).

As per reports, the Pambei group of UNLF under the leadership of Chairman Kh Pambei will sign a ceasefire and peace agreement with the government soon. The group said that it is preparing for a negotiated settlement to the protracted armed struggle to regain Manipur’s lost sovereignty.

CH Thanil, the general secretary of UNLF-Pambei, confirmed the development saying that they are heading towards the agreement. However, he asserted that it will not be a ‘surrender’, but a process towards a negotiated political settlement. He added that the group considered the decision to accept a ceasefire and political settlement after receiving ‘feelers’ from New Delhi. CH Thanil said that an understanding was reached between the Government of India and UNLF-Pambei that the two will not act against each other.

The group was already in the process of entering into a settlement, but it was halted due to the ethnic violence that erupted earlier this year.

In May, the state witnessed ethnic clashes in which more than 180 people lost their lives. The clashes erupted after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

The Meiteis make up around 53% of Manipur’s population and they predominantly reside in the Imphal Valley. On the other hand, tribal communities, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40% of the population. They are primarily located in the hill districts.

Following the ethnic clashes, the state and Central government have taken a slew of measures to bring back normalcy to the state and rid the state of such violence completely along with tackling all the reasons that resulted in the 3 May and subsequent clashes.  

On 27th September, the state government announced that AFSPA would remain in force for another six months in view of the present law and order situation in the state. The government notified that the entire state had been declared a ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA. However, areas coming in the jurisdiction of 19 police stations including the state capital Imphal were excluded from this status. 

Additionally, the central investigating agencies are probing multiple cases. During the ongoing investigation, NIA revealed that accused Seiminlun Gangte, in agency’s custody, was allegedly involved in a transnational conspiracy hatched by Myanmar-Bangladesh-based terror groups to “wage war” against India.

According to the NIA, Myanmar, and Bangladesh-based militant groups have entered into a conspiracy with a section of militant leaders in India to indulge in incidents of violence with the intention to drive a wedge between different ethnic groups and to wage war against the Government of India.

Further, in September, Manipur CM N held a meeting with the senior officials of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) regarding plans to extend the India-Myanmar border fencing by 70 kilometres. The aim of extending the border fencing has been to curb the influx of illegal immigrants in Manipur from the neighbouring nation Myanmar which is believed to have played a major role in the ethnic clashes in the state. 

Moreover, the central government on 28th September extended the deadline to capture the biometrics of illegal immigrants from Myanmar by six months. In a letter to the Manipur Chief Secretary, the Home Ministry directed the state to complete the exercise by 31st March 2024 while the earlier deadline was set for 30th September.

Men and women not equal, women need men: Bollywood actress Neena Gupta calls feminist movement ‘faltu’  

OpIndia Staff
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Men and women not equal, women need men: Bollywood actress Neena Gupta calls feminist movement ‘faltu’  

In a recent interview, Bollywood Veteran actress Neena Gupta junked the feminist movement calling it “faltu” (useless). She stressed that men and women can never be equal instead men are ‘better off overall’. She also rebuked the demand of the feminist movement and stressed that women do need men.   

Notably, Neena Gupta’s podcast interview with Youtuber Ranveer Allahbadia aired on 25th November. In the hour-long podcast, the Bollywood actress talked on a host of issues including feminism, self-confidence and her Bollywood ventures among others. 

At around 24 minutes in the podcast, Neena Gupta advised people not to believe in “faltu feminism”. She argued that everybody should try to achieve financial independence irrespective of gender.  

She said, “I want to say that it’s not necessary to believe in ‘faltu feminism’ or the idea that ‘women are equal to men’. Instead, focus on achieving financial independence and giving attention to your work. If you’re a housewife, don’t look down on it; it’s an important role. Boost your self-esteem and avoid thinking of yourself as small. That’s the main message I want to convey.”

She added, “Additionally, men and women are not equal.” The Bollywood actress further argued that the day men start getting pregnant is the day we will be equal, which is scientifically impossible. 

In a follow up query, “Do you think boys are better overall”, the Bollywood actress nodded in affirmation saying, “yes, 100 percent.” 

Subsequently, Ranveer Allahbadia asked her what she felt about the mission of the Feminist movement. She responded saying, “I don’t know what is the mission of these feminists.” 

When Allahbadia noted that the stated objective of Feminists is that they don’t need men, Neena Gupta refuted the arguments of the feminists and noted that “women do need men” citing her anecdotal story. 

Stressing that there are many reasons, she explained, “I had to catch a flight once at 6 a.m. I did not have a boyfriend at that time. I came out of the house at 4 a.m. and it was dark. A man started following me, I went back to my house and I missed my flight. The next day I booked the same flight. But I stayed at my male friend’s house and he dropped me off. I need a man.”

Further, she emphasised that her goal is to become independent and she is still working towards achieving independence. According to the Bollywood actress, she finds herself calling her daughter Masaba and worrying if she doesn’t answer. She added that she feels anxious when her husband doesn’t call her.

She said, “I want to be somebody who does not need anyone. I know a person very closely, who does not need anybody, does not have friends. Women throw themselves at him and they have an attraction towards him. But he is happy alone.”

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