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Virat Kohli fans call for a boycott of Dainik Jagran after its reporter said Rohit Sharma does not care for centuries like Kohli

OpIndia Staff
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Virat Kohli fans call for a boycott of Dainik Jagran after its reporter said Rohit Sharma does not care for centuries like Kohli

On Monday (30th October), the fans of Virat Kohli, an Indian international cricketer and the former captain of the Indian national cricket team, slammed the Dainik Jagran media for writing and printing articles comparing Kohli with Rohit Sharma on their differing approach to the game. Kohli fans called for a boycott of the Dainik Jagran media and burned their publication after it published an article on Kohli’s batting approach in the ongoing World Cup.

In an article written by journalist Abhishek Tripathi for Dainik Jagran, the author slammed Kohli while praising Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma. In the article titled, ‘Shatak Par Ravaiyaa alag alag (two different point of views on century)’ the journalist stated that Kohli concentrated more on completing centuries. Meanwhile, he praised Rohit Sharma and said he played for the Indian team and concentrated more on big shots.

Screenshot from Twitter (X)

India won 6 cricket matches back-to-back in the World Cup 2023 season heading towards the semi-finals. Every player’s performance under the leadership of Rohit Sharma has been nothing but spectacular. The Men in Blue have shown remarkable consistency by winning 6 one-day matches and securing their position in the semi-finals.

However, the comparisons between former captain Virat Kohli and current team captain in all formats, Rohit Sharma have upset the Kohli fans. The Kohli fans on Monday, 30th October burned the Dainik Jagran newspaper and shared the videos on social media platforms trending the hashtag that called out Dainik Jagran.

The journalist wrote an account of Virat Kohli and his attempts to complete centuries during the six matches. He indicated that Kohli focussed on the century and played to complete 100 runs. While praising Rohit Sharma, journalist Abhishek Tripathi also alleged that Kohli did not play for India but had a personal interest in achieving his individual goals.

The article published in Dainik Jagran irked the fans of Virat Kohli who also hurled abuses at the reporter from Kanpur and the media house. However, hours after Tripathi who is the sports editor at Dainik Jagran shared the article on X, he posted another sarcastic tweet targeting the fans of the cricketer. “Winter is coming, ‘fans’ are about to go off,” he tweeted.

Earlier today, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir also praised Rohit Sharma and indirectly targeted Virat Kohli over his centuries. “Rohit does not think of centuries. He plays selflessly. Thinking and strategies differ when one plays for India and when one plays for attaining centuries. Rohit plays for India. If he had thought about centuries, he would have made 40-45 centuries easily till date,” Gambhir was quoted as saying by Dainik Jagran.

Kohli is largely recognized as one of the greatest batsmen in cricket history. The International Cricket Council honored him as the male cricketer of the decade in 2020. Kohli has also been instrumental in India’s success, captaining the team from 2014 to 2022 and lifting the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.

He is one of just four Indian cricketers who have played 500 matches for his country. Kohli is the fourth-highest run-scorer in international cricket and ranks second in terms of international hundreds scored.

Telangana: BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy stabbed while campaigning in Dubbak constituency, accused arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: BRS MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy stabbed while campaigning in Dubbak constituency, accused arrested

Medak MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy was stabbed by a a youth at Doultabad in Siddipet district on 30th October. The MP, who was campaigning in Surampally village in Dubbak assembly constituency, was rushed to a private hospital.

The attacker was caught by BRS workers and the MP’s gunmen who reportedly beat him up before he was handed over to the police. The accused has been identified as one Raju who reportedly came close to Reddy and stabbed him with a knife.

A video going viral on social media shows the MP dressed in white surrounded by the party cadre. He is then shifted inside a vehicle as he covers the wound.

Siddipet Commissioner N Swetha has confirmed that MP Kotha Prabhakar Reddy is safe. “P Kotha Prabhakar Reddy is safe. The incident took place in Surampally village of the Daulatabad mandal. He has been shifted to Gajwel. The alleged accused is in custody, we are investigating the matter,” the Commissioner said.

Reddy was shifted to Gajwel government hospital and is undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, an ID card was reportedly recovered from Raju, who is suspected to be working for a social media channel.

According to reports, the accused is being interrogated by the police to determine the motive of “attempt to murder” Prabhakar and if he has any political affiliations.

Election campaigning has gathered pace in Telangana which is scheduled to cast the ballot on 30th November and votes will be counted on 3rd December.

Pro-Palestine mobilisation in Maharashtra: 2 protests in Mumbra, 200 booked, minor children made to act like dead bodies in Aurangabad

Siddhi Somani
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Pro-Palestine mobilisation in Maharashtra: 2 protests in Mumbra, 200 booked, minor children made to act like dead bodies in Aurangabad

On Sunday (29th October), hundreds of Muslims gathered in the Mumbra and Thane region of Maharashtra’s Mumbai district to extend support to Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The protesters raised pro-Palestine slogans and also called to boycott the products being manufactured in Israel.

According to the initial information obtained by OpIndia, the protest was called by a forum named ‘The United Milli Forum’. The members of the forum are said to have organized the protest rally against Israel under the guise of offering prayers for the Palestinians. As per the report by India Today, the organizers had asked for permission to conduct the rally but the same was denied by the Thane Police Commissionerate.

The protesters are said to have offered prayers for families of those who have lost their lives in the counter-attack launched by Israel in Gaza. The protestors also raised slogans against Israel and called for a boycott of products emerging from Israel.

The videos of the protests are going viral over the internet in which the pro-Palestine supporters could be seen gathered on the ground in the Mumbra region of Maharashtra. They could also be seen raising placards against Israel and offering prayers for Palestinians.

This is not the first protest which has been organized in the state of Maharashtra in support of Palestine. Earlier, similar protests were organized in the Aurangabad district and also the Thane district of Maharashtra. So, notably, this is the second protest that has been organized by Muslims in Thane in support of Palestine.

Second protest in Mumbra, Thane; 200 were booked earlier in an illegal protest organized by SDPI

The first protest was organized by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in the Mumbra area where hundreds had gathered extending support in solidarity with Palestine. However, the protests were illegally organized so the police had booked around 200 persons in the case. Police said that the protesters defied prohibitory orders in the city while staging support to Palestine.

As per the official, an offense under section 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Police Act had been registered against 200 persons. Later the Police happened to identify 16 persons but no arrests were made.

The protesters carried banners and raised slogans against Israel in the city. As per the official, they shouted slogans in support of Palestine and defied the prohibitory orders in force in the Commissionerate.

Minor children shown as dead bodies in pro-Palestine protests in Aurangabad

Similar protests were organized by the Students Islamic Organisation which is the student wing of Jamat-e-Islami Hind on 28th October in Aurangabad city of Maharashtra. The protests were organized at the Aam Khas ground where the Islamists raised the Palestine flags and also raised slogans against Israel.

The General Secretary of SIO, Salman Mobin Khan; National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, KK Suhail, and Aetesam Hami, the Zonal President of SIO South Maharashtra addressed the gathering. The gatherers meanwhile called the Israelis ‘murderers’ and prayed for the safety of the people in Gaza.

The videos of these protests also went viral over the internet in which the children were used to display ‘dead bodies’. As per the videos, the children were made to act like dead bodies and were presented as kids of Gaza by the organizers. Some kids could be seen wrapped in white clothes while others were painted in red colour to depict blood stains.

NCPCR condemns the act of using children for protests

Team OpIndia talked to NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on the issue. The NCPCR said that children being misused by the organizers in such a horrific manner is not at all okay and that immediate action will be taken against the organizers.

“This is highly condemnable. Making children act in such a horrific manner for their agenda is dangerous. NCPCR has taken cognizance of the matter and will soon issue a notice in this case,” NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told OpIndia.

Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis stopped one such illegal protest from happening in Mumbai

So far, three pro-Palestine protests have been organized in the state of Maharashtra and it is said that many more such protests are scheduled to happen here in the state. OpIndia talked exclusively to BJP’s Pratik Karpe from Maharashtra to learn that a similar pro-Palestine protest was scheduled to be organized by Islamists in the Marine Drive area of Maharahtra’s Mumbai. However, the protest was not given permission as directed by Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

“Who are these people who are issuing support to Palestine when our Prime Minister himself has stated that India stands with humanity and with Israel? These protests seem to be politically motivated and somebody is deliberately sponsoring these protests. Maybe for votes. We have seen people from other political parties supporting terrorists earlier. One NCP leader had supported terrorist Ishrat Jahan. Also, they openly supported Palestine even after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel.”

“Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis took cognizance of such protests and restricted one such event that was scheduled to happen in Mumbai. His office proactively looked into the matter and didn’t allow the protest to happen. The one that happened in Thane and Mumbra seems to be sponsored and politically motivated,” Karpe said.

It is important to note that NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on 19th October had called out BJP and PM Modi for extending support to Israel. In a tweet, he said that Israel had become a human rights violator and that it didn’t deserve to be supported. He also justified the Hamas attack on Israel by saying that “the number of casualties of Israel’s army is far less than what Palestine has suffered.”

The opposition parties in India also recently targeted the BJP-led government for not taking a clear stand on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations. This is after India abstained from voting for the Jordanian-drafted resolution that failed to condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas. It, however, voted in favor of a Canada-led amendment to the draft resolution on the Gaza crisis which has sought to insert a paragraph condemning the ‘terrorist attacks by Hamas.

While it is understandable for opposition parties to criticize the government and its officials, politicizing critical geopolitical matters for political gain is a sheer travesty. The fact is that India has been clear on its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. India has condemned the terror attack launched by the Palestine-backed Hamas against Israel and emphasized its commitment to diplomacy and dialogue over violence. India has made it sufficiently clear that it will never side with terrorism.

It is important to note that the Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on the Jewish state on 7th October killing around 1400 Israelis and injuring several others. The terrorists raped the Israeli women and also didn’t spare the elders and the children. The videos of these horrific incidents were also made viral. The attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorists marks the most brutal attack against Jews after the Holocaust.

After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a counter-attack on Gaza. Over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, including women and children as well as journalists, medical workers, and first responders, with more than 15,000 injured. IDF has been asking Gazans to move away from Northern Gaza but Egypt has closed the Rafah crossing and has declared that it won’t allow any refugees from Gaza.

Hindu man acquitted in 2020 Delhi riots case: What the court said about the unreliable testimony of the complainant and two police witnesses

Nupur J Sharma
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Hindu man acquitted in 2020 Delhi riots case: What the court said about the unreliable testimony of the complainant and two police witnesses

On the 27th of October, the court acquitted a Hindu man of all charges in a 2020 Delhi anti-Hindu riots case. The charges against Sandeep Kumar included those of arson, vandalism and loot. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Pulastya Pramachala of Karkardooma Court said that the prosecution had failed to prove its case and the testimony of the witnesses by the prosecution was unreliable.

While discharging Sandeep Kumar, the court said that the prosecution had proved that the complainants house was vandalised and burnt down, however, they failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the work of a mob and that Sandeep Kumar was a part of the mob which allegedly carried out the arson and loot.

The prosecution had alleged that the house of one Rashid was burnt down by a Hindu mob, of which, Sandeep Kumar was a part. It was alleged that Kumar was a part of an unlawful assembly responsible for the looting of a residence and the ignition of household items and a two-wheeler in the Shiv Vihar locality within Karwal Nagar on February 25, 2020.

In the judgment dated October 27, ASJ Pramachala remarked, “The prosecution, although it successfully presented evidence of vandalism, looting, and the destruction of household items and a motorcycle, could not conclusively demonstrate the mob’s responsibility for these actions or the defendant’s unequivocal involvement in said mob.”

Delivering its verdict, the court said that the testimony of the complainant, Rashid, was not helpful since he was not present when his house was vandalised and burnt down. The court said, “He came back to his house after 3-4 days from 25-02-2020 and at that time he found his motor-cycle in completely burnt condition. He also found his articles on the first floor of the house in vandalized and burnt condition. He also alleged that jewelries of his wife were missing. So, even if it is accepted that his house was vandalized and jewelries were looted, still it is not established from the evidence of PW3 that a mob was behind this incident. In the complaint of PW3, it is mentioned that a mob did this, but apparently such plea was not based on personal knowledge of PW3”.

The court further said the two policemen, who had claimed that they were present at the very spot and witnessed not just the mob but also Sandeep Kumar as a part of the mob, were not reliable in their testimony.

One of the policemen, PW5, did not make any mention of the specific incident of vandalism but had only made a general statement that he had witnessed a mob at Gali No. 11. “He made a general statement that he saw a mob of 30- 40 persons in gali no. 11 at about 7 PM, while indulging in vandalism and arson. He projected himself to be a chance witness, stating that he was going to police station when he saw this mob. On the other hand, PW6 deposed that he reached gali 11 on receiving information from public about assembly of a mob in this gali. According to PW6, this information was received by him at Shiv Vihar Tiraha and at that time no other police official was present there. He stated that he reached gali 11 in about 3 minutes and it was around 7 PM when he was in this gali and when he saw a mob of around 30-40 persons”, the court said.

The court then noted the discrepancies in the statements of the two police officers.

  1. According to PW5, he met PW6 on nala road at about 6-6.30 PM. While PW6 deposed that PW5 met him in gali no. 11, after PW6 reached there.
  2. PW5 deposed that he met PW6 before leaving for police station. That means that PW5 did not meet PW6 in gali no. 11 during ongoing riot in this gali, if any.
  3. It is unlikely that two police officers from the same police station would be present at the site of mob violence but have any confusion about the events that were taking place in that area.
  4. It does not make sense that if both these police officials were there in gali no. 11, when riot was ongoing, then they would take different position there, especially when both of them were working together in same police station.

On the basis of the discrepancies, the court raised doubt that both the police officers were even present at Gali No 11, as they stated.

Additionally, the court noted that while one of the police officials had recorded his statement identifying Kumar on February 29, the other officer claimed to have seen the accused only on August 1, 2020. This inconsistency further undermined the reliability of their testimonies.

Based on this lack of evidence, Sandeep Kumar, who was charged under sections 147/148/427/436/ 380/506/454 IPC read with Section 149 IPC and pled not guilty to all charges, was acquitted.

Delhi anti-Hindu riots 2020

On the 24th and 25th of February 2020, India’s national capital Delhi saw large-scale anti-Hindu riots which marked the culmination of the hostility, hatred, and anger spread by the anti-CAA protests by the Islamists in Shaheen Bagh and other areas. Shahdara, Maujpur, Bhajanpura, Brahmapuri, and other parts of northeast Delhi witnessed violence perpetrated by the Islamists. 53 people died in these riots while more than 200 people were left injured.

While many people wish to look at the Delhi Riots 2020 in isolation, the sequence of events starting right from the 1st of December 2019 proves otherwise. It proves that the violence was a concerted effort to push India toward anarchy. It proves that the Delhi Riots was no anti-Muslim pogrom, it was indeed, a well-oiled plan against Hindus.

OpIndia had extensively covered the anti-Hindu riots, which were falsely presented by the mainstream media as an anti-Muslim pogrom, and established facts documenting tragic cries of Hindus which would otherwise have gone unheard.

The damage to the property in these riots had been enormous. An Intelligence Bureau Constable was murdered in the riots along with a Head Constable of the Delhi Police. Amidst all of this, one gun-wielding man was spotted brandishing his gun at the Police and firing shots. The rioter was identified as Shahrukh. A Hindu man Dilbar Negi was burnt to death after his hands and legs were chopped off by Jihadis. Delhi was in the grip of communal violence ever since the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act. What Delhi saw in these anti-Hindu riots was only the crescendo of a fire that was lit by radicals months ago.

German-Israeli woman, who was paraded naked by Hamas terrorists during 7th October attack, confirmed dead

OpIndia Staff
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German-Israeli woman, who was paraded naked by Hamas terrorists during 7th October attack, confirmed dead

Shani Louk, a 22-year-old German-Israeli woman, who was abducted to the Gaza Strip and paraded naked during Hamas’s 7th October terror attack, was found dead in Gaza, reports quoting the Israeli military said.

On Monday, the members of Louk’s family disclosed that they had received a heartbreaking letter from the Israeli Zaka rescue service, confirming the recovery and identification of a critical bone from the base of her skull, essential for a person’s survival.

“Regrettably, we were informed yesterday that my daughter is no longer with us,” Louk’s mother, Ricarda, conveyed to the German media outlet RTL.

Shani’s sister, Adi, also confirmed Shani’s passing in an Instagram post.

“With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of my sister, Shani Nicole (Z.L. – may her memory be a blessing), who tragically lost her life at the party massacre in Re’im on October 7, 2023.”

As of now, there has been no official confirmation from the German Foreign Ministry, and Shani’s remains have not been repatriated from Gaza.

Her mother first raised alarm after identifying Louk from her distinctive tattoos and dreadlocks while horrifying videos surfaced depicting a partially unclothed body being paraded through the streets in a pickup truck by Palestinian gunmen.

The video surfaced in the wake of the massive terror and on-ground assault on Israel, the streets of Sderot and several border towns of the Jewish-majority nation after Hamas terrorists raided the southern Israeli border. Among one such disturbing visual was the naked and battered dead body of an unidentified woman who was being paraded by the Hamas terrorists in a pickup truck. 

The gruesome video showed terrorists shouting the Islamic slogan ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ while the partially naked body of a woman, later identified as Shani Louk, being paraded in a pickup truck. In some videos that surfaced on social media, a murderous crowd of Hamas terrorists could be seen surrounding the vehicle, chanting slogans and spitting on the woman’s body.

‘Da*y*n, wh*re, pa*eet’: After the death of social media influencer Smokingskills, Islamists abuse his friend

OpIndia Staff
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‘Da*y*n, wh*re, pa*eet’: After the death of social media influencer Smokingskills, Islamists abuse his friend

On 29th October, a young social media rightwing influencer who was famous by the handle ‘SmokingSkills07’ on X (formerly Twitter) passed away due to a heart ailment. Yash, the person behind the handle, was not even 30 years old.

The demise of the famous influencer came as a shock to several sane and sensible netizens on X. While many people on social media mourned Yash’s death, Islamists and liberals like RLD leader Prashant Kanojia and out-on-bail fake news paddler Mohammed Zubair of dubious portal Alt News mocked and celebrated the death of this young man. Then there were a few more Islamists who stooped lower still. In their hatred for the young right-wing activist and influencer, these insensitive and rude individuals went so far as to abuse and harass his friend.

Amidst this sorrowful circumstance, an Islamist who goes by the handle @Apkabhai009 could not persist in his abusive action and went on to not only mock the death of the young social media rightwing influencer @SmokingSkills07 but also went on to abuse his friend. He shamelessly wished that she too died soon like her friend.

Source: X

In this time of loss, any normal person would send condolence messages to the deceased’s family and loved ones, but instead, these vile Islamists tagged his friend and used extremely crude and abusive slang against her while celebrating the death of the young X user.

@minoritywatch1 superimposed X user Mr Sinha’s tweet announcing Yash’s demise on his post where it shared a picture of a pig. Then, by shamelessly equating the deceased social media influencer to a pig, @minoritywatch1 went on to abuse and wish death upon Yash’s friend.

Source: X
Source: X

Several Islamists and leftists on X mocked Yash’s friend and her Hindu faith by insinuating that she would perform Sati while grieving her friend’s death.

Source: X
Source: X

Islamists shamelessly went on to quote a sarcastic quote by Yash’s friend to poke fun at her on the demise of the right-wing influencer.

Source: X

Earlier, Opindia reported how RLD leader Prashant Kanojia and out-on-bail fake news paddler Mohammed Zubair of dubious portal Alt News mocked the untimely death of their ideological nemesis.

In now-deleted posts, Zubair first quoted a sarcastic tweet of Yash to mock his death and deleted it. Then he quoted another post of Yash where he alleged that Zubair was giving backend support to terrorists and wrote, “RIP smokingskills07”. The second post was deleted as well.

Similarly, in a post in Hindi on X, Kanojia shared some screenshots of Yash’s social media posts and said, “[The] Person who pretended to protect religion has died. Was enjoying the dead bodies of children, today nature enjoyed. My condolences to the family and hope their son goes to hell and his soul continues to wander in Gaza. Happy death to oblivion!”

Several leftists and Islamists exhibited an unparalleled lack of morality today when they descended on X to celebrate the right-wing influencer’s murder, but this group of Islamists did not even spare his friend in this hour of grief. This merely shows that these groups of leftists and Islamists are willing to go to any length to malign people whose ideas differ from theirs or who dare to speak out their lies and hypocrisy.

Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir: UP migrant worker shot dead by terrorists, area cordoned off

OpIndia Staff
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Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir: UP migrant worker shot dead by terrorists, area cordoned off

On 30th October, terrorists opened fire and killed a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh. The labourer, identified as Mahesh, was shot in the Timchi Nowpora area of district Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir. He later succumbed to his injuries. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kashmir Zone Police said, “Terrorists fired upon one labourer identified as Mukesh of U.P in Tumchi Nowpora area of Pulwama, who later on succumbed to his injuries. The area cordoned off. Further details shall follow.”

A police spokesperson said in a statement that the area was cordoned off to find the terrorists.

The incident took place a day after terrorists shot and critically injured Inspector Masroor Ahmed at point-blank in Eidgah ground of Srinagar while he was playing cricket.

The attack on Mahesh was the second such attack on migrant workers in 2023. On 13th June, a migrant worker from Bihar was injured after terrorists opened fire at him at the Gagran village of district Sopian in South Kashmir. In 2022, 10 migrants, including a bank manager from Rajasthan and a teacher, were killed, and over a dozen were injured in terrorist attacks in Kashmir. 

‘Drowning!’ 911 dispatch call details from Matthew Perry’s residence released

OpIndia Staff
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‘Drowning!’ 911 dispatch call details from Matthew Perry’s residence released

A day after the tragic demise of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.-fame actor Matthew Perry, the details of the 911 call that was made from his home on the fateful night has been released. In the dispatch audio obtained by TMZ, a man can be heard saying the word “drowning.” In the 15-second clip, a man remarks, “Agent 23. Rescue 23. EMS 9 on the radio. In response to the drowning.” However, some words were beeped out.

Notably, veteran Hollywood actor Matthew Perry aka Chandler Bing died at the age of 54 on 29th October. At around 4 PM, he was found dead in his Los Angeles residence, in a jacuzzi. According to initial media reports, he died due to drowning. No drugs were found at the location and no foul play was suspected in connection with his demise, media reported. 

A Sokesperson of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) stated that officers responded to a call at Perry’s residence regarding the death of a male who was in his 50s, however, they didn’t confirm the identity of the deceased at that time.

According to media reports, he died shortly after returning to his Los Angeles home after a two-hour pickleball game. He had sent his assistant on an errand, and when they returned approximately two hours later, they discovered him unresponsive in the jacuzzi. They immediately called police for emergency assistance, as per TMZ. 

Autopsy report of Matthew Perry ‘Inconclusive’

The cause of Matthew Perry’s death still remains unknown after an inconclusive autopsy report. Regarding this, the Medical Examiner Office of the Los Angeles County said that toxicology tests are still pending to determine the exact cause and manner of death.

In their first response to his tragic demise, Perry’s family told news outlet PEOPLE that they are “heartbroken” by his “tragic” death.

They said, “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love.” 

After his demise, the producer of hit sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Warner Bros. TV, released a statement remembering Matthew Perry as a dear friend. 

It said, “We are devastated by the passing of our dear friend Matthew Perry. Matthew was an incredibly gifted actor and an indelible part of the Warner Bros. Television Group family. The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans.”

Throughout his life, Perry battled addiction, and he later shared his path to recovery. In October 2022, he disclosed that his increasing drug addiction had nearly claimed his life at the age of 49, as he spent two weeks in a coma, fighting for survival. Subsequently, he endured a five-month hospital stay and relied on a colostomy bag for a year after his colon suffered damage due to opioid overuse.

Dominic Martin, who took responsibility for Kerala blast, accuses Jehova’s Witness’ of having ‘anti-national beliefs’ which incidentally match radical Islam

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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Dominic Martin, who took responsibility for Kerala blast, accuses Jehova’s Witness’ of having ‘anti-national beliefs’ which incidentally match radical Islam

The death toll rose to three in the Kerala blasts that rocked the prayer convention of Jehova’s Witnesses in Kochi, Kerala on 29th October after a 12-year-old girl succumbed to burn injuries during treatment.

The girl, a resident of Ernakulam district, had suffered 95 per cent burns and was on ventilator support. Two other women, Leona (55), and Kumari (53) are among the deceased. More than 50 people have been injured in the blasts at the Zamra International Convention and Exhibition Centre at Kalamassery.

Hours after the blasts, a man named Dominic Martin surrendered to the police claiming responsibility for the explosions. Before his arrest, Martin, a former member of Jehova’s Witness, appeared live on a social media platform and said that he believed that its teachings were “anti-national and seditious”.

“Their teaching is not right. They are teaching anti-national things. I told them that they should change their ways. Staying in a…but cursing and addressing people in that country in the worst…derogatory form is they do. They are telling a 4-year-old child that if somebody from another community gives you candy, you shouldn’t have it. From an early age, they are feeding such poison into the child,” the accused reportedly alleged.

He further said, “I took this decision because I understood that this organisation is bad for the country. Political parties won’t take action because everyone is scared of religion. You should open your eyes.”

The Indian Express quoted Martin saying that Jehova’s Witnesses ask the children not to sing the national anthem or join the defence services. “They reach that all people of the world will perish and only they will live. What should we do with the people who long for the ruin of the entire people in the world? I could not find a solution,” Martin said.

Jehova’s Witnesses, according to information available on their website jw.org, “strive to adhere to the form of Christianity that Jesus taught and that is apostles practised”. They consider Jehova as the one true and Almighty God, the Creator, who is the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

According to information on jw.org, Jehova’s Witnesses do not participate in nationalistic ceremonies. “Jehova’s Witnesses choose not to participate in such ceremonies because we believe that these conflict with Bible teachings. We appreciate receiving the same respect for our beliefs as we show to others who make a different choice,” the official website of Jehova’s Witnesses reads. The group claims to remain “strictly neutral” in political affairs and “avoid affiliation with other religions”. Interestingly, a lot of these beliefs bear a resemblance to Islam in more than one way primarily owing to their Abrahamic origins.

Religion before Nation

Islam and Jehova’s Witness, both propagate religion above nationalism making religious identity the unifying aspect of the community and not the country. This has been reflected in some incidents pertaining to the same.

In 1986, three children belonging to the Jehova’s Witness sect refused to sing the National Anthem in their school in Kerala citing their beliefs. The children – Bijoe Emmanuel, Binu, and Bindu – were expelled from the Nair Service Society High School.

However, the Supreme Court later held that forcing them to sing the National Anthem was a violation of their fundamental right to religion under Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.

Similarly, a Muslim cleric forbade the students of a madrasa in UP’s Maharajganj from singing the national anthem on Independence Day in 2018. In a video that went viral on social media, the cleric was heard telling the students to avoid singing the national anthem because it is not “jayaz” (permissible) in Islam.

The Uttar Pradesh government derecognised the madrasa and the UP Madrasa Board released immediate orders to suspend its licence and registration.

According to al-islam.org, “the Quran has explicitly rejected the basis of nationalism”. It says, “To nationalism what matters the most is loyalty and attachment to the homeland, whereas to Islam, it is God and religion. Islam wishes all nations to regard the Quran as their Book, and the Ka’aba as their Qibla, and true leaders of Islam as their leaders.”

The same is reflected in historical events like India’s partition in 1947, which was based on religious grounds to form a purely “Islamic nation”. The idea of the Muslim Brotherhood, which emanated from the Middle East, and has been the foundation of several terrorist organisations in the region also is a key example.

Joining the armed forces of one’s homeland is also prohibited in both religions. Jehova’s Witnesses believe that “God alone deserves our worship”. Pledging allegiance to any symbol of nationalism is prohibited. “Jehovah’s Witnesses likewise feel that saluting the flag amounts to an act of worship, or idolatry, which the Bible prohibits,” the Jehova’s Witnesses state.

Last year, a 24-year-old former Muslim cleric from Kerala revealed that Indian Muslims are taught to not join the Indian Army. During a press conference, Askar Ali said, “We were taught to hate other communities and not to join the Indian army as we will have to kill our own community members which is against our religious principles.”

Conversion practices

Jehova’s Witnesses, who consider themselves of the Christian faith, are also known to indulge in conversion practices, a practice vehemently followed in Islam, too. “People may face new problems or situations that they must deal with, moving them to take an interest in the Bible’s message. So we endeavour to talk to people on more than one occasion,” a statement on the website of Jehova’s Witnesses reads.

Islam too openly preaches and practices conversion, stemming from Islamic concepts like Dar-ul-Islam. Several criminal incidents have taken place with the accused often attempting to convert the victim. This includes several recurring cases of love jihad or grooming jihad.

No other religion

Both Islam and Jehova’s Witnesses propagate that their respective gods do not approve of any other god and by extension, any other religion.

Jehova’s Witness website says, “No, all religions are not the same. The Bible contains many examples of religions that displease God. These fall into two basic categories. Category 1: Worshipping false gods. Category 2: Worshipping the true God in a way he does not approve.”

In fact, one of the reasons that they do not celebrate Christmas is because they believe it is “rooted in pagan traditions and rites”.

Islam too fundamentally believes that there is no other god but Allah and that those who follow any other god than Allah and any other religion than Islam are “kafirs”.

“Kafirs” means those who indulge in “kufr”. According to New Age Islam, an Islamic reformist organization, “The word Kufr means to reject faith in God, God’s signs, the prophets, the Holy Scriptures and the Day of Judgment. One who does not have faith in the unity of God and does not have faith also in other sacred signs of God is a Kafir, according to the Quran. One who rejects faith in God or does not have faith in God is called a Kafir. A Kafir may also be an idolater who worships gods and goddesses. According to the Quran, they are those who have gone astray. There are about 350 verses about Kufr and Kafir.”

It adds, “In the majority of the verses, Kufr is non-belief in one God and prophets of God and in Holy Scriptures. Kufr is also worship of idols and gods and goddesses other than God. In some of the verses, the word Kufr and its variations are used to mean ingratitude for the favours of God. It is natural that if someone does not recognize God or does not have faith in God, he will also not acknowledge God’s favours but will attribute the favours to his gods and goddesses.”

In May 2021, a petition was filed before the Madras High Court seeking protection for Hindu processions which were dubbed as “sins” by some local Muslims in the Perambalur district in Tamil Nadu. Several such Hindu processions have come under attack by Islamists with the most recent one being in Nuh in Haryana’s Mewat where at least five Hindus were butchered and several others injured.

Human error likely again in the Vizianagaram train tragedy as it was in Balasore, here is what is known so far

OpIndia Staff
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Human error likely again in the Vizianagaram train tragedy as it was in Balasore, here is what is known so far

On 29th October, two passenger trains collided in the district Vizianagaram of Andhra Pradesh, leading to the death of at least 13 passengers. Several passengers were reported injured in the accident. The Vizianagaram train accident, which reminded me of the tragic accident of Balasore in June 2023, possibly happened due to human error.

Though the Ministry of Railways has released no official statement over the cause of the accident, a report in Times of India suggested that ‘human error’ could be the reason behind the tragedy. The paper cited sources in the Indian Railway saying the accident appeared to have been caused by an overshooting of the signal by the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada passenger train.

According to a report in The Hindu, the accident took place when the Visakhapatnam-Palasa was running on the middle line and it had stopped as an overhead cable broke. The Visakhapatnam-Rayagada Express was coming from behind on the same line and rammed into the stationary train, resulting in the derailing of two coaches.

Therefore, going by how the accident occurred, it was the result of human error, as the loco pilot of the Visakhapatnam-Rayagada train ignored the signal and continued to run on the track, hitting the other train on its rear end.

According to senior government official Nagalakshmi S, there were 90 people in the two coaches that were derailed.

India needs quicker implementation of Kavach

India is implementing an anti-collision system for the Indian Railways to avoid accidents. The Kavach system uses high-frequency radio signals to communicate with nearby trains and tracks. It is a set of electronic devices and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices installed in locomotives, in the signalling system and in the tracks.

Apart from preventing head-on and rear-end collisions between trains on the same train, it can also slow down over-speeding trains, alert and apply brakes when a train crosses the signal, automatically whistle at level crossings, etc. The devices in the system connect to each other to control the brakes of the trains and alert the drivers based on the logic programmed into the system.

It is important to understand that Kavach can work in both cases where there is a possible head-on collision or a collision from the rear end. The system works when both the trains are running, or when a train is stationary on a track and another train runs towards it on the same track.

While under development for a decade, work on it started in 2012, but the system is yet to be installed on the entire network. It is a vast system, which needs to be installed on every train, every railway station, and every signalling point.

The indigenously developed anti-collision system has been implemented in the railway network only recently. The trial of the Kavach system took place just a year ago, where two trains, one with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, were driven towards each other on the same track, and the system successfully applied brakes to stop the trains in May last year. After that, the railways started installing the safety system in a phased manner.

According to a statement by the ministry issued in December 2022, Kavach has been deployed for 1,455 Route Kms on the South Central Railway with 77 locomotives. The length of the railway routes across the country is 68,000km. This means that nearly 99% of the routes are still to be covered under the system.

It is being installed on around 3000 km of track on the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah corridors. The Railways has informed that Kavach works have been sanctioned on 36,545 km routes. Apart from the Delhi-Mumbai & Delhi–Howrah corridors, work is also going on in train routes in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

There are criticisms that the Railways is taking only small sections for Kavach implementation each year, and budget allocation is less. It is expected the Railway Board will accelerate the process following two back-to-back accidents involving the collision of two passenger trains.

Congress had spread misinformation about the diversion of funds

After the tragic Balasore accident, the Congress Party targeted the Modi government for allegedly misusing funds designated for railway safety. Citing a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, Congress pointed out that the money was spent on items like foot massagers, crockery, and furniture from the Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh (RRSK). For the unaware, RRSK is a dedicated fund for railway safety. However, Congress had misrepresented the CAG report.

The items mentioned in the report were purchased for Running Rooms. These rooms provide essential rest facilities for train crews between shifts. It has to be pointed out that Loco pilots and train managers need proper rest to ensure safety, as fatigue can lead to human errors, which have caused past accidents. The funds allocated for these items were minimal compared to the overall RRSK fund, and they were within the guidelines for staff welfare and passenger amenities under RRSK.

However, two accidents in just a span of six months showed that there is a need for better-trained loco pilots and train managers to take quick measures to avoid accidents.

Balasore Train Accident

On 2nd June 2023, 296 people died, and over 1,200 were injured in the tragic accident at Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore, Odisha. On the day of the accidents, the Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary freight train. As a result of the Balasore Train Accident, some of the derailed coaches fell onto the adjacent tracks. A few minutes later, the Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express train came on those tracks and collided with the derailed coaches.

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