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Tata Electronics to become first Indian company to manufacture Apple iPhones, to acquire Wistron plant in Karnataka for ₹1040 crore

OpIndia Staff
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Tata Electronics to become first Indian company to manufacture Apple iPhones, to acquire Wistron plant in Karnataka for ₹1040 crore

Tata Electronics Private Limited, a Tata group company, will begin manufacturing iPhones in India for domestic and global markets soon, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar announced on social media platform X. Tata Electronic is acquiring the iPhone-making plant of Taiwanese firm Wistron.

“PM @narendramodi Ji’s visionary PLI scheme has already propelled India into becoming a trusted & major hub for smartphone manufacturing and exports. Now within just two and a half years, @TataCompanies will now start making iPhones from India for domestic and global markets from India,” the minister wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

He congratulated Tata for taking over Wistron operations, which announced its exit from the Indian market in May this year. “Thank you @Wistron for your contributions, and great going for Apple in building a global supply chain from India with Indian companies at its helm,” Chandrasekhar wrote on X.

He also posted a statement by Wistron Corp. announcing that its board has granted approval for the sale of its 100% stake in Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing (India) Private Ltd. to the Tata group for USD 125 million, around Rs 1040 crore.

Wistron Corporation announced that its subsidiaries, SMS InfoComm (Singapore) Private Limited and Wistron Hong Kong Limited will sign a share purchase agreement with Tata Electronics for a 100% indirect stake in Wistron InfoComm Manufacturing (India) Private Limited (WMMI) for an estimated $125 million. The Wistron plant is located near Bengaluru in Karnataka and employs over 10,000 workers.

The development provides a huge impetus to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship initiative ‘Make in India’ giving India an edge over China, which has been a primary manufacturing hub for Apple in Asia until now.

In late September, a report citing government sources claimed that Apple has plans to scale up production in India by over five-fold to around $40 billion (about 3.32 lakh crore) in the next four to five years. The company has already crossed the $7 billion production mark in the last financial year.

Tata’s takeover of Wistron is a positive sign in that the former brand is well-versed in the local work culture in India, something that was a challenge for the Taiwan-based company Wistron. Reports suggest that Wistron’s inability to get deeper into Apple’s supply chain including component manufacturing and vendor-managed inventory holding was one of the key reasons why it is exiting India.

The announcement comes after Prime Minister Modi addressed the 7th edition of the Indian Mobile Congress 2023 at Bharat Mandapam.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister gave the call that the “future is here and now”. He said, “In the rapidly changing world of the 21st century, this event has the potential to change the fate of crore of people. There was a time when we talked about the future, which meant the next decade or the next century. But today, due to changes in technology we say that the future is here and now.”

Sanskrit is not only the language of traditions but also the language of our progress and identity: PM Modi

ANI
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Sanskrit is not only the language of traditions but also the language of our progress and identity: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Sanskrit is not only the language of traditions but it is also the language of our “progress and identity.”

“Sanskrit is the mother of several languages. Sanskrit is the language of our progress and identity,” PM Modi said addressing at Tulsi Peeth in Madhya Pradesh’s Chitrakoot.

He further said that Sanskrit got refined with time but did not get polluted adding that our culture is still intact and steadfast.

“How many languages have come and gone in the world over these thousands of years? New languages replaced the old languages. But our culture is still intact and steadfast. Sanskrit got refined with time but did not get polluted,” he said.

PM Modi said that Ashtadhyayi is a thousands-year-old text of India’s linguistics, India’s intellectuality and our research culture.

He highlighted the genius of Ashtadhyayi as it encapsulates grammar and science of language in pithy capsules.

Touching upon slavery, he said, “Several attempts were made to destroy India during the 1,000 years of slavery. Attempts were made to destroy the Sanskrit language completely. We got Independence, but those with a mentality of slavery had a biased opinion about Sanskrit… If people know their mother tongue, other countries will appreciate it, but they consider knowing the Sanskrit language as a sign of backwardness,” he added.

He further said that people with this mentality have been unsuccessful for the last one thousand years and will not succeed in the future.

Meanwhile, PM Modi said that he feels blessed to offer prayers at several Ram Temples, today.

“I also sought blessings of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya. Chitrakoot has always inspired me,” he said.

Earlier today, he also offered prayers at Kanch Mandir (Temple) in Madhya Pradesh’s Chitrakoot.

The Kanch Mandir includes the temple of Citrakuta Vihari and Viharini (Lord Rama and Goddess Sita), along with the Raghav Satsang Bhavan.

It is a temple with three Sikharas. Beautiful statues of Lord Rama, Sita and Laksmana are placed in the sanctum sanctorum, which is served every day by a priest.

Shri Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas is a religious and social service institution based at Janki Kund, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh. The institution was established by Guruji on Tulsi Jayanti day, 1987.

Tulsi Peeth is one of the leading publishers of literature on Hindu religious themes in India and the world.

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

Did you receive a ‘Sample Testing Message’ emergency alert on your phone: Read why you got it and what it means

Rukma Rathore
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Did you receive a ‘Sample Testing Message’ emergency alert on your phone: Read why you got it and what it means

Many users in India have received an emergency alert from the government since August. The loud message with a beeping sound reads, “This is a SAMPLE TESTING MESSAGE sent through Cell Broadcasting System by the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. Please ignore this message as no action is required from your end. This message has been sent to test the Pan-India Emergency Alert System being implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies,” and concludes with a time stamp and the date at the end.

Now, senior journalist Sreemoy Talukdar has also disclosed that he received the notification while speaking with a telecom firm call centre representative. However, he appeared to be unaware of the purpose of the alert and asked, “May anyone tell me what this is? Has anyone received such a message in the middle of a call accompanied by a loud buzzing noise? I also received this message in Bangla. Perplexed.”

Netizens were quick to respond to his query and stated that the message was to check if the emergency alert system works. An individual mentioned that it is a “test message by the Department of Telecom to use whenever any emergency (disaster management) happens” and added that it indicated the functionality of the system.

Another person wrote, “It is just an emergency broadcast that can come at any time an emergency is there. This particular broadcast is just a testing/trial of the same.” He pointed out that many Andriod users have received the message.

“Yes, they have been testing it,” Vin Kashyap replied and conveyed that he had received a similar message about a month prior.

A user remarked that similar alerts are a common occurrence in Western nations like Canada and highlighted, “They do interrupt the ongoing call and sound a loud buzzing noise. This may be a testing phase for the emergency alert system in India.”

Another commented that such broadcasts are sent during calamities or shooting instances in other countries and complimented India by noting, “My country is changing,” for adopting the same.

A netizen confirmed that several people received the alert. She observed, “Central Government is testing Emergency alert system.”

Reason for sending out the alert

This is not the first message of this kind to be issued. Similar tests have been carried out on a regular basis in other places, according to an announcement made by the Department of Telecommunications Cell Broadcasting System (DoT CBS). Smartphone users in India received a random sample of the emergency alerts, which resulted in a loud beep and a flash message that said “emergency alert: severe.” The message was transmitted twice in a span of a few minutes apart, in native languages including Hindi and English.

The broadcast, based on the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), is a component of an assessment to evaluate the warning system’s efficacy and spot any possible issues. Recipients were notified in the message that it was a test and no action was needed. The government is collaborating closely on the NDMA initiative, which is going to be useful in the event of earthquakes, tsunamis and flash floods, among other calamities.

Notably, mobile operators can deliver text messages to any phone in a certain area employing the CBS technology, regardless of the device’s network. It is therefore the perfect tool for sending out emergency alerts. These tests are being carried out by the NDMA to make sure the alert system is operational and capable of reaching people in the case of a true emergency. They further help the apex body in determining any shortcomings in the system.

The CEO of the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) Rajkumar Upadhyay, previously disclosed that the government-owned telecommunications technology development centre is creating its own cell broadcast technology because it is currently exclusive to international vendors.

He proclaimed, “Cell broadcast is still under development, but NDMA will use it to send alerts directly to mobile phone screens during disasters. It is currently being tested on the Jio and BSNL networks. The cell broadcast technology is under development and will be utilised by NDMA to send alerts directly to mobile phone screens during disasters. It is currently undergoing testing on the Jio and BSNL networks.” He added that different iterations of the cell broadcast messages must be created in order for them to be distributed throughout the telecom network.

Ministry of Communications in its June release asserted, “In our continuous commitment to the safety of citizens of India and the communities, tests of Cell Broadcast Alert System are being conducted on each Telecom Service Provider. These tests will be performed from time to time in various regions across the country to gauge the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency alert broadcasting capabilities of the systems in place, of various Mobile Operators and Cell Broadcast Systems.”

“In a relentless commitment to ensuring the safety of the people of India and their communities, the Cell Broadcast Alert System will undergo rigorous testing across various Telecom Service Providers. These tests will be conducted periodically in diverse regions throughout the country to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency alert broadcasting capabilities of different Mobile Operators and Cell Broadcast Systems,” conveyed in another notification in September.

The customers have been receiving such broadcasts past several weeks. The National Disaster Management Authority and the Ministry of Communications announced back in July that they were going to work together to test the Cell Broadcast Alert System. The ultimate goal of the effort was to protect the safety and well-being of Indian residents by improving emergency communication during times of crisis.

‘Maa Durga was Lord Shiva’s creation. Did Shiva marry his own daughter?” RJD MLA makes derogatory remarks against Hindu Gods

OpIndia Staff
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‘Maa Durga was Lord Shiva’s creation. Did Shiva marry his own daughter?” RJD MLA makes derogatory remarks against Hindu Gods

On Thursday (27th October), a video clip of Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh became viral on social media in which he went on a bizarre rant against the Hindu deity Maa Durga. In his contentious remarks, Fateh Bahadur Singh claimed Lord Shiva created Maa Durga and married her, sparking outrage from Hindus who demonstrated against Singh’s derogatory remarks against Hindu Gods. Continuing his bizarre rant, Singh asked where was the goddess when the Britishers were committing atrocities. The incident took place at Rohtas in Bihar.

Dehri MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh attended a program during the worship of Maa Durga during Navratri days. There he raised objectionable questions about other gods including Maa Durga, which led to a fierce controversy. RJD MLA from Dehri Fateh Bahadur Singh also described Maa Durga as an invention by another god. When he was questioned about his remarks against the Hindu deities, the RJD MLA repeated what he said.

Fateh Bahadur Singh said, “Durga is an imaginary character of an imaginary story. I would have believed in it, but I have proof against it. If Durga Ji was there, or say according to the Manuwadis in our country, there are 33 crore deities. But India was enslaved when the British government came to power in India, and when they enslaved India, at that time there were 30 crore Indians. Plus Indians had 33 crore deities.”

He added, “I want to ask those Manuwadis, who wrote that Maa Durga fought against crores of soldiers in Mahishasur’s army and killed Mahishasur, what was Maa Durga doing when a handful of Britishers were busy making us slaves? She had tens of hands and at that time there were even more weapons. So, at that time why didn’t Maa Durga slaughter the British government?”

Not only this, RJD MLA Fateh Bahadur Singh raised questions about the birth of Goddess Durga and the vermilion (Sindur) of Maa Durga. The RJD MLA asked on which ground Durga killed Mahishasura. He said, “Manuvadis should clearly tell where Mahishasura was killed by Durga. All the gods came together and they did not kill Mahishasur, but they got him murdered through Maa Durga. Mahishasur was a powerful king from the Yadav community. Our hero was turned into a villain. I consider all my ancestors as heroes”

He said, “Manuwadis say that Durga was created by all the gods. So, Durga is the daughter of all the gods. On the other hand, they say that Durga is the wife of Lord Shiva. But Shiva is one of the gods who created Durga. So, Shiva married his daughter Durga. And why Durga was fighting Mahishasur in the night only? Why would she go there at night?”

On Thursday, there was a fierce protest in Rohtas against this. Hindu organisations protested against RJD on the street and demanded a public apology. After this video went viral, BJP and Bajrang Dal workers of Dehri got angry and burnt the effigy of the MLA. Along with this, an application was filed to register an FIR against MLA Fateh Bahadur in the Dehri Nagar police station.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Kumar Sinha said, “RJD people continuously insult Sanatan Dharma and their leaders sometimes raise questions on the existence of God. What kind of language do they use to hurt the children of Mother India? Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav should tell whether these people have faith or not in Sanatan.”

No second marriage for govt employees without approval even if allowed under religion: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

ANI
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No second marriage for govt employees without approval even if allowed under religion: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has clarified that no state government employee can enter into a second marriage without the approval of the government.

“As an Assam government employee, from the point of our service rule, he is not entitled to enter into a second marriage. However, if some religion allows you to do so, even then as per the rule, you have to get permission from the state government. It might give you or may not give you. After the death of the employee, two wives fight with each other over pension issues and we find it very difficult to settle those,” Himanta Biswa said.

He also said that this rule was there earlier, but we did not enforce it. Now, we have decided to enforce it.

The order dated October 20 issued by Niraj Verma, additional chief secretary of the personnel department conveyed the same to all the government employees.

The remarks came against the backdrop of the government announcement in September to bring a law in the state assembly that will ban polygamy.

Polygamy is the practice of marrying more than one person (multiple spouses).

At that time, the Assam CM had said that the government had taken the suggestions from 149 people on the polygamy bill and 146 people have supported the same.

The Assam government also constituted a five-member committee, under the Chairmanship of Devajit Lon Saikia, Advocate General of Assam, to draft appropriate legislation for banning polygamy and other related issues such as tackling inter-religious marriage by false identity, the role of Kazis in the matter of Child Marriage etc.

In the second phase of a state-wide crackdown against child marriage, the Assam police on October 3 arrested more than 800 accused persons.

Giving details, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X, “In a massive crackdown against child marriage, Assam Police has arrested over 800 accused persons in a special operation which began in the early hours of dawn. The number of arrests is likely to rise.”

(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 outdoes itself in Asian Para Games; bags 82 medals besting its previous record of 72, Anurag Thakur congratulates para-athletes

ANI
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India outdoes itself in Asian Para Games; bags 82 medals besting its previous record of 72, Anurag Thakur congratulates para-athletes

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur congratulated the Indian para-athletes for surpassing the previous record in the Asian Para Games.

On Thursday in the ongoing 4th Asian Para Games, India ended the day with a total of 82 medals besting their previous record of 72 set in Indonesia, with still two days to go India will be looking to increase its tally further.

In 2018, India won 72 medals, consisting of 15 gold, 24 silver, and 33 bronze. But this time India has outdone itself in Hangzhou, securing their best-ever medal tally at the games. The historic 73rd medal was clinched by Nithya Sre, as she settled for a bronze medal with a remarkable effort in the women’s singles SH6 event.

“Because there are others beyond the stars. Indian para players have given their best performance this time and have broken the previous record of 73 medals in the Asian Games. The game is still on, new records will be made and will be broken due to the determination of our players,” the Union Minister said in a post on X on Thursday night.

In the ongoing Asian Para Games India’s medal tally of 82 comprises 18 gold, 23 silver, and 41 bronze. India has won 13 bronze medals in Para badminton itself.

India kicked off Friday with a gold medal in archery. Sheetal Devi with a scintillating display in archery claimed a gold medal by defeating Singapore’s Alim Nur Syahidah in the women’s compound open event.

It was a closely fought contest as Alim Nur with her precision took a point lead in the first three sets. She enjoyed a three-point lead after the conclusion of the first three sets with the final two sets remaining.

Sheetal produced back-to-back perfect scores to clinch the game with Alim Nur fumbling in a couple of shots.

Hamas claims it is willing to release hostages but needs time to find them as they are ‘hidden’, says can’t start searches if Israeli airstrikes continue

OpIndia Staff
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Hamas claims it is willing to release hostages but needs time to find them as they are ‘hidden’, says can’t start searches if Israeli airstrikes continue

As pressure is mounting on Hamas to release the hostages including foreigners it abducted after the horrific terror on Israel on 7 October, the Islamic terror group has come up with a bizarre excuse to delay the release. A Hamas leader has said that they need time to find hostages hidden in various places in the Gaza Strip.

A member of a Hamas delegation that visited Russia for talks claimed this while talking to Russia’s semi-official news outlet Kommersant. A Hamas official named Abu Hamid said that the group has always been willing to release civilians, but “needs time to find them.”

Abu Hamid claimed that various groups of Hamas are holding the hostages, and a ceasefire by Israel is needed to allow Hamas to carry out a search, find the hostages, and release them. It is notable that Israel has continued with airstrikes targeting Hamas sites in Gaza, and preparing for a massive ground operation.

“Hundreds of citizens and dozens of militants from various Palestinian factions entered the territories occupied in 1948, and after the fall of the Israeli Gaza Division, they captured dozens of people, most of them civilians, and we need time to find them in the Gaza Strip and then release them,” he said.

He also claimed that the Israeli bombing has killed 50 hostages so far, saying that a calm environment is needed to find the hostages and release them.

Earlier Iran had said that Hamas is willing to release the hostages if Israel ends airstrikes on Gaza. On 16th October, the Iranian Foreign Ministry claimed that Hamas ‘potentially’ was ready to release the nearly 200 Israeli and other foreign nationals it has held hostage if Israel stops airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

Abu Hamid also said that in the meeting with Moscow, the Hamas delegation presented to the ‘Russian friends the reasons for the October 7 attack’.

A group of high-ranking members of Hamas arrived in Moscow on Thursday and held talks with senior Russian officials. The Hamas delegation led by Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior official of the group that runs the Gaza Strip, met with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani was also in Moscow on Thursday and participated in a trilateral meeting in Moscow on October 26 with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Putin’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Mikhail Bogdanov, and Hamas head of international relations Mousa Abu Marzouk.

Hostages are kept in tunnels

It is believed that Hamas has kept the hostages in the vast network of tunnels that it has built under the Gaza Strip over decades. 85-year-old Israeli woman Yocheved Lifshitz, who was held captive and then released by Hamas on 24 October, has said that she was kept in tunnels under Gaza. She said that the Hamas tunnels are like a spider web, saying that she went through hell. She further said after entering the tunnel, they walked for hours.

From her comments, it has been confirmed that most of the hostages are kept in tunnels under Gaza by Hamas. The tunnels also house rocket launchers and weapons of Hamas and provide shelter for the terrorists. As per an estimate, there are around 300 miles of tunnels under Gaza, some of which extend into Israel and Egypt. It is estimated that the tunnel network cost approximately $2 billion to build, most of which are made of pre-fab concrete structures.

It is said that Hamas basically has an underground city under Gaza City, comprising tunnels which are around 150 feet deep. In recent years, with the improvement in detection technology, Israel has been destroying tunnels that extend into its territory. Egypt has also blocked the Hamas tunnels that entered its territory.

Although Israel has the capability to destroy deep tunnels using airstrikes, many of the tunnels are under residential areas.

The tunnels under Gaza make a ground invasion by Israel extremely difficult. The network of tunnels is vast, complex, almost impossible to map out and difficult to enter and exit. Experts believe that due to this reason, Hamas could be able to extend the conflict by taking time to take out hostages from the tunnel network.

Eight ex-Indian Navy officers sentenced to death in Qatar were arrested over “friendly banter with a diplomat in Doha”, said a report

OpIndia Staff
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Eight ex-Indian Navy officers sentenced to death in Qatar were arrested over “friendly banter with a diplomat in Doha”, said a report

On 26th October, a court in Qatar awarded death sentences to eight ex-Indian Navy officers. These officers, who were arrested in Doha on August 30, 2022, have been languishing in the Qatar jail for over a year over the allegations of spying for Israel.

While the details of the allegations against the Indians are not known, apart from the claim that they are accused of spying for Israel, a media report dated 6th December 2022 claimed that the Indian nationals were arrested over a “friendly banter with a diplomat there.”

Notably, the Qatari court’s verdict has “deeply shocked” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs which is exploring all legal options and is in touch with the families of the convicted ex-Indian Navy officers as well as the Qatari authorities. The eight convicted former officers were arrested in August last year with the Qatari authorities not even informing the Indian authorities about the reason behind their arrest for months and when they finally did, they said that the eight ex-Indian navy officers had been charged with the offence of spying for Israel on the country’s advanced submarines.

Although the Qatar State Security, the state intelligence agency, claimed to have intercepted electronic communications establishing that the naval officers were spying on the submarine programme, a report by The Week magazine published on December 6 last year claimed that the eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested after the Qatari authorities grew suspicious over a friendly conversation of these ex-officers with an Indian diplomat posted at Doha in August last year. The Qatari authorities suspected that the eight officers in question shared “secret” information with the Indian diplomat.

Citing a source, The Week magazine reported, “The ex-Navy men had interacted with a diplomat who they were acquainted with because of a previous professional relationship. It was purely friendly banter and nothing more. But it got the Qatar authorities suspicious.”

The report further claimed citing another anonymous source there was a high possibility that information about the friendly gathering was passed on to Qatari officials by those whose interests lined with those of one of India’s neighbours. The report, however, did not mention the name of such a country, even though it the description points towards Pakistan.

“Another source said there was a strong possibility that the information of the friendly get-together may have been passed on to the Qatari authorities by people whose interests are aligned with that of one of India’s neighbouring countries,” the report read.

It is notable that even though the detained Indians talked to their families over video conferencing in the presence of officials of the Indian embassy in Qatar, the officials could not ascertain the exact reason for their arrest.

Notably, the eight Indians were working with the Qatari Emiri Navy, on behalf of a private firm in Qatar named Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services which provided training and other technical assistance to them. The eight ex-Indian Navy officers were detained on August 30, 2022. Soon after that, all traces of the company were removed from the internet. Its website went down, and other mentions of the company were removed.

The eight Indians awarded death sentence in Qatar are Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh.

The timing of the conviction of eight Indians by Qatar raises questions amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, as the country rarely gives the death penalty. The last time a person was given the death penalty in Qatar was in 2020, after a hiatus of seventeen years. In May 2020, a Nepali migrant worker who was convicted of murdering a Qatari civilian was executed by a firing squad.

Bihar: Stones pelted on Durga Puja procession in front of a mosque in Saran, police suspect pre-planned conspiracy

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Stones pelted on Durga Puja procession in front of a mosque in Saran, police suspect pre-planned conspiracy

A Durga puja procession was attacked in Bihar’s Saran district early on 27th October allegedly by miscreants from a “particular community”. Six people have been injured in the attack in which the idol of Goddess Durga was also damaged.

According to eyewitnesses cited by Hindustan Times, a group of miscreants began throwing stones at the procession, damaging the idol. In response, some youth pelted stones at nearby houses leading to a clash between two communities.

The HT report quoted the police saying that the procession was attacked with stones while it was passing through a minority-dominated area in the New Bazar locality.

Saran Superintendent of police (SP) Dr Gaurav Mangla said that preliminary inquiry reveals that the Durga immersion procession was attacked as it was passing in front of a mosque.

The SP added, “They did not stop the music and thus, an enraged community started pelting stones at the procession. The procession is said to be unlicensed.”

Another senior official reportedly said that the attack might not have been spontaneous and the particular community may have been prepared with stones from before, in anticipation of the procession.

A report by The Statesman claimed that the stone pelting ensued after a heated exchange of words between the two communities.

Meanwhile, the SP along with other senior officers as well as reinforcement teams rushed to the spot after the clashes started at around 5 am. Heavy police force was deployed in the area to restore normalcy.

Police said a first information report will be lodged against members from both sides on charges of rioting and unlawful assembly after immersion processions are over.

This is the fourth such incident reported in Bihar. On 25th October, Durga Puja processions were attacked and stones were pelted on the same in Begusarai, Aurangabad (Bihar), and Bhojpur.

Haryana govt releases satellite imagery from NASA showing stubble burning in Punjab, exposes AAP govt’s claims on pollution in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana govt releases satellite imagery from NASA showing stubble burning in Punjab, exposes AAP govt’s claims on pollution in Delhi

As Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was registered at a dismal 309 on 27th October, falling into the “very poor” category, the Haryana government released a satellite image from NASA holding Punjab responsible for the same.

Haryana and Punjab are at loggerheads yet again over the issue of stubble burning which is considered one of the key causes behind Delhi and National Capital Region’s (NCR) deteriorating air quality.

The Haryana government has shared the satellite images claiming that the stubble burning in neighouring Punjab is responsible for the bad air quality in Delhi and NCR. Both the states have reportedly claimed to have recorded a significant drop in farm fires.

But the images from NASA show significant farm fires in Punjab. The images were taken on 25th and 26th October showing a cluster of red dots, indicating a rise in stubble burning.

Speaking on the same, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Jawahar Yadav said that Arvind Kejriwal’s silence about the NASA data creates suspicion.

He said, “There is data from NASA of October 25 and 26, which clearly shows where there is stubble burning in Punjab and in Haryana… More than double stubble burning has occurred in Punjab as compared to Haryana. The Haryana government has brought it down…The silence of Arvind Kejriwal about the NASA data creates suspicion. He has alleged that Indian agencies are not giving data on pollution… Why does he need it now?… The Punjab government has failed, and Arvind Kejriwal’s face has been exposed in front of the public…”

Times Now citing official data claimed that Haryana has seen a 36 per cent decline in farm fires this year. According to the National Green Tribunal, stubble burning in Punjab around autumn was among the “biggest contributors” to pollution in NCR.

“The period when stubble burning takes place is mainly between September 15 to November 30. Hence, during this period, the concerned authorities are required to be vigilant in identifying the violators, and in taking remedial measures, including imposition of a penalty,” the NGT said while hearing a petition.

On 25th October, Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi said that there was no official data available that could tell the different sources contributing to the pollution in Delhi. Notably, many times in the past, AAP leaders including Atishi and Arvind Kejriwal have blamed the stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana for the pollution in Delhi.

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