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Bareilly: Minor Hindu commits suicide after Shavez Rizvi leaks her video online, Hindu activist says school caretaker Shakeel promoting ‘love jihad’

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Bareilly: Minor Hindu commits suicide after Shavez Rizvi leaks her video online, Hindu activist says school caretaker Shakeel promoting ‘love jihad’

In Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, a minor Hindu girl committed suicide by consuming poison after her classmate Shavez Rizvi uploaded her video on social media. According to reports, the accused recorded the minor girl’s video on August 15 and posted it on Instagram. Upset with this, the girl consumed poison on September 2. She succumbed during treatment on September 3.

The deceased and the accused reportedly studied in the same inter-college located in the Devaraniya police station area.

Notably, the Bareilly police arrested the accused Shavez Rizvi on September 1 under the IPC sections 394 (causing hurt) and 500 (defamation) and sections of the POCSO Act and the IT Act based on a complaint the deceased’s family had lodged on August 29 after the video went viral on social media. After the girl committed suicide, the IPC section for abetment to suicide was added to the FIR.

The accused posted the viral footage as his Instagram story. In it, the girl, who is wearing a brown dupatta around her head, and the accused are seen seated together in what appears to be a cafeteria or canteen. The boy, in the video, is seen flirting with the girl. He even tries to kiss her but the girl stops him from doing so. An old Bollywood tune is playing in the background.

Speaking to OpIndia, local Hindu organizations accused the school, where the deceased minor girl and the accused were studying, of promoting ‘love jihad’. OpIndia also spoke to the girl’s father who informed that the school in which his daughter was studying is run by a Muslim man named Shakeel Sherry Doctor and his family.

The father of the deceased added that the ratio of Hindu and Muslim students in the school was equal. While his daughter was studying in class 11, the accused was studying in class 12 in the same school.

Lamenting how the 16-year-old deceased’s two younger brothers had already died untimely due to diseases, the father added that half a packet of rat poison was kept in the house for many days and the girl found it and ate it. The reason for consuming poison was extreme tension, he bemoaned.

SHO Deoraniya, Devendra Dhama, meanwhile, said that as soon as the matter came to notice, a case was immediately registered and the accused was arrested. He further said that Section 306 has been invoked against the accused. In the post-mortem report, the SHO said the cause of death was poisoning.

Shakeel’s school advocates ‘Love Jihad’

OpIndia spoke to local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activist Himanshu Patel about the incident. Describing the school as Muslim-dominated in terms of the student ratio, Himanshu accused the caretaker of the school of encouraging ‘Love Jihad’ within the school premises. Himanshu said that all the Muslim students of the school take Hindu girls to hotels and restaurants as part of a well-planned conspiracy. Himanshu claimed to have spoken to the deceased a week ago.

He asserted that the girl told him that several other Hindu girls at her school were being pursued by Muslim students. Himanshu urged that the school be investigated and that Hindu parents conduct thorough research before sending their children to such schools.

Deceased’s family happy with the police action

According to some media reports, the deceased’s father denied any police negligence in the case. He stated that the police are doing what is necessary and that the in charge of the local police station is in regular contact with them. Local VHP officer Himanshu Patel also praised the promptness the Bareilly police showed in handling the aforementioned case. He said that almost immediately after the video went viral, the police arrested the accused by registering a case against him and sent him to jail.

Health Ministry to launch “Seva Pakhwada”, a two-week-long healthcare drive starting September 17, coinciding with PM Modi’s birthday

ANI
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Health Ministry to launch “Seva Pakhwada”, a two-week-long healthcare drive starting September 17, coinciding with PM Modi’s birthday

India is set to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday on 17th of September by organising a slew of wellness drives and healthcare programmes under the initiative called “Seva Pakhwada” (a fortnight of service). The initiative coincides with the 73rd birth anniversary of PM Narendra Modi and will continue till Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October.

The program will be launched under the ‘Ayushman Bhava’ campaign of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), which is scheduled to be launched by President Droupadi Murmu on September 13.

‘Ayushman Bhava’ is an umbrella campaign comprising three major components — Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Mela, and Ayushman Sabha — to be launched during the 15-day period, starting September 17.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, “This year on the occasion of PM Modi’s birthday we will take up the ‘Ayushman Bhava’ program to ensure optimum delivery of all state-run health schemes to every intended beneficiary, including those in the last mile.”

He further said that during this program, camps will be set up and 60,000 people will be given Ayushman Bharat cards. “The camps will be set up, for 60,000 people we will give Ayushman Bharat cards. In the coming days we will run this program more frequently for better saturation of healthcare services and programmes,” he added.

According to the Union Health Ministry, all the above activities will start from September 17. Besides, Swachhta Abhiyaan, Organ Donation, and Blood Donation campaigns will also be held during the proposed Sewa Pakhwada.”

In an exclusive interview with ANI, the Union Health Minister said that during the campaign over 15 days, several welfare initiatives, including ‘Ayushman Mela’, and ‘Ayushman Sabha’ with Jan Bhagidari (public participation) will be undertaken by the Union Health Ministry across the country under ‘Ayushman Bhava’ for people belonging to economically weaker sections.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is known not only in the country but across the world for his service to humanity. He provided free food grains to 80 crore people, and guaranteed free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh to 60 crore people under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. As Modi-ji celebrates his birthday on September 17, we launch and run the ‘Ayushman Bhavah’ campaign,” Mandaviya told ANI.

The Union Health Minister said that during the programs, which will continue till October 2, general awareness about health will be spread and the programs being run by the central government in this direction will be implemented in mission mode.

He informed further that in line with the Ayushman Bhava campaign, an Ayushman Mela will be organised in over 1,17,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across the country “where all the poor, and middle-class people will be diagnosed and treated”. Mandaviya further said that all block-level hospitals and medical colleges will organise health camps on their premises.

“If any patient needs tertiary care, he will be taken to the respective medical college and provided treatment,” he said, adding that over the fortnight, ‘Swacchta Abhiyaan’ (cleanliness drive) will be also run at healthcare institutions across the country including hospitals and dispensaries, among others.

The Union Health Minister said apart from ‘Ayushman Mela’, the ‘Ayushman Bhava’ campaign has two other pillars — ‘Ayushman Card’ and ‘Ayushman Sabha’.

He said that along with conducting a ‘Gaon Sabha’ in all rural areas, the campaign will eventually ensure Gram/Nagar Panchayat attain the status of ‘Ayushman Gram Panchayat’ or ‘Ayushman Urban Ward’ with saturation of selected health indicators.

The village that has Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries is ‘Mukt’ (free) from TB and Leprosy, and has a 100 per cent Covid-19 vaccination record, will be declared ‘Ayushman Gram’, the minister said.

Mandaviya said, “Efforts will be made to ensure that Ayushman Bharat cards reach every beneficiary through digital platforms.”

He stressed that the entire campaign is based on ‘Jan Bhagidari’ or public participation. “The whole mission is about Jan Bhagidari, as the youths will participate in blood donation for a fortnight,” he said, adding that efforts will also be undertaken to bring more and more people into the organ donation fold.

Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is the world’s largest health protection scheme which provides health coverage of Rs 5 lakh per beneficiary family per annum.

Mandaviya further said that last year we witnessed that on the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we emphasised the issue of Tuberculosis (TB).

“Earlier PM Modi said that the world’s goal to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) is 2030 but India’s target is to eliminate TB by 2025 end. Last year around 70,000 people became Ni-kshay Mitra and adopted TB patients which has now increased to one lakh. It is in the form of NGOs, individual people, political parties and corporate sector,” he added.

“Every month nutrient kit is given and every possible support is extended to those patients. We are confident that with the help of ‘Lok Bhagidari’ TB will be eliminated from the country”, he added.

Earlier in 2022, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ran a year-long program to make the country Tuberculosis (TB) free, under which everyone will adopt a TB patient and will take care of him for one year. The plan to adopt one tuberculosis patient for one year has been organised to accomplish PM Modi’s vision of a TB-free India by 2025.

PM Modi was born on September 17, 1950, in Gujarat’s Vadnagar, a small and nondescript town in the Mehsana district of North Gujarat.

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

‘Withdraw application, or we’ll throw acid on your face’: Imtiaz, Jamshed arrested for threatening a woman Congress corporator in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad

OpIndia Staff
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‘Withdraw application, or we’ll throw acid on your face’: Imtiaz, Jamshed arrested for threatening a woman Congress corporator in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad

Danilimda’s Imtiaz and Jamshed Sheikh have threatened to assassinate Chandkheda Congress corporator Rajshree Kesari for applying to be the opposition leader in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). By labeling Kesari a casteist, the two accused who vowed to kill her also threatened to throw acid in her face.

In this regard, Rajshree filed a complaint against the accused at the Chandkheda police station, and the police arrested both of them within a few hours. Both suspects have been charged under the provisions of threats and brutality.

The incident was first reported on September 4 and is said to happened in the Chandkheda region of Gujarat’s Ahmedabad district.

According to the reports, Congress corporator Rajshree Kesari of Chandkheda was receiving threats over the phone and social media for some time after she expressed interest to become the opposition leader in AMC. The lady corporator was being called from different numbers by both the accused. Both the accused who threatened are residents of Danilimda.

It should be mentioned that these two accused, Imtiaz Shaikh and Jamshed Shaikh of Danilimda, threatened a female Congress corporator to withdraw her name from consideration for the role of opposition leader in the AMC. The current leader of the opposition is Shehzad Pathan, the Congress leader from Danilimda. 

Talking to OpIndia about the incident, Rajshree Kesari said, “Both the accused have been threatening me over the phone for the last 10-15 days. They used to say that if I stepped out of the house, they would kill me, they would throw acid on my face. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but then on Paramdivas, I felt that it was getting a bit more serious. At first, I didn’t know who these people were, then they started posting content on social media that tarnished my image, so I was informed by my fellow corporator Kamla that this kind of thing is going on in social media. So later I went to Chandkheda police station and filed a complaint there including death threats, atrocity.”

When asked who these persons are and what is the reason behind the threat, Rajashree said, “I have not found anything yet. On the last day, when the police arrested the accused, I came to know that these two persons live at Danilimda and their names are Imtiaz Sheikh and Jamshed Sheikh.” It is noteworthy that some people are also saying that the accused are Congress workers. When OpIndia asked Kesari about this, she said that she did not know much about their association with the Congress party.

It is worth noting that just two months earlier, Rajshree Kesari, the Congress corporator who received threats of death by Danilimda’s Imtiaz and Jamshed Sheikh, allotted 5 lakh rupees for a cemetery. She told OpIndia, “It’s possible that they didn’t like the grant that I allocated for the cemetery. Because I am the only one who has allocated a Rs 5 lakh grant there. Apart from myself, some of my colleagues have set aside 2 lakhs, while others have set aside 3 lakhs. However, I am the only one who has allotted 5 lakhs.”

Kesari also told OpIndia that she is pleased with the police’s performance. The police apprehended both offenders within 2-3 hours of filing the complaint. Furthermore, both of the accused were imprisoned. Simultaneously, Rajshree Kesari, a Congress corporator from Chandkheda, also told OpIndia that she is pleased with how the police detained the offenders and initiated proceedings.

Rajasthan Police flip flops in Bhilwara gang rape case: First dismisses victim’s complaint as a lie, later arrests two saying rape did occur

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan Police flip flops in Bhilwara gang rape case: First dismisses victim’s complaint as a lie, later arrests two saying rape did occur

On 10th September, Rajasthan police did a flip-flop in the Bhilwara gang rape case. Initially, the police claimed that the woman had consensual sex with two men, and she had gone with them on her own. However, Bhilwara Police issued a statement clarifying that though the woman went with the accused on her own, she escaped after being gang raped.

Rajasthan Police also issued a similar statement from its official handle and deleted an old tweet where they claimed that the woman was not gang raped.

The flip-flop by Rajasthan Police

On 10th September, at 11:05 AM, Rajasthan Police issued a statement from its official handle claiming that the woman who was found naked on Aamli Road was neither kidnapped nor gang raped. They said that during the investigation, the police found the woman ‘lied’ as she was scared of her husband. Furthermore, in a follow-up post, the police said her medical was done at the hospital, and they found call recordings with the accused on her phone.

Source: BefittingFacts/X

At 2:59 PM, Bhilwara Police issued a statement saying the accused had been arrested. Police categorically said gang rape was confirmed, but the kidnapping complaint was found to be fake. The accused were known to the woman. She escaped after they raped her.

At 3:45 PM, Rajasthan Police’s office X handle issued another statement on the matter, removing the part that she was not gang-raped and adding that the accused were arrested. In their later tweet, the police confirmed that the forceful sexual acts against the woman were confirmed after an investigation, contradicting their earlier dismissal.

The post where they claimed the woman was not gang raped was deleted.

Source: X

Bhilwara incident

On 9th September, a woman was found naked on a road in Bhilwara, Rajasthan. She had claimed that accused men gang-raped her. She had said that the accused individuals had fled, taking away her clothes after gang-raping her. When later seen on the street crying for help, the woman received no assistance as bystanders assumed she was mentally disturbed. A passerby eventually took notice of her distress and contacted the police. Upon receiving this alert, law enforcement officers arrived at the scene and rescued the woman.

The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the Gangapur police station in the Bhilwara district. After being rescued by the police, the woman said that on the night of 9th September 2023, after having her meal, she had set out for a walk. However, she was forcibly abducted by three young men who forced her into a jeep during her stroll. Subsequently, the culprits subjected her to a harrowing gang rape. After committing this heinous act, the accused left the woman unclothed.

Police probe finds the woman had gone with the men willingly

However, later, the police claimed that the matter was found to be false and the woman was with the men out of her own will. According to police, they found a voice recording on the victim’s phone at the spot, which allegedly ‘exposed’ the case.

The police have said that the 25-year-old woman is from Odisha, and she was married to a 50-year-old disabled man through a broker 6 years ago. As per phone records, she talked to one Chhotu Sargara, a resident of Amli Gangapur, from 7 to 7.51 PM. Chhotu Sargara told her that he was Girdhari’s friend, and Girdhari wanted to meet her. Girdhari is a former acquaintance of the woman. Discussions on money were held during this call.

The woman agreed to meet them accordingly and came out of the house after having dinner on the pretext of a walk. Chhotu and Girdhari were waiting at a distance, and they brought her towards on the Amli road on a two-wheeler. The two men were allegedly drunk.

According to the police, all three went to the ruins of a building near the Amli road and had sex with her one by one. However, when the two men insisted on keeping her for the whole night, she disagreed and wanted to go home. There were also disputes regarding money. This led to an argument between them, and the accused took her clothes and refused to give them to her. As a result, she got scared and ran naked towards the road. A passerby spotted her, covered her with a shawl, and called the police.

Police said that the woman gave wrong facts in the beginning due to the fear of her husband, as she feared that he would leave her if he knew the fact. Both the men, Chhotu Sargara and Girdhari, who had fled from the spot have been detained by the police.

Kidnapping allegations were found to be false, but rape did occur, confirms police

Even if kidnapping charges are dropped after the recent revelations, they could be booked under other charges for trying to forcefully keep her against her will, forcing sex, and taking away her clothes. However, within hours of the initial statement, Rajasthan Police changed the statement and said that though the woman went with the men willingly and there was no ‘kidnapping’, the sexual acts were confirmed after the medical examination.

Bhilwara police confirms that rape did occur

The woman has complained that she was forced to have sex against her will and was threatened and harassed by the accused men. This puts a question on the police’s earlier statement that had outright dismissed the rape allegation and had tried to paint the victim woman as a liar.

‘I wanted to hurt him’: Shoaib Akhtar heard saying how he bowled to cause life-threatening injury to Sachin Tendulkar, had done it to Dhoni too

OpIndia Staff
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‘I wanted to hurt him’: Shoaib Akhtar heard saying how he bowled to cause life-threatening injury to Sachin Tendulkar, had done it to Dhoni too

On Sunday (September 10), a video of Shoaib Akhtar went viral on social media wherein he was heard boasting about his deliberate attempt to cause life-threatening injury to former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

“I want to reveal this today that I really wanted to injure Sachin in that match…I was determined to hurt Sachin at any cost in that match…And I kept at it although Inzamam-ul-Haq asked to bowl in front of the wickets,” the former Pakistani pacer confessed to his ‘unsportsmanlike behaviour.’

Without any visible signs of remorse, he continued, “So I deliberately hit on his helmet and even thought that he (Sachin) would be dead…I saw the replay and found that the ball hit on his forehead…I then tried to injure him again.”

Shoaib Akhtar was talking about the infamous 3rd Test match played between India and Pakistan at the National Stadium in 2006. He made the contentious claims during an interview with Sportskeeda in June 2022. A clip of the interview has now gone viral on social media.

Shoaib Akhtar confesses to deliberately bowling a beamer to MS Dhoni

This was not the first time that the former Pakistani pacer had confessed to deliberately hurting Indian players during a cricket match.

While talking to Sports Tak in October 2021, Shoaib Akhtar conceded that he intentionally bowled a ‘deadly beamer’ to Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the Faisalabad Test match between India and Pakistan in 2006.

The Pakistani pacer said, “I had made the same mistake with Dhoni in Faisalabad. I had thrown a beamer at him intentionally. Dhoni is such a nice guy and I respect him. I felt very bad about it. Yes, he is a good player who hit me for a few runs. Why did I decide to attack him (with a beamer)? If the ball would have hit Dhoni, he would have been grievously hurt (do-teen-paanch) in 2005 itself.”

It must be mentioned that bowling a beamer is illegal during a cricket match. In the said delivery, the ball does not bounce and is tossed high by the bowler. Such a delivery has the chance of causing fatal head and facial injuries to a batsman.

While most of such beamers are delivered mistakenly, Shoaik Akhtar did it intentionally despite being fully aware of the possible consequences. A no-ball is awarded and the bowler gets a warning from the umpire.

On repeating the same offence during the match, he can be barred from bowling in the rest of the match.

Pakistan: Christian couple arrested for ‘blasphemy’ in Lahore, less than a month after Jaranwala hate crimes shocked the world

ANI
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Pakistan: Christian couple arrested for ‘blasphemy’ in Lahore, less than a month after Jaranwala hate crimes shocked the world

People criticized the security agencies after they took a Christian couple in custody over an alleged blasphemy case that was registered against them for allegedly desecrating a copy of the Holy Quran in Lahore on Saturday. 

According to Dawn, Taimur, a resident of Harbanspura, filed a complaint with the police, saying he was standing at a food shop on a street near the Rangers headquarters when he saw some pages being thrown from the roof of a nearby house. 
He picked up the pages, which were found to be from the Holy Quran. 

The North Cantonment police registered a blasphemy case against the woman, identified as Kiran and her husband Shaukat Masih for their alleged involvement in desecrating the holy scripture. The case was filed under Section 295-b of the Pakistan Penal Code. 

SP Awais Shafique told the media that both suspects had been arrested and were now awaiting legal proceedings, the Dawn reported.

Faraz Parvaiz, who himself was accused of blasphemy by FIA tweeted, “Christians are under attack in Pakistan. The notorious group #TLP Extremist’s is carrying out rallies in #Lahore which is an alarming situation for #Chrsitians in #Pakistan. #Barelvi #TLP Extremist’s in #Lahore file #blasphemy case, under Section 295B, against a #Christian couple for allegedly tearing pages of the Quran”. 

There has been a sudden rise in cases of false blasphemy accusations against the members of the minority community in Pakistan. In many cases, the people take law into their hands and carry out violent attacks on the houses and places of worship. 

According to the DND news agency, over the past three months, an alarming pattern has emerged in Sargodha in Punjab province, with at least five complaints linked to accusations of blasphemy filed against Christians. 

The religious-political party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), has orchestrated an aggressive campaign surrounding these alleged blasphemy cases, stoking suspicion against Christians and inciting protests demanding the apprehension of the accused individuals. 

It was reported that August 16, 2023, marked a tragic day for the Christian community in Jaranwala. 

A brutal and destructive attack unfolded, resulting in the desecration of 24 churches, some reduced to rubble, and the widespread looting and burning of hundreds of homes across 11 areas in the Faisalabad district. 

This eruption of violence was triggered by unfounded rumours and allegations of blasphemy targeting a Christian resident in Jaranwala’s Christian Town.

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

Panini’s ‘Ashtadhyayi’, Rig Veda, Konark Wheel, and more: The significant artefacts displayed at Bharat Mandapam during G20 Summit

OpIndia Staff
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Panini’s ‘Ashtadhyayi’, Rig Veda, Konark Wheel, and more: The significant artefacts displayed at Bharat Mandapam during G20 Summit

On 9 and 10 September, Bharat hosted the G20 leaders summit in the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. At the summit venue, the Ministry of Culture showcased a unique international project, ‘Culture Corridor- G20 Digital Museum’ which was unveiled on the 9th of September, the first day of the leaders summit.

An official statement said, “This project is based on India’s G20 theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and the Culture Working Group’s (CWG) hallmark campaign ‘Culture Unites All.” 

As per the official statement, the culture corridor represented and celebrated the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries. The corridor incorporated iconic and notable cultural objects and the heritage of the G20 members and nine invitee countries.

During the course of the event, several Iconic art objects both in physical and digital forms were displayed in this curated temporary ‘art corridor’ which was established especially for the grand occasion.

Nataraja statue at the Bharat Mandapam. Image Source: Edunovations

At the outset, the venue, Bharat Mandapam, showcased a grand statue of Natraj, Shhank (Conch Shell), Surya Dwar, and Pragati Chakra (Wheel of Prosperity) among others. 

Following the theme “Culture Unite All”, the Mandapam celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Indian states, for example – Silver filigree artefacts represented Telangana, there was colourful jewellery from Nagaland and Eri – the Millenium Silk from Assam at the crafts bazaar to celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of India.

Similarly, there were many artefacts that celebrated the cherished democratic values throughout Bhartiya civilisation and throughout the world. These included artefacts like Rig Veda Manuscripts, a copy of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the citizen National Assembly from France; a copy of charters of freedom from the USA, and a Poster of the first democratic general election Republic of Korea.

As per the theme, ‘Culture Unites All’, the special museum included iconic artefacts of other G20 or invitee nations as well. These include ‘Batik Sarong Textiles from Indonesia, a Model of Brazil’s National Parliament, Poncho from Argentina, miniature replica models of the Volkswagen Old Beetle from Germany, a bronze statue of Apollo Belvedere from Italy, and Nendoroid Hastune Miku from Japan among others.

Canada – Sea Monster transformation mask (Image Source – Asianet Newsable)
Germany – VW Beetle miniature models (Image Source – Asianet Newsable)

To celebrate India’s high civilisational legacy, the Bharat Mandapam showcased Panini’s grammar treatise ‘Ashtadhyayi’, the Rig Veda inscription, and digital images of Bhimbhetka cave paintings in Madhya Pradesh which dates back to approximately 30,000 years.

Panini’s Ashtadhyayi

The Ashtadhyayi manuscript is an iconic grammar treatise that was composed in the 5th-6th century BCE by the celebrated grammarian Panini. 

The text has eight chapters and 4,000 sutras, and it talks about the science of Vedic phonetics and grammar. The grammar in Ashtadhyayi has been compared to the Turing machine which is said to be an idealised mathematical model that reduces the logical structure of any computing device to its essentials.

(Image Source – ANI)

As per the official statement, by allowing elements of earlier rules to recur subsequently, Panini anticipated the idea of computer programs by over 2,500 years. 

Historian A.L. Basham underlined the text’s significance in the following words– “Panini’s grammar is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of any ancient civilisation, and the most detailed and scientific grammar composed before the 19th century in any part of the world.”
The summit also brought the country’s architectural heritage to the spotlight by the replica of the majestic Konark Wheel and the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar.

Evidently, on Saturday night (9th September) President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the guests for the ceremonial dinner hosted for various heads of state and other world leaders and their spouses at the Bharat Mandapam venue. The background at the site where the President greeted the guests had a replica of the ancient Nalanda University, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Bihar.

Whereas, the Konark wheel replica served as the backdrop for the place where Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly received the arriving leaders and marked the beginning of the G20 Summit.

25 dog bite cases reported in a single day in Ghaziabad, administration issues advisory

OpIndia Staff
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25 dog bite cases reported in a single day in Ghaziabad, administration issues advisory

On 9th September, over 25 cases of dog bites were reported in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Two of the victims were reportedly in serious condition. On the same day, the administration issued an advisory on what to be done and not done in dog bite cases.

As per reports, a 38-year-old woman named Gita who is a resident of Bhim Nagar Colony in Vijay Nagar, went out for a walk at night. A pack of dogs circled and attacked her. The neighbours heard her screams and rushed to save her. Her husband Sanjay admitted her to MMG hospital where she was administered anti-rabies vaccination.

On Thursday, a student named Rohan was bitten by a pet dog in the presence of the dog’s owner. Allegedly the owner didn’t do anything to protect the boy from his dog’s attack. A complaint has been filed against the owner and police have launched an investigation.

The health department issued an advisory on 9th September in which District Surveillance Officer Dr RK Gupta listed dos and don’ts in case of a dog bite. Copies of the advisory were sent to government departments and MLCs, Village Chief, RWA and NGOs.

India has a serious problem of stray dogs attacking people. Several cases of dog bites have been reported in September month itself. On September 9, CCTV footage surfaced from Amroha where stray dogs were seen attacking a toddler. The small boy can be seen fleeing away from the dog as the canine hurries up to capture and attack the boy.

On September 5, a 5-year-old girl was dragged from her home by the dogs and was brutally attacked. The minor was rescued only after the mother of the girl screamed for help gathering the neighbours. The girl was then shifted to a hospital for treatment but no anti-rabies vaccine was available. The girl was then provided with the vaccine by one of the neighbours who had got the vaccine for himself after he was attacked by a dog.

Further, it was reported on the same day that a 14-year-old boy from Ghaziabad had lost his life one and a half months after he was bitten by a dog. The boy didn’t inform about the dog bite at home and failed to take the anti-rabies vaccine, as a result of which his health deteriorated and he died. The boy was also taken to around 3-4 hospitals for treatment but he could not be saved.

A 70-year-old retired doctor was bitten to death by a pack of dogs while out on a morning walk on the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in April of this year. Last year, strays killed a five-year-old girl in Agra, while dogs killed a 12-year-old boy in Bareilly in May.

In the last couple of decades, India has become the world leader in Rabies deaths. OpIndia’s detailed report on Rabies can be checked here.

‘I have read many Hindu books, there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does’: Rahul Gandhi again attacks BJP from foreign soil

OpIndia Staff
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‘I have read many Hindu books, there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does’: Rahul Gandhi again attacks BJP from foreign soil

On 8 September, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, as part of his almost week-long Europe tour, addressed students and academicians at the Sciences PO university in Paris. During the event, he shared the stage with Hinduphobic author Christophe Jaffrelot, who has written against India, Indian courts, BJP, PM Modi, and was part of the ‘Dismantling Hindutva’ event. Through his interaction, the Congress leader targeted the ruling party in India, that is the BJP, from foreign soil yet again.

The Wayanad MP claimed that the BJP wants to remain in power at any cost and it could do anything for that. Going further, Gandhi claimed that there was nothing Hindu that the BJP does. 

During the interaction, a student said that in many of his interactions, he had found that many of his friends and relatives have been affected by ‘Hindu nationalist’ rhetoric. Afterwards, he posed a question to Rahul Gandhi asking him what the stand of the coalition government would be vis-a-vis Hinduism in the ‘Post-BJP’ era.  

In reply, Rahul Gandhi said, “I have read the ‘Gita’, I have read a number of the Upanishads, I’ve read many Hindu books; there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does, absolutely nothing.”

Going further, the Congress leader claimed that no Hindu book, seemingly for political subtleties revered religious books just become ordinary Hindu books, talk about ‘terrorising’ or oppressing the weak. He also argued that the BJP has nothing to do with Hindus and their acts have no Hinduness.   

Rahul Gandhi said, “I have not read anywhere, in no Hindu book, from no learned Hindu person have I ever heard that you should terrorise, harm people who are weaker than you. So, this idea, this word, Hindu nationalists, this is a wrong word. They’re not Hindu nationalists. They have nothing to do with Hinduism. They are out to get power at any cost, and they will do anything to get power. They want dominance of a few people and that is what they are about. There is nothing Hindu about them.”

His remarks come at a time when the Congress party and its alliance partners in the I.N.D.I.A. bloc are facing the heat for a spree of hate speeches against Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) and have called out for its eradication. Pertinent to note that Gandhi, who claims to be a Janeudhari Brahmin didn’t talk about constant attacks against Hinduism and rugged it under the carpet while asserting that minorities are under attack in India.

Further, using the unfound trope of 40% vs. 60% pro and against the government, the former Congress President claimed that 60 percent of India voted for the opposition parties while just 40 percent voted for the ruling party. Using that argument, the Congress leader claimed that it is wrong to assume that the majority community is voting for the BJP. 

He said, “So this idea that the majority community is voting for the BJP, this is a wrong idea. The majority community actually votes more for us than they vote for them.” 

It is important to note that these binary mathematical calculations claiming that a clear divide between – for and against don’t hold water in a multi-party democratic system.  

During the interaction, Rahul Gandhi also talked about the ongoing India-Bharat rename row. He highlighted that the Constitution begins with “India that is Bharat, a Union of States”, and permits the usage of both names, India and Bharat. 

However, the Congress leader argued that by changing nomenclature the ruling party has been trying to erase or change history which according to him should be embraced as it is.  

He said, “The Constitution uses both names. I don’t see any problem. Both names are acceptable. But I think we irritated govt by naming our alliance INDIA. There is something deeper going on. People who want to change their name or anything are basically trying to deny history. They don’t want the history of our country to be known to our future generations.” 

PM Modi conveys strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of Khalistani elements in Canada during ‘pull-aside’ meeting with PM Trudeau

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi conveys strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of Khalistani elements in Canada during ‘pull-aside’ meeting with PM Trudeau

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Canadian counterpart Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the 18th Group of 20 Summit (G20 Summit) which was taking place in Delhi, India. The discussion happened on 10 September and both the leaders talked about the connections between their two countries in multiple sectors. During this pull-aside meeting, PM conveyed strong concerns of India over the continuous anti-India activities by Khalistanis in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated PM Modi for the historic success of the summit. Notably, the latter pointed out the use of Canadian soil for anti-India and Hinduphobic activities by pro-Khalistan elements. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, “Prime Minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties. He conveyed our strong concerns about the continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada.”

PM Modi firmly conveyed that Khalistan fundamentalists are threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship, encouraging secessionism, provoking violence against Indian diplomats and damaging diplomatic facilities.

The release further read, “The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats. Prime Minister also mentioned that a relationship based on mutual respect and trust is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship.”

Interestingly, Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with world leaders including US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron, among others, however, it was a ‘pull-aside meeting on the sidelines’ with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

A pull-aside meeting is not a formal bilateral meeting and is ranked below a bilateral meeting. A pull-aside meeting can take place whenever two leaders meet.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Prime Minister addressed a press conference in the national capital where he replied to questions on Khalistan extremism. “Over the years, with PM Modi, we have had many conversations on both of those issues.” He claimed to defend freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and stated that these rights were of utmost importance to his country. He stated, “At the same time we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred.”

He further alleged, “I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada. The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference,” on the matters of Khalistan and foreign interference.

He termed India “an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada.” The relationship between India and Canada is strained due to the presence of separatist organisations in the maple country that support Khalistan. The vandalisation of Hindu temples, attacks on the Indian high commission, threats to Indian diplomats working in the high commission and the discretion of Indian tricolour at the hands of Sikh fanatics is a regular occurrence.

The government of Canada has shied away from taking stern action against the Khalistani extremists in its country and catered to vote bank politics despite repeated objections from India which has resulted in the souring of diplomatic relationships between the two countries.

Watch the interaction below:

Canadian Media says Trudeau invisible India

While PM Modi didn’t have a formal bilateral talk with PM Trudeau, Canadian media is filled with reports that the Canadian PM has been invisible at the G20 Summit. Reportedly, Justin Trudeau was mostly snubbed by other G20 leaders, not just India, and he didn’t participate much at various events of the summit. Toronto Sun reported that Modi denied Trudeau’s requests for an official bilateral meeting, and the US President didn’t meet him even though Joe Biden held bilateral talks with heads of Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Mauritius and Bangladesh.

The Toronto Sun further added that “a pull-aside meeting is a very informal kind of meeting that can happen in hallways, even in kitchens”. The publication noted that Canada’s relations have deteriorated with both China and India, which is a major concern, and said that the PM is to be blamed for this. “Like he has done with Canadian voters, Trudeau has alienated himself from many world leaders. They likely are looking forward to a change in Ottawa as much as the convention goers in Quebec City were this weekend,” the report stated.

According to journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, Canadian journalists were wondering if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is even present at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, due to his absence from major announcements and photo ops. He said that no global leader or media has mentioned him, and was given a cold shoulder.

While the G20 leaders and other invited leaders had several bilateral meetings with each other during the G20 Summit, Justin Trudeau had only one bilateral, with World Bank President Ajay Banga. Interestingly, the Canadian press accompanying him could not cover this meeting because they were not informed about it on time. The Canadian PM also skipped the G20 leaders dinner.

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