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Medical company gave Rs 13 crore to AAP for getting contracts of Delhi govt hospitals: conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar alleges in letter to Delhi LG

OpIndia Staff
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Medical company gave Rs 13 crore to AAP for getting contracts of Delhi govt hospitals: conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar alleges in letter to Delhi LG

Conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar has once again accused Aam Aadmi Party supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of corruption in yet another letter. The jailed businessman has written an explosive three-page letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena making fresh allegations against the AAP supremo, as per reports.

He has charged Arvind Kejriwal of collusion with a medical company and demanded an inquiry against him and former minister Satyendar Kumar Jain. It is notable that Jain was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in May 2022 on allegations of money laundering, 9 months after which he submitted his resignation for the portfolios he held as a minister. Sukesh has alleged that AAP collected Rs 13 crore through him from this medical company for the last Goa elections.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar accused that the medical company is closely associated with the Aam Aadmi Party and has recently been awarded several contracts by the Delhi government. He also submitted some details to the LG in support of his allegations in the letter.

Sukesh has written in the letter that Arvind Kejriwal gave contracts of different government hospitals in Delhi to a medical lab named Metropolis Laboratory and Pathology Center, from which Rs 13 crore was collected for the Goa elections. Allegedly Metropolis lab also collects blood samples of all jail inmates in Delhi.

He claimed in the letter that his staff collected Rs 13 crore from the Metropolis office and that Satyendar Jain was behind this conspiracy. He further claimed that out of this money, Rs crore was sent to one Dr Himesh in Bengaluru, who is the nephew of Jain. The remaining Rs 8 crore was sent to Goa, which was collected by some unnamed persons, he added.

Chandrasekhar has further alleged that in one of the FaceTime chats, Jain and Kejriwal had mentioned that the directors of Metropolis are close friends and the company is paying money to AAP as Kejriwal had helped the company earlier. He claimed that it was decided that the amount will be collected from Mumbai and sent to Goa and Bengaluru.

Chandrasekhar alleged in his letter, “Subsequently, my staff collected an amount of 13 crores in two instalments in 7-8 hours from Metropolis office in Mumbai, and was continuously coordinated by Jain.”

Sukesh Chandrasekhar claimed that after receiving the money, Kejriwal called him to thank him. Chandrashekhar further wrote that he is giving all the details in this regard and this matter should be investigated seriously and in detail because CM Arvind Kejriwal and Satendra Jain are very closely involved in this matter. Saying that several contracts were given to the company, Sukesh requested the LG to conduct a detailed investigation by CBI or ED.

The conman who is lodged in Mandoli jail has sent the letter to the LG office through his lawyer. This time, however, the media has not been given access to it. His attorney issued a press statement and only a few details were provided. The lawyer has said that in the interest of justice, equity and good conscience, appropriate action may be initiated in this regard at the earliest.

He has already made a number of sensational statements about Arvind Kejriwal and Satyendar Kumar Jain. He asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party’s national convenor had tasked him with raising funds for the party. He proclaimed that Satyendar Jain and Kejriwal had put pressure on him to gather money for the Punjab and Goa elections.

Furthermore, Sukesh asserted that the Aam Aadmi Party chief had demanded Rs. 50 crore from him and extended an offer of a Rajya Sabha seat. The party, meanwhile, has been regularly refuting his allegations. He has previously accused Aam Aadmi Party leaders of involvement in the Delhi liquor scam.

Notably, veteran Aam Aadmi Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia resigned from his post and all cabinet positions following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on corruption charges in the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.

Sukesh Chandrasekhar is presently incarcerated in Mandoli jail for fraud and money laundering.

‘Kejriwal wants power to save himself from anti-corruption probes’: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit launches fresh salvo against AAP supremo

OpIndia Staff
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‘Kejriwal wants power to save himself from anti-corruption probes’: Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit launches fresh salvo against AAP supremo

On Saturday (19 August), Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit compared AAP leaders with ‘mice’ while launching a fresh salvo against the Arvind Kejriwal-led political outfit, which ironically is their arch-nemesis turned alliance partner. While speaking to a media person, Dikshit claimed that AAP leaders try to present a false bravado in front of the public while in reality, it is a meek political party.   

Calling AAP leaders ‘mice’, Diskhit said, “Let me put on record that what they shout in public is very different from how they speak to our leaders in private. They’re almost like, sorry for using this word, but they’re like mice. They talk like mice, their voice loses its sharpness, that’s why I said they almost come crawling.”

Responding to the AAP’s demand for full statehood to Delhi, Dikshit targeted Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal stating that he just want to misuse power to save himself from the anti-corruption probes. He claimed that Kejriwal only wants the power of transfers and postings to save himself from the corruption probes and added that this is unethical.   

The Congress leader said, “There used to be a time when we used to feel that Delhi must get full statehood but the way Delhi is functioning now, the kind of power division that is between the Centre and Delhi govt, it doesn’t need much change…the kind of power Kejriwal wants for transfers, postings, to save himself from an anti-corruption branch, is not ethical.” 

Dikshit stated that if any kind of feedback comes from Kejriwal, then we should not take it seriously. The alliance partner described Kejriwal as a person who will first look at his party, money, and misuse of power. 

Instead of full statehood to Delhi, Dikshit claimed that only committees should be formed for its improvement, only it should be seen that the work which is in the interest of the people of Delhi should be done in a better way. He also clarified Congress’ stance on the demand of seeking full statehood for Delhi. He categorically stated that the demand for full statehood in Delhi is not appropriate, and he does not support it. 

However, he claimed that there are certain things that can be improved. He argued that since the issue of transport is with the Delhi government, the power of traffic police should be given to them and there is nothing wrong with that. Similarly, some more things can be divided and some procedural work can be changed. 

Going ahead, he laid emphasis on increasing accountability and reducing corruption in DDA. He added that DDA is such an institution that has not delivered to the extent it was expected of it in 25-30 years. He stressed that there should be coordination between the central government and the AAP government on the functioning of DDA.

Division among alliance partners escalates further

Despite forging a wide umbrella alliance, issues – more than one – are soaring and straining ties between coalition partners. The new rift between AAP and Congress came to the fore when Congress leader Alka Lamba claimed that Congress will fight all seven Lok Sabha constituency seats in Delhi despite it being the birthing place of its alliance partner AAP. 

Now, in a tit-for-tat kind of announcement, AAP has declared that it will contest all 200 assembly seats in Rajasthan. 

On Friday ( 18 August), AAP Rajasthan state president Naveen Paliwal stated that his party is going to contest the assembly elections on all 200 seats in the state. He added that on the 22nd of August, National Organisation Minister Sandeep Pathak will hold a meeting in Delhi. 

After candidates selection, the list will be handed over to National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal. He expressed hope that by August 25, the first list of ‘AAP’ would be released. 

These unceasing barbs of words and the incessant quarrels over seat-sharing formula indicate a possibility of an implosion of this ideologically amorphous rainbow alliance.

Afghanistan: Girls, women demand reopening educational institutes for them

ANI
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Afghanistan: Girls, women demand reopening educational institutes for them

Girls and Women both students and teachers in Afghanistan who were deprived of their basic rights have demanded the reopening of educational institutes in the country for them, TOLONews reported.

As the Taliban regime completed its second year in Afghanistan after taking over the country, the women wished that their basic right to education will be given back to them.

“Yesterday, I thought that maybe schools, universities, and many other places that were closed would open but they didn’t,” said Marwa, a student.

“We call on the government to reopen schools and universities for girls,” said Najma, a student.

Meanwhile, some students and teachers warn of the negative consequences of closing girls’ schools and said that closing the gates of schools will spread illiteracy in the country more than before, as per TOLONews.

“There was some news in social media about reopening schools and universities for girls but it didn’t happen, the closure of the schools is not beneficial for our country,” said Fahima, a student.

The question is why the plan to reopen schools and universities has not been finalized after two years of Islamic Emirate rule, according to TOLONews.

Afghanistan’s women have faced numerous challenges since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Girls and women in the war-torn country have no access to education, employment and public spaces.

Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, and movement for women and girls.

Not only this, Taliban leaders have also disregarded international calls for women and girls to be given access to education and employment. Apparently, they have also issued warnings to other nations not to meddle in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs.

The Taliban have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce and banned women from using parks, gyms and public bath houses.

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

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey quits Instagram, was among the first 10 users to join the platform

OpIndia Staff
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Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey quits Instagram, was among the first 10 users to join the platform

On Friday, August 18, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey quit Instagram twelve years after joining the platform. Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Dorsey announced that he has deleted his Instagram profile. Dorsey added that he was among the first ten users who joined Instagram when it was launched in 2010.

“Deleted my Instagram account after 12 years. Was one of the first 10 accounts I believe, and one of the first angel investors. Who will they give the @jack handle to?” Jack Dorsey posted on X.

Although Dorsey did not specify the reason behind quitting Instagram, he responded to an X user who asked the reason behind his move saying, “All the reasons are too meta to be interesting.”

While responding to a reply to his post hailing WhatsApp as the “King”, Dorsey termed it “compromised”.

Dorsey has been critical of Meta and its recently introduced Threads App, and had called it a “Twitter Clone”. On July 4, Dorsey raised privacy concerns with regards to Threads App as he shared a screenshot of data collected by Threads from its users. The data collected by the app included location, search and browsing history, sensitive information, financial information etc.

Meanwhile, the X owner and CTO Elon Musk responded to Dorsey’s post with a fire emoji.

It is notable that Dorsey has been critical of Meta platforms over the years and had even said that Instagram is harmful to mental health. Moreover, he said it is used to spread misinformation. In a post on Nostr, Dorsey stated that he was among the Instagram users when the co-founder Kevin Sistrom was working as an intern at Odeo. It is interesting to note that Odeo was an organisation founded in 2005 by Noah Glass and Evan Wiliams. Odeo later became Obvious Corporation which later became the birthplace of Twitter.

“I deleted my Instagram account. Don’t know why it took so long. I think I was the first 10 accounts on the platform, and one of the first Angel investors. Kevin was our intern at Odeo. When they sold to FB, I stopped using it. Will be interesting to see what happens with the @name,” Dorsey wrote on Nostr.

Notably, Dorsey stepped down as Twitter CEO in 2021, and in 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter. Even though Dorsey still holds a certain stake in Twitter/X, he has co-founded rival application Bluesky and supported Nostr.

UK: Gurpreet Singh arrested for stabbing two in a skirmish between tricolour holders and Khalistan flag bearers on August 15

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Gurpreet Singh arrested for stabbing two in a skirmish between tricolour holders and Khalistan flag bearers on August 15

In the UK, a Sikh Indian national named Gurpreet Singh was booked for possession of a knife and stabbing two men during India’s Independence Day celebrations in Southall. The ethnicity of the injured is not yet known, but both of them are admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Unverified videos circulating on social media depicted confrontations between a group of pro-Khalistan activists and a gathering of young individuals of Indian origin who were waving the tricolour. These incidents occurred on Tuesday as part of the customary August 15 celebrations in Southall Broadway.

According to a report by the Times of India, a spokesperson of the Metropolitan Police said, “At around 10 pm on 15 August, officers were policing an Indian Independence Day street event in the Broadway, Southall, when a member of the public informed them of an altercation that had taken place. They found two men, in their 30s, with knife injuries. They were taken to hospital where their injuries were assessed as not life-threatening. They have since been discharged.”

Two individuals were apprehended at the site. Gurpreet Singh (age 25), a resident of Ilford, made an appearance at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on August 17. He faces charges including attempted grievous bodily harm with intent, two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent, affray, threats involving a bladed article, and two counts of possessing a bladed article. He has been held in custody and is scheduled to present before Isleworth Crown Court on September 14. The second detained individual, in his twenties, has been released on police bail while further inquiries take place. In response to the incident, a Section 35 dispersal order was sanctioned for the area.

People celebrating India’s independence day were listening to music and songs like ‘Jai Ho’ in Southall. Youths raised slogans like ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the Southall Broadway area as they marched past the railway station and local gurdwara, which has an image of Bhindranwale on the exterior.

Just then, a few men with Khalistani flags faced off against the tricolour-carrying crowd. An Instagram video posted by “Southall’s Finest” captures a scene where approximately four to five individuals are seen brandishing yellow flags bearing the word “Khalistan” on them. They are engaged in a standoff with a considerably larger assembly of young individuals of Indian origin who are proudly displaying the tricolour flag.

Subsequently, the group of tricolour-waving men pursues one of the individuals holding the Khalistan flag. The video also depicts law enforcement personnel in pursuit, as well as a group of men subjecting one man to physical assault through beating and kicking, prompting police intervention.

In charge of local policing efforts in Ealing, Superintendent Sean Lynch stated, “I recognise the enormous concern this incident will have caused, both in Southall and in the Sikh communities around London and further afield, in what was an otherwise largely peaceful and celebratory event. Our urgent investigation continues. We are aware of footage circulating on social media, with people also commenting on what they think happened. We would urge people to avoid echoing or adding to the speculation. Fortunately, none of those injured were seriously hurt and there were no fatalities.”

Children at Girls High School in Pahalgam, Kashmir sing Ganesh Aarti, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Children at Girls High School in Pahalgam, Kashmir sing Ganesh Aarti, video goes viral

On Saturday, August 19, a video went viral on the microblogging site X, formally Twitter, wherein several girl students can be seen singing the Ganesh Aarti. The video which has emerged is reportedly from the Govt. Girls Higher Secondary School Sallar in Pahalgam town in South Kashmir.

In the video journalist Aditya Raj Kaul posted on X, one student is seen leading the other pupils who are seated in an open space and chanting the Ganesh Vandana.

After the children finish reciting the Ganesh Vandana, the teachers ask the girl student who is seen leading the other children to say out loud what they just recited and explain the significance of the Lord Ganesha and why is he revered before the commencement of any work.

The student went on to say that they recited the Ganesh Vandana and explained why in Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped before any other Gods or Goddesses.

With the help of one of the teachers, the student explained to her peers that as Lord Ganesha is regarded as the ultimate deity, we recite the Ganesh Vandana and apply Chandan (Sandalwood) paste to his statue before beginning any task and before reversing any other God or Goddess.

As per Hindu mythology, Ganesha is the symbol of good over evil. He destroyed several demons and restored peace in the world which is why we invoke Lord Ganesha before commencing any new work or at the start of any auspicious ceremony or occasion, she explained.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped before the commencement of almost every task. In fact, Lord Ganesha is almost synonymous with the beginning of any work. The phrase ‘Shri Ganesh’ signifies the start of something, especially something good and positive.

To understand why Lord Ganesha is worshipped before the commencement of any work, we need to understand the history of Lord Ganesha.

In Shiv Purana, there is a description of an incident where Lord Shiva got angered by Lord Ganesha who was restricting Him to enter the premises as per the orders of Maa Parvati. In anger, He slashed Ganesha’s head.

Seeing this condition of Her son, Parvati became extremely furious and threatened to destroy the entire universe.

To pacify Maa Parvati, Lord Shiva, then gave Lord Ganesha an elephant head in place of his own and ranked him the position of supreme God.

The elephant head on Ganesha’s body was that of Gajasura, an elephant who wished for Lord Shiva to adorn his head after his death. By using the head of Gajasura, Lord Shiva granted his son a new life.

Lord Shiva bestowed Ganesha with divine powers and declared that no puja or good work will ever be deemed complete without invoking Lord Ganesha’s name and blessings. Hence, Lord Ganesha became the ‘pratham pujya’ or the one who is worshipped first.

Therefore, Lord Ganesha is worshipped before each katha or puja. Many people relate Lord Ganesha’s elephant-headed head to his intelligence. As a result, they begin with a Ganesha mantra or a Ganesha aarti.

Bihar: Harlakhi Panchayat head Junaid Ansari’s son kicks a burning national flag in his shop, detained after video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Harlakhi Panchayat head Junaid Ansari’s son kicks a burning national flag in his shop, detained after video goes viral

A youth has been detained by police in Harlakhi in Bihar after a video showing him abusing the national flag emerged on social media. The accused in the footage is identified as Mohammed Hasmtullah, the son of Junaid Ansari, the head of Harlakhi Panchayat. The police have taken him into custody and are presently probing the matter.

In the video that has gone viral on social media, the tiranga can be seen buying on the floor. Mohammed Hasmtullah was kicking the burning national flag with his feet. After kicking the flag, he turns around, when another person says that what he is doing is not correct, after which the video is cut.

Reportedly, the clip is from the morning of 15 August, Independence Day. When the video emerged on social media, it caused outrage on social media, after which the police took action.

Mohammed Hasmtullah runs a steel fabrication shop in the village, and the incident took place in his shop. However, he has denied disrespecting the national flag, claiming that he has been framed by his staff. After the video emerged, another video emerged where he gave an explanation of the situation.

Hasmtullah claimed that the incident is from 14th August morning, not 15th August. He said that when the workers were cleaning the shop, the flag fell into oil. At that time he was not at the shop as he has gone out for a cup of tea. He further claimed that when he returned to the shop, he saw that the head worker Sanjay Mandal had asked the staff to torch the flag and it was already burning.

Mohammed Hasmtullah further claimed that he tried to extinguish the fire, but he used his feet to do this as his hands will burn if he tries firefighting with his hands. This was recorded by Sanjay Mandal and he posted it on social media to blame him, Hasmtullah alleged. He also alleged that Sanjay Mandal is playing games with him.

But Sanjay Mandal has refuted the allegation, who insisted that the incident took place on Independence Day and Hasmtullah himself had burnt the flag. He said that when he reached the shop on 15th August morning, he and another youth Altab saw that the shopowner was burning the national flag.

Talking to local media, Altab confirmed the version of Sanjay Mandal. He added that Hasmtullah said that he was burning the flag on the instructions of his father. It is also being pointed out that if Mohammed Hasmtullah was really trying to extinguish the fire, he could have used water instead of kicking it. Morever, from the video, it didn’t look like that he was trying to put out the fire.

After the video emerged, Chandan Kumar, a social worker from Harlakhi, wrote to the police informing them about the incident and demanding action. Following this the police took the accused into custody for questioning.

However, according to the accused’s family, Mohammed Hasmtullah is allegedly mentally ill and he is receiving treatment for the same. He also supported the version narrated by his son.

His father Junaid Ansari claimed, “My son is mentally ill. He is undergoing treatment from Ranchi. My staff cleared the garbage and set fire to the garbage dump in my welding shop. The flag was also burning in it. My boy tried to extinguish it. This is being made viral in the wrong way.”

Neha Kumari, Sub-Divisional Police Office (SDPO), Benipatti informed, “The youngster accused of insulting the tricolour, Hasmtullah is being interrogated by taking him into custody. Appropriate action will be taken after looking into the situation.”

Child with skin disease presented as burn victim to solicit funds from public on Ketto, army doctor exposes ‘scam’ by one Qamar Ali

OpIndia Staff
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Child with skin disease presented as burn victim to solicit funds from public on Ketto, army doctor exposes ‘scam’ by one Qamar Ali

On Friday (August 18), popular dermatologist Neelam Singh aka ‘The Skin Doctor’ took to Twitter to expose a case of donation fraud, which was being run on crowdfunding site ‘Ketto.’

In a series of tweets, he informed that an infant suffering from a skin condition called ‘congenital ichthyosis’ was being falsely presented as a ‘burn victim.’ The child was identified as the daughter of one Aysha.

“Huge Fraud alert: Saw this on @ketto’s offical handle. Well shot, emotionally appealing ad for donation. Except, this is NOT a case of fire accident as claimed by ketto, but a form of congenital ichthyosis. So decided to analyse the medical certificate attached,” wrote Dr Neelam Singh.

He pointed out that such a daylight fraud was being committed with the help of a supposed ‘multi-speciality hospital’ named ‘Sankalp’ in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

The medical certificate was issued by Dr Qamar Ali Khan, who does not hold an MBBS degree and is a practitioner of Unani medicine. Dr Neelam Singh claimed that the other two doctors, who are listed in the certificate, namely, Dr Balwinder Dhawan and Dr Yatish Kumar, do not work at the Sankalp Hospital.

“Left side is the medical certificate given by some Sankalp Hospital Saharanpur. Right is the Google details of that “Multi-speciality hospital”. No phone number, no website. Just 5 reviews, all 5 stars,” he wrote.

The dermatologist said, “Patients of certain demographic profile, takes certificate from this hospital and post it on Ketto/Milap, who platform them without verification,”

As evident from the screenshots presented by him, several people have prepared medical certificates from Sankalp Hospital and Dr Qamar Ali.

“There are hundreds of donation campaigns on Ketto/Milap which use medical certificate of this (possibly dummy) hospital only. This needs thorough investigation,” Dr Neelam Singh emphasised.

He pointed out that crowdfunding sites such as Ketto and Milaap do not guarantee the legitimacy of cases featured on their websites.

“Both Milaap and Ketto writes in their 100 pages terms & conditions (which you don’t read) that they don’t guarantee the accuracy of claims posted on fundraisers on their websites. So it’s totally open to fraud. Yet you guys donate thinking it’ll go for a noble cause for sure,” Dr Singh concluded.

Interestingly, the fundraising campaign for the daughter of Aysha ended a day after the exposé by ‘The Skin Doctor.’ It must be mentioned that Dr Neelam Singh completed MD – Dermatology, Venereology & Leprosy from Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) in 2016.

Response of Ketto to the controversy

Following an uproar on social media, the crowdsourcing platform ‘Ketto’ issued a statement. In a tweet, it said, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We understand the seriousness of this situation, and we want to assure you that we are taking it up very sternly.”

“Our compliance team is already investigating the case, and a senior member of the team is on their way to the hospital to verify this issue as quickly as possible. We will keep you updated on our progress,” it further added.

It claimed, “We would also like to clarify that, as a matter of policy, no funds are withdrawn until the treatment has taken place and the bills have been uploaded. In this particular case, the treatment has not yet started because the fundraiser only went live 10 days ago.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Ketto

“In the meantime, we have stopped all communication around this case. We want to make sure that we are not spreading any misinformation. We look forward to the continued support of our community, in saving lives,” Ketto concluded.

Dr Neelam Singh also responded to the statement issued by the crowdfunding site. He said, “You guys invest huge money in advertising and marketing. Why can’t you invest a fraction of that to hire a panel of experts to verify the diagnosis and medical documents and start taking up the responsibility of what is put on your platform?”

“You just write “we’ve no liability if any case is found fraud” in terms and conditions and that’s it. People donate in good faith thinking that if it’s on Ketto, it must be genuine. A huge scam is going on. Hundreds of cases, all with similar emotional videos and medical documents from this specific hospital. It’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he highlighted.

Gujarat: Hindu youth in Anand attacked by a Muslim mob for waving a saffron flag in Tiranga Yatra on Independence Day

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Hindu youth in Anand attacked by a Muslim mob for waving a saffron flag in Tiranga Yatra on Independence Day

An incident of attack on a Hindu youth by Muslim youths has come to light in Samarkha of Anand. The youth was returning home when he was brutally assaulted. On Friday, 18th August 2023, at 8 pm, a 21-year-old youth named Kalpesh Chauhan was on his way to Gorakhpur from Samarkha when some youths of the Muslim community in Samarkha, attacked him and beat him up with a bat.

Upon receiving news of the youth’s assault, nearby residents swiftly converged at the scene, forming a gathering within moments. With the authorities alerted, both the Superintendent of Police and representatives from various units, including Anand Rural Police Station, Anand Town, LCB, and SOG, promptly arrived at the location to ascertain the particulars of the incident.

Anand’s DySP JN Panchal told the media while briefing, “On 18th August 2023, at 8 pm, Kalpeshbhai Maheshbhai Chauhan, a resident of Samarkha village, was passing from the road leading to Gorakhpur when three boys from the Muslim community of Samarkha village injured the youth with a bat. These Muslim youth beat the victim keeping in mind the flag hoisting during the Tiranga Yatra on 15th August. As soon as the incident was reported, Anand Rural Police immediately rushed to the spot and senior officials also reached and adequate arrangements were made to prevent any other untoward incident. There is peace in the area right now.”

He further said, “The injured youth has been admitted to the hospital for treatment and the process of taking his complaint is on. After receiving the complaint, a case will be registered and action will be initiated to arrest the accused.”

Speaking to the local media channel ‘Charotar Ka Awaaz’, the victim said, “I was beaten up for waving the saffron flag at the Tiranga rally held on August 15. I had gone to Samarkha at 5 p.m. and was returning at around 7.30-8 p.m. when five to six Muslims came with two bikes from the back and started dashing the bike and saying ‘Why do you wave the saffron flag?’ Then I fell down, and even then they hit me with the bat all over my body.” He said, “I had a saffron-coloured flag and I used to climb on to the DJ and hoist the flag over which I have been beaten up.”

Bihar: 4 arrested for the murder of journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav, search on for others

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: 4 arrested for the murder of journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav, search on for others

Bihar police have arrested four people in connection with the murder of Dainik Jagran journalist Vimal Kumar Yadav in the state’s Araria district. A case was registered based on the complaint filed by Vimal’s father. The First Information Report named eight accused of the murder, out of which, four were arrested on 19 August.

Bihar police wrote, “Out of 8 accused named in the murder case, 4 accused have been arrested, out of remaining 4 accused, 2 accused are already in judicial custody. Action is underway to take their due remand.”

The incident took place on 18 August while the victim was at his residence in the Raniganj Bazaar area. Bihar Police posted that the 35-year-old victim worked as a local journalist for the Dainik Jagran newspaper. The criminals knocked on his door and called his name at around 5:30 AM and shot him in the chest when he opened the door.

According to a preliminary investigation by the Bihar Police, the deceased had a history of animosity with his neighbours, which could have contributed to it. His brother was also killed in a similar way two years ago. The late journalist was under severe pressure to change his testimony as the sole witness in the case.

The murder resulted in massive outrage in the state. Chirag Paswan, the head of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) criticised Nitish Kumar, the chief minister of Bihar, for failing to uphold law and order.

The latter described the episode as tragic and stated that as soon as he learned of the development, he promptly ordered authorities to look into the instance. He told reporters in Patna, “How can a journalist be killed like this.”

Vimal Kumar Yadav’s brother Shashibhushan Yadav, who was a sarpanch, was killed by some men in 2019. Vimal was the only witness in that case. The following hearing was slated on 19 August. He had asked the police for permission to use a licenced gun as well as for security. However, the request was declined.

Vimal’s wife stated, “He shared with me that his life would be in danger. I asked him not to give the statement in court but he said that he has to give the statement in court as he is an official witness.” 

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