Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the newly inaugurated India’s first 3D-printed post office. PM Modi said that it is a testament to the nation’s innovation and progress.
Taking to ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter), PM Modi wrote, “Every Indian would be proud to see India’s first 3D printed Post Office at Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru. A testament to our nation’s innovation and progress, it also embodies the spirit of a self-reliant India. Compliments to those who have worked hard in ensuring the Post Office’s completion”.
Every Indian would be proud to see India's first 3D printed Post Office at Cambridge Layout, Bengaluru. A testament to our nation's innovation and progress, it also embodies the spirit of a self-reliant India. Compliments to those who have worked hard in ensuring the Post… pic.twitter.com/Y4TrW4nEhZ
Earlier today Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated India’s first post office constructed using 3D printing technology.
The inauguration of the 1100 square feet post office was held at Bengaluru’s Cambridge Layout near Ulsoor Bazaar.
“A new picture of India that we saw in terms of this 3D-printed technology. Nobody thought that India would be developing its own 4G and 5G technology. Nobody ever imagined that India would emerge as a developer and manufacturer of telecom technology. Nobody ever thought that the country would be able to design and manufacture a world-class train”, said Minister Vaishnaw while addressing the inauguration ceremony.
3D printing technology is a fast-emerging way of constructing structures. It uses computer-aided design to create three-dimensional objects through a layering method.
About a year back, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati constructed a 3D-printed sentry post for the Indian Army as part of an indigenous research and development program.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In a shocking incident from Italy’s Milan, a 19-year-old Ukrainian boy named Danylo Shydlovskyi was brutally attacked by a gang of around forty migrants on 6th August. The gang was largely comprised of Tunisians and Libyans. A video of the chilling attack has sent shockwaves across Italy.
Shocking Attack in Open Borders Italy
Gang of 20 Tunisian and Libyan Migrants Mutilate Ukrainian Teen's Face and Limbs
Danylo's brave attempt to protect his friends, mainly two young girls, turned into a nightmare as he faced the wrath of the illegal migrants.
Danylo and his friends were out travelling when they were faced with a harassing gang of “illegal” migrants. While bravely attempting to protect his friends, mainly two young girls, the Ukrainian boy was already enduring severe blows when another attacker from the gang wielded a box cutter and slashed Danylo’s face, back, and arm.
The video shows Danylo bleeding profusely after the attack. He has been left with a scar for life from the forehead to the chin, two five-centimetre wounds on the back, and scars on the arm. Danylo Shydlovskyi had come to Milan in an escape from war-torn Ukraine.
Danylo with this mother Raissa (Source: Rair Foundation)
“I thought that here in Milan, he would be safe. Paradoxically, he found the war here,” said his mother, Raissa, tearfully. She has been residing in the Italian city for seven years. Danylo reportedly thought he was going to bleed to death. “There were forty of them; they surrounded us to steal our glasses and purse. I thought I was going to bleed to death,” he said.
19-year-old Danylo Shydlovskyi’s face has been scarred for life by the attackers (Source: Amy Mek/Twitter)
Recalling the account of the horrifying incident, Danylo’s friend Stanislav said that their group of six friends had already encountered trouble with the gang earlier that day at the Lecco station where the migrants began to harass them. The situation escalated when they reached Piazza Freud outside the Porta Garibaldi station.
“Six young North Africans – he begins – already started to annoy us from the Lecco station, before getting on the train. They took the same train as us; we ignored it and settled in another carriage,” Stanislav said. Danylo added that upon reaching Garibaldi station, “those six followed us as far as the station exit.”
“Those boys joined others. There were about forty of them and they surrounded us. They took my glasses away and I didn’t react. At one point someone sprayed a stinging spray. Instinctively, I pushed away the two girls who were near me, to protect them, and I didn’t run away,” Danylo reportedly said while his mother interpreted.
He narrated further, “They pushed me against a parked car and smashed a bottle over the head. Then they hit me in the face, with a belt, and I bent over.” His friend Stanislav called out for help but it was too late by the time. “But after a few seconds, one of those guys attacked him with a box cutter: he slashed his whole face, from his forehead to his chin, and went to his back, also hitting his arm while my friend was trying to defend himself.”
The attackers fled the spot leaving Danylo in a pool of blood. He was admitted to the Fatebenefratelli hospital and was discharged after treatment with a 20-day prognosis. “But I’ll have it for at least a year. I have to keep the wound under control, they’ll have to remove the stitches (I have at least thirty) and then I’ll have to start the treatments plastic surgery,” he told an Italian news agency.
Danylo’s partner, Gianfranco has pleaded for justice asking that the guilty be made to pay. “I cannot look at his face and think whoever reduced him to this is still free to do harm.” The incident has received widespread coverage by the Italian media and has sparked uproar among the people highlighting the concerning situation that has taken form owing to the influx of immigrants in Italy and other European countries.
The 9 years of the Modi government (2014-present) have ushered into a new era of development, especially for the Indian middle class.
As per a research report [pdf] published by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday (August 15), the analysis of the Income Tax returns filed in the Financial Year 2022-2023 revealed the ascent of the Indian middle class.
ITRs filed in Financial Year 2022-2023, graph via SBI Research
This cohort has the potential to turn India into a ‘middle-income economy’ by the Financial Year 2046-2047, coinciding with the centennial celebrations of Indian Independence. SBI estimated that there will be 48.2 crore ITR filers in FY 2047 as compared to 7 crores in FY 2022-2023.
By then, 85.3% of ITR filers will also be eligible to pay taxes. About 25% of them are also expected to leave the lower-income strata by the Financial year 2046-2047. The per capita income is also expected to rise from ₹2 lakhs in this Financial year to ₹14.9 lakhs by FY 2047.
Per capita income difference of Indians between FY 2023-FY 2047, graph via SBI Research
This can largely be attributed to the Modi government’s efforts in formalising 7 crore Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and empowering the middle class.
Moreover, the weighted mean income of ₹4.4 lakhs in the Assessment Year 2013-2014 has increased to ₹13 lakhs in Assessment Year 2023-2024 and is projected to increase to ₹49.7 lakhs (~ 50 lakhs) in Assessment Year 2046-2047.
Weighted mean income as per ITR records, graph via SBI Research
The stark increase in weighted mean income, as evident from the ITR filed between Assessment Years 2011-2012 and 2022-2023, explains the transition of filers from the lower-income group to the upper-income group.
“It is projected that weighted mean income is expected to increase from Rs 13 lakhs currently to Rs 49.7 lakhs in 2047, particularly due to increase in the number of tax-filers, as also due to shifting of distribution of tax-filers from lower income group to upper-income group,” the report stated.
Projected weighted mean income as per ITR records, graph via SBI Research
The finding is further supplemented by the ‘material decline in zero tax liability’, as evident from the research report published by the State Bank of India (SBI). This indicates an increase in income of the ITR filers, with zero tax liability share down from 84.1% (AY 12) to 64% (AY 23).
It should be noted that 84% of the 1.6 crore ITR filers in Assessment Year 2011-2012 belonged to the income group of upto ₹5 lakhs. In AY 2023, the number is down to 64% (in a pool of 6.45 crores ITR filers).
“Inter-alia, 13.6% population has left the lower income strata and migrated upwards in AY23 in comparison with AY12…8.1% population has increased in the income group of Rs 5 lakh- Rs10 lakh,” the SBI research report said.
Zero tax liability of ITR filers, graph via SBI Research
“3.8% population has increased in the income group of ₹10 lakh – ₹20 lakh, 1.5% population has increased in the income group of ₹20 lakh – ₹50 lakh, 0.2% population has increased in the income group of ₹50 lakh – ₹1 crore, while close to 0.02% population has increased in the income group of above ₹1 crore,” it further added.
The upward mobility of all income groups, especially the middle class is evident from Income Tax returns filed between Assessment Year 2011-2012 and Assessment Year 2022-2023. According to the State Bank of India, about 25% of ITR filers are predicted to leave the lowest income strata by the Financial Year 2046-2047.
The research report also highlighted an increase in the workforce from 37.9% of the population in FY23 to 45% of the population in FY 47, thereby adding 19.5 crore people to the workforce.
It must be mentioned that the Modi government has undertaken several initiatives such as ‘Skill India’, ‘Startup India’ and ‘Make in India‘ to empower India’s youth and prepare them to join the competitive marketplace. All of this is done with the sole objective of making the nation ‘Atamanirbhar’ in this Amrit Kaal.
PM Modi on fighting poverty, empowering youth
During his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed the nation that 10 lakh people have benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana.
“About eight crore people have started new businesses, and it’s not just eight crore people who started their businesses; each entrepreneur has provided employment to one or two individuals,” he stated.
“The capability to provide employment to 8-10 crore new individuals has been achieved through the Mudra Yojana availed by eight crore citizens,” the Prime Minister highlighted. He added that 13.5 crore people were able to break the chains of poverty by utilising government schemes and enter the middle class.
A Hindu family residing in a Muslim-majority village in Palwal reportedly faced an attack and was coerced to vacate their residence for allegedly sharing an anti-Rohingya message.
The Hindu family was intimidated and asked to leave their residence after one of the family members had expressed support, through a Facebook post, for withholding citizenship from Rohingya immigrants.
Sachin Kumar, the in-charge of Mundkati police station, revealed that Deepak, a Sarai village resident, filed a complaint detailing an incident on August 15.
According to the complaint, Dilshad, Irshad, Zaheer, and several others from the village, armed with sticks and homemade pistols, forcibly entered Deepak’s home and proceeded to vandalise it. The assailants threatened harm to the family unless they abandoned the village.
As per the complaint, the accused have subjected the family to repeated attacks, owing to their vulnerable economic situation and the inadequate number of Hindu families within the village. These relentless assaults have inflicted psychological distress on the complainant’s family. The family has been subjected to attacks in past as well. Their attempts to resolve the disputes have gone in vain, the complainant added, recounting that the accused individuals had resumed their aggression against them.
Kumar said a case has been filed against Zaheer, Dilshad, and Irshad regarding the incident. Ongoing efforts are underway to apprehend the suspects, and their arrest is anticipated shortly.
Pertinently, the said incident comes in the wake of the Islamist attack on Jalabhishek Yatra in Haryana’s Nuh, a Muslim-majority region notorious for deteriorating law and order, cow smuggling, and assorted social evils. The Islamists had reportedly attacked Hindu devotees bound for Nalhar Shiva Temple on Shravan Somwar on July 31, which triggered a macabre wave of violence resulting in the deaths of 6 people.
Mewat Shobha Yatra attack
On July 31, violence broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district during the ‘Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra,’ which was organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. Vehicles were burnt and stones pelted at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Jalabhishek Yatra as clashes erupted between two communities in the Muslim-majority region of Mewat in Haryana.
“Religious Brajmandal Yatra” organized annually by Bajrang Dal, Islamic Jihadis pelted heavy stones, violence, arson and direct bullets from the hills on the pilgrims on the ancient “Religious Yatra” of Nallahad Shiv Temple, the centre of faith and reverence of Hindus in Nuh, Mewat. In which hundreds of vehicles were damaged and burnt to ashes,” said a statement shared by Bajrang Dal on Twitter.
The eyewitness said the attack appeared preplanned, which was also corroborated later after reports said WhatsApp groups were created in advance to coordinate the collection of stones and glass bottles to attack the Hindu devotees.
Despite all the efforts of the administration and security forces, sporadic violence continues in Manipur. In the latest incident, three men were killed after heavy gunfire in Ukhrul district on Friday, 18th August.
As per reports, heavy gunfire broke out at Kuki Thowai village under the Litan Police Station in Ukhrul district today morning. Villagers said that the sounds of heavy gunfire were heard from the village early this morning.
After the firing stopped, 3 villagers went missing. When the police carried out a thorough search in the area including the villages and the nearby forests, badly mutilated bodies of the three missing persons were recovered.
The victims have been identified as Jamkhogin Haokip (26), Thangkhokai Haokip (35) and Hollenson Baite (24). Reportedly, their bodies had injury marks made using sharp weapons, and their limbs were chopped off.
The ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals – Nagas and Kukis – constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts. Kukis in particular have been objecting including Meiteis in the ST list.
On the other hand, it has been alleged that real reason for the violence was crackdown on poppy farming by Kukis in forest areas, including by illegal Kuki immigrants from Myanmar.
The CBI has formed a 53-member team, including 29 women, to probe the violence in the state, including the case of horrific molestation of women who were paraded naked. The team which includes three DIGs – Lovely Katiyar, Nirmala Devi and Mohit Gupta – and Superintendent of Police Rajveer, will report to Joint Director Ghanshyam Upadhyay who will supervise the overall probe.
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday, August 17 arrested a tuition teacher identified as Mohammed Aamir for showing minor girls porn videos on his phone and also for touching them inappropriately. The police investigated his phone to reveal that it contained several derogatory videos. The phone has now been recovered by the police.
According to the reports, the accused was appointed for home tuition by family members of two victim minor girls, one studying in the 9th class and the other one in the 5th class. The accused would come home and show the girls sexual videos, further touching them inappropriately.
This continued for several days. However, the incident came to the fore after one of the girls informed about the videos to her mother who then raised an alarm in the family. The family members then happened to check the phone of the accused and found several objectionable videos in it.
The mother of the girls commented on the issue and said that the accused was teaching the girls for around 5 years. “He has been coming to our place to teach the girls for 5 years now. Earlier he used to give home tuitions only to the elder one. Recently my younger daughter began attending his sessions. The girls were behaving weirdly for the past few days. I asked them but they seemed scared. Later I forced them to speak about what was wrong. It is then that we came to know about the videos,” she said.
Meanwhile, the father of the girls stated that the accused had tainted the relationship between a teacher and a student. Meanwhile the tuition teacher has stated that the allegations against him are wrong.
Reports mention that the accused was beaten by the family members after they knew the truth. Later they called the police. After the primary investigation, the police arrested the accused and booked him under the relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO.
Bharatiya Janta Party MLA from Jamnagar-North Rivaba Jadeja found herself at the centre of controversy after she engaged in a heated altercation with two party colleagues during a public event on 17 August. The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation held a “Meri Mitti, Mera Desh” programme in memory of the martyrs and party leaders like her, Jamnagar MP Poonam Maadam and Jamnagar’s municipal mayor Bina Kothari attended.
जामनगर से बीजेपी विधयक #RivabaJadeja ने खोया आपा, जामनगर की सांसद @PoonambenMaadam और मेयर पर पब्लिकली भड़क पड़ीं … वीडियो हुए वायरल
Her ire was directed towards the latter two. The first time lawmaker was heard accusing “You showed your seniority in the election” and “You are the one who lit the fire, so don’t try to put it down now.” However, the MP was calm and tried to settle the matter.
The mayor advised her to be mindful of her language and refrain from such opines about her status. She stated, “You’re talking to the mayor,” which irked her further and she retaliated with statements like “Keep your voice down.”
When the Lok Sabha member attempted to intervene and asked the latter to maintain respect as she was older than the former, Rivaba Jadeja charged her “You are the one who started the fire, so stop trying to put it down.”
She later shed light on the whole matter and mentioned, “There was a program of the corporation. We laid floral wreaths as part of our tribute to the martyrs. Poonam Maadam paid respect during the function while wearing her footwear.”
She further continued, “Then, it was my turn and I decided to express greater reverence to the martyrs and removed my sandals. So, I garlanded them and paid my homage. Other corporators and party members also followed my lead and removed their shows before offering tribute.”
However, she got upset after the Parliamentarian voiced criticism. She revealed, “The MP said loudly, in a way that the press and all other party members and others present around could hear, that the President and Prime Minister don’t remove their footwear, but some people with no understanding try to act over smart and remove their footwear.”
She asserted, “I found her utterances disrespectful, particularly when we were paying homage to those who sacrificed their lives for our nation. I confronted her and highlighted that her statement was inappropriate. She responded by saying that her remarks were not aimed at me. I suggested that she should mention the intended person when delivering such comments.”
She added, “The entire issue revolved around the interaction between me and the MP and didn’t involve Binaben. Then as the mayor intervened and spoke in a rough manner, I had to react to her also. Binaben’s tone of speaking with others is well known among the people of Jamnagar.”
When questioned about the occurrence, the member of parliament claimed that she was actually speaking with the mayor and that the MLA believed that her observation was meant for her. She alleged, “In fact, when Rivaba and the mayor were having a heated argument and I tried to intervene and stop them. When Rivaba suggested that the mayor should stay within her limits, I reminded her that Binaben is a senior person and it was inappropriate to address her in such a manner. Rivaba’s emotional outburst is shocking and it appears there might be a misunderstanding or perhaps she was having a bad day or was in a bad mood.”
She proclaimed, “There was definitely some misunderstanding and its reaction was visible in the viral video. And as I said, the party is like a family, everyone in it is the strength of each other.”
#WATCH | BJP MP Poonamben Maadam speaks on her verbal spat with Jamnagar North MLA Rivaba Jadeja during an event in Jamnagar, says, "There was definitely some misunderstanding and its reaction was visible in the viral video. And as I said, the party is like a family, everyone in… https://t.co/3rdY36J1Lwpic.twitter.com/k7rrtoUN6Y
On the other hand, the mayor refused to respond on the matter. She observed, “It was an internal matter of the BJP and I do not want to make any comment about it.” At a news conference in Surat, state party president CR Patil was asked about the instance and he answered that he will look into it.
The wife of cricketer Ravindra Singh Jadeja, Rivaba Jadeja joined BJP in 2019 and was fielded in the election by the party in December 2022.
The Ghaziabad police have arrested one Rahis Ahmadan for attacking a 20-year-old Hindu man who was riding a bike with his Muslim colleague. Rajat Kumar was attacked by a group of bike-borne Muslim men near Hapur Chungi when he was travelling on a bike with a hijab-clad woman, who was his colleague.
According to the police, Rajat Kumar and the woman are colleagues at a multi-speciality hospital in Raj Nagar Extension, and the woman resides in the Kavi Nagar police station limits. The accused reportedly knew the woman and was upset about her friendship with Kumar, who works as an operation theatre technician at a private hospital in Ghaziabad. The woman works as a receptionist at the same hospital.
In his complaint, Kumar reportedly said that he was at a fuel station to charge the tank of his bike while coming from Raj Nagar Extension along with the woman. A group of men on bikes began to follow him from there and stopped him 500 metres from the Kavi Nagar police station near the Hapur Chungi intersection, pulled out his bike keys, demanded his ID, and thrashed him.
Abhishek Srivastava, ACP (Kavi Nagar) reportedly said, “During our investigation, it was discovered that the suspects knew the man and woman. Upon seeing them together, they objected to the woman on why she was roaming with him. We have arrested one suspect from the spot while a search is on for others.”
As per the investigation, there were about four to five men and police are on the lookout for them. However, another report claims that the accused had come in seven to eight bikes, some of whom were reportedly armed.
Times of India has quoted Rajat Kumar as saying, “My senior had asked me to bring along the colleague. On our way to Lal Kuan, I stopped by bike for refuelling when I noticed a few men were tailing us. Near Hapur Chungi, one of the men intercepted my bike and pulled out my bike’s keys. Around 15 to 16 men on seven to eight bikes surrounded us. First, they asked for my identity and name. Suddenly, they started to hit me. I was saved by some passersby.”
Interestingly, while the police have claimed that the assailants knew the Hindu man and the Muslim woman both, the victim, Rajat Kumar, has said in his statement to the media that the assailants first sought his ID card, confirmed his identity and then proceeded to thrash him. This indicates that the Muslim assailants first confirmed his identity as a Hindu before thrashing him for driving his Muslim colleague. An FIR under sections 147 (rioting), 341 (wrongful confinement), and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the IPC.
The conspiracy theory of Bhagwa Love trap peddled by Islamists
2023 witnessed the rising menace of targeted attacks by Islamists against inter-faith couples, even if Hindu men are only seen with their Muslim friends, in different parts of India. Opindia had documented over 50 cases of real-life attacks on Hindu men and their female Muslim partners/friends by these extremists over the past several months in the name of combating the ‘Bhagwa Love Trap’.
An undercover investigation conducted by Opindia revealed that Islamists are actively using Whatsapp to radicalise and provoke their co-religionists to identify and harass inter-faith couples and Hindu men travelling with their female Muslim friends.
We have found evidence that these extremists coordinate to carry out vigilante surveillance and spot checks in complete violation of the constitutional rights of the victims. One such Whatsapp group found by Opindia during the investigation was ‘Behen Beti Bachao.’ The detailed investigation by OpIndia can be read here.
Earlier this month, Ashoka University had distanced itself from a controversial ‘research paper’, hitherto unpublished and yet to be critically reviewed, by Economics professor Sabyasachi Das. Das’ paper used some statistical data crunching and made tall claims alleging that the BJP is winning elections by doing ‘voter manipulation’.
Das’ claims were based on his alleged “finding” that the BJP won at least 11 seats in the 2019 elections where it had a 50-50 chance of winning. The BJP had won 303 seats in the 2019 general elections, ensuring a landslide, thumping majority far ahead of the majority tally of 274. The NDA alliance in total had won over 353 seats.
“To the best of our knowledge, the paper in question has not yet completed a critical review process and has not been published in an academic journal… Social media activity or public activism by Ashoka faculty, students or staff in their individual capacity does not reflect the stand of the University”, the statement by the University read on August 1.
Since then, Das has reportedly resigned from his position. However, the Leftist ecosystem on social media, media, and within the University itself, has been trying to make a martyr out of Das, trying their best to defend his so-called ‘research paper’ where glaring flaws have been pointed out by several economists.
Ashoka Uni faculty members condemn University for accepting Das’ resignation, say evaluating his paper is ‘institutional harassment’
In an open letter, the faculty members of the Department of Economics at Ashoka University have condemned the University’s decision to accept Sabyasachi Das’ resignation in a ‘hasty’ manner. They have written that the University’s stance of evaluating Das’ research paper on its merits constitutes ‘institutional harassment’ and the University should not interfere in the academic process.
The faculty members want Ashoka University to:
Unconditionally offer Sabyasachi Das his position back.
Affirm and assure that the governing body will play no role in evaluating the research paper, through any committee or any other structure.
Open letter by Ashoka Uni Economics Dept faculty
Faculty members threaten boycott, say won’t take classes if University doesn’t bow down to their demands
The faculty members have told the Univerity administration that unless Sabyasachi Das is given his position back, and the University refrains from any kind of scrutiny of his research paper, they won’t perform their academic duties in the Monsoon session. They have also given the deadline of August 23 to the University.
The open bullying, and the bizarre demand that a so-called ‘research paper’ should not be reviewed or scrutinized, have generated a debate on social media, drawing attention to the sense of entitlement and aversion to criticism shown by the faculty members, and the Leftists ecosystem in general.
“Ashoka University is a private institution. Parents pay huge fees. Faculty has to be accountable, answerable, and responsible. It is not their divine right to live off others’ money and do whatever they wish. Even municipality offices do not allow that anymore. PS: Similar threat of dire consequences was heard when Raghuram Rajan was not given an extension. Our Left-Liberal ‘intellectuals’ lack imagination”, posted Kanchan Gupta, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India.
Ashoka University is a private institution. Parents pay huge fees. Faculty has to be accountable, answerable, responsible. It is not their divine right to live off others money and do whatever they wish. Even municipality offices do not allow that anymore. PS: Similar threat of… pic.twitter.com/0jVfFsXHK2
“According to these professors, research malpractice doesn’t matter just as long as the researcher’s ideology is aligned with theirs” posted Indian American academic Anurag Mairal.
According to these professors, research malpractice doesn’t matter just as long as the researcher’s ideology is aligned with theirs.
Apparently, ‘standing with Sabyasachi Das’ has become a political movement in the university. Other departments have also joined in. Another such ‘open letter’ by the Department of Political Science also surfaced later. The faculty members made similar demands and threatened that they will not carry out their academic obligations unless the University accepts their demands, unconditionally reinstating Das, and not carrying out any scrutiny or review of his ‘research paper’.
Demands by Political Science Department at Ashoka University
Not just faculty, the Left ecosystem jumps in with bizarre claims and imaginary entitlements to defend Das’ paper
Glaring flaws, loopholes, and dataset-related mistakes have been pointed out in Das’ paper by numerous economists and data experts. However, for the Left ecosystem, facts do not matter. What matters is their conviction that a certain ideology should be above scrutiny and criticism and should be accepted by all without any question.
‘Columnist’ Sadanand Dhume tried to argue that even though a research paper is error-filled, getting something wrong is not a crime. And the ‘online lynch mob’ should not target Das. Nobody has targeted Das or made any ad hominem attacks on his person. Dhume was trying to insinuate that questioning Das’ paper, and pointing out mistakes is the same as threatening him, and Ashoka Univeristy, by seeking to review Das’ paper was succumbing to ‘online lynch mobs’.
Basically, just because Das’ paper is politically aligned a certain way, it should be above scrutiny and anybody wanting to scrutinize is bad, as per Dhume.
The Ashoka University faculty revolt illustrates a fundamental division between how India’s Hindu Right and westernized liberals view freedom of inquiry. The Hindu Right believes that investigating an academic for a paper they deem shoddy and heretical is legitimate. Liberals see… https://t.co/JDypAVB7S6
Left intellectuals like Salil Tripathi and Icchadhari protestor-cum-psephologist-turned-academician Yogendra Yadav reluctantly seemed to admit that there might be flaws in Das’ research paper, but the University wanting to review the paper was plain wrong.
Salil Tripathi’s defence of Das
This is even more true of the strongest proponents of the paper as evidenced by the fact that almost none of them is able to come up with a response to the critique of the paper. And that is actually the really worrying issue – because these people are academics and journalists… https://t.co/8Zjc8W9Sgapic.twitter.com/axj1Tus9ge
Basically, as @Saiarav pointed out, even the most vocal supporters of Das and his paper are unable to defend the paper on the basis of facts and data. All the criticism of Das’ paper, where flaws and errors were pointed out, were about mistakes made in the paper, none of them were ad hominem attacks on Das or his profession. But for the Left, what matters is blind subversion, no questions asked.
leftist portals like The Wire etc have been trying to make a martyr out of Das too, completely ignoring the fact that his paper has glaring flaws and it makes dubious, misleading assumptions about election data.
How the shoddy paper by Das used flawed datasets and statistical jugglery to draw misleading, bizarre conclusions
An alleged ‘research paper’, unpublished so far in any academic journal and yet to be peer-reviewed, as clarified by Ashoka University, gained attention on social media recently. By claiming they have ‘scientific evidence’, the paper boasts that they have cracked how the BJP wins elections in India. It claimed that ‘manipulation’ is achieved by targeted discrimination against India’s largest minority group, Muslims.
The paper suggests that the BJP wins more owing to ‘electoral manipulation’, that is, somehow deleting the names of voters from lists. That too, deleting the names of Muslim voters. Doing some wild math, Das claims in the paper that the BJP has won at least 11 seats in the 2019 elections by doing “voter manipulation”.
However, the basic premise of the claims was flawed. Out of the 41 seats the BJP won by a low margin, nearly half of them were from non-NDA ruled states, so Das’ claims of BJP using state machinery to rig elections find no basis. The claims of voter list manipulation were also flawed because the growth rate of the electorate in BJP-won seats was at par with the national average of the growth rate of the electorate. There were also other mistakes, like citing Union Territories as ‘non-BJP ruled’ areas and listing the Nabrangpur constituency as ‘close contest’ for the BJP, while in reality, the BJP was a distant third.
A detailed explanation of how the paper had many flaws and how the University distanced itself after many experts pointed out the flaws, can be read here.
X user @Saiarav who was one of the first to list glaring mistakes in Das’ paper, has since then published a detailed rebuttal of the paper. The rebuttal can be read here.
Economist Mudit Kapoor, from the Economics and Planning Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, also pointed out the flaws in Das’ paper in a detailed statistical analysis and shared the findings in a blogpost.
The Kota district administration issued an order on Thursday, August 17 requiring all hostels and paying guest (PG) accommodations to install spring-loaded fans in every room “to provide students mental support and security”. This action was taken in response to a string of 21 suicides that have shaken the nation’s coaching hub and sparked calls for urgent reforms in the town in Rajasthan.
“To provide mental support and security to the students studying/living in them and to prevent suicides from increasing among coaching students in Kota city, all hostel/PG operators in the state are directed to install a security spring device in the fans at every room, as discussed in Saturday’s meeting,” the official statement issued by Kota district collector Om Prakash Bunkar read.
The district administration also urged owners of coaching centres, hostels, and PGs to follow a December 2022 order mandating a weekly day off for students, a class size cap of 80 students, as well as required psychological testing for both students and teachers.
The letter further stated that non-compliant lodgings and institutions will be seized and the appropriate action taken against the owners. Accordingly, several Paying Guest (PG) accommodations and hostels installed spring-loaded fans in the rooms of Kota to decrease suicide cases among the students. The video of the installations was shared by the news agency ANI.
Also, Naveen Mittal, President of the Hostel Association commented on the issue and said that “90-95% of hostels in Kota have already installed spring-loaded fans but many PG accommodations are undefined and there is no coordination with the owners. It is a big challenge for us and also for the administration to make these PG owners follow the guidelines.”
#WATCH | Rajasthan: Naveen Mittal, President of Hostel Association, Kota speaks on the increasing suicide case among students and steps taken by the administration to decrease it. (17.08) pic.twitter.com/IOwnxjxy69
Increase in Kota suicide cases; 22 reported in the last 8 months
This comes a day after the city of Kota reported its 22nd suicide case in the last 8 months on August 15. One 18-year-old boy identified as Valmiki Jangid came to Kota a year ago in July 2022. He was a native of Bihar’s Gaya and was studying in a coaching institute for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains examination. He wanted to get admission into the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). But he committed suicide on August 15.
The recent occurrence has again drawn attention to Kota’s troubling record of student suicides. Every year, thousands of students from all over the nation come to this educational hub in Rajasthan to study for competitive tests to enter the best engineering and medical schools in the nation.
Over the past few years, there have been a number of student suicides at Kota, with many placing the blame on the stress of studying and students’ dread of failing. Last year, Kota had a total of 15 student suicides. But this year, the death toll has already reached 22.
In May this year around 5 suicide deaths of students from the city of Kota in Rajasthan were reported. Later the number continued to rise and to date around 17 students have committed suicide, possibly out of exam pressure. Some students happened to hang themselves while others are said to have jumped off the tall buildings.
Proposals similar to spring loaded fans proposed earlier
Earlier, several similar proposals were pushed to curb the rising suicide rates of students, some of which seemed absurd. But given the increased suicide rate, it seems that these proposals also need to be looked into. The Indian Institute of Science had proposed to install wall-mounted fans in hostel rooms last year and remove the ceiling fans. Others meanwhile only partially addressed the issue, such as the recommendations made by the Board of Intermediate Education in Andhra Pradesh in 2017 to reduce student stress, which included offering yoga and physical education programs and keeping a healthy student-teacher ratio.
It is tragically obvious that the bigger problem, that of the punitive educational system which is just not meant to support young intellects or equip them for today’s economic realities is still not being addressed. It seems that it will take time for the New Education Policy 2020’s vision which offers more academic flexibility to lessen the strain on students to be completely implemented.
