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‘Hindus are victims in India. Do we have any other place to go?’: Daughter of Rajesh Dhar Dubey, killed for supporting PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath by Amjad

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‘Hindus are victims in India. Do we have any other place to go?’: Daughter of Rajesh Dhar Dubey, killed for supporting PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath by Amjad

On the 12th of June 2023, a driver named Amjad was accused of ramming his Bolero into another man named Rajesh Dhar Dubey. He then allegedly crushed and killed Rajesh. It was said that he killed Rajesh because of his political leaning and supporting PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath. 

On 14 August, OpIndia met the family of Rajesh Dhar Dubey. Stating that they have not received any kind of help from anywhere, the family stressed that they are in dire financial condition. Rajesh was originally a resident of Kolahi village in Mirzapur district. This village falls under the jurisdiction of Vidhyanchal police station. However, for the last three decades, his family has been living in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar. 

Rajesh was 52 years old when he was brutally murdered. He was a purchase manager in a medical firm. His brother Rakesh also resides in Delhi with his family. He earns his living by driving a vehicle.

Family facing financial challenges to support their children’s education

Rajesh’s 27-year-old daughter Pooja Dubey has completed studies till B.Ed. Pooja shared with us that her dream was to get a government job, but now she has no money left to attend coaching classes or buy more books. We were informed that Rajesh was the sole breadwinner in the family. After his murder, the family is surviving on God’s mercy and is left on their own.  

Her elder brother has a private job but he has a wife and a child to support with that small earnings. 

Rajesh’s 50-year-old widow, Shail Dubey stated that her family is facing a severe financial crisis. Worrying about the future, she expressed her concerns that, apart from supporting their children’s education, she still has to arrange marriages for a son and a daughter, for which she has no resources.

She added that the family often struggles to meet their basic needs. She told us that although they own the house in which they are living, they have to repay the loans that were taken from many people to build the house. 

Not received help from anyone

While talking to the OpIndia team, the widow and daughter of the deceased victim Rajesh stated that till now they have not received any government or personal help from anywhere. 

Rajesh’s widow, Shail told us that initially many people including administrative officials came and assured all possible help to our family, but none of those promises were fulfilled. 

Rajesh’s daughter Pooja added that people have now forgotten their family. Both Rajesh’s widow and daughter have pleaded and appealed to PM Modi, CM Yogi, and administrative officials for help.

Rajesh held humanity above everything

Shail Dubey added that Rajesh always kept humanity above everything and he looked at people as equals. She emphasized that her husband held no distinctions based on Hindu-Muslim sentiments. 

The accused Amjad is currently in jail and the courts didn’t grant him bail. The victim had booked Amjad’s Bolero, on the ill-fated day, to attend the marriage of his nephew. 

Rajesh’s daughter, Pooja claimed that the villager who had booked Ajmad’s car for the wedding function is now ashamed. 

During the conversation, the family of the deceased man, Rajesh demanded that the strictest punishment should be awarded to Amjad. Pooja stated that she will never be able to forgive Amjad for killing her father.

Rakesh, the brother of the deceased man Rajesh, told our team that he has written several letters to the authorities asking for help but they have neither received any response nor any action has been taken so far to help Rajesh’s family. 

The letter written by the family includes a demand of Rs 50 lakh as compensation and a government job for one of the family members. 

In the letter, the family has highlighted that Amjad, the accused driver is a native of Vijaypur. It is a Muslim-dominated village and people from Vijaypur have been frequently visiting their area. Citing these frequent hostile visits of Vijaypur villagers,  Rakesh stressed that his family and villagers are scared and tense. 

They have also demanded security for the family and other villagers from the administration.

Letter sent to the administrative officials seeking help for Rajesh’s family

Tragically, Hindus are the victims in India

In response to a question, Pooja, Rajesh’s daughter stated that Hindus are the only victims in India, who are constantly being attacked or killed by someone or the other from the Muslim community. She gave many examples including the bone-chilling case of Shraddha Walker. Aftab killed her and chopped her into more than 30 pieces and kept the chopped body in the fridge. Later, he systematically threw her decapitated body parts into the jungle to escape conviction.  

Pooja also listed her father in the long list of Hindus who have been wronged by Muslim attackers. She also stated that those who say Hindus are attackers or try to blame Hindus in these unfortunate cases for their vested interests are wrong.

Hatred for BJP was the reason behind the murder of Rajesh

Pooja pointed out that apart from being a supporter of BJP, PM Modi, and CM Yogi, there was no fault of her father for which Amjad crushed him to death. She added that all the Muslims are agitated and hate the BJP because they feel that the people of this party are Hinduvadi. She held this abhorrent thinking as the reason behind the killing of many BJP workers and Hindu activists.

The car with which accused Amjad pulverised Rajesh

While speaking with the OpIndia team, Rajesh’s widow, Shail Dubey, stated that she had married Rajesh in 1984 and, since then, she had observed that Rajesh was devoted only to BJP. She added that whether it was Delhi or Mirzapur, Rajesh always took the side of the BJP in discussions. He was particularly impressed with PM Modi and CM Yogi.

‘This is our only nation, where else can we go’

Pooja, the daughter of the deceased man Rajesh, also mentioned the firing incident that took place on a train that was heading towards Mumbai. The accused in that case of identified as Chetan Singh. 

She said, “Some time back I read in the news that some Muslim individuals were killed inside a train by bullet shots fired by a Hindu constable. The family members of those Muslim persons killed in the incident claimed that India is not safe for them to live in. But my father was a Hindu. He always praised Yogi-Modi. He did the same on the ill-fated day when he was sitting in a car driven by a Muslim man, Amjad.”

Pooja further added, “Just because he praised Modi-Yogi, Amjad pushed her father Rajesh and pulverised him beneath his car till he died. We are Hindus. My father was a Hindu. Where else can we go? What do we do? We also want justice. For our father and our family.” 

Having said that, Pooja cried inconsolably and her mother who was sitting nearby also became emotional. 

They have to spend their resources on legal paperwork

Rajesh’s widow and daughter shared that at times they have to travel from Delhi to Mirzapur when the Mirzapur Police call them in relation to FIR-related matters. Additionally, they are also contacted by insurance personnel at the bank.

They have to run from Delhi to Mirzapur at least 3 to 4 times every month and this costs a lot. The money incurred is going from their deposits which are exaggerating their financial miseries. However, in the hope of getting justice and ensuring strict punishment for the accused Amjad, they are taking part in each and every part of the progress.

The unfortunate case of hate crime, killed for political leaning

The incident took place on 12 June 2023. The victim’s family submitted a complaint to the Mirzapur Police. In their complaint, the family stated that Rajesh Dubey, a native of Kolahi village, booked Amjad’s Bolero car to attend the wedding function of his nephew.

On their way to the wedding venue, they engaged in a heated political debate in which the driver Amjad started hurling nasty abuses at PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath. When Rajesh protested against it, an altercation broke out. 

When Rajesh got out of the car, Amjad rammed his Bolero into Rajesh who was heading home. Rajesh died in the incident. Subsequently, the Police registered a case against Amjad under sections 302 and 504 of IPC. Afterwards, he was arrested and is currently in jail. OpIndia has accessed the FIR copy of this case.

‘It erases my contribution to my own ideas’: Author Yashica Dutt slams makers of ‘Made In Heaven’ for using her work without consent & credit

OpIndia Staff
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‘It erases my contribution to my own ideas’: Author Yashica Dutt slams makers of ‘Made In Heaven’ for using her work without consent & credit

There are several reasons why Made in Heaven Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video has captured headlines. However, the fifth episode of the show, The Heart Skipped a Beat, which stars Radhika Apte, has received special recognition from viewers for the way it depicted a Dalit wedding.

BR Ambedkar’s great-grandson Prakash Ambedkar also praised the episode’s director Neeraj Ghaywan and the authors of the show for portraying “the assertion, defiance, and resistance of a Dalit woman’s character” in the episode. However, Yashica Dutt, a graduate of Columbia University and the author of the book “Coming Out As Dalit,” has slammed the show’s creators for not giving her due credit for the project.

Yashica explained in an extended text how Radhika’s character was modelled on her life without her consent and without giving her due credit. In the episode, Radhika Apte plays the bold Dalit author Pallavi Menke, who unabashedly fights for her people. Dutt praised the show for its depiction of a Dalit-Buddhist wedding but expressed her displeasure at not receiving credit for her contributions to the episode’s main ideas.

“The scene where the Dalit author who is from Columbia, has written a book about ‘Coming Out’, and talks about how her grandmother ‘manually cleaned toilets’ (while wearing all blue as an homage to Ambedkar), asserts her selfhood with her life partner to-be, gave me chills. It was surreal to see a version of my life on screen that wasn’t but yet was still me. But soon the heartbreak set in. They were my words but my name was nowhere. What could have been a celebration of our collective ideas was now tinged with sadness. The ideas I cultivated, that are my life’s work, that I continue to receive immense hate still for just speaking, were taken without permission or credit,” she said.

She continued by saying that Dalits have a long history of being excluded, forgotten, neglected, and wiped out of their own stories. Dalit women in particular are the easiest to exploit because their labour is essentially worthless. “Everyone is free to claim it. Only not this time around. I’m fighting the expectations placed on me as a woman who must constantly regulate the “register of her rage” by reclaiming my work, my value, and my contribution to discourse and history. The Made in Heaven episode portrays a Dalit woman and her Buddhist inter-caste wedding in a lovely way. Sadly, it also takes away my contribution to my own ideas,” she added. 

While Yashica’s name was listed among the collaborators thanked by the film’s director Neeraj Ghaywan in his Instagram post, she claims that Neeraj didn’t recognize her until many people questioned why her credits weren’t included. In addition, she criticized Hindi television and film for their “notorious and historic pattern of taking anything from everywhere to create its narrative.”

She asked the writers of Made In Heaven, Zoya Akhtar, and Reema Kagti, to give credit to the project in her final post. “I request Neeraj Ghaywan, and the show creators Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti to formally acknowledge my life’s work and ideas that contributed to this episode, which is among the most talked about in the entire series, beyond a post on social media and within the show’s credits. So that the millions of its viewers know one its central ideas was not created out of the ether, but out of the blood, sweat and a lifetime of tears of a Dalit woman that the world had decided to cast aside,” she wrote.

Made In Heaven is an Indian romantic drama web series that premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 8 March 2019. The second season was released on 10 August 2023.

Love Jihad in UP: Irshad Ali pretends to be Ishwar to marry a Hindu girl, assaults her and forces her to embrace Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Love Jihad in UP: Irshad Ali pretends to be Ishwar to marry a Hindu girl, assaults her and forces her to embrace Islam

A fresh incident of love jihad has surfaced in Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh where a Muslim man named, Irshad Ali entrapped a Hindu girl in love jihad by posing as an adherent of the same religion. He married her according to Hindu rituals after which she was beaten and forced to change her religion and embrace Islam. The police opened an inquiry and filed a First Information Report based on the complaint of her father.

The instance pertained to the Naka police station area of Lucknow. The complainant stated that the accused lived in a rented property near his house. Irshad pretended to be Hindu and identified himself as Ishwar as well as wore Kalawa, a scared Hindu thread, around his wrist.

Irshad befriended her after initial acquaintance following which he lured her into a romantic relationship and the couple then married as per Hindu traditions. The victim’s father revealed that the perpetrator had taken his daughter around six months ago. She was nowhere to be found, despite extensive searches.

However, during that time the victim’s father discovered that his son-in-law was in fact, a Muslim and not a Hindu. He came to know about his real name and that he was a resident of the Barabanki district. It was also revealed that on 24 April the offender had called a cleric and his parents in order to convert his daughter against her will. He even assaulted her when she resisted.

The father then reported the occurrence involving the girl and her disappearance to the police. He accused the police of being evasive. He had first complained about the case to Inspector Santosh Sonkar on 12 July, who had assured him to investigate the matter. However, he tore the letter when a second complaint was made.

The police eventually lodged a case in response to the complaint submitted to senior officials. Inspector Tej Bahadur Singh of the Naka police station, nevertheless, claimed that the allegations of ripping the complaint are unfounded.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police Aparna Rajat Kaushik informed that a case has been registered on the basis of the complaint launched by the victim’s family. They have levelled multiple charges against the offender. The search is on to apprehend him. The mobile number of the girl has also been put on surveillance.

As AAP alleges scam in Dwarka Expressway, read how CAG report is gross misrepresentation of facts and actual cost is less than similar Delhi govt projects

OpIndia Staff
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As AAP alleges scam in Dwarka Expressway, read how CAG report is gross misrepresentation of facts and actual cost is less than similar Delhi govt projects

On 16th August, AAP held a protest at the under-construction Dwarka expressway site in Delhi alleging corruption in the project. The AAP protests came after a CAG report alleged that there was a massive cost overrun in the key infrastructure project.

In the protest led by AAP leader and national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, the party alleged that there is a huge scam in the elevated expressway project which is being developed to decongest the National Highway 48 between Delhi and Gurugram. The AAP cited a recent CAG report which claimed that the project is being developed at a cost that is nearly ‘14 times’ the amount originally approved.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) said that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) had approved an overall average construction cost of ₹18.2 crore per km while approving the Bharatmala programme, but the 14-lane Dwarka Expressway is being developed at a cost of ₹250.77 crore per km. The CAG report on the implementation of Phase-I of the Bharatmala Project stated that NHAI Board approved the Dwarka Expressway with a civil cost of ₹7,287.29 crore with per km ₹250.77 crore as against per km civil cost of Rs 18.2 crore approved by the CCEA.

Using this CAG report, AAP has chosen to attack the Modi government. Yesterday Delhi minister Atishi posted a report on the CAG report on Twitter, asking who ‘pocketed ₹6,000 crore’ asking if there will be ED/CBI inquiry into it. Today AAP held a press conference alleging corruption by the central government, where Sanjay Singh claimed that the Modi government has broken all records of scams.

“This is such as a big scam that the road, for which an approval of Rs 18 crore per km was given, was built at a cost of ₹251 crore without any approval,” said AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar at the protest site near Nangli Sakrawati in Najafgarh in Delhi.

The fact

The CAG report said that the cost went up from ₹18.2 crore per km to ₹250.77 crore per km for the 29 km project, which seems like a massive increase in cost. However, the report is heavily misleading, and the cost is similar to other projects of the same nature.

The reason is, the cost of ₹18.2 crore per km considered by the CAG is the overall cost for the Bharatmala project projected by the CCEA. But the Dwarka Expressway is very different from other roads in the Bharatmala Project. It is a 14-lane road, 8 of which are elevated, while the rest 6 lanes are on ground level. As such, the cost of an elevated road will be naturally much more, and no elevated road can be built at the cost of ₹18.2 crore per km, which was an average estimate for grade-level roads.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways of India (MoRTH) has responded to the CAG report by saying that it is a gross misrepresentation of facts. The ministry also contested the numbers mentioned by CAG. While the CAG claimed that the civil cost to construct the Dwarka Expressway project came in at ₹250 crore per km, the approved cost is ₹206.39 crore per kilometre and awarded civil cost is ₹181.94 crore/km for the project, as per the ministry.

CAG further claimed there was no need to build an elevated road, and there was enough land to build a 14-land grade-level road. CAG noted that the cost has gone up because the govt decided to convert the road to an elevated road. The CAG report also mentions that the Highway Ministry had replied to its queries explaining why an elevated road was needed. The MoRTH said that Dwarka Expressway was decided to be developed as an eight-lane elevated corridor with minimal entry-exit arrangements to allow smooth movements of inter-state traffic.

Responding to this, the CAG said that smooth traffic could be obtained by constructing underpasses/flyovers at the intersection points, instead of constructing the whole road as elevated.

Alleged scam vs alleged cost overrun

The CAG report clearly mentioned that the cost increase is because of converting the grade-level road to an elevated road, and the report didn’t hint or allege any scam. In effect, the government auditor has questioned the need for an elevated road, saying the same purpose could have been served by a grade-level road with a much lower cost.

Despite this being clear from the CAG report, AAP is alleging a scam in the project, which is a completely baseless allegation. Had AAP leaders compared the project cost with similar elevated roads or flyovers, they would have known that the cost of ₹250.77 crore per km is within the average cost of such projects. Moreover, as per the govt, the actual cost is ₹181.94 crore/km.

For example, Delhi’s AAP govt is expanding the 1.3 km Punjabi Bagh flyover by adding 6 lanes to it at the cost of ₹352.3 crore, which is ₹271 crore per km. The flyover has 6 lanes compared to 8 of the Dwarka Expressway, but still, the cost is more. Similarly, the under-construction 6-lane Anand Vihar flyover is 1.2 km long and it is being built at the cost of  ₹372.04 crore, a whopping ₹310 crore per km, and nowhere near ₹18 crore per km AAP claims the cost of the Dwarka Expressway should be.

Similarly, the 675-meter Signature bridge along with approach roads, with a total length of around 6 km, was built at the cost of ₹1,954 crore per km, which is ₹266 crore/km.

It is notable that the Dwarka Expressway includes an 8-lane elevated road and a 6-lane ground-level road, but still, the cost is less than the cost of 6-lane flyovers.

The fact of ₹18.2 crore per km cost

While the CAG report says that the project could have been built at the cost of ₹18.2 crore per km if it was built as a grade-level road, that assertion is incorrect. Because first, the cost is the average cost for Bharatmala project, and the roads under the project have 4 to 8 lanes, with a majority of 6-lane roads.

On the other hand, Dwarka Expressway is a 14-lane road. Even if this was built as a grade-level road, the cost would have been more because it has more lanes.

Another important point to note is that the average cost of Bharatmala Project does not include overpasses, underpasses etc, because the cost of such structures varies with every site and it is difficult to find an average cost. When CCEA approved the cost, it was decided that the cost of such additional structures will be determined after DPRs are prepared.

According to the MoRTH, the average cost of special projects including substantial lengths of bridges/via-ducts/tunnels under Phase-I of the Bharatmala Pariyojna stands at around ₹152 crore per km, not ₹18 crore per km.

If the Dwarka Expressway is built as a grade-level road, it will need an extremely high number of overpasses and underpasses as the entire road goes through metropolitan areas and there are a large number of traffic intersections. As a result, the cost will be much more than the average ₹18.2 crore per km cost or could be even more than ₹152 crore per km.

Why elevated road

Coming to the argument of CAG that the road could have been built at grade level with flyovers and underpasses wherever needed and an elevated road was not needed, the government has argued that it was studied and it was found that it was not a feasible option.

The Dwarka Expressway was planned way back in 2006 by the Haryana government to decongest the NH-48 between Delhi and Gurugram. As the entire region is heavily populated, there was no option of building a separate road, and the only option was to widen the HH-48. Initially, it was planned as an 8-lane road, and the state govt was going to build it. But for various reasons including land acquisition issues, the project could not take off. As a result, the project was taken over by the union government in 2016, and the Haryana govt handed over the land to the NHAI in 2018.

After taking over the project, NHAI considered both options for the project, ground level road and elevated road. They were discussed in detail by Standing Cost Committee, Project Appraisal Committee and NHAI Board, and the elevated road option was selected after the deliberations.

It was found that a ground-level road with flyovers and underpasses will not solve the issue of traffic congestion in the area. Because the existing NH-48 already have a large number of such structures with multiple entries and exits, but the traffic jams continue. As the area is seeing continuous developments along the entire stretch of the road, new flyovers and underpasses become necessary at regular intervals.

If such structures are added at every traffic intersection to ensure smooth traffic flow, a flyover will be needed at approximately every 2 km. This would mean that the expressway will turn into a roller coaster, it will be a continuous series of flyovers instead of a smooth road. Moreover, more intersections will need to be added as the region sees continuous development resulting in new major and minor roads.

It is also notable that a 14-lane ground-level road is possible only in the Haryana section of the expressway, it is not possible in the Delhi section. According to the govt, it would have resulted in the saving of around ₹1200 crore. But as this would have needed a large number of flyovers and underpasses, with the requirement of adding more in future, the elevated road option was chosen.

The Expressway with 8-land elevated road and 6-lane ground level will effectively segregate local traffic from interstate traffic, and provide a seamless connectivity between Delhi and Gurugram.

In conclusion, it can be seen that CAG wrongly compared the average cost of only roads under Bharatmala Project with the Dwarka Expressway project. The average cost of a road with substantial lengths of flyovers is over ₹150 crore under the project, not ₹18 crore.

But if the Expressway was built on ground level, it would have become a roller coaster as it will need a large number of flyovers. Therefore, the elevated road was the better option. Plus, the actual cost as per the govt is around ₹182 crore, not ₹250 crore as claimed by CAG.

And, AAP is using this CAG report to attack the Modi government, when their own flyovers with fewer lanes cost more.

Cabinet approves additional Rs 14,903 crore boost for a comprehensive expansion of the Digital India Program

OpIndia Staff
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Cabinet approves additional Rs 14,903 crore boost for a comprehensive expansion of the Digital India Program

On Wednesday, August 16, the Cabinet approved an additional expenditure of Rs 14,903 crore for the growth of the Digital India Program which was launched in the year 2015 by the Modi-led government. The move intends to advance multiple elements of the program and further the nation’s efforts at digital transformation.

Raising the skill levels of IT workers in India is one of the expanded program’s main goals. Upskilling programs will benefit a significant 525,000 IT professionals, resulting in a more empowered and competitive workforce.

The program also focuses on enhancing information security capabilities as cybersecurity becomes more and more important in the digital era. As per the official press release, a total of 265,000 cybersecurity professionals are expected to acquire training, which will help make the internet safer.

The widespread Umang platform, well-known for hosting a variety of services, is also expected to witness considerable improvement. Its utility and accessibility will be improved by the addition of a whopping 540 new modes to the 1700 services already available.

The National Super Computing Mission will advance the country’s technical prowess with the addition of 9 more supercomputers to the fleet of 18, increasing the computational capacity available for research and development projects.

The Computer Emergency Response Team – India (CERT-In) will significantly expand in response to the growing significance of cybersecurity. Union Electronics and information technology (IT) minister Ashwini Vaishnaw while addressing the Cabinet meeting said special attention to cyber security would be given under the extension of the Digital India program. “The outlay will also enable cyber-awareness courses for 12 crore college students and new initiatives in the area of cyber security, including the development of tools and integration of more than 200 sites with the National Cyber Coordination Centre,” he added.

Notably, the Digital India project aims to empower MSMEs by making Digilocker services available to them. This action is intended to streamline corporate procedures and increase efficiency. Previously, it was only available to individuals.

The initiative also plans to construct a comprehensive digital credit network by year’s end, following the growth of digital payments. Over 1200 firms will receive funding under the expanded program, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship across sectors, and this will help the startup ecosystem expand as well.

To usher in a new era of AI-driven innovations, the extension also involves the creation of AI Centres of Excellence focused on important fields like healthcare, sustainable living, and agriculture.

Also, a future awareness program will be introduced to spread the word about the significance of cyber security. This program aims to inform people about the best practices and precautions they can take to safeguard their digital assets and themselves.

President Droupadi Murmu approves Assam delimitation, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hails it as a ‘significant milestone’

OpIndia Staff
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President Droupadi Murmu approves Assam delimitation, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hails it as a ‘significant milestone’

On Wednesday, August 16, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that President Droupadi Murmu has approved the delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state. The Assam CM termed the development a “significant milestone in the history of Assam”. 

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the approval of the delimitation notification issued by the Election Commission of India and shared the image of the Gazette notification in this regard. 

“Today the Honorable President has approved the Delimitation Notification issued by the Election Commission of India for Assam. A significant milestone has been achieved in the history of Assam. Jai Maa Bharati, Jai Maa Asom,” CM Sarma wrote.

Meanwhile, the Congress party has slammed the BJP government over the issue accusing it of ‘authoritarianism’. Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi claimed that the delimitation is targeted against opposition seats adding that it would benefit the BJP and Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).

Assam delimitation report

According to the Election Commission report on Assam delimitation, the number of parliamentary and assembly constituencies shall remain unchanged at 14 and 126 respectively. 

Assam delimitation statistics via the Election Commission website

The election commission has altered the nomenclature of one parliamentary and 19 assembly constituencies. Moreover, 19 assembly and two Lok Sabha seats have been set aside for Scheduled Tribes (STS). Scheduled Castes (SCs) have been allocated one Lok Sabha seat and nine assembly seats. It is notable that the 2001 Census was used to delimit all assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the state.

In response to public demand, one parliamentary and some assembly constituencies have been given “paired names” such as Darrang-Udalgiri, Hajo-Sualkuchi, Boko-Chaygaon, Nagaon-Batadraba, Bhowanipur-Sorbhog, and Algapur-Katlichera.

In reference to several significant features of the final report, the Election Commission (EC) stated that the lowest administrative unit in rural areas is a ‘village’ and a ‘ward’ in urban areas. In accordance with this, villages and wards have been preserved and have not been broken anywhere in the state.

It is worth noting that, in July of this year, the Supreme Court refused to stop the ongoing delimitation exercise in Assam but agreed to consider a challenge brought by the state’s opposition leaders.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued a notice to the Centre on the plea and directed it to submit an affidavit within three weeks.

Refusing to halt the Election Commission’s delimitation procedure in Assam, the bench had stated that it would not issue any order preventing the election commission from taking any further action pertaining to the delimitation exercise in the state.

Tehseen Poonawalla claims ISRO scientists have not received salaries for 3 months, and India is doing nothing in Quantum Computing: Read how he is wrong

Anurag
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Tehseen Poonawalla claims ISRO scientists have not received salaries for 3 months, and India is doing nothing in Quantum Computing: Read how he is wrong

On 15th August, famous podcaster and YouTuber Beerbiceps released an almost 2-hour episode of “The Ranveer Show” with pro-Congress columnist and businessman Tehseen Poonawalla. During the podcast, Poonawalla made two bizarre claims and challenged Ranveer to fact-check him if he was wrong. He claimed for three months, ISRO scientists were not paid salaries and India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, has done nothing in the field of Quantum Computing.

He said, “You know when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, we built our second supercomputer. Few countries in the world have a supercomputer. India is one of them. Why aren’t we building a Quantum Computer? I know Google’s doing it. You know that America is doing it. You know China is doing it. We know that now. Why isn’t India doing it? Do we not have the technology? What are we talking about today?”

He added, “Let me be brutally critical of the BJP. Who is living with who, who’s doing not, who’s eating what meat… How does that matter? Why aren’t we talking about Quantum Computing because that is going to redefine the world as we know it? It’s going to redefine our space securities. It could redefine everything. Why aren’t we doing it? Do we not have the capability?”

When Ranveer said he thinks somewhere someone might be doing and assumed the same for all the governments, Tehseen then made the false claim about ISRO scientists not getting paid and said, “They haven’t paid ISRO salaries for the last three months. ISRO scientists haven’t been paid salaries for the last three months. Is that fair? And that’s my issue with this government. We’re very proud of ISRO. It’s a great organization. Three-month salaries have not been paid and feel free to fact-check me on this.”

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, who happens to be the brother of Tehseen, took on X (formerly Twitter) to challenge Tehseen to give a list of ten scientists from ISRO who did not get a salary for three months. In a post, he said, “Since you offered to be “fact-checked” Could you kindly elaborate on the names, designation of any 10 “ISRO scientists” (just 10) who haven’t been paid salaries (by the Modi govt) in the last 3 months, as claimed by you (& the Congress Jamaat)? Your video is extremely clear. Kindly back it up with facts.

“Since I’m aware you will now shift goal-posts, twist words, and justify your claim by making childish analogies- let me just leave it at this PS: NO MATTER HOW POLISHED & REASONABLE THEY PRETEND TO BE – THEY HATE NARENDRA MODI & THEY BAT FOR DYNASTS LIKE RAHUL & PRIYANKA. Don’t get swayed by their re-packaging. Beneath this facade, they are all the same. You can check who all peddled this lie along with Tehseen Poonawalla.”

In a reply to Shehzad, Tehseen said, “First: you can tweet without being personal or bitter! Second: No one hates the PM especially not me. So please chill. Third: It is Engineers and the below people still stand by the story as opposed to an RW website that counters the news. So kindly ask the government to clarify!” He then continued and shared a few links to websites like The Wire, CNBC TV 18, Outlook India, News 18, and Ahmedabad Mirror where they reported that the engineers who built the launchpad for Chandrayan 3 were not paid their salaries.

This is where Tehseen got it completely wrong. When Chandrayan 3 was launched in July 2023, reports came out that engineers who worked on the launchpad did not get salaries for months. Many media houses either concealed the facts or used clickbait headlines making it look as if ISRO did not pay salaries to its scientists. The fact is, those engineers worked for one of many suppliers for ISRO, i.e. Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) which is a PSU and currently facing financial trouble. At that time, many media houses and troll accounts made that claim that seems to have stuck with Tehseen.

For those who are unaware, HEC is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. It is located in the Dhurwa area of Ranchi, Jharkhand. For over 2-3 years, the company has been facing a financial crisis, and the issue of non-payment has come up in the news reports multiple times over time.

In May 2023, it was reported that for over 14 months, around 2,700 workmen and 450 executives did not get their salaries. In April 2023, office-grade workers received salaries for February 2022, and workmen got half of their pay for May 2022. HEC did not work directly on Chandrayaan-3 but was one of the suppliers that provided different elements for the project. HEC’s job was to build the launchpad. Our detailed fact-check on the matter can be seen here.

Replying to Tehseen, Shehzad said, “Aah! The “shifting goal post” manoeuvre. I had warned everyone of this. I asked for names, and designations of 10 ISRO SCIENTISTS (which you repeated confidently) who were not paid salaries, as claimed by you, in the last 3 months. Now you shift to “engineers” who aren’t from ISRO! And you want us to clarify every half-truth, full lies WhatsApp you get from your Jamaat. Nobody is getting personal! You asked Beerbicerps to fact-check you. I fact-checked your Jamaat. Happy New Year. Love to Zurwan.”

Tehseen, sticking to his claims, said, “Again please see attached in my tweet above are specific news items wrt salaries not being paid! Okay, so it’s engineers… as if that makes it better! PS: the only scientist that I know is our Hon’ble PM who can make planes escape radar detection when cloudy & can email pictures of Advani ji before Digital cameras were commercial in India & Emails were for everyone! ZURVAN sends love.” While taking a dig at PM Modi, Tehseen again missed the point that it was not ISRO’s engineers but engineers of HEC which is just a contractor for ISRO like many others.

Debunking the claims, PIB Fact Check said ISRO scientists get their salaries on the last day of the month.

India and Quantum Computers

Another claim that Tehseen made was that India is doing nothing in the field of Quantum Computing which is completely false. In April 2023, the Government of India approved the National Quantum Mission to scale up scientific and industrial R&D for quantum technologies. The total cost of Rs 6003.65 crores applied for the mission will be spent in five years from 2023-24 to 2030-31. The aim is to seed, nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in Quantum Technology (QT).

One of the major initiatives by the government of India in the field is the MeitY Quantum Computing Applications Lab which was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in collaboration with AWS. It aims to accelerate the adoption of Quantum computing in India by providing access to quantum computers, tools and resources to developers and researchers.

In the 2020-21 budget, the GoI proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crore on the National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications (NMQTA) and Rs 3660 Crore for the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS). Interestingly, NM-ICPS was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018.

Quantum Technology frontiers in India include Quantum Information and Computing lab, TIFAC, Indian Institute of Science, ISRO, DRDO, IIT Bombay, TIFR and IISER & CDAC which is funded by NM-QTA. More details can be checked here.

‘Deadly weapons’ like Trishuls: As police arrests Gaurakshak Bittu Bajrangi, read what FIR against him says

OpIndia Staff
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‘Deadly weapons’ like Trishuls: As police arrests Gaurakshak Bittu Bajrangi, read what FIR against him says

On Wednesday, August 16, Gaurakshak Bittu Bajangi was produced before the Nuh district court in Haryana hours after he was arrested by the state police in connection with the anti-Hindu violence that erupted in Nuh on July 31.

He was arrested after a case was registered against him and 15-20 others at Thana Sadar, Nuh under the sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

As per the details mentioned in the FIR obtained by OpIndia, Bittu Bajrangi and 15-20 others have been booked under section 148 (guilty of rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon or with anything which causes death), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of the offence committed in prosecution of common object), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 395 (punishment for dacoity), 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with an attempt to cause death or grievous hurt), 506 of the Indian Penal Code and sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act.

Bajrangi and his associates have reportedly been accused of possessing ‘deadly weapons’ like the Trishul and Talwar (swords) on the day of violence. The FIR filed by one of the police officials who were on duty at Nuh on the day of violence states that the organizers of the Jalabhishek Yatra were forbidden from bringing any weapons. Also, the peace committee had asked the organizers to not hold any weapons.

“On the day of Jalahishek Yatra, some 15-20 persons could be seen walking towards the Nalhar temple with Trishuls and swords in their hands. I was on duty. With some other officials, I tried to stop them and recover Trishuls and swords from their possession. But they raised slogans against the police. They also engaged in a small scuffle with the police,” a police official in the FIR said.

As per the FIR, the police recovered the ‘deadly weapons’ and placed them in the police vehicle. “Bajrangi and others then again raised slogans against the police, protested against the police, and illegally took away the Trishuls and swords placed in the government vehicle,” the complaint read.

Given this, the police indicatively called Trishul a ‘deadly weapon’ as it invoked section 148 IPC against Bajrangi and claimed that he and 15-20 others carried ‘weapons’ illegally in the Jalabhishek Yatra. The gaurakshak and his associates are also accused of robbery, obstructing a public servant from performing his duty, and causing deliberate hurt to the public servant.

Notably, Trishul holds huge importance in the Hindu culture as it holds the three gunas named satva, rajas, and tamas together. It further has special significance while worshipping Lord Shiva as it represents three aspects of consciousness – waking, dreaming, and sleeping. Reports mention that holding a trishul (trident) signifies that Shiva (the divinity) is above all the three states viz waking, dreaming, and sleeping and yet is the upholder of these three states.

Nuh Shobhayatra Attack

On 31st July, a mob of hundreds of Muslim rioters attacked Hindu devotees participating in the Brijmandal Jalabhishek Yatra in Nuh, Mewat of Haryana. At least six people were killed as a result of the riots.

During the investigation into the riots, OpIndia accessed over 25 FIRs and complaints that provided a clearer picture of what happened during the violence. Based on information available via FIRs, complaints, and witnesses, it appeared that the attack was pre-planned. OpIndia came across several videos posted two days before the Jalabhishek Yatra instigating Muslims against Hindus.

Muslims have claimed the riots happened because of Bajrang Dal activist and Gau Rakshak Monu Manesar. Old videos of Manesar were circulated to instigate Muslims saying he was going to Nuh on that day. The video that was mostly circulated was from October 2022. Detailed reports can be checked here.

Furthermore, a cyber crime police station was attacked in Nuh. Police officials were injured. Home guards were killed. The rioters first shot one of the Bajrang Dal activists Abhishek, then his throat was slit and his head was crushed leading to his death.

OpIndia’s complete coverage of the Mewat Shobha Yatra Attack can be checked here.

Mumbai: Casting director breaks skull of 18-year-old girl for rejecting his sexual advances, locks her inside flat thinking she died

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Casting director breaks skull of 18-year-old girl for rejecting his sexual advances, locks her inside flat thinking she died

Mumbai police have arrested a 26-year-old alleged film editor and casting director, named Deepak Malakar, a resident of Bihar, for assaulting an 18-year-old college student after she refused physical intimacy. The perpetrator was apprehended in Surat, Gujarat where he reportedly fled to following the assault. The victim has reportedly suffered critical skull injuries, aaprt from injuries on her face. She was left to die in an injured state.

Malakar was arrested on 14 August three days after he left Mumbai after the incident which took place on 11 August. He had turned off his mobile, however, the Versova Police were able to track him down due to a transaction at an ATM kiosk in Surat. The victim lost consciousness after the brutal attack and he escaped after he presumed her dead. 

The victim girl later regained consciousness and screamed for help. The student is presently recuperating in the hospital after spending two days in the intensive care unit. Malakar admitted to the police that he intended to murder her because she had turned down his advances and aimed to pursue a career in Hindi cinema, according to the police.

A police officer stated, “Malakar had switched off his mobile phone to evade arrest. However, the ATM withdrawal from his bank account helped us track down his location in Surat and apprehend him.” He befriended her last year on Facebook. He made a marriage proposal to her parents two months ago.

Police revealed, “They agreed and allowed him to stay in their 1-BHK flat, but the girl told him that she wanted to complete her studies and try her luck in Bollywood before marrying him. During his stay at her house, he tried to initiate physical relations with her, but she maintained a distance, which angered him.”

He took her to a friend’s flat in Versova village on 11 August under the guise of collecting his belongings and tried to rape her. He was staying there before he moved to her place. “When she resisted, he banged her head to the wall and rained blows on her face till she collapsed. Assuming that she was dead, he panicked, locked the flat from outside, and fled the city,” informed the policeman.

When the teenager regained consciousness an hour later, she cried for assistance after which neighbors rushed to her aid and dialed the police. Deputy Commissioner of Police (zone IX) Krishnakant Upadhaya assembled a squad to find the culprit that included senior inspector Ganesh Pawar of the Versova police, sub-inspectors Dnyaneshwar Jadhav and Nagesh Misal, and staff.

The cop disclosed, “The accused had switched off his phone, but was communicating with his friends by making calls from local booths and pedestrians’ phones in Surat. Finally, the ATM withdrawals helped us track down his location on Monday.”

He has been charged with violating Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder), 342 (wrongful imprisonment), 354, and 354 (D) (outrage modesty). He remains to be held in police custody until 18 August.

Kota ‘factory’ claims another victim: 18-year-old JEE aspirant from Bihar commits suicide, 22 cases in 8 months

Paurush Gupta
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Kota ‘factory’ claims another victim: 18-year-old JEE aspirant from Bihar commits suicide, 22 cases in 8 months

A yet another unfortunate case of suspected suicide has come to the fore from Rajasthan’s Kota, India’s ‘coaching hub’. An 18-year-old boy reportedly committed suicide on Tuesday night, 15 August. According to the police, the reason for the suicide has not been ascertained. 

The 18-year-old boy identified as Valmiki Jangid came to Kota a year ago in July 2022. He is a native of Bihar’s Gaya. He was studying in a coaching institute for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains examination for getting admission to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). He was staying in Kota’s Mahavir Nagar area since last year in a rented apartment. 

Following the incident, Mahaveer Nagar police station informed the family of the deceased student Valmiki Jangid and stated that a post-mortem will be conducted once the family arrives here in Kota. However, police stated that they didn’t find a suicide note in his room.

SHO Paramjeet stated that the incident reportedly took place at around 10 pm on Monday night. However, the police received the information at 8 pm on Tuesday night. 

As the 15th of August was a holiday, all the students were in their rooms. When a student in the adjacent room did not see Valmiki till 7 pm on Tuesday evening, he knocked on his door but he got no response. Subsequently, he informed the landlord, and after half an hour, the landlord got no response from inside the room when he knocked on the door. They then informed the police about it. 

When they broke the door at around 8 pm in the presence of the police, Valmiki was found hanging from the window of the room. Afterward, the police conveyed the information to his family members.

Later, his father Vinod along with his relatives reached Kota at 10 am on Wednesday.  Vinod retired as a Subedar from the Indian Army a year ago. He said that his son came to Kota at his own insistence and he had no desire to send his son to Kota. He added that on the evening of August 14, he spoke with his son twice over the phone but there was no hint of stress and his son did not say anything alarming.

Kota Suicide menace: Alarming situation as the coaching hub witnessed 4 cases in 15 days and overall 22 in 8 months

This is unfortunately fourth such case of suspected suicide in a span of just 15 days.  This year, as many as 22 coaching students have reportedly committed suicide in Kota, India’s coaching factory.

Earlier, on the 3rd of August, the body of Manjot Chhabra (18), a resident of UP’s Rampur district, was found under suspicious circumstances in the hostel room. His mouth was tied with polythene, and both hands were also tied with a rope. There were three notes on the wall of his room. 

He was preparing for the NEET exam. Though it was considered a suspected case of suicide, his parents expressed suspicion of murder. They alleged that their child was killed. They argued that the body had polythene on his mouth and his hands were tied behind his back, so it cannot be a case of suicide.

While probing the case, the police registered a case of murder against 6 people including the classmate of the deceased student and the owner of the hostel.

A day later, on the 4th of August, Bhargav Mishra (17), a resident of Motihar in Bihar, reportedly committed suicide in his room at night. As per reports, he hanged himself from the water pipe in the cooler and committed suicide. He came to Kota 4 months back and was preparing for JEE.

Later, on 10 August, Manish Prajapati (17), a resident of Azamgarh, UP, reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in the hostel. He came to Kota 6 months ago and was preparing for JEE. A few hours before the suicide, his father had gone to meet him.

A video recently went viral on social media, in which hordes of students can be seen rushing towards their examination centre. The visual was shared widely, with concerns as to how the rat race in Kota seemingly puts stress in the minds of vulnerable students. Reportedly showing the beeline of students over multiple floors of Allen Careers Institute in Kota, the video depicted the rush and the craze among Indian families for admission into IITs and medical colleges.

There is one line in ‘Kota Factory’, a web series based on the struggles of students in this coaching hub, it goes like this, “Bache do sal me Kota se nikal jate hai,  Kota salo tak bacho se nhi nikalta.”

In over-glorification and brainwashing/planting of the importance of IITs, the non-materialistic aspects of life go for a toss. The binary utopian and dystopian pictures based on the outcome of whether you got selected for IITs or not, fixate the centrality of a child’s life on it and failure is like looking into the abyss with no end in sight. Click here, to know more about the reasons that are leading to soaring student suicides in the city.

According to NCRB data, student suicides reached an all-time high in 2022. This unfortunate number rose by 4.5% as compared to 2021. According to an India Today report, in the last 12 years, more than 150 students have died by suicide in Kota.

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