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West Bengal: BJP worker’s house and shop set on fire in East Medinipur, party says it is the way of TMC celebrating election victory

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: BJP worker’s house and shop set on fire in East Medinipur, party says it is the way of TMC celebrating election victory

In a shocking series of events in West Bengal, some Trinamool Congress Party workers allegedly set ablaze the house nand shop of a BJP worker identified as Gopal Pal. The incident happened in the Tikashi area of Khejuri Chatnabari in East Medinipur where the TMC has captured the region in recently held Panchayat Polls.

According to reports, the TMC workers torched the house of Gopal Pal while Pal and his family were fast asleep on Monday, July 17 night. Pal and his family members somehow managed to escape from the house to save their lives. Along the house, their shop was also set ablaze during the attack. Gopal Pal is a grassroots worker of BJP.

The state BJP members have condemned the incident and have said that the TMC was ‘celebrating’ their win in the Panchayat Polls in Khejuri region by burning houses of opposition party workers. As per reports, some of the TMC leaders had arrived in the Chatnabari region on Monday and happened to engage in a verbal brawl with the local BJP workers. According to the BJP workers, the TMC goons then set ablaze the property of one of the BJP leaders late that night.

The BJP has stated that the TMC is spreading the environment of terror after winning the polls. On the other hand, the TMC has refuted the allegations and has said that the BJP workers have themselves destroyed their properties to defame the TMC.

Violence in the state of West Bengal continues even a week after the conclusion of the Panchayat Polls 2023. Earlier, the TMC workers had abducted a BJP worker from West Bengal’s West Midnapore district and had assaulted him. The TMC workers had also urinated on his face when the BJP worker had asked for water.

As reported, the incident happened on Thursday, July 13 when the BJP worker was employed as the polling agent for the recently-concluded panchayat polls. The TMC workers abducted the BJP worker and took him to the Garbeta office where he was tortured and humiliated.

Further, it was also reported that houses of two BJP candidates in Amata Jaipur, Howrah were also set ablaze by the TMC workers when the former were fast asleep at night. The incident happened in the Dakshin Kankrol village of Jaipur Police Station of Amta Assembly.

The incidents of violence during the panchayat polls have raised concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in West Bengal. Till date, more than 50 individuals have lost their lives in the post poll violence in West Bengal.

The Calcutta High Court has already ordered the retention of central forces in the state after the announcement of poll results to prevent post-poll clashes. Over 800 companies of central forces have been deployed in the state to maintain peace and security.

The multiple delays in Hyderabad Metro project in the old city area and the constant need for “permission” from AIMIM contributing to them

S. Sudhir Kumar
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The multiple delays in Hyderabad Metro project in the old city area and the constant need for “permission” from AIMIM contributing to them

On July 10th 2023, KTR tweeted that his father and the Honourable CM has instructed his department to take forward the Metro project in the Old City of Hyderabad. Immediately, the president of the Islamist party AIMIM thanked KTR for the announcement.

For an outsider, this whole sequence would seem very natural. After all, an incumbent government is saying that they will be building new infrastructure and the public representative of that area is thanking the government.

Except that neither the proposal nor the “thanking” is new. In fact, this issue is so old that it will baffle you how the MIM has held development hostage for nearly a decade!

2012: “Blood will flow on the streets of Hyderabad if Metro is built”

We go back to the year 2012. KCR was then in his activist mode. He was very good friends with MIM from back then itself. In a fiery & threatening speech, he thundered, “Blood will flow on the streets of Hyderabad” if the Metro project is built through the Old City area. Old City area is basically the area where the AIMIM reigns supreme – often winning 7 Assembly seats and the Hyderabad Lok Sabha seat. KCR could have been more statesman-like and promised to review objections of the MIM to bring in a developmental project to the Old City. Instead, he spoke the exact language that the MIM prides itself upon – violent threats!

2014 to 2018: “We are trying to build but religious structures are coming in the way.”

KCR became the CM in June 2014 and then realised that he cannot allow blood to flow on the streets of Hyderabad. So, he decides to call for a meeting with L&T and discuss a realignment of the Old City Metro. Akbaruddin Owaisi was the only public representative present in the meeting with L&T. When BJP questioned this special treatment for Owaisi, KCR came up with a bizarre and juvenile explanation that he was actually meeting L&T officials and Owaisi happened to also visit his office at the same time! KCR was thus forced to call for an all-party meeting instead of the one-party meeting he had called.

Despite all this chaos around the meetings, nothing actually happened. L&T refused to make any drastic changes as proposed. None of the citizens became any wiser as to what instructions the MIM is giving to the KCR government on this.

2020: “We cleared all doubts that MIM had. Inshallah ye jald se jald khatam ho jaayega”

Meanwhile, construction of the Metro was going on in full swing in all other areas. This meant that a discussion on the status of the Old City metro needs to be once again discussed. In 2016, there was another discussion in the Assembly where Akbaruddin Owaisi accused TRS and L&T of resorting to land scams in the name of Metro. And KTR meekly ended the conversation with a commitment to, hold your breath, hold yet another all-party meeting!

A report in the year 2017 mentioned how disappointed the residents of the Old City were feeling about the lack of Metro in their area, whilst the rest of the city was getting to enjoy the fruits of this project.

In 2018, the BJP yet again bought up this issue in the assembly. KTR now stands in the Assembly and says that the delay on the Old City stretch is because there is a problem with “religious structures”!

In the year 2020, KCR speaks in the Assembly on this topic. He now assures us that all doubts and apprehensions that the MIM had have now been cleared. He tells us that he has assured L&T that the Owaisi brothers and all their MLAs will (literally) stand with L&T folks in the Old City when the construction work will be taken up! He communicates the decision to start the construction of the Old City Metro. He also ended his speech with “Inshallah, ye jald se jald ho jaayega, mein bhi iske peeche padtu”.

It still remains a mystery as to what exact MIM objections stopped the Metro for so long; what exact apprehensions of the MIM were cleared; and more importantly, why exactly should the Owaisi brothers stand with L&T when the works are taken up?

2023: “CM gives approval to Metro works in Old City”

We are now in the present! And am sure that now you are also as confused as I am – if approval is given in 2023, then what was given in 2020? What changed from 2020 to 2023? Were there more negotiations to convince MIM? The 2023 tweet also does not explicitly say L&T has agreed to take it forward.

Many are indicating that the MIM finally gave approval as a quid-quo pro deal of KCR opposing the UCC. It was just minutes after KCR announced the opposition to UCC that the tweet on the metro was sent by KTR. Owaisi thanked both of them in separate tweets at the same time.

The need for MIM’s approval at every stage of governance

This is not the first time that MIM had to approve of policy and governance-based decisions by the BRS government led by KCR. We had earlier detailed here how in the pre-2014 days, KCR thundered why governments didn’t celebrate Telangana’s independence day from the Razakars; and then for 9 years had to wait for AIMIM to give him permission to celebrate this day with a different name (just because the Modi government started to celebrate this event).

A senior IAS officer goes to London to pick up some awards that Hyderabad City won. He tags three people in the tweet announcing this – the CM, KTR and Asad Owaisi! What is the pressing need to report to Owaisi exclusively when the entire GHMC area actually encompasses 3 more MPs?

MIM leaders thrash government officials for doing their duty in the Old City; KCR invites Owaisi for a 6-hour TRS strategy meeting on GHMC elections; the Owaisi brothers routinely refer to how the steering of the car (election symbol of BRS) is in their hands, to wild applause by the audience. KTR occasionally comes to the media and says that Owaisi is a shameless person; that BRS is not allying with MIM at all, much to the bewilderment of the media (because TRS and MIM are in alliance in the GHMC for example!)

The Old City of Hyderabad deserves the exact same facilities as the Hi-Tech City of Hyderabad. It is abundantly clear that AIMIM puts religion over development when it comes to the Old City of Hyderabad. By often giving in to their unreasonable postures, the BRS government is doing grave injustice to the people of the old city.

Jalgaon Pandav Wada case: Bombay HC issues stay on Collector’s order banning prayers in the disputed mosque, next hearing on July 27

Siddhi Somani
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Jalgaon Pandav Wada case: Bombay HC issues stay on Collector’s order banning prayers in the disputed mosque, next hearing on July 27

In an update to the Jumma Masjid case from Erandol region of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, the Bombay High Court has issued a stay on the interim order by the administration refraining people of the Muslim community to enter a disputed mosque structure that resembles an old temple.

As per the sources, a single-judge bench of the Bombay High Court led by Justice RM Joshi has put a two-week stay on the collector’s order on Tuesday, July 18.

On July 16, the administration had sealed the century-old disputed mosque temporarily and had issued an order under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, immediately banning prayers on the premises which is protected under the State Archaeology Department. The collector had also directed police deployment in the area and had asked the local administration to take charge of the mosque, which has been officially declared as ‘disputed’.

The Pandav Wada site is protected under the state archaeology department (OpIndia)

After this, the Jumma Masjid Trust Committee who looks after the disputed mosque structure had moved to the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court against the collector’s order banning entry into the premises for offering prayers.

The petition, filed by the Jumma Masjid Trust Committee’s president Altaf Khan claimed that the collector had passed the ‘arbitrary and illegal’ order on July 11 which directed the trust to hand over the keys of the disputed ‘mosque’ to the Erandol municipal council’s chief officer.

However, the Court has issued a stay order against the collector’s directives. The matter will be next heard on July 27.

Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti demands the restoration of the property

The development was confirmed to OpIndia by complainant Prasad Madhusudan Dandawate of the Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti. He said that the Court has issued a stay order against the section 144 directive and has allowed members of both communities to enter the premises for prayers.

“There are around 4-5 Muslims who offer Namaz there daily. Now they have been allowed but also the members of the Hindu community can go in the premises of the Pandava wada which has been illegally encroached by the Masjid Trust,” Dandawate confirmed.

Earlier, it was reported how the Pandava Wada in Erandol region of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district was converted into a Mosque. The saga began when the Dandawate complained to the district administration that the mosque has been illegally constructed over a Hindu place of worship and should be taken over by the authorities. The complainant further asserted that the Hindu character and structure of the vicinity had been destroyed by the Jumma Masjid Trust who illegally has encroached on the area to call it a Mosque.

Trust illegally installed electricity, concrete restructuring

As per the complaint by the Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti, the Trust has illegally occupied the premises and has made several changes to the 800-1000-year-old Pandava Wada which today stands protected under the State Archeology Department. The trust has installed electricity, fans, cement doors, and water connections to the Pandava wada. “They have also illegally constructed wuzukhana type area for people of the Muslim community to wash their hands before Namaz. Who gave this permission to them,” Dandawate pondered.

Electricity, cement construction illegally added to the Pandava Wada (Images obtained by OpIndia)

The Samiti in the complaint has demanded that all the illegal construction and addition made to the Pandava Wada should be removed and the property shall be taken over by the authority. The Samiti has also demanded a scientific evaluation to determine the age of the property. It has been said that the old Pandava Wada which has been illegally encroached by the Trust should be recovered by the authorities in its original form.

Complaint letter by Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti (OpIndia)

What is Pandav Wada?

The Pandav wada sites in the Erandol region of Jalgaon district, are claimed to be under Islamic encroachments. It is believed that the Pandavas spent their years in exile in the Erandol region and that the Hindu and Jain temple-like structures built here are 800-1000 years old. Later due to the severe indifference among Hindus, Muslims slowly started encroaching on Pandav Wada more than 125 years ago, and they eventually built a mosque there while claiming it to be Wakf property.

Hindu groups like the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Pandavwada Sangharsh Samiti have been battling to reclaim Pandavwada from the Wakf Board’s intrusions and restore the areas. The contested mosque has records of existence of at least 100 years, whereas the principal buildings in Pandava wada (built in the style of Jain and Hindu temples) are reportedly 800-1000 years old.

Hindu organizations maintain that the mosque was constructed by destroying a Hindu temple that is mentioned in Hindu scriptures. Further, the associated Wakf committee had been working to build the disputed mosque in order to ruin the Pandavwada’s Hindu culture as described in local folklore and scriptures.

The Masjid Trust however maintains that the property belongs to the Waqf board and that it’s only the Waqf tribunal that takes decisions with regard to Waqf properties. “The collector has bypassed the waqf tribunal,” the Trust said.

The next hearing of the case is scheduled on July 27, 2023.

‘No refreshments served, nobody answered phone’: Allahabad HC judge outraged over ‘inconvenience’ during train journey, seeks explanation from railways

OpIndia Staff
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‘No refreshments served, nobody answered phone’: Allahabad HC judge outraged over ‘inconvenience’ during train journey, seeks explanation from railways

Justice Gautam Chowdhary of the Allahabad High Court has sought an explanation from railway officials after experiencing ‘inconvenience and displeasure’ on a recent train journey with his wife. The High Court judge was upset over not getting refreshments despite repeated calls.

In a letter dated July 14, the Allahabad High Court Registrar (Protocol) Ashish Kumar Srivastava, on behalf of the sitting Judge, asked Railways General Manager (GM) to explain the issues pointed out in the letter.

According to the letter, Allahabad High Court Judge Gautam Chowdhary was traveling with his wife on July 8 on train no. 12802, Purushottam Express (on PNR: 246-4082004 & H.O.R No. 639/2023). The train was almost three hours late, and regardless of Chowdhary’s repeated demands, neither pantry workers nor Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel assisted ‘His Lordship’.

“The train was more than three hours late. In spite of repeatedly informing the Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE), no Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel were found in the coach. Further, no pantry car staff attended to His Lordship for providing refreshments despite repeated calls. Moreover, a call made to the pantry car manager was not picked up,” the letter reads.

The letter further stated that the incident “caused great inconvenience and displeasure to His Lordship. In this regard, the Honourable Judge wishes that explanation may be called from the erring officials of the Railways, the GRP personnel and the pantry car manager.”

Interestingly, the aforementioned letter marked as ‘urgent’ mentions Justice Gautam Chowdhary as ‘His Lordship’ seven times. Notably, back in 2014, the Supreme Court said that judges should be addressed in a dignified and respectful manner however, calling them “my lord” or “your lordship” is not mandatory. The Allahabad High Court, on behalf of ‘His Lordship’ has sought an explanation from the railways for the inconvenience experienced by him due to the lack of refreshments served.

Citing an unnamed railway official, TOI reported that a catering staff member did visit Justice Chowdhary’s compartment, however, someone from the passage of the coach “asked the catering staff member to leave assuming that the judge might be sleeping and he is unnecessarily disturbing him in the morning.” The report adds that minutes later, the train arrived at Prayagraj station and the judge and his wife disembarked. 

Meanwhile, Northern Central Railway (NCR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Himanshu Upadhya verified receipt of the complaint from the honorable judge. As a result, the affected departments have been formally requested to provide a written explanation. The NCR respectfully apologized for the judge’s inconvenience. 

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar did not want the opposition alliance to be named I.N.D.I.A: Here is why

ANI
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Bihar CM Nitish Kumar did not want the opposition alliance to be named I.N.D.I.A: Here is why

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not want the opposition alliance to be named ‘INDIA’ because it has the letters, ‘NDA’ in it, sources said on Tuesday.

Sources said that the name INDIA was proposed to everyone in an informal meeting on Monday. Suggestions were sought on the name from all opposition leaders and later on Tuesday, everyone agreed to it.

Following this, Nitish Kumar agreed to the name. “All right, if all of you are okay with it (the name INDIA), then it is fine,” the Bihar Chief Minister was quoted by a source as saying.

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan said that the name was proposed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

“The name of the opposition alliance- INDIA was proposed by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. After a long discussion, it was decided to be called as ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance,” VCK chief told ANI.

On the other hand, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said that Rahul Gandhi justified why it should be INDIA during the discussion in the meeting. “It is a collective effort. We all sat together, and we all decided on names. Rahul ji spearheaded this, he justified why it should be INDIA. He argued for it,” Srinate told ANI.

It should also be noted that Nitish Kumar and Lalu Yadav were not present in the press conference following the Bengaluru opposition meet because the weather department predicted bad weather conditions and Nitish Kumar was getting late for a conference.

Moreover, it needs to be mentioned that several opposition leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Kumar were not present at the press conference.

The representatives of the 26 parties who met for the brainstorming meeting in Bengaluru also decided to set up an 11-member coordination committee, including all the major parties, and a ‘secretariat’ in Delhi for campaign management and for coordinating the working of various sub-committees, which will take up specific issues.

“The next opposition meeting will be held in Mumbai; the date will be announced soon. An 11-member coordination committee will be set up. Names of committee members will be announced in Mumbai,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.

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

Odisha: Another major train accident averted in Balasore, loco pilot’s action saves lives

OpIndia Staff
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Odisha: Another major train accident averted in Balasore, loco pilot’s action saves lives

On Tuesday, 18th July 2023, a potential disaster was skillfully averted near Baruna Singh Chowk at Nilgiri Road railway station in Balasore district, Odisha, as a vigilant Memu train pilot saved numerous lives. The incident occurred a mere 15 km away from the tragic Bahanaga triple train accident site.

According to reports, the Memu train had mistakenly entered a loop line track where construction work was in progress. Thanks to the presence of the alert loco pilot, who sensed something amiss and acted promptly, a tragedy was averted. The quick pilot applied the brakes upon noticing an anomaly at the track endpoint.

The Memu train was en route to Balasore from Bhadrak district when the loco pilot took action, reversing the train towards Balasore, temporarily affecting the movement of other trains on the route.

One of the passengers, Bijaydhar Barik, shared his account, saying, “It was only the train driver who spotted something wrong in the tracks. The train later reversed some 200 to 300 meters and we got down from the train. The train was moving at a slow speed and stopped at a distance from the track which had some issues.”

The loco pilot of the Memu train shed light on the incident, stating, “The train was moving at a speed of 7 to 8 kilometres per hour and the track was set in the opposite direction as some construction work was going on… The point could have busted… There was no chance of any derailment of the train but tracks would have been damaged.”

Following the incident, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) summoned two officials, including the Nilagiri Station Road manager, for questioning. They have been instructed to provide detailed information regarding the occurrence, according to sources.

While the potential tragedy was averted, the incident has left passengers anxious about train travel in the region. Just last month, Balasore witnessed a devastating train accident that garnered worldwide attention, resulting in over 290 fatalities, involving the Coromandel Express and a goods train.

Can the name ‘INDIA’ be registered as a political alliance? As the opposition launches a PR campaign, here is what the Emblems and Names Act says

Anurag
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Can the name ‘INDIA’ be registered as a political alliance? As the opposition launches a PR campaign, here is what the Emblems and Names Act says

On 18th July, 26 opposition parties formed an alliance to compete with Lok Sabha Elections 2024 against NDA. They named the alliance’ INDIA (Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance)’, bidding goodbye to UPA during the meeting held in Bengaluru, Karnataka. While opposition parties are rushing to take credit for coming up with the acronym, the main question is whether the country’s name can be used this way.

Criticism on social media

The name of the alliance has received a sharp reaction on social media. Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha called upon the Election Commission of India to act on the alliance’s name. He wrote, “The Emblems And Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 prohibits Opposition from using “INDIA” as the name of their alliance.”

Bombay High Court Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey, head of BJP Maharashtra Social Media-Legal & Advisory Department, wrote to ECI and registered his objection over the alliance’s name. He wrote, “I have registered an objection to the Election Commission of India regarding using the INDIA name for political gain to disrespect the nation’s dignity. I trust in the Election Commission of India’s commitment to fostering fair and transparent elections. I believe that your intervention in this matter will help maintain the dignity of our nation and preserve the democratic principles on which our country stands.”

Registering ‘INDIA’ is going to be difficult

To understand the situation, it is essential to look at what the law says about using the country’s name in India. In case they have formed the alliance just for colloquial or conversational purposes, they may find a loophole to use it. However, if they plan to register it somehow, it will not be possible to do so.

The opposition parties announced that they would have the headquarters of the alliance in New Delhi. Suppose they are serious about using the alliance for campaigning. In that case, they have to register it in some way and launch a website along with social media handles in the coming days. Using the name ‘INDIA’ for these purposes will not be a cakewalk for them.

Registering a political party is different from forming an alliance

As per the law, to form a new political party in India, an application has to be submitted to Election Commission’s office ‘Nirvachan Sadan’. Upon receiving the application, the Election Commission examines it, and if it finds it appropriate, the party gets registered. An election symbol is also provided to the political party after registration. Unlike the political party, the alliance’s name does not require registration. For example, NDA, UPA, MVA or Mahagathbandhan are all alliances used in day-to-day political conversations, but they do not require government registration. Interestingly, we all talk about NDA and UPA extensively, but both alliances do not have a website. On the other hand, the main political parties in both alliances, i.e. BJP and Congress, have their own websites, respectively.

The law prohibits the use of ‘INDIA’

Returning to the newly formed alliance of the opposition parties, if they plan to register any institution, website, company or organisation with the name “INDIA”, they will face serious consequences. They have to add word(s) before or after the word ‘INDIA’ as, according to the constitution, it is the name of our country. To understand why they cannot register, it is essential to examine ‘THE EMBLEMS AND NAMES (PREVENTION OF IMPROPER USE) ACT of 1950‘.

Certain names, symbols, and marks cannot be registered per the law. There are 20 such entities listed in the Act that cannot be used for registration. Now, one may think there are India TV, NDTV India and Times of India, then what is the problem with the name of the alliance? You can register a name with ‘India’ in it, provided there are words before or after it. ‘India TV’ is okay to register, but a media house with the name ‘India’ is impossible. Similarly, you cannot register any name using the word ‘Bharat’. Furthermore, the Act prohibits registering any state mark or emblem of India.

The 20 names, symbols and marks that cannot be registered include seal of UN, WHO name, symbol or seal, National Flag of India, name, symbol or seal of the country of India or any of its state or government organisation, name, symbol or seal of President-Governor, any name that appears to belong to the govenrment or govenrment institutions, the name or picture of the President, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Raj Bhavan, the picture of Mahatma Gandi or any Prime Minister of India (can be used for calendars but its commercial use is prohibited), the name-sign of any government honour or medal, the name, sign or seal of the ‘International Civil Aviation Organisation’, the word ‘INTERPOL’, the name, emblem and seal of the ‘World Meterorological Organisation’, the name, symbol and seal of ‘Tuberculosis Association of India’, name, symbol and seal of ‘International Atomic Energy Agency’,names or their pictures like ‘Ashoka Chakra’ and ‘Dharma Chakra’,Parliament-Vidhan Sabha or any court’s name-picture-mark, ‘Ramakrishna Math’ or ‘Ramakrishna Mission’ name-mark, ‘Sharda Math’ or ‘Ramakrishna Sharda Mission’ name-mark, and name, symbol and seal of ‘Bharat Scouts and Guides’.

The law states that anything from the list cannot be used to register any organization, institution, company or group. The trademark or design cannot be one of the types described above, for example, Ashoka Chakra or the National Flag, and cannot be patented. Furthermore, the decision of the Central Government will be final in this.

The law also states that the word ‘Republic’ or ‘Sardar-e-Riyasat’ cannot be used for registration. This is why when Arnab Goswami announced ‘Republic’ as the name of his media house, he had to go to court. Arnab went with the name Republic Network for the media house, ‘Republic World’ for the English channel and ‘Republic Bharat’ for the Hindi channel.

Another fine example of such a case is the website India.com. For those who are unaware, the company’s name is ‘Indiadotcom Digital Pvt Ltd’, not just ‘INDIA’. India.com is one of the pre-2000s domain names. It was registered in 1997. The news portal that runs on the domain came into existence in 2011. That means the company might have acquired the domain name later.

Interestingly, when India started the .in registry in 2005, before it was open to the public, several domain names were reserved by the National Internet Exchange of India or NIXI, the government body that governs .in and its subsidiary domain names like .co.in etc. One such domain name was India.in. Even the Government of India does not use the domain for any purpose, and it has been kept as a dormant domain. You can check the complete list of reserved names by NIXI here.

While the chest-thumping over the new alliance and its name continued in the political arena, the opposition parties have a lot of work on, including deciding how they may use INDIA and, above all, who will be the face of the PM for Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Mamata, Rahul, or Kejriwal? I.N.D.I.A. alliance parties rush to claim credit for the acronym, yet to decide a joint leader or agenda to face BJP in 2024

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata, Rahul, or Kejriwal? I.N.D.I.A. alliance parties rush to claim credit for the acronym, yet to decide a joint leader or agenda to face BJP in 2024

On 18th July 2023, the 26 Opposition parties gathered in Bengaluru to discuss strategy for the 2024 elections have named their alliance ‘I.N.D.I.A.’, or Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance. However, the alliance parties were seen rushing to claim credit for the acronym and the coalition is yet to find a joint agenda and face as the Prime Ministerial candidate to contest Bharatiya Janata Party and Narendra Modi in 2024.

As the acronym of the coalition was declared, various news started appearing about who proposed or ideated the name for the alliance against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.

Claim 1: Kejriwal discovered I.N.D.I.A

Initially, Arvind Kejriwal was credited for this name. It was reported that Arvind Kejriwal said in the meeting of the opposition parties that the alliance is named I.N.D.I.A. because only I.N.D.I.A. can defeat NDA. It was also reported that Arvind Kejriwal explained the full form of the acronym to all the leaders present in the meeting.

Claim 2: Mamata Banerjee discovered I.N.D.I.A

On the other hand, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan credited TMC leader Mamata Banerjee for innovating this name for the opposition alliance. while speaking to the media, he said, “First Mamata Banerjee proposed this name. After Kharge ji, she spoke. She said that we have to name our alliance I.N.D.I.A. First, she proposed International Democratic Inclusive Alliance. After a long discussion, it was called International Developmental Inclusive Alliance. So Mamata Banerjee proposed and everyone accepted.”

The VCK chief seems to have mixed up ‘Indian’ with ‘International’ and ‘Democratic’ with ‘Developmental’.

When asked about Tamil Nadu’s chief minister MK Stalin proposing the acronym, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) chief Thol. Thirumavalavan said, “No. Immediately he seconded the proposal (by Mamata Banerjee). He immediately agreed and he mentioned the ED raid in the Tamil Nadu state and condemned this kind of attitude of the BJP government.”

A popular Twitter handle called this rush for credit an ‘opportUNITY’, to mock the evident lack of unity in the so-called I.N.D.I.A.

Claim 3: Rahul Gandhi discovered I.N.D.I.A

Congress party also came ahead to credit their scion Rahul Gandhi for the ideation of this name of the joint venture of small political parties to fight against the BJP-led NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Congress leader Supriya Shrinate said that it was Rahul Gandhi who coined this term. While crediting the Gandhi scion, she underlined that the Congress party does not take any credit for this and calls it a collective effort to name the alliance.

Surpiya Shrinate said, “It was a collective effort. I don’t think we are taking any credit for this but yes, the idea came from Rahul Gandhi. and he defended the idea and he argued for this. what is this fight about? Who is this fight between? This fight is between the NDA versus India. This fight is for the Idea of India. This fight is for the voice of India. This fight is for the Constitution of India.”

She further said, “And if it is indeed about India then why not call ourselves India because we represent India. We are fighting for India. We are combative about India and this fight is now NDA versus India. And wherever and whoever you pitch against India, India always wins.”

It is notable that there is no declared common minimum agenda of the coalition of the opposition. However, all the leaders present in the party agreed on coming together for opposing BJP and Narendra Modi. All the leaders of various parties present in the meeting including Jairam Ramesh and KC Venugopal of Congress, Raghav Chaddha of AAP, and MK Stalin of DMK expressed their staunch opposition to BJP and Modi while addressing the meeting. The other details of the agenda and the leader or chairperson of the coalition and the prime ministerial candidate of this alliance are not yet decided. However, many parties involved in the coalition see their respective leaders as potential contender for the top office.

Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult case crosses 400 as 12 more bodies exhumed, over 600 people still missing

OpIndia Staff
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Death toll in Kenyan starvation cult case crosses 400 as 12 more bodies exhumed, over 600 people still missing

On Monday, July 17, officials investigating the Kenyan Christian doomsday cult deaths said that the death toll had crossed 400 as 12 more bodies were exhumed on Monday in Shakahola. Coastal Regional Commissioner, Rhonda Onyancha said that the death toll has reached 403 adding that the exhumation process continues.

Onyancha also said that 95 people have been rescued.

According to the authorities, most of the deceased were adherents of the preacher Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, the founder of the Good News International Church. The accused pastor and 36 other suspects are currently in police custody.

More than 610 people are still reported to be missing from villages around the forest. DNA matching had been performed on 253 of the 403 bodies exhumed so far.

Mackenzie relocated to the forested area in Malindi in 2019 after his church was closed due to his preaching, which included encouraging children not to attend school. Earlier, he was arrested and released on bond in connection with the disappearance of children.

A judicial panel of investigation established by Kenyan President William Ruto to determine what happened and who was responsible was overturned by a court decision after opposition leader Raila Odinga appealed against it.

The president called what happened in Malindi “terrorism” and vowed to take down “those using religion to advance their heinous acts.”

The believers of the Christian doomsday cult were told that they would reach heaven faster and meet Jesus Christ if they starved to death. Official autopsies on some of the bodies in the enormous Shakahola farm located inside the forest found evidence of malnutrition, suffocation, and beatings. The findings were confirmed by chief government pathologist Johansen Oduor. However, most of the victims appeared to have died of starvation.

The Christian pastor, in his defense claimed that he had done nothing wrong and that his Church shut down in 2019. As per reports, Nthenge recited the names of three villages (Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Judea) before baptizing people in ponds and asking them to starve to death.

Mumbai: Hindu girl blackmailed and forcefully converted to Islam, Amin Azam Sheikh and 4 others arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Hindu girl blackmailed and forcefully converted to Islam, Amin Azam Sheikh and 4 others arrested

Another case of forced conversion to Islam has emerged from Mira Bhayandar in Mumbai. Reportedly, a 22-year-old girl filed a police complaint against one Amin Azam Sheikh, and his family members at the Naya Nagar police station. The victim alleged that Amin, his mother, and other accused, not only caused her physical harm but also harrassed her mentally. 

In her complaint, the victim stated that the accused intimidated her and threatened to make her intimate videos viral if she does not convert to Islam.

Based on the victim’s statement, the Naya Nagar police registered a case against Amin, his mother Reshma Azam Shaikh, Qazi Muftin Ismail, Jariab Saleem Sayyed, and an unknown person. The accused have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including sections 376(2)(n), 366, 323, 504, 406, and 34. 

Subsequently, the Police initiated an investigation into the matter and arrested all the accused including the main accused Amin Azam Sheikh. 

According to the victim’s statement given to the Police, in 2022, she got acquainted with a boy named Shahbaz who is a resident of Borivali. He would frequently come to visit the computer coaching center near Mira Road station as the victim was enrolled here and he could meet with her. Later, he introduced Amin Sheikh to the victim girl. 

The victim stated that after meeting for a few days, Amin Sheikh came to her computer class on the 16th of February 2022, and insisted the girl to start a romantic relationship with him.

However, when she turned down his proposal, Amin took out a knife and pressurized her into saying yes. The victim added that Amin threatened to commit suicide by stabbing himself if she didn’t accept her proposal. She stated that she got scared and agreed on dating Amin.

The victim added that a few days later, Amin took her to his home and introduced his parents to her. On another occasion, he tricked her to visit his home, saying that his brother’s daughter was not well and they had to visit the hospital to see her. However, when she reached her house, there was no one except Amin. 

According to the victim, Amin took advantage of the situation and coerced the girl into physical intimacy by threatening her with a knife.

Later, on 21 June 2022, Amin arrived outside her house in a car and asked her to meet him. As per the victim, he was accompanied by two more boys who were also sitting in the car. 

The complaint further stated that as soon as she got into the car, a boy informed her that they had been sent from the mosque to take her. He declared, “today you are going to become a Muslim from Hindu and will no longer remain a Kafir.” 

Afterward, they took her to a Qazi in Bandra where the cleric changed her name to Rahima. The complaint add that he made her sign three stamp papers of Rs 100. Subsequently, Amin took her to Hazrat Baleshah Syed Dargah of Uttan and tied a talisman on her hand.

As per the victim, when she went to his house the next day, his mother was displeased seeing her and said, “Why have you brought this Kafir to the house?” 

Additionally, she came to know that Amin was already a married man and the girl whom he had introduced as his brother’s daughter was his own daughter. 

In her complaint, the victim further claimed that the atrocities of Amin and his family members increased. Apparently, she was forcibly kept hostage and locked up in his house and was once reportedly rescued by the Police after they received a complaint regarding this. 

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