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Madhya Pradesh: Students scolded for chanting Gayatri Mantra during school assembly, video viral, SDM takes cognizance. Here is what the teacher said

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Students scolded for chanting Gayatri Mantra during school assembly, video viral, SDM takes cognizance. Here is what the teacher said

In a bizarre incident that has come to the fore from the Biaora city of Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district, school students in the CM Rise School were scolded and stopped from chanting the Gayatri Mantra.

The video of the incident went viral over social media in which the school teacher identified as Dushyant Rana could be seen yelling at the students as they chanted Gayatri Mantra during the school assembly. “Stop. Stop. Who told you to chant Gayatri Mantra? Why are you chanting this,” he said.

Meanwhile, one of the lady teachers could be seen asking someone about the video. According to one of the social media users the lady teacher has been identified as Mazida.

The video of the incident was recorded by one of the teachers who also posted it on social media. The Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) then happened to take cognizance of the event and inquired the school about the incident. Teacher Dushyant Rana stated to this that he had no intention to stop the Mantra chants.

“As per the schedule, the mantra is to be chanted only one day a week. It was just a part of maintaining the discipline,” he said. After this, the SDM sought a written reply and issued orders to chant the Gayatri Mantra daily at the school.

Also, the local Hindu organizations took cognizance of the event and demanded strict action against the school. The teacher Rana meanwhile reiterated that he had no intention to hurt the Hindu sentiments. The ABVP and the Hindu organizations have said that they would protest against the event if no action is taken against the teachers and the school.

Earlier, a similar incident was reported from the Indore city of Madhya Pradesh where some of the students from a private school, the Bal Vigyan Shishu Vihar Higher Secondary School located on Dhara Road were slapped for sporting a tilak on the forehead. The students were also threatened to be removed and issued TC if they continue to sport tilak on the school premises.

Banks recovered more than Rs 10 lakh crores from bad loans in the last nine years: Finance Ministry tells Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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Banks recovered more than Rs 10 lakh crores from bad loans in the last nine years: Finance Ministry tells Lok Sabha

In a major success for the Narendra Modi government, during the last nine fiscal years, scheduled commercial banks have recovered approximately Rs 10 lakh crore, as per the government’s information to the Lok Sabha.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha on Monday (July 24), Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad stated that according to the Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) data, the amount owed by scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) to corporate company borrowers who are classified as non-performing assets (NPA) and have an outstanding amount of Rs 1,000 crore or more was Rs 1,03,975 crore as of March 31, 2023.

Minister Karad shared the numbers in response to an unstarred question by MP Gnanthiraviam S and MP Vijaykumar alias Vijay Vasanth. The MPs queried about the “measures taken by the Union government to recover the bad loans and NPA amount from corporate companies owing debts to the tune of Rs 1000 crore or more.”

Furthermore, the MPs inquired about the total outstanding loan from such consumers, as well as the total loan amount recovered over the last nine years, as well as the efforts undertaken to recover bad loans and reduce NPA.

“Comprehensive measures have been taken by the Government and RBI to recover and to reduce NPAs, including those pertaining to corporate companies, which has enabled an aggregate recovery of Rs. 10,16,617 crore (RBI provisional data for FY 2022-23) by SCBs during the last nine financial years,” the written reply stated. 

Measures taken by the Union government to recover and reduce NPAs

Minister Karad further listed the measures taken b the government to recover and reduce Non-Performing Assets. 

  • The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (IBC) substantially changed the creditor-borrower relationship, stripping control of the defaulting company away from promoters/owners, and banning wilful defaulters from the resolution process.
  • Minister Bhagwat Karad further explained that the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002, has been amended in order to render it more effective and that public sector banks have established Stressed Asset Management Verticals for “stringent recovery, segregated pre- and post-sanction follow-up roles for clean and effective monitoring, and engaged specialised monitoring agencies for large-value accounts.”
  • “Under the PSB Reforms Agenda, comprehensive and automated Early Warning Systems (EWS) were instituted in PSBs, with 80 EWS triggers and the use of third-party data for time-bound remedial actions in borrowing accounts,” Karad stated. 
  • In addition to the measures undertaken by PSBs, wilful defaulters are not sanctioned with any additional amenities by banks or financial institutions, and their unit is restricted from launching new ventures for five years.
  • Furthermore, wilful defaulters and companies with wilful defaulters as promoters/directors have been forbidden from raising funds in capital markets. The RBI established the Prudential Framework for Resolution of Stressed Assets in 2019 to provide a framework for early recognition, reporting, and time-bound resolution of stressed assets, with a built-in incentive for lenders to implement a resolution plan early.
A written reply by Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad to a Lok Sabha question regarding recovery of bad loans (Image via sansad.in)

2,438 borrowers with an outstanding sum of Rs 2.66 lakh crore: Central government tells Rajya Sabha

It is notable that the Central government told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 25) that there were about 2,438 borrowers with an outstanding sum of Rs 2.66 lakh crore who defaulted, with an outstanding amount larger than Rs 20 crore, up till March 2023.

A written reply by Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad to a Rajya Sabha question regarding bank defaulters (Image via sansad.in)

According to Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad, the Directorate of Enforcement has registered 490 bank fraud cases involving NPAs of Rs 20 crore or more in the last five years under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). Additionally, assets worth Rs 15,113.02 crore were seized and returned to public sector banks.

Assam: One Zakir Hussain Laskar arrested for marrying 12-year-old girl in Hailakandi, minor girl and infant child rescued

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: One Zakir Hussain Laskar arrested for marrying 12-year-old girl in Hailakandi, minor girl and infant child rescued

Hailakandi police in Assam arrested a man on 27 July in a child marriage case which resulted in the liberation of a 15-year-old girl and an infant who is reported to be their son. The accused is identified as Zakir Hussain Laskar.

A squad of police personnel executed an operation and captured the 21-year-old man at his home in Vichingcha hamlet after acting on intelligence reports. Police said they arrested Zakir Hussain Laskar based on a complaint from the family member of the minor girl who accused him of torture.

After investigating the matter, it was found that Laskar had married the girl when she was just 12 years old, and then impregnated her. They now have a 16-month-old girl, the police said.

Police said that they have registered a suo moto case under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) act against Zakir, along with relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Police teams are also interrogating members of both families. Moreover, the police are also looking for the cleric who conducted the marriage.

“He was arrested from his house and we rescued the girl and the child. They have been sent to a shelter home while the members of both families are being interrogated. We are also trying to find the Kazi who was involved in the marriage,” a police officer said.

The arrest comes amid the ongoing crackdown on child marriages launched by the Assam government, which has resulted in over 3000 arrests, and has reduced the number of new child marriages significantly.

Assam government’s crackdown on child marriages

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reaffirmed his government’s commitment to eradicate child marriage by 2026, which has been a troubling issue in the state. “Our government has taken a series of measures to end the menace. By 2026, child marriage must be ended in Assam. Our government will take strong action to end child marriage,” the chief minister reiterated during a session at the state assembly earlier this year.

He proclaimed, “We will launch an operation against the menace in the state and arrest people every 2-3 months. We will open a helpline number. We have so far charge sheeted 900 cases. We have acted as per law.”

On January 23 of this year, the cabinet passed legislation to outlaw child marriages in the state. The chief minister announced that his administration would launch a statewide drive against child marriage under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

He asserted, “Marrying a minor girl is not only against the law, but it also breaches the fundamental rights of a girl child and is quite dangerous to her health.” A crackdown against child marriage was implemented in early February, and by the end of the second week, 3,015 people had been arrested.

The chief minister had declared, “More than one lakh underage girls were married off and many of them became child mothers in the recent years including a girl who was just nine years old when she delivered a baby. Action will also be taken against the parents as well as priests or Qazis who performed these illegal marriages.”

The state government also set aside a budget of Rs 200 crore to handle the sensitive issue and enabled the appointment of a special attorney for each case involving child marriage with the goal of prosecuting the criminals.

‘Frauds change their names to erase their sins’: PM Modi ups his attack on Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. name stunt

OpIndia Staff
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‘Frauds change their names to erase their sins’: PM Modi ups his attack on Opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. name stunt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, July 27 slammed the opposition coalition of 26 parties that have named themselves as the ‘I.N.D.I.A’ alliance and said that the opposition parties were attempting to cover up their old deeds by coming together and forming a new alliance. He added that the parties have never cared about India.

“With the label of INDIA, they want to cover up their old deeds, the deeds of UPA. Had they really cared about India, would they have asked foreigners to interfere in India? They had once given the slogan ‘Indira is India, India is Indira.’ At that time, they were uprooted by the people. These people of arrogance have done this again. They say ‘UPA is India. India is UPA’. People will treat them the same once again,” said PM Modi while addressing the masses at Sikar, Rajasthan.

He also specifically said that Congress had now become a directionless party and that its allies had changed their names just like the earlier fraud companies did. “They have changed their name so that they can remove the stain of capitulating in front of terrorism. Their ways are similar to that of the country’s enemy. The name INDIA is not to show their patriotism but create another front to rob the country,” he added.

PM Modi said that these opposition parties actually do not believe in the capabilities of the countrymen and continuously keep on targeting the Indian Army and the Navy persons. “They doubted the air strike, the surgical strike. They blatantly asked for proof. Why can’t they trust the capabilities of Indian Army?” he said. Further PM Modi also said that the Indian Army personnel during the UPA rule were not even provided with One Rank One Pension despite long-standing demands.

The PM also stated that the opposition only knew to cry in front of the international media and defame the country. “They go and meet the foreign delegates and appease the voters here. They care about the votebank more than they do about the nation as a whole. These are all liars and people with massive egos. We need to give the slogan which was once given by Mahatma Gandhi- Quit I.N.D.I.A. Today’s mantra should be ‘Bhrashtachar (corruption) Quit India’, ‘Parivarvaad (dynasty) Quit India’, ‘Tushtikaran (appeasement) Quit India,” the PM added.

PM slams Rajasthan CM over ‘Lal Diary’

Meanwhile, he also launched an attack on the ‘Lal Diary’ controversy and said, “Congress means ‘loot ki dukaan and jhoot ka bazaar.’ Their latest product is the red diary. It’s said that all their corruption is mentioned in the diary. Top Congress leaders are silenced by the red diary.”

He also indicated that the future of women and youngsters in the state of Rajasthan is in danger. “The central government is working for the development of youth. But what is happening in Rajasthan? Youth’s future is being played with in Rajasthan. A paper leak program is being run in the state. The youth of the state are capable but the government here is ruining their future. Rajasthan will not tolerate atrocities again women,” he added.

‘I.N.D.I.A is a directionless alliance’, says the PM

Earlier, PM Modi had called out the opposition as a directionless party and had said that people cannot be misled merely by the use of the country’s name. He took the names of several organizations with the name of ‘India’ to make the point that merely having such a term in their nomenclature does not change anything.

“East India Company, PFI, Indian Mujaheddin also using India in their name ..Chehre par chehre laga lete hai log (these people have false faces),” the PM was quoted as saying.

26 parties in the I.N.D.I.A alliance

26 opposition parties, including two national and 24 regional parties, have managed to form a coalition to compete against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the general elections of 2024 after high-stakes negotiations that began in April and two crucial meetings in Patna and Bengaluru. The coalition, known as the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), has 142 Lok Sabha MPs including the parties of the chief ministers of seven different States.

The coalition is led by the Indian National Congress (INC) and includes parties like Trinamool Congress (TMC), which governs the state of West Bengal, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which rules the Tamil Nadu state; and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which has power in the states of Delhi and Punjab.

Also Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), which together govern the state of Bihar in the east and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which rules over the state of Jharkhand are part of the coalition.

Further, the National Congress Party (NCP-Sharad Pawar), the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Samajwadi Party (SP), the National Conference (NC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), the Kongunadu Makkal Desia Katchi (KMDK), the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), the Communist Party of India- Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML Liberation), the Forward Bloc, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), the Kerala Congress (Joseph), the Kerala Congress (Mani), the Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), and the Manithaneya Makkal Katchi (MMK) are the other members of the 26-party alliance.

Udupi bathroom video case: Student tells media that accused women shared videos of Hindu women with Muslim men for the past 1 year, administrator trivialized it earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Udupi bathroom video case: Student tells media that accused women shared videos of Hindu women with Muslim men for the past 1 year, administrator trivialized it earlier

In the Udupi bathroom video case, a shocking revelation has been made by the students of the college. In an interview with TV9 Kannada, a student from the same college said that the Muslim women who were making videos of Hindu girls have been doing this for over a year months and have also shared the videos with Muslim boys.

In the video, the student of the college tells TV9 Kannada, “This incident was happening for the past 1 year. Post capturing in mobile the Muslim girls were exchanging the Mobile with their Muslim Male friends who were waiting in a car outside the college. The exchange of mobile was happening in the afternoon lunch hour. This was highlighted to the college management but they did not take any kind of action. It was on the 18th that the victim went to management and complained, but management did not take it seriously. We got to know on the 20th and immediately we sat on protest. About the viral thing, the mobiles were being exchanged by the 3 Muslim girls with Muslim guys who were coming from Ucchila. They were coming on Pulsar bikes and Cars. The 3 Muslim Girls were Shafa, Alfiya, Shabnaz”.

The student further said, “In our College Management, our Administrator is Mr Abdul Khader. He saw these 3 Muslim girls Shafa, Alfiya, and Shabnaz standing and came to us and said, “I have given a beautiful action to the 3 Muslim girls, I have asked them to write 5 times that they will not repeat this”.

The student further says, “He said that the 3 Muslim girls did that as a joke and that we should not take it seriously. What we like to ask is, if someone does the same thing of keeping a mobile phone in his house restroom and shoots his family’s women, will he say the same thing that he will let them off by giving a homework? This happened 6 months earlier also but management closed it without any enquiry. The videos were being shared with Muslim men from Ucchila”.

The student essentially made several revelations in her interview with the news channel. Firstly, she said that this has been happening for over a year and that the videos were shared by Muslim Girls with Muslim men. She further talks about how the administrator allegedly trivialised the issue when it happened earlier by telling Hindu girls that he had punished the Muslim girls by asking them to write they won’t repeat this mistake again multiple times.

The student also says that the administrator, whose name is Abdul Khader, asked the Hindu girls to not take it seriously since the Muslim girls were filming them in the washroom as a “prank”.

The student has essentially said exactly what the Police in the Congress-ruled state and the media have been harping on the downplay this crime. The police had come on record to say that they had investigated the case and found that there was no criminal intent behind the actions of the Muslim girls. They had also said that there was no communal angle to the case and that they were certain that the videos were not shared by the Muslim Girls to any Muslim men.

In fact, this trope by the police and the administration of the college was then used by elements like AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair and TheNewsMinute to downplay the case and whitewash the crime. They had harped on the fact that the police had said the videos were not shared with Muslim men and anyone claiming so, despite media reports, was spreading fake news.

Based on this trope, an FIR had been filed against human rights activist Rashmi Samant after the dog-whistling by AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair as well.

The Udupi bathroom video case

On 21st July, a Karnataka-based organisation, All College Student Power (ACSP), wrote the Superintendent of Police, district Udupi, about this crime at Netra Jyoti College where three female students of the Muslim community secretly made a video of Hindu female students and shared the mobile phone. As per the letter sent by ACSP, students at Netra Jyoti College learned about it on the 20th of July and protested against it.

The college took up the matter, and three students responsible for recording the videos were suspended effective immediately, pending internal investigation. Though the victim(s) did not wish to file an official complaint in the matter, the college went ahead and informed the police keeping in mind the sensitivity of the matter.

After social media outrage, the police filed an FIR against the 3 Muslim women who were indulging in the criminal activity and the college administration for not only destroying evidence but also for not providing information and documents during the course of the investigation.

“Continuous drum-beating is impermissible”: Calcutta HC directs West Bengal govt to regulate noise pollution and other public nuisances during Muharram

OpIndia Staff
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“Continuous drum-beating is impermissible”: Calcutta HC directs West Bengal govt to regulate noise pollution and other public nuisances during Muharram

The Calcutta High Court on 27th July pulled up the West Bengal state administration over a petition filed by a citizen against continuous drum beating till late at night by “local political goons” on account of Muharram celebrations.

Directions were issued by a division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya to the West Bengal Police and the State Pollution Control Board to regulate the instances of public nuisance caused by incidents like non-stop drum beating and open-air kitchens in residential areas.

The petition had alleged that there was continuous beating of drums till late at night by local ‘goons’ on the pretext of the Muharram festival. The petitioner had also said that whenever she approached police, she was turned away, advising her to put cotton on ears and come with a court order.

While delivering the order, the High Court cited the Church of God (Full Gospel) India case. It said that the practice of religion under Article 25(1) of the Constitution was not an absolute right. It further stated that provisions of Article 25 are subject to 19(1). “On proper construction, it cannot be said that a citizen should be coerced to hear something he doesn’t like or require”, the bench observed.

The High Court said that the unabated beating of drums is impermissible in light of the rules and directions of the SC. “It is the duty of the WB PCB to issue public notices prior to any religious festival or rally to sensitize the citizens about rules which prohibit indiscriminate noise pollution”, the court said.

Referring to the petitioner’s complaints, the court rendered continuous drum-beating as illegal and contrary to relevant rules. It directed the police to immediately issue public notice regulating the timing for the beating of drums.

The court further said that the beating of drums may be part of the festival on 29th July, but it can’t go on continuously for days, and violates rules and the directions of the Supreme Court.

The court also issued directions to the TMC govt to immediately issue a notice stating that organized groups which want to perform prayers, including drum beating, must obtain the necessary permission. “Such permission to be granted fit identified group and the location should also be fixed. Apart from that the time limit has to be mentioned.”

While reprimanding the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the HC said that despite there being powerful pollution laws, there is no implementation. The high court made a significant observation saying that if the officials try to use their powers and implement the laws, they will be assaulted by mobs. “Your officer cannot implement…he will be beaten if he goes there (amidst the crowd),” the bench said.

The Calcutta HC on 21st July had allowed the restoration of a plea challenging the activities of drum-beating and public slaughtering of animals during Muharram. The petitioner told the court that the Park Street Police Station in Kolkata had ignored the complaints of noise pollution allegedly telling the complainants to “put cotton in your ears”.

The petitioner further submitted that while requesting the Lalbazar control room to put a stop to the drum beating, she was told to bring the court order to complain as there is “no specific order for drumming”. She also informed the court that open-air cooking was also happening in her area in Kolkata every day.

Pulling up the state police over the same, the court said, “It is not clear why the police have permitted open-air kitchens, especially when petitioner alleges nuisance to her family and neighbourhood. This also has to be regulated by the police.”

During the course of the hearing, the government submitted that in a meeting earlier this month, it was decided to allow drum beating from 6 am to 10 pm. The bench directed that the timings be regulated and drum-beating not be permitted before 8 am. “There will be school-going children, exams are there, old and ill people”, the HC observed. The HC said that the drum-beating shouldn’t happen after 7 pm.

Citing the Supreme Court’s observations from the case of Church of God (Full Gospel) India, the court said that SC held that no religion prescribes that prayer should be performed by disturbing the peace of others.

“SC further pointed out that in civilized society, in the name of religion activities which disturb children or elderly people, or others, cannot be permitted. SC has pointed out that it cannot be said that religious leaders had desires amplifiers and loudspeakers as a means of propagating religion”, the court observed.

The HC towards the conclusion of its order said that no religious tenet permits such activities.

‘Red diary is set to be a big blow to Congress’: PM Modi highlights Gehlot govt’s corruption issues in Sikar speech

OpIndia Staff
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‘Red diary is set to be a big blow to Congress’: PM Modi highlights Gehlot govt’s corruption issues in Sikar speech

On Thursday, 27th July 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public rally at Sikar, Rajasthan. During his speech at this rally, Modi criticised Rajasthan’s chief minister Ashok Gehlot over the red diary mentioned by Rajasthan’s former minister Rajendra Gudha. Prime Minister said that the red diary will reveal Congress’s dark secrets.

PM Modi said, “It is said that this ‘red diary’ contains records of the dark deeds of the Congress government. People are saying that if the pages of the ‘red diary’ are opened, many bigwigs of Congress will be exposed.”

He added, “The mention of this ‘red diary’ has silenced even the biggest leaders of the Congress. While these people may try to keep their lips sealed, this ‘red diary’ is set to be a big blow to Congress in this election.”

PM Narendra Modi further said in his speech, “Lal diary is a fresh project of Congress’s shop of lies. Ashok Gehlot’s government in Rajasthan is stalling development projects. Today in Rajasthan, there is only one voice, one slogan – lotus will win, lotus will bloom. The Congress government in Rajasthan wants to keep people in the state yearning for water. Only one slogan this time, ‘Nahi Sahega Rajasthan’. Rajasthan will not tolerate atrocities on sisters and daughters.”

In response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘red diary’ remark, the Rajasthan Chief Minister asserted that people would display a red flag to the prime minister in the coming days.

On the red diary case, Ashok Gehlot said, “The prime minister’s position has its own dignity. PM Modi and his party leaders are afraid of us. They made Rajendra Gudha a scapegoat. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is making baseless allegations in a panicked manner. PM Modi’s red diary claim is a fabricated story. There is no such red diary.”

Rajendra Singh Gudha, who was sacked as a minister by the Congress government in Rajasthan recently, has since made some startling accusations about the rampant corruption in the Ashok Gehlot-led government in the state. The Udaipurwati MLA has repeatedly made references to a “red diary” that allegedly contains information allegedly exposing corruption in Rajasthan and implicating even Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Gudha was physically stopped from presenting this “Red Diary” in the state assembly. On Monday, July 24, he was physically stopped by Congress lawmakers from talking about this red diary in the state assembly. This came just days after he was sacked by the Congress party for talking about the atrocities against the women in the state. 

Later, in an extraordinary move, House Marshalls forbade Gudha from even entering the Assembly building. He was then suspended along with BJP MLA Madan Dilawar for the duration of the monsoon session. Gudha asserted that this was done to stop him from presenting this “red diary”.

West Bengal: Couple sells 8-month baby to buy iPhone for making Instagram reels, baby rescued, mother and woman who bought the baby arrested

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Couple sells 8-month baby to buy iPhone for making Instagram reels, baby rescued, mother and woman who bought the baby arrested

In the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, a couple allegedly sold their 8-month-old baby to buy an expensive iPhone to create Instagram reels. Reports also allege that the father attempted to sell their seven-year-old daughter. The police rescued the baby and apprehended the mother and the woman who bought the infant.

Notably, while some media reports suggest that the baby’s father, Jaydev is still absconding, others have quoted local councillor Tarak Guha as saying that the police have apprehended the father of the infant.

“After selling the boy, Jaydev also tried to sell the girl on Saturday midnight. We inform the police as soon as we understood it. Police have arrested Jaydev,” Guha has been quoted as saying.

It may be noted that earlier it was reported that the couple had sold the baby to buy alcohol. Media reports had quoted locals as saying that the couple was frequently intoxicated, leading to severe quarrels within the family and with neighbours.

The incident came to the fore on Saturday, July 22, after some neighbours in the Panihati Gandhinagar area observed that the accused couple, who were struggling to make ends meet, suddenly acquired an iPhone. This coincided with the sudden disappearance of their baby raising doubts in the minds of the neighbours.

When questioned by neighbours, the couple initially falsely claimed that the child was with a relative. Suspicious of foul play, the neighbours alerted the local councillor, who promptly informed the police.

Later, when the police confronted the couple, the mother confessed that they sold the baby and used the money to travel to various parts of West Bengal to create Instagram reels.

Following this, the police rescued the baby from a woman in the Khardaha area in the North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

The police revealed that accused Jaydev and his wife Sathi have two children- a daughter aged 7 and a son who is 8 months old. The couple sold the infant to a woman identified as Priyanka Ghosh, a resident of Rahra.

In a video shared by Daily O, the police can be seen taking away a lady who is holding a baby in her arms in a police van. Though the face of the woman is covered she appears to be Priyanka Ghosh who had bought the baby from the couple.

The police are investigating the possibility of a child trafficking racket being involved in the matter.

Meanwhile, the neighbours alleged that the couple had also tried to sell off their 7-year-old daughter. They further accused the couple of being addicted to drugs.

Local councillor Tarak Guha said, “After selling the boy, Jaydev also tried to sell the girl on Saturday midnight. We inform the police as soon as we understood it. Police have arrested Jaydev.”

Maharashtra: Moneylender Imtiaz Sheikh arrested for raping a woman in front of her husband, using the clip to blackmail them

OpIndia Staff
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A shocking incident where a 34-year-old woman was raped at knifepoint in the presence of her husband has surfaced in Pune, Maharashtra. A 47-year-old moneylender identified as Imtiaz Haseen Sheikh raped her after the latter failed to repay an interest-free loan of Rs 40 thousand taken from him.

The incident took place in February this year in Hadapsar and the culprit has already been arrested. He threatened the victim’s spouse at knife-point and then raped her in his presence. Sheikh also recorded the heinous act on a mobile phone and posted the clip on social media platforms.

The couple had taken a personal loan from the perpetrator, however, when they failed to repay him, he resorted to abusive threats. He lured them to a remote area of the Hadapsar government colony and demanded the outstanding amount, which they were unable to pay.

He then grabbed a knife and terrorised the husband before sexually assaulting the woman and filmed the sexual assault on his phone. Afterward, Sheikh even posted the revolting footage of her torment on multiple social media networks when she refused to perform sexual favors for him again.

According to Police Inspector Ravindra Shelake, the victim eventually had the confidence to go to the Hadapsar Police Station and make a formal complaint on 25 July. “We tracked down the accused and arrested him on 25 July. He was produced before the court which has given him a two-day remand till 27 July and further investigations are on.”

Police informed that a case has been registered against the culprit under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. They are now also attempting to determine if he had ensnared any further victims and abused them in a similar manner.

Has Priyank Kharge dethroned Supriya Shrinate as chief troll of Congress: How Kharge has gone unhinged after being called out for allying with ‘chief’ Zubair

OpIndia Staff
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Has Priyank Kharge dethroned Supriya Shrinate as chief troll of Congress: How Kharge has gone unhinged after being called out for allying with ‘chief’ Zubair

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s son and Karnataka cabinet minister Priyank Kharge has been having an elaborate meltdown on Twitter since his newly formed government is being called out for hiring notorious fact-checking portal ‘Alt News’ to run its ‘fact check unit.’

Since yesterday (July 26, Wednesday) the Congress dynast, who probably had been thinking in his mind that he deserves a pat on his back for roping in his ‘chief’ Zubair, known for dog-whistling and selectively fact-checking news items that suit his agenda, has not been able to control his anger and has gone entirely unhinged after social media users have attempted to hold up a mirror to him.

Interestingly, Priyank Kharge, the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge heads the same IT and biotechnology Departments, which are now entrusted to set up the ‘fact-checking unit’.

The entire fiasco began after reports emerged on July 25 that the Congress-led government in Karnataka is setting up a ‘fact check unit’ to combat ‘misinformation’ with the help of notorious fake news peddlers such as Alt News. “The government will open a separate fact-check unit. It will also take the help of fact-checking agencies like Alt News, Boom Live, E Din, Logical(ly), etc,”  a report published by the Kannada newspaper Vijayvani on Monday (July 24) read.

While the Karnataka Congress MLA Priyank Kharge could not stop hyperbolising his party’s decision to seek help from dubious fact-checking portal ‘Alt News’ to fight misinformation, the state unit of BJP called him out for giving a platform to the so-called fact-checking website which furthers fake news, obfuscates the truth, concocts details to shield Islamists and sometimes, even creates fake news simply to fact check it later.

BJP Karnataka tweeted, “Troll Minister @PriyankKharge must be held accountable for Jihadi elements unleashing online lynch mobs against Hindu women for standing up for the rights of Hindu students in Udupi. It is the direct result of not only emboldening these extremist elements referring to them as ‘Chief’, but also backing them in all forms in the name of ‘fact-checking’. @INCKarnataka is funding outsiders & pliable media to threaten & intimidate Hindus for raising their voices against the anti-Hindu mindset of the Siddaramaiah govt.”

Notably, earlier in June this year, Congress MLA Priyank Kharge publicly displayed his camaraderie with Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair by referring to the latter as ‘chief.’

Infuriated by the tweet posted by BJP Karnataka which reminded the Congress leader how his party was fostering a propaganda website which has spread lies, mislead its audience, whitewashed crimes and doxxed individuals, Priyank Kharge responded by threatening the state unit of BJP with a legal notice.

He continued on to blatantly accuse the BJP of utilising its employees to harass representatives of the opposing parties.

BJP leader and Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya hit back at Kharge for threatening BJP’s state unit for merely stating facts. He tweeted, “Good to see you fact-check yourself as Troll Minister. But it’s disappointing to see you intimidate and threaten people for speaking on facts. State power is vested in you to discharge your duties as RDPR Minister. Why dont you try sticking to it? Your want to be the Law Minister, Home Minister, all at once is silly and laughable. We all saw how the last attempt to muzzle freedom of speech went in the courts. So be advised to cool it down a little.”

Tejasvi Surya’s tweet asking the Congress leader to slow down with the trolling and his senseless accusations, further infuriated Priyank Kharge, making him lose his mind and go completely unhinged against the BJP leader, terming him a ‘bigot’ and a ‘liar.’

BJP leader Tejasvi Surya was, however, not the only one who had to bear with Priyank Kharge’s behaviour. In fact, BJP leader Amit Malviya also felt the wrath of the Congress president’s son. Responding to a tweet where Malviya also called out the Congress government in Karnataka for providing a platform to a dubious website like Alt News, Kharge went on to abuse and insult the politician by using derogatory and unparliamentary words like ‘chomu’ for him.

Alt News and its notorious history of spreading fake news

The ‘fact checking’ portal Alt News, run by Pratik Sinha and Mohammed Zubair, has disseminated and amplified fake news on several instances. This is without accounting for the numerous lies peddled by the founders of the Alt News themselves.

For instance, on Sunday (July 23), Zubair shared a cropped video of Kanwariyas pelting stones in Bareilly to hide the fact that it was carried out in retaliation for an unproved attack by Islamists. By shrewdly avoiding the context of the video, he thus insinuated that it was somehow a ‘free-for-all’ case of stone pelting.

In June this year, he falsely suggested that YouTuber Akshat Shrivastava took money from the Union government to criticise the Congress party. Shrivastava later took to Twitter to lambast Zubair for his ‘half-baked research’ and ‘baseless allegations.’

His frequent lies have been fodder for Islamists both in India and abroad. On 14 June 2021, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair took to Twitter to claim that an elderly Muslim man, Abdul Samad Saifi, in Ghaziabad, was assaulted and forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

Despite the fact that all of Alt News’ shenanigans are on display, Kharge’s defensive response to the purported fact-check website is alarming and provides us with sufficient cause to wonder if there is more going on than meets the eye.

Moreover, going by his recent abusive tweets, it seems that Kharge is in direct competition with Congress spokeswoman Supriya Shrinate, who was until now, ranked at the top of the list of the several abusive spokespersons Congress has been bestowed with.

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