On Thursday, 20th July 2023, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) made significant progress in the investigation of the alleged scam at a Covid centre set up during the pandemic in Maharashtra, leading to the arrest of two key individuals connected to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
The ED arrested Sujit Patkar, a close aide of Sanjay Raut, along with Dr Kishor Bisure, the academic dean who was in charge of the Dahisar Covid field hospital. The arrests were made in connection to a money laundering case linked to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) field hospital scam.
During the pandemic, the BMC constructed several field hospitals in Mumbai to treat Covid-19 patients. It is alleged that contracts for managing these field hospitals were awarded under political influence by BMC officials at inflated costs to ineligible entities. Among them was the Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS), formed by Sujit Patkar in 2020.
LHMS had secured the contract for managing the Dahisar Covid field hospital and received a payment of Rs 30 crore from the BMC. Shockingly, investigations revealed that only Rs 8 crore out of the allotted amount was utilised for the actual work. The remaining Rs 22 crore was allegedly diverted into shell companies and other accounts for personal use by LHMS.
The money trail was reportedly established by the ED, and it was found that LHMS had no prior experience in managing field hospitals. Despite this, the contract was awarded to them within a month of the company’s formation, raising suspicions of corruption and favouritism.
The ED’s money laundering case stemmed from an FIR filed at Azad Maidan police station. Subsequently, the agency decided to investigate the total expenditure of Rs 4,000 crore on Covid-related work during the pandemic. The statements of several contractors and builders were recorded by the agency, wherein they admitted to securing contracts through their influence.
The involvement of BMC officials is also under scrutiny as they allegedly played a role in the allocation of contracts to ineligible entities at inflated costs.
Sanjay Raut, in response to the allegations, maintained that Sujit Patkar was only his friend, while Dr Sujit Patkar clarified that he was one of the partners at Lifesciences Hospital and Management firm, which is owned by Hemant Gupta and registered under his clinic’s name in Worli.
The cycle of life, death, and the ‘afterlife’ has long piqued the interest of many people across socio-cultural origins. The yearning for a greater purpose in life and the allurement of ‘meeting God’ has frequently lured people to enigmatic cults that use myriad tactics to gather followers. Some of these cults, when the leader is a maniac, often end up in tragedy.
The recently uncovered Kenyan starvation cult and the hundreds of deaths caused by it demonstrate how people with deep-seated fear are drawn to charismatic cult leaders who persuade them to believe in apocalyptic prophecies inspired predominantly by the Biblical Book of Revelation. In many of such cults, faith becomes one with fear, creating a dangerous delusion.
The term “cult” most commonly refers to a group of individuals who live in a state of solitude from the rest of the world and have unusual beliefs. They tend to center on a charismatic figure—the cult leader—who orders the beliefs, behaviors, and customs of all members. The cult followers are influenced to such an extent that they feel incapable of living a free life outside the belief system of their cult.
History has witnessed many such doomsday cults emerge, thrive, and end. Let’s take a look at some notorious cults that have caused widespread deaths and pain.
Kenyan doomsday cult
These doomsday cults thrive on the belief that people are living in the end times, that is the world will end soon and only those who follow their prescribed rituals and traditions will be able to meet God. As seen in the case of Kenya’s Christian doomsday cult, its leader and pastor Paul Mackenzie who ran the Good News International Church urged his cult followers to starve themselves to death if they wished to reach heaven ‘faster’ and meet Jesus Christ there. So far 403 dead bodies have been recovered and over 600 are missing.
Dead bodies of Kenyan starvation cult followers (Image via NewsCentral)
The pastor told his adherents that the world will end on April 15 and Satan would rule for thousand years. As told by the relatives of those who died following Mackenzie’s command, the pastor had cut off his followers from their families and society through extreme teachings.
Pastor Paul Mackenzie who led the Kenyan starvation cult (Image via Reuters)
He even called schools and hospitals ‘institutions controlled by Satan’. Apparently, the idea behind cutting off people from the world was to establish absolute control over their thought processes and make them do things the cult leader believes should be done to meet God.
‘Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God’
The Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God (MRTCG) was a Ugandan religious cult that rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s. This Christian cult was dedicated to restoring God’s Ten Commandments to their rightful position in the world. In a horrific turn of events, the leaders were eventually found to have engineered a mass murder-suicide of its followers in 2000, killing over 900 people.
Credonia Mwerinde, a former sex worker, and Joseph Kibweteere, a former politician, set up the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in the early 1990s. They proclaimed to have received revelations from the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ, and their doctrines were an amalgamation of Christian and indigenous African traditions.
MRTCG cult founders Credonia Mwerinde and Joseph Kwibeteere (Image via Sword and Scale)
The doctrines of the group emphasised the importance of faithfully following the Ten Commandments and preparing for the end of the world. Members were instructed to adhere to a stringent set of rules and rituals.
The followers of this cult were preparing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. According to the book of this cult titled “A Timely Message From Heaven: The End of the Present Time”, they believed in twelve apostles called Entumwa (messenger). They also believed that the world would end and a new earth “will begin with year one, after the year 2000.”
Bodily remains of the MRTCG death cult followers (Image via Facebook)
On the fateful day of March 17, 2000, the leaders of the group summoned all members to a church in Kanungu, a small town in southern Uganda. After locking the doors and windows they set fire to the Church. It remains one of the most horrific mass suicide incidents in history. Ironically, those who led this mass suicide drive were never found.
Heaven’s Gate
Heaven’s Gate, led by Marshall Applewhite alias Do and Bonnie Nettles alias Ti believed in a UFO-related end-of-the-world catastrophe. 39 members committed mass suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California, in 1997, believing their souls would ascend to a spaceship trailing the Hale-Bopp comet.
Heaven’s Gate cult leaders Bonnie Nettles alias Ti and Marshall Applewhite (Image via ABC/VCI)
They believed that this spaceship would grab their souls and send them to a higher realm of existence, therefore they mixed phenobarbital with apple sauce and vodka. They also used bags tied over their heads to cause asphyxiation or simply suffocation.
Mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California where 39 dead bodies of Heaven Gate cult followers were found in 1997 (Image via AP)
They directed their followers that the human body was merely a “vehicle” for their spirit to travel in and that the “savior” had returned in the human form of Applewhite. Their members were told to obey strict regulations, including severing links with family, friends, and society. They were also instructed to assume an asexual appearance. Many had even been castrated.
People’s Temple
Jim Jones’s Peoples Temple was a cult notorious for its mass suicide/murder incident at Jonestown, Guyana. More than 900 followers, including over 300 children, perished on November 18, 1978, after drinking cyanide-laced grape-flavored Kool Aid. The Jonestown Massacre remains one of the largest single losses of civilian life in an American non-natural disaster.
Rev Jim Jones and his wife, Marceline (Image via Bettmann Archive/Guardian)
The cult’s apocalyptic doctrines were based on the premise that the world was on the verge of destruction and that the only way to avoid the looming catastrophe was to commit “revolutionary suicide.”
Corpses of people who died in the mass suicide event at Jonestown in 1978 (Image via Bettmann Archive)
On November 18, 1978, more than 900 members of the Peoples Temple died in Jonestown, Guyana, after eating cyanide-laced Flavour Aid on the orders of Jim Jones, also called the ‘Mad Messiah’. This mass suicide/murder event is known as the Jonestown Massacre.
The Mansion Family
Charles Mansion, founder of The Mansion Family cult in the 1960s in California believed he was a reincarnation of Jesus Christ and propagated that a ‘race war’ is coming in the apocalypse. His followers were mostly comprised of young women. Charles Mansion influenced young women using his captivating manipulative techniques.
Charles Mansion, founder of The Mansion Family cult (Image via CBS)
He sent a group of his followers to a residence in Benedict Canyon in August 1969 and urged them to kill everyone inside. Actress Sharon Tate, who was married to Roman Polanski at the time, and renowned hairdresser Jay Sebring were among those killed. The following night, Manson’s followers murdered Rosemary and Leno LaBianca at their Los Feliz home. His other prominent victims included Beach Boys band’s drummer Denis Wilson who was also Mansion’s friend. The murder of actress Sharon Tate inspired the iconic film ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,’ starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Brad Pitt, with actress Margot Robbie playing Sharon Tate.
Actress Sharon Tate’s dead body was taken from her house in California in 1969. (Image via AP)
Manson encouraged his followers to murder individuals because he believed it would spark a race war. He gave heavy doses of LSD to his followers. In total, nine persons were killed in a series of separate incidents. Manson was found guilty on all nine counts of first-degree murder. He was incarcerated until his death in 2017.
Church of the Lamb of God
Ervil LeBaron founded the Church of the Lamb of God also called Mormon Manson in Chihuahua, Mexico. A polygamist leader of the Mormon sect of the church, LeBaron persuaded his followers that he had received direct orders from God, including the use of an abandoned Mormon teaching known as “blood atonement,” which enables the slaughter of sinners to purify them of wickedness.
Mormon fundamentalist Ervil LeBaron (Image via AP)
LeBaron had 51 children with 13 different spouses and amassed hundreds of followers over two decades, who allegedly murdered more than 20 people on LeBaron’s commands. Mexican authorities arrested LeBaron in 1979, and he died in prison in 1981. His horror, however, persisted as he left a “hit list” featuring people he considered to be “traitors.” LeBaron’s wives, children, and followers continued to kill people in his name.
The Family International
Children of God/The Family International’s sexual abuse and pedophilia have a long history in the international cult. David Berg utilised the cult to promote “free love,” founding ‘Flirty Fishing’ in the 1970s, in which the cult’s women were instructed to sleep with men in order to entice them into its folds. This cult even attracted actors like Joaquin Phoenix and Rose McGowan.
David Berg was accused of molesting his own daughter after the cult encouraged sexual interaction with children. Despite the cult’s denial of sexual assault charges, numerous survivors of this heinous group have stated otherwise.
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo, founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara, originally made news in the late 1980s over allegations that Asahara was forcing members to give money to the organization and holding people against their will.
Shoko Asahara, the founder of Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult (Image via Getty/AFP)
Asahara, like many cult leaders, believed in an impending doomsday, this time triggered by a world war initiated by the United States. Only his adherents, he claimed, will survive.
The dead body of one of the Sarin gas attack victims (Image via Junji Kurokawa/Getty)
In 1995, the organization carried out a sarin gas attack on Tokyo Subway System, killing 12 people and injuring countless others. The attack purportedly was aimed at bringing about the ‘apocalypse’. Cult leader Asahara deemed the horrific attack as a “holy attempt to elevate the doomed souls of this world to a higher spiritual stage”.
Order of the Solar Temple
The Order of the Solar Temple, founded in Switzerland in 1984 by Joseph di Mambro and Luc Jouret, attributed its roots to the medieval Knights Templar but also predicted the end of the world in the 1990s. As the cult became more focused on the end of the world, it gained more adherents.
Luc Jouret and Joseph di Mambro, the founders of the Order of the Solar Temple (Image via Infobae)
Di Mambro ordered the murder of a Swiss man, his wife, and children in Quebec in 1994. Later that year, more than 50 members of the group were murdered or committed suicide, and the group’s buildings were burned down. Members committed suicide in 1995 and 1997. Surprisingly, the Order of the Solar Temple is still operating today, with several hundred members.
How doomsday cults attract followers?
There have been lethal doomsday cults in the past, such as NXVIM, and many remain operational in some form or another even now. The question here is, what draws people to these weird, sometimes ridiculous, and often dangerous cults? As with the cults discussed above, certain aspects are shared among them, such as a projected ‘apocalypse,’ seclusion of cult believers from family and society, and excessive control over both mental and physical activity through rigorous rituals.
While most people are preoccupied with worldly material gains and conventional achievements, many are eager to find absolute answers to avenues such as right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, the existence of God, and so on. Many of the victims of dangerous cults are often vulnerable individuals who seek companionship and a purpose in their life, and most importantly, a sense of belonging.
Such people find their ‘solutions’ in the discourses of extremely manipulative cult leaders who position themselves as a charismatic figure who has somehow figured out answers to all the complex questions about life, death, hell, heaven, and, of course, the existence of God and how to meet him.
Cult leaders find a popular audience in vulnerable people, especially those with poor self-esteem and confidence. It is because people with low self-esteem are easily emotionally broken down and remolded into cult-compliant personalities. Such people, who frequently feel excluded or unaccepted by mainstream society, find the milieu of these cults encouraging and get a false sense of healing.
Their desperate search for a better life leads them to dangerous apocalyptic cults. The cult members are embraced with open arms and showered with love and acceptance. However, when individuals become accustomed to the cult and its practices, they are mentally and physically abused in various ways.
Many cults have prospered by spreading the ‘us versus them’ mentality. Many leaders of doomsday cults persuade their adherents that they are unique and superior to outsiders. They further convince them that a war has to be fought against people who oppose what they believe. This further isolates members of the cult from their families and friends. They employ paranoia to create a false sense of comfort and security in their followers. Cult leaders use fear tactics to persuade naive people that they are under attack from the outside world and that only the cult and its charismatic leader can protect them. Ironically, their yearning for comfort, stability, approval, community, and a twisted quest of ‘meeting God’ or ‘attaining salvation’ leads them to mental and physical torture and ultimately to their tragic end.
Tensions have escalated in Iraq’s Baghdad where several protesters stormed the Swedish embassy early on 20th July and set it ablaze in a violent response to another planned burning of Quran. This comes following a report from a Swedish news agency saying that the Swedish police had approved a Quran and Iraqi flag-burning protest outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm.
The approval comes merely two weeks after a man staged a demonstration by burning the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm sparking anger amongst Islamists in Pakistan and in Iraq too. Several videos of the Islamists breaching the embassy on Thursday have gone viral on social media.
One video shows enraged protesters, mostly comprising of men dressed in black, on the embassy compound chanting, taking to the embassy’s balcony, and waving flags. A man, seemingly recording the video, can be heard giving an angry speech in the local language.
Another video shows similar scenes with protesters still attempting to go further inside the embassy, waving flags from the balcony, flames erupting from a window and smoke billowing from other parts.
Rioters are currently Storming and have set Fire to the Swedish Embassy in the Iraqi Capital of Baghdad. pic.twitter.com/SUDGCP2W4V
A third video from inside the building now shows the complete violation of the embassy grounds. In the video, amid the background chorus of protesters sloganeering, a man can be heard shouting what sounds like “Ya Hadi” an expression seeking Allah’s guidance.
Armed protesters can be seen crowding the stairs, and the lobby area.
Hundreds of people stormed Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad, Iraq and burned it down yesterday after another Quran was burnt in Sweden.
Sweden’s NATO membership still hasn’t been ratified by Turkey.
Iraqi riot police used water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters who breached the walls of the Swedish consulate in central Baghdad. Security forces equipped with electric batons attempted to chase away the protesters from the embassy, AFP reported.
#UPDATE Iraqi riot police have used water cannon to disperse protesters from Sweden's embassy in Baghdad, an @AFP photographer says, after the building was set on fire in protest of a planned Koran burning in Stockholm.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry has reportedly said that its embassy staff in Baghdad are safe. “We condemn all attacks on diplomats and staff from international organizations,” the ministry said. “Attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq issued a statement condemning the burning of the Swedish embassy calling it an “assault on diplomatic missions and threatening their security”.
تُؤَكِّدُ الوزارة إنَّ الحكومةَ العراقيَّة أوعزت إلى الجهات الأمنيَّة المُختصَّة، بالتحقيق العاجل وإتخاذ الإجراءات الأمنيَّة اللازمة بهدف كشف ملابسات الحادثة والتعرُّف على هُويةِ مرتكبي هذا الفعل ومحاسبتهم وفق القانون.
وزارة الخارجيَّة بغداد 2023/7/20
— وزارة الخارجية العراقية (@Iraqimofa) July 20, 2023
The statement posted on Twitter read, “The Ministry confirms that the Iraqi government has instructed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law.”
The protests were reportedly called by supporters of the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr who is known to have given calls to his supporters in the past to take to the streets in protest.
On 29th June, a similar protest in Iraq saw an Islamist mob breaching the Swedish embassy against the burning of the Quran by an ex-Muslim Iraqi refugee Salwa Momika residing in Sweden. Hundreds of Moqtada Sadr’s followers broke into the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Moqtada Sadr is a firebrand Iraqi Shiite cleric. After about 15 minutes of heated protests, the gathering of Muslims started to disperse as tight security was put in place. The Quran was burnt in Sweden on June 28.
The protesting Muslims’ pamphlets had the phrase, “Our constitution is the Quran.” “Yes, yes to the Quran,” was another statement spray-painted on the embassy compound’s gate.
Kirandeep Kaur, the wife of radical sikh leader and chief of Waris Punjab De Amritpal Singh, was reportedly stopped from boarding a flight to the United Kingdom on 19 July for the third time since April.
Kirandeep Kaur stated, “I have been denied entry to England for the third time because the law required me to enter 180 days earlier. People believed I was escaping to England in April, but returning home is not the same as fleeing. I’m subject to different laws because I’m a citizen of the UK.”
She further added, “I made a flight reservation for 14 July, a month in advance. I was assured that there would be no trouble or issue with my leaving up until the morning. Then, just before the scheduled departure time, I was told not to proceed. They asked me to hold off for a few days until 18 August. Afterwards, I subsequently made travel plans for July 19th.”
Kirandeep Kaur accused that she was being prevented from attending the funeral of Khalistani terrorist Avtar Singh Khanda who died on 15 June. Furthermore, she was unaware of the time and location of his last rites. “No officer spoke to me directly or clearly. They don’t want me to attend his funeral. Even the location and time of the funeral are unknown to me. The government anticipated that I’ll visit and deliver a speech there. They are worried that I would start an agitation. I can’t leave the country because of the government and its agencies.”
Avtar Singh Khanda, an asylum seeker in the UK, was arrested for pulling down the Indian flag at the high commission in London on 19 March. He had also groomed Amritpal Singh who wrote a letter and demanded that the status of ‘martyr’ be accorded to the former. His father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, was also a terrorist and associated with the Khalistan Liberation Force and Khalitan Commando Force. Avtar Singh Khanda died in a London hospital on 15th June.
Kirandeep Kaur alleged, “I am only trying to travel in accordance with the law and human rights to see my family. My trip was only scheduled for a week or two. My husband is my top priority, therefore, I have no intention of staying there for very long.”
She mentioned, “Officials informed that there is a LOC (Look Out Circular) related issue here, but no documentation for the same has been given to me. If yes, why are they refusing to show me and on what grounds,” she asked and added, “If not, they are powerless to prevent me from leaving the country.”
Kirandeep Kaur was scheduled to leave for Birmingham at 1:25 pm aboard an Air India flight from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The authorities stopped her and told her that a lookout notice had been issued for her. She is a British citizen but has not approached the British Consulate in Chandigarh so far.
She married Amritpal Singh on February 10 at Jallupur Khera village in Punjab. She was initially prevented from boarding her flight to the United Kingdom on 20 April from Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.
Kirandeep Kaur is a part of the terrorist organisation, Babbar Khalsa. She also generated money for the terror group and provided funding for the Khalistan Movement. Moreover, she and five other people were arrested in 2020 for soliciting donations for the same outfit. A police team comprising senior officials had questioned her, along with Amritpal Singh’s father Tarsem Singh and mother Balwinder Kaur for nearly an hour at the Jallupur Khera village when her husband was absconding.
Amritpal Singh Sandhu was arrested on 23 April 2023 for attempted murder, among other charges. According to Indian intelligence sources, he has amassed weapons while building up a private militia known as the Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF), with the help of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The state administration, along with the federal government, began a stern crackdown on him and his allies in March 2023.
On Thursday, July 20, a case of religious discrimination against a Hindu student came to the fore from Bokaro in Jharkhand. A school teacher reportedly beat up a class 9 student for sporting a sacred thread (Kalawa) on his wrist to school. The incident occurred in a government-aided Missionary school called Carmel High School, Hindi Medium, situated in Bokaro Thermal in Jharkhand on July 18, Tuesday.
बोकारो: शिक्षक पर लगा कलावा पहन कर आए छात्र को पीटने का आरोप, कार्मेल स्कूल में नौवीं क्लास के छात्र के साथ ये घटना हुई है। pic.twitter.com/FZFDwAWhJc
After getting the information, several members of Hindu organisations like the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad reached the school premises on Wednesday, July 19 and protested against the incident. They met with the school principal Sister Joyce Kullu A.C. and asked her to initiate an inquiry into the case and demanded immediate action against the accused teacher.
Those who met the Principal included Vishwa Hindu Parishad Dhanbad department’s organization minister Vinay Kumar, Bajrang Dal’s block convenor Saurabh Singh, Deepak Verma, Vinod Singh, Vikas Kumar, Somnath Nayak, Suman Kumar Thakur etc.
Carmel High School, Bokaro Thermal, Jharkhand
In what transpired, on July 18, Tuesday, a student named Karan Thakur reached school wearing a Kalawa on his wrist. The monitor of his classroom complained about this to a school teacher named Amit Lakda. The teacher, in turn, scolded Karan and asked him to remove the sacred thread. He told the student that wearing the sacred thread is forbidden in school and ordered him to remove it immediately.
The student, however, refused to remove the Kalawa, saying that it was a matter of his faith. Infuriated, the teacher started beating and humiliating him in front of the class. He put the student under such mental pressure that he began to cry and reluctantly cut the Kalawa tied to his wrist with a blade. The teacher reprimanded the student and asked him to get his father to school the next day.
The student went back home from school that afternoon and narrated the incident to his parents. The parents approached the Hindu organisations and gathered together at the school gate, staging a protest.
The accused teacher Amit Lakda, meanwhile, refuted tha allegations saying that all religions are respected in the school and that there was no discrimination against anyone.
According to a report by Jagran, the student’s family has also submitted a written complaint to the District Education Officer about the incident. When OpIndia contacted the DEO of Bokaro, Jagarnath Lagra, he said he received the information about the incident on Whatsapp on July 19 (Wednesday). He said that his department would look into the matter and speak to the school authorities to understand what happened.
Media reports have quoted the principal of the school Sister Joyce Kullu A.C. as saying that she did not have any information about the student being assaulted by the accused teacher. She further said that the School Management Committee will investigate the entire matter and only after that action would be taken accordingly.
School headmistress Sister Joyce Kullu A.C.
Meanwhile, OpIndia also called the school numbers to verify this information about the incident, but the receptionist refused to divulge any details. She, in fact, abruptly hung up the call saying that she would talk after 5 minutes. After that, we tried calling on the same number several times, but each time the call went unanswered.
Netflix has said that it will start a crackdown on password sharing in India starting 20th July, along with some other countries such as Kenya, Indonesia and Croatia. Users will now be able to share passwords only with members of their household and not outside. Netflix announced the crackdown on password sharing in May owing to the massive revenue losses recorded last year.
The streaming giant said it has initiated the distribution of emails to customers in India sharing Netflix passwords outside their households. This basically means that those sharing a Netflix account with a permitted number of 5 family members will not be affected but those sharing the account outside of their household won’t be able to do so anymore.
The question is, how does Netflix know or determine the user’s household? It reportedly defines a household as a group of devices that connect to the internet and watch Netflix at the same primary place. Unless you manually adjust your household settings through your account, the company now will reportedly automatically determine your household using your IP address, device IDs, and account activity.
“Beginning today, we’ll start to address account sharing between households in almost all of our remaining countries. In these markets, we’re not offering an extra member option given that we’ve recently cut prices in a good number of these countries (for example, Indonesia, Croatia, Kenya, and India) and penetration is still relatively low in many of them so we have plenty of runway without creating additional complexity,” the company said, in a letter to its shareholders.
“Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are – at home, on the go, on holiday – and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices”, Netflix said. Users in a ‘Netflix Household’, meaning ones who use the same internet connection, will be allowed to access the account in the base plan.
If members of that household are travelling and want to access Netflix on their devices, they will get a message saying that they are not in the household. In this case, the user can choose the option ‘I’m travelling’, which will require a authentication via registered phone number or email. After that, they will be able to use Netflix outside the household.
Technically, this method also can be used by people who are sharing passwords, but this will require frequent verification of the devices, which may not be convenient in the long run. The user who is using someone else’s account will need to contact the owner of the user regularly, which some people may not like.
In May last year, the streaming giant introduced paid sharing across countries adding nearly six million paid subscribers to the platform till June. Netflix now has more than 238 million subscribers globally. Paid sharing allows users to add extra viewers to their existing accounts for an additional amount. This has helped the company convert non-paying users thereby increasing its consumer base.
The company reportedly said its revenue in the said countries is now higher than before its launch. “Sign ups are already exceeding cancellations,” it stated.
Netflix’s chief financial officer (CFO) Spencer Neumann said, “Most of our revenue growth this year is from growth in volume from new paid memberships and that’s largely driven by our paid sharing rollout.”
While Netflix has introduced paid sharing in the majority of countries, it will not be offering the option in India owing to the recent price cuts it announced, it said in the letter to shareholders.
But the paid-sharing move has reportedly yielded less revenue for the quarter than expected by Wall Street analysts. Netflix declared about $8.19 billion in revenue for the quarter as compared to the $8.3 billion projection by Wall Street. It also posted a net income of $1.49 billion, up 3% from the same period in 2022.
“While we’ve made steady progress this year, we have more work to do to reaccelerate our growth,” the company reportedly said in a letter to investors. Netflix ended the quarter with a profit of $1.5 billion, as per an earnings release, and added 5.9 million paid members in the second quarter. Last year this time, it had lost nearly one million subscribers.
In India, it reportedly reduced the prices of services by 20 to 60 percent in December 2021 which helped the company grow engagement by nearly 30 percent year after year. Netflix said that revenue growth increased to 24 percent in 2022 as against 19 percent in 2021.
The streaming giant has also removed its basic ad-free plan in the US and UK which allowed users to watch shows and movies without commercial ads. This move too is aimed at drawing more subscribers. Users already subscribed to the plan won’t be affected until they change the plan or cancel their account.
The cheapest ad-free plan now costs $15.49 a month in US(£10.99) as against the previous $9.99-a-month basic plan. “Our starting prices of $6.99 in the US and £4.99 in the U.K. [for Standard With Ads] are lower than the competition and provide great value to consumers given the breadth and quality of our catalog,” a Netflix spokesperson reportedly stated.
In India, Netflix offers four plans, Mobile, Basic, Standard and Premium. The ₹149 a month Mobile plan can be used to consume SD quality content only on mobile devices like phones or tablets. The Basic plan at ₹199 a month enables watching HD quality content on mobile devices, TV or computer, and only one user can use it at a time. The Standard plan at ₹499 a month enables watching Full HD quality content on mobile devices, TV or computer, and two users can use it at a time. The Premium plan which costs ₹649 a month offers Ultra HD content on all devices and can be used on up to 6 devices.
In a significant development on July 19, 2023, former MLC RJD leader Azad Gandhi was handed a five-year and six-month prison sentence by the special MP/MLA court in Patna. The case against him, registered under Gandhi Maidan police station case number 361/2007, involved charges of obstructing government work, assault, and abusive behaviour.
Special Judge Sangam Singh, presiding over the case, delivered a verdict that imposed varying durations of imprisonment for each section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) violated. Azad Gandhi was sentenced to six months under Section 147 of the IPC, two years under Section 332/149, six months under Section 342/149, one year under 353/149, six months under 504/149, and one year under Section 506/149. These punishments are to be served one after the other consecutively, resulting in a total of five years and six months behind bars for the former MLC.
The incident in question occurred back in 2007 when Azad Gandhi, accompanied by approximately 40 to 50 supporters, caused chaos at an election office, assaulting office-bearers in an attempt to have their names included in the voters’ list. In support of the prosecution’s case, seven individuals testified against him.
The special court has compared the act of Azad Gandhi to that of a dreaded criminal. In its judgment, the court said, “The actions of the MLC – who is supposed to make laws in the House and is a responsible person of the society – had affected the case indicators, an ADM and three executive magistrates. Such an act is akin to the act of a dreaded criminal. It cannot be forgiven under any circumstances.
As Azad Gandhi prepares to serve his sentence, this case serves as a reminder that those entrusted with the responsibility of governing must be held to the highest standards of conduct, ensuring the integrity of the nation’s democratic processes and institutions.
Manipur Police has made its first arrest in the case registered in connection with the video of the incident in May this year in which two women being paraded naked in Manipur, chief minister N Biren Singh said on Thursday.
“Last night at around 1.30 am, we arrested the main culprit,” the Manipur chief minister told ANI. A video of the two-month-old incident had gone viral evoking sharp reactions from various political parties and triggering outrage.
Speaking to ANI, the Manipur chief minister said, “This is an inhumane act…so we have condemned this immediately…we instructed police to immediately act and arrest the culprits.”
“Every man every human being will condemn this act,” Singh said adding that they will seek for the perpetrators to get punishment “to the maximum possible extent.”
“Really shocked when I saw the video and after seeing it I inquired about the incident it happened on 4 May…but this video leaked after 40 days. I asked for mass combing ops…and last night itself we have arrested one man involved,” the Manipur chief minister said.
According to a senior police official the incident took place on May 4 in Manipur’s Thoubal district and a case of abduction, gangrape and murder has been registered in the matter.
Superintendent of Police (SP), K Meghachandra Singh in a statement on July 19 said “As regards the video of 2 (two) women paraded naked by unknown armed miscreants on 4th May 2023, a case of abduction, gangrape and murder was registered at Nongpok Sekmai Police Station (Thoubal district) against unknown armed miscreants.”
Earlier in a tweet Manipur chief minister N Biren Das said that strict action will be taken against all the curprits, including considering the possibility of capital punishment.
“After taking a Suo-motu cognisance of the incident immediately after the video surfaced, the Manipur Police swung to action and made the first arrest this morning. A thorough investigation is currently underway and we will ensure strict action is taken against all the perpetrators, including considering the possibility of capital punishment,” the Manipur chief minister tweeted.
“Let it be known, there is absolutely no place for such heinous acts in our society,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi this morning spoke said he is pained over the incident and said the incident is “shameful for any civil society.”
“No accused will spared, we will never forgive those who are behind this,” the Prime Minister said.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the Monsoon session of the Parliament today, PM Modi said, “This a shameful incident for any society..who did this and who is responsible is another issue but this has put our nation to shame. I appeal to all chief ministers to tighten law and order. Whether it is Rajasthan, Chattisgarh or Manipur…the issue of a woman’s honour is above all politics.
Manipur has been witnessing violence since May 3, following the protests by the Kuki and Naga communities against the High Court’s order asking the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei community in the category of Scheduled Tribes (ST). Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas.
The majority Meitei community, which occupy the Imphal valley and nearby areas, sought the ST status keeping in view their increasing population and increased requirement of land, so that they could purchase lands in the hilly areas.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
At least five people were killed and multiple are reported to be trapped under the debris after a landslide hit Irshalgad Wadi in Khalapur, a tribal hamlet in the Raigad district of Maharashtra late on the night of 19 July. The place is close to Irshalgad Fort which is a popular trekking destination.
The deceased include a 48-year-old rescuer from the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation fire brigade named Shivaji Dhumane. The area has been battered by nonstop rain over the last 24 hours. Seventy-five persons have already been saved during search operations.
#UPDATE | Maharashtra | Till now five bodies have been recovered from the debris in Irshalwadi village of Khalapur tehsil of Raigad district. Till now 75 people have been rescued: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis
A significant landslide occurred in the community at around 10:30 p.m. while most residents were asleep and it was storming heavily outside. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also rushed to the spot early on 20 July.
#WATCH | Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde arrives at the site of the landslide in Irshalwadi village of Khalapur tehsil of Raigad district.
According to the Raigad police, four people have died and three others have been injured. Rescue operation is underway. pic.twitter.com/nu087axCrz
Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweeted, “Talked to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. 4 teams of NDRF have reached the spot and the rescue operation is going on war level along with local administration. Our priority is to evacuate people from the scene and treat the injured immediately.”
महाराष्ट्रातील रायगड येथे अतिवृष्टीमुळे झालेल्या भूस्खलनाबाबत मुख्यमंत्री श्री @mieknathshinde यांच्याशी बोलणं केलं आहे. NDRF च्या 4 टीम घटनास्थळी पोहोचल्या आहेत आणि स्थानिक प्रशासनासह बचाव कार्यात युद्ध पातळीवर सुरू आहे. लोकांना घटनास्थळावरून बाहेर काढणे आणि जखमींवर तातडीने…
The chief minister provided Rs 5 lakh in relief for the surviving family members of the victims. He mentioned that the affected community was not listed as one of the state’s landside-prone neighbourhoods.
He stated, “I received a call from Home Minister Amit Shah assuring all possible help from the centre including deployment of helicopters for the rescue attempt. However, due to the weather conditions, it is difficult to use helicopters as of now. Because of the location of the disaster site, we are facing problems in deploying heavy machinery to facilitate the search and rescue operations and everything is being done manually.”
The chief minister’s office posted, “Heavy rains and difficult roads are hampering rescue operations, but helicopters will be called in soon after the weather improves. All the systems have been involved in the rescue operation. Rescue operations are underway by NDRF teams. Though there is no road, the relief work is going on and now the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken information about the incident.”
खालापूर (जि. रायगड) येथील इरशाळगडाच्या पायथ्याशी असलेल्या वस्तीवर दरड कोसळली आहे. या घटनेची माहिती मिळताच मुख्यमंत्री @mieknathshinde हे तातडीने घटनास्थळी दाखल झाले असून मदत व बचावकार्याचा आढावा घेत आहेत.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wrote, “The incident of landslide occurred at Irshalgad near Khalapur in Raigad district last night. Some people died in this incident, we share the grief of their families. I pay my heartfelt tribute to him.”
He further continued, “I have been in touch with the local administration since last night after learning about this incident. 2 teams of NDRF have reached the spot immediately and two more teams are reaching soon. Heavy rains and darkness initially hampered the relief effort, but it is now picking up speed. According to preliminary information, a total of 48 families are here. Around 75 people have been evacuated and 5 people have died so far.”
He announced, “Arrangements have been made for immediate treatment of the injured. The state government will provide all possible help to the heirs of the deceased and the entire cost of treatment of the injured will be borne by the state government. We are constantly monitoring the situation and rescue operations.”
रायगड जिल्ह्यातील खालापूरनजिक इर्शाळगड येथे दरड कोसळण्याची घटना काल मध्यरात्री घडली. या घटनेत काही लोकांचा मृत्यू झाला, त्यांच्या कुटुंबियांच्या दुःखात आम्ही सहभागी आहोत. मी त्यांना भावपूर्ण श्रद्धांजली अर्पण करतो.
ही घटना कळताच काल मध्यरात्रीपासूनच मी स्थानिक प्रशासनाच्या…
“Total of 17 houses with a collective population of around 50 are suspected to have been affected. The inaccessible Irshalgad Wadi is located under the Irshalgad Fort. Rescue and relief operations are underway,” informed Khalapur police inspector, Bala Kumbha.
The bodies are being identified, according to assistant police inspector Haresh Kalsekar of Raigad Control. “However, the deceased fireman from NMMC, Dhumane was first hit by the landslide and then died of suspected cardiac arrest,” he added.
The government intends to remove and rehabilitate the tribe members somewhere secure. In addition to the equipment, the disaster management personnel for the Raigad district have been dispatched. Rescue workers have also arrived at the scene of the tragic occurrence. Locals contributed to the rescue effort as well.
In accordance with the NDRF, the landslide’s aftermath left 15-20 buildings trapped under the rubble. SB Singh, Commandant of the fifth battalion of the National Disaster Response Force revealed, “Of the total 40 houses in the village, 17 have been affected. We have deployed four teams to conduct the rescue operations. The debris at some of the places is 10 to 29 feet deep.”
He mentioned, “It is difficult to bring heavy machinery to this place. It is a 2.8 km trek to reach the spot and we have to remove the debris manually which is likely to take a lot of time. While we are facing difficulties, we will continue our operations till we retrieve the last person.”
Rescue teams had to travel more than an hour from the closest accessible road to the village, which has made operations challenging due to the remote location of the village and regular downpours.
Following prolonged downpours, the district had been placed on orange alert for the previous two days and more rain had been anticipated. Due to forecasts of heavy to torrential rainfall, the State Disaster Management Authority declared a holiday for students in the Raigad area on 20 July.
In a significant revelation, the Union Bank of India has informed a Haryana police special investigation team (SIT) that crucial financial transaction records for the years 2008 and 2012 of the companies run by Robert Vadra were destroyed due to “water flooding the basement of the branch.”
The ongoing investigation by the SIT focuses on an FIR registered against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law, Robert Vadra, and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The case is related to an alleged corruption-riddled real estate deal that garnered attention during the 2014 parliamentary elections and was emblematic of corruption accusations against the Congress-led UPA government at the time.
According to a report by Times of India, the SIT approached the Union Bank of India on 26th May 2023, asking for information regarding fund inflow in the accounts of Skylight Hospitality and Skylight Realty, both companies where Vadra held directorial positions. The bank, in its response, revealed that the records for 2008 and 2012 had been irreparably damaged due to flooding in the basement of its branch.
Following this disclosure, the SIT took further action by issuing notices to UBI to ascertain if records of other firms have also been lost. On 20th June 2023, a notice was dispatched to the bank’s New Friends Colony branch in New Delhi to investigate the circumstances surrounding the destruction of relevant records belonging to Skylight Hospitality and Skylight Realty.
The bank has not yet responded to this. The investigation into the case commenced on 1st September 2018, after the BJP-led government in Haryana filed an FIR naming Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Robert Vadra, real estate giant DLF, Onkareshwar Properties, and Skylight Hospitality as the accused parties in connection with a land deal.
The SIT has been probing the allegations related to the deal. Notably, the investigative team has been bolstered by the inclusion of IAS officer Mukul Kumar, former chief town planner and RERA Panchkula member Dilbag Singh, and a legal advisor, showcasing the government of CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s commitment to pursuing the case seriously.
Gurugram land scam case
A resident of Gurugram named Surendra Sharma of the Rathiwas village had filed an FIR against Robert Vadra, Bhupinder Hooda, and others in September 2018, alleging that Vadra’s firm Skylight Hospitality had bought 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur village (Now Sector 83) in Gurugram from one Omkareswar Properties for 7.5 crores in 2008. The FIR had alleged that massive irregularities had happened in the deal and Hooda had favored Vadra costing the exchequer huge losses.
In 2018, the Central Bureau of Investigation filed a charge sheet against former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connection with a major land acquisition scam. The charge sheet was filed in the special CBI court located in Panchkula, Haryana. The same year, the Haryana government gave a go-ahead to the Haryana police to probe the 1500 crore Manesar land deal case. Vadra is also facing a probe in land grab cases in Rajasthan.
One of the central accusations in the case revolves around Skylight Hospitality, a company associated with Robert Vadra, purchasing 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur, Gurgaon, from Onkareshwar Properties in February 2008 for Rs 7.5 crore. Subsequently, after obtaining a commercial license, the same property was allegedly sold by Skylight Hospitality to DLF for Rs 58 crore. According to the allegations, the Hooda government facilitated this land deal by allocating 350 acres in Wazirabad, Gurgaon, to DLF.
However, the tehsildar of Manesar provided a contrasting account, stating that Skylight Hospitality did indeed sell the 3.5 acres to DLF Universal Limited on 18th September 2012, and the transaction was reported to have complied with all regulations and rules.
