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‘Our religion doesn’t allow us to say Vande Mataram’: I.N.D.I. Alliance partner SP MLA Abu Azmi in Maharashtra assembly

OpIndia Staff
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‘Our religion doesn’t allow us to say Vande Mataram’: I.N.D.I. Alliance partner SP MLA Abu Azmi in Maharashtra assembly

On Wednesday, 19 July, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra President and MLA Abu Azmi made a controversial remark which led to a massive protest in the Maharashtra Assembly. This forced the Speaker Rahul Narwekar to adjourn the house. 

Speaking in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, the SP leader was raising the issue of riots in the Sambhajinagar district. During the proceedings, he expressed displeasure and claimed that chanting the slogan “Vande Mataram” is unacceptable to him. 

He claimed that his religion doesn’t allow anyone to chant ‘Vande Mataram’ and said, “Islam teaches us to bow down before the one who created this whole world. According to my religion, if I cannot recite Vande Mataram, then it does not reduce my respect for my country and my patriotism, and no one should have any objection to this.”

He added that we can’t bow down our heads on Vande Mataram because we believe in one Allah and we don’t bow our heads even to our mother. 

SP MLA Azmi further remarked, “Some people say that if one has to live in India, ‘Vande Mataram’ must be chanted. We can not do it. We believe only in one god.”

His contagious remarks on Vande Mataram were met with steep opposition and BJP MLAs strongly objected to this and staged a protest. Meanwhile, Speaker Rahul Narwekar appealed to the legislators to calm down and claimed that Azmi’s remarks are irrelevant to the topic. 

He said, “Azmi’s comments are irrelevant to the topic. He should focus on the issue listed for the discussion.” However, when the protest continued, the Speaker adjourned the house for ten minutes.

Later, the President of SP’s Maharashtra unit Azmi tried to issue a clarification on the matter. While speaking to reporters outside the assembly, he said, “I respect Vande Mantram but I can’t read it because my religion says we can’t bow down to anyone except Allah”.

Responding to the controversy, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis claimed that no religion would suggest anyone not respect their mother. He also claimed that Vande Mataram is not a religious song and millions have faith in it.

He said, “My request to Abu Azmi is that in this country, millions of people have faith in Vande Mataram. The statement made by him is not appropriate. No religion would suggest not respecting one’s mother. This is not a religious song. Vande Mataram is our national song.”

Reacting sharply to Abu Azmi’s remarks on Vande Mataram, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack against the Samajwadi leader and the newly formed alliance ‘INDIA’. Abu Azmi

Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, “Samajwadi party is a part of I.N.D.I.A…& its MLA says in the Maharashtra assembly that I will not say Vande Mataram it is against my religion. They go and bow their heads in front of Aurangzeb but shy away from saying Vande Mataram, those who keep India in their name, why their work is always anti-India?” 

Karnataka HC issues interim stay on the investigation in case by Congress against Amit Malaviya, finds no allegation to attract IPC sections mentioned in FIR

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka HC issues interim stay on the investigation in case by Congress against Amit Malaviya, finds no allegation to attract IPC sections mentioned in FIR

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, July 19 granted an interim stay on investigation and further associated proceedings in the FIR registered against BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya. The said FIR was filed by the Congress government in Karnataka over Malviya’s tweet against former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticizing his regular calls for foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.

BJP MP and lawyer Tejasvi Surya confirmed the development and stated that an interim stay had been issued in the matter. He said that the court found that no specific allegations were made against Malviya for invoking the IPC sections slapped against him.

“The said tweet was against Rahul Gandhi and the complaint, as well as the FIR, did not mention any allegations that attracted the provisions of IPC 153A, 505(2) holding that the FIR, complaint and the allegations contained therein do not make out any case,” Tejasvi Surya said.

Surya also added that this order by the High Court was a slap on the face of the Congress government which according to him is trying to abuse the institutions of the government to meet its political agenda. “This order is an indication that the said FIR was filed with malice only to meet the political vendetta. The Congress is abusing the law and state institutions to meet its political agenda,” he added.

The FIR had been filed on June 28 under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120b (criminal conspiracy), 505(2) (promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 34 (criminal conduct in pursuit of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code in Bengaluru’s High Grounds Police Station based on the complaint filed by Congress’s Ramesh Babu.

Malviya was booked for allegedly posting a caricature video on Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and playing an insidious game,” the tweet posted by the BJP IT Cell Chief on June 17 read.

The video indicated that Rahul Gandhi was utilizing the International media to break India and downgrade its economic growth ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The video stated that Gandhi is trying to divide India by spreading the ‘minority hate narrative’ within the country and is using international media platforms to defame Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the global stage.

The 2:28 minute reel looked like a compilation of various anti-Modi, anti-India and anti-Hindu statements delivered by Rahul Gandhi on the global stage. He had refused to call India a ‘country’ and had said that India is a union of states. He also mocked the Hindu culture on the global platform during the inauguration of the New Parliament Building in India.

The Congress had booked the BJP leader for ‘promoting enmity between groups’ and ‘promoting hatred between classes’. However, the Court has issued a stay on investigation and further associated proceedings in the FIR registered against the BJP leader.

UP: Five Muslim thieves arrested who dressed up as Kanwariyas to steal mobile phones from Kanwar camp in Muzaffarnagar, 100 phones recovered

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Five Muslim thieves arrested who dressed up as Kanwariyas to steal mobile phones from Kanwar camp in Muzaffarnagar, 100 phones recovered

On 19th July 2023, the Muzaffarnagar police in Uttar Pradesh resolved the incidents of mobile phone theft in the ongoing Kanwar Yatra by exposing a gang of Muslim thieves who dressed up as Kanwariyas to enter Kanwar camps to steal the mobile phones of Hindu devotees. The operation was carried out by the Civil Lines police station of Muzaffarnagar. Five accused Muslim thieves were arrested and 100 mobile phones were recovered from their possession. The arrested accused are identified as Mohammad Bhura, Mohammad Ali, Irshad, Shahzad, and Abid.

Providing more information about this operation, SP City of Muzaffarnagar told, “An operation was carried out by the Civil Lines police station under the leadership of ASP City. Kanwariyas came to the district from various places and stayed in the Kanwar camps there. A gang of vicious thieves started stealing the mobile phones of the Kanwariyas. Members of this gang stole more than 100 mobile phones. When the Kanwariyas complained to the police that the mobile phones are being stolen, we took this matter very seriously. Teams were made to arrest these thieves and we have received some information about this.”

He added, “The Civil Lines police station has arrested five accused in this case. All of them are residents of Muzaffarnagar only. These accused would dress up like a Kanwariya and enter the Kanwar camp at the time when the devotee Kanwariyas would be sleeping, and then they used to steal the mobile phones of the devotees. We have recovered 100 mobile phones from their possession today.”

The officer added, “When interrogated, these accused informed their modus operandi in detail and we have also checked the history of their past criminal records. Some of them are already booked in various cases in the past. The five accused are identified as Mohammad Bhura, Mohammad Ali, Irshad, Shahzad, and Abid. Four of the five accused are siblings and all five are residents of Muzaffarnagar district only. Cases are filed against them based on the complaints given by multiple complainants. 7 cases registered in the Civil Line police station are successfully unveiled in this operation. We have recovered more than 100 mobile phones. We will produce these mobile phones in front of the honourable court. Some people have not filed any complaint with us, and their stolen mobile phones are recovered. So we followed the procedure and returned their phones after completing the necessary formalities.”

He further said, “These accused mostly operate during the Kanwar Yatra because in that period, the police force is already busy and it is difficult to identify them when they dress up like a Kanwariya. Taking advantage of this, they were attempting thefts during the Kanwar Yatra. There are other cases against the accused and we are collecting all the information in that regard. The total valuation of the stolen mobile phones is around Rs 10 lakh. The lot contains both low priced handsets and high priced mobile phones.

Bihar: ATS arrests PFI’s master trainer Yakub from a mosque in Motihari, had pledged to re-erect Babri Masjid in Ram Janambhoomi

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: ATS arrests PFI’s master trainer Yakub from a mosque in Motihari, had pledged to re-erect Babri Masjid in Ram Janambhoomi

In a major breakthrough for the security agencies, Sultan Usman Khan, alias Yakub, a master trainer for the Popular Front of India (PFI) and an active member of the jihadi organisation who was playing hide-and-seek with the police for years, has been taken into custody by Patna Anti-Terrorist Squad and the local police in a successful joint operation. He was arrested on the evening of 18 July (Tuesday) from a mosque in Bansghat Gawandra of the Chakia police station area.

He is reported to have organised a major gang for his banned outfit under the pretext of self-defence of youths in the border regions of Nepal, including North Bihar and prepared them for anti-national activities. He is being interrogated at an undisclosed location.

Multiple investigative entities, including National Investigation Agency and Anti-Terrorist Squad, were looking for the accused. Now, police are conducting raids on the information provided by him.

His name first appeared in the Phulwari Sharif terror module where members of PFI were apprehended by the police and security agencies for trying to wage war against the country. The Ghazwa-e-Hind group which had links to Pakistan and Bangladesh was created to radicalise Muslims in the name of religion and glorify Islamic terrorism. They wanted to indoctrinate Muslims to revolt against the Indian state.

He used to run a training camp in Chakia, which was discovered during the investigation, and as a result, the agencies began searching for him. However, he was successful in evading capture by dodging the law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, ATS learned received secret information that he is present in Chakia. They visited Motihari Superintended of Police Kantesh Kumar Mishra on Tuesday evening as soon as the information had been obtained, and a search was then carried out alongside Chakia Police Station in-charge Dhananjay Kumar.

Yakub had made highly inflammatory comments regarding the Shaligram (non-anthropomorphic representation of Lord Vishnu in the Hindu religion) stones that Nepal had dispatched to India for the construction of idols of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita expected to be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir.

He had vowed to rebuild the disputed structure, also known as Babri Masjid, in the Ram Janambhoomi area. The hunt for Yakub intensified after that, but he kept eluding the police team and avoided being arrested for a long time.

Phulwari Sharif terror module

The NIA arrested Irshad alias Mohammad Belal from Chakia, Tanveer Raza alias Barkati and Mohammad Abid alias Aryan from Bahadurpur five month ago in connection with the Phulwari Sharif case. The former was accused of conspiring to disturb communal harmony. He had also taken physical training at a PFI facility in Ahmed Palace.

On the other hand Barkati and Aryan arranged weapons for the planned target killings of individuals in East Champaran and survillance was also conducted for this purpose. They also supplied firearms and ammunition to Yakub.

The PFI’s terror module came to light in Phulwari Sharif in Patna last year in the month of June 2022. A document that projected the establishment of an Islamic state by 2047 was found there. The Motihari neighbourhood in Chakia has been regularly in the news ever since. The NIA team has already travelled to Chakia four times for conducting an inquiry into the case.

Reyaz Mawarif, a citizen of Chakia’s Kunawa village, was appointed as PFI’s state secretary. Following the development, on 28 July of last year, the NIA team searched his place of residence and his laptop, tab, diary, poster etc. were seized from there and he is fleeing ever since.

Kunawa hamlet was raided by the NIA on 4 February, 2023 and the team had taken a minor boy for questioning with them, however, he was released the very next day. On the 20th of the same month, a thorough investigation was carried out at Gandhi Maidan in Chakia after the former learned of a PFI training establsihment there.

At that time, the then state president of the radical outfit, Yakub had set up a seven-day training center of PFI at Gandhi Maidan. Viral footages that appeared on social media showed him instructing the young recruits and teaching them about firearms.

PFI Ban

On 22 September 2022, NIA with other probe agencies conducted a large-scale midnight operation termed “Operation Octopus” in the premises of the organization across the country, on charges of terror-funding and money laundering. The raid resulted in the arrest of at least 100 PFI leaders and activists.

On 28 September of last year, the Government of India declared PFI as “unlawful association” and temporarily outlawed the group for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government reasoned that the organisation was “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country” and citied the latter’s close connections with terror oufits like Students Islamic Movement of India, Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as Islamic State.

China’s Zhejiang provincial government deletes Covid-19 mortality data after numbers show over 70% increase in cremations in the first quarter

OpIndia Staff
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China’s Zhejiang provincial government deletes Covid-19 mortality data after numbers show over 70% increase in cremations in the first quarter

China has reportedly deleted the mortality data of one of its most populated provinces, which included the Covid-19 death toll too. The data shed light on Zhejiang’s heavy death toll from Beijing’s relaxation of Covid-19 controls at the end of 2022. The numbers indicate that nearly as many people have died in the province alone this year as had died in the entire mainland in the entire pandemic period.

Cremations in the Zhejiang province jumped by 73% in the first quarter year-on-year. About 171,000 cremations were recorded in Zhejiang from January to March this year as compared to 99,000 cremations recorded in the same period last year and 91,000 deaths in same period in 2021.

Beijing said around 80,000 people died from Covid across the country in the first two months after restrictions were eased. Zhejiang province’s data has been taken down ever since and numbers of the fourth quarter are also reportedly not available.

China’s Ministry of civil affairs responsible for collating death statistics has not published nationwide cremation data of the same period. The World Health Organisation in January this year said that China’s Covid-19 data fails to provide an accurate picture of the situation in the country and underrepresents the number of deaths and hospitalisations resulting from the virus.

Zhejiang province authorities reportedly withdrew the information by Monday as the data began to garner attention on Chinese social media.

On 7th December 2022, China lifted its pandemic control measures allowing home quarantine for Covid close contacts and scrapping the Covid test rule in most public venues. Merely a week later, cases began to surge in Beijing at an alarming rate even as the Chinese National Health Commission stopped releasing Covid case counts.

China stopped reporting any deaths since 4th December even as crematoriums were falling short of space and resources as bodies continued to pile up across hospitals.

Following this, WHO sought more transparency from China on its covid data accusing it of hiding the real number of deaths.

31 legislations on government’s agenda for the monsoon session of parliament including data protection bill and NCT Govt amendment bill replacing the ordinance

ANI
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31 legislations on government’s agenda for the monsoon session of parliament including data protection bill and NCT Govt amendment bill replacing the ordinance

The government has heavy legislative business for the monsoon session of Parliament beginning Thursday with Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, among 31 bills on its agenda.

Apart from the Personal Data Protection Bill, the bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated in May this year is among other key Bills listed for the monsoon session. The ordinance deals with the control of services in Delhi and was promulgated after the Supreme Court verdict on an appeal by the Delhi government. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said after an all-party meeting that there are 31 listed legislative items for the session.

He also said that 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the all-party meeting convened by the government for smooth conduct of the monsoon session which will continue to till August 11 and will have 17 sittings.

Other bills on the agenda of the government include Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019;  DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019;  Mediation Bill, 2021;  Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 ;  Multi State Cooperative Societics (Amendment) Bill, 2022;  Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022;  Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023; Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023; Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Himachal Pradesh); Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Chhattisgarh);  Postal Services Bill, 2023; National Cooperative University Bill, 2023; and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

The list also includes International Monetary Fund and Bank Bill, 2023; Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 18; the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023; National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023; Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023;  Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023;  Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023;   Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023;  Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023.

Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2023; National Research Foundation Bill, 2023; Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023;  Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 are also among the 31 bills on the agenda of the government.

Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.

This government had withdrawn Personal Data Protection Bill from Parliament in August last and said that it will come up with a fresh bill.  Supreme Court had ruled in 2017 that privacy is a fundamental right and the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, is a crucial pillar of the overarching framework of technology regulations being framed by the Centre.

The previous version of the bill had come after an extensive consultation process with a Joint Parliamentary Committee also examining it. The government has held another round of consultations to frame the new bill.

The bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, seeks to establish the National Capital Civil Services Authority, which consists of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary of Delhi, Principal Home Secretary of Delhi.

The Authority will make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) regarding transfers and postings of officials and disciplinary matters.

While the government is expected to give push to its legislative agenda, the Opposition parties have planned to raise several issues including Manipur violence, railway safety, unemployment, inflation, India-China border standoff and trade imbalance between the two countries.

Pralhad Joshi said the government has sought the Opposition’s support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament during the Monsoon Session.

“The government is ready to discuss all issues in the Monsoon Session. We have appealed to the Opposition parties to support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament,” Joshi said after the all-party meeting.

Congress on Wednesday said that the party will raise Manipur violence during the session.

“Today, in the beginning (of the meeting), I kept my point. Our first issue is the violence in Manipur. Prime Minister should come and answer in Parliament. We will bring adjourment motion over the matter tomorrow,” Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said after attending the all-party meeting.  

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

“India is much greater than any person or entity”: Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee targets opposition parties over alliance name

OpIndia Staff
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“India is much greater than any person or entity”: Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee targets opposition parties over alliance name

On the 19th of July, Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of Former President Pranab Mukherjee, expressed her dissatisfaction with the recently renamed opposition alliance. Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader questioned the opposition parties for adopting the country’s name INDIA as the acronym for their alliance. 

Targeting Congress and its coalition partners for the same, she argued that the country’s name is much greater than any person or entity. 

Though she admitted that the abbreviated name of the alliance is “creative”, she added that it is also “provocative”. She further asked the opposition parties what will happen if the newly formed alliance fails or breaks up.

Additionally, she argued that no political alliance, party, or leader should be made synonymous with the nation neither literally nor metaphorically. She stressed that our country India is much greater than any person or entity.

She said, “I.N.D.I.A. – Creative & Provocative!” 

She added, “But what if the alliance fails/ breaks up? The news will be ‘INDIA fails, INDIA breaks up’? No political alliance/party/leader should be made synonymous with the nation- literally or metaphorically! Our country India is much greater than any person or entity.”

There are reports that several political leaders cutting across party lines have expressed similar concerns over the INDIA alliance row. Reportedly, Maharashtra BJP leader Ashutosh Dube has filed a complaint with the Election Commission over this issue.

He added, “If the party wins, people would say ‘INDIA’ has won. If the party loses, then people would say ‘INDIA’ has lost. This promotes a sense of national insult.”

In his complaint to EC, he claimed that the Opposition parties named their alliance ‘INDIA’ to exploit the name of the country for political gains. 

It is notable that the Election Commission only recognises political parties, it does not recognise alliances of political parties.

Additionally, there are media reports claiming that many socialist and communist leaders too were wary of the alliance naming itself as INDIA. They argued that for a long time, they had been raking the debate between India and Bharat to tackle capitalism but the alliance naming itself as INDIA will hamper their interests. 

Apparently, even Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was reportedly upset with the alliance over this naming row. However, his party, JD(U) has claimed that there was no way that Nitish Kumar would be upset over ‘small things.’

Meanwhile, after the opposition parties jointly announced their decision to name the alliance INDIA, a mini credit war unfolded claiming that they suggested and pitched for this creative idea. Evidently, Congress leader, Supriya Shrinate claimed that it was Rahul Gandhi’s idea, AAP claimed that it had a major role to play in it while TMC had its own claims. 

Supreme Court grants regular bail to Teesta Setalvad, sets aside Gujarat High Court order calling it ‘perverse’

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court grants regular bail to Teesta Setalvad, sets aside Gujarat High Court order calling it ‘perverse’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to controversial activist Teesta Setalvad, who is accused of fabricating evidence, tutoring witnesses, and defaming the Gujarat government in matters related to the Gujarat Riots 2002.

The bail was granted by a special 3-judge bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna, and Dipankar Datta which set aside the Gujarat HC order. On 1st July, the Gujarat High Court rejected the regular bail application of activist Teesta Setalvad and ordered her to “surrender immediately.”

The apex court reportedly called the HC order “perverse to say the least”. “If observation of judge is taken then no bail plea can be decided pre-trial unless the chargesheet etc is challenged under 226 or 32. To say the least, the High Court finding is perverse,” the SC said setting aside the HC order.

The bench noted that HC had denied bail to Setalvad on the grounds that she had not challenged the FIR and chargesheet and hence, as per the HC, could not claim that a prima facie case was not made out. The Court reportedly said, “We do not think custodial interrogation is necessary. She shall not make any attempt to influence witnesses.”

The court ordered Setalvad not to influence any witnesses and that if she does so, allowed the prosecution to directly move SC seeking cancellation of her bail. The bench directed for her passport to be in the custody of the trial court.

On 1st July, a two-judge bench of the SC heard Setalvad’s plea challenging the HC order delivered earlier. The vacation bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Prashant Kumar Mishra failed to reach a unanimous decision and interim relief was denied to Teesta Setalvad, and the matter was referred to the CJI to form a larger bench on the issue.

Accordingly, the CJI formed a special bench of Justices BR Gavai, AS Bopanna and Dipankar Datta to hear the interim bail case of Teesta Setalvad. And in a dramatic late-night hearing, the bench granted interim bail to controversial activist Teesta Setalvad.

CJI’s special intervention

It had come to light that when Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud was informed about the two-judge bench decision to forward the matter to a larger bench as they could not come to a unanimous decision on extending bail granted to Setalvad, he was attending a Bharatnatyam event. As per reports, CJI left the hall multiple times to ensure the formation of a three-judge bench to hear the matter urgently.

CJI was reportedly at the Chinmay Mission to attend the Bharatnatyam dance performance of Suvarna Vishvanathan, daughter of Supreme Court justice KV Vishvanathan. Most of the people linked to the hearing were present at the event, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

Rajasthan: Four family members including a 6-month-old girl killed by slitting their throats and setting them on fire in Jodhpur

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Four family members including a 6-month-old girl killed by slitting their throats and setting them on fire in Jodhpur

On the 19th of July, Jodhpur Police found the charred bodies of four members of a family, including a six-month-old girl at Cherai village in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur district late on Tuesday. The killers reportedly slit their throats, dragged them out in the courtyard, and set them ablaze. They fled the crime scene after setting the family’s house on fire.

The victims have been identified as Poonaram (55), his wife Bhanwari Devi (50), their daughter-in-law Dhapu (23), and her six-month-old daughter Manisha. Poonaram’s son Revataram had left for work in a stone quarry after dinner on Tuesday night, as per reports. Harish, his second son, lives separately with his wife.

In the late night hours, villagers noticed the billowing smoke from a house. When they rushed to the spot, they found the charred bodies of four persons. On villagers’ information, SP (Jodhpur rural) Dharmendra Singh Yadav reached the crime spot along with police forces. 

The body of the baby was completely burnt, while those of others were partially charred, police said, adding that they were attacked while they were asleep.

According to the officials, it appears to be a matter of revenge killing. Preliminary investigation revealed that the assailants slit their throats with a sharp-edged weapon, most likely an axe. Then their bodies were dragged outside of the house and were set on fire. 

Yadav said, “The charred bodies of four members of a family were found at their home, and prima facie, it seems that the family members were murdered first and then their bodies set afire.” 

He added that an FIR has been filed in the case and an investigation has been launched. A dog squad and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team were also called to collect the evidence from the crime spot. Subsequently, the bodies were sent for post-mortem.

Some people aware of the case claimed that Police were questioning Poonaram’s brother and nephew.

Following the horrific mass killing in the state, the opposition party BJP launched a scathing attack against the state government. They have raised questions about the deteriorating situation of Law and order in the state. It is important to note that the crime spot falls near the constituency of state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

Demanding Chief Minister’s resignation, Rajasthan BJP state president Chandra Prakash Joshi said, “These incidents are taking place in the region of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. It clearly shows that the situation of law and order is weak in the state. No one is safe in the city. Be it children or be it, women. All this is very unfortunate.”

A day after grand opposition meeting, CPM’s Brinda Karat slams Mamata Banerjee and TMC, calls Bengal situation an attack on democracy

OpIndia Staff
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A day after grand opposition meeting, CPM’s Brinda Karat slams Mamata Banerjee and TMC, calls Bengal situation an attack on democracy

On 19th July 2023, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat said that TMC’s dictatorship was seen in Bengal during the Panchayat elections. She called the situation in West Bengal an attack on democracy a day after the opposition held a grand meeting in Bengaluru and declared the formation of a national coalition against the BJP-led NDA.

Brinda Karat said, “The BJP could never have imagined that all of us will come together against the BJP and the agenda of RSS and stand against them. On the one hand, they ask ‘Who are they?’ and on the other hand, they make sharp and pointed comments against us. It is because they know that the biggest challenge against the BJP rule is created now.”

Brinda Karat further said, “RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that women are raped in India and not in Bharat. It clarifies what is the mentality of the BJP and the RSS. For us, India and Bharat are one and the same. Save India. Save Bharat. This is our slogan. People trying to create a divide between India and Bharat are inspired by the ideology of Manu.”

Brinda Karat added, “We discussed saving the constitution. If the constitution is saved, the country will also be saved. We are standing against the attacks on the constitution unleashed by the BJP, RSS, and their allied organisations in their Pariwar. Constitution is the face of this alliance. The democratic system is the face. Those who are standing in solidarity with secular principles are our face.”

Brinda Karat said, “As far as the alliance is concerned, every state has its own different political balances and equations. We are against the dictatorship displayed by the TMC during the Panchayat elections of Bengal that claimed 60 lives. It is a reality of West Bengal. Similarly, every state has a political balance and political powers (strengths). In West Bengal, a situation has arisen where we need to save the constitution, democracy, and secularism. It will be decided on the basis of Bengal only. We will discuss this with our party and comrades in Bengal and we will decide about this. But I can definitely say that one who stands posing as a saviour of democracy while he continues to attack democracy has no credibility left.” The last part effectively is a comment on Mamata Banerjee.

Brinda Karat said, “The question is not about who will become the Prime Minister. The question is will the Constitution be saved? When there will be no constitution, then how can there be a Prime Minister? Modi is trying to impose the Presidential system here in India. The question is about the Constitution. Save Constitution. Save Bharat. All of us have come together with this slogan only.”

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.

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 contenders for the top office.

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