A peculiar case from Mehsana, Gujarat, where a woman successfully got her husband arrested seven times in less than ten years over domestic assault allegations, has come to light due to a report in The Times of India. However, every time her husband is arrested, she secured his release after a couple of months by acting as a guarantor. Interestingly, the pair who also have a son together wasn’t always involved in this tumultuous tale of arguments, estrangements and reconciliations.
In 2001, Premchand Mali of Patan married Sonu Mali of Mehsana and they made their home in Kadi. Life was originally pretty tranquil, but in 2014, the two began to have disagreements. A court ordered the husband to pay his wife an alimony of Rs 2,000 per month after she filed a domestic abuse case against him in 2015.
The 43-year-old reportedly struggled as a daily wage worker that year to make the payments, which led to the issuance of an arrest order for him. He was subsequently taken into custody for five months. In a surprising twist of events, Sonu Mali stepped up as his guarantee and provided him with a bailout because she was the only person in his life. The couple continued to live together despite their official separation and argued frequently.
The court records associated with the case stated that she had him arrested on allegations of inflicting harm every year between 2016 and 2018. Afterwards, she would step in and make arrangements for his bail each time. The man missed two alimony payments in 2019 and 2020, which resulted in two additional episodes of jail.
She acted as his lifesaver once more, and their precarious living situation continued. Early in 2023, just when it appeared they had found a residence in Kadi, things started to head awry. He was once again imprisoned due to his repeated carelessness with alimony payments. On 4 July, his spouse successfully negotiated his release once more and they went back to their Kadi house.
Their reconciliation lasted only a short while, though. Premchand Mali noticed his wallet and phone were gone on 5 July. When the wife was questioned by him, she responded that she had no idea where the belongings were. The verbal argument turned physical, with both sides punching and kicking each other.
Their son Ravi, 20, also joined in and began striking his father with a bat. Later, Premchand reported Sonu Mali to the Kadi police, claiming that she had thrown red chilli powder in his eyes. He left their house out of aggravation and travelled to Patan to live with his mother. He filed a complaint on 7 July against his wife and son charging them with inflicting harm as well as aid and abetment.
On Wednesday, the 12th of July, a Senior Railway official informed that seven railway employees have been suspended in connection with the Balasore train accident case. The employees have been suspended on charges of negligence of duty. Allegedly, their negligence led to the tragic triple train accident at Bahanaga Bazar station in Odisha’s Balasore district on the 2nd of June.
According to media reports, the suspension order was issued on Friday, the 7th of July.
The suspended employees include the three accused that were earlier arrested by CBI on the 7th of July. The other suspended employees include the station master who was on duty on the day of the accident, the traffic inspector at Balasore, a signal technician, and the assistant divisional telecom engineer. However, the names of the suspended employees have not been revealed.
Speaking to the media, South-Eastern Railway General Manager Anil Kumar Mishra informed about this decision. He stressed that if these staffers had been alert, the tragic mishap could have been averted.
Mishra said, “The CBI has arrested 3 staff till now. Currently, 7 people including the station master, traffic inspector, and maintainer have been suspended for not being alert during duty hours. Had they been alert, the tragic train mishap could have been averted.”
He added that according to the Railway norms, any employee arrested for 24 hours automatically stands suspended. All three arrested staff are from the signalling department and another one from the department has been suspended now.
The suspensions came after an inspection of the Bahanaga Bazar and Balasore railway stations on Wednesday. The Railway officer further stated that they are inspecting the entire route from Bhadrak to Kharagpur. General Manager Anil Kumar Mishra said that they have planned to replace the entire system on the route. The systems are 20 year old, and while generally they are replaced in 25 years, it will be done in the next 7-8 months.
Earlier, on the 7th of July, the CBI had arrested three Railway employees namely senior Section engineer Arun Kumar Mohanta, section engineer Mohammad Amir Khan and technician Pappu Kumar.
They were charged under IPC Section 304 – culpable homicide not amounting to murder – and Section 201 – causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender.
Initially, the CBI secured a five-day remand of the three accused. But after its completion on the 11th of July, the CBI got an additional four days of remand of the three accused.
As per media reports, CBI has summoned a few other Railways employees to join the investigation.
The Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) also investigated this triple train accident case. Earlier this month, it found that if the past warnings had not been ignored, the tragedy could have been averted.
The CRS said that the wires inside the level-crossing location box had been wrongly labelled. This stayed undetected for years and ultimately it lead to a mix-up during maintenance work.
The tragic accident in Odisha’s Balasore district
The accident took place, on June 2, when the Chennai-bound Coromandel Express entered the loop line at the station instead of going straight on the main line. Subsequently, it rammed into a stationary goods train at full speed.
Its derailed coaches hit the Yesvantpur Superfast Express which was just passing the station. It was evident that the signalling was wrongly set for the train at the station.
This triple train accident at Bahanaga Bazar station near Balasore in Odisha claimed 293 lives and injured over 1,200 passengers.
Despite the fact that more than a month has passed, around 41 bodies are yet to be handed over to family members. Reportedly, their DNA cross-matching reports are yet to be received.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted an invitation from President Emmanuel Macron to visit France between July 13-14. This visit holds special importance as PM Modi is the guest of honour at the prestigious ‘Bastille Day Parade’ scheduled for July 14.
The Bastille Day Parade, held annually in Paris, is a grand military spectacle that commemorates the historic French Revolution. It showcases France’s military might and pays homage to the country’s national pride.
To further enhance the significance of this year’s event, an Indian tri-services contingent will participate, symbolising the growing bilateral ties and shared values between India and France.
Being invited as the chief guest for the ‘Bastille Day Parade’ is considered a signal honour. The last foreign leader to receive this distinction was former US president Donald Trump in 2017, underscoring the significance of PM Modi’s presence.
Enhanced bilateral relations, defence deals between France and India
This visit presents a valuable opportunity for both India and France to strengthen their strategic partnership and explore avenues for further collaboration in various sectors, including defence, trade, and technology.
One of the major highlights is the signing of deals worth over ₹90,000 crore, which includes the procurement of 26 Rafale M aircraft (22 single-seater versions and four double-seater trainer versions) and three Scorpene submarines. These are expected to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Indian armed forces.
France ranks as the 11th largest foreign investor in India, with a total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) contribution of $10,389 million from April 2000 to September 2022, highlighting the robust economic ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to France holds immense significance in strengthening the bilateral relationship, enhancing defence capabilities, promoting economic cooperation, and fostering strategic ties between India, France, and the European Union.
As an emerging global power, India’s participation in the Bastille Day Parade highlights its growing influence on the world stage and signifies the deepening ties between the two democracies.
Leftist media-politician nexus planning to play spoilsport
Even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Paris, the leftist media-politician nexus had begun unveiling its sinister plans. French news outlet Mediapart, which has a notorious history of planting fake stories, posted a vicious piece on the 2016 Rafale deal involving India and France.
“As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who signed the deal, prepares to attend France’s Bastille Day celebrations as guest of honour, documents obtained by Mediapart reveal how Modi’s billionaire friend, Anil Ambani, boss of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Group, which was handed a lucrative contract as a condition of the Rafale sale, directly solicited the intervention of then economy minister Emmanuel Macron and finance minister Michel Sapin in a bid to escape a 151-million-euro tax claim against his French subsidiary,” it claimed.
It must be mentioned that in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mediapartpublished several misleading reports on the Rafale deal. As such, it comes as no wonder that the publication is now trying to stifle India’s new defence deal with France by reiterating the same claims over and again.
Screengrab of the tweet by Mediapart
The Supreme Court in December 2018 had declined to order a probe into the Rafale deal. Consequently, in May 2019, the apex court dismissed review petitions against its previous verdict. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) had also concluded that the Indian Government had not overpaid for the Rafale jets.
A leftist French newspaper by the name of Le Monde has been influencing public opinion about the Modi government by making false insinuations about India’s democracy and religious freedom.
“India’s democratic regression,” the paper published a propaganda editorial piece on April 24 this year. It lamented the supposed removal of chapters on Mughal history in Indian textbooks and claimed that a concerted attempt was underway to turn India into a Hindu theocratic State.
Screengrab of the article
While calling for foreign intervention, the article said, “Attempts to suppress the media, harassment of opponents and minorities, manipulation of the justice system, educational revisionism: Modi’s record speaks for itself.”
“This makes it all the more regrettable that countries that claim to defend democratic values prefer to remain silent so as not to upset a regime that is asserting itself in the new global geopolitical order,” it further added.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Le Monderesorted to vulture journalism and exploited the deaths of Covid-19 patients for political narrative building.
“Narendra Modi’s lack of foresight, arrogance and demagoguery are obviously among the causes of a situation that today seems out of control and requires international mobilization. The Prime Minister, after having, in 2020, paralyzed and traumatized his country by decreeing brutal confinement, abandoning millions of migrant workers, completely let his guard down at the beginning of 2021,” it had claimed.
Screengrab of the article
It is thus obvious that Le Monde will not let go of any opportunity to sour the Indian Prime Minister’s State visit to France. A similar disinformation campaign about India, PM Narendra Modi and his politics is led by another French newspaper named Libération.
In a recent piece, it claimed, “In a context of democratic regression and the rise of the far right, making Narendra Modi the guest of honour on our national holiday, a few months before the Indian elections, is a major fault of Emmanuel Macron…”
The leftist newspaper labelled PM Modi as ‘far-right leader’ who is supposedly leading India on a ‘virulent path of Hindu nationalism.’ It also lamented the decision of the French government to invite him as a guest of Honour for ‘The Bastille Day Parade.’
Screengrab of the article
Libération has been unabashed in its all-out effort to present a distorted version of the Indian government to the gullible French readers. Earlier, it tried to undermine India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by suggesting that Kashmir is a ‘contested piece of land.’
The French paper also cast aspersions on the revocation of Article 370 in the Valley and accused the Modi government of promoting ‘pseudo-normality.’
“Ultra-militarised and repressed since the brutal abrogation of its autonomy in 2019, Kashmir hosted a G20 meeting this week. The opportunity for Delhi to promote tourism and a regained pseudo-normality,” it had said.
Screengrab of the article
Besides media outlets, leftist politicians are also likely to play spoilsport. A prominent French politician by the name of Clémentine Autain had previously made unsolicited and uninformed comments about the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).
“The RSS is a Hindu nationalist paramilitary group, whose early leaders openly admired Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, and which has been repeatedly accused of stoking inter-religious hatred and committing acts of violence,” she had claimed in April 2021.
“Attacks against religious and ethnic minorities have also increased under the current government of India, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), an offshoot of the RSS,” Clémentine Autain had brazened it out.
Protests and unrest ensued in Paris suburbs after a teenager was killed by a police officer on 27 June. The 17-year-old named Nahel M. was a delivery agent. He was stopped by the police and was asked to show documents while he was driving when he tried to flee the scene, during which shots were fired.
One of the bullets hit him in the chest, and he died on the spot. The instruction to stop was issued under a routine traffic check. The victim was previously convicted of failing to stop at a signal as well as driving without a license. The accused official was detained on suspicion of manslaughter.
Despite the government’s repeated calls for calm and increased policing, the saga of violence, loot and unrest continued. The government cracked down on the rioters, arrested 3400 of them and conducted fast-track trials.
Conclusion
The response of notorious leftist publications and politicians have been alike. They tried to downplay the mayhem on the streets of France as ‘democratic protest’ and accused the police of committing brutalities on protesters.
The State visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris for ‘Bastille Day Parade’ thus makes him vulnerable to malicious propaganda by this ecosystem. False analogies between the situation in India and France are likely to be drawn.
PM Modi will be accused of following in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron and clamping down on dissent.
The Maharashtra Police have booked a Muslim minor boy for threatening a Hindu minor girl and forcing her into marriage. The accused is said to have harassed the girl and then threatened her using a knife in the Pathardi region of Ahmednagar district.
The accused person has been booked under sections 354 (criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and also under sections 8, 12, and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
FIR filed by the victim girl
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the incident is said to have happened on July 10, Monday at around 11 am when the victim girl was in her school. The accused person forcefully tried to stop the girl on her way home after she complained of severe stomach ache. The accused blocked her way and offered her ‘help’ saying that he would drop her home and hold the school bag for her.
He happened to show fake concern as she was suffering from severe stomach ache. The girl meanwhile showed resistance and said that she was fine and could go home by herself. He then threatened her and started following her.
Later a girl aged around 17-18 arrived at the spot and offered to help the victim girl. She said that she would carry the victim’s school bag and help her reach home. However, the girl took the victim to the accused’s home and fled away from the location. “At around 11:30 am he came there and forcefully held my hand. He threatened me and forced me to marry him. He said that he would harm my family if I don’t agree to fulfil his demands,” the girl said in the complaint.
Complaint by the minor girl
The accused who is a resident of the Indiranagar area of the town threatened that he would pelt stones on the house of the girl. He kept her hostage for around 3 hours in his home after which the girl somehow managed to escape from the location.
OpIndia talked to the victim who confirmed the incident and said that she was threatened by the accused who is her classmate. She said he followed her from school and forced her to marry her. “I was in pain so I left the school early that day. He was standing along the walls of the school and began following me. Later a girl joined in and she deceptively took me to his home,” the girl said.
“He kept me there for around 3 hours. He said he wanted to marry me. He then threatened me with a knife and said that he would harm me and my family if his demands remained ignored. I somehow managed to escape from the spot. Now I am scared to even go to the school,” the minor added.
As per the FIR, the accused person is also a minor and is a classmate of the victim girl. The father of the victim girl revealed to OpIndia that the police had detained the accused but later released him as he is a minor. Pathardi Police Station’s Sachin Chavhan was called for a comment on the issue but no information could be obtained given the involvement of the minors.
Taking cognizance of the incident, local Hindu organizations gathered in the town held protests on July 12 to demand strict action against the accused. The Hindu organization members said that Hindu girls in the area were not safe. They also demanded that the parents of the accused minor be booked in the case.
At present, it is known that the accused person has been booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO. Further investigations are underway.
On Wednesday, July 12, a blast occurred in the Udaipurwati area of Jhunjhunu district in Rajasthan wherein a woman died while making explosives at her home.
The intensity of the blast was such that the woman who was making the explosives broke through the roof of the house and her body was shattered into pieces. The pieces of the deceased woman’s body were scattered hither and thither.
One leg and one hand flew away from the woman’s body and dispersed in the distance. Following the blast, the police took hours searching for the severed arm and leg of the deceased woman. The hand could not be located at this point, but the leg was discovered in an enclosure about 30 feet away.
Locals said that at around 8 am, there was such a loud explosion nearby Islamia Madrasa that its sound echoed throughout the entire Udaipurwati. The locals gathered at the blast location after hearing the loud sound.
The blast took place inside the house of a Muslim family. Reportedly, the deceased woman identified as Afreen resided in the said house along with her husband and other five family members. The blast occurred when Javed’s wife Afreen was filling chemicals into the explosive. Due to the high-intensity blast, Afreen leapt and plunged to the roof of another neighbouring house. Police took custody of the seized body parts of the deceased woman and initiated an investigation into the matter.
Deceased Afreen’s husband worked as a snake catcher while others worked as labourers. They also ran makeshift firecracker shops at marriage functions. Afreen’s father-in-law had a license to manufacture firecrackers, however, he passed last year.
According to ASI Ram Singh, the accident happened at Javed’s home close to the madrasa. The woman’s mangled body was found on the terrace of the neighbour’s home. Although there is information regarding the explosion of explosive material, not much can be said at this time, he added.
Notably, a terrible incident occurred in the home where this incident occurred about 20 years ago. The family had the contract to make Ravana at that time for the celebration of Dussehra. An explosion occurred as work on making Ravana was being done. The house collapsed in the blast and five of the members died in the blast.
Four Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and five others were critically injured after heavily armed militants launched an attack on the Zhob garrison in northern Balochistan, reported Pakistani News organisation Dawn.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that the terrorists’ initial attempt was to sneak into the facility but Pakistani soldiers countered them. As per the military’s media affairs wing, the attack took place during the early hours of Wednesday, the 12th of July.
The ISPR stated that in the ensuing heavy exchange of fire, the terrorists were cornered into a small area at the boundary. Subsequently, three “heavily armed terrorists” were killed by the security forces while a clearance operation was underway to apprehend the remaining two terrorists.
ISPR said, “Security forces remain determined to thwart all such ghastly attempts at destroying the peace of Balochistan and Pakistan.”
As per Dawn, Zhob District Commissioner (DC) Azeem Kakar said that a woman civilian was killed after being caught in the crossfire while five other civilians were left injured earlier in the day. The official added that the severely injured were being referred to Quetta.
DC Kakar also added that a passenger bus that was coming from Dera Ismail Khan was caught in the line of firing.
Dawn reported that Balochistan CM Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo condemned the attack on the Zhob garrison. Similarly, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also issued a statement condemning the attack.
Despite claims of a crackdown on terror infrastructure fearing Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) greylisting, terror attacks have only seen an uptick in Pakistan, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Reportedly, a little-known militant group, Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attack. The militant group issued a statement taking responsibility for the attack on Pakistan’s Army base in the Balochistan Northern area.
In its statement, TJP claimed that it would release pictures and videos of its fighters who took part in the attack.
Incidences of terror attacks in the recent past
Earlier this month, the police and Levies checkposts in the Dhana Sar area of Balochistan’s Sherani subdistrict were attacked by some terrorists. Around four security personnel were killed in the terror attack.
A Pakistani think tank Institute for Conflict and Security Studies released a report earlier this month. In its report, the think tank highlighted that terror and suicide attacks have increased alarmingly in Pakistan. In these attacks, around 389 people have lost their lives across the country.
A report in Dawn, further added that in June, a police official was killed and two more were injured in a suicide attack on a police van in Balochistan’s Turbat.
Similarly, in another attack in June, two soldiers were killed when the security checkpost in the Kech district along the Pakistan-Iran border was under attack.
In June, ISPR Director General Maj Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry addressed a press conference. In the PC, he said that the security forces conducted 13,619 intelligence operations this year. In these operations around 1,172 terrorists were killed or arrested.
He said, “On a daily basis, over 77 operations are being carried out by armed forces, police, intelligence agencies, and other law enforcement agencies to rid of the menace of terrorism.”
He also added that around 95 soldiers have been killed in these operations.
In the first week of July this year, a horrific video from Pathardi town of Ahmednagar district had gone viral over social media in which a man could be seen harassing two minor girls on the busy streets of the main market. OpIndia on July 12 obtained the FIR copy of the incident which revealed that the two girls were inappropriately touched and thrashed by the accused person who has been identified as Rafiq Munir Pathan.
Rafik Pathan arrested for molesting a girl in broad daylight in ahmednagar maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/fM5NEfpQ5y
The incident is said to have happened on July 1 in the Hanuman Takli village. Two minor girls were blocked by the accused who held one of the girl’s hands, forcefully touched her inappropriately, and publicly harassed her. He also thrashed the girls and threatened their grandfather over the phone.
The accused has now been arrested and has been booked under sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 323 ( punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 427, and 506 (Criminal Intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Sections of POCSO have also been imposed upon the accused.
FIR copy obtained by OpIndia
As per the complaint copy obtained by OpIndia, the victim girl and her sister were at the Tisgaon Bus Station. The victim was on her way to the Ahmednagar district for her NEET classes. Her younger sister had come to the station to drop her off. The accused man approached the girl who was standing on the road at the bus stand square waiting for her sister who had gone to the nearby general store to buy some items.
The accused held the hands of the younger victim girl and forcefully engaged his fingers in her hair. As she started yelling, her sister rushed to help but she was also molested by Rafiq. He pulled the girl closer and began to touch her inappropriately, holding her hair. When the younger girl confronted him, he pulled her hair and also thrashed her.
The victim girl then called her grandfather from the spot to seek help. When she was narrating what had happened, the accused snatched her mobile phone and threatened her grandfather. “You come here, I’ll show you,” he said as mentioned in the complaint. After that, he smashed the phone on the road. Later he fled from the spot as the girls started making loud noises seeking help from the people around.
After talking to the locals, the girls learnt that his name is Rafiq Munir Pathan. Following that, they went to the police station and lodged a complaint.
Complaint copy obtained by OpIndia
OpIndia called one of the victim girls for her comment on the issue but she was unavailable. However, the grandfather of the victim minor said that the girls were brutally harassed by the accused person and that now he has been arrested.
Earlier, Rupali Chakankar, President of the State Commission for Women had taken cognizance of the event and had demanded strict action against the accused. “This type of harassment of girls on the street in broad daylight is serious and worrisome for the safety of girls. The State Commission for Women has directed the Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar to conduct an immediate inquiry and submit a factual report,” she tweeted on July 3.
सदर घटनेच्या अनुषंगाने पाथर्डी पोलीस स्टेशन येथे गु.र.न.६८९/२०२३ प्रमाणे गुन्हा दाखल करण्यात आला असून सदर गुन्ह्यातील आरोपी यास अटक करण्यात आले आहे.
— Ahmednagar Police (अहमदनगर पोलीस) (@NagarPolice) July 3, 2023
The Ahmednagar Police had then responded to this video saying that the accused had been booked at Pathardi Police Station under the relevant sections of the law and that he had been arrested by the authorities.
Revered Hindu deity and avatar of Lord Shiv, Lord Hanuman has been selected as the official mascot of this year’s Asian Athletics Championships. Revealing the mascot, the Asian Athletics Association explained the reason behind choosing Lord Hanuman as the official mascot of the games.
On its official website, the continental body hailed Lord Hanuman’s loyalty and devotion.
The website states, “As Hanuman exhibits extraordinary abilities in (Lord) Rama’s service, including speed, strength, courage, and wisdom. Hanuman’s greatest ability is, in fact, his incredibly staunch loyalty and devotion.”
As per the sporting body, Lord Hanuman as its mascot signifies various essential traits of the participating athletes like skills, dedication, and teamwork.
The website further states, “The 25th Asian Athletics Championships 2023 logo indicates the athletes participating in the games, skills, teamwork of athletes, showcase of athleticism, dedication, and sportsmanship.”
The Indian epic Ramayan written by Valmiki is widely popular in many Southeast Asian nations. In this region, Hinduism has had a soft influence on cultures, including in Thailand. Ramakien is the Thai version of the Indian legendary warrior King Rama.
The five-day event started on the 12th of July in Thailand’s Capital, Bangkok, and will end on the 16th of July. Around 50 Indian athletes are taking part in this year’s championship under the leadership of shot putter Tajinderpal Singh and long jumper Sreeshankar. The Indian squad left for Bangkok on the 8th of July, from Delhi and Bengaluru.
Earlier, India had announced a 54-member contingent. However, due to injury concerns, a few of the athletes opted out. Additionally, Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable will not be a part of the Indian contingent for this year’s Championship. Both of them are eyeing the World Athletics Championships to be held in August.
Considered Asia’s biggest track and field event, the 25th Asian Athletics Championship will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Asian Athletics Association.
On account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 24th Championships in 2021 were cancelled. Around nine teams have taken part in all the previous 23 events of the Asian Athletics Championships including host Thailand. Hong Kong, Japan, India, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Singapore are the rest of the eight nations to take part in all championships.
On 12th July, Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to intervene as Yamuna river water rose close to a dangerous level. In his letter, he blamed the Haryana government for the rising water in Yamuna as “it had not rained in Delhi for three days”.
Interestingly, just two days ago, on 10th July, CM Kejriwal had urged all political parties not to play the ‘blame game’ and work together as a flood-like situation occurred across North Indian states. It is unclear if Delhi CM contacted his counterpart Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar or Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena in the matter before writing to HM Shah.
In his letter, CM wrote, “Yamuna’s water level reached 207.55 meters at 1 PM today. It touched 207.49 meters last time in 1978. Delhi was flooded at that time, and the situation was very serious. At 207.55 meters, Delhi can get flooded any moment now.
As per Central Water Commission, Yamuna’s water level will rise to 207.72 meters tonight, which is very concerning.
Delhi has not received any rain in the last three days. The water level of Yamuna is not rising because of rains in Delhi, but it is increasing as Haryana is releasing water from Hathnikund Bariraj. I humbly request that you issue directions to release water from Hathnikund in a limited manner so that the water level in Delhi does not increase further.
Delhi is India’s capital. In a few weeks, a G-20 meeting will be held in the city. The flood-like situation in Delhi will not send a good message to the world. We should come together to save Delhi.“
Earlier, Delhi Jal Board chairman and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused Delhi LG of taking credit for desilting the drains and claimed now LG was giving lack of desilting as the reason for waterlogging in Delhi. Notably, Delhi received over 150mm of rain in less than 48 hours, resulting in waterlogging across the city. He also blamed Haryana for releasing excessive water that raised Yamuna level.
AAP has a history of blaming central agencies and other states for its mismanagement
This is not the first time the AAP-led Delhi government has accused the central agencies and other states of mismanagement in the national capital. During Covid, CM Kejriwal accused the central government of not providing enough oxygen to Delhi Hospital. Later, his claims were debunked by the data on medical oxygen distribution. In reality, it was AAP’s mismanagement in Delhi that led to the shortage of oxygen in the hospital. Our detailed report on how the AAP-led Delhi government did not make proper arrangements for oxygen distribution can be read here.
AAP ministers have accused Haryana and Punjab (before AAP came to power in Punjab) of not controlling stubble burning during the winter season, leading to high pollution levels in the national capital. The Haryana government has done exceptional work in that area, unlike Punjab, where stubble-burning incidents rose by over 20 per cent under the AAP government.
In a startling incident that took place on Tuesday, 11th July 2023, two intoxicated men were discovered feasting on flesh taken from a burning pyre in Odisha. The shocking incident was reported in Barsahi police station area of the Mayurbhanj district of the state. The incident left the family members of the deceased girl in a state of shock, and the villagers promptly handed over the two individuals to the police, after which a case was registered and an investigation has been started.
The unfortunate incident unfolded during the cremation of a girl named Tuni Singh, a resident of Dantuni village in Bireshwarpur panchayat, who had passed away on Monday while undergoing treatment at Badasahi Hospital. On Tuesday, the body underwent a post-mortem examination at Baripada Hospital and was subsequently brought back to the village at approximately 3 pm. The mortal remains of the girl were taken to a nearby cremation ground for cremation after that.
Present at the cremation were two individuals from the village, Sunder Mohan Singh and Narendra Singh, both of whom were reportedly under the influence of alcohol. While others gathered around the pyre, Mohan and Narendra were overseeing the proper burning of the body. As the cremation progressed, the body almost entirely turned to ashes, save for a single unburnt piece of flesh. Mohan and Narendra claimed that it wouldn’t burn unless it was cut into smaller pieces and thrown back into the fire.
To the shock of Lobo Singh, the grandfather of the deceased girl, Mohan and Narendra pulled the unburnt flesh out of the fire. Narendra proceeded to divide it into three pieces, with Mohan tossing two pieces back into the flames. However, Mohan concealed the remaining piece in his left hand, but Lobo Singh saw him doing it. Concerned, Lobo Singh questioned Mohan about his intent, to which Mohan casually replied that he would discard it later.
For several minutes, Mohan stood there, holding the piece of flesh in his hand. After around 10 minutes, he announced that he will eat the piece of flesh. Horrified, the people present there asked him why would he do that. But before that others could do anything, Mohan put the piece in his mouth and began chewing it without any hesitation. He also offered a portion of flesh to Narendra, who joined him in the act and started to eat it. The onlookers were astounded by their audacity and immediately alerted the other villagers.
Responding swiftly, the villagers confronted Mohan and Narendra, subjecting them to severe physical assault. In the face of the villagers’ fury, both individuals admitted to their heinous act of consuming burnt human flesh taken from the pyre.
Subsequently, Sundar Mohan and Narendra were handed over to the Barsahi police station, where they have been taken into custody and are currently being interrogated. The grieving father of the deceased girl expressed his intention to file a police complaint against Sundar Mohan and Narendra, holding them accountable for their actions during the distressing incident. Accordingly, a case was registered against the two.
Reportedly, later both Sunder and Narendra said that they lost their sense as they were drunk too much and that they ate the charred human flesh in an inebriated state. According to one report, they are related to the dead girl, and Narendra Singh is the son of Sunder Mohan Sing.
