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Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and now Karnataka: How non-BJP governments misuse state machinery to silence dissenting voices

Paurush Gupta
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Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and now Karnataka: How non-BJP governments misuse state machinery to silence dissenting voices

For the past couple of days, a seemingly systemic and organised onslaught has been unleashed on some of the Hindu Rights activists and popular social media handles for speaking on issues that the ecosystem has been desperately trying to brush under the carpet – the Udupi video recording case of few Hindu girls in a private institution. 

As a part of this, on 24 July, a coordinated campaign was launched to intimidate popular Hindu Human Rights activist and Former Oxford Student Union President Rashmi Samant. All of this comes in the wake of her Twitter thread where she raised her voice for Hindu female victims. 

It is alleged that their videos were recorded by girls of the Muslim community in the washrooms of a private institution in Udupi. It is also alleged that their videos were shared in some community Whatsapp groups. However, several news reports by regime-friendly media organisations quoted police officials as saying that the video may not have been ‘extensively’ shared on Whatsapp.

Several social media handles which were spearheaded by Alt News Co-founder Muhammad Zubair, engaged her in a Twitter spate and hurled accusations, and name-calling. Zubair also issued a veiled threat of legal action under the pretext of spreading false information. 

It is important to note here that the Congress-led Karnataka government is setting up a ‘fact-check unit’ to combat ‘misinformation’. For this, they have sought the help of notorious fake news peddlers such as Alt News.

Without relenting to the ‘dog-whistling’ by the alleged Fact Checker Zubair and ilk, Samant stood by her claim.

She also shared the details about the case and vetted her claims made in the tweet which has irked the entire Islamo-liberal ecosystem.

Additionally, she too stressed that strict action needs to be taken against fake-news peddlers online to stop the murderous dog-whistling that’s currently happening.

After Alt News’ Zubair ‘flagged’ her tweet for allegedly spreading false information, the Udupi police also launched a campaign to locate Samant. 

Samant’s advocate Adhitya Srinivasan took to Twitter and shared the ordeal faced by her family. According to Srinivasan, at around 8 PM, a group of policemen visited Rashmi Samant’s residence in her absence. They then questioned her parents and were repeatedly asking about her whereabouts. This was also confirmed and reiterated by many other journalists, popular social media users, and politicians.

Additionally, the police called her father multiple times to locate her. Her counsel, Srinivasan said, “It is clear that the police visited my client’s residence in connection with Rashmi’s recent tweets condemning the secret video recording of Hindu girls in a college toilet.”

Apart from Rashmi Samant, the alleged fact checker Zubair bayed for Nupur Sharma’s life in the past. Recently, he has been dog whistling against ANI’s Editor-in-Chief Smita Prakash, popular social media user Shefali Vaidya and OpIndia’s Editor-in-Chief Nupur Sharma among others. And as stated above, the formation of a so-called ‘Fact check’ unit in Karnataka has bolstered the confidence of these ‘Fake News’ peddlers doing the exact opposite, baying for free speech. 

The unfortunate thing is that these are not one-off incidences and are not even limited to a geographical area alone. Instead, crushing dissent under the garb of curbing fake news has become a new norm for states ruled by the I.N.D.I.A. bloc.

‘Fact checking’ and ‘curbing fake news’: A new blatant tool to suppress dissent and critical voice

Earlier this year, on 18 March, the Police arrested YouTuber Manish Kashyap aka Tripurari Kumar Tiwari from Bihar in connection with the alleged attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. A special team of the Tamil Nadu police brought him to the southern state on transit remand after the Madurai Crime Branch police registered a case against him.

Back then, it was reported that Kashyap had tweeted a ‘fake video’ of the attacks on migrant workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu which went viral over social media. However, the video was created by the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of Gopalganj district in rented accommodation in Patna.

Later, the Tamil Nadu police slapped stringent NSA on him. He has been in jail since then despite moving bail petitions multiple times. 

Similarly, many more journalists were also booked for sharing the concerns of the migrant workers from Bihar, which, however, were reportedly found to have relied on some fake videos. In connection with this ‘fake news’ of Bihar migrant workers assaulted in Tamil Nadu, the state police had also filed FIRs against OpIndia CEO Rahul Roushan and Editor-in-Chief Nupur Sharma, for publishing articles based on claims made in a Bhaskar report – which also explicitly and prominently added the police version.

Additionally, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai, the Twitter handle of the BJP’s Bihar unit – BJP4Bihar, BJP spokesperson Prashant Umrao and Dainik Bhaskar newspaper’s editor, Mohammed Tanveer, were also booked for sharing the news of the ordeal Bihar migrant workers.

Kolkata-based journalist arrested for shedding light on anti-Hindu violence

Similarly, in October 2022, a Kolkata-based Manab Guha was arrested and framed in non-bailable sections for sharing the ground reality of the anti-Hindu Mominpur Violence. The photojournalist’s alleged “crime” was that he dared to post footage and images of anti-Hindu violence on social media.

The West Bengal police justified the arbitrary action by claiming that such recordings could have generated additional hostility in society.
In another case of ‘witch hunt’ against media voices, the Kolkata Police, on 9 January, registered an FIR against 10 journalists and BJP state president Dr Sukanta Majumdar for allegedly ‘misreporting’ the stone pelting incidents on the Vande Bharat Express.

They were booked under specific sections of the Information Technology Act for giving the state a ‘bad name’. The arbitrary action was a follow-up of Mamata Banerjee’s earlier threat to media outlets that legal action will be taken against journalists for spreading ‘fake news’ about the stone pelting incident on Vande Bharat Express trains in West Bengal.

Raipur-based journalist arrested for posting satire against Chhattisgarh Congress leaders

In March 2022, the Chhattisgarh Police arrested Raipur-based journalist Nilesh Sharma who is an Editor of the web portal indiawriters.co.in and print magazine ‘India Writers’. He was accused of spreading ‘fake news’ against the ruling Congress leaders in the state of Chattisgarh. According to reports, Sharma runs a popular series based on political satire, ‘Ghurva Ke Mati’.

The series uses fictional characters resonating with the Congress leaders and Chattisgarh MLAs. 

OpIndia targeted by West Bengal government

Earlier, in 2021, the West Bengal government had singled out OpIndia and filed as many as four cases for reports – highlighting the Covid handling in Bengal; Azan being played in Durga Pandal – the video of it had gone viral back then and was widely reported by many media houses. However, in a major relief to media freedom and free speech, in December 2021, the Supreme Court quashed all these FIRs. 

The apex court raised concerns about how journalists are having to bear the repercussions of publicly available information.

The bench had observed, “State force should never be used to either browbeat a political opinion or the journalists suffer the consequences of what is already in the public domain.” 

Social media user arrested in West Bengal for critical remarks against CM Mamata Banerjee

Since 2014, the Islamo-liberal leftist ecosystem has been crying foul claiming that fascist voices are curbing free speech and dissent. Apart from gagging journalists, several dissenting voices have also been booked and jailed flagging virtue as vice and vice versa.  

In October 2019, 28-year-old Chandan Bhattacharya was arrested for allegedly posting critical remarks against Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. 

In fact, in May 2019, the West Bengal government’s misuse of state machinery was called out by the Supreme Court. While asking for the immediate release of BJP youth worker Priyanka Sharma, the Apex court observed that her arrest was “prima facie arbitrary”. Sharma was arrested on 10 May for allegedly posting a morphed picture of state CM Mamata Banerjee. 

Actor Ketaki Chitale arrested for sharing Facebook post criticising Sharad Pawar

Another example of stifling dissent and free speech was the case of Marathi actor Ketaki Chitale. She was booked and arrested for sharing a Facebook post that was alleged to be directed at Sharad Pawar even though there was no explicit reference to the NCP patriarch. She was merely arrested for sharing a critical post written by Advocate Nitin Bhave. Yet, she was booked under sections 500, 501, 505 (2), and 153 A of the Indian Penal Code. 

Modus operandi of the ecosystem: Dispelling doubts, if any

As blatantly obvious from this earlier tweet by Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, the ecosystem has been trying to suppress voices that do not conform to their ideological stance and exposes their inherent prejudice. Bhushan had made no bones about using police power to intimidate critical voices, in this case, OpIndia, exhorting opposition parties to file FIRs against the portal, presumably to exact obedience.

In the tweet, he had asked opposition-ruled states to register FIRs en mass against dissenters in their state – particularly the likes of OpIndia – a direct call for excesses by the state machinery to hide uncomfortable truths and narratives of the common people who had been enslaved in the tyranny of one artificially constructed narrative. 

The ecosystem has been aggressively gunning opposition parties to target those media houses or individuals who are reporting inconvenient truths about forced conversions, and how many Islamist groups are preying on innocent Hindu girls whether through Love Jihad or other means. 

In all of these cases, which is merely an indicative list, the opposition has misused the state machinery to file flimsy cases merely to harass those who the ecosystem does not agree with. First, these false cases are filed when journalists or individuals talk about Islamists targeting Hindus. Second, dissenting voices are booked for criticising politicians from ‘secular-liberal’ parties and third, those they despise are booked when they dare to mock their leaders, as is the democratic right of every citizen. Hilariously, the very politicians who misuse state machinery to silence citizens are the ones who talk about freedom of speech and expression, freedom of the press and the right to express opinions. Further, they claim to espouse the lofty ideals of democracy while stifling the very essence of it – the right to dissent. The ecosystem especially gets riled up when individuals, organisations or journalists report crimes against Hindus by Islamists and demand accountability from the dispensation, presumably because it is the Islamists on whom they depend to someday get them back to power at the centre, displacing the Modi government.

Bengal, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and now Karnataka governments are the states where administrations appear to be inclined to use state machinery with an iron fist and cage dissenting voices so that it has a “chilling effect” on journalists and common people and discourages them from raising voices on stories that are either brushed under the carpet or grotesquely misrepresented. The hounding of Rashmi Samant is just another manifestation of this unfortunate template.

We cannot let his strange Gods into the White House: Christian evangelist goes on a Hinduphobic rant against Indian-origin, US Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

OpIndia Staff
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We cannot let his strange Gods into the White House: Christian evangelist goes on a Hinduphobic rant against Indian-origin, US Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy

On Sunday (July 23), an American pastor and televangelist named Hank Kunneman went on an anti-Hindu tirade against Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy for running as a Republican candidate for the upcoming 2024 US Presidential elections.

At about 51 minutes and 30 seconds into his programme, Kunneman claimed, “We are in danger as a country and listen to me Generation Z and millennials. Those of you, who are watching, may like this new young guy (referring to Vivek Ramaswamy).

“If he does not serve the Lord Jesus Christ and stand primarily for Judeo-Christian principles, you will have a fight with God…What are we doing, even entertaining the fact you’re going to have some dude put his hand on something other than the Bible,” he brazened it out.

The televangelist remarked, “You are going to let him put all of his strange Gods up in the White House and are we just supposed to blink because he
understands policies? No.”

His racist remarks received an overwhelmingly positive response from the audience. Hank Kunneman then drew inspiration from the King of Judah, Jehoshaphat, and claimed that God loved him for ‘kicking out idols from his kingdom.’

He went on to fearmonger about Vivek Ramaswamy and claimed how all Presidents of the United States have supported Judeo-Christian values. The pastor then claimed that his God was jealous and that it would not tolerate other Gods.

“It is why our country has been blessed. Whether the presidents have followed Jesus? No. They have been held to a standard – you’re not bringing your idols into our country,” he continued with his bigoted remarks against idolators.

Hank Kunneman claimed, “You know what took Solomon (the wisest King) out? He brought foreign idols into his garden…And I don’t care how good someone’s policies are and how good they sound if they don’t profess the name of Yeshua.”

He added, “Here’s the point. I am not calling someone out. I am saying that we will have a fight with God on our hands if you believe in the God of our
Bible (Old Testament and New Testament).”

“There are things that God does not like, that he hates and he is jealous about…And one of the things that he doesn’t like and it’s why he blessed Jehoshaphat because Jehoshaphat was a king that stood up and took out the false idols and brought Israel back to honouring the one true God,” he alleged.

“So America be smarter than that because it won’t matter what the prophet’s prophecy is if we now take on a fight with God over his jealousy…Dangerous and no they would not make a great vice president,” Hank Kunneman concluded his anti-Hindu tirade.

British commentator targets Rishi Sunak for reading the Bible

Earlier in May this year, British conservative political commentator Calvin Robinson called Prime Minister of Britain, Rishi Sunak, a heathen. He was talking about PM Sunak reading the 1:9-17 passage from the biblical book of Colossians at King Charles’ coronation.

Rishi Sunak is a Hindu, and his act of reading the Bible at King Charles’s coronation ceremony became a topic of discussion, with many people hailing it as his commitment to representing the UK’s diversity.

While the PM of the UK always participates in the coronation of the monarch, Rishi Sunak is the first person of colour and the first non-Christian to play such a lead role in the ceremony. However, Calvin Robinson exploited the opportunity to display his Hinduphobia.

Muslims oppose last rites of Shrikant Paswan in Darbhanga: Media starts working overtime to hide the religious identity of the perpetrators

OpIndia Staff
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Muslims oppose last rites of Shrikant Paswan in Darbhanga: Media starts working overtime to hide the religious identity of the perpetrators

On Sunday, July 23, the Darbhanga district in Bihar was gripped by communal clashes after some members of the Muslim community created a ruckus and stopped the last rites of a Hindu villager named Shrikant Paswan. The incident occurred in the Hariharpur tola- Mallpati village under Kamtaul police station limits on Sunday evening.

Various media outlets reported the incident and said that the clash occurred over ownership rights to a cremation ground. Compelled by their biases, however, they went on to hide the religious identity of the perpetrators and other details related to religion.

Mostly all the reports said that the ruckus ensued after members of ‘a particular community’ from the nearby Mallpati village stopped the funeral of a local villager named Shrikant Paswan.

The reports quoted locals as saying that members of ‘a particular community’ hailing from Malpatti village arrived on the spot and opposed the cremation, leading to a confrontation. Soon, the situation escalated into stone-pelting and clashes, resulting in injuries to nearly a dozen people, including some policemen.

Some media reports, however, added that the miscreants assaulted and tossed the dead body of Shrikant Paswan and urinated on it. This particular allegation was, however, refuted by the Bihar police.

Media reports allege inhumanity with the dead body

A detailed report on this incident was published on 25 July 2023 in the Darbhanga edition of Dainik Bhaskar. The report carried a headline in Hindi which roughly translate to: “Dead body was not only beaten but also thrown away in Kamtaul: When protested, houses were set on fire and vandalized in front of the police.”

Dainik Bhaskar published the same news in its online edition on July 24 with the headline: “Dead body thrown from burning pyre in Darbhanga… People beaten: Ruckus over cremation ground, stones pelted on police; House arson, vehicles burnt”.

According to the details provided in both of these reports, members of “a particular community” mistreated the dead body of Shrikant Paswan. The reports said that the miscreants thrashed the dead body; picked it out of the pyre and threw it to the ground. They then urinated on the corpse. The miscreants did not stop at that but also looted, vandalised and set fire to the deceased’s house. They pelted stones at those who had gathered there for Shrikant Paswan’s last rites.

In fact, the report by Hindi daily Dainik Jagran also reported that the trouble began during the last rites of one Shrikant Paswan.

None of these reports, however, specified the identity of the ‘community’ that created the ruckus.

News 18 Hindi also reported the incident refraining from mentioning the name of the community that started the commotion resulting in the communal clash.

The Darbhanga police took to Twitter on July 24, to share a press statement released by the SSP office on the issue. It read that clashes broke out during the funeral of Shrikant Paswan in Hariharpur tola- Mallpati village under Kamtaul police station limits on Sunday evening. The police said that the clash happened between members of the two communities. It added that eight people were apprehended in connection with violence and that the situation has since returned to normal, with the police conducting flag marches in the area.

“There was an incident of conflict between the two sides over the accusation of preventing the cremation of a dead body, which led to the vandalisation of one another’s houses by the two sides,” the press statement issued by the SSP office added.

Nowhere did the press statement mention that the members of the Muslim community mistreated the dead body of Shrikant Paswan.

Additionally, when OpIndia contacted the Kamtaul police station in charge, he also refuted the claims that the body of the deceased Shrikant Paswan was mistreated. He said that the deceased body was kept on the pyre when the police arrived at the scene after learning about the incident. He added that police reinforcements were dispatched to the scene, and Paswan was ultimately cremated under police supervision. Top officials intervened to pacify the gathered crowd.

He also said that the victim’s family had not made any mention of the dead body being mistreated in their complaint either.

When we asked him to give the names of those who had opposed the cremation which ultimately led to the confrontation, the officer refused to divulge any details.

Which ‘community’ was opposing the last rites?

The identity of the ‘community’ opposing the last rites has not been officially disclosed, but the cremation ground where Shrikant Paswan’s body was taken for his last rites shares the border with the Malpatti village in the neighbourhood. According to the local people, members of the Muslim community hailing from Malpatti village have been for the last two years claiming ownership rights to the cremation ground.

As per the locals, this land actually belongs to the Gram Panchayat. They said that this was the first time that a clash happened over the cremation of a dead body, adding that the Muslim residents from the Malpatti village were the ones who had opposed the cremation.

Notably, Ashraf Ahmed, the District President of All India Muslim Bedari Caravan, a Muslim outfit based in Darbhanga had also written a letter to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar apprising him about the aforementioned incident, in which they also confirmed that some Muslims hailing from Malpatti village had arrived on the spot and opposed the cremation. The outfit accused the Mukhiya (head) of Hariharpur panchayat, Ajay Jha of conspiring and spearheading the Sunday clash.

Additionally, the tweet posted by Darbhanga police also confirmed that those opposing the funeral were residents of the Malpatti village.

Locals who were privy to the incident refuted the allegations meted out at Ajay Jha by the Muslim organisation. They confirmed that Jha had arrived there with the local authorities after learning about the dispute over the cremation of Shrikant Paswan. A Royal Enfield bike of the mukhiya (head) of Hariharpur panchayat, Ajay Jha, was also burnt by the miscreants.

Locals also said that Ajay Jha was summoned to the police station the following day on the pretence of causing a disturbance after the Muslim side filed a complaint in this regard.

Nazere Alam, a member of the India Muslim Bedari Caravan, who spoke with OpIndia, also said that Ajay Jha was taken into custody the next day after the Muslim side filed a complaint against him. Kamtaul police station in-charge also confirmed that Ajay Jha is in police custody.

Dalit community being stripped of their basic rights in Bihar: BJP condemns the incident

Condemning the incident in a tweet, the state unit of BJP slammed the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and accused it of playing appeasement politics. “In the Grand Alliance government, the Dalit community cannot even burn a dead body. A particular community removed the dead body from the pyre in a crematorium in Darbhanga and threw it. Then the houses of the people who came to burn the dead body were also burnt. Paswan community people were brutally assaulted,” BJP tweeted with the hashtag #ThagbandhanAppeasement.

The tweet includes a video, which depicted the one-sided coverage of the incident by the biased media. Along with this, the BJP questioned the appalling apathy of the Nitish Kumar government towards such incidents happening in the state.

NIA attaches 3 properties in terror-gangster-drug smuggler nexus case

ANI
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NIA attaches 3 properties in terror-gangster-drug smuggler nexus case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) attached three properties owned by members of Organised Crime Syndicates in Haryana and Delhi on Tuesday.

This came after multi-state raids were conducted across 129 locations as part of its continuing offensive against the terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler network, having links with ‘listed individual terrorist’ Arsh Dala and other foreign-based terrorists.

The raids were conducted at locations linked with gangsters and their associates in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on May 17 this year.

The properties attached include a house of Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan in Delhi and two houses belonging to Kaushal Chaudhary and Amit Dagar in the Gurugram district of Haryana, the agency said on Tuesday, adding “all these properties constituted ‘proceeds of terrorism’, which were used for hatching terror conspiracies and execution of crimes”.

As per NIA investigations, Irfan had been involved in multiple criminal cases of murder and extortion, besides being a supplier of all types of logistics support, including men and material (supply of arms and ammunition), to the notorious Bambiha gang.

“Irfan had provided a safe haven to the gang’s absconding associates on the instructions of Kaushal Chaudhary, Bhupi Rana and other key operatives of the gang to reach out to the ground level operatives for the execution of terror and criminal activities,” the NIA said.

The other two, Kaushal Choudhary and Amit Dagar were closely associated with key conspirators-foreign-based Arshdeep Dala and Gaurab Patyal alias Sourav Thakur alias Lucky, with the help of other accused persons.

Both Kaushal and Amit were involved in extortion, threatening and killing of businessmen and striking terror among singers, businessmen and sportspersons, as well as in arranging weapons for the execution of acts of terror and violence.

“They were both in touch with and conspired with foreign-based terrorists, as well as ground operatives, through social media platforms for execution of extortion and killing terror activities. The money raised from the extortions was being utilised for furtherance of terror activities and for providing logistic support to other gangs, including the Bambiha gang, active in India,” said the NIA.

The NIA registered cases against three major Organised Crime Syndicates under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in August last year.

These syndicates were spreading their mafia-style criminal networks in the northern states of India and were involved in the commission of many sensational crimes, such as the murder of popular singer Sidhu Moosewala. and large-scale extortions from businessmen and professionals.

Their crimes included the killing of Maharashtra builder Sanjay Biyani, as well as Sandeep Nangal Ambia, an international Kabbadi organiser in Punjab, the NIA said.

“Many of these conspiracies were found to have been masterminded from abroad, including Pakistan and Canada, or by leaders of Organised Criminal Syndicates lodged in jails,” it added.

The NIA also said it has planned to intensify its drive, in active and close collaboration with police forces of various states to dismantle such terror and mafia networks and their support infrastructure and to attach and seize their assets procured from ‘proceeds of terrorism and crime’.

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

Pune: Shopkeeper Kaif Karimullah Sheikh molests 20-year-old woman under the guise of ‘helping’ her check size of garments, booked

OpIndia Staff
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Pune: Shopkeeper Kaif Karimullah Sheikh molests 20-year-old woman under the guise of ‘helping’ her check size of garments, booked

An outrageous incident recently occurred in the MG Road area of the city where a young women aged around 20 was molested by a shopkeeper identified as Kaif Karimullah Sheikh (24). The Pune Police has taken the cognizance of the incident and has filed an FIR in the case.

In the past few days, the issue of women’s safety has become a serious matter in Pune, especially after a college girl was attacked in broad daylight in the Sadashiv Peth area. According to the local reports, this recent incident is said to have happened in the cantonment area of the city. A 20-year-old college girl was molested by Sheikh while she visited his shop on MG Road to get her trousers exchanged. The accused molested the victim girl and touched her inappropriately as he offered to ‘help’ her check the size of the clothing.

Reportedly, the shop in which the girl was molested is located in the Nath Chowk area on MG road in the Pune Cantonment region. Sheikh, who has been identified as the accused works as an attendant at the shop. The incident happened on July 20 at around 1:10 pm. The girl was molested as she attempted to try the T-shirt she wanted to pay for. “I’ll help you wear the T-shirt,” said Sheikh as he offered to ‘help’ the girl check the size before the purchase.

The accused then attempted to sexually assault her and he also touched her inappropriately. The 20-year-old victim pushed the accused and managed to escape from the spot. She then called her brother for help who reached there with some of his friends. The brother of the victim further is said to have thrashed the accused for molesting the girl.

The victim girl later filed a police complaint at the Camp area police station. Accordingly, a case has been registered against the accused, identified as Kaif Karimmullah Sheikh. The FIR has been registered under section 354 of the IPC. Also, a cross FIR has been registered against the brother of the victim girl for thrashing the accused. The police confirmed the event and said that the notices have been issued to both the parties and that the investigation in the case is underway.

Confirming the incident, Police Sub-Inspector Shekhar Mokate stated, “The woman, who resides in Swargate, has been a regular patron of the shop for the past two years. On Wednesday, she visited the shop to get her purchased trousers replaced.”

According to the Police, upon her arrival at the shop, the owner informed her about the arrival of a new stock of T-shirts and inquired if she was interested in purchasing one. The woman decided to take a look at some of these T-shirts and chose one to try on. She alleged that while ostensibly demonstrating how to wear the T-shirt, the owner touched her inappropriately.

Following the incident, the woman reacted by pushing the shop owner away and immediately recounted the ordeal to her brother over the phone. Without delay, the brother arrived at the shop accompanied by a friend, and a heated verbal confrontation ensued. Subsequently, they physically assaulted the shop owner. Mokate further stated, “The surveillance footage from outside the shop shows the brother striking the owner repeatedly with a stick on his head and neck, while his friend also joined in the attack.”

Crimes against women in Pune

Several crimes against women have recently been reported from Pune raising the alarm of women safety in the city. In June this year, a 20-year-old college student was attacked with a machete by a 21-year-old youth in the Sadashiv Peth area after she had ended a relationship with him given his abusive behavior.

Also, a brutal case of Love Jihad was reported from the Manchar region of Pune in which a Hindu minor girl was abducted, raped and assaulted by one Javed Sheikh. The girl was rescued after 4 years and was scared so much so that she even refused to identify and go close to her father. The girl during the period of 4 years was tortured, assaulted and given the bruises of lit cigarettes.

The Police then had arrested the accused and booked him under sections 363 (kidnapping) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 4, 6, 8, 10 of the POCSO Act. Further investigations are underway.

In the current case the FIR against the accused worker identified as Kaif Karimullah Sheikh has been registered under section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Further investigations in the case are underway.

China sacks ‘missing’ foreign minister Qin Gang, replaces him with his predecessor Wang Yi

OpIndia Staff
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China sacks ‘missing’ foreign minister Qin Gang, replaces him with his predecessor Wang Yi

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was dismissed from his position and succeeded by former Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media reported on Tuesday.

The reports did not disclose any specific reasons for Qin’s removal, but it was mentioned that President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to formalize this decision.

State media outlet Xinhua reported that during a session convened on Tuesday, China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as the new foreign minister. Simultaneously, it was announced that Qin Gang had been removed from the post of foreign minister.

Qin Gang ‘missing’ since June 25

Since his meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing on June 25, Qin has not made any public appearances. Notably, he was absent from an international diplomatic summit in Indonesia, and China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry attributed his nonattendance to unspecified health issues.

The lack of clarity surrounding Qin’s current location has sparked speculation regarding potential disagreements with Chinese leadership or the possibility of him being under official investigation. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry asserted that it had no information to disclose regarding Qin’s status.

It is important to note that China’s Communist Party is well-known for its opaque approach to internal personnel matters, and media freedom and free speech are severely restricted in the country.

Wang Yi returns as Chinese foreign minister

Having held the position of the leader of the Communist Party’s foreign affairs commission, Wang holds a higher rank than Qin in China’s government hierarchy. For the past month, Wang has been handling Qin’s responsibilities. Wang previously served as the foreign minister from 2018 to 2022.

This reshuffling in diplomatic roles comes amidst efforts by China and the US to mend their strained relationship, which has been marked by disagreements on various issues such as trade, human rights, technology, Taiwan, and territorial claims made by Beijing. In recent times, senior Chinese diplomats have also visited European countries in an attempt to improve relations.

However, Qin’s absence at the top of China’s foreign ministry has created a void. As a consequence, the planned visit to Beijing by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, had to be called off. Furthermore, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also postponed his visit to Beijing this month due to Qin’s unavailability, as reported by Bloomberg on Friday.

Multivalent meningococcal meningitis vaccine from Serum Institute of India gets WHO prequalification, to be used in Africa

ANI
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Multivalent meningococcal meningitis vaccine from Serum Institute of India gets WHO prequalification, to be used in Africa

MenFive, the first conjugate vaccine to protect against the five predominant causes of meningococcal meningitis in Africa, has been prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India, MenFive is a game changer vaccine, “MenFive is a game-changer vaccine developed through a powerful 13-year collaboration between Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SIIPL), PATH, and vital support from the UK government, in the fight against meningococcal meningitis in Africa.” PATH is a global nonprofit dedicated to achieving health equity.

“As the first conjugate vaccine to safeguard against the five predominant causes of this deadly disease, MenFive offers hope for a future free from annual outbreaks and epidemics in the African meningitis belt. It is a big moment as we, together, pave the way towards a healthier Africa, saving countless lives,” Poonawala said.

“MenFive is a much-required medical intervention that will be available at an extremely affordable price”, said Dr Rajeev Dhere, Executive Director of SIIPL.

“The prequalification of MenFive represents a turning point for the African meningitis belt and a step forward in the global effort to Defeat Meningitis by 2030,” says Dr Bill Hausdorff, director of PATH’s meningitis vaccine development projects.

“The introduction of new multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines is a key strategy for bacterial meningitis prevention and control. MenFive is a critical addition to the toolbox that will save thousands of lives every year,” he added.

WHO prequalification—which ensures a vaccine meets strict international quality, safety, and efficacy standards—was supported by extensive clinical studies in The Gambia, India, and Mali that demonstrated a high level of safety and immunogenicity. Importantly, prequalification allows MenFive to be procured by United Nations agencies and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.

Meningococcal meningitis is a bacterial infection that sets in rapidly and can kill within hours. It can cause severe brain damage and sepsis leading to limb amputation and is fatal in 50% of cases if untreated. Anyone can contract meningococcal meningitis but children under age five—especially infants—are likely to suffer the most severe effects.

Polysaccharide vaccines have traditionally been used in response to African meningitis epidemics, but they have limitations. They only provide short-term protection, don’t promote herd immunity and are not generally effective in infants and children younger than two years of age. Conjugate vaccines provide better, longer-lasting protection against meningococcal disease.

Multivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines that protect against serogroup A, C, W, and Y have been available on the global market for decades, but they aren’t affordable for meningitis belt countries to include in their meningitis prevention strategies—leaving 450 million people at risk of death or severe disability due to meningococcal disease.

“MenFive is currently undergoing an additional Phase 3 study in healthy children between 9 and 15 months of age in Mali, to examine MenFive’s safety and immunogenicity when administered alongside measles/rubella and yellow fever vaccine. The study is being conducted by the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health,” reads the statement. 

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

My “Red Diary” contains all the information about corruption in Rajasthan under Ashok Gehlot government: Sacked Congress minister Rajendra Gudha

OpIndia Staff
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My “Red Diary” contains all the information about corruption in Rajasthan under Ashok Gehlot government: Sacked Congress minister Rajendra Gudha

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

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

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

Gudha while talking to the media on July 24 said that he wanted to give a statement on the red diary but the speaker did not allow it. “Shanti Dhariwal stood to speak and I went to him and said that I want to give a statement in the House, but Congress MLAs pushed me to the ground and overpowered me. Some of them including Shanti Dhariwal kicked me and snatched the diary from me. However, some part of the diary was left with me,” he said.

What is in that ‘Red Diary’ of Rajendra Gudha?

Rajendra Gudha claims that the red diary is jam-packed with facts and proof of Ashok Gehlot and his son’s wrongdoings during Gehlot’s term as the chief minister of Rajasthan. The infamous “Red Diary,” according to Gudha, has a number of ominous secrets that could pose problems for the Gehlot administration.

According to Gudha’s assertions, Dharmendra Rathore, currently Chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, wrote the book. Gudha is of the opinion that the diary includes all financial dealings and donations made to MLAs throughout the elections.

Gudha said that the diary was secured by him during an income tax raid at the residence of RTDC chairman Dharmendra Rathore as per the instructions of CM Ashok Gehlot.

Crying before the media yesterday, Gudha also said that he does not fear going to jail. He accepted that he secured the diary from Rathore’s residence to save the political power of CM Ashok Gehlot. “I saved him. I admired Gehlot as my leader. He asked me to get the diary containing all the details of the ill transactions. I did it all for him. And now the government is not allowing me in,” he said.

Gudha says he will drag CM to jail

Rajendra Gudha also said that Gehlot had asked him to burn and destroy the diary but that didn’t happen. “I am accusing the government of fraud and that is true. I know what I am saying. If I am wrong, put me in jail or kill me. Half of the Ministers in the Ashok Gehlot government are corrupt and involved in criminal cases and deserve to be in jail,” he said.

Gudha meanwhile cleared that he was not desperate for becoming the Minister and that if he is sent to jail, he will take CM Ashok Gehlot with him to the jail.

Rajasthan government sacked Gudha for criticising the state over crimes against women

Notably, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot recently sacked Congress’ Rajendra Gudha as a minister in his government for commenting and criticising the state government over crimes against women. Gudha questioned his own government’s efforts to combat crimes against women in Rajasthan while his colleagues condemned the violence in Manipur.

Congress legislators raised placards in protest of the violence in Manipur during the consideration of the Rajasthan Minimum Income Guarantee Bill 2023 in the state Assembly, but Gudha did not appreciate the protest and wanted accountability from his own administration for atrocities committed against women.

“The way we have failed to provide security to women in Rajasthan and atrocities on women have increased, instead of raising the issue of Manipur, we should introspect,” Gudha said in the state assembly.

He also reiterated his statement on July 23 saying that “Rajasthan is number one when it comes to crime against women.”

Delhi Court asks trial court to decide over bail plea of Delhi anti-Hindu riots accused Shahrukh Pathan, who had pulled a gun at a police constable

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Court asks trial court to decide over bail plea of Delhi anti-Hindu riots accused Shahrukh Pathan, who had pulled a gun at a police constable

Shahrukh Pathan, who was captured during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots brandishing a gun at a Police constable, was directed by the Delhi High Court on Monday to submit a new bail application to the trial court.

Pathan was asked to reapply for bail before the trial court by a single-judge bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma.“This court requests the trial court to dispose of the bail application within one month,” the HC said.

He was charged with an FIR (49/2020) at the Jafrabad police station in 2020 for rioting, being equipped with a dangerous weapon, engaging in an unlawful assembly, and attempting to murder an individual.

Pathan’s attorney claimed that since some crucial prosecution witnesses had been questioned after his earlier bail application was denied, the situation had changed. He also sought to withdraw his pending bail application from the high court in order to go to the trial court for support. He further stated that Pathan’s bail application had been pending before the HC since January 2022.

Additionally, Pathan’s attorney claimed that there were no eyewitnesses and that only ‘circumstantial evidence’ had been used to prove the case against him. “There is no CCTV footage of the incident. All those people named in the FIR and those who have been identified are out on bail. This entire case is motivated and fabricated, they have planted witnesses,” he claimed.

Pathan had been ‘languishing’ in jail for about three and a half years, he continued.

On the other hand, the lawyer for the Delhi police cited Pathan’s behaviour when he was imprisoned and said that there has been a time when a cell phone was found from him and he also assaulted the jail’s assistant superintendent. “There has been an occasion where a mobile phone was found on him. There has been an occasion where he attacked the assistant superintendent of jail… All other accused were found in their homes. This accused absconds, was arrested on March 3, 2020 from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh, after a large search operation.”

Pathan was denied bail by the trial court in December 2021. He then moved the High Court in January 2022 seeking bail.

Accused Shahrukh Pathan was arrested in the year 2020 on the charges of opening fire at the Delhi Police officials and inciting riots in the national capital during the Anti-Hindu riots. He has been charged in two cases. He has been booked under rioting and relevant sections for allegedly pointing a gun at head constable Deepak Dahiya during the riots on February 24, 2020. His name is also included in a charge sheet in connection with the Maujpur incident on February 24, where violence erupted between pro-CAA and anti-CAA groups and later spread to other parts of Northeast Delhi.

CCTV videos of head constable Deepak Dahiya standing resolute on duty, fearlessly facing the criminal Shahrukh who fired bullets at him had gone viral on social media.

Two policemen named Raman and Deepak and a passerby Rohit Shukla had sustained injuries because of the violence that had broken out at Maujpur Chowk on February 24. Shukla had then confirmed that there were two groups of people, one of which was shouting ‘Allah­hu­Akbar’ and protesting against CAA and NRC.

The Delhi Court had later ordered an FIR against Pathan and booked him under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with a weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, etc.), 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 307 (murder attempt), 505, 120B and 34 of the Indian Penal Code along with Section 27 of the Arms Act.

Scratch your memory, sir: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar fumes after P Chidambaram challenges the Chair on Rajya Sabha rules

OpIndia Staff
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Scratch your memory, sir: Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar fumes after P Chidambaram challenges the Chair on Rajya Sabha rules

On Tuesday (July 25), Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar objected to the remarks made by Congress leader P Chidambaram with respect to the rules governing the proceedings of the Upper House.

The veteran Congress MP had accused Jagdeep Dhankhar of not admitting 50+ motions on Manipur violence under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States.

“Mr P Chidambaram raised this issue, with his own experience of having got into Parliament in mid 80s. I was a little surprised and stunned when he said ‘How can you do it?’ It came from a man of experience, who held senior positions in the Cabinet,” the Vice-President emphasised.

“How can the Chairman do it, he said. I will appeal to him to look into the rationale as to why I have done it. I am sure you will find a way out of it. But, such kind of extreme, intemperate, inappropriate expression for the Chair, emanating from such a senior member, surely is not wholesome,” he pointed out.

In his defence, P Chidambaram claimed that he did not challenge the authority of the Rajya Sabha Chairman. He asked, “You have rightly said that Rule 267 motion will take precedence over any other rule. Having said that, there are 51 fresh motions today. How can they be overruled by something that happened 3 days ago under Rule 176?”

The Congress MP then claimed, “You are contradicting yourself. How can you do that? Please look at the entire thing.” Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar intervened and said, “First, you directly challenged the Chair and said ‘How can you do it?’ This is number one (point).”

He added, “Sir, you were in governance for 10 years preceding this. Have you seen 50 motions earlier under Rule 267? Scratch your memory…On (the issue of) Manipur, I have already accepted the notice in accordance with Rule 176. The Minister has spontaneously agreed to a discussion.”

What do the Rules say?

The Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States, says, “Any member, may, with the consent of the Chairman, move that any rule may be suspended in its application to a motion related to the business listed before the Council of that day and if the motion is carried, the rule in question shall be suspended for the time being: Provided further that this rule shall not apply where specific provision already exists for suspension of a rule under a particular chapter of the Rules.”

Thus, Rule 267 deals with the suspension of other Rules of the House. On the contrary, Rule 176 states, “Any member desirous of raising discussion on a matter of urgent public importance may give notice in writing to the Secretary-General specifying clearly and precisely the matter to be raised: Provided that the notice shall be accompanied by an explanatory note stating reasons for raising discussion on the matter in question: Provided further that the notice shall be supported by the signatures of at least two other members.”

Thus, Rule 176 deals with short discussions, less than 2.5 hours long, on matter of urgent public importance.

Jagdeep Dhankhar tells AAP MP Sanjay Singh to ‘keep silence’

On Friday (July 21), Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar reprimanded Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh for interrupting his address during the monsoon session of the Rajya Sabha.

“I give time to everyone in accordance with rules. This House is the upper House, the House of Elders. Our conduct is being watched by more than 1.3 billion people. We have to exemplify our conduct so that we can be appreciated,” he urged the members of the Rajya Sabha to maintain decorum.

At that point, the Vice-President was interrupted by Sanjay Singh, who claimed, “The whole country is seeing your conduct.” Jagdeep Dhankhar then directed the AAP leader to behave himself.

“Can you keep quiet for a moment? It has become your habit to rise and raise a point. I give time, every time,” he emphasised.

The Vice-President, who serves as the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha told Sanjay Singh, “It is not a public street. It is not a platform. Keep your silence, please. No.”

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