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North India faces heavy rainfall – 14 die amid water logging, submerged societies, roaring rivers across states

OpIndia Staff
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North India faces heavy rainfall – 14 die amid water logging, submerged societies, roaring rivers across states

On 9th July, heavy rainfall continued in many states of North India. At least 14 people, including two Army personnel, have died across north India amid monsoon rains. Delhi NCR is facing a serious waterlogging problem, and a government school building has fallen just four months after its construction in education Minister Atishi Marlena’s constituency, raising questions over poor construction.

Home Minister Amit Shah took stock of the situation and spoke to officials in Delhi and other states. He also spoke to J&K LG to take updates about the Amarnath Yatra that has been suspended due to heavy rains.

All the rivers are flowing at dangerous marks across Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh, for the first time in 23 years, received 322mm of rain in less than 24 hours, causing damages. Mini flash floods, caved roads, waterlogged roads and power cuts have spread across Chandigarh Tricity that covers Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula alongside Zirakpur, Dera Bassi, Kharar and other areas nearby.

Heavy rains started two days ago and continued till Sunday evening. As per the Weather.com forecast, rains will continue for at least days in most North Indian states. Experts have said that an interaction between a western disturbance and monsoonal winds has led to an intense rainfall spell in states including Delhi. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red alerts for several states on 9th July and predicted another spell of heavy rains in the next 24-48 hours.

The Safdarjung observatory recorded 126.1mm of rainfall between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on Saturday. Delhi received 100mm of rainfall in a single day covering 15 per cent of the total rainfall it receives every monsoon.

At least 14 killed in 24 hours

Two Army personnel died from flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir. Their bodies were recovered in the Poonch district. As per reports, they were crossing Dogra Nallah in Surankote when caught in a flash flood on 8th July. The mortal remains of the first soldier, identified as Naib Subedar Kuldeep Singh, were recovered on Saturday, while the body of the second soldier was recovered on Sunday.

Two people died in district Doda of Jammu and Kashmir after a landslide hit a passenger bus. Superintendent of Police (Bhaderwah) Vinod Sharma said the bus got caught in a landslide at village Bhangroo on the Thathri-Gandoh road. Three trapped passengers were rescued and rushed to hospital for treatment. Amir Sohail of Kahara and Mudassar Ali of Changa-Bhalessa were declared brought dead. As Baglihar Dam received a record amount of water, the police have issued an advisory asking people to stay away from the area.

Himachal Pradesh is witnessing landslides, damages to properties and more, leading to the death of five people. In the Kotgarh area of district Shimla, three people died after their house collapsed in a landslide due to rains. A woman died in a makeshift house that was damaged in a landslide. In Katiyan tehsil of district Chamba, a man was reportedly buried alive in a landslide. So far, 13 landslides and nine flash floods have been reported in the state.

The Uttarakhand government has warned pilgrims to be cautious while planning Yatra owing to heavy rainfall in the state. In a statement, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “All pilgrims should proceed on their yatra keeping the weather conditions in mind.” Several roads in the Himalayan region are blocked, and people have been stuck on roads due to landslides. The officials have closed Badrinath National Highway following a landslide near Chhinka and National Highway 9 in Kumaon division at district Champawat. Several people got stuck after cloud burst in Dharchula.

Three people died in Uttar Pradesh, including a woman and her six-year-old daughter after the roof of their house collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Niyazura village of district Muzaffarnagar. In another incident, a 10-year-old girl died when a tree bench fell on the tun shed of her house in Sirathu.

Leh Ladakh is also facing extreme weather conditions. A meteorological department spokesperson said, “There has been widespread moderate to heavy rain and snowfall over the higher reaches of Ladakh. People are advised to remain vigilant and avoid slide-prone areas.”

Four people died in separate incidents in Rajasthan. A man and a woman reportedly died in Chittorgarh due to lightning. Two men died by drowning in Sawai Madhopur.

US-based Christian pastor claims over 1 lakh Hindus converted just in a week, says RSS and PM Modi made conversions tough in north India

Rukma Rathore
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US-based Christian pastor claims over 1 lakh Hindus converted just in a week, says RSS and PM Modi made conversions tough in north India

Christian organisations continue to protest about the claimed ‘persecution’ in India, and the United States in its multiple reports on human rights has often criticised and lectured India about the rights of minorities. India, however, has consistently denied their allegations and responded back in kind.

Now, a preacher’s ten-month-old YouTube video has surfaced, in which he declared that India is the prime destination for conversions and that in spite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s efforts, they have been successful in reaching their goal.

Pastor Chris Hodges also bragged that the missionaries that his organisation is associated with have already converted more than 1 lakh Hindus in a single week. The pastor made the claims in an almost 39-minute sermon.

Chris Hodges is the lead pastor of the Church of the Highlands which described itself as a life-giving church meeting in multiple locations throughout Alabama and West Georgia on its official website.

According to the same website, “Chris Hodges is the founding and senior pastor of the Church of the Highlands. He co-founded ARC (Association of Related Churches) in 2001, which has launched hundreds of churches across the United States. He also founded Grow, specializing in training and resourcing pastors and churches to help them break barriers and reach their growth potential. Chris is also the founder and Chancellor of Highlands College, a ministry training school that trains and launches students into full-time ministry careers.”

It added, “Chris and his wife Tammy have five children and live in Birmingham, Alabama, where Church of the Highlands began. He speaks at conferences worldwide and is the author of Fresh Air, Four Cups, The Daniel Dilemma, What’s Next, Out of the Cave, and Pray First.”

The nefarious conversion agenda

Referring to the Hindu population of India as “lost people” in a video titled ‘Signs of the Times’ uploaded on 22 August of last year by the Church of the Highlands on its official account, Chris Hodges stated that one of his missionaries told him, “One of the places on the planet where it’s the largest concentration of lost people that are both unengaged and unreached.”

He further continued, “And it’s the northern India area. Even though the southern area was largely Christianised. India has taken a pretty bad turn over the last ten years.” Notably, the National Democratic Alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party has been in power since 2014 and has revoked the licences of numerous organisations, including Christian groups, for breaching the 2010 Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

Missionary organisations, which are frequently supported by foreign entities, dissimulate their true goal and attempt to convert individuals by masquerading as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that promote the welfare of the underprivileged and marginalised segments of society.

Pastor Chris Hodges voiced his frustration over the developments of the past few years and bemoaned, “Their Prime Minister has literally kicked out a lot of Christian agencies, and there’s whole organisation is set on making India 100% Hindu. And it’s so really gotten very dark there.” Most importantly, he failed to provide any evidence for his concocted accusation.

He added, “And honestly you need to pray for the Christians in India and around the world. They are going through great persecution, losing their lives every single day. It’s happening.” He didn’t even hesitate to bring up RSS and make unfounded charges against the outfit. “There’s a group called the RSS that basically operates just to destroy you and persecute Christians, and it’s just terrible.”

The preacher remarked that the missionary informed him that they support a group in north India but refrained from going into the details of it. “But they are in that northern India area, and they are in 21 days of prayer. They are in prayers and fasting right now. And they had a word from God happen in their prayer service, where they felt like God would anoint them if they would go and do outreach projects, right now. They are doing it right now.”

He revealed their objective and professed how unassuming individuals are manipulated into embracing Christianity. “And they organised themselves into 3,931 outreach teams, and they dispersed into 15 of the northern states of India to go do evangelism, and God showed up. So, like, they would go lay their hand on the sick, ordinary Christians, and sick people were getting healed instantly.”

He described how the superstition of demon possession is utilised as a tool by the missionaries for the unwary. “And they had people there that were demon-possessed, I mean, like notoriously demon-possessed, tormenting the whole village, get radically delivered. And it was so radical, and they were so thrilled that this demonic person was freed.”

The pastor made it clear that the missionaries deploy ‘demon possessed’ people to trouble villages, and then the pastors appear in the villages like messiahs and release the demon from the persons, thereby bringing ‘peace’ to the area. After that, the party of conversion becomes very easy for them.

“Now, one case, this woman who got delivered, that they were so thrilled that she was now a woman of peace, that 150 families gave their lives to Jesus on the spot. Whenever that happened, it was just amazing, just amazing,” Chris Hodges boasted. Deliverance in the Bible is the acts of God whereby he rescues his people (Christians) from peril.

“But in their outreach projects, just this past week-you ready for it,” he asked and presented the ‘joyous’ conversion statistics to his audience. “This is what you need to celebrate: 112,124 Hindus converted to Christ just last week. Come on, give God praise together, everybody.”

Watch the video from the 34:05 mark:

Funny Christian tactics that work as powerful equipment for conversion

“Arararara” and “Mera Yeshu Yeshu” make excellent memes and make the audience laugh. However, these are effective means which prey on the vulnerable minds of Hindus and lure them away from their own religion and towards Christianity.

One such extremely popular video was that of a woman named Pushpa Diwadkar who claimed to be bedridden for years because of her failed kidneys. The pastor chanted, “Ohhhhhh Shakararararar Rararara,” along with his followers on the stage and as the voices grew louder, Pushpa lost consciousness and collapsed. One of his followers then put her hand on the woman’s stomach, and after a while, she is seen strolling peacefully amid raucous applause.

This is only one example among hundred others. The supposed miracles displayed in these massive gatherings, where the mute can be heard speaking and the lame is seen running are nothing more than a conversion mafia at work who are using every trick in the book to convert as many credulous Hindus as they can.

Christian organisations have taken advantage of every chance in recent decades to convert naive Hindus to Christianity through multiple methods including building churches, large-scale evangelistic camps, public prayers and healing events for the sick.

Social media platforms often feature footage of Christian events that are ridiculed for their foolishness. However, over the past few decades, these evangelical conventions have grown into important platforms for bringing non-Christians into the fold of their faith. Therefore, the evangelists have successfully captivated oblivious Hindus from heartlands, deep jungles, rural areas, and metropolitan centres. Moreover, they accomplished this without any fear of punishment.

The sad reality is that despite the Modi government’s various efforts to control and keep a check on them, these organisations are still quite active and continuing their mission of conversion with tremendous impunity.

Another NCP MLA Kiran Lahamate leaves Sharad Pawar’s faction to join Ajit Pawar, more including MLA Ashutosh Kale expected to follow suit

OpIndia Staff
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Another NCP MLA Kiran Lahamate leaves Sharad Pawar’s faction to join Ajit Pawar, more including MLA Ashutosh Kale expected to follow suit

Sharad Pawar, the veteran politician from Maharashtra, has encountered yet another setback as a prominent MLA, Kiran Lahamate from Akola, has switched allegiance from his faction to join Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. Lahamate was initially seen with Ajit Pawar during the oath-taking ceremony on July 2, 2023, but later returned to Sharad Pawar’s camp. However, he has now made a U-turn and officially joined Ajit Pawar’s group on July 8, 2023. During the transition, Lahamate also signed newly drafted documents to solidify his association with Ajit Pawar.

Ajit Pawar entrusted the responsibility of bringing Lahamate back into his camp to his trusted aide, Balasaheb Jagtap. Jagtap dedicated three days to camp in Akola and successfully persuaded Lahamate to join Ajit Pawar’s fold. Additionally, Ashutosh Kale, the MLA from Kopargaon, has sent an affidavit of support to Ajit Pawar, further strengthening his faction. As a result, Ajit Pawar’s group is gradually gaining momentum.

During Ajit Pawar’s oath-taking ceremony, Dr Lahamate stood by his side and also affixed his signature to several previously prepared documents. However, the following day, Lahamate returned to Sharad Pawar’s camp, attending a meeting in Mumbai and claiming that he was tricked into signing the documents.

Jagtap, acting on behalf of Ajit Pawar, made numerous attempts to convince Lahamate to join their camp but was unsuccessful. Instead of staying at home, Lahamate moved to an undisclosed location. Finally, on Saturday night, Lahamate returned home and was subsequently brought to Mumbai, where he met with Ajit Pawar. They discussed the development work that should be prioritised in Akola, and during this meeting, additional documents were prepared, with Lahamate providing his signature. It is now being asserted that Lahmate is legally bound to Ajit Pawar.

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Kale, the MLA from Kopargaon, is currently in the US with his family. It is reported that he has also pledged his support to Ajit Pawar through an affidavit. He is expected to return within a day or two and will elaborate on his position during his meeting with Ajit Pawar. Barring Rohit Pawar and Prajakt Tanpure, four other NCP MLAs have reportedly aligned themselves with Ajit Pawar.

In addition to MLAs, other office bearers and prominent leaders have been meeting Ajit Pawar. Former MLAs Arun Jagtap, Chandrashekhar Ghule, Sitaram Gaikar, and others have reportedly shown their support to Ajit Pawar. However, NCP district president Rajendra Phalke remains aligned with Sharad Pawar.

Notably, on July 2, in a surprising political manoeuvre, Ajit Pawar and eight other prominent leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, joined the Maharashtra government led by Eknath Shinde. Ajit Pawar was appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister, while the others were sworn in as ministers in a ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan.

Netherlands: As the longest-serving Dutch PM Mark Rutte resigns, read how the coalition govt collapsed over the burning refugee issue

Paurush Gupta
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Netherlands: As the longest-serving Dutch PM Mark Rutte resigns, read how the coalition govt collapsed over the burning refugee issue

On the 8th of July, the four-party coalition government collapsed in the Netherlands when the longest-serving Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced his resignation. Later, he met King Willem-Alexander in The Hague and submitted the resignation of the entire cabinet to the King.

With this, the Dutch government became the victim of the migrant debate, the issue that is currently burning Europe, because the govt fell over disagreements among coalition partners on the migration policy.

The coalition was formed by four parties, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of Rutte, the liberal democratic party Democrats 66, the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the centrist party ChristenUnie. The parties had major differences over a new migration policy brought by the govt, resulting in its collapse.

The outgoing PM Rutte agreed to lead a caretaker government until fresh elections are conducted which are expected to be held in mid-November. Mark Rutte also addressed the media and issued an official statement regarding his decision. Rutte said that the differing views of his alliance partners on migration policy were “irreconcilable”. 

He said, “It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy. And today we unfortunately have to conclude that those differences are irreconcilable. That is why I have offered the resignation of the entire cabinet to the King.” 

Earlier, on the 5th and 6th of July, Rutte held emergency meetings to forge a deal among his alliance partners on the migration issue. However, on the 7th of July, Friday evening, the parties unanimously decided that they could not iron out their ideological differences and subsequently announced that they could not remain together in coalition.

The four-party coalition government split on Migration policy

The four-party coalition was running the government for the past 18 months but the bitter differences in migration policy led to the collapse of the alliance government. 

Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s VVD party and one of their alliance partner CDA wanted tougher measures in the immigration policy while the centre-left D66 and Christian Union parties were strongly against this move.

According to Euronews, VVD leader and longest-serving Dutch PM Rutte had been holding negotiations for the past few months. He wanted to come up with a package of measures to reduce the flow of new migrants arriving in The Netherlands, a country with a total population of around 18 million.

As per media reports, Rutte’s proposals included creating two classes of asylum. One would have been a temporary one for all those people who are fleeing from conflicts. While the second class would have been a permanent one. It would be for those people who are escaping persecution. 

Furthermore, Rutte also made plans to reduce the number of family members that would be allowed to join asylum seekers in the Netherlands. VVD and CDA demanded that the number of children of refugees already present in the Netherlands allowed to be limited and make them wait two years before they can reunite with their families. The PM wanted to implement a monthly cap of 200 relatives of war refugees permitted to enter the Netherlands. 

However, his alliance partners, Democrats 66 and the Christian Union party were strongly against the idea of separating family members.

Forum for Democracy (VVD) party, which is led by Rutte, wanted to limit the entrance for children of war refugees who are already present in the country. The party also wanted to make families wait for at least two years before they can be reunited.

Rutte’s then-coalition partner, Pieter Heerma, the leader of the Christian Democrats, claimed that the approach of the outgoing PM in the discussions was “almost reckless.”

While no single party was blamed and it was that the govt fell because of broad disagreements, it has been alleged that Rutte’s insistence on keeping children of refugees separated was a major issue. It is also alleged that the PM’s own party had put lots of pressure on him to be harder on asylum seekers, in exchange for supporting a bill to evenly distribute migrants among all municipalities, which led him to decide to take the decision of resigning.

Opposition was already demanding fresh polls

While the government fell due to proposed measures to curb migration, the govt is actually accused of being pro-migration by opposition parties and a large section of citizens.

Earlier, the opposition lawmakers called for fresh elections even before the outgoing PM formally announced his resignation. The leader of the anti-immigration Party for Freedom Geert Wilders took to Twitter to demand quick elections in the country. He claimed 75% of people in the Netherlands don’t want Rutte to remain in power.

He added, “We are the party that can ensure a majority to significantly restrict the flow of asylum seekers.” He tweeted that with fewer migrants and less crime, they can make the country beautiful again and there will more money and houses for local people, with better facilities and more areas for farmers and fishermen.

Previously, Wilders supported Rutte’s first minority coalition 13 years ago, however, he is also accused of bringing it down. 

Caroline van der Plas, head of the populist Farmer-Citizen Movement party, tweeted that its flags were already hanging out.

The Farmer–Citizen Movement (BBB) party was formed in 2019 and the party won the higher number of seats in all 12 Dutch provinces in the regional elections held in March this year. The massively surprising victory showed the growing anger against the liberal migration policy among Dutch voters. The party has been demanding a cap of 50 to 200 asylum seekers per city council or regional authority.

Apart from the migration policy, Dutch farmers are also protesting against the European green laws, as it is feared that it will cause the shutting down of a large number of farms. In March, farmers drove their tractors to Hauge to protest against the EU green laws. Protests grew after the EU approved $1.61 billion for a Dutch govt plan to buy out farmers with the objective of shutting down farms to reduce nitrogen pollution.

The talks between farmers and the government over the issue collapsed last month after the main farmers’ organisation LTO left the negotiating table. The situation became tougher for the government after the pro-farmer party Farmer–Citizen Movement became the largest party in the upper house of the parliament, and govt does not have majority support.

Caroline van der Plas said that her party is ready for election after the govt collapse. Opinion polls show that BBB can become the largest Dutch party with Rutte’s VVD. The BBB leader said she is open for an alliance with VVD, but only if Rutte is not leading it. Her party blames the outgoing PM for the measures against farmers over nitrogen pollution.

Rutte was under immense pressure on migration because of the rise of far-right parties such as Geert Wilders’ PVV and Farmer–Citizen Movement, while his liberal coalition partners wanted migration to continue.

The demand for holding fresh elections was seen across the political spectrum. Speaking with Dutch broadcaster NOS, Green Left leader Jesse Klaver said, “This country needs a change of direction.”

As the elections will be held in November, Mark Rutte remains in power as caretaker govt till then and can take some decisions.

Migration in The Netherlands

According to the statistics of the Dutch government, the number of people applying for asylum in the Netherlands jumped by a third last year to around 46,000. Now, it is expected to increase to more than 70,000 this year which will cross the previous high registered in 2015.

According to the BBC, this week, Rutte tried to forcefully implement a plan which would have capped the number of relatives of war refugees allowed into the Netherlands at just 200 people per month.

Now, the issue of migration is likely to dominate campaigning for the upcoming elections. 

The timing of this drift by Dutch PM Rutte himself is important. As per media reports, his decision comes just months after the Farmers Citizens Movement displaced Rutte’s VVD party to second place during provincial elections held earlier this year. 

The Farmers Citizens Movement is a new, populist pro-farmer party, and it is known by its Dutch acronym BBB. The party is already the largest bloc in the Dutch Senate and is claimed as a serious threat to Rutte’s VVD.

As per the Telegraph, the BBB also demanded a refugee cap as its popularity was soaring among the Dutch public. On the 29th of June 2023, it was reported that BBB leader Caroline Van der Plas said the Dutch government needed to look at ‘how many genuine asylum seekers the Netherlands can reasonably cope with’. 

The country’s longest-serving prime minister Rutte (56) has been in office since 2010. The current government assumed office in January 2022 which was his fourth coalition government. On the issue of contesting again, Rutte has claimed that he has energy for the fifth term as well.

However, Rutte’s tough measure on immigration is not just limited to his own country. The Dutch Prime Minister also promoted the European Union’s efforts to slow migration to the 27-nation bloc.

Bengal panchayat polls: Abandoned ballot boxes found in a drain in Murshidabad

OpIndia Staff
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Bengal panchayat polls: Abandoned ballot boxes found in a drain in Murshidabad

The panchayat polls were held in West Bengal on Saturday, July 8. During the elections, absolute lawlessness and anarchy were on display as several incidents of violence were reported from the state. On Sunday, July 9, three ballot boxes were found abandoned in a drain in Murshidabad after violence erupted there earlier. A local said that because of the ongoing tension and reports of threats from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), people were reluctant to step out of their homes. 

“The situation is not good after the elections, the general public is also not coming out due to fear. The general public is in panic. If anyone comes out, TMC threatens,” a local resident said.

Meanwhile, a bombing incident transpired in Hiranandpur in Samsherganj police station precinct of Murshidabad. Independent candidate supporters and supporters of Trinamool Congress are at odds in the area. A clash broke out on Sunday between Trinamool and independent supporters in the Murshidabad neighbourhood of Hiranandpur, which is under the jurisdiction of Samsherganj police station.

The panchayat elections held on July 8 in West Bengal were marred by widespread violence across the state. Reports emerged of booth capturing, damage to ballot boxes, and attacks on presiding officers from districts such as Murshidabad, Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur, and Nadia. Tragically, the violence resulted in the loss of over 30 lives and numerous injuries.

The State Election Commission had established a total of 61,636 polling stations for conducting elections to 3,317 Gram panchayats, 341 panchayat samitis, and 20 zila parishads in West Bengal. To ensure the safe conduct of elections, 59,000 personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces and other state police forces were entrusted with the responsibility of guarding the polling stations, including the 4,834 sensitive booths where only CAPFs were deployed.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Sunday said that Trinamool Congress (TMC) changed the ‘Ballot Box’ in West Bengal’s Malda. “TMC’s change ‘Ballot Box’ operation caught in Malda,” Amit Malviya said in a tweet.

He further said that TMC workers were caught red-handed, changing ballot boxes in several places, with the help of contractors and local administration, before they could reach the strong rooms.

Bihar: Miffed at not getting free berries as commission, policeman throws woman vendor’s entire basket of berries on the ground

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Miffed at not getting free berries as commission, policeman throws woman vendor’s entire basket of berries on the ground

On Friday, July 7, in Jamui City’s Kachhari Chowk in Bihar, a policeman threw the entire basket of berries of a tribal woman on the ground. The policeman did so after the woman refused to give the berries to the policeman for free. Following this incident, a crowd of locals congregated at Kachahri Chowk.

Taking note of the situation’s seriousness, the police officials gave the woman Rs 400 as compensation and tried to settle the matter. On the day of the incident, Constable Mahesh Singh brought the prisoners to Jamui court in a prisoner’s vehicle. Meanwhile, the tribal woman named Sanjhali Marandi was selling berries at Kachahri Chowk when Constable Singh asked for berries as ‘commission’.

However, the tribal woman refused to give the berries as a commission. As the woman was adamant about not giving the ‘commission’, an agitated constable threw the basket full of berries on the road and then trampled them. Subsequently, the locals and the police entered into a heated argument. 

The victims, Sanjhali Marandi and Sarita Soren travel 15 kilometres from Tarakura village in the Barhat police station area to sell berries at Kachahri Chowk with their young child.

The victim woman claimed that she brought around ten kilograms of berries to sell, however, the police officials would harass her and take one or two kilograms of berries without paying for them. On the other hand, Mahesh Singh claimed that there was a problem in passing the prisoner’s vehicle due to the basket of berries. He claimed that he did not deliberately throw the basket on the road but rather was only removing it. He added that berries turned over and fell on the road as he was removing the basket.

Meanwhile, Headquarters DSP Abhishek Singh stated that if the driver or police officers were at fault for this behaviour, appropriate action would be taken after an investigation.

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Jamui Police, said that following the appearance of the undertrials, a prisoner van and a scout were taking the prisoners back from the court premises. Two tribal women were selling berries by setting a basket of them out on the road near the Hanuman Temple, but because there was not sufficient space for the prisoners’ vehicles to pass through, both the scout’s car and the prisoners’ vehicle had to come to a stop.

When Havildar driver Mahesh Prasad Singh started to remove the basket containing the aforementioned berries, it fell to the ground hastily, and the berries inside the basket also toppled out. A video was shot at the same time and went viral on social media.

West Bengal: TMC’s change ‘Ballot Box’ operation caught in Malda, says BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya

ANI
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West Bengal: TMC’s change ‘Ballot Box’ operation caught in Malda, says BJP spokesperson Amit Malviya

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell chief Amit Malviya on Sunday alleged that Trinamool Congress (TMC) changed the ‘Ballot Box’ in West Bengal’s Malda.
“TMC’s change ‘Ballot Box’ operation caught in Malda,” Amit Malviya alleged in a tweet.

He further said that TMC workers were caught red-handed, changing ballot boxes in several places, with the help of contractors and local administration, before they could reach the strong rooms.

“BJP MP Khagen Murmu, local MLA and Zilla Parishad (ZP) candidate caught them in the act in Gajol (Hazi Nakoo Md High School), Malda… Similar incidents were reported across Purba and Paschim Medinipur among others. SEC in collusion with Mamata Banerjee has reduced these elections to a farce,” Amit Malviya tweeted.

Moreover in another incident, three ballot boxes were found in a drain in Murshidabad where violence broke out after panchayat elections. A local said, “The situation is not good after the elections, the general public is also not coming out due to fear. The general public is in panic. If anyone comes out, TMC threatens.”

Earlier in the day, BJP MP Khagen Murmu alleged ballot rigging in West Bengal Panchayat polls, and demanded re-polling, in Malda. The three-tier panchayat elections in 20 districts were marked by widespread violence, looting of ballots papers and rigging.

There were reports of booth capturing, damaging of ballot boxes and assault on presiding officers in several districts such as Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Malda, South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur and Nadia.

Polling occurred on Saturday at 7 am amid tight security in the state in 73,887 seats in rural areas of West Bengal with 5.67 crore people deciding the fate of around 2.06 lakh candidates. The counting of votes will take place on July 11.

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

Karnataka: Grocery shop owner Tausif Hussain kills his labourer Gajnana by setting him on fire, arrested from Mulihithlu

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Grocery shop owner Tausif Hussain kills his labourer Gajnana by setting him on fire, arrested from Mulihithlu

A 32-year-old grocery store owner named Tausif Hussain has been apprehended from Mulihithlu for killing his labourer Gajnana. He set the victim on fire and then claimed that it was an incident of electrocution.

Upon questioning locals in the area and relying on evidence, Mangaluru South police arrested the accused on 8 July, according to city police commissioner Kuldeep Kumar R Jain.

The 35-year-old victim was reportedly set on fire and killed by the perpetrator over a small disagreement, as stated by the police. The incident took place on Saturday morning in the godown of the shop, where Tausif Hussain and Gajnana had heated arguments over some issues. Hussain allegedly hit his labourer with a bottle and then set him ablaze at around 8.30 AM.

After that, he extinguished the fire and kept Gajnana in the godown till 1.30 AM. After that, he told the people in the area that Gajnana had been electrocuted and then transferred him to a hospital for treatment with their help. The victim was shifted to Wenlock Hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries. Looking at the nature of the burn injuries, doctors and police concluded that it was not caused by electrocution, and started a probe.

Police verified the incident was a homicide after conducting an initial inquiry, and the offender was taken into custody. The police confirmed that they have opened a case and already started their investigation.

US: Hispanic man on a scooter goes on a shooting spree in New York City, arrested after killing one and injuring three others

OpIndia Staff
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US: Hispanic man on a scooter goes on a shooting spree in New York City, arrested after killing one and injuring three others

On Saturday (July 8) morning, a Hispanic man went on a shooting spree on his scooter, killing an elderly man and injuring three others in the process. The incident took place in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in the New York City of United States.

The accused first attacked a 21-year-old man from behind and shot him in the shoulder at around 11:10 am on Saturday. Approximately 17 minutes later, he shot an 87-year-old Asian man in Queens. Although the victim was rushed to the hospital, he could not be saved.

At around 11:35 a.m., the accused attacked a 44-year-old man and shot him in the face. The victim suffered critical injuries and was admitted to the nearby Jamaica Hospital for immediate medical attention.

A minute later, he shot another 63-year-old man was shot in the shoulder at the intersection of 134th Street and Jamaica Avenue. The victim is said to be in a stable condition now.

Law enforcement acted swiftly to bring the shooter into custody. The suspect, who authorities describe as “extremely emotionally disturbed,” was apprehended near the crime scene at 1:10 p.m.

It was revealed that he possessed a .9-mm firearm equipped with an extended clip, capable of inflicting further harm. While charges against the shooter are pending, police sources have suggested that the shooting spree could have resulted in additional casualties.

Shooter was driving illegal scooter, had ghost gun

Acting Police Commissioner Eddie Caban informed that the fact that the shooter was operating an illegal scooter without a license plate, allowing him to swiftly move between locations.

During the pursuit of the suspect, one officer initially spotted the shooter on the scooter but lost sight of him. Another officer engaged in a vehicular chase that ultimately turned into a foot pursuit. Law enforcement discovered the firearm inside the scooter.

The firearm reportedly used by the shooter was described as a “ghost gun,” lacking serial numbers and registration. Eyewitnesses described the chaotic scene, with people screaming and running for safety.

Accused arrested without hours

The swift response from law enforcement led to the arrest of the shooter near the intersection of 134th Street. Meanwhile, authorities have seized the scooter used in the shooting. As investigations continue, law enforcement released a photograph of the shooter.

He has been described as a Hispanic man with a heavy build, dressed in a green shirt, black pants with a white stripe, and black and white sneakers.

While speaking about the matter, an police official said, “This guy had a lot of ammunition on him. There were going to be other bodies dropped.” The accused was reportedly arrested in 2019 for possession of a forged instrument.

Delhi: Wall of newly built govt school building in Education Minister Atishi Marlena’s constituency collapses

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Wall of newly built govt school building in Education Minister Atishi Marlena’s constituency collapses

On Saturday, the 8th of July, part of a newly constructed Delhi government school at Sriniwaspuri in Delhi’s Kalkaji assembly constituency collapsed amid heavy rainfall in the National Capital. As per media reports, the government school comes under the assembly constituency of Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marlena. 

Many vehicles parked at the location were heavily damaged when the wall came down crashing amid the heavy downpour. 

After the incident, BJP leaders hit out at the AAP’s Delhi education model and accused the Delhi government of indulging in corruption during the construction of the newly built government school.

BJP leader and former MCD chairman Rajpal Singh also said that the school in Sriniwaspuri of the Kalkaji area was constructed just four months ago. Singh highlighted the fact that the government school whose wall collapsed in this incident falls in the assembly constituency of Delhi Education Minister Atishi. 

He stated that it was constructed at a cost of about Rs 16 crores. Despite this, the school wall collapsed like a house of cards just four months after its construction was completed.  

Singh added, ‘Can anyone imagine how big the accident could have been if the school was open and children were sitting inside it?’

He said that this school is an example of why they accused the Delhi government of taking 40% commission while running the administration in Delhi. Subsequently, he demanded that an FIR should be registered in this entire matter and strict action should be taken against the culprits.

Amid heavy downpours in Delhi that began Saturday Morning, there have been several reports of houses and walls collapsing but it is said that those buildings were reportedly in dilapidated condition. 

According to the Delhi Fire Service, incidents of house or wall collapse were reported from about 15 places in Delhi on the 8th of July when the above incident happened.

As per ANI, the back side wall of Deshbandhu College, which is located in the Kalkaji area of Delhi, collapsed. Approximately 15 luxury cars and 10 to 12 motorcycles and scooters were damaged in this incident.

As per ABP news, the electric pole also fell down on a house during the rain and there was an eminent danger of local residents being exposed to electric shock.

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