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Gujarat: Nursing student commits suicide after harassment by a youth, accused Abdullah Momin arrested

A Hindu girl allegedly committed suicide as a result of harassment by a Muslim youth in Dakor of Gujarat. The accused, Abdullah Momin, was arrested based on the complaint filed by the deceased girl’s father.

The deceased girl lived with her family in Dakor and was pursuing nursing in Nadiad. His father works at Dakor police station, and she travelled to Nadiad from Dakor daily to attend nursing school. On May 10, the girl’s family had gone out of the village for a wedding and she stayed back at home due to her exams.

On May 12, the girl’s mother called and her phone was switched off. After several attempts, when the daughter did not pick up the phone, the mother informed the neighbour and asked her to go home and see her. The neighbour went and knocked on the door repeatedly but there was no response from inside. The girl was finally found hanging from the ceiling when the neighbours broke open the door. When the girl’s family was informed, they immediately reached Dakor and took the body of the girl to their native place and the last rites were completed there.

After all the last rites were completed, on May 18, when the girl’s father checked her phone, shocking details came to light. A person named Abdullah Momin was blackmailing the deceased girl. Several messages and recordings were recovered from the mobile phone of the deceased girl. It was clear from the conversation between the two that Abdullah used to harass and threaten the girl. It has been alleged that the girl took the final step after being harassed by the threats and harassment by Abdullah Momin.

The girl was earlier in a love affair with Abdullah. After some time, she put a full stop to the relationship. Enraged by this, Abdullah started harassing the girl. He was constantly harassing her on mobile as well as in college. The harassment did not stop even though she repeatedly asked him to stop it.

Recordings of the conversation between the girl and the accused made it clear that Abdullah had threatened to defame the girl in the society by saying that she had an affair with another youth and get her rusticated from the college. Abdullah also threatened the girl by saying that he would “ruin her life completely”.

The girl, who was tormented by the harassment, pleaded several times and asked the accused to stop the harassment. In the phone conversation, the girl also said that she may take the final step of suicide. The girl also told the accused that she would leave behind all the evidence. According to a report, on the phone, she was crying loudly and requesting Abdullah, saying ‘You killed me…’, but despite this, Abdullah continued to harass her and eventually she committed suicide by hanging herself.

On the basis of these recordings and messages, the father of the deceased Hindu girl lodged a complaint with the police, after which the Dakor police registered a case of abetment to suicide and arrested the accused Abdullah Momin. He was produced before the court after his arrest and remanded for two days.

No ID, no form required to exchange Rs 2000 denomination notes up to Rs 20,000: SBI

The State Bank of India on Sunday stated that customers can exchange their Rs. 2,000 denomination bank notes up to Rs. 20,000 at the branches without obtaining any requisition slip or form. Furthermore, the tenderer will not be required to provide identification documentation during the exchange.

This information was shared by SBI with the chief general manager of each of its local head offices as part of its exercise to remove high-value currency notes from circulation.

The bank’s explanation comes in the wake of speculations and false information that have been spreading on social media, which stated that people have to submit a form along with identifying credentials such as an Aadhaar card.

The Reserve Bank of India withdrew the Rs. 2,000 notes from circulation on Friday, May 19, and directed customers to deposit the notes into their accounts or exchange them at the closest bank branches till September 30 of this year.

In order to allow the banks ample time to prepare, the central bank has invited the public to contact the banks for their deposit and/or exchange beginning on May 23.

Rs. 2,000 notes will still be accepted for purchases and other payments. However, the RBI suggested exchanging the withdrawn notes before the end of September.

In November 2016, the 2,000 denomination banknote was issued, largely to swiftly address the economy’s need for cash following the removal of legal tender status for all circulating 500 and 1,000 banknotes as part of nationwide demonetisation.

Rajasthan: Posters accusing Congress councillor Farid Qureshi of Hindu exodus come up in Kishanpole, police files FIR but says no exodus took place

In the Kishanpole area of Rajasthan’s Jaipur, posters accusing Congress councillor Farid Qureshi of an alleged exodus of Hindu locals have sparked outrage. The row erupted after a relative of Congress councillor Farid Qureshi bought the house of a Hindu family in the Kishanpole area. As the posters blaming the Congress leader for the alleged exodus of local Hindu families surfaced, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Congress of doing appeasement. The Congress party, however, stated that it will take action against those who put up the posters. Meanwhile, the police have also registered an FIR against the unidentified persons and refuted the claims of the alleged exodus. 

The poster reads, “Local residents – forced to flee. The Exodus of Hindus from the Kishanpole area continues. Congress councillor Farid Qureshi. Ward no.69 is responsible for it.”

In Ward number 69 of the Kishanpole area, a local resident Om Prakash Pareek sold his house to the relatives of Congress’s Farid Qureshi as he was offered the desired amount. While the locals have alleged that Pareek sold his ancestral house to Farid Qureshi’s cousin even as Hindu families were willing to purchase it. Qureshi refuted the allegations saying that the Hindus and Muslims have been residing there peacefully.

On May 8, Om Prakash Pareek had filed a complaint against some people accusing them of disrupting communal harmony by giving communal colour to the property purchase.

The ‘exodus’ posters were pasted in the Purohiton Ka Chowk, wherein around fifty Hindu families reside. The residents in the area claim that the Muslim population in the area is being purposely increased. The locals have blamed this on Congress councillor Farid Qureshi. They also accused Farid of filing bogus complaints against people, as well as assaulting and abusing them. The local people expressed profound concern for the safety of the women in their families.

Speaking to the media, local Hindu women said that with a Muslim family residing in the locality, there will be a threat to the safety of women here as they hurl abuses and cattiest slurs. The women also claimed that the Muslims there have threatened to drive the Hindus out of the area. The locals blamed Congress councillor Farid Qureshi for allegedly disrupting the harmony in the locality. 

“Earlier, our children could freely roam even during the night, but now our freedom will be snatched away,” a local woman said.

Another one alleged that “if these people (Muslim family) are hurling abuses even before they have moved in their house, what will they do once they start living here.”

The local women clarified that there are four Muslim families already residing in the locality and they do not have any issues with them.

Taking to Twitter, BJP leader Ramlal Sharma slammed the CM Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government and sought action against those behind forcing Hindu families to migrate.

“Rajasthan government should stop the politics of appeasement, Work to stop the migration of Hindus. Take action against those forcing you to flee,” Sharma tweeted. 

However, in response to the BJP’s claims, the Congress has termed it as the BJP’s polarisation politics in the state. Congress spokesperson RC Chowdhary has demanded action against the person who put up the said poster. 

Meanwhile, DCP (North) Rashi Dogra Dudi said that an FIR has been registered and necessary action is being taken. The DCP maintained that no exodus took place in Kishanpole and rumours are being spread by anti-social elements.

Delhi: Sacred threads forcibly cut, poster of Lord Ram torn in a school, students punished for applying tilak and saying Jai Shri Ram

An incident of discrimination by a school against Hindu students has come to light in Delhi. The school staff reportedly forced students to cut sacred threads on their wrists and tore the posters of Lord Ram. The Hindu students were also punished for applying tilak to their foreheads and saying Jai Shri Ram. The students who said Jai Shri Ram were not allowed to appear for the examination.

In this case, Hindu organizations protested outside the school. The police had to arrive at the scene to control the situation. After the protests, the students’ suspension was revoked. The sacred threads were cut on 16th May 2023. Posters of Hindu deity Lord Ram were ton on 19th May 2023. The protests against these incidents were held on 20th May 2023.

The incident took place at Vansthali Public School located in Phase 3 of Mayur Vihar. Many Hindu children here have collectively accused their teacher, Anoop Rawat, of cutting the sacred threads tied on their wrists. The cut threads were thrown into the dustbin.

The students also allege that another teacher, Ravi, tore a poster of Lord Rama in the classroom and later suspended students who said “Jai Shri Ram.” The number of suspended students is reported to be 9. A video of the students’ collective complaint is also going viral on social media.

According to one student’s accusation, those who said “Jai Shri Ram” were subjected to running 10 laps around the school before being suspended the following day. One student identified himself as a devotee of Lord Ram. Several chat conversations pertaining to this incident have gone viral on social media, featuring students engaging in discussions about the school event. It is mentioned in these viral chats that the teacher responsible for the running punishment is named Ritu.

Upon the rapid dissemination of information about the incident, Hindu organizations and students’ parents gathered at the school gate, staging a protest. They demanded immediate action against the accused teachers and the reversal of the students’ suspensions. In response, the police team was informed and promptly arrived at the scene. The police made efforts to mediate between the involved parties, which included schools, Hindu organizations and parents. During this period, some confrontations occurred between the two sides. It is noteworthy that Vansthali School was founded in 2002, and its management includes Rohit Jain as the managing director and Anuradha Jain as the principal.

OpIndia spoke to one affected student in this case. The student revealed that their sacred thread (kalava) was cut by the sports teacher, Ravi, on May 16th. Another sports teacher, Anoop, entered the classroom on May 19th and tore a poster of Lord Ram. Following this, the third sports teacher, Ritu, targeted students who said “Jai Shri Ram” and made them run laps around the school. The student further explained that the school principal has verbally suspended these three teachers, without any written order. The student also claimed that the suspended students have been reinstated.

In a video that has gone viral from inside the school, municipal councillor Munesh has also mentioned the expulsion of a teacher from the school. When OpIndia called the school numbers to verify this information about the suspensions, no one answered the calls. The official mobile number of the school was also reported to be out of service. Once the school version becomes available, it will be updated in the news.

The teachers named Ritu, Ravi, and Anoop harassed and cut the sacred threads (kalava) of five students in the school in the name of Lord Ram. Victim students have identified teacher Ritu to be a Christian. The student claims that the poster displayed in the class was created by someone for a painting competition. It was also mentioned that while other posters and paintings were left untouched, the teacher Anoop tore apart the picture of Lord Ram, citing the lack of permission to display it, and threw it in the dustbin.

According to the aggrieved student, the sacred threads (kalava) of students studying in Class 10 were cut, and a poster of Lord Ram was torn in Class 9. Some students informed that the accused teachers have committed similar actions even in the past. Additionally, the student claimed that Ritu, Ravi, and Anoop used to discourage them from applying tilak.

The student distressed because of the actions carried out by three physical education teachers at the school informed OpIndia that the “Bajrang Dal” has filed a complaint with the police. However, the student was unaware of the outcome of the complaint investigation. The student alleged that the school staff changes their way of communication and behaviour when they see the presence of the police, media, and Hindu organizations while presenting themselves differently to the students. The school principal has stated that she had no prior knowledge of the incident.

The student also expressed doubts about her statement and questioned how the children could be suspended without her knowledge. When OpIndia called DCP East Delhi for information about the police action, the calls went unanswered. Once the police version becomes available, it will be updated in the news.

According to the aggrieved student, after the uproar, the school principal tried to suppress the matter by tying sacred threads to their hands again and assured them that such incidents would not happen again. The student also mentioned that considering the tense situation, the school management has temporarily introduced online classes.

Assam: School principal Asar Uddin rapes minor female student, police launch manhunt to nab him

On Thursday (May 18), a 7th std student was raped by the Principal of her school in the Karimganj district of Assam. The accused was identified as one Asar Uddin and the incident is said to have taken place at the Bhanga Higher Secondary School.

As per reports, Asar Uddin called the 12-year-old to his room during regular school hours and then forced himself on her. He then tried to intimidate the victim into silence by threatening to fail her in all subjects.

The victim narrated her ordeal to her parents, following which they filed a complaint with the Badarpur police. The cops registered a case under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and POCSO (Prevention of Child Sexual Offences) Act.

The statement of the victim was also recorded, following her medical examination. Reportedly, Asar Uddin has been absconding since the incident. According to SP (Karimganj) Partha Pratim Das, a search operation has been launched to apprehend him.

After the matter came to light, Asar Uddin was immediately suspended as the Principal of the Bhanga Higher Secondary School. The decision was taken by the Director of Secondary Education in Assam, Mamata Hojai, following the receipt of a report from the Inspector of Schools in Karimganj.

“Considering this, the departmental proceeding was called for (against the accused principal). He has been placed under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 6(1) of the Assam Services (Discipline & Appeal) Rules, 1964,” Hojai said in her letter.

Members of local organisations, such as Bajrang Dal and Hindu Raksha Bahini, gathered outside the office of the Superintendent of Police and demanded immediate action against the accused Principal.

Minor girl assaulted, gang-raped in moving car in Assam

On May 16 this year, a 13-year-old girl was gang-raped by four youths inside a moving car in the Kokrajhar district of Assam. The four accused were identified as Rubel Rehman, Imran Hussain, Mamunur Rehman and Anowar Hussain.

The police arrested the four men and booked them under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 363, 376(d), 328 of the Indian Penal Code and also under Section 6 of the POCSO Act.

The incident is said to have happened on May 16, when the four accused forcibly took the young girl inside a van while it was moving along National Highway 31C. They assaulted her as she protested and raped her one by one in the moving vehicle.

Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to provide free air travel to pilgrims, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan flags off first batch to Prayagraj

Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to provide free air travel facilities to senior citizens for yatra (holy pilgrimage), as 32 people flew from Bhopal to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh today. The 32 elderly people, comprising 24 men and eight women are going as part of the state’s Mukhyamantri Tirth-Darshan Yojana, which was introduced in 2012, and elderly persons were sent on free pilgrimages by special trains.

Recently Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that air travel facility will also be included in this scheme and launched the programme on Sunday morning at Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport.

Shawls and coconuts were also presented as a token of honour to those pilgrims. It is noteworthy, that both the lodging and travel expenses for this trip are covered by the state government.

Meanwhile, the CM stated that today is a lovely and holy day since now the dream of senior citizens to travel by plane is being fulfilled. He said, “A resolution has been fulfilled today. A dream has come true. Elderly people like my parents are going on pilgrimage by aeroplane.”

“A person seeks inner tranquilly. My resolution was accomplished today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi used to say that those who wear slippers should also get the opportunity to travel by air. His words are coming true now,” he remarked.

The Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart added, “Our elders are going to holy Prayagraj. With the grace of Ram, you will go on pilgrimages and we as well as the state will get your blessings. Currently, only a member of one family is going, but moving forward, senior couples will be able to travel together. Grandfather and grandmother will both board the next flight.”

Shivraj Singh Chouhan instructed the State Minister of Tourism and Culture Usha Thakur to start preparations for sending husband and wife together the next time since going on a pilgrimage as a pair is seen as auspicious. This year, 25 aircraft would transport senior pilgrims from 25 districts to Prayagraj, Shirdi, Mathura, Vrindavan, and Gangasagar Dham by July 19.

So far, 7.82 lakh senior citizens have availed the benefits of the pilgrimage that was made possible by running 782 special trains.

‘To call it propaganda is complete nonsense’: UK journalist Naomi Canton hails film The Kerala story

The film The Kerala Story has turned out to be an eye-opener for many, even as the usual suspects continue to lobby against the film. Taking to Twitter on Sunday, May 21, Naomi Canton, a London-based journalist who recently watched the Adah Sharma starrer after it hit the UK theatres on May 19, called it an “excellent film that probes what happens to women who marry ISIS fighters.”

“Just seen the movie The Kerala Story at the cinema in the UK. It is an excellent film that probes what happens when women marry ISIS fighters. Not seen any films like this,” Canton tweeted.

She further said that calling The Kerala Story a ‘propaganda film’ is nonsensical and is itself a “false propaganda”. 

Naomi then points out that the victim women could have been Muslim or non-Muslim who married the ISIS terrorists adding that these women are meted out the same treatment. These women who were promised ‘paradise’ lose all their freedoms, their passports seized, and are raped and tormented. She added that these trapped women eventually regret it unless they are highly radicalized like Shamima Begum and have wilfully taken up ISIS ‘militant’ roles.

“To call it a propaganda film is complete nonsense and is itself false propaganda. It could have been a Muslim or non-Muslim woman who married these ISIS fighters. The treatment they get is the same – promised Paradise and when they get to Syria, they are raped, have all their freedoms and passports removed, are trapped and regret it (unless they are heavily radicalised like Shamima Begum and willingly take up ISIS militant roles),” Canton added.

It is notable that Shamima Begum is a British ISIS bride who fled to Syria as a teenager to join ISIS. She married a Dutch recruit Yago Riedijk and lived with him for three years after arriving at an ISIS camp. She lost two children during that time. She was nine months pregnant when she was found in 2019. Begum was shifted to a Syrian refugee camp.

In 2019, Shamima Begun justified the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing by ISIS which claimed 22 lives saying that it was in retaliation to the other parties attacking ISIS.

She then went on to assert that the film talking about the dangers posed by ISIS to everyone depicts the story of two Hindu and one Christian woman in India and how they are groomed and converted to an “Islamist radical ideology”.

“The film is entirely about the dangers that ISIS poses to everyone. It happens to focus on two Hindus and one Christian girl in India who get groomed and radicalised to convert to an extreme Islamist ideology. It shows how this is done which is important,” Naomi Canton wrote in her tweet.

The London-based journalist then stresses that The Kerala Story is a film and not a documentary, saying that it is inspired by what happened with the three victim women in reality. She added that the film does not claim to state their exact stories.

“It is a film, not a documentary, so is inspired by what happened to three girls in Kerala – not claiming to state their exact stories. I hope some journalists in Kerala have gone to interview the families of these girls. Also hope the police arrest the men who radicalised these girls. One of them is still in Kerala running a pizza parlour” Naomi added.

The journalist was shocked that even Hindu girls were deployed to ISIS. Calling The Kerala Story a good film, she added that the film is not propaganda rather it exposes the propaganda—methods used to indoctrinate people. 

“I had no clue that even one Hindu girl had gone to join ISIS from India. One alone is shocking. It is good the film showcases the truth of what happens when people do join such terror outfits and get radicalised. What is propaganda is not this film, but the methods ISIS use to radicalise people, which the film exposes,” Canton further wrote.

Canton also appreciated the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC)’s decision to give the film an ’18’ age rating as the film has multiple violent sequences. 

Notably, The movie The Kerala Story written and directed by Sudipto Sen revolves around Shalini Unnikrishnan, played by Adah Sharma, an innocent Hindu woman from Kerala, who is brainwashed by her Muslim friend and gets converted to Islam and marries a Muslim man. The lead actress soon realizes that she has been trapped in a huge terrorist web after she is raped, separated from her only child, and then forced to serve as a sex slave.

Bihar: Mehre Alam, accused in 2013 Gandhi Maidan bomb blast at PM Modi’s rally, arrested by STF

In a significant development, the Special Task Force (STF) team in Darbhanga, Bihar, has apprehended one of the accused in the 2013 Patna Gandhi Maidan bombing case. On Saturday, the agency captured Mehre Alam, who had escaped NIA earlier.

On October 30, 2013, the NIA team filed case number 612/13 against the perpetrator in the municipal police station of Muzaffarpur and Alam had been evading arrest ever since.

The incident involved the bombing at Patna Junction on October 27, 2013, which occurred just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election campaign event at adjacent Gandhi Maidan and resulted in the deaths of six persons and the injury of around eighty-two people.

The NIA team in this investigation then brought along Mehre Alam, a local of the Darbhanga district’s Ashok Paper Mill police station area, as a witness.

A raid was carried out at Mirpur in Purba Champaran on October 29, 2013. After the raids failed to produce any results, the team left for Muzaffarpur with the culprit. However, he managed to escape while the crew was staying with him at a lodge.

On October 27 in 2013, eight explosive devices with timers went off between 9.30 am and 12.25 pm as part of a serial bomb attack which was the handiwork of Indian Mujahideen in an attempt to inflict mass casualties and assassinate Bharatiya Janata Party’s Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi during his rally in Patna.

Indian Mujahideen operatives Haider Ali, also known as Black Beauty, Noman Ansari, Mohammed Mujibullah Ansari, Mohammed Imtiaz Alam, Ahmed Hussain, Mohammed Firoze Aslam, Imtiaz Ansari, Mohammed Iftiqar Alam, and Azharuddin Qureshi were all found guilty in October 2021 by the NIA court. Lack of evidence resulted in the acquittal of one named Fakruddin.

Four of the nine convicts, Imtiaz Ansari, Mohammed Mujibullah Ansari, Haider Ali alias Black Beauty and Noman Ansari were given the death penalty in November of the same year. Azharuddin Qureshi and another person received life sentences, while Ahmed Hussain and Mohammed Firoze Aslam got ten years of imprisonment. One of them received a seven-year jail term.

Pakistan: Former prime minister Imran Khan, who blamed US interference for his removal, now seeks help from a US lawmaker, audio leaks

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who previously held the United States responsible for his removal from power in April 2022, has reportedly reached out to a US lawmaker seeking intervention amidst a government crackdown on his party’s members.

The information comes from leaked audio circulating on social media, purportedly featuring a conversation between Imran Khan and US lawmaker Maxine Moore Waters. Maxine Moore Waters is a Congresswoman from California. In the audio, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party can be heard urging the US lawmaker to raise her voice against “human rights violations” taking place in Pakistan.

In this audio, Imran Khan blamed the Pakistan army for toppling his government which said was the most stable government in Pakistan in the last 17 years. He asked the Congresswoman to verify his claims on her own if she wants. Imran Khan said that Pakistan is going through a crisis like never before and urged the US lawmaker to make a statement on the situation of human rights in Pakistan.

The crackdown on PTI began shortly after protesters stormed the army headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi and set fire to a corps commander’s residence in Lahore. These events occurred following Imran Khan’s dramatic arrest on May 9 in connection with a corruption case. His arrest came one day after the military accused him of making unfounded allegations against a senior officer of the intelligence agency, ISI. Imran Khan had claimed that Faisal Naseer, also known as ‘Dirty Harry,’ was involved in previous assassination attempts against him and was responsible for the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif.

Jharkhand: Six men gang-rape a Dalit minor girl in Palamu and threaten to circulate the video, one arrested

On Thursday, 18th May 2023, a teenage girl, aged 16 and belonging to the Dalit community, was abducted from her residence in Hussainabad, Jharkhand, and was gang-raped by a group of six men. Disturbingly, the perpetrators not only committed this horrendous act but also recorded a video of the incident and used it to intimidate the victim, threatening to circulate it widely.

The incident took place within the jurisdiction of the Hussainabad police station in Palamu. During the late hours of Thursday, the young girl was left alone at home while her parents were attending a wedding ceremony. Taking advantage of the situation, six men from the same village forcefully entered her residence and forcibly took her away. They gang-raped the girl on a farm.

The following day, on Friday, the young girl’s parents returned from the wedding, and it was then that she disclosed the harrowing incident to them. Immediately, her parents took action and informed both the local villagers and the police, sharing the details of the matter.

The concerned villagers took swift action and successfully apprehended Dinesh Kumar Thakur – one of the accused individuals, promptly delivering him into the custody of the police. However, the remaining five perpetrators managed to evade capture and fled from the village. It is crucial to note that all the accused individuals involved in this despicable act reside in close proximity to the victim’s house.

The accused individuals brutally assaulted the girl when she resisted. She received injuries on her chest, back, and abdomen. The victim is currently undergoing treatment at Medini Ray Medical College and Hospital (MRMCH). Her private body part was injured during the incident of gang rape. During the treatment, seven stitches were administered. A team of five doctors has been formed for the treatment. The team consists of Dr RK Ranjan, Dr Vijeta Singh, Dr Jayant Ghosh, Dr Ashish, and one other doctor. According to the doctors, the condition of the girl is critical due to significant bleeding.

Jagannath Dhan, in charge of Hussainabad police station, said, “Raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused. Police will file a complaint against the accused under charges, including the POCSO Act. The victim has been sent to the hospital for medical examination.”