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Train collisions and fatalities reduced by three times since 2014: Some steps for Railway safety taken by Modi Govt

Jhankar Mohta
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Train collisions and fatalities reduced by three times since 2014: Some steps for Railway safety taken by Modi Govt

The opposition parties have acted quickly to capitalise on the devastating Odisha triple train accident, which claimed 270 lives and injured over 800 people. On June 4, disqualified MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over ‘moral grounds.’ West Bengal CM and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had also echoed similar sentiments asking the Union Railway Minister to step down from the post.

Amid opposition parties’ growing clamour for the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over the Odisha train accident, it is pertinent to note that the Modi government inherited a network that needed a lot of reforms and professionalism.

Despite this, the frequency of train derailments, along with a corresponding fall in collisions, level-crossing accidents, fire events, and the incidence of train accidents per million kilometres, have reduced by three times under the BJP government in the last nine years as compared to the previous decade under the UPA government.

How have past railway ministers performed?

According to the Fact Sheet of the Indian Railways’ “Safety Performance” (2019), there were 84 train collisions, 867 derailments, and 1,711 accidents overall under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) administration. Under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, meanwhile, there have been 29 train collisions, 426 derailments, and a total of 638 accidents, amounting to only one-fourth of the total accidents during the UPA government’s tenure.

In contrast to the 2,453 deaths reported by the UPA administration during its ten-year rule, just 781 people have died in train accidents since 2014. Notably, the figures show that there has been a dramatic decrease in fatalities and accidents starting in 2017.

Additionally, around 2000, the Indian Railways used to witness an annual casualty of about 300. This figure has drastically decreased, and in 2020, India recorded a two-year phase of zero reported railway-related casualties.

In fact, data shows that the number of train accidents and the number of people dead in such accidents shows that mishaps have reduced significantly under the Modi government. The maximum number of people who died or got injured before the Balasore incident was in the year 95-96, 97-2000, 2001-2003 and 2011-2012. In 1995, the PM of the country of PV Narasimha Rao, from 97-2000, the PMs were HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujaral and marginally in 2000, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and in 2011-2012, it was PM Manmohan Singh.

There were 5 notable railways accidents from 2010 to 2012 – Jnaneswari Express in 2010, Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express in 2010, Chhapra-Mathura Express in 2011, Hubli-Banglore Hampi Express in 2012 and Tamil Nadu Express in 2012. All of these took place under the Congress government at the centre. In fact, during UPA-I and UPA-II over 1300 train accidents had taken place.

Another set of data revealed that Mamata Banerjee, who served as the Railway Minister under both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, oversaw 54 collisions, 839 derailments, and 1,451 deaths.

Under Nitish Kumar’s tenure, there were 79 collisions, 1,000 derailments, and 1,527 deaths.

Similarly, 51 train collisions, 550 derailments, and 1,159 fatalities were witnessed by Lalu Prasad Yadav, who also served as Manmohan Singh’s railway minister.

Reforms and measures for train safety undertaken by Modi Government

The above data only go on to prove that the Modi government has done exceptionally well as far as train safety is concerned. This happened as a result of Indian Railways’ continuous efforts to improve safety performance in all respects. To enhance safety, the national transporter had, until 2020, implemented a number of significant safety precautions, some of which are listed below:

  • In comparison to the 631 Manned Level Crossings removed in the year 2018–19, Indian Railways abolished as many as 1274 in the following year, 2019–20. Thus, Indian Railways has now eliminated the greatest number of level crossings ever.
  • To increase safety on the Indian Railways network, a total of 1309 ROBs/RUBs were constructed in 2019–20.
  • A total of 1367 bridges were renovated in 2019–20, up from 1013 in 2018–19.
  • Compared to 4,265 Track km (TKM) in the previous year, Indian Railways had the highest-ever renewal of rails in the current fiscal year (5,181 TKM).
  • The number of rails supplied by SAIL during the 2019–20 fiscal year (13.8 lakh tonnes) was at an all-time high. With the provision of 6.4 Lakh tonne long rails, the field welding scope was greatly reduced, improving asset reliability.
  • A total of 285 level crossings have been interlocked by signals in 2019–20; there are 11,639 total level crossings that have been interlocked.
  • In order to increase safety, electrical and electronic signalling have been installed in 84 railway stations during 2019–20.
  • The government has done a comparatively excellent job in ensuring greater construction of foot overbridges. During the first four years of the NDA government, 74-foot overbridges were constructed against 23 constructed by previous UPA, registering a 221 per cent increase in the rate.
  • UPA government in its 10 years of rule, from 2004 to 2014, produced/manufactured 233 LHB coaches. Modi-led NDA government in its tenure has produced 6 times more LHB coaches per year with a total rate standing at 1,387 coaches per year. The government has constantly increased the production year-by-year in its tenure competing efficaciously with itself every year.
  • In 2013/14, the previous UPA government electrified a total of 610 Km of route whereas in 2017/18, BJP led NDA, ensuring a 570% increase, carried out electrification of 4,087 Km of railway tracks.
  • Railways laid 7,666 Km of tracks during 2014-17 of NDA tenure, which is 794 Km more than the UPA-2’s initial three years from 2009-12. 

A comparison of the train development projects the Modi government has undertaken with those carried out during the UPA administration paints a splendid picture of the Modi government’s accomplishments.

Balasore Train Accident

On June 2, a massive train accident involving one goods train and two passenger trains took place in Balasore, Odisha claiming the lives of over 275 people and leaving over 900 people injured.

Notably, yesterday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the cause of the Balasore accident and the people responsible for the same has been identified. While he said that the matter is being investigated by the Commissioner of Railway Safety and it will not be proper for him to comment on it, he added that the accident took place due to a change in electronic interlocking.

Vaishnaw also said that the accident has nothing to do with the absence of the Kavach anti-collision system, adding that things like electronic interlocking, point machines etc were involved in the matter.

(This report included information that 98% of Indian tracks were laid between 1870 and 1930 based on a Times of India report. Indian Railways has now clarified that the information was not accurate. This report has been updated with the latest information)

TMC leader and Mamata nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s wife stopped from boarding Dubai-bound flight, summoned by ED for questioning

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TMC leader and Mamata nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s wife stopped from boarding Dubai-bound flight, summoned by ED for questioning

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Banerjee was stopped by the immigration department at Kolkata Airport from boarding a Dubai-bound flight and has been summoned to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 8. 

“Though not required to intimate, still to express her bonafide, Rujira Banerjee, wife of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee informed ED through email of her upcoming visit to Dubai from June 5 to June 13 with her children. There was no response/communication from ED objecting to such a visit which they could not have in view of the orders of the Supreme Court,” said Rujira Banerjee’s lawyer. “Today in gross violation of the Supreme Court’s orders, she was stopped at immigration along with her minor kids and informed that she cannot travel abroad. She was also handed over a copy of summon directing her to appear before the ED office in Kolkata on June 8. We will be moving to court as it has been a violation of SC order,” the lawyer added. 

The ED lodged a case under the provisions of the PMLA based on a November 2020 FIR registered by the CBI that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol. 

Local coal operative Anup Majee is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case. The ED had claimed that the TMC MP was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade. Banerjee has denied all charges. 

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

Indian pacer Yash Dayal attacked on social media by Islamists, including Pakistanis, for calling out Love Jihad, deletes post and apologises: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Indian pacer Yash Dayal attacked on social media by Islamists, including Pakistanis, for calling out Love Jihad, deletes post and apologises: Details

On June 5, an Indian pacer who played for Gujarat Titans (GT) in Indian Premium League faced an attack on social media after he called out Love Jihad in one of his Instagram stories. Following the attack, Dayal deleted the story and posted an apology instead. In his story, Dayal wrote, “Guys apologies for the story. It was just posted by mistake. Please don’t spread hate. Thank you. I have respect for each and every community and society.”

Now-deleted story by Dayal (left). Apology posted by Dayal (Right). Source: iz_naaah/Twitter/Yash Dayal/Instagram)

Controversy erupted for calling out Love Jihad

In the wee hours, Dayal shared a post about Love Jihad. It was a cartoon of a Muslim man sitting on his knees holding the hand of a blindfolded Hindu woman. The man is holding a knife in his other hand hidden behind his back. On the side of the couple, there are a lot of graves and a dead body. All the names written on the tombstones are of Hindu girls who were killed after falling for an Islamist who posed as a Hindu.

The dead body lying in the middle of the graves is of Sakshi, one of the latest victims who was killed brutally murdered by Sahil in Delhi. In the cartoon, the Muslim man is saying “There is no love jihad. This is all propaganda. I really love you!” to which the girl replies “I know Abdul tum alag ho. I trust you blindly. (I know Abdul you are different).”

The post shared by Dayal was created originally by Bratati Maity.

After the story went viral, he faced backlash on social media. ‘Journalist’ Abhishek Baxi wrote, “A @BCCI Uttar Pradesh and @gujarat_titans player, Yash Dayal, posted this on Instagram. He has since deleted it. No action against him? Hasn’t he let down his Muslim teammates? How does team management work out with a bigoted individual in a team sport?”

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair is best known for spreading misinformation and instigating attacks on social media in the guise of fact-checking retweeted a post of Aakar Patel, former chief of the now-shut India chapter of Amnesty International.

Source: Twitter

Ahmed Khabeer, who is a ‘journalist’ regularly spreading fake news, and used to be a ‘cat-fish’ account pretending to be a woman, termed it as “Islamophobic”.

Several Islamists, even Pakistanis, started to direct hate against the cricketer.

Love Jihad or Grooming Jihad cases have been reported almost on a daily basis across the country. OpIndia has covered hundreds of cases in the last few years where Hindu girls were lured into a relationship by Muslim men posing as Hindu men. Many of them were brutally murdered after they refused to convert or did not respond to their advances. OpIndia’s complete coverage of Grooming Jihad cases can be seen here.

Mukhtar Ansari gets life imprisonment in the 1991 case of the murder of Congress leader Awadhesh Rai

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Mukhtar Ansari gets life imprisonment in the 1991 case of the murder of Congress leader Awadhesh Rai

A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi awarded life imprisonment to jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari in the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. 

On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadhesh Rai, was shot dead outside Ajay Rai’s house in Varanasi. “Ansari was presented before the court through video conference where the court convicted him under Sections 145 and 302m,” said Advocate Vikash Singh. 

Reacting to the court’s judgement Ajay Rai said, “Today, we have won after a 32-year-long battle. We welcome the verdict of the court…If anything happens to me the responsibility will lie on the BJP government.

Earlier while waiting for the court to pronounce the quantum of sentence, Rai had said, “We have faith in the judicial system. We hope he gets the maximum possible punishment. Mafia Mukhtar Ansari tried to tamper with the evidence several times.” 

The Special Court which concluded the hearing after arguments on May 19, reserved its order, and fixed June 5 as the date to deliver it. In the case of the killing of Awadhesh Rai, Ajay Rai had named Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh and former MLA Abdul Kalim, in the FIR. 

On May 17, a Ghazipur MP-MLA Court acquitted Mukhtar Ansari accused in a case of conspiracy of a murder attempt in Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammadabad area in the district. 

In 2009, Mir Hasan filed a case of attempt to murder against Ansari under 120B. A case under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against Ansari at Mohammadabad police station in Ghazipur.

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

Rahul Gandhi seeks Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation, claims Congress’s Railway Ministers resigned after accidents: Here are some facts for him

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi seeks Ashwini Vaishnaw’s resignation, claims Congress’s Railway Ministers resigned after accidents: Here are some facts for him

On June 4 (local time) disqualified MP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi sought the resignation of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over ‘moral grounds’. He claimed that he remembered how the then-Congress Railway Minister took responsibility for the train accident and resigned from the post. During his address to the Indian diaspora in New York, he said, “I remember a train accident when the Congress party was in power. Congress did not get up and say that the train crashed because of the fault of the British. Congress minister said, “It’s my responsibility the train has crashed and I’m resigning”. So this is the problem we have back home we make excuses and not accepting the reality we are faced with.” He somehow connected it to “unemployment” among the youth.

Looking back at the history of train accidents and how then-railway ministers reacted to them, Rahul Gandhi appeared to be grossly uninformed. The only Congress minister who resigned after a train accident was then-Railway Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri who resigned from the post in November 1956 following the Ariyalur train accident in Tamil Nadu that claimed 142 lives.

In August 1999, then-Railway Minister Nitish Kumar resigned from the post following the Gaisal train accident in Assam that claimed at least 290 lives. In 2000, then-Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee resigned from the post following two train accidents in one year. However, then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rejected her resignation. It is pertinent to note, however, that Mamata Banerjee had not resigned because of the railway accidents. She had resigned purely for political reasons. Mamata Banerjee had, in 2000, tendered her resignation 2 times in 2 months, 1 for rising oil prices and once supposedly taking moral responsibility for train mishaps. Given her previous resignation, it may be theorised that she wanted to quit the cabinet for political reasons and the train mishaps were merely an excuse to do so.

In August 2017, then-Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu offered his resignation after two back-to-back derailments in just four days. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to wait. Prabhu stepped down from the post the next month.

All three resignations came during the time when NDA was in power. Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee were Railway Ministers during then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure and at the time of Suresh Prabhu’s resignation, Narendra Modi was the Prime Minister.

Facts about train mishaps and Congress’ legacy

The Modi government has interestingly done exceptionally well as far as train safety is concerned. A consolidated picture of the number of train accidents and the number of people dead in such accidents shows that mishaps have reduced significantly under the Modi government.

Consolidated table of train accidents through the years

As one can see, the track record under the Modi government has only increased. The maximum number of people who died or got injured before the Balasore incident was in the year 95-96, 97-2000, 2001-2003, 2011-2012. In 1995, the PM of the country of PV Narasimha Rao, from 97-2000, the PMs were HD Deve Gowda, IK Gujaral and marginally in 2000, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and in 2011-2012, it was PM Manmohan Singh.

There were 5 notable railways accidents from 2010 to 2012 – Jnaneswari Express in 2010, Uttar Banga Express and Vananchal Express in 2010, Chhapra-Mathura Express in 2011, Hubli-Banglore Hampi Express in 2012 and Tamil Nadu Express in 2012. All of these took place under the Congress government at the centre and no railways minister resigned for them.

In fact, during UPA-I and UPA-II over 1300 train accidents took place but none of the Congress’s leaders serving as Railway Ministers or leaders of their ally parties serving as Railway Ministers offered resignation.

Therefore, Rahul Gandhi is factually inaccurate when he says that Railways Ministers resigned during the Congress government.

Ashwini Vaishnaw qualified and did his job

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is highly qualified for the job and he has done exceptionally well in the time of distress. Within hours of the accident, Vaishnaw was at the accident site and he has not left the site since then. Having the minister in charge at the site worked in favour of getting tracks functioning quickly.

Vaishnaw is updating the progress as it comes on social media to ensure all the stakeholders and the general public are aware of the progress. The investigation into the matter is underway and the cause of the accident has already been determined.

Seeking resignation only serves the political desires of the opposition. A minister under which the tragedy has happened and who is qualified to the job should not resign. It is his duty and moral obligation towards the people of the country that he finds the reason behind the mishap and fixes it. A responsible minister or leader will never run from his or her duties and should not step down without fixing the problem behind the mishap that occurred during his or her tenure. In the case of the Odisha Train Accident, Vaishnaw has clearly taken responsibility and taken matters into his hands to get things back on track.

Rahul Gandhi must do what he preaches

In another statement, Rahul Gandhi has insinuated that the Congress party does not look at the past and concentrates on the job. As preached, Gandhi should not go back to the 50s and use the resignation of then-Railway Minister Shastri to play politics in 2023. At the time of a tragedy, all leaders should have come on the same platform and worked together to provide relief to the victims. Making accusations and creating hurdles in the government’s work only adds to the misery of the victims and satisfy the political desires of the opposition.

Balasore Train Accident

On June 2, a massive train accident involving one goods train and two passenger trains took place in Balasore, Odisha claiming the lives of over 275 people and leaving over 900 people injured.

Saudi Arabia set to participate in the 2nd Mt Everest International Yoga Championship, nation team in Nepal, coaching under head coach Vijay Yadav

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Saudi Arabia set to participate in the 2nd Mt Everest International Yoga Championship, nation team in Nepal, coaching under head coach Vijay Yadav

Saudi Arabia’s national team is all set to take part in their first-ever international contest, the 2nd Mt Everest International Yoga Championship scheduled to be held in Nepal’s Kathmandu from June 8 to 10, Saudi Arabia-based Arab News reported. 

Saudi Arabia’s team arrived in the capital on June 1, where they are undergoing special training under the supervision of head coach Vijay Yadav. As per the news report, Vijay Yadav during his career has won more than 50 medals, including five gold. Nouf Al-Marwaai, Saudi Yoga Committee President, said she was proud of the team. She further said that she expressed confidence that the team will outperform many other nations, as per the Arab News report. Nouf Al Marwaai further stated that the team includes Ahmed Shilati, Samaher Al-Malki, Jouda Sharaf, Joud Abed and Bader Al-Ghamdi. 

While addressing a press conference before their departure, Al-Malki, who is also a yoga instructor, said that the team was ready for their first international championship, Arab News reported. 

“We are ready to participate in the yoga championship in Nepal to raise the flag of Saudi Arabia. And the spread of yoga has become (important) for us. It is always better to start from a young age to practice this sport,” Arab News quoted Al-Malki as saying. 

Bader Al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia’s youngest athlete aged 8 years, said he was looking forward to representing Saudi Arabia in the junior category. He said that he hopes to win a medal at the championship. Al-Ghamdi stated that he loves yoga as it teaches him “how to breathe, how to exercise and how to balance” and added that his dream is to become a professional yoga player. 

While speaking at the press conference, Ahmed Al-Saadi, Saudi Yoga Committee’s executive director, said he was confident that the team will do well in the international contest, as per the news report. He further said, “The Saudi team has distinguished players and can help any coach in achieving good results because they have quality and intelligence.” 

Prior to her arriving in Kathmandu, Al-Marwaai represented Saudi Arabia in the working group for civil society C20 under the auspices of the G20 Summit set to be held this year in India, Arab News reported. C20 provides a platform for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) around the world to bring forth a non-government and non-business voice to G20, according to the statement on the G20 website. 

Al-Marwaai called it an “honour” to be part of the International Yoga Program in India under the theme ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future Through Yoga,’ as per the Arab News report. She even expressed gratitude to the Indian government and organizers for their “warm reception and exceptional hospitality” and wished all the success to India’s G20 Presidency. 

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

Mukhtar Ansari convicted in Congress leader Awadhesh Rai murder case: Know what the case was

OpIndia Staff
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Mukhtar Ansari convicted in Congress leader Awadhesh Rai murder case: Know what the case was

An MP/MLA court in Varanasi, on Monday, June 5 found former Mau MLA and dreaded mafia Mukhtar Ansari guilty and convicted the jailed mafia in the 30 years old Awadhesh Rai murder case. The quantum of the sentence will be announced at 2 pm today. The gangster-turned-politician is the prime accused in the case. 

Speaking about the court’s decision, Awadhesh Rai’s brother Ajay Rai told the media, “We have faith in the judicial system. We hope he (Mukhtar Ansari) gets the maximum possible punishment. Mafia Mukhtar Ansari tried to tamper with the evidence several times.”

Ajay Rai’s lawyer, meanwhile, told the media, “It was a brutal murder in broad daylight and there were two eyewitnesses who gave their statements without being afraid of Mukhtar Ansari.”

The case dates back to the year 1991. Awadhesh Rai was a Congress leader and brother of former MLA Ajay Rai. On August 3, 1991, Awadhesh Rai was shot dead outside his brother Ajay Rai’s house in Varanasi. It is believed that the Congress leader was shot as he had started to gain political prominence.

According to reports, at the time of the murder, Congress leader Ajay Rai along with his brother Awadhesh Rai was standing in front of his house in the Lahurabir area in Varanasi, when some miscreants arrived in the van and started firing at them. The miscreants had reportedly made Awadhesh Rai their target. They shot Awadhesh Rai till he died.

Following his brother’s murder, Ajay Singh filed an FIR at Chetganj police station of Varanasi in which he named mafia Mukhtar Ansari. MLAs Abdul Kalam, Bhim Singh, Kamlesh Singh and Rakesh Srivastava alias Rakesh Justice were also named as accused in the case.

At present, Mukhtar Ansari and Bhim Singh are lodged in jail. Whereas former MLAs Abdul Kalam and Kamlesh Singh have died.

It is believed that Mukhtar Ansari while lamenting in jail, used his clout and influence to get the original case diary to disappear from the court. In fact, the Varanasi police had also registered an FIR against Mukhtar Ansari for the same.

It may be recalled that in December last year, Mukhtar Ansari was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by a court in Ghazipur. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him. Mukhtar Ansari and Bhim Singh were convicted under the Gangster Act.

The court pronounced its verdict in the 1996 gangster case against MLA Mukhtar Ansari.

In 1996, this Gangster Act case was registered against Mukhtar Ansari. The action was taken against Mukhtar on the basis of five cases under the Gangster Act. Congress leader Ajay Rai’s elder brother Awadhesh Rai’s murder case and the fatal attack on additional SP were also included in these five cases.

In this case, the court had sentenced after 26 years. This was the first time Mukhtar Ansari had been convicted in any case. The gangster act was invoked simultaneously in connection with the murder of Awadhesh Rai, the murder of Constable Rajendra Singh, the murder of Constable Raghuvansh Singh, the attack on an additional SP, and the attack on policemen in Ghazipur.

Notably, in Ansari’s 44-year of criminal history, he has so far been exonerated in 18 cases. He was once accused of breaking the NSA Act, but the DM exonerated him in that case too. After that, he was cleared by the police in 8 other cases.

In addition to all this, records of four cases filed against him went missing from the police station. Three cases filed against him were withdrawn. 21 cases are still pending in court, out of which, the court hasn’t even accepted the charge sheet in 2 cases.

Actor Gufi Paintal, who played the role of ‘Shakuni Mama’ in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat passes away

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Actor Gufi Paintal, who played the role of ‘Shakuni Mama’ in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat passes away

Veteran actor Gufi Paintal, best known for appearing as Shakuni Mama in BR Chopra’s TV serial ‘Mahabharat’, passed away on Monday morning. 
His cremation will take place on Monday evening. Gufi Paintal had been unwell for a long time and was admitted to the hospital on May 31 after his health condition worsened. 

His younger brother and ace comedian Paintal informed ANI about his health condition a few days ago. According to him, Gufi Paintal “had heart and kidney problems.” 

Recently, actor Tina Ghaai also shared a health update of the seasoned actor on her Instagram handle. Sharing a picture of the actor, Tina wrote, “GufiPaintal ji #Takleef mein hain #prarthana ki jeeye #omsairam #prayers #prayersforhealing #prayersneeded.” 

Gufi Paintal appeared in both TV shows and films. He was seen in many TV shows including ‘Bahadur Shah Zafar’, ‘Mahabharat’, ‘Kanoon’, ‘Om Namah Shivay’, ‘CID’, ‘Ssshhhh…Koi Hai’, ‘Dwarkadheesh Bhagwaan Shree Krishn’, ‘RadhaKrishn’ and ‘Jay Kaniya lal Ki’ among others. 

He made his debut with the 1975 film ‘Rafoo Chakkar’. Following this, the actor appeared in other films, including ‘Dillagi’, ‘Desh Pardesh’, and ‘Suhaag’ 
Gufi Paintal was last seen in the TV show ‘Jai Kanhaiya Lal Ki’. 

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

Author Shantanu Gupta launches his new graphic novel ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’ on UP CM’s 51st birthday, creates Asia Book of Records

OpIndia Staff
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Author Shantanu Gupta launches his new graphic novel ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’ on UP CM’s 51st birthday, creates Asia Book of Records

Noted Author, Shantanu Gupta, who has written two bestseller titles on Yogi Adityanath, launched his new graphic novel- Ajay to Yogi Adityanath, on the Uttar Pradesh CM’s 51st birthday today (Monday, June 5).

More than 5000 children launched the book in more than 51 schools across various districts of Uttar Pradesh. This was the first time that a book was launched in multiple locations simultaneously with so many participants. The launch created an Asia Book of Records.

Author Shantanu Gupta took to Twitter to share a picture of him presenting his new novel to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on the latter’s 51st birthday.

The renowned author, in his subsequent Tweet, shared a 60-second illustration depicting the journey of the UP CM from infanthood to becoming the CM of the most populous state in India.

In another tweet, the author informed how his novel on the Uttar Pradesh CM is already ranking among the bestsellers on Amazon.

While discussing the specifics of his brand-new graphic novel, Gupta revealed that “Ajay to Yogi Adityanath” chronicles the story of a little child named Ajay Singh Bisht, who was born in the Uttarakhand hinterland along with six other siblings. His mother Savitri Devi worked at home, while his father Anand Singh Bisht was a junior forest officer. Ajay enjoyed attending school debates, caring for the family cows, and hearing about freedom fighters. They all shared a little one-and-a-half-room home in the outlying Panchur village in modern-day Uttarakhand. Ajay progressed from this position to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, the youngest member of the Indian Parliament, and the Mahant of Gorakhnath Mutt.

The author added that ‘Ajay to Yogi Adityanath’ is a story of sheer grit, determination and hard work for every student to follow and take inspiration from.

Notably, author Shantanu Gupta, prior to this, has written two bestseller titles on Yogi Adityanath- The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh and The Monk Who Became Chief Minister.

Ex-director at Infosys, Mohandas Pai, who had written the foreword for the book- The Monk Who Transformed Uttar Pradesh, had said, “When Yogi Adityanath took over as CM, Lutyens Delhi—the name by which the power structure and supporters of the ancient regime are known—exploded in anger and derision. They questioned his capability to be CM, abused him roundly, and predicted the total failure of his regime. They forget that he was a 5-time MP, a person of great accomplishment as an MP going by his track record in Parliament, had toured most districts of UP and knew the living conditions of the people of UP more than any of his critics.”

“Uttar Pradesh was disparaged as ‘bimaru’ and known for governance based on identity politics rather than all-around development, Sabka Vikas. Shantanu Gupta’s book is an important contribution to how an effective leader, rooted in India’s ancient ethos while looking for apt solutions for contemporary times, can bring real change,” says Sankrant Sanu, founder and CEO of Garuda Prakashan, the publisher of this book.

Ghaziabad: Muslim man lures Hindu, Jain boys to convert to Islam in online game ‘Fortnite’ after making fake Hindu IDs, one Maulvi arrested too. Full details

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad: Muslim man lures Hindu, Jain boys to convert to Islam in online game ‘Fortnite’ after making fake Hindu IDs, one Maulvi arrested too. Full details

On June 4, Ghaziabad Police revealed shocking details in the matter where a minor Jain boy was lured by Islamists to follow practices of Islam including offering Namaz five times a day. As per reports, the victim’s father filed a complaint on May 30 at Kavinagar Police Station in which he said his minor son was lured into practising Islam by Islamists online. So far, 3 Hindu boys and 1 Jain boy have been identified as victims, brainwashed through a game called Fortnite.

As per the press release by Ghaziabad Police, a team was formed to investigate the matter after filing an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Apart from a victim who belongs to the Jain community, two victim Hindu boys and their parents were also questioned by the police.

During the investigation, police found that the real identity of the online handle Baddo with whom the victim was talking regularly, was Shahnawaz Maksood Khan s/o Maksood Khan of Shazia Apartment, Devipada Mumbra under Mumbra Police Station area, Thane, Maharashtra. A special team of UP Police was sent to Thane, Maharashtra to arrest the accused. Maksood was the mastermind behind the nexus. DCP Nagar Zone Nipun Agarwal said so far four boys (one Jain and three Hindus) have been identified as victims. Two of them (one Jain and one Hindu) are from Ghaziabad, one (Hindu) from Faridabad and one (Hindu) from Chandigarh.

Another accused identified as Maulvi Abdul Rehman alias Nanni s/o Mehmood Ansari or Sanjaynagar in the Madhuban Bapudham Police Station area of Ghaziabad was apprehended by the police.

During the investigation, police found that there were multiple steps involved in luring Hindu and Jain boys towards Islam. In the first step, Muslim men created ids with Hindu names and played Fortnite games with unaware players of the Hindu and Jain communities. If they lose, the accused would force them to recite Islamic verses suggesting it will help them win. Later, they would let them win to establish trust.

In the second step, they were lured into following Islamic practices. In the third step, they would share videos of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and Islamic speeches to brainwash the victims. Using these videos, they would inform them about Islamic practices and lure them to embrace Islam. Once they convert to Islam, videos of infamous Tablighi cleric Tariq Jamil were shared to make them extremists. Zakir Naik was declared a fugitive by the Government of India. He was banned by Indian Govt in 2015.

During the interrogation, Ansari revealed that he was a member of the Sanjaynagar Jama Masjid committee but he was suspended a couple of months ago. Furthermore, Ansari wanted people from Hindu and other communities to embrace Islam and he would do anything to fulfil his desires.

A year ago, he came across two minor boys who were getting attracted to Islam while playing online games. He used the situation to lure them to convert to Islam and told them that Islam is better than other religions. He was well aware of the religion of the minors but he wanted more people to embrace Islam and he succeeded to convert them to some extent. However, their family members found out and the parents of one of the boys filed a police complaint.

Though he had deleted all the chats and data related to his activities from the mobile phone, police were able to find evidence of his activities on the device. Based on the technical evidence, further investigation is underway.

Complaint filed for forced conversion

On May 31, it was reported that a minor Jain boy’s family filed a complaint at the Kavinagar police station that their minor son was brainwashed into embracing Islam. The complainant has stated that his minor used to step out of his five times a day on the pretext of going to the gym. One day, the complainant covertly followed his son and found out that the minor boy was not going to the gym but a mosque and offered namaz there. When the boy’s father confronted him, he claimed that Islam is better than other religions. When the father checked his phone and laptop he found material pertaining to Islam including some illegal stuff. His father said that brainwashed into engaging in Islamic activities.

He is now talking about leaving his home and living with the mosque’s Imam. The complainant has also stated that his son goes to the mosque in Sector-23 in Sanjay Nagar to offer Namaz and that the people there may be complicit in the conversion racket Not only that, but he has expressed concern about his son being involved in anti-national activities. The father found out about his son following Islamic practices when he followed him to the gym. His son would leave home five times every day claiming he was going to the gym. In reality, he was going to the mosque to offer Namaz.

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