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Malad Ram Navami violence: Radicals chanted ‘Allah-Hu-Akhbar’ before throwing stones and chappals causing severe injuries, 21 arrested and over 400 booked

Siddhi Somani
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Malad Ram Navami violence: Radicals chanted ‘Allah-Hu-Akhbar’ before throwing stones and chappals causing severe injuries, 21 arrested and over 400 booked

Day after the radical Muslims attacked the Ram Navami procession in the Malvai region of Mumbai’s Malad suburb, the state police in a swift action arrested around 21 persons and produced them before the Borivali court yesterday. The court have sent all the accused persons to Police custody till April 6.

OpIndia accessed the FIR copy lodged in the case which reveals that the Ram Navami procession which was moving silently by the Jama Masjid area was attacked by a radical mob who pelted stones at the procession and also attacked the participants.

The accused persons booked in the case are Munna Nayatulla Rafiq Sheikh, Mohammad Shoaib Ahmed Mohammad, Faizan Alim, Latif Sayyed, Afzal Sheikh, Sadik Sheikh, Mh Furkan Faiyyaz Ahmed, Ahmed Raza Sameer Sheikh, Mohabiya Ansari, Jameel Merchant, Munna Sheikh, Rohan Sheikh. Apart from these named persons, around 300-400 unidentified people have also been mentioned in the FIR. The identified accused have been arrested for creating violence and injuring civilians as well as police personnel.

All the accused persons have been booked under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 145 (joining or continuing unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 149, 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous means), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (causing hurt to public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 37(1)(c) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

It was earlier reported that seven individuals were severely injured in the attack that was launched by the radical Muslims on March 30. The Muslims attacked the Ram Navami procession and the Hindu participants as they collectively passed by the Jama Masjid area in Malad. As per the FIR filed by one of the police personnel named Amol Walawalkar, around 6000 Ram bhakts participated in the procession. The Hindu participants were moving silently in the procession but were suddenly attacked as they reached the Abdul Hamid Road near the Jama Masjid area and the Ali Hazrat Masjid road.

Ram Navami procession was attacked twice by 300-400 radicals who raised slogans of ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’

According to Walawalkar, around 100 to 150 Muslims gathered illegally on the Abdul Hamid Road and raised the slogans of ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’. “They raised religious slogans like ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’ and also pointed at the Hindu participants in the procession. Suddenly, one of the identified accused person, Munna Nayatulla Rafiq Sheikh, pelted stone at the procession injuring one participant. The stone pelting then began,” he stated in the FIR.

One of the victims post attack (Image obtained by OpIndia)

The procession was further attacked as it moved by the road aligning to the Ali Hazrat Masjid. Walawalkar who is employed at the Malvani Police department, said that the procession was also attacked at the Ali Hazrat Masjid road. According to him around 200 to 250 Muslims gathered at the spot and attacked the Hindu people who participated in the rally. The Muslims pelted stones and also threw their footwear at the procession, causing insult to the Lord Rama and his worshippers.

Complaint copy obtained by OpIndia

Notably, the first attack was launched by the Muslims near the Jama Masjid at around 4:30 pm and the procession was attacked for the second time near the Ali Hazrat Masjid road at around 8:45 pm on March 30. A total of 300-400 unidentified people have been booked in the FIR.

Police confirmed to OpIndia that ‘chappals’ were also hurled at the participants

Police personnel Amol Walawalkar talked to OpIndia and confirmed the incident. He said that several police officers were deployed for the procession and that the Police initially tried to pacify the matter but later took charge as the participants in the procession were attacked with stones and chappals. “The Police has swiftly acted in the case and has arrested around 21 accused people. The BJP workers and the participants that day protested against the police and demanded action. According an FIR was lodged and many of the accused have been arrested. Further information can only be given with Sr PI Bhalerao’s permission,” he said.

One witness reveals Hindus suffered severe injuries, one supposedly incurred a fracture in his nose

Meanwhile, one of the witnesses and Hindu participants identified as Advocate P Raut revealed to OpIndia that the Police also resorted to lathi-charge after the attack happened. “Earlier, the Muslims attacked. They pelted stones and hurled footwears at us. Many of the Hindu participants have suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack. In fact, one person has supposedly incurred a fracture in his nose. The Police first tried to pacify the situation and then resorted to lathi charge. They also beat many of the Hindus amid the ruckus,” she said.

Victim whose nose was supposedly fractured (Image obtained by OpIndia)

Raut further added that the procession was attacked twice and the Muslim mob raised anti-Hindu slogans. “The louspeakers were already shut. However, the participants continued to raise Hindu slogans throughout the procession. The Muslims objected to the Hindu slogans and asked to shut mouths on the Masjid roads. They later raised slogans of ‘Allah-hu-Akhbar’ and pelted stones at the procession,” she added.

Radicals gathered illegally at two locations to launch attack

Walawalkar also mentioned in the FIR that the Muslims gathered illegally in the area and attacked the Hindus. Several Police personnels were also injured in the attack. Walawalkar said in the complaint that his right leg has been injured. “Case filed against more than 300 unidentified people for jeopardising the atmosphere in the area. The situation was tense for a while but it is under control now,” he confirmed.

Similar violence was reported from Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district on Ram Navami. Violent clashes broke between two groups at the Kiradpura area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, videos of which emerged showing that the decorations outside Ram Mandir in the area were attacked by a violent mob on Wednesday night.

The mob attacked outer side of the Ram Mandir and also vandalised several vehicles parked in the area including the police vehicles. As reported earlier, the mob executed the attack in presence of the police officers and also set police vans on fire. The Police have filed an FIR in the case and have booked around 400 to 500 unidentified people. Further investigations in the case are underway.

Also in Paldhi region in the Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a fight broke out between two groups when DJ music was played as a religious procession passed by a mosque in Paldhi. The Police have so far made 45 arrests and registered two FIRs in the case.

(Response from Mumbai Police Sr PI Bhalerao is awaited)

Amit Shah’s visit to Bihar’s Sasaram cancelled amid Section 144 following violence on Ram Navami 

OpIndia Staff
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Amit Shah’s visit to Bihar’s Sasaram cancelled amid Section 144 following violence on Ram Navami 

On Saturday, April 1, Union Home Minister Amit Shah cancelled his visit to Bihar’s Sasaram scheduled for April 2 due to violence that erupted between two groups in Sasaram of Bihar over the burning of the Ram Navami pandal soon after the processions concluded. The Home Minister’s visit to Nawada district, however, stands as it is.

Speaking to the media, Bihar BJP President Samrat Chaudhary said, “Union Home minister Amit Shah was supposed to come to Sasaram for an event. As the Bihar government imposed Section 144 we have to cancel the event. How can we hold an event like this?”

Notably, a heavy stone pelting occurred as two groups confronted each other in the Gola Bazar area of Sasaram. Many shops were vandalised and several others were set ablaze by the rioters during this time. Gola Bazar, Kadirganj, Mubarakarganj, Chaukhandi, and Navratna markets in Sasaram town are completely shut down. The district administration has imposed Section 144 in the area.

According to locals, the procession had concluded in the area. Meanwhile, some people set the Ram Navami pandal on fire. The situation worsened as soon as the pandal caught fire. The miscreants vandalised several vehicles. Several shops were also set on fire. As soon as the incident was reported, a large number of police forces reached the spot and controlled the situation. At present, a police force has been deployed in the area. The situation is under control.

Indians among 8 drowned while attempting to enter the US from Canada

OpIndia Staff
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Indians among 8 drowned while attempting to enter the US from Canada

Eight people have died, including members of an Indian family, according to Canadian police who claim to have found the bodies of two more migrants who drowned in the St. Lawrence river while trying to enter the US from Canada.

On Friday, the dead bodies were recovered in a marsh by a riverbank close to Akwesasne, near the border of Quebec, Ontario, and New York. One more person is still missing.

According to police, the deceased were attempting to enter the United States from Canada. They are thought to be two families of Indian and Romanian descent. Two of them were under the age of three and were Canadian citizens.

“Unfortunately, these situations happen. It’s not something new,” Akwesasne Mohawk Police chief Shawn Dulude said.

The officer was quoted by the Montreal Gazette as saying, “We’ve seen it happen in the past, and maybe as we move forward… it’s something we can one day eliminate.”

In order to assist with victim identification and contacting the next of kin, Immigration Canada is collaborating with Akwesasne police. Also, it stated, they are stepping up their riverside surveillance. Around 5 p.m. on Thursday, during an airborne search conducted by the Canadian Coast Guard, authorities found the first body in the marsh.

On Friday, search teams were seen wading through a marshy region close to the local marina with the help of a light airboat throughout the day. The river was also scanned by a helicopter. During the day, the bodies of a second infant and a woman were recovered from the water.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that there are numerous concerns regarding what happened to the two families. He remarked during a news conference that “this is a heartbreaking situation, particularly given the young child that was among them.”

Police report a rise in the number of people being smuggled into the US. US Customs and Border Patrol’s Ryan Brissette, a public affairs officer, said the agency has noticed a “massive uptick in encounters and apprehensions” at the border.

In comparison to prior years, he claimed, the agency witnessed more than eight times as many attempts to enter from Canada into the US in 2022. More than 64,000 of them entered New York via Quebec or Ontario.

According to Akwesasne police, since January there have been 48 instances of people attempting to enter Canada or the United States illegally through Mohawk territory, with the majority of them being of Indian or Romanian heritage.

Four Indians’ bodies, including an infant, were discovered frozen in Manitoba close to the Canadian-American border in January 2022. In April 2022 it was reported that six Indian nationals were rescued from a sinking boat in the St. Regis river, Akwesasne Mohawk Territory.

Unethical Photoshop or April Fools prank? People amused as Kerala Tourism posts doctored photo of Hollywood stars Tom Holland and Zendaya

OpIndia Staff
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Unethical Photoshop or April Fools prank? People amused as Kerala Tourism posts doctored photo of Hollywood stars Tom Holland and Zendaya

Hollywood stars Tom Holland and Zendaya, co-stars of Spider-Man: No Way Home, arrived in India on 31 March amid rumours of their prospective engagement. They were photographed in Mumbai after their arrival, and they attended the opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center (NMANCC) on Friday night.

Amid media frenzy over their arrival in India, the official Twitter account of Kerala Tourism today posted a photograph of the duo apparently in Kerala. In the picture, Tom and Zendaya are seen holding hands on a picturesque tea plantation. Kerala Tourism added the caption “Guess who we spotted far away from home?” with the photograph and also added hashtags #FarAwayHome, #Munnar and #KeralaTourism. Munnar is a hill station in Kerala that has several tea gardens.

However, netizens were quick to spot that Kerala Tourism posted a morphed photograph, and the Hollywood stars didn’t visit a tea garden in Munnar, as suggested by the tweet. The photograph that the official Twitter account of Kerala Tourism is actually from Boston in USA from last year.

Tom Holland and Zendaya were spotted together in casual attires in Boston in April last year, and their photographs, clicked by celebrity portal Backgrid, were published by several media houses. One of those photos, showing Tom holding Zendaya’s hand in his trousers pocket, was used in the Kerala Tourism photo, which was photoshopped on the background of the tea garden photograph.

Original photo of Tom Holland and Zendaya in Boston by Backgrid

It is not sure whether the Kerala government department fell for a prank created by someone else or it was a deliberate April Fool prank. Some Twitter users opined that it is an April Fool joke.

However, even if it was a deliberate prank, it is unusual for a government agency to post April Fool pranks, and that too without giving any hint. It is not known whether Kerala Tourism got pranked or played a prank on April Fool’s day. It is also possible that it is not a prank and someone just took the photograph and superimposed it on the tea garden photo for the promotion of Kerala tourism. If that is the case, that will be a highly unethical thing to do. Creative agencies are sometimes caught lifting images available only.

Tom Holland and Zendaya were photographed exiting Kalina Airport, the terminal for private aircraft at Mumbai airport on Friday. The couple has been dating since they co-starred in Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, and they made their romance official in September 2021.

The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre was inaugurated in Mumbai last night, which was a star-studded affair with several celebrities. Apart from Tom and Zendaya, Penelope Cruz, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, French fashion designer Christian Louboutin and artist Jeff Koons were present. From Indian entertainment industry, several celebrities including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Rajinikanth, Aamir Khan, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Vidya Balan, Shraddha Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karan Johar, Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and others were present.

The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), is located in the Jio World Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

After 10 months in Patiala jail for killing a person, senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu gets released today

OpIndia Staff
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After 10 months in Patiala jail for killing a person, senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu gets released today

Former Indian cricketer and senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu is leaving Patiala jail today after serving a 10-month sentence for a road-rage incident that resulted in a man’s death 35 years ago. The 59-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician will also address the media outside of jail.

Sidhu’s release date was announced on his Twitter account yesterday, March 31. He is reportedly getting released two months before the end of his sentence for his ‘good behaviour.’ His family also got an intimation from authorities regarding his release from the Patiala jail.

Sidhu was imprisoned on May 20 last year after surrendering to a Patiala court and receiving a one-year severe punishment sentence from the Supreme Court in the case. The family of the victim had sought a harsher sentence and a reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision clearing him of murder.

Sidhu’s lawyer HPS Verma informed that the Punjab Congress leader is getting an early release under the state’s general remission policy. “Navjot Singh Sidhu’s scheduled release was in May, but for all prisoners with good conduct, all Sunday holidays get deducted from the sentence period. Therefore, he is getting a 48-day remission,” he stated. 

On December 27, 1988, Patiala resident Gurnam Singh and Navjot Singh Sidhu got into a fight over a parking space. The former MP and his friend, Rupinder Singh Sandhu, dragged the latter out of his car and hit him. He later died in a hospital. The Congress leader was accused by an eyewitness of killing the latter with a strike to the head.

The duo had parked their Gypsy in the middle of the road near the Sheranwala Gate crossing in Patiala. When the elderly man reached the spot in a car, he asked them to make room for his vehicle which lead to a violent altercation between them.

Hyderabad: Islamists attack Hindus for chanting devotional slogans during Ram Navami amid Ramzan evening prayers

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Islamists attack Hindus for chanting devotional slogans during Ram Navami amid Ramzan evening prayers

Like every year, this year’s Ram Navami celebrations have also been marred with violence as Islamists unleashed mayhem in various parts of the country. Today, (April 1), a new video of violence has emerged from the Charminar area in Hyderabad, where allegedly a group of Islamists attacked Hindu devotees for chanting devotional slogans on the occasion of Ram Navami.

The incident reportedly occurred in Hyderabad’s old city Charminar area on Thursday (March 30, 2023) evening during the Hindu festival of Ram Navami, which coincidentally came in the month of Ramzan this year.

According to reports, some Hindu devotees arrived on bikes and began chanting slogans to commemorate Ram Navami in Hyderabad’s Charminar neighbourhood. Several Muslim fanatics, who were offended because Ramadan evening prayers were being held at the time, accosted and assaulted the Hindu devotees.

As can be seen in the viral video, a group of individuals donning skull caps shout ‘maaro maaro’ as they accost some youths and thrash them up mercilessly in full public view. A young man dressed in a saffron kurta escapes the hands of an enraged mob and flees for his life. Some enraged Islamists start chasing him, while others seize another Hindu youth and begin beating him up.

According to reports, the police did not receive any complaint, however, a case has been filed by taking suo-moto cognisance of the incident. The accused have not yet been identified but the police are probing the case.

Ram Navami or the birth anniversary of Lord Rama is an auspicious occasion in the Hindu calendar year. On that day, Hindus seek blessings from Lord Rama, provide food to the needy, perform rituals, take out processions and so on. However, every year, when these processions pass through the so-called ‘Muslim dominated areas’, it leads to stone pelting, targeted attacks, arson and vandalism.

This year was also no exception. States like West Bengal and Maharashtra were marred with violence. Apart from this, there were also reports of stones pelting on the Shobha Yatra of Ram Navami in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

Congress party to approach social media influencers and YouTubers ahead of general elections, informs senior journalist

OpIndia Staff
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Congress party to approach social media influencers and YouTubers ahead of general elections, informs senior journalist

The political parties have begun chalking out their strategies and planning their election campaigns for the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in 2024. In order to reach the general public and convey their perspective, the Congress party has apparently chosen to approach social media influencers and YouTubers.

Taking to Twitter, senior journalist Pallavi Ghosh stated that the Congress is now reaching out to social media influencers and YouTubers to communicate its point of view to the public as the party opines that the mainstream media is not covering them.

“Congress now reaches out to social media influencers and you tubers to put its point of view as they feel mainstream media does not cover them,” Ghosh tweeted on Friday. It may be noted that Pallavi Ghosh is a veteran Congress beat journalist, she is covering the Congress party for several years.

Interestingly, in April last year, poll strategist Prashant Kishor gave a presentation to Congress leadership outlining his plans to revive the party from its comatose state and push them to a strong showing in the next General Elections in 2024. The digital space, where the Congress has consistently fallen behind the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) despite seemingly attempting everything, was one of the key priority areas listed by Kishor in his presentation.

While Pallavi Ghosh in her tweet said that Congress feels that the mainstream media does not cover them, Prashant Kishor had made a similar assertion in his presentation last year. The poll strategist had claimed that the mainstream media is ‘heavily’ biased towards the ruling party adding that Congress needs to develop its own media ‘ecosystem’. 

PK had also emphasized taking social media influencers on board to push its narrative. He recommended the Congress party to bring on board key district-level Facebook influencers with a minimum of 50,000 to 1 lakh followers. Use stand-up comedians’ YouTube channels to publicize party propaganda. PK also suggested that the Congress party should develop a network of Twitter influencers to boost hashtags on Twitter. Have a WhatsApp group in every village of the country. Prashant Kishor, on one hand, accused the mainstream media of being biased towards the Bhartiya Janata Party, on the other, had asked Congress to develop a network of “ideologically inclined” news portals to push the party propaganda using the digital space.

Slide from Prashant Kishor’s presentation

Interestingly, during Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had interacted with many social media influencers and ‘independent’ journalists popular across social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram,  Twitter, Facebook, etc.

In January this year, during the Yatra, Rahul Gandhi had reportedly told a group of journalists running YouTube channels that the mainstream media does not want to listen. “They (mainstream media) have already decided what they want to do and what not as if they know everything. So there is no point talking to them,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra served as an example of Congress’s shift in communication techniques, as it was reported that the party had hired Teen Bandar, a Mumbai-based firm, to boost the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s social media presence on various digital platforms. YouTubers who primarily cover certain States or districts were enlisted for a “hyper-local approach.”

Rahul Gandhi who was recently disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his derogatory comments against the people with the ‘Modi’ surname, has time and again made assertions that the mainstream media has been ‘compromised’.  A recent example of this was seen when the Gandhi scion lashed out at two journalists on March 25, merely because they asked some probing questions about his conviction. 

No matter how strenuously, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate argues that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party’s social media fares much better than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bhartiya Janata Party, the fact is that the BJP ‘still’ manages to fare well in elections.

ISI-trained spy arrested from Rajasthan, had been visiting Pakistan since 2012 under the pretext of meeting his kins

OpIndia Staff
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ISI-trained spy arrested from Rajasthan, had been visiting Pakistan since 2012 under the pretext of meeting his kins

The police have arrested two youths from Rajasthan’s Barmer district for allegedly spying for Pakistan. According to reports, one of the accused identified as Ratan Khan had been long spying for the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.

Khan had been visiting Pakistan since 2012, under the pretext of meeting his relatives. However, during the interrogation, he revealed that he use to go to Pakistan to receive espionage training from the ISI and had been sending confidential information to his handlers there since then.

The second accused reportedly worked in Mangala Processing Terminal (MPT), the famous crude oil processing facility in Barmer, Rajasthan. He was allegedly honey-trapped by a female ISI agent on social media and had been passing confidential information to her in exchange for money.

According to reports, the CID Intelligence of Rajasthan was keeping a close watch on Pakistan’s espionage efforts in the state. During this time, the unit discovered two individuals in the Barmer district who were communicating with Pakistan via social media. The agency increased its surveillance and identified Ratan Khan, a resident of Langon Ki Dhani village in Sheo tehsil of Rajasthan’s Barmer district, and Paruram, a resident of Shobhala Jetmal village. The agency then began investigating the background of these youths.

The intelligence agency learnt that Ratan Khan had been visiting Pakistan under the guise of visiting relatives since 2012. He used to go there to meet ISI agents and get espionage training. He went there and learned how to create confidential border information on his mobile phone and disseminate it over social media.

Following training, Ratan Khan began passing confidential information to Pakistan via WhatsApp, including images and videos of restricted border areas. In exchange, he received money from Pakistan. In the last ten years, he has visited Pakistan more than 20 times.

On the other hand, Paruram who was working as a security guard at Mangala Processing Terminal, Nagana Kawas (Barmer), was honey-trapped by an ISI female handler on social media. He used to send confidential information to her in exchange for money. During the interrogation, it came to the fore that ISI’s female spy had sent money to Paruram several times in the past.

Italy becomes the first western country to ban OpenAI’s ChatGPT over privacy concerns

OpIndia Staff
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Italy becomes the first western country to ban OpenAI’s ChatGPT over privacy concerns

Italy has effectively put a stop to the popular Artificially Intelligent chatbot ChatGPT by banning the Microsoft-supported platform. Italy’s data protection office announced on Friday that it has launched an investigation into OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, citing privacy concerns.

The decision to restrict the chatbot was taken due to the absence of a legal foundation that supports the extensive gathering and storage of personal data for training the model, according to Italy’s agency.

The agency also charged ChatGPT with failing to verify the age of its users, as the service should only be available to those who are 13 years old and older. The privacy watchdog also voiced alarm over the lack of any filter for age verification of users, which exposes kids to wholly inappropriate replies.

It claimed to have temporarily blocked chatbots’ usage of the private information of Italian users. The site was blocked as a result of Italy’s authorities particularly mentioning a data breach that occurred last week and resulted in users being able to view other people’s conversation history.

Sam Altman, the CEO of Open AI, recently called ChatGPT a terrible product in a podcast interview. Altman pointed up ChatGPT’s recurring error messages, too-straightforward design, and capacity difficulties as serious drawbacks.

In the meanwhile, concerns about Articfically Intelligent chatbots have been raised after a young Belgian man recently committed suicide after speaking to an AI chatbot ‘ELIZA’.

In India, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had forbidden students from using ChatGPT, an AI-based programme, for the class 10th and 12th board examinations.

Since its launch in November last year, the ChatGPT bot has swiftly gained popularity, upending the educational landscape and assisting students with their essays and tests. The bot can also write articles, lines of code, and cover letters for job applications. Moreover, Bill Gates has complimented ChatGPT and claimed that it will transform our world.

ChatGPT, used by millions, can replicate different writing styles and respond to inquiries in a manner that is natural and human-like. 

It was added to the Microsoft platform Bing last month, the company has stated that Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook would all have a version of the technology integrated into them.

Tamil Nadu Shocker: 9-year-old Instagram ‘star’ committed suicide after parents told her to study

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu Shocker: 9-year-old Instagram ‘star’ committed suicide after parents told her to study

Pratiksha, a nine-year-old Class IV student from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district, who was very popular on Instagram for her reels, committed suicide on Tuesday after her parents asked her to study. Pratiksha had created nearly 70 reels in the previous six months and was fondly referred to as ‘reels queen’ and ‘Insta queen’ by her followers, friends and neighbours.

At around 8 pm on Tuesday, March 28, the little girl was playing with her friends near her grandmother’s residence when her parents, Krishnamoothy and Karpagam, noticed her. They chastised her for staying out late and told her to go home and study.

The couple handed the child the house keys before leaving to run some errands. After an hour, the parents returned home to discover the house locked from the inside. When they rang the calling bell, no one answered.

Krishnamoothy smashed open the door and was horrified to see Pratiksha dangling from a window grill with a towel around her neck. They immediately rushed her to a hospital. However, the doctors declared her dead. 

An investigating officer cited social media as the cause of the death while everyone struggled to comprehend that a child had ended her life. According to the police, unrestricted internet access subjects young brains to a variety of influences leading to such actions.

In related news, the Delhi Police stated that they prevented a suicide attempt from being broadcasted live on Facebook. Delhi Police reported that on Monday night, March 27, at 9 PM, a 25-year-old man attempted to ‘live stream’ his suicide from Nand Nagri, in north-east Delhi, on Facebook.

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