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Finland set to join NATO and become the 31st member of the alliance

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Finland set to join NATO and become the 31st member of the alliance

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that Finland will become a full member of NATO on April 4. His remarks came after the Turkish Parliament on March 30 voted in favour of Finland’s application to join NATO.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Stoltenberg said, “This is a historic week. Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the thirty-first member of NATO. Making Finland safer and our Alliance stronger.” 

He further said, “We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the Nato headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole. It will be a good day for Finland’s security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole,” according to the statement released on NATO’s website. He added, “Sweden will also be safer as a result.”

Jens Stoltenberg said that allies in 2022 made a decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO and noted that Finland’s accession has been the fastest ratification process in NATO’s modern history.

He said that tomorrow NATO will hold the NATO-Ukraine Commission with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv and the military alliance’s support for Ukraine. Stoltenberg said that he welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace plan which upholds the principles at the heart of the UN Charter.

On Friday, Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Turkey’s decision to ratify Finland’s membership in NATO. He said that Finland’s inclusion will make the country “safer” and NATO “stronger.”

Stoltenberg said, “I welcome the vote by the Turkish Grand National Assembly to ratify Finland’s membership in NATO. All 30 NATO Allies have now ratified the accession protocol. And I have just spoken with President Sauli Niinisto to congratulate him on this historic occasion.”

On Thursday, the Turkish Parliament on Thursday voted unanimously in favour of Finland’s application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while also continuing to block Sweden from joining the military alliance, CNN reported.

The vote in the Parliament fulfils Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “promise” to allow Finland to become part of the military alliance, as per the news report. Turkey was the last NATO member to approve Finland’s accession. Following the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country is “ready to join NATO.”

In 2022, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO. A majority of NATO members welcomed the applications of Finland and Sweden except for Turkey and Hungary.

Turkish President Erdogan accused Finland and Sweden of housing Kurdish “terrorist organizations.” Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Finland and Sweden were disseminating “outright lies” about his country’s rule of law record, as per the CNN report.

Later, the two nations softened their stance on Finland’s accession. However, Hungary and Turkey continue to remain opposed to Sweden becoming part of NATO.

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

‘Watt laga di dada ji’: Pakistani journalist Arzoo Kazmi regrets grandfather’s decision to migrate from India

OpIndia Staff
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‘Watt laga di dada ji’: Pakistani journalist Arzoo Kazmi regrets grandfather’s decision to migrate from India

Pakistan is currently enduring an era of poverty and economic doldrums. Burgeoning inflation, which has surpassed a 50-year high and a deepening cost-of-living crisis has left millions of people across Pakistan struggling to put food on their tables. 

Soaring food prices, flour shortages and the apathy of the country’s ruling dispensation have made it even more challenging for millions of people across Pakistan to provide two square meals to their loved ones.

On Friday, at least 12 people were killed, including 9 women in the stampede during a ration distribution drive in a factory in Karachi. Amidst all this, a tweet by Arzoo Kazmi, a journalist living in Islamabad in Pakistan, is going increasingly viral on social media where she regrets her ancestor’s decision to move to Pakistan from India.

Regretting her forefather’s decision to migrate from India to Pakistan in 1947, the Pakistan journalist tweeted on April 1, “My brothers and other family members feel that they have no future in Pakistan. My grandfather and his family migrated from Prayagraj and Delhi to Pakistan for a better future. Watt laga di dada ji (created serious trouble, grandfather).”

After Arzoo’s tweet went viral, many users on social media asked her to return to India with her family. An Indian Twitter user wrote, “You are most welcome here.”

“Don’t worry, Abba (India) has a big heart,” Manzoor Ahmed Naik wrote, referring to India as Pakistan’s ‘abba,’ or father.

A Twitter user going by the handle @Jagdish_2204 replied to Arzoo’s tweet with conviction that Yogi Adityanath could bring her back. “Yogiji Ghar Wapsi kar sakte hai!” he tweeted.

Welcoming the Pakistan journalist back to India, Twitter user @AbhishekSaket quipped that her grandfather got carried away by his emotions otherwise she could have witnessed history being created in Prayagraj today. “Dada ji emotionally beh gaye. Aaj Prayagraj me itihaas bante dekh rahe hote. You are always welcome back to your roots,” he wrote.

Some other Twitter users responded by thanking their grandfather for taking the right decision at the right time and migrating from Pakistan to India.

Twitter user Suraj Rajput retaliated by saying that chances were high that if the Pakistani journalist was currently living in India she would be hating Modi and the Hindus without any reason and loving the future less Pakistan.

For the uninitiated, Arzoo Kazmi is a Pakistani journalist who does not mince her words in criticising puritanical interpretation of Islam and often appears on Indian channels with her uncharacteristically liberal views concerning Pakistan. She also has a YouTube channel with as many as 335 thousand subscribers.

After getting a bail extension, convicted Rahul Gandhi tweets a cryptic message claiming the truth is on his side

OpIndia Staff
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After getting a bail extension, convicted Rahul Gandhi tweets a cryptic message claiming the truth is on his side

On April 3, after getting a bail extension from Surat Court, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted a cryptic message. “This is a fight to save democracy against ‘Mitrakal’. Truth is my weapon, and the truth is my support in this struggle.”

It is unclear though how getting bail in a defamation case where he abused an OBC community can be considered a “fight to save democracy”. Similar rhetoric was presented in front of the world when Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi were called by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a money laundering case.

Rahul Gandhi’s sentence suspended

A Surat Court has suspended Rahul Gandhi’s two-year prison sentence that was awarded to him for using defamatory language against the Modi surname. The case was filed against him by BJP leader Purnesh Modi over a 2019 speech. Usually, the convict is not required to appear in court to file an appeal, but Rahul Gandhi chose to do so to turn the entire thing into a spectacle.

Rahul Gandhi’s conviction

Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat Court and sentenced to 2 years in prison in a 2019 defamation case. The Congress scion’s conviction led to an automatic disqualification from Lok Sabha as per the regulations. Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification has been used by him and Congress leaders to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming “democracy is in danger” and “Modi is suppressing the voice of the opposition”. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi abused the Modi OBC community by questioning “why all thieves have a common surname, Modi”. The Surat Court found him guilty and sentenced him to two years in prison for criminal defamation. He had 30 days to appeal against the sentencing.

Blast in St Petersburg: ‘Woman assassin’ arrested for delivering bomb camouflaged as statuette to kill pro-Russia military blogger

OpIndia Staff
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Blast in St Petersburg: ‘Woman assassin’ arrested for delivering bomb camouflaged as statuette to kill pro-Russia military blogger

Russia’s Investigative Committee reported on Monday that a woman has been arrested on suspicion of killing a well-known military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky on April 2. The assassin Darya Trepova was earlier placed on Russia’s wanted list. The authorities report that the explosion injured over 30 persons, 10 still in critical condition.

Earlier the Russian Interior Ministry had identified the suspect as Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old native of St. Petersburg who had previously been detained for participating in anti-war demonstrations. Russian media has stated that Darya Trepova was associated with pro-Ukraine groups and has been linked to Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Tatarsky whose real name was Maksim Fomin was hosting a fan gathering at a cafe in the heart of St. Petersburg on Sunday night when a bomb exploded, killing him and injuring over 30 others. According to witnesses, Tatarsky received a figurine from a young woman just before the explosion. According to a witness named Alisa Smotrova, the woman informed Mr Tatarsky that she had created a figurine of him but that the guards had requested her to leave it at the entrance because they thought it might be a bomb. They laughed and joked before she went to the door, picked up the bust and handed it to Mr Tatarsky.

Meanwhile, a video of the blast has also surfaced.

According to several Russian media reports, the improvised explosive device was camouflaged as a statuette given to Tatarsky during the event.

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, Mr Tatarsky’s activities “had earned him the enmity of the Kyiv administration,” and he and other Russian military bloggers have long faced threats from Ukraine. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian owner of the Wagner Group military contractor leading Moscow’s attack in eastern Ukraine, claimed to run the cafe and had granted permission for a patriotic group to hold meetings there.

Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Surat Sessions Court extends bail till April 13, pauses two-year sentence, read details

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi defamation case: Surat Sessions Court extends bail till April 13, pauses two-year sentence, read details

On April 3, Surat Court extended bail granted to Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case till April 13. The next hearing date has been set for May 3. Gandhi reached Surat to appeal against the conviction in a 2019 defamation case in which he was sentenced to two years leading to his disqualification from Lok Sabha. The court has paused the two-year sentence.

After coming out of the court, he waved at the crowd as an attempt to show bail extension as a big victory.

Notably, along with Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi, three Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states, senior Congress leaders, and workers went to the court premises. Usually, the convict is not required to appear in court to file an appeal, but Gandhi wanted to flex muscle to show how “powerful” his party was.

Congress workers across the country staged a protest against his conviction. Congress workers were seen holding placards outside Surat court protesting his conviction and disqualification.

The Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for accompanying his family and party leaders to file an appeal in the appellate court in Surat against his conviction by a magistrate court in the 2019 criminal defamation case. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra held a press conference earlier today to lash out at Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is going with his family and some chief ministers “with pomp and show” to “repeat and add to the insult” of the OBC community. 

“Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family, and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown to the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?” Patra said. 

“The lower court had given him (Rahul Gandhi) the opportunity to apologise, but he denied stating that he is Rahul and will not apologise. Rahul and responsibility never go together. Why is this arrogance? The Supreme Court had pulled him up for his remarks over Narendra Modi. He wasn’t ready to apologise in Supreme Court, but the court made him apologise in written in the form of affidavit,” Patra had further said.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress party is doing drama to “threaten the judiciary”. In a tweet, he said, Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama.

Rahul Gandhi’s conviction

Gandhi was convicted by a Surat Court and sentenced to 2 years in prison in a 2019 defamation case. Gandhi’s conviction led to an automatic disqualification from Lok Sabha as per the regulations. His disqualification has been used by Gandhi and Congress leaders to attack Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming “democracy is in danger” and “Modi is suppressing the voice of opposition”. In 2019, Rahul Gandhi abused the OBC community by questioning “why all thieves have a common surname, Modi”. Irked by his comments, a defamation case was filed. Surat Court found him guilty and sentenced him to two years. He had 30 days to appeal against the sentencing.

NIA Court orders framing of charges against Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal

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NIA Court orders framing of charges against Indian Mujahideen terrorist Yasin Bhatkal

Delhi’s NIA Court has ordered the framing of charges against Indian Mujahideen’s (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and 10 of its operatives for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy to wage war against India and being members of the banned terrorist organization.

The same court in the matter also discharged the three accused noting that there is no sufficient direct evidence for proving the charge. Special NIA Judge Shailender Malik, in an order passed on March 31, ordered the framing of charges against Bhatkal and others and said there was enough evidence to put the accused persons on the trial.

The court of special judge Shailender Malik ordered the framing of charges against Bhatkal, Ansari, Mohd Aftab Alam, Imran Khan, Syed, Obaid Ur Rehman, Asaudullah Akhtar, Ujjair Ahmad, Mohd Tehsin Akhtar, Haider Ali and Zia Ur Rehman.

It is in allegations that in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy, functionaries of Indian Mujahideen undertook large-scale recruitment/induction of new members for the commission of terrorist activities in various parts of India, with active aid and support from Pakistan-based associates, as well as sleeper cells within the country, to commit terrorist acts by bomb blasts at prominent places in India, especially in Delhi.

Sources also revealed that Indian Mujahideen operatives and its frontal organizations have received regular funds for their terrorist activities.

The probe agency states that during the investigation, it was ascertained that Mohammad Danish Ansari was recruited and indoctrinated by Bhatkal with the assistance of Tahseen Akhtar and Kafeel Akhtar. After being inducted in the IM, Ansari regularly visited the hideouts of the IM located at Sara – Mohanpur, Darbhanga. Danish Ansari had closely worked with Bhatkal and met several other IM operatives at the hide-outs of IM at Sara Mohanpur, Darbhanga, states probe agency.

Earlier, Investigation agencies also claimed that Ansari provided shelter to Bhatkal, who is on the run.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), is investigating a criminal case registered against the terrorist activities of the proscribed terrorist organization ‘Indian Mujahideen under Sections 121A and 123 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and under Sections 17, 18, 18B and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Indian Mujahideen is a terrorist organization proscribed under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which was formed around the end of the year 2003.

A group of some ultra-radicalized Muslim youths including Iqbal Bhatkal, Riyaz Bhatkal, Mohd Siddibappa Zarrar alias Yasin Bhatkal, who was associated earlier with another banned terrorist organization Student Islamic Movement of India, segregated themselves in aftermath of communal mobilization following Babri Masjid’s demolition and Godhara riots.

The group formed a new terrorist organization called Indian Mujahideen to carry out terrorist attacks in different parts of India.

Those ultra-radicalized youths belong to different parts of India including Bhatkal, Azamgarh, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and others and they entered into a conspiracy to carry out terrorist attacks in different parts of India to wage war against the Government of India.

Indian Mujahideen was banned as a terrorist organization on June 22, 2009. 

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

‘Why was the procession taken out during Azaan?’: West Bengal cleric justifies Ram Navami violence in Howrah

OpIndia Staff
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‘Why was the procession taken out during Azaan?’: West Bengal cleric justifies Ram Navami violence in Howrah

After CM Mamata Banerjee attempted to whitewash the violence perpetrated by Islamists during Ram Navami in the state’s Howrah region by invoking their faith, West Bengal Islamic cleric Pirzada Nazimuddin Hossein employed similar rhetoric to justify the carnage.

While Mamata Banerjee insisted that Hindus should not venture into “Muslim areas” to carry out processions, West Bengal’s Furfura Sharif cleric Pirzada Nazimuddin Hossein subtly gave a clean chit to the Islamists for the mayhem they unleashed on the Hindu devotees in Shibpur, Howrah on March 30, by pinning the blame on the timing of the ‘Sobha Yatra’ taken out by the Hindus.

According to Pirzada Nazimuddin Hossein, who spoke to ABP News, the violence erupted in the evening during Azaan. According to him, the Ram Navami procession should have gone through the neighbourhood before or after the Azaan hour. The Hindus should have obeyed the time to avoid the violence, which is essentially what the cleric suggested to rationalize the carnage carried out by radical Islamists on March 30.

When the reporter asked the cleric his views on the violence unleashed in Shibpur, Howrah on March 30, the cleric said that this is the month of Ramzan and when the Hindus were taking out the procession, it was time for Muslims to break their fast with Iftar. It was the state administration’s duty to make sure that the ‘Sobha Yatra’ passed the area either half an hour before or after the Muslims broke their Roza.

Around 1.08 minutes into the conversation, the journalist queried the cleric about the indiscriminate pelting of stones following the afternoon Namaz. The cleric, here, cleverly veered from the question and instead of addressing the stone pelting, he again began complaining about the time of the incident. He stated that the incident occurred in the evening during Maghrib Azaan. He claimed that if the procession had been held in the afternoon, this would not have happened. The violence occurred since Hindus chose an evening schedule for the ‘Sobha Yatra,’ which clashed with the Azaan time, he claimed.

Laughably, even though Hindus were attacked in the violence that happened on March 30 in West Bengal’s Howrah district, the cleric bemoaned that members of a particular community are being targeted in the state. He accused the BJP of engaging in sectarian politics in West Bengal, which is causing Muslims to be targeted.

Insinuating BJP’s involvement in the violence, he claimed that the nearby Muslims were too busy practising Azaan and breaking Roza to engage in stone-pelting. “Ek bada politics chal raha hain, raajneeti chal raha hai,” Pirzada Nazimuddin Hossein said, cleverly shrugging the blame on the BJP, the state’s main opposition party, to legitimise the Ram Navami violence in WB.

It may be recalled that on Thursday (March 30), stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur area of Howrah. This led to a clash between the Hindu and Muslim groups, leading to violence and arson. Vehicles and shops were also torched during the attack.

Several disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. A large contingent of police was deployed to maintain the law and order situation in the area. The cops conducted a flag march, fired tear gas shells and chased away the rioters.

Hours after Islamists ran riots against Hindus celebrating Ram Navami in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had attempted to give a clean chit to the perpetrators by first invoking their faith and second, blaming the violence on ‘outsiders.’ She insisted that Hindus should not venture into “Muslim areas” to carry out processions.

However, a day after Mamata Banerjee accused Hindu devotees of carrying out the Ram Navami procession on ‘unauthorized routes’, the organisers of the rally came forward to refute her claims.

Bengaluru: Andrew Tate fans postpone protests outside Romanian Embassy as Tate brothers shifted to house arrest

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru: Andrew Tate fans postpone protests outside Romanian Embassy as Tate brothers shifted to house arrest

The Muslim conservative group of Tate Fans postponed protests after a Romanian court shifted social media influencer and former kickboxer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate to house arrest. Earlier, they had urged the Tate brothers’ fans to protest outside Romanian Embassy in different countries if the Romanian authorities did not release Tate in the scheduled court hearing. Tate brothers Andrew and Tritan along with their assistants Georgiana Naghel and Luana Radu were released after the court order.

In a tweet, the group supporting the Tate brothers said that though they won the first battle, the fight was not over. They said, “Although we know the Tate’s are innocent, the ‘investigation’ continues, And the property seized has not yet been returned to the Tate brothers.”

Tate fans said they won the battle but the fight was still on. Source: Twitter

Following the release, Tate uploaded a video of himself smoking a cigar. He wrote, “Since last year I’ve been in 24-hour lockdown. No yard time. Pacing a 3-metre cell with zero electronics or outside contact. Absolute clarity of mind. Real thoughts. Real plans. Vivid pain. One hour home and I can’t stand my phone. Some habits die hard. We must defeat Shaytan.” (sic)

In an invite to the protest in Bengaluru, the group said that if the Romanian judges do not release Tate Brothers and their assistants from custody in the next court appearance, they will hold a peaceful protest in front of the Romanian Embassy in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Details of India protest if Romanian judges do not release them during next hearing. Source: Tateprotest.com

“Peaceful protestors will gather and perform legal acts of protesting afforded to them by the Laws of India,” the invite read. It further mentioned that the Indian constitution provides the right to peaceful protest under Article 19(1)(a), which guarantees all citizens the freedom of speech and expression.

Furthermore, laws and guidelines were listed to make it easier for the protesters to ensure they do not get on the wrong side of the law. Similar protests have been announced in Australia, Germany, Romania, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, England, the USA and Canada. The dates of the protests are yet to be announced.

As per the website Tateprotest.com, there have been international human rights violations in the case of the Tate Brothers’ arrests, including denial of access to a US lawyer, prolonged investigation, prolonged solitary confinement, disregard to exculpatory evident, prejudicial leaks, detention without new evidence, denial of medical access and denial of access to visitors.

The arrest of the Tate Brothers

Andrew Tate, who recently converted to Islam, was arrested and sent to jail in December 2022 as part of a human trafficking and rape investigation. Tate’s residence in Bucharest, where he was held alongside his brother Tristan, was raided by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), Romania. Their lawyer verified the brothers’ imprisonment on Friday.

Interestingly, his location was revealed when he trolled Greta Thunberg on social media and accidentally revealed his location as a Pizza Box was included in the photograph he posted. In response to his tweet, Greta Thunberg used a ‘small d*ck energy’ jibe.

Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) issued a statement and said that four suspects, two British citizens and two Romanian citizens, were suspected of being part of a criminal group focused on human trafficking. “The four suspects … appear to have created an organized crime group to recruit, house, and exploit women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialized websites for a cost,” the prosecutor said.

170 not enough on such a small ground: Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach Shane Bond after the defeat against RCB

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170 not enough on such a small ground: Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach Shane Bond after the defeat against RCB

Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond said that 170 runs which was posted by Mumbai against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their opening game in the IPL was not enough to defend on “such a small ground.”

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten knock of 82 and Faf du Plessis’ blistering 73 guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to register a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday to kick start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign with a victory. Mumbai Indians haven’t won the first game of the season since 2012, and have won the title five times in the interim.

Bowling coach Bond addressed the media on behalf of the team, beginning with his honest assessment of the score that the M Chinnaswamy Stadium offers and “how we could have maximized our chances.”

“I think 170 runs on such a small ground is not great. We left runs out on the park. I think if we went 190-plus we had a chance. Then we just weren’t as accurate with the ball as we needed to be,” he said.

The Kiwi legend also stressed the crucial points where Mumbai possibly could have turned the contest in their favour. “We knew how important the opening partnership was to break, but we couldn’t break it, and we couldn’t even apply pressure for sustained periods. We lacked a little bit of control of the ball and Faf (Faf du Plessis) and Virat (Virat Kohli) played beautifully as well. So I suppose today, in all three phases, we were outplayed,” Bond said.

Lessons were taught early on with the ball, with Mohammed Siraj at the forefront. Bond credited how crucial the RCB pacer’s opening spell was in the game.

“You look at those first three overs from Siraj. He didn’t give any width, he gave nothing up. He used his bouncer beautifully. He gave us nothing to hit, forced us in to take some shots, and got wickets from it,” Bond added.

“We were always well behind. We had a long batting order, we tried to up the ante, and we got to 170. So I think for us, we know that if we can get a decent start, we can score all sorts of runs with the power that we have. But that opening spell was brilliant and too good for us today,” the Mumbai bowling coach said.

The result aside, our bowling coach expressed his happy thoughts on soaking in the noise and the atmosphere of the IPL cricket returning to the home and away format.

“It was great to be back out on Chinnaswamy. With that atmosphere, we are just back into the traditional IPL. I think everyone missed it. Now we’ve got a few new players. They would have found it pretty intimidating but it’s much better for the experience. I think everyone’s just excited to be back into the traditional IPL. Even for me, standing out in the middle today, feeling that energy from the crowd and the noise was quite special,” Bond added.

“You realise what you’d missed. I’m sure we’ll be better in our first home match against Chennai in six days,” he said.

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

Kerala: Shahrookh Saifi entered train coach, splashed inflammable liquid on passengers and set them on fire, reports reveal

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Shahrookh Saifi entered train coach, splashed inflammable liquid on passengers and set them on fire, reports reveal

Hours after a man reportedly set a fellow passenger on fire and injured eight other passengers aboard an express train, three people, including a lady and a two-year-old child, were discovered dead on the tracks close to the Elathur railway station. The accused was identified as Shahrook Saifi, a resident of Noida.

The bodies of a woman, a child, and a man were found on the tracks late on Sunday night, according to a senior police official from the area who spoke to PTI.

After the conflagration, three were reported missing from the train, the officer added.

When the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train arrived at the Korapuzha railway bridge here at around 9.45 p.m. after crossing Kozhikode city, an unidentified man to pour an ignitable liquid on a fellow passenger and set him on fire, causing at least eight people to sustain burn injuries, according to police.

Kerala Police has released a sketch of the absconding accused. Police said CCTV visuals are also being scanned.

Sketch of the accused released by Kerala Police (Source: News 18)

The injured were taken to hospitals when passengers pulled the emergency chain as the man quickly fled the scene.

A few passengers complained that a woman and a child were missing following the event when the train arrived at Kannur.

“As per the preliminary information, the person who allegedly caused the fire escaped after the incident. Three persons with burn injuries have been shifted to hospital by the RPF and after necessary inspection, the train continued its journey,” a senior Railway official told PTI.

“Despite being hurt, a man continued to search for a woman and a young child. We located the woman’s shoes and mobile ” one passenger at Kannur revealed to the media.

The city police checked the tracks shortly after hearing about the missing people and discovered three bodies, including the woman, the child, and a middle-aged guy. When they saw the fire, according to the police, they either fell from the train or attempted to get off.

“On the rails, the bodies of the woman and the kid who went missing were discovered. There is one male body whose identity is unknown. Surveillance images of the suspect have been discovered. the investigation is ongoing,” according to a district’s top police official. The woman, according to sources, was the child’s aunt.

“An investigation will determine whether there is a terrorist or extremist angle,” according to State Police Chief DGP Anil Kant, who also announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team.

The Kozhikode Medical College is one of the hospitals where a total of nine people have been admitted for treatment.

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