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Tej Pratap Yadav alleges that folk artists he invited for Lathmaar Holi stole valuable items from his govt bungalow in Patna, FIR filed

OpIndia Staff
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Tej Pratap Yadav alleges that folk artists he invited for Lathmaar Holi stole valuable items from his govt bungalow in Patna, FIR filed

On 12th March 2023, Bihar minister Tej Pratap Yadav filed a complaint against folk artists from Vrindavan on charges of theft of costly items worth Rs 5 lakhs from his residence in Patna. Tej Pratap Yadav’s assistant Misaal Sinha lodged an FIR in this regard.

Misaal Sinha alleged in the FIR that the folk artists who were called to perform during the lathmaar Holi celebrations held at the minister’s residence on 9th March 2023 carried out the theft on the same day before leaving for Vrindavan.

The complaint alleges that valuable items worth Rs 5 lakh, including a laptop, were stolen from the house. The FIR names Deepak Kumar and five other artists, called for the event, as suspects in the theft. Strangely, apart from the laptop, the complaint does not give any details of other items stolen.

Misaal Sinha wrote in the complaint that the artists fled from the house on 9 March without informing anyone, and the theft of valuable items worth around Rs 5 lakh was discovered the next day. He also wrote that Tej Pratap Yadav called Deepak Kumar on 10 March to talk to him about the theft, but after that, Deepak and his friends are regularly calling the minister on his phone and issuing threats.

The police have confirmed receiving the complaint but didn’t give any detail about the stolen items. After the FIR was filed, police from the secretariate police station reached Tej Pratap Yadav’s house at 3 Strand Road in Patna and conducted an investigation.

Before this incident, a mobile phone was stolen from the house earlier, and a case was filed against a person named Chandan, who worked at the minister’s residence.

It is notable that Tej Pratap Yadav organized Holi celebrations in Vrindavan style at his Patna residence. He hosted a grand Ras Leela from 5th March to 8th March 2023. For this, artists were invited from Vrindavan. Tej Pratap Yadav shared this information in a tweet that he posted on 4th March 2023.

On 9th March 2023, Tej Pratap Yadav was seen celebrating the lathmaar Holi with the artists from Vrindavan. A video of the celebration also appeared on social media in which Tej Pratap Yadav, dressed as Krishna, was seen celebrating lathmaar Holi with the artists.

Now, Yadav’s assistant has lodged an FIR against the artists invited by the minister to perform in the Holi celebrations he hosted at his official residence.

The cabinet minister of the Environment, Forest & Climate Change Department in the Government of Bihar often makes it to the news for reasons very different from other politicians.

On 22nd February 2023, he cycled to his office after Samajwadi Party’s founder late Mulayam Singh Yadav allegedly appeared in his dream. It is notable that the cycle is the election symbol of the Samajwadi Party. In October 2022, he claimed that he remembered Sai Baba from the bottom of his heart and the holy ashes (bhabhuti) from Shirdi’s Sai Baba temple reached him the next day.

Tej Pratap Yadav is a very religious person and often describes himself as a devotee of various Hindu gods. In the past, he had said that he is Lord Krishna who will bring change to Bihar. He often dresses up like Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, and other Hindu gods and saints.

Two Khalistani suspects arrested over threat to disrupt India-Australia Test Match in Ahmedabad

ANI
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Two Khalistani suspects arrested over threat to disrupt India-Australia Test Match in Ahmedabad

Crime Branch’s Cyber Cell unit of Gujarat Police arrested two persons suspected to be backed by Sikh For Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan group from Madhya Pradesh, over threats to disrupt the 4th Test match between India versus Australia being held in Ahmedabad, officials said on Sunday. 

Chaitanya Mandlik, DCP, Crime Branch, Gujarat Police said that the threat was issued using SIM box technology during Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s presence in Ahmedabad on March 9 for the cricket match. “Cyber Cell has arrested 2 suspects backed by SFJ, a pro-Khalistan group from MP’s Rewa and Satna over threats to disrupt the 4th Test match between India vs Australia. The threat was issued using SIM box technology during PM Modi and the Australian PM’s presence in Ahmedabad. Since then Ahmedabad Crime Branch started tracking the location,” said Mandlik. 

DCP Mandlik further said that locations were available from different places in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab. 

“While threats were also given by different fake Twitter handles from Pakistan. Finally, illegal exchanges have been caught from Satna and Rewa in Madhya Pradesh,” he added. 

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

“Congress dreaming of digging Modi’s grave, but I’m busy improving lives of poor”: PM Modi takes a dig on ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’ chants

ANI
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“Congress dreaming of digging Modi’s grave, but I’m busy improving lives of poor”: PM Modi takes a dig on ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’ chants

Hitting out at Congress for looting the people’s money, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that before 2014 the Congress government at the Centre had no stone unturned to ruin life of poor people. 

Addressing a public rally at the inauguration event of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway in Mandya, PM Modi said, “Before 2014, the Congress government at the Centre left no stone unturned to ruin poor people. Congress government looted the money which was for poor people.” Taking a dig at Congress for raising the slogan ‘Modi teri kabar khudegi’ (Modi, your grave would be dug), the Prime Minister said Congress is dreaming of digging Modi’s grave’ while Modi is busy in building Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and easing the lives of poor. 

“Congress is dreaming of ‘digging Modi’s grave’ but they don’t know that blessings of mothers, sisters and people of the country work as protection shield for me. They (Congress) leaders are busy dreaming of ‘digging Modi’s grave’ while I’m is busy in building Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway and improving the lives of poor,” PM Modi said. 

He further said that during the Congress regime, the poor had to run from pillar to post to get benefits but under the BJP government, benefits go to their doorstep. 

PM Modi said that a lot of work is happening across the country for modern infrastructure, and Karnataka is changing and India is changing. 

He said infrastructure does not bring with it only convenience, it brings employment, it brings investment, it brings means of earning. 

“In 2022, India got a record investment. Karnataka benefitted the most. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an investment worth Rs 4 lakh crores in Karnataka,” said the PM. 

PM Modi said that in the last nine years, houses were made for over 3 crore poor people under which lakhs of houses were made in Karnataka. 

“Under Jal Jeevan Mission, tap water has also been provided to 40 lakh families in Karnataka,” he added. 

The PM said that the Irrigation projects which were pending for decades in the country are being completed at a fast pace through the Upper Bhadra Project. “The Upper Bhadra Project is a major Lift Irrigation Scheme under implementation in the central region of Karnataka State,” he added. 

He also said that in this budget, several provisions have been made for sugarcane farmers. 

“From 2013-14 onwards, Rs 17000 crores of ethanol have been purchased from the sugar mills and this money has reached the sugarcane farmers. From biotechnology to defence manufacturing to aerospace to EVs, Karnataka is the base for all these new industries,” said PM Modi. 

The Prime Minister said that the government has decided to ramp up the production of ethanol to increase the income of sugarcane farmers of Mandya, this will safeguard their interests.

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

Bihar: Fire at two temples in Kishanganj, locals allege miscreants set them ablaze, police claim ‘accidental fire’

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Fire at two temples in Kishanganj, locals allege miscreants set them ablaze, police claim ‘accidental fire’

Two temples were set on fire and idols were damaged in two temples in Kishanganj, Bihar at the early hours today. A Durga temple and a Hanuman Temple were destroyed in the incident that took place at around 3 AM on 12 March at Mastan Chowk in Bagalbari Panchayat in Kochadhaman block of Kishanganj district. The fire also destroyed the nearby shops. No arrests have been made so far.

A police team reached the spot as soon as they received the information. The fire was put out by the villagers with the assistance of the police. Police and magistrates were deployed together at different places to tackle the sensitive situation.

Idols in both temples were damaged by the fire, including a Shivling and other idols. While the cause of the fire is known yet, locals have alleged that mischievous elements set the Hindu temples on fire. However, police have denied it, and said that it was an accident.

Police have released a statement and called it ‘accidental fire.’ Locals however are refusing to accept this version, and protested demanding action in the case.

After the incident, local Hindus blocked the  Kishanganj-Bahadurganj main road demanding the arrest of the accused within 24 hours, causing a blockade of traffic. Senior police officials reached the spot and were able to convince the protestors to end the blockade by 10 AM.

Hindu organizations and their members sat on strike. A number of BJP politicians also arrived at the protest location and joined in. Demonstrators were also calling for the installation of CCTV cameras all around the temple, along with the demand for the reconstruction of the temples and restoration of the idols by the government. Bricks and other building materials were brought by the administration for the reconstruction of the temples in response to public demand.

While the people have been alleging that the temples were deliberately set on fire by someone, the police have appealed to them to not make any false claims, saying that it was an accidental fire. The police also threatened action against spreading rumours regarding the incident.

Issuing a press release, the Superintendent of Police of Kishanganj said that there was an accidental fire in the temple, which has been brought under control. ‘In this regard, common citizens and media are requested not to spread false rumours in this regard. If rumours are spread, strict action will be taken as per the law,’ the statement said.

Kishanganj SP Inam Ul Haq said that there was an accidental fire at Mastan Chowk of Kochadhaman police station area at around 3.30 AM in the night. As soon as the information was received, the fire was brought under control with the help of firefighting vehicles. Four shops and a temple have been affected in this incident.

He added that the situation is under control at present, the blockade of the road has been lifted, and there is no law and order issue. ‘Work is being done for the restoration of the affected temple with the participation of the administration and the local people,’ the SP added.

Folk singer Kirtidan Gadhvi is showered with currency notes worth crores, here is what is done with the money

Anurag
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Folk singer Kirtidan Gadhvi is showered with currency notes worth crores, here is what is done with the money

On March 11, Gujarati folk singer Kirtidan Gadhvi was showered with cash during a ‘lok dayro’ event in Valsad, Gujarat. The video of the event has gone viral on social media platforms.

In the viral video, devotees can be seen showering currency notes on the folk singer. Notably, it is a common practice in Gujarat and several parts of the country where Bhajan singers are showered with cash. Such videos often make it to social media leaving netizens awestruck.

Speaking to OpIndia, Mukesh Gadhvi, manager of Kirtidan Gadhvi, said that the event was organised to develop a Gaushala. The singer of the Gaushala donated the money that was showered during the performance. Furthermore, he added that any money collected during such events is donated to different causes by the singer.

Lok dayra is part of the culture of Kutch-Saurashtra region but now they are performed across Gujarat and in other parts of the world too. The custom of showering currency notes is also an old one. In the past also, in just 3-4 hours people had showered so much money that crores of rupees were collected.

The artists sing bhajans, songs for the gods and goddesses and people in the audience dance and out of happiness in their hearts donate the money.

Sometimes, such lok dayras are organised with specific intention of raising money for specific charity like construction of hospital or school. Sometimes it is for gaushalas. Many have also donated money for building temples. All the money showered in such events – none of it goes to the artist but is donated for the cause. Gadhvi himself has raised over a 100 crores in past few years via such lok dayras.

(With inputs from OpIndia Gujarati)

‘35000 cases registered on Holi’: Twitter user Wasim Akram Tyagi, others spread fake news to malign the Hindu festival, here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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‘35000 cases registered on Holi’: Twitter user Wasim Akram Tyagi, others spread fake news to malign the Hindu festival, here is the truth

A campaign to denigrate Hindus and their festivals is being undertaken by the usual suspects for a long. And the Hindu festival that is attacked by the left-liberals the most is Holi. In the name of environment protection, water conservation, animal harassment, and harassment of women, the ecosystem launches an attack on the festival every yere.

One such attempt came to the fore during the just concluded Holi this year. There are claims on social media that more than 35,000 incidences of Holi-related violence have been reported in Delhi. Moreover, claims of over 250 deaths in such violence were made. In addition, it is claimed that it excludes instances of sexual offences perpetrated while Holi was being celebrated. However, all such claims are fake and baseless.

On Saturday, March 11, a ‘journalist’ named Wasim Akram Tyagi in a tweet claimed that over 35,000 cases were registered on the day of Holi in Delhi, adding that around 250 people were killed.

“On the day of Holi, 35,000 cases were reported in Delhi. Intentionally and unintentionally, 250 people were killed. Lakhs of cases where men have taken out their sexual frustration on women under the guise of Holi have not been reported. Rest is fine. Ramraj is going on. It has been 9 years since we became Vishwaguru,” Tyagi wrote in a now-deleted tweet in Hindi, clearing blaming the Modi government for these fictional crimes.

Screenshot via Twitter

While Wasim Akram Tyagi deleted the tweet, several other Twitter users made the same claims. While looking for the source of this claim, we came across a tweet from a person going by the name of Ali Sohrab. This tweet in Hindi posted by Sohrab on March 8 read: “What happens on the day of Holi in a constitutional democracy that all kinds of serious criminal cases including murder, rape, exploitation of women, molestation of women are more than 35000 on the day of Holi only in the capital? Well, from this you can get an idea of the crimes committed on the day of Holi in the whole country.”

A Twitter user named Abdul Haseeb Raza Khan also tweeted on 9 March, “What happens on the day of Holi in a constitutional democracy that all kinds of serious criminal cases including murder, rape, molestation with women are more than 35000 on the day of Holi only in the capital??? This is what will happen when there is a rally in support of the rapists…”

During the fact check, we found that the majority of the tweets related to this claim had content tweeted by Ali Sohrab. This suggests that such content may have been sent to a group wherein the members of the group may have been instructed to tweet this.

Since OpIndia had to find out the truth of these claims, we began investigating news reports, where we found an Inshorts report. The screenshot of this report, which claimed that 35000 complaints were filed in Delhi on the day of Holi, was being circulated. However, this news was published 7 years ago, in 2016.

Screenshot of Inshorts report

The Inshorts report was based on a 2016 India Today report via PTI that was published on 27 March 2016.

India Today website screenshot

As per the report, Delhi Police control room received as many as 35,890 calls on the day of Holi in 2016. However, the daily average is 24,000 calls, which means there was almost 50% increase in the number of calls received by the police. Out of these, the action was taken in 18000 cases. The remaining instances, then, were either inadmissible for action or were called again. 

Therefore, there were around 35000 calls to the PCR in 2016 on the day of Holi, it does not mean 35000 cases were filed on that day. Both are completely different. According to the police, there were 211 molestation cases, 21 rape cases, and 11 murder cases on that day. There were also a lot of instances of theft and dacoity.

It is notable that people call the police number for a variety of reasons, like help in getting LPG cylinders, address enquiries or enquiries regarding exam centres, and only a small number of them are registered as cases. Moreover, a large number of calls received by the police are also blank calls, many of them dialled mistakenly by people. According to Delhi police, only around 25% of all calls received are actionable, and as high as 45% of calls are blank calls. Police also receive abusive calls, where drunk people call the police, and sometimes people call the police number just for fun.

It is notable that according to reports last year, the Delhi police received 11,614 calls on two days of Holi in 2022, which is much less than the 2016 number. No such report has been published for this year’s data.

Therefore, it is completely false that 35,000 cases were filed in Delhi on Holi this year. That was the number of calls received by the Delhi Police Control Room in 2016. The control room receives thousands of calls every day, and only a small number of them are related to crimes to be converted to actual cases. Many of them are general enquiry calls, not regarding any complaints, and a large number of the are blank calls, while many are regarding minor issues that do not require any police action.

Calls during Holi do go up, due to quarrels among people, but it is a completely false allegation that hundreds of murders take place on the day of the festival. It is also a false claim that lakhs of molestation of women in the name of Holi go unreported every year. In this age of social media, almost all such cases appear in public, and police take action in such cases.

Centre opposes plea in SC seeking recognition of same sex marriage, says living together of same sex couple not same as Indian family unit concept, read details

ANI
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Centre opposes plea in SC seeking recognition of same sex marriage, says living together of same sex couple not same as Indian family unit concept, read details

Centre, in its affidavit, has opposed the plea seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage, saying that living together as partners by same-sex individuals, which is decriminalised now, is not comparable with the Indian family unit and they are clearly distinct classes which cannot be treated identically. 

The Centre has filed the affidavit countering the demand made by various petitioners seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage. In the affidavit, Centre has opposed the plea and said that pleas seeking legal recognition of same-sex ought to be dismissed as there exists no merit in these petitions. 

Same-sex relationships and heterosexual relationships are clearly distinct classes which cannot be treated identically, the government said as its stand against the petition seeking legal recognition of LGBTQ marriage. 

It is for the legislature to judge and enforce such societal morality and public acceptance based upon Indian ethos, the Centre said in its affidavit and added that western decisions sans any basis in Indian constitutional law jurisprudence, cannot be imported in this context. 

In the affidavit, Centre apprised the Supreme Court living together as partners by same sex individuals, which is decriminalised now, is not comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, a wife and children. 

Centre submitted that the principles of legitimate state interest as an exception to life and liberty under Article 21 would apply to the present case. Centre submitted that the statutory recognition of marriage as a union between a “man” and a “woman” is intrinsically linked to the recognition of the heterogeneous institution of marriage and the acceptance of the Indian society based upon its own cultural and societal values which are recognized by the competent legislature. 

“There is an intelligible differentia (normative basis) which distinguishes those within the classification (heterosexual couples) from those left out (same-sex couples). This classification has a rational relation with the object sought to be achieved (ensuring social stability via recognition of marriages),” the government said. 

Centre submitted before Supreme Court that statutory recognition of marriage as a union between a “man” and a “woman” is intrinsically linked to the recognition of the heterogeneous institution of marriage and the acceptance of the Indian society based upon its own cultural and societal values which are recognized by the competent legislature. 

Centre submits that the fundamental right under Article 21 is subject to the procedure established by law and the same cannot be expanded to extend to include the fundamental right for a same sex marriage to be recognized under the laws of the country which in fact mandate the contrary. 

Despite the decriminalization of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the Petitioners cannot claim a fundamental right for same-sex marriage to be recognized under the laws of the country, Centre made it clear in its affidavit. 

“Recognition of marriage necessarily brings with it the right to adopt and other ancillary rights. It is, therefore, necessary that such issues are left for being decided by the competent Legislature where social, psychological and other impacts on society, children etc., can be debated. This will ensure that wide-ranging ramifications of recognizing such sacred relationships are debated from every angle and legitimate state interest can be considered by the Legislature,” Centre said. 

Adding further, the government said that marriage between a biological man and a biological woman takes place either under personal laws or codified laws and the parties entering into marriage create an institution having its own public significance as it is a social institution from which several rights and liabilities flow. 

“Seeking declaration for solemnisation/registration of marriage has more ramifications than simple legal recognition. Family issues are far beyond mere recognition and registration of marriage between persons belonging to the same gender. Living together as partners and having a sexual relationship with same-sex individuals [which is decriminalised now] is not comparable with the Indian family unit concept of a husband, a wife and children which necessarily presuppose a biological man as a ‘husband’, a biological woman as a ‘wife’ and the children born out of the union between the two – who are reared by the biological man as a father and the biological woman as mother,” the affidavit said. 

Countering the petitioner’s submission, the government submitted that registration of marriage of same-sex persons also results in violation of existing personal as well as codified law provisions -such as ‘degrees of prohibited relationship’; ‘conditions of marriage’; ‘ceremonial and ritual requirements’ under personal laws governing the individuals. 

If marriage is to be solemnised and registered under any personal law; ‘requirements for registration’, if marriage is to be registered under the Special Marriage Act; ‘restitution of conjugal rights’; ‘judicial separation’, ‘divorce’; ‘conditions of divorce’; ‘alimony and maintenance pendente lite’, ‘permanent alimony and maintenance’; ‘expenses of marriage proceedings’; ‘disposal of property’, ‘adoption’, ‘guardianship’, etc will be affected, which is the exclusive domain of the Legislature, the government said. 
The government submitted that the Parliament has designed and framed the marriage laws in the country, which are governed by the personal laws/codified laws relatable to customs of various religious communities, to recognise only the union of a man and a woman to be capable of legal sanction and thereby claim legal and statutory rights and consequences. 

Any interference with the same would cause complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country and in accepted societal values, Centre submitted. 

Various petitions are being dealt by Supreme Court seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage under Foreign Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act and other laws. 

One of the petitions earlier has raised the absence of a legal framework which allowed members of the LGBTQ+ community to marry any person of their choice. According to the earlier petition, the couple sought to enforce the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to marry any person of their choice and said that, “the exercise of which ought to be insulated from the disdain of legislative and popular majorities.” The petitioners, further, asserted their fundamental right to marry each other and prayed for appropriate directions from this Court allowing and enabling them to do so.

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

Assam: Father of three Ramijul Islam becomes Munna Gogoi to trap a Hindu girl and takes her to Kerala, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Father of three Ramijul Islam becomes Munna Gogoi to trap a Hindu girl and takes her to Kerala, arrested

In yet another incident of love jihad, a married Muslim man in Assam lied about his religion and eloped with a Hindu girl. According to reports, the man named Ramijul Islam, who is married and father of three from Lailuri, Nagaon in Assam, pretended to be Hindu and eloped to Kerala with Pooja Bora, a Hindu girl from Nagaon. After the matter came to light, the police took cognizance of it and acted immediately. The man was arrested and the girl was rescued by the police.

Ramijul Islam had changed his social media username to Munna Gogoi to trap the Hindu girl and spent two months hiding in Kerala along with Pooja Bora.

A Nagaon police team travelled to Kerala in response to a complaint filed by the girl’s mother, and arrested the married man there. Before being returned to Nagaon, the offender was presented before a local Kerala court. The girl was also brought back from the southern state.

Police said that Ramijul Islam changed his Facebook name to Munna Gogoi and made friends with Pooja Bora in Nagaon. The Facebook friendship then developed into a romantic relationship. The duo fled together to Kerala around two months ago, where they were staying.

After a case was registered under IPC sections 366 (Kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her mar­riage) and 370 (human trafficking) following the complaint of the girl’s family, police took action and travelled to Kerala on 1 March to bring the couple back. They were located in Muvattupuzha town in Ernakulam district in Kerala. Police said that he was working at a broiler chicken shop in Muvattupuzha town in Kerala.

After nabbing them, when police took them to the Muvattupuzha court for transit remand on 4 March, Ramijul Islam tried to escape from the court complex. However, the police were able to catch him. The accused suffered minor wounds as a result of his failed attempt to flee.

As a result, the magistrate ordered his treatment, and he was admitted to the Kottayam Medical College. He was taken to Assam after treatment in the hospital for 4-5 days, police said.

Ramijul Islam, however, alleged that Pooja Bora was aware of his real religious identity. He confessed that he is already married and has three kids. “I am Ramijul, but my Facebook name was Munna. I was taken from Kerala. I love the girl. Her name is Pooja Bora. I was married earlier and have three kids. She knew I was Muslim,” he said to local media.

Vande Bharat Express attacked in West Bengal: Here is a list of the attacks on the train since its inauguration

Shraddha Pandey
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Vande Bharat Express attacked in West Bengal: Here is a list of the attacks on the train since its inauguration

On Saturday, March 11, the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express train was attacked in West Bengal. This time, stones were hurled at the high-speed train in Farrakka, damaging the window panes of one of its coaches. 

According to a statement issued by Eastern Railways, the incident was reported to have taken place near Farrakka in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. “This is a very unfortunate incident. It will be investigated,” Kausik Mitra, CPRO, Eastern Railway said.

Ever since its first commercial run on 17 February 2019, the Vande Bharat Express, or Train 18 has been attacked multiple times across the country. The fixation of people opposed to India’s development and ‘Make in India’ initiative has been evident in the attacks on the high-speed train.

Here is a list of attacks on the Vande Bharat Express train since its first commercial run.

Vande Bharat Express attacked in Telangana in February 2023

On February 10, this year, the Vande Bharat Express train, running between Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam was attacked by ‘miscreants’ in Telangana. 

As the train departed the Secunderabad train station, unidentified miscreants hurled stones at it. A glass window pane in coaches C-4 and C-8 of the Vande Bharat Express was damaged in the attack.

Stones were pelted on the Vande Bharat train between Mahabubabad and Khammam railway stations. Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and local police were alerted to the attack and rushed to the scene to launch an investigation.

Stones pelted on Vande Bharat Express in Bihar

On January 20 this year, stones were pelted by unidentified miscreants on New Jalpaiguri-Howarh Vande Bharat Express in Bihar’s Katihar. Although none of the passengers were injured, the window panes of coach number C-6 were shattered in the stone pelting.

According to officials of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the incident took place between the railway stations of Dalkola and Telta in the Katihar division of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

Stone pelting on Vande Bharat Express in Malda

On January 2, the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express was damaged only a few days after it began operation when stones were pelted at it in West Bengal’s Malda district. The glass door of coach C13 of the 22303 Vande Bharat Express was damaged. After the incident, the train did not stop in the middle of its journey; instead, it came to a stop at the Malda Town railway station. None of the passengers were injured in the attack.

It is notable that the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing on December 30th, 2022, hours after performing the last rites of his mother Heeraben Modi who passed at the age of 100.

Stones hurled on Vande Bharat Express in Chattisgarh

At Dadhapara in Chhattisgarh, some miscreants hurled stones at the Vande Bharat train breaking the train’s glass windows.  The incident took place in February this year as the train was passing through Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district. Though no passenger injuries were reported, at least nine windows on five coaches were damaged. 

Earlier, in December 2022, Stones were thrown at the Vande Bharat Express train (20826) by several unidentified miscreants as it traveled from Nagpur to Bilaspur.

According to SECR Railway PRO Vipin Vaishnav, the glass in the E-1 coach of the Vande Bharat train was damaged at the time when stones were thrown at the train as it traveled between Durg and Bhilai.

Vande Bharat attacked in Uttar Pradesh

On February 20, 2019, the Vande Bharat train was attacked on its way to Varanasi. Stones were hurled at the express train near Hirangaon railway station under Tundla police station limits. An identified person had thrown a stone at the train breaking one of its window panes. The incident came to light after a person shared the news via social media. 

1,503 cases of stone pelting o­n moving trains in 2022

In January of this year, Indian Railways said that more than 1,500 incidences of stone-throwing on moving trains had been reported nationwide in 2022 and over 400 persons had been arrested for the offense.

“The RPF recorded 1,503 incidents of stone-throwing on moving trains during the year, and 488 people were arrested as a result. RPF has organized several awareness campaigns to inform people living close to railroad tracks. More than 100 people carrying explosives or fireworks in trains were also detained during this drive,” Railways stated in a statement outlining the accomplishments of the RPF for the year 2022.

Akhilesh Yadav meets Shankersinh Vaghela, the man who once brought down BJP govt in Gujarat, sparks speculations ahead of 2024 elections

OpIndia Staff
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Akhilesh Yadav meets Shankersinh Vaghela, the man who once brought down BJP govt in Gujarat, sparks speculations ahead of 2024 elections

On March 11, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) met former Gujarat CM Shankarsinh Vaghela, the man who pulled off the biggest coup in the state with the help of Congress when he brought down BJP government in 1996.

Yadav was on a Gujarat tour amidst civic elections in Uttar Pradesh. Though no details of the meeting are public, it is speculated that Yadav is trying for a third front for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Reports suggest that Akhilesh may also attend a wedding ceremony at Vaghela’s house. Vaghela had earlier met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 10 and invited him to the reception of his grandson’s wedding ceremony, scheduled for March 12.

Notably, SP has been trying to expand its presence outside UP for a long time. The party has marked its presence, though at a very small scale, in states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat. Success, however, in these states is still a far-away dream for the party, while it stays out of power at its home ground, UP, since 2017.

The Khajuraho Kaand of Gujarat politics

After the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya in December 1992, there was a saffron undercurrent in Gujarat. In 1995, BJP won the Gujarat elections and secured 121 seats out of 182 Assembly seats. Keshubhai Patel was elected as the Chief Minister. Vaghela, who was considered the ‘real architect’ of the victory, felt left out in the cabinet.

In September 1995, Keshubhai was on a trip to the US when Vaghela took his supporting MLAs to his village in Casan. He managed to get the support of 55 MLAs. They were then shifted to Charda village, where Congress supporter Haribhai Chaudhary lived.

The rebel MLAs were shifted to Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. Top BJP leadership, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, tried to talk to Vaghela, but he put a condition to exile Narendra Modi from Gujarat. Later, Keshubhai was removed from the CM post, and Vaghela-loyalist Suresh Mehta became the CM. In 1996, Vaghela was expelled from the party. He formed his own party and formed a government with Congress’s support from the outside. However, the government did not last even a year. By the end of 1998, his party was merged with Congress.

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