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Social media message claims 64% of newly appointed government doctors in Assam are Muslims, here is the fact

OpIndia Staff
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Social media message claims 64% of newly appointed government doctors in Assam are Muslims, here is the fact

A message is going viral in social media and messaging platforms in Assam, which claims that the majority of recently appointed doctors are from the minority community. A three-page list of newly appointed doctors is also being shared, with the claim that out of 55 doctors recently appointed by the Assam Public Service Commission, 34 are religious minorities, which means 64% are minorities or Muslims.

A perusal of the list does show that it has a majority of Muslim names. But the claim is misleading, as the list is not the full list of the newly appointed government doctors in Assam. In fact, the text accompanying the list makes it clear that it is not a selection list, but a transfer list.

The order issued by the Health and Family Welfare department says, “In partial modification of this Department Notification No.HLA.1/2023/94 dated 19/01/2023 and in the interest of public service the following newly appointed doctors in the rank of M&HO-I are hereby modified their place of posting against their name(s) with immediate effect and until further order.” The original PDF of the list can be accessed here.

This makes it clear that the order has been issued to modify a previous order dated 19 January. According to this order, the place of posting of 55 doctors has been changed from the original place of posting mentioned in the previous order. Therefore, this list includes only those doctors who have been posted to different places from what was mentioned earlier. Of this list, 64% are Muslim names.

This order mentions an earlier order dated 19 January 2023, which was regarding the appointment of new Medical and Health Officers-1 in Assam. In that list, 541 doctors are named who have been selected for posting in various govt hospitals and health centres after a selection process. The PDF of that order can be accessed here.

While the list of 541 doctors does not mention their religions, OpIndia tried to guestimate their religion on the basis of their names and surnames. According to our analysis, out of 541 newly appointed Medical and Health Officers-1, 183 are Muslims. This means, around 34% are Muslims, not 64%.

While there could be a few errors in determining the religion from the names, the error level will be narrow as Muslims have distinctive names and surnames in Assam, like other states in India.

Although 34% share of Muslims still seems on the higher side going by the national share, it is actually a normal number for Assam. Because it is almost similar to the Muslim population share in Assam.

According to the 2011 census of Assam, the share of Muslims in the total population of the state is 34%. Therefore, the share of Muslims in the newly appointed government doctors list matches with the overall share of Muslims in the state.

Therefore, the claim that 64% of the new govt doctors appointed in Assam are minorities is incorrect, as that list is the list of doctors whose places of posting have been changed.

The message also claims that the doctors have been appointed by the Assam Public Service Commission, which is also incorrect. As seen in both the orders, the Medical and Health Officers have been appointed by the Health & Family Welfare Department of the Assam government, on the recommendation of the Medical and Health Recruitment Board, Assam. APSC recruits state civil servants and other government officials, not doctors.

Conrad Sangma is likely to be Meghalaya CM again as UDP and PDF extend their support

ANI
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Conrad Sangma is likely to be Meghalaya CM again as UDP and PDF extend their support

Ahead of the formation of the new government in Meghalaya, the United Democratic Party (UDP) and People’s Democratic Front (PDF) have extended their support to the National People’s Party (NPP) to form the government.

Metbah Lyngdoh, president of UDP told ANI that UDP has extended its support to NPP to form the government. “We (UDP and PDF) have extended our support to NPP,” Metbah Lyngdoh said on Sunday.

With the support from UDP and PDF, the numbers have now gone up to 45. UDP won 11 seats in the Meghalaya assembly polls and PDF won two seats. Earlier, BJP, two MLAs of HSPDP, and two Independent MLAs extended their support to NPP.

Conrad Sangma will take the oath of office as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya for a consecutive second term on March 7. The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Raj Bhawan in Shillong where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present.

NPP chief Sangma on Friday submitted his resignation letter as chief minister of Meghalaya before Governor Phagu Chauhan and staked a claim to form the new government in the state.

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma won from the South Tura constituency with a margin of 5,016 against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bernard N Marak, as per the data shared by the Election Commission of India on Thursday.

Governor Chauhan has accepted the resignation of Conrad Sangma and requested him to continue till alternative arrangements are made.

United Democratic Party (UDP) bagged 11 seats in the results of assembly polls announced on Thursday. Congress won five seats. 

Trinamool Congress, which had inducted all Congress MLAs in the previous assembly, also got five seats.

BJP, People’s Democratic Front and Hill State People’s Democratic Party bagged two seats each. Voice of the People Party got four seats. Two seats were won by independent candidates.

BJP and NPP were partners in the outgoing government but fought the assembly polls separately.

The BJP and its allies won comfortable victories in Tripura and Nagaland in the other assembly poll results announced on Thursday.

The BJP, which had created history in 2018 by wresting Tripura from the Left parties, was tipped to be ahead of its rivals in most exit-poll projections in the state.

The Congress and CPM, which have been archrivals for years, stitched a pre-poll alliance

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

NMCH doctor Sanjay Kumar, cousin of actor Shekhar Suman, goes missing in Patna, family lodges kidnapping case

OpIndia Staff
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NMCH doctor Sanjay Kumar, cousin of actor Shekhar Suman, goes missing in Patna, family lodges kidnapping case

On Wednesday, March 1, a Doctor went missing in Bihar’s capital Patna. Dr. Sanjay Kumar, head of the pharmacology department at Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH), Patna has been missing since Wednesday evening when he left for Muzaffarnagar for the inspection of a college there. On Thursday, the family of Dr. Kumar filed a case of kidnapping at Patrakar Nagar police station.

Dr. Sanjay Kumar is the exam controller and head of the Pharmacology department at NMCH Patna, and he went missing on Wednesday evening after parking his car on the hospital premise at around 7 pm. He had told his wife that he was going for the inspection of a college in Muzaffarnagar in another car. That car was later found abandoned at Mahatma Gandhi Setu connecting Patna and Hajipur. Both the mobile phones of the doctor were also recovered from the abandoned car. 

In her complaint, Dr. Kumar’s wife Saloni Kumari, who is a retired professor at the College of Commerce, Arts, and Science stated that Sanjay Kumar had informed her over a phone call that he is going to Muzaffarpur for an inspection of a college in another car. Saloni last spoke to her husband at around 7:42 pm on Wednesday, when he told her that his car got stuck in a traffic jam. Later, despite calling several times, Dr. Kumar did not pick up her calls.

Station House Officer (SHO), Patrkar Nagar, Manoranjan Bharti stated that after the complaint, police put the phone number of the missing doctor on surveillance. Following this, the phone was traced to an abandoned car found near pillar number 46 of the Gandhi Setu. The door of the car was locked and both his mobile phones were in the vehicle itself.

Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association has voiced its displeasure that Dr. Sanjay Kumar has not been found despite the fact that several days have passed since he went missing.

A letter addressed to Bihar DGP and jointly signed by IMA president Dr. Shyam Narayan Prasad and state secretary Dr. Ashok Kumar read “The IMA learned that none of the CCTV cameras on the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, where the doctor’s car was found abandoned, were working, which made it difficult for the police to make progress in the case.”

The IMA further asserted that there was no proper forensic examination of the car conducted.

IMA letter addressed to Bihar DGP

ASP Kamya Mishra has said that the car was recovered near Gandhi Setu, however, it will be too early to say that this is a case of kidnapping or something else as the family members of the missing person have not received any ransom call. 

Mishra also informed that a camera has been found on the Ganga bridge and footage has been recovered. 

Earlier, Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) MS Dhillon said that an SDRF team on Friday launched a search from Gaighat to find Dr. Kumar. He added that the police have scanned the CCTV footage which showed he was alone in his car.

SSP Dhillon also claimed that during the investigation they got to know that Dr. Sanjay Kumar was in depression. 

“We also quizzed some colleagues and found out that he was depressed,” SSP Dhillon said.

The missing doctor Suyashi’s daughter said that her father had no animosity against anybody. She added that although the police looked into the calls he made or received on his mobile phone during the prior three to four days, they could not find anything substantial.

The CCTV camera of a construction company has recorded a video of Dr. Kumar. The video was captured on Wednesday at 7:41 p.m. According to reports, the CCTV footage showed that after getting out of the car, the doctor himself closed the door before setting out on foot by himself in the direction of Hajipur.

Bollywood actor Shekhar Suman, who is also the cousin of the missing doctor’s wife Saloni Kumar, appealed to Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to help his cousin. Suman alleged that Dr. Sanjay Kumar has been abducted.

“Requesting @NitishKumar @officecmbihar to please help my 1st cousin in Patna Saloni Kumar a professor whose husband Dr.Sanjay Kumar attached with NMCH has apparently been abducted while on his way to Muzzafurpur on Gandhi Setu where his car was found abandoned on 1st March,” Shekhar Suman tweeted on March 3.

The era of kidnapping in Bihar during Lalu Yadav’s rule

Today the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Nitish Kumar’s JDU are together ruling the state of Bihar after Kumar ditched the Bhartiya Janata Party in August last year. 15 years of Lalu Yadav’s term in Bihar is often called as an era of ‘Jungle Raj’. There was a time in Bihar when an ‘industry’ rose sharply and it was a ‘kidnapping industry’. Kidnapping was one of the most preferred means of earning money. The nexus that formed between officials, mafias, and politicians were never seen before in the history of Independent India.

2005 saw the end of Lalu Raj. Even if we focus solely on that year and ignore the subsequent 14 years, the figures are horrific. In Bihar, there were 3471 reported murders in 2005. There were also reports of 251 kidnapping occurrences and 1147 rape incidents. In Bihar, 3948 persons were murdered in 2004. 1390 incidences of rape and 411 kidnappings for ransom were also reported.

Lalu Yadav’s government saw the worst law and order crisis.  It was in the such horrible shape that if someone had not returned home by six o’clock, the family and relatives would have been in chaos. Nobody could predict when they would be slain or disappear may be to never return. 

As per a 1995 (when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the Chief Minister of Bihar) report by the Associated Press, kidnapping was becoming a big business in Bihar.  There were over 40 kidnapping gangs operating in the state during that time. “About 40 million Indian rupees (approximately U-S dollars 1.2 million) are estimated to change hands every year in the lucrative ransom business,” an AP report stated.

The rising lawlessness in the state of Bihar points towards a possible ‘full-fleged’ return of Jungle raj in the state.

It is wrong to burn a woman alive to celebrate a festival: YouTuber ‘celebrity’ rallies against Holika Dahan

OpIndia Staff
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It is wrong to burn a woman alive to celebrate a festival: YouTuber ‘celebrity’ rallies against Holika Dahan

With the festival of Holi approaching, different angles are being adopted to hate the Hindu festival. Nirdesh Singh, a female YouTuber, recently uploaded a video discussing the festival of Holi. She can be heard saying in the video that we consider ourselves to be citizens who live in a civilized society, but ask ourselves whether it is appropriate to celebrate by burning a woman alive in a civilized society.

She states in the video, “If our culture celebrates burning women alive, I think it to be wrong. Because we live in a progressive society, we also changed the practice of sati, which in our tradition involved burning women to death in pyres. I am strongly opposed to the tradition of burning a woman in the name of Holika Dahan, whether it be real or imagined, as part of a festival or celebration.”

Nirdesh Singh, who runs a YouTube channel named ‘The Hasti’, declared that she would oppose burning the image of a lady throughout her life, adding that it is also wrong. She also urged anyone who identifies as being a part of the “Progressive Society” to resist it.

Furthermore, Nirdesh Singh stated that if our children witness a woman being burned alive today, they won’t be able to object if their sister or daughter is burned alive in the future. The YouTuber claims that Holika Dahan is repulsive and would not lead to a civilized and progressive society.

Notably, Holika wanted to burn her nephew Prahlad when she sat in the fire. Yet, she died in the fire while Vishnu-Bhakt Prahlad survived the fire. While some people questioned the YouTuber why they should support the person planning to burn an innocent person alive, others advised the YouTuber to read the story of Bhakt Prahlad and Holika Dahan before making baseless claims and calling the Hindu festival regressive. 

Holi is a two-day festival, with Holika Dahan on the first day and the day of colorful celebrations-Holi on the second. The effigy of Holika is burned to commemorate Holika Dahan. The significance of this tradition of Holika Dahan has its origins in a Puranic tale. Hindu scriptures lay great emphasis on Karma and Karmaphal-the result of the deeds we do. Thus, if a demon (Holika) plots to kill an innocent child (Prahlad) merely for his devotion towards God, and ends up getting burnt in the fire she lit for Prahlad, it is not ‘regressive’ or anti-woman as claimed by the YouTuber in her video.

Remembering the time when the Congress-led UPA govt handed over 123 prime properties in Delhi to Waqf Board

OpIndia Staff
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Remembering the time when the Congress-led UPA govt handed over 123 prime properties in Delhi to Waqf Board

The day was March 5, 2014, and the Model Code of Conduct was to kick in the following day. The then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government decided to make an unprecedented move in haste.

Overnight, 123 prime properties in Delhi were handed over to the Delhi Waqf Board in one final act of minority appeasement. While 61 of the 123 properties were owned by the Land & Development Office (LNDO), the remaining 62 properties were owned by Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

The Congress government exercised its powers under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act of 2013 to denotify the said properties from the land acquisition process. 

According to Times Now, a supplementary note was written by the Delhi Waqf Board on February 27, 2014, to the Government of India, staking its claim on the 123 prime properties in the National Capital.

The news channel reported that it took just a phone call for the government to make the decision in favour of the Waqf Board. Times Now shared a secret note, which was dated March 5, 2014, and signed by Additional Secretary JP Prakash.

Addressed to the Secretary of the Ministry of Urban Development, the note read, “Denotification of 123 properties in Delhi under the control of Land & Development Office (LNDO) & Delhi Development Authority (DDA) allowing the title to revert to Delhi Waqf Board be communicated to the Ministry pending formal issuance of minutes.”

The news channel also unearthed a notice by the Union Home Ministry which stated, “The Central government is pleased to withdraw from the below-mentioned Waqf properties under the control of LNDO & DDA, subject to the following conditions.”

The Congress-led-UPA government conceded that the 123 properties belonged to the Delhi Waqf Board and decided to ‘withdraw’ its claim on them, after receiving a note from the Board.

It must be mentioned that the said properties were inherited from the British government and their status remained unchanged till March 5, 2014.

BJP government took cognisance of the matter in 2015

As early as February 2015, the BJP-led-NDA government vowed to set up an inquiry into the decision by its predecessor to gift government properties to the Delhi Waqf Board. The development came after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) moved the Delhi High Court against the decision.

The Hindu organisation had argued that the prized properties could not be released and identified under Section 48 of the Land Acquisition Act.

While speaking about the matter, then Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said, “I have received a representation against Salman Khurshid… On the eve of his demitting office last year, he was instrumental in the transfer of these properties, keeping vote bank politics in mind.”

Delhi Waqf Board defended its decision

The Delhi Waqf Board was granted the power to carry out renovation and construction on the properties, following the transfer of ownership by the UPA. In its defence, nodal officer Alam Farooqui alleged that the 123 properties were built on masjids, dargahs, and graveyards.

He claimed that the reversal of the UPA decision would impede the generation of revenue and the development of the Muslim community. “Revenue from wakf properties is used for the welfare of the community,” Farooqui said.

He further added, “Only a handful is vacant land and most of these have been encroached upon. Ownership rights would have allowed us to remove the encroachments.”

Inquiry Committee failed to resolve the issue

An Inquiry Committee, comprising a retired Delhi Higher Judicial Service official named JR Aryan, was set up by the BJP government in May 2016. It was tasked to submit the report within a period of 6 months.

In June 2017, it was reported that the Committee recommended that the final call on the fate of the 123 properties must be taken by the Delhi Waqf Commissioner.

One official informed that the JR Aryan Committee failed to examine the core issue of the de-notification i.e. whether the properties actually belonged to the Waqf. This was despite the fact that it was tasked to seek the views of all stakeholders.

Screengrab of the news report by The Hindustan Times

Even though it took an extension of additional 6 months, the Inquiry Committee failed to come up with a concrete solution and passed the buck on to the Waqf Board Commissioner. It suggested that the DDA and LNDO take up the matter with the Commissioner for a solution.

Thereafter, in August 2018, the Centre constituted a 2-member committee to decide on the fate of the 123 properties. It told the Delhi High Court that the report of the one-man committee was inconclusive and therefore a 2-member committee was constituted.

BJP govt takes back 123 Waqf properties, AAP cries foul

In November 2021, a public notice was issued by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), seeking public representation with respect to the disputed properties.

In March 2022, the Delhi High Court refused to provide relief to the Delhi Waqf Board, which had filed a petition against the delisting of its 123 alleged properties by the Centre.

The 2-member committee’s report stated that the Delhi Waqf Board had been given the opportunity to present its case but had not done so within the prescribed time. As a result, the Board was absolved of all matters relating to the 123 properties.

The committee also recommended a physical inspection of the said 123 properties. On February 17 this year, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs posted notices outside 123 properties in Delhi, stating that they are no longer considered properties of the Delhi Waqf Board.

Following the development, AAP leader Amanatullah Khan tweeted, “We have already raised our voice in the court on 123 Waqf Properties, our Writ Petition No.1961/2022 is pending in the High Court. Some people are spreading lies about it, the proof of this is in front of all of you.”

He further added, “We will not allow any kind of encroachment on the properties of the Waqf Board.” The Delhi Waqf Board has written an official letter to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and has challenged the formation of the 2-member committee.

Kerala police raids Asianet News office in Kozhikode without warrant, days after SFI members intimidated employees

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala police raids Asianet News office in Kozhikode without warrant, days after SFI members intimidated employees

Just two days after goons of the Students Federation of India (SFI) barged into the office of media house Asianet News in Kochi and threatened the employees, Kerala Police today raided the office of the media house in Kozhikode. The raid was conducted on the basis of a complaint filed by CPI(M)-backed Left Independent MLA P V Anwar.

According to Asianet, a police team headed by District Crime Branch Assistant Commissioner V Suresh conducted a search at the channel’s office in Kozhikode. Vellayil Circle Inspector Baburaj, Nadakaavu Circle Inspector Jijeesh, Town Sub-Inspector V Jibin, ASI Deepakumar, CPOs Deepu P, Aneesh and Sajitha C, Cyber ​​Cell Officer Bijith LA, Tehsildar C Sreekumar and Puthyangadi Village Officer Sajan came to the Asianet News Kozhikode office for inspection. Kozhikode Land Revenue Tehsildar C Sreekumar was also in the team.

The police had no search warrant, and the Assistant Commissioner told the journalists of the media house that they were using special powers of the police for the raid. The police conducted searches at the news desk and video editing desk, and noted the addresses and phone numbers of journalists and staff members of the channel.

MLA P V Anwar has accused Asianet of airing fake news, regarding the channel’s report on drug abuse and sexual exploitation of minors in Kerala. The CPI(M) has been at loggerhead with Asianet News for a while now, over a report broadcast by the channel on 10 November 2022.

In its ‘Narcotics is a dirty business’ series on the drug issue in the state, the channel had reported the sexual assault on over ten minor girls. The channel had aired the interview of a girl in this context. However, the CPI(M) has been saying that it is fake news, and no such incident took place.

The channel has been under attack from the Pinarayi Vijayan government for a long time now, as it has exposed several scams and failures of the state government, including the nexus between the govt and Swapna Suresh, the prime accused in the gold smuggling case.

Asianet News Executive chairman Rajesh Kalra said on Twitter, “Police is currently raiding #AsianetNews office in Kozhikode in a fabricated case. This follows SFI’s disruptive activity at our Kochi office y’day. Attempt to browbeat us wud fail. We’re taking legal action & stand with our team as it exposes every wrongdoing across the spectrum.”

He said that the attempts to browbeat will not be successful, and Asianet will take legal action against it. Rajesh Kalra further said that there were earlier attempts to silence the media in Kerala and that those in power were trying to repeat that but it won’t succeed in such tactics against the media.

The police raid on the channel’s Kozhikode office came after several members of the SFI, the student wing of the CPI(M), entered the channels office in Ernakulam on Friday and abused staff members. A group of roughly 30 SFI members entered the Asianet News regional headquarters, forced their way past security guards, and interfered in press operations by yelling slogans and also threatening the staff members and journalists.

The were protesting against the alleged fake news by the channel. The SFI members also tied a derogatory banner in front of the Asianet News headquarters before the Kerala police arrived. The banner said, “this institution is a disgrace to the culture of Kerala”.

The SFI members were booked by police after Asianet News resident editor Abhilash G. Nair filed a complaint. The channel also produced CCTV footages which show the SFI members creating a chaos, threatening employees after entering the office by outnumbering security guards.

Pakistan: ‘World Cup winning’ PM Imran Khan disappears when police came to arrest him in corruption case. Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: ‘World Cup winning’ PM Imran Khan disappears when police came to arrest him in corruption case. Here is what happened

On Sunday (March 5), the Islamabad police attempted to arrest former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for ignoring court summons on 3 different occasions in connection to the infamous Toshakhana corruption case.

The cops reached the residence of the former PM, which is located at Zaman Park in Lahore, but could not find him. Reportedly, Khan was ‘not available’ when the Superintendent of Police (SP) entered his room.

The Islamabad police said that they were only enforcing the court’s orders and that law was equal for all in Pakistan. The cops also warned the political supporters of Imran Khan of arrest if they tried to obstruct them from carrying out their duty.

The Islamabad police sought help from the Lahore police to facilitate the arrest of Imran Khan. Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akbar Nasir said, “Police’s work is to implement court orders and keep the law and order situation intact. We will try our best that he comes with us.”

On February 28 this year, the Additional District and Sessions court (Islamabad) issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Khan for missing in-person appearances thrice in the toshakhana case.

Judge Zafar Iqbal had ordered, “The accused is making a pick and choose for courts and cases and this case is not included in his priority. The accused be summoned through a non-bailable warrant of arrest for March 7.”

Earlier in the day, Imran Khan dubbed Pakistan a ‘banana republic.’ Targeting PM Shehbaz Sharif, he tweeted, “What future can a country have when crooks are thrust as rulers upon it? SS was about to be convicted by NAB for Rs 8 bn money laundering & by FIA for another Rs 16 bn corruption when he was rescued by Gen Bajwa who kept getting NAB cases trial postponed.”

“While under trial he was made PM. He has since proceeded to select heads of those institutions investigating his cases – first FIA & now NAB – simply to get his name permanently cleared in Rs 16 bn corruption & Rs 8 bn money laundering cases against him. This is how a country becomes a banana republic,” he added.

Meanwhile, PTI leaders such as Fawad Chaudhry had threatened countrywide protests and alleged that the arrest warrant against Imran Khan was part of a conspiracy to take him out. “If they cross the red line, there will be a protest that Pakistan has never seen before,” Chaudhry warned.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani federal government had distanced itself from the controversy and claimed that the former PM was being arrested not on its directives but of the court.

The Background of the Case

In May 2022, the former Pakistani Prime Minister was accused of retaining gifts, received by the Office of the Prime Minister from other countries, either for free or at throwaway prices.

As per a report published by The Express Tribune, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi retained 112 valuables that were gifted to the PM’s Office between August 2018 and December 2021. The duo obtained 52 of the items worth PKR 800200 without ‘paying a single penny’.

The former Pakistani Prime Minister retained the remaining 60 valuables worth over PKR 141 million by paying a total of PKR 38.17 million. The Express Tribune reported that a PKR 85 million Graff wristwatch gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was retained by Khan for a sum of PKR 20 million.

Besides the non-declaration of Toshakhana gifts in tax filings and the firm resolve to withhold information, Imran Khan has been accused of selling valuables that he received as Prime Minister.

Tax returns and earnings of Imran Khan, graphic via Fact Focus

He also paid just PKR 754,000 for a Rolex watch valued at PKR 3.8 million. The details of all gifts received by Imran Khan, during his tenure as the Prime Minister, were maintained by a department of the Cabinet Division known as Toshakhana.

Imran Khan has however defended his decision to retain valuables from Toshakhana by claiming “Mera Tohfa, Meri Marzi (My gifts, my choice).” He claimed that he had paid 50% of the value of the gifts.

In October 2022, he was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan over the Toshakhana controversy. It must be mentioned that the Islamabad High Court had earlier noted that gifts received by the Office of the Prime Minister cannot be retained by him after vacating office. 

Bihar: Woman burns Manusmriti, uses it to light a cigarette while cooking meat, video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Woman burns Manusmriti, uses it to light a cigarette while cooking meat, video viral

The video of a girl burning Manusmriti has gone viral on social media. In the viral video, the girl can be seen cooking meat while burning Manusmriti. In the same video, the girl can also be seen lighting a cigarette from the burning Manusmriti. It is said that the girl’s name is Priya Das, a resident of Bihar.

A netizen requested the Bihar police to take cognizance of such sensitive matters, which can trigger emotions and create disharmony in society. In response, the police asked to share clear information about the incident.

Priya Das herself came on camera after her video went viral. She said that the foundation of her action was laid by Babasaheb Ambedkar a long time ago. As per Priya Das, she has attacked hypocrisy by burning Manusmriti. Accusing Manumriti of dividing people and pitting them against each other, Priya Das said, “This is just the beginning to make it irrelevant.”

Priya claimed to be a trainee teacher and a political Dalit activist in an interview she gave to Mohammad Kaif of ‘the Activist’ YouTube channel, shortly after the clip went viral.

Manusmriti was blamed by Priya Das for all social ills. She claimed that Manusmriti will not exist tomorrow.

Priya Das even blamed Yudhishthira, the eldest among the five Pandava brothers, for the battle of Mahabharat. “Yudhishthira, who donned the robe of righteousness and not his wife Draupadi, was responsible for causing Mahabharat,” she opined.

Further in the video, she expressed her desire to erase Manusmriti from existence “This is just the beginning. It must be rendered irrelevant,” she proclaimed.

Uttar Pradesh: Minor girl gang-raped in Aligarh, investigation underway

ANI
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Uttar Pradesh: Minor girl gang-raped in Aligarh, investigation underway

A 15-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by five people in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, the police said on Sunday. 

Informing about the incident, Aligarh SP City Kuldeep Singh Gunawat said, “A 15-year-old girl lodged a complaint against five people of her village on March 4, alleging that she was gang-raped by them on March 3.” “Hearing the girl’s complaint, she was immediately sent to the hospital for medical examination and a case under relevant sections has been registered against the accused,” Gunawat added. 

SP said, “A team has been formed and efforts to nab the accused are on.” 

Further investigation is underway. 

Previously on March 3, three youths were arrested for allegedly gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district, the police said on Friday. 

Officials said that the incident took place on Wednesday night. 

They said that the victim had gone to her maternal place, and was on her way home when she was intercepted by the three accused. 

On finding her all alone in the deserted area, the accused trio offered the girl to drop her home. When she refused, the accused allegedly forcefully took her to an isolated place and raped her, the girl’s family told the police. 

Also, on February 20, a body of an eight-year-old minor girl, who was missing for hours, was found in a swamp in Bhuvani village of Uttar Pradesh’s Basti on Sunday, officials said. According to locals, Purvi (8) attended a marriage function on Saturday night, and since then she was missing, later her body was recovered. 

In response to the incident, teams from Lalganj Police Station, the canine squad, forensics along with senior officers inspected the spot. 

“The body has been sent for a Post Mortem. On the basis of the complaint of family members, the accused is booked. A police force is deployed on the spot,” ASP added. 

The police’s investigation into this matter is underway. Further information is awaited. 

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

‘Class is Permanent’: Congress gloat over Rahul Gandhi’s ‘suit-boot’ look in the UK after mocking PM Modi for the same

OpIndia Staff
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‘Class is Permanent’: Congress gloat over Rahul Gandhi’s ‘suit-boot’ look in the UK after mocking PM Modi for the same

Days after Rahul Gandhi received flak for engaging in anti-India propaganda at Cambridge University, Congress leaders and trolls alike hailed the 52-year-old for displaying his ‘class’ by appearing a suit. After appearing with an unkept beard and ruffled hair along with a white t-shirt during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi changed into a trimmed beard and suit after reaching the UK. And for Congress leaders and workers, as Rahul Gandhi wore a suit, this means he has class.

By equating a certain dress code to a class of society, they implied that politicians who refuse to wear ‘suits’ are thus devoid of any standards. Interestingly, this is the same Congress party that had targeted the Modi government on multiple occasions with the ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ jibe.

“Class is permanent,” tweeted Congress IT Cell member Nitin Agarwal. He also posted a collage of Rahul Gandhi’s pictures, taken during the latter’s presentation at the University of Cambridge. The Congress leader is seen in a brown suit jacket with a red tie in the pictures.

The official Twitter handle of ‘Rajasthan Youth Congress’ went a step ahead with their sycophancy and posted pictures of Rahul Gandhi, his father Rajiv Gandhi and his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru, all wearing suits being the underlying connection. “Class is permanent,” they wrote in the tweet.

The same message and pictures were then re-posted by the popular handle ‘Spirit of Congress’.

Former Union Minister, Pradeep Jain Aditya, also joined the bandwagon and wrote, “Form is temporary but class is permanent.”

Recently, Congress leader Udit Raj also resorted to elitist behaviour and claimed, “Rahul Gandhi has the standard to speak at Oxford University while Modi has the standard to speak on the radio (referring to his programme ‘Mann ki Baat).”

Rahul Gandhi, Congress and hypocrisy surrounding ‘suit-boot’

It must be mentioned that in 2015, Rahul Gandhi coined the term ‘Suit Boot ki Sarkar’ to allege that the Modi government serves the interests of the corporates, and rich businessmen and not the farmers.

For a long time now, he has targeted PM Modi on the cost of the clothes worn by him to portray that the Prime Minister is in thick with the capitalists of the country and is working against the interests of the poor. 

Rahul Gandhi has often been caught living an extravagant lifestyle while pretending to be leading a humble and austere life. The Gandhi scion had once worn a jacket worth Rs 70,000.  In 2015, he was found sporting a Ralph Lauren t-shirt that retails at anywhere upward of Rs 12,000.

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