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‘Trying to kill me’: Says BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena after Rajasthan police detain him and Pulwama martyrs’ wives for protests seeking promised compensation

OpIndia Staff
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‘Trying to kill me’: Says BJP’s Kirodi Lal Meena after Rajasthan police detain him and Pulwama martyrs’ wives for protests seeking promised compensation

On March 10, 2023, Rajasthan police arrested BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena and the wives of three Pulwama martyrs from Jaipur. The widows of the three slain soldiers were sitting in protest outside Congress MLA Sachin Pilot’s residence when they were detained in the wee hours of Friday.

The BJP leader reportedly sustained injuries while he was resisting the arbitrary action of the Rajasthan police. He was referred to Jaipur’s SMS Hospital. The BJP leader, notably, has been at the forefront to help the widows of the Pulwama martyrs to get their due compensation promised by the Congress govt in Rajasthan. He had accompanied the widows of the 2019 Pulwama attack martyrs to the protest site.

Speaking to the media after the arrest, BJP leader Meena said, “The police tried to kill me, but I was saved by the blessings of the brave women, the youth, the unemployed, and the poor. I am hurt. I have been referred to Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur from Govindgarh Hospital.” 

“Why is the government so afraid of 3 women warriors that the police picked them up overnight? Don’t know where they have been taken? The women are only pleading to meet Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ji. Why is the chief minister so nervous to hear them?” Meena told reporters.

According to reports, the three women were detained by the Rajasthan police at around 3 am when BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who was supporting the protest by the widows, had gone to his residence, one of his close aides said. Later, Meena left to meet the wives of the martyrs but was stopped by Samod police falling under Chomu town in the Jaipur district.

“I was going to visit Samod Balaji with my supporters, but Samod police stopped me and abused and manhandled me. Is standing with the wives of martyrs such a big crime that the @ashokgehlot51 government is behaving like this with a people’s representative?” Meena tweeted in Hindi.

He added in a tweet, “Sitting on a dharna outside the SEZ police station. The government will not be able to suppress the voice of the martyrs’ wives on the strength of the police. An autocratic and dictatorial government will be resisted with more force.”

Notably, the widows have been protesting to get their due compensation promised by the Congress govt in Rajasthan since February 28. They have demanded a change in rules so that their relatives and not just children can get government jobs on compassionate grounds. Their other demands include the construction of roads and the installation of statues of the martyrs in their villages. The Congress-led Rajasthan government and the widows of Pulwama martyrs have, however, reached a deadlock over the demands.

Video of Rajasthan police manhandling Pulwama martyrs’ wives goes viral, NCM takes cognisance

Amidst the deadlock, the Rajasthan police have been receiving severe criticism for the insensitivity it has shown in handling the issue.

In fact, on March 9, 2023, the National Commission for Women (NCW) took cognisance of the video that went viral on social media on March 4, showing Rajasthan cops, working at the behest of the Congress govt, assaulting the widows of 2019 Pulwama attack martyrs.

In the video, a huge group of Rajasthan police, mostly female officers, can be seen manhandling and dragging three women protesting against the unfulfilled promises made by the Ashok Gehlot Govt. 

According to reports, the women were protesting against the unfulfilled promises on part of the state government and were on their way to meet CM Ashok Gehlot when they were dragged and thrashed by Rajasthan cops. Reports said that some women protesters were injured during the face-off while a few of them had fallen sick.

CM Ashok Gehlot accuses BJP of using the martyrs’ wives for political mileage

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday targeted the BJP, saying some of its leaders were disrespecting the widows of martyrs and using them to gain political mileage.

Without directly naming BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who has been sitting on a dharna with the widows of the martyrs, Gehlot said in a statement, “Some BJP leaders are disrespecting the wives of the martyrs by using them to gain political mileage. This has never been the tradition in Rajasthan. I condemn it.”

Congress found its Renuka Chowdhury replacement to carry her mantle forward: 5 instances when Supriya Shrinate was vile, uncouth in her conduct

Dibakar Dutta
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Congress found its Renuka Chowdhury replacement to carry her mantle forward: 5 instances when Supriya Shrinate was vile, uncouth in her conduct

Ever since Supriya Shrinate gave up the pretence of being a ‘neutral’ journalist and ‘officially’ joined the Congress party, she had resorted to vile and uncouth behaviour to stay in the political limelight.

While her shenanigans know no bounds, the Executive Editor of India TV Saurav Sharma refused to put up with her unhinged behaviour. He had questioned Supriya Shrinate about Rahul Gandhi’s repeated demand for foreign intervention in the affairs of the Indian State.

Instead of responding to his valid question, the Congress leader chose to mock the journalist instead. “Saurav Sharma, Rahul Gandhi does not seek your approval,” she said with an air of arrogance.

When Sharma rebuked Supriya Shrinate in a similar fashion, she was not impressed. “I replied to you the way you replied to my question,” the journalist emphasised. This further agitated the Congress leader who then went on to attack him instead of answering his question.

“What you think does not affect me…Behave like an anchor. I don’t need lessons in civility from a news anchor,” she continued. At that point, Saurav Sharma reminded Supriya Shrinate of her past behaviour on live TV and reiterated that he did not need to learn civility from her.

Last month, the Congress leader used dehumanising language for Delhi police personnel, a day after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested in connection to the liquor policy scam case in the National Capital.

“Neither the agencies of the Central government nor the impotent/eunuch (napunsak) police can scare us (Congress party),” she was heard saying during a press conference.

In May 2021, Supriya Shrinate went on a vitriolic tirade against BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra during a political debate on Aaj Tak. “You are a 2 rupee insect that dwells in drains. Shut up Naali ke Keeda. oh, Naali ka keeda. Shut up liar,” she had displayed her uncouth behaviour before the nation.

In July of that year, Supriya Shrinate insinuated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spied on female party leaders such as Smriti Irani and Vasundhara Raje for ‘intimate content’ using the Israeli-made Pegasus spyware.

During a debate on News 18 on the issue of the baseless snooping scandal, the Congress leader said, “Why is the government affixed to the phones of Smriti Irani and Vasundhara Raje? Go and ask them once.”

She further claimed, “I don’t know what they want to check in women’s phones.” With a sinister grin, Shrinate suggested that the mobile phones of female BJP leaders were being tracked for explicit content.

“How can you make such cheap comments despite being a woman? This is the height of vulgarity. What is this nonsense? I object to this kind of language,” Sambit Patra had questioned.

The repeat offender had earlier mocked the Indian army and referred to it as ‘nonsense’ four times during a debate over the standoff between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). On being questioned by the BJP spokesperson, Supriya Shrinate claimed that she was referring to Sambit Patra as nonsense.

The Congress party is now endowed with several abusive spokespersons but Supriya Shrinate ranks at the top of the list. Earlier, Renuka Chowdhury held the distinction of being the vilest, and uncouth leader in the grand-old party.

In June last year, she grabbed the collar of a Sub Inspector during a protest called by the All India Congress Committee over Enforcement Directorate’s summons to Rahul Gandhi.

North East India: Actual Bharat Jodo taking place after the fall of the ‘Bharat Jodo Party’ in the region

Sachin R
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North East India: Actual Bharat Jodo taking place after the fall of the ‘Bharat Jodo Party’ in the region

In a world that has woken up to the perils of George Soros, not many editorials will be written about BJP winning state elections in 87% Christian Nagaland. It does not fit into the global narrative of an India ruled by a Hindu dictator where democracy has ceased to exist. Rahul Gandhi said so this week in London, two days after losing three state elections in the North East.

‘Indian democracy has ceased to exist, why is the west not doing something’, he thundered. Do what? Sanction India? Invade her? That spiel will get plenty of press. That is the narrative the west wants to hear. As frustrating as that is to a person like me who likes to believe he is a free citizen of a free India, this article is not about that.

This is about another aspect of the North East that doesn’t get enough attention. Perception of the North East has changed across India in the last 9 years. People now know it is part of our national identity. Today, nationally we know leaders from these states who are immensely popular either due to their politics, such as Assam CM Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, or social media star and BJP Nagaland president Temjen Imna Along.

It is not uncommon to see travel reels from the NE pop up on your screen or overhear young people at the coffee machine planning a trip. Separatist violence has fallen sharply too. Union home minister Amit Shah informed in December 2022 that in the last eight years, rebellious incidents in the region have come down by 70 per cent. Attacks on security personnel have also been reduced by 60 per cent while civil casualties have come down to 89 per cent.

The improvement is so solid, that the government has voluntarily withdrawn the much-questioned AFSPA (Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act) from 60% of Assam, seven districts of Nagaland, and 15 police stations in six districts of Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya. At the same time, the perception in the NE about the rest of India has also improved. More and more people from NE are moving to mainland cities for work.

Connectivity has improved with Indian Railways making steady inroads. More airports have got operationalised and explosion in internet usage has brought us all closer together. All this reflects on the ground and in the law and order statistics.

What is interesting to note, is all this has happened as Congress and Communists have lost power in the North East. In 2013 -14, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur and Mizoram had Congress governments. Tripura was under Communist rule. Today these “liberal” parties don’t rule any of the 7 states and the area is better integrated with rest of India than ever before. Is this a happy coincidence?

Different leader, different politics – PM Narendra Modi has visited NE more than 50 times during his tenure. According to some estimates, that is more than all other prime ministers put together. Add to that 400-plus visits by other union ministers. The push to reduce physical distance has been matched with talk to reduce the distance of the minds. NE has 25 Lok Sabha seats. It is not critical for BJP’s success. The people know this. They know the government is not putting focus on them just for votes. That has led to a reduction in distrust towards Delhi.

While “liberal” parties ruled NE for decades, the states were taken for granted, even ignored. Nehru’s absolutely shocking decision to leave NE at the mercy of a foreign born Christian missionary Verrier Elvin was one of the biggest reasons for deliberate alienation and Christianisation of NE. Even current Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio had left Congress as he accused them of deliberately blocking a Naga peace accord.

This is not an exception, right from Punjab, Tamil Nadu to Kashmir, Congress has a history of playing dangerous separatist politics for short-term electoral gains, with the nation paying a huge price for those misadventures. It is one thing to name your rally “Bharat Jodo”, but actually uniting a nation takes hard work and common sense. In NE, BJP invoked local freedom fighters and gave a local flavour to Indian Nationalism. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is telling our former imperial masters how India is not a nation but a Union of States. It is not a happy coincidence. It is politics with a difference.

Are we out of the woods yet? The cautious answer is NO. North East India is indeed a very diverse and complex landscape and fault lines run deep and in all dimensions. A new indigenous peoples front called “The Tipra Motha” has already emerged in Tripura as the largest opposition. Globally there is no shortage of patrons for such projects today.

As always, the demands transcend existing state boundaries and new trouble can be created by invisible hands. While things are much better today, it is not time to relax. Indian state will have to consolidate on the progress made in the last nine years. Good news is, Bharat Jodo party is not in power in North Eastern states.

India’s first H3N2 Influenza deaths reported from Karnataka and Haryana, Union Health Ministry says cases to decline by March-end

OpIndia Staff
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India’s first H3N2 Influenza deaths reported from Karnataka and Haryana, Union Health Ministry says cases to decline by March-end

The Union Ministry has confirmed that two deaths related to the H3N2 virus have been reported from Karnataka and Haryana. The H3N2 virus causes an influenza-like illness with symptoms very similar to Covid-19. The two deaths have come from the states of Karnataka and Haryana.

In Karnataka, 82 years old Eregowda was admitted with Influenza-like symptoms at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. He passed away six days after he was brought to the hospital. He had co-morbidities like diabetes and hypertension. The Health Officers in the district have surveyed the primary and secondary contacts of the deceased, however, so far nobody has tested positive for the illness.

The Health Minister of Karnataka Dr K Sudhakar said the infection clears up within 2 to 5 days. “People who suffered from Covid-19 earlier seem to have a more intense cough after being infected with H3N2. More cases of infection are being seen in children below 15 years and those above 65 years. Pregnant women are also more likely to get infected.”

In the Kanpur district of UP, nearly 50 patients with Covid-like symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, and cough were admitted at Hallet Hospital. Dr Richa Giri, Head of the Medicine Department of Hallet Hospital told IANS, “It is difficult to differentiate this virus from Covid-19 and it is possible only after the test because it is a subtype of influenza A. It becomes difficult to test it because there is a separate kit for each subtype.”

Most cases of H3N2 can be clinically treated in about a week. But people in the high-risk groups need to take special care to avoid getting the virus.

Dr Randeep Guleria while talking to the press said “It spreads the same way as COVID, through droplets. Only those who have associated comorbidities need to be careful. For precaution wear a mask, wash hands frequently, and have physical distancing. For influenza also there is a vaccine for high-risk groups & elderly.

Symptoms and precautions

The symptoms are persistent cough, fever, chills, breathlessness, and wheezing. Nausea, sore throat, body ache, and diarrhoea have also been seen in patients. The persistence of these symptoms for up to a week is possible. But experts have said that the virus is highly contagious and spreads through coughing, sneezing, and close contact with an infected person.

Covid-like precautions such as washing hands, avoiding crowded spaces, and wearing face masks should be helpful in this illness too.

Academy refuses to let Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speak at the Oscars yet again

OpIndia Staff
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Academy refuses to let Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speak at the Oscars yet again

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has yet again been denied stage time at the Oscars. Zelensky had hoped to address the awards show remotely after he was featured in several other award shows, but the Academy rejected the proposal. The probable reason for this denial is the academy’s desire to be seen as a non-political entity. Allowing its stage to be used for furthering the Ukrainian cause would have meant the Academy is not a non-partisan institution.

Notably, the President of Ukraine had, last year as well, expressed his desire to speak at the Oscars which was declined. Although he has managed to appear virtually in multiple award shows including the 64th Grammy awards.

Oscars 2023 will be held on March 12 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. This is the second year in a row that Zelensky’s request to speak at the Oscars has been declined. Volodymyr Zelensky’s team has engaged Mike Simpson, a top agent at William Morris Agency-Endeavor, to convince film festivals and award shows to let the Ukrainian president address the events.

“For the past year, Volodymyr Zelensky has been greeted with open arms by awards shows, film festivals, and even the New York Stock Exchange. But when it comes to landing airtime on the most coveted telecast of all — the Oscars — the Ukrainian leader is being met with a cold shoulder. For the second year in a row, the Academy has snubbed Zelenskyy, who was hoping to follow up his Berlin Film Festival (remote) appearance last month with a virtual spot on Sunday’s Oscar telecast on ABC. Sources say WME power agent Mike Simpson made a plea to the Academy to include the comedic actor-turned-politician but was shut down. The Academy declined to comment” a report published by Variety said. 

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Zelenskyy appeared via video-link at both the Cannes and Venice film festivals as well as at the Grammy Awards and virtually rang the Opening Bell of the New York Stock Exchange too. At the Golden Globes in January, Zelensky was introduced by Sean Penn, where Zelensky repeated his message that Ukraine will win the war against Russia and applauded the free people of the free world who were supporting the Ukrainian people.

It is notable that Sean Penn along with Aaron Kaufman is the director of a documentary titled Superpower, which is based on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The documentary was screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February.

But not everyone is on the same page with giving Zelenskyy more airtime. Last year, Oscars producer Will Packer stopped a Zelensky appearance. Packer voiced his concerns that Hollywood was only showering Ukraine with attention because those affected by the conflict are white. On the other hand, Hollywood has ignored wars around the globe that impact people of color, he argued. Like the Academy, the organisers of Toronto Film Festival also declined a request from Zelenskyy to appear via satellite.

Ukraine and Russia have been at war for more than a year now. In 2014, Russia captured Crimea from Ukraine and has been controlling it ever since. The war started after Russia felt provoked by Ukraine’s inclination to join NATO which is largely an anti-Russia coalition of western nations. Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago and the battle is being fought on Ukrainian soil. Ukraine has received immense support from the west but the support is gradually fading. Ukraine has seen massive losses in men and territory.

Bulldozer Mama in MP: Shivraj govt giving the JCB treatment to rapists, illegal structures get demolished

OpIndia Staff
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Bulldozer Mama in MP: Shivraj govt giving the JCB treatment to rapists, illegal structures get demolished

On March 9, women police officers from Damoh ran a bulldozer over the house built by one Kaushal Kishore Choubey, a rape accused who had also built an illegal structure on govt land.

The house of Kaushal Kishore Choubey, who is charged with raping a minor girl in the Raneh police station area of the Damoh district three years ago, was bulldozed by authorities in the state, on Thursday.

Officials stated that Choubey had encroached upon government land and had built an illegal structure there.

He was arrested along with Arvind Chaurasia, Parshottam Soni and Nandu Raikwar in connection with the gangrape that occurred 3 years ago and came to light recently after videos of the incident were shown to the victim’s parents. The victim in the case had never dared to report the incident. An FIR has also been lodged under the POCSO Act against the accused.

According to the Raneh Police Station in-charge, P. Kurmi, “Three individuals were previously arrested. On Friday, Kaushal Kishore Choubey, another accused, was taken into custody.”

The perpetrators even recorded the horrific incident.

As per reports, the victim kept the incident a secret from her family at the time out of fear. The issue then came to light after one of the accused, Chaurasia’s sister-in-law found the video and showed it to the girl’s mother, last week.

Bulldozer action against rape accused in the past

Notably, this isn’t the first time the Madhya Pradesh administration has taken stringent action against such criminals in the state.

In September 2022, bulldozers were pressed into service by the administration which led to the razing of the residences of three accused in the Rewa gang rape case.

A teenage girl was gang-raped by six men, in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa, close to the well-known Ashtbhuji temple, in Naigarhi. She and her friend had gone to the temple together, when the accused did the horrible act, battered the two women, and stole their cell phones.

The accused dragged the victim where she was raped in turn in front of her friend. The culprits further threatened the young girl and her friend with severe repercussions if they told anybody about the assault and departed the scene.

The unlawfully built home of a 32-year-old Bhopal school bus driver who was arrested for raping a 3.5-year-old nursery student in front of a female attendant was destroyed with hammers, that same month.

Her mother discovered the incident when she noticed that the clothes she was wearing have been changed with an additional set kept in her bag. Both her teacher and the school’s principal denied changing her clothes when the mother questioned them.

Eventually, the girl began to complain about the pain in her genitalia. The following day, the parents went to the school to file a complaint with the authorities, and the child identified the driver.

In a similar incident in March 2022, following a directive from the district administration, the house of the prime accused in the gang rape of a 28-year-old was demolished in the Sohagpur police station area in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh.

Vandana Vaidya, District Collector, Shahdol informed, “The investigation led by police and district administration revealed that Shadab Usmani (alias Abdul) had constructed a house illegally and it has been demolished.” She disclosed that the other two accused Rajesh Singh and Sonu George were his housekeepers, who lived in a rented property.

He apparently had been in love with the woman for the previous one and a half years and had brought her on a picnic to a location in the Kshirsagar region, around 20 km from the Shahdol district headquarters.

He invited his two friends to the location and drank. Then they alternated raping her. The victim was given a poisonous chemical by force, and as a result, she passed away in the district hospital.

On March 17, 2022, Mohsin, Riyaz, and Shehbaz were arrested for gangraping a 17-year-old tribal girl. Houses constructed by the three accused were bulldozed by the administration team with the assistance of the local police.

The assault occurred when the young girl and a male acquaintance visited a neighbouring forest area adjacent to the Rampura Dang neighbourhood. The accused blocked their path, overpowered the male companion and raped the girl before running away. Later, the girl went to the police station and reported that the three young people had raped her.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is being referred to as ‘Bulldozer Mama’ in the state, in the fashion of to UP CM Yogi Adityanath who is termed ‘bulldozer Baba’, for his government’s strict action against mafias and gangsters.

Land for jobs scam: ED conducts raids at Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav’s residence in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Land for jobs scam: ED conducts raids at Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav’s residence in Delhi

According to reports, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at the Delhi residence of Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, in connection with the land for jobs scam investigation. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader’s home is in the New Friends colony in Delhi, where the ED investigators began the raids at 8.30 am.

Not just Tejashwi Yadav’s residence, searches are going on at several other locations in connection with the case. According to reports, several teams of ED are conducting raids at over 15 locations in Delhi, NCR and Bihar. The locations include residents and offices of suspects and beneficiaries of the land for job scam.

Along with Tejashwi Uadav’s house, searches also took place at the residence of former RJD MLA Syed Abu Dojana at Phulwari Sharif in Patna. Premises linked to Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughters Misa Bharti, Rohini Acharya, Ragini Yadav, Chanda Yadav, and Hema Yadav are also being reportedly searched by the ED.

Lalu’s daughter Rohini Adharya criticised the raid at Tejashwi Yadav’s house, questioning the searches conducted at the house of a pregnant woman, referring to Tejashwi’s wife. “We will remember this injustice. Everything will be remembered. What crime have the sister’s little children committed? What crime has the pregnant sister-in-law committed? Why is everyone being tortured? Everyone is being tortured since this morning. The only crime of these people is that the Lalu-Rabri family did not bow down in front of fascists and rioters. You will get the answer to this injustice when the time comes. Now all this is beyond tolerance,” she tweeted in Hindi.

Days before the raid, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned his parents, former Bihar Chief Ministers and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi separately, on the scam.

After conducting raids at Rabri Devi’s home in Patna on Monday, a group of CBI officials interrogated her for about four hours. Lalu Prasad Yadav was interrogated in his daughter and Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti’s house in Pandara Park.

His daughter, Rohini Acharya, attacked the Center, for ‘intimidating her ailing old father.’

The properties connected to Lalu Yadav and his family are among those being searched in Delhi, NCR and Bihar by the ED. In Bihar’s Patna, raids are also transpiring at the house of RJD leader and his aide Abu Dojana.

Almost 15 different areas are being searched. The ED simultaneously investigated these premises, which included the homes and businesses of suspects and others who allegedly profited from the purported fraud.

Lalu Yadav and Rabri Devi, along with 14 other people are accused by the CBI of engaging in criminal conspiracy and violating the Prevention of Corruption Act. All of them are charge sheeted by the agency.

Special Judge Geetanjali Goel issued summons to the accused persons for March 15 while taking cognizance of the chargesheet.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week, the leaders of the opposition parties alleged, that the government was abusing central agencies to settle political scores. Tejashwi Yadav too, was among the signatories. 

The letter listed Lalu Yadav and AAP leader Manish Sisodia, among opposition leaders being pursued by investigating agencies.

What is land for job scam

CBI has alleged, that Lalu Yadav, who served as the minister of railways from 2004 to 2009, received financial benefits in the form of the transfer of landed property into the names of his family members in exchange for the appointment of substitutes to ‘Group D’ posts in various railway zones.

The recruitment took place between 2004 and 2009 without the positions being announced.

According to the agency, up to 12 Patna residents were hired for ‘Group D’ positions. Lalu Yadav’s  family received seven parcels of property in the city and elsewhere for a pittance in exchange for these appointments. 

The RJD chief’s family reportedly paid Rs 26 lakh for more than 1 lakh square feet of land, even though the circular rate at the time estimated the land’s total value at more than Rs 4.39 crore.

The agency through the investigation discovered that Lalu Yadav’s wife Rabri Devi and daughter Hema Yadav received gifts of land from job seekers who were subsequently hired by the railways.

In addition to the 12 individuals who obtained employment in the railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur, those named in the FIR as accused include Lalu Yadav, Rabri Devi and his daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav.

Saudi Arabia imposes strict restrictions during Ramzan month: Loudspeakers prohibited, worshippers ordered to do Iftar inside mosques and more

OpIndia Staff
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Saudi Arabia imposes strict restrictions during Ramzan month: Loudspeakers prohibited, worshippers ordered to do Iftar inside mosques and more

On Friday, 3rd March 2023, Saudi Arabia announced new regulations during the upcoming Muslim month of Ramzan which starts on 22nd March 2023. According to this order, the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance has imposed strict restrictions on Ramzan practices this year. Loudspeakers in mosques are prohibited as per this order while worshippers are ordered to do Iftar inside the mosques.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Islamic Affairs, Abdul Latif Al-Sheikh released the document and also shared it from his ministry’s Twitter handle on March 3. This document has 10 key instructions regarding the Ramzan celebrations in Saudi Arabia. As per this order, during the holy month of Ramadan, imams and the muezzin should not remain absent. If required, they should delegate the task performer for the absence with the permission of the regional branch of the Ministry, and the person acting on their behalf has agreed not to breach the obligation. The permitted time of absence cannot be exceeded.

The order further instructs the imams and muezzins to adhere to the calendar and timings of all the prayers during the month. They are asked to keep the evening prayers short and complete the night prayers with sufficient time so that worshippers do not have to face any inconvenience. At mosques, it is also forbidden to take pictures or use cameras to broadcast worshippers or the recital of prayers by any medium. Also, the Ministry prohibited attendees to mosques from bringing children.

The order says that Iftar for the fasting people – if any – should be in the places prepared for that in the courtyards of the mosque, and under the responsibility of the imam and the muezzin and that the one responsible for iftar for the fasting person should clean the place immediately after finishing the iftar, and not create any temporary rooms or tents and the like to hold the iftar in them. The mosque authorities are also banned from collecting any funds for iftar or any other reason.

UK: Riaz and Hassan convicted for killing a Muslim man outside a Hindu temple

OpIndia Staff
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UK: Riaz and Hassan convicted for killing a Muslim man outside a Hindu temple

Six months after a 24-year-old Muslim man named Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani was killed outside a Hindu temple in Slough town of England, a jury at the Reading Crown Court on Thursday (March 9) convicted two of his co-religionists for committing the heinous crime.

The convicts were identified as Riaz Miah (21) and his accomplice Hassan Al-Kubanji (22). As per reports, Miah had earlier pled guilty to possessing a blade in public and supplying narcotics including cocaine and heroin.

The judge has reserved the sentencing until April 3 this year. The duo had a 42-year-old aide named Miguel Parian John who was found guilty of 2 counts of blade possession and assisting one of the offenders.

Reportedly, he will be sentenced at a later date. While Hassan is a resident of Pimlico in London, Riaz has no fixed address. The duo stabbed the victim Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani on August 30 last year in the car park outside a Hindu temple in Keel Drive in Slough.

The victim later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. The wife of Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani described him as “a loving son, caring brother, selfless friend and proud Muslim man”.

She further emphasised, “(He was) a truly indescribable husband, a proud loving family member of the Kayani family as well as flying through his career at Virgin Atlantic always looking dashing as ever, beaming with pride in his uniform”.

The Background of the Case

During the three-week-long trial, the court was informed that Riaz and Hassan went to Concorde Way in Slough on August 30, 2022, to see Miguel Parian John.

They encountered Adil Mahmood, a friend of Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani, in a park. The duo believed that he was angry with them for being on his drug-dealing turf. They claimed that the deceased approached them aggressively, swinging a sword/ a huge knife at them.

The duo also alleged that they tried to defuse the situation. They thought they heard Adil Mahmood say ‘get the strap’ or ‘get the mash’, which they took as an instruction for Adil to fetch a gun. They ran out of the park, believing that there might have been others with Adil and Mohammed.

The encounter later continued in the car park of a Hindu temple on Keel Drive. Riaz said he believed Hassan would be killed by Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani. In his defence, the convict said he entered fight or flight mode, took the machete from Hassan, and then charged at the victim with it.

He hit Mohammed Rafaqit Kayani in the legs to ensure that he wouldn’t get up again. Given that there were multiple blows on the body of the victim, the jury ruled out the case of manslaughter and convicted Riaz and Hassan of murder.

Viral video shows armed policemen watching as 2 rival groups engage in a gunfight, Patna Police says 22 arrested in the Jethuli Ghat shootout case so far

OpIndia Staff
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Viral video shows armed policemen watching as 2 rival groups engage in a gunfight, Patna Police says 22 arrested in the Jethuli Ghat shootout case so far

On Friday, March 10, Bihar police took to Twitter to respond to a post shared by NavBharat Times pertaining to the Jethuli Ghat shootout case. In the thread of tweets, the Bihar police had given an update on the case earlier. They had confirmed that a total of 3 people had been killed in the gunfight that ensued from an altercation between two rival factions at Jethuli village of Fatuha block on the outskirts of Patna on February 19 and 20, 2023.

The Bihar police had further confirmed that a total of 22 people were arrested in the case out of which 9 were arrested in connection with the gunfight, while thirteen people were arrested in the case of arson and attack.

The Bihar police were responding to a tweet posted by the Hindi media outlet Nav Bharat Times on Friday, wherein they shared a video of the shootout that had taken place in Jethuli Ghat last month.

In the video, one can see two factions engaging in a gunfight while some armed policemen standing in the corner watching without trying to prevent the rampant violence happening before them.

Jethuli Ghat shootout in Bihar: how it started

A fight over parking space turned deadly in Bihar’s Patna on February 19, 2023. The incident had taken place near the Jethuli Ghat area under Nadi Police Station. Jethuli is situated on the banks of the river Ganga, about 27 kilometres southeast of Patna.

Three people were killed on the spot in the clash that occurred between two rival groups, one led by Umesh Rai and his brother Satish Kumar alias Bachcha Yadav and the other by their rival Bittu Kumar. According to police, Umesh had contested the parliamentary election in 2014 on a Samajwadi Party ticket and later joined the RJD. Bachcha Yadav’s wife Anju Devi is said to be the mukhiya (head) of Jethuli panchayat while Umesh’s wife Meena Devi is the former vice-president of the district board.

According to media reports, a fourth victim, Chenarik Rai (42), son of Rajendra Rai, had also succumbed to his injuries a week after the incident took place, taking the death toll to 4. All four victims belong to the same family. They were identified as Gautam Kumar (24), son of Pramod Rai and Roshan Kumar (18), son of Nagendra Rai. 

Reportedly, an altercation erupted between two groups had resulted in violence after which one of the groups resorted to firing. Notably, the argument started when LPG cylinders being unloaded, allegedly on the road, from Bachcha Yadav’s godown, blocked the way for a tractor owned by his rival Bittu Kumar. Yadav’s elder brother Ramesh allegedly slapped the tractor driver, which led to brick batting between the two groups. 

The matter escalated and Bachha Yadav called his relatives, who then opened fire on the family members and associates of Bittu Kumar. At least 50 rounds of bullets were fired. 

Hours later, the family members of Bittu Kumar and an irate mob set ablaze houses, a marriage hall and at least six luxury vehicles owned by Yadav and his family members.

A day after the incident, Bittu’s father Munarik Rai, son of Rajendra Rai, also died during the treatment, following which the locals again went on a rampage on February 20 and attacked the cops. Patna district administration had also imposed Section 144 at Jethuli.

Four separate FIRs filed in the Jethuli Ghat shootout case

Patna senior SP Manavjit Singh Dhillon had then informed that a total of 4 FIRs were filed in the Jethuli violence case. Two separate FIRs had been lodged with the local River police station. In the first FIR, 14 people had been named for the murder of three persons, of which eight, including Bachcha Yadav, had been arrested. In the second FIR lodged on the basis of a police statement, 12 people have been booked for arson, loot and pelting stones at police and all have been arrested.

“Preliminary investigation suggests Bachcha Yadav has a licensed rifle. He had also hired a private guard from Punjab, who also used his licensed weapon to fire,” the SP had confirmed.

An old rivalry over land led to the clash in Bihar

According to reports, the gunfight between the two groups was a culmination of an ongoing land dispute between them. The fight between Bachcha Yadav and Bittu Kumar took place over a piece of land measuring 8000 sq feet outside the gym. Estimated at around 3 crores, the land is presently occupied by Baccha Rai.

The accused and Bittu had a political rivalry and other mutual disputes over land for a long time and both had gone to jail last year after a scuffle. A police team under Fatua SDPO is investigating the entire matter,” SP Dhillon stated.

The lawlessness in the area and the inability of the police to prevent such violent crimes in public places were highlighted by a lot of people on social media after the case.

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