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Pakistan: Country prepares for a fresh round of price rise in Ramadan 2023 as govt increases taxes

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Country prepares for a fresh round of price rise in Ramadan 2023 as govt increases taxes

As the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin on Wednesday, 22 March of this year, a struggling and broke Pakistan is bracing for a further jump in the already skyrocketing inflation in the country.

The government increased the General Sales Tax to 18% from 17% coupled with federal excise duty on Wednesday, adding worries for customers who are already struggling under rising prices for nearly all necessities.

Despite the rupee’s value recovering by almost Rs. 11, which lowers the cost of importing raw materials and finished goods, manufacturers have yet to offer any price relief, reported Dawn.

Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association General Secretary Umer Islam Khan projected a surge of Rs. 3 to Rs.5 per kg/litre in ghee and cooking prices after the GST hike.

According to him, commercial banks continue to be reluctant to open letters of credit (LCs) for the importation of edible oils. After the inauguration of LCs, goods generally take 45 to 60 days to reach Karachi ports.

“If this situation persists the industry would be unable to meet the demand for ghee/cooking oil in Ramadan,” he warned.

Pricey Steel And Cement

As a result of the increase in GST, Agha Steel Industries has increased the price of steel bars in the diameters 16-32 mm and 10-12 mm to Rs. 304,000 and Rs. 306,000 from Rs. 300,000 and Rs. 302,000.

From Rs. 301,500 and Rs. 303,500, Naveena Steel Mills has announced revised rates of Rs. 305,500 (16-32 mm) and Rs. 307,500 (10-12 mm).

According to a cement manufacturer, the combined effect of the GST increase and the Federal Excise Duty (FED) increase from Rs. 1.5 to Rs. 2 per kg will further elevate the price of a 50 kg cement bag by Rs. 38–40 per bag.

Faraz-ur-Rehman, president of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), claimed that the new taxes measures to placate the International Monetary Fund will further reduce consumer purchasing power.

Expensive Bikes

The effects of new tax laws were quickly communicated by automakers. For instance, Atlas Honda Ltd (AHL), the company that assembles Honda motorcycles, raised the rates on Wednesday by Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 35,000.

The new prices for CD70, CD70 Dream, Pridor, CG125, CG125 S, CB125F, CB150F, and CBI150F (Silver) are respectively Rs. 137,900, Rs. 147,500, Rs. 81,500, Rs. 205,900, Rs. 243,900, Rs. 330,900, Rs. 418,900, and Rs. 422,900.

As opposed to the previous rate of Rs. 18,729-56,361, the government would now collect Rs. 21,035-64,510 on various engine capacity bikes.

According to a recent projection by Moody Analytics, Pakistani inflation could average 33% in the first half of 2023 before falling lower, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout won’t likely be enough to restart the country’s economy on its own. Moody’s has predicted a 2.1% economic growth for the year 2023.

Ahmedabad: RJ Devang ‘arrested’ by Police for illegally lending money to two rickshaw pullers? Know about the mega awareness drive

Siddharth Chhaya
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Ahmedabad: RJ Devang ‘arrested’ by Police for illegally lending money to two rickshaw pullers? Know about the mega awareness drive

The famous RJ of Ahmedabad has been ‘caught’ by Police in Ahmedabad in illegal money lending case. Shocked? Here is what happened.

Since yesterday, a video is going viral on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram, in which RJ Devang of Ahmedabad, is clearly seen asking two rickshaw pullers to pay money on interest.

RJ Devang had offered the two rickshaw pullers ten percent interest of Rs 10,000 each for a day. In this video, he said that right now they are giving him nine thousand rupees in cash and in the evening both of them will have to return ten thousand rupees to him. RJ Devang is also saying that as long as he is there, the two rickshaw pullers need not worry about money.

While this conversation is still going on, we can see in this video that an officer of Ahmedabad Police comes there and this RJ is caught by the Police. The policeman asked RJ Devang if he has a license to lend money to people on interest. Failing to answer this question, RJ Devang is asked to be detained by the officer. The officer then advises the rickshaw drivers that instead of taking money from any person on interest in this way, the necessary money can be taken on loan by taking advantage of various schemes of the Government of Gujarat.

However, this entire video is part of an awareness campaign being run by the Gujarat Police of Ahmedabad in collaboration with the popular RJ, Devang. In Gujarat, the number of people lending illegal money and putting high and unusual interest rates on it has increased tremendously for the last many years. Not only this, there have been numerous cases where despite the payment of both capital and interest, the interest-seekers used to demand more money by torturing the person physically and mentally.

In such cases, many have attempted suicide because of the vicious debt cycle, and many of them have lost their lives as they could not bear the torture of the people who were extorting patient in this way. As such incidents were rampant across Gujarat, the Gujarat government and the Gujarat Police came into action earlier this year i.e. from January 5. A mega drive has been launched against the defaulters of illegal money.

In this mega drive, celebrities like RJ Devang not only join the Gujarat Police and spread awareness, but the Gujarat Police itself also organizes the lok darbar. In this lok darbar, people who are troubled by interest-seekers file their complaints with experts and police officers with no hesitation or fear and the police take immediate action on them.

Apart from this, people in this lok darbar who really need money and are eligible to take loans are also informed about the various money lending schemes of the Gujarat government. During the mega drive of the Gujarat Police, a large number of illegal moneylenders from all over Gujarat have been arrested in this one-and-a-half months, including some political leaders.

The police have not only registered an FIR against such illegal money lenders and arrested them but also recovered chequebooks, diaries, mobiles, vehicles, and other documents of their debtors from these people, which have been seized and further action has been taken.

RJ Devang has made viral a video of “the famous RJ of Ahmedabad being caught by the Gujarat Police” to spread awareness, but it is equally important that people also take care of these things. To meet small financial needs, one should give the first preference to government financial institutions or banks, if this is not possible, then decide to take loans from government-licensed financial institutions.

If you know an illegal money lender who seeks interests, then you can not only save many people from mental and physical torture by contacting the Gujarat Police immediately, but in some cases, you can also save their precious lives.

BJP accuses Congress of launching a proxy war using Maoists in Chhattisgarh, raises the issue of the murder of BJP leaders in parliament

OpIndia Staff
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BJP accuses Congress of launching a proxy war using Maoists in Chhattisgarh, raises the issue of the murder of BJP leaders in parliament

On Monday, BJP raised the issue of the killing of party leaders in Chhattisgarh in the last few days. BJP has accused the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government of starting a proxy war against BJP using the Maoists as the front. The party is preparing to have a large demonstration across the state on Friday. BJP raised the issue in parliament after four BJP leaders were killed in Bastar district in a month, reportedly by Maoists.

Chhattisgarh BJP president Arun Sao raised the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha and urged the Centre to direct the Chhattisgarh government to ensure the safety of the people. He said that the murders of four BJP members were a result of targeted killings and political conspiracy.

“Four of our key members and office bearers have been killed in Bastar in the last one month. Our Bastar district secretary Budhram Kartam who was out for a walk was found dead, Mandal president Neelkanth Kakkem was hacked to death in Bijapur, district vice president Sagar Sahu was shot dead in front of his family members in Narayanpur and former sarpanch Ramdhar Alami was hacked to death in Dantewada. All these incidents happened within a month, and it is a clear case of targeted killing and political conspiracy,” Sao said in the Lok Sabha.

Sao further said that the people of Chhattisgarh were not safe under the leadership of the Congress party. The state administration is doing nothing to ensure the protection of our people, who are now at the mercy of God. Chhattisgarh is experiencing violent crime. But we will not let the sacrifice of our people go in vain, Sao stated.

He also demanded an impartial probe into the death of the BJP’s local leaders in Bastar by any independent agency. The three recent murders involve the death of Neelkanth Kakem, the BJP divisional leader of the Bijapur district, Sagar Sahu, the party’s vice head for the Narayanpur district, and Ramdhar Alami, a former sarpanch. Kakem was murdered on February 5 by Maosists who dragged him from his home and killed him in front of his family. Five days later, two Maoists reached Sahu’s house, knocked on his door, and fired two rounds from an AK-47 as soon as the door was opened. The third and most recent killing of Ramdhar Alami was reported from Dantewada.

After BJP’s stand on the matter, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel rejected security failure claims and maintained that the killings were the last efforts by Maoists to establish their presence as they are losing ground in the Bastar area. “Such allegations of reduced security cover are false. Kedar Kashyap, former BJP MLA lost the election, but he still has Z+ security. Former CM Raman Singh doesn’t even visit Naxalite-affected areas but has more security than the Chief Minister,” Baghel told reporters on Monday.

However, former MLA Kashyap asserted that while his security cover has lasted, at least eight to ten Bastar-based BJP office-bearers have been left without police protection since the Baghel administration assumed office.

He also added that Sagar Sahu had received death threats two months ago and he had approached former SP Sadanand Kumar but no appropriate action was taken then. “There is no fear of law in the State. What security protocol is the Chief Minister and the police talking about when our workers are being killed at their own house? This shows lack of seriousness on the police’s part,” Kashyap said.

Further, BJP spokesman Ranjana Sahu also said that the Maoists and Baghel’s administration were working together. She said, “Baghel is fighting his political battle against us hiding behind the Maoists in tribal areas and using officials to get false cases registered against our workers in the plains.”

Also, state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Brijmohan Agrawal slammed the state CM over the recent murders of BJP leaders. He asked the government to take responsibility for the murders and give Rs 1 crore compensation to the family members of the deceased. “Law and order is the subject of the state government. Naxalites killed four office bearers of the BJP in the last month, who is responsible for these murders? The Chief Minister should take responsibility and should give Rs 1 crore compensation to the family members of the deceased workers. The government should take responsibility,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh: Arif conceals his identity and befriends Hindu woman for money, strangulates her to death for refusing to convert to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Arif conceals his identity and befriends Hindu woman for money, strangulates her to death for refusing to convert to Islam

On Wednesday, a case of purported love jihad from Kaushambi in Uttar Pradesh came to light. Mohammed Arif disguised himself as a Hindu, Guddu Rajput, in order to befriend Chanda, a 35-year-old widow. The couple even started living together but then Arif brutally murdered her on Wednesday because she refused to convert to Islam. The event occurred in the Meerdahan Ka Purwa hamlet, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Paschim Sarira police station in the Kaushambi district.

Brijesh Kumar Srivastava, the Superintendent of Police today (Thursday, February 16), in a video byte, revealed that Arif, who initially fled after killing his live-in partner, has been arrested. The police confirmed that the accused killed the woman after she refused to comply with his demand for conversion. The police also said that when they went to arrest Arif, he fired at them. Police retaliated, and Arif was injured in the leg during the return fire. He was admitted to the local hospital and is now being treated. A case has been lodged against Arif under relevant provisions of the IPC and the state’s anti-conversion law.

According to reports, Arif, a resident of UP’s Kaushambi district worked as an ambulance driver. Arif was currently posted at 108 emergency services in the Mirzapur district. The deceased, Chanda Singh, was a Mau resident from Uttar Pradesh. Chanda lost her first husband Durgesh Singh five years ago. She had two daughters with her first husband.

Chanda met Arif on social media after her husband died. He disguised himself as Guddu Rajput, a Hindu, in order to befriend her. The woman subsequently fell into his love trap. Arif summoned the woman to Ballia under the guise of employment.

He persuaded Chanda to sell her home in her hometown and move in with him. Chanda sold all of her Mau property worth Rs 1 crore without alerting anyone. Arif purchased land from that money in Ashadha hamlet in the West Sarira police station area and began constructing a house there. Meanwhile, the couple began living together in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh.

The deceased woman’s daughter said that Arif frequently fought with her mother over money. She added that ever since Arif’s religious identity was revealed before Chanda, he began pressurizing her to convert to Islam and perform Namaz at home. Arif used to mercilessly beat up Chanda if she resisted giving in to his demands.

A few days before the incident, Arif gathered people from his community and a Maulvi to exert pressure on Chanda to convert to Islam, but she flatly refused.

The daughter went on to say that on February 11, 2023, Arif got Chanda to speak to her daughters, following which he informed them that she was ill and that he was taking her to the hospital for treatment. After a while, they learned of their mother’s death. Arif went to their residence on Tuesday (February 14), left Chanda’s dead body there, and fled.

Wall Street Journal suggests Americans to skip breakfast to save money, gets mocked

OpIndia Staff
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Wall Street Journal suggests Americans to skip breakfast to save money, gets mocked

In order to save money, simply skip breakfast, suggested a Wall Street Journal article to the US populace. Even statistical argument is provided in the article to support their claim. It stated that a number of breakfast essentials experienced significant price rises as a result of a perfect storm of inclement weather, disease outbreaks, and ongoing consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The article, by Gabriel T. Rubin, began by outlining the factors that led to the sudden price increases for a number of breakfast staples, which include a perfect storm of inclement weather, illness outbreaks, and ongoing consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

It further said, that the egg prices rose 8.5% in January compared to the previous month and have grown 70.1% in the last year, which is the largest annual rate since 1973. According to Information Resources Inc., the U.S.’s greatest avian influenza pandemic has decimated poultry flocks, pushing up the price of eggs more than any other supermarket item in 2022. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. egg stockpiles were 29% lower in the last week of December 2022 than they were at the start of 2022.

Frozen, noncarbonated juices and drinks saw a 1.5% increase in January compared to the previous month, and the 12.4% yearly increase is the largest in more than ten years. Due to a cold, two storms, and a citrus disease that is destroying its orange groves, Florida orange growers are collecting their smallest crop in nearly 90 years, the article added.

Breakfast cereal costs rose just 0.4% in January compared to the previous month, but were 15% higher than they had been a year earlier due in part to raised global grain prices brought on by problems related to the conflict in Ukraine.

It concluded by saying, that breakfast lovers might do better to stick to a cup of roasted coffee rather than instant. Prices for roasted coffee fell last month by 0.1%, while those for instant coffee increased by 3.6% on a monthly basis.

The article, however, was severely mocked and characterized as innocuous, lacking in objectivity, and reticent regarding the cost-benefit analysis of starving oneself to survive.

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, used the article as an opportunity to criticize the failings of Joe Biden administration.

House Judiciary GOP also voiced its disapproval of the piece.

Douglas A. Boneparth proposed to skip all meals to save even more money.

Rep. Mark Pocan advised to quit price gouging instead.

Twitter user Manan responded to the post by commenting, that after coffee and avocados they are coming after your breakfast.

Along with the online ridicule, some pointed out that the piece was behind a paywall which just exacerbated the jokes.

Another one by the name of Sultan of Games also pointed out the irony.

For the past year, inflation has been the biggest concern for Americans who are having trouble paying for essentials. People are being forced to use more restraint while buying and consuming their favourite foods because the cost of basic items like meat, cheese, and bread has jumped by anywhere from 10% to 30%.

Ask for public donations, seek help from other political parties: Economists advise Punjab CM as the state faces bankruptcy

OpIndia Staff
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Ask for public donations, seek help from other political parties: Economists advise Punjab CM as the state faces bankruptcy

While the state of Punjab is reeling under a massive debt burden, three economists have written to the state government suggesting the establishment of a debt relief fund (DRF) and seek voluntary donations from the public to get the state out of its financial bind. The letter was written by economists Lakhwinder Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, and Kesar Singh Bhango.

The three economists have also recommended in the letter that the government should establish a panel to provide recommendations for Punjab’s fiscal improvement and request a seven-year moratorium on debt payments to give the economy time to recover.

According to the reports, economist Lakhwinder Singh is a visiting professor at the Institute for Human Development (IHD) in New Delhi, Sukhwinder Singh is a former professor and consultant to the Punjab Finance Commission in Chandigarh and Kesar Singh Bhangoo is a former professor in the department of economics at the Punjabi University. In a study titled “Fiscal Policy Under Siege: Strategy for Making Punjab Debt Free” that was put together on Saturday, the group of three economists asked the Punjab government to seek help from other political parties in the state and push for a debt relief package from the Centre.

“We suggest to the government that among the several available options, one is to set up a debt relief fund and issue an appeal to all the concerned citizens to deposit the money in it voluntarily. This fund will only be utilized to reduce Punjab’s debt burden while making a tax exemption provision as in other similar cases. Punjabis all around the globe are by nature helpful and well-known for philanthropy. This cultural trait of Punjabis will go a long way in dealing with the debt,” the economists stated in the letter.

The analysts explained the backdrop of Punjab’s twofold debt trap by stating that, on average during the previous three years, the state government borrowed Rs 35,201.87 crores every year. It pays interest of Rs 18,209.8 crores and repays the principal amount of Rs 14,257.98 crores, totaling 32,467.78 crores, to cover the accumulated debt.

According to the study, the state government’s fiscal strategy has become dysfunctional. “The net availability of the borrowed funds turns out to be Rs 2,734.09 crore, which is just 7.8% of the total borrowings and the remaining 92.2% gets exhausted into servicing the accumulated debt,” it stated. The state lacks the potential to make fresh capital investments, and according to figures from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the amount borrowed by Punjab from different sources accounts for 53.3% of its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

The economists added that the rate at which debt began to accrue was worrying, starting at 22.85% in 2015-16 and 40.80% in 2016-17, respectively. “It then continues to increase steadily, on average, by more than 9% per year. The present administration is borrowing similarly to the past administrations, and it will continue to do so until it leaves office,” they added.

They stated that the government would raise spending without increasing the necessary level of revenue due to the existing obligations, the promised creation of jobs in the government sector, and the promises of transfer payments and subsidies. Members reiterated that the government should form a panel to look for workable solutions to cut the debt load in half in the near future and to propose actions to free the state from debt in the medium to long term.

The economists suggested that in order to immediately relieve the rising debt burden, the government may issue bonds. The well-known intellectuals of Punjab and the leaders of other political parties should be trusted by the Punjab administration to reach a consensus and bring up this issue with the Union government for a debt relief package, they added in the letter. 

“The people of Punjab had given a decisive mandate and elected a government with the expectation that it would revive the state’s lost glory. Therefore, it is high time that the government should swiftly act while gathering all the courage and will to revive institutional arrangements of policy making and big bang actions to break both the traps (debt and slow growth) for sustainable development of Punjab economy,” they were quoted.

In comparison to its own revenue deficit projection of Rs 12,553.80 crore for the year 2022–2023, the current government’s revenue shortfall during its first nine months in office has been reported as Rs 15.348.55 crore.

The economic condition of Punjab is becoming worse quarter by quarter. The fund-strapped Punjab government’s fiscal situation portrays a bleak image with the state having a very high debt-to-GDP ratio. The state exchequer is also bleeding as a result of freebies. The only state with a higher debt-to-GDP ratio than Punjab, which is predicted to be 47.6% by March 2023, is Mizoram, which has a ratio of 53.1%. Punjab’s ratio has slightly increased from 48.7% in 2021 and 48.4% in 2022 as the states have recovered from the epidemic in the last two years.

In its first 11 months of governance, the state has already borrowed more than Rs 35,000 crore. It has been unable to pay the Punjab Mandi Board installment of Rs 500 crore towards repayment of the loan to cancel farmers’ debts. Mandi Board has been requested to modify the loan in such a way that the state makes monthly payments of Rs 100 crore.

The state’s power utility is also in financial trouble. The state exchequer is expected to incur a cost of Rs 22,000 crore this fiscal year due to the weight of electricity subsidies, therefore it had to borrow Rs 500 crore to pay salaries for the previous month. The situation has worsened ever since the government rolled out 300 units of free power to the residents.

The state has also been unable to decide on a free bus service for women. The exchequer has been paying for it Rs 550 crore rupees annually. The government could not reach a decision despite the Transport Department’s suggestion to rationalize free travel.

On the other hand, in the middle of the financial crunch, Women and Child Welfare Minister, Punjab, Dr Baljit Kaur is promising Rs 1,000 per month to women, a promise which was made by the Aam Aadmi Party during elections. Recently, the state also shut down three toll plazas which the state CM alleged were allowed to operate by the connivance of the Akali-BJP alliance and Congress to loot the public. According to the CM, a daily sum of Rs 10.52 lakh of the public will be saved by shutting off the toll plazas.

The problems of Punjab have increased further as its capital investments are also not giving returns. Reports mention that several of the industries set up in the state have migrated to nearby states including Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

Reportedly, CM Bhagwant Mann has stated that the state would generate revenue by renting the 9,000 acres of public land recovered from the encroachers. He also said that the state would generate revenue from sand. Reports however mention that it is difficult for the state to meet its revenue targets in the current fiscal, according to the data released by CAG regarding the fiscal indicators from April to December 2022.

Nikki Yadav was the niece of a Kargil War veteran, live-in partner Sahil strangled her with a data cable inside his car

OpIndia Staff
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Nikki Yadav was the niece of a Kargil War veteran, live-in partner Sahil strangled her with a data cable inside his car

The main accused in the gruesome Nikki Yadav murder case in Delhi has admitted to his crime. After learning about the accused Sahil’s scheduled marriage, his live-in partner Nikki Yadav put pressure on him to call it off. This sparked an argument between the two. Following this, the accused Sahil Gehlot planned to kill Nikki.

Sahil Gehlot who is accused of strangulating his 23-year-old live-in partner to death and storing her body in a refrigerator in Delhi’s Mitraon village got married to another woman hours after committing the horrific murder. The incident took place on the intervening night of February 9 and 10. 

The deceased victim was the niece of a Kargil war veteran Praveen Yadav, as per reports. Praveen Yadav had lost both his hands in the war against Pakistan. In addition, his right leg does not work efficiently. Nikki’s family had shifted from Delhi 4 years ago and has been living in their village in Jhajjar.

According to the Crime Branch unit, the 24-year-old accused and the deceased victim were in a relationship for a few years. 

“On the night between February 9 and February 10, 2023, the accused strangled the deceased in his car using a data cable of his phone before stuffing the body in a refrigerator at his dhaba in Mitraon Village, Delhi. According to Special Commissioner of Police Ravindra Singh Yadav, the deceased and the accused had been dating for several years and used to live in a rented flat.

According to the police, the team went to the village of Mitraon to look for the accused who had fled after they received information about the event on February 10. The accused was arrested from the Kair village crossing in Delhi. Accused Sahil initially tried to mislead the investigation, however, later on, he confessed his horrendous deeds.

“On sustained interrogation, he disclosed that he had killed his girlfriend in the intervening night of 9 & 10 February 2023 and kept her dead body in a refrigerator at his dhaba in a vacant plot situated on the outskirts of village Mitraon,” the police said. 

Elaborating on the interrogation, the police said that Sahil and Nikki used to meet while going to their respective coaching centres in Uttam Nagar and became friends, and later fell in love. 

The accused enrolled in the D Pharma programme at Galgotiya College in Greater Noida in February 2018, and Nikki Yadav enrolled in the BA at the same institution. They then began staying in a rented home in Greater Noida as a couple. They grew very close and visited several places together, including Manali, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradun, etc.

The two returned to their respective homes during the Covid lockdown and moved in together at a rented house in Dwarka after the lockdown ended. The accused did not inform his family about his relationship with Nikki. 

As per the police, the family of Sahil was pressurizing him to get married and in December last year, his engagement and marriage were fixed with another girl. Accused Sahil had not informed Nikki about his fixed marriage. However, Nikki soon found out the truth and confronted Sahil, leading to a major argument between the two. 

Meanwhile, police recovered a white car used in the crime and booked the accused under section 302, 201 of the Indian Penal Code. 

Sunil Yadav, father of the deceased victim has demanded that the accused be hanged to death. The family has stated that Nikki had last visited her home around 1 month ago.

According to the autopsy report, the deceased victim died of suffocation and there were no other injuries on her body other than the mark around her neck.

In the latest development, CCTV footage has been recovered on Wednesday from the CCTV camera installed at the deceased victim’s residence in Uttam Nagar. In the footage, Nikki is performing menial tasks, hours before she was killed allegedly by her Sahil Gehlot.

The footage captures Nikki doing household work hours before her murder. On February 9, her boyfriend Sahil Gehlot got engaged, as per reports. Yadav called Gehlot to meet her and voiced her disapproval of his plan to get married to another girl.

Another woman killed by lived-in partner: Jobless youth kills nurse in Mumbai and hides body inside box bed, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Another woman killed by lived-in partner: Jobless youth kills nurse in Mumbai and hides body inside box bed, arrested

Hardik Shah, a 27-year-old man, was arrested for the murder of Megha Dhansingh Torvi, his 35-year-old live-in partner, in their leased residence in Nala Sopara (East), Mumbai. The accused, along with his live-in girlfriend, allegedly resided in Sita Sadan Society for the previous two months while pretending to be married. The accused, according to reports, is the son of a diamond merchant from Malad.

The tragedy happened on Sunday, February 12, after an argument between the couple, during which Shah strangled Megha to death. Having no funds even for a train journey, Shah sold furniture and utensils for Rs 4,500 on Sunday, used it to purchase a rail ticket to Rajasthan and fled the next day, after disposing of the body in the bed’s cavity. While Torvi worked as a nurse, Shah was unemployed.

Senior Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar from Tulinj police said, “He ended up killing Torvi on Saturday. He, however, did not have the money to purchase a train ticket to Rajasthan. He decided to sell articles present in the house at Sita Sadan to a scrap dealer and kept Torvi’s body in the bed storage. The scrap dealer came to the house on Sunday and paid him Rs 4,500 for the articles he bought, unaware that the only bed that was not up for sale had a body inside.”

The situation was discovered, according to the police, when real estate broker Sanjeev Thakur contacted them after getting a call from Megha’s aunt in Karnataka on Monday. She informed Thakur that Hardik had called and accused her of killing Megha while threatening to end his life. When Thakur arrived at the apartment, it was locked from the outside. There was a bad odour coming from the unit and Hardik’s cell phone was unreachable.

Thakur said that the couple took the apartment on rent about three weeks ago by introducing themselves as a married couple. The neighbours had already begun to complain about the house’s unpleasant scent when the cops arrived at the scene.

Police forced open the door and discovered that furnitures in the house were missing. The nauseating stench in the bedroom drew them to the bed. The body was discovered inside the bed and its neck bore signs of strangling.

Police started to search for Hardik and found that he was travelling by Paschim Express. He was arrested from Nagda railway junction in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday with the help of Railway authorities. The Railway Protection Force assisted the local police in nabbing Shah.

He was brought to Mumbai by a Tulinj police team, who then arrested him on Wednesday. He was remanded to police custody by a city court until February 21. Nagarkar said he was unsure of how the couple had met. He said, “We will talk to their friends and family.”

Talking about the perpetrator’s background, Senior Inspector Shailendra Nagarkar stated that Shah dropped out of school after failing to pass Class X. He was kicked out of the house by his father a few years ago after he stole cash and expensive items from their home. “However, when he did not have anywhere to go during the Covid-19 pandemic, his father took him back. But then Shah started harassing his parents again as per their statement,” he added.

“We have registered a case of murder and have begun scanning through the CCTVs of the area and Shah’s mobile phone location. We have found out that he had boarded a train to Rajasthan from Mumbai Central railway station on Monday morning,” Nagarkar informed. The police officer added that they had caught Shah at Madhya Pradesh’s, Nagda train station after intercepting him with the aid of the Railway Police Force.

Shah admitted to killing his girlfriend to the police, saying it was a result of their regular arguments about money.

Mahashivratri violence in Jharkhand: Nishikant Dubey alleged Shiv Baraat route deliberately changed, moves court against imposition of sec 144 in Deoghar

OpIndia Staff
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Mahashivratri violence in Jharkhand: Nishikant Dubey alleged Shiv Baraat route deliberately changed, moves court against imposition of sec 144 in Deoghar

On Wednesday, Godda’s BJP MP Nishikant Dubey filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Jharkhand High Court against the imposition of Section 144 in Deoghar and the change in the route of Shiv Baraat ahead of the Mahashivratri festival. Dubey in the petition stated that the district administration had arbitrarily decided to change the route without the consent of the Shivratri Festival Committee formed to organize the procession.

According to the reports, the petition states that the tradition of taking out the Shiva procession in Deoghar is very old and that a committee was formed in the year 1994 to look into the execution of the procession, aka Shiv Baraat. It is a committee that decides the route of the procession, however, this year the district administration has decided to change the route without committee’s consent, Dubey said.

He also added that the route decided by the district administration is narrow and there will be difficulty in taking out the Shiva procession. According to the BJP MP, usually, other routes of the districts are changed for a day owing to this cultural tradition, but this time the route of Shiv Baraat has been changed which can be problematic for the participants.

Dubey, in the petition also alleged that the action taken by the district administration is deliberate and that the latter has hurt the religious sentiments of devotees by changing the prescribed route. “This is a dictatorial attitude. The faith of the devotees is being played with. This hurts religious sentiments of devotees,” the petition reads as it asks the Court to intervene in the matter.

“Deoghar SDO has invoked section 144. No clear reason has been given for this. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, prohibitive orders cannot be issued until it is proven that there is a chance that the peace in the designated region will be disturbed. However, the district administration passed the aforementioned order out of bias, and it has to be revoked”, the petition stated.

Notably, this comes a day after the violence erupted in the Palamu district of Jharkhand ahead of Mahashivratri celebrations. As reported, stones were pelted at devotees preparing to worship at the mosque square of the district. Some vehicles were also set on fire. Petrol bombs were also used in the attack. So far, about a dozen people are said to be injured, including 6 policemen. A heavy police force has been deployed to take care of the situation, section 144 has been imposed in the area and also the internet has been closed as a precautionary measure.

Reports mention that the current PIL has been filed by Dubey and Abhishek Anand Jha, the chairman of the Shivratri Festival Committee. The duo stated that they would stage a protest if the Jharkhand government fails to change its attitude. The court is likely to hear the case on February 16.

Ground report from Palamu, Jharkhand: ‘Muslims opposed decorations for Mahashivratri, attacked with stones, this is trial for Ghazwa e Hind’, say locals

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Ground report from Palamu, Jharkhand: ‘Muslims opposed decorations for Mahashivratri, attacked with stones, this is trial for Ghazwa e Hind’, say locals

On Wednesday (February 15, 2023) in Jharkhand’s Palamu district, devotees who were installing decorative Toran Dwar or welcome archways for Mahashivaratri celebrations were pelted with stones and set on fire. About 1 dozen people, including police officers, were injured during this altercation. The incident took place in the Panki Bazar area close to a mosque.

A heavy police force has been deployed in the area due to the heightened tension. In addition, Section 144 has been imposed in the area, and the internet has been shut down. According to the police, the situation is currently under control.

Local Hindus were building welcome gates at Bhagat Singh Chowk for Mahashivratri to be celebrated on February 18. The people of the Muslim community there opposed the construction of this gate, as per reports. At first, there was an argument between the two sides, which later turned into a clash and stone-pelting. On seeing this, people from both sides came to fight. An additional police force has also been deployed to control the situation.

OpIndia spoke to the local people to find out the details of the matter.  

‘They gather large crowds for small events but cause a ruckus over our Mahashivratri’

OpIndia spoke to Kamlesh Singh, a social worker from Panki Bazar, about the incident. According to Kamlesh Singh, organizing Mahashivratri is not a new thing and is organized every year.

“There is a large mosque named Jama Masjid at the square where this commotion took place,” said Kamlesh Singh.  “The entire area is surrounded when there is a modest Muslim gathering, but during Mahashivaratri, the Muslims cannot stand even a small archway,” he added.

Meanwhile, Panki resident and BJP leader Manjulata Dubey claimed that the mosque regularly interrupted the religious programmes of the Hindu community. Manjulata adds that the Shiva procession passes from the area where the archway was being erected and heads to the Lord Shiva shrine on a nearby mountain.

‘Police should investigate Mosque Committee head Abul Hasan’s role in the violence’

According to Kamlesh Singh, Abul Hasan serves as the chairman of the committee that oversees the Jama Masjid, where the controversy originated. According to Kamlesh, Hasan Ansari, Anwar Alam, Mehboob Ansari, Shahid Ansari, and Bablu Ansari are among Abul Hasan’s key associates. 

Kamlesh added there have been frequent conflicts in and around the market. However, when questioned about their role in the recent violent clashes, Kamlesh Singh responded that the administration should look into it.

The Muslim side deliberately caused the ruckus

Manjulata and Kamlesh Singh both claimed that the Muslims started the dispute. They informed OpIndia that some members of the Muslim community had initially come to stop the Hindus from peacefully installing the archway. Following this, the Muslims broke the decorative Toran Dwar.

OpIndia was told that when the Hindu community objected to this behaviour, they were not only pelted with stones but were also attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons.  The attackers also hurled petrol bombs at the Hindus.

When the violence erupted, it was time for the students to leave for school, claims Kamlesh Singh, a social worker from Panki. Many children were left stranded on the road due to the violence. Kamlesh adds that there might have been severe harm if the police had not arrived and controlled of the situation.

The mosque was the base of the attack on Hindus

OpIndia was told by Manjulata and Kamlesh Singh that the mosque served as the attack’s centre. They said that the attackers came out from the same mosque. Manjulata claims that there are some shops located beneath the mosque owned by Muslims, and certain individuals there often attempt to cause disputes every day.

Kamlesh Singh, however, asserted that Hindus were being attacked with stones and petrol bombs from the mosque’s rooftop. “It was neither a Friday (Jummah) nor there is such a large Muslim population,” Kamlesh Singh remarked. 

Kamlesh raised the question that “where did such a crowd of attackers come from because neither a prayer nor a programme was scheduled at the time of the incident? He said it was a well-planned attack.

Conspiracy to falsely implicate Hindus

According to Kamlesh Singh, individuals who attacked Hindus vandalized their own shops and some of their own vehicles as part of their plan. Kamlesh Singh detailed it was a part of the conspiracy hatched by the Muslim assailants to implicate Hindus in order to gain the public’s sympathy.

Masjid Chowk is now being called as Shaheed Chowk

Manjulata also called out Hemant Soren’s government, claiming that the local people are suffering as a result of his appeasement politics. Manjulata claims that although the Hindu population identifies the crossing as Shaheed Chowk, some Muslims are trying to rename it Masjid Chowk deliberately. The BJP leader also said that a statue of martyr Bhagat Singh will soon be installed there.

Hindus assisted in the construction of the mosque

According to Kamlesh Singh and Manjulata, the mosque is not very old. Kamlesh Singh said that the mosque was constructed with the aid of Hindus, and the area where it is now located is a market dominated by Hindu shopkeepers. Manjulata, on the other hand, asserts that if the investigation is carried out properly, it will be found that some part of the mosque is built on encroached land.

Objection to Tricolour and patriotic songs on August 15

Manjulata mentioned that she had once, on August 14, been detained by the police at Masjid Chowk only for marking the location for hoisting the Tricolor there. She, however, was later released. It is also asserted that Manjulata was stopped from singing a patriotic song at the square on another Independence day by two Muslims.

This is a trial of Ghazwa-e-Hind

The occurrence in Panki Bazar, according to Kamlesh Singh, was a trial for ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’. He said that the Islamic fundamentalists are weighing their strengths across the country.

It is notable that Ghazwa-e-Hind is an Islamic mission and prophetic concept that seeks to destroy India and bring it under the Islamic caliphate.

‘Hemant Soren government failed to protect Hindus’

Sunil Singh, a local BJP MP, was contacted by OpIndia to talk about the matter. Sunil Singh said that after talking to the Superintendent of Police, he has clearly stated that the police should not take unilateral action in this incident. MP Sunil Singh accused the Hemant government of appeasement and claimed that he and his government are unable to provide security during special occasions like Mahashivaratri.

The administration says the situation is under control

The situation has been deemed under control by the Palamu administration. DC Palamu has urged people not to spread any kind of misinformation on social media while providing information about the implementation of Section 144 in the region affected by violence.

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