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‘Conflict of interest, calculated attack on India’: Adani Group responds to claims of Hindenburg Research report with a 413-page response

OpIndia Staff
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‘Conflict of interest, calculated attack on India’: Adani Group responds to claims of Hindenburg Research report with a 413-page response

Days after Hindenburg Research accused the Adani Group of stock manipulation and use of tax havens, the latter slammed the US-based investment research firm with a 413-page response on Sunday (January 29).

The Indian conglomerate suffered a loss of $48 billion in stock markets after Hindenburg Research published its 32,000-word report.

While highlighting its compliance with local laws, Adani Group said, “All transactions entered into by us with entities who qualify as ‘related parties’ under Indian laws and we have duly disclosed accounting standards.

It pointed out how the US-based investment research firm sought to benefit from its damning report.

“This is rife with conflict of interest and intended only to create a false market in securities to enable Hindenburg, an admitted short seller, to book massive financial gain through wrongful means at the cost of countless investors,” the Adani group emphasised.

The Indian conglomerate also dismissed the misleading claims that Hindenburg Research made about its offshore entities, without furnishing any credible evidence.

Following credit analysis, it further defended its decision to pledge shares of its group companies, owned by promoters and key shareholders, to secure loans as a globally accepted practice.

“It is tremendously concerning that the statements of an entity sitting thousands of miles away, with no credibility or ethics has caused serious and unprecedented adverse impact on our investors,” it further added.

In its 413-page report, the Adani Group included snippets from its annual reports, court verdicts and public disclosures. The Indian conglomerate also responded to the 88 questions raised by Hindenburg Research to cast aspersions on its credibility.

Interestingly, 65 of the questions pertaining to the Adani Group were disclosed by the conglomerate in its previous annual reports.

“Of the balance 23 questions, 18 relate to public shareholders and third parties (and not the Adani portfolio companies), while the balance 5 are baseless allegations based on imaginary fact patterns,” it added.

“Not one of these 88 questions is based on independent or journalistic fact finding. They are simply selective regurgitations of public disclosures or rhetorical innuendos colouring rumours as fact,” the Adani Group further emphasised.

The Adani group also exposed the three-step ‘modus operandi’ of Hindenburg Research.

“Selective and manipulative presentation of matters already in the public domain to create a false narrative, Complete ignorance or deliberate disregard of the applicable legal and accounting standards as well as industry practice, contempt for the Indian institutions including the regulators and the judiciary,” it said.

The Indian conglomerate also questioned the credibility of the US-based investment research firm and its tall claims.

“Ironically for an organization that seeks transparency and openness, nothing much is known about either Hindenburg or its employees or its investors. Its website alleges that the organisation has an experience that “spans decades” and yet appears to have been set up only in 2017,” it pointed out.

Adani Group dismisses Hindenburg research report as a calculated attack on India

The Adani Group noted, “The mala fide intention underlying the report is apparent given its timing when Adani Enterprises Limited is undertaking what would be the largest ever further public offering of equity shares in India.”

This is not merely an unwarranted attack on any specific company but a calculated attack on India, the independence, integrity and quality of Indian institutions, and the growth story and ambition of India,” it concluded.

Earlier on January 25, the Adani Group trashed the Hindenburg Research report as a ‘malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations. It had also come under attack from the Indian National Congress, which accused the Indian conglomerate of crony capitalism.

Hindenburg stands by its report, hit back on Adani

Hindenburg Research, in the meanwhile, has stood by its report and stated, “Fraud cannot be obfuscated by nationalism or a bloated response that ignores every key allegation we raised.”

It has stated that contrary to Adani’s claim, they believe that India is a vibrant democracy with an exciting future and companies like Adani are holding India back. It added that Adani’s 413-page rebuttal has only 30 pages that focus on the issues raised and added that Adani has failed to answer 67 of the 88 questions raised by them. The complete response can be read here.

The Hindu Group’s Chairperson rebuffs their journalist for taking a dig on Hindu gods while mocking EAM Dr Jaishankar

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu Group’s Chairperson rebuffs their journalist for taking a dig on Hindu gods while mocking EAM Dr Jaishankar

The Hindu Group’s chairperson Malini Parthasarathy rebuffed their journalist S Anandan who took a dig on Hindu god Lord Hanuman while trying to mock External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar

Malini Parthasarathy’s tweet

Parthasarathy was reacting to The Hindu journalist S. Anandan’s tweet where he was mocking Dr Jaishankar’s statement on how he draws foreign policy lessons from Mahabharata, the Hindu epic. Dr Jaishankar had said how Lord Hanuman and Shri Krishna were the greatest diplomats in India. He was narrating on how when Sita ji was kidnapped by Lanka king Ravan and kept hostage, Lord Hanuman communicated with her about her wellbeing and towards the end even set Lanka on fire.

However, to mock this statement by Dr Jaishankar, S. Anandan, a journalist with The Hindu asked which batch of IFS were the Hindu gods from. Parthasarathy then said how the disrespectful tweet does not represent the position of The Hindu.

You can read more about the book Dr Jaishankar wrote on his policy inspiration being drawn from Hindu epics here.

MK Gandhi and the pretence of the Left-Congress ecosystem of carrying forward his ideals

Amit Kelkar
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MK Gandhi and the pretence of the Left-Congress ecosystem of carrying forward his ideals

January 30 is the death anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, one of the leaders of the Indian independence movement whom the Congress party adopted as its foremost ideologue to garner public support and reinforce its political supremacy.

In a democratic country, one way to gain power is to elevate an individual to a god-like status, exaggerate their contributions, and present oneself as a loyal follower. Over time, this individual becomes a symbol of legitimacy, and their followers use self-crafted legacy to justify their party’s rule. Congress did exactly that by raising Gandhi on a high pedestal, shielding him from criticism, and doggedly propagating his beliefs and convictions as gospel while sidelining other leaders who challenged his primacy and disagreed with his worldview, including Periyar and Ambedkar.

But Congress leveraged Gandhi not just during his lifetime but even during his death and afterwards. Every time an existential crisis bedevilled Congress—like its leaders facing corruption charges, questions over its disastrous policy moves, or doubts over their competence—the party quickly pulled out the Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi card, seemingly to deflect criticism and project itself as the sole guardian of Gandhi’s legacy and its political opponents as opposed to ideals cherished by Gandhi.

It all began in the early 20th century when a faction of the elite political class within the Congress party began to heavily promote and idolize Mohandas K. Gandhi, elevating him to a status that few other leaders of the independence movement attained. For all practical purposes, Gandhi was beyond reproach and criticising him or the beliefs propounded by him resulted in political ostracisation, several authors including Vikram Sampath and Sanjeev Sanyal have described in their recent treatises, Bravehearts of Bharat and Revolutionaries: The Other Story of How India Won Its Freedom respectively. 

Congress often turns to Gandhi in times of difficulty or crisis, as they have built him up as a leader who is above criticism. Over the years, Congress has elevated Gandhi’s status to such an extent that any examination of his actions is met with strong opposition from Congress leaders and its friendly Left ecosystem. This is because Gandhi’s role in India’s independence has been greatly exaggerated, making it difficult to have a dissenting viewpoint without facing backlash and ‘cancel’ calls from those who have deified him.

The veneration of Gandhi also included sidelining of other notable leaders, including the likes of revolutionary crusaders such as Bhagat Singh, whom people argue did not receive much support from the Congress party after the British rewarded him with a death sentence. Several other freedom fighters, like Veer Savarkar, were either vilified for exaggerating Gandhi’s contributions or were ignored as Congress-friendly historians began chronicling a sycophantic account of India’s freedom struggle.

The Congress party’s leaders, who had previously elevated and idolized Mohandas K. Gandhi, continued to invoke his legacy even after India’s independence, especially when they saw their hold on power waning. The practice continues to this day as the Left-Congress ecosystem continues to leverage MK Gandhi for scoring political brownie points and projecting themselves as his earnest followers, and therefore, beyond reproach.

Though the ecosystem keeps milking the self-crafted legacy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to assert its ideological legitimacy and arrest its political decline, it has hardly been loyal to his ideals. While the current members of the ecosystem and Congress party claimed to be unswerving followers of Gandhi, in reality, it is just a pretence—a charade to continue exploiting him for electoral gains—and using his ideals to virtue signal against their opponents.

The disdain for Gandhian ideals and principles is not a recent phenomenon. It existed for more than 8 decades before India was free from oppressive British rule. Senior members within the Congress party held a dim view of Gandhi’s ideals, with many within the party trashing them and openly questioning his beliefs.

For instance, Periyar EV Ramasamy, one of the stalwarts of the Left, was a staunch critic of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Periyar, once a “star speaker” for Congress, opposed Gandhi vigorously and fervently criticised his idea of India. Similarly, Gandhi also locked horns with Ambedkar over their difference in opinions on Hinduism and the caste system, and the redressal mechanism for the backward classes. 

The Congress, as an institution, too, was disrespectful of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi even though they used his political heft and popularity among the masses to build its credibility. As the British declared that they would finally be leaving India, Gandhi reportedly asked for the disbanding of the Congress party. However, the party turned a blind eye to his recommendation and continued playing an active role in India’s politics.

Even after independence and Gandhi’s subsequent death, the Indian National Congress, under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, did not embrace the values and ideals cherished by him. It took more socialist and secularist views under consideration, keeping away from Gandhi’s unabashedly staunch Hindu credentials. 

Gandhi believed in the importance of rural development and advocated for village-based industries. However, Nehru’s Congress gave it short shrift and adopted alternative models, which resulted in the displacement of rural communities and overcrowding of urban centres, culminating in deteriorating quality of life in metros and soaring unemployment in the hinterland. 

One of the causes championed by Gandhi was the preservation of the tribal population’s habitat. However, Congress implemented policies that resulted in the forced relocation of tribal people from their ancestral lands, which went against Gandhi’s principles of non-violent resistance and respect for the rights of marginalised communities.

But significantly, the Congress party’s betrayal of Gandhian ideals is most evident in its contempt of Hindus and its stand on cow protection, an issue that was close to Gandhi’s heart. 

Arguing passionately in support of cow protection, Gandhi had this to say in an article on Young India:

“The central fact of Hinduism is cow protection. Cow protection to me is one of the most wonderful phenomena in human evolution. It takes the human being beyond this species. The cow to me means the entire sub-human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize his identity with all that lives. Why the cow was selected for apotheosis is obvious to me. The cow was in India the best companion. She was the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible…”

“Cow protection is the gift of Hinduism to the world. And Hinduism will live so long as there are Hindus to protect the cow… Hindus will be judged not by their TILAKS, not by the correct chanting of MANTRAS, not by their pilgrimages, not by their most punctilious observances of caste rules, but their ability to protect the cow.”

However, the contemporary Congress party not only scorns the idea of cow protection but allows killing cattle as a means to object to the current BJP government’s attempts to ban the sale of bovine in the markets for slaughter purposes.

In 2017, members of the Youth Congress slaughtered a cow in full public view in Kannur, in the communist-ruled state of Kerala, where appeasement and anti-Hindu politics has been the norm for many decades. In a public gathering, a cow was slaughtered, cooked and served. She was cut into pieces while a group of workers barbarically sloganeered. And the incident was filmed. Years later, senior Congress leader and former president Rahul Gandhi met Rijil Chandran Makkutty, the Youth Congress leader who slaughtered the cow, as part of his ambitious programme, ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’ 

Besides, Congress and the Left ecosystem routinely use ‘gaumutra’ jibes to insult Hindus and their beliefs. Even Islamic terrorists using ‘gaumutra’ jibes to justify the killing of Hindus had not prevented Congress leaders from employing it to mock their political opponents.

All his life, Gandhi strove to establish interfaith harmony. While Congress threw its weight behind the endeavour as a part of its strategy to deify Gandhi, the party’s hollow commitment to the cause came to the fore with the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom when several Congress leaders allegedly led violent mobs to target Sikhs after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

The 1984 Anti-Sikh riots took place in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards as revenge for Operation Blue Star. From 1st November to 4th November, Sikhs across the country were killed. The government figures suggest the angry mobs, many of which were led by Congress leaders, brutally murdered 3,350 Sikhs.

However, Congress not only shielded those who carried out the pogrom but also rewarded them. 

Sajjan Kumar was one of the many Congress leaders accused of involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre. Even after grave allegations against him, Congress rewarded him with a ticket to contest elections in 1991, which he subsequently won. He also won the 2004 general elections on the Congress ticket from the Outer Delhi seat with the highest-ever votes at 8,55,543 votes. A Sanjay Gandhi loyalist, he served as a Member of the Committee on Urban Development and Committee on Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme in 2005.

Another Congress leader accused of leading mobs to kill Sikhs was Jagdish Tytler, who was subsequently given tickets to contest the election by the Indian National Congress and also made Union Minister of Civil Aviation first and then the labour department. He had contested the 2004 elections and won as well. Tytler continues to remain a mainstay of the party’s Delhi unit, often attending meetings and weighing in on his opinions on matters of import.

Other high-profile Congress leaders, including Kamal Nath, HKL Bhagat, Arjun Das, and Dharamdas Shastri were also linked to the bloodcurdling massacres of Sikhs in North India in 1984. 

The dichotomies, however, demonstrate that all grandiloquence about Congress following in the footsteps of MK Gandhi is just humbug, aimed to mask the pretence and assert moral supremacy. Congress has long since divorced itself from Gandhian principles, and its routine invocation of Gandhi is nothing but a Hail Marry pass intended to extract political mileage and cover up for its otherwise glaring inadequacies and shameless hypocrisy.

The High Commissioner of India in Australia calls on the Premier of Victoria to discuss ways to stop Khalistani extremism

OpIndia Staff
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The High Commissioner of India in Australia calls on the Premier of Victoria to discuss ways to stop Khalistani extremism

On January 30 (local time), the High Commissioner of India in Australia, Manpreet Vohra, called on the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, to discuss ways to stop extremist Khalistani groups in the country. In a tweet, Vohra said, “It was a privilege to call on Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews today. Discussed our strong and growing bilateral relationship, the violence in Melbourne yesterday, and how to stop extremist Khalistani groups engaging in further activities prejudicial to peace and harmony.”

Earlier, Vohra visited BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne, which was recently attacked by Khalistani elements. He said in a tweet that he discussed the concerns over the vandals and violence that took place in Melbourne.

He said, “Paid respects today at the sacred BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne, a place of spirituality and service. Discussed the peaceful community’s concerns over a recent attack by vandals and the disturbing violence witnessed yesterday in Melbourne.”

Attack on Hindus in Melbourne

On January 29, several videos appeared on social media showing Indian Australians being attacked by Khalistanis with swords while carrying the Indian tricolour. Reportedly, Indian Australians had notified the Victoria Police that they had planned a protest at the Federation Square in Melbourne against the rising pro-Khalistan activities in the country. Australian Hindu Media informed that the police arrested a sword-yielding Khalistani at Federation Square during the Khalistan event.

Earlier, The Australian Hindu Association Inc wrote a letter to the Minister of Police in Victoria seeking an investigation into Hinduphobic crimes committed by Khalistani-elements in the Australian state.

Earlier this month, three separate anti-Hindu attacks on temples have taken place in Australia, all of which were organized by locals who support the Khalistani propaganda.

MK Gandhi is not above criticism, questioning him shouldn’t be blasphemy

Nirwa Mehta
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MK Gandhi is not above criticism, questioning him shouldn’t be blasphemy

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Growing up, history school books glorified him as the scrawny man from the coastal town of Porbandar in Gujarat who brought down the British empire singlehandedly with nothing but non-violence. He has been eulogised as the epitome of sacrifice and humility who wanted nothing but India’s independence. We were almost made to believe it was just him vs the mighty British empire.

Over time, one grows older, reads up more on Gandhi, his contemporaries and those who were part of freedom movement and struggle before him. One realises that maybe MK Gandhi wasn’t truly the ideal ‘mahatma’. That for all the ‘De di humein azaadi bina khadag bina dhaal‘ was the ‘kamaal‘ of ‘Sabarmati ke sant’ only in the song. That MK Gandhi wanted the Union Jack, the British national flag, included part of our own flag after Independence. Some freedom, right? With symbol of colonialism right on there on our symbol of immense pride of freedom. Of swarajya (full independence).

Then you learn about how MK Gandhi, instead of upholding an Indian’s right to free speech condemned ‘Rangeela Rasool’, a satirical book on Islamic religious figure. The book wasn’t written to prove some sort of bravado. In 1923, some Muslims had published highly offensive books, “Krishna teri Geeta jalani padegi” and “Uniseevi sadi ka Maharshi”. The first book used derogatory and offensive words against Lord Krishna and other Hindu deities while second book had derogatory remarks on Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati.

In response to this provocation by Islamists, Pandit Chamupati Lal, a close friend of Mahashay Rajpal, wrote a short satirical piece on the Islamic Prophet, Mohammed. The book written under the name ‘Doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani’ enraged Muslims. The colonial government banned this book in 1924. The Muslim community, partly emboldened by MK Gandhi’s endorsement of their hurt sentiments and whitewashing of the provocation against Hindus, filed multiple cases against the book under 153A.

In May 1927, Mahashay Rajpal, who published the book, was acquitted of all charges with the court observing that commentary based on facts on historical figures, including the prophet of Islam, cannot be said to promote enmity between groups. As soon as the verdict was delivered, Muslim mobs went into a frenzy. They rioted and demanded the head of Mahashay Rajpal. They were chants about how the murder of Rajpal was acceptable because, under Sharia, the punishment for blasphemy is death.

With the Muslim mobs going on a rampage, 295A was passed to assuage the feelings of the mobs and in the same year, there were two unsuccessful attempts at Mahashay Rajpal’s life. On April 6th, 1929, a 19-year-old carpenter named Ilm ud din stabbed Mahashay Rajpal on his chest eight times while he was seated in the outer verandah of his shop. 

Nearly 100 years later, Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson, is now living under constant fear for her life because she just repeated with the Islamic scriptures say about their religious figures. Not even satirically. But the radicals have been further radicalised and now even if they don’t like the ‘tone’ of how you said something written in their scriptures, they’d start baying for your blood. MK Gandhi was in a position to nip the radicalisation in the bud. If he was as influential as our school history books tell us, nonviolence would’ve prevailed over assassination of Mahashay Rajpal. After all, his life was his message, right? Maybe he could have asked rioting mob to choose nonviolence and maybe then Nupur Sharma might not be living her life with death constantly threatening from nearest loudspeaker.

And then there was the Moplah massacre of Hindus. Indian Muslims, especially in Malabar, coastal Kerala, supported the Caliphate in Turkey and wanted to establish similar Islamic rule (Caliphate, or Khilafat), in India. MK Gandhi extended his support for the ‘Khilafat movement’. He probably thought that Indian Muslims would join the nationalist movement en masse if he supported their demand for an Islamic caliphate. Except, Indian Muslims then had the two-nation theory and Pakistan was carved out of India without full population exchange, as suggested and recommended by Dr BR Ambedkar, and we know the fate of minorities in Pakistan now.

But coming back to the Khilafat movement and MK Gandhi’s explicit support, over 10,000 Hindus were killed by Moplah Muslims. Thousands of Hindu women were raped, temples desecrated. On 25th September 1921, 38 Hindus were beheaded and thrown in the well by Moplah Muslims. It has been documented by the district collector of Malabar at the time how even after 2-3 days, several Hindus who were beheaded and thrown in the well were crying out for help. Despite this, MK Gandhi extended support to them in hopes they would turn ‘nationalists’ and fight the British Empire along with Hindus.

The ‘Khilafat’ movement was so whitewashed in our school history books written by the Congress led governments that for the longest time we were being fed that the ‘khilafat’ meant ‘against’, like ‘khilaf’ and not caliphate, i.e. Islamic rule. And as Hindus were being butchered, MK Gandhi asked them to ‘cooperate’.

There is more. 16th August, 1946 – a year before Independence. A call to massacre Hindus was made in Bengal by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, MK Gandhi’s counterpart for Pakistan, who believed Hindus and Muslims could not coexist. It is called as the ‘Direct Action Day’ (also, this part has been mostly skipped from our school history books). Hindus were massacred, raped. Jinnah had chosen the 16th of August as Direction Action Day because it was the 18th day of Ramzan, the day when the Battle of Badr was fought and won by Prophet Muhammad himself, against the kaafirs. It is considered to be won by Allah’s divine intervention by Muslims and it led to the violent occupation of Mecca.

On the 16th of August, 1948, Calcutta was littered with posters lionising Jinnah and reminding Muslims that they had to follow the footsteps of the Prophet. It is reported that Syed Muhammad Usman, mayor of Calcutta, had issued a widely circulated leaflet that said: Kafer! Toder dhongsher aar deri nei! Sarbik hotyakando ghotbei! (Infidels! Your end is not far away! You will be massacred!). The aim was to make Bengal ‘land of the pure’ and rid it of the Kaafirs (non believers, that is, Hindus). This was their ‘Battle of Badr’.

Hindus were beheaded, limbs chopped off, women raped and taken away as sex slaves. MK Gandhi asked the Hindus to die with a smile on their face. On 17th August, 1946, Gopal Patha took up arms to protect the Hindus. Throughout the night, Gopal Patha, along with his young men from the Bharat Jayati Bahini worked on a plan on how they could defend Hindus from the Muslim barbarians. From the 18th to 20th, Gopal Patha and his men put up a brave fight, paying the Muslim League goons back in equal measure, if not more. 

On 19th August, 3 days after unleashing violence upon Hindus to establish the ‘land of the pure’ and two days after a small set of Hindus retaliated instead of dying with a smile, Muslims were feeling ‘unsafe’ and ‘threatened’. And on 21st August 1946, Viceroy’s rule was brought in in Bengal.

That MK Gandhi chose to let Hindus or fellow Indians die because he did not want to ‘upset’ the Muslim League and Muslims in India, is a fact not too well documented because of that time’s political leadership’s love for whitewashing barbarity and watering down atrocities on Indians who were Hindus, specifically because they were Hindus.

But 75 years later, it is not wrong to criticise MK Gandhi or question his actions. He was a human and should not be made into a demi-god above criticism. Questioning him and his actions does not and should not make one a ‘Godse bhakt’. Nathuram Godse, who assassinated MK Gandhi, committed a crime. Murder is a crime and nothing, no anger would justify taking law into own hands. Criticising Gandhi is not justifying his assassination and no way condoning Godse’s actions. Having said that, criticising him should also not be considered blasphemy. He was a politician and like every other politician in India should have his actions scrutinised.

Odisha Health Minister Naba Das succumbs to bullet injuries after being shot by an ASI, accused cop’s wife says he was suffering from mental disorder

OpIndia Staff
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Odisha Health Minister Naba Das succumbs to bullet injuries after being shot by an ASI, accused cop’s wife says he was suffering from mental disorder

Odisha Health Minister Naba Kishore Das, who was shot by police officer Gopal Das, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital during treatment. Das succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds he sustained at Brajarajnagar in Jharsuguda today morning. He was undergoing treatment at Apollo Hospital in Bhubaneswar.

The Hospital sources informed that Naba Kishore Das passed away in the evening on Sunday, 29 January. “On operating, it was found that a single bullet had entered and exited the body, injuring the heart and left lung and causing massive internal bleeding and injury. The injuries were repaired, and steps were taken to improve the pumping of the heart. He was given urgent ICU care. But despite the best of efforts, he could not be revived and succumbed to his injuries.” a statement from the Apollo Hospital read.a statement issued by the hospital said.

Police ASI Gopal Das had fired shots at him at around 12.30 PM when the health minister reached Gandhi Chowk in Brajarajnagar for a scheduled programme. He was shot from point-blank range which hit his left chest, leaving him seriously injured. The accused ASI was nabbed by locals after the incident, who was then handed over to the police.

The critically injured minister was taken to the Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital. Nabad Das was then airlifted to Bhubaneswar in an air ambulance and admitted to Apollo Hospital, Bhubaneswar.

Videos have emerged showing the incident, which show the ASI walking towards the minister’s car, and then shooting, causing the minister to fall back on the car seat.

The shooter cop is being interrogated, but the cause of the attack is not known yet. The wife of accused Gopal Das claimed that her husband has been suffering from mental disorder for the last seven-eight years.

Wife Jayanti said that Gopal was taking medicines and appeared quite normal, and she is not aware of any personal enmity between Gopal Das and the minister.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed the Crime Branch to take up the investigation into the matter, following which a team of Odisha Crime Branch headed by a senior police official proceeded to Brajarajnagar where state Health Minister Naba Das was shot at. The team is led by Additional Director General Arun Bothra.

Imran Khan’s helicopter rides cost Pakistan a billion rupees in 2 years

ANI
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Imran Khan’s helicopter rides cost Pakistan a billion rupees in 2 years

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s helicopter rides cost the national kitty Rs 1 billion, reported The Nation.

Khan has come under the scanner for his helicopter rides while in office. The expense details were presented in the Pakistani Senate. The VVIP helicopter rides of Khan cost around one billion rupees that were carried out on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office from 2019 to 2021, reported The Nation.

The federal government in its written response informed the Senate that according to the details provided by the Cabinet Division, an amount of Rs 946.3 million was spent on VVIP helicopter missions by 6 Aviation Squadron under instructions of the PM’s Office from 2019 to 2021 when Imran Khan was the prime minister of the country.

Before this, the government had informed the upper house that Khan used the official helicopter to commute from his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad to PM House for 1,579.8 hours from 2019 to March 2022.

The amount of Rs 434.43 million was incurred on these trips from the national exchequer, reported The Nation.

Unveiling the details of the expenditures of camp offices, the government said that a total amount of Rs 26 million was spent from the official funds on camp offices by former prime ministers since 2008.

Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had three camp offices, two in Lahore and another one in his hometown Multan during his tenure from March 2008 to June 2012, which cost an amount of Rs 10.8 million, reported The Nation.

Meanwhile, incumbent National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf had one camp office on Chakwal Road while he was in office from June 2012 to March 2013 and an amount of Rs 5.5 million was spent on it.

Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had his camp office at his residence in Jati Umra, Lahore during his tenure from June 2013 to July 2017, which cost an amount of Rs 4.5 million, reported The Nation.

His successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had his camp office at his residence in Islamabad while he was in the office of prime minister from August 2017 to March 2018. An amount of Rs 5.2 million was incurred on it from it the exchequer.

Notably, while Pakistan is on the brink of economic chaos, the political class is using exchequer money for their movements when the nation is reeling under heavy debts.

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

French actress alleges she is being held hostage in Goa, local police clarifies that it is just a property dispute

ANI
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French actress alleges she is being held hostage in Goa, local police clarifies that it is just a property dispute

After a 75-year-old French actress alleged that she is being held “hostage” in a house at Calangute in North Goa since earlier this week, the Goa police said there is a property dispute over the house which is being heard by a court.

In a video released to the media on Thursday, actress Marianne Borgo claimed she is in a “scary and dangerous situation” at her residence in Calangute, a beach town in North Goa District. North Goa Superintendent of Police Nidhin Valsan told ANI that the issue is regarding a property in Calangute village of North Goa.

“There are two parties claiming to be the owner of the property. One is the French lady and the other a lady who is a resident of Nepal. Both claim to be owners of this property,” said the North Goa SP.

The police said that the French lady had given an application in the honorable high court. But her application was dismissed by the court and he was directed to approach a civil court by the High Court.

“The matter is pending in the civil court and Monday (Jan 30) is the next date. It is a sub judice matter,” he added.

Regarding the allegation of being kept as a hostage, the police said, “Our police inspector has visited the property. Our officers are in regular touch with the lady. It was found that both parties are claiming to be the owners of the disputed house. The French lady and her maid are staying inside a room in the house. The house is not locked from the outside. When the police officers knocked on the door, the French lady as well as her maid opened the door. And she has kept two private security persons.”

The SP said, “The other party which is from Nepal has also kept some security. But the people are moving without any restraint.” The police dismissed allegations of anyone being held hostage.

“Allegations of being kept captive or hostage cannot be substantiated,” Nidhin Valsan, North Goa SP told ANI.

The police said that some documents were found in which the French lady is claiming to have given money to a party for buying the disputed house, and the other party claims to be the wife of the original owner who has now expired.

So the matter is pending in the court, which will decide, the police said. 

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

Gujarat Panchayat recruitment exam postponed after papers leaked from Vadodara, 15 arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat Panchayat recruitment exam postponed after papers leaked from Vadodara, 15 arrested

Due to the paper leak from a coaching centre in Atladra, Vadodara, the Gujarat government cancelled the Panchayat Junior Clerk recruitment competitive exam on Sunday morning, a few hours before it was scheduled to be taken.

The Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board (GPSSB), which was to administer the exam for 1,181 positions beginning at 11 am, at 2,995 locations throughout the state, received at least 9.53 lakh registrations.

At least 15 individuals were arrested by the Gujarat (Anti-Terrorist Squad) ATS team in connection with the case, including the primary accused Bhaskar Chaudhary, who operates coaching centres in Vadodara and Ahmedabad, as well as another principal accused Jeet Nayak, who works in a printing press in Hyderabad, and Pradip Nayak, who runs a coaching institute in Odisha.

KL Hightech, a Telangana-based company, was given the contract to print the recruitment exam’s question papers. The question paper was leaked by Jeet Nayak and given to Pradip Nayak. The latter was previously taken into custody by ATS Gujarat.

Ketan Barot, another accused, is currently in police custody. He is a well-known name for nine years in the admissions industry. Ketan has been incarcerated due to a fake admission case. The alleged paper leaker has previously been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail. His Disha Education Consultancy manages Gorakhandha. Ketan is a property owner in Ahmedabad and Barot Baid. He is currently being questioned by Gujarat ATS.

“We have got a tip off about the paper leak on Saturday night after which we raided a coaching centre in Atladra in Vadodara and found a hard copy of the question paper,” stated Superintendent of Police (SP) Gujarat ATS Sunil Joshi.

Currently, five distinct locations throughout the nation and two locations in Gujarat have seen raids conducted by various teams of the Gujarat ATS. The officer said that disclosing the details of the raids may jeopardize the probe.

He further added, “The Government had instructed police and agencies to keep a close vigil over the persons who were involved in illegal activities like providing the competitive exam papers in lieu of money. We came to know Saturday night only that someone that someone had managed one hard copy from the printing press. After which we raided a coaching class in Atladra of Vadodara and caught the accused. We also recovered the hard copy of the exam paper from Pradip Nayak.”

The board, meanwhile, in a statement informed the candidates about the situation and advised them not to visit the examination venues. 

“In the larger interest of the candidates, it has been decided by the board to ‘postpone’ the competitive examination to be held on 29-01-2023 at 11-00 am, which all the candidates are requested to take note of. Every candidate is advised not to go to the examination centre for the above reasons. The sadar exam will be held afresh at the earliest, the date of which will be announced by the board shortly,” the board has said.

Sandeep Kumar, the chairman of the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board, today, said that an interstate group was responsible for the leak of the junior clerk recruitment exam paper, which has now been revoked.

“Interstate organized gang is behind the junior clerk paper leak. It is an organized crime. Police were on alert mode because of the competitive exams schedule, through human intelligence and technical surveillance, ATS was able to crack the racket, and has arrested 15 accused in this connection,” he told media persons.

According to Kumar, the board decided to cancel the tests in the interest of the greater good and will announce new dates in 100 days. In addition, he stated that exam participants will not be required to pay bus fares to and from their exam locations.

He said that during the last five years, the GPSSB has successfully filled 21,000 positions in 41 different panchayat cadres out of more than 30 lakh applicants.

SP leader Abu Azmi perpetuates Kashmiri Hindu genocide denial, cites out-of-context RTI to claim ‘only 89’ Hindus were killed

OpIndia Staff
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SP leader Abu Azmi perpetuates Kashmiri Hindu genocide denial, cites out-of-context RTI to claim ‘only 89’ Hindus were killed

On January 28, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi cited an RTI reply from 2021 and perpetuated the Kashmiri Hindu genocide denial. Using the RTI reply, he claimed that ‘only 89’ Hindus were killed due to terrorism in Kashmir.

Speaking to India TV on the ban on BBC’s documentary on Gujarat Riots, Azmi said, “BBC made a documentary, and it will create a law and order problem? PM Modi has a lot of influence on the international platform. Why did he not raise his voice against BBC? He should ask people to watch the hate-filled film on Kashmir. The Kashmir where 1700-1800 people died, out of which only 89 were Kashmiri Pandits. Rest all of them were Muslims, and few were Sikhs.”

Actress Ayesha Takia’s father-in-law Abu Azmi added, “This information came as a reply of RTI. It tells the figure of how many Pandits were killed because of terrorism. A total of 1724 people were killed. Only 89 were Pandits. Now subtract 89 from 1724 and see how many Muslims died. And you are promoting this film? I admire your guts. The tickets were distributed for free. Even I could get enraged to see how Muslims terrorised Hindus in Kashmir. But the RTI reply shows a different picture. Are you still okay with promoting such a film? But the film that BBC made… Freedom of speech and expression is a law. Go and file a case against BBC. Everyone has the right to speak and listen. Let them listen to what [BBC is] saying. If BBC is wrong, file a case against it. Ban BBC. But you are stopping students from watching it. Have a big heart [PM Modi]. Allow them to watch and give their remarks.”

He also added an RTI reply on his Facebook account. The RTI reply was originally published by RTI activist PP Kapoor in December 2021, a few months before the official release of filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir Files. In the reply, it was mentioned that since the inception of terrorism in 1990, 89 Kashmiri Pandits had been killed. Furthermore, the government informed that a total of 1,635 people of other faith died by the terrorists in the valley. This particular RTI has been used repeatedly by the left-liberals and seculars to whitewash the crimes committed against Kashmiri Hindus.

However, the RTI reply clearly mentioned that the number of Kashmiri Hindus killed because of terrorists mentioned in the reply was from 1990. That means any Kashmiri Pandit killed by terrorists before the said date was not included in the reply.

According to a fact-check done by India Today in March 2022, it was mentioned that several news reports quoted Jammu and Kashmir’s police saying that over 200 Kashmiri Pandits had been killed due to terrorism since 1989.

In 2008, an Indian Expresses report noted that 209 Kashmiri Pandits had been killed by terrorists since 1989. The report suggested that 109 people were killed in 1990 out of these 209, which that means before 1990, 100 Kashmiri Hindus were already killed.

Another point that needs to be considered here is that in 1990, the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus happened amidst the ongoing genocide. There are reports that clearly suggest that Hindus were warned to leave the valley. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus left the valley leaving only a handful of Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir. It was impossible to kill Kashmiri Hindus in the valley if they had left the valley altogether. Since they left the valley, the struggle after the genocide has continued to date.

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