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PM Modi wears jacket made of recycled plastic while Congress President Kharge wears a designer Louis Vuitton scarf

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi wears jacket made of recycled plastic while Congress President Kharge wears a designer Louis Vuitton scarf

On Wednesday, in a bid to promote sustainability, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at parliament sporting a jacket fashioned from recycled plastic bottles. PM Modi who will respond to the motion of thanks over the President’s speech in the Lok Sabha later in the day, donned a light blue coloured jacket made out of recycled plastic bottles.

However, on the other hand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge could be seen wearing a designer Louis Vuitton scarf in Parliament. BJP party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla pointed out Karge’s attire as he lauded PM Modi for wearing a jacket made out of recycled plastic material. He poked fun at Kharge by publishing a photo of him sporting the LV scarf and another with the scarf’s cost.

“Taste Apna Apna, Message Apna Apna PM Modi sends a “green message” with his sustainable fashion – blue jacket; enlisting Jan Bhagidari for the cause of sustainable growth & environment Meanwhile, Kharge ji sports an expensive LV scarf (not making any judgment)” he tweeted. According to the photograph shared by Poonawalla, the scarf donned by Kharge costs around Rs 56,332.

Notably, the jacket which PM Modi donned in Parliament today was gifted to him by the Indian Oil Corporation during the inauguration of the India Energy Week event in Bengaluru 2 days back. PM Modi at the event also introduced uniforms made from recycled plastic as part of Indian Oil’s ‘Unbottled’ campaign.

PM Modi connected India’s efforts for green growth and the energy transition with Indian values, where the circular economy is a part of everyone’s way of life and “reduce, reuse, and recycle” are ingrained in the culture, at the event. He said that programmes to turn recycled plastic bottles into uniforms will support Mission LiFE.

The jacket was gifted to PM Modi by the Indian Oil Corporation (Image source- Navbharat Times)

“These huge efforts of India towards green growth and energy transition also reflect our values. Circular economy, in a way, is a part of the lifestyle of every Indian. The mantra of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle has been ingrained in our values. Today, we got to see an example of this here. You have seen uniforms made by recycling plastic waste bottles. It does not lack anywhere as far as the world of fashion and beauty is concerned. The target of recycling 100 million such bottles every year will go a long way in protecting the environment,” PM Modi had said.

Indian Oil has adopted uniforms for retail customer attendants and LPG delivery employees made from recycled polyester (rPET) & cotton, inspired by the ambition of the Prime Minister to phase out single-use plastic. India banned several single-use plastics starting in July 2022. Reportedly, each customer service representative for Indian Oil will wear a uniform that will facilitate the recycling of about 28 old PET bottles.

Indian Oil is advancing this endeavour through ‘Unbottled’, a brand for eco-friendly clothing introduced for products derived from recycled polyester. Indian Oil aims to fulfil the needs for uniforms under this brand for the customer service representatives of other oil marketing companies, non-combat uniforms for the Army, uniforms/dresses for Institutions, and retail sales.

From assaulting a cop to hurling abuses in Parliament: An indicative list of TMC’s Mahua Moitra’s lack of basic decency and unpleasant behaviour

OpIndia Staff
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From assaulting a cop to hurling abuses in Parliament: An indicative list of TMC’s Mahua Moitra’s lack of basic decency and unpleasant behaviour

On February 8, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra continued her irrational rant on social media and defended the usage of abusive language in Parliament. Moitra used the word ‘hara*I’ in Lok Sabha on February 7. The TMC MP, considered a “firebrand” leader, is not new to being indecent and unbecoming of MP. There is a long history of hurling abuses, hitting cops, abusing the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India, glorifying terrorists who attacked Pulwama and more.

Here is an indicative list of TMC’s Mahua Moitra’s lack of basic decency and unbecoming of MP

Mahua Moitra showed her middle finger to Arnab Goswami

In January 2015, during a debate, when the now-editor-in-chief of Republic was with Times Now, Mahua Moitra showed the middle finger to him. There was a discussion going on the ‘attempt to murder’ charges that were filed against a man who had slapped TMC leader and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee. TMC workers had attacked him, and he was admitted to the hospital in critical condition. At the beginning of the debate on Times Now, TMC leader Moitra continued to tell Arnab to let her “finish the sentence’, and soon she lost her mind and told him to ‘talk to yourself and not invite anybody’ on his show while showing him the middle finger.

Mahua Moitra assaulted a female constable in Silchar

In August 2018, Mahua Moitra was accused of assaulting a female constable of Assam Police at Silchar airport. As per reports, she was part of an eight-member TMC delegation visiting the state to discuss the anomalies in the NRC issue. When they reached the airport, the police asked them to assure them that they won’t make provocative speeches or try to instigate violence. An argument took place between the police and the delegation leading to a physical assault on the police officials. As per the Director General of Police, two constables and one district administration official were injured.

Mahua Moitra celebrated abuses hurled at PM Modi

In October 2021, Mahua celebrated that one of her supporters called PM Modi’ bhen**od’. She wrote on Twitter, “You know BJP days are numbered when while campaigning in a toto for Shantipur by-election, was met by old man half way through bath who ran out shouting in Bengali – “LPG hazaar taka – ei b*@#***d Modi ke hatao!” Priceless!”

Mahua Moitra used derogatory language for ex-CJI

In July 2022, a complaint was filed against Mahua Moitra for using derogatory language against ex-CJI Gogoi. She was also booked for defaming the whole community. She was booked for a July 14 tweet in which she said, “My first of new Twitter series on replacements for unparliamentary words. Banned word- Sexual Harassment. Replacement- Mr Gogoi.”

Mahua Moitra glorified terrorists accused of the Pulwama attack by using similar abuses

On multiple occasions, TMC’s “firebrand” has used the infamous Gaumutra jibe for BJP leaders. Notably, the same jibe was used by the terrorist accused of the Pulwama attack in a video recorded just before the attack. On February 2022, she said, “Am speaking this evening in Lok Sabha on President’s Address. Just wanted to give early heads-up to @BJP to get the heckler team ready & read up on imaginary points of order. Drink some gaumutra shots too.”

Earlier, in May 2021, she said, “Welcome to our Susu Potty Republic! Drink Gaumutra, smear cow dung & flush the rule of law down the toilet. Delhi Police issued a notice to Twitter & land up in their offices for rightly calling out @BJP’s fake document as manipulated media. Go figure.”

Moitra used abusive language here and there regularly and is infamous for spreading fake and misleading reports. Recently, she was caught red-handed after she tried to mislead her followers on Twitter about SBI’s exposure to the Adani Group.

‘Infrastructure development critical to our border preparedness’: EAM S Jaishankar on security at Indo-China border

ANI
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‘Infrastructure development critical to our border preparedness’: EAM S Jaishankar on security at Indo-China border

Highlighting how the border Infrastructure holds the key to any nation’s preparedness, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar once again underscored how security at the borders including at the India-China border is closely linked with the infrastructure developed in the area.

“We have focused on the rapid development of infrastructure along Northern Borders with China for obvious strategic reasons. We have focused on rapidly developing border connectivity with our friendly neighbours to enhance trade, energy and other people-to-people exchanges.” Jaishankar says

The key focus of the Modi government since coming to power in 2014 has been to ensure development-linked cooperation. “The facts are there for all to see. During the period 2008-14 the budget allocated for the China border projects stood at a mere Rs 3000-4000 cr which has taken a multi-fold jump to Rs14000 cr at present,” Jaishankar told ANI during an interaction with reporters during the ongoing session of Parliament.

Further elaborating on the road and bridge building focus, EAM Jaishankar says, “between 2008-14 roads built stood at 3610 km which has between 2014-22 at 6806 kms. Bridges built in the period before 2014 was 7.3 km which during the Modi govt regime stands at 23.5 km.”

One cannot do a thing without investing in infrastructure to ensure our forces are prepared better, says Jaishankar. “Behind the debate that we often witness on India China border including that of questions asked by opposition, one needs to look at what goes into our border preparedness. It’s the quality of our structures, the technology involved and its maintenance,” the EAM said.

While China has transgressed at multiple locations and the standoff continues, infrastructure is being developed across both sides.

The Indian government has laid a roadmap for such infrastructure which includes a network of all-weather roads. “It is not just a financial commitment Vada commitment for faster and better delivery,” Jaishankar further elaborated.

In the last two years, the budget of BRO has seen a double growth from Rs 2,500-5,000 crores which is close to a 50 per cent increase in the capital budget in the current financial year allocations made during the recently presented union budget.

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

West Bengal: Boy sells minor ‘girlfriend’ for ₹40,000 in Sonagachi, buyer Zaidul, sex worker Mehrana and the teenage boy nabbed

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Boy sells minor ‘girlfriend’ for ₹40,000 in Sonagachi, buyer Zaidul, sex worker Mehrana and the teenage boy nabbed

In a shocking incident in Kolkata, a teenage boy allegedly sold his teenage girlfriend into prostitution for ₹40,000 in Sonagachi, the red-light area in the city. After a missing complaint was filed by the mother of the girl, police launched a probe and rescued her, while the boy and two others involved in the crime have been arrested.

According to police sources, the boy had met the girl on Facebook, and gradually this developed into a romantic relationship. The girl is from the Sundarban area in South 24 Pargana district, while the boy is from Dholahat in the same district. After trapping the girl, the boy convinced her to visit Kolkata with him under the pretext of marriage and outing.

After the girl went missing, her mother filed a missing person complaint with the Dholahat police station. The police immediately launched a probe, and eventually traced her to Dharmatalla in Kolkata, from where she was rescued. According to information provided by the girl, three persons were nabbed. The juvenile who sold her, a man named Zaidul Shaikh who purchased her, and a prostitute named Mehrana Khatoon alias Tania who facilitated the ‘deal’.

According to Mandirbazar SDPO Biswajit Naskar, after bringing the girl to Kolkata on the pretext of marriage, the boy sold her to Zaidul Shaikh in a hotel in Arambagh in Hooghly for Rs 40,000. She also told the police that she was raped in a hotel in Ballyganj and in the Arambagh hotel where she was sold. Sex worker Mehrana Khatoon was involved in the deal to sell the girl, the police said. Zaidul was going to place the girl in the Sonagachi red light for prostitution.

On the basis of the statements of the girl, the police arrested Zaidul Shaikh and Mehrana Khatoon, while the boy has been detained as per Juvenile Justice Act. The police have registered a case against the arrested persons under sections of kidnapping and rape charges and also under relevant sections of the POCSO Act.

The two arrested adults were presented before a court in Kakdwip on Tuesday. Further probe on the case is going on.

Thala vs Thalapathy: Know who won the Thunivu vs Varisu box-office collection battle

OpIndia Staff
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Thala vs Thalapathy: Know who won the Thunivu vs Varisu box-office collection battle

In Tamil Nadu, the harvest festival of Pongal holds special significance and is celebrated with traditional fervour. The festival also marks its importance for cinema in the state. During the Pongal holidays, many big-budget movies are released. This year, two of the biggest Tamil superstars ‘Thala’ Ajith and ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay clashed at the box office. Ajith’s Thunivu and Vijay’s Varisu were released on 11 January, which was a Wednesday.

Talking about the numbers, Thala Ajith’s ‘Thunivu’ has done a worldwide business of Rs 250 crores, while Thalapathy Vijay’s ‘Varisu’ has concluded its box-office journey by collecting Rs 300 crores. Now, the fans of both superstars are keenly awaiting the OTT release of their favorite actor’s films. 

Surprisingly, despite receiving negative reviews, both of these movies have the second-highest box office collections of these two superstars’ careers. And that is when the Hindi versions of both movies failed to strike a chord with the audiences. Vijay and Ajith currently hold the position in Tamil Nadu that was once held by superstar Rajinikanth and “Ulganayagan” Kamal Haasan. The competition between the two was so intense that when “Thunivu” and “Varisu” were released, fans of the two film stars clashed and tore apart each other’s movie posters.

However, it can be said that Kollywood has had a very successful start to 2023 based on box office collections. The collection of Rs 50 crore from the Telugu and Kerala states for Vijay’s “Varisu” proved to be lucrative. It collected over Rs 143 crore in Tamil Nadu. Everyone was stunned when the Vijay starrer earned Rs 90 crore overseas. Whereas ‘Thunivu’ did a business of Rs 115 crores in Tamil Nadu.

About the films

Vijay starrer Varisu has Rashmika Mandanna as the lead. The film is about a happy-go-lucky man whose life changed after the unexpected death of his foster father.

On the other hand, Ajith Kumar starrer Thunivu is about a criminal mastermind played by Ajith. His team forms a plan to commit heists across banks in Chennai.

‘Was it Rahul Gandhi or his ghost who spoke in the parliament?’ BJP MP takes a dig at Gandhi scion over his ‘Rahul Gandhi is dead’ remark

OpIndia Staff
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‘Was it Rahul Gandhi or his ghost who spoke in the parliament?’ BJP MP takes a dig at Gandhi scion over his ‘Rahul Gandhi is dead’ remark

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday took a searing dig at the senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, rhetorically asking if the speech was delivered by him or his ghost since he had already proclaimed that ‘Rahul Gandhi is dead’, ‘He doesn’t exist’, and so on.

“You guys have allowed a ghost to speak in the parliament. I would also like to know from the speaker how could a ghost speak in the parliament. Now you will ask me who was the ghost. The man who openly claimed that ‘Rahul Gandhi is dead’, ‘Rahul Gandhi does not exist’, so you should clarify to the nation who was the one to give a speech in the parliament, Rahul Gandhi or a ghost?” Dubey said.

Dubey’s remark was in reference to Rahul Gandhi’s incomprehensible comment made at a press conference during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

‘I have killed Rahul Gandhi. He does not exist’: Rahul Gandhi in BJ Yatra

On January 8, during a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (BJY) press conference at Samana, Haryana, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that he had killed ‘Rahul Gandhi’ and the person we see is not ‘Rahul Gandhi’. During the QA session at the press conference, TV journalist Pradeep asked him if he believed that BJY helped in changing his image. In reply to his query, Gandhi said he had “killed” Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi said, “Rahul Gandhi is in your head. I have killed him. He does not exist anymore. He is not in my mind. He is gone. Gone. The person you are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi. You are seeing him. You did not understand. Read Hindu Dharma a little. Read about Shiv Ji. You will understand. Do not get confused. Do not get confused. Rahul Gandhi is in your head. He does not exist in my head. Rahul Gandhi is in BJP’s head. He does not exist in my head. Why are you so confused? I do not care about the image. I do not have an interest in the image. You can keep the image you like. It concerns you, not me. I do not care. I want to do my work. Why are you so confused?”

Nishikant Dubey counters Rahul Gandhi on his allegations regarding Adani, challenges him to prove if PM Modi ever travelled with Adani after becoming PM

Besides, Dubey also responded to Gandhi’s allegations of collusion between the Adani Group and the ruling party. The BJP MP highlighted the controversies and scandals that broke out during the previous Congress governments from Bofors, Bhopal Gas Tragedy to AgustaWestland. The BJP MP also insinuated close relationships between Congress leaders and organisations such as the RSS.

The BJP MP criticised Congress for the Bhopal gas tragedy and asks how they allowed Union Carbide chairman, Warren Anderson, to escape India. The Congress held power in Madhya Pradesh and the central government at the time of the 1984 tragedy.

Dubey questioned, “Did your party’s Narasimha Rao stay at the house of Balasaheb Deoras in Nagpur?” referring to the former RSS chief Madhukar Dattatraya Deoras, commonly known as Balasaheb Deoras.

“Pranab Mukherjee, who visited the RSS office, was he part of your party?” asked Dubey, citing Mukherjee’s speech at an RSS event in 2018.

Refuting Rahul’s allegations regarding Adani, Dubey asked: “Didn’t your government give Adani the Australian mines in 2010? Didn’t you change the rules for developers like GMR and GVK? Did they have prior experience?”

“What was the role of the Congress government and its leaders like Madhavrao Solanki in (Ottaviou) Quattrochi escaping?” asked Dubey, referring to the Bofors scam that broke out when Congress was in power.

Dubey also targeted Congress with regards to Robert Vadra, husband of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, by asking, “What is the connection between Robert Vadra and arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari?”

Dubey also called to attention the National Herald case, which has drawn the attention of ED and CBI to the Gandhi family.

Ending his speech and challenging Rahul, Dubey said: “If you can prove that after becoming PM, Modi ji travelled even once with Adani, I’ll resign.”

Assam: Youth tortured, head shaved off, urinated on in Hailakandi, prime accused Nizamuddin and two others arrested

ANI
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Assam: Youth tortured, head shaved off, urinated on in Hailakandi, prime accused Nizamuddin and two others arrested

Police arrested three persons including the prime accused in connection with the torture of a youth in Assam’s Hailakandi district which was captured in a video that went viral on social media. 

Nabaneet Mahanta, Superintendent of Police of Hailakandi district on Wednesday told ANI that, police have so far arrested three persons including the prime accused Nizamuddin Borbhuyan. “Our investigation is on,” the top police official said. 

In a video of the incident which had gone viral on social media shows that a youth was tortured by a person, his head was tonsured and another person urinated on him, the youth’s both hands were tied with rope. 

According to the reports, the victim’s youth was allegedly involved in a theft case he illegally entered a house in the Krishnapur area under the Lala police station in the Hailakandi district. 

In reference to the viral video from Hailakandi of a person being tortured, Assam Director General of Police GP Singh directed the Superintendent of Police of Hailakandi district to take lawful action immediately. 

The Assam DGP also instructed Hailakandi police to take immediate action to apprehend all the accused and ensure lawful follow-up.

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

Uttar Pradesh: Man gives triple talaq to his wife, assaults and threatens her with a pistol to perform nikah halala with his father

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Man gives triple talaq to his wife, assaults and threatens her with a pistol to perform nikah halala with his father

In the Farrukhabad district of Uttar Pradesh, a case of triple talaq and assault with a woman has come to the fore. The victim, Arshi Fatima, claims that her husband, Ali Ashraf Qadri, first gave her triple talaq and is now pressuring her to perform nikah halala with her father-in-law in the name of compromise. The wife claims that her husband is violent and is threatening to kill her.

Notably, the victim had filed a complaint regarding the matter to the Maudarwaja police in August 2022, but no action was taken against the accused. Disappointed with the police inaction, the victim lodged her complaint to DM Sanjay Kumar’s office on February 7, 2022.

As the Additional Magistrate Narendra Kumar was leaving the DM office, the victim Arshi Fatima stood in front of his vehicle. The security personnel then handed the magistrate the victim’s complaint letter. The magistrate returned to the office to hear the woman’s complaint after realizing the seriousness of the case. Following this, DM Sanjay Kumar met the woman and assured her to take action.

OpIndia has accessed a copy of the victim’s complaint letter. In her complaint, the victim stated, “I filed a report against the accused under crime number 373/2022, section 323 of the Muslim Women Act, and complained to police station Maudarwaja in August 2022. The police have not yet taken any legal action against the accused in the matter.”

Complaint lodged by the victim

Furthermore, the victim said in her complaint, “The investigator of Maudarwaja Police Station has dropped the names of the named accused Sayeedullah, Rihanna, Nida, Faizi, Shoaib, Mushir, Sarwar Hafiz, Master from the case.” 

The victim also alleged that when she opposed triple talaq, “he thrashed me and threatened with a pistol that even my dead body would not be found if I dared to take legal action against him.”

“He had caused my father’s accident and now he’s pressuring me to perform halala with his father in order to accept me back as his wife,” the victim alleged adding that the accused can get her killed along with her family.

While speaking to OpIndia, victim Arshi Fatima said, “Despite being elder and like my father, my husband’s father was eager to perform halala with me. While she was listening to all of this, my mother-in-law was tacitly supporting this misbehaviour. Although everyone in my husband’s family is highly educated, their behaviour is nonetheless extremely horrendous. They have badly tortured me.”

The practice of Nikah Halala in Islam is a requirement if a divorced couple wants to remarry again. Once a man divorces his wife, he can’t marry her again directly. To be able to do so, the woman needs to marry a different man, consummate the marriage, and then divorce the second husband in order to marry the original husband. This has been used as a sexual exploitation tool by many people, who give instant divorce to their wives, then in order to remarry them they force them to have sex with friends or family members, including their fathers, in the name of halala.

Triple Talaq Law

It is notable that the central government has enacted the law against triple talaq in 2019 after the Supreme Court declared the regressive practice as unconstitutional in 2017. The law criminalizes the practice of triple talaq and prescribes punishment for up to 3 years. The woman is entitled to maintenance for her dependent children under the law.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra defends her ‘hara*i’ comment, says criticising her behaviour is ‘patriarchy’

OpIndia Staff
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TMC MP Mahua Moitra defends her ‘hara*i’ comment, says criticising her behaviour is ‘patriarchy’

A day after using abusive language inside the Parliament, TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday seemed to defend herself by blaming the ‘Indian patriarchial system’ and indicated that nobody would have targeted a man for saying what she said. The MP instead of issuing an apology, counter-attacked the people who slammed her for using the ‘hara*i’ word inside the parliament.

“BJP is saying how can I use such a word being woman, do I need to be a man to be able to give it back as good as it gets? So there’s patriarchy. I’m surprised BJP is teaching us parliamentary etiquette. That representative from Delhi heckled me. I’ll call an apple an apple, not an orange…if they’ll take me to the privileges committee, I’ll put my side of the story,” TMC MP Mahua Moitra said on February 8.

The TMC MP meanwhile also commented on the Adani controversy and slammed the BJP for allegedly concealing the truth. “For first time, all of us were able to show to people of India what this Adanigate was all about. BJP has been trying to shove this under the carpet for past 3 years. Glad all Opposition parties together came out. People of India could see the extent of Adanigate scandal,” she said to ANI.

Moitra on Tuesday used the word ‘hara*i’ while another lawmaker, K Ram Mohan Naidu of the Telugu Desham Party was speaking in the Lok Sabha. The MP from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party went on an unhinged rant following the uproar on social media over her actions. The video of the incident went viral over the internet with netizens questioning her behaviour, which further irked the MP.

On February 7, 2023, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu presented his remarks during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha. As per the uncorrected discussion text available on Lok Sabha’s website, Mahua said, “Kitne [abusive word] bante hain… Kitne mahaan… aapko to pata hoga…”. Several members of the Parliament objected to the language and demanded an apology from her.

The Chairperson mentioned that none of her statements would go on record. He said, “No harsh word need be used in the House, that too, offensive word should not be used. When it has been used, as we all know, I will request the Leader of the concerned Party and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs to consult and take an appropriate decision.”

Her comments were also criticized by several BJP leaders who said that the leader had crossed her line in the parliament. “Serial offender Mahua Moitra crosses the line- uses abusive language inside Parliament! Earlier she has abused a journalist with offensive gesture, insulted Maa Kaali, attacked Brahmins with “Chotiwala Rakshas” jibe. Will TMC still defend her? Or will it condemn and act on her,” pondered BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla.

Also BJP MP Hema Malini slammed the leader for using abusive language. “They should control their tongue. They should not get over-excited and emotional. Each and every member of Parliament is a respectable person,” she said.

However, after netizens criticized Moitra for using abusive language in the Parliament, she went on an unhinged rant on social media and claimed that no one was “behind her”. She said, “Nobody is behind Mahua. Mahua is behind the truth. (And truth can’t be silenced by thug hecklers).”

14-year-old kept as a maid, tortured with hot tongs, cut with sharp instruments, Gurugram couple arrested

Anurag
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14-year-old kept as a maid, tortured with hot tongs, cut with sharp instruments, Gurugram couple arrested

On February 7, a joint team of Gurugram police and Sakhi, a one-stop crisis centre, rescued a 14-year-old girl from New Colony, Gurugram. As per reports, the child hails from Jharkhand. She was brought by a couple, Manish Khattar and Kamaljeet Kaur, to take care of their infant girl child via a placement agency. The couple tortured her for not completing work, did not give her food for days, assaulted her with hot tongs and batons and cut her with sharp instruments. Police said she was allegedly sexually harassed by the accused for months.

Speaking to OpIndia, Pinki Malik, centre-in-charge of One Stop Centre (OSCs) in Gurugram, said she received an anonymous complaint regarding the girl being tortured at an address in New Colony. She filed a complaint with the police immediately and took the help of the PCR to rescue the girl.

She said, “The girl was admitted to the hospital for treatment. A complaint was filed by me against the couple. The investigation into the matter is underway. I will be meeting the girl again today. The girl was found in miserable condition, and it will take days to heal.” Reports suggest several injuries were found on her hands, feet and mouth.

Premiliary investigation revealed that the child could not sleep the whole night. She was not given food and was forced to eat leftovers from the dustbin. Her mouth was completely swollen, and her whole body was covered with injury marks.

An FIR has been registered against the couple under sections 323(causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the POCSO Act at New Colony police station. The police immediately arrested Manish, but Kamaljeet was let go for the night as per the procedure. As per law, a woman cannot be kept in lockup during the night. She was handed over to Manish’s brother and was called back to the police station in the morning.

Speaking to OpIndia, Inspector Dinkar, SHO, New Colony Police Station, said, “The husband was arrested last night. We are confirming all the aspects in the matter, and necessary action will be taken as per the law.”

How the matter unfolded

Filmmaker and activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj narrated how she came to know about the girl and things unfolded later. In a Facebook post, she said on February 7, she received a call from a known in the morning. The person told her about a 14-15-year-old girl working as a maid who the employees were brutally torturing. She sought help on Twitter, but nothing concrete came out of it.

Then, Bhardwaj approached Preeti Bhardwaj Dalal, Vice Chairperson Haryana Women Commission and told her about the matter, who then informed Preeti Malik about the matter. Within a few hours, the girl was rescued.

She wrote, “They beat her up, burnt her with a hot tong, cut her with blades and assaulted her from whatever object possible as visible from the pathetic condition of the girl. She wasn’t given food to eat and looked for something to eat in the dustbin. Her MLC was done late in the evening, so the exact nature of injuries is yet to be clear, but you can see the pictures here to know what was being done to this girl.”

Deepika also tagged the owner of the PR firm where Kamaljeet worked. Replying to her tweet, Udit Sagar Pathak, founder of Media Mantra, said that Kamaljeet was immediately terminated from her job. He said, “We are against any kind of child exploitation/brutality. If a wrong has been committed, we fully support the judicial system to do justice.”

“As an organisation, we have decided to sack Kamaljeet Kaur with immediate effect,” he added.

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