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Bengal: Stones pelted at Vande Bharat express in Malda, window panes damaged

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Bengal: Stones pelted at Vande Bharat express in Malda, window panes damaged

The Vande Bharat Express window panes were broken as stones were thrown at the train connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri, within just four days after its launch, according to Indian Railways.

The incident took place near Malda station. The investigation is underway. The Indian Railway said that no passengers were injured. Neither did the train get delayed on account of this.

A case u/s 154 of the Railways Act has been registered against unknown persons.

Earlier on December 30, People in West Bengal welcomed their first Vande Bharat express as Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the semi-high-speed train that will run between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri.

The nation’s seventh Vande Bharat express train between Howrah-New Jalpaiguri (NJP) was been flagged off through video conferencing by the Prime Minister.

The train will cover a distance of around 550km and will take a little more than seven and a half hours to reach its destination, with only three stoppages from Howrah to NJP. The Shatabdi also runs between the two terminals.

The Vande Bharat will run six days a week except on Wednesdays. The train will depart at 5.50 am from Howrah and reach NJP at 1.25 pm. From NJP, the train will depart at 3.05 pm and reach Howrah at 10.35 pm.

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

Afghan leader shames Pakistan by sharing pic of Pak Army surrendering to Indian Army after 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war

ANI
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Afghan leader shames Pakistan by sharing pic of Pak Army surrendering to Indian Army after 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war

Pakistan tasted their own medicine when an Afghan Taliban member shamed them for surrendering to India in the 1971 war that led to the creation of a new nation, Bangladesh from erstwhile East Pakistan. 

Warning Pakistan against attacking the Taliban, Taliban member Ahmad Yasir tweeted, “Interior Minister of Pakistan! Excellent Sir! Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan are not Turkey to target the Kurds in Syria. This is Afghanistan, the graveyard of proud empires. Do not think of a military attack on us, otherwise, there will be a shameful repetition of the military agreement with India.”

Notably, this was the largest military surrender after the second world war happened when 93,000 soldiers from the Pakistan Army laid down their arms in front of Indian Forces – liberating and giving birth to a new nation Bangladesh. 

The 1971 Indo-Pak War started with the Pakistan side, launching pre-emptive strikes on a large number of Indian Air Force (IAF) bases. A swift response to these unprovoked attacks was launched by the Indian Defence Forces on the Western and Eastern Fronts, on land, sea, and air. 

With the proactive action of the Indian Armed Forces, around 93,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered in Dhaka and Bangladesh emerged as an independent country. 

After the fall of Ashraf Ghani’s government in Afghanistan, Pakistan was one of the few countries to applaud the Taliban takeover of the war-ravaged country while hoping to reap benefits from what it regarded as a strategic victory. 

However, the increased militancy in Pakistan and border clashes with the Taliban that have happened since August last year have indicated otherwise. 

Pakistan has historically followed a “Strategic Depth Policy” towards Afghanistan, whereby it attempts to control the country as a political pawn and strategic hedge vis-a-vis India. 

When the democratic government was ousted in August 2021, the then-Pakistan Intelligence Chief went there in Kabul to celebrate this takeover. 

The US exit from Afghanistan had bolstered Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) activities with its base in the war-torn country still intact, Pakistan’s counter-terrorism authority in Islamabad told the country’s Senate Standing Committee on Interior earlier this month. 

The TTP gained considerable ground and increased its footprint and magnitude of activities during the peace talks process, The News International newspaper reported. 

Last month, the TTP formally withdrew its ceasefire agreement with Pakistan, which was formally declared in June. The withdrawal of the ceasefire agreement on November 28 was followed by a wave of terror attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. 

Since August 2021, incidents of border skirmishes between Pakistan and Taliban-led Afghanistan have increased significantly over Durand Line. 

The latest border clash between the two countries in December 2022 had Taliban fighters and Pakistani forces exchanging heavy artillery fire on each other on the Spin-Boldak-Chaman border. 

Moreover, in a direct challenge to the sovereignty of the Pakistani civilian government and its military establishment, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has announced its new appointments dividing the outfit into various ministries. 

“Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has announced its new appointments dividing the outfit into various ministries, Defence, Judiciary, Information, Political affairs, Economic Affairs, Education, a fatwa issuing authority, Intelligence and a department for construction,” TTP said in a statement, as quoted by The Khorasan Diary (TKD) publication. 

TTP is allied with the Taliban, who seized power in neighbouring An Islamabad-based think tank this week said the year 2022 ended with the deadliest month for Pakistan’s security personnel in over a decade, as it pointed to the emergence of TTP as the biggest threat to the country. Afghanistan in August last year. 

Meanwhile, The National Security Committee (NSC), under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, decided that no country will be allowed to provide sanctuaries and facilitation to terrorists and Pakistan reserves all rights to safeguard its people, reported Geo News. 

The resolves come during the 40th meeting of the NSC held in Islamabad, according to an official statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House on Monday. 

On Friday, the NSC vowed to respond firmly to resurgent terrorism in the country and declared militants as “enemies of Pakistan”. 

The forum also reiterated its resolve to have zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan and reaffirmed its determination to take on any and all entities that resort to violence. 

The committee was also apprised of the security situation of the country with a particular focus on recent terrorist incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, reported Geo News. 

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

Former tennis player Martina Navratilova diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Former tennis player Martina Navratilova diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. Here is what we know so far

On Monday (January 2), former tennis player Martina Navratilova informed that she has been diagnosed with both breast cancer and throat cancer.

While speaking about the matter, the 66-year-old said, “This double whammy is serious but still fixable. I’m hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s going to stink for a while, but I’ll fight with all have I got.”

In a tweet, Martina Navratilova wrote, “Needless to say my phone and twitter are both blowing up so I will say again- thank you all for your support and I am not done yet:)”

Reportedly, she discovered an enlarged lymph node in her neck region in November last year. After undergoing testing, the doctors informed her that she is suffering from Stage 1 throat cancer. Later, it also came to light that she has developed Stage 1 breast cancer.

She had initially confided in her friend and tennis player, Pam Shriver, prior to making the news of her cancer diagnosis public. Martina Navratilova was earlier diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 53 in 2010. She will now undergo treatment in New York City, starting next week.

Martina Navratilova, who had won 59 Grand Slam titles across all formats during her tennis career, will not be a part of the Tennis channel for the upcoming Australian Open 2023.

The ace tennis player has been a vocal opponent of Donald Trump and has peddled fake news about India on multiple occasions.

In May 2021, Martina Navratilova wished ‘good luck’ to India to remove PM Modi from office. She tweeted, “Who is worse- trump or Modi? Hard to tell- but at least we got rid of our wannabe dictator. Good luck India!!!”

In October of that year, she had mocked the comment made by Home Minister Amit Shah about PM Modi being the most democratic leader. The tennis legend had also hailed ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub as a ‘hero and even met her in person.

Kanjhawala death case: Girl was not alone at time of accident, accused were returning from Murthal, more details emerge

OpIndia Staff
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Kanjhawala death case: Girl was not alone at time of accident, accused were returning from Murthal, more details emerge

More details have emerged in the Kanjhawala death case. The Delhi Police have now informed that the girl who died after being dragged by the car was not alone when the accident took place.

As per Delhi Police, they traced the route of the deceased and it was found that she was not alone on her scooty. There was another girl with her at the time of the accident. The other girl had suffered injuries and fled from the spot but the girl who died got her legs stuck in the car. She was then dragged for hours as per eyewitnesses.

As per reports, the victim was working at an event management company and was the sole breadwinner of the house. She was returning home after attending an event. The five accused, Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Kishan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal are arrested and sent on a three-day police custody.

Prima facie it is suspected that the accused were drunk. The blood samples have been collected and sent for testing. The victim’s body was found naked lying on the streets that led to speculation that she might have been raped. A postmortem was carried out on her on Monday.

Reports further state that the accused had borrowed the car that was in the accident at 2 AM on Sunday and then left the damaged car at his place. As per reports they had informed the friend that they met with an accident in Kishan Vihar area. The accused had gone to Murthal in Haryana to celebrate the new year.

German YouTuber and Instagram Influencer abuses Indian street vendors for doing their job

OpIndia Staff
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German YouTuber and Instagram Influencer abuses Indian street vendors for doing their job

On January 1, German YouTuber and Instagram influencer Christian Betzmann uploaded Instagram stories abusing Indian street vendors over a slight inconvenience. In the now-deleted stories, he said, “The audacity to drive through a street and scream to buy their freaking fruit.”

Another now-deleted story by him was shared on Reddit. The caption says, “How is this not banned? Every day 20 dudes scream in front of my Airbnb to sell their sh*t. I should buy all his pineapples and shove it up his a**. Bi*ch.”

‘You would probably also justify rape’ – Betzmann’s highly insensitive reply to DM

After Betzmann published a rant on Instagram, many social media users from India messaged him in DMs objecting to his remarks. One of the female Instagram users told him to educate himself as the vendors earn bread by selling fruits, vegetables, and other items on the streets in India, which has been happening for a long time. “You just sound entitled and ignorant with your insults and remarks at the poor person,” the Instagram user said.

Rattled by the DM, Betzmann replied if that was the case, Indians would probably also justify rape as it has been happening for a long time. He said, “This country will never evolve because of ignorant people like you. First, you have zero empathy towards others if you find it ok to disturb your neighbourhood to make money. You know exactly what would happen if people did this in western countries. Second, this person pays 0 tax, neither should they be allowed to have a “business” and then break into a gated society to scream around to sell unnecessary stuff nobody asked for. You would probably also justify rape cuz it’s been going on for centuries, and you would probably call it part of your Indian culture too, then, right?”

“But then you travel to western countries and wonder why people treat you like shit because of your obnoxious Indian behaviour playing music loud in public transport and screaming around like you own the streets. Go to a US neighbourhood and scream to sell your $2 socks and see what happens,” he added.

UP: Christian evangelists convert Hindu family by promising Rs 3 lakhs, refuse to give money after conversion, Bajrang Dal files complaint

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Christian evangelists convert Hindu family by promising Rs 3 lakhs, refuse to give money after conversion, Bajrang Dal files complaint

A case of conversion has been reported in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Some people in the area have been accused of enticing some members of a family into taking up Christianity by offering them money. On Sunday, members of the Bajrang Dal filed a complaint at the Mirzapur police station in this regard (January 1, 2023).

According to Harish Kaushik, district convenor of Bajrang Dal, some evangelists offered Rs 3 lakhs to individuals in the area to convert to Christianity. Kaushik and the victims went to the police station and filed a complaint in this regard.

The Saharanpur Police, meanwhile, acknowledged the incident on Twitter. “In regard to the case, the station in-charge Mirzapur has been directed for required action,” the tweet posted on Sunday, January 1 read.

“Bajrang Dal had got information that Hindus are being forcibly converted in village Raipur,” stated Bajrang Dal leader Harish Kaushik in the written complaint, adding, “when Bajrang Dal workers arrived at the location, they discovered that some persons had forcibly converted Hindu families into Christianity. We then brought the victim’s family members to the police station and filed a complaint in this regard. We demand that the administration take firm action against the evangelists who are forcibly converting vulnerable and poor Hindus by luring them with money.

Copy of the complaint submitted by members of Bajrang Dal at Saharanpur Police station

According to the complaint letter, Yogesh and his sister, who live in Raipur village under the jurisdiction of Mirzapur police station, were coerced into converting in lieu of money. Sunita was asked to travel to Manju’s residence. Shadiram, Manju’s husband, enticed both of them to convert their religion by offering them 3 lakh rupees. Accused Shadiram and his wife then summoned Surendra Prasad and Hari Singh t their residence, where the four of them converted the victims to Christianity. After conversion, the accused refused to pay the promised sum to the victims.

According to the Bajrang Dal activist, the accused then told the victims that if they keep demanding the money, they would enrage Jesus Christ. They frightened the victims by threatening them with illness or death if they did not stop demanding the money.

Home Minister Amit Shah seeks detailed report from Delhi Police over Kanjhawla incident, Special Commissioner asked to submit report to MHA

ANI
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Home Minister Amit Shah seeks detailed report from Delhi Police over Kanjhawla incident, Special Commissioner asked to submit report to MHA

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday directed his ministry to seek a detailed report from Delhi Police over the Kanjhawla incident in which a woman’s body was dragged for several kilometres by a car after it hit her scooter.

Following direction from Shah, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) wrote a letter to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora seeking a detailed report on the incident that took place on New Year’s morning in the Kanjhawla area in outer Delhi. Special Commissioner of Police Shalini Singh has been asked to submit a detailed report to the MHA after a proper inquiry.

“Ministry of Home Affairs under the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday sought a detailed report from Delhi Police Commissioner on the Kanjhawla incident. Special Commissioner in Delhi Police Shalini Singh has been asked to submit the detailed report to the MHA,” a highly placed government source told ANI.

The direction came hours after, five men were arrested by Delhi Police in connection with the death of the 20-year-old woman. The victim’s two-wheeler was hit by a car in which the accused were travelling on Sunday, police said.

A video purportedly showing the woman’s body without clothes and broken legs has surfaced on social media.

The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has also issued a notice to the city police in connection with the incident.

Police said the victim’s body was sent to the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital at Mangolpuri for post-mortem. They said the victim’s leg got entangled in one of the wheels of the car and she was dragged for around four kilometres.

The police said that the condition of the girl after the incident was so bad, that after being dragged on, her clothes and even the back side of her body got ripped off.

The body of the girl was sent to the SGM hospital, Mangolpuri, where she was declared brought dead. The body was then kept at the mortuary of the hospital.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj on Monday alleged that Delhi Police is shielding Kanjhawala case accused Manoj Mittal, who is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Bhardwaj also alleged that there is a possibility of rape of the victim, contrary to the claims of Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Harendra Singh who said that incident was a “fatal accident”.

Earlier, an eyewitness of the Kanjhawla incident narrated the horrific ordeal.

Deepak Dahiya runs a confectionery shop on Kanjhawla Road in Ladpur village. He said that the accused kept dragging the girl’s body which got entangled under their vehicle for 18 to 20 kilometres and lasted for about one and a half hours.

“It was 3:20 am… I was standing outside the shop when I heard a loud noise from a vehicle about 100 meters away. Earlier I thought it was a tire burst. As soon as the car moved, I saw a body being dragged. I informed the police immediately,” Dahiya had told ANI. (ANI)

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

Rahul Gandhi tells Kamal Haasan the Indian Khadi industry is dying, it clocked a record-breaking turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore in 2021-22

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi tells Kamal Haasan the Indian Khadi industry is dying, it clocked a record-breaking turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore in 2021-22

On Monday, January 2, Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi shared snippets of his interview with actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, where the two discussed a range of issues, including films, politics, Chinese aggression, cinema, and the humble Khadi.

During the chat, which the Congress MP also uploaded on YouTube, Rahul Gandhi expressed his desire to revitalise India’s ‘dying’ Khadi industry. Only if the senior Congress leader knew that the industry had registered a turnover of 1.15 lakh crore in 2021-22.

During the course of the discussion, Rahul Gandhi, around 16 minutes into the chat, bemoaned how, as a result of demonetisation and a ‘wrongly administered’ GST by the BJP government, many Indian sectors have gradually perished, like the Ballari jeans industry and the Indian Khadi industry.

Rahul Gandhi pointed out a Khadi jacket that Kamal Haasan was sporting and claimed that no one in India would recognise it as a Khadi jacket because the industry has been dying a slow death under the Modi regime.

Contrary to Rahul Gandhi’s statements, Khadi sales in India increased 43% to a record high of Rs 5,052 crore during the last fiscal year, making it larger than most textile enterprises in the country.

According to a statement by the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), last year, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) clocked a turnover of Rs 1.15 lakh crore in 2021-22. The turnover made KVIC the only company in the country to have recorded a turnover of Rs 1 lakh crore.

Looking at the performance in the last one year, the biggest impact can be seen in the Khadi sector which has registered a growth of 43.20% from ₹3528 crores in 2020-21 to ₹5052 crores in 2021-22. In the last eight years, the production in the Khadi sector increased by 191%, while the sales have increased exponentially by 332% as per the data from MSME ministry.

This massive turnover of KVIC has come despite a partial lockdown in the country in April-June 2021, due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

KVIC Chairman, Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena, attributed Khadi’s phenomenal growth to the constant support of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to promote Khadi in the country. At the same time, innovative schemes, creative marketing ideas, and active support from various ministries have also added to Khadi’s growth in recent years.

“Prime Minister’s repeated appeals to achieve self-reliance by promoting “Swadeshi” and particularly “Khadi” has done wonders. Today Khadi stands far ahead of all FMCG companies in the country. By employing new scientific methods and diversifying Khadi’s product range, KVIC has succeeded in achieving such massive growth which no other FMCG company can match,” Saxena said.

It may be recalled that in the 81st episode of ‘Mann Ki Baat‘ last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a record-breaking sale of Khadi on October 2. He said that Khadi was made the identity of freedom by Mahatma Gandhi. He further urged people to buy Khadi products from local markets, promoting the ‘Vocal For Local’ initiative.

PM Modi recalled how Khadi sales had increased exponentially in recent years. He pointed out the fact that Delhi’s Khadi India store made sales worth Rs.1 crore in 2020 in a single day on October 2. Notably, the same store repeated such high sales three more times since then. 

Zomato co-founder and CTO Gunjan Patidar resigns in the latest round of top-level exits

OpIndia Staff
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Zomato co-founder and CTO Gunjan Patidar resigns in the latest round of top-level exits

In the latest round of top-level exits, food delivery platform Zomato said its co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Gunjan Patidar has resigned from the organisation.

Patidar was one of the first few employees of Zomato and helped build the core tech systems for the company. As per the organisation, Gunjan also built a tech leadership team while working at the organisation for over 10 years.

Patidar, however, was not key managerial personnel (KMP), Zomato said in the stock exchange filing.

As per Patidar’s LinkedIn profile, he was among the earliest employees with the food aggregator app Zomato and has experience working for over 14 years at the organisation. He also shares his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi, with Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal.

Mohit Gupta’s exit from Zomato

Patidar’s resignation comes weeks after co-founder Mohit Gupta quit the organisation, the third major exit of a senior executive in a leadership role in November 2022.

Gupta departed the Gurugram-based firm after four and a half years. He joined the company in 2018 and was in charge of Zomato’s food delivery unit. In 2020, he was promoted to co-founder.

Gupta’s departure followed the exits of Rahul Ganjoo, who was the new initiatives head, and Siddharth Jhawar, the previous head of the Intercity Legends service. Gaurav Gupta, another former Zomato co-founder, resigned two months after the firm went public.

The resignation comes amid a tumultuous time for tech stocks, with Zomato shares having fallen to more than 50 per cent of its peak of Rs 162 on the BSE. The stock closed at Rs 60.30 on Monday.

In Q2FY23, Zomato’s registered a net loss of Rs 250.8 crore as against Rs 434.9 crore reported in the same quarter the previous year. The company’s revenue from operations soared 62.20 per cent to Rs 1,661.3 crore.

However, the company had registered less-than-expected growth, resulting in a flurry of resignations and a major rejig in the senior leadership. In November 2022, amid record-high inflation and a looming threat of recession, Zomato laid off employees across functions, including technology, product and marketing, reported Livemint. According to the report, almost 3 per cent of employees have already been affected across these divisions. 

Bomb found near the residence of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh, probe underway

OpIndia Staff
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Bomb found near the residence of Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh, probe underway

On Monday, January 2, a live bomb was found near the Chandigarh residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, ANI reported. According to reports, a bomb squad is currently at the spot. The Indian Army’s Western Command has also been looped in to investigate the matter.

Speaking about it, Sanjeev Kohli, the Nodal officer of Disaster Management Chandigarh said, “A live bombshell has been found here. It has been secured with help of the Police and the Bomb Disposal Squad. An Army team has been called in. The area is being cordoned off. Further investigation is underway.”

According to reports, the bomb was spotted around 4 to 4:30 pm on Monday by a tubewell operator in the mango plantation near the helipad and residence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The area is a high-security one. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s residence is also nearby. The Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Assembly are also close to the place where the bomb was found.

CM Bhagwant Mann was not at his residence, which is barely a kilometer away from the spot, at the time the bomb was spotted.

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