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Iran executes 2 more youths involved in anti-hijab protests, 11 sentenced to jail

Two more protesters in Iran were executed on Saturday, January 7, 2023, for protesting against the government. The two youths were accused of protesting against the atrocities committed against Mahsa Amini during which several Iranians lost their lives.

According to reports, the judiciary said while sentencing the two protesters, “Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Syed Mohammad Husseini, the two men whose crimes led to the martyrdom of Ruhollah Azmin, have been hanged to death today.”

Top diplomats of the European Union have condemned the incident. They asked Iran to immediately stop the execution of the protesters. British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said, “Iran should immediately stop the execution of its people.”

Earlier on December 12, 2022, a 23-year-old youth was hanged during an anti-hijab protest. The name of the young man was Majidrega Rehanward. He was hanged in public and in the final video, Rehan said that his death should not be mourned. He also said that no one should read the Quran after his death. The video was shared by Mahmood Amiri, director of an Iranian human rights NGO, from his Twitter handle. In the video, Rehanward was blindfolded and two masked guards surrounded him.

Protests against the government in Iran began on September 16 after the death of a 22-year-old girl, Mahsa Amini. Police arrested Mahsa for not wearing a hijab. She lost her life in custody. When protests broke out in Iran, young people were publicly hanged to create fear among the people.

Joshimath Landslide scare: Cracks develop in Shankaracharya Math

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As the holy town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand faces a major threat of land subsidence, the Shankaracharya Math located in Joshimath has also developed cracks in many places. The Jyotirmath administration informed that these cracks have increased in the last 15 days. 

Highlighting the cause of the calamity, Swami Vishwapriyanand, the chief of the Math, said that this development is a cause behind the looming threat.

While speaking to ANI, the Math chief Swami Vishwapriyanand said, “Development has now become a reason for destruction as hydroelectric power projects, and tunnels have affected our town. There were no cracks 15 days back, but these days the cracks are continuously increasing in Math.”

Notably, cracks have appeared in the Shivling of Shankaracharya Madhav Ashram temple.  

Meanwhile, the state government and district administration have made arrangements for the families affected by the landslide. 

The CM Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government has assured that the affected people will be provided with pre-fabricated houses. 

According to the District Disaster Management Department, 561 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks due to the continued subsidence of land. So far, 66 families have reportedly migrated from Joshimath. 

Notably, the Uttarakhand government has formed a team of scientists to find out the reason behind the occurrence of land subsidence in Joshimath and the resultant damage reported to the houses.

Why is Joshimath sinking?

Joshimath is located on the middle slopes of the hill, bounded on the west and east by Karmanasa and Dhaknala, respectively, and on the other sides by Dhauliganga and Alaknanda.

With increasing urbanization, this small Himalayan town has come under increased strain. According to the researchers, urbanization has historically aggravated these issues because it disrupts natural water drainage, slopes, and results in an uncontrolled flow of water.

Mishra Committee Report 1976 and the warning ignored

It is pertinent to note that the alarm for an expected landslide was raised as far back as 1976, in the Mishra Committee report. The report stated that Joshimath is situated in a landslide zone and it is sinking. The Mishra Commission recommended that construction activities in the area should be banned. Ignoring the warnings, several hydroelectric projects were sanctioned around Joshimath and Tapovan. The Mishra Committee, named after MC Mishra, the then commissioner of Garhwal, in the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh stated that for the construction of roads, boulders should not be removed by digging or blasting the hillside. It added that the trees in the region should be “nurtured like children.”

Despite providing a scientific basis, the Mishra Committee’s recommendations were ignored by the governments for years. 

Notably, in 2009, a similar situation prevailed when a head race tunnel was excavated using a tunnel boring machine (TBM). It punctured water-bearing strata about 3 kilometres inward of the left bank of the Alaknanda near Shelong village. According to project officials, the site was more than a kilometre below the surface, somewhere below Auli. According to reports, the water discharge rate was between 700 and 800 litres per second. The aquifer discharge was approximately 60-70 million litres per day, which is enough to sustain 2-3 million people. The aquifer had not dried out even after a month. 

Referring to the 2009 incident, Anjal Prakash, IPCC author and faculty at ISB said that the hydropower projects in the Joshimath area should be reconsidered. “This is not the first time this has happened, and the Joshimath area is where the groundwater has nowhere to go and will sink the area that it has. Second, it is an active seismic zone,” Prakash said.

Joshimath has been sinking for years, even before any of the current construction projects, the government is trying their best to save it, hopefully, we don’t lose this town forever

PM Modi to launch Ganga Vilas luxury ship from Varanasi to Dibrugarh on Friday, world’s longest river cruise to carry Swiss and German tourists

On January 13 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off a river cruise named ‘Ganga Vilas’, which will travel from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Dibrugarh in Assam. While earlier the launch date was announced as 10 January, now it will be launched on 13 January.

Dubbed the world’s longest river cruise, it will cover a distance of a whopping 3200 km in 50 days. During the course of its journey, ‘Ganga Vilas’ will pass through 27 river systems in both India and Bangladesh, including the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. This longest voyage by a river ship will mark the entry of India and Bangladesh into the world’s river cruise map.

The river cruise will be flagged off from the boarding point located opposite the Ravidas Ghat. The cruise will pass through Ghazipur, Buxar, Patna, Kolkata, and Guwahati before reaching the final destination of Dibrugarh.

Preparations are underway for the maiden journey of ‘Ganga Vilas’ on January 13 this year. The Culture Department, Inland Waterways Transport, and Tourism Department officials along with Varanasi District Magistrate S Rajalingam and Divisional Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma are overseeing the preparations.

Divisional commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma said, “The PM will flag off Varanasi-Dibrugarh river ship ‘Ganga Vilas’ through video conferencing on January 13 while CM and Union minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal will be present at the flag off ceremony at Ravidas Ghat.” UP CM Yogi Adityanath will also be present at the occasion. The CM will launch the second tent city on the sand bed on the opposite bank of Ganga. 

Reportedly, Ganga Vilas will leave for Dibrugarh with 33 tourists including 32 from Switzerland and one from Germany. The tour’s standouts include witnessing the ancient “Ganga Aarti,” exploring the natural wonders of the world’s largest mangrove forest, visiting Mayong, India’s cradle of “black magic,” and exploring the vast cultural treasure of the world’s largest river island Majuli.

Reportedly, it will provide an opportunity for passengers to visit world heritage sites and about 50 architecturally important places. The river cruise will be equipped with facilities such as personalised butler service, gym, spa, and open-air observation deck, convertible beds, French balconies, a restaurant, music systems, and sundeck.

Measuring 62.5 m (length), 12.8 m (width), and 1.35 m (draft), this is the first river cruise ship built in India, according to authorities. The river cruise contains 18 suites and has the capacity to carry 80 passengers at one time.

‘Ganga Vilas’ will also pass through the Sundarbans Delta, Kaziranga National Park (famous for one-horned rhinoceros) and several other national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. During the Bangladesh leg of the trip, the passengers can visit the ghost city of Sonargaon and the 1400-era Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat.

Earlier in November 2022, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, had tweeted “The world’s longest river cruise will commence its journey in January next year.”

“Ganga Vilas will set sail from sacred Varanasi to Dibrugarh via Bangladesh covering 4,000 km on the two greatest rivers of India, Ganga and Brahmaputra,” he further added. Reportedly, ‘Ganga Vilas’ was first advertised in 2018 and was scheduled to start its services in 2020. However, the plans were derailed due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic.

While the pricing has not yet been disclosed, the same company (Antara Luxury River Cruise) that will run the ‘Ganga Vilas’ offers a 4-day ‘Incredible Benaras package’ at ₹1.12 lakh per person. According to a Livemint report, Kashif Siddiqui, Director Sales and Strategic Marketing India of Antara Luxury River Cruise, said that the reason why the price has not been revealed is that all the suits have already been booked by Swiss tourists for the next couple of years. He also said that the Swiss tourists have paid a whopping ₹38 lakh for each suite, that too 1.5 years ago when the deal was closed.

“This will be a unique cruise in the world and a reflection of growing cruise tourism in India. I request the people of West Bengal to take the benefit of this,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said about ‘Ganga Vilas’.

Uttarakhand: Family along with 6-year-old child sent to jail in land dispute case involving SC/ST Act, family alleges false case by land mafia

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On Friday, January 6, a district court in Uttarakhand’s Tehri sent a six-year-old child to jail along with his family booked under the SC/ST Act. In a land dispute case in Muni Ki Reti police station area, the police filed a chargesheet against the family. The family appealed before the court to release them and claimed that they were being framed in a false case. 

However, the District Judge on Friday, while hearing the case said that there is enough evidence against the family. When asked to file a bail application, they refused to do so. Consequently, the family of four – two men and two women – was sent to jail. As one couple among them has a 6-year-old child that they can’t leave at home, the minor was also sent to jail along with his mother.

A total of five persons from the family have been sent to jail in the case, identified as Laxmi Devi, Sita Devi, Amit, Atul and 6-year-old Abhinav.

In the land dispute case, the police have registered a case under sections 323, 354, 392, 506 and the SC/ST act. But the family has refuted the charges, saying that they are being framed for resisting the land mafia from grabbing her land. The accused family has alleged that the police are conspiring against them. The family also requested the court to acquit them under section 227. 

It is worth noting that Section 227 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) states that if the Judge determines that there is no sufficient ground for proceeding against the accused after reviewing the case record and the documents submitted in court, as well as hearing the submissions of both the accused and the prosecution in the matter, he shall discharge the accused and explain his decision.

However, in this case, District Judge Yogesh Kumar Gupta observed that there is sufficient evidence against the accused persons. After refusing to file a bail application, one of the women informed the court that she cannot leave her son at home. Thus, the minor boy was also sent to jail along with his mother.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for January 9. 

According to the family of the woman, in the records of the revenue department, the land in question is in her name. But despite this, the land mafia with the help of politicians is trying to grab her land. Last year they applied for electricity and water connections, but it was declined. After that, they approached the court, and the District Magistrate directed the authorities to provide power and water connections to the plot within a week. But the court order was not implemented, prompting the family to sit on a hunger strike.

The family alleges that a fake case under the SC/ST act was lodged against them at the insistence of land mafias and cabinet minister Subodh Uniyal by putting pressure on the police. They have also alleged that the woman who filed the fake SC/ST case against them, has an unverified caste certificate.

The accused family has now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the National Human Rights Commission, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the National Commission for Women and the Superintendent of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police of the district seeking a CBI probe in the case.

While Shankar Mishra deserves the punishment for his actions, why is Air India getting a free pass for totally mishandling the situation

Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know that the biggest story of the last month in India was a guy urinating on a woman on an Air India flight from JFK airport in New York to the IGI airport in Delhi. On the AI-102 flight, a 34-year-old Shankar Mishra apparently urinated on a 70-year-old woman while under the influence of alcohol.

The incident happened on November 26 on board Air India’s flight AI-102, which departed New York’s JFK Airport. “Shortly after meals were served and lights were dimmed, another passenger walked to my seat, unzipped his pants, relieved himself, and continued to expose me to his private parts”, the woman complained.

Even though the incident happened on 26 November, and the woman complained immediately to the crew of Air India, it didn’t come to light till January 2023. Once the news of the incident became public, the media soon tracked the culprit. It was Shankar Mishra, a 34-year-old vice president for the Indian chapter of Wells Fargo, the American financial services company.

Since the news became public, Delhi Police registered an FIR against Mishra, arrested him, and he is currently in judicial custody. Mishra has also been sacked from his high-profile and definitely high-paying job at Wells Fargo. With the extensive media coverage he has received, we can be reasonably certain that his career in financial services is over. However, he wasn’t the only one in the wrong during the incident.

Air India crew on-board the flight were made aware of this incident by the woman immediately, however, as per reports, they practically did nothing. In fact, the crew didn’t even change the woman’s seat even though there were several vacant seats on the plane. The Air India crew made the woman sit in a urine-soaked seat even after all that humiliation.

The incident took place in Business Class on the flight, and since the vacant seats were in First Class, the cabin crew refused to oblige the woman. As per the statement, the cabin crew told her that the Captain vetoed her move to First Class. Once the woman refused to sit in the urine-soaked seat, she was moved to a steward’s seat, which is highly uncomfortable for any length of time.

Not only this, the Air India crew even made the woman face the man who exposed his genitals to her and urinated on her. The man supposedly apologised to her and the cabin crew brought them face to face for this. In the face of begging and tears from Shankar Mishra, the woman agreed not to file a complaint in her shaken state.

The woman’s complaint- Image Source: Akshita Nandagopal/Twitter

Air India crew promised her good treatment upon landing and assist her in every way. However, as per the woman’s complaint, she was pretty much on her own once she left the aircraft. Disturbed with the overall experience, she expected some sort of reimbursement from Air India for her overall traumatic experience, but that never came.

So, to summarise, the Air India crew let someone urinate on a fellow passenger mid-flight, refused to give her another seat even though there were vacant seats in First Class, forced the woman to face the man who assaulted her, refused to provide her any compensation, and left her alone after landing at the airport despite promising all assistance.

While the culprit Shankar Mishra is paying for his crime, why is Air India getting away scot-free with a cursory apology from their CEO?

Kerala: 59 women beat up a man for allegedly circulating morphed images of a woman on social media, 11 arrested

Eleven women were arrested by Aloor Police in the Thrissur district for allegedly attacking a man and his family. All of the accused were produced before the court on Friday and sent to Judicial custody. 

According to Aloor police, the women attacked the man alleging that he circulated morphed photos of a woman in the community through social media. The women have been booked under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and a case has been registered against them. 

Police arrested the women on the complaint of Shaji, a native of Muriyad in Thrissur district. 

All of the accused are members of Emperor Emmanuel Retreat centre in Chalakkudy of Thrissur district. 

The complainant Shaji, his wife Ashlyn, son Sajan, and their relatives were allegedly beaten up after being dragged out of their car.

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

Delhi: Man stabs wife with screwdriver till death in Jahangirpuri, was released from jail before two days

The Delhi Police on Sunday arrested a man for allegedly stabbing his wife with a screwdriver till death in the Jahangirpuri area of the national capital, two days after being released from jail. 

The police have identified the accused as Chetram of North West Delhi’s Jahangirpuri and said that he was previously sent to jail under sections 107 and 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). According to the police, Chetram stabbed his wife multiple times with a screwdriver to take revenge for his previous arrest and later also cut his nose. 

A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged in the matter and the police have taken up the investigation. 

More details are awaited.

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

“Saghle G**ndu Chi Aulaad Aahe”: Shiv Sena UT faction’s Sanjay Raut abuses Union Ministers over Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj insult row

Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction’s Sanjay Raut was once again found retorting to abusive language for Union Ministers of the government of India.

Speaking to the media on the issue of alleged slight to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Raut said, “Those in the government who speak on every issue under the sun are not saying anything on the insult of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. I thought at least any one self-respecting man would raise this issue.”

“Saghle G**ndu Chi aulaad aahe (Everyone’s an a**hole),” said Raut, referring to Union Ministers of the Government of India.

With the paucity of issues to target the Centre and the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction has been trying to rally the Marathi sentiment over Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

However, this is not the first time that Raut has lost control over his language. His tryst with abuses and cuss words is rather long. Earlier in February 2022, Raut was seen abusing BJP leader Kirit Somaiya while speaking to the media in Mumbai.

Sanjay Raut and his tryst with abuses

While talking to the press, Sanjay Raut was asked to comment on Kirit Somaiya’s statement over the KCR-Uddhav Thackeray meeting in Mumbai. The BJP leader had rhetorically asked whether Uddhav Thackeray had sought the permission of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi before meeting Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao over an alleged Non-Congress, Non-BJP political alliance. To which, Sanjay Raut was seen replying, “Who has said this, I don’t know. There are a lot of C*utiyas in this country and it does not look good upon the media to report what such C*utiyassay about Shiv Sena.”

Back in 2020, after threatening actress Kangana Ranaut to not return to Mumbai, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has hit a new low now. In a brazen display of misogyny, he referred to the ‘Manikarnika’ actress as a ‘haramzadi’. 

Responding to Kangana’s comment that no big daddy can stop her from coming to Mumbai, the Shiv Sena leader said, “Maharashtra ka baap Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj hai... Mujhe lagata hai asa vakti ke baap ko idhaar la kar dikahan padega.. aapka ki baap dikhaya agar hai toh (The father of Maharashtra is Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj… We need to bring Kangana’s daddy here and show him around… You (reporter) too show your father, if you have any).”

On being asked by the News Nation reporter whether he will take unlawful steps to prevent Kangana Ranaut from entering Mumbai, Sanjay Raut replied, “What is law? Did that girl respect the law in the manner in which she spoke? Why are you acting as the lawyer of that ‘haramkhor’ girl?”

Bihar: Journalist shot at in Siwan a day before CM Nitish Kumar’s scheduled visit

On January 7, a crime journalist of the Hindi daily Hindustan newspaper, identified as Rajesh Anal, was shot by criminals in Bihar’s Siwan. He was rushed to the Sadar Hospital for treatment. Rajesh works for the newspaper in Maharajganj. This is the third time Rajesh has been attacked since 2002. As per reports, the bullets hit him in two places, one on the hip and the other exiting the thigh. It is unclear who was behind the attack. Notably, the incident took place a day before CM Nitish Kumar’s visit to Siwan.

As per Bihar News Live, the attacker was a thin person and escaped the scene soon after firing shots at Rajesh. The locals rushed him to the hospital. In a statement, Rajesh alleged the attackers wanted to kill him.

Rajesh was reportedly coming back from the market at around 5 PM. Bike-borne criminals fired multiple shots at him near Maharajganj Sahara Bank and fled the scene. Soon after Rajesh was admitted to the hospital, Siwan’s Superintendent of Police, Shailesh Kumar Sinha, reached the hospital to take stock of his condition and asked him not to worry. He assured the journalist that the attackers would not be spared. Speaking to the media, SP Sinha said, “I have told the journalist not to worry and assured him the attackers will be identified and arrested soon.” The Bihar police are conducting raids on the matter.

Rajesh was attacked twice before

Previously, journalist Rajesh has been attacked twice. The first attack took place in 2002 when he was shot. In the second attack that happened in 2020, Rajesh was attacked at the Mahaviri fair, where the criminals stabbed him.

Former Siwan MP Om Prakash Yadav of Bharatiya Janata Party reacted to the incident and demanded resignation from the SP Sinha. He said since Sinha took charge of Siwan, the crime rate has gone up in the area. He further added that if the criminals have killed police officers in broad daylight, then who would protect the journalist? He said, “Ever since Shailesh Kumar Sinha took charge in Siwan, crime has been at its peak. We will demand that as soon as possible, Nitish Kumar should transfer SP Shailesh Kumar Sinha from here, and a good officer should be brought here, so that crime can be stopped.”

Source: Facebook/Om Prakash Yadav

In a Facebook post, Yadav said, “I came to know about the critical condition of journalist Rajesh and requested a doctor for proper treatment. Notably, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is coming to Siwan tomorrow and such an incident happened today. It proves that jungle raj prevailed in the state. The common citizen has lost faith in the Bihar government and administration.”

Mysore Bishop Kannikadass William accused of sexual misconduct, criminal activities, also accused of fathering a child

On Saturday, January 7, Mysore Bishop Kannikadass William was asked to go on leave and in his place Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore, Bernard Moras was appointed as the apostolic administrator for the diocese of Mysore. This comes after allegations ofcorruption, sexual assault, and kidnapping were raised against Bishop Kannikadass William back in 2019.

The letter from Archbishop Felix Machado, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), states: “In a communication received from the Apostolic Nunciature, I wish to inform that the Dicastery for Evangelization has appointed His Grace Most Rev Bernard Moras, Archbishop Emeritus of Bangalore, Apostolic Administrator sede plena et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis of the Diocese of Mysore for the ordinary administration and pastoral care of that local Church. The Dicastery for Evangelization has decided to remove the Diocesan Bishop, the Right Rev Kannikadass A William, from the ministry. The appointment will take effect on January 7, 2023, from 6 p.m. onwards.”

Raphael, Secretary of the Kannada Christara Sangha (KCS), said that “It is unfortunate that the glory, name, fame, and spirituality of Mysore Diocese has been tarnished by the last two Bishops in the last few years.”

Raphael added that Kannikadass William has after his appointment as the Bishop in 2017, “spent public money on luxuries as well as to cover up illegal activities.” 

The KCS Secretary also alleged that diocese funds were mismanaged and misused by a few groups of priests.

It is notable that on November 5, 2019, a complaint was filed against Bishop Kannikadass by Robert Rosario representing a citizen’s group called the Association of Concerned Catholics (AOCC). The complaint was filed after a video of a woman who worked at the diocese surfaced wherein she alleged that she was harassed by a priest Leslie Moras, and when she tried to complain about the incident, Bishop Kannikadass William Antony threatened her over a call in July 2018. 

As the victim back then did not file a complaint against Bishop Kannikadass William, the AOCC group lodged a complaint. The complaint came after 37 priests from different parishes in the Mysore diocese wrote to the Vatican seeking his removal.

Bishop Kannikadass William was accused of fathering a child and corruption. The 37 priests alleged that the Bishop has strong connections with corrupt police officials and bureaucrats as well as politicians who have criminal records. They had also claimed that the Bishop has connections with the ‘underworld’ as well.

“The dark age of our diocese began when the current bishop (Kannikadass A William) was brought in,” the priests told Francis. “We regret and feel sorry to say that we have got a person who is immoral, corrupt, unspiritual, materialist, worldly, ill-reputed, disrespected and a dictator as bishop of Mysuru,” the priests wrote in their letter to the Vatican.