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‘A matter of personal anguish, we fell short of addressing the situation’: Tata Sons Chairman on the urination incident

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‘A matter of personal anguish, we fell short of addressing the situation’: Tata Sons Chairman on the urination incident

The urination incident onboard an Air India flight between New York and Delhi on November 26 last year is a “matter of personal anguish”, said Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Sunday.

In a statement, Chandrasekaran said, “The incident on Air India flight AI102 on November 26th, 2022, has been a matter of personal anguish to me and my colleagues at Air India. Air India’s response should have been much swifter. We fell short of addressing this situation the way it should have been.” He further said that the Tata Group and Air India stand by the safety and well-being of the passengers and crew with full conviction.

“We will review and repair every process to prevent or address any incidents of such unruly nature,” he added.

Earlier, after facing backlash, Air India had issued show cause notices to four of its cabin crew and one pilot and de-rostered them pending investigations.

On Friday, Air India chief executive officer (CEO) Campbell Wilson also asked the airline staff to report any instances of “any improper behaviour on board to authorities at the earliest even if the matter appears to be resolved”.

In a letter to Air India employees, the CEO stated that timely action is necessary against those who don’t follow the flight rules.

Campbell said, “This week has, ‘regrettably’, been dominated by media headlines of which you are no doubt familiar. The repulsion felt by the affected passenger is totally understandable and we share her distress.”

He reiterated the importance of reporting untoward incidents onboard flights to authorities, even if the crew believes it has been resolved.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Saturday sent accused Shankar Mishra, who had allegedly urinated on a co-passenger, to 14 days of judicial custody.

Accused Shankar Mishra’s lawyer moved a bail plea in Delhi’s Patiala Court. The plea will be heard on January 11.

Mishra was arrested by Delhi Police from Bengaluru on Friday night.

Notably, the Delhi Police has so far recorded the statements of three crew members of Air India today in connection with the case.

Mishra had allegedly urinated on a 70-year-old woman in an intoxicated condition in business class of an Air India flight on November 26 last year.

Delhi Police had registered an FIR against him on January 4 on a complaint given by the woman to Air India.

The police registered an FIR under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act. Both the accused and the victim are from outside Delhi.

US-based financial services company Wells Fargo on Friday also terminated its employee Shankar Mishra.

“Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards of professional and personal behaviour and we find these allegations deeply disturbing. This individual has been terminated from Wells Fargo. We are cooperating with law enforcement and ask that any additional inquiries be directed to them,” the company said in a statement.

The company’s statement came after Delhi Police reached out to Wells Fargo to cooperate with investigations against accused Mishra.

This is not a country of Pujaris: Rahul Gandhi makes bizarre claims about ‘Pooja’ and ‘Tapasya’ during his Bharat Jodo Yatra

OpIndia Staff
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This is not a country of Pujaris: Rahul Gandhi makes bizarre claims about ‘Pooja’ and ‘Tapasya’ during his Bharat Jodo Yatra

On Sunday (January 8), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi went on an unhinged rant against Pooja (Hindu form of worship) while trying to promote his latest avatar of Tapasvi (ascetic).

Rahul Gandhi made the contentious remarks during the Haryana leg of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. While speaking to the media in Samana near Kurukshetra, Rahul Gandhi claimed that BJP is a party of ‘Pooja’ while Congress is a party of ‘Tapasya.‘

Upon realising that he may have upset his Hindu voters by taking potshots at their religious practice, Rahul Gandhi tried to undo the damage but ended up causing more harm to his party. “There are two types of Pooja – the normal one and the one done by RSS,” Rahul brazened it out.

“RSS wants people to forcibly worship them(do their Pooja). The response to such a form of worship can only be tapasya,” Rahul said. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that lakhs of people are doing ‘tapasya‘, along with Congress, to counter the effects of the ‘pooja’ of BJP and RSS.

“BJP says that there should be no respect for tapasya but only for those who do our pooja,” he said, adding that the saffron party attacked the poor men’s tapasya through its policies such as demonetisation, GST, and the farm laws.

He further alleged that PM Modi is afraid of the tapasya of journalists and that he is therefore afraid of press conferences. “Congress is an organisation of tapasya, BJP is an organisation of pooja,” Rahul Gandhi continued.

To further add credence to his outlandish claims, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress party symbol has been derived from Abhay mudra of Hindu deities and how they reflect the essence of tapasya.

“The struggle for Independence was a struggle for tapasya and at that time, they (BJP/RSS) made the British rulers do pooja,” the Congress scion continued. At about 36 minutes into the press conference, he was asked by a journalist whether he has turned into an ascetic (tapasvi).

Rahul Gandhi claimed, “I was an ascetic and continue to be one. This is a country of ascetics. We do not respect tapasya enough, but, I do. This is the change I want to bring about. This is a country of ascetics and not those who do pooja (Pujaris). This is the reality of India.”

Rahul Gandhi compares his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to Swayamvar of Draupadi 

During the same press conference, Rahul Gandhi was heard as saying, “When Arjuna was hitting the eye of the fish (during the Swayamvara of Draupadi), did he announce his future course of action to everyone?”

Rahul Gandhi made the remarks upon being asked about his plans after the conclusion of his political foot pilgrimage. He had compared himself to Arjuna and erroneously claimed that the warrior (just like him) did not know about the fruits of his actions.

“The story of Arjuna (not announcing his plans in advance) has a profound meaning. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. You focus on the work and do not think about the results. This is the thinking behind the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress scion further added, “After the Yatra ends, there will be another task in hand and then possibly another. You will get to know about my plans at that time.”

Indonesia: Foreign tourists concerned after the Muslim majority country bans sex outside of marriage

ANI
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Indonesia: Foreign tourists concerned after the Muslim majority country bans sex outside of marriage

Tourists are concerned about Indonesia’s new criminal code that includes a ban on sex outside of marriage, reported NHK World. 

The controversial revisions of the colonial-era penal code are leaving some in the tourism industry worried travellers may be deterred from visiting as the tourism sector still recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Indonesian President Joko Widodo approved the revision earlier this week. It will apply to both citizens and foreigners in the country, including tourists, reported NHK World. 

Violators will face up to a year in prison or fines. The code also prohibits unmarried couples from living together. Some local authorities have been cracking down on sex outside marriage, such as raids on hotels. 

There are worries that the law will scare away tourists and investors, even before it goes into effect in three years, reported NHK World. 

The national government says under the code, local authorities won’t be free to do so, meaning the code will actually be protecting everyone, including foreign tourits. Only the families of those involved will be able to alert authorities. 

There are worries in the tourism industry in Bali that the code will take another bite out of visitor numbers. 

With foreign arrivals to Bali expected to reach pre-pandemic levels of 6 million by 2025, Indonesia’s national tourism board has described the new code as “totally counterproductive”. 

Chairman of the Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agency Bali, I Putu Winastra, said, “Especially in European countries, many people live together without getting married and even have children. We must protect their privacy.” 

He is calling on the government to explain the code so people in other countries can fully understand it, reported NHK World. 

Simon Butt — a professor and director of the centre for Asian and Pacific law at the University of Sydney’s law school — said the sex ban for unmarried couples was unlikely to affect tourists. 

“Provided that no such complaints are made to Indonesian police,” Professor Butt warned. 

“Police cannot proceed with investigating adultery or cohabitation without a complaint. Not just anyone can make a complaint,” he added.

(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: Tutor Afzal lures a minor Hindu girl, rapes her, and forces her to convert to Islam, arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Tutor Afzal lures a minor Hindu girl, rapes her, and forces her to convert to Islam, arrested

A sensational case of sexual exploitation of a minor girl and her rape has come to light in the Banda district of Uttar Pradesh. A youth named Afzal, who used to teach tuition to the victim minor girl, lured her into a love trap and then raped her. Acting on the family’s complaint, the police rescued the victim and arrested the accused Afzal.

Afzal, who used to give tuition in Banda, lured the minor Hindu girl into a love trap and then ran away with her. After this, he raped her. Not only this, but he also pressurized her to change her religion. The minor’s father had lodged a missing person’s report following the disappearance of his child.

Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the accused Afzal who committed this crime. A case has been registered against the accused under sections of rape, POCSO, and the Religion Conversion Act.

The case is from an area under the Atarra police station area. According to the victim’s family, Afzal, a resident of the Hamirpur district, lured their 14-year-old daughter into a love trap and took her away on Monday afternoon. On the complaint of the father, the police registered a case. Following this, on Friday, the girl’s location was traced and police reached the spot. When police reached the spot, the girl was found standing at a station wearing a burqa.

The girl told the police that the accused Afzal had raped her. At the same time, he also pressurized her to change religion. Based on the girl’s statement, the police registered a case and arrested the accused, and sent him to jail. 

According to the police, the accused Afzal used to teach tuition to the minor. At the same time, she was trapped in love by the accused. SP Abhinandan said that strict action will be taken against the accused Afzal.

Afghanistan: Ministry of Education of Taliban government tests the knowledge of Islam of their employees through an exam

OpIndia Staff
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Afghanistan: Ministry of Education of Taliban government tests the knowledge of Islam of their employees through an exam

The ministry of education of the Taliban-run government in Afghanistan recently conducted an examination for its employees to test their knowledge of Islam. The Ministry of Education said on Twitter that a test was held for the employees of its central departments about their knowledge of Islam. Abdulhai Hazm, an official of the ministry, said the exam is aimed at building employees’ knowledge about Islamic rules and orders.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education also tweeted on 7th January 2023 in this regard. According to them, the religious exams are taken by the Ministry of Education staff. Officials of the Ministry of Education’s Invitation and Guidance Department said, “The first phase of jurisprudence and religious sciences was taken from the staff of the central branches of the Ministry of Education in the mosque of the Ministry.”

Sheikh Mawlawi Abdulhai Hazm, head of the ministry’s invitation and guidance department, said, “The questions of this exam were compiled from the content of the lectures that were taught to the employees of this institution every day. The purpose of this assessment is to fully familiarize the employees with the rules and principles of the blessed religion of Islam.”

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education’s Invitation and Guidance Department said, “At the same time, religious examinations have started in all the departments of education in the center and provinces of the country.”

According to Sheikh Hazm, those who get the highest scores on the test are praised and those who cannot get standardized grades should study very religiously to prepare for the upcoming tests.

Ever since the Taliban have taken hold of Afghanistan, strict Islamic rules are being imposed in Afghanistan. Recently, the Taliban government in Afghanistan ruled that women would be banned from working in the NGOs actively operating in Afghanistan. After this decision, three big international NGOs announced that they are suspending their work in Afghanistan.

Diesel gets costlier in Himachal Pradesh within one month of Congress forming govt, had promised no fuel price hike earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Diesel gets costlier in Himachal Pradesh within one month of Congress forming govt, had promised no fuel price hike earlier

On Sunday, January 8, the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh increased the value-added tax (VAT) on diesel from 6.40 per cent to 9.96 per cent per litre. With an increased VAT, diesel prices would surge by 3 rupees per litre now. Earlier the VAT on diesel was Rs 4.40 per litre, however, after the state government’s decision, it would now go up to Rs 7.40 per litre.

Notification issued by the government of Himachal Pradesh

Apparently, the newly-elected Congress government has forgotten its pre-poll promise that the Congress party, if voted to power, will not increase fuel prices in the state. 

Ahead of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, the Congress party had promised multiple freebies to the people of Himachal Pradesh if voted to power. Some of the freebies promised by Congress included 300 units of free electricity to household consumers, and financial assistance of Rs 1500 per month to all women aged between 18 and 60 years. 

When asked by the media about the availability of funds to provide for the freebies announced, Congress party’s election observer for Himachal Pradesh Bhupesh Baghel said that the Congress party will make arrangements for it in the same way as it has been doing in other party-ruled states. He added that his party will not increase the prices of petrol and diesel for the same. 

“We will make arrangements in the same way that other party-ruled states do. It will not be accomplished by raising the prices of petrol and diesel, as the incumbent government has done”, Baghel said.

The increase in diesel prices comes as CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu today expanded his cabinet and appointed seven MLAs as cabinet ministers, including Shimla MLA Vikramaditya Singh, son of former CM Virbhadra Singh.

Apart from Vikramaditya Singh, Shillai MLA Harshwardhan Chauhan, Kinnaur MLA Jagat Singh Negi, former chief parliamentary secretary and Jubbal Kotkhai MLA Rohit Thakur, Solan MLA Dhani Ram Shandil, Jawali MLA Chandra Kumar, and Anirudh Singh also took the oath as ministers.

Social Media star Uorfi Javed meets Javed Akhtar, shares photograph online

OpIndia Staff
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Social Media star Uorfi Javed meets Javed Akhtar, shares photograph online

Uorfi Javed, one of the most famous online personalities, is currently in Delhi in connection with a fashion show. On Sunday, 8th January 2023, the social media star met veteran lyricist Javed Akhtar and shared a picture of it on social media, along with the caption ‘The Legend’. She also wrote that she has finally met her grandfather.

Uorfi Javed shared the photo with Javed Akhtar on her Instagram and Twitter handles. Image Source: Instagram Handle @urf7i

In her Instagram stories, Uorfi posted a picture of her with Javed Akhtar. Uorfi, who is often in the news for her sartorial choices, wore a blue overcoat for the meeting, while Javed wore a grey kurta with a black shawl. Javed Akhtar can also be seen smiling and posing before the camera for Uorfi.

Uorfi wrote in the caption along with the picture, “I finally met my grandfather today. Also, he is a legend, in the morning so many people lined up to take selfies, but he did not say no to anyone, laughed, and interacted with everyone. He was so warm! I was scared.” She added rose, laugh, and heart emojis to her caption.

It is notable that when Uorfi Javed became a social media sensation after Bigg Boss OTT, people started saying that she is Javed Akhtar’s granddaughter. This news spread like wildfire and Shabana Azmi also reacted to it that she has no connection with Uorfi.

Uorfi Javed is often in news about her unique outfits. Recently, Maharashtra BJP Mahila Morcha president Chitra Wagh filed a police complaint against her, claiming that the actress’ dressing sense was vulgar and a threat to society. She also demanded that Uorfi Javed should be arrested.

Not only this, Uorfi Javed is often canceled by Islamists for her choice of clothes. She was targeted even this time when she shared her photo with Javed Akhtar. One Shadab Salmaniac wrote, “You wore all the clothes in your cupboard today. Shameless.”

Mohammad Irshad replied to Uorfi Javed, “Do you know what is decency?”

Another Twitter handle @theWolvosaga said, “You wear his clothes and give your clothes to him.”

Uorfi Javed said in 2021 that she does not believe in Islam and will not marry a Muslim.

Rahul Gandhi compares his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to Swayamvar of Draupadi in this bizarre analogy

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi compares his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to Swayamvar of Draupadi in this bizarre analogy

On Sunday (January 8), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi drew bizarre analogies between his ambitious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the Swayamvar of Draupadi from the Hindu epic ‘Mahabharata.’

In a video shared very proudly by the official Twitter handle of the Congress party, he was heard as saying, “When Arjuna was focusing on the eye of the fish, did he announce his future course of action to everyone?”

Rahul Gandhi made the remarks upon being asked about his plans, following the conclusion of his political foot pilgrimage. He had compared himself to Arjuna and erroneously claimed that the warrior did not know about the fruits of his actions (the task to hit the eye of a fish).

“The story of Arjuna (not announcing his plans in advance) has a profound meaning. It is also mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita. You focus on the work and do not think about the results. This is the thinking behind the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he claimed.

Rahul Gandhi further added, “After the Yatra ends, there will be another task in hand and then possibly another. You will get to know about my plans at that time.”

Instead of directly answering the question of a journalist, the Congress scion chose to invoke Hindu scriptures to draw parallels with his political foot pilgrimage. However, in doing so, Rahul Gandhi seems to have goofed up once again. It must be mentioned that Arjuna was aware of the outcome of hitting the fish in the eye, given that the competition of the task was crucial to marry Draupadi, the daughter of the King of Panchal.

‘BJP will make saffron the national flag, remove the tricolour’: Mehbooba Mufti demands restoration of old situations in Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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‘BJP will make saffron the national flag, remove the tricolour’: Mehbooba Mufti demands restoration of old situations in Kashmir

Ever since Article 370 was abolished in Jammu and Kashmir, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been inconsolable. Sometimes she threatens that people may pick up guns, sometimes she shows fear of the government trying to change demography. This time she has expressed fear of changing the flag of the country to saffron.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said that the BJP government took away the flag of Jammu and Kashmir, snatched the Constitution, removed special status by removing Article 370, and now it is going to change the constitution of the country soon. She alleged that the BJP will change the country’s national flag to saffron.

Mehbooba Mufti, who has run a coalition government with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir between 2015 and 2018, said that the BJP has crushed the constitution of the country with a bulldozer. She also cried her grief over separating the union territory Ladakh from Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba said Ladakh is an integral part of Jammu and Kashmir. She demanded the restoration of the old situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mehbooba Mufti also demanded the systematic withdrawal of armed forces and AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir. She, however, did not mention the attacks by Islamist militants in the state and the target killings against Hindus, nor how they would be protected once the security forces are withdrawn.

Paying tributes to her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on his death anniversary, she said Jammu and Kashmir went with Mahatma Gandhi’s India and not with Nathuram Godse’s India. Regarding her father, the founder of PDP, Mehbooba said that he was a pure Indian.

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

OpIndia Staff
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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.

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