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Shah Rukh Khan goes to Vaishno Devi temple ahead of Pathaan release, had gone to Mecca earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Shah Rukh Khan goes to Vaishno Devi temple ahead of Pathaan release, had gone to Mecca earlier

On the intervening night of December 11 and December 12, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan was spotted at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in Katara. Notably, SRK had visited Mecca to perform Umrah earlier this month. SRK is hoping to make a big comeback to the silver screen in 2023 with his films Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki set for a release. Having suffered years of flops and mediocre releases, 2023 is supposed to be the year of the comeback for SRK.

SRK’s videos and photographs from Vaishno Devi Temple went viral on social media after his visit. Shahrukh’s face was not clearly visible as he was wearing a black hooded jacket but there was an army of security guards surrounding him as he made his way to the temple.

SRK has recently completed Saudi Arabia scheduled for Dhunki. Thanking the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia, he wrote, “spectacular locations, amazing arrangements, and the warm hospitality.”  “A very big Shukran (Thank you) to #SaudiArabiaMinistryOfCulture, the team, and all who made this shooting schedule of #Dunki so smooth,” the Bollywood star wrote on his Instagram post.

The first song of Pathaan is also scheduled for release soon. Deepika Padukone is in the lead opposite SRK in the film. The Bollywood actor unveiled the first look of the song on Sunday, December 11.

SRK visit to Mecca

On December 2, it was reported that SRK performed Umrah at Mecca after wrapping up the shooting schedule of Dunki. Saudi Arabia-based journalist Said Hafiz took to Twitter to share images of the Bollywood actor praying at Mecca. “Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan @iamsrk performed Umrah in #Mecca today. May Allah SWT accept his Umrah, Ameen”, he tweeted.

Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that can be undertaken at any time of the year as compared to Hajj. In accordance with the Shariah (Law of Islam), for both pilgrimages, a Muslim must first assume a state of purification achieved by completing cleansing rituals, wearing the prescribed attire, and abstaining from certain actions. Umrah is considered a pilgrimage “lesser than” Hajj and is completed in a few hours, compared to Hajj, which may take a few days.

SRK is often seen following rituals of both Islam and Hinduism. Notably, his wife, Gauri, is a Hindu. Every year, SRK posts pictures of the idol of Bhagwan Ganesha that his family brings home for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Maharashtra: Saif Ali Saleem rapes 14-year-old Adivasi girl and records video on the phone; arrested

Siddhi Somani
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Maharashtra: Saif Ali Saleem rapes 14-year-old Adivasi girl and records video on the phone; arrested

On December 5, Maharashtra Police arrested an individual named Saif Ali Saleem for raping a 14-year-old Hindu Adivasi girl from Patan town of Satara district. The accused sexually assaulted the victim twice in the year and shot videos on his phone. The Police registered an FIR against the accused under the relevant sections of the society.

According to the local reports, the accused, a resident of the Pethshivapur region of Patan lured the Adivasi girl, a resident of Morgiri, Patan, by saying that he was in love with her. He then forcefully took her to a hotel in September of this year and established sexual relations with her without her will and permission.

Maharashtra adivasi
Police document obtained by Opindia

Later on November 14, the accused again trapped her behind her school in Morgiri and raped her brutally. He also shot videos of the girl and uploaded them on social media platforms. The accused before executing the crime made the girl believe that he liked her and that he was madly in love with her.

The girl who studies in 9th in a school at Morgiri said in the complaint letter that the accused raped her in November after her school, at around 5 pm. The Police immediately arrested the accused after the victim filed the complaint on December 5 and sought his remand for further investigation. According to the Police, the accused didn’t respond well to the interrogation and failed to provide any information regarding the crime.

Maharashtra adivasi
FIR Copy obtained by OpIndia

The Police document reveals that the accused is 26 years old and is a resident of the Pethshivapur area of Patan city. The residents of Patan protested against the accused after the incident came to the fore by closing the shops and shutting the market for 24 hours. The residents have demanded strict action against the accused and justice for the 14-year-old girl from the adivasi community. Earlier this year, a case of a tribal minor was raped and murdered in Maharashtra’s Jawahar taluka.

Maharashtra adivasi

Meanwhile, the lawyer’s association in the district has also condemned the incident and has decided that no lawyer would take up the case of the accused in the Courtroom. “We’ll help the victim get justice, but no lawyer would take up the case of the accused who abused and raped the minor,” said the president of the association Adv Prashant Mane.

Also, the Hindu community in the district have planned a protest march across the city on December 13 and has demanded strict action against the accused. The accused in the case have been arrested and booked under the relevant sections of the law. Further investigations into the case are underway.

Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen ties with China even as persecution of Uyghur Muslims continues in the communist country

OpIndia Staff
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Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen ties with China even as persecution of Uyghur Muslims continues in the communist country

Saudi Arabia is eyeing to strengthen bilateral ties with the Chinese Communist regime, amidst reports of heightened persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province of China.

Recently, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping was on a 3-day visit to Saudi Arabia. During his first official visit to the oil-rich country since 2016, he held meetings with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Xi also met members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and vowed to deepen ties with the Arab world. He also pledged to buy more oil from the Middle East and asked Arab partners to “conduct energy sales in the Chinese yuan.”

Amidst waning relations with the US, Saudi Arabia is cosying up to China with an increased focus on the teaching of Mandarin in the academic curriculum. As early as 2020, Mandarin was introduced in 8 high schools by the Saudi authorities to strengthen bilateral ties with China.

Reportedly, Saudi Arabia has trained over 300 local teachers in the Chinese language, supported over 1000 college students to participate in ‘the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship’ and set up majors in Mandarin in 9 universities.

Ohud Al Fares, the undersecretary for Public Education at the Saudi Education Ministry, has informed that the regime has introduced the Chinese language as an optional subject in some private and public schools.

“The Chinese language is one of the important world languages. It is taught with the aim of enabling students to gain the necessary skills. Teaching the Chinese language will be expanded as part of optional curricula,” she was quoted as saying.

Recently, the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia has given the green signal to Chinese language textbooks that are published in the Yinchuan region of China. As such, it became the first set of foreign textbooks that were approved by the Kingdom.

The books, developed over a course of four years, combine Arabic and traditional Chinese cultures and are specifically designed to cater to the habits and reading methods of Arabs.

Over 100 young Chinese-language learners from Saudi Arabia wrote to Xi about their experience and the Chinese Premier personally responded to the letter as a means of diplomatic outreach.

Persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

The development comes at a time when the Chinese regime has intensified the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region. It must be mentioned that Saudi Arabia occupies a significant place in the Muslim world as it is home to the holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina.

In the Xinjiang province of China, nearly 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities have been reportedly detained in a network of detention centres since 2017. By stating that the camps are vocational training schools, Beijing has refuted numerous reports that it has tortured Muslims in Xinjiang.

The Communist Party of China’s (CPC) objective is to integrate Uyghurs into the dominant Han Chinese ethnicity by stripping them of their religious and ethnic identities. Uyghur Muslims are faced with re-educational camps, forced labour, and digital surveillance, including their children being indoctrinated in orphanages.

The CPC restricts any news revealing the horrors committed against the Uyghurs in the detention centres.

Khalistani terrorist organisation SFJ offers legal and financial help to those involved in the RPG attack on police station in Tarn Taran

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani terrorist organisation SFJ offers legal and financial help to those involved in the RPG attack on police station in Tarn Taran

Days after claiming responsibility for the RPG attack on the police station in Tarn Taran, Punjab, US-based Khalistani terrorist organization, Sikh for Justice has announced legal and financial support for those arrested in connection with the same. The Punjab police and Counter Intelligence Wing have detained nearly 12 persons for their alleged involvement in the attack so far.

In a video message, the Sikhs For Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said, “Those who have been detained by the DGP Yadav and CM Bhagwant Mann government, I urge you to contact Sikhs For Justice. We will provide you with legal as well as financial help.”

Pannun who has been declared a terrorist under UAPA, reiterated his pro-separatist demand for a “Khalistan Referendum” in the message, saying that it’s the only way to uproot the Indian authority from Punjab.

NIA recovers one of three rocket launchers used to target the police station

Meanwhile, in another development in the case, the NIA and the Punjab police recovered one of three rocket launchers used to target the police station in Tarn Taran. Media reports have quoted sources privy to the case as saying that at least three rocket-propelled grenades (RPG) were dispatched to local terror sleeper cells by Pakistani drones. Search operations are underway to find the rest of the RPGs.

According to reports, Lakhbir Singh Landa of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) could be the main mastermind behind the attack. Gangster Landa, who is currently residing in Canada, allegedly devised a plan with Pakistan’s ISI to strike Punjab, said the source.

Elaborating on the modus operandi, the source claimed that Landa and the head of the International Sikh Youth Federation, Lakhbir Singh Rode, used their networks in Taran Taran to execute the plan.

SFJ claims responsibility for the RPG attack on Tarn Taran PS

Notably, on December 10, hours after it was reported that an attack by RPG rocked the Sarhali Police Station on the Amritsar-Bathinda Highway in Tarn Taran district the US-based Khalistani terrorist organization, Sikh for Justice, claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to reports, the alleged ancestral home of Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda is located near Sarhali itself. Last month it was reported that Rinda, who was involved in several terrorist incidents in Punjab and had supplied arms to the accused involved in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala, died in Pakistan. Now it is being claimed that the attack on the Tarn Taran police station was carried out by Khalistani terrorists under instructions from Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI), which wanted to keep the fear of Rinda alive in the area.

In light of the event, district general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav paid a visit to the PS and spoke to the media. He claimed that the grenade found in the police station appeared to have been brought in from across the border. He added that a case has been filed under The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2008 (UAPA), against unidentified suspects.

Sulli Deals case: Delhi LG grants sanction to prosecute main accused for ‘online auction’ of women

OpIndia Staff
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Sulli Deals case: Delhi LG grants sanction to prosecute main accused for ‘online auction’ of women

Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena has granted his authorisation to prosecute the main accused in the Sulli Deals case, Aumkareshwar Thakur, under Sections 196 of the CrPC, a report published by Times Now said.

The case pertains to the ‘Sulli Deals’ app, which created an outrage in July 2020 after several Muslim women in India found themselves put up for ‘auction’ to online bidders.

As per sources quoted by the news organisation, with LG’s imprimatur, the Delhi Police will now be able to prosecute Thakur, who is accused of creating the Sulli Deals App and Sulli Deals Twitter handles and putting up Muslim women for online auction.

The accused has prima facie committed an offence punishable under Sections 153A/354A(3) of the IPC and 66/67 of the IT Act. Police Station Special Cell had registered the case under FIR No 175/2021 dated July 7, 2021.

“The LG is of the considered view that a prima facie case is made out against the accused, and therefore sanction is granted for prosecuting the accused for the commission of the offences detailed in the FIR,” the report said. 

How hate-filled objectification of Hindu women continues unabated on social media

While the egregious objectification of Muslim women is dealt with by the provisions available in law, Hindu women face a similarly targeted harassment on social media but their cause is not championed with the same vigour as seen in the Sulli Deals case. Much like Muslim women, Hindu women, too, have also suffered a fair share of religiously motivated attacks against them, but they are often slipped under the radar because highlighting them would be politically incorrect and could “jeopardise the secular fabric of the country.”

There are many pages on Facebook with a sizeable following that talk about targeting Hindu women because of their religion. The images shared on these pages, which are mostly explicit, show Hindu women with identifiable markers such as sindoor, bangles and bindi that differentiate Hindu women from others. The posts uploaded on these pages exhort followers to target and sexualise Hindu women.

But, unfortunately, despite repeated attempts by social media users to highlight such abuse, these issues seldom get the attention that they deserve and only some of them are brought to notice, often depending on the discretion of Ministers or influential people. In some cases that manage to gain prominence, the pages and abusive accounts get suspended but those who are responsible for creating and running them are hardly brought to book.

100 crore Vasooli case: Bombay HC grants bail to former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on health grounds

ANI
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100 crore Vasooli case: Bombay HC grants bail to former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on health grounds

Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to former Home Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The court has granted bail to the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on a surety amount of Rs 1 lakh. He is also required to submit his passport in court. On the court’s decision, Deshmukh’s lawyer, advocate Aniket Nikam said that they argued for his bail on the grounds of his deteriorating health and had also produced his health records before the Court.

“We argued on health grounds. His health was deteriorating and we produced his health records before the court… CBI said that they would go to the higher court against this order, the court allowed them and in that context, it stayed the order for 10 days,” Advocate Aniket Nikam said.

Earlier, the CBI had opposed Deshmukh’s bail plea after he moved the Bombay High Court on October 26 for bail in connection with the case after a special CBI court rejected Deshmukh’s bail plea on October 21. Rejecting the bail application of Anil Deshmukh, the CBI court had previously said that in this case, the statement of public witness Sachin Waze has been recorded by the CBI during the hearing of the bail application.

“It is clear from the statements of the witnesses that Anil Deshmukh is the main conspirator in this whole case. The charges against him are very serious. In such a situation, if he is granted bail, he can influence the case and the witnesses,” the CBI court had said.

Deshmukh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in November 2021, which stated that he had misused his position as state home minister and collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars in Mumbai through some police officers.
According to the ED, Deshmukh had misused his position as state home minister and collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars in Mumbai through some police of officers.

Earlier on October 11, the Supreme Court refused to cancel the bail granted to the former home minister in the money laundering case lodged against him by Enforcement Directorate (ED). On October 4, the Bombay High Court had granted bail to Deshmukh in a money laundering case being investigated by the ED.

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

Punjab: Man accused of stealing wheat sacks tied to truck en route police station, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Man accused of stealing wheat sacks tied to truck en route police station, video goes viral

On Monday, December 12, a video went viral on social media in which a man was seen tied to the bonnet of a moving truck. According to reports, the man was being taken to the police station after he was caught by the driver red-handed stealing sacks of wheat from the fully loaded moving truck. The incident reportedly happened in Sri Mukhtar Sahib town of Punjab on Sunday (December 11).

In the video, the thief is seen tied to the front of the truck, while the helper is seen holding him and talking about taking him to the police station.

The helper is heard telling another unidentified person that the tied man had stolen two bags of wheat and he was being taken to the Bus Stand Police Station.

Besides this, another video of the same incident wherein the thief is seen stealing the sack from the truck has also gone viral. In this video, the thief is seen stealing the sack from a moving vehicle that is completely loaded as his accomplice rides a motorcycle after him. He drops the sack of wheat from the truck while his companion turns his bike and they both try to speed away from the spot with the loot.

Speaking about the incident, Deputy Superintendent of Sri Muktsar Sahib Jagdish Kumar said that action would be taken against both the thief and the man who tied him to the truck.

“Two videos went viral. In one video a young man was seen stealing a sack of wheat from the back of a truck while his companion was following him on a motorcycle. In the other video, it was seen that the truck’s owner or driver caught the thief, tied him to the truck, and brought him to the Police Station. Action will be taken against both the thief and the person who tied him to the truck,” the DSP was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

Madhya Pradesh: Congress leader Raja Pateria asks people to ‘be ready to kill Modi’, later claims he believes in Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Congress leader Raja Pateria asks people to ‘be ready to kill Modi’, later claims he believes in Gandhi

Former Madhya Pradesh minister and Congress leader Raja Pateria stirred a controversy when he asked people to be ready to kill Modi. A video of Pateria went viral on social media where he asked the people to be prepared to kill Modi in order to remove evil from society. In the viral video, he could be heard saying that PM Modi will “end elections, divide people based on religion, and Dalits face the biggest threat under his regime”. Furthermore, he added, “You should be ready to kill Modi… kill in the sense of defeating him.”

The video was shared by Bharatiya Janata Party’s Madhya Pradesh State Spokesperson Rajpal Singh Sisodiya on his Facebook profile and later on Twitter.

BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya also shared the video with other leaders and BJP supporters. In his tweet, Malviya said, “The Congress is increasingly getting desperate and planning to assassinate PM Modi. We have seen how Channi’s administration, in the run-up to Punjab elections, almost executed the plan….”

BJP leaders urged Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra to initiate action against Congress leader Pateria. Mishra, while speaking to the media, said, “I heard Pateria ji’s statements, it is clear from his statement that this is not Mahatma Gandhi’s Congress. This is the Congress of Italy, and the mentality of Italy is of Mussolini. Swara Bhaskar, Kanhaiya Kumar, and Sushant are walking in Rahul Gandhi’s journey. I am instructing the SP to get the FIR done immediately.” As per reports, he has instructed Police officials at Panna Police Station to register FIR against Pateria.

Following the controversy, Pateria claimed his statement was being interpreted incorrectly. He said, “I am a man who believes in Gandhi, I cannot talk like this. I meant the political environment where it is necessary to defeat Modi to save the Constitution. It is necessary to defeat Modi to protect minorities, Dalits, and tribals and to remove unemployment. My intention regarding the ‘assassination of Modi’ has been completely misrepresented.”

Qatar: After Grant Wahl, journalist Khalid al-Misslam dies suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar: After Grant Wahl, journalist Khalid al-Misslam dies suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup 2022, which is being held in Qatar, has come under the scanner after the death of journalists under mysterious circumstances.

On Friday (December 9), a photojournalist named Khalid al-Misslam died ‘suddenly’ while covering the sporting event. He was associated with Alkass sports netowork.

In a tweet, Gulf News said, “Al Kass TV photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam passed away recently. Al- Misslam, a Qatari, died suddenly while covering the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. We believe in Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for him, and send our deepest condolences to his family.”

According to Fox Sports, the circumstances surrounding the death of Khalid al-Misslam are unclear. It informed that AlKass briefly mentioned his death during the live broadcast.

Death of Grant Wahl under mysterious circumstances

A day earlier on Saturday (December 10), American soccer journalist Grant Wahl died mysteriously while covering the Quarter Final match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Reportedly, he collapsed during the extra time segment of the match and could not be revived. In his last substack newsletter on Friday (December 9), Grant Wahl slammed the Qatari World Cup organisers for their lack of empathy towards migrant labourers.

“They just don’t care. Qatari World Cup organizers don’t even hide their apathy over migrant worker deaths, including the most recent one,” he wrote. Grant’s brother Eric Wahl has alleged foul play in his death.

On November 21 this year, Grant Wahl was detained by security personnel for wearing a rainbow-coloured T-shirt to the Ahmad bin Ali stadium during the match between the United States and Wales.

He wore the T-shirt to express solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Grant Wahl was initially stopped by a security guard and asked to remove his shirt. His phone was confiscated while he tried tweeting about the incident.

The journalist was detained for about 25 minutes during which he was told that his rainbow-coloured T-shirt was ‘political’ in nature. In a substack newsletter, he wrote, “…The entire episode left me wondering: What’s it like for ordinary Qataris who might wear a rainbow shirt when the world isn’t watching here? What’s that like?”

Mathura: Interstate fake currency racket linked to China busted, had imported equipment from e-commerce giant Alibaba

ANI
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Mathura: Interstate fake currency racket linked to China busted, had imported equipment from e-commerce giant Alibaba

Officials of the Government Railway Police (GRP), Mathura, have busted an interstate gang involved in printing fake currency notes using equipment imported from China. They arrested the kingpin.

Mathura GRP along with joint teams of Police Commissionerate Varanasi on Sunday arrested Mukesh alias Raunak, the mastermind who was carrying a bounty of Rs 25,000 on his head, Raunak was arrested from Varanasi. Officials recovered fake currencies worth Rs 21,000, half-printed fake notes, equipment for printing fake notes valued an estimated value of Rs 7 lakh and other materials.

“The materials used in printing fake currencies, involving a photostat machine, lamination machine, punching machine, frame slider of different sizes, etc. were imported from a Chinese firm Guangzhou Bonedry Co. Ltd. from www.alibaba.com,” police said, adding that the nexus was spread across UP’s Varanasi to Malda in West Bengal and in many states of the country.

Raunak’s name came to the fore on December 9, when Mathura GRP arrested three people with fake notes counterfeiting Rs 1.5 lakh. The police interrogated those arrested and Raunak’s name emerged.

“In response, the GRP lodged a complaint and formed eight teams to arrest the leader of the gang and other accused involved in the illegal business of fake currency. The teams raided various locations continuously and with the help of Varanasi Police and arrested Raunak from Srinagar Colony under the Sarnath Police Station, Banaras (Varanasi). A large number of fake currency notes and printing instruments were recovered from the raided spot,” Mushtaq Ahmad, SP GRP, Mathura told ANI.

Raunak is in the custody of Mathura GRP and the police have recovered all the material in Varanasi with the help of which the fake currencies were printed. The police have now brought the equipment to Mathura.

The officials recovered 42 counterfeit notes of Rs 500 (worth Rs 21,000), four half-printed fake currency notes of Rs 500, rolls of a security thread, security paper, a computer with associated equipment, a high-class printer, a photostat machine, a lamination machine, punching machine, frame slider of different sizes, and other equipment (ink, powder, screen printing watermark etc.) from Raunak’s possession.

Further information is 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)

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