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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)

States and central govt should confiscate benami properties of foreign-funded institutions involved in religious conversion: Petition in SC

OpIndia Staff
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States and central govt should confiscate benami properties of foreign-funded institutions involved in religious conversion: Petition in SC

In a written petition submitted on Monday, December 12, before the Supreme Court’s bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar, advocate Ashwini Upadhyay asked the court for the seizure of benami properties of people involved in illegal conversions. Upadhyay asked the court to direct the central government and the states to seize “benami” properties and disproportionate assets owned by people and organisations involved in “fraudulent religious conversion.”

The advocate stated in court that women and children are the primary targets of this “foreign-funded” religious conversion in the nation. He added that a legal vacuum on the subject has allowed the use of “unethical predatory conversion strategies” to convert the country’s socially and economically underprivileged citizens.

The SC bench has been hearing the petition filed by Upadhyay seeking direction to the centre and states to take stringent steps to control fraudulent religious conversions through intimidation, and luring through gifts and monetary benefits.

“Petitioner submits that women and children are the main targets of foreign-funded missionaries and conversion groups but the Centre and the States have not taken appropriate steps to control religious conversion in the spirit of Article 15(3)”, the petition said.

“Call upon the Law Commission of India to suggest suitable legislation and Guidelines to check unlawful fraudulent religious conversion,” the plea added. 

Upadhyay further told the Supreme Court that the situation is concerning since numerous people and groups are converting SCs and STs in significant numbers, either through coercion or allurement or by taking advantage of their socioeconomic disadvantage.

Citing IPC rules, the petitioner added, “However, religious conversion by intimidation, threats, luring through gifts, monetary benefits and by inducement, which are more serious offences relating to religion are not covered under Chapter-XV of the IPC.”

Wrongful religious conversion directly offends the right to life, liberty, and dignity guaranteed under Article 21, it said.

“But, due to a legal vacuum, unethical predatory conversion strategies are commonly used in Delhi to convert socially and economically backward citizens. One method is material enticement by which economic, educational, medical or social assistance is offered on the condition that the person converts. Another is the denigration of the person’s religion to make a new religion appear superior. Predatory proselytization tears apart the fabric of the communities where it occurs and has led to social disorder and unrest,” the petition said.

‘Cannot convert on the pretext of help’: SC slams NGOs for carrying out religious conversion 

Notably, during the last hearing, the Supreme Court criticised missionaries and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for carrying out the forced religious conversion of individuals under the guise of helping them.

“The purpose of charity should not be conversion; every charity or good work is welcome, but what is required to be considered is the intention,” the court said as it rejected the plea challenging maintainability of the PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.

Reiterating that forced religious conversion is a very serious matter, the court also called it unconstitutional. The bench of Justices M R Shah and C T Ravikumar asked the Centre and States to file a detailed affidavit on the issue of forceful conversions.

SC terms forced religious conversion a ‘very serious’ issue, warns difficult situation may emerge if practice not stopped

It may be recalled that during the hearing on this matter on November 14, the SC termed the practice of forced religious conversions a ‘very serious’ issue. Supreme Court directed the Central Government to step in and make sincere efforts to check the practice. The Court also issued a warning saying that a very difficult situation might emerge if the practice of forced religious conversion is not stopped.

Kanpur: 5 Bangladeshis arrested with letter signed by jailed SP MLA Irfan Solanki authorizing them as Indian nationals

OpIndia Staff
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Kanpur: 5 Bangladeshis arrested with letter signed by jailed SP MLA Irfan Solanki authorizing them as Indian nationals

On Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh Police detained five Bangladeshi individuals of one family who were staying as Indian nationals in Kanpur city of the state. The accused were issued a letter purportedly signed by jailed Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Irfan Solanki which authorized them as Indian nationals.

According to the reports, the Police seized fake identity cards including passports and Aadhaar cards from the arrested individuals and also recovered foreign currency from them. The detention comes only 48 hours after cops filed a charge sheet against Solanki in relation to an arson case in the district’s Jajmau sector. The accused have been identified as Rizwan Mohammad (53), Khalid Majid (79), Hina Khalid (45), Rukhsar Rizwan (21), and Rizwan’s 17-year-old son.

Kanpur Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Anand Prakash Tiwari confirmed the incident and said that the officers recovered multiple passports, Indian and Bangladeshi ones from the possession of the accused. “We also recovered three fake Aadhaar cards and forged documents which helped them prove themselves as Indian nationals. We have also found a letter purportedly signed by MLA Irfan Solanki, in which he has said that they are Indian nationals,” the Police said.

MLA Irfan Solanki is in jail for setting fire to a woman’s house to occupy her property.

The Police further said that the officers recovered a corporator’s certified paper, a Khulna resident in Bangladesh but not a native of India. “We have seized two letters from the accused where Solanki has purportedly certified that he (Solanki) knows them personally and that the accused are Indian nationals. We will probe the signatures on the letters,” Tiwari stated adding that a case at Moolganj police station has been filed.

Reports mention that Rs 14.56 lakh in Indian currency, USD 1,000, some jewelry, 13 passports, and 5 fake Aadhaar cards have been recovered by the Kanpur Police. According to the police, accused Rizwan Mohammed married an Indian-origin woman named Hina, who was also detained on Sunday.

Additional CP Anand Prakash Tiwari also confirmed that SP MLA Solanki and SP councilor Mannu Rehman helped the accused in attaining the residence proof certificates which proved them as Indian Nationals. “The Police lodged a case against the accused and they will be produced in the court soon,” Tiwari said.

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