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Nadav Lapid calls controversy over his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’ a cheap political manipulation, accuses Naor Gilon and others of politicising it

OpIndia Staff
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Nadav Lapid calls controversy over his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’ a cheap political manipulation, accuses Naor Gilon and others of politicising it

On Wednesday 30th November 2022, leftist Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid came forward to shamelessly back his comments on Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’. Nadav Lapid said that his opinions were shared by the other jury members in the IFFI as well. Besides, he called the stir created by his remarks in Indian society as well as the apologetic stance of the Israeli ambassador Naor Gilon towards India a ‘cheap political manipulation’ of the issue.

Nadav Lapid had sparked a controversy by calling filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s film The Kashmir files ‘vulgar’ and ‘propaganda’ during his concluding remarks at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) that was held in Goa. Lapid was the chairperson of the jury of the International Film Festival of India held in Goa.

However, now Lapid has admitted that many people think that the movie is brilliant. He added that he merely did his duty by expressing his views on it. He also said that he has not denied what had happened in Kashmir, but was only criticising the movie. However, he maintained that the movie is propaganda, adding that nobody can define what propaganda is.

In an interview with India Today, Nadav Lapid presented his next round of explanation, citing subjectivity this time, as leftists usually do when it gets difficult to defend their views. He said, “I had a feeling exactly because we are talking about such a tragic topic. These events oblige us to make serious movies. And this movie for me was exactly the opposite. It was a basic cheap cinematic manipulation.”

Nadav Lapid cleverly ducked the question “if ‘Schindler’s List was a propaganda film according to him”. He went on to preach about the subjectivity of considering something propaganda. He said, “No one has a key to distinguish between a propaganda and a non-propaganda film. I make movies that are very often controversial. They gained awards all over the world in the most prestigious places including Cannes and Berlin and Goa. There are people who accept criticism in the very harshest of words. Don’t make me analyze Schindler’s List or any other movies. Even the most terrible things that happened might give birth to propaganda and manipulated movies.” However, he did not specify what exactly in the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ was manipulated.

When asked about other jury members coming out saying that they do not agree with the views of Lapid on the movie, he accused them of lying and changing their position. He claimed that all the jury members had agreed on his views about the movie, but now they are changing their positions for fear or anxiety, or under pressure.

He said, “My statements and opinions were shared by all the jury members. All of us were sitting in the screening room and had the same feelings after the screening. Everyone was aware of what was going to be said. I have emails and WhatsApp to prove it. ”

To this answer, he was countered by the anchor citing the statement by an Indian on the jury panel, Nadav Lapid said, “I understand that under pressure or fear or anxiety, people can suddenly change their statements.” He refuted the claims of the Indian member that the issue was not even discussed. He also asked Rahul Kanwal to call other non-Indian members to verify his claims.

On widespread backlash by Indians and the Israeli ambassador to India apologizing to Indians and the Indian government, Nadav Lapid said, “I think that politicians have their way of making profits out of cases like this. The Israeli politicians and the ambassadors did abuse in an ugly disgusting and manipulative way in this case. I am a private person. I have the right to say what I think. I don’t need to get authorization for this. Neither from the Israeli ambassador nor from anyone else. I am not their property. I don’t need to get advice from them about what I say and what I don’t say. I was talking as an artist and as a filmmaker and as a jury invited to give my opinion about the films there.”

He added, “The Israeli ambassador is doing the same manipulation. I will say this if I have to say it another one thousand times. I was never ever speaking about the Kashmir tragedy. I am not at all taking back what I said. But I am sorry if people are hurt by this. I was talking about the movie. The Israeli ambassador is claiming that he is not a film expert but he thinks that The Kashmir Files s not a propaganda film. It is his right to say so. I don’t know to which extent he was saying this and what exactly it means. But this is a cheap manipulation, about what I was saying done, by the Israeli people and also certain people in India.”

When asked about his claim regarding other jury members being already aware of his comments well before, he said,

The Kashmir Files, written and directed by Vivek Agnihotri and produced by Zee Studio fared remarkably well at the box office, grossing over 330 crores.

Five cars rented by US President’s secret service burst into flames after his Nantucket vacation: Watch

OpIndia Staff
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Five cars rented by US President’s secret service burst into flames after his Nantucket vacation: Watch

A day after returning from his Nantucket vacation, President Joe Biden’s hired Secret Service cars caught fire in a parking lot. Last week, Biden and his family celebrated Thanksgiving on the luxurious Massachusetts island. The video of the incident went viral over social media which showed cars burst into flames.

According to the reports, the Secret Service hired five cars from Hertz to drive the president and his family, and all 5 of them burst into flames in the parking lot. Firefighters in the viral video are seen dousing the burning remains of an engine block of one car with water. A Chevy Suburban, Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX80, Ford Expedition, and a Jeep Gladiator comprised the five vehicles which caught fire. 

The fire apparently only reached 40 feet from the jet fuel tanks at the Nantucket airport, where the cars were parked. Currently, it is uncertain what started the fire. The airport authority commented on the issue and said, “At approximately 5:22 am Airport shift staff observed an active fire in the rental car overflow area through the Airport’s Closed Circuit Television System. Staff activated the Alert system and responded to the fire in Airport-3, where they were met by responding units from Nantucket Fire Department and Nantucket Police Department”.

“Combined fire resources responded and contained the fire. Several vehicles were damaged. The Airport is currently coordinating with rental car agencies and agency partners to ensure scene safety, There is no longer an active fire at this time: the Airport is open, and aeronautical operations are not affected,” the statement read.

Biden celebrated the holiday with his family over the Nantucket island. He and his family resided in a seaside home near Nantucket Harbor. Ashley and Hunter Biden were among the family members who accompanied Biden on the vacation. Reports mention that the family has been celebrating Thanksgiving on the island for over 40 years.

As sex toy store Besharam caught misusing Raja Ravi Varma painting, legality of their business questioned: Here is what the laws say

Anurag
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As sex toy store Besharam caught misusing Raja Ravi Varma painting, legality of their business questioned: Here is what the laws say

Besharam, an adult toy store, has been caught misusing an iconic painting by Raja Ravi Verma. To promote their ‘The Heavenly Sale’ offering 20-50% on their sex toys, with an additional 10% off for using the code ‘heaven’, they used the painting titled Shakuntala Menaka by Varma.

However, they committed multiple offences while doing so. First, they allegedly used the painting without authorisation. And the second and major offence is that they presented the mother-daughter duo from Mahabharata as a lesbian couple. Shakuntala was the daughter of Menaka the Apsara from heaven, and the painting depicts the moment when Menakta takes Shakuntala to heaven.

Besharam has offended people by depicting a mother and her daughter from a sacred Hindu text as a lesbian couple, and they are still using on their website even after it created an outrage on social media. Along with that, they are also being accused of misusing imagery of Sunni Leone to promote their products.

Leone’s team says that they have already sued the company, adding that she had signed a contract with Besharam in 2012 for only one year, but even now they are using her images. It is notable that Besharam is using Sunny Leone’s pictures as display images in their social media accounts.

Amid the controversy, questions have been raised on the legality of the business being conducted by Besharam, which is selling sex toys like vibrators, masturbators, dildos, lovense, fleshlight, anal toys and other such merchandise. The company says that they source the products from the US and Europe and sell them in through its online store. They describe Sunny Leone as the face of Besharam.

Now, let’s discuss the legality of selling sex toys in India.

As per the law, there is no definite ban on the sale of sex toys in India. However, when it comes to such toys or other products that are used for sexual pleasure and can be termed obscene, Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) comes to force. As per the law, it is illegal to sell any product that can be deemed obscene, and sex toys will fall under that category.

As per Section 292 of the IPC, “a book, pamphlet, paper, writing, drawing, painting, representation, figure or any other object, shall be deemed to be obscene if it is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect, or (where it comprises two or more distinct items) the effect of any one of its items, is if taken as a whole, such as to tend to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.“

Section 292 of the IPC. Source: http://legislative.gov.in/

The section further reads, “Whoever –

(a) sells, lets to hire, distributes, publicity exhibits or in any manner puts into circulation, or for purposes of sale, hire, distribution, public exhibition or circulation, makes, produces or has in his possession any obscene book, pamphlet, paper, drawing, painting, representation or figure or any other obscene object whatsoever, or

(b) imports, exports, or conveys any obscene object for any of the purposes aforesaid, or knowing or having reason to believe that such object will be sold, let to hire, distributed or publicly exhibited or in any manner put into circulation, or

(c) takes part in or receives profits from any business in the course of which he knows or has reason to believe that any such obscene objects are, for any of the purposes aforesaid, made, produced, purchased, kept, imported, exported, conveyed, publicly exhibited or in any manner put into circulation, or

(d) advertises or makes known by any means whatsoever that any person is engaged or is ready to engage in any act which is an offence under this section or that any such obscene object can be procured from or through any person, or

(e) offers or attempts to do any act which is an offence under this section

shall be punished on first conviction with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, and with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, and, in the event of a second or subsequent conviction, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, and also with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees.

Exception. – This section does not extend to –

(a) any book, pamphlet, paper, writing, drawing, painting, representation or figure –

(i) the publication of which is proved to be justified as being for the public good on the ground that such book, pamphlet, paper, writing, drawing, painting, representation or figure is in the interest of science, literature, art or learning or other objects of general concern, or

(ii) which is kept or used bona fide for religious purposes;

(b) any representation sculptured, engraved, painted or otherwise represented on or in –

(i) any ancient monument within the meaning of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (24 of 1958), or

(ii) any temple, or on any car used for the conveyance of idols, or kept or used for any religious purpose.]]

No disclaimer on the website for underage users

When we surfed the website, it was evident that there was not even a single disclaimer that warned underage users about the content of the website.

How the website sells products in India?

As per the website’s own description, they are using a loophole in the laws. The company that sells the products via the portal in India is not based in India but in the United States, where the sale of such products is legal. Furthermore, the products that are delivered in India do not have any indication on the box that it is a sex toys. As per the FAQs of the website, they do not classify the products as sex toys but as pleasure products. It reads, “We have already done the hard work of importing them through customs by filling all the documents to support the legality of these products; only after they get imported are we able to sell them in India. Our Custom consultants work with the department to properly classify these products and ensure we have the rights and permission to sell and distribute them in India.”

Furthermore, it says, “we avoid labeling them as ‘sex toys’. These are pleasure products, and we prefer not to label them as ‘sex toys’ due to the stigma and undue attention it gets.”

Source: in.imbesharam.com

Under legal explanation, it read, “Under the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Section 292 prohibits the sale of obscene objects. We argue with the department that these products are NOT OBSCENE and they are being used by an individual in the privacy of their own space, so the Indian Constitution grants each Indian citizen the freedom to their own space and rights to their privacy.”

The company subtly says that they are using the loopholes available in the Indian laws to import and sell sex toys in India that can be deemed as “obscene” at first look as per the law.

Source: in.imbesharam.com

The company promises discretion even in the billing in the bank statement would say “Happy Birds Inc” and not “Besharam”. About privacy, it says, “Your order is packaged securely in a white/brown box, with no indication of our brand outside or the contents of the package. It ships from our warehouse, clears customs under our company name, and ONLY after it’s safely imported, we print and paste your address label to ship it through courier to you. It will show the shipper name as Happy Birds and the content as ‘Gifts & Souvenirs.”

This is a standard practice in sex toy industry, where the products shipped do not mention the name or nature of the product on the packages, to protect the buyer from possible embarrassment in front of others. They use alternate names to hive the true nature of the shipment.

Punjab police lathi-charge farm labourers protesting outside Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Sangrur, the CM refuses to meet the protestors

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab police lathi-charge farm labourers protesting outside Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Sangrur, the CM refuses to meet the protestors

On Wednesday 30th November 2022, Punjab police lathi-charged farm labourers protesting for their various demands outside the residence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur. Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union and Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha, a joint platform of eight labour unions of Punjab had called for this agitation.

Hundreds of labourers gathered near Patiala – Bathinda road in Sangrur in the morning and held a protest there. In the afternoon around 3 pm, they started to march towards the CM’s residence. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has rented accommodation in Sangrur’s Dreamland Colony area. When the protestors started gathering near the private colony, police stopped them. In an effort to keep the crowd out of the area, the police unleashed the lathi charge as the crowds increased.

On social media, a video of the event has gone viral. In the footage, Punjab police officers are seen unleashing lathi charges against the protesting labourers. The videos also show that Sangrur superintendent of police (SP) Manpreet Singh led the cane-charging. He himself was hitting people and directing other cops to do the same.

The protestors requested to meet with CM Bhagwant Mann to discuss their numerous requests, including wage increases, but they were not allowed to meet the CM. The demands of the protestors included an increase of minimum daily wages to ₹700 under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA), implementation of five-marla plot schemes for Dalits, and allotment of the third part of common panchayat land on lease to the community.

Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee President Mukesh Malaud said that earlier the Chief Minister had promised a meeting with them, but later he refused to meet. Therefore they were forced to protest to raise their demands.

While the bulk of AAP ministers and even the CM have been campaigning in Gujarat for the state’s Assembly elections over the last month, Punjab has remained a hotspot of unrest. In response to the quest by the farmers, the AAP-led Punjab administration claims that it barely took office eight months ago and that it needs time to fulfil its promises.

Earlier, while announcing the protests of November 30, Zora Singh Nasrali, president of Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union (PKMU) which is a part of Sanjha Mazdoor Morcha had said, “We had a few meetings with CM Bhagwant Mann, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema and bureaucrats in the past but our last meeting with Mann was scheduled for October 3 but it was called off. And after that, no date for the meeting was announced. Officials gave us assurance but not in writing. Hence, we have no other choice but to protest outside the CM’s house.”

‘Why nobody wept in Pakistan?’ Shankersinh Vaghela raises aspersions on Balakot airstrikes, Akshardham attack, insinuates foul play in CDS General’s death

OpIndia Staff
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‘Why nobody wept in Pakistan?’ Shankersinh Vaghela raises aspersions on Balakot airstrikes, Akshardham attack, insinuates foul play in CDS General’s death

Ahead of the Gujarat assembly polls, former Congress leader and ex-Gujarat CM Shankersinh Vaghela courted controversy after he raised aspersions on the Balakot airstrikes, carried out by the Indian Armed Forces following the Pulwama terror attack in February 2019.

In his interview with far-left propaganda website The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Vaghela not only raised questions on the Balakot airstrikes but also insinuated foul play in the death of CDS General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash in December 2021.

The former Gujarat CM also implied that the Pulwama terror attack was a false-flag operation, questioning why the CRPF cordon was not airlifted from Jammu.

When asked about the thumping majority the Modi government received in consecutive Lok Sabha elections, Vaghela said, “Pulwama and polarisation played its part. Surgical strikes after Pulwama attack…Surgical strikes are not to be marketed. Who marketed it? They said 200-250 were killed, but who counted them? How many families were destroyed in Pakistan? Not a single Pakistani mother cried whose son died in the airstrike.”

Vaghela further added that he had a friend in Pakistan who informed him that the airstrikes had damaged a few houses and injured one. “Tell me how many people were killed? Who counted the dead bodies of 250 people? Why did nobody cry in Pakistan?” Vaghela asked.

The former Congress leader raised aspersions on the death of CDS General Bipin Rawat, insinuating foul play in the helicopter crash that led to his death. “How did General’s helicopter crash? Who crashed it?” Vaghela asked.

Insinuating that the Pulwama terror attack was an insider job, Vaghela said, “Who killed the CRPF jawans in Pulwama? Not a dog can interfere in Army’s flag march. The soldiers were supposed to be airlifted from Jammu, why did it not happen? As per my information, a Gujarat-registered Maruti 800 car laden with 200 kg RDX rammed into a CRPF convoy. Who were the terrorists? Why details were not revealed? Later they linked it to Pulwama.”

“People were killed in the Akshardham temple attack. Who killed them? Who were the terrorists? Who brought them here?” asked Vaghela, insinuating the government’s role in the attack.

Shankersinh Vaghela hails gangster Abdul Latif

Earlier last week, Vaghela, who had a long association with the Congress party but resigned from the party last year, said that infamous gangster Abdul Latif was quite popular among people and was generous towards them.

“He was a don but a kind-hearted one. He was very generous and popular and helped people here. That’s why he won elections from wherever he stood,” Vaghela emphasised in his interview with ABP News.

Not aware of Raja Ravi Varma’s Menaka-Shakuntala painting misused as lesbian couple by adult toy store, says Raja Ravi Varma Foundation

OpIndia Staff
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Not aware of Raja Ravi Varma’s Menaka-Shakuntala painting misused as lesbian couple by adult toy store, says Raja Ravi Varma Foundation

A controversy erupted on November 29 after it was discovered that a sex toys store ‘Besharam’ was using a painting by famous painter Raja Ravi Verma to sell ‘adult toys’. The website used the ‘Menaka Shakuntala’ painting by Raja Ravi Varma and depicted it as if the subjects in the painting were lesbians. Menaka was actually an Apsara and Shakuntala was her daughter, born out of a union with Rishi Vishvamitra. But Besharam depicted them as a lesbian couple, disregarding the sentiments of Hindus.

The story of Menaka and Shakuntala is narrated in Mahabharata, and according to the Adi Parva of the epic, Shakuntala’s son Bharata was the ancestor of the Kauravas and Pandavas. The famous painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicts the moment when Menaka had taken her daughter Shakuntala to heaven, after Shakuntala’s husband king Dushyant failed to recognise her due to a curse.

OpIndia contacted Raja Ravi Varma Foundation over the matter, and to know whether they have authorised Besharam to use the iconic painting. Print Brew, the media partner of the Foundation, responded to our query and said that the work belongs to a private collection and does not belong to the Foundation. And they added that the Foundation did not permit the usage of the said painting.

Furthermore, the Foundation was unaware of the painting being used on such a website. The images of Raja Ravi Varma’s paintings are freely available on the internet. They wrote that most of these images are freely available on the internet, adding that it is shocking that the portal on the said work flagrantly opted to use it for such purposes.

Calling it an ill-conceived idea by the website promoters, the Foundation noted that Raja Ravi Varma is considered a national treasure. To use his imagery where the intent is to mislead the public and grab eyeballs shows disrespect to art and artists in so many ways.

OpIndia found out that the painting is in the private collection of Birla Art, Kolkata. We have contacted them and sought information if they were aware of the usage of the image by the portal. We will update the story accordingly.

Adult toys store Besharam under fire for misusing Raja Ravi Varma creation, depicted Shakuntala and her mother Menaka as lesbian couple

Anurag
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Adult toys store Besharam under fire for misusing Raja Ravi Varma creation, depicted Shakuntala and her mother Menaka as lesbian couple

On November 29, Twitter user GemsOfBollywood published a tweet revealing how an adult toys store brand named ‘Besharam’ was using Raja Ravi Verma’s painting of Menaka and her daughter Shakuntala on its website, depicting them as a lesbian couple. In the image, Shakuntala was shown saying, “Honn, is this heaven”? to which Menaka replies, “Naah babe, just a good orgasm”.

This is a shocking distortion and insult of Hindu texts, because, as per texts, Menaka is the mother of Shakuntala, but the adult toys store brand depicted them as a lesbian couple. The story of Shakuntala is narrated in the Mahabharata. According to the Adi Parva of the epic, Menaka was an Apsara, who was sent to earth by Indra to seduce Vishvamitra to end his penance. Menaka was successful in this mission, she lived with Rishi Vishvamitra for several years, and Shakuntala was born as a result of this union.

Shakuntala’s son with king Dushyanta was Bharata, who was the ancestor of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, the two main clans in Mahabharata.

The painting by Raja Ravi Varma

Raja Ravi Varma created the painting titled Menaka Shakuntala in 1890. The description of the painting reads, “One of the most enduring works, legend has it that Shakuntala, caught up in her reverie, failed to greet Rishi Durvasa, who cursed her that the person she was thinking of would forget her. As the story goes, King Dushyant fails to recognise her when she goes to his palace and deeply disappointed by it, Shakuntala takes refuge in her mother Menaka’s arms as she is spirited away to the heavens.”

Who was Raja Ravi Varma

Born in 1848, Raja Ravi Varma is one of the most famous artists from India who took art to the masses. He hailed from Killimanoor, Travancore, present-day Kerala. Raja Ravi was drawn towards art at a very young age. His uncle Raja Raja Varma was his mentor and his mother, Umayamba Bayi, a poet, drew him towards art.

The realistic portrayals of contemporary figures and interpretations of religious and mythological figures made him immensely popular among the Royals. He was well known not only in the Indian circle of the Royals but also on international platforms. Raja Ravi Varma made sure that the art became accessible to all. The reproductions of his paintings were made affordable and available for everyone.

Misuse of Sunny Leone by the store

In another tweet, GemsOfBollywood tagged Bollywood actress Sunny Leone whose images are being used by the website as a brand ambassador, and wrote, “Besharam Sunny Leone is the brand ambassador of Besharam adult store that sells sex toys etc. Why use Hindu woman imagery for sales? Why not hijab, burqa, nun dress?”

Other users made similar tweets. Twitter user Agenda Buster wrote, “This is beyond imagination. Besharam is an Indian sex toy company using pic of Menaka n Shakuntala as a lesbian couple to promote their sex toys. Menaka n Shakuntala was mother-daughter n this is a famous pic of Ravi Varma in which Menaka takes her daughter to swarg loka.”

Sunny Leone’s husband denied endorsing the brand

However, Sunny Leone’s husband Daniel Weber claimed that the store is misusing his wife’s image, and she does not have any endorsement deal with the brand. He also said that they have already filed a case against the company for the unauthorised use of the images.

In reply to GemsOfBollywood’s tweet, Daniel Weber said, “To do some background and research might help!! We have filed a case against this company for illegally using Sunny Leone images!!! We don’t endorse this company!!!!!”

However, several Twitter users pointed out that in 2012, Sunny Leone herself had announced that she was endorsing Besharam. In August 2012, she posted a tweet saying, “‘Excited!! My new endorsement Besharam site landing page is up.”

Sunny announced in 2012 her endorsement to the portal. Source: Twitter

Responding to this, Weber said that the endorsement was only for one year, and it did not continue further. In reply to BefittingFacts who had pointed out the 2012 tweet, he said, “Correct 2012!!!!!! :). Point made!!! A one-year USA term.”

IMBesharam called Sunny’s husband a ‘lier’

However, Besharam came forward to deny the claims of Sunny Leone’s husband calling him a liar, and accused the actress of not honouring a contract signed by her. Replying to a tweet by GemsOfBollywood saying that Sunny Leone’s husband denied endorsing the brand, IMBesharam said, “Sunny Leone changed course after Bollywood movie offer, went dark on all adult projects commitments, producers and paid projects. She even distanced herself from her website, selling her own porn. We just respected her wishes not to actively engage her, but Daniel is a liar.”

Their comment started an online feud between Weber and the brand. Weber accused them of “needing Sunny’s image” to help the company.

The brand, in return, accused Weber of using her lifestyle to “pay his bills”. That was indeed a below-the-belt comment.

Weber ended the conversation by wishing the brand good luck for the future.

Amid the Vizhinjam port controversy, here are other instances where Churches have fuelled protests against developmental projects in India

Jhankar Mohta
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Amid the Vizhinjam port controversy, here are other instances where Churches have fuelled protests against developmental projects in India

On November 29, Tuesday, Kerala state’s minister for ports V Abdurahiman came down heavily on those carrying out the agitation against the Vizhinjam international sea port by terming the Latin Catholic church-led protests as anti-national.

“Hindering construction activities which are crucial for the nation’s development should be examined as an anti-national move. I don’t think these demonstrations are protests, it is something else,” the minister was quoted as saying by media houses.

Protests against the Vizhinjam Transshipment Hub in Kerala, led by the Latin Catholic Church, became violent on Sunday night (27 November).

On Saturday, a rowdy mob rushed to Vizhinjam police station and held police personnel hostage, demanding the release of five protestors detained for obstructive protests (26 November).

At least 29 policemen were seriously injured and police vehicles were damaged in the attack.

The Latin Church, which is spearheading the ongoing agitation against the under-construction Vizhinjam port, attempted to rationalise the weekend violence by stating that it was merely a natural response to government-scripted provocations. The church asserted that the protest would continue.

While we continue to discuss the latest Latin Catholic Church-led protest against Vizhinjam Transshipment Hub in Kerala, it is vital to revisit numerous other instances in which churches and foreign-funded NGOs have been instrumental in stalling development projects in India.

How Church-backed activism fueled the Kudankulam protest in Tamil Nadu

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, which was developed in collaboration with Russia, also saw a lot of protests. A similar situation emerged in the year 2011 when Church-sponsored rabble-rousers and hooligans delayed the critical Kudankulam power plant, hitting us at a time when energy requirements were rapidly increasing.

The majority of those who took part in the Nagercoil protest marches were from various Catholic churches. The Idinthakarai St. Lourdes Church complex was repurposed into a protest camp for the plant. Several churches advised people to participate in the protests against the Kudankulam facility.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power situated in the state of Tamil Nadu was conceptualized as the largest Nuclear Power plant in India with a total capacity of 6000 MW. The construction of the plant began way back in 2002 but it was marred by constant protests.

This protest reached a boiling point in 2011 when the villagers reportedly feared that a Fukushima-type disaster might befall the Nuclear plant. One of the prominent leaders of the anti-Kudankulam movement was SP Udayakumar, who led the People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy.

Incidentally, this whole protest had come under suspicion way back in 2012 when there were reports about the protest being allegedly backed by the Church and various foreign parties emerged. In 2014 there were further allegations after an alleged IB report had claimed that Udayakumar had been working on the behest of various American and German entities in order to subvert the development of India.

The then-Union Minister V Narayanasamy asserted that Bishop Yavon Ambroise of Tuticorin had received Rs 54 crore and was the driving force behind the demonstrations. Many Christian organisations, such as People’s Education for Action and Liberation and Good Vision, were identified as troublemakers by the HM.

The Union Home Secretary said in 2012 that four non-governmental organisations’ bank accounts had been seized after it was determined that they had been utilising money from foreign sources to fund anti-nuclear protests. The CBI filed two cases, while the Tamil Nadu police Crime Branch filed two.

Moreover, in 2017, Republic TV came up with a sting operation on Udyakumar and various members of the Tamil Nadu Church, which seemed to further corroborate the ” foreign-funded protest theory”.

The reporters then followed the Church-backed protest angle and zeroed in on a Church in Idinthakarai which according to them was a hub of anti-nuclear protests. They reportedly stung a Parish priest named Jayakumar who managed the money used in the protest. He had apparently selected 70 people who were set up as a front while he and the Diocese controlled things from behind the curtains. Apparently, he took care of all the protests in Idinthakarai and there were 13 other Fathers who similarly managed 13 other villages.

The report also claimed that this whole church involvement was orchestrated by a Bishop who had suggested that Jayakumar operates from the background. The Bishop was incidentally the person who was withstanding all the external ‘pressure’ like the cancellation of their FCRA license.

The reporters also interviewed a villager who claimed that all the NGOs were actually run by Bishops who paid money to Christian people if they took part in the protests.

Through these sting operations, it appeared that the main motivation for the whole protest was not an aversion to Nuclear Power but a desire to earn money.

Role of Catholic churches in shutting down TN’s Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper factory

Similarly, the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper factory in Thoothukudi  (formerly Tuticorin) was eventually shut down by the Tamil Nadu government in 2018 following protests by locals over purported environmental concerns caused by the plant. The shutdown of the Sterlite Copper plant dealt a huge blow to the country’s copper trade and India slipped from being one of the top five exporters of copper cathodes in 2017-2018 to becoming a net importer from 2018-2019. In this case, too, Catholic priests and nuns led demonstrators calling for the factory’s closure.

Several myths were disseminated about this facility at the time, such as how it was harming the environment and affecting the workers. Various churches banded together to speed up the protests by proclaiming Sunday as Protest Day.

Pastor Lazarus led a march from Our Lady of Snows’ church to the collector’s office for members of the Catholic Fernandez community living in a hamlet off the coast of Tuticorin. Following that, the church and foreign NGOs applied pressure on the government and the judiciary, resulting in the plant’s shutdown.

In fact, TOI journalist Lalita Nijhawan wrote a detailed article about how the protests against the Sterlite Copper Plant in Thoothukudi and the Kudankulam protests were orchestrated by a complete pact between all denominations of Christian Churches to bring the key industries to a halt under the guise of environmental pollution without any kind of basis.

She asserted that when complaints of environmental damages caused by the plant were raised, scientists from the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) visited Sterlite and certified that emissions were within the limits set. Despite this, Christian leader Brother Mohan C Lazarus went on YouTube to claim that Sterlite was a toxic factory, without any basis. He announced that a protest against Sterlite will be conducted on March 24, 2018, in Rajaji Park Tuticorin, with all Catholics, Pentecostals, and the Church of South India (CSI) participating.

Apart from local job loss, the Sterlite plant closure has cost the Indian economy a whopping Rs 14,749 crore till now.

All Saints Church members protest against Bangalore Metro Rail

Last year, a protest erupted over the Bengaluru metro rail project. In this case, too, the protest was led by ‘All Saints Church,’ which had opposed the metro’s construction under the pretext of conserving trees.

Popular Twitter user Anshul Saxena listed some of the instances where major developmental projects in India have faced opposition from Church organisations.

According to reports, some of the defence lands were purchased for Rs 60 crore from the Church of South India (CSI). The ‘All Saints Church’ then protested the metro’s construction and urged that the trees be saved. It is crucial to note that the CSI is the All Saints Church’s parent organisation. This means that one organisation took the money by selling the land, while the church under the same organisation opposed the project, inciting the locals to oppose it.

Likewise, the Church of England had impeded the Indian conglomerate Vedanta Group’s proposed project to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills in Odisha.

Vedanta was already in substantial business in this part of Odisha’s Kalahandi district. It operated a 5000-crore alumina refinery plant set up in 2006 in Lanjigarh, at the base of the Niyamgiri Hills to process alumina from bauxite ore. The company use to buy the bauxite from 14 different mines in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The transportation costs were formidable – so Vedanta wanted to mine the bauxite that it said lay just three Kilometres from its refinery.

Catholic churches stall Odisha’s Niyamgiri bauxite mines

In 2009, agitation against the Niyamgiri bauxite mines was spearheaded by the local tribals who are supported by foreign NGOs and churches. They instigated the local tribe by asserting that Vedanta’s plan to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills will displace 8,000 members of the Dongria Kondh tribe and destroy the ecosystem.

Then it had to face the ire of international campaigners such as Bianca Jagger and controversial writer Arundhati Roy. Soon, the Church of England sold its stake worth 3.8 million pound stake (5.9 million US dollars) in the group.

In 2012, Vedanta also announced the closure of the Lanjigarh refinery. The refinery was built at the base of the Niyamgiri mountains to process the 78 million tonnes of bauxite deposits found there.

Puducherry: Elephant Laxmi of Manakula Vinayagar temple dies suddenly, activists allege sabotage by PETA and others

OpIndia Staff
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Puducherry: Elephant Laxmi of Manakula Vinayagar temple dies suddenly, activists allege sabotage by PETA and others

On Wednesday, 30th November 2022, an elephant named Laxmi, belonging to the renowned Manakula Vinayagar temple in Puducherry, died of abrupt heart arrest while being taken for a walk. She was 32 years old. Many individuals paid respects to Laxmi, including Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

On the scene when the elephant experienced a heart attack and passed away, a veterinarian from the union territory government who was caring for the animal was also present. He told PTI that the animal was healthy before the unexpected cardiac arrest that ultimately led to its demise. The pachyderm died after collapsing on a road near the public secondary school Calve College.

People from all regions of the union territory flocked to pay respects as soon as the news of the elephant’s passing spread on social media. Additionally, people were spotted covering the animal’s mortal remains with garlands and flower petals.

The reason behind the sudden heart attack suffered by Laxmi was not clear. Twitter users started raising questions about her health condition and treatments. Several people have alleged that in the last few days, the elephant was being treated by a PETA veterinarian instead of a regular veterinarian. It is also alleged that Laxmi was given unknown injections. Many people also pointed out that due to the pressure of so-called animal rights activists Laxmi was kept confined and she was not allowed regular walks and other necessary physical exercises. This led to deterioration of her health, people are alleging.

Indu Makkal Katchi tweeted, “Lakshmi was given 15 injections yesterday, says Ashok Rajan an animal activist. What were those injections, why was the regular doctor denied to treat her, and a PETA doc from Bangalore had to treat her?”

S. Muralidharan of Redefining Animal Welfare suspected that there is sabotage by BJP’s Maneka Gandhi and Indian Forest Service official Vanjulavalli Sridhar in the death of Lakshmi. Temple activists and elephant advocates have claimed foul play. Muralidharan questioned, “On whose orders did she lock the elephant in the shed without walking & perform a postmortem.”

During the pandemic, he said, Maneka Gandhi forcibly removed Laxmi from the Manakula Vinayagar Temple. He said, “We brought Laxmi back with the help of then Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy, Congress leader Americai Narayanan and Indu Makkal Katchi. But after that, Maneka exerted pressure on the Forest Department to keep the elephant confined not even allowing her to go for a walk. Because of that, she (Laxmi) had water retention in her body due to which she suffered a heart attack and died today morning.”

Earlier, in 2020, Lakshmi the Elephant was taken away from her home after PETA and the Animal Welfare Board intervened in the matter and accused the Temple of violating the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, too, was involved in the whole affair and she requested Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi and the Directorate of Forests and Wildlife to remove the elephant from the temple and shift her to a ‘safer’ location. At the time, Lakshmi was forcibly removed from the Temple and shifted to the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Kurumamber, where her health was reported to have deteriorated. On 18th July 2020, Laxmi was brought back to the Manakula Temple

Punjab: Congress Sarpanch Amandeep Singh, and 3 others arrested for looting 17 lakhs from UCO Bank in Patiala, had looted from SBI too

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Congress Sarpanch Amandeep Singh, and 3 others arrested for looting 17 lakhs from UCO Bank in Patiala, had looted from SBI too

On Tuesday, the Patiala Police cracked the UCO Bank robbery case at Ghanaur and arrested four persons for looting Rs 17.85 lakhs from the bank. Interestingly, a local Congress leader who is the village sarpanch of Hafizabad in Ropar district’s Chamkaur Sahib subdivision is one of the four people who have been detained.

According to the reports, the district police recovered the vehicle which was used by the accused while executing the crime. The police also recovered a 12-bore rifle, two cartridges, and Rs. 17.85 lakh that had been stolen from the bank by the accused.

The accused persons have been identified as Amandeep Singh (35), a Congress leader and sarpanch of village Hafizbad in Chamkaur Sahib constituency, Dilpreet Singh alias Bhana, Prabhdial Singh, and Narinder Singh. The Police said that the Congress leader was the mastermind of the Ghanaur bank robbery that happened on Monday. All the accused are from the Ropar district.

According to cops, the congress leader covered with his face with a cloth mask and entered the bank first at around 3:35 pm on Monday. He asked about the cash deposit time and then left. However, he returned two minutes later along with his two armed accomplices and looted the cash from the cashier.

They locked the bank staff members in the cabin and snatched a bike from one of the customers and then fled from the spot. They later abandoned the bike and sat in their car which the fourth accused had got to help them escape. “The police arrested the accused in less than 24 hours and recovered the entire amount which was looted from the bank. After the incident, the police had sealed the entire exit points of the district and managed to arrest the accused with their arms, ammunition, looted money, and car in which they were fleeing”, said SSP Varun Sharma.

Sharma further confirmed that one of the accused is a local Congress leader. He added that Amandeep has previously been charged with looting, murder, and dacoity in seven separate incidents. “He is also an accused in the case of the November 10 theft of 5 lakh rupees from the SBI Bank in Khamnoo, Fatehgarh Sahib district. He is also charged with robbing the Morinda post office head,” Sharma stated. 

Reportedly, the police will hold the suspect in custody and question them further since the accused might have committed additional similar crimes of this nature in the past. “The police will also probe why they selected the Ghanaur Bank, as it is almost 100 km away from their residences, and whether they had some local support. The accused even took away the CCTV video recorder with them to conceal their crime,” the SSP was quoted.

The incident happened on Monday at around 3:40 pm. The accused executed the crime and fled from the spot within 10 minutes. The police have arrested four accused in the case. Further investigations into the case are underway.

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